An inkjet printing method and apparatus for manufacturing a display panel

Abstract

The application relates to the field of inkjet printing, and discloses an inkjet printing method for preparing a display panel, which comprises the following steps: printing a first substrate by using a printer to obtain a second substrate; performing visual detection processing on the second substrate by using a detection mechanism to obtain liquid film information in the substrate; determining an auxiliary mechanism corresponding to the liquid film information based on the liquid film information; and performing diffusion processing on the substrate by using the corresponding auxiliary mechanism to obtain a third substrate. Through the combination of electro-mist printing and diffusion processing, an ultrathin film can be manufactured, and the method has certain application potential for thinning display panels.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of inkjet printing, and in particular to an inkjet printing method and apparatus for preparing display panels. Background Technology

[0002] Inkjet printing technology is widely used in the manufacture of displays, flexible sensors, and other fields, such as OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) and TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display) products. In the thin-film encapsulation layer fabrication process, droplets are printed onto the substrate surface using a printing device. Under ultraviolet light irradiation, the material molecules in the droplets trigger polymerization, cross-linking, and grafting reactions in the prepolymer, solidifying into a network of polymers to form a thin film. Due to the inherent limitations of the material, the droplets generally have low fluidity; therefore, the droplets added to the substrate require sufficient time to diffuse into a flat plane. Furthermore, film formation methods that rely on natural diffusion cannot create the ultra-thin films required for the process. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides an inkjet printing method for preparing a display panel, which solves the problem of not being able to form an ultrathin film in related technologies, accelerates the diffusion speed of droplets, enables the production of an ultrathin film, and achieves the thinning of the display panel.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides an inkjet printing method for fabricating a display panel, applied to an inkjet printing system. The inkjet printing system includes a printer, a detection mechanism, and at least one auxiliary mechanism. The inkjet printing method includes: printing a first substrate using the printer to obtain a second substrate; performing visual inspection processing on the second substrate using the detection mechanism to obtain liquid film information in the second substrate; determining an auxiliary mechanism corresponding to the liquid film information based on the liquid film information; and performing diffusion processing on the second substrate using the corresponding auxiliary mechanism to obtain a third substrate.

[0005] In some embodiments, the at least one auxiliary mechanism includes at least one of a rotation mechanism, an oscillation mechanism, and an ultrasonic mechanism; the liquid film information includes the area and number of each droplet region and the area and number of each droplet-free region; determining the auxiliary mechanism corresponding to the liquid film information based on the liquid film information includes: determining the corresponding auxiliary mechanism as a rotation mechanism when the area of ​​all droplet regions on the second substrate and the area ratio of the droplet regions on the second substrate to the target film area is less than a ratio threshold and the number of droplet-free regions is greater than a quantity threshold; determining the corresponding auxiliary mechanism as an oscillation mechanism when the area of ​​all droplet regions on the second substrate and the area ratio of the droplet regions on the second substrate to the target film area is greater than a ratio threshold and the number of droplet-free regions is greater than a quantity threshold; and determining the corresponding auxiliary mechanism as an ultrasonic mechanism when the area of ​​all droplet regions on the second substrate and the area ratio of the droplet regions on the target film area is greater than a ratio threshold and the number of droplet-free regions is less than a quantity threshold.

[0006] In some embodiments, the rotating mechanism includes a stage and a rotating component; the inkjet printing system includes a transport component; the diffusion process of the second substrate through the corresponding auxiliary mechanism includes: transferring the second substrate onto the stage of the rotating mechanism through the transport component; determining the rotation parameters of the rotating component based on the liquid film information and the size information of the second substrate; and rotating the stage through the rotating component according to the rotation parameters.

[0007] In some embodiments, the inkjet printing system further includes a driving component; after visually inspecting the second substrate through the detection mechanism, the method further includes: determining a non-uniform region in the substrate in the visual inspection result; determining a diffusion center based on the non-uniform region in the substrate; and driving the substrate through the driving component so that the diffusion center is located at the center of the stage.

[0008] In some embodiments, the oscillation mechanism includes a stage, an X-axis oscillation component, and a Y-axis oscillation component; the inkjet printing system includes a transport component; the liquid film information also includes droplet distribution information; the diffusion process of the second substrate through the corresponding auxiliary mechanism includes: transferring the second substrate onto the stage of the oscillation mechanism through the transport component; determining the oscillation process of the X-axis oscillation component and the Y-axis oscillation component, the oscillation parameters of the X-axis oscillation component, and the oscillation parameters of the Y-axis oscillation component based on the liquid film information and the size information of the second substrate; and oscillating the stage according to the oscillation process of the X-axis oscillation component and the Y-axis oscillation component based on the oscillation parameters of the X-axis oscillation component and the oscillation parameters of the Y-axis oscillation component.

[0009] In some embodiments, the ultrasonic mechanism includes a stage and ultrasonic components arranged in sections; the inkjet printing system includes a transport component; the diffusion treatment of the second substrate through the corresponding auxiliary mechanism includes: transferring the second substrate onto the stage of the ultrasonic mechanism through the transport component; determining the emission process and emission parameters of the ultrasonic mechanism based on the liquid film information and the size information of the substrate; and controlling the corresponding ultrasonic components to emit ultrasonic waves according to the emission parameters and the emission process.

[0010] In some embodiments, the inkjet printing system further includes a heating plate disposed inside the stage; the method further includes: heating the second substrate by the heating plate when the second substrate is placed on the stage to promote the diffusion of droplets on the second substrate.

[0011] In some embodiments, heating the second substrate via the heating plate includes: performing visual inspection on the second substrate via the detection mechanism to determine the target area requiring diffusion treatment; and during diffusion treatment, heating the target area via a heating element corresponding to the target area to promote the diffusion of droplets in the target area of ​​the second substrate.

[0012] In some embodiments, the inkjet printing system further includes a curing mechanism; before printing the first substrate to obtain the second substrate by the printer, the method further includes: determining the viscosity of the droplets in the substrate based on the material of the droplets in the printer; when the viscosity of the droplets is less than a viscosity threshold, printing the edge position of the first substrate by the printer to form a barrier area; and curing the barrier area by the curing mechanism to prevent the droplets from detaching from the substrate during diffusion processing.

[0013] Furthermore, to achieve the above objectives, this application also provides an inkjet printing apparatus for manufacturing display panels. The inkjet printing apparatus includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of any of the inkjet printing methods described above.

[0014] In addition, to achieve the above objectives, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing an inkjet printing program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of any of the inkjet printing methods described above.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the technical solution provided in this application include:

[0016] This application provides an inkjet printing method for fabricating display panels. Based on liquid film information, it determines the most suitable diffusion auxiliary mechanism for the current substrate, resulting in a more uniform film layer on the diffused substrate. This ensures large-area uniform liquid film formation and achieves high-quality ultrathin films. By using the appropriate auxiliary mechanism to diffuse the substrate, the diffusion rate of the liquid film on the substrate can be accelerated, film formation time reduced, and manufacturing equipment capacity increased. The combination of electro-atomization printing and diffusion processes enables the fabrication of ultrathin films, demonstrating significant application potential for thinning display panels. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart of an inkjet printing method for preparing a display panel provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of an inkjet printing method for preparing a display panel provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic flowchart of an inkjet printing method for preparing a display panel provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an inkjet printing device for fabricating a display panel, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an inkjet printing system for fabricating a display panel, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0023] In the diagram, 1 is the printer; 2 is the testing mechanism; 3 is the auxiliary mechanism; 4 is the transport component; a1 is the first sealing cavity; a2 is the second sealing cavity; and a3 is the third sealing cavity. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, 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, 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.

[0025] This application provides an inkjet printing method for preparing display panels, which can solve the problems of long film formation time, low machine capacity, and uneven film thickness in related technologies, accelerate the diffusion speed of liquid film, and improve the uniformity of film layer.

[0026] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] See Figure 1 This application proposes an inkjet printing method for manufacturing display panels, applied to an inkjet printing system. The inkjet printing system includes a printer 1, a detection mechanism 2, and at least one auxiliary mechanism 3. The inkjet printing method can be implemented through steps S101-S104, as follows:

[0028] Step S101: Print the first substrate using printer 1 to obtain the second substrate. Printer 1 can employ piezoelectric or electro-atomization printing methods; specifically, electro-atomization can be used. The droplets used by printer 1 consist of organic polymers and a corresponding initiator system. It is understood that the first substrate refers to the unprinted glass substrate, and the second substrate refers to the printed substrate, the substrate with droplets. The droplet region diffuses into a single unit, solidifies to form a liquid film, i.e., a thin film. The third substrate refers to the substrate after film formation.

[0029] Step S102: The second substrate is subjected to visual inspection processing by the inspection mechanism 2 to obtain liquid film information in the second substrate. The inspection mechanism 2 includes, but is not limited to, any visual inspection camera capable of visual inspection, such as a structured light camera, a time-of-flight optical camera, or a light field camera. The liquid film information includes the distribution information of droplet regions, the area and number of each droplet region, and the area and number of each droplet-free region.

[0030] Step S103: Determine the auxiliary mechanism 3 corresponding to the liquid film information based on the liquid film information.

[0031] In some embodiments, the at least one auxiliary mechanism 3 includes at least one of a rotating mechanism, an oscillating mechanism, and an ultrasonic mechanism; the liquid film information includes the area and number of each droplet region and the area and number of each droplet-free region. Determining the auxiliary mechanism 3 corresponding to the liquid film information based on the liquid film information can be achieved through steps S1031-S1033, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 2 The specific steps are as follows:

[0032] Step S1031: When the area of ​​all droplet regions on the second substrate and their proportion in the target thin film area are less than a ratio threshold, and the number of droplet-free regions is greater than a quantity threshold, the corresponding auxiliary mechanism 3 is determined to be a rotation mechanism. The target thin film area is the ideal thin film area after film formation.

[0033] Step S1032: When the area of ​​all droplet regions on the second substrate and their proportion in the target thin film area are greater than the ratio threshold, and the number of droplet-free regions is greater than the quantity threshold, the corresponding auxiliary mechanism 3 is determined to be an oscillation mechanism.

[0034] Step S1033: When the area of ​​all droplet regions on the second substrate and the area ratio in the target thin film area are greater than the ratio threshold, and the number of droplet-free regions is less than the number threshold, the corresponding auxiliary mechanism 3 is determined to be an ultrasonic mechanism.

[0035] In this embodiment, the most suitable diffusion aid mechanism 3 for the droplets in the current substrate is determined based on the droplet distribution information, the area and number of each droplet region, and the area and number of each droplet-free region. This ensures a more uniform substrate film layer after diffusion, guaranteeing uniform film formation over a large area of ​​droplets, thereby achieving an ultrathin film. Thus, by combining electro-atomization printing and diffusion processes provided in this embodiment, it is possible to break through the 200nm-2nm thin film range. This ultrathin film fabrication method has great application potential for thinning display devices.

[0036] Step S104: The second substrate is diffused using the corresponding auxiliary mechanism 3 to obtain the third substrate.

[0037] In some embodiments, the rotating mechanism includes a stage and a rotating assembly; the inkjet printing system includes a transport assembly 4; the diffusion treatment of the second substrate by the corresponding auxiliary mechanism 3 can be achieved through steps S1041-S1043, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3 The specific steps are as follows:

[0038] Step S1041: The second substrate is transferred to the stage of the rotating mechanism via the transport component 4. (Refer to...) Figure 5The transport component 4 can be any component capable of transport, such as a transport robot, to transfer the second substrate from the printer 1 to the platform of the rotating mechanism. This can be achieved through the following steps: the transport robot includes a robotic arm and a drive motor; the printer 1 is located in the first sealed cavity a1, the transport component 4 is located in the second sealed cavity a2, and the auxiliary mechanism 3 is located in the third sealed cavity a3; the number of third sealed cavities a3 is the same as the number of auxiliary mechanisms 3; the first sealed cavity a1 is connected to the second sealed cavity a2, and the second sealed cavity a2 is connected to multiple third sealed cavities a3; the robotic arm enters the first sealed cavity a1 to support, adsorb, or clamp the second substrate from the printer 1, and then moves it to a position close to the target third sealed cavity a3 via the drive motor, placing the second substrate on the platform of the auxiliary mechanism 3. Here, the target third sealed cavity a3 is the third sealed cavity a3 corresponding to the auxiliary mechanism 3, determined based on the liquid film information.

[0039] Step S1042: Determine the rotation parameters of the rotating component based on the liquid film information and the size information of the second substrate. Here, the liquid film information may include the area of ​​each droplet region, the area of ​​each droplet-free region, and the droplet distribution information; the size information of the second substrate includes the length and width of the second substrate, which is the same as the size information of the first substrate; the rotation parameters include the rotation speed and rotation time. The distribution information includes whether the droplets are close to the edge.

[0040] In some examples, the smaller the area of ​​the droplet region, the larger the rotation speed and rotation time settings of the rotating component; the longer the substrate length, the larger the rotation speed and rotation time settings of the rotating component; the wider the substrate width, the larger the rotation speed and rotation time settings of the rotating component; of course, the droplet distribution information can also be combined, and the closer the droplet region is to the edge of the second substrate, the smaller the rotation speed and rotation time settings of the rotating component.

[0041] In other examples, the liquid film information may also include the thickness of the liquid film. The rotation rate and rotation time of the rotating component are determined based on the difference between the liquid film thickness and the target film thickness. Specifically, the larger the difference between the liquid film thickness and the target film thickness, the larger the set values ​​for the rotation rate and rotation time of the rotating component. In other examples, the liquid film information may also include the volume of the droplet region. The volume of the droplet region is calculated based on the droplet region thickness and surface area. The rotation rate and rotation time of the rotating component are determined based on the motion prediction parameters of the droplet region volume (e.g., the trajectory and distribution of motion at various rotation rates and rotation times). The target film thickness refers to the thickness of the ideally formed film.

[0042] Step S1043: Rotate the stage using the rotation component according to the rotation parameters. The rotation component is a component that can drive the stage to rotate, including a transmission component, a rotation drive component, etc.

[0043] In this embodiment, the rotation parameters of the rotating assembly are determined based on the liquid film information and the size information of the second substrate. Then, the stage is rotated by the rotating assembly according to the rotation parameters. The rotation parameters of the rotating stage can be accurately determined, so that the liquid film layer on the second substrate is uniform, and a uniform film formation effect can be achieved. This avoids uneven film layer caused by the film being too thin, thus improving the manufacturing process of thinning the display panel.

[0044] In other embodiments, the oscillation mechanism includes a stage, an X-axis oscillation component, and a Y-axis oscillation component; the inkjet printing system includes a transport component 4; the liquid film information also includes droplet distribution information; the diffusion treatment of the substrate by the corresponding auxiliary mechanism 3 can be achieved through the following steps: transferring the second substrate to the stage of the oscillation mechanism via the transport component 4; determining the oscillation process of the X-axis oscillation component and the Y-axis oscillation component, the oscillation parameters of the X-axis oscillation component, and the oscillation parameters of the Y-axis oscillation component based on the liquid film information and the size information of the second substrate; and oscillating the stage according to the oscillation process of the X-axis oscillation component and the Y-axis oscillation component based on the oscillation parameters of the X-axis oscillation component and the oscillation parameters of the Y-axis oscillation component.

[0045] In some examples, the droplet distribution information includes the coordinate positions of each droplet region on the X and Y axes. A substrate coordinate system is established with the substrate as the plane, and the coordinate positions of all droplet regions in the substrate coordinate system are determined. Based on the coordinate positions of all droplet regions in the substrate coordinate system, the distance between each droplet region and the edge of the second substrate can be obtained. If the sum of the distances between all droplet regions and the X-axis edge of the second substrate is greater than the sum of the distances between all droplet regions and the Y-axis edge of the second substrate, then the oscillation process is to first perform the diffusion process of the X-axis oscillation component, and then perform the diffusion process of the Y-axis oscillation component.

[0046] Then, the oscillation parameters are determined based on the liquid film information and the dimensions of the second substrate. The liquid film information includes the area of ​​each droplet region. The oscillation parameters include oscillation time, oscillation frequency, and oscillation amplitude. The substrate dimensions include length and width. Assuming the X-axis represents the width direction and the Y-axis represents the length direction, the longer the second substrate, the larger the set values ​​for the oscillation time, oscillation frequency, and oscillation amplitude of the Y-axis oscillation component; the wider the second substrate, the larger the set values ​​for the oscillation time, oscillation frequency, and oscillation amplitude of the X-axis oscillation component. The droplet region distribution information includes whether the droplet region is close to the edge of the substrate. The closer the droplet region is to the edge of the second substrate along the length direction, the smaller the set values ​​for the oscillation time, oscillation frequency, and oscillation amplitude of the Y-axis oscillation component; the closer the droplet region is to the edge of the second substrate along the width direction, the smaller the set values ​​for the oscillation time, oscillation frequency, and oscillation amplitude of the X-axis oscillation component. The X-axis oscillation component is a component capable of driving the stage to move linearly along the X-axis, and the Y-axis oscillation component is a component capable of driving the stage to move linearly along the Y-axis, including transmission components, linear drive components, piezoelectric structure components, etc.

[0047] In other examples, the liquid film information may also include the thickness of the droplet region. The oscillation time, oscillation frequency, and oscillation amplitude settings of the oscillation mechanism are determined based on the difference between the droplet region thickness and the target film thickness. Specifically, the greater the difference between the droplet region thickness and the target film thickness, the greater the oscillation time, oscillation frequency, and oscillation amplitude settings of the oscillation mechanism.

[0048] In other embodiments, the ultrasonic mechanism includes a stage and ultrasonic components arranged in sections; the inkjet printing system includes a transport component 4; the diffusion treatment of the substrate by the corresponding auxiliary mechanism 3 can be achieved through the following steps: transferring the second substrate to the stage of the ultrasonic mechanism by the transport component 4; determining the emission process and emission parameters of the ultrasonic mechanism based on the liquid film information and the size information of the substrate; and controlling the corresponding ultrasonic components to emit ultrasonic waves according to the emission parameters and the emission process.

[0049] In some examples, the liquid film information includes the area of ​​each droplet region and the area of ​​each droplet-free region. First, based on the distribution location of the ultrasonic components, the ultrasonic regions corresponding to the ultrasonic components on the second substrate are divided, and the area of ​​the droplet region within each ultrasonic region is calculated. Then, diffusion processing is performed on the corresponding ultrasonic components according to the order of droplet region areas from smallest to largest. The emission parameters include emission frequency, emission intensity, and emission time. The smaller the area of ​​the droplet region within the ultrasonic region, the higher the set values ​​of the emission frequency, emission intensity, and emission time of the ultrasonic component. Alternatively, the distribution information of the droplet regions can be considered; the closer the droplet regions are to the edge of the second substrate, the lower the set values ​​of the emission frequency, emission intensity, and emission time of the ultrasonic component. Here, the ultrasonic component is an ultrasonic generator capable of emitting ultrasonic waves.

[0050] In other examples, the liquid film information may also include the thickness of the droplet region. The settings for the emission frequency, emission intensity, and emission time of the ultrasonic component are determined based on the difference between the thickness of the droplet region and the thickness of the target film. Specifically, the greater the difference between the thickness of the droplet region and the thickness of the target film, the greater the settings for the emission frequency, emission intensity, and emission time of the ultrasonic component.

[0051] In some examples, the inkjet printing system further includes a heating plate disposed inside the stage; the inkjet printing method may also perform the following steps: when the substrate is placed on the stage, the substrate is heated by the heating plate to promote the diffusion of droplet regions on the substrate.

[0052] As an example, the heating plate is formed by splicing multiple heating elements. Heating the substrate through the heating plate can be achieved through the following steps: visual inspection of the substrate by the detection mechanism 2 to determine the target area requiring diffusion treatment; during diffusion treatment, the target area is heated by the heating element corresponding to the target area to promote the diffusion of droplet regions in the target area of ​​the substrate. One heating element corresponds to one substrate sub-region. Based on the substrate sub-region corresponding to the heating element, the area of ​​the droplet region within each substrate sub-region is calculated. When the area of ​​the droplet region within the substrate sub-region is less than the target film sub-area, it indicates that the droplet region within the substrate sub-region is leveled, meaning that the substrate sub-region needs to be heated to promote the diffusion of droplet regions in the target area of ​​the substrate. The target area refers to the substrate sub-region on the substrate corresponding to the heating element that needs to be heated. The target film sub-area refers to the area occupied by the ideal film in the substrate sub-region.

[0053] In this embodiment, the diffusion of droplets on the substrate is accelerated more efficiently by using partitioned heating elements, thus ensuring film quality.

[0054] In some embodiments, before printing the first substrate using the printer 1 to obtain the second substrate, the inkjet printing method may further perform the following steps: determining the viscosity of the droplets in the substrate based on the material of the droplets in the printer 1; when the viscosity of the droplets is less than a viscosity threshold, printing the edge of the first substrate using the printer 1 to form a barrier area; and curing the barrier area using the curing mechanism to prevent droplets from detaching from the substrate during diffusion processing. In some examples, the droplets used by the printer 1 to print the barrier area and the droplets used to print the substrate may be the same solution and in a wet film state. In other examples, the droplets used by the printer 1 to print the barrier area and the droplets used to print the substrate may be different solutions, with the viscosity of the solution used to print the barrier area being higher than the viscosity of the solution used to print the film.

[0055] In this embodiment, a ring of droplets, slightly taller than the target film thickness, is pre-printed at the edge of the substrate to form a dam. This prevents the droplets from flying outside the substrate during diffusion due to their low viscosity, and also prevents uneven film thickness caused by the faster evaporation of edge droplets compared to inner droplets during film formation, which could result in uneven film thickness after prolonged waiting. This ensures the quality of the film formation.

[0056] In some embodiments, the inkjet printing system further includes a driving component; after the second substrate is visually inspected by the detection mechanism 2, the inkjet printing method may further perform the following steps: determining the non-uniform region in the substrate in the visual inspection result; determining the diffusion center based on the non-uniform region in the substrate; and driving the substrate by the driving component so that the diffusion center is located at the center of the stage. Determining the diffusion center based on the non-uniform region in the substrate can be done by using the center of the non-uniform region as the diffusion center, or by calculating the volume of each droplet region in the substrate and using the centroid of the non-uniform region as the diffusion center.

[0057] In this embodiment, the rotation center of the rotating mechanism is determined based on the non-uniform region in the substrate, making the diffusion process more precise.

[0058] See Figure 4 Specifically, inkjet printing equipment used to fabricate display panels can be devices such as MCUs (Microcontroller Units), PCs (Personal Computers), tablets, portable computers, or servers.

[0059] like Figure 4As shown, an inkjet printing device for fabricating display panels may include: a processor 501, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a communication bus 502, a user interface 5003, a network interface 504, and a memory 505. The communication bus 502 is used to enable communication between these components. The user interface 503 may include a display screen and an input unit such as a keyboard; optionally, the user interface 503 may also include a standard wired interface or a wireless interface. The network interface 504 may optionally include a standard wired interface or a wireless interface (such as a Wi-Fi interface). The memory 505 may be a high-speed random access memory (RAM) or a stable non-volatile memory (NVM), such as a disk drive. The memory 505 may also optionally be a storage device independent of the aforementioned processor 501.

[0060] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 4 The device structure shown does not constitute a limitation on the inkjet printing equipment used to prepare the display panel, and may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0061] like Figure 4 As shown, the memory 505, which serves as a computer storage medium, may include an operating system, a network communication module, a user interface module, and an inkjet printing application.

[0062] exist Figure 4 In the device shown, the network interface 504 is mainly used to connect to the backend server and communicate data with the backend server; the user interface 503 is mainly used to connect to the client and communicate data with the client; and the processor 501 can be used to call the inkjet printing program stored in the memory 505 to implement the operations in the inkjet printing method for preparing display panels provided in the above embodiments.

[0063] This application also proposes an inkjet printing system for fabricating display panels. The inkjet printing system includes a printer 1, a detection mechanism 2, and at least one auxiliary mechanism 3. The detection mechanism 2 includes one or more visual inspection cameras. Specifically, one visual inspection camera is mounted on the printer 1 for inspecting the surface of a substrate. Each auxiliary mechanism 3 has a visual inspection camera mounted on its side. The scanning light from the visual inspection camera is parallel to the substrate and is used to detect the thickness of droplet regions on the substrate.

[0064] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "X", "Y", "Z", etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0065] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0066] It should be noted that in this application, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0067] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. An inkjet printing method for preparing display panels, applied to an inkjet printing system, characterized in that, The inkjet printing system includes a printer, a testing mechanism, and at least one auxiliary mechanism; The inkjet printing method includes: The first substrate is printed using the printer to obtain the second substrate; The detection mechanism performs visual inspection on the second substrate to obtain information about the liquid film in the second substrate. Based on the liquid film information, an auxiliary mechanism corresponding to the liquid film information is determined; The third substrate is obtained by performing diffusion treatment on the second substrate using the corresponding auxiliary mechanism. The at least one auxiliary mechanism includes at least one of a rotating mechanism, an oscillating mechanism, and an ultrasonic mechanism; the liquid film information includes the area and number of each droplet region and the area and number of each droplet-free region.

2. The inkjet printing method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the auxiliary mechanism corresponding to the liquid film information based on the liquid film information includes: When the area of ​​all droplet regions on the second substrate and the area ratio of the target thin film area are less than the ratio threshold, and the number of droplet-free regions is greater than the number threshold, the corresponding auxiliary mechanism is determined to be a rotation mechanism. When the area of ​​all droplet regions on the second substrate and the area ratio of the target thin film area are greater than the ratio threshold, and the number of droplet-free regions is greater than the number threshold, the corresponding auxiliary mechanism is determined to be an oscillation mechanism. When the area of ​​all droplet regions on the second substrate and their proportion in the target thin film area are greater than the ratio threshold, and the number of droplet-free regions is less than the quantity threshold, the corresponding auxiliary mechanism is determined to be an ultrasonic mechanism.

3. The inkjet printing method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The rotating mechanism includes a stage and a rotating assembly; the inkjet printing system includes a carrier assembly. The diffusion process performed on the second substrate through the corresponding auxiliary mechanism includes: The second substrate is transferred to the platform of the rotating mechanism by the transport assembly; Based on the liquid film information and the size information of the second substrate, the rotation parameters of the rotating assembly are determined; The platform is rotated by the rotating assembly according to the rotation parameters.

4. The inkjet printing method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The inkjet printing system also includes a drive component; After performing visual inspection on the second substrate through the detection mechanism, the method further includes: Identify the non-uniform regions in the substrate from the visual inspection results; The diffusion center is determined based on the non-uniform region in the substrate; and the substrate is driven by the driving component so that the diffusion center is located at the center of the stage.

5. The inkjet printing method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The oscillation mechanism includes a stage, an X-axis oscillation component, and a Y-axis oscillation component; the inkjet printing system includes a transport component; the liquid film information also includes droplet distribution information; The diffusion process performed on the second substrate through the corresponding auxiliary mechanism includes: The second substrate is transferred to the stage of the oscillation mechanism by the transport component; Based on the liquid film information and the size information of the second substrate, the oscillation process of the X-axis oscillation component and the Y-axis oscillation component, the oscillation parameters of the X-axis oscillation component, and the oscillation parameters of the Y-axis oscillation component are determined. The stage is oscillated according to the oscillation parameters of the X-axis oscillation component and the oscillation parameters of the Y-axis oscillation component, following the oscillation process of the X-axis oscillation component and the Y-axis oscillation component.

6. The inkjet printing method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The ultrasonic mechanism includes a stage and ultrasonic components arranged in sections; the inkjet printing system includes a transport component. The diffusion process performed on the second substrate through the corresponding auxiliary mechanism includes: The second substrate is transferred to the stage of the ultrasonic mechanism by the transport assembly; Based on the liquid film information and the size information of the substrate, the emission process and emission parameters of the ultrasonic mechanism are determined; Based on the emission parameters, the corresponding ultrasonic component is controlled to emit ultrasonic waves according to the emission process.

7. The inkjet printing method according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The inkjet printing system also includes a heating plate, which is disposed inside the stage. The method further includes: When the second substrate is placed on the stage, the second substrate is heated by the heating plate to promote the diffusion of droplets on the second substrate.

8. The inkjet printing method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The heating plate is formed by splicing together multiple heating elements; The heating of the second substrate via the heating plate includes: The detection mechanism performs visual inspection on the second substrate to determine the target area that needs diffusion treatment. During the diffusion process, the target area is heated by a heating element corresponding to the target area to promote the diffusion of droplets in the target area of ​​the second substrate.

9. The inkjet printing method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inkjet printing system also includes a curing mechanism; Before printing the first substrate using the printer to obtain the second substrate, the method further includes: The viscosity of the droplets in the substrate is determined based on the material of the droplets in the printer. When the viscosity of the droplet is less than the viscosity threshold, the printer prints on the edge of the first substrate to form a barrier area. The curing mechanism is used to cure the enclosure area to prevent droplets from detaching from the substrate during the diffusion process.

10. An inkjet printing apparatus for manufacturing display panels, characterized in that, The inkjet printing device includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the inkjet printing method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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