Flexible Window Member with Refractive Index Layers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing window members for flexible display panels lack effective solutions to reduce the visibility of patterns formed in their flexible portions while maintaining flexibility and structural integrity, especially when folded or unfolded.
Innovation Solution
A window member design featuring a window base material with alternating rigid and flexible areas, a buffer layer with a lower refractive index than the base material, and a filler layer with an even lower refractive index, which are strategically layered to minimize pattern visibility and enhance flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a pattern is formed in the flexible portion of the window member to enhance flexibility, then the flexibility is improved, but the pattern visibility increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies optical property changes by introducing a buffer layer with different refractive index to alter how light interacts with the patterned flexible portion. This reduces the visual contrast of the pattern while preserving the physical flexibility enhancement.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer layer acts as an intermediary between the patterned flexible portion and the external environment. It mediates the optical interaction by reducing refractive index mismatch, thereby hiding the pattern visibility while allowing the flexibility function to remain effective.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple layers with different refractive indices are added to reduce pattern visibility, then the optical performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer layer is applied specifically to the flexible portion where the pattern exists, rather than uniformly across the entire window member. This localized approach reduces pattern visibility where needed while minimizing the overall complexity and material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure combining the window member base material with a buffer layer of different refractive index. This composite material approach addresses the optical issue through material properties rather than complex structural designs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the window member is made fully flexible to allow folding, then the adaptability is improved, but the structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The window member has different rigidity characteristics in different areas: the flexible portion contains the flexibility-enhancing pattern while other portions maintain higher rigidity. This local differentiation allows the member to fold where needed while preserving overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of the window member base material and the buffer layer creates a composite structure that balances flexibility and strength. The layered composite provides both the adaptability needed for folding and the structural integrity required for durability.
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 solution effectively reduces the visibility of patterns in the window member while maintaining the necessary flexibility and structural integrity, allowing for seamless folding and unfolding of the display device.
Implementation Method 1
a buffer layer on the window base material and having a refractive index that is smaller than a refractive index of the window base material, and a filler layer on the buffer layer and having a refractive index that is smaller than the refractive index of the buffer layer
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a display device including a display panel, and a window member on the display panel, wherein the window member includes a window base material including a flexible portion in which a first area having a first rigidity and a second area having second rigidity that is less than the first rigidity are alternately located, a buffer layer on the window base material and having a refractive index that is smaller than a refractive index of the window base material, and a filler layer on the buffer layer and having a refractive index that is smaller than the refractive index of the buffer layer.