Rollable display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10162387-B2
Application number	US-201715669335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2017
Priority date	Apr 30, 2015
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A rollable display device is provided. The rollable display device includes first and second bodies, a display, a roller supported in the first body to be rotatable, to which one end portion of the display in a length direction of the display is fixed and around an outer circumference of which the display is wound, and a support member a plurality of segmented links connected to pivot around a hinge shaft perpendicular to an image display surface, the support member being accommodated in an accommodation unit provided in the first body. As the first body is separated from the second body, the display is unwound from the roller and is unrolled outward from the first body to expand in the length direction, and the support member is unrolled outward from the first body in the length direction to support a rear surface of the display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rollable display device comprising:
first and second bodies;
a roller disposed in the first body to rotate around a first rotation axis;
a display having an image display surface and a rear surface;
a roller connected to one end portion of the display, and disposed in the first body to rotate around a first axis to wound up the display around the roller to accommodate the display in the first body when the first body comes close to the second body and to unwound the display from the roller to be spread between the first body and second body when first body is apart from the second body; and
a support member having a plurality of segmented links connected to pivot around a hinge shaft between a rolled state where the support member is accommodated in the first body when the first body is close to the second body and an expanded state where at least one segmented link of the support member moves outward from the first body to support the rear surface of the display when first body is apart from the second body,
wherein each of the plurality of segmented links includes a stopper to restrict the plurality of segmented links from pivoting over the expanded state.

2. The rollable display device of claim 1 , further comprising a sprocket provided in the first body that is rotatable around a second rotation axis perpendicular to the image display surface and that moves the support member,
wherein the sprocket changes a movement direction of the support member from a width direction to a length direction of the display when the support member is unrolled outward from the first body, and from the length direction to the width direction of the display when the support member is rolled back into the first body.

3. The rollable display device of claim 2 , wherein the support member supports an edge in the width direction of the display.

4. The rollable display device of claim 3 , wherein a rib extending to the image display surface over the edge is provided in each of the plurality of segmented links.

5. The rollable display device of claim 3 ,
wherein the sprocket is disposed adjacent to the edge of the display,
wherein a plurality of connection members having a first connection portion is provided at the edge of the display,
wherein a second connection portion connected to the first connection portion is provided at the plurality of segmented links, and
wherein the first connection portion and the second connection portion are connected to each other or disconnected from each other by the sprocket when a movement direction of the plurality of segmented links is changed between the length direction and the width direction.

6. The rollable display device of claim 5 ,
wherein the first connection portion has a shape of a protrusion extending in the width direction of the display, and
wherein the second connection portion has a shape of a groove into which the first connection portion is inserted.

7. The rollable display device of claim 5 , wherein intervals between the plurality of connection members are intervals at which the plurality of connection members are aligned in a radial direction of the roller at a plurality of positions along a circumferential direction of the roller when the display is wound around the roller.

8. The rollable display device of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of connection member has a structure to align the connection members respectively located outwardly and inwardly in the radial direction at one of the plurality of positions by preventing slippage of the connection members in the length direction.

9. The rollable display device of claim 2 ,
wherein the support member comprises first and second support members supporting opposite edges in the width direction of the display, and
wherein pivot directions of the plurality of segmented links of the first and second support members are opposite to each other.

10. The rollable display device of claim 2 ,
wherein the support member comprises first and second support members supporting the rear surface of the display at positions separated from each other in the width direction of the display, and
wherein pivot directions of the plurality of segmented links of the first and second support members are opposite to each other.

11. The rollable display device of claim 2 , further comprising a locking unit locking the first body at a plurality of separation positions with respect to the second body.

12. The rollable display device of claim 11 , wherein the locking unit comprises a blocking member having a blocking position and an unblocking position whereby a movement of the support member in an accommodation direction to be accommodated in the first body is prevented at the blocking position and allowed at the unblocking position.

13. The rollable display device of claim 12 , wherein, at the blocking position, the blocking member prevents a segmented link, which is disposed before a segmented link that is engaged with the sprocket, from moving in the accommodation direction.

14. The rollable display device of claim 13 , wherein, when the support member is unrolled outward from the first body, the blocking member interferes with the segmented link to be switched from the blocking position to the unblocking position.

15. The rollable display device of claim 14 , wherein the locking unit further comprises an elastic member that applies an elastic force to the blocking member in such a direction that the blocking member is switched to the blocking position.

16. The rollable display device of claim 12 ,
wherein the locking unit further comprises a plurality of protruding steps provided at the sprocket, and
wherein the blocking member prevents the sprocket from rotating in a direction in which the support member is moved in the accommodation direction, by being caught by one of the protruding steps at the blocking position.

17. The rollable display device of claim 16 , wherein, when the sprocket rotates in a direction in which the support member is unrolled outward from the first body, the blocking member interferes with the protruding steps to be switched to the unblocking position.

18. The rollable display device of claim 17 , wherein the locking unit further comprises an elastic member to apply to the blocking member an elastic force in such a direction that the blocking member is switched to the blocking position.

19. The rollable display device of claim 1 ,
wherein another end portion of the display is connected to the second body, and
wherein one end portion of the support member is connected to the second body.

20. The rollable display device of claim 1 ,
wherein the first body comprises a pair of first bodies disposed at opposite sides with respect to the second body,
wherein the roller is provided at each of the pair of first bodies, wherein the one end portion and the other end portion of the display are connected to the pair of rollers, respectively, and
wherein the support member is provided across the pair of first bodies and a part of the support member is connected to the second body.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takayanagi Toshikazu
• Shin Chang-Bong
• Kim Jin-Ho

Classifications

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · 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

• 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

• G06F1/1652 Primary

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

• G06F1/1615

  with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function (constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206) · CPC title