CN116583813A

CN116583813A - Electronic device with foldable display and control method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN116583813A
Application number: CN202180081184.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李彰镐; 禹光泽; 金炳国; 吴得圭; 安振完
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-12-03
Filing date: 2021-03-15
Publication date: 2023-08-11

Abstract

An electronic device according to an example embodiment includes: a hinge that allows the electronic device to be folded or unfolded; a foldable display disposed on at least one side of the electronic device such that the electronic device is folded or unfolded about the hinge; a processor controlling an output screen of the foldable display; a sensor module for detecting a folding angle of the electronic device; and an input module for touch input to the display, the foldable display including a first region disposed at one side with respect to the hinge and a second region disposed at the other side, and the processor providing an execution screen of the application to a target region that is any one of the first region and the second region when an execution input for the application is received in a state where a folding angle is within a predetermined range. Various other embodiments are also possible.

Description

Electronic device with foldable display and control method thereof

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device having a foldable display and a method of controlling the same.

Background

With the advancement of display technology, user terminal devices with foldable displays have been introduced. The foldable display may also be flexible. As a glass substrate covering liquid crystals of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) is replaced with a plastic film, the foldable display may become flexible to be folded and unfolded.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

In order to execute applications on multiple windows, a method in which a user clicks an icon of each application and then selects multiple windows has been used, instead of a method in which a user generally uses an application.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device is provided that provides an execution screen of an application on a multi-window when the application is executed without the foldable display being fully unfolded.

Technical proposal

According to an example embodiment, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes: a hinge configured to cause the electronic device to fold or unfold; a foldable display disposed on at least one side of the electronic device such that the electronic device is folded or unfolded about the hinge; a processor configured to control an output screen of the foldable display; a sensor module configured to detect a folding angle of the electronic device; and an input module for a touch input applied to the foldable display, the foldable display including a first region disposed at one side of the hinge and a second region disposed at the other side of the hinge, the processor being further configured to provide an execution screen of an application to a target region when an execution input for the application is received in a state where the folding angle is within a predetermined range, the target region being one of the first region and the second region.

According to an example embodiment, there is provided a control method of controlling an electronic device including a hinge configured to cause the electronic device to fold or unfold; a foldable display disposed on at least one side of the electronic device such that the electronic device is folded or unfolded about the hinge; a processor configured to control an output screen of the foldable display; a sensor module configured to detect a folding angle of the electronic device, and an input module for a touch input applied to the foldable display, the foldable display including a first region disposed on one side of the hinge and a second region disposed on the other side of the hinge. The control method includes providing an execution screen of an application to a target area, which is one of the first area and the second area, when an execution input for the application is received in a state where the folding angle is within a predetermined range.

According to an example embodiment, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for controlling an operation of an electronic device including a hinge configured to enable the electronic device to be folded or unfolded; a foldable display disposed on at least one side of the electronic device such that the electronic device can be folded or unfolded about the hinge; a processor configured to control an output screen of the foldable display; a sensor module configured to detect a folding angle of the electronic device, and an input module for a touch input applied to the foldable display, the foldable display including a first region disposed on one side of the hinge and a second region disposed on the other side of the hinge. The program, when executed by the processor, is configured to cause the electronic device to: when an execution input for an application is received in a state where the folding angle is within a predetermined range, providing an execution screen of the application to a target area, the target area being one of the first area and the second area; and providing an execution screen of a second application different from the application to a region other than the target region among the first region and the second region when an execution input for the second application is received while the execution screen of the application is being provided in a state in which the folding angle is within the predetermined range.

Effects of the invention

According to various embodiments, when an execution input for an application is received while a foldable display is in a folded state, an execution screen of the application may be provided to a user through a multi-window.

According to various embodiments, an intuitive multi-window user experience may be provided to a user when a foldable display is in a folded state.

Various other effects obtained directly or indirectly from the present disclosure may also be provided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a network environment, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a case where a folding axis of an electronic device is in a vertical direction and a case where the folding axis of the electronic device is in a horizontal direction according to various embodiments.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a fully unfolded state, a folded state, and a fully folded state of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an out-folding method of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device providing multiple windows in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of providing multiple windows in an electronic device according to various embodiments.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of providing multiple windows in an electronic device when a user drags and drops an icon of an application, according to various embodiments.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of providing a notification icon in an electronic device prior to providing multiple windows, according to various embodiments.

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of providing multiple windows when an electronic device is in a desktop (table) mode, according to various embodiments.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of providing multiple windows when a state of an electronic device changes, according to various embodiments.

Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an execution screen of controlling an application according to a change in a folding angle in an electronic device according to various embodiments.

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an execution screen of controlling an application according to a change in a folding angle in an electronic device according to various embodiments.

Fig. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a method of an electronic device providing multiple windows, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing multiple windows when an electronic device is in a desktop mode, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 15 is a flow chart illustrating a method of providing multiple windows when an event occurrence is detected in an electronic device, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 16 is a flow chart illustrating a method of providing a notification icon by an electronic device prior to providing multiple windows, in accordance with various embodiments.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When the embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements, and repetitive descriptions related thereto will be omitted.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 according to various embodiments. Referring to fig. 1, an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 may communicate with the electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network) or with at least one of the electronic device 104 and a server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). The electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 via a server 108. The electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, a memory 130, an input module 150, a sound output module 155, a display module 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a connection 178, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module 190, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) 196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, at least one of the above-described components (e.g., connection end 178) may be omitted from electronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added to electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the above components (e.g., sensor module 176, camera module 180, or antenna module 197) may be integrated into a single integrated component (e.g., display module 160).

The processor 120 may run, for example, software (e.g., program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., hardware component or software component) of the electronic device 101 that is connected to the processor 120, and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to an example embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or calculation, the processor 120 may store commands or data received from another component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communication module 190) into the volatile memory 132, process the commands or data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store the resulting data in the non-volatile memory 134. Processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or an Application Processor (AP)) or an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), an Image Signal Processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a Communication Processor (CP)) that is operatively independent of or in combination with main processor 121. For example, when the electronic device 101 comprises a main processor 121 and a secondary processor 123, the secondary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 121 or to be dedicated to a particular function. The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented separately from the main processor 121 or as part of the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 (instead of the main processor 121) may control at least some of the functions or states related to at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) when the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or the auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of the functions or states related to at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) with the main processor 121 when the main processor 121 is in an active state (e.g., running an application). The auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., ISP or CP) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., camera module 180 or communication module 190) functionally associated with the auxiliary processor 123. The auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., NPU) may include hardware architecture dedicated to Artificial Intelligence (AI) model processing. The artificial intelligence model may be generated through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, by the electronic device 101 where the artificial intelligence model is executed, or via a separate server (e.g., server 108). The learning algorithm may include, but is not limited to, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning. The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers. The artificial neural network may be a Deep Neural Network (DNN), a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), a boltzmann machine limited (RBM), a Deep Belief Network (DBN), a bi-directional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), or a deep Q network, or a combination of two or more thereof, but is not limited thereto. Additionally or alternatively, the artificial intelligence model may include software structures in addition to hardware structures.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176). The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., program 140) and input data or output data for commands associated therewith. Memory 130 may include volatile memory 132 or nonvolatile memory 134. The non-volatile memory 134 may include an internal memory 136 and an external memory 138.

The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130, and the program 140 may include, for example, an Operating System (OS) 142, middleware 144, or applications 146.

The input module 150 may receive commands or data from outside the electronic device 101 (e.g., a user) to be used by other components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 120). The input module 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, keys (e.g., buttons) or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus).

The sound output module 155 may output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device 101. The sound output module 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. Speakers may be used for general purposes such as playing multimedia or playing a record. The receiver may be used to receive an incoming call. The receiver may be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

Display module 160 may visually provide information to the outside (e.g., user) of electronic device 101. The display device 160 may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and a control circuit for controlling a corresponding one of the display, the holographic device, and the projector. The display module 160 may include a touch sensor adapted to detect a touch or a pressure sensor adapted to measure the strength of the force by a touch.

The audio module 170 may convert sound into electrical signals and vice versa. The audio module 170 may obtain sound via the input module 150, or output sound via the sound output module 155 or an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102, such as a speaker or earphone) that is directly connected or wirelessly connected with the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state (e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101 and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. The sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyroscope sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an Infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

Interface 177 may support one or more specific protocols that will be used to connect electronic device 101 with an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly. The interface 177 may include, for example, a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Secure Digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

The connection end 178 may include a connector via which the electronic device 101 may be physically connected with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). The connection end 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert the electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., vibration or motion) or an electrical stimulus that may be recognized by a user via their sense of touch or kinesthetic sense. The haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electro-stimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture still images and moving images. The camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, an ISP, and a flash.

The power management module 188 may manage power supply to the electronic device 101. The power management module 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC).

Battery 189 may power at least one component of electronic device 101. Battery 189 may include, for example, a primary non-rechargeable battery, a rechargeable battery, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) and performing communication via the established communication channel. The communication module 190 may include one or more CPs capable of operating independently of the processor 120 (e.g., an AP) and support direct (e.g., wired) or wireless communication. The communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module 192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a Local Area Network (LAN) communication module or a Power Line Communication (PLC) module). A respective one of these communication modules may communicate with external electronic devices (e.g., electronic device 104) via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network such as bluetooth, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a conventional cellular network, a fifth generation (5G) network, a next generation communication network, the internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or Wide Area Network (WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or may be implemented as multiple components (e.g., multiple chips) separate from each other. The wireless communication module 192 may identify and authenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network, such as the first network 198 or the second network 199, using user information (e.g., an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)) stored in the user identification module 196.

The wireless communication module 192 may support a 5G network following a fourth generation (4G) network as well as next generation communication technologies (e.g., new Radio (NR) access technologies). NR access technologies may support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), large-scale machine type communication (mctc), or Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC). The wireless communication module 192 may support a high frequency band (e.g., millimeter wave (mmWave) band) to achieve, for example, high data transmission rates. The wireless communication module 192 may support various techniques for ensuring performance over high frequency bands, such as, for example, beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, or massive antennas. The wireless communication module 192 may support various requirements specified in the electronic device 101, an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 104), or a network system (e.g., second network 199). The wireless communication module 192 may support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 gigabits per second (Gbps) or greater) for implementing an embbc, a lost coverage (e.g., 164 decibels (dB) or less) for implementing an emtc, or a U-plane delay (e.g., 0.5ms or less, or 1ms or less round trip for each of the Downlink (DL) and Uplink (UL)) for implementing a URLLC.

The antenna module 197 may transmit signals or power to the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., an external electronic device) or receive signals or power from the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., an external electronic device). The antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a radiating element including a conductive material or conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate, such as a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an antenna array). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication scheme used in a communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module 190. Signals or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to example embodiments, further components (e.g., a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC)) other than radiating elements may additionally be formed as part of the antenna module 197.

Antenna module 197 may form a millimeter wave antenna module. The millimeter-wave antenna module may include a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) disposed on or adjacent to a first surface (e.g., a bottom surface) of the PCB and capable of supporting a specified high frequency band (e.g., a millimeter-wave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., an antenna array) disposed on or adjacent to a second surface (e.g., a top surface or a side surface) of the PCB and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of the specified high frequency band.

At least some of the above components may be interconnected via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., bus, general Purpose Input Output (GPIO), serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), or Mobile Industrial Processor Interface (MIPI)) and communicatively communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween.

According to an example embodiment, commands or data may be sent or received between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 104) via a server 108 connected to the second network 199. Each external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102 or 104) may be the same type of device as electronic device 101 or a different type of device than electronic device 101. All or some of the operations to be performed by electronic device 101 may be performed by one or more of the external electronic devices (e.g., electronic devices 102 and 104, and server 108). For example, if the electronic device 101 needs to automatically perform a function or service or should perform a function or service in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or service instead of or in addition to the function or service, or the electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or service. The one or more external electronic devices that receive the request may perform the requested at least part of the function or service, or perform another function or another service related to the request, and may transmit the result of the performing to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least a partial reply to the request with or without further processing of the result. For this purpose, for example, cloud computing technology, distributed computing technology, mobile Edge Computing (MEC) technology, or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device 101 may provide ultra-low latency services using, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing. According to another embodiment, the external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 104) may comprise an internet of things (IoT) device. Server 108 may be an intelligent server using machine learning and/or neural networks. An external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 104) or server 108 may be included in the second network 199. The electronic device 101 may be applied to smart services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology or IoT-related technology.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device may be one of various types of devices. The electronic device may include, but is not limited to, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone, etc.), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a household appliance. However, the electronic device is not limited to those described above.

It should be understood that the various embodiments of the disclosure and the terminology used therein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to the particular embodiments, but rather include various modifications, equivalents or alternatives to the respective embodiments. For the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used to refer to like or related elements. It will be understood that a noun in the singular corresponding to a term may include one or more things unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, "a or B", "at least one of a and B", "at least one of a or B", "at least one of A, B or C", "A, B and C", and "at least one of A, B or C", wherein each phrase can include any or all of the possible combinations of items recited with a corresponding one of the plurality of phrases. As used herein, terms such as "first" or "second" may be used to simply distinguish one element from another element and not to limit the element in other respects (e.g., importance or order). It will be understood that if the terms "operatively" or "communicatively" are used or the terms "operatively" or "communicatively" are not used, then if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being "coupled to," "connected to," or "connected to" another element (e.g., a second element), it is intended that the element can be directly (e.g., wired) connected to, wireless connected to, or connected to the other element via a third element.

As used in connection with certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "module" may include an element implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with other terms (e.g., "logic," "logic block," "portion," or "circuitry"). A module may be a single integrated component adapted to perform one or more functions or a minimal unit or portion of the single integrated component. For example, according to an example embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC).

The various embodiments set forth herein may be implemented as software (e.g., program 140) comprising one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138) readable by a machine (e.g., electronic device 101). For example, under control of a processor, a processor (e.g., processor 120) of the machine (e.g., electronic device 101) may invoke and execute at least one instruction of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function in accordance with the at least one instruction invoked. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code capable of being executed by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Herein, the term "non-transitory" means only that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not include a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), but the term does not distinguish between data being semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and data being temporarily stored in the storage medium.

According to example embodiments, the methods described herein may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be used as a product for conducting transactions between sellers and buyers. May be embodied in a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disk read-onlyMemory (CD-ROM)) to release the computer program product, or may be via an application Store (e.g., a Play Store) ^TM ) The computer program product may be published (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online, or may be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). At least some of the computer program product may be temporarily generated if published online, or at least some of the computer program product may be stored at least temporarily in a machine readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a forwarding server.

According to various embodiments, each of the above-described components (e.g., a module or a program) may include a single entity or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separately provided in different components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform the one or more functions of each of the plurality of components in the same or similar manner as the corresponding one of the plurality of components performed the one or more functions prior to integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by a module, a program, or another component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or in a heuristic manner, or one or more of the operations may be performed in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Referring to fig. 2, when an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of fig. 1) includes a foldable display, its folding axis may be in a vertical direction or in a horizontal direction.

Fig. 2 shows a case in which both the electronic device 210 with the folding axis in the vertical direction and the electronic device 260 with the folding axis in the horizontal direction operate in an inward folding (in-folding) method. An electronic device operating in the fold-out method will be described in detail with reference to fig. 1.

The electronic device 210 (e.g., the electronic device 101 of fig. 1) with the folding axis in a vertical direction may include a foldable display 230, a first housing 241, and a second housing 243. The foldable display 230 may be divided into a first region 231 and a second region 233 with respect to the folding axis 220 of the hinge. The first region 231 and the second region 233 of the foldable display 230 may be provided in a rectangular shape having rounded corners and a narrow bezel.

The electronic device 260 (e.g., the electronic device 101 of fig. 1) with the folding axis in the horizontal direction may include a foldable display 280, a first housing 291, and a second housing 293. The foldable display 280 may be divided into a first region 281 and a second region 283 with respect to the folding axis 270 of the hinge. The first region 281 and the second region 283 of the foldable display 280 may be provided in a rectangular shape having rounded corners and a narrow bezel.

According to example embodiments, the first region 231 or 281 and the second region 233 or 283 of the electronic device 210 or 260 may be folded as the first case 241 or 291 and the second case 243 or 293 are folded.

According to an example embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of fig. 1) that provides multiple windows with a folding axis in a vertical direction will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 5 through 16. However, the example is not limited to an example in which the folding axis is in the vertical direction, and the first region 281 and the second region 283 may be provided with multiple windows even in the case where the folding axis is in the horizontal direction.

Referring to fig. 3, an electronic device 300 (e.g., the electronic device 101 of fig. 1, the electronic device 210 or the electronic device 260 of fig. 2) may include a foldable display 330 (e.g., the foldable display 230 or the foldable display 280 of fig. 2), a first housing 341, and a second housing 343.

State 301 may indicate a fully deployed state or a deployed state in which electronic device 300 is fully deployed or deployed.

In state 301, the electronic device 300 may be folded. For example, the electronic device 300 may be folded along with the folding of the first and/or second housings 341 and 343.

According to an example embodiment, when the electronic device 300 is folded, the first and second regions 331 and 333 of the foldable display 330 may form an angle θ with respect to a folding axis (e.g., folding axis 220 or folding axis 270 of fig. 2), as shown in states 303 and 305. When the angle θ is within a predetermined range, the corresponding state may be referred to as a "folded state", and the angle θ formed between the first region 331 and the second region 333 may be referred to as a "folded angle".

According to an example embodiment, the folding angle in state 303 may be about 135 degrees (°), and the folding angle in state 305 may be about 45 °.

State 307 may indicate a fully folded state in which electronic device 300 is fully folded.

At least a portion of the foldable display 330 may be the same as or similar to the display module 160 described above with reference to fig. 1.

In the example shown in fig. 3, the first region 331 and the second region 333 may be folded to face each other. That is, the screen may be folded inwardly. This folding method may be referred to as an inward folding method. Alternatively, the first and second regions 331 and 333 may be folded to face in opposite directions. That is, the screen may be folded outwardly. This folding method may be referred to as an out-folding method. An example in which the fold-out method is applied will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method of folding out an electronic device according to various embodiments.

Referring to fig. 4, an electronic device 400 (e.g., the electronic device 101 of fig. 1, and the electronic device 210 or 260 of fig. 2) may include a foldable display 430 (e.g., the foldable display 230 or the foldable display 280 of fig. 2) that is folded outwardly by folding outwardly. In the case of the outward folding, only the folding direction is opposite to that of the inward folding described above with reference to fig. 3, and thus a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

State 401 may indicate a fully deployed or expanded state in which electronic device 400 is fully deployed or expanded.

In state 403, foldable display 430 may be folded outward by folding outward, and foldable display 430 may be formed by first region 431 (e.g., first region 231 or first region 281 of fig. 2) and second region 433 (e.g., second region 233 or second region 283 of fig. 2) by a folding angle θ, as shown in state 403.

The state 405 may indicate a fully collapsed state in which the electronic device 400 is fully collapsed.

At least a portion of the foldable display 430 may be the same as or similar to the display module 160 described above with reference to fig. 1.

According to an example embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of fig. 1) that provides multiple windows with a folding axis in a vertical direction and operating in an inward folding method will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 5 through 15. However, the example is not limited to the case where the folding axis is in the vertical direction and operates in the inward folding method. For example, even in the case where the folding axis is in the vertical direction and operated in the outward folding manner, in the case where the folding axis is in the horizontal direction and operated in the inward folding manner, and in the case where the folding axis is in the horizontal direction and operated in the outward folding manner, the electronic device can provide multiple windows to the first area and the second area divided with respect to the folding axis in the same manner as described above.

Referring to fig. 5, an electronic device 500 (e.g., electronic device 101 of fig. 1) providing multiple windows according to an example may include a hinge 510, a foldable display 520, a sensor module 530 (e.g., sensor module 176 of fig. 1), a processor 540 (e.g., processor 120 of fig. 1), and an input module 550 (e.g., input module 150 of fig. 1).

According to an example embodiment, the hinge 510 may enable the electronic device 500 to fold or unfold, and when the electronic device 500 is folded or unfolded about the hinge 510, the foldable display 520 (e.g., the foldable display 230 or the foldable display 280 of fig. 2) may also be folded or unfolded. The foldable display 520 may be disposed on at least one side of the electronic device 500 and may include a first region 521 disposed on one side and a second region 523 disposed on the other side with respect to the hinge 510.

According to an example embodiment, when the folding axis of the hinge 510 is in a vertical direction and operates in an inward folding method, the foldable display 520 (e.g., the foldable display 230 of fig. 2) may include a first region 521 (e.g., the first region 231 of fig. 2) disposed at one side and a second region 523 (e.g., the second region 233 of fig. 2) disposed at the other side with respect to the hinge 510.

According to an example embodiment, when the folding axis of the hinge 510 is in a horizontal direction and operates in an inward folding method, the foldable display 520 (e.g., the foldable display 280 of fig. 2) may include a first region 521 (e.g., the first region 281 of fig. 2) disposed at one side and a second region 523 (e.g., the second region 283 of fig. 2) disposed at the other side with respect to the hinge 510.

According to an example embodiment, when the folding axis of the hinge 510 operates in an outward folding method, the foldable display 520 (e.g., the foldable display 430 of fig. 4) may include a first region 521 (e.g., the first region 431 of fig. 4) disposed at one side and a second region 523 (e.g., the second region 433 of fig. 4) disposed at the other side with respect to the hinge 510.

According to an example embodiment, the sensor module 530 (e.g., the sensor module 176 of fig. 1) may detect a folding angle of the electronic device 500 (e.g., the folding angle θ of fig. 3 in the case of inward folding, and the folding angle θ of fig. 4 in the case of outward folding). According to an example embodiment, the sensor module 530 may be a hall sensor, an acceleration sensor, and/or a gyro sensor (e.g., a gyroscope), and the acceleration sensor and/or the gyro sensor may detect a folding angle of the electronic device 500. According to an example embodiment, a sensor module 530 may be provided in the hinge 510 to detect the number of rotations of the gear and detect the folding angle. According to an example embodiment, the sensor module 530 may detect a folding start point and a folding stop angle in addition to the folding angle.

For example, the sensor module 530 may be a hall sensor. The hall sensor may be a transducer device that generates an electrical signal (e.g., voltage) in response to a magnetic field. Hall sensors can produce relatively high-strength electrical signals when the magnetic field is strong and relatively low-strength electrical signals when the magnetic field is weak. The hall sensor may be disposed in a first housing (e.g., the first housing 241 or the first housing 291 of fig. 2), and the magnetic field generating element (e.g., a magnet) may be disposed in a second housing (e.g., the second housing 243 or the second housing 293 of fig. 2). According to an embodiment, the hall sensor may be disposed in a second housing (e.g., the second housing 243 or the second housing 293 of fig. 2), and the magnet may be disposed in a first housing (e.g., the first housing 241 or the first housing 291 of fig. 2). When the electronic device 500 changes from the fully extended state to the collapsed state, the hall sensor may be closer to the magnet and detect the collapsed state of the foldable display 520 in response to the magnetic field of the magnet. The hall sensor may also detect the folding angle by the intensity of an electrical signal generated in response to a magnetic field.

A hall sensor is provided as an example of the sensor module 530, and the sensor module 530 is not limited to the hall sensor. According to an example embodiment, a magnetic (or geomagnetic) sensor and a hall sensor may be used to detect the folding angle of the electronic apparatus 500. For example, the geomagnetic sensor and the hall sensor may each include a transmitter for generating a magnetic field of a specific frequency and a receiver for receiving the magnetic field generated by the transmitter, and the folding angle may be detected based on a change in the state of the electronic apparatus 500 (e.g., based on a state change of states 301, 303, 305, and 307 of fig. 3 or based on a state change of states 401, 403, and 405 of fig. 4). For example, a magnetic (or geomagnetic) sensor may measure a bearing (bearing) using a magnetic field and magnetic lines of force, and a hall sensor may detect the strength of the magnetic field to verify a state change of the electronic device 500 and detect a folding angle (e.g., folding angle θ of fig. 3 in the case of inward folding and folding angle θ of fig. 4 in the case of outward folding) according to the verified state change.

Although it has been described above that the sensor module 530 detects the folding state of the foldable display 520 and detects the folding angle, the processor 540 may detect the folding state of the foldable display 520 and calculate the folding angle based on the sensing result of the sensor module 530. For example, the processor 540 may receive an electrical signal from a hall sensor by detecting a magnetic field. The processor 540 may detect the folded state of the foldable display 520 when an electrical signal is received from the hall sensor. The processor 540 may also calculate the folding angle of the foldable display 520 based on the intensity of the electrical signal received from the hall sensor.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may determine the movement of the electronic device 500 by measuring azimuth, pitch, and roll values of the electronic device 500 based on the motion data obtained from the sensor module 530 (e.g., the sensor module 176 of fig. 1). According to example embodiments, the motion data may include 3-axis motion data (x 1, y1, z 1) obtained from an acceleration sensor or 9-axis motion data obtained by additionally using a gyro sensor and a geomagnetic sensor.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may form a virtual coordinate space based on azimuth angles (e.g., yaw, pitch, and/or roll values) measured from 9-axis motion data. The processor 540 may divide an area of the virtual coordinate space by a range of desktop modes in which the fold axis is substantially parallel to the ground. The desktop mode may be a mode in which a folding axis of the hinge 510 that distinguishes the first region 521 and the second region 523 of the foldable display 520 is substantially parallel to the ground, and the first region 521 and the second region 523 are divided into an upper region and a lower region with respect to the folding axis.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may determine whether a folding axis of the hinge 510 (e.g., folding axis 220 or folding axis 270 of fig. 2) is substantially parallel to the ground. According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may determine that the electronic device 500 is in the desktop mode when the folding axis of the electronic device 500 is substantially parallel to the ground and the two regions of the foldable display 520 are thus divided into an upper region and a lower region with respect to the folding axis. An example of providing multiple windows in such a desktop mode will be described in detail with reference to fig. 9 to 12.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may control the operation of the electronic device 500 as a whole. The processor 540 may control the output screen of the foldable display 520.

According to an example embodiment, when an execution input for an application is received in a state where a folding angle is within a predetermined range, the processor 540 may provide an execution screen of the application to a target area, which is one of the first area 521 and the second area 523 of the foldable display 520. This will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 6 to 8.

According to an example embodiment, when the electronic device 500 is in a desktop mode and provides an execution input of an application, the processor 540 may determine a target area based on attribute information of the application. This will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 9.

According to an example embodiment, when the electronic apparatus 500 is in the desktop mode and a predetermined event occurs in the electronic apparatus 500, the processor 540 may provide an execution screen of an application having attribute information associated with the event. This will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 10.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may control an execution screen of the application according to a change in the folding angle detected by the sensor module 530. This will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 11 and 12.

According to an example embodiment, the electronic device 500 may include an input module 550 (e.g., the input module 150 of fig. 1) for touch input to the foldable display 520. The electronic device 500 may receive execution input or drag-and-drop input of icons of applications displayed on the foldable display 520 through the input module 550.

According to an example embodiment, the electronic apparatus 500 may include: a hinge 510 configured to cause the electronic device 500 to fold or unfold; a foldable display 520 provided on at least one side of the electronic device 500 such that the electronic device 500 is folded or unfolded about the hinge 510; a processor 540 configured to control an output screen of the foldable display 520; a sensor module 530 configured to detect a folding angle of the electronic device 500; and an input module 550 for touch input to the foldable display 520.

According to an example embodiment, the foldable display 520 may include a first region 521 disposed at one side with respect to the hinge 510 and a second region 523 disposed at the other side.

According to an example embodiment, when a running input for an application is received in a state where a folding angle is within a predetermined range, the processor 540 may provide an execution screen of the application to a target area, which is one of the first area 521 and the second area 523.

According to an example embodiment, when an execution input for a second application different from the application is received while an execution screen of the application is being provided in a state in which the folding angle is within a predetermined range, the processor 540 may further provide the execution screen of the second application to an area other than the target area among the first area 521 and the second area 523.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may determine an area where icons applied in the first area 521 and the second area 523 are located as a target area.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may determine an area in which icons applied in the first area 521 and the second area 523 are dragged and dropped as a target area.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may provide an execution screen of an application to the entire foldable display 520 including the first area 521 and the second area 523, provide the notification by overlaying a notification on the execution screen of the application, the notification being a notification that the execution screen of the application is to be provided to one of the first area 521 and the second area 523, and provide the execution screen of the application to a target area if there is a user input for the notification within a predetermined period of time.

According to an example embodiment, when the electronic apparatus 500 is in a desktop mode in which the folding axis of the hinge 510 is substantially parallel to the ground, the processor 540 may refer to attribute information of the application in response to receiving an execution input for the application, determine a lower region with respect to the folding axis among the first region 521 and the second region 523 as a target region if the attribute information is determined to be associated with the input function, and determine an upper region with respect to the folding axis among the first region 521 and the second region 523 as a target region if the attribute information is determined to be associated with the viewer function.

According to an example embodiment, when the occurrence of a predetermined event is detected in the electronic device 500, the processor 540 may parse a target application having attribute information associated with the event and provide an execution screen of the target application to a target area.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may control an execution screen of the application according to a change in the folding angle detected by the sensor module 530.

Referring to fig. 6, an example of providing multiple windows in an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of fig. 1 or electronic device 500 of fig. 5) in states 601, 603, and 605 is shown.

According to an example embodiment, the electronic device may be in a state (e.g., states 601, 603, and 605) in which the foldable display (e.g., foldable display 520 of fig. 5) is folded with respect to a vertically-oriented folding axis 620 (e.g., folding axis 220 of fig. 2).

According to example embodiments, a foldable display of an electronic device may be divided into a first region 631 (e.g., the first region 331 of fig. 3 or the first region 521 of fig. 5) and a second region 633 (e.g., the second region 333 of fig. 3 or the second region 523 of fig. 5) by a folding shaft 620 of a hinge.

In these folded states 601, 603, and 605, a folding angle (e.g., folding angle θ of fig. 3) formed by folding the first and second regions 631 and 633 may be within a predetermined range, for example, greater than 45 ° and less than 180 °, as shown in state 303 or state 305 of fig. 3. The predetermined range of folding angles may vary depending on, for example, the folding method and size of the foldable display. According to an example embodiment, in the case of the outward folding method, the folded state may be a state in which a folding angle (for example, a folding angle θ of fig. 4) may be, for example, greater than 180 ° and less than 315 °.

According to an example embodiment, in state 601, icons of various applications may be located in first area 631 and second area 633. For example, the icon 651 of the calculator application may be located in the first area 631, and the icon 611 of the internet application and the icon 613 of the clock application may be located in the second area 633. When there is an execution input for an application, for example, an execution input 615 for an internet application in a state in which the folding angle is within a predetermined range as shown in state 601, an execution screen of the internet application may be provided to a target area that is one of the first area 631 and the second area 633.

According to an example embodiment, in state 603, an execution screen of an application may be provided to an area where an icon of the application as a target area is located. For example, when there is an execution input 615 for an icon 611 of an internet application in the state 601, the second area 633, which is an area where the icon 611 of the internet application is located, may be provided as a target area to which the execution screen 640 of the internet application is to be provided. In states 601, 603, and 605, the target area may be the second area 633.

When an execution screen is provided in a target area, the positions of icons of other applications located in the target area may be changed according to various embodiments.

According to an example embodiment, when an execution screen is provided in a target area, icons of other applications located in the target area may appear by sliding in an area other than the target area. For example, when the execution screen 640 of the internet application is provided in the second area 633 in the state 603, an icon (e.g., the icon 651 of the calculator application) of another application located in an area (e.g., the first area 631) other than the target area in the state 601 may be positioned in the first area 631 in the same manner as in the state 601. By sliding left in the first area 631, which is not the target area, an icon of another application (e.g., icon 613 of a clock application) that is located in the target area (e.g., second area 633) in state 601 may appear. According to an example embodiment, by an operation of a user sliding left in the first area 631, an icon of an application (e.g., an icon of a wearable application, an icon of a gallery application, an icon of a media player application, an icon of a setup application, and an icon 613 of a clock application) existing in the second area 633 in the state 601 may appear in the first area 631 in the same arrangement as the second area 633 in the state 601, except for an application (e.g., an internet application icon 611) for which an execution screen is being provided.

According to an example embodiment, when an execution screen is provided in a target area, a processor of an electronic device (e.g., processor 540 of fig. 5) may arrange an icon of another application previously located in the target area in an area other than the target area. For example, icons of all other applications (e.g., icons of wearable applications, icons of gallery applications, icons of media player applications, icons of setup applications, and icons 613 of clock applications) located in a target area (e.g., second area 633) in state 603 may be reduced in size and positioned in an area (e.g., first area 631) that is not a target area along with icons of applications (e.g., icons 651 of calculator applications, icons of message applications, icons of email applications, icons of location applications, icons of notepad applications, and icons of camera applications) located in an area (e.g., first area 631) that is not a target area.

According to an example embodiment, in the state 605, when the folding angle is within a predetermined range and there is an execution input for another second application when the execution screen of the application is being provided, the execution screen of the second application may be provided in a first area 631, which is not a target area, of the first area 631 and the second area 633. For example, when an execution input for a second application (e.g., execution input 655 for icon 651 of a calculator application) is received in state 603, when the folding angle is within a predetermined range and an execution screen 640 of an internet application is being provided in the second area 633, an execution screen 660 of the calculator application may be provided in the first area 631.

Although the electronic device is shown with the folding axis 620 in a vertical direction (e.g., the folding axis 220 of fig. 2) and operates in an inward folding method, examples are not limited thereto. For example, even in the case where the folding axis is in a horizontal direction and operates in an inward folding method (e.g., as shown in electronic device 260 of fig. 2) or in the case where the folding axis is in a vertical or horizontal direction and operates in an outward folding method (e.g., as shown in electronic device 400 of fig. 4), the electronic device may provide multiple windows in the same manner as described above.

Referring to fig. 7, an example of multiple windows provided by an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of fig. 1 or electronic device 500 of fig. 5) in states 701, 703, and 705 is shown.

According to example embodiments, as described above with reference to fig. 6, the electronic device may be in a state (e.g., state 701, state 703, and state 705) in which a foldable display (e.g., foldable display 520 of fig. 5) is folded with respect to a vertically-oriented folding axis 720 (e.g., folding axis 220 of fig. 2). The foldable display of the electronic device may be divided into a first region 731 (e.g., the first region 331 of fig. 3 or the first region 521 of fig. 5) and a second region 733 (e.g., the second region 333 of fig. 3 or the second region 523 of fig. 5) by a folding axis 720 of the hinge.

According to an example embodiment, in state 701, icons of various applications may be located in the first region 731 and the second region 733 as described with respect to state 601 of fig. 6.

For example, when an icon 711 of an internet application is clicked (e.g., clicked 715) and dragged-and-dropped (e.g., dragged-and-dropped operation 717) in state 701, an execution screen may be provided through multiple windows.

According to an example embodiment, in state 703, an execution screen of an application may be provided in an area where an icon of the application as a target area is dragged and dropped. For example, when the icon 711 of the internet application is clicked (e.g., clicked 715) and dragged and dropped into the first area 731 in the state 701, the first area 731 of the internet application may be set as a target area and the execution screen 740 of the internet application may be provided in the first area 731. In states 701, 703, and 705, the target region may be the first region 731.

When an execution screen is provided in a target area, the positions of icons of other applications previously located in the target area may be changed according to various embodiments.

According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 6, when an execution screen is provided in a target area, icons of other applications previously located in the target area may appear by sliding in an area other than the target area. For example, when the execution screen 740 of the internet application is provided in the first area 731 in the state 703, an icon (e.g., the icon 713 of the clock application) of another application previously located in an area (e.g., the second area 733) that is not the target area in the state 701 may be positioned in the second area 733 in the same manner as in the state 701. By sliding to the right in the second region 733, which is not the target region, an icon of another application (e.g., an icon 751 of a calculator application) previously located in the target region (e.g., the first region 731) in the state 701 may appear. According to an example embodiment, through an operation of a user sliding in the second region 733 to the right, an icon of an application (e.g., an icon 751 of a calculator application, an icon of a message application, an icon of an email application, an icon of a location application, an icon of a notepad application, and an icon of a camera application) existing in the first region 731 in the state 701 may appear in the second region 733 in the same arrangement as the first region 731 in the state 701.

According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 6, when an execution screen is provided in a target area, icons of other applications previously located in the target area may be positioned in areas other than the target area. For example, when the execution screen 740 of the internet application is provided in the first region 731 in the state 703, any one of the icons of the other applications (for example, the icon 751 of the calculator application) previously located in the target region (for example, the first region 731) in the state 701 may be arranged at such a position in the second region 733 which is not the target region: the location where the icon 711 of the internet application whose execution screen is being provided is located is, for example, as shown by the icon 751 of the calculator application in state 703.

According to example embodiments, icons of all other applications (e.g., an icon 751 of a calculator application, an icon of a message application, and an icon of an email application) previously located in a target area (e.g., a first area 731) may be reduced in size along with icons of applications (e.g., an icon 713 of a clock application, an icon of a setup application, and an icon of a gallery application) previously located in an area (e.g., a second area 733) other than the target area (not shown), and arranged in an area (e.g., the second area 733) other than the target area.

According to an example embodiment, in state 705, when the folding angle is within a predetermined range and there is an execution input for another second application when the execution screen of the application is being provided, the execution screen of the second application may be provided in a second area 733 that is not a target area among the first area 731 and the second area 733. For example, when an execution input for a second application (e.g., the execution input 755 for the icon 751 of the calculator application) is received in the state 703, when the folding angle is within a predetermined range and the execution screen 740 of the internet application is being provided within the first region 731, the execution screen 760 of the calculator application may be provided in the second region 733 which is not the target region.

Although the electronic device is shown as having a folding axis 720 in a vertical direction (e.g., folding axis 220 of fig. 2) and operating in an inward folding method, examples are not limited thereto. For example, even in the case where the folding axis is in the horizontal direction and an inward folding method is applied (e.g., as shown in the electronic device 260 of fig. 2) or in the case where the folding axis is in the vertical or horizontal direction and an outward folding method is applied (e.g., as shown in the electronic device 400 of fig. 4), the electronic device may provide multiple windows in the same manner as described above.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of providing a notification icon by an electronic device prior to providing multiple windows, in accordance with various embodiments.

Referring to fig. 8, examples are shown in states 801, 803, and 805 where a notification icon is provided prior to providing multiple windows in an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of fig. 1 or electronic device 500 of fig. 5).

According to example embodiments, as described above with reference to fig. 6, the electronic device may be in a state (e.g., state 801, state 803, and state 805) in which a foldable display (e.g., foldable display 520 of fig. 5) is folded with respect to a vertically oriented folding axis 820 (e.g., folding axis 220 of fig. 2). The foldable display of the electronic device may be divided into a first region 831 (e.g., first region 331 of fig. 3 or first region 521 of fig. 5) and a second region 833 (e.g., second region 333 of fig. 3 or second region 523 of fig. 5) by a folding axis 820 of the hinge.

According to an example embodiment, in state 801, icons of various applications may be located in first region 831 and second region 833.

According to an example embodiment, when there is an execution input for an application (e.g., an execution input 815 for an internet application) in a state where a folding angle is within a predetermined range (as in state 801), a screen of the internet application may be provided in a target area that is one of the first area 831 and the second area 833.

According to an example embodiment, in state 803, before the execution screen of the internet application is provided to the target area, the execution screen 840 of the internet application may be completely provided in the entire foldable display including the first area 831 and the second area 833. When the execution screen 840 is provided in the entire foldable display, a processor (e.g., the processor 120 of fig. 1 or the processor 540 of fig. 5) of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of fig. 1 or the electronic device 500 of fig. 5) may provide the notification icon 850 to provide the execution screen in one region between the first region 831 and the second region 833 by overlaying the notification icon 850 on the execution screen 840.

According to an example embodiment, if there is a user input to the notification icon 850 within a predetermined period of time in the state 803, an execution screen 840 of the internet application may be provided in a target area that is one of the first area 831 and the second area 833, as shown in the state 805. According to an example embodiment, the target area may be a second area 833 in which the icon 811 of the internet application was previously positioned, as described above with reference to fig. 6. According to an example embodiment, in an area that is not a target area (e.g., first area 831), icons of applications (e.g., icons 851 of a calculator application, icons of a message application, icons of an email application, icons of a location application, icons of a notepad application, and icons of a camera application) that were previously positioned in that area (e.g., first area 831) in state 801 may be positioned in the same location as where they were arranged (e.g., as shown in first area 831 in state 805).

As described above with reference to fig. 6 and 7, the location of the icon of the application previously positioned in the target area may be implemented differently.

According to an example embodiment, by sliding left in an area (e.g., the first area 831) that is not a target area (not shown), an icon (e.g., icon 813 of a clock application) of another application previously located in the target area (e.g., the second area 833) in state 801 may appear. According to an example embodiment, it may be arranged in an area (e.g., the first area 831) that is not a target area, in a reduced icon size (not shown), along with icons of other applications (e.g., icons 851 of calculator applications) that are positioned in an area (e.g., the first area 831) that is not a target area.

According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 6, when an execution input for another application (e.g., user input to an icon 851 of a calculator application) is received, after an execution screen 840 of an internet application is provided in a target area in state 805, an execution screen of the corresponding application may be provided in an area (e.g., the first area 831) that is not the target area (not shown).

According to an example embodiment, when there is no user input for the notification icon 850 for a predetermined period of time in the state 803, the notification icon 850 may disappear and an execution screen of the application may be completely provided on the entire foldable display including the first region 831 and the second region 835, as shown in the state 803. According to an example embodiment, the notification icon 850 may continue to be displayed while the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of fig. 1 or the electronic device 500 of fig. 5) continues to be in a collapsed state (e.g., as in state 303 of fig. 3 or state 403 of fig. 4). According to an example embodiment, notification icon 850 may disappear when the electronic device switches from a collapsed state (e.g., state 303 of fig. 3 or state 403 of fig. 4) to a fully expanded state (e.g., state 301 of fig. 3 or state 401 of fig. 4).

Although the electronic device is shown with the folding axis 820 (e.g., the folding axis 220 of fig. 2) in a vertical direction and operates in an inward folding method, examples are not limited thereto. For example, even in the case where the folding axis is in the horizontal direction and the inward folding method is applied (e.g., as in the electronic device 260 of fig. 2) or in the case where the folding axis is in the vertical or horizontal direction and the outward folding method is applied (e.g., as in the electronic device 400 of fig. 4), the electronic device may provide multiple windows in the same manner as described above.

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of providing multiple windows when an electronic device is in a desktop mode, according to various embodiments.

Referring to fig. 9, an example of providing multiple windows when an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of fig. 1 or electronic device 500 of fig. 5) is in a desktop mode in states 901, 903, and 905 is shown.

According to an example embodiment, the electronic device may be in a state (e.g., state 901, state 903, and state 905) in which a foldable display (e.g., foldable display 520 of fig. 5) is folded with respect to a horizontal folding axis 920 (e.g., folding axis 270 of fig. 2). The foldable display of the electronic device may be divided into a first region 931 (e.g., the first region 331 of fig. 3 or the first region 521 of fig. 5) and a second region 933 (e.g., the second region 333 of fig. 3 or the second region 523 of fig. 5) by a folding shaft 920 of the hinge.

According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 5, a processor of an electronic device (e.g., processor 540 of fig. 5) may determine whether the folding axis 920 is substantially parallel to the ground, and whether the first region 931 and the second region 933 are divided into an upper region and a lower region with respect to the folding axis 920. Although the states 901, 903, and 905 will be described with respect to a desktop mode in which an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 210 of fig. 2) having a vertical folding axis rotates and the folding axis is substantially parallel to the ground, examples are not limited thereto. For example, for an electronic device having a horizontal folding axis (e.g., electronic device 260 of fig. 2), the state in which the electronic device is not rotated may be a state in which the folding axis is substantially parallel to the ground, and thus the processor of the electronic device (e.g., processor 540 of fig. 5) may determine such a state in which no rotation is in a desktop mode.

According to an exemplary embodiment, in state 901, icons of various applications may be located in first region 931 and second region 933. According to an example embodiment, as shown in state 901, in a state where the folding angle is within a predetermined range and the electronic device is in a desktop mode, for example, a processor of the electronic device (e.g., processor 540 of fig. 5) may reference attribute information of a notepad application. For example, attribute information for applications such as notepads and messages may be associated with input functions, and attribute information for applications such as media players and gallery may be associated with viewer functions.

According to an example embodiment, when it is determined that the electronic device is in a desktop mode in which the folding axis is substantially parallel to the ground, a processor of the electronic device (e.g., processor 540 of fig. 5) may arrange icons of applications according to application attribute information. For example, an icon 951 of a media player application may be positioned in a first area 931, an icon 911 of a notepad application and an icon 913 of a message application may be positioned in a second area 933.

According to an example embodiment, when it is determined in the state 903 that attribute information of an application receiving an execution input is associated with an input function by referring to the attribute information of the application, a processor (e.g., processor 540 of fig. 5) of the electronic device may determine a lower region with respect to the folding axis 920, out of the first region 931 and the second region 933, as a target region and provide an execution screen in the target region. According to an example embodiment, when an execution input for the notepad application 911 is received, the processor may provide the execution screen 940 in a second area 933, the second area 933 being a lower area with respect to the folding axis 920.

According to an example embodiment, when it is determined in state 903 that attribute information of an application (e.g., a media player application 951) that receives an execution input is associated with a viewer function, a processor of the electronic device may determine a first region 931, which is an upper region with respect to a folding axis 920, as a target region and provide an execution screen in the target region.

The location of the icon of the application previously located in the target area may be determined according to various embodiments as described above with reference to fig. 6 and 7.

According to an example embodiment, by sliding up in an area (e.g., first area 931) that is not a target area (not shown), an icon (e.g., icon 913 of a message application) of another application that was previously located in the target area (e.g., second area 933) in state 901 may appear. According to an example embodiment, an icon of an application may be scaled down in size and positioned in a region (e.g., first region 931) that is not a target region (not shown) along with icons of other applications (e.g., icons 951 of media player applications) that were previously located in a region (e.g., first region 931) that is not a target region.

According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 6, when an execution input 955 of another application (e.g., a media player application 951) is received after an execution screen 940 of a notepad application is provided in a target area (e.g., a second area 933) in state 903, an execution screen 960 of the corresponding application may be provided in an area (e.g., a first area 931) that is not the target area.

According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 7, even in the desktop mode, an area in which an icon of an application is dragged and dropped may be determined as a target area and an execution screen of the application may be provided in the target area (not shown).

According to example embodiments, as described above with reference to fig. 8, even in the desktop mode, a processor of an electronic device (e.g., the processor 540 of fig. 5) may provide an execution screen of an application that receives an execution input to an entire foldable display including the first region 931 and the second region 933, and may provide a notification that the execution screen is to be provided by overlaying a notification on any one (not shown) of the first region 931 and the second region 933. If there is user input for the notification within a predetermined period of time, an execution screen may be provided in the target area. When there is no user input for the notification for a predetermined period of time, the notification may disappear, and the execution screen may continue to be provided in the entire foldable display including the first region 931 and the second region 933.

The repetitive description of the contents described above with reference to fig. 9 regarding the desktop mode will be omitted from the contents described below with reference to fig. 10 to 12.

Referring to fig. 10, an example of providing multiple windows according to a change in a state of an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of fig. 1 or electronic device 500 of fig. 5) when the electronic device is in a desktop mode is shown.

According to an example embodiment, the electronic device may be in a state in which a foldable display (e.g., foldable display 520 of fig. 5) is folded with respect to a horizontal folding axis 1020 (e.g., folding axis 270 of fig. 2). The foldable display may be divided into a first region 1031 (e.g., the first region 331 of fig. 3 or the first region 521 of fig. 5) and a second region 1033 (e.g., the second region 333 of fig. 3 or the second region 523 of fig. 5) with respect to the folding axis 1020 of the hinge.

According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 5, when the folding axis 1020 is substantially parallel to the ground and the first region 1031 and the second region 1033 are divided into an upper region and a lower region by the folding axis 1020, a processor of the electronic device (e.g., the processor 540 of fig. 5) may determine that the electronic device is in a desktop mode.

According to example embodiments, icons of various applications may be arranged in the first area 1031 and the second area 1033. According to an example embodiment, in a state in which the folding angle is within a predetermined range and the electronic device is in the desktop mode, a processor of the electronic device (e.g., processor 540 of fig. 5) may refer to attribute information of a notepad application, for example. For example, attribute information for applications such as notepads and messages may be associated with input functions, and attribute information for applications such as media players and gallery may be associated with viewer functions.

According to an example embodiment, when an occurrence of a predetermined event (e.g., event 1050 of withdrawing a pen) is detected in an electronic device, a processor of the electronic device (e.g., processor 540 of fig. 5) may parse a target application having application attribute information associated with the event. For example, when an event 1050 to withdraw a pen is detected, the processor may parse a notepad application having application attribute information (e.g., input functions) associated with the event 1050 to withdraw the pen.

According to an example embodiment, the processor may provide the execution screen of the parsed application to the target region. According to an example embodiment, when the parsed application is a notepad application, the application attribute information may be associated with the input function, and thus the target region may be determined to be the second region 1033 with respect to the lower region of the folding axis 1020, as described above with reference to fig. 9. The processor may then provide an execution screen 1070 for the notepad application in the second area 1033.

According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 8, the execution screen 1070 of the notepad application may be completely provided in the entire foldable display including the first and second areas 1031 and 1033, and the notification of the execution screen to be provided in any one of the first and second areas 1031 and 1033 may be provided by overlaying the notification on the execution screen (not shown). In this case, if there is a user input for notification within a predetermined period of time, an execution screen may be provided in the target area. When there is no user input for the notification for a predetermined period of time, the notification may disappear, and the execution screen may continue to be provided throughout the foldable display including the first region 1031 and the second region 1033.

The location of the icons of the applications previously located in the target area may be implemented in different ways as described above with reference to fig. 6 and 7.

According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 9, when an execution input for another application (e.g., a clock application) is received after an execution screen 1070 of a notepad application is provided in a target area (e.g., the second area 1033), an execution screen (not shown) of a corresponding application may be provided in an area (e.g., the first area 1031) that is not the target area.

Referring to fig. 11, an example of controlling an execution screen of an application in states 1101, 1103, and 1105 when an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of fig. 1 or the electronic device 500 of fig. 5) is in a desktop mode is shown.

According to an example embodiment, in states 1101, 1103, and 1105, the foldable display may be divided into a first region 1131 and a second region 1133 by a folding axis. According to an example embodiment, in states 1101, 1103, and 1105, the electronic device may be in a desktop mode in which the fold axis is substantially parallel to the ground, and the first region 1131 and the second region 1133 are divided into an upper region and a lower region by the fold axis, as described above with reference to fig. 9. The contents described above with reference to fig. 1 to 10 will be omitted here.

According to example embodiments, in a state in which the folding angle is within a predetermined range and the electronic device is in a desktop mode, a processor of the electronic device (e.g., the processor 540 of fig. 5) may control an execution screen of an application being provided according to a change in the folding angle.

According to an example embodiment, in state 1101, the processor of the electronic device may detect folding angle 1112 as described above with respect to sensor module 530 of fig. 5. According to an example embodiment, when a user expands an electronic device (e.g., housing 1115) to increase a folding angle and then folds (e.g., housing 1125) to decrease the folding angle in state 1101, a processor of the electronic device may control an execution screen of an application being provided.

According to an example embodiment, the folding angle 1112 may become larger than the folding angle 1122 in case the user unfolds the electronic device to increase the folding angle 1115, and the folding angle 1122 may become smaller than the folding angle 1132 in case the user folds the electronic device to decrease the folding angle 1125.

According to an example embodiment, when a change in the folding angle from increasing (i.e., a change from state 1101 to state 1103) to decreasing (i.e., a change from state 1103 to state 1105) is detected, the processor may control the execution screen of the application being provided to scroll down. For example, the scroll bar 1110 in state 1101 may move downward past state 1103, as shown by scroll bar 1130 in state 1105.

Referring to fig. 12, an example of controlling an execution screen of an application in states 1201, 1203, and 1205 when an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of fig. 1 or electronic device 500 of fig. 5) is in a desktop mode is shown.

Fig. 12 shows an example in which the folding angle is variously changed in the same case as shown in fig. 11, and thus, a repetitive description of what has been described above with reference to fig. 11 will be omitted here.

According to an example embodiment, in state 1201, the processor of the electronic device may detect the fold angle 1212 as described above with respect to the sensor module 530 of fig. 5. According to an example embodiment, when a user folds an electronic device (e.g., housing 1215) to decrease the folding angle and then unfolds the electronic device (e.g., housing 1225) to increase the folding angle in state 1201, a processor of the electronic device may control an execution screen of an application being provided.

According to an example embodiment, the folding angle 1212 may become smaller as the folding angle 1222 in case 1215 the user folds the electronic device to decrease the folding angle, and the folding angle 1222 may become larger as the folding angle 1232 in case 1225 the user unfolds the electronic device to increase the folding angle.

According to an example embodiment, when a change in the folding angle from decreasing (i.e., a change from state 1201 to state 1203) to increasing (i.e., a change from state 1203 to state 1205) is detected, the processor may control the execution screen of the application being provided to scroll up. For example, the scroll bar 1210 in state 1201 may move upward through state 1203, as shown by scroll bar 1230 in state 1205.

According to an example embodiment, the operation of the processor is not limited to the example described above with reference to fig. 11 and 12, and the processor of the electronic device may differently control the execution screen according to a change in the folding angle. For example, although it has been described above with reference to fig. 11 that the processor controls the scroll bar to move downward when the folding angle increases and then decreases, and it has been described above with reference to fig. 12 that the processor controls the scroll bar to move upward when the folding angle decreases and then increases, the processor may control the screen to move in the opposite direction. According to an example embodiment, the processor may control an execution screen of the application being provided such that the scroll bar moves upward when a change in the folding angle from increasing to decreasing is detected, and moves downward when a change in the folding angle from decreasing to increasing is detected.

The contents described above with reference to fig. 1 to 12 will be omitted from the description provided below with reference to fig. 13 to 16.

According to an example embodiment, in operation 1310, a processor (e.g., processor 540 of fig. 5) of an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 500 of fig. 5) may detect a folding angle to determine whether it is within a predetermined range. As described above with reference to fig. 5, the processor may detect a folding angle formed between a first region (e.g., first region 521 of fig. 5) and a second region (e.g., second region 523 of fig. 5) of a foldable display (e.g., foldable display 520 of fig. 5) through a sensor module (e.g., sensor module 530 of fig. 5).

According to an example embodiment, in operation 1320, the processor may receive an execution input for an application while the electronic device is in a folded state. As described above with reference to fig. 5, execution input for an application may be received through an input module (e.g., input module 550 of fig. 5).

According to an example embodiment, in operation 1330, the processor may determine one of the first region and the second region of the foldable display as the target region. According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 6, the processor may determine an area where an icon of an application executing an input is received as a target area. According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 7, the processor may determine an area in which an icon of an application to be executed is dragged and then dropped as a target area. According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 9, in the case of the desktop mode, the processor may determine the target area based on attribute information of the application, which will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 14. According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 10, when a predetermined event occurs, the processor may parse an application having attribute information associated with the event and provide an execution screen of the application to a target area, which will be described in detail in fig. 15 below.

According to an example embodiment, the processor may provide an execution screen of the application to the target area in operation 1340. According to example embodiments, at least some of applications whose execution screen is not provided may be displayed in an area other than the target area. According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 8, the processor may provide an execution screen to the entire foldable display including the first region and the second region, and may provide an execution screen to a target region of one of the first region and the second region on a multi-window, the execution screen being overlaid with a notification that the execution screen is to be provided, which will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 16.

According to an example embodiment, when an execution input of a second application, which is another application, is received in operation 1350, the processor may provide an execution screen of the second application to an area other than the target area among the first area and the second area in operation 1360, as described above with reference to fig. 6.

According to an example embodiment, with respect to operation 1330 of the processor of the electronic device to determine the target area, fig. 14 shows a flowchart of related operations performed in the case of a desktop mode.

According to an example embodiment, in operation 1410, the processor may determine whether the electronic device is in a desktop mode. As described above with reference to fig. 5, a processor of the electronic device (e.g., processor 540 of fig. 5) may detect whether the folding axis is substantially parallel to the ground through a sensor module (e.g., sensor module 530 of fig. 5) and whether a first region (e.g., first region 521 of fig. 5) and a second region (e.g., second region 523 of fig. 5) of the foldable display (e.g., foldable display 520 of fig. 5) are divided into an upper region and a lower region by the folding axis and may be determined to be a desktop mode when the electronic device is in this state.

According to an example embodiment, when it is determined that the electronic device is in a desktop mode in operation 1410, the processor may determine that attribute information of an application executing the input is received in operation 1420. According to an example embodiment, the processor may determine that attribute information of an application executing the input is received, as described above with reference to fig. 9. For example, attribute information of applications such as notebooks and messages may be determined to be associated with input functions, and attribute information of applications such as media players and gallery may be determined to be associated with viewer functions.

According to one embodiment, when it is determined in operation 1420 that attribute information of an application (e.g., a media player application) that receives an execution input is associated with a viewer function, the processor may determine an upper region with respect to a folding axis, among the first region and the second region, as a target region in operation 1430.

According to an example embodiment, when it is determined in operation 1420 that attribute information of an application performing input is associated with an input function, the processor may determine a lower region with respect to a folding axis among the first region and the second region as a target region in operation 1440.

According to an example embodiment, fig. 15 shows a flowchart of related operations performed when a processor of an electronic device detects the occurrence of a predetermined event in the electronic device.

According to an example embodiment, the processor may determine whether the electronic device is in a desktop mode in operation 1410, as described above with reference to fig. 14.

According to an example embodiment, when it is determined that the electronic device is in the desktop mode in operation 1410, the processor may determine whether a predetermined event has occurred as an execution input in the electronic device in operation 1510. According to an example embodiment, the processor may detect the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g., withdraw the pen, as described above with reference to fig. 10.

According to an example embodiment, in operation 1520, the processor may parse an application having attribute information associated with the event. For example, when it is detected that the pen is removed, the processor may parse the notepad application having attribute information associated with the input function and determine a target area based on the attribute information, as described above with reference to fig. 14.

According to an example embodiment, fig. 16 shows a flowchart of related operations to provide notification icons with respect to an operation 1340 of a processor of an electronic device to provide an execution screen of an application.

According to an example embodiment, as described above with reference to fig. 8, in operation 1610, the processor may provide an execution screen of an application to the entire foldable display including the first area and the second area before providing the execution screen of the internet application to the target area.

According to an example embodiment, in operation 1620, when the execution screen is provided to the entire foldable display, the processor may provide a notification that the execution screen is to be provided to one of the first area and the second area by overlaying the notification on the execution screen.

According to an example embodiment, if there is a user input for a notification for a predetermined period of time in operation 1630, the processor may provide an execution screen of the application to a target area, which is one of the first area and the second area, in operation 1640. According to an example embodiment, user input for a notification may be received through an input module (e.g., input module 550 of fig. 5).

According to an example embodiment, when there is no user input for the notification for a predetermined period of time in operation 1630, the notification may disappear in operation 1635, and an execution screen of the application may be provided on a foldable display covering the entire first and second areas.

According to an example embodiment, the electronic apparatus 500 may include: a hinge 510 configured to cause the electronic device 500 to fold or unfold; a foldable display 520 provided on at least one side of the electronic device 500 such that the electronic device 500 is folded or unfolded about the hinge 510; a processor 540 configured to control an output screen of the foldable display 520; a sensor module 530 configured to detect a folding angle of the electronic device 500; and an input module 550 for making a touch input to the foldable display 520, wherein the foldable display 510 may include a first region 521 disposed at one side with respect to the hinge 510 and a second region 523 disposed at the other side.

According to an example embodiment, when an execution input of an application is received in a state where a folding angle is within a predetermined range (e.g., operation 1310) (e.g., operation 1320), the processor 540 may provide an execution screen of the application to a target area that is one of the first area 521 and the second area 523 (e.g., operation 1340) (e.g., operation 1330).

According to an example embodiment, when an execution input for a second application different from the application is received while an execution screen of the application is provided (e.g., operation 1340) in a state in which a folding angle is within a predetermined range (e.g., operation 1350), the processor 540 may provide the execution screen of the second application to an area other than the target area among the first area 521 and the second area 523 (e.g., operation 1360).

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may determine an area where icons of applications in the first area 521 and the second area 523 are located as a target area.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may determine an area in which icons of applications in the first area 521 and the second area 523 are dragged and dropped as a target area.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may provide an execution screen of the application to the entire foldable display 520 including the first area 521 and the second area 523 (e.g., operation 1610).

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may provide a notification that an execution screen of an application is to be provided to one of the first area 521 and the second area 523 by overlaying the notification on the execution screen of the application (e.g., operation 1620).

According to an example embodiment, if there is user input for the notification for a predetermined period of time (e.g., operation 1630), the processor 540 may provide an execution screen of the application to the target area (e.g., step 1640).

According to an example embodiment, when the electronic device 500 is in a desktop mode in which the folding axis of the hinge 510 is substantially parallel to the ground (e.g., operation 1410), the processor 540 may refer to the attribute information of the application that received the execution input (e.g., operation 1420).

According to an example embodiment, when determining that the attribute information is associated with the input function, the processor 540 may determine a lower region with respect to the folding axis among the first region 521 and the second region 523 as a target region (e.g., operation 1440).

According to an example embodiment, when determining that the attribute information is associated with the viewer function, the processor 540 may determine an upper region with respect to the folding axis among the first region 521 and the second region 523 as a target region (e.g., operation 1430).

According to an example embodiment, when the occurrence of a predetermined event is detected in the electronic apparatus 500 (e.g., operation 1510), the processor 540 may parse a target application having attribute information associated with the event (e.g., step 1520), and may provide an execution screen of the target application to a target region.

According to an example embodiment, the processor 540 may control an execution screen of the application according to a change in the folding angle detected by the sensor module 550.

Claims

1. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising:

a hinge configured to enable the electronic device to be folded or unfolded;

a foldable display disposed on at least one side of the electronic device such that the electronic device can be folded or unfolded about the hinge;

a processor configured to control an output screen of the foldable display;

a sensor module configured to detect a folding angle of the electronic device; and

an input module for a touch input applied to the foldable display,

wherein the foldable display comprises a first region disposed on one side of the hinge and a second region disposed on the other side of the hinge, an

Wherein the processor is further configured to:

when an execution input for an application is received in a state where the folding angle is within a predetermined range, an execution screen of the application is provided to a target area, which is one of the first area and the second area.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

when an execution input for a second application different from the application is received while an execution screen of the application is provided in a state in which the folding angle is within the predetermined range, the execution screen of the second application is provided to an area other than the target area among the first area and the second area.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

and determining the area where the icon of the application is located in the first area and the second area as the target area.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

and determining a region in which the icon of the application is dragged and dropped out of the first region and the second region as the target region.

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

providing an execution screen of the application to the entire foldable display including the first region and the second region;

providing a notification by overlaying the notification on an execution screen of the application, the notification being that the execution screen of the application can be provided to one of the first area and the second area; and

providing an execution screen of the application to the target area if there is user input for the notification for a predetermined period of time.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein when the electronic device is in a desktop mode in which the hinge's fold axis is substantially parallel to the ground, the processor is further configured to:

in response to receiving an execution input for the application, referring to attribute information of the application,

if it is determined that the attribute information is associated with an input function, determining a lower region with respect to the folding axis among the first region and the second region as the target region, and

if it is determined that the attribute information is associated with a viewer function, an upper region with respect to the folding axis among the first region and the second region is determined as the target region.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

when the occurrence of a predetermined event is detected in the electronic device, parsing a target application having attribute information associated with the event, and

and providing an execution picture of the target application for the target area.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

an execution screen of the application is controlled according to the change of the folding angle detected by the sensor module.

9. A control method of controlling an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a hinge configured to enable the electronic device to be folded or unfolded; a foldable display disposed on at least one side of the electronic device such that the electronic device can be folded or unfolded about the hinge; a processor configured to control an output screen of the foldable display; a sensor module configured to detect a folding angle of the electronic device, and an input module for a touch input applied to the foldable display, the foldable display including a first region disposed at one side of the hinge and a second region disposed at the other side of the hinge, the control method comprising:

10. The control method according to claim 9, the control method further comprising:

when an execution input for a second application different from the application is received while an execution screen of the application is being provided in a state in which the folding angle is within the predetermined range, the execution screen of the second application is provided to an area other than the target area among the first area and the second area.

11. The control method according to claim 9, the control method further comprising:

12. The control method of claim 9, wherein when the electronic device is in a desktop mode in which the hinge fold axis is substantially parallel to the ground, the method further comprises:

in response to receiving an execution input for the application, referencing attribute information of the application;

determining a lower region with respect to the folding axis among the first region and the second region as the target region if it is determined that the attribute information is associated with an input function; and

13. The control method according to claim 12, the control method further comprising:

when the occurrence of a predetermined event is detected in the electronic device, resolving a target application having attribute information associated with the event; and

14. The control method according to claim 12, the control method further comprising:

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for controlling operation of an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a hinge configured to enable the electronic device to be folded or unfolded; a foldable display disposed on at least one side of the electronic device such that the electronic device can be folded or unfolded about the hinge; a processor configured to control an output screen of the foldable display; a sensor module configured to detect a folding angle of the electronic device, and an input module for a touch input applied to the foldable display, the foldable display including a first region disposed on one side of the hinge and a second region disposed on the other side of the hinge, the program, when executed by the processor, configured to cause the electronic device to:

when an execution input for an application is received in a state where the folding angle is within a predetermined range, providing an execution screen of the application to a target area, the target area being one of the first area and the second area; and