KR102450960B1 - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

A display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate including a first horizontal area, a second horizontal area, and a bending area provided between the first horizontal area and the second horizontal area.

Description

display device {DISPLAY DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly, to a display device having a bending area.

1 is a schematic plan view of a conventional general display device.

As can be seen from FIG. 1 , the conventional display device includes a display area DA and a non-display area NDA provided outside the display area DA.

A plurality of pixels are provided in the display area DA by crossing a gate line and a data line.

A gate driver (GIP) for supplying a gate signal to the gate line and a data driver 30 for supplying a data signal to the data line are provided in the non-display area NDA.

The data driver 30 is connected to the data pad 22 provided on the substrate 10 . The data pad 22 is connected to the data line through a data link line 21 . The data driving unit 30 includes a flexible printed circuit film 31 and a data driving circuit 32 integrated in the flexible printed circuit film 31 .

The gate driver GIP may be provided in an integrated form on the substrate 10 . The gate driver GIP extends to the flexible printed circuit film 31 via a line on glass (LOG) wiring.

Recently, research on a flexible display device that can be bent or wound like paper has been steadily progressing, and a display device that cannot be completely wound but has a bending area is also being developed.

However, the above-described conventional display device having the same structure is limited in application to a display device having a bending area. That is, in the conventional case, since the LOG wiring is located in the edge region of the substrate 10, there is a problem in forming a bending region due to the LOG wiring.

The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display device having a bending area.

In order to achieve the above object, a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate including a first horizontal region, a second horizontal region, and a bending region provided between the first horizontal region and the second horizontal region. include Also, in the display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, a first support substrate is provided on the first horizontal area, and a second support substrate is provided on the second horizontal area.

According to the present invention as described above, there are the following effects.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, since the substrate includes the first horizontal area, the second horizontal area, and the bending area, the bezel width can be substantially reduced even though the non-display area outside the display area is wide. can

1 is a schematic plan view of a conventional general display device.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a state before bending without removing a corner area.
2 is a schematic plan view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a state before bending after removing a corner area.
4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state before bending.
5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a state after bending.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs It is provided to fully inform the possessor of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

The shapes, sizes, proportions, angles, numbers, etc. disclosed in the drawings for explaining the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated matters. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In addition, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. When 'including', 'having', 'consisting', etc. mentioned in this specification are used, other parts may be added unless 'only' is used. When a component is expressed in the singular, the case in which the plural is included is included unless specifically stated otherwise.

In interpreting the components, it is interpreted as including an error range even if there is no separate explicit description.

In the case of a description of the positional relationship, for example, when the positional relationship of two parts is described as 'on', 'on', 'on', 'beside', etc., 'right' Alternatively, one or more other parts may be positioned between two parts unless 'directly' is used.

In the case of a description of a temporal relationship, for example, 'immediately' or 'directly' when a temporal relationship is described as 'after', 'following', 'after', 'before', etc. It may include cases that are not continuous unless this is used.

Although the first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Accordingly, the first component mentioned below may be the second component within the spirit of the present invention.

Each feature of the various embodiments of the present invention may be partially or wholly combined or combined with each other, technically various interlocking and driving are possible, and each of the embodiments may be implemented independently of each other or may be implemented together in a related relationship. may be

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

2 and 3 are schematic plan views of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows a state before bending. In particular, in order to bend, the corner area C must be removed. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the corner area C is not removed, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the corner area C is removed.

2 and 3 , the display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a display area (DA) and a non-display area (NDA) provided on the substrate 100 . is done by

The substrate 100 is made of a flexible substrate to enable bending. For example, the substrate 100 may be made of polyimide (PI), but is not limited thereto.

A plurality of pixel areas for displaying an image are formed in the display area DA. Each of the plurality of pixel areas is defined by a gate line and a data line. A display element is formed in each pixel area in which the gate line is defined by a data line. The display device may include a circuit device and a light emitting device, but is not limited thereto.

More specifically, the circuit element may include a plurality of thin film transistors including a switching thin film transistor and a driving thin film transistor, and a capacitor. The light emitting device may include an anode and a cathode, and an organic light emitting layer provided between the anode and the cathode. The circuit element and the light emitting element may be changed into various forms known in the art.

The non-display area NDA is provided outside the display area DA.

The non-display area NDA includes a gate link line 210 , a gate pad 220 , a gate driver 230 , a data link line 310 , a data pad 320 , and a data driver 330 . .

The gate link line 210 is connected to a gate line formed in the display area DA. The gate pad 220 is formed at an end of the gate link line 210 . The gate driver 230 is connected to the gate pad 220 . The gate driving unit 230 includes a first flexible printed circuit film 231 and a gate driving circuit 232 formed on the first flexible printed circuit film 231 . The first flexible printed circuit film 231 is provided with a lead wire in one-to-one contact with the gate pad 220 . The gate driver 230 may have a chip on film (COF) structure as shown, but may also have a chip on glass (COG) structure in some cases. Although the drawing shows that the gate link line 210 , the gate pad 220 , and the gate driver 230 are provided on the left and right sides of the display area DA, respectively, it is not necessarily limited thereto. However, it may be provided only in one of the left and right edges of the display area DA.

The data link line 310 is connected to a data line formed in the display area DA. The data pad 320 is formed at an end of the data link line 310 . The data driver 330 is connected to the data pad 320 . The data driver 330 includes a second flexible printed circuit film 331 and a data driving circuit 332 formed on the second flexible printed circuit film 331 . The second flexible printed circuit film 331 is provided with a lead wire that is in one-to-one contact with the data pad 320 . The data driver 330 may have a chip on film (COF) structure as shown, but may also have a chip on glass (COG) structure in some cases. Although the drawing shows that the data link line 310, the data pad 320, and the data driver 330 are provided outside the upper side of the display area DA, the present invention is not limited thereto. They may also be provided at the upper and lower outer edges of the display area DA, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 2 , a first bending line P1 is provided in a first direction, for example, a vertical direction, in the non-display area NDA, and a second bending line P2 is provided in a second direction, for example, a horizontal direction. ) is provided.

The first bending line P1 is formed on the left and right sides of the display area DA, respectively. In particular, the first bending line P1 is formed in a straight straight line form from the lower end to the upper end of the substrate 100 .

The second bending line P2 is formed at the upper and lower outer edges of the display area DA, respectively. In particular, the second bending line P2 is formed in a straight straight line form from the left end to the right end of the substrate 100 .

The first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 cross each other. The corner region C is defined by the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 crossing each other as described above. That is, a total of four corner regions C are formed in the upper left and lower left corners, and upper right and lower right corners of the substrate 100 .

The corner region C is a region to be finally removed, and as the corner region C is removed as described above, bending may be performed through the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 .

3 shows a state in which the edge region C is removed. As can be seen from FIG. 3 , the four corner regions C of the substrate 100 are removed.

Referring back to FIG. 2 described above, among the regions of the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 , the region defining the corner region C is the substrate 100 and a support substrate to be described later. (Refer to reference numerals 510 and 520 of FIG. 4 ) are all removed. That is, since the corner region C must be removed, there is no configuration in the region of the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 defining the corner region C. , the corner region C may be separated accordingly. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3 , regions of the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 defining the corner region C become the outermost lines of the substrate 100 .

As a result, as shown in FIG. 3 , the first bending line P1 formed on the left and right edges of the display area DA, respectively, and the upper and lower edges of the display area DA, respectively. The second bending line P2 has a rectangular structure as a whole, and an outer portion thereof can be bent based on the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 having a rectangular structure.

4 and 5 are schematic cross-sectional views of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively, which correspond to the cross-section taken in the horizontal direction of FIG. 3 described above. In particular, FIG. 4 shows a state before bending, and FIG. 5 shows a state after bending.

As can be seen from FIG. 4 , the display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate 100 , a gate line 200 , a gate link line 210 , a gate pad 220 , a display device 400 , and a support substrate. 510 , 520 , and a coupling member 600 .

As described above, the substrate 100 may be made of a flexible plastic, for example, polyimide.

The gate line 200 , the gate link line 210 , and the gate pad 220 are formed on the upper surface of the substrate 100 . The gate line 200 is formed in the display area of the substrate 100 , the gate link line 210 is connected to an end of the gate line 200 , and the gate pad 220 is the gate link line 210 is formed at the end.

The gate line 200 , the gate link line 210 , and the gate pad 220 may be integrally formed as a whole, but are not limited thereto. For example, the gate pad 220 may be formed on a different layer from the gate link line 210 with an insulating layer interposed therebetween, and may be connected to the gate link line 210 through a contact hole provided in the insulating layer. can be connected

Although not specifically illustrated, the display device 400 may include a circuit device and a light emitting device.

The circuit element may include a thin film transistor and a capacitor as described above. The gate line 200 may constitute a part of the circuit device.

The light emitting device is formed on the upper surface of the gate line 200 . The light emitting device includes an anode connected to the thin film transistor, a hole injection layer sequentially formed on the anode, a hole transporting layer, an emitting layer, an electron transporting layer. ), an electron injection layer, and a cathode provided on the electron injection layer. The specific configuration of such a light emitting device may be changed in various forms known in the art.

Meanwhile, although not shown, since the light emitting device is vulnerable to moisture, an encapsulation layer is formed on the upper surface of the light emitting device to prevent moisture penetration. The encapsulation layer may be formed of various structures and materials known in the art.

The support substrates 510 and 520 are formed on the lower surface of the substrate 100 . The support substrates 510 and 520 support the substrate 100 made of the flexible material. The support substrates 510 and 520 may be made of organic material. The process can be smoothly performed by such support substrates 510 and 520 .

The supporting substrates 510 and 520 include a first supporting substrate 510 and a second supporting substrate 520 .

The first support substrate 510 and the second support substrate 520 are spaced apart from each other with the first bending line P1 interposed therebetween. Although the substrate 100 is formed in the region of the first bending line P1 , the supporting substrates 510 and 520 are not formed.

In the manufacturing process, the gate line 200 and the gate link line 210 are formed on the upper surface of the substrate 100 in a state in which the support substrates 510 and 520 are also formed in the region of the first bending line P1. , the gate pad 220 , and the light emitting device 400 are formed, and thereafter, the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 are formed as in FIG. 2 . At this time, both the substrate 100 and the supporting substrates 510 and 520 are removed in the regions of the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 defining the corner region C, but the In areas other than the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 , only the support substrates 510 and 520 are removed without removing the substrate 100 . Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4 , the first support substrate 510 and the second support substrate 520 spaced apart with the first bending line P1 therebetween are formed.

Referring to FIG. 3 described above, the first supporting substrate 510 is formed in the inner region of the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2, and the second supporting substrate 520 is It is formed in an area outside the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 .

One first supporting substrate 510 is formed in the inner region of the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2, but the second supporting substrate 520 is formed on the first bending line ( Four are formed in the outer region of P1) and the second bending line P2. Each of the four second support substrates 520 formed in an area outside the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 is the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2. may be bent based on , but accordingly, a bending area is realized, and consequently, a bezel of the display device may be reduced.

The coupling member 600 is formed on the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 . Specifically, it is formed on the lower surface of the substrate 100 between the first supporting substrate 510 and the first supporting substrate 510 . The coupling member 600 serves to maintain a bending state after bending is completed.

5 is a diagram illustrating a final structure of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention in which a bending process is completed.

As can be seen from FIG. 5 , the substrate 100 includes horizontal regions S1 and S2 and a bending region B. Referring to FIG.

The horizontal regions S1 and S2 include a first horizontal region S1 and a second horizontal region S2. The first horizontal area S1 is provided in a display area that displays an image, and the second horizontal area S2 is provided in a non-display area that does not display an image. The first horizontal region S1 and the second horizontal region S2 are arranged in parallel with each other and overlap each other accordingly. As described above, since the first horizontal area S1 and the second horizontal area S2 overlap each other, the bezel of the display device may be reduced.

The bending area B is provided between the first horizontal area S1 and the second horizontal area S2. That is, one end of the bending area B is connected to the first horizontal area S1 , and the other end of the bending area B is connected to the second horizontal area S2 . Such a bending area B is provided in the non-display area.

As described above, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, since the substrate 100 includes a first horizontal area S1 , a second horizontal area S2 , and a bending area B, although the non-display area outside the display area is Even if this configuration is wide, it is possible to substantially reduce the bezel width.

A gate line 200 and a light emitting device 400 are sequentially formed on the upper surface of the first horizontal region S1 to display an image. In addition, the first support substrate 510 is formed on the lower surface of the first horizontal region S1 to support the first horizontal region S1 .

The second support substrate 520 is formed on the upper surface of the second horizontal region S2 to support the second horizontal region S2. In addition, a gate pad 220 is formed on the lower surface of the second horizontal region S2 . Since the second horizontal region S2 is inverted while being bent by the bending region B, the configuration of the upper and lower surfaces of the second horizontal region S2 is the same as that of the upper and lower surfaces of the first horizontal region S1. It is the opposite of composition.

A gate link line 210 connecting the gate line 200 and the gate pad 220 is formed on the outer surface of the bending region B, and the coupling member ( 600) is formed.

The bending area B corresponds to the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 . That is, the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 are bent to form the bending area B. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, as in FIG. 3 , the first bending line P1 and the second bending line P2 have a rectangular structure, the bending area B is on the left side of the first horizontal area S1, It is provided on the right side, the upper side, and the lower side, respectively, and has a rectangular structure as a whole, so that the bezel can be reduced on the entire side of the rectangle of the display device. Also, the first support substrate 510 and the second support substrate 520 are not formed on the bending region B of the substrate 100 . However, as described above, the coupling member 600 is formed on the inner surface of the bending region B to fix the bending structure.

The coupling member 600 is formed between the substrate 100 corresponding to the bending region B, the first supporting substrate 510, and the second supporting substrate 520, the substrate 100, the The first support substrate 510 and the second support substrate 520 are coupled together, and accordingly, the curvature of the bending region B is fixed.

The coupling member 600 may include a moisture penetration preventing material, and in this case, it is possible to effectively prevent moisture from penetrating through the bending region (B). That is, since the first support substrate 510 and the second support substrate 520 are not formed in the bending region B, it may be vulnerable to moisture penetration. Accordingly, by adding a moisture penetration preventing material to the coupling member 600 , it is possible to prevent moisture from penetrating into the bending region B.

The first supporting substrate 510 and the second supporting substrate 520 are formed side by side with the coupling member 600 interposed therebetween. The first supporting substrate 510 and the second supporting substrate 520 overlapping each other may be fixed by the coupling member 600 .

In the following claims, a signal line collectively refers to a gate line and a data line, a signal link line collectively refers to a gate link line and a data link line, and a signal pad refers to a gate pad and a data pad collectively.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments, and various modifications may be made within the scope without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. . Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to explain, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The protection scope of the present invention should be construed by the claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

100: substrate 210: gate line
220: gate link line 230: gate pad
310: data line 320: data link line
330: data pad 400: light emitting element
510: first support substrate 520: second support substrate
600: coupling member

Claims (10)

a substrate including a first horizontal region, a second horizontal region, and a bending region provided between the first horizontal region and the second horizontal region;
a first support substrate provided on the first horizontal region; and
and a second support substrate provided on the second horizontal region,
a coupling member provided on the bending region to couple between the first support substrate and the second support substrate;
The coupling member is provided so that one surface of the substrate is not exposed in the bending area, and is provided to cover ends of the first support substrate and ends of the second support substrate facing the bending area,
The second horizontal area is provided to the left, right, upper side, and lower side of the first horizontal area, respectively. delete According to claim 1,
The coupling member is a display device comprising a moisture permeation prevention material. According to claim 1,
The first horizontal area and the second horizontal area overlap each other. According to claim 1,
A signal line is provided on the first horizontal area, a signal link line connected to the signal line is provided on the bending area, and a signal pad connected to the signal link line is provided on the second horizontal area. 6. The method of claim 5,
The signal line is provided on an upper surface of the first horizontal area, and the signal pad is provided on a lower surface of the second horizontal area. According to claim 1,
The first support substrate is provided on a lower surface of the first horizontal area, and the second support substrate is provided on an upper surface of the second horizontal area. According to claim 1,
The bending area is provided to the left, right, upper side, and lower side of the first horizontal area, respectively. delete a substrate including a first horizontal region, a second horizontal region, and a bending region provided between the first horizontal region and the second horizontal region;
a first support substrate provided on the first horizontal region; and
and a second support substrate provided on the second horizontal region,
a coupling member provided on the bending region to couple between the first support substrate and the second support substrate;
The coupling member is provided so that one surface of the substrate is not exposed in the bending area, and is provided to cover ends of the first support substrate and ends of the second support substrate facing the bending area,
The substrate is a display device provided by removing four corner regions from a rectangular flexible substrate.

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