Flexible device and operating methods thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9818928-B2
Application number	US-201313974770-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2013
Priority date	Aug 23, 2012
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A flexible device includes a flexible body and a plurality of piezoelectric materials arranged on the flexible body that deform in response to drive signals causing deformation of the flexible body of the flexible device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible device comprising:
a flexible body;
a first plurality of piezoelectric materials of a lower piezoelectric layer disposed on the flexible body, the first plurality of piezoelectric materials arranged in rows on the flexible body in a horizontal direction of the flexible device, each of the rows comprising piezoelectric materials of elongated shape in the horizontal direction;
a first plurality of electrodes which are formed to have a plurality of first electrode patterns, first electrode patterns among the plurality of first electrode patterns respectively connected to piezoelectric materials among the first plurality of piezoelectric materials;
a second plurality of piezoelectric materials of an upper piezoelectric layer disposed on the first plurality of piezoelectric materials, the second plurality of piezoelectric materials arranged in columns on the flexible body in a vertical direction of the flexible device, each of the columns comprising piezoelectric materials of elongated shape in the vertical direction;
a second plurality of electrodes which are formed to have a plurality of second electrode patterns, second electrode patterns among the plurality of second electrode patterns respectively connected to piezoelectric materials among the second plurality of piezoelectric materials;
a flexible display panel supported by the flexible body; and
a controller configured to apply a drive signal selectively to the plurality of first electrode patterns connected to one or more rows of the first plurality of piezoelectric materials or the plurality of second electrode patterns connected to one or more columns of the second plurality of piezoelectric materials in response to detecting an event, causing the one or more rows of the first plurality of piezoelectric materials to deform in the horizontal direction of the flexible device or the one or more columns second plurality of piezoelectric materials to deform in the vertical direction of the flexible device.

2. The flexible device of claim 1 , wherein the drive signal comprises a first drive signal and a second drive signal,
wherein the first drive signal drives the one or more rows of the first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the second drive signal drives the one or more columns of the second plurality of piezoelectric materials,
wherein the one or more rows of the first plurality of piezoelectric materials deform in the horizontal direction of the flexible device, in response to application of the first drive signal to the first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the one or more columns of the second plurality of piezoelectric materials deform in the vertical direction of the flexible device, in response to application of the second drive signal to the second plurality of piezoelectric materials.

3. The flexible device of claim 2 , wherein the controller divides the first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the second plurality of piezoelectric materials into a plurality of groups based on the rows in which the first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the columns in which the second plurality of piezoelectric materials are disposed, and applies different ones of the first drive signal and the second drive signal to the respective groups to cause the grouped first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the second plurality of piezoelectric materials to locally deform.

4. The flexible device of claim 3 , further comprising a display,
wherein the first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the second plurality of piezoelectric materials are disposed on a lower portion of the display,
wherein the controller selectively applies the first drive signal and the second drive signal to the one or more rows of the first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the one or more columns of the second plurality of piezoelectric materials based on a type of the event, and
wherein the controller controls the display to display a user interface (UI) corresponding to a deformation state of the flexible body corresponding to the deformation of the first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the second plurality of piezoelectric materials on the display.

5. The flexible device of claim 1 , further comprising a display; and
at least one biosensor configured to detect a touch of a user arranged on lower side of the display,
wherein the first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the second plurality of piezoelectric materials are disposed between the display and the at least one biosensor, and
wherein the controller selectively applies the first drive signal and the second drive signal to the one or more rows of the first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the one or more columns of the second plurality of piezoelectric materials and controls the display to display a user interface on the display, in response to the at least one biosensor detecting the touch of the user.

6. The flexible device of claim 1 , further comprising a non-conductive intermediate layer of flexible elastic material disposed on the first plurality of piezoelectric materials,
wherein the first plurality of piezoelectric materials wherein the first plurality of piezoelectric materials, the intermediate layer, and the second plurality of piezoelectric materials are stacked sequentially on one side of the flexible body.

7. The flexible device of claim 1 , wherein a magnitude of the drive signal corresponds to a degree of deformation of the at least one of the first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the second plurality of piezoelectric materials.

8. The flexible device of claim 1 , further comprising a detector configured to detect an electric signal generated from one or more piezoelectric materials of the first plurality of piezoelectric materials and the second plurality of piezoelectric materials in response to a deformation of the flexible body,
wherein the controller determines a deformation state of the flexible body based on a change in the electric signal and performs a control operation corresponding to the determined deformation state.

9. A method for operating a flexible device, comprising:
detecting, by a controller of the flexible device, occurrence of an event; and
selectively applying drive signals to electrode patterns among a plurality of first electrode patterns respectively connected to piezoelectric materials among a first plurality of piezoelectric materials of a lower piezoelectric layer disposed on a flexible body of the flexible device and electrode patterns among a plurality of second electrode patterns respectively connected to piezoelectric materials among a second plurality of piezoelectric materials of an upper piezoelectric layer disposed on the first plurality of piezoelectric materials, based on the event, the first plurality of piezoelectric materials arranged in rows on the flexible body in a horizontal direction of the flexible device, each of the rows comprising piezoelectric materials of elongated shape in the horizontal direction and the second plurality of piezoelectric materials arranged in columns on the flexible body in a vertical direction of the flexible device, each of the columns comprising piezoelectric materials of elongated shape in the vertical direction,
wherein the selectively applied drive signals cause independently controlled deformation of the one or more rows of the first plurality of piezoelectric materials in the horizontal direction of the flexible device or the one or more columns of the second plurality of piezoelectric materials in the vertical direction of the flexible device.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the selectively applying drive signals comprises:

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jin
• Chin Woo-Seok
• Jung Ji-Yeon

Classifications

• G06F3/016

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G02F1/133305

  Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film · CPC title

• H01L41/042

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G06F1/1652 Primary

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