CN117858563A - Display panel, driving method thereof and display device - Google Patents

Abstract

The application discloses display panel and display device, this display panel includes: a substrate; a light-emitting element including a first anode, a first light-emitting layer, and a first cathode, which are stacked; the auxiliary piece comprises a second anode, a second light-emitting layer and a second cathode which are stacked, wherein the second cathode is electrically connected with the first cathode; the first signal wire is electrically connected with the first cathode and the second anode; the switch unit is electrically connected with the first signal wire and the first cathode or the first signal wire and the second anode, and comprises a first sub-switch unit and a second sub-switch unit, wherein the output ends of the first sub-switch unit and the second sub-switch unit are electrically connected with the first cathode or the second anode, the input end of the first sub-switch unit is electrically connected with the first signal wire, and the input end of the second sub-switch unit is electrically connected with the second signal wire. The display panel provided by the application can improve the uniformity of display.

Description

Display panel, driving method thereof and display device

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of display technologies, and in particular, to a display panel, a driving method thereof, and a display device.

Background

With the development and popularity of display technology in recent years, display panels have been applied to various electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablet computers or other portable electronic devices.

However, the display panel has a defect of uneven display brightness, and the display quality needs to be further improved.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a display panel, a driving method thereof and a display device, which can ensure the uniformity of display.

A first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a display panel, including: a substrate; a light-emitting element provided on one side of the substrate and including a first anode, a first light-emitting layer, and a first cathode which are stacked; an auxiliary member disposed on one side of the substrate and including a second anode, a second light emitting layer, and a second cathode, which are stacked, wherein the second cathode is electrically connected to the first cathode; a first signal line and a second signal line, wherein the first signal line is electrically connected with the first cathode and the second anode; the switch unit is electrically connected with the first signal wire and the first cathode, or is electrically connected with the first signal wire and the second anode, the switch unit comprises a first sub-switch unit and a second sub-switch unit, the output ends of the first sub-switch unit and the second sub-switch unit are electrically connected with the first cathode or the second anode, the input end of the first sub-switch unit is electrically connected with the first signal wire, and the input end of the second sub-switch unit is electrically connected with the second signal wire.

A second aspect of embodiments of the present application provides a display device, including a display panel of any one of the above.

A second aspect of embodiments of the present application provides a driving method of a display panel, where the driving method is applied to the display panel of any one of the above-mentioned aspects, the method including: in a first time period when the second sub-switch unit is turned on, the first signal line inputs a first signal, and the second signal line inputs a second signal so that the potential of the second cathode is higher than that of the second anode; the first signal line inputs a first power signal during a second period in which the first sub-switching unit is turned on.

The beneficial effects are that: according to the scheme, in the first time period of conduction of the second sub-switch unit, the potential of the second cathode is higher than that of the second anode, and then the auxiliary piece is reversely broken down, so that the auxiliary piece can be conducted in a bidirectional manner, and accordingly in the second time period of conduction of the first sub-switch unit, the first power supply signal can be input to the first signal wire, the potentials of the second anode and the second cathode are equal, and then the current on the first cathode can directly flow to the auxiliary piece, the problem that the brightness of the display panel is inconsistent due to voltage drop is avoided, and the display uniformity of the display panel is guaranteed.

Drawings

For a clearer description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are needed in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, it being obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and that other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a partial cross-sectional structure of an embodiment of a display panel of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a switch unit according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a circuit structure among a first signal line, a second signal line, a switch unit, a first cathode, and an auxiliary component in an embodiment;

fig. 4 is a schematic circuit structure of the first signal line, the second signal line, the switch unit, the first cathode, and the auxiliary component according to another embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the circuit of FIG. 3 in a specific application scenario;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the circuit of FIG. 4 in a specific application scenario;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the relative positions of the switching element, the auxiliary member, and the switching unit in one embodiment.

Detailed Description

The following description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue burden from the present disclosure, are within the scope of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and "second" are used herein for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless specifically defined otherwise. Furthermore, the terms "comprise" and "have," as well as any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not limited to only those listed steps or elements but may include other steps or elements not listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 3, in an embodiment of the present application, a display panel 100 includes a substrate 10, a light emitting element 20, an auxiliary member 30, a first signal line 41, a second signal line 42 and a switching unit 60.

The substrate 10 plays a supporting role in the display panel 100, and may be a flexible substrate or a rigid substrate, and when the substrate 10 is a flexible substrate, the material may be Polyimide (PI), or it may be a multi-layer structure in which an organic layer and an inorganic layer are alternately stacked, for example, the substrate 10 includes an inorganic layer, an organic layer, and an inorganic layer which are sequentially stacked, and at this time, the multi-layer structure in which an organic layer and an inorganic layer are alternately stacked can give consideration to flexibility and strength of the substrate 10, so that the display panel 100 has a bendable function and can resist breakage and deformation; when the substrate 10 is a rigid substrate, the material may be glass or metal. The present application is not limited to the structure of the substrate 10.

The light-emitting element 20 is provided on one side of the substrate 10, and includes a first anode 21, a first light-emitting layer 22, and a first cathode 23, which are stacked. Specifically, when a high potential is applied to the first anode 21 and a low potential is applied to the first cathode 23, the light emitting element 20 emits light, and the display panel 100 displays a screen. In an application scenario, the first anode 21, the first light-emitting layer 22 and the first cathode 23 are arranged one above the other in a direction away from the substrate 10.

The auxiliary member 30 is disposed at one side of the substrate 10 and includes a second anode 31, a second light emitting layer 32, and a second cathode 33, which are stacked, wherein the second cathode 33 is electrically connected to the first cathode 23. Specifically, the second cathode 33 is electrically connected to the first cathode 23 so that both are equipotential. In which the second anode 31 and the second cathode 33 are not bi-directionally conductive due to the second light emitting layer 32 between the second anode 31 and the second cathode 33, and the auxiliary member 30 is equivalent to a diode, the second anode 31 is equivalent to an anode terminal of the diode, and the second cathode 33 is equivalent to a cathode terminal of the diode, which is only uni-directionally conductive. In an application scenario, the second anode 31, the second light emitting layer 32, and the second cathode 33 are sequentially stacked in a direction away from the substrate 10.

The first signal line 41 is electrically connected to the first cathode 23 and the second anode 31, that is, the first cathode 23 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41, and the second anode 31 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41.

The switching unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the first cathode 23, or the switching unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the second anode 31, wherein in the embodiment of fig. 3, the switching unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the first cathode 23, and in the embodiment of fig. 4, the switching unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the second anode 31. The first cathode 23 in fig. 3 and 4 is represented by a first equivalent resistor 24.

The switch unit 60 includes a first sub-switch unit 61 and a second sub-switch unit 62, wherein an input end 61a of the first sub-switch unit 61 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41, and an input end 62a of the second sub-switch unit 62 is electrically connected to the second signal line 42; wherein when the switching unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the first cathode 23, the output terminal 61b of the first sub-switching unit 61 and the output terminal 62b of the second sub-switching unit 62 are both electrically connected to the first cathode 23; when the switching unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the second anode 31, the output terminal 61b of the first sub-switching unit 61 and the output terminal 62b of the second sub-switching unit 62 are both electrically connected to the second anode 31.

As shown in fig. 3, when the switch unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the first cathode 23, the first signal line 41 inputs a first signal during a first period of time when the second sub-switch unit 62 is turned on, the second signal line 42 inputs a second signal having a higher potential than the first signal, so that the auxiliary 30 breaks down reversely, and the first signal line 41 inputs the first power signal VSS during a second period of time when the first sub-switch unit 61 is turned on. Specifically, when the second sub-switching unit 62 is controlled to be turned on at this time, during a first period when the second sub-switching unit 62 is turned on, the first signal line 41 inputs the first signal, the second signal line 42 inputs the second signal, and since the output end 62b of the second sub-switching unit 62 is electrically connected to the first cathode 23 and the first cathode 23 is electrically connected to the second cathode 33, the second signal transmitted by the second signal line 42 is applied to the second cathode 33, and since the first signal line 41 is electrically connected to the second anode 31, the first signal is applied to the second anode 31, and since the potential of the second signal is higher than the potential of the first signal, the potential of the second cathode 33 is higher than the potential of the second anode 31, a potential difference is generated between both ends of the auxiliary member 30, so that the auxiliary member 30 is reversely broken down, and the auxiliary member 30 is bidirectionally conductive. Then, the first sub-switch unit 61 is controlled to be turned on, and the first power signal VSS is input to the first signal line 41 during the second period of time when the first sub-switch unit 61 is turned on, and the electric potentials on the second cathode 33 and the second anode 31 are equal, so that when the first cathodes 23 of the light emitting elements 20 are electrically connected, the current on the first cathode 23 can flow from the second cathode 33 to the second anode 31, that is, the current on the first cathode 23 directly flows to the auxiliary member 30. In the prior art, the current on the first cathode 23 flows to the first cathode 23 of the other light emitting element 20, and the thickness of the first cathode 23 is generally thinner, so that the current transmission resistance is larger, the voltage drop is larger, and the uneven display problem is easy to occur.

As shown in fig. 4, when the switch unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the second anode 31, the first signal line 41 inputs a first signal during a first period of time when the second sub-switch unit 62 is turned on, the second signal line 42 inputs a second signal having a potential lower than that of the first signal, so that the auxiliary member 30 breaks down reversely, and the first signal line 41 inputs the first power signal VSS during a second period of time when the first sub-switch unit 61 is turned on. Specifically, during the first period when the second sub-switching unit 62 is turned on, the first signal is applied to the second cathode 33, the second signal is applied to the second anode 31, and unlike fig. 3, the second signal has a lower potential than the first signal, so that it is also ensured that the second cathode 33 has a higher potential than the second anode 31, so that a potential difference is generated between the two ends of the auxiliary member 30, and the auxiliary member 30 is reversely broken down, and then the auxiliary member 30 is bidirectionally turned on. Then, the first sub-switch unit 61 is controlled to be turned on, and the first power signal VSS is input to the first signal line 41 during the second period of time when the first sub-switch unit 61 is turned on, and at this time, the electric potentials on the second cathode 33 and the second anode 31 are equal, so that the current on the first cathode 23 can directly flow to the auxiliary member 30, thereby reducing the impedance of current transmission, reducing the voltage drop, and reducing the problem of inconsistent brightness caused by the voltage drop of the display panel 100, so as to ensure the uniformity of the display panel 100.

As can be seen from the foregoing, in the scheme of the present application, in the first period of time when the second sub-switch unit 62 is turned on, the potential of the second cathode 33 may be higher than the potential of the second anode 31, so that the auxiliary member 30 may be reversely broken down, so that the auxiliary member 30 may be turned on bidirectionally, and in the second period of time when the first sub-switch unit 61 is turned on, the first power signal VSS may be input to the first signal line 41, so that the potentials on the second anode 31 and the second cathode 33 are equal, and then the current on the first cathode 23 may directly flow to the auxiliary member 30, thereby avoiding the problem of inconsistent brightness caused by the voltage drop of the display panel 100, and ensuring the uniformity of the display panel 100.

The second anode 31 may be directly electrically connected to the first signal line 41/the switching unit 60, or may be electrically connected through a trace, for example, in the embodiment of fig. 3 and fig. 4, the second anode 31 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41/the switching unit 60 through a trace, and the trace electrically connecting the second anode 31 to the first signal line 41/the switching unit 60 is represented by the second equivalent resistor 34 in fig. 3 and fig. 4.

The first signal line 41 may be directly electrically connected to the first cathode 23 and the switching unit 60, or may be electrically connected to the first cathode 23 through other structures, for example, in fig. 1, the first signal line 41 is electrically connected to the first cathode 23 through a bridging electrode 201.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, the first sub-switching unit 61 includes a first thin film transistor 611, the first thin film transistor 611 includes a first gate electrode A1, a first electrode A2 and a second electrode A3, the first electrode A2 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 as an input terminal of the first sub-switching unit 61, and the second electrode A3 is electrically connected to the first cathode 23/the second anode 31 as an output terminal of the first sub-switching unit 61; the second sub-switching unit 62 includes a second thin film transistor 621, the second thin film transistor 621 includes a second gate electrode B1, a third electrode B2, and a fourth electrode B3, the third electrode B2 being electrically connected to the second signal line 42 as an input terminal of the second sub-switching unit 62, the fourth electrode B3 being electrically connected to the first cathode 23/the second anode 31 as an output terminal of the second sub-switching unit 62; meanwhile, the display panel 100 further includes a third signal line 43 and a fourth signal line 44, wherein the third signal line 43 is electrically connected to the first gate A1 for controlling the on and off of the first thin film transistor 611, and the fourth signal line 44 is electrically connected to the second gate B1 for controlling the on and off of the second thin film transistor 621.

Specifically, the first sub-switching unit 61 is controlled to be turned on and off by the third signal line 43, and the second sub-switching unit 62 is controlled to be turned on and off by the fourth signal line 44. In an application scenario, the first thin film transistor 611 and the second thin film transistor 621 are P-type thin film transistors. That is, the first thin film transistor 611 and the second thin film transistor 621 are both turned on when the gate is at a low potential and turned off when the gate is at a high potential. In other embodiments, the first thin film transistor 611 and the second thin film transistor 621 are both N-type thin film transistors, or one is a P-type thin film transistor and the other is an N-type thin film transistor. However, for convenience of explanation, the first thin film transistor 611 and the second thin film transistor 621 are P-type thin film transistors:

referring to fig. 5, when the switching unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the first cathode 23, the second thin film transistor 621 is turned on by inputting a low level signal to the fourth signal line 44, the first thin film transistor 611 is turned off by inputting a high level signal to the third signal line 43, the first signal is simultaneously inputted to the first signal line 41, the second signal is inputted to the second signal line 42, the potential of the second signal is higher than the potential of the first signal, the potential of the second cathode 33 is further higher than the potential of the second anode 31, the auxiliary member 30 is reversely broken down, the auxiliary member 30 is bidirectionally turned on, then the second thin film transistor 621 is turned off by inputting a high level signal to the fourth signal line 44, the first thin film transistor 611 is turned on by inputting a low level signal to the third signal line 43, the first power signal VSS is simultaneously inputted to the first signal line 41, the potential of the second anode 31 and the second cathode 33 are equalized, the current on the first cathode 23 is directly flowed to the auxiliary member 30, the impedance of the current transmission is reduced, and the uniformity of the display panel 100 is improved.

Referring to fig. 6, when the switching unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the second anode 31, the second thin film transistor 621 is turned on by inputting a low level signal to the fourth signal line 44, the first thin film transistor 611 is turned off by inputting a high level signal to the third signal line 43, the first signal is simultaneously inputted to the first signal line 41, the second signal is inputted to the second signal line 42, the potential of the second signal is lower than the potential of the first signal, the potential of the second anode 31 is further lower than the potential of the second cathode 33, the auxiliary member 30 is reversely broken down, the auxiliary member 30 is bidirectionally turned on, then the second thin film transistor 621 is turned off by inputting a high level signal to the fourth signal line 44, the first thin film transistor 611 is turned on by inputting a low level signal to the third signal line 43, the first power signal VSS is simultaneously inputted to the first signal line 41, the potential of the second anode 31 and the second cathode 33 is equalized, the current on the first cathode 23 is directly flowed to the auxiliary member 30, the impedance of the current transmission is reduced, and the uniformity of the display panel 100 is improved.

In an embodiment, the first thin film transistor 611 and the second thin film transistor 621 have the same structure, so that they can be manufactured by the same process and can be manufactured simultaneously, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved. The display panel 100 further includes a circuit driving layer (not shown) disposed between the light emitting element 20 and the substrate 10, the circuit driving layer including a pixel circuit corresponding to the light emitting element 20, the pixel circuit being electrically connected to the light emitting element 20 for driving the light emitting element 20 to emit light, wherein the pixel circuit generally includes a plurality of thin film transistors, wherein the first thin film transistor 611 and the second thin film transistor 621 may have the same structure as the thin film transistor in the pixel circuit and be formed in the same film layer, so that the first thin film transistor 611 and the second thin film transistor 621 may be formed simultaneously with the thin film transistor in the pixel circuit during fabrication, thereby ensuring process efficiency without changing a process flow. The pixel circuit may be a 7T1C circuit, and the like, and is not limited herein.

The first thin film transistor 611 and the second thin film transistor 621 may be oxide thin film transistors, amorphous silicon thin film transistors, or the like, and the type of the transistors is not limited in this application.

Referring to fig. 7, the display panel 100 is provided with a display area AA and a non-display area NA disposed at the periphery of the display area AA, wherein the light emitting device 20 and the auxiliary device 30 are located in the display area AA, the first signal line 41 and the second signal line 42 are located in the non-display area NA (the first signal line 41 and the second signal line 42 are not shown in fig. 7), and the arrangement can avoid the first signal line 41 and the second signal line 42 occupying the space of the display area AA, which is beneficial to improving PPI (pixel density) of the display panel 100.

In order to avoid that the switch unit 60 occupies the space of the display area AA, the switch unit 60 is disposed in the non-display area NA. That is, at this time, the first signal line 41, the second signal line 42 and the switching unit 60 are all located in the non-display area AA. In an application scenario, the first signal line 41 and the second signal line 42 are disposed around the display area AA. And when the display panel 100 further includes the third signal line 43 and the fourth signal line 44, the third signal line 43 and the fourth signal line 44 may also be disposed around the display area AA.

Of course, in other embodiments, the first signal line 41, the second signal line 42, the third signal line 43, the fourth signal line 44, or the switching unit 60 may be located in the display area AA.

In one embodiment, the switch unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the first cathode 23, the first signal line 41 has a first fixed potential, the first fixed potential is a low potential, the second signal line 42 has a second fixed potential, and the second fixed potential is a high potential.

Specifically, as can be seen from the above analysis, when the switch unit 60 is electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the first cathode 23, the potential of the first signal transmitted by the first signal line 41 is lower than the potential of the second signal transmitted by the second signal line 42 during the reverse breakdown auxiliary 30, and after the reverse breakdown auxiliary 30, the signal transmitted by the first signal line 41 is the first power signal VSS and the first power signal VSS is the low potential signal, so that the signals transmitted before and after the first signal line 41 are both low potential signals and the signal transmitted by the second signal line 42 are high potential signals, and therefore, the potential on the first signal line 41 can be set to be always unchanged, that is, the low potential signal can be always set, and the potential on the second signal line 42 can be set to be always unchanged, that is, the high potential signal can be always set, so that switching of the signals can be avoided and the operation can be simplified.

In an application scenario, the second signal line 42 is multiplexed as a trace in a GOA (row driving scanning circuit) circuit. Specifically, the display panel 100 generally includes a GOA circuit to scan a plurality of pixel rows line by line, and meanwhile, the GOA circuit generally includes traces for transmitting high-level signals, so in order to avoid increasing the number of traces, the present embodiment multiplexes the original traces in the GOA circuit into the second signal lines 42.

In other embodiments, the second signal line 42 may be multiplexed into other wirings for transmitting high-potential signals, which is not particularly limited herein. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the second signal line 42 may not be multiplexed into another trace, and may be a newly added trace.

Referring to fig. 7, in an embodiment, the number of the light emitting elements 20 and the auxiliary members 30 is plural, and the first cathodes 23 of the light emitting elements 20 and the second cathodes 33 of the auxiliary members 30 are electrically connected, specifically, the first cathodes 23 of the light emitting elements 20 and the second cathodes 33 of the auxiliary members 30 are electrically connected together. The first cathodes 23 of all the light emitting elements 20 and the second cathodes 33 of all the auxiliary elements 30 may be continuous, and only a whole cathode layer is required to be laid during the preparation, so that the first cathodes 23 of all the light emitting elements 20 and the second cathodes 33 of all the auxiliary elements 30 can be obtained. Of course, in other embodiments, the first cathodes 23 of all the light emitting elements 20 and the second cathodes 33 of all the auxiliary elements 30 may be electrically connected by routing or punching.

The light emitting elements 20 may be arranged in a plurality of pixel rows 1A and pixel columns 1B as shown in fig. 7, and the auxiliary elements 30 may be distributed in a plurality of pixel rows 1A and pixel columns 1B, wherein the auxiliary elements 30 may also be arranged in a matrix as shown in fig. 7. The number of the auxiliary members 30 may be set according to actual requirements, and is not limited herein.

In an application scenario, the switching unit 60 electrically connects the first signal line 41 with the second anode 31 of the at least two auxiliary members 30. Specifically, at this time, the switching unit 60 is electrically connected between the first signal line 41 and the second anode 31, and in order to reduce the number of switching units 60, the switching unit 60 is provided to be electrically connected to the second anode 31 of the at least two auxiliary members 30 at the same time, and the at least two auxiliary members 30 electrically connected to the same switching unit 60 may be reversely broken down at the same time. In other embodiments, the switch units 60 may be disposed in a one-to-one correspondence with the auxiliary members 30, and specifically, in this case, one switch unit 60 is electrically connected between the second anode 31 and the first signal line 41 of each auxiliary member 30.

Wherein the auxiliary members 30 electrically connected to the same switching unit 60 are located at the same pixel row 1A for convenience of routing, so that the second anodes 31 of at least two auxiliary members 30 located at the same pixel row 1A can be electrically connected to the same switching unit 60 through one routing along the extending direction of the pixel row 1A. In other embodiments, the plurality of auxiliary members 30 electrically connected to the same switching unit 60 may be distributed in different pixel rows 1A, which is not limited herein.

In another application scenario, as shown in fig. 7, the number of the switch units 60 is at least two, at least two switch units 60 are distributed on two sides of the light emitting elements 20, and the switch units 60 are electrically connected to the first signal line 41 and the first cathode 23 of the adjacent light emitting element 20. Specifically, at this time, the switching units 60 are electrically connected between the first signal line 41 and the first cathode 23, and since the first cathodes 23 of all the light emitting elements 20 and the second cathodes 33 of all the auxiliary members 30 are electrically connected, only one switching unit 60 is required to reverse breakdown of all the auxiliary members 30 at this time, but in order to increase the current and ensure the success rate of breakdown, at least two, that is, a plurality of switching units 60 are provided at this time, and in order to facilitate the arrangement of devices, the difficulty of layout is reduced, at least two switching units 60 are distributed on both sides of the plurality of light emitting elements 20 and are electrically connected with the adjacent first cathodes 23. In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, at least two switching units 60 are distributed at both sides of the display area AA.

The plurality of switch units 60 form a plurality of switch groups, the switch groups include two switch units 60 distributed on two sides of the plurality of light emitting elements 20, and an arrangement direction of the two switch units 60 in the switch groups is the same as an extension direction of the pixel row 1A, that is, the two switch units 60 distributed on two sides of the plurality of light emitting elements 20 and the arrangement direction is the same as the extension direction of the pixel row 1A form one switch group.

The switch groups are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the pixel rows 1A, or one switch group corresponds to the pixel rows 1A. Specifically, when the plurality of switch groups are disposed in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of pixel rows 1A, one switch unit 60 is distributed on each side of each pixel row 1A, and when one switch group corresponds to the plurality of pixel rows 1A, two switch units 60 in one switch group are distributed on each side of the corresponding plurality of pixel rows 1A, for example, in fig. 7, two switch units 60 in one switch group are distributed on each side of the corresponding three pixel rows 1A.

With continued reference to fig. 1, the display panel 100 further includes a pixel definition layer 80.

The pixel defining layer 80 is disposed on the first side of the substrate 10, the pixel defining layer 80 is provided with first openings 81 and second openings 82 disposed at intervals, at least part of the light emitting elements 20 are formed in the first openings 81, and at least part of the auxiliary member 30 is formed in the second openings 82. Specifically, the pixel defining layer 80 (Pixel Definition Layer; PDL) is used to avoid interference of light rays emitted from adjacent light emitting elements 20. When the number of the light emitting elements 20 is plural, different light emitting elements 20 are formed in different first openings 81. Also, when the number of the auxiliary pieces 30 is plural, different auxiliary pieces 30 are formed in different second openings 82. The cross-sectional shapes of the first and second openings 81, 82 in the horizontal direction may be the same or different, and are not limited herein, and the shapes may be any suitable shapes, such as circular, square, etc., and are not limited herein. The light emitting element 20 may be formed in the first opening 81 entirely, or may be formed only partially in the first opening 81, and another portion is formed outside the first opening 81, for example, in an application scenario, as shown in fig. 1, the first anode 21 is disposed on a side of the pixel defining layer 80 facing the substrate 10, at least a portion of the first anode 21 is exposed in the first opening 81, a portion of the first light emitting layer 22 is disposed in the first opening 81, another portion extends to a side of the pixel defining layer 80 facing away from the substrate 10, a portion of the first cathode 23 is disposed in the first opening 81, and another portion extends to a side of the pixel defining layer 80 facing away from the substrate 10. Similarly, the auxiliary member 30 may be entirely formed in the second opening 82, or may be formed only partially in the first opening 81, and another portion is formed outside the first opening 81, which will not be described in detail herein.

The pixel defining layer 80 may be formed of an organic material such as Polyimide (PI), polyamide, benzocyclobutene (BCB), acryl resin, or phenol resin, or may be formed of an inorganic material such as SiNx, and the material of the pixel defining layer 80 is not limited herein.

With continued reference to fig. 1, in one embodiment, the first cathode 23, and therefore the second cathode 33, extend to the side of the pixel defining layer 80 facing away from the substrate 10 and are connected to each other.

With continued reference to fig. 1, in one embodiment, the first light emitting layer 22 and the second light emitting layer 32 each extend to a side of the pixel defining layer 80 facing away from the substrate 10 and are connected to each other.

With continued reference to fig. 1, in an embodiment, the front projection area of the first opening 81 on the substrate 10 is larger than the front projection area of the second opening 82 on the substrate 10, so that the volume of the light emitting element 20 is also larger than the volume of the auxiliary element 30, which can reduce the space occupied by the auxiliary element 30, and is beneficial to improving the PPI (pixel density) of the display panel 100. Of course, in other embodiments, the orthographic projection area of the first opening 81 on the substrate 10 may be smaller than or equal to the orthographic projection area of the second opening 82 on the substrate 10, which is not limited herein.

With continued reference to fig. 1, the first anode 21 and the second anode 31 are disposed in the same layer and made of the same material, the first cathode 23 and the second cathode 33 are disposed in the same layer and made of the same material, and the first light emitting layer 22 and the second light emitting layer 32 are disposed in the same layer and made of the same material, so that in the preparation process, the first anode 21 and the second anode 31 can be prepared in the same process, the first light emitting layer 22 and the second light emitting layer 32 can be prepared in the same process, and the first cathode 23 and the second cathode 33 can be prepared in the same process, thereby improving the preparation efficiency.

With continued reference to fig. 1, in one embodiment, the first light emitting layer 22 and the second light emitting layer 32 are continuously formed, so that the number of process steps can be reduced, and the manufacturing effect can be achieved.

With continued reference to fig. 1, in an embodiment, the connection between the first cathode 23 and the second cathode 33 is uninterrupted, specifically, the first cathode 23 and the second cathode 33 may share a cathode film layer, so that only one cathode layer needs to be laid during preparation, so that the first cathode 23 and the second cathode 33 can be obtained. Of course, in other embodiments, the first cathode 23 and the second cathode 33 may be disposed at intervals, and electrically connected by a wire. In summary, the present application does not impose any limitation on how the electrical connection between the first cathode 23 and the second cathode 33 is specifically achieved.

In addition, the present application further includes a driving method applied to the display panel 100, where the method includes:

s110: in a first period in which the second sub-switching unit 62 is turned on, the first signal line 41 inputs a first signal, and the second signal line 42 inputs a second signal so that the potential of the second cathode 33 is higher than the potential of the second anode 31.

S120: the first signal line 41 inputs the first power signal during the second period in which the first sub-switching unit 61 is turned on.

Specifically, when the second sub-switching unit 62 is controlled to be turned on first, the first signal line 41 inputs the first signal and the second signal line 42 inputs the second signal during the first period when the second sub-switching unit 62 is turned on, and since the output end 62b of the second sub-switching unit 62 is electrically connected to the first cathode 23 and the first cathode 23 is electrically connected to the second cathode 33, the second signal transmitted by the second signal line 42 is applied to the second cathode 33, and since the first signal line 41 is electrically connected to the second anode 31, the first signal is applied to the second anode 31, and since the second signal has a higher potential than the first signal, the second signal line 42 inputs the second signal, and since a potential difference is generated between both ends of the auxiliary member 30, the auxiliary member 30 is reversely broken down, and the auxiliary member 30 is bidirectionally conductive.

Then, the first sub-switch unit 61 is controlled to be turned on, and the first power signal VSS is input to the first signal line 41 during the second period of time when the first sub-switch unit 61 is turned on, and the electric potentials on the second cathode 33 and the second anode 31 are equal, so that when the first cathodes 23 of the light emitting elements 20 are electrically connected, the current on the first cathode 23 can flow from the second cathode 33 to the second anode 31, that is, the current on the first cathode 23 directly flows to the auxiliary member 30.

The setting through two sub-switch units, convenient control to can be through the control of time sequence, make control auxiliary member 30 reverse breakdown earlier, then control the direct flow of electric current on the first negative pole 23 auxiliary member 30 of afterwards, guarantee the orderly going on of drive process.

In addition, the present application further includes a display device, which includes the display panel 100 in any of the foregoing embodiments, and the specific structure thereof may be referred to the foregoing, and will not be described herein.

The display device may be any device such as a mobile phone, a computer, a television, etc., and is not limited herein.

The foregoing description is only exemplary embodiments of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application, and all equivalent structures or equivalent processes using the descriptions and the drawings of the present application, or direct or indirect application in other related technical fields are included in the scope of the present application.

Claims (10)

1. A display panel, characterized in that the display panel comprises:

a substrate;

a light-emitting element provided on one side of the substrate and including a first anode, a first light-emitting layer, and a first cathode which are stacked;

an auxiliary member disposed on one side of the substrate and including a second anode, a second light emitting layer, and a second cathode, which are stacked, wherein the second cathode is electrically connected to the first cathode;

a first signal line and a second signal line, wherein the first signal line is electrically connected with the first cathode and the second anode;

the switch unit is electrically connected with the first signal wire and the first cathode, or is electrically connected with the first signal wire and the second anode, the switch unit comprises a first sub-switch unit and a second sub-switch unit, the output ends of the first sub-switch unit and the second sub-switch unit are electrically connected with the first cathode or the second anode, the input end of the first sub-switch unit is electrically connected with the first signal wire, and the input end of the second sub-switch unit is electrically connected with the second signal wire.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the first sub-switching unit includes a first thin film transistor including a first gate electrode, a first electrode electrically connected to the first signal line as an input terminal of the first sub-switching unit, and a second electrode electrically connected to the first cathode or the second anode as an output terminal of the first sub-switching unit; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

the second sub-switching unit includes a second thin film transistor including a second gate electrode, a third electrode electrically connected to the second signal line as an input terminal of the second sub-switching unit, and a fourth electrode electrically connected to the first cathode or the second anode as an output terminal of the second sub-switching unit;

preferably, the display panel further includes a third signal line electrically connected to the first gate electrode for controlling on and off of the first thin film transistor, and a fourth signal line electrically connected to the second gate electrode for controlling on and off of the second thin film transistor;

preferably, the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor have the same structure.

3. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the display panel is provided with a display area and a non-display area provided at a periphery of the display area, wherein the light emitting element and the auxiliary member are located in the display area, and wherein the first signal line and the second signal line are located in the non-display area;

preferably, the switching unit is located in the non-display area.

4. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit is electrically connected to the first signal line and the first cathode, the first signal line has a first fixed potential, the first fixed potential is a low potential, the second signal line has a second fixed potential, and the second fixed potential is a high potential;

preferably, the second signal line is multiplexed as a trace in the GOA circuit.

5. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the number of the light emitting elements and the auxiliary members is plural, the first cathodes of the plural light emitting elements and the second cathodes of the plural auxiliary members are electrically connected, and the switching unit electrically connects the first signal line and the second anodes of at least two of the auxiliary members;

preferably, the light emitting elements are arranged in a plurality of pixel rows and pixel columns, and the auxiliary members are distributed in the plurality of pixel rows and pixel columns;

preferably, the auxiliary member electrically connected to the same switching unit is in the same pixel row;

preferably, the first cathodes of the light emitting elements and the second cathodes of the auxiliary elements are continuous.

6. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the number of the light emitting elements, the auxiliary members is plural, the first cathodes of the plural light emitting elements, the second cathodes of the plural auxiliary members are electrically connected, wherein the number of the switching units is at least two, the at least two switching units are distributed on both sides of the plural light emitting elements, the switching units electrically connect the first signal line with the first cathodes of the adjacent light emitting elements;

preferably, the light emitting elements are arranged in a plurality of pixel rows and pixel columns, and the auxiliary members are distributed in the plurality of pixel rows and pixel columns;

preferably, the plurality of switch units form a plurality of switch groups, the switch groups include two switch units distributed on two sides of the plurality of light emitting elements, and the arrangement direction of the two switch units in the switch groups is the same as the extension direction of the pixel rows;

preferably, a plurality of switch groups are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of the pixel rows, or one switch group corresponds to a plurality of the pixel rows.

7. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a pixel defining layer disposed on the first side of the substrate, the pixel defining layer having a first opening and a second opening disposed at intervals, at least a portion of the light emitting element being formed in the first opening, and at least a portion of the auxiliary being formed in the second opening;

preferably, the first cathode, and therefore the second cathode, extend to the side of the pixel defining layer facing away from the substrate and are connected to each other;

preferably, the first light emitting layer and the second light emitting layer each extend to a side of the pixel defining layer away from the substrate and are connected to each other;

preferably, the orthographic projection area of the first opening on the substrate is larger than the orthographic projection area of the second opening on the substrate.

8. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the first anode and the second anode are arranged in the same layer and are the same material, and/or the first cathode and the second cathode are arranged in the same layer and are the same material, and/or the first light emitting layer and the second light emitting layer are arranged in the same layer and are the same material;

preferably, the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer are continuous and uninterrupted;

preferably, the connection between the first cathode and the second cathode is uninterrupted.

9. A display device comprising the display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A driving method of a display panel, wherein the method is applied to the display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the method comprising:

in a first time period when the second sub-switch unit is turned on, the first signal line inputs a first signal, and the second signal line inputs a second signal so that the potential of the second cathode is higher than that of the second anode;

the first signal line inputs a first power signal during a second period in which the first sub-switching unit is turned on.