Display module and display device

Abstract

The application provides a display module and a display device, and belongs to the technical field of display, which comprises a support plate and a flexible display panel arranged on one side of the support plate, the support plate comprises a bending area and non-bending areas located on both sides of the bending area; a hinge structure is arranged on the side of the support plate away from the flexible display panel, and the hinge structure is located in the bending area of the support plate; a protective layer is arranged on the side of the flexible display panel away from the support plate, and the two sides of the protective layer and the positions corresponding to the hinge structure are provided with extension parts, and the ends of the extension parts away from the protective layer are bent to the side of the support plate away from the flexible display panel, and the extension parts wrap at least part of the hinge structure. Through the display module and the display device provided by the application, the situation that foreign particles invade the bending area of the display product can be reduced, so that the service life of the display product is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of display technology, and more specifically, to a display module and a display device. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of display products, the market share of foldable display products is gradually expanding. Foldable display products are usually bent through the hinge structure in their own modules. The bending area of ​​foldable display products can be bent tens of thousands of times during use. Once foreign particles enter this location, it will not only affect the folding life of the display product, but also may damage the module in the bending area, leading to product failure. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application aims to provide a display module and display device, which reduces the occurrence of foreign particles entering the bending area of ​​the display product, thereby improving the service life of the display product.

[0004] The first aspect of this application provides a display module, including:

[0005] A support plate and a flexible display panel disposed on one side of the support plate, the support plate including a bending area and non-bending areas located on both sides of the bending area;

[0006] A hinge structure is disposed on the side of the support plate away from the flexible display panel, and the orthographic projection of the hinge structure on the support plate is located within the bending area of ​​the support plate.

[0007] A protective layer is disposed on the side of the flexible display panel away from the support plate. The protective layer has extensions on both sides along the second direction and corresponding to the position of the hinge structure. In the bent state, the end of the extension away from the protective layer is bent to the side of the support plate away from the flexible display panel, and the extension wraps at least part of the hinge structure.

[0008] The second direction is perpendicular to the direction of the bending center line of the display module, and the second direction is perpendicular to the light emission direction of the flexible display panel.

[0009] Optionally, the protective layer has a dimension of less than or equal to 0.05 mm in the light-emitting direction of the flexible display panel.

[0010] Optionally, the extension has a dimension of 4 mm or more in the first direction, and is less than half the dimension of the display module in the first direction;

[0011] The first direction is parallel to the direction of the bending center line of the display module.

[0012] Optionally, the extension has a dimension greater than or equal to 8 mm in the second direction, and is smaller than the dimension of the display module in the second direction.

[0013] Optionally, the shape of the extension includes rectangular, square, and elliptical.

[0014] Optionally, the protective layer may be made of a flexible material.

[0015] Optionally, the support plate is provided with an outward expansion portion corresponding to the position of the extension portion. The outward expansion portion extends along a first direction. After the extension portion is bent, it wraps around the outward expansion portion. A sealing adhesive layer is provided between the extension portion and the outward expansion portion.

[0016] Optionally, the dimension of the outward expansion in the first direction is greater than or equal to 2 mm and less than or equal to 4 mm.

[0017] Optionally, the protective layer is integrally formed with the extension.

[0018] A second aspect of this application provides a display device, including a display module as provided in the first aspect of this application.

[0019] Beneficial effects:

[0020] This application provides a display module and display device. A support plate and a flexible display panel located on one side of the support plate are provided. A hinge structure is provided on the side of the support plate away from the flexible display panel, while a protective layer is provided on the side of the flexible display panel away from the support plate. Extensions are provided on both sides of the protective layer corresponding to the positions of the hinge structure. One end of the extension is bent to the side of the support plate away from the flexible display panel, and the extension encloses at least a portion of the hinge structure. In this way, the extensions can protect the hinge structure, reducing the occurrence of foreign objects intruding into the hinge structure, thereby preventing damage to the display module and extending the service life of the display product. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a planar structure of a display module according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure at section B-B';

[0024] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure at section C-C';

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a display module after bending, according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a partial structural diagram of a display module after bending, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 10, support plate; 101, outward extension; 20, flexible display panel; 30, hinge structure; 40, protective layer; 401, extension; A1, bending area; A2, non-bending area; X, first direction; Y, second direction. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0029] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this application discloses a display module, which includes a support plate 10, a flexible display panel 20, a hinge structure 30, and a protective layer 40.

[0030] Specifically, the support plate 10 is a structure in the display module used to support the flexible display panel 20. Furthermore, when the display module requires bending, the support plate 10 can also bend along with the flexible display panel 20. Therefore, the support plate 10 includes a bending region A1 and non-bending regions A2 located on both sides of the bending region A1. The support plate 10 can be bent through the bending region A1. The material of the support plate 10 is generally a metal material, such as stainless steel or aluminum alloy.

[0031] A flexible display panel 20 is disposed on one side of a support plate 10. The flexible display panel 20 emits light to display image content. The flexible display panel 20 may include a back sheet layer, a panel layer, and a cover sheet layer stacked together. The back sheet layer is connected to the support plate 10 via an adhesive film layer. The panel layer is the main part of the flexible display panel 20 that emits light, and the panel layer is connected to the cover sheet layer via a connecting adhesive layer. The flexible display panel 20 can be an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display panel, a QLED (Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes) display panel, or a Micro-LED (Micro Light-Emitting Diode) display panel. In this embodiment, the flexible display panel 20 is an OLED display panel.

[0032] Reference Figure 2 As shown, the hinge structure 30 is located on the side of the support plate 10 away from the flexible display panel 20, and the hinge structure 30 is located within the bending region A1 of the support plate 10. The hinge structure 30 may include a pivot (not shown in the figure) and a mounting part (not shown in the figure) connected to the pivot. The mounting part is connected to the non-bending region A2 of the support plate 10. When the mounting part rotates with the pivot, it can drive the non-bending region A2 to move around the bending region A1. In this way, the support plate 10 can be bent through the hinge structure 30, and the flexible display panel 20 can be bent, thereby realizing the folding of the entire display module.

[0033] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the protective layer 40 is disposed on the side of the flexible display panel 20 away from the support plate 10, and the shape and size of the protective layer 40 itself are consistent with those of the support plate 10 and the flexible display panel 20. Extensions 401 are provided on both sides of the protective layer 40 along the second direction Y, corresponding to the positions of the hinge structure 30. The extensions 401 extend along the first direction X in a direction away from the protective layer 40. The size of the extensions 401 in the second direction Y is at least larger than the size of the hinge structure 30 in the second direction Y. That is, in the second direction Y, the orthographic projection of the hinge structure 30 on the first plane is within the orthographic projection range of the extensions 401 on the first plane, where the first plane is a plane parallel to the support plate 10.

[0034] At the same time, refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the end of the extension 401 away from the protective layer 40 is bent to the side of the support plate 10 away from the flexible display panel 20 and connected to the support plate 10, so that the extension 401 encloses at least part of the hinge structure 30. In this way, the extension 401 can protect the end position of the hinge structure 30, thereby reducing the damage to the module caused by foreign objects intruding into the hinge structure 30.

[0035] It should be noted that the first direction X is parallel to the direction of the bending center line of the display module, and the second direction Y is perpendicular to the direction of the bending center line of the display module. Furthermore, the second direction Y is also perpendicular to the light emission direction of the flexible display panel. It can be understood that the bending center line is a virtual straight line that remains unchanged in position when the display module is bent.

[0036] In the embodiments of this application, reference is made to Figure 1 As shown, the display module is rectangular in shape. Therefore, the first direction X is the width direction of the display module, and the second direction Y is the length direction of the display module. The area of ​​the extension 401 covering the hinge structure 30 is related to the size of the extension 401 itself. It can be understood that the larger the size of the extension 401 itself, the larger the area of ​​the extension 401 covering the hinge structure 30, and the more effective the protection of the extension 401 for the entire display module.

[0037] In this embodiment, the extension 401 has a dimension greater than or equal to 4 mm in the first direction X, and is less than half the dimension of the display module in the first direction X. The extension 401 also has a dimension greater than or equal to 8 mm in the second direction Y, and is less than the dimension of the display module in the second direction Y. The minimum dimensions of the extension 401 in the first direction X and the second direction Y are based on manufacturing considerations, and can be set by those skilled in the art according to actual needs.

[0038] Furthermore, the protective layer 40 and the extension 401 are integrally formed. Thus, the display module can be flattened and shipped by applying a film to the protective layer 40 onto its surface. Then, during module assembly at the final assembly stage, the extension 401 is bent to the fixed position of the display module's mid-frame or hinge structure 30, thereby forming a closed loop between the hinge structure 30 and the display module in the bent area A1, effectively enclosing the hinge structure 30 and cutting off the path for foreign object intrusion. The bending process of the extension 401 can be achieved using a specially designed fixture based on its shape. The extension 401 is bent and then pressed into place using this fixture.

[0039] The protective layer 40 can be made of a flexible material, such as silicone or epoxy resin, so that it can be bent to fit the display module. The dimension of the protective layer 40 in the light-emitting direction of the flexible display panel 20 is less than or equal to 0.05 mm. The dimension of the protective layer 40 in the light-emitting direction of the flexible display panel 20 can also be understood as the thickness of the protective layer 40, which is also the thickness of the extension 401.

[0040] The shape of the extension 401 can be rectangular, angular, elliptical, or irregular. Irregular shape refers to a shape that allows the extension 401 to adapt to the hinge structure 30 and the middle frame; that is, an irregular shape, such as a combination of square and elliptical shapes. Those skilled in the art can design it according to actual needs. In this embodiment, the extension 401 is rectangular.

[0041] In practical applications, considering assembly tolerances, a gap of about 0.5mm can be reserved between the dimensions of the hinge structure 30 and the dimensions of the display module.

[0042] In one alternative implementation, refer to Figure 5 As shown, this application embodiment also provides a display module in which an extension portion 101 is provided on the support plate 10 at a position corresponding to the extension portion 401.

[0043] Specifically, the outward expansion portion 101 extends along the first direction X in a direction away from the support plate 10. After bending, the extension portion 401 will wrap around the outward expansion portion 101, and a sealant layer is provided between the extension portion 401 and the outward expansion portion 101. The sealant layer can further improve the sealing performance of the bending position of the extension portion 401, thereby improving the blocking effect on foreign particles and reducing the occurrence of foreign object intrusion.

[0044] The outer extension 101 has a dimension greater than or equal to 2 mm and less than or equal to 4 mm in the first direction X; the outer extension 101 has the same dimension in the second direction Y as the extension 401 in the second direction Y.

[0045] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of this application disclose a display device, including any of the display modules described above in the embodiments of this application.

[0046] Specifically, the display device may include computer monitors, televisions, billboards, laser printers with display functions, telephones, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptops, digital cameras, portable camcorders, viewfinders, vehicles, large walls, theater screens, or stadium signs, etc.

[0047] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0048] It should also be noted that, in this document, the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Furthermore, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. Moreover, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or terminal device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or terminal device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the phrase "includes a..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or terminal device that includes the element.

[0049] The technical solutions provided in this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand this application, and the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Furthermore, for those skilled in the art, there will be different forms of changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on this application. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all implementation methods here, and obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A display module, characterized in that, include: A support plate and a flexible display panel disposed on one side of the support plate, the support plate including a bending area and non-bending areas located on both sides of the bending area; A hinge structure is disposed on the side of the support plate away from the flexible display panel, and the orthographic projection of the hinge structure on the support plate is located within the bending area of ​​the support plate. A protective layer is disposed on the side of the flexible display panel away from the support plate. The protective layer has extensions on both sides along a second direction, corresponding to the positions of the hinge structure. In a bent state, one end of the extension away from the protective layer is bent to the side of the support plate away from the flexible display panel, and the extension encloses at least a portion of the hinge structure; the extension also encloses the end portion of the hinge structure; wherein the protective layer and the extensions are integrally formed. The second direction is perpendicular to the direction of the bending center line of the display module, and the second direction is perpendicular to the light emission direction of the flexible display panel.

2. The display module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective layer has a dimension of less than or equal to 0.05 mm in the light-emitting direction of the flexible display panel.

3. The display module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The extension has a dimension greater than or equal to 4 mm in the first direction, and is less than half the dimension of the display module in the first direction; The first direction is parallel to the direction of the bending center line of the display module.

4. The display module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The extension has a dimension greater than or equal to 8 mm in the second direction, and is smaller than the dimension of the display module in the second direction.

5. The display module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shape of the extension includes rectangular, square, and elliptical.

6. The display module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective layer is made of flexible materials.

7. The display module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support plate has an outward expansion portion corresponding to the position of the extension portion. The outward expansion portion extends along a first direction. After the extension portion is bent, it wraps around the outward expansion portion. A sealing adhesive layer is provided between the extension portion and the outward expansion portion.

8. The display module according to claim 7, characterized in that: The dimension of the outward expansion in the first direction is greater than or equal to 2 mm and less than or equal to 4 mm.

9. A display device, characterized in that, Includes the display module as described in any one of claims 1-8.

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