Flexible display

• US 9,390,642 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Bang, Jinyoung, Kim, Taegung
• Primary Examiner(s): Yodichkas, Aneeta
• Assistant Examiner(s): HONG, RICHARD J
• Application Number:
  US13/762,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20130207946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0261 in the context of movement of objects on the screen or movement of the observer relative to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/03 specially adapted for displays having non-planar surfaces, e.g. curved displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/035 for flexible display surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3225 using an active matrix

Abstract

A flexible display includes a flexible display panel, a curved formation unit for forming a curved surface of the flexible display panel, and a curved signal generating unit which supplies a curved signal to the curved formation unit so that a radius of curvature of the flexible display panel is controlled based on at least one of user setting conditions, external environmental conditions, and displaying image conditions. The curved formation unit forms the curved surface of the flexible display panel in response to the curved signal.

Claims

1. A flexible display comprising:

a flexible display panel;

a curved formation unit configured to form a curved surface of the flexible display panel; and

a curved signal generating unit configured to supply a curved signal to the curved formation unit so that a radius of curvature of the flexible display panel is controlled based on at least one of user setting conditions, external environmental conditions, and displaying image conditions,

wherein the curved formation unit forms the curved surface of the flexible display panel in response to the curved signal,

wherein the curved formation unit is positioned at a back side of the flexible display panel,

wherein the curved formation unit is configured to form the flexible display panel as a convex type, and is configured to form the flexible display panel as a concave type,

wherein when the curved formation unit forms the flexible display panel as the convex type, the flexible display panel is configured to simultaneously display different images towards different viewpoints for different viewers to respectively watch the different images,

wherein the flexible display panel includes a display panel displaying an image and a back cover attached to a back surface of the display panel,

wherein the back cover includes a base plate attached to a back surface of the flexible display panel and a plurality of beads which are formed on one surface of the base plate, are separated from one another in a short-axis direction, and have a stripe shape,

wherein each bead of the plurality of beads includes a first side surface and a second side surface opposite the first side surface,

wherein when the flexible display panel is formed as the concave type, the first side surface of a first bead and the second side surface of a second bead adjacent the first bead go away from each other, and

wherein when the flexible display panel is formed as the convex type, the first side surface of the first bead and the second side surface of the second bead approach each other.

2. The flexible display of claim 1, wherein the curved formation unit bends and stretches a left portion and a right portion of the flexible display panel based on a middle point of the flexible display panel or bends and stretches the middle point of the flexible display panel in response to the curved signal.

3. The flexible display of claim 1, wherein the external environment conditions include at least one of a position of a viewer which watches the flexible display panel, the number of viewers, a position of an outermost viewer adjacent to the viewer, a position of another viewer closest to the viewer, and an ambient brightness of the flexible display panel,

wherein the displaying image conditions include a kind of image displayed on the flexible display panel.

4. The flexible display of claim 1, wherein the curved formation unit includes:

connectors which are dividedly positioned on the left and right sides of a back surface of the flexible display panel; and

a driver configured to vary a length of the driver in response to the curved signal so that tension of the connectors is varied.

5. The flexible display of claim 4, wherein the driver varies the length of the driver using at least one of a motor manner, a vapor pressure manner, and a fluid pressure manner.

6. The flexible display of claim 1, wherein the curved formation unit includes:

supporters which are dividedly positioned on the left and right sides of a back surface of the flexible display panel; and

a driver including a fixer, of which a portion is fixed to the center of the back surface of the flexible display panel, the driver bending and stretching the supporters in response to the curved signal.

7. The flexible display of claim 6, wherein the driver bends and stretches the supporters using at least one of a motor manner, a vapor pressure manner, and a fluid pressure manner.

8. The flexible display of claim 1, wherein the curved formation unit includes:

a supporter including a fixer, of which a portion is fixed to the center of a back surface of the flexible display panel; and

drivers which are dividedly positioned on the left and right sides of the back surface of the flexible display panel and are vertically positioned on the supporter to vary a length of each driver in response to the curved signal.

9. The flexible display of claim 1, wherein the curved formation unit includes:

a supporter including fixers, which are dividedly positioned on the left and right sides of a back surface of the flexible display panel; and

a driver which is vertically installed on the supporter in the center of the back surface of the flexible display panel and varies a length of the driver in response to the curved signal.

10. The flexible display of claim 1, wherein an edge of each of the plurality of beads has a rectangular shape or a round shape.

11. The flexible display of claim 1, wherein the flexible display panel includes:

a plurality of first external circuit substrates, on which a data driver supplying a data signal to the flexible display panel is mounted; and

N second external circuit substrates attached to the plurality of first external circuit substrates, where N is an integer equal to or greater than 2,

wherein the plurality of first external circuit substrates are attached to a bottom side of the flexible display panel along a long-axis direction of the flexible display panel, the bottom side of the display panel being perpendicular to a middle axis at which the flexible display panel is bent,

wherein the first external circuit substrates and the N second external circuit substrates are dividedly disposed on opposite sides of the middle axis.

12. The flexible display of claim 1, wherein the flexible display panel includes:

a plurality of first external circuit substrates, on which a data driver supplying a data signal to the flexible display panel is mounted; and

N second external circuit substrates attached to the plurality of first external circuit substrates, where N is an integer equal to or greater than 2,

wherein the plurality of first external circuit substrates are dividedly attached to the left and right sides of the flexible display panel along a short-axis direction of the flexible display panel,

wherein the N second external circuit substrates are dividedly disposed on the left and right sides of the flexible display panel.