Flexible display device and method of controlling same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11513561-B2
Application number	US-202017066795-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2020
Priority date	Aug 1, 2012
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

A flexible display device is provided. The flexible display device includes: a display; a sensor configured to detect at least one rolling characteristic in response to the display being rolled; and a controller configured to perform a first function of the flexible display device based on the detected at least one rolling characteristic.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flexible display device comprising:
a display;
at least one sensor; and
at least one controller configured to:
based on a folding of the display being detected by the at least one sensor, identify a plurality of areas of the display divided according to the folding of the display, and
control the display to display a first screen corresponding to a first function in a first area among the plurality of areas and display a second screen corresponding to a second function different from the first function in a second area among the plurality of areas,

wherein the at least one controller is further configured to:
based on the display not being folded, identify a state of the display based on information detected by the at least one sensor, and
based on the identified state of the display being a first state, control the display to display a third screen, and based on the identified state of the display being a second state, control the display to display a fourth screen different from the third screen, and

wherein the first state indicates that the display is placed in a first position, and the second state indicates that the display is placed in a second position different from the first position.

2. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to:
receive a user command while the display is folded,
based on the user command being received in the first area, control the display to display a screen corresponding to a function executed by the user command in the first area, and
based on the user command being received in second area, control the display to display the screen corresponding to the function executed by the user command in the second area.

3. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein the first screen is controlled by a first application corresponding to the first function and the second screen is controlled by a second application corresponding to the second function.

4. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein the first screen comprises a soft keyboard and the second screen comprises a content corresponding to a function executed according to a user command input on the soft keyboard.

5. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to:
identify a folding angle of the display, and
control the display to display different screens on the plurality of areas based on the identified folding angle being corresponded to a predetermined angle.

6. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to:
based on the state of the display being identified as a horizontal state, control the display to display the third screen corresponding to a third function, and
based on the state of the display being identified as a vertical state, control the display to display the fourth screen corresponding to a fourth function different from the third function.

7. The flexible display device of claim 6 , wherein one of the third function and the fourth function is a clock function.

8. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein the third screen corresponds to one of the first function and the second function.

9. A method of controlling a flexible display device, the method comprising:
based on a folding of a display of the flexible display device being detected, identifying a plurality of areas of the display divided according to the folding of the display; and
displaying a first screen corresponding to a first function in a first area among the plurality of areas and displaying a second screen corresponding to a second function different from the first function in a second area among the plurality of areas,
wherein the method further comprises:
based on the display not being folded, identifying a state of the display based on information detected by at least one sensor of the flexible display device, and
based on the identified state of the display being a first state, displaying a third screen, and based on the identified state of the display being a second state, displaying a fourth screen different from the third screen, and
wherein the first state indicates that the display is placed in a first position, and the second state indicates that the display is placed in a second position different from the first position.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving a user command while the display is folded;
based on the user command being received in the first area, displaying a screen corresponding to a function executed by the user command in the first area; and
based on the user command being received in second area, displaying the screen corresponding to the function executed by the user command in the second area.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first screen is controlled by a first application corresponding to the first function and the second screen is controlled by a second application corresponding to the second function.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first screen comprises a soft keyboard and the second screen comprises a content corresponding to a function executed according to a user command input on the soft keyboard.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
identifying a folding angle of the display, and
displaying different screens on the plurality of areas based on the identified folding angle being corresponded to a predetermined angle.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
based on the state of the display being identified as a horizontal state, displaying the third screen corresponding to a third function, and
based on the state of the display being identified as a vertical state, displaying the fourth screen corresponding to a fourth function different from the third function.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein one of the third function and the fourth function is a clock function.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the third screen corresponds to one of the first function and the second function.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwak Ji-Yeon
• Kang Kyung-A
• Kim Hyun-Jin
• Kumar Nipun
• Lee Chang-Soo

Classifications

• G09F9/301

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

• G06F2203/04102

  Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper · CPC title

• G06F1/1652 Primary

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

• G09G2300/023

  Display panel composed of stacked panels · CPC title

• G09G2380/02

  Flexible displays · CPC title