Curved Display Light Guide Plate with Variable Thickness

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional curved display devices have a bulky structure due to their uniform thickness and separate support components, making it difficult to reduce their overall thickness while maintaining functionality.

Innovation Solution

A curved display device design featuring a light guide plate with non-constant thickness and a bottom chassis that functions as both a mold frame and heat discharge plate, eliminating the need for separate support structures, combined with a manufacturing method using extrusion or injection molding to reduce thickness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of moving object

If a uniform thickness structure is used for the light guide plate, then manufacturing is simpler, but the overall device thickness cannot be reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoverall device thicknessVSAvoidlight guide plate structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The light guide plate employs non-uniform thickness distribution, with different thickness regions (first thickness at the light incident surface area, second thickness at the opposite surface area) to optimize both structural integrity and device slimness. This local quality variation allows the plate to maintain sufficient strength where needed while reducing overall thickness in other areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The light guide plate is divided into multiple thickness zones with distinct functional regions. The first thickness region corresponds to the light incident surface area where structural support is critical, while the second thickness region at the opposite surface allows for reduced thickness to achieve a slimmer profile.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Stability of the object's composition

If separate support components are used, then structural stability is improved, but device complexity and thickness increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidnumber of support components
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bottom chassis integrates multiple functions into a single component: it serves as both the mold frame for shaping the light guide plate and as the heat discharge plate for thermal management. This merging eliminates the need for separate support structures, reducing device complexity and thickness while maintaining structural stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The bottom chassis is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides structural support (mold frame function), heat dissipation (heat discharge plate function), and shaping support for the light guide plate. This universal component replaces multiple separate support elements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Productivity

If extrusion or injection molding is used, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but precision control becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing efficiencyVSAvoidthickness uniformity control
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The molding process is designed to create local quality variations in the light guide plate by controlling material flow and cooling rates during extrusion or injection. This allows different thickness regions to be formed with appropriate precision for each functional zone, maintaining manufacturing efficiency while achieving the required thickness profile.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3104219B1Curved display device and method of manufacturing the same
Publication Date: 2018.11.07 SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD
  • EP3104219B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3104219B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3104219B1 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

A curved display device includes a backlight unit which generates light and a display panel which receives the generated light from the backlight unit. The backlight unit includes a light guide plate and is curved. The display panel is disposed on the curved backlight unit and is curved. The curved light guide plate defines a light incident surface thereof and an opposite surface. The light incident surface receives the light generated by the curved backlight unit. The opposite surface faces the light incident surface. A thickness of the curved light guide plate decreases from the light incident surface to the opposite surface.