Flexible Screen Covering Structure for Fold-Crease Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable electronic devices suffer from irreversible creases due to stress concentration when repeatedly switched between folded and unfolded states, affecting user experience.
Innovation Solution
A flexible screen with a multi-layer display structure and a covering structure featuring an array of conical nano-protrusions on the outer surface, which alleviates stress concentration at bending sections by releasing stress during folding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the flexible screen is folded repeatedly, then the device becomes more portable, but stress concentration causes irreversible creases on the screen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating nano-protrusions specifically at the bending section of the flexible screen where stress concentration occurs during folding. These protrusions are not distributed uniformly across the entire screen but are localized to the region that experiences the most mechanical stress, thereby providing targeted stress relief where it is most needed while maintaining screen integrity during repeated folding operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs spheroidality by forming the nano-protrusions with curved, rounded surfaces rather than sharp edges. This curvature allows the protrusions to better distribute and absorb mechanical stress during bending, preventing stress concentration that would otherwise lead to crease formation. The rounded geometry enables more uniform stress distribution across the bending section.
2Reliability
If a covering structure with nano-protrusions is added to reduce stress concentration, then crease formation is minimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements this principle by creating the covering structure as a thin film layer with nano-protrusions formed directly on the flexible screen substrate. This approach adds the stress-relief functionality through a thin coating rather than a bulky three-dimensional structure, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity while still achieving effective crease resistance through the nanoscale surface modifications.
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
The nano-protrusion array effectively minimizes crease formation, enhances bending resistance, and provides anti-reflective properties, improving the visual experience and durability of foldable electronic devices.
Implementation Method 1
The nano-protrusions located in the bending section can release the stress generated in the bending section
Implementation Method 2
provides anti-reflective properties, improving the visual experience
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible screen comprises a multi-layer display structure and a covering structure. The multi-layer display structure includes an outer surface and an inner surface opposite to the outer surface, and the inner surface faces towards the foldable electronic device. The covering structure is disposed on the outer surface of the multi-layer display structure and includes a substrate layer and a plurality of nano-protrusions. The nano-protrusions are formed in array on at least one side of the substrate layer. The flexible screen can transform between an unfolded state and a folded state, and a bending section is partially formed when the flexible screen is in the folded state. The nano-protrusions located in the bending section can release the stress generated in the bending section when the flexible screen transform between the unfolded state and the folded state.