Foldable Display Digitizer Segmentation for Reduced Folding Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foldable display devices face challenges in maintaining display quality and ease of folding due to visible circuit patterns and dummy patterns interfering with the folding mechanism, which affects the durability and usability of the device.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a digitizer with specific arrangements of first and second circuit patterns and dummy patterns that do not overlap with the folding area, reducing the thickness and modulus of the digitizer in the folding zone, and using dummy patterns to minimize visibility and stress, thereby facilitating easier folding and maintaining display quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If circuit patterns and dummy patterns are disposed on the digitizer to enable touch sensing, then touch sensing function is improved, but the digitizer thickness and modulus increase causing difficulty in folding
Solution Approach 1:
The digitizer is divided into a folding area and a non-folding area. Circuit patterns are selectively disposed only in the non-folding area, while the folding area maintains a reduced thickness without circuit patterns. This segmentation allows the digitizer to maintain touch sensing function in the non-folding area while enabling easy folding in the folding area.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the digitizer are given different properties: the non-folding area contains circuit patterns for touch sensing, while the folding area has reduced thickness and no circuit patterns to facilitate folding. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between maintaining sensing function and enabling folding.
2Reliability
If circuit patterns are disposed on the digitizer to detect electromagnetic force, then electromagnetic sensing is improved, but wiring visibility increases affecting display quality
Solution Approach 1:
Circuit patterns are extracted from the folding area and disposed only in the non-folding area of the digitizer. This extraction eliminates wiring visibility in the folding area, preventing interference with display quality while maintaining electromagnetic sensing capability in the non-folding area.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If dummy patterns are added to minimize circuit pattern visibility, then wiring visibility is reduced, but the digitizer modulus increases causing stress during folding
Solution Approach 1:
The digitizer is segmented into folding and non-folding areas. Dummy patterns are disposed only in the non-folding area to minimize wiring visibility, while the folding area maintains reduced thickness without dummy patterns. This prevents excessive modulus increase that would cause stress during folding.
4Ease of operation
If the digitizer thickness is reduced in the folding area to facilitate folding, then folding ease is improved, but the area available for circuit patterns is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The digitizer structure is segmented into a thin folding area and a thicker non-folding area. This segmentation concentrates circuit patterns in the non-folding area where sufficient thickness is available, while the folding area maintains reduced thickness for easy folding. The overall circuit pattern area is preserved by utilizing the non-folding region.
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 enhances the flexibility and durability of the display device by reducing wiring visibility and stress during folding, allowing for higher folding counts without compromising display performance.
Implementation Method 1
The electromagnetic resonance method employs a digitizer included in an electronic device to sense an induced electromagnetic force
Data Source
AI summary
A display device including: a display panel; and a digitizer overlapped by the display panel, wherein the digitizer includes a base layer, a folding area, first circuit patterns disposed on a first surface of the base layer and extending in a first direction, a plurality of first dummy patterns disposed in regions defined by the first circuit patterns, second circuit patterns disposed on a second surface of the base layer and extending in a second direction that intersects the first direction, and a plurality of second dummy patterns disposed in regions defined by the second circuit patterns, the second dummy patterns include a plurality of first lower dummy patterns, which do not overlap the folding area, and a plurality of second lower dummy patterns, which overlap the folding area.