Liquid crystal lens, display device and driving method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12092919-B2
Application number	US-202018032226-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2020
Priority date	Dec 23, 2020
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

A liquid crystal lens liquid crystal lens includes: a first substrate and a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer including a plurality of liquid crystal lens units; a first electrode including a plurality of independent sub-electrodes, and there are sub-electrodes at adjacent positions of adjacent liquid crystal lens units; a second electrode being a planar 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 adjust the curvature of the liquid crystal lens units; a first planar layer located on the side of the first electrode facing the liquid crystal layer, the first planar layer being configured to smooth an intensity variation curve of the electric field of the liquid crystal lens units; and a light-shielding layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid crystal lens, comprising:
a first substrate;
a second substrate arranged opposite to the first substrate;
a liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate and comprising a plurality of liquid crystal lens units;
a first electrode located on a side of the first substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, the first electrode comprising a plurality of independent sub-electrodes, wherein each of the liquid crystal lens units corresponds to an identical number of the sub-electrodes, and there is a sub-electrode at an adjacent position between adjacent liquid crystal lens units; wherein each liquid crystal lens unit corresponds to a plurality of sub-electrodes, and an orthogonal projection of one of the plurality of sub-electrodes on the first substrate covers a center of an orthogonal projection of the liquid crystal lens unit on the first substrate;
a second electrode located on a side of the second substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, the second electrode being a planar electrode; wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are configured to form an electric field to drive a liquid crystal molecule of the liquid crystal layer to rotate and adjust a curvature of the liquid crystal lens unit;
a first planarization layer located on a side of the first electrode facing the liquid crystal layer, wherein the first planarization layer is configured to smooth an intensity variation curve of the electric field of the liquid crystal lens unit; and
a light-shielding layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein an orthographic projection of the light-shielding layer on the first substrate covers an orthographic projection of the sub-electrode at the adjacent position between the adjacent liquid crystal lens units on the first substrate;
wherein the liquid crystal lens further comprises a first electrode wiring and a second electrode wiring, and the plurality of liquid crystal lens units is divided into liquid crystal lens units in a center region and liquid crystal lens units in an edge region; wherein sub-electrodes at same positions of the liquid crystal lens units in the center region are electrically connected with a same first electrode wiring, and sub-electrodes at same positions of the liquid crystal lens units in the edge region are electrically connected with a same second electrode wiring.

2. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein the light-shielding layer is located between the second substrate and the second electrode, and the liquid crystal lens further comprises a second planarization layer located between the light-shielding layer and the second electrode.

3. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of sub-electrodes is a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes arranged in parallel with each other, the plurality of liquid crystal lens units is arranged in parallel, and an extension direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes is same as an extension direction of the liquid crystal lens units.

4. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 3 , wherein the light-shielding layer comprises a plurality of independent strip-shaped light-shielding parts, and there is one-to-one correspondence between the strip-shaped light-shielding parts and strip-shaped sub-electrodes at adjacent positions between adjacent liquid crystal lens units.

5. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of sub-electrodes corresponding to each of the liquid crystal lens units comprises a planar sub-electrode and a plurality of annular sub-electrodes centered on the planar sub-electrode.

6. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 5 , wherein the light-shielding layer comprises a plurality of opening regions, and there is one-to-one correspondence between the opening regions and the liquid crystal lens units.

7. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 6 , wherein the opening region has a triangular, square, or hexagonal shape.

8. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein the light-shielding layer is located between the first substrate and the first electrode, and the liquid crystal lens further comprises a third planarization layer located between the light-shielding layer and the first electrode.

9. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein the light-shielding layer is located between the first electrode and the first planarization layer, and a dielectric constant of the light-shielding layer is identical to a dielectric constant of the first planarization layer.

10. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein a width of the light-shielding layer corresponding to the adjacent position between adjacent liquid crystal lens units is greater than 20 um.

11. A display device, comprising: a display panel and the liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 at a light-emitting side of the display panel.

12. A method for driving the display device according to claim 11 , comprising:
in a 3D display mode, applying a common voltage to the second electrode, and applying driving voltages to sub-electrodes in the first electrode corresponding to each of the liquid crystal lens units, to control liquid crystal in the liquid crystal layer to deflect and form a liquid crystal lens unit, and from a center to both edges of the liquid crystal lens unit, distributing the driving voltages applied to the sub-electrodes in a preset gradient.

13. The driving method according to claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises:
when it is determined that an alignment deviation occurs between the display panel and the liquid crystal lens, adjusting a corresponding relationship between the liquid crystal lens units and the sub-electrodes according to a determined offset amount between the liquid crystal lens and the display panel, so that the adjusted liquid crystal lens units cover corresponding viewpoint pixels within the display panel.

14. The driving method according to claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises:
when it is determined that a plurality of persons views the display device, adjusting a number of sub-electrodes corresponding to one of the liquid crystal lens units to a first number; and
when it is determined that a single person views the display device, adjusting a number of sub-electrodes corresponding to one of the liquid crystal lens units to a second number; wherein
the first number is greater than the second number.

15. The driving method according to claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises:
adjusting voltage signals applied to sub-electrodes corresponding to a liquid crystal lens unit at an edge of the liquid crystal lens, so that a focal length of a liquid crystal lens unit in an edge region is different from a focal length of a liquid crystal lens unit in a center region.

16. The liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein arch heights of the liquid crystal lens units in the edge region are smaller than arch heights of the liquid crystal lens units in the center region.

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Zhongxiao
• Zhao Wenqing
• Peng Kuanjun
• Yu Jing

Classifications

• G02B3/14 Primary

  of variable focal length · CPC title

• G02F1/294

  Variable focal length devices · CPC title

• G02B30/28

  involving active lenticular arrays · CPC title

• G02F1/13

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

• G02F1/1343

  Electrodes {(reflective electrodes G02F1/133553)} · CPC title