Electronic paper screen

By setting NFC coils at the same time in the display area and surrounding areas of the TFT substrate of the electronic paper screen, the problems of small freedom of NFC coil design and poor performance are solved, and higher NFC performance and applicability are achieved.

WO2025055414A1PCT designated stage expired Publication Date: 2025-03-20HANSHOW TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/CN2024/098047
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2023-09-11
Filing Date
2024-06-07
Publication Date
2025-03-20

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The NFC coils in existing electronic paper screens have little freedom in design, and the NFC performance is poor, making it difficult to customize and high-performance NFC coil development for specific products.

Method used

By simultaneously setting an NFC coil in the display area and surrounding area of ​​the TFT substrate, the freedom of the NFC coil design is improved, and a variety of parameters of the NFC coil are flexibly set according to the usage requirements.

Benefits of technology

It effectively improves the NFC performance and applicability of electronic paper screens, and can customize high-performance NFC coil development for specific products.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

An electronic paper screen, comprising an electronic paper module, a TFT substrate (01), an NFC coil (02), a driving chip, and an NFC control circuit; the TFT substrate (01) is successively provided with a first display area (03), a second display area (04) and a peripheral area (05) from inside to outside; the NFC coil (02) is arranged in the peripheral area (05) and the second display area (04), or is arranged in the first display area (03), the second display area (04) and the peripheral area (05); the NFC coil (02) is used for receiving an NFC control signal; the NFC control circuit is connected to the NFC coil (02), and is used for controlling, according to the NFC control signal, the electronic paper module to perform a corresponding operation; the driving chip is arranged on the TFT substrate (01), and is used for converting a received control time sequence and a received data signal into a voltage and a time sequence for driving the electronic paper module to refresh.
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Description

electronic paper screen

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese utility model patent application with application number 202322490210.0 filed on September 11, 2023, and cites the entire contents disclosed in the above patent application as part of this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of digital retail technology, and in particular to an electronic paper screen. Background Art

[0004] This section is intended to provide a background or context to the embodiments of the present disclosure that are recited in the claims. No admission is made that anything herein is prior art by virtue of its inclusion in this section.

[0005] To achieve functions such as fast networking and short-distance refresh, NFC (Near Field Communication) is increasingly being used in electronic price tags. Current products often integrate NFC coils on flexible printed circuits (FPCs) or printed circuit boards (PCBs) to implement NFC functionality. However, since NFC performance is closely related to coil size, ensuring good NFC performance requires a relatively large FPC or PCB. This results in a thicker electronic price tag and increases the cost of the FPC or PCB.

[0006] Compared with integrating the NFC coil on FPC or PCB, integrating the NFC function on the TFT (Thin Film Transistor) substrate can not only make the electronic price tag lighter and thinner, but also effectively reduce the cost of the electronic price tag. Therefore, the solution of integrating the NFC coil on the TFT substrate has gradually been proposed. Among the multiple proposed solutions, a more typical one is to set the NFC coil in the peripheral area (non-display area) of the TFT substrate to realize the NFC function. Although this solution can realize the structure of the NFC coil, the design freedom of the NFC coil is small, the NFC performance is poor, and it is difficult to customize and develop high-performance NFC coils for specific products.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present disclosure provides an electronic paper screen for improving the design freedom of an NFC coil in the electronic paper screen, thereby improving the NFC performance and applicability of the electronic paper screen. The electronic paper screen includes:

[0009] Electronic paper model, TFT substrate, NFC coil, driver chip and NFC control circuit;

[0010] The TFT substrate is provided with a first display area, a second display area, and a peripheral area in sequence from the inside out; the NFC coil is provided in the peripheral area and the second display area, or in the first display area, the second display area, and the peripheral area; the first display area and the second display area form the display area of ​​the TFT substrate;

[0011] NFC coil, used to receive NFC control signals;

[0012] The NFC control circuit is connected to the NFC coil and is used to control the electronic paper model to perform corresponding actions according to the NFC control signal;

[0013] The driving chip is arranged on the TFT substrate and is used to convert the received control timing and data signals into the voltage and timing for driving the electronic paper model to refresh.

[0014] Furthermore, each end of the NFC coil passes through the peripheral area and enters the second display area, or passes through the second display area and the first display area, forming a wiring connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit.

[0015] Furthermore, the NFC coil penetrates into the second display area, or penetrates into the second display area and the first display area in the following manner:

[0016] From the side of the second display area parallel to the long side of the driver chip, penetrate into the second display area, or penetrate into the second display area and the first display area;

[0017] The side of the second display area that is perpendicular to the long side of the driving chip penetrates into the second display area, or penetrates into the second display area and the first display area.

[0018] The electronic paper screen in the embodiment of the present disclosure is provided with an electronic paper model, a TFT substrate, an NFC coil, a driving chip and an NFC control circuit. The TFT substrate is provided with a first display area, a second display area and a peripheral area from the inside to the outside. The NFC coil is provided in the peripheral area and the second display area, or in the first display area, the second display area and the peripheral area. The first display area and the second display area form the display area of ​​the TFT substrate. The NFC coil is used to receive an NFC control signal. The NFC control circuit is connected to the NFC coil and is used to control the electronic paper model to perform corresponding actions according to the NFC control signal. The driving chip is provided on the TFT substrate and is used to convert the received control timing and data signals into voltage and timing for driving the electronic paper model to refresh. Compared with the technical solution in the prior art of only setting the NFC coil in the peripheral area of ​​the TFT substrate, by setting the NFC coil in both the display area and the peripheral area of ​​the TFT substrate, the freedom of design of the NFC coil in the electronic paper screen can be improved, and various parameters of the NFC coil can be flexibly set according to usage requirements, which can effectively improve the structure of the electronic paper screen and help to develop customized and high-performance NFC coils for specific products, thereby effectively improving the NFC performance of the electronic paper screen and the applicability of the electronic paper screen. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. In the drawings:

[0020] FIG1 is a specific example diagram of a vertical structure of an electronic paper screen in the prior art according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG2A is a specific example diagram of an electronic paper screen in the prior art according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG2B is a schematic structural diagram of a TFT substrate for an electronic paper screen according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG3 is a specific example diagram of an electronic paper screen according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG4 is a specific example diagram of an electronic paper screen according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG5 is a specific example diagram of an electronic paper screen according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG6 is a specific example diagram of an electronic paper screen according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG7 is a specific example diagram of an electronic paper screen according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG8 is a specific example diagram of an electronic paper screen according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG9 is a specific example diagram of an electronic paper screen according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG10 is a structural example diagram of an electronic paper screen in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] To make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clear, the embodiments of the present disclosure are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure and their descriptions are used to explain the present disclosure, but are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0032] The term "and / or" herein simply describes an association relationship, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent the existence of A alone, the simultaneous existence of A and B, and the existence of B alone. In addition, the term "at least one" herein refers to any combination of at least two of any one or more of a plurality of items. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" can represent any one or more elements selected from the set consisting of A, B, and C.

[0033] In the description of this specification, the terms "include", "including", "have", "contain", etc. are all open terms, which mean including but not limited to. The descriptions with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "a specific embodiment", "some embodiments", "for example", etc. mean that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. The order of steps involved in each embodiment is used to schematically illustrate the implementation of the present application, and the order of steps therein is not limited and can be appropriately adjusted as needed.

[0034] The following terms are involved in the present disclosure and are explained as follows:

[0035] TFT: thin film transistor;

[0036] Pixel: pixel;

[0037] NFC: Near Field Communication;

[0038] AA (Active Area) area: effective display area.

[0039] NFC is increasingly being used in electronic price tags (ESLs) to enable features like fast networking and short-distance refresh. Current products often integrate NFC coils onto flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs) or printed circuit boards (PCBs). However, NFC performance is closely tied to coil size. To ensure good NFC performance, the NFC coil must meet certain size requirements. This necessitates a relatively large FPC or PCB, making the ESL thicker and heavier, and increasing the cost of the FPC or PCB.

[0040] Compared with integrating the NFC coil on FPC or PCB, integrating the NFC function on the TFT substrate can not only make the electronic price tag lighter and thinner, but also effectively reduce the cost of the electronic price tag.

[0041] Therefore, solutions to integrate NFC coils on TFT substrates have gradually been proposed. Among the many proposed solutions, a more typical one is to set an NFC coil in the peripheral area (non-display area) of the TFT substrate to realize the NFC function.

[0042] Although this solution can realize the structure of the NFC coil, the design freedom of the NFC coil is limited, the NFC performance is poor, and it is difficult to customize and develop high-performance NFC coils for specific products.

[0043] For example, as shown in Figure 1, a vertical structure diagram of an existing electronic paper screen is shown. As shown in Figure 1, an electronic paper screen mainly includes the following main parts:

[0044] 1. TFT substrate (e.g., including TFT array and Glass substrate): Through processes such as coating, exposure, development, and etching, a pixel array and a driving circuit are formed on the Glass substrate to achieve drive control of the TFT array.

[0045] 2. Ag glue dots: These are placed between the TFT substrate and the front plane laminate (FPL). They connect the VCOM electrode on the TFT substrate to the VCOM ITO electrode on the FPL. The main component of these Ag glue dots is conductive silver glue.

[0046] 3. FPL: Used to display the image actually seen by the human eye. FPL is attached to the TFT substrate. An electric field is formed between the pixel electrode on the TFT substrate and the VCOM ITO electrode on the FPL, driving the electronic ink in the FPL to display the image.

[0047] 4. PS protective film: It is attached to the FPL, its size is larger than the FPL, and its edge wraps around the FPL to protect the FPL and isolate it from moisture.

[0048] 5. IC (Integrated Circuits): Receives signals transmitted by external circuits through FPC and converts the signals into voltage and timing to drive the refresh of the electronic paper screen.

[0049] 6. FPC: used to connect the external PCB circuit and the electronic paper screen to realize signal transmission between the external PCB circuit and the electronic paper screen.

[0050] 7. Edge sealing glue: applied on the edges of PS to fill the gap between PS and TFT to further isolate water vapor.

[0051] 8. Silicone gel: set in the lower border area of ​​TFT substrate to protect the traces, IC and FPC on the TFT substrate.

[0052] 9. PCB: External control circuit, providing power supply, control timing and data signals for the screen.

[0053] As shown in Figure 2A, a planar structure diagram of an existing e-paper screen NFC coil is shown. For ease of explanation, the planar structure diagram only shows the TFT substrate, IC, FPC, PCB and other parts related to the NFC function.

[0054] As shown in Figure 2A, the TFT substrate is provided with a display area and a peripheral area. The display area consists of Area 1 and Area 2, and the peripheral area consists of Area 3. The display area has a display function, used to display a specific color or image. The peripheral area is a non-display area and does not have a display function. It is mainly used to set up functional modules such as wiring, drive circuits, and ICs and FPCs. The specific descriptions of Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3 are as follows:

[0055] 1. Area 1 is the first display area of ​​the TFT substrate, also known as the AA area. Area 1 can be rectangular, for example, and consists of an M×N pixel array. Each pixel in the pixel array can be independently controlled to achieve a specific color display.

[0056] 2. Area 2 is the second display area of ​​the TFT substrate, also known as the border area. It can be shaped like a closed ring, with both the inner and outer edges being rectangular. Area 2 is equipped with a single closed ring ITO (Indium-Tin-Oxide) electrode. By controlling the voltage of this ITO electrode, Area 2 is controlled as a whole to achieve a specific color display.

[0057] 3. Area 3 is the peripheral area of ​​the TFT substrate. The peripheral area is the non-display area outside the first display area and the second display area on the TFT substrate. It is usually used to set wiring, drive circuits, and functional modules such as ICs and FPCs.

[0058] As can be seen from FIG. 2A , the NFC coil (eg, the coil in FIG. 2A ) is disposed on the TFT substrate, specifically, within region 3 (peripheral region) of the TFT substrate.

[0059] At the same time, in order to achieve the drive and control of the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuit on the IC. Here, the NFC control circuit is set on the IC for illustration. Similarly, the NFC control circuit can also be set on the FPC or PCB. In this way, the NFC coil set on the TFT substrate can be connected to the FPC or PCB to achieve the drive and control of the NFC coil. I will not repeat it here.

[0060] Existing e-paper screens with integrated NFC coils on TFT substrates implement NFC functionality by placing NFC coils in the peripheral area (non-display area) of the TFT substrate. However, due to the size of the peripheral area, while this solution can implement the NFC coil structure, the design freedom of the NFC coil is limited. This results in parameters such as the number, location, size, trace width, trace distance, DC impedance, and number of coil loops being difficult to effectively optimize, making it difficult to develop customized and high-performance NFC coils for specific products.

[0061] To address the above issues, the present disclosure provides an electronic paper screen to enhance the design freedom of the NFC coil in the electronic paper screen, thereby improving the NFC performance and applicability of the electronic paper screen. Referring to FIG10 , the electronic paper screen may include:

[0062] Electronic paper model (not shown in the figure), TFT substrate 01, NFC coil 02, driver chip and NFC control circuit (not shown in the figure).

[0063] The TFT substrate is provided with a first display area 03, a second display area 04 and a peripheral area 05 from the inside out. The NFC coil is provided in the peripheral area and the second display area, or in the first display area, the second display area and the peripheral area. The first display area and the second display area form the display area of ​​the TFT substrate.

[0064] NFC coil, used to receive NFC control signals.

[0065] The NFC control circuit is connected to the NFC coil and is used to control the electronic paper model to perform corresponding actions according to the NFC control signal.

[0066] The driving chip is arranged on the TFT substrate and is used to convert the received control timing and data signals into the voltage and timing for driving the electronic paper model to refresh.

[0067] The electronic paper screen in the embodiment of the present disclosure is provided with an electronic paper model, a TFT substrate, an NFC coil, a driver chip and an NFC control circuit. The TFT substrate is provided with a first display area, a second display area and a peripheral area from the inside to the outside; the NFC coil is provided in the peripheral area and the second display area, or in the first display area, the second display area and the peripheral area. The first display area and the second display area form the display area of ​​the TFT substrate. The NFC coil is used to receive the NFC control signal. The NFC control circuit is connected to the NFC coil and is used to control the electronic paper model to perform corresponding actions according to the NFC control signal. The driver chip is provided on the TFT substrate and is used to convert the received control timing and data signals into the voltage and timing to drive the refresh of the electronic paper model. Compared with the technical solution in the prior art of only setting the NFC coil in the peripheral area of ​​the TFT substrate, by setting the NFC coil in both the display area and the peripheral area of ​​the TFT substrate, the freedom of design of the NFC coil in the electronic paper screen can be improved, and various parameters of the NFC coil can be flexibly set according to usage requirements, which can effectively improve the structure of the electronic paper screen and help to develop customized and high-performance NFC coils for specific products, thereby effectively improving the NFC performance of the electronic paper screen and the applicability of the electronic paper screen.

[0068] In one embodiment, a TFT substrate includes: a glass substrate, and a TFT array disposed on the glass substrate; the TFT array includes a first display area, a second display area, and a peripheral area sequentially disposed from the inside to the outside.

[0069] In one embodiment, the first display area is the AA area in the display area; the second display area is the Border area in the display area.

[0070] In one embodiment, the NFC coil includes multiple coil traces connected in parallel.

[0071] In one embodiment, the effective display area and the peripheral area are both closed in shape.

[0072] In one embodiment, each end of the NFC coil passes through the peripheral area, penetrates into the second display area, or penetrates into the second display area and the first display area, forming a wiring connecting the two ends of the NFC coil to the NFC control circuit.

[0073] Specifically, the NFC coil penetrates into the second display area, or penetrates into the second display area and the first display area in the following manner:

[0074] From the side of the second display area parallel to the long side of the driver chip, penetrate into the second display area, or penetrate into the second display area and the first display area; or

[0075] The edge of the second display area that is perpendicular to the long side of the driving chip penetrates into the second display area, or penetrates into the second display area and the first display area.

[0076] To give an example, as shown in Figures 3 and 7, each end of the NFC coil in Figure 3 (a) passes through the peripheral area and from the side of the second display area parallel to the long side of the driver chip (for example, the IC in the figure), penetrates into the second display area, forming a routing line connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit, such as forming a routing line symmetrical about the central axis of the NFC control circuit; and each end of the NFC coil in Figure 3 (b), Figure 4 (c), and Figure 7 (a) and (b) passes through the peripheral area and from the side of the second display area parallel to the long side of the driver chip, penetrates into the first display area and the second display area, forming a routing line connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit, such as forming a routing line symmetrical about the central axis of the NFC control circuit.

[0077] As another example, the second display area can be penetrated from the side parallel to the long side of the driver chip into the second display area, or penetrated into the second display area and the first display area. For example, it can also be penetrated from the side of the second display area parallel to the long side of the driver chip away from the driver chip into the second display area, or penetrated into the second display area and the first display area. As shown in Figure 5, each end of the NFC coil in Figure 5 (a) passes through the peripheral area and from the side of the second display area parallel to the long side of the driver chip away from the driver chip, penetrates into the second display area, forming a routing line connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit, such as forming a routing line symmetrical about the central axis of the NFC control circuit; each end of the NFC coil in Figure 5 (b) passes through the peripheral area and from the side of the second display area parallel to the long side of the driver chip away from the driver chip, penetrates into the second display area and the first display area, forming a routing line connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit, such as forming a routing line symmetrical about the central axis of the NFC control circuit.

[0078] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 3( b ) and FIG. 7( a ) and ( b ), the volume of the NFC coil penetrating into the first display area and the second display area can be freely set according to actual needs.

[0079] As another example, as shown in Figure 4, each end of the NFC coil in Figure 4 (a) passes through the peripheral area and from the side of the second display area perpendicular to the long side of the driver chip, penetrates into the second display area, forming a routing line connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit, such as forming a routing line symmetrical about the central axis of the NFC control circuit; and each end of the NFC coil in Figure 4 (b) passes through the peripheral area and from the side of the second display area perpendicular to the long side of the driver chip, penetrates into the second display area and the first display area, forming a routing line connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit, such as forming a routing line symmetrical about the central axis of the NFC control circuit.

[0080] In one embodiment, the device further includes: one or more parallel traces connected in parallel to traces connecting the NFC control circuit at both ends of the coil; each parallel trace runs through at least two of the first display area, the second display area, and the peripheral area.

[0081] For example, as shown in FIG6 , each end of the NFC coil in FIG6 (a) passes through the peripheral area, forming a routing line connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit in the peripheral area. The NFC coil in FIG6 (a) also includes: a parallel routing line connected in parallel to the routing line connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit, and the parallel routing line passes through the peripheral area and the second display area.

[0082] Each end of the NFC coil in Figure 6(c) passes through the peripheral area, forming a routing line connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit in the peripheral area. The NFC coil in Figure 6(c) also includes: two parallel routing lines connected in parallel to the routing lines connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit, one of the two parallel routing lines passes through the peripheral area and the second display area; the other parallel routing line passes through the first display area, the peripheral area, and the second display area.

[0083] Each end of the NFC coil in Figure 6(b) passes through the peripheral area, forming a routing line connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit in the peripheral area and the second display area. The NFC coil in Figure 6(b) also includes: a parallel routing line that is connected in parallel to the routing line connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit, and the parallel routing line runs through the first display area and the second display area.

[0084] In one embodiment, the parallel trace is disposed on the TFT substrate at a position opposite to the location of the NFC control circuit (e.g., on a side of the TFT substrate away from the NFC control circuit). To more rationally arrange the distribution of the NFC coil on the substrate and to ensure sufficient space for the NFC coil, the parallel trace can be disposed on a side of the substrate away from the NFC control circuit, as shown in FIG6 , at a position opposite to the location of the NFC control circuit.

[0085] In one embodiment, both ends of the NFC coil are connected to the same end of the NFC control circuit; the two ends of the NFC coil respectively pass through the peripheral area, from the side of the second display area perpendicular to the long side of the driver chip, and the side parallel to the long side of the driver chip, respectively, to enter the second display area and the first display area.

[0086] For example, as shown in Figure 8, both ends of the NFC coil in (a) of Figure 8 are connected to the right end of the NFC control circuit and extend from the right end, respectively penetrating into the second display area and the first display area from the side of the second display area perpendicular to the long side of the driver chip and the side parallel to the long side of the driver chip.

[0087] In one embodiment, the NFC coil includes multiple parallel traces.

[0088] For example, as shown in FIG8 , the two parallel wirings in FIG8 (b) are respectively located on two sides of the second display area.

[0089] In one embodiment, the electronic paper screen further comprises: a printed circuit board and a flexible circuit board;

[0090] The NFC control circuit is integrated into at least one of the driver chip, the printed circuit board, and the flexible circuit board;

[0091] The driving chip and the printed circuit board are electrically connected to the TFT substrate through a flexible circuit board.

[0092] In one embodiment, the printed circuit board is used to receive control timing and data signals;

[0093] The flexible circuit board is used to send control timing and data signals to the driver chip.

[0094] In one embodiment, the TFT substrate comprises a film structure formed by a plurality of conductive metal layers and a plurality of insulating layers; and the NFC coil is disposed in at least one of the conductive metal layers.

[0095] For example, as shown in Figure 2B, it is a schematic diagram of the structure of the TFT substrate of an e-paper screen. The TFT substrate consists of two parts: a glass substrate and a TFT array. The TFT substrate is formed by forming the TFT array on the glass substrate. Taking the 5-mask / 6-mask process as an example, the film layer structure of the TFT array, from bottom to top, is as follows: Gate layer, GI layer (gate insulator), Active layer (active layer), SD layer, PVX layer (passivation layer), and ITO layer. The Gate layer is used to form the gate wiring, the TFT gate, and the common electrode, and is typically made of conductive materials such as Mo, Al, Nd, and Cu. The GI layer is used to isolate the Gate layer and the SD layer, and is typically made of insulating materials such as SiNx or SiO2. The Active layer is used to form the conductive channel of the TFT and is typically made of a-Si, p-Si, IGZO, or other semiconductor materials. The SD layer is used to form the data wiring, the TFT source, drain, and pixel electrode, and is typically made of conductive materials such as Mo, Al, Nd, and Cu. The PVX layer is used to insulate the SD layer from the ITO layer and is typically made of insulating materials such as SiNx or SiO2. The ITO layer is used to form pixel electrodes and is typically made of transparent conductive materials such as ITO.

[0096] The TFT substrate contains two conductive metal layers, the Gate and SD, and a transparent conductive metal layer, ITO. By sharing at least one of the Gate and SD conductive metal layers, an NFC coil can be formed on the TFT substrate. Furthermore, when using multiple metal layers to form the NFC coil, vias in the insulating layer and ITO can be used to achieve electrical connections between the different metal layers.

[0097] Several specific embodiments are provided below to illustrate specific applications of the disclosed device. These embodiments provide an electronic paper screen with an integrated NFC coil on a TFT substrate. Specifically, the NFC coil is disposed on the TFT substrate. Specifically, the NFC coil is disposed in both the display area and the peripheral area of ​​the TFT substrate. This allows for the realization of the NFC coil structure while significantly increasing the degree of freedom in NFC coil design. Parameters such as the number, position, size, trace width, trace distance, DC impedance, and number of coil loops of the NFC coil can all be effectively optimized and improved based on the specific product, enabling the development of customized and high-performance NFC coils for specific products.

[0098] The first to seventh specific embodiments are described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 9 .

[0099] It is worth noting that in order to achieve the driving and control of the NFC coil, the NFC coils in the first to seventh specific embodiments are all exemplified as NFC control circuits connected to the IC (i.e., the driver chip). Here, the NFC control circuit is provided on the IC for illustration. Similarly, the NFC control circuit can also be provided on an FPC or PCB, so that the NFC coil provided on the TFT substrate can be connected to the FPC or PCB to achieve the driving and control of the NFC coil.

[0100] Furthermore, the NFC coil has a linear routing structure, which can be arranged in different positions throughout the display area and the surrounding area according to different design requirements. For the convenience of description, the first to seventh specific embodiments all take the NFC coil as an example of a rectangular structure, and do not specifically limit the shape of the NFC coil. The NFC coil in the present disclosure can have structures of different shapes. Furthermore, for the convenience of description, the first to seventh specific embodiments use "upper routing", "left routing", "lower routing" and "right routing" to refer to different positions of the NFC coil. It should be noted that, for example, the NFC coil is arranged on the TFT substrate, and its shape can be a square or a round shape. When the shape is a square or a round shape, the routing of the upper, left, lower and right parts of the NFC coil are respectively defined as the upper routing, left routing, lower routing and right routing of the NFC coil.

[0101] First specific embodiment:

[0102] As shown in Figure 3, an e-paper screen with an NFC coil integrated on a TFT substrate is shown. For ease of illustration, the planar structure diagram only shows the TFT substrate, IC, FPC, and PCB, which are related to the NFC function:

[0103] 1. As shown in Figure 3 (a), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Area 2 and Area 3 of the TFT substrate. The top of the NFC coil passes through Area 2, the left side of the NFC coil passes through Area 2 and Area 3, the right side of the NFC coil passes through Area 2 and Area 3, and the bottom side of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. To drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuit on the IC.

[0104] 2. As shown in Figure 3(b), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Areas 1, 2, and 3 of the TFT substrate. The top of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, the left side of the NFC coil passes through Areas 1, 2, and 3, the right side of the NFC coil passes through Areas 1, 2, and 3, and the bottom side of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. To drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuitry on the IC.

[0105] Second specific embodiment:

[0106] As shown in Figure 4, an e-paper screen with an NFC coil integrated on a TFT substrate is shown. For ease of illustration, the planar structure diagram only shows the TFT substrate, IC, FPC, and PCB, which are related to the NFC function:

[0107] 1. As shown in Figure 4 (a), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Area 2 and Area 3 of the TFT substrate. The top wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 2, the left wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3, the right wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3, and the bottom wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. To drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuit on the IC.

[0108] 2. As shown in Figure 4(b), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Areas 1, 2, and 3 of the TFT substrate. The top wiring of the NFC coil passes through Areas 1 and 2, the left wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3, the right wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3, and the bottom wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. To drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuitry on the IC.

[0109] 3. As shown in Figure 4 (c), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Areas 1, 2, and 3 of the TFT substrate. The top of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, the left side of the NFC coil passes through Areas 2 and 3, the right side of the NFC coil passes through Areas 2 and 3, and the bottom side of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. To drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuitry on the IC.

[0110] The third specific embodiment:

[0111] Figure 5 shows an e-paper screen with an NFC coil integrated on a TFT substrate. For ease of illustration, the planar structure diagram only shows the NFC-related components: the TFT substrate, IC, FPC, and PCB.

[0112] 1. As shown in Figure 5 (a), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Area 2 and Area 3 of the TFT substrate. The top wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 2 and Area 3, the left wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3, the right wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3, and the bottom wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. To drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuit on the IC.

[0113] 2. As shown in Figure 5(b), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Areas 1, 2, and 3 of the TFT substrate. The top wiring of the NFC coil passes through Areas 1, 2, and 3; the left wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3; the right wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3; and the bottom wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. To drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuitry on the IC.

[0114] Fourth specific embodiment:

[0115] As shown in Figure 6, an e-paper screen with an NFC coil integrated on a TFT substrate is shown. For ease of illustration, the planar structure diagram only shows the TFT substrate, IC, FPC, and PCB, which are related to the NFC function:

[0116] 1. As shown in Figure 6 (a), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Area 2 and Area 3 of the TFT substrate. The topside routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 2 and Area 3, the leftside routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 3, the rightside routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 3, and the bottomside routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. The topside routing of the NFC coil consists of multiple parallel routings to reduce routing resistance. Furthermore, to drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuit on the IC.

[0117] 2. As shown in Figure 6(b), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3 of the TFT substrate. The topside routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 1 and Area 2, the leftside routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 3, the rightside routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 3, and the bottomside routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. The topside routing of the NFC coil consists of multiple routing lines connected in parallel to reduce routing resistance. Furthermore, to drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuit on the IC.

[0118] 3. As shown in Figure 6 (c), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3 of the TFT substrate. The topside routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3; the left side routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 3; the right side routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 3; and the bottom side routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. The topside routing of the NFC coil consists of multiple parallel routings to reduce routing resistance. Furthermore, to drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuit on the IC.

[0119] Fifth specific embodiment:

[0120] As shown in Figure 7, an e-paper screen with an NFC coil integrated on a TFT substrate is shown. For ease of illustration, the planar structure diagram only shows the TFT substrate, IC, FPC, and PCB, which are related to the NFC function:

[0121] 1. As shown in Figure 7(a), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3 of the TFT substrate. The top of the NFC coil passes through Area 2, the left side of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, the underside of Area 2, and Area 3, the right side of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3, and the bottom side of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. To drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuit on the IC.

[0122] 2. As shown in Figure 7(b), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, it is located within Areas 1, 2, and 3 of the TFT substrate. The top of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, the left side of the NFC coil passes through Areas 1, 2, and 3, the right side of the NFC coil passes through Areas 1, 2, and 3, and the bottom side of the NFC coil passes through Area 3. To drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuitry on the IC.

[0123] Sixth specific embodiment:

[0124] As shown in Figure 8, an e-paper screen with an NFC coil integrated on a TFT substrate is shown. For ease of explanation, the planar structure diagram only shows the TFT substrate, IC, FPC, and PCB, which are related to the NFC function:

[0125] 1. As shown in Figure 8 (a), the NFC coil is located on the TFT substrate. Specifically, the NFC coil is located within Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3 of the TFT substrate. The top wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, the left wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, the right wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 2, and the bottom wiring of the NFC coil passes through Area 2. To drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuit on the IC.

[0126] 2. As can be seen in Figure 8(b), the NFC coil is arranged on the TFT substrate. Specifically, the two NFC coils are arranged within Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3 of the TFT substrate. For the left NFC coil: the upper routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, the left routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 2, the right routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, and the lower routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 2. For the right NFC coil: the upper routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, the left routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 1, the right routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 2, and the lower routing of the NFC coil passes through Area 2. At the same time, in order to realize the drive and control of the NFC coils, the two NFC coils are ultimately connected to the NFC control circuit on the IC.

[0127] Seventh specific embodiment:

[0128] As shown in Figure 9, an e-paper screen with an NFC coil integrated on a TFT substrate is shown. For ease of illustration, the planar structure diagram only shows the TFT substrate, IC, FPC, and PCB, which are related to the NFC function:

[0129] As shown in the figure, the difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 (a) mainly lies in the shapes of areas 1, 2 and 3: 1. The shape of area 1 is a polygon; specifically, it is a rectangle with four rounded chamfered corners; 2. The shape of area 2 is a polygon; specifically, it is a closed ring with four rounded chamfered corners on the inner and outer edges; 3. The shape of area 3 is a polygon; specifically, it is a closed ring with four rounded chamfered corners on the inner and outer edges.

[0130] The design of the NFC coil in this embodiment is the same as that in Example 1(a) and will not be repeated here. For ease of illustration, the edges of Regions 1, 2, and 3 are all rectangular with rounded corners. However, in actual products, Region 1 can be any closed shape, and Regions 2 and 3 can be any closed ring shape.

[0131] In the above embodiment, for the convenience of explanation, the number of turns of the NFC coil is set to 1. In actual products, it can be set to 1 turn or more turns as needed.

[0132] In the above embodiments, to drive and control the NFC coil, the NFC coil is ultimately connected to the NFC control circuit on the IC. While the NFC control circuit is described here as being on the IC, the NFC control circuit can also be installed on an FPC or PCB. This allows the NFC coil on the TFT substrate to be connected to the FPC or PCB to drive and control the NFC coil.

[0133] In the above embodiments, due to wiring space limitations, the width of the NFC coils at different locations may be the same or different, and the distance between the NFC coils at different locations may be the same or different.

[0134] In the above embodiments, the NFC coil may be routed using a single wire, or may be routed using two, three, or more wires connected in parallel to reduce wiring resistance, and no specific requirements are made herein.

[0135] In the above embodiments, the number of NFC coils may be one, two, or more, and no specific requirement is made here.

[0136] The electronic paper screen in the embodiment of the present disclosure is provided with an electronic paper model, a TFT substrate, an NFC coil, a driving chip and an NFC control circuit. The TFT substrate is provided with a first display area, a second display area and a peripheral area from the inside to the outside. The NFC coil is provided in the peripheral area and the second display area, or in the first display area, the second display area and the peripheral area. The first display area and the second display area form the display area of ​​the TFT substrate. The NFC coil is used to receive an NFC control signal. The NFC control circuit is connected to the NFC coil and is used to control the electronic paper model to perform corresponding actions according to the NFC control signal. The driving chip is provided on the TFT substrate and is used to convert the received control timing and data signals into voltage and timing for driving the electronic paper model to refresh. Compared with the technical solution in the prior art of only setting the NFC coil in the peripheral area of ​​the TFT substrate, by setting the NFC coil in both the display area and the peripheral area of ​​the TFT substrate, the freedom of design of the NFC coil in the electronic paper screen can be improved, and various parameters of the NFC coil can be flexibly set according to usage requirements, which can effectively improve the structure of the electronic paper screen and help to develop customized and high-performance NFC coils for specific products, thereby effectively improving the NFC performance of the electronic paper screen and the applicability of the electronic paper screen.

[0137] In summary, the electronic paper screen disclosed in the above embodiments of the present disclosure has the following characteristics: 1. The NFC coil is integrated on the TFT substrate; 2. The routing of the NFC coil is set in both the display area and the peripheral area; 3. Parameters such as the number, position, size, routing width, routing distance, DC impedance and number of coil loops of the NFC coil can be flexibly set according to needs; 4. The shape of the display area and the peripheral area of ​​the TFT substrate can be rectangular or any other closed shape.

[0138] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An electronic paper screen, characterized in that: include: Electronic paper model, TFT substrate, NFC coil, driver chip and NFC control circuit; The TFT substrate is provided with a first display area, a second display area and a peripheral area in sequence from the inside to the outside; the NFC coil is provided in the peripheral area and the second display area, or in the first display area, the second display area and the peripheral area; the first display area and the second display area form the display area of ​​the TFT substrate; NFC coil, used to receive NFC control signals; An NFC control circuit, connected to the NFC coil, and used to control the electronic paper model to perform corresponding actions according to the NFC control signal; as well as The driving chip is arranged on the TFT substrate, and is used for converting the received control timing and data signals into the voltage and timing for driving the electronic paper model to refresh.

2. The electronic paper screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The TFT substrate comprises: a Glass substrate and a TFT array arranged on the Glass substrate; and the TFT array comprises a first display area, a second display area and a peripheral area arranged in sequence from the inside to the outside.

3. The electronic paper screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first display area is an AA area in the display area; the second display area is a Border area in the display area.

4. The electronic paper screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each end of the NFC coil passes through the peripheral area and enters the second display area, or passes through the second display area and the first display area, forming a wiring connecting the two ends of the coil to the NFC control circuit.

5. The electronic paper screen as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The NFC coil penetrates into the second display area, or penetrates into the second display area and the first display area in the following manner: From the side of the second display area parallel to the long side of the driving chip, penetrate into the second display area, or penetrate into the second display area and the first display area; or The side of the second display area that is perpendicular to the long side of the driving chip penetrates into the second display area, or penetrates into the second display area and the first display area.

6. The electronic paper screen according to claim 4, characterized in that: Also includes: One or more parallel routing lines connected in parallel with routing lines connecting the NFC control circuit at both ends of the coil, wherein each of the parallel routing lines runs through at least two of the first display area, the second display area, and the peripheral area.

7. The electronic paper screen according to claim 6, characterized in that: The parallel wiring is arranged on the TFT substrate at a position opposite to the position where the NFC control circuit is located.

8. The electronic paper screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the NFC coil are connected to the same end of the NFC control circuit; the two ends of the NFC coil respectively pass through the peripheral area, and respectively penetrate into the second display area and the first display area from the side of the second display area perpendicular to the long side of the driving chip and the side parallel to the long side of the driving chip.

9. The electronic paper screen according to claim 8, characterized in that: The NFC coil includes a plurality of parallel wirings.

10. The electronic paper screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The display area and the peripheral area are in a closed shape.

11. The electronic paper screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: Printed circuit boards and flexible circuit boards; Wherein, the NFC control circuit is integrated into at least one of the driver chip, the printed circuit board and the flexible circuit board; as well as The driving chip and the printed circuit board are electrically connected to the TFT substrate through the flexible circuit board.

12. The electronic paper screen according to claim 11, characterized in that: The printed circuit board is used to receive the control timing and data signals; and The flexible circuit board is used to send the control timing and data signals to the driving chip.

13. The electronic paper screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The TFT substrate comprises a film structure formed by multiple conductive metal layers and multiple insulating layers; The NFC coil is disposed in at least one conductive metal layer.

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