Detecting and Setting the Posture Configuration of a Hinged Multi-Screen Device

Abstract

The inventive devices may be produced in various form factors including single display element form factors, dual element form factors, or form factors that incorporate one or more flexible panels instead of hinged flat panels. The devices also include sensors to determine the device configuration. The devices may be placed into various configurations including an upright laptop, stand, tent, small tablet, large tablet, dual monitor display, or book configuration. These devices may change display modes based on the current device configuration, the current task being performed on the device, and/or spatial context as determined by any one of various environmental and configuration sensors. Different display modes include normal, presentation, sharing, augmented reality, tracing, scanning, unobstructed, ambient light, 2.5D/3D modes. Applications can be written that take specific advantage of the inventive display elements, display modes, device form factors, and device configurations.

1 - 3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . A mobile computing device comprising:
 a) a processor;   b) an accelerometer;   c) a camera;   d) a first touch-screen display;   e) a second touch-screen display; and   f) a housing including the processor, the accelerometer, the camera, the first touch-screen display, and the second touch-screen display, the housing including a hinge between the first touch-screen display and the second touch-screen display, the hinge being configured to permit the first and the second touch-screen displays to rotate relative to one another from anywhere between a closed display-to-display angular orientation to nearly a 360-degree back-to-back angular orientation;   g) the processor being configured to:
 i. detect a current angular orientation between the first and the second touch-screen displays; 
 ii. determine, based on at least the accelerometer, an indicated gravitational direction; 
 iii. determine the device configuration based on the angular orientation and indicated gravitational direction; and 
 iv. cause images to be displayed on the first and the second touch-screen displays based on the determined device configuration. 
   
     
     
         5 . The mobile computing device of  claim 4 , wherein to determine the device configuration based on the angular orientation and indicated gravitational direction the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) determine the first touch-screen display is substantially horizontal and facing substantially upward from the ground;   b) determine the second touch-screen display has an angular orientation between about 90 degrees or more from display-to-display orientation relative to the first touch-screen display; and,   c) set a device configuration value to indicate that the mobile computing device is configured in a laptop pose.   
     
     
         6 . The mobile computing device of  claim 5 , wherein to cause images to be displayed the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) cause a graphical user input area to be displayed on the first touch-screen display oriented such that the top of the area is placed toward the hinge; and,   b) cause a graphical user interface area to be displayed on the second touch-screen display oriented such that the bottom of the area is placed toward the hinge.   
     
     
         7 . The mobile computing device of  claim 4 , wherein to determine the device configuration based on the angular orientation and indicated gravitational direction the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) determine the first touch-screen display is substantially horizontal and facing substantially downward toward the ground;   b) determine the second touch-screen display has an angular orientation between about 270 to about 360 degrees from display-to-display angular orientation relative to the first touch-screen display; and,   c) set a device configuration value to indicate the mobile computing device is configured in a stand pose.   
     
     
         8 . The mobile computing device of  claim 7 , wherein to cause images to be displayed the processor is further configured to:
 a) cause a graphical user interface area to be displayed on the second touch-screen display oriented such that the bottom of the area is placed toward the hinge.   
     
     
         9 . The mobile computing device of  claim 4 , wherein to determine the device configuration based on the angular orientation and indicated gravitational direction the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) determine the first and second touch-screen displays are both facing at least slightly upward and outward from the ground,   b) determine the second touch-screen display has an angular orientation between about more than 180 degrees to less than 360 degrees from display-to-display orientation relative to the first touch-screen display; and,   c) set a device configuration value to indicate the mobile computing device is configured in a tent pose.   
     
     
         10 . The mobile computing device of  claim 9 , wherein to cause images to be displayed the processor is further configured to:
 a) cause a graphical user interface area to be displayed on the first touch-screen display with the graphical user interface oriented such that the top of the area is placed toward the hinge.   
     
     
         11 . The mobile computing device of  claim 9 , wherein to cause images to be displayed the processor is further configured to:
 a) cause a presenter user interface area to be displayed on the first touch-screen display with the presenter user interface oriented such that the top of the area is placed toward the hinge.   
     
     
         12 . The mobile computing device of  claim 11 , wherein to cause images to be displayed the processor is further configured to:
 a) cause a presentation display area to be displayed on the second touch-screen display with the presentation display oriented such that the top of the area is placed toward the hinge.   
     
     
         13 . The mobile computing device of  claim 4 , wherein to determine the device configuration based on the angular orientation and indicated gravitational direction the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) determine the first and second touch-screen displays are in a back-to-back angular orientation;   b) identify the user-facing screen, based on a determined user-normal vector and the indicated gravitational direction; and,   c) set a device configuration value to indicate the mobile computing device is configured in a small tablet pose.   
     
     
         14 . The mobile computing device of  claim 13 , wherein to cause images to be displayed the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) determine, based on at least the camera, an orientation of the user's face relative to the identified user-facing screen and the indicated gravitational direction;   b) cause a graphical user interface display area to be displayed on the identified user-facing screen in an orientation that appears upright to the user based on the determined orientation of the user's face.   
     
     
         15 . The mobile computing device of  claim 4 , wherein to determine the device configuration based on the angular orientation and indicated gravitational direction the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) determine the first and second touch-screen displays are in substantially 180-degree relative angular orientation; and,   b) set a device configuration value to indicate the mobile computing device is configured in a large tablet pose.   
     
     
         16 . The mobile computing device of  claim 15 , wherein to cause images to be displayed the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) determine, based on at least the camera, an orientation of the user's face relative to the first and second touch-sensitive display screens and the indicated gravitational direction;   b) cause a first and second graphical user interface display area to be displayed on the first and second touch-sensitive display screens in an orientation that appears upright to the user based on the determined orientation of the user's face.   
     
     
         17 . The mobile computing device of  claim 4 , wherein to determine the device configuration based on the angular orientation and indicated gravitational direction the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) determine the first and second touch-sensitive display screens are side-by-side and the hinge is substantially vertical with respect to the ground;   b) determine the second touch-screen display has an angular orientation of less than about 180 degrees from a display-to-display angular orientation relative to the first touch-screen display; and,   c) set a device configuration value to indicate the mobile computing device is configured in a dual display or book pose.   
     
     
         18 . The mobile computing device of  claim 17 , wherein to cause images to be displayed the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) cause a first graphical user interface area to be displayed on the first touch-screen display oriented such that the top of the area is up based on the indicated gravitational direction; and,   b) cause a second graphical user interface area to be displayed on the second touch-screen display oriented such that the top of the area is up based on the indicated gravitational direction.   
     
     
         19 . The mobile computing device of  claim 18 , wherein a wireless mouse and keyboard are paired with the mobile computing device. 
     
     
         20 . The mobile computing device of  claim 4 , wherein to determine the device configuration based on the angular orientation and indicated gravitational direction the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) determine, based on at least the camera, the first and second touch-sensitive display screens are being held side-by-side relative to the user's face;   b) determine the second touch-screen display has an angular orientation between about 45 degrees to less than 180 degrees from a display-to-display angular orientation relative to the first touch-screen display; and,   c) set a device configuration value to indicate the mobile computing device is configured in a dual display or book pose.   
     
     
         21 . The mobile computing device of  claim 20 , wherein to cause images to be displayed the processor is further configured to, in any order:
 a) cause a first graphical user interface area to be displayed on the first touch-screen display in an orientation that appears upright to the user based on the determined orientation of the user's face; and,   b) cause a second graphical user interface area to be displayed on the second touch-screen display in an orientation that appears upright to the user based on the determined orientation of the user's face.   
     
     
         22 . The mobile computing device of  claim 4 , wherein the angular orientation between the first touch-screen display and the second touch-screen display is determined using an angle sensor interfaced with the hinge of the mobile computing device. 
     
     
         23 . The mobile computing device of  claim 4 , wherein the angular orientation between the first touch-screen display and the second touch-screen display is determined using at least two accelerometers placed on opposite sides of the hinge.