Array substrate, display device and array substrate detection method

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of display technology, and specifically discloses an array substrate, a display device, and a detection method for the array substrate. The array substrate includes a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area. The display area includes a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines, and the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines are vertically crossed and arranged; the non-display area includes a gate switch connected to the gate line, a data switch connected to the data line, a gate pad connected to the gate switch, a data pad connected to the data switch, and a controller connected to both the gate pad and the data pad, and the controller is used to turn on the gate switch. The non-display area also includes a common pad for turning on the data switch. Through the setting of the controller and the common pad, the data switch and the gate switch can complete the opening action independently, realize the performance detection of the array substrate, and ensure the preparation yield of the array substrate; and there is no need to set an additional pad area in the non-display area for connection, saving the peripheral wiring space of the array substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application generally relates to the field of display technology, and in particular, discloses an array substrate, a display device, and a detection method for the array substrate. Background Art

[0002] Electronic paper is a new type of display device, mainly used in electronic tags, billboards, electronic readers and other devices. The display effect of this electronic paper is close to that of natural paper, which can reduce visual fatigue when reading.

[0003] The non-display area of ​​electronic paper products has a low anti-puncture capability due to the high pattern density, dense thin-film transistors, and short channel length of thin-film transistors. During the production process of the array substrate of electronic paper products, static electricity is easily accumulated on its surface, which will form channel residues or cause slight breakdown between the source and drain of thin-film transistors in the non-display area, forming a short circuit. Therefore, the performance testing of the array substrate during the preparation process becomes particularly important.

[0004] At present, in order to save the peripheral wiring space of the array substrate, electronic paper often directly connects the gates of several thin film transistors in the non-display area to share a pad area, which can reduce the layout of a pad area. However, when the array substrate is performing performance testing, it is impossible to detect whether a short circuit occurs between the source and drain when the thin film transistor is turned on. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide an array substrate, a display device and an array substrate detection method, which can solve the technical problem in the prior art that the array substrate cannot detect whether the source and drain of the thin film transistor in the non-display area are short-circuited.

[0006] In order to achieve the above invention objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides an array substrate, comprising a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area;

[0008] The display area includes a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines, and the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines are arranged to cross each other vertically;

[0009] The non-display area includes a gate switch connected to the gate line, a data switch connected to the data line, a gate pad connected to the gate switch, a data pad connected to the data switch, and a controller connected to both the gate pad and the data pad, the controller being used to turn on the gate switch, and the non-display area also includes a common pad being used to turn on the data switch.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present application, the gate of the gate switch is connected to the controller, the source of the gate switch is connected to the gate pad, and the drain of the gate switch is connected to the gate line;

[0011] A gate electrode of the data switch is connected to the common pad, a source electrode of the data switch is connected to the data pad, and a drain electrode of the data switch is connected to the data line.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present application, the controller includes a thin film transistor, a source of the thin film transistor is connected to the gate pad, a gate of the thin film transistor is connected to the data pad, and a drain of the thin film transistor is connected to the gate of the gate switch.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present application, the thin film transistor is connected to the gate pad through a via hole.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present application, the gate electrode of the thin film transistor is identical to the data pad in the thickness direction of the array substrate.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present application, the thin film transistor is a top-gate thin film transistor.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the present application, a display device is provided, comprising a driving circuit and the array substrate as described above.

[0017] According to a third aspect of the present application, a method for detecting an array substrate is provided, which is applied to the array substrate as described above, and the method comprises:

[0018] Providing a positive voltage to the data pad causes the controller to turn on;

[0019] supplying a positive voltage to the common pad so that the data switch is turned on, and writing a signal of the data pad into the data line; and

[0020] A positive voltage is provided to the gate pad, and the voltage of the gate pad is written into the gate switch via the turned-on controller to turn on the gate switch, and a signal of the gate pad is written into the gate line.

[0021] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, a method for detecting an array substrate is provided, which is applied to the array substrate as described above, and the method comprises:

[0022] Providing a positive voltage to the data pad causes the controller to turn on;

[0023] providing a positive voltage to the gate pad, the voltage of the gate pad being written into the gate switch via the turned-on controller to turn on the gate switch, and writing a signal of the gate pad into the gate line; and

[0024] A low level is provided to the common pad to close the data switch, and it is detected whether the signal of the data pad is written into the data line.

[0025] According to a fifth aspect of the present application, a method for detecting an array substrate is provided, which is applied to the array substrate as described above, and the method comprises:

[0026] providing a negative voltage to the data pad so that the controller is turned off and the gate switch is turned off;

[0027] supplying a positive voltage to the common pad to turn on the data switch, and writing a signal of the data pad into the data line; and

[0028] A positive voltage is provided to the gate pad, and whether a signal of the gate pad is written into the gate line is detected.

[0029] According to the array substrate, display device and detection method of the array substrate disclosed in the present application, the array substrate includes a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area; the display area includes a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines, and the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines are vertically crossed and arranged; the non-display area includes a gate switch connected to the gate line, a data switch connected to the data line, a gate pad connected to the gate switch, a data pad connected to the data switch, and a controller connected to both the gate pad and the data pad, the controller is used to turn on the gate switch, and the non-display area also includes a common pad for turning on the data switch. The present application controls the opening of the gate switch through a controller, and controls the opening of the data switch through a common pad, so that the data switch and the gate switch can complete the opening action independently, and whether the source and drain of the data switch are short-circuited can be detected by detecting whether the signal transmitted through the data pad is written into the data line; whether the source and drain of the gate switch are short-circuited can be detected by detecting whether the signal transmitted through the gate pad is written into the gate line, thereby realizing the performance detection of the array substrate and ensuring the preparation yield of the array substrate; and in this way, there is no need to set up an additional pad area in the non-display area for connection, which can save the peripheral wiring space of the array substrate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an array substrate according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0033] The reference numerals are described as follows:

[0034] 1. Gate line; 2. Data line; 3. Display area; 4. Non-display area; 5. Gate pad; 6. Data pad; 7. Common pad; 8. Data switch area; 9. Gate switch area; 10. Controller; 11. Data switch; 12. Gate switch. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0036] It should be noted that, in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or specific order or precedence between these entities or operations. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein, for example.

[0037] Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof or any other variants thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not expressly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units need not be limited to those steps or units expressly listed, but may include other steps or units not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the statement "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0038] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0039] Reference Figure 1 The embodiment of the present disclosure provides an array substrate, which includes a display area 3 and a non-display area 4 including the display area 3. The display area 3 includes a plurality of gate lines 1 and a plurality of data lines 2, and the plurality of gate lines 1 and the plurality of data lines 2 are vertically crossed to define a plurality of pixel units distributed in an array, and the pixel units are used to achieve the display effect of the display area 3.

[0040] The non-display area 4 includes a gate switch 12 area 9, a data switch 11 area 8 and a pad area. A plurality of gate switches 12 are arranged in the gate switch 12 area 9, a plurality of data switches 11 are arranged in the data switch 11 area 8, and the pad area includes a gate pad 5, a data pad 6 and a common pad 7. Among them, the plurality of gate switches 12 are connected to the plurality of gate lines 1 in a one-to-one correspondence, and the plurality of data switches 11 are connected to the plurality of data lines 2 in a one-to-one correspondence; the gate pad 5 is connected to the gate switch 12, the data pad 6 is connected to the data switch 11, and the common pad 7 is connected to the data switch 11. A controller 10 is also arranged in the non-display area 4, and the controller 10 is connected to both the data pad 6 and the gate pad 5. The gate pad 5 provides a positive voltage to the controller 10 to realize the opening of the controller 10, and the data pad 6 provides a positive voltage to the controller 10 to realize the opening of the gate switch 12; the common pad 7 provides a positive voltage to the data pad 6 to realize the opening of the data switch 11.

[0041] Through the above-mentioned setting form, the gate switch 12 and the data switch 11 are opened independently. By detecting whether the signal transmitted through the data pad 6 is written into the data line 2, it is possible to detect whether the source and drain of the data switch 11 are short-circuited; by detecting whether the signal transmitted through the gate pad 5 is written into the gate line 1, it is possible to detect whether the source and drain of the gate switch 12 are short-circuited, thereby realizing the performance detection of the array substrate and ensuring the preparation yield of the array substrate; and in this way, there is no need to set up an additional pad area in the non-display area 4 for connection, which can save the peripheral wiring space of the array substrate.

[0042] Reference Figure 1 , the display area 3 is arranged in a rectangular shape based on the orthographic projection of the array substrate. In order to facilitate connection with the gate line 1, the gate switch 12 area 9 is arranged on one side of the length direction of the display area 3; in order to facilitate connection with the data line 2, the data switch 11 area 8 is arranged on one side of the width direction of the display area 3. For the convenience of description, in this embodiment, the gate switch 12 area 9 is arranged on the left side of the display area 3, and the data switch 11 is arranged on the upper side of the display area 3.

[0043] Optionally, the controller 10 includes a thin film transistor, a source of the thin film transistor is connected to the gate pad 5, a gate of the thin film transistor is connected to the data pad 6, and a drain of the thin film transistor is connected to the gate of the gate switch 12. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller 10 is described in detail by taking the thin film transistor as an example. In actual use in the field of display technology, the controller 10 may also use other components that can realize the functions of the thin film transistor to replace the thin film transistor.

[0044] Specifically, for the convenience of connection, the thin film transistor is disposed between the data switch 11 region 8 and the gate switch 12 region 9 , that is, the thin film transistor is disposed at the upper left corner of the display area 3 .

[0045] Specifically, the gate of the gate switch 12 is connected to the controller 10, that is, the gate of the gate switch 12 is connected to the drain of the thin film transistor, the source of the gate switch 12 is connected to the gate pad 5, and the drain of the gate switch 12 is connected to the gate line 1; the gate of the data switch 11 is connected to the common pad 7, the source of the data switch 11 is connected to the data pad 6, and the drain of the data switch 11 is connected to the data line 2. In this case, a positive voltage is applied to the data pad 6 to turn on the thin film transistor, a positive voltage is applied to the common pad 7 to turn on the data switch 11, a signal of the data pad 6 is written into the data line 2, and a positive voltage is applied to the gate pad 5 to write the signal of the gate pad 5 into the gate line 1 through the thin film transistor, so as to realize the display operation of the pixel unit in the display area 3. It should be noted that the arrangement of the display area 3 of the array substrate provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is similar to the arrangement of the display area 3 of the array substrate in the prior art, that is, a switch is also provided at the intersection of the gate line 1 and the data line 2 in the display area 3 for realizing display, etc. Therefore, the specific arrangement of the display area 3 is not described in detail in this embodiment.

[0046] Reference Figure 1 , the gate of the thin film transistor is the same as the data pad 6 in the thickness direction of the array substrate, that is, when the gate of the thin film transistor and the data pad 6 in the thickness direction of the array substrate are the same film layer structure in the thickness direction of the array substrate, the thin film transistor can be directly connected to the data pad 6. For example, the gate of the thin film transistor is directly connected to the data pad 6 through a lead.

[0047] When the gate of the thin film transistor and the data pad 6 are film layer structures of different layers in the thickness direction of the array substrate, the gate of the thin film transistor is connected to the gate pad 5 through a via hole.

[0048] Optionally, the thin film transistor is a top-gate thin film transistor. By adopting a top-gate thin film transistor, the controller 10 can be directly connected to the data pad 6 through a lead without opening a via for connection, which is convenient for connection, reduces the preparation process, and improves the preparation efficiency.

[0049] Reference Figure 1 The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a display device, comprising a driving circuit and the aforementioned array substrate. The driving circuit is used to provide a control signal to the pad area to achieve detection or display of the array substrate.

[0050] Reference Figure 1 The present disclosure also provides a method for detecting an array substrate, which is applied to the aforementioned array substrate. The method includes:

[0051] Providing a positive voltage to the data pad 6 causes the controller 10 to turn on;

[0052] Supplying a positive voltage to the common pad 7 so that the data switch 11 is turned on, and writing the signal of the data pad 6 into the data line 2; and

[0053] A positive voltage is provided to the gate pad 5 , and the voltage of the gate pad 5 is written into the gate switch 12 via the turned-on controller 10 to turn on the gate switch 12 , thereby writing the signal of the gate pad 5 into the gate line 1 .

[0054] Specifically, the technician uses a detection device, in which a driver chip is provided, and writes the driver circuit into the driver chip, and uses a probe connected to the driver chip to penetrate the data pad 6, and provides a positive voltage to the data pad 6 to turn on the controller 10. Then, the probe is used to penetrate the common pad 7, and a positive voltage is provided to the common pad 7 to turn on the data switch 11. When the data switch 11 is turned on, the data signal is written into the data line 2. Finally, the probe is used to penetrate the gate pad 5, and a positive voltage is provided to the gate pad 5. When the controller 10 is turned on, the signal of the gate pad 5 is written into the gate line 1.

[0055] After the gate lines 1 and the data lines 2 are simultaneously written with signals, conventional detection may be performed on the display area 3, such as array test detection. The specific detection method of the array test is the same as that of the prior art, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0056] Reference Figure 1 The present disclosure also provides a method for detecting an array substrate, which is applied to the aforementioned array substrate. The method includes:

[0057] Providing a positive voltage to the data pad 6 causes the controller 10 to turn on;

[0058] A positive voltage is provided to the gate pad 5, and the voltage of the gate pad 5 is written into the gate switch 12 via the turned-on controller 10 to turn on the gate switch 12, and a signal of the gate pad 5 is written into the gate line 1; and

[0059] A low level is provided to the common pad 7 to close the data switch 11 , and it is detected whether the signal of the data pad 6 is written into the data line 2 .

[0060] Specifically, the technician uses a detection device, in which a driver chip is provided, and writes the driver circuit into the driver chip. The probe connected to the driver chip is used to penetrate the data pad 6, and a positive voltage is provided to the data pad 6 to turn on the controller 10. Then, the probe is used to penetrate the gate pad 5, and a positive voltage is provided to the gate pad 5. When the controller 10 is turned on, the signal of the gate pad 5 is written into the gate line 1. Finally, the probe is used to penetrate the common pad 7, and a low level is provided to the common pad 7 to turn off the data switch 11, and the array detection is performed in the display area 3, specifically, the voltage of each data line 2 in the display area 3 is detected, so as to determine whether the signal of the data pad 6 is written into the data line 2.

[0061] Reference Figure 1 The present disclosure also provides a method for detecting an array substrate, which is applied to the aforementioned array substrate. The method includes:

[0062] Providing a negative voltage to the data pad 6 so that the controller 10 is turned off and the gate switch 12 is turned off;

[0063] Supplying a positive voltage to the common pad 7 to turn on the data switch 11, and writing the signal of the data pad 6 into the data line 2; and

[0064] A positive voltage is provided to the gate pad 5 , and it is detected whether the signal of the gate pad 5 is written into the gate line 1 .

[0065] Specifically, the technician uses a detection device, in which a driver chip is provided, and writes the driver circuit into the driver chip, and uses a probe connected to the driver chip to penetrate the data pad 6, and provides a negative voltage to the data pad 6, so that the controller 10 is turned off. Then, the probe is penetrated into the common pad 7, and a positive voltage is provided to the common pad 7, so that the data switch 11 is turned on, and the signal of the data pad 6 is written into the data line 2. Finally, the probe is penetrated into the gate pad 5, and a positive voltage is provided to the gate pad 5, and an array detection is performed in the display area 3, specifically, the voltage of each gate line 1 in the display area 3 is detected, so as to determine whether the signal of the gate pad 5 is written into the gate line 1.

[0066] Reference Figure 1 The present disclosure also provides an array substrate detection method, which is applied to the aforementioned array substrate. The method includes a data switch 11 short circuit detection method and a gate switch 12 short circuit detection method:

[0067] The method for detecting a short circuit of the data switch 11 is as follows: controlling the controller 10 to be turned on, writing the signal of the gate pad 5 into the gate line 1, controlling the data switch 11 to be turned off, and detecting whether the signal of the data pad 6 is written into the data line 2 to detect whether the data switch 11 is short-circuited;

[0068] The method for detecting a short circuit of the gate switch 12 is as follows: controlling the controller 10 and the gate switch 12 to be closed, controlling the data switch 11 to be opened to write the signal of the data pad 6 into the data line 2, providing a positive voltage to the gate pad 5, and detecting whether the signal of the gate pad 5 is written into the gate line 1 to detect whether the gate switch 12 is short-circuited.

[0069] It should be noted that the specific detection method in this embodiment is the same as the aforementioned detection method, so it will not be repeated here. Through the detection method provided by the present application, it is possible to realize the conventional display detection of the array substrate, and at the same time, it is possible to detect whether the gate line 1 is short-circuited and whether the data line 2 is short-circuited, thereby improving the preparation yield of the array substrate. In actual use, since the current flowing inside the electronic paper product is relatively large compared to other display devices during use, short circuits are very likely to occur. Therefore, detecting whether the data switch 11 and the gate switch 12 are short-circuited is an important performance test item in the electronic paper product.

[0070] The above description is only a specific implementation mode of the present application, so that those skilled in the art can understand or implement the present application. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations to these embodiments, and the general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but will conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features applied for herein.

Claims

1. An array substrate, characterized in that: Applied to electronic paper, comprising a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area; The display area includes a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines, and the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines are arranged to cross each other vertically; The non-display area includes a gate switch connected to the gate line, a data switch connected to the data line, a gate pad connected to the gate switch, a data pad connected to the data switch, and a controller connected to both the gate pad and the data pad, wherein the controller is used to turn on the gate switch, and the non-display area also includes a common pad used to turn on the data switch, a positive voltage is applied to the common pad to turn on the data switch, and a signal from the data pad is written into the data line.

2. The array substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gate of the gate switch is connected to the controller, the source of the gate switch is connected to the gate pad, and the drain of the gate switch is connected to the gate line; A gate electrode of the data switch is connected to the common pad, a source electrode of the data switch is connected to the data pad, and a drain electrode of the data switch is connected to the data line.

3. The array substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller includes a thin film transistor, a source electrode of the thin film transistor is connected to the gate pad, a gate electrode of the thin film transistor is connected to the data pad, and a drain electrode of the thin film transistor is connected to the gate electrode of the gate switch.

4. The array substrate according to claim 3, characterized in that: The thin film transistor is connected to the gate pad through a via hole.

5. The array substrate according to claim 3, characterized in that: The gate electrode of the thin film transistor is aligned with the data pad in the thickness direction of the array substrate.

6. The array substrate according to claim 3, characterized in that: The thin film transistor is a top-gate thin film transistor.

7. A display device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a driving circuit and an array substrate as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A method for detecting an array substrate, characterized in that: Applied to the array substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the method comprising: Providing a positive voltage to the data pad causes the controller to turn on; supplying a positive voltage to the common pad so that the data switch is turned on, and writing a signal of the data pad into the data line; and A positive voltage is provided to the gate pad, and the voltage of the gate pad is written into the gate switch via the turned-on controller to turn on the gate switch, and a signal of the gate pad is written into the gate line.

9. A method for detecting an array substrate, characterized in that: Applied to the array substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the method comprising: Providing a positive voltage to the data pad causes the controller to turn on; providing a positive voltage to the gate pad, the voltage of the gate pad being written into the gate switch via the turned-on controller to turn on the gate switch, and writing a signal of the gate pad into the gate line; and A low level is provided to the common pad to close the data switch, and it is detected whether the signal of the data pad is written into the data line.

10. A method for detecting an array substrate, characterized in that: Applied to the array substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the method comprising: Providing a negative voltage to the data pad so that the controller is turned off and the gate switch is turned off; supplying a positive voltage to the common pad to turn on the data switch, and writing a signal of the data pad into the data line; and A positive voltage is provided to the gate pad, and it is detected whether the signal of the gate pad is written into the gate line.

Images