Rollable display device and electronic device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10095273-B2
Application number	US-201715638485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2017
Priority date	Jul 5, 2016
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

A rollable display device includes a rollable structure including a plurality of unit structures, the rollable structure being rollable and unrollable based on the unit structures, and a display panel structure attached to the rollable structure, wherein respective widths of the unit structures increase in a direction from a first side of the rollable structure to a second side of the rollable structure, the first side of the rollable structure being opposite to the second side of the rollable structure, and wherein each of the unit structures includes a metal plate, the metal plate being bent by a bending limit angle in a direction in which the rollable structure is rolled, and a magnetic object on a side region of the metal plate, the magnetic object being magnetically coupled to an adjacent metal plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rollable display device, comprising:
a rollable structure including a plurality of unit structures, the rollable structure being rollable and unrollable based on the unit structures; and
a display panel structure attached to the rollable structure,
wherein respective widths of the unit structures increase in a direction from a first side of the rollable structure to a second side of the rollable structure, the first side of the rollable structure being opposite to the second side of the rollable structure, and
wherein each of the unit structures includes:
a metal plate having a horizontal portion and an angled portion extending from a first edge of the horizontal portion, the angled portion being bent toward an upper surface of the horizontal portion by a bending limit angle, and
a magnetic object attached to a second edge of the horizontal portion of the metal plate, the second edge being opposite the first edge, and the magnetic object being magnetically coupled to an angled portion of an adjacent metal plate.

2. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the magnetic object is a permanent magnet.

3. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the magnetic object is an electromagnet.

4. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the unit structures collectively form first through (n)th rolling cycles, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2, as the rollable structure is rolled, and a (k)th rolling cycle encircles a (k−1)th rolling cycle, where k is an integer between 2 and n.

5. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein an angle between adjacent ones of the unit structures is maintained to be greater than or equal to the bending limit angle in each of the first through (n)th rolling cycles.

6. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the bending limit angle is the same for the unit structures in each of the first through (n)th rolling cycles.

7. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the bending limit angle differs for the unit structures in each of the first through (n)th rolling cycles.

8. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the bending limit angle applied to the (k)th rolling cycle is the same as the bending limit angle applied to the (k−1)th rolling cycle.

9. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the bending limit angle applied to the (k)th rolling cycle is different from the bending limit angle applied to the (k−1)th rolling cycle.

10. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the bending limit angle applied to the (k)th rolling cycle is greater than the bending limit angle applied to the (k−1)th rolling cycle.

11. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rollable structure further includes a circuit structure adjacent to the second side of the rollable structure, and a driving integrated circuit within the circuit structure to drive the display panel structure, a thickness of the circuit structure being thinner than respective thicknesses of the unit structures.

12. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the magnetic object directly contacts the angled portion of the adjacent metal plate only upon rolling of the rollable structure, the magnetic object extending in parallel to the horizontal portion along a lower surface of the horizontal portion.

13. The rollable display device as claimed in claim 12 , wherein:
the angled and horizontal portions of the metal plate are flat and linear portions that are integral with each other to define one seamless metal plate, the horizontal portion being longer than the angled portion, and
the bending limit angle between the angled and horizontal portions is a constant angle, the bending limit angle being between upper, external surfaces of the angled and horizontal portions.

14. An electronic device, comprising:
a rollable display device including:
a rollable structure including a plurality of unit structures, the rollable structure being rollable and unrollable based on the unit structures, and
a display panel structure attached to the rollable structure,

a rolling detection sensor to generate a rolling detection signal indicating whether the rollable display device is rolled or unrolled; and
a processor to control a displaying operation of the rollable display device based on the rolling detection signal,
wherein respective widths of the unit structures increase in a direction from a first side of the rollable structure to a second side of the rollable structure, the first side of the rollable structure being opposite to the second side of the rollable structure, and
wherein each of the unit structures includes:
a metal plate having a horizontal portion and an angled portion extending from a first edge of the horizontal portion, the angled portion being bent toward an upper surface of the horizontal portion by a bending limit angle, and
a magnetic object attached to a second edge of the horizontal portion of the metal plate, the magnetic object being magnetically coupled to an angled portion of an adjacent metal plate.

15. The electronic device as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the unit structures collectively form first through (n)th rolling cycles, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2, as the rollable structure is rolled, and a (k)th rolling cycle encircles a (k−1)th rolling cycle, where k is an integer between 2 and n.

16. The electronic device as claimed in claim 15 , wherein an angle between adjacent ones of the unit structures is maintained to be greater than or equal to the bending limit angle in each of the first through (n)th rolling cycles.

17. The electronic device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the bending limit angle is the same for the unit structures in each of the first through (n)th rolling cycles.

18. The electronic device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the bending limit angle differs for the unit structures in each of the first through (n)th rolling cycles.

19. The electronic device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the bending limit angle applied to the (k)th rolling cycle is the same as the bending limit angle applied to the (k−1)th rolling cycle.

20. The electronic device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the bending limit angle applied to the (k)th rolling cycle is greater than the bending limit angle applied to the (k−1)th rolling cycle.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Jin-Hwan
• Koo Hyun-Woo
• Kim Jeong-Ho
• Kim Tae-Woong
• Park Bo-Ik
• Seo Tae-An
• Lee Jung-Hun
• Khachatryan Hayk

Classifications

• G06F1/1652 Primary

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

• G09F9/301 Primary

  flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED · CPC title

• G06F1/1626

  with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs] · CPC title

• G06F1/1641

  the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components (G06F1/1647 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F1/1679

  for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA (G06F1/1681 takes precedence) · CPC title