Display module, display apparatus and electronic device

Abstract

The present application provides a display module, a display apparatus and an electronic device. The display module comprises a driving substrate, a microcavity layer and a common electrode layer which are stacked in sequence, wherein the microcavity layer comprises a plurality of microcavities and a sealing layer; each microcavity is connected between the driving substrate and the sealing layer, an accommodating space of the microcavity is used for accommodating a medium, and an opening is formed at the top of the cavity wall of the microcavity; the openings are used for realizing communication of adjacent accommodating spaces when the plurality of microcavities are not combined with the sealing layer, the tops of the plurality of microcavities are embedded into the sealing layer, and the sealing layer is used for sealing the accommodating spaces and filling the openings. According to the present application, by designing openings on the cavity walls, the sealing reliability of each microcavity during the manufacturing process of the display module is facilitated, and bubble formation is reduced.

Description

Display module, display device and electronic equipment

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410448172.9, filed on April 12, 2024, with the State Intellectual Property Office of China, and the Chinese patent application No. 202410448172.9 has the title of "Display module, display device and electronic equipment", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a display module, a display device and an electronic equipment. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the wide use of electronic equipment (mobile phone, Pad, PC), people are prone to visual fatigue, dry eyes, dizziness, and vision decline after reading on electronic screens for a long time. Reflective paper-like display technology (electronic paper / ink screen) has attracted widespread attention in the display industry. Micro-cavity ink screen technology has the advantages of high pixel PPI, clear image boundary, and better overall image quality. Micro-cavity ink screen technology is the focus of ink screen technology research and development. However, due to the micro-cavity ink screen architecture, electronic ink needs to be coated into the micro-cavity (pixel area) structure, and there is currently a problem of uneven coating, which leads to the following serious problems after packaging process (such as vacuum debubbling, and self-pressing process), such as air bubbles in some areas due to insufficient ink coating, and poor micro-cavity structure (pixel unit) sealing reliability due to excessive ink coating. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a display module, a display device and an electronic equipment, which solves the problems of poor sealing reliability and air bubbles of the display module through the design of the display module.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a display module, comprising a driving substrate, a micro-cavity layer and a common electrode layer which are sequentially stacked, the micro-cavity layer comprises a plurality of micro-cavities and a sealing layer, the bottom of the plurality of micro-cavities is connected to the driving substrate, and the sealing layer is connected to the top of the plurality of micro-cavities. Each of the micro-cavities comprises a cavity wall and an accommodation space formed by the cavity wall, the accommodation space is used to accommodate a medium, the top of the cavity wall has an opening, the opening is used to realize the communication between adjacent accommodation spaces in a state that the plurality of micro-cavities is not combined with the sealing layer, and the top of the plurality of micro-cavities is embedded in the sealing layer, and the sealing layer is used to close the accommodation space and fill the opening.

[0006] The state that the plurality of micro-cavities are not combined with the sealing layer refers to a state that the sealing layer and the top of the cavity wall are not combined in the process of manufacturing the display module. In an embodiment, in the process of manufacturing the display module, the prepared sealing layer is attached to the top of the micro-cavities filled with the medium, and then the vacuum defoaming step is performed, and then the lamination process (also referred to as the flat plate pressing process) is performed. In the lamination process, the plurality of micro-cavities are connected through the openings. In the process that the sealing layer is not filled with the openings, the medium in the micro-cavities can flow to each other through the openings, so that the medium in the micro-cavities with more medium can flow to the surrounding micro-cavities with less medium, and the medium in each micro-cavity can have a uniform thickness. The present application solves the problems of poor combination of the sealing layer and the cavity wall and the inability to seal due to excessive medium, and the micro-cavities with less medium can be filled with the medium, thereby solving the problem of bubbles.

[0007] In a possible implementation, a size of the opening in the depth direction is less than a thickness of the sealing layer; a direction in which the driving substrate, the micro-cavity layer and the common electrode layer are stacked is: the depth direction of the opening and the thickness direction of the sealing layer. A difference between the thickness of the sealing layer and the size of the opening in the depth direction is greater than or equal to 1 um and less than or equal to 3 um. The present solution constrains the difference between the thickness of the sealing layer and the size of the opening in the depth direction to a range of 1 um to 3 um. In order to balance the design of thin size of the display module and ensure the reliability of the manufacturing process, if the difference between the two is too small, less than 1 um, the sealing layer may not be completely sealed due to the tolerance and other problems. If the difference between the two is too large, for example, greater than 3 um, although the sealing requirement can be met, the thickness of the overall display module will be increased, which is not conducive to the design of thin size of the display module.

[0008] In a possible implementation, a size of the opening in the width direction is D, and 30 um≥D≥2 um; the cavity wall includes a length direction and a width direction perpendicular to each other, the width direction of the cavity wall is the arrangement direction of the two adjacent accommodation spaces on both sides of the cavity wall, and the size of the width direction of the opening is the size of the opening in the length direction of the cavity wall. The present solution constrains the size of the opening in the width direction to a range of 30 um≥D≥2 um, which is conducive to matching the size of the micro-cavities of the display module and the medium therein, and facilitating the mutual flow of the medium in the micro-cavities in the manufacturing process.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner, the arrangement direction of the plurality of accommodation spaces includes a row direction and a column direction, two adjacent rows of the accommodation spaces are separated by the cavity walls, two adjacent columns of the accommodation spaces are separated by the cavity walls, each microcavity includes two cavity walls extending along the row direction and arranged oppositely, and two cavity walls extending along the column direction and arranged oppositely, the intersection position of the cavity wall extending along the row direction and the cavity wall extending along the column direction is a corner position of the microcavity, and the opening is located at the corner position. According to the scheme, the opening is arranged at the corner position, the number of microcavities connected by one opening can be more than two, for example, one opening can connect four microcavities, and the opening is arranged at the intersection position of the cavity walls, which is beneficial to realizing a smaller and thinner design while ensuring the strength of the cavity walls.

[0010] In a possible implementation manner, each microcavity includes four corner positions, and each corner position has the opening. According to the scheme, the number of openings for connecting adjacent microcavities is increased, and the flow speed of the medium can be improved in the manufacturing process.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the arrangement direction of the plurality of accommodation spaces includes a row direction and a column direction, two adjacent rows of the accommodation spaces are separated by the cavity walls, two adjacent columns of the accommodation spaces are separated by the cavity walls, each microcavity includes two cavity walls extending along the row direction and arranged oppositely, and two cavity walls extending along the column direction and arranged oppositely, the intersection position of the cavity wall extending along the row direction and the cavity wall extending along the column direction is a corner position of the microcavity, the part of the cavity wall between two adjacent corner positions is a side position of the microcavity, and the opening is located at the side position. According to the scheme, the opening is arranged at the side position instead of the corner position, the stability of the microcavity structure can be improved by connecting the cavity walls at the corner positions, and one opening is connected to two microcavities, which is beneficial to realizing a better structure and a more convenient manufacturing process.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner, each microcavity includes four side positions arranged oppositely in pairs, and each side position has the opening.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner, each microcavity includes four side positions arranged oppositely in pairs, and each side position has the opening.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the arrangement directions of the plurality of accommodation spaces include a row direction and a column direction, two adjacent rows of the accommodation spaces are separated by the cavity walls, two adjacent columns of the accommodation spaces are separated by the cavity walls, each micro-cavity includes two cavity walls extending along the row direction and arranged oppositely, and two cavity walls extending along the column direction and arranged oppositely, the intersection of the cavity wall extending along the row direction and the cavity wall extending along the column direction is a corner position of the micro-cavity, part of the cavity wall between adjacent corner positions is a side position of the micro-cavity, part of the openings are located at the corner positions, and part of the openings are located at the side positions. The scheme provides a flexible arrangement of the openings, and some openings can be arranged at the corner positions and some openings can be arranged at the side positions according to specific scene requirements.

[0015] In a possible implementation, each micro-cavity includes at least two sub-cavities, the adjacent sub-cavities are separated by sub-cavity walls, and a gap is formed between at least part of the sub-cavity walls and the sealing layer. The scheme forms different color displays by corresponding different color electrodes on the color film substrate of the display module.

[0016] In a possible implementation, each micro-cavity includes at least two sub-cavities, the adjacent sub-cavities are separated by sub-cavity walls, and a gap is formed between at least part of the sub-cavity walls and the sealing layer, and the openings are located at the positions where the cavity walls and the sub-cavity walls intersect.

[0017] In a possible implementation, in each micro-cavity, all the sub-cavities are arranged in a two-row-two-column arrangement, a two-row-three-column arrangement, or a three-row-three-column arrangement.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the display module includes an operable region and an edge region, the edge region is located at the periphery of the operable region, all the micro-cavities are distributed in the operable region, the display module further includes a retaining wall, the retaining wall is located in the edge region, the bottom of the retaining wall is connected to the driving substrate, the sealing layer is connected to the top of the retaining wall, a transition region is formed between the retaining wall and the operable region, and the transition region is used to accommodate a medium. The scheme separates the edge region into the transition region by the retaining wall, can realize uniform filling of the medium in the transition region, and can make the density of the medium in the transition region the same as the density of the medium in the micro-cavities, thereby facilitating guarantee of the display effect of the edge position of the operable region, and avoiding problems such as incomplete display, poor display effect, and image distortion caused by lack of medium or uneven distribution of the medium at the edge of the operable region.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the height of the barrier wall is the same as the height of the cavity wall, and the thickness of the medium in the transition region is uniform.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the barrier wall comprises a plurality of sub-walls, a channel is formed between adjacent sub-walls, and a frame sealing region is located on a side of the barrier wall away from the transition region, the channel being used to communicate the frame sealing region and the transition region.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the minimum spacing between the barrier wall and the operable region ranges from greater than or equal to 50 um to less than or equal to 500 um.

[0022] In a second aspect, an example of the present application provides a display device, comprising a driving module and the display module provided in any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect, wherein the driving module is configured to drive the display module.

[0023] In a third aspect, an example of the present application provides an electronic device, comprising a controller and the display device provided in any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect, wherein the controller is configured to control the display device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a display device according to an example of the present application;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an example of the present application;

[0026] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a display module according to an example of the present application;

[0027] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a micro-cavity layer and driving substrates and a common electrode layer connected to both sides of the micro-cavity layer in a display module according to an example of the present application;

[0028] FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of a cavity wall and a sealing layer in one direction of a micro-cavity according to an example of the present application;

[0029] FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of the cavity wall and the sealing layer in a separated state according to an example of the present application;

[0030] FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of a cavity wall and a sealing layer in another direction of a micro-cavity according to an example of the present application;

[0031] FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of the cavity wall and the sealing layer in a separated state according to an example of the present application;

[0032] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a distribution of a plurality of micro-cavities in a display module according to an example of the present application;

[0033] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a distribution of a plurality of micro-cavities and an opening position in a display module according to an example of the present application;

[0034] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of a plurality of microcavities and the position of openings in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of a plurality of microcavities and the position of openings in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of a plurality of microcavities and the position of openings in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of a plurality of microcavities with subcavities and the position of openings in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of a plurality of microcavities with subcavities and the position of openings in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of a plurality of microcavities with subcavities and the position of openings in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of a plurality of microcavities with subcavities and the position of openings in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of a plurality of microcavities with subcavities and the position of openings in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a microcavity layer and driving substrates and common electrode layers connected on both sides of the microcavity layer in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a microcavity layer and driving substrates and common electrode layers connected on both sides of the microcavity layer in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a display module according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Possible embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] As a healthy display mode, electronic paper display device (also known as electronic ink screen) is widely favored due to its low power consumption, paper-like display and other excellent characteristics. Specifically, the electronic paper display device is a kind of paper-like electronic display, which has the advantages of paper (such as visual observation almost completely and paper), and can constantly refresh the display content like liquid crystal display, and is more power saving than liquid crystal display. The electronic paper display device also has the function of folding and bending, and the picture display is more delicate and has a larger viewing angle.

[0049] The application scenarios of the electronic paper display device are very wide, and the electronic paper display device can also be applied in smart labels (such as supermarket shelf labels, luggage labels, medicine labels, medical labels, etc.), mobile (wearable) terminal devices (such as watches, thermometers, mobile phones, tablets, computers, typewriters, e-paper books, readers, etc.), display boards (such as bus station boards, gas station boards, advertising boards, etc.) and other application scenarios.

[0050] Embodiments of the present application provide a display module, a display device and an electronic device. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 1, in an embodiment, the display device 100 provided by the present application includes a display module and a driving module, the driving module is used to drive the display module, the driving module and the display module can be electrically connected through an FPC, the FPC can be integrally arranged at the edge region of the display module, and the FPC can be integrally formed with the display module, that is, the FPC part is directly manufactured in the process of manufacturing the display module. It can be understood that the display device can also include other modules, for example, a communication module for receiving instructions, a front light source module, a touch module, etc.

[0051] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 2, in an embodiment, the electronic device 1000 is a tablet product, and the electronic device 1000 includes a tablet 1001 and a stylus 1002. The tablet 1001 includes a display device 100. The tablet 1001 can further include a controller 1003. The controller 1003 is schematically represented by a dashed rectangular frame in FIG. 2, and the present application does not represent the specific arrangement position, structure, and the like of the controller. The controller 1003 is electrically connected to the display device 100, and the controller 1003 and the display device 100 are communicatively connected. The controller 1003 can be a driving circuit, and the controller 1003 can be a separate driving chip or integrated in a system on chip. The tablet 1001 can further include a battery for providing power to the display device 100. The tablet 1001 can further include other functional devices, such as a communication device for receiving instructions, a camera device, and the like. The stylus 1002 is used to provide operations of writing on the tablet 1001, for example, the stylus 1002 can be used to mark or take notes during reading. The electronic device 1000 provided by the present application can also be various smart tags, various mobile (wearable) terminals, various display boards, and the like.

[0052] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 3, the display module 10 includes a driving substrate 11, a microcavity layer 12, a common electrode layer 13, and an upper substrate 14 which are sequentially stacked. The upper substrate 14 is used to protect the display module 10. The upper substrate 14 can be a single protective layer, such as a glass or a film structure of other materials. The upper substrate 14 can also include a multi-layer structure, and the upper substrate 14 can integrate the functions of an optical film, a touch function, and the like. For example, the upper substrate 14 can include a front light layer 141, a touch layer 142, and a cover layer 143. The front light layer 141 is used for light modulation, light filtering, and the like. The touch layer 142 is used to arrange a touch circuit. The cover layer 143 is used to protect the display module, for example, the cover layer is a glass cover.

[0053] The common electrode layer 13 and the driving substrate 11 in the display module 10 control the position of the medium in the micro-cavity layer 12 through the effect of the electric field, thereby realizing the display of the image. The circuit on the driving substrate 11 and the driving IC are responsible for generating control signals, which are transmitted to the pixel electrode layer in the driving substrate 11 through the data line. When the circuit on the driving substrate 11 applies a positive voltage to a certain pixel electrode, the negatively charged particles of the medium in the micro-cavity layer 12 corresponding to the pixel will move to the vicinity of the pixel electrode, while the positively charged particles will move to the vicinity of the common electrode layer 13. Since the negatively charged particles are usually white or light-colored, and the positively charged particles are black or dark-colored, the micro-cavity layer 12 will display the corresponding color. In an embodiment, by changing the polarity of the voltage applied to the pixel electrode, the position of the medium in the micro-cavity layer 12 can be switched, thereby changing the display color.

[0054] In an embodiment, the common electrode layer 13 covers the operable area of the display module 10, and the common electrode layer 13 serves as a reference point for the electric field of the medium in the micro-cavity layer 12. The material of the common electrode layer 13 is usually a transparent conductive material to ensure that the display module 10 can maintain high light transmittance when displaying images. For example, the material of the common electrode layer 13 can be indium tin oxide (ITO), conductive polymers (such as polystyrene sulfonic acid), metal mesh or nanowire (common metal materials include silver, copper, etc.), transparent conductive oxide (such as aluminum zinc oxide and zinc oxide, etc.).

[0055] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the micro-cavity layer in the display module and the driving substrate and the common electrode layer connected on both sides of the micro-cavity layer according to an embodiment of the present application. The driving substrate can be an active array substrate or a passive array substrate. Referring to FIG. 4, in an embodiment, the driving substrate 11 includes a substrate layer 111, a thin film transistor (TFT) 112 and a pixel electrode layer 113 which are sequentially stacked. The material of the substrate layer 111 can be a flexible material or a non-flexible material (such as glass). The substrate layer 111 is used to carry the thin film transistor 112 and the pixel electrode layer 113. The thin film transistor 112 is used to drive the pixel electrode layer 113. The pixel electrode layer 113 is located between the thin film transistor 112 and the micro-cavity layer 12. In an embodiment, the pixel electrode layer 113 includes a plurality of pixel electrode structures 1131 corresponding to the pixels of the display module 10, and the plurality of pixel electrode structures 1131 are sequentially and spacedly arranged on the surface of the thin film transistor 112. The pixel electrode layer 113 further includes an isolation layer 1132 covering and wrapping the plurality of pixel electrode structures 1131, and the isolation layer 1132 is used to carry the micro-cavity layer 12, i.e., the micro-cavity layer 12 is arranged on the surface of the isolation layer 1132.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 4, the microcavity layer 12 includes a plurality of microcavities 121 and a sealing layer 122. In one embodiment, the plurality of microcavities 121 are arranged one-to-one with the plurality of pixel electrode structures 1131. The bottom of the plurality of microcavities 121 is connected to the isolation layer 1132 of the driving substrate 11. The sealing layer 122 is connected to the top of the plurality of microcavities 121, and seals each microcavity 121 at the top of the plurality of microcavities 121. Each of the microcavities 121 includes a cavity wall 1211 and a containing space 1212 formed by the cavity wall 1211. The number of the containing spaces 1212 in the microcavity layer 12 corresponds to the number of the pixel electrode structures 1131 in the driving substrate 11, and each pixel electrode structure 1131 is located at the bottom of a corresponding containing space 1212. The containing space 1212 is used to contain a medium 123. In one embodiment, the medium 123 includes an electrophoretic liquid and a particle group.

[0057] In one embodiment, the particle group can refer to a group of all negative particles, a group of all positive particles, a group of a certain number of negative particles and neutral particles, a group of a certain number of positive particles and neutral particles, a group of a certain number of positive particles and a certain number of negative particles, or a combination of a certain number of positive particles and a certain number of negative particles, or other cases, which are not limited herein. In one embodiment, the color of each particle in the particle group can be inconsistent. For example, the color of some particles in the particle group is red, the color of some particles is black, the color of some particles is white, the color of some particles is blue, and the red particles are positively charged, the blue particles are negatively charged, and the black particles are positively charged, etc.

[0058] The cavity wall 1211 of the microcavity 121 is used to build the containing space 1212 and define the boundary of each pixel. The material of the cavity wall 1211 plays a crucial role in the display performance and stability of the display module 10. In one embodiment, the material of the cavity wall 1211 has insulation, chemical stability, physical strength, optical transparency, and easy processability. In one embodiment, the cavity wall 1211 can be processed by inkjet printing, photolithography, or micro-mold casting, etc. The material selection of the cavity wall 1211 can include various polymers, such as polyimide (PI), polyester, polyamide, etc.

[0059] In an embodiment, the height of the cavity wall 1211 is less than or equal to 100 um. In an embodiment, the thickness of the cavity wall 1211 is less than or equal to 20 um. By setting the height of the cavity wall 1211, the present application can achieve a certain electric field intensity. By controlling the thickness and pattern distribution of the cavity wall 1211 of the microcavity 121, the pressing reliability and pixel aperture ratio can be controlled. In an embodiment, the ratio between the height of the cavity wall 1211 and the thickness of the cavity wall 1211 is between 1:1 and 20:1. In this way, the electric field intensity and the pixel aperture ratio can be improved, and the display effect can be improved.

[0060] FIG. 5A is a schematic view of one direction of a cavity wall and a sealing layer of a microcavity in combination, and FIG. 5B is a schematic view of the cavity wall and the sealing layer in a separated state. FIG. 6A is a schematic view of another direction of a cavity wall and a sealing layer of a microcavity in combination, and FIG. 6B is a schematic view of the cavity wall and the sealing layer in a separated state.

[0061] Referring to FIGS. 4, 5A, 5B, 6A and 6B, the top of the cavity wall 1211 has an opening 12111, which is used to realize the communication between adjacent accommodation spaces 1212 when the microcavities 121 are not combined with the sealing layer 122. The top of the microcavities 121 is embedded in the sealing layer 122, and the sealing layer 122 is used to seal the accommodation spaces 1212 and fill the openings 12111. The size of the opening 12111 in the depth direction is less than the thickness of the sealing layer 122.

[0062] The direction in which the driving substrate 11, the microcavity layer 12 and the common electrode layer 13 are stacked is the depth direction of the opening 12111 and the thickness direction of the sealing layer 122. In an embodiment, the size of the opening 12111 in the depth direction is less than the thickness of the sealing layer 122. The difference between the thickness of the sealing layer 122 and the size of the opening 12111 in the depth direction is greater than or equal to 1 um and less than or equal to 3 um. The present application limits the difference between the thickness of the sealing layer and the depth size of the opening. In order to consider the thin design of the display module and ensure the reliability of the manufacturing process, if the difference between the two is too small (for example, less than 1 um), the sealing layer may not be able to completely seal the opening due to tolerances and other problems. If the difference between the two is too large, for example, greater than 3 um, although the sealing requirement can be met, the thickness of the overall display module will be increased, which is not conducive to the thin design of the display module.

[0063] Referring to Fig. 5B, in one embodiment, the top of the opening of the microcavity 121 is embedded in the sealing layer 122, the sealing layer 122 is used to close the containing space 1212 and fill the opening, the size of the opening in the width direction is D, 30um≥D≥2um; the cavity wall 1211 includes a length direction and a width direction perpendicular to each other, the width direction of the cavity wall 1211 is the arrangement direction of the two adjacent containing spaces 1212 on both sides of the cavity wall 1211, and the size of the opening 12111 in the width direction is the size of the opening 12111 in the length direction of the cavity wall 1211. The size of the opening in the width direction is limited to the range of 30um≥D≥2um, which is conducive to matching the size of the microcavity of the display module and the medium therein, and facilitating the mutual flow of the medium in the microcavity during the manufacturing process.

[0064] The "state of the plurality of microcavities not being combined with the sealing layer" refers to the case that the top of the sealing layer and the cavity wall are not combined during the manufacturing process of the display module. In one embodiment, during the manufacturing process of the display module, the prepared sealing layer 122 is attached to the top of the microcavity 121 filled with the medium 123, and then the vacuum defoaming step is performed, and then the pressing (also referred to as flat pressing) process is performed. During the pressing process, the plurality of microcavities 121 are connected through the openings 12111, and during the process of the sealing layer 122 not filling the openings 12111, the medium 123 in the microcavities 121 can flow to each other through the openings 12111, so that the medium 123 in the microcavity 121 with more medium 123 can flow to the surrounding microcavities 121 with less medium 123, and the medium in each microcavity can have a uniform thickness. The present application solves the problems of poor combination of the sealing layer 122 and the cavity wall 1211 and the inability to seal due to excessive medium 123, and the microcavity 121 with less medium 123 can be filled with the medium 123, thereby solving the problem of bubbles.

[0065] In the enlarged view of the circular region in Fig. 4, the specific structure of the combination between the opening 12111 at the top of the cavity wall and the sealing layer 122 is clearly shown, and the area represented by the dashed rectangular frame is the opening 12111, and the opening 12111 is filled with part of the sealing layer 122.

[0066] Fig. 5A shows a plan view of one cavity wall of a microcavity in a display module, and the plane is the plane facing the containing space of the microcavity. Fig. 5B is an exploded view of Fig. 5A, from which it can be clearly seen that the top of the cavity wall 1211 has an opening 12111.

[0067] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of a cross-section of a cavity wall of a microcavity in a display module, the cross-section being taken inside the opening. Figure 6B is an exploded schematic diagram of Figure 6A. Referring to Figures 6A and 6B, the area of the cavity wall 1211 with the cross-section line is the cross-sectional area, and the rectangular area without the cross-section line is the position of the opening 12111.

[0068] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of a plurality of microcavities in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application. The specific positions of the openings are not shown in Figure 7. The embodiment shown in Figure 7 shows a matrix distribution of a plurality of microcavities 121. Referring to Figure 7, the arrangement direction of the plurality of accommodation spaces 1212 includes a row direction and a column direction. In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, the microcavities 121 are arranged in 5 rows and 5 columns. The two adjacent rows of the accommodation spaces 1212 are separated by the cavity wall 1211, and the two adjacent columns of the accommodation spaces 1212 are separated by the cavity wall 1211. Each microcavity 121 includes two cavity walls 1211 extending along the row direction and arranged opposite to each other, and two cavity walls 1211 extending along the column direction and arranged opposite to each other. The intersection position of the cavity wall 1211 extending along the row direction and the cavity wall 1211 extending along the column direction is the corner position P of the microcavity. The part of the cavity wall between the adjacent corner positions P is the side position L of the microcavity 121.

[0069] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of a plurality of microcavities and the position of the openings in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 8, in an embodiment, the opening 12111 is located at the corner position P of the microcavity 121. Each microcavity 121 includes four cavity walls 1211 arranged opposite to each other in pairs, and the intersection position of the adjacent cavity walls 1211 is the corner position P. In an embodiment, one microcavity 121 is taken as an example for description. The microcavity 121 has four openings 12111, and the four openings 12111 are respectively located at the four corner positions P. Each opening 12111 communicates the accommodation spaces 1212 of the four microcavities 121. In an embodiment, the opening 12111 is square, and the length of each side of the opening 12111 is greater than the thickness of the cavity wall 1211. In each microcavity 121, the cross-section of the accommodation space 1212 is square, and the length of the cross-section of the accommodation space 1212 is greater than the length of the corresponding cavity wall 1211. In the present scheme, the opening 12111 is arranged at the corner position, and the number of microcavities that can be communicated by one opening 12111 can be more than two, for example, one opening 12111 can communicate four microcavities. Moreover, the opening 12111 is arranged at the intersection position of the cavity walls, which is beneficial to realizing a smaller and thinner design while ensuring the strength of the cavity wall. In the present scheme, the number of openings for communication between adjacent microcavities is increased by adding an opening at each corner, which can improve the flow speed of the medium during the manufacturing process.

[0070] Figure 9 is a schematic view of the distribution of the plurality of microcavities and the position of the openings in the display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 9, in an embodiment, the openings 12111 are located at the side edge positions L. Each microcavity 121 includes four side edge positions L, and two of the side edge positions L are located opposite to each other, wherein the two side edge positions L located opposite to each other each have an opening 12111, and the other two side edge positions L do not have an opening 12111. In an embodiment, the openings 12111 are provided on the cavity walls 1211 extending in the row direction, and the openings 12111 are not provided on the cavity walls 1211 extending in the column direction. The arrangement direction of the side edge positions L provided with the openings 12111 is the coating direction of the ink (i.e. the medium filled in the accommodation space of the microcavity) during the manufacturing of the display module. In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, the coating direction of the ink is from top to bottom or from bottom to top.

[0071] Figure 10 is a schematic view of the distribution of the plurality of microcavities and the position of the openings in the display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 10, in an embodiment, the openings 12111 are located at the side edge positions L. Each microcavity 121 includes four side edge positions L, and two of the side edge positions L are located opposite to each other, wherein the two side edge positions L located opposite to each other each have an opening 12111, and the other two side edge positions L do not have an opening 12111.

[0072] Figure 11 is a schematic view of the distribution of the plurality of microcavities and the position of the openings in the display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 11, in an embodiment, some of the openings 12111 in the display module are located at the corner positions P, and some of the openings 12111 are located at the side edge positions L. Some of the microcavities 121 have four corner positions P each provided with an opening 12111. Some of the microcavities 121 have two corner positions P each provided with an opening 12111, and one side edge position L provided with an opening 12111. Some of the microcavities 121 have four side edge positions L each provided with an opening 12111. Some of the microcavities 121 have corner positions P and side edge positions L each provided with an opening 12111.

[0073] In an embodiment, the display module provided by the present application is a black and white ink screen. For example, the embodiment shown in Figure 7 is a black and white ink screen (referred to as an equal-height microcavity structure), and each microcavity corresponds to one pixel.

[0074] In an embodiment, the display module provided by the present application is a color ink screen. In an embodiment, each microcavity includes at least two subcavities, and the adjacent subcavities are separated by a subcavity wall, and at least part of the subcavity wall and the sealing layer have a gap. By means of the at least two subcavities corresponding to different color electrodes on the color film substrate of the display module, different color displays are formed.

[0075] Figure 12 is a schematic view of the distribution of the microcavities with subcavities and the position of the openings in the display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 12, the microcavity 121 has a subcavity wall 1215 inside the microcavity 121, and the subcavity wall 1215 divides the accommodating space 1212 of the microcavity 121 into four subcavities 1216. The cross section of the subcavity wall 1215 is in the shape of a cross, and the opening 12111 of each microcavity 121 is located at the corner position P of the microcavity 121. The subcavity wall 1215 and the cavity wall 1211 can be connected or can form a gap.

[0076] Figure 13 is a schematic view of the distribution of the microcavities with subcavities and the position of the openings in the display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 13, the microcavity 121 has a subcavity wall 1215 inside the microcavity 121, and the subcavity wall 1215 divides the accommodating space 1212 of the microcavity 121 into four subcavities 1216. The cross section of the subcavity wall 1215 is in the shape of a cross, and the opening 12111 of each microcavity 121 is located at the cavity wall 1211, i.e., at the side position L of the microcavity 121. Specifically, the opening 12111 is located at the intersection of the cavity wall 1211 and the subcavity wall 1215. In the embodiment shown in Figure 13, the number of the cavity walls 1211 of each microcavity 121 is four, and each pair of the cavity walls 1211 is arranged opposite to each other, and one of the pair of the opposite cavity walls 1211 is provided with the opening 12111.

[0077] Figure 14 is a schematic view of the distribution of the microcavities with subcavities and the position of the openings in the display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 14, the microcavity 121 has a subcavity wall 1215 inside the microcavity 121, and the subcavity wall 1215 divides the accommodating space 1212 of the microcavity 121 into four subcavities 1216. The cross section of the subcavity wall 1215 is in the shape of a cross, and one opening 12111 is arranged at each of the pair of corner positions of each subcavity 1216, i.e., two openings 12111 are arranged at the pair of opposite corner positions of each subcavity 1216. It can also be understood that the opening 12111 is located at the intersection of the cavity wall 1211 and the subcavity wall 1215. The number of the cavity walls 1211 of each microcavity 121 is four, and one opening 12111 is arranged on each cavity wall 1211.

[0078] In the embodiments shown in Figures 13 and 14, the subcavities in each microcavity are arranged in a 2x2 array.

[0079] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of the microcavities with subcavities and the position of the openings in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 15, the microcavity 121 has a subcavity wall 1215 inside the microcavity 121, and the subcavity wall 1215 divides the accommodating space 1212 of the microcavity 121 into six subcavities 1216. There are four openings 12111 in each microcavity 121, and the openings 12111 are located on the cavity wall 1211. Each microcavity 121 has two openings 12111 on each pair of opposite cavity walls 1211. The openings 12111 are distributed between the adjacent subcavities 1216. In this embodiment, the subcavities 1216 in each microcavity 121 are arranged in a 2x3 array.

[0080] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of the microcavities with subcavities and the position of the openings in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 16, the microcavity 121 has a subcavity wall 1215 inside the microcavity 121, and the subcavity wall 1215 divides the accommodating space 1212 of the microcavity 121 into nine subcavities 1216. The microcavity 121 has four cavity walls 1211, and a pair of opposite cavity walls 1211 has two openings 12111. The openings 12111 are located at the intersection of the cavity wall 1211 and the subcavity wall 1215. In this embodiment, the subcavities 1216 in each microcavity 121 are arranged in a 3x3 array.

[0081] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the microcavity layer and the driving substrate and the common electrode layer connected to the two sides of the microcavity layer in a display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 17, in an embodiment, the accommodating space 1212 of the microcavity 121 has a subcavity wall 1215, and the subcavity wall 1215 divides the accommodating space 1212 into at least two subcavities 1216. The subcavity wall 1215 and the sealing layer 122 have a gap therebetween. In an embodiment, all the subcavity walls 1215 have the same height, and all the subcavity walls 1215 have a gap with the sealing layer 122. In an embodiment, part of the subcavity walls 1215 have the same height and have a gap with the sealing layer 122, part of the subcavity walls 1215 can be combined with the sealing layer 122, and part of the subcavity walls 1215 can have the same height as the cavity wall 1211. In the embodiment shown in Figure 17, the subcavity wall 1215 divides the microcavities 121 into two columns in one row of microcavities 121. The arrangement of the subcavities 1216 in each microcavity 121 can be a 2x1 array, a 2x2 array, a 2x3 array, etc.

[0082] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the micro-cavity layer in the display module, and the driving substrate and the common electrode layer connected to the two sides of the micro-cavity layer according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 18, in an embodiment, the accommodating space 1212 of the micro-cavity 121 is provided with a sub-cavity wall 1215, and the sub-cavity wall 1215 divides the accommodating space 1212 into at least three sub-cavities 1216. The sub-cavity wall 1215 divides the micro-cavities 121 into three columns in one row of the micro-cavities 121. The arrangement of the sub-cavities 1216 in each micro-cavity 121 can be a 3X1 array, or a 3X2 array, a 3X3 array, etc.

[0083] The display module provided by the embodiments shown in Figures 17 and 18 is a color display screen, and the common electrode layer 13 has a color film structure 131, and the color film structure 131 and the sub-cavity 1216 are arranged one by one. In the thickness direction of the display module, the color film structure 131 is located directly above the corresponding sub-cavity 1216. The part of the common electrode layer 13 corresponding to each pixel electrode has a color film structure 131 of a different color.

[0084] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the display module according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the cross section of the display module according to an embodiment of the present application, and Figure 21 shows the distribution state of the medium in the thickness direction of the display module.

[0085] Referring to Figures 19, 20 and 21, the display module includes an operable area AA and an edge area BB, and the area in the dashed line frame in Figures 19 and 20 is schematically expressed as the operable area AA, which is also referred to as the AA area, and the part outside the periphery of the dashed line frame is the edge area BB. In Figure 21, the part marked as AA is referred to as the operable area, and the area marked as BB is referred to as the edge area. The edge area BB is located at the periphery of the operable area AA, and all the micro-cavities 121 are distributed in the operable area AA. In an embodiment, the display module further includes a barrier wall 15, and the barrier wall 15 is located in the edge area BB, the bottom of the barrier wall 15 is connected to the driving substrate, the sealing layer is connected to the top of the barrier wall, a transition area CC is formed between the barrier wall 15 and the operable area AA, the transition area CC is used to accommodate medium, and the medium in the transition area CC is uniformly distributed, and the thickness of the medium is uniform. The height of the medium filling can be the same as the height of the medium filling in the accommodating space 1212 of the micro-cavity 121 in the operable area AA. In the specific embodiments of the present application, the transition area CC is filled with uniform medium, the density of the medium in the transition area CC is the same as the density of the medium in the micro-cavity 121, which is beneficial to guarantee the display effect at the edge position of the operable area AA, and can avoid the problems of incomplete display or poor display effect, image distortion, etc. caused by the lack of medium or the non-uniform distribution of the medium at the edge of the operable area AA.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, the barrier wall 15 includes a plurality of sub-walls 151, and a channel 152 is formed between adjacent sub-walls 151, and the barrier wall 15 has a frame-enclosing region DD on a side away from the transition region CC, and the channel 152 is used to communicate the frame-enclosing region DD and the transition region CC. Referring to FIG. 21, in the process of coating the medium, the medium first fills the transition region CC, and part of the medium enters the frame-enclosing region DD through the channel 152, and the medium in the frame-enclosing region DD is in a small amount, which can be understood as that the frame-enclosing region DD is not filled with the medium, which is beneficial to the process of frame sealing, and shows the sealing and reliability of the connection of the outer frame of the display module.

[0087] In an embodiment, the height of the barrier wall 15 is the same as the height of the cavity wall 1211 of the micro-cavity 121, so as to ensure that the medium distribution density in the transition region CC is consistent with the medium density in the micro-cavity 121.

[0088] In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 19, the minimum distance L between the barrier wall 15 and the operable region AA is greater than or equal to 50 um and less than or equal to 500 um.

[0089] In an embodiment, the barrier wall 15 and the cavity wall 1211 of the micro-cavity 121 are made of the same material, and in the process of manufacturing the display module, the barrier wall 15 and the cavity wall 1211 of the micro-cavity 121 are integrally formed by the same manufacturing process. When the micro-cavity 121 has a sub-cavity wall 1215, as shown in FIG. 20, the barrier wall 15, the cavity wall 1211 and the sub-cavity wall 1215 are integrally formed by the same manufacturing process.

[0090] In an embodiment, the thickness of the barrier wall 15 can be greater than the thickness of the cavity wall 1211, and the barrier wall 15 can also serve as a support structure of the edge region of the display module, so as to make the edge of the display module have better strength.

[0091] The above merely provides a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A display module, characterized in that: The invention comprises a driving substrate, a microcavity layer and a common electrode layer stacked in sequence, wherein the microcavity layer comprises a plurality of microcavities and a sealing layer, the bottoms of the plurality of microcavities are connected to the driving substrate, the sealing layer is connected to the tops of the plurality of microcavities, each of the microcavities comprises a cavity wall and a receiving space formed by the cavity wall, the receiving space is used to receive a medium, the top of the cavity wall has an opening, the opening is used to achieve communication between adjacent receiving spaces when the plurality of microcavities are not combined with the sealing layer, the tops of the plurality of microcavities are embedded in the sealing layer, and the sealing layer is used to close the receiving space and fill the opening.

2. The display module according to claim 1, wherein: The dimension of the opening in the depth direction is smaller than the thickness of the sealing layer; the driving substrate, the microcavity layer and the common electrode layer are stacked in the direction of the depth of the opening and the thickness of the sealing layer.

3. The display module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The arrangement direction of the plurality of accommodating spaces includes a row direction and a column direction. The accommodating spaces in two adjacent rows are separated by the cavity wall, and the accommodating spaces in two adjacent columns are separated by the cavity wall. Each of the microcavities includes two cavity walls extending along the row direction and arranged opposite to each other, and two cavity walls extending along the column direction and arranged opposite to each other. The intersection position of the cavity walls extending along the row direction and the cavity walls extending along the column direction is the corner position of the microcavity. The opening is located at the corner.

4. The display module according to claim 3, wherein: Each of the microcavities includes four corner positions, and each of the corner positions has the opening.

5. The display module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The arrangement direction of the plurality of accommodating spaces includes a row direction and a column direction. The accommodating spaces in two adjacent rows are separated by the cavity wall, and the accommodating spaces in two adjacent columns are separated by the cavity wall. Each of the microcavities includes two cavity walls extending along the row direction and opposite to each other, and two cavity walls extending along the column direction and opposite to each other. The intersection of the cavity walls extending along the row direction and the cavity walls extending along the column direction is the corner position of the microcavity, and the portion of the cavity wall between adjacent corner positions is the side position of the microcavity. The opening is located at the side position.

6. The display module according to claim 5, wherein: Each of the microcavities includes four side positions, which are arranged in pairs opposite to each other, and each of the side positions has an opening.

7. The display module according to claim 5, wherein: Each of the microcavities includes four side positions, which are arranged in pairs opposite to each other, wherein two of the side positions that are arranged opposite to each other both have the openings, and the other two side positions are not provided with the openings.

8. The display module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The arrangement direction of the plurality of accommodating spaces includes a row direction and a column direction. The accommodating spaces in two adjacent rows are separated by the cavity wall, and the accommodating spaces in two adjacent columns are separated by the cavity wall. Each of the microcavities includes two cavity walls extending along the row direction and opposite to each other, and two cavity walls extending along the column direction and opposite to each other. The intersection of the cavity walls extending along the row direction and the cavity walls extending along the column direction is the corner position of the microcavity, and the portion of the cavity wall between adjacent corner positions is the side position of the microcavity. Some of the openings are located at the corners, and some of the openings are located at the side edges.

9. The display module according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein: Each microcavity includes at least two subcavities, adjacent subcavities are separated by subcavity walls, a gap exists between at least part of the subcavity walls and the sealing layer, and the opening is located at the intersection of the cavity wall and the subcavity wall.

10. The display module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The display module includes an operable area and an edge area, the edge area is located outside the operable area, and all the microcavities are distributed in the operable area. The display module also includes a retaining wall, which is located in the edge area. The bottom of the retaining wall is connected to the driving substrate, and the sealing layer is connected to the top of the retaining wall. A transition area is formed between the retaining wall and the operable area, and the transition area is used to accommodate a medium. The retaining wall includes multiple sub-walls, and channels are formed between adjacent sub-walls. The side of the retaining wall away from the transition area is a sealing frame area, and the channel is used to connect the sealing frame area and the transition area.

11. A display device, characterized in that: The display module comprises a driving module and the display module according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the driving module is used to drive the display module.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that: The device comprises a controller and the display device according to claim 11, wherein the controller is used to control the display device.

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