Rollable display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10175792-B2
Application number	US-201514958787-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2015
Priority date	Feb 10, 2015
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

A rollable display device includes a flexible display module configured to display an image, a roller configured to roll up the flexible display module, and a plurality of support block groups each including a plurality of support blocks on the flexible display module and arranged in a first direction crossing a second direction of a rolling axis of the roller, the plurality of support block groups including a first support block group including first support blocks, and a second support block group including second support blocks each having a width in the first direction that is greater than a width of a corresponding one of the first support blocks in the first direction, wherein the first support block group is between the roller and the second support block group.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rollable display device comprising:
a flexible display module configured to display an image, the flexible display module having a front surface and a rear surface facing the front surface;
a roller configured to roll up the flexible display module; and
a plurality of support block groups each comprising a plurality of support blocks and arranged in a first direction crossing a second direction of a rolling axis of the roller, the plurality of support block groups comprising:
a first support block group comprising first support blocks; and
a second support block group comprising second support blocks each having a width in the first direction that is greater than a width of a corresponding one of the first support blocks in the first direction,

wherein the first support block group is between the roller and the second support block group when the flexible display module is unrolled from the roller, and
wherein the first support block group and the second support block group are disposed on the same surface when the flexible display module is unrolled from the roller.

2. The rollable display device of claim 1 , wherein the roller has a polygonal column shape comprising n side surfaces, n being a natural number equal to or greater than 3.

3. The rollable display device of claim 2 , wherein the first support block group consists of (n−1) first support blocks, and wherein the second support block group consists of n second support blocks.

4. The rollable display device of claim 2 , wherein the first support block group consists of n first support blocks, and wherein the second support block group consists of n second support blocks.

5. The rollable display device of claim 4 , wherein each of the n first support blocks comprises a magnetic support block, and wherein each of the n second support blocks comprises a metallic support block.

6. The rollable display device of claim 4 , wherein each of the first and second support blocks comprises a magnetic support block,
wherein adjacent ones of the first support blocks have oppositely arranged magnetic poles with respect to the second direction, and
wherein adjacent ones of the second support blocks have oppositely arranged magnetic poles with respect to the second direction.

7. The rollable display device of claim 4 , wherein each of the first and second support blocks comprises a magnetic portion, and a non-magnetic portion adjacent the magnetic portion.

8. The rollable display device of claim 4 , wherein each of the first and second support blocks comprise a first support portion, and a second support portion spaced from the first support portion in the second direction.

9. The rollable display device of claim 4 , wherein each of the first and second support blocks comprises a non-magnetic support block with a magnetic substance coupled thereto.

10. The rollable display device of claim 1 , wherein the roller has a polygonal column shape comprising 2n−1 side surfaces, n being a natural number equal to or greater than 2,
wherein the first support block group comprises 2n−1 first support blocks comprising alternately arranged magnetic and non-magnetic support blocks, and
wherein the second support block group comprises 2n−1 second support blocks comprising alternately arranged magnetic and non-magnetic support blocks.

11. The rollable display device of claim 10 , wherein one of the alternately arranged magnetic and non-magnetic support blocks comprises a metallic support block.

12. The rollable display device of claim 1 , wherein the roller has a polygonal column shape comprising 2n side surfaces, n being a natural number equal to or greater than 2,
wherein the first support block group comprises 2n first support blocks comprising at least one magnetic support block, and
wherein the second support block group comprises 2n second support blocks comprising at least one magnetic support block.

13. The rollable display device of claim 12 , wherein first to (2n−1) th support blocks of the 2n first support blocks comprise magnetic support blocks,
wherein a 2n-th support block of the 2n first support blocks comprises a metallic support block,
wherein first to (2n−1)th support blocks of the 2n second support blocks comprise a magnetic support block, and
wherein a 2n-th support block of the 2n second support blocks comprises a metallic support block.

14. The rollable display device of claim 13 , wherein magnetic poles of the magnetic support blocks of the first support blocks are oppositely arranged in the first direction to magnetic poles of the magnetic support blocks of the second support blocks.

15. The rollable display device of claim 12 , wherein the first support blocks comprise alternately arranged magnetic and metal support blocks,
wherein the second support blocks comprise alternately arranged magnetic and metal support blocks, and
wherein magnetic poles of the magnetic support blocks of the first support blocks are oppositely arranged in the first direction to magnetic poles of the magnetic support blocks of the second support blocks.

16. The rollable display device of claim 12 , wherein the first support blocks comprise alternately arranged magnetic and metal support blocks,
wherein the second support blocks comprise alternately arranged magnetic and metal support blocks, and
wherein an order of the alternately arranged magnetic and metal support blocks of the first support blocks is opposite to an order of the alternately arranged magnetic and metal support blocks of the second support blocks.

17. The rollable display device of claim 1 , further comprising a housing accommodating the roller, the housing defining a slit through which the flexible display module is configured to pass.

18. The rollable display device of claim 17 , wherein the flexible display module comprises:
a display panel;
a touch panel on the display panel; and
a window member on the touch panel.

19. A rollable display device comprising:
a flexible display module configured to display an image, the flexible display module having a front surface and a rear surface facing the front surface;
a roller configured to roll up the flexible display module;
a plurality of first support blocks, each of the first support blocks having a width in a first direction crossing a second direction of a rolling axis of the roller; and
a plurality of second support blocks, each of the second support blocks having a width in the first direction,
wherein the first support blocks are between the roller and the second support blocks when the flexible display module is unrolled from the roller,
wherein the width of a widest of the first support blocks is less than the width of each of the second support blocks, and
wherein the first support blocks and the second support blocks are disposed on the same surface when the flexible display module is unrolled from the roller.

20. The rollable display device of claim 19 , wherein adjacent ones of the first and second support blocks contact each other when the flexible display module is unrolled from the roller.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Min-Sung
• Nguyen Thanh Tien
• Im Kiju

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

• G06F3/041

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

• G06F3/0412 Primary

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title