Touch substrate and manufacturing method, display device

Abstract

The application discloses a touch substrate and a manufacturing method thereof, and a display device. The touch substrate is provided with a metal wire grid polarizer and a touch electrode layer. The metal wire grid polarizer has a plurality of metal wire grids which are parallel to each other and spaced apart. The transmission axis of the metal wire grid polarizer is perpendicular to the extension direction of the metal wire grid. The touch electrode layer includes a plurality of touch electrode blocks which are arranged in an array. The metal wire grid is electrically connected to the touch electrode block and is used for transmitting a touch signal to the corresponding touch electrode block. By arranging the metal wire grid polarizer and the plurality of touch electrode blocks on the touch substrate, the metal wire grid of the metal wire grid polarizer is electrically connected to the touch electrode block. The metal wire grid of the metal wire grid polarizer is used as a touch signal line and is used for transmitting a touch signal to the corresponding touch electrode block. The metal wire grid polarizer can simultaneously replace the ordinary polaroid and the touch signal line, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process of the touch substrate, reducing the manufacturing cost, and reducing the thickness of the display device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of touch technology, and in particular to a touch substrate, its manufacturing method, and a display device. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous advancement of intelligent interaction technology, touch display panels have gradually become ubiquitous in people's lives. Touch operation has greatly improved the convenience of operating electronic devices and brought a completely new way of interacting with them. At the same time, while pursuing wide viewing angles, people also want to effectively protect their privacy from being spied on. Therefore, LCD devices need to have the ability to switch between wide and narrow viewing angles. To enable LCD devices to have both good wide and narrow viewing angle switching capabilities and touch display functionality, various display architectures have been designed. For example, a dimming box can be added to the architecture of a normal LCD device to achieve the function of switching between wide and narrow viewing angles. Touch electrodes can be placed on the inner side of the substrate of the dimming box or on the outer side of the substrate, thus realizing both touch functionality and the ability to switch between wide and narrow viewing angles.

[0003] In existing touch display devices, multiple polarizers are usually required to achieve normal display function. In addition, an extra layer of metal is required for the touch electrodes to make touch signal lines. This not only increases the number of photomasks and manufacturing costs, but also results in poor integration of the display device and a relatively thick and heavy product. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a touch substrate and manufacturing method, and a display device, so as to solve the problem of the excessive thickness of the touch display device in the prior art.

[0005] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0006] This invention provides a touch substrate, wherein a metal wire grid polarizer and a touch electrode layer located on a different layer from the metal wire grid polarizer are disposed on the touch substrate. The metal wire grid polarizer has multiple parallel and spaced metal wire grids, and the light transmission axis of the metal wire grid polarizer is perpendicular to the extension direction of the metal wire grids. The touch electrode layer includes multiple touch electrode blocks arranged in an array. The metal wire grids are electrically connected to the touch electrode blocks and are used to transmit touch signals to the corresponding touch electrode blocks.

[0007] Furthermore, each of the touch electrode blocks is electrically connected to at least one of the metal wire grids, and each of the metal wire grids is electrically connected to a corresponding touch electrode block.

[0008] Furthermore, an insulating layer is provided between the metal wire grid polarizer and the touch electrode layer, and the insulating layer has a plurality of contact holes, through which the metal wire grid makes electrical contact with the corresponding touch electrode block.

[0009] Furthermore, the touch electrode layer is made of a transparent metal material, and the touch electrode block is a planar electrode.

[0010] Furthermore, the touch electrode layer is made of metal material, and the touch electrode block is a grid-shaped electrode.

[0011] Furthermore, the touch substrate is at least one of a color filter substrate, an array substrate, and a viewing angle control substrate.

[0012] This application also provides a method for manufacturing a touch substrate, the method being used to manufacture the touch substrate as described above, the method comprising:

[0013] A transparent substrate is provided, on which a metal layer and a photoresist layer are sequentially coated.

[0014] The photoresist layer is patterned.

[0015] Using the photoresist layer as a barrier, the metal layer is etched to form multiple parallel and spaced metal grids, which together form a metal grid polarizer.

[0016] Remove the photoresist layer.

[0017] This application also provides a method for manufacturing a touch substrate, the method being used to manufacture the touch substrate as described above, the method comprising:

[0018] A transparent substrate is provided, on which a metal layer is covered;

[0019] A grid cutter head is provided to cut the metal layer, thereby forming multiple parallel and spaced metal grids in the metal layer. The multiple metal grids together form a metal grid polarizer.

[0020] This application also provides a display device, including a display box and a dimming box stacked with the display box;

[0021] The dimming box includes a touch substrate as described above, a counter substrate disposed opposite to the touch substrate, and a first liquid crystal layer disposed between the touch substrate and the counter substrate. The touch substrate has a first viewing angle control electrode on the side facing the first liquid crystal layer, and the counter substrate has a second viewing angle control electrode cooperating with the first viewing angle control electrode on the side facing the first liquid crystal layer.

[0022] The opposing substrate is further provided with a first polarizer, the transmission axis of which is parallel to the transmission axis of the metal wire grid polarizer.

[0023] Furthermore, the display cell includes a color filter substrate, an array substrate disposed opposite to the color filter substrate, and a second liquid crystal layer disposed between the color filter substrate and the array substrate. A second polarizer is provided on the side of the display cell away from the dimming box, and the light transmission axis of the second polarizer is perpendicular to the light transmission axis of the polarizer located in the dimming box and the display cell.

[0024] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: by setting a metal wire grid polarizer and multiple touch electrode blocks on the touch substrate, the metal wire grid of the metal wire grid polarizer is electrically connected to the touch electrode blocks, and the metal wire grid of the metal wire grid polarizer is multiplexed as a touch signal line and used to transmit touch signals to the corresponding touch electrode blocks. This allows the metal wire grid polarizer to have both polarization and touch signal transmission functions, thereby replacing both ordinary polarizers and touch signal lines, simplifying the manufacturing process of the touch substrate, reducing manufacturing costs, and also reducing the thickness of the display device. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the touch substrate in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the dimming box in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0027] Figures 3a-3e This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the touch substrate manufacturing process in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0028] Figures 4a-4c This is the second schematic diagram of the manufacturing process of the touch substrate in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the display device in its initial state according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is one of the signal waveform diagrams of the display device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention at a wide viewing angle;

[0031] Figure 7 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the display device in a wide viewing angle according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 8 This is the second signal waveform diagram of the display device at a wide viewing angle in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 9This is the second schematic diagram of the display device in the first embodiment of the present invention at a wide viewing angle;

[0034] Figure 10 This is a signal waveform diagram of the display device in a narrow viewing angle according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the display device in a narrow viewing angle according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the touch substrate in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 13 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the planar structure of the display device in this invention;

[0038] Figure 14 This is the second schematic diagram of the planar structure of the display device in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0039] To further illustrate the technical means and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve the intended purpose, the following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments, provides a detailed explanation of the specific implementation methods, structures, features, and effects of the touch substrate and manufacturing method, and display device proposed according to the present invention:

[0040] [Example 1]

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the touch substrate in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the dimming box in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0042] like Figures 1 to 2 As shown, a touch substrate 11 provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is provided, wherein the touch substrate 11 is provided with a metal wire grid polarizer and a touch electrode layer located on a different layer from the metal wire grid polarizer.

[0043] The metal wire grid polarizer has multiple parallel and spaced metal wire grids 111. The metal wire grid polarizer has a special polarization characteristic, transmitting polarized light perpendicular to the extension direction of the metal wire grids 111 and reflecting polarized light parallel to the extension direction of the metal wire grids 111. That is, the transmission axis of the metal wire grid polarizer is perpendicular to the extension direction of the metal wire grids 111, and the reflection axis of the metal wire grid polarizer is parallel to the extension direction of the metal wire grids 111. However, the reflectivity of the metal wire grid polarizer can be reduced by selecting different materials, such as metal materials with low reflectivity.

[0044] The touch electrode layer includes a plurality of touch electrode blocks 112 arranged in an array. A metal wire grid 111 is electrically connected to the touch electrode blocks 112 and is used to transmit touch signals to the corresponding touch electrode blocks 112. That is, in this application, the touch substrate 11 is a self-inductive touch substrate. Of course, in other embodiments, the touch substrate 11 can also be a mutual-inductive touch substrate. A mutual-inductive touch substrate has touch driving electrodes and touch sensing electrodes; therefore, an additional touch electrode layer is needed to fabricate another type of touch electrode.

[0045] In this application, a metal wire grid polarizer and multiple touch electrode blocks 112 are provided on the touch substrate 11. The metal wire grid 111 of the metal wire grid polarizer is electrically connected to the touch electrode blocks 112. The metal wire grid 111 of the metal wire grid polarizer is multiplexed as a touch signal line and used to transmit touch signals to the corresponding touch electrode blocks 112. This allows the metal wire grid polarizer to have both polarization and touch signal transmission functions. Thus, the metal wire grid polarizer can simultaneously replace ordinary polarizers and touch signal lines, simplifying the manufacturing process of the touch substrate, reducing manufacturing costs, and also reducing the thickness of the display device.

[0046] Furthermore, each touch electrode block 112 is electrically connected to at least one metal wire grid 111, and each metal wire grid 111 is electrically connected to a corresponding touch electrode block 112. Figure 1 The diagram only shows each touch electrode block 112 electrically connected to one metal wire grid 111. The metal wire grids 111 located between two adjacent touch electrode blocks 112 do not need to be electrically connected to the touch electrode blocks 112, i.e., they do not need to be multiplexed as touch signal lines. Of course, in other embodiments, since the metal wire grids 111 are relatively thin, each touch electrode block 112 can also be electrically connected to multiple metal wire grids 111. For example, each touch electrode block 112 can be electrically connected to three or four metal wire grids 111, thereby reducing the impedance of the touch signal lines. The ends of the metal wire grids 111 electrically connected to the touch electrode blocks 112 are electrically connected to the touch chip. For example, a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) can be used to electrically connect the ends of the metal wire grids 111 to the touch chip. The FPC is electrically connected to the ends of the metal wire grids 111 in the bonding area of ​​the touch substrate 11, and the other end of the FPC is electrically connected to the touch chip.

[0047] Furthermore, such as Figure 2 As shown, an insulating layer 101 is provided between the metal wire grid polarizer and the touch electrode layer. The insulating layer 101 has multiple contact holes 102, through which the metal wire grid 111 makes electrical contact with the corresponding touch electrode block 112. Specifically, the metal wire grid polarizer is in contact with the surface of the touch substrate 11, and the insulating layer 101 covers the side of the metal wire grid polarizer away from the touch substrate 11. The touch electrode layer is located on the side of the insulating layer 101 away from the metal wire grid polarizer.

[0048] In this embodiment, as Figure 1 As shown, the touch electrode block 112 is a planar electrode, and the touch electrode layer is made of a transparent metal material, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO). Since the touch electrode block 112 is a planar electrode, it is made of a transparent metal material to avoid affecting the light transmittance of the display device.

[0049] Furthermore, the touch substrate 11 can be at least one of a color filter substrate, an array substrate, and a viewing angle control substrate. For example, when the touch substrate 11 is a color filter substrate, a black matrix and a color resist layer are also provided on the touch substrate 11; when the touch substrate 11 is an array substrate, scan lines, data lines, thin film transistors, and pixel electrodes are also provided on the touch substrate 11; when the touch substrate 11 is a viewing angle control substrate, viewing angle control electrodes are also provided on the touch substrate 11.

[0050] Figures 3a-3e This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the touch substrate manufacturing process in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. For example... Figures 3a-3e As shown, this embodiment also provides a method for manufacturing a touch substrate, which is used to manufacture the touch substrate 11 as described above. The manufacturing method includes:

[0051] like Figure 3a As shown, a transparent substrate 1 is provided, on which a metal layer 2 and a photoresist layer 3 are sequentially coated. The transparent substrate 1 can be made of materials such as glass, quartz, silicon, acrylic, or polycarbonate. The metal layer 2 is, for example, a metal oxide (e.g., molybdenum oxide), thereby reducing the reflectivity of the metal wire grid polarizer. Of course, when the metal wire grid polarizer requires a higher reflectivity, the metal layer 2 can be made of aluminum or silver.

[0052] like Figures 3b-3c As shown, the photoresist layer 3 is patterned. Specifically, a patterned mask 4 is provided, and the photoresist layer 3 is exposed using the mask 4 as a shield. The mask 4 has a light-transmitting area and a light-blocking area, wherein the light-blocking area corresponds to the metal grid 111. Then, the photoresist layer 3 is developed to remove the photoresist material in the exposed area, so that the photoresist layer 3 forms a patterned structure corresponding to the metal grid 111.

[0053] like Figure 3d As shown, the metal layer 2 is etched using the photoresist layer 3 as a barrier, so that the metal layer 2 forms multiple parallel and spaced metal grids 111, which together form a metal grid polarizer.

[0054] like Figure 3e As shown, the photoresist layer 3 is then removed to expose the metal wire grid 111.

[0055] After the metal wire grid polarizer is fabricated, an insulating layer 101 is covered on the metal wire grid polarizer, and the insulating layer 101 is perforated to form multiple contact holes 102, through which the corresponding metal wire grids 111 are exposed. Then, a touch electrode layer is covered on the insulating layer 101, and the touch electrode layer is etched to form multiple touch electrode blocks 112 arranged in an array. The fabrication process of the insulating layer 101 and the touch electrode layer can be referred to existing technology and is not shown in the figure.

[0056] Figures 4a-4c This is the second structural schematic diagram of the touch substrate manufacturing process in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figures 4a-4c As shown, this embodiment also provides another method for manufacturing a touch substrate, which is used to manufacture the touch substrate 11 as described above. The manufacturing method includes:

[0057] like Figure 4a As shown, a transparent substrate 1 is provided, and a metal layer 2 is covered on the transparent substrate 1. The transparent substrate 1 can be made of materials such as glass, quartz, silicon, acrylic, or polycarbonate. The metal layer 2 is, for example, a metal oxide (e.g., molybdenum oxide), thereby reducing the reflectivity of the metal wire grid polarizer. Of course, when the metal wire grid polarizer requires a higher reflectivity, the metal layer 2 can be made of aluminum or silver.

[0058] like Figures 4b-4c As shown, a grid cutter head 5 is provided to cut the metal layer 2, forming multiple parallel and spaced metal grids 111. These multiple metal grids 111 together constitute a metal grid polarizer. The grid cutter head 5 is a high-precision grid cutter head, equipped with multiple micro-tooths. The gaps between the micro-tooths correspond to the gaps between the metal grids 111. Cutting the metal layer 2 using the grid cutter head 5 greatly simplifies the manufacturing process and improves production efficiency.

[0059] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the display device in its initial state according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 6 This is one of the signal waveform diagrams of the display device in the first embodiment of the present invention at a wide viewing angle. Figure 7 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the display device in a wide viewing angle according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 8 This is the second signal waveform diagram of the display device in the first embodiment of the present invention at a wide viewing angle. Figure 9 This is the second schematic diagram of the display device in the first embodiment of the present invention at a wide viewing angle. Figure 10 This is a signal waveform diagram of the display device in a narrow viewing angle according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the display device in a narrow viewing angle according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0060] like Figure 5 As shown, this embodiment also provides a display device, including a dimming box 10 and a display box 20 stacked on top of each other. In this embodiment, the display box 20 and the dimming box 10 stacked on the light-emitting side of the display box 20, that is, the dimming box 10 is located on the side of the display box 20 away from the backlight module 40. The dimming box 10 is used to control the wide and narrow viewing angle switching of the display device, and the display box 20 is used to control the display device to display a normal image. Of course, in other embodiments, the dimming box 10 can also be stacked on the light-incident side of the display box 20, that is, the dimming box 10 is located on the side of the display box 20 facing the backlight module 40.

[0061] The dimming box 10 includes a touch substrate 11 as described above, a counter substrate 12 disposed opposite to the touch substrate 11, and a first liquid crystal layer 13 disposed between the touch substrate 11 and the counter substrate 12. In this embodiment, the touch substrate 11 serves as a viewing angle control substrate. The touch substrate 11 has a first viewing angle control electrode 113 on the side facing the first liquid crystal layer 13, and the counter substrate 12 has a second viewing angle control electrode 121 cooperating with the first viewing angle control electrode 113 on the side facing the first liquid crystal layer 13. The first viewing angle control electrode 113 is disposed on the side of the touch electrode layer facing the first liquid crystal layer 13, and an insulating layer is also provided between the first viewing angle control electrode 113 and the touch electrode layer to insulate and separate them. By applying different viewing angle driving signals to the first viewing angle control electrode 113 and the second viewing angle control electrode 121, vertical electric fields of different intensities are formed between the first viewing angle control electrode 113 and the second viewing angle control electrode 121, so as to control the liquid crystal molecules in the first liquid crystal layer 13 to deflect at different angles in the vertical direction, thereby enabling the dimming box 10 to switch between wide viewing angle mode and narrow viewing angle mode.

[0062] Furthermore, a first polarizer 31 is also provided on the opposing substrate 12, and the light transmission axis of the first polarizer 31 is parallel to the light transmission axis of the metal wire grid polarizer. Since the touch substrate 11 has a metal wire grid polarizer, the metal wire grid 111 of the metal wire grid polarizer can not only be used as a touch signal line and to transmit touch signals to the corresponding touch electrode block 112, but also has a polarization effect. Therefore, there is no need to set an additional polarizer on the touch substrate 11, which simplifies the manufacturing process of the display device, reduces the manufacturing cost, and can also reduce the thickness of the display device.

[0063] In this embodiment, the first liquid crystal layer 13 consists of positive liquid crystal molecules, i.e., liquid crystal molecules with positive dielectric anisotropy. The phase retardation of the first liquid crystal layer 13 is preferably 800 nm, and can be selected within the range of 500 nm to 1600 nm. For example... Figure 2 and Figure 5As shown, in the initial state, the first liquid crystal layer 13 is in a flat position, meaning that the positive liquid crystal molecules in the first liquid crystal layer 13 are aligned parallel to the touch substrate 11 and the opposing substrate 12. The alignment directions of the positive liquid crystal molecules on the side closer to the touch substrate 11 are parallel or antiparallel to those on the side closer to the opposing substrate 12. The first liquid crystal layer 13 also has a certain pretilt angle, which is 0-7°, for example, 4.5°. This means that initially, the positive liquid crystal molecules form a small angle with the touch substrate 11 and the opposing substrate 12. When switching viewing angles, this can accelerate the response speed of the liquid crystal molecules deflecting in the vertical direction, thus accelerating the response speed for switching between wide and narrow viewing angles.

[0064] In this embodiment, the display box 20 is preferably a liquid crystal cell. Of course, in other embodiments, the display box 20 can also be a self-emissive display (e.g., an OLED display, a Micro LED display), but the dimming box 10 must be disposed above the display box 20.

[0065] like Figure 5 As shown, the display cell 20 includes a color filter substrate 21, an array substrate 22 disposed opposite to the color filter substrate 21, and a second liquid crystal layer 23 disposed between the color filter substrate 21 and the array substrate 22. The second liquid crystal layer 23 preferably uses positive liquid crystal molecules, that is, liquid crystal molecules with positive dielectric anisotropy. For example... Figure 5 As shown, in the initial state, the positive liquid crystal molecules in the second liquid crystal layer 23 are aligned parallel to the color filter substrate 21 and the array substrate 22. The alignment direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules near the color filter substrate 21 is parallel or antiparallel to the alignment direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules near the array substrate 22. Of course, in other embodiments, the second liquid crystal layer 23 can also use negative liquid crystal molecules, and the negative liquid crystal molecules in the second liquid crystal layer 23 can be aligned perpendicular to the color filter substrate 21 and the array substrate 22, which is equivalent to the alignment method of the VA display mode.

[0066] A second polarizer 32 is provided on the side of the display box 20 away from the dimming box 10. The light transmission axis of the second polarizer 32 is perpendicular to the light transmission axis of the polarizers located in the dimming box 10 and the display box 20. In this embodiment, a first polarizer 31 is located between the dimming box 10 and the display box 20, and the light transmission axis of the first polarizer 31 is perpendicular to the light transmission axis of the second polarizer 32.

[0067] The color filter substrate 21 has color resist layers 212 arranged in an array and black matrix 211 separating the color resist layers 212. The color resist 212 includes color resist materials of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) colors, and forms sub-pixels of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) colors respectively. The black matrix 211 is disposed at the edge of each sub-pixel and has a grid structure.

[0068] The array substrate 22 has multiple pixel units defined by multiple scan lines (not shown) and multiple data lines (not shown) that are mutually insulated and intersecting on the side facing the second liquid crystal layer 23. Each pixel unit has a pixel electrode 222 and a thin-film transistor (not shown). The pixel electrode 222 is electrically connected to the data line of the adjacent thin-film transistor through the thin-film transistor. The thin-film transistor includes a gate, an active layer, a drain, and a source. The gate and the scan lines are located on the same layer and are electrically connected. The gate and the active layer are isolated by an insulating layer. The source is electrically connected to the data line, and the drain is electrically connected to the pixel electrode 222 through a contact hole.

[0069] like Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, a common electrode 221 is further provided on the side of the array substrate 22 facing the second liquid crystal layer 23. The common electrode 221 and the pixel electrode 222 are located on different layers and are insulated from each other by an insulating layer. The common electrode 221 can be located above or below the pixel electrode 222. Figure 5 The diagram shows the common electrode 221 located below the pixel electrode 222. Preferably, the common electrode 221 is a planar electrode disposed across the entire surface, and the pixel electrode 222 is a block electrode disposed within each pixel unit or a slit electrode with multiple electrode strips, to form a fringe field switching (FFS) mode. Of course, in other embodiments, the pixel electrode 222 and the common electrode 221 may be located on the same layer, but they are insulated from each other. Both the pixel electrode 222 and the common electrode 221 may include multiple electrode strips, and the electrode strips of the pixel electrode 222 and the electrode strips of the common electrode 221 are arranged alternately to form an in-plane switching (IPS) mode; or, in other embodiments, the array substrate 22 has a pixel electrode 222 on the side facing the second liquid crystal layer 23, and the color filter substrate 21 has a common electrode 221 on the side facing the second liquid crystal layer 23 to form a TN mode or a VA mode.

[0070] The touch substrate 11, the opposing substrate 12, the color filter substrate 21, and the array substrate 22 can be made of materials such as glass, acrylic, and polycarbonate. The first viewing angle control electrode 113, the second viewing angle control electrode 121, the common electrode 221, and the pixel electrode 222 can be made of materials such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO).

[0071] The display device in this embodiment also includes a backlight module 40, which is located below the display box 20 and is used to provide a backlight for the display device. Of course, if the display box 20 is a self-emissive display, the display device does not need to be equipped with an additional backlight.

[0072] The backlight module 40 includes a backlight source 41 and a privacy layer 43, which reduces the range of light emission angles. A brightness enhancement film 42 is also provided between the backlight source 41 and the privacy layer 43, increasing the brightness of the backlight module 40. The privacy layer 43 acts like a miniature venetian blind, blocking light with a large incident angle while allowing light with a smaller incident angle to pass through, thus reducing the range of light angles passing through the privacy layer 43. The privacy layer 43 includes multiple parallel light-blocking walls and light-transmitting holes located between adjacent light-blocking walls. Light-absorbing material is provided on both sides of the light-blocking walls. Alternatively, the backlight source 41 can be a light-collecting backlight, eliminating the need for a privacy layer 43; however, light-collecting backlights are more expensive than conventional backlights.

[0073] The backlight module 40 can be an edge-lit backlight module or a direct-lit backlight module. Preferably, the backlight module 40 adopts a collimated backlight (CBL) mode, which can collect light and ensure display effect.

[0074] like Figures 6 to 9 As shown, in wide-viewing-angle mode, a common electrical signal Vcom is applied to the first viewing angle control electrode 113, where the common electrical signal Vcom is a DC common voltage signal, and a first electrical signal V1 is applied to the second viewing angle control electrode 121. The voltage difference between the first electrical signal V1 and the common electrical signal Vcom is less than a first preset value (e.g., less than 0.8V). Preferably, as... Figure 6 As shown, both the first viewing angle control electrode 113 and the second viewing angle control electrode 121 are subjected to a 0V DC voltage. There is essentially no perpendicular electric field formed between the first viewing angle control electrode 113 and the second viewing angle control electrode 121, and the positive liquid crystal molecules in the first liquid crystal layer 13 do not deflect significantly and remain in their initial flat state. Figure 7 At this time, the dimming box 10 presents a wide viewing angle display.

[0075] Of course, the voltage difference between the first electrical signal V1 and the common electrical signal Vcom can also be greater than the second preset value (e.g., greater than 5.0V), such as... Figure 8 As shown, for example, a 0V DC voltage is applied to the first viewing angle control electrode 113, and a 5.0V AC voltage is applied to the second viewing angle control electrode 121. The second preset value is much larger than the first preset value, resulting in a strong vertical electric field between the first viewing angle control electrode 113 and the second viewing angle control electrode 121. Figure 9 In E2), the positive liquid crystal molecules in the first liquid crystal layer 13 are significantly deflected and perpendicular to the touch substrate 11 and the opposing substrate 12, such as... Figure 9 As shown, at this time, the dimming box 10 will also display a wide viewing angle.

[0076] like Figure 10 and Figure 11 As shown, in narrow-view mode, a common electrical signal Vcom is applied to the first view control electrode 113, and a second electrical signal V2 is applied to the first view control electrode 113. The voltage difference between the second electrical signal V2 and the common electrical signal Vcom is greater than a third preset value (e.g., greater than 1.5V) and less than a fourth preset value (e.g., less than 4.0V), wherein the first preset value < the third preset value < the fourth preset value < the second preset value. At this time, a strong vertical electric field is formed between the first view control electrode 113 and the first view control electrode 113. Figure 11 In E3), the positive liquid crystal molecules in the first liquid crystal layer 13 undergo a large deflection and are tilted, resulting in a darker brightness at a wide viewing angle. At this time, the dimming box 10 presents a narrow viewing angle display.

[0077] In wide-viewing-angle mode and narrow-viewing-angle mode, a corresponding grayscale voltage is applied to the pixel electrode 222, forming a voltage difference between the pixel electrode 222 and the common electrode 221 and generating a horizontal electric field. Figure 7 , Figure 9 as well as Figure 11 The positive liquid crystal molecules are deflected in the horizontal direction in a direction parallel to the horizontal electric field (E1). The gray level voltage includes 0 to 255 gray level voltages. When different gray level voltages are applied to the pixel electrode 222, the pixel unit presents different brightness, thereby displaying different images, so as to realize the normal display of the display device under wide and narrow viewing angles.

[0078] [Example 2]

[0079] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the touch substrate in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Figure 12 As shown, the touch substrate and manufacturing method, and display device provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention are similar to those in Embodiment 1. Figures 1 to 11 The touch substrate and manufacturing method are basically the same as those in the previous embodiment, but the difference lies in that, in this embodiment, the touch electrode block 112 is a grid-shaped electrode, and the touch electrode layer is made of metal material, that is, the touch electrode layer is a grid-shaped structure on the entire surface, but it is disconnected between two adjacent touch electrode blocks 112. Preferably, the touch electrode layer uses metals with low impedance such as copper or aluminum to reduce the impedance of the touch electrode block 112. However, since metals with low impedance such as copper and aluminum are opaque, it is necessary to make the touch electrode block 112 into a grid-shaped structure to ensure the light transmittance of the display device. Furthermore, the grid-shaped touch electrode layer can also reduce the reflectivity of the display device, thereby offsetting some of the reflection from the metal wire grid polarizer.

[0080] Those skilled in the art should understand that the remaining structures and working principles of this embodiment are the same as those of Embodiment 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0081] Figure 13 and Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the display device in this invention. Please refer to... Figure 13 and Figure 14 The display device is equipped with a viewing angle switching button 60, which allows the user to request a viewing angle switch from the display device. The viewing angle switching button 60 can be a physical button (such as...). Figure 13 As shown), it can also be used for software control or application programs (APP) to implement switching functions (such as... Figure 14 As shown, for example, the wide and narrow viewing angles can be set via a slider. When a user needs to switch between wide and narrow viewing angle modes, they can send a viewing angle switching request to the display device by operating the viewing angle switching button 60. Ultimately, the driver chip 50 controls the electrical signals applied to the first viewing angle control electrode 113 and the second viewing angle control electrode 121, thus enabling the display device to switch between wide and narrow viewing angle modes. When switching to wide viewing angle mode, the driving method corresponding to wide viewing angle mode is used; when switching to narrow viewing angle mode, the driving method corresponding to narrow viewing angle mode is used. Therefore, the display device of this embodiment has strong operational flexibility and convenience, achieving a multi-functional display device that integrates entertainment video and privacy protection.

[0082] In this document, the directional terms such as up, down, left, right, front, and back are defined according to the position of the structures in the accompanying drawings and the relative positions of the structures, and are only used for clarity and convenience in expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that the use of these directional terms should not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application. It should also be understood that the terms "first" and "second," etc., used herein are only used for distinction in name and are not used to limit the number or order.

[0083] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-disclosed technical content without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention, which are equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention shall still fall within the protection scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A touch substrate, characterized in that, The touch substrate (11) is provided with a metal wire grid polarizer and a touch electrode layer located on a different layer from the metal wire grid polarizer. The metal wire grid polarizer has multiple parallel and spaced metal wire grids (111). The metal wire grid polarizer has polarization characteristics, transmitting polarized light perpendicular to the extension direction of the metal wire grids (111) and reflecting polarized light parallel to the extension direction of the metal wire grids (111). The light transmission axis of the metal wire grid polarizer is perpendicular to the extension direction of the metal wire grids (111). The touch electrode layer includes multiple touch electrode blocks (112) arranged in an array. The metal wire grids (111) are electrically connected to the touch electrode blocks (112) and are used to transmit touch signals to the corresponding touch electrode blocks (112), so that the metal wire grid polarizer has both polarization function and touch signal transmission function.

2. The touch substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the touch electrode blocks (112) is electrically connected to at least one of the metal wire grids (111), and each of the metal wire grids (111) is electrically connected to a corresponding touch electrode block (112).

3. The touch substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, An insulating layer (101) is provided between the metal wire grid polarizer and the touch electrode layer. The insulating layer (101) has a plurality of contact holes (102). The metal wire grid (111) makes electrical contact with the corresponding touch electrode block (112) through the contact holes (102).

4. The touch substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The touch electrode layer is made of transparent metal material, and the touch electrode block (112) is a planar electrode.

5. The touch substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The touch electrode layer is made of metal material, and the touch electrode block (112) is a grid-shaped electrode.

6. The touch substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The touch substrate (11) is at least one of a color filter substrate, an array substrate, and a viewing angle control substrate.

7. A method for manufacturing a touch substrate, characterized in that, The manufacturing method is used to manufacture the touch substrate (11) as described in any one of claims 1-6, and the manufacturing method includes: A transparent substrate (1) is provided, on which a metal layer (2) and a photoresist layer (3) are sequentially covered; The photoresist layer (3) is patterned; Using the photoresist layer (3) as a barrier, the metal layer (2) is etched to form multiple parallel and spaced metal grids (111), which together form a metal grid polarizer. Remove the photoresist layer (3).

8. A method for manufacturing a touch substrate, characterized in that, The manufacturing method is used to manufacture the touch substrate (11) as described in any one of claims 1-6, and the manufacturing method includes: A transparent substrate (1) is provided, and a metal layer (2) is covered on the transparent substrate (1); A grid cutter head (5) is provided to cut the metal layer (2) so that the metal layer (2) forms multiple parallel and spaced metal grids (111), and the multiple metal grids (111) together form a metal grid polarizer.

9. A display device, characterized in that, It includes a display box (20) and a dimming box (10) stacked with the display box (20); The dimming box (10) includes a touch substrate (11) as described in any one of claims 1-6, a counter substrate (12) disposed opposite to the touch substrate (11), and a first liquid crystal layer (13) disposed between the touch substrate (11) and the counter substrate (12). The touch substrate (11) has a first viewing angle control electrode (113) on the side facing the first liquid crystal layer (13), and the counter substrate (12) has a second viewing angle control electrode (121) cooperating with the first viewing angle control electrode (113) on the side facing the first liquid crystal layer (13). The opposing substrate (12) is further provided with a first polarizer (31), the light transmission axis of the first polarizer (31) being parallel to the light transmission axis of the metal wire grid polarizer.

10. The display device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The display box (20) includes a color filter substrate (21), an array substrate (22) disposed opposite to the color filter substrate (21), and a second liquid crystal layer (23) disposed between the color filter substrate (21) and the array substrate (22). A second polarizer (32) is provided on the side of the display box (20) away from the dimming box (10). The light transmission axis of the second polarizer (32) is perpendicular to the light transmission axis of the polarizers located in the dimming box (10) and the display box (20).

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