JP2006317763A - Liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal display device wherein display inspection can be performed by an inspection method which is the same as before assembling of a flexible wiring board or the like after the flexible wiring board or the like is assembled. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid crystal display device is provided with an effective display part 6 constituted of a plurality of display pixels PX disposed in a matrix shape, a connection pad 11B to which a flexible wiring board FPC supplying a driving signal to the effective display part 6 is connected, inspection pads P1 to P6 to which inspection signal sources are connected when display inspection of the effective display part 6 is performed, inspection wiring lines W1 which connects the inspection pads P1 to P6 to the effective display part 6 and to which inspection signals are supplied at the time of display inspection and connection wirings W2 connecting fourth pads 11B4 and the inspection pads P1 to P6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to an active matrix liquid crystal display device.

  The liquid crystal display device has a liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal display panel includes a pair of substrates arranged opposite to each other, that is, an array substrate and a counter substrate, and a liquid crystal layer held as a light modulation layer between the pair of substrates. The liquid crystal display panel includes a substantially rectangular effective display unit that displays an image. This effective display section is composed of a plurality of display pixels arranged in a matrix.

  The plurality of display pixels have pixel switches for switching input signals. This pixel switch is on / off controlled by a signal from a drive signal source connected to the outside of the effective display section, for example, a flexible wiring board.

A display inspection for inspecting the presence or absence of pixel defects is performed on the liquid crystal display panel before mounting a flexible wiring board or the like as a drive signal source. Conventionally, this display inspection is performed by connecting an inspection signal source to an inspection pad formed outside the effective display portion and supplying an inspection signal to the inspection wiring drawn out to the effective display portion (see Patent Document 1). ).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-226931

  However, in the above method, since the inspection pad is not exposed after mounting the flexible wiring board or the like, the display inspection may not be performed by the same inspection method as before mounting.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device capable of performing a display inspection by the same inspection method as before mounting after mounting a flexible wiring board or the like. And

  A liquid crystal display device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an effective display unit configured by a plurality of display pixels arranged in a matrix, a connection pad to which a drive signal source that supplies a drive signal to the effective display unit is connected, An inspection pad to which an inspection signal source is connected during the display inspection of the effective display portion, an inspection wiring for connecting the inspection pad and the effective display portion, and an inspection signal is supplied during the display inspection; Connection wiring for connecting the connection pad and the inspection pad.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the liquid crystal display device which can perform a display test | inspection by the same test | inspection method after mounting after mounting a flexible wiring board etc. can be provided.

  Hereinafter, a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a liquid crystal display panel 1 having a substantially rectangular flat plate shape. The liquid crystal display panel 1 is constituted by a pair of substrates arranged opposite to each other, that is, an array substrate 3 and a counter substrate 4, and a liquid crystal layer 5 held as a light modulation layer between the pair of substrates. .

  The liquid crystal display panel 1 includes a substantially rectangular effective display unit 6 for displaying an image. The effective display unit 6 includes a plurality of display pixels PX arranged in a matrix.

  The array substrate 3 includes a plurality of scanning lines Y (1, 2, 3,..., M) extending in the row direction of the display pixels PX and columns of the display pixels PX in the effective display unit 6. A plurality of signal lines X (1, 2, 3,..., N) extending along the direction are provided. In addition, in the effective display portion 6, the array substrate 3 includes pixel switches 7 and pixel switches 7 arranged for each display pixel PX in the vicinity of the intersection of the scanning line Y and the signal line X in addition to these various wirings. The pixel electrode 8 etc. which were connected are provided.

  The pixel switch 7 is composed of a thin film transistor (TFT) or the like. The gate electrode 7G of the pixel switch 7 is electrically connected to the corresponding scanning line Y (or formed integrally with the scanning line). The source electrode 7S of the pixel switch 7 is electrically connected to the corresponding signal line X (or formed integrally with the signal line). The drain electrode 7D of the pixel switch 7 is electrically connected to the pixel electrode 8 of the corresponding display pixel PX.

  The counter substrate 4 includes a counter electrode 9 and the like common to all the display pixels PX in the effective display unit 6. The array substrate 3 and the counter substrate 4 are disposed with the pixel electrodes 8 and the counter electrodes 9 of all the display pixels PX facing each other, and a gap is formed between them. The liquid crystal layer 5 is formed of a liquid crystal composition sealed in the gap between the array substrate 3 and the counter substrate 4.

  The liquid crystal display panel 1 includes a connection portion 11 to which a drive signal source disposed on an outer peripheral portion 10 located outside the effective display portion 6 is connected. The connection unit 11 includes a first connection pad 11A on which the drive IC 12 is disposed, and a second connection pad 11B that can connect a flexible wiring board (FPC) as a drive signal source.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the first connection pad 11 </ b> A and the second connection pad 11 </ b> B are disposed on the extending portion 10 </ b> A of the array substrate 3 that extends outward from the end portion 4 </ b> A of the counter substrate 4. The first connection pad 11A includes, for example, a first pad 11A1 connected to the input terminal of the drive IC 12 and a second pad 11A2 connected to the output terminal of the drive IC 12. The second connection pad 11B includes a third pad 11B3 connected to each other via the first pad 11A1 of the first connection pad 11A and the wiring W3 on the extending portion 10A. The second pad 11A2 is connected to one end of the signal line X and the scanning line Y by a wiring W4 extending to the effective display section 6.

  In addition, in the extended portion 10A, when performing a display inspection of the effective display portion 6, inspection pads P (1, 2,..., 6) to which the inspection device 2 as an inspection signal source is connected are arranged. . The inspection pad P is connected to an inspection wiring W1 to which an inspection signal is supplied during display inspection. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the inspection wiring W <b> 1 is disposed on the outer peripheral portion 10.

  The inspection wiring W1 is connected to the signal line X, the scanning line Y, and the like of the effective display unit 6 through the switching element SW. That is, in the case shown in FIG. 1, the inspection wiring W <b> 1 connected to the inspection pad P <b> 1 is connected to the counter electrode 9 of the effective display unit 6. The inspection wiring W1 connected to the inspection pad P2 is connected to the gate electrode of the switching element SW provided for each signal line X and scanning line Y. The inspection wiring W1 connected to the inspection pad P3 is connected to the source electrode of the switching element SW connected to the even-numbered scanning lines Y (2, 4,...). The inspection wiring W1 connected to the inspection pad P4 is connected to the source electrode of the switching element SW connected to the odd-numbered scanning lines Y (1, 3,...). The inspection wiring W1 connected to the inspection pad P5 is connected to the source electrode of the switching element SW connected to the even-numbered signal lines X (2, 4,...). The inspection wiring W1 connected to the inspection pad P6 is connected to the source electrode of the switching element SW connected to the odd-numbered signal line X (1, 3,...). The other ends of the signal line X and the scanning line Y are connected to the drain electrode of the switching element SW.

  In this embodiment, the test pads P are further connected to the second connection pads 11B by connection wires W2. In other words, the second connection pad 11B includes the fourth pad 11B4 connected to each other via the inspection pad P and the wiring W4 on the extending portion 10A.

  For the liquid crystal display panel 1, the first display inspection method can be applied before mounting the driving IC 12 and the flexible wiring board FPC. This first display inspection method is for inspecting the presence or absence of a pixel defect in the effective display section 6 via the inspection wiring W1, and connecting the inspection device 2 as the inspection signal source to the inspection pad P to connect the effective display section 6 to the effective display section 6. An inspection signal is input to. In the case shown in FIG. 2, the output wiring of the inspection apparatus 2 is connected to the inspection pads P1, P2, P4, and P6.

  In this case, a voltage is applied from the test pad P1 to the counter electrode 9, and a predetermined voltage is applied from the test pad P2 to the gate electrode of the switching element SW via the test wiring W1. As a result, the switching element SW is turned on. At this time, the inspection signal is input from the inspection pad P4 and the inspection pad P6 to the odd-numbered signal lines X (1, 3,...) And the odd-numbered scanning lines Y (1, 3,...). The display pixel PX at the portion where the lines intersect is lit.

  Other than the above combinations, for example, when the output wiring of the inspection apparatus 2 is connected to the inspection pads P1, P2, P3, and P5, the even-numbered signal lines X (2, 4,...) And the even-numbered scanning lines Y ( 2, 4...) Are input, and the display pixels PX at the portions where the even-numbered signal lines X (2, 4...) And the even-numbered scanning lines Y (2, 4. To do.

  At this time, display inspection is performed depending on whether or not the display pixel is lit in response to the input inspection signal.

  In addition, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the first display inspection method described above can also be applied after the drive IC 12 and the flexible wiring board FPC are mounted. That is, in the first display inspection method similar to the above, an inspection signal is input from the inspection apparatus 2 to the flexible wiring board FPC as shown in FIG. Among the inspection signals input to the flexible wiring board FPC, the inspection signal input via the fourth pad 11B4 of the second connection pad 11B is input to each inspection pad P via the connection wiring W2. The inspection signal input to the inspection pad P is input to the counter electrode 9, the switching element SW, the signal line X, and the scanning line Y as before the mounting, and the signal line X and the scanning line Y to which the inspection signal is input The display pixel PX at the portion where the crosses. Here again, the display inspection is performed depending on whether or not the display pixel PX corresponding to the input inspection signal is lit.

  Furthermore, after mounting the drive IC 12 and the flexible wiring board FPC, the second display inspection method can be applied in addition to the first display inspection method. This second display inspection method is for inspecting the presence or absence of pixel defects in the effective display portion 6, and connecting the inspection device 2 as an inspection signal source to the flexible wiring board FPC and inputting the inspection signal to the effective display portion 6. To do.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, in the second display inspection method, an inspection signal is input from the inspection apparatus 2 to the flexible wiring board FPC. Among the inspection signals input from the flexible wiring board FPC, the inspection signal input via the third pad 11B3 of the second connection pad 11B is input to the first pad 11A1 of the first connection pad 11A via the wiring W3. Further, the signal is input to the input terminal of the driving IC 12. The inspection signal output from the output terminal of the driving IC 12 from the second pad 11A2 of the first connection pad 11A is input to the signal line X and the scanning line Y via the wiring W4. Thereby, a display inspection is performed depending on whether or not the display pixel PX corresponding to the input inspection signal is lit.

  As described above, by connecting the test pad P to which the test signal source is connected to the connection pad 11B to which the drive signal source is connected, even after the drive signal source is mounted, Thus, the inspection signal source can be connected, and the display inspection can be performed by the same inspection method as before the mounting using the inspection pad P. This eliminates the need to convert the analysis method when analyzing the display before and after mounting.

  Further, the inspection pad P for inputting the inspection signal to the signal line X and the scanning line Y is connected to the odd-numbered signal line X (1, 3,...) And the scanning line Y (1, 3,...). By dividing P4 and P6 into test pads P3 and P5 connected to even-numbered signal lines X (2, 4...) And scanning lines Y (2, 4. Inspection for defects such as disconnection of each wiring becomes easy.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the number of inspection wirings W1 connected to the signal line X is two, but the number of inspection wirings W1 connected to the signal line X is three, and each of the red pixel, the green pixel, and the blue pixel. An inspection signal may be input to the terminal. As a result, the color display can be inspected.

  Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, only the flexible wiring board FPC may be connected as a drive signal source in which the drive IC 12 is disposed on the connection pad 11A. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

1 is a plan view schematically showing a liquid crystal display panel of a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The figure explaining the display test | inspection before mounting a drive signal source about the liquid crystal display panel shown in FIG. The figure explaining the display test | inspection after mounting a drive signal source about the liquid crystal display panel shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Liquid crystal display panel, 3 ... Array substrate, 4 ... Counter substrate, 4A ... End part, 5 ... Liquid crystal layer, 6 ... Display area, 7 ... Switching element, 7G ... Gate electrode, 7S ... Source electrode, 7D ... Drain electrode 8 ... Pixel electrode, 9 ... Counter electrode, 10 ... Outer peripheral part, 10A ... Extension part, 11 ... Connection part, 11A ... First connection pad, 11A1 ... First pad, 11A2 ... Second pad, 11B ... Second Connection pad, 11B3 ... 3rd pad, 11B4 ... 4th pad, 12 ... Drive IC, FPC ... Flexible wiring board, X (X1-Xn) ... Signal line, Y (Y1-Ym) ... Scanning line, PX ... Pixel, P (P1 to P6): inspection pad, W1: inspection wiring, W2: connection wiring, SW: switching element

Claims (3)

An effective display unit composed of a plurality of display pixels arranged in a matrix;
A connection pad to which a drive signal source for supplying a drive signal to the effective display unit is connected;
A test pad to which a test signal source is connected during the display test of the effective display unit;
In addition to connecting the inspection pad and the effective display unit, inspection wiring to which an inspection signal is supplied during display inspection,
A liquid crystal display device comprising: a connection wiring for connecting the connection pad and the inspection pad. The effective display unit includes a scanning line extending along a row direction of the display pixel and a signal line extending along a column direction,
The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the inspection wiring is disposed on an outer peripheral portion located outside the effective display portion and connected to the scanning line and the signal line.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the inspection wiring is connected to the scanning line and the signal line via a switching element.

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