Privacy structure, display panel and display device

Abstract

The application relates to a kind of peep-proof structures, display panel and display device, including substrate, with first face;Transparent body;Reflection layer, is located in the side wall of accommodating groove, reflection layer has the reflection surface towards transparent body, and plane away from transparent body, reflection layer is defined in accommodating groove and is placed in space;Shielding layer, fill in the space in accommodation, and with the plane of reflection layer is contacted, and with the bottom of accommodating groove is contacted;Wherein, the reflection surface of reflection layer has at least one recess, recess is configured, the light entering from the light entrance surface is gathered and reflected, to make light enter into the preset visual angle range.The light transmission unit is inclined in the application Set up combination reflection surface recess structure of reflection layer, can effectively visible angle be compressed to the range of normal visual angle, greatly improve the brightness of normal visual angle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to privacy shielding structures, display panels, and display devices. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, privacy screen protectors are widely used in electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and automotive displays. Their core function is to prevent information leakage from side views by limiting the viewing angle of the display screen. Traditional privacy screen protectors typically use a grating structure to achieve a narrow viewing angle, for example, by filling the spaces between adjacent transparent microstructures with black ink or other light-absorbing materials. Specifically, light is blocked by the grating at a specific angle, thus converting a wide-viewing-angle display into a narrow-viewing-angle mode.

[0003] However, traditional privacy films have light-absorbing materials (such as black ink) directly filling the spaces between adjacent transparent microstructures. The ink and transparent structures have relatively large volumes, and light is largely absorbed when passing through the ink area. This results in a significant reduction in the overall transmittance of the display module, which seriously affects screen brightness and user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a privacy structure, display panel, and display device to address the problem that the ink and transparent structure in traditional privacy films are relatively large in volume, and light is absorbed in large quantities when passing through the ink area, resulting in a serious reduction in the overall transmittance of the display module.

[0005] This application embodiment first provides a privacy screen structure, the privacy screen structure comprising:

[0006] The base has a first surface;

[0007] A transparent body is disposed on the first surface of the substrate. The transparent body has a light-incident surface and a light-exit surface that are parallel to each other. The light-incident surface faces away from the substrate. A plurality of receiving grooves are formed on the light-incident surface of the transparent body. The plurality of receiving grooves are arranged sequentially at intervals. The transparent body between two adjacent receiving grooves is defined as a light-transmitting unit. The light-transmitting unit is located on the side of the receiving groove and has a preset angle with a first direction. The first direction is perpendicular to the light-incident surface or the light-exit surface.

[0008] A reflective layer is disposed on the side wall of the receiving groove. The reflective layer has a reflective surface facing the transparent body and a plane facing away from the transparent body. The reflective layer defines an accommodating space within the receiving groove.

[0009] A shielding layer is filled within the accommodating space and contacts the plane of the reflective layer and the bottom of the receiving groove;

[0010] The reflective surface of the reflective layer has at least one recess, which is configured to converge and reflect light entering from the incident surface so that the light enters a preset viewing angle range.

[0011] In one embodiment, the reflective surface has a recess extending from one end of the reflective surface near the light-incident surface to the other end of the reflective surface near the light-outceasing surface.

[0012] In one embodiment, the reflective surface has a plurality of recesses, which are arranged sequentially adjacent to each other and arranged from the end of the reflective surface near the light-incident surface to the end of the reflective surface near the light-outceasing surface.

[0013] In one embodiment, the recess includes a concave arc surface;

[0014] Optionally, the recess includes at least two inclined, interconnected straight surfaces;

[0015] Optionally, the recess includes at least two inclined arc surfaces that are smoothly connected to each other.

[0016] In one embodiment, the area of ​​the light-incident surface of the light-transmitting unit is smaller than the area of ​​the light-exiting surface; the angle between the side of the light-transmitting unit located in the receiving groove and the first direction is between 2° and 10°.

[0017] Optionally, the distance between two adjacent shielding layers is between 25μm and 100μm;

[0018] Optionally, along a second direction intersecting the first direction, the ratio of the size of each shielding layer to the size of each light-transmitting unit is between 0.05 and 0.3.

[0019] Optionally, the angle between the plane of the reflective layer and the first direction is between 2° and 10°;

[0020] Optionally, the plane of the reflective layer is parallel to the first direction;

[0021] Optionally, the shielding layer includes a light-shielding material;

[0022] Optionally, the refractive index of the reflective layer is greater than the refractive index of the transparent body.

[0023] In one embodiment, the privacy structure further includes a light-transmitting layer disposed between the sidewall of the receiving groove and the reflective layer;

[0024] The light-transmitting layer has at least one protrusion on the side facing the reflective layer, and the protrusion is configured such that the reflective surface of the reflective layer on the light-transmitting layer forms the recess.

[0025] In one embodiment, the area of ​​the light-transmitting layer near the light-incident surface is larger than the area of ​​the light-transmitting layer near the light-exiting surface, so that part of the light can be transmitted through the light-transmitting layer to the light-exiting surface or to the reflective surface.

[0026] In one embodiment, the privacy structure further includes a light-transmitting element disposed on the side of the transparent body away from the substrate, and an adhesive layer is provided between the light-transmitting element and the transparent body; or, the light-transmitting element is disposed on the side of the substrate away from the transparent body.

[0027] This application embodiment also provides a display panel, the display panel including the privacy structure described in the above embodiments, and,

[0028] The screen body has a light-emitting surface, and the privacy structure is disposed on one side of the light-emitting surface of the screen body.

[0029] This application also provides a display device, which includes the display panel described in the above embodiments.

[0030] The aforementioned privacy structure, display panel, and display device utilize multiple spaced-apart receiving slots on the light-incident surface of the transparent body. This allows the side of the light-transmitting unit to have a preset angle with the first direction, ensuring that the reflective layer located on the sidewall of the receiving slot also has a preset angle with the first direction. The tilted arrangement of the reflective surface determines the initial deflection angle of the light, thereby deflecting as much of the light emission range as possible into the positive viewing angle range. Subsequently, by forming at least one recessed structure on the reflective surface of the reflective layer, a converging and reflecting effect on the light is achieved. That is, the recessed arrangement can converge the divergent wide-angle light to the positive viewing angle direction, enhancing the brightness of the positive viewing angle and improving light utilization. By focusing and reducing light loss, it is suitable for scenarios requiring high brightness. In this embodiment, the tilted arrangement of the light-transmitting unit combined with the concave structure of the reflective surface of the reflective layer can compress the effective viewing angle to the positive viewing angle range, significantly improving the brightness of the positive viewing angle. Furthermore, the use of a shielding layer eliminates the leakage light not covered by the reflective layer, reflecting wide-angle light to the positive viewing angle direction, improving the synergy between transmittance and privacy protection. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the privacy screen structure provided according to the first embodiment of this application.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the privacy screen structure provided according to the second embodiment of this application.

[0033] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the intermediate reflective layer and the shielding layer.

[0034] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the privacy screen structure provided according to the third embodiment of this application.

[0035] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the privacy screen structure provided according to the fourth embodiment of this application.

[0036] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a privacy screen (cover) provided according to an embodiment of this application.

[0037] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the privacy screen structure (polarizer) provided according to the first embodiment of this application.

[0038] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a display panel provided according to the first embodiment of this application.

[0039] Icon labels:

[0040] 100. Base; 110. First surface;

[0041] 200, Transparent body; 210, Light-incident surface; 201, Light-transmitting unit;

[0042] 300. Reflective layer; 310. Reflective surface;

[0043] 400, shielding layer;

[0044] 500, Translucent layer;

[0045] 600, cover plate;

[0046] 700, polarizing film;

[0047] 800, adhesive layer;

[0048] 1000, Screen body. Detailed Implementation

[0049] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0050] In the description of this application, it should be understood that if terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" appear, these terms indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0051] Furthermore, where the terms "first" and "second" appear, these terms are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, where the term "multiple" appears, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0052] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0053] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the use of descriptions such as "above" or "below" the second feature indicates that the first and second features are in direct contact or indirect contact via an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. Similarly, "below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0054] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. If so, the terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0055] As mentioned in the background section, the core function of privacy screen protectors is to prevent information leakage from side views by limiting the viewing angle of the display screen. Traditional technologies mainly use grating structures to achieve a narrow viewing angle effect, specifically by filling black ink or other light-absorbing materials between adjacent transparent microstructures (such as prisms or lens arrays). When light is incident at a specific angle (outside the preset viewing angle range), it is absorbed or blocked by the light-absorbing layer, allowing only light within the direct viewing angle range to pass through, thereby achieving the privacy effect.

[0056] In existing privacy films, light-absorbing materials (such as black ink) are directly filled between adjacent transparent microstructures, with an ink-to-transparent structure volume ratio of approximately 1:3 to 1:2. This means that 20%-40% of the light emitted by the display panel is absorbed when passing through the ink area, resulting in a significant decrease in overall transmittance. Since traditional solutions rely solely on the physical blocking function of the light-absorbing material and do not effectively reuse the light, the absorbed light is completely lost and cannot be redirected to the transmission area through reflection or refraction, further exacerbating brightness loss. Increasing the width (or volume) of the light-absorbing layer to enhance the privacy effect will further reduce the proportion of the light-transmitting area, leading to even more severe transmittance loss; conversely, reducing the width of the light-absorbing layer may cause side light leakage, reducing privacy performance.

[0057] In existing processes, due to limitations in die-cutting design, the light-shielding layer is often trapezoidal in cross-section. Its sloping sidewalls cause some light to be reflected or scattered at the interface. This light may bypass the light-absorbing layer and enter the transmission zone, weakening the privacy protection effect. Simultaneously, the trapezoidal structure requires increasing the width of the light-shielding layer to compensate for the geometric efficiency loss, resulting in a reduction in the light-transmitting area. While some improvements attempt to add a reflective layer (such as a metal coating) to the surface of the transparent structure, traditional reflective layers are mostly planar, making it impossible to precisely control the direction of light reflection. Reflected light may scatter randomly or deviate from the target path, failing to effectively converge towards the correct viewing angle.

[0058] In summary, existing privacy film technologies suffer from a high proportion of light-absorbing materials, inefficient structural design, and a single function of the reflective layer, making it difficult to balance transmittance and privacy performance.

[0059] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides an anti-peeping structure, a display panel, and a display device. By creating multiple spaced-apart receiving slots on the light-incident surface of the transparent body, the side of the light-transmitting unit forms a preset angle with a first direction. This ensures that the reflective layer located on the sidewall of the receiving slot also forms a preset angle with the first direction. The tilted arrangement of the reflective surface determines the initial deflection angle of the light, thus deflecting as much of the light emission range as possible into the positive viewing angle range. Subsequently, by forming at least one recessed structure on the reflective surface of the reflective layer, a converging and reflecting effect on the light is achieved. That is, the recessed arrangement can converge divergent, wide-angle light rays to the positive viewing angle direction, enhancing the brightness of the positive viewing angle and improving light utilization. By focusing and reducing light loss, it is suitable for scenarios requiring high brightness. In this embodiment, the tilted arrangement of the light-transmitting unit combined with the concave structure of the reflective surface of the reflective layer synergistically compresses the effective viewing angle to the positive viewing angle range, significantly improving the brightness of the positive viewing angle. Furthermore, the use of a shielding layer eliminates leaked light not covered by the reflective layer, reflecting wide-angle light rays to the positive viewing angle direction, improving the synergy between transmittance and anti-peeping effect.

[0060] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the privacy screen structure provided according to the first embodiment of this application. Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the privacy screen structure provided according to the second embodiment of this application. Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the privacy screen structure provided according to the third embodiment of this application. One embodiment of this application first provides a privacy screen structure, which may include a substrate 100, a transparent body 200, a reflective layer 300, and a shielding layer 400.

[0061] The substrate 100 has a first surface 110; a transparent body 200 is disposed on the first surface 110 of the substrate 100. The transparent body 200 has a light-incident surface 210 and a light-exit surface that are parallel to each other. The light-incident surface 210 faces away from the substrate 100. A plurality of receiving grooves are formed on the light-incident surface 210 of the transparent body 200, and the plurality of receiving grooves are arranged sequentially at intervals. The transparent body 200 between two adjacent receiving grooves is defined as a light-transmitting unit 201. The light-transmitting unit 201 is located on the side of the receiving groove and has a preset angle with a first direction. The first direction is perpendicular to the light-incident surface 210 or the light-exit surface. A reflective layer 300 is disposed on the side wall of the receiving groove. The reflective layer 300 has a reflective surface 310 facing the transparent body 200 and a plane facing away from the transparent body 200. The reflective layer 300 defines a receiving space within the receiving groove. A shielding layer 400 fills the receiving space and contacts the plane of the reflective layer 300 and the bottom of the receiving groove. The reflective surface 310 of the reflective layer 300 has at least one recess, which is configured to converge and reflect light entering from the incident light surface 210 so that the light enters a preset viewing angle range.

[0062] Understandably, the substrate 100 can be made of rigid transparent glass or flexible transparent material, such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), with a thickness of 50μm-200μm. Its first surface 110 is bonded to the transparent body 200 with optical adhesive to form the underlying support structure. The substrate 100 mainly provides mechanical support for the transparent body 200, the reflective layer 300, and the shielding layer 400, ensuring the stability of the microstructure when bent or under stress. At the same time, as part of the optical path, it needs to meet the requirements of high light transmittance and low haze.

[0063] The transparent body 200 is applied to the first surface 110 of the substrate 100. It can be applied directly to the first surface 110 of the substrate 100, or it can be bonded to the first surface 110 of the substrate 100 using UV-curable adhesive; no limitation is made here. The material of the transparent body 200 can be a high-transmittance resin, such as polycarbonate or acrylate, and its thickness can be between 100μm and 300μm, which can be set according to actual needs; no limitation is made here. For ease of description, the transparent body 200 is defined as having a light-incident surface 210 and a light-exit surface arranged in parallel. The light-incident surface 210 is the side facing the display screen. Light emitted from the display screen enters the light-transmitting unit 201 through the light-incident surface 210 and is directed towards the human eye from the light-exit surface.

[0064] In this embodiment, multiple trapezoidal cross-section grooves, also known as receiving grooves, are uniformly formed on the light-incident surface 210. The receiving grooves are mainly used to accommodate the following reflective layer 300 and shielding layer 400. The receiving grooves in this example can be formed by die-cutting, photolithography or nanoimprinting processes.

[0065] To clearly describe the relationship between the various components, the stacking direction of the substrate 100 and the transparent body 200 is defined as the first direction. Taking the privacy structure on a mobile phone as an example, the first direction is the thickness direction of the mobile phone, while the second direction perpendicular to the first direction can be the width direction of the mobile phone. In this embodiment, the various receiving slots can be arranged sequentially at intervals along the second direction (each receiving slot extends along a third direction). Of course, a third direction can also be defined, which is perpendicular to both the first and second directions, and can also be understood as the length direction of the mobile phone. In this embodiment, the various receiving slots can also be arranged sequentially at intervals along the third direction (each receiving slot extends along the second direction). It should be noted that the receiving slots in this embodiment can be set in both the second and third directions simultaneously. That is, along the orthographic projection of the first direction, multiple receiving slots divide the light-incident surface 210 of the transparent body 200 into a grid. This arrangement can simultaneously ensure the privacy protection effect of the privacy structure in both the second and third directions.

[0066] It should be noted that the receiving groove in this embodiment can penetrate through the transparent body 200, that is, the bottom of the receiving groove is located on the first surface 110 of the base 100. Of course, the bottom of the receiving groove can also be a certain distance away from the first surface 110 of the base 100. The specific depth of the receiving groove can be designed according to the distance between two adjacent receiving grooves and the interference of light in the display screen, etc., to meet the positive viewing angle range, and is not limited here. The positive viewing angle is defined as the range of angles that allow light to be emitted and clearly observed by the user. It is usually an angle area (e.g., ±20°) that extends symmetrically to both sides with the normal direction perpendicular to the surface of the display screen as the center. Within this viewing angle range, the light energy is concentrated and the brightness is uniform, and the user can view the screen normally. Beyond this range, that is, under the side view, the light can be significantly attenuated, presenting a dark state, and achieving the privacy protection effect.

[0067] For ease of understanding, the transparent body 200 portion between adjacent receiving slots is defined as a light-transmitting unit 201, whose side surface, i.e., the sidewall forming the receiving slot, forms a preset angle θ with the first direction perpendicular to the light-incident surface 210, such as... Figure 5As shown, θ can be 4°, 5°, 6°, etc. Since θ directly affects the deflection angle of light after passing through the light-transmitting unit 201, for example, when θ=5°, the light is refracted at the interface of the light-transmitting unit 201, and the deflection angle is about 2θ (10°). This setting is beneficial to compress the viewing angle range to the aforementioned positive viewing angle. Of course, the larger θ is, the more significant the deflection angle, but it is also necessary to balance the light transmittance and the privacy protection effect. In addition, in this embodiment, θ also needs to be matched with the geometric parameters (such as radius of curvature, tilt angle, etc.) of the recessed structure of the reflective layer 300 to ensure that the light can be further converged to the positive viewing angle direction after being refracted by the light-transmitting unit 201. In general, the tilted side serves as the first refraction interface of the light, causing the incident light from a large viewing angle to be initially deflected towards the positive viewing angle direction.

[0068] After the receiving tank is formed, a thin film of uniform thickness can be formed on the sidewall of the receiving tank (i.e., the inclined side of the light-transmitting unit 201) by processes such as magnetron sputtering or atomic layer deposition. The reflective surface 310 of the reflective layer 300 faces the inside of the transparent body 200, and the plane faces away from the transparent body 200 and contacts the shielding layer 400. Of course, in this embodiment, the reflective layer 300 can be a flexible reflective layer 300 material, such as a metal nanocomposite film or a high-reflectivity polymer film. It can also be set on the sidewall of the receiving tank by electrostatic adsorption. Specifically, the sidewall of the receiving tank is subjected to discharge treatment to generate free radicals and charge traps on its surface to form a permanent electrostatic charge layer. Then, the reflective layer 300 is charged by friction or other means to form an electrostatic attraction with the charge layer on the sidewall of the receiving tank.

[0069] In addition, in this embodiment, the reflective surface 310 of the reflective layer 300 has at least one recessed structure. This recessed structure can be understood as an inwardly concave arc surface, a V-shaped groove, or a multi-segment folded surface (e.g., composed of multiple inclined planes) formed on the reflective surface 310. The recessed structure is mainly used to converge and reflect light. More specifically, the recessed structure converges divergent light rays from a wide viewing angle to the positive viewing angle direction, enhancing the brightness of the positive viewing angle, thereby improving light utilization and reducing light loss through focusing, making it suitable for scenarios with high brightness requirements.

[0070] It should be noted that, in order to achieve the recessed structure on the reflective surface 310, the shape of the die can be improved so that when the transparent body 200 is pressed by the die, a protrusion is formed on the side wall of the light-transmitting unit 201. Then, when the reflective layer 300 is deposited or applied on the side wall of the transparent unit, the recessed structure of the reflective surface 310 can be formed simultaneously. The specific process can be understood by referring to relevant technologies, and will not be elaborated here.

[0071] Besides improving the shape of the die-cutting mold, another approach is to first create multiple trapezoidal receiving grooves on the transparent body 200 using a standard or high-precision die-cutting mold. Then, a mold (e.g., a rectangular mold) is placed inside the receiving grooves. The sidewalls of the mold and the two sidewalls of the receiving grooves respectively form two triangular spaces. Transparent resin can be filled into these spaces, and after curing, the mold is removed. The space where the mold is located becomes the space for subsequently setting the reflective layer 300 and the shielding layer 400. By creating a recessed structure on the sidewall of the mold, a protrusion can be formed on the side of the transparent resin opposite to the light-transmitting unit 201. Subsequently, the reflective layer 300 is set on the protruding side of the cured transparent resin, thus simultaneously forming a recessed structure on the reflective layer 300. This design avoids the complex process of improving the die-cutting mold, reduces design costs, and can widen the area of ​​the light-incident surface 210 of the light-transmitting unit 201 by using transparent resin, thereby allowing more light to enter the area corresponding to the light-transmitting unit 201, improving the light output rate at the front view, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the brightness at the front view, and also effectively ensuring the privacy protection effect.

[0072] The plane of the reflective layer 300 can define an accommodating space in the receiving groove. The cross-section of the accommodating space can be trapezoidal or rectangular, and there is no limitation on it. The accommodating space is used to accommodate the shielding layer 400. The shielding layer 400 can be black photoresist ink or carbon black doped resin, and can be filled by screen printing or slot coating process to fit tightly with the plane of the reflective layer 300 and the bottom of the receiving groove. The shielding layer 400 is set to absorb stray light that has not entered the preset viewing angle range after being reflected by the reflective layer 300.

[0073] The working principle of the privacy structure provided in this embodiment can be understood as follows: Light enters from the light-incident surface 210 of the transparent body 200 at a large angle. When it passes through the inclined side of the light-transmitting unit 201, it is refracted due to the difference in refractive index. The light deflects at an angle θ towards the normal direction, initially reducing the range of the exit angle. The refracted light then enters the recessed structure of the reflective layer 300. Subsequently, the concave arc surface, like a concave mirror, focuses and reflects the light, converging the divergent, wide-angle light into the positive viewing angle. The deflection angle of a single reflection can reach 2θ (10° when θ=5°). If the concave arc surface is replaced by a V-groove, the light first enters the first inclined surface (making an angle θ with the first direction), and after reflection, enters the second symmetrical inclined surface. After two reflections, the total deflection angle reaches 4θ (20° when θ=5°), achieving efficient conversion of large-angle light to the positive viewing angle. Finally, the residual light that is not effectively deflected by the reflective layer 300 enters the shielding layer 400 and is completely absorbed by the light-absorbing material, preventing it from escaping from the side and causing light leakage, thus achieving a three-level anti-peeping mechanism of refraction-reflection-absorption.

[0074] It should be noted that, in order to achieve the reflection of light at the interface between the sidewall of the transparent unit and the reflective layer 300, the transparent body 200 can use a low refractive index material, such as a cyclic olefin copolymer, while the reflective layer 300 uses a high refractive index material to enhance the total internal reflection effect and reduce interface reflection loss.

[0075] The privacy structure provided in this application embodiment has multiple spaced-apart receiving grooves on the light-incident surface 210 of the transparent body 200, so that the side of the light-transmitting unit 201 has a preset angle with the first direction, so that the reflective layer 300 located on the side wall of the receiving groove also has a preset angle with the first direction. The tilted setting of the reflective surface 310 can determine the initial deflection angle of the light, so as to deflect the light emission range as much as possible into the positive viewing angle range. Subsequently, by forming at least one recessed structure on the reflective surface 310 of the reflective layer 300, the light is converged and reflected. That is, the recessed setting can converge the divergent wide-angle light to the positive viewing angle direction, enhance the brightness of the positive viewing angle, improve the light utilization rate, and reduce light loss by focusing, which is suitable for scenarios with high brightness requirements. In this embodiment, the tilted arrangement of the light-transmitting unit 201, combined with the recessed structure of the reflective surface 310 of the reflective layer 300, can compress the effective viewing angle to the range of the frontal viewing angle, greatly improving the brightness of the frontal viewing angle. In addition, the shielding layer 400 eliminates the leakage light not covered by the reflective layer 300, so as to reflect the light from the wide viewing angle to the frontal viewing angle, improving the synergy between transmittance and privacy protection.

[0076] Below, we will combine the appendix Figure 1 - Appendix Figure 7 The specific structure of the privacy protection structure provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail.

[0077] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the reflective surface 310 has a recess that extends from one end of the reflective surface 310 near the light-incident surface 210 to the other end of the reflective surface 310 near the light-outceasing surface.

[0078] It is understandable that the reflecting surface 310 has a continuous concave arc surface from the light-incident surface 210 to the light-exit surface. The formation of this concave arc surface can be referred to the example above, and will not be repeated here. Of course, this concavity can also be a V-shaped single-sloping surface.

[0079] The recessed design of the reflective surface 310 facilitates the convergence and reflection of incident light rays at a wide angle of view, thereby deflecting the light rays to the positive viewing angle and improving the brightness and uniformity of the positive viewing angle. The depth of the recess is based on the ability to accommodate gradient changes in the incident angle of light and is not limited here.

[0080] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 for Figure 2A schematic diagram of the structure of the intermediate reflective layer and the shielding layer. In some embodiments, the reflective surface 310 has multiple recesses, which are arranged sequentially and adjacently from the end of the reflective surface 310 near the light-incident surface 210 to the end of the reflective surface 310 near the light-outceasing surface.

[0081] It is understandable that 3-5 consecutive concave arc surfaces or V-shaped grooves can be set on the reflecting surface 310, with the recesses connected by transition planes or arc surfaces. The incident light rays pass through multiple recesses in sequence, and each reflection achieves a converging effect on the light rays. Multiple reflections achieve multiple convergences, thus concentrating the outgoing light rays into the core area of ​​the positive viewing angle.

[0082] In this example, by setting multiple recesses on the reflective surface 310, compared with a single recess, multiple recesses can improve the efficiency of light recovery from a wide viewing angle and improve the overall transmittance.

[0083] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the recess includes a concave arc surface. For example, the concave arc surface is a continuous circular arc surface to create a focusing effect similar to a concave mirror, where diverging light rays are emitted through the arc surface and converge towards the positive viewing angle, thus improving the brightness at the positive viewing angle.

[0084] like Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments, the recess includes at least two inclined and interconnected straight surfaces. For example, the recess consists of two inclined straight surfaces, that is, forming a V-shaped groove, so that light can first enter the first inclined surface, be reflected and then enter the second inclined surface, which can improve the total deflection angle and is suitable for efficient deflection of large-angle light.

[0085] In some embodiments, the recess includes at least two inclined, smoothly connected arc surfaces. For example, the recess is smoothly transitioned between two arc surfaces with different curvatures to form a gradient converging effect. This arrangement can adapt to changes in the incident angle of light to balance wide-angle incidence and narrow-angle emission.

[0086] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the area of ​​the light-incident surface 210 of the light-transmitting unit 201 is smaller than the area of ​​the light-exiting surface; the angle between the side of the light-transmitting unit 201 located in the receiving groove and the first direction is between 2° and 10°. For example, the light-transmitting unit 201 is a trapezoidal step, and the angle θ between the side and the first direction can be 5°, 7°, 8°, etc. This arrangement allows light to be refracted within the light-transmitting unit 201, resulting in wavefront convergence due to cross-sectional expansion. Combined with the concavity of the reflective layer 300, this achieves a synergistic effect of refraction-induced beam expansion and reflection-induced focusing.

[0087] In some embodiments, the distance between two adjacent shielding layers 400 is between 25 μm and 100 μm. For example, the distance between adjacent shielding layers 400, that is, the distance between the centers of two shielding layers 400 in the second direction, can also be understood as the sum of the dimensions of a light-transmitting unit 201 and a shielding layer 400 in the second direction. This distance can be 25 μm, 50 μm, 70 μm, 90 μm, 100 μm, etc., and can be specifically set according to the interference of the light-emitting elements within the display screen, etc., and is not limited here.

[0088] In some embodiments, along a second direction intersecting the first direction, the ratio of the size of each shielding layer 400 to the size of each light-transmitting unit 201 is between 0.05 and 0.3. For example, this ratio determines the proportion of the light-transmitting unit 201 to the shielding layer 400; the smaller the ratio, the larger the proportion of the light-transmitting area. The specific ratio should be set according to the optimal balance between light transmittance and privacy protection, and is not limited here.

[0089] In some embodiments, the angle between the plane of the reflective layer 300 and the first direction is between 2° and 10°. For example, the plane of the reflective layer 300 can be parallel to the side of the light-transmitting unit 201, that is, the angle between the plane of the reflective layer 300 and the first direction is the same as the angle between the side of the light-transmitting unit 201 and the first direction; of course, due to the setting of the light-transmitting resin in the above embodiments, the plane of the reflective layer 300 does not need to be parallel to the side of the light-transmitting unit 201, but it is still necessary to set its angle with the first direction according to the reflection deflection angle of the light so that the emitted light rays are deflected within the positive viewing angle range.

[0090] In some embodiments, the plane of the reflective layer 300 is parallel to the first direction. For example, the plane of the reflective layer 300 being parallel to the first direction means that the accommodating space defined by the reflective layer 300 is rectangular. Of course, this arrangement requires that transparent resin be filled between the reflective layer 300 and the light-transmitting unit 201 (the sidewall of the accommodating groove). The transparent resin can widen the area of ​​the light-incident surface 210 of the light-transmitting unit 201, allowing more light to enter the area corresponding to the light-transmitting unit 201, which is beneficial to improving the light emission rate at the positive viewing angle. In addition, the shielding layer 400 filled in the rectangular space can also effectively ensure the privacy protection effect.

[0091] In some embodiments, the shielding layer 400 includes a light-shielding material; for example, the shielding layer 400 may be a patterned adhesive layer mixed with a black additive, which may be toner or other black material powder or black ink. The light entering the transparent body 200 propagates based on the light-transmitting unit 201 between adjacent shielding layers 400, thereby limiting the transmission direction and transmission angle of the light emitted through the light-transmitting unit 201 to achieve the privacy function.

[0092] In some embodiments, the refractive index of the reflective layer 300 is greater than the refractive index of the transparent body 200. For example, designing the refractive index of the reflective layer 300 to be greater than that of the transparent body 200 is beneficial for forming total internal reflection at the interface between the reflective layer 300 and the transparent body 200, so as to reflect as much incident light as possible into the light-transmitting unit 201 and out of as much light as possible into the positive viewing angle region.

[0093] Traditional die-cutting or photolithography processes struggle to achieve high-precision rectangular grooves or complex reflective surface structures. For example... Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the privacy structure provided according to the fourth embodiment of this application. In some embodiments, the privacy structure further includes a light-transmitting layer 500, which is disposed between the sidewall of the receiving groove and the reflective layer 300; the light-transmitting layer 500 has at least one protrusion on the side facing the reflective layer 300, and the protrusion is configured to form a recess on the reflective surface 310 of the reflective layer 300 disposed on the light-transmitting layer 500.

[0094] It is understandable that the light-transmitting layer 500 can be a highly transparent resin or the same material as the transparent body 200. A columnar or protruding feature can be provided on the side of the light-transmitting layer 500 facing the reflective layer 300 to force the reflective layer 300 to form a recess. Specifically, the process involves first forming multiple trapezoidal-shaped receiving grooves on the transparent body 200 using a standard or high-precision die. Then, a mold (e.g., a rectangular mold) is placed inside the receiving grooves. The sidewall of the mold forms two triangular spaces with the two sidewalls of the receiving grooves, respectively. The light-transmitting layer 500 can be filled into these spaces, and after curing, the mold is removed. The space where the mold is located becomes the space for subsequently setting the reflective layer 300 and the shielding layer 400. A recessed structure can be provided on the sidewall of the mold to achieve the purpose of forming a protrusion on the side of the light-transmitting layer 500 away from the light-transmitting unit 201. Subsequently, the reflective layer 300 is set on the protruding side of the cured transparent resin, thus simultaneously forming a recessed structure in the reflective layer 300. This design avoids the complex process of improving the die-cutting mold, reduces design costs, and can widen the area of ​​the light-incident surface 210 of the light-transmitting unit 201 by setting the light-transmitting layer 500. In other words, the light first passes through the light-transmitting layer 500, which can be understood as part of the light-transmitting unit 201, and then enters the recess of the reflective layer 300, thereby allowing more light to enter the corresponding area of ​​the light-transmitting unit 201, improving the light output rate at the front viewing angle, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the brightness at the front viewing angle, and also effectively ensuring the privacy protection effect.

[0095] like Figure 5As shown, in some embodiments, the area of ​​the light-transmitting layer 500 near the light-incident surface 210 is larger than the area of ​​the light-transmitting layer 500 near the light-exiting surface, so that some light can be transmitted through the light-transmitting layer 500 to the light-exiting surface or to the reflective surface 310.

[0096] Understandably, the light-transmitting layer 500 is triangularly arranged, with the angle between the side of the light-transmitting layer 500 closest to the light-transmitting unit 201 and the first direction (corresponding to the angle between the side of the light-transmitting unit 201 and the first direction) being greater than the angle between the side of the light-transmitting layer 500 away from the light-transmitting unit 201 and the first direction. Light can directly pass through the light-transmitting layer 500 to reach the reflective layer 300, and then be reflected by the concave part of the reflective layer 300 into the normal viewing angle. This arrangement can further improve the light recovery efficiency and increase the brightness at the edge of the normal viewing angle.

[0097] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a privacy screen (cover) provided according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the privacy screen structure (polarizer) provided according to the first embodiment of this application. In some embodiments, the privacy screen structure further includes a light-transmitting element, which is disposed on the side of the transparent body 200 away from the substrate 100, and an adhesive layer 800 is disposed between the light-transmitting element and the transparent body 200; or, the light-transmitting element is disposed on the side of the substrate 100 away from the transparent body 200.

[0098] It is understandable that after the transparent body 200, reflective layer 300, and shielding layer 400 are set, a PET protective film can be attached to the light-incident surface 210 of the transparent body 200, for example, by bonding it to the PET protective film with OCA optical adhesive, so that the structure formed can be transported to the next process. For example, the assembly structure of the substrate 100, transparent body 200, reflective layer 300, and shielding layer 400 can be bonded to the cover plate 600. The cover plate 600 needs to be set on the side of the substrate 100 away from the transparent body 200. For example, the cover plate 600 and the substrate 100 can be bonded together with OCA optical adhesive to achieve the bonding of the two.

[0099] In this embodiment, the light-transmitting component can be a cover plate 600, a polarizer 700, etc. The polarizer 700 can be attached to the light-incident surface 210 of the transparent body 200 using OCA optical adhesive. Whether combined with the cover plate 600 or the polarizer 700, it can be bonded to the display panel described below to achieve the purpose of setting the privacy structure on the display panel.

[0100] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of this application also provide a display panel, such as... Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a display panel provided according to the first embodiment of this application. The display panel includes the privacy screen structure described in the above embodiment, and a screen body 1000. The screen body 1000 has a light-emitting surface, and the privacy screen structure is disposed on one side of the light-emitting surface of the screen body 1000.

[0101] Understandably, when the display panel is a liquid crystal display panel, an organic light-emitting panel, or a micro-light-emitting panel, and the screen 1000 is an organic light-emitting panel, the privacy structure is located on the light-emitting side of the organic light-emitting panel. The privacy structure can be bonded to the light-emitting surface of the screen 1000 using OCA optical adhesive. Taking bonding to an organic light-emitting panel as an example, this allows the light-transmitting unit 201 in the privacy structure to correspond to the light-emitting material (pixel area) in the organic light-emitting panel. That is, the blocking layer 400 in the privacy structure corresponds to the pixel defining layer in the organic light-emitting panel, so that the light emitted by the screen 1000 is emitted from the light-transmitting unit 201 as much as possible. While ensuring the privacy effect, it can also improve the brightness in the normal viewing angle range.

[0102] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a display device, which includes the display panel in the above embodiments.

[0103] The display device can be a mobile phone, tablet, in-vehicle central control screen, or bank ATM, etc. Mobile phones and tablets are designed to balance edge visibility during one-handed operation and pocket privacy. In-vehicle central control screens are designed to fit the driver's seating position while suppressing side visibility for front passenger and rear passengers. Bank ATMs ensure clear display for close-range operation while preventing peeping. Of course, in addition to the above categories, the display device can also be a television, laptop, desktop monitor, tablet computer, digital camera, smart bracelet, smart glasses, medical equipment, industrial control equipment, touch interaction terminal, etc., and this disclosure does not impose any special limitations on these.

[0104] In summary, this application embodiment constructs an innovative system of privacy protection structure by setting a recessed structure on the reflective surface 310 of the reflective layer 300, and achieves multi-level control of light by moving from a single recess to a multi-recessed array; in addition, the introduction of the light-transmitting layer 500 and the light-transmitting component breaks the single-layer structure limitation of traditional privacy films, supports functional integration and scene adaptation, and provides a general technical platform for the narrow viewing angle, high brightness and multi-functional integration of future display devices.

[0105] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0106] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A privacy screen structure, characterized in that, The privacy protection structure includes: The base has a first surface; A transparent body is disposed on the first surface of the substrate. The transparent body has a light-incident surface and a light-exit surface that are parallel to each other. The light-incident surface faces away from the substrate. A plurality of receiving grooves are formed on the light-incident surface of the transparent body. The plurality of receiving grooves are arranged sequentially at intervals. The transparent body between two adjacent receiving grooves is defined as a light-transmitting unit. The light-transmitting unit is located on the side of the receiving groove and has a preset angle with a first direction. The first direction is perpendicular to the light-incident surface or the light-exit surface. A reflective layer is disposed on the side wall of the receiving groove. The reflective layer has a reflective surface facing the transparent body and a plane facing away from the transparent body. The reflective layer defines an accommodating space within the receiving groove. A shielding layer is filled within the accommodating space and contacts the plane of the reflective layer and the bottom of the receiving groove; The reflective surface of the reflective layer has at least one recess, which is configured to converge and reflect light entering from the incident light surface so that the light enters a preset viewing angle range.

2. The privacy structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflective surface has a recess that extends from one end of the reflective surface near the light-incident surface to the other end of the reflective surface near the light-outceasing surface.

3. The privacy structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflective surface has a plurality of recesses, which are arranged sequentially adjacent to each other and are arranged from the end of the reflective surface near the light-incident surface to the end of the reflective surface near the light-outceasing surface.

4. The privacy structure according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The recess includes an inwardly concave arc surface; Optionally, the recess includes at least two inclined, interconnected straight surfaces; Optionally, the recess includes at least two inclined arc surfaces that are smoothly connected to each other.

5. The privacy structure according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The area of ​​the light-incident surface of the light-transmitting unit is smaller than the area of ​​the light-exiting surface; the angle between the side of the light-transmitting unit located in the receiving groove and the first direction is between 2° and 10°. Optionally, the distance between two adjacent shielding layers is between 25μm and 100μm; Optionally, along a second direction intersecting the first direction, the ratio of the size of each shielding layer to the size of each light-transmitting unit is between 0.05 and 0.

3. Optionally, the angle between the plane of the reflective layer and the first direction is between 2° and 10°; Optionally, the plane of the reflective layer is parallel to the first direction; Optionally, the shielding layer includes a light-shielding material; Optionally, the refractive index of the reflective layer is greater than the refractive index of the transparent body.

6. The privacy structure according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The privacy structure also includes a light-transmitting layer, which is disposed between the side wall of the receiving groove and the reflective layer; The light-transmitting layer has at least one protrusion on the side facing the reflective layer, and the protrusion is configured such that the reflective surface of the reflective layer on the light-transmitting layer forms the recess.

7. The privacy structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, The area of ​​the light-transmitting layer near the light-incident surface is larger than the area of ​​the light-transmitting layer near the light-exiting surface, so that part of the light can be transmitted through the light-transmitting layer to the light-exiting surface or to the reflective surface.

8. The privacy structure according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The privacy structure further includes a light-transmitting element, which is disposed on the side of the transparent body away from the substrate, and an adhesive layer is provided between the light-transmitting element and the transparent body; or, the light-transmitting element is disposed on the side of the substrate away from the transparent body.

9. A display panel, characterized in that, The display panel includes the privacy protection structure as described in any one of claims 1-8, and, The screen body has a light-emitting surface, and the privacy structure is disposed on one side of the light-emitting surface of the screen body.

10. A display device, characterized in that, The display device includes the display panel of claim 9.

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