Foldable Display Bump Height Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional manufacturing of foldable flat display apparatuses often results in bumps at the folding portion, which interfere with the folding operation, preventing smooth folding and unfolding due to protrusions formed during the removal of the protective film.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the disposal of a protective film on a foldable display panel, removing part of it at the folding portion, and abrading or reducing the height of bumps formed adjacent to the removed area to ensure the bumps do not interfere with folding, with options including symmetric or asymmetric height reduction and shaping to facilitate nesting of bumps for smooth folding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the protective film is removed at the folding portion to decrease thickness and facilitate folding, then the folding operation is improved, but bumps are incidentally formed around the removed portion which interfere with folding
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful bumps are selectively removed from the protective film structure through targeted removal processes. The patent applies this by removing the protective film at the folding portion and then specifically removing or reducing the bumps that form around the removed areas, thereby extracting the harmful elements while preserving the beneficial thinning effect for folding
Solution Approach 2:
The bumps are removed or reduced in height before the folding operation occurs. The patent performs preliminary removal of the protective film and preliminary reduction of bump heights through abrading or selective removal, ensuring that when folding occurs, the harmful bumps are already minimized and will not interfere with the folding operation
2Reliability
If the protective film is kept intact to maintain protection, then protection is improved, but the thickness increases and folding becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The protective film is segmented into different regions with different thicknesses and functions. The patent removes the protective film selectively at the folding portion while maintaining it at other areas, creating a segmented structure where the folded area has reduced thickness for flexibility and the protected areas maintain full protection
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the protective film have different properties - the folding portion has reduced thickness or removed protective film for flexibility, while other portions maintain full protective film integrity for protection. The patent applies local quality by making the protective film's presence and thickness location-dependent, optimizing both protection and foldability in different areas
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 method effectively reduces interference from bumps, allowing for improved and stable folding operations by ensuring the bumps' height is less than or equal to the thickness of the sub-layer, thus enabling smooth and reliable folding of the display apparatus.
Implementation Method 1
The step of removing at least a part of the protective film may include heating and melting away the part of the protective film corresponding to the folding portion
Implementation Method 2
The step of decreasing a height of at least one bump may include abrading the at least one bump
Data Source
AI summary
A display apparatus including a display panel having a folding portion about which the display panel is configured to fold, a first lower film and a second lower film on one surface of the display panel, the first lower film and the second lower film being spaced apart from each other, at least one bump on the first lower film or the second lower film, and a first sub-layer on the first lower film, in which, when the display panel is folded, the folding portion is configured to fold so that a surface of the display panel located further from the first sub-layer is exposed and the first sub-layer faces another surface of the display panel located closer to the first sub-layer, and a height of the at least one bump is approximately less than or equal to a thickness of the first sub-layer.