Electronic device and method for controlling the same

• US 9,836,090 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Lenovo Software Ltd (Lenovo Group Ltd.), Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Beijing Lenovo Software Ltd (Lenovo Group Ltd.), Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chen, Chen
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Adrian S
• Application Number:
  US14/974,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20170083053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an electronic device and a method for controlling the electronic device, capable of solving the problem that the screen of the electronic device is fragile in use. The electronic device comprises a display unit having an electro-deformable layer provided on its surface. The method comprises: detecting a state parameter of the electronic device; determining whether the electronic device is in a predetermined state based on the state parameter; and applying, upon determining that the electronic device is in the predetermined state, a predetermined current to the electro-deformable layer, such that a strength of the electro-deformable layer is increased from a first, default strength to a second strength.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display unit having an electro-deformable layer provided on its surface, the electro-deformable layer comprising electrostrictive material that has high dielectric constant and diffusive phase transformation;

a detection unit configured to detect a state parameter of the electronic device;

a power supply unit configured to supply current; and

a processing unit electrically connected with the display unit, the detection unit and the power supply unit, respectively, and configured to determine whether the electronic device is in a predetermined state based on the state parameter and, upon determining that the electronic device is in the predetermined state, instruct the power supply unit to apply a predetermined current to the electro-deformable layer, such that a strength of the electro-deformable layer is increased from a first, default strength to a second strength.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the state parameter is a pressure parameter,

the detection unit comprises a first detection module configured to detect the pressure parameter on the surface of the display unit;

and

the processing unit is configured to determine whether the electronic device is in the predetermined state based on the state parameter by;

determining that the electronic device is in the predetermined state when the pressure parameter is larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the state parameter is an orientation parameter,

the detection unit comprises a second detection module configured to detect the orientation parameter of the electronic device;

and

the processing unit is configured to determine whether the electronic device is in the predetermined state based on the state parameter by;

determining that the electronic device is in the predetermined state when the orientation parameter indicates that the display unit faces ground.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the state parameter is a motion parameter,

the detection unit comprises a third detection module configured to detect the motion parameter of the electronic device;

and

the processing unit is configured to determine whether the electronic device is in the predetermined state based on the state parameter by;

determining that the electronic device is in the predetermined state when the motion parameter is larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

obtain a predetermined instruction and;

in response to the predetermined instruction;

instruct the power supply unit to apply a predetermined alternating current to the electro-deformable layer, such that a deformation of the electro-deformable layer in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the display unit changes periodically.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the processing unit is configured to obtain the predetermined instruction by generating and obtaining the predetermined instruction upon detecting that the display unit has switched from a non-operating state to an operating state.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display unit is an e-paper display screen.

8. A method for controlling an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a display unit having an electro-deformable layer provided on its surface, the electro-deformable layer comprising electrostrictive material that has high dielectric constant and diffusive phase transformation, the method comprising:

detecting a state parameter of the electronic device;

determining whether the electronic device is in a predetermined state based on the state parameter; and

applying, upon determining that the electronic device is in the predetermined state, a predetermined current to the electro-deformable layer, such that a strength of the electro-deformable layer is increased from a first, default strength to a second strength.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the state parameter is a pressure parameter on the surface of the display unit, and

said determining whether the electronic device is in the predetermined state based on the state parameter comprises:

determining that the electronic device is in the predetermined state when the pressure parameter is larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the state parameter is an orientation parameter of the electronic device, and

said determining whether the electronic device is in the predetermined state based on the state parameter comprises:

determining that the electronic device is in the predetermined state when the orientation parameter indicates that the display unit faces ground.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the state parameter is a motion parameter of the electronic device, and

said determining whether the electronic device is in the predetermined state based on the state parameter comprises:

determining that the electronic device is in the predetermined state when the motion parameter is larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

obtaining a predetermined instruction; and

applying, in response to the predetermined instruction, a predetermined alternating current to the electro-deformable layer, such that a deformation of the electro-deformable layer in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the display unit changes periodically.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said obtaining the predetermined instruction comprises:

generating and obtaining the predetermined instruction upon detecting that the display unit has switched from a non-operating state to an operating state.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the display unit is an e-paper display screen.