Deformable OLED Substrate with Rigid Chassis and Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flat-panel OLED devices face challenges with structural support and heat dissipation, leading to potential distortion and damage from overheating, which existing solutions do not adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A flat-panel OLED device design incorporating a rigid chassis structure with a flexible encapsulating foil for heat dissipation and a desiccant layer for moisture protection, providing both structural support and thermal management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a thin deformable substrate is used to reduce weight, then the weight of the OLED device is reduced, but the substrate becomes prone to bending, fracture, and heat distortion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a thin deformable substrate (flexible shell) that is reinforced with a rigid frame structure. The substrate itself remains thin and flexible for weight reduction, but the rigid frame provides the necessary structural support to prevent bending and fracture, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure combining the thin deformable substrate with a rigid frame (aluminum or stainless steel) and heat-conductive filler layers. This composite approach allows the device to benefit from both the light weight of the thin substrate and the structural strength of the rigid frame materials.
2Weight of moving object
If a thin deformable substrate is used, then the device is lighter, but the substrate is more susceptible to heat distortion from OLED operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a heat-conductive filler layer as an intermediary between the OLED and the substrate. This layer acts as a thermal mediator that conducts heat away from the OLED more effectively than the thin substrate alone, preventing heat accumulation and distortion while maintaining the lightweight thin-substrate design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite thermal management structure combining the thin substrate with heat-conductive fillers (metal particles, carbon powder) and a rigid frame. This composite approach enhances heat dissipation capability while maintaining the weight benefits of the thin substrate design.
3Strength
If existing support structures are added to provide rigidity, then structural support is improved, but heat dissipation capability is not addressed
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid frame structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support and rigidity to prevent substrate deformation, and it acts as a heat sink to conduct and dissipate heat from the OLED. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by addressing both structural support and heat dissipation with a single integrated component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses heat-conductive materials (aluminum or stainless steel with metal fillers or carbon powder) for the rigid frame and support structures. These composite materials provide both the mechanical strength needed for structural support and the thermal conductivity required for effective heat dissipation.
4Weight of moving object
If the substrate is made thin for weight reduction, then weight is reduced, but the device becomes more vulnerable to moisture damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a thin deformable substrate that is encapsulated and sealed within a rigid frame structure. The thin substrate maintains weight benefits, while the encapsulation and sealing provided by the rigid frame and adhesive layers protect against moisture ingress, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and moisture protection.
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 solution effectively reduces the risk of overheating and image burn-in, while offering robust structural support for large OLED glass pieces, maintaining image quality and extending the device's lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
encapsulated with a filler layer that is heat-conductive
Implementation Method 2
a desiccant layer for moisture protection
Data Source
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AI summary
A flat panel OLED device including a transparent deformable substrate (20) having first and second sides and defining a predetermined illumination region and a non-illumination region; a moisture-sensitive OLED (30) disposed over the first side of the transparent substrate within the illumination region and means for applying electrical signals to the OLED which causes the OLED to produce light and heat; a protective layer (40) disposed over the OLED; a flexible encapsulating foil (50) disposed over the protective layer, but not attached thereto, and which dissipates the heat and sealingly connected to the substrate in the non-illumination region; and a rigid chassis structure (60) operatively associated with the transparent deformable substrate for providing rigidity to the transparent deformable substrate.