Liquid crystal panel, preparation method thereof and liquid crystal device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of display, and provides a liquid crystal panel, a preparation method of the liquid crystal panel and a liquid crystal device. The second substrate is arranged opposite to the first substrate; the liquid crystal layer is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the supporting structures are distributed between the first substrate and the second substrate; wherein each supporting structure comprises a first limiting column, a second limiting column and a spherical supporting object arranged between the first limiting column and the second limiting column, the first limiting column is arranged on the first substrate, and the second limiting column is arranged on the second substrate; wherein the spherical supporting object is in contact with the first limiting column and the second limiting column. According to the liquid crystal panel, the preparation method thereof and the liquid crystal device, the size of the spherical supporting object can be reduced, the distribution uniformity of the spherical supporting object can be improved, and therefore the visibility of a supporting structure in a 3D liquid crystal prism is reduced, and the display quality is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of display technology, and more particularly to a liquid crystal panel, a method for preparing the same, and a liquid crystal device. Background Art

[0002] 3D display technology achieves a stereoscopic visual effect through the synergy of a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a liquid crystal prism assembly. Its core structure is the liquid crystal cell, which requires internally filled spherical spacers (BS) to support the cell, maintain uniform cell thickness, and ensure display stability under external pressure. To achieve a certain focal length, a typical 3D liquid crystal prism requires a relatively large cell thickness (approximately 100 microns), far exceeding that of traditional display devices. This places special demands on the size and distribution of the support structure.

[0003] To accommodate the required greater thickness of the liquid crystal cell, existing technologies cannot directly form the spherical supports BS using photolithography. Instead, they are randomly distributed within the liquid crystal cell through physical spraying. While this method is simple, it is limited by the random nature of the spraying process, making it difficult to precisely control the uniformity of the spherical supports BS distribution. Furthermore, to meet the support strength requirements of the thick cell, spherical support BS particles with larger diameters are required to ensure structural stability. However, these large diameters make them visible to the naked eye at normal viewing distances, significantly reducing the screen's display quality.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an innovative design method for 3D liquid crystal prism support columns to solve the technical barriers of support columns in the existing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of the present application is to solve at least one of the problems existing in the prior art. More specifically, the present application aims to provide a liquid crystal panel, a preparation method thereof, and a liquid crystal device, which can at least reduce the volume of the support columns and improve their distribution uniformity, thereby reducing the visibility of the support columns in the 3D liquid crystal prism and improving the display quality.

[0006] In order to achieve the above technical objectives and effects, this application is implemented through the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a liquid crystal panel is provided, comprising:

[0008] a first substrate;

[0009] a second substrate, disposed opposite to the first substrate;

[0010] a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, and

[0011] a plurality of support structures distributed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

[0012] Each support structure includes a first limiting column, a second limiting column, and a spherical support disposed therebetween, wherein the first limiting column is disposed on the first substrate, and the second limiting column is disposed on the second substrate;

[0013] The spherical support is in contact with the first limiting pillar and the second limiting pillar.

[0014] Optionally, in a direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal panel, the height of the support structure is less than the sum of the diameter of the spherical support and the heights of the first limiting pillar and the second limiting pillar.

[0015] Optionally, the first limiting column includes at least three first protrusions, and the first protrusions have two upper and lower planes parallel to the direction of the first substrate, the first plane and the second plane, wherein the area of the first plane is smaller than the area of the second plane, and the spherical support is arranged between at least three first protrusions, and the side surface of the first protrusion on the circumferential side toward the center of the spherical support is tangent to the spherical support.

[0016] Optionally, the first limiting column includes at least three first bumps, wherein a distance between the second planes of a group of adjacent first bumps among the at least three first bumps facing the side of the spherical support is greater than a diameter of a cross section of the spherical support at the height of the first plane.

[0017] Optionally, in a direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal panel, a height of the first bump is smaller than a radius of the spherical support.

[0018] Optionally, the height of the first bump is 3 to 10 microns.

[0019] Optionally, the first protrusion includes a prism.

[0020] Optionally, the second limiting pillar includes at least one second bump, and the second bump is disposed away from the lower surface of the second substrate and in contact with at least the vertex of the spherical support.

[0021] Optionally, in a direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal panel, a height of the second bump is greater than a height of the first bump.

[0022] Optionally, the height of the second bump is greater than 10 microns.

[0023] Optionally, the second protrusion includes a hexagonal prism. Preferably, the lower surface of the hexagonal prism away from the second substrate has a recess that fits with the spherical support.

[0024] In a second aspect, a method for preparing a liquid crystal display panel is provided, comprising the following steps:

[0025] providing a first substrate and a second substrate;

[0026] Photoetching a first limiting pillar on one side surface of the first substrate, and photoetching a second limiting pillar on one side surface of the second substrate;

[0027] spraying spherical supports on the first substrate;

[0028] Move the spherical support into the first limiting column;

[0029] Aligning the second limiting pillar with the spherical support fixed on the first substrate via the first limiting pillar, and covering the first substrate with the second substrate;

[0030] Remove any loose ball supports.

[0031] Optionally, the step of photoetching a first limiting pillar on a surface of one side of the first substrate specifically includes:

[0032] At least three first bumps are photoetched on the surface of one side of the first substrate to form a first limiting column, and the distance between the lower planes of a group of adjacent first bumps among the at least three first bumps facing the side of the spherical support is greater than the diameter of the cross-section of the spherical support at the height of the upper plane of the first bumps; wherein the area between the adjacent first bumps serves as the entrance of the spherical support.

[0033] Optionally, the step of moving the spherical support into the first limiting column specifically includes:

[0034] The spherical support is moved through the entrance to between the at least three first protrusions.

[0035] Optionally, the step of moving the spherical support into the first limiting column specifically includes:

[0036] Move the spherical support into the first limit column by using a brush or an air knife.

[0037] In a third aspect, a liquid crystal device is provided, comprising the liquid crystal panel provided in the first aspect or a liquid crystal panel prepared by the method for preparing a liquid crystal panel provided in the second aspect.

[0038] Compared with the prior art, the liquid crystal panel and its manufacturing method and liquid crystal device provided in this application achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0039] The liquid crystal panel and liquid crystal device provided in the present application use a shorter first limiting column and a taller second limiting column to fix the spherical support (spherical support column) BS. The taller second limiting column reduces the particle size of the spherical support BS, further achieving the technical effect of reducing the visibility of the spherical support BS in the display screen, thereby improving the display quality of the display screen.

[0040] In the method for preparing a liquid crystal panel provided by the present application, the first limiting column and the second limiting column can be formed on the substrate by photolithography, so that the position of the support structure and the spherical support BS can be flexibly controlled, thereby making the distribution of the spherical support BS in the liquid crystal box more uniform, further improving the thickness uniformity and the press display effect of the liquid crystal box. In addition, the first limiting column is a directional limiting column. By enclosing a plurality of first protrusions in the first limiting column to form an entrance with a spherical support BS, the spherical support BS can be moved from the entrance to the first limiting column. At the same time, at least one first protrusion blocks the spherical support from passing through, thereby accommodating and fixing the position of the spherical support BS, and making the distribution of the spherical support BS uniform in the liquid crystal box. In addition, the process for preparing the support structure of the method for preparing a liquid crystal panel provided by the present application is simpler. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following describes the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort.

[0042] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid crystal panel in the prior art provided by this application;

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid crystal panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a first bump in a first limiting column in a liquid crystal panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 4 This is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a second bump in a second limiting column in a liquid crystal panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 5 This is a schematic top view of the structure of the first limiting pillar and the spherical support in the liquid crystal panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 6 This is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of another second limiting column in a liquid crystal panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a process flow for preparing a support structure in a liquid crystal panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 8This is a schematic flow chart of a method for preparing a support structure in a liquid crystal panel provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0050] Markings in the figure:

[0051] 100: first substrate, 200: second substrate;

[0052] 300: liquid crystal layer;

[0053] 400: Support structure, 410: First limiting column, 411: First protrusion, 420: Second limiting column, 421: Second protrusion, 4211: Recess, 430: Spherical support. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] By referring to the detailed description and drawings of the following embodiments, the features of the inventive concept and its implementation method can be more easily understood. However, the inventive concept can be embodied in many different forms and should not be considered to be limited to the embodiments presented herein. Hereinafter, example embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout the accompanying drawings. However, the present application can be embodied in various different forms and should not be considered to be limited to the embodiments shown herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided as examples so that this application will be sufficient and complete and will fully convey the objects and features of the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, for those of ordinary skill in the art, processes, elements and techniques that are not necessary for a complete understanding of the objects and features of the present invention may not be described. Unless otherwise stated, the same reference numerals represent the same elements throughout the drawings and written description, and therefore their descriptions will not be repeated. In the drawings, the relative sizes of materials, elements, layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0055] It will be understood that although the terms "first," "second," etc. may be used herein to describe various structures, elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections, these structures, elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms.

[0056] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific data used in this application shall have the ordinary meanings understood by persons having ordinary skills in the technical field to which this application belongs. In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "relative to", "between", "parallel", "perpendicular", "first plane", "second plane", "upper and lower planes", "between", "both sides", "upper", "lower", "first direction", "second direction" and the like indicating orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or require that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting this application.

[0057] It will be understood that when a layer or element is referred to as being “on,” “under,” “disposed on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another layer or layer, it can be directly on, directly connected to, or directly coupled to the other element or layer, or one or more intervening elements or layers may also be present. Additionally, it will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “between” two elements or layers, it can be the only element or layer between the two elements or layers, or one or more intervening elements or layers may also be present.

[0058] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless expressly indicated otherwise. It will be further understood that, when used in this specification, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0059]

[0014] "Value" and the terms "about," "slightly greater than," "substantially," "consistent with," and similar terms herein are used as terms of approximation, rather than as terms of degree, and are intended to account for the inherent tolerances in measured or calculated values recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0060] In existing technologies, 2D or 3D switchable display modules are typically implemented using liquid crystal prisms. To achieve a certain focal length, the cell thickness of the liquid crystal prism must be relatively large. Therefore, to maintain uniform cell thickness and ensure a press-to-display effect, spherical support columns (BS) are placed within the liquid crystal cell. Since the spherical support columns can only be placed by spraying, their distribution is highly random, resulting in an uneven distribution within the liquid crystal cell. Furthermore, to support the larger cell thickness, spherical support columns with larger diameters are required, making them visible to the naked eye on the display screen, further impacting display quality.

[0061] To this end, the present application provides a new support column design method to reduce the volume or size of the support column and improve its distribution uniformity, thereby reducing the visibility of the support column in the 3D liquid crystal prism and improving the display quality. Specifically, the support column of the present application is composed of an upper limit column, a lower limit column and a spherical support. Through the arrangement of multiple prisms in the lower limit column, the lower limit column has a directional opening to accommodate the fixed spherical support; at the same time, the height of the support structure is composed of the diameter of the spherical support and the height of the upper limit column. The present application reduces the diameter of the spherical support by selecting a higher upper limit column. In addition, the present application also provides a preparation method for the support structure. Specifically, the upper limit column and the lower limit column are pre-formed by photolithography on two glass substrates, and the spherical support is sprayed on the glass substrate where the lower limit column is located. The spherical support column can be accurately positioned on the lower limit column by a brush or a wind knife. Finally, after the upper and lower glass substrates are aligned and covered, the excess spherical support is removed to obtain the support structure. The technical solution of the present application has a simple preparation process, a more even distribution of the support structure, a reduced size of the spherical supports, and improved thickness uniformity and press-to-display effect of the liquid crystal box.

[0062] In order to make the technical problems solved by this application, the technical solutions adopted and the technical effects achieved clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments.

[0063] To this end, one embodiment of the present application provides a liquid crystal panel, including:

[0064] a first substrate 100;

[0065] The second substrate 200 is arranged opposite to the first substrate 100;

[0066] The liquid crystal layer 300 is provided between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200, and

[0067] A plurality of support structures 400 are distributed between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200;

[0068] Each support structure 400 includes a first limiting column 410, a second limiting column 420, and a spherical support 430 disposed therebetween. The first limiting column 410 is disposed on the first substrate 100, and the second limiting column 420 is disposed on the second substrate 200.

[0069] The spherical support 430 is in contact with the first limiting pillar 410 and the second limiting pillar 420 .

[0070] In an optional embodiment, in a direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal panel, the height of the support structure 400 is less than the sum of the diameter of the spherical support 430 and the heights of the first limiting pillar 410 and the second limiting pillar 420 .

[0071] In an optional embodiment, the first limiting column 410 includes at least three first protrusions 411, and the first protrusions 411 have two upper and lower planes parallel to the first substrate 100, the first plane and the second plane, wherein the area of the first plane is smaller than the area of the second plane, and the spherical support 430 is arranged between at least three first protrusions 411, and the side surface of the first protrusion 411 on the circumferential side toward the center of the spherical support 430 is tangent to the spherical support 430.

[0072] In an optional embodiment, the first limiting column 410 includes at least three first protrusions 411, wherein the distance between the second planes of a group of adjacent first protrusions 411 among the at least three first protrusions 411 toward the side of the spherical support 430 is greater than the diameter of the cross-section of the spherical support 430 at the height of the first plane.

[0073] In an optional embodiment, in a direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal panel, the height of the first bump 411 is smaller than the radius of the spherical support 430 .

[0074] In an optional embodiment, the height of the first bump 411 is 3 to 10 micrometers.

[0075] In an optional embodiment, the first protrusion 411 includes a prism.

[0076] In an optional embodiment, the second limiting pillar 420 includes at least one second protrusion 421 , and the second protrusion 421 is disposed away from the lower surface of the second substrate 200 and in contact with at least the vertex of the spherical support 430 .

[0077] In an optional embodiment, in a direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal panel, the height of the second bump 421 is greater than the height of the first bump 411 .

[0078] In an optional embodiment, the height of the second bump 421 is greater than 10 micrometers.

[0079] In an optional embodiment, the second protrusion 421 includes a hexagonal prism. It is understood that the hexagonal prism includes a prism with a hexagonal longitudinal cross-section.

[0080] In an optional embodiment, the lower surface of the hexagonal prism away from the second substrate 200 has a recess 4211 that fits with the spherical support 430 .

[0081] Another embodiment of the present application provides a method for preparing a liquid crystal display panel, comprising the following steps:

[0082] Providing a first substrate 100 and a second substrate 200;

[0083] Photoetching a first limiting pillar 410 on one side of the first substrate 100 and photoetching a second limiting pillar 420 on one side of the second substrate 200;

[0084] Spraying spherical supports 430 on the first substrate 100;

[0085] Move the spherical support 430 into the first limiting column 420;

[0086] Align the second limiting pillar 420 with the spherical support 430 fixed on the first substrate 100 by the first limiting pillar 410, and cover the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200;

[0087] The unfixed spherical supports 430 are removed.

[0088] In an optional embodiment, the step of photoetching the first limiting pillars 410 on one side surface of the first substrate 100 specifically includes:

[0089] At least three first bumps 411 are photoetched on one side surface of the first substrate 100 to form a first limiting pillar 410. The distance between the lower planes of a group of adjacent first bumps 411 facing the side of the spherical support 430 is greater than the diameter of the cross section of the spherical support 430 at the height of the upper plane of the first bumps 411.

[0090] The area between the adjacent first bumps 411 serves as an entrance of the spherical support 430 .

[0091] In an optional embodiment, the step of moving the spherical support 430 into the first limiting column 410 specifically includes:

[0092] The spherical support 430 is moved through the entrance to between at least three first protrusions 411 .

[0093] In an optional embodiment, the step of moving the spherical support 430 into the first limiting column 410 specifically includes:

[0094] The spherical support 430 is moved into the first limiting column 410 by a brush or an air knife.

[0095] Another embodiment of the present application provides a liquid crystal device, including the liquid crystal panel provided by the above embodiment or a liquid crystal panel prepared by the method for preparing the liquid crystal panel provided by the above embodiment.

[0096] The technical solutions and technical effects of the present application will be described below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0097] It should be noted that if Figure 1 As shown, the first direction is the vertical direction, that is, the direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal panel; the second direction is the direction perpendicular to the first direction on the same horizontal plane, that is, the horizontal direction, that is, the direction parallel to the liquid crystal panel.

[0098] An embodiment of the present application provides a liquid crystal panel. Figure 2 As shown in FIG, a schematic diagram of the structure of the liquid crystal panel is shown. Figure 2 The liquid crystal panel includes a first substrate 100, a second substrate 200, a liquid crystal layer 300 and a support structure 400, wherein the support structure 400 includes a first limiting column 410, a second limiting column 420 and a spherical support 430 arranged therebetween.

[0099] In the first direction, the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200 are arranged opposite to each other, and the first substrate 100 is arranged on the lower side of the second substrate 200. The liquid crystal layer 300 is arranged between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200, and the liquid crystal is dispersed in the liquid crystal layer 300. The support structure 400 is distributed between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200, wherein in the first direction, the height of the support structure 400 is less than the sum of the diameter of the spherical support 430 and the height of the first limiting column 410 and the second limiting column 420, and the spherical support 430 is fixed between the first limiting column 410 and the second limiting column 420. In this embodiment, as Figure 2 As shown, the height of the support structure 400 is equal to the sum of the heights of the second limiting pillars 420 and the spherical supports 430. It is understood that the height of the support structure 400 can be equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 300 to support the thickness of the liquid crystal layer and achieve a press-to-display effect. The thickness of the liquid crystal layer 300 is the height between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200 along the first direction, i.e., the thickness of the liquid crystal cell.

[0100] refer to Figure 3 , shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the first limiting column 410 in the support structure 400 in this embodiment along the first direction; Figure 4 , shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the second limiting column 420 in the support structure 400 in this embodiment along the first direction. Figures 2 to 4 In the first direction, the first limiting column 410 is arranged on the side of the first substrate 100 facing the second substrate 200, and the second limiting column 420 is arranged on the side of the second substrate 200 facing the first substrate 100. The spherical support 430 is arranged between the first limiting column 410 and the second limiting column 420. It can be understood that in the first direction, the upper vertex of the spherical support 430 close to the second substrate 200 is in contact with the lower surface of the second limiting column 420 away from the second substrate 200, and the lower vertex of the spherical support 430 away from the second substrate 200 is in contact with the upper surface of the first substrate 410, and the spherical support 430 is fixed by the first substrate 100 and the second limiting column 420. Further, referring to Figure 5 , the first limiting column 410 in the support structure 400 includes three first protrusions 411, and the three first protrusions 411 are distributed in a triangular shape to form the first limiting column 410. Among them, the first protrusion 411 has two upper and lower planes in the direction parallel to the first substrate 100, that is, in the second direction, the first plane and the second plane, wherein the area of the first plane is smaller than the area of the second plane, that is, the area of the upper surface of the first protrusion 411 is larger than the area of the lower surface. It can be understood that the first protrusion 411 is in the shape of a prism. The spherical support 430 is arranged between the three first protrusions 411, and the side surface of the first protrusion 411 facing the circumferential side of the spherical support 430 in the direction of the center of the spherical support 430 is tangent to the spherical support 430. Among them, the distance between the side edges of the lower surface of a group of adjacent first protrusions 411 facing the spherical support 430 is greater than the diameter of the cross section of the spherical support 430 at the height of the upper surface of the first protrusion 411, that is, as Figure 5 As shown, the distance L between the two adjacent first bumps 411 below is greater than the diameter D of the spherical support 430 at the height corresponding to the upper surface of the first bump 411, so that the spherical support 430 can pass between the adjacent first bumps 411. At the same time, at least one of the three first bumps 411 is used to block the spherical support 430, that is, Figure 5The first protrusion 411 is located in the upper middle portion. It should be noted that one group of adjacent first protrusions 411 allows the spherical support 430 to pass through, while the other first protrusions 411 block the spherical support 430. This arrangement and spacing ensures that the spherical support 430 can only pass through the entrance between the two lower adjacent first protrusions 411, and cannot pass through the openings between the two lower adjacent first protrusions 411 and the upper first protrusion 411. This ensures that the spherical support 430 is fixed between the three first protrusions 411. It is understood that the distance between two adjacent first protrusions 411 below can also be set to be equal to the diameter at the height corresponding to the upper surface of the first protrusion 411 (not shown in the figure), so that the spherical support 430 contacts the inner side edges of the lower surfaces of the three first protrusions 411. In this case, the spherical support 430 can also be fixed between the three first protrusions 411. In other words, those skilled in the art can adjust this spacing as needed, as long as the first limiting column 410 can accommodate and fix the spherical support. The specific implementation is not repeated here. It should be noted that the function of the first protrusion 411 is to form a first limiting column 410 with a directional opening and to fix the position of the spherical support 430. Therefore, the shape of the first protrusion 411 does not limit the invention of this application. The shape of the first protrusion 411 provided in this embodiment is a prism. Those skilled in the art can select the shape of the first protrusion 411 according to actual needs, such as a triangular prism, a right prism, etc., as long as the technical effect of this application can be achieved. The specific implementation is not repeated here. At the same time, in order to make the first protrusion 411 better able to block the spherical support 430, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, the height h of the first bump 411 can be selected to be 3 to 10 microns.

[0101] Combined with reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 The second limiting column 420 includes a second protrusion 421. The second protrusion 421 is a hexagonal prism. It can be understood that the longitudinal cross-section of the hexagonal prism is hexagonal, and it can be regarded as consisting of a prism and an inverted prism stacked together, wherein the height of the prism is less than the height of the inverted prism. In the first direction, the second limiting column 420 is set at the position corresponding to the center of the spherical support 430 on the second substrate 200, that is, the lower surface of the second limiting column 420 is in contact with at least the upper vertex of the spherical support 430, so as to fix the spherical support 430. Figure 4As shown, in the first direction, the height H of the second limiting pillars 420 is relatively high, generally greater than 10 microns. In this embodiment, the height of the support structure 400 is equal to the sum of the height H of the second limiting pillars 420 and the diameter of the spherical support 430. It will be understood that the size of the spherical support 430 can be controlled by setting the second limiting pillars 420 and the height of the second limiting pillars 420. In other words, a higher height of the second limiting pillars 420 can reduce the diameter of the spherical support 430, further reducing the volume of the spherical support 430.

[0102] The support structure 400 provided in this embodiment enables the spherical support 430 to be fixed in the support structure 400, and the spherical support 430 is smaller in size and more evenly distributed in the liquid crystal panel, thereby improving the visibility of the spherical support 430 in the liquid crystal display panel and enhancing the display quality.

[0103] In an optional embodiment, the number of first protrusions 411 in the first limiting pillar 410 may include four, five, etc., that is, the first protrusions 411 in each first limiting pillar 410 may be arranged in a quadrilateral or pentagon on the first substrate 100. It should be noted that each first limiting pillar 410 including multiple first protrusions 411 has an entrance to the spherical support 430 that is located at a distance greater than the cross-sectional diameter of the spherical support 430 at a height position on the upper surface of the first protrusion 410, and the distance between the openings of the other first protrusions 411 is less than the distance to the entrance of the spherical support 430, so that the spherical support 430 cannot pass through the openings between the other first protrusions 411. It is understood that each first limiting pillar 410 has an entrance facing the same direction, that is, the arrangement of the multiple first protrusions 411 in the first limiting pillar 410 is directional, and the multiple first protrusions 411 are arranged on the first substrate 100 in a "zone-shaped," "ring-shaped," "semi-circular," or "dustpan-shaped" arrangement. The position of the spherical support 430 in the support structure 400 is controlled by the arrangement of the first protrusions 411 in the first limiting pillar 410, that is, the spacing between the first protrusions 411. It is understood that those skilled in the art may also use other arrangements to set the positions of the first protrusions 411 or adjust them as needed, as long as the first limiting pillar 410 is configured to have an entrance through which the spherical support 430 can enter and does not pass through other openings in the first limiting pillar 410 in the second direction. The specific implementation is not described in detail in this application.

[0104] In an optional embodiment, along the first direction, the lower surface of the second protrusion 421 in the second limiting column 420 is non-planar, so that the second limiting column 420 and the upper surface of the spherical support 430 are more stably fitted, and the spherical support 430 is more stably fixed in the support structure. Figure 6As shown, the second protrusion 421 is a hexagonal prism with an upwardly facing recess 4211 on its lower surface. This recess 4211 mates with the upper surface of the spherical support 430. It is understood that other similar structures can be used in the art, as long as they can stably secure the second limiting post 420 to the spherical support 430. Furthermore, the number of second protrusions 421 can be set as needed, and the specific implementation will not be detailed here.

[0105] The technical effect of the technical solution of this application will become more obvious when combined with the existing technology. Figure 1 , shows a schematic structural diagram of a liquid crystal panel in the prior art, wherein the liquid crystal panel in the prior art includes a first substrate 100 and a second substrate 200 arranged relative to each other along a first direction, a liquid crystal layer 300 and a support structure 400 arranged between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200 and including liquid crystals, wherein the support structure 400 is a spherical support structure 430 arranged on the side of the first substrate 100 facing the second substrate 200 along the first direction. Figure 1 It can be seen that in this liquid crystal panel, in order for the spherical support 430 to support the liquid crystal box, maintain the uniformity of the thickness of the liquid crystal box and the display effect when pressed, the distance between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200, that is, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 300 along the first direction is basically consistent with the diameter of the spherical support 430, so as to achieve the effect of supporting the liquid crystal box.

[0106] It can be seen from the liquid crystal panel provided by the present application and the liquid crystal panel provided by the prior art that the height of the support structure 400 provided by this embodiment (the sum of the height of the second limiting column 420 and the diameter of the spherical support 430) is smaller than the height of the prior art using only spherical support columns as the support structure under the same conditions. Therefore, the overall volume of the support structure provided by the present application is also smaller than the volume of directly using spherical support columns. Therefore, the present application further reduces the visibility of the support columns and improves the display effect.

[0107] It should be noted that those skilled in the art will understand that, in order not to obscure the key points of this application, a brief description of the well-known structure of a liquid crystal display panel is provided, and this does not constitute a limitation of this application. In addition to the described structure, a liquid crystal display panel and a liquid crystal display device may also include other well-known structures, which will not be detailed herein.

[0108] The technical effects of the present application will become more apparent when the preparation method and manufacturing process of the liquid crystal panel provided in the present application are combined with the manufacturing process of the support column in the prior art.

[0109] In one embodiment, a method for preparing a liquid crystal panel is provided, such as Figure 7 、 Figure 8As shown, the specific preparation method and process flow are as follows:

[0110] S1, providing a first substrate 100 and a second substrate 200. The first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200 can be glass substrates.

[0111] S2. Preliminarily, first protrusions 411 are formed in the first limiting pillars 410 of the support structure 400 on the provided first substrate 100 by photolithography. The number of first protrusions 411 in the first limiting pillars 410 is selected as required. The arrangement and distance between the multiple first protrusions 411 are determined based on the height of the first protrusions 411 and the size of the spherical support 430. It is understood that the photolithography steps may include coating, exposure, and development. The shape of the first protrusions 411 can be photolithographically formed into a pyramid, triangular prism, right prism, or the like as described in the above-mentioned embodiments. It is understood that because the first limiting pillars 410 are formed by photolithography, their position can be flexibly selected and fixed on the glass substrate. The aperture enclosed by the photolithographically formed first protrusions 411 can stably accommodate the spherical support 430. All first limiting pillars 410 have an entrance for the spherical support 430 facing the same direction.

[0112] S2. Preliminarily, a second projection 421 is formed on the second limiting pillar 420 of the support structure 400 by photolithography on the provided second substrate 200. The second limiting pillar 420 comprises a single second projection 421. The height of the second limiting pillar 420 is selected as required, and the shape of the second limiting pillar 420 can be photolithographically formed into a prism with a hexagonal longitudinal cross-section, as in the above-mentioned embodiment. Because the second limiting pillar 420 is also formed by photolithography, its position can be flexibly selected and fixed on the glass substrate. The second limiting pillar 420 is photolithographically formed at the location on the second substrate 200 where the spherical support 430 is to be fixed.

[0113] S3, spraying or spreading spherical supports 430 on the first substrate 100 having the first limiting pillars 410 photoetched in step S2. It is understood that the spherical supports 430 can be made of supporting material particles. The spherical supports 430 are randomly distributed on the first substrate 100.

[0114] S4: The spherical support 430 is moved from the entrance of the first limiting column 410 into the first limiting column 410 using a brush or an air knife. It is understood that after the spherical support 430 enters the first limiting column 410, it is blocked by the other first protrusions 411 other than the two first protrusions 411 at the entrance of the first limiting column 410. The spherical support 430 is accommodated and fixed in the first limiting column 410 and does not pass through the first limiting column 410.

[0115] S5, align the second substrate 200 with the second limiting pillars 420 and the spherical support 430 fixed by the first limiting pillars 410 in S4, and then cover the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200. It can be understood that the second limiting pillars 420 further fix the position of the spherical support 430.

[0116] S6, remove the spherical supports 430 that are not fixed by the first limiting pillars 410 and the second limiting pillars 420. Finally, remove the redundant spherical supports BS by flushing.

[0117] It should be noted that those skilled in the art will understand that, in order not to obscure the key points of this application, a brief description of the process for manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel will be provided, and this does not constitute a limitation of this application. In addition to the steps described, the process flow for manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel and a liquid crystal display device may also include other well-known steps, which will not be detailed herein.

[0118] The first limiting column 410 and the second limiting column 420 of the support structure 400 formed by the photolithography of the present application allow the position of the spherical support 430 to be flexibly controlled, that is, the spherical support 430 is fixed by the first limiting column 410 and the second limiting column 420, and the excess spherical support 430 can be removed, so that the spherical support 430 can be distributed more evenly in the liquid crystal display panel, thereby improving the uniformity of the thickness of the liquid crystal box and the press display effect.

[0119] In the prior art, the thickness of the liquid crystal box in a 3D liquid crystal prism is relatively large (approximately 100 μm). Therefore, it is impossible to directly form the spherical support columns BS using photolithography. Therefore, the spherical support columns BS can only be formed in the liquid crystal box by direct spraying. However, this direct spraying method to form the spherical support columns BS results in a relatively random spraying of the spherical support columns BS in the liquid crystal box, resulting in an uneven distribution of the spherical support columns BS in the liquid crystal box, which further leads to poor thickness uniformity of the liquid crystal box. In addition, in order to support the larger thickness of the liquid crystal box, spherical support columns BS with larger diameters must be selected. The uneven distribution of the spherical support columns BS in the 3D liquid crystal prism and the large size of the spherical support columns BS will make the spherical support columns BS visible on the screen, affecting the display effect. Compared with the existing technology, the technical solution of the present application can avoid the uneven distribution of the spherical support columns BS caused by the randomness of the spraying method, and further avoid causing insufficient or excessive local support density, resulting in inconsistent pressure response in the display area, affecting the 3D display effect; at the same time, the technical solution of the present application meets the demand for support effect when the thickness of the liquid crystal box in the 3D liquid crystal prism is large, while reducing the particle size of the spherical support columns BS, avoiding the visibility of the spherical support columns BS on the screen.

[0120] According to the technical solution of the present application, the height of the second limiting pillars 420 of the support structure 400 formed by photolithography is relatively high, further reducing the impact of the spherical supports 430 on light output. When the LCD panel is operating, the spherical supports 430 are not visible on the screen, thereby reducing the impact of the spherical supports BS on light output and improving the display effect.

[0121] A specific embodiment of the present application further provides a liquid crystal device comprising the liquid crystal panel provided in the above embodiment. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in addition to the liquid crystal panel described above, the liquid crystal device may also include other known structures. To avoid obscuring the focus of this application, these known structures will not be further described.

[0122] The liquid crystal device provided in this embodiment can be any display device with input and output interfaces, such as a mobile phone, a television, a tablet computer, a car display, an LTPS liquid crystal car display, an industrial control display, etc. This application does not limit this, and the specific configuration can be determined according to the circumstances.

[0123] The liquid crystal panel and liquid crystal device provided herein utilize photolithographically formed upper and lower limit posts for the support structure, along with spray-formed spherical supports (BS) for supporting the liquid crystal cell. Compared to existing technologies, this reduces the volume of the support posts, thereby reducing their visibility within the 3D liquid crystal prism. The position of the limit posts can be adjusted as needed, making the position of the spherical supports (BS) controllable, further improving the uniformity of the support structure and enhancing display quality. Furthermore, the spherical supports (BS) can be formed by direct spraying, and since the position of the photolithographically formed base is controllable and fixed, excess spherical supports (BS) can be flushed away. Consequently, the manufacturing process of the support structure provided herein is simplified.

[0124] It should be understood that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art may make improvements, modifications, readjustments, and substitutions based on the above description without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and may include other equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal panel, characterized in that: include: a first substrate (100); a second substrate (200), arranged opposite to the first substrate (100); a liquid crystal layer (300) disposed between the first substrate (100) and the second substrate (200), and A plurality of support structures (400) distributed between the first substrate (100) and the second substrate (200); Each of the support structures (400) comprises a first limiting column (410), a second limiting column (420), and a spherical support (430) disposed therebetween, wherein the first limiting column (410) is disposed on the first substrate (100), and the second limiting column (420) is disposed on the second substrate (200); Wherein, the spherical support (430) is in contact with the first limiting column (410) and the second limiting column (420).

2. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 1, wherein In a direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal panel, the height of the support structure (400) is less than the sum of the diameter of the spherical support (430) and the heights of the first limiting pillar (410) and the second limiting pillar (420).

3. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 2, wherein: The first limiting column (410) comprises at least three first protrusions (411), wherein the first protrusions (411) have two upper and lower planes in a direction parallel to the first substrate (100), namely, a first plane and a second plane, wherein the area of the first plane is smaller than the area of the second plane, and the spherical support (430) is arranged between at least three of the first protrusions (411), and the side surfaces of at least three of the first protrusions (411) on the circumferential side in the direction of the center of the spherical support (430) are tangent to the spherical support (430).

4. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 2, wherein: The first limiting column (410) comprises at least three first protrusions (411), wherein a distance between the second planes of a group of adjacent first protrusions (411) among the at least three first protrusions (411) facing the side of the spherical support (430) is greater than the diameter of the cross section of the spherical support (430) at the height of the first plane.

5. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: In a direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal panel, the height of the first convex block (411) is smaller than the radius of the spherical support (430).

6. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 5, wherein: The height of the first bump (411) is 3 to 10 micrometers.

7. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The first protrusion (411) comprises a prism.

8. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 2, wherein: The second limiting column (420) comprises at least one second convex block (421), and the second convex block (421) is arranged away from the lower surface of the second substrate (200) and in contact with at least the vertex of the spherical support (430).

9. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 8, wherein: In a direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal panel, the height of the second convex block (421) is greater than the height of the first convex block (411).

10. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 9, wherein: The height of the second bump (421) is greater than 10 microns.

11. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 8, wherein The second projection (421) comprises a hexagonal prism.

12. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 11, wherein: The lower surface of the hexagonal prism away from the second substrate (200) has a recess (4211) that fits with the spherical support (430).

13. A method for preparing a liquid crystal display panel, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Providing a first substrate (100) and a second substrate (200); Photoetching a first limiting pillar (410) on one side surface of the first substrate (100), and photoetching a second limiting pillar (420) on one side surface of the second substrate (200); Spraying spherical supports (430) on the first substrate (100); Moving the spherical support (430) into the first limiting column (410); Aligning the second limiting pillar (420) with the spherical support (430) fixed on the first substrate (100) via the first limiting pillar (410), and covering the first substrate (100) and the second substrate (200); The unsecured spherical supports (430) are removed.

14. The preparation method according to claim 13, characterized in that The step of photoetching a first limiting pillar (410) on a surface of one side of the first substrate (100) specifically comprises: At least three first bumps (411) are photoetched on a surface of one side of the first substrate (100) to form a first limiting column (410), wherein the distance between the lower planes of a group of adjacent first bumps (411) among the at least three first bumps (411) facing the side of the spherical support (430) is greater than the diameter of the cross section of the spherical support (430) at the height of the upper plane of the first bump (411); The area between the adjacent first bumps (411) serves as the entrance of the spherical support (430).

15. The preparation method according to claim 14, characterized in that The step of moving the spherical support (430) into the first limiting column (410) specifically includes: The spherical support (430) is moved through the inlet to between the at least three first protrusions (411).

16. The preparation method according to claim 13, characterized in that The step of moving the spherical support (430) into the first limiting column (410) specifically includes: The spherical support (430) is moved into the first limiting column (410) by a brush or an air knife.

17. A liquid crystal device, characterized in that: include: The liquid crystal panel according to any one of claims 1 to 12, or a liquid crystal panel prepared by the preparation method according to any one of claims 13 to 16.

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