DEVICE EQUIPPED WITH FLEXIBLE DISPLAY AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140218375A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Yongsin
• Granted Patent: US 9,589,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/501
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

A device enabling for a user to control a flexible display more convenient and precise and a controlling method therefor, are discussed. According to one embodiment disclosed for this, the device includes a flexible display, a length measuring unit configured to measure an expanded length of the flexible display expanded from the device, a speed measuring unit configured to measure a speed of which the flexible display expanded from the device and a processor configured to control the flexible display, the length measuring unit, and the speed measuring unit, wherein if the flexible display is expanded to a unit length, the processor displays an application execution screen corresponding to the unit length in the flexible display.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a flexible display;

a length measuring unit configured to measure a length of the flexible display expanded from the device;

a speed measuring unit configured to measure a speed at which the flexible display expands from the device; and

a processor configured to control the flexible display, the length measuring unit, and the speed measuring unit,

wherein if the flexible display expands to a plurality of a unit length, the processor displays a plurality of an application execution screen corresponding to the plurality of the unit length on the flexible display, and

wherein if the flexible display expands more than a first unit length, the processor controls a first application execution screen corresponding to the first unit length or controls a second application execution screen corresponding to a second unit length according to an expansion speed of the flexible display, and the second unit length being more than a length of the first unit length.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein if the flexible display stops expanding for more than a prescribed time in the first unit length, the processor displays the first application execution screen corresponding to the first unit length or wherein if the flexible display stops expanding for more than the prescribed time in the second unit length, the processor displays the second application execution screen corresponding to the second unit length.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein if the flexible display expands less than the first unit length, the processor displays the first application execution screen corresponding to the first unit length or the second application execution screen corresponding to the second unit length on the flexible display, according to a first expansion speed of the flexible display.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein if the first expansion speed is slower than a designated speed, the processor displays the first application execution screen on the flexible display and wherein if the first expansion speed is faster than the designated speed, the processor displays the second application execution screen on the flexible display.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein if the flexible display expands more than the first unit length and less than the second unit length, the processor controls the first application execution screen or the second application execution screen according to a second expansion speed of the flexible display.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein if the first application execution screen is displayed on the flexible display, the processor displays an enlarged first application execution screen on the flexible display when the second expansion speed is slower than a designated speed and the processor displays the second application execution screen on the flexible display when the second expansion speed is faster than the designated speed.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein if the flexible display expands more than the second unit length and less than a third unit length, the processor controls the first application execution screen, the second application execution screen or a third application execution screen corresponding to the third unit length according to a third expansion speed of the flexible display.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein if an enlarged first application execution screen is displayed on the flexible display, the processor displays the enlarged first application execution screen on the flexible display when the third expansion speed of the flexible display is slower than a designated speed and the processor displays the third application execution screen on the flexible display when the third expansion speed of the flexible display is faster than the designated speed.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein if the second application execution screen is displayed on the flexible display, the processor displays an enlarged second application execution screen on the flexible display when the third expansion speed is slower than a designated speed and the processor displays the third application execution screen on the flexible display when the third expansion speed is faster than the designated speed.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible display comprises a touch sensor capable of sensing a touch input.

11. A device, comprising:

a flexible display;

a length measuring unit configured to measure a length of the flexible display expanded from the device;

a speed measuring unit configured to measure a speed at which the flexible display is reduced to the device; and

a processor configured to control the flexible display, the length measuring unit, and the speed measuring unit,

wherein if the flexible display is reduced to a plurality of a unit length, the processor displays a plurality of an application execution screen corresponding to the plurality of the unit length on the flexible display and

wherein if the flexible display is reduced to less than a first unit length, the processor controls a first application execution screen corresponding to the first unit length or controls a second application execution screen corresponding to a second unit length according to a reduction speed of the flexible display, and the second unit length being less than the first unit length.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein if the flexible display stops reducing for more than a prescribed time in the first unit length, the processor displays the first application execution screen corresponding to the first unit length or wherein if the flexible display stops reducing for more than the prescribed time in the second unit length, the processor displays the second application execution screen corresponding to the second unit length.

13. A method of controlling a device containing a main display, a flexible display, and a housing unit for storing the flexible display, comprising the steps of:

expanding the flexible display from the device;

measuring a first expansion speed of the flexible display;

displaying an application execution screen on the flexible display according to the measured first expansion speed;

if the flexible display expands more than a first unit length, measuring a second expansion speed of flexible display and an expanded length of the flexible display; and

controlling a first application execution screen corresponding to the first unit length or a second application execution screen corresponding to a second unit length according to the measured second expansion speed and the expanded length.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling step further comprises, if the flexible display expands to the first unit length and stops expanding for more than a prescribed time, displaying the first application execution screen corresponding to the first unit length or if the flexible display stops expanding for more than the prescribed time in the second unit length, the processor displays the second application execution screen corresponding to the second unit length.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling step further comprises, if the flexible display expands less than the first unit length, displaying the first application execution screen corresponding to the first unit length or the second application execution screen corresponding to the second unit length according to the first expansion speed.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the controlling step further comprises, if the first expansion speed is slower than a designated speed, displaying the first application execution screen on the flexible display and, if the first expansion speed is faster than the designated speed, displaying the second application execution screen on the flexible display.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the controlling step further comprises, if the flexible display expands more than the first unit length and less than the second unit length, controlling the first application execution screen or the second application execution screen according to the second expansion speed of the flexible display.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the controlling step further comprises, if an enlarged first application execution screen is displayed on the flexible display, displaying the first application execution screen on the flexible display when the second expansion speed is slower than a designated speed and displaying the second application execution screen on the flexible when the second expansion speed is faster than the designated speed.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the controlling step further comprises, if the flexible display expands more than the second unit length and less than a third unit length, controlling the first application execution screen, the second application execution screen or a third application execution screen corresponding to the third unit length according to a third expansion speed of the flexible display.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the controlling step further comprises, if an enlarged first application execution screen is displayed on the flexible display, displaying the enlarged first application execution screen when the third expansion speed is slower than a designated speed and displaying the third application execution screen when the third expansion speed is faster than the designated speed.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the controlling step further comprises, if the second application execution screen is displayed on the flexible display, displaying an enlarged second application execution screen when the third expansion speed is slower than a designated speed and displaying the third application execution when the third expansion speed is faster than the designated speed.