Protective film structure, display module and foldable equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a protective film structure, a display module and foldable equipment, and belongs to the technical field of display. The protective film structure comprises a first optical adhesive layer, a second optical adhesive layer and a third optical adhesive layer, wherein the first optical adhesive layer is positioned between a flexible cover plate and an ultra-thin glass base layer of the display module and is used for adhering the ultra-thin glass base layer to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate; the ultra-thin glass base layer is located between the first optical adhesive layer and the functional layer, the hardness of the ultra-thin glass base layer is higher than that of hardened PET, and the ultra-thin glass base layer is used for increasing the hardness of the upper surface of the flexible cover plate The functional layer is positioned on the upper surface of the ultra-thin glass base layer and is used for realizing functions corresponding to the contained functional materials. The protective film structure comprises the ultra-thin glass base layer, the hardness of the ultra-thin glass base layer is higher than that of hardened PET, and the hardness of the surface of the display module is improved by adhering the protective film structure to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate of the display module.

Description

[0001] This utility model claims the priority of Chinese patent application with application number 202410138850.1 filed on January 30, 2024, and invention name “Protective film structure, display module and foldable device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this utility model. Technical Field

[0002] The utility model relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a protective film structure, a display module and a foldable device. Background Art

[0003] With the development of electronic technology, users want the display screen of electronic devices to be larger and larger. To meet the needs of users, foldable devices have emerged. To make foldable devices easy to carry, the thickness of the display module of foldable devices has become thinner and thinner. At the same time, the reliability of the display module has become worse and worse, and it is easy to be damaged when impacted. To protect the display module, a replaceable protective film structure can be attached to the upper surface of the flexible cover of the display module.

[0004] The surface material of the protective film structure currently on the market is hardened PET, which has a low hardness, usually not higher than 2H (H represents hardness). Pasting the protective film structure to the surface of the flexible cover plate does not increase the hardness of the display module surface, resulting in the display module being prone to nail marks during use, and the feel is far inferior to the glass feel of the straight-screen machine surface.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a new protective film structure to improve the hardness of the display module surface. Summary of the invention

[0006] The embodiment of the utility model provides a protective film structure, a display module and a foldable device, which can increase the hardness of the display module surface. The technical solution is as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, a protective film structure is provided, the protective film structure is used to protect a display module, the protective film structure comprises: a first optical adhesive layer, an ultra-thin glass base layer and a functional layer;

[0008] The first optical adhesive layer is located between the flexible cover plate of the display module and the ultra-thin glass substrate, and the first optical adhesive layer is used to adhere the ultra-thin glass substrate to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate;

[0009] The ultra-thin glass substrate is located between the first optical adhesive layer and the functional layer, the hardness of the ultra-thin glass substrate is higher than the hardness of the hardened PET, and the ultra-thin glass substrate is used to increase the hardness of the upper surface of the flexible cover plate;

[0010] The functional layer is located on the upper surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate, and the functional layer is used to realize the functions corresponding to the functional materials contained therein.

[0011] In a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the protective film structure further includes: a first protective layer;

[0012] The first protective layer is located between the ultra-thin glass base layer and the functional layer. The first protective layer is formed by coating an organic protective material on the upper surface of the ultra-thin glass base layer. The first protective layer is used to increase the ability of the ultra-thin glass base layer to resist external impact.

[0013] In a second possible implementation of the first aspect, the first protective layer includes M organic material layers, the value of M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3, the thickness of each organic material layer is 1 micron to 100 microns, and the total thickness of the first protective layer is 3 microns to 150 microns.

[0014] In a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the organic protective material includes one of an acrylate material, a polyurethane acrylate material, a silane-modified acrylate or a silane-modified polyurethane acrylate material, an organosilicon system, and an epoxy system.

[0015] In a fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the protective film structure further includes: a second optical adhesive layer and a second protective layer;

[0016] The second optical adhesive layer is located between the second protective layer and the ultra-thin glass substrate, and the second optical adhesive layer is formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the second protective layer, and the second optical adhesive layer is used to paste the second protective layer to the lower surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate;

[0017] The second protective layer is located between the first optical adhesive layer and the second optical adhesive layer, the second protective layer is adhered to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate through the first optical adhesive layer, and the second protective layer is used to increase the hardness of the upper surface of the flexible cover plate.

[0018] In a fifth possible implementation of the first aspect, the second protective layer includes one or two of UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass), PET, TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethanes), and PA (Polyamide).

[0019] In a sixth possible implementation of the first aspect, the protective film structure also includes: a first impact-resistant layer, wherein the first impact-resistant layer is located between the first optical adhesive layer and the ultra-thin glass base layer, and the first impact-resistant layer is formed by coating an impact-resistant material on the lower surface of the ultra-thin glass base layer, and the first impact-resistant layer is used to increase the impact resistance of the ultra-thin glass base layer.

[0020] In a seventh possible implementation of the first aspect, the protective film structure also includes: a second impact-resistant layer, wherein the second impact-resistant layer is located between the first optical adhesive layer and the second protective layer, and the second impact-resistant layer is formed by coating an impact-resistant material on the lower surface of the second protective layer, and the second impact-resistant layer is used to increase the impact resistance of the ultra-thin glass base layer.

[0021] In an eighth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the thickness of the first impact-resistant layer or the second impact-resistant layer is 2 to 50 micrometers.

[0022] In a ninth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the impact-resistant material includes one of an acrylate material, a polyurethane acrylate material, a silane-modified acrylate or a silane-modified polyurethane acrylate material, an organosilicon system, and an epoxy system.

[0023] In a tenth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the functional layer includes at least one of an AF (Anti-fingerprint) layer, an AR (Anti-reflection) layer, and an AG (Anti-glare) layer.

[0024] In an eleventh possible implementation manner of the first aspect, a thickness of the ultra-thin glass substrate is 20 micrometers to 100 micrometers.

[0025] In the second aspect, a display module is provided, which includes a flexible cover plate, a display panel and a supporting layer, wherein the display panel is located between the upper surface of the supporting layer and the lower surface of the flexible cover plate, and a protective film structure is pasted on the upper surface of the flexible cover plate, and the protective film structure is the protective film structure described in the first aspect.

[0026] In a first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the flexible cover plate includes a first cover plate.

[0027] In a second possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the flexible cover plate includes a first cover plate, a second cover plate, and a third optical adhesive layer;

[0028] The third optical adhesive layer is located between the first cover plate and the second cover plate. The third optical adhesive layer is formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the first cover plate. The third optical adhesive layer is used to paste the second cover plate to the upper surface of the first cover plate.

[0029] In a third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the flexible cover plate includes a first cover plate, a second cover plate, a third cover plate, a third optical adhesive layer, and a fourth optical adhesive layer;

[0030] The third optical adhesive layer is located between the first cover plate and the second cover plate, and the third optical adhesive layer is formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the first cover plate, and the third optical adhesive layer is used to paste the second cover plate to the upper surface of the first cover plate;

[0031] The fourth optical adhesive layer is located between the first cover plate and the third cover plate. The fourth optical adhesive layer is formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the third cover plate. The fourth optical adhesive layer is used to adhere the third cover plate to the lower surface of the first cover plate.

[0032] In a fourth possible implementation of the second aspect, the first cover plate includes hardened PET or hardened transparent polyimide CPI, and the second cover plate or the third cover plate includes one or two of ultra-thin glass UTG, PET, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer TPU, and polyamide PA.

[0033] In a third aspect, a foldable device is provided, comprising a shell and a display module, wherein the display module is arranged on an upper surface of the shell, and the display module is the display module described in the second aspect.

[0034] The beneficial effects brought by the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the utility model are:

[0035] The protective film structure provided by the embodiment of the utility model adopts an ultra-thin glass substrate to replace hardened PET as a supporting layer. Since the hardness of the ultra-thin glass substrate is greater than that of the hardened PET, the hardness of the protective film structure is increased. On this basis, by adding different film layers to the protective film structure, the hardness and impact resistance of the protective film structure are further increased. When the protective film structure is pasted on the flexible cover plate of the display module, not only the hardness of the flexible cover plate is increased, but also the flatness of the surface of the display module is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0037] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a protective film structure provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0038] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of another protective film structure provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0039] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of another protective film structure provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0040] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of another protective film structure provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0041] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of another protective film structure provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0042] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of a display module provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0043] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of a flexible cover provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0044] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of a flexible cover provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0045] Fig. 9 It is a structural schematic diagram of a flexible cover provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0046] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of a combined structure of a protective film structure + a flexible cover plate provided by the related technology;

[0047] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram of a combined structure of a protective film structure + a flexible cover plate provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0048] Fig.12 This is a schematic diagram of another combined structure of a protective film structure + a flexible cover plate provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0049] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram of another combined structure of a protective film structure + a flexible cover plate provided by the related technology;

[0050] Fig.14 This is a schematic diagram of another combined structure of a protective film structure + a flexible cover plate provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0051] Fig.15 This is a schematic diagram of another combined structure of a protective film structure + a flexible cover plate provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0052] Fig.16 It is a structural schematic diagram of a foldable device provided in an embodiment of the utility model.

[0053] Among them, the figure markings are: 101 is the first optical adhesive layer; 102 is the ultra-thin glass base layer; 103 is the functional layer; 104 is the first protective layer; 105 is the second optical adhesive layer; 106 is the second protective layer; 107 is the first impact-resistant layer; 108 is the second impact-resistant layer; 201 is the flexible cover plate; 2011 is the first cover plate; 2012 is the second cover plate; 2013 is the third optical adhesive layer; 2014 is the third cover plate; 2015 is the fourth optical adhesive layer; 202 is the display panel; 203 is the supporting layer; 1601 is the shell; 1602 is the display module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clear, the implementation mode of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] It can be understood that the terms "each", "multiple", and "any" used in the embodiments of the present invention include two or more, each refers to each of the corresponding multiple, and any refers to any one of the corresponding multiple. For example, the multiple words include 10 words, and each word refers to each of the 10 words, and any word refers to any one of the 10 words.

[0056] It should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) involved in the present invention are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use and processing of relevant data must comply with the relevant laws, regulations and standards of the relevant countries and regions, and provide corresponding operation entrances for users to choose to authorize or refuse.

[0057] As foldable devices develop towards thinness and lightness, the thickness of the display modules of foldable devices becomes thinner and thinner, and they are very easy to be damaged when impacted. In order to better protect the display module and reduce the probability of damage to the display module, a replaceable protective film structure is usually pasted on the surface of the display module. At present, the cover plates of foldable devices mainly include CPI cover plates and UTG cover plates. Although the UTG cover plate has the hardness of glass, the actual surface of the UTG cover plate is still hardened PET or hardened CPI. UTG is only used as a supporting layer inside the module stack. The protective film structure of the display module of foldable devices that has been mass-produced is almost entirely made of hardened PET, and the hardness of hardened PET is usually not higher than 2H, resulting in a very low hardness on the surface of the display module. It is easy to produce nail marks during use, and the feel is far inferior to the glass feel of the straight-screen machine. To this end, an embodiment of the utility model provides a protective film structure, which uses ultra-thin glass as the upper surface. When the protective film structure is pasted on the flexible cover plate on the upper surface of the display module, the hardness of the display module surface can be increased, and the flatness and texture of the display module surface can be improved.

[0058] It should be noted that the hardness described in the embodiment of the utility model refers to the hardness of the pencil lead. According to industrial standards, the hardness of pencil leads can be divided into 13 levels, from the hardest 6H to 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, H, and then to HB with moderate hardness, and then from B, 2B to the softest 6B. Among them, H represents hardness and B represents blackness. From 6H to 6B, the hardness decreases successively, and the color of the pencil becomes darker successively. The color depth is related to the graphite content. The darker the color, the higher the graphite content, and the softer the pencil.

[0059] The utility model embodiment provides a protective film structure, see Figure 1 The protective film structure 100 includes a first optical adhesive layer 101 , an ultra-thin glass base layer 102 and a functional layer 103 .

[0060] The first optical adhesive layer 101 is formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the lower surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate 102. The optical adhesive may be OCA (Optical Clear Adhesive) or OCR (Optical Clear Resin) or the like. When the optical adhesive is OCA, the optical adhesive is generally pasted on the lower surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate 102; when the optical adhesive is OCR, the optical adhesive is generally coated on the lower surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate 102. The first optical adhesive layer 101 is located between the flexible cover plate of the display module and the ultra-thin glass substrate 102. The first optical adhesive layer 101 is used to paste the ultra-thin glass substrate 102 to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate.

[0061] The ultra-thin glass base layer 102 is a film layer with ultra-thin glass as the base layer, and the ultra-thin glass can be ordinary ultra-thin glass or microcrystalline ultra-thin glass. The hardness of the ultra-thin glass base layer 102 is greater than or equal to 2H, which is higher than the hardness of hardened PET. The ultra-thin glass base layer 102 is located between the first optical adhesive layer 101 and the functional layer 103. By using the ultra-thin glass base layer 102 as a supporting layer for the protective film structure, the hardness of the protective film structure 100 can be improved. Since the flexible cover plate is a film layer on the surface of the display module, when the protective film structure 100 is pasted to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate, the hardness of the upper surface of the flexible cover plate can be increased, thereby increasing the hardness of the surface of the display module.

[0062] The functional layer 103 is formed by coating, evaporating or spraying the functional material onto the upper surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate. The functional layer 103 is located on the upper surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate 102 and can realize the functions corresponding to the functional materials.

[0063] In another embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the ultra-thin glass substrate 102 can be 20 microns to 100 microns. By setting the thickness of the ultra-thin glass substrate 102 between 20 microns and 100 microns, under the premise of realizing the foldability of the display module, it not only meets the requirements of thinning the entire foldable device and making it easy to carry, but also can maintain the performance of the ultra-thin glass substrate 102 itself, avoid reducing the hardness of the ultra-thin glass substrate due to being too thin, thereby improving the hardness of the display module surface.

[0064] In another embodiment of the utility model, the functional layer 103 may include at least one of an anti-fingerprint AF layer, an anti-reflection AR layer, and an anti-glare AG layer. Among them, the AF layer is an anti-fingerprint coating, and the anti-fingerprint material can be evaporated or coated on the surface of the ultra-thin glass base layer 102 by vacuum deposition or liquid chemical process. The AF layer can improve the smoothness, easy cleaning, anti-fingerprint, anti-oil, etc., so that the ultra-thin glass base layer 102 can maintain a smooth and bright effect for a long time. The AR layer is an anti-reflection coating, and the reflective material can be evaporated or coated on the surface of the ultra-thin glass base layer 102 by vacuum evaporation or magnetron sputtering or coating. The AR layer can improve the transmittance of the ultra-thin glass base layer 102, making the picture displayed by the display module clearer and brighter. The AG layer is an anti-glare coating. The anti-glare coating with nano or micro particles can be applied to the surface of the ultra-thin glass base layer 102 by a coating process; a silane solution can be sprayed onto the surface of the ultra-thin glass base layer 102 by a spraying process, and a rough surface is formed on the ultra-thin glass base layer 102 by baking and curing; a rough surface can also be formed on the ultra-thin glass base layer 102 by an etching process using an acid solution such as HF. When light is reflected from the rough surface, it has a lower reflectivity than ordinary glass. The ultra-thin glass base layer 102 with a vapor-deposited AG layer can reduce the bright glare of the reflected light source and reduce the interference of ambient light, thereby improving the viewing angle of the picture displayed by the display module.

[0065] Specifically, the functional layer 103 can be a single-layer film layer, so that the protective film structure has the function of a single-layer film layer. For example, if the functional layer is an AF layer, the AF layer can make the protective film structure have an anti-fingerprint function. When a user operates on a foldable device with the protective film structure attached, the user's fingerprint will not be left on the display module of the foldable device; for example, if the functional layer is an AR layer, the AR layer can make the protective film structure have an anti-reflection function, thereby improving the clarity of the picture displayed by the display module; for example, if the functional layer is an AG layer, the AG layer can make the protective film structure have an anti-glare function. When a user views the picture displayed on the display module, the picture content can be viewed from different angles. The functional layer 103 may be two layers of film, so that the protective film structure has the function of a double layer of film, for example, the functional layer may be AF layer + AR layer, so that the protective film structure has anti-fingerprint and anti-reflection functions; for example, the functional layer may also be AF layer + AG layer, so that the protective film structure has anti-fingerprint and anti-glare functions; for example, the functional layer may also be AR layer + AG layer, so that the protective film structure has anti-reflection and anti-glare functions. The functional layer 103 may be three layers of film, for example, it may be AF layer + AR layer + AG layer, so that the protective film structure has anti-fingerprint, anti-reflection and anti-glare functions.

[0066] In another embodiment of the present invention, since the thickness of the ultra-thin glass is relatively thin, the surface directly used as the protective film structure has the risk of breaking when subjected to external impact. In order to increase the ability of the ultra-thin glass substrate 102 to resist external impact, see Figure 2 The protective film structure further includes a first protective layer 104, which is located between the ultra-thin glass substrate 102 and the functional layer 103. The first protective layer 104 can be formed by coating an organic protective material on the upper surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate 102, and the organic protective material can include one of acrylate materials, polyurethane acrylate materials, silane-modified acrylate materials or silane-modified polyurethane acrylate materials, organic silicon systems, and epoxy systems, and some nanoparticles such as nano-silicon dioxide, nano-aluminum oxide, polyether-modified polysiloxane, polydimethylsiloxane, etc. can also be added as needed.

[0067] Optionally, the first protective layer 104 may include M layers of organic material layers, where the value of M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3. The thickness of each organic material layer is 1 micron to 100 microns, and the total thickness of the first protective layer 104 is 3 microns to 150 microns. By controlling the thickness of each organic material layer and the thickness of the first protective layer 104, the thickness of the display module can be prevented from being too thick, which affects the realization of the foldable function, while maximizing the hardness of the protective film structure.

[0068] In another embodiment of the present invention, see Figure 3 According to actual needs, such as impact resistance, surface hardness, etc., the protective film structure also includes a second optical adhesive layer 105 and a second protective layer 106. Among them, the second optical adhesive layer 105 can be formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the second protective layer 106, and the second optical adhesive layer 105 is located between the second protective layer 106 and the ultra-thin glass base layer 102. The second optical adhesive layer 105 can adhere the second protective layer 106 to the lower surface of the ultra-thin glass base layer 102. The second protective layer 106 is located between the first optical adhesive layer 101 and the second optical adhesive layer 105, and the second protective layer 106 is adhered to the upper surface of the flexible cover through the first optical adhesive layer 101. The second protective layer 106 includes one or two of ultra-thin glass UTG, PET, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer TPU, and polyamide PA. By adding the second protective layer to the protective film structure, the hardness of the upper surface of the flexible cover is increased.

[0069] In another embodiment of the present invention, see Figure 4 , the protective film structure also includes a first impact-resistant layer 107. The thickness of the first impact-resistant layer 107 is 2 microns to 50 microns, and can be formed by coating an impact-resistant material on the lower surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate 102. The impact-resistant material can include one of acrylate materials, polyurethane acrylate materials, silane-modified acrylate materials or silane-modified polyurethane acrylate materials, silicone systems, and epoxy systems. Some nanoparticles such as nano-silicon dioxide, nano-aluminum oxide, polyether-modified polysiloxane, and polydimethylsiloxane can also be added as needed. The first impact-resistant layer 107 is located between the first optical adhesive layer 101 and the ultra-thin glass substrate 102, which can increase the impact resistance of the ultra-thin glass substrate 102, thereby improving the impact resistance of the flexible cover.

[0070] In another embodiment of the present invention, see Figure 5 ,exist Figure 3 On the basis of the protective film structure shown, the protective film structure further includes: a second impact-resistant layer 108. The thickness of the second impact-resistant layer 108 is 2 microns to 50 microns, and can be formed by coating an impact-resistant material on the lower surface of the second protective layer 106. The impact-resistant material can include one of acrylate materials, polyurethane acrylate materials, silane-modified acrylate materials or silane-modified polyurethane acrylate materials, organic silicon systems, and epoxy systems. Some nanoparticles can also be added as needed, such as nano silicon dioxide, nano aluminum oxide, polyether-modified polysiloxane, polydimethylsiloxane, etc. The second impact-resistant layer 108 is located between the first optical adhesive layer 101 and the second protective layer 106, and can increase the impact resistance of the ultra-thin glass base layer 102.

[0071] In industry, the water drop angle is a measure of the wetness of a solid surface. It is measured using liquid droplets of most solid objects. The height of the water drop angle can indicate the hydrophilicity of the surface. The lower the water drop angle, the more hydrophilic the surface is, and the easier it is to stick to the surface. The higher the water drop angle, the more hydrophobic the surface is, the more organic pollution on the surface is, or the surface adhesion is poor. In short, the larger the water drop angle on the surface of the glass substrate, the easier it is to tear off the film layer pasted thereon, and the smaller the water drop angle on the surface of the glass substrate, the less likely it is to tear off the film layer pasted thereon. The water drop angle on the surface of the protective film structure provided by the embodiment of the utility model is greater than or equal to 90° and less than 110°, and the surface is hydrophobic, so that the protective film structure can be easily torn off from the flexible cover plate. In particular, when the protective film structure is damaged, it is easy to replace a new protective film structure.

[0072] The protective film structure provided in the embodiment of the utility model is mainly used for inward-folding products in foldable devices. However, by adjusting the thickness and stacking design of the ultra-thin glass, functional layer and protective layer, it can also be used for other forms of folding products, such as outward-folding, tri-fold, curled and scrolled products.

[0073] The protective film structure provided by the embodiment of the utility model adopts an ultra-thin glass substrate to replace hardened PET as a supporting layer. Since the hardness of the ultra-thin glass substrate is greater than that of the hardened PET, the hardness of the protective film structure is increased. On this basis, by adding different film layers to the protective film structure, the hardness and impact resistance of the protective film structure are further increased. When the protective film structure is pasted on the flexible cover plate of the display module, not only the hardness of the flexible cover plate is increased, but also the flatness of the surface of the display module is improved.

[0074] All the above optional technical solutions can be arbitrarily combined to form optional embodiments of the present utility model, which will not be described one by one here.

[0075] The present utility model provides a display module, see Figure 6 The display module includes a flexible cover plate 201 , a display panel 202 and a support layer 203 .

[0076] The flexible cover plate 201 is located on the upper surface of the display module and is used to protect the display panel 202. A protective film structure is attached to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate 201. Figures 1 to 5 The protective film structure shown in any of the accompanying drawings can be used to increase the hardness of the surface of the flexible cover plate, thereby improving the impact resistance of the display module.

[0077] The display panel 202 is located between the upper surface of the support layer 203 and the lower surface of the flexible cover plate 201, and is used to display images. The display panel 202 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode or an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED), a flexible light-emitting diode (FLED), Miniled, MicroLed, Micro-oLed, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED), etc.

[0078] The support layer 203 is located below the display panel 202 and is used to support the display panel 202. The support layer 203 may include one or two of ultra-thin glass UTG, PET, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer TPU, polyamide PA, etc.

[0079] The flexible cover plate 201 in the embodiment of the present invention may include at least one layer of cover plate, for example, a single-layer cover plate, a double-layer cover plate, or a triple-layer cover plate.

[0080] See also Figure 7 The flexible cover plate 201 includes a first cover plate 2011 , and the first cover plate 2011 may be hardened PET or hardened CPI, etc.

[0081] See also Figure 8 The flexible cover plate 201 includes a first cover plate 2011, a second cover plate 2012 and a third optical adhesive layer 2013. The second cover plate 2012 may be one or two of UTG, PET, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer TPU, polyamide PA, etc. The third optical adhesive layer 2013 is formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the first cover plate 2011. The third optical adhesive layer 2013 is located between the first cover plate 2011 and the second cover plate 2012. The third optical adhesive layer 2013 is used to paste the second cover plate 2012 to the upper surface of the first cover plate 2011.

[0082] See also Fig. 9The flexible cover plate 201 includes a first cover plate 2011, a second cover plate 2012, a third cover plate 2014, a third optical adhesive layer 2013 and a fourth optical adhesive layer 2015. The third cover plate 2014 includes one or two of ultra-thin glass UTG, PET, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer TPU, and polyamide PA. The third optical adhesive layer 2013 can be formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the first cover plate 2011. The third optical adhesive layer 2013 is located between the first cover plate 2011 and the second cover plate 2012. The third optical adhesive layer 2013 can paste the second cover plate 2012 to the upper surface of the first cover plate 2011. The fourth optical adhesive layer 2015 can be formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the third cover plate 2014. The fourth optical adhesive layer 2015 is located between the first cover plate 2011 and the third cover plate 2014. The fourth optical adhesive layer 2015 is used to adhere the third cover plate 2014 to the lower surface of the first cover plate 2011.

[0083] Embodiments of the utility model Figures 1 to 5 The protective film structure shown in any of the accompanying drawings, Figures 7 to 9 The flexible cover plate structure shown in any of the figures can be combined arbitrarily to form a protective film structure-flexible cover plate combination structure. When the structure of the flexible cover plate is the same, the protective film structure-flexible cover plate combination structure that can be combined in the embodiment of the utility model has a greater surface hardness than the protective film structure-flexible cover plate combination structure in the related art.

[0084] For example, Fig.10 It is a combination structure of a protective film structure and a flexible cover plate in the related art. The flexible cover plate in the combination structure includes a single-layer cover plate. The surface of the protective film structure is hardened PET, and the hardness of the surface of the combination structure is HB. Fig.11 A protective film structure-flexible cover plate combination structure in an embodiment of the utility model is shown, in which the flexible cover plate is a single-layer cover plate, and the protective film structure is as shown in FIG. Figure 3 The protective film structure shown has a surface hardness of 3H. Fig.12 A protective film structure-flexible cover plate combination structure in an embodiment of the utility model is shown, in which the flexible cover plate is a single-layer cover plate, and the protective film structure is as shown in FIG. Figure 4 The protective film structure shown has a surface hardness of 4H. By comparison, it can be found that when the flexible cover plate includes a single-layer cover plate, the protective film structure provided by the embodiment of the utility model is pasted to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate, and the surface hardness of the combined structure is greater than that of the combined structure in the related art.

[0085] For example, Fig.13It is a combination structure of a protective film structure and a flexible cover plate in the related art. The flexible cover plate in the combination structure includes a double-layer cover plate. The surface of the protective film structure is hardened PET or hardened CPI. The hardness of the surface of the combination structure is B. Fig.14 A protective film structure-flexible cover plate combination structure in an embodiment of the utility model is shown, in which the flexible cover plate is a double-layer cover plate, and the protective film structure is as shown in FIG. Figure 2 The protective film structure shown has a surface hardness of 4H. By comparison, it can be found that when the flexible cover plate includes a double-layer cover plate, the protective film structure provided by the embodiment of the utility model is pasted to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate, and the surface hardness of the combined structure is greater than that of the combined structure in the related art.

[0086] Fig.15 A protective film structure-flexible cover plate combination structure in an embodiment of the utility model is shown, in which the flexible cover plate is a three-layer cover plate, and the protective film structure is as follows Figure 1 The protective film structure shown has a pencil hardness of 6H on the surface of the combined structure.

[0087] In summary, the higher the hardness of the flexible cover plate, the higher the hardness of the functional layer on the surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate, and the higher the overall hardness. Of course, the more layers the protective film structure includes, the thicker the display module is, which may affect the realization of the folding function. Therefore, in actual application, the protective film structure and the flexible cover plate can be combined according to needs.

[0088] An embodiment of the utility model provides a foldable device, which can be a mobile phone, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, an AR (Augmented Reality) device, a VR (Virtual Reality) device, a car computer, a wearable device, a smart home device, etc.

[0089] See also Fig.16 The foldable device includes a housing 1601 and a display module 1602. The display module 1602 is disposed on the upper surface of the housing 1601. Figure 7 The display module shown.

[0090] Although not shown, the housing 1601 may include a processor, an external memory interface, an internal memory, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a charging management module, a power management module, a battery, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module, a wireless communication module, an audio module, a speaker, a receiver, a microphone, an earphone interface, a sensor module, a button, a motor, an indicator, a camera, a display screen, and a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card interface, etc. Among them, the sensor module may include a pressure sensor, a gyroscope sensor, an air pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a distance sensor, a proximity light sensor, a fingerprint sensor, a temperature sensor, a touch sensor, an ambient light sensor, a bone conduction sensor, etc.

[0091] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0092] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features may be replaced by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A protective film structure, characterized in that: The protective film structure is used to protect the display module, and the protective film structure includes: a first optical adhesive layer, an ultra-thin glass base layer and a functional layer; The first optical adhesive layer is located between the flexible cover plate of the display module and the ultra-thin glass substrate, and the first optical adhesive layer is used to adhere the ultra-thin glass substrate to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate; The ultra-thin glass substrate is located between the first optical adhesive layer and the functional layer, the hardness of the ultra-thin glass substrate is higher than the hardness of the hardened PET, and the ultra-thin glass substrate is used to increase the hardness of the upper surface of the flexible cover plate; The functional layer is located on the upper surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate, and the functional layer is used to realize the functions corresponding to the functional materials contained therein.

2. The protective film structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective film structure further includes: a first protective layer; The first protective layer is located between the ultra-thin glass base layer and the functional layer. The first protective layer is formed by coating an organic protective material on the upper surface of the ultra-thin glass base layer. The first protective layer is used to increase the ability of the ultra-thin glass base layer to resist external impact.

3. The protective film structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first protective layer includes M organic material layers, the value of M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3, the thickness of each organic material layer is 1 micron to 100 microns, and the total thickness of the first protective layer is 3 microns to 150 microns.

4. The protective film structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The organic protective material includes one of acrylate materials, polyurethane acrylate materials, silane-modified acrylate materials or silane-modified polyurethane acrylate materials, organic silicon systems, and epoxy systems.

5. The protective film structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The protective film structure further includes: a second optical adhesive layer and a second protective layer; The second optical adhesive layer is located between the second protective layer and the ultra-thin glass substrate, and the second optical adhesive layer is formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the second protective layer, and the second optical adhesive layer is used to paste the second protective layer to the lower surface of the ultra-thin glass substrate; The second protective layer is located between the first optical adhesive layer and the second optical adhesive layer, the second protective layer is adhered to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate through the first optical adhesive layer, and the second protective layer is used to increase the hardness of the upper surface of the flexible cover plate.

6. The protective film structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The protective film structure also includes: a first impact-resistant layer, which is located between the first optical adhesive layer and the ultra-thin glass base layer, and the first impact-resistant layer is formed by coating an impact-resistant material on the lower surface of the ultra-thin glass base layer, and the first impact-resistant layer is used to increase the impact resistance of the ultra-thin glass base layer.

7. The protective film structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The thickness of the first impact-resistant layer is 2 to 50 micrometers.

8. The protective film structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The protective film structure also includes: a second impact-resistant layer, which is located between the first optical adhesive layer and the second protective layer. The second impact-resistant layer is formed by coating an impact-resistant material on the lower surface of the second protective layer. The second impact-resistant layer is used to increase the impact resistance of the ultra-thin glass base layer.

9. The protective film structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The thickness of the second impact-resistant layer is 2 to 50 micrometers.

10. The protective film structure according to claim 6 or 8, characterized in that: The impact-resistant material includes one of acrylate materials, polyurethane acrylate materials, silane-modified acrylate materials or silane-modified polyurethane acrylate materials, organic silicon systems, and epoxy systems.

11. The protective film structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The functional layer includes at least one of an anti-fingerprint AF layer, an anti-reflection AR layer, and an anti-glare AG layer.

12. The protective film structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The thickness of the ultra-thin glass substrate is 20 micrometers to 100 micrometers.

13. A display module, characterized in that: The display module includes a flexible cover plate, a display panel and a support layer, the display panel is located between the upper surface of the support layer and the lower surface of the flexible cover plate, and a protective film structure is attached to the upper surface of the flexible cover plate, and the protective film structure is the protective film structure described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The display module according to claim 13, characterized in that: The flexible cover includes a first cover.

15. The display module according to claim 13, characterized in that: The flexible cover plate includes a first cover plate, a second cover plate and a third optical adhesive layer; The third optical adhesive layer is located between the first cover plate and the second cover plate. The third optical adhesive layer is formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the first cover plate. The third optical adhesive layer is used to paste the second cover plate to the upper surface of the first cover plate.

16. The display module according to claim 13, characterized in that: The flexible cover plate includes a first cover plate, a second cover plate, a third cover plate, a third optical adhesive layer and a fourth optical adhesive layer; The third optical adhesive layer is located between the first cover plate and the second cover plate, and the third optical adhesive layer is formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the first cover plate, and the third optical adhesive layer is used to paste the second cover plate to the upper surface of the first cover plate; The fourth optical adhesive layer is located between the first cover plate and the third cover plate. The fourth optical adhesive layer is formed by coating or pasting optical adhesive on the upper surface of the third cover plate. The fourth optical adhesive layer is used to adhere the third cover plate to the lower surface of the first cover plate.

17. The display module according to claim 16, characterized in that: The first cover plate includes hardened PET or hardened transparent polyimide CPI.

18. A foldable device, characterized in that: The foldable device includes a shell and a display module, wherein the display module is arranged on the upper surface of the shell, and the display module is the display module according to any one of claims 13 to 17.

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