Electronic device including display side protection member
Disclosed is a foldable electronic device including a sealing member for protecting a side surface of flexible display. A foldable electronic device according to various embodiments of the disclosure may include: a foldable housing configured to be folded and unfolded, a flexible display disposed in the foldable housing, the flexible display including a display panel configured to display image information and a cover window covering a first surface of the display panel on which image information is displayed, the display panel having at least one portion configured to be bent according to folding and unfolding operations of the foldable housing, and a seal contacting a region of a side part of the flexible display with reference to the first surface of the flexible display, the region including a space between the cover window and the display panel, wherein the seal may include a polymer material which is configured to be bent according to the bending operation in a state of being in contact with a side surface of the flexible display during the bending operation of the flexible display.
1. A foldable electronic device comprising:
a foldable housing configured to be folded and unfolded;
a flexible display disposed in the foldable housing, the flexible display comprising a display panel configured to display image information and a cover window covering a first surface of the display panel on which image information is displayed and a protective layer covering an upper part of the cover window, the display panel having at least one portion configured to be bend according to folding and unfolding operations of the foldable housing; and
a seal in contact with a side part of the flexible display with reference to the first surface of the flexible display, a space between the cover window and the display panel, and a space between the protective layer and the cover window, wherein
the seal comprises a polymer material configured to be bent according to the bent operation in a state of being in contact with a side surface of the flexible display during the bending operation of the flexible display.
2. The foldable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the polymer material has an elastic modulus of 5 Mpa or less, an elongation of 300% or more, and a Shore A hardness of 10 to 80.
3. The foldable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the polymer material comprises a structure in which polymer chains are atypically tangled with other, the polymer chain having repeating units, each of the repeating units including at least one soft segment and at least one hard segment and has an average molecular weight of 10000 or more, the repeating units being linearly polymerized.
4. The foldable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the polymer material comprises at least one of silicon resin, amino resin, epoxy resin, phenol resin, polyester, or polyurethane.
5. The foldable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the seal is in contact with the side surface of the display, wherein the seal comprises a sprayed and cured polymer material contacting the side surface of the flexible display.
6. The foldable electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the polymer material has a viscosity of 1000 to 10000 cPs in a solution state.
7. The foldable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein
the seal is in contact with a side part of a region comprising a space between the protective layer and the display panel.
8. The foldable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible display comprises a first adhesive layer bonding the protective layer and the cover window together, and
the seal is in contact with a region comprising a side part of the first adhesive layer and a region between the lower surface of the first adhesive layer and the upper surface of the display panel.
9. The foldable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the seal is in contact with a region comprising a side part of the protective layer, a region between the protective layer and the display panel, and a side part of the display panel.
10. The foldable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible display comprises:
a rear cover positioned below the display panel; and
a support layer positioned below the rear cover, and
the seal is in contact with a region of a side part of the display panel between the upper surface of the support layer and the upper surface of the protective layer.
11. The foldable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the seal is disposed on a side part of a portion of the flexible display, which is bent during the folding operation of the foldable housing.
12. The foldable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible display comprises a chip on panel (COP) bending part positioned at an end in a direction perpendicular to an axis in which the bending operation is configured to be performed, and
the seal is disposed at the COP bending part of the flexible display.
13. The foldable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the seal is disposed at an entire side part of the flexible display with reference to a first direction.
14. A flexible display of a foldable electronic device, comprising:
a display panel configured to display image information;
a cover window covering a first surface of the display panel on which image information is displayed;
a protective layer covering an upper part of the cover window; and
a seal contacting a side part of the flexible display with reference to the first surface of the flexible display, a space between the cover window and the display panel, and a space between the protective layer and the cover window, wherein
the flexible display has at least one portion configured to be bent according to folding and unfolding operations of the foldable electronic device, and
the seal comprises a polymer material configured to be bent according to the bending operation while maintaining a state of being in contact with a side surface of the flexible display during the bending operation.
15. The flexible display of an electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the polymer material has an elastic modulus of 5 Mpa or less, an elongation of 300% or more, and a Shore hardness of 50 to 100.
16. The flexible display of a foldable electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the polymer material has a structure in which polymer chains are atypically tangled with other, the polymer chain having repeating units, each of the repeating units including at least one soft segment and at least one hard segment and has an average molecular weight of 10000 or more, wherein the repeating units are linearly polymerized.
17. The flexible display of a foldable electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the seal is in contact with the side surface of the display, wherein the seal comprises a sprayed and cured polymer material disposed on the side surface of the flexible display.
18. The flexible display of a foldable electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the polymer material has a viscosity of 1000 to 10000 cPs in a solution state.
19. The flexible display of a foldable electronic device of claim 14 , wherein
the seal is in contact with a side part of a region comprising a space between the protective layer and the display panel.
20. The flexible display of a foldable electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the flexible display comprises:
a rear cover positioned below the display panel; and
a support layer positioned below the rear cover, and
the seal is in contact with a region of a side part of the display panel between the upper surface of the support layer and the upper surface of the protective layer.