Patent Publication Number: US-8542161-B2

Title: Display device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a display device and a method of equalizing the loading effect of the display device, and more particularly, to a display device and a method of equalizing the loading effect thereof utilizing the dummy gate tracking lines configured to deliver modulating signals. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Liquid crystal display (LCD) devices are essentially formed by stacking multiple conducting layers and multiple insulating layers. The gate lines, the gate electrodes and the common lines are constructed and formed by the same metal layer (or so called the first metal layer), the data lines are constructed and formed by another metal layer (or so called the second metal layer), and the pixel electrodes are formed by a transparent conducting layer. As for the layout arrangement, because of the layout design or certain inevitable factors, each of conducting layers has a shorter horizontal distance from the adjacent conducting layer. Therefore, signals transmitted in the conducting layers interfere with each other, and lead to the loading effect. When the loading effect generated on each of the pixels is non-equalizing, the loading effect for each of the pixels is not consistent. In such a case, the display quality will be seriously influenced by the non-equalized loading effect. Consequently, as far as the design of display device is concerned, the occurrence of non-equalized loading effect should be avoided as possible. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of the present invention is to provide a display device and a method of equalizing the loading effect of the display device to efficiently improve the display quality of the display device. 
     To achieve the aforementioned object, the present invention provides a display device. The aforementioned display device includes a substrate, a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate tracking lines, and a plurality of dummy gate tracking lines. The gate lines are disposed on the substrate. The data lines are disposed on the substrate, and the gate lines and the data lines are substantially perpendicular to each other. The gate tracking lines are disposed on the substrate, each of the gate tracking lines is electrically connected to a corresponding gate line respectively, and each of the gate tracking lines is substantially parallel to the data lines. The dummy gate tracking lines are disposed on the substrate, each of the dummy gate tracking lines is electrically disconnected to the gate lines, and each of the dummy gate tracking lines is substantially parallel to the data lines. 
     To achieve the aforementioned object, the present invention provides a method of equalizing loading effect of display device. The method includes following steps: providing a display device; applying a gate driving signal to each of the gate tracking lines respectively; and applying a modulating signal to each of the dummy gate tracking lines, respectively. The display device includes a substrate, a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate tracking lines, and a plurality of dummy gate tracking lines. The gate lines are disposed on the substrate. The data lines are disposed on the substrate, and the gate lines and the data lines are substantially perpendicular to each other. The gate tracking lines are disposed on the substrate, each of the gate tracking lines is electrically connected to a corresponding gate line respectively, and each of the gate tracking lines is substantially parallel to the data lines. The dummy gate tracking lines are disposed on the substrate, each of the dummy gate tracking lines is electrically disconnected to the gate lines, and each of the dummy gate tracking lines is substantially parallel to the data lines. 
     The display device and the method of equalizing the loading effect of the display device of the present invention are characterized by disposing the dummy gate tracking lines between the data lines. The dummy gate tracking lines are electrically disconnected to the gate lines. Besides, the modulating signals are applied to the dummy gate tracking lines so that the loading effect can be generated by the modulating signals. Meanwhile, the aforementioned loading effect is similar to the loading effect generated by the gate tracking lines. In such a case, the display panel can have equalized loading effect so that the display quality of the display device can be efficiently improved. 
     These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating the display device of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged schematic diagram of a part of the display device illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  are schematic diagrams of the modulating signals of two preferred embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of a variation of the display device of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of another variation of the display device of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of the display device of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged schematic diagram of a part of the display device illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     To provide a better understanding of the presented invention, preferred embodiments will be detailed as follows. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings with numbered elements to elaborate the contents and effects to be achieved. In the abovementioned embodiment, the liquid crystal display device is illustrated to explain the display device of the present invention, but the application of the present invention is not limited thereto. However, the present invention can be applied for all kinds of the display devices. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating the display device of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 2  is an enlarged schematic diagram of a part of the display device illustrated in  FIG. 1 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the display device  10  of the this embodiment includes a substrate  12 , a plurality of gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . ,GLn, a plurality of data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL 3 m−1, DL 3 m, a plurality of gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn, and a plurality of dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n. The gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . ,GLn are disposed in the active region  12 A of the substrate  12 , and the gate lines are substantially parallel to each other. The data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL 3 m−1, DL 3 m are disposed in the active region  12 A of the substrate  12 , and the data lines and the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . ,GLn are substantially perpendicular to each other. A plurality of pixels Pix disposed in the active region  12 A of the substrate  12  are defined by the data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL 3 m−1, DL 3 m and the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn. Besides, each of the data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL 3 m−1, DL 3 m has a data signal input terminal  14  disposed in the first peripheral region  121 P of the substrate  12 . The gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn are disposed on the substrate  12 . The gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn are substantially perpendicular to the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn. It is therefore that the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn are substantially parallel to the data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL 3 m−1, DL 3 m. The gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn are respectively disposed between parts of the two adjacent data lines. Besides, one terminal of each of the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn is electrically connected to each of the corresponding gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn respectively, and the other terminal of each of the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn is a gate signal input terminal  16  disposed in the first peripheral region  121 P of the substrate  12  so that the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn are configured and enable the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn to be electrically connected to the driver (not marked) in the first peripheral region  121 P respectively for subsequent external electrical connection. The dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n are disposed on the substrate  12 , and the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n are electrically disconnected to the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn. The dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n are disposed between parts of the two adjacent data lines respectively and substantially parallel to the data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL 3 m−1, DL 3 m. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, parts of the two adjacent data lines only have the gate tracking lines disposed therebetween, another parts of the two adjacent data lines only have dummy gate tracking lines disposed therebetween, and the other parts of the two adjacent data lines have no electrical connection lines disposed therebetween. Besides, not all of the distances between the two adjacent data lines are exactly equal. It is therefore that parts of the two adjacent data lines have a larger distance therebetween, and parts of the two adjacent data lines have a smaller distance therebetween. For example, the distance between the data line DL 1  and the data line DL 2  is larger than the distance between the data line DL 2  and the data line DL 3 , and each of pixels Pix is disposed between the two adjacent data lines having larger distance therebetween. In addition, the gate tracking lines or the dummy gate tracking lines are disposed between the two adjacent data lines having larger distance therebetween but not disposed between the two adjacent data lines having smaller distance therebetween. 
     In this embodiment, the resolution of the display device  10  is n*m. It is therefore that the number of the gate lines is n, the number of the data lines is  3 m, and n is smaller than  3 m/2. Since the number of the gate tracking lines is equal to the number of the gate lines, the number of the gate tracking lines is also smaller than  3 m/2 and equals n. In such a case, only parts of the two adjacent data lines having larger distance therebetween have the gate tracking lines disposed therebetween, other parts of the two adjacent data lines having larger distance therebetween have no gate tracking lines disposed therebetween, and the two adjacent data lines having smaller distance therebetween have no electrical connection lines disposed therebetween. For example, if the resolution of display device is 320*240, both the number of the gate lines and the number of the gate tracking lines are equal to 320. Meanwhile, the number of data lines is 240*3=720. In such a case, about 40 data lines having larger distances therebetween have no gate tracking lines disposed therebetween. As mentioned above, since the gate tracking lines and the data lines are disposed substantially parallel to each other and in an alternate way, the signals of the gate tracking lines and the signals of the data lines may influence each other, and lead to the loading effect. However, when the occurrence of the non-equalized loading effect is in the display device, the display quality will be seriously influenced. In view of such a problem, in the display device  10  of this embodiment, parts of the two adjacent data lines having larger distance therebetween have the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n disposed therebetween, and the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n are electrically disconnected to the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn. In addition, the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n respectively have an modulating signal input terminal  18  disposed in the first peripheral region  121 P. 
     When the display device  10  displays images, the gate driving signals can be applied to the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn in sequence by way of each of the gate signal input terminals  16  of the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn, and the image data signals can be applied to the data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL 3 m−1, DL 3 m in sequence by way of each of the data signal input terminals  14 . In order to protect the display quality from the aforementioned non-equalized loading effect, the method of equalizing the loading effect of the display device of the present invention utilizes the modulating signals applied to each of the modulating signal input terminals  18  of the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n. The modulating signals do not be delivered to the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn but generate the loading effect similar to the loading effect generated by the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn so that the display device  10  can have the equalized loading effect and does not influence the display quality. 
     In the method of equalizing loading effect of the present invention, the modulating signals applied to the dummy gate tracking lines can be determined depending on the loading effect but not limited to specific signals. With reference to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  are schematic diagrams of the modulating signals of two preferred embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a square wave signal  22 , which is served as a gate driving signal and applied to the gate tracking lines, has a high level  22 H and a low level  22 L. The modulating signal applied to the dummy gate tracking line can also be a square wave signal  24  and have a high level  24 H and a low level  24 L. The high level  24 H and low level  24 L of the square wave signal  24  applied to the dummy gate tracking line DGTL may be respectively identical to the high level  22 H and low level  22 L of the square wave signal  22  applied to the gate tracking line but not limited thereto. The high level  24 H and low level  24 L of the square wave signal  24  can be adjusted depending on the different loading effect so that the high level  24 H and low level  24 L of the square wave signal can be larger or smaller than the high level of the gate driving signal. For instance, when the high level  22 H and the low level  22 L of the square wave signal  22  applied to the gate tracking lines are 17V and −7V respectively, the high level  24 H and the low level  24 L of the square wave signal  24  applied to the dummy gate tracking line are 17V and −7V respectively but not limited thereto. For instance, the high level  24 H of the square wave signal  24  can be 25V, and the low level  24 L of the square wave signal  24  can maintain −7V. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the modulating signal applied to the dummy gate tracking line DGTL can be a signal  26  with a constant level, and the constant level can be equal to the high level  22 H of the square wave signal  22  applied to the gate tracking line but not limited thereto. 
     With reference to  FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of a variation of the display device of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the difference between the display devices respectively illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5  is that the substrate  12  of the display device  30  of this example further includes a second peripheral region  122 P disposed on the different side of the substrate  12  with respect to the first peripheral region  121 P such as the second peripheral region  122 P disposed on another side of the substrate  12  opposite to the first peripheral region  121 P, and the gate signal input terminals  16  of the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn and the modulating signal input terminals  18  of the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n can be disposed in the second peripheral region  122 P. 
     With reference to  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of another variation of the display device of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the difference between the display devices respectively illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 6  is that parts of the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n of the display device  40  of this example are disposed on a side of the active region  12 A, and the other parts of the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n are disposed on the another side of the active region  12 A. 
     With reference to  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 ,  FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of the display device of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 8  is an enlarged schematic diagram of a part of the display device illustrated in  FIG. 7 . As illustrated in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , the display device  50  of this embodiment includes a substrate  52 , a plurality of gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn, a plurality of data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL( 3 m/2)−1, DL( 3 m/2), a plurality of gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn and a plurality of dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL( 3 m/2)−n. The gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn are disposed in the active region  52 A of the substrate  52  and substantially parallel to each other. The data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL( 3 m/2)−1, DL( 3 m/2) are disposed in the active region  52 A of the substrate  52  and substantially perpendicular to the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn, and a plurality of first pixels Pix  1  and a plurality of second pixels Pix  2  disposed in the active region  52 A of the substrate  52  are defined by the data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL( 3 m/2)−1, DL( 3 m/2) and the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn. Besides, each of the data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL( 3 m/2)−1, DL( 3 m/2) has a data signal input terminal  54  disposed in the first peripheral region  521 P of the substrate  52 . The gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn are disposed on the substrate  52 , and the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn and the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn are substantially perpendicular to each other. In another words, it is therefore that the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn and the data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL( 3 m/2)−1, DL( 3 m/2) are substantially parallel to each other, and the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn are respectively disposed between parts of the two adjacent data lines. In addition, each of the terminals on a side of the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn is electrically connected to each of the corresponding gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn, and each of the terminals on another side of the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn is a gate signal input terminal  56  disposed in the first peripheral region  521 P of the substrate  52 . In such a case, the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn are configured and enable the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn to being electrically connected to the first peripheral region  521 P for subsequent external electrical connection. 
     In this embodiment, each of the first pixels Pix 1  includes a first switching device Sw 1 , each of the second pixels Pix 2  includes a second switching device Sw 2 , and the drain electrode D 1  of each of the first switching devices Sw 1  is electrically connected to the source electrode S 2  of each of the adjacent second switching devices Sw 2  so that both the first pixel Pix 1  and the corresponding second pixel Pix 2  can receive the same data line signal. The resolution of the display device of this embodiment is n*m. In the aforementioned pixel arrangement, the number of the gate lines is n, the number of the data lines is  3 m/2, and n is smaller than  3 m/2. Since both the number of the gate tracking lines and the number of the gate lines are equal to n, the number n of the gate tracking lines is smaller than the number  3 m/2 of the data lines. In such a case, only parts of the two adjacent data lines have gate tracking lines disposed therebetween, and the other parts of the two adjacent data lines do not have gate tracking lines disposed therebetween. For instance, if the resolution of the display device is 320*240, both the number of the gate lines and the number of the gate tracking lines are equal to 320 and the number of data lines is equal to 240*3/2=360. In such a case, about 40 data lines do not have gate tracking lines disposed therebetween. The display device 50 of this embodiment further includes a plurality of dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL( 3 m/2)−n disposed on the substrate  52 , the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL( 3 m/2)−n are electrically disconnected to the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn, and the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL( 3 m/2)−n are respectively disposed between parts of the two adjacent data lines and substantially parallel to the data lines DL 1 , DL 2 , . . . , DLn, . . . , DL 3 m−1, DL 3 m. In addition, the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL 3 m−n respectively have a modulating signal input terminal  58  disposed in the first peripheral region  521 P. 
     The method of equalizing loading effect of the display device of the present invention is to apply modulating signals by way of the modulating signal input terminals  58  of the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL( 3 m/2)−n. However, the modulating signals are not delivered to the gate lines GL 1 , GL 2 , . . . , GLn but generate loading effect similar to the loading effect generated by the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn. In such a case, the display device  50  can have the equalized loading effect without influencing the display quality. In addition, in this embodiment, the gate signal input terminal  56  of the gate tracking line, the modulating signal input terminal  58  of the dummy gate tracking line and the data signal input terminal  54  of the data line are disposed in the first peripheral region  521 P of the substrate  52 , and the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL( 3 m/2)−n are only disposed on one side of the active region  52 A. However, the application of this embodiment is not limited thereto. The relative positions of the gate signal input terminal  56 , the modulating signal input terminal  58  and the data signal input terminal  54  of the data line can be moderately adjusted depending on the layout. In addition, the positions of the dummy gate tracking lines DGTL 1 , DGTL 2 , . . . , DGTL( 3 m/2)−n can be moderately adjusted depending on the different arrangement of the gate tracking lines GTL 1 , GTL 2 , . . . , GTLn so as to achieve the effect of equalizing the loading effect. 
     In summary, the display device and the method of equalizing loading effect of the display device of the present invention are characterized by disposing the dummy gate tracking lines between the data lines, and the dummy gate tracking lines are electrically disconnected to the gate lines. The modulating signals are applied to the dummy gate tracking lines so as to generate the balance loading effect. However, the aforementioned loading effect is similar to the loading effect generated by the gate tracking lines. In such a case, the display panel can have equalized loading effect so as to efficiently improve the display quality of the display device. 
     Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.