Electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9891725-B2
Application number	US-201615144967-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2016
Priority date	May 6, 2014
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

A novel electronic device including a flexible display is presented. The electronic device has a flexible display including an organic light emission diodes and a plurality of columnar bodies linked together. Users can transform the shape of the electronic device into a tablet, an eBook, or a hand-held gaming device. The electronic device is configured to resize its main display area in accordance with the selected mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A driving method of an electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises a flexible display and a plurality of columnar bodies attached to the flexible display, the driving method comprising:
detecting rotation of the plurality of columnar bodies by sensors included in the plurality of columnar bodies, and
displaying an image at a display region of the flexible display in a first mode when the rotation of the plurality of columnar bodies is not detected and an image at a display region of the flexible display in a second mode when the rotation of the plurality of columnar bodies is detected.

2. The driving method according to claim 1 , wherein a first columnar body of the plurality of columnar bodies is spaced from a second columnar body of the plurality of columnar bodies.

3. The driving method according to claim 1 , wherein a size of the display region of the flexible display in the first mode is larger than a size of the display region of the flexible display in the second mode.

4. The driving method according to claim 1 , wherein the sensors are resistive sensors, pressure sensors, capacitive sensors, magnetic sensors, or optical sensors.

5. The driving method according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of columnar bodies is mechanically or physically linked with neighboring one or two of the columnar bodies at a link portion and rotatable around an axis at the link portion.

6. The driving method according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible display is a flexible organic light emission diode.

7. The driving method according to claim 1 ,
wherein a first columnar body of the plurality of columnar bodies includes a first conductive material, and a second columnar body of the plurality of columnar bodies includes a second conductive material, the second columnar body neighboring the first columnar body, and
wherein the first conductive material and the second conductive material form a resistive sensor.

8. An electronic device comprising:
a flexible display; and
a plurality of columnar bodies attached to the flexible display, the plurality of columnar bodies including sensors,
wherein the sensors are configured to detect rotation of the plurality of columnar bodies, and
wherein the flexible display is configured to display in a first mode when the rotation of the plurality of columnar bodies is not detected and to display in a second mode when the rotation of the plurality of columnar bodies is detected.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein a first columnar body of the plurality of columnar bodies is spaced from a second columnar body of the plurality of columnar bodies.

10. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein a size of a main display region of the flexible display in the first mode is larger than a size of a main display region of the flexible display in the second mode.

11. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein the sensors are resistive sensors, pressure sensors, capacitive sensors, magnetic sensors, or optical sensors.

12. The electronic device according to claim 8 ,
wherein each of the plurality of columnar bodies is mechanically or physically linked with neighboring one or two of the columnar bodies at a link portion and rotatable around an axis at the link portion.

13. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein the flexible display is a flexible organic light emission diode.

14. The electronic device according to claim 8 ,
wherein a first columnar body of the plurality of columnar bodies includes a first conductive material, and a second columnar body of the plurality of columnar bodies includes a second conductive material, the second columnar body neighboring the first columnar body, and
wherein the first conductive material and the second conductive material form a resistive sensor.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Lindblad Julian

Classifications

• G09G2340/14

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

• G09F9/301

  flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G09G5/14

  Display of multiple viewports · CPC title

• Y02E10/549

  Organic PV cells · CPC title