Expandable display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10194543-B2
Application number	US-201715724983-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2017
Priority date	Oct 11, 2016
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

An expandable display device includes: a housing including a fixing portion; a pair of sliding portions provided at respective sides of the fixing portion, each of the sliding portions being configured to be drawn out from the housing along a first direction such that a distance from the respective sliding portion to the fixing portion is changed; and a panel unit including: a fixing display unit on the fixing portion; and a pair of expanding display units on the pair of sliding portions and having a variable exposing area; a flexible display panel including a plurality of pixels and having a screen at a first side thereof; and a support panel attached to a second side of the flexible display panel facing the first side, the support panel including a plurality of slits extending in a second direction crossing the first direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An expandable display device comprising:
a housing comprising a fixing portion;
a pair of sliding portions provided at respective sides of the fixing portion, each of the sliding portions being configured to be drawn out from the housing along a first direction such that a distance from the respective sliding portion to the fixing portion is changed; and
a panel unit comprising:
a flexible display panel comprising a plurality of pixels and having a screen at a first side thereof; and
a support panel attached to a second side of the flexible display panel facing the first side, the support panel comprising a plurality of slits extending in a second direction crossing the first direction.

2. The expandable display device of claim 1 , wherein the support panel comprises a bridge extending in the first direction and dissecting the plurality of slits.

3. The expandable display device of claim 2 , wherein the bridge comprises a plurality of bridges.

4. The expandable display device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of slits are at a portion of the support panel corresponding to the fixing portion of the housing.

5. The expandable display device of claim 4 ,
wherein the plurality of slits are further at a portion of the support panel corresponding to the pair of sliding portions, and
wherein widths of slits from among the plurality of slits that are at the portion of the support panel corresponding to the pair of sliding portions are greater than widths of slits from among the plurality of slits that are at the portion of the support panel corresponding to the fixing portion of the housing.

6. The expandable display device of claim 1 , wherein the support panel comprises:
a support portion having the plurality of slits and supporting the flexible display panel; and
a cover portion covering a side of the support portion.

7. The expandable display device of claim 1 , further comprising a roller at an end portion of one of the sliding portions, the roller being configured to rotate to change and exposing area of the flexible display panel,
wherein the support panel contacts a surface of the roller and wraps around the surface of the roller,
wherein the end portion of the support panel further includes a combining portion that is substantially planar and faces the plurality of slits.

8. The expandable display device of claim 7 , wherein the roller comprises a first roller and a second roller, the first roller having a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the second roller, and
wherein a width of a slit from among the plurality of slits that is drawn out by the first roller is greater than a width of a slit from among the plurality of slits that is drawn out by the second roller.

9. The expandable display device of claim 7 , wherein the flexible display panel comprises:
a display area comprising the plurality of the pixels and the screen configured to display an image; and
a dummy area at respective end portions of the display area and not configured to display the image, the dummy area overlapping the combining portion and being connected to the combining portion.

10. The expandable display device of claim 9 , further comprising a fastening plate providing the dummy area and the combining portion between the sliding portion and fixing the same to each other, the fastening plate being parallel to the sliding portion and fastened thereto.

11. The expandable display device of claim 1 ,
wherein the fixing portion further comprises a pair of connecting sides connecting the respective sides to each other, and
wherein the pair of connecting sides each include a guide groove for guiding a path in which a moving member protruding from the sliding portion is inserted and moves.

12. The expandable display device of claim 11 ,
wherein an inner wall of the guide groove contacting an end portion of the moving member comprises a slanted side, and
wherein a length of the moving member is configured to change when the moving member is moved along a surface of the slanted side.

13. The expandable display device of claim 12 , wherein the moving member comprises a hydraulic pressure cylinder or a spring for changing a length thereof.

14. The expandable display device of claim 12 , wherein the slanted side comprises a plurality of sub-slanted sides.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Seo Tae An
• Kim Sun Ho
• Kim Sung Hoon
• Lee Jung Hun
• Choi Jin Hwan

Classifications

• G06F1/1626

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

• H05K5/0017 Primary

  with operator interface units · CPC title

• G06F1/1624 Primary

  with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

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

• H05K5/0217

  Mechanical details of casings (covers, lids, hoods or members for covering apertures H05K5/03) · CPC title