IP Verse

Display Substrate And Driving Method Thereof, And Display Device

Patent No. US12266309 (titled "Display Substrate And Driving Method Thereof, And Display Device") was filed by Boe Technology Group Co Ltd on Jan 23, 2023.

What is this patent about?

’309 is related to the field of display technology , specifically addressing the challenge of increasing the screen-to-body ratio in electronic devices like mobile phones. A key obstacle to achieving full-screen displays is the presence of front-facing components such as cameras, which traditionally occupy space on the display surface. The background involves attempts to integrate these components behind the display, requiring increased light transmittance in the area above the camera.

The underlying idea behind ’309 is to create a display with two distinct sub-regions: a standard display area and a transparent area for an under-display camera. This is achieved by reducing the pixel density in the camera area, thereby increasing its light transmittance. The transparent area uses a repeating unit of a pixel and a transparent pixel, while the standard area uses a Pentile arrangement to increase resolution.

The claims of ’309 focus on a full-screen display device comprising a display substrate with a first display sub-region (standard display) and a second display sub-region (transparent area for the camera). The second display sub-region includes a repeating unit of a third pixel unit (RGB subpixels) and a first transparent pixel. The first transparent pixel is configured to allow ambient light to transmit through to an under-screen camera, and the pixel density of the second display sub-region is smaller than that of the first display sub-region.

In practice, the invention involves carefully designing the pixel layout in both the standard and transparent regions. The standard region uses a Pentile arrangement where sub-pixels are shared between adjacent pixels to achieve a higher apparent resolution. The transparent region, however, uses a conventional RGB pixel arrangement but with transparent pixels interspersed to reduce the overall pixel density. The area of the transparent pixel is at least the sum of the areas of the three subpixels in the third pixel unit.

A key differentiation is the driving scheme. The standard display region is driven using sub-pixel rendering (SPR) , which leverages the Pentile arrangement. The transparent region, however, is driven without sub-pixel borrowing, which is important because the reduced pixel density in this region would make SPR artifacts more noticeable. The sub-pixels in the third pixel unit have substantially the same shape, and the sub-pixels in the first and second pixel units have substantially the same shape, but the shapes are different between the two regions.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the late 2010s when ’309 was filed, display technology at a time when increasing screen-to-body ratios was a major design goal. This was at a time when under-display cameras were being explored, and partial transparency was achieved by reducing pixel density in the camera region. At a time when sub-pixel rendering was a common technique to improve display resolution, and when power consumption was a significant constraint for mobile devices.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The examiner approved the application because the prior art, whether considered individually or in combination, did not disclose all the technical features of the claimed invention. The application describes a display with varying pixel densities to accommodate an under-display camera. While prior art references teach using different pixel densities for under-display cameras and sub-pixel sharing, they do not sufficiently teach or suggest the specific arrangement of sub-pixels and the specific areas for sub-pixel borrowing and non-borrowing as claimed.

Claims

This patent has 16 claims, with independent claims 1 and 14 directed to a full-screen display device comprising a display substrate with first and second display sub-regions and an under-screen camera. The dependent claims generally elaborate on specific configurations and arrangements of the sub-pixels, pixel units, and transparent pixels within the display device.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
First display sub-region
(Claim 1, Claim 14)		“At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a display substrate, including: a first display sub-region, the first display sub-region including a plurality of first repeating regions, each of the plurality of first repeating regions including a first pixel unit and a second pixel unit disposed adjacently, the first pixel unit including a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel, the second pixel unit including a second sub-pixel and a third sub-pixel; and a second display sub-region, the second display sub-region including a plurality of second repeating regions, each of the plurality of second repeating regions including a third pixel unit and a first transparent pixel, the third pixel unit including a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel and a third sub-pixel; the first transparent pixel is configured such that a pixel density of the second display sub-region is less than a pixel density of the first display sub-region, and such that a light transmittance of the second display sub-region is greater than a light transmittance of the first display sub-region.”A portion of the display substrate that includes a first pixel unit and a second pixel unit. The first pixel unit comprises a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel, and the second pixel unit comprises a second sub-pixel and a third sub-pixel.
First transparent pixel
(Claim 1, Claim 14)		“In full-screen display technology, when an under-screen camera scheme is adopted, in order to improve a light transmittance of a region provided with the camera on a display screen/display substrate, a partial transparency is realized by reducing a pixel distribution density of the region provided with the camera on the display substrate.”A pixel in the second display sub-region that lacks a light-emitting functional layer, allowing ambient light to pass through. It is positioned adjacent to a third pixel unit and contributes to a lower pixel density and higher light transmittance in the second display sub-region compared to the first display sub-region. The orthographic projection of the under-screen camera on the display substrate has an overlap with the first transparent pixel.
Second display sub-region
(Claim 1, Claim 14)		“At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a display substrate, including: a first display sub-region, the first display sub-region including a plurality of first repeating regions, each of the plurality of first repeating regions including a first pixel unit and a second pixel unit disposed adjacently, the first pixel unit including a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel, the second pixel unit including a second sub-pixel and a third sub-pixel; and a second display sub-region, the second display sub-region including a plurality of second repeating regions, each of the plurality of second repeating regions including a third pixel unit and a first transparent pixel, the third pixel unit including a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel and a third sub-pixel; the first transparent pixel is configured such that a pixel density of the second display sub-region is less than a pixel density of the first display sub-region, and such that a light transmittance of the second display sub-region is greater than a light transmittance of the first display sub-region.”A portion of the display substrate that includes a repeating unit comprising a third pixel unit and a first transparent pixel. The third pixel unit comprises a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel, and a third sub-pixel. The first transparent pixel is not provided with a light emitting functional layer and allows ambient light to transmit.
Sub-pixel borrowing manner
(Claim 1, Claim 14)		“At least one embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a driving method of the display substrate, including: driving the first pixel unit and the second pixel unit by means of sub-pixel rendering; and driving the first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel and the third sub-pixel in the third pixel unit to respectively display a corresponding sub-pixel with a higher brightness, of a same color, of two adjacent pixels in an image to be displayed corresponding to the third pixel unit.”A driving method applied to the first repeating unit (comprising the first pixel unit and the second pixel unit disposed adjacently in the first display sub-region).
Third pixel unit
(Claim 1, Claim 14)		“At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a display substrate, including: a first display sub-region, the first display sub-region including a plurality of first repeating regions, each of the plurality of first repeating regions including a first pixel unit and a second pixel unit disposed adjacently, the first pixel unit including a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel, the second pixel unit including a second sub-pixel and a third sub-pixel; and a second display sub-region, the second display sub-region including a plurality of second repeating regions, each of the plurality of second repeating regions including a third pixel unit and a first transparent pixel, the third pixel unit including a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel and a third sub-pixel; the first transparent pixel is configured such that a pixel density of the second display sub-region is less than a pixel density of the first display sub-region, and such that a light transmittance of the second display sub-region is greater than a light transmittance of the first display sub-region.”A pixel unit located in the second display sub-region, comprising a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel, and a third sub-pixel. It is positioned adjacent to a first transparent pixel to form a repeating unit.

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case NumberFiling DateTitle
2:25-cv-00587May 27, 2025BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. et al v. Samsung Display Co., Ltd.

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US12266309

BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD
Application Number
US18158254
Filing Date
Jan 23, 2023
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Jun 6, 2039
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents