Layered Display Support Plate for Sliding Screen Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of miniaturizing electronic devices while maintaining a flexible display with a changeable screen size is compounded by the need to reinforce the display's rigidity without increasing the device's thickness, necessitating an optimized supporting structure.
Innovation Solution
The electronic device incorporates a support plate with rigid regions and flexible regions, featuring a layered structure with openings and bridges, which reinforces the display while allowing for sliding housings to expand or reduce the display area without increasing the device's thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the thickness of the supporting structure is increased to reinforce the rigidity of the display, then the rigidity of the display is improved, but the thickness of the housing unnecessarily increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support plate is divided into multiple layers (first support plate and second support plate) with different structural characteristics. The first support plate has a lattice structure providing rigidity, while the second support plate has a solid structure providing additional support. This segmentation allows each layer to contribute differently to overall strength without requiring uniform thickness increase throughout the entire housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The supporting structure uses a composite construction combining multiple support plates with different structural configurations (lattice and solid patterns). This composite approach enables the structure to achieve enhanced rigidity through the combination of different structural types rather than simply increasing the thickness of a single uniform structure, thereby avoiding unnecessary housing thickness increase.
2Area of stationary object
If the screen size of the display is expanded to provide larger viewing area, then the display area is increased, but the device size and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display area is made dynamically adjustable through the sliding mechanism between first and second housings. The display can be extended when the second housing slides outward to increase screen size, and retracted when the second housing slides inward to reduce the overall device footprint. This dynamic configuration allows the display area to change without permanently increasing the device's base size.
Solution Approach 2:
The second housing containing the extendable display portion is nested within or alongside the first housing. When not in use, the extended display area can be retracted into the main housing body, allowing the device to maintain a compact form factor while providing the option for larger display area when needed. This nesting approach enables variable display size without permanently increasing device volume.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device according to an embodiment includes a first housing, a second housing coupled to the first housing so as to be slidable with respect to the first housing, a display including a planar region and a deformable region in contact with the planar region, and a support plate configured to supporting the display. The support plate includes rigid regions and a flexible region disposed between the rigid regions and including a plurality of openings. The support plate further includes a first layer including a plurality of first openings in the flexible region, and a second layer disposed on the first layer and including a plurality of second openings partially overlapping each of the plurality of first openings in the flexible region. Other embodiments are also possible.