Liquid crystal display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11852911-B2
Application number	US-202217852411-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2022
Priority date	Jul 2, 2021
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

Provided is a liquid crystal display device capable of switching between a transparent state and a scattering state, reducing or preventing a decrease in transmittance in the transparent state, and reducing or preventing a decrease in luminance in the panel central portion in the scattering state. The liquid crystal display device includes, sequentially from its viewing surface side toward its back surface side: a first liquid crystal panel; a light source; and a second liquid crystal panel, the first liquid crystal panel including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal containing a polymer network and liquid crystal components, the light source being configured to irradiate a back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel with light from an oblique direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising, sequentially from its viewing surface side toward its back surface side:
a first liquid crystal panel;
a light source;
a back surface side light source; and
a second liquid crystal panel,
the first liquid crystal panel including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal containing a polymer network and liquid crystal components,
the light source being configured to directly irradiate a back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel with light from an oblique direction without guiding light emitted from the light source through any other element between the light source and the first liquid crystal panel, and
the back surface side light source irradiating the back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel with light from an oblique direction without guiding light emitted from the back surface side light source through any other element between the back surface side light source and the first liquid crystal panel.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first liquid crystal panel displays an image based on a field-sequential color system, and
the light source includes light-emitting elements configured to emit light rays of colors different from one another.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first liquid crystal panel further includes a thin film transistor.

4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a distance between the first liquid crystal panel and the second liquid crystal panel is a [cm] or shorter, where a is calculated from a length 2 a [cm] of a long side of the first liquid crystal panel.

5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the liquid crystal display device satisfies the following (formula 1-1):
1 cm≤ h 11≤{ a /(tan θ11)}  (formula 1-1)

where a is calculated from a length 2 a [cm] of a long side of the first liquid crystal panel, h11 [cm] is a distance between the first liquid crystal panel and the light source, and θ11[° ] is an angle of incidence of light from the light source on the back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light source is a first light source and disposed correspondingly to one of a pair of edge portions of the first liquid crystal panel facing each other,
the liquid crystal display device further includes a second light source that is disposed between the first liquid crystal panel and the second liquid crystal panel and correspondingly to the other of the edge portions,
the second light source is configured to irradiate the back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel with light from an oblique direction, and
an angle of incidence of light from the first light source on the back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel is the same as an angle of incidence of light from the second light source on the back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel.

7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid crystal display device satisfies the following (formula 1-1) and (formula 2-1):
1 cm≤ h 11≤{ a /(tan θ11)}  (formula 1-1)

θ11−θ21>10°  (formula 2-1)

where a is calculated from a length 2 a [cm] of a long side of the first liquid crystal panel, h11 [cm] is a distance between the first liquid crystal panel and the light source, θ11[° ] is an angle of incidence of light from the light source on the back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel, and θ21[° ] is an angle of incidence of light from the back surface side light source on the back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel.

8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the back surface side light source is a first back surface side light source and disposed correspondingly to one of a pair of edge portions of the first liquid crystal panel facing each other,
the liquid crystal display device further includes a second back surface side light source that is disposed between the light source and the second liquid crystal panel and correspondingly to the other of the edge portions,
the second back surface side light source is configured to irradiate the back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel with light from an oblique direction, and
an angle of incidence of light from the first back surface side light source on the back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel is the same as an angle of incidence of light from the second back surface side light source on the back surface side main surface of the first liquid crystal panel.

9. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first liquid crystal panel further includes a first support substrate on a back surface side of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal, and a second support substrate on a viewing surface side of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal.

10. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the first liquid crystal panel further includes an alignment film at least one of between the first support substrate and the polymer dispersed liquid crystal or between the second support substrate and the polymer dispersed liquid crystal, and
the alignment film is a horizontal alignment film configured to align the liquid crystal components in a direction parallel to a surface of the alignment film.

11. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the liquid crystal components have a positive anisotropy of dielectric constant.

12. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the first liquid crystal panel further includes a transparent resin plate on a back surface side of the first support substrate.

13. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the first liquid crystal panel further includes an anisotropic light diffusion film having a function to transmit light in a front view and scatter light in an oblique view on at least one of a back surface side of the first support substrate or a viewing surface side of the second support substrate.

14. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second liquid crystal panel includes, sequentially from its back surface side toward its viewing surface side, a third support substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and a fourth support substrate.

Assignees

• Sharp Display Technology Corp

Inventors

• Murata Koji
• Haseba Yasuhiro
• Hanaoka Kazutaka
• Nakamura Kimiaki
• Honda Mariko
• Kanashima Atsuko
• Hasegawa Tadashi
• Shimada Shinji

Classifications

• G02F1/1334 Primary

  based on polymer dispersed liquid crystals, e.g. microencapsulated liquid crystals · CPC title

• G02F1/1337

  Surface-induced orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, e.g. by alignment layers · CPC title

• G02F1/13706

  the liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy · CPC title

• G02F1/133603

  with LEDs · CPC title

• G02F1/13476 Primary

  in which at least one liquid crystal cell or layer assumes a scattering state · CPC title