This application claims priority to a Chinese application No. 201710057464.X filed on Jan. 26, 2017, titled “ELECTRONIC DEVICE”, and a Chinese application No. 201720107495.7 filed on Jan. 26, 2017, titled “ELECTRONIC DEVICE”. The entirety of the above-mentioned applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
The present disclosure relates to the field of consumer electronics in general. More particularly, and without limitation, the disclosed embodiments relate to a display module, and an electronic device.
With the development of science and technology, electronic products such as smart phones are widely used in the world.
Screen-to-body ratio is one of the most important aspects of a smart phone, and is used generally to represent a size of a display screen relative to the whole smart phone.
However, the screen-to-body ratio of the smart phone is designed relatively low nowadays. Generally, a low screen-to-body ratio may indicate a small display area, and therefore, resulting in a poor user experience. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a smart phone with high screen-to-body ratio to greatly enhance user experience.
In accordance with an aspect, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a display module is provided. The display module includes a display panel. The display panel includes a display portion and a transparent portion. The display portion includes a plurality of pixels. The transparent portion is adjacent to the display portion and surrounded by the pixels.
In accordance with another aspect, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic module includes a display module and an optical element. The display module includes a display panel. The display panel includes a display portion and a transparent portion. The display panel has a display surface and a rear surface opposite to the display surface. The display portion includes a plurality of pixels. The transparent portion is adjacent to the display portion and surrounded by the plurality of pixels. The optical element is disposed on a side of the rear surface and facing the transparent portion and configured to receive light penetrating the transparent portion or emit light to penetrate the transparent portion.
In accordance with a still another aspect, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device a first display module, a second display module and an optical element. The first display module includes a first display panel. The first display panel includes a first active area and a first transparent non-active area. The first transparent non-active area is surrounded by and adjacent to the first active area. The second display module coupled to the first display module. The second display module includes a second display panel. The second display panel includes a second active area and a second transparent non-active area. The second transparent non-active area is surrounded by and adjacent to the second active area. The optical element is alternatively disposed to face the first transparent non-active area or face the second transparent non-active area.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
This description and the accompanying drawings that illustrate exemplary embodiments should not be taken as limiting. Various mechanical, structural, electrical, and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of this description and the claims, including equivalents. In some instances, well known structures and techniques have not been shown or described in detail so as not to obscure the disclosure. Similar reference numbers in two or more figures represent the same or similar elements. Furthermore, elements and their associated features that are disclosed in detail with reference to one embodiment may, whenever practical, be included in other embodiments in which they are not specifically shown or described. For example, if an element is described in detail with reference to one embodiment and is not described with reference to a second embodiment, the element may nevertheless be claimed as included in the second embodiment.
The disclosed embodiments relate to a display module. The electronic device having a display function can be equipped with the display module. The electronic devices can be, for example, smart phones, tablets (PDA), smart watches, smart bracelets, smart glasses, or smart helmets. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the phone equipped with the display module is described as an example.
The display module 120 is substantially rectangular, and includes a first side 201, a second side 202, a third side 203, and a fourth side 204 (as shown in
In the present embodiment, the display panel 200 includes a display portion 210 and a transparent portion 220. The transparent portion 220 is adjacent to the display portion 12. The display portion 12 is in contact at the edge of the transparent portion 220, and the transparent portion 220 is surrounded by the display portion 210.
The display portion 210 includes a number of pixels so as to display an image. In this embodiment, the display panel 200 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD) display panel. A configuration of the display portion 210 may include a backlight module, a thin film transistor (TFT) array, a liquid crystal layer, a color filter, etc. In another embodiment, the display panel 200 can be an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel, and the display portion 210 may include a number of components, i.e., a substrate, an anode layer, a hole-injection layer, an organic luminous layer, an electron-transport layer, a cathode layer, etc. In still another embodiment, the display panel 200 can be a LED display panel, and the display portion 210 may include a number of components, i.e., a LED array, a drive circuit, etc. In addition, the display panel 210 can be a rigid panel or a flexible panel.
In the present embodiment, the transparent portion 220 is located adjacent to the first side 101 but far away from the second side 102. In another embodiment, the transparent portion 220 may be located adjacent to the second side 202 but far away from the first side 101. In still another embodiment, the transparent portion 220 may be located adjacent to the third side 203 but far away from the fourth side 204. In still another embodiment, the transparent portion 220 may be located adjacent to the fourth side 204 but far away from the third side 203. The transparent portion 220 is surrounded by the pixels of the display portion. The transparent portion 220 without the pixels is made of transparent material, i.e., glass. In this embodiment, the display panel 200 can be a LCD display panel, and the display panel 200 can be made of a glass substrate. A primary area of the glass substrate is defined to dispose, for example, a backlight module, a TFT array, a liquid crystal layer and a color filter so as to form the display portion 210. A small area of the glass substrate is also defined to form the transparent portion 220. The small area is adjacent to and surrounded by the primary area and being free of the backlight module, the TFT array, and the liquid crystal layer and a color filter. In application, light can penetrate through the transparent portion 220. Light transmittance of the transparent portion 14 is greater than 50%.
In addition, the display portion 210 includes a display surface 211 and a rear surface 212 opposite to the display surface 211. The transparent portion 220 has a first surface 221 and a second surface 222 opposite to the first surface 221. The first surface 221 is located on the same side with the rear surface 212 and is adjacent to the rear surface 212, and the first surface 221 and the rear surface 212 are coplanar. The second surface 222 is located on the same side with the display surface 211 and is adjacent to the display surface 211, and the second surface 222 and the display surface 211 are coplanar. In other words, the display portion 210 is as thick as the transparent portion 220. A vertical projection of the transparent portion 220 on the display surface 211 is adjacent to and surrounded by a vertical projection of the display portion 210 on the display surface 211. Thus, the process of manufacturing the display panel 200 can be easily realized. In addition, a space on the side of the rear surface 212 and the first surface 221 is adapt for accommodating other components such as optical elements can be disposed.
The transparent cover 410 includes a first portion 411 and a second portion 412. The first portion 411 is located on the display portion 210, and the second portion 412 is located on the transparent portion 220. The transparent cover 410 can be, but not limited to, made of a material selected from a group of glass, sapphire and polyvinyl chloride. In another embodiment, the transparent cover 410 can be made of a transparent glass substrate with a first area and a second area adjacent to and surrounded by the first area. The first area of the transparent glass substrate is disposed by, for example, a touch sensor circuit 413, and the second area of the transparent glass substrate is free of the touch sensor circuit 413. The touch sensor circuit 413 is formed at the first portion 411 and located on a surface of the first portion 411 facing the display panel 200. The first portion 431 has the touch sensor circuit 433 formed. A surface of the second portion 412 facing the display panel 200 is free of the touch sensor circuit 413.
In another example as shown in
As described above, when the display panel 200 is manufactured, a glass substrate is provided and is defined a primary region and a preserved region adjacent to and surrounded by the primary region. The preserved region is prepared for the transparent portion 220. In the preserved region, the display components of the display panel 200 are omitted, thereby forming a transparent non-active area. The display portion 210 is an active area of the display panel 200. The transparent non-active area is surrounded by and adjacent to the active area. It is noted that, a conventional phone generally includes a border region. An opening is further formed in the border region for the other components, i.e., optical element. Thus, the screen-to-body ratio of the conventional phone is low. According to the present disclosure, the border region for the optical element can be omitted so that a narrow borders design is achieved. During forming the transparent portion 220, it is not necessary to form the opening in the display panel 200. Thus, a damage of the display panel 200 can be avoided. Moreover, the area of the transparent portion 220 can be smaller than the area of the opening for the optical element of the conventional phone. Thus, the screen-to-body ratio of the display panel 200 is high. The display panel 200 with high screen-to-body ratio can enhance the user experience.
The optical element 503 is disposed on the side of the rear surface 212. The optical element 503 faces the first surface 221 of the transparent portion 220. The optical element 503 can be selected from a group of a camera, a light sensor, an optical fingerprint sensor, and a flashlight. In the present embodiment, the optical element 503 is a camera. The optical element 503 such as the camera has a light sensing area 504, a vertical projection of the light sensing area 504 on the display surface 211 is surrounded by and adjacent to a vertical projection of the transparent portion 220 on the display surface 211. In an exemplary embodiment, a central position of a vertical projection of the transparent portion 220 on the display surface 211 is overlapped with a central position of a vertical projection of the optical element 503 on the display surface 211. Thus, external incident light into the display panel 200 can penetrate through the transparent portion 220 to the optical element 503, and light emitting from the optical element 503 also can penetrate through the transparent portion 220 to outside.
In another embodiment, the electronic device can include a number of optical elements. The optical elements face the common transparent portion. The optical elements define a light sensing area, a vertical projection of the light sensing area on the display surface is surrounded by and adjacent to a vertical projection of the transparent portion on the display surface. In other words, a vertical projection of a sensing area of each of the optical element on the display surface is located inside a vertical projection of the light sensing area on the display surface. Otherwise, the display panel may include a number of transparent portions and a number of optical elements. Each of the optical elements faces a corresponding transparent portion and has a light sensing area. A vertical projection of the light sensing area on the display surface is surrounded by and adjacent to a vertical projection of the corresponding transparent portion on the display surface.
In the present embodiment, the first display module 610 includes a first display panel 611. The first display panel 611 includes a first display portion 612 and a first transparent portion 613. The first display panel 611 has a first display surface 614 and a first rear surface 615 opposite to the first display surface 614. The first transparent portion 613 is adjacent to and surrounded by the first display portion 612. The first transparent portion 613 is a transparent non-active area of the first display panel 611, and the first display portion 612 is an active area of the first display panel 611. The transparent non-active area is surrounded by and adjacent to the active area. External incident light into the first display panel 611 can penetrate through the first transparent portion 613. The first display portion 612 is similar to either the display portion 210 or the display portion 310, and the first transparent portion 613 is similar to either the transparent portion 220 or the transparent portion 320.
The second display module 620 is, for example, pivotally coupled to the first display module 610. The second display module 620 includes a second display panel 621. The second display panel 621 includes a second display portion 622 and a second transparent portion 623. The second display panel 621 has a second display surface 624 and a second rear surface 625 opposite to the second display surface 624.
The electronic device 600 can be used in a dual-screen mode. As shown in
The optical element 630 can be alternatively disposed on the side of the first rear surface 615 or on the side of the second rear surface 625. The optical element 630 can alternatively face the first transparent portion 613 or face the second transparent portion 623. In other words, the optical element 630 is shared by the first display module 610 and the second display module 620. For example, the optical element 630 can be disposed by means of a rotatable mechanism. When the first display module 610 is used, the optical element 630 is rotated to be disposed on the side of the first rear surface 615 of the first display panel 610 to face the first transparent portion 613, as shown in
In this embodiment, when the electronic device 700 is used, a first rear surface 715 of a first display panel 711 faces a second rear surface 725 of a second display panel 721. The optical element 730 is disposed between a first rear surface 715 a of a first display panel 711 and a second surface 725 of a first display panel 721. For example, the optical element 730 can be disposed by means of a rotatable mechanism. When the first display module 710 is used, the optical element 730 is rotated to be disposed on the side of the first rear surface 715 to face the first transparent portion 713 of the first display panel 711, as shown in
It is noted that, in other embodiment, the first rear surface 815 of a first display panel 811 may face the second rear surface 825 of a second display panel 821.
The optical element 930 includes a first light sensing unit 931, a second light sensing unit 932. The electronic device 900 may include a processing unit 933 for processing light signals. The first light sensing unit 931 is disposed on the side of the first rear surface 915 of the first display panel 911 to correspond to the first transparent portion 913 of the first display panel 911. The second light sensing unit 932 is disposed on the side of the second rear surface 925 of the second display panel 921 to correspond to the second transparent portion 923 of the second display panel 921. The processing unit 933 is electrically connected with the first light sensing unit 931 and the second light sensing unit 932 to process the light signals from the first light sensing unit 931 and the second light sensing unit 932.
In this embodiment, a first rear surface 1015 of a first display panel 1011 faces a second rear surface 1025 of a second display panel 1021. The optical element 1030 is disposed between a first rear surface 1015 a of a first display panel 1011 and a second surface 1025 of a first display panel 1021. The optical element 1030 includes a first sensing area 1031 and a second sensing area 1032. The electronic device 1000 may include a processing unit 1033 electrically connected with optical element 1030. The processing unit 1033 is configured for processing light signals. The light sensing unit 1003 includes a first sensing area 1031 and a second sensing area 1032. The optical element 1030 is disposed between the first transparent portion 1013 of the first display panel 1011 and the second transparent portion 1023 of the second display panel 1021. The first sensing area 1031 faces to the first transparent portion 1013 of the first display panel 1011, and the second sensing area 1032 faces to the second transparent portion 1023 of the second display panel 1021. The processing unit 1033 process the light signals from the first light sensing area 1031 and/or the second light sensing area 1032. The processing unit 1033 may be configured for controlling the first light sensing area 1031 and the second light sensing area 1032. Thus, by the first light sensing area 1031 or the second light sensing area 1032, external incident light can pass through the first transparent portion 1013 or the second transparent portion 1023 to arrive at the optical element 1030. It is noted that, light emitting from the optical element 1030 also can pass through the first transparent portion 1013 or the second transparent portion 1023 to outside.
According to the present disclosure, the border region for the optical element can be omitted so that the narrow borders design is achieved. During forming the transparent portion, it is not necessary to form the opening in the display panel. Thus, a damage of the display panel can be avoided. Moreover, the area of the transparent portion can be smaller than the area of the opening for the optical element of the conventional phone. Thus, the screen-to-body ratio of the display panel is high. The display panel with high screen-to-body ratio can enhance the user experience.
While the disclosure has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
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