JP2008233779A - Flexible electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flexible electronic device which is made high in flexiblility, by making all components constituting the electronic device flexible. <P>SOLUTION: The flexible electronic device applicable to products, to which electronic paper technology for electronic books, electronic notebooks, electronic newspapers, or the like is applied, is made thin and highly flexible as a whole, being constituted by stacking a flexible display panel 12 having a flexible driving driver IC 11 mounted thereon, a flexible driving circuit board 14, and a battery 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a flexible electronic device applicable to a product to which electronic paper technology such as an electronic book, an electronic notebook, and an electronic newspaper is applied.

As a conventional example of a flexible electronic device, as shown schematically in FIG. 14, a flexible display panel 52 is arranged in the vicinity of a rigid drive circuit board 51, and one direction (circuit board direction) is There is an electronic device (see, for example, Patent Document 1) that is rigidly configured to be flexible in the other direction (display panel direction).
JP 2004-302435 A

  Since the electronic device of the above-described conventional example integrates the drive circuit board 51, the battery 53, the driver 54 of the display panel 52, and the like so that only the right display panel portion is flexible, the electronic device is made flexible. To a lesser extent, it is not a true flexible electronic device.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a highly flexible flexible electronic device by making all members constituting the electronic device flexible.

  In order to achieve the above object, a flexible electronic device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a flexible electronic device applicable to a product to which an electronic paper technology such as an electronic book, an electronic notebook, and an electronic newspaper is applied, and has a flexible drive. A flexible display panel on which a driver IC is mounted, a flexible drive circuit board, and a battery are laminated.

  In order to achieve the above object, a flexible electronic device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a flexible electronic device applicable to a product to which an electronic paper technology such as an electronic book, an electronic notebook, and an electronic newspaper is applied, and is a flexible display. A panel, a flexible printed circuit (FPC including COF and TAB tape) on which a flexible driving driver IC is mounted, a flexible driving circuit board, and a battery are stacked.

As a preferred example of the flexible electronic device of the present invention, first, the flexible display panel is (1) an optical device comprising at least one kind of particles between the gas hollows between two substrates with electrodes, at least one of which is transparent. At least one type of display medium having reflectivity and chargeability is encapsulated, and an electric field is applied to the display medium, thereby moving the display medium to display information such as images, (2) at least A microcapsule in which an optical reflectance and charging property composed of at least one kind of particles is sealed together with a liquid is disposed in the space between two transparent substrates with electrodes, and an electric field is applied to the display medium. An electrophoretic method (moving particles in liquid) that displays information such as images by moving the display medium, and (3) at least A cholesteric liquid crystal system that displays information such as images by enclosing cholesteric liquid crystal in the space between two transparent substrates with electrodes and controlling the voltage applied between the substrates, (4) at least one of which is transparent An electrochromic material whose transparency changes between an oxidized state and a reduced state is filled in the space between the two substrates with electrodes, and a current is passed between the electrodes to change the oxidized state and reduced state by an electrochemical reaction. Therefore, an electrochromic method for displaying information such as an image is used in a typical flexible display panel.
Other flexible display panels using bistable (memory) electronic paper technology include MEMS, silver electrolysis, and dissolution-based systems, such as liquid crystal display panels and plasma. There are also flexible display panels such as display panels and field emission display panels.
Depending on the application, a flexible input device may be provided, and furthermore, a laminate-type flexible battery may be used as the battery.

  According to the flexible electronic device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the flexible electronic device applicable to a product to which an electronic paper technology such as an electronic book, an electronic notebook, and an electronic newspaper is applied is mounted with a flexible driving driver IC. By laminating the flexible display panel, the flexible drive circuit board, and the battery, all members constituting the electronic device are made flexible, and a highly flexible flexible electronic device can be provided. .

  According to the flexible electronic device of the second aspect of the present invention, a flexible electronic device applicable to a product to which an electronic paper technology such as an electronic book, an electronic notebook, and an electronic newspaper is applied includes a flexible display panel and a flexible driving device. Since a flexible printed circuit (FPC including COF and TAB tape) with a driver IC, a flexible drive circuit board, and a battery are laminated, all the members that make up the electronic device are made flexible. A highly flexible flexible electronic device can be provided.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of an information display panel that can be suitably used as a flexible display panel that is a main component of the flexible electronic device of the present invention will be described. In this information display panel, an electric field is applied to a display medium encapsulated with gas between two opposing substrates with electrodes. Along with the applied electric field direction, the charged display medium is attracted by the force of the electric field or the Coulomb force, and the display medium is moved by the change in the electric field direction, whereby information such as an image is displayed. Therefore, it is necessary to design the information display panel so that the display medium can move uniformly and maintain the stability when the display information is rewritten or when the display information is continuously displayed. Here, as the force applied to the particles constituting the display medium, in addition to the force attracting each other by the Coulomb force between the particles, an electric mirror image force between the electrode and the substrate, an intermolecular force, a liquid cross-linking force, gravity and the like can be considered.

  The principle configuration of an information display panel that can be suitably used as a flexible display panel in the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 (a), (b) to FIGS. 5 (a), 5 (b), and 6. FIG.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), at least two or more types of display media 3 (here, display white particles 3Wa) having different optical reflectivity and charging characteristics composed of at least one type of particles are used. A white display medium 3W made of a particle group and a black display medium 3B made of a particle group of black particles for display 3Ba), each of the cells formed by the partition walls 4, and electrodes 5 (individual electrodes) provided on the substrate 1; The substrate is moved perpendicularly to the substrates 1 and 2 in accordance with an electric field generated by applying a voltage between the electrodes 6 (individual electrodes) provided on the substrate 2. Then, the white display medium 3W is visually recognized by the observer as shown in FIG. 1A, or white display is performed, or the black display medium 3B is visually recognized by the observer as shown in FIG. 1B. The display is black. In addition, in FIG. 1 (a), (b), the partition in front is abbreviate | omitted. The electrode may be provided outside the substrate, or may be provided so as to be embedded inside the substrate.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, at least two or more types of display media 3 (here, display white particles 3Wa) having different optical reflectance and charging characteristics composed of at least one type of particles are used. A white display medium 3W made of a particle group and a black display medium 3B made of a particle group of display black particles 3Ba), each of the cells formed by the partition walls 4, and the electrode 5 (line electrode) provided on the substrate 1; The substrate 6 is moved perpendicular to the substrates 1 and 2 in accordance with an electric field generated by applying a voltage between the electrodes 6 (line electrodes) provided on the substrate 2. Then, the white display medium 3W is visually recognized by the observer as shown in FIG. 2A, or white display is performed, or the black display medium 3B is visually recognized by the observer as shown in FIG. 2B. The display is black. In addition, in FIG. 2 (a), (b), the partition in front is abbreviate | omitted. The electrode may be provided outside the substrate, or may be provided so as to be embedded inside the substrate.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, an example of color display in which a display unit is constituted by three cells is shown. In the example shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, as the display medium, the white display medium 3W and the black display medium 3B are enclosed in all of the cells 21-1 to 21-3, and the first cell 21-1 is included. A red color filter 22R is provided on the viewer side, a green color filter 22G is provided on the viewer side of the second cell 21-2, a blue color filter 22B is provided on the viewer side of the third cell 21-3, A display unit is composed of three cells, the first cell 21-1, the second cell 21-2, and the third cell 21-3. In this example, when performing color display, as shown in FIG. 3A, the white display medium 3W is moved in the first cell 21-1 to the third cell 21-3 to the viewer side. Thus, white display is performed for the observer, and as shown in FIG. 3B, the black display medium 3B is moved to the observer side in all of the first cell 21-1 to the third cell 21-3. By doing so, black display is performed for the observer. Multicolor display can be performed by moving the display medium of each cell. In addition, in FIG. 3 (a), (b), the partition in front is abbreviate | omitted. The electrode may be provided outside the substrate, or may be provided so as to be embedded inside the substrate.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the display medium 3 (here, a group of particles of white particles for display 3Wa) having at least an optical reflectance and a chargeability composed of at least one kind of particles. A white display medium 3W) in each cell formed by the partition walls 4, in accordance with the electric field generated by applying a voltage between the electrode 5 and the electrode 6 provided on the substrate 1, the substrates 1, 2 And move in the direction parallel to Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the white display medium 3W is visually recognized by the observer to display white, or as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the color of the black plate 7 is changed to the observer. Is displayed in black. In addition, in the example shown to Fig.4 (a), (b), the partition in front is abbreviate | omitted. The electrode may be provided outside the substrate, or may be provided so as to be embedded inside the substrate. The same display can be performed even when the white display medium is replaced with a black display medium and the black plate is replaced with a white plate.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5A, a microcapsule 9 in which a white display medium 3 </ b> W and a black display medium 3 </ b> B are enclosed as a display medium together with an insulating liquid 8 is enclosed in a space between the substrates 1 and 2. In FIG. 5A, the segment electrodes 5 and 6 constitute a counter electrode. In this example, according to the electric field generated by applying a voltage between the electrode 5 provided on the substrate 1 and the electrode 6 provided on the substrate 2, as shown in FIG. By moving the white display medium 3W, white display is performed for the observer, the state shown in FIG. 5A is reversed, and the black display medium 3B is moved to the observer side, whereby black is displayed for the observer. Display is in progress. Note that in FIG. 5A, a partition may or may not be provided. The electrode may be provided outside the substrate, or may be provided so as to be embedded inside the substrate.

The case of FIG. 5A is an example of a segment display, but when performing dot matrix display with an electrophoretic display, active driving is essential, and the back side must be a TFT (Thin Film Transisitor) substrate. is there. This is illustrated in FIG. 5B, and in the case of FIG. 5B, the individual electrodes 5 and 6 constitute counter electrodes. In this case, a microcapsule 9 in which a white display medium 3 </ b> W and a black display medium 3 </ b> B are enclosed as a display medium together with the insulating liquid 8 is enclosed in a space between the substrates 1 and 2. In this example, the case where the white display medium 3W is positively (+) charged particles and the black display medium 3B is negatively (−) charged particles will be described. First, 0 (V) and V (V) are alternately applied to the electrode-equipped substrate 1 and the electrode-equipped substrate 2 to erase information such as previously displayed images, and the entire display surface is displayed in black. . At this time, V (V) is applied to the electrode 1 and 0 (V) is applied to the TFT pixel electrode. Next, the substrate with electrode 1 is set to 0 (V), and 70 (V) is applied to the TFT pixel electrode provided on the substrate with electrode 2 only to the pixel to be inverted to white, so that only the pixel is white. Can be reversed.
On the contrary, by applying 0 (V) and V (V) alternately to the substrate with electrode 1 and the substrate with electrode 2, information such as previously displayed images is erased, and the entire display surface is displayed in white. deep. At this time, 0 (V) is applied to the electrode 1 and V (V) is applied to the TFT pixel electrode. Next, 70 (V) is applied to the substrate 1 with electrode, and 0 (V) is applied to the TFT pixel electrode provided on the substrate 2 with electrode only to the pixel to be inverted to black so that only that pixel is applied. Can be inverted. In addition, in FIG.5 (b), the partition in front is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the example shown in FIG. 6, a white display medium 3 </ b> W or a color display medium 3 </ b> C and a color insulating liquid 8 </ b> C are sealed as a display medium in a space partitioned by a partition between the substrate with electrode 1 and the substrate with electrode 2. In this example, according to the electric field generated by applying a voltage between the electrode 5 provided on the substrate 1 and the electrode 6 provided on the substrate 2, the leftmost cell of the three cells shown in FIG. As shown by the rightmost cell, white display (or color display) is performed for the viewer by moving the white display medium 3W (or color display medium 3C) to the viewer side, and the three cells shown in FIG. As shown in the center cell, the white display medium 3W (or the color display medium 3C) is moved to the opposite side of the observer to display the color insulating liquid 8C on the observer. In FIG. 6, the front partition is omitted. The electrode may be provided outside the substrate, or may be provided so as to be embedded inside the substrate.

In the example shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, a cholesteric liquid crystal in which 20 to 40% of a chiral agent is added to a nematic liquid crystal is sealed in a space between the substrate with electrode 1 and the substrate with electrode 2, and a voltage is applied. Thus, information such as an image is displayed by changing the alignment state of the cholesteric liquid crystal.
First, in the planar state shown in FIG. 11A as a reference, light having a wavelength corresponding to the helical pitch of the cholesteric liquid crystal is selectively reflected. In this planar state, a low voltage pulse is applied to the substrate with electrode 1 and the substrate with electrode 2 to transition to the focal conic state of FIG. In this focal conic state, light is transmitted, so that the light transmitted by the light absorption layer provided on the surface of the electrode-attached substrate 2 is absorbed, so that black display is obtained. Next, a high voltage pulse is applied to the substrate with electrode 1 and the substrate with electrode 2 to return to the planar state of FIG. 11A through the homeotropic state of FIG. By performing such an operation for each pixel, information such as an image is displayed. The spiral pitch of the cholesteric liquid crystal can be controlled by the type and amount of the chiral agent added, and full color display is possible by selectively reflecting the red, green, and blue light in the vertical direction and three layers in the vertical direction. It is.

In the example shown in FIG. 12, a porous titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) thin film is formed on the transparent electrode of the substrate with electrode 2, and a Redox dye 24 such as a viologen derivative is applied to the surface 23 of the porous titanium oxide. Adsorbed. A tin oxide thin film 25 doped with Sb is formed on the transparent electrode of one substrate 1 with electrodes, and titanium oxide particles capable of ion permeation are formed in layers on the tin oxide thin film 25. An electrolyte is sealed between these two substrates with electrodes.
A current is passed between the two electrodes, and the redox dye 24 is colored in an oxidized state to display a color, and becomes transparent in a reduced state and a decolored state. Therefore, the titanium oxide thin film 26 formed on the substrate 1 with electrodes. Becomes a reflective layer and displays white. In this case, by selecting the Redox dye 24, the wavelength of color development can be changed, and color display is also possible.

Next, the structure of the flexible drive circuit board which is the main component of the flexible electronic device of the present invention will be described. The flexible drive circuit board here is a drive circuit board in which a plurality of rigid circuit parts are arranged, and one or more rigid circuit parts are collectively arranged on the circuit board, thereby providing circuit parts. This is a flexible drive circuit board in which an island that is an arrangement part of the sea and a sea that is not an arrangement part of circuit components are made, and the sea can be bent with the sea as a bending point. As an example for realizing this, a rigid flexible substrate in which the island portion is configured by a rigid substrate and the space is connected by a flexible printed substrate can be exemplified.
Furthermore, the flexibility can be improved by arranging the islands in a matrix so that the bent portion is spread over the entire substrate. As a substrate material used for such a flexible drive circuit substrate, a glass-epoxy substrate (commonly called glass epoxy substrate) or the like is generally used. In this case, even if the circuit components are arranged in a sea island shape, if the glass epoxy substrate is thick and rigid, it will not be flexible. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a bent portion in advance in the sea portion or use a rigid flexible substrate. If a thin glass epoxy substrate is used, a flexible driving circuit substrate can be obtained by simply arranging circuit components in a sea island shape without providing the above-described bending points.

  9A, 9B, and 10 are diagrams showing the flexible drive circuit board described above. FIG. 9A shows a conventional drive circuit board. However, if the board 31 is bent, any circuit component such as 32, which is a circuit component, is stress-strained and the circuit component is cracked. The problem that circuit components are peeled off from the substrate occurs. However, by arranging the circuit components in a sea-island shape as shown in FIG. 9B, it is possible to bend at the bending point indicated by the broken line. Further, by arranging circuit components in a matrix on the substrate 31 as shown in FIG. 10, the flexibility of the substrate 31 is greatly improved.

The main component of the flexible electronic device according to the present invention is a battery. What is necessary is just to select an optimal thing regarding the use of a battery regarding a battery, and it does not restrict | limit in particular. FIG. 7A and FIG. 8A show configuration examples in which a flexible battery is used as the battery. If the battery is, for example, a flexible laminated battery, a flexible battery 15 having the same size as the flexible drive circuit board 14 is placed on the flexible display panel 12 or the flexible drive circuit board 14 as shown in FIG. be able to.
If the battery 15 has a certain size but is not the same size as the flexible drive circuit board 14, the battery 15 is overlapped with a part of the flexible drive circuit board 14 as shown in FIG. It is possible to arrange.
However, the battery used in the flexible electronic device of the present invention may be any thin battery, such as a coin type (round) as shown in FIGS. 7 (c), (d), 8 (c), (d). If the thin battery 17 is of a type or a square type, the object can be achieved by arranging it in a sea-island shape like circuit components. The type of battery may be any thin battery, and may be a primary battery, a secondary battery, or various types of batteries.

  Hereinafter, the flexible electronic device of this invention is demonstrated in detail. The first configuration example of the flexible electronic device of the present invention is as shown in the developed views of FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (c) and the sectional views of FIGS. 7 (b) and 7 (d). A flexible display panel 12 on which a driver IC 11 is mounted, a flexible printed circuit (hereinafter referred to as FPC, including COF and TAB tape) 13, a flexible driving circuit board 14, a flexible battery 15 or a thin battery 17; The flexible drive circuit board 14 and the flexible battery 15 or the thin battery 17 are accommodated in a flexible case 16. The flexible electronic device of the first configuration example uses a cholesteric liquid crystal panel (film panel) as the flexible display panel 12, but a COG (Chip on Glass) mounting method in which a flexible driving driver IC 11 is directly mounted on the cholesteric liquid crystal panel. Since the flexible driving driver IC 11 is mounted on the electrode routing portion of the cholesteric liquid crystal panel that is enlarged with respect to the display portion, the amount of use of the FPC 13 can be saved. 7 (a) and 7 (c), a portion including the flexible drive circuit board 14, the flexible battery 15 or the thin battery 17 and the case 16 is bent to the back side at the FPC 13 portion, and is formed on the back surface of the flexible display panel 12. By arranging, the state shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 7B and 7D is obtained.

  The second configuration example of the flexible electronic device according to the present invention includes a flexible display panel as shown in the developed views of FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (c) and the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 8 (b) and 8 (d). 12, a flexible printed circuit 13 (generally referred to as COF (Chip on film) or TAB (Tape automatic bonding)), a flexible drive circuit board 14, a flexible battery 15 or a thin battery 17 mounted with a driver IC 11 for flexible driving. The flexible driving circuit board 14 and the flexible battery 15 or the thin battery 17 are accommodated in a flexible case 16. The flexible electronic device of the second configuration example uses a cholesteric liquid crystal panel (film panel) as the flexible display panel 12, and a COF (Chip on Film) in which a flexible driving driver IC 11 is mounted on the cholesteric liquid crystal panel via an FPC 13. Mounting method or TAB (Tape automatic bonding) mounting method is adopted. 8A and 8C, the portion including the flexible drive circuit board 14, the flexible battery 15 or the thin battery 17 and the case 16 is folded back at the FPC 13 portion, and the flexible display panel 12 By arranging on the back surface, the state shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 8B and 8D is obtained.

The flexible display panel 12 is a flexible substrate (substrate 1 or substrate 2) when the information display panels of FIGS. 1 (a), 1 (b) to 5 (a), 5 (b) and 6 are manufactured. For example, a thin film substrate) is used to make a sheet structure, and other components are made as flexible as possible to make the entire panel flexible. The flexible display panel 12 is flexible by freeing three sides of the flexible display panel 12 as shown in the first configuration example and the second configuration example.
The FPC 13 connects the flexible display panel 12 and the flexible drive circuit board 14.
As shown in FIGS. 9B and 10, the flexible drive circuit board 14 is a drive circuit board in which a plurality of rigid circuit components are arranged. It is a flexible drive circuit board that can be bent with the sea as a bending point by creating an island that is an arrangement part of circuit parts and a sea that is not an arrangement part of circuit parts by arranging on the board. is there.
Furthermore, the flexibility can be improved by arranging the islands in a matrix so that the bent portion is spread over the entire substrate. As a substrate material used for such a flexible drive circuit substrate, a glass-epoxy substrate (commonly called glass epoxy substrate) or the like is generally used. In this case, even if the circuit components are arranged in a sea-island shape, if the glass epoxy substrate is thick and rigid, it will not be flexible. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a bent portion in the sea portion in advance. If a thin glass epoxy substrate is used, a flexible driving circuit substrate can be obtained by simply arranging circuit components in a sea island shape without providing the above-described bending points.
FIG. 9B and FIG. 10 are diagrams showing the flexible drive circuit board described above. FIG. 9A shows a conventional drive circuit board. However, if the board 31 is bent, any circuit component such as 32, which is a circuit component, is stress-strained and the circuit component is cracked. The problem that circuit components are peeled off from the substrate occurs. However, by arranging the circuit components in a sea-island shape as shown in FIG. 9B, it is possible to bend at the bending point indicated by the broken line. Further, by arranging circuit components in a matrix on the substrate 31 as shown in FIG. 10, the flexibility of the substrate 31 is greatly improved.
Note that it is preferable to further include a flexible pen input device because a pen input function can be added to the flexible electronic device of the present invention.

According to the flexible electronic device of the first configuration example of the present invention, the flexible electronic device includes a flexible display panel 12 on which a flexible driving driver IC 11 is mounted, a flexible printed circuit 13, a flexible driving circuit board 14, and a flexible battery. 15, all members constituting the electronic device are made flexible, and a flexible electronic device that is thin and highly flexible as a whole can be provided. A flexible electronic terminal such as an electronic book or a flexible electronic notebook can be provided.
Further, according to the flexible electronic device of the second configuration example of the present invention, the flexible electronic device is a flexible printed circuit 13 (FPC including COF and TAB tape) on which the flexible display panel 12 and the flexible driving driver IC 11 are mounted. Since the flexible drive circuit board 14 and the flexible battery 15 are laminated, all the members constituting the electronic device are made flexible. The flexible electronic device is thin and highly flexible as a whole. It is possible to provide a flexible electronic terminal such as a flexible electronic book or a flexible electronic notebook.

  Hereinafter, each member which comprises the information display panel used as the flexible display panel 11 in the flexible electronic device of this invention, and another structural member are demonstrated.

  Regarding the substrate with electrodes of the flexible display panel for information display, at least one of the substrates is a transparent flexible substrate from which the color of the display medium can be confirmed from the outside of the panel, and a material having high visible light transmittance and good heat resistance is suitable. It is. The flexible back substrate and the flexible driving circuit substrate which are the other substrates may be transparent or opaque. Examples of the substrate material include polymer sheets such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyethersulfone, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polyimide, and acrylic, and flexible materials such as metal sheets. The thickness of the substrate is preferably 2 to 2000 μm, more preferably 5 to 1000 μm. If it is too thin, it will be difficult to maintain the strength and the uniformity of the distance between the substrates, and if it is thicker than 2000 μm, it will be a thin information display panel. Is inconvenient.

  As a material for forming an electrode provided on the substrate, metals such as aluminum, silver, nickel, copper, and gold, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium oxide, conductive tin oxide, In general, conductive metal oxides mainly composed of antimony tin oxide (ATO) and conductive zinc oxide, and those obtained by doping these elements with a trace amount of elements to improve conductivity are generally used. In addition, conductive polymers such as polyaniline, polypyrrole, and polythiophene are exemplified and appropriately selected and used. The electrode can be formed by patterning the above-described materials into a thin film by sputtering, vacuum deposition, CVD (chemical vapor deposition), coating, or the like, or by mixing a conductive agent with a solvent or synthetic resin binder. A method of applying and patterning is used. The electrode provided on the viewing side (display surface side) substrate needs to be transparent, but the electrode provided on the back side substrate does not need to be transparent. In any case, the above-mentioned material that is conductive and capable of pattern formation can be suitably used. Note that the electrode thickness is not particularly limited as long as the conductivity can be secured and the light transmittance is not hindered, and is preferably 3 to 1000 nm, preferably 5 to 400 nm. The material and thickness of the electrode provided on the back side substrate are the same as those of the electrode provided on the display surface side substrate described above, but need not be transparent. In this case, the external voltage input may be superimposed with direct current or alternating current.

The shape of the partition provided on the substrate as required is appropriately set appropriately depending on the type of display medium involved in display, the shape of the electrode to be arranged, and the arrangement, and is not limited in general, but the width of the partition is 2 to 100 μm. The height of the partition wall is adjusted to 10 to 100 μm, preferably 10 to 50 μm.
In forming the partition wall, a both-rib method in which ribs are formed on each of the opposing substrates 1 and 2 and then bonded, and a single-rib method in which ribs are formed only on one substrate are conceivable. In the present invention, any method is preferably used.
As shown in FIG. 13, the cells formed by the partition walls made of these ribs are illustrated in a square shape, a triangular shape, a line shape, a circular shape, and a hexagonal shape as viewed from the substrate plane direction. And a mesh shape. It is better to make the portion corresponding to the cross section of the partition wall visible from the display surface side (the area of the cell frame) as small as possible, and the display becomes clearer.
Examples of the method for forming the partition include a mold transfer method, a screen printing method, a sand blast method, a photolithography method, and an additive method. Any of these methods can be suitably used for an information display panel mounted on the information display device of the present invention, and among these, a photolithography method using a resist film and a mold transfer method are suitably used.

The flexible electronic device of the present invention includes a display unit of a mobile device such as a notebook computer, a PDA, a mobile phone, and a handy terminal, an electronic paper such as an electronic book, an electronic notebook, an electronic newspaper, and an electronic manual (electronic instruction manual), a signboard, Posters, bulletin boards such as blackboards, calculators, home appliances, parts for automobiles, card displays such as point cards, IC cards, electronic advertising, electronic POPs (Point Of Presence, Point Of Purchase advertising), electronic price tags, It is suitably used for an electronic shelf label, an information board, an electronic score, a display unit of an RF-ID device, and the like.
However, if it is thin, light, and needs a characteristic that is not easily broken even if dropped, it can be used without being limited to the above-mentioned applications.

(A), (b) is a figure which shows an example of the fundamental structure of the information display panel which can be used suitably as a flexible display panel in the flexible electronic device of this invention, respectively. (A), (b) is a figure which shows the other example of the fundamental structure of the panel for information displays which can be used suitably as a flexible display panel in the flexible electronic device of this invention, respectively. (A), (b) is a figure which shows the other example of the fundamental structure of the panel for information displays which can be used suitably as a flexible display panel in the flexible electronic device of this invention, respectively. (A), (b) is a figure which shows the other example of the fundamental structure of the panel for information displays which can be used suitably as a flexible display panel in the flexible electronic device of this invention, respectively. (A), (b) is a figure which shows the other example of the fundamental structure of the panel for information displays which can be used suitably as a flexible display panel in the flexible electronic device of this invention, respectively. It is a figure which shows the other example of the fundamental structure of the information display panel which can be used suitably as a flexible display panel in the flexible electronic device of this invention. (A), (b), (c), (d) is the expanded view and sectional drawing of the 1st structural example of the flexible electronic device of this invention, respectively. (A), (b), (c), (d) is the expanded view and sectional drawing of the 2nd structural example of the flexible electronic device of this invention, respectively. (A) is a figure which shows the board | substrate for conventional drive circuits, (b) is a figure which shows the flexible drive circuit board of the flexible electronic device of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flexible drive circuit board of the flexible electronic device of this invention. (A)-(c) is a figure which shows the other example of the fundamental structure of the panel for information displays which can be used suitably as a flexible display panel in the flexible electronic device of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the fundamental structure of the information display panel which can be used suitably as a flexible display panel in the flexible electronic device of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the shape of the partition in the information display panel used as a flexible display panel in the flexible electronic device of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the flexible electronic device of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2 Substrate 3 Display medium (particle group capable of electric field transfer)
3W White display medium 3B Black display medium 3C Color display medium 3Wa White display medium particles 3Ba Black display medium particles 4 Bulkhead 5, 6 Electrode 7 Black plate 8 Insulating liquid 8C Color insulating liquid 9 Microcapsule 11 Flexible drive driver IC
12 Flexible Display Panel 13 Flexible Print Circuit (FPC)
14 Flexible drive circuit board 15 Battery (Laminated flexible battery)
16 Case 17 Thin battery 21-1 First cell 21-2 Second cell 21-3 Third cell 22R Red color filter 22G Green color filter 22B Blue color filter 23 Surface 24 Redox dye 25 Tin oxide thin film 26 Oxidation Titanium thin film 31 Substrate 32 Circuit components

Claims (8)

A flexible electronic device that can be applied to products using electronic paper technology such as electronic books, electronic notebooks, and electronic newspapers,
A flexible electronic device comprising a flexible display panel on which a flexible driving driver IC is mounted, a flexible driving circuit board, and a battery. A flexible electronic device that can be applied to products using electronic paper technology such as electronic books, electronic notebooks, and electronic newspapers,
A flexible electronic device comprising: a flexible display panel; a flexible printed circuit on which a flexible driving driver IC is mounted; a flexible driving circuit substrate; and a battery.   The flexible display panel encloses at least one type of display medium having at least one type of particles having optical reflectivity and chargeability in a space between two substrates, at least one of which is transparent. 2. The flexible electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible electronic device is an information display panel that displays information such as an image by moving a display medium by providing the information.   In the flexible display panel, a microcapsule in which a display medium having at least one kind of particles and having optical reflectivity and chargeability is enclosed with a liquid in a space between at least one transparent substrate with electrodes. 2. The flexible electronic device according to claim 1, which is an electrophoretic information display panel that displays information such as an image by moving the display medium by applying an electric field to the display medium.   The flexible display panel is a cholesteric liquid crystal system that displays information such as images by enclosing cholesteric liquid crystal in a space between two substrates with electrodes, at least one of which is transparent, and controlling the voltage applied between the substrates. The flexible electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible electronic device is an information display panel.   The flexible display panel is filled with an electrochromic material whose transparency changes between an oxidized state and a reduced state in a space between two substrates with electrodes, at least one of which is transparent. The flexible electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible electronic device is an electrochromic information display panel that displays information such as an image by changing an oxidation state and a reduction state by a reaction.   The flexible electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a flexible pen input device.   The flexible electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the battery is a laminate-type flexible battery.

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