Display panel having an opening arranged inside a display area

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10964771-B2
Application number	US-201916426049-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2019
Priority date	Nov 2, 2018
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

A display panel including a substrate including a display area surrounding an opening area and a non-display area between the opening area and the display area; a plurality of display elements on the display area; a plurality of scan lines extending in a first direction and detouring around an edge of the opening area; a plurality of data lines extending in a second direction that intersects with the first direction, the plurality of data lines detouring around the edge of the opening area; and a plurality of emission control lines extending in the first direction and detouring around the edge of the opening area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display panel, comprising:
a substrate including a display area completely surrounding both an opening area that includes an opening completely through the substrate and a non-display area between the opening area and the display area in plan view;
a plurality of display elements on the display area;
a plurality of scan lines extending in a first direction in the display area and detouring around an edge of the opening area;
a plurality of data lines extending in a second direction in the display area that intersects with the first direction, the plurality of data lines detouring around the edge of the opening area; and
a plurality of emission control lines extending in the first direction in the display area and detouring around the edge of the opening area.

2. The display panel as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a detouring portion of a first emission control line among the plurality of emission control lines includes an arc-shaped curve that is located between, and spaced apart by predetermined intervals from, arc-shaped curves of each of detouring portions of neighboring data lines among the plurality of data lines on the non-display area in plan view.

3. The display panel as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a detouring portion of a first scan line among the plurality of scan lines includes an arc-shaped curve that is located between, and spaced apart by predetermined intervals from, the arc-shaped curves of each of the detouring portions of the neighboring data lines among the plurality of data lines on the non-display area in plan view.

4. The display panel as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the arc-shaped curve of the detouring portion of the first scan line and the arc-shaped curve of the detouring portion of the first emission control line are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval as the arc-shaped curve of the detouring portion of the first scan line and the arc-shaped curve of the detouring portion of the first emission control line pass between the arc-shaped curves of the detouring portions of the neighboring data lines in plan view.

5. The display panel as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of previous scan lines extending in the first direction and detouring around the edge of the opening area, wherein
one of the plurality of previous scan lines is connected to the detouring portion of the first scan line.

6. The display panel as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a second emission control line that is adjacent to the first emission control line among the plurality of emission control lines is connected to the detouring portion of the first emission control line.

7. The display panel as claimed in claim 2 , wherein each of the display elements is connected to a pixel circuit, the pixel circuit including:
a switching thin film transistor connected to one of the plurality of scan lines and one of the plurality of data lines;
a driving thin film transistor electrically connected to the switching thin film transistor and through which a driving current flows in response to a data signal of the switching thin film transistor; and
a control thin film transistor electrically connected to the driving thin film transistor, wherein
the first emission control line is electrically connected to a gate electrode of the control thin film transistor.

8. The display panel as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the control thin film transistor includes an emission control thin film transistor connected to the driving thin film transistor and is configured to transfer the driving current to the display element electrically connected to the driving thin film transistor.

9. The display panel as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising a plurality of voltage lines extending in the second direction and providing a driving voltage to the display element, wherein
the control thin film transistor includes an operation control thin film transistor connecting the driving thin film transistor with the voltage line corresponding to the driving thin film transistor.

10. The display panel as claimed in claim 2 , wherein:
the first emission control line includes an extension portion that passes across the display area, the display panel further including an insulating layer between the detouring portion of the first emission control line and the extension portion, and
the detouring portion of the first emission control line contacts the extension portion through a contact hole of the insulating layer.

11. The display panel as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the detouring portion of the first emission control line is on a same layer on which a pixel electrode is arranged, the pixel electrode being provided to each of the plurality of display elements.

12. The display panel as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising an upper insulating layer between the detouring portion of the first emission control line and the plurality of data lines, wherein
the detouring portion of the first emission control line is between the insulating layer and the upper insulating layer.

13. The display panel as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of initialization voltage lines spaced apart from each other around the opening area.

14. The display panel as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the plurality of initialization voltage lines are connected to each other through an electrode layer that has a ring shape and is on the non-display area.

15. The display panel as claimed in claim 13 , wherein initialization voltage lines located on a first side of the opening area among the plurality of initialization voltage lines are connected to each other through an electrode layer of a bar type on the non-display area.

16. The display panel as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
a first emission control line of the plurality of emission control lines includes a detouring portion in the non-display area and an extension portion that passes across the display area along the first direction, and
the extension portion makes electrical contact with the detouring portion via a hole in an insulating layer.

17. The display panel as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the detouring portion includes a straight section and an arc-shaped curved section centered about the opening area.

18. The display panel as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the straight section of the detour portion overlaps the extension portion and the hole in an insulating layer.

19. The display panel as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
a first emission control line of the plurality of emission control lines includes a detouring portion in the non-display area, a first extension portion that passes across the display area along the first direction, and a second extension portion that passes across the display area along the first direction,
the first extension portion makes electrical contact with the detouring portion via a first hole in an insulating layer,
the second extension portion makes electrical contact with the detouring portion via a second hole in the insulating layer, and
the detouring portion includes two straight sections separated by a curved section.

20. The display panel as claimed in claim 19 , wherein:
the first and second straight sections extend in the first direction, and
the curved section is an arc-shaped curve centered about the opening area.

21. A display panel, comprising:
a substrate including an opening area that includes an opening completely through the substrate;
a display area on the substrate, the

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Minku
• KA Jihyun
• Lee Kwangsae

Classifications

• H10K59/1216

  the pixel elements being capacitors · CPC title

• H10K59/1213

  the pixel elements being TFTs · CPC title

• H10K59/131 Primary

  Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals · CPC title

• H10K50/80

  Constructional details · CPC title

• G02F1/136213

  Storage capacitors associated with the pixel electrode · CPC title