Liquid crystal lens, manufacturing method thereof, and display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10678089-B2
Application number	US-201716079716-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2017
Priority date	Feb 28, 2017
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

A liquid crystal lens, a manufacturing method thereof, and a display device are disclosed. The liquid crystal lens includes a liquid layer located between a first substrate and a second substrate, the liquid layer includes a liquid crystal layer and a filler layer, the filler layer is filled in a square between the first substrate and the second substrate except the liquid crystal layer; the liquid crystal layer is made of a material different from the filler layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid crystal lens, comprising: a first substrate, a second substrate and a liquid layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the liquid layer comprises a liquid crystal layer and a filler layer, the liquid crystal layer comprises a plurality of liquid crystal lens units, the plurality of liquid crystal lens units are located on the first substrate, the filler layer is filled in a space between the first substrate and the second substrate except the liquid crystal layer; and the liquid crystal layer is made of a material different from the filler layer, wherein the liquid crystal lens further comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode are configured to form an electric field to drive liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer to rotate, and the first electrode and the second electrode are further configured to adjust a curvature of each of the liquid crystal lens units, and wherein an interval is provided between two adjacent liquid crystal lens units, the interval is filled with the filler layer.

2. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid layer is configured to adjust a dimension of the interval between the two adjacent liquid crystal lens units under an action of the electric field.

3. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein an arch height of each of the liquid crystal lens units is less than a cell thickness of the liquid crystal lens.

4. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid crystal layer has a same density as the filler layer.

5. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , herein a filler liquid of the filler layer comprises a saline solution.

6. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrode is located on the first substrate, and the second electrode is located on the second substrate.

7. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrode comprises a plurality of electrode strips, the plurality of electrode strips are arranged in parallel, the plurality of liquid crystal lens units are arranged in parallel, each of the plurality of electrode strips has a same extension direction as each of the liquid crystal lens units.

8. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , further comprising a hydrophobic layer, wherein the hydrophobic layer is located between the liquid layer and the first substrate, at least the liquid crystal layer in the liquid layer is in contact with the hydrophobic layer.

9. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein each of the liquid crystal lens units is configured to have a curvature to be increased upon forming an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode.

10. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid crystal layer comprises a negative liquid crystal material, liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are vertically aligned in a case where no electric filed is formed.

11. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein, relative to a case where no electric field is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode, a refractive index of the liquid crystal layer is increased upon forming an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode.

12. A display device, comprising the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 .

13. A manufacturing method of a liquid crystal lens, comprising: forming a liquid crystal layer on a first substrate; forming a filler layer on the liquid crystal layer; and cell-assembling the first substrate with a second substrate, wherein the liquid crystal layer comprises a plurality of liquid crystal units, the plurality of liquid crystal units are in contact with the first substrate, the filler layer is filled in a space between the first substrate and the second substrate except the liquid crystal layer; and the liquid crystal layer is made of a material different from the filler layer, forming the liquid crystal layer by a dropping method, wherein forming the liquid crystal layer by the dropping method comprises: upon dropping liquid crystal droplets, forming each of the liquid crystal lens units with a strip shape and having an arch shape by merging adjacent liquid crystal droplets in a first direction together due to a small interval provided between the adjacent liquid crystal droplets in the first direction; forming the plurality of the liquid crystal lens units arranged in a sequence by keeping adjacent liquid crystal droplets in a second direction not in contact with each other and independent from each other due to a large interval provided between the adjacent liquid crystal droplets in the second direction; the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction.

14. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal lens according to claim 13 , further comprising:
forming a first electrode on the first substrate; and
forming a second electrode on the first substrate or the second substrate;
wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are configured to form an electric field to drive liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer to rotate, and the first electrode and the second electrode are further configured to adjust a curvature of each of the liquid crystal lens units.

15. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal lens according to claim 13 , further comprising: forming an insulation layer on the first substrate, and forming a hydrophobic layer on the insulation layer, wherein at least the liquid crystal layer selected from the group consisting of the filler layer and the liquid crystal layer is in contact with the hydrophobic layer.

16. A liquid crystal lens, comprising: a first substrate, a second substrate and a liquid layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the liquid layer comprises a liquid crystal layer and a filler layer, the liquid crystal layer comprises a plurality of liquid crystal lens units, the plurality of liquid crystal lens units are located on the first substrate, the filler layer is filled in a space between the first substrate and the second substrate except the liquid crystal layer; and the liquid crystal layer is made of a material different from the filler layer, wherein the liquid crystal lens further comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode are configured to form an electric field to drive liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer to rotate, and the first electrode and the second electrode are further configured to adjust a curvature of each of the liquid crystal lens units, wherein the first electrode comprises a plurality of electrode strips, the plurality of electrode strips are arranged in parallel, the plurality of liquid crystal lens units are arranged in parallel, each of the plurality of electrode strips has a same extension direction as each of the liquid crystal lens units, and wherein each of the electrode strips is located at an adjacent position of two adjacent liquid crystal lens units, in a direction perpendicular to the first substrate, an orthographic projection of each of the electrode strips on the first substrate has an overlapped portion with an orthographic projection of two adjacent liquid crystal lens units corresponding to the electrode strip on the first substrate.

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Zhongxiao
• Zhao Wenqing
• Yang Ming
• Wang Qian
• Wang Haiyan
• Niu Xiaochen
• Wang Can
• Zhang Dacheng

Classifications

• G02B27/0955

  Lenses (lenses per se G02B3/00) · CPC title

• G02F1/29

  for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection · CPC title

• G02F1/13

  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells · CPC title

• G02B26/005

  based on electrowetting · CPC title

• G02B27/0966

  Cylindrical lenses (cylindrical lenses per se G02B3/06) · CPC title