Mobile Device Orientation Detection for Landscape Video Capture

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional mobile devices often record videos in portrait orientation, leading to suboptimal playback on landscape-oriented display devices like TVs, and the content capturing process is time-consuming and involves unnecessary operations.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that utilize position sensors and a device position manager to detect the orientation of a mobile device and prompt users to change to a preferred landscape orientation for capturing content, automatically initiating content capture when the device is rotated, thus enhancing content capturing capability and simplifying the process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If mobile devices record video in portrait orientation to match the device's natural holding position, then ease of operation is improved, but the quality of playback on landscape-oriented display devices deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of operationVSAvoidquality of playback
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adapts content capture orientation based on detected device motion and intended usage scenario. The device transitions from a static portrait-oriented capture mode to a dynamic mode where orientation is determined by real-time accelerometer data and user interaction patterns, allowing optimal orientation selection rather than fixed portrait mode

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the orientation parameter of content capture from fixed portrait to variable orientation based on device movement detection. When the device is detected to be moved horizontally or held in landscape position, the capture orientation parameter is adjusted accordingly, enabling playback optimization without sacrificing ease of operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Device complexity

If conventional mobile devices require multiple operations to initiate content capture, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice complexityVSAvoidproductivity
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of device orientation and motion state before the user initiates content capture. By pre-determining the optimal capture parameters based on how the device is being held or moved, the system eliminates the need for users to manually configure orientation settings, reducing operational steps while maintaining simple device architecture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The device automatically detects its own orientation and motion state using built-in sensors and autonomously configures content capture parameters without requiring user intervention. The system serves itself by interpreting sensor data and adjusting capture settings, thereby reducing the number of operations users must perform while maintaining straightforward device design

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Improves content capturing on mobile devices by ensuring optimal orientation for playback on larger screens and streamlines the content capturing process by reducing the number of operations required to start recording.

Implementation Method 1

an accelerometer, a display, an image capture means, a controller, and an indicator capable of displaying angle from vertical or horizontal, whereby the controller uses data acquired from the accelerometer

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGravitation: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentEP2915326B1Multi-directional content capture on mobile devices
Publication Date: 2020.12.23 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP2915326B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2915326B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2915326B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3C

AI summary

Systems and methods for facilitating content capturing on a mobile device are provided. The current position of a mobile device is identified during a content capturing preparation stage. The current position of the mobile device can correspond to a first position or a second position. The first position is a preferred position for capturing content as compared to the second position. When the current position of the mobile device corresponds to the second position, a prompt can be provided on the mobile device to instruct a user of the mobile device to move the mobile device to the first position.