Flexible panel, display apparatus and wearable device

• US 9,778,689 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Song, Song, Nagayama, Kazuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): HAUGHTON, ANTHONY MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US14/913,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20170038794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 36167921-6793, 36167955, 36167956, 36167903, 349 56- 60, 345905
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/007 combined with a calculator or computing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/02 by a carrier person or animal
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/00 Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the variable information is permanently attached to a movable support G09F11/00; abacus G06C1/00; slide-rules G06G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/301 flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED

Abstract

A flexible panel, a display apparatus and a wearable device are disclosed.

The flexible panel comprises a first crease extending in a first direction, a second crease extending in a second direction and intersecting with the first crease, and a plurality of display units divided by the first crease and the second crease, the plurality of display units are folded and/or unfolded by the first crease and the second crease. When the flexible panel is in use, the plurality of display units may be completely unfolded by means of the creases, so that a usable area of the screen may be increased, the user experience can be improved; when the user does not use the flexible panel, the display units may be overlapped by means of the crease, which may change the shape of the panel, and thus the flexible panel is convenient to carry.

Claims

1. A flexible panel, comprising

a first crease extending in a first direction,

a second crease extending in a second direction and intersecting with the first crease, and

a plurality of display units divided by the first crease and the second crease,

wherein the plurality of display units are folded and/or unfolded by the first crease and the second crease,

wherein the flexible panel is rectangular after being unfolded, and the flexible panel further comprises a support structure for maintaining an unfolded state of the plurality of display units when the plurality of display units are unfolded,

wherein the support structure comprises a first retractable support member and a second retractable support member respectively arranged at two display units which will be located diagonally in the rectangular when the flexible panel is unfolded, each of the first retractable support member and second retractable support member comprising a retractable longitudinal portion and a retractable transverse portion,

wherein the first retractable support member and the second retractable support member are configured such that the retractable transverse portion of the first retractable support member is connected with the retractable longitudinal portion of the second retractable support member and the retractable longitudinal portion of the first retractable support member is connected with the retractable transverse portion of the second retractable support member when the flexible panel is unfolded.

2. The flexible panel according to claim 1, wherein the flexible panel comprises a plurality of the first creases, each of the first creases comprising a plurality of first sub-creases divided by the second crease, folding directions for the first sub-creases in the same first crease are identical, and folding directions for two adjacent first creases are opposite, each of the second creases comprises a plurality of second sub-creases divided by the plurality of the first creases, and folding directions for two adjacent second sub-creases in the same second crease are opposite.

3. The flexible panel according to claim 2, wherein the flexible panel comprises a plurality of the second creases, and among two adjacent second creases, folding directions for two second sub-creases aligned in the first direction are opposite.

4. The flexible panel according to claim 3, wherein each first sub-crease and each second sub-crease are both of a linear structure, each second sub-crease is parallel to the second direction, each first sub-crease is inclined relative to the first direction and has a same inclination angle, and inclining directions for any two adjacent first sub-creases in the first direction are opposite, inclining directions for any two adjacent first sub-creases in the second direction are identical.

5. The flexible panel according to claim 1, wherein the flexible panel comprises a plurality of gate circuit regions separated from each other, each gate circuit region corresponding to one row of display units in the second direction.

6. The flexible panel according to claim 2, wherein the flexible panel comprises a plurality of gate circuit regions separated from each other, each gate circuit region corresponding to one row of display units in the second direction.

7. The flexible panel according to claim 3, wherein the flexible panel comprises a plurality of gate circuit regions separated from each other, each gate circuit region corresponding to one row of display units in the second direction.

8. The flexible panel according to claim 4, wherein the flexible panel comprises a plurality of gate circuit regions separated from each other, each gate circuit region corresponding to one row of display units in the second direction.

9. A display apparatus comprising a flexible panel, the flexible panel comprising

a first crease extending in a first direction,

a second crease extending in a second direction and intersecting with the first crease, and

a plurality of display units divided by the first crease and the second crease,

wherein the plurality of display units are folded and/or unfolded by the first crease and the second crease,

wherein the flexible panel is rectangular after being unfolded, and the flexible panel further comprises a support structure for maintaining an unfolded state of the plurality of display units when the plurality of display units are unfolded,

wherein the support structure comprises a first retractable support member and a second retractable support member respectively arranged at two display units which will be located diagonally in the rectangular when the flexible panel is unfolded, each of the first retractable support member and second retractable support member comprising a retractable longitudinal portion and a retractable transverse portion,

wherein the first retractable support member and the second retractable support member are configured such that the retractable transverse portion of the first retractable support member is connected with the retractable longitudinal portion of the second retractable support member and the retractable longitudinal portion of the first retractable support member is connected with the retractable transverse portion of the second retractable support member when the flexible panel is unfolded.

10. A wearable device, comprising the display apparatus according to claim 9 and a wearable component for fixing the display apparatus to the human body.

11. The wearable device according to claim 10, wherein the wearable component is a watchband.

12. The display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the flexible panel comprises a plurality of the first creases, each of the first creases comprising a plurality of first sub-creases divided by the second crease, folding directions for the first sub-creases in the same first crease are identical, and folding directions for two adjacent first creases are opposite, each of the second creases comprises a plurality of second sub-creases divided by the plurality of the first creases, and folding directions for two adjacent second sub-creases in the same second crease are opposite.

13. The display apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the flexible panel comprises a plurality of the second creases, and among two adjacent second creases, folding directions for two second sub-creases aligned in the first direction are opposite.

14. The display apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each first sub-crease and each second sub-crease are both of a linear structure, each second sub-crease is parallel to the second direction, each first sub-crease is inclined relative to the first direction and has a same inclination angle, and inclining directions for any two adjacent first sub-creases in the first direction are opposite, inclining directions for any two adjacent first sub-creases in the second direction are identical.

15. The display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the flexible panel comprises a plurality of gate circuit regions separated from each other, each gate circuit region corresponding to one row of display units in the second direction.