Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12443233-B2
Application number	US-201917638417-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2019
Priority date	Sep 6, 2019
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

The present specification provides a mobile terminal in which a display unit can expand, and a control method therefor. In the mobile terminal of the present invention, when an input signal detected by a sensing unit is equal to or larger than a threshold value, an operation that expands or contracts the display unit according to a touch drag direction is performed, thus allowing a user to intuitively control the mobile terminal. Further, there is an advantage in that the mobile terminal can be prevented from being dislodged from the user's hand while the display unit is in the process of expanding.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile terminal comprising:
a body having a variable size;
a flexible display including a first display located on a front face of the body and a second display located on a rear face of the body;
a driving unit configured to change the size of the body and a size of the first display;
a sensing unit configured to sense an input signal; and
a controller configured to:
in response to the input signal having a value equal to or greater than a threshold value, control the driving unit to change the size of the body and the size of the first display,
wherein a size of the second display is correspondingly reduced as the size of the first display increases,
wherein a portion of the flexible display wraps around one side of the body,
wherein the sensing unit includes a touch sensor embedded in the flexible display, and
wherein the threshold value is determined based on a total contact area of a user with the touch sensor when the user inputs a touch drag on the first display.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
in response to the touch area of the user being equal to or greater than the threshold value, change the size of the first display based on a touch drag direction of the user.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to:
extend the size of the first display when the touch drag direction corresponds to a first direction; and
reduce the size of the first display when the touch drag direction corresponds to a second direction.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to:
when a message is received by the mobile terminal, provide information about the message on an extended portion of the first display based on the touch drag of the user.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to:
when a video call is received by the mobile terminal, provide a video call screen on an entirety of the first display after the first display is extended based on the touch drag of the user.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
in response to the sensing unit sensing a plurality of touch signals simultaneously on the first display, add areas based on the plurality of touch signals to generate a sum and compare the sum with the threshold value.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to:
change the size of the first display when the sum of the areas is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to:
extend the size of the first display when the plurality of touch signals correspond to touches that move in a direction to be farther away from each other; and
reduce the size of the first display when the plurality of touch signals correspond to touches that move in a direction to be closer to each other.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
display, on the first display, a selection menu for changing the size of the first display when the value of the input signal is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the first display of the flexible display is configured to be changed to one of a plurality of sizes, and
wherein the controller is configured to display, on the first display, a selection menu for selecting one of the plurality of sizes when the value of the input signal is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to control the selection menu to be displayed overlapping with a region of the first display touched by the user.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the sensing unit includes a force sensor, and
wherein the threshold value is determined based on a pressure applied by the user to the sensing unit.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12 , wherein the rear face of the body includes a first rear face including the second display of the flexible display and a second rear face including the sensing unit.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the sensing unit includes a fingerprint sensor, and
wherein the threshold value is determined based on a fingerprint previously registered by a user.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14 , wherein the rear face of the body includes a first rear face including the second display of the flexible display and a second rear face including the sensing unit.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , further comprising a roller member disposed at one side of the body.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , further comprising a side frame covering a portion of the flexible display, the portion of the flexible display being between the side frame and the body.

18. A method of controlling a size of a mobile terminal, the method comprising:
in response to sensing, via a sensing unit of the mobile terminal, a touch input on a first display having a value equal to or greater than a threshold value, increasing both a variable size of a body of the mobile terminal and a size of the first display located on a front face of the body while correspondingly decreasing a size of a second display located on a rear face of the body; and
displaying, on the first display, a selection menu for selecting one of a plurality of sizes when the value of the touch input is equal to or greater than the threshold value,
wherein a region of the first display remains fixed.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
in response to a touch area of the touch input being equal to or greater than the threshold value, changing the size of the first display based on a touch drag direction of the touch input.

20. A mobile terminal comprising:
a body having a variable size;
a flexible display including a first display located on a front face of the body and a second display located on a rear face of the body;
a driving unit configured to change the size of the body and a size of the first display;
a sensing unit configured to sense an input signal; and
a controller configured to:
in response to the input signal having a value equal to or greater than a threshold value, control the driving unit to change the size of the body and the size of the first display,
wherein a size of the second display is correspondingly reduced as the size of the first display increases,
wherein a portion of the flexible display wraps around one side of the body,
wherein the sensing unit includes a touch sensor embedded in the flexible display,
wherein the threshold value is determined based on a touch area on the first display touched by a user, and
wherein the controller is further configured to:
in response to the sensing unit sensing a plurality of touch signals simultaneously on the first display, add areas based on the plurality of touch signals to generate a sum and compare the sum with the threshold value.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Changmok
• Seo Junho
• Lee Jinhee
• Choi Eunkyung

Classifications

• H04M2201/42

  Graphical user interfaces · CPC title

• H04M2201/38

  Displays · CPC title

• H04M1/0235

  Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts · CPC title

• G06F2203/04105

  Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position · 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