WO2024114235A1

WO2024114235A1 - Foldable display terminal

Info

Publication number: WO2024114235A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/127974
Authority: WO
Inventors: 李灵芝
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2022-11-30
Filing date: 2023-10-30
Publication date: 2024-06-06
Also published as: CN118116281A; WO2024114235A9

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application relates to the technical field of display and discloses a foldable display terminal, which is used for reducing the size of a bezel and increasing the screen-to-body ratio. The foldable display terminal comprises a flexible display screen, a middle frame, a protective film and a front enclosure. The flexible display screen comprises a plurality of first display parts and at least one second display part, the plurality of first display parts being successively arranged in a first direction, and the second display part being located between two adjacent first display parts. The second display part is bendable, the bending axis being in a second direction, and the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction. The flexible display screen is located in the middle frame. The middle frame comprises a first side frame and a second side frame which are arranged in the first direction and are arranged opposite to each other. The protective film is located on the flexible display screen. The front enclosure is at least arranged along the first side frame and the second side frame, and is connected to the first side frame and the second side frame. The front enclosure extends from the middle frame to above the protective film and covers partial edges of the flexible display screen and the protective film. The foldable display terminal is used for image display.

Description

Folding display terminal

This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on November 30, 2022, with application number 202211528566.2 and application name “Folding Display Terminal”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference in this application.

Technical Field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of display technology, and in particular, to a foldable display terminal.

Background technique

With the continuous development of display technology, foldable display terminals are gradually becoming a development trend of future mobile electronic products. When unfolded, foldable display terminals can obtain a larger display area to improve the viewing effect. When folded, foldable display terminals can obtain a smaller volume, which is convenient for users to carry.

Since the different layers of the folded foldable display terminal are usually bonded by an adhesive layer, a staggered layer phenomenon will occur during the folding process of the foldable display terminal. In addition, the fixing method between the flexible display screen and the middle frame in the folded foldable display terminal is different from that of the conventional display terminal. Based on the staggered layer phenomenon, the cover plate of the flexible display screen and the middle frame in the foldable display terminal cannot be completely fixed, and a staggered layer space needs to be left between the flexible display screen and the middle frame, which results in a gap between the flexible display screen and the middle frame. At present, the above gap is blocked by setting a front shell (also called a small A shell) on the front of the foldable display terminal.

However, this will increase the border size of the foldable display terminal and reduce the screen-to-body ratio of the foldable display terminal.

Summary of the invention

An embodiment of the present application provides a foldable display terminal, which is used to reduce the frame size of the foldable display terminal and increase the screen-to-body ratio of the foldable display terminal.

To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

In a first aspect, a foldable display terminal is provided, which includes: a flexible display screen, a middle frame, a protective film, and a front shell. The flexible display screen includes a plurality of first display parts and at least one second display part, the plurality of first display parts are arranged in sequence along a first direction, the second display part is located between two adjacent first display parts, the second display part can be bent, and the bending axis is along a second direction. The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular. The flexible display screen is located in the middle frame. The middle frame includes a first frame and a second frame arranged along the first direction and arranged oppositely. The protective film is located on the flexible display screen. The front shell is arranged at least along the first frame and the second frame, and is connected to the first frame and the second frame. The front shell extends from the middle frame to the top of the protective film, covering part of the edge of the flexible display screen and the protective film.

In the foldable display terminal provided in some embodiments of the present application, a front shell is provided and connected to the first frame and the second frame of the middle frame, so that the front shell covers a portion of the edge of the flexible display screen and the protective film located in the middle frame, and the portion of the edge corresponds to the position of the first frame and the second frame. In this way, not only can the front shell be used to block the gap at the position of the first frame 211 and the second frame 221 to improve the aesthetics of the foldable display terminal, but the front shell and the middle frame can also be used to limit different stacking structures (such as flexible display screens) in the middle frame to prevent them from jumping out of the middle frame 2 when the foldable display terminal is in an extreme scenario (such as falling, etc.), thereby improving the reliability of the foldable display terminal.

Moreover, in the embodiment of the present application, the protective film is expanded outward to the bottom of the front shell so that the front shell can cover part of the edge of the protective film. When designing the foldable display terminal, there is no need to design the avoidance size between the protective film and the front shell, and the distance between the front shell 6 and the display area A is reduced, thereby effectively reducing the frame size of the foldable display terminal, increasing the area of the display area, and improving the screen-to-body ratio of the foldable display terminal.

In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the foldable display terminal further includes: an adhesive layer, and the front shell is connected to the middle frame through the adhesive layer. Or, the foldable display terminal further includes: a connector, and the front shell is connected to the middle frame through the connector. The method of using the adhesive layer to connect the front shell and the middle frame is relatively simple, easy to implement, and low in cost. The method of using the connector to connect the front shell and the middle frame is a detachable method, which makes it easy to remove the front shell and replace the protective film.

In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the middle frame further includes a third frame and a fourth frame arranged along the second direction and arranged opposite to each other. The front shell is also arranged along at least one of the third frame and the fourth frame and connected thereto. In this way, the front shell can be used to form a relatively complete coverage of the edges of the flexible display screen and the protective film, thereby improving the aesthetics of the foldable display terminal.

In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the middle frame further includes: a carrying plate. The carrying plate has a carrying surface, and the flexible display screen is located on the carrying surface. The first frame, the second frame, the third frame, and the fourth frame are connected to the carrying plate and are arranged around the flexible display screen. This makes it easier to carry and protect the flexible display screen.

In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the front shell includes: a protective portion and a supporting portion. The protective portion covers a portion of the edge of the flexible display screen and the protective film. The supporting portion is connected between the protective portion and the middle frame. By using the protective portion and the supporting portion to form the front shell, it is beneficial to achieve the connection between the front shell and the middle frame, and to achieve the coverage of the edge of the flexible display screen and the protective film.

In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the foldable display terminal further includes: an elastic component located on the protective film. The front shell covers the elastic component. By providing the elastic component, not only can the sealing be improved, but also the flexible display screen can be separated from the front shell to avoid direct contact between the flexible display screen and the front shell, so as to better protect the flexible display screen.

In a possible implementation of the first aspect, along the first direction, the distance between the protective film and the first frame is greater than the distance between the flexible display and the first frame. And/or, along the first direction, the distance between the protective film and the second frame is greater than the distance between the flexible display and the second frame. The above-mentioned setting can effectively prevent the protective film from hitting the first frame and/or the second frame of the middle frame due to misalignment, thereby improving the reliability of the foldable display terminal.

In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the flexible display screen has a display area and a frame area surrounding the display area. The frame area includes at least one fan-out area. The display area includes a first sub-display area corresponding to the first display portion, and a second sub-display area corresponding to the second display portion. Along the second direction, the fan-out area is located on one side of the first sub-display area. In this way, the size of the lower frame of the flexible display screen and the folding display terminal can be reduced, the size of the left and right frames can be avoided from being increased, the symmetry of the four frames of the folding display terminal and the screen-to-body ratio can be improved, and the reliability and trustworthiness of the flexible display screen and the folding display terminal can be improved.

In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the flexible display screen includes: a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of fan-out lines. The plurality of data lines and the plurality of gate lines are located in the display area, the plurality of data lines extend along a first direction, and the plurality of gate lines extend along a second direction. The fan-out lines are electrically connected to the data lines. Wherein, the frame area includes a first sub-frame area and a second sub-frame area extending along the first direction and arranged relatively to each other, and a third sub-frame area and a fourth sub-frame area extending along the second direction and arranged relatively to each other. The fan-out lines are led out from the third sub-frame area or the fourth sub-frame area, and extend to the fan-out area through the first sub-frame area or the second sub-frame area. The resistances of the plurality of fan-out lines are the same. By setting the resistances of different fan-out lines to be the same, the uniformity of the impedances of the different fan-out lines can be improved, thereby improving the uniformity of the graphics displayed by the flexible display screen.

In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first display portion includes a main body, a bent portion connected to the main body, and a circuit connection portion connected to the bent portion. The main body has a relative light-emitting side and a non-light-emitting side, the bent portion is bent toward the non-light-emitting side, and the circuit connection portion is located on the non-light-emitting side. The folding display terminal also includes: a spacer component, a first back film, a support sheet, a second back film, and a filling portion. The spacer component is located between the main body and the circuit connection portion. The first back film is located between the main body and the spacer component. The support sheet is located between the first back film and the spacer component. The second back film is located between the circuit connection portion and the spacer component. The filling portion is located on the side of the spacer component, the first back film, the support sheet and the second back film, and in the gap surrounded by the bent portion. The filling portion can fill the above-mentioned gap to support the bent portion. This is conducive to enhancing the strength of the partial area corresponding to the gap in the folding display terminal, enhancing the ability of the partial area to resist external stress, avoiding damage to the structure of the partial area due to deformation of the front shell, and thus enhancing the reliability of the folding display terminal. On this basis, when the frame size of the foldable display terminal is small, it can be avoided that the frame size has to be increased due to reliability design considerations.

In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the filling portion extends along the intersection line of the bent portion and the main body portion. And/or, along the extension direction of the intersection line of the bent portion and the main body portion, the size of the filling portion is equal to the size of the bent portion. In this way, the overlapping area of the filling portion and the bent portion can be effectively increased, thereby increasing the protective effect of the filling portion on the foldable display terminal.

In a second aspect, a foldable display terminal is provided, which includes: a flexible display screen. The flexible display screen includes a plurality of first display parts and at least one second display part, the plurality of first display parts are arranged in sequence along a first direction, the second display part is located between two adjacent first display parts, the second display part is bendable, and the bending axis is along a second direction. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. The flexible display screen has a display area and a frame area surrounding the display area, and the frame area includes at least one fan-out area. The display area includes a first sub-display area corresponding to the first display part, and a second sub-display area corresponding to the second display part. Along the second direction, the fan-out area is located on one side of the first sub-display area.

In this way, the size of the lower frame of the flexible display screen and the folding display terminal can be reduced, the size of the left and right frames can be avoided from being increased, the symmetry and screen-to-body ratio of the four frames of the folding display terminal can be improved, and the reliability and trustworthiness of the flexible display screen and the folding display terminal can be improved.

In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the flexible display screen includes: a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate lines, and a plurality of fan-out lines. The plurality of data lines and the plurality of gate lines are located in the display area, the plurality of data lines extend along a first direction, and the plurality of gate lines extend along a second direction. The line is electrically connected to the data line. Wherein, the frame area includes a first sub-frame area and a second sub-frame area extending along a first direction and arranged opposite to each other, and a third sub-frame area and a fourth sub-frame area extending along a second direction and arranged opposite to each other. The fan-out line is led out from the third sub-frame area or the fourth sub-frame area, passes through the first sub-frame area or the second sub-frame area, and extends to the fan-out area. The resistances of the plurality of fan-out lines are the same. By setting the resistances of different fan-out lines to be the same, the uniformity of the impedances of the different fan-out lines can be improved, thereby improving the uniformity of the graphics displayed by the flexible display screen.

In a third aspect, a foldable display terminal is provided, which includes: a flexible display screen, a spacer component, a first back film, a support sheet, a second back film and a filling portion. The flexible display screen includes a main body, at least one bending portion connected to the main body, and a circuit connection portion connected to the bending portion. The flexible display screen has a relative light-emitting side and a non-light-emitting side, the bending portion is bent toward the non-light-emitting side of the flexible display screen, and the circuit connection portion is located on the non-light-emitting side of the flexible display screen. The spacer component is located between the main body and the circuit connection portion. The first back film is located between the main body and the spacer component. The support sheet is located between the first back film and the spacer component. The second back film is located between the circuit connection portion and the spacer component. The filling portion is located in the gap surrounded by the side of the spacer component, the first back film, the support sheet and the second back film and the bending portion.

By bending the circuit connection part to the non-light-emitting side, it is helpful to reduce the frame size of the flexible display screen and the folding display terminal (that is, reduce the size of the black border) and increase the screen-to-body ratio. By providing a filling part in the above-mentioned gap, it is helpful to enhance the strength of the part of the area corresponding to the gap in the folding display terminal, enhance the ability of the part to resist external stress, avoid deformation of the front shell from causing damage to the structure of the part, and thus enhance the reliability of the folding display terminal. On this basis, when the frame size of the folding display terminal is small, it can be avoided that the frame size is increased due to reliability design considerations.

In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the filling portion extends along the intersection line of the bent portion and the main body portion. And/or, along the extension direction of the intersection line of the bent portion and the main body portion, the size of the filling portion is equal to the size of the bent portion. In this way, the overlapping area of the filling portion and the bent portion can be effectively increased, thereby increasing the protective effect of the filling portion on the foldable display terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a foldable display terminal in a flattened state provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a foldable display terminal in an intermediate state provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a foldable display terminal in a folded state provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a disassembled structure of a foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG18 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another foldable display terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in some embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments provided by the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art are within the scope of protection of the present application.

In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

When describing some embodiments, the term "connection" and its derivative expressions may be used. The term "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium.

In the embodiments of the present application, "and/or" is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and/or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

Additionally, the use of “based on” is meant to be open and inclusive, as a process, step, calculation, or other action “based on” one or more stated conditions or values may, in practice, be based on additional conditions or values beyond those stated.

As used in the embodiments of the present application, "about," "substantially," or "approximately" includes the stated value and an average value that is within an acceptable range of deviation from the particular value, where the acceptable range of deviation is determined by a person skilled in the art taking into account the measurement in question and the errors associated with the measurement of the particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system).

As used in the embodiments of the present application, "parallel", "perpendicular", and "equal" include the situations described and situations similar to the situations described, and the range of the similar situations is within an acceptable deviation range, wherein the acceptable deviation range is determined by a person skilled in the art taking into account the measurement being discussed and the errors associated with the measurement of a specific quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system). For example, "parallel" includes absolute parallelism and approximate parallelism, wherein the acceptable deviation range of approximate parallelism can be, for example, a deviation within 5°; "perpendicular" includes absolute perpendicularity and approximate perpendicularity, wherein the acceptable deviation range of approximate perpendicularity can also be, for example, a deviation within 5°. "Equal" includes absolute equality and approximate equality, wherein the acceptable deviation range of approximate equality can be, for example, the difference between the two equals is less than or equal to 5% of either one.

The present application embodiment describes the exemplary embodiment with reference to the cross-sectional view and/or plan view as an idealized exemplary figure. In the accompanying drawings, the area of the region is magnified for clarity. Therefore, it is conceivable that the shape changes relative to the accompanying drawings are caused by, for example, manufacturing technology and/or tolerances. Therefore, the exemplary embodiment should not be interpreted as being limited to the shape of the region shown herein, but includes shape deviations caused by, for example, manufacturing. Therefore, the regions shown in the drawings are schematic in nature, and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shape of the region of the device, and are not intended to limit the scope of the exemplary embodiment.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, directional terms such as "up", "down", "left" and "right" may be defined including but not limited to the orientation relative to the schematic placement of the components in the drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms may be relative concepts, which are used for relative description and clarification, and may change accordingly according to changes in the orientation of the components in the drawings.

The present application provides a foldable display terminal. The foldable display terminal includes but is not limited to a notebook, a tablet personal computer, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer, a navigator, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device (such as a smart watch), an augmented reality (AR) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, and any other product or component with a display function. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any special restrictions on the specific form of the above-mentioned foldable display terminal.

Exemplarily, the foldable display terminal may include a flexible display screen (or foldable screen) and various electronic devices that can change the unfolded or folded form of the flexible display screen and itself. Under different usage requirements, the foldable display terminal can be unfolded to a flat state, folded to a folded state, or in an intermediate state between the flat state and the folded state. In other words, the foldable display terminal has at least two states, namely, a flat state and a folded state. In some cases, the foldable display terminal may further include a third state, namely, an intermediate state between the flat state and the folded state. It is understandable that the intermediate state may be that the foldable display terminal is in any one or more states between the flat state and the folded state, rather than a unique state.

For the convenience of explanation, the following embodiments are all illustrated by taking the foldable display terminal as a mobile phone as an example, which cannot be regarded as a specific limitation on the structural form of the foldable display terminal. Figures 1 to 3 are structural diagrams of a foldable display terminal (i.e., a mobile phone) in some embodiments of the present application. Among them, Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the foldable display terminal in a flattened state, Figure 2 is a structural diagram of the foldable display terminal in an intermediate state, and Figure 3 is a structural diagram of the foldable display terminal in a folded state.

In some examples, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the foldable display terminal 100 includes a flexible display screen 1 .

The flexible display screen 1 has a display area A and a frame area B surrounding the display area A. The portion of the flexible display screen 1 located in the display area A is used for image display. The flexible display screen 1 includes various types, which can be selected and set according to actual needs. The flexible display screen 1 may be an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display screen. As a self-luminous display screen, the OLED display screen does not need a backlight module (BLM), which is beneficial to reducing the thickness and structural complexity of the foldable display terminal 100.

Optionally, the above-mentioned OLED display screen can be an active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display screen.

Exemplarily, the flexible display screen 1 includes a display panel (also referred to as a panel) 11 and a cover plate (also referred to as a cover) 12 located on the display panel 11. The display panel 11 includes a substrate and a film layer stacking structure (including but not limited to a pixel circuit, a light-emitting device, a shift register, etc.) disposed on the substrate. The substrate may be made of a flexible resin material, including but not limited to polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the cover plate 12 may be made of a transparent, flexible material, including but not limited to polyimide. In this way, the substrate and the cover plate 12 can be bendable, thereby enabling the flexible display screen 1 to have a bendable characteristic. During the folding process of the folding display terminal 100, the flexible display screen 1 can be unfolded or folded accordingly.

It can be understood that, according to the different folding directions of the flexible display screen 1, the foldable display terminal 100 can be divided into an inner foldable device and an outer foldable device. Among them, the inner foldable device means that when the foldable display terminal 100 is in a folded state, the flexible display screen 1 is located inside the foldable display terminal 100, and the image displayed by the flexible display screen 1 cannot be viewed by the user; when the foldable display terminal 100 is in a flattened state, the flexible display screen 1 is exposed, and the image displayed by the user can be viewed. The outer foldable device means that when the foldable display terminal 100 is in a folded state, the flexible display screen 1 is located outside the foldable display terminal 100, and the image displayed by the user can be viewed.

The flexible display screen 1 includes a plurality of first display parts 1a, each of which may be in a plane or flat plate shape. The plurality of first display parts 1a are arranged in sequence along a first direction Y, for example. The flexible display screen 1 also includes at least one second display part 1b, each of which may be in a strip shape, for example. The second display part 1b may be located between two adjacent first display parts 1a, and the second display part 1b is connected to the two adjacent first display parts 1a and forms an integral structure. The second display part 1b may be bent.

Optionally, during the folding process of the folding display terminal 100, the second display portion 1b will bend, the first display portion 1a will basically not bend, and the first display portion 1a can rotate around the second display portion 1b connected thereto. When the folding display terminal 100 is in a flattened state, the flexible display screen 1 is also in a flattened state. The first display portion 1a and the second display portion 1b can be arranged alternately in sequence along the first direction Y.

The number of the first display parts 1a and the number of the second display parts 1b may be determined according to the number of folding times of the folding display terminal 100. For example, the folding display terminal 100 is folded only once, and accordingly, the number of the first display parts 1a may be two, and the number of the second display parts 1b may be one. For another example, the folding display terminal 100 may be folded twice, and accordingly, the number of the first display parts 1a may be three, and the number of the second display parts 1b may be two.

Exemplarily, as shown in FIG1 , the flexible display screen 1 includes two first display parts 1a and one second display part 1b. The second display part 1b is located between the two first display parts 1a. As shown in FIG1 , the first display part 1a and the second display part 1b can be arranged alternately in sequence along the first direction Y, and the second display part 1b can extend along the second direction X, and accordingly, the bending axis of the second display part 1b is along the second direction X. As shown in FIG2 , both of the first display parts 1a can be rotated with the second display part 1b as the axis, so that the flexible display screen 1 and the folding display terminal 100 can be folded or unfolded. Among them, the first direction Y and the second direction X are parallel to the plane where the flexible display screen 1 is located, and the first direction Y and the second direction X are perpendicular to each other.

In this case, if the foldable display terminal 100 is an inner foldable device, the foldable display terminal 100 can be folded toward the side where the front side (that is, the side that can display images) of the flexible display screen 1 is located. If the foldable display terminal 100 is an outer foldable device, the foldable display terminal 100 can be folded toward the side where the back side of the flexible display screen 1 is located.

In addition, the foldable display terminal 100 may adopt a vertical folding design or a horizontal folding design, which all belong to the protection scope of the present application.

The drawings of the embodiments of the present application take the folding display terminal 100 as an internally folding device, the flexible display screen 1 includes two first display parts 1a and one second display part 1b, and the folding display terminal 100 adopts an up and down folding design as an example for illustration, but this cannot be regarded as a specific limitation on the structural form of the folding display terminal.

In some examples, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , the foldable display terminal 100 further includes a middle frame 2. The flexible display screen 1 is located in the middle frame 2. The middle frame 2 is used to carry the flexible display screen 1 and protect the flexible display screen 1.

The front side of the flexible display screen 1 can display an image. The flexible display screen 1 has a light-emitting side and a non-light-emitting side. The side of the flexible display screen 1 that can display an image, that is, the side where the front of the flexible display screen 1 is located. The non-light-emitting side refers to the side of the flexible display screen 1 opposite to the light-emitting side, that is, the side where the back of the flexible display screen 1 is located.

Exemplarily, as shown in FIG4 , the middle frame 2 includes a first sub-middle frame 21, a second sub-middle frame 22, and a rotating member 23 located between the first sub-middle frame 21 and the second sub-middle frame 22. The rotating member 23 is connected to the first sub-middle frame 21 and the second sub-middle frame 22, respectively, and the first sub-middle frame 21 and the second sub-middle frame 22 can rotate around the rotating member 23, respectively. Among them, the first sub-middle frame 21 and the second sub-middle frame 22 are respectively arranged opposite to a first display part 1a, and the rotating member 23 is arranged opposite to the second display part 1b. Here, "relative arrangement" means that in a direction perpendicular to the reference plane, the first sub-middle frame 21 or the second sub-middle frame 22 is arranged in a stacked manner with a first display part 1a, and the rotating member 23 is arranged in a stacked manner with the second display part 1b; on the reference plane, the first sub-middle frame 21 or the second sub-middle frame 22 overlaps with the orthographic projection of a first display part 1a, and the rotating member 23 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the second display part 1b. The reference plane is the plane where the flexible display screen 1 is located when the foldable display terminal 100 is in a flattened state.

When the folding display terminal 100 is folded, the first sub-frame 21 and the second sub-frame 22 rotate around the rotating member 23 respectively, and the first sub-frame 21 and the second sub-frame 22 drive the first display portion 1a to rotate relative to the second display portion 1b.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 4 , the middle frame 2 includes a carrier plate 2a, the carrier plate 2a having a carrier surface, and the flexible display screen 1 is located on the carrier surface. The middle frame 2 also includes a first frame 211 and a second frame 221, the first frame 211 and the second frame 221 are arranged along the first direction Y and are arranged opposite to each other. For example, the first frame 211 extends along the second direction X and is opposite to one side of the flexible display screen 1, and the second frame 221 extends along the second direction X and is opposite to a part of one side of the flexible display screen 1. The middle frame 2 also includes a third frame 2b and a fourth frame 2c, the third frame 2b and the fourth frame 2c are arranged along the second direction X and are opposite to each other. For example, the third frame 2b extends along the first direction Y and is opposite to one side of the flexible display screen 1, and the fourth frame 2c extends along the first direction Y and is opposite to one side of the flexible display screen 1. For example, the first frame 211, the second frame 221, the third frame 2b and the fourth frame 2c are connected to the carrier plate 2a and are arranged around the flexible display screen 1.

Since the first sub-middle frame 21 and the second sub-middle frame 22 need to rotate around the rotating member 23 respectively, the bearing plate 2a can be divided into two parts, the third frame 2b can be divided into two parts, and the fourth frame 2c can be divided into two parts. Among them, the bearing plate 2a includes a first sub-plate 212 and a second sub-plate 222, and the first sub-plate 212 and the second sub-plate 222 are connected to the rotating member 23 respectively. The third frame 2b includes a first sub-frame 213 and a second sub-frame 223, and the fourth frame 2c includes a third sub-frame 214 and a fourth sub-frame 224. The first sub-frame 213, the first frame 211 and the third sub-frame 214 are connected to the first sub-plate 212 in sequence, and the second sub-frame 223, the second frame 221 and the fourth sub-frame 224 are connected to the second sub-plate 222 in sequence.

Optionally, the foldable display terminal 100 further includes a back cover located on a side of the middle frame 2 away from the flexible display screen 1 , and electronic components such as a circuit board, a camera, and a battery located between the middle frame 2 and the back cover.

In some examples, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 , the foldable display terminal 100 further includes a back film (also referred to as a support film) 3 and a support sheet (also referred to as a bamboo book) 4 located on the non-light-emitting side of the flexible display screen 1. The back film 3 is located between the flexible display screen 1 and the middle frame 2, and the support sheet 4 is located between the back film 3 and the middle frame 2.

The back film 3 can be attached to the substrate of the flexible display screen 1 through an adhesive layer to support and protect the entire flexible display screen 1. The back film 3 can be made of a transparent, flexible material, and the material of the back film 3 includes but is not limited to PET, polyimide (PI) and other materials. In this way, the back film 3 can be bendable, and the back film 3 can be folded along with the folding display terminal 100 during folding.

The support sheet 4 can be attached to the back film 3 through an adhesive layer. Exemplarily, the support sheet 4 has good toughness. In the process of unfolding or folding the folding display terminal 100, the support sheet 4 can be unfolded or folded accordingly. The support sheet 4 has good rigidity. The support sheet 4 can support the flexible display screen 1 and maintain the shape of the flexible display screen 1. For example, when the flexible display screen 1 is in a flattened state, a folded state or an intermediate state, the support sheet 4 can maintain the flexible display screen in a flattened state, a folded state or an intermediate state to avoid changes in the state of the flexible display screen. The material of the support sheet 4 includes, for example, a metal material. Optionally, the metal material may include stainless steel, titanium alloy, etc. Of course, the material of the support sheet 4 may also include other materials with certain toughness and rigidity, so as to form good support and protection for the flexible display screen 1, and improve the impact resistance of the flexible display screen 1 and the folding display terminal 100.

In some examples, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 , the foldable display terminal 100 further includes a protective film 5 on the flexible display screen 1. When the foldable display terminal 100 includes a cover plate 12, the protective film 5 is located on a side of the cover plate 12 away from the flexible display screen 1.

The protective film 5 at least covers the display area A of the flexible display screen 1, that is, the protective film 5 can cover the display area A of the flexible display screen 1. The protective film 5 can further cover the display area A of the flexible display screen 1. In this way, the protective film 5 can not only protect the flexible display screen 1 and improve the reliability of the foldable display terminal 100, but also avoid affecting the display effect of the foldable display terminal 100.

5 to 7 respectively illustrate a cross-sectional view of the foldable display terminal 100 , wherein the foldable display terminal 100 is in a flattened state in FIG5 , in a folded state in FIG7 , and in an intermediate state in FIG6 .

During the folding process of the folding display terminal 100, the cumulative thickness and bending radius of the stacking structures such as the protective film 5, the flexible display screen 1, the back film 3, and the support sheet 4 are different, and the different stacking structures are bonded by the adhesive layer. As shown in Figures 5 to 7, as the folding angle of the folding display terminal 100 decreases, a staggered phenomenon occurs between the different stacking structures (for example, the edge of the protective film 5 is closer to the middle frame 2, the edge of the flexible display screen 1 exceeds the edge of the support sheet 4, and the edge of the cover plate 12 in the flexible display screen 1 exceeds the edge of the display panel 11). The staggered phenomenon is manifested at the positions of the first frame 211 and the second frame 221 of the middle frame 2. For the folding display terminal 100 with an upper and lower folding design, the staggered phenomenon is manifested at the upper and lower ends of the folding display terminal 100. Based on the staggered phenomenon, the above-mentioned different stacking structures cannot be completely fixed to the middle frame, and a staggered space needs to be left between the middle frame and the middle frame. Accordingly, as shown in Figures 5 to 7, there is a gap between the above-mentioned different stacking structures and the middle frame.

In some examples of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 , the foldable display terminal 100 further includes a front shell 6. The front shell 6 is at least arranged along the first frame 211 and the second frame 221, and connected to the first frame 211 and the second frame 221. The front shell 6 extends from the middle frame 2 to the top of the flexible display screen 1, covering part of the edge of the flexible display screen 1.

Optionally, the front shell 6 includes at least a first sub-shell 61 and a second sub-shell 62. The first sub-shell 61 is arranged along the first frame 211 (that is, extending along the second direction X), and is connected to the first frame 211. The first sub-shell 61 extends from the first frame 211 to the top of the flexible display screen 1, covering a portion of the edge of the flexible display screen 1. The second sub-shell 62 is arranged along the second frame 221 (that is, extending along the second direction X), and is connected to the second frame 221. The second sub-shell 62 extends from the second frame 221 to the top of the flexible display screen 1, covering a portion of the edge of the flexible display screen 1.

By providing the front shell 6, not only the above-mentioned gap can be blocked, but also the edge of the flexible display screen 1 can be pressed by the front shell 6. When the foldable display terminal 100 is in an extreme scenario (such as falling, etc.), the structure in the middle frame 2 (such as the flexible display screen 1, the support plate 4, etc.) is prevented from jumping out (also understood as jumping out, detaching, etc.) of the middle frame 2, ensuring that the structure in the middle frame 2 can be relatively stably located in the space defined by the middle frame 2 and the front shell 6.

In a possible embodiment, the protective film 5 is attached at the end of the whole machine assembly. That is, after the front shell 6 is assembled, the protective film 5 is attached to the flexible display screen 1. Therefore, there is a certain distance between the protective film 5 and the front shell 6.

It is understandable that due to the different stacking structures in the foldable display terminal 100, there will be staggered layers as the foldable display terminal 100 is folded. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid the stacking structure, for example, increase the spacing between the middle frame 2 (such as the first frame 211 and the second frame 221) and the protective film 5, the flexible display screen 1, the back film 3, the support sheet 4, etc., and increase the width of the above-mentioned gap, which will cause the frame size (also known as the black border size) of the foldable display terminal 100 to be relatively large. As the size of the foldable display terminal 100 decreases (especially the small-sized foldable display terminal 100), the greater the staggered amount, the greater the avoidance space required, and accordingly, the larger the frame size. Moreover, even if the display module frame capacity is improved, in order to ensure that the front shell 6 can press the flexible display screen 1 underneath to prevent it from jumping out when the foldable display terminal 100 is in an extreme scenario (such as falling, etc.), it is also necessary to make the foldable display terminal 100 have a larger frame size.

Among them, the frame size of the folding display terminal 100 is mainly composed of the five sizes in Figure 5. Dimension ① represents the distance between the edge of the protective film 5 and the boundary of the display area A. Under the premise of the attachment tolerance, this size needs to be greater than 0 to avoid affecting the display effect. Dimension ② represents the distance between the protective film 5 and the front shell 6. On the basis of the assembly tolerance, this size can avoid jumping and/or the collision of the protective film 5 and the front shell 6 after staggering (wherein, in parallel to the second direction X, this size can avoid jumping and avoid the collision of the protective film 5 and the front shell 6 after staggering; in parallel to the first direction Y, this size can avoid jumping, or avoid the collision of the protective film 5 and the front shell 6 after staggering). Here, since the protective film 5 is located at the top layer, the staggering amount of the protective film 5 is the largest, and dimension ② is mainly used for the staggering avoidance of the protective film 5. Dimension ③ represents the size of the front shell 6 covering the flexible display screen 1. On the basis of the assembly tolerance, this size can ensure that the front shell 6 can still press the flexible display screen 1 after the flexible display screen 1 jumps. Dimension ④ represents the staggering avoidance size. Dimension ⑤ represents the wall thickness of the middle frame 2 (eg, the thickness of the second frame 221 ).

In some examples of the present application, as shown in FIG8 and FIG9 , the front shell 6 covers part of the edge of the flexible display screen 1 and the protective film 5. In addition to pressing the edge of the flexible display screen 1 downward, the front shell 6 also presses the edge of the protective film 5 downward. Accordingly, when assembling the foldable display terminal 100 of the present application embodiment, the protective film 5 can be attached to the flexible display screen 1 first, and then the front shell 6 can be assembled. Shell 6.

Optionally, the protective film 5 is designed to expand outward, and accordingly, the area of the protective film 5 increases, and the area covered by the protective film 5 on the flexible display screen 1 increases. At this time, the frame size of the folding display terminal 100 in the embodiment of the present application is mainly composed of the four dimensions in Figure 9, namely, dimension ①', dimension ③, dimension ④ and dimension ⑤. In this example, the meanings represented by dimensions ③, ④ and ⑤ are the same as those in some of the above embodiments, and are not repeated here; dimension ①' is the distance between the front shell 6 and the boundary of the display area A, and the distance requirement between the front shell 6 and the boundary of the display area A is lower than the distance requirement between the edge of the protective film 5 and the boundary of the display area A, so dimension ①' is smaller than dimension ①.

Combining FIG5 and FIG9, it can be seen that after the edge of the protective film 5 is pressed under the front shell 6, the dimension ② can be omitted, that is, there is no need to design the avoidance dimension between the protective film 5 and the front shell 6; at the same time, the dimension ① can be reduced, so that the dimension ① becomes the dimension ①'. In this way, the boundary of the display area A can be expanded outward, for example, from the boundary L1 in FIG9 to the boundary L2, thereby increasing the area of the display area A and reducing the frame size of the foldable display terminal 100.

Optionally, in the first direction Y, the difference between dimension ① and dimension ①′ and the sum of dimension ② are at least 0.5 mm; in the second direction X, the difference between dimension ① and dimension ①′ and the sum of dimension ② are at least 0.9 mm; thus, after omitting dimension ② and part of dimension ①, in the first direction Y, the frame size of the foldable display terminal 100 can be reduced by at least 0.5 mm, and in the second direction X, the frame size of the foldable display terminal 100 can be reduced by at least 0.9 mm.

Furthermore, after pressing the edge of the protective film 5 under the front shell 6, the staggered amount of the cover plate 12 can also be hidden under the front shell 6, thereby reducing the value of dimension ③, thereby further reducing the frame size of the folding display terminal 100. Exemplarily, compared with not pressing the edge of the protective film 5 under the front shell 6, the reduction value of dimension ④ in the embodiment of the present application can be in the range of 0.1mm to 0.3mm. For example, the reduction value of dimension ④ in the embodiment of the present application can be 0.1mm, 0.15mm, 0.2mm, 0.26mm or 0.3mm, etc. Combined with the omitted dimension ② and part of the dimension ①, in the first direction Y, the frame size of the folding display terminal 100 can be reduced by 0.6mm, and in the second direction X, the frame size of the folding display terminal 100 can be reduced by 1.2mm.

Therefore, the foldable display terminal 100 provided in some embodiments of the present application can cover the flexible display screen 1 and the partial edge of the protective film 5 located in the middle frame 2 by setting the front shell 6 and connecting the front shell 6 with the first frame 211 and the second frame 221 of the middle frame 2, and the partial edge corresponds to the position of the first frame 211 and the second frame 221. In this way, not only can the front shell 6 be used to block the gap at the position of the first frame 211 and the second frame 221 to improve the aesthetics of the foldable display terminal 100, but the front shell 6 and the middle frame 2 can also be used to limit different stacking structures (such as the flexible display screen 1) in the middle frame 2 to prevent them from jumping out of the middle frame 2 when the foldable display terminal 100 is in an extreme scenario (such as falling, etc.), thereby improving the reliability of the foldable display terminal 100.

Moreover, in the embodiment of the present application, the protective film 5 is expanded outward to the bottom of the front shell 6 so that the front shell 6 can cover part of the edge of the protective film 5. When designing the foldable display terminal 100, there is no need to design an avoidance dimension between the protective film 5 and the front shell 6, and the distance between the front shell 6 and the display area A is reduced, thereby effectively reducing the border size of the foldable display terminal 100 (that is, reducing the black border of the entire device), increasing the area of the display area A, and improving the screen-to-body ratio of the foldable display terminal 100.

It can be understood that, on the basis of reducing the frame size of the foldable display terminal 100, part of the size can be used to increase the wall thickness of the middle frame 2 (for example, the size of the first frame 211 and/or the second frame 221), or to increase the width of the front shell 6, so as to increase the strength of the middle frame 2 or the front shell 6, and further improve the reliability of the foldable display terminal 100.

For example, in the embodiment of the present application, the achievable reduction value of the frame size is 0.6 mm, wherein 0.4 mm can be used to reduce the frame size, and 0.2 mm can be used to increase the wall thickness of the middle frame 2 or the width of the front shell 6.

In some embodiments, in conjunction with Figures 4 and 10, the front shell 6 is also arranged along at least one of the third frame 2b and the fourth frame 2c and connected thereto. The front shell 6 also covers the edges of the flexible display screen 1 and the protective film 5 corresponding to the third frame 2b and/or the fourth frame 2c.

Exemplarily, the front shell 6 is arranged along the outer peripheral edge of the flexible display screen 1, surrounding the flexible display screen 1 and the protective film 5. It is understandable that the front shell 6 is disconnected from the rotating member 23 of the middle frame 2 to avoid affecting the folding of the folding display terminal 100.

In this way, the front shell 6 can be used to form a relatively complete coverage for the edges of the flexible display screen 1 and the protective film 5 , thereby improving the aesthetics of the foldable display terminal 100 .

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 , the foldable display terminal 100 further includes an elastic component 7 . The elastic component 7 is located on the protective film 5 , and the front shell 6 covers the elastic component 7 . That is, the elastic component 7 is located between the protective film 5 and the front shell 6 .

Exemplarily, the material of the elastic component 7 can be an elastic material with low hardness. Optionally, the material of the elastic component 7 includes but is not limited to foam or silicone. The elastic component 7 is fixed on the front shell 6, and there is no constraint between the front shell 6 and the flexible display screen 1, which basically does not affect the staggered layer of the flexible display screen 1.

By providing the elastic component 7 , not only the sealing performance can be improved, but also the flexible display screen 1 can be separated from the front shell 6 to avoid direct contact between the flexible display screen 1 and the front shell 6 , so as to better protect the flexible display screen 1 .

In some embodiments, there are multiple connection modes between the front shell 6 and the middle frame 2, which can be selected and set according to actual needs.

In some examples, as shown in FIG11 , the foldable display terminal 100 further includes an adhesive layer 8 . The front housing 6 is connected to the middle frame 2 via the adhesive layer 8 .

For example, the middle frame 2 has a groove at a position for connecting the front shell 6. In the embodiment of the present application, glue can be injected into the groove by a dispensing process, and then the front shell 6 is inserted into the groove, so that the front shell 6 and the middle frame 2 are bonded together. In this case, for example, there is no need to replace the protective film 5.

In this example, the connection method between the front shell 6 and the middle frame 2 is relatively simple, easy to implement, and low in cost.

In other examples, the front housing 6 and the middle frame 2 are connected by a mechanical structure. As shown in FIG12 and FIG13 , the foldable display terminal 100 further includes a connecting member 9 . The front housing 6 is connected to the middle frame 2 via the connecting member 9 .

Exemplarily, the front shell 6 and the middle frame 2 can be connected by riveting, and accordingly, the connecting member 9 includes but is not limited to rivets. The front shell 6 and the middle frame 2 can also be connected by threaded connection, and accordingly, the connecting member 9 can be a bolt. Of course, the connecting member 9 can also be an integral structure with the front shell 6, and the connecting member 9 penetrates into the middle frame 2.

This example uses a detachable manner to achieve the connection between the front shell 6 and the middle frame 2, which makes it easy to remove the front shell 6 and replace the protective film 5.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG11 , the front housing 6 includes a protective portion 6a and a supporting portion 6b , wherein the protective portion 6a covers a portion of the edge of the flexible display screen 1 and the protective film 5 , and the supporting portion 6b is connected between the protective portion 6a and the middle frame 2 .

Exemplarily, the cross-sectional shape of the protection portion 6a and the support portion 6b is L-shaped.

The embodiment of the present application does not limit the connection method of the protection part 6a and the support part 6b. Optionally, the protection part 6a and the support part 6b are integrally formed. Alternatively, the protection part 6a and the support part 6b are separately formed and fixedly connected together.

The front shell 6 is formed by using the protection part 6 a and the support part 6 b , which is beneficial to both achieving the connection between the front shell 6 and the middle frame 2 and covering the edges of the flexible display screen 1 and the protective film 5 .

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG8 , along the first direction Y, the distance between the protective film 5 and the first frame 211 is greater than the distance between the flexible display screen 1 and the first frame 211. And/or, along the first direction Y, the distance between the protective film 5 and the second frame 221 is greater than the distance between the flexible display screen 1 and the second frame 221.

As shown in FIG9 , the edge of the protective film 5 near the first frame 211 and the edge of the flexible display screen 1 near the first frame 211 are in a step shape. And/or, the edge of the protective film 5 near the second frame 221 and the edge of the flexible display screen 1 near the second frame 221 are in a step shape.

It is understandable that, during the folding process of the foldable display terminal 100, the misalignment of the protective film 5 is substantially the largest. The above arrangement can effectively prevent the protective film 5 from hitting the first frame 211 and/or the second frame 221 of the middle frame 2 due to misalignment, thereby improving the reliability of the foldable display terminal 100.

In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in Fig. 14, the flexible display screen 1 has a display area A and a frame area B surrounding the display area A. The flexible display screen 1 includes a plurality of sub-pixels P located in the display area A, a plurality of gate lines GL, and a plurality of data lines DL.

Exemplarily, the above-mentioned multiple sub-pixels P can be arranged into multiple rows along the first direction Y and arranged into multiple columns along the second direction X. Each row of sub-pixels P includes multiple sub-pixels P arranged in sequence along the second direction X, and each column of sub-pixels P includes multiple sub-pixels P arranged in sequence along the first direction Y. Optionally, the folding display terminal 100 adopts an up-and-down folding design, and the above-mentioned multiple data lines DL extend along the first direction Y and are arranged in sequence along the second direction X, and the above-mentioned multiple gate lines GL extend along the second direction X and are arranged in sequence along the first direction Y. Among them, a gate line GL is, for example, electrically connected to a row of sub-pixels P, and provides the required scanning signal for the row of sub-pixels P, and a data line DL is, for example, electrically connected to a column of sub-pixels P, and provides the required data line number for the column of sub-pixels P. The sub-pixels P can emit light in cooperation with a variety of electrical signals (including but not limited to scanning signals and data signals) so that the flexible display screen 1 can display images.

Exemplarily, the flexible display screen 1 further includes an array substrate gate driver on array (GOA) located in the border area B. The GOA circuit includes a plurality of shift registers sequentially arranged along a first direction Y, each shift register being electrically connected to a gate line GL, for example. The shift register is used to generate a scan signal and transmit the scan signal to the gate line GL electrically connected thereto.

Exemplarily, the above-mentioned border area B includes at least one fan-out area (fanout) C. Optionally, the number of fan-out areas C can be one or more. Of course, the border area B can also include a binding area D located on the side of each fan-out area C away from the display area A, and the binding area D is used to bind circuits (such as flexible circuit boards or flip-chip films, etc.). The signal line (such as the data line DL) in the display area A extends out of the display area A, and passes through the convergence of the fan-out area C, extends to the binding area D, and is bound to the corresponding circuit to receive the corresponding electrical signal. Optionally, in the case where the flexible display screen 1 has a touch function, the touch signal line can also extend out of the display area A, and pass through the convergence of the fan-out area C, extend to the binding area D, and be bound to the corresponding circuit to receive the touch signal. The signal line connected to the above-mentioned GOA circuit and other structures can also be wound to the fan-out area C.

The drawings of the embodiments of the present application illustrate the number of fan-out areas C as one, which cannot be regarded as a specific limitation on the structural form of the flexible display screen.

Exemplarily, the portion where the fan-out area C and the binding area D in the flexible display 1 are located can be called a chin, and the chin can be bent to the back of the flexible display 1 to reduce the size of the lower frame of the flexible display 1 and the folding display terminal 100.

In some possible examples, as shown in FIG14 , the fan-out area C is located below the display area A, and the position of the chin corresponds to the position of the second frame 221 of the middle frame 2, for example. After the chin is bent to the back of the flexible display screen 1, the size of the lower frame of the flexible display screen 1 and the folding display terminal 100 is still relatively large compared to the size of the left frame and the right frame. Moreover, since the folding display terminal 100 will have a staggered layer phenomenon at the upper and lower ends during the folding process, while the left and right ends will basically not have a staggered layer phenomenon, this further causes the size of the upper and lower frames to be larger than the size of the left and right frames, making the size of the black borders at the upper and lower ends larger.

In addition, in the industrial design (ID) of the foldable display terminal 100, in order to improve the aesthetics of the foldable display terminal 100 and make the four frames of the foldable display terminal 100 more symmetrical, the sizes of the left and right frames are usually greatly increased, thereby further reducing the area of the display area A.

Based on this, in some examples of the present application, as shown in Figures 15 to 18, along the second direction X, the fan-out area C is located on one side of the display area A. That is, the fan-out area C is located on the left or right side of the display area A. The fan-out area C extends along the first direction Y, and its extension direction Y is perpendicular to the axis direction of the bending of the folding display terminal 100. In this way, the size of the lower frame of the flexible display screen 1 and the folding display terminal 100 can be reduced. In the process of industrial design, for the size of the upper and lower frames, only the impact of the staggered phenomenon can be considered, and for the size of the left and right frames, only the impact of the position change of the fan-out area C needs to be considered to improve the symmetry of different frame sizes.

Exemplarily, the display area A includes a first sub-display area A1 corresponding to the first display portion 1a, and a second sub-display area A2 corresponding to the second display portion 1b. As shown in FIGS. 15 to 18 , along the second direction X, the fan-out area C is located on one side of the first sub-display area A1. That is, the fan-out area C is arranged opposite to the first sub-display area A1, and the fan-out area C is staggered with the second sub-display area A2.

Optionally, as shown in FIG15 , the fan-out area C is located on the left side of the first sub-display area A1 below. Alternatively, as shown in FIG16 , the fan-out area C is located on the left side of the first sub-display area A1 above. Alternatively, as shown in FIG17 , the fan-out area C is located on the right side of the first sub-display area A1 below. Alternatively, as shown in FIG18 , the fan-out area C is located on the right side of the first sub-display area A1 above.

In this way, the size of the lower frame of the flexible display screen 1 and the foldable display terminal 100 can be reduced, the size of the left and right frames can be avoided from being increased, the symmetry and screen-to-body ratio of the four frames of the foldable display terminal 100 can be improved, and the reliability and trustworthiness of the flexible display screen 1 and the foldable display terminal 100 can be improved.

Optionally, when the flexible display screen 1 has a touch function, the signal lines connected to the above-mentioned touch signal lines and GOA circuits and other structures can also be routed to the fan-out area C on one side of the first sub-display area A1 and led out from this position to reduce the number of chins.

In some examples, as shown in FIG. 15 , the border area B includes a first sub-border area B1 and a second sub-border area B2 extending along a first direction Y and arranged opposite to each other, and a third sub-border area B3 and a fourth sub-border area B4 extending along a second direction X and arranged opposite to each other.

The flexible display screen 1 includes a plurality of fan-out lines FL. For example, each fan-out line FL is electrically connected to a data line DL. The fan-out line FL is drawn from the third sub-frame area B3 or the fourth sub-frame area B4, and extends to the fan-out area C through the first sub-frame area B1 or the second sub-frame area B2.

The arrangement of the fan-out lines FL is related to the position of the fan-out area C, and can be selected according to the specific position of the fan-out area C. For example, as shown in FIG. 15 , the fan-out area C is located on the left side of the first sub-display area A1 below. Among the plurality of fan-out lines FL, a portion of the fan-out lines FL can be drawn from the third sub-frame area B3, extending to the fan-out area C through the first sub-frame area B1, and another portion of the fan-out lines FL can be drawn from the third sub-frame area B3, extending to the fan-out area C through the first sub-frame area B1, and ... The fan-out line FL may be led out from the fourth sub-frame area B4 and extend to the fan-out area C via the first sub-frame area B1; or, the plurality of fan-out lines FL may be led out from the fourth sub-frame area B4 and extend to the fan-out area C via the first sub-frame area B1.

Exemplarily, the resistances of the plurality of fan-out lines FL are the same.

It can be understood that after adjusting the position of the fan-out area C, the chin is asymmetrically designed relative to the display area A, and different fan-out lines FL have different path lengths extending from the display area A to the fan-out area C. By setting the resistances of different fan-out lines FL to be the same, the uniformity of the impedances of different fan-out lines FL can be improved, thereby improving the uniformity of the graphics displayed by the flexible display screen 1.

Optionally, the portion of each fan-out line FL located between the fan-out area C and the display area A has a substantially consistent line width, but a different length, so that the resistance of the portion of different fan-out lines FL located between the fan-out area C and the display area A is different. The embodiment of the present application can adjust the portion of different fan-out lines FL located in the fan-out area C to compensate for the resistance and improve the uniformity of the resistance. For example, for a fan-out line FL with a shorter portion located between the fan-out area C and the display area A, the portion located in the fan-out area C can be bent to increase its effective length. For another example, for a fan-out line FL with a longer portion located between the fan-out area C and the display area A, the portion located in the fan-out area C can be widened to reduce the effective resistance.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 19 , at least one first display portion 1a includes a main body portion 11a, a pad bending portion (PB) 11b connected to the main body portion 11a, and a circuit connection portion 11c connected based on the pad bending portion. For example, a first display portion 1a in the flexible display screen 1 includes a main body portion 11a, a bending portion 11b, and a circuit connection portion 11c. For another example, two first display portions 1a in the flexible display screen 1 each include a main body portion 11a, a bending portion 11b, and a circuit connection portion 11c.

Here, regarding the main part 11a, the bending part 11b and the circuit connection part 11c, it can also be understood that the flexible display screen 1 includes a main part 11a, at least one bending part 11b connected to the main part 11a, and a circuit connection part 11c connected to the bending part 11b.

The main body portion 11a corresponds to the display area A or the first sub-display area A1, and the main body portion 11a includes the sub-pixel P, gate line GL, data line DL and other structures mentioned above. The bending portion 11b corresponds to the fan-out area C, and the bending portion 11b includes various routing lines extending from the display area A to the binding area D. After the bending portion 11b is processed by the bending process, it is bent toward the non-light-emitting side, for example, it is bent between the main body 11a and the carrier board 2a of the middle frame 2. The circuit connection portion 11c corresponds to the binding area D, and the circuit connection portion 11c includes a plurality of binding pins, which are bound to a circuit structure such as a flexible circuit board or a chip-on-film. The circuit connection portion 11c and the circuit structure bound thereto are located on the non-light-emitting side, for example, between the main body 11a and the carrier board 2a of the middle frame 2.

This is helpful to reduce the frame size of the flexible display screen 1 and the foldable display terminal 100 (that is, reduce the size of the black border).

In some examples, as shown in Fig. 19, the foldable display terminal 100 further includes a spacer member 10, which is located between the main body portion 11a and the circuit connection portion 11c. The spacer member 10 is used to support the main body portion 11a and the circuit connection portion 11c.

It is understandable that after the circuit connection portion 11c is bent between the main body 11a and the carrier plate 2a of the middle frame 2, the bent portion 11b is in a bent state, generally in an arc shape. By providing the spacer component 10, a certain distance can be formed between the main body 11a and the circuit connection portion 11c, thereby improving the stability of the bent state of the bent portion 11b.

In some examples, as shown in FIG. 19 , the back film 3 in the foldable display terminal 100 can be divided into a first back film 31 and a second back film 32 arranged at intervals, the first back film is located between the main body 11a and the spacer component 10, and the first back film 31 covers the main body 11a and is used to support the main body 11a. In the case where the foldable display terminal 100 includes a support sheet 4, the support sheet 4 is located between the first back film 31 and the spacer component 10, and the circuit connection portion 11c is bent between the support sheet 4 and the bearing plate 2a of the middle frame 2. The second back film 32 is located between the circuit connection portion 11c and the spacer component 10. The second back film 32 covers the circuit connection portion 11c and is used to support the circuit connection portion 11c.

It is understandable that the side surfaces of the spacer component 10, the first back film 31, the support sheet 4 and the second back film 32 will enclose a gap with the bent portion 11b, and a portion of the front housing 6 and the elastic component 7 are located above the bent portion 11b. Since the bent portion 11b is bendable, the portion of the foldable display terminal 100 corresponding to the gap is relatively fragile. When the foldable display terminal 100 encounters a fall or other special circumstances that cause the front housing 6 to deform, stress concentration is easily formed in the portion of the region, causing damage to the structure of the portion of the region.

Based on this, in some examples of the present application, as shown in Figure 19, the foldable display terminal 100 also includes a filling portion T, which is located on the side of the spacer component 10, the first back film 31, the support sheet 4 and the second back film 32, and in the gap surrounded by the bent portion 11b, and is in contact with the spacer component 10, the first back film 31, the support sheet 4, the second back film 32, and the bent portion 11b.

The filling portion T can fill the above gap and support the bent portion 11b. This is beneficial to enhance the foldable display terminal 100. The strength of the partial area corresponding to the gap is increased, the ability of the partial area to resist external stress is enhanced, and the damage to the structure of the partial area caused by the deformation of the front shell 6 is avoided, thereby enhancing the reliability of the foldable display terminal 100. On this basis, when the frame size of the foldable display terminal 100 is small, it can be avoided that the frame size is increased due to reliability design considerations.

In some embodiments, the filling portion T extends along the intersection of the bent portion 11b and the main portion 11a, and/or, along the extension direction of the intersection of the bent portion 11b and the main portion 11a, the size of the filling portion T is equal to the size of the bent portion 11b.

Exemplarily, taking the structure shown in FIG. 14 as an example, the intersection line of the bent portion 11b and the main portion 11a extends along the second direction X, and accordingly, the filling portion T extends along the second direction X. Taking the structure shown in FIG. 15 as an example, the intersection line of the bent portion 11b and the main portion 11a extends along the first direction Y, and accordingly, the filling portion T extends along the first direction Y. In this way, the overlapping area of the filling portion T and the bent portion 11b can be increased, and the protective effect of the filling portion T on the foldable display terminal 100 can be increased.

Exemplarily, when the size of the filling portion T is equal to the size of the bending portion 11b along the extension direction of the intersection line of the bending portion 11b and the main body portion 11a, the overlapping area of the filling portion T and the bending portion 11b can be further increased, thereby further increasing the protective effect of the filling portion T on the folding display terminal 100.

Optionally, the material of the filling portion T includes glue. The modulus component of the glue can be selected and set according to actual needs, as long as it can avoid damaging the flexible display screen 1.

Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 19 , the foldable display terminal 100 further includes a protective layer located on the side of the bent portion 11b away from the spacer member 10. The protective layer is bendable, and its material has good toughness, so that the protective layer can be deformed to a large extent. Before the bent portion 11b is bent, the protective layer can be formed first, and then the bent portion 11b is bent. In this way, the bent portion 11b can be protected by the protective layer during the bending process of the bent portion 11b, thereby reducing the risk of fracture of the side of the bent portion 11b in contact with the protective layer due to large tensile stress.

It is understandable that the above different designs can be combined so that the foldable display terminal 100 has a variety of forms.

The following uses the structures shown in FIG. 8 , FIG. 9 , FIG. 10 , FIG. 15 , and FIG. 19 as examples to introduce possible forms of the foldable display terminal 100 in different designs:

Example 1:

In Figures 8 and 10, the folding display terminal 100 adopts an up-and-down folding design. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the first frame 211 of the middle frame 2 is located at the top, and the second frame 221 is located at the bottom. The front shell 6 is arranged along the first frame 211 and the second frame 221, and is connected to the first frame 211 and the second frame 221. The front shell 6 extends from the middle frame 2 to the top of the protective film 5, covering the flexible display screen 1 and part of the edge of the protective film 5. In this way, during the folding process of the folding display terminal 100, the front shell 6 can be used to block the gap corresponding to the position of the first frame 211 and the second frame 221. In addition, the protective film 5 expands outward to the bottom of the front shell 6, expanding the area of the display area A, which can effectively reduce the frame size of the folding display terminal 100 (that is, reduce the size of the black border).

On this basis, combined with Figure 15, along the second direction X, the fan-out area C is set on one side of the display area A or the first sub-display area A1 to further reduce the size of the lower frame of the flexible display screen 1 and the folding display terminal 100, improve the uniformity of the upper and lower frame sizes of the folding display terminal 100, and improve the asymmetry of the upper and lower frames of the folding display terminal 100.

In this example, the different designs under the above two aspects can be found in the above description and will not be repeated here.

Example 2:

On this basis, combined with Figure 19, the circuit connection part 11c of the flexible display screen 1 is bent to the non-light emitting area, that is, bent between the main body 11a and the supporting plate 2a of the frame 2, so as to reduce the size of the area where the chin of the flexible display screen 1 is located, which can effectively reduce the frame size of the area relative to the chin of the folding display terminal 100.

In addition, a filling portion T is provided in the gap formed by the side of the spacer component 10, the first back film 31, the support sheet 4 and the second back film 32 and the bent portion 11b. The filling portion T contacts the spacer component 10, the first back film 31, the support sheet 4, the second back film 32 and the bent portion 11b, and supports the bent portion 11b, so as to enhance the space corresponding to the gap in the foldable display terminal 100. The strength of the partial area of the foldable display terminal 100 is increased, the ability of the partial area to resist external stress is enhanced, and the damage to the structure of the partial area caused by the deformation of the front shell 6 is avoided, thereby enhancing the reliability of the foldable display terminal 100. On this basis, when the frame size of the foldable display terminal 100 is small, it can be avoided that the frame size is inevitably increased due to reliability design considerations.

Example 3:

In Figure 15, along the second direction X, the fan-out area C is set on one side of the display area A or the first sub-display area A1 to further reduce the size of the lower frame of the flexible display screen 1 and the folding display terminal 100, improve the uniformity of the upper and lower frame sizes of the folding display terminal 100, and improve the asymmetry of the upper and lower frames of the folding display terminal 100.

On this basis, combined with Figure 19, the bent portion 11b relative to the fan-out area C is bent, and then the circuit connection portion 11c of the flexible display 1 is bent to the non-light-emitting area, that is, bent between the main body 11a and the supporting plate 2a of the frame 2, so as to reduce the size of the area where the chin of the flexible display 1 is located, which can effectively reduce the frame size of the area relative to the chin of the folding display terminal 100.

In addition, a filling portion T is provided in the gap formed by the side of the spacer component 10, the first back film 31, the support sheet 4 and the second back film 32 and the bent portion 11b. The filling portion T contacts the spacer component 10, the first back film 31, the support sheet 4, the second back film 32 and the bent portion 11b, and supports the bent portion 11b, so as to enhance the strength of the partial area corresponding to the gap in the folding display terminal 100, enhance the ability of the partial area to resist external stress, avoid damage to the structure of the partial area due to deformation of the front shell 6, and thus enhance the reliability of the folding display terminal 100. On this basis, when the frame size of the folding display terminal 100 is small, it can be avoided that the frame size is increased due to reliability design considerations.

Example 4:

In Figures 8 and 10, the folding display terminal 100 adopts an up and down folding design. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the first frame 211 of the middle frame 2 is located at the top, and the second frame 221 is located at the bottom. The front shell 6 is arranged along the first frame 211 and the second frame 221, and is connected to the first frame 211 and the second frame 221. The front shell 6 extends from the middle frame 2 to the top of the protective film 5, covering the flexible display screen 1 and part of the edge of the protective film 5. In this way, during the folding process of the folding display terminal 100, the front shell 6 can be used to block the gap corresponding to the position of the first frame 211 and the second frame 221. In addition, the protective film 5 expands outward to the bottom of the front shell 6, expanding the area of the display area A, which can effectively reduce the frame size of the folding display terminal 100 (that is, reduce the size of the black border).

Further, in combination with Figure 19, the bent portion 11b relative to the fan-out area C is bent, and then the circuit connection portion 11c of the flexible display screen 1 is bent to the non-light-emitting area, that is, bent between the main body 11a and the supporting plate 2a of the frame 2, so as to reduce the size of the area where the chin of the flexible display screen 1 is located, which can effectively reduce the frame size of the area relative to the chin of the folding display terminal 100.

In this example, the different designs under the above three aspects can be found in the above description and will not be repeated here.

In the description herein, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. The above description is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that a person skilled in the art can think of within the technical scope disclosed in the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A foldable display terminal, characterized in that the foldable display terminal comprises:

A flexible display screen, comprising a plurality of first display portions and at least one second display portion, wherein the plurality of first display portions are arranged in sequence along a first direction, the second display portion is located between two adjacent first display portions, the second display portion is bendable, and the bending axis is along a second direction; the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular;

A middle frame, wherein the flexible display screen is located in the middle frame; the middle frame comprises a first frame and a second frame arranged along the first direction and arranged opposite to each other;

A protective film, located on the flexible display screen;

A front shell is arranged at least along the first frame and the second frame and connected to the first frame and the second frame; the front shell extends from the middle frame to above the protective film, covering the flexible display screen and part of the edge of the protective film.
The foldable display terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that:

The foldable display terminal further includes: an adhesive layer, through which the front housing is connected to the middle frame; or,

The foldable display terminal further includes: a connecting member, through which the front housing is connected to the middle frame.
The foldable display terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that the middle frame further comprises a third frame and a fourth frame arranged along the second direction and arranged opposite to each other;

The front shell is also arranged along at least one of the third frame and the fourth frame and connected thereto.
The foldable display terminal according to claim 3, characterized in that the middle frame further comprises: a carrying plate;

The carrying plate has a carrying surface, and the flexible display screen is located on the carrying surface;

The first frame, the second frame, the third frame and the fourth frame are connected to the carrying board and are arranged around the flexible display screen.
The foldable display terminal according to claim 1, wherein the front housing comprises:

A protective portion, covering the flexible display screen and a portion of the edge of the protective film;

The supporting part is connected between the protecting part and the middle frame.
The foldable display terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that the foldable display terminal further comprises:

An elastic component is located on the protective film, and the front shell covers the elastic component.
The foldable display terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that, along the first direction, a distance between the protective film and the first frame is greater than a distance between the flexible display screen and the first frame; and/or,

Along the first direction, a distance between the protective film and the second frame is greater than a distance between the flexible display screen and the second frame.
The foldable display terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the flexible display screen has a display area and a frame area surrounding the display area, and the frame area includes at least one fan-out area;

The display area includes a first sub-display area corresponding to the first display portion, and a second sub-display area corresponding to the second display portion;

Along the second direction, the fan-out area is located at one side of the first sub-display area.
The foldable display terminal according to claim 8, wherein the flexible display screen comprises:

A plurality of data lines and a plurality of gate lines located in the display area, the plurality of data lines extending along the first direction, and the plurality of gate lines extending along the second direction;

A plurality of fan-out lines, wherein the fan-out lines are electrically connected to the data lines;

Wherein, the frame area includes a first sub-frame area and a second sub-frame area extending along the first direction and arranged oppositely, and a third sub-frame area and a fourth sub-frame area extending along the second direction and arranged oppositely;

The fan-out line is led out from the third sub-frame area or the fourth sub-frame area, and extends to the fan-out area through the first sub-frame area or the second sub-frame area;

The plurality of fan-out lines have the same resistance.
The foldable display terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the first display portion comprises a main body portion, a bent portion connected to the main body portion, and a circuit connection portion connected to the bent portion; the main body portion has a light-emitting side and a non-light-emitting side opposite to each other, the bent portion is bent toward the non-light-emitting side, and the circuit connection portion is located on the non-light-emitting side;

The foldable display terminal further includes:

A spacer component, located between the main body portion and the circuit connecting portion;

a first backing film disposed between the main body portion and the spacer member;

A supporting sheet, located between the first backing film and the spacer component;

a second backing film, located between the circuit connection portion and the spacer component;

The filling portion is located in a gap formed by the side surfaces of the spacer component, the first back film, the support sheet, the second back film, and the bent portion.
The foldable display terminal according to claim 10, characterized in that the filling portion extends along an intersection line of the bent portion and the main body portion; and/or,

Along the extending direction of the intersection line of the bending portion and the main body portion, the size of the filling portion is equal to the size of the bending portion.
A foldable display terminal, characterized in that the foldable display terminal comprises: a flexible display screen;

The flexible display screen includes a plurality of first display parts and at least one second display part, the plurality of first display parts are arranged in sequence along a first direction, the second display part is located between two adjacent first display parts, the second display part is bendable, and the bending axis is along a second direction; the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction;

The flexible display screen comprises a display area and a frame area surrounding the display area, wherein the frame area comprises at least one fan-out area;

The display area includes a first sub-display area corresponding to the first display portion, and a second sub-display area corresponding to the second display portion;

Along the second direction, the fan-out area is located at one side of the first sub-display area.
The foldable display terminal according to claim 12, wherein the flexible display screen comprises:

A plurality of data lines and a plurality of gate lines located in the display area, the plurality of data lines extending along the first direction, and the plurality of gate lines extending along the second direction;

A plurality of fan-out lines, wherein the fan-out lines are electrically connected to the data lines;

Wherein, the frame area includes a first sub-frame area and a second sub-frame area extending along the first direction and arranged oppositely, and a third sub-frame area and a fourth sub-frame area extending along the second direction and arranged oppositely;

The fan-out line is led out from the third sub-frame area or the fourth sub-frame area, and extends to the fan-out area through the first sub-frame area or the second sub-frame area;

The plurality of fan-out lines have the same resistance.
A foldable display terminal, characterized in that the foldable display terminal comprises:

A flexible display screen, comprising a main body, at least one bent portion connected to the main body, and a circuit connection portion connected to the bent portion; the flexible display screen has a light-emitting side and a non-light-emitting side opposite to each other, the bent portion is bent toward the non-light-emitting side of the flexible display screen, and the circuit connection portion is located on the non-light-emitting side of the flexible display screen;

a spacer component, located between the main body portion and the circuit connecting portion;

a first backing film, located between the main body portion and the spacer member;

A supporting sheet, located between the first backing film and the spacer component;

a second backing film, located between the circuit connection portion and the spacer component;

The filling portion is located in a gap formed by the side surfaces of the spacer component, the first back film, the support sheet, the second back film, and the bent portion.
The foldable display terminal according to claim 14, characterized in that the filling portion extends along an intersection line of the bent portion and the main body portion; and/or,

Along the extending direction of the intersection line of the bending portion and the main body portion, the size of the filling portion is equal to the size of the bending portion.