Electronic device including dual vibration motors, and method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12436618-B2
Application number	US-202418919430-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2024
Priority date	Apr 18, 2022
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device includes: a first housing; a second housing movably coupled with respect to the first housing; a flexible display; a first vibration motor in the first housing; a second vibration motor in the second housing; and at least one processor. The at least one processor: receives a touch input through a display region of the flexible display; in response to the touch input, identifies a first distance between the position of a contact point of the touch input and the first vibration motor, and a second distance between the position and the second vibration motor; and adjusts, on the basis of the first distance and the second distance, the strength of vibration provided through the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor so as to provide a haptic notification.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a first housing;
a second housing movably coupled to the first housing in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the first housing;
a flexible display sliding-out from the first housing as the second housing moves in the first direction, or sliding-in into the first housing as the second housing moves in the second direction;
a first vibration motor disposed in the first housing;
a second vibration motor disposed in the second housing;
memory, comprising one or more storage mediums, storing instructions; and
at least one processor operably connected to the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
receive a touch input for the flexible display,
identify, in response to the touch input, a first distance between a location of a contact point of the touch input and the first vibration motor, and a second distance between the location of the contact point of the touch input and the second vibration motor, and
provide a haptic notification for the touch input, by adjusting an intensity of vibration provided through the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor based on identifying the first distance and the second distance.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
provide the haptic notification through the first vibration motor of the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor, based on identifying the first distance less than a reference distance and the second distance greater than or equal to the reference distance, and
provide the haptic notification through the second vibration motor of the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor, based on identifying the first distance greater than or equal to the reference distance and the second distance less than the reference distance.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
receive the touch input for the flexible display, in a first state in which the second housing is movable in the first direction of the first direction and the second direction, and
provide the haptic notification, in response to the touch input, through the first vibration motor of the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
receive the touch input for a designated region of the flexible display, in a second state in which the second housing is movable in the second direction of the first direction and the second direction,
identify a first reference value which is assigned to the designated region comprising the location of the contact point of the touch input, among a plurality of first reference values, indicating an intensity of vibration to be provided through the first vibration motor, assigned to each of a plurality of first regions, wherein the plurality of first regions is designated based on a reference distance from the first vibration motor in the designated region of the flexible display, and
identify a second reference value which is assigned to the designated region comprising the location of the contact point of the touch input, among a plurality of second reference values, indicating an intensity of vibration to be provided through the second vibration motor, assigned to each of a plurality of second regions, wherein the plurality of second regions is designated based on the reference distance from the second vibration motor in the designated region of the flexible display.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 ,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to provide the haptic notification through the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor, by providing an intensity of vibration corresponding to the first reference value through the first vibration motor and providing an intensity of vibration corresponding to the second reference value through the second vibration motor.

6. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein:
the plurality of first reference values, indicating the intensity of vibration to be provided through the first vibration motor, assigned to each of the plurality of first regions, corresponds to the first distance, and
the plurality of second reference values, indicating the intensity of vibration to be provided through the second vibration motor, assigned to each of the plurality of second regions, corresponds to the second distance.

7. The electronic device of claim 4 ,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
display a user interface comprising a plurality of visual objects for representing each of the plurality of first regions and for setting the plurality of first reference values,
provide the haptic notification through the first vibration motor outputting a first intensity, while the touch input is maintained on one of the plurality of visual objects,
receive a user input for changing the first intensity to a second intensity through the user interface, after the haptic notification is provided through the first vibration motor outputting the first intensity, and
change the plurality of first reference values based on the second intensity, in response to the user input.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
identify a region comprising the location of the contact point of the touch input, among the plurality of first regions designated based on a reference distance from the first vibration motor in a designated region of the flexible display, in a first state in which the second housing is movable in the first direction of the first direction and the second direction
identify a first reference value assigned to the region comprising the location, among a plurality of first reference values, indicating an intensity of vibration to be provided through the first vibration motor, assigned to each of the plurality of first regions, and
provide the haptic notification through the first vibration motor, by providing an intensity of vibration corresponding to the first reference value, using the first vibration motor, based on the first reference value.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein, in a second state in which the second housing is movable in the second direction of the first direction and the second direction, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
based on identifying the first distance less than a reference distance and the second distance less than the reference distance, provide the haptic notification through the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor, by providing an intensity of vibration corresponding to the first distance through the first vibration motor and an intensity of vibration corresponding to the second distance through the second vibration motor,
based on identifying the first distance less than the reference distance and the second distance greater than or equal to the reference distance, p

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jookwan
• Shin Moonchul
• Kim Yangwook
• Park Jihea
• Lee Junghyeob

Classifications

• 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

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0416

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

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

• G06F1/1677

  for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment · CPC title