ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING DISPLAY WITH ROUNDED CORNERS

• US 20180247582A1
• Filed: 02/23/2018
• Published: 08/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PARK, Jung Sik, CHOI, Seung Ki, KWAK, Woon Geun, CHA, Do Hun, BYEON, Hyung Sup, LEE, So Young, CHO, Chi Hyun, HEO, Chang Ryong
• Application Number:
  US15/903,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20180247582A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133331 Cover glasses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133526 Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/56 Substrates having a particular shape, e.g. non-rectangular
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly

Abstract

An electronic device is disclosed herein, including a processor and a display panel operatively coupled to the processor, the display panel including an active area having an arrangement of a plurality of pixels, and an inactive area in which no pixels are arranged, wherein a circumference of the active area and a contour of the display panel form a substantially rectangular shape including at least one curved corner, and wherein a curve forming any one corner of the contour of the display panel includes a larger average radius of curvature than a curve forming any one corner of the circumference of the active area.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor; and

a display panel operatively coupled to the processor, the display panel including an active area having an arrangement of a plurality of pixels, and an inactive area in which no pixels are arranged,

wherein a circumference of the active area and a contour of the display panel form a substantially rectangular shape including at least one curved corner, and

wherein a curve forming any one corner of the contour of the display panel includes an larger average radius of curvature than a curve forming any one corner of the circumference of the active area.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the curve forming any one corner of the contour of the display panel is longer than the curve forming any one corner of the circumference of the active area.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a cover glass disposed over the display panel,

wherein the cover glass is substantially rectangular and includes at least one curved corner, and

wherein a curve forming any one corner of a contour of the cover glass has a larger average radius of curvature than a curve forming any one corner of the contour of the display panel.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the cover glass includes:

a first edge extending in a first direction, a second edge extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the curved corner of the cover glass connecting the first edge and the second edge, and

wherein the curved corner of the cover glass includes a decreasing radius of curvature from a point where the first edge and the curved corner of the cover glass join, to a point where the curved corner of the cover glass and the second edge join.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, further comprising:

a housing in which the display panel is disposed, the housing coupled with the cover glass as to enclose the display panel,

wherein the housing is rectangular and includes at least one curved corner, and

wherein a curve forming any one corner of a contour of the housing has a larger average radius of curvature than the curve forming any one corner of the contour of the cover glass.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing in which the display panel is at least partially enclosed,

wherein the housing is substantially rectangular and includes at least one curved corner, and

wherein a curve forming any one corner of a contour of the housing has a larger average radius of curvature than the curve forming any one corner of the contour of the display panel.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the housing includes:

a first edge extending in a first direction, and a second edge extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a curve of the housing connecting the first edge and the second edge, and

wherein a radius of curvature of the curve of the housing gradually decreases and then increases from a point where the first edge and the curve join together to a point where the curve and the second edge join together.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display driver integrated circuit (DDI) configured to drive the display panel,

wherein an electrical path through which the DDI transmits a signal or power to the display panel is disposed within the inactive area.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the DDI includes a gate driver and a source driver, and

wherein an electrical path extending from the gate driver and an electrical path extending from the source driver intersect at a position disposed in a corner area of the inactive area.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising:

an emission driver,

wherein the electrical path extending from the source driver and an electrical path extending from the emission driver the corner area of intersect at a position disposed in the inactive area.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the active area includes a first edge extending in a first direction, and a second edge extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a first curve of the curved corner of the active area connecting the first edge and the second edge,

wherein the display panel includes a third edge extending in the first direction, and a fourth edge extending in the second direction, and a second curved corner connecting the third edge and the fourth edge,

wherein the inactive area at least partially surrounds the active area, and

wherein the corner area corresponds to an area surrounded by the first curve, a virtual line connecting a point where the first edge and the first curve join together and a point where the third edge and the second curve join together, the second curve, and a virtual line connecting a point where the second edge and the first curve join together and a point where the fourth edge and the second curve join together.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display driver integrated circuit (DDI) configured to drive the display panel,

wherein the active area includes a first edge extending in a first direction, a second edge extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a first curve connecting the first edge and the second edge,

wherein the inactive area at least partially surrounds the active area, and

wherein a portion of an electrical path through which the DDI supplies a signal or power to the display panel is disposed in a region of the inactive area that is surrounded by the first curve, an extension line of a first side, and an extension line of a second side.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the DDI includes a gate driver and a source driver, and

wherein an electrical path extending from the gate driver and an electrical path extending from the source driver intersect at a position within the region surrounded by the first curve, the extension line of the first side, and the extension line of the second side.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising:

an emission driver,

wherein the electrical path extending from the source driver and an electrical path extending from the emission driver intersect in the region surrounded by the first curve, the extension line of the first side, and the extension line of the second side.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, further comprising:

a pixel power source electrically coupled with the plurality of pixels; and

a first interconnection wire and a second interconnection wire arranged to surround at least a portion of the active area, the first and second interconnection wires configured to apply a first voltage and a second voltage from the pixel power source to the plurality of pixels, respectively,

wherein a portion of the electrical path extending from at least one of the gate driver or the emission driver, and a portion of the electrical path extending from the source driver intersect within a space disposed between the first curve and the first interconnection wire.

16. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display panel includes a front surface and at least one side surface, and

wherein at least a portion of the inactive area is disposed on the at least one side surface.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, further comprising:

a display driver integrated circuit (DDI) configured to drive the display panel,

wherein the DDI is disposed on the at least one side surface.

18. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a display panel operatively coupled to the processor, the display panel including an active area having an arrangement of a plurality of pixels, and an inactive area in which no pixels are arranged;

a gate driver electrically coupled with the plurality of pixels;

an emission driver electrically coupled with the plurality of pixels; and

an electrical path configured to electrically couple at least one of the gate driver and the emission driver to at least a part of the plurality of pixels,

wherein at least one transistor is disposed on the electrical path,

wherein the active area is substantially rectangular and includes a first edge extending in a first direction, a second edge extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a first curve connecting the first edge and the second edge,

wherein the inactive area at least partially surrounds the active area, and

wherein the at least one transistor is disposed in a region of the inactive area surrounded by the first curve, an extension line of the first side, and an extension line of the second side.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein an circumferential edge of the inactive area corresponds to a contour of the display panel, the contour of the display panel further including:

a third edge extending in the first direction;

a fourth edge extending in the second direction; and

a refraction line connecting the third edge and the fourth edge, and

wherein the refraction line includes a combination of one or more of straight line segments or curved line segments.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein a length of the refraction line is longer than a length of the first curve.