Electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022179454-A1
Application number	US-202217680419-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 25, 2022
Priority date	Nov 18, 2015
Publication date	Jun 9, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic device has a structure in which two portions between which a bent portion of a display panel is positioned are each fixed to a housing. The electronic device takes two forms of a form in which the display panel is opened and a form in which the display panel is folded in three. The electronic device includes a mechanism for sliding two housings parallel to each other. The display panel is changed in shape so that a portion where a display surface of the display panel is convexly curved and a portion where the display surface of the display panel is concavely curved in the folded state move in directions parallel and opposite to each other. At this time, the two portions of the display panel which are supported by the housings are slid while their display surfaces maintain a state parallel to each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A display panel having flexibility, comprising:
a first portion; a second portion; and a third portion, wherein the display panel is configured to be transformed to have a folded state, a spread state, and a transition state that is between the folded state and the spread state, wherein when the display panel is spread in the spread state, the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion are in a same plane and wholly exposed to an outside, wherein when the display panel is folded in the folded state, the second portion is positioned over the first portion with the third portion therebetween, and exposed to the outside, wherein, in the folded state, a part of the second portion overlaps with the first portion and the third portion, and the other part of the second portion does not overlap with the first portion or the third portion, wherein when the display panel is changed in shape in the transition state, an area of the first portion that is exposed to the outside is changed along with transformation of the display panel, wherein a height of the first portion that is exposed in the transition state and a height of the second portion that is exposed in the transition state are different, wherein, in the transition state, the height of the second portion that is exposed is maintained, wherein in the folded state and the transition state, the third portion comprises a first curved portion where part of a surface of the third portion is convexly curved and a second curved portion where another part of the surface is concavely curved, wherein in the folded state, the second curved portion is positioned on the first portion side and the first curved portion is positioned on the second portion side, and wherein an area of the second portion is larger than the area of the first portion.

2 . The display panel according to claim 1 ,
wherein in the transition state, the third portion is changed in shape to change a width between the first curved portion and the second curved portion so that relative positions of the first portion and the second portion are changed while the first portion and the second portion maintain a state parallel to each other.

3 . An electronic device comprising:
the display panel according to claim 1 ; a first housing; a second housing; and a mechanism for slidably connecting the first housing to the second housing, wherein the first housing and the second housing are in contact with each other in each of the folded state, the spread state, and the transition state, wherein the display panel is configured to be transformed along with sliding of the first housing and the second housing, wherein, in the spread state, the first portion and the third portion are positioned on a top surface of the first housing, and the second portion is positioned on a top surface of the second housing, wherein in the folded state, the second housing is positioned over the first housing, wherein, in the folded state, the second portion is positioned on the top surface of the second housing and exposed to the outside, and wherein, in the folded state, the first portion is not exposed to the outside, and a part of the third portion is positioned on one of side surfaces of the second housing.

4 . The electronic device according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a first lock mechanism for locking relative positions of the first housing and the second housing when the display panel is spread; and a second lock mechanism for locking the relative positions of the first housing and the second housing when the display panel is folded and the first portion is covered with at least one of the second portion and the second housing.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Yoshizumi Kensuke

Classifications

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• H10K77/00

  Constructional details of devices covered by this subclass and not covered by groups H10K10/80, H10K30/80, H10K50/80 or H10K59/80 · CPC title

• G06F1/1624

  with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display · CPC title

• G06F1/1643

  the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads (details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615) · CPC title

• G06F1/1641 Primary

  the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components (G06F1/1647 takes precedence) · CPC title