FOLDABLE DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20200037433A1
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Published: 01/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: DONG, Tian
• Granted Patent: US 10,806,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/301 flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/118 specially for flexible printed circuits, e.g. using folded portions
• 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 5/0017 with operator interface units
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0221 Locks; Latches

Abstract

A foldable display device is provided. The foldable display device includes a flexible display panel including a first display region, a second display region and a bending region and having a first state and a second state; and a first panel supporting frame and a second panel supporting frame configured to support the first display region and the second display region, respectively. In the first state, the first and the second panel supporting frames overlap with each other; and in the second state, the first and the second panel supporting frames are in a same plane and form an accommodation space in which the bending region is accommodated, and a first border of the first display region and a fifth border of the second display region abut against and are in contact with each other to form a structure of flat panel display.

Claims

1. A foldable display device, comprising:

a flexible display panel comprising a first display region, a second display region, and a bending region formed between the first display region and the second display region;

a first panel supporting frame for supporting the first display region; and

a second panel supporting frame for supporting the second display region,

wherein the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame are configured to make the flexible display panel have a first state and a second state, in the first state, the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame overlap with each other and are directly in contact with each other, the bending region is in a first bended-shape, and the first display region and the second display region overlap with each other and are not directly in contact with each other; and

in the second state, a surface of the first panel supporting frame in contact with the first display region and a surface of the second panel supporting frame in contact with the second display region are in a same plane, and an accommodation space is formed between the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame, the bending region is in a second bended-shape and accommodated in the accommodation space, a first border of the first display region and a fifth border of the second display region abut against each other and are in contact with each other to form a structure of flat panel display.

2. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein the first panel supporting frame is on a display back surface of the first display region, and the second panel supporting frame is on a display back surface of the second display region.

3. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein the bending region is not configured for display, and comprises a metal connection wire.

4. The foldable display device according to claim 3, wherein, the flexible display panel further comprises:

a first gate driving circuit for driving the first display region, and

a second gate driving circuit for driving the second display region and being different from the first gate driving circuit.

5. The foldable display device according to claim 4, wherein the first gate driving circuit is in a vicinity of a second border opposite to the first border of the first display region, and the second gate driving circuit is in a vicinity of a sixth border opposite to the fifth border of the second display region.

6. The foldable display device according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the first gate driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit is in the bending region.

7. The foldable display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first locking mechanism being on a first side surface of the first panel supporting frame adjacent to the bending region and a third side surface of the second panel supporting frame adjacent to the bending region, and configured to lock the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame in the second state.

8. The foldable display device according to claim 7, wherein the first locking mechanism comprises:

a locking slot being on the first side surface of the first panel supporting frame; and

a locking rod, wherein a first end of the locking rod is on the third side surface of the second panel supporting frame and a second end of the locking rod is configured to be capable of being inserted into or pulled out of the locking slot, wherein in the first state, the second end of the locking rod is pulled out of the locking slot; and

in the second state, the second end of the locking rod is inserted into the locking slot so as to lock the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame.

9. The foldable display device according to claim 8, wherein in the first state, the locking rod is capable of being accommodated in a space formed when the bending region is in the first bended-shape;

and

in the second state, the locking rod is capable of being supported between the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame such that the first border of the first display region and the fifth border of the second display region abut against each other and are in contact with each other to form the structure of flat panel display.

10. The foldable display device according to claim 8, wherein

the locking slot is a deformable slot formed of an elastic and deformable material, and the second end of the locking rod is provided with a rigid ball formed of a rigid material, and an external diameter of the rigid ball is larger than an inner diameter of the locking slot.

11. The foldable display device according to claim 8, wherein

the locking slot is a non-deformable slot formed of a rigid material, and the second end of the locking rod is provided with an elastic ball formed of an elastic and deformable material, and an external diameter of the elastic ball is larger than an inner diameter of the locking slot.

12. The foldable display device according to claim 8, wherein

the locking rod is a stretch-retraction rod structure capable of being stretched and retracted.

13. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein

in the first state, a display back surface of the first display region and a display back surface of the second display region face towards each other so as to cause the flexible display panel to perform double-screen display, and the bending region has a width enabling the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame to completely overlap with each other and be attached with each other in the first state.

14. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible display panel further comprises a third state, and

in the third state, the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame overlap with each other, and the bending region is in a third bended-shape, and a display surface of the first display region and a display surface of the second display region overlap with each other and are directly in contact with each other so as to make the flexible display panel not perform display.

15. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible display panel further comprises a second locking mechanism, the first panel supporting frame comprises a second side surface facing away from the second panel supporting frame in the second state, and the second panel supporting frame comprises a fourth side surface facing away from the first panel supporting frame in the second state;

wherein the second locking mechanism is on the second side surface and the fourth side surface, and is configured to lock the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame in the first state.

16. The foldable display device according to claim 2, wherein the bending region is not configured for display, and comprises a metal connection wire.

17. The foldable display device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a first locking mechanism being on a first side surface of the first panel supporting frame adjacent to the bending region and a third side surface of the second panel supporting frame adjacent to the bending region, and configured to lock the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame in the second state.

18. The foldable display device according to claim 9, wherein

the locking rod is a stretch-retraction rod structure capable of being stretched and retracted.

19. The foldable display device according to claim 2, wherein

in the first state, a display back surface of the first display region and a display back surface of the second display region face towards each other so as to cause the flexible display panel to perform double-screen display, and the bending region has a width enabling the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame to completely overlap with each other and be attached with each other in the first state.

20. The foldable display device according to claim 2, wherein the flexible display panel further comprises a second locking mechanism, the first panel supporting frame comprises a second side surface facing away from the second panel supporting frame in the second state, and the second panel supporting frame comprises a fourth side surface facing away from the first panel supporting frame in the second state;

wherein the second locking mechanism is on the second side surface and the fourth side surface, and is configured to lock the first panel supporting frame and the second panel supporting frame in the first state.