Extendable Flexible Display Sections for Wide-Screen Portability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible displays in electronic devices face challenges in transitioning between compact and wide-screen modes, requiring large or rigid mechanisms that compromise usability and portability, especially when switching between these modes.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with at least one extendable display section and a main body, featuring hold-out mechanisms such as roll, slide, and wrap mechanisms that allow the display to extend outwardly from different sides, forming a continuous panel and maintaining flatness in open positions, while being compact in closed states, supported by a main body housing non-flexible components like display drivers and connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If a single extendable display section is used, then the device can achieve wide-screen mode, but the mechanism becomes very large in closed state or has little rigidity in open state
Solution Approach 1:
The display is divided into multiple extendable sections that can be independently extended from different sides of the main body. This segmentation allows each mechanism to be smaller and more manageable, while collectively achieving a large wide-screen display area when all sections are extended.
2Area of moving object
If a wide screen flexible display is used, then large display area is achieved, but large stroke is needed to switch between compact and maximum modes
Solution Approach 1:
The total extension distance is divided into multiple smaller strokes by having multiple extendable sections. Each section extends a shorter distance from its respective side, achieving the same total display area expansion without requiring a single large-stroke mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of extending the display in a single linear direction from one side, the invention extends multiple sections simultaneously from different sides (different spatial dimensions), achieving wide-screen mode with reduced individual extension strokes.
3Volume of moving object
If the display is extended from one side only, then the mechanism can be compact, but the display cannot form a continuous panel
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is segmented into multiple extendable sections that extend from different sides of the main body. When extended, these sections meet in the middle to form a continuous wide-screen display panel, while the device maintains a compact form factor when retracted.
Solution Approach 2:
The extendable sections are positioned asymmetrically on different sides of the main body, allowing them to extend toward each other and meet in the center, creating a continuous display panel while maintaining device compactness.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c
Figure 2
AI summary
According to one aspect, the invention provides an electronic device (1) comprising- a flexible display (9) with at least two extendable display sections (6, 7) each being movable to an extended position and supported by an associated hold out mechanism (3, 4), and comprising a further display section (9a) and a main body (2), with a window area (5) supporting part of the display (9), in the extended position, the display sections (6, 7) extend outwardly from the main body (2) from different sides of the window area (5) and form one continuous wide screen display panel (9) with the further section (9a).