Electronic device including rollable display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12192394-B2
Application number	US-202217994180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2022
Priority date	May 26, 2020
Publication date	Jan 7, 2025
Grant date	Jan 7, 2025

Abstract

A housing of an electronic device according to an embodiment may include a combination of at least two housings, and the entire size or length of the electronic device may change according to relative movement between the housings. The electronic device may comprise: a flexible display configured to expand or contract according to a change in size of the electronic device. A portion of the flexible display may be inserted into the housing when the housing contracts and may be drawn out of the housing when the housing expands. The electronic device may comprise a distance sensor and/or an expansion sensor. The distance sensor is configured to measure a change in a relative distance of the housing, and the expansion sensor senses a contraction or expansion state of the housing, thereby contributing to correcting data measured by the distance sensor. The electronic device employing the distance sensor and/or the expansion sensor can accurately sense the size of an externally visible portion of a display and can display a screen appropriate to the size of the visible portion of the display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing comprising a first housing and a second housing coupled to the first housing to be movable with respect to the first housing within a specified range;
a rollable display visible to an outside of the electronic device through a part of the housing, the rollable display comprising a first portion selectively visible to the outside according to the movement of the second housing with respect to the first housing, the first portion being visible to the outside based on the second housing structure moving in a first direction away from the first housing, and the first portion not being visible to the outside based on the second housing moving in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
a first sensor disposed in the second housing and configured to measure a distance of the second housing to the first housing;
a second sensor disposed in the housing and configured to detect a first state in which the second housing is spaced apart from the first housing by a first distance;
a memory disposed in the housing and configured to store data regarding the first distance; and
at least one processor disposed in the housing and operatively coupled with the rollable display, the first sensor, the second sensor, and the memory,
wherein, while a screen is displayed through the display, the at least one processor is configured to:
measure the distance of the second housing to the first housing structure through the first sensor;
based on the first state being detected through the second sensor, correct the distance measured by the first sensor, based at least on a difference between the distance measured by the first sensor and the first distance; and
adjust the screen to correspond to a size of a portion visible to the outside of the electronic device in an entire region of the rollable display, based on the corrected distance.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor comprises at least one of a time of flight (TOF) sensor, an ultrasonic distance sensor, or a distance sensor of a radio wave method.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a magnet disposed in the first housing,
wherein the second sensor comprises a hall sensor disposed in the second housing in the first housing structure,
wherein the magnet in the first state is configured to be positioned on a certain region corresponding to the hall sensor.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a pushing part disposed in the first housing,
wherein the second sensor comprises a switch disposed in the second housing in the first housing,
wherein the pushing part in the first state is configured to press the switch.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a first terminal disposed in the first housing,
wherein the second sensor comprises a second terminal disposed in the second housing in the first housing structure,
wherein the first terminal in the first state is configured to contact the second terminal.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of gates configured to independently control respective regions of the rollable display, the plurality of gates being electrically connected with the at least one processor,
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the display to display the screen on the portion visible to the outside in the entire region of the rollable display, by controlling the plurality of gates based on the corrected distance.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of gates comprise a first gate configured to control a second portion of the first portion, and a second gate configured to control a third portion of the first portion adjacent to the second portion, and
wherein, based on the second portion being visible to the outside and the third portion not being visible to the outside, the at least one processor is further configured to control the first gate and the second gate to display a part of the screen on the second portion and to not display the screen on the third portion.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, in a state in which a part of the first portion is visible to the outside, the at least one processor is configured to control the display to display a screen of a size corresponding to the portion visible from the outside in the entire region of the rollable display using the first sensor.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the display to display a screen continuously changing in response to a size of the portion visible to the outside in the entire region of the display while the display is contracted and/or extended.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, while an application is executed, the at least one processor is further configured to control the display to display a first content provided by the application on a fourth portion visible to the outside in the entire region of the display in the first state, and to display a second content provided by the application on a fifth portion newly visible to the outside while the display is extended.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the display to:
display a first image on a fourth portion visible to the outside in the entire region of the display in the first state; and
display, on a fifth portion newly visible to the outside while the display is extended and the fourth portion, the first image being enlarged to correspond to a sum size of the fourth portion and the fifth portion.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a motor configured to drive to contract and/or extend the housing,
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to operate the motor at a specified speed at a first stage while the display is extended, and to reduce the speed of the motor at a specified rate as a time is elapsed.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a motor configured to drive to contract and/or extend the housing structure,
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to adjust a control value of the motor using the first sensor.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein, based on the control value of the motor exceeding a numerical value allowable by the motor, the at least one processor is further configured to provide a notification indicating that an operation of the motor is not normal.

15. A method of controlling an electronic device comprising an extendable housing and a rollable display configured to be contracted or extended according to contraction or extension of the housing, the method comprising:
displaying a screen through the display;
measuring an extension distance of the housing through a first sensor provided in the electronic device;
based on a first state of the housing structure being detected through a second sensor provided in the electronic device, correcting the distance measured by the first sensor, based at least on a difference between the distance measured through the first sensor and a specified distance, the specified distance corresponding to an extension distance of the housing based on the housing being in the first state; and
adjusting the screen to correspond to a size of a portion visible to an outside in an entire region of the display, based on the corrected length.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the displaying of the screen comprises displaying a screen of a size correspond

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Eom Kihun
• Kang Kihoon
• Kim Taekeun
• Ryu Kwanghee
• Min Kihong
• Shin Sunghun

Classifications

• G09F9/301

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

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

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

• G06F1/1624

  with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display · CPC title

• H04M2250/12

  including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion · CPC title