Display panel with switchable wide and narrow visual angles, driving method and display device

Abstract

The invention discloses a wide and narrow view angle switchable display panel, a driving method and a display device.The display panel comprises a color film substrate, an array substrate and a liquid crystal layer, the display panel is provided with a plurality of pixel units distributed in an array mode, and each pixel unit comprises a first sub-pixel unit and a second sub-pixel unit; the array substrate is provided with a common electrode, a first pixel electrode and a second pixel electrode, the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode are insulated from each other, the first pixel electrode corresponds to the first sub-pixel unit, the second pixel electrode corresponds to the second sub-pixel unit, and an electrode strip of the first pixel electrode and an electrode strip of the second pixel electrode extend in different directions respectively. The color film substrate is provided with a visual angle control electrode matched with the common electrode, the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode. Therefore, in the narrow-viewing-angle mode, the first sub-pixel units achieve the narrow-viewing-angle effect of large-viewing-angle light leakage, the second sub-pixel units achieve the narrow-viewing-angle effect of large-viewing-angle light receiving, and gray scale inversion of the large viewing angle is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of displays, and in particular to a display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles, a driving method, and a display device. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous advancement of liquid crystal display technology, the viewing angle of the display has been widened from the original 120° to more than 160°. While enjoying the visual experience brought by the wide viewing angle, people also hope to effectively protect business secrets and personal privacy to avoid business losses or embarrassment caused by the leakage of screen information. Therefore, in addition to the demand for wide viewing angle, in many occasions, the display device is also required to have the function of switching between wide and narrow viewing angles.

[0003] Currently, the main method is to attach a louver film to the display screen to achieve switching between wide and narrow viewing angles. When anti-peeping is needed, the screen can be covered with a louver film to narrow the viewing angle. However, this method requires additional louver film, which will cause great inconvenience to the user. Moreover, a louver film can only achieve one viewing angle. Once the louver film is attached, the viewing angle is fixed in the narrow viewing angle mode, resulting in the inability to switch freely between the wide viewing angle mode and the narrow viewing angle mode. In addition, the anti-peeping film will reduce the brightness and affect the display effect.

[0004] The prior art also uses the viewing angle control electrode on one side of the color filter substrate (CF) to apply a vertical electric field to the liquid crystal molecules, so that the liquid crystal deflects in the vertical direction to achieve a narrow viewing angle mode. By controlling the voltage on the viewing angle control electrode, it is possible to switch between a wide viewing angle and a narrow viewing angle. However, the narrow viewing angle of this display panel is not ideal, and it cannot achieve wide and narrow viewing angles in all directions (i.e., up and down and left and right directions) at the same time; and this display panel usually has an obvious problem of poor grayscale inversion at a large viewing angle when the viewing angle is narrow. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to overcome the shortcomings and deficiencies in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles, a driving method, and a display device to solve the problem in the prior art that the display panel has poor grayscale inversion at a wide viewing angle at a narrow viewing angle.

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: The present invention provides a display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles, comprising a color filter substrate, an array substrate arranged opposite to the color filter substrate, and a liquid crystal layer located between the color filter substrate and the array substrate, wherein the color filter substrate is provided with an upper polarizer, the array substrate is provided with a lower polarizer, the light transmission axis of the upper polarizer is perpendicular to the light transmission axis of the lower polarizer, the display panel has a plurality of pixel units distributed in an array, each pixel unit comprises a first sub-pixel unit and a second sub-pixel unit; The array substrate is provided with a common electrode and a first pixel electrode and a second pixel electrode insulated from each other, the first pixel electrode corresponds to the first sub-pixel unit, the second pixel electrode corresponds to the second sub-pixel unit, the electrode strips of the first pixel electrode and the electrode strips of the second pixel electrode extend in different directions respectively, and the color filter substrate is provided with a viewing angle control electrode matched with the common electrode, the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode; In the wide-view mode, the second sub-pixel unit is controlled to be in a dark state, the first sub-pixel unit is used to control the grayscale brightness, and the liquid crystal layers in the areas corresponding to the first sub-pixel unit and the second sub-pixel unit are both in a lying position; in the narrow-viewing angle mode, the second sub-pixel unit is controlled to be in a bright state, the first sub-pixel unit is used to control the grayscale brightness, and the liquid crystal layers in the areas corresponding to the first sub-pixel unit and the second sub-pixel unit are both in a tilted position.

[0007] Furthermore, the first pixel electrode includes a first electrode strip and a second electrode strip which are conductively connected to each other, the second pixel electrode includes a third electrode strip, and the extension directions of the first electrode strip, the second electrode strip and the third electrode strip are all different.

[0008] Furthermore, the angle between the extension direction of the first electrode strip and the extension direction of the second electrode strip is 30° to 90°, and the angle between the extension direction of the first electrode strip and the extension direction of the third electrode strip is 30° to 90°.

[0009] Furthermore, the angle between the extension direction of the first electrode strip and the light transmission axis of the upper polarizer is 0 to 20°, and the angle between the extension direction of the second electrode strip and the light transmission axis of the lower polarizer is 0 to 20°; The first electrode strips extend along a direction of scan lines, or the first electrode strips extend along a direction of data lines.

[0010] Furthermore, the transmission axis of the upper polarizer is 35° to 55° with the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer, and the extension direction of the third electrode strip is 0° to 7° with the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer.

[0011] Furthermore, the third electrode strip is a zigzag structure; The second pixel electrode includes a connecting wire, and the connecting wire conductively connects a plurality of the third electrode strips.

[0012] Furthermore, the array substrate is provided with a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of data lines and a plurality of thin film transistors, the plurality of scan lines and the plurality of data lines are insulated from each other and cross-arranged, and the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode are electrically connected to the corresponding scan lines and the data lines through different thin film transistors respectively; The first sub-pixel unit and the second sub-pixel unit in each pixel unit are arranged along the scan line direction and are located between two adjacent scan lines; the first sub-pixel unit and the second sub-pixel unit in each pixel unit are arranged along the data line direction and are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the same scan line.

[0013] Furthermore, the common electrode is a planar electrode that covers the entire surface of the array substrate, and the common electrode is provided with a slit corresponding to the electrode strip of the second pixel electrode at the second sub-pixel unit; A plurality of common signal lines are arranged on the array substrate, and the plurality of common signal lines are all conductively connected to the common electrode.

[0014] The present application also provides a display device, comprising the display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles as described above.

[0015] The present application also provides a method for driving a display panel, for driving the display panel with a switchable wide and narrow viewing angle as described above, the driving method comprising: In the wide viewing angle mode, a voltage with a voltage difference less than a first preset value is applied to the common electrode and the viewing angle control electrode respectively, a grayscale voltage is applied to the first pixel electrode, and a dark state voltage is applied to the second pixel electrode. At this time, the liquid crystal layers in the areas corresponding to the first sub-pixel unit and the second sub-pixel unit are both in a lying posture, the first sub-pixel unit is used to control the grayscale brightness, and the second sub-pixel unit is in a dark state; In the narrow viewing angle mode, a voltage with a voltage difference greater than a second preset value is applied to the common electrode and the viewing angle control electrode respectively, a grayscale voltage is applied to the first pixel electrode, and a bright state voltage is applied to the second pixel electrode. At this time, the liquid crystal layers in the corresponding areas of the first sub-pixel unit and the second sub-pixel unit are both in a tilted posture, the first sub-pixel unit is used to control the grayscale brightness, and the second sub-pixel unit is in a bright state.

[0016] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that by insulating the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode from each other and extending the electrode strips in different directions, in the narrow viewing angle mode, the first pixel electrode, in combination with the common electrode and the viewing angle control electrode, can jointly control the first sub-pixel unit to achieve a narrow viewing angle effect with a wide viewing angle of light leakage, while the second pixel electrode, in combination with the common electrode and the viewing angle control electrode, can jointly control the second sub-pixel unit to achieve a narrow viewing angle effect with a wide viewing angle of light collection. The viewing angles of the two narrow viewing angle effects, namely, the wide viewing angle of light leakage of the first sub-pixel unit and the wide viewing angle of light collection of the second sub-pixel unit, compensate for each other, thereby improving the grayscale inversion at a wide viewing angle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the array substrate in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the initial state along Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at AA in the middle.

[0019] Figure 3 The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the initial state along Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at BB in the middle.

[0020] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the color film substrate in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of driving waveforms of the display device in the wide viewing angle mode in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the wide viewing angle mode along Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at AA in the middle.

[0023] Figure 7 The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the wide viewing angle mode along Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at BB in the middle.

[0024] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of driving waveforms of the display device in the narrow viewing angle mode in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Fig. 9 The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the narrow viewing angle mode along Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at AA in the middle.

[0026] Fig.10 The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the narrow viewing angle mode along Figure 1Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at BB in the middle.

[0027] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the array substrate in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Fig.12 The display device in the second embodiment of the present invention is in the initial state along Fig.11 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at CC in the middle.

[0029] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the common electrode in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram of the partial planar structure of the second pixel electrode and the common electrode in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Fig.15 This is one of the planar structural schematic diagrams of the array substrate in the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Fig.16 This is the second schematic diagram of the planar structure of the array substrate in the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Fig.17 It is one of the planar structural schematic diagrams of the display device in the present invention.

[0034] Fig.18 This is the second schematic diagram of the planar structure of the display device in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to further explain the technical means and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve the predetermined invention purpose, the specific implementation, structure, features and effects of the display panel and driving method with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles and the display device proposed by the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments: [Example 1] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the array substrate in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the initial state along Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at AA in the middle. Figure 3 The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the initial state along Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at BB in the middle. Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the color film substrate in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] like Figures 1 to 4As shown, a display panel with a switchable wide and narrow viewing angle provided in the first embodiment of the present invention includes a color filter substrate 10, an array substrate 20 arranged opposite to the color filter substrate 10, and a liquid crystal layer 30 located between the color filter substrate 10 and the array substrate 20. Among them, the liquid crystal layer 30 is positive liquid crystal molecules, that is, liquid crystal molecules with positive dielectric anisotropy. In the initial state, the liquid crystal layer 30 is in a lying posture, that is, the positive liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 30 are aligned parallel to the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20, and the alignment direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules close to the first substrate 10 is antiparallel to the alignment direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules close to the second substrate 20. Of course, the positive liquid crystal molecules may have a smaller pre-tilt angle (for example, 2° to 5°) when initially aligned, that is, the positive liquid crystal molecules initially form a smaller angle with the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20, which can accelerate the deflection of the positive liquid crystal molecules toward the vertical direction when switching to a narrow viewing angle. Of course, in other embodiments, the liquid crystal layer 30 may also use negative liquid crystal molecules, but the initial pre-tilt angle of the negative liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 30 needs to be set to 55° to 90°.

[0037] The color filter substrate 10 is provided with an upper polarizer 41, and the array substrate 20 is provided with a lower polarizer 42. The light transmission axis of the upper polarizer 41 and the light transmission axis of the lower polarizer 42 are perpendicular to each other. For example, the light transmission axis of the upper polarizer 41 is set to 0°, and the light transmission axis of the lower polarizer 42 is set to 90°. The upper polarizer 41 is arranged on the side of the color filter substrate 10 away from the liquid crystal layer 30, and the lower polarizer 42 is arranged on the side of the array substrate 20 away from the liquid crystal layer 30.

[0038] The display panel has a plurality of pixel units P distributed in an array, each pixel unit P including a first sub-pixel unit P1 and a second sub-pixel unit P2. In this embodiment, the first sub-pixel unit P1 and the second sub-pixel unit P2 in each pixel unit P are arranged along the scan line 1 direction and are located between two adjacent scan lines 1.

[0039] The array substrate 20 is provided with a common electrode 21 and a first pixel electrode 221 and a second pixel electrode 222 which are insulated from each other. The common electrode 21 is a planar electrode which covers the entire surface of the array substrate 20; of course, the common electrodes 21 corresponding to the first sub-pixel unit P1 and the second sub-pixel unit P2 can also be insulated and spaced apart from each other, that is, the common electrode 21 is set as a block electrode corresponding to each first sub-pixel unit P1 and each second sub-pixel unit P2 or a strip electrode corresponding to each column of the first sub-pixel unit P1 and each column of the second sub-pixel unit P2. The first pixel electrode 221 corresponds to the first sub-pixel unit P1, and the second pixel electrode 222 corresponds to the second sub-pixel unit P2. The electrode strips of the first pixel electrode 221 and the electrode strips of the second pixel electrode 222 extend in different directions respectively. The array substrate 20 is also provided with a plurality of scan lines 1, a plurality of data lines 2 and a plurality of thin film transistors 3. The plurality of scan lines 1 and the plurality of data lines 2 are insulated and cross-arranged with each other. The first pixel electrode 221 and the second pixel electrode 222 are electrically connected to the corresponding scan line 1 and the data line 2 through different thin film transistors 3, respectively. The first pixel electrode 221 and the second pixel electrode 222 in each pixel unit P are respectively connected to the same scan line 1 and two different data lines 2, so that the first pixel electrode 221 and the second pixel electrode 222 can be controlled independently. Among them, the thin film transistor 3 includes a gate, an active layer, a drain and a source. The gate is located in the same layer as the scan line 1 and is electrically connected. The gate is isolated from the active layer by an insulating layer. The source is electrically connected to the data line 2. The drain is electrically connected to the pixel electrode (the first pixel electrode 221 and the second pixel electrode 222) through a contact hole.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the common electrode 21 and the pixel electrode (the first pixel electrode 221 and the second pixel electrode 222) are located in different layers and are insulated and isolated by an insulating layer. The common electrode 21 can be located above or below the pixel electrode ( Figure 2 , the common electrode 21 is shown as being located below the pixel electrode). Preferably, the common electrode 21 is a planar electrode arranged on the entire surface, and the pixel electrode is a slit electrode having a plurality of electrode strips in each pixel unit to form a fringe field switching mode (FringeField Switching, FFS). Of course, in other embodiments, the pixel electrode and the common electrode 21 may be located on the same layer, but the two are insulated and isolated from each other, and the pixel electrode and the common electrode 21 may each include a plurality of electrode strips, and the electrode strips of the pixel electrode and the electrode strips of the common electrode 21 are alternately arranged to form an in-plane switching mode (In-Plane Switching, IPS).

[0041] The color filter substrate 10 is provided with a color resist layer 12 arranged in an array and a black matrix 11 separating the color resist layer 12. The color resist layer 12 includes color resist materials of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and forms pixel units P of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) correspondingly, wherein the first sub-pixel unit P1 and the second sub-pixel unit P2 in the same pixel unit P correspond to the color resist layer 12 of the same color. The black matrix 11 corresponds to the scanning line 1, the data line 2, and the thin film transistor 3, thereby avoiding the problem of metal reflection or light leakage of the scanning line 1, the data line 2, and the thin film transistor 3. The color filter substrate 10 is also provided with a viewing angle control electrode 13 that cooperates with the common electrode 21, the first pixel electrode 221, and the second pixel electrode 222. The viewing angle control electrode 13 is a planar electrode that covers the entire surface of the color filter substrate 10 and is arranged on the side of the color filter substrate 10 facing the liquid crystal layer 30.

[0042] In this embodiment, the first pixel electrode 221 includes a first electrode strip 221a and a second electrode strip 221b that are conductively connected to each other, and the second pixel electrode 222 includes a third electrode strip 222a. The extension direction of the first electrode strip 221a, the extension direction of the second electrode strip 221b, and the extension direction of the third electrode strip 222a are all different, so that the display panel can achieve an omnidirectional narrow viewing angle effect. Optionally, the third electrode strip 222a is a folded line structure, so that in the narrow viewing angle mode, the second sub-pixel unit P2 can achieve a light collection effect at an omnidirectional wide viewing angle, so as to improve the grayscale inversion at an omnidirectional wide viewing angle.

[0043] Furthermore, the second pixel electrode 222 includes a connecting wire 222 b , and the connecting wire 222 b conductively connects the plurality of third electrode strips 222 a , thereby reducing the resistance of the second pixel electrode 222 .

[0044] Furthermore, the angle between the extension direction of the first electrode strip 221a and the extension direction of the second electrode strip 221b is 30° to 90°, and the angle between the extension direction of the first electrode strip 221a and the extension direction of the third electrode strip 222a is 30° to 90°. For example, the extension direction of the first electrode strip 221a is 0°, the extension direction of the second electrode strip 221b is 30° to 90°, and the extension direction of the third electrode strip 222a is -30° to -90°.

[0045] Optionally, the angle between the extension direction of the first electrode strip 221a and the light transmission axis of the upper polarizer 41 is 0 to 20°, and the angle between the extension direction of the second electrode strip 221b and the light transmission axis of the lower polarizer 42 is 0 to 20°. For example, the light transmission axis of the upper polarizer 41 is set to 0°, and the light transmission axis of the lower polarizer 42 is set to 90°. The light transmission axis of the upper polarizer 41 is 35 to 55° to the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 30, for example, the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 30 is 55°, and the extension direction of the third electrode strip 222a is 0 to 7° to the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 30. The angle between the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 30 and the first electrode strip 221a is half of the angle between the first electrode strip 221a and the second electrode strip 221b ±5° (e.g. Figure 1 The middle arrow F indicates the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 30). By designing the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 30 to be the same, the alignment process can be simplified, making the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device simpler. By designing the extension direction of the first electrode strip 221a, the second electrode strip 221b, and the third electrode strip 222a in this way, with the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 30, the display effect in the narrow viewing angle mode can be better, with a good anti-peeping effect; and the first sub-pixel unit P1 can achieve a better narrow viewing angle effect of large viewing angle light leakage, and the second sub-pixel unit P2 can achieve a better narrow viewing angle effect of large viewing angle light collection, so as to better improve the grayscale inversion of large viewing angle.

[0046] Furthermore, in each pixel unit P, the area ratio of the first sub-pixel unit P1 to the second sub-pixel unit P2 is 1:1~0.5, wherein the area ratio of the first sub-pixel unit P1 to the second sub-pixel unit P2 can be adjusted according to actual conditions. With such an area ratio design, the display effect in the narrow viewing angle mode can be better, with a good anti-peeping effect; and without affecting the normal picture display, the grayscale inversion in the wide viewing angle can be better prevented.

[0047] The color filter substrate 10 and the array substrate 20 may be made of glass, acrylic, polycarbonate, etc. The viewing angle control electrode 13, the first pixel electrode 221, the second pixel electrode 222 and the common electrode 21 may be made of indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO).

[0048] The present application also provides a display panel driving method for driving the display panel with a switchable wide and narrow viewing angle as described above. The driving method comprises: Figure 5 Schematic diagram of driving waveforms of the display device in the wide viewing angle mode in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the wide viewing angle mode along Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at AA in the middle. Figure 7The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the wide viewing angle mode along Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at BB in the middle. Figures 5 to 7 As shown, in the wide viewing angle mode, a voltage with a voltage difference less than a first preset value is applied to the common electrode 21 and the viewing angle control electrode 13, for example, a DC common voltage Vcom is applied to both the common electrode 21 and the viewing angle control electrode 13. A grayscale voltage V1 is applied to the first pixel electrode 221, for example, a grayscale voltage V1 of 5.5V, and the grayscale voltage V1 fluctuates up and down with the DC common voltage Vcom as the center. The first sub-pixel unit P1 is used to control the grayscale brightness; the grayscale voltage V1 includes 0 to 255 grayscale voltages. When different grayscale voltages are applied to the first pixel electrode 221, the first sub-pixel unit P1 presents different brightness, thereby displaying different pictures. A dark state voltage is applied to the second pixel electrode 222, that is, the electric field between the second pixel electrode 222 and the common electrode 21 can drive the second sub-pixel unit P2 to a dark state voltage value, so that the second sub-pixel unit P2 is in a dark state, and the second sub-pixel unit P2 may not be used to display pictures in the wide viewing angle mode. At this time, the liquid crystal layer 30 in the corresponding areas of the first sub-pixel unit P1 and the second sub-pixel unit P2 are both in a lying position, and the positive liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 30 rotate in the horizontal direction only under the action of the horizontal electric field formed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode 21 to achieve normal wide-viewing angle display.

[0049] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of driving waveforms of the display device in the narrow viewing angle mode in the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the narrow viewing angle mode along Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at AA in the middle. Fig.10 The display device in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the narrow viewing angle mode along Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure at BB in the middle. Figures 8 to 10As shown, in the narrow viewing angle mode, a voltage with a voltage difference greater than a second preset value (for example, greater than 4V) is applied to the common electrode 21 and the viewing angle control electrode 13, for example, a DC common voltage Vcom is applied to the common electrode 21, and a second voltage V2 (for example, an AC voltage of 9V) is applied to the viewing angle control electrode 13. A grayscale voltage V1, for example, a grayscale voltage V1 of 5.5V is applied to the first pixel electrode 221, and the grayscale voltage V1 fluctuates up and down with the DC common voltage Vcom as the center. The first sub-pixel unit P1 is used to control the grayscale brightness; the grayscale voltage V1 includes 0 to 255 grayscale voltages. When different grayscale voltages are applied to the first pixel electrode 221, the first sub-pixel unit P1 presents different brightness, thereby displaying different pictures. A bright state voltage, for example, a voltage of 5V is applied to the second pixel electrode 222, so that the second sub-pixel unit P2 is in a bright state; of course, a grayscale voltage can be applied to the second pixel electrode 222, and the first sub-pixel unit P1 and the second sub-pixel unit P2 are used together to display pictures in the narrow viewing angle mode. At this time, there is a voltage difference greater than the second preset value (for example, greater than 4V) between the viewing angle control electrode 13 and the common electrode 21, and the liquid crystal layer 30 in the corresponding area of ​​the first sub-pixel unit P1 and the second sub-pixel unit P2 is in a tilted posture, thereby achieving a narrow viewing angle effect. Since the first electrode strip 221a and the second electrode strip 221b have different extension directions, the liquid crystal molecules in the first sub-pixel unit P1 in the area corresponding to the first electrode strip 221a are tilted at one angle, and in the area corresponding to the second electrode strip 221b, the liquid crystal molecules are tilted at another angle, so that left and right light leakage and up and down light leakage can be formed at the same time, so that the first sub-pixel unit P1 can achieve a narrow viewing angle effect of light leakage under a wide viewing angle in all directions. The extension direction of the third electrode strip 222a is different from that of the first electrode strip 221a and the second electrode strip 221b, and the third electrode strip 222a is a folded line structure, so that the second sub-pixel unit P2 can achieve a narrow viewing angle effect of light collection under a wide viewing angle in all directions. The wide viewing angle light leakage of the first sub-pixel unit P1 and the wide viewing angle light collection of the second sub-pixel unit P2 can compensate each other to improve the grayscale inversion at a wide viewing angle.

[0050] Table 1

[0051] Table 1 shows the narrow viewing angle image effect of the first sub-pixel unit P1. It can be seen from Table 1 that the first sub-pixel unit P1 can achieve a narrow viewing angle effect with light leakage under a wide viewing angle in all directions, but there is a grayscale inversion problem between 75° and 80°.

[0052] [Example 2] Fig.12 The display device in the second embodiment of the present invention is in the initial state along Fig.1113 is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the common electrode in the second embodiment of the present invention. Fig.14 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a partial planar structure of a second pixel electrode and a common electrode in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Figures 11 to 15 As shown, the display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles provided in the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the display panel in the first embodiment ( Figures 1 to 10 ) are substantially the same, except that, in this embodiment: The common electrode 21 is a planar electrode that covers the entire surface of the array substrate 20, and the common electrode 21 is provided with a slit 211 corresponding to the electrode strip of the second pixel electrode 222 at the second sub-pixel unit P2, that is, the common electrode 21 is provided with a slit 211 corresponding to the third electrode strip 222a at the second sub-pixel unit P2, and the third electrode strip 222a is exposed from the slit 211. Thus, the capacitance formed between the second pixel electrode 222 and the common electrode 21 can be reduced, so as to reduce the driving delay and driving power consumption of the second sub-pixel unit P2.

[0053] like Fig.11 As shown, in this embodiment, a plurality of common signal lines 4 are provided on the array substrate 20, and the plurality of common signal lines 4 are all conductively connected to the common electrode 21. The common signal lines 4 and the data lines 2 are located in the same layer and are arranged parallel to each other, and the common signal lines 4 are conductively connected to the common electrode 21 through the contact hole, so that the driving delay of the common electrode 21 can be reduced.

[0054] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the rest of the structure and working principle of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment and will not be described in detail here.

[0055] [Example 3] Fig.15 This is one of the planar structural schematic diagrams of the array substrate in the third embodiment of the present invention. Fig.16 FIG. 2 is a second schematic diagram of the planar structure of the array substrate in the third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 15 to Figure 16 As shown, the display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles provided in the third embodiment of the present invention is different from the display panel in the first embodiment ( Figures 1 to 10 )、Example 2 ( Figures 11 to 14 ) are substantially the same, except that, in this embodiment: The first sub-pixel unit P1 and the second sub-pixel unit P2 in each pixel unit P are arranged along the direction of the data line 2 and are respectively located at the upper and lower sides of the same scan line 1. Fig.15 As shown, the first electrode strip 221a may extend along the direction of the scan line 1; Fig.16As shown, the first electrode strips 221a may also extend along the direction of the data lines 2. When the configuration of the first electrode strips 221a is changed, the corresponding extension directions of the second electrode strips 221b, the third electrode strips 222a and the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 30 also need to be changed accordingly.

[0056] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the rest of the structure and working principle of this embodiment are the same as those of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, and will not be described in detail here.

[0057] The present application also provides a display device, comprising the display panel with a switchable wide and narrow viewing angle as described above. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The display device further includes a backlight module 50. The display panel is arranged on the light-emitting side of the backlight module 50. The backlight module 50 is used to provide a backlight source for the display panel. The backlight module 50 can adopt a collimated backlight (CBL) mode, which can collect light and ensure the display effect. Of course, the backlight module 50 can also adopt an edge-entry backlight module.

[0058] Fig.17 and Fig.18 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a planar structure of a display device in an embodiment of the present invention. Fig.17 and Fig.18 The display device is provided with a viewing angle switching button 50 for the user to send a viewing angle switching request to the display device. The viewing angle switching button 60 may be a physical button (such as Fig.17 As shown), it can also be a software control or application (APP) to implement the switching function (such as Fig.18 As shown, for example, a wide and narrow viewing angle is set by a sliding bar). When a user needs to switch between a wide viewing angle and a narrow viewing angle, a viewing angle switching button 60 can be operated to send a viewing angle switching request to the display device, and finally the driving chip 70 controls the electrical signal applied to the viewing angle control electrode 13, the common electrode 21 and the second pixel electrode 222, so that the display device can realize the switching between a wide viewing angle and a narrow viewing angle. When switching to a wide viewing angle, the driving method thereof adopts the driving method corresponding to the wide-angle mode, and when switching to a narrow viewing angle, the driving method thereof adopts the driving method corresponding to the narrow viewing angle mode. Therefore, the display device of the embodiment of the present invention has strong operational flexibility and convenience, and achieves a multifunctional display device integrating entertainment video and privacy.

[0059] In this document, the directional words such as up, down, left, right, front, and back are defined by the positions of the structures in the drawings and the positions of the structures relative to each other, just for the sake of clarity and convenience in expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that the use of the directional words should not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application. It should also be understood that the terms "first" and "second" used in this document are only used to distinguish names and are not used to limit quantity and order.

[0060] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the present invention in any form. Although the present invention has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment as above, it is not used to limit the present invention. Any technician familiar with this profession can make some changes or modifications to the technical contents disclosed above without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention, which are equivalent embodiments of equivalent changes. However, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention still fall within the protection scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles, characterized in that: The display panel comprises a color filter substrate (10), an array substrate (20) arranged opposite to the color filter substrate (10), and a liquid crystal layer (30) located between the color filter substrate (10) and the array substrate (20), wherein the color filter substrate (10) is provided with an upper polarizer (41), the array substrate (20) is provided with a lower polarizer (42), the light transmission axis of the upper polarizer (41) and the light transmission axis of the lower polarizer (42) are perpendicular to each other, and the display panel comprises a plurality of pixel units (P) distributed in an array, and each pixel unit (P) comprises a first sub-pixel unit (P1) and a second sub-pixel unit (P2); The array substrate (20) is provided with a common electrode (21) and a first pixel electrode (221) and a second pixel electrode (222) which are insulated from each other; the first pixel electrode (221) corresponds to the first sub-pixel unit (P1); the second pixel electrode (222) corresponds to the second sub-pixel unit (P2); the electrode strips of the first pixel electrode (221) and the electrode strips of the second pixel electrode (222) extend in different directions respectively; and the color film substrate (10) is provided with a viewing angle control electrode (13) which cooperates with the common electrode (21), the first pixel electrode (221) and the second pixel electrode (222); In the wide-view mode, the second sub-pixel unit (P2) is controlled to be in a dark state, the first sub-pixel unit (P1) is used to control the grayscale brightness, and the liquid crystal layers (30) in the areas corresponding to the first sub-pixel unit (P1) and the second sub-pixel unit (P2) are both in a flat position; in the narrow-view mode, the second sub-pixel unit (P2) is controlled to be in a bright state, the first sub-pixel unit (P1) is used to control the grayscale brightness, and the liquid crystal layers (30) in the areas corresponding to the first sub-pixel unit (P1) and the second sub-pixel unit (P2) are both in a tilted position.

2. The display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first pixel electrode (221) comprises a first electrode strip (221a) and a second electrode strip (221b) which are conductively connected to each other, the second pixel electrode (222) comprises a third electrode strip (222a), and the extension direction of the first electrode strip (221a), the extension direction of the second electrode strip (221b), and the extension direction of the third electrode strip (222a) are all different.

3. The display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles according to claim 2, characterized in that: The angle between the extension direction of the first electrode strip (221a) and the extension direction of the second electrode strip (221b) is 30° to 90°, and the angle between the extension direction of the first electrode strip (221a) and the extension direction of the third electrode strip (222a) is 30° to 90°.

4. The display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles according to claim 3, characterized in that: The included angle between the extension direction of the first electrode strip (221a) and the light transmission axis of the upper polarizer (41) is 0 to 20°, and the included angle between the extension direction of the second electrode strip (221b) and the light transmission axis of the lower polarizer (42) is 0 to 20°; The first electrode strips (221a) extend along the direction of the scan lines (1), or the first electrode strips (221a) extend along the direction of the data lines (2).

5. The display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles according to claim 2, characterized in that: The light transmission axis of the upper polarizer (41) is at an angle of 35° to 55° to the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer (30), and the extension direction of the third electrode strip (222a) is at an angle of 0° to 7° to the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer (30).

6. The display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles according to claim 2, characterized in that: The third electrode strip (222a) is a zigzag structure; The second pixel electrode (222) comprises a connecting wire (222b), and the connecting wire (222b) conductively connects the plurality of third electrode strips (222a).

7. The display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The array substrate (20) is provided with a plurality of scan lines (1), a plurality of data lines (2) and a plurality of thin film transistors (3); the plurality of scan lines (1) and the plurality of data lines (2) are insulated from each other and cross-arranged; the first pixel electrode (221) and the second pixel electrode (222) are respectively electrically connected to the corresponding scan line (1) and the data line (2) through different thin film transistors (3); The first sub-pixel unit (P1) and the second sub-pixel unit (P2) in each of the pixel units (P) are arranged along the direction of the scan line (1) and are located between two adjacent scan lines (1); the first sub-pixel unit (P1) and the second sub-pixel unit (P2) in each of the pixel units (P) are arranged along the direction of the data line (2) and are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the same scan line (1).

8. The display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The common electrode (21) is a planar electrode that covers the entire surface of the array substrate (20); the common electrode (21) is provided with a slit (211) corresponding to the electrode strip of the second pixel electrode (222) at the second sub-pixel unit (P2); A plurality of common signal lines (4) are provided on the array substrate (20), and the plurality of common signal lines (4) are all conductively connected to the common electrode (21).

9. A display device, characterized in that: It comprises a display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A method for driving a display panel, characterized in that: Used to drive the display panel with switchable wide and narrow viewing angles as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, the driving method comprising: In the wide viewing angle mode, voltages with a voltage difference less than a first preset value are applied to the common electrode (21) and the viewing angle control electrode (13), a grayscale voltage is applied to the first pixel electrode (221), and a dark state voltage is applied to the second pixel electrode (222); at this time, the liquid crystal layer (30) in the area corresponding to the first sub-pixel unit (P1) and the second sub-pixel unit (P2) are both in a flat position, the first sub-pixel unit (P1) is used to control the grayscale brightness, and the second sub-pixel unit (P2) is in a dark state; In a narrow viewing angle mode, voltages with a voltage difference greater than a second preset value are applied to the common electrode (21) and the viewing angle control electrode (13), a grayscale voltage is applied to the first pixel electrode (221), and a bright-state voltage is applied to the second pixel electrode (222). At this time, the liquid crystal layer (30) in the areas corresponding to the first sub-pixel unit (P1) and the second sub-pixel unit (P2) are both in a tilted posture, the first sub-pixel unit (P1) is used to control grayscale brightness, and the second sub-pixel unit (P2) is in a bright state.

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