Display apparatus

• US 10,200,772 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Ahn, Yi Joon, Park, Yongchang, Park, WonSang, Baek, Jongin, Yeo, Yong-Suk, Lee, Taehee
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Con P
• Application Number:
  US14/685,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,393 Days
• Field of Search: 381333, 381388, 381306, 381336, 381111, 381190, 381150, 257688, 348739, 345 30, 345 55, 345 84, 345 87, 345104, 310327, 310326, 310311
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2400/03 Transducers capable of generating both sound as well as tactile vibration, e.g. as used in cellular phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/045 using the distributed mode principle, i.e. whereby the acoustic radiation is emanated from uniformly distributed free bending wave vibration induced in a stiff panel and not from pistonic motion

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a display panel which displays an image and a vibration member attached to a surface of the display panel, where the vibration member receives a sound signal, generates a vibration in response to the sound signal, and transfers the vibration to the display panel to allow the display panel to output a sound.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel which displays an image;

a vibrator attached to a surface of the display panel; and

a damper disposed on the surface of the display panel,

wherein the vibrator receives a sound signal, generates a vibration in response to the sound signal, and transfers the vibration to the display panel to allow the display panel to vibrate and to output a sound,

a damping control recess is defined in a side surface of the damper,

the side surface of the damper is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the display panel, and

inner opposite surfaces and an inner side surface connecting the inner opposite surfaces define the damping recess such that the inner opposite surfaces are substantially parallel to the surface of the display panel and the inner side surface is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the display panel,

wherein the damper absorbs the vibration of the display panel, and

wherein the damping control recess controls the vibration characteristics of the display panel.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the display panel comprises:

a first surface which displays the image thereon; and

a second surface opposite to the first surface, and

the vibrator is attached to the second surface.

3. The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a vibration control plate disposed between the vibrator and the display panel,

wherein the vibration control plate controls a vibration frequency of the vibration transferred to the display panel from the vibrator.

4. The display apparatus of claim 3, wherein the vibrator is attached to a surface of the vibration control plate.

5. The display apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

the damper attached to at least one of the vibration control plate and the vibrator.

6. The display apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a cover part which covers the display panel, the vibrator and the damper.

7. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein

the cover part comprises a bottom portion, and a sidewall extending from the bottom portion,

the display apparatus further comprises an edge attached to the sidewall, and

the display panel is coupled to the sidewall by the edge such that the display panel vibrates in directions substantially perpendicular to a surface thereof.

8. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein the damper is coupled to the cover part.

9. The display apparatus of claim 5, wherein the damper comprises:

a first damper disposed at a side of the display panel in a first direction; and

a second damper disposed at a side of the display panel in a second direction opposite to the first direction,

wherein the vibrator is disposed between the first and second dampers.

10. The display apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the damper comprises:

a first damper disposed at a side of the display panel in a first direction; and

a second damper disposed at a side of the display panel in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and

the vibrator comprises;

a first vibrator disposed in the first direction from the first damper; and

a second vibrator disposed in the second direction from the second damper.

11. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display panel has a display area which displays an image and includes a first sub display area which has a curved shape.

12. The display apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the display area includes a second sub display area which is not curved, and

the vibration control plate and the vibrator are disposed in the second sub display area.

13. The display apparatus of claim 11, wherein the vibrator is disposed outside the first sub display area.

14. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display panel is a flexible display panel.

15. The display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the display panel comprises:

a first substrate;

a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate; and

a light control layer interposed between the first and second substrates,

wherein each of the first and second substrates comprises a material having a flexibility.

16. The display apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first and second substrates comprises a polymer.

17. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display panel is an organic light emitting display panel or a liquid crystal display panel.

18. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vibrator comprises a piezoelectric element, a polyvinylidene fluoride, an electro active polymer or a combination thereof.

19. The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal generator which generates the sound signal in response to a sound data and applies the sound signal to the vibrator.

20. The display apparatus of claim 19, wherein

the display panel comprises a first area and a second area,

the vibrator comprises a first vibrator disposed in the first area and a second vibrator disposed in the second area,

the sound signal comprises a first sound signal and a second sound signal,

the signal generator applies the first and second sound signals to the first and second vibrators, respectively, and

the first and second vibrators vibrate the first and second areas, respectively, such that sounds output from the first and second areas are different from each other.

21. The display apparatus of claim 20, wherein the signal generator generates the first and second sound signals based on vibration characteristics of the first and second areas.

22. A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel;

a vibrator attached to a surface of the display panel, wherein the vibrator receives a sound signal, generates a vibration in response to the sound signal, and transfers the vibration to the display panel to allow the display panel to vibrate and to output a sound;

a damper which absorbs the vibration of the display panel;

a cover part which covers the display panel, the vibrator and the damper therein;

wherein the damper includes a first end which couples to the display panel and a second end which couples to the cover part,

a damping control recess is defined in a side surface of the damper,

the side surface of the damper is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the display panel, and

inner opposite surfaces and an inner side surface connecting the inner opposite surfaces define the damping recess such that the inner opposite surfaces are parallel to the surface of the display panel and the inner side surface is perpendicular to the surface of the display panel,

wherein the damper absorbs the vibration of the display panel, and

wherein the damping control recess controls the vibration characteristics of the display panel.

23. The display apparatus of claim 22, wherein the display panel includes a first vibration area having a first resonance frequency and a second vibration area having a second resonance frequency.

24. The display apparatus of claim 23, wherein the damper is disposed along a boarder of the first and second vibration areas.

25. The display apparatus of claim 24, wherein

the vibrator includes a first sub vibrator having a first vibration range and a second sub vibrator having a second vibration range,

the first resonance frequency is in the first vibration range, and

the second resonance frequency is in the second vibration range.

26. The display apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first and second sub vibrator vibrate the first and second vibration area, respectively.

27. The display apparatus of claim 26, wherein

the first resonance frequency is higher than the second resonance frequency, and

the first vibration area is larger than the second vibration area.

28. The display apparatus of claim 27, wherein

the first vibration range includes a frequency range from about 1 kHz to about 20 kHz, and

the second vibration range includes a frequency range from about 20 Hz to about 1 kHz.

29. The display apparatus of claim 22, wherein the vibrator includes a first sub vibrator having a first vibration range and a second sub vibrator having a second vibration range.

30. A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel which comprises a first vibration area and a second vibration area;

a vibrator attached to a surface of the display panel, and which comprises a first vibrator disposed in the first vibration area and a second vibrator disposed in the second vibration area;

a damper disposed on the surface of the display panel, and

a signal generator which generates a sound signal in response to a sound data and applies the sound signal to the first and second vibrators, respectively,

wherein the first and second vibrators vibrate the first and second vibration areas, respectively, such that sounds output from the first and second vibration areas are different from each other,

a damping control recess is defined in a side surface of the damper,

the side surface of the damper is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the display panel, and

inner opposite surfaces and an inner side surface connecting the inner opposite surfaces define the damping recess such that the inner opposite surfaces are parallel to the surface of the display panel and the inner side surface is perpendicular to the surface of the display panel,

wherein the damper absorbs the vibration of the display panel, and

wherein the damping control recess controls the vibration characteristics of the display panel.