CN108766991B

CN108766991B - Display panel and electronic device

Info

Publication number: CN108766991B
Application number: CN201810570731.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 徐彬; 许红玉
Original assignee: Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-06-05
Filing date: 2018-06-05
Publication date: 2020-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 2038-06-05
Also published as: CN108766991A

Abstract

The invention provides a display panel and an electronic device. The display panel includes: a flexible substrate having a first region, a flexible region, and a second region; a light emitting layer disposed on the substrate, the light emitting layer including a first light emitting region on the first region; the metal wires are arranged in the flexible area and electrically connect the first area and the second area, the distribution density of the metal wires in the flexible area in each unit area is different, the second area is bent to the back side of the first area through the flexible area, and the metal wires extend in a circuitous curve.

Description

Display panel and electronic device

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of liquid crystal display, in particular to a display panel and electronic equipment.

Background

Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) have excellent characteristics of self-luminescence, low energy consumption, wide viewing angle, rich colors, fast response, capability of manufacturing flexible screens, and the like, and have attracted great interest in the scientific research and industrial fields, and are considered to be a next generation display technology with great potential. And the OLED plays a crucial role in full screen display due to the flexible characteristic of the OLED. Especially, the lower frame of the whole mobile phone is narrower than that of the LCD mobile phone by using Pad binding technology at the narrowing part of the lower frame. However, the Pad bonding technology has high requirements on metal routing, and if the traditional metal straight-line routing design is used, cracks are easily generated, so that the local resistance is too high, or even the wires are broken, and the actual use of the screen is affected.

Therefore, the prior art has defects and needs to be improved urgently.

Disclosure of Invention

An embodiment of the invention provides a display panel and an electronic device, which can reduce the risk of cracking of metal traces in a bending region.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a display panel, including:

a flexible substrate having a first region, a flexible region, and a second region;

a light emitting layer disposed on the substrate, the light emitting layer including a first light emitting region on the first region;

the metal wires are arranged in the flexible area and electrically connect the first area and the second area, the metal wires extend in a circuitous curve, the distribution density of the metal wires in the flexible area in each unit area is different, and the second area is bent to the back side of the first area through the flexible area.

In the display panel of the present invention, the light emitting layer further includes a second light emitting region located on the second region.

The display panel further comprises a functional component, and the functional component is connected with the light-emitting layer through the metal wiring.

In the display panel of the invention, in the flexible region, the distribution density of the metal routing in the region with large bending stress is less than that in the region with small bending stress.

In the display panel of the present invention, a first density of the metal traces in the middle region of the flexible region is greater than a first density of the metal traces in the two side regions of the flexible region, where the first density refers to the number of the metal traces in a unit width.

In the display panel of the present invention, the flexible region includes a first sub-region and two second sub-regions, the two second sub-regions are located at two sides of the first sub-region, and a distance between adjacent metal traces in the first sub-region is smaller than a distance between adjacent metal traces in the second sub-region.

In the display panel of the invention, the width of the metal trace changes periodically from one end to another end.

In the display panel of the invention, the metal routing comprises a plurality of metal subsections which are sequentially connected, and the width of the metal subsections is gradually increased and then gradually decreased from the head end to the tail end of the metal subsections.

In the display panel of the invention, from one end to the other end of the metal wire, the length of the metal subsegment gradually decreases and then gradually increases.

In the display panel of the invention, the length of the metal subsections of the two end regions of the metal wire is greater than the length of the metal subsections of the two end regions.

In the display panel of the invention, the metal wire is provided with a plurality of force-releasing holes.

In the display panel of the invention, the plurality of force-releasing holes are arranged along the extending direction of the metal routing.

In the display panel of the invention, each metal subsection is provided with one force unloading hole, and the force unloading holes are distributed in the area with the largest width value of the metal subsection.

In the display panel of the invention, the display panel further comprises a TFT device layer, and the TFT device layer comprises a first TFT device layer located between the first region and the first light-emitting region and a second TFT device layer located between the second region and the second light-emitting region.

In the display panel of the invention, the metal routing width is constant.

An electronic device comprising the display panel of any of the above.

According to the invention, the metal wires in the flexible area extend in a circuitous curve, so that the risk of breakage of the metal wires in the bending area can be reduced.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel in an unfolded state according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel in an unfolded state according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a distribution diagram of metal traces in a flexible region of a display panel according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating distribution of metal traces in a flexible region of a display panel according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 5 is another distribution diagram of metal traces in a flexible region of a display panel according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view illustrating another distribution of metal traces in a flexible region of a display panel according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel according to some embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device in a folded state in some embodiments of the invention.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar function throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are illustrative only for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", and the like, indicate orientations and positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are used only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be considered as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically defined otherwise.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; may be mechanically connected, may be electrically connected or may be in communication with each other; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, "above" or "below" a first feature means that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact with each other via another feature therebetween. Also, the first feature being "on," "above" and "over" the second feature includes the first feature being directly on and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicating that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature includes the first feature being directly under and obliquely below the second feature, or simply meaning that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different features of the invention. To simplify the disclosure of the present invention, the components and arrangements of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples, such repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed. In addition, the present invention provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize applications of other processes and/or uses of other materials.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The display panel includes: the light emitting device comprises a flexible substrate 10, a TFT device layer 20, a light emitting layer 30, a first package layer 40a, a second package layer 40b, and a plurality of metal traces 50.

The flexible substrate 10 includes a first region 11, a flexible region 12, and a second region 13. The flexible region 12 is specially treated so that the flexible substrate 10 has better bending properties in this region. Among other things, in some embodiments, the flexible substrate 10 has two states: a folded state and an unfolded state. In some embodiments, the flexible substrate 10 is held in a folded state and secured using a securing structure. The second region 13 is bent to the back side of the first region 11 by the flexible region 12. The distribution density of the metal wires in the flexible region in each unit area is different. Specifically, in the flexible region, the distribution density of the metal traces in the region with large bending stress is less than that in the region with small bending stress, wherein the bending stress in the two end regions of the flexible region 12 is greater than that in the middle region. The bending stress of the two side edge regions of the flexible region 12 is greater than the bending stress of the middle region.

The TFT device layer 20 is disposed on the flexible substrate 10. The TFT device layer 20 includes a first TFT device layer 21 located in the first region 11 and a second TFT device layer 22 located in the second region 13.

The light emitting layer 30 is disposed on the TFT device layer 20 on the flexible substrate 10. The light emitting layer is an OLED organic light emitting layer. The light emitting layer 30 includes a first light emitting region 31 on the first TFT device layer 21 above the first region 11 and a second light emitting region 31 on the second TFT device layer 21 above the second region 11.

The first encapsulation layer 40a is a TFE encapsulation layer, and is located above the first region 11 to cover the first light-emitting region 31. The second encapsulation layer 40b is a TFE encapsulation layer, and is located above the second region 13 to cover the first light-emitting region 32.

Referring to fig. 3, metal traces 50 are disposed in the flexible region 12 of the flexible substrate 10 for electrically connecting the first light-emitting region and the second light-emitting region, and each metal trace 50 extends in a winding curve. Here, the first TFT device layer 21 and the second TFT device layer 22 are connected to each other.

In the flexible region, the distribution density of the metal traces 50 in the flexible region is set according to the bending stress value of each region.

The first density of the metal traces 50 in the middle region of the flexible region 12 is greater than the first density of the metal traces 50 in the two side edge regions of the flexible region, and the first density refers to the number of metal traces in a unit width. As shown in fig. 4, in this fig. 4, the bending stress of the middle region is small, and the bending stress of the edge region is large, and therefore, the corresponding pitch value B1 is smaller than B2. Wherein, in some embodiments, the density of the metal traces 50 in the area of the flexible region 12 near the edge is less than the density of the metal traces 50 in the middle area of the flexible region 12.

In particular, the flexible zone 12 comprises a first sub-zone 12b and two second sub-zones 12a, the two second sub-zones 12a being located on either side of the first sub-zone 12 b. The pitch of the metal traces 50 in the first sub-region 12b is smaller than the pitch of the metal traces 50 in the second sub-region 12 a. Thereby further reducing the possibility of breakage or chipping of the metal traces during folding of the flexible substrate 10.

In some embodiments, the width of the metal trace 50 may vary periodically from end to end of the metal trace 50.

Referring to fig. 5, a plurality of force-releasing holes 51 are further disposed in each metal trace 50, and in the same metal trace 50, the force-releasing holes 51 are arranged along the extending direction of the metal trace 50. The force-releasing holes 51 are circular and have the same radius.

In some embodiments, each metal trace 50 includes a plurality of metal subsections 50a connected in sequence, and from the head end to the tail end of the metal subsection 50a, the width of each metal subsection 50a gradually increases first and then gradually decreases. And the second density of the metal subsegments 50a of the metal traces in the two end regions is greater than the second density of the metal subsegments 50a in the middle region. And the second density of the metal subsections 50a of the metal routing of the two side edge regions of the flexible region is less than the second density of the metal subsections 50a of the middle region. The second density is the number of the metal sub-segments 50a in a unit length along the extending direction of the metal trace, that is, the greater the number of the metal sub-segments 50a in the unit length, the shorter the length of each metal sub-segment 50 a.

From end to end of the metal trace 50, the length of the metal sub-segment 50a gradually decreases and then gradually increases. The length of the metal sub-segment 50a in the two end regions of the metal trace 50 is greater than the length of the metal sub-segment 50a in the middle region. Each metal subsection 50a is provided with one force unloading hole 51, and the force unloading holes 50a are distributed in the area with the largest width value of the metal subsection 50 a.

In some embodiments, the distance between two adjacent force-releasing holes 51 gradually increases from the middle of the metal trace 50 to the two ends. Thereby further reducing the possibility of breakage or chipping of the metal traces during folding of the flexible substrate 10. As shown in fig. 5, the stress in the middle area is small, and the stress in the edge area is large, so that the pitch value a1 of the force discharge holes 51 in the middle area is greater than the pitch value a2 of the force discharge holes 51 in the edge area.

In the flexible region, a middle region of the two adjacent metal traces 50, where the metal subsection 50a of one metal trace 50 has the widest width, is opposite to a joint of the two metal subsections 50a of the other metal trace 50. That is, the wide area of each metal trace 50 is opposite to the narrow area of another adjacent metal trace 50. Thereby increasing the number of the metal traces 50.

In some embodiments, the metal trace 50 extends in a corrugated shape.

In some embodiments, the display panel further comprises a touch sensing layer. The touch sensing layer comprises a first touch sensing area and a second touch sensing area. The first touch sensing area covers the first packaging layer 40 a. The second touch sensing area covers the second packaging layer 40 b.

In some embodiments, the touch-sensing layer further comprises a third touch-sensing area disposed on the flexible area 12.

Referring to fig. 6, in some embodiments, the width of each area of the metal trace 50 is constant, but in practice, there may be a certain error, that is, the boundary lines on the left and right sides of the metal trace 50 show the same variation trend. According to the same principle, the metal routing density of the same metal routing in the area with large bending stress is smaller than the distribution density of the area with small bending stress, and the distribution density of the metal routing in the area with large bending stress is smaller than the distribution density of the area with small bending stress in the direction intersecting with the metal routing. Of course, it is understood that in this embodiment, the metal trace 50 may further include a plurality of force-releasing holes (not shown), and the plurality of force-releasing holes are distributed along the extending direction of the metal trace 50.

Referring to fig. 7, in some embodiments, the display panel includes: the light emitting device comprises a flexible substrate 10, a TFT device layer 20, a light emitting layer 30, a first package layer 40, and a plurality of metal traces 50.

The flexible substrate 10 includes a first region 11, a flexible region 12, and a second region 13. The flexible region 12 is specially treated so that the flexible substrate 10 has better bending properties in this region.

The TFT device layer 20 is disposed on the flexible substrate 10. The TFT device layer 2 is located above the first region 11.

The light emitting layer 30 is disposed on the TFT device layer 20 on the flexible substrate 10. The light emitting layer is an organic light emitting layer of an OLED and includes a first light emitting region 31 located above the first region 11.

The first encapsulation layer 40 is a TFE encapsulation layer, and is located above the first region 11 to cover the first light-emitting region 31.

The display panel further includes a functional component, such as a circuit board, and the third region 13 is connected to the functional component, so that the light emitting layer is connected to the functional component through the metal trace. The metal trace has the same structure as the metal trace in the above embodiments, and details are not repeated.

Referring to fig. 8, fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device in some embodiments of the invention. The electronic device includes a main body 200 and a display panel disposed on a front surface of the main body 200. The display panel includes: the light emitting device comprises a flexible substrate 10, a TFT device layer 20, a light emitting layer 30, a first package layer 40a, a second package layer 40b, and a plurality of metal traces 50. The display panel is the display panel in the above embodiments, and thus, the description thereof is omitted.

The display panel and the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the invention are described in detail, and the principle and the embodiment of the invention are explained by applying specific examples, and the description of the embodiment is only used for helping understanding the invention. Meanwhile, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present invention, there may be variations in the specific embodiments and the application scope, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

Claims

1. A display panel, comprising:

a plurality of metal wires arranged in the flexible region and electrically connecting the first region and the second region, wherein the metal wires extend in a circuitous curve, the distribution density of the metal wires in the flexible region in each unit area is different, and the second region is bent to the back side of the first region through the flexible region;

in the flexible area, the distribution density of the metal routing in the area with large bending stress is less than that in the area with small bending stress; the first density of the metal routing in the middle area of the flexible area is greater than the first density of the metal routing in the two side edge areas of the flexible area, and the first density refers to the number of the metal routing in a unit width.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting layer further comprises a second light-emitting region located over the second region.

3. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising a functional component connected to the light emitting layer through the metal trace.

4. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the flexible region comprises a first sub-region and two second sub-regions, the two second sub-regions are located at two sides of the first sub-region, and a pitch of adjacent metal traces in the first sub-region is smaller than a pitch of adjacent metal traces in the second sub-region.

5. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the width of the metal trace varies periodically from end to end.

6. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the metal trace comprises a plurality of metal sub-segments connected in sequence, and a width of each of the metal sub-segments gradually increases and then gradually decreases from a head end to a tail end of the metal sub-segment.

7. The display panel of claim 6, wherein the metal traces extend along a direction in which the metal sub-segments decrease in length and then increase in length.

8. The display panel of claim 7, wherein a second density of the metal sub-segments at the two end regions of the metal trace is less than a second density of the metal sub-segments at the middle region of the metal trace, and the second density is a number of the metal sub-segments per unit length.

9. The display panel of claim 6, wherein the metal traces have a plurality of force-releasing holes formed therein.

10. The display panel of claim 9, wherein the force-releasing holes are arranged along the extending direction of the metal traces.

11. The display panel of claim 10, wherein each of the metal sub-segments has a force-releasing hole, and the force-releasing holes are distributed in a region where the width of the metal sub-segment is the largest.

12. The display panel according to claim 7, wherein a central region of the two adjacent metal traces, where a width of a metal sub-segment of one metal trace is widest, is opposite to a junction of the two metal sub-segments of the other metal trace.

13. The display panel of claim 8, wherein the second density of the two side edge regions of the flexible region is less than the second density of the metal sub-segments in the middle region of the flexible region, and the second density is the number of metal sub-segments per unit length.

14. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the metal trace width is constant.

15. An electronic device characterized by comprising the display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 14.