Flexible display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10429895-B2
Application number	US-201816031976-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2018
Priority date	Dec 29, 2017
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A display device includes a display panel including a folding area and a nonfolding area located around the folding area, a panel bottom member under the display panel and overlapping with the folding area and the nonfolding area, and a first pattern formed in the panel bottom member and overlapping with the folding area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device comprising:
a display panel including a folding area and a nonfolding area located around the folding area;
a panel bottom member under the display panel and overlapping with the folding area and the nonfolding area; and
a first pattern formed in the panel bottom member and overlapping with the folding area,
wherein the panel bottom member comprises a buffer member and a support member between the display panel and the buffer member, and the first pattern is recessed from a lower surface of the support member.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first pattern has a groove shape recessed from the lower surface of the support member.

3. The display device of claim 2 , wherein the first pattern has a line shape extending continuously along the folding area.

4. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first pattern has an uneven shape on the lower surface of the support member.

5. The display device of claim 4 , wherein the first pattern includes a relatively protruded convex portion, and the convex portion is not protruded from the lower surface of the support member.

6. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the support member includes a metal.

7. The display device of claim 6 , wherein an end of the first pattern is aligned with a boundary between the folding area and the nonfolding area.

8. The display device of claim 6 , wherein an end of the first pattern is in the nonfolding area.

9. The display device of claim 1 , further comprising a second pattern formed in the buffer member and overlapping with the first pattern.

10. The display device of claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the buffer member faces the lower surface of the support member, and
wherein the upper surface of the buffer member overlaps the first pattern.

11. A display device comprising:
a display panel including a folding area and a nonfolding area located around the folding area; and
a panel bottom member under the display panel and comprising a rigid material overlapping with the folding area, the panel bottom member having a first thickness in the folding area and a second thickness in the nonfolding area, the first thickness being thinner than the second thickness.

12. The display device of claim 11 , wherein the panel bottom member includes a buffer member, and a first pattern is formed on an upper surface or a lower surface of the buffer member.

13. The display device of claim 12 , wherein the first pattern has a groove shape recessed from the upper surface or the lower surface of the buffer member.

14. The display device of claim 12 , wherein the first pattern has an uneven shape on the upper surface or the lower surface of the buffer member.

15. The display device of claim 11 ,
wherein
an interval between an upper surface of the panel bottom member and the display panel is constant.

16. The display device of claim 15 , wherein the rigid material includes a metal.

17. The display device of claim 15 , further comprising a buffer member at a lower portion of the panel bottom member.

18. The display device of claim 17 ,
wherein the buffer member has a third thickness in the folding area and a fourth thickness in the nonfolding area, and the third thickness is thinner than the fourth thickness.

19. The display device of claim 18 , wherein the first thickness is thinner than the third thickness.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jung Hun

Classifications

• G06F1/1643 Primary

  the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads (details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615) · CPC title

• G09F9/301 Primary

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

• G06F1/1641

  the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components (G06F1/1647 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F1/1652 Primary

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

• G06F1/1616

  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