Electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10537026-B2
Application number	US-201715396953-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2017
Priority date	Jan 4, 2016
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

Abstract

An electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device includes a housing, a roller positioned inside the housing, a display panel rollable on the roller, and a guide roller positioned at an edge inside the housing. A state of the display panel with respect to the roller includes a first state in which the display panel is rolled on the roller and a second state in which the display panel is unrolled from the roller. The roller includes an outer frame which rotates when the display panel is rolled on or unrolled from the roller, and an inner frame positioned inside the outer frame and fixed to an inside of the housing regardless of rolling and unrolling the display panel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a roller positioned in a central area of the housing;
a display panel to be provided on the roller, the display panel to move between a first state and a second state, the display panel is to overlap with and is rollable on the roller; and
at least one guide roller at an edge in the housing,
wherein the roller includes:
an outer frame that rotates when the display panel changes from the first state to the second state, and that rotates when the display panel changes from the second state to the first state; and
an inner frame provided inside the outer frame and attached to the housing,

wherein when the display panel is in the first state, at least a portion of the display panel is rolled on the roller, and in the second state, at least a portion of the display panel is unrolled from the roller and is exposed to outside of the housing,
wherein a diameter of the roller is greater than a diameter of the at least one guide roller, and
wherein a diameter of a first end of the inner frame is greater than a diameter of the outer frame, and a diameter of a second end of the inner frame, opposite to the first end, is greater than the diameter of the outer frame, and
the first end of the inner frame includes a plane inclined towards a middle portion of the inner frame.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one guide roller includes a first guide roller, a second guide roller, a third guide roller and a fourth guide roller, wherein the first, second and third guide rollers to guide a first surface of the display panel, and wherein the fourth guide roller to guide a second surface of the display panel.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the fourth guide roller is spaced from the edge in the housing by a predetermined distance.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a window.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein a first display screen is displayed on at a first portion of the display panel in the housing, and the first portion of the display panel corresponds to the window.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein a second display screen is displayed at on outside of the housing when the display panel is in the second state, and the second display screen is the same as the first display screen displayed on the first portion of the display panel corresponding to the window.

7. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein when the display panel is in the second state, a second display screen displayed at a second portion of the display panel exposed to outside of the housing is different from the first display screen displayed at the first portion of the display panel corresponding to the window.

8. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein a first display screen is displayed at the first portion of the display panel corresponding to the window only when the display panel is in the first state.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a pattern is displayed on the display panel, the pattern having at least one valley portion and at least one peak portion.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the pattern is made of a magnetic material.

11. The electronic device of claim 9 , comprising a hall sensor in the housing, wherein the hall sensor senses a magnetic field when portions of the pattern pass the hall sensor.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising a controller configured to activate at least a portion of the display panel based on magnetic fields sensed by the hall sensor.

13. The electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising a controller configured to activate at least a portion of the display panel based on a distance between lines sensed by the hall sensor.

14. The electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising a controller configured to change an aspect ratio of a display screen at the display panel based on a width of the display panel exposed to the outside of the housing such that the display screen is displayed on an exposed portion of the display panel.

15. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein a first distance between a first valley portion and a neighboring second valley portion of the pattern is same as a second distance between a third valley portion and a neighboring fourth valley portion of the pattern.

16. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein a first distance between a first valley portion and a neighboring second valley portion of the pattern is different than a second distance between a third valley portion and a neighboring fourth valley portion of the pattern.

17. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a knob at an edge of the display panel to roll and unroll the display panel from the roller.

18. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising at least one printed circuit board in the inner frame.

19. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising a battery in the inner frame.

20. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the inner frame and the outer frame are coupled to each other by at least one wire.

21. The electronic device of claim 20 , wherein the inner frame includes a wire hole at a side of the inner frame, and wherein the wire coupled from the outer frame is inserted into the wire hole.

22. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a touch pen to be inserted into the housing, wherein the touch pen is to be inserted into an insertion hole at an inside of the inner frame.

23. The electronic device of claim 22 , comprising a spring at an end of the insertion hole to support the touch pen.

24. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a motor assembly in the housing and coupled to the roller.

25. The electronic device of claim 24 , wherein the inner frame includes a contact terminal to protrude toward the housing, and wherein the contact terminal is at an end of the inner frame, and the contact terminal is a conductive material.

26. The electronic device of claim 25 , wherein the contact terminal contacts a flexible printed circuit board coupled to the housing, and the contact terminal to transfer an electrical signal from the flexible printed circuit board to the inner frame.

27. The electronic device of claim 26 , wherein the contact terminal to contact a pad on the flexible printed circuit board, and wherein the pad is at the contact terminal.

28. The electronic device of claim 24 , wherein the motor assembly includes:
a motor;
a pinion gear coupled to the motor; and
a ring gear having a ring shape an having a periphery,
wherein the pinion gear has a same shaft as the motor, and
wherein the periphery of the ring gear contacts the pinion gear.

29. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a knob on at least one surface of the housing,
wherein the knob is configured to roll and unroll the display panel.

30. The electronic device of claim 29 , wherein the knob includes a groove on a portion of the knob.

31. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes:
a power button on a surface of the housing;
a control button on the surface of the housing; and
plates on a surface of the housing at a location corresponding to the power button and the control button, respectively.

32. The electron

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Shin Choonghwan
• Kim Yongtae
• Lee Byunghwa

Classifications

• H05K1/189 Primary

  characterised by the use of flexible or folded printed circuits · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• H05K2201/10128

  Display · CPC title

• H05K2201/052

  Branched · CPC title

• G06F1/1605

  Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones · CPC title