Foldable Display Support With Gear-Rack Space for Dead-Fold Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible foldable display panels face issues with 'dead folds' and display failures due to the folding mechanism, which limits the functionality and reliability of foldable display devices.
Innovation Solution
A foldable support device with a rotating gear and rack mechanism that intermeshes to facilitate the folding and unfolding of the display panel, creating sufficient storage space to prevent excessive bending and squeezing, thereby preventing display failures. This device includes a driving component, a support component, and a bending driving mechanism, such as a motor, to efficiently manage the folding process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a flexible display panel is folded, then the device achieves compactness and portability, but the folding area forms dead folds leading to display failure
Solution Approach 1:
The display panel is divided into a first display area, a second display area, and a bending area. The bending area is further segmented into a first bending sub-area and a second bending sub-area with different bending radii. This segmentation allows different regions to have different functional characteristics, enabling the display to fold while maintaining display quality in non-bending areas and controlling stress in bending areas to prevent dead folds.
Solution Approach 2:
Different bending radii are applied to different sub-areas of the bending region. The first bending sub-area has a first bending radius while the second bending sub-area has a second bending radius that is different from the first. This local differentiation of bending characteristics allows optimized stress distribution and prevents uniform folding that causes dead folds across the entire display.
2Device complexity
If the display panel is folded without sufficient storage space, then the folding structure is compact, but excessive bending and squeezing causes display failure
Solution Approach 1:
The support component moves along the rack in a linear dimension, transforming the folding space requirement from a two-dimensional area problem into a one-dimensional linear movement problem. This allows the bending area to have sufficient storage space during folding without significantly increasing the overall device footprint, preventing excessive bending while maintaining structural compactness.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a folding mechanism is implemented, then the display can be folded, but the folding structure creates dead folds leading to unnormal display
Solution Approach 1:
The support component dynamically adjusts its position along the rack during the folding process. As the display transitions from unfolded to folded state, the support component moves to provide appropriate support at different stages, ensuring the bending area maintains proper curvature and prevents dead fold formation throughout the dynamic folding process.
Solution Approach 2:
The support component acts as an intermediary between the bending area and the folding structure. It mediates the interaction by providing localized support to the bending area during folding, controlling the deformation pattern to avoid dead folds while enabling the folding capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present application provide a foldable support device, including: a driving component and a support component connected with the driving component; and a rotating gear and a rack intermeshing with each other and connected with the driving component and the support component. The driving component and the support component are disposed on a non-display surface of a flexible display panel; and the flexible display panel is folded or unfolded with intermeshing rotating and relative moving of the rotating gear and the rack. By setting the rotating gear and the rack, when the flexible display panel is folding, the rotating gear rotates along the rack and drives the support component to move away from the driving component. Sufficient storage space is generated for the flexible display panel while folding to effectively prevent the display failure caused by folding of the flexible display panel.