Foldable Display Support Plate Patterning to Reduce Creases
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foldable display devices suffer from crease formation and reduced visibility due to repeated folding, which affects the overall display quality.
Innovation Solution
A display device with a support plate featuring a pattern portion that includes recessed portions and an opening portion, designed to minimize deformation and crease formation by optimizing the width and modulus distribution, along with hinge and digitizer configurations to enhance structural integrity and visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional support plate is used in foldable display devices, then the structural support is provided, but crease formation and reduced visibility occur due to repeated folding
Solution Approach 1:
The support plate incorporates a pattern portion with varying thickness (first thickness in recessed portions, second thickness in protruding portions) to create different mechanical properties in different areas. This local quality variation allows the plate to better accommodate folding stresses without forming creases, directly addressing the visibility problem caused by repeated folding.
Solution Approach 2:
The support plate is divided into distinct regions: first support portions, second support portions, and a pattern portion with recessed and protruding portions. This segmentation allows each region to perform its specific function - providing support while the patterned regions manage stress distribution during folding, preventing crease formation.
2Reliability
If the support plate structure is optimized to reduce crease formation, then visibility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of completely redesigning the entire support plate structure, the invention applies a localized pattern portion with specific thickness variations only in the necessary areas. This approach improves visibility by preventing creases while minimizing the increase in device complexity by keeping the overall structure relatively simple with localized modifications.
Data Source
AI summary
A display device includes: a display panel including a first area, a folding area, and a second area, which are arranged along a first direction, wherein the folding area is folded with respect to a folding axis extending along a second direction intersecting the first direction; and a support plate on a rear surface of the display panel, the support plate including a pattern portion overlapping with the folding area, wherein the pattern portion includes a first recess portion, a second recess portion, and an opening portion between the first recess portion and the second recess portion, and wherein, a radius of curvature of the folding area is r in a state in which the display panel is folded, and in the state in which the display panel is folded, a width of the pattern portion in the first direction is (πr+2)/2 or more and πr+2 or less.