Slidable Flexible Display Digitizer Layout for Accurate Touch Sensing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional electronic apparatuses with flexible displays face challenges in integrating a non-bendable digitizer layer due to its unbendable nature, leading to touch misrecognition and external noise interference when the display is expanded or contracted.

Innovation Solution

A slidable electronic apparatus design with a first and second digitizer module disposed below the flexible display, where the distance between the modules varies, allowing for different touch filters to be applied to different areas of the display, and enabling digitizer modules to be turned on or off based on housing movement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a single digitizer layer is used with a flexible display, then the display can be bent and expanded, but the digitizer layer cannot be bent causing touch misrecognition

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay flexibilityVSAvoidtouch recognition accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The digitizer layer is divided into multiple separable digitizer modules (first digitizer module and second digitizer module) that can be independently positioned below different areas of the flexible display. This segmentation allows each module to serve its respective display area without requiring the entire digitizer to be flexible, thus resolving the contradiction between display flexibility and touch recognition accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Area of stationary object

If the display is expanded using multiple digitizer modules, then the screen size increases, but external noise interference increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay areaVSAvoidexternal noise interference

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the operation state of different digitizer modules based on the current display configuration. When the display is expanded or contracted, the control unit selectively activates or deactivates specific digitizer modules to match the exposed display areas. This dynamic adaptation reduces external noise interference by minimizing the number of active digitizer modules to only those necessary for the current display state.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Area of stationary object

If multiple digitizer modules are used at different distances from the display, then different areas can be covered, but touch filter consistency becomes difficult to maintain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecovered display areaVSAvoidtouch filter consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different touch filters to different digitizer modules based on their specific positions and distances from the flexible display. The control unit configures area-specific touch filters for each digitizer module, allowing each module to be optimized for its local characteristics rather than requiring uniform filter parameters across all modules. This local optimization maintains touch filter consistency despite variations in module positioning.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Adaptability or versatility

If the second housing moves relative to the first housing, then the display can be expanded or contracted, but touch misrecognition occurs due to changing digitizer-display distances

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay expansion capabilityVSAvoidtouch sensing accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit pre-configures different touch filters for different digitizer modules before the housing movement occurs. When the second housing moves relative to the first housing, changing the display configuration, the system has already prepared the appropriate touch filters for the new configuration. This preliminary preparation ensures that touch sensing accuracy is maintained without delay during the transition, resolving the contradiction between display adaptability and measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4242803B1Slidable electronic apparatus having digitizer separation structure, and touch driving method of slidable electronic apparatus

Publication Date: 2026.04.01 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

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AI summary

Various embodiments of the present invention provide a method and an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a first housing; a second housing formed so as to be able to move from the first housing, and accommodated inside the first housing or exposed to the outside of the first housing; a flexible display including a first region and a second region which extends from the first region and is accommodated on the rear surface of the second housing, or becomes exposed to the outside of the first housing via the front surface of the second housing as the second housing moves; a first digitizer module located in the first housing and located below the flexible display; a second digitizer module located in the second housing and located below the first digitizer module in a state in which the second housing is accommodated inside the first housing; memory; and a processor operatively connected to the flexible display, the first digitizer module, the second digitizer module, or the memory. The processor senses the movement of the second housing relative to the first housing and sets a different touch filter for each region of the flexible display on the basis of the movement of the second housing. Various other embodiments are also possible.