Patent Description:
Recently, many different types of displays have been developed, including Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, Liquid-Crystal Displays (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) displays, Quantum Dot Displays, Electronic Paper Displays (EPD), etc..

Generally, display devices use multiple pixels to display images. A display panel with a pixel circuit that uses one or more Thin-Film Transistors (TFTs) as switching elements is called an active matrix display device. The switching elements are driven by the gate lines and data lines of the display device, so as to operate the pixels in the display device.

In order to provide sufficient current to drive the light-emitting elements, the active layer of the TFT must be designed to have a sufficiently high width-to-length ratio (W/L ratio). However, in a display device, even a small particle may cause a point defect, such as a pixel defect or a line defect. This is more serious when the width-to-length ratio of the TFT is high.

Such defects have become serious problems with the increase in the display area of display devices. To solve these problems, novel pixel circuit structures configured with spare components for repair and a corresponding method for repairing the damaged pixel circuit when required are provided.

<CIT> discloses a display device according to the preamble of claim <NUM>. A spare pixel circuit for flexible repair for abnormal subpixels in the display area is not disclosed.

<CIT> discloses an organic light-emitting display apparatus that includes an emission pixel in a display area and a spare pixel circuit. The emission pixels includes a plurality of sub emission pixels each including a driving unit for generating a driving current corresponding to input data signals and an emission device for emitting light by using the driving current. The spare pixel circuit is coupled to a repair line that is coupled to the emission device of one of the sub emission pixels. The spare pixel circuit includes a plurality of driving transistors corresponding to the plurality of sub emission pixels. The spare pixel circuit is provided in a repair area outside the display area.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an enhanced display device enabling an efficient and low-cost replacement of portions of the original pixel circuit in case an abnormality occurs, so as to repair the display device, efficiently extend the lifespan of the display device and to avoid the problem of poor user experience due to pixel defects and the like.

This problem is solved by a display device as claimed by claim <NUM>.

The disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:.

In order to make the features of the disclosure more clear and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the disclosure are given below and the accompanying drawings are described in detail as follows. The purpose of which is to explain the spirit of the present disclosure rather than to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the following embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of the above.

In the present disclosure, the technical features of the various embodiments may be substituted or combined with each other to achieve other embodiments when they are not mutually exclusive.

In the present disclosure, the term "couple", if not specifically defined, includes direct connection, indirect connection, electrical connection, and electrical coupling.

<FIG> shows an exemplary block diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, the display device <NUM> may comprise a substrate (not shown), a display panel <NUM>, a gate driving circuit <NUM>, a data driving circuit <NUM> and a control chip <NUM>. The display panel <NUM> comprises a pixel array <NUM> configured on the substrate. The gate driving circuit <NUM> is coupled to the pixel array <NUM> via a plurality of gate lines, and is configured to provide a plurality of gate driving signals on the gate lines for driving a plurality of pixels <NUM> on the pixel array <NUM>. The data driving circuit <NUM> is coupled to the pixel array <NUM> via a plurality of data lines, and is configured to provide a plurality of data driving signals on the data lines for writing image data to the plurality of pixels <NUM> on the pixel array <NUM> via the data driving signals. The control chip <NUM> is configured to receive an external signal and generate a plurality of timing signals, comprising clock signals, reset signals, start pulses, ending signals, or others. It should be noted that the display panel <NUM> may be an LCD panel, an OLED panel, a Mini-LED panel, a Micro-LED panel, a Quantum Dot display panel or an EPD panel. And in the disclosure, the display panel <NUM> may be a flexible, stretchable or rigid display panel.

According to the embodiments of the disclosure, the display panel <NUM> may be applied in an electronic device. The electronic device may be implemented as various devices, comprising: a mobile phone, a digital camera, a lap-top computer, a personal computer, a television, an in-vehicle display, a portable DVD player, or any apparatus with image display functionality.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in <FIG>, the gate driving circuit <NUM> is disposed outside of the pixel array <NUM>. However, it should be noted that the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments of the disclosure, the gate driving circuit <NUM> may also be disposed inside of the pixel array <NUM>. Similarly, although in <FIG>, the gate driving circuit <NUM> is not configured on the display panel <NUM>, the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments of the disclosure, the gate driving circuit <NUM> may also be disposed on the display panel <NUM>. It should be understood that, in the disclosure, the area occupied by the pixel array <NUM> is the active area (AA) of the display panel <NUM> which is configured to display images, and the area not occupied by the pixel array <NUM> is the non-active area (NA) of the display panel <NUM> for disposing peripheral circuits. In addition, for the gate driving circuit <NUM> being disposed on the display panel <NUM> means that the gate driving circuit <NUM> is formed on the substrate of the display panel <NUM> by a photolithography process, thereby omitting the circuit board and the driving chip, and further reducing the production cost.

The pixel array <NUM> may comprise a plurality of pixels <NUM> and each pixel may further comprise a plurality of pixel units. In a color display, the pixel unit may correspond to a sub-pixel, such as a red (represented by R) sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM>, a blue (represented by B) sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM> or a green (represented by G) sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM>, where a set of RGB sub-pixels corresponds to the pixel in the embodiments of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pixel array <NUM> may comprise a plurality of original pixel circuits and a plurality of spare pixel circuits. Each sub-pixel may be configured with a corresponding original pixel circuit, and the number of spare pixel circuits may be equal to or less than a total number of sub-pixels. When the number of spare pixel circuits is less than the total number of sub-pixels, the spare pixel circuits are shared by the sub-pixels in the pixel array <NUM>. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the spare pixel circuits are configured in the display device <NUM> such that when an abnormality occurs in any original pixel circuit, the components of the spare pixel circuit can be utilized to replace the corresponding components in the abnormal original pixel circuit. In this manner, the display device can be repaired, the lifespan of the display device can be extended or the problem of poor user experience due to the pixel defect or the line defect caused by the damaged pixel circuit can be avoided. Especially, when manufacturing a tiling electronic device (for example, a large display device), if a portion of the original pixel circuits has been detected as being abnormal or damaged via some test during the production process or when the production is completed, directly discarding the entire display device will result in serious production cost loss. Therefore, the production cost of the display device can also be effectively reduced by configuring and applying the spare pixel circuits.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, at least one of the pixels in the pixel array <NUM> comprises at least a first sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM> (or called pixel unit) and a second sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM>. The pixel circuit of the first sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM> comprises a first light-emitting element and a first driving circuit. The pixel circuit of the second sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM> comprises a second light-emitting element and a second driving circuit. The driving circuit of each sub-pixel is coupled to the corresponding light-emitting element and configured to control the corresponding light-emitting element.

<FIG> is an exemplary circuit diagram of a pixel circuit according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The pixel circuit <NUM> may comprise a light-emitting diode LED and a driving circuit <NUM> coupled to the light-emitting diode LED for driving the light-emitting diode LED. The driving circuit <NUM> may comprise a selection transistor T-Sel, a driving transistor T-Dri and a capacitor Cst. The selection transistor T-Sel is coupled to the gate line and the data line and is turned on in response to the gate driving signal SN. Via the turned on selection transistor T-Sel, the data driving signal DATA provided on the data line may be provided to the driving transistor T-Dri. The driving transistor T-Dri may be coupled between the terminal for supplying the system voltage VDD and the light-emitting diode LED, and is turned on in response to the data driving signal DATA for providing driving current to the light-emitting diode LED. The cathode of the light-emitting diode LED is coupled to the terminal for supplying the voltage VEE and the amount of driving current of the light-emitting diode LED is controlled by the data driving signal DATA. In an embodiment, the selection transistor T-Sel or the driving transistor T-Dri may be an amorphous thin-film transistor, a low temperature polysilicon thin-film transistor, a metal-oxide thin-film transistor, or a transistor with a mixed structure as discussed above. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto.

It should be noted that <FIG> is merely a schematic diagram of a pixel circuit for illustrating one of a variety of pixel circuits, in which the spare pixel circuit and the repairing method of the disclosure can be applied. Therefore, the disclosure is not limited to what is shown in <FIG>. In addition, it should be noted that, although there is only one driving transistor T-Dri shown in <FIG> for simplicity, the disclosure should not be limited thereto. When implementing the pixel circuit, the driving transistor T-Dri may be multiple transistors electrically connected in parallel, series, or any combination thereto, and the number of transistors and the coupling relationship thereof may be flexibly designed based on different requirements, so as to achieve the required driving capability. Therefore, the disclosure is not limited to what is shown in <FIG>.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first driving circuit of the first sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM> comprises a plurality of Thin-Film Transistors (TFTs) as the aforementioned driving transistor, the second driving circuit of the second sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM> comprises a plurality of TFTs as the aforementioned driving transistor, and the number of TFTs in the first driving circuit is different to the number of TFTs in the second driving circuit. For example, when the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element configured for displaying different colors, the required driving current thereof may be different. Therefore, there is a different number of TFTs in the first driving circuit than there are in the second driving circuit.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when the first driving circuit comprises a plurality of P-type TFTs, the TFTs are coupled in parallel between the terminal for supplying the system voltage VDD and the anode of the corresponding light-emitting diode LED. Similarly, when the second driving circuit comprises a plurality of P-type TFTs, the TFTs are coupled in parallel between the terminal for supplying the system voltage VDD and the anode of the corresponding light-emitting diode LED.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the aforementioned at least one of the pixels in the pixel array <NUM> further comprises a third sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM>. The pixel circuit of the third sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM> comprises a third light-emitting element and a third driving circuit. The third driving circuit is coupled to the third light-emitting element and configured to control the third light-emitting element. The third driving circuit may comprise a plurality of P-type TFTs as the aforementioned driving transistor. When the third driving circuit comprises a plurality of P-type TFTs, the TFTs may be coupled in parallel between the terminal for supplying the system voltage VDD and the anode of the corresponding light-emitting diode LED. In another embodiment, when the first driving circuit, the second driving circuit or the third driving circuit comprise a plurality of N-type TFTs, the TFTs may be coupled in parallel between the terminal for supplying the system voltage VEE and the cathode of the corresponding light-emitting diode LED. It should be noted that the arrangements illustrated above are merely examples and are not intended to limit the disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the number (a first number) of the TFTs configured in the first driving circuit is greater than the number (a second number) of the TFTs configured in the second driving circuit, and the number of TFTs configured in the second driving circuit is greater than the number (a third number) of the TFTs configured in the third driving circuit. For example, the first sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM> may be a red sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM> may be a green sub-pixel, and the third sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM> may be a blue sub-pixel. Suppose that the driving current required by the red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) is greater than the driving current required by the green sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>), and the driving current required by the green sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) is greater than the driving current required by the blue sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>), the number of TFTs configured in the red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) may be greater than the number of TFTs configured in the green sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>), and the number of TFTs configured in the green sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) may be greater than the number of TFTs configured in the blue sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>). It should be noted that the number of sub-pixels illustrated above is merely one example and is not intended to limit the disclosure. In other embodiments, a fourth sub-pixel (e.g. a yellow sub-pixel) or a fifth sub-pixel (e.g. a white sub-pixel) may also be of the at least one of the pixels.

It should be noted that the pixel circuit with the driving circuit coupled to the light-emitting element is the original pixel circuit configured for each sub-pixel. In the embodiments of the disclosure, the pixel array <NUM> furthers comprise at least one spare pixel circuit. The spare pixel circuit comprises a plurality of spare TFTs. At least one electrode of one of the spare TFTs is electrically floating. In the embodiments of the disclosure, when an abnormality occurs in any one of the above-illustrated sub-pixels, a specific number, which is determined based on the number of TFTs required by the abnormal sub-pixel (such as the first number, the second number or the third number as illustrated above) of the spare TFTs are coupled to corresponding light-emitting element in the abnormal sub-pixel, so as to replace the TFTs in the original pixel circuit of the abnormal sub-pixel and to be utilized as the driving transistor for driving the corresponding light-emitting element. In an embodiment, the specific number may be the first number, the second number or the third number as illustrated above. It should be noted that the numbers illustrated above are merely examples and are not intended to limit the disclosure.

According to a first embodiment of the disclosure, when a portion of the original pixel circuits has been detected as abnormal or damaged by a specific test circuit or an optical instrument (for example, observed through an optical microscope) disposed in the AA or NA of the display panel <NUM>, a number (the specific number as discussed above) of spare TFTs are selected to replace the TFTs in the original pixel circuit of the abnormal or damaged sub-pixel and to be utilized as the driving transistor for driving the corresponding light-emitting element, where the number of spare TFTs to be selected is determined based on number of TFTs required by the abnormal or damaged sub-pixel, and may be the same as the number of TFTs required by the abnormal or damaged sub-pixel.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram showing the configurations of the original pixel circuit <NUM>/<NUM>/<NUM> and the spare pixel circuit <NUM> according to a first embodiment of the disclosure. The schematic diagram shown in <FIG> is applied in a default status (that is, when the repair has not been performed) of the display panel. It should be noted that in order to clearly illustrate the embodiment, only the TFTs are shown in each pixel circuit. However, those who are skilled in this technology can readily appreciate that the pixel circuit may further comprise other circuit components not shown in <FIG>.

For discrimination, the TFTs labeled by TR represent the spare TFTs in the spare pixel circuit <NUM>, the TFTs labeled by T represent the original TFTs in the original pixel circuit <NUM>/<NUM>/<NUM>, the LED B represents the light-emitting diode in the blue sub-pixel (e.g.<NUM>-<NUM>), the LED G represents the light-emitting diode in the green sub-pixel (e.g.<NUM>-<NUM>) and the LED R represents the light-emitting diode in the red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>).

In the embodiments of the disclosure, the spare TFTs TR are disposed in the area adjacent to the original TFTs T, for easy repair. In addition, the conductive pad of each electrode of the spare TFTs TR may also be disposed in the unmasked region so that, when repair is required, the electrode of the spare TFTs TR can be changed from an electrically floating state to another state, in which the electrical connection(s) is/are generated between the spare TFTs TR and the corresponding terminals. The method of generating the electrical connection can be, for example, using welding technology.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of repairing the pixel circuit in the red sub-pixel (e.g.<NUM>-<NUM>) by using the spare pixel circuit <NUM> according to the first embodiment of the disclosure. In the embodiment of the disclosure, when an abnormality occurs in the pixel circuit <NUM> of the red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>), the original TFTs T and the light-emitting element LED R of the abnormal red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) are first electrically insulated, so as to disconnect the electrical connection therebetween. Next, one terminal of the first number (e.g. in this embodiment, <NUM>) of spare TFTs TR are coupled to the light-emitting element LED R of the abnormal red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>), and another terminal of the spare TFTs TR are coupled to the terminal for supplying the system voltage VDD/VEE, so as to replace the original TFTs T and to be utilized as the driving transistor of the light-emitting element LED R.

Another embodiment of the disclosure is to repair the pixel circuit in the green sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) by using the spare pixel circuit (not shown in the figure, note that the only difference when comparing to the embodiment of repairing the pixel circuit in the red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) is the number of TFTs). In this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the pixel circuit of the green sub-pixel, the original TFTs T and the light-emitting element LED G of the abnormal green sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) are first electrically insulated, so as to disconnect the electrical connection therebetween. Next, one terminal of the second number (e.g. in this embodiment, <NUM>) of spare TFTs TR are coupled to the light-emitting element LED G of the abnormal green sub-pixel, and another terminal of the spare TFTs TR are coupled to the terminal for supplying the system voltage VDD/VEE, so as to replace the original TFTs T and to be utilized as the driving transistor of the light-emitting element LED G.

Another embodiment of the disclosure is to repair the pixel circuit in the blue sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) by using the spare pixel circuit (not shown in the figure, note that the only difference when comparing to the embodiment of repairing the pixel circuit in the red sub-pixel <NUM>-<NUM> is the number of TFTs). In this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the pixel circuit of the blue sub-pixel, the original TFTs T and the light-emitting element LED B of the abnormal blue sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) are first electrically insulated, so as to disconnect the electrical connection therebetween. Next, one terminal of the third number (e.g. in this embodiment, <NUM>) of spare TFTs TR are coupled to the light-emitting element LED B of the abnormal blue sub-pixel, and another terminal of the spare TFTs TR are coupled to the terminal for supplying the system voltage VDD/VEE, so as to replace the original TFTs T and to be utilized as the driving transistor of the light-emitting element LED B.

It should be noted that the configuration of spare pixel circuit <NUM> in the embodiments of the disclosure is not limited to repair the display panel, and is also applicable for repairing the backlight panel.

<FIG> is another schematic diagram showing the configurations of the original driving circuit <NUM> and the spare circuit <NUM> according to the first embodiment of the disclosure. The schematic diagram shown in <FIG> is applied in a default status (that is, when the repair has not been performed) of the backlight panel. It should be noted that in order to clearly illustrate the embodiment, only the TFTs are shown in the driving circuit <NUM> and the spare circuit <NUM>. However, those who are skilled in this technology can readily appreciate that the pixel circuit may further comprise other circuit components not shown in <FIG>.

Similarly, in this schematic diagram, the TFTs labeled by TR represent the spare TFTs in the spare circuit <NUM>, the TFTs labeled by T represent the original TFTs in the original driving circuit <NUM>, the LED W represents the light-emitting diode in the driving ciircuit401. The spare TFTs TR are disposed in the area adjacent to the original TFTs T, for easy repair. In addition, the conductive pad of each electrode of the spare TFTs TR may also be disposed in the unmasked region so that, when repair is required, the electrode of the spare TFTs TR can be changed from an electrically floating state to another state in which the electrical connection(s) is/are generated between the spare TFTs TR and the corresponding terminals. The method of generating the electrical connection can be, for example, using welding technology.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of repairing the driving circuit <NUM> of the backlight unit by using the spare circuit <NUM> according to the first embodiment of the disclosure. In the embodiment of the disclosure, when an abnormality occurs in a specific number of original TFTs T of the driving circuit <NUM>, the abnormal TFTs T and the light-emitting element LED W are electrically insulated, so as to disconnect the electrical connection therebetween. Next, one terminal of the specific number (e.g. in this embodiment, <NUM>) of spare TFTs TR are coupled to the light-emitting element LED W, and another terminal of the spare TFTs TR are coupled to the terminal for supplying the system voltage, so as to replace the original TFTs T and to be utilized as the driving transistor of the light-emitting element LED W.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the number of spare TFTs of the spare pixel circuit is selected as the maximum number of original TFTs configured in one original pixel circuit. For example, in cases where the first number mentioned above is greater than the second number and the second number is greater than the third number, the number of spare TFTs of the spare pixel circuit is selected to be the first number. In addition, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, at least a predetermined number of spare TFTs may be coupled in parallel in advance, and the predetermined number is select as the minimum number of original TFTs configured in one original pixel circuit. For example, in cases where the first number mentioned above is greater than the second number and the second number is greater than the third number, the predetermined number is selected to be the third number.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the width-to-length ratio of the TFTs of the pixel array <NUM> may be between <NUM>:<NUM> and <NUM>:<NUM>.

<FIG> shows an exemplary circuit diagram of a spare pixel circuit <NUM> according to the first embodiment of the disclosure. In this embodiment, it is supposed that the driving circuit of the red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) comprises four TFTs coupled in parallel as the driving transistor, the driving circuit of the green sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) comprises three TFTs coupled in parallel as the driving transistor, and the driving circuit of the blue sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) comprises two TFTs coupled in parallel as the driving transistor. In this manner, the spare pixel circuit <NUM> may be designed to comprise four TFTs and at least two TFTs <NUM> are coupled in parallel in advance, and at least one electrode of one of the spare TFTs <NUM> is electrically floating.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of repairing the pixel circuit in the red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) by using the spare pixel circuit <NUM> according to the first embodiment of the disclosure. In this embodiment, the driving circuit of the red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) comprises four TFTs coupled in parallel as the driving transistor T-Dri-R. Suppose that one of the TFTs is damaged and cannot conduct current, the driving current of the light-emitting diode LED R may be reduced to <NUM>/<NUM> of the amount originally required. Therefore, according to the first embodiment of the disclosure, the electrical connections between the original driving transistor T-Dri-R and the terminals N1, N2 and N3 are first disconnected (as the cross signs shown in figure) (or, at least disconnecting the electrical connections between the original driving transistors T-Dri-R and the terminals N2 and N3). Next, the gates of four spare TFTs are commonly coupled to (as the slashes shown in the figure) the terminal N1, the drains/ sources of these spare TFTs are commonly coupled to the terminal N2 and the sources/drains of these spare TFTs are commonly coupled to the terminal N3 (or, at least coupling the drains and of the sources of four spare TFTs to the terminals N2 and N3), so as to replace the original TFTs and utilized as the driving transistor for driving the light-emitting element LED R.

Another embodiment of the disclosure is to repair the pixel circuit in the green sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) by using the spare pixel circuit <NUM> (not shown in the figure, note that the only difference when comparing to the embodiment of repairing the pixel circuit in the red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) is the number of TFTs). In this embodiment, the driving circuit of the green sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) comprises three TFTs coupled in parallel as the driving transistor T-Dri-G. Suppose that one of the TFTs is damaged and cannot conduct current, the driving current of the light-emitting diode LED G may be reduced to <NUM>/<NUM> of the amount originally required. Therefore, according to the first embodiment of the disclosure, the electrical connections between the original driving transistor T-Dri-G and the terminals N1, N2 and N3 are first disconnected (as the cross signs shown in figure) (or, at least disconnecting the electrical connections between the original driving transistor T-Dri-G and the terminals N2 and N3). Next, the gates of three spare TFTs are commonly coupled to (as the slashes shown in the figure) the terminal N1, the drains/ sources of these spare TFTs are commonly coupled to the terminal N2 and the sources/drains of these spare TFTs are commonly coupled to the terminal N3 (or, at least coupling the drains and of the sources of three spare TFTs to the terminals N2 and N3), so as to replace the original TFTs and utilized as the driving transistor for driving the light-emitting element LED G.

Another embodiment of the disclosure is to repair the pixel circuit in the blue sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) by using the spare pixel circuit <NUM> (not shown in the figure, note that the only difference when comparing to the embodiment of repairing the pixel circuit in the red sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) is the number of TFTs). In this embodiment, the driving circuit of the blue sub-pixel (e.g. <NUM>-<NUM>) comprises two TFTs coupled in parallel as the driving transistor T-Dri-B. Suppose that one of the TFTs is damaged and cannot conduct current, the driving current of the light-emitting diode LED B may be reduced to <NUM>/<NUM> of the amount originally required. Therefore, according to the first embodiment of the disclosure, the electrical connections between the original driving transistor T-Dri-B and the terminals N1, N2 and N3 are first disconnected (as the cross signs shown in figure) (or, at least disconnecting the electrical connections between the original driving transistor T-Dri-B and the terminals N2 and N3). Next, the gates of two spare TFTs are commonly coupled to (as the slashes shown in the figure) the terminal N1, the drains/ sources of these spare TFTs are commonly coupled to the terminal N2 and the sources/drains of these spare TFTs are commonly coupled to the terminal N3 (or, at least coupling the drains and of the sources of two spare TFTs to the terminals N2 and N3), so as to replace the original TFTs and utilized as the driving transistor for driving the light-emitting element LED B.

<FIG> is an exemplary flow chart of a method for repairing a display device according to the first embodiment of the disclosure. First of all, at least one spare pixel circuit is configured in the display device (Step S602). The spare pixel circuit comprises a plurality of spare TFTs, and at least one electrode of one of the spare TFTs is electrically floating by default. Next, the manufacturer of the display device may find the damaged or abnormal pixel unit (or sub-pixel) by testing whether each driving circuit functions normally and provides sufficient driving current required by the corresponding light-emitting element via the specific test circuit disposed in the AA or NA of the display panel <NUM> before installing the corresponding light-emitting element (Step S604). If the light-emitting elements have already been installed, the manufacturer of the display device may also find the damaged or abnormal pixel unit (or sub-pixel) by using an optical instrument (for example, an optical microscope) when any bright spot or dark spot has been detected (Step S604). Next, when a damaged or abnormal pixel unit (or sub-pixel) has been found, the driving transistor of the damaged or abnormal pixel unit (or sub-pixel) is electrically insulated from the corresponding light-emitting element (Step S606). That is, the electrical connection therebetween is disconnected. Finally, a specific number of spare TFTs are coupled to the corresponding light-emitting element so as to replace the original driving transistor (Step S608).

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in step S606, the driving transistor of the damaged or abnormal pixel unit may be electrically insulated from the corresponding light-emitting element by disconnecting the electrical connection therebetween. For example, laser cutting may be used to disconnect the electrical connection.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in step S608, the specific number of spare TFTs may be coupled to the corresponding light-emitting element by welding. For example, electrical connections may be generated by laser welding.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of laser welding two metal layers according to an embodiment of the disclosure. In this embodiment, an electrode of the spare TFT may be disposed in the metal layer M2, the anode or cathode of the light-emitting element may be disposed in the metal layer M3, where the metal layers M2 and M3 may overlap in the vertical direction (that is, the vertical projections of the metal layers M2 and M3 may at least partially overlap each other). In a default status (that is, when the repair has not been performed), the metal layer M2 and the metal layer M3 are electrically insulated. When performing the repair, the organic layer between the metal layer M2 and the metal layer M3 may be penetrated by laser welding, so that one electrode of the spare TFT can be coupled to the anode of the corresponding light-emitting element.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram showing the reserved laser welding area according to the first embodiment of the disclosure. The left portion of <FIG> shows a cross-sectional view of the source/drain of the TFT in the original pixel circuit and the right portion of <FIG> is a cross-sectional view of the source/drain of the TFT in the spare pixel circuit. In this embodiment, the source/drain of the TFT may be disposed in the metal layer M2 and the anode of the light-emitting element may be disposed in the metal layer M3. The layers below the metal layer M3 is sequentially a passivation layer PV2, a planarization layer PLN, a protection layer PV, a metal layer M2, an inter layer deposition ILD, a gate insulator layer GI, and a poly-silicon P-Si layer. As shown in <FIG>, the source/drain (the metal layer M2) of the TFT in the original pixel circuit is coupled to the metal layer M3, and the source/drain of the TFT in the spare pixel circuit is not coupled to the metal layer M3. When performing the repair, the metal layer M2 and the metal layer M3 on the left side may be electrically insulated from each other by laser cutting, so as to disconnect their electrical connection, and the metal layer M2 and the metal layer M3 on the right side reserved laser welding area may be penetrated by laser welding, such that the source/drain of the spare TFT can be coupled to the corresponding anode of the corresponding light-emitting element.

<FIG> is another schematic diagram showing the reserved laser welding area according to the first embodiment of the disclosure. In this embodiment, the position of the reserved laser welding area has been changed, which helps to prevent the laser welding operation from damaging the active layer (P-Si) of the spare TFT.

According to another embodiment of the disclosure, in step S608, the specific number of spare TFTs may be coupled to the corresponding light-emitting element by welding, such as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram showing the welding operation for welding two metal layers by TIG welding according to another embodiment of the disclosure. In this embodiment, an electrode of the spare TFT may be disposed in the metal layer M2, the anode of the light-emitting element may be disposed in the metal layer M3, where the metal layers M2 and M3 may be not overlapped in the vertical direction (that is, the vertical projections of the metal layers M2 and M3 are separated from each other and do not overlap). In a default status (that is, when the repair has not been performed), the metal layer M2 and the metal layer M3 are electrically insulated. When performing the repair, the inorganic layer may be punctured from the top to respectively form two holes connectable to the metal layer M2 and the metal layer M3, and then the two holes are connected by tungsten plating, and the metal tungsten is deposited through the holes, so that the electrical connection between the metal layer M2 and the metal layer M3 can be generated for coupling one electrode of the spare TFT to the anode of the corresponding light-emitting element.

It should be noted that in the embodiment of the disclosure, the configuration of spare pixel circuit and the method for repairing the pixel circuit as illustrated above are not limited to be applied in a single display device, and are also applicable for a tiling panel.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a tiling electronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The tiling electronic device may comprise a plurality of display devices <NUM> having spare pixel circuits configured therein and is configured to display an image signal. Any side of one of the display devices <NUM> is disposed adjacent to any side of another of the display devices <NUM>, so as to form a large display panel having an effective active area that is larger than the active area of any one of the display devices <NUM>, and each of the display devices <NUM> is configured to display a portion of the image signal. In an embodiment, the arrangement of the display devices <NUM> with any side of one display device being disposed adjacent to any side of another may be the matrix arrangement (as shown in <FIG>), the interlaced and adjacent arrangement (as shown in <FIG>), or any combination thereof (using the matrix arrangement in the non-peripheral area and using the interlaced arrangement in the peripheral area, for example). Note that the arrangements discussed above are merely examples and the disclosure is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the appearance of the electronic device may be designed to have a polygon shape, a circular shape, an oval shape, or a free shape, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

In addition, the tiling electronic device (or the plurality of display devices comprised therein) may adopt the configuration of spare pixel circuit and the method for repairing the pixel circuit as illustrated above in the first embodiment of the disclosure, and may also adopt the configuration of spare pixel circuit and the method for repairing the pixel circuit as will be discussed in the second embodiment of the disclosure.

According to the second embodiment of the disclosure, the spare pixel circuit may have nearly the same configuration as the original pixel circuit (for example, the pixel circuit as shown in <FIG>), and the difference is in that the spare pixel circuit does not comprise the light-emitting element (that is, the spare pixel circuit may comprise a complete driving circuit). When an abnormality occurs in the pixel circuit of any sub-pixel, a corresponding driving circuit can be selected based on the type of damaged or abnormal sub-pixel (for example, different type of sub-pixel may need different number of TFTs), so as to replace the driving circuit in the original pixel circuit.

According to the second embodiment of the disclosure, the spare pixel circuit may also comprise a single TFT (that is, configuring one or more spare TFTs in the display device). When an abnormality occurs in the TFT of any sub-pixel, the spare TFT may be utilized to replace the damaged or abnormal TFT in the original pixel circuit.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of repairing the pixel circuit in the sub-pixel by using the spare pixel circuit according to the second embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, the spare pixel circuit <NUM> may comprise a single spare TFT with a terminal that is electrically floating, and the display device may comprise at least one spare pixel circuit <NUM>. In this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the TFT of the sub-pixel, the electrical connections between the damaged or abnormal TFT and the driving circuit of the pixel circuit are disconnected (as the cross signs shown in figure) first. Next, the spare TFT is coupled to (as the slashes shown in the figure) the driving circuit of the pixel circuit, so as to replace the damaged or abnormal TFT.

<FIG> is an exemplary flow chart of a method for repairing a display device according to the second embodiment of the disclosure. First of all, at least one spare pixel circuit is configured in the display device (Step S1002). The spare pixel circuit comprises at least one spare TFT with a terminal being electrically floating. Next, the manufacturer of the display device may find the damaged or abnormal pixel unit and then find the damaged or abnormal TFT by testing whether each driving circuit functions normally and provides sufficient driving current required by the corresponding light-emitting element via the specific test circuit before installing the corresponding light-emitting element (Step S1004). If the light-emitting elements have already been installed, the manufacturer of the display device may also find the damaged or abnormal pixel unit and then find the damaged or abnormal TFT by using an optical instrument (for example, an optical microscope) when any bright spot or dark spot has been detected (Step S1004). Next, when any damaged or abnormal TFT has been found, as shown in <FIG>, the damaged or abnormal TFT is electrically insulated from the corresponding driving circuit (Step S1006). That is, the electrical connection therebetween is disconnected. Finally, the spare TFT is coupled to the corresponding driving circuit so as to replace the original TFT (Step S1008).

As discussed above, by applying the configuration of spare pixel circuit and the method for repairing the pixel circuit as illustrated above in the embodiments of the disclosure, when an abnormality occurs in an original pixel circuit, the element of the spare pixel circuit can be utilized to replace the corresponding portion of the original pixel circuit, so as to repair the display device. In this manner, the lifespan of the display device can be extended or the problem of poor user experience due to the pixel defect or the line defect caused by the damaged pixel circuit can be avoided. Especially, when manufacturing a large display device, if a portion of the original pixel circuits has been detected as being abnormal or damaged via some test during the production process or when the production is completed, directly discarding the entire display device will result in serious production cost loss. Therefore, by applying the configuration of spare pixel circuit and the method for repairing the pixel circuit as illustrated above, the production cost of the display device can also be effectively reduced.

Claim 1:
A display device including an active area (AA) configured to display images and a non-active area (NA) for disposing peripheral circuits, comprising:
a pixel array (<NUM>), disposed in the active area (AA) and comprising a plurality of pixels (<NUM>);
a plurality of data lines, coupled to the pixel array;
a plurality of gate lines, coupled to the pixel array; and
a peripheral circuit disposed in the non-active area (NA);
wherein at least one of the pixels comprises:
a first sub-pixel (<NUM>-<NUM>), comprising a pixel circuit, wherein the pixel circuit of the first sub-pixel comprises:
a first light-emitting element (LED); and
a first driving circuit (<NUM>), coupled to the first light-emitting element and configured to control the first light-emitting element, wherein the first driving circuit comprises a plurality of TFTs consisting of a first number of TFTs coupled in parallel;
a second sub-pixel (<NUM>-<NUM>), comprising a pixel circuit, wherein the pixel circuit of the second sub-pixel comprises:
a second light-emitting element (LED); and
a second driving circuit (<NUM>), coupled to the second light-emitting element and configured to control the second light-emitting element, wherein the second driving circuit comprises a plurality of TFTs consisting of a second number of TFTs coupled in parallel; and
a third sub-pixel (<NUM>-<NUM>), comprising a pixel circuit, wherein the pixel circuit of the third sub-pixel comprises:
a third light-emitting element (LED); and
a third driving circuit (<NUM>), coupled to the third light-emitting element and configured to control the third light-emitting element, wherein the third driving circuit comprises a plurality of TFTs consisting of a third number of TFTs coupled in parallel,
wherein the first number is greater than the second number and the second number is greater than the third number; wherein
the pixel array (<NUM>) further comprises at least one spare pixel circuit (<NUM>), consisting of a number of spare TFTs (TR) which is equal to the first number, wherein
a predetermined number, which is equal to the third number, of the spare TFTs are coupled in parallel and at least one electrode of the remaining spare TFTs, which are not among said predetermined number of spare TFTs, is electrically floated such that none of the remaining spare TFTs is coupled in parallel with any of the spare TFTs.