Foldable Display Support Substrate Groove Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible display devices face challenges in maintaining reliability and preventing appearance defects, particularly in the foldable areas, due to issues like denting and foreign substance accumulation.
Innovation Solution
The display device incorporates a support substrate with a groove in the lower surface to overlap the foldable area, along with first and second support plates spaced apart in the foldable area, and protective coating layers to prevent defects and foreign substance adhesion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a support substrate is used to support the display module, then the display device gains structural stability and protection, but the foldable area may experience denting and appearance defects
Solution Approach 1:
The support substrate is provided with grooves in the foldable area to locally reduce thickness and cushioning effect, preventing denting and appearance defects in the foldable region while maintaining adequate support in non-foldable areas. This creates different structural characteristics in different regions to resolve the contradiction between overall structural stability and local appearance quality.
2Reliability
If the support substrate is made thicker to improve cushioning effect, then reliability and protection are improved, but folding becomes more difficult and may cause appearance defects
Solution Approach 1:
The support substrate has different thickness characteristics in different regions: thicker in non-foldable areas for adequate protection and thinner in foldable areas (via grooves) for easy folding. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between overall protection level and folding ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The support substrate is segmented into different thickness zones through grooves, creating a multi-level structure that allows the foldable area to bend more easily while non-foldable areas maintain sufficient thickness for protection.
3Ease of operation
If the support substrate is made thinner to enable easy folding, then folding ease is improved, but the cushioning effect and protection are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The support substrate maintains adequate thickness in non-foldable areas to provide cushioning effect and protection, while creating grooves in foldable areas to reduce thickness and enable easy folding. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between folding ease and cushioning effect.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A display device includes a first non-foldable area, a second non-foldable area, and a foldable area. The display device includes a display module including a display panel, a support substrate supporting the display module, including an upper surface facing the display module and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface, and provided with a groove defined in the lower surface to overlap the foldable area, a first support plate disposed under the support substrate, and a second support plate disposed under the support substrate and spaced apart from the first support plate in the foldable area.