Display apparatus and manufacturing method of window member included in display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10948630-B2
Application number	US-201715721233-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2017
Priority date	Nov 22, 2016
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a display module having a display surface configured to display an image, and a window member disposed on the display surface. The window member includes a flexible base layer having a plurality of concave patterns defined on an upper portion thereof, and a plurality of hard coating patterns each disposed in a respective one of the concave patterns and having a hardness greater than the hardness of the flexible base layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display apparatus comprising:
a display module comprising a display surface configured to display an image; and
a window member disposed on the display surface, wherein the window member comprises:
a flexible base layer having a plurality of concave patterns defined on an upper portion thereof; and
a plurality of hard coating patterns each disposed in a corresponding concave pattern among the concave patterns and having a hardness greater than the hardness of the flexible base layer,
wherein each of the plurality of hard coating patterns is a semicircular shape when viewed in a cross section,
wherein the flexible base layer comprises a first functional group, and the plurality of hard coating patterns each comprises a second functional group, and
the second functional group is chemically combined with the first functional group,
wherein the plurality of hard coating patterns comprise an acrylate-based compound or an epoxy-based compound, and the flexible base layer comprises polyurethane or polycarbonate, and
the first functional group and the second functional group are at least one selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl group (—OH), a carboxyl group (—COOH), and an isocyanate group (—NCO).

2. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the concave patterns have a set depth in the thickness direction of the flexible base layer; and
each of the hard coating patterns has a height substantially identical to the depth of a corresponding concave pattern among the concave patterns.

3. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the hard coating patterns fills a space defined by a corresponding concave pattern among the concave patterns.

4. The display apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the flexible base layer and the hard coating patterns define an upper surface of the window member, the upper surface being a substantially flat plane.

5. The display apparatus of claim 4 , wherein:
the upper surface is divided into a first area in which the window member is bent or spread, and a second area that is adjacent to the first area; and
the proportion of the hard coating patterns in the first area is smaller than the proportion of the hard coating patterns in the second area when viewed in a plane.

6. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the display module is bent or spread about a bending axis extending in one direction; and
the plurality of hard coating patterns are extended in a direction parallel to the bending axis.

7. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the display module is bent or spread along a first bending axis extending in one direction and is bent or spread along a second bending axis extending in a direction crossing the one direction; and
the plurality of hard coating patterns are arranged in a matrix form by being spaced apart in a direction parallel to the first bending axis and by being spaced apart in a direction parallel to the second bending axis.

8. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the difference in refractive index between the flexible base layer and the hard coating patterns is from 0 to about 0.2.

9. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the hard coating patterns and portions of the flexible base layer between the hard coating patterns define an upper surface of the window member,
the upper surface is divided into a first area in which the window member is bent or spread, and a second area that is adjacent to the first area,
both the first area and the second area comprise the hard coating patterns and the portions of the flexible base layer between the hard coating patterns that define the upper surface,
the plurality of hard coating patterns comprises a first plurality of hard coating patterns in the first area and a second plurality of hard coating patterns in the second area, and
a width of each of the second plurality of hard coating patterns is wider than a width of each of the first plurality of hard coating patterns.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Kyungtae
• Kim Boa
• Kim Sanghoon
• Oh Hyunjoon
• Park Sang-Il
• Shin Heonjung
• Oh Hye-Jin
• Lee Jeoungsub
• Choi Min-Hoon

Classifications

• H05K5/03

  Covers · CPC title

• H05K5/0017

  with operator interface units · CPC title

• G09F9/301 Primary

  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

• G02F2202/022

  polymeric · CPC title