Stretchable display device

Abstract

A stretchable display device including a stretchable display panel and a stretchable touch panel is provided. 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. A ratio of the second Young's modulus and the first Young's modulus is within a range of

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a stretchable display device. [Previous Technology]

[0002] In conventional stretchable display devices, the Young's modulus of the touch panel does not match the Young's modulus of the display panel, which can easily cause structural damage 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 an embodiment of the present invention, a stretchable display device is provided, including a stretchable display panel and a stretchable touch panel. The stretchable display panel has a first Young's module. The stretchable touch panel is disposed on the stretchable display panel and has a second Young's module. The ratio of the second Young's module to the first Young's module falls within the range of 0.5 to 1.5.

[0005] Based on the above, in the stretchable display device provided in the 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, 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 apparent and understandable, specific embodiments are described below, and detailed descriptions are given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Implementation Method

[0007] Referring to FIG1A, a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a stretchable display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0008] As shown in FIG1A, 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.

[0009] Please refer to FIG1B, which shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a stretchable display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG1B, the stretchable display device 1a includes a stretchable display panel 200 and a stretchable touch panel 100. Furthermore, 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 disposed below the stretchable display panel 200. The stretchable film layer 320 is disposed below the stretchable touch panel 100. The protective layer 330 is disposed above the stretchable touch panel 100. The stretchable film layer 310 may, for example, include thermoplastic polyurethane, silicone, or other suitable materials. The stretchable film layer 320 may, for example, include thermoplastic polyurethane, silicone, or other suitable materials. The protective layer 330 may include, for example, thermoplastic polyurethane, silicone, or other suitable materials.

[0010] Refer to Figures 2A to 2E, wherein Figure 2A shows a plan view of the stretchable touch panel in Figures 1A and 1B, Figure 2B shows a plan view of the touch micro-unit in Figure 2A, Figure 2C shows a cross-sectional view along line segment AA' in Figure 2B, Figure 2D shows a cross-sectional view along line segment BB' in Figure 2B, and Figure 2E shows a cross-sectional view along line segment CC' in Figure 2B.

[0011] Referring to FIG2A, the stretchable touch panel 100 includes a plurality of wires Lx and a plurality of wires Ly. Furthermore, the stretchable touch panel 100 can be considered as being composed of a plurality of touch micro-units 101U arranged in an array, wherein these touch micro-units 101U have the same structure.

[0012] As shown in Figures 2B to 2E, each conductor Lx and each conductor Ly within each touch microunit 101U is a bent line, and each conductor Lx has multiple bend points (multiple first bend points) Px, and each conductor Ly has multiple bend points (multiple second bend points) Py. Each conductor Lx and each conductor Ly has multiple U-shaped structures or multiple V-shaped structures corresponding to these bend points Px, Py. In this embodiment, the number of bend points Py on a single conductor Ly is greater than the number of bend points Px on a single conductor Lx, but this is not a limitation. These conductors Lx and Ly are covered and fixed by an organic layer PL.

[0013] In this embodiment, a touch micro-unit 101U has two wires Lx and two wires Ly, wherein the two wires Lx are symmetrically arranged with respect to the first virtual axis AS1 of the touch micro-unit 101U, and the two wires Ly are symmetrically arranged with respect to the second virtual axis AS2 of the touch micro-unit 101U, and the first virtual axis AS1 is perpendicular to the second virtual axis AS2. Accordingly, by means of the bending structure of these wires Lx and Ly, each touch micro-unit 101U can be stretched in any direction.

[0014] In Figure 2B, the first virtual axis AS1 is perpendicular to the second virtual axis AS2. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first virtual axis AS1 is not parallel 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.

[0015] The touch micro-unit 101U of the present invention is not limited to the two wires Lx being symmetrically arranged with respect to the first virtual axis AS1 and the two wires Ly being symmetrically arranged with respect to the second virtual axis AS2. In some embodiments, the two wires Lx of a touch micro-unit 101U may be arranged in a manner that is first symmetrical with respect to the first virtual axis AS1 and then shifted left and right with respect to the second virtual axis AS2; the two wires Ly may also be selectively arranged in a manner that is symmetrical with respect to the second virtual axis AS2 and then shifted up and down with respect to the first virtual axis AS1.

[0016] The touch micro-unit 101U of the present invention is not limited to two wires Lx and two wires Ly. In some embodiments, each touch micro-unit 101U may have 2N wires Lx symmetrically arranged with respect to the first virtual axis AS1 and 2M wires Ly symmetrically arranged with respect to the second virtual axis AS2, where N and M can be any positive integers.

[0017] The touch micro-unit 101U has a first width W1 in the direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 (X direction) and a second width W2 in the direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2 (Y direction), wherein the first width W1 is smaller than the second width W2. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in some embodiments, the first width W1 may be equal to the second width W2.

[0018] In this embodiment, the length of a single conductor Ly is greater than the length of a single conductor Lx, but is not limited thereto. The ratio of the length of each conductor Lx to the first width W1 falls within the range of 1.5 to 3.0, and the ratio of the length of each conductor Ly to the second width W2 falls within the range of 1.5 to 3.0. Accordingly, these conductors Lx, Ly can have a sufficient number of bending points Px, Py, allowing each touch microunit 101U to be stretched in any direction, and these conductors Lx, Ly will not break during the stretching process.

[0019] It should also be noted that, as shown in Figures 2B to 2E, each touch microunit 101U may further include a patterned support layer 110, wherein the conductive lines Lx are disposed on the patterned support layer 110, the conductive lines Ly are disposed on the conductive lines Lx, and an insulating layer BF is disposed between the conductive lines Lx and Ly. In some embodiments, an insulating layer BF is disposed between the conductive lines 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 disposed between the conductive lines Lx and the patterned support layer 110. The patterned support layer 110 includes a first portion overlapping the orthographic projection of the conductive lines Lx, Ly, and a second and third portion, which will be described later. In some embodiments, the patterned support layer 110 may include polyimide (PI), but is not limited thereto.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2B, the patterned support layer 110 further includes a second portion with a U-shaped or V-shaped structure corresponding to the two conductors Lx, and a third portion with a U-shaped or V-shaped structure corresponding to the two conductors Ly. In other words, the second portion of the patterned support layer 110 corresponds to the bending points Px of the conductors Lx, and the third portion of the patterned support layer 110 corresponds to the bending points Py of the conductors Ly.

[0021] Further, 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 conductors Lx, and the second upper surfaces Ay of the patterned support layer 110 correspond to the bending points Py of the conductors Ly, as shown in FIG2B. The vertical projections of the U-shaped structures or V-shaped structures of the two conductors Lx onto the patterned support layer 110 will surround the first upper surfaces Ax, and the vertical projections of the U-shaped structures or V-shaped structures of the two conductors Ly onto the patterned support layer 110 will 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 may be different from the total area of ​​the second upper surfaces Ay. Accordingly, the Young's modulus of each touch micro-unit 101U in the direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 can be adjusted, and the Young's modulus of each touch micro-unit 101U in the direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2 can also be adjusted. In other words, the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 in the direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 can be adjusted, and the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 in the direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2 can also be adjusted.

[0022] In the single touch micro-unit 101U shown in FIG. 2B, the total area of ​​the first upper surfaces Ax of the second portion of the patterned support layer 110 is greater than the total area of ​​the second upper surfaces Ay of the third portion of the patterned support layer 110. Accordingly, the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 in the direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 can be approximately equal to the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 in the direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2. Therefore, structural damage to the stretchable touch panel 100 in the direction of lower Young's modulus can be avoided during the stretching process.

[0023] 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 support layer 110 to the total area of ​​the second upper surfaces Ay of the third portion of the patterned support layer 110 falls within the 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 greater than or equal to the Young's modulus in the direction parallel to the second virtual axis AS2 (Y direction). Therefore, structural damage to the stretchable touch panel 100 in the direction with a lower Young's modulus can be avoided during the stretching process.

[0024] 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 of the patterned support layer 110 in the stretchable touch panel 100 and the total area of ​​the second upper surfaces Ay of the third portion.

[0025] 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 the range of 0.5 to 1.5. This avoids situations where, during the stretching process, the stretchable display device 1 suffers structural damage within the stretchable touch panel 100 or the stretchable display panel 200 due to a mismatch between the Young's modulus of the stretchable touch panel 100 and the Young's modulus of the stretchable display panel 200.

[0026] In some embodiments, the ratio of the Young's modulus of the stretchable film layer 310 and the stretchable film layer 320 shown in FIG1B to the Young's modulus of the stretchable display panel 200 can be less than 0.5, thereby further improving the tensile strength of the stretchable display device 1.

[0027] 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 the direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 and in the 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 conductor Lx is 560 μm, and the length of a single conductor Ly is 957 μm; and 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 μm², and the total area of ​​the second upper surfaces Ay of the third portion of the patterned support layer 110 is 5328 μm². In this embodiment, the stretchable display device 1 can achieve a stretch of 5 mm or more along the stacking direction (Z direction) of the stretchable display panel 200 and the stretchable touch panel 100.

[0028] 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 the direction parallel to the first virtual axis AS1 and in the 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 conductor Lx is 560 μm, and the length of a single conductor 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 μm², and the total area of ​​the second upper surface Ay of the third portion of the patterned support layer 110 is 0 μm² (in other words, the patterned support layer 110 of this comparative example does not have a second portion and a third portion). In this comparative example, the stretchable display device stretches less than 0.7 mm along the stacking direction (Z direction) of the stretchable display panel 200 and the stretchable touch panel 100.

[0029] Referring to FIG2F, which shows a planar schematic diagram of the stretchable display panel in FIG1A and FIG1B. The stretchable display panel 200 can be considered as being composed of a plurality of display units 200U arranged in an array, each display unit 200U having 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 shown in FIG2A and FIG2B, the stretchable touch panel 100 provided according to the 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 may be equal to or not equal to the first width W1 of each touch micro unit 101U, and the second width W4 of each display unit 200U may be equal to or not equal to the second width W2 of each touch micro unit 101U. Accordingly, the manufacturing process of the stretchable display device 1 is simplified, and moiré fringes caused by bonding the touch panel and the display panel in the conventional technology can be avoided.

[0030] In summary, in the stretchable display device provided according to the 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, which can avoid structural damage inside the stretchable touch panel and the stretchable display panel, resulting in high tensile strength of the stretchable display device. Furthermore, the stretchable display device provided according to the embodiments of the present invention can omit the alignment process between the stretchable touch panel and the stretchable display panel, and can also avoid the generation of moiré patterns. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0031] FIG1A shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a stretchable display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG1B shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a stretchable display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG2A shows a plan view of the stretchable touch panel in FIG1A and FIG1B. FIG2B shows a plan view of the touch micro-unit in FIG2A. FIG2C shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram along line segment AA' in FIG2B. FIG2D shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram along line segment BB' in FIG2B. FIG2E shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram along line segment CC' in FIG2B. FIG2F shows a plan view of the stretchable display panel in FIG1A and FIG1B.

Claims

1. A stretchable display device, comprising: Stretchable display panel with first Young's module; And a stretchable touch panel, disposed on the stretchable display panel, and having a second Young's module, wherein the ratio of the second Young's module to the first Young's module falls within the range of 0.5 to 1.

5.

2. The stretchable display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stretchable display panel includes a plurality of display units arranged in an array, the stretchable touch panel includes 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 as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first width is not equal to the third width.

4. The stretchable display device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second width is not equal to the fourth width.

5. The stretchable display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stretchable touch panel includes a plurality of touch micro-units arranged in an array, each of the touch micro-units comprising: Patterned support layer; Multiple first conductors are disposed on the patterned support layer; A plurality of second conductors are disposed on the plurality of first conductors; An insulating layer is disposed between the plurality of first conductors and the plurality of second conductors.

6. The stretchable display device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of first conductors are symmetrically arranged with respect to a first virtual axis, the plurality of second conductors are symmetrically arranged with respect to a second virtual axis, and the first virtual axis is not parallel to the second virtual axis.

7. The stretchable display device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first virtual axis is perpendicular to the second virtual axis.

8. The stretchable display device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the length of each of the first conductors is different from the length of each of the second conductors.

9. The stretchable display device as claimed in 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, the ratio of the length of each of the first conductors to the first width falls within the range of 1.5 to 3.0, and the ratio of the length of each of the second conductors to the second width falls within the range of 1.5 to 3.

0.

10. The stretchable display device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of first conductors and the plurality of second conductors are bent lines.

11. The stretchable display device of claim 10, wherein each of the first conductors has a plurality of first bends and each of the second conductors has a plurality of second bends.

12. The stretchable display device of claim 11, wherein the patterned support layer includes a first portion overlapping the plurality of first conductors and the plurality of second conductors, a second portion corresponding to the plurality of first bending points and a third portion corresponding to the plurality of second bending points, the second portion having a plurality of first upper surfaces, the third portion having a plurality of second upper surfaces, and the total area of ​​the plurality of first upper surfaces not equal to the total area of ​​the plurality of 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 of claim 12, wherein each of the touch microcells has a first width (W1) in a first direction and a second width (W2) in a second direction, the second width (W2) being greater than the first width (W1), the plurality of first conductors are symmetrically arranged with respect to a first virtual axis, the plurality of second conductors 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 second direction, 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 falls within the range of 1 to 2*(W2 / W1) 1 / 2.

15. The stretchable display device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the number of the plurality of first bending points is not equal to the number of the plurality of second bending points.

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