Display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11598987-B2
Application number	US-202117599299-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2021
Priority date	Feb 27, 2020
Publication date	Mar 7, 2023
Grant date	Mar 7, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a display device including a liquid crystal layer having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, and the second surface has a light entrance region and a light outgoing region; a reflector within the liquid crystal layer and adjacent the first surface; a light absorbing layer on the first surface of the liquid crystal layer, the light absorbing layer including a first shielding layer, a second shielding layer and a filling layer therebetween, the second shielding layer is between the first shielding layer and the liquid crystal layer and has a first opening therein, and the liquid crystal layer is configured to modulate light incident from the light entrance region into first refracted light under a first voltage; and modulate the light incident from the light entrance region into second refracted light under a second voltage different from the first voltage.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A display device, comprising:
a liquid crystal layer having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, wherein the second surface comprises a light entrance region and a light outgoing region;
a reflector within the liquid crystal layer and adjacent to the first surface; and
a light absorbing layer on the first surface of the liquid crystal layer, wherein the light absorbing layer comprises a first shielding layer, a second shielding layer and a filling layer between the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer; and the second shielding layer is between the first shielding layer and the liquid crystal layer, and has a first opening therein,
wherein the liquid crystal layer is configured to:
modulate light incident from the light entrance region into first refracted light under a first voltage, wherein the first refracted light is incident from the first opening into the filling layer and reflected between the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer, and
modulate the light incident from the light entrance region into second refracted light under a second voltage different from the first voltage, wherein the second refracted light is directed to the reflector, reflected by the reflector and exits from the light outgoing region.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the filling layer has a refractive index equal to a first equivalent refractive index of the liquid crystal layer under the first voltage.

3. The display device of claim 2 , wherein the filling layer has a refractive index in a range of 1.6 to 2.0.

4. The display device of claim 1 , wherein a distance h between the first shielding layer and the second shielding layer, a width d of the first opening in a direction from the light entrance region to the light outgoing region satisfy the following equation:
2* h *tan(θ)> d,

where θ is an angle between light incident into the filling layer and a thickness direction of the filling layer.

5. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the filling layer is a transparent film layer.

6. The display device of claim 1 , further comprising a backlight module on a side of the liquid crystal layer facing away from the light absorbing layer, wherein the backlight module is configured to emit light into the light entrance region of the liquid crystal layer and transmit light exiting from the light outgoing region of the liquid crystal layer.

7. The display device of claim 6 , further comprising a third shielding layer between the liquid crystal layer and the backlight module, wherein the third shielding layer comprises a second opening for exposing the light entrance region and a third opening for exposing the light outgoing region.

8. The display device of claim 7 , wherein the backlight module comprises a light guide plate, a light source component and an optical film layer,
the optical film layer is between the light guide plate and the liquid crystal layer, and has a fourth opening therein; the fourth opening is in communication with the second opening and is configured to expose the light entrance region, and the optical film layer has a refractive index smaller than a refractive index of the light guide plate, and
the light source component is on a side surface of the light guide plate and configured to emit a collimated polarized light towards the side surface of the light guide plate, so that light entering into the light guide plate is totally reflected within the light guide plate, then exits from the fourth opening and enters into the light entrance region.

9. The display device of claim 8 , wherein the collimated polarized light emitted by the light source component toward the side surface of the light guide plate has an incident angle between 70° and 80°.

10. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the reflector is a reflective prism having a reflecting surface inclined with respect to the first surface.

11. The display device of claim 1 , wherein a first equivalent refractive index of the liquid crystal layer under the first voltage is greater than a second equivalent refractive index of the liquid crystal layer under the second voltage.

12. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the display device has a plurality of pixel units, and each pixel unit comprises the light entrance region and the light outgoing region.

13. The display device of claim 1 , further comprising a driving electrode layer on at least one side of the liquid crystal layer for providing a driving electric field to the liquid crystal layer.

14. The display device of claim 13 , wherein the driving electrode layer comprises a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer; the first electrode layer is on a side of the light absorbing layer facing away from the liquid crystal layer, and the second electrode layer is on a side of the liquid crystal layer facing away from the light absorbing layer.

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Qingxun
• Wang Qian
• Zhao Wenqing
• Li Zhongxiao
• Yang Song

Classifications

• G02F1/133567

  on the back side · CPC title

• G02B6/005

  provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed on the light output side of the light guide · CPC title

• G02F1/137

  characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering · CPC title

• G02B6/0023

  provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed between the light guide and the light source, or around the light source · CPC title

• G02F1/13362

  providing polarized light, e.g. by converting a polarisation component into another one · CPC title