Cover plate and preparation method thereof, display module

Abstract

This disclosure provides a cover plate and its manufacturing method, as well as a display module. The cover plate includes a cover plate body and a lens structure. The lens structure includes a head portion, a tail portion, and a lens body. The lens body is located within the display area and includes multiple lens portions extending along a first direction and spaced apart along a second direction. The head portion and the tail portion extend along the first direction and are located in non-display areas on both sides of the display area in the second direction. The head portion and its adjacent lens portions in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display area. The tail portion and its adjacent lens portions in the second direction also have connecting portions in the non-display area. The adjacent connecting portions in the second direction are located on both sides of the display area in the first direction. Compared with related technologies, the cover plate of this disclosure significantly reduces the width of the non-display area in the first direction, which is beneficial for achieving a narrow bezel, and the lens portions located within the display area have good uniformity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of display technology. More specifically, it relates to a cover plate and its manufacturing method, and a display module. Background Technology

[0002] The working principle of three-dimensional (3D) displays mainly utilizes parallax to create a stereoscopic effect. This means that through certain technologies, the viewer's two eyes see different images: the left eye receives the left view, and the right eye receives the right view. The brain then merges the two images to create a stereoscopic effect. Naked-eye 3D can be achieved using parallax barriers or lenticular lens gratings. A lenticular lens grating involves placing lenticular lenses in front of the display screen. Through the refraction of these lenses, the light emitted from the sub-pixels of the left and right eyes is deflected, entering the viewer's left and right eyes respectively.

[0003] However, for manufacturers of naked-eye 3D display panels, in order to ensure the uniformity of lenses in the display area, a large length of unstable area is usually reserved at the beginning and end of each column of lenses when the cover plate body is made. This will cause the border of the invalid area on the cover plate body to become wider, which is not conducive to the realization of narrow borders of the display panel. At the same time, when each column of lenses is printed separately, their printing state cannot be kept consistent, so the uniformity of each column of lenses in the display area is poor. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a cover plate and its manufacturing method, as well as a display module, to solve the technical problems of wide borders in the ineffective area of ​​the lens plate and poor lens uniformity in the display area in related technologies.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] The first aspect of this disclosure provides a cover plate, the cover plate including a cover plate body and a lens structure disposed on one side surface of the cover plate body. The cover plate body includes a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area. The lens structure includes a head, a tail, and a lens body connected between the head and the tail. The lens body is located within the display area. The lens body includes a plurality of lens portions extending along a first direction and spaced apart along a second direction. The head and tail portions extend along the first direction and are located in the non-display areas on both sides of the display area in the second direction. The head and the lens portion adjacent to it in the second direction have a connecting portion in the non-display area. The tail and the lens portion adjacent to it in the second direction have a connecting portion in the non-display area. The lens portions adjacent to each other in the second direction have a connecting portion in the non-display area. The connecting portions adjacent to each other in the second direction are located on both sides of the display area in the first direction.

[0007] Optionally, a groove surrounding the display area is also provided in the non-display area of ​​the cover plate body, and the orthographic projections of the head, tail and connecting part on the cover plate body overlap with the orthographic projections of the groove on the cover plate body.

[0008] Optionally, the orthographic projection of the groove on the cover plate body covers the orthographic projection of the head, tail, and the portion of the connecting portion extending along the second direction on the cover plate body.

[0009] Optionally, the cover plate further includes a metal layer disposed within the groove, the metal layer being located between the bottom of the groove and the lens structure, and the thickness of the metal layer being less than the depth of the groove.

[0010] Optionally, the metal layer is a copper layer, a molybdenum layer, or a nickel layer.

[0011] Optionally, the connecting portion is arc-shaped.

[0012] Optionally, the ends of the head and the tail are located at the middle position in the first direction of the non-display area.

[0013] A second aspect of this disclosure provides a display module, including a display panel and a cover plate as described above located on the light-emitting side of the display panel.

[0014] A third aspect of this disclosure provides a method for preparing a cover plate, comprising:

[0015] A cover plate body is provided, the cover plate body including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area;

[0016] A lens structure is fabricated on one side surface of the cover plate body using a single printing process. The lens structure includes a head portion, a tail portion, and a lens body connecting the head portion and the tail portion. The lens body is located within the display area. The lens body includes multiple lens portions extending along a first direction and spaced apart along a second direction. The head portion and the tail portion extend along the first direction and are located in non-display areas on either side of the display area in the second direction. The head portion and its adjacent lens portion in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display area. The tail portion and its adjacent lens portion in the second direction also have connecting portions in the non-display area. Adjacent lens portions in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display area, and these connecting portions are located on either side of the display area in the first direction.

[0017] Optionally, before the step of fabricating the lens structure on the cover plate body using a single printing process, the method further includes:

[0018] A groove is formed around the display area in the non-display area of ​​the cover plate body;

[0019] Correspondingly, the step of fabricating the lens structure on one side surface of the cover plate body using a single printing process includes:

[0020] The lens structure is fabricated on one side surface of the cover plate body by a single printing process, wherein the orthographic projections of the head, tail and connecting parts on the cover plate body overlap with the orthographic projections of the groove on the cover plate body.

[0021] Optionally, prior to the step of fabricating the lens structure on one side surface of the cover plate body using a single printing process, the following steps are also included:

[0022] A metal layer is deposited within the groove, wherein the thickness of the metal layer is less than the depth of the groove.

[0023] The beneficial effects of this disclosure are as follows:

[0024] The cover plate of this embodiment includes a cover plate body and a lens structure disposed on one side surface of the cover plate body. The lens structure includes a head, a tail, and a lens body connecting the head and the tail. The lens body is located within the display area and includes a plurality of lens portions extending along a first direction and spaced apart along a second direction. The head and tail extend along the first direction and are located in the non-display areas on both sides of the display area in the second direction. The head and the lens portions adjacent to it in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display areas. The tail and the lens portions adjacent to it in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display areas. The lens portions adjacent to each other in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display areas. The connecting portions adjacent to each other in the second direction are located on both sides of the display area in the first direction. With this improved design, the lens structure is a continuous S-shaped structure integrally formed, which can be fabricated on the cover plate body in a single printing process. The length reserved at the beginning and end of the lens to be printed in the first direction is transferred to the second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In the first direction, the non-display area only needs to cover the connecting portion, which greatly reduces the width of the non-display area in the first direction and is beneficial for achieving a narrow bezel. Meanwhile, the complete lens structure is obtained through continuous printing. Except for the start and end of printing, the lens printing equipment is in a stable printing state. The process parameters of the equipment remain unchanged throughout the process, thus ensuring that the lens part located in the display area has good uniformity. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The specific embodiments of this disclosure will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of a naked-eye 3D display module in the related art;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a cover plate according to an embodiment of the related technology;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the cover plate disclosed herein;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the cover plate disclosed herein;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of yet another embodiment of the cover plate disclosed herein;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an embodiment of the cover plate preparation method of this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of another embodiment of the cover plate preparation method of this disclosure;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the preparation process of the cover plate of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms “first,” “second,” and similar terms used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Similarly, the terms “an,” “a,” or “the,” and similar terms do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one. The terms “including,” “comprising,” or “containing,” and similar terms mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. The terms “connected,” “linked,” or similar terms are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. The terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” and “right,” etc., are used only to indicate relative positional relationships, and these relative positional relationships may change accordingly when the absolute position of the described objects changes.

[0036] To better understand the technical solution disclosed herein, the naked-eye stereoscopic display technology will first be introduced. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary structure of a naked-eye 3D display module in related technologies, such as... Figure 1 The naked-eye 3D display module shown includes a substrate 10, a display layer 20 disposed on the substrate 10, and a cover plate 30 disposed on the light-emitting side of the display layer 20. The cover plate 30 is provided with a lens structure, which is used to refract light emitted from the left and right eye sub-pixels through the lens to deflect the direction of light and allow it to enter the left and right eyes of the viewer respectively. In the fabrication of the naked-eye 3D display module, the display layer 20 is first fabricated on the substrate 10 to obtain a display panel. Then, a cover plate 30 suitable for the display panel is fabricated separately. Finally, the display panel and the cover plate 30 are bonded together to obtain a complete naked-eye 3D display module.

[0037] Please refer to this again. Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a planar schematic diagram of a cover plate suitable for glasses-free stereoscopic displays in related technologies, such as... Figure 2 As shown, in existing cover plates, the cover plate includes a cover plate body 301 and a lens grating 303 formed on the cover plate body 301. The lens grating 303 includes multiple rows of parallel lenses 303a. The size, shape, and other parameters of the multiple rows of lenses 303a are matched with the display layer of the display panel to achieve a stereoscopic display effect. Figure 2 The area within the dashed box represents the display area AA, while the area outside the dashed box is an invalid or transitional area without display function, represented as the non-display area BB. It should be noted that... Figure 2 The lines used to represent each column of lens 303a are only for schematic representation of the lenses, and the uniformity of the lines does not indicate the uniformity of the lenses.

[0038] The applicant discovered through research that the existing cover plate has a wide border in the ineffective area. This is mainly because during the cover plate fabrication process, multiple lens rows are disconnected and need to be printed separately. Therefore, when fabricating the lenses, a certain length needs to be reserved at the beginning and end of each lens row. Figure 2 The unstable regions (shown as W1 and W2) are designed to ensure that the portion of the lens within the display area is uniform. Here, uniformity refers to maintaining consistency in thickness, width, shape, and other aspects of the lens across different locations within the display area. To ensure high uniformity of the lens within the display area, the unstable regions are typically quite long; that is, W1 and W2 are relatively long. This results in a wider bezel in the non-display area in that direction, hindering the achievement of a narrow bezel in the naked-eye 3D display module in that direction.

[0039] Furthermore, each column of lenses is printed individually, and the beginning and end of each printing process are unstable. Therefore, the height of each column of lenses may be uneven in the unstable area. At the same time, a large amount of lens material may remain in the unstable area, which may also cause the lens to be too tall. All of these factors may further increase the risk of the lens being crushed or even the cover plate breaking when it is bonded to the display panel.

[0040] To address the above technical problems, this disclosure provides a cover plate and its preparation method, as well as a display module. The technical solution of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0041] Example 1

[0042] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cover plate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is suitable for glasses-free 3D display modules. Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the cover plate includes a cover plate body 301 and a lens structure disposed on one side surface of the cover plate body 301.

[0043] Specifically, the cover plate body 301 includes a display area AA and a non-display area BB surrounding the display area AA. The display area AA of the cover plate body 301 corresponds to the display area in the naked-eye 3D display module. It is used to deflect the light emitted by the left and right eye sub-pixels in the display panel through the refraction of the lens inside the display area AA, so that the light enters the left and right eyes of the viewer respectively.

[0044] In some embodiments, the cover body 301 may be made of glass or polyimide (PI) film. This embodiment does not limit the material of the cover body 301.

[0045] Specifically, the lens structure is placed on one side surface of the cover plate body 301.

[0046] In this embodiment, the lens structure is continuously printed in a single process, forming a continuous S-shaped structure. This design eliminates the need to reserve unstable regions of a certain length at the beginning and end of the printed lens structure, rather than reserving unstable regions at the beginning and end of each column of lenses. This reduces the length of the unstable regions to some extent. Furthermore, by obtaining a complete lens structure through continuous single printing, the lens printing equipment remains in a stable printing state except at the start and end of the printing process. The process parameters of the equipment remain constant throughout the process, ensuring good uniformity of the lens portion within the display area AA. Its width, height, and shape remain consistent, meeting the requirements of the naked-eye 3D display module for the lens structure.

[0047] Furthermore, the lens structure includes a head portion 3031, a tail portion 3032, and a lens body 3033 connecting the head portion 3031 and the tail portion 3032. The lens body 3033 is located within the display area AA. The lens body 3033 includes multiple lens portions 3033a extending along a first direction and spaced apart along a second direction. The head portion 3031 and the tail portion 3032 extend along the first direction and are located in non-display areas BB on either side of the display area AA in the second direction. The head portion 3031 and its adjacent lens portion 3033a in the second direction have a connecting portion 3033b in the non-display area BB. The tail portion 3032 and its adjacent lens portion 3033a in the second direction also have a connecting portion 3033b in the non-display area BB. The adjacent connecting portions 3033b in the second direction are located on either side of the display area AA in the first direction. As shown in the figure, the first direction is represented by the Y direction, and the second direction is represented by the X direction. In some embodiments, the first direction and the second direction can be perpendicular or intersecting.

[0048] like Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the head portion 3031 is the starting end of the lens, i.e., the unstable part formed at the beginning of printing, and the tail portion 3032 is the ending end of the lens, i.e., the unstable part formed at the end of printing. Since the head portion 3031 and the tail portion 3032 are both located in the non-display areas BB on both sides of the display area AA in the second direction, and the head portion 3031 and the tail portion 3032 extend along the first direction, a longer unstable area can be printed at the beginning of printing to ensure the stability of the lens body 3033 after entering the display area AA. The length of the head portion 3031 and the tail portion 3032 will not affect the width (W) of the non-display area BB in the first direction. The width W of the non-display area BB in the first direction only needs to cover the connecting portion 3033, without reserving a large width, which is beneficial to the realization of a narrow bezel in the first direction. Furthermore, by printing a relatively long head 3031 and tail 3032 in the non-display area, and forming the lens body 3033 in the display area AA through continuous printing, the uniformity of the lens body 3033 in the display area AA can be guaranteed because the printing equipment is in a consistent and stable working state throughout the entire printing process of the lens structure.

[0049] Furthermore, since the cover plate body 301 itself has a non-display area corresponding to the display panel, and the non-display area has a certain width in the second direction, and in this embodiment the head 3031 and tail 3032 are set in the non-display areas BB on both sides of the display area AA in the second direction, and the head 3031 and tail 3032 extend along the first direction, the setting of the head 3031 and tail 3032 will not affect the width of the non-display area BB in the second direction. That is, the technical solution disclosed in this embodiment will not affect the narrow bezel implementation in the second direction while ensuring the narrow bezel implementation in the first direction.

[0050] Specifically, the lens body 3033 has an S-shaped structure, that is, the lens part 3033a and the connecting part 3033b are connected in sequence to form an S-shape. The lens part 3033a is located in the display area AA, which is used to deflect the light emitted from the left and right eye sub-pixels in the display panel so that they enter the left and right eyes of the viewer respectively. The connecting part 3033b is located in the non-display area BB, which is the transition path between two adjacent lens parts 3033a during continuous printing. Since the printing equipment is in a stable working state during the formation of the lens in the display area AA, it can ensure that each lens part 3033a in the display area AA has good uniformity.

[0051] In some embodiments, the connecting portion 3033b is arc-shaped, that is, there is an arc transition between adjacent lens portions 3033a during the printing process. Compared with a straight transition, the arc transition can make the continuous printing process smoother and avoid the accumulation of lens material.

[0052] In some embodiments, during printing, the printing start position and printing end position can be close to the end of the first direction of the display area, or they can be located at other positions in the first direction of the display area, as long as the lens portion entering the display area is uniform after a certain length of printing. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the cover plate disclosed herein, as shown below. Figure 4 As shown, since the length of the cover plate in the first direction is longer than the length of the unstable region when printing the lens, the printing start position and end position can be set to start from the middle in the first direction. Thus, in this embodiment, the printing start position and printing end position are both located in the middle position in the first direction of the display area, that is, the ends of the head 3031 and the tail 3033 are located in the middle position in the first direction of the non-display area. This setting can ensure that the head and tail of the lens structure have sufficient printing length, and can also reduce the lens material in the non-display area to a certain extent.

[0054] Compared with related technologies, the cover plate of this disclosure includes a cover plate body and a lens structure disposed on one side surface of the cover plate body. The lens structure includes a head, a tail, and a lens body connecting the head and the tail. The lens body is located within the display area, and the lens body includes a plurality of lens portions extending along a first direction and spaced apart along a second direction. The head and tail portions extend along the first direction and are located in the non-display areas on both sides of the display area in the second direction. The head and the lens portions adjacent to it in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display areas. The tail and the lens portions adjacent to it in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display areas. The lens portions adjacent to each other in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display areas. The connecting portions adjacent to each other in the second direction are located on both sides of the display area in the first direction. With this improved design, the lens structure is a continuous S-shaped structure integrally formed, which can be fabricated on the cover plate body in a single printing process. The length reserved at the beginning and end of the lens to be printed in the first direction is transferred to the second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In the first direction, the non-display area only needs to cover the connecting portion, which greatly reduces the width of the non-display area in the first direction and is beneficial for achieving a narrow bezel. Meanwhile, the complete lens structure is obtained through continuous printing. Except for the start and end of printing, the lens printing equipment is in a stable printing state. The process parameters of the equipment remain unchanged throughout the process, thus ensuring that the lens part located in the display area has good uniformity.

[0055] Example 2

[0056] In Embodiment 1, since the head, tail, and connecting part of the lens body are all located in the non-display area, some lens material will remain in the non-display area. This may result in the lens being too high or uneven in height in the non-display area. All of these issues could further lead to the risk of the lens being damaged or even the cover plate breaking when it is attached to the display panel. To solve this technical problem, this embodiment further improves the design of the cover plate. The main difference from Embodiment 1 is that a groove surrounding the display area is also formed in the non-display area of ​​the cover plate body, and the groove corresponds to a portion of the lens structure located in the non-display area.

[0057] Furthermore, the groove corresponds to a portion of the lens structure located in the non-display area, indicating that the orthographic projections of the head, tail, and connecting parts of the lens structure on the cover plate overlap with the orthographic projections of the groove on the cover plate. If we denote the orthographic projections of the head, tail, and connecting parts of the lens structure on the cover plate as the first projection, and the orthographic projection of the groove on the cover plate as the second projection, then the overlap between the first and second projections includes several cases: the first projection and the second projection coincide, the first projection covers the second projection, the second projection covers the first projection, and a portion of the first projection coincides with a portion of the second projection.

[0058] In some embodiments, the orthographic projections of the head, tail, and connecting portion of the lens structure onto the cover plate body coincide with the orthographic projections of the groove onto the cover plate body. This design allows the lens material of the head, tail, and connecting portion to flow precisely into the groove during the printing process of the lens structure.

[0059] In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of the groove on the cover plate body covers the orthographic projections of the head, tail, and connecting parts of the lens structure on the cover plate body. This design allows the lens material of the head, tail, and connecting parts to flow better into the groove during the printing process of the lens structure, avoiding lens material residue at the boundaries of the head, tail, and connecting parts.

[0060] In some embodiments, the connecting portion has an arc-shaped structure, and fabricating an arc-shaped groove is quite difficult. To reduce the difficulty of fabricating the groove, it can be designed such that the orthographic projection of the groove on the cover plate body covers the orthographic projection of the head, tail, and the portion of the connecting portion extending along the second direction on the cover plate body. In this way, the groove can be a regular linear shape, and the fabrication process is simple.

[0061] Furthermore, during the fabrication of the groove, for better process implementation, the groove is designed as a continuous groove surrounding the display area, rather than multiple grooves corresponding one-to-one with the head, tail, and connecting parts. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the cover plate in this disclosure. Figure 5 As shown, a groove 305 surrounding the display area AA is provided in the non-display area BB of the cover plate body 301. The orthographic projection of the groove 305 on the cover plate body 301 covers the orthographic projection of the head 3031, tail 3032 and connecting part 3033b of the lens structure extending in the second direction on the cover plate body.

[0062] In the fabrication process of the cover plate, a groove 305 is first fabricated on the cover plate body 301, and then the lens structure is fabricated through a single continuous printing process. Specifically, the depth of the groove 305 is related to the thickness of the cover plate body 301, but is less than the thickness of the cover plate body 301. The position of the groove 305 is related to the position of the non-display area BB of the cover plate body and the printing trajectory of the lens structure. It should be noted that the printing trajectory of the lens structure is pre-designed and needs to be consistent with the pixel design of the corresponding display area of ​​the display panel. With the printing trajectory of the lens structure determined, the position of the groove 305 can be determined. Therefore, fabricating the groove 305 on the cover plate body 301 and then fabricating the lens structure allows the groove 305 to correspond to a portion of the lens structure located in the non-display area BB.

[0063] By designing the orthographic projections of the lens structure's head, tail, and connecting part onto the cover plate body to overlap with the orthographic projections of the groove onto the cover plate body, the lens material in the non-display area can flow into the groove during the printing process. This effectively reduces the height of the lens in the non-display area, specifically reducing the height of the lens's head 3031, tail 3032, and connecting part 3033b. This avoids the risk of the lens being damaged or even the cover plate breaking when the cover plate is attached to the display panel.

[0064] It should be noted that, Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, to indicate that the lens material of the head portion 3031, tail portion 3032, and connecting portion 3033b extending along the second direction will flow into the groove 305, in Figure 5 The structure of the head portion 3031, tail portion 3032, and connecting portion 3033b is not shown in the diagram. In the actual cover plate, the lens material of the head portion 3031 and tail portion 3032 may flow entirely or partially into the groove 305. Therefore, the head portion 3031 and tail portion 3032 may still protrude outside the groove 305 at the corresponding positions. Similarly, the connecting portion 3033b may also protrude outside the groove 305. Even if the lens material does not flow entirely into the groove 305, but some remains, since most of the lens material flows into the groove 305, the risk of the lens being damaged or even the cover plate breaking when it is attached to the display panel is mitigated.

[0065] In some embodiments, to facilitate better spreading of the lens material within the groove 305, a metal layer that promotes lens material spreading can be provided within the groove 305. In this case, the cover plate also includes a metal layer disposed within the groove 305, the metal layer being located between the bottom of the groove and the lens structure, and the thickness of the metal layer being less than the depth of the groove 305.

[0066] In some embodiments, the metal layer may be a copper layer, a molybdenum layer, or a nickel layer. In other embodiments, the metal layer may also be another metal material layer that facilitates the spreading of the lens material.

[0067] Example 3

[0068] This embodiment provides a method for preparing a cover plate. Please refer to... Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an embodiment of the cover plate preparation method of this disclosure, as follows: Figure 6 As shown, it includes the following steps:

[0069] Step S101: Provide a cover plate body, the cover plate body including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area.

[0070] Step S102: A lens structure is fabricated on one side surface of the cover plate body using a single printing process. In this embodiment, the lens can be fabricated using light field printing technology. Since light field printing technology is a mature related technology, this disclosure only utilizes light field printing technology without improving its specific printing technology itself. Therefore, the specific implementation principle of light field printing technology will not be described in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0071] The lens structure includes a head, a tail, and a lens body connecting the head and the tail. The lens body is located within the display area and includes multiple lens portions extending along a first direction and spaced apart along a second direction. The head and tail extend along the first direction and are located in non-display areas on both sides of the display area in the second direction. The head and the lens portions adjacent to it in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display area. The tail and the lens portions adjacent to it in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display area. The lens portions adjacent to each other in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display area. The connecting portions adjacent to each other in the second direction are located on both sides of the display area in the first direction.

[0072] In this embodiment, the lens structure is the same as that described in Embodiment 1, and will not be described in detail here.

[0073] Compared with related technologies, the cover plate preparation method of this disclosure produces an integral, continuous S-shaped lens structure on the cover plate body through a single printing process. This transfers the length reserved at the beginning and end of the lens to be printed in the first direction to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In the first direction, the non-display area only needs to cover the connecting part, greatly reducing the width of the non-display area in the first direction, which is beneficial for achieving a narrow bezel. Furthermore, by obtaining a complete lens structure through continuous single printing, the lens printing equipment remains in a stable printing state except at the start and end of the printing process. The process parameters of the equipment remain unchanged throughout the process, thus ensuring good uniformity of the lens portion located in the display area.

[0074] Example 4

[0075] Please refer to Figures 7 to 8 , Figure 7 This is a flowchart of another embodiment of the cover plate preparation method of this disclosure. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the cover plate manufacturing process, as shown below. Figures 7 to 8 As shown, the method for preparing the cover plate includes the following steps:

[0076] Step S201, provide a cover plate body, such as Figure 8 As shown, the cover plate body 301 includes a display area AA and a non-display area BB surrounding the display area AA.

[0077] Step S202: A groove surrounding the display area is formed in the non-display area on one side surface of the cover plate body.

[0078] like Figure 8 As shown, in this embodiment, a groove 305 is provided in the non-display area BB.

[0079] Step S203: Deposit a metal layer in the groove, wherein the thickness of the metal layer is less than the depth of the groove.

[0080] In this embodiment, the metal layer is made of a metal material that facilitates the spread of the lens material. In some embodiments, the metal layer is a copper layer, a molybdenum layer, or a nickel layer. The metal layer is located within the groove 305. Figure 8 The metal layer is not labeled in the schematic diagram of the preparation process shown.

[0081] Step S204: A lens structure is prepared on one side surface of the cover plate body by a single printing process, wherein the orthographic projections of the head, tail and connecting part of the lens structure on the cover plate body overlap with the orthographic projections of the groove on the cover plate body.

[0082] In this embodiment, the lens structure is printed using light field printing technology, and the resulting lens structure is shown in Example 2. The cover plate prepared by the above steps S201 to S204 includes a cover plate body 301, a groove 305, a metal layer, and a lens structure. The cover plate body 301 has a display area AA and a non-display area BB surrounding the display area AA. The lens structure includes a head, a tail, and a lens body connecting the head and the tail. The lens body is located within the display area AA and includes multiple lens portions 3033a that extend along a first direction and are spaced apart along a second direction. The head and tail portions extend along the first direction and are located in the non-display areas BB on both sides of the display area AA in the second direction. The head and its adjacent lens portions 3033a in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display areas BB. The tail and its adjacent lens portions 3033a in the second direction also have connecting portions in the non-display areas BB. The connecting portions in the second direction are located on both sides of the display area AA in the first direction.

[0083] It should be noted that, Figure 8 In the illustrated embodiment, the lens material of the head, tail, and connecting portion extending in the second direction flows into the groove 305, therefore Figure 5The structure of the head, tail, and connecting parts is not shown in the diagram. Of course, in some embodiments, the lens material in the non-display area may not all flow into the groove 305 during the printing process, but some may remain. In this case, since most of the lens material flows into the groove 305, the risk of the lens being damaged or even the cover plate breaking when it is attached to the display panel is also mitigated.

[0084] Example 5

[0085] This embodiment provides a display module, which includes a substrate, a display layer disposed on the substrate, and a cover plate disposed on the light-emitting side of the display layer. The cover plate in this embodiment is as shown in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, and will not be described in detail here.

[0086] The substrate and the display layer disposed on the substrate constitute a display panel. The display panel and the cover plate are bonded together by a bonding process to obtain a naked-eye 3D display module. In some embodiments, the display panel can be an LED, OLED, or other type of display panel. This disclosure does not limit the principle of the display panel.

[0087] For example, an OLED display panel includes a substrate, a pixel defining layer on the substrate, and light-emitting devices located in a first opening in an array arranged in the pixel defining layer.

[0088] OLED display panels also include a driving circuit layer located on the substrate.

[0089] The substrate can be made of materials such as glass or quartz. OLED display panels may also include a barrier layer and a buffer layer located between the substrate and the driving circuit layer. For example, the barrier layer and buffer layer can be formed entirely on the substrate. For instance, the barrier layer can be made of inorganic insulating materials such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon oxynitride, and the buffer layer can also be made of inorganic insulating materials such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon oxynitride. The barrier layer helps prevent water and oxygen from entering the OLED from the bottom. The buffer layer improves the quality of subsequent material deposition.

[0090] The driving circuit layer, also known as the thin-film transistor (TFT) layer, includes an active layer formed on a buffer layer using a patterning process; a gate insulating layer (GI) formed on the active layer by deposition or other methods; the gate of the TFT formed on the gate insulating layer using a patterning process; a dielectric layer (ILD) formed on the gate by deposition or other methods; a source / drain metal layer formed on the dielectric layer; and a second planarization layer (PLN) covering the source / drain metal layer and the exposed dielectric layer. The source / drain metal layer forms the source and drain of the TFT. For example, the source is electrically connected to the active layer through a via in the dielectric layer. The active layer can be made of materials such as polysilicon and metal oxides. The gate insulating layer can be made of inorganic insulating materials such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon oxynitride. The dielectric layer can also be made of inorganic insulating materials such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon oxynitride. The gate material includes metals or alloys such as aluminum, titanium, and cobalt. The second planarization layer is, for example, an organic material.

[0091] The OLED display panel also includes an anode located on the driving circuit layer. The anode is, for example, a metal oxide such as ITO or IZO, or a metal or alloy material such as Ag, Al, or Mo. The anode is electrically connected to the drain through a via formed in the second planarization layer.

[0092] The light-emitting device is formed on the anode exposed in the first opening of the pixel-defining layer. This can also be understood as the pixel-defining layer surrounding the light-emitting device, with the orthographic projection of the first opening in the pixel-defining layer onto the substrate coinciding with the orthographic projection of the light-emitting device onto the substrate. For example, the light-emitting device can be formed on the anode in the first opening of the pixel-defining layer by inkjet printing or vapor deposition. The light-emitting device includes, for example, an emissive layer and may also include an auxiliary emissive layer that facilitates the emission of light from the emissive layer. The auxiliary emissive layer may include, for example, one or more of an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, a hole transport layer, and a hole injection layer. The emissive layer and the auxiliary emissive layer may be, for example, organic material layers.

[0093] OLED display panels also include a cathode covering the light-emitting device and the exposed pixel defining layer. The cathode is formed on the entire surface of the OLED display panel, and the cathode material may include metals such as Mg, Ca, Li or Al or their alloys, or metal oxides such as IZO or ZTO, or organic materials with conductive properties such as PEDOT / PSS (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene / polystyrene sulfonate)).

[0094] OLED display panels also include a coating layer (TFE) located on the cathode. For example, the coating layer may include a first inorganic coating layer, an organic coating layer, and a second inorganic coating layer. For example, the first and second inorganic coating layers may be formed by deposition or other methods. The organic coating layer may be formed by inkjet printing. For example, the first and second inorganic coating layers may be formed using inorganic materials such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, or silicon oxynitride, while the organic coating layer may be formed using organic materials such as polyimide (PI) or epoxy resin. Thus, the first inorganic coating layer, the organic coating layer, and the second inorganic coating layer form a composite coating layer, which provides multiple layers of protection for the functional structure of the display panel, resulting in better encapsulation.

[0095] For example, a cover plate is disposed on the surface of the encapsulation layer away from the substrate.

[0096] Obviously, the above embodiments of this disclosure are merely examples for clearly illustrating this disclosure, and are not intended to limit the implementation of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is impossible to exhaustively list all implementation methods here. Any obvious variations or modifications derived from the technical solutions of this disclosure are still within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A cover plate, characterized in that, The cover plate includes a cover plate body and a lens structure disposed on one side surface of the cover plate body. The cover plate body includes a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area. The lens structure includes a head, a tail, and a lens body connected between the head and the tail. The lens body is located within the display area. The lens body includes a plurality of lens portions extending along a first direction and spaced apart along a second direction. The head and tail portions extend along the first direction and are located in the non-display areas on both sides of the display area in the second direction. The head and the lens portion adjacent to it in the second direction have a connecting portion in the non-display area. The tail and the lens portion adjacent to it in the second direction have a connecting portion in the non-display area. The lens portions adjacent to each other in the second direction have a connecting portion in the non-display area. The connecting portions adjacent to each other in the second direction are located on both sides of the display area in the first direction.

2. The cover plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The non-display area of ​​the cover plate body is also provided with a groove surrounding the display area, and the orthographic projections of the head, tail and connecting part on the cover plate body overlap with the orthographic projections of the groove on the cover plate body.

3. The cover plate according to claim 2, characterized in that, The orthographic projection of the groove on the cover plate body covers the orthographic projection of the head, tail, and the portion of the connecting part extending along the second direction on the cover plate body.

4. The cover plate according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cover plate also includes a metal layer disposed in the groove, the metal layer being located between the bottom of the groove and the lens structure, and the thickness of the metal layer being less than the depth of the groove.

5. The cover plate according to claim 4, characterized in that, The metal layer is a copper layer, a molybdenum layer, or a nickel layer.

6. The cover plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting part is arc-shaped.

7. The cover plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ends of the head and the tail are located at the middle position in the first direction of the non-display area.

8. A display module, characterized in that, It includes a display panel and a cover plate located on the light-emitting side of the display panel as described in any one of claims 1-7.

9. A method for preparing a cover plate, characterized in that, include: A cover plate body is provided, the cover plate body including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area; A lens structure is fabricated on one side surface of the cover plate body using a single printing process. The lens structure includes a head portion, a tail portion, and a lens body connecting the head portion and the tail portion. The lens body is located within the display area. The lens body includes multiple lens portions extending along a first direction and spaced apart along a second direction. The head portion and the tail portion extend along the first direction and are located in non-display areas on either side of the display area in the second direction. The head portion and its adjacent lens portion in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display area. The tail portion and its adjacent lens portion in the second direction also have connecting portions in the non-display area. Adjacent lens portions in the second direction have connecting portions in the non-display area, and these connecting portions are located on either side of the display area in the first direction.

10. The method for preparing a cover plate according to claim 9, characterized in that, Before fabricating the lens structure on the cover plate body using a single printing process, the following steps are also included: A groove is formed around the display area in the non-display area on one side surface of the cover plate body; Correspondingly, the step of fabricating the lens structure on one side surface of the cover plate body using a single printing process includes: The lens structure is fabricated on one side surface of the cover plate body by a single printing process, wherein the orthographic projections of the head, tail and connecting parts on the cover plate body overlap with the orthographic projections of the groove on the cover plate body.

11. The method for preparing a cover plate according to claim 10, characterized in that, Before fabricating the lens structure on one side surface of the cover plate body using a single printing process, the following steps are also included: A metal layer is deposited within the groove, wherein the thickness of the metal layer is less than the depth of the groove.

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