Flexible display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10019036-B2
Application number	US-201615511352-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2016
Priority date	Apr 13, 2015
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

A flexible display device is disclosed. The flexible display device includes a flexible display screen, the flexible display device further includes a supporting structure configured for supporting the flexible display screen, and the flexible display screen is fixedly connected with the supporting structure and fixed on a supporting surface of the supporting structure. The supporting surface of the supporting structure is allowed to be selectively transformed into a planar surface or a curved surface. With the flexible display device, touch control and click operations performed on the flexible display screen may be facilitated, and thus application field of the flexible display screen may be expanded.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible display device, comprising:
a flexible display screen; and
a supporting structure configured for supporting the flexible display screen,
wherein the flexible display screen is fixed on a supporting surface of the supporting structure, and the supporting surface of the supporting structure configured such that the supporting structure is allowed to be selectively transformed into a planar surface or a curved surface;
wherein the supporting structure comprises a plurality of supporting elements and each of the plurality of supporting elements has a sub-supporting surface such that the sub-supporting surfaces of the plurality of supporting elements jointly form the supporting surface, and two adjacent supporting elements are hinged with each other by a hinging device such that the two adjacent supporting elements are rotatable relative to each other about a hinging shaft of the hinging device;
wherein the supporting element has a supporting portion for supporting the flexible display screen and a base portion formed underneath the supporting portion, a top surface of the supporting portion forms the sub-supporting surface of the supporting element, and a width of the supporting portion gradually increases from the sub-supporting surface towards the base portion; and
wherein the hinging device is disposed at a boundary between the supporting portion and the base portion, and in a condition of side surfaces of two adjacent base portions being engaged with each other, the top surfaces of two corresponding supporting portions lie in the same plane.

2. The flexible display device according to claim 1 , wherein in a condition of the supporting surface of the supporting structure being transformed into a planar surface, an included angle between side surfaces of two adjacent supporting portions facing each other is in a range from 60 degrees to 80 degrees.

3. The flexible display device according to claim 1 , wherein the base portion of the supporting element is provided with a protrusion and a, and in the condition of the supporting surface of the supporting structure being transformed into a planar surface, the protrusion of the supporting element is located within a corresponding recess of an adjacent supporting element located at one side of the supporting element, and the recess of the supporting element receives a corresponding protrusion of another adjacent supporting element located at the other side of the supporting element.

4. The flexible display device according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio between an area of the sub-supporting surface of the supporting element and an area of the base portion of the supporting element is in a range from 0.7 to 0.8.

5. The flexible display device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of supporting elements are arranged sequentially in a predetermined direction, and a width of the base portion of each supporting element is in a range from 3 mm to 5 mm.

6. The flexible display device according to claim 1 , wherein an elastic material is disposed within a cavity jointly formed between a bottom surface of the flexible display screen and two adjacent supporting elements.

7. The flexible display device according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible display device further comprises a housing, a rotation shaft disposed within the housing, and a drive circuit provided on the rotation shaft and configured for driving the flexible display screen;
wherein the flexible display screen and the supporting structure are allowed to be wrapped around the rotation shaft by rotating the rotation shaft; and
wherein the housing is provided with an opening in its sidewall, and the flexible display screen and the supporting structure are allowed to extend out through the opening.

8. The flexible display device according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible display screen is a touch screen.

9. The flexible display device according to claim 3 , wherein a length of the protrusion is in a range from 0.5 mm to 1 mm.

10. The flexible display device according to claim 6 , wherein the elastic material is configured such that an included angle between two side surfaces of two supporting portions of two adjacent supporting elements facing each other is larger than or equal to 15 degrees.

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sun Yanliu

Classifications

• G06F1/1652 Primary

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• G06F1/1681

  Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683) · CPC title

• G06F1/1643

  the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads (details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615) · CPC title

• G06F2203/04102

  Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper · CPC title

• G06F3/041

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means · CPC title