Foldable Display Support Plate With Graded Rigidity Bending Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foldable display devices face issues with surface flatness due to inadequate support structures, leading to waviness and potential damage to flexible displays, as conventional support plates either limit bending or fail to enhance mechanical strength effectively.
Innovation Solution
A support plate with varying flexural rigidity zones, including a first bendable zone with a first etching pattern and a second bendable zone with a second etching pattern, where the flexural rigidity gradually increases towards the non-bendable area, reducing stress concentration and enabling smooth curvature transitions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the support plate is excessively thick, then the mechanical strength is improved, but the bending flexibility is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The support plate is divided into different regions with varying thicknesses: a first bendable zone with smaller thickness for flexibility, a second bendable zone with intermediate thickness, and a non-bendable area with largest thickness for strength. This local quality variation allows each region to perform its specific function optimally.
Solution Approach 2:
The support plate is segmented into distinct functional zones (first bendable zone, second bendable zone, non-bendable area) with different thickness characteristics. This segmentation enables the plate to simultaneously provide both flexibility where needed and strength where required, resolving the contradiction between these two properties.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the support plate is excessively thin, then the bending flexibility is improved, but the mechanical strength is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire support plate thin for flexibility, the patent applies local quality by making only the bendable zones thinner while maintaining thicker non-bendable areas. This ensures flexibility where bending occurs while preserving overall structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The support plate is segmented into regions with different thicknesses, allowing the bendable zones to be thin for flexibility while the non-bendable area remains thick for strength. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by spatially separating the requirements for flexibility and strength.
3Ease of manufacture
If the support plate has uniform thickness, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the bending stress concentration is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The support plate transitions from uniform thickness to non-uniform thickness distribution, with the first bendable zone having smaller thickness and the non-bendable area having larger thickness. This local quality variation reduces stress concentration during bending while remaining manufacturable through controlled thickness variation processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A support plate, including at least one bendable area and a non-bendable area connected to the bendable area. The bendable area includes a first bendable zone and a second bendable zone located between the first bendable zone and the non-bendable area. The first bendable zone includes a first etching pattern, and the second bendable zone includes a second etching pattern. The flexural rigidity of the second bendable zone is greater than the flexural rigidity of the first bendable zone, and is less than the flexural rigidity of the non-bendable area. In the first bendable zone, the closer a region to the second bendable zone, the greater the flexural rigidity of the region.