JP4756311B2 - Display element - Google Patents

Description

  According to the present invention, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) element layer formed by sandwiching an organic layer including at least a light emitting layer between a pair of translucent electrodes, at least one of which is disposed on a substrate, covers the organic EL element. The present invention relates to a display element formed by bonding a stop member to the substrate.

  A display element using an organic EL element layer is a self-luminous element and therefore does not require backlight illumination. Therefore, it can be thinned, has a wide viewing angle, and is suitable for a large display panel. Yes.

For example, the display element has a pixel formed by a light emitting portion of a segment as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and a pixel formed by a light emitting portion of a dot matrix as disclosed in Patent Document 2. There is. These display elements are both formed by forming an organic EL element layer composed of a transparent electrode, an insulating layer, an organic layer, and a back electrode (opaque electrode) on a supporting substrate, and covering the organic EL element layer. The member is disposed on the support substrate, and a terminal portion connected to the connection member is provided in a region not covered by the sealing member. The display element emits light when a constant current is applied through a connection terminal such as an FPC connected to the terminal portion. In addition, the sealing member is filled with a hygroscopic agent facing the organic EL element layer formed on the support member through a gap, absorbing excess moisture in the storage space and suppressing damage to the organic EL element layer is doing.
JP 2001-267066 A JP 2004-207094 A

  However, when the display element as described above is increased in size, it tends to bend due to external force, and the organic EL element layer comes into contact with the sealing member or the hygroscopic agent provided on the sealing member. As a result, a dark spot (non-light emitting portion) or the like is generated, which may shorten the life.

  In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a display element with high durability.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a support member,
An organic EL element layer laminated on the support member;
A sealing member which is bonded to the support member and forms a space for storing the organic EL element layer;
With
Wherein at least one of the support member or the sealing member may have a protrusion protruding toward the other side in a region of the space,
At least one of the support member or the sealing member includes a through hole in a formation region of the space portion,
The protruding portion forms a peripheral wall portion of the through hole,
The other of the support member or the sealing member has a shielding portion that closes the through hole at a location corresponding to the through hole,
The sealing member includes the protruding portion that forms a peripheral wall portion of the through hole,
The organic EL element layer is formed by laminating a light emitting layer on the support member, a transparent electrode sandwiching the light emitting layer, and a back electrode made of an impermeable material,
At least one of the transparent electrode and the back electrode has a terminal portion that extends on the shielding portion and is exposed to the outside via the space between the support member and the peripheral wall portion .

  Further, according to the present invention, the support member has a first through hole in the space forming region, and the sealing member is in the space forming region. A second through hole corresponding to the first through hole, and the projecting portion is formed of a peripheral wall portion surrounding the second through hole and facing an outer edge of the first through hole. Features.

The present invention, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the organic EL element layer has a transparent electrode and the luminescent layer and the non-transparent electrode, provided on the support member, the support member, at least the It has the transparent area | region which does not form the said opaque electrode in the location corresponding to the said protrusion part provided in a sealing member, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

Further, according to the present invention, as described in claim 4 , a support member, an organic EL element layer laminated on the support member, and a space portion that is bonded to the support member and accommodates the organic EL element layer are formed. And at least one of the support member or the sealing member has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the other side in the space portion, and the protruding portion receives light from an external light source. It comprises a light-transmitting part that forms a predetermined light-emitting design by transmitting.
The projecting portion includes a light transmitting portion that forms a predetermined light emitting design by transmitting light from an external light source.

  The present invention provides a highly durable display element for a display panel including an organic EL element.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a display device to which a display element according to the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 4 are diagrams showing a first embodiment of a display device to which a display element according to the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a front view of a display device of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the display device, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the support member and the sealing member before joining.

  The display device 1 includes a pointer 2, an organic EL panel (display element) 3, a circuit board 4, and a turn-back plate 5. As shown in FIG. 1, vehicle information is indicated by the pointer 2, a segment, and a dot matrix. Is displayed.

  The pointer 2 includes an instruction portion 6 and a pointer cap 7 that covers the center of rotation of the pointer 2. The instruction unit 6 is made of a transparent synthetic resin and made of a light guide material that guides light, and is illuminated by the organic EL panel 3 described in detail later. The pointer cap 7 is made of a light-shielding synthetic resin material.

  The organic EL panel 3 includes a support member 8, an organic EL element layer 9, a sealing member 10, and a through-hole 11, and segments numbers that are indicators of vehicle speed as shown in FIG. In the lower part of the display area where the pointer 2 does not rotate, vehicle information such as the time and travel distance excluding the vehicle speed is displayed by a dot matrix 13 (laminated structure not shown).

  The support member 8 is a substantially rectangular flat plate member made of glass, translucent resin, or the like, and supports the organic EL element layer 9.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the organic EL element layer 9 is made of a transparent electrode 9a which is an anode using ITO (indium tin oxide) which is a translucent material, and a polyimide-based or phenol-based photosensitive resin material. An electrically insulating insulating layer 9b, an organic layer 9c composed of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer and an electron transport layer, and a back surface which is a cathode using a non-translucent material such as aluminum (Al) An electrode (opaque electrode) 9d is sequentially laminated by a vapor deposition method or the like.

  The back electrode 9d is deposited over a wide area so as to cover the transparent electrode 9a and the organic layer 9c except for the transparent region 15 including at least the joint 14 (around the through hole 11) 14 between the support member 8 and the support column. It is formed by.

  The sealing member 10 is formed, for example, by forming a flat plate member made of a glass material slightly smaller than the support member 8 into a concave shape, and the space portion S in which the organic EL element layer 9 is accommodated by the bottom portion 16 and the side portion 17. 8. As shown in FIG. 4, the sealing member 10 is formed with a columnar protruding portion 18 that protrudes from the center of the bottom portion 16 and serves as a peripheral wall of the through hole 11. The height of the protruding portion 18 is set to be equal to that of the side portion 17. In the sealing member 10, a hygroscopic agent 19 that absorbs moisture in the space S is applied to the bottom portion 16 so as to separate the organic EL element layer 9 from a predetermined gap. The sealing member 10 is disposed on the support member 8 via an ultraviolet curable adhesive 20 applied to the joint portion 14. Since the back electrode 9d is not formed in the joint portion 14 of the support member 8 that faces the protruding portion 18 that is a part of the sealing member 10, the adhesion between the support member 8 and the sealing member 10 is improved, and the space portion The airtightness of S is maintained.

  The organic EL panel 3 is formed by bonding the support member 8 having the organic EL element layer 9 laminated and the sealing member 10, and then the through hole 11 is formed so as to hollow out the center of the protruding portion 18 by a drill or the like. The A first through hole 11 a is formed in the support member 8, a second through hole 11 b is formed in the sealing member 10, and the protrusion 18 serves as a peripheral wall of the through hole 11. The pointer shaft 21 of the pointer 2 is inserted through the through hole 11 formed in this way. The organic EL panel 3 is provided with a protrusion 18 in the space S and functions as a spacer that holds a predetermined gap between the organic EL element layer 9 and the sealing member 10, thereby receiving external force. However, it becomes difficult to bend. Since the protruding portion 18 is hollowed out into a cylindrical shape and becomes the peripheral wall of the through hole 11, the airtightness of the space portion S can be maintained and deterioration of the organic EL element layer 9 can be prevented.

  The circuit board 4 is a hard board made of glass epoxy resin, and has a hole through which the pointer shaft 21 passes. The drive body 22 of the pointer 2 is fixed to the lower side of the circuit board 4. The circuit board 4 is electrically connected to the organic EL panel 3 by a flexible connection member (FPC) not shown.

  The facing plate 5 is made of a light-shielding synthetic resin and includes an opening 23 for exposing the display area of the organic EL panel 3. The facing plate 5 has a scale 24 corresponding to a numerical index indicating the speed of the vehicle displayed on the organic EL panel 3 so as to surround the opening 23. The scale 24 is provided by notching the facing plate 5 and making a slit, and is illuminated by transmission of light emitted from the organic EL panel 3.

  Therefore, since the display device 1 has a protrusion 18 at the center of the space S of the organic EL panel 3, the display device 1 has a structure that is difficult to bend, so that durability is improved.

  Further, the protrusion 18 is formed as a peripheral wall of the through hole 11, so that the airtightness between the support member 8 and the sealing member 10 is maintained even when the through hole 11 is provided, and moisture, dust, dust, etc. Since the penetration into the space portion S is prevented, the occurrence of dark spots (non-light emitting portions) can be suppressed, and the reliability of the display device 1 is improved.

  Further, the back electrode 9d is formed except for the transparent region 15 around the through hole 11 including the joint 14 between the support member 8 and the sealing member 10, and the support member 8 and the sealing member 10 are directly bonded to each other. Therefore, the adhesion between the members 8 and 10 is enhanced.

  In addition, in this embodiment, although the through-hole 11 was formed after joining the supporting member 8 and the sealing member 10, for example in the sealing member 10 in which the supporting member 8 and the protrusion part 18 were formed. Each of the through holes (first through hole 11a, second through hole 11b) 11 may be formed and then joined.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the organic EL element layer 9 is provided behind the pointer 2 and the pointer 2 is illuminated by the organic EL panel 3, but FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. As described above, since the non-transparent back electrode 9d is not formed in the transparent region 15 located behind the center of rotation of the pointer 2, a light emitting diode 25 is provided on the circuit board 4 and is not an organic EL panel. The pointer 2 may be illuminated with a light source. This is effective in that the pointer 2 can be illuminated with a color different from that of the organic EL panel 3 when the organic EL panel 3 emitting single color light is used.

  Moreover, although this embodiment provided the through-hole 11 in the center of the organic EL panel 3, and provided the protrusion part 18 so that the surrounding wall of the through-hole 11 might be made, in this invention, the through-hole 11 does not need to be, The formation position and structure of the protrusion 18 are arbitrary.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the sealing member 10 processed the flat plate member which consists of glass materials, a constituent material is arbitrary and you may use a metal.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same or equivalent part as 1st embodiment mentioned above, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The sealing member 10 includes a protrusion 18 having a through hole 11 at the center thereof. In this case, the support member 8 does not penetrate. When the sealing member 10 and the support member 8 are joined, the support member 8 closes the through-hole 11 opened to the outside, and the organic EL panel 3 has a structure including the concave portion R.

  The support member 8 is formed by laminating an organic EL element layer 9 including a terminal portion 26 on a flat plate member. The organic EL element layer 9 is formed except for the central region corresponding to the concave portion R. In the organic EL element layer 9, a transparent electrode 9a is drawn out in a central region corresponding to the concave portion R, and constitutes a terminal portion 26 connected to an external electrode.

  The display device 1 configured as described above has improved durability because the protrusion 18 is provided at the center of the organic EL panel 3.

  Normally, the terminal portion 26 is provided by routing the wiring in the peripheral region of the organic EL panel 3. However, by providing the terminal portion 26 in the center of the panel for connection to the external electrode, the wiring routing can be shortened. Thus, an increase in the electric resistance value caused by an increase in the size of the organic EL panel 3 and a variation in luminance due to poor energization are prevented.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the terminal portion 26 is provided in the region where the support member 8 is exposed by the concave portion R of the organic EL panel 3, but in addition to this, the terminal portion is provided in the peripheral portion of the support member 8. It may be provided. Moreover, the arrangement | positioning location of the terminal part 26 is arbitrary, and may be suitably arrange | positioned by the layout etc. of a display design.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same or equivalent part as 1st embodiment mentioned above, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  7 is a front view of a display device using the display element in the present embodiment, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the display device.

  The display device 1 displays the speed of the vehicle by indicating the scale 24 and the indicator 12 on the organic EL panel 3, and displays a warning 27 indicating the traveling direction below the display area.

  The organic EL panel 3 includes a through hole 11 through which the pointer shaft 21 is inserted.

  The sealing member 10 is made of a glass material, and a first protrusion 18 is provided as a peripheral wall of the through-hole 11. An arrow-shaped second indicating a traveling direction of the vehicle is provided at a position corresponding to a lower portion of the display area. A protrusion 27 is provided. The second protrusion 27 is set to be equal to the height of the first protrusion 18.

  The circuit board 4 is provided on the non-display side of the organic EL panel 3 and has a light emitting diode 25 at a location corresponding to the back surface of the second protrusion 27.

  The second projecting portion 27 is transmitted and illuminated by light emitted from the light emitting diode 25 provided on the circuit board 4 from behind. Then, an arrow-shaped cross section of the second protrusion is displayed as a warning 27 on the organic EL panel.

  In the present embodiment, by providing the first protrusion 18 and the second protrusion 27 on the sealing member, the durability of the display element is improved, and further, the second protrusion is transmitted and illuminated. The cross-sectional shape can be displayed on the organic EL panel as a display design.

  In the present embodiment, the warning indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle is displayed by the second protrusion, but the information to be displayed and the display position are arbitrary.

The front view which shows 1st embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows embodiment same as the above. AA sectional drawing of FIG. 2 which shows embodiment same as the above. The disassembled perspective view which shows the organic electroluminescent panel of embodiment same as the above. Sectional drawing which shows 2nd embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows 3rd embodiment of this invention. The front view which shows 4th embodiment of this invention. BB sectional view of FIG. 7 showing the same embodiment The disassembled perspective view which shows the organic electroluminescent panel of embodiment same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

1 Display 2 Pointer 3 Organic EL Panel (Display Element)
8 Support member 9 Organic EL element layer 9a Transparent electrode 9b Insulating layer 9c Organic layer 9d Opaque electrode (back electrode)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Sealing member 11 Through-hole 11a 1st through-hole 11b 2nd through-hole 14 Joining part 15 Transparent area | region 18 Support | pillar 21 Pointer shaft 26 Terminal part

Claims (4)

A support member;
An organic EL element layer laminated on the support member;
A sealing member bonded to the support member and forming a space for storing the organic EL element layer,
Wherein at least one of the support member or the sealing member may have a protrusion protruding toward the other side in a region of the space,
At least one of the support member or the sealing member includes a through hole in a formation region of the space portion,
The protruding portion forms a peripheral wall portion of the through hole,
The other of the support member or the sealing member has a shielding portion that closes the through hole at a location corresponding to the through hole,
The sealing member includes the protruding portion that forms a peripheral wall portion of the through hole,
The organic EL element layer is formed by laminating a light emitting layer on the support member, a transparent electrode sandwiching the light emitting layer, and a back electrode made of an impermeable material,
At least one of the transparent electrode and the back electrode has a terminal portion that extends on the shielding portion and is exposed to the outside via the space between the support member and the peripheral wall portion . The support member has a first through hole in a formation region of the space portion,
The sealing member has a second through hole corresponding to the first through hole in the formation region of the space portion,
The display element according to claim 1, wherein the projecting portion includes a peripheral wall portion surrounding the second through hole and facing an outer edge of the first through hole. The organic EL element layer has a transparent electrode, a light emitting layer, and an opaque electrode, and is provided on the support member .
2. The display element according to claim 1 , wherein the support member has a transparent region where the opaque electrode is not formed at least at a position corresponding to the protrusion provided on the sealing member. A support member;
An organic EL element layer laminated on the support member;
A sealing member which is bonded to the support member and forms a space for storing the organic EL element layer;
With
At least one of the support member or the sealing member has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the other side in the space portion,
The display element according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion includes a light-transmitting portion that forms a predetermined light-emitting design by transmitting light from an external light source.

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