IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,449,586
Granted Patent B2
US 12,449,586 · App. 18/909,854 · Granted Oct 21, 2025

Display device including flexible light guide and stack layer

Inventors: Kun-Hsien Lee (Hsinchu, TW); Ching-Huan Liao (Hsinchu, TW); Hsin-Tao Huang (Hsinchu, TW)
Assignee: E Ink Holdings Inc.
G02B6/0088G02B6/0033G02B6/0053G02B6/0065G02B6/0066G02F1/133616
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,449,586
App. No.
18/909,854
Granted
Oct 21, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A display device including a display panel, a flexible light guide having a Young's modulus of about 10 to 1000 MPa, a light emitting element, and an optical layer is provided. The flexible light guide includes a light source portion, a light entrance portion, and a middle portion. The middle portion is bent, so that the light source portion and the light entrance portion are disposed at the opposite sides of the display panel. The light emitting element is disposed adjacent to the light entrance portion of the flexible light guide with a light emitting surface facing the side edge of the flexible light guide. The optical layer is in contact with a surface of the light source portion and a difference of refractive index between the flexible light guide and the optical layer is in a range of 0.1 to 0.2.

Claims (15)

1. A display device, comprising:

a display panel, having a display side and a back side opposite to the display side;

a flexible light guide, comprising a light source portion, a light entrance portion, and a middle portion between the light source portion and the light entrance portion, wherein the middle portion is bent by a bending radius of less than 1 mm so that the light source portion is disposed at the display side of the display panel, and the light entrance portion is disposed on the back side of the display panel, wherein a Young's modulus of the flexible light guide is about 10 to 1000 MPa;

a light emitting element, disposed adjacent to the light entrance portion of the flexible light guide, wherein a light emitting surface of the light emitting element faces a side edge of the flexible light guide; and

an optical layer, disposed on and in contact with a surface of the light source portion of the flexible light guide, wherein a difference of refractive index between the optical layer and the flexible light guide is in a range of 0.1 to 0.2,

wherein the optical layer exposes the light entrance portion and the middle portion of the flexible light guide.

2. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the flexible light guide is 100 μm to 200 μm.

3. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein a refractive index of the flexible light guide is greater than a refractive index of the optical layer.

4. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein a storage modulus of the optical layer falls between 10 KPa and 60 KPa.

5. The display device according to claim 4 , wherein a thickness of the optical layer is 25 μm to 75 μm.

6. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical layer covers the light source portion, and a thickness of the optical layer is 5 μm to 25 μm.

7. The display device according to claim 6 , further comprising an adhesive layer, wherein the optical layer is disposed between the adhesive layer and the light source portion of the flexible light guide.

8. The display device according to claim 7 , wherein a refractive index of the adhesive layer is greater than a refractive index of the optical layer.

9. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical layer has two layers and comprises a first optical layer and a second optical layer, the first optical layer is disposed on a first surface of the light source portion of the flexible light guide, and the second optical layer is disposed on a second surface of the light source portion of the flexible light guide, and the first surface is opposite to the second surface.

10. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising a stack layer, wherein the flexible light guide and the optical layer are located between the stack layer and the display panel.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 14, 2024
From: LEE, KUN-HSIEN; LIAO, CHING-HUAN; HUANG, HSIN-TAO
To: E INK HOLDINGS INC.
Reel/Frame 068882/0272 →
Priority Claims (2)
TW 111147549 · Dec 12, 2022 · national
TW 113106728 · Feb 26, 2024 · national
Continuity (3)
Continuation In Part 18341767 · Jun 27, 2023
Provisional Application 63419302 · Oct 25, 2022
Related Publication 20250028109A1 · Jan 23, 2025
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