Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9774360-B2
Application number	US-201514713762-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2015
Priority date	Dec 30, 2014
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a mobile terminal allowing at least part of a display unit to be bent or flexed. A mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a display unit configured to operate in either a first configuration or a second configuration having different radii of curvature, and a controller configured to switch the display unit from the first configuration to the second configuration based on a call being connected in the first configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:
a wireless communication unit;
a display unit configured to operate in either a first configuration or a second configuration, the display unit having different radii of curvature in the first configuration and the second configuration, wherein the first configuration is a flat configuration and the second configuration is a bent configuration in which the display unit is bent; and
a controller configured to:
receive a call signal from another terminal via the wireless communication unit, the call signal received while the display unit is in the first configuration;
cause the display unit to change from the first configuration to the second configuration based on a call connection with the another terminal that is performed in response to reception of the call signal such that the changing of the display unit from the first configuration to the second configuration is performed while or after the call connection is performed; and
cause at least partial unbending of a part of the display unit that is in the second configuration based on a preset voice received from the another terminal during the call connection.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , further comprising a speaker located adjacent to a first end of the mobile terminal and configured to output the preset voice, wherein:
the part of the display unit that is unbent is where the speaker is located;
a part of the display unit that is adjacent to a second end portion of the mobile terminal that is opposite to the first end portion remains in the bent configuration in response to the preset voice;
the display unit has an infinite radius of curvature in the flat configuration; and
the display unit has a finite radius of curvature in the bent configuration.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2 , wherein the second configuration is a configuration in which at least one of the first and second ends of the display unit is bent in a direction to which a front surface of the display unit faces.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to maintain the display unit in the first configuration when the call is connected while the display unit is in the first configuration, and cause the display unit to change from the first configuration to the second configuration based on an input corresponding to a preset condition being received during the call connection.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4 , further comprising:
a sensing unit configured to sense a movement of the mobile terminal; and
a manipulation unit configured to receive an input for audio volume adjustment,
wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display unit to change from the first configuration to the second configuration during the call connection based on at least one of the movement of the mobile terminal sensed by the sensing unit or an input to increase an audio volume received via the manipulation unit.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 4 , further comprising:
a microphone disposed around an end of the display unit; and
a sensing unit configured to sense an object approaching near the microphone,
wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display unit to change from the first configuration to the second configuration during the call connection based on at least one of the sensed object approaching near the microphone or an increase of a volume of sound received via the microphone.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 4 , further comprising:
a sensing unit configured to sense a movement of the mobile terminal,
wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display unit to bend on the basis of a different reference region based on the movement of the mobile terminal.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display unit to:
bend on the basis of a first reference region based on the mobile terminal being rotated in a first direction after the call connection; and
bend on the basis of a second reference region that is different from the first reference region based on the mobile terminal being rotated in a second direction that is different from the first direction.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 3 , wherein:
the controller is further configured to cause the display unit to change from the second configuration to a third configuration based on an input corresponding to a preset condition being received during the call connection, the input received while the display unit is in the second configuration;
the display unit in the third configuration is bent less than the display unit in the second configuration; and
a bending direction is same for the second configuration and the third configuration while a degree of bending is different between the second configuration and the third configuration.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9 , further comprising a microphone, wherein the preset condition is at least one of:
a case where a volume of a sound corresponding to a noise received via the microphone is higher than a reference volume,
a case where the preset voice is received via at least one of the microphone or the speaker,
a case where an input for increasing an audio volume is received while the audio volume is in a maximum state, or
a case where an object approaches near the microphone and a volume of sound received via the microphone increases.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 3 , further comprising:
a microphone disposed around an end of the display unit,
wherein, in a state that the end of the display unit is bent in a direction to which the front surface of the display unit faces, the controller is further configured to unfold a region adjacent to the end of the display unit from the bent configuration to the flat configuration based on a volume of a sound corresponding to a breath received via the microphone when the volume is higher than a reference volume.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensing unit configured to sense bending of the display unit,
wherein the controller is further configured to perform a function associated with a call based on the bending of the display unit.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
connect the call when the display unit that is in the first configuration is bent to be in the second configuration in a state that the call is received; and
end the connected call when the display unit that is in the second configuration is restored to the first configuration.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to perform a different function based on a bending degree of the display unit.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
activate a first function associated with a phone call when the display unit is bent to have a first radius of curvature; and
activate a second function associated with a phone call when the display unit is bent to have a second radius of curvature that is shorter than the first radius of curvature, the second function being different from the first function.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the display unit is provided on a front surface of a body of the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal further comprises:
a front camera disposed on the front surface of the body;
a rear camera disposed on a rear surface of the body; and
a sensing unit configured to sense bending of the display unit,
wherein the controller is further confi

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Jung Heonjae
• Jung Hyemi
• Kwon Arim
• Kwon Yunmi

Classifications

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• G06F3/147

  using display panels · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title

• G09G2370/10

  Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline · CPC title

• G09G3/20

  for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix {no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters} · CPC title