Display device

• US 8,581,859 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Okumura, Yasushi, Yoneda, Naofumi, Morisawa, Rui, Nakamura, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANK, EMILY J
• Application Number:
  US12/617,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20100164888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• 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 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 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/026 Video wall, i.e. juxtaposition of a plurality of screens to create a display screen of bigger dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/045 Zooming at least part of an image, i.e. enlarging it or shrinking it
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 : User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 : Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 : Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 : by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4728 : for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

There is provided a device with a part or a whole of a housing thereof having flexibility. The device includes a display unit; a detection unit that detects a bent portion of the display device; and a display switching unit that switches display content of the display unit according to a position and a bent level of the bent portion of the display device detected by the detection unit.

Claims

1. A display device with a part or a whole of a housing thereof having flexibility, comprising:

a display unit;

a touch sensor overlaid on, or formed integrally with, a surface of the display unit and configured to detect a touch input by a user;

a detection unit that detects a bent portion of the display device;

a determination unit that determines whether or not an end portion of the display device is bent based on a result of the detection by the detection unit; and

a display switching unit that controls switching a portion of the display content of the display unit according to a position and a bent level of the bent portion of the display device detected by the detection unit when the determination determines that the end portion of the display device is bent, wherein

the display switching unit;

compares the bent level to a predetermined threshold value;

controls the display to switch to displaying a menu when the bent level exceeds the predetermined threshold value;

detects, based on an output of the touch sensor, whether a touch input is received at the displayed menu with the end portion of the display device locally bent;

controls execution of making selection from the menu when the detection indicates that the touch input is received with the end portion of the display device locally bent; and

controls addition of a bookmark when the bent level exceeds the predetermined threshold value, the menu is displayed, and the detection indicates that no touch input has been input by the user.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein

the determination unit determines whether or not an entire portion of the display device is bent, based on a result of the detection by the detection unit, and

the display switching unit controls switching an entire portion of the display content of the display unit when the determination unit determines that the entire portion of the display device is bent.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein

control of switching the entire portion of the display content of the display unit includes zoom-in control or zoom-out control of the display content.

4. The display device according to claim 3, wherein

the display switching unit controls switching the display content and performing the zoom-in control of the display content when the determination unit determines that the entire portion of the display device has been bent to be concave.

5. The display device according to claim 3, wherein

the display switching unit controls switching the display content and performing zoom-out control of the display content when the determination unit determines that the entire portion of the display device has been bent to be convex.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein

control of switching the portion of the display content of the display unit includes display of at least one line visually indicating a bent state of the end portion of the display device.

7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein

the display switching unit controls switching the portion of the display content to execute the control of displaying the menu on the portion of the display content when the determination unit determines that the end portion of the display device has been locally bent.

8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein

the display switching unit executes the control of adding the information on the display content when the determination unit determines that a corner part of the end portion of the display device has been locally bent.

9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein

the determination unit determines whether an entire portion or an end portion of the display device is bent, according to the position and a bent amount of the bent portion.

10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein

the determination unit determines that an entire portion of the display device is bent when the bent portion is a central portion of the display device.

11. The display device according to claim 10, wherein

the determination unit determines that the entire portion of the display device is bent when a bent amount of the bent portion is larger than a first threshold value.

12. The display device according to claim 1, wherein

the determination unit determines that the end portion of the display device is bent when the bent portion is an outer periphery portion of the display device.

13. The display device according to claim 12, wherein

the determination unit determines that the end portion of the display device is bent when a bent amount of the bent portion is larger than a second threshold value.

14. The display device according to claim 1, wherein

the display switching unit:

compares the bent level to a predetermined threshold value;

detects, based on an output of the touch sensor, whether a sliding touch input is received from the user when it is determined that the bent level exceeds the predetermined threshold value;

controls the display to update when it is determined that the bent level exceeds the predetermined threshold value and that no touch input is received from the user; and

controls the display to switch between consecutive pages of displayed content when it is determined that the bent level exceeds the predetermined threshold value and that the sliding touch input was received from the user.

15. The display device according to claim 1, wherein

the detection unit that detects whether the display device has been pinched by determining that a first bent value corresponding to a first side of the display device exceeds a predetermined threshold value and that a second bent value corresponding to a second side of the display device that opposes the first side exceeds the predetermined threshold value.

16. The display device according to claim 15, wherein

upon determining that the display device has been pinched, the display switching unit:

determines, based on an output of the touch sensor, whether a sliding touch input was received at both the first and second side of the display device; and

controls the display unit to scroll content in a direction corresponding to the sliding touch input when it is determined that the display device has been pinched and the sliding touch input was received at both the first and second sides of the display device.

17. The display device according to claim 15, wherein

upon determining that the display device has been pinched, the display switching unit:

determines, based on an output of the touch sensor, whether a sliding touch input was received at both the first and second side of the display device; and

controls the selection of a content item displayed in an area corresponding to the first and second sides where the display device has been pinched when it is determined that the sliding touch input was not received at both the first and second side of the display device.

18. A display device with a part or a whole of a housing thereof having flexibility, the display device capable of being opened and closed, the display device comprising:

a display unit;

a touch sensor overlaid on, or formed integrally with, a surface of the display unit and configured to detect a touch input by a user;

a detection unit that detects a bent portion of the display device;

a determination unit that determines whether an entire portion of the display device is bent or an end portion of the display device is locally bent, according to a position and a bent level of the bent portion of the display device detected by the detection unit; and

a display switching unit that controls switching a display screen mode of the display unit as display of an electronic device implemented by the display device, based on a result of the determination by the determination unit, wherein

control of switching the display screen mode includes;

comparing the bent level to a predetermined threshold value;

controlling the display to switch to displaying a menu when the bent level exceeds the predetermined threshold value;

detecting, based on an output of the touch sensor, whether a touch input is received at the displayed menu with the end portion of the display device locally bent;

controlling execution of making selection from the menu when the detection indicates that the touch input is received with the end portion of the display device locally bent; and

controlling addition of a bookmark when the bent level exceeds the predetermined threshold value, the menu is displayed, and the detection indicates that no touch input has been input by the user.