Flexible display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10168844-B2
Application number	US-201615153568-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2016
Priority date	Jun 26, 2015
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

A flexible display device may include a display panel providing a base surface and a touch screen disposed on the base surface. The display panel may include a plurality of light emitting areas and a non-light emitting area disposed adjacent to the light emitting areas. A plurality of touch electrodes and a plurality of insulating layers of the touch screen may have a mesh shape through which openings corresponding to the plurality of light emitting areas are defined. Accordingly, a flexibility of the flexible display device is improved, and the touch electrode is prevented from being cracked.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible display device, comprising:
a display panel providing a base surface and comprising a plurality of light emitting areas and a non-light emitting area disposed adjacent to the light emitting areas; and
a touch screen disposed on the base surface, the touch screen comprising:
a plurality of first conductive patterns disposed on the base surface and overlapped with the non-light emitting area;
a first insulating layer disposed on the base surface, covering the first conductive patterns, and comprising a plurality of first openings defined to correspond to the light emitting areas;
a plurality of second conductive patterns disposed on the first insulating layer and overlapped with the non-light emitting area; and
a second insulating layer disposed on the first insulating layer, covering the second conductive patterns, and comprising a plurality of second openings defined to correspond to the light emitting areas.

2. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of first conductive patterns and each of the plurality of second conductive patterns have a mesh shape through which a plurality of openings is defined.

3. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first conductive patterns comprise a plurality of first touch electrodes extending in a first direction and arranged in a second direction crossing the first direction, and each of the plurality of first touch electrodes comprises a plurality of touch openings defined by the plurality of first touch electrodes.

4. The flexible display device of claim 3 , wherein the second conductive patterns comprise a plurality of second touch electrodes extending in the second direction and arranged in the first direction, and each of the plurality of second touch electrodes comprises a plurality of touch openings defined by the second touch electrodes.

5. The flexible display device claim 3 , wherein each of the plurality of first touch electrodes comprise a plurality of first sensing parts arranged in the first direction and a plurality of first connecting parts each connecting two first sensing parts adjacent to each other among the plurality of first sensing parts, and the plurality of first conductive patterns further comprise a plurality of second sensing parts disposed adjacent to the plurality of first sensing parts.

6. The flexible display device of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of second conductive patterns comprise a plurality of second connecting parts connecting two second sensing parts adjacent to each other in the second direction among the plurality of second sensing parts through contact holes defined through the first insulating layer.

7. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein the display panel comprises:
a base substrate;
a circuit layer disposed on the base substrate;
an organic light emitting device layer disposed on the circuit layer; and
a thin film encapsulation layer encapsulating the organic light emitting device layer.

8. The flexible display device of claim 7 , wherein the thin film encapsulation layer provides the base surface.

9. The flexible display device of claim 8 , wherein the thin film encapsulation layer comprises:
a lower inorganic thin film layer configured to contact with the organic light emitting device layer;
a plurality of organic thin film layers disposed on the base surface; and
a plurality of upper inorganic thin film layers alternately stacked with the organic thin film layers.

10. The flexible display device of claim 9 , wherein the lower inorganic thin film layer comprises at least a lithium fluoride layer.

11. The flexible display device of claim 9 , wherein a thin film layer disposed at an uppermost position among the organic thin film layers and the upper inorganic thin film layers alternately stacked with the organic thin film layers comprise third openings or grooves defined to correspond to the plurality of first openings.

12. The flexible display device of claim 8 , wherein the display panel further comprises a buffer layer providing the base surface.

13. The flexible display device of claim 12 , wherein the buffer layer comprises a plurality of third openings or grooves defined to correspond to the plurality of first openings.

14. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first conductive patterns comprise:
a plurality of first touch electrodes comprising a plurality of touch openings defined to correspond to the plurality of first openings; and
a plurality of first auxiliary electrodes spaced apart from the plurality of first touch electrodes, and the plurality of second conductive patterns comprise:
a plurality of second touch electrodes crossing the plurality of first touch electrodes, comprising a plurality of touch openings defined to correspond to the plurality of first openings, each of the plurality of second touch electrodes being electrically connected to a corresponding first auxiliary electrode of the plurality of first auxiliary electrodes; and
a plurality of second auxiliary electrodes, each being electrically connected to a corresponding first touch electrode among the plurality of first touch electrodes.

15. The flexible display device of claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of first touch electrodes comprises a plurality of first sensing parts overlapped with corresponding second auxiliary electrodes among the plurality of second auxiliary electrodes and a plurality of first connecting parts each connecting two first sensing parts adjacent to each other among the plurality of first sensing parts, and each of the plurality of second touch electrodes comprise a plurality of second sensing parts overlapped with corresponding first auxiliary electrodes among the plurality of first auxiliary electrodes and a plurality of second connecting parts each connecting two second sensing parts adjacent to each other among the plurality of second sensing parts.

16. The flexible display device of claim 15 , wherein the corresponding second auxiliary electrodes are electrically connected to the plurality of first sensing parts through a plurality of auxiliary contact holes defined through the first insulating layer.

17. The flexible display device of claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of first auxiliary electrodes has a mesh shape, and each of the plurality of second auxiliary electrodes has a mesh shape.

18. The flexible display device of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of color filters each being disposed inside a corresponding first opening among the first openings.

19. The flexible display device of claim 18 , wherein the second insulating layer comprises a plurality of second openings defined to correspond to the plurality of light emitting areas.

20. The flexible display device of claim 19 , wherein each of the plurality of color filters extends inside the corresponding second opening among the plurality of second openings.

21. The flexible display device of claim 19 , wherein each of the first and second insulating layers is a black matrix.

22. The flexible display device of claim 18 , wherein the second insulating layer is overlapped with the color filters.

23. The flexible display device of claim 18 , further comprising a black matrix layer disposed on the second insulating layer and comprising a plurality of transmitting openings defined to correspond to the plurality of light emitting areas.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwon Dohyun
• Im Choongyoul
• Jang Mi
• Lee Minjung
• Jang Hyoungwook
• Kim Kyuyoung
• Kim Mugyeom
• Lee Dongki
• Lee Junghun
• Lee Jangdoo

Classifications

• 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

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• H01L51/5256

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L2251/5338

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/323

  Electricity · mapped topic