Lamp with multiple flexible OLEDs

• US 9,559,314 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Inventors: Rajan, Kamala, Krall, Emory, Mandlik, Prashant, Ma, Ruiqing, Levermore, Peter, Pang, Huiqing, Silvernail, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Smoot, Stephen W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Booker, Vicki B
• Application Number:
  US14/347,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20140231793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,951 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 6/003 for task lighting, e.g. for reading or desk work, e.g. angle poise lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/00 Planar light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/15 Organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/61 connecting to flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/7175 Light emitting diodes (LEDs)
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence
• 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 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10393 Clamping a component by an element or a set of elements
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/2072 Anchoring, i.e. one structure gripping into another providing micro- or nanometer scale roughness on a metal surface H05K2203/0307
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/209 Auto-mechanical connection between a component and a PCB or between two PCBs
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/284 for encapsulating mounted components H05K1/185 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/361 Assembling flexible printed circuits with other printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/80 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/84 Parallel electrical configurations of multiple OLEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/86 Series electrical configurations of multiple OLEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells

Abstract

Devices including multiple flexible substrates bearing organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are provided. The flexible substrates are interconnected, and the properties of the substrates and the interconnections provide the shape of the device.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

a plurality of flexible substrates, wherein the plurality of flexible substrates includes at least a first flexible substrate and a second flexible substrate, the first flexible substrate is a constituent part of at least one first flexible organic light emitting device (OLED), and the second flexible substrate is a constituent part of at least one second flexible OLED; and

at least one electrical interconnection between the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate, wherein the at least one electrical interconnection is not directly attached to a fixture and is;

a direct connection without a connecting element, where the at least one electrical interconnection is selected from the group consisting of a folded interconnect, an interlocked cut, a hook and eye system, and a conductive adhesive;

or

an indirect connection through a connecting element, wherein the connecting element includes one or more of tape, conductive tape, a rivet, a hook and eye system, a snap-connect, or a clamping element; and

the connecting element is not the first flexible substrate or the second flexible substrate.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first flexible substrate is directly supported only by electrical interconnections with other flexible substrates in the plurality of flexible substrates.

3. The first device of claim 1, wherein a shape of the first flexible substrate is defined by:

mechanical properties of the plurality of flexible substrates; and

the at least one electrical interconnection between the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the shape of the first device is defined by:

mechanical properties of the plurality of flexible substrates; and

the at least one interconnection between the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate.

5. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrical interconnection is the direct connection and further includes an adhesive, a soldered connection, or a welded connection.

6. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least the first flexible substrate is adjacent to the second flexible substrate, one or more regions of the at least a first flexible substrate and one or more regions of the second flexible substrate are folded, and the one or more of the folded regions of the first flexible substrate are connected to the one or more of the folded regions of the second flexible substrate.

7. The first device of claim 1, wherein one or more regions of the at least the first flexible substrate includes a first contact pad, and one or more regions of the second flexible substrate includes a second contact pad, and the first contact pad is electrically connected to the second contact pad.

8. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device has a three dimensional shape.

9. The first device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of the flexible substrates comprises metal foil, plastic, fabric, flexible glass, paper, or combinations thereof.

10. The first device of claim 9, wherein the first device has a bending length of about 1.0 cm to about 30.0 cm.

11. The first device of claim 9, wherein a flexural rigidity of the plurality of the flexible substrates is about 10-1 Nm to about 10-6 Nm.

12. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first flexible OLED is covered with a thin film encapsulation layer.

13. The first device of claim 12, wherein a hard coat layer is present on the thin film encapsulation layer.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is at least one of:

a flat panel display, a computer monitor, a television, a billboard, a light configured to illuminate, a light configured to signal, a heads up display, a fully transparent display, a flexible display, a laser printer, a telephone, a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a camcorder, a viewfinder, a micro-display, a vehicle, a large area wall, a theater screen, a stadium screen, or a sign.