Stretchable display device

Abstract

A stretchable display device comprises a stretchable display panel and a stretchable touch panel. The stretchable display panel has a first Young's modulus. The stretchable touch panel is disposed on the stretchable display panel and has a second Young's modulus. The ratio of the second Young's modulus to the first Young's modulus is in the range of 0.5 to 1.5.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a stretchable display device. Background Art

[0002] In existing stretchable display devices, the Young's modulus of the touch panel does not match that of the display panel, and thus structural damage is likely to occur inside the touch panel or inside the display panel. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention provides a stretchable display device with high tensile strength.

[0004] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a stretchable display device is provided, comprising a stretchable display panel and a stretchable touch panel. The stretchable display panel has a first Young's modulus. The stretchable touch panel is disposed on the stretchable display panel and has a second Young's modulus. The ratio of the second Young's modulus to the first Young's modulus falls within a range of 0.5 to 1.5.

[0005] Based on the above, in the stretchable display device provided in an embodiment of the present invention, the ratio of the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel to the Young's modulus of the stretchable display panel falls within the range of 0.5 to 1.5, which can avoid structural damage inside the stretchable touch panel and the stretchable display panel, and the stretchable display device has high tensile strength.

[0006] In order to make the above features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1A A schematic cross-sectional view of a stretchable display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0008] Figure 1B A schematic cross-sectional view of a stretchable display device according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0009] Figure 2A Show Figure 1A as well as Figure 1B Schematic diagram of the stretchable touch panel in Figure 2.

[0010] Figure 2B Show Figure 2A Schematic plan view of the touch microunit in FIG.

[0011] Figure 2C Shown along Figure 2B Schematic diagram of the cross section of line segment AA' in FIG.

[0012] Figure 2D Shown along Figure 2BSchematic diagram of the cross section of line segment BB' in FIG.

[0013] Figure 2E Shown along Figure 2B Schematic diagram of the cross section of line segment CC' in FIG.

[0014] Figure 2F Show Figure 1A as well as Figure 1B Schematic plan view of the stretchable display panel in [1].

[0015] Description of reference numerals:

[0016] 1: Stretchable display device

[0017] 1a: Stretchable display device

[0018] 100: Stretchable touch panel

[0019] 101U: Touch micro unit

[0020] 110: Patterned support layer

[0021] 200: Stretchable display panel

[0022] 200U: Display unit

[0023] 201: Island structure

[0024] 202: Bridge Structure

[0025] Stretchable film layer 310

[0026] Stretchable film layer 320

[0027] protective layer 330

[0028] AS1: First virtual axis

[0029] AS2: Second virtual axis

[0030] Ax: first upper surface

[0031] Ay: Second upper surface

[0032] BF: insulation layer

[0033] PL: organic layer

[0034] Lx, Ly: conductors

[0035] Px, Py: bending points

[0036] W1, W2, W3, W4: Width DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Reference Figure 1A, which shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a stretchable display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] like Figure 1A As shown, the stretchable display device 1 includes a stretchable display panel 200 and a stretchable touch panel 100 , wherein the stretchable touch panel 100 is disposed on the stretchable display panel 200 ; however, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 1B , which shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a stretchable display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1B As shown, the stretchable display device 1a includes a stretchable display panel 200 and a stretchable touch panel 100. In addition, the stretchable display device 1a may further include a stretchable film layer 310, a stretchable film layer 320 and a protective layer 330. The stretchable film layer 310 is arranged below the stretchable display panel 200. The stretchable film layer 320 is arranged below the stretchable touch panel 100. The protective layer 330 is arranged above the stretchable touch panel 100. The stretchable film layer 310 may, for example, include thermoplastic polyurethane, silicone polymer or other suitable materials. The stretchable film layer 320 may, for example, include thermoplastic polyurethane, silicone polymer or other suitable materials. The protective layer 330 may, for example, include thermoplastic polyurethane, silicone polymer or other suitable materials.

[0040] Reference Figures 2A to 2E ,in Figure 2A Show Figure 1A as well as Figure 1B Schematic diagram of the stretchable touch panel in Figure 2B Show Figure 2A A schematic plan view of the touch micro-unit in FIG. Figure 2C Shown along Figure 2B Schematic diagram of the cross section of line segment AA' in Figure 2D Shown along Figure 2B Schematic diagram of the cross section of line segment BB' in Figure 2E Shown along Figure 2B Schematic diagram of the cross section of line segment CC' in FIG.

[0041] Reference Figure 2AThe stretchable touch panel 100 includes a plurality of conductive lines Lx and a plurality of conductive lines Ly. Furthermore, the stretchable touch panel 100 can be considered to be composed of a plurality of touch micro units 101U arranged in an array, wherein the touch micro units 101U have the same structure.

[0042] like Figures 2B to 2E As shown, each conductive line Lx and each conductive line Ly within each touch micro-unit 101U is a meander line. Each conductive line Lx has multiple bend points (multiple first bend points) Px, and each conductive line Ly has multiple bend points (multiple second bend points) Py. Each conductive line Lx and each conductive line Ly has multiple U-shaped structures or multiple V-shaped structures corresponding to these bend points Px and Py. In this embodiment, the number of bend points Py on a single conductive line Ly is greater than the number of bend points Px on a single conductive line Lx, but this is not limited to this. The conductive lines Lx and Ly are coated with an organic layer PL to secure them.

[0043] In this embodiment, each touch micro-unit 101U has two conductive lines Lx and two conductive lines Ly. The two conductive lines Lx are symmetrically arranged relative to a first virtual axis AS1 of the touch micro-unit 101U, and the two conductive lines Ly are symmetrically arranged relative to a second virtual axis AS2 of the touch micro-unit 101U. The first virtual axis AS1 is perpendicular to the second virtual axis AS2. Thus, the flexing structure of these conductive lines Lx and Ly allows each touch micro-unit 101U to be stretched in any direction.

[0044] exist Figure 2B In the embodiment, the first virtual axis AS1 is perpendicular to the second virtual axis AS2, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first virtual axis AS1 is not parallel to and not perpendicular to the second virtual axis AS2, and an acute angle is formed between the first virtual axis AS1 and the second virtual axis AS2.

[0045] The touch micro-unit 101U of the present invention is not limited to having two conductive lines Lx arranged symmetrically with respect to the first virtual axis AS1 and two conductive lines Ly arranged symmetrically with respect to the second virtual axis AS2. In some embodiments, the two conductive lines Lx of a touch micro-unit 101U may be arranged symmetrically with respect to the first virtual axis AS1 and then shifted left and right with respect to the second virtual axis AS2. The two conductive lines Ly may also be arranged symmetrically with respect to the second virtual axis AS2 and then shifted up and down with respect to the first virtual axis AS1.

[0046] The touch micro-unit 101U of the present embodiment is not limited to having two conductive lines Lx and two conductive lines Ly. In some embodiments, each touch micro-unit 101U may have 2N conductive lines Lx symmetrically arranged about the first virtual axis AS1 and 2M conductive lines Ly symmetrically arranged about the second virtual axis AS2, where N and M may be any positive integers.

[0047] The touch micro-unit 101U has a first width W1 in a direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 (the X direction) and a second width W2 in a direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2 (the Y direction), wherein the first width W1 is smaller than the second width W2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the first width W1 can be equal to the second width W2.

[0048] In this embodiment, the length of a single conductive line Ly is greater than the length of a single conductive line Lx, but this is not a limitation. The ratio of the length of each conductive line Lx to the first width W1 is within a range of 1.5 to 3.0, and the ratio of the length of each conductive line Ly to the second width W2 is within a range of 1.5 to 3.0. Accordingly, the conductive lines Lx and Ly can have sufficient bending points Px and Py to allow each touch micro-unit 101U to be stretched in any direction without breaking during stretching.

[0049] It should also be noted that if Figures 2B to 2E As shown, each touch micro unit 101U may further include a patterned support layer 110, wherein the conductive wires Lx are arranged on the patterned support layer 110, the conductive wires Ly are arranged on the conductive wires Lx, and an insulating layer BF is further arranged between the conductive wires Lx and the conductive wires Ly. In some embodiments, an insulating layer BF is further arranged between the conductive wires Lx and the patterned support layer 110, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, an insulating layer BF may not be arranged between the conductive wires Lx and the patterned support layer 110. The patterned support layer 110 includes a first portion that overlaps with the orthographic projection of the conductive wires Lx and Ly, as well as a second portion and a third portion to be described below. In some embodiments, the patterned support layer 110 may include polyimide (PI), but is not limited thereto.

[0050] like Figure 2B As shown, the patterned support layer 110 further includes a second portion corresponding to the U-shaped or V-shaped configuration of the two conductive lines Lx, and a third portion corresponding to the U-shaped or V-shaped configuration of the two conductive lines Ly. In other words, the second portion of the patterned support layer 110 corresponds to the bending points Px of the conductive lines Lx, and the third portion of the patterned support layer 110 corresponds to the bending points Py of the conductive lines Ly.

[0051] Furthermore, the second portion of the patterned support layer 110 has a plurality of first upper surfaces Ax, and the third portion of the patterned support layer 110 has a plurality of second upper surfaces Ay. In other words, the first upper surfaces Ax of the patterned support layer 110 correspond to the bending points Px of the conductive lines Lx, and the second upper surfaces Ay of the patterned support layer 110 correspond to the bending points Py of the conductive lines Ly, as shown in FIG. Figure 2B As shown. The vertical projections of the U-shaped structures or the V-shaped structures of the two conductive lines Lx on the patterned support layer 110 surround the first upper surfaces Ax, and the vertical projections of the U-shaped structures or the V-shaped structures of the two conductive lines Ly on the patterned support layer 110 surround the second upper surfaces Ay. It should be noted that in a single touch micro unit 101U, the total area of ​​the first upper surfaces Ax can be different from the total area of ​​the second upper surfaces Ay. Accordingly, the Young's modulus of each touch micro unit 101U in a direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 can be adjusted, and the Young's modulus of each touch micro unit 101U in a direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2 can be adjusted. In other words, the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 in a direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 can be adjusted, and the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 in a direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2 can be adjusted.

[0052] exist Figure 2B In the illustrated single touch micro-unit 101U, the total area of ​​the first upper surfaces Ax of the second portion of the patterned supporting layer 110 is greater than the total area of ​​the second upper surfaces Ay of the third portion of the patterned supporting layer 110. Accordingly, the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 in a direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 can be substantially equal to the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 in a direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2. This prevents structural damage to the stretchable touch panel 100 in a direction with a lower Young's modulus during stretching.

[0053] In one embodiment, the second width W2 of a single touch micro unit 101U is greater than the first width W1, and the ratio of the total area of ​​the first upper surfaces Ax of the second portion of the patterned supporting layer 110 to the total area of ​​the second upper surfaces Ay of the third portion of the patterned supporting layer 110 is within a range of 1 to 2*(W2 / W1). 1 / 2 . Accordingly, the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 in the direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 (X direction) can be substantially equal to the Young's modulus in the direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2 (Y direction). This prevents structural damage to the stretchable touch panel 100 in the direction of lower Young's modulus during stretching.

[0054] In general, the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 can be adjusted by controlling the total area of ​​the first upper surfaces Ax of the second portion and the total area of ​​the second upper surfaces Ay of the third portion of the patterned supporting layer 110 in the stretchable touch panel 100 .

[0055] In some embodiments, the stretchable display panel 200 has a first Young's modulus, and the stretchable touch panel 100 has a second Young's modulus, wherein the ratio of the second Young's modulus to the first Young's modulus falls within a range of 0.5 to 1.5. This can prevent the stretchable display device 1 from causing structural damage within the stretchable touch panel 100 or within the stretchable display panel 200 during the stretching process due to the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 not matching the Young's modulus of the stretchable display panel 200.

[0056] In some embodiments, Figure 1B The ratio of the Young's modulus of the stretchable film layer 310 and the stretchable film layer 320 to the Young's modulus of the stretchable display panel 200 may be less than 0.5, thereby further improving the tensile strength of the stretchable display device 1 .

[0057] In one embodiment, the stretchable display panel 200 has a Young's modulus of 40 MPa, and the stretchable touch panel 100 has a Young's modulus of 38 MPa in a direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 and a Young's modulus of 38 MPa in a direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2. The first width W1 of the touch micro unit 101U is 254 μm, and the second width W2 is 440 μm. The length of a single conductive line Lx is 560 μm, and the length of a single conductive line Ly is 957 μm. In a single touch micro unit 101U, the total area of ​​the first upper surfaces Ax of the second portion of the patterned support layer 110 is 9264 μm. 2 The total area of ​​the second upper surfaces Ay of the third portion of the patterned supporting layer 110 is 5328 μm 2 In this embodiment, the stretchable display device 1 can be stretched by more than 5 mm along the stacking direction (Z direction) of the stretchable display panel 200 and the stretchable touch panel 100 .

[0058] In contrast, in a comparative example, the stretchable display panel 200 has a Young's modulus of 40 MPa, and the stretchable touch panel 100 has a Young's modulus of 1 MPa in a direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 and a Young's modulus of 1 MPa in a direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2. The first width W1 of the touch micro-unit 101U is 254 μm, and the second width W2 is 440 μm; the length of a single conductive line Lx is 560 μm, and the length of a single conductive line Ly is 957 μm; and in a single touch micro-unit 101U, the total area of ​​the first upper surface Ax of the second portion of the patterned support layer 110 is 0 μm. 2 , the total area of ​​the second upper surface Ay of the third portion of the patterned supporting layer 110 is 0 μm 2 (In other words, the patterned supporting layer 110 of this comparative example does not have the second portion and the third portion.) In this comparative example, the stretchable display device is stretched less than 0.7 mm along the stacking direction (Z direction) of the stretchable display panel 200 and the stretchable touch panel 100 .

[0059] Reference Figure 2F , which shows Figure 1A as well as Figure 1B Schematic diagram of a stretchable display panel in FIG. The stretchable display panel 200 can be considered to be composed of a plurality of display units 200U arranged in an array, and each display unit 200U has the same structure. Each display unit 200U includes at least one island structure 201 and at least one bridge structure 202. Each display unit 200U has a first width W3 in the X direction and a second width W4 in the Y direction. It should be noted that, as Figure 2A as well as Figure 2B As shown, the stretchable touch panel 100 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention does not have an island structure compared to the touch panel in the prior art. Therefore, the stretchable touch panel 100 of the present invention does not need to be aligned with the stretchable display panel 200. In other words, the first width W3 of each display unit 200U can be equal to or different from the first width W1 of each touch micro unit 101U, and the second width W4 of each display unit 200U can be equal to or different from the second width W2 of each touch micro unit 101U. Accordingly, the process of the stretchable display device 1 is simplified, and the moire fringes generated by laminating the touch panel and the display panel in the prior art can be avoided.

[0060] In summary, in the stretchable display device provided according to embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel to the Young's modulus of the stretchable display panel falls within the range of 0.5 to 1.5, thereby preventing structural damage within the stretchable touch panel and the stretchable display panel, and providing high tensile strength for the stretchable display device. Furthermore, the stretchable display device provided according to embodiments of the present invention can omit the alignment process between the stretchable touch panel and the stretchable display panel, and can also prevent the generation of moiré fringes.

Claims

1. A stretchable display device, comprising: A stretchable display panel having a first Young's modulus; as well as A stretchable touch panel is disposed on the stretchable display panel and has a second Young's modulus. The ratio of the second Young's modulus to the first Young's modulus falls within the range of 0.5 to 1.

5.

2. The stretchable display device according to claim 1 , wherein the stretchable display panel comprises a plurality of display units arranged in an array, and the stretchable touch panel comprises a plurality of touch micro units arranged in an array, each of the display units having a first width in a first direction and a second width in a second direction, each of the touch micro units having a third width in the first direction and a fourth width in the second direction, and the third width is not equal to the fourth width. 3 . The stretchable display device according to claim 2 , wherein the first width is not equal to the third width. The stretchable display device according to claim 3 , wherein the second width is not equal to the fourth width.

5. The stretchable display device according to claim 1 , wherein the stretchable touch panel comprises a plurality of touch micro units arranged in an array, each of the touch micro units comprising: a patterned support layer; a plurality of first conductive lines, disposed on the patterned support layer; a plurality of second conductive lines, disposed on the plurality of first conductive lines; as well as An insulating layer is disposed between the first conductive lines and the second conductive lines.

6. The stretchable display device as described in claim 5, wherein the plurality of first wires are symmetrically arranged relative to a first virtual axis, the plurality of second wires are symmetrically arranged relative to a second virtual axis, and the first virtual axis is not parallel to the second virtual axis. 7 . The stretchable display device according to claim 6 , wherein the first virtual axis is perpendicular to the second virtual axis. The stretchable display device according to claim 5 , wherein a length of each of the first conductive lines is different from a length of each of the second conductive lines.

9. The stretchable display device according to claim 6, wherein each of the touch micro units has a first width in a first direction parallel to the first virtual axis and a second width in a second direction parallel to the second virtual axis, a ratio of the length of each of the first conductive lines to the first width falls within a range of 1.5 to 3.0, and a ratio of the length of each of the second conductive lines to the second width falls within a range of 1.5 to 3.

0. 10 . The stretchable display device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the first conductive lines and the second conductive lines are zigzag lines. 11 . The stretchable display device according to claim 10 , wherein each of the first conductive lines has a plurality of first bending points, and each of the second conductive lines has a plurality of second bending points.

12. A stretchable display device as described in claim 11, wherein the patterned supporting layer includes a first portion overlapping with the multiple first conductive lines and the multiple second conductive lines, a second portion corresponding to the multiple first bending points, and a third portion corresponding to the multiple second bending points, the second portion has multiple first upper surfaces, the third portion has multiple second upper surfaces, and the total area of ​​the multiple first upper surfaces is not equal to the total area of ​​the multiple second upper surfaces. 13 . The stretchable display device of claim 12 , wherein the total area of ​​the plurality of first upper surfaces is greater than the total area of ​​the plurality of second upper surfaces.

14. The stretchable display device according to claim 12, wherein each of the touch micro-units has a first width (W1) in the first direction and a second width (W2) in the second direction, the second width (W2) being greater than the first width (W1), the plurality of first conductive lines are symmetrically arranged with respect to a first virtual axis, the plurality of second conductive lines are symmetrically arranged with respect to a second virtual axis, the first virtual axis is parallel to the first direction, the second virtual axis is parallel to the two directions, and the ratio of the total area of ​​the plurality of first upper surfaces to the total area of ​​the plurality of second upper surfaces is within a range from 1 to 2*(W2 / W1). 1 / 2 within the range. 15 . The stretchable display device according to claim 11 , wherein the number of the first bending points is not equal to the number of the second bending points.

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