# US 12,004,408 B2 · Display device and electronic device including the same

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- Number: US 12,004,408 B2
- Document ID: US12004408B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/723,063
- Filed: 2022-04-18
- Published: 2023-02-09
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2021-08-04
- Assignees: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Jaiku Shin; Jinhyoung Kim; Sung Chul Choi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12004408B2

## CPC

- G09F 9/301: {flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED}
- G02F 1/133305: {Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film}
- G02F 1/133308: {Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels}
- 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}
- G06F 1/1637: {Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing}
- G06F 1/1641: {the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components (G06F1/1647 takes precedence)}
- G06F 1/1652: {the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable}
- G06F 1/1656: {Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories (mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203)}
- G06F 1/203: {for portable computers, e.g. for laptops}
- H04M 1/0268: {including a flexible display panel}
- H04M 1/185: {Improving the shock resistance of the housing, e.g. by increasing the rigidity}
- H10K 50/87: Arrangements for heating or cooling
- H10K 59/65: OLEDs integrated with inorganic image sensors
- H10K 77/111: {Flexible substrates}
- G02F 2201/503: Arrangements improving the resistance to shock
- H04M 1/0214: {Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position (combined with translation movement H04M1/0235)}
- H10K 2102/311: {Flexible OLED}
- G09F: DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)
- H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES

## Abstract

A display device includes: a display panel including a first area, a bending area, and a second area arranged along a first direction, the second area being located underneath the first area when the bending area is bent; and a spacer between the first area and the second area, and including: a first part; and a second part protruding from the first part in the first direction. Opposite sides of the second part in a second direction that crosses the first direction define steps that are stepped from the first part, and the steps are located at an outside of the second area in a plan view.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A display device comprising:
a display panel including a first area, a bending area, and a second area arranged along a first direction, the second area being configured to be located underneath the first area in a thickness direction when the bending area is bent; and
a spacer between the first area and the second area, and comprising:
a first part; and
a second part protruding from the first part in the first direction,
wherein opposite sides of the second part in a second direction that crosses the first direction and the thickness direction define steps that are stepped from the first part along the second direction, and the steps are located at an outside of the second area in a plan view.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, wherein the second area comprises:
a mounting part extending in the second direction; and
a bonding part protruding from the mounting part in the first direction, and
wherein opposite sides of the bonding part in the second direction define panel steps that are stepped from the mounting part.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The display device of claim 2, wherein the steps are spaced from the panel steps in the second direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The display device of claim 2, wherein:
the second part extends in the second direction to cross the panel steps in the second direction;
a portion of the mounting part extends further in the second direction than the bonding part; and
the steps are adjacent in the first direction to the portion of the mounting part that extends further in the second direction than the bonding part.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The display device of claim 2, wherein the steps have inclined surfaces that form an obtuse angle with one side of the second part that extends in the second direction while overlapping with the bonding part.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The display device of claim 2, further comprising:
resin layers spaced from the panel steps in a plan view,
wherein the resin layers cover portions of edges of the spacer that are spaced from the panel steps, respectively.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The display device of claim 6, wherein the resin layers overlap with the steps in a plan view.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The display device of claim 6, wherein the resin layers do not overlap with the steps in a plan view.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

The display device of claim 2, further comprising:
a driving part under the mounting part;
a printed circuit board connected to the bonding part; and
an insulation tape under the second area to cover the driving part, and extending to a lower side of the printed circuit board.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The display device of claim 9, wherein the insulation tape comprises:
a first extension part under the mounting part and extending in the second direction;
a second extension part under the bonding part, and protruding from the first extension part in the first direction; and
a third extension part under a portion of the printed circuit board, and protruding from the second extension part in the first direction.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The display device of claim 10, further comprising:
resin layers spaced from the panel steps in a plan view,
wherein the resin layers cover portions of edges of the spacer that are spaced from the panel steps, respectively, and portions of edges of the first extension part that are spaced from the panel steps, respectively.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The display device of claim 10, wherein portions of the first extension part that are adjacent to opposite sides of the second extension part, which are opposite to each other in the second direction, define dummy steps having a shape that is recessed in the first direction to be stepped, and
wherein side surfaces of the dummy steps that face the opposite sides of the second extension part have inclined surfaces and are adjacent to the panel steps.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The display device of claim 12, wherein intervals between the side surfaces of the dummy steps and the opposite sides of the second extension part become smaller as they become closer to the bending area.

### Claim 14 (depends on 2)

The display device of claim 2, wherein the spacer further comprises a third part that protrudes from the first part in an opposite direction from that of the second part in the first direction, and is stepped from the first part, and
wherein the first part overlaps with the mounting part, the third part overlaps with the bending area, and the second part overlaps with the bonding part.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The display device of claim 14, wherein the second part and the third part have lengths in the second direction that are smaller than that of the first part, and the third part has a length in the second direction that is smaller than that of the second part.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, further comprising:
a first support plate under the first area;
a second support plate under the first support plate; and
a heat dissipating layer between the first support plate and the second support plate,
wherein the spacer is located under the second support plate, and one side of the spacer that is adjacent to the bending area overlaps with one side of the second support plate that is adjacent to the bending area.

### Claim 17

A display device comprising:
a display panel including a first area, a bending area, and a second area arranged along a first direction, the second area being configured to be located underneath the first area when the bending area is bent; and
a spacer between the first area and the second area, and comprising:
a first part extending to an outside of the second area; and
a second part protruding from the first part in the first direction,
wherein the second area comprises:
a mounting part overlapping with the first part in a plan view; and
a bonding part protruding from the mounting part in the first direction, and overlapping with the second part, and
wherein opposite sides of the second part in a second direction that crosses the first direction define steps that are stepped from the first part, and the bonding part is between the steps in the second direction in a plan view.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The display device of claim 17, further comprising:
a printed circuit board connected to one side of the second area;
an insulation tape under the second area and extending to a lower side of a portion of the printed circuit board; and
a resin layer covering portions of edges of the spacer that are spaced apart from panel steps, respectively, and portions of edges of the insulation tape that are spaced apart from the panel steps, respectively, in a plan view.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The display device of claim 18, wherein the resin layer overlaps with at least one of the steps in a plan view.

### Claim 20

An electronic device comprising:
a display device having a first hole area through which an optical signal passes;
an electronic optical module under the display device and overlapping with the first hole area, the electronic optical module being configured to receive the optical signal; and
a case configured to accommodate the display device and the electronic optical module,
wherein the display device comprises:
a display panel including a first area, a bending area, and a second area arranged along a first direction, the second area being configured to be located underneath the first area in a thickness direction when the bending area is bent; and
a spacer between the first area and the second area, and comprising:
a first part; and
a second part protruding from the first part in the first direction, and
wherein opposite sides of the second part in a second direction that crosses the first direction and the thickness direction define steps that are stepped from the first part along the second direction, and the steps are located at an outside of the second area in a plan view.