KR102822898B1 - Foldable electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

Various embodiments disclosed in this document relate to devices and methods for compensating for burn-in phenomena that may occur in a display of a foldable electronic device.
According to various embodiments, a first housing structure including a first side facing a first direction, a second side facing a second direction opposite to the first direction; a second housing structure including a third side facing a third direction, and a fourth side facing a fourth direction opposite to the third direction; a display disposed on the first side of the first housing structure and the third side of the second housing structure; And a processor including the display including a first area located on the first surface, a second area located on the third surface, and including a plurality of first light-emitting units and a plurality of first light-receiving units arranged in the first area, and a plurality of second light-emitting units and a plurality of second light-receiving units arranged in the second area, wherein the processor operates at least some of the plurality of first light-emitting units to check an optical characteristic of the first area of the display based on an amount of light received by the plurality of second light-receiving units, or operates at least some of the plurality of second light-emitting units to check an optical characteristic of the second area of the display based on an amount of light received by the plurality of first light-receiving units.
The above electronic devices and methods can be applied in various ways depending on the embodiment.

Description

FOLDABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Various embodiments disclosed in this document relate to devices and methods for compensating for burn-in that may occur in a display of a foldable electronic device.

An electronic device may refer to a device that performs a specific function according to a program installed therein, such as a home appliance, an electronic notebook, a portable multimedia player, a mobile communication terminal, a tablet PC, a video/audio device, a desktop/laptop computer, a car navigation system, etc. The electronic device may be equipped with a display to provide visual information to a user.

When a fixed image is displayed on a display for a long period of time, an afterimage phenomenon, in which a specific fixed image remains, may occur. In the case of an LCD (liquid crystal display), an afterimage phenomenon may occur due to liquid crystals sticking to a specific image, and in the case of an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display, an afterimage phenomenon may occur as the light-emitting efficiency of a pixel that emits light to display a specific image deteriorates over time, causing the pixel to emit light with a relatively lower brightness than the surrounding pixels.

An OLED display is a display in which each OLED element that makes up the screen independently emits light. It generally consumes less power and has higher color reproducibility than an LCD, so it is widely used as the main element of the display. An OLED display expresses color by mixing the three primary colors of light, red, green , and blue, into each pixel. The brightness of each OLED may vary over time, and the lifespan of the blue element is shorter than that of other color elements, so problems with the expression of blue may occur if the same screen is displayed for a long time. The afterimages or stains that appear due to problems with color combinations are called 'burn-in'. Burn-in can lower the visibility of the screen when running a specific application on an electronic device, causing inconvenience to the user.

Burn-in can technically be caused by performance degradation due to the use of OLED organic materials. Several methods have been proposed to compensate for such performance degradation. According to some embodiments, a method of compensating for burn-in phenomenon can be applied considering OLED usage time. For example, OLED organic material usage time of each pixel of the display can be measured and corresponding compensation can be performed. In devices including memory, the measured data can be stored in a separate memory, and when the OLED organic material usage time has passed for a certain period of time, the current/voltage of each pixel can be adjusted based on this to perform screen compensation. In addition, according to some embodiments, a method of compensating by photographing the screen at the time of display burn-in can be applied. The screen where burn-in occurred can be photographed using a separate high-definition optical module, and based on this, the current/voltage of each pixel of the display where burn-in occurred can be adjusted to compensate. Since the actual screen where burn-in occurs is photographed and compensated, accurate compensation is possible, and if the compensation process is repeated, even minute differences between each pixel can be compensated for.

However, the compensation method based on OLED usage time is designed based on the average value of the change according to OLED usage, not the actual data for each pixel's OLED, so there is a problem that it does not consider the dispersion of a large number of OLEDs used in an actual device. In addition, the method of compensating by photographing the burn-in screen requires an expensive, precise optical module, and has the disadvantage that the burn-in phenomenon can only be observed in the place where this optical module is installed.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method and an electronic device capable of preventing burn-in from occurring in a display and compensating for burn-in that has occurred can be provided.

According to various embodiments disclosed in the present document, a first housing structure including a first side facing a first direction, a second side facing a second direction opposite to the first direction; a second housing structure including a third side facing a third direction, and a fourth side facing a fourth direction opposite to the third direction; a display disposed on the first side of the first housing structure and the third side of the second housing structure; And a processor including the display including a first area located on the first surface, a second area located on the third surface, and including a plurality of first light-emitting units and a plurality of first light-receiving units arranged in the first area, and a plurality of second light-emitting units and a plurality of second light-receiving units arranged in the second area, wherein the processor checks an optical characteristic of the first area of the display based on an amount of light received by the plurality of second light-receiving units by operating at least some of the plurality of first light-emitting units when the first surface and the third surface face each other, or checks an optical characteristic of the second area of the display based on an amount of light received by the plurality of first light-receiving units by operating at least some of the plurality of second light-emitting units.

According to various embodiments disclosed in the present document, a foldable electronic device comprises: a foldable housing, comprising: a hinge structure; a first housing structure including a first side facing a first direction and a second side facing a second direction opposite to the first direction; a second housing structure including a third side facing a third direction and a fourth side facing a fourth direction opposite to the third direction; a foldable housing including a second housing structure foldable with the first housing structure about the hinge structure; a flexible display that is visible from the outside through at least one side of the foldable housing and extends from the first side of the first housing structure to the third side of the second housing structure; And a processor is included, wherein the flexible display includes a first area located on the first surface, a second area located on the third surface, and includes a plurality of first light-emitting units and a plurality of first light-receiving units arranged in the first area, and a plurality of second light-emitting units and a plurality of second light-receiving units arranged in the second area, and the processor operates at least some of the plurality of first light-emitting units to check an optical characteristic of the first area of the display based on an amount of light received by the plurality of second light-receiving units, or operates at least some of the plurality of second light-emitting units to check an optical characteristic of the second area of the display based on an amount of light received by the plurality of first light-receiving units.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to observe whether an OLED is deteriorated using actual data on the OLED of a pixel, and to provide a device and method for observing and compensating for a burn-in phenomenon without a separate optical module.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment according to various embodiments.
FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an unfolded state of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2b is a diagram illustrating a folded state of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an unfolded state or a partially unfolded intermediate state of an electronic device according to some embodiments.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display including a plurality of pixels according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
Figure 5 is a cross-section of the drawing of Figure 4 taken along the BB' direction, and is a drawing showing pixels of the display.
FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of an electronic device including elements for checking optical characteristics of a display, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a method for checking optical characteristics of a display when an electronic device is in a folded state, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a plurality of pixels included in a display and the range of light output therefrom when the electronic device is folded, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of an electronic device including elements for checking optical characteristics of a display, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for compensating for burn-in phenomenon of a display according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) in a network environment (100) according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1, in the network environment (100), the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (102) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with the electronic device (104) or a server (108) via a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) via the server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), a memory (130), an input module (150), an audio output module (155), a display module (160), an audio module (170), a sensor module (176), an interface (177), a connection terminal (178), a haptic module (179), a camera module (180), a power management module (188), a battery (189), a communication module (190), a subscriber identification module (196), or an antenna module (197). In some embodiments, the electronic device (101) may omit at least one of these components (e.g., the connection terminal (178)), or may have one or more other components added. In some embodiments, some of these components (e.g., the sensor module (176), the camera module (180), or the antenna module (197)) may be integrated into one component (e.g., the display module (160)).

The processor (120) may control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of an electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) by executing, for example, software (e.g., a program (140)), and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or calculations, the processor (120) may store a command or data received from another component (e.g., a sensor module (176) or a communication module (190)) in a volatile memory (132), process the command or data stored in the volatile memory (132), and store result data in a nonvolatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) or an auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that can operate independently or together with the main processor (121). For example, when the electronic device (101) includes a main processor (121) and an auxiliary processor (123), the auxiliary processor (123) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a given function. The auxiliary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as a part thereof.

The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least a portion of functions or states associated with at least one of the components of the electronic device (101) (e.g., the display module (160), the sensor module (176), or the communication module (190)), for example, 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 (e.g., application execution) state. In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (180) or a communication module (190)). In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., a neural network processing device) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing artificial intelligence models. The artificial intelligence models may be generated through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, in the electronic device (101) on which artificial intelligence is performed, or may be performed through a separate server (e.g., server (108)). The learning algorithm may include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the examples described above. The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers. The artificial neural network may be one of 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-networks, or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the examples described above. In addition to the hardware structure, the artificial intelligence model may additionally or alternatively include a software structure.

The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component (e.g., processor (120) or sensor module (176)) of the electronic device (101). The data can include, for example, software (e.g., program (140)) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory (130) can include volatile memory (132) or nonvolatile memory (134).

The program (140) may be stored as software in memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

The input module (150) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a processor (120)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The input module (150) can 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 audio output module (155) can output an audio signal to the outside of the electronic device (101). The audio output module (155) can include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver can be used to receive an incoming call. According to one embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as a part thereof.

The display module (160) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The display module (160) can include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. According to one embodiment, the display module (160) can include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by the touch.

The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can obtain sound through an input module (150), or output sound through an audio output module (155), or an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (102)) (e.g., a speaker or a headphone) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (101).

The sensor module (176) can detect an operating state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (101) or an external environmental state (e.g., user state) and generate an electric signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

The interface (177) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (101) with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). In one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module (179) can convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., vibration or movement) or an electrical stimulus that a user can perceive through a tactile or kinesthetic sense. According to one embodiment, the haptic module (179) can include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

The camera module (180) can capture still images and moving images. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) can include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module (188) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery (189) can power at least one component of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the battery (189) can include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

The communication module (190) may support establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102), the electronic device (104), or the server (108)), and performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may operate independently from the processor (120) (e.g., the application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one 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 GNSS (global navigation satellite system) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication module). Among these communication modules, a corresponding communication module may communicate with an external electronic device (104) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a 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., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) may use subscriber information stored in the subscriber identification module (196) (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) to identify or authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199).

The wireless communication module (192) can support a 5G network and next-generation communication technology after a 4G network, for example, NR access technology (new radio access technology). The NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)), terminal power minimization and connection of multiple terminals (mMTC (massive machine type communications)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications)). The wireless communication module (192) can support, for example, a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module (192) may support various technologies for securing performance in a high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (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 an electronic device (101), an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (104)), or a network system (e.g., a second network (199)). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (192) can support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for eMBB realization, a loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for mMTC realization, or a U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) each, or 1 ms or less for round trip) for URLLC realization.

The antenna module (197) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from the outside (e.g., an external electronic device). According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) can include an antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) can include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network (198) or the second network (199), can be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module (190). A signal or power can be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and the external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) can be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module (197).

According to various embodiments, the antenna module (197) may form a mmWave antenna module. According to one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC positioned on or adjacent a first side (e.g., a bottom side) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated high-frequency band (e.g., a mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna) positioned on or adjacent a second side (e.g., a top side or a side) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals in the designated high-frequency band.

At least some of the above components may be interconnected and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, a general purpose input and output (GPIO), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), or a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)).

In one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) via a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the external electronic devices (102, or 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed in the electronic device (101) may be executed in one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, when the electronic device (101) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may, instead of executing the function or service itself or in addition, request one or more external electronic devices to perform at least a part of the function or service. One or more external electronic devices that have received the request may execute at least a part of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may process the result as it is or additionally and provide it as at least a part of a response to the request. For this purpose, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device (101) may provide an ultra-low latency service by using, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In another embodiment, the external electronic device (104) may include an IoT (Internet of Things) device. The server (108) may be an intelligent server using machine learning and/or a neural network. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) or the server (108) may be included in the second network (199). The electronic device (101) can be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

FIG. 2a is a diagram illustrating an unfolded state of an electronic device (101) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2b is a diagram illustrating a folded state of an electronic device (101) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, in one embodiment, a foldable electronic device (101) (hereinafter, abbreviated as 'electronic device (101)') may include a foldable housing (300), a hinge structure (330), a hinge cover (331) that forms an outer surface of the hinge structure (330) and covers a foldable portion of the foldable housing (300), and a flexible or foldable display (200) (hereinafter, abbreviated as 'display (200)') (e.g., the display device (160) of FIG. 1) disposed within a space formed by the foldable housing (300). According to one embodiment, a surface on which the display (200) is disposed (or a surface on which the display (200) is visible from the outside of the electronic device (101)) may be defined as a front surface of the electronic device (101). And, the opposite side of the front side can be defined as the back side of the electronic device (101). Also, the side surrounding the space between the front side and the back side can be defined as the side surface of the electronic device (101).

According to various embodiments, the foldable housing (300) may include a first housing structure (310), a second housing structure (320) including a sensor area (327), a first rear cover (380), a second rear cover (390), and a hinge structure (330). The foldable housing (300) of the electronic device (101) is not limited to the shape and combination illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, and may be implemented by a combination and/or combination of other shapes or parts. For example, in another embodiment, the first housing structure (310) and the first rear cover (380) may be formed integrally, and the second housing structure (320) and the second rear cover (390) may be formed integrally.

According to various embodiments, the first housing structure (310) is connected to the hinge structure (330) and may include a first face (311) facing a first direction and a second face (312) facing a second direction opposite to the first direction. The second housing structure (320) is connected to the hinge structure (330) and includes a third face (321) facing a third direction and a fourth face (322) facing a fourth direction opposite to the third direction, and may rotate about the hinge structure (330) (or the rotation axis (A)) with respect to the first housing structure (310). The electronic device (101) may be variable between a folded state and an unfolded state, which will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 3.

According to various embodiments, the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) are arranged on both sides with respect to the rotation axis (A), and the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) may have a shape that is overall symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis (A) when the foldable housing (300) is unfolded. As described below, the angle or distance between the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) may vary depending on whether the state of the electronic device (101) is an unfolded state, a folded state, or a partially unfolded intermediate state. According to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the second housing structure (320) additionally includes, unlike the first housing structure (310), a sensor area (327) in which various sensors are arranged, but may have a shape that is symmetrical in other areas. However, the shapes of the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) are not necessarily limited thereto. According to another embodiment, other parts of the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) excluding the sensor area (327) may have an asymmetrical shape. For example, the display area of the first housing structure (310) may be formed wider than the display area of the second housing structure (320). Also, for example, in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the hinge structure (330) is formed in a central region and the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) are folded symmetrically around the hinge structure, but, on the contrary, the hinge structure may be formed in a region other than the central region of the electronic device (101) and the second housing structure (320) may be formed in a larger shape than the first housing structure (310).

According to various embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) may together form a recess for accommodating the display (200). In one embodiment, due to the sensor area (327), the recess may have two or more different widths in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis (A). According to one embodiment, the recess may have a first width (w1) between a first portion (310a) of the first housing structure (310) that is parallel to the rotation axis (A) and a first portion (320a) formed at an edge of the sensor area (327) of the second housing structure (320), and the recess may have a second width (w2) formed by a second portion (310b) of the first housing structure (310) and a second portion (320b) of the second housing structure (320) that is parallel to the rotation axis (A) and does not correspond to the sensor area (327). In this case, the second width (w2) may be formed longer than the first width (w1). As another example, the first part (310a) of the first housing structure (310) and the first part (320a) of the second housing structure (320) having mutually asymmetrical shapes may form a first width (w1) of the recess, and the second part (310b) of the first housing structure (310) and the second part (320b) of the second housing structure (320) having mutually symmetrical shapes may form a second width (w2) of the recess. According to one embodiment, the first part (320a) and the second part (320b) of the second housing structure (320) may have different distances from the rotation axis (A). The width of the recess is not limited to the illustrated example. In another embodiment, the recess may have multiple widths due to the shape of the sensor area (327) or the asymmetrical shape of the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320).

According to various embodiments, at least a portion of the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) may be formed of a metallic material or a non-metallic material (e.g., a polymer) having a rigidity of a specified size to support the display (200). At least a portion formed of the metallic material may provide a ground plane of the electronic device (101) and may be electrically connected to a ground line formed on a printed circuit board.

According to various embodiments, the sensor area (327) may be formed to have a predetermined area adjacent to one corner of the second housing structure (320). However, the arrangement, shape, and size of the sensor area (327) are not limited to the illustrated example. For example, in another embodiment, the sensor area (327) may be provided in another corner of the second housing structure (320) or any area between the upper corner and the lower corner. In one embodiment, components for performing various functions built into the electronic device (101) may be exposed to the front of the electronic device (101) through the sensor area (327) or through one or more openings provided in the sensor area (327). In various embodiments, the components may include various types of sensors. The sensor may include, for example, at least one of a front camera, a receiver, or a proximity sensor.

According to various embodiments, the first rear cover (380) is disposed on one side of the rotation axis (A) at the rear surface of the electronic device (101) and may have, for example, a substantially rectangular periphery, and the periphery may be wrapped by the first housing structure (310). Similarly, the second rear cover (390) is disposed on the other side of the rotation axis (A) at the rear surface of the electronic device (101) and may have the periphery wrapped by the second housing structure (320).

According to various embodiments, the first rear cover (380) and the second rear cover (390) may have shapes that are substantially symmetrical about the rotation axis (A). However, the first rear cover (380) and the second rear cover (390) do not necessarily have mutually symmetrical shapes, and in other embodiments, the electronic device (101) may include the first rear cover (380) and the second rear cover (390) of various shapes. In yet other embodiments, the first rear cover (380) may be formed integrally with the first housing structure (310), and the second rear cover (390) may be formed integrally with the second housing structure (320).

According to various embodiments, the first rear cover (380), the second rear cover (390), the first housing structure (310), and the second housing structure (320) may form a space in which various components (e.g., a printed circuit board or a battery) of the electronic device (101) may be placed. According to one embodiment, one or more components may be placed or visually exposed on the rear surface of the electronic device (101). For example, at least a portion of the sub-display may be visually exposed through the first rear area (382) of the first rear cover (380). In another embodiment, one or more components or sensors may be visually exposed through the second rear area (392) of the second rear cover (390). In various embodiments, the sensor may include a proximity sensor and/or a rear camera.

According to various embodiments, the front camera exposed on the front side of the electronic device (101) through one or more openings provided in the sensor area (327) or the rear camera exposed through the second rear area (392) of the second rear cover (390) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, and/or image signal processors. The flash may include, for example, a light emitting diode or a xenon lamp. In some embodiments, two or more lenses (infrared camera, wide-angle and telephoto lenses) and image sensors may be arranged on one side of the electronic device (101).

Referring to FIG. 2B, the hinge cover (331) may be configured to be positioned between the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) so as to cover an internal component (e.g., the hinge structure (330)). According to one embodiment, the hinge cover (331) may be covered by a portion of the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) or exposed to the outside depending on the state of the electronic device (101) (flat state, intermediate state, or folded state).

According to one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, when the electronic device (101) is in an unfolded state, the hinge cover (331) may not be exposed because it is covered by the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320). As another example, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, when the electronic device (101) is in a folded state (e.g., a fully folded state), the hinge cover (331) may be exposed to the outside between the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320). As another example, when the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) are in an intermediate state where they are folded with a certain angle, the hinge cover (331) may be partially exposed to the outside between the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320). However, in this case, the exposed area may be less than in the fully folded state. In one embodiment, the hinge cover (331) may include a curved surface.

According to various embodiments, the display (200) may be placed on a space formed by the foldable housing (300). For example, the display (200) may be placed on a recess formed by the foldable housing (300) and may constitute most of the front surface of the electronic device (101). Accordingly, the front surface of the electronic device (101) may include the display (200), a portion of the first housing structure (310) adjacent to the display (200), and a portion of the second housing structure (320). And, the rear surface of the electronic device (101) may include a first rear cover (380), a portion of the first housing structure (310) adjacent to the first rear cover (380), a second rear cover (390), and a portion of the second housing structure (320) adjacent to the second rear cover (390).

According to various embodiments, the display (200) may mean a display in which at least a portion of the display may be transformed into a flat or curved surface. According to one embodiment, the display (200) may include a folding area (203), a first area (201) positioned on one side (e.g., the left side of the folding area (203) illustrated in FIG. 2A) with respect to the folding area (203), and a second area (202) positioned on the other side (e.g., the right side of the folding area (203) illustrated in FIG. 2A).

However, the division of the regions of the display (200) illustrated in FIG. 2A is exemplary, and the display (200) may be divided into a plurality of regions (for example, four or more or two) depending on the structure or function. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A, the regions of the display (200) may be divided by the folding region (203) or the rotation axis (A), but in other embodiments, the display (200) may be divided into regions based on other folding regions or other rotation axes. According to one embodiment, the display (200) may be combined with or arranged adjacent to a touch detection circuit, a pressure sensor capable of measuring the intensity (pressure) of a touch, and/or a digitizer that detects a magnetic field-type stylus pen.

According to various embodiments, the first region (201) and the second region (202) may have an overall symmetrical shape centered on the folding region (203). However, unlike the first region (201), the second region (202) may include a cut notch depending on the presence of the sensor region (327), but may have a shape symmetrical with respect to the first region (201) in other regions. In other words, the first region (201) and the second region (202) may include a portion having a symmetrical shape and a portion having an asymmetrical shape.

Hereinafter, the operation of the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) and each area of the display (200) according to the state of the electronic device (101) (e.g., folded state, unfolded state, or intermediate state) will be described.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of an unfolded state or a partially unfolded intermediate state of an electronic device (101) according to some embodiments. FIG. 3 (a) may show a fully unfolded state of the electronic device (101), and FIG. 3 (b) may show an intermediate state of the electronic device (101) that is partially unfolded.

Referring to FIG. 3, the electronic device (101) may include a foldable housing (300) and a display (200). The electronic device (101) may change from a folded state to an unfolded state or from an unfolded state to a folded state.

In a fully unfolded state of the electronic device (101), the third direction may be the same as the first direction. In other words, the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) may be arranged to form an angle of 180 degrees and face the same direction. The surface of the first region (201) and the surface of the second region (202) of the display (200) may form an angle of 180 degrees with each other and face the same direction (e.g., toward the front of the electronic device). The folding region (203) may form the same plane as the first region (201) and the second region (202). In addition, for example, in a state where the electronic device (101) is folded in an out-folding manner, the second side (e.g., 312 of FIG. 2A) may face the fourth side (e.g., 322 of FIG. 2A).

According to various embodiments, when the electronic device (101) is in an intermediate state, the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) may be arranged at a certain angle with respect to each other. The surface of the first region (201) and the surface of the second region (202) of the display (200) may form an angle that is larger than that in the folded state and smaller than that in the unfolded state. The folding region (203) may be formed as a curved surface having at least a certain curvature, and the curvature at this time may be smaller than that in the folded state.

The electronic device (101) may have the first side (e.g., 311 of FIG. 2A) facing the third side (e.g., 321 of FIG. 2A) in a folded state (e.g., FIG. 2B). When the electronic device (101) is in a folded state, the first housing structure (310) and the second housing structure (320) may be arranged to face each other. At this time, the surface of the first region (201) of the display (200) and the surface of the second region (202) may form a narrow angle (e.g., between 0 degrees and 10 degrees) with each other and face each other. The folding region (203) may be formed as a curved surface having at least a portion of a predetermined curvature.

The electronic device (101) can be folded in two ways: 'in-folding' in which the front surface of the electronic device (101) is folded to form an acute angle when viewed in the rotation axis direction (y-axis direction) (e.g., rotation axis (A) of FIG. 2a), and 'out-folding' in which the front surface of the electronic device (101) is folded to form an obtuse angle. The in-folding type may mean a state in which the display (200) is not exposed to the outside in a fully folded state. The out-folding type may mean a state in which the display (200) is exposed to the outside in a fully folded state. FIG. 3 (b) shows an intermediate state in which the electronic device (101) is partially unfolded during the in-folding process.

The electronic device (101) may be folded in an in-folding type (e.g., FIG. 2b) such that a first surface (e.g., 311 of FIG. 2a) of the first housing structure (310) faces a third surface (e.g., 321 of FIG. 2a) of the second housing structure (320). According to various embodiments, unlike the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2b, the electronic device (101) may be folded in an out-folding type such that a second surface (e.g., 312 of FIG. 2a) of the first housing structure (310) faces a fourth surface (e.g., 322 of FIG. 2a) of the second housing structure (320).

According to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) may perform both the in-folding operation and the out-folding operation, or may selectively perform the in-folding operation or the out-folding operation. For convenience, the following description focuses on a state in which the electronic device (101) is folded in an in-folding manner, but it should be noted that these descriptions may also be applied to a state in which the electronic device (101) is folded in an out-folding manner.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display (200) including a plurality of pixels according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the B-B' direction of the diagram of FIG. 4, illustrating one pixel (204) among the plurality of pixels included in the display (200).

The display (200) may include a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, wires arranged to supply designated power to the plurality of pixels, a display driver IC (Display Driver Integrated-Chip, hereinafter referred to as 'DDI') that supplies signals to the wires, and a substrate on which the plurality of pixels, the wires, and the DDI are placed. The display (200) may have at least a portion formed transparently (or formed with a designated transparency). For example, a region between the wires of the display (200) may have a designated transparency so that light may be transmitted therethrough. The display (200) may be exposed to the outside through at least a portion of the front surface of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1), and may also be formed to be exposed to the outside through a portion (e.g., an edge) of a side surface of the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1). A plurality of pixels arranged on the display (200) can display a screen by emitting light of a specified band (e.g., visible light and/or infrared light) under the control of a processor (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1) or a DDI.

The display (200) may include an outer protective layer, an intermediate layer, and a display panel, although not shown in the drawing. Here, the outer protective layer (e.g., cover glass) may include glass or a polymer material, and may be formed of a transparent material. In addition, the intermediate layer may include a polarizing layer (e.g., POL, polarized light layer), and according to an embodiment, may further include an optically transparent adhesive layer (e.g., OCA, optical clear adhesive) that adheres between the outer protective layer and the polarizing layer (POL). The display panel may include a plurality of pixels, and the plurality of pixels may form at least one layer in the display panel. According to various embodiments, the display panel may correspond to an OCTA (on chip touch AMOLED) panel and may further include a touch sensor that can measure the pressure of an external object to determine whether or not it is touched.

Hereinafter, a pixel (204) among a plurality of pixels illustrated in FIG. 4 (hereinafter referred to as a 'unit pixel (204)') will be described in detail. The display (200) may include a plurality of pixels, and each pixel may include an organic light emitting diode (OLED) and a control circuit (e.g., a thin film transistor (TFT) circuit) for controlling the organic light emitting diode (OLED). The control circuit may include a TFT light emitting circuit electrically connected to a light emitting unit and a TFT light receiving circuit electrically connected to a light receiving unit. The TFT light emitting circuit and the TFT light receiving circuit may be configured to include at least one switching transistor (SWITCH), at least one driving transistor (DFT), and at least one capacitor, and according to one embodiment, at least a portion of a component of the TFT light emitting circuit may be shared with a component of the TFT light receiving circuit.

In various embodiments disclosed in this document, a unit pixel (204) may be a minimum unit that constitutes visual information such as an image or video as a single picture element. According to various embodiments, the unit pixel (204) is a device that emits light in a visible light band and may include various color sub-pixels (e.g., a red light sub-pixel (R) (240a), a green light sub-pixel (G) (240b), a blue light sub-pixel (B) (240c)) provided to output various colors. The color sub-pixels (e.g., a red light sub-pixel (240a), a green light sub-pixel (240b), a blue light sub-pixel (240c)) may be arranged substantially on the same plane to form one layer included in the display panel. According to one embodiment, the unit pixel (204) may further include a light receiving unit (250) for receiving light emitted from the color sub-pixels (e.g., a red light sub-pixel (240a), a green light sub-pixel (240b), and a blue light sub-pixel (240c)). As an example of the light receiving unit (250), a photo diode (PD) may be used, for example. FIG. 4 illustrates a red light sub-pixel (240a) having a large size, two green light sub-pixels (240b) having a relatively small size compared to the red light sub-pixel (240a), and a blue light sub-pixel (240c) having a large size arranged in a diamond shape, with one light receiving unit (250) arranged in the middle of the red light sub-pixels. However, it should be noted that this arrangement is only an example for various properties of the pixel (e.g., the arrangement of pixels, the size of each sub-pixel), and does not limit the structure of the unit pixel (204) of the present invention. As another example, the light receiving unit (250) may be implemented using at least some components of a TFT light receiving circuit included in a control circuit, rather than having a separate photodiode.

Referring to the cross-section of the display (200) illustrated in FIG. 5, according to one embodiment, the color sub-pixels (240a, 240c) and the light-receiving unit (250) may be arranged on the same plane to form one layer included in the display (200). The display (200) includes a plurality of control circuits (230) electrically connected to the color sub-pixels (240a, 240c) and the light-receiving unit (250), respectively, and individual control of the sub-pixels is possible through the plurality of control circuits (230), and visual information corresponding to light collected through the light-receiving units (250) can be processed. The plurality of control circuits (230) may be mounted on the substrate (205) and may be arranged below the layer on which the color sub-pixels (240a, 240c) and the light-receiving unit (250) are arranged. According to one embodiment, the substrate (205) may be made of a material such as glass, plastic, silicon, or synthetic resin, and may have insulating properties. According to one embodiment, the plurality of control circuits (230) may form a same plane as at least a portion of a first insulating layer (209a) disposed on the substrate (205), and may be connected to the color sub-pixels (240a, 240c) and the light-receiving unit (250) through a via (206) penetrating the first insulating layer (209a) and a conductive line (207) formed on the second insulating layer (209b), respectively. According to one embodiment, the color sub-pixels (240a, 240c) and the light-receiving unit (250) may be encapsulated by an encapsulation layer (208).

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of an electronic device (101) including elements for checking an optical characteristic of a display (200) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method for checking an optical characteristic of a display (200) when the electronic device (101) is in a folded state (e.g., the folded state of FIG. 2B), according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) includes a hinge structure (e.g., hinge structure (330) of FIG. 2b), a first housing structure (e.g., first housing structure (310) of FIG. 2a) including a first side facing a first direction (e.g., first side (311) of FIG. 2a), a second side facing a second direction opposite to the first direction (e.g., second side (312) of FIG. 2a), a third side facing a third direction (e.g., third side (321) of FIG. 2a), and a fourth side facing a fourth direction opposite to the third direction (e.g., fourth side (322) of FIG. 2a), and a foldable housing (e.g., foldable housing of FIG. 2a) including a second housing structure (e.g., second housing structure (320) of FIG. 2a) that is foldable with the first housing structure about the hinge structure. The electronic device (101) may include a housing (300)). In addition, the electronic device (101) may include a display (200) that is visible from the outside through at least one surface of the housing and extends from the first surface (311) of the first housing structure (310) to the third surface (321) of the second housing structure (320). According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the display (200) may include a first area (e.g., the first area (201) of FIG. 2a) positioned on the first surface (311), a second area (e.g., the second area (202) of FIG. 2a) positioned on the third surface, and may include a plurality of first light-emitting units (240) arranged in the first area and a plurality of second light-emitting units (240) arranged in the second area. Here, each of the plurality of first light-emitting units (240) and the plurality of second light-emitting units (240) may correspond to a plurality of pixels.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (211) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) to check the optical characteristics of the display (200). Here, the 'checking of the optical characteristics' may mean checking whether the performance of the display (200) is degraded due to degradation of a fluorescent compound caused by long-term use of a plurality of optical units included in the display (200), non-uniformity of sub-pixels, etc. Referring to FIG. 6, the processor (211) may be configured as a processor module (210) that further includes a memory (212) and an interface (213) in addition to the processor (211). The processor (211) according to various embodiments may determine whether to perform processing for checking the light characteristics of the display based on at least one of the folding angle of the electronic device at all times when the electronic device is folded, the number of times the display (200) is operated (the number of times on/off) preset in the memory (212), and the usage time of the display (200), and perform processing accordingly. Alternatively, the processor (211) may perform processing for checking the light characteristics of the display through manual input according to the execution of a user's application. At this time, the memory (212) may store instructions for performing the display light characteristic checking processing of the processor (211) and may be operatively connected to the processor (211). The processor (211) according to various embodiments may control the DDI (220) directly connected to the display (200) through the interface (213) in order to check the light characteristics of the display (200).

Referring to FIG. 6, the electronic device (101) may include a display drive IC (hereinafter, abbreviated as ‘DDI’) (220) for controlling the display (210). Although not shown in the drawing, the DDI (220) may include an interface module, a memory (e.g., a buffer memory), an image processing module, or a mapping module. The DDI (220) may receive, for example, image information including image data or an image control signal corresponding to a command for controlling the image data, from another component of the electronic device through the interface module. For example, according to one embodiment, the image information may be received from a processor (211) (e.g., an application processor) or an auxiliary processor (e.g., a graphics processing unit) that operates independently of the function of the processor (211). The DDI (220) may communicate with a touch circuit or a sensor module, etc. through the interface module. In addition, the DDI (220) may store at least some of the received image information in a buffer memory, for example, on a frame basis. The image processing module may, for example, perform preprocessing or postprocessing (e.g., resolution, brightness, or size adjustment) on at least a portion of the image data based on at least a characteristic of the image data or a characteristic of the display (200). The mapping module may generate a voltage value or a current value corresponding to the image data preprocessed or postprocessed by the image processing module. According to one embodiment, the generation of the voltage value or the current value may be performed based at least in part on, for example, a property of pixels of the display (200) (e.g., an arrangement of pixels, or a size of each subpixel). At least a portion of the pixels of the display (200) may be driven based at least in part on, for example, the voltage value or the current value, so that visual information (e.g., text, an image, or an icon) corresponding to the image data may be displayed through the display (200).

The DDI (220) may include a first control unit (221) for controlling the emission of light through a light emitting unit (240) arranged in a portion of the display (200), and a second control unit (222) for measuring the output of light emitted from the light emitting unit (240) arranged in another portion of the display (200). The second control unit (222) may operate independently from the first control unit (221), and may measure the output of light emitted from the light emitting unit (240) based on the amount of light reaching the light receiving unit (250) from the light emitting unit (240). According to various embodiments, each of the light emitting unit (240) and the light receiving unit (250) may be provided in multiple numbers. For example, the light emitting unit (240) and the light receiving unit (250) may include a plurality of first light emitting units (240-1) and a plurality of first light receiving units (250-1) arranged in a first area (201) of the display, and a plurality of second light emitting units (240-2) and a plurality of second light receiving units (250-2) arranged in a second area (202) of the display.

According to the embodiments illustrated in FIG. 7, the electronic device (101) can emit light through a plurality of first light-emitting units (240-1) arranged in a first area (201) of the display (200), and receive light through a plurality of second light-receiving units (250-2) arranged in a second area (202) of the display (200). According to another embodiment, unlike that illustrated in FIG. 6, the electronic device (101) can emit light through a plurality of second light-emitting units (240-2) arranged in a second area (202) of the display (200), and receive light through a plurality of first light-receiving units (250-1) arranged in a first area (201) of the display (200). Here, an operation of emitting light through a plurality of light-emitting units (240-1) (or a plurality of light-emitting units (240-2)) may be controlled by a first control unit (221), and an operation of measuring the amount of light through a plurality of light-receiving units (250-2) (or a plurality of light-receiving units (250-1)) may be controlled by a second control unit (222). According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a burn-in phenomenon that may occur in a portion of the display (200) (e.g., a first region (201)) may be measured using another portion (e.g., a second region (202)) facing the portion of the display (200) (e.g., the first region (201)). At this time, the processor (211) or DDI (220) can activate the TFT light receiving circuit of the control circuits (230-2) on the effective output range (or light receiving area) of the light emitted by the light emitting units (240-1) arranged in a part of the display (200) (e.g., the first area (201)) to measure the amount of light emitted by the light emitting units (240-1).

According to various embodiments, a burn-in phenomenon that may occur in the display (200) can be measured by measuring the amount of light emitted from at least one light-emitting unit arranged in a portion (e.g., the first region (201) or the second region (202)) of the display (200). According to another embodiment, a burn-in phenomenon that may occur in the display (200) can be measured by sequentially emitting light from one side to the other from a plurality of light-emitting units (240-1 or 240-1) arranged in a portion (e.g., the first region (201) or the second region (202)) of the display (200).

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, by operating at least some of the plurality of first light-emitting units (240-1) using a processor (e.g., the processor (211) of FIG. 6), the light characteristics of the first area (201) of the display (200) can be checked based on the amount of light received in the second area (202) of the display (200). In addition, by operating at least some of the plurality of second light-emitting units (240-2), the light characteristics of the second area (202) of the display (200) can be checked based on the amount of light received in the first area (201) of the display. According to another embodiment, the display (200) includes a third region (e.g., the third region (203) of FIG. 2A) between the first region (201) and the second region (202), and by operating at least some of a plurality of third light-emitting units (not shown) arranged in the third region (203), the light characteristics of the third region (203) of the display can be checked based on the amount of light received in at least one region of the first region (201) or the second region (202) of the display. An embodiment of checking the light characteristics of the third region (203) of the display can be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a plurality of pixels included in a display (200) and the range of light output therefrom when the electronic device (101) is folded according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 may illustrate one example of a plurality of pixels. Referring to FIG. 8, the display (200) may include a first pixel (204a), a second pixel (204b), a third pixel (204c), a fourth pixel (204d), a fifth pixel (204e), a sixth pixel (204f), a seventh pixel (204g), an eighth pixel (204h), a ninth pixel (204i), a tenth pixel (204j), and an eleventh pixel (204k). In FIG. 8, for convenience, only eleven pixels arranged in a series along one side of the housing (300) are illustrated, but the plurality of pixels may include a greater number of pixels. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a burn-in phenomenon of the display (200) may be observed using some of a plurality of pixels included in the display (200) (e.g., a first pixel (204a), a second pixel (204b), a third pixel (204c), a fourth pixel (204d), a fifth pixel (204e), a sixth pixel (204f), a seventh pixel (204g), an eighth pixel (204h), a ninth pixel (204i), a tenth pixel (204j), and an eleventh pixel (204k)).

According to the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the content of checking the optical characteristics is disclosed using a plurality of first light-emitting units and a plurality of first light-receiving units arranged in a first area (201) of the display (200) and a plurality of second light-emitting units and a plurality of second light-receiving units arranged in a second area (202) of the display (200). However, it should be noted that in various embodiments of the present disclosure, the positions of the plurality of light-emitting units and the plurality of light-receiving units related to the checking of the optical characteristics are not necessarily limited to the first area (201) and the second area (202) of the display (200). For example, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the optical characteristics of the third area (e.g., 203 of FIG. 2A) of the display (200) may also be checked. For example, the third area (hereinafter referred to as the 'folding area') of the display (200) may include a plurality of third light-emitting units (not shown) and a plurality of third light-receiving units (not shown).

For example, as illustrated in (a) of FIG. 8, when the electronic device (101) is folded, the amount of light emitted from the third pixel (204c) of the display (200) can be measured. At this time, the light emitted from the third pixel (204c) can reach the seventh pixel (204g), the eighth pixel (204h), the ninth pixel (204i), the tenth pixel (204j), and the eleventh pixel (204k) (hereinafter, referred to as the first light-receiving area) of the display (200) to form an effective output range S1. In addition, as an example, as illustrated in (b) of FIG. 8, when the electronic device (101) is folded, the amount of light emitted from the fifth pixel (204e) of the display (200) can be measured. At this time, the light emitted from the fifth pixel (204e) can reach the seventh pixel (204g), the eighth pixel (204h), and the ninth pixel (204i) (hereinafter, referred to as the second light-receiving area) of the second area of the display (200) to form an effective output range S2. In addition, as an example, as shown in (c) of FIG. 8, when the electronic device (101) is folded, the amount of light emitted from the sixth pixel (204f) of the display (200) can be measured. At this time, the light emitted from the sixth pixel (204f) can reach the fourth pixel (204d) and the eighth pixel (204h) (hereinafter, referred to as the third light-receiving area) of the second area of the display (200) to form an effective output range S3. For reference, at least a portion of the light emitted from the sixth pixel (204f) may also reach the third pixel (204c), the second pixel (204b), etc., but the amount of light is so small that it may be excluded from the effective output range S3. According to the embodiments described above, light may be emitted not only from a light emitting unit located in the first area (201) or the second area (202) of the display, but also from a light emitting unit (e.g., the fifth pixel (204e) and/or the sixth pixel (204f)) located in a folding area (e.g., 203 of FIG. 2a)), and its optical characteristics may be checked.

According to various embodiments, a processor (e.g., processor (211) of FIG. 6) may check the optical characteristics by considering the position of a light-emitting unit that is a target of optical characteristic check and the effective output range of light emitted from the light-emitting unit when the electronic device (101) is folded. Referring to FIG. 8, for example, since light emitted from a sixth light-emitting unit (204f) has a narrow light-receiving area (e.g., a third light-receiving area) compared to a light-receiving area (e.g., a first light-receiving area, a second light-receiving area) formed by a third light-emitting unit (204c) or a fifth light-receiving unit (204e), the processor (211) may increase the time for collecting light in a relatively narrow light-receiving area (e.g., the third light-receiving area) compared to other light-receiving areas, thereby checking the optical characteristics. As another example, in a process of checking the light characteristics for a relatively narrow light-receiving area (e.g., a third light-receiving area), the processor (211) may additionally activate TFT light-receiving circuits of control circuits corresponding to pixels that do not fall within the effective output range (S3) to check the light characteristics.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of an electronic device (101) including elements for checking optical characteristics of a display (200) according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In the description of FIG. 9, description of contents overlapping with FIG. 5 will be omitted.

The electronic device (101) according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 may not include a separate component such as a photodiode as a light-receiving unit that receives light emitted from a light-emitting unit (e.g., light-emitting unit (240-1)) arranged in a portion (e.g., first region (201)) of the display (200). Unlike the embodiment described above in FIG. 5, the electronic device (101) according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 may check the optical characteristics of the display (200) by utilizing at least a part of a control circuit (230) for controlling the light-emitting unit as a light-receiving unit. According to one embodiment, the control circuit (230) may include a TFT light-emitting circuit electrically connected to the light-emitting unit and a TFT light-receiving circuit electrically connected to the light-receiving unit. For example, the processor (211) or the DDI (220) can check the optical characteristics of the display (200) by using the current/voltage value induced in the TFT light-receiving circuit of the control circuit (e.g., the control circuit (230-2)) disposed in another part (e.g., the second part (202)) of the display (200) by the light emitted from the light-emitting part (e.g., the light-emitting part (240-1)) disposed in one part (e.g., the first part (201)) of the display (200). For example, a predetermined current can be induced in the control circuit (e.g., the control circuit (230-2)) corresponding to the light-receiving area of the light by the light emitted from a certain light-emitting part (e.g., the light-emitting part (240-1)), and the size of the current can be large or small depending on the amount of light emitted from the light-emitting part (e.g., the light-emitting part (240-1)). In this way, the electronic device (101) can also check the optical characteristics of the display (200) by using a control circuit (230) (e.g., TFT light-receiving circuit) for controlling the light-emitting unit without including a separate light-receiving unit.

According to various embodiments, in the embodiment of FIG. 9, the control circuit (the TFT light-emitting circuit electrically connected to the light-emitting unit and the TFT light-receiving circuit electrically connected to the light-receiving unit) may not be physically separated from each other and may share a part of the circuit with each other. In such a case, a part of the TFT light-emitting circuit electrically connected to the light-emitting unit may also be utilized as the TFT light-receiving circuit.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for compensating for burn-in phenomenon of a display according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 10 can illustrate an operation for checking optical characteristics of a display and a compensation operation together.

In relation to operation 1001, the processor (211) may determine whether the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1) is in a folded state or an unfolded state. Here, the folded state may include a completely folded state according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B, as well as a state in which a first housing (e.g., the first housing (301) of FIG. 2A) and a second housing (e.g., the second housing (302) of FIG. 2A) of a foldable housing (e.g., the foldable housing (300) of FIG. 2A) are folded to have a predetermined angle (e.g., 10 degrees or less). In the case of the folded state, the processor (211) may perform an optical characteristic checking operation of the display (e.g., the display (200) of FIG. 2A). In this case, the optical characteristic checking operation may be performed automatically or manually by a user when a preset condition is met.

In relation to operation 1002, the processor (211) may cause at least some (e.g., some or all) of the plurality of light-emitting units (e.g., the plurality of light-emitting units (240) of FIG. 6) included in the display to emit light when the electronic device (101) is in a folded state.

And, with respect to operation 1003, the processor (211) may receive light emitted through at least some (e.g., some or all) of the plurality of light-emitting units (e.g., the plurality of light-emitting units (240) of FIG. 6) by utilizing at least some (e.g., some or all) of the plurality of light-receiving units (e.g., the plurality of light-receiving units (250) of FIG. 6) included in the display.

In relation to operation 1004, the processor (211) can check the light characteristics (e.g., measure the unevenness of screen brightness). In checking the light characteristics, the processor (211) can compare the data previously stored in the lookup table of the memory (212) with the actual data measured by the plurality of light-receiving units (e.g., the plurality of light-receiving units (250) of FIG. 6) to determine whether the display is abnormal.

In connection with operation 1005, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor (211) may perform a screen compensation operation for the display (200) after checking the optical characteristics of the display (200) if part or all of the display (200) is deteriorated (e.g., uneven screen brightness).

The electronic devices according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be devices of various forms. The electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliance devices. The electronic devices according to embodiments of this document are not limited to the above-described devices.

It should be understood that the various embodiments of this document and the terminology used herein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this document, each of the phrases "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" can include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first", "second", or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish one component from another, and do not limit the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first) is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., a second) component, with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

The term "module" used in various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit, for example. A module may be an integrally configured component or a minimum unit of the component or a part thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program (140)) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory (136) or an external memory (138)) readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)). For example, a processor (e.g., a processor (120)) of the machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)) may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the called at least one instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, ‘non-transitory’ simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g. electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in the present document may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a commodity. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play Store ^TM ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). In the case of online distribution, at least a part of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, a server of an application store, or an intermediary server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include a single or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separately arranged in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the above-described corresponding components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, the multiple components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into one component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component of the multiple components before the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by the module, program or other components may be executed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device comprises: a first housing structure including a first side facing a first direction and a second side facing a second direction opposite to the first direction; a second housing structure including a third side facing a third direction and a fourth side facing a fourth direction opposite to the third direction; a display disposed on the first side of the first housing structure and the third side of the second housing structure; And a processor including the display including a first area located on the first surface, a second area located on the third surface, and including a plurality of first light-emitting units and a plurality of first light-receiving units arranged in the first area, and a plurality of second light-emitting units and a plurality of second light-receiving units arranged in the second area, wherein the processor checks an optical characteristic of the first area of the display based on an amount of light received by the plurality of second light-receiving units by operating at least some of the plurality of first light-emitting units when the first surface and the third surface face each other, or checks an optical characteristic of the second area of the display based on an amount of light received by the plurality of first light-receiving units by operating at least some of the plurality of second light-emitting units.

According to various embodiments, each of the plurality of first light-receiving units and the plurality of second light-receiving units may include a plurality of photodiodes.

According to various embodiments, it may include first control circuits controlling a plurality of first light-emitting units arranged in the first region, and second control circuits controlling a plurality of second light-emitting units arranged in the second region.

According to various embodiments, the plurality of first light-receiving units may constitute at least a portion of first control circuits that control the plurality of first light-emitting units arranged in a first area of the display, and the plurality of second light-receiving units may constitute at least a portion of second control circuits that control the plurality of second light-emitting units arranged in a second area of the display.

According to various embodiments, the processor can check the optical characteristics based on a current value induced when light reaches the first control circuits disposed in the first region or the second control circuits disposed in the second region.

According to various embodiments, the processor may check the optical characteristics automatically or manually by a user when a preset condition is met.

According to various embodiments, the processor can check the optical characteristics by considering the positions of the plurality of light emitting units and the effective output range of light emitted from the plurality of light emitting units when the electronic device is folded.

According to various embodiments, the processor may additionally activate TFT light-receiving circuits of control circuits corresponding to pixels of the display that do not fall within the effective output range of the light to check the light characteristics for a narrow light-receiving area.

According to various embodiments, the processor may perform a screen compensation operation on the display after checking the optical characteristics of the display.

According to various embodiments, the first housing structure and the second housing structure may include a foldable housing formed to be foldable about a hinge structure.

According to various embodiments, the display may be a flexible display that is visible externally through at least one side of the housing and extends from the first side of the first housing structure to the third side of the second housing structure.

According to various embodiments, the display includes a third region between the first region and the second region, and at least some of a plurality of third light-emitting units arranged in the third region are operated so that an optical characteristic of the third region of the display can be checked based on an amount of light received by at least one of the plurality of first light-receiving units or the plurality of second light-receiving units.

According to various embodiments, the third region may further include a plurality of third photodetectors.

According to various embodiments, the display may further include a display driver IC (DDI) that controls the display.

According to various embodiments, the display driver IC may include a first control unit for controlling light emission of a light emitting unit, and a second control unit for controlling a light receiving area of a light receiving unit or a control circuit.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a foldable electronic device comprises: a foldable housing, comprising: a hinge structure; a first housing structure including a first side facing a first direction and a second side facing a second direction opposite to the first direction; a second housing structure including a third side facing a third direction and a fourth side facing a fourth direction opposite to the third direction; a foldable housing including a second housing structure foldable with the first housing structure about the hinge structure; a flexible display that is visible from the outside through at least one side of the foldable housing and extends from the first side of the first housing structure to the third side of the second housing structure; And a processor is included, wherein the flexible display includes a first region located on the first surface, a second region located on the third surface, and includes a plurality of first light-emitting units and a plurality of first light-receiving units arranged in the first region, and a plurality of second light-emitting units and a plurality of second light-receiving units arranged in the second region, and the processor operates at least some of the plurality of first light-emitting units to check an optical characteristic of the first region of the display based on an amount of light received by the plurality of second light-receiving units, or operates at least some of the plurality of second light-emitting units to check an optical characteristic of the second region of the display based on an amount of light received by the plurality of second light-receiving units.

According to various embodiments, the display includes a third region between the first region and the second region, and at least some of a plurality of third light-emitting units arranged in the third region are operated so that an optical characteristic of the third region of the display can be checked based on an amount of light received by at least one of the plurality of first light-receiving units or the plurality of second light-receiving units.

According to various embodiments, it may include first control circuits controlling a plurality of first light-emitting units arranged in the first region, and second control circuits controlling a plurality of second light-emitting units arranged in the second region.

According to various embodiments, the plurality of first light-receiving units may constitute at least a portion of first control circuits that control the plurality of first light-emitting units arranged in a first area of the display, and the plurality of second light-receiving units may constitute at least a portion of second control circuits that control the plurality of second light-emitting units arranged in a second area of the display.

According to various embodiments, the processor can check the optical characteristics based on a current value induced when light reaches the first control circuits disposed in the first region or the second control circuits disposed in the second region.

Although the detailed description of the present invention has described specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

101 : Electronic Devices
200 : Display
201 : Area 1
202: Area 2
203 : Folding area
210 : Processor Module
220 : Display driving IC
230 : Control circuit
240 : Light-emitting part
250 : Photoreceiving circuit

Claims (20)

In electronic devices,
A first housing structure including a first side facing in a first direction and a second side facing in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
A second housing structure including a third face facing in a third direction and a fourth face facing in a fourth direction opposite to the third direction;
A display arranged on the first side of the first housing structure and the third side of the second housing structure; and
Contains a processor,
The display includes a first area located on the first surface, a second area located on the third surface, and includes a plurality of first light-emitting units and a plurality of first light-receiving units arranged in the first area, and a plurality of second light-emitting units and a plurality of second light-receiving units arranged in the second area.
The processor checks the optical characteristics of the first area of the display based on the amount of light received by the plurality of second light-receiving units by operating at least some of the plurality of first light-emitting units when the first side and the third side face each other, or checks the optical characteristics of the second area of the display based on the amount of light received by the plurality of first light-receiving units by operating at least some of the plurality of second light-emitting units.
The plurality of first light-receiving units constitute at least a portion of first control circuits that control the plurality of first light-emitting units arranged in the first area of the display, and the plurality of second light-receiving units constitute at least a portion of second control circuits that control the plurality of second light-emitting units arranged in the second area of the display.
An electronic device characterized in that the processor checks the optical characteristics based on the current value induced when light reaches the first control circuits arranged in the first area or the second control circuits arranged in the second area.
In paragraph 1,
An electronic device, characterized in that each of the plurality of first light-receiving units and the plurality of second light-receiving units includes a plurality of photodiodes.
In paragraph 1,
An electronic device characterized by comprising first control circuits for controlling a plurality of first light-emitting units arranged in the first region, and second control circuits for controlling a plurality of second light-emitting units arranged in the second region.

delete delete In paragraph 1,
An electronic device characterized in that the processor checks the optical characteristics automatically or manually by a user when a preset condition is met.
In paragraph 1,
An electronic device characterized in that the processor checks the optical characteristics by considering the positions of the plurality of light-emitting units and the effective output range of light emitted from the plurality of light-emitting units when the electronic device is folded.
In paragraph 1,
An electronic device characterized in that the processor additionally activates TFT light-receiving circuits of control circuits corresponding to pixels of a display that do not fall within the effective output range of the light to check the light characteristics for a narrow light-receiving area.
In paragraph 1,
An electronic device characterized in that the processor performs a screen compensation operation for the display after checking the optical characteristics of the display.
In paragraph 1,
The first housing structure and the second housing structure include a foldable housing formed to be foldable around a hinge structure,
An electronic device, characterized in that the display is a flexible display that is visible from the outside through at least one side of the housing and extends from the first side of the first housing structure to the third side of the second housing structure.
delete In paragraph 1,
An electronic device characterized in that the display includes a third region between the first region and the second region, and the display operates at least some of a plurality of third light-emitting units arranged in the third region to check the light characteristics of the third region of the display based on the amount of light received by at least one of the plurality of first light-receiving units or the plurality of second light-receiving units.
delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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