Flexible electronic paper display panel, preparation method thereof, and display device

Abstract

The present application discloses a flexible electronic paper display panel, a preparation method thereof, and a display device, mainly relating to the field of display technologies. The flexible electronic paper display panel includes a first flexible substrate, a pixel unit layer, an electronic paper reflection layer, a transparent electrode layer, and a second flexible substrate; the pixel unit layer, the electronic paper reflection layer, the transparent electrode layer, and the second flexible substrate are sequentially disposed on the first flexible substrate; the flexible electronic paper display panel further includes a bending region, and the flexible electronic paper display panel further includes a plurality of metal lines, the plurality of metal lines are disposed on the second flexible substrate within the bending region and on a side of the second flexible substrate close to the transparent electrode layer. Through the above design, it is avoided that the brightness of the bending region of the flexible electronic paper display panel becomes lower due to the breakage of the transparent electrode layer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of display technologies, and particularly to a flexible electronic paper display panel, a preparation method thereof, and a display device. Background Art

[0002] With the development of digital technologies, more and more display devices have entered people's lives, such as electronic paper (EP) display panels. Since the electronic paper display panel can maintain the display for a long time under power-off conditions and has the advantages of being light, thin, low power consumption, and simple process, it has been increasingly favored by people.

[0003] Currently, the flexible electronic paper display panel can already be rolled up for storage and arbitrarily folded by using a flexible substrate made of polyimide film. However, during use, due to repeated bending, the brightness of the display image at the bending area is lower than the normal value. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to provide a flexible electronic paper display panel, a preparation method thereof, and a display device, so as to avoid the situation that the brightness of the bending area becomes low after the transparent electrode layer is broken in the flexible electronic paper display panel.

[0005] The present application discloses a flexible electronic paper display panel, which includes a first flexible substrate, a pixel unit layer, an electronic paper reflection layer, a transparent electrode layer, and a second flexible substrate; the pixel unit layer, the electronic paper reflection layer, the transparent electrode layer, and the second flexible substrate are sequentially disposed on the first flexible substrate;

[0006] The flexible electronic paper display panel further includes a bending area, and the flexible electronic paper display panel further includes a plurality of metal lines, and the plurality of metal lines are disposed on the second flexible substrate within the bending area and on the side of the second flexible substrate close to the transparent electrode layer.

[0007] Optionally, a plurality of light path adjustment channels are provided on the second flexible substrate; the openings of the light path adjustment channels face the first flexible substrate, the cross-sectional shape of the light path adjustment channels in the width direction is triangular, and the light path adjustment channels include a first side wall and a second side wall, and the first side wall is connected to the second side wall;

[0008] The metal lines are filled in the light path adjustment channels to reflect the light irradiated from the outside onto the metal lines to the electronic paper reflection layer.

[0009] Optionally, the light path adjustment channels include a plurality of transverse channels and a plurality of longitudinal channels, and the plurality of transverse channels and the plurality of longitudinal channels are arranged in a transverse and longitudinal arrangement.

[0010] Optionally, the optical path adjustment channel only includes a plurality of longitudinal channels.

[0011] Optionally, the flexible electronic paper display panel further includes a flat area, and the flat area is arranged on both sides of the bending area; the optical path adjustment channel is only arranged on the second flexible substrate within the bending area. Define the length direction of the bending area as the first direction, and the length direction of the longitudinal channel is the same as the first direction.

[0012] Optionally, define the width direction of the bending area as the second direction. Along the second direction, the distance between two adjacent longitudinal channels among the plurality of longitudinal channels gradually increases.

[0013] Optionally, along the second direction, the slopes of the first side wall and the second side wall of the longitudinal channel gradually decrease, and the depth of the longitudinal channel gradually decreases along the second direction.

[0014] The present application also discloses a preparation method of a flexible electronic paper display panel for preparing a flexible electronic paper display panel. The steps of the preparation method of the flexible electronic paper display panel include:

[0015] A pixel unit layer is arranged on a first flexible substrate to form a first substrate;

[0016] A metal wire is arranged on a second flexible substrate;

[0017] A transparent electrode layer is arranged on the metal wire to form a second substrate;

[0018] The first substrate, the electronic paper reflective layer and the second substrate are bonded together, and the electronic paper reflective layer is located between the transparent electrode layer and the first substrate.

[0019] Optionally, the step of arranging the metal wire on the second flexible substrate includes:

[0020] A second flexible substrate is formed on the front surface of a first mold;

[0021] The second flexible substrate is peeled off from the first mold to form a second flexible substrate with an optical path adjustment channel. Among them, the front surface of the first mold has a convex structure, and the shape of the convex structure matches the shape of the optical path adjustment channel;

[0022] A metal layer is arranged on the second flexible substrate, and the metal layer fills the optical path adjustment channel;

[0023] The metal layer is lithographed to form a metal wire, and the orthographic projection of the metal wire on the second flexible substrate covers the optical path adjustment channel.

[0024] The present application also discloses a display device, which includes a driving circuit and a flexible electronic paper display panel. The driving circuit is connected to the flexible electronic paper display panel to drive the flexible electronic paper display panel to display an image.

[0025] Compared with the existing flexible electronic paper display panel solutions, in the present application, by arranging metal wires between the second flexible substrate and the transparent electrode layer, when the flexible electronic paper display panel is repeatedly bent, the transparent electrode layer will not break due to the strengthening effect of the metal wires, thereby avoiding the situation that the brightness of the bent area of the flexible electronic paper display panel becomes lower due to the breakage of the transparent electrode layer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings included herein are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present application, and constitute a part of the specification, for illustrating the embodiments of the present application, and are used to explain the principles of the present application together with the written description. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts. In the drawings:

[0027] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a flexible electronic paper display panel according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a second flexible substrate according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a flexible electronic paper display panel provided with an optical path adjustment channel according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 5 is a plan view of an optical path adjustment channel according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the intersection of a transverse channel and a longitudinal channel according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 7 is a plan view of the intersection of a transverse channel and a longitudinal channel according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a folded flexible electronic paper display panel according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of a longitudinal channel in the first embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of a flexible electronic paper display panel in the second embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 11 It is a schematic diagram of a flexible electronic paper display panel in the third embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 12 Schematic flow diagram of a method for manufacturing a flexible electronic paper display panel according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 13 Schematic process diagram of a method for manufacturing a flexible electronic paper display panel according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 14 Schematic flow diagram of a method for manufacturing a metal wire disposed on a second flexible substrate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 15 Schematic process diagram of a method for manufacturing a metal wire disposed on a second flexible substrate according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] Among them, 10, display device; 20, driving circuit; 30, flexible electronic paper display panel; 31, flat area; 32, bending area; 100, first flexible substrate; 110, pixel unit layer; 111, active switch layer; 111a, active switch; 112, pixel electrode layer; 112a, pixel electrode; 120, electronic paper reflection layer; 130, transparent electrode layer; 140, metal wire; 150, second flexible substrate; 200, optical path adjustment channel; 211, first sidewall; 212, second sidewall; 220, transverse channel; 221, first sub-transverse channel; 222, second sub-transverse channel; 230, longitudinal channel; 231, first sub-longitudinal channel; 232, second sub-longitudinal channel; 240, intersection point; 250, chamfered surface; 261, A area; 262, a small area; 310, first mold; 320, convex structure; 330, metal layer; 400, second direction. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0043] It should be understood that the terms, specific structures and functional details disclosed herein are merely for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, which are representative, but the present application can be specifically implemented in many alternative forms and should not be construed as being limited only to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0044] In the description of the present application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, unless otherwise specified, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features; the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more. The term "comprising" and any of its variations mean inclusive inclusion, and there may be or be added one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, units, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0045] In addition, terms indicating orientation or positional relationships such as "center", "lateral", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. are described based on the orientation or relative positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application in a simplified manner, rather than indicating that the indicated device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0046] Furthermore, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "mounted", "connected", and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it may be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0047] The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and optional embodiments.

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 1 shown, the present application discloses a display device 10, and the display device 10 includes a driving circuit 20 and a flexible electronic paper display panel 30. The driving circuit 20 is connected to the flexible electronic paper display panel 30, and the driving circuit 20 is used to drive the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 to display an image.

[0049] The present application also discloses a flexible electronic paper display panel 30, and the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 can be used in the above-mentioned display device 10. For the flexible electronic paper display panel 30, the following design is provided in the present application and is specifically introduced through several embodiments:

[0050] Embodiment 1:

[0051] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a flexible electronic paper display panel according to the first embodiment of the present application. As Figure 2As shown, the present application discloses a flexible electronic paper display panel 30, which includes a first flexible substrate 100, a pixel unit layer 110, an electronic paper reflective layer 120, a transparent electrode layer 130, and a second flexible substrate 150; the pixel unit layer 110, the electronic paper reflective layer 120, the transparent electrode layer 130, and the second flexible substrate 150 are sequentially disposed on the first flexible substrate 100.

[0052] The flexible electronic paper display panel 30 further includes a bending region 32, and the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 further includes a plurality of metal lines 140, and the plurality of metal lines 140 are disposed on the second flexible substrate 150 within the bending region 32 and are located on a side of the second flexible substrate 150 close to the transparent electrode layer 130.

[0053] Since the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 of the present application can be used in a curved screen or a foldable screen.

[0054] Exemplarily, when the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 is used in a curved screen, the entire flexible electronic paper display panel 30 is defined as the bending region 32, and when the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 is used in a foldable screen, the folding position of the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 is defined as the bending region 32.

[0055] Among them, the pixel unit layer 110 includes an active switch layer 111 and a pixel electrode layer 112, the active switch layer 111 is disposed on the first flexible substrate 100, and the pixel electrode layer 112 is disposed on the active switch layer 111.

[0056] The active switch layer 111 includes a plurality of active switches 111a, the pixel electrode layer 112 includes a plurality of pixel electrodes 112a, and the plurality of pixel electrodes 112a are connected to the plurality of active switches 111a in a one-to-one correspondence. An electric field is formed between the pixel electrode 112a and the common electrode to drive the electronic paper reflective layer 120 to reflect light.

[0057] Among them, the electronic paper reflective layer 120 may include a microcapsule structure or a microcup structure. The microcapsules in the electronic paper reflective layer 120 with a microcapsule structure are filled with electrophoretic particles, and the microcups in the microcup structure may be filled with electrophoretic particles or electrophoretic ink; the electrophoretic particles may include only black and white particles, or may include color particles such as red particles, green particles, blue particles, etc.

[0058] Exemplarily, the first flexible substrate 100 and the second flexible substrate 150 are made of polyimide film.

[0059] The applicant has found that after repeated bending of the existing flexible electronic paper display panel, the brightness decreases in the bending area 32. This is mainly because the transparent electrode layer 130 in the bending area 32 is prone to breakage. After the transparent electrode layer 130 breaks, the impedance becomes large, resulting in a smaller pressure difference between the transparent electrode layer 130 at this position and the facing pixel electrode 112a, thereby causing the picture at this position to be darker than the normal brightness.

[0060] Compared with the existing flexible electronic paper display panel solution, in this application, a metal wire 140 is provided between the second flexible substrate 150 and the transparent electrode layer 130. When the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 is repeatedly bent, the metal wire 140 prevents the transparent electrode layer 130 from breaking, thus avoiding the decrease in brightness in the bending area of the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 due to the breakage of the transparent electrode layer 130.

[0061] Moreover, the metal wire 140 is directly connected to the transparent electrode layer 130, which can effectively reduce the impedance of the entire transparent electrode layer 130. The transparent electrode layer 130 can reach the required voltage faster, thereby enabling the movement of electrophoretic particles in the electronic paper reflective layer 120 to be realized quickly and effectively reducing the power consumption of the flexible electronic paper display panel 30.

[0062] After the metal wire 140 is provided, even if the transparent electrode layer 130 in the bending area 32 breaks, the metal wire 140 closest to the breakage conducts the transparent electrode layer 130 on both sides of the breakage. In this way, the impedances of the transparent electrode layer 130 on both sides of the breakage are still close, so that the voltage of the transparent electrode layer 130 at the breakage can be maintained within the same level range as that of the transparent electrode layer 130 at other positions.

[0063] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a second flexible substrate according to the first embodiment of this application. Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a flexible electronic paper display panel provided with an optical path adjustment channel according to the first embodiment of this application, as Figures 3 - 4 shown. Figure 4 The direction indicated by the arrow in the figure shows the path of partial light emission after the light irradiates the metal wire 140. Since the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 displays the picture by irradiating light onto the electronic paper reflective layer 120 and then reflecting it out, setting the metal wire 140 between the second flexible substrate 150 and the transparent electrode layer 130 will cause users to see the existence of bright lines, especially when viewing at a large viewing angle, the bright lines are more obvious.

[0064] Therefore, the present application has been further improved. A plurality of optical path adjustment channels 200 are provided on the second flexible substrate 150. The openings of the optical path adjustment channels 200 face the first flexible substrate 100. The cross-sectional shape of the optical path adjustment channels 200 in the width direction is triangular. The optical path adjustment channels 200 include a first side wall 211 and a second side wall 212, and the first side wall 211 is connected to the second side wall 212.

[0065] The metal wire 140 is filled in the optical path adjustment channels 200 to reflect the light irradiated on the metal wire 140 from the outside to the electronic paper reflection layer 120.

[0066] Simply put, by providing the triangular optical path adjustment channels 200 on the second flexible substrate 150 and disposing the metal wire 140 on the optical path adjustment channels 200, when the external light irradiates on the metal wire 140, it will not be directly reflected, but will be reflected to the lower electronic paper reflection layer 120 through the reflection of the first side wall 211 and the second side wall 212. Then, it is determined by the electronic paper reflection layer 120 whether to reflect or absorb, so as to utilize the light.

[0067] In this way, it can be avoided that the light irradiated on the metal wire 140 from the outside is directly reflected, so that the amount of light entering the electronic paper reflection layer 120 on the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 will not be reduced. Moreover, it is not necessary to make the metal wire 140 very thin, that is, the width of the metal wire 140 can be greater than the gap between two adjacent pixel electrodes 112a, and the gap between two adjacent pixel electrodes 112a is less than or equal to 14 μm.

[0068] Second, it is not necessary to completely dispose the metal wire 140 at the position corresponding to the gap between two adjacent pixel electrodes 112a below, that is, the orthographic projection of the metal wire 140 on the first flexible substrate 100 does not completely cover the gap between two adjacent pixel electrodes 112a, or the orthographic projection of the optical path adjustment channels 200 on the first flexible substrate 100 does not completely cover the gap between two adjacent pixel electrodes 112a. Even if the metal wire 140 is provided directly above the pixel electrode 112a, it is also possible.

[0069] Moreover, it can also be avoided that when the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 is viewed at a large angle, the phenomenon of directly seeing the white bright line on the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 will not occur.

[0070] And one end of the metal wire 140 close to the first flexible substrate 100 protrudes from the opening plane of the optical path adjustment channels 200 and is connected to the transparent electrode layer 130, that is, the height of the metal wire 140 is greater than the depth of the optical path adjustment channels 200.

[0071] Exemplarily, define the height of the second flexible substrate 150 as d1; define the depth of the optical path adjustment channel 200 as d2; define the height of the electronic paper reflective layer 120 as d3; define the opening width of the optical path adjustment channel 200 as d4, where 0 < d2 ≤ 1 / 3d1, 0 < d4 ≤ d3. Define the angle between the first sidewall 211 and the second sidewall 212 as a, and the range of the angle a is 30° - 150°, and 0.05 mm ≥ d1 ≥ 0.5 mm.

[0072] Thus, the light irradiated onto the metal wire 140 in the optical path adjustment channel 200 can be directly reflected onto the electronic paper reflective layer 120 below the area near the optical path adjustment channel 200, rather than being reflected onto the electronic paper reflective layer 120 in other areas, and it can avoid the metal wire 140 blocking too much light.

[0073] Figure 5 It is a schematic plan view of an optical path adjustment channel according to the first embodiment of the present application. As Figure 5 shown, in order to further prevent the transparent electrode layer 130 from breaking, the optical path adjustment channel 200 includes a plurality of transverse channels 220 and a plurality of longitudinal channels 230, and the plurality of transverse channels 220 and the plurality of longitudinal channels 230 are arranged in a transverse and longitudinal manner.

[0074] Exemplarily, the plurality of transverse channels 220 can be parallel, the plurality of longitudinal channels 230 can be parallel, and the transverse channels 220 and the longitudinal channels 230 are perpendicularly arranged, so as to further prevent the transparent electrode layer 130 from breaking. When the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 is a folding screen, the length direction of the transverse channel 220 is perpendicular to the length direction of the bending area 32, and the length direction of the longitudinal channel 230 is consistent with the length direction of the bending area 32.

[0075] Figure 6 It is a schematic view of the intersection of a transverse channel and a longitudinal channel according to the first embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 It is a schematic plan view of the intersection of a transverse channel and a longitudinal channel according to the first embodiment of the present application. As Figures 6 - 7 shown, further, an intersection point 240 is formed at the intersection of the transverse channel 220 and the longitudinal channel 230. Define the transverse channels 220 on both sides of the intersection point 240 as the first sub-transverse channel 221 and the second sub-transverse channel 222, and define the longitudinal channels 230 on both sides of the intersection point 240 as the first sub-longitudinal channel 231 and the second sub-longitudinal channel 232.

[0076] A chamfered surface 250 is provided between a first sidewall 211 of the first sub-horizontal channel 221 and a second sidewall 212 of the first sub-vertical channel 231, and a chamfered surface 250 is provided between a second sidewall 212 of the first sub-horizontal channel 221 and a second sidewall 212 of the second sub-vertical channel 232.

[0077] A chamfered surface 250 is provided between a first sidewall 211 of the second sub-horizontal channel 222 and a first sidewall 211 of the first sub-vertical channel 231, and a chamfered surface 250 is provided between a second sidewall 212 of the second sub-horizontal channel 222 and a first sidewall 211 of the second sub-vertical channel 232.

[0078] The slopes of the chamfered surface 250, the first sidewall 211, and the second sidewall 212 are all equal.

[0079] When light irradiates onto the chamfered surface 250, it will be reflected and the light will be reflected onto the electronic paper reflective layer 120 below the corresponding chamfered surface 250, thereby avoiding the occurrence of white dots when the intersection point 240 at the intersection of the horizontal channel 220 and the vertical channel 230 is displayed.

[0080] Specifically, as shown in Figures 5 - 7 When there is no chamfered surface 250, among the eight arbitrary small a regions 262 in region A 261 in Figure 5 , the light will be reflected to other small a regions 262 in region A 261, and thus directly reflected outside the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 without being reflected onto the lower electronic paper reflective layer 120. Therefore, region A 261 formed by the eight small a regions 262 converging together will form white dots. The further design of the present application is equivalent to dispersing the eight small A regions 261, so that the original eight small a regions 262 no longer converge at the intersection point 240, thereby avoiding the occurrence of white dots when the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 is displayed.

[0081] Figure 8 FIG. is a schematic diagram of a folding type flexible electronic paper display panel according to a first embodiment of the present application. Figure 9 FIG. is a schematic diagram of a vertical channel according to a first embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figures 8 - 9 shown. Figure 9The direction indicated by the middle arrow represents the direction in which part of the light is reflected when it is irradiated to the first side wall 211 or the second side wall 212 of the metal wire 140. The flexible electronic paper display panel 30 also includes a flat area 31, and the flat area 31 is arranged on both sides of the bending area 32; the optical path adjustment channel 200 is only arranged on the second flexible substrate 150 within the bending area 32, and the length direction of the bending area 32 is defined as the first direction, and the length direction of the longitudinal channel 230 is the same as the first direction.

[0082] When the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 is used in the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 of the folding screen, the present application only provides the optical path adjustment channel 200 on the second flexible substrate 150 in the bending area 32, that is, it can also be considered that the metal wire 140 is provided only on the second flexible substrate 150 in the bending area 32, so as not to affect the light on the flat area 31, and the optical path adjustment channel 200 is provided in the bending area 32, which is equivalent to reducing the film thickness of the second flexible substrate 150 in the bending area 32 in disguised form, thereby avoiding excessive stress in the bending area 32 when bending, and the strength of the bending area 32 is further enhanced by providing the metal wire 140.

[0083] Furthermore, when the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 is bent, the closer to the middle of the bending area 32, the greater the bending degree of the transparent electrode layer 130, and therefore the greater the stress it is subjected to, making it more prone to breakage. Therefore, the present application also performs special treatment on the middle of the bending area 32.

[0084] The width direction of the bending area 32 is defined as a second direction 400 . Along the second direction 400 , the interval between two adjacent longitudinal channels 230 of the plurality of longitudinal channels 230 gradually increases.

[0085] Simply put, the longitudinal grooves 230 in the middle of the bending area 32 are denser, and the longitudinal grooves 230 in the bending area 32 close to the flat area 31 are sparser. Therefore, the metal wires 140 arranged in the longitudinal grooves 230 will also appear denser, thereby coping with the problem of greater gravity in the middle of the bending area 32.

[0086] However, since there are more longitudinal grooves 230 arranged in the middle of the bending area 32, there are also more metal wires 140, resulting in a greater loss of external light in the middle of the bending area 32. Therefore, the present application also deepens the longitudinal grooves 230 in the middle of the bending area 32.

[0087] That is, along the second direction 400, the slopes of the first sidewall 211 and the second sidewall 212 of the longitudinal channel 230 gradually decrease. In other words, the angle between the first sidewall 211 and the second sidewall 212 gradually increases, and the depth of the longitudinal channel 230 gradually decreases along the second direction 400.

[0088] Thus, when external light irradiates the middle part of the bending region 32, the reflection angle of the light is larger, so that the light irradiating the middle part of the bending region 32 can be directly reflected onto the electronic paper reflection layer 120 below the middle part of the bending region 32.

[0089] When external light irradiates the edge part of the bending region 32 close to the flat region 31, the reflection angle of the light is smaller, so that the light irradiating the edge part of the bending region 32 close to the flat region 31 can be directly reflected onto the electronic paper reflection layer 120 below the middle part of the bending region 32, thereby compensating for the problem of uneven brightness in the bending region 32 under the same reflection conditions due to the denser longitudinal channels 230 and metal wires 140 arranged in the middle part of the bending region 32. Herein, the same conditions refer to, for example, simultaneously displaying the same gray scale in the entire bending region 32.

[0090] Embodiment 2:

[0091] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of a flexible electronic paper display panel according to the second embodiment of the present application. As Figure 10 shown, different from the first embodiment, in this embodiment, only longitudinal channels 230 are provided, and the optical path adjustment channel 200 only includes a plurality of longitudinal channels 230. Exemplarily, the plurality of longitudinal channels 230 may be arranged in parallel, and a metal wire 140 is arranged in each longitudinal channel 230.

[0092] In this embodiment, only longitudinal channels 230 are provided, which avoids the fracture of the transparent electrode layer 130 during the bending process and realizes the normal display function of the flexible electronic paper display panel 30; moreover, it can also reduce the blockage of external light by the metal wires 140.

[0093] Embodiment 3:

[0094] Figure 11 It is a schematic diagram of a flexible electronic paper display panel 30 according to the third embodiment of the present application. As Figure 11 shown, different from the first embodiment, in this embodiment, only transverse channels 220 are provided, and the optical path adjustment channel 200 only includes a plurality of transverse channels 220. Exemplarily, the plurality of transverse channels 220 may be arranged in parallel, and a metal wire 140 is arranged in each transverse channel 220.

[0095] In this embodiment, only a lateral channel 220 is provided to prevent the transparent electrode layer 130 from breaking during bending, enabling the normal display function of the flexible electronic paper display panel 30. Moreover, it can also reduce the blockage of external light by the metal wire 140.

[0096] Figure 12 Schematic flow chart of the manufacturing method of the flexible electronic paper display panel according to an embodiment of the present application Figure 13 Schematic manufacturing process diagram of the manufacturing method of the flexible electronic paper display panel according to an embodiment of the present application, in combination with Figures 12 - 13 As shown, the present application also discloses a manufacturing method of a flexible electronic paper display panel 30 for manufacturing the flexible electronic paper display panel 30. The steps of the manufacturing method of the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 include:

[0097] S1: Dispose a pixel unit layer on a first flexible substrate to form a first substrate;

[0098] S2: Dispose a metal wire on a second flexible substrate;

[0099] S3: Dispose a transparent electrode layer on the metal wire to form a second substrate;

[0100] S4: Bond the first substrate, the electronic paper reflective layer, and the second substrate together, and the electronic paper reflective layer is located between the transparent electrode layer and the first substrate.

[0101] Among them, the step S1: Dispose a pixel unit layer on a first flexible substrate to form a first substrate can be carried out first, and then the step S2: Dispose a metal wire on a second flexible substrate and the step S3: Dispose a transparent electrode layer on the metal wire to form a second substrate can be carried out. Of course, it is also possible to carry out the step S2: Dispose a metal wire on a second flexible substrate and the step S3: Dispose a transparent electrode layer on the metal wire to form a second substrate first, and then carry out the step S1: Dispose a pixel unit layer on a first flexible substrate to form a first substrate; this is not limited herein.

[0102] Compared with the existing solution of the flexible electronic paper display panel 30, in the present application, a metal wire 140 is disposed between the second flexible substrate 150 and the transparent electrode layer 130. When the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 is bent repeatedly, the transparent electrode layer 130 will not break due to the strengthening effect of the metal wire 140, thereby avoiding the situation that some areas of the flexible electronic paper display panel 30 cannot display normally due to the breakage of the transparent electrode layer 130.

[0103] Exemplarily, the material of the metal wire 140 can be Al, Cu, Ag, etc.; it can also be a metal oxide; a Mo layer can be formed on the outer surface of the metal wire 140; or after the metal wire 140 is prepared, Al2O3 is sputtered to protect the metal wire 140.

[0104] Exemplarily, the transparent electrode layer 130 can be etched with oxalic acid, and the metal wire can be etched with phosphoric acid or strong acid.

[0105] Moreover, the transparent electrode layer 130 of the present application is laid on the entire surface, and the voltage is also of the entire surface type. Therefore, the voltage value of the transparent electrode layer 130 is relatively stable. And the metal wire 140 is directly connected to the entire surface transparent electrode layer 130. When static electricity is generated on a certain metal wire 140 during use, the static electricity can be widely dispersed between the metal connected thereto and the entire surface transparent electrode layer 130, and the static electricity release will be faster.

[0106] Figure 14 The flowchart of the preparation method of setting a metal wire on a second flexible substrate according to an embodiment of the present application Figure 15 The process schematic diagram of the preparation method of setting a metal wire on a second flexible substrate according to an embodiment of the present application, combined Figures 14 - 15 As shown, the step S2: the step of setting the metal wire 140 on the second flexible substrate 150 includes:

[0107] S21: Form a second flexible substrate on the front surface of the first mold;

[0108] S22: Peel the second flexible substrate from the first mold to form a second flexible substrate having an optical path adjustment channel, wherein a convex structure is provided on the front surface of the first mold, and the shape of the convex structure matches the shape of the optical path adjustment channel;

[0109] S23: Set a metal layer on the second flexible substrate, and the metal layer fills the optical path adjustment channel;

[0110] S24: Lithograph the metal layer to form a metal wire, and the orthographic projection of the metal wire on the second flexible substrate covers the optical path adjustment channel.

[0111] Briefly speaking, in the present application, a polyimide film is deposited on the first mold 310 provided with the convex structure 320, and then the polyimide film is peeled off from the first mold 310 to form a second flexible substrate 150 having an optical path adjustment channel 200. The method of preparing the second flexible substrate 150 with the optical path adjustment channel 200 is simpler.

[0112] Next, a metal layer 330 is provided on one side of the second flexible substrate 150 where the optical path adjustment channel 200 is provided, and metal wires 140 are formed by photolithography. By disposing the metal wires 140 in the optical path adjustment channel 200 of the second flexible substrate 150, the function of the metal wires 140 reflecting light is utilized to reflect the light that originally could not irradiate the electronic paper reflective layer 120 because it was irradiated on the metal wires 140 onto the underlying electronic paper reflective layer 120, thereby reducing the display problems caused by the setting of the metal wires 140 on the second flexible substrate 150.

[0113] It should be noted that the limitations of each step involved in this solution do not, on the premise of not affecting the implementation of the specific solution, determine the order of execution of the steps. The steps written in the front can be executed first, or can be executed later, or even can be executed simultaneously. As long as this solution can be implemented, it should be regarded as falling within the protection scope of this application.

[0114] It should be noted that the inventive concept of this application can form a very large number of embodiments. However, due to the limited space of the application documents, it is impossible to list them all. Therefore, on the premise of not conflicting with each other, the above-described embodiments or technical features can be arbitrarily combined to form new embodiments. After the combination of each embodiment or technical feature, the original technical effect will be enhanced.

[0115] The above content is a further detailed description of this application in combination with specific optional implementation manners. It cannot be determined that the specific implementation of this application is only limited to these descriptions. For those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which this application belongs, without departing from the concept of this application, several simple deductions or substitutions can be made, and all should be regarded as falling within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A flexible electronic paper display panel, characterized in that, The flexible electronic paper display panel includes a first flexible substrate, a pixel unit layer, an electronic paper reflective layer, a transparent electrode layer, and a second flexible substrate; the pixel unit layer, the electronic paper reflective layer, the transparent electrode layer, and the second flexible substrate are sequentially disposed on the first flexible substrate; The flexible electronic paper display panel further includes a bending region, and the flexible electronic paper display panel further includes a plurality of metal lines, and the plurality of metal lines are disposed on the second flexible substrate within the bending region and on a side of the second flexible substrate close to the transparent electrode layer.

2. The flexible electronic paper display panel according to claim 1, wherein A plurality of optical path adjustment channels are disposed on the second flexible substrate; an opening of the optical path adjustment channel faces the first flexible substrate, a cross-sectional shape of the optical path adjustment channel in a width direction is triangular, the optical path adjustment channel includes a first side wall and a second side wall, and the first side wall is connected to the second side wall; The metal line is filled in the optical path adjustment channel to reflect light irradiated on the metal line from the outside to the electronic paper reflective layer.

3. The flexible electronic paper display panel according to claim 2, wherein The optical path adjustment channel includes a plurality of transverse channels and a plurality of longitudinal channels, and the plurality of transverse channels and the plurality of longitudinal channels are arranged in a transverse and longitudinal manner.

4. The flexible electronic paper display panel according to claim 2, wherein The optical path adjustment channel only includes a plurality of longitudinal channels.

5. The flexible electronic paper display panel according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The flexible electronic paper display panel further includes a flat region, and the flat region is disposed on both sides of the bending region; the optical path adjustment channel is only disposed on the second flexible substrate within the bending region, a length direction of the bending region is defined as a first direction, and a length direction of the longitudinal channel is the same as the first direction.

6. The flexible electronic paper display panel according to claim 5, wherein A width direction of the bending region is defined as a second direction, and along the second direction, a distance between two adjacent longitudinal channels among the plurality of longitudinal channels gradually increases, and the second direction refers to a direction extending from a middle of the bending region to flat regions on both sides.

7. The flexible electronic paper display panel according to claim 6, wherein, Along the second direction, slopes of the first side wall and the second side wall of the longitudinal channel gradually decrease, and a depth of the longitudinal channel gradually decreases along the second direction.

8. A preparation method of a flexible electronic paper display panel, characterized in that, For preparing the flexible electronic paper display panel according to any one of claims 1-7, steps of a preparation method of the flexible electronic paper display panel include: Disposing a pixel unit layer on a first flexible substrate to form a first substrate; Disposing a metal line on a second flexible substrate; Disposing a transparent electrode layer on the metal line to form a second substrate; Bonding the first substrate, the electronic paper reflective layer, and the second substrate together, and the electronic paper reflective layer is located between the transparent electrode layer and the first substrate.

9. The manufacturing method of the flexible electronic paper display panel according to claim 8, wherein The step of disposing a metal line on the second flexible substrate includes: Forming a second flexible substrate on a front surface of a first mold; Peeling the second flexible substrate from the first mold to form a second flexible substrate having an optical path adjustment channel, wherein a convex structure is provided on the front surface of the first mold, and a shape of the convex structure matches a shape of the optical path adjustment channel; Disposing a metal layer on the second flexible substrate, and the metal layer fills the optical path adjustment channel; The lithographed metal layer forms metal lines, and the orthographic projection of the metal lines on the second flexible substrate covers the optical path adjustment channel.

10. A display device, characterized in that, The display device includes a driving circuit and the flexible electronic paper display panel according to any one of claims 1-7, and the driving circuit is connected to the flexible electronic paper display panel to drive the flexible electronic paper display panel to display an image.

Images