FLEXIBLE WINDOW SUBSTRATE AND FLEXIBLE DISPLAY DEVICE HAVING THE SAME

• US 20160320803A1
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: OH, Hye-Jin, PARK, Sang-Il, OH, Hyun Joon, LEE, Jeoung Sub, CHOI, Min-Hoon, HWANG, In Sun
• Granted Patent: US 10,331,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/00 Coating on the layer surface
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/10 on synthetic resin layer or on natural or synthetic rubber layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/26 Polymeric coating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/28 Multiple coating on one surface
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/412 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/42 Polarizing, birefringent, filtering
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/536 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/54 Yield strength; Tensile strength
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/546 Flexural strength; Flexion stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/762 Self-repairing, self-healing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/20 Displays, e.g. liquid crystal displays, plasma displays
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/281 comprising polyimides
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/085 spaced apart pieces on the surface of a layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/16 secured to a flexible backing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/30 characterised by a layer formed with recesses or projections, e.g. hollows, grooves, protuberances, ribs apertured layer B32B3/266; layer with cavities or internal voids B32B3/26
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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 3/0412 : Digitisers structurally integrated in a display

Abstract

There is provided a flexible display device including a display panel for displaying an image, and a window substrate covering the touch screen panel, the widow substrate including a flexible base layer including an externally facing first surface, and a second surface opposite the first surface and facing the display panel, a hard coating layer having a hardness that is larger than that of the base layer, and including a plurality of coating tiles on the first surface of the base layer that are spaced to have a gap between adjacent ones of the coating tiles, and a self-healing coating layer including a self-healing material and covering the hard coating layer on the base layer.

Claims

1. A flexible display device, comprising:

a display panel for displaying an image; and

a window substrate covering the display panel, the widow substrate comprising;

a flexible base layer comprising an externally facing first surface, and a second surface opposite the first surface and facing the display panel;

a hard coating layer having a hardness that is larger than that of the base layer, and comprising a plurality of coating tiles on the first surface of the base layer that are spaced to have a gap between adjacent ones of the coating tiles; and

a self-healing coating layer comprising a self-healing material and covering the hard coating layer on the base layer.

2. The flexible display device of claim 1, further comprising a touch screen panel on the display panel.

3. The flexible display device of claim 1, further comprising a touch screen panel in the display panel.

4. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the coating tiles are isolated from each other.

5. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of coating tiles are arranged in a matrix form.

6. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the self-healing coating layer comprises elastomer comprising any one of silicones, urethanes, or urethane acrylates.

7. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the self-healing coating layer comprises a self-healing elastomer using hydrogen bonding or Diels-Alder reaction.

8. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the self-healing coating layer is patterned to individually cover each of the coating tiles.

9. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the base layer comprises protrusions patterned to correspond to respective ones of the coating tiles.

10. The flexible display device of claim 9, wherein the self-healing coating layer is formed to individually coat the protrusions on which the coating tiles are coated.

11. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the window substrate corresponds to a display area for displaying an image, and a non-display area that encloses the display area, and

wherein the hard coating layer is at an area corresponding to the display area.

12. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the coating tiles ranges from about 10 μ

M to about 100 μ

m.

13. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the self-healing coating layer ranges from about 20 μ

m to about 50 μ

m.

14. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein a curvature radius of a tip of a touch pen for touching a surface of the window substrate is r, wherein a thickness of the coating tiles is d, and wherein a maximum gap between adjacent ones of the coating tiles is S, the maximum gap S satisfying the following equation:

S≦

2√

{square root over (d(2r−

d))}

15. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the gap between the adjacent ones of the coating tiles ranges from about 20 μ

m to about 200 μ

m.

16. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the coating tiles have a circular or polygonal plane shape.

17. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the base layer comprises a material selected from at least one of elastomer, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyimide (PI), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), silicone, or polyurethane (PU).

18. The flexible display device of claim 1, wherein the coating tiles comprises a material selected from at least one of epoxy, acryl, silicone, or polyurethane (PU).

19. A flexible window substrate, comprising:

a flexible base layer comprising an externally facing first surface, and a second surface opposite the first surface;

a hard coating layer having a hardness that is larger than that of the base layer, and comprising a plurality of coating tiles on the first surface of the base layer that are spaced from each to have a gap between adjacent ones of the coating tiles; and

a self-healing coating layer comprising a self-healing material and covering the hard coating layer on the base layer.

20. The flexible window substrate of claim 19, wherein the coating tiles are isolated from each other.

21. The flexible window substrate of claim 19, wherein the coating tiles are arranged in a matrix form.

22. The flexible window substrate of claim 19, wherein the self-healing coating layer comprises elastomer comprising at least one of silicones, urethanes, or urethane acrylates.

23. The flexible window substrate of claim 19, wherein the self-healing coating layer comprises a self-healing elastomer using hydrogen bonding or Diels-Alder reaction.

24. The flexible window substrate of claim 19, wherein the self-healing coating layer is patterned to individually cover each of the coating tiles.

25. The flexible window substrate of claim 19, wherein the base layer comprises protrusions patterned to correspond to respective ones of the coating tiles of the hard coating layer.

26. The flexible window substrate of claim 25, wherein the self-healing coating layer individually coats the protrusions of the base layer on which the coating tiles are coated.