Folding Angle Input Mode Control for Electronic Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
When electronic devices are used in back flip mode with external keyboards, unintended user inputs can occur during unfolding, degrading usability and leading to operational errors.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device equipped with a processor, motion sensors, and a connector system that determines the folding angle between the device and an external keyboard, allowing it to block unnecessary inputs and adjust the input mode accordingly, preventing unintended user inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the electronic device is unfolded with regard to the external device including the keyboard in the back flip mode, then the device can transition to a usable state, but unintended user inputs may be acquired during the unfolding process, degrading usability
Solution Approach 1:
The processor determines the folding angle before processing keyboard inputs and proactively blocks unintended inputs during the unfolding transition. By detecting the folding angle in advance and comparing it against predefined angle ranges, the system prevents harmful inputs before they can affect device operation, rather than reacting after inputs are received.
Solution Approach 2:
The folding angle determination acts as an intermediary mechanism between the physical unfolding action and the keyboard input processing. The processor uses the folding angle as a mediating parameter to decide whether to block or allow keyboard inputs, creating a control layer that separates the mechanical state from the input processing state.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the device blocks all keyboard inputs during unfolding, then unintended inputs are prevented, but legitimate user inputs during valid folding states may also be blocked, reducing input functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The input blocking mechanism is dynamic rather than static. The processor continuously monitors the folding angle and adjusts the input blocking state in real-time based on the current angle. When the folding angle falls within valid ranges, keyboard inputs are allowed; when it falls within transition ranges, inputs are blocked. This dynamic adjustment maintains input functionality during valid states while preventing unintended inputs during transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of input signal reception based on the folding angle parameter. By using the folding angle as a control parameter, the processor dynamically adjusts whether to accept or block keyboard inputs. This parameter-based control allows the system to adapt input behavior to different physical states without requiring separate control logic for each state.
Data Source
AI summary
At least one processor included in an electronic device can acquire first motion data about the motion of the electronic device through at least one motion sensor, acquire second motion data about a motion of an external device through a connector included in the electronic device, determine, on the basis of the first motion data and the second motion data, the folding angle between the electronic device and the external device connected to the electronic device, and determine, on the basis of the determined folding angle, an input mode that sets whether to display a user interface on a display or whether to block an input signal received through the connector. Various other embodiments identified through the specification are possible.