KR20180047590A - Flexible display panel and flexible display apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible display panel and a flexible display device using the same. At least one transistor, whose resistance characteristic changes when the transistor is bent, is installed in a non-display region. The flexible display panel includes a panel and a sensor part.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a flexible display panel and a flexible display device using the flexible display panel.

The present invention relates to a flexible display panel and a flexible display device using the flexible display panel.

Flat panel display devices (FPDs) are used in various types of electronic products including mobile phones, tablet PCs, and notebook computers. 2. Description of the Related Art A flat panel display (hereinafter simply referred to as a display device) includes a liquid crystal display device (LCD) and an organic light-emitting diode display device (OLED) Device (EPD: Electrophoretic Display Device) is also widely used.

In a conventional display device, a glass substrate is used so as to withstand the high heat generated during the manufacturing process of the display device. Therefore, there is a limit to making the conventional display device light, thin, or flexible.

In recent years, a flexible display device capable of maintaining the display performance even when folded in various directions such as paper, folded in half, or wound like a roller is manufactured by using a flexible material that can be folded and unfolded like a plastic film or the like have.

By understanding whether the flexible display device as described above is bent, whether it is folded, or whether it is rolled, various interfaces can be implemented in the flexible display device.

For this purpose, a sensor can be mounted in the non-display area of the flexible display device to grasp the degree of bending, folding information or rolling degree of the flexible display device.

1 is an exemplary view showing a conventional flexible display device on which a sensor is mounted.

In the patent document 10-2014-0132569, a flexible display device 10 as shown in Fig. 1 is described. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a display area, reference numeral 2 denotes a non-display area, and reference numeral 3 denotes a sensor. As shown in FIG. 1, in the conventional flexible display device, a plurality of sensors 3 are disposed in the non-display area 2, and the degree of bending, the degree of folding or the like of the flexible display device The degree of rolling can be grasped.

However, in the conventional flexible display device, since the sensors 3 are formed in a resistance shape, the size of the sensors 3 is very large when compared with the size of pixels provided in the display area. Therefore, the width of the non-display region is hardly reduced.

In addition, since the sensors 3 are formed by a different process from the pixels constituting the flexible display device, the manufacturing process of the flexible display device becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible display panel and at least one flexible display device using the flexible display panel in which at least one transistor whose resistance characteristic is changed when bending is provided in a non-display region.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible display panel including a display panel including an image and a non-display portion surrounding the display panel, the panel including gate lines and data lines, And a sensor unit having a first transistor. The first transistor includes a first gate provided on a substrate constituting the panel, a first active, which is spaced apart from the first gate with a gate insulating film interposed therebetween, a first main, connected to one side of the first active, And a first auxiliary terminal connected to the other side of the first active. The first main terminal and the first auxiliary terminal are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the bending region of the panel.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible display device including a flexible display panel, a gate driver for driving gate lines provided in the flexible display panel, a data driver for driving data lines provided in the flexible display panel, A bending sensing unit for sensing whether the sensor unit is bending using the sensing signals received from the sensor unit, and a controller for controlling the functions of the gate driver, the data driver, and the bending sensing unit.

According to the present invention, a sensor for detecting whether or not to bend can be formed through the same process as the transistors provided in the display area. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the flexible display panel and the flexible display device can be simplified.

According to the present invention, the width of the non-display area can be reduced since the size of the sensor for detecting the bending is small.

According to the present invention, since the difference in the sensing ability of the sensors due to temperature is not large, the sensor part is not affected by the temperature, and therefore, whether or not to bend can be accurately detected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an exemplary view showing a conventional flexible display device in which a sensor is mounted. Fig.
Fig. 2 is an exemplary view showing a foldable display panel proposed by the applicant of the present invention in the process of developing the present invention; Fig.
3 is an exemplary view showing a configuration of a flexible display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
4 is an exemplary view showing a structure of a pixel applied to a flexible display device according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a first transistor included in a sensor section applied to a flexible display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
6 is an exemplary view showing a configuration of a flexible display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
7 is an exemplary view showing a configuration of a flexible display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
8 is an equivalent circuit of resistances of transistors constituting a sensor portion applied to a flexible display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
9 is an exemplary view showing a configuration of a flexible display device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
10 is an exemplary view showing a configuration of a flexible display device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;
11 is an exemplary view showing a configuration of a flexible display device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
12 is an exemplary view showing a configuration of a flexible display device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;
13 is an exemplary view showing a configuration of a sensor unit applied to a flexible display device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention, and the manner of achieving them, will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. To fully disclose the scope of the invention to a person skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

It should be noted that, in the specification of the present invention, the same reference numerals as in the drawings denote the same elements, but they are numbered as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings.

The shapes, sizes, ratios, angles, numbers, and the like disclosed in the drawings for describing the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative, and thus the present invention is not limited thereto. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. In the case where the word 'includes', 'having', 'done', etc. are used in this specification, other parts can be added unless '~ only' is used. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, including the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In interpreting the constituent elements, it is construed to include the error range even if there is no separate description.

In the case of a description of the positional relationship, for example, if the positional relationship between two parts is described as 'on', 'on top', 'under', and 'next to' Or " direct " is not used, one or more other portions may be located between the two portions.

In the case of a description of a temporal relationship, for example, if the temporal relationship is described by 'after', 'after', 'after', 'before', etc., May not be continuous unless they are not used.

The term " at least one " should be understood to include all possible combinations from one or more related items. For example, the meaning of 'at least one of the first item, the second item and the third item' means not only the first item, the second item or the third item, but also the second item, the second item and the third item, Means any combination of items that can be presented from more than one.

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

It is to be understood that each of the features of the various embodiments of the present invention may be combined or combined with each other, partially or wholly, technically various interlocking and driving, and that the embodiments may be practiced independently of each other, It is possible.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is an exemplary view showing a folder display panel proposed by the applicant of the present invention in the process of developing the present invention.

2, the foldable display panel 50 includes a bending area E which is flexible and which is folded and a flat area F which is not flexible and is not folded.

The four bending sensors, namely, the first to fourth bending sensors 11, 22, 23, and 24 for detecting whether or not the folder-type display panel 50 is bent include a display area 30, Non-display area 40 provided on the outer periphery of the display area.

The two bending sensors 21 and 24 of the bending sensors are disposed in the non-display area 40 of the bending area EX and the remaining two bending sensors 22 and 23 are disposed in the non- Is disposed in the non-display region (40) of the region (F).

As described above, the bending region E is supported by a flexible substrate, and the flat region F is supported by a non-flexible substrate.

Since the size of the bending sensors is large in the foldable display panel 50, the width of the non-display area 40 is limited.

As described above, since the bending sensors are large in size, the two bending sensors 21 and 24 are disposed in the non-display area 40 of the bending area E, The sensors 22 and 23 are arranged in the non-display area 40 among the flat areas F. [

In this case, due to the material difference between the substrates constituting the bending area E and the flat area F when the ambient temperature of the foldable display panel is changed, the bending sensors in the bending area E 21 and 24 and the bending sensors 22 and 23 in the flat region F may occur. This resistance variation may not accurately determine whether or not the foldable display panel is folded.

In addition, since the output of the signal due to the strain of the bending sensors is low, the sensitivity of the sensing signal received from the bending sensors is low, so that it is difficult to accurately determine whether or not the foldable display panel is folded .

The present invention addresses these problems, and the present invention is described in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a structure of a flexible display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a pixel applied to a flexible display device according to the present invention.

3, the flexible display device according to the present invention includes a flexible display panel 100 according to the present invention, a gate driving circuit (not shown) for driving the gate lines GL1 to GLg provided in the flexible display panel 100, A data driver 300 for driving the data lines DL1 to DLd included in the flexible display panel 100, and a data driver 300 for receiving data from the sensor unit 600 of the flexible display panel 100. [ A bending sensing unit 700 for sensing whether the sensor unit 600 is bent using sensing signals and a bending sensing unit 700 for controlling functions of the gate driver 200, the data driver 300, and the bending sensing unit 700 And a control unit 400.

The gate driver 200 sequentially generates gate pulses according to a gate control signal GCS supplied from the controller 400 and sequentially supplies the gate pulses to the gate lines GL1 to GLg.

The gate driver 200 may be formed directly on the flexible display panel 100 together with the thin film transistor forming process of each pixel 111 or may be formed in the form of an integrated circuit It is possible. The type in which the gate driver 200 is formed directly on the flexible display panel 100 is referred to as a gate in panel (GIP) type.

The data driver 300 is connected to the data lines DL1 to DLd and converts the digital image data Data transferred from the controller 400 into analog data voltages, And supplies data voltages for one horizontal line to the data lines DL1 to DLd for each period during which pulses are supplied.

The data driver 300 converts the image data Data into the data voltage using the gamma voltages supplied from the gamma voltage generator and then converts the data voltage to the data line or the dummy data line Supply.

The data driver 300 may be formed as one integrated circuit (IC) together with the controller 400. [

The control unit 400 controls the gate driver 200, the data driver 300, and the bending sensing unit 700.

The control unit 400 converts the input image data transmitted from the external system into image data according to the structure of the flexible display panel 100 and then transmits the digital image data Data to the data driver 300.

The controller 400 generates a gate control signal GCS for controlling the gate driver 200 and a data control signal DCS for controlling the data driver 300 and outputs the gate control signal GCS, To the gate driver (200), and transmits the data control signal (DCS) to the data driver (300).

The control unit 400 generates a bending sensing control signal BCS for controlling the bending sensing unit 700 and transmits the bending sensing control signal to the bending sensing unit 700.

The control unit 400 may analyze the digital sensing signals received from the bending sensing unit 700 to determine a bending area of the flexible display panel 100.

In order to perform the functions as described above, the control unit 400 may include a determination unit, a control signal generation unit, and a data arrangement unit.

The determination unit receives the digital sensing signals transmitted from the bending sensing unit 700, the timing synchronization signal transmitted from the external system, and the input image data transmitted from the external system. The determination unit analyzes the digital sensing signals to determine whether the flexible display panel 100 is bent. The determination unit may transmit information about whether or not the bending is performed to the external system.

The control signal generator uses the timing synchronization signal to generate the gate control signal GCS, the data control signal DCS, and the bending sensing control signal BCS.

The data sorting unit rearranges the input image data according to the structure of the pixels 111 to generate image data Data. The data sorting unit transmits the image data to the data driver 300.

In the above description, the flexible display device for determining whether the flexible display panel 100 is bent using the digital sensing signals has been described. However, the determination of whether the flexible display panel 100 is bent or not may be performed by the bending sensing unit 700. In this case, the bending sensing unit 700 may transmit the determination result of the bending to the external system through the controller 400, or may directly transmit the determination result to the external system.

The bending sensing unit 700 may convert the analog sensing signals received from the sensor unit 600 into digital sensing signals and then transmit the digital sensing signals to the controller 400. [

The bending sensing unit 700 may directly determine whether the flexible display panel 100 is bent using the digital sensing signals. In this case, the bending sensing unit 700 may transmit a result of the bending determination to the external system through the controller 400, or may directly transmit the determination result to the external system.

In addition, the bending sensing unit 700 may transmit the digital sensing signals to the flexible display panel 100 by using the digital sensing signals.

Hereinafter, a flexible display device in which the bending sensing unit 700 directly determines whether the bending area B is bent using the digital sensing signals will be described as an example of the present invention.

The bending sensing unit 700 may be provided independently or integrally with the control unit 400 or integrated with the data driver 300.

The bending sensing unit 700 is driven according to the bending sensing control signal BCS transmitted from the controller 400. [ In this case, the bending detection control signal BCS may be directly transmitted from the controller 400 or may be transmitted through the data driver.

The flexible display panel 100 includes a panel 110 and a sensor unit 600, as shown in FIG.

The panel 110 includes a display unit 120 displaying an image and a non-display unit 130 surrounding the display unit. The panel 110 includes the gate lines GL1 to GLg and the data lines DL1 to DLd.

The sensor unit 600 is provided in at least one bending area B of the non-display unit 130. 3 shows the flexible display panel 100 in which one bending region B is provided.

The sensor unit 600 includes a first transistor 610.

The first transistor 610 may be included in the non-display unit 130 together with various transistors included in the pixel 111 of the display unit 120. [

The flexible display panel 100 is composed of a substrate that can be bent, folded, or rolled. The bending of the flexible display panel 100 means that the flexible display panel 100 is bent in a rounded manner in the bending area B and that the folding of the flexible display panel 100 means that the flexible display panel 100 is folded, The flexible display panel 100 is rolled up on the basis of the bending area B. The fact that the flexible display panel 100 is wound means that all the surfaces of the flexible display panel 100 are rounded.

The flexible display panel 100 may be modified into various forms as described above. Hereinafter, the flexible display panel 100 is bended, folded, or rolled, except that any one of the above three structures should be specifically limited, so that the flexible display panel 100 is bent It is said.

The flexible display panel 100 may be provided with at least one bending area B.

The sensor unit 600 is provided in an area corresponding to the bending area B of the non-display area of the flexible display panel 100.

The flexible display panel 100 is provided with gate lines GL1 to GLg, data lines DL1 to DLd and pixels 111 defined by the gate lines and the data lines.

Each of the pixels 111 includes a switching transistor Tsw1 connected to the data line DL and the gate line GL, a first driving power source EVDD, A driving transistor Tdr having a gate connected to the switching transistor Tsw1 and an organic light emitting diode OLED connected between the driving transistor Tdr and the second driving power source EVSS, do. A data voltage Vdata is supplied to the data line DL and a gate pulse GP is supplied to the gate line GL.

However, the structure of the pixel 111 is not limited to the structure shown in Fig. Accordingly, the pixel 111 may be configured in various forms. For example, the pixel 111 shown in FIG. 4 includes a structure for grasping a threshold voltage, mobility, or degradation level of the driving transistor Tdr or the organic light emitting diode OLED provided in the pixel . In addition, the pixel 111 may include three or more transistors.

The detailed configuration and function of the flexible display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 3 and 5. Fig.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a first transistor included in a sensor unit applied to a flexible display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The flexible display panel 100 applied to the flexible display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes the panel 110 and the sensor unit 600 as described above.

The sensor unit 600 is provided in at least one bending area B of the non-display unit 130, and the sensor unit 600 includes at least one transistor. The transistor functions as a sensor for detecting the bending state.

In the flexible display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the sensor unit 600 includes only one of the first transistors 610 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.

3 and 5, the first transistor 610 includes a first gate 613 and a gate insulating film 615 provided on a substrate 119 constituting the flexible display panel 100, A first main 613 connected to one side of the first active 614 and a first main 613 connected to one side of the first active 614, And a first auxiliary terminal 612 connected to the other side. The first gate 613 is surrounded by a protection layer 616. The first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 pass through the protection layer 616 and are electrically connected to the first active 614 ).

The first transistor 610 may be a thin film transistor. The thin film transistor may be formed of a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS).

The structure of the first transistor 610 may be changed into various forms. However, the first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 should be arranged in a direction Y perpendicular to the direction X of the bending area B of the flexible display panel 100 .

For example, in FIG. 3, the bending area B is formed in the lateral direction of the flexible display panel 100, that is, the X-axis direction. In this case, the first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 are arranged in the vertical direction perpendicular to the transverse direction, that is, the Y axis direction.

The first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 may be a drain and a source of the first transistor 610 or may be a source and a drain.

The first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 are arranged in the direction Y perpendicular to the direction X of the bending area B of the flexible display panel 100, The bending sensing unit 700 may sense whether the bending region B is bent when the bending region B is bent.

A method of determining the bending part of the bending area B using the first transistor 610 is as follows.

For example, when the flexible display panel 100 is bent along the bending region B due to an external force or an internal factor, the first transistor 610 may also be stretched or contracted.

As a result, the resistance value of the first transistor 610 changes.

The results described above can be confirmed through various papers (for example, electrical characteristics and mechanical limitation of polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor on steel foil under strain, ISDRS 2009, December 9-11, College Park, MD, USA) have.

The bending sensing unit 700 analyzes the amount of change in the resistance value of the first transistor 610 and determines whether the bending region B having the first transistor 610 is stretched or shrunk, It is possible to determine whether or not the region B is bent.

For example, when the first transistor 610 includes a first gate 613, a first main terminal 611, and a first auxiliary terminal 612, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, When the first transistor 610 is stretched in the Y-axis direction or retracted in the Y-axis direction, the length L of the channel of the first active 614 of the first transistor 610 is changed. In this case, the resistance value between the first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 can be changed.

The bending sensing unit 700 analyzes the sensing signals transmitted from the first transistor 610, for example, a current value or a voltage value flowing through the first transistor 610, And determines whether the bending region B in which the first transistor 610 is located is bended or bent according to a result of the determination.

A method of determining whether or not to bend is specifically described as follows.

When the flexible display panel 100 is bent along the bending region B, the length L between the first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 is greater than the length L of the flexible display panel 100 Is longer than or less than the length between the first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 when it is not bent.

Therefore, the current value flowing between the first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 can be increased or decreased. Accordingly, the resistance value between the first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 can be increased or decreased.

The bending sensing unit 700 may determine whether the bending region B is bent by analyzing a change amount of the resistance value.

The bending sensing unit 700 may supply a gate signal to the first gate and may be connected to the first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 by a control of the controller 400. [ Voltage can be applied.

The bending region B may be provided in the flexible display panel 100 and the first transistor 610 may be provided in the non-display portion 130 corresponding to each of the bending regions B .

Fig. 6 is an exemplary view showing a configuration of a flexible display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the same or similar contents as those described with reference to Figs. 2 to 5 are omitted or briefly described.

6, the flexible display device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes the flexible display panel 100, the gate driver 200, the data driver 300, the control unit 400, And the bending sensing unit 700.

The flexible display panel 100 includes the panel 110 and the sensor unit 600.

The sensor unit 600 applied to the flexible display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes only the first transistor 610 as in the first embodiment.

Here, the first gate 613 of the first transistor 610 is connected to one of the gate lines GL1 to GLg.

The bending sensing unit 700 may include a gate line connected to the first gate 613 during a display period in which data voltages are output to the data lines DL1 to DLd and an image is output to the flexible display panel 100, The current or voltage received through the first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 is analyzed to determine the resistance value of the first transistor 610 The amount of change can be analyzed. Accordingly, the bending part of the bending area B can be determined.

However, the bending sensing unit 700 analyzes the current or voltage received through the first main terminal 611 and the first auxiliary terminal 612 during a blank period in which no image is output between the frame and the frame The amount of change in the resistance value of the first transistor 610 can be analyzed. In this case, the gate driver 200 should be configured to supply the gate pulse GP to the gate line connected to the first gate 613 during the blank period.

6, when the flexible display panel 100 is provided with two bending areas B1 and B2 as shown in FIG. 6, the bending areas B1, (610).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a flexible display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a graph showing an equivalent of resistances of transistors constituting a sensor part applied to a flexible display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention Circuit. In the following description, the same or similar contents as those described with reference to Figs. 2 to 6 are omitted or briefly described.

7, the flexible display device 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes the flexible display panel 100, the gate driver 200, the data driver 300, the controller 400, And the bending sensing unit 700.

The flexible display panel 100 includes the panel 110 and the sensor unit 600.

The sensor unit 600 applied to the flexible display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a second main terminal 621 connected to both the first transistor 610 and the second active unit 624, And the second auxiliary terminal 622 are connected to both the second transistor 620 and the third active portion 634 arranged in the direction X parallel to the direction X of the bending region B, Both the third transistor 630 and the fourth active 644, which are arranged in the direction Y perpendicular to the direction X of the bending region B, are connected to the main terminal 631 and the third auxiliary terminal 632, And a fourth transistor 640 connected to the fourth auxiliary terminal 642 and the fourth auxiliary terminal 642 in a direction X parallel to the direction X of the bending region B.

Here, the resistors of the first transistor 610, the second transistor 620, the third transistor 630, and the fourth transistor 640 form a Wheatstone bridge as shown in FIG. 8 do.

The first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 are arranged to face each other in the diagonal direction and the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640 are arranged to face each other in the diagonal direction Are arranged to face each other.

When the bending region B is bent along the X-axis direction, the main terminals 611 and 631 and the auxiliary terminals 612 and 612 constituting the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630, , 632 are changed. Therefore, the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 function as variable resistors.

However, when the bending region B is bent along the X-axis direction, the main terminals 621 and 641 and the auxiliary terminals 622 and 623 constituting the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640, , 642 are not changed. Therefore, the resistances of the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 are not changed. Accordingly, the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640 function as reference resistors.

A driving voltage Vdd is supplied to a node between the first transistor 610 and the second transistor 620 and a node between the fourth transistor 640 and the third transistor 630 is grounded And a first output voltage Vout1 is transmitted to the bending sensing unit 700 through a node between the first transistor 610 and the fourth transistor 640. The second transistor 620 And a second output voltage Vout2 is transmitted to the bending sensing unit 700 through a node between the third transistors.

The bending sensing unit 700 measures a change amount of the resistance of the sensor unit 600 using the voltages and the currents received through the transistors, It is possible to judge whether or not the bending is performed.

The sensor unit 600 may include only the first transistor 610 and the second transistor 620 and may include only the third transistor 630 and the fourth transistor 640 It is possible.

If the sensor unit 600 is composed of two transistors, the resistance of any one of the two transistors is changed, and if the other one of the resistors is not changed, the bending sensing unit 700 detects that the bending region is bent .

As the number of transistors included in the sensor unit 600 increases, the influence of external noise can be eliminated. Therefore, the bending sensor unit 600 can more precisely detect the bending part of the bending area B It can be judged.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a flexible display device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the same or similar contents as those described with reference to Figs. 2 to 8 are omitted or briefly described.

8, the flexible display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes the flexible display panel 100, the gate driver 200, the data driver 300, the control unit 400, And the bending sensing unit 700.

The flexible display panel 100 includes the panel 110 and the sensor unit 600.

The sensor portion 600 applied to the flexible display device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is connected to both the first transistor 610 and the second active portion 624 in the same manner as in the third embodiment The second main transistor 621 and the second auxiliary transistor 622 are arranged in a direction X parallel to the direction X of the bending region B, The third transistor 630 and the third auxiliary terminal 632 are disposed in a direction Y perpendicular to the direction X of the bending region B and the third main terminal 631 and the third auxiliary terminal 632, The fourth main terminal 641 and the fourth auxiliary terminal 642 connected to both sides of the fourth active 644 are arranged in the direction X parallel to the direction X of the bending region B, Transistor 640.

The first gate 613 of the first transistor 610, the second gate 623 of the second transistor 620 and the third gate 633 of the third transistor 630, which are applied to the fourth embodiment, And the fourth gate 643 of the fourth transistor 640 are connected to any one of the gate lines GL1 to GLg as shown in FIG.

However, the first gate 613 of the first transistor 610, the second gate 623 of the second transistor 620, and the third gate 630 of the third transistor 630, which are applied to the third embodiment, And the fourth gate 643 of the fourth transistor 640 are connected to the bending sensing unit 700 as shown in FIG. And receives the signal GS.

9, in the flexible display panel 100 according to the fourth embodiment, when the two bending areas B1 and B2 are provided, the bending areas B1, B2 are each provided with the sensor unit 600. FIG.

10 is an exemplary view showing a configuration of a flexible display device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the same or similar contents as those described with reference to Figs. 2 to 9 are omitted or briefly described.

10, the flexible display device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention includes the flexible display panel 100, the gate driver 200, the data driver 300, the control unit 400, And the bending sensing unit 700.

The flexible display panel 100 includes the panel 110 and the sensor unit 600.

The sensor unit 600 applied to the flexible display device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention includes a second main terminal 621 connected to both the first transistor 610 and the second active unit 624, And the second auxiliary terminal 622 are connected to both the second transistor 620 and the third active portion 634 arranged in the direction Y perpendicular to the direction X of the bending region B The third transistor 630 and the fourth active 644, which are arranged in the direction Y perpendicular to the direction X of the bending region B, are connected to the third main terminal 631 and the third auxiliary terminal 632, And a fourth transistor 640 which is disposed in a direction Y perpendicular to the direction X of the bending region B includes a fourth main terminal 641 and a fourth auxiliary terminal 642 connected to both sides thereof do.

A driving voltage Vdd is supplied to the first gate 613 and the first main terminal 611 of the first transistor 610 applied to the fifth embodiment, The second main terminal 623 and the second main terminal 621 are connected to a terminal to which the second output voltage Vout2 is supplied to the bending sensing part 700. The third main terminal 631 of the third transistor, The gate 633 is connected to the terminal to which the second output voltage Vout2 is supplied to the bending sensing part 700. The fourth main terminal 641 and the fourth gate 643 of the fourth transistor It is connected to ground.

The first auxiliary terminal 612 of the first transistor 610 and the fourth auxiliary terminal 642 of the fourth transistor 640 are supplied with the first output voltage Vout2 to the bending sensing unit 700 The driving voltage Vdd is supplied to the second auxiliary terminal 622 of the second transistor 620 and the third auxiliary terminal 632 of the third transistor is connected to the ground.

The main terminals 611 and 631 and the auxiliary terminals 612 and 632 of the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 are connected to the bending region B in the X direction And the main terminals 621 and 641 and the auxiliary terminals 622 and 642 of the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640 are arranged in the bending region B in a direction X parallel to the direction X.

However, in the fifth embodiment, the main terminals 611, 621, 631, and 631 of the first transistor 610, the second transistor 620, the third transistor 630, and the fourth transistor 640, 641 and auxiliary terminals 612, 622, 632, 642 are arranged in a direction Y perpendicular to the direction X of the bending region B.

Here, the resistors of the first transistor 610, the second transistor 620, the third transistor 630, and the fourth transistor 640 form a Wheatstone bridge as shown in FIG. 8 .

In the Wheatstone bridge, the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 are arranged to face each other in a diagonal direction, and the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640 are arranged in a diagonal direction Are arranged to face each other.

In this case, the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 may be variable resistors, and the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640 may be reference resistors.

The first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 are first type transistors and the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640 are second type transistors.

For example, if the first type transistor is an N type transistor, the second type transistor is a P type transistor, and if the first type transistor is a P type transistor, the second type transistor is an N type transistor.

The mobility of the N-type transistor and the P-type transistor is reversed. Therefore, when a tensile force is applied to the N-type transistor and the P-type transistor to increase the distance L between the main terminal and the auxiliary terminal, a change in resistance in the N-type transistor, The change in resistance of the resistor is opposite.

Therefore, the bending sensing unit 700 can determine whether the bending region B is bent by using the change in resistance as described above.

11 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a flexible display device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the same or similar contents as those described with reference to Figs. 2 to 10 are omitted or briefly described.

11, the flexible display device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention includes the flexible display panel 100, the gate driver 200, the data driver 300, the control unit 400, And the bending sensing unit 700.

The flexible display panel 100 includes the panel 110 and the sensor unit 600.

The sensor unit 600 applied to the flexible display device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention includes a second main terminal 621 connected to both the first transistor 610 and the second active 624, And the second auxiliary terminal 622 are connected to both the second transistor 620 and the third active portion 634 arranged in the direction Y perpendicular to the direction X of the bending region B The third transistor 630 and the fourth active 644, which are arranged in the direction Y perpendicular to the direction X of the bending region B, are connected to the third main terminal 631 and the third auxiliary terminal 632, A fourth transistor 641 and a fourth auxiliary terminal 642 connected to both sides of the third transistor 630 are arranged in a direction Y perpendicular to the direction X of the bending region B do.

In this case, the resistors of the first transistor 610, the second transistor 620, the third transistor 630 and the fourth transistor 640 are connected to a Wheatstone bridge .

In the Wheatstone bridge, the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 are arranged to face each other in a diagonal direction, and the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640 are arranged in a diagonal direction Are arranged to face each other.

Particularly, in the sixth embodiment, the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 are provided in the center line C of the bending region B, and the second transistor 620 and the third transistor 630 4 transistor 640 is provided on the outer periphery of the bending region B.

The first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 are provided in the center line C of the bending region B. When the bending region B is bent, The resistance values of the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 are changed. Therefore, the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 function as variable resistors.

Since the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640 are disposed outside the bending region B, when the bending region B is bent, the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640, The resistance value of the fourth transistor 640 does not change. The amount of change in the resistance value of the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640 is smaller than the amount of change in the resistance value of the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 . Therefore, the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640 may function as reference resistors.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a configuration of a flexible display device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is an illustration showing a configuration of a sensor part applied to a flexible display device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the same or similar contents as those described with reference to Figs. 2 to 11 are omitted or briefly described.

12, the flexible display device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention includes the flexible display panel 100, the gate driver 200, the data driver 300, the control unit 400, And the bending sensing unit 700.

The flexible display panel 100 includes the panel 110 and the sensor unit 600.

The configuration of the sensor unit 600 applied to the flexible display device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the sensor unit 600 applied to the flexible display device according to the sixth embodiment.

However, in the flexible display panel 100 according to the seventh embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, two bending areas B1 and B2 are provided, and the bending areas B1 and B2 The sensor unit 600 is provided.

The sensor unit 600 is provided with four transistors 610, 620, 630 and 640, and the first transistor 610 and the third transistor 630 are connected to each other as shown in FIG. 13 Similarly, the second transistor 620 and the fourth transistor 640 are provided on the center line C of the bending region B, and the fourth transistor 640 is provided outside the bending region B.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

100: Flexible display panel 200: Gate driver
300: data driver 400:
600: sensor part 700: bending sensing part

Claims (8)

A panel including a display portion for displaying an image and a non-display portion surrounding the display portion, the panel including gate lines and data lines; And a sensor portion provided in at least one bending region of the non-display portion and having a first transistor,
Wherein the first transistor comprises:
A first gate provided on a substrate constituting the panel;
A first active region spaced apart from the first gate via a gate insulating film;
A first main terminal connected to one side of the first active; And
And a first auxiliary terminal connected to the other side of the first active,
Wherein the first main terminal and the first auxiliary terminal are disposed in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the bending area of the panel. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first gate of the first transistor is connected to one of the gate lines. The method according to claim 1,
The mall-
The first transistor;
A second transistor having a second main terminal and a second auxiliary terminal connected to both sides of the second active in a direction parallel to the direction of the bending region;
A third transistor having a third main terminal and a third auxiliary terminal connected to both sides of the third active in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the bending region; And
And the fourth main terminal and the fourth auxiliary terminal connected to both sides of the fourth active are arranged in a direction parallel to the direction of the bending region. The method of claim 3,
The resistors of the first transistor, the second transistor, the third transistor, and the fourth transistor form a Wheatstone bridge,
Wherein the first transistor and the third transistor are arranged to face each other in a diagonal direction, and the second transistor and the fourth transistor are arranged to face each other in a diagonal direction. The method according to claim 1,
The first transistor;
A second transistor having a second main terminal and a second auxiliary terminal connected to both sides of the second active in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the bending region;
A third transistor having a third main terminal and a third auxiliary terminal connected to both sides of the third active in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the bending region; And
And the fourth main terminal and the fourth auxiliary terminal connected to both sides of the fourth active are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the bending region. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the resistors of the first transistor, the second transistor, the third transistor, and the fourth transistor form a Wheatstone bridge,
Wherein the first transistor and the third transistor are arranged to face each other in a diagonal direction, the second transistor and the fourth transistor are arranged to face each other in a diagonal direction,
Wherein the first transistor and the third transistor are first type transistors, the second transistor and the fourth transistor are second type transistors,
Type transistor, the second-type transistor is a P-type transistor if the first-type transistor is an N-type transistor,
Type transistor is a P-type transistor, and the second-type transistor is an N-type transistor if the first-type transistor is a P-type transistor. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the resistors of the first transistor, the second transistor, the third transistor, and the fourth transistor form a Wheatstone bridge,
Wherein the first transistor and the third transistor are arranged to face each other in a diagonal direction, the second transistor and the fourth transistor are arranged to face each other in a diagonal direction,
Wherein the first transistor and the third transistor are provided on a center line of the bending region,
Wherein the second transistor and the fourth transistor are provided outside the bending region. A flexible display panel according to claim 1;
A gate driver for driving gate lines of the flexible display panel;
A data driver for driving data lines provided in the flexible display panel;
A bending sensing unit for sensing whether the sensor unit is bent by using the sensing signals received from the sensor unit; And
And a control unit for controlling functions of the gate driver, the data driver, and the bending sensing unit.

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