Gate drive circuit, method of driving gate drive circuit, display device, and method of manufacturing array substrate

• US 10,902,932 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2019
• Issued: 01/26/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., Hefei Xinsheng Optoelectric Technology Co. Ltd. (BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hefei Xinsheng Optoelectronics Technology Company Limited
• Inventors: Feng, Xuehuan, Li, Yongqian, Li, Meng
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo, Thuy N
• Application Number:
  US16/398,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20200035317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 345 55, 345 98, 345100, 345211, 345212, 345214, 345 77, 345690, 345691, 345209, 349152
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0286 Details of a shift registers arranged for use in a driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/08 Details of timing specific for flat panels, other than clock recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/08 Fault-tolerant or redundant circuits, or circuits in which repair of defects is prepared
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3266 Details of drivers for scan electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 19/28 using semiconductor elements G11C19/14, G11C19/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 19/287 Organisation of a multiplicity of shift registers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/124 with a particular composition, shape or layout of the wiring layers specially adapted to the circuit arrangement, e.g. scanning lines in LCD pixel circuits wiring structures per se H01L23/52
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1262 with a particular formation, treatment or coating of the substrate

Abstract

A gate drive circuit, a method of driving a gate drive circuit, a display device, and a method of manufacturing an array substrate are provided. The gate drive circuit includes a repair signal line, a plurality of output signal lines, and a plurality of shift register units that are cascaded. The repair signal line is configured to transmit the repair signal to the first output signal line. The plurality of shift register units include a first shift register unit and a plurality of second shift register units, and the plurality of second shift register units are correspondingly connected to the second output signal lines. The first output signal line corresponds to but is in a state of being disconnected to the first shift register unit, and the first output signal line and the plurality of second output signal lines are configured to output a set of shift pulse signals.

Claims

1. A gate drive circuit, comprising a repair signal line, a plurality of output signal lines, and plurality of shift register units that are cascaded,

wherein the repair signal line is configured to receive a repair signal;

the plurality of output signal lines comprises a first output signal line and a plurality of second output signal lines, and the repair signal line is connected to the first output signal line, and is configured to transmit the repair signal to the first output signal line;

the plurality of shift register units comprises a first shift register unit and a plurality of second shift register units, and the plurality of second shift register units are correspondingly connected to the plurality of second output signal lines; and

the first output signal line corresponds to, but is in a state of being disconnected from, the first shift register unit, and the first output signal line and the plurality of second output signal lines are further configured to output a set of shift pulse signals,

the gate drive circuit further comprises a plurality of cascade signal lines,

wherein the first output signal line is connected to a next second shift register unit adjacent to the first shift register unit through a cascade signal line which corresponds to but is in a state of being disconnected from the first shift register unit, and is configured to transmit the repair signal as a trigger signal to the next second shift register unit adjacent to the first shift register unit,

wherein each of the plurality of shift register units comprises a trigger signal output terminal and a pixel scanning signal output terminal,

pixel scanning signal output terminals of the plurality of second shift register units are correspondingly connected to the plurality of second output signal lines, and trigger signal output terminals of the plurality of second shift register units are correspondingly connected to the plurality of cascade signal lines.

2. The gate drive circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a repair signal generation circuit,

wherein the repair signal generation circuit is connected to the repair signal line, and is configured to output a repair signal to the repair signal line;

and

the repair signal generation circuit and the plurality of second shift register units are further configured to output the set of shift pulse signals through the first output signal line and the plurality of second output signal lines.

3. The gate drive circuit according to claim 2, wherein the repair signal line is in a layer which is different from a layer where the plurality of output signal lines are located, and the repair signal line extends across the plurality of output signal lines.

4. The gate drive circuit according to claim 2, wherein the repair signal generation circuit comprises a modulation signal output circuit and a switch circuit which are electrically connected to each other;

the modulation signal output circuit is configured to output a modulation signal to the switch circuit; and

the switch circuit is configured to receive the modulation signal and control whether the modulation signal passes through the switch circuit, to output the modulation signal passing through the switch circuit as the repair signal.

5. The gate drive circuit according to claim 2, wherein the repair signal generation circuit comprises a third shift register unit, and

the third shift register unit is identical in circuit structure to the first shift register unit and is configured to generate a shift pulse signal corresponding to the first shift register unit in the set of shift pulse signals, and to output the shift pulse signal as the repair signal.

6. The gate drive circuit according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of shift register units comprises a blanking input circuit, a display input circuit, an output circuit, a first control circuit, and a second control circuit;

the blanking input circuit is connected to a first node, and is configured to input a blanking pull-up signal to the first node, according to a blanking input signal and a blanking control signal, during a blanking period;

the display input circuit is connected to the first node, and is configured to input a display pull-up signal to the first node in response to a display input signal during a display period;

the output circuit is connected to the first node, and is configured to output a composite output signal to an output terminal under control of a level of the first node;

the first control circuit is connected to the first node and a second node, and is configured to perform noise reduction on the first node and the output terminal under control of a level of the second node; and

the second control circuit is connected to the first node and the second node, and is configured to control the level of the second node under control of the level of the first node.

7. The gate drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of cascade signal lines and the repair signal line are in a same layer, and the plurality of cascade signal lines are in the layer which is different from a layer where the plurality of output signal lines are located.

8. A method of driving the gate drive circuit according to claim 1, comprising:

controlling the plurality of shift register units that are cascaded to sequentially output; and

in a case where the first shift register unit outputs, outputting the repair signal to the repair signal line, so that the first output signal line outputs the repair signal,

wherein the first output signal line and the plurality of second output signal lines output the set of shift pulse signals.

9. A display device, comprising the gate drive circuit according to claim 1.

10. A gate drive circuit, comprising a repair signal line, a plurality of output signal lines, and a plurality of shift register units that are cascaded,

wherein the repair signal line is configured to receive a repair signal of a first voltage;

the plurality of shift register units are correspondingly connected to the plurality of output signal lines, and are configured to output a set of shift pulse signals through the plurality of output signal lines; and

the repair signal line and the plurality of output signal lines are insulated from each other, and the repair signal line extends across the plurality of output signal lines,

the gate drive circuit further comprising a plurality of cascade signal lines,

wherein each of the plurality of shift register units comprises a trigger signal output terminal and a pixel scanning signal output terminal,

pixel scanning signal output terminals of the plurality of shift register units are correspondingly connected to the plurality of output signal lines, and trigger signal output terminals of the plurality of shift register units are correspondingly connected to the plurality of cascade signal lines.

11. The gate drive circuit according to claim 10, further comprising a repair signal generation circuit,

wherein the repair signal generation circuit is connected to the repair signal line, and is configured to output the repair signal or the first voltage to the repair signal line.

12. The gate drive circuit according to claim 11, wherein the repair signal line is in a layer which is different from a layer where the plurality of output signal lines are located.

13. The gate drive circuit according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of cascade signal lines and the repair signal line are in a same layer, and the plurality of cascade signal lines are in the layer which is different from a layer where the plurality of output signal lines are located, and

a cascade signal line and an output signal line which are connected to a same shift register unit are insulated from each other, and extend across each other.

14. A method of driving the gate drive circuit according to claim 10, comprising:

controlling the plurality of shift register units that are cascaded to sequentially output, and outputting the set of shift pulse signals through the plurality of output signal lines; and

outputting the first voltage to the repair signal line, the first voltage being same as a non-operating level of the shift pulse signals.

15. A method of manufacturing an array substrate, comprising:

forming a plurality of shift register units that are cascaded and a plurality of output signal lines on a base substrate, the plurality of shift register units being correspondingly connected to the plurality of output signal lines,

forming a repair signal generation circuit and a repair signal line on the base substrate, the repair signal generation circuit being connected to the repair signal line, the repair signal line and the plurality of output signal lines being insulated from each other, and the repair signal line extending across the plurality of output signal lines;

selecting a first shift register unit among the plurality of shift register units as needed, wherein the plurality of output signal lines comprises a first output signal line, and the first shift register unit is connected to the first output signal line; and

connecting the repair signal line to the first output signal line, and disconnecting the first output signal line from the first shift register unit;

the method of manufacturing the array substrate further comprises;

forming a plurality of cascade signal lines on the base substrate, wherein the plurality of cascade signal lines and the repair signal line are in a same layer, the plurality of cascade signal lines extend across the plurality of output signal lines, and the plurality of cascade signal lines register units comprises a trigger signal output terminal and a pixel scanning signal output terminal, pixel scanning signal output terminals of the plurality of shift register units are correspondingly connected to the plurality of output signal lines, and trigger signal output terminals of the plurality of shift register units are correspondingly connected to the plurality of cascade signal lines; and

disconnecting a cascade signal line connected to the first shift register unit from the first shift register unit, and connecting the cascade signal line that is disconnected from the first output signal line.