Folding screen, display device and preparation method of folding screen

Abstract

The application discloses a folding screen, a display device and a preparation method of the folding screen. The folding screen comprises a bending area and non-bending areas on both sides of the bending area, and comprises a flexible screen body and a supporting layer. The flexible screen body is formed with a pre-bending mark. The pre-bending mark is formed in the bending area. The pre-bending mark comprises a matching bending recess and a bending protrusion. The bending recess is formed on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen body, and the bending protrusion is formed on the back light surface of the screen body. The bending recess has an initial bending depth. The supporting layer is located on the back light side of the flexible screen body. The supporting layer located in the bending area abuts against the pre-bending mark on the flexible screen body, so that the pre-bending mark is lifted up. After the pre-bending mark is lifted up, the bending recess formed on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen body has an assembled bending depth. The assembled bending depth is smaller than the initial bending depth. The above scheme can reduce the bending depth of the folding screen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a folding screen, a display device, and a method for manufacturing a folding screen. Background Art

[0002] With the development of AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology, OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays have shifted from rigid screen substrates to PI (Polyimide) flexible substrates. OLED displays using PI flexible substrates are flexible and can be folded and rolled.

[0003] After repeated bending, OLED displays develop creases in the curved areas. These creases deepen with increasing bending frequency. Minimizing the depth of these creases directly impacts user experience and is a pressing issue for major device manufacturers and screen makers. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a folding screen, a display device, and a method for manufacturing a folding screen to reduce the crease depth of the folding screen.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the technical solutions provided by this application are:

[0006] In a first aspect, a folding screen is provided, which includes a bending area and non-bending areas on both sides of the bending area, and the folding screen includes a flexible screen body and a support layer; the flexible screen body is formed with a pre-bent fold, and the pre-bent fold is formed in the bending area, and the pre-bent fold includes matching fold depressions and fold protrusions, the fold depressions are formed on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen body, and the fold protrusions are formed on the backlight surface of the screen body, and the fold depressions have an initial fold depth; the support layer is located on the backlight side of the flexible screen body, wherein the support layer located in the bending area presses against the pre-bent fold on the flexible screen body to lift up the pre-bent fold, wherein after the pre-bent fold is lifted up, the fold depression formed by the pre-bent fold on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen body has an assembly fold depth, and the assembly fold depth is less than the initial fold depth.

[0007] In a second aspect, a display device is provided, comprising the above-mentioned folding screen.

[0008] In a third aspect, a method for preparing a foldable screen is provided, the method comprising:

[0009] The flexible screen is pre-bent so that a pre-bent crease is formed at the bend of the flexible screen; wherein the pre-bent crease includes a matching crease depression and a crease protrusion, the crease depression is formed on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen, and the crease depression is formed on the backlight surface of the screen;

[0010] Assemble the supporting layer to the backlight side of the flexible screen; wherein, part of the supporting layer presses against the pre-bent crease on the flexible screen to lift up the pre-bent crease, wherein after the pre-bent crease is lifted up, the crease depression formed by the pre-bent crease on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen has an assembly crease depth, and the assembly crease depth is less than the initial crease depth.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this application are:

[0012] The folding screen, display device and method for preparing a folding screen provided in the present application form a pre-bent crease through a flexible screen body, so that the flexible screen body is creased in advance, and then the pre-bent crease is lifted up by a support layer located in the bending area. As long as the crease depth after the pre-bent crease is lifted up, that is, the assembly crease depth is less than the crease depth before the pre-bent crease is lifted up, that is, the initial crease depth, the final crease depth of the folding screen can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can also derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive work, among which:

[0014] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible screen body of the folding screen after multiple folding in the related art;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a folding screen provided by the present application;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible screen body in the folding screen of the present application before assembly;

[0017] Figure 4 It is a process flow chart for forming pre-bending creases on the flexible screen;

[0018] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a process in which a pre-bent crease of a flexible screen is lifted in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the folding screen provided by the present application;

[0020] Figure 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of bends and the depth of the crease in this application;

[0021] Figure 8 This is another schematic diagram of the process in which the pre-bent crease of the flexible screen is lifted in this application;

[0022] Figure 9 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the support layer in the folding screen;

[0023] Figure 10 is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the folding screen provided by the present application;

[0024] Figure 11 yes Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the formation process of the support layer in the folding screen;

[0025] Figure 12 This is a structural diagram of another embodiment of the support layer in the folding screen provided by the present application;

[0026] Figure 13 This is a simplified structural diagram of the flexible screen body and support layer of the folding screen of the present application in the folded state;

[0027] Figure 14 This is a structural diagram of another embodiment of the support layer in the folding screen provided by the present application;

[0028] Figure 15 is a structural schematic diagram of yet another embodiment of the folding screen provided by the present application;

[0029] Figure 16 It is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the method for preparing a folding screen provided in this application.

[0030] Description of reference numerals:

[0031] Flexible screen body 100'; crease 110'; bent and deformed portion 100a'; non-bending portion 100b'; folding screen 10; bending area 10a; inner folding area 10a1; reverse folding area 10a2; non-bending area 10b; flexible screen body 100; light-emitting surface 101; backlight surface 102; pre-bent crease 110; crease depression 111; crease protrusion 112; supporting layer 200; first surface 200a; second surface 200b; through hole 201; groove 202; light-shielding layer 300; screen support assembly 400; middle section 410; side section 420; adhesive backing 500; initial crease depth Dc; assembly crease depth Dz. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0033] References herein to "embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it constitute an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0034] In the field of foldable screens, since foldable screens use a stacked combination of flexible screens, transparent plastic film layers, optical adhesive layers, and thin metal layers, stress and strain (i.e., deformation) are generated under the action of external forces when folded. When the stress does not exceed the elastic limit of the material, the deformation generated is completely eliminated after the external force is removed, and the material returns to its original state. This deformation is a reversible elastic deformation. When the stress exceeds the elastic limit of the material, the deformation generated cannot be completely restored after the external force is removed, and a part of the deformation remains. The material cannot return to its original shape. This residual deformation is irreversible plastic deformation. Therefore, there is a problem of creases in the bending area.

[0035] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of the flexible screen body 100' of the folding screen in the related art after multiple folding is shown. It can be seen that after the folding screen is folded multiple times, the flexible screen body 100' has a bent and deformed part 100a' and a non-bent part 100b'. The flexible screen body 100' is folded and bent at the bent and deformed part 100a', so that after multiple foldings, the bent and deformed part 110' forms a crease 110'. On the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen body 100', the crease 110' is recessed compared to the non-bent part 120'. The recessed depth of the crease 110' is the crease depth D. Currently, most folding screens on the market have a crease depth D of about 100 microns or even 150 microns after multiple folding. How to reduce the crease depth D is a problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0036] In view of this, the present application provides a folding screen. By pre-bending the flexible screen to form a pre-bend crease at the bend, the flexible screen is pre-creased. When the flexible screen and the support layer are assembled, the support layer lifts up the pre-bend crease, thereby reducing the depth of the crease in the flexible screen when the folding screen is folded for use. The following describes how the present application reduces the crease depth of the flexible screen through specific embodiments.

[0037] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 : is a structural diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the folding screen provided in the present application. The folding screen 10 includes a bending area 10a and non-bending areas 10b located on both sides of the bending area 10a. The folding screen 10 can be folded or unfolded along the bending area 10a to achieve the storage of the folding screen 10. The bending area 10a refers to the area where the folding screen 10 can bend and deform during the folding or unfolding process, and the non-bending area 10b refers to the area where the folding screen 10 can not bend and deform during the folding or unfolding process.

[0038] The foldable screen 10 includes a flexible screen 100 and a support layer 200. The flexible screen 100 refers to a display screen that can be deformed and has a display function. For example, the flexible screen 100 can be a flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen. The support layer 200 is used to support the flexible screen 100 to increase the flatness of the flexible screen 100. Based on the supporting function of the support layer 200, it can be understood that the support layer 200 needs to be made of a material with high rigidity, such as metal or other materials with high rigidity.

[0039] The flexible screen body 100 is formed with a pre-bent crease, which is formed in the bending area 10a. The pre-bent crease refers to a crease formed by bending the flexible screen body 100 in advance before the folding screen 10 leaves the factory. Figure 3 The structure diagram of the flexible screen 100 having the pre-bent crease 110 is shown. Specifically, before the flexible screen 100 and the support layer 200 are assembled, the flexible screen 100 can be pre-bent so that the pre-bent crease 110 is formed on the flexible screen 100. Figure 4 The process flow chart of forming the pre-bending crease 110 on the flexible screen 100 is shown. Figure 4 (a) shows the flexible screen 100 before pre-bending. Figure 4(b) shows the flexible screen 100 after the pre-bending process. It can be seen that the flexible screen 100 after the pre-bending process forms a pre-bending crease 110. The meaning of the pre-bending crease 110 is that the flexible screen 100 is pre-bent before being assembled with the support layer 200, that is, the flexible screen 100 is pre-bent. The crease formed at the bend of the flexible screen 100 after the pre-bending process is the pre-bending crease 110.

[0040] The pre-bend crease 110 includes a matching crease depression 111 and a crease protrusion 112. The crease depression 111 is formed on the light-emitting surface 101 of the flexible screen 100, and the crease protrusion 112 is formed on the backlight surface 102 of the screen. The crease depression 111 has an initial crease depth Dc. The initial crease depth Dc refers to the crease depth of the pre-bend crease 110 after the flexible screen 100 is pre-bent to form the pre-bend crease 110.

[0041] See again Figure 2 The support layer 200 is located on the backlight side of the flexible screen 100, wherein the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a abuts against the pre-bent crease 110 on the flexible screen 100, so that the pre-bent crease 110 is lifted up. After the pre-bent crease 110 is lifted up, the crease recess 111 formed by the pre-bent crease 110 on the light-emitting surface 101 of the flexible screen 100 has an assembly crease depth. Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a process in which the pre-bent fold 110 of the flexible screen 100 is lifted up. Figure 5 (a) shows a schematic structural diagram of the flexible screen 100 before the pre-bent fold 110 is lifted up. Figure 5 (b) shows the schematic diagram of the structure after the pre-bent fold 110 of the flexible screen 100 is lifted. The assembly fold depth is less than the initial fold depth Dc. The assembly fold depth can be zero or a value greater than zero. Figure 6 , Figure 6 is a structural diagram of another embodiment of the folding screen provided by this application, Figure 6 Shows the case where the assembly crease depth is greater than zero ( Figure 6 Dz represents the depth of the assembly crease), Figure 2 The case where the assembly crease depth is zero is shown.

[0042] It can be seen that the present application forms a pre-bent crease 110 on the flexible screen body 100, causing the flexible screen body 100 to generate a crease in advance, and then lifts the pre-bent crease 110 through the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a. As long as the crease depth after the pre-bent crease 110 is lifted, that is, the assembly crease depth, is less than the crease depth before the pre-bent crease 110 is lifted, that is, the initial crease depth Dc, the final crease depth of the folding screen 10 can be reduced. The following is a detailed analysis of the principle by which the present application can reduce the final crease depth of the folding screen 10.

[0043] When the flexible screen body 100 is not pre-bent, the structure of the folding screen 10 is obtained by directly assembling the non-pre-bent flexible screen body 100 with the support layer 200. During the folding and use of the folding screen 10, due to the multiple folding and unfolding of the folding screen 10, the flexible screen body 100 will gradually produce creases. However, during the full life cycle of the flexible screen body 100, the early folding has a relatively large impact on the depth of the crease ultimately produced by the flexible screen body 100. For example, the folding number of times the folding screen 10 is folded during its product life cycle is approximately 200,000 to 500,000 times, and a crease depth of approximately 150 microns will eventually be produced. However, of this 150 micron crease depth, approximately 70-80 microns are produced during the first 10,000 folds. This is because it takes time for the polymer material in the flexible screen body 100 to recover after a large deformation, especially the OCA glue in the flexible screen body 100 recovers very slowly. For the OCA (Optically Clear Adhesive) glue in the flexible screen body 100, it will move to both sides of the bending area 10a of the folding screen 10 when bending, and then slowly flow to the bending area 10a after being flattened. The deformation recovery time of this part is relatively long, and it is even accompanied by creep (creep of materials, that is, the tendency to slowly and permanently deform under stress), which is irreversible. After the flexible screen body 100 is bent in the early stage, the irreversible accumulation is very large, and the accumulation of residual deformation in the later stage becomes smaller and smaller. Moreover, after the large deformation of the glue polymer material, the molecules will have a certain orientation, and deformation will be more difficult. Therefore, the influence of the number of bendings in the early stage on the final crease depth of the folding screen 10 is more significant.

[0044] The present application is based on this principle, and thus the flexible screen body 100 is pre-bent before assembly, so that the flexible screen body 100 generates creases in advance, and produces deformation with a long recovery time or even creep. After the flexible screen body 100 and the support layer 200 are assembled to form the folding screen 10, when the folding screen 10 product is folded for use, the crease depth generated by the flexible screen body 100 is the crease depth generated when the flexible screen body 100 is folded later, which is much smaller than the crease depth generated by folding during the entire life cycle of the flexible screen body 100. Therefore, as long as the pre-bent crease 110 is lifted to a certain height by the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a when the flexible screen body 100 and the support layer 200 are assembled, the crease depth during the use of the folding screen 10 product can be achieved to be smaller than the crease depth of the flexible screen body 100 that is assembled without pre-bending treatment.

[0045] Further, see again Figure 2In this embodiment, the depth of the assembly crease is zero. In this embodiment, after the pre-bent crease 110 is lifted by the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a, the light-emitting surface 101 of the flexible screen body 100 of the assembled folding screen 10 is a flat surface without depressions, which does not affect the appearance of the flexible screen body 100 of the assembled folding screen 10 product. It can be understood that in other embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, the assembly crease depth can also be a value greater than zero, but in this case, the folding screen 10 product obtained by assembling the flexible screen body 100 and the support layer 200 still has a certain depression on the light-emitting surface 101 of the flexible screen body 100. Although it does not affect the effect of reducing the final crease depth of the folding screen 10, it will affect the appearance of the folding screen 10 product to a certain extent.

[0046] Furthermore, the initial crease depth Dc is less than or equal to 100 micrometers. Preferably, the initial crease depth Dc may be 70 to 100 micrometers. Exemplarily, the initial crease depth Dc may be 70 micrometers, 75 micrometers, 80 micrometers, 85 micrometers, 90 micrometers, 95 micrometers, or 100 micrometers.

[0047] To achieve the above-mentioned initial crease depth Dc, the number of pre-bending processes on the flexible screen 100 is less than or equal to N; wherein N is an integer ranging from 8000 to 12000, for example, 8000 times, 9000 times, 10000 times, 11000 times or 12000 times. Figure 7 A graph showing the relationship between the number of bends and the crease depth shows that when the number of bends is 2000, the crease depth is approximately 30-32 microns; when the number of bends is 5000, the crease depth is approximately 60-62 microns; when the number of bends is 7500, the crease depth is approximately 65-66 microns; when the number of bends is 10000, the crease depth is approximately 75-76 microns.

[0048] For further information, see Figure 8 , Figure 8This is another schematic diagram of the process in which the pre-bend crease of the flexible screen body in the present application is lifted. In this embodiment, before the pre-bend crease 110 is lifted, the pre-bend crease 110 further extends into the non-bending area 10b. After the pre-bend crease 110 is lifted, the pre-bend crease 110 is located in the bending area 10a. In this embodiment, the pre-bend crease 110 formed after the flexible screen body 100 is pre-bent is further widened, which can make the width of the pre-bend crease 110 greater than the width of the support layer 200 in the bending area 10a, thereby preventing the portion of the flexible screen body 100 outside the pre-bend crease 110 from being pushed up by the support layer 200. That is, when the flexible screen body 100 is pre-bent, its pre-bend radius is greater than the bending radius of the folding screen 10. In other embodiments, the width of the pre-bend fold 110 is at most equal to the width of the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a. This requires the pre-bend fold 110 and the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a to be precisely assembled to avoid the flexible screen 100 being pushed against by the support layer 200 outside the pre-bend fold 110 area.

[0049] For further information, see Figure 9 , Figure 9 yes Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the support layer 200 in the folding screen 10. In this embodiment, since the support layer 200 needs to be folded in the bending area 10a, and the stiffness of the support layer 200 is relatively large, in order to realize the folding function of the support layer 200 in the bending area 10a, the elastic modulus of the support layer 200 in the bending area 10a can be reduced to facilitate folding. When the support layer 200 is made of metal material, for example, the support layer 200 is a steel sheet, the support layer 200 can be provided with a plurality of through holes 201 distributed at intervals in the bending zone 10a. By punching the support layer 200 located in the bending zone 10a, the support layer 200 can be facilitated to fold in the bending zone 10a. The aperture of the through hole 201 and the spacing between adjacent through holes 201 are based on the folding of the support layer 200 in the bending zone 10a. For example, the aperture of the through hole 201 can be 0.1 to 0.2 mm (for example, the aperture of the through hole 201 can be 0.1 mm, 0.15 mm or 0.2 mm, etc.), and the spacing between adjacent through holes 201 can be 0.1 to 0.2 mm (for example, the spacing between adjacent through holes 201 can be 0.1 mm, 0.15 mm or 0.2 mm, etc.). The through holes 201 on the support layer 200 can be formed by mechanical drilling, laser drilling, or etching. It is understood that in other embodiments, the support layer 200 can be made of a material with lower rigidity in the bending region 10a and a material with higher rigidity in the non-bending region 10b, which can also achieve the performance of easily folding the support layer 200 in the bending region 10a.

[0050] Based on the above examples, please refer to Figure 10 , Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of another embodiment of the folding screen 10 provided in the present application. In this embodiment, the folding screen 10 further includes a light-shielding layer 300, which is located on the side of the supporting layer 200 facing away from the flexible screen body 100, wherein the orthographic projection of the light-shielding layer 300 on the flexible screen body 100 covers a plurality of through holes 201. In this embodiment, since the supporting layer 200 located in the bending area 10a is provided with through holes 201, and the through holes 201 will leak light, in order to prevent the light emitted by the flexible screen body 100 from leaking at the through holes 201 of the supporting layer 200, a light-shielding layer 300 is provided to block the through holes 201 of the supporting layer 200. The light-shielding layer 300 can be a light-shielding tape.

[0051] Further, see again Figure 9 In this embodiment, the thickness of the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a is greater than the thickness of the support layer 200 located in the non-bending area 10b. The support layer 200 of this embodiment forms a structure that is thick in the middle and thin on both sides. Since the thickness of the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a is larger, when the support layer 200 is bent, the deformation amplitude of the support layer 200 in the bending area 10a is reduced, which can better support the part of the flexible screen 100 in the bending area 10a, and the crease depth of the flexible screen 100 located in the bending area 10a is further reduced. The thick-in-the-middle and thin-on-the-side morphology of the support layer 200 of this embodiment can be achieved through an etching process. Specifically, the surface of the support layer 200 can be covered with a resist. The thickness of the resist in the thick-in-the-middle part of the support layer 200 is thinner, and the thickness of the resist in the thin-on-the-side parts of the support layer 200 is thicker, thereby forming a thick-in-the-middle and thin-on-the-side morphology of the support layer 200. It is understood that in other embodiments, the support layer 200 may be formed to be thick in the middle and thin at both sides by mechanical processing.

[0052] Figure 11 Schematic diagram showing the formation process of the support layer 200, Figure 11 (a) shows the original state of the support layer 200. Figure 11 (b) shows that the support layer 200 forms a structure with a thick middle and thin sides. Figure 11 Middle (c) shows that the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a is further formed into a structure having a plurality of through holes 201.

[0053] Regarding the thickness of the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a being greater than the thickness of the support layer 200 located in the non-bending area 10b, please refer to Figure 2 、 Figure 9 and Figure 12 , Figure 12 This is a structural diagram of another embodiment of the support layer in the folding screen provided by this application. Figure 2 and Figure 9A first form of the support layer 200 is shown, Figure 12 The second form of the support layer 200 is shown. The surface of the support layer 200 facing away from the flexible screen 100 is defined as the first surface 200a, and the surface of the support layer 200 facing the flexible screen 100 is defined as the second surface 200b. The first surface 200a located in the bending area 10a protrudes from the first surface 200a located in the non-bending area 10b. Figure 2 and Figure 9 In the first form of the support layer 200 shown, the second surface 200b located in the bending area 10a protrudes from the second surface 200b located in the non-bending area 10b. Figure 12 In the second embodiment of the supporting layer 200 , the second surface 200 b located in the bending region 10 a is flush with the second surface 200 b located in the non-bending region 10 b .

[0054] It is understandable that Figure 2 and Figure 9 In the first form shown, the second surface 200b located in the bending area 10a protrudes from the second surface 200b located in the non-bending area 10b, which can make it easier to lift the crease recess 111. The specific height value of the second surface 200b located in the bending area 10a protruding from the second surface 200b located in the non-bending area 10b can be based on the required value of the assembly crease depth of the crease recess 111 after the crease recess 111 is lifted. For example, when the assembly crease depth is required to be zero, The specific height value of the second surface 200b located in the bending area 10a protruding from the second surface 200b located in the non-bending area 10b can be the initial crease depth Dc of the crease recess 111. In this way, after the flexible screen 100 and the support layer 200 are assembled, the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a lifts up the pre-bent crease 110 on the flexible screen 100, so that the assembly crease depth of the crease recess 111 is zero, that is, the light-emitting surface 101 of the flexible screen 100 is a flat surface.

[0055] It should be noted that Figure 2 and Figure 9 In the first embodiment of the support layer 200 shown, the second surface 200b located in the bending region 10a protrudes from the second surface 200b located in the non-bending region 10b. In this embodiment, the thickened region of the support layer 200 may extend to the entire bending region 10a, or may extend to only a portion of the bending region 10a rather than completely extending to the entire bending region 10a. Preferably, the thickened region of the support layer 200 extends to the entire bending region 10a to lift up the entire area of ​​the flexible screen 100 where the crease depression 111 is located as much as possible.

[0056] The thickness of the support layer 200 located in the bending zone 10a can be 120 to 150 microns (for example, the thickness of the support layer 200 located in the bending zone 10a can be 120 microns, 130 microns, 140 microns or 150 microns, etc.), and the thickness of the support layer 200 in the non-bending zone 10b can be 50 to 100 microns (for example, the thickness of the support layer 200 in the non-bending zone 10b can be 50 microns, 60 microns, 70 microns, 80 microns, 90 microns or 100 microns, etc.).

[0057] For further information, see Figure 13 , Figure 13 A simple structural schematic diagram of the flexible screen body 100 and the support layer 200 of the folding screen 10 of the present application in the folded state is shown. It can be seen that the bending area 10a of the folding screen 10 includes an inner folding area 10a1 and a reverse folding area 10a2. The center of the inner folding area 10a1 is located on the inner side of the folding screen 10 after folding, and the center of the reverse folding area 10a2 is located on the outer side of the folding screen 10 after folding. That is, the bending directions of the inner folding area 10a1 and the reverse folding area 10a2 are opposite, which is conducive to the flexible screen bodies 100 in the non-bending areas 10b on both sides of the bending area 10a after the folding screen 10 is folded to be parallel to each other and have a smaller spacing d. Figure 13 R1 represents the bending radius of the inner folding area 10a1, and R2 represents the bending radius of the reverse folding area 10a2.

[0058] Please also refer to Figure 14 , Figure 14 It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the support layer in the folding screen provided by the present application. In this embodiment, the through hole 201 is located in the inner folding area 10a1. In order to facilitate the bending of the support layer 200 located in the inflection area 10a2, a plurality of spaced grooves 202 are provided on the first surface 200a of the support layer 200 located in the inflection area 10a2. The groove width of the groove 202 and the spacing between adjacent grooves 202 can refer to the aperture of the through hole 201 and the spacing between adjacent through holes 201. The specific values ​​of the groove width of the groove 202 and the spacing between adjacent grooves 202 are based on the easy folding of the support layer 200 in the inflection area 10a2.

[0059] The support layer 200 is preferably a non-detachable integral structure, and further preferably an integrally molded structure to increase the strength of the support layer 200 .

[0060] Based on the above examples, please refer to Figure 15 , Figure 15It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the folding screen 10 provided in the present application. The folding screen 10 of this embodiment also includes a screen support component 400. The screen support component 400 is located on the side of the support layer 200 away from the flexible screen body 100. The folding screen 10 of this embodiment includes a flexible screen body 100, a support layer 200 and a screen support component 400. The screen support component 400 is used to provide a folding axis for the folding screen 10, so that the folding screen 10 can be folded and unfolded along a specific position, namely the bending area 10a. The screen support component 400 can be a hinge, for example, it can be a water drop-shaped hinge.

[0061] Specifically, the screen support assembly 400 includes a middle section 410 and side sections 420 movably connected to both sides of the middle section 410. The support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a is arranged corresponding to the middle section 410. The support layer 200 located in the non-bending areas 10b on both sides of the bending area 10a abuts against the side sections 420 on both sides of the middle section 410, respectively, to drive the support layer 200 to fold in the bending area 10a. An adhesive backing 500 is also provided between the screen support assembly 400 and the support layer 200. Specifically, the adhesive backing 500 is provided on the side sections 420 of the screen support assembly 400 and the support layer 200 located in the non-bending area 10b, so that the adhesive backing 500 can be used to fix the side sections 420 of the screen support assembly 400 and the support layer 200 located in the non-bending area 10b.

[0062] Furthermore, the support layer 200 located in the bending region 10a abuts against the middle section 410. Specifically, the first surface 200a of the support layer 200 located in the bending region 10a is arc-shaped, and the center of the middle section 410 abuts against the center of the support layer 200 located in the bending region 10a, so that the screen support assembly 400 supports the flexible screen body 100 and the support layer 200 located in the bending region 10a, further reducing the concavity of the flexible screen body 100 located in the bending region 10a after bending.

[0063] The present application also provides a display device including a foldable screen 10. The specific structure of the foldable screen 10 is similar to the above-mentioned embodiment. Since the present display device adopts all the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiment, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiment, which will not be described in detail here. The display device can be a mobile phone or a laptop computer.

[0064] This application also provides a method for preparing a folding screen, see Figure 16 , Figure 16 : This is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for manufacturing a foldable screen provided by this application. Specifically, the method may include the following steps:

[0065] Step S10: pre-bend the flexible screen so that a pre-bend crease is formed at the bend of the flexible screen; wherein the pre-bend crease includes a matching crease depression and a crease protrusion, the crease depression is formed on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen, and the crease depression is formed on the backlight surface of the screen.

[0066] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 3 The structure of the flexible screen 100 after pre-bending is shown. Figure 4 The figure shows the process of pre-bending the flexible screen 100. After the pre-bending process, the flexible screen 100 forms a pre-bent crease 110, which includes a matching crease depression 111 and a crease protrusion 112. The crease depression 111 is formed on the light-emitting surface 101 of the flexible screen 100, and the crease protrusion 112 is formed on the backlight surface 102 of the screen. The crease depression 111 has an initial crease depth Dc.

[0067] Step S20: Assemble the supporting layer to the backlight side of the flexible screen, wherein part of the supporting layer presses against the pre-bent crease on the flexible screen so that the pre-bent crease 110 is lifted up; wherein, after the pre-bent crease is lifted up, the crease depression formed by the pre-bent crease on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen has an assembly crease depth, and the assembly crease depth is less than the initial crease depth.

[0068] See again Figure 2 and Figure 9 , Figure 9 shows a schematic structural diagram of the support layer 200, Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the structure after the support layer 200 is assembled to the backlight side of the flexible screen 100. The support layer 200 partially abuts the pre-bent crease 110 on the flexible screen 100, causing the pre-bent crease 110 to be lifted. After the pre-bent crease 110 is lifted, the crease depression 111 formed by the pre-bent crease 110 on the light-emitting surface 101 of the flexible screen 100 has an assembly crease depth. The assembly crease depth is less than the initial crease depth and can be zero or a value greater than zero.

[0069] The preparation method of the folding screen provided in the present application is to pre-bend the flexible screen body 100 before assembling the flexible screen body 100 and the support layer 200, so that the flexible screen body 100 forms a pre-bent crease 110, that is, the flexible screen body 100 is creased in advance, and then the pre-bent crease 110 is lifted up by the support layer 200. As long as the crease depth after the pre-bent crease 110 is lifted up, that is, the assembly crease depth is less than the crease depth before the pre-bent crease 110 is lifted up, that is, the initial crease depth, the final crease depth of the folding screen 10 can be reduced.

[0070] Furthermore, the method for preparing the folding screen of this embodiment further includes:

[0071] Step S30: Assemble the screen support assembly on the side of the support layer facing away from the flexible screen body, so that the middle section of the screen support assembly corresponds to the support layer located in the bending area, and the side sections on both sides of the middle section respectively abut against the support layer in the non-bending areas on both sides of the bending area, so as to drive the support layer to fold in the bending area.

[0072] See also Figure 15 The screen support assembly 400 is assembled on the side of the support layer 200 facing away from the flexible screen body 100. The screen support assembly 400 includes a middle section 410 and side sections 420 movably connected to both sides of the middle section 410. The support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a is arranged corresponding to the middle section 410. The support layer 200 located in the non-bending areas 10b on both sides of the bending area 10a abuts against the side sections 420 on both sides of the middle section 410, thereby driving the support layer 200 to fold in the bending area 10a. Furthermore, the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a abuts against the middle section 410. Specifically, the first surface 200a of the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a is arc-shaped, and the center of the middle section 410 abuts against the center of the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a, so that the screen support assembly 400 supports the flexible screen body 100 and the support layer 200 located in the bending area 10a, further reducing the depression of the flexible screen body 100 located in the bending area 10a after bending.

[0073] The above-mentioned step S30 can be performed after step S20 or before step S20, that is, the screen support assembly 400 can be assembled after the flexible screen body 100 and the support layer 200 are assembled, or the support layer 200 and the screen support assembly 400 can be assembled after the flexible screen body 100 is assembled. However, no matter which assembly order is used, the flexible screen body 100 needs to be pre-bent before it is assembled.

[0074] On the basis of the above embodiment, in step S10, the number of bends in the pre-bending process is less than or equal to N; wherein N is an integer in the range of 8000 to 12000. For example, it can be 8000 times, 9000 times, 10000 times, 11000 times or 12000 times. During the pre-bending process, after N bends, the initial crease depth Dc of the pre-bending crease 110 of the flexible screen 100 is less than or equal to 100 microns. Preferably, the initial crease depth Dc can be 70 to 100 microns. Exemplarily, the initial crease depth Dc can be 70 microns, 75 microns, 80 microns, 85 microns, 90 microns, 95 microns or 100 microns.

[0075] The terms "first", "second" and "third" in this application are only used for descriptive purposes and should not be understood as indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined as "first", "second" and "third" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of these features. In the embodiments of the present application, all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back ...) are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement, etc. between the various components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication also changes accordingly. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally also includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally also includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0076] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present application and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A folding screen, characterized in that: The folding screen includes a bending area and non-bending areas on both sides of the bending area, and the folding screen includes: A flexible screen body, wherein the flexible screen body is formed with a pre-bent crease, the pre-bent crease is formed in the bending area, the pre-bent crease includes a matching crease depression and a crease protrusion, the crease depression is formed on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen body, the crease protrusion is formed on the backlight surface of the screen body, and the crease depression has an initial crease depth; A supporting layer is located on the backlight side of the flexible screen, wherein the supporting layer located in the bending area presses against the pre-bent crease on the flexible screen to lift up the pre-bent crease, wherein after the pre-bent crease is lifted up, the crease depression formed by the pre-bent crease on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen has an assembly crease depth, and the assembly crease depth is less than the initial crease depth.

2. The folding screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The assembly crease depth is zero.

3. The folding screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The initial crease depth is less than or equal to 100 microns.

4. The folding screen according to claim 3, characterized in that: The initial crease depth is 70-100 microns.

5. The folding screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before the pre-bend fold is lifted up, the pre-bend fold further extends into the non-bending area. After the pre-bend fold is lifted up, the pre-bend fold is located in the bending area.

6. The folding screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The folding screen also includes a screen support component, which is located on the side of the support layer away from the flexible screen body, and the screen support component includes a middle section and side sections movably connected to both sides of the middle section. The support layer located in the bending area is arranged corresponding to the middle section, and the support layer located in the non-bending area on both sides of the bending area are respectively abutted against the side sections on both sides of the middle section to drive the support layer to fold in the bending area.

7. The folding screen according to claim 6, characterized in that: The middle section abuts against the support layer located in the bending area.

8. The folding screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support layer is provided with a plurality of through holes distributed at intervals in the bending area.

9. The folding screen according to claim 8, characterized in that: The through hole has a diameter of 0.1-0.2 mm.

10. The folding screen according to claim 8, characterized in that: The distance between adjacent through holes is 0.1-0.2 mm.

11. The folding screen according to claim 8, characterized in that: The folding screen further includes a light-shielding layer located on a side of the support layer facing away from the flexible screen body, wherein the orthographic projection of the light-shielding layer on the flexible screen body covers the plurality of through holes.

12. The folding screen according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that: The thickness of the support layer located in the bending area is greater than the thickness of the support layer located in the non-bending area.

13. The folding screen according to claim 12, characterized in that: The surface of the support layer facing away from the flexible screen is defined as a first surface, and the surface of the support layer facing the flexible screen is defined as a second surface, wherein the first surface located in the bending area protrudes beyond the first surface located in the non-bending area, and, The second surface located in the bending area protrudes from the second surface located in the non-bending area, or the second surface located in the bending area is flush with the second surface located in the non-bending area.

14. The folding screen according to claim 13, characterized in that: The thickness of the support layer in the bending area is 120-150 microns, and the thickness of the support layer in the non-bending area is 50-100 microns.

15. The folding screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The supporting layer is a non-detachable integral structure.

16. A display device, characterized in that: Comprising a folding screen as described in any one of claims 1-15.

17. A method for preparing a folding screen, characterized in that: The method comprises: The flexible screen is pre-bent so that a pre-bent crease is formed at the bend of the flexible screen; wherein the pre-bent crease includes a matching crease depression and a crease protrusion, the crease depression is formed on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen, the crease protrusion is formed on the backlight surface of the screen, and the crease depression has an initial crease depth; Assemble the supporting layer to the backlight side of the flexible screen; wherein, part of the supporting layer presses against the pre-bent crease on the flexible screen to lift up the pre-bent crease, wherein after the pre-bent crease is lifted up, the crease depression formed by the pre-bent crease on the light-emitting surface of the flexible screen has an assembly crease depth, and the assembly crease depth is less than the initial crease depth.

18. The method for preparing a folding screen according to claim 17, wherein: In the step of pre-bending the flexible screen so that a pre-bending crease is formed at the bending portion of the flexible screen, the number of bends in the pre-bending process is less than or equal to N, wherein N is an integer ranging from 8000 to 12000.

19. The method for preparing a folding screen according to claim 18, wherein: The method further comprises: The screen support assembly is assembled on the side of the support layer facing away from the flexible screen body, so that the middle section of the screen support assembly corresponds to the support layer located in the bending area, and the side sections on both sides of the middle section are respectively abutted against the support layer located in the non-bending areas on both sides of the bending area, so as to drive the support layer to fold in the bending area.

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