WO2015014280A1

WO2015014280A1 - Method, apparatus and electronic device for display orientation switching

Info

Publication number: WO2015014280A1
Application number: PCT/CN2014/083269
Authority: WO
Inventors: Haizhen LIAO
Original assignee: Tencent Technology Shenzhen Co Ltd
Current assignee: Tencent Technology Shenzhen Co Ltd
Priority date: 2013-08-01
Filing date: 2014-07-30
Publication date: 2015-02-05
Anticipated expiration: 2016-02-01
Also published as: HK1202174A1; CN104346030A; TW201506812A

Abstract

A display orientation switching method is provided for an electronic device. The method includes: after the electronic device is rotated, determining a to-be-switched-to direction of a display on a screen, determining a face position through a face image captured by a front camera, detecting whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position and, when the detecting result is that the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position, switching the current display orientation on the screen according to the to-be-switched-to direction. Thus, it may be achieved only switching the current display orientation on the screen when the switching direction matches the face position.

Description

METHOD, APPARATUS AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR DISPLAY

ORIENTATION SWITCHING

CROS S-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority of Chinese Patent Application No.

201310332357.5, filed on August 1, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention generally relates to the field of Internet terminal device applications and, more particularly, to a display orientation switching method, apparatus and electronic device.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Today, the horizontal and vertical screen switching technologies have been widely applied in various electronic devices, such as smart phones, tablet computers, e-book readers, and notebooks, etc. By applying the horizontal and vertical screen switching technology, a current display orientation on a screen may be switched according to a user's viewing direction when an electronic device is rotated. In essence, the horizontal and vertical screen switching technology is an adaptive display orientation switching technology.

[0004] Current display orientation switching methods often include: collecting gravity direction by an electronic device through a built-in gravity sensor, detecting by the electronic device whether a current display orientation on a screen matches the collected gravity direction, and if a detecting result is that the display orientation on the screen does not match the gravity direction, switching the current display orientation on the screen to match the gravity direction. Meanwhile, because the electronic device generally provides the on or off option for the display orientation switching function, when the feature is turned on, current display orientation on the screen may switch according to the gravity direction and, when the feature is turned off, the display orientation on the screen may remain stable and not switch according to the gravity direction.

[0005] However, such current display orientation switching technology may have the following problems: when a user is using a mobile phone or a tablet computer while lying in bed, the display orientation on the screen, after switched automatically following gravity direction, may be inconsistent with the user's viewing direction. At this point, the user may have to turn the feature off after rotating the electronic device back to be able to watch properly.

[0006] The disclosed methods and systems are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0007] In order to solve the problems occurred in the existing technologies where the current display orientation on the screen, after automatically switched following change in gravity direction when the electronic device is rotated, may be inconsistent with user's real viewing direction, the disclosed embodiments of the present invention provide an improved display orientation switching method, apparatus and electronic device.

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a display orientation switching method for an electronic device with a front camera. The method includes determining a to-be- switched-to direction of a display on a screen after the electronic device is rotated, determining a face position through a face image captured by the front camera, detecting whether the to-be- switched-to direction matches the face position and, when the detecting result is that the to-be- switched-to direction matches the face position, switching current display orientation on the screen according to the to-be-switched-to direction.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a display orientation display switching apparatus for an electronic device with a front camera, the apparatus includes a direction determining module, a face determining module, a direction detecting module, and a direction switching module. The direction determining module is configured to determine a to- be-switched-to direction of a display on a screen after the electronic device is rotated. The face determining module is configured to determine a face position through a face image captured by the front camera. The direction detecting module is configured to detect whether the to-be- switched-to direction determined in the direction determining module matches the face position determined in the face determining module. The direction switching module is configured to switch the current display orientation on the screen according to the to-be-switched-to direction when the detecting result obtained in the direction detecting module is that the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position.

[0010] Furthermore, the present disclosure provides an electronic device, the electronic device includes any of the disclosed display orientation switching apparatus.

[0011] Other aspects of the present disclosure can be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the description, the claims, and the drawings of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 illustrates a flow chart of a display orientation switching method according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2A illustrates a flow chart of another display orientation switching method according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2B illustrates a schematic diagram of an application with a to-be-switched- to direction and a straight line where both eyes are located according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2C illustrates a schematic diagram of an application with a to-be-switched- to direction consistent with a straight line where both eyes are located according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2D illustrates a schematic diagram of another application with a to-be- switched-to direction consistent with a straight line where both eyes are located according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 A illustrates a flow chart of another display orientation switching method according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3B illustrates a schematic diagram of an application with a to-be-switched- to direction and a viewing direction according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3C illustrates a schematic diagram of an application with a to-be-switched- to direction consistent with a viewing direction according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention; [0020] Figure 3D illustrates a schematic diagram of an application with a current display orientation consistent with a viewing direction according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3E illustrates a schematic diagram of an application with a current display orientation inconsistent with a viewing direction according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a display orientation switching apparatus according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of another display orientation switching apparatus according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of another display orientation switching apparatus according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention; and

[0025] Figure 7 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device for display orientation switching according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the followings, together with accompanying drawings, describe in detail certain embodiments of the present invention.

[0027] The disclosed embodiments of the present invention provide a display orientation switching method for an electronic device. Herein the "electronic device", in general, refers to an electric device with a front camera. Specifically, the electronic device may be a smart phone, a tablet computer, an e-book reader, a MP3 player (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer III), a MP4 player (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer IV), a laptop computer and a desktop computer, etc. It should be noted that the "front camera" in this article may refer to a built-in front facing camera of the electronic device, or an external camera which is connected to the electronic device and is used to collect images in front of a screen of the electronic device. Figure 7 shows a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device 700.

[0028] As shown in Figure 7, electronic device 700 may include a processor 702, a storage medium 704, a monitor 706, a communication module 708, a database 710, and peripherals 712. Certain devices may be omitted and other devices may be included.

[0029] Processor 702 may include any appropriate processor or processors. Further, processor 702 can include multiple cores for multi-thread or parallel processing. Storage medium 704 may include memory modules, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory modules, and erasable and rewritable memory, and mass storages, such as CD-ROM, U-disk, and hard disk, etc. Storage medium 704 may store computer programs for implementing various processes, when executed by processor 702.

[0030] Further, peripherals 712 may include I/O devices such as front and/or rear facing camera, various sensors, keyboard, and mouse, and communication module 708 may include network devices for establishing connections through the communication network. Database 710 may include one or more databases for storing certain data and for performing certain operations on the stored data, such as database searching.

[0031] In operation, electronic device 700 may perform the display orientation switching when the electronic device 700 is rotated and a to-be-switched-to direction matches the user's face position. [0032] Figure 1 illustrates a flow chart of a display orientation switching method according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention. The disclosed embodiments describe the display orientation switching method for an electronic device with a front camera. The display orientation switching method includes the following steps.

[0033] STEP 102, after the electronic device is rotated, determining a to-be-switched-to direction of a display on a display screen of the electronic device.

[0034] STEP 104, determining a face position through a face image captured by the front camera.

[0035] STEP 106, detecting whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position.

[0036] STEP 108, if the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position, switching a current display orientation on the screen according to the to-be-switched-to direction.

[0037] In summary, the display orientation switching method according to disclosed embodiments determines the face position through the face image captured by the front camera, detects whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position, and switches the display orientation on the screen according to a detecting result. The disclosed method solves the problems occurred in the existing technologies where the current display orientation on the screen, after automatically switched following gravity direction when the electronic device is rotated, may not match a user's real viewing direction and the user can only watch properly after the user rotates the electronic device back and turns off the auto- switching feature. Thus, the disclosed method only switches the current display orientation on the screen when the to-be- switched-to direction matches the face position. [0038] The face position may be represented by at least two different features: a straight line where both eyes are located and a viewing direction. The viewing direction is the direction which is located in the middle of the face, perpendicular to a line connecting both eyes and pointing toward the mouth. Accordingly two different embodiments with two different face position features are described in the followings.

[0039] Figure 2A illustrates a flow chart of another display orientation switching method according to disclosed embodiments. For illustrative purposes, the display orientation switching method is for an electronic device with a front camera and with a face position represented by a straight line where both eyes are located. The display orientation switching method includes the following steps.

[0040] At the beginning, in STEP 201, after the electronic device is rotated, a to-be- switched-to direction of a display on a display screen of the electronic device is determined.

[0041] For example, after the electronic device is rotated, the to-be-switched-to direction of the display on the screen is determined through a gravity direction. Specifically, the method may further include, but not limited to, the following steps.

[0042] (1) The electronic device collects the gravity direction of the electronic device through a built-in sensor every predetermined time interval. The built-in sensor can be a gravity acceleration sensor, and the predetermined time interval may a default sampling time interval for the gravity acceleration sensor.

[0043] (2) The electronic device further detects whether the gravity direction matches a current display orientation on the screen (e.g., vertical or horizontal). [0044] (3) If the gravity direction does not match the current display orientation on the screen, the electronic device determines the gravity direction as the to-be-switched-to direction of the display on the screen. For example, after the electronic device is rotated from a vertical position to a horizontal position, the to-be-switched-to direction may be the direction 'a' as shown in Figure 2B.

[0045] In STEP 202, the face position is determined through a face image captured by the front camera.

[0046] The electronic device may determine the face position through the face image captured by the front camera. In the disclosed embodiments, the face position is the position where eyes are located. Specifically, the method may further include, but not limited to, the following steps.

[0047] First, the electronic device captures at least one image through the front camera. The electronic device may capture one image through the front camera, or may also continuously capture multiple images. Alternatively, after continuously capturing multiple images, the electronic device may further combine the multiple images into one image.

[0048] In addition, because it is mostly at night when a user uses the electronic device while lying in bed, the light intensity at night may be poor and affect the clarity and brightness of the collected image. If the electronic device further includes a light sensor, the electronic device may obtain a current ambient light intensity through the light sensor. The electronic device may then determine an exposure time based on the light intensity. The exposure time and the light intensity are inversely correlated, it means that the lower the light intensity is, the longer the exposure time is, and the stronger the light intensity is, the shorter the exposure time is. And according to the determined exposure time, the electronic device may capture at least one image through the front camera. And, in general, the obtained image may satisfy the demand for image analysis.

[0049] Second, the electronic device detects whether the captured at least one image contains a face area.

[0050] Third, if a detecting result is that the captured at least one image contains the face area, the electronic device determines the straight line where both eyes are located based on eye areas in the face area.

[0051] Facial analysis and eye feature analysis may be performed by any appropriate algorithm. The electronic device determines the straight line where both eyes are located as the face position. For example, the face position is shown as the straight line 'b' in Figure 2B.

[0052] Of course, if the detecting result is that no image contains a face area, the process may stop, or the process may repeat STEP 201 after waiting for a predetermined time.

[0053] In STEP 203, it is detected whether the to-be-switch-to direction is perpendicular to the straight line where both eyes are located.

[0054] The electronic device detects whether the to-be-switch-to direction is

perpendicular to the straight line where both eyes are located. Perpendicular relationship refers to whether the angle between the to-be-switched-to direction and the straight line where both eyes are located falls in [90°-a, 90°+ a], where a is a predetermined threshold value.

[0055] In STEP 204, if the detecting result is that the to-be-switched-to direction is perpendicular to the straight line where both eyes are located, the current display orientation on the screen is switched to the to-be-switched-to direction. [0056] That is, if the detecting result is that the to-be-switched-to direction is perpendicular to the straight line where both eyes are located, in other word, the to-be-switched- to direction matches the face position, the electronic device switches the display orientation on the screen to the to-be-switched-to direction. For example, in Figure 2C, if the angle between a direction 'a', which represents the to-be-switched-to direction, and a straight line 'b', which represents the straight line where both eyes are located, is the right angle X, then the electronic device switches the display orientation on the screen to the direction 'a'.

[0057] Of course, if the detecting result is that the to-be-switched-to direction is not perpendicular to the straight line where both eyes are located, then the electronic device may keep or maintain the current display orientation on the screen. For example, in Figure 2D, if a direction 'a', which represents the to-be-switched-to direction, is not perpendicular, but nearly parallel to a straight line 'c', which represents the straight line where both eyes are located, the electronic device may keep or maintain the current display orientation on the screen.

[0058] Thus, the disclosed embodiments can determine the face position through the face image captured by the front camera, detect whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position and switch the current display orientation on the screen according to the detecting result. This may solve the problems occurred in the existing technologies which the current display orientation on the screen, after automatically switched following gravity direction when the electronic device is rotated, may not match user's real viewing direction and the user can only watch properly after the user rotates the electronic device back and turns off the feature, achieving only switching the current display orientation on the screen when the to-be-switched- to direction matches the face position. [0059] Meanwhile, because the disclosed embodiments only need to identify the straight line where both eyes are located to complete the most computation, the amount of computation is significantly small, which makes it very suitable to mobile terminals with less computing power.

[0060] Figure 3A illustrates a flow chart of another display orientation switching method according to disclosed embodiments. For illustrative purposes, the display orientation switching method is for an electronic device with a front camera and with a face position represented by a viewing direction. The display orientation switching method may include the following steps.

[0061] STEP 301, after the electronic device is rotated, a to-be-switched-to direction of a display on a screen of the electronic device is determined.

[0062] For example, after the electronic device is rotated, the to-be-switched-to direction of the display on the screen is determined through a gravity direction. Specifically, the method may further include, but not limited to, the following steps.

[0063] (1) The electronic device collects the gravity direction of the electronic device through a built-in sensor every predetermined time interval. The built-in sensor can be a gravity acceleration sensor, and the predetermined time interval may a default sampling time interval for the gravity acceleration sensor.

[0064] First, the electronic device collects in a predetermined time interval the gravity direction of the electronic device through a built-in sensor. The built-in sensor may be a gravity sensor, the predetermined time interval may be a default sampling time interval of the gravity sensor.

[0065] (2) The electronic device further detects whether the gravity direction matches a current display orientation on the screen (e.g., vertical or horizontal). [0066] (3) If the gravity direction does not match the current display orientation on the screen, the electronic device determines the gravity direction as the to-be-switched-to direction of the display on the screen. For example, after the electronic device is rotated from a vertical position to a horizontal position, the to-be-switched-to direction may be the direction 'a' as shown in Figure 3B.

[0067] STEP 302, a face position is determined through a face image captured by the front camera.

[0068] The electronic device determines the face position through the face image captured by the front camera. In the disclosed embodiments, the face position is where the viewing direction is located. Specifically, the method may further include, but not limited to, the following steps.

[0069] First, the electronic device captures at least one image through the front camera. The electronic device may capture one image through the front camera, or may also continuously capture multiple images. Alternatively, after continuously capturing multiple images, the electronic device may further combine the multiple images into one image.

[0070] In addition, because it is mostly at night when a user uses the electronic device while lying in bed, the light intensity at night may be poor and affect the clarity and brightness of the collected image. If the electronic device further includes a light sensor, the electronic device may obtain a current ambient light intensity through the light sensor. The electronic device may then determine an exposure time based on the light intensity. The exposure time and the light intensity are inversely correlated, it means that the lower the light intensity is, the longer the exposure time is, and the stronger the light intensity is, the shorter the exposure time is. And according to the determined exposure time, the electronic device may capture at least one image through the front camera. And, in general, the obtained image may satisfy the demand for image analysis.

[0071] Second, the electronic device detects whether the captured at least one image contains a face area.

[0072] Third, if the detecting result is that the least one image contains a face area, the electronic device determines the viewing direction according to a feature area in the face area, wherein the feature area includes at least one of the eye area, eyebrow area, nose area, mouth area and ear area, and a user's viewing direction refers to the direction which is located in the middle of the face, perpendicular to the line connecting both eyes and pointing toward the mouth.

[0073] Facial analysis and eye feature analysis may be performed by any appropriate algorithm. The electronic device determines the viewing direction as the face position. For example, the viewing direction is shown as the direction 'd' in Figure 3B.

[0074] Of course, if no images contain the face area, the process may stop, or the process may repeat STEP 301 after waiting for a predetermined time period.

[0075] STEP 303, it is detected whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the viewing direction.

[0076] The electronic device detects whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the viewing direction. For example, the electronic device detects whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the viewing direction based on whether the angle between the to-be-switched- to direction and the viewing direction falls in [0°-β, 0°+β ], where β is a predetermined threshold value. [0077] STEP 304, if the detecting result is that the to-be-switched-to direction matches the viewing direction, the display orientation on the screen is switched to the to-be-switched-to direction.

[0078] Specifically, if the detecting result is that the to-be-switched-to direction matches the viewing direction, in other word, the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position, the electronic device switches the display orientation on the screen to the to-be-switched-to direction. For example, in Figure 3C, when the to-be-switch-to direction represented as direction 'a' matches the viewing direction represented as direction 'd', the electronic device switches the display orientation on the screen to direction 'a'.

[0079] STEP 305, if the detecting result is that the to-be-switched-to direction does not match the viewing direction, it is determined whether the current display orientation on the screen matches the viewing direction.

[0080] STEP 306, if the determining result is that the current display orientation matches the viewing direction, the current display orientation on the screen is maintained. For example, in Figure 3D, when the current display orientation represented as direction 'f matches the viewing represented as direction 'd', the electronic device maintains current display orientation as direction 'f shows.

[0081] STEP 307, if the determining result is that the current display orientation does not match the viewing direction, the current display orientation on the screen is switched to the viewing direction. For example, in Figure 3E, when the current display orientation represented as direction 'e' does not match the viewing direction represented as direction 'd', the electronic device switches the current display orientation to the viewing direction as direction 'd' shows. [0082] Thus, the disclosed embodiments can determine the face position through the face image captured by the front camera, detect whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position and switch current display orientation on the screen according to the detecting result. This may solve the problems occurred in the existing technologies where current display orientation on the screen, after automatically switched following gravity direction when the electronic device is rotated, may not match user's real viewing direction and the user can only watch properly after the user rotates the electronic device back and turns off the feature, achieving the effect of only switching current display orientation on the screen when the to-be- switched-to direction matches the face position.

[0083] Meanwhile, according to the disclosed embodiments, by adding at least one of the areas such as eye area, eyebrow area, nose area, mouth area and ear area, the precision of the face position can be increased and the accuracy of the display orientation switching can be improved.

[0084] The disclosed embodiments also provide a display orientation switching apparatus, certain details of which may be referred to the corresponding display orientation switching methods described above.

[0085] Figure 4 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a display orientation switching apparatus according to disclosed embodiments of the present invention. The display orientation switching apparatus may be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of both, which may be the entire or part of an electronic device. The display orientation switching apparatus includes a direction determining module 420, a face determining module 440, a direction detecting module 460 and a direction switching module 480. [0086] The direction determining module 420 is configured to determine a to-be- switched-to direction of a display on a screen after the electronic device is rotated. The face determining module 440 is configured to determining a face position through a face image captured by a front camera.

[0087] The direction detecting module 460 is configured to detect whether the to-be- switched-to direction determined in the direction determining module 420 matches the face position determined in the face determining module 440. The direction switching module 480 is configured to switch a current display orientation on the screen to the to-be-switched-to direction when a detecting result obtained in the direction detecting module 460 is that the to-be-switched- to direction matches the face position.

[0088] Thus, the display orientation switching apparatus according to disclosed embodiments can determine the face position through the face image captured by the front camera, detects whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position and switches current display orientation on the screen according to the detecting result. This may solve the problems occurred in the existing technologies which the current display orientation on the screen, after automatically switched following gravity direction when the electronic device is rotated, may not match user's real viewing direction and the user can only watch properly after the user rotates the electronic device back and turns off the feature, achieving the effect of only switching the current display orientation on the screen when the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position.

[0089] The face position may be represented by at least two different features: a straight line where both eyes are located and a viewing direction. The viewing direction refers to the direction which is located in the middle of the face, perpendicular to the line connecting both eyes and pointing toward the mouth. Two different embodiments with different face position features are provided in the followings.

[0090] Figure 5 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a display orientation switching apparatus according to disclosed embodiments. For illustrative purposes, the display orientation switching apparatus is for an electronic device with a front camera and with the face position represented by the straight line where both eyes are located. The display orientation switching apparatus includes a direction determining module 420, a face determining module 440, a direction detecting module 460, and a direction switching module 480.

[0091] The direction determining module 420 is configured to determine a to-be- switched-to direction of a display on a screen of the electronic device after the electronic device is rotated.

[0092] After the electronic device is rotated, the to-be-switched-to direction of the display on the screen is determined according to a gravity direction. Specifically, the direction determining module 420 further includes a signal collecting unit 421, a signal detecting unit 422, and a direction determining unit 423.

[0093] The signal collecting unit 421 is configured to collect the gravity direction of the electronic device in a predetermined time interval through a built-in sensor. The signal detecting unit 422 is configured to detect whether the gravity direction collected in the signal collecting unit 421 matches a current display orientation on a screen.

[0094] The direction determining unit 423 is configured to determine the gravity direction as the to-be-switched-to direction of the display on the screen when a detecting result obtained in the signal detecting unit 422 is that the gravity direction does not match the current display orientation on the screen. The face determining module 440 is configured to determine a face position through a face image captured by the front camera.

[0095] The electronic device determines the face position through the face image captured by the front camera. In this embodiment, the face position is the location of the eyes. Specifically, the face determining module 440 further includes an image capturing unit 441, an image detecting unit 442 and a straight line determining unit 443.

[0096] The image capturing unit 441 is configured to capture at least one image through the front camera. The image capturing unit 441 may capture only one image, or may continuously capture multiple images. Alternatively, after capturing continuously multiple images, the image capturing unit 441 may also combine those images into one image.

[0097] In addition, because it is mostly at night that a user uses the electronic device while lying in bed, the light intensity may be poor and affects the clarity and brightness of the collected image. The image capturing unit 441 may further include a light obtaining a sub-unit 441a, an exposure analyzing sub-unit 441b and an image capturing sub-unit 441c.

[0098] The electronic device may obtain a current ambient light intensity through the light obtaining subunit 441a. The exposure analyzing subunit 441b may then determine an exposure time according to the light intensity obtained in the light obtaining subunit 441a. The exposure time and the light intensity are inversely correlated, which means that the lower the light intensity is, the longer the exposure time is, and the stronger the light intensity is, the shorter the exposure time is. Further, the image capturing subunit 441c captures at least one image according to the exposure time determined in the exposure determining subunit 441b. Thus, in general, the obtained image may satisfy the demand for image analysis. [0099] Further, the image detecting unit 442 is configured to detect whether the at least one image captured in the image capturing unit 441 contains a face area. The straight line determining unit 443 is configured to determine the straight line where both eyes are located according to the eyes area in the face area when a detecting result obtained in the image detecting unit 442 is that the at least one image contains the face area.

[00100] Of course, if the detecting result obtained in the image detecting unit 442 is that no images contain the face area, no further action may need to be performed or, after waiting for the exposure time determined in the exposure determining subunit 441b, the image capturing subunit 441c may again capture at least one image.

[00101] The direction detecting module 460 is configured to detect whether the to-be- switched-to direction determined in the direction determining module 420 is perpendicular to the straight line where both eyes are located as determined in the straight line determining unit 443.

[00102] The direction detecting module 460 detects whether the to-be-switched-to direction determined in the direction determining module 420 is perpendicular to the straight line where both eyes are located as determined in the straight line determining unit 443. The perpendicular relationship refers to whether the angle between the to-be-switched-to direction determined in the direction determining module 420 and the straight line where both eyes are located as determined in the straight line determining unit 443 falls in [90°-a , 90°+a], where a is a predetermined threshold value.

[00103] The direction switching module 480 is configured to switch the current display orientation on the screen according to the to-be-switched-to direction when the detecting result obtained in the direction detecting module 460 is that the to-be-switched-to direction is perpendicular to the straight line where both eyes are located. [00104] Of course, if the detecting result obtained in the direction detecting module 460 is that the to-be-switched-to direction is not perpendicular to the straight line where both eyes are located, the direction switching module 480 maintains the current display orientation on the screen.

[00105] Figure 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of another display orientation switching apparatus according to disclosed embodiments. For illustrative purposes, the display orientation switching apparatus is for an electronic device with a front camera and with a face position represented by a viewing direction. The display orientation switching apparatus includes a direction determining module 420, a face determining module 440, a direction detecting module 460 and a direction switching module 480.

[00106] The direction determining module 420 is configured to determine a to-be- switched-to direction of a display on a screen of the electronic device after the electronic device is rotated. After the electronic device is rotated, the to-be-switched-to direction of the display on the screen is determined according to a gravity direction. Specifically, the direction determining module 420 further includes a signal collecting unit 421, a signal detecting unit 422 and a direction determining unit 423.

[00107] The signal collecting unit 421 is configured to collect the gravity direction of the electronic device by a predetermined time interval through a built-in sensor. The signal detecting unit 422 is configured to detect whether the gravity direction collected in the signal collecting unit 421 matches a current display orientation on the screen.

[00108] The direction determining unit 423 is configured to determine the gravity direction as the to-be-switched-to direction of the display on the screen when a detecting result obtained in the signal detecting unit 422 is that the gravity direction does not match the current display orientation on the screen. The face determining module 440 is configured to determine a face position through a face image captured by the front camera.

[00109] The electronic device determines the face position through the face image captured by the front camera. In this embodiment, the face position is the location of both eyes. Specifically, the face determining module 440 further includes an image capturing unit 441, an image detecting unit 442 and a viewing direction determining unit 444.

[00110] The image capturing unit 441 is configured to capture at least one image through the front camera. The image capturing unit 441 may capture only one image, or may

continuously capture multiple images. Alternatively, after capturing continuously multiple images, the image capturing unit 441 may also combine those images into one image.

[00111] In addition, because it is mostly at night that a user uses the electronic device while lying in bed, the light intensity may be poor, which may affect the clarity and brightness of the collected image. The image capturing unit 441 may further include a light obtaining sub-unit 441a, an exposure analyzing sub-unit 441b, and an image capturing sub-unit 441c.

[00112] The electronic device may obtain a current ambient light intensity through the light obtaining subunit 441a. The exposure analyzing subunit 441b may then determine an exposure time according to the light intensity obtained in the light obtaining subunit 441a. The exposure time and the light intensity are inversely correlated, it means that the lower the light intensity is, the longer the exposure time is, and the stronger the light intensity is, the shorter the exposure time is. Further, the image capturing subunit 441c captures at least one image according to the exposure time determined in the exposure determining subunit 441b. Thus, in general, the obtained image may satisfy the demand for image analysis. [00113] The image detecting unit 442 is configured to detect whether the at least one image captured in the image capturing unit 441 contains a face area. The viewing determining unit 444 is configured to determine the user's viewing direction according to a feature area in the face area when a detecting result obtained in the image detecting unit 442 is that the at least one image contains the face area. Wherein, the feature area includes at least one of the eye area, eyebrow area, nose area and ear area. The user's viewing direction refers to the direction which is located in the middle of the face, perpendicular to the line connecting both eyes and pointing to the mouth.

[00114] Of course, if the detecting result obtained in the image detecting unit 442 is that no images contain the face area, no further action needs to be performed or, after waiting for the exposure time determined in the exposure determining subunit 441b, the image capturing subunit 441c may again capture at least one image.

[00115] The direction detecting module 460 is configured to detect whether the to-be- switched-to direction determined in the direction determining module 420 matches the viewing direction determined in the viewing determining unit 444. The direction detecting module 460 detects whether the to-be-switched-to direction determined in the direction determining module 420 matches the viewing direction determined in the viewing determining unit 444, where the to- be-switched-to direction matches the viewing direction refers to whether the angle between the to-be-switched-to direction determined in the direction determining module 420 and the viewing direction determined in the viewing determining unit 444 falls in [0°-β , 0°+ β], where β is a predetermined threshold value.

[00116] The direction switching module 480 is configured to switch current display orientation on the screen according to the to-be-switched-to direction when the detecting result obtained in the direction detecting module 460 is that the to-be-switched-to direction matches the viewing direction.

[00117] Further, if the detecting result obtained in the direction detecting module 460 is that the to-be-switched-to direction does not match the viewing direction, the disclosed apparatus may further includes a direction testing module 410 and a direction maintaining module 430.

[00118] The direction testing module 410 is configured to test whether the current display orientation on the screen matches the viewing direction determined in the viewing determining unit 444 when the detecting result obtained in the direction detecting module 460 is that the to- be-switched-to direction does not match the viewing direction.

[00119] The direction maintaining module 430 is configured to maintain the current display orientation on the screen when a testing result obtained in the direction testing module 410 is that the current display orientation on the screen matches the viewing direction.

[00120] The direction switching module 480 is configured to switch the current display orientation on the screen to the viewing direction determined in the viewing determining unit 444 when the testing result obtained in the direction testing module 410 is that the current display orientation does not match the viewing direction.

[00121] The above describes certain embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art may easily think of variations, changes, modifications or replacements of the present invention within the disclosed technical scope. Any of those variations, changes, modifications or replacements should fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be the scope of the claims. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY AND ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

[00122] Without limiting the scope of any claim and/or the specification, examples of industrial applicability and certain advantageous effects of the disclosed embodiments are listed for illustrative purposes. Various alternations, modifications, or equivalents to the technical solutions of the disclosed embodiments can be obvious to those skilled in the art and can be included in this disclosure.

[00123] By using the disclosed methods and systems, many display orientation related applications can be implemented. The disclosed methods and systems can determine the face position through the face image captured by the front camera, detect whether the to-be-switched- to direction matches the face position and switch current display orientation on the screen according to the detecting result. This may solve the problems occurred in the existing technologies which the current display orientation on the screen, after automatically switched following gravity direction when the electronic device is rotated, may not match user's real viewing direction and the user can only watch properly after the user rotates the electronic device back and turns off the feature, achieving the effect of only switching the current display orientation on the screen when the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position.

Claims

claimed is:

A display orientation switching method for an electronic device with a front camera, the method comprising:

after the electronic device is rotated, determining a to-be-switched-to direction of a display on a screen of the electronic device;

determining a face position through a face image of a user captured by the front camera of the electronic device;

detecting whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position of the user; and

when a detecting result is that the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position, switching a current display orientation on the screen according to the to-be-switched-to direction.

The method according to claim 1 , wherein:

the face position is represented by a straight line where both eyes are located;

determining a face position further includes:

capturing at least one image through the front camera;

detecting whether the at least one image contains a face area;

when the detecting result is that the at least one image contains the face area, determining the straight line where both eyes are located according to an eyes area in the face area; and

detecting whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position further includes: detecting whether the to-be-switched-to direction is perpendicular to the straight line where both eyes are located.

The method according to claim 1 , wherein:

the face position is represented by a viewing direction, the direction which is located in the middle of the face, perpendicular to the straight line connecting both eyes and pointing toward a mouth;

determining a face position further includes:

capturing at least one image through the front camera;

detecting whether the at least one image contains the face area;

when the detecting result is that the at least one image contains the face area, determining the user's viewing direction according to a feature area in the face area, the feature area including at least one of an eye area, an eyebrow area, a nose area, a mouth area, and an ear area; and

detecting whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position further includes:

detecting whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the viewing direction.

The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, the electronic device further includes a light sensor, and capturing at least one image through the front camera includes:

obtaining a current ambient light intensity by the light sensor;

determining an exposure time based on the light intensity, wherein the exposure time and the light intensity are inversely correlated; capturing at least one image according to the determined exposure time through the front camera.

The method according to claims 1 to 3, wherein switching a current display orientation on the screen according to the to-be-switched-to direction further includes:

collecting a gravity direction of the electronic device by a built-in sensor at a predetermined time interval;

detecting whether the gravity direction matches the current display orientation on the screen; and

when the detecting result is that the gravity direction does not match the current display orientation on the screen, determining the gravity direction as the to-be-switched-to direction of the display on the screen.

The method according to claim 3, after detecting whether the to-be-switched-to direction matches the viewing direction, further including:

when the detecting result is that the to-be-switched-to direction does not match the viewing direction, determining whether the current display orientation on the screen matches the viewing direction;

when the determining result is that the current display orientation matches the viewing direction, maintaining the current display orientation on the screen; and

when the determining result is that the current display orientation does not match the viewing direction, switching the current display orientation on the screen to the viewing direction.

7. A display orientation switching apparatus for an electronic device with a front camera, the apparatus includes:

a direction determining module configured to determine a to-be-switched-to direction of a display on a screen of the electronic device after the electronic device is rotated;

a face determining module configured to determine a face position of a user through a face image of the user captured by the front camera of the electronic device;

a direction detecting module configured to detect whether the to-be-switched-to direction determined in the direction determining module matches the face position determined in the face determining module;

a direction switching module configured to switch a current display orientation on a screen according to the to-be-switched-to direction when a detecting result obtained by the direction detecting module is that the to-be-switched-to direction matches the face position.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the face position is represented by a straight line where both eyes are located; and the face determining module further includes:

an image capturing unit configured to capture at least one image through the front camera;

an image detecting unit configured to detect whether the at least one image captured in the image capturing unit contains a face area;

a straight line determining unit configured to determine the straight line where both eyes are located according to an eyes area in the face area if the detecting result obtained in the image detecting unit is that the at least one image contains the face area; and

the direction detecting module is further configured to detect whether the-to-be- switched-to direction is perpendicular to the straight line where both eyes are located determined by the straight line determining unit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the face determining module further includes:

an image detecting unit configured to detect whether the at least one image captured in the image capturing unit contains the face area;

a viewing direction determining unit configured to determine the user's viewing direction according to a feature area in the face area when the detecting result obtained in the image detecting unit is that the at least one image contains the face area, the feature area including at least one of an eye area, an eyebrow area, a nose area, a mouth area, and an ear area; and

the direction detecting module is further configured to detect whether the to-be- switched-to direction matches the viewing direction determined by the viewing direction determining unit.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein:

the electronic device further includes a light sensor; and

the image capturing unit further includes:

a light obtaining subunit configured to obtain a current ambient light intensity by the light sensor;

an exposure analyzing subunit configured to determine an exposure time according to the light intensity obtained in the light obtaining subunit, wherein the exposure time and the light intensity are inversely correlated; and

an image capturing subunit configured to capture at least one image based on the exposure time determined in the exposure analyzing subunit through the front camera.

11. The apparatus according to claims 7 to 9, wherein the direction determining module further includes:

a signal collecting unit configured to collect a gravity direction of the electronic device in a predetermined time interval through a built-in sensor;

a signal detecting unit configured to detect whether the gravity direction collected in the signal collecting unit matches the current display orientation on the screen; and a direction determining unit is configured to determine the gravity direction as the to-be- switched-to direction of the display on the screen when the detecting result obtained in the signal detecting unit is that the gravity direction does not match the current display orientation on the screen.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, further includes:

a direction testing module configured to test whether the current display orientation on the screen matches the viewing direction when the detecting result obtained in the direction detecting module is that the to-be-switched-to direction does not match the viewing direction;

a direction maintaining module configured to maintain the current display orientation on the screen when the testing result obtained in the direction testing module is that the current display orientation on the screen matches the viewing direction;

a direction switching module configured to switch the current display orientation on the screen to the viewing direction when the testing result obtained in the direction testing module is that the to-be-switched-to direction does not match the viewing direction.

13. An electronic device including a display orientation switching apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 12.