Display device

• US 10,551,969 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2017
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jeong, Changyong, Kim, Mugyeom
• Primary Examiner(s): Jansen, II, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/714,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20180088736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04142 the force sensing means being located peripherally, e.g. disposed at the corners or at the side of a touch sensing plate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens

Abstract

A display device is capable of substantially minimizing sensing errors and substantially minimizing a pressure applied to a pixel area during a touch action, the display device including: a frame; a window facing at least a portion of the frame; a panel support portion between the window and a base portion of the frame; a flexible display panel including a central portion between the panel support portion and the window and an edge portion between the panel support portion and the base portion of the frame; and a first pressure sensing unit between the edge portion and the panel support portion.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a frame;

a window facing at least a portion of the frame;

a support plate disposed between the window and a base portion of the frame;

a flexible display panel comprising a central portion between the support plate and the window and an edge portion between the support plate and the base portion of the frame; and

a second pressure sensing unit between the edge portion of the flexible display panel and the support plate,

wherein the second pressure sensing unit directly contacts the support plate.

2. The display device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

a first pressure sensing unit between a side portion protruding from an edge of the frame and an edge of the window; and

a third pressure sensing unit between the flexible display panel and the window.

3. The display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least two pressure sensing units of the first, second and third pressure sensing units have different sensitivities.

4. The display device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the third pressure sensing unit has a highest sensitivity among the first, second, and third pressure sensing units,

the first pressure sensing unit has a lowest sensitivity among the first, second, and the third pressure sensing units, and

the second pressure sensing unit has a sensitivity higher than the sensitivity of the first pressure sensing unit and less than the sensitivity of the third pressure sensing unit.

5. The display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least two pressure sensing units of the first, second and third pressure sensing units include elastic elements having different moduli.

6. The display device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the third pressure sensing unit comprises an elastic element having a greatest modulus among the first, second, and the third pressure sensing units,

the first pressure sensing unit comprises an elastic element having a smallest modulus among the first, second, and the third pressure sensing units, and

the second pressure sensing unit comprises an elastic element having a modulus that is greater than the modulus of the first pressure sensing unit and less than the modulus of the third pressure sensing unit.

7. The display device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the elastic element of the second pressure sensing unit has a thickness greater than or equal to a thickness of the elastic element of the first pressure sensing unit, and

the elastic element of the third pressure sensing unit has a thickness less than the thickness of the elastic element of the second pressure sensing unit.

8. The display device as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a panel driving unit controlling an operation of the flexible display panel based on a first pressure sensing signal from the first pressure sensing unit, a second pressure sensing signal from the second pressure sensing unit and a third pressure sensing signal from the third pressure sensing unit.

9. The display device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the panel driving unit displays a warning message or a warning symbol on a display area of the flexible display panel, according to the third pressure sensing signal.

10. The display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the flexible display panel comprises:

a substrate on the support plate;

a pixel electrode on the substrate;

a common electrode on the pixel electrode;

a light emitting element layer between the pixel electrode and the common electrode;

a pixel defining layer overlapping a portion of the pixel electrode to define a pixel area; and

a sealing member on the pixel defining layer and the pixel area.

11. The display device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the flexible display panel further comprises a first spacer between the pixel defining layer and the sealing member, the first spacer positioned corresponding to the third pressure sensing unit.

12. The display device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the third pressure sensing unit comprises:

a first electrode on the sealing member, the first electrode positioned corresponding to the pixel defining layer;

a second electrode on the first electrode; and

an elastic element between the first electrode and the second electrode.

13. The display device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a second spacer between the sealing member and the first electrode.

14. The display device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second spacer has a greater thickness than a thickness of an insulating layer except another insulating layer that is most adjacent to the first spacer, among insulating layers of the sealing member between the first spacer and the second spacer.

15. The display device as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a buffer layer on the sealing member.

16. The display device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second spacer has a modulus less than a modulus of the buffer layer.

17. The display device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the buffer layer has a thickness less than a thickness of the second spacer.

18. The display device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the buffer layer is further disposed between the second spacer and the first electrode.

19. The display device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the buffer layer positioned corresponding to the pixel area has a greater thickness than the thickness of the second spacer.

20. The display device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second spacer has an arch-shaped or parabolic cross-section convexly protruding toward the first electrode.

21. The display device as claimed in claim 13, wherein a length of a first side of the second spacer facing the sealing member is substantially equal to or different from a length of a second side of the second spacer facing the first electrode.

22. The display device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the length of the first side is longer than the length of the second side.

23. The display device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising at least one second spacer on the sealing member,

wherein a length of a first side of the at least one second spacer facing the sealing member is less than a length of a second side of the at least one second spacer facing the first electrode.

24. The display device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the second sides of adjacent ones of the second spacers are connected to each other, and

the display device further comprises an air layer positioned in a space defined by the adjacent second spacers and the sealing member.

25. The display device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a second spacer on the sealing member,

wherein the second spacer has an arch shape or a parabolic shape protruding convexly in a direction opposite to the sealing member positioned in a pixel area.

26. The display device as claimed in claim 25, further comprising an air layer positioned in a space defined by the second spacer and the sealing member.