Flexible display panel and display method thereof, and electronic device

Abstract

The present application relates to a flexible display panel, a display method thereof, and an electronic device, and relates to the technical field of electronic devices. It is used to solve the problem that the current foldable electronic devices are not good at balancing display performance and power consumption. The flexible display panel includes a first display part and a second display part. The first display part includes a plurality of first sub-pixels. The second display part is located on one side of the first display part. The second display part rotates relative to the first display part to fold or flatten the flexible display panel. The second display part includes a plurality of second sub-pixels. When the first display part is displayed alone, the first display part can be displayed at a first resolution. When the second display part is displayed alone, the second display part can be displayed at a second resolution. The second resolution is less than the first resolution. When the first display part and the second display part are displayed together, the first display part is displayed at the second resolution and the second display part is displayed at the second resolution.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of electronic devices, and in particular to a flexible display panel and a display method thereof, and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] With the advancement of technology, the era of large-screen smart electronic devices has arrived. In order to solve the problem that traditional large-screen straight-bar devices are large and inconvenient to carry, foldable electronic devices have come into being.

[0003] When the user needs a large-screen display, the electronic device can be flattened to provide the user with a large screen, meeting the user's large-screen display needs; when the user needs to carry it with him, the electronic device can be folded to reduce the space required for storage, making it easier for the user to carry it with him.

[0004] Foldable electronic devices can provide display to users in both folded and flattened states. However, current foldable electronic devices are not very effective in balancing display performance and power consumption. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a flexible display panel and a display method thereof, and an electronic device, which are used to solve the problem that current foldable electronic devices are not good at balancing display performance and power consumption.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a flexible display panel is provided. The flexible display panel includes a first display portion and a second display portion. The first display portion includes a plurality of first sub-pixels. The second display portion is located on one side of the first display portion. The second display portion rotates relative to the first display portion to fold or flatten the flexible display panel. The second display portion includes a plurality of second sub-pixels. The arrangement density of the plurality of first sub-pixels is greater than the arrangement density of the plurality of second sub-pixels. When the first display portion is displayed alone, the first display portion can be displayed at a first resolution. When the second display portion is displayed alone, the second display portion can be displayed at a second resolution. The second resolution is less than the first resolution. When the first display portion and the second display portion are displayed together, the first display portion is displayed at the second resolution and the second display portion is displayed at the second resolution.

[0008] The flexible display panel can switch between a flattened state and a folded state. The flexible display panel includes at least a first part, a second part and a third part, and the third part is located between the first part and the second part. At least the third part of the flexible display panel is made of a flexible material. It can be understood that the third part is a bent part of the flexible display panel, which is made of a flexible material; the first part and the second part can be made of a flexible material, or a rigid material, or partly made of a rigid material and partly made of a flexible material, which is not limited here.

[0009] In some examples, a plurality of first sub-pixels are arranged on the third portion and no second sub-pixels are arranged on the third portion. In this case, the first portion and the third portion together constitute a first display portion of the flexible display panel, and the second portion constitutes a second display portion of the flexible display panel.

[0010] In some other examples, a plurality of second sub-pixels are arranged on the third portion and no first sub-pixels are arranged. In this case, the second portion and the third portion together constitute the second display portion of the flexible display panel, and the first portion constitutes the first display portion of the flexible display panel.

[0011] In some other examples, a plurality of first sub-pixels and a plurality of second sub-pixels are arranged on the third portion at the same time. The plurality of first sub-pixels in the third portion are arranged close to the first portion, and the plurality of second sub-pixels in the third portion are arranged close to the second portion. In this case, the first portion and part of the third portion together constitute the first display portion of the flexible display panel, and the second portion and the remaining third portion together constitute the second display portion of the flexible display panel.

[0012] In the following description, the embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the first display unit and the second display unit. It should be noted that, based on the first display unit and the second display unit being in the flattened state or the folded state, the first display unit may also be in the folded state alone, or the second display unit may also be in the folded state alone.

[0013] The arrangement density of the plurality of first sub-pixels is greater than the arrangement density of the plurality of second sub-pixels, and the arrangement density of the plurality of first sub-pixels may be an integer multiple of the arrangement density of the plurality of second sub-pixels, such as 2 times, 3 times, 4 times, or even more times, which is not limited in the present application. Alternatively, the arrangement density of the first sub-pixels at various positions of the first display portion may be equal, the arrangement density of the plurality of second sub-pixels in a portion of the second display portion may be equal to the arrangement density of the plurality of first sub-pixels, and the arrangement density of another portion of the second display portion may be less than the arrangement density of the plurality of first sub-pixels.

[0014] When the first display unit displays alone, the first display unit can display at the first resolution. It can be understood that when the first display unit displays and the second display unit does not display, the display resolution of the electronic device is the first resolution.

[0015] When the second display unit displays alone, the second display unit can display at a second resolution. The second resolution is less than the first resolution. It can be understood that when the second display unit displays and the first display unit does not display, the display resolution of the electronic device is the second resolution.

[0016] When the first display unit and the second display unit display together, the first display unit can display at the second resolution and the second display unit can display at the second resolution. It can be understood that the display resolution of the electronic device is the second resolution.

[0017] In some feasible implementations of the first aspect, the flexible display panel further includes a first gate drive circuit and a second gate drive circuit. The first gate drive circuit is located on one side of the first display portion in the first direction, and the first gate drive circuit provides a gate drive signal to a plurality of first sub-pixels. The first display portion and the second display portion are distributed along the first direction. The second gate drive circuit is located on one side of the second display portion in the first direction, and the second gate drive circuit provides a gate drive signal to a plurality of second sub-pixels. The flexible display panel includes a plurality of data lines extending along the first direction, wherein each data line is coupled to the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel at the same time.

[0018] It should be noted that the first gate driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit can be integrated into one chip. For example, the first gate driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit can be integrated into one display driver integrated circuit chip. In some other embodiments, the first gate driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit can also be located in different chips.

[0019] The first gate driving circuit is coupled to the plurality of first sub-pixels in the first display unit, and the first gate driving circuit is used to provide a gate driving signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels to write data to each first sub-pixel, so that each first sub-pixel emits light accordingly, so that the first display unit displays a corresponding picture. Similarly, the second gate driving circuit is coupled to the plurality of second sub-pixels in the second display unit, and the second gate driving circuit is used to provide a gate driving signal to the plurality of second sub-pixels to write data to each second sub-pixel, so that each second sub-pixel emits light accordingly, so that the second display unit displays a corresponding picture.

[0020] Each of the plurality of data lines extends into the first display portion and the second display portion respectively along the first direction, so that each data line is coupled to the first sub-pixel in the first display portion and is coupled to the second sub-pixel in the second display portion.

[0021] The plurality of gate lines extend along the second direction, wherein a portion of the gate lines are located in the first display portion, and another portion of the gate lines are located in the second display portion. The gate lines located in the first display portion are coupled to the first sub-pixel and disconnected from the second sub-pixel; the gate lines located in the second display portion are coupled to the second sub-pixel and disconnected from the first sub-pixel.

[0022] In some feasible implementations of the first aspect, the time when the first gate driving circuit provides the gate driving signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels does not overlap with the time when the second gate driving circuit provides the gate driving signal to the plurality of second sub-pixels.

[0023] When the flexible display panel displays the first display part and the second display part at the same time, the refresh process of a frame of image is as follows: First, the first gate driving circuit controls the first sub-pixels in the first display part to write data signals one by one through the internal multiple shift registers. After the first sub-pixels complete the writing of data signals, the second gate driving circuit controls the second sub-pixels in the second display part to write data signals one by one through the internal multiple shift registers. Thus, the writing of data signals to each sub-pixel of the flexible display panel is completed.

[0024] In some feasible implementations of the first aspect, the flexible display panel further includes a first gate drive circuit and a second gate drive circuit. The first gate drive circuit is located on one side of the first display portion in the second direction, and the first gate drive circuit provides a gate drive signal to a plurality of first sub-pixels. The first display portion and the second display portion are distributed along the first direction, and the second direction intersects with the first direction. The second gate drive circuit is located on one side of the second display portion in the second direction, and the second gate drive circuit provides a gate drive signal to a plurality of second sub-pixels. The flexible display panel includes a plurality of data lines extending along the second direction. The plurality of data lines include a first data line and a second data line. Each first data line is coupled to a first sub-pixel and disconnected from a second sub-pixel, and each second data line is coupled to a second sub-pixel and disconnected from a first sub-pixel.

[0025] The gate lines in the flexible display panel are substantially parallel to the first direction, and the data lines in the flexible display panel are substantially parallel to the second direction. The gate lines in the first display portion are coupled to the first gate drive circuit, and the gate lines in the second display portion are coupled to the second gate drive circuit.

[0026] It should be noted that the plurality of gate lines located in the first display portion are disconnected from and not connected to the plurality of gate lines located in the second display portion.

[0027] The data line located in the first display portion and the data line located in the second display portion are different data lines. Each data line is only located in the first display portion or the second display portion, and no data line is simultaneously located in the first display portion and the second display portion. It can be understood that the first data line located in the first display portion is coupled to a plurality of first sub-pixels and is not coupled to the second sub-pixels; the second data line located in the second display portion is coupled to a plurality of second sub-pixels and is not coupled to the first sub-pixels.

[0028] In some feasible embodiments of the first aspect, when the first display portion and the second display portion are displayed simultaneously, the time when the first gate driving circuit provides the gate driving signal to the multiple first sub-pixels at least partially overlaps with the time when the second gate driving circuit provides the gate driving signal to the multiple second sub-pixels.

[0029] Exemplarily, when the flexible display panel displays the first display unit and the second display unit at the same time, the refresh process of a frame of image is as follows: first, the first gate driving circuit controls the first sub-pixel of the first row in the first display unit to write the data signal through the internal multiple shift registers; at the same time, the second gate driving circuit controls the second sub-pixel of the first row in the second display unit to write the data signal through the internal multiple shift registers. After the multiple first sub-pixels and multiple second sub-pixels of the first row complete the writing of the data signal, the first gate driving circuit controls the first sub-pixel of the second row in the first display unit to write the data signal through the internal multiple shift registers; at the same time, the second gate driving circuit controls the second sub-pixel of the second row in the second display unit to write the data signal through the internal multiple shift registers; ... and so on, until the multiple first sub-pixels and multiple second sub-pixels of the last row complete the writing of the data signal.

[0030] It can be understood that when the flexible display panel displays the first display part and the second display part simultaneously, the first gate driving circuit writes the data signal to the first sub-pixel while the second gate driving circuit writes the data signal to the second sub-pixel.

[0031] In some feasible implementations of the first aspect, a display area of ​​the first display portion is smaller than a display area of ​​the second display portion.

[0032] In a second aspect, a display method of a flexible display panel is provided. The flexible display panel is a flexible display panel in any embodiment of the first aspect. The method includes: detecting the state of the flexible display panel. The state of the flexible display panel includes a first state in which the first display unit is displayed alone, a second state in which the second display unit is displayed alone, and a third state in which the first display unit and the second display unit are displayed simultaneously. When the flexible display panel is in the first state, the first display unit displays an image at a first resolution and the second display unit does not display. When the flexible display panel is in the second state, the second display unit displays an image at a second resolution and the first display unit does not display; the second resolution is less than the first resolution. When the flexible display panel is in the third state, both the first display unit and the second display unit display an image at the second resolution.

[0033] In some examples, the state of the flexible display panel can be determined based on the unfolding data of the flexible display panel and the tilt data of the flexible display panel. For example, the processor can be coupled to an angle encoder in the folding assembly to obtain the unfolding data of the flexible display panel. For another example, the processor can be coupled to a gyroscope sensor to obtain the tilt data of the flexible display panel.

[0034] The tilt data of the flexible display panel may indicate that the first display portion of the flexible display panel is facing the user, or that the second display portion of the flexible display panel is facing the user. When the unfolding data of the flexible display panel indicates that the first display portion and the second display portion are folded with each other, and the tilt data of the flexible display panel indicates that the first display portion of the flexible display panel is facing the user, the state of the flexible display panel may indicate that the flexible display panel is in the first state. When the unfolding data of the flexible display panel indicates that the first display portion and the second display portion are folded with each other, and the tilt data of the flexible display panel indicates that the second display portion of the flexible display panel is facing the user, the state of the flexible display panel may indicate that the flexible display panel is in the second state. When the unfolding data of the flexible display panel indicates that the first display portion and the second display portion are flattened with each other, the state of the flexible display panel may indicate that the flexible display panel is in the third state.

[0035] In other examples, the second display portion can be folded separately. When the expansion data of the flexible display panel indicates that the first display portion and the second display portion are folded with each other, and the expansion data of the second display portion indicates that the second display portion is folded separately, the state of the flexible display panel may indicate that the flexible display panel is in the first state. When the expansion data of the flexible display panel indicates that the first display portion and the second display portion are folded with each other, and the expansion data of the second display portion indicates that the second display portion is expanded separately, the state of the flexible display panel may indicate that the flexible display panel is in the second state. When the expansion data of the flexible display panel indicates that the first display portion and the second display portion are flattened with each other, the state of the flexible display panel may indicate that the flexible display panel is in the third state.

[0036] When the flexible display panel is in the first state, the data driving circuit and the first gate driving circuit control the first sub-pixels in the first display portion to display images at a higher resolution (first resolution). The first resolution may be the highest resolution that can be displayed by the first display portion.

[0037] When the flexible display panel is in the second state, the data driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit control the second sub-pixels in the second display portion to display images at a lower resolution (second resolution). The second resolution may be the highest resolution that can be displayed by the second display portion.

[0038] When the flexible display panel is in the third state, the data driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit control the plurality of second sub-pixels in the second display portion to display images at a lower resolution (second resolution). In addition, the data driving circuit and the first gate driving circuit also control the plurality of first sub-pixels in the first display portion to display images at a lower resolution (second resolution).

[0039] In some feasible implementations of the second aspect, the first display unit and the second display unit both display images at a second resolution, including: at least one first sub-pixel of the first display unit receives a color dithering signal so that the first display unit displays images at the second resolution.

[0040] In some examples, the electronic device may store a pixel distribution of a plurality of second sub-pixels in the second display portion and a position of a gap between each second sub-pixel. The electronic device may further determine a plurality of first sub-pixels in the first display portion corresponding to the pixels of the plurality of second sub-pixels and a plurality of first sub-pixels in the first display portion corresponding to the position of the gap.

[0041] The electronic device can send a display signal to the flexible display panel to control the first sub-pixel corresponding to the second sub-pixel to write a data signal for image display, and control the first sub-pixel corresponding to the gap to write a data signal for non-image display (also called a color dithering signal or a grayscale signal). Exemplarily, the color displayed after the data signal (color dithering signal) written to the first sub-pixel is substantially the same as the color of the position of the gap between the second sub-pixels. In this way, it is possible to avoid the light emitted by the first sub-pixel from reducing the display effect of the first display portion, and improve the uniformity of the joint display of the first display portion and the second display portion.

[0042] In some feasible implementations of the second aspect, the first display unit and the second display unit both display images at the second resolution, including: obtaining a sub-pixel rendering SPR algorithm corresponding to the pixel arrangement information of the second display unit. Using the SPR algorithm, rendering processing is performed on multiple first sub-pixels so that the first display unit displays images at the second resolution.

[0043] The electronic device may pre-store a sub-pixel rendering (SPR) algorithm corresponding to the distribution of the plurality of second sub-pixels in the second display portion. Thus, when the first display portion and the second display portion are displayed simultaneously, the electronic device may render the plurality of first sub-pixels of the first display portion according to the SPR algorithm corresponding to the distribution of the plurality of second sub-pixels in the second display portion (sub-pixel distribution law), thereby realizing that the plurality of first sub-pixels in the first display portion display images at a lower resolution (second resolution).

[0044] It should be noted that the electronic device may also pre-store an SPR algorithm corresponding to the first display unit. When the first display unit is displayed alone, the electronic device may render the first sub-pixels of the first display unit according to the SPR algorithm corresponding to the first resolution. It is understandable that the SPR algorithm used by the electronic device for the first resolution when the first display unit is displayed alone is different from the SPR algorithm used by the electronic device for the second resolution when the first display unit and the second display unit are displayed simultaneously.

[0045] In some feasible implementations of the second aspect, the flexible display panel includes a first gate driving circuit, a second gate driving circuit and a data driving circuit. The first gate driving circuit is located at one side of the first display portion in the first direction, and the first gate driving circuit provides a gate driving signal to a plurality of first sub-pixels. The first display portion and the second display portion are distributed along the first direction. The second gate driving circuit is located at one side of the second display portion in the first direction. The second gate driving circuit provides a gate driving signal to a plurality of second sub-pixels. The data driving circuit provides a data signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels and the plurality of second sub-pixels.

[0046] The second display unit does not display, including: the second gate driving circuit stops providing gate driving signals to the plurality of second sub-pixels. And / or the first display unit does not display, including: the first gate driving circuit stops providing gate driving signals to the plurality of first sub-pixels.

[0047] As described above, the first display unit and the second display unit have their own corresponding gate drive circuits. Therefore, when the mobile phone detects that the flexible display panel is in the first state, the second gate drive circuit may not output a gate drive signal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the flexible display panel, thereby reducing the power consumption of the electronic device. Similarly, when the mobile phone detects that the flexible display panel is in the second state, the first gate drive circuit may not output a gate drive signal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the flexible display panel, thereby reducing the power consumption of the electronic device.

[0048] In some feasible implementations of the second aspect, the flexible display panel includes a first gate drive circuit, a second gate drive circuit, and a data drive circuit. The first gate drive circuit is located on one side of the first display portion in the second direction, and the first gate drive circuit provides a gate drive signal to a plurality of first sub-pixels. The first display portion and the second display portion are distributed along the first direction, and the second direction intersects the first direction. The second gate drive circuit is located on one side of the second display portion in the second direction, and the second gate drive circuit provides a gate drive signal to a plurality of second sub-pixels. The data drive circuit provides data signals to the plurality of first sub-pixels and the plurality of second sub-pixels.

[0049] The second display unit does not display, including: the second gate driving circuit stops providing gate driving signals to the plurality of second sub-pixels, and the data driving circuit stops providing data signals to the plurality of second sub-pixels. And / or, the first display unit does not display, including: the first gate driving circuit stops providing gate driving signals to the plurality of first sub-pixels, and the data driving circuit stops providing data signals to the plurality of first sub-pixels.

[0050] As described above, the first display unit and the second display unit have their own corresponding gate drive circuits and data lines. Therefore, when the mobile phone detects that the flexible display panel is in the first state, the second gate drive circuit stops outputting the gate drive signal, and the data line in the second display unit does not provide a data signal, so that the second display unit does not display entering the deep standby mode, which can greatly reduce the power consumption of the flexible display panel. Similarly, when the mobile phone detects that the flexible display panel is in the second state, the first gate drive circuit stops outputting the gate drive signal, and the data line in the first display unit does not provide a data signal, so that the first display unit does not display entering the deep standby mode, which can greatly reduce the power consumption of the flexible display panel.

[0051] In a third aspect, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a battery; and a flexible display panel as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0052] The beneficial effects of the third aspect can refer to the beneficial effects of the flexible display panel of any one of the first aspects, which will not be repeated here.

[0053] In a fourth aspect, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a memory and one or more processors. The memory is coupled to the processor. The memory stores a computer program code, and the computer program code includes computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed by the processor, the electronic device performs any method as in the second aspect.

[0054] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium includes computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on an electronic device, the electronic device executes any method as described in the second aspect.

[0055] The beneficial effects of the fourth and fifth aspects can refer to the beneficial effects of the display method of the flexible display panel in any one of the second aspects, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a gate drive circuit;

[0057] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided for some embodiments of the present application;

[0058] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device in a flattened state;

[0059] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device in a folded state;

[0060] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible display panel in an electronic device provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0061] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a local structure where the first display part and the second display part meet;

[0062] Figure 7 for Figure 5 The structural schematic diagram of the flexible display panel shown is in a first state;

[0063] Figure 8 for Figure 5 The structural schematic diagram of the flexible display panel shown is in the second state;

[0064] Fig. 9 for Figure 5 The structural schematic diagram of the flexible display panel shown is in the third state;

[0065] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible display panel in an electronic device provided in other embodiments of the present application;

[0066] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible display panel in an electronic device provided in some other embodiments of the present application;

[0067] Fig.12 for Fig.11 A schematic diagram of a local structure where the first display part and the second display part meet;

[0068] Fig.13 for Fig.11 The structural schematic diagram of the flexible display panel shown is in a first state;

[0069] Fig.14 for Fig.11 The structural schematic diagram of the flexible display panel shown is in the second state;

[0070] Fig.15 for Fig.11 The structural schematic diagram of the flexible display panel shown is in the third state;

[0071] Fig.16 A schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible display panel in an electronic device provided in some further embodiments of the present application;

[0072] Fig.17 for Fig.16 The structural schematic diagram of the flexible display panel shown is in a first state;

[0073] Fig.18 for Fig.16 The structural schematic diagram of the flexible display panel shown is in the second state;

[0074] Fig.19 for Fig.16 The flexible display panel is shown in a third state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments provided by the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0076] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0077] In addition, in the present application, directional terms such as "up", "down", "left" and "right" may be defined including but not limited to the orientation relative to the schematic placement of the components in the drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms may be relative concepts, which are used for relative description and clarification, and may change accordingly according to the change in the orientation of the components in the drawings.

[0078] When describing some embodiments, the expressions "connected", "connected" and their derivatives may be used. For example, when describing some embodiments, the term "connected" may be used to indicate that two or more components are in direct or indirect physical contact with each other. For example, A and B are connected, which may mean that A and B are connected, or that A and B are connected through other components. In addition, the term "coupled" may be a way of achieving electrical connection for signal transmission, and coupling may refer to direct coupling or indirect coupling.

[0079] “At least one of A, B, and C” has the same meaning as “at least one of A, B, or C” and both include the following combinations of A, B, and C: A only, B only, C only, the combination of A and B, the combination of A and C, the combination of B and C, and the combination of A, B, and C.

[0080] “A and / or B” includes the following three combinations: A only, B only, and a combination of A and B.

[0081] As used herein, "about," "substantially," or "approximately" includes the stated value and an average value that is within an acceptable range of variation from the particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art taking into account the measurements in question and the errors associated with the measurement of the particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system).

[0082] The following is an explanation of the technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0083] 1. Flexible display panel: a display panel that can be bent, folded or rolled. Flexible display panels are used in foldable electronic devices and can realize the display function of electronic devices.

[0084] The flexible display panel may include a plurality of sub-pixels. The plurality of sub-pixels may be arranged in a plurality of rows and columns to form a plurality of repeated arrangement units. Each repeated arrangement unit may include a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, and a blue sub-pixel. In addition, in some display panels, the plurality of sub-pixels may also include a white sub-pixel and / or a yellow sub-pixel.

[0085] Each sub-pixel may include a pixel circuit and a light-emitting device. The pixel circuit in a sub-pixel is used to write a light-emitting signal to the light-emitting device to drive the light-emitting device to emit light in each frame. Exemplarily, the pixel circuits in the same row are coupled to the same gate line, and the pixel circuits in the same column are coupled to the same data line. When a pixel circuit receives a gate drive signal provided by a gate line, the pixel circuit can write a light-emitting signal corresponding to the data signal to the corresponding light-emitting device when receiving a data signal.

[0086] 2. Pixel density (pixels per inch, PPI): refers to the number of pixels per inch. The higher the PPI of the display panel, the better the display effect (such as display clarity, display brightness, etc.) of the display panel. However, the power consumption of the display panel will also be higher.

[0087] 3. Gate drive circuit (gate on array, GOA): coupled to multiple gate lines respectively, used to provide gate drive signals to different gate lines in a time-sharing manner, so as to control sub-pixels located in different rows to write data signals provided by data lines through gate lines.

[0088] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a gate driving circuit is shown. The flexible display panel includes a first voltage signal line VGL, a second voltage signal line VGH, a first clock signal line ck1, and a second clock signal line ck2. The first power signal line VGL can provide a first voltage signal, such as a low voltage signal. The second power signal line VGH can provide a second voltage signal, such as a high voltage signal. The first clock signal line ck1 can provide a first clock signal, and the second clock signal line ck2 can provide a second clock signal.

[0089] The gate drive circuit 01 may include N mutually cascaded shift registers (RS1, RS2, ... RSn), the first voltage signal terminal of each shift register is coupled to the first voltage signal line VGL, the second voltage signal terminal of each shift register is coupled to the second voltage signal line VGH, the first clock signal terminal CLK1 of each shift register is coupled to the first clock signal line ck1, and the second clock signal terminal CLK2 of each shift register is coupled to the second clock signal line ck2. In addition, the output terminal of each shift register is coupled to a gate line, so that the gate drive circuit 01 is coupled to multiple gate lines (Gate1, Gate2, ... Gaten). Exemplarily, the cascade mode of the N shift registers is as follows: the signal input terminal Iput of the first-stage shift register RS1 is coupled to the frame start signal terminal (STV). The signal input terminal Iput of the i-th stage shift register RSi is coupled to the cascade signal output terminal Oput of the i-1-th stage shift register RS(i-1); wherein, 2≤i≤n; i is a positive integer variable.

[0090] It can be understood that, except for the last stage of the shift register, the signal outputted by the cascade signal output terminal Oput of each shift register serves as both the input signal of the next stage of the shift register and the gate drive signal to control the sub-pixels in the same row (e.g., row or column) to write data signals. N shift registers can be coupled to N rows of sub-pixels in a one-to-one correspondence through N gate lines.

[0091] At present, there are more and more foldable electronic devices, and consumers are increasingly demanding the display effects of foldable electronic devices. For example, consumers hope to increase the PPI of the flexible display panel (also known as the screen) in the foldable electronic device to improve the display clarity of the foldable electronic device. For another example, consumers hope to increase the size of the flexible display panel in the foldable electronic device to increase the display area of ​​the foldable electronic device.

[0092] However, while the display area and PPI of foldable electronic devices are increased, they will inevitably lead to higher power consumption, resulting in reduced battery life of the foldable electronic devices. Currently, the above-mentioned foldable electronic devices have poor results in balancing display performance and power consumption.

[0093] Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide a flexible display panel, a display method thereof, and an electronic device. By adopting different PPI designs in different display parts of a flexible display panel, the flexible display panel of the foldable electronic device can only display through the area with higher PPI when the foldable electronic device is in the folded state to meet the consumer's requirements for display performance; when the foldable electronic device is in the flattened state, the flexible display panel can be displayed at a lower PPI as a whole to reduce the power consumption of the flexible display panel. In this way, the flexible display panel, the display method thereof, and the electronic device provided in the embodiments of the present application can better balance the display effect and power consumption of the electronic device.

[0094] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments.

[0095] The electronic device provided in the embodiments of the present application is a foldable electronic device. The electronic device may include but is not limited to a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a netbook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearable electronic device, a virtual reality device, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0096] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of an electronic device is shown.

[0097] The electronic device 100 may include a processor 110, an external memory interface 120, an internal memory 121, a universal serial bus (USB) interface 130, a charging management module 140, a power management module 141, a battery 142, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 150, a wireless communication module 160, a sensor module 180, a button 190, a camera 191, and a display screen 192. The sensor module 180 may include a gyroscope sensor 180A, a magnetic sensor 180B, a speed sensor 180C, a touch sensor 180D, and the like.

[0098] It is to be understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiment of the present invention does not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device 100. In other embodiments of the present application, the electronic device 100 may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or separate some components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0099] The processor 110 may include one or more processing units, for example, the processor 110 may include an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processor (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a memory, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or a neural-network processing unit (NPU), etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0100] The controller may be the nerve center and command center of the electronic device 100. The controller may generate an operation control signal according to the instruction operation code and the timing signal to complete the control of fetching and executing instructions.

[0101] The processor 110 may also be provided with a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor 110 is a cache memory. The memory may store instructions or data that the processor 110 has just used or cyclically used. If the processor 110 needs to use the instruction or data again, it may be directly called from the memory. This avoids repeated access, reduces the waiting time of the processor 110, and thus improves the efficiency of the system.

[0102] In some embodiments, the processor 110 may include one or more interfaces. The interface may include an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a subscriber identity module (SIM) interface, and / or a universal serial bus (USB) interface, etc.

[0103] The I2C interface is a bidirectional synchronous serial bus, including a serial data line (SDA) and a serial clock line (SCL). In some embodiments, the processor 110 may include multiple groups of I2C buses. The processor 110 may be coupled to the touch sensor 180D, the charger, the flash, the camera 191, etc. through different I2C bus interfaces. For example: the processor 110 may be coupled to the touch sensor 180D through the I2C interface, so that the processor 110 communicates with the touch sensor 180D through the I2C bus interface, thereby realizing the touch function of the electronic device 100.

[0104] The I2S interface can be used for audio communication. In some embodiments, the processor 110 can include multiple I2S buses. The processor 110 can be coupled to the audio module 170 via the I2S bus to achieve communication between the processor 110 and the audio module 170. In some embodiments, the audio module 170 can transmit an audio signal to the wireless communication module 160 via the I2S interface to achieve the function of answering a call through a Bluetooth headset.

[0105] The PCM interface can also be used for audio communication, sampling, quantizing and encoding analog signals. In some embodiments, the audio module 170 and the wireless communication module 160 can be coupled via a PCM bus interface. In some embodiments, the audio module 170 can also transmit audio signals to the wireless communication module 160 via the PCM interface to realize the function of answering calls via a Bluetooth headset. Both the I2S interface and the PCM interface can be used for audio communication.

[0106] The UART interface is a universal serial data bus for asynchronous communication. The bus can be a bidirectional communication bus. It converts the data to be transmitted between serial communication and parallel communication. In some embodiments, the UART interface is generally used to connect the processor 110 and the wireless communication module 160. For example, the processor 110 communicates with the Bluetooth module in the wireless communication module 160 through the UART interface to implement the Bluetooth function. In some embodiments, the audio module 170 can transmit an audio signal to the wireless communication module 160 through the UART interface to implement the function of playing music through a Bluetooth headset.

[0107] The MIPI interface can be used to connect the processor 110 with peripheral devices such as the display screen 192 and the camera 191. The MIPI interface includes a camera serial interface (CSI), a display serial interface (DSI), etc. In some embodiments, the processor 110 and the camera 191 communicate via the CSI interface to implement the shooting function of the electronic device 100. The processor 110 and the display screen 192 communicate via the DSI interface to implement the display function of the electronic device 100.

[0108] The GPIO interface can be configured by software. The GPIO interface can be configured as a control signal or as a data signal. In some embodiments, the GPIO interface can be used to connect the processor 110 with the camera 191, the display 192, the wireless communication module 160, the audio module 170, the sensor module 180, etc. The GPIO interface can also be configured as an I2C interface, an I2S interface, a UART interface, a MIPI interface, etc.

[0109] The USB interface 130 is an interface that complies with the USB standard specification, and specifically can be a Mini USB interface, a Micro USB interface, a USB Type C interface, etc. The USB interface 130 can be used to connect a charger to charge the electronic device 100, and can also be used to transfer data between the electronic device 100 and a peripheral device. It can also be used to connect headphones to play audio through the headphones. The interface can also be used to connect other electronic devices, such as AR devices, etc.

[0110] It is understandable that the interface connection relationship between the modules illustrated in the embodiment of the present invention is only a schematic illustration and does not constitute a structural limitation on the electronic device 100. In other embodiments of the present application, the electronic device 100 may also adopt different interface connection methods in the above embodiments, or a combination of multiple interface connection methods.

[0111] The charging management module 140 is used to receive charging input from a charger. The charger may be a wireless charger or a wired charger. In some wired charging embodiments, the charging management module 140 may receive charging input from a wired charger through the USB interface 130. In some wireless charging embodiments, the charging management module 140 may receive wireless charging input through a wireless charging coil of the electronic device 100. While the charging management module 140 is charging the battery 142, it may also power the electronic device through the power management module 141.

[0112] The power management module 141 is used to connect the battery 142, the charging management module 140 and the processor 110. The power management module 141 receives input from the battery 142 and / or the charging management module 140, and supplies power to the processor 110, the internal memory 121, the external memory, the display screen 192, the camera 191, and the wireless communication module 160. The power management module 141 can also be used to monitor parameters such as battery capacity, battery cycle number, battery health status (leakage, impedance), etc. In some other embodiments, the power management module 141 can also be set in the processor 110. In other embodiments, the power management module 141 and the charging management module 140 can also be set in the same device.

[0113] The wireless communication function of the electronic device 100 can be implemented through the antenna 1, the antenna 2, the mobile communication module 150, the wireless communication module 160, the modem processor and the baseband processor.

[0114] Antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in electronic device 100 can be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve the utilization of antennas. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antenna can be used in combination with a tuning switch.

[0115] The mobile communication module 150 can provide solutions for wireless communications including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G, etc., applied to the electronic device 100. The mobile communication module 150 may include at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 150 can receive electromagnetic waves from the antenna 1, and filter, amplify, and process the received electromagnetic waves, and transmit them to the modulation and demodulation processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 150 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modulation and demodulation processor, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through the antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 can be set in the processor 110. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 can be set in the same device as at least some of the modules of the processor 110.

[0116] The wireless communication module 160 can provide wireless communication solutions including wireless local area networks (WLAN) (such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks), bluetooth (BT), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), near field communication (NFC), infrared (IR), etc., which are applied to the electronic device 100. The wireless communication module 160 can be one or more devices integrating at least one communication processing module. The wireless communication module 160 receives electromagnetic waves via the antenna 2, modulates the frequency of the electromagnetic wave signal and performs filtering, and sends the processed signal to the processor 110. The wireless communication module 160 can also receive the signal to be sent from the processor 110, modulate the frequency of it, amplify it, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through the antenna 2.

[0117] The electronic device 100 implements the display function through a GPU, a display screen 192, and an application processor. The GPU is a microprocessor for image processing, which connects the display screen 192 and the application processor. The GPU is used to perform mathematical and geometric calculations for graphics rendering. The processor 110 may include one or more GPUs that execute program instructions to generate or change display information.

[0118] The display screen 192 is used to display images, videos, etc. The display screen 192 may include a flexible display panel. The flexible display panel may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode or an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED), a flexible light-emitting diode (FLED), Miniled, MicroLed, Micro-oled, a quantum dot light emitting diode (QLED), etc. In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 may include 1 or N display screens 192, where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0119] The electronic device 100 can realize the shooting function through ISP, camera 191, video codec, GPU, display screen 192 and application processor.

[0120] ISP is used to process the data fed back by camera 191. For example, when taking a photo, the shutter is opened, and the light is transmitted to the camera photosensitive element through the lens. The light signal is converted into an electrical signal, and the camera photosensitive element transmits the electrical signal to ISP for processing and converts it into an image visible to the naked eye. ISP can also perform algorithm optimization on the noise and brightness of the image. ISP can also optimize the exposure, color temperature and other parameters of the shooting scene. In some embodiments, ISP can be set in camera 191.

[0121] The camera 191 is used to capture still images or videos. The object generates an optical image through the lens and projects it onto the photosensitive element. The photosensitive element can be a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistor. The photosensitive element converts the light signal into an electrical signal, and then passes the electrical signal to the ISP to be converted into a digital image signal. The ISP outputs the digital image signal to the DSP for processing. The DSP converts the digital image signal into an image signal in a standard RGB, YUV or other format. In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 may include 1 or N cameras 191, where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0122] The digital signal processor is used to process digital signals, and can process not only digital image signals but also other digital signals. For example, when the electronic device 100 is selecting a frequency point, the digital signal processor is used to perform Fourier transform on the frequency point energy.

[0123] Video codecs are used to compress or decompress digital videos. The electronic device 100 may support one or more video codecs. Thus, the electronic device 100 may play or record videos in a variety of coding formats, such as Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) 1, MPEG2, MPEG3, MPEG4, etc.

[0124] NPU is a neural network (NN) computing processor. By drawing on the structure of biological neural networks, such as the transmission mode between neurons in the human brain, it can quickly process input information and can also continuously self-learn. Through NPU, applications such as intelligent cognition of electronic device 100 can be realized, such as image recognition, face recognition, voice recognition, text understanding, etc.

[0125] The external memory interface 120 can be used to connect an external memory card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the electronic device 100. The external memory card communicates with the processor 110 through the external memory interface 120 to implement a data storage function, such as storing music, video and other files in the external memory card.

[0126] The internal memory 121 can be used to store computer executable program codes, which include instructions. The processor 110 executes various functional applications and data processing of the electronic device 100 by running the instructions stored in the internal memory 121. The internal memory 121 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program storage area may store an operating system, an application required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), etc. The data storage area may store data created during the use of the electronic device 100 (such as audio data, a phone book, etc.), etc. In addition, the internal memory 121 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, a universal flash storage (UFS), etc.

[0127] The gyro sensor 180A can be used to determine the motion posture of the electronic device 100. In some embodiments, the angular velocity of the electronic device 100 around three axes (i.e., x, y, and z axes) can be determined by the gyro sensor 180A. The gyro sensor 180A can be used for anti-shake shooting. For example, when the shutter is pressed, the gyro sensor 180A detects the angle of the electronic device 100 shaking, calculates the distance that the lens module needs to compensate based on the angle, and allows the lens to offset the shaking of the electronic device 100 through reverse movement to achieve anti-shake. The gyro sensor 180A can also be used for navigation and somatosensory game scenes.

[0128] The magnetic sensor 180B includes a Hall sensor. The electronic device 100 can use the magnetic sensor 180B to detect the opening and closing of the flip leather case. In some embodiments, when the electronic device 100 is a flip phone, the electronic device 100 can detect the opening and closing of the flip cover according to the magnetic sensor 180B. Then, according to the detected opening and closing state of the leather case or the opening and closing state of the flip cover, the flip cover automatic unlocking and other features are set.

[0129] The acceleration sensor 180C can detect the magnitude of the acceleration of the electronic device 100 in all directions (generally three axes). When the electronic device 100 is stationary, the magnitude and direction of gravity can be detected. It can also be used to identify the posture of the electronic device and is applied to applications such as horizontal and vertical screen switching and pedometers.

[0130] The touch sensor 180D is also called a "touch panel". The touch sensor 180D can be arranged on the display screen 192, and the touch sensor 180D and the display screen 192 form a touch screen, also called a "touch screen". The touch sensor 180D is used to detect touch operations acting on or near it. The touch sensor can pass the detected touch operation to the application processor to determine the type of touch event. Visual output related to the touch operation can be provided through the display screen 192. In other embodiments, the touch sensor 180D can also be arranged on the surface of the electronic device 100, which is different from the position of the display screen 192.

[0131] The key 190 includes a power key, a volume key, etc. The key 190 may be a mechanical key or a touch key. The electronic device 100 may receive key input and generate key signal input related to user settings and function control of the electronic device 100.

[0132] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the structure of an electronic device in a flattened state is shown; Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the structure of an electronic device in a folded state is shown.

[0133] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the electronic device 100 may include a flexible display panel 10 and a supporting device 20. It is understood that Figure 3 and Figure 4 Only some components of the electronic device 100 are schematically shown, and the actual shapes, sizes, positions and structures of these components are not subject to the present invention. Figure 3 and Figure 4 restrictions.

[0134] The flexible display panel 10 can be used to display information and provide an interactive interface for the user. In various embodiments of the present application, the flexible display panel 10 may include, but is not limited to, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display screen, an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode or an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display screen, a mini organic light-emitting diode (Mini Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display screen, a micro organic light-emitting diode (micro organic light-emitting diode) display screen, a micro organic light-emitting diode (micro organic light-emitting diode) display screen, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) display screen, etc.

[0135] The flexible display panel 10 can switch between a flattened state and a folded state. The flexible display panel 10 includes at least a first portion 11, a second portion 12 and a third portion 13, and the third portion 13 is located between the first portion 11 and the second portion 12. At least the third portion 13 of the flexible display panel 10 is made of a flexible material. It can be understood that the third portion 13 is a bent portion of the flexible display panel 10 and is made of a flexible material; the first portion 11 and the second portion 12 can be made of a flexible material, or a rigid material, or partially made of a rigid material and partially made of a flexible material, which is not limited here.

[0136] For example, Figure 3 As shown, when the flexible display panel 10 is in a flattened state, the first part 11 and the second part 12 are respectively located on both sides of the third part 13 in the first direction X. It can be understood that in the first direction X, the first part 11 is located on one side of the second part 12.

[0137] The support device 20 is used to support the flexible display panel 10 and allow the flexible display panel 10 to switch between a flat state and a folded state. In this embodiment, the support device 20 includes a first shell 21, a second shell 22 and a folding assembly 23. It can be understood that Figure 3 and Figure 4 Only some components of the support device 20 are schematically shown, and the actual shape, size, position and configuration of these components are not subject to the present invention. Figure 3 and Figure 4 restrictions.

[0138] The first housing 21 is used to fix and support the first part 11 of the flexible display panel 10. Specifically, the first housing 21 has a first supporting surface, and the first housing 21 fixes and supports the first part 11 of the flexible display panel 10 through the first supporting surface. Exemplarily, the connection relationship between the first supporting surface and the first part 11 includes but is not limited to gluing.

[0139] The second housing 22 is used to fix and support the second portion 12 of the flexible display panel 10. Specifically, the second housing 22 has a second supporting surface, and the second housing 22 fixes and supports the second portion 12 of the flexible display panel 10 through the second supporting surface. Exemplarily, the connection relationship between the second supporting surface and the second portion 12 includes but is not limited to gluing.

[0140] The first housing 21 and / or the second housing 22 can respectively form an installation space for installing electronic components such as a circuit board, a battery, a receiver, a speaker, and a camera of the electronic device 100. Among them, the circuit board can integrate electronic components such as the main controller, a storage unit, an antenna module, and a power management module of the electronic device 100, and the battery can power the flexible display panel 10, the circuit board, the receiver, the speaker, the camera, and other electronic components. The first housing 21 and the second housing 22 can be of equal thickness or unequal thickness, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0141] In some embodiments, both the first shell 21 and the second shell 22 may be provided with installation spaces, and the electronic components of the electronic device 100 are distributed in the shells on both sides. In other embodiments, only the first shell 21 may be provided with installation spaces, and the electronic components of the electronic device 100 are concentrated in the first shell 21; or, both the first shell 21 and the second shell 22 may be provided with installation spaces, but most of the components of the electronic device 100 are provided in the second shell 22, and a small part is provided in the first shell 21, so that the first shell 21 is lighter and can be folded and flattened more conveniently.

[0142] The first housing 21 can be a structural unit or can be formed by assembling a plurality of parts. Similarly, the second housing 22 can be a structural unit or can be formed by assembling a plurality of parts.

[0143] The folding assembly 23 is used to support the third portion 13 of the flexible display panel 10. Exemplarily, the folding assembly 23 is located between the first shell 21 and the second shell 22, and the folding assembly 23 is connected to the first shell 21 and the second shell 22 respectively. The first shell 21 and the second shell 22 are rotatably connected through the folding assembly 23, thereby realizing relative rotation between the first shell 21 and the second shell 22. Specifically, as Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the rotation axis of the first shell 21 relative to the second shell 22 extends along the second direction Y.

[0144] The folding component 23 can be switched between a flattened state and a folded state. By switching the folding component 23 between the flattened state and the folded state, the entire electronic device 100 and / or the flexible display panel 10 can be switched between the flattened state and the folded state.

[0145] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible display panel in some embodiments provided in the present application is shown; Figure 6 Shows Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the local structure where the first display portion and the second display portion meet.

[0146] The flexible display panel 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application may be an outward-folding flexible display panel.

[0147] A plurality of first sub-pixels P1 may be arranged on the first portion, a plurality of second sub-pixels P2 may be arranged on the second portion, and a plurality of first sub-pixels P1 and / or a plurality of second sub-pixels P2 may be arranged on the third portion.

[0148] In some examples, a plurality of first sub-pixels P1 are arranged on the third portion and no second sub-pixels P2 are arranged. At this time, the first portion and the third portion together constitute the first display portion A1 of the flexible display panel 10, and the second portion constitutes the second display portion A2 of the flexible display panel 10.

[0149] In some other examples, a plurality of second sub-pixels P2 are arranged on the third portion and no first sub-pixel P1 is arranged. In this case, the second portion and the third portion together constitute the second display portion A2 of the flexible display panel 10, and the first portion constitutes the first display portion A1 of the flexible display panel 10.

[0150] In some other examples, a plurality of first sub-pixels P1 and a plurality of second sub-pixels P2 are arranged on the third portion at the same time. The plurality of first sub-pixels P1 in the third portion are arranged close to the first portion, and the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 in the third portion are arranged close to the second portion. At this time, the first portion and part of the third portion together constitute the first display portion A1 of the flexible display panel 10, and the second portion and the remaining third portion together constitute the second display portion A2 of the flexible display panel 10.

[0151] In the following description, the embodiment of the present application will be described with the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2. It should be noted that, on the basis that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are in a flat state or a folded state, the first display portion A1 can also be in a folded state alone, or the second display portion A2 can also be in a folded state alone.

[0152] In some examples, the PPI of the first display portion A1 may be an integer multiple of the PPI of the second display portion A2. Figure 5 As shown, the PPI of the first display portion A1 is three times the PPI of the second display portion A2.

[0153] like Figure 5 As shown, the flexible display panel 10 may include a first gate driving circuit 14 and a second gate driving circuit 15. The first gate driving circuit 14 is coupled to a plurality of first sub-pixels P1 in the first display portion A1, and the first gate driving circuit 14 is used to provide a gate driving signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels P1 to write data to each first sub-pixel P1, so that each first sub-pixel P1 emits light accordingly, so that the first display portion A1 displays a corresponding picture.

[0154] Similarly, the second gate driving circuit 15 is coupled to the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 in the second display portion A2, and the second gate driving circuit 15 is used to provide a gate driving signal to the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 to write data to each second sub-pixel P2, so that each second sub-pixel P2 emits light accordingly, thereby causing the second display portion A2 to display a corresponding picture.

[0155] The first gate driving circuit 14 may be located at one side of the first display portion A1 in the first direction X. For example, the first gate driving circuit 14 may be located at one side of the first display portion A1 in the first direction X away from the second display portion A2 .

[0156] Similarly, the second gate driving circuit 15 may be located at one side of the second display portion A2 in the first direction X. For example, the second gate driving circuit 15 may be located at one side of the second display portion A2 in the first direction X away from the first display portion A1.

[0157] Figure 5 The first gate driving circuit 14 and the second gate driving circuit 15 may be located at the same time on a side of the first display portion A1 away from the second display portion A2 in the first direction X. In some other embodiments, the first gate driving circuit 14 and the second gate driving circuit 15 may also be located on different sides of the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 in the first direction X. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0158] It should be noted that the first gate driving circuit 14 and the second gate driving circuit 15 can be integrated into one chip. Figure 5As shown, the first gate driving circuit 14 and the second gate driving circuit 15 may be integrated into a display driver integrated circuit (DDIC) chip 16. In some other embodiments, the first gate driving circuit 14 and the second gate driving circuit 15 may also be located in different chips.

[0159] In addition to the gate lines mentioned above, the flexible display panel 10 may also include scan lines, reset lines, data lines, etc. Among them, the scan lines, reset lines and gate lines are parallel to each other and have the same extension direction; the data lines and gate lines intersect each other. The scan lines, reset lines and gate lines may be parallel to the second direction Y, and the data lines may be parallel to the first direction X.

[0160] like Figure 6 As shown, each data line date of the plurality of data lines extends into the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 respectively along the first direction X. Thus, each data line date is coupled to the first sub-pixel in the first display portion A1 and is coupled to the second sub-pixel in the second display portion A2.

[0161] The plurality of gate lines gate extend along the second direction Y, wherein a portion of the gate lines gate is located in the first display portion A1, and another portion of the gate lines gate is located in the second display portion A2. The gate line gate located in the first display portion A1 is coupled to the first sub-pixel and disconnected from the second sub-pixel gate; the gate line gate located in the second display portion A2 is coupled to the second sub-pixel and disconnected from the first sub-pixel.

[0162] like Figure 5 As shown, when the flexible display panel 10 displays the first display part A1 and the second display part A2 at the same time, the refresh process of a frame of image is as follows: First, the first gate driving circuit 14 controls the first sub-pixels P1 in the first display part A1 to write data signals one by one through the internal multiple shift registers. After the first sub-pixels P1 complete the writing of data signals, the second gate driving circuit 15 controls the second sub-pixels P2 in the second display part A2 to write data signals one by one through the internal multiple shift registers. Thus, the writing of data signals to each sub-pixel of the flexible display panel 10 is completed.

[0163] Figure 5The flexible display panel 10 shown can be an outward folding flexible display panel. It can be understood that when the electronic device 100 is in a folded state, the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 can be exposed on different sides of the electronic device 100, respectively, as surfaces on both sides of the electronic device 100. Moreover, the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 can be displayed independently. Exemplarily, when the electronic device 100 is in a folded state, the flexible display panel 10 is in a first state, the first display portion A1 is displayed and the second display portion A2 is not displayed. At this time, the electronic device 100 can perform a high-resolution (first resolution) display alone. Again exemplarily, when the electronic device 100 is in a folded state, the flexible display panel 10 is in a second state, the first display portion A1 is not displayed and the second display portion A2 is displayed. At this time, the electronic device 100 can perform a low-resolution (second resolution) display.

[0164] When the electronic device 100 is in the flat state, the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are simultaneously exposed on the same side of the electronic device 100. As another example, when the electronic device 100 is in the flat state, the flexible display panel 10 is in the third state, and the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 display simultaneously.

[0165] In the embodiment of the present application, the arrangement density of the plurality of first sub-pixels P1 may be greater than the arrangement density of the plurality of second sub-pixels P2. It can be understood that the PPI of the first display portion A1 is higher than the PPI of the second display portion A2.

[0166] like Figure 5 As shown, when the flexible display panel 10 is in the first state, the first display portion A1 with a higher PPI in the flexible display panel 10 displays, and the second display portion A2 with a lower PPI does not display. At this time, taking the electronic device as a mobile phone as an example, the foldable mobile phone can be similar to a straight-screen mobile phone, and when multiple first sub-pixels P1 with a high PPI display, the foldable mobile phone displays with high resolution.

[0167] Figure 7 Shows Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible display panel in a first state; Figure 8 Shows Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible display panel in the second state; Fig. 9 Shows Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible display panel in the third state. The sub-pixels shown in the figure indicate display, and the blanks in the figure indicate no display.

[0168] The following describes a specific display method of the flexible display panel 10 when the flexible display panel 10 is in different states. For ease of understanding, the following description will be given with the electronic device being a mobile phone as an example, but this should not be limiting.

[0169] Step S10: Detecting the state of the flexible display panel.

[0170] The mobile phone (eg, a processor) may detect the state of the flexible display panel 10 .

[0171] In some examples, the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 in the flexible display panel 10 are rotatable relative to each other, the first display portion A1 cannot be folded alone, and the second display portion A2 cannot be folded alone. In this way, the state of the flexible display panel 10 can be determined based on the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 and the tilt data of the flexible display panel 10. Exemplarily, the processor can be coupled to the angle encoder in the folding component 23 to obtain the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10. Also exemplarily, the processor can be coupled to the gyroscope sensor 180A to obtain the tilt data of the flexible display panel 10.

[0172] The unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 may indicate that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are flattened or folded relative to each other. When the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 indicates that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are folded relative to each other, the state of the flexible display panel 10 may indicate that the flexible display panel 10 is in the first state or the second state. When the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 indicates that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are flattened relative to each other, the state of the flexible display panel 10 may indicate that the flexible display panel 10 is in the third state.

[0173] The tilt data of the flexible display panel 10 may indicate that the first display portion A1 of the flexible display panel 10 is facing the user, or that the second display portion A2 of the flexible display panel 10 is facing the user. In the case where the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 indicates that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are folded with each other, and the tilt data of the flexible display panel 10 indicates that the first display portion A1 of the flexible display panel 10 is facing the user, the state of the flexible display panel 10 may indicate that the flexible display panel 10 is in the first state. In the case where the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 indicates that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are folded with each other, and the tilt data of the flexible display panel 10 indicates that the second display portion A2 of the flexible display panel 10 is facing the user, the state of the flexible display panel 10 may indicate that the flexible display panel 10 is in the second state.

[0174] In some other examples, the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 in the flexible display panel 10 are rotatable relative to each other, and the second display portion A2 can be folded separately. Fig.10 As shown, Fig.10 The area of ​​the second display portion A2 is larger than Figure 5 The area of ​​the second display portion A2 in the flexible display panel 10 is determined based on the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 and the unfolding data of the second display portion A2. For example, the area of ​​the second display portion A2 is larger than the area of ​​the first display portion A1, and the second display portion A2 can be folded separately. In this way, the state of the flexible display panel 10 can be determined based on the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 and the unfolding data of the second display portion A2. How to obtain the specific unfolding data has been described in detail before, and will not be repeated here.

[0175] The unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 may indicate that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are flattened or folded relative to each other. When the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 indicates that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are folded relative to each other, the state of the flexible display panel 10 may indicate that the flexible display panel 10 is in the first state or the second state.

[0176] Exemplarily, when the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 indicates that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are folded with each other, and the unfolding data of the second display portion A2 indicates that the second display portion A2 is folded alone, the state of the flexible display panel 10 may indicate that the flexible display panel 10 is in the first state.

[0177] Also exemplarily, when the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 indicates that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are folded with each other, and the unfolding data of the second display portion A2 indicates that the second display portion A2 is unfolded alone, the state of the flexible display panel 10 may indicate that the flexible display panel 10 is in the second state.

[0178] When the unfolding data of the flexible display panel 10 indicates that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are flattened relative to each other, the state of the flexible display panel 10 may indicate that the flexible display panel 10 is in the third state.

[0179] Step S20: when the flexible display panel is in the first state, the first display portion displays an image at a first resolution and the second display portion does not display.

[0180] When the processor of the mobile phone detects that the flexible display panel 10 is in the first state, the processor can send a first display signal to the flexible display panel 10 through the mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) to control the first gate drive circuit 14 to send a gate drive signal to the first sub-pixels P1 in the first display portion A1, and control the second gate drive circuit 15 to stop outputting the gate drive signal. At the same time, the data drive circuit (such as source output mapping) in the DDIC is switched to a high PPI data mode, and the data drive circuit in the DDIC also performs a partial update of the data signal for the first sub-pixels P1 in the first display portion A1, so that Figure 7 As shown, the first display portion A1 of the flexible display panel 10 performs display and the second display portion A2 performs no display.

[0181] The data driving circuit and the first gate driving circuit control the plurality of first sub-pixels P1 in the first display portion A1 to display images at a higher resolution (first resolution) according to the higher PPI in the first display portion A1. The first resolution may be the highest resolution that can be displayed by the PPI corresponding to the first display portion A1.

[0182] As described above, the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 have their own corresponding gate drive circuits. Therefore, when the mobile phone detects that the flexible display panel is in the first state, the second gate drive circuit 15 may not output a gate drive signal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the flexible display panel 10, and further reducing the power consumption of the electronic device 100.

[0183] However, it has been described above that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 share the same data line, so even when the second display portion A2 does not display anything, the data line in the second display portion A2 still has the task of transmitting data signals.

[0184] Step S30: when the flexible display panel is in the second state, the second display portion displays images at a second resolution and the first display portion does not display.

[0185] When the processor of the mobile phone detects that the flexible display panel 10 is in the second state, the processor can send a second display signal to the flexible display panel 10 through the MIPI interface to control the second gate drive circuit 15 to send a gate drive signal to the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 in the second display portion A2, and control the first gate drive circuit 14 to stop outputting the gate drive signal. At the same time, the data drive circuit (such as source output mapping) in the DDIC is switched to a low PPI data mode, and the data drive circuit in the DDIC also performs a partial update of the data signal for the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 in the second display portion A2, so that Figure 8 As shown, the second display portion A2 of the flexible display panel 10 performs display and the first display portion A1 does not perform display.

[0186] The data driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit 15 control the second sub-pixels P2 in the second display portion A2 to display images at a lower resolution (second resolution) according to the lower PPI in the second display portion A2. The second resolution may be the highest resolution that can be displayed by the PPI corresponding to the second display portion A2.

[0187] As described above, the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 have their own corresponding gate drive circuits. Therefore, when the flexible display panel 10 is in the second state, the first gate drive circuit 14 may not output a gate drive signal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the flexible display panel 10 and further reducing the power consumption of the electronic device 100.

[0188] However, it has been described above that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 share the same data line. Therefore, even when the first display portion A1 is not displaying, the data line in the first display portion A1 still has the task of transmitting data signals.

[0189] Step S40: when the flexible display panel is in the third state, the first display portion and the second display portion both display images at the second resolution.

[0190] When the processor of the mobile phone detects that the flexible display panel 10 is in the third state, the processor can send a third display signal to the flexible display panel 10 through the MIPI interface to control the first gate drive circuit 14 to send a gate drive signal to the first sub-pixels P1 in the first display part A1, and control the second gate drive circuit 15 to send a gate drive signal to the second sub-pixels P2 in the second display part A2. At the same time, the data drive circuit (such as sourceoutput mapping) in the DDIC is switched to the low PPI data mode, and the data drive circuit in the DDIC will also perform an overall update of the data signal for the first display part A1 and the second display part A2, so that Fig. 9 As shown, the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 of the flexible display panel 10 display together.

[0191] The data driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit 15 control the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 in the second display portion A2 to display images at a lower resolution (second resolution) according to the lower PPI in the second display portion A2. Also, the data driving circuit and the first gate driving circuit 14 control the plurality of first sub-pixels P1 in the first display portion A1 to display images at a lower resolution (second resolution) according to the lower PPI in the first display portion A1.

[0192] In some examples, the electronic device may store the pixel distribution of the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 in the second display portion A2, and the position K of the gaps between the second sub-pixels P2. The electronic device may further determine the plurality of first sub-pixels P11 in the first display portion A1 corresponding to the pixels of the plurality of second sub-pixels P2, and the plurality of first sub-pixels P12 in the first display portion A1 corresponding to the position K of the gaps.

[0193] The electronic device can send a display signal to the flexible display panel 10 through the MIPI interface to control the first sub-pixel P11 to write a data signal for image display, and control the first sub-pixel P12 to write a data signal for non-image display (also referred to as a color dithering signal or a grayscale signal). Exemplarily, the color displayed after the data signal (color dithering signal) written to the first sub-pixel P12 is substantially the same as the color of the position K of the gap between the second sub-pixels P2. In this way, it is possible to avoid the light emitted by the first sub-pixel P12 from reducing the display effect of the first display portion A1, and improve the uniformity of the joint display of the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2.

[0194] In addition, in order to make the color displayed by the first sub-pixel P12 substantially the same as the color of the space K between the second sub-pixels P2, the power signal (AVDD) or the main gamma voltage (VGMP) provided to the first sub-pixel P12 may also be designed separately, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0195] In this example, data signals (color dithering signals) for non-image display are written into the plurality of first sub-pixels P12 corresponding to the positions K of the gaps in the second display portion A2, thereby enabling the plurality of first sub-pixels P1 in the first display portion A1 to display images at a lower resolution (second resolution).

[0196] In other examples, the electronic device may pre-store a sub-pixel rendering (SPR) algorithm corresponding to the distribution of the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 in the second display portion A2. Thus, when the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are displayed simultaneously, the electronic device may render the plurality of first sub-pixels P1 of the first display portion A1 according to the SPR algorithm corresponding to the distribution of the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 in the second display portion A2 (sub-pixel distribution law), thereby realizing that the plurality of first sub-pixels P1 in the first display portion A1 display images at a lower resolution (second resolution).

[0197] It should be noted that the electronic device may also pre-store an SPR algorithm corresponding to the PPI of the first display portion A1. When the first display portion A1 is displayed alone, the electronic device may render the multiple first sub-pixels P1 of the first display portion A1 according to the SPR algorithm corresponding to the PPI of the first display portion A1. It can be understood that the SPR algorithm used by the electronic device for the multiple first sub-pixels P1 when the first display portion A1 is displayed alone is different from the SPR algorithm used by the electronic device for the multiple first sub-pixels P1 when the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are displayed simultaneously.

[0198] Similarly, in some other examples, some suitable algorithms such as the gamma algorithm can also be used like the SPR algorithm to perform different processing on the plurality of first sub-pixels P1 in two different scenarios: the first display portion A1 is displayed alone, and the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 are displayed simultaneously. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0199] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible display panel provided in some other embodiments of the present application; Fig.12 Shows Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the local structure where the first display portion and the second display portion meet.

[0200] Fig.11 The first gate driving circuit is located at one side of the first display portion A1 in the second direction Y, and the second gate driving circuit is located at one side of the second display portion A2 in the second direction Y. Exemplarily, the first gate driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit may be located at different sides of the first display portion A1 in the second direction Y. Another exemplary embodiment, the first gate driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit may be located at the same side of the first display portion A1 in the second direction Y. For example, Fig.11 As shown, the first gate driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit can be located at the same side of the first display portion A1 in the second direction Y at the same time.

[0201] The gate lines, reset lines and scan lines in the flexible display panel 10 are substantially parallel to the first direction X, and the data lines in the flexible display panel 10 are substantially parallel to the second direction Y. The plurality of gate lines in the first display portion A1 are coupled to the first gate driving circuit 14, and the plurality of gate lines in the second display portion A2 are coupled to the second gate driving circuit 15.

[0202] like Fig.12 As shown, the data line date located in the first display part A1 and the data line date located in the second display part A2 are different data lines. Each data line date is only located in the first display part A1 or the second display part A2, and no data line date is simultaneously located in the first display part A1 and the second display part A2. It can be understood that the first data line date located in the first display part A1 is coupled to a plurality of first sub-pixels and is not coupled to the second sub-pixels; the second data line date located in the second display part A2 is coupled to a plurality of second sub-pixels and is not coupled to the first sub-pixels.

[0203] It should be noted that the multiple gate lines gate located in the first display portion A1 are disconnected from and not connected to the multiple gate lines gate located in the first display portion A1. Similarly, the multiple scan lines located in the first display portion A1 are disconnected from and not connected to the multiple scan lines located in the first display portion A1. Similarly, the multiple reset lines located in the first display portion A1 are disconnected from and not connected to the multiple reset lines located in the first display portion A1.

[0204] like Fig.11 As shown, in some embodiments, the PPI of a partial area A21 in the second display portion A2 is equal to the PPI of the first display portion A1, and the PPI of another partial area A22 in the second display portion A2 is smaller than the PPI of the first display portion A1, so that the overall PPI of the second display portion A2 is smaller than the overall PPI of the first display portion A1.

[0205] Fig.13 Shows Fig.11A schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible display panel in a first state; Fig.14 Shows Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible display panel in the second state; Fig.15 Shows Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible display panel in the third state. The sub-pixels shown in the figure indicate display, and the blanks in the figure indicate no display.

[0206] The following describes a specific display method of the flexible display panel 10 when the flexible display panel 10 is in different states.

[0207] When the flexible display panel 10 is in the first state, Fig.13 As shown, the multi-stage shift register in the first gate driving circuit 14 outputs the gate driving signal through the gate line step by step, and the data line in the first display part A1 provides the data signal, so that the data signal is written into the plurality of first sub-pixels P1, so that the first display part A1 of the flexible display panel 10 displays an image. The second gate driving circuit 15 stops outputting the gate driving signal, the scanning line in the second display part A2 does not provide the scanning signal, and the data line in the second display part A2 does not provide the data signal, so that the second display part A2 does not display and enters the deep standby mode, which can greatly reduce the power consumption of the flexible display panel 10.

[0208] When the flexible display panel 10 is in the second state, Fig.14 As shown, the multi-stage shift register in the second gate driving circuit 15 outputs the gate driving signal through the gate line step by step, and the data line in the second display part A2 provides the data signal, so that the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 write the data signal, so that the second display part A2 of the flexible display panel 10 displays the image. The first gate driving circuit 14 stops outputting the gate driving signal, the scanning line in the first display part A1 does not provide the scanning signal, and the data line in the first display part A1 stops providing the data signal, so that the first display part A1 does not display and enters the deep standby mode, which can greatly reduce the power consumption of the flexible display panel 10.

[0209] When the flexible display panel 10 is in the third state, Fig.15As shown, the multi-stage shift register in the first gate driving circuit 14 outputs the gate driving signal through the gate line step by step, and the data line in the first display part A1 provides the data signal, so that the data signal is written into the plurality of first sub-pixels P1, so that the first display part A1 of the flexible display panel 10 displays an image. Similarly, the multi-stage shift register in the second gate driving circuit 15 outputs the gate driving signal through the gate line step by step, and the data line in the second display part A2 provides the data signal, so that the data signal is written into the plurality of second sub-pixels P2, so that the second display part A2 of the flexible display panel 10 displays an image.

[0210] like Fig.15 As shown, when the flexible display panel 10 displays the first display part A1 and the second display part A2 at the same time, the refresh process of a frame of image is as follows: first, the first gate driving circuit 14 controls the first sub-pixel P1 of the first row in the first display part A1 to write the data signal through the internal multiple shift registers; at the same time, the second gate driving circuit 15 controls the second sub-pixel P2 of the first row in the second display part A2 to write the data signal through the internal multiple shift registers. After the first row of multiple first sub-pixels P1 and multiple second sub-pixels P2 complete the writing of data signals, the first gate driving circuit 14 controls the first sub-pixel P1 of the second row in the first display part A1 to write the data signal through the internal multiple shift registers; at the same time, the second gate driving circuit 15 controls the second sub-pixel P2 of the second row in the second display part A2 to write the data signal through the internal multiple shift registers; ... and so on, until the last row of multiple first sub-pixels P1 and multiple second sub-pixels P2 complete the writing of data signals.

[0211] It can be understood that when the flexible display panel 10 displays the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 simultaneously, the first gate driving circuit 14 writes a data signal to the first sub-pixel P1 while the second gate driving circuit 15 writes a data signal to the second sub-pixel P2.

[0212] When the flexible display panel 10 is in the third state, the display control method of the flexible display panel 10 has been described in detail before and will not be repeated here.

[0213] Fig.16 A schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible display panel provided in some further embodiments of the present application. Fig.16The first gate driving circuit is located at one side of the first display portion A1 in the first direction X, and the second gate driving circuit is located at one side of the second display portion A2 in the first direction X. Exemplarily, the first gate driving circuit 14 and the second gate driving circuit 15 can be located at different sides of the first display portion A1 in the first direction X. Another exemplary embodiment, the first gate driving circuit 14 and the second gate driving circuit 15 can be located at the same side of the first display portion A1 in the first direction X. For example, Fig.16 As shown, the first gate driving circuit and the second gate driving circuit may be simultaneously located at a side of the second display portion A2 in the first direction X away from the first display portion A1.

[0214] The gate lines, reset lines and scan lines in the flexible display panel are substantially parallel to the second direction Y, and the data lines in the flexible display panel are substantially parallel to the first direction X. The plurality of gate lines in the first display portion A1 are coupled to the first gate driving circuit 14 , and the plurality of gate lines in the second display portion A2 are coupled to the second gate driving circuit 15 .

[0215] Each data line is substantially parallel to the first direction X. Each data line is located in both the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2. Each data line is coupled to a plurality of first sub-pixels P1 in the first display portion A1, and each data line is coupled to a plurality of second sub-pixels P2 in the second display portion A2.

[0216] like Fig.16 As shown, in some embodiments, the PPI of a partial area A21 in the second display portion A2 is equal to the PPI of the first display portion A1, and the PPI of another partial area A22 in the second display portion A2 is smaller than the PPI of the first display portion A1, so that the overall PPI of the second display portion A2 is smaller than the overall PPI of the first display portion A1.

[0217] Fig.17 Shows Fig.16 A schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible display panel in a first state; Fig.18 Shows Fig.16 A schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible display panel in the second state; Fig.19 Shows Fig.16 A schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible display panel in the third state. The sub-pixels shown in the figure indicate display, and the blanks in the figure indicate no display.

[0218] The following describes a specific display method of the flexible display panel 10 when the flexible display panel 10 is in different states.

[0219] When the flexible display panel 10 is in the first state, Fig.17As shown, the multi-stage shift register in the first gate driving circuit 14 outputs the gate driving signal through the gate line step by step. The data driving circuit (e.g., sourceoutput mapping) in the DDIC is switched to the high PPI data mode, and the data signal is partially updated for the multiple first sub-pixels P1 in the first display part A1. The data line provides a data signal to the multiple first sub-pixels P1 located in the first display part A1, so that the multiple first sub-pixels P1 located in the first display part A1 write the data signal, so that the first display part A1 of the flexible display panel 10 displays an image. The second gate driving circuit 15 stops outputting the gate driving signal, and the data line stops providing the data signal to the multiple second sub-pixels P2 located in the second display part A2, so that the second display part A2 of the flexible display panel 10 does not display. Among them, the second gate driving circuit 15 stops outputting the gate driving signal to reduce the power consumption of the flexible display panel 10.

[0220] It has been described above that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 share the same data line. Therefore, even when the second display portion A2 does not display anything, the data line in the second display portion A2 still has the task of transmitting data signals.

[0221] When the flexible display panel 10 is in the second state, Fig.18 As shown, the multi-stage shift register in the second gate driving circuit 15 outputs the gate driving signal through the gate line step by step. The data driving circuit (e.g., sourceoutput mapping) in the DDIC is switched to the low PPI data mode, and the data signal is partially updated for the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 in the second display portion A2. The data line provides a data signal to the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 located in the second display portion A2, so that the plurality of second sub-pixels P2 located in the second display portion A2 write the data signal, so that the second display portion A2 of the flexible display panel 10 displays an image. The first gate driving circuit 14 stops outputting the gate driving signal, and the data line stops providing the data signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels P1 located in the first display portion A1, so that the first display portion A1 of the flexible display panel 10 does not display. Among them, the first gate driving circuit 14 stops outputting the gate driving signal to reduce the power consumption of the flexible display panel 10.

[0222] It has been described above that the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 share the same data line. Therefore, even when the first display portion A1 is not displaying, the data line in the first display portion A1 still has the task of transmitting data signals.

[0223] like Fig.19As shown, when the flexible display panel 10 displays the first display part A1 and the second display part A2 at the same time, the refresh process of a frame of image is as follows: First, the first gate driving circuit 14 controls the first sub-pixels P1 in the first display part A1 to write data signals one by one through the internal multiple shift registers. After the first sub-pixels P1 complete the writing of data signals, the second gate driving circuit 15 controls the second sub-pixels P2 in the second display part A2 to write data signals one by one through the internal multiple shift registers. Thus, the writing of data signals to each sub-pixel of the flexible display panel 10 is completed.

[0224] It can be understood that when the flexible display panel 10 displays the first display portion A1 and the second display portion A2 at the same time, the first gate driving circuit 14 outputs the gate driving signal first, and then the second gate driving circuit 15 outputs the gate driving signal. Of course, in some other examples, the second gate driving circuit 15 may output the gate driving signal first, and then the first gate driving circuit 14 may output the gate driving signal.

[0225] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which includes computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on the above-mentioned mobile terminal, the mobile terminal executes each function or step performed by the flexible display panel in the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0226] The present application also provides a computer program product, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the functions or steps executed by the flexible display panel in the above method embodiment. For example, the computer may be the above flexible display panel.

[0227] Through the description of the above implementation methods, technical personnel in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0228] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0229] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed in multiple different places. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0230] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0231] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions to enable a device (which can be a single-chip microcomputer, chip, etc.) or a processor (processor) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program code.

[0232] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A flexible display panel, characterized in that: include: A first display portion includes a plurality of first sub-pixels; A second display portion, located at one side of the first display portion; The second display portion rotates relative to the first display portion to fold or flatten the flexible display panel; the second display portion includes a plurality of second sub-pixels; wherein the arrangement density of the plurality of first sub-pixels is greater than the arrangement density of the plurality of second sub-pixels; When the first display unit is displayed alone, the first display unit is displayed at a first resolution; When the second display unit is displayed alone, the second display unit is displayed at a second resolution; the second resolution is smaller than the first resolution; When the first display unit and the second display unit display together, the first display unit displays at the second resolution and the second display unit displays at the second resolution.

2. The flexible display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A first gate driving circuit is located at one side of the first display portion in the first direction, and the first gate driving circuit provides a gate driving signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels; The first display portion and the second display portion are distributed along the first direction; A second gate driving circuit is located at one side of the second display portion in the first direction, and the second gate driving circuit provides a gate driving signal to the plurality of second sub-pixels; The flexible display panel includes a plurality of data lines extending along the first direction, wherein each of the data lines is coupled to the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel at the same time.

3. The flexible display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The time when the first gate driving circuit provides the gate driving signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels does not overlap with the time when the second gate driving circuit provides the gate driving signal to the plurality of second sub-pixels.

4. The flexible display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A first gate driving circuit is located at one side of the first display portion in the second direction, and the first gate driving circuit provides a gate driving signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels; The first display portion and the second display portion are distributed along a first direction, and the second direction intersects with the first direction; A second gate driving circuit is located at one side of the second display portion in the second direction, and the second gate driving circuit provides a gate driving signal to the plurality of second sub-pixels; The flexible display panel includes a plurality of data lines extending along the second direction, wherein the plurality of data lines include a first data line and a second data line, each of the first data lines is coupled to a first sub-pixel and disconnected from a second sub-pixel, and each of the second data lines is coupled to a second sub-pixel and disconnected from a first sub-pixel.

5. The flexible display panel according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the first display unit and the second display unit are displayed simultaneously, the time when the first gate driving circuit provides the gate driving signal to the multiple first sub-pixels at least partially overlaps with the time when the second gate driving circuit provides the gate driving signal to the multiple second sub-pixels.

6. The flexible display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The arrangement density of the plurality of first sub-pixels is an integer multiple of the arrangement density of the plurality of second sub-pixels.

7. The flexible display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The display area of ​​the first display portion is smaller than the display area of ​​the second display portion.

8. A display method of a flexible display panel, characterized in that: Applied to a flexible display panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7; the method comprising: detecting a state of the flexible display panel; the state of the flexible display panel comprising a first state in which the first display portion is displayed alone, a second state in which the second display portion is displayed alone, and a third state in which the first display portion and the second display portion are displayed simultaneously; When the flexible display panel is in a first state, the first display portion displays an image at a first resolution and the second display portion does not display; When the flexible display panel is in the second state, the second display portion displays images at a second resolution and the first display portion does not display; the second resolution is smaller than the first resolution; When the flexible display panel is in the third state, the first display portion and the second display portion both display images at a second resolution.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first display unit and the second display unit both display images at a second resolution, including: At least one first sub-pixel of the first display portion receives a dither signal, so that the first display portion displays an image at a second resolution.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The first display unit and the second display unit both display images at a second resolution, including: Acquire a sub-pixel rendering SPR algorithm corresponding to the pixel arrangement information of the second display part; The SPR algorithm is used to render the plurality of first sub-pixels, so that the first display portion displays an image at a second resolution.

11. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The flexible display panel comprises a first gate driving circuit, a second gate driving circuit and a data driving circuit; the first gate driving circuit is located at one side of the first display portion in the first direction, and the first gate driving circuit provides a gate driving signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels; the first display portion and the second display portion are distributed along the first direction; the second gate driving circuit is located at one side of the second display portion in the first direction, and the second gate driving circuit provides a gate driving signal to the plurality of second sub-pixels; The data driving circuit provides data signals to the plurality of first sub-pixels and the plurality of second sub-pixels; The second display unit does not display, including: The second gate driving circuit stops providing the gate driving signal to the plurality of second sub-pixels; and / or, The first display unit does not display, including: The first gate driving circuit stops providing the gate driving signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels.

12. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The flexible display panel comprises a first gate driving circuit, a second gate driving circuit and a data driving circuit; the first gate driving circuit is located at one side of the first display portion in the second direction, and the first gate driving circuit provides a gate driving signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels; the first display portion and the second display portion are distributed along a first direction, and the second direction intersects the first direction; the second gate driving circuit is located at one side of the second display portion in the second direction, and the second gate driving circuit provides a gate driving signal to the plurality of second sub-pixels; The data driving circuit provides data signals to the plurality of first sub-pixels and the plurality of second sub-pixels; The second display unit does not display, including: The second gate driving circuit stops providing gate driving signals to the plurality of second sub-pixels, and the data driving circuit stops providing data signals to the plurality of second sub-pixels; and / or, The first display unit does not display, including: The first gate driving circuit stops providing the gate driving signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels, and the data driving circuit stops providing the data signal to the plurality of first sub-pixels.

13. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: Battery; as well as, A flexible display panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

14. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: The electronic device includes a memory and one or more processors; the memory is coupled to the processor; computer program code is stored in the memory, and the computer program code includes computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed by the processor, the electronic device executes the method as described in any one of claims 8-12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The method comprises computer instructions, which, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 12.

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