Flexible Display Wire Insulation Curvature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible displays face mechanical strain issues during manufacturing and use, particularly at bent portions, leading to cracks and fractures in wires and insulating layers, which can propagate and cause poor electrical contact, rendering the display unusable.
Innovation Solution
A flexible OLED display configuration featuring a flexible substrate with wires and insulating layers that are patterned to reduce mechanical stress, with the upper and lower insulating layers matching the trace pattern of the wires, thereby minimizing crack propagation and enhancing flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the flexible display is bent to a small radius of curvature during manufacturing or use, then the flexibility and design freedom are improved, but mechanical strain causes cracks and fractures in wires and insulating layers
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating layers are formed with a curved configuration that matches the bending radius of the flexible display. This curvature design allows the insulating layers to naturally follow the bent shape without experiencing excessive tensile or compressive stress, thereby preventing cracks and fractures while maintaining electrical connectivity during flexing operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the geometric parameters of the insulating layers by forming them with specific curvature radii that correspond to the bending radius of the flexible display. This parameter adjustment optimizes the stress distribution within the insulating layers during bending, reducing mechanical strain and preventing structural failure of the wire connections
2Reliability
If additional layers are added to protect wires during bending, then wire protection is improved, but the display thickness increases and bending to small radius becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating layers are applied selectively only in regions where wires are present and where bending stress is concentrated. This localized insulation approach provides targeted protection to the wire connections without adding unnecessary thickness to the entire display structure, maintaining both wire integrity and flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding protective layers in the thickness dimension, the patent employs curvature in the spatial arrangement of the insulating layers. By forming these layers with a bent configuration matching the display's bending radius, protection is achieved through geometric adaptation rather than increased material thickness
3Strength
If wires are made larger or more ductile to withstand strain, then wire strength is improved, but the display becomes thicker and less flexible
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating layers are pre-formed with a curved configuration that anticipates the bending stress the wires will experience during flexing. This preliminary geometric preparation allows the wire-insulating layer assembly to flex smoothly without requiring the wires themselves to be made larger or more ductile, preserving both strength and flexibility
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 1d~1e
Figure 2~3
AI summary
There is provided a flexible display having a new wire structure and a new insulating layer structure. A flexible display includes a flexible substrate having a first area and a second area. The second area is curved in a non-zero angle relative to the plane of the first area. The flexible display further includes a plurality of wires that extend over from the first area to the second area of the flexible substrate. Each of the wires is covered by an upper insulating pattern, which is separated from other upper insulating pattern. Each upper insulating pattern covering the wire has substantially the same trace pattern shape of the corresponding wire thereunder. Accordingly, by adopting the above-described wire structure and upper insulating layer structure, cracks generation and propagation in the wires and the insulating layers from bending of the flexible display can be minimized.