Electronic device for controlling brightness of display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11380285-B2
Application number	US-202016793805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2020
Priority date	Feb 19, 2019
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

According to various embodiments, a method of operating an electronic device, which has a foldable housing that causes first and second portions of a display to face each other in a folded state and to be directed in the same direction in an unfolded state and an illuminance sensor that is disposed on a surface on which the second portion is formed, includes a process of determining an angle formed by the first portion and the second portion using data received from an angle detecting sensor; a process of checking out a reference value corresponding to the determined angle in a lookup table; a process of correcting a first illuminance value from the illuminance sensor using the checked reference value; and a process of controlling brightness of the display based on the corrected first illuminance value at least in part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:
a housing including a first section and a second section coupled to each other such that an angle formed between the first section and the second section is adjustable;
a flexible display at least partially housed in the first section and the second section;
a first sensor that generates first data used to identify the angle;
a second sensor that generates second data used to identify illuminance around the mobile communication device; and
a processor operatively connected to the first sensor and the second sensor, and configured to:
store, in a memory, first information indicating a plurality of angle ranges and second information indicating illuminances corresponding respectively to each of the plurality of angle ranges, the plurality of angle ranges including a first angle range, a second angle range in which a minimum value is greater than a maximum value of the first angle range, and a third angle range in which a minimum value is greater than a maximum value of the second angle range, and the illuminances including a first illuminance corresponding to the first angle range, a second illuminance corresponding to the second angle range and being a value less than the first illuminance, and a third illuminance corresponding to the third angle range and being a value less than the second illuminance,
identify the angle formed between the first section and the second section based on the first data obtained from the first sensor,
identify the illuminance based on the second data obtained from the second sensor while at least a part of the flexible display is activated,
confirm, from the first information stored in the memory, an angle range to which the identified angle belongs,
confirm, from the second information stored in the memory, illuminance corresponding to the confirmed angle range, wherein the confirmed illuminance is the first illuminance when the identified angle belongs to the first angle range, is the second illuminance when the identified angle belongs to the second angle range, and is the third illuminance when the identified angle belongs to the third angle range,
determine whether the illuminance, which is identified based on the second data obtained from the second sensor, is greater than the illuminance confirmed from the second information stored in the memory,
operate the flexible display at a first brightness when the identified illuminance is greater than the illuminance confirmed from the second information, and
operate the flexible display at a second brightness, which is dimmer than the first brightness, when the identified illuminance is less than or equal to the illuminance confirmed from the second information,
wherein the processor is configured to operate the flexible display at the second brightness by determining a correction value based on an influence of brightness of the first section on the second section, and determining the second brightness based on the correction value.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the mobile communication device as being in a low illuminance environment in response to the identified illuminance being less than or equal to the illuminance confirmed from the second information.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a folding section connected between the first section and the second section, and
wherein the first sensor includes an encoder sensor that is at least partially housed in the folding section.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor includes a first sensor circuit housed in the first section, and a second sensor circuit housed in the second section,
wherein the first sensor circuit is configured to sense a first characteristic corresponding to a motion of the mobile communication device,
wherein the second sensor circuit is configured to sense a second characteristic corresponding to the motion of the mobile communication device, and
wherein the first sensor unit is configured to generate the first data based on the first characteristic and the second characteristic.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1 , further comprising a third sensor capable of generating third data used to identify the illuminance,
wherein the second sensor faces a first direction with respect to an outside of the mobile communication device, and the third sensor faces a second direction different from the first direction with respect to the outside, and
wherein the processor is configured to perform the identifying of the illuminance based on the third data obtained from the third sensor.

6. A method for operating a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device comprising a housing including a first section and a second section coupled to each other such that an angle formed between the first section and the second section is adjustable, a flexible display at least partially housed in the first section and the second section, a first sensor that generates first data used to identify the angle, a second sensor that generates second data used to identify illuminance around the mobile communication device, and a memory, the method comprising:
storing, in the memory, first information indicating a plurality of angle ranges and second information indicating illuminances corresponding respectively to each of the plurality of angle ranges, the plurality of angle ranges including a first angle range, a second angle range in which a minimum value is greater than a maximum value of the first angle range, and a third angle range in which a minimum value is greater than a maximum value of the second angle range, and the illuminances including a first illuminance corresponding to the first angle range, a second illuminance corresponding to the second angle range and being a value less than the first illuminance, and a third illuminance corresponding to the third angle range and being a value less than the second illuminance;
identifying the angle formed between the first section and the second section based on the first data obtained from the first sensor;
identifying the illuminance based on the second data obtained from the second sensor while at least a part of the flexible display is activated;
confirming, from the first information stored in the memory, an angle range to which the identified angle belongs;
confirming, from the second information stored in the memory, an illuminance corresponding to the confirmed angle range, wherein the confirmed illuminance is the first illuminance when the identified angle belongs to the first angle range, is the second illuminance when the identified angle belongs to the second angle range, and is the third illuminance when the identified angle belongs to the third angle range;
determining whether the illuminance, which is identified based on the second data obtained from the second sensor, is greater than the illuminance confirmed from the second information stored in the memory;
operating the flexible display at a first brightness when the identified illuminance is greater than the illuminance confirmed from the second information;
operating the flexible display at a second brightness, which is dimmer than the first brightness, when the identified illuminance is less than or equal to the illuminance confirmed from the second information; and
operating the flexible display at the second brightness by determining a correction value based on an influence of brightness of the first section on the second section and determining the second brightness based on the correction value.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
determining the

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Heejun
• Kim Jongjin
• KWON Oheon
• Je Seongmin

Classifications

• G09G3/035

  for flexible display surfaces · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

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

• G09F9/301

  flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED · CPC title

• G09G2360/144

  the light being ambient light · CPC title

• G01B7/30

  for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes · CPC title