Light-emitting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9719665-B2
Application number	US-201414324678-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2014
Priority date	Jul 12, 2013
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A light-emitting device includes a strip-like high flexibility region and a strip-like low flexibility region arranged alternately in a direction. The high flexibility region includes a flexible light-emitting panel. The low flexibility region includes the light-emitting panel and a support panel having a lower flexibility than that of the light-emitting panel and overlapping with the light-emitting panel. It is preferable that the light-emitting panel include an external connection electrode and that a length in the direction of a low flexibility region A that overlaps with the external connection electrode be longer than a length in the direction of a low flexibility region B that is closest to the region A.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A light-emitting device comprising:
a flexible light-emitting panel,
wherein the flexible light-emitting panel includes a first surface on one side of the flexible light-emitting panel and a second surface on the other side of the flexible light-emitting panel, and
wherein the flexible light-emitting panel is foldable so that a first portion of the first surface and a second portion of the first surface face each other and a first portion of the second surface and a second portion of the second surface face each other.

2. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible light-emitting panel includes:
a first light-emitting portion;
a second light-emitting portion;
a third light-emitting portion between the first light-emitting portion and the second light-emitting portion;
a first bendable portion between the first light-emitting portion and the third light-emitting portion; and
a second bendable portion between the third light-emitting portion and the second light-emitting portion.

3. The light-emitting device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first bendable portion is capable of emitting light, and
wherein the second bendable portion is capable of emitting light.

4. The light-emitting device according to claim 2 , wherein an edge portion of the third light-emitting portion is held by a support.

5. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first surface of the flexible light-emitting panel is a light-emitting surface, and
wherein the second surface of the flexible light-emitting panel is not a light-emitting surface.

6. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the flexible light-emitting panel is folded so that the first portion of the first surface and the second portion of the first surface face each other between a first end of the flexible light-emitting panel and a first bent portion of the flexible light-emitting panel, and the first portion of the second surface and the second portion of the second surface face each other between a second end of the flexible light-emitting panel and a second bent portion of the flexible light-emitting panel, a gap between the first portion of the first surface and the second portion of the first surface is large in a position closer to the first bent portion than to the first end compared to in a position closer to the first end than to the first bent portion.

7. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the flexible light-emitting panel is folded so that the first portion of the first surface and the second portion of the first surface face each other between a first end of the flexible light-emitting panel and a first bent portion of the flexible light-emitting panel, and the first portion of the second surface and the second portion of the second surface face each other between a second end of the flexible light-emitting panel and a second bent portion of the flexible light-emitting panel, a shortest distance between the first portion of the first surface and the first portion of the second surface is less than a sum of a thickness of the flexible light-emitting panel and twice a sum of curvature radii of the flexible light-emitting panel in the first bent portion and the second bent portion, and
wherein the first portion of the first surface is positioned between the first end and the first bent portion, and the first portion of the second surface is positioned between the second end and the second bent portion.

8. A light-emitting device comprising:
a first strip-like high flexibility region, a first strip-like low flexibility region and a second strip-like high flexibility region arranged in this order in a direction,
wherein the first strip-like high flexibility region includes a first part of a flexible light-emitting panel,
wherein the first strip-like low flexibility region includes a second part of the flexible light-emitting panel and a support panel having a lower flexibility than that of the second part of the flexible light-emitting panel and overlapping with the second part of the flexible light-emitting panel,
wherein the second strip-like high flexibility region includes a third part of the flexible light-emitting panel, and
wherein flexibility of the first strip-like low flexibility region is lower than flexibility of the first strip-like high flexibility region and flexibility of the second strip-like high flexibility region.

9. The light-emitting device according to claim 8 , further comprising a protective layer having a higher flexibility than that of the support panel,
wherein the first strip-like high flexibility region includes a first part of the protective layer overlapping with the first part of the flexible light-emitting panel,
wherein the first strip-like low flexibility region includes a second part of the protective layer overlapping with the second part of the flexible light-emitting panel, and
wherein the second strip-like high flexibility region includes a third part of the protective layer overlapping with the third part of the flexible light-emitting panel.

10. The light-emitting device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the flexible light-emitting panel includes a first surface on one side of the flexible light-emitting panel and a second surface on the other side of the flexible light-emitting panel, and
wherein when the flexible light-emitting panel is folded so that a first portion of the first surface and a second portion of the first surface face each other between a first end of the flexible light-emitting panel and a first bent portion of the flexible light-emitting panel, and a first portion of the second surface and a second portion of the second surface face each other between a second end of the flexible light-emitting panel and a second bent portion of the flexible light-emitting panel, a gap between the first portion of the first surface and the second portion of the first surface is large in a position closer to the first bent portion than to the first end compared to in a position closer to the first end than to the first bent portion.

11. The light-emitting device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the flexible light-emitting panel includes a first surface on one side of the flexible light-emitting panel and a second surface on the other side of the flexible light-emitting panel,
wherein when the flexible light-emitting panel is folded so that a first portion of the first surface and a second portion of the first surface face each other between a first end of the flexible light-emitting panel and a first bent portion of the flexible light-emitting panel, and a first portion of the second surface and a second portion of the second surface face each other between a second end of the flexible light-emitting panel and a second bent portion of the flexible light-emitting panel, a shortest distance between the first portion of the first surface and the first portion of the second surface is less than a sum of a thickness of the flexible light-emitting panel and twice a sum of curvature radii of the flexible light-emitting panel in the first bent portion and the second bent portion, and
wherein the first portion of the first surface is positioned between the first end and the first bent portion, and the first portion of the second surface is positioned between the second end and the second bent portion.

12. The light-emitting device according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a second strip-like low flexibility region adjacent to the first strip-like low flexibility region with the second strip-like high flexibility region interposed therebetween,
wher

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Hirakata Yoshiharu
• Endo Akio

Classifications

• H04W72/569

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• H04W72/23

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• F21Y2105/00

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• F21V15/012 Primary

  Housings with variable shape or dimensions, e.g. by means of elastically deformable materials or by movement of parts forming telescopic extensions of the housing body · CPC title

• F21Y2115/20

  Electroluminescent [EL] light sources · CPC title