Flexible Display Support Member Stress Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible display apparatuses are prone to deformation and damage when bent or folded, leading to reduced durability and user convenience due to stress concentration at bending areas.
Innovation Solution
A flexible display apparatus design featuring a bending area with a support member and a cover member, including protruding portions and adhesive layers, which distribute stress and reduce deformation by positioning the center of curvature closer to the display panel, thereby enhancing durability and user convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the flexible display apparatus is bent or folded, then user convenience and portability are improved, but stress concentration occurs at bending areas causing deformation and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The display panel is divided into distinct bending areas and non-bending areas. The bending area is specifically designed to accommodate flexing while the non-bending areas maintain structural integrity and house critical components, preventing stress concentration from affecting the entire panel.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the display panel are given different structural properties. The bending area has optimized thickness and material composition to handle flexing, while non-bending areas provide rigidity and protection. This localized differentiation allows the panel to flex where needed without compromising overall durability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the display panel is made more flexible to improve portability, then bending becomes easier, but the panel becomes more vulnerable to stress and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The display panel employs different material compositions and thicknesses in different regions. The bending area uses materials optimized for flexibility with appropriate tensile and compressive strength, while non-bending areas use more rigid materials to resist deformation and protect against stress concentration.
Solution Approach 2:
The display panel utilizes composite material structures combining multiple layers with different mechanical properties. This allows the panel to achieve both flexibility in bending areas and strength in non-bending areas, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and stress resistance.
3Ease of operation
If repeated bending or folding is performed, then user convenience is maintained, but durability decreases due to cumulative stress damage
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the display panel into bending and non-bending areas, the patent isolates mechanical stress to specific regions designed to handle it. This prevents cumulative damage from propagating through the entire panel, thereby extending the operational lifespan while maintaining repeated bending capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The display panel is pre-designed with optimized bending areas that anticipate and accommodate repeated flexing. The structural configuration and material selection in these areas are specifically engineered to withstand cumulative stress from repeated bending operations, preventing degradation over time.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible display apparatus may include a bending area at which the display panel may be configured to bend or fold around a bending axis, and non-bending areas extending from respective edges of the bending area, a support member on the display panel across the bending area and the non-bending areas, and may include a first protruding portion protruding away from the display panel at the bending area, and a cover member facing the display panel such that at least a portion of the support member may be between the display panel and the cover member.