Metal support and flexible display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12422890-B2
Application number	US-202117423254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2021
Priority date	Mar 31, 2020
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a metal support including a bendable region, a non-bendable region, and at least one patterned region covering at least the bendable region. The bendable region is capable of bending in a first direction, a plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts arranged side by side along the first direction are arranged in the patterned region, each column of the hollowed-out parts includes a plurality of openings arranged at intervals along the second direction, and the patterned region includes two first edges arranged opposite to each other in the first direction, the hollowed-out part near the first edge is arc-shaped, convex sides of two arcs face each other, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular. The present disclosure also relates to a flexible display device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A metal support comprising a bendable region, a non-bendable region, and at least one patterned region covering at least the bendable region, wherein the bendable region is capable of bending along a first direction, a plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts arranged side by side along the first direction are arranged in the patterned region, each column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts comprises a plurality of openings arranged at intervals along a second direction, the patterned region comprises two first edges arranged opposite to each other in the first direction, a column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts near one of the first edges extends along a first arc, and a column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts near the other first edge extends along a second arc, with convex side of the first arc is oriented toward convex side of the second arc, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular, and both the first direction and the second direction are parallel to a plane of the metal support;
wherein the bendable region includes a first center line extending in the first direction and a second center line extending in the second direction, the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts are symmetrically distributed about the first center line, and symmetrically distributed about the second center line, and the first center line is perpendicular to the second center line;
wherein the metal support comprises a first patterned region at a middle part and a second patterned region symmetrically disposed on opposite sides of the first patterned region in the first direction, the first patterned region comprises at least a first column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts, and a long axis of each of the plurality of openings in the first column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts coincides with the second center line.

2. The metal support according to claim 1 , wherein a connecting line of center points of a plurality of openings in each column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts in the first patterned region and the second patterned region other than the first column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts forms an arc line, and along the first direction, the farther the arc is from the second centerline, the greater the radian of arc line is.

3. The metal support according to claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of openings in each column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts is of a strip-shaped structure extending along an extension direction of hollowed-out parts in each column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts, and the arc line is tangent to a long axis of each of the plurality of openings corresponding to the arc line.

4. The metal support according to claim 2 , wherein the second patterned region comprises a third patterned region and a fourth patterned region along the first direction, the third patterned region is adjacent to the first patterned region, the first patterned region covers the bendable region, and the third patterned region and the fourth patterned region cover a part of the non-bendable region.

5. The metal support according to claim 4 , wherein a connection part is arranged between two adjacent openings in each column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts, the plurality of openings on two adjacent columns of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts are arranged in a staggered manner.

6. The metal support according to claim 5 , wherein in two adjacent columns of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts located within the same patterned region, one column of the two adjacent columns of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts comprises a plurality of openings and a first connection part arranged between two adjacent ones of the plurality of openings, the other column of the two adjacent columns of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts comprises a plurality of first openings, a line connecting a center of one of the plurality of first openings and a center of the connection part is parallel to the first direction.

7. The metal support according to claim 5 , wherein one column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts in the third patterned region comprises a plurality of openings and a second connection part arranged between two adjacent ones of the plurality of openings in the one column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts in the third patterned region, one column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts in the first patterned region comprises a plurality of second openings, there is a first quarter point on a long axis of one of the plurality of second openings, and a distance between the first quarter point and the nearest long axis endpoint of the one of the plurality of second openings is one fourth of the long axis length of the one of the plurality of second openings, a line connecting the first quarter point and a center of the second connection part is parallel to the first direction.

8. The metal support according to claim 5 , wherein one column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts in the fourth patterned region comprises a plurality of openings and a third connection part arranged between two adjacent ones of the plurality of openings in the one column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts in the fourth patterned region, one column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts in the third patterned region comprises a plurality of third openings, there is a second quarter point on a long axis of one of the plurality of third openings, and a distance between the second quarter point and the nearest long axis endpoint of the one of the plurality of third openings is one fourth of the long axis length of the one of the plurality of third openings, a line connecting the second quarter point and a center of the third connection part is parallel to the first direction.

9. The metal support according to claim 4 , wherein a length of the openings in the hollowed-out part in the first patterned region in the second direction is a first length, a length of the openings in the hollowed-out parts in the third patterned region in the second direction is a second length, and a length of the openings in the hollowed-out parts in the fourth patterned region in the second direction is a third length; and
the first length is twice the second length, and the second length is twice the third length.

10. The metal support according to claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of openings is of a strip-shaped structure extending along an extension direction of the hollowed-out part, and the arc line coincides with a long axis of each of the plurality of openings corresponding to the arc line.

11. The metal support according to claim 10 , wherein the plurality of openings in the same column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts do not have exactly same length.

12. The metal support according to claim 2 , wherein a width of the plurality of openings in each column of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts in the first direction is 0.2 mm and a distance between centers of hollowed-out parts in two adjacent columns of the plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts in the first direction is 0.4 mm.

13. The metal support according to claim 1 , wherein a length of the patterned region in the first direction first decreases and then increases along the second direction.

14. The metal support according to claim 1 , wherein an arrangement density of the plurality of openin

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Haoran
• Tsai Paoming

Classifications

• Y10T428/12535

  with additional, spatially distinct nonmetal component · CPC title

• Y10T428/12493

  Composite; i.e., plural, adjacent, spatially distinct metal components [e.g., layers, joint, etc.] · CPC title

• Y10T428/12562

  Elastomer · CPC title

• Y10T428/12368

  Struck-out portion type · CPC title

• B32B15/06

  of {natural rubber or synthetic} rubber · CPC title