Display device

Abstract

Display apparatus. A display apparatus including a flexible vibration module and a method of manufacturing a flexible vibration module are provided. A display apparatus includes a pixel panel configured to display an image and a flexible vibration module located on a rear surface of the display panel, the flexible vibration module configured to vibrate the display panel, the flexible vibration module including a plurality of first portions having piezoelectric properties and a plurality of second portions respectively located between pairs of the plurality of first portions, the plurality of second portions having flexibility.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the original invention patent application No. 201910565945.0 (filed on June 27, 2019, invention title: display device including flexible vibration module and method of manufacturing flexible vibration module). Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to display devices, and more specifically, to a display device including a flexible vibration module and a method for manufacturing the flexible vibration module. Background Technology

[0003] Typically, in display devices, the display panel shows images, and separate speakers should be installed to provide sound. When speakers are placed in the display device, they occupy space, thus limiting the design and space deployment of the display device.

[0004] Speakers used in display devices can be actuators, for example, comprising a magnet and a coil. However, when actuators are applied to display devices, the devices tend to be quite thick. Piezoelectric elements, capable of achieving thin profiles, have attracted considerable attention.

[0005] Because piezoelectric elements are fragile, they are easily damaged by external impacts, resulting in low reliability of sound reproduction. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, this disclosure relates to a display device comprising a flexible vibration module and a method for manufacturing the flexible vibration module, which substantially eliminates one or more problems caused by the limitations and disadvantages of related technologies.

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure is to provide a display device including a flexible vibration module disposed on the rear surface of the display panel of the display device, which causes the display panel to vibrate to generate sound and has superior sound pressure characteristics and sound localization.

[0008] Another aspect of this disclosure is to provide a display device including a flexible vibration module. Therefore, it can be applied to various application areas such as curved display devices, rollable display devices, bendable display devices, and flexible display devices.

[0009] Other features and aspects will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned from practice of the inventive concept provided herein. Other features and aspects of the inventive concept may be realized and obtained by means of structures specifically pointed out in the written description (or as may be obtained from the written description), its claims, and the accompanying drawings.

[0010] To achieve these and other aspects of the inventive concept, as embodied and broadly described, a display device is provided, comprising: a display panel configured to display an image, and a flexible vibration module located on a rear surface of the display panel, the flexible vibration module being configured to vibrate the display panel. The flexible vibration module may include a plurality of first portions having piezoelectric properties and a plurality of second portions respectively located between pairs of the plurality of first portions, the plurality of second portions being flexible.

[0011] In another aspect, a display device is provided, comprising: a flexible display panel capable of being spirally wound, unfolded, or having a specific radius of curvature, the flexible display panel including a display area configured to display an image; and a flexible vibration module located on a rear surface of the flexible display panel corresponding to the display area and bending based on the unfolding or winding of the flexible display panel or based on the curvature of the flexible display panel. The flexible vibration module may include a plurality of vibrating portions and a plurality of elastic portions respectively located between pairs of the plurality of vibrating portions, the plurality of vibrating portions being flexible.

[0012] On the other hand, a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module is provided, the method comprising the following steps: manufacturing a piezoelectric composite comprising a plurality of inorganic material portions and a plurality of organic material portions connected between the plurality of inorganic material portions based on an inorganic material substrate having piezoelectric properties and a flexible organic material; forming a first electrode layer on a first surface of the piezoelectric composite and forming a second electrode layer on a second surface of the piezoelectric composite; applying a voltage to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer in a temperature atmosphere to form polarization of each of the plurality of inorganic material portions; and forming a protective film on each of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer.

[0013] It should be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of this disclosure are exemplary and illustrative, and are intended to provide further explanation of the claimed disclosure.

[0014] Appendix 1. A display device comprising:

[0015] A display panel configured to display an image; and

[0016] A flexible vibration module, located on the rear surface of the display panel, configured to vibrate the display panel, the flexible vibration module comprising:

[0017] A plurality of first portions, the plurality of first portions having piezoelectric properties; and

[0018] A plurality of second portions, each located between each pair of first portions, wherein the plurality of second portions are flexible.

[0019] Appendix 2. The display device according to Appendix 1, wherein,

[0020] Each of the plurality of first portions comprises a non-flexible inorganic material, and

[0021] Each of the plurality of second parts contains a flexible organic material.

[0022] Note 3. The display device according to Note 2, wherein each of the plurality of first portions comprises at least one of organic piezoelectric material and organic non-piezoelectric material.

[0023] Note 4. The display device according to Note 2, wherein the flexible organic material is configured to absorb impacts applied to the flexible vibration module or to the display device.

[0024] Appendix 5. The display device according to Appendix 1, wherein,

[0025] The plurality of first parts and the plurality of second parts are arranged side by side on the same plane, and

[0026] The size of each of the plurality of first parts is the same as or different from the size of each of the plurality of second parts.

[0027] Note 6. The display device according to Note 1, wherein each of the plurality of first portions has a shape selected from linear, circular, oval, triangular and polygonal.

[0028] Note 7. The display device according to Note 1, wherein,

[0029] The plurality of first parts and the plurality of second parts are arranged side by side on the same plane, and

[0030] The size of each successive second part of the plurality of second parts is reduced compared to the previous one in the direction from the center portion to the periphery portion of the flexible vibration module.

[0031] Note 8. The display device according to Note 7, wherein the second portion having the largest size among the plurality of second portions is located in the central portion of the flexible vibration module.

[0032] Note 9. The display device according to Note 1, wherein each of the plurality of first portions has a triangular shape and is adjacent to another of the plurality of first portions to form a 2N-angle shape, wherein N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2.

[0033] Note 10. The display device according to Note 1, wherein the flexible vibration module comprises:

[0034] A first piezoelectric composite layer, the first piezoelectric composite layer comprising the plurality of first portions and a first group of the plurality of second portions;

[0035] A common electrode, wherein the common electrode is located on the first piezoelectric composite layer; and

[0036] A second piezoelectric composite layer is located on the common electrode, and the second piezoelectric composite layer includes the plurality of first portions and a second group of the plurality of second portions.

[0037] Note 11. The display device according to Note 10, wherein each of the plurality of first portions on the second piezoelectric composite layer:

[0038] Each overlaps with a corresponding second portion among the plurality of second portions on the first piezoelectric composite layer; or

[0039] Each overlaps with a corresponding first portion among the plurality of first portions on the first piezoelectric composite layer.

[0040] Note 12. The display device according to Note 1, wherein,

[0041] The display panel includes:

[0042] The display area configured to display the image; and

[0043] The non-display area surrounding the display area, and

[0044] The size of the flexible vibration module is 0.9 to 1.1 times the size of the display area.

[0045] Note 13. The display device according to Note 1, wherein,

[0046] The display panel includes a display area configured to display an image; and

[0047] The flexible vibration module includes:

[0048] The first vibration module is located in the first region of the display area.

[0049] The first vibration module includes the plurality of first parts and the plurality of second parts in a first group; and

[0050] The second vibration module is located in the second region of the display area.

[0051] The second vibration module includes the plurality of first parts and the second group of the plurality of second parts.

[0052] Note 14. The display device according to Note 13, wherein,

[0053] The flexible vibration module also includes:

[0054] A third vibration module, which is alternately arranged with the first vibration module in the first area of ​​the display area, includes a third group of the plurality of first parts and the plurality of second parts; and

[0055] A fourth vibration module is alternately arranged with the second vibration module in the second area of ​​the display area. The fourth vibration module includes a fourth group of the plurality of first parts and the plurality of second parts.

[0056] Note 15. The display device according to Note 14 further includes:

[0057] A first plate, located between the third vibration module and the display panel; and

[0058] The second plate is located between the fourth vibration module and the display panel.

[0059] Note 16. The display device according to Note 13, wherein each of the plurality of first portions has a triangular shape and is arranged adjacent to another of the plurality of first portions to form a 2N-angle shape, wherein N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2.

[0060] Note 17. The display device according to Note 1 further includes:

[0061] Another flexible vibration module is located on the rear surface of the display panel, the other flexible vibration module being configured to vibrate the display panel.

[0062] The display panel includes:

[0063] First area,

[0064] The second area, and

[0065] A separator, configured to divide the first region and the second region.

[0066] The flexible vibration module is located in the first region, and

[0067] The other flexible vibration module is located in the second region.

[0068] Note 18. The display device according to Note 17 further includes:

[0069] A third flexible vibration module and a fourth flexible vibration module are located on the rear surface of the display panel, each of the third flexible vibration module and the fourth flexible vibration module being configured to vibrate the display panel.

[0070] The third flexible vibration module is located in the first region and is arranged diagonally relative to the flexible vibration module.

[0071] The fourth flexible vibration module is located in the second region and is arranged diagonally relative to the other flexible vibration module.

[0072] Appendix 19. A display device, the display device comprising:

[0073] A flexible display panel, capable of being spirally rolled up, unfolded, or having a specific radius of curvature, the flexible display panel including a display area configured to display an image; and

[0074] A flexible vibration module, located on the rear surface of the flexible display panel to correspond to the display area, and bending based on the unfolding or rolling of the display panel or based on the curvature of the flexible display panel, the flexible vibration module comprising:

[0075] Multiple vibrating parts; and

[0076] Multiple elastic portions are located between each pair of vibrating portions, and the multiple elastic portions are flexible.

[0077] Note 20. The display device according to Note 19, wherein,

[0078] Each of the plurality of vibrating components comprises a non-flexible inorganic material with piezoelectric properties; and

[0079] Each of the plurality of elastic portions comprises a flexible material, the flexible material including at least one of organic piezoelectric materials and organic non-piezoelectric materials.

[0080] Note 21. The display device according to Note 20, wherein the flexible material is configured to absorb impacts applied to the flexible vibration module or to the display device.

[0081] Appendix 22. The display device according to Appendix 19, wherein,

[0082] The plurality of vibrating parts and the plurality of elastic parts are arranged side by side on the same plane, and

[0083] The size of each of the plurality of vibrating parts may be the same as or different from the size of each of the plurality of elastic parts.

[0084] Note 23. The display device according to Note 19 further includes:

[0085] Another flexible vibration module is located on the rear surface of the flexible display panel to correspond to the display area and bends based on the unfolding or rolling of the flexible display panel or based on the curvature of the flexible display panel.

[0086] The flexible display panel includes:

[0087] First area,

[0088] The second area, and

[0089] A separator, configured to divide the first region and the second region.

[0090] The flexible vibration module is located in the first region, and

[0091] The other flexible vibration module is located in the second region.

[0092] Note 24. The display device according to Note 23 further includes:

[0093] A third flexible vibration module and a fourth flexible vibration module are located on the rear surface of the flexible display panel to correspond to the display area and are bent based on the unfolding or rolling of the flexible display panel or based on the curvature of the flexible display panel.

[0094] The third flexible vibration module is located in the first region and is arranged diagonally relative to the flexible vibration module.

[0095] The fourth flexible vibration module is located in the second region and is arranged diagonally relative to the other flexible vibration module.

[0096] Appendix 25. A method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module, the method comprising the following steps:

[0097] Based on an inorganic material substrate with piezoelectric properties and a flexible organic material, a piezoelectric composite is manufactured, comprising multiple inorganic material parts and multiple organic material parts connected between the multiple inorganic material parts.

[0098] A first electrode layer is formed on the first surface of the piezoelectric composite, and a second electrode layer is formed on the second surface of the piezoelectric composite;

[0099] A voltage is applied to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer in a temperature atmosphere to form polarization in each of the plurality of inorganic material portions; and

[0100] A protective film is formed on each of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer.

[0101] Note 26. The method according to Note 25, wherein each of the plurality of inorganic material portions has a triangular shape and is adjacent to another of the plurality of inorganic material portions to form a 2N-angle shape, wherein N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2.

[0102] Note 27. According to the method described in Note 25, the step of manufacturing the piezoelectric composite includes the following steps:

[0103] Laminated composites are manufactured by repeating the following process;

[0104] The process of forming a flexible organic material layer on the inorganic material substrate; and

[0105] The process of laminating another inorganic material substrate onto the flexible organic material layer.

[0106] Curing the flexible organic material layer laminated on the laminated composite; and

[0107] The laminated composite is cut to a certain size to manufacture the piezoelectric composite with a film-like structure.

[0108] Each inorganic material substrate includes a non-flexible material.

[0109] Note 28. According to the method described in Note 25, the step of manufacturing the piezoelectric composite includes the following steps:

[0110] The inorganic material mother substrate is placed on a rotatable platform;

[0111] Based on the multiple cutting areas defined in the inorganic material mother substrate and the cutting path of the cutting device, the cutting areas of the inorganic material mother substrate and the cutting path of the cutting device are aligned by the rotation and linear motion of the rotatable table, and the inorganic material mother substrate is patterned into the multiple inorganic material parts by cutting the aligned cutting areas of the inorganic material mother substrate in sequence.

[0112] The frame, including the opening, is placed on the rotatable platform; and

[0113] Organic material is filled between the plurality of inorganic material portions and between each of the plurality of inorganic material portions and the opening of the frame, and the organic material is cured to form the plurality of organic material portions.

[0114] Note 29. According to the method described in Note 28, wherein,

[0115] The plurality of cutting regions include:

[0116] Multiple length-direction cutting areas;

[0117] Cutting area in the width direction;

[0118] Multiple first diagonal cut regions; and

[0119] Multiple cutting regions along the second diagonal direction, and

[0120] The cutting process includes the following steps:

[0121] A first cutting process for cutting each of the plurality of length-direction cutting regions;

[0122] A second cutting process for cutting the width-direction cutting area;

[0123] A third cutting process for cutting each of the plurality of first diagonal cutting regions; and a fourth cutting process for cutting each of the plurality of second diagonal cutting regions. Attached Figure Description

[0124] The accompanying drawings, which may be included to provide a further understanding of this disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and, together with the specification, serve to explain the various principles of this disclosure.

[0125] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0126] Figure 2 It is along Figure 1 The cross-sectional view shown is taken by line I-I'.

[0127] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the flexible vibration module of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0128] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating a piezoelectric composite layer according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0129] Figure 5AThis is an example of Figure 4 An example diagram of a piezoelectric composite layer with both ends folded upwards.

[0130] Figure 5B This is an example of Figure 4 An example diagram of a piezoelectric composite layer with both ends folded downwards.

[0131] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating a piezoelectric composite layer according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0132] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating a piezoelectric composite layer according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0133] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating a piezoelectric composite layer according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0134] Figure 9 This is an example of Figure 8 An example diagram of a piezoelectric composite layer with both ends folded downwards.

[0135] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating a piezoelectric composite layer according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0136] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating a piezoelectric composite layer according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0137] Figure 12 This is an example Figure 11 A diagram of one embodiment of the piezoelectric composite layer shown.

[0138] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating a flexible vibration module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0139] Figure 14 This is a perspective view of a display device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0140] Figure 15 This is an example located at Figure 14 The diagram shows the first and second vibration modules on the rear surface of the display panel.

[0141] Figure 16 This is an example Figure 15 A diagram showing a first modified embodiment of each of the first and second vibration modules shown.

[0142] Figure 17 This is an example Figure 15 A diagram of a second modified embodiment of each of the first and second vibration modules shown.

[0143] Figure 18 This is an example located at Figure 14 A diagram showing an example of each of the first to fourth vibration modules on the rear surface of the display panel.

[0144] Figures 19A to 19C This is a diagram illustrating various display devices that can be applied to flexible vibration modules according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0145] Figures 20A to 20C This is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0146] Figures 21A to 21D This is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0147] Figures 22A to 22F This is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0148] Figure 23 It is a graph showing the experimental results of sound pressure characteristics based on the presence or absence of a display panel having a flexible vibration module provided according to the first embodiment and a thin-film speaker provided according to the comparative example.

[0149] Figure 24 It is a graph showing the experimental results of the sound pressure characteristics of an organic light-emitting diode display panel to which a flexible vibration module according to the first to third embodiments of the present disclosure is attached.

[0150] Figure 25 It is a graph showing the experimental results of the sound pressure characteristics of an organic light-emitting diode display panel to which a flexible vibration module according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present disclosure is attached.

[0151] Throughout the detailed description and specification, unless otherwise described, the same reference numerals shall be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. The relative dimensions and descriptions of these elements may be enlarged for clarity, illustrative purposes, and convenience. Detailed Implementation

[0152] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of this disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0153] In the following description, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations relevant to this document will be omitted where it is determined that such detailed descriptions would unnecessarily obscure the essential points of the inventive concept. The described sequence of processing steps and / or operations is illustrative; however, as is known in the art, the order of these steps and / or operations is not limited to the order set forth herein but may be varied unless the steps and / or operations must occur in a specific order. The same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout the document. The names of the various elements used in the following description are chosen merely for convenience of writing the specification and may therefore differ from the names used in actual products.

[0154] It will be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element.

[0155] The term "at least one" should be understood to include any combination of one or more of the relevant listed items, as well as all combinations thereof. For example, "at least one of the first, second, and third items" means a combination of all items drawn from two or more of the first, second, and third items, as well as the first, second, or third item.

[0156] In the description of the embodiments, when a structure is described as being "above" or "below" or "under" another structure, the description should be interpreted to include cases where the structures are in contact with each other and cases where a third structure is placed therebetween. The dimensions and thicknesses of each element shown in the accompanying drawings are given merely for the purpose of description, and the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0157] As will be fully understood by those skilled in the art, the features of the various embodiments of this disclosure may be partially or entirely linked or combined with each other, and may be interoperable and technically driven in various ways. The embodiments of this disclosure may be performed independently of each other, or may be performed together in an interdependent relationship.

[0158] In the following, a display device according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When adding reference numerals to elements in each drawing, the same reference numerals may refer to the same elements even if they are shown in other drawings. To enable the display device to provide sound, a loudspeaker can be implemented as a diaphragm. A diaphragm resonator can be manufactured to have a large area and can be applied to display devices with a large area. However, due to the low piezoelectric properties of the diaphragm resonator, it may be difficult to apply the diaphragm resonator to a large area due to the low vibration. When ceramics are used to enhance the piezoelectric properties, the diaphragm resonator may have poor durability, and the size of the ceramics may be limited. When a resonator including a piezoelectric composite containing piezoelectric ceramics is applied to a display device, the display device may not be able to vibrate sufficiently in the vertical (e.g., front-to-back) direction because the piezoelectric composite vibrates in a horizontal direction related to the left-right direction (e.g., the horizontal direction related to the left-right direction of the display device). Therefore, it may be difficult to apply the resonator to the display device, and the desired sound may not be output to the front area in front of the display device. When film piezoelectrics are applied to display devices, their sound pressure level (SPL) characteristics may be lower than those of conventional loudspeakers such as exciters. When multilayer film piezoelectrics, in which multiple layers are configured to increase SPL, are applied to display devices, power consumption may increase.

[0159] Therefore, the inventors have conducted various experiments to achieve a vibrating module for enhancing piezoelectric properties, stiffness, and flexibility. For example, the inventors have recognized that when the vibrating module is formed from a composite containing fillers with high dielectric constants, the piezoelectric properties are low, thus failing to achieve the desired sound. Through various experiments, the inventors have recognized that the vibrating module should be formed from piezoelectric ceramics to possess piezoelectric properties and should be formed from organic materials to ensure stiffness and flexibility. Through various experiments, the inventors have recognized that the vibrating module should be formed from piezoelectric ceramics to possess piezoelectric properties and should be formed from materials such as polymers to address the brittleness of piezoelectric ceramics. The inventors have recognized that when the vibrating module is configured such that materials such as polymers are included in the piezoelectric ceramic composite, the vibrating module possesses flexibility. Therefore, the inventors have invented a display device comprising a vibrating module with a novel structure for enhancing piezoelectric properties, stiffness, and flexibility. This will be described below.

[0160] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the flexible vibration module can be manufactured to have good sound pressure characteristics, good sound localization characteristics, and flexibility, and is not easily damaged by external impacts. A display device may include this flexible vibration module, thereby enhancing reliability and consumer satisfaction. The display device may be one of a curved display device, a rollable display device, a bendable display device, and a flexible display device. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the flexible vibration module can have various shapes, such as two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) shapes, based on its flexibility, and a method for manufacturing the flexible vibration module can be provided.

[0161] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 It is along Figure 1 The cross-sectional view shown is taken by line I-I'.

[0162] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The display device according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a display panel 100 and a flexible vibration module 200 located on the rear surface of the display panel 100. The rear surface may refer to the surface of the display panel opposite to the front surface of the display panel, which includes a display area for displaying images.

[0163] The display panel 100 may be a curved display panel or any type of display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, an organic light-emitting display panel, a quantum dot light-emitting display panel, a micro light-emitting diode display panel, and an electrophoretic display panel. For example, if the display panel 100 vibrates by the flexible vibration module 200 to generate sound waves (e.g., sound) or generates haptic feedback in response to touch, then the implementation of the display panel 100 is not limited to a specific display panel.

[0164] The display panel 100 according to an embodiment may include: a thin-film transistor (TFT) array substrate, which includes a plurality of pixels defined by a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines, and a TFT in each of the plurality of pixels to drive each of the plurality of pixels; a light-emitting device layer on the TFT array substrate; and an encapsulation substrate covering the light-emitting device layer. For example, the encapsulation substrate may protect the TFT and the light-emitting device layer from external impacts and may reduce or prevent water penetration into the light-emitting device layer.

[0165] According to one embodiment, a display panel 100 may include a display area AA for displaying an image based on the driving of a plurality of pixels and a non-display area BA surrounding the display area AA.

[0166] The display panel 100 according to the embodiment may include a bent portion, which may be bent or curved to have a bent shape or a specific radius of curvature.

[0167] The curved portion of the display panel 100 may be located in at least one of two parallel edges (e.g., periphery) of the display panel 100. One edge and / or the other edge of the display panel 100 implementing the curved portion may only include the non-display area BA, or may include the display area AA and the edge or periphery of both the display area BA. For example, a display panel 100 including a curved portion implemented by bending the non-display area BA may have a single-sided bezel bending structure or a double-sided bezel bending structure. Additionally, a display panel 100 including a curved portion implemented by bending the edge or periphery of both the display area AA and the non-display area BA may have a single-sided active bending structure or a double-sided active bending structure.

[0168] The display device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a rear structure 300 supporting the display panel 100 and a panel fixing member 400 between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300.

[0169] The rear structure 300 may be referred to, for example, as a cover, base plate, rear cover, base frame, metal frame, metal chassis, chassis base, or m-chassis. Therefore, the rear structure 300 may be a support member that supports the display panel 100, and may be any type of frame or plate structure located on the rear surface of the display device.

[0170] The rear structure 300 according to the embodiment can cover the entire rear surface of the display panel 100, and a gap space GS is provided between the rear structure 300 and the display panel 100. For example, the rear structure 300 can contain at least one of glass material, metal material, and plastic material, each having a plate shape. For example, the edges or sharp corners of the rear structure 300 can have an inclined shape or a curved shape by, for example, a chamfering process or a rounding process. For example, the glass material of the rear structure 300 can be sapphire glass. As another example, the rear structure 300 containing a metal material can contain one or more of aluminum (Al), Al alloy, magnesium (Mg) alloy, and iron (Fe)-nickel (Ni) alloy.

[0171] According to the embodiment, the rear structure 300 may additionally cover the side surface of the display panel 100. For example, the rear structure 300 may include a rear cover portion 310 and a side cover portion 330, wherein the rear cover portion 310 covers the entire rear surface of the display panel 100 with a gap space GS between it and the display panel 100, and the side cover portion 330 is connected to one end of the rear cover portion 310 and covers the entire side surface of the display panel 100. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the rear cover portion 310 and the side cover portion 330 of the rear structure 300 may be integrated into one unit.

[0172] The side cover portion 330 can be implemented as a separate intermediate frame, or it can be connected to the rear cover portion 310. For example, the side cover portion 330 implemented as an intermediate frame can cover the rear cover portion 310, and for example, it can cover all of the side surfaces of the rear cover portion 310 and the side surfaces of the display panel 100. For example, the side cover portion 330 implemented as an intermediate frame can contain the same or different material as the rear cover portion 310.

[0173] According to one embodiment, the rear structure 300 can be coupled or connected to the rear edge or periphery of the display panel 100 using a panel fixing member 400.

[0174] The panel fixing member 400 may be located between the rear edge or periphery of the display panel 100 and the edge or periphery of the rear structure 300, and may attach the display panel 100 to the rear structure 300. The panel fixing member 400 according to the embodiment may be implemented with double-sided tape, single-sided tape or double-sided tape foam pad, but the embodiment is not limited to these.

[0175] The display device according to embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a front structure 500 covering a non-display area BA of the display panel 100.

[0176] The front structure 500 may have a frame shape that may include an opening overlapping the display area AA of the display panel 100. For example, the front structure 500 may be coupled to or connected to the rear cover portion 310 or the intermediate frame, and may cover the non-display area BA of the display panel 100, thereby supporting or fixing the display panel 100. The front structure 500 may be located at the front edge or periphery of the display panel 100 and may be directly exposed (visible) to the user (e.g., a viewer). Therefore, it may reduce the aesthetic design appearance of the display device and increase the bezel width of the display device. To solve such problems, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the display panel 100 may be coupled to or connected to the rear structure 300 via a panel fixing member 400. Therefore, the front structure 500 may be omitted (or removed), thereby reducing the bezel width of the display device and enhancing the aesthetic design appearance of the display device.

[0177] The flexible vibration module 200 can be located on the rear surface (e.g., the back) of the display panel 100. The flexible vibration module 200 can be attached to the rear surface of the display panel 100 by means of an adhesive member 150.

[0178] According to one embodiment, the adhesive member 150 may be located between the rear surface of the display panel 100 and the flexible vibration module 200. For example, the adhesive member 150 may attach the flexible vibration module 200 to the rear surface of the display panel 100 and may be an adhesive or double-sided tape comprising an adhesive layer having good adhesion or bonding strength. For example, the adhesive layer of the adhesive member 150 may comprise one or more of epoxy resin, acrylic resin, silicone resin, or polyurethane, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. The adhesive layer of the adhesive member 150 may also contain additives such as tackifiers or adhesion enhancers, wax components, or antioxidants. Additives may prevent or reduce the separation (peeling) of the adhesive member 150 from the display panel 100 due to vibration of the vibration module 200. For example, the tackifier may be a rosin derivative, the wax component may be paraffin wax, and the antioxidant may be a phenolic antioxidant such as a thioester. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0179] According to another example, the adhesive member 150 may also include a hollow portion between the display panel 100 and the flexible vibration module 200. The hollow portion of the adhesive member 150 provides an air gap between the display panel 100 and the flexible vibration module 200. Due to this air gap, sound waves (e.g., sound pressure) based on the vibrations of the flexible vibration module 200 are not dispersed by the adhesive member 150, but are concentrated on the display panel 100. Therefore, the loss of vibration caused by the adhesive member 150 can be minimized or reduced, thereby improving the sound pressure characteristics of the sound generated based on the vibrations of the display panel 100.

[0180] The flexible vibration module 200 can be implemented as a diaphragm. The thickness of the flexible vibration module 200 can be thinner than the thickness of the display panel 100. Therefore, the thickness of the display panel 100 does not increase despite the presence of the flexible vibration module 200. The flexible vibration module 200 can be referred to as, for example, a "sound generating module," a "sound generating device," a "thin film actuator," a "diaphragm piezoelectric composite actuator," a "thin film loudspeaker," a "diaphragm piezoelectric loudspeaker," or a "diaphragm piezoelectric composite loudspeaker," all of which use the display panel 100 as a vibrating plate, but the terminology is not limited thereto.

[0181] To ensure piezoelectric properties, the flexible vibration module 200 may include piezoelectric ceramics. To improve the impact resistance of the piezoelectric ceramics and achieve flexibility, the flexible vibration module 200 may include materials such as polymers in the piezoelectric ceramics.

[0182] The flexible vibration module 200 according to the embodiment may include a plurality of first portions 210 and a plurality of second portions 220.

[0183] According to the embodiments, each of the multiple first portions 210 may be configured as an inorganic material portion. The inorganic material portion may include a non-flexible material. The inorganic material portion may contain an electroactive material. The electroactive material may have the following characteristics: when pressure or twisting (or bending) is applied to the crystal structure by an external force, a potential difference is generated due to dielectric polarization caused by the change in the relative positions of positive (+) ions and negative (-) ions, and vibration is generated by an electric field based on the voltage applied thereto.

[0184] Each of the plurality of second portions 220 may be alternately located between pairs of plurality of first portions 210. The plurality of first portions 210 and the plurality of second portions 220 may be arranged side-by-side on the same plane (or the same layer). Each of the plurality of second portions 220 may be configured to fill the gap or space between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210, and may be connected or attached to the adjacent first portion 210. Therefore, in the flexible vibration module 200, the vibrational energy based on the links in the unit lattice of each first portion 210 can be increased by the corresponding second portion 220. Thus, vibration can be increased and piezoelectric properties and flexibility can be ensured. Furthermore, in the flexible vibration module 200, the second portions 220 and the first portions 210 may be alternately arranged on the same plane along the length direction X relative to one side of the flexible vibration module 200, thus allowing the configuration of a large-area composite film (e.g., an organic / inorganic composite film) with a single-layer structure. Therefore, the large-area composite film can be flexible due to the plurality of second portions 220.

[0185] Each of the plurality of second portions 220 according to the embodiment can be configured as an organic material portion and can fill the space between the inorganic material portions serving as the first portion 210. Each organic material portion may include a flexible material. Each organic material portion may be located between the plurality of inorganic material portions, may absorb impacts or vibrations applied to the inorganic material portions (e.g., the first portion), may release stress concentrated on the inorganic material portions to enhance the overall durability of the flexible vibration module 200, and may provide flexibility to the flexible vibration module 200. The flexible vibration module 200 may be flexible. This flexibility may be provided by flexible organic portions rather than non-flexible inorganic portions. The flexible vibration module 200 may be bent into a shape that matches the shape of the display panel 100. The flexible vibration module 200 may vibrate in accordance with an electrical signal to cause the display panel 100 to vibrate. For example, the flexible vibration module 200 may vibrate in accordance with a voice signal synchronized with an image displayed by the display panel 100 to cause the display panel 100 to vibrate. As another example, the flexible vibration module 200 may be located on the display panel 100 and may vibrate in response to haptic feedback signals (e.g., tactile feedback signals) synchronized with user touches applied to a touchpad (e.g., a touch sensor layer) embedded in the display panel 100, thereby causing the display panel 100 to vibrate. Thus, the display panel 100 may vibrate based on the vibration of the flexible vibration module 200 to provide at least one of auditory and haptic feedback to a user (e.g., a viewer). Implementations are not limited to the examples described above.

[0186] Therefore, in the flexible vibration module 200 of the display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the inorganic material portion (e.g., the first portion 210) and the organic material portion (e.g., the second portion 220) can be disposed on the same layer. Thus, the impact transmitted to the inorganic material portion can be absorbed by the organic material portion, thereby reducing or preventing damage to the inorganic material portion from external impacts applied to the display device and reducing or minimizing the reduction in vibration performance (e.g., reduction in sound performance) caused by the damage.

[0187] Furthermore, the flexible vibration module 200 of the display device according to embodiments of this disclosure may include a piezoelectric ceramic having a perovskite crystal structure. Therefore, the flexible vibration module 200 can vibrate (via mechanical displacement) in response to an externally applied electrical signal. For example, when an alternating current (AC) voltage is applied to an inorganic material portion (e.g., the first portion 210), the inorganic material portion can alternately contract and expand based on the inverse piezoelectric effect. Therefore, the flexible vibration module 200 can vibrate based on a bending phenomenon with alternating bending directions, thereby causing the display panel 100 to vibrate based on the vibration of the flexible vibration module 200 to provide auditory and / or tactile feedback to the user.

[0188] Furthermore, the flexible vibration module 200 according to the embodiment may have a size corresponding to the display area AA of the display panel 100. The size of the flexible vibration module 200 may be 0.9 to 1.1 times the size of the display area AA, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the size of the flexible vibration module 200 may be the same as or approximately equal to the size of the display area AA of the display panel 100. Therefore, the flexible vibration module 200 can cover most of the display panel 100. In addition, the vibration generated by the flexible vibration module 200 can cause the entire display panel 100 to vibrate. Therefore, the sound localization can be very high and can improve user satisfaction. In addition, the contact area (e.g., panel coverage) between the display panel 100 and the flexible vibration module 200 can be increased. Therefore, the vibration area of ​​the display panel 100 can be increased, thereby improving the mid-tone and / or low-tone vocal bands generated based on the vibration of the display panel 100. In addition, in large-size display devices, the entire display panel 100 with a large size (e.g., large area) can vibrate. Therefore, the sound localization based on the vibration of the display panel 100 can be further enhanced, thereby achieving stereo sound effects.

[0189] Therefore, the flexible vibration module 200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be located on the rear surface of the display panel 100 to allow the display panel 100 to vibrate sufficiently in the vertical (e.g., front-to-back) direction, thereby outputting the desired sound to the front area in front of the display device. Furthermore, the material in the flexible vibration module 200 can be implemented in a patterned shape including organic and inorganic material portions. Therefore, the area (e.g., size) of the flexible vibration module 200 can be increased indefinitely, thereby increasing the panel coverage area of ​​the flexible vibration module 200 relative to the display panel 100 to enhance the sound characteristics based on the vibration of the display panel 100. Additionally, the flexible vibration module 200 can be made thinner to reduce or prevent an increase in driving voltage. For example, the flexible vibration module 200 can be configured to have a wide area corresponding to the same size as the display panel 100. Therefore, the sound pressure characteristics of the low-pitched vocal cords, which are a disadvantage of film piezoelectricity, can be improved, and the driving voltage can be reduced. Furthermore, the flexible vibration module 200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can include inorganic and organic material portions and can be implemented as a film. Therefore, the flexible vibration module 200 can be integrated into or equipped in a display device without being affected by the mechanical components and / or other components of the display device.

[0190] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the flexible vibration module of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0191] Combination Figure 2 Reference Figure 3The flexible vibration module 200 may include a piezoelectric composite layer PCL, a first electrode layer 230, and a second electrode layer 240.

[0192] The piezoelectric composite layer PCL may include a plurality of first portions 210 and a plurality of second portions 220 disposed between the plurality of first portions 210.

[0193] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may include a polygonal pattern. For example, the plurality of first portions 210 may each include a line pattern having a first width d1, may be spaced apart from each other by a second width d2 (e.g., a specific interval) in a first direction X, and may be parallel in a second direction Y intersecting the first direction X. Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may have the same dimensions (e.g., the same width, area, or volume) within a range of process errors (e.g., permissible errors or tolerances) that may occur in the manufacturing process.

[0194] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 according to the embodiments may include an inorganic material or a piezoelectric material that vibrates based on the piezoelectric effect (e.g., piezoelectric properties) induced by an electric field. For example, each of the plurality of first portions 210 may be referred to as, for example, an electroactive portion, an inorganic material portion, a piezoelectric material portion, or a vibrating portion, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0195] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 according to the embodiments may include a ceramic matrix material for generating relatively high vibrations, or may include a piezoelectric ceramic having a perovskite-based crystal structure. The perovskite crystal structure may have both piezoelectric and inverse piezoelectric effects, and may be an oriented plate-like structure. The perovskite crystal structure may be represented by the chemical formula "ABO3". In this chemical formula, "A" may include a divalent metal element, and "B" may include a tetravalent metal element. For example, in the chemical formula "ABO3", "A" and "B" may be cations, and "O" may be an anion. For example, the chemical formula "ABO3" may include one of lead titanate (PbTiO3), lead zirconate (PbZrO3), barium titanate (BaTiO3), and strontium titanate (SrTiO3), but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0196] When a perovskite crystal structure includes a central ion (e.g., PbTiO3), the position of the titanium (Ti) ion can be altered by external stress or a magnetic field. This changes the polarization, resulting in a piezoelectric effect. For example, in a perovskite crystal structure, a cubic shape corresponding to a symmetrical structure can be transformed into a tetragonal, orthorhombic, or rhombic structure corresponding to an asymmetrical structure. Thus, a piezoelectric effect can occur. In the tetragonal, orthorhombic, or rhombic structures corresponding to asymmetrical structures, the polarization at the quasi-isomorphic phase boundaries can be high, and the readjustment of the polarization can be easy, thereby allowing the perovskite crystal structure to possess high piezoelectric properties.

[0197] For example, the inorganic material portion disposed in each of the plurality of first portions 210 may comprise one or more of the following materials: lead (Pb), zirconium (Zr), titanium (Ti), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), and niobium (Nb), but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0198] As another example, the inorganic material portion disposed in each of the plurality of first portions 210 may include a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) based material containing lead (Pb), zirconium (Zr), and titanium (Ti), or may include a lead zirconate nickel niobate (PZNN) based material containing lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), and niobium (Nb), but the embodiments are not limited thereto. Additionally, the inorganic material portion may include at least one of calcium titanate (CaTiO3), BaTiO3, and SrTiO3, none of which contain Pb, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0199] Each of the plurality of second portions 220 may include a polygonal pattern. Each of the plurality of second portions 220 may be located between the plurality of first portions 210. The plurality of first portions 210 and the plurality of second portions 220 may be arranged side by side on the same plane (or the same layer). Each of the plurality of second portions 220 may fill the gap between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210 and may be connected to or attached to the first portion 210 adjacent to it. For example, the plurality of second portions 220 may each include a line pattern having a second width d2 and may be arranged side by side with the first portions 210 therebetween. Each of the plurality of second portions 220 may have the same dimensions (e.g., the same width, area, or volume) within the range of process errors (e.g., permissible errors or tolerances) that occur in the manufacturing process.

[0200] The dimensions of each of the second portions 220 may be the same as or different from the dimensions of each of the first portions 210. For example, the dimensions of each first portion 210 and each second portion 220 may be adjusted based on desired conditions of the flexible vibration module 200, including vibration characteristics and / or flexibility.

[0201] Each of the plurality of second portions 220 may have a lower modulus and viscoelasticity than each first portion 210. Therefore, the plurality of second portions 220 can enhance the reliability of each first portion 210, which is susceptible to impact damage due to fragility. For example, when the flexible vibration module 200 used to vibrate the display panel 100 has impact resistance and high stiffness, the flexible vibration module 200 may have high vibration characteristics or maximum vibration characteristics. To make the flexible vibration module 200 have impact resistance and high stiffness, each of the plurality of second portions 220 may each contain a material having a relatively high damping factor (tanδ) and relatively high stiffness. For example, each of the plurality of second portions 220 may each contain a material having a damping factor (tanδ) of about 0.1 [GPa] to about 1 [GPa] and a relatively high stiffness of about 0 [GPa] to about 10 [GPa]. Furthermore, the damping factor (tanδ) and stiffness characteristics can be described based on the correlation between the loss coefficient and the modulus. For example, each of the multiple second portions 220 may each contain a material having a loss coefficient of about 0.01 to about 1 and a modulus of about 1 [Gpa] to about 10 [Gpa].

[0202] Compared to the inorganic material portion of each of the first portions 210, the organic material portion of each of the plurality of second portions 220 may comprise an organic material or organic polymer, each possessing flexible properties. For example, each of the plurality of second portions 220 may comprise one or more of organic materials, organic polymers, organic piezoelectric materials, and organic non-piezoelectric materials. For example, each of the plurality of second portions 220 may be referred to as, for example, an adhesive portion, an elastic portion, a bending portion, a damping portion, or a flexible portion, but the implementation is not limited thereto.

[0203] The organic material portion according to the embodiments may include at least one of organic piezoelectric materials and organic non-piezoelectric materials.

[0204] The organic material portion containing the organic piezoelectric material can absorb shocks applied to the inorganic material portion (e.g., the first portion 210). Therefore, the organic material portion can enhance the overall durability of the flexible vibration module 200 and can provide piezoelectric properties corresponding to a specific level or higher. According to one embodiment, the organic piezoelectric material can be an organic material with electroactive properties. For example, the organic piezoelectric material may contain at least one of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), β-polyvinylidene fluoride (β-PVDF), and polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE), but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0205] The organic material portion comprising the organic non-piezoelectric material may include a curable resin composition and an adhesive comprising the curable resin composition. Therefore, the organic material portion can absorb impacts applied to the inorganic material portion (e.g., the first portion), thereby enhancing the overall durability of the flexible vibration module 200. According to one embodiment, the organic non-piezoelectric material may comprise at least one of epoxy-based polymers, acrylic polymers, and silicone polymers, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0206] For example, the organic material portion containing the organic non-piezoelectric material may include an adhesion promoter or adhesion enhancer for bonding between the epoxy resin and the inorganic material portion, to achieve the high stiffness characteristics of the flexible vibration module 200. For example, the adhesion promoter may be a phosphate or the like. The organic material portion can be cured by at least one of a thermosetting process and a photocuring process. In the process of curing the organic material portion, a solvent-free epoxy resin can be used to avoid or prevent a decrease in the thickness uniformity of the flexible vibration module 200 due to shrinkage of the organic material portion caused by solvent evaporation.

[0207] Furthermore, the organic material portion containing the organic non-piezoelectric material may also contain a reinforcing agent to provide, for example, damping properties in addition to high stiffness for the flexible vibration module 200. For example, the reinforcing agent may be a core-shell type methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene (MBS), and its content may be from about 5 wt% to about 40 wt%. The reinforcing agent may be a core-shell type elastomer and may have high binding strength to epoxy resins such as acrylic polymers. Therefore, the reinforcing agent can enhance the impact resistance or damping properties of the flexible vibration module 200.

[0208] In a piezoelectric composite layer (PCL), a first portion 210 containing inorganic materials and possessing piezoelectric properties and a second portion 220 containing organic materials and possessing flexibility can be alternately repeated and connected to each other. Therefore, the piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) can have a film-like structure. Thus, the piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) can be bent based on the shape of the display panel 100 and can have dimensions corresponding to the display panel 100, or dimensions for achieving vibrational or acoustic characteristics that can be set based on the vibration of the display panel 100. For example, the dimensions of each first portion 210 and each second portion 220 can be adjusted based on piezoelectric properties and flexibility. For example, in a display device where piezoelectric properties are more important than flexibility, the dimension of each first portion 210 can be larger than the dimension of each second portion 220. As another example, in a display device where flexibility is more important than piezoelectric properties, the dimension of each second portion 220 can be larger than the dimension of each first portion 210. Therefore, the piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) can be adjusted based on the desired characteristics of the display device. Therefore, the piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) can be easily designed.

[0209] The first electrode layer 230 may be located on a first surface (e.g., the front surface) of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL and may be electrically connected to the first surface of each of the plurality of first portions 210. According to embodiments, the first electrode layer 230 may comprise a transparent conductive material, a semi-transparent (or translucent) conductive material, or an opaque conductive material. Examples of transparent or semi-transparent conductive materials may include indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO), but embodiments are not limited thereto. Examples of opaque conductive materials may include aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), gold (Au), silver (Ag), molybdenum (Mo), magnesium (Mg), and any alloys thereof, but embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0210] The second electrode layer 240 may be located on a second surface (e.g., the rear surface) of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL opposite to the first surface, and may be electrically connected to the second surface of each of the plurality of first portions 210. According to one embodiment, the second electrode layer 240 may comprise a transparent conductive material, a semi-transparent conductive material, or an opaque conductive material. For example, the second electrode layer 240 may comprise the same material as the first electrode layer 230.

[0211] The piezoelectric composite layer PCL can be polarized by applying a specific voltage to the first electrode layer 230 and the second electrode layer 240 in a specific temperature atmosphere or in a temperature atmosphere that can be changed from high temperature to room temperature. Implementations are not limited to these examples.

[0212] The flexible vibration module 200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a first protective film 250 and a second protective film 260.

[0213] The first protective film 250 may be located on the first electrode layer 230 and may protect the first surface of the first electrode layer 230 or the piezoelectric composite layer PCL. For example, the first protective film 250 may be a polyimide (PI) film or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0214] The second protective film 260 may be located on the second electrode layer 240 and may protect the second surface of the second electrode layer 240 or the piezoelectric composite layer PCL. For example, the second protective film 260 may be a polyimide (PI) film or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0215] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating a piezoelectric composite layer according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0216] Reference Figure 4According to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the piezoelectric composite layer PCL may include a plurality of first portions 210 and a plurality of second portions 220 that may be alternately arranged along a first direction X.

[0217] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may have a first width d1 parallel to a first direction X and a length parallel to a second direction Y. Each of the plurality of second portions 220 may have a second width d2 that is the same as the first width d1 and a length parallel to the second direction Y. For example, the first portions 210 and the second portions 220 may each be linear or strip-shaped, each having the same dimensions.

[0218] Therefore, in the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the first embodiment of this disclosure, the first portion 210 and the second portion 220, each having the same size, can be alternately arranged (or connected) on the same plane. Thus, the piezoelectric composite layer PCL can be of a single-film type, vibrating vertically via the first portion 210, and bent into a curved shape via the second portion 220. The piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the first embodiment of this disclosure can be enlarged, for example, by joining (or connecting) the sides of the first portion 210 and the second portion 220 to achieve a desired size or length.

[0219] Figure 5A It shows that Figure 4 An example diagram of a piezoelectric composite layer with both ends folded upwards. Figure 5B It shows that Figure 4 An example diagram of a piezoelectric composite layer with both ends folded downwards.

[0220] Reference Figure 5A and Figure 5BAccording to the first embodiment of this disclosure, the piezoelectric composite layer PCL can vibrate using an electric field based on a signal applied to each of a plurality of first portions 210 having a line pattern. Therefore, the two ends EP in the first length direction X can be folded in the upward direction +Z or in the downward direction -Z. For example, each of the plurality of second portions 220 filling or disposed between two adjacent first portions 210 can be flexible. Therefore, even when the two ends EP of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL are bent in the upward direction +Z or the downward direction -Z, the inorganic material portion of each first portion 210 will not be damaged or its performance will not be degraded. Therefore, a display device including a flexible vibration module 200 having a piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the first embodiment of this disclosure can be used as a curved display device, for example, bending with a specific radius of curvature, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the display device can be used as a rollable display device wound in a spiral form, a bendable display device, or a wearable display device. The bendable display device can be an edge-bending display device, a bezel-bending display device, or an actively bending display device, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0221] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating a piezoelectric composite layer according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0222] Figure 6 Examples are shown by modifying Figure 4 The embodiment is implemented by the first part 210 of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown. Therefore, repeated descriptions are omitted below or will be given briefly.

[0223] Reference Figure 6 In the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of first portions 210 and the plurality of second portions 220 may have different sizes.

[0224] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may have a third width d3, and each of the plurality of second portions 220 may have a fourth width d4 different from the third width d3. For example, the third width d3 of each first portion 210 may be greater than the fourth width d4 of each second portion 220. Furthermore, the third width d3 of each first portion 210 may be greater than... Figure 4 The first width d1 of each first part 210 shown.

[0225] In a piezoelectric composite layer (PCL), the flexibility may decrease when the third width d3 of the inorganic material portion of each first portion 210 is greater than the fourth width d4 of the organic material portion of each second portion 220. However, when the size of the inorganic material portion, which has relatively good vibration characteristics of the high-pitched vocal cords, is increased, the piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) can have improved high-pitched sound characteristics.

[0226] In the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the second embodiment of this disclosure, the dimension of each of the first portions 210 can be larger than the dimension of each of the second portions 220. Therefore, the vibration characteristics of the high-pitched vocal cords can be increased. For example, Figure 6 The content (e.g., ratio) of the first portion 210 in the piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown can be related to... Figure 4 The content (e.g., proportion) of the first portion 210 in the piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown is the same. However, as the size of each first portion 210 increases, the content of the first portion 210 increases. Figure 4 Compared to the piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown, Figure 6 The piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown can further improve the vibration characteristics of high-pitched vocal cords.

[0227] Therefore, when the size of each first portion 210 included in the piezoelectric composite layer PCL of the flexible vibration module 200 increases (or expands), the display device including the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure can improve the sound characteristics of the high-pitched vocal cords generated by the vibration of the display panel 100 based on the vibration of the flexible vibration module 200. Furthermore, the display device including the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure can be used in applications that include… Figure 4 The flexible vibration module 200 shown is a flexible display device that is basically similar to the display device shown.

[0228] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating a piezoelectric composite layer according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0229] Figure 7 Examples are shown by modifying Figure 4 The embodiment is implemented by the first portion 210 and the second portion 220 of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown. Therefore, repeated descriptions are omitted below or will be given briefly.

[0230] Reference Figure 7 In the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of first portions 210 and the plurality of second portions 220 may have different sizes or may have the same size.

[0231] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may have a third width d3. Each of the plurality of second portions 220 may have a fifth width d5 ​​different from the third width d3. For example, the third width d3 of each first portion 210 may be greater than d5. Figure 4 The first width d1 of each first portion 210 shown, and the fifth width d5 ​​of each second portion 220 can be greater than 1. Figure 6 The fourth width d4 of each of the second portions 220 shown.

[0232] In the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the third embodiment of this disclosure, the size of each first portion 210 and the size of each second portion 220 can be increased. Therefore, with Figure 4 and Figure 6 Compared to each of the piezoelectric composite layers (PCL) shown in the diagram, Figure 7 The piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown can further enhance the vibrational characteristics of the mid-tone and / or low-tone vocal cords. For example, Figure 7 The content (e.g., proportion) of the first portion 210 in the piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown can be greater than... Figure 4 The first portion 210 in the piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown has a high content (e.g., proportion). Additionally, Figure 7 The content (e.g., proportion) of the second portion 220 in the piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown can be greater than... Figure 4 and Figure 6 The content (e.g., proportion) of the second portion 220 in each of the piezoelectric composite layers (PCL) shown in the examples is high. For example, Figure 7 The piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown may have a dimensional enlargement effect for each of the first portion 210 and the second portion 220. Therefore, due to the effect of the increased panel coverage of the flexible vibration module 200 relative to the display panel 100 rather than the flexible vibration module 200, the vibration characteristics of the bass vocal cords can be further enhanced.

[0233] Therefore, due to the increased size of each of the first portion 210 and the second portion 220 included in the piezoelectric composite layer PCL, the display device including the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the third embodiment of this disclosure can enhance the sound characteristics of both the low-pitched and high-pitched vocal bands generated by the vibration of the display panel 100. Thus, the increased sound characteristics of the low-pitched vocal bands improve the flatness of the sound pressure level. Furthermore, the display device including the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the third embodiment of this disclosure can be used in applications that include… Figure 4 The flexible vibration module 200 shown is a flexible display device that is basically similar to the display device shown.

[0234] Figure 8This is a diagram illustrating the piezoelectric composite layer according to the fourth embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 9 This is an example of Figure 8 The diagram shows an example of a piezoelectric composite layer with both ends folded downwards.

[0235] Figure 8 Examples are shown by modifying Figure 4 The embodiment is implemented by the second part 220 of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL shown. Therefore, repeated descriptions are omitted below or will be given briefly.

[0236] Reference Figure 8 and Figure 9 In the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, the size (e.g., width) of each of the plurality of second portions 220 between the plurality of first portions 210 may gradually decrease in a direction from the central portion CP of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL or the flexible vibration module 200 to the two edges or the two peripheries (e.g., the two ends) EP.

[0237] The largest second portion 220 of the plurality of second portions 220, having the largest size, can be located in the portion SCP where the highest stress can be concentrated when the flexible vibrating module 200 vibrates in the vertical direction Z, and the smallest second portion 220 of the plurality of second portions 220, having the smallest size, can be located in the portion SWP on which relatively low stress can occur when the flexible vibrating module 200 vibrates in the vertical direction Z. For example, the largest second portion 220 of the plurality of second portions 220, having the largest size, can be located in the central portion CP of the flexible vibrating module 200, and the smallest second portion 220 of the plurality of second portions 220, having the smallest size, can be located in each of the two edges or peripheries EP of the flexible vibrating module 200. Therefore, when the flexible vibrating module 200 vibrates in the vertical direction Z, the acoustic interference or resonance frequency overlap occurring in the respective portions SCP where the highest stress is concentrated can be reduced or minimized. Therefore, the sound pressure level drop occurring in the bass band can be reduced, thereby improving the flatness of the sound characteristics in the bass band. Here, the flatness of the sound characteristics can be the level of deviation between the highest and lowest sound pressure levels.

[0238] The central portion CP of the flexible vibration module 200 may correspond to the second portion 220. The central portion CP of the flexible vibration module 200 may overlap with the second portion 220. For example, when the flexible vibration module 200 vibrates in the vertical direction Z, the flexibility of the central portion CP of the flexible vibration module 200 can be increased. For example, when the central portion CP of the flexible vibration module 200 overlaps with or corresponds to the first portion 210, the first portion 210 may be damaged or its performance degraded due to stress concentrated on the central portion CP of the flexible vibration module 200 when the flexible vibration module 200 vibrates in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, when the central portion CP of the flexible vibration module 200 overlaps with or corresponds to the second portion 220, the second portion 220 in the stress-concentrated SCP portion will not be damaged or its performance degraded when the flexible vibration module 200 vibrates in the vertical direction Z.

[0239] For example, each of the multiple first parts 210 may have the same size (e.g., width).

[0240] As another example, each of the plurality of first portions 210 may have different dimensions (e.g., width). For example, the dimension (e.g., width) of each of the plurality of first portions 210 may gradually decrease or increase in a direction from the central portion CP of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL or the flexible vibration module 200 to the two edges (e.g., the two ends) EP. For example, in the flexible vibration module 200, the sound pressure characteristics of the sound can be enhanced and the sound reproduction band can be increased based on the various inherent vibration frequencies of the vibrations of each of the plurality of first portions 210 with different dimensions.

[0241] Therefore, a display device including the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the fourth embodiment of this disclosure can be used in applications that can be coupled with... Figure 4 The flexible vibration module 200 shown is a flexible display device that is basically similar to the display device shown.

[0242] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating a piezoelectric composite layer according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0243] Reference Figure 10 According to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure, the piezoelectric composite layer PCL may include a plurality of first portions 210, each having a circular shape and spaced apart from each other, and a second portion 220 surrounding each of the plurality of first portions 210.

[0244] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may have a circular plate shape. Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may include an inorganic material portion having vibrational characteristics as described above. Therefore, a repeated description of this material is omitted.

[0245] The second portion 220 may be disposed or filled between the plurality of first portions 210 and may surround the side surface of each of the plurality of first portions 210. The second portion 220 may include a flexible organic material portion as described above. Therefore, its repeated description is omitted. The second portion 220 may provide flexibility between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210. Thus, the piezoelectric composite layer PCL or flexible vibration module 200 may have various shapes, such as two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) shapes, based on the deformation that occurs between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210.

[0246] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may have various shapes other than a circular plate shape. For example, each of the plurality of first portions 210 may have an oval shape, a polygonal shape, or a ring shape, but the implementation is not limited thereto. An oval shape may include an ellipse, an egg shape, a rounded rectangle, or other non-circular curved shapes with different widths and heights.

[0247] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may have a dotted shape, including, for example, a fine (or micro) circle, a fine oval, a fine polygon, or a fine ring. A display device including a flexible vibration module 200 having a plurality of first portions 210 may have various shapes based on the flexibility of a second portion 220 located between two adjacent first portions 210. For example, including Figures 4 to 9 The shape of the display panel of the display device of each of the flexible vibration modules 200 shown in the diagram can be a 2D shape based on a first portion 210 (e.g., an inorganic material portion) having a linear shape, which can be concave or convex. Therefore, including Figure 10 The display panel of the display device of the flexible vibration module 200 shown can have various shapes, such as 3D and 2D shapes, based on the first portion 210 (e.g., an inorganic material portion) having a dot-like shape. Therefore, the flexible vibration module 200 including the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to the fifth embodiment of this disclosure can have enhanced design freedom based on the shape of the display device, and can be applied to flexible display devices whose shape can be changed to various shapes, such as 2D or 3D shapes.

[0248] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating a piezoelectric composite layer according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 12 This is an example Figure 11 The diagram shows an embodiment of the piezoelectric composite layer.

[0249] Reference Figure 11According to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure, the piezoelectric composite layer PCL may include a plurality of first portions 210, each of which may have a triangular shape and may be spaced apart from each other, and a second portion 220 surrounding each of the plurality of first portions 210.

[0250] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may have a triangular shape. For example, each of the plurality of first portions 210 may have a triangular plate shape. Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may include an inorganic material portion having vibrational characteristics as described above. Therefore, repeated descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0251] For example, four adjacent first portions 210 of a plurality of first portions 210 can be adjacent to each other to form a quadrilateral or rectangular shape (e.g., a square shape). The vertices of the four adjacent first portions 210 forming the quadrilateral shape can be adjacent to each other in the central portion of the quadrilateral shape. As another example, Figure 12 As shown, six adjacent first portions 210 of a plurality of first portions 210 can be adjacent to each other to form a hexagonal shape (e.g., a regular hexagonal shape). The vertices of the six adjacent first portions 210 forming the hexagonal shape can be adjacent to each other in the central portion of the hexagonal shape. Therefore, 2N (where N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) adjacent first portions 210 of a plurality of first portions 210 can be arranged adjacent to each other to form a 2N-angle shape.

[0252] The second portion 220 may be disposed or filled between the plurality of first portions 210 and may surround the side surface of each of the plurality of first portions 210. The second portion 220 may include a portion of organic material having flexibility as described above. Therefore, its repeated description is omitted. The second portion 220 may provide flexibility between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210. Therefore, the piezoelectric composite layer PCL or flexible vibration module 200 may have various shapes such as 3D shapes and 2D shapes based on the deformation that occurs between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210.

[0253] Therefore, in a display device including a flexible vibration module 200 having a piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure, the display panel can be changed based on various 3D shape variations of the flexible vibration module 200. Furthermore, the plurality of first portions 210 having a triangular shape can have fine patterns (e.g., micropatterns) corresponding to various shapes, and the display panel of the display device including the flexible vibration module 200 having the first portions 210 can have various shapes based on the flexibility of the second portion 220 located between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210. Additionally, the display device including the piezoelectric composite layer PCL according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure can be used in conjunction with... Figure 4 The flexible vibration module 200 shown is a flexible display device that is basically similar to the display device shown.

[0254] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating a flexible vibration module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0255] Reference Figure 13 According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible vibration module 200 may include a first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1, a first electrode layer 230, a second electrode layer 240, an insulating layer 270, a second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2, a third electrode layer 231, and a fourth electrode layer 241.

[0256] The first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1 may include a plurality of first portions 210 and a plurality of second portions 220 disposed between the plurality of first portions 210.

[0257] Each of the plurality of first parts 210 may comprise an inorganic or piezoelectric material that can vibrate according to a piezoelectric effect (e.g., piezoelectric properties) based on an electric field, and may be associated with... Figures 3 to 7 The first part shown in each of them is basically similar. Therefore, repeated descriptions have been omitted.

[0258] Each of the plurality of second parts 220 may include a portion of flexible organic material and may be compatible with... Figures 3 to 7 The second part shown in each of them is basically similar. Therefore, its repeated description has been omitted.

[0259] The first electrode layer 230 may be located on the first surface (e.g., the front surface) of the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1 and may be electrically connected to the first surface of each of the plurality of first portions 210. According to an embodiment, the first electrode layer 230 may comprise a transparent conductive material, a semi-transparent conductive material, or an opaque conductive material.

[0260] The second electrode layer 240 may be located on a second surface (e.g., the rear surface) of the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1 opposite to the first surface, and may be electrically connected to the second surface of each of the plurality of first portions 210. According to embodiments, the second electrode layer 240 may comprise a transparent conductive material, a semi-transparent conductive material, or an opaque conductive material. For example, the second electrode layer 240 may comprise the same material as the first electrode layer 230.

[0261] Insulating layer 270 may be located on first electrode layer 230. Insulating layer 270 may comprise an electrically insulating material that is viscous, compressible, and recoverable. For example, insulating layer 270 may comprise at least one of epoxy-based polymers, acrylic polymers, and silicone polymers, but embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0262] The second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2 may be located on the insulating layer 270. The second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2 may include a plurality of first portions 211 and a plurality of second portions 221 disposed between the plurality of first portions 211.

[0263] Each of the plurality of first portions 211 of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2 may contain an inorganic or piezoelectric material that can vibrate according to the piezoelectric effect (e.g., piezoelectric properties) based on an electric field, and may be the same as the plurality of first portions 210 of the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1.

[0264] For example, the first portion 211 of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2 may overlap with the first portion 210 of the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1. For example, the first portion 211 of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2 may correspond to the first portion 210 of the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1. For example, in a flexible vibration module 200 according to another embodiment of this disclosure, the first portion 211 of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2 may overlap with the first portion 210 of the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the expansion force (e.g., tensile force) and contraction force (e.g., compressive force) based on the bimorph structure can be increased, thereby enhancing the acoustic pressure characteristics.

[0265] For example, the first portion 211 of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2 can overlap with the second portion 220 of the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1. For example, the first portion 211 of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2 can correspond to the second portion 220 of the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1. For example, in a flexible vibration module 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the first portion 211 of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2 and the first portion 210 of the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1 can be alternately arranged in the vertical direction. Therefore, the first portions 210 and 211 having piezoelectric properties can be arranged side by side and can be without being spaced apart from each other. Therefore, the entire area of ​​the flexible vibration module 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure can vibrate, and the sound reproduction band based on the use of a wide area can be increased.

[0266] Each of the plurality of second portions 221 of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2 may include a portion of flexible organic material and may be the same as the second portion 220 of the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1.

[0267] The third electrode layer 231 may be located on the first surface (e.g., the front surface) of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2 and may be electrically connected to the first surface of each of the plurality of first portions 211 of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2. According to embodiments, the third electrode layer 231 may comprise a transparent conductive material, a semi-transparent conductive material, or an opaque conductive material.

[0268] The fourth electrode layer 241 may be located between the insulating layer 270 and the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2, and may be electrically connected to a second surface (e.g., a rear surface) opposite to the first surface of each of the plurality of first portions 211 of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2. According to embodiments, the fourth electrode layer 241 may comprise a transparent conductive material, a semi-transparent conductive material, or an opaque conductive material. For example, the fourth electrode layer 241 may comprise the same material as the first electrode layer 230.

[0269] The first electrode layer 230 and the second electrode layer 240 can receive a first electrical signal for vibrating the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1. Additionally, the third electrode layer 231 and the fourth electrode layer 241 can receive a second electrical signal for vibrating the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2. For example, the first and second electrical signals can have the same phase or opposite phases.

[0270] As another example, in the flexible vibration module 200 according to this embodiment, the insulating layer 270 and the fourth electrode layer 241 can be omitted. For example, the first electrode layer 230 can be used as a common electrode (e.g., a shared electrode) for the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1 and the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2. For example, the polarization direction of each first portion 210 in the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1 can be opposite to the polarization direction of each first portion 211 in the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2. In addition, the first electrode layer 230 can be electrically connected to the first surface of each first portion 210 of the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1 and can be electrically connected to the second surface of each first portion 211 of the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2. Furthermore, the second electrode layer 240 and the third electrode layer 231 can be electrically connected to each other or can receive the same electrical signal.

[0271] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible vibration module 200 may further include a first protective film 250 and a second protective film 260.

[0272] The first protective film 250 may be located on the third electrode layer 231 and may protect the first surface of the third electrode layer 231 or the second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2. For example, the first protective film 250 may be a polyimide (PI) film or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0273] The second protective film 260 may be located on the second electrode layer 240 and may protect the second surface of the second electrode layer 240 or the first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1. For example, the second protective film 260 may be a polyimide (PI) film or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0274] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, the flexible vibration module 200 may have a dual piezoelectric wafer shape based on a first piezoelectric composite layer PCL1 and a second piezoelectric composite layer PCL2. Therefore, the flexible vibration module 200 can cause the display panel to vibrate sufficiently in the vertical (e.g., front-to-back) direction, thereby enhancing the sound pressure characteristics based on the vibration of the display panel.

[0275] Figure 14 This is a perspective view of a display device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 15 This is an example located at Figure 14 The diagram shows the first and second vibration modules on the rear surface of the display panel.

[0276] Figure 14 and Figure 15 Examples are shown by modifying Figure 1 The embodiment shown is implemented using a flexible vibration module of the display device. Therefore, in the following text, repeated descriptions of components other than the first and second vibration modules will be omitted or will be briefly given.

[0277] Reference Figure 14 and Figure 15 According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible vibration module of the display device may include a first vibration module 200-1 and a second vibration module 200-2, each disposed on the rear surface of the display panel 100.

[0278] The rear surface (e.g., the back side) of the display panel 100 may include a first region A1 and a second region A2. For example, the rear surface (e.g., the back side) of the display panel 100 may be divided into a first region A1 and a second region A2. For example, in the rear surface of the display panel 100, the first region A1 may be a left region and the second region A2 may be a right region. The terms "left" and "right" are used herein for ease of description and are interchangeable, as should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The first region A1 and the second region A2 may be laterally symmetrical with respect to the centerline CL of the display panel 100 in a first direction X.

[0279] The first vibration module 200-1 may be located in the first region A1 of the display panel 100. The first vibration module 200-1 can cause the first region A1 of the display panel 100 to vibrate, so as to generate a first panel vibration sound PVS1 or a first tactile feedback in the first region A1 of the display panel 100. For example, the first panel vibration sound PVS1 may be a left sound.

[0280] The first vibration module 200-1 may be located near the center or edge (e.g., periphery) of the display panel 100 in the first region A1 of the display panel 100 relative to the first direction X. For example, the first vibration module 200-1 may be located near the first separating member 610 or the third separating member 630. The first vibration module 200-1 may have a size equal to or greater than half of the first region A1, but the implementation is not limited thereto. For example, the size may be adjusted based on the desired sound characteristics of the display device.

[0281] The second vibration module 200-2 may be located in the second region A2 of the display panel 100. The second vibration module 200-2 can cause the second region A2 of the display panel 100 to vibrate, thereby generating a second panel vibration sound PVS2 or a second tactile feedback in the second region A2 of the display panel 100. For example, the second panel vibration sound PVS2 may be a right sound.

[0282] The second vibration module 200-2 may be located in the second region A2 of the display panel 100 near the center or edge (e.g., periphery) of the display panel 100 relative to the first direction X. For example, the second vibration module 200-2 may be located near the second separating member 620 or the third separating member 630. The second vibration module 200-2 may have a size equal to or greater than half of the second region A2, but the implementation is not limited thereto. For example, the size may be adjusted based on the desired sound characteristics of the display device.

[0283] Each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 according to one embodiment may include a piezoelectric composite layer PCL, which may include a plurality of first portions 210 having a linear shape and spaced apart from each other, and a plurality of second portions 220 each disposed between the plurality of first portions 210. This can be combined with... Figures 3 to 9 The flexible vibration modules 200 shown are substantially similar. Therefore, repeated descriptions are omitted. For example, each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 can be configured as one of the flexible vibration modules 200 according to any one of the first to fourth embodiments of this disclosure.

[0284] The display device according to embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a separator 600 for dividing a first region A1 and a second region A2 of the display panel 100.

[0285] The separator 600 can be an air gap or space that generates sound when the display panel 100 vibrates via the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2. An air gap or space that generates or transmits sound can be referred to as a separator. The separator 600 can separate sound or channels and can prevent or reduce the generation of unclear sound caused by sound interference. The separator 600 can be referred to as a "partition" or "baffle," but the terminology is not limited thereto.

[0286] According to one embodiment, the separator 600 may include a first separator 610 and a second separator 620 located between the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2.

[0287] The first separating member 610 and the second separating member 620 may be located between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300 corresponding to the display panel 100. The first separating member 610 and the second separating member 620 can separate the first panel vibration sound PVS1 and the second panel vibration sound PVS2 generated by the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2, respectively. For example, the first separating member 610 and the second separating member 620 can reduce, block, or prevent the transmission of vibration generated by the first vibration module 200-1 in the first region A1 of the display panel 100 to the second region A2 of the display panel 100, or they can reduce, block, or prevent the transmission of vibration generated by the second vibration module 200-2 in the second region A2 of the display panel 100 to the first region A1 of the display panel 100. Therefore, the first separating member 610 and the second separating member 620 can attenuate or absorb the vibration of the display panel 100 at the center of the display panel 100. Therefore, the first separating member 610 and the second separating member 620 can reduce, block, or prevent the transmission of sound from the first region A1 to the second region A2, or they can reduce, block, or prevent the transmission of sound from the second region A2 to the first region A1. Thus, the first separating member 610 and the second separating member 620 can separate the left and right sounds to further enhance the sound output characteristics of the display device. Therefore, the display device according to this embodiment can separate the left and right sounds by using the first separating member 610 and the second separating member 620 to output two-channel stereo sound to the front area in front of the display panel 100.

[0288] For example, the separator 600 may include polyurethane, polyolefin, and / or the like, but the implementation is not limited thereto. As another example, the separator 600 may include double-sided or single-sided adhesive tape. For example, the separator 600 may include a material having an elastic force capable of being compressed to a certain degree.

[0289] As another example, one of the first separating member 610 and the second separating member 620 can be omitted. For example, when the second separating member 620 is omitted, the first separating member 610 can be located between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300 to correspond to the rear center line CL of the display panel 100. For example, even when one of the first separating member 610 and the second separating member 620 is located between the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2, the left and right sounds can be separated from each other.

[0290] Therefore, the first separating member 610 and the second separating member 620 can separate the left and right sounds to further enhance the sound output characteristics of the display device. A display device including the first separating member 610 or the second separating member 620 can separate the left and right sounds by using the first separating member 610 or the second separating member 620 to output two-channel stereo sound to the front area in front of the display panel 100.

[0291] According to one embodiment, the separator 600 may further include a third separator 630 located between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300.

[0292] The third partition member 630 may be disposed along the space between the rear edge (e.g., rear periphery) of the display panel 100 and the front edge (e.g., front periphery) of the rear structure 300 to completely surround the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2. The third partition member 630 may be referred to as an "edge partition," "sound blocking member," "edge baffle," or "baffle," but the terminology is not limited thereto. For example, the third partition member 630 may be associated with... Figure 2 The panel fixing members 400 shown are adjacent to or in contact with each other, and may be surrounded by the panel fixing members 400. As another example, the third partition member 630 may be integrated with the panel fixing member 400.

[0293] The third partition member 630, together with the first partition member 610 and the second partition member 620, can provide a first air gap AG1 to a third air gap AG3 between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300. For example, each of the first air gap AG1 to the third air gap AG3 can be referred to as a “vibration space,” “sound pressure space,” “speaker,” “sound component,” “resonance box,” or “resonance component,” but the terminology is not limited thereto.

[0294] The first air gap AG1 may be located in the first region A1 of the display panel 100 and may be surrounded by the first partition member 610 and the third partition member 630 in the first region A1 of the display panel 100.

[0295] The second air gap AG2 may be located in the second region A2 of the display panel 100, and may be surrounded by the second partition member 620 and the third partition member 630 in the second region A2 of the display panel 100.

[0296] The third air gap AG3 can be located in the central region (e.g., the third region) of the display panel 100 surrounded by the first separating member 610, the second separating member 620, and the third separating member 630. For example, the third air gap AG3 can be located between the second air gap AG2 and the first air gap AG1, including the rear centerline CL of the display panel 100. The third air gap AG3 can be referred to as a "sound separation space," a "sound blocking space," or a "sound interference prevention space," but the terminology is not limited thereto. The third air gap AG3 can spatially separate the first air gap AG1 from the second air gap AG2. Therefore, the third air gap AG3 can reduce or prevent resonance or interference phenomena that can occur in each of the first air gap AG1 and the second air gap AG2 and that correspond to a specific frequency band.

[0297] The first vibration module 200-1 may be surrounded by a first partition member 610 and a third partition member 630 providing a first air gap AG1. The second vibration module 200-2 may be surrounded by a second partition member 620 and a third partition member 630 providing a second air gap AG2.

[0298] When one of the first partition member 610 and the second partition member 620 is omitted, the third air gap AG3 can be omitted.

[0299] Therefore, the third partition member 630 can surround the area between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300, and can, together with the first partition member 610 and the second partition member 620, individually surround each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 to ensure vibration space for each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2. Thus, the third partition member 630 can enhance the sound pressure characteristics of the left and right sounds and can reduce or prevent sound or sound pressure leakage to the outside through the side surface between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300, thereby further enhancing the sound output characteristics of the display device.

[0300] According to one embodiment, the separator 600 may further include a fourth separator 640 surrounding the first vibration module 200-1 and a fifth separator 650 surrounding the second vibration module 200-2.

[0301] The fourth partition member 640 may be located between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300 to correspond to the first air gap AG1, and may surround the first vibration module 200-1 independently (e.g., independently). According to one embodiment, the fourth partition member 640 may have a circular shape surrounding the first vibration module 200-1, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the fourth partition member 640 may have a shape that is the same as or different from the overall shape of the first vibration module 200-1. For example, when the first vibration module 200-1 has a rectangular shape, the fourth partition member 640 may have a rectangular shape whose dimensions are relatively larger than those of the first vibration module 200-1.

[0302] The fourth separating member 640 can limit (or define) the vibration area (e.g., vibration region) of the display panel 100 based on the first vibration module 200-1. For example, in the first region A1 of the display panel 100, as the size of the fourth separating member 640 increases, the vibration area of ​​the first region A1 can increase. Therefore, the low-pitched vocal cord characteristics of the left sound can be enhanced. On the other hand, in the first region A1 of the display panel 100, as the size of the fourth separating member 640 decreases, the vibration area of ​​the first region A1 can decrease. Therefore, the high-pitched vocal cord characteristics of the left sound can be enhanced. Therefore, the size of the fourth separating member 640 can be adjusted according to the desired characteristics of the vocal cords vibrating based on the display panel 100.

[0303] The fifth partition member 650 may be located between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300 to correspond to the second air gap AG2, and may surround the second vibration module 200-2 independently (e.g., independently). To make the left sound symmetrical to the right sound, the fifth partition member 650 may have the same shape as the fourth partition member 640 and a structure symmetrical with respect to the rear centerline CL of the display panel 100. Therefore, related descriptions are omitted.

[0304] The fifth separating member 650 can limit (or define) the vibration area (e.g., vibration region) of the display panel 100 based on the second vibration module 200-2. For example, in the second region A2 of the display panel 100, as the size of the fifth separating member 650 increases, the vibration area of ​​the second region A2 can increase. Therefore, the low-pitched vocal cord characteristics of the right sound can be enhanced. On the other hand, in the second region A2 of the display panel 100, as the size of the fifth separating member 650 decreases, the vibration area of ​​the second region A2 can decrease. Therefore, the high-pitched vocal cord characteristics of the right sound can be enhanced. Therefore, the size of the fifth separating member 650 can be adjusted according to the desired characteristics of the vocal cords vibrating based on the display panel 100.

[0305] The fourth partition member 640 and the fifth partition member 650 can limit the respective vibration regions (e.g., vibration areas) of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2. Therefore, the fourth partition member 640 and the fifth partition member 650 can enhance the lateral symmetry of the left and right sounds generated based on the vibration of the display panel 100, and can optimize the sound pressure characteristics and sound reproduction bands of the left and right sounds respectively. As another example, when the fourth partition member 640 and the fifth partition member 650 are provided, the third partition member 630 can be omitted. As another example, when the fourth partition member 640 and the fifth partition member 650 are provided, one of the first partition members 610 to the third partition member 630 can be omitted.

[0306] Therefore, when the display device according to this embodiment includes the separator 600, the sound pressure characteristics and sound reproduction band of the left and right sounds can be improved or optimized. For example, the display device according to this embodiment may include at least one of the first separator 610 and the second separator 620. As another example, the display device according to this embodiment may include one of the first separator 610 and the second separator 620 and a third separator 630. As another example, the display device according to this embodiment may include the third separator 630, the fourth separator 640, and the fifth separator 650. As another example, the display device according to this embodiment may include the first separator 610 to the fifth separator 650.

[0307] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the display device can output left and right sounds to the front area FD in front of the display panel 100 via the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 to provide stereo sound to the user. Alternatively, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the display device can separate the left and right sounds using a separator 600 to output two-channel stereo sound to the front area FD in front of the display panel 100.

[0308] Figure 16 This is an example Figure 15 A diagram showing a first modified embodiment of each of the first and second vibration modules shown.

[0309] Reference Figure 16 Each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 according to the first modified embodiment may include a piezoelectric composite layer PCL, which may include a plurality of first portions 210 spaced apart from each other and a plurality of second portions 220 disposed between the plurality of first portions 210.

[0310] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may include an inorganic material portion having vibrational characteristics as described above. Therefore, a repeated description of this material is omitted.

[0311] According to the embodiments, a plurality of first portions 210 may be arranged separately from each other in a first direction X and a second direction Y, each having a quadrilateral or quadrangular shape (e.g., a square shape). A plurality of first portions 210 may be arranged adjacent to each other to form a quadrilateral or quadrangular shape (e.g., a square shape).

[0312] According to another embodiment, a plurality of first portions 210 may be arranged separately from each other in the first direction X and the second direction Y, so that each has as Figure 10 Examples show circular, oval, or ring-shaped shapes.

[0313] Each of the plurality of first parts 210 according to another example may include, for example Figure 11 The diagram shows 2N triangular patterns (where N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2). These 2N triangular patterns can be adjacent to each other to form a 2N-angle shape. The vertices of the 2N triangular patterns forming the 2N-angle shape can be adjacent to each other in the central portion of the 2N-angle shape.

[0314] The second portion 220 may be disposed or filled between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210. For example, each of the second portions 220 may have a "+" shape disposed between four first portions 210 forming a quadrilateral or rectangular shape (e.g., a square shape). Each of the second portions 220 may include a flexible organic material portion as described above. Therefore, a repeated description of this material is omitted. Each of the second portions 220 may provide flexibility between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210. Therefore, each of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL or the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 may have various shapes based on the deformation that occurs between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210.

[0315] The first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 may each further include a first electrode layer, which may be located on a first surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL and may be electrically connected to the first surface of each of the plurality of first portions 210. The first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 may each further include a second electrode layer, which may be located on a second surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL opposite to the first surface and may be electrically connected to the second surface of each of the plurality of first portions 210. Additionally, each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 may further include a first protective film covering the first electrode layer and a second protective film covering the second electrode layer. The first electrode layer, the second electrode layer, the first protective film, and the second protective film are as described above. Therefore, their repeated description is omitted.

[0316] The display device according to this embodiment may further include a separator 600 located between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300. For example, the separator 600 may be the same as the one mentioned above. Figure 15 The separator 600 is substantially similar. Therefore, its repeated description is omitted.

[0317] The display device according to this embodiment can output left and right sounds through the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 to provide stereo sound to the user. Alternatively, the display device according to this embodiment can separate the left and right sounds using a separator 600 to output two-channel stereo sound.

[0318] Figure 17 This is an example Figure 15 A diagram of a second modified embodiment of each of the first and second vibration modules shown.

[0319] Reference Figure 17 According to the second modified embodiment, the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 may each include a piezoelectric composite layer PCL, which may include a plurality of first portions 210, each having a triangular shape and spaced apart from each other, and a plurality of second portions 220 disposed between the plurality of first portions 210.

[0320] Each of the plurality of first portions 210 may include an inorganic material portion having vibrational characteristics as described above. Therefore, a repeated description of this material is omitted.

[0321] According to the embodiment, multiple first portions 210 can be spaced apart from each other to form a hexagonal shape (e.g., a regular hexagonal shape). The vertices of adjacent first portions 210 forming the hexagonal shape can be adjacent to each other in the central portion of the hexagonal shape.

[0322] According to another example, multiple first parts 210 can be adjacent to each other to form a 2i-angle shape, where i is a natural number equal to or greater than 4. The vertices of adjacent first parts 210 forming the 2i-angle shape can be adjacent to each other in the central part of the 2i-angle shape.

[0323] The second portion 220 may be disposed or filled between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210. For example, each of the second portions 220 may have an "*" shape located between six first portions 210 forming a hexagonal shape (e.g., a regular hexagonal shape). Each of the second portions 220 may each include a flexible organic material portion as described above. Therefore, a repeated description thereof is omitted. Each of the second portions 220 may provide flexibility between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210. Thus, each of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL or the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 may have various shapes based on the deformation that occurs between two adjacent first portions of the plurality of first portions 210.

[0324] Multiple first portions 210 having a triangular shape can be arranged adjacent to each other to have a 2j-angle shape, where j is a natural number equal to or greater than 3. Therefore, the piezoelectric composite layer PCL of each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 can be implemented as a vibration source (e.g., a vibrator) that can be approximately circular, thereby enhancing vibration characteristics.

[0325] Each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 may further include a first electrode layer, which may be located on a first surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL and may be electrically connected to the first surface of each of the plurality of first portions 210. Each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 may further include a second electrode layer, which may be located on a second surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL opposite to the first surface and may be electrically connected to the second surface of each of the plurality of first portions 210. Additionally, each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 may further include a first protective film covering the first electrode layer and a second protective film covering the second electrode layer. The first electrode layer, the second electrode layer, the first protective film, and the second protective film are as described above. Therefore, their repeated description is omitted.

[0326] The display device according to this embodiment may further include a separator 600 located between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300. For example, the separator 600 may be the same as the one mentioned above. Figure 15 The description of the separator 600 is essentially the same. Therefore, its repeated description has been omitted. Figure 17The fourth partition member 640 and the fifth partition member 650 shown may each have the same hexagonal shape as each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2.

[0327] The display device according to this embodiment can output left and right sounds through the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2 to provide stereo sound to the user. Furthermore, the display device according to this embodiment can output sound through the first vibration module 200-1 and the second vibration module 200-2, which are generally circular, thereby enhancing sound characteristics. Additionally, the display device according to this embodiment can use a separator 600 to separate the left and right sounds to output two-channel stereo sound.

[0328] Figure 18 This is an example located at Figure 14 A diagram showing an example of each of the first to fourth vibration modules on the rear surface of the display panel.

[0329] Figure 18 Examples are shown by modifying Figure 14 The flexible vibration module shown is implemented in this embodiment. Therefore, in the following text, repeated descriptions of components other than the first to fourth vibration modules will be omitted or will be briefly given.

[0330] Combination Figure 14 For reference Figure 18 According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible vibration module of the display device may include a first vibration module 200-1 to a fourth vibration module 200-4 located on the rear surface of the display panel 100.

[0331] The rear surface (e.g., the back side) of the display panel 100 may include a first region A1 and a second region A2. For example, the rear surface (e.g., the back side) of the display panel 100 may be divided into a first region A1 and a second region A2. For example, in the rear surface of the display panel 100, the first region A1 may be a left region and the second region A2 may be a right region. The first region A1 and the second region A2 may be laterally symmetrical with respect to the center line CL of the display panel 100 in a first direction X.

[0332] The first vibration module 200-1 and the third vibration module 200-3 can be alternately or diagonally arranged in the first region A1 of the display panel 100. Therefore, the first vibration module 200-1 and the third vibration module 200-3 can increase the vibration area of ​​the first region A1 of the display panel 100. For example, in addition to the first vibration module 200-1, a third vibration module 200-3 can also be provided. Therefore, the first panel vibration sound PVS1 can be further enhanced. Each of the first vibration module 200-1 and the third vibration module 200-3 can cause the first region A1 of the display panel 100 to vibrate, thereby generating the first panel vibration sound PVS1 or first tactile feedback in the first region A1 of the display panel 100. For example, the first panel vibration sound PVS1 can be a left sound. For example, the vibration area of ​​the first region A1 of the display panel 100 can be increased based on the diagonal arrangement of the first vibration module 200-1 and the third vibration module 200-3. Therefore, the bass characteristics of the left sound can be enhanced.

[0333] The first vibration module 200-1 and the third vibration module 200-3 can be parallel in the first region A1 of the display panel 100 along either the first direction X or the second direction Y. For example, the vibration area of ​​the first region A1 of the display panel 100 can be increased based on the parallel arrangement of the first vibration module 200-1 and the third vibration module 200-3, thereby enhancing the low-pitched vocal characteristics of the left sound. Compared with the parallel arrangement of the first vibration module 200-1 and the third vibration module 200-3, the diagonal arrangement of the first vibration module 200-1 and the third vibration module 200-3 can further increase the vibration area of ​​the first region A1 of the display panel 100, thereby enhancing the low-pitched vocal characteristics of the left sound. The diagonal arrangement of the first vibration module 200-1 and the third vibration module 200-3 can have the effect of the vibration modules being arranged in a 2×2 structure in the first region A1 of the display panel 100. Therefore, the number of vibration modules used to vibrate the first region A1 of the display panel 100 can be halved.

[0334] The second vibration module 200-2 and the fourth vibration module 200-4 can be alternately or diagonally arranged in the second region A2 of the display panel 100. Therefore, the second vibration module 200-2 and the fourth vibration module 200-4 can increase the vibration area of ​​the second region A2 of the display panel 100. For example, in addition to the second vibration module 200-2, a fourth vibration module 200-4 can also be provided. Therefore, the second panel vibration sound PVS2 can be further enhanced. Each of the second vibration module 200-2 and the fourth vibration module 200-4 can cause the second region A2 of the display panel 100 to vibrate, thereby generating a second panel vibration sound PVS2 or a second tactile feedback in the second region A2 of the display panel 100. For example, the second panel vibration sound PVS2 can be a right sound. For example, the vibration area of ​​the second region A2 of the display panel 100 can be increased based on the diagonal arrangement of the second vibration module 200-2 and the fourth vibration module 200-4. Therefore, the bass characteristics of the right sound can be enhanced.

[0335] The second vibration module 200-2 and the fourth vibration module 200-4 can be parallel in the second region A2 of the display panel 100 along either the first direction X or the second direction Y. For example, the vibration area of ​​the second region A2 of the display panel 100 can be increased based on the parallel arrangement of the second vibration module 200-2 and the fourth vibration module 200-4, thereby enhancing the low-pitched vocal characteristics of the right sound. Compared with the parallel arrangement of the second vibration module 200-2 and the fourth vibration module 200-4, the diagonal arrangement of the second vibration module 200-2 and the fourth vibration module 200-4 can further increase the vibration area of ​​the second region A2 of the display panel 100, thereby enhancing the low-pitched vocal characteristics of the right sound. The diagonal arrangement of the second vibration module 200-2 and the fourth vibration module 200-4 can have the effect that the vibration modules can be arranged in a 2×2 structure in the second region A2 of the display panel 100. Therefore, the number of vibration modules used to vibrate the second region A2 of the display panel 100 can be halved.

[0336] The first vibration module 200-1 may be located in the first region A1 of the display panel 100. As another example, the first vibration module 200-1 may be located in the first region A1 of the display panel 100 near the edge or periphery of the display panel 100 relative to the first direction X. For example, the first vibration module 200-1 may be located in the first region A1 of the display panel 100 between the edge or periphery and the center portion of the display panel 100. For example, the first vibration module 200-1 may be disposed in the upper left region of the first region A1 of the display panel 100 adjacent to the edge or periphery of the display panel 100 relative to the first direction X.

[0337] The third vibration module 200-3 may be located in the first region A1 of the display panel 100. As another example, the third vibration module 200-3 may be located in the first region A1 of the display panel 100 near the center line CL of the display panel 100 relative to the first direction X. According to one embodiment, the third vibration module 200-3 may be located between the center line CL of the display panel 100 and the center portion of the first region A1. For example, the third vibration module 200-3 may be located in the lower right region of the first region A1 of the display panel 100, adjacent to the center line CL of the display panel 100, relative to the first direction X. The third vibration module 200-3 may be alternately arranged with the first vibration module 200-1 in the first region A1 of the display panel 100. Therefore, the third vibration module 200-3 may not overlap with the first vibration module 200-1 in the first direction X and the second direction Y.

[0338] The second vibration module 200-2 may be located in the second region A2 of the display panel 100. As another example, the second vibration module 200-2 may be located in the second region A2 of the display panel 100 near the edge or periphery of the display panel 100 relative to the first direction X. According to one embodiment, the second vibration module 200-2 may be located in the second region A2 of the display panel 100 between the edge or periphery and the center portion. For example, the second vibration module 200-2 may be located in the upper right region of the second region A2 of the display panel 100, adjacent to the edge or periphery of the display panel 100, relative to the first direction X. Furthermore, the first vibration module 200-1 may be laterally symmetrical to the second vibration module 200-2 relative to the center line CL of the display panel 100.

[0339] The fourth vibration module 200-4 may be located in the second region A2 of the display panel 100. As another example, the fourth vibration module 200-4 may be located in the second region A2 of the display panel 100 near the center line CL of the display panel 100 relative to the first direction X. According to one embodiment, the fourth vibration module 200-4 may be located between the center line CL of the display panel 100 and the center portion of the second region A2. For example, the fourth vibration module 200-4 may be located in the lower left region of the second region A2 of the display panel 100 adjacent to the center line CL of the display panel 100 relative to the first direction X. The fourth vibration module 200-4 may be alternately arranged with the second vibration module 200-2 in the second region A2 of the display panel 100. Therefore, the fourth vibration module 200-4 may not overlap with the second vibration module 200-2 in the first direction X and the second direction Y. Furthermore, the third vibration module 200-3 may be laterally symmetrical to the fourth vibration module 200-4 relative to the center line CL of the display panel 100.

[0340] Each of the first vibration module 200-1 to the fourth vibration module 200-4 may further include a first electrode layer, which may be located on a first surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL and electrically connected to each of the plurality of first portions 210. Each of the first vibration module 200-1 to the fourth vibration module 200-4 may further include a second electrode layer, which may be located on a second surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL opposite to the first surface and electrically connected to the second surface of each of the plurality of first portions 210. Additionally, each of the first vibration module 200-1 to the fourth vibration module 200-4 may further include a first protective film covering the first electrode layer and a second protective film covering the second electrode layer. The first electrode layer, the second electrode layer, the first protective film, and the second protective film are as described above. Therefore, their repeated description is omitted.

[0341] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the display device may further include: a first plate 700 located between the third vibration module 200-3 and the display panel 100; and a second plate 710 located between the fourth vibration module 200-4 and the display panel 100.

[0342] The first plate 700 can be connected or attached to each of the third vibration module 200-3 and the display panel 100, for example, via an adhesive member. The first plate 700 can transmit the vibrations of the third vibration module 200-3 to the display panel 100. Additionally, the first plate 700 can enhance the mass of the third vibration module 200-3 to reduce its resonant frequency based on the increase in mass. Therefore, the first plate 700 can increase the sound pressure level of the low-pitched vocal cords of the third vibration module 200-3, thereby enhancing the flatness of the sound pressure level based on the vibration of the display panel 100.

[0343] The second plate 710 can be connected or attached to each of the fourth vibration module 200-4 and the display panel 100 via adhesive components. The second plate 710 can transmit the vibrations of the fourth vibration module 200-4 to the display panel 100. Additionally, the second plate 710 can enhance the mass of the fourth vibration module 200-4 to reduce its resonant frequency based on the increase in mass. Therefore, the second plate 710 can increase the sound pressure level of the low-pitched vocal cords of the fourth vibration module 200-4, thereby enhancing the flatness of the sound pressure level based on the vibration of the display panel 100.

[0344] Each of the first plate 700 and the second plate 710 according to the embodiment may contain one or more of stainless steel, Al, Mg alloy, Mg-Li alloy and Al alloy, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0345] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the display device may further include a separator 600 located between the display panel 100 and the rear structure 300. Except that the fourth separator 640 and the fifth separator 650 each have a quadrilateral or rectangular shape, the separator 600 according to this embodiment can be the same as described above. Figure 15 The separator 600 is substantially similar. Therefore, its repeated description is omitted. Figure 18 The fourth dividing member 640 and the fifth dividing member 650 shown may each have a circular shape.

[0346] Therefore, the display device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure can output left and right sounds to provide stereo sound to the user through the first vibration module 200-1 and the third vibration module 200-3 located in the first region A1 of the display panel 100, and the second vibration module 200-2 and the fourth vibration module 200-4 disposed in the second region A2 of the display panel 100. Furthermore, in the display device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the vibration areas of the first vibration module 200-1 and the third vibration module 200-3 in the first region A1 based on the diagonal direction, and the vibration areas of the second vibration module 200-2 and the fourth vibration module 200-4 in the second region A2 based on the diagonal direction, can be increased. Therefore, by connecting or linking the first plate 700 and the second plate 710 to the third vibration module 200-3 and the fourth vibration module 200-4 respectively, the pressure characteristics of the bass vocal cords can be increased and the resonant frequency can be reduced, thereby enhancing the flatness of the sound pressure characteristics. Furthermore, the display device according to this embodiment can separate the left and right sounds using the separator 600 to output two-channel stereo sound.

[0347] Figures 19A to 19C This is a diagram illustrating various display devices to which flexible vibration modules according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0348] Figures 19A to 19C Examples of applicable methods are shown. Figures 4 to 13 The display device for any of the flexible vibration modules shown in the diagram.

[0349] The flexible vibration module according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented as a flexible membrane. Therefore, the embodiments can be applied to various application devices.

[0350] Reference Figure 19AThe flexible vibration module 200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to commercial display devices or flexible display devices including a display panel 100, which includes a plurality of curved portions CSP1 to CSP5 that can be recessed or protruded. For example, the flexible vibration module 200 can be implemented to bend in a shape having a curvature value (e.g., radius of curvature) matching the protrusion or recess of each of the curved portions CSP1 to CSP5 of the display panel 100, and can be located in the protrusion or recess of each of the curved portions CSP1 to CSP5 of the display panel 100. As another example, the flexible vibration module 200 can be implemented to have a shape matching the curvature value (e.g., radius of curvature) of each of the curved portions CSP1 to CSP5 of the display panel 100, and can be located on the entire (or all) rear surface of the display panel 100.

[0351] Reference Figure 19B The flexible vibration module 200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to a rollable display device including a display panel 100 that can be wound into a spiral or unfolded. For example, the flexible vibration module 200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented having a shape having a curvature value (e.g., radius of curvature) of the display panel 100 that can be wound into a spiral or unfolded, and a plurality of flexible vibration modules 200 can be arranged at specific intervals on the rear surface of the display panel 100. As another example, the flexible vibration module 200 can be implemented having a shape matching the curvature value (e.g., radius of curvature) of the display panel 100 and can be located on the entire rear surface of the display panel 100.

[0352] Reference Figure 19C The flexible vibration module 200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to wearable display devices including a display panel 100, which can be rolled around a user's wrist and can be bent into a "C" shape. For example, the flexible vibration module 200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented with a shape having a curvature value (e.g., radius of curvature) of the display panel 100 that can be bent into a "C" shape, and a plurality of flexible vibration modules 200 can be arranged at specific intervals on the rear surface of the display panel 100. As another example, the flexible vibration module 200 can be implemented with a shape matching the curvature value (e.g., radius of curvature) of the display panel 100 that can be bent into a "C" shape, and can be located on the entire rear surface of the display panel 100.

[0353] Figures 20A to 20C This is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0354] Figures 20A to 20CExamples of manufacturing basis Figures 4 to 8 The method of the flexible vibration module is shown in any of the embodiments illustrated in the text. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the components of the flexible vibration module are omitted below. Reference will now be made to... Figures 20A to 20C This invention describes a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0355] First, a plate-shaped inorganic material mother substrate 210a with piezoelectric properties can be manufactured through pretreatment.

[0356] According to one embodiment, the pretreatment can involve mixing and drying ceramic raw materials, crystallizing the crystal structure through a calcination (e.g., firing) process, and manufacturing a plate-shaped inorganic material mother substrate 210a by performing at least one molding and sintering process. For example, the plate-shaped inorganic material mother substrate 210a may include piezoelectric ceramics having a perovskite-based crystal structure. The sintering process may use one or more of thermal, pressure, and spark plasma processes. The plate-shaped inorganic material mother substrate 210a may have a first width (e.g., thickness) d1.

[0357] Next, execution can be performed using a plate-shaped inorganic material substrate 210a and a flexible organic material. Figure 20A and Figure 20B The post-processing shown is used to manufacture a piezoelectric composite layer PCL comprising a plurality of inorganic material portions 210 and a plurality of organic material portions 220 disposed between the plurality of inorganic material portions 210.

[0358] The following describes a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) according to an embodiment.

[0359] like Figure 20A As shown, a laminated composite SC comprising a plurality of inorganic material mother substrates 210a and a plurality of organic material layers 220a each disposed between the plurality of inorganic material mother substrates 210a can be provided. For example, the laminated composite SC can be manufactured by repeatedly performing a process of forming an organic material layer 220a having a second width (e.g., thickness) d2 on an inorganic material mother substrate 210a and a process of placing another inorganic material mother substrate 210a on the organic material layer 220a.

[0360] Next, the multiple organic material layers 220a included in the laminated composite SC can be cured using a curing process.

[0361] Next, as Figure 20BAs shown, a film-type piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) can be manufactured by cutting a laminated composite element (SC) to a specific size using a cutting process. In this film-type piezoelectric composite layer (PCL), multiple inorganic material portions 210 cut from each of multiple inorganic material substrates 210a and multiple organic material portions 220 cut from each of multiple organic material layers 220a are arranged alternately. For example, the cutting process can be performed by at least one of wire saw cutting, dicing, blade cutting, laser cutting, stealth cutting, and thermal laser separation (TLS) processes, but the implementation is not limited to these.

[0362] Next, as Figure 20C As shown, a first electrode layer 230 can be formed on the first surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL, and a second electrode layer 240 can be formed on the second surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL opposite to the first surface.

[0363] Next, polarization of each of the plurality of inorganic material portions 210 located in the piezoelectric composite layer PCL can be formed by applying a specific voltage to the first electrode layer 230 and the second electrode layer 240 in a polarization treatment in a specific temperature atmosphere or a temperature atmosphere that can be changed from high temperature to room temperature.

[0364] Next, pads can be formed that connect to each of the first electrode layer 230 and the second electrode layer 240, and a protective film can be formed covering the first electrode layer 230 and the second electrode layer 240, thereby completing the post-processing performed on the flexible vibration module.

[0365] In the method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module according to embodiments of the present disclosure, a film-type piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) can be manufactured by performing a single cutting process on a laminated composite SC comprising a plurality of inorganic material substrates 210a and a plurality of organic material layers 220a each disposed between two adjacent inorganic material substrates 210a. This can simplify the manufacturing process of the piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) or shorten the time spent on manufacturing the piezoelectric composite layer (PCL).

[0366] Figures 21A to 21D This is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0367] Figures 21A to 21D Examples of manufacturing basis Figures 4 to 8 The method of the flexible vibration module is shown in any of the embodiments illustrated in the text. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the components of the flexible vibration module are omitted below. Reference will now be made to... Figures 21A to 21D To describe another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module is described.

[0368] First, a plate-shaped inorganic material substrate with piezoelectric properties can be manufactured through pretreatment. The pretreatment is basically similar to the pretreatment described above. Therefore, its repeated description is omitted.

[0369] Next, execution can be performed using a plate-shaped inorganic material substrate 210a and a flexible organic material. Figures 21A to 21C The post-processing shown is used to manufacture a piezoelectric composite layer PCL comprising a plurality of inorganic material portions 210 and a plurality of organic material portions 220 disposed between the plurality of inorganic material portions 210.

[0370] The following describes a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) according to an embodiment.

[0371] like Figure 21A As shown, multiple inorganic material mother substrates 210a can be stacked sequentially, and multiple inorganic material portions 210 (e.g., inorganic material strips) cut into linear shapes from each of the multiple inorganic material mother substrates 210a can be manufactured by simultaneously cutting the stacked multiple inorganic material mother substrates 210a in units of a specific first width d1 via a cutting process. For example, the cutting process can be performed by at least one of wire saw cutting, dicing, blade cutting, laser cutting, stealth cutting, and thermal laser separation (TLS) processes, but the implementation is not limited to these.

[0372] Next, as Figure 21B As shown, a frame 1000 (e.g., a tray) including openings corresponding to the size of the flexible vibration module can be mounted on a platform. Multiple inorganic material portions 210 can be arranged in the openings of the frame 1000 at specific intervals d2.

[0373] Next, as Figure 21C As shown, organic material can be filled between multiple inorganic material portions 210 located in the opening of the frame 1000. Then, multiple flexible organic material portions 220 can be formed by curing the organic material via a curing process, thereby manufacturing a film-type piezoelectric composite layer PCL in which the multiple organic material portions 220 and the multiple inorganic material portions 210 are arranged alternately along the first direction X.

[0374] Next, the organic material remaining on the film-type piezoelectric composite layer PCL can be removed, and the film-type piezoelectric composite layer PCL with the organic material removed can be unloaded from the frame 1000.

[0375] Next, as Figure 21D As shown, a first electrode layer 230 can be formed on the first surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL, and a second electrode layer 240 can be formed on the second surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL opposite to the first surface.

[0376] Next, polarization of each of the plurality of inorganic material portions 210 located in the piezoelectric composite layer PCL can be formed by applying a specific voltage to the first electrode layer 230 and the second electrode layer 240 in a polarization treatment in a specific temperature atmosphere or a temperature atmosphere that can be changed from high temperature to room temperature.

[0377] Next, pads can be formed that connect to each of the first electrode layer 230 and the second electrode layer 240, and a protective film can be formed covering the first electrode layer 230 and the second electrode layer 240, thereby completing the post-processing performed on the flexible vibration module.

[0378] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module can be used to manufacture a film-type piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) of various sizes by adjusting the interval or distance between a plurality of inorganic material portions 210 in the opening of the frame 1000.

[0379] Figures 22A to 22F This is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0380] Figures 22A to 22F Examples of manufacturing Figure 11 The method for the flexible vibration module is shown below. Therefore, a detailed description of the components of the flexible vibration module is omitted below. Reference will be made to... Figures 22A to 22F To describe another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module is described.

[0381] First, a plate-shaped inorganic material substrate with piezoelectric properties can be manufactured through pretreatment. The pretreatment is basically similar to the pretreatment described above. Therefore, its repeated description is omitted.

[0382] Next, execution can be performed using a plate-shaped inorganic material substrate 210a and a flexible organic material. Figures 22A to 22E The post-processing shown is used to manufacture a piezoelectric composite layer PCL comprising a plurality of inorganic material portions 210 and a plurality of organic material portions 220 disposed between the plurality of inorganic material portions 210.

[0383] The following describes a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric composite layer (PCL) according to an embodiment.

[0384] like Figure 22AAs shown, a single inorganic material mother substrate 210a can be located on a rotatable stage 1100. A cutting device with a cutting path arranged along a second direction Y (e.g., the length direction) can be aligned on the stage 1100. A plurality of first cutting regions CA1 (e.g., cutting regions in the length direction) pre-formed on the inorganic material mother substrate 210a can be aligned along the cutting path of the cutting device by rotating and moving the stage 1100. Next, each of the first cutting regions CA1 of the inorganic material mother substrate 210a aligned along the cutting path can be sequentially cut by the linear movement of the stage 1100 and the first cutting process performed by the cutting device, thereby separating the single inorganic material mother substrate 210a into a plurality of inorganic material mother substrates 210a along the length direction. For example, a single inorganic material mother substrate 210a can be separated (e.g., patterned) into four inorganic material mother substrates 210a through three first cutting processes.

[0385] Next, as Figure 22B As shown, the stage 1100 can rotate 90° (degrees) positively relative to the origin. Then, the first-order second cutting regions CA2 of a plurality of second cutting regions CA2 (e.g., cutting regions in the width direction) pre-formed on the inorganic material mother substrate 210a can be aligned on the cutting path of the cutting device. Subsequently, the second cutting regions CA2 of the inorganic material mother substrate 210a aligned on the cutting path can be cut by the linear movement of the stage 1100 and the second cutting process performed by the cutting device, thereby dividing each of the plurality of inorganic material mother substrates 210a into two inorganic material mother substrates 210a along the width direction. For example, four inorganic material mother substrates 210a obtained by patterning based on the first cutting process can be separated (e.g., patterned) into eight inorganic material mother substrates 210a by a single second cutting process.

[0386] Next, as Figure 22C As shown, the stage 1100 can rotate 45° forward. Then, the first-order third cutting regions CA3 of a plurality of third cutting regions CA3 (e.g., cutting regions in the first diagonal direction) pre-formed on the inorganic material mother substrate 210a can be aligned on the cutting path of the cutting device. Next, each of the third cutting regions CA3 of the inorganic material mother substrate 210a aligned on the cutting path can be sequentially cut by the linear movement of the stage 1100 and the third cutting process performed by the cutting device, thereby dividing each of the plurality of inorganic material mother substrates 210a into two inorganic material mother substrates 210a along the first diagonal direction. For example, eight inorganic material mother substrates 210a obtained by patterning based on the second cutting process can be separated (e.g., patterned) into sixteen inorganic material mother substrates 210a by five third cutting processes.

[0387] Next, as Figure 22D As shown, the stage 1100, which has been rotated 135°, can be rotated 90° in the opposite direction relative to the origin. Then, the first-order fourth cutting regions CA4 of the plurality of fourth cutting regions CA4 (e.g., cutting regions in the second diagonal direction) pre-formed on the inorganic material mother substrate 210a can be aligned on the cutting path of the cutting device. Next, each of the fourth cutting regions CA4 of the inorganic material mother substrate 210a aligned on the cutting path can be cut by the linear movement of the stage 1100 and the fourth cutting process performed by the cutting device, thereby dividing each of the plurality of inorganic material mother substrates 210a into two inorganic material mother substrates 210a along the second diagonal direction, thus ultimately forming a plurality of inorganic material portions 210 with triangular shapes. For example, sixteen inorganic material mother substrates 210a obtained by patterning based on the third cutting process can be separated (e.g., patterned) into thirty-two inorganic material portions 210 by five fourth cutting processes. Four adjacent inorganic material portions 210 of a plurality of inorganic material portions 210 having a triangular shape may be arranged adjacent to each other to form a quadrilateral or square shape (e.g., a square shape), and the vertices of the four adjacent inorganic material portions 210 may be arranged adjacent to each other in the central part of the quadrilateral shape.

[0388] In the cutting process performed on the inorganic material mother substrate 210a, the cutting areas CA1 to CA4 of the inorganic material mother substrate 210a can be aligned on the cutting path by the rotation and linear motion of the stage 1100, based on the cutting areas CA1 to CA4 defined on the inorganic material mother substrate 210a and the cutting path of the cutting equipment. By repeatedly cutting the aligned cutting areas CA1 to CA4 of the inorganic material mother substrate 210a, the inorganic material mother substrate 210a can be finally separated (e.g., patterned) into a plurality of inorganic material portions 210 having triangular shapes. Therefore, a single inorganic material mother substrate 210a can be patterned into a plurality of inorganic material portions 210 by a first cutting process along the length direction, a second cutting process along the width direction, a third cutting process along the first diagonal direction, and a fourth cutting process along the second diagonal direction. The cutting process performed on the inorganic material mother substrate 210a can form inorganic material portions with various shapes, thereby enhancing the design freedom of the shape of the inorganic material portions.

[0389] Next, as Figure 22EAs shown, a frame 1200 including openings corresponding to the size of the flexible vibration module can be located on a platform 1100. Organic material can be filled between two adjacent inorganic material portions 210 and between each of the inorganic material portions 210 and the opening of the frame 1200. The flexible organic material portions 220 can be formed by curing the organic material via a curing process, thereby manufacturing a film-type piezoelectric composite layer PCL including a plurality of inorganic material portions 210, each having a triangular shape and spaced apart from each other, and an organic material portion 220 surrounding each of the plurality of inorganic material portions 210.

[0390] Next, the organic material remaining on the film-type piezoelectric composite layer PCL can be removed, and the film-type piezoelectric composite layer PCL with the organic material removed can be unloaded from the frame 1200.

[0391] Next, as Figure 22F As shown, a first electrode layer 230 can be formed on the first surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL, and a second electrode layer 240 can be formed on the second surface of the piezoelectric composite layer PCL opposite to the first surface.

[0392] Next, polarization of each of the plurality of inorganic material portions 210 located in the piezoelectric composite layer PCL can be formed by applying a specific voltage to the first electrode layer 230 and the second electrode layer 240 in a polarization treatment in a specific temperature atmosphere or a temperature atmosphere that can be changed from high temperature to room temperature.

[0393] Next, pads can be formed that connect to each of the first electrode layer 230 and the second electrode layer 240, and a protective film can be formed covering the first electrode layer 230 and the second electrode layer 240, thereby completing the post-processing performed on the flexible vibration module.

[0394] As another example, such as Figure 12 As shown, the cutting process of a single inorganic material mother substrate 210a can cut a single inorganic material mother substrate 210a. Therefore, six adjacent inorganic material portions 210 having a triangular shape can be arranged into a hexagonal shape.

[0395] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module can be used to pattern a single inorganic material mother substrate 210a into a plurality of inorganic material portions 210 having triangular shapes by utilizing a cutting process and rotation of the bench 1100. Therefore, inorganic material portions with various shapes can be formed, thereby enhancing the design freedom of the inorganic material portions' shapes.

[0396] Figure 23It is a graph showing the experimental results of sound pressure characteristics based on the presence or absence of a display panel having a flexible vibration module provided according to the first embodiment and a thin-film speaker provided according to the comparative example.

[0397] exist Figure 23 In the sound pressure level measurement, the Audio Precision APx525 was used, applying a sinusoidal scan from 200Hz to 20kHz, and measuring the sound pressure at a distance of 1cm from the display panel, flexible resonant module, and film speaker. A sinusoidal scan can be a process performed within a short time, but this process is not limited to it. Figure 23 In the diagram, the horizontal axis (x-axis) represents the frequency in Hertz (Hz), and the vertical axis (y-axis) represents the sound pressure level in decibels (dB).

[0398] In the flexible vibration module of the first embodiment, PZT inorganic material portions and PVDF organic material portions, each with a pattern spacing of 10 mm, are formed and fabricated. A top electrode and a bottom electrode are also formed and fabricated, and an OLED display panel manufactured by LG Electronics is used. Furthermore, the flexible vibration module prepared according to the first embodiment is attached to the display panel using double-sided adhesive.

[0399] In the comparative example of the thin-film speaker, Fils' CS-510 was fabricated. A PVDF organic piezoelectric layer was formed, and mesh electrodes were formed above and below the PVDF organic piezoelectric layer to manufacture the CS-510 thin-film speaker. For example, the electrodes may include poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), but the embodiments are not limited thereto. In addition, the thin-film speaker was attached to the OLED display panel of the first embodiment using double-sided adhesive.

[0400] Reference Figure 23 Before the flexible vibration module is attached to the display panel, compared to the flexible vibration module prepared according to the first embodiment of this disclosure (as shown by the thick dashed line), it can be seen that the thin-film speaker prepared according to the comparative example (as shown by the thick solid line) outputs a good sound pressure level in the high frequency band. However, after the flexible vibration module is attached to the OLED display panel, compared to the display device of the comparative example (as shown by the thin solid line), it can be seen that the display device prepared according to the first embodiment of this disclosure outputs a sound pressure level that is about 15 dB to about 20 dB higher in all audible frequency bands (as shown by the thin dashed line). The audible frequency band can be, for example, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, but its range is not limited to this.

[0401] Therefore, when a display device including the flexible vibration module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is placed on the rear surface of the display panel and the display panel is vibrated to output sound to the front area in front of the display panel, experimental results show that the display device including the flexible vibration module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure performs better than the thin-film speaker of the comparative example. Furthermore, when the thin-film speaker of the comparative example is applied to a display device, it can be seen that the thin-film speaker of the comparative example cannot achieve the desired sound output of the display device.

[0402] Figure 24 It is a graph showing the experimental results of the sound pressure characteristics of an organic light-emitting diode display panel to which a flexible vibration module according to the first to third embodiments of the present disclosure is attached.

[0403] exist Figure 24 In the sound pressure measurement, the Audio Precision APx525 was used, applying a sinusoidal scan from 200Hz to 20kHz, and the sound pressure was measured at a position 1cm away from the display panel, flexible vibration module, and thin-film speaker. Figure 24 In the diagram, the horizontal axis (x-axis) represents the frequency in Hertz (Hz), and the vertical axis (y-axis) represents the sound pressure level in decibels (dB).

[0404] like Figure 24 As shown, and (as indicated by the dashed line) attached to it. Figure 4 Compared to the display panel of the flexible vibration module according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure shown, it can be seen (as indicated by the thin solid line) that it is attached with Figure 6 The display panel of the flexible vibration module according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown, outputs a good sound pressure level in the high-pitched vocal cords. Furthermore, compared to the display panel of the first embodiment of the present disclosure (as shown by the dashed line), which has the flexible vibration module of the present disclosure attached thereto, it can be seen that (as shown by the thick solid line), the display panel of the first embodiment of the present disclosure has the flexible vibration module attached thereto. Figure 7 The display panel of the flexible vibration module according to the third embodiment of this disclosure, as shown, outputs high sound pressure levels in the low-pitched and high-pitched sound bands, and outputs a high sound pressure level of approximately 10 dB across all audible frequency bands. Furthermore, compared to the display panel of the second embodiment of this disclosure (as shown by the thin solid line), which has the flexible vibration module of this disclosure attached thereto, it can be seen that (as shown by the thick solid line), the display panel of the second embodiment of this disclosure has the flexible vibration module attached thereto... Figure 7 The display panel of the flexible vibration module according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure outputs a sound pressure level of about 5 dB to about 10 dB in the mid-to-low pitch band.

[0405] Therefore, in the flexible vibration module according to this disclosure, experimental results show that when the size of the inorganic material portion increases compared to the content of the same inorganic material portion, the sound pressure characteristics of the high-pitched vocal cord sound improves. Furthermore, it can be seen that when the size of each of the organic and inorganic material portions increases compared to the content of the same inorganic material portion, the sound pressure characteristics improve across all audible frequencies. Therefore, in a display device including the flexible vibration module according to this disclosure, the size of each of the organic and inorganic material portions can be adjusted based on the sound pressure characteristics of the vocal cords to be achieved through vibration of the display panel. Therefore, the desired sound of the vocal cords can be easily achieved according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0406] Figure 25 It is a graph showing the experimental results of the sound pressure characteristics of an organic light-emitting diode display panel to which a flexible vibration module according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present disclosure is attached.

[0407] exist Figure 25 In the sound pressure measurement, an Audio Precision APx525 was used, applying a sine sweep from 200Hz to 20kHz, and the sound pressure was measured at a position 1cm away from the display panel, flexible vibration module, and film speaker. Figure 25 In the diagram, the horizontal axis (x-axis) represents the frequency in Hertz (Hz), and the vertical axis (y-axis) represents the sound pressure level in decibels (dB).

[0408] like Figure 25 As shown, and (as indicated by the dashed line) according to Figure 4 Compared to the flexible vibration module of the first embodiment of this disclosure shown in the figure, it can be seen that (as shown by the solid line) according to Figure 8 The flexible vibration module of the fourth embodiment of this disclosure shown outputs a sound pressure level in the vocal cords at 300 Hz or higher and solves the problem of sound pressure drop occurring from about 300 Hz to about 1 kHz, thereby improving the flatness of the sound pressure level.

[0409] Therefore, the experimental results show that the bending display device using the flexible vibration module according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure achieves flat sound pressure characteristics and high sound pressure level in the vocal tract at 300 Hz or higher due to the organic material portion having a wide dimension (e.g., width) in the stress concentration area and a narrow dimension (e.g., width) in the stress reduction or minimization area.

[0410] The flexible vibration module according to embodiments of this disclosure can be applied as a sound generating device disposed in a display device. The display device according to embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to mobile devices, video phones, smartwatches, watch phones, wearable devices, foldable devices, rollable devices, bendable devices, flexible devices, bending devices, electronic notebooks, e-books, portable multimedia players (PMPs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), electronic notebooks, desktop personal computers (PCs), laptops, netbooks, workstations, navigation devices, car navigation devices, car display devices, televisions (TVs), wallpaper display devices, signage devices, game consoles, laptop computers, monitors, cameras, portable video cameras, home appliances, etc. Furthermore, the flexible vibration module according to embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to organic light-emitting lighting devices or inorganic light-emitting lighting devices. When the flexible vibration module according to this disclosure is applied to a lighting device, the flexible vibration module can be used as both a light source and a speaker. Additionally, when the flexible vibration module according to this disclosure is applied to a mobile device, the flexible vibration module can be used as a speaker or a receiver.

[0411] The following describes a display device including a flexible vibration module and a method for manufacturing the flexible vibration module according to the present disclosure.

[0412] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device includes a display panel configured to display an image; and a flexible vibration module located on a rear surface of the display panel, the flexible vibration module being configured to vibrate the display panel, wherein the flexible vibration module may include: a plurality of first portions having piezoelectric properties; and a plurality of second portions respectively located between each pair of first portions of the plurality of first portions, the plurality of second portions being flexible.

[0413] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of first portions may comprise a non-flexible inorganic material, and each of the plurality of second portions may comprise a flexible organic material.

[0414] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of first portions may comprise at least one of an organic piezoelectric material and an organic non-piezoelectric material. For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible organic material may be configured to absorb impacts applied to the flexible vibration module or to the display device.

[0415] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions may be located side by side on the same plane, and the size of each of the plurality of first portions may be the same as or different from the size of each of the plurality of second portions.

[0416] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of first portions may have a shape selected from linear, circular, oval, triangular and polygonal.

[0417] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions may be arranged side by side on the same plane, and the size of each successive second portion of the plurality of second portions may be reduced compared to the previous one of the plurality of second portions in the direction from the center portion to the peripheral portion of the flexible vibration module.

[0418] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second portion having the largest size among the plurality of second portions may be located in the central portion of the flexible vibration module.

[0419] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of first portions may have a triangular shape and may be adjacent to another of the plurality of first portions to form a 2N-angle shape, where N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2.

[0420] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible vibration module may include: a first piezoelectric composite layer, the first piezoelectric composite layer including a first group of the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions; a common electrode located on the first piezoelectric composite layer; and a second piezoelectric composite layer located on the common electrode, the second piezoelectric composite layer including a second group of the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions.

[0421] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of first portions on the second piezoelectric composite layer may overlap with a corresponding second portion of the plurality of second portions on the first piezoelectric composite layer; or may overlap with a corresponding first portion of the plurality of first portions on the first piezoelectric composite layer.

[0422] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the display panel may include: a display area configured to display an image; and a non-display area surrounding the display area, and the size of the flexible vibration module may be 0.9 to 1.1 times the size of the display area.

[0423] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the display panel may include a display area configured to display an image; and the flexible vibration module may include: a first vibration module located in a first region of the display area, the first vibration module including a first group of the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions; and a second vibration module located in a second region of the display area, the second vibration module including a second group of the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions.

[0424] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible vibration module may further include: a third vibration module, which is alternately disposed with the first vibration module in the first region of the display area, the third vibration module including a third group of the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions; and a fourth vibration module, which is alternately disposed with the second vibration module in the second region of the display area, the fourth vibration module including a fourth group of the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions.

[0425] For example, a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include: a first plate located between the third vibration module and the display panel; and a second plate located between the fourth vibration module and the display panel.

[0426] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of first portions may have a triangular shape and may be arranged adjacent to another of the plurality of first portions to form a 2N-angle shape, where N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2.

[0427] For example, a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include: another flexible vibration module located on the rear surface of the display panel, the other flexible vibration module being configured to vibrate the display panel, the display panel including: a first region, a second region, and a separator configured to divide the first region and the second region, the flexible vibration module being located in the first region, and the other flexible vibration module being located in the second region. For example, a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include: a third flexible vibration module and a fourth flexible vibration module located on the rear surface of the display panel, each of the third and fourth flexible vibration modules being configured to vibrate the display panel, the third flexible vibration module being located in the first region and being diagonally disposed relative to the first flexible vibration module, and the fourth flexible vibration module being located in the second region and being diagonally disposed relative to the second flexible vibration module.

[0428] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a display device may include: a flexible display panel capable of being spirally rolled, unfolded, or having a specific radius of curvature, the flexible display panel including a display area configured to display an image, and a flexible vibration module located on the rear surface of the flexible display panel corresponding to the display area, and bending based on the unfolding or rolling of the display panel or based on the curvature of the flexible display panel, the flexible vibration module including: a plurality of vibrating portions and a plurality of elastic portions, the plurality of elastic portions being respectively located between each pair of vibrating portions, the plurality of elastic portions being flexible.

[0429] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of vibrating portions may comprise a non-flexible inorganic material having piezoelectric properties, and each of the plurality of elastic portions may comprise a flexible material, the flexible material including at least one of organic piezoelectric materials and organic non-piezoelectric materials. For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible material may be configured to absorb impacts applied to the flexible vibration module or to the display device.

[0430] For example, in a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of vibrating portions and the plurality of elastic portions may be arranged side by side on the same plane, and the size of each of the plurality of vibrating portions may be the same as or different from the size of each of the plurality of elastic portions.

[0431] For example, a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include: another flexible vibration module located on the rear surface of the flexible display panel to correspond to the display area and to bend based on the unfolding or rolling of the flexible display panel or based on the curvature of the flexible display panel, wherein the flexible display panel may include: a first region, a second region, and a separator configured to divide the first region and the second region, the flexible vibration module may be located in the first region, and the other flexible vibration module may be located in the second region.

[0432] For example, the display device according to embodiments of the present disclosure may further include: a third flexible vibration module and a fourth flexible vibration module, the third flexible vibration module and the fourth flexible vibration module being located on the rear surface of the flexible display panel to correspond to the display area and being bent based on the unfolding or rolling of the flexible display panel or based on the curvature of the flexible display panel, the third flexible vibration module being located in the first region and being diagonally disposed relative to the other flexible vibration module, and the fourth flexible vibration module being located in the second region and being diagonally disposed relative to the other flexible vibration module.

[0433] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a method for manufacturing a flexible vibration module may include the following steps: manufacturing a piezoelectric composite comprising a plurality of inorganic material portions and a plurality of organic material portions connected between the plurality of inorganic material portions, based on an inorganic material substrate having piezoelectric properties and a flexible organic material; forming a first electrode layer on a first surface of the piezoelectric composite and forming a second electrode layer on a second surface of the piezoelectric composite; applying a voltage to the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer in a temperature atmosphere to form polarization of each of the plurality of inorganic material portions; and forming a protective film on each of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer.

[0434] For example, in a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of inorganic material portions may have a triangular shape and may be adjacent to another of the plurality of inorganic material portions to form a 2N-angle shape, where N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2.

[0435] For example, in a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the step of manufacturing the piezoelectric composite may include the following steps: manufacturing a laminated composite by repeating the following processes: forming a flexible organic material layer on the inorganic material substrate; and laminating another inorganic material substrate on the flexible organic material layer; curing the flexible organic material layer laminated on the laminated composite; and cutting the laminated composite to a certain size to manufacture the piezoelectric composite having a film, wherein each inorganic material substrate may include a non-flexible material.

[0436] For example, in a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the step of manufacturing the piezoelectric composite may include: cutting the inorganic material mother substrate to a predetermined size to manufacture the plurality of inorganic material portions; arranging the plurality of inorganic material portions at predetermined intervals in an opening provided in a frame; and filling the plurality of inorganic material portions with organic material and curing the organic material to form a plurality of organic material portions.

[0437] For example, in a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the step of manufacturing the piezoelectric composite may include: placing the inorganic material mother substrate on a rotatable stage; aligning the cutting areas of the inorganic material mother substrate with the cutting paths of the cutting equipment by rotation and linear motion of the rotatable stage based on a plurality of cutting areas defined in the inorganic material mother substrate and the cutting paths of the cutting equipment, and patterning the inorganic material mother substrate into the plurality of inorganic material portions by sequentially cutting the aligned cutting areas of the inorganic material mother substrate; placing a frame including an opening on the rotatable stage; and filling the spaces between the plurality of inorganic material portions and between each of the plurality of inorganic material portions and the openings of the frame with an organic material and curing the organic material to form the plurality of organic material portions.

[0438] For example, in a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of cutting regions may include: a plurality of length-direction cutting regions; a width-direction cutting region; a plurality of first diagonal-direction cutting regions; and a plurality of second diagonal-direction cutting regions, and the cutting process may include the following processes: a first cutting process cutting each of the plurality of length-direction cutting regions; a second cutting process cutting the width-direction cutting region; a third cutting process cutting each of the plurality of first diagonal-direction cutting regions; and a fourth cutting process cutting each of the plurality of second diagonal-direction cutting regions.

[0439] The features, structures, and effects described above in this disclosure are included in at least one embodiment of this disclosure, but are not limited to only one embodiment. Furthermore, the features, structures, and effects described in at least one embodiment of this disclosure can be implemented by combining or modifying other embodiments by those skilled in the art. Therefore, anything associated with combinations and modifications should be interpreted as being within the scope of this disclosure.

[0440] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to this disclosure without departing from the technical spirit or scope thereof. Therefore, embodiments of this disclosure may be intended to cover modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0441] Cross-references to related applications

[0442] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0096924, filed on August 20, 2018, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0037499, filed on March 29, 2019, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A display device, the display device comprising: A display panel configured to display images; The rear structure located on the rear surface of the display panel; A flexible vibration module located on the rear surface of the display panel, the flexible vibration module being configured to cause the display panel to vibrate; and The gap space between the flexible vibration module and the rear structure. The flexible vibration module includes: Multiple first parts that have piezoelectric properties and are spaced apart from each other; and A plurality of second portions, each located between pairs of first portions, are flexible. The rear structure does not contact the flexible vibration module. The rear structure includes a rear cover and a side cover. The rear cover covers the entire rear surface of the display panel, and a gap space exists between the rear cover and the entire rear surface of the display panel. Each of the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions has an outer surface parallel to the rear surface of the display panel, and the outer surface of each of the plurality of first portions is parallel to the outer surface of each of the plurality of second portions.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the plurality of first portions comprises a non-flexible inorganic material; and Each of the plurality of second parts includes a flexible organic material.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein, Each of the plurality of second parts includes at least one of organic piezoelectric materials and organic non-piezoelectric materials.

4. The display device according to claim 2, wherein, The flexible organic material is configured to absorb impacts applied to the flexible vibration module or the display device.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein: The outer surface of each of the plurality of first portions and the outer surface of each of the plurality of second portions are located side by side on the same plane, and The size of each of the plurality of first parts is the same as or different from the size of each of the plurality of second parts.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the plurality of first parts has one of the following shapes: linear, circular, oval, triangular, and polygonal.

7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein: The outer surface of each of the plurality of first portions and the outer surface of each of the plurality of second portions are located side by side on the same plane; and In the direction from the center portion to the periphery of the flexible vibration module, the size of each successive second portion of the plurality of second portions is reduced compared to the previous second portion of the plurality of second portions.

8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein, The second part with the largest size among the plurality of second parts is located in the central part of the flexible vibration module.

9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the plurality of first parts has a triangular shape and is adjacent to another of the plurality of first parts to form a 2N-angle shape, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2.

10. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The flexible vibration module includes: A first piezoelectric composite layer, the first piezoelectric composite layer comprising the plurality of second portions and a first group of the plurality of first portions; The common electrode on the first piezoelectric composite layer; and The second piezoelectric composite layer on the common electrode includes the plurality of second portions and a second group of the plurality of first portions.

11. The display device according to claim 10, wherein, Each of the plurality of first portions on the second piezoelectric composite layer: They respectively overlap with the corresponding second portions of the plurality of second portions on the first piezoelectric composite layer; or Each overlaps with the corresponding first portion among the plurality of first portions on the first piezoelectric composite layer.

12. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The flexible vibration module includes: A first electrode layer located on the first surface of the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions; and A second electrode layer located on a second surface of the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions, which is different from the first surface of the plurality of first portions and the plurality of second portions.

13. The display device according to claim 12, wherein, The flexible vibration module also includes a first protective film located on the first electrode layer.

14. The display device according to claim 13, wherein, The flexible vibration module also includes a second protective film located on the second electrode layer.

15. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The display panel includes: The display area configured to display the image; and The non-display area surrounding the display area, and The size of the flexible vibration module is 0.9 to 1.1 times the size of the display area.

16. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The display panel includes a display area configured to display the image; and The flexible vibration module includes: A first vibration module located in a first region of the display area, the first vibration module comprising the plurality of second parts and a first group of the plurality of first parts; and A second vibration module located in a second region of the display area, the second vibration module comprising the plurality of second parts and a second group of the plurality of first parts.

17. The display device according to claim 16, wherein: The flexible vibration module also includes: A third vibration module, alternately arranged with the first vibration module in the first region of the display area, the third vibration module comprising the plurality of second parts and a third group of the plurality of first parts; and A fourth vibration module is alternately arranged with the second vibration module in the second region of the display area. The fourth vibration module includes a fourth group of the plurality of second parts and the plurality of first parts.

18. The display device according to claim 17, further comprising: The first plate is located between the third vibration module and the display panel; and The second plate is located between the fourth vibration module and the display panel.

19. The display device according to claim 16, wherein, Each of the plurality of first parts has a triangular shape and is arranged adjacent to another of the plurality of first parts to form a 2N-angle shape, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2.

20. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising: Another flexible vibration module is located on the rear surface of the display panel, the other flexible vibration module being configured to vibrate the display panel. The display panel includes: First area; The second region; and The separator between the first region and the second region The flexible vibration module is located in the first region, and The other flexible vibration module is located in the second region.

21. The display device according to claim 20, further comprising: A third flexible vibration module and a fourth flexible vibration module are located on the rear surface of the display panel, each of the third flexible vibration module and the fourth flexible vibration module being configured to vibrate the display panel. The third flexible vibration module is located in the first region and is diagonally arranged with respect to the flexible vibration module. The fourth flexible vibration module is located in the second region and is diagonally arranged with respect to the other flexible vibration module.

22. A display device, the display device comprising: A flexible display panel capable of being rolled into a spiral shape, unfolded, or having a certain radius of curvature, the flexible display panel including a display area configured to display an image; The rear structure located on the rear surface of the flexible display panel; A flexible vibration module is located on the rear surface of the flexible display panel to correspond to the display area and bends based on the unfolding or rolling of the flexible display panel or based on the curvature of the flexible display panel. and The gap space between the flexible vibration module and the rear structure. The flexible vibration module includes: Multiple vibrating parts spaced apart from each other; and Multiple elastic portions, each located between pairs of vibrating portions, are flexible. The rear structure does not contact the flexible vibration module. The rear structure includes a rear cover and a side cover. The rear cover covers the entire rear surface of the display panel, and a gap exists between the rear cover and the entire rear surface of the display panel. The plurality of vibrating portions and the plurality of elastic portions each have an outer surface parallel to the rear surface of the flexible display panel, and the outer surface of each of the plurality of vibrating portions is parallel to the outer surface of each of the plurality of elastic portions.

23. The display device according to claim 22, wherein: Each of the plurality of vibrating components comprises a non-flexible inorganic material with piezoelectric properties; and Each of the plurality of elastic portions includes a flexible material, the flexible material including at least one of organic piezoelectric materials and organic non-piezoelectric materials.

24. The display device according to claim 23, wherein, The flexible material is configured to absorb impacts applied to the flexible vibration module or the display device.

25. The display device according to claim 22, wherein: The outer surface of each of the plurality of vibrating parts and the outer surface of each of the plurality of elastic parts are located side by side on the same plane; and The size of each of the plurality of vibrating parts may be the same as or different from the size of each of the plurality of elastic parts.

26. The display device according to any one of claims 22 to 25, further comprising: Another flexible vibration module is located on the rear surface of the flexible display panel to correspond to the display area and bends based on the unfolding or rolling of the flexible display panel or based on the curvature of the flexible display panel. The flexible display panel includes: First area; The second region; and The separator between the first region and the second region The flexible vibration module is located in the first region, and The other flexible vibration module is located in the second region.

27. The display device according to claim 26, further comprising: A third flexible vibration module and a fourth flexible vibration module are located on the rear surface of the flexible display panel to correspond to the display area and are bent based on the unfolding or rolling of the flexible display panel or based on the curvature of the flexible display panel. The third flexible vibration module is located in the first region and is diagonally arranged with respect to the flexible vibration module. The fourth flexible vibration module is located in the second region and is diagonally arranged with respect to the other flexible vibration module.

28. The display device according to claim 27, further comprising: The first plate located between the third flexible vibration module and the flexible display panel; and The second plate is located between the fourth flexible vibration module and the flexible display panel.

Images