Patent Publication Number: US-2023161190-A1

Title: Display panel and display device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a technical field of displays, and particularly to, a display panel and a display device. 
     2. Related Art 
     Current in-plane camera opening technologies for display panels in industries are divided into a through hole type and a blind hole type. The through hole type is implemented by reserving in-plane round hole space in advance in glass substrates, color filter substrates, and array substrates during coating, and forming round holes in the round hole space by cutting along with grinding processes, thereby achieving in-plane opening design for liquid crystal display (LCD) products. Likewise, the blind hole type is implemented by reserving in-plane round hole space in advance in glass substrates, color filter substrates, and array substrates during coating, and performing a hole formation process on the round hole space without causing damage to glass substrates, color filter substrates, and array substrates. When cell assembly is in progress, liquid crystal is added to the round holes to form a circular light-transmissive area on the glass substrates to achieve the in-plane blind hole design for LCD products. 
     In processing liquid crystal, it is necessary to ensure light transmittance of blind holes. Due to the need to hollow out part of film layers in a blind hole area, a height of a liquid crystal layer in the blind hole area is caused to be different from a height of the liquid crystal layer in a normal display area. However, an amount of liquid crystal dropped in an entire LCD panel remains unchanged, so that when a color filter substrate and an array substrate are in a process of vacuum assembly, the glass substrate in the blind hole area will sink inwards due to the vacuum assembly, resulting in a concave lens effect produced by the color filter substrate and the array substrate in the blind hole area. In addition, when a glass on a side of the color filter substrate is bonded to a cover glass, thickness of a photoresist in the blind hole area is the same as that of a photoresist in a display area, but there is a difference in a fill height of the photoresist. During a vacuum bonding process, the concave lens effect is becoming significant, giving rise to an abnormal focus of a camera under a round hole, thereby adversely affecting shooting performance of the camera. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a display panel and a display device. In preparing the display panel, based on a height difference formed between a plurality of second column spacers and a plurality of first column spacers, as a color filter substrate deforms during a vacuum assembly process, a deformation area of a blind hole area increases because the second column spacers are not in contact with an array substrate in the blind hole area, resulting in a decrease in a radius of curvature of the deformation of the blind hole area, thereby reducing an amount of deformation and avoiding poor focusing due to Newton&#39;s ring effect on the blind hole. 
     To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a display panel, comprising an array substrate comprising a blind hole area and a display area, wherein the blind hole area has an inner diameter area and an outer diameter area surrounding the inner diameter area; a liquid crystal layer disposed on the array substrate and comprising a plurality of first column spacers and a plurality of second column spacers, wherein the first column spacers have a height greater than that of the second column spacers; and a color filter substrate disposed on a side of the liquid crystal layer away from the array substrate; wherein the first column spacers are disposed in the display area, one end of each of the first column spacers is connected to the array substrate, the other end is connected to the color filter substrate, and the second column spacers are disposed in the display area and the outer diameter area. 
     Further, the first column spacers are made of an organic photoresist, and/or the second column spacers are made of an organic photoresist. 
     Further, the first column spacers are provided with a height difference between 0.35 microns (μm) and 0.45 μm with the second column spacers. 
     Further, the second column spacers and the first column spacers are staggered in the display area. 
     Further, the array substrate comprises a first glass substrate; a buffer layer disposed on the first glass substrate; a thin-film transistor layer disposed on the buffer layer and provided with a first combined hole corresponding to the blind hole area, wherein the first combined hole extends through the thin-film transistor layer to a surface of the buffer layer; and a first alignment film disposed on the thin-film transistor layer in the first combined hole. 
     Further, the first combined hole comprises a first through hole and a second through hole, wherein the first through hole has a radius less than that of the second through hole, and the second through hole is provided above the first through hole and surrounds the first through hole. 
     Further, the color filter substrate comprises a second glass substrate; a black matrix layer disposed on a side of the second glass substrate adjacent to the array substrate; a transparent electrode layer disposed on the black matrix layer; an RGB color resist disposed in the black matrix layer and the transparent electrode layer, wherein the RGB color resist comprises a second combined hole corresponding to the blind hole area, and the second combined hole extends through the transparent electrode layer and the black matrix layer to a surface of the second glass substrate; and a second alignment film disposed on the transparent electrode layer in the second combined hole. 
     Further, the second combined hole comprises a third through hole and a fourth through hole, wherein the third through hole has a radius less than that of the fourth through hole, the third through hole is provided above the fourth through hole, and the fourth through hole surrounds the third through hole. 
     Further, the black matrix layer surrounds the third through hole, and the transparent electrode layer surrounds the fourth through hole. 
     The present invention further provides a display device, comprising the aforementioned display panel and a camera, wherein the camera is disposed below the display panel and corresponding to the blind hole area. 
     The present invention has advantageous effects as follows: the present invention provides a display panel and a display device, wherein a plurality of second column spacers are provided in both an outer diameter area and a display area adjacent to the outer diameter area. In preparing the display panel, based on a height difference formed between a plurality of second column spacers and a plurality of first column spacers, as a color filter substrate deforms during a vacuum assembly process, a deformation area of a blind hole area increases because the second column spacers are not in contact with an array substrate in the blind hole area, resulting in a decrease in a radius of curvature of the deformation of the blind hole area, thereby reducing an amount of deformation, avoiding poor focusing due to Newton&#39;s ring effect on the blind hole, and further improving shooting quality of the display device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       To better illustrate embodiments or technical solutions in the prior art, a brief description of the drawings used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be given below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description merely show some embodiments of the present invention, and a person skilled in the art may still derive other drawings from these accompanying drawings without creative efforts. 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic structural view of a display panel provided by the present invention. 
         FIG.  2    is a plan view of a blind hole area provided by the present invention. 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic structural view of a display device provided by the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following embodiments are referring to the accompanying drawings for exemplifying specific implementable embodiments of the present invention. Directional terms described by the present invention, such as upper, lower, front, back, left, right, inner, outer, side, etc., are only directions by referring to the accompanying drawings. The terms of elements mentioned in the present invention, such as first and second, are only to distinguish different components, which may be better expressed. In the figure, modules with similar structure are indicated by the same reference numerals. 
     Herein, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention can be embodied in many different forms, and the present invention should not be interpreted merely as the specific embodiments set forth herein. The embodiments of the present invention are provided to explain the actual application of the present invention, so that those skilled in the art can understand various embodiments of the present invention and various modifications suitable for specific intended applications. 
     As shown in  FIG.  1   , the present invention provides a display panel  100  including an array substrate  10 , a liquid crystal layer  30 , and a color filter substrate  20 . 
     The array substrate  10  includes a blind hole area  120  and a display area  110 . The blind hole area  120  has an inner diameter area  1201  and an outer diameter area  1202  surrounding the inner diameter area  1201 . 
     The liquid crystal layer  30  is disposed on the array substrate  10  and includes at least a first column spacer  302  and at least a second column spacer  301 . The first column spacer  302  has a height greater than that of the second column spacer  301 . In this embodiment, as shown in  FIG.  1   , the liquid crystal layer  30  includes a plurality of the first column spacers  302  and a plurality of the second column spacers  301 . 
     The color filter substrate  20  is disposed on a side of the liquid crystal layer  30  away from the array substrate  10 . 
     The first column spacers  302  are disposed in the display area  110 , one end of each of the first column spacers  302  is connected to the array substrate  10 , and the other end is connected to the color filter substrate  20  so that a space is created by support of the column spacers for the liquid crystal layer  30 . Generally, the column spaces function to provide supporting for cell-assembly. 
     The second column spacers  301  are disposed in the display area  110  and the outer diameter area  1202 . One end of each of the second column spacers  301  is connected to the color filter substrate  20 , and the other end keeps a spacing with the array substrate  10 . That is, the other end of each of the second column spacers  301  is suspended in no contact with the array substrate  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , a distribution of the second column spacers  301  in the blind hole area  120  is shown. The second column spacers  301  are provided in both the outer diameter area  1202  and the display area  110  adjacent to the outer diameter area  1202 . 
     In preparing the display panel  100 , based on a height difference formed between the second column spacers  302  and the first column spacers  301 , as the color filter substrate  20  deforms during a vacuum assembly process, a deformation area of the blind hole area increases because the second column spacers  301  are not in contact with the array substrate  10  in the blind hole area  120 , resulting in a decrease in a radius of curvature of the deformation of the blind hole area, thereby reducing an amount of deformation and avoiding poor focusing due to Newton&#39;s ring effect on the blind hole area. 
     The first column spacers  302  are made of an organic photoresist, and/or the second column spacers  301  are made of an organic photoresist. 
     The first column spacers  302  are provided with a height difference between 0.35 microns (μm) and 0.45 μm with the second column spacers  301 . 
     The second column spacers  301  and the first column spacers  302  are staggered in the display area  110 . Particularly, more the second column spacers  301  are provided in the display area  110  adjacent to the outer diameter area  1202 . 
     The array substrate  10  includes a first glass substrate  101 , a buffer layer  103 , a thin-film transistor layer  104 , and a first alignment film  105 . 
     The buffer layer  103  is disposed on the first glass substrate  101 . 
     The thin-film transistor layer  104  is disposed on the buffer layer  103  and is provided with a first combined hole  107  corresponding to the blind hole area  120 . The first combined hole  107  extends through the thin-film transistor layer  104  to a surface of the buffer layer  103 . 
     The first alignment film  105  is disposed on the thin-film transistor layer  104  in the first combined hole  107 . 
     The first combined hole  107  includes a first through hole  1071  and a second through hole  1072 . The first through hole  1071  has a radius less than that of the second through hole  1072 , and the second through hole  1072  is provided above the first through hole  1071  and surrounds the first through hole  1071 . 
     The first through hole  1071  is located corresponding to the inner diameter area. The second through hole  1072  is located corresponding to the outer diameter area and surrounds the first through hole  1071 . 
     The color filter substrate  20  includes a second glass substrate  201 , a black matrix layer  202 , a transparent electrode layer  203 , an RGB color resist  206 , and a second combined hole  205 . 
     The black matrix layer  202  is disposed on a side of the second glass substrate  201  adjacent to the array substrate  10 . The transparent electrode layer  203  is disposed on the black matrix layer  202 . The RGB color resist  206  is disposed in the black matrix layer  202  and the transparent electrode layer  203 . 
     The second combined hole  205  is located corresponding to the blind hole area  120 , and extends through the transparent electrode layer  203  and the black matrix layer  202  to a surface of the second glass substrate  201 . 
     The second alignment film  204  is disposed on the transparent electrode layer  203  in the second combined hole  205 . 
     The second combined hole  205  includes a third through hole  2051  and a fourth through hole  2052 . The third through hole  2051  has a radius less than that of the fourth through hole  2052 . The third through hole  2051  is provided above the fourth through hole  2052 , and the fourth through hole  2052  surrounds the third through hole  2051 . 
     The third through hole  2051  is located corresponding to the inner diameter area. The fourth through hole  2052  is located corresponding to the outer diameter area and surrounds the third through hole  2051 . 
     The black matrix layer  202  surrounds the third through hole  2051 , and the transparent electrode layer  203  surrounds the fourth through hole  2052 . 
     Liquid crystal  303  is filled between the first alignment film  105  and the second alignment film  204  to form the liquid crystal layer  30 . In the blind hole area  120 , number of film layers in the blind hole area  120  can be reduced due to the presence of the combined holes, so that high light transmittance can be achieved. 
     As shown in  FIG.  3   , the present invention further provides a display device  40  including the display panel  100  and a camera  41 . The camera  41  is disposed below the display panel  100  and corresponding to the blind hole area  120 . 
     The display panel  100  is provided with the plurality of second column spacers  301  disposed in both the outer diameter area  1202  and the display area  110  adjacent to the outer diameter area  1202 . In preparing the display panel  100 , based on a height difference formed between the second column spacers  302  and the first column spacers  301 , as the color filter substrate  20  deforms during a vacuum assembly process, a deformation area of the blind hole area increases because the second column spacers  301  are not in contact with the array substrate  10  in the blind hole area  120 , resulting in a decrease in a radius of curvature of the deformation of the blind hole area, thereby reducing an amount of deformation, avoiding poor focusing due to Newton&#39;s ring effect on the blind hole, and further improving shooting quality of the display device  40 . 
     Accordingly, although the present invention has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention may make various changes or modifications, and thus the scope of the present invention should be after the appended claims and their equivalents.