# US 11,310,354 B2 · Foldable device and controlling method thereof

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- Number: US 11,310,354 B2
- Document ID: US11310354B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/105,790
- Filed: 2020-11-27
- Published: 2021-05-27
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2019-11-27
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kwangtaek Woo; Deukkyu Oh; Byoungkug Kim; Changho Lee; Jinwan An
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11310354B2

## CPC

- H04M 1/0214: {Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position (combined with translation movement H04M1/0235)}
- H04M 1/0245: {using open/close detection}
- G06F 1/1641: {the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components (G06F1/1647 takes precedence)}
- G06F 1/1643: {the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads (details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615)}
- G06F 1/1652: {the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable}
- G06F 1/1677: {for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment}
- G06F 1/1681: {Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683)}
- G06F 3/0416: {Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers}
- G06F 3/0418: {for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment}
- G06F 3/04883: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
- G06F 3/04886: by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
- H04M 1/0216: {Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge}
- H04M 1/0243: {using the relative angle between housings}
- G06F 2203/04102: Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
- H04M 2250/22: including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A foldable electronic device is disclosed, the electronic device including a first housing and a second housing adjacent to the first housing; a hinge unit configured to connect the first housing and the second housing; a flexible touch display disposed across the first housing and the second housing; at least one sensor configured to detect an angle formed by the first housing and the second housing; a processor operatively connected with the flexible touch display and the at least one sensor; and a memory operatively connected with the processor, and the memory stores instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to determine whether the first housing and the second housing are in an unfolding state by using the at least one sensor; when the first housing and the second housing are in the unfolding state, set a touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display to a first state; determine a change of the angle formed by the first housing and the second housing by using the at least one sensor; and when the angle is being changed, change the touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display to a second state which is lower than the first state.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A foldable electronic device comprising:
a first housing and a second housing adjacent to the first housing;
a hinge unit configured to connect the first housing and the second housing;
a flexible touch display disposed across the first housing and the second housing;
at least one sensor configured to detect an angle formed by the first housing and the second housing;
a processor operatively connected with the flexible touch display and the at least one sensor; and
a memory operatively connected with the processor,
wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to:
determine whether the first housing and the second housing are in an unfolding state by using the at least one sensor;
when the first housing and the second housing are in the unfolding state, set a touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display to a first state;
determine a change of the angle formed by the first housing and the second housing by using the at least one sensor; and
when the angle is being changed, change the touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display to a second state which is lower than the first state.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The foldable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a Hall sensor, a gyro sensor, an angle sensor, or an acceleration sensor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The foldable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:
determine a change velocity of the angle formed by the first housing and the second housing by using the at least one sensor;
when the change velocity is a first velocity, set the touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display to the second state; and
when the change velocity is a second velocity which is lower than the first velocity, change the touch sensitivity of the touch display to the first state which is higher than the second state.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The foldable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:
determine whether the change of the angle formed by the first housing and the second housing is stopped by using the at least one sensor; and
in response to the change of the angle being stopped, change the touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display from the second state to the first state.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The foldable electronic device of claim 4, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to, in response to the change from the second state to the first state, display a visual effect corresponding to the first state on at least a portion of the flexible touch display.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The foldable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:
determine whether the first housing and the second housing are in a folding completion state by using the at least one sensor; and
in response to the folding completion state, change the touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display from the second state to the first state.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The foldable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to, in response to the change from the first state to the second state, display a visual effect corresponding to the second state in at least a portion of the flexible touch display.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The foldable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:
display the visual effect corresponding to the touch sensitivity of the second state on a second area of the flexible touch display; and
display a visual effect corresponding to the touch sensitivity of the first state on a first area except for the second area of the touch display.

### Claim 9

A method for controlling of a foldable electronic device, the method comprising:
determining, by a processor, whether a first housing and a second housing are in an unfolding state by using at least one sensor of the foldable electronic device;
when in the unfolding state, setting, by the processor, a touch sensitivity of a flexible touch display to a first state;
determining, by the processor, a change of the angle formed by the first housing and the second housing by using the at least one sensor; and
when the angle is being changed, changing, by the processor, the touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display to a second state which is lower than the first state.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
determining, by the processor, a change velocity of the angle formed by the first housing and the second housing by using the at least one sensor;
when the change velocity is a first velocity, setting, by the processor, the touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display to the second state; and
when the change velocity is a second velocity which is lower than the first velocity, changing, by the processor, the touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display to the first state which is higher than the second state.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
determining, by the processor, whether the change of the angle formed by the first housing and the second housing is stopped by using the at least one sensor; and
in response to the change of the angle being stopped, changing, by the processor, the touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display from the second state to the first state.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising, in response to the change from the second state to the first state, displaying, by the processor, a visual effect corresponding to the first state on at least a portion of the flexible touch display.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
determining, by the processor, whether the first housing and the second housing are in a folding completion state by using the at least one sensor; and
in response to the folding completion state, changing, by the processor, the touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display from the second state to the first state.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising, in response to the change from the first state to the second state, displaying, by the processor, a visual effect corresponding to the second state in at least a portion of the flexible touch display.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, further comprising:
displaying, by the processor, the visual effect corresponding to the touch sensitivity of the second state on a second area of the flexible touch display; and
displaying, by the processor, a visual effect corresponding to the touch sensitivity of the first state on a first area except for the second area of the touch display.

### Claim 16

A non-transitory recording medium which stores computable-readable instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor of a foldable electronic device in which the instructions are stored, are configured to perform:
determining, by the processor, whether a first housing and a second housing are in an unfolding state by using at least one sensor of the foldable electronic device;
when in the unfolding state, setting, by the processor, a touch sensitivity of a flexible touch display to a first state;
determining, by the processor, a change of the angle formed by the first housing and the second housing by using the at least one sensor; and
when the angle is being changed, changing, by the processor, the touch sensitivity of the flexible touch display to a second state which is lower than the first state.