Foldable display module and display device

Abstract

The invention provides a foldable display module and a display device, belongs to the technical field of display, and can solve the problems that the fingerprint sensitivity and the fingerprint recognition area of an optical fingerprint module adopted by an existing foldable display product are sunken. The foldable display module comprises a flexible display panel, a flexible cover plate arranged on the flexible display panel and a supporting structure arranged on the side, away from the flexible cover plate, of the flexible display panel. The foldable display module is provided with a fingerprint identification area; the supporting structure is provided with a fingerprint opening in the fingerprint identification area and an inner concave part surrounding the fingerprint opening; the fingerprint opening is used for accommodating an optical fingerprint module; the foldable display module further comprises a transparent supporting piece located in the fingerprint opening, and the transparent supporting piece extends from the fingerprint opening to the inner concave part and is fixed to the inner concave part. The first surface, close to the flexible display panel, of the transparent supporting piece is flush with the second surface, close to the flexible display panel, of the supporting structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure belongs to the field of display technology, and particularly relates to a foldable display module and a display device. Background Art

[0002] Folding phones are compact in size and can be easily put into a pocket when folded, providing users with a better portability experience. Due to the requirements of folding performance, the cover of foldable display products needs to be made of flexible materials, resulting in the cover supporting performance being inferior to conventional non-folding products, thus causing some adverse effects. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present disclosure aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art and provide a foldable display module and a display device.

[0004] In a first aspect, the technical solution adopted to solve the technical problem of the present disclosure is a foldable display module, which includes a flexible display panel, a flexible cover plate arranged on the flexible display panel, and a support structure arranged on a side of the flexible display panel away from the flexible cover plate;

[0005] The foldable display module has a fingerprint recognition area; the support structure is provided with a fingerprint opening and an inner concave portion surrounding the fingerprint opening in the fingerprint recognition area; the fingerprint opening is used to accommodate an optical fingerprint module;

[0006] The foldable display module also includes a transparent support member located in the fingerprint opening, and the transparent support member extends from the fingerprint opening to the inner recess and is fixed on the inner recess; the first surface of the transparent support member close to the flexible display panel is flush with the second surface of the support structure close to the flexible display panel.

[0007] In some embodiments, the inner concave portion includes a first side wall away from the fingerprint opening in a first direction, and a bottom wall away from the flexible display panel in a second direction; the first direction and the second direction are arranged crosswise;

[0008] The transparent support is bonded to the bottom wall via a first bonding layer.

[0009] In some embodiments, a first gap is formed between the transparent support and the first side wall.

[0010] In some embodiments, the transparent support member abuts against the first side wall; or, a certain first gap is provided between the transparent support member and the first side wall, and a filling glue is provided in the first gap.

[0011] In some embodiments, the depth of the inner recess is equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the transparent support and the first adhesive layer.

[0012] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a support layer and a second adhesive layer disposed on a side of the support layer close to the flexible display panel;

[0013] In some embodiments, the second adhesive layer includes a second opening, the orthographic projection of the second opening on the flexible display panel covers the orthographic projection of the first opening on the flexible display panel, and the second opening exposes a portion of the supporting layer, and the exposed portion of the supporting layer and the second adhesive layer form the recessed portion.

[0014] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a support layer and a second adhesive layer disposed on a side of the support layer close to the flexible display panel;

[0015] The support layer includes a first sublayer and a second sublayer disposed between the first sublayer and the second bonding layer;

[0016] The first sublayer includes a first opening located in the fingerprint recognition area, the second sublayer includes a third opening, the orthographic projection of the third opening on the flexible display panel covers the orthographic projection of the first opening on the flexible display panel, and the third opening exposes a portion of the first sublayer; the second adhesive layer includes a second opening, the orthographic projection of the second opening on the flexible display panel covers the orthographic projection of the third opening on the flexible display panel;

[0017] The exposed portions of the first sub-layer, the second sub-layer, and the second adhesive layer form the inner recess.

[0018] In some embodiments, a second gap is provided between a first side surface of the second sub-layer close to the fingerprint opening and a second side surface of the second adhesive layer close to the fingerprint opening.

[0019] In some embodiments, the material of the transparent support member is glass; or the material of the transparent support member is transparent aluminum; or the material of the transparent support member is a laminated structure of optical glue and glass; or the material of the transparent support member is a laminated structure of plastic, optical glue and glass arranged in sequence along a direction away from the flexible display panel.

[0020] In a second aspect, a display device comprises a foldable display module as described in any one of the first aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a related foldable display module.

[0022] Figure 2This is a diagram showing the deformation effect caused by the user pressing the flexible cover in the fingerprint recognition area.

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a foldable display module provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another foldable display module provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another foldable display module provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 6 A specific structural diagram of the foldable display module under Example 1 provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 7 A specific structural diagram of the foldable display module under Example 2 provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 8 A process flow chart for preparing a support structure is provided for an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present disclosure generally described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure for protection, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without making creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present disclosure should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present disclosure belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in the present disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, similar words such as "one", "one" or "the" do not indicate quantity restrictions, but indicate that there is at least one. Similar words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Similar words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0031] The "multiple or several" mentioned in this disclosure refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0032] At present, the cost of foldable display products is high, and their selling price is relatively expensive, making it difficult to promote them widely. Therefore, in order to reduce product costs and meet the needs of users at this stage, a low-cost fingerprint module is used to reduce the overall cost of foldable display products. The relevant fingerprint modules used in the display field include optical fingerprint modules, semiconductor fingerprint modules, and ultrasonic fingerprint modules. Among them, the principle of optical fingerprint unlocking is to emit light on the finger through an optical sensor, and the light is reflected back through the fingerprint lines (i.e., raised lines and recessed lines) on the surface of the finger to form an electrical signal with fingerprint information, which is then processed by an algorithm to form fingerprint information. The semiconductor fingerprint module forms a three-dimensional image of the body tissue under the surface of the finger to identify the fingerprint. The ultrasonic fingerprint module uses the characteristics of ultrasound to identify fingerprints. When the finger is placed on the fingerprint reader, the fingerprint reader will emit an ultrasonic wave, which will be reflected when it encounters the texture of the fingerprint, thereby forming a fingerprint image. Then, these images are processed and compared with the fingerprint template stored in the device to determine whether it matches. The hardware cost of semiconductor fingerprint recognition is high, and ultrasonic fingerprint recognition requires more complex hardware and software to process ultrasonic signals, so the cost is also high. Therefore, in order to achieve low cost, optical fingerprint module is a better choice. In addition, optical fingerprint recognition is more adaptable to the environment, so in some harsh environments, such as humidity, high temperature, etc., optical fingerprint recognition has better effect.

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a related foldable display module, such as Figure 1 As shown, the foldable display module includes a flexible display panel 1, a flexible cover plate 2 arranged on the flexible display panel 1, and a support structure 3 arranged on the side of the flexible display panel 1 away from the flexible cover plate 2; the foldable display module has a fingerprint recognition area for setting an optical fingerprint module 4. Since the support structure 3 will block the optical fingerprint module 4 thereunder, the support structure 3 needs to be provided with a fingerprint opening V0 in the fingerprint recognition area, and the fingerprint opening V0 is used to accommodate the optical fingerprint module 4, so as to avoid the support structure 3 blocking the reflected light of fingerprint recognition.

[0034] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the deformation of the flexible cover when the user presses on the fingerprint recognition area. Figure 2 As shown, due to the requirement of folding performance of foldable display products, the display panel and the cover plate are both made of flexible materials, namely, a flexible display panel and a flexible cover plate 2, resulting in the supporting performance of the flexible display panel and the flexible cover plate 2 being inferior to conventional non-folding products (such as the glass substrate and glass cover plate of the display panel). Therefore, when the user presses the surface of the flexible cover plate 2 in the fingerprint recognition area, it will cause an inward deformation at the fingerprint opening V0, thereby reducing the fingerprint recognition sensitivity.

[0035] In view of this, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a foldable display module. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a foldable display module provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, the foldable display module includes a flexible display panel 1, a flexible cover plate 2 arranged on the flexible display panel 1, and a support structure 3 arranged on the side of the flexible display panel 1 away from the flexible cover plate 2. The foldable display module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to the field of foldable display, and adopts a flexible display panel 1 and a flexible cover plate 2 to achieve flexible folding. It is compact in size in the folded state and can be easily put into a pocket, providing users with a better portability experience. The flexible display panel 1 includes a plurality of sub-pixels for displaying pictures. The flexible cover plate 2 is attached to the flexible display panel 1 to protect the flexible display panel 1. The support structure 3 is arranged on the back of the flexible display panel 1 to support the flexible display panel 1 and improve the overall hardness and strength of the flexible display panel 1.

[0036] Continue as Figure 3As shown, the foldable display module has a fingerprint recognition area; the support structure 3 is provided with a fingerprint opening V0 and an inner concave portion 30 surrounding the fingerprint opening V0 in the fingerprint recognition area; the fingerprint opening V0 is used to accommodate the optical fingerprint module 4; the foldable display module also includes a transparent support member 5 located in the fingerprint opening V0, and the transparent support member 5 extends from the fingerprint opening V0 to the inner concave portion 30 and is fixed on the inner concave portion 30, so the orthographic projection of the transparent support member 5 on the flexible display panel 1 completely covers the orthographic projection of the fingerprint opening V0 on the flexible display panel 1, which is conducive to improving the overall support strength of the fingerprint opening V0 position. The first surface S1 of the transparent support member 5 close to the flexible display panel 1 is flush with the second surface S2 of the support structure 3 close to the flexible display panel 1.

[0037] The transparent support member 5 is a transparent material with high transmittance and high strength, such as glass, transparent aluminum, a laminated structure of optical adhesive (OCA) and glass, or a laminated structure of plastic (PET), optical adhesive (OCA) and glass, etc. Optionally, the transmittance of the transparent support member 5 is ≥80% (light wavelength 550nm), and the strength of the transparent support member 5 is ≥500MPa.

[0038] In the disclosed embodiment, the transparent support member 5 is a transparent material with high transmittance and high strength, which is conducive to the emission light of the optical fingerprint module 4 passing through the transparent support member 5 and irradiating the finger. In addition, the transparent support member 5 extends to the inner concave portion 30 to be fixed thereto, and the first surface S1 is flush with the second surface S2, which can improve the stability of the transparent support member 5 while improving the overall support strength of the fingerprint opening V0 position. Therefore, the disclosed embodiment can not only support and reinforce the fingerprint opening V0 position by setting the transparent support member 5, but also be light-transmissive, thereby solving the problem of low fingerprint sensitivity and concave fingerprint recognition area of ​​folding products using the optical fingerprint module 4.

[0039] In some embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, the inner concave portion 30 includes a first side wall 301 away from the fingerprint opening V0 in the first direction X, and a bottom wall 302 away from the flexible display panel 1 in the second direction Y. The first direction X and the second direction Y are arranged crosswise. For example, the first direction X and the second direction Y are perpendicular to each other, wherein the first direction X is a horizontal direction and the second direction Y is a vertical direction, that is, the thickness direction of the foldable display module. The transparent support member 5 is bonded to the bottom wall 302 through the first adhesive layer 6, thereby achieving the fixing of the transparent support member 5.

[0040] The first adhesive layer 6 is disposed between the transparent support member 5 and the support structure 3 , and the orthographic projections of the first adhesive layer 6 and the fingerprint opening V0 on the flexible display panel 1 do not overlap.

[0041] The first adhesive layer 6 is made of double-sided adhesive, such as pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), the main component of which is polysulfoneamide, which has excellent electrical insulation, heat resistance, flame retardancy and chemical corrosion resistance.

[0042] The depth of the inner recess 30 is equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the transparent support 5 and the first adhesive layer 6 to ensure that the first surface S1 of the transparent support 5 close to the flexible display panel 1 is flush with the second surface S2 of the support structure 3 close to the flexible display panel 1, that is, there is no step between the two, which is beneficial to improve the support strength.

[0043] Optionally, the depth of the inner recess 30 is in the range of 0.03 mm to 0.25 mm. For example, the depth of the inner recess 30 may be 0.05 mm, 0.065 mm, 0.075 mm or 0.09 mm.

[0044] In some embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, there is a first gap L1 between the transparent support 5 and the first side wall 301 as a preparation tolerance. It can be ensured that when the transparent support 5 is attached to the fingerprint recognition area during the preparation process, there is no interference between the transparent support 5 and the first side wall 301 (or the transparent support 5 and the support structure 3), thereby avoiding damage to the transparent support 5. Therefore, this embodiment has a lower precision requirement for the process equipment, which can save process costs.

[0045] In some embodiments, Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another foldable display module provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, it is Figure 3 The difference between the foldable display module shown is that there is no longer a first gap L1 between the transparent support member 5 and the first side wall 301, but the transparent support member 5 and the first side wall 301 are abutted against each other. When the process equipment has high-precision preparation conditions, the side of the transparent support member 5 is in direct contact with the first side wall 301, further improving the fixing stability of the transparent support member 5, thereby improving the overall supporting strength of the fingerprint opening V0 position.

[0046] In some embodiments, Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another foldable display module provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, there is a first gap L1 between the transparent support 5 and the first side wall 301. However, this embodiment is different from Figure 3 The difference of the foldable display module shown is that a filling glue 7 is provided in the first gap L1, and the filling glue 7 is used to improve the fixing stability of the transparent support member 5, thereby improving the overall support strength of the fingerprint opening V0. At the same time, the precision requirements for the process equipment are relatively low, ensuring that the process cost can be saved.

[0047] Optionally, the material of the filling adhesive 7 can be the same as that of the first adhesive layer 6, such as pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). Of course, the filling adhesive 7 can also be made of other adhesive materials, which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0048] In some embodiments, Figure 6 The specific structural diagram of the foldable display module under Example 1 provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, the support structure 3 includes a support layer 31 and a second adhesive layer 32 arranged on the side of the support layer 31 close to the flexible display panel 1. The support layer 31 is bonded to the back of the flexible display panel 1 through the second adhesive layer 32 to achieve a fixed connection between the support layer 31 and the flexible display panel 1. The support layer 31 includes a first opening V1 located in the fingerprint recognition area, and the second adhesive layer 32 includes a second opening V2. The orthographic projection of the second opening V2 on the flexible display panel 1 covers the orthographic projection of the first opening V1 on the flexible display panel 1, and the second opening V2 exposes part of the support layer 31, and the exposed part of the support layer 31 is recorded as a sub-support portion 311. The sub-support portion 311 and the second adhesive layer 32 form an inner concave portion 30. The sub-support portion 311 is used as the bottom wall 302 of the inner concave portion 30, and the end of the second adhesive layer 32 close to the fingerprint opening V0 is used as the first side wall 301 of the inner concave portion 30.

[0049] In this embodiment, the support layer 31 is provided with a first opening V1 in the entire fingerprint recognition area, but the first opening V1 does not exceed the fingerprint recognition area. The second opening V2 is not only located in the fingerprint recognition area, but also exceeds the fingerprint recognition area, thereby exposing part of the support layer 31 to form an inner concave portion 30. Figure 2 In the structure shown, the second adhesive layer 32 is retracted relative to the support layer 31 , thereby exposing a portion of the support layer 31 for fixing the transparent support member 5 .

[0050] The first opening V1 and the second opening V2 located in the fingerprint identification area are connected to form a fingerprint opening V0.

[0051] The first surface S1 of the transparent support 5 close to the flexible display panel 1 is flush with the second surface S2 of the second adhesive layer 32 close to the flexible display panel 1. The transparent support 5 is bonded to the sub-support portion 311 through the first adhesive layer 6.

[0052] Optionally, a first gap L1 is provided between the transparent support member 5 and the second adhesive layer 32 , and a dimension of the first gap L1 in the first direction X may be between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm.

[0053] Optionally, the transparent support member 5 abuts against the second adhesive layer 32 (see Figure 4 Optionally, there is a first gap L1 between the transparent support 5 and the second adhesive layer 32, and a filling glue 7 is arranged in the first gap L1 (for details, see Figure 5).

[0054] In this embodiment, the thickness of the second adhesive layer 32 is equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the transparent support member 5 and the first adhesive layer 6, so as to ensure that the first surface S1 of the transparent support member 5 close to the flexible display panel 1 is flush with the second surface S2 of the second adhesive layer 32 close to the flexible display panel 1, that is, there is no step between the two, which is beneficial to improve the support strength.

[0055] Optionally, the thickness of the second adhesive layer 32 ranges from 0.03 mm to 0.25 mm. For example, the thickness of the second adhesive layer 32 may be 0.05 mm, 0.065 mm, 0.075 mm, or 0.09 mm. Optionally, the material of the second adhesive layer 32 may be plastic. Optionally, the thickness of the support layer 31 ranges from 0.08 mm to 0.2 mm. For example, the thickness of the support layer 31 may be 0.08 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.15 mm, or 0.2 mm. Optionally, the material of the support layer 31 is a stainless steel (SUS) material or a titanium (Ti) material.

[0056] Optionally, the dimension of the sub-support portion 311 in the first direction X is between 2 mm and 20 mm, and the second bonding portion is retracted to expose the sub-support portion 311 , so as to reserve a certain space to ensure the stability of bonding the transparent support member 5 .

[0057] In some embodiments, Figure 7 A specific structural diagram of a foldable display module according to Example 2 provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, such as Figure 7As shown, the support structure 3 includes a support layer 31 and a second adhesive layer 32 arranged on the side of the support layer 31 close to the flexible display panel 1; the support layer 31 is bonded to the back of the flexible display panel 1 through the second adhesive layer 32 to achieve a fixed connection with the flexible display panel 1. The support layer 31 includes a first sublayer 31a and a second sublayer 31b arranged between the first sublayer 31a and the second adhesive layer 32. Optionally, the first sublayer 31a and the second sublayer 31b are connected as an integral structure. The first sublayer 31a includes a first opening V1 located in the fingerprint recognition area, and the second sublayer 31b includes a third opening V3, the orthographic projection of the third opening V3 on the flexible display panel 1 covers the orthographic projection of the first opening V1 on the flexible display panel 1, and the third opening V3 exposes part of the first sublayer 31a. The second adhesive layer 32 includes a second opening V2, and the orthographic projection of the second opening V2 on the flexible display panel 1 covers the orthographic projection of the third opening V3 on the flexible display panel 1. The exposed portion of the first sublayer 31a is recorded as the first sub-portion 31a1, and the first sub-portion 31a1, the second sublayer 31b and the second adhesive layer 32 form the inner concave portion 30. The first sub-portion 31a1 is used as the bottom wall 302 of the inner concave portion 30, and one end of the second sublayer 31b close to the fingerprint opening V0 and one end of the second adhesive layer 32 close to the fingerprint opening V0 are used as the first side wall 301 of the inner concave portion 30.

[0058] In this embodiment, the support layer 31 is provided with a first opening V1 in the entire fingerprint recognition area, but the first opening V1 does not exceed the fingerprint recognition area. The second opening V2 is not only located in the fingerprint recognition area, but also exceeds the fingerprint recognition area; similarly, the third opening V3 is not only located in the fingerprint recognition area, but also exceeds the fingerprint recognition area, thereby exposing part of the first sub-layer 31a, and forming an inner concave portion 30 with the second sub-layer 31b and the second bonding layer 32 near the fingerprint opening V0. Compared with Figure 6 In the structure shown, while the second adhesive layer 32 shrinks relative to the support layer 31, the support layer 31 also sinks to form a deeper concave portion 30, thereby forming a thicker transparent support member 5 and further improving the support strength.

[0059] Alternatively, if Figure 7 As shown, there is a second gap L2 between the first side of the second sublayer 31b close to the fingerprint opening V0 and the second side of the second adhesive layer 32 close to the fingerprint opening V0. The second gap L2 is relatively small, such as 0.2mm to 0.5mm, to ensure that the material of the second adhesive layer 32 with fluidity will not fall into the third opening V3 and affect the patch during the process preparation. Alternatively, the first side of the second sublayer 31b close to the fingerprint opening V0 can be flush with the second side of the second adhesive layer 32 close to the fingerprint opening V0.

[0060] The first opening V1 , the second opening V2 located in the fingerprint identification area, and the third opening V3 located in the fingerprint identification area are connected to form a fingerprint opening V0 .

[0061] The first surface S1 of the transparent support 5 close to the flexible display panel 1 is flush with the second surface S2 of the second adhesive layer 32 close to the flexible display panel 1. The transparent support 5 is bonded to the first sub-portion 31a1 through the first adhesive layer 6.

[0062] Optionally, a first gap L1 is provided between the transparent support member 5 and the second sub-layer 31 b , and a dimension of the first gap L1 in the first direction X may be between 0.1 mm and 0.4 mm.

[0063] In this embodiment, the sum of the thickness of the second adhesive layer 32 and the thickness of the second sublayer 31b is equal to the sum of the thickness of the transparent support member 5 and the thickness of the first adhesive layer 6, so as to ensure that the first surface S1 of the transparent support member 5 close to the flexible display panel 1 is flush with the second surface S2 of the second adhesive layer 32 close to the flexible display panel 1, that is, there is no step between the two, which is beneficial to improve the support strength.

[0064] Optionally, the size of the first sub-portion 31 a 1 in the first direction X is between 2 mm and 20 mm, and a certain space is reserved to ensure the stability of bonding the transparent support member 5 .

[0065] In some embodiments, Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the flexible cover plate 2 includes a multi-layer structure, such as a first protective film 21, a first adhesive material 22, and a second protective film 23, which are sequentially arranged in a direction away from the flexible display panel 1; wherein the first adhesive material 22 can be selected from an optical adhesive (OCA) material. The first protective film 21 can be selected from plastic; the second protective film 23 can be selected from a polyimide (PI) material, which has a higher hardness and avoids scratches, thereby protecting the screen. A second adhesive material 20 is also provided between the flexible display panel 1 and the flexible cover plate 2, that is, the flexible cover plate 2 can be attached to the light-emitting side of the flexible display panel 1 using the second adhesive material 20. The second adhesive material 20 can be selected from an optical adhesive (OCA) material.

[0066] Optionally, the flexible cover plate 2 further includes a third protective film (not shown in the figure) disposed on the side of the second protective film 23 away from the first adhesive material 22. The material of the third protective film can be a hard coating (HC) material. Exemplarily, the thickness of the third protective film is between 0.005 mm and 0.01 mm. For example, the thickness of the third protective film is 0.005 mm, 0.006 mm, 0.008 mm, 0.009 mm or 0.01 mm.

[0067] Exemplarily, the thickness of the first protective film 21 is between 0.023 mm and 0.09 mm. For example, the thickness of the first protective film 21 may be 0.023 mm, 0.05 mm, 0.075 mm, or 0.09 mm. The thickness of the second protective film 23 is between 0.05 mm and 0.09 mm. For example, the thickness of the second protective film 23 may be 0.05 mm, 0.06 mm, 0.08 mm, or 0.09 mm. The thickness of the first adhesive material 22 is between 0.035 mm and 0.075 mm. For example, the thickness of the first adhesive material 22 may be 0.035 mm, 0.05 mm, or 0.075 mm.

[0068] The above is a complete description of the structure of the foldable display module provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0069] In some embodiments, the support structure 3 (such as Figure 6 As shown), comprising steps S11 to S13.

[0070] S11, providing a raw material of a support layer 31.

[0071] S12, etching the raw material of the support layer 31 located in the fingerprint identification area to form the support layer 31 having the first opening V1.

[0072] S13 , attaching the adhesive material of the second adhesive layer 32 onto the support layer 31 , and etching to form the second adhesive layer 32 having the second opening V2 .

[0073] Afterwards, the foldable display module is assembled, which also includes S14 to S16.

[0074] S14 , attaching a transparent support member 5 on the support layer 31 exposed by the second opening V2 .

[0075] S15 , bonding the support structure 3 having the transparent support member 5 to the back side of the flexible display panel 1 .

[0076] S16, attaching the flexible cover plate 2 to the light-emitting side of the flexible display panel 1 to obtain a foldable display module.

[0077] In some embodiments, the support structure 3 (such as Figure 7 As shown), comprising steps S21 to S24.

[0078] S21, providing a raw material of a support layer 31.

[0079] S22, such as Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the original material of the support layer 31 located in the fingerprint recognition area is etched once to form a fingerprint opening V0, including the first opening V1 and part of the third opening V3.

[0080] S23, such as Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 2( b ), the raw material of the support layer 31 surrounding the fingerprint opening V0 is etched twice to form a complete third opening V3 and obtain a first sub-layer 31 a and a second sub-layer 31 b.

[0081] S24 , attaching the adhesive material of the second adhesive layer 32 to the side of the second sub-layer 31 b away from the first sub-layer 31 a , and etching to form the second adhesive layer 32 having the second opening V2 .

[0082] Afterwards, the foldable display module is assembled, which also includes S25 to S27.

[0083] S25 , attaching a transparent support member 5 on the first sub-layer 31 a exposed by the third opening V3 .

[0084] S26 , bonding the support structure 3 having the transparent support member 5 to the back side of the flexible display panel 1 .

[0085] S27 , attaching the flexible cover plate 2 to the light-emitting side of the flexible display panel 1 to obtain a foldable display module.

[0086] In addition, the embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a display device, which includes a foldable display module of any one of the above embodiments. The display device can be, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a television, a monitor, a laptop computer, a digital photo frame, a vehicle-mounted device, or any other product with a display function. Other essential components of the display device should be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, and will not be described in detail here, nor should they be used as a limitation to the present disclosure.

[0087] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and substance of the present disclosure, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A foldable display module, comprising a flexible display panel, a flexible cover plate arranged on the flexible display panel, and a support structure arranged on a side of the flexible display panel away from the flexible cover plate; The foldable display module has a fingerprint recognition area; the support structure is provided with a fingerprint opening and an inner concave portion surrounding the fingerprint opening in the fingerprint recognition area; the fingerprint opening is used to accommodate an optical fingerprint module; The foldable display module also includes a transparent support member located in the fingerprint opening, and the transparent support member extends from the fingerprint opening to the inner recess and is fixed on the inner recess; the first surface of the transparent support member close to the flexible display panel is flush with the second surface of the support structure close to the flexible display panel.

2. The foldable display module according to claim 1, wherein: The inner concave portion includes a first side wall away from the fingerprint opening in a first direction, and a bottom wall away from the flexible display panel in a second direction; the first direction and the second direction are arranged to intersect; The transparent support is bonded to the bottom wall via a first bonding layer.

3. The foldable display module according to claim 2, wherein: A first gap is defined between the transparent support and the first side wall.

4. The foldable display module according to claim 2, wherein: The transparent support member abuts against the first side wall; or, there is a certain first gap between the transparent support member and the first side wall, and filling glue is arranged in the first gap.

5. The foldable display module according to claim 2, wherein: The depth of the inner concave portion is equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the transparent support member and the first adhesive layer.

6. The foldable display module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The supporting structure comprises a supporting layer and a second adhesive layer arranged on a side of the supporting layer close to the flexible display panel; The supporting layer includes a first opening located in the fingerprint recognition area, and the second bonding layer includes a second opening, the orthographic projection of the second opening on the flexible display panel covers the orthographic projection of the first opening on the flexible display panel, and the second opening exposes a portion of the supporting layer, and the exposed portion of the supporting layer and the second bonding layer form the concave portion.

7. The foldable display module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The supporting structure comprises a supporting layer and a second adhesive layer arranged on a side of the supporting layer close to the flexible display panel; The support layer includes a first sublayer and a second sublayer disposed between the first sublayer and the second bonding layer; The first sublayer includes a first opening located in the fingerprint recognition area, the second sublayer includes a third opening, the orthographic projection of the third opening on the flexible display panel covers the orthographic projection of the first opening on the flexible display panel, and the third opening exposes a portion of the first sublayer; the second adhesive layer includes a second opening, the orthographic projection of the second opening on the flexible display panel covers the orthographic projection of the third opening on the flexible display panel; The exposed portions of the first sub-layer, the second sub-layer, and the second adhesive layer form the inner recess.

8. The foldable display module according to claim 7, wherein: A second gap is formed between a first side surface of the second sub-layer close to the fingerprint opening and a second side surface of the second adhesive layer close to the fingerprint opening.

9. The foldable display module according to claim 1, wherein: The material of the transparent support member is glass; or the material of the transparent support member is transparent aluminum; or the material of the transparent support member is a laminated structure of optical glue and glass; or the material of the transparent support member is a laminated structure of plastic, optical glue and glass arranged in sequence along a direction away from the flexible display panel.

10. A display device, wherein: It comprises the foldable display module as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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