Display device and curvature variation device adapted thereto

• US 9,510,440 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nam, Yun-Ha, Im, Dong-Sung
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Eric
• Assistant Examiner(s): McFadden, Michael P
• Application Number:
  US14/308,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20150223358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 361/749
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/1892 Lever and slide

Abstract

A display device includes a flexible display substrate and a curvature variation device. The curvature variation device is disposed on a rear surface of the flexible display substrate. A length of the curvature variation device is varied in response to an operation of a user to the curvature variation device, to vary a curvature of the flexible display substrate.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a flexible display substrate; and

a curvature variation device on a rear surface of the flexible display substrate, comprising;

a substrate contact member which is received in a guide recess at the rear surface of the flexible display substrate and contacts the rear surface of the flexible display substrate; and

a length variation member supported by the substrate contact member,

wherein

a length of the length variation member is configured to be varied in response to user input to the curvature variation device,

variation of the length of the length variation member in response to the user input to the curvature variation device varies a length of the substrate contact member in the guide recess at the rear surface of the flexible display substrate, and

variation of the length of the substrate contact member in the guide recess at the rear surface of the flexible display substrate varies a curvature of the flexible display substrate.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein

the guide recess is defined in the rear surface of the flexible display substrate, and

the

substrate contact member is received in the guide recess defined in the rear surface of the flexible display substrate.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein the curvature variation device comprises:

a rail contacting the rear surface of the flexible display substrate, and in which a guide recess is defined, and

the substrate contact member is received in the guide recess defined in the rail.

4. The display device of claim 1, wherein the curvature variation device is parallel with a surface of the flexible display substrate.

5. The display device of claim 1, wherein the curvature of the flexible display substrate defines a flat state or a curved state of the flexible display substrate.

6. The display device of claim 1, wherein the curvature of the flexible display substrate is symmetrically varied by the curvature variation device with respect to a position of the curvature variation device.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein the curvature of the flexible display substrate is asymmetrically varied by the curvature variation device with respect to a position of the curvature variation device.

8. A curvature variation device to vary a curvature of a flexible display substrate in response to an operation of a user, the curvature variation device comprising:

a substrate contact member on a rear surface of the flexible display substrate, received in a guide recess defined in the rear surface of the flexible display substrate and contacting the rear surface of the flexible display substrate; and

a length variation member supported by the substrate contact member,

wherein

a length of the length variation member is configured to be varied in response to the operation of the user to the curvature variation device, and

variation of the length of the length variation member varies the curvature of the flexible display substrate.

9. The curvature variation device of claim 8, wherein the substrate contact member comprises a spring.

10. A curvature variation device to vary a curvature of a flexible display substrate in response to an operation of a user, the curvature variation device comprising:

a rail on and contacting a rear surface of the flexible display substrate, and a guide recess defined in the rail;

a substrate contact member received in the guide recess defined in the rail and contacting the rear surface of the flexible display substrate; and

a length variation member supported by the substrate contact member,

wherein

a length of the length variation member is configured to be varied in response to the operation of the user to the curvature variation device,

variation of the length of the length variation member varies a length of the substrate contact member received in the guide recess defined in the rail, and

variation of the length of the substrate contact member received in the guide recess defined in the rail varies the curvature of the flexible display substrate.

11. The curvature variation device of claim 10, wherein the substrate contact member comprises:

a first stopper received in the guide recess defined in the rail and of which a length is variable along a first end of the rail;

a second stopper received in the guide recess defined in the rail and of which a length is variable along a second end of the rail opposite to the first end; and

a stopper control box which is respectively connected to the first stopper and the second stopper and controls a length variation of the first stopper and a length variation of the second stopper.

12. The curvature variation device of claim 11, wherein each of the first stopper and the second stopper comprises:

a penetration wire comprising plural wire bundles interlaced with each other to form a penetrated inner space; and

a core wire comprising a single wire bundle and received in the penetrated inner space of the penetration wire.

13. The curvature variation device of claim 11, wherein the length variation member comprises:

a first multiple rod connected to an end portion of the first stopper;

a second multiple rod connected to an end portion of the second stopper; and

a multiple rod control box which is respectively connected to the first multiple rod and the second multiple rod, and controls a length variation of the first multiple rod and a length variation of the second multiple rod.