Flexible Display Screen Reel Restoring Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Flexible OLED products face issues with irreversible deformation and surface unevenness due to material creep and relaxation during repeated bending, leading to screen damage and compromised user experience.

Innovation Solution

A flexible display screen design featuring a display panel with a flexible layer and reels, where the flexible layer is wound around the reels to compensate for tensile forces during bending and rewound to flatten the panel, utilizing a spring-based reel restoring mechanism to maintain surface integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the flexible display panel uses organic polymer materials for film layers, then the display can achieve flexibility and bending capability, but the materials easily slide and loosen during repeated bending, causing irreversible deformation and surface unevenness

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveflexibilityVSAvoidmaterial stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible layer is divided into multiple segments (first flexible layer, second flexible layer, third flexible layer) that can independently deform and compensate for each other. This segmentation allows each layer to handle different aspects of the bending stress, preventing any single material from experiencing excessive strain that would cause sliding and loosening.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs a composite structure with multiple flexible layers made of different materials (including alloy and organic polymer materials). This composite approach combines the advantages of different materials to achieve both flexibility and dimensional stability, preventing the sliding and loosening issues that occur with single-material constructions during repeated bending.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Adaptability or versatility

If the display panel is bent to a certain angle, then the display achieves flexible display function, but excessively large tensile force is generated that pulls the screen and leads to failure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebending capabilityVSAvoidtensile strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible layers are pre-configured in a stacked arrangement with predetermined mechanical properties. Before bending occurs, these layers are positioned to provide initial resistance against tensile forces, preventing excessive stress from developing during the bending operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes materials with specific mechanical parameters (including alloy materials with high strength-to-weight ratio) and designs the flexible layers with optimized thickness and elasticity parameters. These parameter changes enable the structure to withstand tensile forces during bending without failure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Length of moving object

If the flexible layer is made thin to achieve flexibility, then the display becomes more bendable, but the material creeps and relaxes more easily during repeated bending

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovethicknessVSAvoiddimensional stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using a single thin flexible layer that would be prone to creeping and relaxing, the patent segments the flexible structure into multiple layers. Each layer can be optimized for specific functions, and the combined structure provides greater dimensional stability while maintaining overall flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses composite material structures where thin flexible layers are combined with other materials (including alloy materials) to create a multi-layer composite. This composite construction maintains the flexibility benefits of thin materials while adding dimensional stability to prevent creeping and relaxing during repeated bending operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

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

Prevents damage from tensile forces and relieves surface unevenness, enhancing the product's look and feel by ensuring the display panel remains flat and functional after bending.

Implementation Method 1

the reel restoring mechanism comprises a spring disposed in the reel

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic potential energy: Spring

Data Source

PatentUS11322053B2Flexible display screen and display device
Publication Date: 2022.05.03 WUHAN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS SEMICONDUCTOR DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
  • US11322053B2 patent drawing
  • US11322053B2 patent drawing

AI summary

The present application provides a flexible display screen and a display device. The flexible display screen includes a display panel, at least one reel, at least one reel restoring mechanism, and a flexible layer. The reel is disposed at a side of the display panel, the reel restoring mechanism is disposed at a side of the display panel, and the reel is correspondingly set on the reel restoring mechanism. The flexible layer includes a middle portion and a side portion connected to the middle portion, the middle portion of the flexible layer covers a surface of the display panel far away from the display surface, and the side portion of the flexible layer is wound on the reel.