Patent Description:
Display devices are a kind of output device for visually presenting data information such as characters, figures, etc., and still or video images. The display device occasionally includes a camera or a microphone to provide various multimedia environments.

A demand for display devices having a large screen and a slim and bezel-less design is ever increasing. Furthermore, with advanced communication technologies, multimedia capabilities of the display device have become important, and user demand is growing to convey clear and vivid sound.

For conventional display devices, a sound receiving hole for a microphone is machined in a bezel on an outer edge of the display panel and then the microphone is arranged inside the sound receiving hole, or a separate module including the microphone is attached to the display device. However, on recent occasions where the width of the bezel is very narrow or there is no bezel, it is not easy to arrange the microphone in the display device. In addition, on an occasion of installing the microphone in the bezel of a display device that is growing larger in size these days or attaching the separate microphone module onto an outer edge of the display device, sound collecting performance may be degraded because there is a difference between the height or location at which the user gives utterance and the height or location of the microphone.

Patent document <CIT> describes a display with one or more openings, wherein an electronic component is mounted in alignment with the openings in the display.

Patent document <CIT> describes an inorganic light-emitting diode display comprising a display substrate comprising a display area and one or more holes extending through the display substrate in the display area and a plurality of inorganic light-emitting diodes disposed thereon.

Patent document <CIT> describes a screen turning-on method comprising: in a first screen and a second screen turning-off state, collecting voice information in real time by a microphone array; processing voice information collected by the microphone array; determining a sound source direction of the speech information; turning on a screen in a first screen or a second screen opposite to a sound source direction of the voice information.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a display panel includes a microphone installed at a level with the height or location where the user utters.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a display device includes a display panel equipped with a microphone without need for an extra space or a structure for installing the microphone in the display device.

There is provided a display panel in accordance with clam <NUM>. Other aspects of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a display panel includes a microphone installed behind an image display area at a level with the height or location where the user utters.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a display device includes a display panel equipped with a microphone without need for an extra space or a structure for installing the microphone in the display device, thereby making the display device slim or simple with no or narrow bezels.

Embodiments and features as described and illustrated in the disclosure are merely examples, and there may be various modifications replacing the embodiments and drawings at the time of filing this application.

For the sake of clarity, the elements of the drawings are drawn with exaggerated forms and sizes.

It will be further understood that the terms "comprise" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The terms including ordinal numbers like "first" and "second" may be used to explain various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing a component from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Descriptions shall be understood as to include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items when the items are described by using the conjunctive term "~ and/or ~," or the like.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout.

The disclosure provides a display panel equipped with a microphone at a height or location corresponding to height or a location at which the user utters a sound.

The disclosure also provides a display device including a display panel equipped with a microphone without need for a space or structure for installation of the microphone in the display device.

<FIG> is a perspective font view of a display device, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, and <FIG> is a perspective rear view of the display device of <FIG> with a display panel and a case separated from each other.

Referring to <FIG>, a display device <NUM> may be a device for displaying information, materials, data, etc., in characters, figures, graphs, images, etc., and may be implemented as a television, a personal computer, a mobile device, a digital signage, etc..

Display devices are getting thinner and larger these days. For simple design of the display device, edges, i.e., bezels, of the display panel is getting thinner as well.

For the display device, a liquid crystal panel (LCD) or organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel formed by depositing OLEDs on a substrate may be used. Furthermore, a new panel such as a micro LED panel having inorganic light emitting elements mounted on a substrate and using the inorganic light emitting elements themselves as pixels is being studied. The micro LED panel may be designed to be compact and slim because it may not need backlight and may have a minimized bezel, and has good properties in brightness, resolution, power consumption, and durability.

Furthermore, as complex processes are not required except for a process to pick up and transfer the inorganic light emitting element onto the substrate from a wafer, the micro LED panel may be manufactured to have various resolutions and sizes, and may easily implement a large screen by putting unit modules together.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the display device <NUM> may include a case <NUM> and a display panel <NUM> installed within the case <NUM>. The case <NUM> may support the display panel <NUM>. The case <NUM> may be installed on the floor via a stand (not shown), or on the wall via a hanger (not shown). The display device <NUM> may include a power supplier (not shown) for supplying power to the display panel <NUM>, and a control board (not shown) for controlling operation of the display panel <NUM>.

The display panel <NUM> may include a plurality of display modules <NUM>. The plurality of display modules <NUM> may be arranged vertically and horizontally to be adjacent to one another. The plurality of display modules <NUM> may be arranged in the form of an M x N matrix. In the embodiment of the disclosure, there are <NUM> display modules <NUM> arranged in a <NUM> x <NUM> matrix, but the number and the arrangement scheme of the display modules <NUM> are not limited thereto.

The display panel <NUM> or the display module <NUM> may include a substrate <NUM>, and a plurality of light emitting elements <NUM> mounted on the substrate <NUM>. The substrate <NUM> may be formed with polyimide, FR4, glass, etc. The substrate <NUM> may include thin film transistors (TFTs), and on the top surface of the substrate <NUM>, there may be first and second pad electrodes (not shown) formed to electrically coupled with the light emitting elements <NUM>.

The plurality of light emitting elements <NUM> may be formed with an inorganic material, and may include inorganic light emitting elements each having a size of a few to hundreds of micrometers (µm) in each of the length and the width. The light emitting element <NUM> may be picked up from a silicon wafer and transferred directly onto the substrate <NUM>. The plurality of light emitting elements <NUM> may be picked up and transferred in an electrostatic method using an electrostatic head or a bonding method using an elastic high molecular substance such as PDMS, silicon, or the like as a head.

The plurality of light emitting elements <NUM> may be a light emitting structure including n-type semiconductors, active layers, p-type semiconductors, first contact electrodes, and second contact electrodes, and may have the form of a flip chip in which the first and second contact electrodes are arranged toward the same direction. The first and second contact electrodes may be electrically coupled to first and second pad electrodes formed on the top surface of the substrate <NUM>, respectively.

An anisotropic conductive film (ACF, not shown) may be coated on the substrate <NUM> to mediate electrical bonding of the contact electrodes and the pad electrodes. The ACF may have an anisotropic conductive adhesive adhered onto a protective film, and have a structure in which conductive balls are distributed in an adhesive resin. The conductive ball is a conductive spherical body covered with a thin insulating film, and may be able to electrically bond both conductors together when the insulating film is broken by pressure.

Accordingly, when the ACF is pressurized while the plurality of light emitting elements <NUM> are mounted on the substrate <NUM>, the insulating film of the conductive ball is broken, allowing electrical bonding of the contact electrode of the light emitting element <NUM> and the pad electrode of the substrate <NUM>.

Alternatively, the plurality of light emitting elements <NUM> may be mounted on the substrate <NUM> through solder bumps instead of the ACF. In this case, the solder bumps may be equipped on the mounting surface for the light emitting elements <NUM>. After the light emitting elements <NUM> are arranged on the substrate <NUM>, they may be bonded onto the substrate <NUM> by a reflow process. Furthermore, the light emitting element <NUM> may be bonded onto the substrate <NUM> through a bonding material formed with a resin such as epoxy, silicon, urethane, etc..

The plurality of light emitting elements <NUM> may include red light emitting elements <NUM>, green light emitting elements <NUM>, and blue light emitting elements <NUM>, and may be mounted on the substrate <NUM> with a set of a red light emitting element <NUM>, a green light emitting element <NUM>, and a blue light emitting element <NUM> in a unit. The set of a red light emitting element <NUM>, a green light emitting element <NUM>, and a blue light emitting element <NUM> may form a pixel. The red light emitting element <NUM>, the green light emitting element <NUM>, and the blue light emitting element <NUM> may each form a sub pixel.

The red light emitting element <NUM>, the green light emitting element <NUM>, and the blue light emitting element <NUM> may be arranged in a row with a certain gap or in any other form such as a triangular form.

The display device may include a camera, a microphone, etc., to provide a multimedia function. The microphone has thus far been installed in a bezel on an outer edge of the display panel or a separate microphone module has been attached to the outer edge of the display device. Recent display devices, however, come out without bezels or with narrow bezels, and hence it is not easy to install the microphone in the bezel. Apart from this, as the display device grows larger, when the microphone is installed on the outer edge of the display panel, sound collecting performance of the microphone degrades because of a difference between the height or location of the microphone and height or a location at which the user utters.

<FIG> is an enlarged view of pixels and a hole of the display panel of the display device of <FIG>, <FIG> is an example of a plurality of holes formed on the display panel of the display device of <FIG>, and <FIG> is an enlarged view of a partial cross-section of the display device of <FIG>.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> may include a microphone <NUM>. The display panel <NUM> may include at least one hole <NUM> formed to penetrate the substrate <NUM>.

The microphone <NUM> may be installed on a rear side <NUM> of the substrate <NUM> of the display panel <NUM>. The microphone <NUM> may include a microphone using a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) that may be mounted on a substrate. The microphone <NUM> is installed on the rear side <NUM> of the substrate <NUM> of the display panel <NUM>, so there are no limitations on where to install the microphone <NUM>. The microphone <NUM> may be installed at a height or location at which to collect utterance of the user effectively. The microphone <NUM> may be installed near the at least one hole <NUM>, so that a sound that passes through the hole <NUM> may be collected.

The hole <NUM> may be formed between the light emitting elements <NUM> mounted on the substrate <NUM>. The hole <NUM> may be formed between pixels <NUM> each having a set of the red light emitting element <NUM>, the green light emitting element <NUM>, and the blue light emitting element <NUM>. The hole <NUM> may be formed in the space across which no circuit wiring on the substrate <NUM> passes. The hole <NUM> may be formed by mechanical drilling, laser machining, or the like after the substrate <NUM> is manufactured, or formed by machining during a manufacturing process of the substrate <NUM>.

Length A of a side of each pixel <NUM> may be set to about <NUM> or less. In this case, the hole <NUM> may be formed to have diameter B of about <NUM> or less between the pixels <NUM>. Depending on the sound collecting performance of the microphone <NUM>, the diameter B of the hole <NUM> and the number of the holes <NUM> may be determined. The plurality of holes <NUM> may be formed with each pixel <NUM> in between, or as shown in <FIG>, the holes <NUM> may be formed with two pixels in between. Although not shown, on an occasion when the display panel <NUM> includes the plurality of display modules <NUM>, the display modules <NUM> may be machined so that the holes <NUM> may be formed between the display modules <NUM>.

The display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> may include a plurality of the microphones <NUM>. The plurality of microphones <NUM> may be arranged near the single hole or a group of holes <NUM>. Furthermore, the plurality of microphones <NUM> may be installed at different locations with sufficient distance from each other in order to effectively collect the utterance of users at various locations.

The display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> may include a guide member <NUM> mounted on the rear side of the substrate <NUM>. The guide member <NUM> may guide a sound that passes through at least one of the holes <NUM> formed on the substrate <NUM> to be collected by the at least one microphone <NUM>. The guide member <NUM> may be arranged on the rear side of the substrate <NUM> to cover the at least one hole <NUM> and the at least one microphone <NUM>. The guide member <NUM> may include a rubber material to prevent a sound that passes through the at least one hole <NUM> from leaking out of the guide member <NUM>. The guide member <NUM> may be mounted on the rear side of the substrate <NUM> in various sealing methods.

The display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> may include a plurality of the microphones <NUM>, a plurality of the holes <NUM>, and a plurality of the guide members <NUM> to cover at least one of the holes <NUM> and at least one of the microphones <NUM>.

The display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> may include a plurality of microphone modules <NUM>. The microphone modules <NUM> may include one or a group of holes <NUM> and the microphone <NUM> located near the hole(s) <NUM>. The microphone module <NUM> may include a plurality of the microphones <NUM>. The plurality of microphone modules <NUM> may be installed at different locations with a sufficient distance from each other in order to effectively collect the utterance of users located at various locations. The plurality of microphone modules <NUM> may be variously arranged in the vertical direction or horizontal direction of the display panel <NUM>.

<FIG> is an enlarged view of a microphone module of a display device, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a microphone module <NUM> may include a plurality of the holes <NUM> and the single microphone <NUM> located adjacent to the holes <NUM>. When the microphone module <NUM> includes the plurality of holes <NUM>, the holes <NUM> may be formed to have sufficiently small size.

<FIG> is an enlarged view of a microphone module of a display device, according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a microphone module <NUM> may include the single hole <NUM> and a plurality of the microphones <NUM> located adjacent to the hole <NUM>. When the microphone module <NUM> includes the plurality of microphones <NUM>, the microphone module <NUM> may detect directivity of a sound.

Referring to <FIG>, a microphone module <NUM> may include a plurality of the holes <NUM> and a plurality of the microphones <NUM>. The plurality of holes <NUM> of the microphone module <NUM> may be formed to have a size small enough to be hardly seen with the naked eye. The plurality of microphones <NUM> of the microphone module <NUM> may clearly detect a location or moving direction of an utterer.

<FIG> shows operation of a display device, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. <FIG> is a flowchart of controlling a microphone module of a display device, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, <FIG> is a flowchart of controlling a microphone module of a display device, according to another embodiment of the disclosure, and <FIG> is a flowchart of controlling a microphone module of a display device, according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> may include a plurality of the microphones <NUM> or a plurality of the microphone modules <NUM>. The plurality of microphones <NUM> or the plurality of microphone modules <NUM> may be arranged in a uniform distribution on the display panel <NUM>.

The display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> including the plurality of microphone modules <NUM> or the plurality of microphones <NUM> may include a first processor <NUM> configured to cancel out noise based on voices collected by the plurality of microphone modules <NUM> and the plurality of microphones <NUM>. The first processor <NUM> may cancel out noise in the collected sound by using a beamforming scheme, an acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) scheme, or the like.

The beamforming scheme is setting up a guard area using the plurality of microphones to identify and remove a noise source outside the guard area, except a voice of the utterer within the guard area. The AEC scheme is to separate out a voice of the utterer by removing a sound related to a content currently output from a speaker of the display device or a speaker around the display device when the sound is collected along with the voice of the utterer.

The display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> including the plurality of microphone modules <NUM> and the plurality of microphones <NUM> may include a second processor <NUM> configured to determine a location of the utterer by comparing voices collected by the plurality of microphone modules <NUM> and the plurality of microphones <NUM>. The display device <NUM> may determine the location of the utterer with the second processor <NUM> and perform voice collection using the microphone <NUM> at an optimal location.

The display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> including the plurality of microphone modules <NUM> and the plurality of microphones <NUM> may include a third processor <NUM> configured to determine a location of the utterer and display response information at the nearest location from the utterer on the display panel <NUM>. While first, second and third processors are discussed herein, the present invention is not limited to any number of processors and any number of processor(s) may be used to process input pertaining to sound, voice, etc..

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> including the first processor <NUM> collects a voice of an utterer <NUM> by the plurality of the microphone modules <NUM> or a plurality of the microphones <NUM>, in <NUM>. The first processor <NUM> determines a location of the utterer by comparing volumes of the voice collected by the microphone modules <NUM> or microphones <NUM>, in <NUM>. The first processor <NUM> amplifies sensitivity of the microphone module <NUM> or the microphone <NUM> at the nearest location from the utterer among the plurality of microphone modules <NUM> or the plurality of microphones <NUM>, in <NUM>. The first processor <NUM> removes noise except the voice of the utterer based on sound information collected by other microphone modules <NUM> or microphones <NUM> than the microphone module <NUM> or the microphone <NUM> at the nearest location from the utterer, in <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> including the second processor <NUM> collects a voice of a utterer <NUM> by the plurality of the microphone modules <NUM> or a plurality of the microphones <NUM>, in <NUM>. The second processor <NUM> determines a location of the utterer by comparing volumes of the voice collected by the respective microphone modules <NUM> or microphones <NUM>, in <NUM>. The second processor <NUM> amplifies sensitivity of the microphone module <NUM> or the microphone <NUM> at the nearest location from the utterer among the plurality of microphone modules <NUM> or the plurality of microphones <NUM>, in <NUM>. The second processor <NUM> cuts off power supplied to other microphone modules <NUM> or microphones <NUM> than the microphone module <NUM> or the microphone <NUM> at the nearest location from the utterer, or enters into a power saving mode for the other microphone modules <NUM> or microphones <NUM>, in <NUM>. When detecting a change in volume of the collected sound, the microphone module <NUM> or the microphone <NUM> in the power saving mode or a standby mode may be normally activated again.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> including the third processor <NUM> collects a voice of the utterer <NUM> by the plurality of the microphone modules <NUM> or a plurality of the microphones <NUM>, in <NUM>. The third processor <NUM> determines a location of the utterer <NUM> by comparing volumes of the voice collected by the respective microphone modules <NUM> or microphones <NUM>, in <NUM>. The third processor <NUM> determines content of the voice of the utterer <NUM> in <NUM>, and displays response information <NUM> corresponding to the content of the voice of the utterer <NUM> at the nearest location from the utterer <NUM> on the display panel <NUM>, in <NUM>.

The display panel <NUM> may include a plurality of the display modules <NUM>, and each of the display modules <NUM> may include at least one microphone <NUM> or microphone module <NUM>. The third processor <NUM> may be configured to display the response information <NUM> in one of the display modules <NUM> located nearest the utterer <NUM>, or across two or more of the display modules <NUM> near the utterer <NUM>.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, when the utterer <NUM> gives utterance at a location near a first microphone module <NUM>, the response information <NUM> may be displayed on the display module <NUM> in which the first microphone module <NUM> is installed. When it is determined that the utterer <NUM> is located between the first and second microphone modules <NUM> and <NUM>, the response information <NUM> may be displayed across the display modules <NUM> at which the first and second microphones <NUM> and <NUM> are installed, respectively.

When the utterer <NUM> gives utterance while in motion, the third processor <NUM> determines whether the location of the utterer <NUM> is shifted and a location shift direction by comparing volumes of the voice of the utterer <NUM> collected through the plurality of microphone modules <NUM> or the plurality of microphones <NUM>, and changes where to display the response information <NUM> on the display panel <NUM> to follow the utterer <NUM>.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, when the utterer <NUM> that has been at the nearest location to the first microphone module <NUM> moves to the second microphone module <NUM>, the response information <NUM> displayed on the display panel <NUM> may be displayed as moving from the display module <NUM> where the first microphone module <NUM> is installed to the display module <NUM> where the second microphone module <NUM> is installed continuously or intermittently.

Although not shown, the display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> including the plurality of microphone modules <NUM> or microphones <NUM> may be configured to simultaneously control voices of several utterers. The display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> may determine locations of the several utterers, and remove noise other than the voice of each utterer based on sound information collected by other microphone modules <NUM> or microphones <NUM> than the microphone module <NUM> or the microphone <NUM> at the nearest location from the utterer, in <NUM>.

Furthermore, the display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> may cut off power to other microphone modules <NUM> or microphones <NUM> than the microphone module <NUM> or the microphone <NUM> at the nearest location from each utterer or enter into power saving mode for the other microphone modules <NUM> or microphones <NUM>.

Moreover, the display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> may determine locations of the several utterers, and display the respective response information <NUM> at a location nearest each utterer on the display panel <NUM>. The display device <NUM> or the display panel <NUM> may detect location shift of each utterer and display the respective response information <NUM> to follow the utterer.

<FIG> is an enlarged view of a partial cross-section of a display panel of a display device, according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

When a display panel <NUM> includes the guide member <NUM>, the microphone <NUM> may be installed on the guide member <NUM> instead of the rear side of the substrate <NUM>.

<FIG> is an enlarged view of a partial cross-section of a display device, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

A display device may include not only the display panel including light emitting elements and a substrate but also a display panel <NUM> of a different form. The display device or the display panel <NUM> may include at least one hole <NUM> formed to penetrate an image display area, and at least one microphone <NUM> installed on the back of the display panel <NUM>.

Furthermore, the display device may include a guide member <NUM> for guiding a sound coming into the display device through the hole <NUM> to be collected by the microphone <NUM>. The microphone <NUM> is installed on a case <NUM> to support a display panel <NUM> from behind the display panel <NUM>. The guide member <NUM> may be formed to connect the display panel <NUM> to the case <NUM> to guide the sound that passes through the hole <NUM> to the microphone <NUM>. The guide member <NUM> may have various shapes such as a rectangular shape, a circular shape, etc., and include a rubber material to tightly contact the display panel <NUM> and the case <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A display panel (<NUM>) comprising:
a substrate (<NUM>) on which a plurality of light emitting elements (<NUM>) are mountable and on which at least one hole (<NUM>) is formed to penetrate through the substrate (<NUM>) among the plurality of light emitting elements (<NUM>);
at least one microphone (<NUM>) mounted on a rear side (<NUM>) of the substrate (<NUM>) to collect a sound passing through the at least one hole (<NUM>); and
a guide member (<NUM>) mounted on the rear side (<NUM>) of the substrate (<NUM>) to cover the at least one hole (<NUM>) and the at least one microphone (<NUM>) and to seal between the substrate (<NUM>) and the guide member (<NUM>), wherein the guide member (<NUM>) comprises a rubber material,
wherein the at least one microphone (<NUM>) is mounted adjacent to the at least one hole (<NUM>), and
wherein the guide member (<NUM>) guides a sound that passes through at least one of the holes (<NUM>) formed on the substrate (<NUM>) to be collected by the at least one microphone (<NUM>).