Patent Publication Number: US-2022212096-A1

Title: Gaming Motion Control Interface Using Foldable Device Mechanics

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/119,646, filed on Nov. 30, 2020, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to computing devices, and more particularly, to a computing device with a touch screen display that can be folded from a compact state to an expanded state. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The use of handheld computing devices today has been significantly enabled by a number of advancements in electronics, including the miniaturization of components, an increase in processing speeds, improved memory capacity, and the optimization of battery efficiency. Advancements in touch screen display technology have also enabled interfaces to become more adaptable and intuitive to use on a small scale. Because of these enormous improvements over the last decade, the differences in the performance between handheld computing devices, such as mobile phones, and larger computing devices, have become increasingly subtle. 
     One of the great difficulties in using a small-scale touch screen device, however, is in the fact that it can often be cumbersome to physically interact with. This is especially apparent when selecting and manipulating features and inputting text, which can sometimes be imprecise for a user. In such handheld computing devices as a touch screen mobile phone, the limited size of the display can also significantly reduce the viewing capacity while watching videos, using graphic intensive applications, and reading text. The rigid nature of a standard touch screen display can also limit the portability of a device when its form factor is in the larger size range for a phone, or at the scale of a tablet, which makes folding a desirable feature. Additionally, because a foldable device has an integrated hinge mechanism used to fold the device, this fundamental hardware component along with having multiple display segments can be further optimized to accommodate the enhancement and functionality of software applications as well. 
     There is therefore a need for touch screen display devices that can be adjusted in size without sacrificing the convenience of being in a compact or handheld state. There is also a benefit to having a gaming motion control interface that can utilize the inherent hinge mechanics and various positions that the display segments of a foldable device can be configured to, such as games where a point of interest or an object like a tennis racket or a basketball is set in motion by corresponding to the motion of the segment&#39;s manually controlled motion. There is also a need for other software applications where these same inherent hardware features of a foldable device can help to enhance functionality that are not based in gaming, such as apps where controlling a cursor point or scrolling through a list is an important feature. 
     SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     A foldable touch screen display device made up of flexible or tiled display segments that can be folded from a compact state to an expanded state which also includes a gaming motion control interface. The form factor of the compact state is roughly the size of a typical handheld phone or smaller. The form factor of the expanded state is roughly the size of a larger phone or tablet computer, which may also have the size and mechanical functionality of a laptop. The device form factor may also be a flip phone configuration. The gaming motion control interface can provide enhanced interaction and viewing of a game application by utilizing the inherent folding mechanics and position of each segment relative to each other such that a virtual object or point of reference shown on the display corresponds with the device&#39;s folding motion. Other applications that do not relate to gaming may also be applied utilizing the same techniques. The device may further include multiple sensors to indicate the position of each display segment. In one embodiment, a module attached to, situated within, or otherwise associated with at least one segment of the flexible display or rigid display may contain all or substantially all processing and memory, along with a communications system, which may be used in any folded state. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a foldable computing device shown in three separate positions where one segment remains fixed displaying a portion of the 3D view of a tennis court while the other segment is being rotated to simulate the motion of a tennis racquet. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the foldable computing device shown in two separate positions enlarged from  FIG. 1  to highlight the internal location of the accelerometers, encoder and magnetic sensor. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow diagram highlighting the functionality of the accelerometers, encoder and magnetic sensor. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention. 
     Although embodiments of the invention are not limited in this regard, discussions utilizing terms such as, for example, “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “establishing”, “analyzing”, “checking”, or the like, may refer to operation(s) and/or process(es) of a computer, a computing platform, a computing system, or other electronic computing device, that manipulates and/or transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within the computer&#39;s registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer&#39;s registers and/or memories or other information non-transitory storage medium that may store instructions to perform operations and/or processes. Although embodiments of the invention are not limited in this regard, the terms “plurality” and “a plurality” as used herein may include, for example, “multiple” or “two or more”. The terms “plurality” or “a plurality” may be used throughout the specification to describe two or more components, devices, elements, units, parameters, or the like. Unless explicitly stated, the method embodiments described herein are not constrained to a particular order or sequence. Additionally, some of the described method embodiments or elements thereof can occur or be performed simultaneously, at the same point in time, or concurrently. 
     In accordance with the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , a foldable computing device  11  where the display segment shown to the right side, segment  19 , remains fixed along the ground plane axis while segment  17  is shown being rotated into three positions,  31 ,  33 , and  35  about hinge  18  which is situated between display segments  17  and  19 . The position of segment  17  is determined by a user&#39;s physical force applied to the segment to achieve a desired folded angle and velocity which corresponds to the position and velocity of the virtual tennis racket shown on the display. In position  31 , since segment  17  is configured with its edge pointing upward such that the face of the display is at approximately a right angle to the 3D view of the tennis court, the tennis racket shown is also situated in a vertical position corresponding to the same angle of segment  17  relative to segment  19  which is parallel to the ground plane of the tennis court shown in the 3D view. Also displayed on segment  17  is the tennis player opponent shown on the opposite side of the tennis court where the net is situated on the display along the length of hinge  18  and the main folding line of the device. The tennis ball in position  31  is also shown in the foreground approaching the tennis racket on display segment  17 . In position  33 , as segment  17  is rotated closer to a 45 degree angle, the 3D view of the tennis court from the perspective of the user remains the same while the position of the tennis racket moves to a position that corresponds to the 45 degree angle of segment  17  relative to segment  19 . In this same position, the tennis ball is shown hitting the tennis racket. In position  35 , as segment  17  is rotated closer to the ground plane angle, the 3D view of the tennis court continues to remain in the same position from the perspective of the user, however, because the device is shifted to the left side of the court as it is shown on the display and also emphasized with an arrow diagrammatically shown below the device, the view of the tennis court also shifts to the left. This motion translated from the physical position of the device to the virtual position of the tennis court may be derived from the use of other kinds of sensors integrated with the device such as accelerometers or IR sensors which can determine the motion along the plane parallel to the ground plane. An encoder may be used to translate the position and velocity of the hinge and segment motion. Other kinds of games that have an object that requires motion control can also be used with this same technique, such as the control of a baseball bat, a ping pong paddle, a cricket paddle, a pool stick, a javelin, a fencing sword, an archery bow, and so on. The motion of a hand to throw a basketball or a football, or the motion of a leg to kick a soccer ball and other kinds of sports that require to limb&#39;s motion to be controlled, may also be used in the same way where the manually controlled motion of the device&#39;s segment corresponds with the motion of the segment rotated about the device&#39;s hinge. 
     Similarly, applications that require motion control of an object or a point of interest shown on the display may also correspond with the motion of the segment as it is manually rotated, such as moving a cursor for grabbing or pushing an item virtually or for scrolling through a list where the scrolling speed and other parameters can change based upon how the segment of the device is angled relative to the device&#39;s other display segment. An actuator may also be integrated to physically rotate the device based upon a graphical object moving on the display such as an opponent in a tennis game as their tennis racket moves. This could enhance the playing dynamics and it could also act as haptic feedback as the user holds the display segment that they are manually rotating to virtually move the graphical object in the displayed environment, in this case a tennis racket. This control interface may also be used for Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality applications. It is also important to note that while the embodiments show a single flexible display with two display segments, a rigid cover display may also be included with the device, and two rigid tiled display segments may also be integrated instead of having a flexible display. 
     A perspective view of the foldable computing device  11  is shown in two separate positions, position  53  and position  55 , which is an enlarged view of the same motion sequence shown from  FIG. 1 . The primary objective of this diagram is to highlight the internal location of the inertial measurement units or accelerometers  57  and  59 , the encoder  31 , and the magnetic sensor  37  and its corresponding magnet  39 . Each of these hardware components can be used to detect the position, and as a result, the direction and velocity of motion, of display segments  17  and  19  relative to each other so that the processor of foldable computing device  11  can then correspond that position with the position of the designated graphical item shown on the display. Either a single accelerometer or both accelerometers can be used to detect the position of the segments relative to each other or they could be used to detect the position and motion of display segments  17  and  19  in space relative to the physical ground plane. This would allow a 3D perspective of an environment shown on the display to change in accordance with the device as it is moved around in space while also allowing the control interface that is governed by the motion of the segments rotating to function simultaneously to control the designated graphical item. This is where a secondary sensor such as encoder  31  would help to enhance this control interface function. Magnetic sensor  37 , which could be different kinds of magnetic sensors, such as a hall sensor, might also assist with this control interface in that it could detect the location of display segments  17  and  19  relative to each other, or it could be used to just trigger the other sensors after detecting the initial motion of the device when it is being folded. 
     A flow diagram in shown in  FIG. 3  which further highlights the functionality of the accelerometers, encoder and magnetic sensors. The accelerometer sensing  61 , the encoder sensing  63 , and the magnetic sensing  65 , each play a role in detecting either the position or the motion of the foldable computing device  11  as its segments  17  and  19  are rotated. The position data is then processed  73 , and then the graphical item and its position in the displayed environment is then coordinated with the position data  75 , and then from there it is output on the display  77 . It is important to note that each of these hardware components can work autonomous from each other or together to enhance the coordination between the physical position of the device and what is shown on the display. Other sensors such as force sensing resistors and optical sensors may also be used to assist with this control interface function. 
     While certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes, and equivalents will now occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover any such modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the invention.