Display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016209684-A1
Application number	US-201514957036-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 2, 2015
Priority date	Jan 17, 2015
Publication date	Jul 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A display device includes a liquid crystal display device that has a display area and a hidden area surrounding the display area; a liquid crystal shutter that is layered on the liquid crystal display device and has a first area corresponding to the display area and a second area corresponding to the hidden area; and a control unit that sets the first and second areas to a transparent state and an opaque state, respectively, when the display area is active, and sets the first and second areas to the opaque state when the display area is not active.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A display device comprising:
a displaying unit that has a display area and a hidden area surrounding the display area; a liquid crystal shutter that is layered on the displaying unit and has a first area corresponding to the display area and a second area corresponding to the hidden area; and a controlling unit that sets the first area and the second area to a transparent state and an opaque state, respectively, when the display area is active, and sets the first area and the second area to the opaque state when the display area is not active.

2 . The display device according to claim 1 , wherein
the liquid crystal shutter includes a liquid crystal, a pair of orientation films arranged to sandwich the liquid crystal, and a pair of transparent electrodes arranged to sandwich the pair of orientation films; the pair of transparent electrodes includes a pair of first electrodes corresponding to the first area and a pair of second electrodes corresponding to the second area; voltage at the same potential and voltage having a predetermined frequency and a predetermined potential difference are selectively applied across the pair of first electrodes; and the voltage at the same potential is always applied across the pair of second electrodes.

3 . The display device according to claim 2 , wherein
overcoat layers are formed between the orientation films and the first and second electrodes, as well as between the first electrodes and the second electrodes.

4 . The display device according to claim 3 , wherein
a level difference and a difference in optical properties between where the first or second electrodes are provided and where they are not provided are reduced by using the overcoat layers.

5 . The display device according to claim 2 , wherein
the liquid crystal shutter further includes a pair of polarizing plates arranged to sandwich the pair of transparent electrodes, and both of the pair of polarizing plates have a transmission axis at the same angle.

6 . The display device according to claim 5 , wherein
the displaying unit is a liquid crystal display device; and one of the pair of polarizing plates, which is located on the side near the liquid crystal display device, is concurrently used as one of another pair of polarizing plates included in the liquid crystal display device, which is located on the side near the liquid crystal shutter.

7 . The display device according to claim 2 , wherein
the displaying unit is a liquid crystal display device; a backlight is included in the liquid crystal display device; and transparency of the first area is variable.

8 . The display device according to claim 7 , wherein
the variation of the transparency of the first area is enabled by varying at least one of the magnitude and frequency of the voltage applied across the pair of first electrodes.

9 . The display device according to claim 7 , wherein display operation is started in the following order:
(1) in the liquid crystal shutter, the first area is switched to the transparent state; (2) displaying by the liquid crystal display device is started; and (3) the backlight is turned on.

10 . The display device according to claim 7 , wherein display operation is started in the following order:
(1) in the liquid crystal shutter, the first area is switched to the transparent state; (2) displaying by the liquid crystal display device is started; and (3) the backlight is gradually brightened.

11 . The display device according to claim 7 , wherein display operation is terminated in the following order:
(1) the backlight is turned off; (2) displaying by the liquid crystal display device is terminated; and (3) in the liquid crystal shutter, the first area is switched to the opaque state.

12 . The display device according to claim 7 , wherein display operation is terminated in the following order:
(1) the backlight is gradually dimmed; (2) displaying by the liquid crystal display device is terminated; and (3) in the liquid crystal shutter, the first area is switched to the opaque state.

13 . The display device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first area included in the liquid crystal shutter is divided into a plurality of division areas; and the controlling unit sets each of the plurality of division areas separately to the transparent state or the opaque state.

14 . The display device according to claim 13 , wherein
each of the plurality of division areas is able to be set separately to the transparent state or the opaque state regardless of the operating state of the display area.

15 . The display device according to claim 13 , wherein
the liquid crystal shutter includes a liquid crystal, a pair of orientation films arranged to sandwich the liquid crystal, and a pair of transparent electrodes arranged to sandwich the pair of orientation films; the pair of transparent electrodes includes a plurality of pairs of first electrodes respectively corresponding to the plurality of division areas included in the first area and a pair of second electrodes corresponding to the second area; voltage at the same potential and voltage having a predetermined frequency and a predetermined potential difference are selectively and separately applied across each of the plurality of the pairs of first electrodes; and the voltage at the same potential is always applied across the pair of second electrodes.

16 . The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a touch panel that is placed between the liquid crystal shutter and the displaying unit and has a transparent area corresponding to the first area.

Assignees

• Alpine Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Yasumoto Takashi

Classifications

• G02F1/13439

  characterised by their electrical, optical, physical properties; materials therefor; method of making · CPC title

• G02F1/137 Primary

  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

• G02F2001/133567

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02F1/133528

  Polarisers · CPC title

• G02F1/1337

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