Folding type display apparatus and electric equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9651998-B2
Application number	US-201514789423-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2015
Priority date	Jul 2, 2014
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed are folding type display apparatuses. The folding type display apparatus comprises a flexible display section, and a plurality of housings, which includes a first housing having a space formed therein, and second and third housings bendably connected to both ends of the first housing. The display section is fixed to the second and third housings, and in a closed state of the second and third housings, a folding portion of the display section is housed in the space formed by the first housing, while in an open state of the second and third housings away from each other, the display section becomes flat, and the first housing functions as a leg protruding from flat surfaces of the second and third housings, so that the second and third housings are fixed to each other and the folding portion of the display section is supported, by a holding member for connecting these housings.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A folding type display apparatus, comprising:
a sheet-shaped display section having flexibility; and
a plurality of housings which hold the sheet-shaped display section,
wherein the plurality of housings include a first housing which has a cross section of a channel shape with a space formed therein, and a plate-shaped second housing and a plate-shaped third housing which are bendably connected to both ends of the first housing in a direction being separated from each other,
the display apparatus further comprises a holding member which is held in the second and/or the third housing,
the sheet-shaped display section is fixed to the second housing and the third housing so as to be folded on a side of the first housing,
in a closed state of the second housing and the third housing, a folding portion of the display section is housed in the space formed by the first housing,
in an open state of the second housing and the third housing away from each other to form the flat display section, and the first housing functions as a leg which protrudes from flat surfaces of the second housing and the third housing to a back side, and
the holding member connects the second housing and the third housing, fixes the second housing and the third housing to each other, and supports the folding portion of the display section.

2. The folding type display apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first housing includes a bottom part, and two side parts which are bendably connected to both ends of the bottom part in a direction approaching each other, and
limiting members are disposed in the first housing to limit bending angles of the respective side parts.

3. The folding type display apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the space of the first housing stores the folding portion of the display section while keeping a curvature capable of maintaining a function of the display section.

4. The folding type display apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the holding member is slidably housed in one of the second housing and the third housing, and the other one of the second housing and the third housing has a guide for inserting the holding member, and
the holding member is slid out from the one of the second and third housings and is inserted into the guide, such that the second housing and the third housing are fixed to each other, and the folding portion of the display section is held.

5. The folding type display apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the display section is an organic EL display in which a switching element and an organic EL element are formed in a matrix shape between two flexible substrates, and
the two flexible substrates include one or more inorganic films, respectively.

6. The folding type display apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the organic EL display is a touch panel.

7. The folding type display apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein two of the first housings are provided at an interval, and the second housing is connected to inner sides of the two first housings facing each other, and two of the third housings are connected to respective outer sides of the two first housings,
in the closed state, the two third housings are folded so as to be overlapped on the same surface of the second housing, and
in the open state, the second housing and one of the third housings are fixed by a first holding member, and the second housing and the other one of the third housings are fixed by a second holding member.

8. The folding type display apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the first holding member and second holding member are housed in the second housing, and the two third housings have guides for inserting the first holding member or the second holding member.

9. Electric equipment comprising: the folding type display apparatus according to claim 1 .

10. Electric equipment comprising:
the folding type display apparatus according to claim 7 ; and
a second display section provided on a surface opposite to a surface to which the display section is fixed.

Assignees

• Nlt Technologies Ltd

Inventors

• Matsueda Yojiro

Classifications

• H10K50/84

  Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations · CPC title

• G06F1/1616 Primary

  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

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• G09F9/301

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

• H04M1/0247

  comprising more than two body parts · CPC title