Display panel, display device, using method and manufacturing method

Abstract

The invention discloses a display panel, a display device, a using method and a manufacturing method, the display panel of one embodiment comprises a first substrate, a second substrate and a bistable liquid crystal layer, the first substrate and the second substrate are in box alignment, the bistable liquid crystal layer is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate, and each pixel unit of the display panel comprises at least two sub-pixels; the first substrate is a substrate far away from the light emitting side of the display panel and comprises an ink layer, the ink layer comprises ink parts in one-to-one correspondence with the sub-pixels, and the colors of the ink parts corresponding to the sub-pixels in each pixel unit are different; one of the first substrate and the second substrate comprises a driving circuit layer and pixel electrodes which are driven by the driving circuit layer and are in one-to-one correspondence with the sub-pixels, and the other one of the first substrate and the second substrate comprises a common electrode. According to the embodiment provided by the invention, the sub-pixels of the pixel units are set to be in different substrate colors, and the liquid crystal molecules are controlled to be in different steady states through the driving circuit layer, so that multicolor driving is realized according to the bistable liquid crystal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a display panel, a display device, a use method and a manufacturing method. Background Art

[0002] Cholesteric liquid crystal has bistable properties. When electric fields of different strengths are applied, the arrangement of the helical structure of cholesteric liquid crystal molecules changes, forming two states: bright and dark. Cholesteric liquid crystal display products are driven by a passive matrix method, do not require a backlight source and polarizer, and have low power consumption compared to traditional liquid crystal display products. Cholesteric liquid crystal is usually used in electronic paper with only two colors. How to use the bistable characteristics of cholesteric liquid crystal to achieve color display has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently by technicians in this field. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve at least one of the above problems, the first embodiment of the present invention provides a display panel, including a plurality of pixel units arranged in an array, the display panel including a first substrate and a second substrate aligned with each other, and a bistable liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein

[0004] Each pixel unit includes at least two sub-pixels;

[0005] The first substrate is a substrate far away from the light emitting side of the display panel, and includes an ink layer, wherein the ink layer includes ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one, and the ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels in each pixel unit have different colors;

[0006] One of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a driving circuit layer and pixel electrodes driven by the driving circuit layer and corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one, and the other of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a common electrode.

[0007] For example, in the display panel provided in some embodiments of the present application, the first substrate includes a first substrate, a driving circuit layer disposed on the first substrate, and pixel electrodes disposed on the driving circuit layer and spaced apart;

[0008] The second substrate includes a second substrate and a common electrode disposed on the second substrate.

[0009] For example, in the display panel provided in some embodiments of the present application, a first interval is included between two adjacent ink portions;

[0010] The first substrate further includes a black matrix disposed on the driving circuit layer, a positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate at least partially overlaps a positive projection of the first spacer on the first substrate, and the positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate does not overlap a positive projection of the ink portion on the first substrate.

[0011] For example, in the display panel provided in some embodiments of the present application, in a cross-section perpendicular to the first substrate, the first substrate includes a pixel electrode and a black matrix sequentially stacked on the first substrate, and an end portion of the black matrix close to the pixel electrode wraps the end portion of the pixel electrode.

[0012] For example, in the display panel provided in some embodiments of the present application, in a cross-section perpendicular to the first substrate, the first substrate includes a black matrix and a pixel electrode sequentially stacked on the first substrate, and an end portion of the pixel electrode close to the black matrix wraps the end portion of the black matrix.

[0013] For example, in the display panel provided in some embodiments of the present application, a first spacer is included between two adjacent ink portions;

[0014] The second substrate further includes a black matrix disposed on the second substrate. After the first substrate and the second substrate are assembled, a positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate at least partially overlaps a positive projection of the first spacer on the first substrate, and the positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate does not overlap a positive projection of the ink portion on the first substrate.

[0015] For example, in the display panel provided in some embodiments of the present application, the first substrate includes a first substrate and a common electrode disposed on the first substrate;

[0016] The second substrate includes a second substrate, a driving circuit layer disposed on the second substrate, and pixel electrodes disposed on the driving circuit layer and spaced apart from each other.

[0017] For example, in the display panel provided in some embodiments of the present application, a first spacer is included between two adjacent ink portions;

[0018] The second substrate further includes a black matrix disposed between the second substrate and the driving circuit layer. After the first substrate and the second substrate are assembled, a positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate at least partially overlaps a positive projection of the first spacer on the first substrate, and the positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate does not overlap a positive projection of the ink portion on the first substrate.

[0019] For example, in the display panel provided in some embodiments of the present application, a first spacer is included between two adjacent ink portions;

[0020] The first substrate further includes a black matrix disposed between the first substrate and the common electrode. A positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate at least partially overlaps with a positive projection of the first spacer on the first substrate, and the positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate does not overlap with a positive projection of the ink portion on the first substrate.

[0021] For example, in the display panel provided in some embodiments of the present application, the ink layer is disposed on a side of the first substrate away from the second substrate.

[0022] For example, in the display panel provided in some embodiments of the present application, the ink layer is disposed on a side of the first substrate close to the second substrate.

[0023] For example, in the display panel provided in some embodiments of the present application, the bistable liquid crystal layer includes a plurality of mutually enclosed liquid crystal regions, and the bistable liquid crystal molecules in at least two of the plurality of liquid crystal regions have different colors.

[0024] The second embodiment of the present invention provides a display device, including the display panel as described in the first embodiment.

[0025] The third embodiment of the present invention provides a method of using a display panel as described in the first embodiment, including:

[0026] Obtaining a required color of light emitted from each pixel unit according to a to-be-displayed picture;

[0027] Controlling voltages applied to pixel electrodes and common electrodes of respective sub-pixels of the pixel unit according to the required color;

[0028] Bistable liquid crystal molecules corresponding to respective sub-pixels present a first stable state or a second stable state in response to an electric field formed by the pixel electrode and the common electrode. The light emitted from the sub-pixel is a superposition of a first reflected light of the bistable liquid crystal molecules and a second reflected light of the ink portion, and the light emitted from the pixel unit is a superposition of the lights emitted from respective sub-pixels.

[0029] The fourth embodiment of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a display panel as described in the first embodiment. The display panel includes a plurality of pixel units arranged in an array, and each pixel unit includes at least two sub-pixels. The manufacturing method includes:

[0030] The first substrate and the second substrate are respectively formed. The first substrate is the substrate away from the light-emitting side of the display panel and includes an ink layer. The ink layer includes ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one. The colors of the ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels in each pixel unit are different. One of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a driving circuit layer and pixel electrodes corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one and driven by the driving circuit layer, and the other of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a common electrode;

[0031] The first substrate and the second substrate are assembled, and bistable liquid crystal molecules are filled to form a bistable liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate.

[0032] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0033] In view of the existing problems at present, the present invention formulates a display panel, a display device, a using method and a manufacturing method. In one embodiment of the display panel, by setting the ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels of each pixel unit of the display panel to different base colors, and then controlling the electric field applied to the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to each sub-pixel to control the liquid crystal molecules to be in different stable states, so that the emitted light of each sub-pixel is the superimposed color of the base color and the liquid crystal color reflecting the external incident light, and further the emitted light of each pixel unit is the superimposed color of the emitted lights of each sub-pixel, that is, in this embodiment, color controllability is achieved by dividing each sub-pixel of each pixel unit, thereby realizing multi-color driving of a single liquid crystal cell of a reflective display panel according to bistable liquid crystals, effectively making up for the problems existing in the related art, and having a wide application prospect. Description of the Drawings

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained according to these drawings.

[0035] Figure 1a and 1b Schematic diagram showing the stable state of cholesteric liquid crystal molecules reflecting incident light;

[0036] Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the structure of the display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figures 3a - 3d Schematic diagram showing the application of the display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figures 4a - 4b Schematic diagram showing the layer structure of the first substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 5 Schematic structural diagram of the display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 6 Schematic structural diagram of the display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 7 Schematic layer structure diagram of the second substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figures 8a - 8c Schematic structural diagram of the pixel unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 9 Flowchart of the usage method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 10 Flowchart of the manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0045] To more clearly illustrate the present invention, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Similar components in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals. Those skilled in the art should understand that the content specifically described below is illustrative rather than restrictive, and should not be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0046] It should be noted that the expressions "on...", "formed on...", and "disposed on..." described herein may mean that one layer is directly formed or disposed on another layer, or may mean that one layer is indirectly formed or disposed on another layer, that is, there are other layers between the two layers. In this article, unless otherwise specified, the term "located in the same layer" means that two layers, components, members, elements, or parts can be formed by the same patterning process, and generally, these two layers, components, members, elements, or parts are formed of the same material. In this article, unless otherwise specified, the expression "patterning process" generally includes steps such as coating of photoresist, exposure, development, etching, and stripping of photoresist. The expression "one patterning process" means a process of forming a patterned layer, component, member, etc. using a single mask.

[0047] Cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) has bistable display characteristics and is usually applied to reflective display panels, that is, according to the display characteristics of cholesteric liquid crystal, the external ambient light is used to reflect and display images without a backlight source, and has the characteristic of low power consumption. Specifically, cholesteric liquid crystal has a P state (Planar Texture), an FC state (Focal Conic Texture), and an H state (Hometropic Texture), where the P state and the FC state are stable states and do not require voltage to maintain. They can both stably exist and display fixed images without the action of an external electric field; while the H state is an unstable state and shows a transitional state under the action of voltage, displaying an irregular state. That is, under the action of an external electric field, the two stable states of cholesteric liquid crystal can be switched with each other, having bistable characteristics. Since the texture states of the two stable states used for display are stable without an external electric field, it is not necessary to apply an external electric field for a long time to maintain the display state. Therefore, cholesteric liquid crystal display products have the characteristic of low power consumption.

[0048] Specifically, cholesteric liquid crystal molecules are arranged in a spiral shape. The spiral structure of cholesteric liquid crystal molecules is described by the pitch. The size of the pitch represents the degree of tightness of the spiral arrangement of cholesteric liquid crystal molecules. For example, when changing the stable state of cholesteric liquid crystal molecules with the change of the electric field, such as changing from the P state to the FC state, the pitch of cholesteric liquid crystal molecules also changes accordingly. As Figure 1a shown in the reflection schematic diagram of cholesteric liquid crystal molecules in the P state, the incident light matching the pitch P is reflected as circularly polarized light, and at the same time, the transmitted light of the incident light is reflected by the background color of the liquid crystal layer to form background color reflected light. That is, the reflected light of the liquid crystal layer when cholesteric liquid crystal molecules are in the P state is the superimposed color of circularly polarized light and background color reflected light; as Figure 1b shown in the reflection schematic diagram of cholesteric liquid crystal molecules in the FC state, the pitch distribution of cholesteric liquid crystal molecules in the FC state is disordered, and the incident light is scattered by the liquid crystal molecules. At this time, the reflected light of the liquid crystal layer presents as background color reflected light reflected by the background color.

[0049] In the related technology, based on the bistable cholesteric liquid crystal display technology, due to the pitch requirements of cholesteric liquid crystal molecules, only monochromatic display, black-and-white display, or two-color display can be performed using a single cell architecture. For the duration requirement of color display, a related technology uses a three-layer liquid crystal cell architecture to achieve it. However, the three-layer liquid crystal cell architecture has problems such as the overall thickness of the display product being relatively thick and the specifications being poor; at the same time, using the three-layer liquid crystal cell architecture results in complex production processes and high costs; and it is also found in actual use that this architecture has poor stability.

[0050] In view of the above situation, as Figure 2As shown in the figure, an embodiment of the present invention provides a display panel, which includes a plurality of pixel units arranged in an array. The display panel includes a first substrate 10 and a second substrate 20 that are opposed to each other, and a bistable liquid crystal layer 30 disposed between the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20, where

[0051] each pixel unit includes at least two sub-pixels;

[0052] The first substrate 10 is the substrate away from the light-emitting side of the display panel and includes an ink layer. The ink layer includes ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one. The colors of the ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels in each pixel unit are different;

[0053] One of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a driving circuit layer, and pixel electrodes corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one driven by the driving circuit layer. The other of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a common electrode.

[0054] In this embodiment, by setting the ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels of each pixel unit of the display panel to different base colors, and then controlling the electric field applied to the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to each sub-pixel to control the liquid crystal molecules to be in different stable states, the outgoing light of each sub-pixel is the superimposed color of the base color and the liquid crystal color reflecting the external incident light. Furthermore, the outgoing light of each pixel unit is the superimposed color of the outgoing lights of each sub-pixel. That is, in this embodiment, the color is controllable by dividing each sub-pixel of each pixel unit, so as to realize multi-color driving of the single liquid crystal cell of the reflective display panel according to the bistable liquid crystal. Specifically, as Figure 2 shown is a pixel unit of this embodiment, which includes two sub-pixels U1 and U2. The base color of the ink portion 121 of the sub-pixel U1 is black, and the base color of the ink portion 122 of the sub-pixel U2 is cyan. The bistable liquid crystal is a cholesteric liquid crystal, and the cholesteric liquid crystal of this embodiment is red. The cholesteric liquid crystals of the sub-pixels U1 and U2 are both in the FC state, that is, the cholesteric liquid crystal is in a state where the pitch distribution is disordered, the incident light is scattered by the liquid crystal molecules, and the reflected light of the liquid crystal layer presents the background color reflected light reflected by the base color. That is, the outgoing light C1 of the sub-pixel U1 is black, the outgoing light C2 of the sub-pixel U2 is cyan, and the outgoing light C3 of the pixel unit is cyan.

[0055] It should be noted that this embodiment is only used to illustrate the specific implementation manner of the present application. The present application does not specifically limit the number of sub-pixels included in each pixel unit. For example, Figures 8a - 8c as shown, it can be two, three or more.

[0056] Specifically, as Figure 8aAs shown, each pixel unit includes two juxtaposed sub-pixels U1 and U2, and a driving circuit X is disposed on one side of the sub-pixels, and control signals are transmitted to the sub-pixels through, for example, gate signal lines and source signal lines.

[0057] Similarly, as Figure 8b shown, each pixel unit includes three juxtaposed sub-pixels U1, U2, and U3, and a driving circuit X is disposed on one side of the sub-pixels, and control signals are transmitted to the sub-pixels through, for example, gate signal lines and source signal lines.

[0058] Similarly, as Figure 8c shown, each pixel unit includes four sub-pixels U1, U2, U3, and U4 arranged in an array, and a driving circuit X is disposed on one side of the sub-pixels, and control signals are transmitted to the sub-pixels through, for example, gate signal lines and source signal lines.

[0059] As shown in Table 1, when the pixel unit includes two sub-pixels, the superimposed colors formed according to the color of the cholesteric liquid crystal molecules, the base color of the ink part, and the P state or FC state of the liquid crystal molecules.

[0060] As shown in Table 2, when the pixel unit includes multiple sub-pixels, the superimposed colors formed according to the color of the cholesteric liquid crystal molecules, the base color of the ink part, and the P state or FC state of the liquid crystal molecules.

[0061] Those skilled in the art should understand that the more sub-pixels each pixel unit contains, the more superimposed colors can be formed, and the richer the color display formed will be.

[0062] Table 1 Color combination scheme when the pixel unit includes two sub-pixels

[0063]

[0064] Table 2 Color combination scheme when the pixel unit includes multiple sub-pixels

[0065]

[0066] In an alternative embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the first substrate 10 includes a first substrate 11, a driving circuit layer 14 disposed on the first substrate 11, and pixel electrodes 15 disposed on the driving circuit layer 14 and spaced apart;

[0067] The second substrate 20 includes a second substrate 21 and a common electrode 22 disposed on the second substrate 21.

[0068] In this embodiment, the driving circuit layer 14 drives the pixel electrode 15, and controls the steady state of the cholesteric liquid crystal molecules according to the electric field formed by the voltage applied to the pixel electrode 15 and the voltage applied to the common electrode 22. As Figure 2 shown, the cholesteric liquid crystals of the sub-pixels U1 and U2 of the pixel unit are both in the FC state, that is, the voltages applied to the pixel electrode 15 are the same, and the same electric field is formed with the common electrode, so that the cholesteric liquid crystal molecules of the two sub-pixels are in the FC state. The outgoing light C1 of the sub-pixel U1 is the reflected light of the incident light on the base color of the ink part 121, the outgoing light C2 of the sub-pixel U2 is the reflected light of the incident light on the base color of the ink part 122, and the outgoing light C3 of the pixel unit is the superimposed light of the outgoing lights C1 and C2 of the sub-pixels U1 and U2.

[0069] To further improve the display effect of the display panel, in an alternative embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, a first gap (not shown in the figure) is included between two adjacent ink parts;

[0070] The first substrate 10 includes a black matrix 13 disposed on the driving circuit layer. The orthographic projection of the black matrix 13 on the first substrate 11 at least partially overlaps with the orthographic projection of the first gap on the first substrate, and the orthographic projection of the black matrix 13 on the first substrate 11 does not overlap with the orthographic projections of the ink parts 121 and 122 on the first substrate 11.

[0071] In this embodiment, the black matrix 13 disposed on the first substrate effectively prevents the color bleeding problem between adjacent sub-pixels and effectively improves the display effect of the display panel. When the black matrix is disposed on the side of the driving circuit layer 14 away from the substrate 11, the ink part is located in the opening area formed by the black matrix. The orthographic projection of the driving circuit of the driving circuit layer on the first substrate at least partially overlaps with the orthographic projection of the black matrix on the first substrate. The black matrix effectively prevents the reflection problem of the metal film layer in the driving circuit. At the same time, the black matrix can also block the channels of the driving circuit and effectively improve the display effect of the display panel.

[0072] Specifically, as Figure 3aAs shown in the figure, the first substrate 10 includes a first substrate 11, a driving circuit layer 14, a black matrix 13, ink portions 121 and 122 located in the opening regions formed by the black matrix 13, and pixel electrodes 15, which are stacked on the first substrate 11. The second substrate 20 includes a second substrate 21 and a common electrode 22 disposed on the second substrate 21. Among them, the liquid crystal molecules of the cholesteric liquid crystal in the bistable liquid crystal layer are red. The base color of the ink portion of sub-pixel U1 of the pixel unit is black, and the base color of the ink portion of sub-pixel U2 of the pixel unit is cyan. The driving circuit layer 14 drives the pixel electrodes 15, and controls the stable state of the cholesteric liquid crystal molecules according to the electric field formed by the voltage applied to the pixel electrodes 15 and the voltage applied to the common electrode 22. The liquid crystal molecules of sub-pixel U1 of the pixel unit are in the P state, and the liquid crystal molecules of sub-pixel U2 are in the FC state. The emitted light C1 of sub-pixel U1 is the superimposed light of the reflected light of the incident light by the liquid crystal molecules and the reflected light of the base color of the ink portion 121, that is, the emitted light C1 of sub-pixel U1 is the superimposed light of the red reflected light including the red liquid crystal molecules and the black reflected light of the black base (i.e., no display), which is red light. Similarly, the emitted light C2 of sub-pixel U2 is the reflected light of the incident light by the base color of the ink portion 122, that is, the emitted light C2 of sub-pixel U2 is the cyan reflected light of the cyan base. The emitted light C3 of the pixel unit is the superimposed light of the red light of the emitted light C1 of sub-pixel U1 and the cyan light of the emitted light C2 of sub-pixel U2, which is white light, that is, the emitted light C3 of the pixel unit is white light.

[0073] Specifically, as Figure 3b As shown in the figure, the first substrate 10 includes a first substrate 11, a driving circuit layer 14, a black matrix 13, ink portions 121 and 122 located in the opening regions formed by the black matrix 13, and pixel electrodes 15, which are stacked on the first substrate 11. The second substrate 20 includes a second substrate 21 and a common electrode 22 disposed on the second substrate 21. Among them, the liquid crystal molecules of the cholesteric liquid crystal in the bistable liquid crystal layer are red. The base color of the ink portion of sub-pixel U1 of the pixel unit is black, and the base color of the ink portion of sub-pixel U2 of the pixel unit is cyan. The driving circuit layer 14 drives the pixel electrodes 15, and controls the stable state of the cholesteric liquid crystal molecules according to the electric field formed by the voltage applied to the pixel electrodes 15 and the voltage applied to the common electrode 22. The liquid crystal molecules of both sub-pixel U1 and sub-pixel U2 of the pixel unit are in the FC state. The emitted light C1 of sub-pixel U1 is the reflected light of the incident light by the base color of the ink portion 121 (i.e., no display); similarly, the emitted light C2 of sub-pixel U2 is the reflected light of the incident light by the base color of the ink portion 122, that is, the cyan reflected light. The emitted light C3 of the pixel unit is the superimposed light of the emitted light C1 of sub-pixel U1 and the emitted light C2 of sub-pixel U2, which is cyan light, that is, the emitted light C3 of the pixel unit is cyan light.

[0074] Specifically, as Figure 3cAs shown, the structures of the first substrate and the second substrate and the setting of the bistable liquid crystal layer are the same as before and will not be elaborated further. The driving circuit layer 14 drives the pixel electrode 15, and controls the stable state of the cholesteric liquid crystal molecules according to the electric field formed by the voltage applied to the pixel electrode 15 and the voltage applied to the common electrode 22. The sub-pixel U1 of the pixel unit is in the FC state, the liquid crystal molecules of the sub-pixel U2 are in the P state, and the emitted light C1 of the sub-pixel U1 is the reflected light of the incident light on the base color of the ink portion 121 (i.e., no display); similarly, the emitted light C2 of the sub-pixel U2 is the light of the superimposed color of the reflected light of the incident light on the liquid crystal molecules and the reflected light on the base color of the ink portion 122, that is, the emitted light C2 of the sub-pixel U2 is the superimposed light of the red reflected light including red liquid crystal molecules and the cyan reflected light of the cyan base, which is white light; the emitted light C3 of the pixel unit is the superimposed light white of the emitted light C1 of the sub-pixel U1 and the emitted light C2 of the sub-pixel U2, that is, the emitted light C3 of the pixel unit is white light.

[0075] Specifically, as Figure 3d As shown, the structures of the first substrate and the second substrate and the setting of the bistable liquid crystal layer are the same as before and will not be elaborated further. The driving circuit layer 14 drives the pixel electrode 15, and controls the stable state of the cholesteric liquid crystal molecules according to the electric field formed by the voltage applied to the pixel electrode 15 and the voltage applied to the common electrode 22. The liquid crystal molecules of the sub-pixel U1 and the sub-pixel U2 of the pixel unit are both in the P state, and the emitted light C1 of the sub-pixel U1 is the light of the superimposed color of the reflected light of the incident light on the liquid crystal molecules and the reflected light on the base color of the ink portion 121, that is, the emitted light C1 of the sub-pixel U1 is the superimposed light of the red reflected light including red liquid crystal molecules and the black reflected light of the black base (i.e., no display), which is red light; similarly, the emitted light C2 of the sub-pixel U2 is the reflected light of the incident light on the liquid crystal molecules and the reflected light on the base color of the ink portion 122, that is, the emitted light C2 of the sub-pixel U2 is the superimposed light of the red reflected light including red liquid crystal molecules and the cyan reflected light of the cyan base, which is white light; the emitted light C3 of the pixel unit is the superimposed red of the red light of the emitted light C1 of the sub-pixel U1 and the white light of the emitted light C2 of the sub-pixel U2, that is, the emitted light C3 of the pixel unit is red light.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the liquid crystal molecules of the bistable liquid crystal layer are of the same color. Each pixel unit is set to include two sub-pixels, and the base colors corresponding to the ink portions of each sub-pixel are different. By applying different voltages to the pixel electrode through the driving circuit layer and forming different electric fields with the common electrode, three different colors of output, such as white, cyan, and red, can be formed, so that the display panel can control the sub-pixels of each pixel unit according to different display contents to form a color output.

[0077] In an alternative embodiment, as Figure 4aAs shown in the figure, in a cross-section perpendicular to the first substrate, the first substrate 10 includes a pixel electrode 15 and a black matrix 13 that are sequentially stacked on the first substrate 11, and an end of the black matrix 13 near the pixel electrode 15 wraps the end of the pixel electrode 15.

[0078] In this embodiment, the first substrate 10 includes a first substrate 11, an ink portion 121 and a gate 141 disposed on the first substrate 11. The orthographic projection of the ink portion 121 on the first substrate 11 and the orthographic projection of the gate 141 on the first substrate 11 do not overlap. A gate insulating layer 142 covering the ink portion 121 and the gate 141, an active layer 143, a source electrode 144 and a drain electrode 145 disposed on the gate insulating layer. The orthographic projection of the active layer 143 on the first substrate 11 falls within the orthographic projection of the gate 141 on the first substrate 11. One end portion of the source electrode 144 partially covers the active layer 143, and one end portion of the drain electrode 145 partially covers the active layer 143. The orthographic projection of the source electrode 144 on the first substrate 11 and the orthographic projection of the drain electrode 145 on the first substrate 11 do not overlap. An interlayer insulating layer 146 covering the active layer 143, the source electrode 144 and the drain electrode 145, a pixel electrode 15 disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 146. The pixel electrode 15 is connected to the drain electrode 145 through a via hole penetrating the interlayer insulating layer 146. A black matrix 13 disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 146 and covering a part of the pixel electrode 15. The orthographic projection of the black matrix 13 on the first substrate 11 and the orthographic projection of the ink portion 121 on the first substrate 11 do not overlap, and an end of the black matrix 13 near the ink portion 121 wraps an end of the pixel electrode 15 near the gate 141. In other words, during the process of manufacturing the first substrate, the pixel electrode 15 disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 146 is first formed, and then the black matrix 13 disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 146 is formed. In the structure of the first substrate of this embodiment, by providing the black matrix 13, on the one hand, it prevents color bleeding between adjacent sub-pixels and affects the display effect of the display panel. On the other hand, by providing the black matrix 13, it effectively covers the gate, source and drain electrodes to prevent the metal film layer of the driving circuit from reflecting light, and at the same time blocks the active layer channel of the driving circuit, further improving the display effect of the display panel.

[0079] In another alternative embodiment, as Figure 4b shown, in a cross-section perpendicular to the first substrate, the first substrate 10 includes a black matrix 13 and a pixel electrode 15 that are sequentially stacked on the first substrate 11, and an end of the pixel electrode 15 near the black matrix 13 wraps the end of the black matrix 13.

[0080] In this embodiment, the first substrate 10 includes a first substrate 11, an ink portion 121, and a gate 141 disposed on the first substrate 11. The orthographic projection of the ink portion 121 on the first substrate 11 and the orthographic projection of the gate 141 on the first substrate 11 do not overlap. A gate insulating layer 142 covering the ink portion 121 and the gate 141, an active layer 143, a source electrode 144, and a drain electrode 145 disposed on the gate insulating layer. The orthographic projection of the active layer 143 on the first substrate 11 falls within the orthographic projection of the gate 141 on the first substrate 11. One end of the source electrode 144 partially covers the active layer 143, and one end of the drain electrode 145 partially covers the active layer 143. The orthographic projection of the source electrode 144 on the first substrate 11 and the orthographic projection of the drain electrode 145 on the first substrate 11 do not overlap. An interlayer insulating layer 146 covering the active layer 143, the source electrode 144, and the drain electrode 145, a black matrix 13 disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 146, and a pixel electrode 15 disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 146 and covering a part of the black matrix 13. The orthographic projection of the black matrix 13 on the first substrate 11 and the orthographic projection of the ink portion 121 on the first substrate 11 do not overlap. The pixel electrode 15 is connected to the drain electrode 145 through a via hole penetrating the interlayer insulating layer 146, and one end of the pixel electrode 15 close to the gate 141 wraps the end of one end of the black matrix 13 close to the ink portion 121. In other words, during the process of manufacturing the first substrate, the black matrix 13 disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 146 is first formed, and then the pixel electrode 15 disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 146 is formed. In the structure of the first substrate of this embodiment, by providing the black matrix 13, on the one hand, it prevents color bleeding between adjacent two sub-pixels and affects the display effect of the display panel. On the other hand, by providing the black matrix 13, it effectively covers the gate, source, and drain electrodes to prevent the metal film layer of the driving circuit from reflecting light, and at the same time blocks the active layer channel of the driving circuit, further improving the display effect of the display panel.

[0081] In an alternative embodiment, as Figure 5 shown, a first gap 123 is included between two adjacent ink portions 121, 122; the second substrate 20 further includes a black matrix 23 disposed on the second substrate 21. When the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 are stacked, the orthographic projection of the black matrix 23 on the first substrate 11 and the orthographic projection of the first gap 123 on the first substrate 11 at least partially overlap, and the orthographic projection of the black matrix 23 on the first substrate 11 and the orthographic projection of the ink portions 121, 122 on the first substrate 11 do not overlap.

[0082] In this embodiment, the first substrate 10 includes a first substrate 11, a driving circuit layer 14, an ink layer 12 (including ink portions 121 and 122), and a pixel electrode 15 that are stacked on the first substrate 11. The second substrate 20 includes a second substrate 21, a common electrode 22 disposed on the second substrate 21, and a black matrix 23 disposed on the common electrode. In this embodiment, by disposing the black matrix 23 on the second substrate, color bleeding between two adjacent sub-pixels is effectively prevented, thereby improving the display effect of the display panel.

[0083] In an alternative embodiment, as Figure 6 shown, the first substrate 10 includes a first substrate 11 and a common electrode 16 disposed on the first substrate 11;

[0084] The second substrate 20 includes a second substrate 21, a driving circuit layer 24 disposed on the second substrate 21, and pixel electrodes 25 that are disposed on the driving circuit layer 24 and spaced apart from each other.

[0085] In this embodiment, the first substrate 10 includes a first substrate 11, an ink layer 12 (including ink portions 121 and 122), and a common electrode 16 that are stacked on the first substrate 11. The second substrate 20 includes a second substrate 21, a driving circuit layer 24 disposed on the second substrate 21, and pixel electrodes 25 disposed on the driving circuit layer 24. In this embodiment, by disposing the driving circuit layer 24 and the pixel electrodes 25 on the upper substrate close to the light-emitting side of the display panel, the voltage applied to the pixel electrodes is controlled by the driving circuits of the driving circuit layer, thereby controlling the electric field applied to the liquid crystal molecules of each sub-pixel, so as to control the emitted light color of the sub-pixels of each pixel unit, and form a color display based on bistable liquid crystal.

[0086] To further improve the display effect of the display panel, in an alternative embodiment, as Figure 6 shown, a first gap 123 is included between two adjacent ink portions 121 and 122; the second substrate 20 further includes a black matrix 23 disposed between the second substrate 21 and the driving circuit layer 24. When the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 are aligned, at least a part of the orthographic projection of the black matrix 23 on the first substrate 11 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the first gap 123 on the first substrate 11, and the orthographic projection of the black matrix 23 on the first substrate 11 does not overlap with the orthographic projections of the ink portions 121 and 122 on the first substrate 11.

[0087] In this embodiment, the second substrate 20 is provided with a black matrix 23 on the side of the driving circuit layer 24 close to the second substrate 21. On the one hand, it prevents color bleeding between adjacent two sub-pixels from affecting the display effect of the display panel. On the other hand, by setting the black matrix 23, the driving circuits of the driving circuit layer are effectively covered, preventing the metal film layer of the driving circuit from reflecting incident light and affecting the display effect of the display panel.

[0088] Specifically, as Figure 7 shown, the second substrate 20 includes a second substrate 21, a black matrix 23, a gate 241 disposed on the second substrate 21, a gate insulating layer 242 covering the gate 241, an active layer 243, a source electrode 244, and a drain electrode 245 disposed on the gate insulating layer. The orthographic projection of the active layer 243 on the second substrate 21 falls within the orthographic projection of the gate 241 on the second substrate 21. One end of the source electrode 244 partially covers the active layer 243, and one end of the drain electrode 245 partially covers the active layer 243. The orthographic projection of the source electrode 244 on the second substrate 21 and the orthographic projection of the drain electrode 245 on the second substrate 21 do not overlap. An interlayer insulating layer 246 covering the active layer 243, the source electrode 244, and the drain electrode 245, and a pixel electrode 25 disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 246. The pixel electrode 25 is connected to the drain electrode 245 through a via hole penetrating the interlayer insulating layer 246. By setting the black matrix 23 on the second substrate of this embodiment, on the one hand, it prevents color bleeding between adjacent two sub-pixels from affecting the display effect of the display panel. On the other hand, by setting the black matrix 23, the gate, the source electrode, and the drain electrode are effectively covered to prevent the metal film layer of the driving circuit from reflecting light, and at the same time, the channel of the active layer of the driving circuit is blocked, further improving the display effect of the display panel.

[0089] In an alternative embodiment, a first interval is included between adjacent two ink portions; the first substrate further includes a black matrix disposed between the first substrate and the common electrode, and the orthographic projection of the black matrix on the first substrate at least partially overlaps with the orthographic projection of the first interval on the first substrate, and the orthographic projection of the black matrix on the first substrate does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the ink portion on the first substrate.

[0090] In this embodiment, the first substrate includes a first substrate, a black matrix stacked on the first substrate, an ink portion located in the opening region formed by the black matrix, and a common electrode. The second substrate includes a second substrate, a driving circuit layer disposed on the second substrate, and a pixel electrode disposed on the driving circuit layer. By setting the black matrix on the first substrate in this embodiment, color bleeding between adjacent two sub-pixels is effectively prevented to improve the display effect of the display panel.

[0091] In an alternative embodiment, the ink layer of the display panel is on the side of the first substrate away from the second substrate.

[0092] In this embodiment, using the working process of existing electronic paper, the ink layer is disposed outside the first substrate. For example, using printing technology, the substrate color is directly printed on the side of the first substrate away from the second substrate, that is, using a mature manufacturing process to form ink portions corresponding to each sub-pixel on the light-emitting side facing away from the first substrate, with low manufacturing cost.

[0093] In another alternative embodiment, the ink layer of the display panel is disposed on the side of the first substrate close to the second substrate.

[0094] In this embodiment, for example, using photolithography or inkjet printing technology, the substrate color is printed on the side of the first substrate close to the second substrate, without considering the transmittance of the first substrate, further improving the display effect of the display panel.

[0095] Considering the realization of richer colors, in an alternative embodiment, the bistable liquid crystal layer includes a plurality of mutually enclosed liquid crystal regions, and the bistable liquid crystal molecules in at least two of the plurality of liquid crystal regions have different colors.

[0096] In this embodiment, considering that cholesteric liquid crystal includes a variety of colors, such as red, cyan, yellow, etc., in order to realize more colors, the bistable liquid crystal layer is partitioned, for example, into a plurality of enclosed liquid crystal regions, and cholesteric liquid crystal molecules of different colors are injected into each liquid crystal region, thereby realizing color display of the display panel, further increasing color combinations and improving the display effect.

[0097] Based on the above display panel, an embodiment of the present application further provides a display device, including the above display panel. Among them, the display device can be any product or component with a display function such as an electronic paper, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a television, a monitor, a notebook computer, a digital photo frame, a navigator, etc., and this embodiment does not make any limitations in this regard.

[0098] The display device of this embodiment sets the ink portions corresponding to each sub-pixel of each pixel unit of the display panel to different substrate colors, and then controls the electric field applied to the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to each sub-pixel to control the liquid crystal molecules to be in different stable states, so that the outgoing light of each sub-pixel is the superimposed color of the substrate color and the liquid crystal color reflecting external incident light, and further makes the outgoing light of each pixel unit the superimposed color of the outgoing lights of each sub-pixel. That is, this embodiment realizes color controllability by dividing each sub-pixel of each pixel unit, thereby realizing multi-color driving of a single liquid crystal cell of a reflective display device according to bistable liquid crystal.

[0099] Based on the above display panel, as Figure 9 shown, an embodiment of the present application further provides a usage method using the above display panel, including:

[0100] Obtain the required color of the light emitted by each pixel unit according to the screen to be displayed;

[0101] Control the voltages applied to the pixel electrodes and the common electrode of each sub-pixel of the pixel unit according to the required color;

[0102] The bistable liquid crystal molecules corresponding to each sub-pixel present a first stable state or a second stable state in response to the electric field formed by the pixel electrode and the common electrode. The light emitted by the sub-pixel is the superposition of the first reflected light of the bistable liquid crystal molecules and the second reflected light of the ink part. The light emitted by the pixel unit is the superposition of the light emitted by each sub-pixel.

[0103] In this embodiment, by setting the ink parts corresponding to each sub-pixel of each pixel unit of the display panel to different base colors, and then controlling the electric field applied to the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to each sub-pixel to control the liquid crystal molecules to be in different stable states, the light emitted by each sub-pixel is the superimposed color of the base color and the liquid crystal color reflecting the external incident light. Furthermore, the light emitted by each pixel unit is the superposition of the light emitted by each sub-pixel. That is, in this embodiment, the color is controllable by dividing each sub-pixel of each pixel unit, so as to realize multi-color driving of the single liquid crystal cell of the reflective display panel according to the bistable liquid crystal. Specifically, for the colors corresponding to each pixel unit of the screen to be displayed, according to the color of the liquid crystal molecules of the bistable liquid crystal layer and the base colors of the ink parts corresponding to each sub-pixel, obtain the stable states of the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to each sub-pixel, obtain the voltages applied to the pixel electrodes and the common electrode of each sub-pixel, so as to control the liquid crystal molecules to form corresponding stable states, and use the light emitted by each sub-pixel to form the light emitted by each pixel unit, thereby realizing color display of the screen to be displayed.

[0104] Based on the above display panel, as Figure 10 shown, an embodiment of the present application further provides a manufacturing method for manufacturing the above display panel. The display panel includes a plurality of pixel units arranged in an array, and each pixel unit includes at least two sub-pixels. The manufacturing method includes:

[0105] Form a first substrate and a second substrate respectively. The first substrate is the substrate far from the light-emitting side of the display panel and includes an ink layer. The ink layer includes ink parts corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one. The colors of the ink parts corresponding to each sub-pixel in each pixel unit are different. One of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a driving circuit layer and pixel electrodes driven by the driving circuit layer and corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one. The other of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a common electrode;

[0106] Encapsulate the first substrate and the second substrate, and fill bistable liquid crystal molecules to form a bistable liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate.

[0107] In this embodiment, a first substrate, a second substrate, and a bistable liquid crystal layer are respectively formed. By setting the ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels of each pixel unit of the display panel to different base colors, and then controlling the electric fields applied to the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to each sub-pixel to control the liquid crystal molecules to be in different stable states, the emitted light of each sub-pixel is the superimposed color of the base color and the liquid crystal color reflecting the external incident light. Furthermore, the emitted light of each pixel unit is the superimposed color of the emitted lights of each sub-pixel. That is, in this embodiment, color controllability is achieved by dividing the sub-pixels of each pixel unit, thereby realizing multi-color driving of a single liquid crystal cell of a reflective display panel based on bistable liquid crystals.

[0108] The present invention aims at the existing problems currently and formulates a display panel, a display device, a usage method, and a manufacturing method. The display panel of one embodiment sets the ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels of each pixel unit of the display panel to different base colors, and then controls the electric fields applied to the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to each sub-pixel to control the liquid crystal molecules to be in different stable states, so that the emitted light of each sub-pixel is the superimposed color of the base color and the liquid crystal color reflecting the external incident light. Furthermore, the emitted light of each pixel unit is the superimposed color of the emitted lights of each sub-pixel. That is, in this embodiment, color controllability is achieved by dividing the sub-pixels of each pixel unit, thereby realizing multi-color driving of a single liquid crystal cell of a reflective display panel based on bistable liquid crystals, effectively making up for the problems existing in the related technologies and having a wide range of application prospects.

[0109] Obviously, the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the implementation manners of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is impossible to list all the implementation manners here. Any obvious changes or modifications derived from the technical solutions of the present invention still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A display panel, comprising a plurality of pixel units arranged in an array, characterized in that, The display panel includes a first substrate and a second substrate that are opposed to each other, and a bistable liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein each pixel unit includes at least two sub-pixels; the first substrate is the substrate away from the light-emitting side of the display panel and includes an ink layer, the ink layer includes ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one, and the colors of the ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels in each pixel unit are different; one of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a driving circuit layer and pixel electrodes corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one driven by the driving circuit layer, and the other of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a common electrode.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein The first substrate includes a first substrate, a driving circuit layer disposed on the first substrate, and pixel electrodes disposed on the driving circuit layer and spaced apart from each other; The second substrate includes a second substrate and a common electrode disposed on the second substrate.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein A first gap is included between two adjacent ink portions; The first substrate further includes a black matrix disposed on the driving circuit layer, and a positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate at least partially overlaps a positive projection of the first gap on the first substrate, and the positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate does not overlap a positive projection of the ink portion on the first substrate.

4. The display panel according to claim 3, wherein in a cross-section perpendicular to the first substrate, the first substrate includes a pixel electrode and a black matrix sequentially stacked on the first substrate, and an end portion of the black matrix close to the pixel electrode wraps an end portion of the pixel electrode; or in a cross-section perpendicular to the first substrate, the first substrate includes a black matrix and a pixel electrode sequentially stacked on the first substrate, and an end portion of the pixel electrode close to the black matrix wraps an end portion of the black matrix.

5. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein A first gap is included between two adjacent ink portions; The second substrate further includes a black matrix disposed on the second substrate. After the first substrate and the second substrate are opposed to each other, a positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate at least partially overlaps a positive projection of the first gap on the first substrate, and the positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate does not overlap a positive projection of the ink portion on the first substrate.

6. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein The first substrate includes a first substrate and a common electrode disposed on the first substrate; The second substrate includes a second substrate, a driving circuit layer disposed on the second substrate, and pixel electrodes disposed on the driving circuit layer and spaced apart from each other.

7. The display panel according to claim 6, wherein A first gap is included between two adjacent ink portions; The second substrate further includes a black matrix disposed on the second substrate. After the first substrate and the second substrate are opposed to each other, a positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate at least partially overlaps a positive projection of the first gap on the first substrate, and the positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate does not overlap a positive projection of the ink portion on the first substrate.

8. The display panel according to claim 6, wherein, A first gap is included between two adjacent ink portions; The first substrate further includes a black matrix disposed between the first substrate and the common electrode, a positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate at least partially overlaps a positive projection of the first spacer on the first substrate, and a positive projection of the black matrix on the first substrate does not overlap a positive projection of the ink portion on the first substrate.

9. The display panel according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the ink layer is disposed on a side of the first substrate away from the second substrate; or the ink layer is disposed on a side of the first substrate close to the second substrate.

10. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bistable liquid crystal layer includes a plurality of mutually enclosed liquid crystal regions, and the bistable liquid crystal molecules in at least two of the plurality of liquid crystal regions have different colors.

11. A display device, characterized in that, Comprising the display panel according to any one of claims 1-10.

12. A method of using a display panel as described in any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, Comprising: Obtaining a required color of light emitted from each pixel unit according to a to-be-displayed picture; Controlling voltages applied to a pixel electrode and a common electrode of each sub-pixel of the pixel unit according to the required color; Bistable liquid crystal molecules corresponding to each sub-pixel present a first stable state or a second stable state in response to an electric field formed by the pixel electrode and the common electrode, light emitted from the sub-pixel is a superposition of a first reflected light of the bistable liquid crystal molecules and a second reflected light of the ink portion, and light emitted from the pixel unit is a superposition of light emitted from each sub-pixel.

13. A method for manufacturing a display panel as described in any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The display panel includes a plurality of pixel units arranged in an array, each pixel unit includes at least two sub-pixels, and the manufacturing method includes: Forming a first substrate and a second substrate respectively, the first substrate is a substrate away from the light-emitting side of the display panel and includes an ink layer, the ink layer includes ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one, colors of the ink portions corresponding to the sub-pixels in each pixel unit are different, one of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a driving circuit layer, and pixel electrodes corresponding to the sub-pixels one by one driven by the driving circuit layer, and the other of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a common electrode; Encapsulating the first substrate and the second substrate, and filling bistable liquid crystal molecules to form a bistable liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate.

Images