Patent Application
20230221785
Certain example embodiments relate to an electronic device including a flexible display and/or a method of operating the electronic device.
Recently, various types of electronic devices are being developed and spread. In particular, mobile devices having various functions, such as smart phones, tablet PCs, and wearable devices, as well as existing desktop PCs, are expanding. In addition, with the development of technology, not only electronic devices having a fixed display, but also electronic devices including a physically bendable or foldable flexible display are being developed and spread.
Conventionally, a method of reducing the brightness of a display of an electronic device has been used to reduce power consumption of a battery. However, the method of adjusting the brightness of the entire display does not consider the characteristics of an electronic device including a flexible display and cannot effectively reduce battery power consumption.
Certain example embodiments provide an electronic device capable of providing information related to a form factor of a flexible display enabling reduction in power consumption of a battery.
An electronic device according to an example embodiment may include a flexible display, a battery, a memory, and a processor operatively connected, directly or indirectly, to the flexible display, the battery and the memory. According to an embodiment, the memory may store instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to identify a current form factor of the flexible display when a remaining battery level of the battery is less than or equal to a specified value, determine at least one form factor of the flexible display enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery, and provide information related to the at least one form factor of the flexible display.
Further, a method for operating an electronic device including a flexible display according to an example embodiment may include identifying a current form factor of the flexible display when a remaining battery level of the battery is less than or equal to a specified value, determining at least one form factor of the flexible display enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery, and providing information related to the at least one form factor of the flexible display.
Further, a recording medium according to an example embodiment may have computer-readable instructions stored therein, which, when executed by an electronic device including a flexible display, cause the electronic device to identifying a current form factor of the flexible display when a remaining battery level of the battery is less than or equal to a specified value, determining at least one form factor of the flexible display, capable of reducing power consumption of the battery, and providing information related to the at least one form factor of the flexible display.
According to certain example embodiments, it is possible to provide information related to the form factor of a flexible display enabling reduction in power consumption of a battery of an electronic device.
According to certain example embodiments, it is possible to reduce power consumption of a battery based on at least a part of an application being executed, a sensor being used and a function being executed in an electronic device, determine a form factor of a flexible display enabling effective use of the battery and provide information related to the form factor.
In addition, various effects may be provided that are directly or indirectly understood through the disclosure.
The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain example embodiments will be more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for the same or similar components.
The processor 120 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device 101 coupled with the processor 120, and may perform various data processing or computation. According to an embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or computation, the processor 120 may store a command or data received from another component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communication module 190) in volatile memory 132, process the command or the data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store resulting data in non-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)), or an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that is operable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor 121. For example, when the electronic device 101 includes the main processor 121 and the auxiliary processor 123, the auxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or to be specific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 121.
The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of functions or states related to at least one component (e.g., the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among the components of the electronic device 101, instead of the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 is in an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190) functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., the neural processing unit) may include a hardware structure specified for artificial intelligence model processing. An artificial intelligence model may be generated by machine learning. Such learning may be performed, e.g., by the electronic device 101 where the artificial intelligence is performed or via a separate server (e.g., the server 108). Learning algorithms may include, but are not limited to, e.g., supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning. The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers. The artificial neural network may be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), deep Q-network or a combination of two or more thereof but is not limited thereto. The artificial intelligence model may, additionally or alternatively, include a software structure other than the hardware structure.
The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component (e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronic device 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., the program 140) and input data or output data for a command related thereto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or the non-volatile memory 134.
The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and may include, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, or an application 146.
The input module 150 may receive a command or data to be used by another component (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, from the outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The input module 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).
The sound output module 155 may output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device 101. The sound output module 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record. The receiver may be used for receiving incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.
The display module 160 may visually provide information to the outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display module 160 may include, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector and control circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display, hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the display module 160 may include a touch sensor adapted to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor adapted to measure the intensity of force incurred by the touch.
The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electrical signal and vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtain the sound via the input module 150, or output the sound via the sound output module 155 or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly coupled with the electronic device 101.
The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state (e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.
The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be used for the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.
A connecting terminal 178 may include a connector via which the electronic device 101 may be physically connected with the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the connecting terminal 178 may include, for example, a HDMI connector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).
The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus which may be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinesthetic sensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electric stimulator.
The camera module 180 may capture a still image or 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 at least part of, for example, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).
The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 may include, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, a secondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.
The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) and performing communication via the established communication channel. The communication module 190 (comprising communication circuitry) may include one or more communication processors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g., the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired) communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module 192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules may communicate with the external electronic device via the first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™, wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network, such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separate from each other. The wireless communication module 192 may identify and authenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network, such as the first network 198 or the second network 199, using subscriber information (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module 196.
The wireless communication module 192 may support a 5G network, after a 4G network, and next-generation communication technology, e.g., new radio (NR) access technology. The NR access technology may support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), or ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC). The wireless communication module 192 may support a high-frequency band (e.g., the mmWave band) to achieve, e.g., a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module 192 may support various technologies for securing performance on a high-frequency band, such as, e.g., beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (massive MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wireless communication module 192 may support various requirements specified in the electronic device 101, an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 104), or a network system (e.g., the second network 199). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 192 may support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for implementing eMBB, loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for implementing mMTC, or U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for each of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or a round trip of 1 ms or less) for implementing URLLC.
The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to or from the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas). In such a case, at least one antenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communication network, such as the first network 198 or the second network 199, may be selected, for example, by the communication module 190 (e.g., the wireless communication module 192) from the plurality of antennas. The signal or the power may then be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiating element may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module 197.
According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 may form a mmWave antenna module. According to an embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, a RFIC disposed on a first surface (e.g., the bottom surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the first surface and capable of supporting a designated high-frequency band (e.g., the mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas) disposed on a second surface (e.g., the top or a side surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the second surface and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of the designated high-frequency band.
At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutually and communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)).
According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Each of the electronic devices 102 or 104 may be a device of a same type as, or a different type, from the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronic device 101 may be executed at one or more of the external electronic devices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronic device 101 should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101, instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service, may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or the service. The one or more external electronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least part of the function or the service requested, or an additional function or an additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome of the performing to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of the outcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used, for example. The electronic device 101 may provide ultra low-latency services using, e.g., 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 a neural network. 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 intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology or IoT-related technology.
According to an embodiment, an electronic device 200 (e.g., the electronic device 101 of
According to various embodiments, the flexible display 210 may visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device 200 (e.g., a user). According to various embodiments, the flexible display 210 may include at least one of a foldable display, a slidable display, and a rollable display. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may further include a sub-display. According to an embodiment, the flexible display 210 may have various form factors. For example, the form factors may refer to various forms of the flexible display 210. For example, a folded or unfolded form of a foldable display, an expanded or non-expanded form of a slidable display, or an expanded or contracted from of a rollable display may each be a form factor of a flexible display.
According to an embodiment, the battery 220 may supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 200.
According to an embodiment, the at least one sensor 230 may include at least one of a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an barometric pressure sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an angle sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biological sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an illuminance sensor, an acoustic sensor (e.g., a microphone), and an image sensor (e.g., a camera).
According to an embodiment, the memory 240 may include instructions for controlling the operation of the electronic device 200 when executed by the processor 250. According to an embodiment, the memory 240 may include various information or data necessary for the operation or function of the electronic device 200.
According to an embodiment, the processor 250 may identify a current form factor of the flexible display 210 when the remaining battery level of the battery 220 is equal to or less than a specified value. For example, the processor 250 may determine whether the flexible display 210 is currently in an unfolded state, a folded state, an expanded state, or a contracted state.
According to various embodiments, the processor 250 may determine a form factor of the flexible display 210 enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery 220. For example, the processor 250 may determine at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery 220 from among various form factors that the flexible display 210 is able to have. According to various embodiments, the processor 250 may determine a form factor of the flexible display 210 enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery 220 while maintaining an operation or function of the electronic device 200.
According to an embodiment, the processor 250 may determine a form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery 220 based on the position of the activated sensor 230. For example, the sensors 230 included in the electronic device 200 may be disposed at specific positions of the electronic device 200. For example, the processor 250 may determine a form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery 220 while maintaining the function (operation) of the activated sensor 230. For example, the processor 250 may determine a form factor using a portion of the flexible display 210 corresponding to the position of the activated sensor 230.
According to an embodiment, the processor 250 may determine a form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery 220 based on at least a part of an application and function being executed. For example, the processor 250 may determine a hardware component (e.g., the sensor 230) corresponding to a function used by an application being executed, and determine a form factor suitable for performing the function of the corresponding hardware component. For example, the processor 250 may determine a form factor based on the type of an application being executed. For example, the processor 250 may determine a form factor suitable for an application based on whether the application is an application that supports a portrait view by default (e.g., a game application or a video-related application) or an application that natively supports a landscape view by default (e.g., a social network service (SNS) application, an instant message (IM) application or a browsing application).
According to an embodiment, the processor 250 may recognize a display ratio of content being displayed on the flexible display 210 and determine a form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery 220 based on the recognized display ratio. For example, the processor 250 may determine a form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery 220 while allowing the aspect ratio of content being displayed to remain the same or change similarly.
According to an embodiment, when the electronic device 200 includes a plurality of displays (e.g., the flexible display 210 and a sub-display (not shown)), the processor 250 may identify current form factors of all the plurality of displays, and then determine at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery 220 among various form factors configurable through a plurality of displays.
According to an embodiment, the processor 250 may provide information related to the determined at least one form factor. For example, the processor 250 may output information related to the determined at least one form factor through the flexible display 210. According to an embodiment, information related to the form factor may include information on an expected use time of the battery 220 for each form factor.
According to an embodiment, the processor 250 may provide information on a method for reducing power consumption of the battery 220 when there is no form factor of the flexible display 210 enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery 220. For example, the processor 250 may provide information on a use state of an application being executed and terminate execution of the selected application based on a user input.
According to an embodiment, the processor 250 may change the form factor of the flexible display 210 to a selected form factor based on a user input for selecting one of at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery 220. For example, the processor 250 may fold, unfold, expand or contract the form of the flexible display 210 to have a form factor selected by a user input.
According to an embodiment, the processor 250 may switch the mode of the electronic device 200 to a power save mode in the case of changing the form factor of the flexible display 210. According to an embodiment, the power saving mode may be a mode for reducing power consumption of the battery 220. For example, in the power saving mode, the processor 250 may reduce the brightness or resolution of the flexible display 210 compared to a normal mode, or limit the processing speed of the processor 250 (e.g., CPU speed) to a specified value or less. For example, in the power saving mode, the processor 250 may limit the use of data in the background or perform control such that at least a portion of the flexible display 210 are turned off. For example, in the power saving mode, the processor 250 may limit or deactivate at least some functions (e.g., an always on display (AOD) function) of the electronic device 200 or operations of at least some components.
According to various embodiments, the electronic device 200 may further include at least some of the components of the electronic device 101 of
According to various embodiments, an electronic device 310, 320, 330, or 340 (e.g., the electronic device 101 of
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The forms (form factors) of the flexible displays of the electronic device 310, 320, 330, and 340 shown in
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According to various embodiments, types of information on the form factor provided by the electronic devices shown in
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According to various embodiments, the types of information on the form factor provided by the electronic device illustrated in
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According to various embodiments, the types of information on the form factor provided by the electronic device illustrated in
According to an embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of
According to an embodiment, in operation 810, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of
According to an embodiment, in operation 820, the electronic device may recognize the form factor of a flexible display. For example, when the electronic device is a flexible display capable of being folded at multiple points (e.g., a foldable display), the flexible display may have form factors of a single mode (a mode in which only a portion of the flexible display is used in a state in which the flexible display is completely folded), a flexible mode (a mode in which the flexible display is partially used in a state in which the flexible display is folded at a certain angle), and an expand mode (flex mode).
According to an embodiment, in operation 830, the electronic device may provide information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of a battery based on the state of an application being executed and authority to use a hardware component. For example, the information related to the form factor may include information on a recommended form factor and/or an available use time of a battery for each form factor. For example, the electronic device may provide information on an available use time of the battery for each of sizes of use areas in the flexible display.
For example, when an application being executed is a video-related application, the use of any sensor may not be necessary. For example, the electronic device may recommend a form factor 831 capable of using a smaller area of the flexible display than a current use area in displaying the video-related application.
For example, the electronic device may provide (or recommend) information related to a form factor capable of providing the function of a corresponding hardware component based on a state of an application being executed and the authority to use the hardware component. For example, when an application being executed has authority to use a camera, information related to a form factor using an area of the flexible display where the camera is disposed may be provided.
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According to an embodiment, the electronic device may deactivate at least one hardware component (e.g., sensor) that is not necessarily used by an application (e.g., a camera application) being executed to reduce power consumption of the battery when the form factor of the flexible display is changed. For example, the electronic device may deactivate sensors other than the camera. According to an embodiment, when the form factor of the flexible display is changed, the electronic device may deactivate a function (e.g., GPS) unrelated to an application being executed (e.g., a camera application) to reduce power consumption of the battery.
Referring to
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According to an embodiment, the electronic device may deactivate other hardware components than a hardware component (e.g., sensor) used by the content playback application being executed to reduce power consumption of a battery when a form factor of the flexible display is changed.
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According to an embodiment, the electronic device may deactivate other hardware components or functions than a hardware component (e.g., a gyro sensor, an illuminance sensor, and/or a geomagnetic sensor) used by the game application being executed to reduce power consumption of a battery when a form factor of the flexible display is changed.
Referring to
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may deactivate other hardware components or functions (e.g., audio output) than a hardware component (e.g., illuminance sensor) used by the SNS application (or IM application or browser application) being executed to reduce power consumption of a battery when a form factor of the flexible display is changed.
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may recognize that the remaining battery level is less than a specified value (e.g., 15%) while displaying a shopping application screen 1310. For example, the electronic device may output a window 1325 including information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery on a shopping application screen 1320 based on an application being executed and a hardware component (e.g., a fingerprint recognition sensor) used by the application being executed when the remaining battery capacity is less than or equal to a specified value. For example, the electronic device may reduce power consumption of the battery and provide information related to at least one form factor including an area “A” where a fingerprint recognition sensor used in a shopping application is disposed. For example, the information related to the form factor may include information on a method for changing a form factor, an available battery use time, and a position of a hardware component (e.g., a fingerprint recognition sensor) used by an application being executed.
According to an embodiment, when the form factor of the flexible display is changed based on a user input or manual operation of the user, the electronic device may output a screen 1330 of the shopping application corresponding to the changed form factor.
According to various embodiments, arrangement of hardware (e.g., a sensor) included in the electronic device, types of the form factor of the flexible display, types of an application being executed, and/or authority to use the hardware are not limited to those shown in
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may recognize that the remaining battery level is less than a specified value (e.g., 15%) while displaying a game application screen 1410. For example, the electronic device may output a window 1425 including information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery on a game application screen 1420 based on an application being executed and a hardware component (e.g., an acceleration/gyro sensor) used by the application being executed when the remaining battery capacity is less than or equal to a specified value. For example, the electronic device may reduce power consumption of the battery and provide information related to at least one form factor including an area “A” where an acceleration/gyro sensor used in the game application is disposed. For example, the information related to the form factor may include information on a method for changing a form factor, an available battery use time, and a position of a hardware component (e.g., a fingerprint recognition sensor) used by an application being executed. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may provide information on at least one form factor based on an aspect ratio of content (e.g., a landscape view or a portrait view) supported by an application being executed by default. For example, the electronic device may provide information on a form factor corresponding to a landscape view when the application being executed supports the landscape view by default, and provide information on a form factor corresponding to a portrait view when the application being executed supports a portrait view by default.
According to an embodiment, when the form factor of the flexible display is changed based on a user input or manual operation of the user, the electronic device may output a screen 1430 of the game application corresponding to the changed form factor.
According to various embodiments, arrangement of hardware (e.g., a sensor) included in the electronic device, types of the form factor of the flexible display, types of an application being executed, and/or authority to use the hardware are not limited to those shown in
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may recognize that the remaining battery level is less than a specified value (e.g., 15%) while displaying a camera application screen 1510. For example, the electronic device may output a window 1525 including information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery on a camera application screen 1520 based on an application being executed and a hardware component (e.g., a camera) used by the application being executed when the remaining battery capacity is less than or equal to a specified value. For example, the electronic device may provide information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery and including the area “B” where the camera used in the camera application is disposed. For example, the information related to the form factor may include information on a method for changing a form factor, an available battery use time, and a position of a hardware component (e.g., a camera) used by an application being executed.
According to an embodiment, when the form factor of the flexible display is changed based on a user input or manual operation of the user, the electronic device may output a screen 1530 of the camera application corresponding to the changed form factor.
According to various embodiments, arrangement of hardware (e.g., a sensor) included in the electronic device, types of the form factor of the flexible display, types of an application being executed, and/or authority to use the hardware are not limited to those shown in
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may recognize that the remaining battery level is less than a specified value (e.g., 15%) while displaying a map application screen 1610. For example, the electronic device may output a window 1625 including information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery on a map application screen 1620 based on an application being executed and a hardware component (e.g., a geomagnetic sensor) used by the application being executed when the remaining battery capacity is less than or equal to a specified value. For example, the electronic device may provide information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery and including the area “A” where the geomagnetic sensor used in the map application is disposed. For example, the information related to the form factor may include information on a method for changing a form factor, an available battery use time, and a position of a hardware component (e.g., a geomagnetic sensor) used by an application being executed.
According to an embodiment, when the form factor of the flexible display is changed based on a user input or manual operation of the user, the electronic device may output a screen 1630 of the map application corresponding to the changed form factor.
According to various embodiments, arrangement of hardware (e.g., a sensor) included in the electronic device, types of the form factor of the flexible display, types of an application being executed, and/or authority to use the hardware are not limited to those shown in
For example, the game application may have authority to use an acceleration/geomagnetic sensor. For example, it may be assumed that an outer camera, a rear camera, a geomagnetic sensor, a third illuminance sensor, and a microphone are disposed in the area ‘A”, a barometric pressure sensor, a first acceleration/gyro sensor, and a first illuminance sensor are disposed in the area B1, and an inner camera, a second acceleration/gyro sensor, and a second illuminance sensor are disposed in area B2.
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may recognize that the remaining battery level is less than a specified value (e.g., 15%) while displaying a game application screen 1710. For example, the electronic device may output a window 1725 including information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery on a game application screen 1720 based on an application being executed and a hardware component (e.g., an acceleration/gyro sensor) used by the application being executed when the remaining battery capacity is less than or equal to a specified value. For example, the electronic device may provide information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery and including the area B1 where a first acceleration/gyro sensor used in the game application is disposed and the area B2 where a second acceleration/gyro sensor is disposed. For example, the information related to the form factor may include information on a method for changing a form factor, an available battery use time, and a position of a hardware component (e.g., an acceleration/gyro sensor) used by an application being executed.
According to an embodiment, when the form factor of the flexible display is changed based on a user input or manual operation of the user, the electronic device may output a screen 1730 of the game application corresponding to the changed form factor.
According to various embodiments, arrangement of hardware (e.g., a sensor) included in the electronic device, types of the form factor of the flexible display, types of an application being executed, and/or authority to use the hardware are not limited to those shown in
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may recognize that the remaining battery level is less than a specified value (e.g., 15%) while displaying a camera application screen 1810. For example, the electronic device may output a window 1825 including information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery on a camera application screen 1820 based on an application being executed and a hardware component (e.g., an outer camera and/or inner camera) used by the application being executed when the remaining battery capacity is less than or equal to a specified value. For example, the electronic device may provide information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery and including the area “A” where the outer camera used in the camera application is disposed and the area B2 where the inner camera is disposed. For example, the information related to the form factor may include information on a method for changing a form factor, an available battery use time, and a position of a hardware component (e.g., inner camera or outer camera) used by an application being executed.
According to an embodiment, when the form factor of the flexible display is changed based on a user input or manual operation of the user, the electronic device may output a screen 1830 of the camera application corresponding to the changed form factor.
According to various embodiments, arrangement of hardware (e.g., a sensor) included in the electronic device, types of the form factor of the flexible display, types of an application being executed, and/or authority to use the hardware are not limited to those shown in
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may recognize that the remaining battery level is less than a specified value (e.g., 15%) while displaying a camera application screen 1910. For example, the electronic device may output a window 1925 including information related to at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery on a camera application screen 1920 based on an application being executed and a hardware component (e.g., an outer camera and/or inner camera) used by the application being executed when the remaining battery capacity is less than or equal to a specified value. For example, the electronic device may provide information related to at least one form factor reducing power consumption of the battery and the area “A” in which the outer camera used in the camera application is disposed and the area “B” in which the inner camera is disposed. For example, the information related to the form factor may include information on a method for changing a form factor, an available battery use time, and a position of a hardware component (e.g., inner camera or outer camera) used by an application being executed.
According to an embodiment, when the form factor of the flexible display is changed based on a user input or manual operation of the user, the electronic device may output a screen 1930 of the camera application corresponding to the changed form factor. For example, the screen 1930 shows a case where there is a changed to have a form factor using the area “B” of the flexible display alone.
According to various embodiments, arrangement of hardware (e.g., a sensor) included in the electronic device, types of the form factor of the flexible display, types of an application being executed, and/or authority to use the hardware are not limited to those shown in
Referring to
According to an embodiment, the information 2030 related to the state of the electronic device may include battery state information 2031, storage state information 2033, memory state information 2035, and security state information 2037.
According to an embodiment, the user may perform optimization of the electronic device to reduce battery power consumption based on the information included in the screen 2001.
Referring to
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may terminate the execution of the application selected on the screen 2003 or 2005 based on a user input. For example, the electronic device may terminate execution of an application corresponding to the end button 2061 receiving the user input. For example, the electronic device may select applications corresponding to the selection button 2065 at which the user input is received, and collectively terminate at least one application for which the selection has been determined, based on the user input received in the button area 2070 or 2075.
An electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include at least one sensor, and the instructions may cause the processor to recognize a currently activated sensor and determine the at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery based on a position of the activated sensor.
According to an embodiment, the instructions may cause the processor to determine the at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery based on at least a part of an application and a function being executed.
According to an embodiment, the instructions may cause the processor to recognize an aspect ratio of content being displayed on the flexible display and determine the at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery based on the recognized aspect ratio.
According to an embodiment, the information related to the at least one form factor may include information on an expected available use time of the battery for each of the at least one form factor.
According to an embodiment, the instructions may cause the processor to provide information on use states of applications being currently executed when there is no form factor of the flexible display enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery, and terminate execution of an application selected based on a user input among the applications being currently executed.
According to an embodiment, the instructions may cause the processor to change the flexible display to have a form factor selected by a user input based on the user input for selecting one of the at least one form factor.
According to an embodiment, the instructions may cause the processor to switch a mode of the electronic device from a normal mode to a power saving mode when the form factor of the flexible display is changed.
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a sub-display, and the instructions may cause the processor to identify current form factors of the flexible display and the sub-display when a remaining battery level of the battery is less than or equal to a specified value, determine a form factor of at least one of the flexible display and the sub-display enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery, and provide information related to the determined form factor of at least one of the flexible display and the sub-display.
According to an embodiment, the flexible display may include at least one of a foldable display, a slidable display, and a rollable display.
According to an embodiment, in operation 2110, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may determine at least one form factor of the flexible display 210 enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery. For example, the electronic device may determine at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery from among various form factors that the flexible display is able to have. According to various embodiments, the electronic device may determine a form factor of the flexible display enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery while maintaining an operation or function of the electronic device.
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may determine a form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery based on a position of an activated sensor of the electronic device. For example, a sensor included in the electronic device may be disposed at a specific position of the electronic device. For example, the electronic device may determine a form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery while maintaining the function (operation) of the activated sensor. For example, the electronic device may determine a form factor using a portion of the flexible display corresponding to the position of the activated sensor.
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may determine a form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery based on at least a part of an application and function being executed. For example, the electronic device may determine a hardware component (e.g., sensor) corresponding to a function used by an application being executed, and determine a form factor suitable for performing the function of the corresponding hardware component. For example, the electronic device may determine a form factor based on the type of an application being executed. For example, the electronic device may determine a form factor suitable for an application based on whether the application is an application that supports a portrait view by default or an application that natively supports a landscape view by default.
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may recognize a display ratio of content being displayed on the flexible display and determine a form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery based on the recognized display ratio. For example, the electronic device may determine a form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery while allowing the aspect ratio of content being displayed to remain the same or change similarly.
According to an embodiment, when the electronic device includes a plurality of displays (e.g., the flexible display and a sub-display), the electronic device may identify current form factors of all the plurality of displays, and then determine at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery among various form factors configurable through a plurality of displays.
According to an embodiment, in operation 2130, the electronic device may provide information related to the determined at least one form factor. For example, the electronic device may output information related to the determined at least one form factor through the flexible display. According to an embodiment, information related to the form factor may include information on an expected use time of the battery for each form factor.
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may provide information on a method for reducing power consumption of the battery when there is no form factor of the flexible display enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery. For example, the electronic device may provide information on a use state of an application being executed and terminate execution of the selected application based on a user input.
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may change the form factor of the flexible display to a selected form factor based on a user input for selecting one of at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery. For example, the electronic device may fold, unfold, expand or contract the form of the flexible display to have a form factor selected by a user input.
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may switch the mode of the electronic device to a power save mode in the case of changing the form factor of the flexible display. According to an embodiment, in the power saving mode, the electronic device may have a lower brightness or resolution or processing speed (e.g., CPU speed) of the flexible display than that in the normal mode, or restrict or deactivate at least some functions or operations of at least some components of the electronic device.
According to an embodiment, a method for operating an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101 of
According to an embodiment, the determining of the at least one form factor may include recognizing a currently activated sensor and determining the at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery based on a position of the activated sensor.
According to an embodiment, the determining of the at least one form factor may include determining the at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery based on at least a portion of an application and a function being executed.
According to an embodiment, the determining of the at least one form factor may include recognizing an aspect ratio of content being displayed on the flexible display and determining the at least one form factor enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery based on the recognized aspect ratio.
According to an embodiment, the information related to the at least one form factor may include information on an expected available use time of the battery for each of the at least one form factor.
According to an embodiment, the method may further include providing information on use states of applications being currently executed and terminating execution of an application selected based on a user input among the applications being currently executed, when there is no form factor of the flexible display enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery.
According to an embodiment, the method may further include changing the flexible display to have a form factor selected by a user input based on the user input selecting one of the at least one form factor. “Based on” as used herein covers based at least on.
According to an embodiment, the method may further include switching a mode of the electronic device from a normal mode to a power saving mode when the form factor of the flexible display is changed.
According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a sub-display, and the method may further include identifying current form factors of the flexible display and the sub-display when a remaining battery level of the battery is less than or equal to a specified value, determining a form factor of at least one of the flexible display and the sub-display enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery, and providing information related to the determined form factor of at least one of the flexible display and the sub-display.
According to an example embodiment, a recording medium may store instructions which, when executed by an electronic device including a flexible display, cause the electronic device to identify a current form factor of the flexible display when a remaining battery level of the battery is less than or equal to a specified value, determine at least one form factor of the flexible display enabling reduction in power consumption of the battery, and provide information related to the at least one form factor of the flexible display.
The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one of various types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limited to those described above.
It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technological features set forth herein to particular embodiments and include various changes, equivalents, or replacements for a corresponding embodiment. With regard to the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of such phrases as “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 “at least one of A, B, or C,” may include any one of, or all possible combinations of the items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. As used herein, such terms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” may be used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another, and does not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance or order). It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or without the term “operatively” or “communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or “connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), it means that the element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via at least a third element(s).
As used in connection with various embodiments of the disclosure, the term “module” may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used with other terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or “circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimum unit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. For example, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in a form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Thus, each “module” herein may comprise circuitry.
Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software (e.g., the program 140) including one or more instructions that are stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 101). For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 120) of the machine (e.g., the electronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with or without using one or more other components under the control of the processor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The one or more instructions may include a code generated by a compiler or a code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Wherein, the term “non-transitory” simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but this term does not differentiate between where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data is temporarily stored in the storage medium.
According to an embodiment, a method according to Certain example embodiments may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online via an application store (e.g., PlayStore™), or between two user devices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at least part of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or at least temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such as memory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store, or a relay server.
According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include a single entity or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separately disposed in different components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above-described components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they are performed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components before the integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by the module, the program, or another component may be carried out sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.
While the disclosure has been illustrated and described with reference to various embodiments, it will be understood that the various embodiments are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. It will further be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the true spirit and full scope of the disclosure, including the appended claims and their equivalents. It will also be understood that any of the embodiment(s) described herein may be used in conjunction with any other embodiment(s) described herein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2020-0143663 | Oct 2020 | KR | national |
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/KR2021/014923, filed on Oct. 22, 2021, designating the United States, in the Korean Intellectual Property Receiving Office, and claiming priority to KR 10-2020-0143663 filed on Oct. 30, 2020, the disclosures of which are all hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/KR2021/014923 | Oct 2021 | US |
| Child | 18119353 | US |
