Flexible display panel and display device

Abstract

The present application provides a flexible display panel and a display device, comprising a flexible screen body having a display surface and a back surface opposite to each other, a first non-bending portion and a first bending portion and a second bending portion connected thereto, a second non-bending portion connected to the first bending portion, and a third non-bending portion connected to the second bending portion; a support member is arranged on the back surface of the flexible screen body, and has a first surface close to the flexible screen body and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and the support member comprises a first support member, a second support member, a third support member, a fourth support member, and a fifth support member; the second support member and the third support member can be bent in opposite directions relative to the first support member; the second support member is provided with a first opening corresponding to the position of the first bending portion close to the first non-bending portion where the bending starts, and / or the thickness of at least a portion of the second support member at a position different from the first opening is less than the thickness of the first support member. The display panel can improve the problem of stress concentration during the bending process and reduce the probability of reverse arch failure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a flexible display panel and a display device. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of display technology in recent years, the forms of flexible OLED displays have become more and more diversified, and flexible display devices have become more and more popular in the market. Flexible display devices refer to display devices that use bendable and flexible screens. Flexible display devices are gradually becoming a development trend of future mobile electronic products.

[0003] The flexible display device includes a flexible display panel, and the shape of the flexible display panel is not limited to simple inward folding or outward folding. Double inward folding or double outward folding or a combination of inward and outward folding has now been achieved, and it can be in an "e" shape or a "Z" shape. In the unfolded state, a larger display area can be obtained to improve the viewing effect, while also ensuring that it has a smaller volume when folded, making it easy for users to store and carry.

[0004] However, when the flexible display is in double inward or outward folding form, the central non-bending part of the flexible display panel will be subjected to two opposite directions of tensile stress or compressive stress, causing the central non-bending part to rebound easily and arch and fail. When the flexible display panel is in the combination of inward folding and outward folding, the corresponding center of the flexible display panel and the connection between the two adjacent bending parts will cause stress concentration, causing the two connection parts to arch and fail. Summary of the invention

[0005] The flexible display panel and display device provided in the present application mainly solve the problem that the connection between the center of the flexible display panel and two adjacent bending parts will arch and fail when the flexible display panel is in the combined form of inward folding and outward folding.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, a technical solution adopted in the present application is to provide a flexible display panel, including:

[0007] The flexible screen body has a display surface and a back surface facing each other, and includes:

[0008] A first non-bending portion, a first bending portion and a second bending portion respectively connected to both ends of the first non-bending portion, a second non-bending portion connected to the first bending portion, and a third non-bending portion connected to the second bending portion;

[0009] A support member is disposed on the back side of the flexible screen body and has a first surface close to the flexible screen body and a second surface disposed opposite to the first surface, wherein the support member comprises:

[0010] A first support member, a second support member, a third support member, a fourth support member, and a fifth support member are respectively arranged corresponding to the first non-bending portion, the first bending portion, the second bending portion, the second non-bending portion, and the third non-bending portion; the second support member and the third support member can be bent in opposite directions relative to the first support member;

[0011] The second support member is provided with a first opening at a position corresponding to the starting bending point of the first bending portion close to the first non-bending portion, and / or the thickness of at least a portion of the second support member at a position different from the first opening is less than the thickness of the first support member.

[0012] Specifically, the opening of the second supporting member passes through the first surface and the second surface.

[0013] Specifically, the third support member is provided with a second opening at a position corresponding to the starting bending point of the second bending portion close to the first non-bending portion, and / or the thickness of at least a portion of the third support member at a position different from the second opening is less than the thickness of the first support member.

[0014] Preferably, a first elastic material is disposed on the support member except for the first opening and the second opening to form a first planarization layer.

[0015] Specifically, the second support member and / or the third support member near the first support member comprises a plurality of first support bars and at least one first connecting member; the extension direction of the first connecting member is inclined at a preset angle to the extension direction of the first support bar; the plurality of first support bars are spaced apart along the first direction on the at least one first connecting member;

[0016] Preferably, the gap between two adjacent first support bars is filled with a first elastic material;

[0017] And / or, the first support member includes a plurality of second support strips arranged at intervals and at least one second connecting member; the extension direction of the second connecting member is inclined at a preset angle to the extension direction of the second support strip; the plurality of second support strips are arranged at intervals on the at least one second connecting member along the first direction;

[0018] Preferably, a gap between two adjacent second support bars is filled with a second elastic material.

[0019] Specifically, the flexible screen body has a display surface and a back surface facing each other, and includes:

[0020] A first non-bending portion, a first bending portion and a second bending portion respectively connected to both ends of the first non-bending portion, a second non-bending portion connected to the first bending portion, and a third non-bending portion connected to the second bending portion;

[0021] A support member is disposed on the back side of the flexible screen body and has a first surface close to the flexible screen body and a second surface disposed opposite to the first surface, wherein the support member comprises:

[0022] A first support member, a second support member, a third support member, a fourth support member, and a fifth support member are respectively arranged corresponding to the first non-bending portion, the first bending portion, the second bending portion, the second non-bending portion, and the third non-bending portion; the second support member and the third support member can be bent toward the same direction relative to the first support member;

[0023] Among them, the first support member includes a plurality of third support bars; the plurality of third support bars are arranged at intervals along a first direction, and in the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the spacing between two adjacent third support bars gradually decreases, and / or the cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of third support bars along the stacking direction of the flexible display panel gradually increases.

[0024] Specifically, in the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the distance between two adjacent third support bars gradually decreases and the cross-sectional areas of the plurality of third support bars along the stacking direction are the same; or

[0025] In the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the cross-sectional areas of the plurality of third support bars along the stacking direction gradually increase and the spacing between two adjacent third support bars is the same; or

[0026] In the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the cross-sectional areas of the plurality of third support bars along the stacking direction gradually increase and the spacing between two adjacent third support bars gradually decreases;

[0027] Preferably, the spacing between two adjacent third support bars is the same, and in the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the thickness of the plurality of third support bars along the stacking direction gradually increases;

[0028] Preferably, the cross section of the third support bar along the stacking direction is trapezoidal;

[0029] Alternatively, the spacing between two adjacent third support bars is the same; the vertical cross-section of each third support bar is circular; in the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the radius of the plurality of circular third support bars gradually increases.

[0030] Specifically, the gap between two adjacent third support bars is filled with a third elastic material;

[0031] Preferably, the thickness of the second support member and / or the third support member is smaller than the thickness of the first support member, and the first surface of the second support member and / or the third support member is flush with the first surface of the first support member;

[0032] Preferably, the third elastic material is also provided on the second surface of the second support member and / or the second surface of the third support member, and a side surface of the third elastic material facing away from the second support member or the third support member is flush with the second surface of the first support member.

[0033] Specifically, the distance between each two adjacent third support bars gradually increases along the bending direction toward the support member.

[0034] Specifically, the first support member further includes at least one third connecting member, and both ends of each of the third connecting members are respectively connected to the second support member and the third support member on both sides; the plurality of third supporting bars are arranged at intervals on the at least one third connecting member, and are respectively arranged at intervals with the second support member and the third support member;

[0035] Preferably, the gap between the third support bar and the second support member and the third support member is filled with a third elastic material, and a surface of the third elastic material facing away from the third connecting member is flush with a surface of the third support bar facing away from the third connecting member;

[0036] Preferably, the plurality of third support bars are arranged on a surface of the at least one third connecting member facing the flexible screen body;

[0037] Preferably, the at least one third connecting member is an adhesive film layer; the adhesive film layer has an adhesive surface, and the plurality of third supporting strips are bonded to the adhesive surface of the adhesive film layer.

[0038] In order to solve the above technical problem, another technical solution adopted in the present application is to provide a display device, which includes the above-mentioned flexible display panel.

[0039] In the flexible display panel and display device provided in the embodiments of the present application, the flexible display panel is provided with a flexible screen body, the flexible screen body includes a first non-bending portion, a first bending portion and a second bending portion respectively connected to both ends of the first non-bending portion, a second non-bending portion connected to the first bending portion, and a third non-bending portion connected to the second bending portion; and a support member is provided on the back of the flexible screen body to support the flexible screen body. The support member includes a first support member, a second support member, a third support member, a fourth support member, and a fifth support member which are respectively arranged corresponding to the first non-bending portion, the first bending portion, the second bending portion, the second non-bending portion, and the third non-bending portion; the second support member and the third support member can be bent in opposite directions relative to the first support member; by arranging a first opening at a position of the second support member corresponding to the starting bending position of the first bending portion close to the first non-bending portion, and / or the thickness of at least a portion of the second support member at a position different from the first opening is less than the thickness of the first support member, so that during the bending process of the flexible display panel in opposite directions, the tensile stress or compressive stress received by both ends of the first support member is buffered and released, thereby improving the stress concentration problem at the connection between the center of the flexible display panel and the two adjacent bending portions during the bending process of the flexible display panel, improving the flatness of the first non-bending portion and / or the first support member of the flexible display panel, and reducing the probability of the first non-bending portion and / or the first support member of the flexible display panel causing flatness changes and arch failure due to stress concentration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a flexible display panel double-folded inwardly provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a flexible display panel double-folded outwardly provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a flexible display panel folded outward and inward provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the outward-folding and inward-folding flexible display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application in a flattened state;

[0045] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of the support member provided in an embodiment of the present application when the flexible display panel is flattened;

[0046] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a double-inward-folding or double-outward-folding flexible display panel in a flattened state provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 7 A partial structural schematic diagram of a support member provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 8 A schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a support bar provided in the first embodiment of the present application along a first direction;

[0049] Fig. 9 A schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a support bar provided in a second embodiment of the present application along a first direction;

[0050] Fig.10 A vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram of a support bar provided in the third embodiment of the present application along a first direction;

[0051] Fig.11 A vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram of a support bar provided in a fourth embodiment of the present application along a first direction;

[0052] Fig.12 A simplified structural diagram of a display device provided in one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0054] The terms "first", "second", "third" in this application are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined as "first", "second", "third" can expressly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined. In the embodiments of this application, all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication also changes accordingly. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but optionally also includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally also includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0055] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0056] See also Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible display panel 10 provided in an embodiment of the present application being folded inwardly. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible display panel 10 provided in an embodiment of the present application being folded outward in two parts. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible display panel 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application being folded outward and inward. It should be noted that: Figures 1 to 3 The flexible screen body 11 and the support member 12 are spaced apart only to illustrate the difference between the two structures. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that in actual products, the flexible screen body 11 and the support member 12 are closely attached. Figure 1 ) or double fold (such as Figure 2 ) or outer fold plus inner fold (such as Figure 3) form, the first non-bending portion 111 of the flexible screen body 11 and / or the first support member 121 of the support member 12 will be subjected to two common tensile stresses or compressive stresses in opposite directions. Under the tensile stress or compressive stress, the connection between the first non-bending portion 111 and the first bending portion 112 and the connection between the first non-bending portion 111 and the second bending portion 113, and / or the connection between the first support member 121 and the second support member 122 of the support member 12 and the connection between the first support member 121 and the third support member 123 are more likely to rebound and arch and fail. Among them, double inward folding means that both ends of the flexible display panel 10 are folded toward the side where the flexible screen body 11 is located; it can be understood that at this time, the first non-bending portion 111 of the flexible screen body 11 is subjected to two common compressive stresses in opposite directions, and the connection between the first non-bending portion 111 and the first bending portion 112 of the flexible screen body 11 and the connection between the first non-bending portion 111 and the second bending portion 113 is prone to rebound and arch failure; the first support member 121 of the support member 12 arranged on the back of the flexible screen body 11 is subjected to two common tensile stresses in opposite directions. Double outward folding means that both ends of the flexible display panel 10 are folded toward the side where the support member 12 is located; it can be understood that at this time, the first non-bending portion 111 of the flexible screen body 11 is subjected to two common tensile stresses in opposite directions; the first support member 121 of the support member 12 is subjected to two common compressive stresses in opposite directions, and the connection between the first support member 121 and the second support member 122 and the connection between the first support member 121 and the third support member 123 is prone to rebound and arch failure. Outer folding and inward folding means that one end of the flexible display panel 10 is folded toward the side where the flexible screen body 11 is located, and the other end is folded toward the side where the support member 12 is located; it can be understood that at this time, the connection between the first non-bending portion 111 and the first bending portion 112 of the flexible screen body 11 and the connection between the first support member 121 and the third support member 123 of the support member 12 are prone to rebound and arch failure.

[0057] The flexible display panel 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application can improve the situation where the flatness of the flexible display panel 10 changes and thus it is more likely to bulge and fail in the double inward folding, double outward folding, or outward folding plus inward folding configuration.

[0058] The outward and inward folding of the flexible display panel 10 provided in the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0059] See also Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a flexible display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application. In an embodiment of the present application, a flexible display panel 10 is provided, and the flexible display panel 10 may be a foldable display panel or a rollable display panel. The flexible display panel 10 includes a flexible screen body 11 and a support member 12.

[0060] The flexible screen 11 has a display surface and a back surface facing each other, which are used to display images when working. The flexible screen 11 includes a first non-bending portion 111, a first bending portion 112, a second bending portion 113, a second non-bending portion 114 and a third non-bending portion 115; the first bending portion 112 and the second bending portion 113 are respectively connected to the two ends of the first non-bending portion 111, the second non-bending portion 114 is connected to the first bending portion 112, and the third non-bending portion 115 is connected to the second bending portion 113. Figure 4 As shown, the flexible screen body 11 specifically includes a second non-bending portion 114 , a first bending portion 112 , a first non-bending portion 111 , a second bending portion 113 , and a third non-bending portion 115 which are connected to each other.

[0061] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the flexible screen 11 may be in a more folded form, not limited to a double-folded form, as long as it does not deviate from the inventive concept.

[0062] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4 In this embodiment, the support member 12 is located on the back of the flexible screen body 11, and is used to provide support for the flexible screen body 11. The support member 12 has a first surface close to the flexible screen body 11 and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The support member 12 includes a first support member 121, a second support member 122, a third support member 123, a fourth support member 124, and a fifth support member 125, which are respectively arranged corresponding to the first non-bending portion 111, the first bending portion 112, the second bending portion 113, the second non-bending portion 114, and the third non-bending portion 115. Figure 3 The second support member 122 and the third support member 123 can be bent in opposite directions relative to the first support member 121. At this time, the flexible display panel 10 is in an outward-folded and inward-folded state.

[0063] The second support member 122 is provided with a first opening 122a at a position corresponding to the first bending portion 112 close to the first non-bending portion 111, and / or the thickness of at least a portion of the second support member 122 at a position different from the first opening 122a is less than the thickness of the first support member 121, so as to form a first groove. The second surface of the third support member 123 is provided with a second opening 123a at a position corresponding to the second bending portion 113 close to the first non-bending portion 111, and / or the thickness of at least a portion of the third support member 123 at a position different from the second opening 123a is less than the thickness of the first support member 121, so as to form a second groove. Among them, the opening of one of the first groove and the second groove faces the flexible screen body 11, and the opening of the other groove faces away from the flexible screen body 11; during the bending process, the second support member 122 bends in a direction away from the opening of the first groove, and the third support member 123 bends in a direction away from the opening of the second groove, so that when the second support member 122 and the third support member 123 bend in opposite directions, the stress concentration at the bending point can be relieved by the first groove and the second groove respectively. The following is an example of the first groove being formed in the second support member 122 and the second groove being formed in the third support member 123.

[0064] Specifically, the first opening 122a of the second support member 122 and the second opening 123a of the third support member 123 penetrate the first surface and the second surface of the support member 12, so that at least part of the second support member 122 and at least part of the third support member 123 are spaced from the first support member 121. It can be understood that, in combination with Figure 5 When the first opening 122a and / or the second opening 123a completely penetrates both sides of the support member 12 along the plane where the support member 12 is located and in a direction Y perpendicular to the extension direction of the support member 12, that is, the second support member 122 and / or the third support member 123 are spaced apart from the first support member 121.

[0065] In some embodiments, the second support member 122 is provided with a first opening 122a corresponding to the position of the first bending portion 112 close to the starting bending portion 111 of the first non-bending portion 111, and the third support member 123 is provided with a second opening 123a corresponding to the position of the second bending portion 113 close to the starting bending portion 111 of the first non-bending portion 111, so as to utilize the first opening 122a and the second opening 123a to release the force on both ends of the first support member 121 to avoid stress concentration leading to reverse arch failure.

[0066] Furthermore, the thickness of at least a portion of the second support member 122 at a position different from the first opening 122a and the thickness of at least a portion of the third support member 123 at a position different from the second opening 123a are both smaller than the thickness of the first support member 121; in this way, the stress concentration problem can be further alleviated by the second support member 122 and the third support member 123 themselves having smaller thicknesses.

[0067] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 4 , the fourth support member 124 and the fifth support member 125 have the same thickness, and the thickness of the first support member 121 is specifically smaller than the thickness of the fourth support member 124 and the fifth support member 125. Specifically, as Figure 4 As shown, when the flexible display panel 10 is in a non-bending state, the first surface of the fourth support member 124, the first surface of the first support member 121, and the first surface of the portion of the third support member 123 located between the second groove and the second opening 123a are flush. The first surface of the fifth support member 125 protrudes from the first surface of the first support member 121 along the stacking direction of the flexible display panel 10, that is, it is higher than the first surface of the first support member 121. The second surface of the fifth support member 125, the second surface of the third support member 123, and the second surface of the first support member 121 are flush; the second surface of the fourth support member 124 protrudes from the second surface of the first support member 121 along the stacking direction of the flexible display panel 10.

[0068] In this embodiment, the first surface of the fourth support member 124, the first surface of the first support member 121, the second groove, and the first surface of the third support member 123 between the second groove and the second opening 123a are respectively provided with a first elastic material a to form a first planarization layer. In this way, the first elastic material a can be used to bear as much bending stress as possible at the corresponding position of the flexible display panel 10, reduce the bending stress transmitted to other film layers, and prevent other film layers from being relatively displaced and separated from each other. Furthermore, the surface of the first planarization layer facing away from the first support member 121 is flush with the first surface of the fifth support member 125; in this way, it can be ensured that the first surface of the support member 12 supports each position of the flexible screen body 11, improves the support strength, and avoids the problem of damage to the local flexible screen body 11 due to suspension.

[0069] The second surface of the fifth support member 125, the second surface of the third support member 123, the second surface of the first support member 121, and the second surface of the portion of the second support member 122 located between the first groove and the first opening 122a are also provided with the first elastic material a to form a second planarization layer. In this way, the bending stress transmitted to other film layers can be further reduced to prevent the other film layers from being relatively displaced and separated from each other. At the same time, the side surface of the second planarization layer away from the first support member 121 is flush with the second surface of the fourth support member 124; so as to be completely fitted with other structural layers. It can be understood that the first planarization layer and the second planarization layer make the thickness of each position of the support member 12 the same.

[0070] The support member 12 may be made of metal materials such as aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, zinc alloy, titanium alloy or stainless steel. The support member 12 may also be made of materials such as glass or carbon fiber.

[0071] In a specific embodiment, if Figure 5 As shown, in the flattened state of the flexible display panel, the second support member 122 and / or the third support member 123 in the figure close to the first support member 121, that is, the portion located between the first groove and the first opening 122a and / or the portion located between the second groove and the second opening 123a includes a plurality of first support bars Z1 and at least one first connecting member L1 arranged at intervals along the first direction A. Specifically, the first direction A refers to a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the flexible display panel 10, and the vertical cross-section of each first support bar Z1 along the stacking direction of the flexible screen body 11 and the support member 12 can be rectangular, trapezoidal, circular, etc.

[0072] The extension direction of the first connecting member L1 is inclined at a preset angle to the extension direction of the first support bar Z1; a plurality of first support bars Z1 are arranged on at least one first connecting member L1 at intervals along the first direction. Preferably, the extension direction of the first connecting member L1 is parallel to the first direction A and perpendicular to the extension direction of the first support bar Z1. In some embodiments, the sum of the thickness of the first support bar Z1 and the thickness of the first connecting member L1 is the same as the thickness of the first support member 121.

[0073] The gap between two adjacent first support strips Z1 is filled with the first elastic material a.

[0074] Please continue reading Figure 5 , the first support member 121 includes a plurality of second support bars Z2 and at least one second connection member L2 arranged at intervals; the extension direction of the second connection member L2 is inclined at a preset angle to the extension direction of the second support bar Z2; a plurality of second support bars Z2 are arranged at intervals on at least one second connection member L2 along the first direction A, and are arranged at intervals with the second support member 122 and the third support member 123. Preferably, the extension direction of the second connection member L2 is parallel to the first direction A, and is perpendicular to the extension direction of the second support bar Z2. The thickness of the first connection member L1 may be the same as the thickness of the second connection member L2, and the thickness of the first support bar Z1 may be the same as the thickness of the second support bar Z2.

[0075] The gap between two adjacent second support strips Z2 is filled with a second elastic material b. In this way, during the outward and inward folding process of the flexible display panel 10, the tensile stress or compressive stress on both ends of the first support member 121 is buffered and released, thereby improving the stress concentration problem of the flexible display panel 10 during the bending process, effectively improving the flatness of the first non-bending portion 111 and / or the first support member 121 of the flexible display panel 10, and reducing the probability of the first non-bending portion 111 and / or the first support member 121 of the flexible display panel 10 failing due to a change in flatness caused by stress concentration.

[0076] Specifically, the second elastic material a and the second elastic material b may be thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomer, etc., so as to provide a buffering effect when the flexible display panel 10 is bent.

[0077] The double-inward folding or double-outward folding of the flexible display panel 10 provided in the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0078] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The flexible display panel 10 includes a flexible screen body 11 and a support member 12. The flexible screen body 11 has a display surface and a back surface facing each other, and is used to display images when working. Specifically, the flexible screen body 11 is the flexible screen body 11 involved in any of the above embodiments. The specific structure and function of the flexible screen body 11 can refer to the relevant description of the flexible screen body 11 provided in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0079] See also Figure 6 and Figure 7 In this embodiment, the difference between the support member 12 of the flexible display panel 10 that is folded outward and folded inward mentioned above is that the support member 12 in this embodiment has no opening. For other specific structures and functions of the support member 12, please refer to the relevant description of the support member 12 provided in the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The second support member 122 and the third support member 123 can be bent in the same direction relative to the first support member 121. At this time, the flexible display panel 10 is double-folded ( Figure 1 ) or double outer fold ( Figure 2 The first support member 121 includes a plurality of third support bars Z3; the plurality of third support bars Z3 are arranged along the first direction A at intervals.

[0080] Those skilled in the art can understand that, in some other embodiments, the number of the first support members 121 of the support member 12 can be multiple, and two adjacent first support members 121 are connected via the second support member 122 and the third support member 123 .

[0081] In a specific embodiment, the support member 12 has a first surface close to the flexible screen body 11 and a second surface disposed opposite to the first surface. The thickness of the second support member 122 and / or the third support member 123 is less than the thickness of the first support member 121, and the first surface of the second support member 122 and / or the third support member 123 is flush with the first surface of the first support member 121. In this way, the stress concentration problem can be further alleviated, and it can be ensured that the support member 12 supports each position of the flexible screen body 11, thereby improving the support strength and avoiding the problem of damage to the local flexible screen body 11 due to suspension.

[0082] A third elastic material c is provided on the second surface of the second support member 122 and / or the second surface of the third support member 123, and the side surface of the third elastic material c facing away from the second support member 122 or the third support member 123 is flush with the second surface of the first support member 121 to ensure the flatness of the flexible display panel 10, reduce the rigidity of the first support member 121, and reduce the stress on the first support member 121, thereby reducing the probability of the first non-bending portion 111 and / or the first support member 121 failing due to stress concentration and flatness changes during double inward or outward folding. The third elastic material c can be a superelastic material or a shape memory polymer. When performing a bending movement, the third elastic material c can effectively release the common stress in two directions to reduce the degree of change in the flatness of the flexible display panel 10, thereby avoiding the occurrence of the phenomenon of arch failure of the first non-bending portion 111.

[0083] Specifically, the thickness of the first support member 121 is 50 um-150 um. For example, the thickness of the first support member 121 can be 50 um, 60 um, 80 um, 100 um, 110 um, 120 um, 130 um, 140 um, and 150 um.

[0084] Specifically, the thickness of the second support member 122 and the third support member 123 are both less than 50 um. For example, the thickness of the second support member 122 and the third support member 123 can be 10 um, 15 um, 20 um, 25 um, 30 um, 35 um, 40 um, 45 um, and 49 um.

[0085] The support member 12 may be made of metal materials such as aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, zinc alloy, titanium alloy or stainless steel. The support member 12 may also be made of materials such as glass or carbon fiber.

[0086] Among them, in the first direction A, along the direction toward the center line M of the first support member 121, the spacing between two adjacent third support bars Z3 gradually decreases, and / or the cross-sectional area of ​​multiple third support bars Z3 along the stacking direction gradually increases. Among them, the cross-sectional area of ​​the third support bar Z3 along the stacking direction refers to the cross-sectional area of ​​the third support bar Z3 along the stacking direction of the flexible display panel 10. In this way, during the double inward or double outward folding process of the flexible display panel 10, the two opposite directions of the common tensile stress or compressive stress on the two ends of the first support member 121 are buffered and released, thereby improving the stress concentration problem of the flexible display panel 10 during the bending process, effectively improving the flatness of the first non-bending portion 111 and / or the first support member 121 of the flexible display panel 10, and reducing the probability of the first non-bending portion 111 and / or the first support member 121 of the flexible display panel 10. The problem of reverse arch failure caused by stress concentration leads to a change in flatness.

[0087] The specific structure of the third support bar Z3 is introduced below.

[0088] Figure 8-Figure 11 These are methods or means for setting the support bar 1211 of the double-inward-folding or double-outward-folding flexible display panel 10.

[0089] In some embodiments, see Figure 8 , Figure 8 A vertical cross-sectional diagram of a cross section of a support bar provided in the first embodiment of the present application along a first direction. As shown in the figure, in the first direction A, along the direction toward the center line M of the first support member 121, the spacing between two adjacent third support bars Z3 gradually decreases; Figure 3 The middle spacing R1> spacing R2> spacing R3 shows a trend of gradually decreasing, and the cross-sections of the plurality of third support bars Z3 have the same cross-sectional area along the stacking direction. In this embodiment, the vertical cross-section of the cross-section of the third support bar Z3 is a trapezoid. In other embodiments, the cross-section of the third support bar Z3 can of course also be circular, rectangular or other shapes.

[0090] In other embodiments, see Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 A vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram of a cross section of a support bar provided in the second embodiment of the present application along the first direction. In the first direction A, along the direction toward the center line M of the first support member 121, the cross-sectional area of ​​the cross section of the plurality of third support bars Z3 gradually increases along the stacking direction, and the spacing R4 between two adjacent third support bars Z3 is the same.

[0091] Specifically, the widths of multiple third support bars Z3 are the same, and the thicknesses of multiple third support bars Z3 gradually increase; so as to release the common tensile stress or compressive stress in two directions during the process of double inward folding or double outward folding of the flexible display panel 10, so as to reduce the degree of change in the flatness of the flexible display panel 10, thereby avoiding the first non-bending portion 111 and / or the first support member 121 of the flexible screen body 11 from failing due to stress concentration leading to change in flatness. It should be noted that the width of the third support bar Z3 refers to the vertical cross-section of the third support bar Z3, and its dimension along the stacking direction perpendicular to the flexible display panel 10; when the vertical cross-section of the third support bar Z3 is not a rectangle, the width of the third support bar Z3 can be the average value of the width of the third support bar Z3 at each position along the stacking direction of the flexible display panel 10; it can be understood that, Figure 8 The width of the top surface of the cross section of the third support bar Z3 is the same. When the flexible screen body 11 is bent downward, the spacing between the support members 12 in the downward direction is spacing D1 < spacing D2 < spacing D3, showing a trend of gradually increasing. In the first direction A, along the direction toward the center line M of the first support member 121, the thickness of the plurality of third support bars Z3 gradually increases. The thickness of the third support bar Z3 refers to the dimension of the third support bar Z3 along the stacking direction of the flexible display panel.

[0092] Preferably, in this embodiment, the vertical cross-section of the cross section of the third support bar Z3 is a trapezoid. In other embodiments, the vertical cross-section of the cross section of the third support bar Z3 may also be circular, rectangular or other shapes. It is used to release the tensile stress or compressive stress in two directions when the flexible screen body 11 is bent, so as to reduce the degree of flatness change of the flexible display panel 10. It avoids the phenomenon that the stress concentration of the first non-bending portion 111 of the flexible screen body 11 causes the flatness change and causes failure.

[0093] See also Fig.10 , Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a vertical cross-section of a support bar along a first direction provided for the third embodiment of the present application. In the first direction A, along the direction toward the center line M of the first support member 121, the cross-sectional area of ​​the cross-section of the plurality of third support bars Z3 along the stacking direction gradually increases, and the spacing R5> spacing R6> spacing R7 between two adjacent third support bars Z3, showing a trend of gradually decreasing. In this embodiment, the vertical cross-sectional area of ​​the third support bar Z3 is a trapezoid. In other embodiments, the vertical cross-sectional area of ​​the third support bar Z3 may also be circular, rectangular or other shapes. When the flexible screen body 11 is bent, the tensile stress or compressive stress common to the two directions is released to reduce the degree of change in the flatness of the flexible display panel 10.

[0094] See also Fig.11 , Fig.11A schematic diagram of a vertical cross-section of a support bar along the first direction provided for the fourth embodiment of the present application. The spacing R8 between two adjacent third support bars Z3 is the same. In this embodiment, the vertical cross-section of the cross-section of each third support bar Z3 is circular; in the first direction A, along the direction toward the center line M of the first support member 121, the radius r3<radius r2<radius r1 of the plurality of circular third support bars Z3 presents a gradually increasing trend, so as to release the tensile stress or compressive stress common to the two directions when the flexible screen body 11 is bent, so as to reduce the degree of change in the flatness of the flexible display panel 10.

[0095] In a specific embodiment, the second embodiment is more preferred and has a better effect, that is, the spacing between two adjacent third support bars Z3 is the same, and in the first direction A, along the direction toward the center line M of the first support member 121, the thickness of the plurality of third support bars Z3 along the stacking direction gradually increases.

[0096] Continue to see Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the third support strip Z3 of the first support member 121 is comb-shaped; in a specific embodiment, the gap between two adjacent third support strips Z3 is also filled with a third elastic material c; the first support member 121 of the support member 12 further includes at least one third connecting member L3, and the two ends of each third connecting member L3 are respectively connected to the second support member 122 and the third support member 123; a plurality of third support strips Z3 are arranged at intervals on at least one third connecting member L3, and are respectively arranged at intervals from the second support member 122 and the third support member 123. A plurality of third support strips Z3 are arranged on a side surface of at least one third connecting member L3 facing the flexible screen body 11.

[0097] Preferably, at least one third connecting member L3 is an adhesive film layer; the adhesive film layer has an adhesive surface, and the plurality of third support strips Z3 are bonded to the adhesive surface of the adhesive film layer. When the support member 12 is bonded to the back of the flexible screen body 11 through the adhesive film layer under vacuum conditions, no bulge will appear between the adhesive film layer and the support member 12, and the flexible screen body 11 can be bonded to the support member 12 evenly.

[0098] The gap between the third support bar Z3 and the second support member 122 and the third support member 123 is filled with a third elastic material c, and the side surface of the third elastic material c away from the third connecting member L3 is flush with the side surface of the third support bar Z3 away from the third connecting member L3. In this way, two adjacent third support bars Z3 can be connected by the third elastic material c, so that during the bending process of the flexible display panel, the third elastic material c can be used to bear as much bending stress as possible on the first non-bending portion 111 and the first supporting member 121 of the flexible display panel 10, thereby reducing the bending stress transmitted to other film layers. For example, the bending stress transmitted to the bonding layer between the flexible screen body 11 and the supporting member 12 can be reduced, that is, the stress on the interlayer bonding layer of the flexible display panel 10 is reduced, thereby preventing the problem of relative displacement and separation between the various layer structures of the flexible display panel 10, such as the flexible screen body 11 and the supporting member 12, due to excessive stress on the interlayer bonding layer; the third elastic material c can play a certain buffering role to ensure the flatness of the flexible display panel 10. The adhesive layer may be an OCA (Optically Clear Adhesive) layer.

[0099] Specifically, the first elastic material a and the third elastic material c may be thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomer, etc., so as to provide a buffering effect when the flexible display panel 10 is bent.

[0100] In a specific embodiment, in combination Figure 2 and Figure 8 , along the bending direction W toward the support member 12, the distance between two adjacent third support strips Z3 gradually increases; in this way, for the third elastic material c filled between any two third support strips Z3, the cross-sectional area of ​​the third elastic material c gradually increases along the bending direction W toward the support member 12, so that the third elastic material c with a larger cross-sectional area can be used to effectively release the bending stress, thereby improving the situation where the first non-bending portion and / or the first support member 121 fails due to reverse arching due to stress concentration.

[0101] The present application provides a flexible display panel 10 and a display device. The flexible display panel 10 includes a flexible screen body 11 and a support member 12. The flexible screen body 11 has a display surface and a back surface opposite to each other, including a first non-bending portion 111, a first bending portion 112, a second bending portion 113, a second non-bending portion 114, and a third non-bending portion 115; and the support member 12 is arranged on the back surface of the flexible screen body 11 to support the flexible screen body 11. By providing a plurality of third support bars Z3 spaced apart along a first direction A on the first non-bending portion 111 of the support member 12 corresponding to the flexible screen body 11, and in the first direction A, along the direction of the center line M of the first support member 121, the spacing between the third support bars Z3 gradually decreases, and / or the cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of third support bars Z3 gradually increases, the tensile stress or compressive stress exerted on both ends of the first support member 121 is buffered and released during the bending process of the flexible display panel 10, thereby improving the stress concentration problem of the flexible display panel 10 during the bending process, effectively improving the flatness of the first non-bending portion 111 and / or the first support member 121 of the flexible display panel 10, and reducing the probability of the first non-bending portion 111 and / or the first support member 121 of the flexible display panel 10 causing a change in flatness and thus causing a reverse arch failure problem.

[0102] See also Fig.12 , Fig.12 A simplified structural diagram of a display device provided in one embodiment of the present application. A display device is also provided in the present application, and the display device may be a product with a display interface such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a display, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not impose any special restrictions on the specific form of the above-mentioned display device. The display device includes a flexible display panel 10 for displaying a picture during operation. Among them, the flexible display panel 10 is the flexible display panel 10 involved in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The specific structure and function of the flexible display panel 10 can be found in the relevant description of the display panel 10 provided in the above-mentioned embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0103] The above description is only an implementation method of the present application, and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly used in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A flexible display panel, characterized in that: include: The flexible screen body has a display surface and a back surface facing each other, and includes: A first non-bending portion, a first bending portion and a second bending portion respectively connected to both ends of the first non-bending portion, a second non-bending portion connected to the first bending portion, and a third non-bending portion connected to the second bending portion; A support member is disposed on the back side of the flexible screen body and has a first surface close to the flexible screen body and a second surface disposed opposite to the first surface, wherein the support member comprises: A first support member, a second support member, a third support member, a fourth support member, and a fifth support member are respectively arranged corresponding to the first non-bending portion, the first bending portion, the second bending portion, the second non-bending portion, and the third non-bending portion; the second support member and the third support member can be bent in opposite directions relative to the first support member; The second support member is provided with a first opening at a position corresponding to the first bending portion close to the starting bending position of the first non-bending portion, and the thickness of at least a portion of the second support member at a position different from the first opening is smaller than the thickness of the first support member; The portion of the second support member and / or the third support member close to the first support member includes a plurality of first support bars and at least one first connecting member; an extension direction of the first connecting member intersects with an extension direction of the first support bar; and the plurality of first support bars are spaced apart along the first direction on the at least one first connecting member.

2. The flexible display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opening of the second supporting member passes through the first surface and the second surface.

3. The flexible display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The third support member is provided with a second opening at a position corresponding to the starting bending point of the second bending portion close to the first non-bending portion, and the thickness of at least a portion of the third support member at a position different from the second opening is smaller than the thickness of the first support member.

4. The flexible display panel according to claim 3, characterized in that: The support member is provided with a first elastic material at positions except the first opening and the second opening to form a first planarization layer.

5. The flexible display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: An extension direction of the first connecting member and an extension direction of the first supporting bar are inclined at a preset angle.

6. The flexible display panel according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gap between two adjacent first support bars is filled with a first elastic material; And / or, the first support member includes a plurality of second support strips arranged at intervals and at least one second connecting member; the extension direction of the second connecting member is inclined at a preset angle to the extension direction of the second support strip; the plurality of second support strips are arranged at intervals along the first direction on the at least one second connecting member.

7. The flexible display panel according to claim 6, characterized in that: The gap between two adjacent second support bars is filled with a second elastic material.

8. A flexible display panel, characterized in that: include: The flexible screen body has a display surface and a back surface facing each other, and includes: A first non-bending portion, a first bending portion and a second bending portion respectively connected to both ends of the first non-bending portion, a second non-bending portion connected to the first bending portion, and a third non-bending portion connected to the second bending portion; A support member is disposed on the back side of the flexible screen body and has a first surface close to the flexible screen body and a second surface disposed opposite to the first surface, wherein the support member comprises: A first support member, a second support member, a third support member, a fourth support member, and a fifth support member are respectively arranged corresponding to the first non-bending portion, the first bending portion, the second bending portion, the second non-bending portion, and the third non-bending portion; the second support member and the third support member can be bent toward the same direction relative to the first support member; Among them, the first support member includes a plurality of third support bars; the plurality of third support bars are arranged at intervals along a first direction, and in the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the distance between two adjacent third support bars gradually decreases, and / or the cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of third support bars along the stacking direction of the flexible display panel gradually increases; the thickness of the second support member and / or the third support member is less than the thickness of the first support member, and the first surface of the second support member and / or the third support member is flush with the first surface of the first support member.

9. The flexible display panel according to claim 8, characterized in that: In the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the distance between two adjacent third support bars gradually decreases and the cross-sectional areas of the plurality of third support bars along the stacking direction are the same; or In the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the cross-sectional areas of the plurality of third support bars along the stacking direction gradually increase and the spacing between two adjacent third support bars is the same; or In the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the cross-sectional areas of the plurality of third support bars along the stacking direction gradually increase and the interval between two adjacent third support bars gradually decreases.

10. The flexible display panel according to claim 9, characterized in that: The intervals between two adjacent third support bars are the same, and in the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the thicknesses of the plurality of third support bars along the stacking direction gradually increase.

11. The flexible display panel according to claim 9, characterized in that: The cross section of the third support bar along the stacking direction is trapezoidal; Alternatively, the spacing between two adjacent third support bars is the same; the vertical cross-section of each third support bar is circular; in the first direction, along the direction toward the center line of the first support member, the radius of the plurality of circular third support bars gradually increases.

12. The flexible display panel according to claim 8, characterized in that: The gap between two adjacent third support bars is filled with a third elastic material.

13. The flexible display panel according to claim 12, characterized in that: The third elastic material is also disposed on the second surface of the second support member and / or the second surface of the third support member, and a surface of the third elastic material facing away from the second support member or the third support member is flush with the second surface of the first support member.

14. The flexible display panel according to claim 8, characterized in that: The distance between each two adjacent third support bars gradually increases along the bending direction toward the support member.

15. The flexible display panel according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first support member also includes at least one third connecting member, and both ends of each of the third connecting members are respectively connected to the second support member and the third support member on both sides; the multiple third support bars are arranged at intervals on the at least one third connecting member, and are respectively arranged at intervals from the second support member and the third support member.

16. The flexible display panel according to claim 15, characterized in that: The gaps between the third support bar and the second support member and the third support member are filled with a third elastic material, and a surface of the third elastic material facing away from the third connecting member is flush with a surface of the third support bar facing away from the third connecting member.

17. The flexible display panel according to claim 15, characterized in that: The plurality of third support bars are arranged on a surface of the at least one third connecting member facing the flexible screen body.

18. The flexible display panel according to claim 15, characterized in that: The at least one third connecting member is an adhesive film layer; the adhesive film layer has an adhesive surface, and the plurality of third supporting strips are bonded to the adhesive surface of the adhesive film layer.

19. A display device, characterized in that: A flexible display panel comprising any one of claims 1 to 18.

Images