Flexible display device

• US 10,152,087 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2016
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jung, Chansung
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo, Thuy
• Application Number:
  US15/141,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20170123460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 345173, 345156, 345207, 345609, 345105, 345420, 715769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• 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 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A flexible display device including a display panel including a first space area and a second space area; a touch panel disposed on the display panel to sense a touch signal; a first sensor disposed on the touch panel in the first space area and configured to sense a first coordinate signal for the first space area; a second sensor disposed on the touch panel in the second space area and configured to sense a second coordinate signal for the second space area; and a driving control unit configured to calculate a folding angle between the first space area and the second space area based on the first and second coordinate signals and calculate a coordinate of a touch point based on the touch signal.

Claims

1. A flexible display device comprising:

a display panel comprising a first space area and a second space area;

a touch panel disposed on the display panel and configured to sense a touch signal;

a first sensor disposed on the touch panel in the first space area and configured to sense a first coordinate signal for the first space area;

a second sensor disposed on the touch panel in the second space area and configured to sense a second coordinate signal for the second space area; and

a driving control unit configured to calculate a folding angle value between the first space area and the second space area based on the first and second coordinate signals and calculate a coordinate of a touch point based on the touch signal,

wherein the driving control unit comprises;

a touch coordinate calculator configured to calculate the coordinate of the touch point based on the touch signal; and

a folding angle calculator configured to receive the first coordinate signal and the second coordinate signal and calculate the folding angle value.

2. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the driving control unit further comprises a signal converter configured to generate touch coordinate data that corresponds to the coordinate of the touch point, and folding data that corresponds to the folding angle value.

3. The flexible display device of claim 2, further comprising a signal control unit configured to output a plurality of image signals,

wherein the signal control unit is configured to output the image signals based on the folding data and the touch coordinate data.

4. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first sensors and a plurality of the second sensors are disposed on the touch panel.

5. The flexible display device of claim 4, wherein the folding angle calculator is configured to calculate the folding angle value based on a plurality of coordinate signals that are sensed from the plurality of first sensors and the plurality of second sensors.

6. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises at least one insulating layer, a touch electrode, and a signal line connected to the touch electrode.

7. The flexible display device of claim 6, wherein:

the touch panel further comprises a first sensor signal line that is connected to the first sensor, and a second sensor signal line that is connected to the second sensor; and

the sensor signal lines are disposed on a same layer as the signal line.

8. The flexible display device of claim 7, wherein:

the touch electrode comprises a first electrode and a second electrode that are insulated from each other; and

the signal line comprises a first signal line connected to the first electrode and a second signal line connected to the second electrode.

9. The flexible display device of claim 8, wherein the touch panel further comprises:

a touch substrate configured to provide a base plane;

a first insulating layer covering the first electrode and the first signal line that are disposed on the base plane; and

a second insulating layer disposed on the first insulating layer and covering the second electrode and the second signal line.

10. The flexible display device of claim 9, wherein the first sensor comprises:

an acceleration sensor comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and a motion electrode disposed between the first and second electrodes; and

a signal terminal connected to the motion electrode,

wherein the signal terminal is electrically connected to the first sensor signal line through a through-hole in the second insulating layer.

11. The flexible display device of claim 10, wherein the first coordinate signal is generated according to a difference between a first capacitance between the first electrode and the motion electrode and a second capacitance between the second electrode and the motion electrode.

12. The flexible display device of claim 9, wherein the first sensor signal line and the second sensor signal line are disposed on any one of the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer.

13. The flexible display device of claim 8, wherein the touch panel further comprises:

a touch substrate configured to provide a base plane;

a first insulating layer covering the first electrode and the first signal line that are disposed on the base plane; and

a second insulating layer disposed on the first insulating layer and covering the first signal line and the second signal line.

14. The flexible display device of claim 13, wherein:

the first sensor comprises;

an acceleration sensor comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and a motion electrode disposed between the first and second electrodes; and

a signal terminal connected to the motion electrode; and

the signal terminal is electrically connected to the first sensor signal line through a through-hole in the second insulating layer.

15. The flexible display device of claim 13, wherein the first sensor signal line and the second sensor signal line are disposed on any one of the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer.

16. The flexible display device of claim 1, further comprising a window member disposed on the touch panel.