Display device and method for controlling display image

• US 9,299,314 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2012
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Hyun-Jae, Rhee, Jung-Soo, Ko, Kyung-Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Okebato, Sahlu
• Application Number:
  US13/829,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20140118271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.3, 345/3.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A flexible display device and a method for controlling a display image are disclosed. In one aspect, the flexible display device includes a first display which has a flat shape and a second display which is disposed on either side of the first display and has a curved surface bent at a boundary between the first and second displays. The display further includes a controller which controls a screen of at least one of the first and second displays according to a user touch and/or a battery capacity.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a first display having a substantially flat shape, wherein the first display comprises two opposing sides;

a second display disposed on at least one of the two sides of the first display and having a curved surface bent at a boundary between the first and second displays; and

a controller configured to control a screen of at least one of the first and second displays based on a user touch of the display device,

wherein the controller is configured to detect a touch characteristic according to the combination of touch inputs of the first and second displays, wherein the controller is configured to generate an event corresponding to the touch characteristic and provide feedback to the user, if the touch inputs comprise a drag of the second display having the curved surface, and

wherein if the touch characteristic is the drag of the second display in a text input mode, the controller is further configured to output a character search UI to the first display and rotate vowels through the character search UI according to an up and down of the second display and rotate consonants through the character search UI according to a left and right drag of the second display.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the feedback comprises at least one of a vibration and a sound.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the screen of the at least one display of the first and second displays to be turned on or off by reducing or stopping a supply of power to at least one of the first and second displays according to remaining battery capacity.

4. The display device of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to estimate remaining battery lifetime based at least partially on remaining battery capacity and wherein, if the remaining battery lifetime is shorter than or substantially equal to a reference time, the controller is further configured to change a mode to a power control driving mode which is to turn off at least part of the screen of the at least one display.

5. The display device of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to calculate the remaining battery lifetime based at least partially on current consumption and temperature of the battery.

6. The display device of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to measure battery voltage and, wherein, if the measured voltage is lower than or substantially equal to a reference voltage, the controller is further configured to change a mode to a power control driving mode which is to turn off at least part of the screen of the at least one display.

19. The display device of claim 1, further comprising a housing supporting the first and second displays, wherein the housing comprises an upper case contacting the first and second displays and a lower case facing the upper case, and wherein a non-display portion surrounds the second display and the non-display portion is inwardly bent from the second display such that the second display and the bent portion at least partially surround the upper case.

7. A method for controlling a display image of a display device, the method comprising:

providing a display device that comprises

     1) a first display having a substantially flat shape, wherein the first display comprises two opposing sides and

     2) a second display disposed on at least one of the two sides of the first display and having a curved surface bent at a boundary between the first and second displays; and

controlling a screen of at least one of the first and second displays based on a user touch of the display device,

wherein the controlling comprises;

receiving touch inputs of the first and second displays;

detecting a touch characteristic according to the combination of the touch inputs; and

generating an event corresponding to the touch characteristic and providing feedback to the user, if the touch inputs comprise a drag of the second display having the curved surface, and

wherein the generating comprises;

if the touch characteristic is the drag of the second display in a text input mode, outputting a character search UI to the first display and rotating vowels through the character search UI according to an up and down of the second display and rotating consonants through the character search UI according to a left and right drag of the second display.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the generating comprises:

if the touch characteristic is a drag of the first display in an image selecting mode, scrolling an image according to the drag of the first display; and

if the touch characteristic is detected as a drag of the second display subsequent to the drag of the first display, zooming in or out the scrolled image according to the drag of the second display.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the generating comprises:

if the touch characteristic is the drag of the second display in a text input mode, scrolling and outputting a character search UI to the first display and rotating vowels or consonants through the character search UI according to an up and down or left and right drag of the second display.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the controlling further comprises:

estimating remaining battery lifetime based at least partially on remaining battery capacity; and

if the remaining lifetime is shorter than or substantially equal to a reference time, changing a mode to a power control driving mode which is to turn off at least part of the screen of the at least one display of the first and second displays by reducing or stopping a supply of power to at least one of the first and second displays.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the estimating comprises:

estimating battery lifetime based on current consumption and battery temperature.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the controlling comprises:

measuring battery voltage; and

if the measured battery voltage is lower than or substantially equal to a reference voltage, changing a mode to a power control driving mode which is to turn off at least part of the screen of the at least one display of the first and second displays by reducing or stopping a supply of power to at least one of the first and second displays.

13. A display device comprising:

a first display having a substantially flat shape, wherein the first display comprises two opposing sides;

a second display disposed on at least one of the two sides of the first display and having a curved surface bent at a boundary between the first and second displays, wherein a non-display portion surrounds the second display;

a controller configured to control a screen of at least one of the first and second displays based at least partially on a user touch and/or a battery capacity of the display device; and

a housing supporting the first and second displays, wherein the housing comprises an upper case contacting the first and second displays and a lower case facing the upper case, and wherein the non-display portion is inwardly bent from the second display such that the second display and the bent portion at least partially surround the upper case,

wherein the controller is configured to detect a touch characteristic according to the combination of touch inputs of the first and second displays, wherein the controller is configured to generate an event corresponding to the touch characteristic and provide feedback to the user, if the touch inputs comprise a drag of the second display having the curved surface, and

wherein if the touch characteristic is the drag of the second display in a text input mode, the controller is further configured to output a character search UI to the first display and rotate vowels or consonants through the character search UI according to an up and down or left and right drag of the second display.

14. The display device of claim 13, wherein the non-display portion is not visible.

15. The display device of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to control the screen of at least one display of the first and second displays to be turned on or off by reducing or stopping a supply of power to at least one of the first and second displays according to remaining battery capacity.

16. The display device of claim 13, wherein if the touch characteristic is consecutive drags of the first and second displays in an image selecting mode, the controller is further configured to zoom in or out an image, which is scrolled according to the drag of the first display, according to the drag of the second display.

17. The display device of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to estimate remaining battery lifetime based at least partially on remaining battery capacity and wherein, if the remaining battery lifetime is shorter than or substantially equal to a reference time, the controller is further configured to change a mode to a power control driving mode which is to turn off at least part of the screen of the at least one display.

18. The display device of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to measure battery voltage and, wherein, if the measured voltage is lower than or substantially equal to a reference voltage, the controller is further configured to change a mode to a power control driving mode which is to turn off at least part of the screen of the at least one display.

20. The display device of claim 17, wherein an opening is formed only between edges of the upper and lower cases, and wherein the non-display portion is formed only in and adjacent to the opening.