Shape-changeable display device and method of driving the same

• US 9,633,413 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2015
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kim, Sang-Ho, Bae, Jongsung
• Primary Examiner(s): Lett, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/602,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20150221065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 345660
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2215/16 Using real world measurements to influence rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/035 for flexible display surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2092 Details of a display terminals using a flat panel, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a CRT G09G1/165

Abstract

A display device includes a display unit which displays an image in a bent state and including a plurality of display surfaces divided from each other by a bending position thereof, a bend-measuring unit including a sensor which measures a bending value of the display unit, a viewpoint-monitoring unit including a sensor which measures a viewing position of a viewer, where the viewing point-monitoring unit outputs position information based on the viewing position of the viewer, a control unit which compensates image data to be displayed on each of the display surfaces, based on the bending value and the position information, and a driving unit which drives the display unit using the compensated image data.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

a display unit which displays an image in a bent state and comprising a plurality of display surfaces divided from each other by a bending position thereof;

a bend-measuring unit comprising a sensor which measures a bending value of the display unit;

a viewpoint-monitoring unit comprising a sensor which measures a viewing position of a viewer, wherein the viewpoint-monitoring unit outputs position information based on the measured viewing position of the viewer;

a control unit which compensates image data to be displayed on each of the display surfaces, based on the bending value and a viewing angle; and

a driving unit which drives the display unit using the compensated image data,

wherein the control unit calculates the viewing angle between the viewing position of the viewer and a line normal to each of the display surfaces, based on the position information.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts scales of an image to be displayed on the display surfaces with substantially a same scaling condition, when viewing angles of the display surfaces are substantially the same as each other.

3. The display device of claim 1, further comprising:

a storing unit which stores a plurality of scaling weights.

4. The display device of claim 3, wherein the control unit selects a scaling weight for each of the display surfaces from the scaling weights of the storing unit based on the bending value of the display unit.

5. The display device of claim 3, wherein the bending value is determined based on a folding angle between two adjacent display surfaces of the display surfaces.

6. The display device of claim 5, wherein the control unit turns off the display unit, when the folding angle is smaller than a pre-set reference folding angle.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein the control unit applies different scaling conditions to the image data to be displayed on each of the display surfaces, when viewing angles to the display surfaces are different from each other.

8. The display device of claim 7, wherein

the control unit performs a scaling with respect to a first display surface of the display surfaces based on a first weight, and performs a scaling with respect to a second display surface of the display surfaces based on a second weight, which is smaller than the first scaling weight, when the viewing angle of the second display surface is smaller the viewing angle of the first display surface.

9. The display device of claim 8, further comprising:

a storing unit which stores the scaling conditions corresponding to the viewing angles.

10. The display device of claim 7, wherein the control unit turns off a display surface of the display surfaces, when the viewing angle of the display surface is greater than a pre-set reference viewing angle.

11. The display device of claim 7, wherein the bending value is determined based on a folding angle between two adjacent display surfaces of the display surfaces.

12. The display device of claim 11, wherein the control unit turns off the display unit, when the folding angle is smaller than a pre-set reference folding angle.

13. A method of driving a display device, the method comprising:

measuring a bending value of a display unit of the display device, wherein the display unit displays an image in a bent state and comprises a plurality of display surfaces divided from each other by a bending position thereof;

measuring a viewing position of a viewer to obtain position information based on the viewing position;

compensating image data to be displayed on each of the display surfaces, based on the bending value and a viewing angle; and

driving the display unit using the compensated image data,

wherein the compensating the image data comprises calculating the viewing angle between the viewing position and a line normal to each of the display surfaces, based on the position information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the compensating the image data further comprises:

examining whether viewing angles of the display surfaces are substantially the same as each other; and

adjusting scales of images to be displayed on the display surfaces,

wherein the adjusting the scales of the images is

performed using substantially a same scaling condition, when the viewing angles are substantially the same as each other, and

performed using different scaling conditions, when the viewing angles are different from each other.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein

the adjusting the scales of the images is performed to apply scaling weights to the display surfaces, respectively, and

the scaling weights are determined based on the bending value.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the bending value is determined based on a folding angle between two adjacent display surfaces of the display surfaces.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the driving the display unit comprises turning off the display unit, when the folding angle is smaller than a pre-set reference folding angle.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the driving the display unit comprises turning off a display surface of the display surfaces of the display unit, when the viewing angle of the display surface is greater than a pre-set reference viewing angle.