TWI530398B - Display panel - Google Patents

Description

Display panel

The present invention relates to a display panel, and more particularly to a non-rectangular display panel.

The conventional display panel is mainly composed of an array substrate and an opposite substrate, and the opposite substrate and the array substrate are disposed opposite each other, and are sealed and bonded by a colloid such as sealant or glass glue. Referring to FIG. 1 , a plan view of a conventional display panel 1 is illustrated. The inside of the display panel 1 includes an active area (display area). The sealant 30 is disposed around the display area 11. However, conventional sealant dispensers must release the sealant 30 at a fixed flow rate and are biaxially designed to move only in both horizontal and vertical directions. This limitation allows the coated sealant 30 to be in place. The corner portion R has a circular arc shape, and the pattern of the sealant 30 wound around one turn is a rectangular frame structure having rounded corners, so that the display panel 1 and its inner display region 11 must be designed to be rectangular in conformity with the pattern of the sealant 30. However, with the popularity of portable electronic devices, wearable electronic devices, and automotive electronics, which are short and light, simple rectangular shape restrictions are gradually being used.

In addition, the arc-shaped sealant 30 at the corner R will be retracted, and The edge area must be enlarged, and even if it is not properly controlled, the sealant 30 at the corner R will be retracted into the display area 11, and the quality and yield of the product will be degraded.

Therefore, how to provide a display panel with a specific sealant pattern and overcome the related machine limitations and process difficulties is one of the subjects of the related industry.

The present invention relates to a display panel. The sealant of the display panel of the embodiment includes a plurality of node portions and a plurality of strip portions. The node portion is disposed at the intersection of adjacent strips. The node portion and the adjacent strip portion form a plurality of included angles on a side adjacent to the display region. The angles of these angles are greater than 90 degrees. As a result, the sealant pattern can be irregular in shape, whereby an irregularly shaped display panel can be produced.

According to an aspect of the invention, a display panel is proposed. The display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a sealant. The first substrate has a display area. The second substrate is disposed opposite to the first substrate. The sealant is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The sealant surrounds and encloses the display area. The sealant includes a plurality of node portions and a plurality of strip portions. The maximum width of the node portion is larger than the width of the strip portion, and each node portion is disposed at the intersection of the adjacent strip portions. Each of the node portions and the adjacent strip portion form a plurality of included angles on a side adjacent to the display region. The angles of these angles are greater than 90 degrees.

In order to provide a better understanding of the above and other aspects of the present invention, the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7‧‧‧ display panels

10‧‧‧First substrate

11‧‧‧Display area

12‧‧‧Border area

13‧‧‧flat layer

14‧‧‧Transparent electrode layer

15‧‧‧ openings

15a‧‧‧ inside edge

15b‧‧‧Outer edge

16‧‧‧Insulation

17‧‧‧metal layer

20‧‧‧second substrate

2B-2B’‧‧‧ hatching

2', 2", 3', 3", 6', 6" ‧ ‧ magnified area

30‧‧‧Sealing adhesive

30a‧‧‧ inside edge

30b‧‧‧Outer edge

31‧‧‧ Node Department

312‧‧‧subordinate node

32‧‧‧ Strips

C‧‧‧Geometry Center

C1‧‧‧Circle

C2, C4, C6‧‧ ‧ string part

C3, C5‧‧‧ elliptical circumferential part

C7‧‧‧Angle

C8‧‧‧ concave curved edge

D1, D2, X‧‧‧ distance

H1, h2‧‧‧ height

R‧‧‧ corner

R0‧‧‧ Radius

W12, W31, W32‧‧‧ width

X‧‧‧ distance

Θ1~θ11, θ20‧‧‧ angle

Θ16‧‧‧ acute angle

Θ17, θ18, θ19‧‧‧ obtuse angle

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a conventional display panel.

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

2B is a cross-sectional view of the display panel of FIG. 2A.

3 to 7 are plan views showing different examples of the sealant pattern of the display panel of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar parts. It is to be noted that the drawings have been simplified in order to clearly illustrate the details of the embodiments, and the detailed description of the embodiments is intended to be illustrative only and not to limit the scope of the invention. Those having ordinary knowledge may modify or change the structures as needed in accordance with the actual implementation.

Please refer to both Figures 2A and 2B. 2A is a plan view of the display panel 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the display panel 2 of FIG. 2A along the section line 2B-2B'. The display panel 2 includes a first substrate 10, a second substrate 20, and a sealant 30. The first substrate 10 has a display area 11. The second substrate 20 is disposed opposite to the first substrate 10. The sealant 30 is disposed between the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 to bond the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20. The sealant 30 surrounds and encloses the display area 11. The sealant 30 includes a plurality of node portions 31 and a plurality of strip portions 32. The maximum width W31 of the node portion 31 is larger than that of the strip portion 32 Width W32. Each of the node portions 31 is disposed at the intersection of the adjacent strip portions 32. Each of the node portions 31 and the adjacent strip portions 32 form a plurality of included angles (for example, angles θ1, θ2, θ3, θ4, ...) on the side adjacent to the display region 11. The angles of the included angles θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4 are greater than 90 degrees. In the embodiment, the angles of the included angles θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4 are not completely the same (for example, the included angle θ3 > the included angle θ4).

The display panel 2 of the present embodiment can utilize a conventional sealant coating machine by adjusting the angle between the node portion 31 of the sealant 30 and the adjacent strip portion 32 on the side adjacent to the display region 11. Various sealant patterns of various geometric shapes (for example, irregular shapes) are drawn, whereby the first substrate 10 having the display regions 11 having various geometrical shapes can be matched, and the display panels 2 of various geometric shapes are produced. Further, since the angles of the included angles θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4 are larger than 90 degrees, the probability of the sealant 30 being retracted into the display region 11 can be reduced, the panel space can be utilized more efficiently, and product quality and yield can be improved.

As shown in Fig. 2A, the display panel 2 is a portion having a larger remaining area after the circle is divided into two by the string. This shape is called a superior bow shape. The sealant 30 surrounds the display area 11 and also has a generally arcuate shape. The sealant 30 is applied, for example, on a first substrate 10 (shown in FIG. 2B) as a sealant coater. For example, the horizontal and vertical coordinate values (X, Y axes) of each node portion 31 can be calculated first, and then the sealant coater can be sequentially moved clockwise or counterclockwise to each node portion 31 to draw A sealant pattern as shown in Fig. 2A is produced.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the pattern of the pattern of the sealant 30 can be regarded as one. The superior bow shape of the circle cut along a string can be divided into a circumferential portion C1 and a chord portion C2, and the sealant 30 includes the node portion 31 and the strip portion 32. The node portion 31 is disposed at a junction of two adjacent strip portions 32. The strip portion 32 is a straight line segment. The strip portion 32 connects two adjacent node portions 31. The sealant coater can apply the sealant 30 in a continuous moving manner. Since there is a short reaction time on each node portion 31 when the traveling direction is switched, more sealant 30 is dropped at the node portion 31, so that the node The maximum width W31 of the portion 31 is greater than the width W32 of the strip portion 32. The node portion 31 and the adjacent two strip portions 32 form an angle (for example, an angle θ1 - θ4) on a side adjacent to the display region 11, and the angle θ1 θ θ4 is preferably greater than 90 degrees, thereby preventing the sealant 30 from being The display area 11 is retracted to the inner side at the angles θ1 to θ4 to reduce the chance of contamination. In the circumferential portion C1 (e.g., the enlarged area 2') of the sealant 30, the angles θ1 and θ2 formed by each of the node portions 31 and the adjacent two strip portions 32 are the same. However, at the intersection portion of the circumferential portion C1 of the sealant 30 and the chord portion C2 (for example, the enlarged region 2), the angle θ4 formed by the node portion 31 and the adjacent two strip portions 32 is smaller than the angle θ3 of the circumferential portion C2. By adjusting the angle formed by the node portion 31 of the sealant 30 and the adjacent strip portion 32, an irregularly shaped sealant pattern can be formed, and is not limited to the rounded rectangle in the prior art (refer to FIG. 1). Further, display panels of different shapes can be produced.

As shown in Fig. 2A, since the pattern of the sealant 30 can be regarded as a superior bow shape in which a circle is cut along a string, there is a geometric center C inside the pattern of the sealant 30, that is, the center of the circle. The node portions 31 located on the circumference of the circle are arranged at equal intervals (for example, the node portions 31 in the enlarged region 2' are equally spaced), The node portions 31 on the circumference of the circle have the same central angle, and the adjacent node portions 31 are connected by the strip portion 32. That is, the pattern of the sealant 30 replaces the circular arc with the strip portion 32 of the straight line segment. The distance r0 of the geometric center C to the node portion 31 (i.e., the radius of the circle) and the vertical distance (shortest distance) X from the geometric center C to the strip portion 32 adjacent to the node portion 31 are the circumference of the sealant 30. The design deviation from the circumference of the circle, that is, the extent to which the strip portion 32 of the sealant 30 is retracted from the circular arc. The size of the design deviation can be changed by adjusting the number of node portions 31 on the circumference. The greater the number of nodes 31 on the circumference, the closer the strip 32 will be to the arc, with less design deviation.

In an embodiment, the design deviation of the sealant 30 is preferably less than 50 micrometers (μm), but is not limited thereto. The design deviation of the sealant 30 is related to the width of the border 12 of the display panel 2. The width W12 of the bezel area 12 is the distance from the edge of the display area 11 to the edge of the display panel 2. If the width W12 of the bezel area 12 is smaller (e.g., a narrow bezel design), less design deviation is required to avoid the sealant 30 from spanning to the display area 11 during coating. In addition, in actual design, when the design deviation is greater than 50 micrometers (μm), the shape of the sealant 30 actually applied may be close to a polygon rather than a circular arc. Therefore, when designing a circular arc shape, it is also necessary to consider the design. deviation.

Fig. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the display panel 2 of Fig. 2A along section line 2B-2B'. As shown, the display panel 2 includes a first substrate 10, an insulating layer 16, a metal layer 17, a flat layer 13, a transparent electrode layer 14, a second substrate 20, and a sealant 30. The first substrate 10 is, for example, an active such as a thin film transistor substrate. Array substrate. The first substrate 10 has a display area 11 and a frame area 12. The display area 11 is located at the center of the first substrate 10. The edge from the edge of the display area 11 to the edge of the first substrate 10 is the bezel area 12, and the bezel area 12 surrounds the edge of the display area 11. In the embodiment, the insulating layer 16 and the metal layer 17 are sequentially disposed on the first substrate 10, and the flat layer 13 is disposed on the metal layer 17. The metal layer 17 can be the same layer as the metal layer 17 of the display region 11 (for example, a scan line, a gate line or a data line), and is formed by the same process in the process. The transparent electrode layer 14 is disposed on the flat layer 13. The flat layer 13 has an opening 15 in the bezel area 12. The opening 15 penetrates the flat layer 13 and exposes the metal layer 17. The sealant 30 is disposed at the opening 15. The opening 15 can limit the position of the sealant 30, prevent the sealant 30 from diffusing to the inside of the display area 11 or diffuse to the outside of the display panel 2, thereby reducing the width of the frame region 12. In addition, since the contact surface of the flat layer 13 and the metal layer 17 is more easily peeled off, the sealant 30 that abuts on the flat layer 13 may be peeled off together, so that the sealant 30 can be made through the opening 15 Directly abutting the metal layer 17 can avoid this risk.

As shown in FIG. 2B, since the opening 15 exposes the underlying first substrate 10, the inner edge 15a of the opening 15 needs to be spaced apart from the edge of the transparent electrode layer 14 by a distance D1 to prevent the transparent electrode layer 14 from being electrically connected to the first substrate 10. Short circuit. Wherein, the inner edge 15a of the opening 15 refers to the side of the opening 15 adjacent to the transparent electrode layer 14. In one embodiment, the distance D1 between the inner edge 15a of the opening 15 and the edge of the transparent electrode layer 14 is preferably between 10 microns and 100 microns.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the flat layer 13 is on the upper surface of the frame area 12. The face can be a slope. In other words, in the bezel area 12, the height h2 of the flat layer 13 adjacent to the portion of the display region 11 is larger than the height h1 of the flat layer 13 adjacent to the edge portion of the first substrate 10. Such a slanted flat layer 13 can be formed, for example, using a gray tone mask (GTM), and those skilled in the art can know the detailed process thereof, which will not be described herein. After the opening 15 is formed, the inner edge 15a and the outer edge 15b of the opening 15 each have an inclined flat layer 13. Wherein, the outer edge 15b of the opening 15 refers to the side of the opening 15 away from the transparent electrode layer 14. The inclined flat layer 13 located at the inner side edge 15a of the opening 15 has a height which increases as it approaches the display area 11, preventing the sealant 30 from diffusing toward the display area 11 to avoid contamination. On the other hand, the inclined flat layer 13 located at the outer side edge 15b of the opening 15 has a height which decreases as it approaches the edge of the first substrate 10, so that the sealant 30 can be diffused toward the edge of the first substrate 10. The distance D2 between the inner edge 15a and the outer edge 15b of the opening 15 is preferably between 150 micrometers and 400 micrometers. That is, the width of the sealant 30 may be greater than the width of the opening 15, but due to the limiting effect of the opening 15, the sealant 30 does not diffuse beyond the edge of the first substrate 10. This design allows a portion of the sealant 30 to be disposed on the flat layer 13. Generally, when the display panel is cut, if the sealing portion has a sealant, the adhesion of the sealant to the substrate is strong, and the cutter easily pulls the substrate, thereby damaging the display panel. The invention of this embodiment disposes a part of the sealant 30 on the flat layer 13, because the adhesion of the sealant 30 and the flat layer 13 is low, even if the seal has the sealant 30, if it is in the sealant 30 and the flat layer The overlap of 13 does not damage the display panel 2 as a result.

The sealant 30 is used to seal the components inside the display panel 2, avoiding It is disturbed by impurities such as moisture. In order to produce the display panel 2 having various non-rectangular display areas 11, the sealant 30 is also required to be coated correspondingly along the non-rectangular display area 11. Various different embodiments of the display panel are described below with reference to FIGS. 3 through 7.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the display panel 3 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The pattern of the display panel 3 and its sealant 30 of Fig. 3 is an elliptical shape after cutting. The pattern of the sealant 30 is divided into an elliptical circumferential portion C3 and a chord portion C4. In the circumferential portion C3 of the ellipse (e.g., the enlarged region 3'), the angles θ5 and θ6 of the respective node portions 31 and the adjacent two strip portions 32 are not the same. On the other hand, the intersection portion of the elliptical circumferential portion C3 of the sealant 30 and the chord portion C4 (for example, the enlarged region 3), the angle θ8 formed by the node portion 31 and the adjacent two strip portions 32 is smaller than the angle θ7 between the elliptical circumferential portions.

Since the angle θ5 θ θ8 formed by each of the node portions 31 and the adjacent two strip portions 32 is greater than 90 degrees, the degree of shrinkage of the sealant 30 toward the display region 11 can be reduced, so that the thin frame type can be designed, and The display area 11 can be disposed more efficiently using the space inside the sealant 30.

4 is a plan view of the display panel 4 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The display panel 4 of Fig. 4 is similar to the display panel 3 of Fig. 3, except that the display panel 4 of Fig. 4 is cut by two parallel strings. In the elliptical circumferential portion C5 of the sealant 30 of the display panel 4 (for example, the arc on the left and right sides of FIG. 4), each of the node portions 31 and the adjacent two strip portions 32 constitute an angle θ9, θ10, θ11 and Not the same. And in the elliptical circumferential portion C5 of the sealant 30 and the chord portion C6 The intersection portion (for example, the lower left corner of Fig. 4), the angle θ11 formed by the node portion 31 and the adjacent two strip portions 32 is smaller than the angle θ9, θ10 between the elliptical circumferential portions C5. For the remaining features, reference may be made to the display panel 3 of FIG. 3, and details are not described herein again.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the display panel 5 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The display panel 5 of Fig. 5 is a heptagon, and the sealant 30 is specially designed at the seven vertices of the heptagon. In an embodiment, a node portion 31 may be added on each side of each vertex of the heptagon. This design can prevent the sealant from being coated because the angle of the transition is too large when the number of the node portions 31 is small. The machine will stay longer on the respective node portions 31 when switching the traveling direction, and more sealant 30 will be dropped at the node portion 31, so that the maximum width of the node portion 31 is too large, and may cross to the display region. 11. Therefore, by adding a node portion 31 to each side of each vertex, the buffering effect can be achieved.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the display panel 6 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The display area 11 of the display panel 6 of Fig. 6 has a concave curved edge C8, and the concave curved edge C8 refers to a portion recessed toward the geometric center C of the display area 11, and the corresponding concave arc Each node portion 31 of the shape edge C8 and the strip portion 32 adjacent to the node portion 32 form an angle θ20 on the side adjacent to the display region 11, and the angle of the angle θ20 is greater than 180 degrees. An acute angle portion C7 forming an acute angle is formed at a position where the display region 11 is connected to the concave curved edge C8. Here, when the pattern of the sealant 30 is designed in the acute corner portion C7, a plurality of sub-node portions 312 can be used to convert the acute angle into an obtuse angle. For example, the acute angle θ16 of the display panel 6 is converted to include three obtuse angles θ by the design of the plurality of sub-node portions 312. 17. The pattern of the obtuse angle θ18 and the obtuse angle θ19 (as shown by the enlarged area 6'), wherein the obtuse angle θ17 and the obtuse angle θ19 are both greater than the obtuse angle θ18, and the obtuse angle θ17, the obtuse angle θ18, and the obtuse angle θ19 are all smaller than the concave curved edge C8. The node portion 31 and the strip portion 32 adjacent to the node portion 31 form an included angle θ20 on the side adjacent to the display region 11. Since the secondary node 312 is used to make an acute angle shape, the sealant coater needs to make a larger turn at the secondary node 312, so the width of the secondary node portion 312 will be greater than the width of the node portion 31. According to this, a display panel of any shape can be produced. The sealant 30 described above can be completed using a conventional two-axis sealant coater.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the display panel 7 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The display panel 7 of Fig. 7 has a shell shape, and the sealant 30 has a circular arc edge and three straight edges. Wherein the intersection of the straight edge and the straight edge, or the intersection of the straight edge and the arc edge can be directly connected as shown in FIG. 7, or the secondary node design can also be utilized to make the application of the sealant 30 smoother. And the sealant is prevented from being retracted toward the display area 11.

The display panel of the above embodiment has a sealant of a specific pattern design. This pattern can be directly drawn by a conventional two-axis (XY-axis) sealant coater, so that an irregularly shaped display panel can be produced without updating the machine equipment. At the same time, since the angle formed by each node portion of the sealant and the adjacent two strip portions is greater than 90 degrees, the degree of shrinkage of the sealant toward the display area is reduced, and the inside of the sealant can be utilized more efficiently. Space.

In conclusion, the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, but it is not intended to limit the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, Various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

2‧‧‧ display panel

11‧‧‧Display area

12‧‧‧Border area

2B-2B’‧‧‧ hatching

2', 2" ‧ ‧ magnified area

30‧‧‧Sealing adhesive

31‧‧‧ Node Department

32‧‧‧ Strips

C‧‧‧Geometry Center

C1‧‧‧Circle

C2‧‧‧string section

R0‧‧‧ Radius

W12, W31, W32‧‧‧ width

X‧‧‧ distance

Θ1~θ4‧‧‧ angle

Claims (13)

A display panel includes: a first substrate having a display area; a second substrate disposed opposite the first substrate; and a sealant disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, the sealing The glue surrounds and closes the display area, the sealant includes a plurality of node portions and a plurality of strip portions, wherein the maximum width of the node portions is greater than the width of the strip portions, and each of the node portions is disposed adjacent to the plurality of strip portions a junction of the strips, wherein each of the node portions and the adjacent strip portions form an angle on a side adjacent to the display region, the angles of the angles being greater than 90 degrees. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the included angles comprise a first included angle and a second included angle, the first included angle being greater than the second included angle. The display panel of claim 2, wherein a maximum width of the node portion at a vertex of the first angle is smaller than a maximum width of the node portion at a vertex of the second angle. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the display area has a geometric center, and the distance between the geometric center and each of the node portions is greater than the geometric center and the adjacent ones of the node portions. The vertical distance of the shape. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the strips are straight lines. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising: a flat layer disposed on the first substrate, The first substrate has a frame region adjacent to the display region and extending around the edge of the display region and extending to an edge of the first substrate. The flat layer disposed in the frame region has an opening. The first substrate is exposed, and the sealant is disposed at the opening. The display panel of claim 6, wherein the sealant has a width greater than a width of the opening. The display panel of claim 6, wherein in the frame region, a height of the flat layer adjacent to the display region is greater than a height of the flat layer adjacent to an edge of the first substrate. The display panel of claim 6, further comprising: a transparent electrode layer disposed on the flat layer, wherein the opening has an inner edge adjacent to the transparent conductive layer, the inner edge and the transparent electrode layer The distance between the edges is between 10 microns and 100 microns. The display panel of claim 9, wherein the opening has an outer edge away from the transparent conductive layer, and the distance between the inner edge and the outer edge is between 150 micrometers and 400 micrometers. The display panel of claim 6, wherein the sealant covers the flat layer adjacent to the outer edge. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the display area has a concave curved edge, and each of the node portions corresponding to the concave curved edge is adjacent to the adjacent strips One side of the display area forms an angle, and the angles of the angles are greater than 180 degrees. The display panel of claim 12, wherein the display area is connected to the concave curved edge and has an acute angle shape, and the sealant corresponding to the acute angle shape has a plurality of secondary nodes, each time The maximum width of the node portion is larger than the width of each of the node portions.