Patent ID: 12226985

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments, however, can be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; by contrast, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and thus their detailed descriptions will be omitted.

Although relative terms such as “upper” and “lower” are used in the description to describe the relative relationship of one component of an icon to another component, these terms are used in the description for convenience, such as according to the direction of the example described in the drawings. It will be appreciated that if the device of the icon is turned upside down, the components described as “on” will become the components on “bottom”. When a certain structure is “on” other structures, it may mean that a certain structure is integrally formed on other structures, or that a certain structure is “directly” arranged on other structures, or that a certain structure is “indirectly” arranged on another structure through other structures.

The terms “a”, “an”, “the”, “said” and “at least one” are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements/components/etc.; the terms “include” and “have” are used to indicate an open-ended inclusion and means that there may be additional elements/components/etc. in addition to the listed elements/components/etc.

With reference toFIG.1andFIG.2, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a supporting back film1, which can be applied to a flexible display panel2. The flexible display panel2includes a bendable area20, and the bending axis corresponding to the bendable area20of the flexible display panel2extends in the first direction Y. The supporting back film1can be provided on the back side of the flexible display panel2to provide a certain support for the flexible display panel2, thereby improving the flatness of the flexible display panel2and enhancing the impact resistance and bending resistance of the flexible display panel2. It should be noted that the back side of the flexible display panel2refers to the side of the flexible display panel2opposite to its display side.

As shown inFIG.1andFIG.2, the supporting back film1of some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a first supporting structure10and a second supporting structure11provided on at least one side of the first supporting structure10in the second direction X. The second direction X intersects with the first direction Y It should be noted that the first direction Y and the second direction X are both perpendicular to the thickness direction Z of the supporting back film1.

Among them, the orthographic projection of the first supporting structure10of the supporting the back film1on the flexible display panel2can cover the bendable area20of the flexible display panel2. That is, the orthographic projection of the bendable area20of the flexible display panel2on the reference plane can be located in the orthographic projection of the first supporting structure10on the reference plane, which is a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction Z of the supporting back film1.

It should be understood that the first supporting structure10of the supporting back film1can be bent. That is to say, when the bendable area20of the flexible display panel2is bent or folded, the first supporting structure10can follow the bendable area20of the flexible display panel2to be bent or folded together.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the volume of one of the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11is larger than that of the other, the density of the supporting part with the larger volume can be designed to be less than the density of the supporting part with the smaller volume. That is to say, the supporting back film1may be composed of at least two supporting structures with different densities. It is understood that, in order to make the density of the first supporting structure10and the density of the second supporting structure11of the supporting back film1be different from each other, the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11of some embodiments of the present disclosure can be made of materials with different densities respectively. That is, the supporting back film1of some embodiments of the present disclosure can be composed of different materials. Compared with the supporting back film1made of a single material, in some embodiments of the present disclosure the materials of different regions of the supporting back film1can be adjusted according to the different requirements for the supporting performance and bending performance of different regions of the product, so as to ensure the bending performance of the supporting back film1, while ensuring and the support flatness.

Further, while ensuring the bending performance and the support flatness of the supporting back film1, a material with a lower density may be chosen for the supporting structure with a larger volume in the supporting back film1and a material with a higher density may be chosen for the supporting structure with a smaller volume to reduce the weight of the supporting back film1, which can be beneficial to reduce the weight of the product and expand its application range.

It should be noted that when the volume of the second supporting structure11in the supporting back film1is equal to the volume of the first supporting structure10, the density of the second supporting structure11may be less than the density of the first supporting structure10, but not limited to this, can also be greater than the density of the first supporting structure10, as long as the weight of the supporting backing film1can be reduced while ensuring the bending performance and the support flatness of the supporting backing film1.

In addition, it should be noted that the structure of the supporting back film1, the structure of the flexible display panel2, and the positional relationship between the two described in the present disclosure are all designed, unless otherwise specified, when the supporting back film1and flexible display panel2are in a flattened state (i.e., in an unbent or folded state).

The structure of the supporting back film1according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown inFIG.1andFIG.2, the first supporting structure10of the supporting back film1is provided with a second supporting structure11on opposite sides in the second direction X, and the second direction X is perpendicular to the first direction Y, in order to reduce the design difficulty.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the volume of the second supporting structure11in the supporting back film1is larger than that of the first supporting structure10. To reduce the weight of the supporting back film1, the density of the second supporting structure11can be designed to be smaller than that of the first supporting structure10.

Further, the stiffness of the second supporting structure11may be greater than or equal to the stiffness of the first supporting structure10, which can ensure the support performance of the second supporting structure11and improve the support flatness, while ensuring the bending performance of the first supporting structure10. It should be noted that the stiffness of the second supporting structure11may also be slightly smaller than the stiffness of the first supporting structure10, as long as the support requirements of the entire supporting back film1can be guaranteed.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the material of the first supporting structure10may include a metal material; for example, the metal material may include stainless steel; but not limited to this, it may also be other materials with good support performance and bending performance, depending on the specific situation. The material of the second supporting structure11can be a high molecular polymer material; for example, the high molecular polymer material can include polycarbonate (abbreviation: PC) or polymethyl methacrylate (abbreviation: PMMA) with good stiffness); but not limited to this, it can also be other materials with good support performance, depending on the specific situation.

Among them, the first supporting structure10in some embodiments of the present disclosure is made of stainless steel, and the second supporting structure11is supported by PC material or PMMA material, so compared with the supporting back film1made of stainless steel as a whole, which can reduce the weight by about 80% by a reasonable design, while the production cost will be greatly reduced.

As shown inFIG.1, the first supporting structure10in the supporting back film1of some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a main body part101and a plug-in part located on opposite sides of the main body part101in the second direction X. The orthographic projection of the main body part101on the flexible display panel2covers the bendable area20of the flexible display panel2. That is, the orthographic projection of the bendable area20of the flexible display panel2on the reference plane is located within the orthographic projection of the main body part101on the reference plane. The plug-in part includes at least one plug-in block102, and the plug-in block102can be fitted in the second supporting structure11. That is, the first supporting structure10can be connected with the second supporting structure10through its own plug-in block102, which can ensure the connection stability of the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11, thereby ensuring the structural stability of the supporting back film1.

As shown inFIG.3, the main body part101of the first supporting structure10may have a hollow pattern area101a, and the orthographic projection of the hollow pattern area101aon the flexible display panel2may cover the bendable area20of the flexible display panel2, namely: the orthographic projection of the bendable area20of the flexible display panel2on the reference plane can be located within the orthographic projection of the hollow pattern area101aon the reference plane. It should be noted that the hollow pattern area101ais the area of the main body part101provided with the hollow holes1010.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, by setting the area in the main body part101of the first supporting structure10corresponding to the bendable area20of the flexible display panel2as the hollow pattern area101a, the bending performance thereof can be improved, so as to facilitate to match with the requirement of a smaller bending radius and expend the applicable scope of the supporting back film1.

For example, the hollow holes1010of the hollow pattern area101amentioned above can be oblong holes extending in the first direction Y. As shown inFIG.3, the oblong hole refers to a hole with a rectangular center and a semicircular end, which facilitates bending and deformation of the main body part101of the first supporting structure10and reduces stress concentration on a single patterned boundary (i.e., the boundary of a hollow hole1010).

Among them, the hollow holes1010in the hollow pattern area101acan be provided with a plurality and arranged in an array. Further, as shown inFIG.3, the adjacent hollow hole1010in the second direction X can be staggered, which is convenient to distribute the stress more evenly during the bending process, thereby improving the stability of the first supporting structure10.

It should be noted that, the hollow holes1010in the hollow pattern area101aare not limited to oblong holes, and may also be holes of other shapes, depending on the specific situation; and the arrangement of the hollow holes1010in the hollow pattern area101ais not limited to the above-mentioned content, as long as being able to ensure the structural stability and good bendability of the hollow pattern area101a.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the main body part101further has non-pattern areas101blocated on opposite sides of the hollow pattern area101ain the second direction X, and the non-pattern areas101bare areas of the main body part101that have not been patterned, that is, areas with no patterns such as through holes, grooves, and notches. The transition between the hollow pattern area101aand the plug-in part can be realized by providing the non-pattern areas101bto ensure the stability of the first supporting structure10.

It should be understood that, in order to ensure that the supporting back film1can meet the bending performance and flatness of the product, and it can also reduce the weight of the supporting back film1, the shape and size of the first supporting structure10of the supporting back film1are reasonably designed. Specifically, when the bending radius corresponding to the bendable area20of the flexible display panel2to be supported by the supporting back film1is R, as shown inFIG.3andFIG.4, the dimension of the main body part101in the first supporting structure10of the supporting the back film1in the second direction X may be B, and the dimension of the hollow pattern area101aof the main body part101in the second direction X may be A; where, the relationship between A, B, and R may be: A−2×π×R=P, and B−A=Q; the value range of P is 10 mm to 20 mm, such as: 10 mm, 12 mm, 14 mm, 16 mm, 18 mm, 20 mm, etc.; the value range of Q is 5 mm to 10 mm, such as: 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, 10 mm, etc., which can ensure the bending performance of the supporting backing film1and the structural stability of the supporting backing film1.

It should be noted that the dimensions of the non-pattern areas101blocated on both sides of the hollow pattern area101ain the second direction X may be equal. That is to say, when the aforementioned value of Q ranges from 5 mm to 10 mm, the dimension of the non-pattern areas101bin the second direction X may be 2.5 mm to 5 mm, such as: 2.5 mm, 3 mm, 3.5 mm, 4 mm, 4.5 mm, 5 mm and so on.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in order to further ensure the connection stability between the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11, the dimension of the plug-in block102in the second direction X can be designed as C, where the ratio between C and the aforementioned A is 1 to 2. That is, the ratio of the dimension of the plug-in block102in the second direction X to the dimension of the hollow pattern area101aof the main body part101in the second direction X is 1 to 2, for example: 1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2, etc.

In addition, the ratio of the thickness D of the plug-in block102to the thickness H of the main body part101may be greater than or equal to 0.5 and less than 1. That is, the thickness D of the plug-in block102may be smaller than the thickness H of the main body part101and greater than or equal to a half of the thickness of the main body part101, so as to ensure the stability of the connection between the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11, and also to reduce the weight of the entire supporting back film1.

For example, the thickness H of the main body part101may be 100 μm to 200 μm, such as: 100 μm, 120 μm, 140 μm, 160 μm, 180 μm, 200 μm, etc. It should be understood that when the thickness H of the main body part101is within this range, the thickness D of the plug-in block102can be adjusted according to the actual situation, as long as the thickness D is smaller than the thickness H of the main body part101and greater than or equal to a half of the thickness of the main body part101. It should be noted that the thickness of the main body part101is the thickness of the entire supporting back film1.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the side of the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11close to the flexible display panel2can be defined as the top side, the side of the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11far away from the flexible display panel2can be defined as the bottom side, where, when the thickness D of the plug-in block102is smaller than the thickness H of the main body part101, at least one of the top side and the bottom side of the first supporting structure10may be stepped. In addition, It should also be noted that the top side of the second supporting structure11may be flush with the top side of the main body part101, and the bottom side of the second supporting structure11may be flush with the bottom side of the main body part101.

Optionally, as shown inFIG.4, the top side and the bottom side of the first supporting structure10are both stepped. In other words, the opposite sides of the plug-in block102in the thickness direction Z are retracted inwardly relative to the opposite sides of the main body part101in the thickness direction Z, so that the contact area between the second supporting structure11and the first supporting structure10can be increased, and the connection stability of the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11can be increased.

Further, the distance between the top side of the plug-in block102and the top side of the main body part101is equal to the distance between the bottom side of the plug-in block102and the bottom side of the main body part101, which makes the opposite sides of the plug-in block102in the thickness direction Z are substantially the same as the contact area of the second supporting part, so as to further ensure the connection stability between the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11.

It should be noted that the top side of the plug-in block102and the top side of the main body part101belong to a part of the top side of the entire first supporting structure10, and the bottom side of the plug-in block102and the bottom side of the main body part101belong to a part of the bottom side the entire first supporting structure10.

In some embodiments, as shown inFIG.5, the plug-in part may include one plug-in block102. That is, the shape and dimension of the plug-in block102are the shape and dimension of the entire plug-in part. In this case, the opposite sides of the plug-in block102in the first direction Y can be flushed with the opposite sides of the main body part101in the first direction Y respectively, so as to reduce the design difficulty while ensuring the connection stability between the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11. But it is not limited to this, and the opposite sides of the plug-in block102in the first direction Y may also be retracted inwardly relative to the opposite sides of the main body part in the first direction Y, as shown inFIG.6.

In some embodiments, as shown inFIG.7, the plug-in part may include a plurality of plug-in blocks102arranged at intervals in the first direction Y, and such design can increase the contact area of the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11, thus ensuring the stability of the connection between the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11.

It should be noted that the first supporting structure10in some embodiments of the present disclosure is an integrated structure to ensure its structural stability.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a method for manufacturing the supporting back film1, which is used to manufacture the structure of the supporting back film1described in any of the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here. Among them, the manufacturing method for the supporting back film1may include:Step S100, a substrate is provided;Step S200, a first supporting structure10is formed by performing a patterning process on the substrate, the orthographic projection of the first supporting structure10on the flexible display panel2covers the bendable area20, and the first supporting structure10is bendable;Step S300, a second supporting structure11is formed on at least one side of the first supporting structure10in the second direction X.

Among them, the volume of the second supporting structure11is greater than or equal to the volume of the first supporting structure10, and the density of the second supporting structure11is less than the density of the first supporting structure10. Or, the volume of the first supporting structure10is greater than or equal to the second supporting structure11, and the density of the first supporting structure10is less than the density of the second supporting structure11.

When the material of the first supporting structure10is a metal material, and the first supporting structure10includes a main body part101and a plug-in part located on at least one side of the main body part101in the second direction X, the details may be referred to the foregoing description, and not repeated here. Step S300may include:Step S302, the first supporting structure10is put into the molding cavity of the injection mold, and an injection cavity surrounded by the main body part101, the plug-in block102and the cavity wall of the molding cavity is formed;Step S304, the second supporting structure11is formed by injecting high molecular polymer material into the injection cavity.

That is to say, when the first supporting structure10of the supporting back film1is made of metal material and the second supporting structure11is made of high molecular polymer material, the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11can be formed by injection molding together to form the entire supporting backing film1. However, it should be noted that the first supporting structure10and the second supporting structure11are not limited to being connected together by injection molding, and may also be connected together by other methods, such as gluing, depending on the specific situation.

For example, the patterning process mentioned in step S200may include at least one of an etching process and a laser cutting process, but is not limited this, and may also include other processes, depending on specific circumstances.

An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a flexible display device, as shown inFIG.8, which includes a flexible display panel2and the supporting back film1described in any of the foregoing embodiments, and the specific structure of the supporting back film1is not described herein again. Among them, the flexible display panel2has a bendable area20, and the bending axis corresponding to the bendable area20extends in the first direction Y; the supporting back film1is provided on the backside of the flexible display panel2.

For example, the flexible display panel2of some embodiments of the present disclosure may be an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display, but is not limited this, and may also be other types of display, depending on the specific situation.

Optionally, as shown inFIG.8, the flexible display device further includes a polarizer3, a flexible cover plate4, a protective film5and a foam glue6. Among them, the polarizer3can be located on the display side of the flexible display panel2. When the flexible display panel2is an OLED display, the polarizer3can be a circular polarizer to reduce reflection. The flexible cover plate4can be located on the side of the polarizer3away from the flexible display panel2, and can be bonded to the polarizer3through the optical adhesive7(referred to as OCA). The flexible cover plate4can be a transparent polyimide (abbreviation: CPI) material. The protective film5can be located between the supporting back film1and the flexible display panel2, and is used for protecting the flexible display panel2. For example, the protective film5can be a paint surface protective film5; the foam glue6can be bonded between the protective film5and the supporting back film1to play a buffering role.

The flexible display device of some embodiments of the present disclosure can be a foldable product, which can be folded inward; that is, the display side of the product is located on the inside of the fold. Or, it can be folded outward; that is, the display side of the product is located outside the fold.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the specific type of the flexible display device is not particularly limited, and any type of flexible display device commonly used in the art can be used, such as an OLED display, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a watch, a VR device, and the like. Those skilled in the art can make corresponding selections according to the specific use of the display device, which will not be repeated here. It should be noted that, in addition to the aforementioned structures, the flexible display device also includes other necessary components and composition, taking a display as an example, such as a casing, a circuit board, a power cord, etc. Those skilled in the art can make corresponding supplementation according to specific usage requirements of the display device, and details are not repeated here.

Those skilled in the art will easily think of other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the description and practicing the contents disclosed here. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variation, use or adaptive change of the present disclosure, which follows the general principles of the present disclosure and includes the common knowledge or customary technical means in the technical field not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and the embodiments are considered as exemplary, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.