Yesterday the U.S. Patent Office granted Samsung a patent for a 'variable stiffness flexible display'. According to Samsung, a variable stiffness flexible display may be used as a flexible display, a semi-rigid display, and a rigid display. The variable stiffness flexible display may be quickly customized by the user to be flexibly formed into a particular shape, and then hold that shape.
As an example, a user might form the display, in a flexible state, into the shape of a wristwatch. Once the desired wristwatch shape is attained, the user might provide an input to place the display into a rigid state such that the wristwatch shape is maintained. Later, the user might wish to provide an input to place the display into a flexible state, and form the display into a flat shape to view the display in a conventional flat display manner.
However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the display may be formed into various other shapes to accommodate various other uses.
The variable stiffness flexible display may include an electro-rheological (ER) fluid or a magneto-rheological (MR) fluid, of which physical characteristics may be adjusted based on an electrical field or a magnetic field, respectively. In case of the ER fluid, viscosity is increased when a voltage of an applied electrical field is increased.
Upon application of the electrical field, particles in the ER fluid are arranged into a chain, which changes the viscosity of the ER fluid. When the viscosity is increased, the rigidity of the ER fluid is increased. Thus, the ER fluid having electrical characteristics in which the viscosity is changed according to the electrical field may be attached to a back surface of the flexible display, to vary the stiffness of the flexible display. Also, if a transparent ER fluid is used, the ER fluid may be attached to a front surface of the flexible display.
According to example embodiments, a variable stiffness film may include a variable stiffness layer including a lower electrode; a variable fluid layer disposed on the lower electrode; and an upper electrode disposed on the variable fluid layer, wherein the variable fluid layer may include a variable fluid receiving portion to receive a variable fluid, and the variable fluid has stiffness when an electric field or magnetic field is generated between the upper electrode and the lower electrode.
Samsung's patent FIG. 11 below illustrates an example of using a variable stiffness flexible display according to example embodiments as a watch.
More specifically, the variable stiffness flexible display can be transformed to be worn on a wrist as a communicator and watch with one of the icons clearly marked as a phone.
Samsung notes that the stiffness level of the variable stiffness flexible display may be increased using an electro-rheological (ER) fluid or magneto-rheological (MR) fluid provided in the variable stiffness flexible display to hold the shape of the watch worn on the wrist.
Thus, the variable stiffness flexible display may be worn like a watch. In this state, when a user wants to view the screen in a wide form, the user may decrease the resistance, unroll the screen flat, and increase the stiffness of the variable stiffness flexible display using the ER fluid or MR fluid, thereby fixing the variable stiffness flexible display so that it could sit in a flat position on a desk or table.
Samsung was granted this patent yesterday by the U.S. Patent Office. The company filed for this patent back in Q3 2014.
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