CN112068340B - Display panel with switchable viewing angle, display device and driving method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a display panel with a switchable viewing angle, a display device and a driving method, wherein the display panel comprises a color film substrate, an array substrate and a liquid crystal layer, a pixel area for displaying pictures and a viewing angle control area for controlling the viewing angle are arranged on the display panel, a first polarization device is arranged on the array substrate, a second polarization device is arranged on the color film substrate, and the polarization axis of the first polarization device is perpendicular to the polarization axis of the second polarization device in a region corresponding to the pixel area; in the area corresponding to the visual angle control area, the polarization axis of the first polarization device is parallel to the polarization axis of the second polarization device; the array substrate is provided with a common electrode, a pixel electrode and a visual angle control electrode, the pixel electrode corresponds to the pixel area, the visual angle control electrode corresponds to the visual angle control area, and the color film substrate is provided with a counter electrode covering the pixel area and the visual angle control area. The invention improves the effect of narrow visual angle and has better peep-proof effect in darker environment.

Description

Display panel with switchable viewing angle, display device and driving method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of display technologies, and in particular, to a display panel with switchable viewing angles, a display device and a driving method.

Background

With the continuous progress of the liquid crystal display technology, the visual angle of the display is widened to more than 160 degrees from about 120 degrees originally, and people want to effectively protect business confidentiality and personal privacy while enjoying the visual experience brought by a large visual angle so as to avoid business loss or embarrassment caused by the leakage of screen information. In addition to the wide viewing angle requirement, there are many occasions where the display device is required to have a function of switching between wide and narrow viewing angles.

At present, the shutter shielding film is attached to the display screen to realize wide and narrow viewing angle switching, when peep prevention is needed, the shutter shielding film is utilized to shield the screen, so that the viewing angle can be reduced, but the shutter shielding film is additionally prepared in the mode, great inconvenience is caused to a user, one shutter shielding film can only realize one viewing angle, once the shutter shielding film is attached, the viewing angle is fixed in a narrow viewing angle mode, free switching cannot be performed between the wide viewing angle mode and the narrow viewing angle mode, and the peep prevention sheet can cause luminance reduction to influence the display effect.

In the prior art, a vertical electric field is applied to liquid crystal molecules by using a viewing angle control electrode on one side of a color filter substrate (CF) of a single liquid crystal box, so that the liquid crystal molecules deflect towards a vertical direction and tilt to form dark light leakage, and the contrast ratio is reduced under a large viewing angle to achieve a peep-proof effect, so that switching between a wide viewing angle and a narrow viewing angle can be achieved by controlling the voltage on the viewing angle control electrode, but the display panel is usually required to be matched with a backlight module with a light receiving effect to improve the peep-proof effect of the narrow viewing angle; in the second prior art, a dimming liquid crystal box is arranged above an ordinary display panel to form a double-box peep-proof framework, the peep-proof effect is realized through the light receiving effect of the dimming liquid crystal box when the display panel is watched at a large viewing angle, but the display mode can realize the better peep-proof effect under the condition of turning on a lamp or stronger ambient light, the peep-proof effect is weaker under the condition of turning off the lamp or a darkroom, and the box thickness of the display panel is greatly increased due to the double-box peep-proof framework.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to overcome the drawbacks and disadvantages of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a display panel, a display device and a driving method capable of switching viewing angles, which solve one or more of the problems of the prior art.

The aim of the invention is achieved by the following technical scheme:

the invention provides a display panel with a switchable viewing angle, which comprises a color film substrate, an array substrate arranged opposite to the color film substrate and a liquid crystal layer positioned between the color film substrate and the array substrate, wherein a pixel area for displaying pictures and a viewing angle control area for controlling the viewing angle are arranged on the display panel; in the area corresponding to the visual angle control area, the polarization axis of the first polarization device is parallel to the polarization axis of the second polarization device; the array substrate is provided with a common electrode, a pixel electrode and a visual angle control electrode, wherein the pixel electrode corresponds to the pixel region, the visual angle control electrode corresponds to the visual angle control region, and the color film substrate is provided with a counter electrode which covers the pixel region and the visual angle control region;

in the wide view angle mode, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the pixel area are in a lying posture, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the view angle control area are in a lying posture or a standing posture;

in the first narrow viewing angle mode, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the pixel area are in a lying posture, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the viewing angle control area are in an inclined posture;

in the second narrow viewing angle mode, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the pixel region are in an inclined posture, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the viewing angle control region are in an inclined posture.

Further, the first polarizing device comprises a first polarizer and a first polarizing rotation structure, the first polarizing rotation structure corresponds to the visual angle control area and is arranged between the first polarizer and the liquid crystal layer, the first polarizing rotation structure is used for rotating the polarization direction of linearly polarized light passing through the first polarizer by 90 degrees, the second polarizing device is a polarizer, and the polarization axis of the first polarizer is perpendicular to the polarization axis of the second polarizing device.

Further, the first polarization rotation structure comprises a first quarter wave plate and a first wire grid polarizer, the first quarter wave plate is arranged between the first wire grid polarizer and the first polarizer, an included angle between a light transmission axis of the first quarter wave plate and a polarization axis of the first polarizer is 45 degrees, and a wire grid trend of the first wire grid polarizer is perpendicular to a polarization axis of the second polarizer.

Further, the second polarizing device comprises a second polarizer and a second polarizing rotation structure, the second polarizing rotation structure corresponds to the visual angle control area and is arranged between the second polarizer and the liquid crystal layer, the second polarizing rotation structure is used for rotating the polarizing direction of linearly polarized light passing through the liquid crystal layer by 90 degrees, the first polarizing device is a polarizer, and the polarizing axis of the second polarizer is perpendicular to the polarizing axis of the first polarizing device.

Further, the second polarization rotation structure comprises a second quarter wave plate and a second wire grid polarizer, the second quarter wave plate is arranged between the second wire grid polarizer and the second polarizer, an included angle between a light transmission axis of the second quarter wave plate and a wire grid trend of the second wire grid polarizer is 45 degrees, and the wire grid trend of the second wire grid polarizer is perpendicular to a polarization axis of the first polarizing device.

Further, the counter electrode is of an entire structure and covers the pixel region and the viewing angle control region; or the opposite electrode includes a first electrode and a second electrode insulated from each other, the first electrode corresponding to the viewing angle control region, and the second electrode corresponding to the pixel region.

Further, a color resistance layer corresponding to the pixel region and a black matrix separating the pixel region from the viewing angle control region are arranged on the color film substrate, and the region of the color film substrate corresponding to the viewing angle control region is in a transparent state.

Further, the pixel regions and the viewing angle control regions extend in a lateral direction and are alternately arranged in a longitudinal direction, or the pixel regions and the viewing angle control regions extend in a longitudinal direction and are alternately arranged in a lateral direction.

The invention also provides a display device comprising the display panel with switchable viewing angles.

The present invention also provides a driving method for driving the viewing angle switchable display panel as described above, the driving method comprising:

when in the wide viewing angle mode, a preset wide viewing angle voltage signal is arranged on the common electrode, the viewing angle control electrode and the opposite electrode, so that liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the pixel area are in a lying posture, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the viewing angle control area are in a lying posture or a standing posture;

when in the first narrow visual angle mode, a preset first narrow visual angle voltage signal is arranged on the common electrode, the visual angle control electrode and the opposite electrode, so that liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the pixel area are in a lying posture, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the visual angle control area are in an inclined posture;

and when in the second narrow visual angle mode, a preset second narrow visual angle voltage signal is arranged on the common electrode, the visual angle control electrode and the opposite electrode, so that the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the pixel region are in an inclined posture, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the visual angle control region are in an inclined posture.

The invention has the beneficial effects that: through setting up different wide and narrow visual angle switching structures in pixel area and visual angle control district, thereby the pixel area makes big visual angle light leak realize narrow visual angle when narrow visual angle, thereby the visual angle control district makes big visual angle light receiving when narrow visual angle realize narrow visual angle, under the environment of turning off the light or darkroom, two kinds of narrow visual angle effects in pixel area and visual angle control district combine together, can strengthen the narrow visual angle effect under the environment of turning off the light or darkroom, can not increase display panel's thickness moreover, also need not to match special backlight unit, can reduce cost of manufacture and display panel's thickness.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a color film substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of an array substrate according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a view angle control electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of a display panel along a data line direction in an initial state according to an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel along a data line direction in a wide viewing angle state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of the display panel along the data line direction in the first narrow viewing angle state according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a view angle control area of a display panel in a first narrow view angle state along a scanning direction according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel along a data line in a second narrow viewing angle state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first polarization rotation structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a linear grid polarizer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel along a data line direction in an initial state according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of a display panel along a data line direction in a wide viewing angle state according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of a display panel along a data line direction in a first narrow viewing angle state according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of the display panel along the data line direction in the second narrow viewing angle state according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel in an initial state along a data line direction in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second polarization rotation structure in the third embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to further describe the technical means and effects adopted by the invention to achieve the preset aim, the following detailed description is given below of specific implementation, structure, characteristics and effects of the display panel, the display device and the driving method with switchable viewing angles according to the invention by combining the accompanying drawings and the preferred embodiment:

example one

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a color film substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of an array substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of a viewing angle control electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention in an initial state along a data line direction, fig. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention in a wide viewing angle state along a data line direction, fig. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention in a first narrow viewing angle state along a data line direction, fig. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a viewing angle control region of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention in a first narrow viewing angle state along a scanning direction, fig. 8 is a schematic sectional view of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention in a second narrow viewing angle state along a data line direction, fig. 9 is a schematic sectional view of a first polarizing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 10 is a principle of a linear grid polarizer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1 to 10, a display panel with switchable viewing angles according to an embodiment of the invention includes acolor film substrate 10, anarray substrate 20 disposed opposite to thecolor film substrate 10, and aliquid crystal layer 30 disposed between thecolor film substrate 10 and thearray substrate 20. In this embodiment, positive liquid crystal molecules, that is, liquid crystal molecules having positive dielectric anisotropy are used in theliquid crystal layer 23. As shown in fig. 4, in the initial state, the positive liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 are aligned parallel to thecolor film substrate 10 and thearray substrate 20, and the alignment direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules near thecolor film substrate 10 is antiparallel to the alignment direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules near thearray substrate 20. The positive liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30, thecolor film substrate 10 and thearray substrate 20 can have a smaller initial pretilt angle, and the range of the initial pretilt angle can be less than or equal to 5 degrees, namely: 0 DEG is less than or equal to θ is less than or equal to 5 DEG, so as to reduce the response time of positive liquid crystal molecules deflecting in the vertical direction.

The display panel is provided with a pixel area P for displaying pictures and a visual angle control area V for controlling visual angles, thearray substrate 20 is provided with a first polarizingdevice 40, and thecolor film substrate 10 is provided with a second polarizingdevice 50. In the region corresponding to the pixel region P, the polarization axis of the first polarization means 40 is perpendicular to the polarization axis of the second polarization means 50; in the region corresponding to the viewing angle control region V, the polarization axis of the first polarization means 40 is parallel to the polarization axis of the second polarization means 50. Thearray substrate 20 is provided with acommon electrode 21, apixel electrode 22 and a viewingangle control electrode 23, thepixel electrode 22 corresponds to the pixel region P, the viewingangle control electrode 23 corresponds to the viewing angle control region V, thecolor film substrate 10 is provided with acounter electrode 13 covering the pixel region P and the viewing angle control region V, and thecounter electrode 13 is respectively matched with thecommon electrode 21 and the viewingangle control electrode 23 to form a vertical electric field. Of course, in other embodiments, thecommon electrode 21 on thearray substrate 20 at the position corresponding to the viewing angle control region V may be omitted, and a vertical electric field is formed between the viewingangle control electrode 23 and the color film substrate, and in addition, the viewingangle control electrode 23 may be located below the insulating layer, so as to avoid short-circuiting caused by too close distance between thecolor film substrate 10 and thearray substrate 20.

As shown in fig. 1, in the present embodiment, a Black Matrix (BM) 11 and a color-resist layer 12 are disposed on acolor film substrate 10, the color-resist layer 12 corresponds to a pixel region P, and a region of thecolor film substrate 10 corresponding to a viewing angle control region V is in a transparent state, i.e. no color-resist material or no transparent color-resist material is disposed in the region corresponding to the viewing angle control region V. Theblack matrix 11 separates the pixel region P from the viewing angle control region V. Thecolor resist layer 12 includes, for example, red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color resist materials, and respectively corresponds to the sub-pixels of red, green, and blue colors. Of course, in other embodiments, thecolor resist layer 12 may be disposed on thecolor film substrate 10 in a region corresponding to the viewing angle control region V, where the viewing angle control region V corresponds to the color of thecolor resist layer 12 in the pixel region P in the vertical direction.

Further, the pixel regions P and the viewing angle control regions V extend in the lateral direction (scan line 1) and are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction (data line 2), and the interval between the pixel regions P and the viewing angle control regions V is 7 to 13 μm, that is, the width of theblack matrix 11 between the pixel regions P and the viewing angle control regions V is 7 to 13 μm, preferably 10 μm. Of course, the pixel regions P and the viewing angle control regions V may also extend in the longitudinal direction and alternately arrange in the lateral direction.

In this embodiment, thearray substrate 20 is further provided with a plurality of scan lines 1 and a plurality of data lines 2 on a side facing theliquid crystal layer 30, the projection of theblack matrix 11 on thearray substrate 20 covers the scan lines 1 and the data lines 2, apixel electrode 22 and a thin film transistor 3 are disposed in each pixel region P, and thepixel electrode 22 is electrically connected to the data lines 2 adjacent to the thin film transistor 3 through the thin film transistor 3. The thin film transistor 3 includes a gate electrode, an active layer, a drain electrode, and a source electrode, wherein the gate electrode is located on the same layer as the scan line 1 and is electrically connected to the active layer, the gate electrode is isolated from the active layer by an insulating layer, the source electrode is electrically connected to the data line 2, and the drain electrode is electrically connected to thepixel electrode 22 by a contact hole.

Further, thecommon electrode 21 and thepixel electrode 22 are located at different layers and insulated from each other by an insulating layer, and the viewingangle control electrode 23 and thepixel electrode 22 are located at the same layer. Thecommon electrode 21 may be located above or below the pixel electrode 22 (thecommon electrode 21 is shown below thepixel electrode 22 in fig. 4). Preferably, thecommon electrode 21 is a planar electrode disposed entirely, and thepixel electrode 22 is a block electrode disposed entirely within each pixel unit or a slit electrode having a plurality of electrode bars to form a fringe field switching pattern (Fringe Field Switching, FFS). Of course, in other embodiments, thepixel electrode 22 and thecommon electrode 21 are located at the same layer, but are insulated from each other, each of thepixel electrode 22 and thecommon electrode 21 may include a plurality of electrode bars, and the electrode bars of thepixel electrode 22 and the electrode bars of thecommon electrode 21 are alternately arranged with each other to form an In-Plane Switching (IPS).

Further, thearray substrate 20 is further provided with a conductive portion 24 (fig. 3) in a non-display area corresponding to the display panel, and theconductive portion 24 electrically connects the plurality of viewingangle control electrodes 23 together and applies the same viewing angle control voltage.

In this embodiment, the firstpolarizing device 40 includes afirst polarizer 41 and a firstpolarization rotation structure 42, the firstpolarization rotation structure 42 corresponds to the viewing angle control region V and is disposed between thefirst polarizer 41 and theliquid crystal layer 30, the firstpolarization rotation structure 42 is used for rotating the polarization direction of the linearly polarized light passing through thefirst polarizer 41 by 90 °, the secondpolarizing device 50 is a polarizer, and the polarization axis of thefirst polarizer 41 is perpendicular to the polarization axis of the secondpolarizing device 50. Preferably, the firstpolarization rotation structure 42 is directly disposed on the surface of thearray substrate 20 facing theliquid crystal layer 30, and then the firstpolarization rotation structure 42 is covered by a flat layer. Of course, in other embodiments, the firstpolarizing device 40 may also be composed of two polarizers with perpendicular polarization axes, one of which covers the pixel region P, the other of which covers the viewing angle control region V, and the secondpolarizing device 50 is one of which.

Further, the firstpolarization rotation structure 42 includes a first quarter-wave plate 421 and a firstwire grid polarizer 422, the first quarter-wave plate (λ/4) 421 is disposed between the firstwire grid polarizer 422 and thefirst polarizer 41, an included angle between a transmission axis of the first quarter-wave plate 421 and a polarization axis of thefirst polarizer 41 is 45 °, and a wire grid direction of the firstwire grid polarizer 422 is perpendicular to a polarization axis of the secondpolarizing device 50. Of course, in other embodiments, the firstpolarization rotation structure 42 may be a compensation film, for example, a compensation film in which liquid crystal molecules are used and twisted by 90 °, and then the liquid crystal molecules are fixed to form the compensation film, which is similar to the TN display mode in principle.

As shown in fig. 10, in which the wire grid polarizer (first wire grid polarizer 422) has a special polarization characteristic of transmitting polarized light perpendicular to the wire grid extension direction (strike direction) and reflecting polarized light parallel to the wire grid extension direction, the wire grid polarizer is preferably made of metal, and can be printed using a nano-imprinting technique (or other related technique) to form the wire grid polarizer. In the incident light ray a, the polarization direction of the light ray has a first polarized light a1 perpendicular to the wire grid extending direction and a second polarized light a2 parallel to the wire grid extending direction, and the first polarized light a1 perpendicular to the wire grid extending direction can form a transmitted light ray C through the wire grid polarizer, and the second polarized light a2 parallel to the wire grid extending direction can be reflected to form a reflected light ray B. And the wire grid polarizer is described in more detail with reference to the prior art and will not be described in detail herein.

In this embodiment, for example, the polarization axis of thefirst polarizer 41 is 0 °, the transmission axis of the first quarter-wave plate 421 is 45 °, the wire grid orientation of the firstwire grid polarizer 422 is 0 °, and the polarization axis of the secondpolarizing device 50 is 90 °. When the backlight passes through thefirst polarizer 41 to form 0 polarized light, it passes through the firstquarter wave plate 421 to become circularly polarized light, passes through the firstwire grid polarizer 422 to become 90 polarized light, and then passes through theliquid crystal layer 30 and exits from the secondpolarizing means 50.

Further, theopposite electrode 13 includes afirst electrode 131 and asecond electrode 132 spaced apart from each other, thefirst electrode 131 corresponding to the viewing angle control region V, and thesecond electrode 132 corresponding to the pixel region P. Thefirst electrode 131 is for cooperating with the viewingangle controlling electrode 23 and forming a vertical electric field, and thesecond electrode 132 is for cooperating with thecommon electrode 21 and forming a vertical electric field.

Thecolor film substrate 10 and thearray substrate 20 may be made of transparent substrates such as glass, acrylic, and polycarbonate. The materials of thecommon electrode 21, thepixel electrode 22, and the viewingangle controlling electrode 23 may be transparent electrodes such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) or Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO).

The present embodiment also provides a driving method for driving the viewing angle switchable display panel described above, the driving method including:

as shown in fig. 5, in the wide viewing angle mode, a preset wide viewing angle voltage signal is applied to thecommon electrode 21, the viewingangle control electrode 23, and thecounter electrode 13, for example, the voltages applied to thefirst electrode 131, thesecond electrode 132, and thecommon electrode 21 are 0V, and a smaller voltage (smaller than 0.6V) or a larger voltage (larger than 5V) is applied to the viewingangle control electrode 23, at this time, the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the pixel region P are in a lying posture, and the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the viewing angle control region V are in a lying posture or a standing posture. When a small voltage is applied to the viewingangle control electrode 23, the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the viewing angle control region V are in a lying posture; when a large voltage is applied to the viewingangle control electrode 23, the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the viewing angle control region V are in a standing posture (approximately perpendicular to thecolor film substrate 10 and the array substrate 20). And a gray scale voltage of 0-255 is applied to thepixel electrode 22, so that a horizontal electric field (E1 in fig. 5) is formed between thepixel electrode 22 and thecommon electrode 21, and the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to the pixel region P deflect in the horizontal direction and are in a light scattering state, thereby realizing the picture display in the wide viewing angle mode.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, in the first narrow viewing angle mode, a preset first narrow viewing angle voltage signal is applied to thecommon electrode 21, the viewingangle control electrode 23 and theopposite electrode 13, for example, the voltages applied to thefirst electrode 131, thesecond electrode 132 and thecommon electrode 21 are 0V, the viewing angle control voltage (2-3V) is applied to the viewingangle control electrode 23, at this time, the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the pixel region P are in a lying posture, a vertical electric field (E2 in fig. 6 and 7) is formed between the viewingangle control electrode 23 and thefirst electrode 131, the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the viewing angle control region V are in an inclined posture under the driving of the vertical electric field, and the display panel is in a light-receiving state (black state) when viewed at a large viewing angle, thereby realizing narrow viewing angle display, and no special backlight module is required. And a gray scale voltage of 0 to 255 is applied to thepixel electrode 22, so that a horizontal electric field (E1 in fig. 6) is formed between thepixel electrode 22 and thecommon electrode 21, and the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to the pixel region P are deflected in the horizontal direction, thereby realizing the display of the picture in the first narrow viewing angle mode.

As shown in fig. 8, in the second narrow viewing angle mode, a predetermined second narrow viewing angle voltage signal is applied to thecommon electrode 21, the viewingangle control electrode 23, and thecounter electrode 13, for example, the voltages applied to thefirst electrode 131 and thecommon electrode 21 are 0V, the viewing angle control voltages (2 to 3V) are applied to the viewingangle control electrode 23 and thesecond electrode 132, at this time, a vertical electric field (E3 in fig. 8) is formed between thesecond electrode 132 and thecommon electrode 21, and the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the pixel region P are in an inclined posture under the driving of the vertical electric field. A vertical electric field (E2 in fig. 8) is formed between the viewingangle control electrode 23 and thefirst electrode 131, and the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the viewing angle control region V are in an inclined posture under the driving of the vertical electric field, so that when the display panel is viewed at a large viewing angle, the pixel region P is in a light leakage state (bright state), and the liquid crystal in the viewing angle control region V is tilted to be in a light receiving state (black state), thereby realizing narrow viewing angle display, and the narrow viewing angle effect under the environment of turning off a lamp or a darkroom is also better. And a gray scale voltage of 0 to 255 is applied to thepixel electrode 22, so that a horizontal electric field (E1 in fig. 8) is formed between thepixel electrode 22 and thecommon electrode 21, and the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to the pixel region P deflect in a tilted state and in a horizontal direction, thereby realizing the display of the picture in the second narrow viewing angle mode.

Example two

Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of a display panel in an initial state along a data line direction in a second embodiment of the present invention, fig. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of a display panel in a wide viewing angle state along a data line direction in a second embodiment of the present invention, fig. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of a display panel in a first narrow viewing angle state along a data line direction in a second embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of a display panel in a second narrow viewing angle state along a data line direction in a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 11 to 14, the display panel with switchable viewing angle provided in the second embodiment of the present invention is substantially the same as the display panel with switchable viewing angle provided in the first embodiment (fig. 1 to 10), except that in the present embodiment, theopposite electrode 13 is disposed on a side of thecolor film substrate 10 facing theliquid crystal layer 30, and theopposite electrode 13 has a whole structure and covers the pixel region P and the viewing angle control region V.

The present embodiment also provides a driving method for driving the viewing angle switchable display panel described above, the driving method including:

as shown in fig. 12, in the wide viewing angle mode, a preset wide viewing angle voltage signal is applied to thecommon electrode 21, the viewingangle control electrode 23, and thecounter electrode 13, for example, a voltage applied to thecounter electrode 13 and thecommon electrode 21 is 0V, and a smaller voltage (smaller than 0.6V) or a larger voltage (larger than 5V) is applied to the viewingangle control electrode 23, at this time, the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the pixel region P are in a lying posture, and the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the viewing angle control region V are in a lying posture or a standing posture. When a small voltage is applied to the viewingangle control electrode 23, the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the viewing angle control region V are in a lying posture; when a large voltage is applied to the viewingangle control electrode 23, the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the viewing angle control region V are in a standing posture (approximately perpendicular to thecolor film substrate 10 and the array substrate 20). And a gray scale voltage of 0 to 255 is applied to thepixel electrode 22, so that a horizontal electric field (E1 in fig. 12) is formed between thepixel electrode 22 and thecommon electrode 21, and the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to the pixel region P are deflected in the horizontal direction, thereby realizing the display of the picture in the wide viewing angle mode.

As shown in fig. 13, in the first narrow viewing angle mode, a preset first narrow viewing angle voltage signal is applied to thecommon electrode 21, the viewingangle control electrode 23 and thecounter electrode 13, for example, the voltages applied to thecounter electrode 13 and thecommon electrode 21 are 0V, the viewing angle control voltage (2 to 3V) is applied to the viewingangle control electrode 23, at this time, the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the pixel region P are in a lying posture, a vertical electric field (E2 in fig. 13) is formed between the viewingangle control electrode 23 and thecounter electrode 13, the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the viewing angle control region V are in an inclined posture under the driving of the vertical electric field, and the display panel is in a light-receiving state (black state) when the display panel is viewed at a large viewing angle, thereby realizing narrow viewing angle display, and no special backlight module is required. And a gray scale voltage of 0 to 255 is applied to thepixel electrode 22, so that a horizontal electric field (E1 in fig. 13) is formed between thepixel electrode 22 and thecommon electrode 21, and the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to the pixel region P are deflected in the horizontal direction, thereby realizing the display of the picture in the first narrow viewing angle mode.

As shown in fig. 14, in the second narrow viewing angle mode, a predetermined second narrow viewing angle voltage signal is applied to thecommon electrode 21, the viewingangle control electrode 23, and thecounter electrode 13, for example, the voltages applied to the viewingangle control electrode 23 and thecommon electrode 21 are 0V, and the viewing angle control voltage (2 to 3V) is applied to thecounter electrode 13, and at this time, a vertical electric field (E3 in fig. 14) is formed between thecounter electrode 13 and thecommon electrode 21, and the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the pixel region P are in an inclined posture under the driving of the vertical electric field. Theopposite electrode 13 and the viewingangle control electrode 23 form a vertical electric field (E4 in fig. 14), and the liquid crystal molecules in theliquid crystal layer 30 corresponding to the viewing angle control region V are in an inclined posture under the driving of the vertical electric field, so that when the display panel is viewed at a large viewing angle, the pixel region P is in a light leakage state (bright state), and the viewing angle control region V is in a light receiving state (black state), thereby realizing narrow viewing angle display, and further, the narrow viewing angle effect under the environment of turning off a lamp or a darkroom is better. And a gray scale voltage of 0 to 255 is applied to thepixel electrode 22, so that a horizontal electric field (E1 in fig. 14) is formed between thepixel electrode 22 and thecommon electrode 21, and the liquid crystal molecules corresponding to the pixel region P are deflected in the horizontal direction, thereby realizing the display of the picture in the second narrow viewing angle mode.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the other structures and working principles of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and will not be described herein.

Example III

Fig. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of the display panel in the initial state along the data line direction in the third embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of the second polarization rotation structure in the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 15 and 16, the display panel with switchable viewing angle provided in the third embodiment of the present invention is substantially the same as the display panel with switchable viewing angle provided in the first embodiment (fig. 1 to 10), except that in the present embodiment, the second polarizing means 50 includes a second polarizer 51 and a secondpolarizing rotation structure 52, the secondpolarizing rotation structure 52 corresponds to the viewing angle control region V and is disposed between the second polarizer 51 and theliquid crystal layer 30, the secondpolarizing rotation structure 52 is used for rotating the polarization direction of the linearly polarized light passing through theliquid crystal layer 30 by 90 °, the firstpolarizing means 40 is a polarizer, and the polarization axis of the second polarizer 51 is perpendicular to the polarization axis of the firstpolarizing means 40. Of course, in other embodiments, the secondpolarizing device 50 may also be composed of two polarizers with perpendicular polarization axes, one of which covers the pixel region P, the other of which covers the viewing angle control region V, and the firstpolarizing device 40 is one of which.

Further, the secondpolarization rotation structure 52 includes a second quarter-wave plate 521 and a secondwire grid polarizer 522, the second quarter-wave plate 521 is disposed between the secondwire grid polarizer 522 and the second polarizer 51, an included angle between a transmission axis of the second quarter-wave plate 521 and a wire grid direction of the secondwire grid polarizer 522 is 45 °, and the wire grid direction of the secondwire grid polarizer 522 is perpendicular to the polarization axis of the firstpolarizing device 40. Of course, in other embodiments, the secondpolarization rotation structure 52 may be a compensation film, for example, a compensation film in which liquid crystal molecules are used and twisted by 90 °, and then the liquid crystal molecules are fixed to form the compensation film, which is similar to the TN display mode in principle. For the principle of the secondwire grid polarizer 522, please refer to the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

In this embodiment, for example, the polarization axis of the firstpolarizing device 40 is 0 °, the wire grid orientation of the secondwire grid polarizer 522 is 90 °, the transmission axis of the secondquarter wave plate 521 is 45 °, and the polarization axis of the second polarizer 51 is 90 °. When the backlight passes through the firstpolarizing device 40 to form 0 ° polarized light, the backlight passes through theliquid crystal layer 30 and may further pass through the secondwire grid polarizer 522, then passes through the secondquarter wave plate 521 to become circularly polarized light, and then is emitted from the second polarizer 51 to form 90 ° polarized light. When the polarization axis of the firstpolarizing means 40 is 90 °, the wire grid trend of the second wire grid polarizer 55 is 0 °, and the polarization axis of the second polarizer 51 is 0 °.

Further, the secondpolarization rotation structure 52 is directly disposed on the surface of thecolor film substrate 10 facing theliquid crystal layer 30, and then the secondpolarization rotation structure 52 is covered by a flat layer.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the other structures and working principles of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and will not be described herein.

The present embodiment also provides a display device, which further includes abacklight module 60 and a display panel with switchable viewing angles as described above, wherein thebacklight module 60 includes a backlight source and a multilayer optical film (e.g. a diffuser, a prism sheet, a brightness enhancement film). Of course, thebacklight module 60 may further be provided with a peep-proof layer for reducing the range of the light emitting angle. The peep-proof layer is quite a miniature shutter structure, and can block light rays with larger incidence angles, so that light rays with smaller incidence angles pass through the peep-proof layer, and the angle range of the light rays passing through the peep-proof layer is reduced. The peep-proof layer comprises a plurality of light resistance walls which are arranged in parallel and light holes which are positioned between two adjacent light resistance walls, and light absorption materials are arranged on two sides of each light resistance wall. Thebacklight module 60 may be a side-in backlight module or a collimating backlight module.

In this document, terms such as up, down, left, right, front, rear, etc. are defined by the positions of the structures in the drawings and the positions of the structures with respect to each other, for the sake of clarity and convenience in expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that the use of such orientation terms should not limit the scope of the protection sought herein. It should also be understood that the terms "first" and "second," etc., as used herein, are used merely for distinguishing between names and not for limiting the number and order.

The present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments, but is capable of modification and variation in detail, and other modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (9)

1. The display panel with the switchable visual angle comprises a color film substrate (10), an array substrate (20) arranged opposite to the color film substrate (10) and a liquid crystal layer (30) arranged between the color film substrate (10) and the array substrate (20), and is characterized in that a pixel area (P) for displaying pictures and a visual angle control area (V) for controlling the visual angle are arranged on the display panel, a first polarization device (40) is arranged on the array substrate (20), a second polarization device (50) is arranged on the color film substrate (10), and the polarization axis of the first polarization device (40) is perpendicular to the polarization axis of the second polarization device (50) in the area corresponding to the pixel area (P); in the region corresponding to the viewing angle control region (V), the polarization axis of the first polarization means (40) is parallel to the polarization axis of the second polarization means (50); the array substrate (20) is provided with a common electrode (21), a pixel electrode (22) and a visual angle control electrode (23), the pixel electrode (22) corresponds to the pixel region (P), the visual angle control electrode (23) corresponds to the visual angle control region (V), and the color film substrate (10) is provided with a counter electrode (13) covering the pixel region (P) and the visual angle control region (V);

the counter electrode (13) is arranged on one side of the color film substrate (10) facing the liquid crystal layer (30), and the counter electrode (13) has a whole surface structure and covers the pixel region (P) and the visual angle control region (V); or the counter electrode (13) includes a first electrode (131) and a second electrode (132) insulated from each other, the first electrode (131) corresponding to the viewing angle control region (V), the second electrode (132) corresponding to the pixel region (P);

in the wide viewing angle mode, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the pixel region (P) are in a lying posture, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the viewing angle control region (V) are in a lying posture or a standing posture;

in a first narrow viewing angle mode, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the pixel region (P) are in a lying posture, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the viewing angle control region (V) are in an inclined posture;

in the second narrow viewing angle mode, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the pixel region (P) are in an inclined posture, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the viewing angle control region (V) are in an inclined posture.

2. The viewing angle switchable display panel according to claim 1, wherein the first polarizing means (40) comprises a first polarizer (41) and a first polarization rotation structure (42), the first polarization rotation structure (42) corresponds to the viewing angle control region (V) and is disposed between the first polarizer (41) and the liquid crystal layer (30), the first polarization rotation structure (42) is configured to rotate the polarization direction of the linearly polarized light passing through the first polarizer (41) by 90 °, the second polarizing means (50) is a polarizer, and the polarization axis of the first polarizer (41) is perpendicular to the polarization axis of the second polarizing means (50).

3. The viewing-angle switchable display panel according to claim 2, wherein the first polarization rotation structure (42) comprises a first quarter-wave plate (421) and a first wire grid polarizer (422), the first quarter-wave plate (421) is disposed between the first wire grid polarizer (422) and the first polarizer (41), an included angle between a transmission axis of the first quarter-wave plate (421) and a polarization axis of the first polarizer (41) is 45 °, and a wire grid of the first wire grid polarizer (422) is perpendicular to a polarization axis of the second polarizing device (50).

4. The viewing angle switchable display panel according to claim 1, wherein the second polarizing means (50) comprises a second polarizer (51) and a second polarization rotation structure (52), the second polarization rotation structure (52) corresponding to the viewing angle control region (V) and being disposed between the second polarizer (51) and the liquid crystal layer (30), the second polarization rotation structure (52) being configured to rotate the polarization direction of the linearly polarized light passing through the liquid crystal layer (30) by 90 °, the first polarizing means (40) being a polarizer, and the polarization axis of the second polarizer (51) being perpendicular to the polarization axis of the first polarizing means (40).

5. The switchable viewing angle display panel of claim 4, wherein the second polarization rotation structure (52) comprises a second quarter-wave plate (521) and a second wire grid polarizer (522), the second quarter-wave plate (521) is disposed between the second wire grid polarizer (522) and the second polarizer (51), an included angle between a transmission axis of the second quarter-wave plate (521) and a wire grid orientation of the second wire grid polarizer (522) is 45 °, and the wire grid orientation of the second wire grid polarizer (522) is perpendicular to a polarization axis of the first polarizing device (40).

6. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the color film substrate (10) is provided with a color resist layer (12) corresponding to the pixel region (P) and a black matrix (11) for spacing the pixel region (P) from the viewing angle control region (V), and the area of the color film substrate (10) corresponding to the viewing angle control region (V) is transparent.

7. The viewing angle switchable display panel according to claim 1, wherein the pixel regions (P) and the viewing angle control regions (V) extend in a lateral direction and are alternately arranged in a longitudinal direction, or the pixel regions (P) and the viewing angle control regions (V) extend in a longitudinal direction and are alternately arranged in a lateral direction.

8. A display device comprising a switchable viewing angle display panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A driving method for driving the viewing angle switchable display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising:

when in the wide viewing angle mode, a preset wide viewing angle voltage signal is arranged on the common electrode (21), the viewing angle control electrode (23) and the opposite electrode (13), so that liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the pixel region (P) are in a lying posture, and liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the viewing angle control region (V) are in a lying posture or a standing posture;

when in the first narrow viewing angle mode, a preset first narrow viewing angle voltage signal is arranged on the common electrode (21), the viewing angle control electrode (23) and the opposite electrode (13), so that liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the pixel region (P) are in a lying posture, and liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the viewing angle control region (V) are in an inclined posture;

when in the second narrow viewing angle mode, a preset second narrow viewing angle voltage signal is arranged on the common electrode (21), the viewing angle control electrode (23) and the opposite electrode (13), so that liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the pixel region (P) are in an inclined posture, and liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (30) corresponding to the viewing angle control region (V) are in an inclined posture.

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