KR102159592B1 - Mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal including a flexible display unit, wherein the mobile terminal includes a flexible display unit configured to be bent by an external force between a first state and a second state having different radius of curvature, and the flexible display unit is configured to be bent. A sensing unit that senses and outputs an execution screen of an application in the first state to the flexible display unit, and when the flexible display unit is bent from the first state to the second state, another execution screen is displayed together with the execution screen. And a control unit outputting to the flexible display unit.

Description

Mobile terminal {MOBILE TERMINAL}

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal including a flexible display unit.

Terminals can be divided into mobile/portable terminals and stationary terminals depending on whether or not they can move. Again, the mobile terminal can be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether the user can directly carry it.

As functions are diversified, such a terminal is being implemented in the form of a multimedia player with complex functions such as, for example, taking pictures or videos, playing music or video files, playing games, and receiving broadcasts. . In order to support and increase the function of the terminal, it may be considered to improve the structural part and/or the software part of the terminal.

In general, terminals are evolving into various types of designs, and accordingly, flexible displays are attracting attention because of their lightweight and unbreakable characteristics. The flexible display can create a new user interface area that has been limited or impossible to apply to the existing glass substrate-based display.

In addition, as the flexible display is attracting attention as described above, the need for a new input method using the characteristics of the flexible display is emerging.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal capable of inputting a control command using bending or bending of a flexible display unit, and a control method thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal that performs control related to different applications using bending or bending of a flexible display unit.

A mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a flexible display unit configured to be bent by an external force between a first state and a second state having different radiuses of curvature, and a sensing unit that detects the bending of the flexible display unit, and In the first state, an execution screen of the application is output to the flexible display unit, and when the flexible display unit is bent from the first state to the second state, another execution screen is output to the flexible display unit together with the execution screen. It includes a control unit.

In one embodiment, a single execution screen is output in the first state, and a plurality of execution screens is output in the second state. The first state may be a state in which the display area of the flexible display unit is flat, and the second state may be a state in which the display area is curved.

In an embodiment, an execution screen output in the first state is formed parallel to the flexible display unit, and a plurality of execution screens output in the second state is formed to be inclined with respect to the flexible display unit. Borders of the plurality of execution screens output in the second state may be spaced apart from each other.

In an embodiment, the sensing unit is configured to detect inclination of the flexible display unit, and when the flexible display unit is inclined in the second state, the size of execution screens output in the second state is changed. The degree of change of the size of the execution screens may vary according to the degree of inclination of the flexible display unit. The change in size may be performed in conjunction with a change in inclination degree of the output execution screens.

In an embodiment, the sensing unit is configured to detect an inclination of the flexible display unit, and when the flexible display unit is inclined in the second state, execution screens output in the second state are in different shapes according to the inclined direction. Is changed to.

In one embodiment, when the flexible display unit is inclined in a first direction, the size of execution screens output in the second state is changed, and when the flexible display unit is inclined in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the In the second state, information related to the execution screen is output to virtual layers on which the execution screens have been displayed.

In one embodiment, when a touch input moving in one direction is applied to the plurality of execution screens output in the second state, the execution screen to which the touch input is applied and the virtual layer on which the execution screen to which the input is applied are output are applied. Related information is displayed. The virtual layer is formed to be inclined with respect to the flexible display unit, and the degree of inclination may be changed using a moving direction of the touch input.

In one embodiment, in the first state, a single execution screen is output to the flexible display unit, in the second state, the flexible display unit is divided into a plurality of regions, and a plurality of execution screens are provided in the plurality of regions. Each is output. The plurality of regions includes a central region and an edge region of the flexible display unit, an execution screen of an application driven in the first state is displayed in the central region, and an execution screen different from the execution screen is displayed in the edge region. Can be. When a touch input moving in one direction is applied to the edge region, information related to the execution screens may be output to at least one of the center region and the edge region. A photographic image may be output to the central region, and a next image of the photographic image may be output to the edge region.

In an embodiment, when the flexible display unit is bent from the first state to the second state, an execution screen of another application is output to the flexible display unit together with the execution screen of the application.

In addition, the present invention provides a flexible display unit configured to be bent by an external force between a first state and a second state having different radius of curvature, and whether the state of the flexible display unit corresponds to the first state or the second state. To determine, a sensing unit that detects the bending of the flexible display unit, and outputs visual information to the flexible display unit using a single virtual layer in the first state, and uses a plurality of virtual layers in the second state Thus, a mobile terminal including a control unit for partitioning the flexible display unit is disclosed.

In one embodiment, in the first state, when the execution screen of the application is output to the single virtual layer, and when the flexible display unit is bent from the first state to the second state, together with the execution screen of the application, Information related to other applications is output to the plurality of virtual layers.

The mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention may execute a control command for changing the number of information output on the flexible display unit by using the bending characteristic of the flexible display unit. Accordingly, the user can easily select the output information by applying or not applying an external force to the flexible display unit.

In addition, the mobile terminal of the present invention can generate a new control command by using the bending and tilting of the flexible display unit. Accordingly, a user can easily use a function performed by bending and a continuous function.

1 is a block diagram showing a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A and 2B are conceptual diagrams for explaining a flexible display unit included in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of outputting event information in response to bending of a flexible display unit in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the control method of FIG. 3 as viewed above.
5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a control method using a bending characteristic of a flexible display unit in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 and 7 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a control method using bending and tilting characteristics of a flexible display unit in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a control method using a flexure of a flexible display unit and a touch input in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a control method using a flexure of a flexible display unit and a touch input in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a control method using a bending characteristic of a flexible display unit in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.
11 to 13 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a method of controlling bending of a flexible display unit and using a touch input in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but identical or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used interchangeably in consideration of only the ease of preparation of the specification, and do not have meanings or roles that are distinguished from each other by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, when it is determined that a detailed description of related known technologies may obscure the subject matter of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings are for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification and should not be construed as limiting the technical idea disclosed in the present specification by the accompanying drawings.

Mobile terminals described in the present specification include mobile phones, smart phones, laptop computers, digital broadcasting terminals, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), navigation systems, and Slate PCs. , Tablet PC, Ultra Book, etc. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiment described in the present specification may also be applied to a fixed terminal such as a digital TV or a desktop computer, except when applicable only to a mobile terminal.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile terminal according to an embodiment disclosed in the present specification.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio/video (A/V) input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, and an interface. The unit 170, the control unit 180, and the power supply unit 190 may be included. Since the components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, a mobile terminal having more components or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules that enable wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and a wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and a network in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short-range communication module 114, and a location information module 115. .

The broadcast reception module 111 receives a broadcast signal and/or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may mean a server that generates and transmits a broadcast signal and/or broadcast-related information, or a server that receives and transmits a previously-generated broadcast signal and/or broadcast-related information to a terminal. The broadcast signal may include not only a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, and a data broadcast signal, but also a broadcast signal in a form in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast related information may mean information related to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or a broadcast service provider. The broadcast-related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast-related information may exist in various forms. For example, it may exist in the form of an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or an Electronic Service Guide (ESG) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

The broadcast receiving module 111 includes, for example, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), Media Forward Link Only (MediaFLO), and Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB-H). -Handheld), ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial), and other digital broadcasting systems can be used to receive digital broadcasting signals. Of course, the broadcast reception module 111 may be configured to be suitable for not only the digital broadcasting system described above, but also other broadcasting systems.

The broadcast signal and/or broadcast related information received through the broadcast reception module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives a radio signal with at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include a voice call signal, a video call signal, or various types of data according to transmission/reception of text/multimedia messages.

The mobile communication module 112 is configured to implement a video call mode and a voice call mode. The video call mode refers to a state in which a call is made while viewing the video of the other party, and the voice call mode refers to a state in which a call is made without viewing the image of the other party. In order to implement the video call mode and the voice call mode, the mobile communication module 112 is formed to transmit and receive at least one of audio and video.

The wireless Internet module 113 refers to a module for wireless Internet access, and may be built-in or external to the mobile terminal 100. As a wireless Internet technology, WLAN (Wireless LAN) (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), and the like may be used.

The short-range communication module 114 refers to a module for short-range communication. As short range communication technology, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like may be used.

The location information module 115 is a module for obtaining a location of a mobile terminal, and a representative example thereof is a Global Position System (GPS) module.

Referring to FIG. 1, an A/V (Audio/Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes an image frame such as a still image or a video obtained by an image sensor in a video call mode or a photographing mode. The processed image frame may be displayed on the display unit 151.

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. Two or more cameras may be provided depending on the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal by a microphone in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like and processes it as electrical voice data. In the case of a call mode, the processed voice data may be converted into a format that can be transmitted to a mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 and output. Various noise removal algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for the user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad (positive pressure/static power), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 detects the current state of the mobile terminal 100, such as an open/closed state of the mobile terminal 100, the position of the mobile terminal 100, the presence of user contact, the orientation of the mobile terminal, and acceleration/deceleration of the mobile terminal. Thus, a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100 is generated. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. In addition, it is also possible to sense whether the power supply unit 190 supplies power or whether the interface unit 170 is coupled to an external device.

The output unit 150 is for generating an output related to visual, auditory or tactile sense, and may include a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, a haptic module 154, and the like. have.

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in a call mode, a user interface (UI) or a graphical user interface (GUI) related to a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in a video call mode or a photographing mode, a photographed or/and received image, UI, or GUI is displayed.

The display unit 151 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), and a flexible display. display), a 3D display, and an e-ink display.

Some of these displays may be configured as a transparent type or a light-transmitting type so that the outside can be seen through them. This may be referred to as a transparent display, and a representative example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparant OLED). The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be configured as a light transmission type structure. With this structure, the user can see an object located behind the terminal body through an area occupied by the display unit 151 of the terminal body.

Two or more display units 151 may exist depending on the implementation form of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display units may be spaced apart or integrally disposed on one surface, or may be disposed on different surfaces.

When the display unit 151 and a sensor for detecting a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as'touch sensor') form a mutual layer structure (hereinafter, referred to as'touch screen'), the display unit 151 It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or a capacitance generated at a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor may be configured to detect not only a touched position and area, but also a pressure at the time of touch.

When there is a touch input to the touch sensor, a signal(s) corresponding thereto is transmitted to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal(s) and then transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. As a result, the controller 180 can know whether an area of the display unit 151 is touched.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor may be disposed in an inner area of a mobile terminal surrounded by the touch screen or near the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or an object existing in the vicinity using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays without mechanical contact. Proximity sensors have a longer lifespan and higher utilization than contact sensors.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor, a capacitive type proximity sensor, a magnetic type proximity sensor, an infrared proximity sensor, and the like. When the touch screen is capacitive, it is configured to detect the proximity of the pointer by a change in an electric field according to the proximity of the pointer. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, an action of allowing a pointer (or a touch object) to be adjacent to the touch screen without contacting and to recognize that the pointer is located on the touch screen is referred to as “proximity touch”. And the act of actually contacting the pointer on the touch screen is referred to as "contact touch". A position at which a proximity touch is performed by a pointer on the touch screen means a position at which the pointer corresponds vertically to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (eg, a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, etc.). Information corresponding to the sensed proximity touch operation and proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The sound output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signal reception, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like. The sound output module 152 also outputs sound signals related to functions (eg, call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. The sound output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events occurring in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, and touch input. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in a form other than a video signal or an audio signal, for example, by vibration. The video signal or audio signal may also be output through the display unit 151 or the sound output module 152, so that they 151 and 152 may be classified as a part of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that a user can feel. A typical example of the tactile effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of the vibration generated by the haptic module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or may be sequentially output.

In addition to vibration, the haptic module 154 is used for stimulation such as an arrangement of pins that move vertically with respect to the contact skin surface, a blowing force or suction force of air through a jet or inlet, a grazing on the skin surface, contact of an electrode, and electrostatic force It can generate various tactile effects, such as the effect by the effect and the effect by reproducing the feeling of coolness using an endothermic or heat generating element.

The haptic module 154 may not only transmit a tactile effect through direct contact, but may also be implemented so that a user can feel the tactile effect through muscle sensations such as a finger or an arm. Two or more haptic modules 154 may be provided depending on the configuration aspect of the mobile terminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and may temporarily store input/output data (eg, a phone book, a message, a still image, a video, etc.). The memory 160 may store data related to vibrations and sounds of various patterns output when a touch input on the touch screen is performed.

The memory 160 is a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), and RAM. (random access memory; RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), magnetic memory, magnetic It may include at least one type of storage medium among a disk and an optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in connection with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 over the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a passage for all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or receives power and transmits it to each component inside the mobile terminal 100, or transmits data inside the mobile terminal 100 to an external device. For example, a wired/wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired/wireless data port, a memory card port, a port to connect a device equipped with an identification module, an audio input/output (I/O) port, A video input/output (I/O) port, an earphone port, etc. may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip that stores various types of information for authenticating use rights of the mobile terminal 100, and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identification module (SIM), and a universal user authentication module ( Universal subscriber identity module (USIM), etc. may be included. A device equipped with an identification module (hereinafter,'identification device') may be manufactured in the form of a smart card. Therefore, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit 170 serves as a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100, or various commands input from the cradle by a user. It may be a path through which signals are transmitted to the mobile terminal. Various command signals or the power input from the cradle may be operated as signals for recognizing that the mobile terminal is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The controller 180 generally controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, it performs related control and processing for voice calls, data communication, and video calls. The controller 180 may also include a multimedia module 181 for playing multimedia. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the controller 180 or may be implemented separately from the controller 180.

In addition, the controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process capable of recognizing handwriting input or drawing input performed on the touch screen as characters and images, respectively.

In addition, when the state of the mobile terminal satisfies a set condition, the controller 180 may execute a locked state that limits input of a user's control command to applications. In addition, the controller 180 may control the lock screen displayed in the locked state based on a touch input sensed through the display unit (hereinafter referred to as'touch screen' 151) in the locked state.

The power supply unit 190 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 to supply power necessary for the operation of each component.

Various embodiments described herein may be implemented in a recording medium that can be read by a computer or a similar device using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

According to hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein include application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). , Processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electric units for performing other functions may be used. In some cases, the embodiments described in this specification may be implemented by the controller 180 itself.

According to software implementation, embodiments such as procedures and functions described herein may be implemented as separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more functions and operations described herein.

The software code is a software application written in an appropriate programming language, and the software code can be implemented. The software code may be stored in the memory 160 and executed by the controller 180.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, information processed by the mobile terminal 100 may be displayed using a flexible display. Hereinafter, together with the accompanying drawings, the flexible display unit will be described in more detail. 2A and 2B are conceptual diagrams for explaining a flexible display unit included in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in (a) and (b) of Fig. 2a, the flexible display unit 151 is a display that can be bent, bent, twistable, foldable, and rollable by an external force. Includes. Here, the flexible display unit 151 may include both a general flexible display and an electronic paper.

Here, a general flexible display refers to a light and unbreakable durable display manufactured on a thin and flexible substrate that can be bent, bent, foldable or rolled like paper while maintaining the display characteristics of a conventional flat panel display.

In addition, e-paper is a display technology to which characteristics of general ink are applied, and the point of using reflected light may be different from that of general flat panel displays. E-paper can change pictures or characters by using a twist ball or electrophoresis using a capsule.

Meanwhile, the terminal includes a sensing unit 181 (refer to FIG. 1) along with the flexible display unit 151 to detect the bending information of the flexible display unit 151. In the present specification, the word “bending” may include all the meanings of “bending”, “curling”, “folding”, “bending”, and “twisting”.

The sensing unit 181 may be entirely or partially disposed on the flexible display unit 151, and may detect bending information of the flexible display unit 151. Here, the bending information of the flexible display unit 151 may include a direction in which the flexible display unit 151 is bent, a degree of bending, a bent position, a bending time, an acceleration at which the bent flexible display unit returns to its original state, and the like. It may be various pieces of information detectable due to the bending of the flexible display unit.

In a state in which the flexible display unit 151 is not bent (for example, a state having an infinite radius of curvature, hereinafter referred to as a first state), the display area of the flexible display unit becomes a flat surface. In a state that is bent by an external force in the first state (for example, a state having a finite radius of curvature, hereinafter referred to as a second state), the display area may be a curved surface.

The sensing unit 181 may be formed to detect inclination of the flexible display unit 151. As such an example, the sensing unit 181 may include an acceleration sensor (or a gyro sensor). That is, when the flexible display unit 151 is inclined in the first state and the second state, the detection unit detects it.

In addition, the controller 180 may change information displayed on the flexible display unit 151 or change the information displayed on the flexible display unit 151 based on at least one of the bending information and the tilt information of the flexible display unit detected by the detection unit 181. It is possible to generate control signals to control functions.

For example, as shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 2A, when the flexible display unit 151 is bent in response to an external force, the controller 180 may be According to the angle and the acceleration of returning back to the original state, the screen image previously displayed on the flexible display unit 151 may be converted into another screen image.

As an example, as shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 2A, when the flexible display unit 151 is bent inward by an external force, the controller 180 is displayed on the flexible display unit 151. Screen images can be displayed in close proximity to each other. In addition, on the contrary, when the flexible display unit 151 is bent outward due to an external physical force, screen images displayed on the flexible display unit 151 may be displayed to be spaced apart from each other.

Meanwhile, the mobile terminal according to the present invention including the flexible display unit 151 may include a case 200 surrounding the flexible display unit 151 as illustrated in FIG. 2B. The case 200 is formed to form a space in which hardware such as the sensing unit 181 is accommodated. In addition, the case 200 may be formed to be bent together with the flexible display unit 151 by an external force in consideration of the characteristics of the flexible display unit 151.

Meanwhile, as mentioned above, the controller 180 may generate a control signal related to a function of the mobile terminal according to the present invention in response to the bending information of the flexible display unit.

As such an example, the following describes a control method in which the flexible display unit outputs information to a single virtual layer, and then outputs information to a plurality of virtual layers in response to the bending of the flexible display unit.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method in response to bending of a flexible display unit in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the control method of FIG. 3 described above.

First, visual information is output to the flexible display unit using a single virtual layer (or layer) in the first state (S210). The visual information output to the virtual layer may be an execution screen of an application.

Here, the virtual layer is an expression of functions or areas that are equally controlled at the same level in software. For example, the controller 180 may map different virtual layers to each of the plurality of regions so that control signals corresponding to different functions may be generated for each of the plurality of regions. Also, in the virtual layer, an execution screen is not currently displayed on the flexible display unit, but an application capable of immediately outputting an execution screen by a user's manipulation may be set.

As a more specific example, multi-layers may be respectively assigned to multi-screens, multi-applications, and multi-functions in one application. As an example of multiple functions in one application, when different web pages are displayed in a web browser, the web pages may be output on different virtual layers.

Referring to FIG. 4A, an execution screen of an application is displayed on the flexible display unit, which is output to the first virtual layer 261. Other applications previously driven by the user may be designated in the second virtual layer 262 and the third virtual layer 263.

For example, the other applications may be applications that are multi-tasked together with an application for which an execution screen is currently output on the flexible display unit. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the other applications may be applications that have been driven and terminated by a user before driving an application for which an execution screen is currently output on the flexible display unit. In addition, the other applications may be set so as not to output an execution screen to the flexible display unit unless a separate execution command is input.

Next, the detection unit 181 (see FIG. 1) detects the bending of the flexible display unit 151 (see FIG. 2A) (S220).

Here, the bending is performed by an external force applied on the flexible display unit 151, and the external force may be applied by a user or an object other than the user.

When the flexible display unit 151 is bent from a first state to a second state, the controller 180 may control the detection unit 181 to detect the bending of the flexible display unit 151.

On the other hand, in the step S220, when the bending of the flexible display unit 151 is detected, the controller 180 partitions the flexible display unit using a plurality of virtual layers 261, 262, 263 in the second state (S230). ).

The controller 180 can control the flexible display unit 151 to use the plurality of virtual layers 261, 262, 263 only when the bending of the flexible display unit 151 corresponds to a preset criterion. have. Here, the preset criterion is based on user selection or terminal setting, and the preset criterion may be related to at least one of the bending speed, number of times, position, direction, and holding time of the flexible display unit 151. have. In addition, the preset criterion may be that the bending of the flexible display unit 151 is maintained for a preset time or longer.

As another example, when the flexible display unit 151 is bent, information related to the preset reference may be output to the flexible display unit 151. As a more specific example, when the bending of the flexible display unit 151 is maintained for more than a preset time, information on the actual holding time is displayed using various images (eg, hourglass, clock, etc.) or text. Can be represented.

Referring to FIG. 4B, in the second state, execution screens of applications corresponding to the first to third virtual layers 261, 262, and 263 are displayed on the flexible display unit 151, respectively. The plurality of execution screens output in the second state may be formed such that respective boundary lines are spaced apart from each other.

In this way, the control unit outputs the execution screen of the application to the flexible display unit 151 in the first state, and when the flexible display unit 151 is bent from the first state to the second state, A function of outputting another execution screen to the flexible display unit 151 is performed.

That is, the controller 180 determines whether to set the flexible display unit 151 as a single layer 261 or a plurality of virtual layers 261 according to whether or not bending of the flexible display unit 151 is detected or not. 262, 263). As a more specific example, by using the virtual layers 261, 262, 263, a single execution screen is output in the first state, and a plurality of execution screens is output in the second state. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and visual information may not be output to some of the virtual layers 261, 262, and 263 in the second state.

In addition, in the second state, some of the virtual layers 261, 262, 263 may be set to a state before execution of a specific function or application. In the pre-execution state, a list of applications related to the application executed in the first state may be output or a list of default applications set by the user may be output. As another example, a list of frequently used applications may be displayed. In this case, when the user selects a corresponding function or application, the selected function or application may be executed.

An execution screen output in the first state may be formed in parallel with the flexible display unit 151, and a plurality of execution screens output in the second state may be formed to be inclined with respect to the flexible display unit 151. . That is, the virtual layers 261, 262, and 263 have an inclined display area.

As described above, as the number of information output on the flexible display unit 151 is changed according to the state of the flexible display unit 151, the user uses the bending characteristic to provide information output to the flexible display unit 151 Can be easily selected.

Further, in the first state, the controller 180 may not output the multi-information even when the flexible display unit 151 is warped. For example, if the user does not intend to display multi-information, the function may be limited by user setting. That is, the control method of the present invention can be selectively performed by user setting. In addition, when the controller 180 changes from the first state to the second state, a message indicating that the output information is set to be changed may be displayed on the flexible display unit 151 using a pop-up window.

Meanwhile, in the above embodiment, it has been described that a plurality of execution screens output in the second state correspond to a plurality of layers, respectively, but the present invention may not be limited thereto. That is, the plurality of execution screens output in the second state may be images output on the same layer.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the control method will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a control method using a bending characteristic of a flexible display unit in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5A, a first web page output by driving a web browser in a first state is displayed on the flexible display unit 151. When the user applies an external force to the terminal in the first state, the flexible display unit 151 is bent and changes to the second state.

Referring to FIG. 5B, in the second state, execution screens of the web browser corresponding to the first to third virtual layers 261, 262, and 263 are displayed on the flexible display unit 151, respectively. More specifically, the first to third web pages are sequentially displayed on the flexible display unit 151. The second and third web pages may be web pages that have been output to the flexible display unit 151 by a user's input before driving the current web browser. In this case, as illustrated, in the second state, the first web page may be output on the center of the flexible display unit 151 and the second and third web pages may be output to the left and right. The output order may be set by user selection.

In the second state, all of the first to third web pages may be displayed in an inclined form. Accordingly, the first web page is output in a form parallel to the flexible display unit 151 in the first state, and is converted to an inclined state in the second state. Due to the inclination, a three-dimensional effect is given to the first to third web pages, and a spaced area may be formed between each of the web pages. At this time, the screen of the home screen page may be output in the spaced area. In addition, a background screen set by a user may be output to the spaced area.

In addition, the controller 180 may differently control the degree of inclination of the web pages according to the bending speed of the flexible display unit 151.

Referring to FIG. 5C, when the external force applied to the terminal in the second state is removed, the flexible display unit 151 is restored to the first state again. In this case, any one of the first to third web pages that have been output to the flexible display unit 151 in the second state may be output alone in the first state. The object to be displayed alone can be designated by the user. For example, when switching to the first state after touching any one of the first to third web pages (for example, the second web page) in the second state, the touched web page (for example, For example, the second web page) is displayed alone. As another example, when one of the first to third web pages (for example, the second web page) is touched in the second state, the web page touched in the second state may be output alone.

In addition, the controller 180 may use a bending of the flexible display unit in addition to a method of selecting a web page to be output alone in the first state through a touch input. For example, in the second state, the user may select any one of the web pages by applying a bending force on the flexible display unit 151 more than a preset number of times.

Meanwhile, the controller 180 may display the selected webpage among webpages in the second state to be distinguished from other webpages. Here, the method of displaying the selected web page to be distinguished may be variously performed such as enlargement or reduction of the selected web page, color change, flicker display, transparency change, etc., and this may be expressed as'highlighting' the selected execution screen.

As such, the controller 180 can temporarily provide multi-information to a user by using the plurality of layers 261, 262, and 263 only in a state where the flexible display unit 151 is bent. Through this, the user can quickly receive other information only when the flexible display unit is bent without stopping the function being used on the terminal in the first state, and then use the function that is originally used again.

On the other hand, the controller 180 continues to display the multi-information on the flexible display unit 151 even if the bending of the flexible display unit 151 is restored to its original state (first state) based on a user's selection or a terminal setting. Thus, it is possible to control the flexible display unit 151 to be output. Further, in this case, even if the bending of the flexible display unit 151 is not restored, when a preset time elapses, the controller 180 may terminate the output of the multi-information.

In addition, the terminal of the present example may perform a new control command by inclining the flexible display unit 151. Hereinafter, the control command due to the inclination will be described in more detail.

6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a control method using a bending and tilting characteristic of a flexible display unit in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

According to FIG. 6A, in the second state, all of the first to third web pages are displayed in an inclined form. At this time, the terminal is in a state that is approximately horizontal with respect to the ground, which can be detected by the sensing unit 181 (see FIG. 1).

In this case, when the flexible display unit 151 is inclined in the second state, the size of execution screens output in the second state is changed (see FIG. 6B). For example, the degree of change of the size of the execution screens varies according to the degree of inclination of the flexible display unit 151. The change in size is performed in conjunction with a change in the inclination of the output execution screens. That is, if the user tilts the terminal laterally, the inclination degree of the first to third web pages changes and the size of execution screens changes.

As a specific example, when the web pages are inclined by approximately 30 degrees (a=30 degrees) as in FIG. 6 (c) than when they are inclined by approximately 15 degrees (a=15 degrees) as shown in FIG. 6(b), The size becomes larger. As the size of web pages increases and the degree of inclination decreases, the boundaries of each web page may come into contact with the boundary of adjacent web pages.

In addition, when the flexible display unit 151 is restored to the first state in the state of FIG. 6C in which the flexible display unit 151 is bent and inclined, only one of the web pages may be output to the flexible display unit again.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and only one of the web pages may be output to the flexible display unit 151 again even when the flexible display unit 151 is inclined or not bent by removing external force. have. As another example, when the flexible display unit 151 is bent and inclined, if only the bending is removed, a state in which a plurality of web pages are displayed in the second state may be maintained.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a control method using a bending and tilting characteristic of a flexible display unit in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, the detection unit 181 (see FIG. 1) is configured to detect the inclination of the flexible display unit 151, and when the flexible display unit 151 is inclined in the second state, the output in the second state The execution screens change into different shapes depending on the direction in which they are tilted.

The execution screen output in the second state may include the execution screen output in the first state. In addition, the execution screen output in the second state is the execution screen of the application currently multitasking on the mobile terminal, or the execution screen that has been output on the flexible display unit 151 before the execution screen output in the first state is output. I can. Also, the execution screen output in the second state may be an execution screen of an application that is related to an application corresponding to the execution screen output in the first state.

Meanwhile, the number of execution screens output in the second state may be variously changed depending on the case.

Referring to FIG. 7A, in the second state, all execution screens are displayed in an inclined form. In this example, execution screens may be a web page, a photo image of a gallery, and a music control screen. Accordingly, the first application may be a web browser, the second application may be an application related to the output of a photo image (eg, a gallery application), and the third application may be an application related to music playback. At this time, the terminal is in a state that is approximately horizontal with respect to the ground, which can be detected by the sensing unit 181 (see FIG. 1).

In this case, when the flexible display unit 151 is inclined in the first direction in the second state, the size of the execution screens output in the second state is changed (see FIG. 7B). To change the size of execution screens, the example described above with reference to FIG. 6 may be applied, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In contrast, referring to (c) of FIG. 7, when the flexible display unit 151 is inclined in a second direction in the second state, the virtual layers 261 in which the execution screens have been displayed in the second state, Information related to the execution screen is output to 262 and 263. Here, the second direction may be a rotational direction opposite to the first direction.

As a more specific example, an icon 252 indicating that the web page is a bookmarked web page may be displayed on the web page. In this case, while the output of the web page is maintained, only the icon 252 may be additionally displayed while overlapping the web page.

As another example, information related to a photo may be output on a photo image. In this case, the photographic image is flipped and detailed information related to the photograph may be output. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and detailed information may be displayed while additionally overlapping on the photo while maintaining the output of the photo image like a web page. The detailed information may be information such as a title, a place, and a date, and may be information input by a user.

As another example, keys for controlling playback (e.g., a play key (PLAY), a stop key (STOP), a fast forward key (FF), a rewind key (FR), etc.) are output on the music control screen. When the flexible display unit 151 is inclined in the second direction, detailed information on a control target music and a currently playing music may be output.

For example, as the key for controlling playback disappears, a progress bar indicating audio (music) playback time, a representative image of audio data (e.g., a thumbnail image of a music file), audio data information (e.g., Music title, artist name, etc.) can be displayed.

In the present example, a web page, a photographic image, and a music control screen are output as a plurality of layers 261, 262, and 263 on the flexible display, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the control methods for a web page, a photo image, and a music control screen may be separated from each other as their own examples.

In the above, a control method using bending and inclination of the flexible display unit has been described, and such a control method may be related to a touch input. Hereinafter, a control method using a touch input along with bending will be described.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a control method using a flexure of a flexible display unit and a touch input in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

According to the illustration, when a touch input moving in one direction is applied to a plurality of execution screens output in the second state, information related to the execution screen to which the touch input is applied is displayed in the virtual layer on which the execution screen to which the input is applied is output. Is output.

In addition, when a touch input moving in one direction is applied to the plurality of execution screens output in the second state, not only the execution screen to which the input is applied, but also the execution screen to which the input is not applied, is related to the execution screen. Information can be output.

For example, referring to (a) of FIG. 8, in the second state, all execution screens are displayed in an inclined form. In this example, execution screens may be web pages, photo images, and music control screens. In this state, as shown in (b) of FIG. 8, when a touch input moving in one direction, for example, drag or flicking, is applied to the web page, an icon 252 indicating that the web page is a bookmarked web page is displayed. Can be output. In this case, while the output of the web page is maintained, only the icon 252 may be additionally displayed while overlapping the web page.

As shown in (c) of FIG. 8 again, when dragging or flicking is applied to the photo, information related to the photo may be output to the photo image. In this case, the photographic image may be flipped or overlapped with the photographic image, and detailed information related to the photograph may be output. As described above, when a touch input is applied to a photographic image, an execution screen, that is, a web page that has already displayed detailed information due to the touch input being applied, may be in a state in which the output of detailed information is maintained.

Also, the present invention can be modified in the above description. As an example, when dragging or flicking is applied to the flexible display unit 151 in the state of FIG. 8A, detailed information may be displayed on all execution screens. That is, when a touch input moving in one direction is applied to some of the plurality of execution screens output in the second state, detailed information is provided to the virtual layers 261, 262, and 263 corresponding to the plurality of execution screens, respectively. Can be output.

9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a control method using a flexure of a flexible display unit and a touch input in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, in the second state, the virtual layers 261, 262, 263 are formed to be inclined with respect to the flexible display unit 151, and the degree of inclination is determined by using a moving direction of a touch input moving in one direction. Changes.

For example, referring to FIG. 9A, in the second state, all execution screens are displayed in an inclined form. In this example, execution screens may be web pages, photo images, and music control screens. In this state, as shown in (b) of FIG. 9, when a touch input moving in one direction, such as drag or flicking, is applied to the flexible display unit 151, the inclination of the execution screens changes while the execution The sizes of the screens change. When dragging or flicking proceeds to the left, the execution screens rotate counterclockwise and the tilt and size change. On the other hand, when dragging or flicking proceeds to the right, the inclination and size of the execution screens may be changed while rotating clockwise.

In addition, the present invention provides an example in which the flexible display unit is divided into a plurality of areas in response to the bending of the flexible display unit. Hereinafter, the example will be described in more detail.

10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a control method using a bending characteristic of a flexible display unit in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, in the first state, a single execution screen is output to the flexible display unit, in the second state, the flexible display unit is divided into a plurality of regions, and a plurality of execution screens are respectively output to the plurality of regions. . More specifically, the plurality of areas includes a central area 253 and an edge area 254 of the flexible display unit, and an execution screen of an application driven in the first state is displayed in the central area 253, An execution screen different from the execution screen may be displayed in the edge region 254.

Here, in the edge area 254, at least a part of the other execution screen may be displayed, or representative information representing the other execution screen (eg, application name) may be output. In addition, the edge region 254 may be displayed in a representative color representing an application corresponding to each of the other execution screens.

For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 10, the first web page output by driving the web browser in the first state is displayed on the flexible display unit 151. When the user applies an external force to the terminal in the first state, the flexible display unit 151 is bent and changes to the second state.

Referring to FIG. 10B, in the second state, execution screens of web browsers corresponding to the first to third virtual layers 261, 262, and 263 are displayed on the flexible display unit 151, respectively. For example, the flexible display unit 151 is divided into a plurality of regions corresponding to the virtual layers 261, 262, and 263. More specifically, the flexible display unit 151 displays first to third web pages in a plurality of areas, respectively, and the plurality of areas contact adjacent areas to fill all of the display areas of the flexible display unit.

As illustrated, the central area 253 occupies most of the flexible display unit 151 and has a larger area than the edge area 254. In this case, the uppermost layer, for example, the first virtual layer 261 corresponding to the first web page, is disposed in the central area 253 of the flexible display unit, and lower layers, eg, the first virtual layer, are disposed in the edge area Second and third virtual layers 262 and 263 corresponding to the second and third web pages may be disposed.

Referring to FIG. 10C, when the external force applied to the terminal in the second state is removed, the flexible display unit 151 is restored to the first state again. In this case, the first web page that has been output on the central area of the flexible display unit 151 in the second state may be output alone in the first state. The object to be displayed alone can be designated by the user.

For example, when switching to the first state after touching any one of the first to third web pages (for example, the second web page) in the second state, the touched web page (for example, For example, the second web page) is displayed alone.

11 to 13 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a method of controlling bending of a flexible display unit and using a touch input in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, after the flexible display unit 151 is divided into a central area 253 and an edge area 254, when a touch input moving in one direction is applied to the edge area 254, the center area 253 And information related to execution screens of the application is output on at least one of the edge regions 254.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11A, in the second state, a first web page is displayed in the central area 253, and the second and third web pages are displayed in the edge area 254, respectively. In this state, as shown in (b) of FIG. 11, when a touch input (eg, drag, flicking, etc.) moving in one direction from the edge area is applied to the edge area 254, the bookmarked web An icon 252 indicating that it is a page may be output, or an address of each web page may be output. That is, detailed information related to the web page is output in response to a touch input to the edge area.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a touch input for outputting detailed information as described above may be defined in various forms. First, the type of touch input is not only a moving touch input, but also a long touch and a short touch. The object to which the touch is applied may be enlarged to the center area, for example, a touch extending from the edge area to the center area.

12 shows a case where a photographic image is output to each area in a second state. For example, photo images may be output in order, and the order may be determined according to the order in which photo images are stored.

More specifically, a photographic image is output to the central region 253 and a next image of the photographic image is output to the edge region 254. In this state, as illustrated, when a touch input moving in one direction is applied to the edge region 254, information related to the photograph may be output to the photographic image. In this case, the photographic image is flipped and detailed information related to the photograph may be output.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and detailed information may be displayed while additionally overlapping on the photo while maintaining the output of the photo image like a web page. The detailed information may be information such as a title, a place, and a date, and may be information input by a user.

As another example, detailed information related to the photographic image may be sequentially output. As shown in FIG. 12A, when a drag input is applied to the second image starting from the third image, detailed information of the third image may be output first, and then detailed information of the second image may be output. In this case, when the drag input reaches the first image, detailed information of the first image is output. Here, the first image is an image output to the central region, and the second and third images are images corresponding to each order from the central region toward the edge region.

13 shows a case in which execution screens of a plurality of applications are respectively output to each area in a second state. For example, a web page is output in the central area 253, a photo image is output in a part of the edge area 254, and a music control screen is output in the other part. In this state, as shown, when a touch input moving in one direction is applied to the edge region 254, the execution screen is displayed in the virtual layers 261, 262, 263 in which the execution screens have been outputted in the second state. Information related to is displayed.

However, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and for example, when a touch is applied to each execution screen, information related to the execution screen to which the touch is applied may be output.

As a more specific example, detailed information such as memory usage and usage time may be displayed on a web page. As another example, detailed information related to the photo may be output on the photo image. The detailed information may be information such as a title, a place, and a date, and may be information input by a user. As another example, the music control screen may be converted to detailed information on music to be controlled and music currently being played.

As described above, the mobile terminal of the present invention can generate a new control command by using the bend, tilt, and touch input of the flexible display unit. Accordingly, the user can conveniently receive multi-information by using the bending, tilting, and touch input of the flexible display unit.

In addition, according to the exemplary embodiment disclosed in the present specification, the above-described method may be implemented as code that can be read by a processor in a medium on which a program is recorded. Examples of media that can be read by the processor include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, etc., and are implemented in the form of carrier waves (for example, transmission over the Internet). Include.

The mobile terminal described above is not limitedly applicable to the configuration and method of the above-described embodiments, but the embodiments are configured by selectively combining all or part of each embodiment so that various modifications can be made. May be.

Claims (20)

A flexible display unit configured to be bent by an external force between a first state and a second state having different radius of curvature;
A sensing unit that detects bending of the flexible display unit; And
Outputting an execution screen of the application to the flexible display unit in the first state,
And a controller configured to output another execution screen together with the execution screen to the flexible display unit when the flexible display unit is bent from the first state to the second state. The method of claim 1,
A mobile terminal, wherein a single execution screen is output in the first state, and a plurality of execution screens are output in the second state. The method of claim 2,
The first state is a state in which the display area of the flexible display unit is flat, and the second state is a state in which the display area is curved. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit,
When the flexible display unit is in the first state, outputting the execution screen in parallel with the flexible display unit,
And outputting a plurality of execution screens inclined with respect to the flexible display unit when the flexible display unit is in the second state. delete The method of claim 1,
The sensing unit is configured to detect inclination of the flexible display unit,
When the flexible display unit is inclined in the second state, the size of execution screens output in the second state is changed. delete The method of claim 6,
The change of the size is performed in conjunction with a change of the inclination degree of the output execution screens. The method of claim 1,
The sensing unit is configured to detect inclination of the flexible display unit,
And when the flexible display unit is inclined in the second state, execution screens output in the second state are changed into different shapes according to the inclined direction. delete The method of claim 1,
When a touch input moving in one direction is applied to the plurality of execution screens output in the second state, information related to the execution screen to which the touch input is applied is output to the virtual layer on which the execution screen to which the input is applied is output. Mobile terminal characterized by. delete The method of claim 1,
In the first state, a single execution screen is output to the flexible display unit,
In the second state, the flexible display unit is divided into a plurality of areas, and a plurality of execution screens are respectively output to the plurality of areas. delete delete delete The method of claim 1,
And when the flexible display unit is bent from the first state to the second state, outputting an execution screen of another application together with the execution screen of the application to the flexible display unit. delete delete delete

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