Roller Guide Surface Recess for Flexible Display Stress Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible display modules in deformable, foldable, or rollable display apparatuses are prone to damage due to stress concentration at stepped portions on the outer surface of the roller, which can lead to premature wear and reduced lifespan.
Innovation Solution
A display apparatus with a roller having a unitary cylindrical body and a slot that exposes the inner accommodation space, featuring a guide surface recessed further inward than the support surface, preventing stress concentration and damage by allowing the display module to wind and unwind smoothly without convex protrusions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a roller with a stepped outer surface is used to accommodate the display module, then the display module can be securely held and wound, but stress concentration occurs at the stepped portions causing damage to the flexible display module
Solution Approach 1:
The roller surface is designed with different local qualities: a smooth support surface for bearing the display module weight, and a recessed guide surface at the slot end for guiding insertion. This local differentiation eliminates stress concentration while maintaining functional requirements for secure holding and guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of creating a stepped protrusion to guide the display module, the invention inverts the approach by creating a recessed guide surface. This inverted geometry guides the display module into the correct position without creating stress concentration points that would damage the flexible module.
2Ease of operation
If a slot is created in the roller to expose the inner accommodation space, then the display module can be inserted and wound, but the outer surface continuity is broken potentially causing stress concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The slot is designed with differentiated local qualities: the main slot body provides insertion access, while the guide surface at the slot end provides smooth guidance. This local differentiation ensures easy insertion while eliminating stress concentration at the slot edges through the recessed geometry.
3Ease of manufacture
If the guide surface is at the same level as the support surface, then the structure is simpler, but the display module cannot wind and unwind smoothly causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The guide surface is differentiated from the support surface by being recessed, creating local quality variation that enables smooth winding and unwinding. This local differentiation maintains manufacturing simplicity while significantly improving display module lifespan through stress-free operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A display apparatus includes a roller extending in a first direction and a display module coupled to the roller. The roller includes a cylinder body having an inner accommodation space, and the cylinder body defines a slot that exposes the inner accommodation space to the outside and extends in the first direction. An outer surface of the cylinder body includes a support surface spaced apart from an axis of the cylinder body by a first distance and a guide surface extended to or from the support surface and recessed a predetermined distance toward the axis such that a distance to the axis is less than the first distance. The guide surface is extended to or from a first end of the slot.