# US 2025/0168263 A1 · Foldable electronic device and method for decreasing echo generation

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- Number: US 2025/0168263 A1
- Document ID: US20250168263A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 19/029,514
- Filed: 2025-01-17
- Published: 2025-05-22
- Earliest claimed: 2022-10-04
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kyungmin PARK
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250168263A1

## CPC

- H04M 1/0243: {using the relative angle between housings}
- 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}
- 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 1/6016: {in the receiver circuit}
- H04M 1/6041: {Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use}
- H04M 1/72454: according to context-related or environment-related conditions
- 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

The present document relates to a foldable electronic device and to an electronic device and method for decreasing echo generation in the foldable electronic device. An electronic device, according to one embodiment, identifies a folding angle between a first housing area and a second housing area when the first housing area of the electronic device and the second housing area of the electronic device are folded. The electronic device, according to one embodiment, decreases the volume of at least one speaker of the electronic device to a specified value on the basis of the folding angle being a first critical angle. The electronic device, according to one embodiment, carries out a call in a fully folded state on the basis of identifying that the first housing area and the second housing area are in the fully folded state. Other embodiments are also possible.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic device, comprising:
a housing including a first housing area and a second housing area configured to be foldable on each other;
at least one microphone disposed on the first housing area;
at least one speaker disposed on the second housing area; and
at least one processor electrically connected to the at least one microphone and the at least one speaker,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
identify a folding angle between the first housing area and the second housing area while the first housing area and the second housing area are in the middle of being folded;
based on the folding angle being a first threshold angle, reduce the volume of the at least one speaker of the electronic device to a specified value; and
based on identifying that the first housing area and the second housing area are in a fully folded state, perform a call in the fully folded state.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
perform a call in an open state of the first housing area and the second housing area; and
based on the movement of the first housing area or the second housing area or a distance change of the first housing area and the second housing area, identify a state in which the first housing area and the second housing area are in the middle of being folded in the open state, and
wherein the folding angle is detected using a proximity sensor or a Hall IC sensor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor configured to detect the folding movement of the first housing area and the second housing area around a hinge structure of the electronic device,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
detect a folding speed using the at least one sensor; and
in case that the folding speed exceeds a specified threshold speed, identify that the first housing area and the second housing area are in the middle of being folded fast and reduce the volume of the speaker to the specified value without the detection of the folding angle, or
in case that the folding speed is less than the specified threshold speed, identify whether the folding angle is less than or equal to the specified first threshold angle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
identify whether the folding angle is included in a speaker gain table stored in a memory of the electronic device; and
based on the folding angle being included in the speaker gain table, reduce the volume of the speaker by applying a speaker gain value set to correspond to the folding angle.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
sequentially identify a folding angle before the fully folded state; and
sequentially reduce the volume of the speaker with the speaker gain value set to correspond to the detected folding angle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
based on the folding angle being a specified second threshold angle, identify that the first housing area and the second housing area are immediately before the fully folded state and reduce the volume of a transmission output signal for a specified time period.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, in case that the first housing area and the second housing area are in a stopped state in which folding is stopped before the fully folded state while being folded, maintain a call volume set in a state where the first housing area and the second housing area are open or maintain a speaker volume corresponding to a current folding angle as a call volume.

### Claim 8

A method for an operation of an electronic device, comprising:
identifying a folding angle between the first housing area and the second housing area while the first housing area and the second housing area of the electronic device are in the middle of being folded;
based on the folding angle being a first threshold angle, reducing the volume of at least one speaker of the electronic device to a specified value; and
based on identifying that the first housing area and the second housing area are in the fully folded state, performing a call in the fully folded state.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising:
performing a call while the first housing area and the second housing area are in the open state; and
based on the movement of the first housing area or the second housing area or a distance change of the first housing area and the second housing area, identifying a state in which the first housing area and the second housing area are in the middle of being folded in the open state.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising:
detecting the folding speed while the first housing area and the second housing area are in the middle of being folded by using at least one sensor; and
in case that the folding speed exceeds a specified threshold speed, identifying that the first housing area and the second housing area are in the middle of being folded fast and reducing the volume of the speaker to the specified value without the detection of the folding angle, or
in case that the folding speed is less than the specified threshold speed, identifying whether the folding angle is less than or equal to the specified first threshold angle.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the reducing of the volume of the at least one speaker to a specified value comprises:
identifying whether the folding angle is included in a speaker gain table stored in a memory of the electronic device; and
based on the folding angle being included in the speaker gain table, reducing the volume of the speaker by applying a speaker gain value set to correspond to the folding angle.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the reducing of the volume of the at least one speaker to a specified value comprises sequentially reducing the volume of the speaker to the speaker gain value set to correspond to the folding angle sequentially detected before the fully folded state.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the reducing of the volume of the at least one speaker to a specified value comprises, based on the folding angle being a specified second threshold angle, identifying that the first housing area and the second housing area are immediately before the fully folded state and reducing the volume of a transmission output signal for a specified time period.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising, in case that the first housing area and the second housing area are in a stopped state in which folding is stopped before the fully folded state while being folded, maintaining a call volume set in an open state of the first housing area and the second housing area or maintaining a speaker volume corresponding to a current folding angle as a call volume.

### Claim 15

A non-transitory storage medium configured storing a program, wherein the program, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, comprises executable instructions configured to cause the electronic device to:
identifying a folding angle between a first housing area of the electronic device and a second housing area of the electronic device while the first housing area and the second housing area are in the middle of being folded;
based on the folding angle being a first threshold angle, reducing a volume of at least one speaker of the electronic device to a specified value; and
based on identifying that the first housing area and the second housing area are in a fully folded state, performing a call in the fully folded state.