Non-uniform microstructure array of electrowetting display device, manufacturing method and electronic equipment

Abstract

The application discloses a non-uniform microstructure array of an electrowetting display device, a manufacturing method and electronic equipment. The non-uniform microstructure array of the electrowetting display device comprises a pixel grid, a notch structure and a spacer structure. A plurality of pixel grids are uniformly arranged along a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, four adjacent pixel grids are taken as a group of microstructures, and a plurality of groups of microstructures form an array. The notch structure is arranged in the pixel grid and located at a corner. Each pixel grid has only one notch structure. Ink in the pixel grid can shrink from the notch structure to a diagonal position and gather at the shrinkage position. The spacer structure is arranged in part of the microstructures, and the spacer structure is located at the intersection of the four adjacent pixel grids. The non-uniform microstructure array of the electrowetting display device can effectively reduce the contact and ink wall-jumping caused by the ink abutment of the pixel grid.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a non-uniform microstructure array of an electrowetting display device, a manufacturing method and an electronic device. BACKGROUND

[0002] The electrowetting display device can control the contraction and diffusion of ink by the competition between the electrowetting force and the liquid interfacial tension, realize pixel switching and gray scale adjustment. The movement state of the ink in the pixel not only determines the photoelectric performance of the electrowetting display device, but also is a key factor for controlling ink wall climbing and visible ink aggregation.

[0003] In the related art, the local asymmetry of the electric field or wettability (usually referred to as notch structure) is introduced in the pixel, which can effectively control the directional movement of the ink, and the target is usually to control the ink to shrink to the diagonal or opposite side of the notch structure, and a support mechanism (usually referred to as spacer structure) is formed at the cross intersection between the pixel walls to improve the mechanical strength of the electrowetting display device. However, due to the material selection of the spacer structure, it is difficult to find a completely oil-repellent material, and when the traditional uniformly distributed spacer structure and notch structure design are adopted, the adjacent shrinkage of the ink at the spacer structure and the notch structure cannot be avoided, which may cause contact and even trigger the risk of ink wall climbing. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present application proposes a non-uniform microstructure array of an electrowetting display device, which can effectively reduce the contact caused by the adjacent ink of the pixel grid and even the occurrence of ink wall climbing.

[0005] The present application also proposes a manufacturing method for manufacturing a non-uniform microstructure array of an electrowetting display device.

[0006] The present application also proposes an electronic device for executing the computing process of the manufacturing method.

[0007] The non-uniform microstructure array of the electrowetting display device according to the first aspect of the present application comprises:

[0008] A plurality of pixel grids are uniformly arranged along the horizontal and vertical directions, four adjacent pixel grids are taken as a microstructure, and a plurality of microstructures form an array;

[0009] A notch structure is arranged in the pixel grid and located at a corner, and each pixel grid has only one notch structure, and the ink can shrink from the notch structure to the diagonal corner in the pixel grid and aggregate at the shrinkage position.

[0010] a spacer structure is arranged in part of the microstructure, and the spacer structure is located at the intersection of four adjacent pixel grids;

[0011] wherein, for the microstructure, the pinch position in the pixel grid and the spacer structure are located at different corners, and the pinch positions of two adjacent pixel grids are located at non-adjacent corners; for the array, in two adjacent microstructures, the pinch positions of the pixel grids of the two microstructures are located at non-adjacent corners.

[0012] The non-uniform microstructure array of the electrowetting display device according to the embodiments of the present application has at least the following beneficial effects: the non-uniform microstructure array of the electrowetting display device is provided with the notches and the spacer structures arranged non-uniformly, which meet the conditions that, for the microstructure, the pinch position in the pixel grid and the spacer structure are located at different corners, and the pinch positions of two adjacent pixel grids are located at non-adjacent corners; for the array, in two adjacent microstructures, the pinch positions of the pixel grids of the two microstructures are located at non-adjacent corners, so that after the ink in the pixel grid is pinched to the opposite corner of the notch, the spacer structure is not adjacent to the pinched ink, thereby avoiding the problem of display effect degradation caused by ink wall climbing.

[0013] The manufacturing method according to the second aspect of the embodiments of the present application comprises:

[0014] setting the constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure;

[0015] calculating the distribution of the notch structure and the spacer structure according to the constraint conditions to obtain a calculation result;

[0016] drawing an image containing the graphical elements of the notch structure and the graphical elements of the spacer structure according to the calculation result;

[0017] manufacturing the electrowetting display device with the non-uniform microstructure array according to the image.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present application, the setting of the constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure comprises the steps of:

[0019] providing that only one corner of the four corners of each pixel grid is arranged with the notch structure;

[0020] The shrinkage position in the pixel grid is in a different corner from the spacer structure, and the shrinkage positions of two adjacent pixel grids are in non-adjacent corners; for the array, in two adjacent microstructures, the shrinkage positions of the pixel grids of the two microstructures are in non-adjacent corners.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present application, the constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure further include the following steps:

[0022] The distribution density of the spacer structure is determined so that the spacer structure is arranged in part of the microstructure, and the spacer structure is arranged non-uniformly.

[0023] According to some embodiments of the present application, the calculation result of the distribution of the notch structure and the spacer structure satisfying the constraint conditions includes the following steps:

[0024] An electronic device capable of running a backtracking algorithm is prepared;

[0025] The constraint conditions are imported into the electronic device, and the backtracking algorithm is used to obtain the calculation result satisfying the constraint conditions.

[0026] According to some embodiments of the present application, the image containing the graphical elements of the notch structure and the graphical elements of the spacer structure is drawn according to the calculation result, and the steps include:

[0027] The calculation result is stored in the format of a plain text file and imported into an electronic device;

[0028] A computer program of the electronic device is run to read all the contents of the plain text file;

[0029] According to the read result, a pattern composed of different graphical elements is drawn.

[0030] According to some embodiments of the present application, the calculation result is stored in the format of a plain text file and imported into an electronic device, and the steps include:

[0031] In the plain text file, the spacer structure is represented by the number 1, the inverted right triangle notch structure is represented by the number 2, and the right triangle notch structure is represented by the number 4;

[0032] In the plain text file, the calculation result of the backtracking algorithm has satisfied the constraint conditions, and the number 1, the number 2, and the number 4 are arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0033] According to some embodiments of the present application, according to the pattern drawn from the pure text file, the number 1 is drawn as a circle, the number 2 is drawn as an inverted right triangle, and the number 4 is drawn as a right triangle.

[0034] The manufacturing method according to the embodiments of the present application has at least the following beneficial effects: the corresponding manufacturing method uses a computer program to design the array structure, sets the constraint conditions through programming, calculates the conditions satisfying the constraint conditions by combining the backtracking algorithm, stores the conditions as a pure text file format, and then draws the pattern by combining the drawing software, thereby realizing the design of the array structure and greatly improving the design efficiency.

[0035] The electronic device according to the third aspect of the embodiments of the present application comprises

[0036] The memory stores the computer program.

[0037] The processor can run the computer program, calculate the result, and draw the pattern according to the result.

[0038] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in part in the following description, become apparent from the following description, or be learned by practice of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0039] The present application will be further described below in combination with the drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the non-uniform microstructure array of the electrowetting display device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 2 A flowchart of the manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 A specific flowchart of step S100 in Figure 2

[0043] Figure 4 A specific flowchart of step S200 in Figure 2

[0044] Figure 5 A specific flowchart of step S300 in Figure 2

[0045] Figure 6 A specific flowchart of step S3001 in Figure 5

[0046] Reference signs:

[0047] ​​​​Pixel grid 100, spacer structure 200, notch structure 300. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] Embodiments of the present application are described below in detail with reference to examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like or similar elements or components are denoted throughout by like reference numerals, and descriptions of which need not be repeated. The embodiments described below are examples only, and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0049] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the orientation description, such as the orientation or position relationship indicated by up, down, front, back, left, right, etc. is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0050] In the description of the present application, the meaning of several is one or more, and the meaning of multiple is two or more. Greater than, less than, more than, etc. are understood as not including the number, and above, below, etc. are understood as including the number. If the first and second are described, they are only used for the purpose of distinguishing technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated or the order of technical features indicated.

[0051] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly limited, the words such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be broadly understood, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above words in the present application in combination with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0052] An electrowetting display device can control the contraction and diffusion of ink by utilizing the competition between electrowetting force and liquid interfacial tension, to realize pixel switching and gray scale adjustment. The movement state of the ink in the pixel not only determines the photoelectric performance of the electrowetting display device, but also is a key factor for controlling ink wall climbing, visible ink aggregation and other defects.

[0053] In the related art, local asymmetry (commonly referred to as notch structure) of electric field or wettability is introduced into the pixel, which can effectively control the directional movement of ink, and the target is usually to control the ink to shrink to the diagonal or opposite side of the notch, and a support mechanism (commonly referred to as spacer structure) is formed at the cross intersection between the pixel walls to improve the mechanical strength of the electrowetting display device. However, due to the material selection of the spacer structure, it is difficult to find a completely oil-repellent material, and when the traditional uniformly distributed spacer structure and notch structure design are adopted, the adjacent shrinkage of the ink at the spacer structure and the notch structure cannot be avoided, which may cause contact and even cause the ink to flip the wall.

[0054] To solve the problems in the related art, the present application provides a non-uniform microstructure array of an electrowetting display device and a manufacturing method, wherein the non-uniform microstructure array of the electrowetting display device is provided with non-uniformly arranged notch structures and spacer structures, which meet the conditions that each pixel cell has and only has one notch structure, the spacer structure and the notch structure are located in the same corner of the pixel cell, and / or the spacer structure is located in the adjacent corner and / or side of the pixel cell and the notch structure, and / or the notch structures of adjacent two pixel cells are located on one side in the same direction and / or on the adjacent side, so that the ink in the pixel cell shrinks to the diagonal and / or opposite side of the notch structure, and the spacer structure is not adjacent to the shrinkage ink, thereby avoiding the problem of display effect degradation caused by ink flipping the wall; the corresponding manufacturing method uses a computer program to design the array structure, sets the constraint conditions through programming, calculates the conditions that meet the constraint conditions by using a backtracking algorithm, stores them in the format of pure text, and then draws graphics by using a drawing software, thereby realizing the design of the array structure and greatly improving the design efficiency.

[0055] Reference Figure 1 The non-uniform microstructure array of the electrowetting display device includes a plurality of pixel cells 100, notch structures 300 and spacer structures 200, wherein the plurality of pixel cells 100 are uniformly arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions, and four adjacent pixel cells 100 form a group of microstructures, and a plurality of groups of microstructures form an array.

[0056] It should be noted that the notch structure 300 is arranged in the pixel cell 100 and located at the corner, and each pixel cell 100 has and only has one notch structure 300, and the ink can shrink from the notch structure 300 to the diagonal in the pixel cell 100 and gather at the shrinkage position.

[0057] The spacer structure 200 is arranged in the partial microstructure, and the spacer structure 200 is located at the intersection of four adjacent pixel grids 100. Among them, for the microstructure, the contraction position in the pixel grid 100 is at a different corner from the spacer structure 200, and the contraction positions of the adjacent two pixel grids 100 are at non-adjacent corners; for the array, in the two adjacent microstructures, the contraction positions of the pixel grids 100 of the two microstructures are at non-adjacent corners. Figure 1 The arrow in the figure is the ink contraction direction.

[0058] For example, in the first layout, the following conditions exist at the same time: some spacer structures 200 and some notch structures 300 are located at the same corner and side of the pixel grid 100, some spacer structures 200 are located at the adjacent corner of the pixel grid 100 and some notch structures 300, and the notch structures 300 of the adjacent two pixel grids 100 are located at one side and the adjacent side in the same direction.

[0059] In the second layout, the following conditions exist at the same time: some spacer structures 200 and some notch structures 300 are located at the same corner and side of the pixel grid 100, some spacer structures 200 are located at the adjacent corner of the pixel grid 100 and some notch structures 300, and the notch structures 300 of the adjacent two pixel grids 100 are located at one side and the adjacent side in the same direction.

[0060] In the third layout, the following conditions exist at the same time: some spacer structures 200 and some notch structures 300 are located at the same corner of the pixel grid 100, some spacer structures 200 are located at the adjacent side of the pixel grid 100 and some notch structures 300, and the notch structures 300 of the adjacent two pixel grids 100 are located at one side in the same direction; in the fourth layout, the following conditions exist at the same time: some spacer structures 200 and some notch structures 300 are located at the same corner of the pixel grid 100, some spacer structures 200 are located at the adjacent side of the pixel grid 100 and some notch structures 300, and the notch structures 300 of the adjacent two pixel grids 100 are located at adjacent sides. The same applies to the arrangement combination, and other conditions that meet the constraints are not listed here. In the above layout, the spacer structure 200 and the notch structure 300 are non-uniformly arranged.

[0061] It can be understood that the non-uniform distribution notch structure 300 and the spacer structure 200 arrangement proposed by the present application sets the constraint criteria for the relative position of the notch structure 300 and the spacer structure 200 through self-programmed computer code, wherein the constraint criteria is that the spacer structure 200 cannot be adjacent to the shrinkage ink droplet, that is, for a microstructure, the shrinkage position in the pixel grid 100 is in a different corner from the spacer structure 200, and the shrinkage positions of the adjacent two pixel grids 100 are in non-adjacent corners; for an array, in the two adjacent microstructures, the shrinkage positions of the pixel grids 100 of the two microstructures are in non-adjacent corners.

[0062] Referring to Figures 2 to 6 , the manufacturing method comprises the steps of:

[0063] Step S100, setting constraint conditions for the notch structure 300 and the spacer structure 200;

[0064] Step S200, calculating the distribution of the notch structure 300 and the spacer structure 200 according to the constraint conditions to obtain a calculation result;

[0065] Step S300, drawing an image containing the graphical elements of the notch structure 300 and the graphical elements of the spacer structure 200 according to the calculation result;

[0066] S400, preparing an electrowetting display device with a non-uniform microstructure array according to the image.

[0067] It can be understood that in step S100, the step of setting constraint conditions for the notch structure 300 and the spacer structure 200 comprises:

[0068] S1001, providing that only one corner of the four corners of each pixel grid 100 is placed with the notch structure 300;

[0069] S1002, providing that for a microstructure, the shrinkage position in the pixel grid 100 is in a different corner from the spacer structure 200, and the shrinkage positions of the adjacent two pixel grids 100 are in non-adjacent corners;

[0070] S1003, providing that for an array, in the two adjacent microstructures, the shrinkage positions of the pixel grids 100 of the two microstructures are in non-adjacent corners.

[0071] It can be understood that in step S200, the step of calculating the distribution of the notch structure 300 and the spacer structure 200 according to the constraint conditions to obtain a calculation result comprises:

[0072] S2001, preparing an electronic device capable of running a backtracking algorithm;

[0073] S2002, importing a constraint condition into the electronic device, and obtaining all calculation results satisfying the constraint condition by using the backtracking algorithm.

[0074] It can be understood that the backtracking algorithm pseudo code of the present calculation is as follows:

[0075] Function solve(row):

[0076] If row equals height: all rows are successfully placed with spacers

[0077] Record the current calculation result and save it to a file

[0078] Return

[0079] For each column col from 0 to width:

[0080] If placing spacer 1 at position (row, col) is in line with the constraint:

[0081] Place spacer 1 at position (row, col)

[0082] Place notch 2 or notch 4 at other positions of the current row

[0083] solve(row + 1) / / recursively try to place the next spacer

[0084] Remove the spacer at position (row, col) / / backtrack, undo the placement of the last step

[0085] It can be understood that the step of drawing an image containing graphical elements of notch structure 300 and graphical elements of spacer structure 200 according to the calculation result comprises:

[0086] S3001, storing the calculation result in the format of a plain text file and importing it into an electronic device;

[0087] S3002, running a computer program of the electronic device to read all contents of the plain text file;

[0088] S3003, drawing a pattern composed of different graphical element arrangements according to the read result.

[0089] It can be understood that the step of storing the calculation result in the format of a plain text file and importing it into an electronic device comprises:

[0090] S3011, in the plain text file, the spacer structure 200 is represented by the number 1, the inverted right triangle notch structure 300 is represented by the number 2, and the right triangle notch structure 300 is represented by the number 4;

[0091] S3012, in the plain text file, the calculation result of the backtracking algorithm has met the constraint condition, and the number 1, the number 2 and the number 4 are arranged along the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0092] It can be understood that in step S3011, according to the pattern drawn according to the plain text file, the number 1 is drawn into a circle, the number 2 is drawn into an inverted right triangle, and the number 4 is drawn into a right triangle.

[0093] The pseudo code is provided as follows:

[0094] Execute:

[0095] If char is equal to '2':

[0096] Calculate the coordinate point

[0097] Draw an inverted right triangle

[0098] Else:

[0099] If char is equal to '1':

[0100] Calculate the coordinate point

[0101] Draw a circle

[0102] Else:

[0103] If char is equal to '4':

[0104] Calculate the coordinate point

[0105] Draw a right triangle

[0106] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in combination with the drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made within the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the purpose of the present application.

Claims

1. An array of non-uniform microstructures of an electrowetting display device, characterized in that, The application relates to an uneven microstructure array applied to an electrowetting display device, comprising: a plurality of pixel grids arranged uniformly in the horizontal and vertical directions, four adjacent pixel grids being a microstructure, and a plurality of microstructures constituting an array; a notch structure arranged in the pixel grid and located at a corner, each pixel grid having only one notch structure, and ink being capable of shrinking from the notch structure to a diagonal position in the pixel grid and gathering at the shrinkage position; and a spacer structure arranged in part of the microstructure and located at the intersection of four adjacent pixel grids. The application further relates to a manufacturing method of the uneven microstructure array applied to the electrowetting display device, comprising the following steps: setting constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure; calculating a calculation result of distribution of the notch structure and the spacer structure according to the constraint conditions; drawing an image containing a graphic element of the notch structure and a graphic element of the spacer structure according to the calculation result; and manufacturing the electrowetting display device with the uneven microstructure array according to the image. The application further relates to a computer program product for manufacturing the uneven microstructure array applied to the electrowetting display device, comprising the following steps: setting constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure; calculating a calculation result of distribution of the notch structure and the spacer structure according to the constraint conditions; and drawing an image containing a graphic element of the notch structure and a graphic element of the spacer structure according to the calculation result. The application further relates to a computer program product for manufacturing the uneven microstructure array applied to the electrowetting display device, comprising the following steps: setting constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure; calculating a calculation result of distribution of the notch structure and the spacer structure according to the constraint conditions; and drawing an image containing a graphic element of the notch structure and a graphic element of the spacer structure according to the calculation result. The application further relates to a computer program product for manufacturing the uneven microstructure array applied to the electrowetting display device, comprising the following steps: setting constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure; calculating a calculation result of distribution of the notch structure and the spacer structure according to the constraint conditions; and drawing an image containing a graphic element of the notch structure and a graphic element of the spacer structure according to the calculation result. The application further relates to a computer program product for manufacturing the uneven microstructure array applied to the electrowetting display device, comprising the following steps: setting constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure; calculating a calculation result of distribution of the notch structure and the spacer structure according to the constraint conditions; and drawing an image containing a graphic element of the notch structure and a graphic element of the spacer structure according to the calculation result. The application further relates to a computer program product for manufacturing the uneven microstructure array applied to the electrowetting display device, comprising the following steps: setting constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure; calculating a calculation result of distribution of the notch structure and the spacer structure according to the constraint conditions; and drawing an image containing a graphic element of the notch structure and a graphic element of the spacer structure according to the calculation result. The application further relates to a computer program product for manufacturing the uneven microstructure array applied to the electrowetting display device, comprising the following steps: setting constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure; calculating a calculation result of distribution of the notch structure and the spacer structure according to the constraint conditions; and drawing an image containing a graphic element of the notch structure and a graphic element of the spacer structure according to the calculation result. The application further relates to a computer program product for manufacturing the uneven microstructure array applied to the electrowetting display device, comprising the following steps: setting constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure; calculating a calculation result of distribution of the notch structure and the spacer structure according to the constraint conditions; and drawing an image containing a graphic element of the notch structure and a graphic element of the spacer structure according to the calculation result. The application further relates to a computer program product for manufacturing the uneven microstructure array applied to the electrowetting display device, comprising the following steps: setting constraint conditions of the notch structure and the spacer structure; calculating a calculation result of distribution of the notch structure and the spacer structure according to the constraint conditions; and drawing an image containing a graphic element of the notch structure and a graphic element of the spacer structure according to the calculation result. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2. The non-uniform microstructure array of an electro wetting display device according to claim 1, wherein, ​ ​ ​ According to the result of reading, a pattern composed of different graphical elements is drawn.

3. The non-uniform microstructure array of an electro wetting display device according to claim 2, wherein, The step of storing the calculation result as a plain text file and importing the electronic device includes: In the plain text file, the spacer structure is represented by the number 1, the notch structure in the shape of an inverted right triangle is represented by the number 2, and the notch structure in the shape of a right triangle is represented by the number 4; In the plain text file, the calculation result of the backtracking algorithm has met the constraint condition, and the number 1, the number 2 and the number 4 are arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions.

4. The non-uniform microstructure array of an electro wetting display device according to claim 3, wherein, According to the pattern drawn according to the plain text file, the number 1 is drawn in the shape of a circle, the number 2 is drawn in the shape of an inverted right triangle, and the number 4 is drawn in the shape of a right triangle.

5. An electronic device for performing the calculation process in the method of fabricating an array of non-uniform microstructures of an electrowetting display device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The electronic device includes: A memory storing a computer program; A processor capable of running the computer program and calculating the result and drawing a pattern according to the result.

Images