A liquid crystal display panel, a display device and a driving method

Abstract

This application relates to a liquid crystal display panel, a display device, and a driving method. The liquid crystal display panel includes: a pixel array comprising multiple pixel units, wherein pixel units of the same color are arranged along a row direction to form a monochrome pixel row; multiple data signal lines extending along the row direction and connected to the corresponding monochrome pixel row; multiple scan signal units, each scan signal unit including at least one scan signal line extending along a column direction; and at least one MUX circuit comprising multiple drive switches connected to the corresponding scan signal lines. This application can reduce the number of output channels of the driver IC, reduce the requirements for the driver IC design capability, and optimize the layout to reduce the area occupied by the bezel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of display technology, and more specifically, to a liquid crystal display panel, a display device, and a driving method. Background Technology

[0002] To meet the requirements of high resolution, narrow bezels, and curved designs, large-size elongated screens in automotive applications often employ source-side multiplexer (MUX) technology to reduce the number of channels in the driver IC. Currently, driver ICs support up to 6 MUXs, reducing channel requirements to 1 / 6 of conventional designs. However, in existing solutions, data signal lines (Source lines) extend along the column direction, and scan signal lines (Gate lines) extend along the row direction. The MUX switches are located on the data signal line side, resulting in a large number of TFT (Thin Film Transistor) devices concentrated in the fan-out area. This occupies bottom space, causing excessively wide bezels. Furthermore, a large number of MUXs can lead to complex timing of the driver IC and high electromagnetic compatibility requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a liquid crystal display panel, display device and driving method that can reduce the number of output channels of the driver IC, reduce the requirements for the design capability of the driver IC, and optimize the layout to reduce the area occupied by the bezel.

[0004] A liquid crystal display panel, comprising: A pixel array comprising multiple pixel units, wherein the pixel units of the same color are arranged along the row direction to form a monochrome pixel row; Multiple data signal lines extend along the row direction and are connected to the corresponding monochrome pixel rows; Multiple scan signal units, each scan signal unit including at least one scan signal line, the scan signal line extending along the column direction; At least one MUX circuit includes multiple drive switches connected to corresponding scan signal lines.

[0005] In the above technical solution, by arranging pixel units of the same color in the pixel array along the row direction to form a monochrome pixel row, the color of each row of pixels is consistent. This ensures that when the display panel is applied to a curved screen, the color resist color in adjacent areas is the same, avoiding the color uniformity and contrast reduction caused by color mixing. Simultaneously, by extending the data signal line (Source driver) along the row direction and the scan signal line (Gate driver) along the column direction, the direction of the data signal line and scan signal line in the traditional driving architecture is changed. Based on this, using the drive switch in the MUX circuit connected to the scan signal line, time-division control of the signal can be achieved on the scanning side. Since the pixels are arranged monochrome in the row direction, combined with the scan signal line along the column direction, only two MUX circuits (MUX2) are needed to achieve the driving channel effect of the traditional MUX6, thus significantly reducing the demand for driver IC output channel resources. At the same time, the number of TFT devices corresponding to the MUX circuit is reduced, significantly reducing the space occupied by the bottom bezel of the glass, which is beneficial for achieving a narrow bezel design. Furthermore, fewer MUX circuits mean a lower signal switching frequency, reduced timing design complexity of the driver IC, reduced internal resource usage, and correspondingly lower requirements for EMC performance.

[0006] Furthermore, the pixel unit includes a first color sub-pixel, a second color sub-pixel, and a third color sub-pixel; The first color sub-pixels are arranged along the row direction to form a first monochrome pixel row, the second color sub-pixels are arranged along the row direction to form a second monochrome pixel row, and the third color sub-pixels are arranged along the row direction to form a third monochrome pixel row.

[0007] In the above technical solution, by arranging the first color sub-pixel, the second color sub-pixel, and the third color sub-pixel along the row direction to form independent monochrome pixel rows, when the panel is applied to a curved surface, even if light leakage occurs, the color resist color of adjacent pixel units is the same, which will not cause color mixing or color deviation, thereby effectively improving the color uniformity and contrast performance under pure color images and enhancing the adaptability to curved surface designs.

[0008] Furthermore, the first monochrome pixel row, the second monochrome pixel row, and the third monochrome pixel row are arranged cyclically along the column direction.

[0009] The above technical solution can construct a complete color display structure along the column direction while maintaining the solid color of each row (e.g., one row of red, one row of green, one row of blue, and then repeating). Since the scan signal lines extend along the column direction and the MUX circuit is connected to the scan signal lines, when the scan signal lines sequentially address each monochrome pixel row, the entire row of pixels written at each moment has the same color. The driver IC only needs to output the corresponding voltage according to a fixed color order, without the need for complex color data switching within the row. This reduces the driving frequency and timing control difficulty of the data signal lines while retaining full-color display capabilities.

[0010] Furthermore, the scan signal line extends between two adjacent pixel columns, and the scan signal line is connected to the odd-numbered row pixel units of one pixel column and to the even-numbered row pixel units of the other pixel column.

[0011] In the above technical solution, by extending the scan signal line between two adjacent pixel columns and connecting it to the odd and even rows of pixel units in different pixel columns, efficient distribution and interleaving control of the scan signal are achieved. Combined with the MUX circuit, the number of required scan signal lines can be further reduced, the driving complexity can be reduced, and the bezel size can be reduced, thereby improving the panel integration.

[0012] Furthermore, the scanning signal unit includes two scanning signal lines, namely a first scanning signal line and a second scanning signal line, and the first scanning signal line and the second scanning line of each scanning signal unit are separated by at least one pixel column.

[0013] In the above technical solution, by setting up a scanning signal unit containing two scanning signal lines and spacing the two scanning signal lines by at least one pixel column, the spatial layout of the scanning control signals can be effectively dispersed, reducing coupling interference between signal lines. At the same time, it provides a structural basis for the flexible configuration of the MUX circuit, thereby reducing the occupation of driver IC channel resources while ensuring driving capability.

[0014] Furthermore, the number of pixel columns spaced between the first scan signal line and the second scan line of each of the aforementioned scan signal units is the same.

[0015] In the above technical solution, by spacing the two scan signal lines of each scan signal unit with the same number of pixel columns, the scan signal is uniformly distributed and regularly arranged on the entire panel. This is beneficial for unified control of the driving timing, reduces the design complexity of the driver IC, facilitates the standardized configuration of the MUX circuit, and further improves the manufacturing yield of the panel and the feasibility of achieving a narrow bezel.

[0016] Furthermore, there are two MUX circuits, namely a first MUX circuit and a second MUX circuit. The drive switch of the first MUX circuit is connected to the first scan signal line, and the drive switch of the second MUX circuit is connected to the second scan signal line.

[0017] In the above technical solution, by setting the first MUX circuit and the second MUX circuit to be connected to the first and second scan signal lines respectively, independent switching control of the scan signal is realized, which reduces the requirements for the performance of the driver IC and reduces the area occupied by the switching device, which is beneficial for narrow bezels and curved shapes.

[0018] Furthermore, the pixel array is arranged in a curved surface in the row direction.

[0019] In the above technical solution, by arranging the pixel array in a curved manner in the row direction and combining the structural characteristics of the monochrome pixel rows arranged in the row direction, the light leakage caused by the curved surface only occurs between pixels of the same color and does not cause color mixing, thereby improving the adaptability to large-size long curved screens in vehicles.

[0020] A display device includes the liquid crystal display panel described above.

[0021] In the above technical solution, by adopting the aforementioned liquid crystal display panel, high-resolution display can be achieved with fewer driver IC channel resources in the application of large-size long strip screen in automobiles. It supports narrow bezel and curved shape design, reduces the design difficulty and internal resource occupation of driver IC, and improves the color uniformity and contrast under pure color screen. Overall, it enhances the integration, aesthetics and display quality of the display device.

[0022] A display panel driving method for driving the aforementioned liquid crystal display panel includes the following steps: The scan signal unit outputs the gate drive signal through the scan signal line; Turn on the data signal line corresponding to the current row of pixels to be displayed; The drive switch in the MUX circuit is turned on, so that the gate drive signal on the scan signal line is written into the corresponding pixel unit.

[0023] In the above technical solution, by first outputting the gate drive signal from the scan signal unit, then turning on the corresponding data signal line, and controlling the drive switch in the MUX circuit to conduct, the gate drive signal is written into the pixel unit, thereby achieving efficient driving of the new pixel arrangement and scan line layout, simplifying the driving timing process, reducing the MUX switching frequency, thereby improving EMC performance, and improving the driving reliability of narrow bezels and curved screens.

[0024] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this application are as follows: By arranging pixel units of the same color along the row direction to form a monochrome pixel row, and changing the data signal line to extend along the row direction and the scan signal line to extend along the column direction, while cooperating with the MUX circuit connected to the scan signal line, the layout of source driving and gate driving in the traditional LCD driving architecture is changed. This design allows the driving channel compression effect of the traditional MUX6 to be achieved with only two MUX circuits (MUX2), reducing the demand on the output channel resources of the driver IC. Furthermore, due to the smaller number of MUX switches, the timing design complexity of the driver IC is reduced, internal resource occupation is reduced, and signal switching frequency is reduced, thereby improving electromagnetic compatibility performance. At the same time, the number of TFT devices corresponding to the MUX is reduced, and the space occupied by the bottom bezel of the glass is reduced, which is beneficial for narrow bezel design. In addition, since the pixel color of each row is consistent, when the panel is applied to a curved shape, even if light leakage occurs in the glass, the color resist color of adjacent light leakage areas is exactly the same, and there will be no color uniformity and contrast reduction caused by the mixing of different colors. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a liquid crystal display panel according to an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a display panel driving method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Explanation of icon numbers: Pixel array 1, pixel unit 11, data signal line 2, scan signal unit 3, first scan signal line 31, second scan signal line 32, first MUX circuit 4, second MUX circuit 5, drive switch 6. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0029] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0030] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in a preferred embodiment, the liquid crystal display panel of this application mainly includes a pixel array 1, multiple data signal lines 2, multiple scan signal units 3, and at least one MUX circuit. The pixel array 1 includes multiple pixel units 1, with pixel units 1 of the same color arranged along the row direction to form a monochrome pixel row. Multiple data signal lines 2 extend along the row direction and are connected to the corresponding monochrome pixel row. Each scan signal unit 3 includes at least one scan signal line, which extends along the column direction. The MUX circuit includes multiple drive switches 6, which are connected to the corresponding scan signal lines.

[0031] It should be noted that the MUX circuit is a Multiplexer circuit, primarily used to achieve time-division driving of multiple signal lines by sequentially controlling the conduction of multiple TFT switches when the number of driver IC output channels is limited. The number of MUX circuits is usually represented by "MUX N", where N is the number of signal lines corresponding to each driver IC output channel. In traditional solutions, MUX6 typically means that each driver IC output channel needs to drive 6 signal lines, requiring 6 sets of TFT switches to be arranged on the glass. However, this solution extends the data signal line 2 (Source drive) along the row direction and the scan signal line (Gate drive) along the column direction, changing the direction of the data signal line 2 and the scan signal line in the traditional driving architecture. Based on this, only MUX2 is needed, that is, each driver IC output channel drives 2 signal lines, thus significantly reducing the number of TFT devices. At the same time, the reduced number of TFT devices corresponding to the MUX circuit significantly reduces the space occupied by the bottom bezel of the glass, which is beneficial for achieving a narrow bezel design. In addition, fewer MUX circuits mean lower signal switching frequency, reduced timing design complexity of driver ICs, less internal resource usage, and correspondingly lower requirements for EMC performance.

[0032] In this scheme, a "monochrome pixel row" refers to multiple pixel units 1 arranged along the horizontal direction, all having the same color, such as a red pixel row, a green pixel row, or a blue pixel row. Unlike the traditional RGB scheme where pixels of different colors alternate in the same row, in this scheme, each row of pixels has a uniform color, while the colors differ between rows, forming a "horizontal stripe" color arrangement. This arrangement ensures that adjacent pixel rows have the same color when light leakage occurs under the stress of a curved surface, avoiding color shift and contrast reduction caused by the mixing of different colors in traditional schemes.

[0033] Pixel unit 1 includes a first color sub-pixel, a second color sub-pixel, and a third color sub-pixel; the first color sub-pixels are arranged along the row direction to form a first monochrome pixel row, the second color sub-pixels are arranged along the row direction to form a second monochrome pixel row, and the third color sub-pixels are arranged along the row direction to form a third monochrome pixel row.

[0034] The first monochrome pixel row, the second monochrome pixel row, and the third monochrome pixel row are arranged in a cyclical pattern along the column direction.

[0035] For example, the first color sub-pixel is a red sub-pixel, the second color sub-pixel is a green sub-pixel, and the third color sub-pixel is a blue sub-pixel. The red, green, and blue monochrome pixel rows are arranged sequentially along the column direction to form a complete color display unit. For instance, when displaying a pure red image, only the scan signal line and data signal line 2 corresponding to the red monochrome pixel row are activated, while the green and blue pixel rows remain closed. This avoids non-red light interference caused by light leakage from the curved surface, significantly improving the color purity of the pure color image.

[0036] By employing the aforementioned arrangement, a complete color display structure can be constructed along the column direction while maintaining the solid color of each row. Since the scan signal lines extend along the column direction and the MUX circuit is connected to the scan signal lines, when the scan signal lines sequentially address each monochrome pixel row, the entire row of pixels written at each moment has the same color. The driver IC only needs to output the corresponding voltage according to a fixed color order, eliminating the need for complex color data switching within the row. This reduces the driving frequency and timing control complexity of data signal line 2 while retaining full-color display capability.

[0037] The scan signal line extends between two adjacent pixel columns, and the scan signal line is connected to the odd-numbered row pixel unit 1 of one pixel column and to the even-numbered row pixel unit 1 of the other pixel column.

[0038] It should be noted that the trace path of the scan signal line on the glass substrate is located in the gap area between the two pixel columns and is alternately connected to pixel units 1 of the two pixel columns. For example, the odd-numbered row pixel units 1 of the left pixel column are connected to the current scan signal line, and the even-numbered row pixel units 1 of the right pixel column are connected to the same scan signal line. This "staggered connection" method can achieve effective control of more pixel rows without increasing the number of scan signal lines, reducing driving complexity, and at the same time, it is beneficial to reduce the bezel size and improve the panel integration.

[0039] The scanning signal unit 3 includes two scanning signal lines, namely a first scanning signal line 31 and a second scanning signal line 32, and the first scanning signal line 31 and the second scanning line of each scanning signal unit 3 are separated by at least one pixel column.

[0040] For example, the first scan signal line 31 is located between the Nth column and the (N+1)th column, and the second scan signal line 32 is located between the (N+2)th column and the (N+3)th column, with the pixel areas of the (N+1)th and (N+2)th columns separated by them. This layout also facilitates the connection of different MUX circuits on the first scan signal line 31 and the second scan signal line 32, enabling independent timing control.

[0041] The liquid crystal display panel, by setting up a scanning signal unit 3 containing two scanning signal lines and spacing the two scanning signal lines apart by at least one pixel column, can effectively disperse the spatial layout of the scanning control signals, reduce coupling interference between signal lines, and provide a structural basis for the flexible configuration of the MUX circuit, thereby reducing the occupation of driver IC channel resources while ensuring driving capability.

[0042] In this embodiment, the number of pixel columns between the first scan signal line 31 and the second scan line of each scan signal unit 3 is the same. By making the number of pixel columns between the two scan signal lines of each scan signal unit 3 the same, the scan signals are evenly distributed and regularly arranged on the entire panel, which is beneficial for unified control of driving timing, reduces the design complexity of the driver IC, facilitates the standardized configuration of the MUX circuit, and further improves the manufacturing yield of the panel and the feasibility of achieving narrow bezels.

[0043] There are two MUX circuits: a first MUX circuit 4 and a second MUX circuit 5. The drive switch 6 of the first MUX circuit 4 is connected to the first scan signal line 31, and the drive switch 6 of the second MUX circuit 5 is connected to the second scan signal line 32. By connecting the first MUX circuit 4 and the second MUX circuit 5 to the first and second scan signal lines 32 respectively, independent switching control of the scan signals is achieved, reducing the performance requirements of the driver IC and reducing the area occupied by the switching devices, which is beneficial for narrow bezels and curved surface designs.

[0044] The pixel array 1 is arranged in a curved shape in the row direction. By arranging the pixel array 1 in a curved shape in the row direction, and combining the structural characteristics of the monochrome pixel rows arranged in the row direction, the light leakage caused by the curved surface only occurs between pixels of the same color, and color mixing will not occur, thereby improving the adaptability to large-size long curved screens in automobiles.

[0045] This application also provides a display device, including the aforementioned liquid crystal display panel. In specific application scenarios, this display device is suitable for automotive "ultrawide screens," i.e., large-size elongated screens with an aspect ratio greater than 4:1 and a horizontal resolution exceeding 4K. Since vehicle dashboards often employ curved shapes, the display device needs to conform to the curved contours. The horizontal monochrome pixel row arrangement and MUX2 scanning side-drive architecture in this solution can support curved surface designs with curvature radii as small as 500mm without sacrificing display quality, while maintaining color uniformity and contrast in pure color images.

[0046] By adopting the aforementioned LCD panel, high-resolution display can be achieved with fewer driver IC channel resources in large-size long screen applications in automobiles. It supports narrow bezel and curved design, reduces the design difficulty and internal resource consumption of driver IC, and improves color uniformity and contrast under pure color images. Overall, it enhances the integration, aesthetics and display quality of the display device.

[0047] This application also provides a display panel driving method for driving the above-mentioned liquid crystal display panel, including the following steps: S1, Scan signal unit 3 outputs gate drive signal through scan signal line; S2. Turn on data signal line 2 corresponding to the current row of pixels to be displayed; S3. Control the drive switch 6 in the MUX circuit to turn on, so that the gate drive signal on the scan signal line is written into the corresponding pixel unit 1.

[0048] Taking one display cycle as an example: the scan signal unit 3 outputs the gate drive signal through the first scan signal line 31 and the second scan signal line 32. Then the data signal line 2 outputs the voltage signal of the corresponding pixel. The drive switch 6 in the first MUX circuit 4 is turned on, and the gate drive signal is written to the corresponding pixel unit 1. Then the drive switch 6 in the second MUX circuit 5 is turned on, and the gate drive signal is written to the corresponding pixel unit 1.

[0049] By first outputting the gate drive signal from the scan signal unit 3, then turning on the corresponding data signal line 2, and controlling the drive switch 6 in the MUX circuit to conduct, the gate drive signal is written into the pixel unit 1, thus achieving efficient driving of the new pixel arrangement and scan line layout. This simplifies the driving timing process, reduces the MUX switching frequency, thereby improving EMC performance and enhancing the driving reliability of narrow bezels and curved screens.

[0050] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0051] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this application, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display panel, characterized in that, include: A pixel array comprising multiple pixel units, wherein the pixel units of the same color are arranged along the row direction to form a monochrome pixel row; Multiple data signal lines extend along the row direction and are connected to the corresponding monochrome pixel rows; Multiple scan signal units, each scan signal unit including at least one scan signal line, the scan signal line extending along the column direction; At least one MUX circuit includes multiple drive switches connected to corresponding scan signal lines.

2. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pixel unit includes a first color sub-pixel, a second color sub-pixel, and a third color sub-pixel; The first color sub-pixels are arranged along the row direction to form a first monochrome pixel row, the second color sub-pixels are arranged along the row direction to form a second monochrome pixel row, and the third color sub-pixels are arranged along the row direction to form a third monochrome pixel row.

3. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first monochrome pixel row, the second monochrome pixel row, and the third monochrome pixel row are arranged cyclically along the column direction.

4. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 3, characterized in that, The scan signal line extends between two adjacent pixel columns, and the scan signal line is connected to the odd-numbered row pixel units of one pixel column and to the even-numbered row pixel units of the other pixel column.

5. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scanning signal unit includes two scanning signal lines, namely a first scanning signal line and a second scanning signal line, and the first scanning signal line and the second scanning line of each scanning signal unit are separated by at least one pixel column.

6. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 5, characterized in that, The number of pixel columns between the first scan signal line and the second scan line of each scan signal unit is the same.

7. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 5, characterized in that, There are two MUX circuits, namely a first MUX circuit and a second MUX circuit. The drive switch of the first MUX circuit is connected to the first scan signal line, and the drive switch of the second MUX circuit is connected to the second scan signal line.

8. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pixel array is arranged in a curved surface in the row direction.

9. A display device, characterized in that, Including the liquid crystal display panel as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A display panel driving method, characterized in that, For driving a liquid crystal display panel as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, the method includes the following steps: The scan signal unit outputs the gate drive signal through the scan signal line; Turn on the data signal line corresponding to the current row of pixels to be displayed; The drive switch in the MUX circuit is turned on, so that the gate drive signal on the scan signal line is written into the corresponding pixel unit.

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