WO2021093047A1

WO2021093047A1 - Display panel, method for manufacturing same, and mask used for manufacturing same

Info

Publication number: WO2021093047A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/122769
Authority: WO
Inventors: 白全明
Original assignee: 武汉华星光电半导体显示技术有限公司
Priority date: 2019-11-13
Filing date: 2019-12-03
Publication date: 2021-05-20
Also published as: CN110910765A; CN110910765B

Abstract

Disclosed is a display panel with a gradual hardness gradient. The display panel with a gradual hardness gradient comprises a flexible display panel (40) and a transparent cover plate (50). The flexible display panel (40) comprises a bendable display panel area (42) that can be bent. The transparent cover plate (50) is formed on the flexible display panel (40), completely covers the flexible display panel (40), is of a gradual hardness gradient structure, and comprises a bendable transparent cover plate area (52) close to the center of the transparent cover plate (50) and hardness-reinforced transparent cover plate areas (51, 53) at the periphery of the bendable transparent cover plate area (52), wherein the hardness of the transparent cover plate (50) is gradually increased from the bendable transparent cover plate area (52) to the hardness-reinforced transparent cover plate areas (51, 53), and the bendable transparent cover plate area (52) completely covers the bendable display panel area (42) on the flexible display panel (40).

Description

Display panel, its manufacturing method and mask for manufacturing

Technical field

The present invention relates to the technical field of display panels, and in particular to a mask for the manufacture of a graded hardness gradient display panel, a manufacturing method using the mask, and a manufactured display panel.

Background technique

With the development of display technology, people have higher and higher requirements for terminal display screens, and the demand for applying large-size screens in portable devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and personal computers is increasing. Similarly, foldable display devices are also popular. Its features such as easier portability and larger screen size are precisely the next development trend.

The uppermost part of the common foldable display device must be a cover plate, which plays a role of anti-impact and scratch resistance, and the above-mentioned cover plate must be realized by a foldable structure. For this reason, the practices of major manufacturers are often implemented with very thin thickness or multilayer structures. On the one hand, the cover plate made by this kind of process is susceptible to impact, and then is transmitted to the components of the display panel. There are not a few components damaged by the transmitted impact. Bright lines, dark spots, etc. may also be caused by damaged components. On the other hand, a thin plate with a multilayer structure will better withstand shocks. However, the connection between the board and the board is very important, the more the number of layers, the easier it is to fall off. This in turn causes poor display.

Therefore, it is necessary to propose a new touch panel and a manufacturing method thereof to meet the requirements of providing elasticity and impact resistance of the cover of the touch panel.

technical problem

The cover plate above the display device must provide elasticity while providing rigidity to withstand impact, so as to meet the requirements of the touch panel in a foldable display device.

Technical solutions

The present invention provides a mask for manufacturing a display panel, a display panel manufacturing method using the mask, and a manufactured display panel, which can meet the requirements of a touch panel in a foldable display device.

The technical scheme provided by the present invention is as follows:

The embodiment of the present invention provides a reticle for manufacturing a display panel, which includes a central reticle area and a peripheral reticle area. The central reticle area is located close to the center of the reticle. The peripheral reticle area is at the periphery of the central reticle area. The transmittance of the reticle gradually increases from the central reticle area to the peripheral reticle area. The reticle is used in a film curing machine of the display panel, and the curing machine is used to perform a curing process through the reticle to form a transparent cover on the flexible display panel.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a display panel, which uses the mask to perform a curing process to form a transparent cover on the flexible display panel.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for manufacturing a display panel, which uses the mask to perform a curing process to form a transparent cover on a flexible display panel.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a display panel. The display panel includes a flexible display panel and a transparent cover plate. The flexible display panel includes a bendable display panel area, which is allowed to be bent. The transparent cover is formed on the flexible display panel and completely covers the flexible display panel, and has a structure with a gradual hardness gradient, including a bendable transparent cover area located close to the center of the transparent cover and The hardness-enhanced transparent cover area at the periphery of the bendable transparent cover area, wherein the hardness of the transparent cover gradually increases from the bendable transparent cover area to the hardness-enhanced transparent cover area, And the bendable transparent cover plate area completely covers the bendable display panel area on the flexible display panel.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the display panel includes a housing. The casing includes a first sub-frame and a second sub-frame, the flexible display panel is arranged and fixed on the casing, wherein the first sub-frame is pivotally connected to the first sub-frame through a connecting frame plate as a pivot structure. Two sub-frames, the first sub-frame and the second sub-frame rotate substantially according to the rotation axis in the connecting frame plate, and the first sub-frame and the second sub-frame are located in the first combined state The same plane and two parallel planes in the third combined state.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the connecting frame plate has a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft, and the distance between the axis of the first rotating shaft and the axis of the second rotating shaft is a first distance, and the bendable The width of the display panel area in a direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis is greater than the first distance.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the flexible display panel is a display made of Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transparent cover plate is synthesized from a mixture of inorganic and organic, the weight percentage of inorganic matter in the bendable display panel area is between 0% and 10%, and the hardness-enhanced transparent cover plate area is inorganic The weight percentage is between 10% and 30%.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transparent cover plate is formed of a polymethyl methacrylate-based polymer and a silicon-based polymer.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the display panel includes a flexible display panel and a transparent cover plate. The flexible display panel includes a bendable display panel area, which is allowed to be bent. The transparent cover is formed on the flexible display panel and completely covers the flexible display panel, and has a structure with a gradual hardness gradient, including a bendable transparent cover area located close to the center of the transparent cover, and The hardness-enhanced transparent cover area at the periphery of the bendable transparent cover area, wherein the hardness of the bendable transparent cover area is less than the hardness of the hardness-enhanced transparent cover area, and the bendable The transparent cover plate area completely covers the bendable display panel area on the flexible display panel.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for manufacturing a display panel, including: forming a hard coat slurry film synthesized from an inorganic and organic mixture on a flexible display panel; placing a mask on the film, wherein the mask is A structure with a graded transmittance gradient includes a central reticle area located close to the center of the reticle and a peripheral reticle area on the periphery of the central reticle area, wherein the transmittance of the reticle is measured from the The central reticle area gradually increases toward the peripheral reticle area; and a curing machine is used to cure the film through the reticle to form a transparent cover on the flexible display panel. Wherein, the flexible display panel includes a bendable display panel area, which is allowed to be bent.

The transparent cover is formed on the flexible display panel and completely covers the flexible display panel, and has a structure with a gradual hardness gradient, including a bendable transparent cover area located close to the center of the transparent cover and The hardness-enhanced transparent cover area at the periphery of the bendable transparent cover area, wherein the hardness of the transparent cover gradually increases from the bendable transparent cover area to the hardness-enhanced transparent cover area, And the bendable transparent cover area completely covers the bendable display panel area transparent cover plate on the flexible display panel.

Beneficial effect

The beneficial effect brought by the embodiment of the present invention is that the method for manufacturing a display panel provided by the embodiment of the present invention can be used to manufacture a gradual hardness gradient display panel. The cover plate formed by such a hardened film gradually hardens from the center of the screen toward both sides, and the concentration of inorganic matter in the transparent cover layer changes to achieve a gradual structure. It avoids the design of a transparent cover plate with a multi-layer thinner stacked structure in order to achieve bending characteristics. At the same time, it is ensured that the inorganic matter in the transparent cover layer away from the edge of the bending area is at a relatively large concentration, and sufficient scratch resistance is ensured.

Description of the drawings

In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only These are some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a manufacturing method of a gradual hardness gradient display panel provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of an exploded view of a gradual hardness gradient display panel and a mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a gradual hardness gradient display panel and a housing provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the transmittance gradient of a mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the hardness gradient of a gradual hardness gradient display panel provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an exploded view of a gradual hardness gradient display panel and a housing provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a display with a gradual hardness gradient display panel provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a display with a gradual hardness gradient display panel provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention

The reference to "embodiment" in the specific implementation means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The same terms appearing in different positions in the specification are not necessarily limited to the same implementation, but should be understood as independent or alternative implementations from other embodiments. Under the enlightenment of the technical solutions disclosed in the embodiments provided by the present invention, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the embodiments described in the present invention may have other technical solution combinations or variations that conform to the concept of the present invention.

The description of the following embodiments refers to the attached drawings to illustrate specific embodiments that the present invention can be implemented. The directional terms mentioned in the present invention, such as [up], [down], [front], [back], [left], [right], [inside], [outside], [side], [vertical] , [Horizontal], etc., are only for reference to the direction of the attached drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are used to describe and understand the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention.

The invention discloses a display panel and a manufacturing method. The flexible display panel has a transparent cover. The cover plate includes a bottom substrate and a hardened layer. The hardened layer radiates from the center of the bendable transparent cover area along the bending direction to both sides, and the hardness gradually increases. The lowest hardness is at the center line of the screen, which is good for bending and wear resistance.

As shown in Figure 1, a method for manufacturing a gradual hardness gradient display panel includes the following steps:

Firstly, the liquid is prepared as the hard coating (Hard coating) slurry. The hard coat slurry is a combination of chemical polymer raw materials. The hard coating slurry forms the hardened layer of the transparent cover plate of the present solution, and is synthesized from an inorganic and organic mixture. For example, the hard coating slurry can be made of polymethyl methacrylate (Poly(methyl) methacrylate), PMMA) and silicon-based polymers. It should be understood that the inorganic and organic hard coating slurry can be composed of other materials. The silicon polymer may include polymers such as ethylene oxide and silsesquioxane. The material replacing PMMA may also be a monomer or oligomer having at least one functional group such as epoxy group, acrylate group, polyurethane acrylate group and the like. First, prepare hard coating slurry with a concentration of 20-30%. The base substrate may be made of, for example, colorless polyimide.

The coater 1 first forms the underlying substrate on the flexible display panel 40. The coating machine 1 further forms a hard coat slurry film synthesized from an inorganic and organic mixture on the bottom substrate on the flexible display panel 40. The oven 2 bakes the hard coating slurry film on the flexible display panel 40.

2 and 3, the mask plate fixing machine 3 places a mask plate (Mask) 60 above the baked hard coat slurry film to prepare for the curing process. In FIG. 2, in the embodiment of the present invention, the reticle 60 has a structure with a graded transmittance gradient, including a central reticle area 62 located close to the center of the reticle and a peripheral reticle on the periphery of the central reticle area. In areas 61 and 63, the transmittance of the reticle 60 gradually increases from the central reticle area 62 to the peripheral reticle areas 61 and 63. The reticle is used in a film curing machine of the display panel, and the curing machine is used to perform a curing process through the reticle to form a transparent cover on the flexible display panel.

The curing machine 4 is used to cure the film through the mask 60 to form the transparent cover 50 on the flexible display panel. The oven 5 bakes the transparent cover 50 after the curing process on the flexible display panel 40. The assembling equipment 6 assembles the display panel 40 output after baking in the oven 5, the display panel 40 is arranged on the housing 101 and the front frame 103 is covered to form the display 100.

For example, the transparent cover plate 50 is cured by ultraviolet (Ultraviolet, UV) irradiation under a gradient mask, and dried after curing for a certain period of time.

3 and 6, the housing assembly 10 includes a housing 101 and a front frame 103. The housing 101 includes a middle frame 102, a connecting frame plate 20, a first sub-frame 101a and a second sub-frame 101b. The flexible display panel 40 is arranged and fixed on the middle frame 102 of the housing 101. The first sub-frame 101a is pivotally connected to the second sub-frame 101b through a connecting frame plate 20 as a pivot structure. The first sub-frame 101a and the second sub-frame 101b generally rotate according to the rotating shaft 201 in the connecting frame plate 20.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first sub-frame 101a and the second sub-frame 101b are substantially located on the same plane of the lower surface of the display panel 40 in the first combined state, and are located on two different ones in the second combined state. It is flat and has an included angle. As shown in FIG. 8, the first sub-frame 101a and the second sub-frame 101b are located in two parallel planes 222 and 223 in the third combined state. The first sub-frame 101a and the second sub-frame 101b respectively include a bottom wall 1011 and a side wall 1012 connected to the bottom wall 1011. The housing 101, the middle frame 102, and the front frame 103 are assembled by combining the mounting holes 1013, 1014, 1021, and 1031 with fixing members such as screws.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, a reticle 60 is placed above the film, wherein the reticle 60 has a structure with a gradual transmittance gradient. 4, the reticle 60 includes a central reticle region 62 located close to the center of the reticle 60 and peripheral reticle regions 61 and 63 on the periphery of the central reticle region 62, wherein the reticle 60 The transmittance is distributed as a curve 83a, and gradually increases from the central reticle area 62 to the peripheral reticle areas 61 and 63. In other embodiments of the present invention, the gradual transmittance gradient of the reticle 60 may be distributed as a curve 83b, or distributed in a different curve according to the design adjustment of the housing 101 and the connecting frame plate 20 in FIG. 3. The transmittance of the central reticle area 62 is less than or equal to the no transmittance threshold. The non-transmittance threshold is adjusted according to the design of the housing 101 in FIG. 3.

3, the flexible display panel 40 includes a bendable display panel area 42 that is allowed to be bent, and rigidity-enhanced display panel areas 41 and 43 at the periphery of the bendable display panel area 42. The transparent cover plate 50 is cured by using the reticle 60 with a gradually changing transmittance gradient, so that the transparent cover plate 50 manufactured through the curing process has a gradually changing hardness gradient structure. The reason is that the reticle 60 has a graded transmittance gradient so that the hardness of the transparent cover 50 after curing is different, forming a structure with a graded hardness gradient. Specifically, the structure of the gradual hardness gradient refers to a hardness change with a gradient as shown in FIG. 5. The transparent cover 50 is formed on the flexible display panel 40 and completely covers the flexible display panel 40. The transparent cover 50 has a gradual hardness gradient structure. The transparent cover 50 includes a bendable transparent cover area 52 located close to the center of the transparent cover 50 and hardness-enhanced transparent cover areas 51 and 53 at the periphery of the bendable transparent cover area 52. The X axis in Figure 3 is a virtual imaginary axis for illustration. Please refer to FIG. 5, where the hardness of the transparent cover 50 gradually increases from the bendable transparent cover area 52 to the hardness-enhanced transparent cover areas 51 and 53. Please also refer to FIG. 3, the bendable transparent cover area 52 completely covers the bendable display panel area 42 on the flexible display panel 40.

Referring to FIG. 3, the connecting frame plate has a first rotating shaft 201a and a second rotating shaft 201b, and the distance between the axial center of the first rotating shaft 201a and the axial center of the second rotating shaft 201b is a first distance. The distance between the axis of the first rotating shaft 201a and the upper surface of the flexible display panel 40 is a second distance, and the distance between the axis of the second rotating shaft 201b and the upper surface of the flexible display panel 40 is a second distance. The width of the bendable display panel area 42 in the X-axis direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis is greater than the first distance. The width of the bendable transparent cover area 52 in the X-axis direction perpendicular to the first rotating shaft 201a is not less than that of the bendable display panel area 42 in the X-axis direction perpendicular to the first rotating shaft 201a The width on the top. The width of the central reticle area 62 in the X-axis direction perpendicular to the first rotating shaft 201a is not less than the width of the bendable transparent cover area 52 in the X-axis direction perpendicular to the first rotating shaft 201a width. This design enables the flexible transparent cover area 52 to bend the display 100 according to the first shaft 201a and the second shaft 201b, for example, from the unbent shape of FIG. 7 to the bending of FIG. 8 Shape.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the transparent cover 50 with reference to FIG. 5 includes a bendable transparent cover area 52 located close to the center of the transparent cover 50 and a periphery of the bendable transparent cover area 52 The hardness of the transparent cover plate areas 51 and 53, wherein the hardness of the transparent cover plate 50 is distributed as the curve 81a, and the weight percentage of the inorganic substance is distributed as the curve 82a, that is, the weight percentage of the inorganic substance is distributed from the bendable transparent cover The plate area 52 gradually increases toward the hardness-enhanced transparent cover plate areas 51 and 53. In other embodiments of the present invention, the gradual hardness gradient of the transparent cover 50 can be distributed as curve 81b, and the weight percentage of inorganic substances can be distributed as curve 82b, or adjusted according to the design of the housing 101 and the connecting frame plate 20 in FIG. 3 Different curve distribution. The transparent cover plate 50 has a gradual inorganic substance weight percentage, and a gradual hardness gradient structure of the transparent cover plate 50 is formed through the curing process. The weight percentage of inorganic matter in the bendable display panel area 52 is less than or equal to the threshold value of weight percentage of inorganic matter. The threshold value of the weight percentage of the inorganic substance is adjusted according to the design of the housing 101 in FIG. 3. For example, the threshold value is 10%, the transparent cover 50 is synthesized from a mixture of inorganic and organic, the bendable display panel area 52 is inorganic by weight percentage between 0% and 10%, and the hardness-enhanced transparent cover The weight percentage of inorganic matter in the plate areas 51 and 53 is between 10% and 30%.

In the third embodiment of the present invention, the reticle 60 with a gradient transmittance gradient in the first embodiment of the present invention and the weight percentage of a gradient inorganic substance in the second embodiment can be combined to form the transparent cover 50 The structure of the gradient type hardness gradient.

To sum up, although the present invention has been disclosed as above in preferred embodiments, the above-mentioned preferred embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art can derive various types without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Changes and changes are all covered by the scope of protection defined by the claims of the present invention.

Industrial applicability

The display panel manufacturing method provided by the embodiment of the present invention can be used to manufacture a gradual hardness gradient display panel. The cover plate formed by such a hardened film gradually hardens from the center of the screen toward both sides, and the concentration of inorganic matter in the transparent cover layer changes to achieve a gradual structure. It avoids the design of a transparent cover plate with a multilayer thinner stacked structure in order to achieve bending characteristics. At the same time, it is ensured that the inorganic matter in the transparent cover layer away from the edge of the bending zone is at a relatively large concentration, and sufficient scratch resistance is ensured.

Claims

A reticle used to manufacture display panels, including:

The central reticle area is located close to the center of the reticle; and

A peripheral reticle area, at the periphery of the central reticle area, wherein the transmittance of the reticle gradually increases from the central reticle area to the peripheral reticle area;

The reticle is used in a film curing machine of the display panel, and the curing machine is used to perform a curing process through the reticle to form a transparent cover on the flexible display panel.
The reticle according to claim 1, wherein the reticle makes the transparent cover plate formed on the flexible display panel and completely covers the flexible display panel, and has a structure with a graded hardness gradient, the The transparent cover includes a bendable transparent cover area located close to the center of the transparent cover, and a hardness-enhanced transparent cover area at the periphery of the bendable transparent cover area, wherein the bendable transparent cover The hardness of the plate area is less than the hardness of the hardness-enhanced transparent cover plate area, and the bendable transparent cover plate area completely covers the bendable display panel area on the flexible display panel.
The reticle according to claim 2, wherein the hardness of the transparent cover plate gradually increases from the area of the bendable transparent cover plate to the area of the hardness-enhanced transparent cover plate, and the bendable transparent cover The panel area completely covers the bendable display panel area on the flexible display panel.
The display panel of claim 1, wherein the transparent cover plate is formed of a polymethyl methacrylate-based polymer and a silicon-based polymer.
A display panel including:

Flexible display panel, including bendable display panel area, allowing it to be bent;

A transparent cover is formed on the flexible display panel and completely covers the flexible display panel, and has a structure with a gradual hardness gradient. The transparent cover includes a bendable transparent cover located close to the center of the transparent cover Plate area, and the hardness-enhanced transparent cover area at the periphery of the bendable transparent cover area, wherein the hardness of the bendable transparent cover area is less than the hardness of the hardness-enhanced transparent cover area, and The bendable transparent cover plate area completely covers the bendable display panel area on the flexible display panel.
The display panel according to claim 5, wherein the hardness of the transparent cover plate gradually increases from the area of the bendable transparent cover plate to the area of the rigidity-enhanced transparent cover plate, and the bendable transparent cover The panel area completely covers the bendable display panel area on the flexible display panel.
The display panel according to claim 5, further comprising:

The housing includes a first sub-frame and a second sub-frame, the flexible display panel is arranged and fixed on the housing, wherein the first sub-frame is pivotally connected to the second through a connecting frame plate as a pivot structure A sub-frame, the first sub-frame and the second sub-frame are substantially rotated according to the rotation axis in the connecting frame plate, and the first sub-frame and the second sub-frame are located in the same position in the first combined state Plane, and two planes that are parallel in the third combined state.
7. The display panel according to claim 7, wherein the connecting frame plate has a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft, and the distance between the axis of the first rotating shaft and the axis of the second rotating shaft is a first distance, The width of the bendable display panel area in a direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis is greater than the first distance.
The display panel according to claim 5, wherein the transparent cover plate is synthesized by a mixture of inorganic and organic, the weight percentage of inorganic matter in the bendable display panel area is between 0% and 10%, and the hardness is strengthened The weight percentage of inorganic matter in the transparent cover area is between 10% and 30%.
The display panel of claim 5, wherein the transparent cover plate is formed of a polymethyl methacrylate-based polymer and a silicon-based polymer.
A method for manufacturing a display panel includes:

Forming a hard coating slurry film made of inorganic and organic mixtures on the flexible display panel;

A reticle is placed above the film, wherein the reticle has a structure with a graded transmittance gradient, including a central reticle area located close to the center of the reticle and a peripheral reticle area on the periphery of the central reticle area , Wherein the transmittance of the reticle gradually increases from the central reticle area to the peripheral reticle area; and

Using a curing machine to perform a curing process on the film through the mask to form a transparent cover on the flexible display panel;

Wherein, the flexible display panel includes a bendable display panel area, which is allowed to be bent.
11. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 11, wherein the transparent cover plate is synthesized from an inorganic and organic mixture, and the weight percentage of inorganic matter in the bendable display panel area is between 0% and 10%, and the The flexible display panel includes a hardness-enhanced transparent cover plate area with an inorganic substance weight percentage of 10% to 30%.
11. The display panel manufacturing method of claim 11, wherein the transparent cover plate is formed of a polymethyl methacrylate-based polymer and a silicon-based polymer.
11. The display panel manufacturing method according to claim 11, wherein the reticle makes the transparent cover plate formed on the flexible display panel and completely covers the flexible display panel, and has a structure with a gradual hardness gradient, The transparent cover includes a bendable transparent cover area located close to the center of the transparent cover, and a hardness-enhanced transparent cover area at the periphery of the bendable transparent cover area, wherein the bendable The hardness of the transparent cover area is less than the hardness of the hardness-enhanced transparent cover area, and the bendable transparent cover area completely covers the bendable display panel area on the flexible display panel.
14. The method of manufacturing a display panel according to claim 14, wherein the hardness of the transparent cover gradually increases from the area of the bendable transparent cover to the area of the rigidity-enhanced transparent cover, and the bendable The transparent cover plate area completely covers the bendable display panel area on the flexible display panel.