Display panel and display device

Abstract

The invention discloses a display panel and a display device.The display panel comprises a bending area and non-bending areas located on the two sides of the bending area, the display panel further comprises a screen body and a supporting piece, the supporting piece is arranged on the backlight face of the screen body and used for supporting the screen body, the supporting piece comprises a bending section located in the bending area, and the non-bending areas are located on the two sides of the bending area. And in the direction from the bending area to the non-bending area, the bending section is bent and extends. According to the display panel, through the design that the bending section is bent and extends, the length of the bending section is changed along with bending of the display panel, the bending area of the display panel is supported in the non-bending state, the bending stress can be reduced in the bending process of the display panel, the bending performance is improved, a screen body is protected, and the display quality is improved. Meanwhile, after the bending area is supported, creases can be reduced or even avoided, and the service life of the display panel is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] At present, after a foldable display panel is bent multiple times, a crease will appear in the bending area, and as the number of bends increases, the crease will deepen, thereby reducing the service life of the display panel.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the display panel to further reduce or even avoid creases and increase the service life of the display panel. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application mainly provides a display panel and a display device, which can reduce or even avoid the generation of creases in the display panel.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted in the present application is: to provide a display panel, which includes a bending zone and non-bending zones located on both sides of the bending zone, the display panel also includes a screen body and a support member, wherein the support member is arranged on the backlight surface of the screen body, for supporting the screen body, wherein the support member includes a bending section located in the bending zone, and the bending section bends and extends in the direction from the bending zone to the non-bending zone.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problem, another technical solution adopted by the present application is: to provide a display device, which includes the display panel in the above embodiment.

[0007] The beneficial effects of the present application are as follows: in the present application, the bending section is designed to bend and extend, so that the length of the bending section changes as the display panel bends. In the unbent state, the bending area of ​​the display panel is supported, which is beneficial to reducing the bending stress during the bending process of the display panel, improving the bending performance to protect the screen body, and at the same time, supporting the bending area can reduce or even avoid creases, thereby increasing the service life of the display panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. Among them:

[0009] Figure 1 A top view of an embodiment of a display panel in the present application;

[0010] Figure 2 for Figure 1A schematic structural diagram of an embodiment in which the display panel is in a bent state;

[0011] Figure 3 For along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an embodiment of AA;

[0012] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure in which the middle protective film and the supporting member are bent together;

[0013] Figure 5 For along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of another embodiment of AA;

[0014] Figure 6 For along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of another embodiment of AA;

[0015] Figure 7 For along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of another embodiment of AA;

[0016] Figure 8 For along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of another embodiment of AA.

[0017] Explanation of reference numerals: 100 display panel; 10 bending area; 11 bending center area; 12 reverse bending area; 13 non-bending area; 1 T-shaped block; 2 pressure strip; 3 adhesive backing; 4 hinge; 5 screen body; 6 support member; 61 bending section; 62 concave section; 63 convex section; 7 protective film, 8 elastomer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0019] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by technicians in the technical field to which this application belongs; the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application; the terms "including" and "having" in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned figure descriptions and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0020] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish different objects, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number, specific order or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is more than two, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0021] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0022] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, technical terms such as "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0023] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The present application provides a display panel 100, which includes a bending area 10 and non-bending areas 13 located on both sides of the bending area 10. The display panel 100 also includes a screen body 5 and a support member 6, wherein the support member 6 is arranged on the backlight surface of the screen body 5, and is used to support the screen body 5, wherein the support member 6 includes a bending section 61 located in the bending area 10, and the bending section 61 bends and extends in the direction from the bending area 10 to the non-bending area 13.

[0024] Specifically, the display panel 100 of the present application is a flexible display panel, and the bending area 10 can be bent to facilitate the folding display of the display panel 100. Correspondingly, the screen body 5 can also be a flexible screen body 5, which can be bent along with the bending of the display panel 100, and the screen body 5 is used to realize the display function of the display panel 100. The support member 6 is used to support the screen body 5, and when the screen body 5 is bent, the screen body 5 is supported to make the display surface of the screen body 5 flat without affecting the display effect.

[0025] At the same time, the bending section 61 in the present application bends and extends, and the length of the bending section 61 changes as the display panel 100 bends. In the unbent state, the bending area 10 of the display panel 100 is supported, which is beneficial to reduce the bending stress during the bending process of the display panel 100, improve the bending performance to protect the screen body 5, and at the same time, supporting the bending area 10 can reduce or even avoid creases, thereby increasing the service life of the display panel 100.

[0026] Please continue reading Figures 1 to 3 The display panel 100 further includes a T-shaped block 1, a pressure strip 2, adhesive 3 and a hinge 4; wherein the pressure strip 2 mainly protects the edge of the area outside the bending area 10 of the screen body 5, and the T-shaped block is used to protect the edge of the bending area 10 of the screen body 5. The combination of the pressure strip 2 and the T-shaped block 1 facilitates the flatness of the display surface of the screen body 5. The adhesive 3 is used to bond the hinge 4 to the display panel 100, and the hinge 4 is used to bend and unfold the screen body 5 to realize the bending function of the display panel 100.

[0027] Please continue reading Figures 1 to 3 , the bending zone 10 includes a bending center zone 11 and a reflective zone 12 located on both sides of the bending center zone 11. Specifically, the bending center zone 11 is located in the central area of ​​the bending zone 10, and its deformation is the largest after bending. When the bending zone 10 is in a water drop shape after bending, the bending zone 10 below the water drop after bending is the bending center zone 11. The display panel 100 also includes a non-bending zone 13 outside the bending zone 10, and the junction of the non-bending zone 13 and the bending zone 10 is the starting point of the reflective zone 12, and the reflective zone 12 extends from the starting point to the bending center zone 11, and the reflective zone 12 and the bending center zone 11 are arranged at intervals.

[0028] The bending section 61 is at least located in the bending center area 11. Specifically, the bending section 61 may be located only in the bending center area 11, or extend to the outside of the bending center area 11. When the bending section 61 is located only in the bending center area 11, since the deformation of the bending center area 11 is the largest, the bending section 61 can reduce the bending stress of the bending center area 11, and at the same time, support the screen body 5 in the bending center area 11 in the unfolded state, thereby reducing or even avoiding the generation of creases.

[0029] In one embodiment, the bending section 61 further extends to the inflection zone 12. Specifically, the entire bending zone 10 is provided with the bending section 61, which has a better effect of reducing or even avoiding creases and better reduces bending stress.

[0030] See also Figure 3The support member 6 is made by etching a metal sheet, and the cross section of the bending section 61 perpendicular to the screen body 5 is a curved surface with a waveform. Specifically, the bending section 61 with a wavy curved surface design can increase in length as the display panel 100 is bent, and the display panel 100 supports the folding area when it is unfolded, and is easy to prepare.

[0031] In one embodiment, the support member 6 is thinned by an etching process to achieve the folding performance of the support member 6. After thinning, the elastic modulus of the support member 6 is reduced, and the bending performance is better. The waveform includes at least one of a sine wave, a sawtooth wave, and a square wave. The waveform can be a sine wave, a sawtooth wave, or a square wave, or a combination of any two of the sine wave, the sawtooth wave, or the square wave, or a combination of the three. The waveform is easy to prepare and can improve the preparation efficiency.

[0032] In one embodiment, the ratio of the thickness of the bending section 61 to the thickness of the support member 6 located in the non-bending area 13 is in the range of 1:4.5-1:2; specifically, the ratio of the thickness of the bending section 61 to the thickness of the support member 6 located in the non-bending area 13 can be 1:4.5, 1:4, 1:3.5, 1:3, 1:2.5 or 1:2. The design of the ratio of the thickness of the bending section 61 to the thickness of the support member 6 located in the non-bending area 13 ensures the support effect of the non-bending area 13, while the bending section 61 is easy to bend, meeting the bending requirements of the display panel 100.

[0033] In one embodiment, the thickness of the support member 6 located in the bending zone 10 is in the range of 40-60 um; specifically, the thickness of the support member 6 located in the bending zone 10 may be 40, 45, 50, 55 or 60 um.

[0034] In one embodiment, the thickness of the support member 6 in the non-bending area 13 ranges from 120 to 180 um. Specifically, the thickness of the support member 6 in the non-bending area 13 may be 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 150, 155, 160, 165, 170, 175 or 180 um.

[0035] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 The display panel 100 further includes a protective film 7, which is arranged on the side of the support member 6 away from the screen body 5. The bending section 61 includes a concave section 62 and a convex section 63 connected in sequence. The protective film 7 is located in the bending area 10 and is in contact with the outer surface of the concave section 62 of the bending section 61. Specifically, the protective film 7 can produce elastic deformation, which is extended as the bending section 61 is extended. When the display panel 100 is unfolded, the protective film 7 can support the redundant deformation of the bending section 61 in the support member 6 and support the bending section 61, thereby extending the service life of the bending section 61 and protecting the folding performance of the display panel 100.

[0036] In one embodiment, the material of the protective film 7 includes at least one of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU). Specifically, the material of the protective film 7 may include only one of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), or may be a combination of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU).

[0037] In one embodiment, when the material of the protective film 7 is polyethylene terephthalate PET, the thickness of the protective film 7 ranges from 23 to 75 um; specifically, the thickness of the protective film 7 can be 23, 28, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 or 75 um.

[0038] In one embodiment, when the material of the protective film 7 is thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer TPU, the thickness of the protective film 7 ranges from 50 to 100 um; specifically, the thickness of the protective film 7 can be 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95 or 100 um.

[0039] See also Figure 5 The display panel 100 further includes a hinge 4 and a back glue 3, wherein the hinge 4 is located on the side of the protective film 7 away from the screen body 5; the back glue 3 is arranged between the hinge 4 and the support 6, connecting the hinge 4 and the support 6, wherein the thickness of the protective film 7 is less than the thickness of the back glue 3. Specifically, the back glue 3 plays a role in bonding the hinge 4 and the support 6, and the hinge 4 is used to drive the screen body 5 to bend and unfold. The design that the thickness of the protective film 7 is less than the thickness of the back glue 3 makes the side of the protective film 7 away from the support 6 suspended in the air. When the display panel 100 is unfolded and bent, the protective film 7 has a large activity space and will not be affected by other film layers except the bending section 61.

[0040] See also Figure 6 The display panel 100 further includes an elastic body 8, which is at least arranged on the side of the bending section 61 away from the screen body 5. Specifically, the elastic body 8 located on the side of the bending section 61 away from the screen body 5 can support the bending section 61 in the unfolded state of the display panel 100, ensure the shape of the bending section 61, and then achieve support for the screen body 5, and there is no crease in the folding area. In addition, the elastic body 8 can also undergo elastic deformation and extend along with the bending section 61 when bending.

[0041] Please continue reading Figure 6The display panel 100 further includes a hinge 4, which is located on the side of the support member 6 away from the screen body 5, and an elastic body 8 connects the bending section 61 and the hinge 4. In the unfolded state, in a direction perpendicular to the screen body 5, one end of the elastic body 8 is connected to the bending section 61, and the other end is connected to the hinge 4, so that the elastic body 8 fills the space between the bending section 61 and the hinge 4, so that in the unfolded state, the bending section 61 in the folding area is better supported to avoid or even reduce the generation of creases.

[0042] In one embodiment, the elastomer 8 is prepared by a supercritical foaming molding process; the supercritical foaming process is used to prepare the elastomer 8, which makes full use of the faster diffusion rate and greater solubility of supercritical carbon dioxide in the polymer. During foaming, the polymer is in a semi-solid state, the molten area allows the cells to grow, and the unmelted area provides melt strength and maintains the cell structure. The extremely fast pressure release induces an extremely high nucleation rate, ensuring the formation of a cell structure with micro-nano size and high pore density.

[0043] Specifically, supercritical foaming is to inject supercritical carbon dioxide or nitrogen or other gases into a special plasticizing device during the injection molding, extrusion and blow molding processes, so that the gas and molten raw materials are fully and evenly mixed / diffused to form a single-phase mixed sol, and then the sol is introduced into the mold cavity or extrusion die to make the sol produce a large pressure drop, so that the gas precipitates to form a large number of bubble nuclei; in the subsequent cooling and molding process, the bubble nuclei inside the sol continue to grow and form, and finally a microporous foamed plastic product is obtained. The pore size can usually be controlled at 0.1-10μm, and the bubble density is generally 109~1015 / cm 3 .

[0044] Supercritical foaming of microporous plastic materials solves the problem of locking gas better. It not only has some unique properties of general foaming materials, but also has excellent mechanical properties compared with traditional foaming materials. The presence of pores reduces the amount of material used under the same volume, which can reduce the weight of plastic parts and save materials, showing high cost performance such as 5 times the impact strength and fatigue resistance of materials, and 5%-90% reduction in density.

[0045] In one embodiment, the material of the elastomer 8 includes a supercritical foaming material made of at least one of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer TPU, thermoplastic polyester elastomer TPEE, thermoplastic polyamide elastomer TPAE, polyether block amide PEBA, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer EVA.

[0046] See also Figure 7The bending section 61 includes a concave section 62 and a convex section 63 connected in sequence, and the elastic body 8 is located on the side of the concave section 62 away from the screen body 5. Specifically, in the unfolded state, the elastic body 8 supports the concave section 62 to prevent the concave section 62 from sagging and driving the convex section 63 to move away from the screen body 5. The direct support of the concave section 62 realizes the indirect support of the convex section 63, thereby ensuring the overall support effect of the elastic body 8 on the bending section 61, and then realizing the support for the folding area of ​​the screen body 5, reducing or even eliminating the generation of creases.

[0047] See also Figure 8 , the elastic body 8 is disconnected at the lowest point of the concave section 62. Specifically, during the bending process, the bending section 61 becomes longer as the display panel 100 is bent, and is disconnected at the lowest point of the concave section 62, so that the elastic body 8 provides dispersed support to the bending section 61, which is beneficial to disperse the bending stress and facilitates bending.

[0048] In one embodiment, the material of the support member 6 includes at least one of special steel, nickel, titanium, nickel alloy, and titanium alloy. The above materials have good rigidity and can effectively support the screen body 5. In one embodiment, the special steel includes stainless steel. Stainless steel has the advantages of being easy to obtain and easy to prepare.

[0049] In one embodiment, the bending section 61 in the present application can be obtained by etching the corresponding area of ​​the support member 6, so that the support member 6 is designed as an integral molding, thereby improving the structural strength and ensuring the service life.

[0050] The present application also provides a display device, which includes the display panel 100 in the above embodiment.

[0051] The display device in the embodiment of the present invention may be any product or component with a display function, such as electronic paper, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a television, a display, a notebook computer, a digital photo frame or a navigator.

[0052] The above description is only an implementation method of the present application, and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly used in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that: The display panel includes a bending area and non-bending areas located on both sides of the bending area, and the display panel also includes: Screen body; A support member is arranged on the backlight surface of the screen body and is used to support the screen body, wherein the support member includes a bending section located in the bending area, and the bending section bends and extends in a direction from the bending area to the non-bending area.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support member is made by etching a metal sheet, and the cross section of the bent section perpendicular to the screen body is a wavy curved surface; Preferably, the waveform includes at least one of a sine wave, a sawtooth wave, and a square wave.

3. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ratio of the thickness of the bending section to the thickness of the support member located in the non-bending area is in the range of 1:4.5-1:2; Preferably, the thickness of the support member located in the bending area ranges from 40 to 60 um; Preferably, the thickness of the support member located in the non-bending area is in the range of 120-180 um.

4. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The display panel further includes: A protective film is arranged on a side of the support member away from the screen body, the bending section comprises a concave section and a convex section connected in sequence, the protective film is located in the bending area and is in contact with the outer surface of the concave section of the bending section; Preferably, the material of the protective film includes at least one of polyethylene terephthalate and thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer; Preferably, when the material of the protective film is polyethylene terephthalate, the thickness of the protective film is 23 to 75 um; Preferably, when the material of the protective film is thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, the thickness of the protective film is 50-100 um.

5. The display panel according to claim 4, characterized in that: The display panel further includes: A hinge is located on a side of the protective film away from the screen body; The adhesive backing is arranged between the hinge and the support member to connect the hinge and the support member, wherein the thickness of the protective film is smaller than the thickness of the adhesive backing.

6. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The display panel further includes: An elastic body, at least arranged on a side of the bending section away from the screen body; Preferably, the display panel further includes: The hinge is located at a side of the support member away from the screen body, and the elastic body connects the bending section and the hinge.

7. The display panel according to claim 6, characterized in that: The elastomer is prepared by supercritical foaming molding process; Preferably, the material of the elastomer includes a supercritical foaming material made of at least one of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, thermoplastic polyester elastomer, thermoplastic polyamide elastomer, polyether block amide, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

8. The display panel according to claim 6, characterized in that: The bending section comprises a concave section and a convex section connected in sequence, and the elastic body is located on a side of the concave section away from the screen body; Preferably, the elastic body is disconnected at the lowest point of the concave section.

9. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bending area includes a bending center area and inflection areas located on both sides of the bending center area, wherein the bending section is at least located in the bending center area; Preferably, the bending section further extends to the inflection zone.

10. A display device, characterized in that: Comprising the display panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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