Display panel and method of driving the same

• US 9,030,504 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2012
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Tsai, Meng-Ju, Chen, Yan-Ciao, Huang, Yu-Sheng, Chiang, Chia-Lun
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/352,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20130120466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 345/690, 345/204, 345/32, 345/87
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134345 Subdivided pixels, e.g. for grey scale or redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0447 for multi-domain technique to improve the viewing angle in a liquid crystal display, such as multi-vertical alignment [MVA]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0452 Details of colour pixel setup, e.g. pixel composed of a red, a blue and two green components
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0814 used for selection purposes, e.g. logical AND for partial update
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0852 being a dynamic memory with more than one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0283 Arrangement of drivers for different directions of scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/028 by changing the viewing angle properties, e.g. widening the viewing angle, adapting the viewing angle to the view direction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/068 for control of viewing angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3659 the addressing of the pixel involving the control of two or more scan electrodes or two or more data electrodes, e.g. pixel voltage dependant on signal of two data electrodes

Abstract

A driving method of a display panel is described. A display panel including a pixel array is provided. The pixel array includes N scan lines, M data lines, and a plurality of first pixel units and a plurality of second pixel units electrically connected to the scan lines and the data lines. When an image is displayed with a wide-viewing angle mode, a first scanning procedure is performed to sequentially scan the first scan line of the scan lines to the Nth scan line of the scan lines in order. When the image is displayed with a narrow-viewing angle mode, the second scanning procedure is performed to sequentially scan the Nth scan line of the scan lines to the first scan line of the scan lines in order.

Claims

1. A method of driving a display panel, comprising:

providing a display panel comprising a pixel array, the pixel array comprising N scan lines, M data lines, and a plurality of first pixel units and a plurality of second pixel units electrically connected to the scan lines and the data lines, wherein;

each of the first pixel units and the second pixel units comprises;

an active device, electrically connected to one of the data lines and one of the scan lines;

a main pixel electrode, electrically connected to the active device;

a sub pixel electrode, electrically connected to the active device;

a switching device, electrically connected to the sub pixel electrode and another one of the scan lines, wherein the another one of the scan lines is adjacent to the scan line electrically connected to the active device;

a first capacitor electrode line, disposed under the main pixel electrode;

a second capacitor electrode line, located under the sub pixel electrode; and

a conductive line, electrically connected to the switching device and the sub pixel electrode, wherein the conductive line has a straight portion substantially extending along an edge profile of the sub pixel electrode; and

the straight portion of the conductive line of one of the first pixel units and that of one of the second pixel units are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner with respect to one of the scan lines or one of the data lines so that each of the first pixel units having a structure different from that of each of the second pixel units; and

the pixel array includes a plurality of first regions and a plurality of second regions, the first regions alternate with the second regions along each of a plurality of rows and each of a plurality of columns, the first pixel units are disposed in the first regions, and the second pixel units are disposed in the second regions so that a group of the first pixel units are located between two groups of the second pixel units along each of the rows and each of the columns;

performing a first scanning procedure to sequentially scan a first scan line of the scan lines to a Nth scan line of the scan lines in order when an image is displayed with a wide-viewing angle mode; and

performing a second scanning procedure to sequentially scan the Nth scan line of the scan lines to the first scan line of the scan lines in order when the image is displayed with a narrow-viewing angle mode.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first regions and the second regions are arranged in a checkered pattern.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of the first pixel units in each of the first regions is 2 to 30, and the number of the second pixel units in each of the second regions is 2 to 30.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display panel further comprises at least one polarizer, a sub pixel electrode has a comb-shaped structure, and an extension direction of the comb-shaped structure is parallel with an absorption axis of the polarizer.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the display panel further comprises a color filter array comprising a plurality of unit regions, and each of the unit regions corresponds to one of the first pixel units or one of the second pixel units, wherein

each of the unit regions has a main region corresponding to the main pixel electrode and a sub region corresponding to the sub pixel electrode, and

the main region and the sub region respectively have a color filter pattern therein, and the color of the color filter pattern in the main region is different from the color of the color filter pattern in the sub region.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the display panel further comprises a color filter array comprising a plurality of unit regions, and each of the unit regions corresponds to one of the first pixel units or one of the second pixel units, wherein

each of the unit regions has a main region corresponding to the main pixel electrode and a sub region corresponding to the sub pixel electrode, and

the main region has a red, green or blue filter pattern therein, and the sub region has a white filter pattern therein.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display panel further comprises at least one polarizer, the sub pixel electrode of the first pixel unit has a first oblique strip structure, the sub pixel electrode of the second pixel unit has a second oblique strip structure, wherein extending directions of the first oblique strip structure and the second oblique strip structure are not parallel to an absorption axis of the polarizer, and wherein the first oblique strip structure and the second oblique strip structure are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second capacitor electrode line is disposed between the main pixel electrode and the sub pixel electrode.

18. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein in the step of performing the first scanning procedure, the image is mainly displayed by the main regions and the sub regions do not work.

19. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein in the step of performing the first scanning procedure, the image is mainly displayed by the main regions and the sub regions do not work.

8. A display panel comprising a pixel array, the pixel array comprising:

a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of data lines on a substrate; and

a plurality of first pixel units and a plurality of second pixel units electrically connected to the scan lines and the data lines, wherein each of the first pixel units and the second pixel units comprises;

an active device, electrically connected to one of the data lines and one of the scan lines;

a main pixel electrode, electrically connected to the active device;

a sub pixel electrode, electrically connected to the active device;

a switching device, electrically connected to the sub pixel electrode and another one of the scan lines, wherein the another one of the scan lines is adjacent to the scan line electrically connected to the active device;

a first capacitor electrode line, disposed under the main pixel electrode;

a second capacitor electrode line, disposed under the sub pixel electrode; and

a conductive line, electrically connected to the switching device and the sub pixel electrode, wherein the conductive line has a straight portion substantially extending along an edge profile of the sub pixel electrode, and the straight portion of the conductive line of one of the first pixel units and that of one of the second pixel units are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner with respect to one of the scan lines or one of the data lines.

9. The display panel as claimed in claim 8, wherein the substrate includes a plurality of first regions and a plurality of second regions, the first pixel units are disposed in the first regions, and the second pixel units are disposed in the second regions.

10. The display panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first regions and the second regions are arranged in a checkered pattern.

11. The display panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein the number of the first pixel units in each of the first regions is 2 to 30, and the number of the second pixel units in each of the second regions is 2 to 30.

12. The display panel as claimed in claim 8, further comprising at least one polarizer, the sub pixel electrode of the first pixel unit and the sub pixel electrode of the second pixel unit respectively having a comb-shaped structure, wherein an extension direction of the comb-shaped structure is parallel with an absorption axis of the polarizer.

13. The display panel as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a color filter array including a plurality of unit regions, each of the unit regions corresponding to one of the first pixel units or one of the second pixel units, wherein

each of the unit regions has a main region corresponding to the main pixel electrode and a sub region corresponding to the sub pixel electrode, and

the main region and the sub region respectively have a color filter pattern therein, and the color of the color filter pattern in the main region is different from the color of the color filter pattern in the sub region.

14. The display panel as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a color filter array including a plurality of unit regions, each of the unit regions corresponding to one of the first pixel units or one of the second pixel units, wherein

each of the unit region has a main region corresponding to the main pixel electrode and a sub region corresponding to the sub pixel electrode, and

the main region has a red, green or blue filter pattern therein, and the sub region has a white filter pattern therein.

15. The display panel as claimed in claim 8, further comprising at least one polarizer, the sub pixel electrode of the first pixel unit having a first oblique strip structure, the sub pixel electrode of the second pixel unit having a second oblique strip structure, wherein extending directions of the first oblique strip structure and the second oblique strip structure are not parallel to an absorption axis of the polarizer, and the first oblique strip structure and the second oblique strip structure are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner.

17. The display panel as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second capacitor electrode line is disposed between the main pixel electrode and the sub pixel electrode.