Flexible Display Panel Opening Structure for Crack Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display apparatuses lack sufficient flexibility, limiting their ability to be bent, folded, or rolled without causing cracks or damage.
Innovation Solution
A display apparatus design featuring a penetrating opening portion with a crack inducing pattern and encapsulation layer, including grooves and protruding tips, to enhance flexibility and protect internal components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the display apparatus is made flexible to enable bending, folding, or rolling, then adaptability is improved, but cracks or damage to internal components occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The connection portion is divided into multiple segments by introducing grooves that extend through the thickness of the substrate. These grooves create separate regions (first region, second region, third region) that can independently deform during bending, folding, or rolling operations, preventing crack propagation across the entire structure while maintaining electrical connectivity through the connection metal.
Solution Approach 2:
The crack inducing pattern is strategically positioned only in the connection portion rather than uniformly across the entire display panel. This localized approach concentrates the flexibility-enhancing features where needed most - in the connection area subjected to mechanical stress - while maintaining structural integrity in the display portions.
Solution Approach 3:
The grooves and crack inducing pattern are pre-formed in the connection portion before the display apparatus is put into service. This preliminary structural preparation creates designated pathways that accommodate mechanical stress and deformation, cushioning against unexpected crack formation and protecting internal components from damage during flexible operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a crack inducing pattern is introduced to improve flexibility, then adaptability is improved, but structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The connection metal acts as an intermediary element that bridges the grooves and maintains electrical connectivity between display portions. While the grooves create structural divisions to enhance flexibility, the connection metal ensures that the divided regions remain electrically connected, preserving functional integrity despite the compromised structural continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The thin film structure of the substrate combined with the groove system allows the connection portion to flex without breaking. The grooves create a layered, shell-like structure that can bend and deform elastically while maintaining its protective function over the underlying components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the connection portion is made thinner to improve flexibility, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The grooves are formed in advance during the manufacturing process using photolithography and etching techniques. By pre-defining the groove locations and dimensions before assembly, the manufacturing process can control the thickness and positioning with high precision, ensuring consistent results across production batches.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove formation process replaces complex mechanical machining operations with chemical etching and photolithographic patterning. This substitution allows for more precise control of groove depth, width, and positioning, reducing manufacturing variability and improving repeatability.
Data Source
AI summary
A display apparatus includes a display panel in which a penetrating opening portion is defined, the display panel including a first display portion in which a first pixel is arranged, a second display portion in which a second pixel is arranged, a connection portion extending in a first direction to connect the first display portion to the second display portion and including, at a central portion thereof, a crack inducing pattern extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and a encapsulation layer disposed on the first display portion, the second display portion, and the connection portion, wherein the crack inducing pattern includes a first groove at a central portion of the crack inducing pattern and a first pattern layer disposed on the first groove and including a first tip protruding toward a center of the first groove.