KR20090065268A - Foldable display device using transparent display - Google Patents

Abstract

A foldable display device using a transparent display is provided to output various images to respective transparent displays, thereby improving user's convenience. A transparent display unit(220) comprises a transparent display(222). The transparent display unit enables switching into a transparent mode transmitting light or a display mode outputting image data. A control unit(210) sets the transparent display in the transparent mode or the display mode based on a signal received during an activation state of a device. A lower panel housing is connected to the transparent display unit to enable folding and unfolding.

Description

Foldable display device using transparent display {FOLDABLE DISPLAY DEVICE USING TRANSPARENT DISPLAY}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly to a transparent display device in which a display portion is made of a transparent electronic element.

The present invention is derived from the research conducted as part of the IT source technology development project of the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications Research and Development. .

Due to the development of information and communication technology, portable devices such as mobile phones and PDAs are widely used.

Such devices are classified into bar type, flip type, folder type, slide type, and the like according to their shape. The folder type device outputs image data through a screen provided in the lower panel when the upper panel housing is unfolded. That is, in the case of a folder type, there is an inconvenience that the screen cannot be seen without opening the upper panel housing.

In order to alleviate this inconvenience, a dual folder type device has been introduced to add a screen such as an LCD to the outer surface of the upper panel housing so that image data can be viewed without opening the upper panel housing.

However, such a dual folder type is not only inconvenient to view an image due to the small size of the screen provided in the upper panel housing, but also still inconvenient to open the upper panel housing in order for a user to input a key. .

Accordingly, there is a need for a technology that enables key input and viewing image data without opening the upper panel housing.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a folder-type display device capable of outputting an image without spreading the upper panel housing by using a transparent display.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a display device capable of realizing a stereoscopic image and simultaneously outputting various images by using a plurality of transparent displays.

Other objects to be provided by the present invention can be understood by the following description and an embodiment of the present invention.

To this end, a foldable display device using a transparent display according to an embodiment of the present invention, a transparent display unit including a transparent display capable of switching to a transparent mode for transmitting light or a display mode for outputting image data; And a control unit configured to set the transparent display to a transparent mode or a display mode based on a signal received during an activation state of the device, and includes a lower panel housing connected to the transparent display unit to be folded and unfolded.

As described above, an image can be viewed through a screen provided in the lower panel housing without extending the upper panel housing of the folding display device of the present invention. In addition, a three-dimensional stereoscopic image may be output by using a plurality of transparent displays, and a variety of images may be output to each transparent display for user convenience.

In the following description of the present invention, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations will be omitted if it is determined that the detailed description of the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention. Terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, and may be changed according to intentions or customs of users or operators. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the contents throughout the specification.

In the following description of the display device according to the present invention for the convenience of description will be described by taking a mobile phone as an example, the present invention is not limited to the mobile phone, the present invention is applied to a device capable of displaying a variety of images, such as PDA, notebook Can be. In addition, it is assumed that the display device described below is a folding display device capable of folding and unfolding the transparent display unit and the lower panel housing.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the present invention will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1 to help understand the definition of the terms used in the present invention and the invention.

1 is an exemplary diagram for describing a state and a mode switching of a display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

First, referring to FIG. 1A, it can be seen that the display apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is in a folded state, and the transparent display unit 220 transmits light so that the lower panel housing 110 is visible. .

Hereinafter, the state in which the folding display device is in a folded state and no image output is performed on the screen is called a “standby state”.

In this standby state, when there is a key input for the activation state of the device or the unfolding of the transparent display unit 220, the display device is switched to the activation state. Hereinafter, a state in which the device waits for key input for performing various functions or the device performs various functions such as an image output and an audio output by a key input signal is called an 'activation state'.

Figure 1 (b) is an exemplary view showing a case where the device is switched to the active state through the key input. In this case, the key input may be made through a key provided in the lower panel housing 110, or may be made using a touch screen provided in the transparent display unit 220.

Referring to FIG. 1B, key buttons, such as an image '1' and a number, displayed on the screen provided in the lower panel housing 110 are shown through the transparent display unit 220, and the transparent display unit 220. It can be seen that no image is output to itself.

Hereinafter, a mode in which the transparent display unit 220 transmits light while the lower panel housing 110 is visible during the activation state of the device is referred to as a “transparent mode”.

On the other hand, switching to the active state of the device may be made by the unfolding state of the transparent display unit 220 instead of the key input, Figure 1 (c) is an illustration showing this.

Referring to FIG. 1C, an image '1' is displayed on the screen provided in the lower panel housing 110, but no image is output to the transparent display unit 220. That is, like FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C shows a state in which the device is in the transparent mode.

Meanwhile, image data may be output to the transparent display unit 220 at the request of the user during the activation state of the device as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C or at the same time as the device is switched to the activated state. Figure 1 (d) and Figure 1 (e) is an exemplary view for explaining this.

FIG. 1D illustrates an example in which image data is output to the transparent display unit 220 in response to a key input requesting an output of a video or the like during the activation state of the device in the folded state. In this case, the key input may be made through a key provided in the lower panel housing 110 or may be made using a touch screen provided in the transparent display unit 220.

Referring to FIG. 1D, an image '1' is output to the transparent display unit 220, and as a result, the lower panel housing 110 is not visible. In this case, the lower panel housing 110 may be slightly visible depending on the transparency setting of the image output to the transparent display unit 220.

Hereinafter, a mode in which an image is output to the transparent display unit 220 during the activation state of the device is referred to as a 'display mode'.

Meanwhile, FIG. 1E illustrates an example in which image data '2' is output to the transparent display unit 220 according to a key input requesting an output of a video or the like during the activation state of the device in the expanded state. That is, like FIG. 1D, FIG. 1E shows a state in which the device is in a display mode.

In this case, the image displayed on the transparent display unit 220 may be the same as or different from the image '1' displayed on the screen provided in the lower panel housing 110. That is, the screen provided in the lower panel housing 110 and the image output on the transparent display unit 220 may be different from each other, so that the user's convenience may be achieved.

2 is a block diagram of a display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 210, a sensor unit 212, a key input unit 214, and a transparent display unit 220, and the transparent display unit 220. ) Includes a transparent display 222 and a touch screen 224.

The controller 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention switches the display device according to the present invention from the standby state to the activated state or from the activated state to the standby state. In addition, the controller 210 switches the display apparatus according to the present invention from the transparent mode to the display mode or from the display mode to the transparent mode.

The state switching and mode switching of the device may be performed by key input through the key input unit 214 or the touch screen 224, and may be applied to a signal regarding a folded or unfolded state of the device received from the sensor unit 212. You can also

In addition, the controller 210 outputs the image data received from the outside from the memory (not shown) or through data communication to the transparent display 222.

If the transparent display unit 220 according to the present invention includes a plurality of transparent displays 222 and the plurality of transparent displays 222 are in a folded state, the control unit 210 stores three-dimensional image data. By distributing and outputting two-dimensional image data to each transparent display 222 according to the depth information, it is possible to implement the three-dimensional image data.

In addition, when the plurality of transparent displays 222 are in an open state, different images may be output to each transparent display 222 according to a setting or a user's selection.

The sensor unit 212 according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a predetermined region of the display device according to the present invention, detects a folded and unfolded state of the device, and outputs the detected result to the controller 210. The control unit 210 determines the folded and unfolded state of the device based on the signal received from the sensor unit 212 and performs the function accordingly.

The key input unit 214 according to an embodiment of the present invention outputs a key input signal corresponding to a key pressed and provided in the lower panel housing of the display apparatus according to the present invention, to the controller 210. Through the key input unit 214, the user may operate various functions of the device, and in particular, may generate a signal for requesting output of video data such as a movie requesting an activation state of the device and a movie. Meanwhile, a key input signal may be generated through the touch screen 224 provided in the transparent display unit 220 separately from the key input unit 214. When the key input signal as described above is received, the controller 210 performs a function corresponding to the received key input signal.

The transparent display unit 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a transparent display 222 and a touch screen 224.

The transparent display 222 may be formed of a device that may transmit light or output an image, and the device may include a transparent LCD, an LED, a transparent organic light emitting diode (TOLED), and the like. There is this. Among them, TOLED is mainly used for various colors and high quality image output. Such TOLED will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 3.

3 is a view schematically showing the structure of such a TOLED. Referring to FIG. 3, the TOLED applied to the transparent display 222 of the present invention includes a transparent substrate 302, a lower electrode 304, an organic light emitting layer 306, and an upper electrode 308 sequentially stacked from the bottom. .

The transparent substrate 302 is made of glass or plastic. The glass substrate has an advantage of high transparency and the plastic substrate has an advantage of being light and flexible.

As the lower electrode 304 and the upper electrode 308, a transparent material, that is, ITO, IZO, or ITZO, may be used.

The organic light emitting layer 306 may be formed of a monomolecular material such as tris (8-oxoquinoline) aluminum (III) (Alq ₃ ), anthracene, and the like and a polymer material such as poly (p_phenylenevinylene), PPV, and polythiophene (PT). Can be used On the other hand, in order to increase the luminous efficiency, an electron transport layer may be formed between the upper electrode 308, which is a cathode, and the organic light emitting layer 306, and a hole transport layer may be formed between the lower electrode 304, which is an anode, and the organic light emitting layer 306.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the transparent display unit 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include two or more transparent displays 222 that are connected to each other and can be folded and unfolded.

When the two or more transparent displays 222 are configured as described above, a three-dimensional stereoscopic image may be implemented or a plurality of images may be individually output according to the folding and unfolding states.

For example, when two or more transparent displays 222 are in a folded state, 3D image data may be implemented by distributing 3D image data to each transparent display in accordance with the depth information and outputting the 2D image data. have.

In addition, when two or more transparent displays 222 are in an unfolded state, the user may be facilitated by changing an image displayed on each transparent display according to a setting or a user's selection.

The touch screen 224 may be separately provided and positioned in a state of being bonded to the transparent display 222 or may be embedded in the transparent display 222 itself.

In the meantime, when the transparent display unit 220 implements the driving circuit using the transparent electronic device, the device may be more easily folded.

An embodiment of an operation of a display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

First, in step 401, the controller 210 determines whether an activation request signal of the device is received during the standby state of the device according to the present invention. The activation request signal of the device may be a key input signal through the key input unit 214 or a key input signal by the touch screen 224. In the case of key input through the key input unit 214, it is preferable to use a key provided on the side of the lower panel housing which is not covered by the transparent display unit 222.

As a result of the determination, if there is no activation request signal of the device, the standby state is maintained, and if there is an activation request signal, the process proceeds to step 403 to activate the device.

Thereafter, the controller 210 waits for the key input signal to be received in step 405, and proceeds to step 407 when the key input signal is received.

In operation 407, the controller 210 determines whether the received key input signal is a signal for requesting a switch to the display mode. If the received signal is not a signal for requesting the switch to the display mode, the method proceeds to step 417 to perform a corresponding function corresponding to the received key, and then proceeds to step 405, and the received signal is displayed in the display mode. If it is a signal for requesting the switch to proceed to step 409 to switch the device to the display mode.

Thereafter, the controller 210 waits for the key input signal to be received in step 411, and proceeds to step 413 when the key input signal is received.

In operation 413, the controller 210 determines whether the received key input signal is a signal for requesting the switch to the transparent mode. If the received signal is not a signal for requesting the switch to the transparent mode, the process proceeds to step 419 to perform the corresponding function corresponding to the received key, and then proceeds to step 411, and the received signal is in the transparent mode. If it is a signal requesting to switch to the flow proceeds to step 417 to switch the device to the transparent mode.

On the other hand, while the above has been shown and described with respect to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, the technical field to which the invention belongs without departing from the spirit of the invention claimed in the claims Of course, various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or prospect of the present invention.

1 is an exemplary view for explaining a state and mode switching of a display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a block diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a view schematically showing the structure of a TOLED,

4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

Claims (10)

A transparent display unit including a transparent display capable of switching to a transparent mode for transmitting light or a display mode for outputting image data; And A control unit configured to set the transparent display to a transparent mode or a display mode based on a signal received during an activation state of the device, and a lower panel housing connected to the transparent display unit to be folded and unfolded; Display device using a transparent display comprising a. The method of claim 1, The transparent display unit includes two or more transparent displays connected to be folded and unfolded. Clamshell display device using transparent display. The method of claim 2, The control unit receives 3D image data from an external source, and when the two or more transparent displays are in a folded state during the display mode of the device, the controller receives the 3D image data based on depth information of the 3D image data. Distribute two-dimensional image data to each transparent display Clamshell display device using transparent display. The method of claim 2, The control unit outputs different image data to each of the transparent displays according to a setting or upon reception of a user when the two or more transparent displays are in an open state during the display mode of the device. Clamshell display device using transparent display. The method of claim 1, And a key input unit having an activation key for outputting a signal requesting an activation state of the device. The controller is configured to switch the device from a standby state to an activated state when a signal for requesting an activation state of the device is received. Clamshell display device using transparent display. The method of claim 1, The transparent display unit further comprises a touch screen for outputting a signal for requesting the activation state of the device, The controller is configured to switch the device from a standby state to an activated state when a signal for requesting an activation state of the device is received. Clamshell display device using transparent display. The method according to claim 5 or 6, The controller is configured to switch the device from the transparent mode to the display mode when a request for switching to the display mode is received during the activation state of the device. Clamshell display device using transparent display. The method of claim 1, Further comprising a sensor unit for detecting the folded and unfolded state of the device, The controller may be configured to perform state switching or mode switching of the device based on a signal received from the sensor unit. Clamshell display device using transparent display. The method of claim 8, The controller is configured to switch the device from the standby state to the active state when it is determined that the device is in the unfolded state from the folded state based on the signal received from the sensor unit. Clamshell display device using transparent display. The method of claim 8, The controller is configured to switch the device from the transparent mode to the display mode when it is determined that the device is in the unfolded state from the folded state based on the signal received from the sensor unit. Clamshell display device using transparent display.

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