Stretchable display and method of controlling the same

• US 9,367,894 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2013
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kwon, Dae-Heon, Choi, Jae-Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Peter
• Application Number:
  US13/912,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20140218408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 345/660
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A method of controlling a stretchable display including a stretchable substrate, stretchable in at least one direction, and a display unit that is on the stretchable substrate and displays an image, the method including obtaining stretch information of the stretchable substrate using at least two acceleration sensors provided on edges of the stretchable substrate, predicting a shape change of the display unit on the basis of the stretch information, and controlling the display unit on the basis of the shape change.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a stretchable display including a stretchable substrate, stretchable in at least one direction, and a display unit that is on the stretchable substrate and displays an image, the method comprising:

obtaining stretch information of the stretchable substrate using a sum of moving distances of at least two acceleration sensors in a same plane based on sensing information received from at least two acceleration sensors provided on edges of the stretchable substrate;

predicting a shape change of the display unit on the basis of the stretch information; and

controlling the image displayed by the display unit on the basis of the shape change.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensors are provided at at least two corners of corners formed by adjacent edges of the stretchable substrate meeting each other.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the obtaining of the stretch information includes:

obtaining each acceleration of the at least two corners using the acceleration sensors,

obtaining each moving distance of the at least two corners using the accelerations, and

obtaining the stretch information of the stretchable substrate using each of the moving distances of the at least two corners.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the at least two corners are adjacent to each other, and an extension line connecting the at least two corners extends in a first direction, and

the obtaining of the stretch information includes obtaining the stretch information in the first direction.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the at least two corners are not adjacent to each other, and an extension line connecting the at least two corners extends in a third direction, and

the obtaining of the stretch information includes obtaining the stretch information in the third direction.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the obtaining of the stretch information includes obtaining the stretch information of the stretchable substrate using acceleration sensors respectively provided at at least four corners.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the edges lie in a first direction or a second direction, and wherein the obtaining of the stretch information includes:

obtaining stretch information candidates in the first direction or in the second direction of the stretchable substrate using two pairs of the acceleration sensors which are adjacent to each other from among the acceleration sensors, and

obtaining the stretch information of the stretchable substrate using the stretch information candidates.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein an extension line connecting two corners, which are not adjacent to each other from among the four corners, extends in a third direction or in a fourth direction, and wherein the obtaining of the stretch information includes:

obtaining stretch information candidates in a third direction or in a fourth direction of the stretchable substrate using two pairs of the acceleration sensors, which are not adjacent to each other from among the acceleration sensors, and

obtaining the stretch information of the stretchable substrate using the stretch information candidates.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predicting includes using a look-up table in which the stretch information and a shape of the display unit are mapped to each other.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each acceleration sensor obtains three perpendicular axis accelerations of the acceleration sensor, and the obtaining of the stretch information includes obtaining the stretch information of the stretchable substrate using the accelerations.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controlling includes controlling at least one characteristic of a size, a luminance, and a resolution of an image displayed by the display unit.

21. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein controlling the image displayed by the display unit includes one or more of controlling a size of the image on the basis of the shape change, controlling a luminance of the image on the basis of the shape change, controlling a resolution of the image on the basis of the shape change, controlling a user interface on the basis of the shape change, or controlling a user experience design on the basis of the shape change.

12. A stretchable display, comprising:

a stretchable substrate capable of being stretched in at least one direction;

at least two acceleration sensors provided on edges of the stretchable substrate;

a display unit on the stretchable substrate, the display unit capable of being stretched in at least one direction, and displaying an image; and

a controller to control the image displayed by the display unit using stretch information of the stretchable substrate obtained based on a sum of moving distances of the at least two acceleration sensors in a same plane.

13. The stretchable display as claimed in claim 12, wherein the controller includes:

a stretch information obtaining unit for obtaining the stretch information of the stretchable substrate using the at least two acceleration sensors,

a shape change prediction unit for predicting a shape change of the display unit on the basis of the stretch information, and

a display controller for controlling the image displayed by the display unit on the basis of the shape change.

14. The stretchable display as claimed in claim 13, wherein the acceleration sensors are provided at at least two corners from among corners formed by adjacent edges of the stretchable substrate.

15. The stretchable display as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

an acceleration obtaining unit for obtaining each acceleration of the at least two corners using the at least two acceleration sensors; and

a moving distance obtaining unit for obtaining each moving distance of the at least two corners using the accelerations, wherein the stretch information obtaining unit obtains the stretch information of the stretchable substrate using each of the moving distances of the at least two corners.

16. The stretchable display as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least two corners are adjacent to each other, and an extension line connecting the at least two corners extends in a first direction, and the stretch information obtaining unit obtains the stretch information in the first direction.

17. The stretchable display as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least two corners are not adjacent to each other, and an extension line connecting the at least two corners extends in a third direction, and the stretch information obtaining unit obtains the stretch information in the third direction.

18. The stretchable display as claimed in claim 14, wherein:

the acceleration sensors are provided at at least four corners from among the corners, and

the stretch information obtaining unit obtains the stretch information of the stretchable substrate using the acceleration sensors provided at the at least four corners.

19. The stretchable display as claimed in claim 18, wherein:

the edges are disposed in a first direction or a second direction, and

the stretch information obtaining unit obtains stretch information candidates in the first direction or in the second direction of the stretchable substrate using two respective pairs of the acceleration sensors, which are adjacent to each other from among the acceleration sensors, and obtains the stretch information of the stretchable substrate using the stretch information candidates.

20. The stretchable display as claimed in claim 18, wherein

an extension line connecting two corners, which are not adjacent to each other from among the four corners, lies in a third direction or in a fourth direction, and

the stretch information obtaining unit obtains stretch information candidates in the third direction or in the fourth direction of the stretchable substrate using two respective pairs of the acceleration sensors, which are not adjacent to each other among the acceleration sensors, and obtains the stretch information of the stretchable substrate using the stretch information candidates.

22. The stretchable display as claimed in claim 12, wherein controlling the image displayed by the display unit includes one or more of controlling a size of the image on the basis of the shape change, controlling a luminance of the image on the basis of the shape change, controlling a resolution of the image on the basis of the shape change, controlling a user interface on the basis of the shape change, or controlling a user experience design on the basis of the shape change.