Liquid crystal lens, lens assembly, optical apparatus and display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10747083-B2
Application number	US-201715770348-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2017
Priority date	Jan 4, 2017
Publication date	Aug 18, 2020
Grant date	Aug 18, 2020

Abstract

A liquid crystal lens, a lens assembly, an optical apparatus, and a display device are provided. The liquid crystal lens includes a first transparent substrate; a second transparent substrate, provided opposite to the first transparent substrate; a liquid crystal layer, provided between the first and second transparent substrates; and at least one first electrode and at least one second electrode, both of which being provided at a side of one of the first and second transparent substrates proximal to the liquid crystal layer. The at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode are alternately arranged to be insulated from each other and have an interval therebetween.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid crystal lens, comprising
a first transparent substrate;
a second transparent substrate, provided opposite to the first transparent substrate;
a liquid crystal layer, provided between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate; and
at least one first electrode and at least one second electrode, both of which being provided at a side of one of the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate proximal to the liquid crystal layer;
wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are alternately arranged to be insulated from each other and have an interval therebetween, and
no alignment layer is included in the liquid crystal lens, and major axes of all liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer are perpendicular to the first transparent substrate or the second transparent substrate in a state of no electric field in the liquid crystal lens.

2. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first electrode and the second electrode is made of a transparent electrode material.

3. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid crystal layer comprises a positive liquid crystal material.

4. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , further comprising a polarizer, wherein the polarizer is provided on a light incident surface of the liquid crystal lens, and a polarization direction of the polarizer is parallel to a major axis of each of liquid crystal molecules in a central region between the first electrode and the second electrode in a case where an electric field is formed by the first electrode and the second electrode after a voltage is applied across the first electrode and the second electrode.

5. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , further comprising a buffer layer, wherein the buffer layer is provided on one of the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate which is proximal to the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode, and the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode are provided on the buffer layer.

6. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , further comprising an insulation component, wherein the insulation component is provided between each of the at least one first electrode and an adjacent one of the at least one second electrode.

7. A lens assembly, comprising a driving circuit and at least one liquid crystal lens, wherein each of the at least one liquid crystal lens comprises the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , and the driving circuit is configured to apply a driving voltage across the first electrode and the second electrode such that an electric field is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode.

8. An optical apparatus, comprising a lens located at a light incident side of the optical apparatus, wherein the lens comprises the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 .

9. A display device, comprising a display panel and a liquid crystal lens, wherein the liquid crystal lens comprises the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , and is provided at light emergent side of the display panel.

10. The display device according to claim 9 , wherein the display panel comprises a liquid crystal display panel.

11. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 2 , further comprising a polarizer, wherein the polarizer is provided on a light incident surface of the liquid crystal lens, and a polarization direction of the polarizer is parallel to a major axis of each of liquid crystal molecules in a central region between the first electrode and the second electrode in a case where an electric field is formed by the first electrode and the second electrode after a voltage is applied across the first electrode and the second electrode.

12. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 3 , further comprising a polarizer, wherein the polarizer is provided on a light incident surface of the liquid crystal lens, and a polarization direction of the polarizer is parallel to a major axis of each of liquid crystal molecules in a central region between the first electrode and the second electrode in a case where an electric field is formed by the first electrode and the second electrode after a voltage is applied across the first electrode and the second electrode.

13. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 2 , further comprising a buffer layer, wherein the buffer layer is provided on one of the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate which is proximal to the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode, and the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode are provided on the buffer layer.

14. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 3 , further comprising a buffer layer, wherein the buffer layer is provided on one of the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate which is proximal to the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode, and the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode are provided on the buffer layer.

15. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 4 , further comprising a buffer layer, wherein the buffer layer is provided on one of the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate which is proximal to the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode, and the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode are provided on the buffer layer.

16. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 11 , further comprising a buffer layer, wherein the buffer layer is provided on one of the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate which is proximal to the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode, and the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode are provided on the buffer layer.

17. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 12 , further comprising a buffer layer, wherein the buffer layer is provided on one of the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate which is proximal to the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode, and the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode are provided on the buffer layer.

18. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 2 , further comprising an insulation component, wherein the insulation component is provided between each of the at least one first electrode and an adjacent one of the at least one second electrode.

19. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 3 , further comprising an insulation component, wherein the insulation component is provided between each of the at least one first electrode and an adjacent one of the at least one second electrode.

20. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 4 , further comprising an insulation component, wherein the insulation component is provided between each of the at least one first electrode and an adjacent one of the at least one second electrode.

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Niu Xiaochen
• Dong Xue
• Chen Xiaochuan
• Zhao Wenqing
• Zhang Dacheng

Classifications

• G02F1/294

  Variable focal length devices · CPC title

• G02F1/134363

  for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS] · CPC title

• G02F1/134309

  characterised by their geometrical arrangement · CPC title

• G02F1/29 Primary

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

• G02F2001/294

  Physics · mapped topic