TW201617710A - Display panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A display panel includes a display panel body, a first protective film, a second protective film, and a sealant. The display panel body includes a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a first through hole that penetrates the display panel body and connects the first surface and the second surface. The first protective film is disposed on the first surface and has a second through hole connected to the first through hole. The second protective film is disposed on the second surface. The sealant is filled in the first through hole to seal a sidewall of the display panel body that is exposed by the first through hole, and a material of the sealant is a curable material.

Description

Display panel

The present invention relates to a display panel.

In view of the expanding application fields of electronic devices, the design of display panels for wearable devices has become more and more popular. Depending on the application, when the display panel is to be applied to a wearable device, there may be special design requirements in the structure. In the case of a smart watch, an opening is formed in the middle of the wearable display panel to provide a mechanical pointer. However, the formation of the opening may damage the structure of the display panel or even affect its performance. Therefore, when the display panel has a special design requirement in the structure, how to conform to the structural design requirements of the wearable device must be avoided, which is one of the special considerations.

The present invention provides a display panel which has good performance.

A display panel of the present invention includes a display panel main body, a first protective film, a second protective film, and an encapsulant. The display panel body has a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and communicates to the first through the display panel body a first opening of the surface and the second surface. The first protective film is disposed on the first surface and has a second opening in communication with the first opening. The second protective film is disposed on the second surface. The encapsulant is filled in the first opening to seal the sidewall of the display panel body exposed by the first opening, and the encapsulant is made of a curable material.

In an embodiment of the invention, the width of the second opening is smaller than the width of the first opening.

In an embodiment of the invention, the width of the second opening is equal to the width of the first opening.

In an embodiment of the invention, the curable material comprises an epoxy resin, a UV curable adhesive or a thermosetting adhesive.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second protective film has a third opening, the encapsulant has a fourth opening, and the fourth opening communicates between the second opening and the third opening.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first protective film is exposed by the second opening, the sidewall of the encapsulant exposed by the fourth opening, and the sidewall of the second protective film exposed by the third opening. Form a continuous surface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second opening, the third opening, and the fourth opening have the same width.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the widths of the second opening, the third opening, and the fourth opening are gradually decreased toward a direction perpendicular to the display panel, and the fourth opening and the second opening are in the encapsulant and the first protective film. The width of the interface is the same, and the fourth opening and the third opening have the same width at the interface between the encapsulant and the second protective film.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second protective film has a third opening. The encapsulant further seals the sidewall of the first protective film exposed by the second opening, and the encapsulant has a fourth opening. The fourth opening is in communication with the third opening.

In an embodiment of the invention, the encapsulant is exposed by the sidewall of the fourth opening and the sidewall of the second protective film exposed by the third opening to form a continuous surface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the fourth opening and the third opening have the same width.

In an embodiment of the invention, the widths of the fourth opening and the third opening are gradually decreased toward the direction perpendicular to the display panel, and the widths of the fourth opening and the third opening at the interface between the encapsulant and the second protective film are the same.

Based on the above, the display panel of the embodiment of the present invention seals the sidewall of the display panel body exposed by the first opening by the encapsulant in the case where the first opening is provided to prevent the performance of the display panel main body from being damaged. Therefore, the display panel of the embodiment of the present invention can have good performance.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 200, 200A, 200B‧‧‧ display panels

110‧‧‧Display panel body

120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 220‧‧‧ first protective film

130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, 130E‧‧‧ second protective film

140, 140A, 140B, 140C, 140D, 140E, 140F, 140G‧‧‧ encapsulant

D‧‧‧Distance

DD‧‧ Direction

O‧‧‧ openings

O1‧‧‧ first opening

O2, O2A, O2B, O2C‧‧‧ second opening

O3, O3B, O3C, O3D, O3E‧‧‧ third opening

O4, O4B, O4C, O4D, O4E‧‧‧ fourth opening

P‧‧‧Mechanical pointer

S1‧‧‧ first surface

S2‧‧‧ second surface

SS1, SS2, SS2A, SS2B, SS2C, SS3, SS3B, SS3C, SS3D, SS3E, SS4, SS4B, SS4C, SS4D, SS4E‧‧‧ sidewall

W1, W2‧‧‧ width

Wmin‧‧‧Minimum width

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a top plan view of a display panel in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

2B is a top plan view of the application of the display panel of FIG. 2A.

3A to 3E are schematic cross-sectional views showing the first to fifth embodiments of the display panel of Fig. 2B.

4 is a cross-sectional view of a display panel in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

5A and 5B are schematic cross-sectional views showing the first and second embodiments of the display panel of Fig. 4.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a top plan view of a display panel in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A , the display panel 100 includes a display panel main body 110 , a first protective film 120 , a second protective film 130 , and an encapsulant 140 .

The display panel 100 can be applied to a wearable device, wherein the display panel body 110 is, for example, an electrophoretic display panel having a flexing ability to bend in conformity with the wearing portion, but is not limited thereto. In detail, the display panel main body 110 may include a driving electrode not shown, and a display medium layer. The display medium layer changes the gray scale representation of the display screen of the display panel main body 110 according to the driving signal (eg, electric field) of the driving electrode. The display medium layer includes, for example, an electrophoretic display material or the like encapsulated in a plurality of microcapsules or a microcup structure, but is not limited thereto. According to different design needs, The display panel body 110 may further include other film layers or components, such as touch elements. In addition, the display panel main body 110 may further include a color filter layer not shown to achieve full colorization. Of course, the method of realizing full color can also be achieved by displaying the color of the material, without being limited to the above. For example, when an electrophoretic display material is used as the display medium, the display medium includes a fluid and a plurality of particles distributed in the fluid. In this way, colored particles or colored fluids can be selected to achieve the effect of colorful.

The display panel main body 110 has a first surface S1, a second surface S2 opposed to the first surface S1, and a first opening O1 that penetrates the display panel main body 110 and communicates to the first surface S1 and the second surface S2. The shape of the first opening O1 may be a cylindrical shape as illustrated in the drawing according to different design requirements, but is not limited thereto. The first protective film 120 is disposed on the first surface S1 and has a second opening O2 that is in communication with the first opening O1. The shape of the second opening O2 is also, for example, a cylindrical shape, but is not limited thereto.

The second protective film 130 is disposed on the second surface S2 and shields the first opening O1. Further, the second protective film 130 of the present embodiment is a continuous film and completely shields the first opening O1. The outer contour of the second protective film 130 corresponds to the outer contour of the display panel main body 110. As shown in FIG. 2A, the outer contours of the second protective film 130 and the display panel main body 110 are, for example, circular. However, according to different design requirements, the outer contour of the second protective film 130 and the display panel main body 110 may also have other shapes or even irregular shapes. It is to be noted that the first protective film 120 and the second protective film 130 are disposed on the first surface S1 and the second surface S2 of the display panel body 110 by means of attachment, and thus the first protective film 120 and the second surface The protective film 130 does not necessarily have to conform to the outline of the display panel body 110.

The encapsulant 140 is filled in the first opening O1 to seal the sidewall SS1 of the display panel body 110 exposed by the first opening O1. In this embodiment, the encapsulant 140 is further filled in the second opening O2 and contacts the sidewall SS2 of the first protective film 120 exposed by the second opening O2. The surface of the encapsulant 140 away from the first opening O1 is, for example, coplanar with the outer surface of the first protective film 120 (ie, the surface of the first protective film 120 with respect to the first surface S1), but is not limited thereto. Depending on the material properties of the encapsulant 140, the surface of the encapsulant 140 away from the first opening O1 may also be lower or higher than the outer surface of the first protective film 120.

The material of the encapsulant 140 is a curable material. The curable material includes, but is not limited to, an epoxy resin, a UV curable adhesive or a thermosetting adhesive. In the case where the display panel main body 110 is provided with the first opening O1, the encapsulant 140 is cured by filling the encapsulant 140 into the first opening O1 and through a curing process (such as a heat curing or photocuring process). The encapsulant 140 closely contacts the sidewall SS1 of the display panel body 110 exposed by the first opening O1. In this way, the performance of the display panel body 110 due to leakage of the display medium or other conditions can be avoided, so that the display panel 100 has good performance.

In this embodiment, the width W1 of the first opening O1 is greater than the width W2 of the second opening O2. Therefore, when the encapsulant 140 is filled in the first opening O1, the encapsulant 140 is in an uncured state and can flow. At this time, in order to prevent the display panel body 110 from being damaged, the liquid temperature of the encapsulant 140 may be lower than the highest withstand temperature of the display panel body 110. For example, the encapsulant 140 may be composed of a curable material that has a flowable state at normal temperature. Such curable materials The material can be a photocurable or a heat curable material. However, when the heat curable material is selected to form the encapsulant 140, the curing temperature of the heat curable material is preferably not higher than the highest withstand temperature of the display panel body 110.

As can be seen from FIG. 2A , the first opening O1 and the second opening O2 are substantially disposed at the center of the circular display panel 100 , and thus the encapsulant 140 of FIG. 1 is also disposed at the center of the display panel 100 . However, the positions of the first opening O1 and the second opening O2 can be adjusted according to different design requirements. Since the encapsulant 140 is disposed at the center of the display panel 100, this is an area of the display panel 100 that is not used to display a picture and the cured encapsulant 140 provides a high mechanical strength here. Therefore, the display panel 100 can be applied to various fields.

For example, FIG. 2B is a top plan view of an application of the display panel of FIG. 2A. 2B is an example in which the display panel 100 is used to form a surface of a smart watch, and an opening O may be further formed in the middle of the display panel 100 to provide a mechanical pointer P. In this way, the pivot bearing the mechanical pointer P can be inserted into the opening O. It can be seen from the foregoing description that the encapsulant 140 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a region having high mechanical properties in the display panel 100. Therefore, the corresponding formation of the opening O is disposed at the place where the encapsulant 140 is disposed without damaging the display panel main body 110 itself. structure. In other words, in the embodiment, the opening O is the structure of the encapsulant 140 and the second protective film 130 illustrated in FIG. 1 .

3A to 3E are schematic cross-sectional views showing the first to fifth embodiments of the display panel of Fig. 2B. Referring first to FIG. 3A, the display panel 100A, for example, the display panel 100 of FIG. 1, is formed via one boring process. After the pupil process, first The protective film 120A has a second opening O2A, the second protective film 130A has a third opening O3, and the encapsulant 140A has a fourth opening O4, wherein the fourth opening O4 is in communication with the second opening O2A and the third opening O3. Further, the second opening O2A, the third opening O3, and the fourth opening O4 constitute an opening O adapted to accommodate the pivot of the mechanical pointer P in Fig. 2B.

Since the opening O is formed through one boring process, the first protective film 120A is exposed by the second opening O2A, the sidewall SS2A exposed by the second opening O4, the sidewall SS4 exposed by the fourth opening O4, and the second protective film 130A are The side wall SS3 exposed by the third opening O3 constitutes a continuous surface. The continuous surface refers to the side wall SS2A exposed by the second opening O2A in the longitudinal section of the display panel 100A, the side wall SS4 exposed by the fourth opening O4, and the first side of the encapsulation 140A. The second protective film 130A is formed by a side surface SS3 exposed by the third opening O3 to form a cylindrical surface or a continuous meandering surface. Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the jig used in the boring process is a cylinder of equal width, the side wall SS2A exposed by the second opening O2A and the encapsulant 140A are fourth. The side wall SS4 and the second protective film 130A exposed by the opening O4 are formed into a cylindrical surface by the side wall SS3 exposed by the third opening O3, and the opening O is of equal width without a significant width change. That is, the widths of the second opening O2A, the third opening O3, and the fourth opening O4 are the same.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the jig used in the boring process is a cylinder of equal width and has a thread, the side wall SS2B of the first protective film 120B exposed by the second opening O2B, the encapsulant 140B Exposed by the fourth opening O4B The side wall SS4B and the second protective film 130B are formed by a side surface SS3B exposed by the third opening O3B to form a meandering surface and the bending frequency of the meandering surface is continuous. The side wall SS2B, the side wall SS4B, and the side wall SS3B define a continuous thread change (the thread direction is indicated by a dashed line in the figure).

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3C, when the pupil process is a laser boring, the width of the opening O may vary depending on the taper of the laser. For example, if the laser is drilled by the second protective film 130C toward the direction of the first protective film 120C (the direction DD perpendicular to the display panel 100C), the widths of the second opening O2C, the third opening O3C, and the fourth opening O4C are The drilling direction is gradually decreased, and the width variation is continuously changed, so that the sidewall 1 SS2C of the first protection film 120C exposed by the second opening O2C, the sidewall SS4C exposed by the fourth opening O4C, and the second protective film 130C are encapsulated. The sidewall SS3C exposed by the third opening O3C still forms a cylindrical surface, and the fourth opening O4C and the second opening O2C have the same width at the boundary between the encapsulant 140C and the first protective film 120C, and the fourth opening O4C and The third opening O3C has the same width at the boundary of the encapsulant 140C and the second protective film 130C. In another embodiment, the laser may also be drilled by the first protective film 120C toward the direction of the second protective film 130C (ie, the opposite direction of the direction DD).

In the embodiment of FIGS. 3A to 3C, the minimum width Wmin of the opening O is equal to or greater than the width W2 of the second opening O2 in FIG. That is, after the boring process, the encapsulant 140 originally covering the sidewall SS2 of the first protective film 120 exposed by the second opening O2 in FIG. 1 is removed, but the invention is not limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 3D, the minimum width Wmin of the opening O can also be smaller than the second opening. O2 has a width of W2. That is, after the boring process, the encapsulant 140 originally covering the sidewall SS2 of the first protective film 120 exposed by the second opening O2 in FIG. 1 is only thinned to form the encapsulant 140D in FIG. 3D. It is not completely removed, that is, the encapsulant 140D also seals the sidewall SS2 of the first protective film 120 exposed by the second opening O2.

In addition, after the pupil process, the second protective film 130D has a third opening O3D, and the encapsulant 140D has a fourth opening O4D. The fourth opening O4D is in communication with the third opening O3D. Further, the side wall SS4D of the encapsulant 140D exposed by the fourth opening O4D and the side wall SS3D of the second protective film 130D exposed by the third opening O3D constitute a continuous surface.

Furthermore, the widths of the fourth opening O4D and the third opening O3D are the same, but the invention is not limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 3E, the widths of the fourth opening O4E and the third opening O3E may be gradually decreased in a direction DD perpendicular to the display panel 100E, and the fourth opening O4E and the third opening O3E are in the encapsulant 140E and the second protective film 130E. The width of the junction is the same. Moreover, the side wall SS4E of the encapsulant 140E exposed by the fourth opening O4E and the side wall SS3E of the second protective film 130E exposed by the third opening O3E also constitute a continuous surface.

The display panels 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, and 100E of FIGS. 3A to 3E are subjected to a drilling process under the framework of the display panel 100 of FIG. 1, wherein the display panel body 110 exposed by the first opening O1 in FIG. The sidewall SS1 is a retracted distance D based on the sidewall SS2 of the first protective film 120 exposed by the second opening O2, such that the width W2 of the second opening O2 is smaller than the width of the first opening O1. W1, but the invention is not limited thereto. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a display panel in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the display panel 200 is substantially the same as the display panel 100, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described again. The main difference between the display panel 200 and the display panel 100 is that the sidewall SS1 of the display panel body 110 exposed by the first opening O1 in FIG. 4 is substantially aligned with the sidewall SS2 of the first protective film 220 exposed by the second opening O2. The width W2 of the second opening O2 of the first protective film 220 is made approximately equal to the width W1 of the first opening O1 of the display panel body 110.

Depending on the application, the opening O as shown in FIG. 2B may be further formed in the middle of the display panel 200 to provide the mechanical pointer P or to be applied to other needs. 5A and 5B are schematic cross-sectional views showing the first and second embodiments of the display panel of Fig. 4. Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B , the display panels 200A and 200B are formed, for example, by the pupil manufacturing process of the display panel 200 of FIG. 4 . The display panels 200A, 200B are substantially the same as the display panels 100D, 100E of FIGS. 3D and 3E. The main difference is that the side wall SS1 of the display panel main body 110 exposed by the first opening O1 in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B and the side wall SS2 of the first protective film 220 exposed by the second opening O2 are aligned with each other.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3A to FIG. 5B, the display panel main body 110 is filled with the encapsulant (including the encapsulants 140A, 140B, 140C, 140D, 140E, 140F, and 140G) with the first opening O1 being provided. The first opening O1 is inserted into the first opening O1, and the encapsulant is cured by a curing process (such as a thermal curing or photocuring process), so that the encapsulating colloid exposes the side wall SS1 of the display panel main body 110 of the first opening O1. Sealed up. In this way, the performance of the display panel body 110 due to leakage of the display medium or other conditions can be avoided, so that the display panels 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 200, 200A, 200B have good performance.

Further, the display panels 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 200A, and 200B form the opening O by one boring process, and the surface exposed by the opening O can be a continuous surface. Moreover, by controlling the width of the opening O by controlling the jig used in the boring process, a high-precision opening O can be produced, which contributes to the improvement of the display panels 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 200A, 200B. Competitiveness.

In summary, in the case where the first opening is provided, the display panel of the embodiment of the present invention seals the sidewall of the display panel body exposed by the first opening by the encapsulant to prevent the performance of the display panel main body from being damaged. . Therefore, the display panel of the embodiment of the present invention can have good performance.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100A‧‧‧ display panel

110‧‧‧Display panel body

120A‧‧‧First protective film

130A‧‧‧Second protective film

140A‧‧‧Package Colloid

O‧‧‧ openings

O1‧‧‧ first opening

O2A‧‧‧ second opening

O3‧‧‧ third opening

O4‧‧‧ fourth opening

SS1, SS2A, SS3, SS4‧‧‧ sidewall

Wmin‧‧‧Minimum width

Claims (12)

A display panel includes: a display panel body having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a first portion extending through the display panel body to the first surface and the second surface An opening; a first protective film disposed on the first surface and having a second opening, wherein the second opening is in communication with the first opening; a second protective film disposed on the second surface; The encapsulant is filled in the first opening to seal the sidewall of the display panel body exposed by the first opening, and the encapsulant is made of a curable material. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the width of the second opening is smaller than the width of the first opening. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the width of the second opening is equal to the width of the first opening. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the curable material comprises an epoxy resin, a UV curable adhesive or a thermosetting adhesive. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the second protective film has a third opening, the encapsulant has a fourth opening, and the fourth opening is connected to the second opening and the third opening between. The display panel of claim 5, wherein the first protective film is exposed by the second opening, and the encapsulant is used by the fourth opening The exposed sidewall and the sidewall of the second protective film exposed by the third opening constitute a continuous surface. The display panel of claim 6, wherein the second opening, the third opening, and the fourth opening have the same width. The display panel of claim 6, wherein a width of the second opening, the third opening, and the fourth opening is gradually decreased in a direction perpendicular to the display panel, and the fourth opening and the second The opening has the same width at the interface between the encapsulant and the first protective film, and the fourth opening and the third opening have the same width at the interface between the encapsulant and the second protective film. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the second protective film has a third opening, and the encapsulant further seals a sidewall of the first protective film exposed by the second opening, and the package The colloid has a fourth opening, and the fourth opening is in communication with the third opening. The display panel of claim 9, wherein the encapsulant is exposed by the fourth opening and the sidewall of the second protective film exposed by the third opening forms a continuous surface. The display panel of claim 10, wherein the fourth opening and the third opening have the same width. The display panel of claim 10, wherein the fourth opening and the third opening have a width that decreases toward a direction perpendicular to the display panel, and the fourth opening and the third opening are in the encapsulant The width of the junction with the second protective film is the same.