Patterned Metal Support to Reduce Stress in Flexible Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible display modules with polymer films suffer from poor overall support and rigidity due to low modulus materials, and metallic materials with high hardness are difficult to machine and prone to stress concentration and failure at bendable edges.
Innovation Solution
A metal support with a bendable region and patterned regions featuring hollowed-out parts and openings arranged to disperse stress, including symmetrically distributed columns and varying opening lengths and shapes to reduce stress concentration and improve bending ability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metallic materials are used to provide high modulus and rigidity, then overall support and rigidity are improved, but stress concentration easily appears at the edge of bendable region and long-time large stress failure or high-cycle dynamic bending failure occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The metal support is divided into a bendable region and a non-bendable region, with the bendable region further segmented into multiple columns of hollowed-out parts. This segmentation allows the structure to distribute stress uniformly across multiple regions rather than concentrating it at edges, thereby maintaining high rigidity while preventing stress concentration and improving reliability during bending operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different structural characteristics to different regions: the bendable region contains hollowed-out parts with openings for flexibility and stress distribution, while the non-bendable region maintains solid metal structure for high rigidity. This local differentiation allows each region to perform its specific function optimally, preventing stress concentration at edges while maintaining overall strength.
2Adaptability or versatility
If polymer films are used for flexible display modules, then flexibility is improved, but overall support and rigidity are poor and high temperature softening and stress creep occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite structure combining metal support with polymer film display modules. The metal support provides high modulus and rigidity to counteract the weaknesses of polymer films, while the polymer films maintain flexibility for the display function. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by having each material perform its strength suit: metal for structural support and polymer for flexibility.
3Strength
If metallic materials with high hardness are used, then rigidity is improved, but difficulty to machine increases and stress concentration easily appears
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the metal support into multiple columns of hollowed-out parts, the patent reduces the overall material hardness in the bendable region while maintaining rigidity through structural design. This segmentation makes the material easier to machine compared to solid high-hardness metal, while the distributed structure prevents stress concentration and maintains structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a metal support including a bendable region, a non-bendable region, and at least one patterned region covering at least the bendable region. The bendable region is capable of bending in a first direction, a plurality of columns of hollowed-out parts arranged side by side along the first direction are arranged in the patterned region, each column of the hollowed-out parts includes a plurality of openings arranged at intervals along the second direction, and the patterned region includes two first edges arranged opposite to each other in the first direction, the hollowed-out part near the first edge is arc-shaped, convex sides of two arcs face each other, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular. The present disclosure also relates to a flexible display device.