Display device

Abstract

The invention relates to a display device. The display device comprises a display panel, a dimming layer, a first light source and an electronic element, the display device comprises a first display area and a second display area, an electronic element is located in the second display area, a dimming layer comprises a first substrate, a second substrate and a polymer liquid crystal layer, the first substrate and the second substrate are oppositely arranged, the polymer liquid crystal layer is located between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the display device is switched between a first state and a second state. The haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer in the second display area when the display device is in the first state is greater than that of the polymer liquid crystal layer in the second display area when the display device is in the second state; according to the display device, light guiding is achieved through haze adjustment of the polymer liquid crystal layer, so that whole-screen display of the display device is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of display technologies, and particularly to a display device. Background Art

[0002] A fatigue monitoring system, also known as a Driver Fatigue Monitor System (BAWS), is composed of two major modules: an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and a camera, based on the physiological image responses of drivers. The BAWS obtains real-time images of drivers through a video acquisition device, automatically analyzes information such as the head posture, eye movement patterns, and facial features of the drivers to determine the mental state of the drivers, and gives corresponding warning prompts, providing active intelligent safety protection for the drivers and passengers. Compared with the movement patterns of the face or head, the movement patterns of the eyes, such as the blink frequency, blink speed, eye opening amplitude, and the gaze direction of the eyes, can better reflect the mental state of the experimental subject at the current moment.

[0003] The implementation of a conventional integrated in-vehicle under-screen camera usually adopts an optical blind hole design for the instrument panel. In the backlight structure, the diaphragm and the like are dug out, and the camera is placed in the backlight opening area. Combined with the treatment method of smoked integrated black, the camera is perfectly embedded into the backlight hole and hidden under the screen. However, the sensing area of the optical blind hole solution cannot display normally, and a blind hole area needs to be reserved in the middle of the instrument panel without pattern display, which will affect the overall display effect of the instrument panel. In some other technologies, a non-blind hole design can also be adopted, directly placing the under-screen camera under the display panel. However, the pixel arrangement of the display panel corresponding to the camera area needs to be specially designed, which is different from the pixel arrangement of other display areas outside the camera area. Moreover, diffraction caused by the periodic pixel design of the display panel cannot be avoided during photographing, resulting in blurred infrared imaging and affecting the accuracy of fatigue monitoring. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An embodiment of this application provides a display device that can achieve full-screen display without opening holes in the backlight and without specially designing the pixels in the camera area.

[0005] This application provides a display device, and the display device includes:

[0006] A display panel having a light-emitting surface;

[0007] A dimming layer disposed on a side of the display panel away from the light-emitting surface. The dimming layer includes a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other, and a polymer liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate;

[0008] A first light source, disposed on one side of the dimming layer; and

[0009] An electronic component, disposed on the side of the dimming layer away from the display panel;

[0010] Wherein, the display device includes a first display area and a second display area, the first display area and the second display area are adjacent, and the electronic component is located in the second display area;

[0011] The display device switches between a first state and a second state. When the display device is in the first state, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer in the second display area is greater than the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer in the second display area when the display device is in the second state.

[0012] In some embodiments, the display device further includes a second light source disposed on one side of the dimming layer. The direction of the first light source towards the dimming layer is a first direction, and the direction of the second light source towards the dimming layer is a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction intersect;

[0013] When the display device is in the first state, the first light rays emitted by the first light source are at least in a scattered state in the first display area; the second light rays emitted by the second light source are in a transmitted state in the first display area and in a scattered state in the second display area;

[0014] When the display device is in the second state, the first light rays are in a scattered state in the first display area and in a transmitted state in the second display area; the second light rays are in a transmitted state in the first display area and in a scattered state in the second display area.

[0015] In some embodiments, the light-emitting range of the second light source is greater than the width of the second display area in the first direction.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first substrate includes a first substrate and a first electrode layer disposed on the side of the first substrate close to the polymer liquid crystal layer;

[0017] The second substrate includes a second substrate and a second electrode layer disposed on the side of the second substrate close to the polymer liquid crystal layer;

[0018] Wherein, the first electrode layer includes a plurality of first sub-electrodes arranged along the first direction, and / or the second electrode layer includes a plurality of second sub-electrodes arranged along the first direction.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first electrode layer further includes a third sub-electrode, and / or the second electrode layer further includes a fourth sub-electrode, wherein the first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode are located in the first display area, and the third sub-electrode and the fourth sub-electrode are located in the second display area.

[0020] In some embodiments, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer on the side away from the first light source is greater than the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer on the side close to the first light source.

[0021] In some embodiments, the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer on the side away from the first light source is greater than the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer on the side close to the first light source.

[0022] In some embodiments, the dimming layer further includes a cell thickness control layer, the cell thickness control layer is located between the first electrode layer and the polymer liquid crystal layer, and / or the cell thickness control layer is located between the second electrode layer and the polymer liquid crystal layer;

[0023] Wherein, the thickness of the cell thickness control layer on the side away from the first light source is less than the thickness of the cell thickness control layer on the side close to the first light source.

[0024] In some embodiments, the cell thickness control layer includes a first sub-control layer and a second sub-control layer, the first sub-control layer is located in the first display area, the second sub-control layer is located in the second display area, wherein the thickness of the second sub-control layer is greater than the thickness of the adjacent first sub-control layer.

[0025] In some embodiments, along the first direction, the thickness of the first sub-control layer decreases.

[0026] The present application provides a display device. The display device provided by the present application uses a dimming layer to replace the traditional light guide plate. The dimming layer includes a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other and a polymer liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate. The display device provided by the present application can switch between a first state and a second state. When the display device is in the first state, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer in the second display area is greater than the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer in the second display area when the display device is in the second state. Among them, the first state is the state when the electronic component is not turned on. At this time, the polymer liquid crystal layer has a relatively large haze in the second display area, which can cause light to be exported in the second display area to achieve display in the second display area. The second state is the state when the electronic component is turned on. At this time, the polymer liquid crystal layer has a relatively low haze in the second display area to improve the transparency of the second display area and achieve the function of an under-screen camera. The present application uses the haze adjustment of the polymer liquid crystal layer to achieve light guiding, and further realizes the full-screen display of the display device, without the need for a blind hole design for the backlight structure, nor the need for a special design for the pixel structure in the display panel area corresponding to the camera. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0028] In order to more fully understand the present application and its beneficial effects, the following will be described in conjunction with the drawings, where the same reference numerals in the following description represent the same parts.

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a display device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 2 is a top view schematic diagram of a display device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 3 is a top view structural schematic diagram of a first electrode layer or a second electrode layer of a display device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 4 is a top view structural schematic diagram of a first electrode layer or a second electrode layer of another display device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of light guiding of a dimming layer of a display device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 6It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a dimming layer of a display device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 7 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a dimming layer of another display device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 8 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of another display device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Description of reference numerals:

[0038] 10. Display device; 100. Display panel; 101. Light-emitting surface; 200. Dimming layer; 210. First substrate; 211. First substrate; 212. First electrode layer; 2121. First sub-electrode; 2122. Third sub-electrode; 220. Second substrate; 221. Second substrate; 222. Second electrode layer; 2221. Second sub-electrode; 2222. Fourth sub-electrode; 230. Polymer liquid crystal layer; 240. Cell thickness control layer; 241. First sub-control layer; 242. Second sub-control layer; 310. First light source; 320. Second light source; 400. Electronic component; 510. Support layer; 520. Reflective layer; 530. Optical film layer. Detailed implementation manners

[0039] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0040] The present application provides a display device 10. Please refer to Figure 1, the display device 10 includes a display panel 100, a dimming layer 200, a first light source 310, and an electronic component 400. The display panel 100 has a light-emitting surface 101; the dimming layer 200 is disposed on a side of the display panel 100 away from the light-emitting surface 101. The dimming layer 200 includes a first substrate 210 and a second substrate 220 disposed opposite to each other, and a polymer liquid crystal layer 230 located between the first substrate 210 and the second substrate 220, wherein the first substrate 210 is disposed close to the display panel 100; the first light source 310 is disposed on one side of the dimming layer 200 and is located on a side surface of the dimming layer 200; the electronic component 400 is disposed on a side of the dimming layer 200 away from the display panel 100; wherein, the display device 10 includes a first display area A1 and a second display area A2, the first display area A1 and the second display area A2 are adjacent to each other, and the electronic component 400 is located in the second display area A2; the display device 10 switches between a first state and a second state, and when the display device 10 is in the first state, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 in the second display area A2 is greater than the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 in the second display area A2 when the display device 10 is in the second state.

[0041] Wherein, the dimming layer 200 is used to achieve light guiding. The dimming layer 200 can guide the light emitted by the first light source 310 to the display panel 100 to provide a backlight source for the display panel 100 to realize the display of the picture of the display panel 100. In the present application, the dimming layer 200 realizes the light guiding function by adjusting the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230.

[0042] The haze refers to the ratio of the scattered light flux deviating from the incident light direction to the transmitted light flux. The haze reflects the degree of light scattering of the liquid crystal material in the polymer liquid crystal layer 230; the higher the haze value, the stronger the light scattering of the liquid crystal material, and the more light is emitted from the light-emitting side of the dimming layer 200 (i.e., the side of the dimming layer 200 close to the display panel 100), and the higher the light-emitting ratio; on the contrary, the lower the haze value, the weaker the light scattering of the liquid crystal material, and the less light is emitted from the light-emitting side of the dimming layer 200, and the lower the light-emitting ratio.

[0043] The polymer liquid crystal layer 230 may include polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) or polymer cholesteric liquid crystal.

[0044] The polymer network liquid crystal has the characteristic of adjustable haze and can be switched between a transparent state and a scattering state to achieve the regulation of light. The polymer network liquid crystal is a material formed by mixing polymer monomers and liquid crystals and then curing by light irradiation. The liquid crystal molecules of the polymer network liquid crystal are distributed in the polymer network structure, and the network of the polymer is linear and has different arrangement characteristics in different directions. Therefore, under the action of an electric field, the polymer network can make the liquid crystal molecules align in a specific direction. For example, the liquid crystal molecules can have different tilts along the Z direction, or along the X direction, or along the Y direction, so as to achieve different optical effects of the liquid crystal molecules in the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 in different directions, and further achieve the light guiding characteristic. Wherein the Z direction is the direction perpendicular to the light emitting surface 101, the X direction and the Y direction are the directions parallel to the light emitting surface 101, and the X direction and the Y direction intersect. The optical characteristics of the polymer network liquid crystal layer are determined by the arrangement orientation of the liquid crystal molecules. Under the condition of applying an electric field, the liquid crystal molecules align along the electric field direction, and the polymer network liquid crystal is in a transparent state and allows light to pass through. Under the condition of not applying an electric field or a specific electric field, the liquid crystal molecules are randomly arranged, and the polymer network liquid crystal is in a scattering state (i.e., a fog state), and the light is evenly scattered.

[0045] The polymer cholesteric liquid crystal has a helical structure and at the same time has the characteristic of selective reflection. The haze adjustment of the polymer cholesteric liquid crystal is mainly based on its unique helical structure and optical characteristics. By controlling the state of the helical structure (such as a planar state or a focal conic state), the adjustment of light scattering and transmission can be realized, and further the adjustment of haze can be realized to achieve the regulation of light.

[0046] The electronic component 400 can be a camera, which is arranged on the side of the dimming layer 200 away from the display panel 100. While realizing the function of collecting light, it does not affect the display function of the display device 10.

[0047] The first state refers to the state when the electronic component 400 is not turned on. At this time, the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 has a relatively large haze in the second display area A2, which can make the light be exported in the second display area A2 to realize the display of the second display area A2. At the same time, the first display area A1 is in a display state. Therefore, full-screen display can be realized in the first state, that is, the first display area A1 and the second display area A2 are displayed simultaneously. The second state refers to the state when the electronic component 400 is turned on. At this time, the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 has a relatively low haze or is in a transparent state in the second display area A2 to improve the transparency of the second display area A2 and realize the function of the under-screen camera, which is beneficial to the collection of light by the electronic component 400.

[0048] Compared with the traditional backlight structure of the light guide plate, in the present application, through the dimming layer 200, the light guiding function can be achieved by adjusting the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230, so as to realize the full-screen display and the under-screen camera function of the display device 10, without the need for blind hole design of the backlight structure, nor the need for special design of the pixel structure in the display panel area corresponding to the camera.

[0049] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 , the display device 10 further includes a second light source 320 disposed on one side of the dimming layer 200, and the first light source 310 is located on the side of the other side of the dimming layer 200. The direction of the first light source 310 towards the dimming layer 200 is the first direction X, and the direction of the second light source 320 towards the dimming layer 200 is the second direction Y. The first direction X and the second direction Y intersect, and further the first direction X and the second direction Y can be perpendicular. The second light source 320 is located on one side of the second display area A2 in the second direction Y, that is, the second light source 320 corresponds to the second display area A2 to provide light for the second display area A2.

[0050] In this embodiment, when the display device 10 is in the first state, the first light rays emitted by the first light source 310 are at least in a scattered state in the first display area A1, that is, the first light rays emitted by the first light source 310 are guided out in the first display area A1; the second light rays emitted by the second light source 320 are in a transmitted state in the first display area A1 and in a scattered state in the second display area A2, that is, the second light rays emitted by the second light source 320 are not guided out in the first display area A1 and are guided out in the second display area A2; therefore, the first display area A1 and the second display area A2 can be simultaneously displayed, that is, full-screen display is achieved.

[0051] When the display device 10 is in the second state, the first light rays are in a scattered state in the first display area A1 and in a transmitted state in the second display area A2, that is, the first light rays emitted by the first light source 310 are guided out in the first display area A1 and not guided out in the second display area A2. At this time, relative to the electronic component 400, the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 in the second display area is in a transparent state; the second light rays are in a transmitted state in the first display area A1 and in a scattered state in the second display area A2, that is, the second light rays emitted by the second light source 320 are not guided out in the first display area A1 and are guided out in the second display area A2, wherein the scattering degree of the second light rays in the second display area A2 in the second state is less than the scattering degree of the second light rays in the second display area A2 in the first state, so as to improve the transparency of the second display area A2 and facilitate the realization of the under-screen camera function.

[0052] In the present application, both the first light source 310 and the second light source 320 may include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), and specifically, they can be set according to the requirements of the display device, which is not limited herein.

[0053] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 1 , the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 on the side away from the first light source 310 is greater than the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 on the side close to the first light source 310. For example, in the first display area A1, in the direction away from the first light source 310 (i.e., the first direction X), the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 may gradually increase or increase in a gradient manner, that is, along the first direction X, the scattering degree of the liquid crystal material in the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 to the light emitted by the first light source 310 increases, so that more light is derived from the light-emitting side of the dimming layer 200. That is, as the haze increases, the light-emitting ratio of the dimming layer 200 is higher. Therefore, the problem that the total luminous flux of the light propagating in the dimming layer 200 gradually decreases in the direction away from the first light source 310 can be compensated, and thus the overall light-emitting uniformity of the dimming layer 200 can be realized to improve the display effect of the display device 10.

[0054] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 1 , the first substrate 210 includes a first substrate 211 and a first electrode layer 212 disposed on the side of the first substrate 211 close to the polymer liquid crystal layer 230; the second substrate 220 includes a second substrate 221 and a second electrode layer 222 disposed on the side of the second substrate 221 close to the polymer liquid crystal layer 230. In the present application, the first substrate 211 and the second substrate 221 may be substrates made of a transparent material, such as polyimide or glass, etc., but not limited thereto. The materials of the first electrode layer 212 and the second electrode layer 222 may be transparent electrodes, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), but not limited thereto.

[0055] Among them, please refer to Figure 3 , the first electrode layer 212 includes a plurality of first sub-electrodes 2121 arranged along the first direction X, and / or the second electrode layer 222 includes a plurality of second sub-electrodes 2221 arranged along the first direction X.

[0056] In the present application, at least one of the first electrode layer 212 and the second electrode layer 222 is a patterned electrode. By patterning the first electrode layer 212 or the second electrode layer 222, regional regulation of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 can be achieved, that is, by applying different voltages to electrodes in different regions, liquid crystal molecules in different regions have different alignment orientations, thereby achieving control of different haze levels in different regions of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230. For example, the first electrode layer 212 can be a patterned electrode including a plurality of first sub - electrodes 2121, and the second electrode layer 222 can be a full - face electrode; or, the first electrode layer 212 can be a full - face electrode, and the second electrode layer 222 can be a patterned electrode including a plurality of second sub - electrodes 2221; or, both the first electrode layer 212 and the second electrode layer 222 can be patterned electrodes, the first electrode layer 212 includes a plurality of first sub - electrodes 2121, the second electrode layer 222 includes a plurality of second sub - electrodes 2221, and the first sub - electrodes 2121 and the second sub - electrodes 2221 are arranged in one - to - one correspondence. Among them, the patterned electrode can be a strip - shaped electrode or a block - shaped electrode, but is not limited thereto.

[0057] Please refer to Figure 3 , when the first electrode layer 212 includes a plurality of first sub - electrodes 2121, the plurality of first sub - electrodes 2121 can be arranged along the first direction X, or the plurality of first sub - electrodes 2121 can also be arranged in an array along the first direction X and the second direction Y, so that the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 is divided into a plurality of different regions along the first direction X. By applying different voltages to the plurality of first sub - electrodes 2121 along the first direction X, haze adjustment of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 along the first direction can be achieved. For example, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 along the first direction X is increased.

[0058] Similarly, when the second electrode layer 222 includes a plurality of second sub - electrodes 2221, the plurality of second sub - electrodes 2221 can be arranged along the first direction X, or the plurality of second sub - electrodes 2221 can also be arranged in an array along the first direction X and the second direction Y, so that the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 is divided into a plurality of different regions along the first direction X. By applying different voltages to the plurality of second sub - electrodes 2221 along the first direction X, haze adjustment of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 along the first direction X can be achieved. For example, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 along the first direction X is increased.

[0059] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 4, the first electrode layer 212 further includes a third sub-electrode 2122, and / or the second electrode layer 222 further includes a fourth sub-electrode 2222, wherein the first sub-electrode 2121 and the second sub-electrode 2221 are located in the first display area A1, and the third sub-electrode 2122 and the fourth sub-electrode 2222 are located in the second display area A2. Providing the independent third sub-electrode 2122 and / or the fourth sub-electrode 2222 in the second display area A2 corresponding to the display element can achieve independent control of the voltage in the second display area A2, and further achieve independent control of the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in the second display area A2, so as to achieve display in the second display area A2. Therefore, the display device 10 of the present application can optically control the first display area A1 and the second display area A2 separately, and both the first display area A1 and the second display area A2 can display images, thereby achieving full-screen display.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 5 , which is a schematic diagram of light emission from a dimming layer 200 provided in the present application. By adjusting the voltage of the electrodes in region B, the polymer network liquid crystal in region B is in a scattering state (i.e., a foggy state). When light from the first light source 310 entering the dimming layer 200 passes through region B, the polymer network liquid crystal in region B is in a scattering state, which can disperse the light from the first light source 310. This allows the light from the first light source 310 entering region B to be directed out from the light-emitting side of the dimming layer 200, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the dimming layer 200 (the Z direction).

[0061] In the present application, when the display device 10 is in the first state, the electronic component 400 is not turned on, and the display device 10 displays the entire screen, that is, when the first display area A1 and the second display area A2 are both displayed, the first light source 310 and the second light source 320 are both turned on, and the first light emitted by the first light source 310 enters the dimming layer 200 and propagates along the first direction X. By controlling the voltage of the first sub-electrode 2121 and / or the second sub-electrode 2221 in the first display area A1, the polymer network liquid crystal located in the first display area A1 is in a scattering state, that is, the liquid crystal molecules in the first display area A1 tilt in different directions and are arranged in a disordered manner. The first light emitted by the first light source 310 into the first display area A1 is scattered, and part of the light can be directed from the light-emitting side of the dimming layer 200 to the display panel 100. To realize the picture display of the first display area A1; at the same time, the voltage of the third sub-electrode 2122 and / or the fourth sub-electrode 2222 in the second display area A2 can be controlled to make the arrangement and tilting direction of the liquid crystal molecules in the second display area A2 different from those in the first display area A1, so that the second light emitted by the second light source 320 enters the dimming layer 200 and propagates along the second direction Y toward the second display area A2. The second light emitted by the second light source 320 is not exported when passing through the first display area A1, and is only exported from the light-emitting side of the dimming layer 200 to the display panel 100 in the second display area A2, that is, the light of the second light source 320 is exported in the second display area A2 along the Z direction perpendicular to the dimming layer 200 to realize the picture display of the second display area A2. Therefore, the display device 10 of the present application can realize full-screen display.

[0062] In this application, when the display device 10 is in the second state and the electronic component 400 is turned on, that is, when the under-screen camera is working, both the first light source 310 and the second light source 320 are in the on state. Since the liquid crystal molecules in the second display area A2 and the first display area A1 are arranged and oriented differently, the first light rays emitted by the first light source 310 are guided out from the light-emitting side of the dimming layer 200 in the first display area A1, while the first light rays emitted by the first light source 310 are not guided out in the second display area A2. For the camera, the polymer network liquid crystal in the second display area A2 is in a transparent state, so that ambient light can enter the camera smoothly to facilitate the camera to capture images. At the same time, by adjusting the voltage, the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the second display area A2 is changed, so that the liquid crystal molecules are in a tilted state, that is, at a certain angle with the Z direction. The second light rays emitted by the second light source 320 are not guided out along the Z direction or only a small amount of light rays are guided out along the Z direction in the second display area A2, but mainly propagate along the X direction or the Y direction, or in an inclined direction at a certain angle with the X direction or the Y direction, so as to reduce the influence on the transparency of the second display area A2, and at the same time be able to supplement light to the second display area A2 and improve the bright edge problem at the boundary.

[0063] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 , the light-emitting range of the second light source 320 is larger than the width of the second display area A2 in the first direction X. Specifically, the width W1 of the light-emitting range of the second light source 320 in the second direction Y is larger than the width W2 of the second display area A2 in the second direction Y, that is, the light source range emitted by the second light source 320 covers the second display area A2 and extends beyond the edge of the second display area A2, so as to avoid the bright edge problem existing at the boundary between the first display area A1 and the second display area A2. Since the liquid crystal molecule orientations in the first display area A1 and the second display area A2 are different, a bright edge problem is likely to occur at the boundary between the first display area A1 and the second display area A2. In this application, at the edge of the second display area A2, by making the light of the second light source 320 cover the light of the first light source 310, the bright edge problem at the junction of the two different display areas can be avoided.

[0064] In some embodiments, the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 includes the polymer network liquid crystal, and the polymer network liquid crystal includes a normally transmissive polymer network liquid crystal or a normally hazy polymer network liquid crystal. The normally transmissive polymer network liquid crystal means that, under the condition of not applying voltage, the liquid crystal molecules present an ordered arrangement mode in the polymer network, enabling light to pass through smoothly, and the material is in a transparent state. When voltage is applied, the liquid crystal molecules are affected by the electric field and change their orientation, resulting in an increase in light scattering, and the material gradually becomes hazy. The normally hazy polymer network liquid crystal means that, under the condition of not applying voltage, the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules is relatively disordered, and light is severely scattered inside the material, thus presenting a hazy state. When voltage is applied, the liquid crystal molecules tend to be arranged in an ordered manner under the action of the electric field, and the light scattering decreases, and the material gradually becomes transparent.

[0065] When the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 includes the normally transmissive polymer network liquid crystal, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 is proportional to the voltage. For example, along the first direction X, by gradually increasing the voltage of a plurality of the first sub-electrodes 2121, or gradually increasing the voltage of a plurality of the second sub-electrodes 2221, or simultaneously gradually increasing the voltage of a plurality of the first sub-electrodes 2121 and a plurality of the second sub-electrodes 2221, an increase in the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 can be achieved.

[0066] When the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 includes the normally hazy polymer network liquid crystal, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 is inversely proportional to the voltage. For example, along the first direction X, by gradually decreasing the voltage of a plurality of the first sub-electrodes 2121, or gradually decreasing the voltage of a plurality of the second sub-electrodes 2221, or simultaneously gradually decreasing the voltage of a plurality of the first sub-electrodes 2121 and a plurality of the second sub-electrodes 2221, an increase in the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 can be achieved.

[0067] In this application, the essence of the dimming layer 200 is a liquid crystal cell. This application can also control the different haze degrees of different regions of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 by adjusting the cell gap of the liquid crystal cell, where the cell gap is the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230.

[0068] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 6, in the first direction X, the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 on the side away from the first light source 310 is greater than the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 on the side close to the first light source 310, where the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 refers to the thickness of the liquid crystal layer between the first substrate 210 and the second substrate 220. For example, the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 can be increased along the first direction X to increase the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 along the first direction. Because, generally, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 is directly proportional to the cell thickness (i.e., the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230). An increase in the cell thickness means that the light propagation path in the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 becomes longer. When light propagates between liquid crystal molecules, due to the certain disorder and non-uniformity in the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules, there are more liquid crystal molecules at positions with a larger cell thickness, and the chance of light encountering liquid crystal molecules and scattering is more. At the same time, at positions with a larger cell thickness, the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules is more likely to be non-uniform, and this non-uniformity will cause an increase in light scattering. Therefore, as the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 increases, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 increases, and precise control of the haze can be further improved by controlling the cell thickness.

[0069] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 6 , the light modulation layer 200 further includes a cell thickness control layer 240, and the cell thickness control layer 240 is located between the first electrode layer 212 and the polymer liquid crystal layer 230, or between the second electrode layer 222 and the polymer liquid crystal layer 230, or the cell thickness control layer 240 is provided both between the first electrode layer 212 and the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 and between the second electrode layer 222 and the polymer liquid crystal layer 230; wherein, the thickness of the cell thickness control layer 240 on the side away from the first light source 310 is less than the thickness of the cell thickness control layer 240 on the side close to the first light source 310. The cell thickness control layer 240 can be used to adjust the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230. By setting the cell thickness control layer 240 with different thicknesses in different regions of the light modulation layer 200, the thicknesses of different regions of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 can be made different. For example, the thickness of the cell thickness control layer 240 can be decreased along the first direction X to increase the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230, and further increase the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230.

[0070] Specifically, please refer to Figure 6 , the thickness of the cell thickness control layer 240 can be set to decrease in a gradient along the first direction X, such as in a stepped shape, but not limited thereto. The material of the cell thickness control layer 240 can be an inorganic material, such as SiN x or SiO x, the material of the cell thickness control layer 240 can also be an organic material, such as the planarization layer material or optical adhesive material commonly used in the display panel 100, but not limited thereto.

[0071] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 7 , for the display device 10 having an under-screen camera structure, the cell thickness control layer 240 may include a first sub-control layer 241 and a second sub-control layer 242. The first sub-control layer 241 is located in the first display area A1, and the second sub-control layer 242 is located in the second display area A2. The thickness of the second sub-control layer 242 is greater than the thickness of the adjacent first sub-control layer 241. The thickness of the second sub-control layer 242 being greater than the thickness of the adjacent first sub-control layer 241 can improve the transparency of the second display area A2, which is beneficial to the collection of ambient light when the camera is working.

[0072] Furthermore, along the first direction X, the thickness of the first sub-control layer 241 decreases, which can increase the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 along the first direction X in the first display area A1 to ensure the light output uniformity of the dimming layer 200.

[0073] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 8 , the display device 10 further includes a support layer 510, a reflective layer 520, and an optical film layer 530. Among them, the support layer 510 is located on the side of the dimming layer 200 away from the display panel 100 and is used to support the film layer structure above it. The support layer 510 is provided with an opening corresponding to the second display area A2, and the electronic component 400 is disposed in the opening; the reflective layer 520 is disposed between the support layer 510 and the dimming layer 200 and is used to reflect the light emitted by the dimming layer 200 to improve the light utilization rate; the optical film layer 530 is disposed between the dimming layer 200 and the display panel 100 and is used to improve the optical performance of the display device 10. Among them, the reflective layer 520 and the optical film layer 530 can each include one or more film layers, which are not limited in this application.

[0074] In some embodiments, to ensure the monitoring sensitivity in a dark environment, the electronic component 400 can be an infrared camera, and correspondingly, the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 can use a liquid crystal material with a high transmittance to infrared light. For example, the polymer liquid crystal layer 230 has a transmittance of greater than or equal to 90% for light with a wavelength of 850 nm to 940 nm.

[0075] Further, in the display device 10, other optical films located above the electronic component 400 may also adopt film materials with high transmittance to infrared light to further improve the detection sensitivity of the electronic component 400. For example, both the reflective film and the optical film layer 530 may adopt film materials with a transmittance of greater than or equal to 90% for light with a wavelength of 850 nm to 940 nm.

[0076] The present application provides a display device. The display device provided by the present application uses a dimming layer to replace the traditional light guide plate. The dimming layer includes a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other and a polymer liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate. The display device of the present application can switch between a first state and a second state. When the display device is in the first state, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer in the second display area is greater than the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer in the second display area when the display device is in the second state. Among them, the first state is the state when the electronic component is not turned on. At this time, making the polymer liquid crystal layer have a large haze in the second display area can cause light to be exported in the second display area to achieve display in the second display area. The second state is the state when the electronic component is turned on. At this time, making the polymer liquid crystal layer have a low haze in the second display area to improve the transparency of the second display area and achieve the function of an under-screen camera. The present application uses the haze adjustment of the polymer liquid crystal layer to achieve light guiding, and then realizes the full-screen display of the display device, without the need for a blind hole design for the backlight structure, nor the need for a special design for the pixel structure in the display panel area corresponding to the camera.

[0077] In the description of the present application, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0078] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of the respective embodiments have their own emphases. For parts not detailed in a certain embodiment, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0079] Among the embodiments, implementation manners and related technical features of the present application, they can be combined and replaced with each other without conflict.

[0080] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application, and do not impose any form of limitation on the present application. However, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present application without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present application still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present application.

Claims

1. A display device, characterized in that, Comprising: A display panel having a light-emitting surface; A dimming layer disposed on a side of the display panel away from the light-emitting surface, the dimming layer comprising a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other, and a polymer liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate; A first light source disposed on one side of the dimming layer; And An electronic component disposed on a side of the dimming layer away from the display panel; Wherein, the display device includes a first display area and a second display area, the first display area and the second display area are adjacent, and the electronic component is located in the second display area; The display device switches between a first state and a second state, and when the display device is in the first state, the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer in the second display area is greater than the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer in the second display area when the display device is in the second state.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The display device further includes a second light source disposed on one side of the dimming layer, a first direction is the direction in which the first light source faces the dimming layer, a second direction is the direction in which the second light source faces the dimming layer, and the first direction and the second direction intersect; When the display device is in the first state, the first light rays emitted by the first light source are at least in a scattered state in the first display area; the second light rays emitted by the second light source are in a transmitted state in the first display area and in a scattered state in the second display area; When the display device is in the second state, the first light rays are in a scattered state in the first display area and in a transmitted state in the second display area; the second light rays are in a transmitted state in the first display area and in a scattered state in the second display area.

3. The display device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The light-emitting range of the second light source is greater than the width of the second display area in the first direction.

4. The display device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first substrate includes a first substrate and a first electrode layer disposed on a side of the first substrate close to the polymer liquid crystal layer; The second substrate includes a second substrate and a second electrode layer disposed on a side of the second substrate close to the polymer liquid crystal layer; Wherein, the first electrode layer includes a plurality of first sub-electrodes arranged along the first direction, and / or the second electrode layer includes a plurality of second sub-electrodes arranged along the first direction.

5. The display device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first electrode layer further includes a third sub-electrode, and / or the second electrode layer further includes a fourth sub-electrode, wherein the first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode are located in the first display area, and the third sub-electrode and the fourth sub-electrode are located in the second display area.

6. The display device according to claim 4, wherein The haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer on a side away from the first light source is greater than the haze of the polymer liquid crystal layer on a side close to the first light source.

7. The display device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer on a side away from the first light source is greater than the thickness of the polymer liquid crystal layer on a side close to the first light source.

8. The display device according to claim 4, wherein The dimming layer further includes a cell thickness control layer, the cell thickness control layer is located between the first electrode layer and the polymer liquid crystal layer, and / or the cell thickness control layer is located between the second electrode layer and the polymer liquid crystal layer; Wherein, the thickness of the box thickness control layer on the side away from the first light source is less than the thickness of the box thickness control layer on the side close to the first light source.

9. The display device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The box thickness control layer includes a first sub-control layer and a second sub-control layer. The first sub-control layer is located in the first display area, and the second sub-control layer is located in the second display area. Wherein, the thickness of the second sub-control layer is greater than the thickness of the adjacent first sub-control layer.

10. The display device according to claim 9, characterized in that, Along the first direction, the thickness of the first sub-control layer decreases.

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