US-12622155-B2 - Display device

US12622155B2US 12622155 B2US12622155 B2US 12622155B2US-12622155-B2

Abstract

A display device includes: a display panel having an upper surface to display an image and a lower surface; a first support and a second support disposed on the lower surface of the display panel; a first hinge connecting a side of the first support and a side of the second support and defining a first axis; a cover disposed on another side of the second support; and a second hinge connecting another side of the second support and a side of the cover and defining a second axis substantially parallel to the first axis, wherein the cover comprises a transparent material and a recess disposed on the side connected to the second hinge member.

Inventors

Seung Hwa HA
Seung Ho Jung
In Woo JEONG

Assignees

SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20221211
Priority Date: 20200417

Claims (8)

1 . A display device comprising: a display panel having an upper surface to display an image and a lower surface; a first support member and a second support member disposed on the lower surface of the display panel, the second support member comprising a protruding part; a first hinge connecting a side of the first support member and a side of the second support member and defining a first axis; a cover disposed on another side of the second support member, the cover comprising a pair of attachment parts and defining, between the pair of attachment parts, a notch in which the protruding part is accommodated; and a second hinge connecting the another side of the second support member and a side of the cover, the second hinge comprising: a shaft received in the protruding part to define and defining a second axis substantially parallel to the first axis; and a pair of coupling members supported at either end of the shaft, each coupling member of the pair of coupling members being connected to a corresponding attachment part of the pair of attachment parts; and the second support member comprises: a pair of first recessed parts disposed at both corners adjacent to the cover; a pair of second recessed parts, each of which is additionally recessed from a surface of each first recessed part of the pair of first recessed parts; and a pair of step parts, each of which is formed by each first recessed part of the pair of first recessed parts and a corresponding second recessed part of the pair of second recessed parts.
2 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pair of coupling members comprises a body part and an extension formed integrally with a side of the body part.
3 . The display device of claim 2 , wherein the extension comprises an extension part configured to rotate around the second axis to be received in the second recessed part.
4 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein at least one coupling member of the pair of coupling members is connected to the corresponding attachment part of the pair of attachment parts by one or more adhesive members or a magnet.
5 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises a cover member including a first substrate, a first buffer layer disposed on a surface of the first substrate, and a second buffer layer disposed on another surface of the first substrate.
6 . The display device of claim 5 , wherein the first buffer layer and the second buffer layer comprise a polyurethane-based material.
7 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein the display panel comprises a first non-folding area disposed on the first support member, a second non-folding area disposed on the second support member and a folding area disposed on the first hinge, and the cover is rotatable around the second axis to overlap the second non-folding area in a thickness direction.
8 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises a transparent material.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/146,395, filed on Jan. 11, 2021, which claims priority from and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0046558, filed on Apr. 17, 2020, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. BACKGROUND Field Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate generally to a display device and, more particularly, to a display device that can protect a display module from external impact. Discussion of the Background A display device is a device that displays an image and includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic light emitting display panel including organic light emitting diodes (OLED) or quantum dot electroluminescence (QD-EL) devices. A mobile electronic device includes a display device to provide an image to a user. There is a growing proportion of mobile electronic devices having the same or smaller volume or thickness but a larger display screen than conventional ones. In addition, a foldable or bendable display device that can be folded and unfolded to provide a larger screen only when used is being developed. The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for understanding of the background of the inventive concepts, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not constitute prior art. SUMMARY The thickness of a cover window on a foldable display panel should be minimized to ensure reliable folding. Applicant realized that a thin cover window can be easily damaged by a user's continuous touch such as typing or by external impact. Foldable display devices constructed according to the principles and exemplary implementations of the invention are thin enough to be reliably folded and unfolded while at the same time protect the display module from external impact. For example, the foldable display devices provide for sufficient thinness to facilitate folding but also protect the display module from external impact Additional features of the inventive concepts will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the inventive concepts. According to one aspect of the invention, a display device includes: a display panel having an upper surface to display an image and a lower surface; a first support and a second support disposed on the lower surface of the display panel; a first hinge connecting a side of the first support and a side of the second support and defining a first axis; a cover disposed on another side of the second support; and a second hinge connecting another side of the second support and a side of the cover and defining a second axis substantially parallel to the first axis, wherein the cover comprises a transparent material and a recess disposed on the side connected to the second hinge member. The first and second hinges may include first and second hinge members, respectively, and the second hinge member may include a shaft received in the second support member to define the second axis and a pair of rotatable couplers supported at either end of the shaft. At least one of the pair of rotatable couplers may include coupling members or a joint and an extension formed integrally with a side of the body part. The second support member may include a pair of first recessed parts disposed at both corners adjacent to the cover member, a second recessed part additionally recessed from a surface of each first recessed part, and a step part formed by each first recessed part and the second recessed part. The extension may include an extension part configured to rotate around the second axis to be received in the second recessed part. The second support member may include a projection extending between the pair of first recessed parts, the projection being accommodated in the recess of the cover member. The cover may include a pair of attachment parts disposed with the recess interposed therebetween. The cover may include a pair of connectors disposed at the pair of attachment parts, respectively. The at least one of the connectors may include one or more adhesive members or a magnet. The cover may include a cover member including a first substrate, a first buffer layer disposed on a surface of the first substrate, and a second buffer layer disposed on another surface of the first substrate. The first buffer layer and the second buffer layer may include a polyurethane-based material. The display panel may include a first non-folding area disposed on the first support, a second non-folding area disposed on the second support and a folding area disposed on the first hinge, and the cover may be rotatable around the second axis to overlap the second non-folding area in a thickness direction. According to another aspect of the invention, a display device includes: a display panel having an upper su