Flexible display device and method of controlling same

• US 10,001,809 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2013
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Seo, Joon-kyu, Kang, Kyung-a, Kim, Hyun-jin, Kumar, Nipun, Lee, Chang-soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bibbins, Latanya
• Application Number:
  US14/423,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20150220119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,762 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/005 Signs associated with a sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/301 flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/37 Details of the operation on graphic patterns G09G5/38 takes precedence

Abstract

A flexible display device including: a flexible display; a first sensor configured to sense an exposed area of the display which is exposed in a rolled state of the display; a second sensor configured to sense a user grip area within the exposed area, the user grip area corresponding to a user grip; and a controller configured to, in response to the exposed area and the user grip area being sensed, control the display to display a screen on the exposed area excluding the user grip area.

Claims

1. A flexible display device comprising:

a flexible display;

a first sensor configured to sense an exposed area of the display which is exposed in a rolled state of the display;

a second sensor configured to sense a user grip area within the exposed area, the user grip area corresponding to a user grip; and

a controller configured to, in response to the exposed area and the user grip area being sensed, control the display to display a screen on the exposed area excluding the user grip area,

wherein the display comprises a double-sided display comprising a first display surface and a second display surface facing opposite sides, and

wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to the display being rolled so that the first display surface comprises the exposed area and then the rolled state being released, control the display to display the screen displayed on the exposed area on a newly exposed area of the second display surface exposed by the release.

2. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to change a screen displayed on the exposed area so that an object displayed on the user grip area is moved to an area of the exposed area other than the user grip area.

3. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display an animation effect of moving the object from the user grip area to the other area of the exposed area.

4. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to the rolled state of the display being released, control the display to display the screen displayed on the exposed area on a newly exposed area of the display exposed by the release.

5. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to the display being partially rolled in a direction of an inner surface of the display, control the display to display the screen corresponding to a size and a shape of a remaining area of the display excluding an area which is bent by the partial rolling.

6. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to the display being partially rolled in a direction of an outer surface, control the display to display the screen corresponding to a size and a shape of a remaining area of the display excluding an area of a screen of the display which is in contact with an inner surface of the display.

7. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, when the display is in the rolled state, determine a size and a location of the exposed area based on a sensing result of the first sensor.

8. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, when the display is in the rolled state, calculate a cross section radius of the display based on the sensing result of the first sensor, and determine the exposed area based on the calculated cross section radius.

9. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second sensor comprises a pressure sensor configured to sense pressure applied to the display, and

the controller is further configured to, in response to the pressure being greater than a predetermined level and being sensed for a predetermined time while the flexible display device is in the rolled state, determine that an area where the pressure was sensed is the user grip area.

10. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transceiver configured to receive a text message,

wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display the received text message overlapping the displayed screen.

11. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a camera configured to capture an image of a user,

wherein the controller is further configured to determine a portion of the exposed area viewed by the user based on the captured image, and to control the display to display the screen on the viewed portion of the exposed area.

12. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to a starting point and a destination being entered while the display is in a flat state and the display being rolled into the rolled state, control the display to display route information on the exposed area.

13. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to a starting point and a destination being entered while the display is in a flat state and the display being rolled into the rolled state, control the display to display a plurality of recommended routes on the exposed area.

14. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to the flexible display device being pointed towards one or more points of interest while the display is in the rolled state, control the display to display list of the plurality of points of interest on the exposed area.

15. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second sensor comprises a touch sensor configured to sense a touched area on the display, and

wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to the touched area being larger than a predetermined size and being sensed for a predetermined time while the flexible display device is in the rolled state, determine that the touched area is the user grip area.

16. The flexible display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, when the flexible display device is in the rolled state, control the display to display an object across a boundary portion between an edge area of the display and an area of the exposed area which coincides with the edge area.

17. A method of controlling a flexible display device with a display, the method comprising:

a first sensing which comprises sensing an exposed area of the display that is exposed while the display is in a rolled state;

a second sensing which comprises sensing a user grip area within the exposed area, the user grip area corresponding to a user grip; and

reconstructing and displaying, in response to the exposed area and the user grip area being sensed, a screen on the exposed area excluding the user grip area,

wherein the display comprises a double-sided display comprising a first display surface and a second display surface facing opposite sides, and

wherein the method further comprises displaying the screen displayed on the exposed area on a newly exposed area of the second display surface exposed by the release, in response to the display being rolled so that the first display surface comprises the exposed area and then the rolled state being released.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the displaying comprises changing a screen displayed on the exposed area so that an object displayed on the user grip area is moved to an area of the exposed area other than the user grip area.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the displaying comprises displaying an animation effect of the object moving from the user grip area to the area of the exposed area excluding the user grip area.