IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,588,549

Granted Patent B2

US 9,588,549 · App. 14/629,990 · Granted Mar 7, 2017

Electronic device

Inventors: Akio Endo (Kanagawa, JP); Shigeru Onoya (Kanagawa, JP); Masaaki Hiroki (Kanagawa, JP)

Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.

G06F1/1652 G06F1/1618 G06F1/1641 G06F1/1643 G06F3/042 G06F3/044 G06F3/0412

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 9,588,549
App. No.: 14/629,990
Granted: Mar 7, 2017
Kind: B2

External Links

USPTO Patent Center↗ Full Patent PDF↗

Abstract

Provided is an electronic device with high portability and/or high browsability. The electronic device includes first and second support bodies, a first hinge, and a flexible display panel. The first hinge has a first rotation axis and connects the first and second support bodies to each other, and the first and second support bodies are capable of relatively rotating on the first rotation axis. The display panel includes at least first and second portions supported by the first and second support bodies, respectively; the first rotation axis and a first plane including the display surface overlapping with the first portion or a second plane including the display surface overlapping with the second portion are parallel to each other; and each of a distance between the first rotation axis and the first plane or the second plane is greater than zero.

Claims (58)

1. An electronic device comprising a first support body, a second support body, a first hinge, and a display panel,

wherein the display panel comprises a first portion supported by the first support body, a second portion supported by the second support body, and a third portion that is positioned between the first portion and the second portion and has flexibility,

wherein the display panel comprises a display surface overlapping with the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion,

wherein the first hinge has a first rotation axis and has a function of connecting the first support body and the second support body to each other,

wherein the first support body and the second support body have a function of relatively rotating on the first rotation axis,

wherein the first rotation axis and a first plane including the display surface overlapping with the first portion are parallel to each other,

wherein the first rotation axis and a second plane including the display surface overlapping with the second portion are parallel to each other,

wherein a distance between the first plane and the first rotation axis is greater than zero, and

wherein a distance between the second plane and the first rotation axis is greater than zero.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the distance between the first plane and the first rotation axis is greater than or equal to 0 1 mm and less than or equal to 20 mm, and

wherein the distance between the second plane and the first rotation axis is greater than or equal to 0 1 mm and less than or equal to 20 mm.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the distance between the first plane and the first rotation axis and the distance between the second plane and the first rotation axis are substantially equal to each other.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first support body and the second support body are capable of relatively rotating on the first rotation axis by an angle greater than 180 degrees from a state where the first support body and the second support body are horizontal.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first rotation axis is positioned on a side of the display surface when the first plane and the second plane are identical with each other, and

wherein the display panel is foldable so that the display surface overlapping with the third portion becomes a concave surface.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first rotation axis is positioned on a side opposite to the display surface when the first plane and the second plane are identical with each other, and

wherein the display panel is foldable so that the display surface overlapping with the third portion becomes a convex surface.

7. An electronic device comprising a first support body, a second support body, a third support body, a first hinge, a second hinge, and a display panel,

wherein the display panel comprises a first portion supported by the first support body, a second portion supported by the second support body, a third portion that is positioned between the first portion and the second portion and has flexibility, a fourth portion supported by the third support body, and a fifth portion that is positioned between the second portion and the fourth portion and has flexibility,

wherein the display panel comprises a display surface overlapping with the first portion, the second portion, the third portion, the fourth portion, and the fifth portion,

wherein the first hinge has a first rotation axis and has a function of connecting the first support body and the second support body to each other,

wherein the second hinge has a second rotation axis and has a function of connecting the second support body and the third support body to each other,

wherein the first support body and the second support body have a function of relatively rotating on the first rotation axis,

wherein the second support body and the third support body have a function of relatively rotating on the second rotation axis,

wherein the first rotation axis and a first plane including the display surface overlapping with the first portion are parallel to each other,

wherein the first rotation axis and a second plane including the display surface overlapping with the second portion are parallel to each other,

wherein the second rotation axis and a third plane including the display surface overlapping with the fourth portion are parallel to each other,

wherein the second plane and the second rotation axis are parallel to each other,

wherein a distance between the first plane and the first rotation axis is greater than zero,

wherein a distance between the second plane and the first rotation axis is greater than zero,

wherein a distance between the second plane and the second rotation axis is greater than zero, and

wherein a distance between the third plane and the second rotation axis is greater than zero.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7 ,

wherein the distance between the first plane and the first rotation axis is greater than or equal to 0.1 mm and less than or equal to 20 mm,

wherein the distance between the second plane and the first rotation axis is greater than or equal to 0.1 mm and less than or equal to 20 mm,

wherein the distance between the second plane and the second rotation axis is greater than or equal to 0.1 mm and less than or equal to 20 mm, and

wherein the distance between the third plane and the second rotation axis is greater than or equal to 0.1 mm and less than or equal to 20 mm.

9. The electronic device according to claim 7 ,

wherein the distance between the first plane and the first rotation axis and the distance between the second plane and the first rotation axis are substantially equal to each other, and

wherein the distance between the second plane and the second rotation axis and the distance between the third plane and the second rotation axis are substantially equal to each other.

10. The electronic device according to claim 7 ,

wherein the second support body and the third support body are capable of relatively rotating on the second rotation axis by an angle greater than 180 degrees from a state where the second support body and the third support body are horizontal.

11. The electronic device according to claim 7 ,

wherein the first rotation axis is positioned on a side of the display surface when the first plane and the second plane are identical with each other,

wherein the second rotation axis is positioned on the side of the display surface when the second plane and the third plane are identical with each other,

wherein the display panel is foldable so that the display surface overlapping with the third portion becomes a concave surface, and

wherein the display panel is foldable so that the display surface overlapping with the fifth portion becomes a concave surface.

12. The electronic device according to claim 7 ,

wherein the first rotation axis is positioned on a side opposite to the display surface when the first plane and the second plane are identical with each other,

wherein the second rotation axis is positioned on the side opposite to the display surface when the second plane and the third plane are identical with each other,

wherein the display panel is foldable so that the display surface overlapping with the third portion becomes a convex surface, and

wherein the display panel is foldable so that the display surface overlapping with the fifth portion becomes a convex surface.

Assignments (1)

ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 29, 2015

From: ENDO, AKIO; ONOYA, SHIGERU; HIROKI, MASAAKI

To: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.

Reel/Frame 035529/0621 →

Priority Claims (2)

JP 2014-039372 · Feb 28, 2014 · national

JP 2014-218932 · Oct 28, 2014 · national

Continuity (1)

Related Publication 20150261259A1 · Sep 17, 2015