Liquid crystal functional film, display device, terminal and related manufacturing method

Abstract

The application discloses a liquid crystal functional film, a display device, a terminal and a related preparation method. By arranging a patterned liquid crystal functional film on the light-emitting side of a display panel, the direction of light propagation is changed, thereby achieving a full-screen effect in visual perception. The liquid crystal functional film provided by the application can be arranged on the non-display area of the light-emitting side of the display panel. The alignment molecules in the alignment layer of the liquid crystal functional film are regularly and periodically arranged in a certain direction, the orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer follows the regular and periodic arrangement of the alignment molecules and forms a polarization grating. The polarization grating can deflect the light obliquely emitted from the display area of the display panel to the non-display area to the normal viewing angle direction of the non-display area. The human eye will consider the light emitted in the normal viewing angle direction as a virtual image displayed by the non-display area in visual perception. Therefore, the narrow-frame or frameless effect in visual perception can be achieved, and the full-screen effect in visual perception can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a liquid crystal functional film, a display device, a terminal, and related preparation methods. Background Technology

[0002] With the advancement of technology, people are interacting with computers more and more frequently. Touchscreen technology, a mainstream interaction technique, requires operation and feedback through a screen, as does information retrieval. This phenomenon has become even more pronounced with the growth of mobile devices and the explosion in user numbers. Consequently, people have become increasingly demanding of screen performance and appearance, evolving from monochrome to multicolor displays and then to the current high-color displays. Brightness has also increased from 250 nits to 1000 nits for readability in sunlight, and even high dynamic range imaging (HDR) achieves peak brightness of over 3000 nits. Furthermore, depending on the usage scenario, users have developed different hardware requirements for the displays of various products. For example, they expect televisions to better match the interior space, monitors for offices and special applications to be more stylish, and laptop monitors and mobile device screens to be thinner and lighter. Regardless of the type of display, a common need is for full-screen display technology. Full-screen display technology provides users with the ultimate front-viewing experience when accessing information from the screen. Examples include narrow bezels (reducing the edges of traditional displays), seamless splicing (large-scale splicing displays), or borderless technology (curved screens on mobile phones). In recent years, full-screen technology that hides the front camera has also been developed for mobile phones. Regardless of the type of full-screen display, the ultimate goal is to provide users with a larger visual area within a fixed usable space. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a liquid crystal functional film, a display device, a terminal, and a related preparation method to achieve a full-screen effect in terms of visual perception.

[0004] Firstly, this application provides a liquid crystal functional film for use in a non-display area on the light-emitting side of a display panel. The liquid crystal functional film may include a substrate, an alignment layer on the substrate, and a liquid crystal layer on the alignment layer. In the alignment layer, alignment molecules are arranged in a regular, periodic pattern along a certain direction; in the liquid crystal layer, the orientation of liquid crystal molecules follows the regular, periodic pattern of the alignment molecules, forming a polarization grating (PG). The polarization grating can deflect light emitted obliquely from the display area of ​​the display panel to the non-display area, directing it to the positive viewing angle of the non-display area. It is worth noting that the positive viewing angle refers to a direction close to perpendicular emission; for example, light emitted within 90 degrees ± 10 degrees falls within the positive viewing angle range. The light-emitting surface of the display panel emits light in all directions. This application utilizes the light emitted from the display area at an angle to the non-display area. A polarizing grating is used to deflect the angled light above the non-display area to the positive viewing angle direction. The human eye will perceive the light emitted from the positive viewing angle direction as a virtual image displayed in the non-display area. This can achieve a visually narrow bezel or borderless effect, thus achieving a visually full-screen effect.

[0005] Specifically, the long axis direction of liquid crystal molecules is generally defined as the orientation direction. In one embodiment of this application, the orientation direction of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal functional film differs at different positions and is arranged in a regular periodic manner along a certain direction to form a polarization grating. This direction can be defined as the grating direction of the polarization grating. When the phase retardation of the transmitted light by the polarization grating satisfies the λ / 2 condition, the polarization grating has the following function: When a beam of circularly polarized light passes through the polarization grating of the liquid crystal functional film, its rotational property changes. Left-hand circularly polarized (LCP) light is converted into right-hand circularly polarized (RCP) light after passing through the polarization grating, and the beam of the emitted right-hand circularly polarized light will be deflected at a certain angle, that is, there is a certain deflection angle θ between the incident light and the emitted light of the polarization grating; right-hand circularly polarized light is converted into left-hand circularly polarized light after passing through the polarization grating, and the beam of the emitted left-hand circularly polarized light will be deflected at a certain angle, that is, there is a certain deflection angle θ between the incident light and the emitted light of the polarization grating. Left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized light of the same wavelength will be deflected at the same angle θ but in opposite directions after passing through the same polarization grating. When the incident light on the liquid crystal functional film is unpolarized light (also known as natural light) or linearly polarized light, since unpolarized or linearly polarized light can be decomposed into two orthogonal circularly polarized lights (i.e., left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized light), the outgoing light from the liquid crystal functional film will be split into two beams, namely left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized light, and will exit along opposite deflection directions.

[0006] To achieve the effect of a polarization grating, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal functional film have different orientations at different positions within an arrangement period. Specifically, within an arrangement period, each liquid crystal molecule at a different position can rotate sequentially along an axis by a certain angle in a plane parallel to the substrate. That is, according to the definition of azimuth angle, the azimuth angle of the liquid crystal molecules at different positions can be considered to change. Specifically, the arrangement period can be the distance corresponding to a 180-degree or 360-degree rotation of the liquid crystal molecules at different positions along an axis. That is, within an arrangement period, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules at the beginning of the period is aligned along an axis (e.g., the x-axis or y-axis), and the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules at different positions rotates sequentially along an axis (e.g., the x-axis or y-axis), specifically clockwise or counterclockwise. It is worth noting that the grating direction of the polarization grating formed by clockwise and counterclockwise rotation can be considered opposite. The long axis of the liquid crystal molecules at the end of the period is ultimately rotated 180 degrees or 360 degrees relative to the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules at the beginning of the period. For example, in the xy-plane, the x-axis direction is defined as the grating direction. Within one arrangement period, the orientation of liquid crystal molecules at different positions (corresponding to different x-coordinates) is different. The azimuth angle α is the angle between the major axis of the liquid crystal molecule and the x-axis. P1 and P2 are the arrangement periods. When the arrangement period is defined as the distance corresponding to a 180-degree rotation of the liquid crystal molecule along the x-axis in the xy-plane, α(x) = πx / P1; when the arrangement period is defined as the distance corresponding to a 360-degree rotation of the liquid crystal molecule along the x-axis in the xy-plane, α(x) = 2πx / P2. Alternatively, the major axis direction of the liquid crystal molecules at both ends of one arrangement period can also be along the y-axis.

[0007] In one embodiment of this application, the deflection angle θ of the circularly polarized light by the polarizing grating formed in the liquid crystal functional film is the angle between the incident angle and the exit angle. The deflection angle θ is related to the arrangement period P of the polarizing grating and the wavelength of the incident light. Under the condition that other conditions remain unchanged, decreasing the arrangement period P of the polarizing grating can increase the deflection angle θ of the polarizing grating. Therefore, the arrangement period of liquid crystal molecules in different regions of the liquid crystal layer can be set to be different or the same as needed. For example, in the first region of the liquid crystal functional film that is farther away from the display area of ​​the display panel, the arrangement period of the polarizing grating in the first region is smaller than that in the second region that is closer to the display area. Since the tilt angle of the light rays from the display area to the first region is larger than that of the light rays from the display area to the second region, in order to ensure that the light rays with larger tilt angles emitted from the display area are deflected to the positive viewing angle direction, i.e., close to the angle of vertical emission, in the first region, a larger deflection angle θ is required. Therefore, polarizing gratings with decreasing arrangement periods can be set in different regions in the direction away from the display area of ​​the liquid crystal functional film to smooth out changes in light intensity. Alternatively, for ease of fabrication, polarizing gratings with the same arrangement period can be set in different regions of the liquid crystal functional film. Specifically, the arrangement period of the polarizing gratings in the liquid crystal functional film can generally be any value selected between 0.5µm and 200µm.

[0008] When the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal functional film, i.e., the grating direction of the polarization grating, changes, the deflection direction of the same circularly polarized light will also change after passing through the polarization grating. Since different positions of the non-display areas within the display panel are located on different sides of the display area—for example, the non-display areas forming the bezel surround the display area, with the right bezel on the right side and the left bezel on the left side—in order to ensure that all oblique light rays emitted from the display area to the non-display area can be deflected by the polarization grating into the normal viewing angle range, the liquid crystal functional film can be designed to form polarization gratings with different grating directions at different locations based on the shape and position of the non-display areas. This controls the deflection direction of different light rays to be deflected close to the vertical direction, thus creating a visually narrow bezel or borderless effect, achieving a visually full-screen effect.

[0009] In one embodiment of this application, the liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal layer may also be doped with chiral materials, so that the liquid crystal molecules are twisted clockwise or counterclockwise in the thickness direction (z direction).

[0010] In one embodiment of this application, the liquid crystal functional film can contain a single liquid crystal layer or multiple stacked liquid crystal layers. A single liquid crystal layer can refract visible light of a single wavelength, while stacked multilayer liquid crystal layers can refract visible light of multiple wavelengths, achieving high diffraction efficiency. In specific fabrication, after forming one liquid crystal layer, the steps of coating liquid crystal molecules and curing the liquid crystal molecules can be repeated, i.e., a repeated coating-curing-coating-curing-… process can be used to form stacked multilayer liquid crystal layers. The total thickness of the formed liquid crystal layers can be less than 200 μm.

[0011] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a display device, including: a display panel and a liquid crystal functional film located on the light-emitting side of the display panel, wherein a polarizing grating in the liquid crystal functional film can cover at least a portion of the non-display area of ​​the display panel, and the polarizing grating can deflect light emitted obliquely from the display area of ​​the display panel to the non-display area to the normal viewing angle direction of the non-display area, thereby achieving a visual full-screen effect. The display device provided in this application, by setting a patterned liquid crystal functional film on the light-emitting side of the display panel, changes the direction of light propagation, deflecting light emitted obliquely from the display area of ​​the display panel to the non-display area to the normal viewing angle direction of the non-display area, thereby achieving a visual full-screen effect. For example, it can eliminate black borders at the screen edges, eliminate black borders at the front-facing camera cutout, etc. Furthermore, since the screen bezel is eliminated, this application can also be applied to foldable screens or splicing screens.

[0012] The display panel in the display device provided in this application embodiment can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), or a micro-LED display panel, etc. The light emitted from LCD and OLED screens is generally linearly polarized. To ensure that the incident light from the liquid crystal functional film is circularly polarized, one or more phase retardation films (also called phase retardation sheets) can be added between the liquid crystal functional film and the display panel. The phase retardation film can be, for example, a quarter-glass slide. The phase retardation film should at least cover the polarization grating in the liquid crystal functional film. The phase retardation film can also be larger than the size of the polarization grating; for example, the phase retardation film can be the same size as the liquid crystal functional film. When the light emitted from the display panel passes through the phase retardation film, it will be converted into circularly polarized light. After passing through the polarization grating in the liquid crystal functional film, it will be deflected. Light emitted from the display area near the non-display area will be deflected to the positive viewing angle direction of the non-display area, making the visually narrower or even disappearing upper bezel.

[0013] In one embodiment of this application, the display device may further include a cover plate, and the liquid crystal functional film may be disposed on the outside of the cover plate, that is, the cover plate is located between the liquid crystal functional film and the display panel; or, the liquid crystal functional film may also be disposed on the inside of the cover plate, that is, the cover plate is located on the liquid crystal functional film.

[0014] In one embodiment of this application, the polarization grating in the liquid crystal functional film can cover all non-display areas of the display panel. The polarization grating can deflect light emitted from the display area of ​​the display panel to the non-display area to the normal viewing angle direction of all non-display areas, thereby achieving a visual full-screen effect.

[0015] In one embodiment of this application, the polarizing grating in the liquid crystal functional film can also cover a portion of the non-display area adjacent to the display area. Furthermore, the arrangement period of the polarizing grating can be gradually designed from the display area to the non-display area. Polarizing gratings with a decreasing arrangement period can be set in different regions of the liquid crystal functional film in the direction away from the display area. This allows for a smoother change in light intensity between the display area and the non-display area, ensuring a better display effect. It is worth noting that the size of the liquid crystal functional film can be the same as the size of the display panel, but the polarizing grating in the liquid crystal functional film cannot cover the entire display area of ​​the display panel.

[0016] In one embodiment of this application, the liquid crystal functional film disposed above the display panel can be a single layer or multiple layers. The width L of the narrowed bezel is related to the deflection angle θ and the distance D between the light-emitting surface (i.e., the light-emitting surface of the display panel) and the polarization grating, where tanθ = L / D. The polarization grating in a single layer of liquid crystal functional film can deflect incident light at a certain tilt angle to the normal viewing angle. After multiple layers of liquid crystal functional films are stacked, the grating directions of the polarization gratings at the same position in adjacent layers of liquid crystal functional films need to be opposite to ensure that the light can be continuously deflected to one side after passing through the stacked layers of liquid crystal functional films. This can increase the deflection angle, so that the more tilted light emitted from the display area is deflected to the normal viewing angle. Thus, under the condition that other factors remain unchanged, the width L of the narrowed bezel can also be greater.

[0017] In one embodiment of this application, the non-display area of ​​the display panel may include one or a combination of a bezel area, a punch-hole area, and a bent area. The non-display area in the display panel can be the outer bezel surrounding the display area. The polarizing grating in the liquid crystal functional film can cover the outer bezel and the portion of the display area adjacent to the outer bezel. The polarizing grating can deflect light rays from the display area obliquely projected onto the outer bezel to the normal viewing angle direction of the outer bezel, eliminating the black border at the screen edge and creating a visually narrower or borderless display effect. Alternatively, the non-display area in the display panel can be the bezel surrounding the front-facing camera. The polarizing grating in the liquid crystal functional film covers the portion of the display area adjacent to the bezel surrounding the front-facing camera. The polarizing grating can also cover the bezel surrounding the front-facing camera. The polarizing grating can deflect light rays from the display area obliquely projected onto the bezel surrounding the front-facing camera to the normal viewing angle direction of the bezel surrounding the front-facing camera, eliminating the black border at the punch-hole of the front-facing camera and creating a visually narrower or borderless display effect. The display panel can be a flexible panel that can be bent along a certain bending axis. The non-display area of ​​the display panel can also be a bent area that does not display anything. The polarization grating in the liquid crystal functional film can cover the bent area. The polarization grating can deflect the light emitted from the display area to the bent area at an angle to the positive viewing angle of the bent area, eliminating the crease of the folding screen and creating a visually crease-free display effect.

[0018] In one embodiment of this application, the grating direction of the polarization grating in the liquid crystal functional film can be specifically designed according to the shape of the non-display area to be covered in the display panel. That is, the grating direction of the polarization grating in the liquid crystal functional film can be different according to the shape of the frame. For example, for a straight frame, the grating direction of different positions of the liquid crystal functional film on the same side frame (e.g., the left frame) can be kept consistent; for a circular frame, the grating direction of different positions of the liquid crystal functional film can be designed to be arranged along the axial direction.

[0019] In one embodiment of this application, the display panel can be one or more display modules spliced ​​together. Multiple spliced ​​display modules can form a splicing screen. Since the polarization grating can eliminate the screen bezels of each display module, the display effect of eliminating the black or bright lines at the splicing seams of the splicing screen from a visual perspective can also be achieved.

[0020] Thirdly, embodiments of this application also provide a terminal, including a housing and a display device according to the second aspect or various embodiments of the second aspect. The terminal provided by this application can be applied to all products that require a reduction in the non-display area of ​​the screen, such as monitors, head-up displays, lighting, automotive display lights, etc.

[0021] Fourthly, this application also provides a method for preparing a liquid crystal functional film, the specific steps of which are as follows:

[0022] First, an alignment material is coated on the substrate. This alignment material can be a photoalignment material, and its orientation can be achieved through exposure. The photoalignment material is then aligned through exposure to form an alignment layer. The exposure light source can be ultraviolet (UV) light or visible light. The specific exposure wavelength is determined by the characteristics of the photoalignment material. For example, the UV light wavelength can be 365nm or 325nm, while the visible light wavelength can be the blue light band of 400nm-450nm. The exposure method can be single-source exposure or multi-beam interference exposure, for example, two circularly polarized light interference exposure. After alignment, the alignment molecules in the alignment layer are arranged in a regular, periodic pattern along a certain direction. The size of the arrangement period in different regions of the alignment layer can be designed according to specific requirements; they can be the same or different. Preferably, the arrangement period can be any value within the range of 0.5um-200um. The grating orientation in different regions can be designed to match the shape of the non-display area of ​​the display panel; they can be the same or different.

[0023] After the alignment layer is prepared, liquid crystal molecules are coated onto it. These molecules can be selected from polymer materials, and their orientation follows the arrangement of the alignment molecules in the alignment layer, exhibiting a regular periodic arrangement and forming a polarization grating. The liquid crystal molecules can be cured by light or heat, forming a liquid crystal layer. Specifically, the polymer material can undergo polymerization and cure into a film under light or heat conditions. Furthermore, chiral materials can be doped into the coated liquid crystal material, causing the liquid crystal molecules to twist clockwise or counterclockwise in the thickness direction (z-direction). Further, after forming one liquid crystal layer, the steps of coating and curing liquid crystal molecules can be repeated, i.e., a repeated coating-curing-coating-curing-… process, forming stacked multilayer liquid crystal layers. The total thickness of the formed liquid crystal layers can be less than 200 μm. Since a single-layer liquid crystal layer can only refract visible light of a single wavelength, while stacked multilayer liquid crystal layers can refract visible light of multiple wavelengths, high diffraction efficiency can be achieved.

[0024] After the liquid crystal functional film is manufactured, it can be placed above the light-emitting side of the display panel. Specifically, the polarization grating in the liquid crystal functional film needs to cover at least part of the non-display area of ​​the display panel. Furthermore, the polarization grating can also cover the part of the display area adjacent to the non-display area of ​​the display panel to ensure that the light emitted obliquely from the edge of the display area to the non-display area can be deflected in a direction closer to perpendicular to the substrate after passing through the polarization grating. That is, the light after passing through the polarization grating is emitted roughly perpendicular to the substrate, but not all the light is emitted in a perpendicular direction. In this way, the light emitted from the non-display area can be perceived from a visual perspective, resulting in a visually narrowed or non-existent non-display area.

[0025] Furthermore, to ensure that the light incident on the liquid crystal functional film is circularly polarized, one or more phase retardation films (also known as phase retardation sheets) can be added between the liquid crystal functional film and the display panel, depending on the specific structural design requirements. The phase retardation film can be, for example, a quarter-glass slide. It is worth noting that the phase retardation film should at least cover the polarization grating in the liquid crystal functional film. The phase retardation film can also be larger than the polarization grating; for example, the phase retardation film can be the same size as the liquid crystal functional film.

[0026] The technical effects that can be achieved by any of the second to fourth aspects mentioned above can be described with reference to the technical effects that can be achieved by any possible design in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the liquid crystal functional film provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0028] Figures 2a to 2c These are schematic diagrams of the optical paths of different light rays after passing through the polarization grating of the liquid crystal functional film provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal functional film provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 4a A schematic diagram showing the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules in the xy plane of the liquid crystal functional film provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 4b A schematic diagram showing the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules in the xz plane of the liquid crystal functional film provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the arrangement period of the polarization grating and the deflection angle in the liquid crystal functional film provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the optical path when the grating direction of the polarization grating in the liquid crystal functional film changes, as provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0034] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the liquid crystal functional film provided in the embodiments of this application, which includes two liquid crystal layers;

[0035] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the display device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0036] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the optical path of a display device including a multilayer liquid crystal functional film provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the optical path of a display device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0038] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device with a polarization grating on the outer frame provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0039] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the display device in the front-facing camera area provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0040] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of the structure of a display device with a polarization grating in the front-facing camera area provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 14 This application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a display device with a straight frame.

[0042] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of a display device with a circular frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 16 The diagram below shows the structure of a video wall display device provided in this embodiment of the application.

[0044] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0045] 1-Substrate, 2-Alignment layer, 3-Liquid crystal layer, 31-Liquid crystal molecule, 30-Polarization grating, 100-Liquid crystal functional film, 200-Display panel, 300-Phase retardation film, A-Display area, C-Non-Display area, M-First area, N-Second area. Detailed Implementation

[0046] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, a further detailed description of this application will be provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the exemplary embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to make this application more comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. Terms describing position and direction as described in this application are illustrative based on the accompanying drawings, but changes may be made as needed, and all such changes are included within the scope of protection of this application. The accompanying drawings of this application are for illustrating relative positional relationships only and do not represent actual scale.

[0047] It should be noted that specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a full understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many ways other than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below. The following descriptions are preferred embodiments for carrying out this application; however, these descriptions are for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. The scope of protection of this application shall be determined by the appended claims.

[0048] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, some terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced first below.

[0049] Liquid crystals are a type of phase that possesses a certain degree of spatial order. Common liquid crystal molecules have a rod-like structure. Due to the anisotropy of liquid crystal molecules, the refractive index and relative permittivity differ along the major and minor axes.

[0050] Liquid crystal polymers: Some liquid crystal molecules have groups that can undergo polymerization reactions. Under heating or light conditions, the molecular groups react and chain together. The initial small molecules combine to form polymer macromolecules, and the liquid crystal loses its liquid fluidity and transforms into a solid state.

[0051] Liquid crystal pretilt angle and azimuth angle: The positional information of liquid crystal molecules can generally be determined by the pretilt angle and azimuth angle. The angle between the projection of the liquid crystal molecule in the xy plane and the x-axis is defined as the azimuth angle α, and the angle between the liquid crystal molecule and its projection in the xy plane is defined as the pretilt angle.

[0052] Alignment layer: The orientation of liquid crystal molecules generally relies on the alignment layer. There are intermolecular forces between the liquid crystal molecules near the alignment layer and the alignment layer molecules. The liquid crystal molecules will align along the alignment direction of the alignment layer molecules, and other molecules in the liquid crystal layer will follow the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules near the alignment layer through long-range forces.

[0053] Alignment: There are two main methods for aligning alignment layers: physical contact (friction) and non-contact (photoalignment). Friction alignment involves rubbing the alignment layer with a cloth to align the molecules in a certain direction. Photoalignment uses light to align the molecules, and the wavelength of the light is selected according to the characteristics of the alignment layer material, such as ultraviolet (UV) light or visible light. The arrangement of the alignment layer material molecules is generally related to the polarization direction of the light beam.

[0054] Polarized light: In the direction of light propagation, the light vector vibrates in a certain direction. When the projection trajectory of the light vector endpoint on the xy plane is a straight line, it is called linearly polarized light; when the trajectory of the light vector endpoint is a circle, it is called circularly polarized light; when the trajectory of the light vector endpoint is an ellipse, it is called elliptically polarized light.

[0055] To facilitate understanding of the liquid crystal functional film, display device, terminal, and related preparation methods provided in the embodiments of this application, its application scenarios are first described. This display device can be applied to various terminal products, including, for example, watches, mobile phones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), in-vehicle computers, monitors, foldable screens, video wall displays, and televisions (TVs). The embodiments of this application do not impose any special limitations on the specific form of the aforementioned terminals.

[0056] Full-screen technology has different technical names and pathways depending on the product form, including flat narrow (or no) bezel-less full-screen displays, curved narrow (or no) bezel-less displays, seamless splicing ultra-large displays, notch displays (micro-hole, waterdrop, pill-shaped) displays created to meet the needs of the front camera, and under-display camera displays. Existing full-screen technologies have certain bottlenecks and limitations, and cannot fully achieve the visual effect of a true full-screen display.

[0057] There are currently two methods for narrow bezel technology in flat panel displays: one method uses more expensive designs and panel manufacturing processes to deliberately reduce the circuit trace area of ​​the panel bezel to achieve a physical bezel reduction design; the other method uses optical projection to achieve the visual narrow bezel phenomenon. However, this bezel reduction method has the limitation that the thickness of the top cover plate is proportional to the degree of bezel reduction, or that the edge of the cover plate must have a special shape or curvature.

[0058] To achieve the ultimate in bezel and visual appeal for mobile applications, flexible substrate curved screens have been developed, creating the illusion of a smaller bezel from the front. However, curved screens introduce the drawback of optically bright edges. When users view a curved screen from non-direct viewing angles, bright spots appear on the sides, resulting in a poor sensory experience. Furthermore, curved screens have reduced mechanical strength and are more expensive, leading to increased maintenance costs for users during product use.

[0059] Currently, the industry can no longer mass-produce displays larger than 100 inches using a single display panel. To meet the demands of ultra-large screen applications, most solutions involve display splicing. However, due to the limitations of display bezels, most products exhibit noticeable black lines at the splicing points. Furthermore, while some solutions use additional light sources to compensate for the splicing points, this still results in perceived differences in brightness or color at that location, leading to visual discrepancies.

[0060] Due to the specific needs of mobile phone applications, the front-facing camera and a series of light sensors occupy a certain area, failing to achieve the full-screen requirement. In order to pursue a larger display area, the technology of irregular display areas was developed, which deliberately designs the display area to avoid the needs of component placement. Such common products include common display area designs such as notches, ultra-small holes, and waterdrop notches. However, these irregular display areas still do not meet the requirements of a full-screen display.

[0061] To achieve a better user experience, a display screen with an irregular pixel design was developed. The display pixels and circuitry in front of the camera are designed differently from other locations, increasing the transmittance of the display in front of the camera and thus achieving a full-screen design where the display area covers the lens. This solution essentially fulfills the requirement for a full-screen display. However, this solution has the problem of sacrificing display quality and reducing image quality. To achieve sufficient transmittance in front of the camera, the pixel density in this location must be much lower than in other parts of the display. Therefore, when playing images, the display detail in this location is much lower than in other areas, resulting in poor viewing quality. Furthermore, the low-density display pixel design in front of the lens reduces the light entering the lens, and the display pixels and circuitry also form a diffraction grating. External light entering the camera will cause diffraction effects, making it impossible to obtain a clear image, ultimately leading to blurry images and reduced image quality.

[0062] The display device provided in this application embodiment achieves a change in the direction of light propagation by setting a patterned liquid crystal functional film on the light-emitting side of the display panel. The light emitted from the display area of ​​the display panel to the non-display area is deflected to the normal viewing angle of the non-display area, thereby achieving a full-screen effect in visual perception. For example, the black borders at the edges of the screen and the black borders at the punch-hole of the front camera can be eliminated. Since the screen bezel is eliminated, this application can also be applied to foldable screens or splicing screens.

[0063] The structure and working principle of the liquid crystal functional film provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below.

[0064] The liquid crystal functional film provided in this application embodiment can be disposed in the non-display area on the light-emitting side of the display panel. (Refer to...) Figure 1The liquid crystal functional film 100 may include a substrate 1, an alignment layer 2 on the substrate 1, and a liquid crystal layer 3 on the alignment layer 2. In the alignment layer 2, the alignment molecules are arranged in a regular, periodic pattern along a certain direction. In the liquid crystal layer 3, the orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules 31 follows the regular, periodic pattern of the alignment molecules, forming a polarization grating 30 (PG). The polarization grating 30 can deflect light rays emitted obliquely from the display area A of the display panel 200 to the non-display area C, directing them to the positive viewing angle of the non-display area C. It is worth noting that the positive viewing angle refers to a direction close to perpendicular emission; for example, light rays emitted within 90 degrees ± 10 degrees are considered within the positive viewing angle range. The light-emitting surface of the display panel 200 emits light in all directions. This application utilizes the light emitted from the display area A at an angle to the non-display area C. A polarizing grating 30 is used to deflect the angled light above the non-display area C to the normal viewing angle direction. The human eye will perceive the light emitted from the normal viewing angle direction as a virtual image displayed in the non-display area C. This can achieve a visually narrow bezel or bezel-less effect, thus achieving a visually full-screen effect.

[0065] Specifically, the long axis direction of the liquid crystal molecules 31 is generally defined as the orientation direction. In one embodiment of this application, the orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules 31 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 varies at different positions, and they are arranged in a regular periodic pattern along a certain direction to form a polarization grating 30. This direction can be defined as the grating direction of the polarization grating 30. When the phase retardation of the polarization grating 30 for transmitted light satisfies the λ / 2 condition, the polarization grating 30 has the following function: when a beam of circularly polarized light passes through the polarization grating 30 of the liquid crystal functional film 100, its rotational property changes. (Refer to...) Figure 2a Left-circularly polarized (LCP) light is converted into right-circularly polarized (RCP) light after passing through polarization grating 30. Simultaneously, the outgoing right-circularly polarized light beam undergoes a certain angle of deflection; that is, there is a certain deflection angle θ between the incident and outgoing light from polarization grating 30. (Refer to...) Figure 2b Right-handed circularly polarized light is converted into left-handed circularly polarized light after passing through polarization grating 30. Simultaneously, the outgoing left-handed circularly polarized light beam undergoes a certain angle of deflection; that is, there is a certain deflection angle θ between the incident and outgoing light from polarization grating 30. (Refer to...) Figure 2a and Figure 2b Left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized light of the same wavelength, after passing through the same polarization grating 30, will have the same deflection angle θ but opposite deflection directions. (Refer to...) Figure 2cWhen the incident light of the liquid crystal functional film 100 is unpolarized light (also known as natural light) or linearly polarized light, since unpolarized light or linearly polarized light can be decomposed into two orthogonal circularly polarized lights (i.e., left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized light), the outgoing light of the liquid crystal functional film 100 will be split into two beams, namely left-handed circularly polarized light and right-handed circularly polarized light, and will be emitted along opposite deflection directions.

[0066] Reference Figure 3 In order to achieve the effect of the polarization grating 30, the liquid crystal molecules 31 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 have different orientation directions at different positions within one arrangement period. Specifically, within one arrangement period, each liquid crystal molecule 31 at different positions can rotate sequentially by an angle along an axis in a plane parallel to the substrate 1. That is, according to the definition of azimuth angle, it can be considered that the azimuth angle of the liquid crystal molecules 31 at different positions changes. Specifically, the arrangement period can be the distance corresponding to the rotation of liquid crystal molecules 31 at different positions along an axis by 180 degrees or 360 degrees. That is, within one arrangement period, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules 31 at the beginning of the period is arranged along an axis (e.g., the x-axis or y-axis), and the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules 31 at different positions rotates sequentially along an axis (e.g., the x-axis or y-axis). Specifically, this can be clockwise or counterclockwise rotation. It is worth noting that the grating directions of the polarization grating 30 formed by clockwise and counterclockwise rotation are considered to be opposite. The long axis of the liquid crystal molecules 31 at the end of the period is ultimately rotated 180 degrees or 360 degrees relative to the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules 31 at the beginning of the period. For example... Figure 3 As shown, in the xy-plane, the x-axis direction is defined as the grating direction. Within one arrangement period, the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules 31 differs at different positions (corresponding to different x-coordinates). The azimuth angle α is the angle between the major axis of the liquid crystal molecules 31 and the x-axis. P1 and P2 are the arrangement periods. When the arrangement period is defined as the distance corresponding to a 180-degree rotation of the liquid crystal molecules 31 along the x-axis in the xy-plane, α(x) = πx / P1; when the arrangement period is defined as the distance corresponding to a 360-degree rotation of the liquid crystal molecules 31 along the x-axis in the xy-plane, α(x) = 2πx / P2. (Refer to...) Figure 4a and Figure 4b The long axis of the liquid crystal molecules 31 at both ends of a single arrangement cycle can also be along the y-direction.

[0067] Reference Figure 5In one embodiment of this application, the polarization grating 30 formed within the liquid crystal functional film 100 deflects circularly polarized light at an angle θ equal to the angle between the incident angle and the exit angle. The deflection angle θ is related to the arrangement period P of the polarization grating 30 and the wavelength of the incident light. Under otherwise unchanged conditions, decreasing the arrangement period P of the polarization grating 30 can increase the deflection angle θ. Therefore, the arrangement period of liquid crystal molecules 31 in different regions of the liquid crystal layer 3 can be set to be different or the same as needed. For example, in the liquid crystal functional film 100, the first region M, which is farther from the display area A of the display panel 200, has a smaller arrangement period of the polarizing grating 30 compared to the second region N, which is closer to the display area A. Since the tilt angle of light rays from the display area A to the first region M is larger than that of light rays from the display area A to the second region N, a larger deflection angle θ is needed in the first region M to ensure that the light rays with larger tilt angles emitted from the display area A are deflected to the normal viewing angle, i.e., close to the perpendicular emission angle. Therefore, polarizing gratings 30 with decreasing arrangement periods can be set in different regions of the liquid crystal functional film 100 in the direction away from the display area A to smooth out changes in light intensity. Alternatively, for ease of manufacturing, polarizing gratings 30 with the same arrangement period can be set in different regions of the liquid crystal functional film 100. Specifically, the arrangement period of the polarizing grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 is generally selected from any value between 0.5µm and 200µm.

[0068] Reference Figure 6 When the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules 31 in the liquid crystal functional film 100, i.e., the grating direction of the polarization grating 30, changes, the deflection direction of the same circularly polarized light will also change after passing through the polarization grating 30. Figure 6 Arrows are used to indicate the direction of the grating. Since different positions of the non-display area C within the display panel 200 are located on different sides of the display area A, for example, the non-display area C, which serves as a border, surrounds the display area A, with the right border located on the right side of the display area A and the left border located on the left side of the display area A, in order to ensure that the oblique light emitted from the display area A to the non-display area C can be deflected into the normal viewing angle range by the polarizing grating 30, the liquid crystal functional film 100 can be designed to form polarizing gratings 30 with different grating directions at different locations according to the shape and position of the non-display area C. This controls the deflection direction of different light rays to be deflected to a near-vertical direction, thereby forming a visually narrow bezel or borderless effect, achieving a visually full-screen effect.

[0069] Reference Figure 7 In one embodiment of this application, the liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal layer 3 may also be doped with chiral materials, so that the liquid crystal molecules 31 are twisted clockwise or counterclockwise in the thickness direction (z direction).

[0070] Reference Figure 7 In one embodiment of this application, the liquid crystal functional film 100 may contain a single liquid crystal layer 3 or multiple stacked liquid crystal layers 3. Figure 7 The diagram illustrates the case of two liquid crystal layers 3. A single liquid crystal layer 3 can refract visible light in a single wavelength band, while stacked multilayer liquid crystal layers 3 can refract visible light in multiple wavelength bands to achieve high diffraction efficiency. In actual fabrication, after forming one liquid crystal layer 3, the steps of coating liquid crystal molecules 31 and curing liquid crystal molecules 31 can be repeated, i.e., repeating the coating-curing-coating-curing-… process to form stacked multilayer liquid crystal layers 3. The total thickness of the formed liquid crystal layers 3 can be less than 200 μm.

[0071] The structure and working principle of the display device provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below.

[0072] Reference Figure 8 The display device provided in this application includes a display panel 200 and the liquid crystal functional film 100 provided in this application, which is located on the light-emitting side of the display panel 200. The polarization grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 can cover at least part of the non-display area C of the display panel 200. The polarization grating 30 can deflect the light emitted from the display area A of the display panel 200 to the non-display area C at an angle to the positive viewing angle direction of the non-display area C, thereby achieving a visual full-screen effect.

[0073] The display panel 200 in the display device provided in this application embodiment can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), or a micro-LED, etc. The light emitted from LCD and OLED screens is generally linearly polarized. To ensure that the incident light on the liquid crystal functional film 100 is circularly polarized, refer to... Figure 8One or more phase retardation films 300 (also called phase retardation sheets) can be added between the liquid crystal functional film 100 and the display panel 200. The phase retardation film 300 can be, for example, a quarter glass slide. The phase retardation film 300 should at least cover the polarization grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100. The phase retardation film 300 can also be larger than the size of the polarization grating 30; for example, the phase retardation film 300 can be the same size as the liquid crystal functional film 100. When the light emitted from the display panel 200 passes through the phase retardation film 300, it will be converted into circularly polarized light. After passing through the polarization grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100, it will be deflected. The light emitted obliquely from the display area A, which is close to the non-display area C, will be deflected to the positive viewing angle direction of the non-display area C, making the upper bezel appear narrower or even disappear.

[0074] In one embodiment of this application, the display device may further include a cover plate, and the liquid crystal functional film may be disposed on the outside of the cover plate, that is, the cover plate is located between the liquid crystal functional film and the display panel; or, the liquid crystal functional film may also be disposed on the inside of the cover plate, that is, the cover plate is located on the liquid crystal functional film.

[0075] Reference Figure 8 In one embodiment of this application, the polarization grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 can cover all non-display areas C of the display panel 200. The polarization grating 30 can deflect the light emitted from the display area A of the display panel 200 to the non-display area C at an angle to the positive viewing angle direction of all non-display areas C, thereby achieving a visual full-screen effect.

[0076] Reference Figure 8 In one embodiment of this application, the polarizing grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 can also cover the portion of the display area A adjacent to the non-display area C. Furthermore, the arrangement period of the polarizing grating 30 can be gradually designed from the display area A to the non-display area C. Polarizing gratings 30 with a decreasing arrangement period can be set in different regions of the liquid crystal functional film 100 in the direction away from the display area A. This allows for a smoother change in light intensity between the display area A and the non-display area C, ensuring a better display effect. It is worth noting that the size of the liquid crystal functional film 100 can be the same as the size of the display panel 200, but the polarizing grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 cannot cover the entire display area A of the display panel 200.

[0077] Reference Figure 9 In one embodiment of this application, the liquid crystal functional film 100 disposed above the display panel 200 can be a single layer or multiple layers. (Refer to...) Figure 10The width L of the narrowed bezel is related to the deflection angle θ and the distance D between the light-emitting surface (i.e., the light-emitting surface of the display panel 200) and the polarization grating 30, where tanθ = L / D. The polarization grating 30 in one layer of liquid crystal functional film 100 can deflect incident light at a certain tilt angle to the normal viewing angle direction. After multiple layers of liquid crystal functional films 100 are stacked, the grating directions of the polarization gratings 30 at the same position in two adjacent layers of liquid crystal functional films 100 need to be opposite to ensure that the light can be continuously deflected to one side after passing through the stacked layers of liquid crystal functional films 100. This can increase the deflection angle, so that the more tilted light emitted from the display area A is deflected to the normal viewing angle direction. Thus, under the condition that other factors remain unchanged, the width L of the narrowed bezel can be increased.

[0078] In one embodiment of this application, the non-display area C of the display panel 200 may include one or a combination of a border area, a punched-out area, and a bent area. (See also...) Figure 11 In the display panel 200, the non-display area C can be the outer bezel surrounding the display area A. The polarizing grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 can cover the outer bezel and the portion of the display area A adjacent to the outer bezel. The polarizing grating 30 can deflect the light emitted from the display area A at an angle to the outer bezel to the normal viewing angle of the outer bezel, eliminating the black border at the screen edge and creating a visually narrower or borderless display effect. (Refer to...) Figure 12 and Figure 13 The non-display area C in the display panel 200 can also be the bezel surrounding the front-facing camera. The polarizing grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 covers the portion of the display area A adjacent to the bezel surrounding the front-facing camera. The polarizing grating 30 can also cover the bezel surrounding the front-facing camera. The polarizing grating 30 can deflect the light emitted from the display area A at an angle to the bezel surrounding the front-facing camera to the normal viewing angle direction of the bezel surrounding the front-facing camera, eliminating the black border at the cutout of the front-facing camera and creating a visually narrower or borderless display effect. The display panel 200 can be a flexible panel that can be bent along a certain bending axis. The non-display area C of the display panel 200 can also be a bent area that does not display anything. The polarizing grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 can cover the bent area. The polarizing grating 30 can deflect the light emitted from the display area A at an angle to the bent area to the normal viewing angle direction of the bent area, eliminating the crease of the folding screen and creating a visually crease-free display effect.

[0079] In one embodiment of this application, the grating direction of the polarization grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 can be specifically designed according to the shape of the non-display area C to be covered in the display panel 200. That is, the grating direction of the polarization grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 can be different according to the shape of the frame, for example: referring to Figure 14For straight-line bezels, the grating direction of the liquid crystal functional film at different positions on the same side bezel (e.g., the left bezel) can remain consistent; refer to Figure 15 For circular frames, the grating orientation at different positions of the liquid crystal functional film can be designed to be arranged along the axial direction.

[0080] Reference Figure 16 In this embodiment, the display panel 200 can be one or more display modules spliced ​​together. Multiple spliced ​​display modules can form a splicing screen. Since the polarization grating 30 can eliminate the screen borders of each display module, it can also achieve the visual effect of eliminating the black or bright lines of the splicing seam of the splicing screen.

[0081] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a method for preparing a liquid crystal functional film 100, the specific steps of which are as follows:

[0082] First, an alignment material is coated on substrate 1. This alignment material can be a photoalignment material, and its orientation can be achieved through exposure. The photoalignment material is then aligned through exposure to form alignment layer 2. The exposure light source can be ultraviolet (UV) light or visible light. The specific exposure wavelength is determined by the characteristics of the photoalignment material. For example, the UV light wavelength can be 365nm or 325nm, and the visible light wavelength can be the blue light band of 400nm-450nm. The exposure method can be single-source exposure or multi-beam interference exposure, for example, two circularly polarized light interference exposure. After alignment, the alignment molecules in alignment layer 2 are arranged in a regular, periodic pattern along a certain direction. The period of arrangement in different regions of alignment layer 2 can be designed according to specific requirements; they can be the same or different. Preferably, the period can be any value within the range of 0.5um-200um. The grating direction in different regions can be designed to match the shape of the non-display area C of the display panel 200; they can be the same or different.

[0083] After the alignment layer 2 is prepared, liquid crystal molecules 31 are coated onto the alignment layer 2. The liquid crystal molecules 31 can be selected from polymer materials. The orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules 31 follows the arrangement pattern of the alignment molecules in the alignment layer 2, that is, it also exhibits a regular periodic arrangement and forms a polarization grating 30. The liquid crystal molecules 31 can be cured by light or heat. After curing, a liquid crystal layer 3 can be formed. Specifically, the polymer material can undergo a polymerization reaction and cure into a film under conditions such as light or heat. Furthermore, chiral materials can be doped into the coated liquid crystal material, so that the liquid crystal molecules 31 have clockwise or counterclockwise twisting in the thickness direction (z direction). Furthermore, after forming a liquid crystal layer 3, the steps of coating liquid crystal molecules 31 and curing liquid crystal molecules 31 can be repeated, that is, the process of coating-curing-coating-curing-… can be repeated to form a stacked multilayer liquid crystal layer 3. The total thickness of the formed liquid crystal layer 3 can be less than 200 μm. Since a single-layer liquid crystal layer 3 can only refract visible light in a single band, while stacked multi-layer liquid crystal layers 3 can refract visible light in multiple bands, thus achieving high diffraction efficiency.

[0084] After the liquid crystal functional film 100 is manufactured, it can be placed above the light-emitting side of the display panel 200. Specifically, the polarization grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100 needs to cover at least a portion of the non-display area C of the display panel 200. Furthermore, the polarization grating 30 can also cover the portion of the display area A of the display panel 200 adjacent to the non-display area C, so as to ensure that the light emitted obliquely from the edge of the display area A to the non-display area C can be deflected in a direction closer to the perpendicular to the substrate 1 after passing through the polarization grating 30. That is, the light after passing through the polarization grating 30 is emitted in a direction roughly perpendicular to the substrate 1, but not all the light is necessarily emitted in a perpendicular direction. In this way, the light emitted from the non-display area C can be perceived from a visual perspective, resulting in a visual effect that the non-display area C becomes narrower or disappears.

[0085] Furthermore, to ensure that the light incident on the liquid crystal functional film 100 is circularly polarized, one or more phase retardation films 300 (also called phase retardation sheets) can be added between the liquid crystal functional film 100 and the display panel 200, depending on the specific structural design requirements. The phase retardation film 300 can be, for example, a quarter-glass slide. It is worth noting that the phase retardation film 300 should at least cover the polarization grating 30 in the liquid crystal functional film 100. The phase retardation film 300 can also be larger than the size of the polarization grating 30; for example, the phase retardation film 300 can be the same size as the liquid crystal functional film 100.

[0086] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a terminal, including a housing and the display device described above. The terminal provided in this application can be applied to all products that require a reduction in the non-display area of ​​the screen, such as monitors, head-up displays, lighting, automotive lights, etc.

[0087] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A display device, characterized in that, Includes a display panel and a liquid crystal functional film located on the light-emitting surface of the display panel; The liquid crystal functional film includes a substrate, an alignment layer on the substrate, and a liquid crystal layer on the alignment layer; wherein, The alignment molecules in the alignment layer are arranged in a regular and periodic manner along a certain direction; The orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer follows the regularity of the alignment molecules and forms a polarization grating. The polarization grating covers at least a portion of the non-display area of ​​the display panel. The polarization grating is used to deflect light rays that are obliquely emitted from the display area of ​​the display panel to the non-display area and emitted at the normal viewing angle of the non-display area.

2. The display device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, Within one arrangement period of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer, the orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules at different positions is different.

3. The display device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that, Within one arrangement cycle, each liquid crystal molecule at a different position rotates sequentially by an angle along an axial direction in a plane parallel to the substrate.

4. The display device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, The arrangement period is the distance corresponding to the rotation of liquid crystal molecules at different positions along an axis by 180 degrees or 360 degrees.

5. The display device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The arrangement period may be different or the same in different regions of the liquid crystal layer.

6. The display device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, The arrangement period of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer is between 0.5um and 200um.

7. The display device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The liquid crystal layer comprises a single layer or multiple stacked liquid crystal layers.

8. The display device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal layer is doped with chiral materials, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are twisted clockwise or counterclockwise in the thickness direction.

9. The display device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The total thickness of the liquid crystal layer is less than 200 μm.

10. The display device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The polarization grating in the liquid crystal functional film also covers a portion of the display area adjacent to the non-display area.

11. The display device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, It also includes a cover plate, which is located between the liquid crystal functional film and the display panel, or the cover plate is located on top of the liquid crystal functional film.

12. The display device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Also includes: One or more phase retardation films are located between the liquid crystal functional film and the display panel.

13. The display device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The liquid crystal functional film can be one or more layers.

14. The display device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The display panel is a single unit, or the display panel comprises multiple display modules that are spliced ​​together.

15. The display device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The non-display area of ​​the display panel includes one or a combination of the border area, the cutout area, and the bending area.

16. The display device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The display panel is a liquid crystal display panel (LCD) or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel.

17. A terminal, characterized in that, include: The housing and the display device as described in any one of claims 1-16.

18. A liquid crystal functional film, characterized in that, The liquid crystal functional film is used to be disposed in the non-display area on the light-emitting side of the display panel; The liquid crystal functional film includes a substrate, an alignment layer on the substrate, and a liquid crystal layer on the alignment layer; wherein, The alignment molecules in the alignment layer are arranged in a regular and periodic manner along a certain direction; The orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer follows the regularity of the alignment molecules and forms a polarization grating. The polarization grating is used to deflect light rays that are obliquely emitted from the display area of ​​the display panel to the non-display area and emitted at the normal viewing angle of the non-display area.

19. The liquid crystal functional film as described in claim 18, characterized in that, Within one arrangement period of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer, the orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules at different positions is different.

20. The liquid crystal functional film as described in claim 19, characterized in that, Within one arrangement cycle, each liquid crystal molecule at a different position rotates sequentially by an angle along an axial direction in a plane parallel to the substrate.

21. The liquid crystal functional film as described in claim 20, characterized in that, The arrangement period is the distance corresponding to the rotation of liquid crystal molecules at different positions along an axis by 180 degrees or 360 degrees.

22. The liquid crystal functional film according to any one of claims 18-21, characterized in that, The arrangement period may be different or the same in different regions of the liquid crystal layer.

23. The liquid crystal functional film as described in claim 22, characterized in that, The arrangement period of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer is between 0.5um and 200um.

24. The liquid crystal functional film according to any one of claims 18-21, characterized in that, The liquid crystal layer comprises a single layer or multiple stacked liquid crystal layers.

25. The liquid crystal functional film according to any one of claims 18-21, characterized in that, The liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal layer is doped with chiral materials, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are twisted clockwise or counterclockwise in the thickness direction.

26. The liquid crystal functional film according to any one of claims 18-21, characterized in that, The total thickness of the liquid crystal layer is less than 200 μm.

27. A method for preparing a liquid crystal functional film, characterized in that, include: A photoalignment material is coated on a substrate, and the photoalignment material is exposed to form an alignment layer, wherein the alignment molecules in the alignment layer are arranged in a regular and periodic manner along a certain direction. Liquid crystal molecules are coated on the alignment layer. The orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules follows the arrangement law of the alignment molecules in the alignment layer and is arranged in a regular periodic manner to form a polarization grating. After the liquid crystal molecules are cured, a liquid crystal layer is formed. The polarization grating is used to deflect the light rays that are obliquely emitted from the display area of ​​the display panel to the non-display area and emitted in the normal viewing direction of the non-display area.

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