Groove-Filled Display Window for Folding Durability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible display devices are prone to deformation and damage from folding or bending operations, and their windows are susceptible to external shocks, which affects their durability and viewability.
Innovation Solution
A window design for display devices featuring a substrate with alternating groove patterns on its upper and lower surfaces, filled with layers of matching refractive index materials, providing enhanced folding properties and surface quality, and a method of manufacturing this window using inkjet filling and curing processes to ensure reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the window is made rigid to protect against external shocks, then protection capability is improved, but folding durability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The window substrate is divided into multiple groove patterns that create segmented regions. These grooves allow the window to flex and deform locally during folding operations while maintaining overall structural integrity for protection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The window employs a composite structure combining the substrate with filling layers having different refractive indices. This composite design enables the window to simultaneously achieve protection strength and folding flexibility through the synergistic properties of different materials.
2Ease of manufacture
If the window structure is simplified to improve manufacturing, then ease of manufacture is improved, but surface quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the window are assigned different properties: the groove patterns provide localized flexibility while the filling layers provide localized optical quality. This local differentiation allows the window to achieve high surface quality without requiring complex overall manufacturing processes.
3Manufacturing precision
If filling layers are added to improve surface quality, then surface quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filling layers serve multiple functions simultaneously: they fill the groove patterns to create a flat surface, they reduce interference fringes through refractive index matching, and they maintain structural integrity. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components.
4Reliability
If the window is made flexible to enable folding, then folding durability is improved, but protection capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function is enhanced by adding the vertical dimension of multiple filling layers with different refractive indices. This dimensional addition allows the window to maintain protection capability through the cumulative effect of multiple layers rather than relying solely on substrate thickness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The window design improves the display device's folding durability and surface quality, reducing the visibility of interference fringes and enhancing viewability while protecting against external shocks.
Implementation Method 1
filled with layers of matching refractive index materials, providing enhanced folding properties and surface quality
Implementation Method 2
reducing the visibility of interference fringes
Data Source
AI summary
A window for a display device includes a substrate has a pattern portion and a non-pattern portion. The pattern portion includes first groove patterns recessed from an upper surface of the substrate and second groove patterns recessed from a lower surface of the substrate and alternately arranged with the first groove patterns. The non-pattern portion is adjacent to the pattern portion. In addition, a plurality of first filling layers are disposed in the first groove patterns, and a second filling layer covers the first filling layers. A plurality of third filling layers are disposed in the second groove patterns, and a fourth filling layer covers the third filling layers. A height of the pattern portion is less than a height of the non-pattern portion.