APPARATUS HAVING A FLEXIBLE DISPLAY AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20120329528A1
• Filed: 06/14/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: SONG, Hochan
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal; a flexible display; at least one sensor arranged in a prescribed form on the flexible display and configured to convert a flex state of the flexible display into an electric signal; and a controller configured to determine the flex state of the flexible display using the electric signal input from the at least one sensor, and control a visual effect corresponding to the determined flex state and output the visual effect on the flexible display.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal;

a flexible display;

at least one sensor arranged in a prescribed form on the flexible display and configured to convert a flex state of the flexible display into an electric signal; and

a controller configured to;

determine the flex state of the flexible display using the electric signal input from the at least one sensor, and

control a visual effect corresponding to the determined flex state and output the visual effect on the flexible display.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the flex state comprises a flexed position and a flexed extent of the flexible display.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the visual effect includes one or more of a graph, a diagram, a numeral and a color that changes in accordance with the determined flex state.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display the visual effect on an indicator region of the flexible display.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display the visual effect as a popup window on a prescribed region of the flexible display.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein if the determined flex state exceeds a preset value, the controller is further configure to display the popup window.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured display the popup window each time the determined flex state is changed.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein after the popup window has been displayed, and a determined duration expires or the determined flex state becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the controller is further configured to stop displaying the popup window.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine an available region in the flexible display using the determined flex state and then determine an optimal display layout in accordance with a size and shape of the available region.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the available region includes a first region flexed to exceed a preset reference in the flexible display and a region except a second region blocked by the first region in the flexible display.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to display at least one application suitable for the determined optimal display layout in a popup window on the flexible display.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to apply the determined optimal display layout to a currently active application.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

an audio output unit configured to output a sound effect,

wherein the controller is further configured to vary the sound effect in accordance with the determined flex state and to output the varied sound effect using the audio output unit.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a haptic module configured to generate vibration,

wherein the controller is further configured to vary the vibration in accordance with the determined flex state and to output the varied vibration using the haptic module.

15. A method of controlling mobile terminal, the method comprising:

allowing, via a wireless communication unit of the mobile terminal, wireless communication with at least one other terminal;

determining, via at least one sensor arranged in a prescribed form on the flexible display, a flex state of the flexible display using an electric signal input from the at least one sensor, and

controlling, via a controller of the mobile terminal, a visual effect corresponding to the determined flex state; and

outputting, via the controller, the visual effect on the flexible display.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the visual effect includes one or more of a graph, a diagram, a numeral and a color that changes in accordance with the determined flex state.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the visual effect is displayed on an indicator region of the flexible display or as a popup window on a prescribed region of the flexible display.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining, via the controller, an available region in the flexible display using the determined flex state; and

determining, via the controller, an optimal display layout in accordance with a size and shape of the available region,

wherein the available region includes a first region flexed to exceed a preset reference in the flexible display and a region except a second region blocked by the first region in the flexible display.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

displaying at least one application suitable for the determined optimal display layout in a popup window on the flexible display.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

outputting, via an audio output unit of the mobile terminal, a sound effect that is varied in accordance with the determined flex state and/or outputting, via a haptic module of the mobile terminal, a vibration in accordance with the determined flex state.