Display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10976873-B2
Application number	US-201916712906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2019
Priority date	Jan 2, 2019
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A display device includes a display module, a first supporter under the display module, a second supporter under the display module, the first and second supporters being arranged in a first direction with a space therebetween, and a digitizer module under the first and second supporters and including a first opening extending in a second direction crossing the first direction and second openings respectively extending along the first direction from both ends of the first opening. The first opening overlaps with the space between the first supporter and the second supporter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device comprising:
a display module;
a first supporter under the display module;
a second supporter under the display module, the first and second supporters being arranged with each other in a first direction with a space therebetween; and
a digitizer module under the first and second supporters and having a first opening defined therethrough and extending in a second direction crossing the first direction and second openings defined therethrough and respectively extending along the first direction from both ends of the first opening,
wherein the first opening overlaps the space between the first supporter and the second supporter.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second supporters comprises a pair of first sides facing oppositely away from each other in the first direction and a pair of second sides facing oppositely away from each other in the second direction,
wherein one first side of the first supporter and one first side of the second supporter face each other in the first direction, and
the second openings extend along portions of the second sides of the first supporter adjacent to the one first side of the first supporter, and portions of the second sides of the second supporter adjacent to the one first side of the second supporter.

3. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the display module comprises:
non-folding areas arranged in the first direction; and
a folding area between two adjacent non-folding areas,
wherein the first and second supporters are under the two adjacent non-folding areas, respectively.

4. The display device of claim 3 , wherein a length in the first direction of each of the second openings is equal to a length in the first direction of the folding area.

5. The display device of claim 3 , wherein the digitizer module comprises:
a first portion under the first supporter;
a second portion under the second supporter, the first and second portions defining the first opening; and
a plurality of outer portions spaced apart from the first and second portions along the second direction, the first portion, the second portion, and the respective outer portion of the plurality of outer portions defining the respective second opening.

6. The display device of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of outer portions extends from the first and second portions and does not overlap with the first and second supporters.

7. The display device of claim 5 , wherein a length in the second direction of each of the first and second supporters is equal to a length in the second direction of each of the first and second portions.

8. The display device of claim 5 , wherein a distance in the first direction between the first portion and the second portion is smaller than a distance in the first direction between the first supporter and the second supporter.

9. The display device of claim 8 , wherein the distance in the first direction between the first supporter and the second supporter is smaller than a length in the first direction of the folding area.

10. The display device of claim 5 , further comprising:
a first adhesive between the display module and the first and second supporters; and
a coating layer between the first adhesive and the first and second supporters, the coating layer overlapping the folding area.

11. The display device of claim 10 , wherein the coating layer comprises fluorine and is not attached to the first adhesive.

12. The display device of claim 5 , further comprising a second adhesive between the first supporter and the first portion and between the second supporter and the second portion.

13. The display device of claim 5 , further comprising:
a first case under the first portion; and
a second case under the second portion.

14. The display device of claim 13 , wherein the display module is configured to be inwardly folded by the first and second cases such that a display surface of the display module is not exposed to an outside.

15. The display device of claim 13 , further comprising a third adhesive between the first portion and the first case and between the second portion and the second case.

16. The display device of claim 15 , wherein the third adhesive comprises a heat reactive tape whose adhesive strength is configured to drop at a first temperature.

17. The display device of claim 3 , wherein a length in the first direction of each of the second openings is smaller than a width in the first direction of the folding area.

18. The display device of claim 3 , wherein a length in the first direction of each of the second openings is larger than a width in the first direction of the folding area.

19. The display device of claim 3 , wherein a width in the first direction of the first opening is equal to a width in the first direction of the folding area.

20. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the display module comprises:
a touch sensing unit;
a display panel under the touch sensing unit;
a protective substrate under the display panel; and
a cushion layer under the protective substrate.

21. A display device comprising:
a display module;
a first supporter under the display module;
a second supporter under the display module, the first and second supporters being arranged with each other in a first direction with a space therebetween; and
a digitizer module under the first and second supporters and having a first opening defined therethrough, the first opening extending in a second direction crossing the first direction and overlapping the space between the first supporter and the second supporter,
wherein the digitizer module comprises:
a first portion under the first supporter; and
a second portion under the second supporter, the first and second portions defining the first opening,
wherein a distance in the first direction between the first portion and the second portion is smaller than a distance in the first direction between the first supporter and the second supporter.

22. The display device of claim 21 , further comprising a flexible printed circuit board that connects the first portion to the second portion.

23. The display device of claim 22 , wherein each of the first and second portions comprises a pair of first sides facing oppositely away from each other in the first direction and a pair of second sides facing oppositely away from each other in the second direction,
the flexible printed circuit board extends in the first direction and is connected to one second side of the first portion, and one second side of the second portion.

24. The display device of claim 21 , wherein the digitizer module comprises a second opening extending along the first direction from one end of the first opening.

25. The display device of claim 21 , wherein the digitizer module further comprises second openings respectively extending along the first direction from both ends of the first opening, and
wherein each of the first and second supporters comprises a pair of first sides facing oppositely away from each other in the first direction and a pair of second sides facing oppositely away from each other in the second direction, one first side of the first supporter and one first side of the second supporter facing each other in the first direction, and
the second openings extend along:
portions of the second sides of the first supporter adjacent to the one first side of th

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shin Jaiku
• Han Jiwon

Classifications

• H04M1/0268 Primary

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G09F9/301

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

• G06F3/041 Primary

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