Foldable display

• US 9,891,670 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2015
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2015
• 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, Hoonsik, Kim, Young Do, Choi, Suk
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US14/970,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20160246330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• 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 1/1675 Miscellaneous details related to the relative movement between the different enclosures or enclosure parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675

Abstract

A foldable display is disclosed. In one aspect, the foldable display includes a foldable display panel and a folding adjustment part configured to adjust a folding configuration of the foldable display panel. The foldable display also includes a folding sensor configured to sense the folding configuration, a rear surface touch sensor configured to sense a touch input applied to a rear surface of the foldable display panel, and a controller. The controller is configured to detect first and second touch inputs applied to different portions of the rear surface and control the folding adjustment part so as to switch the folding configuration of the foldable display panel when the controller detects that the first touch input moves in a first direction and the second touch input moves in a second direction different from the first direction.

Claims

1. A foldable display, comprising:

a foldable display panel;

a motor configured to adjust a folding configuration of the foldable display panel, wherein the folding configuration comprises a first configuration in which the foldable display panel is folded along a folding axis and a second configuration in which the foldable display panel is unfolded;

a folding sensor configured to sense the folding configuration of the foldable display panel;

a rear surface touch sensor configured to sense a touch input applied to a rear surface of the foldable display panel, wherein the rear surface is divided along the folding axis into first and second rear surface regions; and

a controller configured to control the foldable display panel, the motor, the folding sensor, and the rear surface touch sensor,

wherein the controller is further configured to;

detect a first touch input applied to the first rear surface region and a second touch input applied to the second rear surface region via signals received from the rear surface touch sensor; and

control the motor so as to switch the folding configuration of the foldable display panel when the controller detects that the first touch input moves in a first direction and the second touch input moves in a second direction different from the first direction, wherein the first direction is along a plane parallel to the first rear region and the second direction is along a plane parallel to the second rear region.

2. The foldable display of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the folding adjustment part to switch the foldable display panel from the first configuration to the second configuration or from the second configuration to the first configuration when the controller detects that the first touch input moves in the first direction and the second touch input moves in the second direction.

3. The foldable display of claim 2, wherein the first configuration is a configuration in which the foldable display panel is folded along the folding axis such that the foldable display panel is closed, and wherein the second configuration is a configuration in which the foldable display panel is unfolded such that the foldable display panel is open.

4. The foldable display of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to detect i) a first distance which is a moving distance of the first touch input in the first direction and ii) a second distance which is a moving distance of the second touch input in the second direction via the signals received from the rear surface touch sensor, and wherein the controller is further configured to control the motor so as to switch the folding configuration of the foldable display panel based on the detected first and second distances.

5. The foldable display of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to control the motor so as to switch the folding configuration of the foldable display panel when the controller detects that the first distance is greater than a first threshold distance and the second distance is greater than a second threshold distance.

6. The foldable display of claim 5, wherein the first and second threshold distances are substantially the same.

7. The foldable display of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a switching amount of the folding configuration of the foldable display panel based on the detected first and second distances.

8. The foldable display of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to:

i) determine a folding angle or an unfolding angle of the foldable display panel based on the detected first and second distances, and ii) control the motor so as to switch the folding configuration of the foldable display panel by the determined folding or unfolding angle.

9. The foldable display of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

detect i) a first speed which is a moving speed of the first touch input in the first direction and ii) a second speed which is a moving speed of the second touch input in the second direction via the signals received from the rear surface touch sensor; and

control the motor so as to switch the folding configuration of the foldable display panel based on the detected first and second speeds.

10. The foldable display of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to control the motor so as to switch the folding configuration of the foldable display panel when the first speed is greater than a first threshold speed and the second speed is greater than a second threshold speed.

11. The foldable display of claim 10, wherein the first and second threshold speeds are substantially the same.

12. The foldable display of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a switching amount of the folding configuration of the foldable display panel based on the detected first and second distances.

13. The foldable display of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to:

i) determine a folding angle or an unfolding angle of the foldable display panel based on the detected first and second distances, and ii) control the motor so as to switch the folding configuration of the foldable display panel by the determined folding or unfolding angle.

14. The foldable display of claim 1, wherein the first and second directions are substantially opposite to each other.

15. The foldable display of claim 1, further comprising a shape-memory film formed over the foldable display panel and formed of shape-memory alloy or shape-memory polymer.

16. A method of controlling a foldable display, the method comprising:

detecting first and second touch inputs applied to a rear surface of the foldable display, wherein the foldable display is configured to be folded along a folding axis, wherein the rear surface is divided into first and second rear surface regions with respect to the folding axis, wherein the first touch input is a touch input applied to the first rear surface region, and wherein the second touch input is a touch input applied to the second rear surface region;

detecting whether the first touch input moves in a first direction and the second touch input moves in a second direction different from the first direction, wherein the first direction is along a plane parallel to the first rear region and the second direction is along a plane parallel to the second rear region; and

switching a folding configuration of the foldable display,

wherein the folding configuration comprises a first configuration in which the foldable display is folded along the folding axis and a second configuration in which the foldable display is unfolded.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the switching of the folding configuration comprises switching the foldable display from the first configuration to the second configuration or from the second configuration to the first configuration.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising,

detecting a first distance which is a moving distance of the first touch input in the first direction, and a second distance which is a moving distance of the second touch input in the second direction;

and

switching the folding configuration of the foldable display based on the detected first and second distances.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

detecting a first speed which is a moving speed of the first touch input in the first direction, and a second speed which is a moving speed of the second touch input in the second direction; and

switching the folding configuration of the foldable display based on the detected first and second speeds.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second directions are substantially opposite to each other.