Flexible display device

• US 8,098,486 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2009
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holding Incorporated
• Original Assignee: E Ink Holding Incorporated
• Inventors: Hsiao, Po-Wen, Tsai, Yuan-Chih, Shinn, Ted-Hong
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jinhee
• Assistant Examiner(s): WRIGHT, INGRID D
• Application Number:
  US12/430,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20100238612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.01, 361/679.09, 361/679.21, 361/679.26, 361/679.27, 361/679.56, 349/153, 349/160, 349/158, 349/156, 248917-924
• US Class Current: 361/679.21
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133388 with constructional differences between the display region and the peripheral region
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/54 Arrangements for reducing warping-twist
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/301 flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0281 Reinforcement details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09018 Rigid curved substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10128 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10136 Liquid Crystal display [LCD]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/284 for encapsulating mounted components H05K1/185 takes precedence

Abstract

A flexible display device includes a display panel and a plurality of curving-restricting structures. The display panel has a display surface and a bottom surface opposite thereto. The display surface has a visible region and an outer region surrounding the visible region. The curving-restricting structures may be disposed on at least one of the outer region of the display surface and the bottom surface of the display panel. Each curving-restricting structure has a top surface and at least a slanted side wall. The top surfaces of adjacent curving-restricting structures are spaced with each other, and the slanted side walls of adjacent curving-restricting structures face each other. When the flexible display device are curved to a predetermined extent, adjacent curving-restricting structures may resist against with each other to prevent the display panel from being unduly curved to be damaged, and thus a use reliability of the flexible display device is improved.

Claims

1. A flexible display device, comprising:

a display panel has a display surface and a bottom surface opposite thereto, the display surface has a visible region and an outer region surrounding thereto, the display panel comprises a plurality of driver chips disposed in the outer region; and

a plurality of first curving-restricting structures disposed in the outer region, wherein each first curving-restricting structure covering corresponding one of the driver chips has a first top surface and at least a first slanted side wall, the first top surface of the adjacent first curving-restricting structures are separated to each other and the first slanted side walls thereof face to each other.

2. The flexible display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first curving-restricting structures are tapers.

3. The flexible display device as recited in claim 2, wherein the first curving-restricting structures are triangular tapers, cones or polygonal tapers.

4. The flexible display device as recited in claim 3, wherein the first curving-restricting structures are trapezoid tapers.

5. The flexible display device as recited in claim 2, wherein a plurality of cross areas of each first curving-restricting structures parallel the display surface are growing smaller fromward the display surface.

6. The flexible display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first curving-restricting structures are formed integrally.

7. The flexible display device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of second curving-restricting structures respectively corresponding to one of the first curving-restricting structures and disposed on the bottom surface, each second curving-restricting structure has a second top surface and at least a second slanted side wall, the second top surface of the adjacent second curving-restricting structures are separated to each other and the second slanted side walls thereof face to each other.

8. The flexible display device as recited in claim 7, wherein the second curving-restricting structures are tapers.

9. The flexible display device as recited in claim 8, wherein the second curving-restricting structures are triangular tapers, cones or polygonal tapers.

10. The flexible display device as recited in claim 9, wherein the second curving-restricting structures are trapezoid tapers.

11. The flexible display device as recited in claim 8, wherein a plurality of cross areas of each second curving-restricting structures parallel the bottom surface are growing smaller fromward the bottom surface.

12. The flexible display device as recited in claim 7, wherein the second curving-restricting structures are formed integrally.

13. A flexible display device, comprising:

a display panel has a display surface and a bottom surface opposite thereto, the display surface has a visible region and an outer region surrounding thereto, the display panel comprises a plurality of driver chips disposed in the outer region; and

a plurality of curving-restricting structures disposed on the bottom surface and corresponded to the driver chips one on one, wherein each curving-restricting structure has a top surface and at least a slanted side wall, the top surface of the adjacent curving-restricting structures are separated to each other and the slanted side walls thereof face to each other.

14. The flexible display device as recited in claim 13, wherein the curving-restricting structures are tapers.

15. The flexible display device as recited in claim 14, wherein the curving-restricting structures are triangular tapers, cones or polygonal tapers.

16. The flexible display device as recited in claim 15, wherein the curving-restricting structures are trapezoid tapers.

17. The flexible display device as recited in claim 14, wherein a plurality of cross areas of each curving-restricting structures parallel the bottom surface are growing smaller fromward the bottom surface.

18. The flexible display device as recited in claim 13, wherein the curving-restricting structures are formed integrally.