Electronic device including pressure sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12470646-B2
Application number	US-202318156160-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2023
Priority date	Jan 7, 2022
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a first housing, a second housing slidable relative to the first housing, a contact member disposed in the first housing, a pressure sensor disposed in the second housing to face the contact member and provided in a state in which at least a portion of the pressure sensor is in contact with the contact member, a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in the second housing, an actuator configured to drive the second housing, and a processor disposed on the PCB, electrically connected to the pressure sensor and the actuator, and configured to control the actuator, based on pressure information sensed by the pressure sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic device comprising:
a first housing; a second housing slidable relative to the first housing; a contact member disposed in the first housing; a pressure sensor disposed in the second housing, the pressure sensor facing the contact member and at least a portion of the pressure sensor contacting the contact member, the pressure sensor comprising a pair of pressure sensors disposed opposite to each other with respect to the second housing, wherein the pair of pressure sensors sense pressures different from each other; a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in the second housing; an actuator configured to drive the second housing; and a processor disposed on the PCB and being electrically connected to the pressure sensor and the actuator, the processor being configured to:
recognize a position of the second housing with respect to the first housing,
in response to the pressure sensor sensing an intensity of pressure greater than an intensity of a predetermined pressure, control the actuator to move the second housing relative to the first housing, and
in response to sensing pressure on both sides of the first housing in which at least one of the pair of pressure sensors senses pressure exceeding the predetermined pressure, automatically switch a state of the second housing from an open state, in which the second housing protrudes from the first housing, to a closed state, in which the second housing is inserted into the first housing, or from the closed state to the open state.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the pressure sensor comprises:
a plurality of channels arranged side-by-side in a sliding direction of the second housing and configured to sense pressure; and a sensor connector configured to connect the plurality of channels to the PCB.

3 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the second housing is configured to be in at least one of the closed state in which the second housing is inserted into the first housing or the open state in which the second housing protrudes from the first housing.

4 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the actuator is configured to move the second housing from the closed state to the open state and from the open state to the closed state.

5 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein, based on the second housing being in the closed state and the intensity of the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor being greater than the intensity of the predetermined pressure, the actuator is configured to move the second housing to the open state.

6 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein, based on the second housing being in the open state and the intensity of the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor being greater than the intensity of the predetermined pressure, the actuator is configured to move the second housing to the open state.

7 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the contact member is formed of an elastically deformable material compressively deformed by the pressure sensor.

8 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the contact member is rotatable with respect to the first housing.

9 . The electronic device of claim 8 , further comprising:
a support comprising a main support plate disposed in the first housing; and a support shaft fixed to the main support plate and rotatably supporting the contact member.

10 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sweeper compressively deformed by the second housing or the pressure sensor and being disposed at a position spaced apart from the contact member in a sliding direction of the second housing.

11 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first housing comprises:
a housing body covering at least a portion of the second housing; and a pad groove recessed from an inner surface of the housing body that faces the pressure sensor, the pad groove accommodating at least a portion of the contact member.

12 . The electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising:
a support disposed on the housing body; and a support shaft supported by the support and rotatably supporting the contact member.

13 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the first housing comprises a plate groove recessed from the inner surface of the housing body, the plate groove accommodating at least a portion of the support and having a depth that is less than a depth of the pad groove.

14 . The electronic device of claim 12 , further comprising:
a sweeper being compressively deformed by the second housing or the pressure sensor and being disposed on the support.

15 . An electronic device comprising:
a first housing; a second housing slidable relative to the first housing; a contact member disposed in the first housing; a pressure sensor disposed in the second housing, the pressure sensor facing the contact member and at least a portion of the pressure sensor contacting the contact member, the pressure sensor comprising a pair of pressure sensors disposed opposite to each other with respect to the second housing, wherein the pair of pressure sensors sense pressures different from each other; a processor electrically connected to the pressure sensor; and a support comprising:
a main support plate disposed in the first housing, and
a support shaft fixed to the main support plate and rotatably supporting the contact member,
wherein the processor is configured to:
in response to sensing pressure on both sides of the first housing in which at least one of the pair of pressure sensors senses pressure exceeding a predetermined pressure, automatically switch a state of the second housing from an open state, in which the second housing protrudes from the first housing, to a closed state, in which the second housing is inserted into the first housing, or from the closed state to the open state.

16 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the pressure sensor comprises a plurality of channels arranged side-by-side in a sliding direction of the second housing and configured to sense pressure.

17 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein at least a portion of the contact member is formed of an elastically deformable material and is compressively deformed by the pressure sensor.

18 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the support further comprises a sweeper disposed on the main support plate and being compressively deformed by the second housing or the pressure sensor.

19 . An electronic device comprising:
a first housing; a second housing slidable relative to the first housing; a contact member disposed in the first housing; a pressure sensor disposed in the second housing, the pressure sensor facing the contact member and at least a portion of the pressure sensor contacting the contact member, the pressure sensor comprising a pair of pressure sensors disposed opposite to each other with respect to the second housing, wherein the pair of pressure sensors sense pressures different from each other; a support comprising:
a main support plate disposed in the first housing, and
a support shaft fixed to the main support plate and rotatably supporting the contact member;
a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in the second housing; an actuator configured to drive the second housing; and a processor disposed on the PCB and being electrically connected to the pressure sensor and the actuator, the processor being configured to:
recognize a position of the second housing with re

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cho Joongyeon
• Kang Youngmin
• Shin Moonchul
• Yoon Yeonggyu
• Lee Seungjoon
• Choi Junyoung
• Kim Hyunsuk
• Park Sanghyuk
• Lee Wonho
• Choi Nakhyun
• Lee Soyoung

Classifications

• H05K5/0217

  Mechanical details of casings (covers, lids, hoods or members for covering apertures H05K5/03) · CPC title

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · 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

• H04M1/0241

  using relative motion of the body parts to change the operational status of the telephone set, e.g. switching on/off, answering incoming call · CPC title