FOLDABLE DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20190082544A1
• Filed: 11/13/2018
• Published: 03/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Park, Changmin
• Granted Patent: US 11,089,695 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/301 flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0017 with operator interface units
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0226 Hinges
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/03 Covers

Abstract

A foldable display apparatus includes a first housing, a second housing, a folding portion at a space between the first housing and the second housing to connect the first housing to the second housing so that the first and second housings are configured to be folded with respect to each other, a flexible display including a contraction surface supported by the first housing, the second housing, and the folding portion, and a tensile surface configured to display images, and a hinge holder configured to move between a first location for inhibiting folding of the folding portion, and a second location for enabling folding of the folding portion.

Claims

1. A case assembly for a foldable display device, the case assembly comprising:

a first housing;

a second housing spaced apart from the first housing;

a multi-joint structure located between the first housing and the second housing and comprising a plurality of joints connected to each other; and

a sliding structure combined with the first housing; and

wherein the sliding structure is combined with the first housing such that the sliding structure relatively moves with respect to the first housing in a second direction opposite to a first direction in which the first housing relatively moves with respect to the sliding structure;

wherein the second direction is towards the multi-joint structure or away from the multi-joint structure;

wherein the first housing has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, the multi-joint structure has a third side and a fourth side opposite to the third side, and the second housing has a fifth side and a sixth side opposite to the fifth side;

and wherein, when the multi-joint structure is unfolded, the first side, the third side, and the fifth side are on same side and the second side, the fourth side, and the sixth side are on same side.

2. The case assembly of claim 1, wherein, when the multi-joint structure is unfolded, the second side, the fourth side, and the sixth side are substantially planar.

3. The case assembly of claim 1, wherein the multi-joint structure is configured to be folded such that the second side and the sixth side are opposite to each other and the first side and the fifth side face each other;

and

wherein a width of each of the plurality of joints increases in a direction from the third side to the fourth side.

4. The case assembly of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of joints has a substantially trapezoidal cross-section.

5. The case assembly of claim 3, wherein, when the multi-joint structure is folded such that the second side and the sixth side are opposite to each other and the first side and the fifth side face each other, the multi-joint structure has a substantially semicircular cross-section.

6. The case assembly of claim 1, wherein the multi-joint structure is configured to be folded such that the second side and the sixth side are opposite to each other and the first side and the fifth side face each other;

and

wherein, when the multi-joint structure is unfolded, the fourth side is relatively more planar than the third side.

7. The case assembly of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the sliding structure is a rigid plate.

8. The case assembly of claim 1,

wherein the sliding structure has a first guiding part;

wherein the multi-joint structure has a second guiding part corresponding to the first guiding part of the sliding structure; and

wherein, for the multi-joint structure to be unfolded or folded, the first guiding part and the second guiding part are configured such that the sliding structure and the multi-joint structure guide each other and relatively move in opposite directions to each other.

9. The case assembly of claim 8, wherein, when the multi-joint structure is unfolded, the first guiding part is inserted in the second guiding part.

10. The case assembly of claim 9, wherein the multi-joint structure is folded, the first guiding part is not inserted in the second guiding part.

11. The case assembly of claim 9, wherein the joint has a sub-guiding part in which the first guiding part is inserted when the multi-joint structure is unfolded;

and

wherein the second guiding part comprises the sub-guiding part.

12. The case assembly of claim 11, wherein the sub-guiding part has a substantially trapezoidal cross-section.

13. The case assembly of claim 1, wherein, when the multi-joint structure is unfolded, the multi-joint structure and the sliding structure overlap each other.

14. The case assembly of claim 13, wherein, when the multi-joint structure is folded, the multi-joint structure and the sliding structure do not overlap each other.

15. The case assembly of claim 1, wherein, for the multi-joint structure to be unfolded, the sliding structure is relatively moved with respect to the first housing in the second direction towards the multi-joint structure.

16. The case assembly of claim 15, wherein, for the multi-joint structure to be folded such that the second side and the sixth side are opposite to each other and the first side and the fifth side face each other, the sliding structure is relatively moved with respect to the first housing moved in the second direction away from the multi-joint structure.

17. The case assembly of claim 1, wherein the multi-joint structure further comprises a first portion located at a right side of a central portion of the multi-joint structure and a second portion located at a left side of the central portion of the multi-joint structure;

and

wherein the first and second portions are concurrently folded or unfolded.

18. A foldable display device, comprising:

a first housing;

a second housing spaced apart from the first housing;

a multi-joint structure located between the first housing and the second housing and comprising a plurality of joints connected to each other; and

a sliding structure combined with the first housing; and

wherein the sliding structure is combined with the first housing such that the sliding structure relatively moves with respect to the first housing in a second direction opposite to a first direction in which the first housing relatively moves with respect to the sliding structure;

wherein the second direction is towards the multi-joint structure or away from the multi-joint structure;

wherein the first housing has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, the multi-joint structure has a third side and a fourth side opposite to the third side, and the second housing has a fifth side and a sixth side opposite to the fifth side; and

wherein, when the multi-joint structure is unfolded, the first side, the third side, and the fifth side are on same side and the second side, the fourth side, and the sixth side are on same side; and

further comprising a flexible display panel continuously located on the second side, the fourth side, and the sixth side and having a seventh side facing the second side, the fourth side, and the sixth side and an eighth side opposite to the seventh side; and

wherein, when the multi-joint structure is folded such that the second side and the sixth side are opposite to each other and the first side and the fifth side face each other, a portion of the eighth side corresponding to the multi-joint structure has a tensile force.

19. The foldable display device of claim 18, wherein, when the multi-joint structure is unfolded, the second side, the fourth side, and the sixth side are substantially planar.

20. The foldable display device of claim 18, wherein the multi-joint structure is configured to be folded such that the second side and the sixth side are opposite to each other and the first side and the fifth side face each other;

and

wherein a width of each of the plurality of joints increases in a direction from the third side to the fourth side.

21. The foldable display device of claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of joints has a substantially trapezoidal cross-section.

22. The foldable display device of claim 18, wherein, when the multi-joint structure is folded such that the second side and the sixth side are opposite to each other and the first side and the fifth side face each other, the multi-joint structure has a substantially semicircular cross-section.

23. The foldable display device of claim 18, wherein the multi-joint structure is configured to be folded such that the second side and the sixth side are opposite to each other and the first side and the fifth side face each other;

and

wherein, when the multi-joint structure is unfolded, the fourth side is relatively planar compared to the third side.

24. The foldable display device of claim 18, wherein at least a portion of the sliding structure is a rigid plate.

25. The foldable display device of claim 18,

wherein the sliding structure has a first guiding part;

wherein the multi-joint structure has a second guiding part corresponding to the first guiding part of the sliding structure; and

wherein, for the multi-joint structure to be unfolded or folded, the first guiding part and the second guiding part are configured such that the sliding structure and the multi-joint structure guide each other and relatively move in opposite directions to each other.

26. The foldable display device of claim 25, wherein, when the multi-joint structure is unfolded, the first guiding part is inserted in the second guiding part.

27. The foldable display device of claim 26, wherein the multi-joint structure is folded, the first guiding part is not inserted in the second guiding part.

28. The foldable display device of claim 26, wherein the joint has a sub-guiding part in which the first guiding part is inserted when the multi-joint structure is unfolded;

and

wherein the second guiding part comprises the sub-guiding part.

29. The foldable display device of claim 28, wherein the sub-guiding part has a substantially trapezoidal cross-section.

30. The foldable display device of claim 18, wherein, when the multi-joint structure is unfolded, the multi-joint structure and the sliding structure overlap each other.

31. The foldable display device of claim 30, wherein, when the multi-joint structure is folded, the multi-joint structure and the sliding structure do not overlap each other.

32. The foldable display device of claim 18, wherein, for the multi-joint structure to be unfolded, the sliding structure is relatively moved with respect to the first housing in the second direction towards the multi-joint structure.

33. The foldable display device of claim 32, wherein, for the multi-joint structure to be folded such that the second side and the sixth side are opposite to each other and the first side and the fifth side face each other, the sliding structure is relatively moved with respect to the first housing in the second direction away from the multi-joint structure.

34. The foldable display device of claim 18, wherein the multi-joint structure comprises a first portion located at a right side of a central portion of the multi-joint structure and a second portion located at a left side of the central portion of the multi-joint structure;

and

wherein the first and second portions are concurrently folded or unfolded.

35. A case assembly for a foldable display device, the case assembly comprising:

a first housing;

a second housing spaced apart from the first housing;

a multi-joint structure located between the first housing and the second housing and comprising a plurality of joints connected to each other; and

a sliding structure combined with the first housing such that the sliding structure slides together with the first housing in a direction towards the multi-joint structure or away from the multi-joint structure.