Foldable Display Light Guiding Layer Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current light guiding technologies are restricted to planar display devices due to material rigidity, making it challenging to apply them to foldable devices without increasing the thickness of the light guiding material, which compromises luminous flux and power-saving benefits.
Innovation Solution
A foldable display device design featuring a light guiding layer with distinct non-foldable, foldable, and transition areas, where the foldable area has reduced thickness and width, and the transition area facilitates light transfer through total internal reflection, allowing for reduced material rigidity and sufficient luminous flux without increasing the light source power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the thickness of the light guiding material is increased to ensure sufficient luminous flux, then the luminous flux is improved, but the rigidity of the material increases making the device non-foldable
Solution Approach 1:
The light guiding layer is divided into multiple regions with different thicknesses: a first light guiding region with greater thickness for high luminous flux, and a second light guiding region with smaller thickness for flexibility and foldability. This segmentation allows each region to optimize its function independently.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the light guiding layer are assigned different thickness characteristics tailored to their specific functional requirements. The first region maintains greater thickness locally to ensure sufficient light emission, while the second region maintains smaller thickness locally to enable folding, creating a spatially varying quality distribution.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the thickness of the light guiding material is decreased to enable folding, then the foldability is improved, but the luminous flux decreases and power-saving advantage is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The light guiding layer is segmented into a foldable second region with reduced thickness and a non-foldable first region with sufficient thickness. This allows the device to achieve foldability in the critical area while maintaining adequate luminous flux in the display area.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guiding layer exhibits local quality variation where the second region has smaller thickness optimized for folding, while the first region has greater thickness optimized for light emission. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between foldability and luminous flux.
3Illumination intensity
If the power of the light source is increased to compensate for reduced luminous flux, then the luminous flux is improved, but the power-saving advantage of reflective display devices is decreased
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the light guiding layer into regions of different thicknesses, the design optimizes light utilization efficiency. The sufficient thickness in the first region ensures adequate luminous flux without requiring increased light source power, thereby maintaining power-saving advantages.
Solution Approach 2:
The optimized thickness distribution in the light guiding layer improves local light emission efficiency. The first region's greater thickness ensures sufficient luminous flux generation, reducing the need for high-power light sources and maintaining energy efficiency.
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 design enables a foldable display device with reduced material rigidity and sufficient luminous flux, achieving better power-saving effects while maintaining incident light intensity without additional light sources.
Implementation Method 1
The transition area is configured to transfer the light beam to the foldable area through the total internal reflection of the light beam
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of microstructures located on the top surface or the bottom surface of the light guiding layer, configured to interfere or destruct the total internal reflection of the light beam after entering the light guiding layer
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable display device includes a reflective display panel, a light guiding layer and at least one light source. The light guiding layer is located on the reflective display panel and includes a non-foldable area, a foldable area and a transition area. The light guiding layer satisfies the following formulas: D2<D1, W2≥Rx π and J1≤(L−W2)/2−W1, in which D1 is a thickness of the non-foldable area, D2 is a thickness of the foldable area, W1 is a width of the non-foldable area, W2 is a width of the foldable area, R is a folding radius of the reflective display panel, J1 is a width of the transition area, L is a length of the light guiding layer. The light source is located on the reflective display panel and faces the sidewall of the light guiding layer.