KR20070117839A - Method and apparatus for pivoting user interface information in portable device - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and a device for controlling pivot of a user interface in a portable device are provided to automatically switch a GUI(Graphic User Interface) and a key interface to a vertical or horizontal direction according to a placed direction of the portable device. A direction sensor senses the placed direction of the portable device by detecting a magnet fixed to the portable device according to a sliding-on/off state of the portable device. A display part(240) displays user interface information. A controller(260) changes the key interface by changing the direction of the GUI according to the detected direction, displaying the GUI according to the changed direction, and changing key mapping according to the changed direction. The direction sensor is a hall sensor(210) generating each direction signal when the portable device is slid or closed. The controller includes a key mapping table differently assigning the key mapping according to the horizontal and vertical direction.

Description

Method and apparatus for controlling user interface pivot of portable device {Method and apparatus for pivoting user interface information in portable device}

1A and 1B are external views of a portable electronic device having a user interface pivot function according to the present invention.

2 is a block diagram of an apparatus for controlling a user interface pivot of a portable device according to the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a user interface pivot of a portable device according to the present invention.

4 is a detailed flowchart of a user interface pivot control process of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an embodiment of a key processing process of FIG. 3.

6A and 6B illustrate one embodiment of a user interface that is displayed in portrait and landscape orientations when the portable device is closed and when sliding.

7A and 7B illustrate the vertical and horizontal display methods shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

8A illustrates a hardware key of the portable electronic device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8B illustrates the key mapping table of FIG. 8A.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to portable electronic devices having a user interface function, and in particular, a user interface pivot for automatically switching the graphical user interface and the key interface in the horizontal and vertical directions according to the direction of the position where the portable electronic device is placed. A control method and apparatus are provided.

Typically, portable electronic devices such as mp3 players, mobile phones, and game machines are provided with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the convenience of the user. This graphical user interface facilitates the user with the current operating status and operation of the device.

However, the conventional portable electronic device is provided with a graphical user interface and / or a key interface only in either the horizontal or vertical direction. Therefore, when the user views the device in a different direction from the currently displayed direction, it is difficult to recognize the graphical user interface. For example, when the portable electronic device is rotated 90 degrees, the graphical user interface and / or key interface displayed is also rotated by 90 degrees, and the user has to turn his head 90 degrees. Also, for portable devices that support pivoting, rotate the portable electronic device 90 degrees while rotating the portable electronic device 90 degrees in the opposite direction so that the user can see in the forward direction when viewing the screen, but rotate the key interface 90 degrees. There was a disadvantage in that it became a confused form of key manipulation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a user interface pivot control method and apparatus for automatically switching the graphical user interface and the key interface in the horizontal and vertical directions according to the direction of the position where the portable device is placed.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention is a user interface pivot control method of a portable electronic device,

Sensing a direction according to a position where the portable device is placed;

And changing the key interface by changing the display direction of the graphical user interface and changing the key mapping according to the direction of the portable device sensed in the above process.

In order to solve the above other technical problem, in the user interface pivot control apparatus of a portable electronic device,

A direction sensor unit configured to sense a magnet fixed to the portable device according to a sliding on / off state of the portable device and sense a direction of a position where the device is placed;

A display unit displaying the user interface information;

And converting a display direction of the graphical user interface according to the direction information detected by the direction sensor unit to display the display unit, and changing the key mapping according to the direction to change the key interface.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1A and 1B are external views of a portable electronic device having a user interface pivot function according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a portable electronic device is typically used in the vertical direction. In this case, the portable electronic device is attached to the UI housing 110 and the main housing 120. A hall sensor for sensing a direction is attached to the UI housing 110, and a magnet is attached to the body housing 120. At this time, the mounting position or the number of the Hall sensor and the magnet may vary depending on the portable device used. Therefore, the Hall sensor is attached to the magnet in normal use (when closed), and thus generates a logic value "0" corresponding to the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 1B is an external view of the portable electronic device when the portable electronic device is slid for mounting while being used in the vertical direction. The UI housing 110 of the portable electronic device is placed in the horizontal direction. At this time, the UI housing 110 and the body housing 120 are separated from each other. Therefore, since the Hall sensor is separated from the magnet, the Hall sensor generates a logic value "1" corresponding to the horizontal direction.

2 is a block diagram of an apparatus for controlling a user interface pivot of a portable device according to the present invention.

The apparatus for controlling a user interface pivot of FIG. 2 includes a hall sensor 210, a flash memory 220, an SDRAM 230, a display 240, a key input 250, and a data processor 260.

The hall sensor 210 senses the horizontal direction and the vertical direction of the device by distinguishing when the portable device is closed and when the portable device is closed. That is, the hall sensor 210 detects a magnet when the portable device is closed and outputs a logic signal "0" corresponding to the vertical direction, and does not detect the magnet when the portable device is slid so that the logic signal corresponding to the horizontal direction is detected. Outputs "1".

The flash memory 220 stores music / video data, pictures, and other user data to be reproduced while executing programs.

The SDRAM 230 stores a program for controlling a general operation of the portable electronic device and a program for controlling a pivot program of a user interface according to an embodiment of the present invention, and temporarily stores data generated while executing the programs. .

The key input unit 250 includes keys for inputting numeric and text information and function keys for setting various functions.

The controller 260 controls the general operation or decodes the audio / video data stored in the flash memory 220, and detects the direction of the position where the device is placed by using a signal received from the hall sensor and according to the direction of the user interface. To change the display. That is, the controller 260 checks the sliding on / off state using the hall sensor 210, determines the device's redirection according to the sliding on / off, and displays the graphic user interface information in the changed direction. Output to 240 and at the same time change the key interface by changing the key mapping. In this case, the graphical user interface information is stored separately in a coordinate table suitable for the horizontal and vertical directions.

The controller 260 detects a signal of the hall sensor, and may include both an interrupt method and a polling method.

The display unit 240 displays graphic user interface information output from the controller 260. Preferably, the display unit 240 uses a liquid crystal display (LCD). This LCD is provided with a direction change register so that the display direction is changed by changing this register value output from the controller 260.

The digital-analog converter (DAC) unit 260 converts the audio data decoded by the controller 260 into an analog audio signal and outputs the analog audio signal to the speaker 270 or the earphone 280.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a user interface pivot of a portable device according to the present invention.

 The sliding on / off state is checked and the user interface pivot control process is performed according to the direction of the position where the device is placed (step 320). That is, the user interface pivot control process detects the change of direction of the device using the hall sensor, displays the graphical user interface information in the changed direction, and changes the key interface.

Subsequently, a key event is generated according to the key value input to the key input unit (step 330).

In operation 340, the device performs a function of the key event.

Then, if there is a changed graphical user interface, the GUI information is output to the LCD (350).

After the device is turned on, repeat steps 320-350 until the end key event is input and the device is shut down.

4 is a detailed flowchart of the user interface pivot control process 320 of FIG. 3.

First, the current direction change flag is set to a variable. For example, if the direction of the current device is in the vertical direction, the direction change flag is set to "0", and in the horizontal direction, the direction change flag is set to "1".

Next, it is checked whether the signal is changed by the hall sensor (step 410). For example, the hall sensor generates a signal "1" corresponding to the horizontal direction when the device is slid, and generates a signal "0" corresponding to the vertical direction when the device is closed. Therefore, the controller 260 may detect whether the direction is changed by comparing the signal received from the hall sensor with the direction change flag.

At this time, if the hall signal is changed, the state of the direction change flag is changed, and the display direction of the LCD is changed by changing data of the display direction change register (step 420). At the same time, the key mapping of the key mapping table is changed to change the key interface according to the direction (step 430), and the key LED according to the key mapping change is changed (step 440).

On the other hand, if the signal of the Hall sensor is not changed, the user interface pivot processing process is terminated.

FIG. 5 is an embodiment of a key processing process 330 of FIG. 3.

First, a key variable and a key mapping table for each direction are set.

For example, set KEY_SELECT = 0, KEY_PLUS = 1, KEY_MINUS = 2, KEY_REW = 3, KEY_FF = 4, KEY_MENU = 5, KEY_FUNCTION = 6, KEY_MAX = 7, as shown below, and the key variable (i) is 0 ( Increase the value from KEY_SELECT) to 7 (KEY_MAX) and compare the data from the key input part with the data of the corresponding key position in the key mapping table.

enumKEY_SELECT = 0,

KEY_PLUS, // = 1

KEY_MINUS, // = 2

KEY_REW, // = 3

KEY_FF, // = 4

KEY_MENU, // = 5

KEY_FUNCTION, // // 6

KEY_MAX // = 7

;

The key mapping table is

 Key table in the horizontal direction = c, b, e, d, h, a, i;

Set the vertical key table = c, h, d, b, e, g, f;

Next, any one key input pressed by the user is received (step 510).

The key variable i is then set to the first key (eg key_select).

In operation 530, it is checked whether the key data corresponding to the variable (i) of the horizontal or vertical key table and the input key data match.

At this time, if the key data matches the key data corresponding to the variable of the horizontal or vertical key table, an event of the key variable i is generated (step 550).

However, if the key data corresponding to the variable of the horizontal or vertical key table and the input key data do not match, the variable of the key table is increased by 1 to check the last key variable (for example, key_max) (step 540, 560 course).

For example, when the slide is open and the key mapping table is a horizontal key table, when the user presses b in FIG. 8A, the controller receives b (step 510). Set the key variable i to KEY_SELECT (0) and compare the received data with the 0th data c of the key table (step 530). At this time, since the received data is different from the 0th data c of the key table, the key variable i is increased by 1 and set to KEY_PLUS (1) (step 540). Also, since the key variable is not KEY_MAX (7), the process moves to step 530. The data b corresponding to the key variable i of the key table is compared with the received data b (step 530). At this time, since the data b and the received data b are the same, a KEY_PLUS event, which is the value of the key variable i, is generated (550). If the received data was a of FIG. 8A, the same data is not present in the key table, and thus the key event cannot be generated.

6A and 6B illustrate one embodiment of a user interface that is displayed in portrait and landscape orientations when the portable device is closed and when it is sliding.

7A and 7B illustrate the vertical and horizontal display methods shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. This display method changes the display direction by the direction change register of the LCD IC to display user interface information.

8A illustrates a hardware key of the portable electronic device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8B illustrates a key mapping table for a key displayed on the input interface of FIG. 8A.

In the present invention, the key LED is turned on to change the position of a specific function key according to the change of direction.

Referring to FIG. 8A, the portable device actually has nine keys from (a) to (i), but only seven keys are visible as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Portable devices have LEDs under the keypad to turn off the LEDs on unused keys so that the user can use only seven keys. In the key mapping table of FIG. 8B, vertical key assignment and horizontal key assignment are differently set according to functions.

6a turns off the LEDs of (g) and (f) and assigns the remaining key functions to (a) of FIG. 8b, and operates horizontally as shown in FIG. 6b (a) and (i). Turn off the LED and assign the remaining key functions to (b) of Figure 8b to operate. Therefore, the key disappears and appears according to the on / off of the key LED so that the user can see the key indicated by the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, or "M" at the same position on the upper left.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8B, the key interface operates differently even when the physically presses the same position by different key mappings according to the horizontal and vertical directions, and the keys at the same position according to the direction of the device even when the physically different keys are pressed. They do the same thing. A-i in Fig. 8B represents a physical key number. For example, from the user's point of view, the (h) key in the horizontal direction and the (b) key in the vertical direction are physically different keys, but are recognized as keys of the same function (up: moving up) because their positions are the same.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and of course, modifications may be made by those skilled in the art within the spirit of the present invention.

The present invention can also be embodied as computer readable codes on a computer readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable recording media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, hard disk, floppy disk, flash memory, optical data storage device, and also carrier waves (for example, transmission over the Internet). It also includes the implementation in the form of. The computer readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

As described above, according to the present invention, the user interface and the graphical user interface can be switched in the horizontal and vertical directions according to the direction of the position where the portable device is placed, and the function of the input interface is also switched in the same direction in the switched direction. This allows the user to easily recognize the functionality of the user interface regardless of the orientation.

Claims (11)

In the user interface control method of a portable electronic device, Sensing a direction according to a position where the portable device is placed; And changing a key interface by changing a display direction of the graphical user interface and changing key mapping according to the direction of the sensed portable device. The method of claim 1, wherein the direction sensing process Checking a sliding on / off state by a magnet fixed to the portable device and a sensor detecting the magnet; And detecting a horizontal direction and a vertical direction of the device according to the sliding on / off check. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting of the graphical user interface is performed. And displaying graphic user interface information of a predetermined direction in a coordinate table according to the direction information. The method of claim 1, wherein the changing of the key interface is performed. Sensing the direction information; And changing a key mapping of a corresponding direction in a key table according to the sensed direction information. The method of claim 4, wherein the changing of the key mapping is performed. And assigning a key mapping differently according to a horizontal direction and a vertical direction of the sensed device. The method of claim 5, wherein the changing of the key interface further comprises changing a key LED according to the changing of the key mapping. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface display direction change process comprises changing a display direction change register of the LCD according to the direction information. In the user interface pivot control device of a portable electronic device, A direction sensor unit configured to sense a magnet fixed to the portable device according to a sliding on / off state of the portable device and sense a direction of a position where the device is placed; A display unit displaying the user interface information; And a control unit for converting a display direction of a graphical user interface to display on the display unit according to the direction information detected by the direction sensor unit, and changing a key interface by changing key mapping according to the direction. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the direction sensor unit is a hall sensor. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the direction sensor unit generates a direction signal for each device when the device is slid and closed. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller comprises a key mapping table in which key mappings are differently assigned according to a horizontal direction and a vertical direction.

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