WO2022225247A1

WO2022225247A1 - Electronic device comprising flexible display, and operation method therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2022225247A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/005316
Authority: WO
Inventors: 최승규; 김태형; 김한여울; 이태웅
Original assignee: 삼성전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2021-04-23
Filing date: 2022-04-13
Publication date: 2022-10-27
Also published as: EP4318457A1; EP4318457A4; KR20220146217A; CN117203700A

Abstract

An electronic device comprises: a flexible display capable of extending in a first edge direction; a housing; a display driving circuit; and a processor, wherein the display driving circuit applies dimming on the basis of a first dimming depth in the first edge direction from a first starting point separated by a first width from a first edge, forms a dimming layer, to which the dimming is applied, on the basis of a second dimming depth in a second edge direction from a second starting point separated by a second width from the second edge that is opposite to the first edge, and sets the first and second widths and the first and second dimming depths to be each equal to each other according to the identification of the first state, and sets the first and second widths and the first and second dimming depths to be each different from each other according to the identification of the second state.

Description

Electronic device including flexible display and operating method thereof

Embodiments disclosed in this document relate to an electronic device including a flexible display having a variable shape such as a slide type, a rollable type, and a foldable type, and an operating method thereof.

In recent years, various types of electronic devices have been developed in order to secure a more extended display area without interfering with portability. For example, an electronic device including a flexible display is a slide type electronic device in which at least one side of the housing is slid and the state of the display is changed, and the display wound inside or outside the housing is unfolded while the display is unfolded. Corresponds to any one of a rollable type electronic device in which a display area exposed to the outside of the electronic device is expanded, or a foldable type electronic device in which a display area of a display is expanded/reduced when a folded housing is unfolded can do.

In the plurality of pixels included in the display, luminous efficiency or luminous performance may gradually decrease over time due to an aging effect. As the usage of the display increases, each pixel included in the display may have independent luminous efficiency or luminous performance because the difference in usage occurs depending on the difference in location, etc., and thus experiences different aging. have. Accordingly, even if the same voltage or current is input to a plurality of pixels in order to express a uniform image on the display, a uniform image may not be displayed on the output screen of the actual display, and deterioration or burn-in may occur.

As various flexible display electronic devices are developed, the need for a burn-in prevention technology and a visibility difference compensation technology in consideration of a different usage form from that of a conventional display having a fixed display area has been raised. In the flexible display, the main area is always used, but the sub area is used as the display area only in the expanded state, so a difference in usage may occur between the main area and the main area.

Accordingly, a difference in visibility or a burn-in phenomenon may occur at a boundary between the main region and the sub region. In addition, in order to prevent a difference in visibility and burn-in from occurring, a method of constantly driving the display in the auxiliary area that is not exposed to the user even in a basic state in which only the main area is used and the auxiliary area is not used is a method of increasing current consumption and generating heat, etc. may cause other problems.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electronic device that prevents a difference in visibility between a main region and a sub region and a burn-in phenomenon in a flexible display and compensates a difference in visibility when a difference in visibility between the main region and the sub region and a burn-in phenomenon occurs, and It is intended to provide a method of its operation.

An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a flexible display expandable in at least a direction of a first edge, wherein the flexible display drives a first area in a first state, and drives the first area and the first area in a second state A housing that drives a second area extended in the direction of the edge and includes the flexible display therein and is expandable in the direction of the first edge, a display driving circuit driving the flexible display, and driving the flexible display and the display a processor electrically coupled to the circuit, wherein the processor or the display driving circuit comprises: dimming based on a first dimming depth in a direction of the first edge from a first starting point spaced from the first edge by a first width ) and forming a dimming layer to which dimming is applied based on a second dimming depth in the direction of the second edge from a second starting point separated by a second width from a second edge opposite the first edge, As the first state is identified, the first width and the second width are set to be equal, the first dimming depth and the second dimming depth are set equal to each other, and as the second state is identified, The first width and the second width may be set to be different from each other, and the first dimming depth and the second dimming depth may be set to be different from each other.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least extendable in a direction of a first edge, driving a first region in a first state, and driving a first region in a second state, a first region and a second extending in the direction of the first edge In a method of operating an electronic device including a flexible display for driving an area, dimming is applied based on a first dimming depth in a direction of the first edge from a first starting point spaced from the first edge by a first width. and forming a dimming layer to which dimming is applied based on a second dimming depth in the direction of the second edge from a second starting point separated by a second width from a second edge opposite the first edge, and in the first state and, the first width and the second width are set to be equal, the first dimming depth and the second dimming depth are set to be equal to each other, and as the second state is identified, the first The width and the second width may be set to be different from each other, and the first dimming depth and the second dimming depth may be set to be different from each other.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, in a flexible display, an electron for preventing a difference in visibility between a main region and a sub region and occurrence of a burn-in phenomenon, and compensating for a difference in visibility when a difference in visibility between the main region and a sub region and a burn-in phenomenon occurs A device and a method of operating the same can be provided.

In addition, various effects directly or indirectly identified through this document may be provided.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

2 is a block diagram of a display module according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

3 is a diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

4 is a diagram for describing an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

5 is a diagram illustrating a result of applying dimming to a display of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

6 is a diagram for describing an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

7 is a diagram illustrating a result of applying dimming to a display of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

8 is a diagram illustrating various dimming layers formed by an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

9 is a diagram for describing an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

10 is a diagram illustrating a result of applying dimming to a display of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

In connection with the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for the same or similar components.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that various modifications, equivalents, and/or alternatives of the embodiments of the present invention are included.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100, according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1 , in a network environment 100 , an electronic device 101 communicates with an electronic device 102 through a first network 198 (eg, a short-range wireless communication network) or a second network 199 . It may communicate with the electronic device 104 or the server 108 through (eg, a long-distance wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 through the server 108 . According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 includes a processor 120 , a memory 130 , an input module 150 , a sound output module 155 , a display module 160 , an audio module 170 , and a sensor module ( 176), interface 177, connection terminal 178, haptic module 179, camera module 180, power management module 188, battery 189, communication module 190, subscriber identification module 196 , or an antenna module 197 . In some embodiments, at least one of these components (eg, the connection terminal 178 ) may be omitted or one or more other components may be added to the electronic device 101 . In some embodiments, some of these components (eg, sensor module 176 , camera module 180 , or antenna module 197 ) are integrated into one component (eg, display module 160 ). can be

The processor 120, for example, executes software (eg, a program 140) to execute at least one other component (eg, a hardware or software component) of the electronic device 101 connected to the processor 120. It can control and perform various data processing or operations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of data processing or operation, the processor 120 converts commands or data received from other components (eg, the sensor module 176 or the communication module 190 ) to the volatile memory 132 . may be stored in , process commands or data stored in the volatile memory 132 , and store the result data in the non-volatile memory 134 . According to an embodiment, the processor 120 is the main processor 121 (eg, a central processing unit or an application processor) or a secondary processor 123 (eg, a graphic processing unit, a neural network processing unit (eg, a graphic processing unit, a neural network processing unit) a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor). For example, when the electronic device 101 includes the main processor 121 and the sub-processor 123 , the sub-processor 123 uses less power than the main processor 121 or is set to be specialized for a specified function. can The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented separately from or as a part of the main processor 121 .

The secondary processor 123 may, for example, act on behalf of the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (eg, sleep) state, or when the main processor 121 is active (eg, executing an application). ), together with the main processor 121, at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (eg, the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) It is possible to control at least some of the related functions or states. According to an embodiment, the coprocessor 123 (eg, an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another functionally related component (eg, the camera module 180 or the communication module 190 ). have. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (eg, a neural network processing device) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing an artificial intelligence model. Artificial intelligence models can be created through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, in the electronic device 101 itself on which artificial intelligence is performed, or may be performed through a separate server (eg, the server 108). The learning algorithm may include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but in the above example not limited The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers. Artificial neural networks include deep neural networks (DNNs), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), restricted boltzmann machines (RBMs), deep belief networks (DBNs), bidirectional recurrent deep neural networks (BRDNNs), It may be one of deep Q-networks or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the above example. The artificial intelligence model may include, in addition to, or alternatively, a software structure in addition to the hardware structure.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component (eg, the processor 120 or the sensor module 176 ) of the electronic device 101 . The data may include, for example, input data or output data for software (eg, the program 140 ) and instructions related thereto. The memory 130 may include a volatile memory 132 or a non-volatile memory 134 .

The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130 , and may include, for example, an operating system 142 , middleware 144 , or an application 146 .

The input module 150 may receive a command or data to be used by a component (eg, the processor 120 ) of the electronic device 101 from the outside (eg, a user) of the electronic device 101 . The input module 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (eg, a button), or a digital pen (eg, a stylus pen).

The sound output module 155 may output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device 101 . The sound output module 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. According to one embodiment, the receiver may be implemented separately from or as part of the speaker.

The display module 160 may visually provide information to the outside (eg, a user) of the electronic device 101 . The display module 160 may include, for example, a control circuit for controlling a display, a hologram device, or a projector and a corresponding device. According to an embodiment, the display module 160 may include a touch sensor configured to sense a touch or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by the touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electric signal or, conversely, convert an electric signal into a sound. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 acquires a sound through the input module 150 , or an external electronic device (eg, a sound output module 155 ) connected directly or wirelessly with the electronic device 101 . The electronic device 102) (eg, a speaker or headphones) may output a sound.

The sensor module 176 detects an operating state (eg, power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an external environmental state (eg, a user state), and generates an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the sensed state. can do. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, It may include a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols that may be used by the electronic device 101 to directly or wirelessly connect with an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 102 ). According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

The connection terminal 178 may include a connector through which the electronic device 101 can be physically connected to an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 102 ). According to an embodiment, the connection terminal 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (eg, a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (eg, vibration or movement) or an electrical stimulus that the user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic sense. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

The camera module 180 may capture still images and moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to the electronic device 101 . According to an embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 101 . According to one embodiment, battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary cell, a rechargeable secondary cell, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 is a direct (eg, wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108). It can support establishment and communication performance through the established communication channel. The communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor 120 (eg, an application processor) and support direct (eg, wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module 190 is a wireless communication module 192 (eg, a cellular communication module, a short-range communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (eg, : It may include a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). A corresponding communication module among these communication modules is a first network 198 (eg, a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (eg, legacy It may communicate with the external electronic device 104 through a cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (eg, a telecommunication network such as a LAN or a WAN). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into one component (eg, a single chip) or may be implemented as a plurality of components (eg, multiple chips) separate from each other. The wireless communication module 192 uses subscriber information (eg, International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module 196 within a communication network such as the first network 198 or the second network 199 . The electronic device 101 may be identified or authenticated.

The wireless communication module 192 may support a 5G network after a 4G network and a next-generation communication technology, for example, a new radio access technology (NR). NR access technology includes high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)), minimization of terminal power and access to multiple terminals (mMTC (massive machine type communications)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency) -latency communications)). The wireless communication module 192 may support a high frequency band (eg, mmWave band) to achieve a high data rate, for example. The wireless communication module 192 uses various techniques for securing performance in a high-frequency band, for example, beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), all-dimensional multiplexing. It may support technologies such as full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), an array antenna, analog beam-forming, or a large scale antenna. The wireless communication module 192 may support various requirements defined in the electronic device 101 , an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 104 ), or a network system (eg, the second network 199 ). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 192 may include a peak data rate (eg, 20 Gbps or more) for realizing eMBB, loss coverage (eg, 164 dB or less) for realizing mMTC, or U-plane latency for realizing URLLC ( Example: Downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) each 0.5 ms or less, or round trip 1 ms or less) can be supported.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to the outside (eg, an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a conductor formed on a substrate (eg, a PCB) or a radiator formed of a conductive pattern. According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas (eg, an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network such as the first network 198 or the second network 199 is connected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module 190 . can be selected. A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and an external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to some embodiments, other components (eg, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiator may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module 197 .

According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 may form a mmWave antenna module. According to one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module comprises a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent to a first side (eg, bottom side) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated high frequency band (eg, mmWave band); and a plurality of antennas (eg, an array antenna) disposed on or adjacent to a second side (eg, top or side) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of the designated high frequency band. can do.

At least some of the components are connected to each other through a communication method between peripheral devices (eg, a bus, general purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)) and a signal ( e.g. commands or data) can be exchanged with each other.

According to an embodiment, the command or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 through the server 108 connected to the second network 199 . Each of the external

electronic devices

102 or 104 may be the same as or different from the electronic device 101 . According to an embodiment, all or a part of operations executed in the electronic device 101 may be executed in one or more external

electronic devices

102 , 104 , or 108 . For example, when the electronic device 101 needs to perform a function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or other device, the electronic device 101 may perform the function or service itself instead of executing the function or service itself. Alternatively or additionally, one or more external electronic devices may be requested to perform at least a part of the function or the service. One or more external electronic devices that have received the request may execute at least a part of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit a result of the execution to the electronic device 101 . The electronic device 101 may process the result as it is or additionally and provide it as at least a part of a response to the request. For this purpose, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device 101 may provide an ultra-low latency service using, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In another embodiment, the external electronic device 104 may include an Internet of things (IoT) device. The server 108 may be an intelligent server using machine learning and/or neural networks. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 104 or the server 108 may be included in the second network 199 . The electronic device 101 may be applied to an intelligent service (eg, smart home, smart city, smart car, or health care) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

The electronic device according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may have various types of devices. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (eg, a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance device. The electronic device according to the embodiment of the present document is not limited to the above-described devices.

The various embodiments of this document and terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but it should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of the noun corresponding to the item may include one or more of the item, unless the relevant context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C", and "A , B, or C," each of which may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding one of the phrases, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first", "second", or "first" or "second" may simply be used to distinguish an element from other elements in question, and may refer elements to other aspects (e.g., importance or order) is not limited. It is said that one (eg, first) component is “coupled” or “connected” to another (eg, second) component, with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicatively”. When referenced, it means that one component can be connected to the other component directly (eg by wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

The term “module” used in various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and is interchangeable with terms such as, for example, logic, logic block, component, or circuit. can be used as A module may be an integrally formed part or a minimum unit or a part of the part that performs one or more functions. For example, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments of the present document include one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (eg, internal memory 136 or external memory 138) readable by a machine (eg, electronic device 101). may be implemented as software (eg, the program 140) including For example, the processor (eg, the processor 120 ) of the device (eg, the electronic device 101 ) may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This makes it possible for the device to be operated to perform at least one function according to the called at least one command. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The device-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (eg, electromagnetic wave), and this term is used in cases where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and It does not distinguish between temporary storage cases.

According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be provided in a computer program product (computer program product). Computer program products may be traded between sellers and buyers as commodities. The computer program product is distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (eg compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or via an application store (eg Play Store™) or on two user devices ( It can be distributed (eg downloaded or uploaded) directly, online between smartphones (eg: smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily created in a machine-readable storage medium such as a memory of a server of a manufacturer, a server of an application store, or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (eg, a module or a program) of the above-described components may include a singular or a plurality of entities, and some of the plurality of entities may be separately disposed in other components. have. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations among the above-described corresponding components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (eg, a module or a program) may be integrated into one component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each component of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. . According to various embodiments, operations performed by a module, program, or other component are executed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations are executed in a different order, or omitted. , or one or more other operations may be added.

2 is a block diagram 200 of a display module 160 in accordance with various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 2 , the display module 160 may include a display 210 and a display driver IC (DDI) 230 for controlling the display 210 . The DDI 230 may include an interface module 231 , a memory 233 (eg, a buffer memory), an image processing module 235 , or a mapping module 237 . The DDI 230 receives, for example, image data or image information including an image control signal corresponding to a command for controlling the image data from another component of the electronic device 101 through the interface module 231 . can do. For example, according to one embodiment, the image information is the processor 120 (eg, the main processor 121 (eg, an application processor) or the auxiliary processor 123 (eg, an application processor) operated independently of the function of the main processor 121 For example: graphic processing device) The DDI 230 may communicate with the touch circuit 250 or the sensor module 176 through the interface module 231. In addition, the DDI 230 may be At least a portion of the received image information may be stored in the memory 233, for example, in units of frames, for example, the image processing module 235 may store at least a portion of the image data, Pre-processing or post-processing (eg, resolution, brightness, or size adjustment) may be performed based at least on the characteristics of the display 210. The mapping module 237 may perform pre-processing or post-processing through the image processing module 135. A voltage value or a current value corresponding to the image data may be generated. According to an embodiment, the generation of the voltage value or the current value may include, for example, a property of the pixels of the display 210 (eg, an arrangement of pixels). RGB stripe or pentile structure), or the size of each sub-pixel) At least some pixels of the display 210 are, for example, based at least in part on the voltage value or the current value. By being driven, visual information (eg, text, image, or icon) corresponding to the image data may be displayed through the display 210 .

According to an embodiment, the display module 160 may further include a touch circuit 250 . The touch circuit 250 may include a touch sensor 251 and a touch sensor IC 253 for controlling the touch sensor 251 . The touch sensor IC 253 may control the touch sensor 251 to sense a touch input or a hovering input for a specific position of the display 210 , for example. For example, the touch sensor IC 253 may detect a touch input or a hovering input by measuring a change in a signal (eg, voltage, light amount, resistance, or electric charge amount) for a specific position of the display 210 . The touch sensor IC 253 may provide information (eg, location, area, pressure, or time) regarding the sensed touch input or hovering input to the processor 120 . According to an embodiment, at least a part of the touch circuit 250 (eg, the touch sensor IC 253 ) is disposed as a part of the display driver IC 230 , the display 210 , or outside the display module 160 . may be included as a part of another component (eg, the coprocessor 123).

According to an embodiment, the display module 160 may further include at least one sensor (eg, a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, a pressure sensor, or an illuminance sensor) of the sensor module 176 , or a control circuit therefor. In this case, the at least one sensor or a control circuit therefor may be embedded in a part of the display module 160 (eg, the display 210 or the DDI 230 ) or a part of the touch circuit 250 . For example, when the sensor module 176 embedded in the display module 160 includes a biometric sensor (eg, a fingerprint sensor), the biometric sensor provides biometric information related to a touch input through a partial area of the display 210 . (eg, fingerprint image) can be acquired. As another example, when the sensor module 176 embedded in the display module 160 includes a pressure sensor, the pressure sensor may acquire pressure information related to a touch input through a part or the entire area of the display 210 . can According to an embodiment, the touch sensor 251 or the sensor module 176 may be disposed between pixels of the pixel layer of the display 210 , or above or below the pixel layer.

Hereinafter, an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

Referring to FIG. 3 , the electronic device 101 (eg, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 ) includes a housing 310 constituting the body of the electronic device 101 and a display ( 210) (eg, the display 210 of FIG. 2 ). According to an exemplary embodiment, the display 210 may mean a display panel, and at least a part of it may be viewed through a substantially transparent front plate. According to an embodiment, the front plate may be formed of a glass plate including various coating layers or a polymer plate.

The display 210 has a second edge 221 in a left direction (eg, a -x direction), a first edge 222 in a right direction (eg, a +x direction), and an upper side of the electronic device 101 with respect to the front of the electronic device 101 . At least four edges of a third edge 223 in a direction (eg, a +y direction) and a fourth edge 224 in a downward direction (eg, a -y direction) may be included. According to an exemplary embodiment, the edge may mean an outermost edge of the display area of the display 210 , and in the case of the display 210 having a quadrangular display area, four edges may be included. In the case of the display 210 having a quadrangular display area according to an exemplary embodiment, a quadrangular portion (corner portion) of the display area may have a round shape for aesthetics, and accordingly, between edges (eg, the first edge ( 211 and the first edge 222) may have a round shape without being angled.

In addition, the display 210 may be expanded or contracted in a direction perpendicular to at least one edge, and the expansion or contraction of the display 210 is a display ( 210) may also be implemented by being expanded or reduced in the same direction. For example, the display 210 may include a form in which both sides of the housing expand or contract in opposite directions with respect to each other.

The first state 301 of FIG. 3 represents a basic state, and may mean a state before the display 210 and the housing 310 are expanded. The second state 302 of FIG. 3 indicates an extended state, and may mean an extended state in a direction perpendicular to at least one edge of the display 210 and the housing 310 . In the electronic device 101 , a state change between the first state 301 and the second state 302 may occur automatically by an external force or by a motor disposed inside the electronic device 101 .

According to an embodiment, as the electronic device 101 changes from the first state 301 to the second state 302 , the housing 310 and the display 210 move in a direction perpendicular to the first edge 222 (eg, : +x direction).

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device 101 is in the first state 301 , only the first area 211 that is the main area of the display 210 may be exposed to the user. Accordingly, in the first state 301 , the processor (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) and/or the display driver IC (eg, the display driver IC 230 of FIG. 2 ) of the electronic device 101 (hereinafter, display driving) (referred to as a circuit) may drive only the first region 211 .

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device 101 is changed from the first state 301 to the second state 302 , the display 210 is expanded to provide a second region 212 that is a sub region to the user. may be exposed. Accordingly, in the second state 302 , the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may drive both the first region 211 and the second region 212 .

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device 101 is changed from the second state 302 to the first state 301, the display 210 is reduced so that the second area 212 is not used as a display area, Only the first area 211 may be driven to be used as a display area.

According to an embodiment, a, b, and c shown in FIG. 3 are coordinates displayed on the display 210 in the x-axis direction for convenience of explanation, and the distance between a and b is the x-axis direction of the first region 211 . It corresponds to the width, and the distance between b and c may correspond to the width of the second region 212 in the x-axis direction. Coordinates a, b, and c displayed in FIG. 3 may correspond to coordinates a, b, and c displayed on displays of drawings to be described later.

Hereinafter, an operation of the electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 .

4 is a diagram for describing an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. 5 is a diagram illustrating a result of applying dimming to a display of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. The same components as those of the above-described embodiment may be referred to by the same reference numerals, and a description thereof may be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a first diagram 410 of FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a display area of the display 210 of the electronic device 101 for explanation. According to an exemplary embodiment, the display 210 of the electronic device 101 includes a first area 211 and a second area 212 , and a black display of the second area 212 indicates the current second area 212 . ) may mean that it is not driven. That is, FIG. 4 may be an example of a case in which the electronic device 101 is in a first state (a basic state) in which the second region 212 is not driven.

The second diagram 420 of FIG. 4 may be a graph showing the lifespan of the display 210 . The vertical axis of the graph of the second figure 420 may indicate the lifetime of the display, and the horizontal axis may correspond to the x-axis direction of the display 210 . According to the second drawing 420 , the lifespan of the current display 210 may be constant in the first area 211 and the second area 212 . That is, in FIG. 4 , it is assumed that there is little difference between the lifetimes of the first area 211 and the second area 212 of the display 210 .

In the second drawing 420 of FIG. 4 , the lifespans of the first region 211 and the second region 212 are shown to be exactly the same, but this is only an example, and the average lifespan of the first region 211 and the second A case in which the difference in the average lifespan of the regions 212 is equal to or less than the first threshold value may also correspond to the embodiment of FIG. 4 . In addition, the lifetime of the display may mean the luminous efficiency and/or the luminous performance of the display, and the decrease in luminous efficiency and luminous performance due to deterioration of the display may mean a decrease in the lifespan of the display.

A third diagram 430 of FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a dimming layer to be output to the display 210 as a dimming function. The processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may implement edge dimming by overlapping the dimming layer on the content to be displayed on the display 210 and outputting the overlapping output. According to an embodiment, the display 210 may include a second edge 221 on the left side and a first edge 222 on the right side, and may include a region adjacent to the second edge 221 and the first edge 222 . Dimming applied to an adjacent area may be referred to as edge dimming.

According to an embodiment, the dimming function may be determined by a dimming start point (S), a width (W) to which dimming is applied, and a dimming depth (D). Referring to the third drawing 430 of FIG. 4 , according to an exemplary embodiment, from the second starting point S2 separated by the second width W2 from the second edge 221 in the direction of the second edge 221 . Dimming is applied to the dimming depth D2, and dimming is performed at the first dimming depth D1 in the direction of the first edge 222 from the first starting point S1 separated from the first edge 222 by the first width W1. In this case, the dimming function may be as shown in [Equation 1] below. In the third drawing 430 of FIG. 4 , it is assumed that the dimming function is a linear function, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the dimming function may be a quadratic function.

[Equation 1]

y- (e-D2) = D2/W2 *(x -(S2-W2)) (S2-W2 ≤ x < S2)

y = e (S2 ≤ x < S1)

y - e = - D1/W1 * (x- S1)(S1 ≤ x ≤ S1+W1)

According to an exemplary embodiment, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may reduce the lifetime difference between the first region 211 and the second region 212 of the display 210 of the electronic device 101 . When the threshold value is 1 or less and the state of the display 210 is the first state (the basic state), the same dimming may be applied to both edge regions. That is, in the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 , the first width W1 and the second width W2 are the same, and the first dimming depth D1 and the second dimming depth D2 are may be the same. According to an embodiment, the starting point, the width, and/or the dimming depth, which are the dimming parameters, determine whether the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 extend the second area 212 , and the extension of the second area 212 . It is determined based on information on the width and/or the difference between the lifetimes (or deterioration degree, visibility, or luminance) of the first region 211 and the second region 212 , or a predetermined value of the electronic device 101 is It may be stored in memory.

In an embodiment, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may calculate the lifetime or the degree of deterioration of the display 210 . The processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may numerically calculate the degree of luminance deterioration of the display 210 by using the accumulated display deterioration data. The processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may numerically calculate the maximum luminance difference or the average luminance difference between the plurality of pixels of the display 210 based on the accumulated display luminance deterioration degree. The processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may numerically calculate a variance value for the luminance deterioration information of a plurality of pixels of the display 210 based on the accumulated display luminance deterioration degree.

Hereinafter, an application state of the dimming layer formed by the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 based on the operation described with reference to FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , a first diagram 510 of FIG. 5 may be a diagram illustrating content to be output to the first area 211 of the display.

The second diagram 520 of FIG. 5 shows a dimming layer formed by the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 based on the dimming function described with reference to the third diagram 430 of FIG. 4 . It may be a drawing. The processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 moves from the first starting point S1 away from the first edge 222 by the first width W1 in the direction of the second edge 222 according to the dimming function. A dimming layer may be formed to have a gradually increasing transparency. In addition, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 moves in the direction of the first edge 221 according to the dimming function from the second starting point S2 separated by the second width W2 from the second edge 221 . It is possible to form a dimming layer to have a transparency that is gradually increased.

Referring to the second drawing 520 of FIG. 5 , the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 include a first area 211 and a second area ( ) of the display 210 of the electronic device 101 . 212) is less than or equal to the first threshold, and since the display 210 is in the first state (default state), dimming applied in the direction of the first edge 221 and the direction of the second edge 222 The dimming layer may be formed so that the dimming applied to the ?

The third diagram 530 of FIG. 5 may be a diagram illustrating a final output image output to the first region 211 after image processing is completed. The electronic device 101 forms a dimming layer as shown in the second diagram 520 of FIG. 5 in the final stage of image processing performed inside the processor and/or the display driving circuit, and the first diagram 510 of FIG. By overlapping the dimming layer on the same initial image, the final output image to which edge dimming is applied as shown in the third drawing 530 of FIG. 5 may be output to the display 210 .

When the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is in a first state (basic state) and the difference between the average lifespan of the first region (main region) and the second region (sub region) is less than or equal to the first threshold value, the dimming parameter By applying dimming to both edges by adjusting , it is possible to reduce the visibility of optical distortion occurring at the curved edge. Additionally, current consumption can be reduced by reducing the luminance of the edge region.

In an embodiment, the first threshold value may be set to a value through which the user can recognize that deterioration has occurred in the image. The first threshold value may be stored in a memory (eg, the memory 130 of FIG. 1 ) of the electronic device 101 . For example, the first threshold value may be input in the form of a code when the electronic device 101 is manufactured. As another example, the first threshold value may be provided to the electronic device 101 in the form of a software update from a server (eg, the server 108 of FIG. 1 ). The server 108 may statistically calculate a threshold value by collecting numerical values at which a user starts to recognize deterioration of an image.

Hereinafter, an operation of the electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 .

6 is a diagram for describing an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. 7 is a diagram illustrating a result of applying dimming to a display of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. The same components as those of the above-described embodiment may be referred to by the same reference numerals, and a description thereof may be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a first diagram 610 of FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a display area of the display 210 of the electronic device 101 for explanation. According to an embodiment, the display 210 of the electronic device 101 may include a first area 211 and a second area 212 . 6 is a second state (extended state) in which the housing and the display 210 of the electronic device 101 are expanded, a state in which both the first region 211 and the second region 212 are driven. It may be an embodiment.

The second diagram 620 of FIG. 6 may be a graph showing the lifespan of the display 210 . The vertical axis of the graph of the second figure 620 may indicate the lifetime of the display, and the horizontal axis may correspond to the x-axis direction of the display 210 . According to the second drawing 620 , the lifespan of the current display 210 may be constant in the first area 211 and the second area 212 . That is, in FIG. 6 , it is assumed that the difference in lifespan between the first area 211 and the second area 212 of the display 210 hardly occurs.

In the second drawing 620 of FIG. 6 , the lifespans of the first region 211 and the second region 212 are shown to be exactly the same, but this is only an example, and the average lifespan of the first region 211 and the second A case in which the difference in the average lifespan of the regions 212 is equal to or less than the first threshold value may correspond to the embodiment of FIG. 6 . In addition, the lifetime of the display may mean the luminous efficiency and/or the luminous performance of the display, and the decrease in luminous efficiency and luminous performance due to deterioration of the display may mean a decrease in the lifespan of the display.

A third diagram 630 of FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a dimming layer to be output to the display 210 as a dimming function. Referring to the third drawing 630 of FIG. 6 , according to an exemplary embodiment, from the second starting point S2 separated by the second width W2 from the second edge 221 in the direction of the second edge 221 . Dimming is applied to the dimming depth D2, and dimming is performed at the first dimming depth D1 in the direction of the first edge 222 from the first starting point S1 separated from the first edge 222 by the first width W1. In this case, the dimming function may be as shown in [Equation 2] below. In the third figure 630 of FIG. 6 , it is assumed that the dimming function is a linear function, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the dimming function may be a quadratic function.

[Equation 2]

y- (e-D2) = D2/W2 *(x -(S2-W2)) (S2-W2 ≤ x < S2)

y = e (S2 ≤ x < S1)

y - e = - D1/W1 * (x- S1)(S1 ≤ x ≤ S1+W1)

In [Equation 2], the first width W1 may be the sum of the third width W3 and the fourth width W4. The third width W3 may be a width of a partial area of the first area 211 , and the fourth width W4 may be a width of the second area 212 in which the display 210 is extended.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may reduce the lifetime difference between the first region 211 and the second region 212 of the display 210 of the electronic device 101 . When the threshold value is 1 or less and the state of the display 210 is the second state (extended state), dimming may be asymmetrically applied to both edge regions. That is, the first width W1 and the second width W2 may be different, and the first dimming depth D1 and the second dimming depth D2 may also be different.

According to an embodiment, the starting point S, the width W, and/or the dimming depth D, which are the dimming parameters, determine whether the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 extend the second region 212 . , an extension width of the second region 212 , and/or a difference information between the lifespans (or deterioration degree, visibility, or luminance) of the first region 211 and the second region 212 , or in advance The determined value may be stored in the memory of the electronic device 101 .

According to an embodiment, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 measures the use time of the display 210 and/or measures the degree of deterioration through analysis of the display image of the display 210 to determine the display 210 . information on the use time and/or the degree of deterioration of the According to an embodiment, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may determine the dimming depth D based on usage time information and/or deterioration degree information of the display 210 .

According to an embodiment, the use time of the first region 211 used in both the first state (basic state) and the second state (extended state) may be greater than the use time of the second region 212 . According to an embodiment, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may determine the first dimming depth ( D1) can be determined to increase by Δd.

Alternatively, according to an exemplary embodiment, the deterioration of the first region 211 may occur earlier depending on the difference in the usage time between the first region 211 and the second region 212 , and when driven with the same power, the first region 211 . A difference between the average luminance of 211 and the second region 212 may occur. According to an embodiment, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may determine the first dimming depth ( D1) can be determined to increase by Δd.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 7 , an application state of the dimming layer formed by the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 based on the operations described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6 will be described.

Referring to FIG. 7 , when the electronic device 101 is in a first state (a basic state) and the difference between the average lifespans of the first region 211 and the second region is less than or equal to a first threshold value, The diagram 710 may be a diagram illustrating a dimming layer formed by a processor and/or a display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 , and the third diagram 730 overlays the dimming layer of the first diagram 710 . ) may be a drawing showing a final output image.

According to an embodiment, the dimming layer of the first diagram 710 of FIG. 7 may be formed by the processor and/or the display driving circuit based on the dimming function of the third diagram 430 of FIG. 4 , and the electronic device ( When 101 is the first state (basic state) and the difference between the average lifespans of the first region 211 and the second region is less than or equal to the first threshold value, the electronic device 101 connects to the second edge 221 region and the second region. A dimming layer may be symmetrically formed on the first edge 222 region.

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device 101 is in the second state (extended state) and the difference between the average lifespans of the first region 211 and the second region is less than or equal to the first threshold value, the second diagram of FIG. 7 . Reference numeral 720 may be a diagram illustrating a dimming layer formed by a processor and/or a display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 , and a fourth diagram 740 is a final output overlaid with the dimming layer of the second diagram 720 . It may be a drawing showing an image. According to an embodiment, the dimming layer of the second diagram 720 of FIG. 7 may be formed by a processor and/or a display driving circuit based on the dimming function of the third diagram 630 of FIG. 6 .

When the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is in the second state (extended state) and the difference between the average lifespan of the first region (main region) and the second region (sub region) is less than or equal to the first threshold value, the dimming parameter By adjusting and applying the dimming layer asymmetrically to the second edge 221 direction in the first edge 222 direction, It is possible to prevent burn-in caused by the display, compensate for the difference in visibility between the first area (main area) and the second area (sub area), reduce color fading seen in the display section, and optics occurring at the curved edge It can reduce distorted perception. Additionally, current consumption can be reduced by reducing the luminance of the edge region.

Hereinafter, an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8 .

8 is a diagram illustrating various dimming layers formed by an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. The same components as those of the above-described embodiment may be referred to by the same reference numerals, and a description thereof may be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may form various dimming layers according to a setting change of a parameter of a dimming function. A parameter of the dimming function may include a width (W) to which dimming is applied, a dimming depth (D), and a starting point (S) of dimming, which is a range of x values. The parameter of the dimming function may be set in the processor and/or the display driving circuit, or may be determined by the processor and/or the display driving circuit according to an algorithm.

In the first drawing 810 of FIG. 8 , the first starting point S1 of dimming in the direction of the first edge 222 is k, the first dimming depth D1 is 10, and the first width W1 is 680 days. It may be a diagram showing a dimming layer when

In the second drawing 820 of FIG. 8 , the first starting point S1 of the dimming in the direction of the first edge 222 is k, the first dimming depth D1 is 0, and the first width W1 is 680 days. It may be a diagram showing a dimming layer when

In the third drawing 830 of FIG. 8 , the first starting point S1 of dimming in the direction of the first edge 222 is k-100, the first dimming depth D1 is 10, and the first width W1 is At 780, it may be a diagram showing a dimming layer.

In the fourth drawing 840 of FIG. 8 , the first starting point S1 of dimming in the direction of the first edge 222 is k+20, the first dimming depth D1 is 20, and the first width W1 is At 660, it may be a diagram showing a dimming layer.

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device 101 is in the second state (extended state), the dimming in the direction of the second edge 221 and the dimming in the direction of the first edge 222 may be asymmetrically applied. According to an embodiment, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may include information on the width of the expanded second region 212 and the usage difference between the first region 211 and the second region 212 (or Various dimming layers may be formed by determining a parameter of a dimming function based on deterioration difference information or visibility difference information).

When the electronic device 101 is in the second state (extended state) and the difference between the average lifespans of the first region 211 and the second region is equal to or less than the first threshold value, the electronic device 101 moves to the second edge 221 . By extending and applying the dimming layer asymmetrically to the area of the first edge 222 in the area, burn-in caused by the difference in usage time between the first area 211 and the second area 212 is prevented, and the first A difference in visibility between the region 211 and the second region 212 may be compensated, a color fading phenomenon viewed in a cross-section of the display may be reduced, and optical distortion visibility occurring at a curved edge may be reduced. Additionally, current consumption can be reduced by reducing the luminance of the edge region.

Hereinafter, an operation of the electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 .

9 is a diagram for describing an operation of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. 10 is a diagram illustrating a result of applying dimming to a display of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. The same components as those of the above-described embodiment may be referred to by the same reference numerals, and a description thereof may be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 9 , a first diagram 910 of FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating a display area of the display 210 of the electronic device 101 for explanation. According to an embodiment, the display 210 of the electronic device 101 may include a first area 211 and a second area 212 . 9 is a second state (extended state) in which the housing and the display 210 of the electronic device 101 are expanded, a state in which both the first region 211 and the second region 212 are driven. It may be an embodiment.

The second diagram 920 of FIG. 9 may be a graph showing the lifespan of the display 210 . The vertical axis of the graph of the second figure 620 may indicate the lifetime of the display, and the horizontal axis may correspond to the x-axis direction of the display 210 . According to the second drawing 920 , a difference may occur between the average lifespan of the first region 211 and the average lifespan of the second region 212 of the display 210 . According to an exemplary embodiment, the first area 211 is always used, but the second area 212 is used as a display area only in the second state (extended state), so that the first area 211 and the second area 212 are separated. There may be differences in usage. As the amount of use of the first region 211 is greater than that of the second region 212 , the deterioration of the first region 211 may proceed faster than that of the second region 212 , and the lifespan of the first region 211 may be reduced. 2 may be reduced than the area 212 .

The difference between the display lifetimes of the first area 211 and the second area 212 in the second drawing 920 of FIG. 9 is only an example, and FIG. 9 shows the average lifetime of the first area 211 and the second area (212) may be an embodiment for a case in which the difference in average lifespan exceeds a first threshold value.

A third diagram 930 of FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a dimming layer to be output to the display 210 as a dimming function. Referring to the third drawing 930 of FIG. 9 , the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 performs dimming to compensate for the difference in visibility between the first area 211 and the second area 212 . The applied area may be divided into a plurality of areas, and parameters such as a dimming start point, a dimming application width, and/or a dimming depth may be set for each area. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 divides the dimming area applied in the direction of the first edge 222 into a first partial area 920 and a second partial area 930 to apply different dimming functions to each area. can be applied.

According to an embodiment, the first partial region 920 may be a region corresponding to the third width W3 in the -x-axis direction from the boundary line 911 between the first region 211 and the second region 212 . . According to an embodiment, the second partial region 930 may be a region corresponding to the fourth width W4 in the +x-axis direction from the boundary line 911 between the first region 211 and the second region 212 . .

According to an embodiment, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may set a dimming offset ofs based on information about a difference between the average degree of deterioration of the first region 211 and the second region 212 . By additionally setting a parameter, visibility may be improved more naturally so that the user does not recognize a difference in visibility between the first area 211 and the second area 212 . According to an embodiment, the dimming offset ofs may occur at a boundary between the first partial region 920 and the second partial region 930 , and the dimming offset ofs has a size equal to that of the first partial region 920 and the second partial region 920 . It may be determined based on a difference in frequency of use between the two partial regions 930 . According to an embodiment, the difference in the frequency of use between the first partial region 920 and the second partial region 930 may be display usage history information, and the display usage history information may include display screen brightness and content grayscale information. Records such as (OPR) may be accumulated information.

According to an embodiment, referring to the third drawing 930 of FIG. 9 , the difference in lifetime between the first area 211 and the second area 212 of the display 210 of the electronic device 101 exceeds a threshold value. , when the state of the display 210 is the second state (extended state), the dimming function used by the electronic device 101 to form the dimming layer may be determined as in [Equation 3].

[Equation 3]

y- (e-D2) = D2/W2 *(x -(S2-W2)) (S2-W2 ≤ x < S2)

y = e (S2 ≤ x < S1)

y - e = - D1/W3 * (x- S1)(S1 ≤ x < S1+W3)

y - (e-D1) = - D3/W4 * (x- (S1+ W3)) -ofs (S1+W3 ≤ x ≤ S1+W3+W4)

In [Equation 3], the first width W1 may be the sum of the third width W3 and the fourth width W4. The third width W3 may be a width of a partial area of the first area 211 , and the fourth width W4 may be a width of the second area 212 in which the display 210 is extended.

According to [Equation 3], according to an embodiment, the second dimming depth D2 in the direction of the second edge 221 from the second starting point S2 separated by the second width W2 from the second edge 221 . Low dimming may be applied.

According to [Equation 3], according to an embodiment, from the first starting point S1 separated by the first width W1 from the first edge 222 to the third width W3 in the direction of the first edge 222 Dimming may be applied to the first dimming depth D1 . In addition, a dimming offset ofs is applied to the boundary between the first partial region 920 and the second partial region 930 , and a third starting point S3 separated from the first edge 222 by a fourth width W4 . Dimming may be applied to the third dimming depth D3 from the fourth width W4 in the direction of the first edge 222 .

According to an exemplary embodiment, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may reduce the lifetime difference between the first region 211 and the second region 212 of the display 210 of the electronic device 101 . When the 1 threshold value is exceeded and the state of the display 210 is the second state (extended state), dimming may be asymmetrically applied to both edge regions. That is, the first width W1 and the second width W2 may be different, and the first dimming depth D1 , the second dimming depth D2 , and the third dimming depth D3 may be different.

According to an exemplary embodiment, in the third drawing 930 of FIG. 9 , it is assumed that the dimming function is a partially linear function, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the dimming function may be a quadratic function.

According to an embodiment, the starting point S, the width W, the dimming depth D, and/or the dimming offset (ofs) that are the dimming parameters are determined by the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 in the second region. Whether the 212 is extended, the extended width of the second region 212 , the lifespan (or deterioration degree, or visibility, or luminance) of the first region 211 and the second region 212 , and/or the first portion It is determined based on information on the difference between the lifespan (or deterioration degree, visibility, or luminance) of the region 920 and the second partial region 930 , or a predetermined value is stored in the memory of the electronic device 101 . can

According to an embodiment, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 measures the use time of the display 210 and/or measures the degree of deterioration through analysis of the display image of the display 210 to measure the display 210 ) of use time information and/or deterioration degree information may be obtained.

According to an embodiment, a method for the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 to determine the dimming depth D may be the same as the method described above with reference to FIG. 6 .

According to an embodiment, a processor and/or a display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may determine an offset (ofs) based on usage time information and/or deterioration degree information of the display 210 . According to an embodiment, when the average luminance difference between the first region 211 and the second region 212 exceeds the first threshold value, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may use Equation (4) to The dimming offset (ofs) can be calculated.

[Equation 4]

(α1)*(Y1)= [(α1)- (ofs)] *(Y2)

(here,

α1=transparency of the dimming layer at the boundary line 911 of the first subregion 920,

Y1 = the average luminance value of the first partial region 920,

Y2 = the average luminance value of the second partial region 930.)

According to an embodiment, the transparency (α) may have a value between 0 and 255. When the transparency (α) is 255, it is completely transparent, and when the transparency (α) is 0, it may mean that it is completely opaque. .

According to an embodiment, in the third drawing 930 of FIG. 9 , the dimming application area in the direction of the first edge 222 is divided into two parts, a first partial area 920 and a second partial area 930 , respectively. Although the dimming function has been applied, it is not limited thereto, and the dimming function may be applied to each partial region by dividing it into three or more partial regions. In this case, the dimming depth and/or offset may be applied differently for each region, and the dimming depth may gradually increase in the direction of the second edge 222 . In addition, the more severe the degree of degradation, the more regions can be divided. In addition, when the display 210 is extended in the direction of the second edge 221 , the dimming may be applied by dividing the dimming application area in the direction of the second edge 221 . In addition, when the display 210 is expandable in both the direction of the second edge 221 and the direction of the first edge 222 , dimming may be applied by dividing the dimming application area in both edge directions.

Hereinafter, an application state of the dimming layer formed by the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 based on the operation described with reference to FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIG. 10 .

10 may be a final output screen to which a dimming layer formed by the electronic device 101 is applied, according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 10 , when the electronic device 101 is in the second state (extended state) and the difference between the average lifespans of the first region 211 and the second region exceeds a first threshold value according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, the processor and/or the display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 may determine a dimming parameter as shown in the third figure 930 of FIG. 9 , and form a dimming layer based on the third figure 930 . .

According to an exemplary embodiment, in the processor and/or display driving circuit of the electronic device 101 , the electronic device 101 is in a second state (extended state) and a difference between the average lifespan of the first region 211 and the second region As it is determined that ? exceeds the first threshold, two starting points, two dimming depths, and two widths and offsets are determined to divide and apply dimming to the first partial region 920 and the second partial region 930 . can

10 shows a first starting point S1 of dimming in the direction of the first edge 222 is k, a first dimming depth D1 is 5, a third width W3 is 200, and a third starting point S3 This may be a diagram illustrating a state in which a dimming layer having k+200, a third dimming depth D3 of 5, a fourth width W4 of 480, and an offset ofs of 5 is applied to content to be output.

According to the electronic device of the present disclosure, when it is determined that the electronic device 101 is in the second state (extended state) and the difference between the average lifespan of the first region 211 and the second region exceeds the first threshold value, the dimming is performed. By adjusting a parameter and applying a discontinuous dimming function to the first edge 222 region, burn-in caused by the difference in use time between the first region (main region) and the second region (sub region) is prevented, It is possible to compensate for the difference in visibility between the first region (main region) and the second region (sub region), to reduce color fading seen in the display section, and to reduce optical distortion visibility occurring at curved edges. Additionally, current consumption can be reduced by reducing the luminance of the edge region.

An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a flexible display expandable in at least a direction of a first edge, wherein the flexible display drives a first area in a first state, and drives the first area and the first area in a second state A housing that drives a second area extended in the direction of the edge and includes the flexible display therein and is expandable in the direction of the first edge, a display driving circuit driving the flexible display, and driving the flexible display and the display a processor electrically coupled to the circuit, wherein the processor or the display driving circuit comprises: dimming based on a first dimming depth in a direction of the first edge from a first starting point spaced from the first edge by a first width ) and forming a dimming layer to which dimming is applied based on a second dimming depth in the direction of the second edge from a second starting point separated by a second width from a second edge opposite the first edge, As the first state is identified, the first width and the second width are set equal to each other, the first dimming depth and the second dimming depth are set equal to each other, and as the second state is identified, The first width and the second width may be set to be different from each other, and the first dimming depth and the second dimming depth may be set to be different from each other.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first state may be a basic state, and the second state may be an extended state in which the flexible display is expanded.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor or the display driving circuit may output the formed dimming layer by overlaying it with content to be output to the flexible display.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor or the display driving circuit may include the first starting point, the second starting point, the first width, and the A second width, the first dimming depth, and the second dimming depth may be determined.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor or the display driving circuit may include the first starting point, the second starting point, the first width, the second width, and the first based on the width of the second region. A dimming depth and the second dimming depth may be determined.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the processor or the display driving circuit determines that the electronic device is in the second state and a deterioration difference between the first region and the second region exceeds a first threshold value, Dimming is applied based on the first dimming depth from the first starting point to a third width in the direction of the first edge, and the direction of the first edge from a third starting point separated from the first starting point by the third width As a result, the dimming layer may be formed by applying dimming based on the third dimming depth up to the fourth width.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor or the display driving circuit may apply a dimming offset to the second starting point.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor or the display driving circuit may determine the dimming offset based on deterioration difference information between the first region and the second region.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the processor or the display driving circuit, a value obtained by multiplying transparency at the third starting point of dimming applied to the third width and an average luminance value of an area corresponding to the third width The dimming offset can be determined so that the value obtained by multiplying the dimming offset by the value obtained by adding the dimming offset to the transparency at the third starting point of the dimming applied to the fourth width is equal to the value obtained by multiplying the average luminance value of the region corresponding to the fourth width. have.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the electronic device is in the second state, the first width may be a value obtained by adding the second width to the width of the second region.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the formed dimming layer may be output by overlaying the content to be output to the flexible display.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first starting point, the second starting point, the first width, the second width, and the first dimming depth based on the deterioration difference information between the first area and the second area and the second dimming depth may be determined.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first starting point, the second starting point, the first width, the second width, the first dimming depth, and the second dimming depth are determined based on the width of the second region. can decide

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when it is determined that the electronic device is in the second state and a deterioration difference between the first region and the second region exceeds a first threshold value, the first edge from the first starting point Dimming is applied based on the first dimming depth up to a third width in the direction of The dimming layer may be formed by applying dimming based on .

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a dimming offset may be applied to the second starting point.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the dimming offset may be determined based on deterioration difference information between the first region and the second region.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the value obtained by multiplying the transparency at the third starting point of the dimming applied to the third width and the average luminance value of the area corresponding to the third width is applied to the fourth width. The dimming offset may be determined such that a value obtained by multiplying a value obtained by adding the dimming offset to the transparency at the third starting point of dimming by the average luminance value of the area corresponding to the fourth width is the same.

Claims

In an electronic device,

A flexible display expandable in at least a direction of a first edge, wherein the flexible display drives a first area in a first state, and drives a first area and a second area extended in the direction of the first edge in a second state, ;

a housing including the flexible display therein and expandable in the direction of the first edge;

a display driving circuit for driving the flexible display; and

a processor electrically connected to the flexible display and the display driving circuit;

The processor or the display driving circuit comprises:

Dimming is applied based on a first dimming depth in the direction of the first edge from a first starting point spaced by a first width from the first edge, and a second edge from a second edge opposite to the first edge is applied. forming a dimming layer to which dimming is applied based on a second dimming depth in the direction of the second edge from a second starting point separated by a width;

As the first state is identified, the first width and the second width are set to be the same, and the first dimming depth and the second dimming depth are set to be equal to each other,

In response to identifying the second state, the first width and the second width are set to be different from each other, and the first dimming depth and the second dimming depth are set to be different from each other.
The method according to claim 1,

The first state is a basic state, and the second state is an extended state in which the flexible display is expanded.
The method according to claim 1,

and the processor or the display driving circuit overlays the formed dimming layer with content to be output to the flexible display and outputs the overlaid.
The method according to claim 1,

The processor or the display driving circuit may be configured to include the first starting point, the second starting point, the first width, the second width, and the first dimming depth based on deterioration difference information between the first area and the second area. and determining the second dimming depth.
The method according to claim 1,

The processor or the display driving circuit may determine the first starting point, the second starting point, the first width, the second width, the first dimming depth, and the second dimming depth based on the width of the second region. Determining, electronic device.
The method according to claim 1,

When the processor or the display driving circuit determines that the electronic device is in the second state and that a deterioration difference between the first region and the second region exceeds a first threshold value, the first edge from the first starting point Dimming is applied based on the first dimming depth up to a third width in the direction of An electronic device that forms the dimming layer by applying dimming based on
7. The method of claim 6,

The processor or the display driving circuit applies a dimming offset to the second starting point.
8. The method of claim 7,

The processor or the display driving circuit determines the dimming offset based on deterioration difference information between the first region and the second region.
7. The method of claim 6,

The processor or the display driving circuit,

A value obtained by multiplying the transparency at the third starting point of the dimming applied to the third width and the average luminance value of the region corresponding to the third width is the transparency at the third starting point of the dimming applied to the fourth width and determining the dimming offset so that a value obtained by multiplying a value obtained by adding the dimming offset to a value obtained by multiplying an average luminance value of an area corresponding to the fourth width is the same.
The method according to claim 1,

When the electronic device is in the second state, the first width is a value obtained by adding the second width to the width of the second region.
A flexible display that is expandable in at least a direction of a first edge, drives a first region in a first state, and drives a first region and a second region that extends in the direction of the first edge in a second state A method of operating an electronic device, comprising:

Dimming is applied based on a first dimming depth in the direction of the first edge from a first starting point spaced by a first width from the first edge, and a second edge from a second edge opposite to the first edge is applied. forming a dimming layer to which dimming is applied based on a second dimming depth in the direction of the second edge from a second starting point separated by a width;

As the first state is identified, the first width and the second width are set to be the same, and the first dimming depth and the second dimming depth are set to be equal to each other,

In response to identifying the second state, the first width and the second width are set to be different from each other, and the first dimming depth and the second dimming depth are set to be different from each other.
12. The method of claim 11,

The first state is a basic state, and the second state is an extended state in which the flexible display is expanded.
12. The method of claim 11,

The method of operating an electronic device, wherein the formed dimming layer is overlaid with content to be output on the flexible display and outputted.
12. The method of claim 11,

determining the first starting point, the second starting point, the first width, the second width, the first dimming depth, and the second dimming depth based on the deterioration difference information between the first area and the second area , a method of operation of an electronic device.
12. The method of claim 11,

and determining the first starting point, the second starting point, the first width, the second width, the first dimming depth, and the second dimming depth based on the width of the second region.