Foldable Display Protection Film With Widened Thin Film Zone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable display apparatuses face damage to wiring due to misalignment during folding, leading to strong stress on edges and potential bending or crumpling, which can cause damage to surrounding wiring.
Innovation Solution
A foldable display apparatus with a protection film featuring a thin film zone at the folding portion, where the edges are wider than the central portion, and a sub-layer including a heat sink plate and cushion film, which reduces stress concentration by allowing smooth folding and preventing lamination issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the display apparatus is folded with accurate alignment, then the curvature is gentle and stress is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by creating a thin film zone in advance at the folding portion. This zone is formed by removing part of the protection film to a predetermined depth before folding occurs. The thin film zone acts as a cushion that absorbs and distributes stress during folding, preventing wiring damage even when misalignment occurs. This resolves the contradiction by preparing a stress-dissipating structure in advance, making the system more tolerant to alignment errors while maintaining wiring integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating a non-uniform protection film structure with different thickness zones. The protection film has a thin film zone at the folding portion with reduced thickness, while other areas maintain full thickness. This localized modification allows the folding area to have different mechanical properties (more flexible, stress-distributing) compared to other areas, enabling gentle curvature formation and stress distribution specifically where needed without affecting the overall structure.
2Ease of operation
If the protection film is completely removed at the folding portion, then folding flexibility increases, but lamination and structural integrity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a non-uniform protection film structure with different thickness zones. The protection film has a thin film zone at the folding portion with reduced thickness, while other areas maintain full thickness. This localized modification allows the folding area to have different mechanical properties (more flexible, stress-distributing) compared to other areas, enabling gentle curvature formation and stress distribution specifically where needed without affecting the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by removing only part of the protection film to a predetermined depth rather than completely removing it. The thin film zone retains some film material, which is sufficient to prevent lamination and maintain structural integrity, while being thin enough to allow flexible folding. This partial removal achieves the necessary flexibility without the harmful effects of complete removal.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a foldable display apparatus including: a display panel that is foldable; and a protection film on a surface of the display panel, the protection film including a thin film zone having a predetermined depth at a location corresponding to a folding portion of the display panel, wherein the thin film zone has edges wider than a central portion of the thin film zone.