Mobile terminal using flexible display and method of controlling the mobile terminal

• US 9,710,079 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoon, Sunghye, Kim, Sujin, Chi, Jumin, Park, Jiyoung, Choi, Jaeho
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahn, Sejoon
• Application Number:
  US13/839,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20130300686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 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 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a flexible display unit and a control method thereof are provided. The mobile terminal includes a flexible display unit bendable in response to force applied to the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal includes a sensing unit configured to sense bending of the flexible display unit and a controller configured to generate a control signal for performing a function associated with information output to the flexible display unit in response to the bending.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a flexible display configured to be bent in response to force applied to the flexible display;

a sensor configured to sense a bending of at least one region of the flexible display, wherein the bending divides the flexible display into a bent region, a closed region covered from view by the bent region, and an open region not covered from view by the bent region; and

a controller configured to;

control the flexible display to display one or more icons in response to the bending wherein the one or more icons are varied based on information displayed on the flexible display; and

execute a function corresponding to a first icon of the displayed one or more icons in response to an additional bending of the flexible display at a particular location;

wherein the first icon is selected among the displayed one or more icons according to a bending attribute of the additional bending at the particular location, and

wherein the controller is further configured to change a display position of the one or more icons to a different position within the open region according to the bending, wherein the bending attribute of the additional bending comprises information regarding at least a number of times of the additional bending, a strength of the additional bending, or a direction of the additional bending,

wherein the controller is configured to control the flexible display to distinctively display the first icon; and

control the flexible display to distinctively display a second icon of the displayed one or more icons in response to a change in the bending attribute of the additional bending, and wherein the controller is further configured to execute different functions corresponding to each of the first icon and the second icon according to a strength of the additional bending of the flexible display.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the displayed one or more icons each correspond to a function of a plurality of functions.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to terminate an output to the flexible display in response to a restoration of the bent flexible display when the first icon is selected.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the display to distinctly display an icon at the particular location; and

execute a function corresponding to the distinctly displayed icon.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to control the flexible display to:

distinctly display a screen image when the screen image is displayed prior to the one or more icons being displayed by altering display attribute information of the screen image or displaying the one or more icons in a highlighted manner.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the bending of at least one region of the flexible display is to a first corner of the flexible display;

the particular location is at a second corner of the flexible display different from the first corner; and

the controller is further configured to execute the function corresponding to the first icon in response to simultaneous bending of the first and second corners.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to control the flexible display to output guide information to the first corner in response to the bending.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

activate a first region of the flexible display in response to bending of a first corner of the flexible display in order to receive a control signal for controlling the output information via the first region; and

control the flexible display to output information according to a touch input received via a touch object with respect to the first region.

9. A mobile terminal comprising:

a flexible display configured to be bent in response to an applied force;

a sensor configured to sense bending of the flexible display, wherein the bending divides the flexible display into a bent region, a closed region covered from view by the bent region, and an open region not covered from view by the bent region; and

a controller configured to;

control the flexible display to display at least one icon corresponding to at least one function associated with information output to the flexible display unit in response to a first bending of the flexible display;

select a first icon of the at least one icon in response to a second bending of the flexible display at a particular location, wherein the first icon is selected among the displayed at least one icon according to a bending attribute of the second bending at the particular location; and

control the flexible display to discriminately display the first icon in a highlighted manner;

wherein the first bending and second bending are different, and

wherein the controller is further configured to change a display position of the one or more icons to a different position within the open region according to the bending,

wherein the second bending comprises a plurality of bends of the flexible display at the particular location;

the bending attribute of the second bending corresponds to a number of the plurality of bends; and

the controller is further configured to cycle through each of the displayed at least one icon in response to each of the plurality of bends to select the first icon, and

wherein the second bending comprises an unbending of the flexible display and the first icon corresponds to an icon of the displayed at least one icon selected when the flexible display is unbent.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to control the flexible display to discriminately display a second icon of the at least one icon and cease discriminately displaying the first icon when the second bending is continuously sensed, wherein the second icon is different from the first icon.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to control the flexible display to terminate display of the at least one icon when the second bending is no longer sensed or when a pre-set time has lapsed.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein:

the bending attribute of the second bending comprises information regarding at least a number of times of the second bending, a strength of the second bending, or a direction of the second bending.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to map the at least one icon based on a folded length of the first bending of the flexible display.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to enable the folded length of the first bending to be adjusted via text or images.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to execute a function corresponding to the first icon in response to restoration of the flexible display to a neutral state.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to control the flexible display to output guide information regarding a region by using at least visual information or voice information.

17. A method of controlling information output on a flexible display of a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying information on the flexible display;

displaying at least one icon corresponding to at least one function associated with the displayed information when a first bending of the flexible display is sensed,

wherein the bending divides the flexible display into a bent region, a closed region covered from view by the bent region, and an open region not covered from view by the bent region, and

wherein a display position of the at least one icon is changed to a different position within the open region according to the first bending; and

executing a function corresponding to one of the displayed at least one icon when a second bending of the flexible display is sensed at a particular location;

wherein the one icon is selected among the at least one icon according to a bending attribute of the second bending at the particular location,

wherein the second bending comprises a plurality of bends of the flexible display at the particular location;

the bending attribute of the second bending corresponds to a number of the plurality of bends; and

the controller is further configured to cycle through each of the displayed the at least one icon in response to each of the plurality of bends to select the at least one icon, and wherein the second bending comprises an unbending of the flexible display and the at least one icon corresponds to an icon of the displayed at least one icon selected when the flexible display is unbent.