A display panel and display device

Abstract

The application discloses a display panel and a display device, which comprise a display area and a non-display area; the non-display area comprises a binding area located at one side of the display area, the binding area comprises a main body area and a cutting area, and the main body area and the cutting area are arranged along the width direction of the binding area; the cutting area comprises a plurality of test pads arranged on a substrate, and the test pads are used for providing test signals to a to-be-tested structure in the display panel. Since the test pads are arranged on the cutting area, the cutting area can be cut off after the test pads complete the test function, so that the width of the binding area is reduced, the narrow frame of the display device comprising the display panel is realized, and the available space of the display device is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of display technology, and more specifically to a display panel and a display device. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of display technology, narrow-bezel display devices are becoming increasingly popular. Existing display devices typically have a bonding area on the bottom bezel, where a driver chip and flexible circuit board are bonded to drive the display panel and achieve display functionality. However, most current display panels suffer from a relatively wide bonding area, hindering the achievement of narrow bezels in display devices. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention discloses a display panel and a display device to reduce the width of the bonding area and achieve a narrow bezel in the display device.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present invention discloses a display panel, including a display area and a non-display area; the non-display area includes a bonding area located on one side of the display area, the bonding area includes a main body area and a cutting area, the main body area and the cutting area are arranged along the width direction of the bonding area; the cutting area includes at least one test pad disposed on the substrate, the test pad being used to provide test signals to the structure under test in the display panel.

[0005] Optionally, the area to be cut includes a first area to be cut and a second area to be cut, and the first area to be cut and the second area to be cut are arranged on opposite sides of the main body area along the width direction of the binding area.

[0006] Optionally, the structure under test includes a first structure under test and a second structure under test, and the test pad includes at least one first test pad and at least one second test pad. The first test pad is disposed in the first area to be cut and is used to provide a first test signal to the first structure under test; the second test pad is disposed in the second area to be cut and is used to provide a second test signal to the second structure under test.

[0007] Optionally, the main body area includes a plurality of bonding pads disposed on the substrate, and the area to be cut includes a plurality of test pads disposed on the substrate. The plurality of bonding pads and the plurality of test pads are arranged sequentially along the width direction of the bonding area; and the plurality of test pads and at least some of the bonding pads are arranged and parallel to each other in the width direction of the bonding area.

[0008] Optionally, the bonding pads include a first bonding pad and a second bonding pad, the first bonding pad and the second bonding pad are arranged in parallel along the length direction of the bonding area; a plurality of the test pads are arranged in parallel with the second bonding pad in the width direction of the bonding area.

[0009] Optionally, the main body area includes bonding pads disposed on the substrate, and the area to be cut includes a plurality of test pads disposed on the substrate. The plurality of bonding pads are arranged sequentially along the width direction of the bonding area; the plurality of test pads are arranged sequentially along the length direction of the bonding area.

[0010] Optionally, the bonding pad is a strip-shaped pad extending along the length direction of the bonding area; the test pad is a strip-shaped pad extending along the length or width direction of the bonding area.

[0011] Optionally, the display panel further includes multiple test leads, which are electrically connected to multiple test pads respectively. The multiple test leads are used to transmit the test signals output by the multiple test pads to the structure under test in the display panel respectively. At least a portion of the test leads are located between the test pads and the substrate.

[0012] Optionally, the test lead includes at least a first lead and a second lead connected together, the second lead being at least partially located in the area to be cut, and the second lead being located between the first lead and the substrate.

[0013] Optionally, the second lead is on the same layer as one electrode plate of the capacitor in the sub-pixel, and the first lead is on the same layer as the source or drain of the driving transistor in the sub-pixel.

[0014] Optionally, the display panel further includes a driver chip and multiple driver leads. The driver chip is electrically connected to the structure under test in the display panel through the multiple driver leads, and the multiple test leads are electrically connected to the multiple driver leads respectively.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present invention discloses a display device comprising a display panel as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0016] The display panel and display device disclosed in this invention are idle after the test pads complete their testing function. That is, the test pads do not need to be bonded to the driver chip and flexible circuit board, nor do they need to transmit signals during the operation of the display panel. Therefore, by setting the test pads in the area to be cut, the area to be cut can be cut off after the test pads complete their testing function, thereby reducing the width of the bonding area. This enables the display device including the display panel to have a narrow bezel, increasing the usable space of the display device. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the background art, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of the present invention or the background art will be described below.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the pad arrangement in the bonding area of ​​an existing display panel;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the pad arrangement in the bonding area of ​​a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the pad arrangement method for removing the bonding area of ​​the area to be cut in a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a top view of a bonding area of ​​a display panel to which a driver chip and an FPC are bonded, as disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another test pad arrangement for the bonding area of ​​a display panel disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a bonding area of ​​a display panel with other shapes, as disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection relationship between test pads and test leads in the bonding area of ​​a display panel, as disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between the test pads and test leads in the bonding area of ​​another display panel disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 9 This is a top view of a display device disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the pad arrangement in the bonding area of ​​an existing display panel, as shown below. Figure 1As shown, the display panel includes a display area AA and a non-display area NA. The non-display area NA includes a bonding area 10 located on one side of the display area AA. The bonding area 10 is provided with multiple pads, including not only chip bonding pads 101, but also FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) bonding pads 102 and test pads 103, etc.

[0029] The chip bonding pad 101 is used to bond and connect with the driver chip to enable signal transmission between the sub-pixels in the display area AA and the driver chip. The FPC bonding pad 102 is used to bond and connect with the flexible circuit board to enable signal transmission between the driver chip and the flexible circuit board. The test pad 103 is used to electrically connect with the test chip or test equipment to transmit test signals to the structure under test in the display panel, such as the gate drive circuit in the non-display area NA, to enable display function testing of the structure under test in the display panel.

[0030] However, with the development of display technology, in order to improve the screen refresh rate, standby time, and battery capacity of display devices, it is necessary to increase the usable space of the display device. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the width of the bonding area at the bottom bezel of the display panel to prevent the bent bottom bezel from affecting the usable space of the display device. Furthermore, reducing the width of the bonding area can also achieve a narrower bezel for the display device.

[0031] Based on this, the present invention provides a pad arrangement scheme in which test pads are set in the cutting area on the side of the bonding area, and after the test pads have completed the test function, the width of the bonding area is reduced by cutting off the cutting area, thereby achieving a narrow bezel for the display device and increasing the usable space of the display device.

[0032] As an optional implementation of the disclosure of this invention, an embodiment of this invention discloses a display panel, such as... Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the pad arrangement of the bonding area of ​​a display panel disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. The display panel includes a display area AA and a non-display area NA. The non-display area NA includes a bonding area 10 located on one side of the display area AA. The bonding area 10 includes a main area 10A and a cutting area 10B. The main area 10A and the cutting area 10B are arranged along the width direction X of the bonding area 10.

[0033] The area to be cut 10B includes at least one test pad 103 disposed on the substrate. The test pad 103 is used to provide test signals to the structure under test in the display panel, such as the gate driving circuit in the non-display area NA. Exemplarily, the test signals include gate driving signals, etc.

[0034] In this embodiment of the invention, since the test pad 103 is idle after completing the testing function, that is, the test pad 103 does not need to be bonded to the driver chip and the flexible circuit board, nor does it need to transmit signals during the operation of the display panel, therefore, by setting the test pad 103 in the area to be cut 10B, the area to be cut 10B can be cut off after the test pad 103 completes the testing function. The display panel after cutting off the area to be cut 10B can be as follows: Figure 3 As shown, this reduces the width of the binding area 10, thereby enabling a narrow bezel for the display device including the display panel and increasing the usable space of the display device.

[0035] In some embodiments of the present invention, the test pad 103 may include a display test pad and a touch test pad, and the test signal may include a display test signal and a touch test signal. The display test pad is used to provide a display test signal to the display panel, which is used to test the display function of the display panel. The touch test pad is used to provide a touch test signal to the display panel, which is used to test the touch function of the display panel. Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the test pad may only include a display test pad or a touch test pad, which will not be elaborated here.

[0036] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 2 As shown, the main body area 10A includes a plurality of bonding pads disposed on the substrate. These bonding pads are used to bond and connect with a driver chip or a flexible circuit board, so that the driver chip or the flexible circuit board provides display driving signals to sub-pixels and the like within the display area AA. Exemplarily, the display driving signals include gate driving signals, data driving signals, and power signals, etc.

[0037] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 2 As shown, the bonding pads of the main body region 10A include a first bonding pad 101 and a second bonding pad 102, as follows: Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 This is a top view schematic diagram of a bonding area of ​​a display panel with a driver chip and an FPC, as disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. A first bonding pad 101 is used to bond to the driver chip 11, and a second bonding pad 102 is used to bond to the flexible circuit board 12. The first bonding pad 101 and the second bonding pad 102 are arranged parallel to each other along the length Y direction of the bonding area 10, so that the driver chip 11 and the flexible circuit board 12 are parallel along the length Y direction of the bonding area 10. Exemplarily, the area to be cut 10B can be cut off before bonding the driver chip 11 and the flexible circuit board 12 to avoid damage to the driver chip 11 and the flexible circuit board 12 during the cutting process.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present invention, the area to be cut 10B can be arranged on opposite sides of the main body area 10A along the width direction X of the binding area 10, so as to symmetrically cut the binding area 10, so that the retained main body area 10A is located in the middle area of ​​the lower border of the display panel.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, the area to be cut 10B includes a first area to be cut 10B1 and a second area to be cut 10B2, which are arranged on opposite sides of the main body area 10A along the width direction X of the bonding area 10. Optionally, the structure under test includes a first structure under test and a second structure under test. The test pad 103 includes at least one first test pad 1031 and at least one second test pad 1032. The first test pad 1031 is disposed in the first area to be cut 10B1 and is used to provide a first test signal to the first structure under test in the display panel; the second test pad 1032 is disposed in the second area to be cut 10B2 and is used to provide a second test signal to the second structure under test in the display panel.

[0040] The first test signal and the second test signal can be the same or different test signals, which will not be elaborated further here. Furthermore, the first test signal can be a test signal for the gate driving circuit in the non-display area NA on one side of the first structure under test, such as the display panel, and the second test signal can be a test signal for the gate driving circuit in the non-display area NA on the other side of the display panel, which will not be elaborated further here. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this. In some other embodiments, the area to be cut 10B can also be located on one side of the main body area 10A to cut one side of the bonding area 10, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0041] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 2 As shown, multiple bonding pads, such as the first bonding pad 101 or the second bonding pad 102, are arranged sequentially along the width direction X of the bonding area 10, and multiple test pads 103 are arranged sequentially along the length direction Y of the bonding area 10. Based on this, the space occupied by the multiple test pads 103 can be minimized, thereby allowing for a reasonable layout of the space in the bonding area 10, and further reducing the width of the bonding area 10.

[0042] Understandable, Figure 2The following description uses an example of the first bonding pads 101 arranged in two rows. The first row of first bonding pads 101 is electrically connected to sub-pixels and other structures within the display panel via leads, etc. The second row of first bonding pads 101 is electrically connected to second bonding pads 102 via leads, etc., to achieve electrical connection between the driver chip 11 and the flexible circuit board 12. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the first bonding pads 101 may also be arranged in one row, and the second bonding pads 102 may also be arranged in two rows, which will not be elaborated here.

[0043] In other embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another test pad arrangement in the bonding area of ​​a display panel disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. Multiple bonding pads, such as a first bonding pad 101 or a second bonding pad 102, and multiple test pads 103, are arranged sequentially along the width direction X of the bonding area 10. Furthermore, the multiple test pads 103 and at least some of the bonding pads are arranged parallel to each other in the width direction X of the bonding area 10.

[0044] In some embodiments, a plurality of test pads 103 and second bonding pads 102 are arranged and parallel to each other in the width direction X of the bonding area 10. Based on this, the width of the bonding area 10 can be reduced by cutting off the area to be cut 10B on one side of the main body area 10A without changing the mask used to fabricate the pads, i.e. without increasing the manufacturing cost.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present invention, the bonding pads, such as the first bonding pad 101 or the second bonding pad 102, are strip-shaped pads extending along the length direction Y of the bonding region 10, and the test pad 103 is a strip-shaped pad extending along the length direction Y or the width direction X of the bonding region 10. Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto; in other embodiments, such as... Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a bonding area pad of another shape disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. The bonding pad may also be a triangular pad extending along the length direction Y of the bonding area 10, and the test pad 103 may be a triangular pad extending along the length direction Y or the width direction X of the bonding area 10. In other embodiments, the bonding pad may also be a rhombus pad, and the test pad 103 may be a rhombus pad, etc.

[0046] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7This is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection relationship between test pads and test leads in the bonding area of ​​a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. The display panel further includes multiple test leads 104, which are electrically connected to multiple test pads 103 respectively. The multiple test leads 104 are used to transmit the test signals output from the multiple test pads 103 to the structure under test within the display panel, and at least a portion of the test leads 104 are located between the test pads 103 and the substrate. Exemplarily, at least a portion of the test leads 104 are metal layers located between the test pads 103 and the substrate.

[0047] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 7 As shown, the test lead 104 includes at least a first lead 1041 and a second lead 1042 connected together, with the second lead 1042 at least partially located in the area to be cut 10B.

[0048] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, the first lead 1041 is located within the main body region 10A, and the second lead 1042 extends from the main body region 10A into the region to be cut 10B. In other embodiments, such as... Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the test pads and test leads in the bonding area of ​​another display panel disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. The first lead 1041 is located outside the main body area 10A, and the second lead 1042 extends from outside the main body area 10A into the area to be cut 10B.

[0049] Furthermore, the second lead 1042 is located between the first lead 1041 and the substrate to avoid problems such as wire breakage and exposure of the second lead 1042 within the area to be cut 10B during the manufacturing process. It is understood that the first lead 1041 and the second lead 1042 can be electrically connected through vias or the like.

[0050] In some embodiments of the present invention, the sub-pixels within the display area AA include a pixel driving circuit, which includes at least a driving transistor and a capacitor. The first lead 1041 may be on the same layer as the source or drain of the driving transistor, and the second lead 1042 may be on the same layer as one electrode plate of the capacitor. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this; in other embodiments, the second lead 1042 may also be on the same layer as the gate of the driving transistor, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0051] In some embodiments of the present invention, the first lead 1041 may include multiple metal layers, such as Ti / Al / Ti, and the second lead 1042 may also include at least one metal layer, such as a Mo metal layer.

[0052] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the display panel also includes a driver chip 11 and multiple driver leads 110. The driver chip 11 is electrically connected to the gate drive circuit in the structure under test, such as the non-display area NA, within the display panel via the multiple driver leads 110. Multiple test leads 104 are electrically connected to the multiple driver leads 110 respectively. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this; in other embodiments, the multiple test leads 104 can also be directly connected to the gate drive circuit in the non-display area NA, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0053] It is understood that in some embodiments of the present invention, the overall width of the pads in the border area 10 can be reduced while the width of the leads in the border area 10 is reduced, thereby reducing the overall width of the border area 10.

[0054] As another optional implementation of the disclosure of this invention, an embodiment of this invention provides a display device, which includes a display panel as provided in any of the above embodiments. Since the width of the binding area of ​​the lower bezel of the display panel is small, the width of the lower bezel of the display device can be narrowed, thereby achieving further narrow bezel design of the display device.

[0055] like Figure 9 As shown, Figure 9 This is a top view of a display device disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. The display device can be a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a digital camera, etc., which will not be described in detail here.

[0056] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0057] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of several implementation methods described in detail, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this specification, and these all fall within the protection scope of this specification. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that, Includes display area and non-display area; The non-display area includes a binding area located on one side of the display area. The binding area includes a main body area and a cutting area, which are arranged along the width direction of the binding area. The area to be cut includes at least one test pad disposed on the substrate, the test pad being used to provide test signals to the structure under test within the display panel; The display panel further includes multiple test leads, which are electrically connected to multiple test pads respectively. The multiple test leads are used to transmit the test signals output from the multiple test pads to the structure under test in the display panel respectively. At least a portion of the test leads are located between the test pads and the substrate. The test lead includes at least a first lead and a second lead connected together, the second lead being at least partially located in the area to be cut, and the second lead being located between the first lead and the substrate; The sub-pixels within the display area include pixel driving circuits, and the pixel driving circuits include at least driving transistors and capacitors; The first lead is on the same layer as the source or drain of the driving transistor in the sub-pixel; The second lead is on the same layer as one electrode plate of the capacitor in the sub-pixel, or the second lead is on the same layer as the gate of the driving transistor.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The area to be cut includes a first area to be cut and a second area to be cut, which are arranged on opposite sides of the main body area along the width direction of the binding area.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, The structure under test includes a first structure under test and a second structure under test. The test pads include at least one first test pad and at least one second test pad. The first test pad is disposed in the first area to be cut and is used to provide a first test signal to the first structure under test. The second test pad is disposed in the second area to be cut and is used to provide a second test signal to the second structure under test.

4. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body area includes a plurality of bonding pads disposed on the substrate, and the area to be cut includes a plurality of test pads disposed on the substrate. The plurality of bonding pads and the plurality of test pads are arranged sequentially along the width direction of the bonding area; and the plurality of test pads and at least some of the bonding pads are arranged parallel to each other in the width direction of the bonding area.

5. The display panel according to claim 4, characterized in that, The bonding pads include a first bonding pad and a second bonding pad, which are arranged in parallel along the length of the bonding area; a plurality of the test pads are arranged in parallel with the second bonding pad in the width of the bonding area.

6. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body area includes bonding pads disposed on the substrate, and the area to be cut includes a plurality of test pads disposed on the substrate. The plurality of bonding pads are arranged sequentially along the width direction of the bonding area; the plurality of test pads are arranged sequentially along the length direction of the bonding area.

7. The display panel according to claim 6, characterized in that, The bonding pad is a strip-shaped pad extending along the length direction of the bonding area; the test pad is a strip-shaped pad extending along the length or width direction of the bonding area.

8. The display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The display panel also includes a driver chip and multiple driver leads. The driver chip is electrically connected to the structure under test in the display panel through the multiple driver leads, and the multiple test leads are electrically connected to the multiple driver leads respectively.

9. A display device, characterized in that, Includes the display panel as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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