Patent Description:
With the development of display technology, the display screen with the high screen-to-body ratio is getting more and more popular. Generally, a camera of the display device is disposed in the non-active area of the display screen. At present, in order to increase the screen-to-body ratio of the display screen, the following manner is proposed. The active area is notched, the component such as the camera or the telephone receiver is disposed in the notched area in the active area, and the non-active area of the display screen is canceled. However, when the active area is notched, a lateral leakage of light from the organic light-emitting layer tends to occur, thus affecting the photographing effect of the camera and the display performance of the display screen. Document <CIT> provides a terminal display assembly and a mobile terminal. Document <CIT> provides a display panel, a production method, and a display apparatus. Document <CIT> discloses an OLED through hole screen, a mobile terminal, a camera shooting control method and device and a storage medium.

The exemplary embodiments disclosed by the present application provide a display device.

In the above-described device, the cover plate is divided into the first region, the second region, and the third region. Where, the first region covers the active area, the second region covers the frame area, and the third region covers the through hole. The light-shielding portion is disposed on the surface of the cover plate adjacent to the display panel, that is, the light-shielding portion is arranged around the through hole, so that the light from the active area is reflected or absorbed by the light-shielding portion, thereby changing the travel path of the light. In this case, the light from the active area is prevented from emitting from the through hole, thus improving the photosensitive property of the camera module. Moreover, in this case, the display performance of the display device may also be improved.

For a clear understanding of the objectives, features, and advantages of the present application, specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Numerous specific details are set forth in the description below in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, the present application may be implemented in many other ways other than those described herein, and for those skilled in the art, various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present application, and thus the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

As described in the background, a high screen-to-body ratio is the development tendency of the display panel. In order to increase the screen-to-body ratio of the display screen, a non-active area of the display screen may be canceled, so that an area of an active area can be increased. When the non-active area is canceled, in order to realize an installment of a front-facing camera module, the active area may be notched to form a through hole for receiving the front-facing camera module, and the front-facing camera module may be disposed in the through hole in the active area, so that the screen-to-body ratio of the display screen can be significantly increased. However, light in the notched active area may leak from the through hole, thereby affecting the photosensitive property of the camera module disposed in the through hole. Moreover, the light leakage will also decrease the display performance of the display panel.

Therefore, in view of the above-described technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a display device, in which a light-shielding portion is arranged around the through hole to reflect or absorb light, and/or a light-interfering layer is arranged around the through hole to change a travel path of light, to prevent the light from leaking from the through hole, thus improving both the photosensitive property of the front-facing camera module and the display performance of the display panel.

Referring to <FIG>, a display device provided in an embodiment of the present application includes a display panel <NUM> and a cover plate <NUM> covering the display panel <NUM>.

The display panel <NUM> is provided with a through hole <NUM> going through the display panel in a thickness direction thereof. The display panel <NUM> is further provided with an active area <NUM> and a frame area <NUM>, wherein the frame area <NUM> is surrounded by the active area <NUM>, and the through hole <NUM> is surrounded by the frame area <NUM>. The through hole <NUM> is configured to have a camera module such as a front-facing camera installed therein. The through hole <NUM> may have a cross-section having a circular shape or any other shape. The frame area <NUM> is a non-active area around the through hole <NUM>, that is, the frame area <NUM> has no display function. The active area <NUM> includes a substrate <NUM>, a pixel circuit layer <NUM>, a light-emitting layer <NUM>, a first inorganic layer <NUM>, an organic layer <NUM>, and a second inorganic layer <NUM>. The first inorganic layer <NUM>, the organic layer <NUM>, and the second inorganic layer <NUM> constitute an encapsulation structure of the display panel <NUM>. The frame area <NUM> includes the substrate <NUM> and an optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> disposed on the substrate <NUM>. The substrate <NUM> in the frame area <NUM> is provided with a plurality of grooves <NUM> thereon. A protrusion <NUM> is provided between adjacent grooves <NUM>. The grooves <NUM> and the protrusion <NUM> are deposited with the light-emitting layer <NUM>, the first inorganic layer <NUM>, and the second inorganic layer <NUM> thereon in sequence. The grooves <NUM> formed in the frame area <NUM> are configured to cut the light-emitting layer <NUM> in the frame area <NUM> to cause the discontinuous extension of the light-emitting layer <NUM> in the frame area <NUM>, so that the light-emitting layer <NUM> in the frame area <NUM> is unable to emit light. Moreover, the grooves <NUM> may also be configured to disperse stress and thus preventing the fracture and the influence on the display performance. The frame area <NUM> further includes a blocking wall <NUM> adjacent to an edge of the encapsulation structure. The blocking wall <NUM> may be configured to isolate the active area from the through hole <NUM>, to prevent the organic layer <NUM> from flowing into the through hole <NUM>.

The cover plate <NUM> may be a glass cover plate or a cover plate made of other transparent material. The cover plate <NUM> includes a first region <NUM>, a second region <NUM>, and a third region <NUM>. The first region <NUM> covers the active area <NUM>. The second region <NUM> covers the frame area <NUM>. The third region <NUM> covers the through hole <NUM>. A light-shielding portion <NUM> is disposed on a surface of the second region <NUM>, which is adjacent to the display panel <NUM>. Herein, a surface of the cover plate <NUM> adjacent to the display panel <NUM> is referred to as a bottom surface, and a surface of the cover plate <NUM> away from the display panel <NUM> is referred to as a top surface. Namely, the light-shielding portion <NUM> is disposed on the bottom surface of the second region <NUM> of the cover plate <NUM>. When entering the frame area <NUM>, the light from the active area <NUM> can be reflected by the light-shielding portion <NUM>, so that the travel path of the light is changed, thus preventing the light from emitting from the through hole <NUM>. The light-shielding portion <NUM> may also adsorb the light from the active area <NUM>. Therefore, the light emitting from the through hole <NUM> may be significantly reduced, thereby improving the photosensitive property of the camera module disposed in the through hole <NUM>. In this embodiment, the light-shielding portion <NUM> may cover the entire bottom surface of the second region <NUM>, or may cover part of the bottom surface of the second region <NUM>.

In the display device provided in the above-described embodiment, the light-shielding portion <NUM> is disposed on the bottom surface of the cover plate <NUM> in the frame area <NUM> and configured to change the travel path of the light from the active area <NUM> and/or adsorb the light from the active area <NUM>, thus avoiding or reducing the light emitting from the through hole <NUM>, thereby improving the photosensitive property of the camera module in the through hole <NUM> and the display performance of the display panel <NUM>.

According to the invention, the roughness of the bottom surface of the second region <NUM> of the cover plate <NUM> is larger than the roughness of the bottom surface of the first region <NUM> and larger than the roughness of the third region <NUM> of the cover plate <NUM>. In one embodiment, the light-shielding portion <NUM> is the rough bottom surface of the second region <NUM>. A diffuse reflection occurs when the light from the active area <NUM> reaches the bottom surface of the second region <NUM> of the cover plate <NUM>, thus reducing the light leaking from the through hole <NUM>, and improving the photosensitive property of the camera module and the display performance of the display device. In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the second region <NUM> of the cover plate <NUM> may be preprocessed via a method such as shot blasting to increase the roughness of this bottom surface, so that the roughness of the bottom surface of the second region <NUM> of the cover plate <NUM> is larger than the roughness of the bottom surface of the first region <NUM> and the third region <NUM> of the cover plate <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the light-shielding portion <NUM> may be a metal layer. The metal layer may be firstly deposited on the bottom surface of the second region <NUM> of the cover plate <NUM> and then attached to the surface of the display panel <NUM> together with the cover plate <NUM>. The metal layer is used to form a mirror reflection of the light to disturb the travel path of the light, thus preventing the light from the active area <NUM> from leaking from the through hole <NUM>.

In an embodiment, referring to <FIG> is a top view illustrating the display device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The display device further includes a light-interfering layer <NUM>. The light-interfering layer <NUM> is arranged in the frame area <NUM> between the active area <NUM> and the through hole <NUM> and surrounds the through hole <NUM>. The light-interfering layer <NUM> is configured to absorb the light from the active area <NUM> or to change the travel path of the light from the active area <NUM>, to prevent the light from leaking from the through hole <NUM>.

More specifically, referring to <FIG> is a schematic partial sectional view illustrating the display device taken along a dotted line A-A' in the <FIG>. The light-interfering layer <NUM> is disposed on a top surface of the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> adjacent to the cover plate <NUM>, and configured to change the travel path of the light from the active area <NUM> or absorb the light from the active area <NUM>. In an embodiment, the light-interfering layer <NUM> may cover the entire top surface of the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> or part of the top surface of the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM>. In this embodiment, the light-interfering layer <NUM> may be a black gum. The black gum may overlay the top surface of the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> after the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> is formed in the frame area <NUM>. Alternatively, the black gum may overlay the bottom surface of the second region <NUM> of the cover plate <NUM>, and then the cover plate <NUM> together with the black gum may be attached onto the surface of the display panel <NUM>. The light absorption effect of the black gum is used to absorb the light from the active area <NUM>, thereby reducing the light leaking from the through hole <NUM>, reducing the influence of the lateral leakage of the light from the active area <NUM> on the photosensitive effect of the camera module disposed in the through hole <NUM>, and improving the display performance of the display panel. Alternatively, the light-interfering layer <NUM> may be a prism or an organic material having a relatively high surface roughness, as long as it may change the travel path of the light from the active area <NUM> or may absorb the light from the active area. For example, the prism may be used to refract light to change the travel path of the light, while the organic material having high surface roughness may be used to form a diffuse reflection of light to change the travel path of the light. The organic material having the relatively high surface roughness may be zirconium naphthenate, cobalt naphthenate, nickel naphthenate, titanium naphthenate, or the like.

In the display device provided in the above-described embodiment, the light-interfering layer <NUM> is arranged in the frame area <NUM> between the through hole <NUM> and the active area <NUM> and disposed on the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM>, and surrounds the through hole <NUM>, thereby changing the travel path of the light from the active area <NUM> by the light-interfering layer <NUM> and preventing the light leaking from the through hole <NUM>, eliminating the influence of the lateral leakage of light on, for example, the photographing of the camera, and moreover, improving the display performance of the display device.

In an embodiment, referring to <FIG>, a schematic sectional structural view illustrating the display device provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. In this embodiment, the light-interfering layer <NUM> may be disposed in the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM>. More specifically, the light-interfering layer <NUM> is disposed at a side in the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> adjacent to the active area <NUM>, and positioned over a location corresponding to the protrusion <NUM> in the frame area <NUM>. In this embodiment, after the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> is formed, a portion of the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> adjacent to the active area <NUM> is etched to form a recess in the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM>. Then the light-interfering layer <NUM> is formed in the recess. The light-interfering layer <NUM> can be a black gum. The black gum is arranged proximate to the active area <NUM> and surrounding the through hole <NUM>, thereby realizing a better light-blocking effect, effectively preventing the light from leaking from the through hole <NUM>, and moreover, improving the photosensitive property of the camera module and the display performance of the display device.

Referring to <FIG> is a schematic partially enlarged view illustrating a sectional structure at the dotted line frame B in the <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, h1 denotes a height of the light-interfering layer <NUM> in a direction perpendicular to the display panel <NUM>, and h2 denotes a height of the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> disposed at the location corresponding to the light-interfering layer <NUM>, in the direction perpendicular to the display panel <NUM>, and a relationship between the height h1 of the light-interfering layer <NUM> and the height h2 of the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> satisfies:
<MAT>.

If the height h1 of the light-interfering layer <NUM> is too small, for example, smaller than <NUM>×h2, then the shielding and blocking effect is unsatisfying, and relatively much light leaks. If the height of the light-interfering layer <NUM> is too large, for example, larger than <NUM>×h2, then a distance between an end of the light-interfering layer <NUM> and the second inorganic layer <NUM> is too small, and thus the second inorganic layer <NUM> tends to be damaged when the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> is etched to form the groove. In addition, if the distance between the light-interfering layer <NUM> and the second inorganic layer <NUM> is too small, the stress at this location may be relatively large, thus causing the display panel <NUM> to be bent and the second inorganic layer <NUM> to break easily under an external stress, and affecting the encapsulation effect. Therefore, a reasonable configuration of the height of the light-interfering layer <NUM> can improve the light-blocking effect of the light-interfering layer <NUM> while not affecting the encapsulation effect, thereby improving the photosensitive property of the camera module and the display performance of the display device.

Referring to <FIG> is a schematic sectional structural view illustrating the display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the light-interfering layer <NUM> may be disposed on a surface of the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> adjacent to the through hole <NUM>, that is, the light-interfering layer <NUM> is arranged on and surrounding an inner surface of a side wall of the through hole <NUM>. The height of the light-interfering layer <NUM> in the direction perpendicular to the display panel <NUM> and the height of the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> in the direction perpendicular to the display panel <NUM> may be identical or different. When the height of the light-interfering layer <NUM> in the direction perpendicular to the display panel <NUM> is the same as the height of the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> in the direction perpendicular to the display panel <NUM>, a better light-blocking effect is achieved by the light-interfering layer <NUM>, so that the photosensitive property of the camera module and the display performance of the display panel <NUM> are significantly improved.

In this embodiment, the light-interfering layer <NUM> may be any one of the black gum, the prism, and the organic material having a relatively high surface roughness. In an embodiment, the light-interfering layer <NUM> can be the black gum. In an embodiment where the light-interfering layer <NUM> is the black gum, the black gum may be formed on an inner side wall of the through hole <NUM> while the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> is being formed. Alternatively, a layer of the black gum may be formed on the side wall of the through hole <NUM> by using a gum-dispensing method after the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> is formed.

Alternatively, a light-interfering layer <NUM> may be formed in a circle in the third region <NUM> of the cover plate <NUM> after the cover plate <NUM> is formed, and a shape of the light-interfering layer <NUM> is consistent with a shape of the through hole <NUM>, for example, the light-interfering layer <NUM> is formed in a circle at a periphery of the third region <NUM>, that is, the light-interfering layer <NUM> is in a shape of a hollow cylinder. The height of the light-interfering layer <NUM> and the height of the optically clear adhesive layer <NUM> in the direction perpendicular to the display panel <NUM> are identical. After the light-interfering layer <NUM> is formed on the cover plate <NUM>, the cover plate <NUM> together with the light-interfering layer <NUM> is attached onto the display panel <NUM>, where the light-interfering layer <NUM> is attached onto the inner side wall of the through hole <NUM>, and the components such as front-facing cameral and the handset are arranged in hollow space.

It should be understood that only the light-interfering layer <NUM> but no light-shielding portion <NUM> may be arranged in the display panel <NUM>. In this case, the objective of changing the travel path of light may also be realized.

In the display device provided in the above-described embodiment, the light-interfering layer <NUM> is arranged in a circle on the inner side wall of the through hole <NUM> of the display device, so that the light from the display panel <NUM> may be blocked, or the travel path of the light is changed, and no light can laterally leak to the through hole and be transmitted outwards, thus improving the photosensitive property of the camera module and the display performance of the display panel <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A display device comprising:
a display panel (<NUM>), provided with a through hole (<NUM>) extending through the display panel (<NUM>) in a thickness direction thereof, and the display panel (<NUM>) comprising:
a frame area (<NUM>) surrounding the through hole (<NUM>); and
an active area (<NUM>) surrounding the frame area (<NUM>); and
a cover plate (<NUM>) covering the display panel (<NUM>), the cover plate (<NUM>) comprising:
a first region (<NUM>) covering the active area (<NUM>);
a second region (<NUM>) covering the frame area (<NUM>); and
a third region (<NUM>) covering the through hole (<NUM>);
characterized in that:
a surface of the second region (<NUM>) adjacent to the display panel (<NUM>) is provided with a light-shielding portion (<NUM>) thereon, and the light-shielding portion (<NUM>) comprises the surface of the second region (<NUM>) adjacent to the display panel (<NUM>); and
a roughness of a surface of the light-shielding portion (<NUM>) adjacent to the display panel (<NUM>) is larger than a roughness of a surface of the first region (<NUM>) adjacent to the display panel (<NUM>) and larger than a roughness of a surface of the third region (<NUM>) adjacent to the display panel (<NUM>).