Display device having improved impact resistance and electronic device having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11216034-B2
Application number	US-201916585574-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2019
Priority date	Nov 16, 2018
Publication date	Jan 4, 2022
Grant date	Jan 4, 2022

Abstract

A display device includes a display module and a support plate. The display module includes a display panel and a window disposed on the display panel and including a flexible material. In the display module, a folding region foldable about a folding axis and a plurality of non-folding regions adjacent to sides of the folding region are defined on a plane. In a first edge region of the display module, a first end surface of the display panel and a first end surface of the window are substantially aligned with each other, in a second edge region of the display module, a second end surface of the window extends beyond a second end surface of the display panel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device, comprising:
a display module comprising a display panel configured to display an image, and a window disposed on the display panel and comprising a flexible material,
wherein a folding region foldable about a folding axis, and a plurality of non-folding regions disposed adjacent to a first side and a second side of the folding region are defined on a plane of the display module; and
a support plate disposed under the display module, wherein
in a first edge region of the display module on a first side surface of the display module, a first end surface of the display panel and a first end surface of the window are substantially aligned with each other,
in a second edge region of the display module on the first side surface of the display module, a second end surface of the window extends beyond a second end surface of the display panel,
wherein the display panel comprises a display region and a non-display region,
wherein the non-display region has a first width in the first edge region, and the non-display region has a second width in the second edge region,
wherein the second width is larger than the first width.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein
the first end surface of the display panel and the first end surface of the window are located on a first virtual line, the second end surface of the window is located a second virtual line,
a distance between the first virtual line and the display region is smaller than a distance between the second virtual line and the display region.

3. The display device of claim 2 , wherein the second end surface of the display panel is located on a third virtual line,
a distance between the third virtual line and the display region is smaller than the distance between the second virtual line and the display region.

4. The display device of claim 2 , further comprising:
an anti-reflection layer disposed between the display panel and the window.

5. The display device of claim 4 , wherein in the first edge region, a first end surface of the functional layer is located on the first virtual line, and in the second edge region, a second end surface of the functional layer is located on the second virtual line.

6. The display device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a first protective film disposed between the display panel and the window; and
a second protective film disposed on a rear surface of the display panel.

7. The display device of claim 6 , wherein in the first edge region, a first end surface of the first protective film and a first end surface of the second protective film are located on the first virtual line, and in the second edge region, a second end surface of the first protective film and a second end surface of the second protective film are located on the second virtual line.

8. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the display module comprises:
a protruding part protruding from at least one side surface of the display module in the second edge region such that a distance between the second end surface of the window and the display region is greater than a distance between the first end surface of the window and the display region.

9. The display device of claim 8 , wherein in the second edge region, when viewed in a plan view, the protruding part has a polygonal shape or a semicircular shape.

10. The display device of claim 9 , wherein in the second edge region, when viewed in the plan view, the protruding part has a rectangular shape or a trapezoidal shape.

11. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the window comprises at least one of a plastic or a film material.

12. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the support plate is a metal plate having a greater strength than the display module.

13. The display device of claim 12 , wherein the support plate comprises:
a first sub support plate disposed in a first non-folding region adjacent to the first side of the folding region; and
a second sub support plate spaced apart from the first sub support plate and disposed in a second non-folding region adjacent to the second side of the folding region,
wherein the first and second non-folding regions are included in the plurality of non-folding regions.

14. The display device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a shock absorbing layer disposed between the display module and the support plate.

15. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the display module comprises a non-bending region and a bending region extending from the non-bending region,
the non-bending region comprises the folding region and the plurality of non-folding regions,
the window is disposed in the non-bending region, the display panel is disposed in the non-bending region and the bending region, and the display panel is bendable in the bending region.

16. An electronic device, comprising:
a display device; and
a case coupled to the display device, wherein the display device comprises:
a display module comprising a display panel configured to display an image, and a window disposed on the display panel and comprising a flexible material,

wherein a folding region foldable about a folding axis, and a plurality of non-folding regions disposed adjacent to a first side and a second side of the folding region are defined on a plane of the display module; and
a support plate disposed under the display module,

wherein the display module comprises a protruding part protruding from a first side surface of the display module such that in a first edge region of the display module on the first side surface of the display module, a first end surface of the display panel and a first end surface of the window are substantially aligned with each other, and in a second edge region of the display module on the first side surface of the display module, a second end surface of the window extends beyond a second end surface of the display panel,
wherein the display panel comprises a display region and a non-display region,
wherein the non-display region has a first width in the first edge region, and the non-display region has a second width in the second edge region,
wherein the second width is larger than the first width.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the case comprises a side wall configured to define an accommodation space for accommodating the display module, and an accommodation groove, into which the protruding part is inserted, is disposed in the side wall.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein a distance between the side wall and the first end surface of the window is the same as a distance between the side wall and the second end surface of the window.

19. The electronic of claim 17 , wherein a distance between the side wall and the first end surface of the window is greater than a distance between the side wall and the second end surface of the window.

20. The electronic of claim 16 , wherein
in the first edge region, the first end surface of the display panel and the first end surface of the window are located on a first virtual line, and in the second edge region, the second end surface of the window is located a second virtual line, and
a distance between the first virtual line and the display region is smaller than a distance between the second virtual line and the display region.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jaechun

Classifications

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• Y02E10/549

  Organic PV cells · CPC title

• G09F9/301 Primary

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

• 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