Foldable Display Support Member Segmentation for Impact and Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic devices face challenges in preventing the introduction of foreign substances while maintaining foldability, lightness, and impact-resistant properties, particularly in flexible and foldable display devices.
Innovation Solution
The electronic device incorporates a support member with a thin upper plate made of high-stiffness materials like stainless steel or titanium alloys and a thicker lower plate made of lightweight materials such as aluminum alloys or glass fiber reinforced plastic, featuring a gap between the plates to overlap the folding area, which includes openings to reduce foreign substance introduction and enhance impact resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a single thick plate is used for support, then impact resistance is improved, but weight increases and foldability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support member is divided into an upper plate and a lower plate separated by a gap. The upper plate has thickness of about 15-50 micrometers and the lower plate has thickness of about 150-300 micrometers. This segmentation allows each plate to serve different functions: the upper plate provides lightness and foldability while the lower plate provides impact resistance, resolving the contradiction between weight and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The support member uses composite construction with an upper plate made of high-stiffness material (specific strength ≥60 kN·m/kg) and a lower plate made of lightweight material. This composite approach combines the advantages of both material types to achieve both impact resistance and weight reduction simultaneously.
2Strength
If a solid plate is used for support, then strength is improved, but foreign substance introduction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upper plate is segmented with multiple openings (each with width ≤50 micrometers) distributed across its surface. These openings allow foreign substances to pass through and be blocked by the lower plate, preventing their accumulation between the plates while maintaining structural integrity through the gap configuration.
3Weight of moving object
If plate thickness is reduced for lightness, then weight is reduced, but impact resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is segmented into two plates with different thicknesses: the upper plate is thin (15-50 micrometers) for lightness, while the lower plate is thick (150-300 micrometers) for impact resistance. The gap between them allows the thinner upper plate to be replaced by a thinner lower plate without compromising overall impact resistance, thus reducing weight.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the support member have different plate thicknesses tailored to their specific functions. The upper plate near the display panel uses thinner material for lightness, while the lower plate provides thicker support for impact resistance. This local differentiation optimizes the weight-strength trade-off.
4Strength
If plate thickness is increased for impact resistance, then impact resistance is improved, but foldability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support member is segmented into an upper plate with thickness of about 15-50 micrometers and a lower plate with thickness of about 150-300 micrometers. The thinner upper plate maintains foldability while the lower plate provides impact resistance, allowing the device to be folded without compromising either function.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper plate is designed with local quality characteristics (thinner material, high-stiffness composition) specifically optimized for foldability and flexibility, while the lower plate has characteristics optimized for impact resistance. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between foldability and impact resistance.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes a display panel including a folding area and a non-folding area which is adjacent to the folding area along a first direction, and a support member facing the display panel. The support member includes in order from the display panel, an upper plate which faces the folding area and the non-folding area, has a thickness and in which are defined a plurality of openings corresponding to the folding area, and a lower plate having a thickness which is greater than the thickness of the upper plate and including a first lower plate and a second lower plate each corresponding to the folding area and the non-folding area. At the folding area, the second lower plate is spaced apart from the first lower plate by a gap along the first direction.