Display panel and display device

Abstract

The present invention provides a display panel and a display device. The display panel includes: a first substrate and a second substrate; the first substrate and the second substrate form a cell gap, and the cell gap is filled with liquid crystal; a light source is located on the side of the second substrate away from the first substrate; and also includes a light-transmitting and light-reflecting layer, which is located on the side of the second substrate close to the first substrate, and can allow the light emitted by the light source to pass through, and can reflect the light irradiated thereon through the first substrate. The display panel can improve the problem of insufficient display brightness of the display panel in a dark environment, and at the same time, it can also improve the uniformity of the display brightness of the display panel, avoid the light leakage phenomenon caused by setting the light source on the light-emitting side of the display panel, improve the utilization rate of the light provided by the light source, make the display panel tend to be thin, and will not appear bloated and out of fashion, etc., and improve the aesthetics of the display panel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of display technology, and in particular relates to a display panel and a display device. Background Art

[0002] Currently, if Figure 1 As shown, the reflective liquid crystal display screen is provided with a reflective layer 11 inside the liquid crystal screen. When the ambient light is sufficient, the reflective layer 11 is used to reflect the ambient light as display light, so that the screen displays the picture. However, the reflective liquid crystal screen cannot display clearly in a dark place, because the weak ambient light is not enough to be reflected to illuminate the screen.

[0003] In order to improve the problem of insufficient display brightness in dark environments, the current mainstream approach is to add a light source 4 (such as Figure 1 As shown in the figure, when the ambient light is insufficient, the light source 4 is turned on to provide display light, and the screen can display a clear and bright picture. However, this method has the problems of insufficient screen display brightness, poor display brightness uniformity, light leakage from the external light source, low light utilization rate, and a bloated display screen appearance that is not suitable for fashion. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention aims at the above-mentioned problems of insufficient brightness and poor brightness uniformity when using an external light source to provide display light to a reflective liquid crystal screen, and provides a display panel and a display device. When the ambient light is sufficient, the display panel reflects the ambient light irradiated thereon through a light-transmitting reflective layer for display; when the ambient light is insufficient, the display panel transmits the light emitted by the light source through the light-transmitting reflective layer for display, thereby improving the problem of insufficient display brightness of the display panel in a dark environment, and at the same time improving the uniformity of the display brightness of the display panel, avoiding the light leakage phenomenon caused by setting the light source on the light-emitting side of the display panel, improving the utilization rate of the light provided by the light source, making the display panel thinner, and not having the problems of being bloated and out of fashion, and improving the aesthetics of the display panel.

[0005] The present invention provides a display panel, comprising: a first substrate and a second substrate; the first substrate and the second substrate are aligned to form a cell gap, and the cell gap is filled with liquid crystal;

[0006] a light source, located on a side of the second substrate facing away from the first substrate;

[0007] It also includes a light-transmitting and light-reflecting layer, which is located on a side of the second substrate close to the first substrate and can allow the light emitted by the light source to pass through and can reflect the light irradiated thereon through the first substrate.

[0008] Optionally, the light-transmitting and light-reflecting layer comprises a plurality of sub-layers; the plurality of sub-layers are stacked in sequence;

[0009] Along the direction in which the second substrate moves away from the first substrate, the refractive indexes of the plurality of sub-layers gradually decrease, and the refractive index of the sub-layer with the smallest refractive index is greater than the refractive index of air.

[0010] Optionally, the multiple sub-layers are all made of light-transmitting materials.

[0011] Optionally, the thickness of each sub-layer is an integer multiple of the wavelength of the incident light.

[0012] Optionally, the plurality of sub-layers have the same thickness.

[0013] Optionally, a plurality of protruding structures are provided on a side surface of the light-transmitting and reflective layer facing away from the second substrate. The plurality of protruding structures are evenly arranged and can increase the incident angle of light passing through the protruding structures and incident on the light-transmitting and reflective layer.

[0014] Optionally, the shape of the protrusion structure includes any one of a cone, a pyramid, a hemisphere, and an ellipsoid.

[0015] Optionally, the protruding structure is made of a light-transmitting material;

[0016] The refractive index of the protruding structure is greater than or equal to the refractive index of the sub-layer with the largest refractive index.

[0017] Optionally, a 1 / 4 glass slide and a 1 / 2 glass slide are further included, which are located on a side of the first substrate away from the box gap, and the 1 / 4 glass slide and the 1 / 2 glass slide are sequentially distributed away from the first substrate.

[0018] The present invention also provides a display device, comprising the above display panel.

[0019] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The display panel provided by the present invention arranges the light source on the side of the second substrate away from the first substrate, and arranges a translucent reflective layer on the side of the second substrate close to the first substrate. When the ambient light is sufficient, the display panel reflects the ambient light irradiated thereon through the translucent reflective layer for display; when the ambient light is insufficient, the display panel transmits the light emitted by the light source through the translucent reflective layer for display, thereby improving the problem of insufficient display brightness of the display panel in a dark environment, and at the same time improving the uniformity of the display brightness of the display panel, avoiding the light leakage phenomenon caused by arranging the light source on the light output side of the display panel, improving the utilization rate of the light provided by the light source, making the display panel tend to be thinner, and not having the problems of being bloated and out of fashion, thereby improving the aesthetics of the display panel.

[0020] The display device provided by the present invention improves the display effect of the display device and improves the aesthetics of the display device by adopting the above-mentioned display panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of a reflective liquid crystal display screen in the disclosed technology;

[0022] Figure 2 is a structural cross-sectional view of a display panel in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the optical path principle of the light-transmitting and reflective layer reflecting incident ambient light in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the optical path principle of the light-transmitting and light-reflecting layer transmitting the light emitted by the light source in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of providing a protruding structure on a light-transmitting and light-reflecting layer in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the light path of the protruding structure in the embodiment of the present invention to increase the incident angle of the light incident on the light-transmitting and reflective layer.

[0027] The accompanying drawings are denoted as follows:

[0028] 1. First substrate; 2. Second substrate; 3. Liquid crystal; 4. Light source; 5. Transparent and reflective layer; 51. Sublayer; 6. Protruding structure; 7. 1 / 4 glass slide; 8. 1 / 2 glass slide; 9. Alignment film; 10. Polarizer; 11. Reflective layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, a display panel and a display device of the present invention are further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0030] In view of the above problems that the external light source is used to provide display light to the reflective liquid crystal screen, such as insufficient brightness and poor brightness uniformity, the embodiment of the present invention provides a display panel, such as Figure 2 As shown, it includes: a first substrate 1 and a second substrate 2; the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 form a cell gap, and the cell gap is filled with liquid crystal 3; a light source 4 is located on the side of the second substrate 2 away from the first substrate 1; the display panel also includes a light-transmitting and reflective layer 5, which is located on the side of the second substrate 2 close to the first substrate 1, and can allow the light emitted by the light source 4 to pass through, and can reflect the light irradiated thereon through the first substrate 1.

[0031] The light source 4 can be a direct-lit backlight source or an edge-lit backlight source. The structure of the backlight source is conventional technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0032] By arranging the light source 4 on the side of the second substrate 2 away from the first substrate 1, and arranging a translucent reflective layer 5 on the side of the second substrate 2 close to the first substrate 1, when the ambient light is sufficient, the display panel reflects the ambient light irradiated thereon through the translucent reflective layer 5 for display; when the ambient light is insufficient, the display panel transmits the light emitted by the light source 4 through the translucent reflective layer 5 for display, thereby improving the problem of insufficient display brightness of the display panel in a dark environment, and at the same time improving the uniformity of the display brightness of the display panel, avoiding the light leakage phenomenon caused by arranging the light source on the light output side of the display panel, improving the utilization rate of the light provided by the light source 4, making the display panel tend to be thinner, and not having the problems of being bloated and out of fashion, thereby improving the aesthetics of the display panel.

[0033] Optionally, in this embodiment, the light-transmitting and reflective layer 5 includes multiple sub-layers 51; the multiple sub-layers 51 are stacked in sequence; along the direction where the second substrate 2 moves away from the first substrate 1, the refractive index of the multiple sub-layers 51 gradually decreases, and the refractive index of the sub-layer 51 with the smallest refractive index is greater than the refractive index of air.

[0034] The reflection principle of the light-transmitting and reflective layer 5 on the incident ambient light is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the ambient light is incident from the first sub-layer 51 (i.e., N1) with the highest refractive index in the light-transmitting and reflective layer 5 through the first substrate 1, and the incident light is partially reflected and partially refracted on the incident surface p1 of the sub-layer 51 with the highest refractive index; the refracted light is incident on the interface p2 between the sub-layer 51 and the next sub-layer 51 (i.e., N2), and is partially reflected and partially refracted on the interface p2; and so on; when passing through the interface between each sub-layer 51, the incident light will be partially reflected and partially refracted; because the refractive index of each sub-layer 51 becomes smaller and smaller along the direction away from the first substrate 1 along the second substrate 2, the incident angle of the light refracted at the previous interface when incident on the next interface becomes larger and larger, and when reaching the exit surface of the last sub-layer 51 (i.e., Nm) with the smallest refractive index, the incident angle of the light is ≥ the critical angle of total reflection of the light in the sub-layer 51, thereby achieving the total reflection effect, and then most of the ambient light irradiated on the light-transmitting and reflective layer 5 through the first substrate 1 can be reflected for display.

[0035] The transmission principle of the light-transmitting and reflecting layer 5 to the light emitted by the light source 4 is as follows: Figure 4As shown, the light emitted by the light source 4 is incident from a sublayer 51 (i.e., Nm) with the lowest refractive index in the light-transmitting and reflective layer 5, and the incident light is refracted in the sublayer 51 with the lowest refractive index; the refracted light is incident on the sublayer 51 (i.e., Nm-1) above the sublayer 51, and is refracted in the sublayer 51; and so on; each time the incident light is incident on a sublayer 51 with a higher refractive index, the incident light is refracted; because the refractive index of each sublayer 51 is increasing along the direction from the second substrate 2 to the first substrate 1, the incident angle of the light refracted in the next sublayer 51 when it is incident on the previous sublayer 51 becomes smaller and smaller, so that the light emitted by the light source 4 can be transmitted through each sublayer 51 and emitted from the first substrate 1 side, thereby providing light for display.

[0036] Optionally, in this embodiment, the plurality of sub-layers 51 are made of light-transmitting materials, such as each sub-layer 51 is made of a PET substrate, and different sub-layers 51 have different materials added to the PET substrate for adjusting the refractive index, so that the refractive index of each sub-layer 51 is different.

[0037] Optionally, the thickness of each sub-layer 51 is an integral multiple of the wavelength of the incident light. The thickness of each sub-layer 51 can be set to ensure that the light reflected or transmitted by the light-transmitting and light-reflecting layer 5 will not be polarized.

[0038] Optionally, in this embodiment, the thicknesses of the plurality of sub-layers 51 are the same. Optionally, the thicknesses of the plurality of sub-layers 51 can also be freely matched.

[0039] Alternatively, if Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, a plurality of protrusion structures 6 are provided on the side of the light-transmitting and reflective layer 5 that is away from the second substrate 2. The plurality of protrusion structures 6 are evenly arranged, and the protrusion structures 6 can increase the incident angle of the light passing through the protrusion structures 6 and incident on the light-transmitting and reflective layer 5. Figure 6 It can be seen that the incident angle b of the ambient light after passing through the protruding structure 6 is greater than the original incident angle a of the ambient light. Since most of the ambient light irradiated onto the light-transmitting reflective layer 5 through the first substrate 1 is reflected by the light-transmitting reflective layer 5, it is inevitable that a small amount of ambient light will be emitted through the light-transmitting reflective layer 5 because its incident angle is less than the critical angle of total reflection of each sub-layer 51 in the light-transmitting reflective layer 5. The arrangement of multiple protruding structures 6 can further increase the incident angle of the incident light incident onto the light-transmitting reflective layer 5 through the first substrate 1, so that the incident angle of the light incident onto the light-transmitting reflective layer 5 is ≥ the critical angle of total reflection of each sub-layer 51 in the light-transmitting reflective layer 5, thereby total reflection occurs, thereby improving the utilization rate of the ambient light as display light.

[0040] Optionally, in this embodiment, the shape of the protrusion structure 6 includes a cone (such as Figure 5Of course, the shape of the protruding structure 6 is not limited to the aforementioned shapes, as long as the shape of the protruding structure 6 can increase the incident angle of the ambient light.

[0041] Optionally, in this embodiment, the protruding structure 6 is made of a light-transmitting material; the refractive index of the protruding structure 6 is greater than or equal to the refractive index of the sub-layer 51 with the largest refractive index. When the refractive index of the protruding structure 6 is equal to the refractive index of the sub-layer 51 with the largest refractive index, the ambient light incident on the protruding structure 6 increases the incident angle only through the shape of the side surface of the protruding structure 6 away from the light-transmitting reflective layer 5; when the refractive index of the protruding structure 6 is greater than the refractive index of the sub-layer 51 with the largest refractive index, the incident light increases the incident angle through the shape of the side surface of the protruding structure 6 away from the light-transmitting reflective layer 5, and on the other hand, the incident angle of the light incident on the light-transmitting reflective layer 5 can be further increased at the interface between the sub-layer 51 with the largest refractive index and the protruding structure 6, thereby further increasing the incident angle of the incident light, and further making it easier for the incident ambient light incident on the light-transmitting reflective layer 5 to be totally reflected.

[0042] In addition, the above-mentioned refractive index setting of the protruding structure 6 reduces the incident angle of the light emitted by the light source 4 that passes through the light-transmitting reflective layer 5 and is incident on the protruding structure 6, so that the light emitted by the light source 4 can be transmitted through each sub-layer 51 in the light-transmitting luminous layer 5 and the protruding structure 6 in sequence, and emitted from the side of the first substrate 1, thereby providing light for display.

[0043] Optionally, in this embodiment, both the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 are light-transmissive; the first substrate 1 includes a color filter layer; and the second substrate 2 includes a pixel circuit. The color filter layer can enable the display panel to achieve color display. The pixel circuit is used to drive the liquid crystal 3 in each sub-pixel of the display panel to deflect, thereby achieving picture display. Preferably, the light-transmitting and reflective layer 5 is located on the side of the pixel circuit close to the cell gap, so that the light-transmitting and reflective layer 5 has a better transmission and reflection effect on the incident light, thereby improving the utilization rate of the incident light.

[0044] The pixel circuit includes a pixel electrode and a common electrode. The pixel electrode and the common electrode can be both arranged in the second substrate 2 and located on different layers respectively. The electrode in the relatively upper layer is arranged in a slit shape, and the electrode in the relatively lower layer can be plate-shaped or slit-shaped, thereby realizing an ADS (Advanced Super Dimension Switch) type display panel; or the pixel electrode can be arranged in the second substrate 2, and the common electrode can be arranged in the first substrate 1, thereby realizing a TN (Twisted Nematic) type display panel (such as Figure 2As shown); it is also possible that the pixel electrode and the common electrode are located on the same layer, and both are strip electrodes, and the two are arranged alternately, so as to realize an IPS (In-Plane Switching) type display panel. The display panels of the above three modes are all traditional display modes, which will not be described in detail here.

[0045] Optionally, in the present embodiment, the display panel further includes a 1 / 4 glass slide 7 and a 1 / 2 glass slide 8, which are located on the side of the first substrate 1 away from the box gap and are sequentially distributed away from the first substrate 1. The 1 / 4 glass slide 7 can convert linearly polarized light into circularly or elliptically polarized light, and convert circularly or elliptically polarized light into linearly polarized light, thereby increasing the phase delay of the light by an integer multiple of π / 2. The 1 / 2 glass slide 8 can rotate the polarization direction of the linearly polarized light by a certain angle, and reverse the rotation direction of the circularly or elliptically polarized light, thereby increasing the phase delay of the light by an integer multiple of π. The provision of the 1 / 4 glass slide 7 and the 1 / 2 glass slide 8 can assist the light-transmitting and reflective layer 5 in realizing the normal emission of reflected light and transmitted light, thereby realizing the normal display function of the display panel utilizing ambient light and light emitted by the light source 4.

[0046] In addition, in this embodiment, the display panel further includes an alignment film 9 disposed on the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 near the cell gap, and a polarizer 10 disposed on the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 away from the cell gap; the alignment film 9 is used to initially align the liquid crystal 3; the polarizer 10 is used to convert the light incident on the display panel into linearly polarized light, and make the outgoing light of the display panel linearly polarized light. The alignment film 9 and the polarizer 10 are both conventional settings of the display panel, and will not be described in detail here.

[0047] The display panel provided by the present invention arranges the light source on the side of the second substrate away from the first substrate, and arranges a translucent reflective layer on the side of the second substrate close to the first substrate. When the ambient light is sufficient, the display panel reflects the ambient light irradiated thereon through the translucent reflective layer for display; when the ambient light is insufficient, the display panel transmits the light emitted by the light source through the translucent reflective layer for display, thereby improving the problem of insufficient display brightness of the display panel in a dark environment, and at the same time improving the uniformity of the display brightness of the display panel, avoiding the light leakage phenomenon caused by arranging the light source on the light output side of the display panel, improving the utilization rate of the light provided by the light source, making the display panel tend to be thinner, and not having the problems of being bloated and out of fashion, thereby improving the aesthetics of the display panel.

[0048] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a display device, comprising the display panel in the above embodiment.

[0049] By adopting the display panel in the above embodiment, the display effect of the display device is improved, and the aesthetics of the display device can be improved.

[0050] The display panel provided by the present invention can be any product or component with a display function, such as an LCD panel, an LCD television, a display, a mobile phone, a navigator, etc.

[0051] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A display panel, comprising: a first substrate and a second substrate; The first substrate and the second substrate are aligned to form a cell gap, and the cell gap is filled with liquid crystal; a light source, located on a side of the second substrate facing away from the first substrate; The second substrate includes a pixel circuit; The invention is characterized in that it further comprises a light-transmitting and light-reflecting layer, which is located on a side of the second substrate close to the first substrate and on a side of the pixel circuit close to the cell gap, and can allow the light emitted by the light source to pass through, and can reflect the light irradiated thereon through the first substrate; The light-transmitting and light-reflecting layer comprises a plurality of sub-layers; the plurality of sub-layers are stacked in sequence; Along the direction in which the second substrate moves away from the first substrate, the refractive indexes of the plurality of sub-layers gradually decrease, and the refractive index of the sub-layer with the smallest refractive index is greater than the refractive index of air.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple sub-layers are all made of light-transmitting materials.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The thickness of each sub-layer is an integer multiple of the wavelength of the incident light.

4. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plurality of sub-layers have the same thickness.

5. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of protruding structures are also provided on a side surface of the light-transmitting and reflective layer facing away from the second substrate. The plurality of protruding structures are evenly arranged and can increase the incident angle of light passing through the protruding structures and incident on the light-transmitting and reflective layer.

6. The display panel according to claim 5, characterized in that: The shape of the protrusion structure includes any one of a cone, a pyramid, a hemisphere, and an ellipsoid.

7. The display panel according to claim 6, characterized in that: The protruding structure is made of light-transmitting material; The refractive index of the protruding structure is greater than or equal to the refractive index of the sub-layer with the largest refractive index.

8. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a 1 / 4 glass slide and a 1 / 2 glass slide, which are located on a side of the first substrate away from the box gap, and the 1 / 4 glass slide and the 1 / 2 glass slide are sequentially distributed away from the first substrate.

9. A display device, characterized in that: include: The display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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