KR20060020174A - Flexible printed circuit film, tape carrier package and display device including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a flexible printed circuit board, a tape carrier package, and a display device including the same.

A printed circuit board, a display panel unit having a plurality of pixels each including a switching element and first and second signal lines connected thereto, and a gray voltage corresponding to an image signal from an external source is selected as a data voltage to the first signal line. A plurality of data driver integrated circuits to be applied, a plurality of gate driver integrated circuits to apply a gate signal for controlling the switching element to the second signal line, and the data driver integrated circuit positioned between the printed circuit board and the display panel unit A first flexible printed circuit board provided with a second flexible printed circuit board provided with the gate driving integrated circuit, wherein the first and second flexible printed circuit boards include the first and second flexible printed circuit boards. First and second lead wires connected to the signal line, respectively, and the first and second lead wires become wider as the length becomes longer.

In this way, the longer the length of the leader line, the larger the width can compensate for the variation in resistance due to the difference in the length of the signal line to make a uniform resistance.

Printed circuit board, flexible, tape carrier package, lead wire, signal wire, etc.

Description

Flexible Printed Circuit Boards, Tape Carrier Packages, and Display Devices Including The Same {FLEXIBLE PRINTED CIRCUIT FILM, TAPE CARRIER PACKAGE AND DISPLAY DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME}

1 is a block diagram of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an equivalent circuit diagram of one pixel of a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a schematic diagram of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an enlarged layout view of the flexible printed circuit board of FIG. 3.

The present invention relates to a flexible printed circuit board, a tape carrier package, and a display device including the same.

Recently, organic electroluminescence display (OLED), plasma display panel (PDP), liquid crystal display (LCD), instead of heavy and large cathode ray tube (CRT) Flat panel display devices such as are being actively developed.                         

PDP is a device for displaying characters or images using plasma generated by gas discharge, and the organic EL display device displays characters or images by using electroluminescence of specific organic materials or polymers. The liquid crystal display device applies an electric field to a liquid crystal layer interposed between two display panels, and adjusts the intensity of the electric field to adjust a transmittance of light passing through the liquid crystal layer to obtain a desired image.

Among such flat panel display devices, for example, a liquid crystal display and an organic EL display device may turn on / off a switching element of a pixel by emitting a gate signal to a pixel including a switching element, a display panel provided with a display signal line, and a gate line among the display signal lines. A gate driver to be turned off, a data driver to apply a data voltage to the data lines of the display signal lines, and a signal controller to control them.

The driving circuit is positioned near the edge of the display device and is connected to the end of the signal line. For this connection, the end of the signal line is concentrated in a narrow area (hereinafter referred to as a connection area). On the other hand, in an area where pixels are located (hereinafter referred to as a display area), signal lines need to maintain intervals determined according to pixel sizes, and thus, line intervals are larger than those of ends connected to the driving circuit. Therefore, in the area between the display area and the connection area, there is a fan-out area in which the distance between the signal lines is gradually widened (or narrowed) in the shape of a side chatter.

The signal lines located near the center of the fan out area are almost straight without changing direction, but the angle at which the signal lines are bent increases toward the edge of the fan out area. Due to this structure, the signal lines have different lengths, and thus the resistance values of the signal lines are also different, thereby degrading the image quality.

In particular, since the liquid crystal display adopts a voltage control method for controlling and controlling the voltage applied to each pixel, the voltage difference caused by the difference in resistance of the signal line causes serious problems in image quality.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a display device that can solve the problems of the prior art.

The flexible printed circuit board according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention for achieving the technical problem includes a plurality of signal lines, the length of the signal line becomes larger as the length is longer.

In this case, the width of the signal line is preferably increased toward the edge, the signal line may be made of copper.

In addition, the tape carrier package according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a driving integrated circuit and a plurality of signal lines connected thereto, and the signal lines become wider as the length becomes longer.

In this case, the width of the signal line is preferably increased toward the edge of the driving integrated circuit, the signal line may be made of copper.

A display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a display board unit having a plurality of pixels each including a printed circuit board and a switching element, and first and second signal lines connected thereto, and gray levels corresponding to image signals from the outside. A plurality of data driving integrated circuits for selecting a voltage as a data voltage and applying the same to the first signal line, a plurality of gate driving integrated circuits for applying a gate signal for controlling the switching element to the second signal line, the printed circuit board; A first flexible printed circuit board positioned between the display panel unit and provided with the data driving integrated circuit, and a second flexible printed circuit board including the gate driving integrated circuit,

The first and second flexible printed circuit boards include first and second leader lines respectively connected to the first and second signal lines, and the first and second leader lines become wider as the length becomes longer. .

In this case, the first and second leader lines may be wider toward edges of the data driving integrated circuit and the gate driving integrated circuit, and the first and second leader lines may be made of copper.

The display device may further include a signal controller configured to process the image signal and output a signal for controlling the image signal to the data driver integrated circuit and the gate driver integrated circuit, and a gray voltage generator to generate the gray voltage. The signal controller and the gray voltage generator may be provided on the printed circuit board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention.                     

In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc., are exaggerated for clarity. Like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the specification. When a part of a layer, film, region, plate, etc. is said to be "on" another part, this includes not only the other part being "right over" but also another part in the middle. On the contrary, when a part is "just above" another part, there is no other part in the middle.

A display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram of one pixel of a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a liquid crystal panel assembly 300, a gate driver 400, a data driver 500, and a data driver 500 connected thereto. The gray voltage generator 800 connected to the signal control unit 600 to control them.

The display panel unit 300 includes a plurality of display signal lines G ₁ -G _n , D ₁ -D _m and a plurality of pixels Px connected to the plurality of display signal lines G ₁ -G _n and D ₁ -D _m in an equivalent circuit.

The display signal lines G ₁ -G _n and D ₁ -D _m are a plurality of gate lines G ₁ -G _n for transmitting a gate signal (also called a “scan signal”) and a data signal line or data for transmitting a data signal. Line D ₁ -D _m . The gate lines G ₁ -G _n extend substantially in the row direction and are substantially parallel to each other, and the data lines D ₁ -D _m extend substantially in the column direction and are substantially parallel to each other.

Each pixel includes a switching element Q connected to a display signal line G ₁ -G _n , D ₁ -D _m , and a pixel circuit connected thereto.

The switching element Q is a three-terminal element whose control terminal and input terminal are connected to the gate line G ₁ -G _n and the data line D ₁ -D _m, respectively, and the output terminal is connected to the pixel circuit. have. In addition, the switching element Q is preferably a thin film transistor, and particularly preferably comprises amorphous silicon.

In the case of a liquid crystal display, which is a representative example of a flat panel display, the lower panel 100, the upper panel 200, and a liquid crystal layer 3 therebetween are included as shown in FIG. 2. The display signal lines G ₁ -G _n , D ₁ -D _m and the switching elements Q are provided on the lower display panel 100. The pixel circuit of the liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal capacitor C _LC and a storage capacitor C _ST connected to the switching element Q. The holding capacitor C _ST can be omitted as necessary.

The liquid crystal capacitor C _LC has two terminals, the pixel electrode 190 of the lower panel 100 and the common electrode 270 of the upper panel 200, and the liquid crystal layer 3 between the two electrodes 190 and 270. It functions as a dielectric. The pixel electrode 190 is connected to the switching element Q, and the common electrode 270 is formed on the front surface of the upper panel 200 and receives a common voltage V _com . Unlike in FIG. 2, the common electrode 270 may be provided in the lower panel 100. In this case, both electrodes 190 and 270 may be formed in a linear or bar shape.

The storage capacitor C _ST is formed by overlapping a separate signal line (not shown) and the pixel electrode 190 provided on the lower panel 100, and a predetermined voltage such as a common voltage V _com is applied to the separate signal line. Is approved. However, the storage capacitor C _ST may be formed such that the pixel electrode 190 overlaps the front end gate line directly above the insulator.

On the other hand, in order to implement color display, each pixel should be able to display color, which is provided with a color filter 230 of three primary colors, for example, red, green, or blue, in a region corresponding to the pixel electrode 190. It is possible by doing. In FIG. 2, the color filter 230 is formed on the upper panel 200. Alternatively, the color filter 230 may be formed above or below the pixel electrode 190 of the lower panel 100.

Polarizers (not shown) for polarizing light are attached to outer surfaces of at least one of the two display panels 100 and 200 of the display panel unit 300 of the liquid crystal display device.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the gray voltage generator 800 generates one or two gray voltages related to the luminance of the pixel. If there are two sets, one of the sets has a positive value for the common voltage (V _com ) and the other set has a negative value.

The gate driver 400 is connected to the gate lines G ₁ -G _n of the display panel 300 to gate a gate signal formed by a combination of a gate on voltage V _on and a gate off voltage V _off from the outside. Applies to lines G ₁ -G _n . The gate driver 400 includes a plurality of stages substantially arranged in a row as a shift register.

The data driver 500 is connected to the data lines D ₁ -D _m of the display panel 300 to select the gray voltage from the gray voltage generator 800 and apply the gray voltage to the pixel as a data signal.

The signal controller 600 controls operations of the gate driver 400 and the data driver 500.

The display operation of such a display device will now be described in more detail.

The signal controller 600 inputs an input control signal for controlling the RGB image signals R, G, and B and their display from an external graphic controller (not shown), for example, a vertical sync signal V _sync and a horizontal sync signal. (H _sync ), a main clock (MCLK), a data enable signal (DE) is provided. The signal controller 600 generates a gate control signal CONT1 and a data control signal CONT2 based on the input control signal and the input image signals R, G, and B, and generates the image signals R, G, and B. After appropriately processing the display panel 300 according to the operating conditions, the gate control signal CONT1 is sent to the gate driver 400, and the data control signal CONT2 and the processed image signal DAT are transferred to the data driver 500. Export.

The gate control signal (CONT1) includes a gate-on voltage vertical synchronization start signal (STV) for instructing the start of output of the (V _on), the gate-on voltage gated clock signal that controls the output timing of the (V _on) (CPV) and the gate-on An output enable signal OE or the like that defines the duration of the voltage V _on .

The data control signal CONT2 is a load signal LOAD and a data clock signal for applying a corresponding data voltage to the horizontal synchronization start signal STH indicating the start of input of the image data DAT and the data lines D ₁ -D _m . (HCLK). In the case of the liquid crystal display or the like shown in FIG. 2, the polarity of the data voltage with respect to the common voltage V _com (hereinafter referred to as "polarization of the data voltage" by reducing the "polarity of the data voltage with respect to the common voltage") is inverted. The inversion signal RVS may also be included.

The data driver 500 sequentially receives the image data DAT corresponding to one row of pixels according to the data control signal CONT2 from the signal controller 600, and among the gray voltages from the gray voltage generator 800. By selecting the gray scale voltage corresponding to each image data DAT, the image data DAT is converted into a corresponding data voltage and applied to the data lines D ₁ -D _m .

The gate driver 400 applies the gate-on voltage V _on to the gate lines G ₁ -G _n in response to the gate control signal CONT1 from the signal controller 600, thereby applying the gate lines G ₁ -G _n. Turn on the switching element (Q) connected to. The data voltage supplied to the data lines D ₁ -D _m is applied to the corresponding pixel through the turned-on switching element Q.

In the case of the liquid crystal display shown in FIG. 2, the difference between the data voltage applied to the pixel and the common voltage V _com is represented as the charging voltage of the liquid crystal capacitor C _LC , that is, the pixel voltage. The liquid crystal molecules vary in arrangement depending on the magnitude of the pixel voltage. As a result, the polarization of light passing through the liquid crystal layer 3 changes. The change in polarization is represented by a change in transmittance of light by a polarizer (not shown) attached to the display panels 100 and 200.

After one horizontal period (or “1H”) (one period of the horizontal sync signal H _sync , the data enable signal DE, and the gate clock CPV), the data driver 500 and the gate driver 400 are next. The same operation is repeated for the pixels in the row. In this manner, the gate-on voltages V _{on are} sequentially applied to all the gate lines G ₁ -G _n during one frame to apply data voltages to all the pixels. In the case of the liquid crystal display shown in FIG. 2, in particular, when one frame ends, the next frame starts and an inversion signal applied to the data driver 500 such that the polarity of the data voltage applied to each pixel is opposite to the polarity of the previous frame. The state of (RVS) is controlled ("frame inversion"). At this time, the polarity of the data voltage flowing through one data line is changed according to the characteristics of the inversion signal RVS even in one frame (eg, "row inversion", "point inversion"), The polarities can also be different (eg "invert columns", "invert points")

Next, a display panel and a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

3 is a schematic diagram of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged layout view of the fan out area illustrated in FIG. 3.

In FIG. 3, gate lines G ₁ -G _n are denoted by reference numeral '121', and data lines D ₁ -D _m are denoted by reference numeral '171'.

As shown in FIG. 3, the display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a display panel 300, a plurality of gate FPC substrates 410 and a plurality of data FPC substrates 510 attached thereto. And a printed circuit board (PCB) 550 attached to the data FPC board 510.

A gate driver integrated circuit (IC) 440 and a data driver integrated circuit 540 are mounted in the form of a chip on the gate FPC board 410 and the data FPC board 510, respectively. , 540 and leader lines 420 and 520 for electrical connection with the outside are formed. The FPC substrates 410 and 510 are made of polyimide or polyester.

The printed circuit board 550 includes various circuit elements for driving and controlling the liquid crystal panel assembly 300. For example, the signal controller 600 and the gray voltage generator 800 illustrated in FIG. 1 are mounted on the PCB 550. These circuit elements are connected to the data driver integrated circuit 540 through a signal line (not shown) provided on the printed circuit board 550 and a lead line 520 of the data FPC board 510. The electrical connection between the 440 and the printed circuit board 550 may include a signal line (not shown) separately provided on the data FPC board 510 and the lower panel 100 and the lead line 420 of the gate FPC board 410. The lead wires 420 and 520 are made of a material such as copper having a relatively low resistance. Alternatively, the driving integrated circuits 440 and 550 may be directly mounted on the lower panel 100 of the display panel unit 300, in which case the gate FPC substrate 410 is not necessary.                     

The lower panel 100 of the display panel unit 300 is positioned on and outside the display area D in which the array of pixel electrodes 190 is disposed, and the display signal lines 121 and 171 and the FPC substrates 410 and 510. Or a peripheral area in which physical and electrical connections with the driving integrated circuits 440 and 540 are made.

The display signal lines 121 and 171 are connected to the pixel electrode 190 through the switching element Q in the display area D, and are substantially parallel to each other, and end portions of the signal lines 121 and 171 positioned in the peripheral area. The FPC boards 410 and 510 are connected to the driving integrated circuits 440 and 540. However, in the case of the display device illustrated in FIG. 3, the gap between the lead lines 420 of the FPC boards 410 and 510 for the connection between the driving integrated circuits 440 and 540 and the display signal lines 121 and 171 is represented in the display area. Since the distance between the signal lines 121 and 171 in the peripheral area is gradually changed as compared with the interval between the display signal lines 121 and 171 in (D), an area in which the signal lines 121 and 171 are arranged in a fan shape (hereinafter, referred to as "a"). (F) is called a fan-out area. This fan out area also includes a portion in which the leader line 520 of the driving integrated circuit, for example, the data driving integrated circuit 540 extends in a fan shape.

4 shows enlarged leader lines 520 having different thicknesses.

As shown in FIG. 4, the leader lines 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d extending from the data driver integrated circuit 540 have different thicknesses.

In more detail, the leader line 520a extending from the center of the data driving integrated circuit 540 is straight, and the length thereof is shortest, and the lead line 520b gradually becomes longer while spreading in a fan shape toward the edge. Lose. Similarly, when the leader lines 520c and 520d are located outside and above the data driving integrated circuit 540, the length is longer than the leader line 520b positioned at the lower edge of the data driving integrated circuit 540. At this time, the width of each leader line 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d gradually increases in proportion to the length.

In this case, when the resistance increases while the length of the leader line 520 and the signal lines 121 and 171 connected thereto increases, the widths of the leader lines 520a, 520b, 520c, and 520d are increased to increase the widths of the leader lines 520 and the signal lines 121 and 171 connected thereto. The variation in resistance caused by the difference in length can be compensated for. Therefore, each of the signal lines 121 and 171 can have the same resistance.

In addition, in the recent trend of reducing the number of driving integrated circuits 440 and 540 and becoming multi-channel, the signal line spacing of the fan-out area F of the display panel 300 may be further narrowed. In this case, it may be difficult to adjust the width of the signal line in the fan-out area F, so that it may be impossible to design an iso-resistive device. It can be done.

This method may be applied to the lead line 420 of the gate driving integrated circuit 440.

In this manner, the resistance of the signal lines 121 and 171 can be made uniform by adjusting the width according to the length of the lead line 520 to compensate for the resistance variation caused by the difference in length of the signal lines 121 and 171.                     

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concepts of the present invention defined in the following claims are also provided. It belongs to the scope of rights.

Claims (11)

A flexible printed circuit film for a display device comprising a plurality of signal lines, The longer the signal line is, the larger the width becomes Flexible printed circuit board for display device. In claim 1, And a width of the signal line increases toward an edge thereof. In claim 1, The signal line is a flexible printed circuit board for a display device made of copper. A tape carrier package for a display device including a driving integrated circuit and a plurality of signal lines connected thereto. The longer the signal line is, the larger the width becomes Tape carrier package for display device. In claim 4, And a width of the signal line increases toward an edge of the driving integrated circuit. In claim 4, And the signal line is made of copper. Printed circuit board, A display panel unit having a plurality of pixels each including a switching element and first and second signal lines connected thereto; A plurality of data driving integrated circuits selecting a gray voltage corresponding to an image signal from an external source as a data voltage and applying the same to the first signal line; A plurality of gate driver integrated circuits for applying a gate signal for controlling the switching element to the second signal line; A first flexible printed circuit board positioned between the printed circuit board and the display panel and provided with the data driving integrated circuit; A second flexible printed circuit board having the gate drive integrated circuit Including, The first and second flexible printed circuit boards include first and second lead lines respectively connected to the first and second signal lines; The first and second leader lines have a larger width as the length increases. Display device. In claim 7, And the first and second leader lines become wider toward edges of the data driving integrated circuit and the gate driving integrated circuit. In claim 7, The first and second leader lines are made of copper. In claim 7, A signal controller which processes the video signal and sends a signal for controlling the video signal to the data driver integrated circuit and the gate driver integrated circuit; A gray voltage generator to generate the gray voltage Containing more Display device. In claim 10, And the signal controller and the gray voltage generator are provided on the printed circuit board.

Images