FLEXIBLE DISPLAY

• US 20160252988A1
• Filed: 12/01/2014
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., Ordos Yuansheng Optoelectronics Co., Ltd. (BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., Ordos Yuansheng Optoelectronics Co., Ltd. (BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Feng, Xiang, Wei, Xiangdong, Qiu, Yun
• Granted Patent: US 9,958,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/14 Detecting light within display terminals, e.g. using a single or a plurality of photosensors
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/00 Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/035 for flexible display surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2096 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a flat panel suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/006; specific for a CRT G09G1/167

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a flexible display comprising a flexible display screen, an infrared transmitting device arranged on a border of the flexible display screen and comprising at least one infrared transmitting unit, an infrared receiving device arranged on a border of the flexible display screen and comprising at least one infrared receiving unit, and a signal processing unit, signally connected to each of the infrared receiving units in the infrared receiving device, for judging a folding state of the flexible display screen based on a state of receipt of an infrared signal at each of the infrared receiving units in the infrared receiving device. By means of cooperation between the infrared transmitting device and the infrared receiving device, the flexible display may judge the folding state of the flexible display screen and, in turn, perform a corresponding operation, such as an interactive operation, based on this folding state. The fabricating process is simplified, thereby reducing the production cost of the flexible display.

Claims

1. A flexible display comprising:

a flexible display screen;

an infrared transmitting device arranged on a border of the flexible display screen and comprising at least one infrared transmitting unit;

an infrared receiving device arranged on a border of the flexible display screen and comprising at least one infrared receiving unit; and

a signal processing unit, signally connected to each of the infrared receiving units in the infrared receiving device, wherein the signal processing unit judges a folding state of the flexible display screen based on a state of receipt of an infrared signal at each of the infrared receiving units in the infrared receiving device.

2. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit controls an interactive operation of the flexible display screen based on the folding state of the flexible display screen.

3. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the state of receipt of the infrared signal at each of the at least one infrared receiving unit includes whether the infrared signal has been received, and if received, from which infrared transmitting unit or units the received infrared signal is transmitted.

4. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the direction in which the infrared signals of the at least one infrared transmitting unit are transmitted is perpendicular to the light emergent surface of the flexible display screen.

5. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the infrared transmitting units of the infrared transmitting device are arranged at a first portion of the border of the flexible display screen, and at least a part of the infrared receiving units of the infrared receiving device are arranged at a second portion of the border of the flexible display screen.

6. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the at least one infrared transmitting unit and the at least one infrared receiving unit are arranged on the same surface of the flexible display screen.

7. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the at least one infrared transmitting unit and the at least one infrared receiving unit are arranged on different surfaces of the flexible display screen.

8. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein a part of the at least one infrared transmitting unit is arranged on a surface of the flexible display screen, with the remaining part of the at least one infrared transmitting unit arranged on the other surface of the flexible display screen, or a part of the at least one infrared receiving unit is arranged on a surface of the flexible display screen, with the remaining part of the at least one infrared receiving unit arranged on the other surface of the flexible display screen.

9. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the light emergent surface of the flexible display screen has a rectangular shape.

10. The flexible display according to claim 9, wherein the infrared transmitting device comprises a first infrared transmitting unit and a second infrared transmitting unit, and the infrared receiving device comprises a first infrared receiving unit and a second infrared receiving unit, the first infrared transmitting unit, the second infrared transmitting unit, the first infrared receiving unit and the second infrared receiving unit being arranged on the light emergent surface of the flexible display screen and being located at a respective corner of the flexible display screen;

along the column direction of the pixel units in the flexible display screen, the first infrared transmitting unit being adjacent to the second infrared transmitting unit, and the first infrared receiving unit being adjacent to the second infrared receiving unit;

along the row direction of the pixel units in the flexible display screen, the first infrared transmitting unit being adjacent to the first infrared receiving unit, and the second infrared transmitting unit being adjacent to the second infrared receiving unit.

11. The flexible display according to claim 10, wherein the infrared transmitting device further comprises a third infrared transmitting unit and a fourth infrared transmitting unit, and the infrared receiving device further comprises a third infrared receiving unit and a fourth infrared receiving unit, the third infrared transmitting unit, the fourth infrared transmitting unit, the third infrared receiving unit and the fourth infrared receiving unit being arranged on the side of the flexible display screen facing away from the light emergent surface and being located at a respective corner of the flexible display screen;

along the column direction of the pixel units in the flexible display screen, the third infrared transmitting unit being adjacent to the fourth infrared transmitting unit, and the third infrared receiving unit being adjacent to the fourth infrared receiving unit;

along the row direction of the pixel units in the flexible display screen, the third infrared transmitting unit being adjacent to the third infrared receiving unit, and the fourth infrared transmitting unit being adjacent to the fourth infrared receiving unit.

12. The flexible display according to claim 11, wherein along the direction perpendicular to the light emergent surface of the flexible display screen, the third infrared transmitting unit is opposite to the first infrared transmitting unit;

the fourth infrared transmitting unit is opposite to the second infrared transmitting unit;

the third infrared receiving unit is opposite to the first infrared receiving unit; and

the fourth infrared receiving unit is opposite to the second infrared receiving unit.

13. The flexible display according to claim 11, wherein the direction in which the infrared signals of the first infrared transmitting unit, the second infrared transmitting unit, the third infrared transmitting unit and the fourth infrared transmitting unit are transmitted is perpendicular to the light emergent surface of the flexible display screen.

14. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the light emergent surface of the flexible display screen is of a circular or trapezoidal shape.

15. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the flexible display screen is an organic electroluminescent display screen or a liquid crystal display screen.

16. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the flexible display screen is a touch screen.

17. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the infrared transmitting units of the infrared transmitting device are embedded in or attached on the border of the flexible display screen, and the infrared receiving units of the infrared receiving device are embedded in or attached on the border of the flexible display screen.

18. The flexible display according to claim 2, wherein the infrared transmitting units of the infrared transmitting device are embedded in or attached on the border of the flexible display screen, and the infrared receiving units of the infrared receiving device are embedded in or attached on the border of the flexible display screen.

19. The flexible display according to claim 3, wherein the infrared transmitting units of the infrared transmitting device are embedded in or attached on the border of the flexible display screen, and the infrared receiving units of the infrared receiving device are embedded in or attached on the border of the flexible display screen.

20. The flexible display according to claim 4, wherein the infrared transmitting units of the infrared transmitting device are embedded in or attached on the border of the flexible display screen, and the infrared receiving units of the infrared receiving device are embedded in or attached on the border of the flexible display screen.