Weighted Sensor Fusion for Mobile Display Orientation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile computing devices face challenges in accurately determining when to automatically switch between portrait and landscape display modes based on user orientation, leading to unreliable and user-intuitive changes.
Innovation Solution
A mobile computing device equipped with an accelerometer and magnetometer, along with an orientation module that combines and weights inputs from both sensors to determine the device's orientation, allowing for accurate switching between display modes based on angles of incidence relative to planes, thereby improving the reliability and responsiveness of display orientation changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automatic display orientation switching is implemented, then user convenience is improved, but reliability of orientation detection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines data from multiple sensors (accelerometer and magnetometer) to determine device orientation. The accelerometer detects gravitational acceleration to determine tilt angles, while the magnetometer detects magnetic field direction to determine azimuth. By merging these complementary sensor inputs, the system achieves more reliable and accurate orientation detection than would be possible with a single sensor alone.
2Measurement precision
If sensor input combination is used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs sensors that serve multiple functions: the accelerometer not only detects device tilt relative to gravity but also contributes to determining overall device orientation when combined with magnetometer data. The magnetometer provides both azimuth information and helps distinguish between different orientation states. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve high measurement precision without proportionally increasing device complexity.
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
The solution enables more accurate and user-friendly automatic switching of display modes, reducing errors and ensuring that the display orientation changes in response to user movements in a manner that is intuitive and contextually appropriate.
Implementation Method 1
The accelerometer is operable to provide a first input to the orientation module
Implementation Method 2
The magnetometer is operable to provide a second input to the orientation module
Data Source
AI summary
An accelerometer and a magnetometer of a mobile computing device are operable to provide a first input and a second input, respectively, to an orientation module that uses signals to determine a spatial orientation of the mobile computing device. The orientation module receives the first input from the accelerometer and the second input from the magnetometer; determines two or more angles of incidence relative to two or more planes; determines a relative accuracy of the first input and the second input in predicting device orientation at the two or more angles of incidence; assigns weightings to the first input and a second weighting to the second input based on the relative accuracy of the first input and the relative accuracy of the second input; and determines an orientation of the mobile computing device based on the first weighting of the first input and the second weighting of the second input.