Foldable Display Input Sensing Patterns for Uniform Sensitivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible electronic devices face challenges in maintaining uniform sensing sensitivity across folding and non-folding areas, which affects user convenience and functionality.
Innovation Solution
The electronic device incorporates an input sensing layer with specific patterns and openings, including normal and folding patterns, and dummy patterns, designed to maintain uniform sensitivity across folding and non-folding areas, with a window structure that accommodates these patterns and ensures consistent input detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the input sensing layer uses uniform patterns across the entire display panel, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the sensing sensitivity becomes non-uniform in folding areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different pattern designs to different regions of the display panel. Normal patterns with normal dummy patterns are used in non-folding areas, while folding patterns with folding dummy patterns are used in folding areas. This local differentiation ensures that each region's sensing characteristics are optimized for its specific functional requirements, achieving uniform sensing sensitivity across the entire panel despite the complexity introduced by multiple pattern types.
2Device complexity
If the dummy patterns in folding areas have the same area as normal dummy patterns, then the pattern design is simple, but the sensing sensitivity becomes non-uniform due to folding-induced deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the area parameter of dummy patterns based on their location. Folding dummy patterns have a smaller area than normal dummy patterns to compensate for the deformation and sensitivity changes that occur in folding areas. This parameter adjustment ensures that the sensing sensitivity remains uniform across both folding and non-folding areas, addressing the non-uniformity caused by folding-induced deformation.
3Strength
If the window structure is rigid and flat, then the structural strength is high, but the folding characteristics and flexibility are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a window structure with a pattern area that has varying thickness, being thinner in the folding area and thicker in non-folding areas. This thickness variation allows the window to maintain sufficient structural strength in flat regions while providing the flexibility and adaptability needed for folding operations, effectively resolving the contradiction between strength and folding flexibility.
4Ease of manufacture
If the pattern area thickness is uniform, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the folding characteristics and sensing performance are degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a pattern area with non-uniform thickness distribution, where the thickness varies according to the location. The folding area has a thinner pattern area to accommodate folding deformation, while non-folding areas maintain greater thickness for structural stability. This local quality differentiation optimizes both folding characteristics and sensing performance, preventing the degradation that would occur with uniform thickness.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes a display panel including a folding area folded about a folding axis extending in a first direction and non-folding areas spaced apart from each other in a second direction crossing the first direction with the folding area therebetween, an input sensing layer disposed on the display panel, and a window disposed on the input sensing layer. The input sensing layer includes normal patterns that overlap the non-folding areas and include normal openings defined therein, respectively, folding patterns that overlap the folding area and include folding openings defined therein, respectively, normal dummy patterns disposed in the normal openings, and folding dummy patterns that are disposed in the folding openings and that have a smaller area than an area of the normal dummy patterns.