Flexible Display Protection Sheet with Gel Shock Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible displays face challenges with low shock resistance despite their advantages of thinness and flexibility, and adding a reinforced glass sheet increases weight and thickness, while etching it thin reduces shock resistance further.
Innovation Solution
A protection sheet is designed with a shock dispersion layer, a strain relaxation layer, and a shock absorption layer laminated in order on the display panel's light output face, featuring a flexible reinforced-glass member, hard-coat film, or double-sided hard-coat film, a wet or dry-laminated resin layer, and a gel layer for submillimeter thickness, respectively, to absorb and disperse external forces effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a reinforced glass sheet is attached to improve shock resistance, then shock resistance is improved, but weight and thickness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protection sheet is divided into three functional layers: a shock dispersion layer (flexible reinforced-glass member or hard-coat film) for initial impact distribution, a strain relaxation layer (wet-laminated or dry-laminated resin layer) for stress management, and a shock absorption layer (gel layer of submillimeter order or greater thickness) for energy dissipation. This segmentation allows each layer to specialize in a specific shock-mitigation function, achieving high shock resistance without requiring a single thick heavy layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite material structures combining flexible reinforced-glass members, hard-coat films, resin layers, and gel layers. These composite materials provide both the shock resistance of rigid materials and the flexibility/lightweight characteristics of softer materials, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
2Length of stationary object
If a reinforced glass sheet is etched into thin thickness to reduce weight and thickness, then weight and thickness are reduced, but shock resistance significantly decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single thin glass layer, the protection is segmented into multiple layers with the gel absorption layer providing the necessary shock-mitigation function. The gel layer's submillimeter order or greater thickness compensates for the thinness of the shock dispersion layer, maintaining shock resistance while reducing overall thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from rigid glass to flexible gel for the absorption layer, allowing the gel to deform and absorb shock energy effectively even at submillimeter thickness, thereby maintaining protection performance while reducing thickness.
3Length of stationary object
If a reinforced glass sheet is etched into thin thickness to reduce thickness, then thickness is reduced, but the sheet becomes readily broken by small external force
Solution Approach 1:
The strain relaxation layer (wet-laminated or dry-laminated resin layer) is positioned between the shock dispersion layer and the display panel to provide beforehand cushioning. This layer prevents stress concentration and crack propagation, protecting the thin shock dispersion layer from breaking under small external forces while maintaining overall thinness.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure combines the thin shock dispersion layer with the strain relaxation layer and gel absorption layer, creating a system where the thinner protective layer is supported by underlying layers that prevent brittle failure, thereby improving reliability without increasing thickness.
4Strength
If a protection sheet with multiple layers is created to improve shock resistance, then shock resistance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple layers are merged into a single integrated protection sheet structure that functions as one unified component. The shock dispersion layer, strain relaxation layer, and gel absorption layer are laminated together to form a complete protection system, simplifying assembly and installation while maintaining high shock resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection sheet is designed as a multi-functional universal component that simultaneously provides shock dispersion, strain relaxation, and shock absorption in a single assembly, reducing the need for separate protective components and simplifying the overall device structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the shock resistance and flexibility of the display while preventing damage from external impacts without significantly increasing weight or thickness, maintaining the display's portability and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a shock absorption layer, which includes a gel layer having a thickness of submillimeter order or greater
Implementation Method 2
a strain relaxation layer, which includes a wet-laminated layer or a dry-laminated layer that is in close contact with a surface of the shock dispersion layer adjacent to the display panel
Data Source
AI summary
A display includes a display panel and a first protection sheet. The display panel has flexibility and a light output face. The first protection sheet is provided on the light output face and includes a first shock dispersion layer, a first strain relaxation layer, and a first shock absorption layer. The first shock dispersion layer includes a flexible reinforced-glass member, a flexible hard-coat film, or a flexible double-sided hard-coat film. The first strain relaxation layer includes a wet-laminated layer or a dry-laminated layer that is in close contact with a surface of the first shock dispersion layer adjacent to the display panel. The first shock absorption layer includes a gel layer having a thickness of submillimeter order or greater. The first shock absorption layer, the first strain relaxation layer, and the first shock dispersion layer are laminated in this order from the light output face of the display panel.