KR102572965B1 - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a display device, wherein the display device of the present invention writes data of an input image to pixels of a main display part and a sub display part of a display panel in a front driving mode, and writes data of an input image to pixels of the auxiliary display part in a constant driving mode. and a display panel driving circuit for writing data of preset information. At least some of the pixels of the auxiliary display unit are reflective pixels or transflective pixels.

Description

Display device {DISPLAY DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a display device capable of always displaying information on a part of a screen.

Liquid Crystal Display Device (LCD), Organic Light Emitting Diode Display (OLED Display), Plasma Display Panel (PDP), Electrophoretic Display Device (EPD) Various flat panel display devices such as these are being developed. A liquid crystal display device displays an image by controlling an electric field applied to liquid crystal molecules according to a data voltage. A thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as “TFT”) is formed for each pixel in an active matrix driving type liquid crystal display device.

The liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel, a backlight unit that irradiates light to the liquid crystal display panel, and a source drive integrated circuit (IC) for supplying data voltages to data lines of the liquid crystal display panel. ), a gate drive IC for supplying gate pulses (or scan pulses) to the gate lines (or scan lines) of the liquid crystal display panel, a control circuit for controlling the ICs, and a light source for driving the light source of the backlight unit. A driving circuit and the like are provided.

Since mobile devices such as mobile phones, smart phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, and wearable devices must be driven only by batteries without an external power source, power consumption is important. The mobile device stops driving the display device in order to reduce power consumption in the standby mode. Therefore, since the screen of the mobile device is turned off, the user restarts the mobile device whenever necessary information is viewed. Whenever a mobile device is restarted, heat and power consumption occur.

An object of the present invention is to provide a display device capable of reducing heat generation and power consumption while always displaying information on a part of the screen.

The display device of the present invention includes a display panel in which a pixel array in which pixels are arranged in a matrix form by a cross structure of data lines and gate lines is divided into a main display part and an auxiliary display part, and the main display part and the auxiliary display part in a front driving mode. and a display panel driving circuit that writes data of an input image to pixels of and writes data of preset information only to pixels of the auxiliary display unit in a regular driving mode.

At least some of the pixels of the auxiliary display unit are reflective pixels or transflective pixels.

The display device of the present invention divides the screen of the display panel into a main display unit and an auxiliary display unit, and can always display information selected by the user on the secondary display unit in a constant driving mode without a large increase in power consumption. Furthermore, the display device of the present invention can reduce power consumption by implementing at least some of the pixels of the auxiliary display unit as reflective or transflective pixels.

1 and 2 are diagrams schematically showing a mobile device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the display module shown in FIG. 2 in detail.
4 is a diagram showing a display panel driving circuit.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the multiplexer shown in FIG. 4 .
6 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of a display panel.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram illustrating operations of a display device in an always on mode and a full display mode.
9 to 11 are diagrams illustrating arrangement examples of reflective/semi-reflective pixels and transmissive pixels in a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
12 and 13 are diagrams illustrating a difference in resolution between a main display unit and a sub display unit in a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numbers throughout the specification indicate substantially the same elements. In the following description, if it is determined that a detailed description of a known function or configuration related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

1 and 2 schematically show a mobile device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Although the structure of the mobile device in FIGS. 1 and 2 is illustrated as a bar-type terminal structure with a full touch screen structure, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited thereto.

1 and 2, the mobile device of the present invention includes a display module (DIS), a front cover (101), a back cover (103), a mid frame, and a main board (104). ), a battery 105, and the like. Here, "cover" may be expressed as a case or a housing.

The display device of the present invention may be implemented as a display device that can be implemented as a transmissive display device, a reflective display device, and the like, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), but is not limited thereto.

The display module DIS includes the display panel 100 of the flat panel display and a display panel driving circuit. Touch sensors may be disposed on the entire screen of the display panel 100 . The display panel driving circuit includes a drive IC (DIC) 46 and a flexible circuit board 30 connecting the drive IC 46 to the main board 104 . The display panel driving circuit further includes gate driving units 40 and 42 shown in FIG. 4 . The flexible circuit board 30 may be any one of a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) and a flexible flat cable (FFC).

The front cover 101 covers the front of the mobile device. The screen of the display panel 100 is exposed on the front of the mobile device. The front cover 101 may include tempered glass covering the display panel 100 . A front camera and various sensors may be disposed on the front of the mobile device.

The back cover 103 covers the back of the mobile device. A rear camera and various sensors may be disposed on the back of the mobile device. Sensors applicable to mobile devices include, for example, proximity sensors, gyro sensors, geomagnetic sensors, motion sensors, illuminance sensors, RGB sensors, Hall sensors, temperature/humidity sensors, heart rate sensors, and fingerprint recognition sensors. including various sensors.

A display module (DIS), a mid frame 102, a main board 104, a battery 105, and the like are disposed in the space between the front cover 101 and the back cover 103. The mid frame 102 supports the display panel 100 and spatially separates the display panel 100 from the main board 104 . The flexible circuit board 30 is connected to the main board 104 through a slot of the mid frame 102 . An audio/video (A/V) input unit, a user input unit, a speaker, a microphone, and the like are installed on the front cover 101 and the back cover 103. The A/U input, user input, speaker, and microphone are connected to the main board 104. The user input unit may include a touch key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad, a jog wheel, and a jog switch.

Circuits of the host system are mounted on the main board 104 . In FIG. 4, “SYSTEM” is the host system 200. The host system 200 includes a display module, a wireless communication module, a short-distance communication module, a mobile communication module, a broadcast reception module, an A/U input unit, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module, and a power circuit. A user input unit, a speaker, a microphone, and a battery 105 are connected to the host system 200 . The power circuit removes noise from the voltage of the battery 105 and supplies it to the host system 200 and the module power supply of the display panel driving circuit. The host system (HOST) is exemplified as a phone system in this embodiment, but is not limited thereto. For example, the display device of the present invention can be applied to a TV (Television) system, a set-top box, a navigation system, a DVD player, a Blu-ray player, a personal computer (PC), a home theater system, and the like.

3 and 4 are diagrams showing the display module DIS in detail.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the display panel 100 may be basically manufactured in a rectangular shape, but is not limited thereto. In the display panel 100 , at least one first corner portion CNR among corner portions where both sides meet is chamfered and has an interior angle θ of 180° or more and 300° or less. A front camera and/or one or more sensors may be disposed in the space secured by the first corner part CNR.

The display panel 100 may include one or more second corner portions CNR'. The second corner portion CNR' has an interior angle θ' of 90° as in the prior art.

The screen of the display panel 100 includes a pixel array displaying an input image. As shown in FIG. 6 , the display panel 100 includes an upper substrate SUBS1 and a lower substrate SUBS2 facing each other with the liquid crystal layer LC interposed therebetween.

A TFT array may be formed on the lower substrate SUBS2 of the display panel 100 . The TFT array includes data lines DL, gate lines GL, TFTs formed at intersections of the data lines DL and gate lines GL, pixel electrodes PIX connected to the TFTs, and pixel electrodes. (Storage Capacitor, Cst) connected to (PIX), and the like. TFTs may be implemented as amorphose Si (a-Si) TFTs, LTPS (Low Temperature Poly Silicon) TFTs, oxide TFTs (Oxide TFTs), and the like. An oxide TFT means a TFT in which a semiconductor forming a channel of the TFT is an oxide semiconductor. The TFTs are connected 1:1 to the pixel electrodes of the sub-pixels. In FIG. 4 , “Clc” represents the capacitance of the liquid crystal layer LC to which an electric field is applied between the pixel electrode PIX and the common electrode COM.

The TFT is a switch element that supplies a data voltage applied through the data line DL to the pixel electrode 11 in response to a gate pulse from the gate line GL. Each of the pixels uses liquid crystal molecules driven by the voltage difference between the pixel electrode (PIX) supplied with the data voltage to charge the data voltage through the TFT and the common electrode (COM) to which the common voltage (Vcom) is applied. The input image is displayed by adjusting the transmission amount of .

The pixel array includes pixels arranged in a matrix form by a cross structure of data lines DL and gate lines GL. Each of the pixels may include red (R), green (G), and blue (B) sub-pixels for color implementation. Also, the pixels may further include white sub-pixels. The pixels may further include one or more of Cyan (C), Magenta (M), and Yellow (Y) sub-pixels.

The pixel array is divided into a main display unit 10 and a sub display unit 12 . The data lines DL cross the main display unit 10 and the sub display unit 12 and are connected to pixels of the main display unit 10 and pixels of the secondary display unit 12 . The gate lines GL are divided into gate lines GL connected to pixels of the main display unit 10 and gate lines GL connected to pixels of the auxiliary display unit 12 .

The auxiliary display unit 12 may be disposed between two adjacent corner portions CNR and CNR′ including the first corner portion CNR. The main display unit 10 may be disposed below the first corner unit CNR. In the embodiment, the auxiliary display unit 12 is disposed above the main display unit 12, but is not limited thereto. The auxiliary display unit 10 is not limited to those of FIGS. 3 and 4 . The position and shape of the auxiliary display unit 10 may be variously modified.

The auxiliary display unit 12 displays data in a full display mode and an always on mode. In the always on mode, the main display unit 10 is not driven and only the auxiliary display unit 12 is driven. In the always on mode, the auxiliary display unit 12 is data that shows information such as communication status, battery power status, social network service (SNS) message, clock, and the like that the user frequently sees. Information displayed on the auxiliary display unit 12 may be selected by a user through a user interface.

In order to reduce power consumption, the auxiliary display unit 12 may include reflective or transflective pixels. In addition, at least some of the TFTs incorporated in the pixels of the auxiliary display unit 12 may be made of oxide TFTs. Since oxide TFTs have a smaller leakage current than amorphous silicon TFTs or LTPS TFTs, power consumption can be reduced.

In the prior art, all four corners of the display panel 100 are processed to have 90° internal angles, and the black matrix is removed from positions where cameras or sensors are disposed. In the prior art, a pixel array is formed only on the main display unit 10 . Therefore, in the case of the prior art, images are displayed only on the main display unit 10 . In the display panel of the prior art, since pixels are not formed between the corner portions on both sides where a camera or sensor is disposed, an image cannot be displayed.

The auxiliary display area of the present invention is a non-display area covered with a black matrix and having no pixels except for a location of a camera sensor in a conventional mobile device. The present invention extends the image display to the auxiliary display 12 by arranging pixels on the auxiliary display 12 instead of using them as a display area in the prior art.

The main display unit 10 displays input image data in a full display mode. In the present invention, the main display unit 10 is not driven to reduce power consumption in an always on mode. Therefore, the main display unit 10 stops operating without being driven in the always on mode.

In FIG. 4 , “Ct” denotes an in-cell type touch sensor embedded in a pixel array. The touch sensor Ct may be implemented as capacitance type touch sensors. Capacitive type touch sensors may be divided into self capacitance and mutual capacitance. In the in-cell touch technology, since the touch sensors Ct are coupled to the signal lines DL and GL of the pixels and the pixel electrode PIX, signals applied to the pixels may act as noise to the touch sensors. there is. In order to reduce mutual influence between pixels and touch sensors, one frame period of the display panel is time-divided into a display period in which data of an input image is written in pixels and a touch sensing period in which touch sensors are driven. The common electrode COM is a touch sensor electrode that is divided into electrodes of the touch sensors to supply common voltage Vcom, which is a reference voltage of the pixels, to the pixels during the display period and to supply electric charge to the touch sensors during the touch sensing period. It is utilized.

A color filter array may be formed on the upper substrate SUBS1 of the display panel 100 . The color filter array includes a black matrix (BM) and a color filter (CF). The common electrode (COM) is formed on the upper substrate in the case of vertical electric field driving methods such as TN (Twisted Nematic) mode and VA (Vertical Alignment) mode, and IPS (In-Plane Switching) mode and FFS (Fringe Field Switching) In the case of a horizontal electric field driving method such as the mode, it may be formed on the lower substrate SUBS2 together with the pixel electrode PIX.

The display panel driving circuit writes data of an input image to pixels of the display panel 100 . The display panel driving circuit writes data of an input image to pixels of the main display unit 10 and the auxiliary display unit 12 in the full display mode, and the auxiliary display unit 12 in the always on mode. ), data of preset information is written only to the pixels of ). Therefore, while the pixels of the main display unit 10 and the auxiliary display unit 12 are driven in the full display mode, the main display unit 10 is not driven in the always on mode and the auxiliary display unit ( 12) only works.

The display panel driving circuit includes a data driving unit, gate driving units 40 and 42, a timing controller, and a module power supply unit. A data driver, a timing controller, a module power supply, and the like may be integrated into the drive IC 46 .

The display panel driving circuit may further include a backlight driving unit. The backlight driver adjusts the luminance of the backlight by varying the duty ratio of the dimming signal according to the input image. The dimming signal is generated as a Pulse Width Module (PWM) signal.

The data driver receives input video data from the timing controller, converts it into positive/negative polarity gamma compensation voltage, and outputs positive/negative polarity data voltages. The data voltage output from the data driver is supplied to the data lines DL of the display panel 100 .

A multiplexer (MUX) as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 may be disposed between the data driver and the data lines DL. The multiplexer 44 may be formed on the lower substrate SUBS2 of the display panel 100 or embedded in the drive IC 46 . The multiplexer 44 distributes the data voltage input from the data driver to the data lines DL under the control of the timing controller. In the case of the 1:3 multiplexer 44 as shown in FIG. 5 , the multiplexer 44 time-divides the data voltage input through one output channel of the data driver and supplies it to the three data lines DL. Therefore, if the 1:3 multiplexer is used, the number of channels of the drive IC 46 can be reduced to 1/3. In Fig. 5, M1 to M3 are TFTs of the multiplexer 44, and C1 to C3 are MUX selection signals output from the timing controller. The TFTs M1 to M3 of the multiplexer 44 supply data voltages to the data lines in response to the MUX selection signals C1 to C3. In Fig. 5, S1 and S2 are channels of the drive IC 46, and D1 to D6 are data lines.

The data driver and multiplexer 44 may supply only data voltages to be displayed on pixels of the auxiliary display unit 12 to the data lines DL in an always on mode under the control of a timing controller. The data driver and the multiplexer 44 supply data voltages to be displayed on the pixels of the main display unit 10 and the sub display unit 12 to the data lines DL in the full display mode under the control of the timing controller. do.

The gate drivers 40 and 42 sequentially supply gate pulses to the gate lines GL under the control of the timing controller. Gate pulses output from the gate drivers 40 and 42 are synchronized with the data voltage. The gate drivers 40 and 42 may be directly formed on the lower substrate SUBS2 of the display panel 100 together with the pixel array as shown in FIG. 4 through a gate in panel (GIP) process.

The gate drivers 40 and 42 supply gate pulses to the gate lines GL of the main display unit 10 and gate pulses to the gate lines GL of the auxiliary display unit 12 . It is divided into an auxiliary gate driver 42 to supply. The main gate driver 40 and the auxiliary gate driver 42 may be individually controlled under the control of the timing controller. In the always on mode, the auxiliary gate driver 42 operates to supply gate pulses to the gate lines of the auxiliary display 12 . In the always on mode, since the pixels of the main display unit 10 are not driven, the main gate driver 40 is not operated to reduce power consumption. Therefore, in the always on mode, only the auxiliary gate driver 42 among the gate drivers 40 and 42 outputs a gate pulse.

In the full display mode, pixels of the main display unit 10 and the sub display unit 12 are driven. Accordingly, both the main gate driver 40 and the auxiliary gate driver 42 operate to supply gate pulses to the gate lines of the main display unit 10 and the auxiliary display unit 12 .

The timing controller receives timing signals synchronized with data of an input image. The timing signals include a vertical synchronizing signal Vsync, a horizontal synchronizing signal Hsync, a data enable signal DE, and a main clock CLK. The timing controller controls operation timings of the data driver, the gate driver, and the multiplexer 40 based on the timing signals Vsync, Hsync, DE, and DCLK.

The timing controller changes the reference frequency of the module power unit according to the mode signal input from the host system 200 and supplies the display panel 100 in the always on mode compared to the full display mode. Power consumption may be reduced by lowering the driving voltage or lowering the frame rate. The driving voltage supplied to the display panel 100 may be at least one of a data voltage applied to the data lines DL and a gate pulse voltage applied to the gate lines GL. Under the control of the timing controller, the frame rate of the always on mode may be controlled lower than that of the full display mode. For example, when the frame rate of the full display mode is 60 Hz, the frame rate of the always on mode may be lowered to 1 Hz to 30 Hz. The display panel driving circuit updates data written to pixels at a frame rate frequency. For example, the display panel driving circuit writes data to pixels 60 times per second when the frame rate is 60 Hz.

The module power supply unit includes a DC-DC converter. The module power supply generates the driving voltage of the display panel 100 by adjusting the input voltage from the host system 200 . The DC-DC converter uses a PWM modulation circuit, a boost converter, a regulator, a charge pump, etc. voltage (VGH), gate low voltage (VGL), common voltage (Vcom), logic power supply voltage (Vcc), etc. are generated. The logic power voltage Vcc is a driving voltage of the drive IC 46 . The gate high voltage (VGH) is the high voltage of the gate pulse set above the threshold voltage of the TFTs formed in the pixel array and the gate driver 40 and 42, and the gate low voltage (VGL) is the gate pulse set at a voltage lower than the threshold voltage of the TFTs. is the low voltage of the pulse. The common voltage Vcom is supplied to the common electrodes COM of the liquid crystal cells Clc. The positive/negative polarity gamma voltages (VDH, VDL) are divided for each gradation through a voltage divider circuit and input to a digital-to-analog converter (hereinafter referred to as “DAC”) of the data driver. The DAC generates a data voltage by selecting a voltage level of the positive/negative polarity gamma voltage according to digital data. The module power supply may adjust the output voltage by varying the frequency (or step-up frequency) of the PWM signal according to the reference frequency input from the timing controller.

The host system 200 may be a phone system of a mobile device, but is not limited thereto. For example, the host system 200 may be any one of a TV (Television) system, a set-top box, a navigation system, a DVD player, a Blu-ray player, a personal computer (PC), a home theater system, and a phone system. The host system 200 may transmit data of an input image to the drive IC 46 of the display module DIS. The host system 200 may control the display module in an always on mode according to a user command input through a user interface. The user interface may be implemented as a graphical user interface (GUI), a touch UI, or the like.

The present invention may further include a backlight unit for uniformly radiating light to the display panel 100 . The display device may be implemented with a transmissive pixel structure, a transflective pixel structure, or a reflective pixel structure. Transmissive pixels and transflective pixels require a backlight unit (BLU) because they display an image by adjusting the amount of light incident from a backlight unit (BLU) according to data of an input image.

The backlight unit may be implemented as a direct type backlight unit or an edge type backlight unit. The backlight unit is disposed below the transmissive pixel and the transflective pixel to irradiate the display panel 100 with light.

6 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of the display panel 100 .

Referring to FIG. 6 , the liquid crystal layer LC is disposed between the upper and lower substrates SUBS1 and SUBS2 of the display panel 100 . In the transmissive pixel and transflective pixel, polarizers POL1 and POL2 are bonded to the upper substrates SUBS1 and SUBS2, respectively. In the case of a reflective pixel, a polarizer POL may be attached to the upper substrate SUBS1. Alignment layers omitted from the drawings are formed on each of the upper and lower substrates SUBS1 and SUBS2. The alignment layer sets a pre-tilt angle of the liquid crystal. The spacer is disposed between the upper substrate SUBS1 and the lower substrate SUBS2 to maintain a cell gap of the liquid crystal layer.

Transmissive pixels are input as transmitted light passing through the polarizer POL2, the lower substrate SUBS2, the liquid crystal layer LC, the upper substrate SUBS1, and the polarizer POL1 of the display panel 100 as shown in FIG. 6A. display the video

Each of the transflective pixels includes a transmissive part and a reflective part as shown in FIG. 6(B). Like the transmissive pixels, the transmissive portion of the pixel displays an input image with transmitted light passing through the polarizer POL1 of the display panel 100 . The reflective portion of the pixel includes a reflective electrode RE disposed on the lower substrate SUBS2. The reflector of the pixel adjusts the amount of light that is reflected on the reflective electrode RE and passes through the polarizer POL according to the data of the input image. The reflective electrode RE is made of a metal having high light reflectivity and low resistance. The reflective electrode RE may be used as a pixel electrode PIX or a common electrode COM.

As shown in FIG. 6(C), the reflective pixels adjust the amount of light that is reflected on the reflective part where the reflective electrode RE is disposed and passes through the polarizer POL according to the data of the input image. Reflective pixels do not require a backlight unit. The reflective pixels reflect external natural light or light from a front light unit (not shown), adjust the amount of reflected light according to data of an input image, and display an image.

The backlight unit includes a plurality of light sources. The light sources may be implemented as light emitting diodes (LEDs). The light sources are divided into a main light source 20 that radiates light to the main display unit 10 and an auxiliary light source 22 that radiates light to the auxiliary display unit 12 . In Fig. 6, reference numeral 24 is a light guide plate.

The backlight driver may individually control the light sources 20 and 22 in response to the mode signal. The auxiliary light source 22 may be disposed in a concave space secured by the first corner portion CNR. The backlight driver emits light to the auxiliary display unit 12 by turning off the main light source 20 and turning on the auxiliary light source 22 in the regular driving mode. The backlight driver illuminates the main display unit 10 and the auxiliary display unit 12 by turning on the light sources 20 and 22 in a full display mode.

The auxiliary display unit 12 displays simple text and simple images in an always on mode. Therefore, even when the luminance of the auxiliary display unit 12 is low in the always on mode, the user does not notice the deterioration in the image quality of the auxiliary display unit 12 and can read information without difficulty.

In the display device of the present invention, in order to reduce power consumption, at least some of the pixels in the auxiliary display unit 12 are manufactured as reflective pixels or transflective pixels. A reflective pixel does not require a backlight unit, and a transflective pixel can turn off the backlight unit when external light intensity is high. Illuminance of external light may be detected by an illuminance sensor. Accordingly, the reflective pixel and the transflective pixel can significantly reduce power consumption compared to the transmissive pixel.

Since the main display unit 10 often displays full-color images or moving pictures in a full display mode, it is necessary to be able to display images with high brightness. To this end, the pixels of the main display unit 10 may be implemented as transmissive pixels. The luminance of the transmissive pixels may be appropriately adjusted according to the intensity of external light in order to reduce user's glare and power consumption. The pixels of the main display unit 10 are not limited to transmissive pixels. For example, at least some of the pixels in the main display unit 10 may be embodied as reflective or transflective pixels as shown in FIG. 9 .

All pixels of the auxiliary display unit 12 may be implemented as reflective or transflective pixels, and all pixels of the main display unit 10 may be implemented as transmissive pixels, but in this case, the main display unit 10 and the secondary display unit 12 A difference in image quality can be perceived between the two. In order to reduce the difference in picture quality, some of the pixels of the auxiliary display unit 12 may be implemented as transmissive pixels.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 8 is a diagram illustrating operations of a display device in an always on mode and a full display mode.

7 and 8, the display device of the present invention drives the pixels of the auxiliary display unit 12 and the auxiliary light source 22 in the always on mode, while the main display unit 10 The driving of the pixels and the main light source 20 is stopped (S1 and S2). The display panel driving circuit writes and updates data to pixels of the auxiliary display unit 12 in an always on mode. The backlight driver turns on only the auxiliary light source 22 in an always on mode. The display panel driving circuit and the backlight driving unit may determine the driving mode according to the mode signal received from the host system 200 . Meanwhile, if the auxiliary display unit 12 is composed of only reflective pixels, the auxiliary light source 22 may be omitted.

In the display device of the present invention, data is written to pixels of the main display unit 10 and the auxiliary display unit 12 in the full display mode, and the main light source 20 and the auxiliary light source 22 are turned on ( S3 and S4).

In each of the main display unit 10 and the auxiliary display unit 12, reflective/semi-reflective pixels and transmissive pixels are formed in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) and the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) of the display panel 100, as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 . direction) may be arranged in the pixel array of the display panel 100 to be alternated in at least one direction.

9 and 10 are diagrams illustrating arrangement examples of reflection/half reflection pixels and transmissive pixels according to an embodiment of the present invention. 9 and 10 , L1 to L4 are lines of the auxiliary display unit 12 in the display panel 100 . Ln to Ln+3 are lines of the main display unit 10 in the display panel 100 . Pixels are disposed on each of the lines L1 to Ln+3.

In the auxiliary display unit 12, reflective/transflective pixels and transflective pixels may be alternately arranged in units of n (n is a positive integer greater than 0 and less than 10) line. In this case, reflective/transflective pixels and transmissive pixels are alternately disposed along the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) of the display panel 100 . For example, reflective/transflective pixels may be disposed on odd-numbered lines of the auxiliary display unit 12, and transmissive-type pixels may be disposed on even-numbered lines. When reflective/transflective pixels and transflective pixels are alternately arranged in units of two lines in the auxiliary display unit 12, reflective/transflective pixels are disposed on first and second lines of the auxiliary display unit 12; Transmissive pixels may be disposed on the third and fourth lines.

In the main display unit 10, pixels may be arranged in the same way as in the auxiliary display unit 12. For example, in each of the main display unit 10 and the auxiliary display unit 12 , reflective/transflective pixels and transmissive pixels may be alternately arranged in units of n lines. In addition, all pixels of the main display unit 10 may be implemented as transmissive pixels as shown in FIG. 10 .

In each of the main display unit 10 and the auxiliary display unit 12, as shown in FIG. 11, reflective/transflective pixels R and transmissive pixels T are alternately arranged in units of n lines and in units of n columns. can be arranged alternately. In this case, the reflective/transflective pixels R and the transmissive pixels T are alternately disposed along the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) and the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) of the display panel 100 . In FIG. 11 , C1 is the first column of the display panel 100 and C2 is the second column of the display panel 100 .

In the display device of the present invention, resolutions of the main display unit 10 and the sub display unit 12 may be different as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 .

Referring to FIG. 12 , the resolution of the sub display unit 12 is twice as high as that of the main display unit 10 . In order to increase the resolution, the number of data lines DL and gate lines GL in the auxiliary display unit 12 may be greater than that in the main display unit 10 and the distance between the data lines 12 may be narrowed. In the example of FIG. 12 , the pixel pitch (p1) of the sub display unit 12 is smaller than that of the main display unit 10 (p2) by 1/2. The resolution of the sub display unit 12 is four times higher than that of the main display unit 10 in the example of FIG. 12, but is not limited thereto. If the resolution of the secondary display unit 12 is increased, data and images displayed on the secondary display unit 12 can be expressed more precisely.

Referring to FIG. 13 , the resolution of the sub display unit 12 is twice or more lower than that of the main display unit 10 . According to the present invention, the number of data lines DL and gate lines GL in the auxiliary display unit 12 is smaller than that in the main display unit 10 and the interval between the data lines DL is widened, so that the number of data lines DL and gate lines GL in the secondary display unit 12 is increased. You can lower the resolution. In the example of FIG. 13 , the pixel pitch p3 of the sub display unit 12 is twice as large as that of the main display unit 10 (p4). The resolution of the sub display unit 12 is 1/4 times lower than that of the main display unit 10 in the example of FIG. 13, but is not limited thereto. If the resolution of the secondary display unit 12 is lowered within a range in which information displayed on the secondary display unit 12 can be read, power consumption of the display device can be reduced.

Through the above description, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the detailed description of the specification, but should be determined by the claims.

10: main display unit 12: sub display unit
20: main light source 22: auxiliary light source
30: flexible circuit board 40, 42: gate driver
44: multiplexer 46: drive IC
100: display panel 200: host system

Claims (7)

a display panel in which a pixel array in which pixels are arranged in a matrix form is divided into a main display unit and a sub display unit by a cross structure of data lines and gate lines; and
A display panel driving circuit that writes data of an input image to pixels of the main display unit and the auxiliary display unit in a front driving mode and writes data of preset information only to pixels of the auxiliary display unit in a constant driving mode;
Each of the auxiliary display unit and the main display unit includes reflective pixels or transflective pixels and transmissive pixels,
The reflective pixels or transflective pixels of the auxiliary display unit and the main display unit, and the transmissive pixels are alternately disposed on the display panel;
The auxiliary display unit is disposed between neighboring first and second corner units,
A display device in which an auxiliary light source is disposed on one side of the first corner portion. delete delete According to claim 1,
A display device in which the resolution of the sub display unit is higher or lower than the resolution of the main display unit. delete According to claim 1,
The pixels of the auxiliary display unit include oxide TFTs (Thin Film Transistors). According to claim 1,
A display device in which the frame rate of the always driving mode is lower than that of the front driving mode.