Display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10314184-B2
Application number	US-201715787621-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2017
Priority date	Nov 3, 2016
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A display device reduces or minimizes a stress applied to a display panel in a folded state. The display device includes a display panel including a bendable area; and a panel support portion combined to the display panel and including a multi-joint member to support the bendable area, and the multi-joint member includes: a plurality of hard material portions sequentially arranged in a first direction, mutually combined to be rotated with respect to one another, and including a first surface arranged toward the bendable area; and a soft material portion contacting the first surface and fixed to the plurality of hard material portions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device comprising:
a display panel comprising a bendable part; and
a panel support portion combined to the display panel and comprising a multi-joint member to support the bendable part,
wherein the multi-joint member comprises:
a plurality of hard material portions sequentially arranged in a first direction, mutually combined to be rotated with respect to one another, each of the plurality of hard material portions comprising a first surface arranged toward the bendable part; and
a soft material portion contacting the first surface of each of the plurality of hard material portions and fixed to each of the plurality of hard material portions, and
wherein the soft material portion directly contacts the bendable part;
wherein each of the hard material portions includes two second surfaces connected to respective edges of the first surface, and a third surface opposite to the first surface, and the soft material portion is on the two second surfaces and the third surface.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the multi-joint member comprises a plurality of support sides facing the bendable part, and the support sides are made of the soft material portion.

3. The display device of claim 2 , wherein, in a folded state, edges of the respective support sides receive a pressure from the bendable part, and a portion corresponding to the respective edges from among the soft material portion is compressed and transformed by the pressure.

4. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the soft material portion comprises two soft material portions on respective sides of the first surface in the first direction.

5. The display device of claim 4 , wherein the two soft material portions respectively include a fourth surface that is parallel to the first surface, and form a triangular shape in a cross-sectional view, and a combination of the hard material portion and the two soft material portions forms a trapezoidal shape in a cross-sectional view.

6. The display device of claim 5 , wherein the hard material portion is combined to the two soft material portions in a protrusion-groove configuration.

7. The display device of claim 5 , wherein the multi-joint member includes a plurality of support sides facing the bendable part, and the support sides respectively include the first surface at a center thereof, and the two fourth surfaces at respective sides of the first surface.

8. The display device of claim 7 , wherein, in a folded state, the two fourth surfaces included in the respective support sides receive a pressure from the bendable part, and the two fourth surfaces included in the soft material portion are compressed and transformed by the pressure.

9. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the hard material portions are combined to each other by a plurality of rotation combiners, and the rotation combiners are arranged outside the respective sides of the display panel in a second direction crossing the first direction.

10. The display device of claim 9 , wherein the respective rotation combiners comprise a hinge assembly, and the hinge assembly comprises a hinge shaft about which the hard material portions are rotatable.

11. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the soft material portion includes a plate portion facing an entire side of the bendable part, and the plate portion includes a plurality of overlapped portions overlapping the first surfaces of the hard material portions, and a plurality of connectors between the overlapped portions.

12. The display device of claim 11 , wherein a side of the plate portion facing the bendable part defines a single support side of the multi-joint member, and, in a folded state, the connectors are bent by an external force and function as a rotation shaft about which the hard material portions are rotatable.

13. The display device of claim 12 , wherein the connector includes a recess portion in a circular arc shape at a side that is opposite to the bendable part.

14. The display device of claim 12 , wherein, in the folded state, the connectors receive a pressure from the bendable part and are compressed and transformed.

15. The display device of claim 11 , wherein each of the hard material portions includes two second surfaces connected to respective edges of the first surface, and a third surface opposite to the first surface, and the soft material portion further includes an extension on the two second surfaces and the third surface.

16. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the hard material portion comprises a material selected from a metal and a high strength plastic, and the soft material portion comprises a material selected from silicone and polyurethane.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Sung Chul
• Oh Young Eun
• Ryou Han Sun
• Myeong Man Sik

Classifications

• G09F9/301

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

• G06F1/1652

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

• G06F1/1681

  Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683) · CPC title

• H05K5/0226 Primary

  Hinges · CPC title

• G06F1/1616 Primary

  with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position · CPC title