Flexible display device and method for the same capable of reducing accidental contact-induced malfunctions

• US 9,372,508 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2010
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Tzu-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Gerald
• Assistant Examiner(s): MICHAUD, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US12/897,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20120019482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,087 Days
• Field of Search: 345/175, 345/173, 345/174, 455/566, 356/28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable

Abstract

A flexible display device includes a base, a flexible display panel, a detecting unit and a control unit. The flexible display includes a touch control unit that could be exposed outside of or received within the base. The detecting unit is used to detect the operating state of the flexible display panel. Then, the control unit controls the touch control unit according to a detected result of the detecting unit. Accordingly, the flexible display device according to the present invention may effectively reduce the accidental contact-induced malfunctions.

Claims

1. A flexible display device, comprising:

a base;

a flexible display panel coupled to the base and having a touch control unit, wherein the touch control unit is located on a display area of the flexible display panel;

a detecting unit, for detecting an operating state of the flexible display panel, wherein the operating state comprises a concealing mode and an exposing mode; and

a control unit, disposed inside the base and electrically coupled to the detecting unit, wherein the detecting unit outputs a detected signal indicative of a detected result to the control unit, and the control unit is configured to determine whether to activate or turn off operation functions of the touch control unit according to the detected signal to minimize accidental contact-induced malfunctions, wherein when the operation functions of the touch control unit is turned off, display information of the flexible display panel is recorded, and the operation functions of the touch control unit are activated or turned off in accordance with the operating state of the flexible display panel,

wherein as the detecting unit detects that the flexible display panel is in the concealing mode, the control unit turns off the operation functions of the touch control unit.

2. The flexible display device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit includes a photo-emitter and a photo-detector, wherein the photo-detector senses a light emitting signal outputted from the photo-emitter, the control unit turns off the operation functions of the touch control unit.

3. The flexible display device according to claim 2, wherein the photo-emitter and the photo-detector are disposed on the flexible display panel and the photo-detector is positioned in accordance with a position of the photo-emitter when the photo-emitter so that the photo-detector receives the light emitting signal outputted from the photo-emitter when the flexible display panel is in an exposing mode.

4. The flexible display device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit is a touch-sensitive switch and the touch-sensitive switch is positioned to be contactable with the flexible display panel as the flexible display panel is in the concealing mode.

5. The flexible display device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit includes a photo-detector and an optical grating, wherein the optical grating is configured to rotate simultaneously along with a scrolling unit of the flexible display panel and the photo-detector is configured to identify a rotating direction and a number of rotations of the optical grating so as to determine whether the flexible display panel is pulled outside of the base or received into the base.

6. The flexible display device according to claim 1, wherein as the detecting unit senses that the flexible display panel is in the exposing mode, the control unit activates the operation functions of the touch control unit.

7. An method for a flexible display device to minimize accidental contact-induced malfunctions, the flexible display device including a base and a flexible display panel, with a touch control unit, the method comprising:

detecting an operating state of the flexible display panel to output a detected signal indicative of a detected result, wherein the operating state comprises a concealing mode and an exposing mode;

determining whether to activate or turn off operation functions of the touch control unit according to the detected signal to minimize accidental contact-induced malfunctions, wherein the operation functions of the touch control unit are activated or turned off in accordance with the operating state of the flexible display panel, and the touch control unit is located on a display area of the flexible display panel;

when the operation functions of the touch control unit is turned off, recording display information of the flexible display panel; and

as the detected result indicates the flexible display panel is received inside the base and is in the concealing mode, turning off the operation function of the touch control unit.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising when the detected result indicates the flexible display panel is outside of the base and is in the exposing mode activating the operation function of the touch control unit.