Flexible display

• US 8,023,060 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2007
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Fun, Su-Yu, Lin, Yao-Sheng, Chen, Tai-Hong
• Primary Examiner(s): Chien; Lucy P
• Application Number:
  US11/926,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20080198541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,423 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 349/58
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/54 Arrangements for reducing warping-twist
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1615 with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable

Abstract

A flexible display including a flexible display panel and a flexible hollow supporting structure is provided. The flexible display panel has a first end and a second end opposite to each other. The flexible hollow supporting structure is integrated with the flexible display panel and extends from the first end to the second end of the flexible display panel. In addition, a supporting medium can be infused into the flexible hollow supporting structure so as to stretch and support the flexible display panel.

Claims

1. A flexible display, comprising:

a flexible display panel, having a first end and a second end opposite to each other; and

a flexible hollow supporting structure, integrated with the flexible display panel, extending from the first end to the second end, wherein a supporting medium can be infused into the flexible hollow supporting structure so as to stretch and support the flexible display panel by changing the pressure in the flexible hollow supporting structure, and the supporting medium is a gaseous substance or a liquid substance.

2. The flexible display according to claim 1 further comprising a medium infusing device connected to the flexible hollow supporting structure, the medium infusing device being used for infusing the supporting medium into the flexible hollow supporting structure so that the flexible hollow supporting structure can support the flexible display panel.

3. The flexible display according to claim 2, wherein the medium infusing device is a manually-infusing, medium-storage-bottle-infusing, or pump-infusing device.

4. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the flexible display panel comprises:

a first flexible substrate;

a second flexible substrate, opposite to the first flexible substrate; and

a display medium, disposed between the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate.

5. The flexible display according to claim 4, wherein the display medium comprises liquid crystal.

6. The flexible display according to claim 4, wherein the flexible display panel further comprises a sealant disposed at the periphery of the display medium, and the sealant being connected to the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate in order to seal the display medium.

7. The flexible display according to claim 6, wherein the flexible hollow supporting structure is located inside the sealant.

8. The flexible display according to claim 7, wherein the flexible hollow supporting structure and the sealant are formed integrally.

9. The flexible display according to claim 4, wherein the flexible hollow supporting structure is located on at least one of the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate.

10. The flexible display according to claim 9, wherein the flexible hollow supporting structure and the second flexible substrate are located at the same side of the first flexible substrate, and the flexible hollow supporting structure is located at the periphery of the second flexible substrate.

11. The flexible display according to claim 9, wherein the flexible hollow supporting structure and the second flexible substrate are respectively located at different side of the first flexible substrate.

12. The flexible display according to claim 4, wherein the flexible hollow supporting structure is located in at least one of the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate.

13. The flexible display according to claim 12, wherein the flexible hollow supporting structure and the first flexible substrate, or the flexible hollow supporting structure and the second flexible substrate are formed integrally.

14. The flexible display according to claim 4, wherein the material of the first flexible substrate or the second flexible substrate comprises polymer.

15. The flexible display according to claim 4, wherein the material of the first flexible substrate or the second flexible substrate comprises polyethersulfone (PES), polyimide (PI), polythiophene (PT), phenol novolac (PN), or polycarbonate (PC).

16. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the material of the flexible hollow supporting structure comprises metal or polymer.

17. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the material of the flexible hollow supporting structure comprises gold foil, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, shape memory alloy, PES, PI, PT, PN, or PC.

18. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the supporting medium comprises air, water, liquid crystal, thermoplastic polymer, or thermoset polymer.

19. The flexible display according to claim 1 further comprising a storage device disposed at the first end of the flexible display panel for storing the flexible display panel.

20. A flexible display, comprising:

a flexible display panel, having a first end and a second end opposite to each other; and

a flexible hollow supporting structure, integrated with the flexible display panel, extending from the first end to the second end, wherein a supporting medium can be infused into the flexible hollow supporting structure so as to stretch and support the flexible display panel by changing the pressure in the flexible hollow supporting structure, and the flexible display panel comprises;

a first flexible substrate;

a second flexible substrate, opposite to the first flexible substrate;

a display medium, comprising liquid crystal and disposed between the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate; and

a sealant, disposed at the periphery of the display medium, and the sealant being connected to the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate in order to seal the display medium, wherein the flexible hollow supporting structure is located inside the sealant.

21. The flexible display according to claim 20, wherein the flexible hollow supporting structure and the sealant are formed integrally.