Flexible Display Substrate Bending Alignment via Overlapping Peripheral Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible display devices face stress and cracking issues when bent, particularly due to improper bending direction and increased stress in the bending area, which can lead to damage in the wiring and substrate.
Innovation Solution
A display device design featuring a substrate with distinct peripheral areas and align keys that allow for controlled bending, reducing stress by overlapping specific peripheral areas and using protection films and a supporting member to minimize substrate damage, while align keys ensure correct bending alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the flexible substrate is bent, then the display device achieves flexibility and can be bent, but stress is applied to the bending area which may cause cracks in the wiring
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is divided into distinct functional areas: a display area, a first peripheral area, a first bending area, and a second peripheral area. This segmentation allows the bending area to be specifically designed for flexibility while protecting the display area and wiring from stress-induced cracks.
Solution Approach 2:
Different areas of the substrate are given different properties: the first bending area is designed to be flexible and bendable, while the display area and second peripheral area maintain structural integrity. The flat peripheral area provides a stable region for wiring, while the bending area accommodates mechanical deformation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the bending direction is distorted or the flexible substrate is not bent in the intended bending direction, then the stress applied to the bending area increases, making it easier to cause cracks in the wiring
Solution Approach 1:
Align keys are formed in advance at predetermined positions in the flat peripheral area and second peripheral area. These align keys guide the bending process to ensure the substrate bends in the intended direction, preventing distorted bending and reducing stress concentration that would lead to wiring cracks.
Solution Approach 2:
The align keys provide visual or mechanical feedback during the bending process, allowing operators to verify that the substrate is bending in the correct direction. This feedback mechanism prevents improper bending that would concentrate stress and cause wiring failures.
3Manufacturing precision
If align keys are positioned in overlapping areas, then alignment during bending can be achieved, but the structural integrity of the bending area may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The align keys are strategically positioned in the flat peripheral area and second peripheral area, which are non-bending regions with sufficient structural strength. This local placement ensures that the align keys do not interfere with the bending process or compromise the integrity of the bending area, while still providing accurate alignment guidance.
Data Source
AI summary
A display device according to an embodiment includes a substrate having a display area, and a peripheral area outside the display area including a first peripheral area adjacent to the display area, a first bending area extending from the first peripheral area, and a second peripheral area extending from the first bending area, and overlapping the first peripheral area, a display member at the display area, and including a first display area, and a second display area around the first display area, and a plurality of align keys on the substrate, wherein the first peripheral area includes a flat peripheral area corresponding to an area between the first display area and the first bending area, and a second bending area between the second display area and an end of the substrate, and wherein the plurality of align keys include a first align key at the flat peripheral area, and a second align key at the second peripheral area.