Foldable Electronic Device Connection Touch Sensor for Mode Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable electronic devices often expose the connection part to the outside or contact the user's body, lacking interaction functions and failing to provide user inputs effectively.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a housing, a front display, a touch sensor in the connection part, and a processor to determine operation modes and activate functions based on user inputs and environmental conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the connection part is exposed to the outside or contacts the user's body, then the device can be used in various environments and folding operations are enabled, but the connection part lacks interaction functions and cannot acquire user inputs
Solution Approach 1:
The connection part is equipped with a touch sensor that enables it to perform both its original function of connecting housing parts for folding operations and a new function of acquiring user inputs. This multi-functional design allows the connection part to serve as both a mechanical articulation point and an interactive input interface, resolving the contradiction between environmental adaptability and interaction capability.
2Ease of operation
If the touch sensor is disposed in the connection part, then user inputs can be acquired through the connection part, but the device complexity increases due to additional sensors and control logic
Solution Approach 1:
The processor utilizes existing sensor data (such as acceleration sensors or gyro sensors) to determine the folding angle and operation mode, rather than requiring a separate dedicated sensor system for angle detection. This self-service approach allows the touch sensor in the connection part to acquire user inputs while leveraging already-present system resources for angle determination, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the processor determines operation modes based on sensor values and activates different functions, then user experience is improved through context-aware interactions, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the operational mode and activated functions based on real-time sensor data representing the folding angle. The processor continuously monitors sensor values and automatically transitions between different operation modes (such as fully unfolded, partially folded, or fully folded states), enabling context-aware interactions without requiring complex manual configuration or user intervention to switch modes.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic device is disclosed. An electronic device according to various embodiments comprises: a housing including a plurality of parts and at least one connection unit for respectively connecting the plurality of parts; a front display arranged in a space formed by the housing and being foldable according to an angle formed by the plurality of parts; a touch sensor arranged in or on a first connection unit which connects a first part and a second part from among the plurality of parts; at least one sensor different from the touch sensor; and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor can be set to determine an angle made by the first part and the second part on the basis of a value obtained by the at least one sensor, to determine a current operating mode of the electronic device, from among a plurality of operating modes which can be supported in a state in which the first part and the second part form an acute angle, to execute a first function on the basis of a user input obtained through a first region of the touch sensor, when the determined operating mode is a first mode, and to execute a second function, which is different from the first function, on the basis of the user input obtained through the first region of the touch sensor, when the determined operating mode is a second mode. Other embodiments are also possible.