CN114038330B

CN114038330B - Foldable display module and foldable display device

Info

Publication number: CN114038330B
Application number: CN202111444037.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 郑秉文
Original assignee: Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-11-30
Filing date: 2021-11-30
Publication date: 2023-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 2041-11-30
Also published as: CN114038330A

Abstract

The application discloses a foldable display module and a foldable display device, wherein the foldable display module and the foldable display device are provided with a first flat area, a second flat area and a foldable area connected with the first flat area and the second flat area; the foldable display module comprises a flexible substrate positioned in the first flat area, the second flat area and the foldable area, and a circuit layer and a light-emitting device layer which are sequentially arranged on the flexible substrate; the circuit layer comprises a transfer circuit and an array circuit which are mutually insulated; the array circuit is electrically connected with the light emitting device layer, and the transfer circuit extends from the first flat plate area to the direction of the foldable area to the second flat plate area, and is used for connecting two parts of electronic devices which are arranged on the back of the foldable display module and are respectively located in the first flat plate area and the second flat plate area in series when the foldable display module is installed. The utility model discloses a collapsible display device's assembly process has been simplified, dust-proof and waterproof has been favorable to and space utilization has been promoted.

Description

Foldable display module and foldable display device

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a foldable display module and a foldable display device.

Background

As display technology has evolved, foldable displays have gradually become a brand-new corner in the display market. Currently, each display main terminal manufacturer starts to push or plan to push out foldable display terminals, such as three-star Fold and Flip series, hua-to-mate Fold, millet mixfold, and the foldable display market occupation rate is also increasing year by year.

As is known, a foldable display terminal is composed of a foldable display module and a display body, wherein the display body is divided into two sections and connected by a rotation shaft in order to be able to realize a bending function. Because the display body is divided into two sections, electronic devices such as a battery, a main board, an antenna and the like which are positioned in the display body are also divided into two parts, and are respectively installed in the two parts of the display body. In order to enable the communication connection of the two-part display body, an additional transfer FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit, flexible circuit board) is required. Typically, the electronics located in the two-part display body are connected by a slotted design in the middle frame of the two-part display body, and then threading several transfer FPCs through the middle frame slots. Meanwhile, since the transfer FPC passes through the rotating shaft area and also needs to be bent, the transfer FPC can be fixed in the rotating shaft area in a fixed shape.

According to the existing design, the transfer FPC needs to be formed into a fixed shape and fixed in a corresponding area, so that the assembly process is complicated, and meanwhile, the slotting at the edge of the middle frame is not beneficial to water and dust prevention and the space utilization rate is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a collapsible display module assembly and collapsible display device through forming the switching circuit in collapsible display module assembly, has avoided installing at the center fluting installation switching FPC, has simplified the assembly process, is favorable to dustproof and waterproof and has promoted space utilization.

The application provides a foldable display module, which is provided with a first flat plate area, a second flat plate area and a foldable area connected with the first flat plate area and the second flat plate area;

the foldable display module comprises a flexible substrate positioned in the first flat area, the second flat area and the foldable area, and a circuit layer and a light-emitting device layer which are sequentially arranged on the flexible substrate;

the circuit layer comprises a transfer circuit and an array circuit which are mutually insulated; the array circuit is electrically connected with the light emitting device layer, and the transfer circuit extends from the first flat plate area to the direction of the foldable area to the second flat plate area, and is used for connecting two parts of electronic devices which are arranged on the back of the foldable display module and are respectively located in the first flat plate area and the second flat plate area in series when the foldable display module is installed.

Optionally, the array line is located between the switching line and the light emitting device layer; and the wiring layer further comprises the first buffer layer positioned between the flexible substrate and the transfer wiring and a second buffer layer positioned between the transfer wiring and the array wiring.

Optionally, the switching circuit and the array circuit are arranged in the same layer.

Optionally, at least a portion of the transfer line located in the foldable area has a wave-like shape in orthographic projection on the flexible substrate.

Optionally, at least part of the transfer lines in the first flat area and at least part of the transfer lines in the second flat area are distributed in a straight line, and an included angle between the transfer lines and the extending direction of the foldable area is an acute angle.

Optionally, the foldable display module further has a first binding area located in the first flat area and far away from the foldable area, and a second binding area located in the second flat area and far away from the foldable area;

the foldable display module further comprises a first gasket group positioned in the first binding area, a second gasket group positioned in the second binding area, a first flexible circuit board bound with the first gasket group and bent to the back of the flexible substrate, and a second flexible circuit board bound with the second gasket group and bent to the back of the flexible substrate;

the two ends of the transfer circuit extend to the first binding area and the second binding area respectively and are electrically connected with the first liner group and the second liner group respectively.

Optionally, the foldable display module further includes a third pad group at least located in the first binding area, and a third flexible circuit board bound with the third pad group and bent to the back of the flexible substrate; the array line is electrically connected to the third pad group.

Optionally, the first pad group and the third pad group are arranged in the same layer and are arranged side by side at intervals in the extending direction of the first binding area.

The application also provides a foldable display device, which comprises the foldable display module, a foldable machine body covering the side surface and the back of the foldable display module, and a plurality of electronic devices positioned between the foldable display module and the foldable machine body and respectively positioned in the first flat area and the second flat area;

and two ends of the transfer circuit are respectively and electrically connected with the electronic device positioned in the first flat plate area and the electronic device positioned in the second flat plate area.

Optionally, the electronic device includes any one or more of a battery, a motherboard, and an antenna.

The application provides a collapsible display module assembly and collapsible display device through form can be used to connect and install in collapsible display module assembly the back of collapsible display module assembly just is located respectively first dull and stereotyped district with the transfer circuit of two parts electronic device in the dull and stereotyped district of second has avoided installing the time at the center fluting installation transfer FPC, has simplified the assembly process, is favorable to dustproof waterproof and has promoted space utilization.

Drawings

Technical solutions and other advantageous effects of the present application will be made apparent from the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of a foldable display module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a top view of a switching circuit according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a top view of a circuit layer before bonding according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a top view of a bound circuit layer according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 is a front top view of a foldable display module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a back plan view of a foldable display module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a top view of a back surface of a foldable display module and an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a back structure of a foldable display device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It will be apparent that the described embodiments are only some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments herein without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the present application.

In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "transverse," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," etc. indicate or are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, merely for convenience of description and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more, unless explicitly defined otherwise.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, and may be either fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected, for example; can be mechanically connected, electrically connected or can be communicated with each other; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be communicated with the inside of two elements or the interaction relationship of the two elements. The specific meaning of the terms in this application will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as the case may be.

In this application, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, a first feature "above" or "below" a second feature may include both the first and second features being in direct contact, and may also include the first and second features not being in direct contact but being in contact with each other by way of additional features therebetween. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "over" and "on" a second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature includes the first feature being directly under and obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is less level than the second feature.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different structures of the present application. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present application, the components and arrangements of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present application. Furthermore, the present application may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples, which are for the purpose of brevity and clarity, and which do not in themselves indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and/or arrangements discussed. In addition, the present application provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize the application of other processes and/or the use of other materials.

As shown in fig. 1, the embodiment of the present application provides a foldable display module 1, where the foldable display module 1 has a first flat area 2, a second flat area 3, and a foldable area 4 connecting the first flat area 2 and the second flat area 3. In particular, the first flat panel region 2 and the second flat panel region 3 may be folded together by the foldable region 4.

The foldable display module 1 includes a flexible substrate 5 positioned in the first flat region 2, the second flat region 3 and the foldable region 4, and a wiring layer 6 and a light emitting device layer 7 sequentially disposed on the flexible substrate 5.

In a specific embodiment, the foldable display module 1 further includes a Back Plate (BP) 8 and a SUS layer 9 on a side of the flexible substrate 5 away from the wiring layer 6, and a Polarizer (POL) 10 and a cover plate (CW) 11 on the light emitting device layer 7. It will be appreciated that the film layers of the foldable display module 1 may be fixed by transparent optical adhesive (OCA), which is not shown in the drawings.

Specifically, the material of the flexible substrate 5 includes PI (Polyimide), and the flexible substrate 5 may be a laminated structure of a double-layer PI substrate or a single-layer PI substrate structure.

Specifically, the wiring layer 6 includes a transit wiring 12 and an array wiring 13 which are disposed to be insulated from each other. The array circuit 13 is electrically connected to the light emitting device layer 7, and is used for transmitting an electrical signal to the light emitting device layer 7 so as to enable the light emitting devices in the light emitting device layer 7 to emit light normally. The transfer circuit 12 extends from the first flat area 2 to the foldable area 4 to the second flat area 3, and is used for connecting in series two parts of electronic devices which are arranged on the back of the foldable display module 1 and are respectively positioned in the first flat area 2 and the second flat area 3 when the electronic devices are installed.

Specifically, the array wiring 13 includes a plurality of thin film transistors distributed in an array, a plurality of gate lines electrically connected to the plurality of thin film transistors, and a plurality of data lines. The light emitting device layer 7 comprises a plurality of light emitting devices, such as OLEDs or LEDs, distributed in an array. It is understood that the plurality of thin film transistors are electrically connected to the plurality of light emitting devices in one-to-one correspondence.

Specifically, the electronic device includes any one or more of a battery, a motherboard, and an antenna. In the installation, the electronic device is mounted on the back of the foldable display module, in particular in the fuselage. Typically, the fuselage is a foldable fuselage, consisting of two-part fuselage and a rotating structure located between the two-part fuselage. The same electronic device will be divided into two parts and placed in the two-part body respectively. It will be appreciated that the two-part body is disposed in correspondence with the first flat area and the second flat area, and that the two-part electronic device is located in the first flat area and the second flat area, respectively.

It will be appreciated that the switching circuit 12 in the embodiment of the present application is disposed in the display module and is used to connect the electronic devices disposed in the two-part body in series, so as to achieve communication between the electronic devices in the two-part body.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, the array line 13 is located between the transfer line 12 and the light emitting device layer 7; and the wiring layer 6 further comprises a first buffer layer 14 between the flexible substrate 5 and the transit wiring 12 and a second buffer layer 15 between the transit wiring 12 and the array wiring 13. It will be appreciated that the patch cord 12 and the array cord 13 are provided in different layers.

Specifically, the material of the first buffer layer 14 includes any one of silicon nitride and silicon oxide, and the material of the second buffer layer 15 includes any one of silicon nitride and silicon oxide, and of course, the first buffer layer 14 and the second buffer layer 15 may have a stacked structure of silicon nitride and silicon oxide.

Specifically, the orthographic projection shape of the transfer circuit 12 on the flexible substrate 5 may be designed according to the overall arrangement, and in order to facilitate bending, the transfer circuit 12 may be shaped like an arc to reduce bending stress. As shown in fig. 2, in a specific embodiment, at least a portion of the transfer line 12 located in the foldable area 4 has a wave-like shape in front projection on the flexible substrate; and, at least part of the transfer lines 12 located in the first flat plate area 2 and at least part of the transfer lines 12 located in the second flat plate area 3 are distributed in a straight line and form an acute angle with the extending direction of the foldable area 4. Of course, the shape of orthographic projection of the transfer circuit 12 on the flexible substrate 5 and the distribution of the transfer circuit 12 are not limited in the embodiment of the present application, and the design is specifically performed according to the whole machine arrangement.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, the foldable display module 1 further has a first binding area 16 located in the first flat area 2 and located away from the foldable area 4, and a second binding area 17 located in the second flat area 3 and located away from the foldable area 4. As shown in fig. 3 to 6, the foldable display module 1 further includes a first pad group 18 located at the first bonding region 16, a second pad group 19 located at the second bonding region 17, a first flexible circuit board 20 bonded to the first pad group 18 and bent to the back of the flexible substrate 5, and a second flexible circuit board 21 bonded to the second pad group 19 and bent to the back of the flexible substrate 5. The two ends of the transit line 12 extend to the first binding region 16 and the second binding region 17, and are electrically connected to the first pad group 18 and the second pad group 19, respectively.

It can be understood that, as shown in fig. 3, the foldable display module 1 may be further divided into a display area 22 and a non-display area 23, where the non-display area 23 is at least located at two sides of the display area 22, and the first binding area 16 and the second binding area 17 in the embodiment of the present application are respectively located at the non-display areas 23 at two sides of the display area 22.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 3 to 6, the foldable display module 1 further includes a third pad group 24 at least in the first binding region 16, and a third flexible circuit board 25 bound with the third pad group 24 and bent to the back of the flexible substrate 5; the array wiring 13 is electrically connected to the third pad group 24. It will be appreciated that IC bonding is also required when bonding the third flexible circuit board 25.

Specifically, the first pad group 18 and the third pad group 24 are arranged in the same layer and are arranged side by side with an interval in the extending direction of the first binding region 16. Since the transit lines 12 and the array lines 13 in the embodiment of the present application are disposed at different layers, the transit lines 12 may be led to the first bonding areas 16 and the second bonding areas 17 through vias located at the first bonding areas 16 and the second bonding areas 17 and penetrating the second buffer layers 15 and the array lines 13, and form the first pad group 18, the second pad group 19, and the third pad group 24 together with the array lines 13.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, in order to reasonably arrange the first pad group 18, the second pad group 19, and the third pad group 24, the extending directions of the two ends of the transit line 12 are opposite and form an acute angle with the extending direction of the foldable area 4.

Specifically, since the first pad group 18 and the third pad group 24 are disposed in the same layer, the first flexible circuit board 20 and the third flexible circuit board 25 may be formed in the same process, i.e., integrally disposed.

It will be appreciated that the first pad set 18, the second pad set 19 and the third pad set 24 each comprise a plurality of spaced apart pads.

It will be appreciated that, in the installation, one end of the transit line 12 located in the first binding area 16 is electrically connected to the electronic device mounted on the back of the foldable display module 1 and located in the first flat area 2 through the first pad group 18 and the first flexible circuit board 20, and one end of the transit line 12 located in the second binding area 17 is electrically connected to the electronic device mounted on the back of the foldable display module 1 and located in the second flat area 3 through the second pad group 19 and the second flexible circuit board 21, so as to realize normal communication between the two electronic devices.

In this embodiment of the application, through forming switching circuit 12 in collapsible display module assembly 1 to through collapsible display module assembly 1 self first flexible circuit board 20 and second flexible circuit board 21 accomplish the electric connection of installing at collapsible display module assembly 1's back and being located respectively between the two parts electronic device in first dull and stereotyped district 2 and second dull and stereotyped district 3, thereby reach the purpose of getting rid of current switching FPC, simplified the assembly process, be favorable to dustproof waterproof and promoted space utilization.

The application further provides a foldable display module, which is different from the above embodiment in that the switching circuit and the array circuit are arranged on the same layer. It can be appreciated that the transit lines in the embodiments of the present application need not be routed to the first bonding area and the second bonding area through vias.

In this embodiment, through forming the switching circuit in collapsible display module assembly to through collapsible display module assembly's self first flexible circuit board and second flexible circuit board completion install at collapsible display module assembly's back and lie in respectively the electric connection between the two parts electronic device in first dull and stereotyped district and second dull and stereotyped district, thereby reach the purpose of removing current switching FPC, simplified the assembly process, be favorable to dustproof waterproof and promoted space utilization.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the embodiment of the present application further provides a foldable display device 26, where the foldable display device 26 includes any one of the foregoing foldable display modules 1, a foldable body 27 covering the side and back of the foldable display module 1, and a plurality of electronic devices 28 located between the foldable display module 1 and the foldable body 27 and located in the first flat area 2 and the second flat area 3, respectively. Both ends of the transit line 12 are electrically connected to the electronic device 28 located in the first flat board area 2 and the electronic device 28 located in the second flat board area 3, respectively.

Specifically, the electronic device 28 includes any one or more of a battery, a motherboard, and an antenna.

Specifically, the foldable body 27 includes a first body 29, a second body 30, and a rotating structure 31 connecting the first body 29 and the second body 30, and the electronic device 28 is mounted in the first body 29 and the second body 30 in two parts, respectively.

In this embodiment of the application, form switching circuit 12 in collapsible display module assembly 1, avoided carrying out the switching FPC of fluting design in order to install fixed shape on the center of two part fuselage, simplified the assembly process, be favorable to dustproof and waterproof and promoted space utilization.

It should be noted that, in the foregoing embodiment, the foldable display module 1 may further be provided with functional devices, such as an under-screen camera, and the foldable display device 26 may further be provided with some openings or grooves corresponding to the functional devices on the foldable body 27, which are not shown in the drawings.

In the foregoing embodiments, the descriptions of the embodiments are emphasized, and for parts of one embodiment that are not described in detail, reference may be made to related descriptions of other embodiments.

The above describes in detail a foldable display module and a foldable display device provided in the embodiments of the present application, and specific examples are applied herein to describe the principles and implementations of the present application, where the description of the above embodiments is only for helping to understand the technical solution and core ideas of the present application; those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A foldable display module, characterized by having a first flat area, a second flat area, and a foldable area connecting the first flat area and the second flat area;

the circuit layer comprises a transfer circuit and an array circuit which are mutually insulated; the array circuit is electrically connected with the light-emitting device layer, and the transfer circuit extends from the first flat plate area to the foldable area to the second flat plate area and is used for connecting two parts of electronic devices which are arranged on the back of the foldable display module and are respectively positioned in the first flat plate area and the second flat plate area in series when the device is installed;

the foldable display module is also provided with a first binding area which is positioned in the first flat area and far away from the foldable area, and a second binding area which is positioned in the second flat area and far away from the foldable area;

2. The foldable display module of claim 1, wherein the array circuitry is located between the transfer circuitry and the light emitting device layer; and the line layer further comprises a first buffer layer positioned between the flexible substrate and the transfer line and a second buffer layer positioned between the transfer line and the array line.

3. The foldable display module of claim 1, wherein the transfer lines and the array lines are arranged in a same layer.

4. A foldable display module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least a part of the transfer line located in the foldable area has a wave-like shape in orthographic projection on the flexible substrate.

5. The foldable display module of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the transfer lines in the first flat region and at least a portion of the transfer lines in the second flat region are disposed in a straight line and form an acute angle with an extension direction of the foldable region.

6. The foldable display module of claim 1, further comprising a third pad set at least in the first binding region and a third flexible circuit board bound to the third pad set and folded to the back of the flexible substrate; the array line is electrically connected to the third pad group.

7. The foldable display module of claim 6, wherein the first and third gasket groups are arranged in a same layer and are arranged side-by-side at intervals in the direction of extension of the first binding region.

8. A foldable display device comprising a foldable display module according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a foldable body covering the side and back of the foldable display module, and a plurality of electronic devices located between the foldable display module and the foldable body and respectively located in the first flat area and the second flat area;

two ends of the transfer circuit are respectively and electrically connected with the electronic device positioned in the first flat plate area and the electronic device positioned in the second flat plate area;

9. The foldable display device of claim 8, wherein the electronic device comprises any one or more of a battery, a motherboard, and an antenna.