CN214587761U

CN214587761U - Flexible display module and foldable electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN214587761U
Application number: CN202120412557.1U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 蒋飞龙; 张琨
Original assignee: Shenzhen Royole Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Royole Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-02-24
Filing date: 2021-02-24
Publication date: 2021-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 2031-02-24

Abstract

The application provides a flexible display module and foldable electronic equipment. The flexible display module comprises a display panel and a supporting layer. The display panel comprises a display surface and a non-display surface which are positioned on two opposite sides of the display panel, and the display panel further comprises a bending area. The supporting layer is stacked on the non-display surface of the display panel, the supporting layer comprises a first supporting structure at least corresponding to the bending area of the display panel, the first supporting structure is formed by alternately stacking hard sheet layers and elastic layers, each hard sheet layer comprises a plurality of hard sheets arranged in an array mode, gaps exist between adjacent hard sheets located in the same hard sheet layer, and first elastic materials are filled in the gaps. The application provides a first bearing structure is when receiving external force and assault, can produce relative slip between its hard piece, can evenly transmit stress in order to dissipate impact energy, makes it have good shock resistance.

Description

Flexible display module and foldable electronic equipment

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of displays, in particular to a flexible display module and a foldable electronic device.

Background

With the development of display technology, the flexible display screen can bring more experiences to users by virtue of self thinning and flexibility, and gradually becomes a new development direction of the display industry. As shown in fig. 1, the conventional flexible display screen includes a flexible display module 10 having a stacked structure, where the flexible display module 10 includes a Cover plate (Cover film)100, a display panel 200, a Support layer (Support film) 300', an abrasion-resistant layer (SUS, etc.) 500, and a glue layer 400, etc. disposed between two adjacent layers of structures. The supporting layer 300' and the wear-resistant layer 500 are used to improve the rigidity, hardness and wear resistance of the flexible display module 10. However, the supporting layer 300' and the wear-resistant layer 500 may degrade the bending performance of the flexible display module 10.

At present, the method for improving the bending performance of the flexible display module 10 mainly includes using the ultra-thin wear-resistant layer 500 or disposing the wear-resistant layer 500 with a patterned design on the bending portion 11. However, the wear-resistant layer 500 with the patterned design disposed on the bending portion 11 may reduce the flatness of the flexible display module 10, and in addition, the ultra-thin wear-resistant layer 500 is applied or the wear-resistant layer 500 with the patterned design disposed on the bending portion 11 may reduce the impact resistance of the flexible display module 10, which may cause the flexible display module 10 to have creases after bending, and the impact resistance may not meet the requirements, thereby seriously affecting the user experience.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of this, a first aspect of the present application provides a flexible display module, which includes a display panel and a support layer. The display panel comprises a display surface and a non-display surface which are positioned on two opposite sides of the display panel, and the display panel further comprises a bending area. The supporting layer is stacked on the non-display surface of the display panel and comprises a first supporting structure at least corresponding to the bending area of the display panel, the first supporting structure is formed by alternately stacking hard sheet layers and elastic layers, each hard sheet layer comprises a plurality of hard sheets arranged in an array mode, a gap exists between every two adjacent hard sheets in the same hard sheet layer, and a first elastic material is filled in the gap.

The second aspect of the present application provides a foldable electronic device, which includes the flexible display module of the first aspect.

The application provides a flexible display module assembly is integrated as the one deck supporting layer with the supporting layer among the prior art scheme and wearing layer, so can reduce the laminating step in order to promote the product yield. The supporting layer comprises a first supporting structure at least corresponding to the bending area of the display panel, the first supporting structure is formed by alternately stacking hard sheet layers and elastic layers, each hard sheet layer comprises a plurality of hard sheets arranged in an array mode, and when the first supporting structure is impacted by external force, small relative sliding can be generated between the hard sheets in the first supporting structure, so that stress can be uniformly transmitted to dissipate impact energy, and the first supporting structure has good impact resistance.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible display module in the prior art.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible display module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in an unfolded state.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible display module in a folded-out state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a partial structural view of the first support structure of fig. 2 along a longitudinal section of a tangent line B-B.

Fig. 5 is a schematic partial structure view of a longitudinal section of a first support structure in a flexible display module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a partial structural view of a cross section of the first support structure of fig. 2 along a tangent line a-a.

Fig. 7 is a partial structural diagram of a cross section of a first support structure with a diamond-shaped hard sheet according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a partial structural diagram of a cross section of a first support structure with a square hard sheet according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a foldable electronic device in an unfolded state in an embodiment of the present application.

Description of the main elements

Flexible display module 10

Bent part 11

Flexible cover plate 100

Display panel 200

Display surface 201

Non-display surface 202

Bending zone 210

Non-inflection region 220

Support layers 300, 300'

First support structure 310

Second support structure 320

Hard-layer 301

Hard sheet 3011

Gap 3012

Elastic layer 302

Adhesive layer 400

Wear resistant layer 500

Foldable electronic device 1

Housing 30

Accommodating cavity 40

The following detailed description will further illustrate the present application in conjunction with the above-described figures.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without inventive step, are within the scope of the present disclosure.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience in describing the present application and simplifying the description, but do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

Referring to fig. 2 to 4, an embodiment of the present invention provides a flexible display module 10, where the flexible display module 10 includes a display panel 200 and a supporting layer 300.

The display panel 200 includes a display surface 201 and a non-display surface 202 located on two opposite sides of the display panel, the display panel 200 further includes a bending region 210 and non-bending regions 220 located on two opposite sides of the bending region 210, and the two non-bending regions 220 can be folded or unfolded through the bending region 210.

As shown in fig. 2, when the display surfaces 201 of the non-bending regions 220 on opposite sides of the bending region 210 are located on the same plane, the flexible display module 10 is in an unfolded state.

As shown in fig. 3, one of the non-bending regions 220 is bent to the non-display surface 202 side of the other non-bending region 220 through the bending region 210, so that when the non-display surfaces 202 of the two non-bending regions 220 are close to each other and are substantially parallel, the flexible display module 10 is in a folded-out state.

The support layer 300 is laminated on the non-display surface 202 of the display panel 200, the support layer 300 includes a first support structure 310 corresponding to at least the bending region 210 of the display panel 200, and the first support structure 310 is formed by alternately laminating a hard sheet layer 301 and an elastic layer 302. Each hard sheet layer 301 comprises a plurality of hard sheets 3011 arranged in an array, a gap 3012 exists between adjacent hard sheets 3011 in the same hard sheet layer 301, and the gap 3012 is filled with a first elastic material.

The elastic layer 302 is made of a second elastic material, and the first elastic material and the second elastic material are selected from any one of Ethylene-vinyl Acetate Copolymer (EVA), Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB), Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber (TPU), and optical Adhesive (OCA). The first elastic material may be the same as and formed together with the second elastic material. In other embodiments, the first elastic material and the second elastic material may be other elastic materials as long as they satisfy the requirements of softness, strong plastic deformability, and strong adhesion to the hard sheet 3011.

The number of layers of the hard sheet layer 301 and the elastic layer 302 is not limited, and any two adjacent hard sheet layers 301 may sandwich one elastic layer 302 therebetween, and any two adjacent elastic layers 302 sandwich one hard sheet layer 301 therebetween.

In this embodiment, the hard sheet 3011 is made of any material selected from glass, metal, and ceramic. In other embodiments, the hard sheet 3011 may be made of other hard materials.

In this embodiment, the support layer 300 further includes a second support structure 320, and the second support structure 320 corresponds to the non-bending region 220. The second support structure 320 is made of a different material than the first support structure 310, for example, the second support structure 320 may include, but is not limited to, stainless steel or copper alloy, so as to reduce the cost. In other embodiments, the material of the second support structure 320 may be the same as the material of the first support structure 310, so that the support layer 300 has good bending performance and impact resistance as a whole, and may be applied to a rolling screen.

The flexible display module 10 provided by the application integrates the supporting layer 300' and the wear-resistant layer 500 in the prior art scheme into the supporting layer 300, so that the attaching step can be reduced to improve the yield of products. The support layer 300 includes a first support structure 310 corresponding to at least the bending region 210 of the display panel 200, the first support structure 310 is formed by alternately stacking hard sheet layers 301 and elastic layers 302, each hard sheet layer 301 includes a plurality of hard sheets 3011 arranged in an array, and when the first support structure 310 is impacted by an external force, the hard sheets 3011 in the first support structure 310 can slightly slide relatively, so that stress can be uniformly transferred to dissipate impact energy, and the first support structure 310 has good impact resistance.

In this embodiment, any one of the hard sheet layers 301 is formed by periodically laying a plurality of hard sheets 3011, and a gap 3012 between adjacent hard sheets 3011 in the same hard sheet layer 301 is filled with the first elastic material, and the hard sheets 3011 in two adjacent hard sheet layers 301 are arranged in a staggered manner, that is, orthographic projections of the hard sheets 3011 in two adjacent hard sheet layers 301 on a preset plane are not completely overlapped. Wherein the predetermined plane is a plane parallel to the hard sheet layer 301 (a YOZ plane shown in FIG. 2).

In some embodiments, the orthographic projections of the hard sheets 3011 in the odd-numbered hard sheet layers 301 on the preset plane are completely overlapped, the orthographic projections of the hard sheets 3011 in the even-numbered hard sheet layers 301 on the preset plane are completely overlapped, and the hard sheets 3011 in the two adjacent hard sheet layers 301 are staggered.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, all of the hard sheets 3011 in the hard sheet layer 301 are the same in shape and size. The thickness H of the elastic layer 302 is the same for each layer. The dimensions of the hard sheet 3011 include its thickness h and width L, where the width L is the distance between two opposite sides of the hard sheet 3011. It will be appreciated that with the same shape and size of the hard plates 3011, the transfer of stress between the hard plates 3011 is more uniform and the impact force is better distributed.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, all of the hard sheets 3011 in the hard sheet layers 301 have the same shape, and the hard sheets 3011 in the same hard sheet layer 301 have the same size, along a predetermined direction, the sizes of the hard sheets 3011 in each hard sheet layer 301 decrease sequentially, and the distances between two adjacent hard sheets 3011 in each hard sheet layer 301 decrease sequentially. The thickness H of each elastic layer 302 decreases in sequence along the predetermined direction. Wherein the predetermined direction is a direction (X direction shown in fig. 5) from the side of the support layer 300 far away from the display panel 200 to the side of the support layer close to the display panel 200. The hard sheet 3011 is reduced in size, meaning that its thickness h is reduced and/or its width L is reduced.

It should be noted that the more densely arranged hard sheets 3011 in the hard sheet layer 301, the better the toughness and the impact resistance of the hard sheet layer 301, and the more sparsely arranged hard sheets 3011 in the hard sheet layer 301, the better the plasticity and the bending performance of the hard sheet layer 301. Obviously, here, the toughness and impact resistance of the hard sheet layer 301 closer to the display panel 200 are better, and the plasticity and bending property of the hard sheet layer 301 farther from the display panel 200 are better.

In other embodiments, the hard sheets 301 in the first supporting structure 310 may be stacked according to other rules.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 6 to 8, the hard sheet 3011 has a shape of any one of a regular hexagon, a square, and a diamond. Obviously, the use of the rigid sheet 3011 with regular shape makes the impact resistance of the first supporting structure 310 more stable. Preferably, a regular hexagonal shaped hard sheet 3011 is used.

In this embodiment, the thickness h of the hard sheet 3011 ranges from 0.1 to 300 micrometers. The ratio of the width L of the hard sheet 3011 to the thickness h thereof ranges from 1 to 20, and the distance d between two adjacent hard sheets 3011 in the same hard sheet layer 301 is less than or equal to 0.5 times of the width L of the hard sheet 3011. Preferably, the ratio of the width L of the hard sheet 3011 to the thickness h thereof is 10. The distance d between two adjacent hard sheets 3011 includes a first distance and a second distance (d 1, d2 shown in fig. 6) in two different directions, and the first distance d1 and the second distance d2 may be equal or different.

In the present embodiment, the thickness H of the elastic layer 302 ranges from 0.1 micrometers to 100 micrometers. It will be appreciated that the greater the thickness H of the elastomeric layer 302, the more plastic the first support structure 310, but the less rigid and strong it will be.

Optionally, when the flexible display module 10 is bent, adjacent hard sheets 3011 in the same hard sheet layer 301 slide relatively. Optionally, when the flexible display module 10 is folded outward (i.e., after folding, the display surfaces 201 of the two non-bending regions 220 of the display panel 200 are disposed back to back), the adjacent rigid sheets 3011 in the same rigid sheet layer 301 slide close to each other. Optionally, when the flexible display module 10 is folded inward (i.e. after folding, the display surfaces 201 of the two non-bending regions 220 of the display panel 200 are disposed opposite to each other), the adjacent hard sheets 3011 in the same hard sheet layer 301 slide away from each other.

Optionally, when the flexible display module 10 is bent, the sliding distance between the adjacent hard sheets 3011 in each hard sheet layer 301 is different from the sliding distance between the adjacent hard sheets 3011 in the adjacent hard sheet layers 301. Optionally, when the flexible display module 10 is bent, a sliding distance between adjacent hard sheets 3011 in the same hard sheet layer 301 close to the display panel 200 is smaller than a sliding distance between adjacent hard sheets 3011 in the same hard sheet layer 301 far from the display panel 200.

Optionally, the flexible display module 10 further includes a flexible cover 100, the flexible cover 100 is stacked on the display surface 201 of the display panel 200, and the flexible cover 100 is used for supporting and protecting the display panel 200.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a foldable electronic device 1, where the foldable electronic device 1 includes the flexible display module 10. As shown in fig. 9, the foldable electronic device 1 further includes a housing 30 and components (not shown). The specific type of the foldable electronic device 1 is not particularly limited, and may be any device or apparatus with display function in the art, such as, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wearable apparatus, and the like. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that the components may include necessary structures and components of a conventional electronic device, and the components are illustrated by taking a mobile phone as an example, and may include structures and components of a conventional mobile phone, such as a touch screen, a CPU, a camera module, a motherboard, a battery, and a sound processing system.

A containing cavity 40 is formed in the shell 30, the components are contained in the containing cavity 40, and the shell 30 can protect the components and the flexible display module 10. It is understood that, in the present embodiment, the position of the housing 30 opposite to the bending portion 11 of the flexible display module 10 may be bent along with the bending portion 11, or the housing 30 is made of a flexible material and can be bent and folded as a whole.

In the foldable electronic device 1 provided by the present application, the flexible display module 10 integrates the supporting layer 300' and the wear layer 500 in the prior art into one supporting layer 300, so that the attaching step can be reduced to improve the yield of products. The support layer 300 includes a first support structure 310 corresponding to at least the bending region 210 of the display panel 200, the first support structure 310 is formed by alternately stacking hard sheet layers 301 and elastic layers 302, each hard sheet layer 301 includes a plurality of hard sheets 3011 arranged in an array, and when the first support structure 310 is impacted by an external force, the hard sheets 3011 in the first support structure 310 can slightly slide relatively, so that stress can be uniformly transferred to dissipate impact energy, and the first support structure 310 has good impact resistance.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the present application is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative embodiments, and that the present application may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the application being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. Any reference sign in a claim should not be construed as limiting the claim concerned. Furthermore, it is obvious that the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the singular does not exclude the plural. Several units or means recited in the apparatus claims may also be embodied by one and the same item or means in software or hardware.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solutions of the present application and not for limiting, and although the present application is described in detail with reference to the above preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications or equivalent substitutions may be made to the technical solutions of the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present application.

Claims

1. The utility model provides a flexible display module assembly which characterized in that includes:

the display panel comprises a display surface and a non-display surface which are positioned on two opposite sides of the display panel, and the display panel also comprises a bending area; and

the supporting layer is stacked on the non-display surface of the display panel and comprises a first supporting structure at least corresponding to the bending area of the display panel, the first supporting structure is formed by alternately stacking hard sheet layers and elastic layers, each hard sheet layer comprises a plurality of hard sheets arranged in an array mode, a gap exists between every two adjacent hard sheets in the same hard sheet layer, and a first elastic material is filled in the gap.

2. The flexible display module of claim 1, wherein any one of the hard sheet layers is formed by a plurality of hard sheets which are periodically tiled, and the hard sheets in two adjacent hard sheet layers are staggered.

3. The flexible display module of claim 2, wherein all of the rigid layers are the same shape and size; and/or

The thickness of each elastic layer is the same.

4. The flexible display module according to claim 2, wherein all the hard sheets in the hard sheet layers have the same shape, and the hard sheets in the same hard sheet layer have the same size, and along a predetermined direction, the sizes of the hard sheets in each hard sheet layer decrease sequentially, and the distances between two adjacent hard sheets in each hard sheet layer decrease sequentially; and/or

And the thickness of each elastic layer is reduced in sequence along the preset direction.

5. The flexible display module of claim 1, wherein the rigid sheet has a shape of any one of a regular hexagon, a square, and a diamond.

6. The flexible display module of claim 5, wherein the thickness of the hard sheets ranges from 0.1 micron to 300 microns, the ratio of the width of the hard sheet to the thickness of the hard sheet ranges from 1 to 20, and the distance between two adjacent hard sheets in the same hard sheet layer is less than or equal to 0.5 times the width of the hard sheet.

7. The flexible display module of claim 6, wherein the elastic layer has a thickness in a range from 0.1 micrometers to 100 micrometers.

8. The flexible display module of claim 1, wherein when the flexible display module is bent, adjacent rigid sheets in the same rigid sheet layer slide relative to each other.

9. The flexible display module of claim 1, wherein a sliding distance between adjacent rigid sheets in the same rigid sheet layer that is closer to the display panel is less than a sliding distance between adjacent rigid sheets in the same rigid sheet layer that is farther from the display panel when the flexible display module is bent.

10. A foldable electronic device, comprising the flexible display module according to any one of claims 1 to 9.