System and method for foldable display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9812074-B2
Application number	US-201113051547-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2011
Priority date	Mar 18, 2011
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

As described herein, there is provided methods, apparatus and computer program products to display visual information on a foldable display device. Display control signals are altered or modified to avoid display of or compensate for impairment in the display of visual information on fold deformations introduced in a display unit of the display device in response to folding of the display unit, or to reverse any alterations or modifications in the event that the fold deformations are eliminated by unfolding of the display unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A display system, comprising:
a foldable display unit to display visual information in a display area, the visual information based at least in part on display data; and
a display control unit receiving the display data and at least one fold signal indicative of a fold in at least a portion of the display area, and outputting one or more display control signals operative to cause the display unit to display the visual information, the display control signals being output at least in part in response to the at least one fold signal to adapt the one or more display control signals to change an appearance of the visual information,
wherein the one or more display control signals to change the appearance avoids the display of the visual information on or near a fold axis in the folded display unit,
wherein the fold in the display unit creates a deformed area located within the display area, the deformed area located adjacent to the fold axis of the display unit;
wherein the display control unit outputs one or more display control signals to change the appearance of the visual information to compensate for impairment in the deformed area that is caused by the fold;
wherein the appearance of the visual information in or near the deformed area is changed from a first display format to a second display format, the second display format configured to provide a display of the same visual information provided in the first display format; and
wherein the second display format compensates for impairment of visual information displayed in or near the deformed area by providing an appearance of a continuous display of the visual information across the deformed area while maintaining a constant size of the continuous display of the visual information in the first display format and in the second display format.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more display control signals to change the appearance divides a display area into at least two display sub-areas.

3. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more display control signals to change the appearance compensates for impairment of the visual information displayed in or near the deformed area that is experienced by a viewer of the visual information at a particular viewing angle.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit includes at least one device to detect the fold in the display unit.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the fold signal indicative of the fold in the display unit is generated automatically or is generated in response to a user input.

6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the visual information displayed in the first display format comprises text extending into the deformed area, and wherein the text displayed in the second display format is adapted to appear in display areas on opposite sides of the deformed area in the display unit.

7. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit includes one or more display elements, the display elements including: liquid crystal display, plasma display, light emitting diode display, or organic light emitting diode display elements.

8. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the visual information includes video, text, pictures or graphics.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the deformed area surrounds the fold axis of the display unit, and wherein the deformed area includes a portion of the display area exhibiting a visible discontinuity provided from a plane of the display area changing from an first orientation to a second orientation.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the second display format is configured to perform substituting or modifying of a font displayed in the first display format, and wherein the second display format is configured to perform one or more of: stretching, narrowing, enlarging, shrinking, tilting, rotating, obliterating, replicating, interpolating color, or changing color of an image or part of an image displayed in the first display format.

11. A display system, comprising:
a foldable display unit to display visual information in a display area, the visual information based at least in part on display data;
a fold detection system receiving at least one fold detection signal and outputting at least one fold signal indicative of a fold in the display unit and a location of the fold in the display unit; and
a display control unit receiving the display data and the at least one fold signal and outputting one or more display control signals operative to cause the display unit to display the visual information, the display control signals being output at least in part in response to the least one fold signal to adapt a appearance of the visual information from a first display format adapted to a first folded state of the display unit to a second display format adapted to a second folded state of the display unit to compensate for impairment from a deformed area of the display area when folded,
wherein the one or more display control signals adapt the appearance to avoid the display of the visual information on or near a fold axis in the folded display unit,
wherein the second display format adapted to the second folded state of the display unit is configured to provide a display of the same visual information provided in the first display format adapted to the first folded state of the display unit; and
wherein the second display format adapted to the second folded state of the display unit is configured to compensate for impairment of visual information displayed in or near the deformed area by providing an appearance of a continuous display of the visual information across the deformed area while maintaining a constant size of the continuous display of the visual information in the first display format and in the second display format.

12. A system according to claim 11 , wherein a display template adapted to the first folded state of the display unit and the second folded state of the display unit is associated with types of visual information and the fold state of the display unit, wherein the display control unit receives the display template and generates the display control signals at least in part based on the display template.

13. A system according to claim 11 , wherein the display control unit is a specialized graphics processing unit, general purpose computer, or a combination of general purpose computer and specialized graphics processing unit.

14. A system according to claim 11 , wherein the display unit and display control unit enable display of information within a: personal computer, smart phone, mobile phone, laptop computer, notebook computer, reading device, or tablet computer.

15. A method comprising:
generating one or more display control signals, at least in part in response to display data, to cause a foldable display unit to display visual information in a display area, the visual information displayed in the display area according to a first display format;
monitoring a signal indicative of a fold in the display unit; and
in response to the signal indicative of a fold in the display unit, generating the one or more display control signals to change the display of visual information in the display area to at least one second display format, wherein the second display format compensates for impairment in the display of visual information in the display area that is introduced by the fold in the display unit,
wherein the display control signals are changed to avoid the display of visual information on or near portions of a deformed area introduced by the fol

Assignees

• Phillips W Garland
• Blackberry Ltd

Inventors

• Phillips W Garland

Classifications

• G09G3/36 Primary

  using liquid crystals · CPC title

• G09G2320/0606

  Manual adjustment · CPC title

• G09G2380/02

  Flexible displays · CPC title

• G09G2340/14

  Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed · CPC title

• G09G2320/0613

  The adjustment depending on the type of the information to be displayed · CPC title