Alignment film printing plate and printing apparatus
By setting an outward expansion around the circular printing structure of the alignment film printing plate for alignment liquid compensation, the problem of uneven film thickness at the edge of the alignment film is solved, thereby improving the product performance and yield of the liquid crystal display device.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-01-02
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-26
AI Technical Summary
During the production of liquid crystal display devices, uneven film thickness at the edges is prone to occur when printing the alignment film on circular products, leading to problems such as light leakage and black lines at the edges, which affects the product yield.
Multiple expansion sections are set around the circular printing structure of the alignment film printing plate to store the alignment liquid, and the alignment liquid is compensated for in the edge area through the expansion sections to ensure uniform distribution of the alignment liquid during the printing process.
It improves the uniformity of alignment film thickness, reduces the possibility of problems such as light leakage and black lines at the edges, and improves product yield.
Smart Images
Figure CN117850103B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of liquid crystal display technology, and more particularly to an alignment film printing plate and a printing apparatus. Background Technology
[0002] This section provides only background information relevant to this disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.
[0003] In the production process of liquid crystal display devices, alignment films need to be coated onto glass substrates using alignment film printing plates. This process involves first placing alignment liquid onto the alignment film printing plate, and then pressing the alignment film printing plate onto the glass substrate using a printing device, so that the alignment liquid stored on the alignment film printing plate is coated onto the display area of the glass substrate.
[0004] However, when printing circular products, the alignment film formed on the glass substrate is prone to uneven thickness at the edges, which affects product performance and may even cause problems such as light leakage and black lines at the edges, thus affecting product yield. Summary of the Invention
[0005] This invention provides an alignment film printing plate and a printing apparatus, which can solve the problem of uneven film thickness at the edges after printing on existing alignment film printing plates.
[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an alignment film printing plate, comprising a printing plate substrate and at least one circular printing structure disposed on the printing plate substrate, the circular printing structure being used to store an alignment liquid, and the outer edge of the circular printing structure having a radially extending outward expansion portion for storing the alignment liquid.
[0007] In some embodiments of the present invention, the number of the outward expansion portions is multiple, and the multiple outward expansion portions are arranged circumferentially along the circular printed structure.
[0008] In some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of the outward expansion portions include: two first outward expansion portions disposed opposite to each other along a first radial direction of the circular printed structure; and two second outward expansion portions disposed opposite to each other along a second radial direction of the circular printed structure; wherein the first radial direction and the second radial direction are perpendicular to each other.
[0009] In some embodiments of the present invention, the central angle of the circular printed structure corresponding to the first outward expansion portion is 85-95°; and / or, the central angle of the circular printed structure corresponding to the second outward expansion portion is 85-95°.
[0010] In some embodiments of the present invention, along the radial direction of the circular printed structure, each of the outward expansion portions includes a first side and a second side facing away from each other. The first side and the second side are both arc-shaped. The second side is adapted to and connected to the outer edge of the circular printed structure. Along the circumference of the circular printed structure, the opposite ends of the first side are connected one-to-one to the opposite ends of the second side.
[0011] In some embodiments of the present invention, the maximum distance between the first side and the second side along the radial direction of the circular printed structure is less than or equal to 200 μm.
[0012] In some embodiments of the present invention, the circular printed structure is provided with a plurality of first storage channels for storing the alignment liquid.
[0013] In some embodiments of the present invention, the circular printed structure has a first region and a second region arranged radially from the inside to the outside, the radial dimension of the first region being greater than or equal to that of the second region; the plurality of first storage channels include a first sub-channel located in the first region and a second sub-channel located in the second region, and the depth of the second sub-channel is greater than the depth of the first sub-channel along the first radial direction of the circular printed structure and the second radial direction perpendicular to the first radial direction.
[0014] In some embodiments of the present invention, the depth of the second sub-channel gradually increases from the side of the second region adjacent to the first region to the side away from the first region.
[0015] In some embodiments of the present invention, the circular printed structure is provided with a plurality of first protrusions, and a first storage channel is formed between two adjacent first protrusions.
[0016] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a printing apparatus having an alignment film printing plate as described in any of the above technical solutions.
[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:
[0018] The present invention provides an alignment film printing plate, which has a circular printing structure on the printing plate substrate and multiple circumferentially arranged outward expansions on the circular printing structure. The outward expansions can increase the amount of alignment liquid stored in some edge areas of the circular printing structure. In the printing process, the alignment liquid is used to compensate for the lack of alignment liquid at the edges of the circular printing structure, so that the formed alignment film forms a complete circular structure with uniform film thickness. This improves product performance, reduces the possibility of problems such as light leakage and black lines at the edges, and improves the product yield. Attached Figure Description
[0019] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:
[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an alignment film printing plate provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.
[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a circular printing structure of an alignment film printing plate provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.
[0022] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a circular printed structure of an alignment film printing plate provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically.
[0023] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of another circular printed structure of an alignment film printing plate provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically.
[0024] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a printing apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.
[0025] The attached figures are labeled as follows:
[0026] 100. Alignment film printing board;
[0027] 10. Printed circuit board substrate; 11. First surface; 12. Second surface;
[0028] 20. Circular printing structure; 21. First outward expansion; 22. Second outward expansion; 23. First side; 24. Second side; 25. First storage channel; 251. First sub-channel; 252. Second sub-channel; 26. First protrusion; 27. First region; 28. Second region;
[0029] 200. Printing roller;
[0030] 300. Glass substrate;
[0031] X, first radial direction; Y, second radial direction. Detailed Implementation
[0032] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
[0033] It should be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” as used herein may also include the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and “having” are inclusive and therefore indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not construed as requiring them to be performed in a particular order described or illustrated unless the order of performance is explicitly indicated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be used.
[0034] Although terms such as first, second, third, etc., may be used in this document to describe multiple elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or segment from another. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms used herein do not imply order or sequence. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer, or segment discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or segment without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.
[0035] For ease of description, spatial relative terms may be used in the text to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to another element or feature, as shown in the figure. These relative terms include, for example, "inside," "outside," "middle," "outer," "below," "below," "above," "over," etc. Such spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation, other than those depicted in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure is flipped, an element described as "below other elements or features" or "below other elements or features" would subsequently be oriented as "above other elements or features" or "above other elements or features." Therefore, the example term "below" can include both upper and lower orientations. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other directions), and the spatial relative descriptors used in the text will be interpreted accordingly.
[0036] Alignment films play a crucial role in liquid crystal displays (LCDs). By controlling the orientation and alignment of liquid crystal molecules, they influence their arrangement, directly affecting the sharpness, contrast, and response speed of the displayed image. During the manufacturing process of LCD devices, coating the glass substrate with alignment films ensures that the liquid crystal molecules align according to design requirements, thereby achieving high-quality image display.
[0037] During the production of circular products, the circular structure storing the alignment liquid on the alignment film printing plate is prone to deformation during the printing process. This leads to a reduction in the amount of alignment liquid in the edge area of the circular structure, resulting in uneven thickness of the alignment film at the edge. When the uneven alignment film enters the display area of the monitor, defects such as light leakage and black lines at the edges are likely to occur.
[0038] Therefore, reducing the uneven film thickness of alignment films in circular products and ensuring product yield is an important research direction in the production and processing of liquid crystal displays.
[0039] In view of this, the present application provides an alignment film printing plate structure, which solves the above-mentioned technical problem by setting an expansion portion around the original circular printing structure, and by using the expansion portion to compensate for the alignment liquid in the edge where there may be insufficient alignment liquid.
[0040] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-4 The structure of the alignment film printing plate provided in this embodiment will be described.
[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an alignment film printing plate provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a circular printing structure of an alignment film printing plate provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.
[0042] Combined with appendix Figure 1 and attached Figure 2 As shown in the figure, this embodiment provides an alignment film printing plate 100, including a printing plate substrate 10 and at least one circular printing structure 20 disposed on the printing plate substrate 10, the circular printing structure 20 being used to store the alignment liquid.
[0043] In this embodiment, the printed circuit board substrate 10 can be made of glass, polyester film, or other similar materials. The shape of the printed circuit board substrate 10 can be a rectangular plate as shown in the figure, or other shapes. The printed circuit board includes a first surface 11 and a second surface 12 facing away from each other, and a plurality of circular printed structures 20 are provided on the first surface 11.
[0044] Each circular printed structure 20 in this embodiment is used for a display area of the display panel. The circular printed structure 20 is circular in shape and has a pattern formed by multiple protrusions. The pattern is used to store the alignment liquid mentioned above.
[0045] In this embodiment, the number of circular printed structures 20 can be multiple, and they can be arranged in multiple rows and columns. The material of the circular printed structures 20 can be resin materials, such as polyester, polyamide, and other polymer materials, which will not be listed in detail in this embodiment. The circular printed structures 20 are fixedly connected to the printed circuit board substrate 10. The connection method can be integral molding or integral connection. More specifically, the circular printed structures 20 can be integrally molded to the printed circuit board substrate 10 through a printing process.
[0046] In this embodiment, the outer edge of the circular printing structure 20 is provided with an expansion portion, which extends radially along the circular printing structure 20 and is used to store the alignment liquid. Furthermore, there can be multiple expansion portions, which are arranged circumferentially along the circular printing structure 20, and the multiple expansion portions can be connected sequentially or arranged at intervals.
[0047] The extended portion can increase the amount of alignment liquid stored in some edge areas of the circular printed structure 20. In the printing process, the alignment liquid is compensated for the edge areas where the alignment liquid is prone to decrease after deformation, so that the alignment film formed on the glass substrate 300 can form a complete circular structure. It can also improve the uniformity of the film thickness at the edge of the alignment film, thereby improving product performance, reducing the possibility of problems such as light leakage and black lines at the edges, and improving the product yield.
[0048] Combined with appendix Figure 2As shown, in some examples, optionally, the plurality of outward expansions in this embodiment include two first outward expansions 21 and two second outward expansions 22. The two first outward expansions 21 are disposed opposite each other along a first radial direction X of the circular printed structure 20, and the two second outward expansions 22 are disposed opposite each other along a second radial direction Y of the circular printed structure 20; the first radial direction X and the second radial direction Y are perpendicular to each other. And along the first radial direction X, the two second outward expansions 22 are located between the two first outward expansions 21, or in other words, along the second radial direction Y, the two first outward expansions 21 are located between the two second outward expansions 22.
[0049] The areas where the circular printed structure 20 exhibits greater deformation during printing are the two sides along the first radial direction X and the two sides along the second radial direction Y, which is perpendicular to the first radial direction X. Therefore, in this embodiment, a first outward expansion portion 21 is provided on both sides of the first radial direction X, and a second outward expansion portion 22 is provided on both sides of the second radial direction Y. The first outward expansion portion 21 and the second outward expansion portion 22 have the same structure and size.
[0050] In one example, either the first radial direction X or the second radial direction Y of this embodiment is aligned with or substantially aligned with the circumference of the printing roller 200. For example, the first radial direction X forms an angle of less than 5° with the circumference of the printing roller 200. In another example, both the first radial direction X and the second radial direction Y of this embodiment form a first fixed angle with the circumference of the printing roller 200. For example, the first radial direction X forms an angle of approximately 45° with the circumference of the printing roller 200 and is also an obtuse angle of approximately 135°, and the second radial direction Y forms an angle of approximately 45° with the circumference of the printing roller 200 and is also an obtuse angle of approximately 135°.
[0051] In some examples, optionally, the rounded corner of the circular printed structure 20 corresponding to the first outward expansion portion 21 in this embodiment is 85-95°, preferably 90°; similarly, the rounded corner of the circular printed structure 20 corresponding to the second outward expansion portion 22 in this embodiment can also be 85-95°, preferably 90°.
[0052] When the central angles corresponding to the first expansion portion 21 and the second expansion portion 22 are both 85-95°, especially when they are 90°, the amount of alignment liquid on both sides of the circular printed structure 20 in the first radial direction X and the second radial direction Y can be increased, so that the compensation range of the alignment liquid in the first expansion portion 21 and the second expansion portion 22 can cover the edges of the circular printed structure 20 in the first and second radial directions, further reducing the possibility of uneven edge film thickness after the alignment film is formed.
[0053] In some examples, optionally, along the radial direction of the circular printed structure 20, or along the extension direction of each of the outer expansion portions, the outer expansion portion includes a first side 23 and a second side 24 facing away from each other. Both the first side 23 and the second side 24 are arc-shaped. The second side 24 is connected to the outer edge of the circular printed structure 20, and the two ends of the first side 23 in the circumferential direction of the circular printed structure 20 are connected one-to-one with the two ends of the first side 23 in the circumferential direction of the circular printed structure 20.
[0054] The radius of the arc formed by the first side 23 is smaller than the radius of the edge of the opposite circular printed structure 20. The central angle of the arc formed by the second side 24 is also smaller than the central angle of the edge of the opposite circular printed structure 20. Meanwhile, the second side 24 of the first expansion portion 21 is integrally formed or integrally connected with the circular printed structure 20, and the second side 24 of the second expansion portion 22 is integrally formed or integrally connected with the circular printed structure 20.
[0055] This structure makes the outer edge of the first expansion portion 21 arc-shaped. The radial dimension of the first expansion portion 21 is largest in the central region along the circumference, and the radial dimension of the first expansion portion 21 gradually decreases from the central region to both sides. This structure can be adapted to the circular printing structure 20, where the deformation is largest at the first radial direction X and gradually decreases on both sides during deformation. It can compensate for the area with the largest deformation and the least amount of alignment liquid. At the same time, the radial dimension of the first expansion portion 21 is smallest further away from its central region, which can also prevent the alignment liquid from being too large, resulting in an excessive thickness or radial dimension of the alignment film after molding, further improving the uniformity of film thickness at the edge of the alignment film. Similarly, the second expansion portion 22 is also like this.
[0056] In some examples, optionally, the maximum distance a between the first side 23 and the second side 24 is less than or equal to 200 μm along the radial direction of the circular printed structure 20, or along the extension direction of each of the outward expansions themselves.
[0057] In this embodiment, the maximum distance 'a' between the first side 23 and the second side 24 can be understood as the radial dimension of the central region of the first outer expansion portion 21 along the circumference, which is less than or equal to 200 μm and can be 100 μm, 150 μm, etc. When the maximum distance 'a' between the first side 23 and the second side 24 is within the above value range, it can play a good role in aligning liquid compensation, while not affecting the alignment film forming a circular structure.
[0058] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a circular printed structure of an alignment film printing plate provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically.
[0059] Combined with appendix Figure 3As shown in the figure (the outer expansion is not shown), in some examples, optionally, the circular printed structure 20 of this embodiment stores a plurality of first storage channels 25 for the alignment liquid; similarly, the outer expansion of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of second storage channels (not shown) for storing the alignment liquid.
[0060] The first storage channel 25 and the second storage channel are structures formed by a circular printed structure 20 pattern. Specifically, the first storage channel 25 and the second storage channel can be formed by protrusions or grooves.
[0061] For example, in some examples, the circular printed structure 20 has a plurality of first protrusions 26, a first storage channel 25 is formed between two adjacent first protrusions 26, and the plurality of first protrusions 26 have the same height on the printed substrate. Similarly, the outer expansion portion of this embodiment has a plurality of second protrusions (not shown in the figure, their structure is the same as the first protrusions 26), a second storage channel is formed between two adjacent second protrusions, and the plurality of second protrusions have the same height on the printed substrate.
[0062] In some examples, optionally, the circular printed structure 20 has a first region 27 and a second region 28 arranged radially from the inside out. The radial dimension of the first region 27 is greater than or equal to that of the second region 28. A plurality of first storage channels 25 include a first sub-channel 251 located within the first region 27 and a second sub-channel 252 located within the second region 28. Along the first radial direction X and the second radial direction Y, in this embodiment, the depth of the second sub-channel 252 is greater than the depth of the first sub-channel 251 located within the first region 27. Here, "depth" refers to the dimension of the first sub-channel 251 and the second sub-channel 252 in a direction perpendicular to the first surface 11.
[0063] The second region 28 can be understood as the edge region of the circular printed structure 20. When the depth of the second sub-channel 252 in the second region 28 is large, it can have more alignment liquid storage, and can also play the role of compensating the alignment liquid in the edge region of the circular printed structure 20 after printing deformation, further improving the uniformity of the film thickness of the alignment film.
[0064] In this embodiment, the depth of the second sub-channel 252 within the second region 28 can be gradual, for example, as shown in the figure. Figure 3As shown, along the first radial direction X or the second radial direction Y, the depth of a second sub-channel 252 adjacent to the first sub-channel 251 is b1, and the depth of another second sub-channel 252 adjacent to the second sub-channel 252 with depth b1 and far away from the first sub-channel 251 is b2, where b2 is greater than b1, such that the depth of the plurality of second sub-channels 252 gradually increases in the direction away from the first sub-channel 251. The ranges of b1 and b2 can be selected from 1 to 100 μm, for example, b1 is 10 μm, b2 is 15 μm, etc. The range of the difference between b1 and b2 can be selected from 1 to 50 μm, for example, the range of the difference between b1 and b2 is 5 μm. This embodiment will not list further examples of this.
[0065] This design takes into account that the outermost part of the circular printing structure 20 may have the largest deformation, and the amount of alignment liquid will decrease the most after deformation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the depth of the second sub-channel 252 is designed as a gradient structure.
[0066] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of another circular printed structure of an alignment film printing plate provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically.
[0067] Combined with appendix Figure 4 As shown, in some examples, optionally, the depth of the second sub-channel 252 in the second region 28 of this embodiment can also be constant. In this case, the depth of the second sub-channel 252 and the depth of the first sub-channel 252 of this embodiment can both be constant. For example, the depth of both can be selected from 1-100um, and the difference c between the two is always a constant value, which can be 1-50um.
[0068] Specifically, the depth of the second sub-channel 252 gradually increases from the side adjacent to the first region 27 to the side away from the first region 27.
[0069] In this embodiment, the depth of the second storage channel of the extended portion can be the same as the depth of the first sub-channel 251, or the same as the depth of the second sub-channel 252, or it can be greater than or less than the depth of the first sub-channel 251 and the second sub-channel 252.
[0070] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a printing apparatus provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.
[0071] Combined with appendix Figure 5 As shown in the figure, based on the alignment film printing plate 100 described above, this embodiment also provides a printing apparatus, which includes a printing roller 200 and the alignment film printing plate 100 described above. The remaining parts of the printing apparatus are not shown in the figures of this application. The second surface 12 of the printing plate substrate 10 of the alignment film printing plate 100 is used to connect the printing apparatus.
[0072] The printing apparatus of this embodiment is used to print the alignment liquid of the circular printed structure 20 on the alignment film printing plate 100 onto the glass substrate 300 to form an alignment film. The circular structure formed by the alignment film matches and corresponds to the circular display area on the display. During printing, the alignment film printing plate 100 deforms after being mounted on the printing roller 200, and also deforms when in contact with the glass substrate 300 during printing. The alignment liquid compensation of the circular printed structure 20 can be achieved through the outward expansion of the alignment film printing plate 100 in this embodiment, thereby reducing the possibility of uneven thickness of the alignment film.
[0073] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. An alignment film printing plate, characterized in that, The invention includes a printed circuit board substrate and at least one circular printed structure disposed on the printed circuit board substrate. The circular printed structure is used to store an alignment liquid. The outer edge of the circular printed structure is provided with a radially extending expansion portion for storing the alignment liquid. The number of the outward expansion portions is multiple, and the multiple outward expansion portions are arranged circumferentially along the circular printed structure; Along the radial direction of the circular printed structure, each of the outward expansion portions includes a first side and a second side facing away from each other. Both the first side and the second side are arc-shaped. The second side is adapted to and connected to the outer edge of the circular printed structure. Along the circumference of the circular printed structure, the opposite ends of the first side are connected one-to-one to the opposite ends of the second side.
2. The alignment film printing plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of said external expansion portions include: Two first outward expansions, the two first outward expansions being disposed opposite each other along a first radial direction of the circular printed structure; and Two second outward expansions are arranged opposite each other along the second radial direction of the circular printed structure; Wherein, the first radial direction is perpendicular to the second radial direction.
3. The alignment film printing plate according to claim 2, characterized in that, The central angle of the circular printed structure corresponding to the first outward expansion is 85-95°; And / or, the central angle of the circular printed structure corresponding to the second outward expansion is 85-95°.
4. The alignment film printing plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the radial direction of the circular printed structure, the maximum distance between the first side and the second side is less than or equal to 200 μm.
5. The alignment film printing plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The circular printed structure is provided with multiple first storage channels for storing the alignment liquid.
6. The alignment film printing plate according to claim 5, characterized in that, The circular printed structure has a first region and a second region arranged radially from the inside out, the radial dimension of the first region being greater than or equal to that of the second region; the plurality of first storage channels include a first sub-channel located in the first region and a second sub-channel located in the second region, and along the first radial direction of the circular printed structure and the second radial direction perpendicular to the first radial direction, the depth of the second sub-channel is greater than the depth of the first sub-channel.
7. The alignment film printing plate according to claim 6, characterized in that, The depth of the second sub-channel gradually increases from the side of the second region adjacent to the first region to the side away from the first region.
8. The alignment film printing plate according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The circular printed structure has multiple first protrusions, and a first storage channel is formed between two adjacent first protrusions.
9. A printing apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a printing roller and an alignment film printing plate as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein the alignment film printing plate is connected to the printing roller.