Array substrate, flexible display panel and display device

Abstract

The present application provides an array substrate, a flexible display panel and a display device, wherein the array substrate includes: a crimping area; a plurality of first crimping terminals are arranged in the crimping area, and the plurality of first crimping terminals are arranged side by side; the crimping area has a median line, the median line is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals, and the plurality of first crimping terminals are evenly distributed on opposite sides of the median line and are equally spaced; each first crimping terminal includes a plurality of sections, the plurality of sections are connected in sequence, and the angle between the extension direction of the plurality of sections and the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals gradually increases or decreases. In the array substrate, the flexible display panel and the display device provided by the present application, the shape of the crimping terminal is adjusted so that it has a plurality of extension angles, thereby avoiding the problem of abnormal expansion and contraction, ensuring the correct alignment of the crimping terminal of the array substrate and the COF terminal, and thus improving the crimping yield.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of flexible display technology, and in particular to an array substrate, a flexible display panel and a display device. Background Art

[0002] Flexible display devices are bendable and deformable display devices made of flexible materials. Due to their excellent display properties such as flexibility and lightness, flexible display devices can be used in many fields such as wearable devices, mobile devices, augmented reality and virtual technology equipment, and are considered to be the mainstream in the future display field.

[0003] The existing module manufacturing process of the flexible display device includes a bonding process, through which the terminals of the array substrate are bonded together with the terminals of the chip on film (COF).

[0004] However, in the actual manufacturing process, it is found that the crimping terminals of the array substrate have batch-specific expansion and contraction anomalies, that is, in the crimping area (i.e., the bonding area) of the array substrate, the terminal spacing on one side is zero relative to the COF, while the terminal spacing on the other side often exceeds the minimum required spacing relative to the COF. In this way, when the COF is crimped, the terminals of the COF and the terminals of the array substrate may be misaligned, resulting in poor crimping of the COF and the array substrate.

[0005] Therefore, how to overcome the abnormal expansion and contraction and improve the crimping yield of COF and array substrate has become a technical problem that technical personnel in this field need to solve urgently. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of this, the present application provides an array substrate, a flexible display panel and a display device to solve the problem of misalignment of terminals during crimping caused by abnormal expansion and contraction of flexible display screens in the prior art.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an array substrate, the array substrate comprising: a pressing area;

[0008] A plurality of first crimping terminals are arranged in the crimping area, and the plurality of first crimping terminals are arranged side by side;

[0009] The crimping area has a midline, the midline is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals, and the plurality of first crimping terminals are evenly distributed on opposite sides of the midline with equal spacing;

[0010] Each first crimping terminal includes a plurality of sections, the plurality of sections are connected in sequence, and an angle between an extension direction of the plurality of sections and an arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals gradually increases or decreases.

[0011] Optionally, in the array substrate, the first section and the Nth section of the first crimping terminal are respectively located at the head and tail ends of the first crimping terminal, the extension direction of the first section is set according to a first parameter, and the extension direction of the Nth section is set according to a third parameter;

[0012] The first parameter is a minimum value of the expansion / contraction ratio of the array substrate, and the third parameter is a maximum value of the expansion / contraction ratio of the array substrate.

[0013] Optionally, in the array substrate, the first crimping terminal includes a first segment, a second segment and a third segment connected in sequence, the center lines of the first segment, the second segment and the third segment are all straight line segments, the extension angle of the first segment is set according to a first parameter, the extension angle of the second segment is set according to a second parameter, and the extension angle of the third segment is set according to a third parameter.

[0014] Optionally, in the array substrate, the second parameter is a middle value of the expansion and contraction rate of the array substrate.

[0015] Optionally, in the array substrate, the widths and areas of the plurality of first crimping terminals are equal, and the first crimping terminals located on opposite sides of the midline are symmetrically arranged.

[0016] Optionally, the array substrate further comprises at least one second crimping terminal, wherein the at least one second crimping terminal is arranged side by side with the plurality of first crimping terminals and is located between two adjacent first crimping terminals;

[0017] The center line of one of the at least one second crimping terminal coincides with the center line of the crimping area.

[0018] Optionally, in the array substrate, the width and area of ​​the plurality of first crimping terminals are the same as those of the at least one second crimping terminal.

[0019] Correspondingly, the present invention further provides a flexible display panel, wherein the flexible display panel comprises the array substrate as described above.

[0020] Correspondingly, the present invention further provides a display device, which includes the flexible display panel as described above.

[0021] In the array substrate, flexible display panel and display device provided by the present invention, the shape of the crimping terminal is adjusted to have multiple extension angles, thereby avoiding abnormal expansion and contraction problems, ensuring the correct alignment of the crimping terminal of the array substrate and the COF terminal, and thereby improving the crimping yield. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application, and together with the specification are used to explain the principles of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a crimping area of ​​an array substrate according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0024] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a pressing area of ​​an array substrate according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this application will be comprehensive and complete and will fully convey the concepts of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the figures represent the same or similar structures, and thus their repeated description will be omitted.

[0026] [Example 1]

[0027] Please refer to Figure 1 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the crimping area of ​​the array substrate of the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the array substrate includes: a crimping area 10; a plurality of first crimping terminals 11 are arranged in the crimping area 10, and the plurality of first crimping terminals 11 are arranged side by side; the crimping area 10 has a midline (shown as a longitudinal dotted line in the figure), the midline is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals 11, and the plurality of first crimping terminals 11 are evenly distributed on opposite sides of the midline with equal spacing; each first crimping terminal 11 includes a plurality of sections, the plurality of sections are connected in sequence, and the angle between the extension direction of the plurality of sections and the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals 11 gradually increases or decreases.

[0028] Specifically, the array substrate is a flexible transparent substrate made of flexible materials such as polyimide (PI), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The array substrate includes a display area (not shown in the figure) and a crimping area 10, the display area includes a plurality of display devices for performing a display function, and a plurality of first crimping terminals 11 are arranged in parallel for connecting COF terminals, thereby transmitting the control signal on the COF to the display area.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the crimping area 10 has a midline (shown as a vertical dotted line in the figure), the midline is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals 11, and the multiple first crimping terminals 11 are evenly distributed on opposite sides of the midline with equal spacing.

[0030] Each crimping terminal 11 includes a plurality of sections, the plurality of sections are connected in sequence, and an angle between an extension direction of the plurality of sections and an arrangement direction of the first crimping terminal is greater than 0° and less than 90°.

[0031] In each crimping terminal 11, the first section (i.e., the first section) and the Nth section (i.e., the last section) are respectively located at the head and tail ends of the first crimping terminal 11, the extension direction of the first section is set according to a first parameter, and the extension direction of the Nth section is set according to a third parameter, the first parameter refers to a smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate of the array substrate, and the third parameter refers to a minimum value of the expansion and contraction rate of the array substrate.

[0032] The following explanation takes N=3 as an example, that is, the Nth segment refers to the third segment. Figure 1 Each crimping terminal 11 includes a first section 11a, a second section 11b and a third section 11c which are connected in sequence, and the center lines of the first section 11a, the second section 11b and the third section 11c are all straight line segments, that is, the extension direction of the first section 11a is set according to the first parameter (that is, the smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate of the array substrate), the extension direction of the second section 11b is set according to the second parameter (that is, the smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate of the array substrate), and the extension direction of the third section 11c is set according to the third parameter (that is, the minimum value of the expansion and contraction rate of the array substrate).

[0033] Among them, the angle α between the extension direction of the first section 11a and the arrangement direction of the crimping terminals is the extension angle of the first section 11a, the angle θ between the extension direction of the second section 11b and the arrangement direction of the crimping terminals is the extension angle of the second section 11b, and the angle β between the extension direction of the third section 11c and the arrangement direction of the crimping terminals is the extension angle of the third section 11c, α>θ>β.

[0034] Correspondingly, the distance between any two adjacent first sections 11a is smaller than the distance between any two adjacent second sections 11b, and the distance between any two adjacent second sections 11b is smaller than the distance between any two adjacent third sections 11c.

[0035] In this embodiment, each crimping terminal 11 includes three sections connected in sequence, and the extension directions of the three sections are respectively set according to the smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate, the smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate, and the minimum value of the expansion and contraction rate of the array substrate. The smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate, the smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate, and the minimum value of the expansion and contraction rate are obtained through multiple expansion and contraction rate tests.

[0036] The specific process of the expansion and shrinkage test includes: first, preparing the test sample; then, measuring the total crimping length of the test sample for the first time (that is, the total length L1 of the crimping area 10 before crimping); then, placing the test sample in a constant temperature and humidity environment (temperature is 23±3°C, humidity is 59±6%RH) for 21 days; thereafter, performing the module crimping process, and measuring the total crimping length of the test sample for the second time after the crimping process is completed (that is, the total length L2 of the crimping area 10 after crimping); finally, calculating the change rate of the total crimping length to obtain the expansion and shrinkage rate Δ, expansion and shrinkage rate Δ = (L2-L1)÷L1.

[0037] The total crimping length refers to the width of the crimping area 10, which is proportional to the number of crimping terminals 11 and the distribution width of a single crimping terminal 11. The distribution width of a single crimping terminal 11 is the width W of the crimping terminal 11. P Minimum distance G from the crimp terminal P The total length of the crimping area 10 is N×(G P +W P ). Wherein, N represents the number of crimping terminals 11.

[0038] The substrate of the test sample and the array substrate use the same flexible substrate, and low-temperature polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors (LTPS-TFT), organic electroluminescent devices (OLEDs) and flexible encapsulation layers (TFE) are sequentially formed on the substrate, and a protective film with weak adhesion (tearing force ≤ 1gf / 25mm) is attached to the test sample.

[0039] In multiple expansion and contraction rate tests, the maximum expansion and contraction rate obtained is the minimum expansion and contraction rate, the minimum expansion and contraction rate obtained is the small expansion and contraction rate, and the middle value of the expansion and contraction rate obtained is the small expansion and contraction rate.

[0040] In this embodiment, the various sections constituting the crimping terminal 11 are designed with corresponding expansion and contraction compensation intervals according to the material properties of the array substrate. The expansion and contraction rates of the array substrate will be different if the materials used are different. Accordingly, the extension angles of the multiple sections of the crimping terminal 11 should also change accordingly.

[0041] In other embodiments, each crimping terminal 11 may also include four, five or more sections connected in sequence, that is, N=4 or other values ​​greater than 5. Among them, the extension directions of the first section and the Nth section (i.e., the first and second ends) of the crimping terminal 11 are set according to the first parameter (smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate) and the third parameter (minimum value of the expansion and contraction rate) of the array substrate, respectively, and the extension directions of other sections except the first section and the Nth section are set according to other parameters of the array substrate, and the other parameters are required to be less than the third parameter and greater than the first parameter.

[0042] For example, in each crimping terminal 11, the extension directions of the first section and the Nth section are set according to the smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate and the minimum value of the expansion and contraction rate of the array substrate, and the extension angles of these two sections are α and β respectively, and the extension angles of other sections are between α and β. Alternatively, in each crimping terminal 11, three sections are set according to the smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate, the smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate, and the minimum value of the expansion and contraction rate of the array substrate, and the extension angles of these three sections are α, θ, and β respectively, and the extension angles of other sections are between α and θ, or between θ and β.

[0043] In this embodiment, the spacing of the first crimping terminals 11 is designed to be narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, that is, the distance between any two adjacent first crimping terminals 11 gradually increases from top to bottom. In other embodiments, the spacing of the crimping terminals 11 may also be designed to be narrow at the bottom and wide at the top, that is, the distance between any two adjacent first crimping terminals 11 gradually decreases from top to bottom, as long as the spacing of the crimping terminals 11 and the terminal spacing of the COF adopt the same design.

[0044] Preferably, the first crimping terminals 11 located on opposite sides of the midline are symmetrically arranged. Thus, among the first crimping terminals 11 on the left and right sides of the midline, the extension directions of the two first crimping terminals 11 that are equidistant from the midline are symmetrically arranged about the midline, so that the two first crimping terminals 11 occupy the same space.

[0045] Preferably, the widths and areas of the plurality of first crimping terminals 11 are equal, so as to ensure that the impedance after crimping is equal, and avoid differences in current or voltage between the crimping terminals, thereby preventing adverse effects on the display effect.

[0046] In this embodiment, the first crimping terminal 11 adopts a multi-angle combination design, which has multiple extension angles, and its center line is not a straight line, but a folded line, the bending direction of the folded line is consistent, and the bending angle gradually increases or decreases, that is, the extension directions of the multiple sections of the first crimping terminal 11 are different, and the angle between the extension direction of the multiple sections and the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminal 11 gradually increases or decreases. Correspondingly, the spacing of the first crimping terminal 11 gradually changes along the direction parallel to the midline.

[0047] Compared with the traditional design, the first crimping terminal 11 occupies a relatively large space and can compensate for the expansion and contraction of the material. Even if extreme expansion or contraction occurs, it can still meet the crimping alignment requirements and avoid terminal misalignment.

[0048] [Example 2]

[0049] Please refer to Figure 2 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the pressing area of ​​the array substrate of the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the array substrate includes: a crimping area 20; a plurality of first crimping terminals 11 are arranged in the crimping area 20, and the plurality of first crimping terminals 11 are arranged side by side; the crimping area 20 has a midline (shown as a longitudinal dotted line in the figure), the midline is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals 11, and the plurality of first crimping terminals 11 are evenly distributed on opposite sides of the midline with equal spacing; each first crimping terminal 11 includes a plurality of sections, the plurality of sections are connected in sequence, and the angle between the extension direction of the plurality of sections and the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals 11 gradually increases or decreases.

[0050] Specifically, the array substrate includes a display area (not shown in the figure) and a crimping area 20, the display area includes a plurality of display devices for performing a display function, a plurality of first crimping terminals 11 are arranged in the crimping area 20, and the plurality of first crimping terminals 11 are arranged side by side for connecting COF terminals, thereby transmitting the control signal on the COF to the display area.

[0051] like Figure 2As shown, the crimping area 20 has a midline (shown by the vertical dotted line in the figure), and the midline is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals 11. The multiple first crimping terminals 11 are evenly distributed on opposite sides of the midline with equal spacing, and each crimping terminal 11 includes a first section 11a, a second section 11b and a third section 11c connected in sequence. The extension direction of the first section 11a is set according to a smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate, the extension direction of the third section 11c is set according to a smaller value of the expansion and contraction rate, and the extension direction of the third section 11c is set according to a minimum value of the expansion and contraction rate.

[0052] The angle α between the extension direction of the first section 11a and the arrangement direction of the crimping terminals is the extension angle of the first section 11a, the angle θ between the extension direction of the second section 11b and the arrangement direction of the crimping terminals is the extension angle of the second section 11b, and the angle β between the extension direction of the third section 11c and the arrangement direction of the crimping terminals is the extension angle of the third section 11c. The angle α is the largest, the angle β is the smallest, and the angle θ is in the middle.

[0053] Please continue to refer to Figure 2 At least one second crimping terminal 12 is also arranged in the crimping area 20. The at least one second crimping terminal 12 is arranged side by side with the multiple first crimping terminals 11 and is located between two adjacent first crimping terminals 11; the center line of one of the at least one second crimping terminals 12 coincides with the midline of the crimping area 10.

[0054] The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that a second crimping terminal 12 is further provided in the crimping area of ​​the array substrate. The second crimping terminal 12 is provided in the middle of the crimping area and adopts a traditional design.

[0055] Preferably, the width and area of ​​the second crimping terminal 12 are the same as those of the first crimping terminal 11 , and the extending direction of the second crimping terminal 12 is consistent and perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminal 11 .

[0056] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0057] The above drawings are only schematic illustrations of the crimping area of ​​the array substrate provided by the present invention. For the sake of clarity, the shapes and numbers of components in the above drawings are simplified and some components are omitted. Those skilled in the art may make changes according to actual needs. These changes are within the scope of protection of the present invention and will not be described in detail here.

[0058] In summary, the array substrate, flexible display panel and display device provided by the present invention adjust the shape of the crimping terminal to have multiple extension angles, thereby avoiding abnormal expansion and contraction problems, ensuring the correct alignment of the crimping terminal of the array substrate and the COF terminal, and further improving the crimping yield.

[0059] The above content is a further detailed description of the present application in combination with specific preferred implementation methods, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present application is limited to these descriptions. For ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present application belongs, several simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, which should be deemed to fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. An array substrate, characterized in that: include: Crimp area; A plurality of first crimping terminals are arranged in the crimping area, and the plurality of first crimping terminals are arranged side by side; The crimping area has a midline, the midline is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals, and the plurality of first crimping terminals are evenly distributed on opposite sides of the midline with equal spacing; Each first crimping terminal includes a plurality of sections, the plurality of sections are connected in sequence, and the angle between the extension direction of the plurality of sections and the arrangement direction of the first crimping terminals gradually increases or decreases; The first section and the Nth section of the first crimping terminal are respectively located at the head and tail ends of the first crimping terminal, the extension direction of the first section is set according to the first parameter, and the extension direction of the Nth section is set according to the third parameter; The first parameter is a minimum value of the expansion / contraction ratio of the array substrate, and the third parameter is a maximum value of the expansion / contraction ratio of the array substrate.

2. The array substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first crimping terminal includes a first section, a second section and a third section connected in sequence, the center lines of the first section, the second section and the third section are all straight line sections, the extension angle of the first section is set according to a first parameter, the extension angle of the second section is set according to a second parameter, and the extension angle of the third section is set according to a third parameter; the second parameter is the middle value of the expansion and contraction rate of the array substrate.

3. The array substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes at least one second crimping terminal, the at least one second crimping terminal is arranged side by side with the plurality of first crimping terminals and is located between two adjacent first crimping terminals; The center line of one of the at least one second crimping terminal coincides with the center line of the crimping area.

4. The array substrate according to claim 3, characterized in that: The width and area of ​​the plurality of first crimping terminals are equal to those of the at least one second crimping terminal.

5. A flexible display panel, characterized in that: include: An array substrate as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A display device, characterized in that: include: The flexible display panel as claimed in claim 5.

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