Electronic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12412490-B2
Application number	US-202318314115-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2023
Priority date	Feb 12, 2019
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

An electronic apparatus includes a display panel including a folding portion overlapping with a folding axis, a first non-folding portion and a second non-folding portion, a support unit including a first support portion arranged under the first non-folding portion and a second support portion arranged under the second non-folding portion, an impact absorbing member interposed between the display panel and the support unit and coupled to the display panel, an adhesive member coupling the impact absorbing member to the support unit, a receiving portion defined in at least one of the first support portion or the second support portion, and a protrusion connected to the impact absorbing member and received in the receiving portion. A planar area of the protrusion is less than a planar area of the receiving portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:
a display panel comprising a folding portion and a non-folding portion, the folding portion overlapping with a folding axis of the display panel;
a support unit comprising a support portion overlapping the non-folding portion;
an intermediate layer between the display panel and the support unit;
a receiving portion defined by a recessed portion that is unitary with the support unit, the recessed portion extending from an upper surface of the support unit partially through the support unit to a bottom surface of the recessed portion; and
a protruding portion protruding from the intermediate layer and located in the receiving portion.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion is connected to a rear surface of the intermediate layer and protrudes from the rear surface of the intermediate layer toward the receiving portion.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive member interposed between the intermediate layer and the support unit to couple the intermediate layer and the support unit to each other.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the protruding portion penetrates the adhesive member.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion is less in planar area than that of the receiving portion.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion has a circular shape.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion has a bar shape extending in one direction.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the protruding portion is in contact with a portion of an inner sidewall of the receiving portion in the one direction and is spaced apart from a portion of the inner sidewall of the receiving portion in another direction crossing the one direction.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an elastic member located in the receiving portion and interposed between the protruding portion and an inner sidewall of the receiving portion.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the elastic member is higher in elastic force than that of the protruding portion.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate layer comprises an impact absorbing member that is lower in elastic modulus than that of the support unit.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the non-folding portion comprises a first non-folding portion and a second non-folding portion, the first and second non-folding portions being spaced apart from each other with the folding portion interposed therebetween,
wherein the support portion comprises a first support portion overlapping with the first non-folding portion and a second support portion overlapping with the second non-folding portion and spaced apart from the first support portion.

13. The electronic apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the support unit further comprises a hinge portion connecting the first support portion and the second support portion, and
wherein the first support portion and the second support portion are foldable at the hinge portion.

14. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion in the receiving portion is spaced from the bottom surface of the recessed portion.

15. An electronic apparatus comprising:
a display panel comprising a folding portion and a non-folding portion, the folding portion overlapping with a folding axis;
a support unit comprising a support portion overlapping the non-folding portion;
an intermediate layer between the display panel and the support unit; and
a guide part on the support portion and at one side of the display panel,
wherein the guide part is horizontally coplanar with the display panel in a cross-sectional view and is spaced from the display panel in a plan view.

16. The electronic apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the guide part has a bar shape facing an edge of the display panel and extending in a direction parallel to the edge, when viewed in the plan view.

17. The electronic apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the guide part has a shape which is spaced apart from a vertex of the display panel and is bent to surround two edges of the display panel.

18. The electronic apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the guide part comprises a plurality of guide parts located along edges of the display panel.

19. The electronic apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the intermediate layer comprises an impact absorbing member that is lower in elastic modulus than that of the support unit.

20. The electronic apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
an adhesive member interposed between the intermediate layer and the support unit to couple the intermediate layer and the support unit to each other.

21. The electronic apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the support unit further comprises a hinge portion,
wherein the support portion comprises a first support portion and a second support portion spaced apart from the first support portion at the folding portion,
wherein the hinge portion connects the first support portion and the second support portion, and is spaced apart from the adhesive member when viewed in the plan view.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoon Hyoyul
• Kim Mingu
• Nam Hyunsuk
• Lee Kyoungah
• Park Dongjin
• Lee Sangwol

Classifications

• H10K59/12

  Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays · CPC title

• H10K2102/311

  Flexible OLED · CPC title

• H10K77/111

  Flexible substrates · CPC title

• H05K5/0226

  Hinges · 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