Display module and display device

Abstract

The application discloses a display module and a display device, and belongs to the technical field of display. The application discloses a display module, which comprises a middle frame, a display panel and a flexible circuit board. The middle frame comprises a wall part and a hollow space formed by the wall part. The display panel is located in the hollow space and comprises an antenna module. The flexible circuit board is located in the hollow space and comprises a connecting section connected with the antenna module, a first bending section bent from the light-out side of the connecting section away from the display panel and a first extension section. A radio frequency chip is arranged on the first extension section. The application also discloses a display device comprising the above display module. The display module disclosed by the application bends the first bending section by approximately 90 degrees, so that the first extension section for carrying the radio frequency chip is arranged along the wall part without occupying the space at the back of the display panel, thereby reducing the thickness of the display module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of display technology, and in particular relates to display modules and display devices. Background Technology

[0002] In display modules, the antenna is usually bent 180 degrees from the display panel to the back of the display panel. However, this method will take up internal space of the display module, resulting in an increase in the thickness of the display module. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a display module and a display device, which can reduce the thickness of the display module.

[0004] This application provides a display module, including: a middle frame, including a wall and a hollow space enclosed by the wall; a display panel located in the hollow space, the display panel including an antenna module; a flexible circuit board located in the hollow space, the flexible circuit board including a connecting section connected to the antenna module, a first bent section formed by bending the connecting section away from the light-emitting side of the display panel, and a first extension section; and a radio frequency chip disposed in the first extension section.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of this application, it further includes a reinforcing plate for supporting the first bent section and / or the first extended section; the wall includes a structural area located on the same side of the display panel as the reinforcing plate, and the structural area and the reinforcing plate are respectively disposed on both sides of the first bent section and the first extended section.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of this application, the reinforcing plate includes a second bent section and a second extension section formed by bending away from the light-emitting side of the display panel. The second bent section is used to support the first bent section, and the second extension section is used to support the first extension section.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of this application, the display panel further includes a second signal line, which, together with the first bent section and the first extended section, is disposed on both sides of the reinforcing plate; preferably, the reinforcing plate is made of an insulating material.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of this application, the wall portion is used to support the first extension section; preferably, both the wall portion and the first extension section extend along the thickness direction.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of this application, it also includes a radio frequency chip mounted on the first extension.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of this application, the display panel includes a display area and a frame area located at least on one side of the display area, and at least a portion of the antenna module is located in the display area.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of this application, the display panel includes a touch layer, and at least a portion of the antenna module is disposed on the same layer as the touch layer.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of this application, the antenna module includes a patterned metal mesh.

[0013] On the other hand, embodiments of this application also provide a display device, including the display module of any of the above embodiments.

[0014] The display module of this application embodiment includes a mid-frame, a display panel, a flexible circuit board, and a radio frequency chip. The mid-frame includes a wall and a hollow space enclosed by the wall. The display panel and the flexible circuit board are both located in the hollow space. The display panel includes an antenna module. The flexible circuit board includes a connecting section connected to the antenna module, a first bent section formed by bending the connecting section away from the light-emitting side of the display panel, and a first extension section. By bending the first bent section at approximately 90 degrees, the first extension section for mounting the radio frequency chip is disposed along the wall without encroaching on the back space of the display panel, thereby reducing the thickness of the display module. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a top view of the display module structure according to some embodiments of this application;

[0017] Figure 2 An example is shown. Figure 1 The image shows a sectional view of the module at section AA;

[0018] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an example antenna module, a first signal line, a flexible circuit board, and an RF chip is shown when the flexible circuit board is unfolded.

[0019] Figure 4 A top view of an example display panel is shown.

[0020] Figure 5 An example is shown. Figure 4 The display panel is shown in a cross-sectional view at section BB.

[0021] Figure label:

[0022] 10. Middle frame; 11. Wall; 111. Structural area; 12. Openwork space;

[0023] 20. Display panel; 21. Antenna module; 211. First signal line; 212. Second signal line; 22. Display area; 23. Bezel area; 24. Substrate; 25. Device layer; 26. Light-emitting element layer; 27. Touch layer; 28. Cover plate;

[0024] 30. Flexible circuit board; 31. Connecting segment; 311. Bonding pad; 32. First bending segment; 33. First extension segment;

[0025] 40. Reinforcing plate; 41. Second bending section; 42. Second extension section;

[0026] 50. Radio frequency chip; 60. Cover plate;

[0027] x indicates the thickness direction of the display module. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of this application will be described in detail below. To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only intended to explain this application and not to limit it. For those skilled in the art, this application can be implemented without some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is merely to provide a better understanding of this application by illustrating examples.

[0029] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0030] The applicant discovered that in the prior art, the antenna in the display module is usually bent 180 degrees from the position of the display panel to the back of the display panel, but this method will take up the internal space of the display module, resulting in an increase in the thickness of the display module.

[0031] In view of the above problems, the applicant proposes a display module, which includes a mid-frame, a display panel, a flexible circuit board, and a radio frequency chip. The mid-frame includes a wall and a hollow space enclosed by the wall. The display panel is located in the hollow space and includes an antenna module. The flexible circuit board is located in the hollow space and includes a connecting section connected to the antenna module, a first bent section formed by bending the connecting section away from the light-emitting side of the display panel, and a first extension section. The radio frequency chip is disposed in the first extension section.

[0032] The display module provided in this application includes a mid-frame, a display panel, and a flexible circuit board. The mid-frame includes a wall and a hollow space enclosed by the wall. The display panel and the flexible circuit board are both located within the hollow space. The display panel includes an antenna module. The flexible circuit board includes a connecting section connected to the antenna module, a first bent section formed by bending the connecting section away from the light-emitting side of the display panel, and a first extension section. By bending the first bent section at approximately 90 degrees, the first extension section for mounting the radio frequency chip is arranged along the wall without encroaching on the back space of the display panel, thereby reducing the thickness of the display module.

[0033] The display module provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the x-direction in the drawings represents the thickness direction of the display module. In the drawings, for ease of drawing, the dimensions are not necessarily proportional to the actual dimensions.

[0034] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 This is a top view of the display module structure according to some embodiments of this application; Figure 2 An example is shown. Figure 1 The image shows a sectional view of the module at section AA; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an example antenna module, a first signal line, a flexible circuit board, and an RF chip is shown when the flexible circuit board is unfolded.

[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, this application provides a display module, which includes a mid-frame 10, a display panel 20, a flexible circuit board 30, and a radio frequency chip 50. The mid-frame 10 includes a wall portion 11 and a hollow space 12 formed by the wall portion 11. The display panel 20 is located within the hollow space 12 and includes an antenna module 21. The flexible circuit board 30 is located within the hollow space 12 and includes a connecting section 31 connected to the antenna module 21, a first bent section 32 formed by bending from the connecting section 31 away from the light-emitting side of the display panel 20, and a first extension section 33. The radio frequency chip 50 is disposed on the first extension section 33.

[0036] Optionally, the connecting segment 31 is provided with a bonding pad 311. The antenna module 21 is connected to the connecting segment 31 via a first signal line 211, which transmits antenna signals between the flexible circuit board 30 and the antenna module 21. One end of the first signal line 211 is connected to the antenna module 21, and the other end is soldered to the bonding pad 311. The display panel 20 can have multiple antenna modules 21, and the flexible circuit board 30 can also have multiple antenna modules 21 connected to the same flexible circuit board 30. The first bending segment 32 bends from the connecting segment 31 towards the light-emitting side away from the display panel 20, which can be understood as the first bending segment 32 bending at approximately 90 degrees.

[0037] Optionally, the display module may also include a cover plate 60, which is located on the light-emitting side of the display panel 20. The orthographic projection of the cover plate 60 in the thickness direction (x direction in the figure) of the display module overlaps at least partially with the orthographic projection of the display panel 20 in the thickness direction x.

[0038] The display module provided in this embodiment includes a middle frame 10, a display panel 20, and a flexible circuit board 30. The middle frame 10 includes a wall portion 11 and a hollow space 12 enclosed by the wall portion 11. The display panel 20 and the flexible circuit board 30 are both located within the hollow space 12. The display panel 20 includes an antenna module 21. The flexible circuit board 30 includes a connecting section 31 connected to the antenna module 21, a first bending section 32 formed by bending from the connecting section 31 away from the light-emitting side of the display panel 20, and a first extension section 33. The first bending section 32 only bends at approximately 90 degrees. Compared with the scheme where the flexible circuit board 30 bends to the back of the display panel 20, the bending angle is smaller, thereby shortening the transmission path and reducing transmission loss. At the same time, the flexible circuit board 30 is set along the wall portion 11 and will not encroach on the back space of the display panel 20, thereby reducing the thickness of the display module.

[0039] In some alternative embodiments, the display module may further include a reinforcing plate 40 for supporting the first bent section 32 and / or the first extension section 33. The wall portion 11 includes a structural region 111 located on the same side as the reinforcing plate 40 as the display panel 20, with the structural region 111 and the reinforcing plate 40 respectively disposed on both sides of the first bent section 32 and / or the first extension section 33.

[0040] The display module provided in this embodiment supports the first bending segment 32 and / or the first extension segment 33 by a reinforcing plate 40, and the first bending segment 32 and / or the first extension segment 33 are located between the reinforcing plate 40 and the structural area 111. The reinforcing plate 40 supports and fixes the bending angle of the flexible circuit board 30, reducing the risk of breakage of the flexible circuit board 30 due to disordered twisting and improving the drop resistance of the flexible circuit board 30.

[0041] In some alternative embodiments, the reinforcing plate 40 includes a second bent section 41 and a second extension section 42 formed by bending away from the light-emitting side of the display panel 20. The second bent section 41 is used to support the first bent section 32, and the second extension section 42 is used to support the first extension section 33.

[0042] Optionally, the bending angle of the second bending segment 41 matches the bending angle of the first bending segment 32, and the extension direction of the second extension segment 42 is consistent with the extension direction of the first extension segment 33. At least a portion of the second bending segment 41 abuts against the first bending segment 32, and at least a portion of the second extension segment 42 abuts against the first extension segment 33.

[0043] The display module provided in this embodiment, by supporting the second bending section 41 and the second extension section 42 of the first bending section 32 and the first extension section 33 respectively, fixes the bending angle and arrangement position of the flexible circuit board 30, further reducing the risk of breakage of the flexible circuit board 30 due to disordered twisting and improving the drop resistance of the flexible circuit board 30.

[0044] In some optional embodiments, the display panel 20 further includes a second signal line 212, which is disposed on both sides of the reinforcing plate 40 along with the first bent section 32 and the first extended section 33.

[0045] Optionally, the second signal line 212 includes at least one of the power signal line, ground signal line, and control signal line of the display panel 20.

[0046] The display module provided in this embodiment reduces the risk of the second signal line 212 getting tangled with the flexible circuit board 30 by placing the second signal line 212, the first bent section 32, and the first extended section 33 on both sides of the reinforcing plate 40, thus facilitating the partitioned arrangement of the wire harness.

[0047] In some alternative embodiments, the reinforcing plate 40 is made of an insulating material, such as fiberglass, polymer, etc.

[0048] The display module provided in this embodiment uses an insulating material to prepare the reinforcing plate 40, which not only ensures the strength of the reinforcing plate 40 so that it can support the flexible circuit board 30, but also isolates the second signal line 212 from the flexible circuit board 30, reducing the risk of short circuit, and at the same time reducing the coupling between the second signal line 212 and the flexible circuit board 30.

[0049] In some alternative embodiments, the structural region 111 in the wall portion 11 is used to support the first extension 33.

[0050] Optionally, both the wall portion 11 and the first extension segment 33 extend along the thickness direction x.

[0051] The display module provided in this embodiment further improves the drop resistance of the flexible circuit board 30 by attaching the first extension segment 33 to the structural area 111, with the structural area 111 supporting the first extension segment 33. By extending the first extension segment 33 along the thickness direction x, the area of ​​the first extension segment 33 is increased without encroaching on the back space of the display panel 20, which helps the first extension segment 33 to better accommodate chips.

[0052] In some alternative embodiments, the radio frequency chip 50 is mounted on the side of the first extension 33 facing the wall portion 11.

[0053] Optionally, the number of RF chips 50 can be single or multiple. A flexible circuit board 30 can host only one RF chip 50 or multiple RF chips 50. The RF chip 50 is used for the conversion between radio signal communication and radio signal waveform, and realizes wireless transmission through the antenna module 21. The RF chip 50 and the antenna module 21 can cover two frequency bands, FR1 and FR2. FR1 is a low-frequency band Sub-6GHz (frequency range 450MHz-6GHz), characterized by long transmission distance and large coverage area; FR2 is a high-frequency band mmWave (frequency range 24.25GHz-52.60GHz), characterized by high transmission speed and large capacity, but limited coverage area.

[0054] Optionally, the structural region 111 and the first extension 33 are located on both sides of the radio frequency chip 50, and the structural region 111 is used to support the radio frequency chip 50, thereby supporting the first extension 33.

[0055] Please refer to Figures 2 to 4 , Figure 4 A top view of an example display panel is shown.

[0056] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the display panel 20 includes a display area 22 and a bezel area 23 located at least on one side of the display area 22, and at least a portion of the antenna module 21 is located in the display area 22.

[0057] The display module provided in this embodiment, by having at least a portion of the antenna module 21 located in the display area 22, enables the antenna module 21 to conduct wireless communication through the display area 22, further reducing the shielding effect of the wall portion 11 on the antenna module 21.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 An example is shown. Figure 4 The display panel is shown in a cross-sectional view at section BB.

[0059] like Figure 5As shown, in some optional embodiments, the display panel 20 includes, in the thickness direction x, a substrate 24, a device layer 25, a light-emitting element layer 26, a touch layer 27 and a cover plate 28 in sequence. At least some of the antenna modules 21 are disposed on the same layer as the touch layer 27. For example, the touch traces in the touch layer 27 are multiplexed as the antenna module 21.

[0060] Optionally, the display panel 20 may further include multiple planarization layers, insulating layers, polarizing layers, etc., in the thickness direction x. The antenna module 21 may include silver (Ag), gold (Au), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), vanadium (V), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), molybdenum (Mo), calcium (Ca), or an alloy containing at least one of these metals.

[0061] The display module provided in this embodiment reduces the thickness of the display panel 20 by using the antenna module 21, which is disposed on the same layer as the touch layer 27.

[0062] In some alternative embodiments, antenna module 21 includes a patterned metal mesh.

[0063] Optionally, the metal mesh in antenna module 21 can be designed into various patterns as needed.

[0064] The display module provided in this embodiment improves the transmittance of the antenna module 21 through the gridded antenna module 21, thereby preventing the degradation of the image quality of the display panel 20.

[0065] Optionally, the antenna module 21 is disposed as a complete film layer inside the display panel, that is, a certain structural layer of the display panel is composed of the antenna module 21, which can improve the impact of the antenna module 21 on other structural layers.

[0066] In summary, the display module provided in this embodiment includes a mid-frame 10, a display panel 20, and a flexible circuit board 30. The mid-frame 10 includes a wall portion 11 and a hollow space 12 enclosed by the wall portion 11. The display panel 20 and the flexible circuit board 30 are both located within the hollow space 12. The display panel 20 includes an antenna module 21. The flexible circuit board 30 includes a connecting segment 31 connected to the antenna module 21, a first bent segment 32 formed by bending the connecting segment 31 away from the light-emitting side of the display panel 20, and a first extension segment 33. By ensuring that the first bent segment 32 and the first extension segment 33 are both located within the wall portion 11 in the thickness direction x, the flexible circuit board 30 does not encroach on the back space of the display panel 20, thereby reducing the thickness of the display module. The first bent segment 32 only bends 90 degrees, which is a smaller bending angle compared to the scheme where the flexible circuit board 30 bends to the back of the display panel 20, thereby shortening the transmission path and reducing transmission loss.

[0067] The second aspect of this application also provides a display device, including the display module of any of the first aspect embodiments described above. Since the display device provided in the second aspect of this application includes the display module of any of the first aspect embodiments described above, it has the beneficial effects of the display module of any of the first aspect embodiments described above, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0068] The display devices in this application include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, e-books, televisions, access control systems, smart landline phones, control consoles, and other devices with display functions.

[0069] The above description is merely a specific implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, modules, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A display module, characterized by The display module comprises: a middle frame comprising a wall portion and a hollow space formed by the wall portion; a display panel located in the hollow space, the display panel comprising an antenna module; a flexible circuit board located in the hollow space, the flexible circuit board comprising a connecting segment connected with the antenna module, a first bending segment and a first extending segment formed by bending the light-out side of the connecting segment away from the display panel; a radio frequency chip arranged on the first extending segment, the radio frequency chip being carried on the surface of the first extending segment facing the wall portion, the wall portion being used for supporting the first extending segment, the wall portion and the first extending segment extending along the thickness direction of the display module.

2. The display module of claim 1, wherein, The display module further comprises a reinforcing plate used for supporting the first bending segment and / or the first extending segment. The wall portion comprises a structure region located on the same side of the display panel as the reinforcing plate, the structure region and the reinforcing plate being arranged on both sides of the first bending segment and the first extending segment respectively.

3. The display module of claim 2, wherein, The reinforcing plate comprises a second bending segment and a second extending segment formed by bending the light-out side away from the display panel, the second bending segment being used for supporting the first bending segment, and the second extending segment being used for supporting the first extending segment.

4. The display module of claim 2, wherein, The display panel further comprises a second signal line, the second signal line being arranged on both sides of the reinforcing plate respectively.

5. The display module of claim 4, wherein, The material of the reinforcing plate is an insulating material.

6. The display module of claim 1, wherein, The display panel comprises a display region and a frame region located on at least one side of the display region, and at least part of the antenna module is located in the display region.

7. The display module of claim 1, wherein, The display panel comprises a touch layer, and at least part of the antenna module is arranged in the same layer as the touch layer.

8. The display module of claim 1, wherein, The antenna module comprises a patterned metal mesh.

9. A display device, characterized by comprising: The display module comprises any one of claims 1-8.

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