Flexible Display Panel Driver Circuit Reinforcement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Flexible electronic paper displays face reliability issues due to bending, which can break the driver circuit, leading to reduced yield and mechanical strength.

Innovation Solution

A display panel design with reinforced regions around the driver circuits, featuring a thick resin layer and prepregs with fibers oriented to disperse stress, increasing mechanical strength without compromising flexibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the electronic paper is made flexible to enable bending, then adaptability and portability are improved, but the driver circuit becomes vulnerable to breaking due to stress concentration during bending

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflexibilityVSAvoiddriver circuit integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by providing a resin layer with specific thickness requirements (greater than 10 μm and less than or equal to 50 μm) in the driver circuit region, while the pixel portion has different thickness characteristics. This localized structural modification reinforces the driver circuit area specifically where stress concentration occurs during bending, without affecting the overall flexibility of the display panel.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses a composite structure combining the resin layer with the flexible substrate and driver circuit. The resin layer acts as a protective composite material that distributes and reduces stress on the underlying driver circuit components during bending operations, thereby maintaining circuit integrity while preserving flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If the driver circuit region is reinforced to prevent breaking, then reliability is improved, but the overall flexibility of the display panel may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedriver circuit protectionVSAvoidoverall flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent carefully controls the resin layer thickness within specific parameters (greater than 10 μm and less than or equal to 50 μm) to achieve the optimal balance. This parameter optimization ensures sufficient mechanical reinforcement for driver circuit protection while maintaining the flexibility required for the display panel to bend without excessive rigidity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS9136286B2Display panel and electronic book

Publication Date: 2015.09.15 SEMICON ENERGY LAB CO LTD

AI summary

It is an object to provide a display panel and an electronic book which are manufactured with high yield and have high reliability. A display panel is provided which includes, a flexible display portion in which a scan line and a signal line intersect with each other over a substrate, a signal line driver circuit for outputting a first signal to the signal line adjacent to a first side of the flexible display portion over the substrate, and a scan line driver circuit for outputting a second signal to the scan line adjacent to a second side of the flexible display portion. In the display panel, the mechanical strength of a portion provided with the signal line driver circuit or the scan line driver circuit is improved as compared to the mechanical strength of other than the portion.