Foldable display device

• US 10,448,522 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Han, Jiwon
• Primary Examiner(s): Briggs, Nathanael R
• Application Number:
  US15/694,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20180070460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0017 with operator interface units
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8445 multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1213 the pixel elements being TFTs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1216 the pixel elements being capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/124 Insulating layers formed between TFT elements and OLED elements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8731 multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates

Abstract

A foldable display device includes: a display panel including a folding portion that is foldable about a folding line; a metal plate on the display panel, the metal plate having substantially the same shape on a plane as the display panel; a jig supporting the display panel and the metal plate; and a magnetic member between the metal plate and the jig.

Claims

1. A foldable display device comprising:

a display panel comprising a folding portion that is foldable between an unfolded state and a folded state about a folding line;

a metal plate on the display panel, the metal plate having substantially the same shape on a plane as the display panel;

a jig supporting the display panel and the metal plate; and

a magnetic member to fix the display panel to the jig using a magnetic force of the magnetic member acting on the metal plate,

wherein, in the unfolded state, the metal plate and the magnetic member are between the folding portion and the jig.

2. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic member has substantially the same shape on a plane as the display panel.

3. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic member has substantially the same shape on a plane as the folding portion.

4. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metal plate comprises a nickel-iron alloy, a cast-nickel alloy, stainless steel, or alloys thereof.

5. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic member is a permanent magnet or an electromagnet.

6. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an adhesive member between the display panel and the metal plate.

7. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an adhesive member between the magnetic member and the jig.

8. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display panel further comprises planar portions at opposite ends of the folding portion.

9. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the jig comprises a first jig supporting the folding portion and second jigs supporting the planar portions.

10. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first jig comprises an uneven portion.

11. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the jig comprises second jigs supporting the planar portions, the second jigs being physically separated from each other.

12. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic member has a groove parallel to the folding line.

13. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a guide ring fastening the display panel to the jig.

14. The foldable display device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first jig directly contacts a side surface of each of the second jigs.