Polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens, method for manufacturing the same, display device and electronic product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9575387-B2
Application number	US-201314396095-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2013
Priority date	Jul 31, 2013
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure disclose a polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens and a method for manufacturing the same, a display device and an electronic product. The polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens includes a first substrate with a first electrode, a liquid crystal layer and a second substrate with a second electrode. The liquid crystal layer is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode includes a plurality of electrode units. A periodic electric field which has voltages varying periodically is generated between the plurality of electrode units and the second electrode. The liquid crystal layer includes polymers and liquid crystal molecules. The liquid crystal molecules are deflected under action of the periodic electric field before the polymers are stabilized, and are maintained at a deflecting angle after the polymers are stabilized.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens, comprising a first substrate, a first electrode, a liquid crystal layer, a second electrode and a second substrate; wherein
the first electrode is disposed on the first substrate;
the second electrode is disposed on the second substrate;
the liquid crystal layer is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; the first electrode comprises a plurality of electrode units; and a periodic electric field which has voltages varying periodically is generated between the plurality of the electrode units and the second electrode; and
the liquid crystal layer comprises polymers and liquid crystal molecules; the liquid crystal molecules are deflected under action of the periodic electric field for stabilizing the polymers with the liquid crystal molecules maintained in the stabilized polymers at deflecting angles such that the liquid crystal layer has a 3D lens effect when no electric field is applied.

2. The polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein
the liquid crystal layer is divided into a plurality of liquid crystal layer sub-regions in an arranging direction of the plurality of the electrode units, the number of the liquid crystal layer sub-regions is equal to the number of the electrode units;
a length of each of the electrode units in the arranging direction is equal to a length of the liquid crystal layer sub-region within a projection area of the each of the electrode units in the arranging direction;
the liquid crystal molecules within each of the liquid crystal layer sub-regions are deflected at a corresponding angle under action of the periodic electric field; the liquid crystal molecules within each of the liquid crystal layer sub-regions are maintained at a deflecting angle, respectively, after the polymers are stabilized, and the liquid crystal layer has the 3D lens effect.

3. The polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens according to claim 2 , wherein a content of the polymers in the liquid crystal layer is less than 10%.

4. The polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein a content of the polymers in the liquid crystal layer is less than 10%.

5. The polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are made of resin, glass or plastic material.

6. A display device, comprising a display screen and a polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 provided on the display screen.

7. A method for manufacturing a polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens, comprising:
performing an alignment process on a first substrate provided with a first electrode and a second substrate provided with a second electrode, oppositely arranging the first substrate and the second substrate which are subjected to the alignment process to form a cell, and injecting a mixed liquid of polymer monomers and liquid crystal molecules into the cell; the first electrode comprising a plurality of electrode units;
generating a periodic electric field which has voltages varying periodically between the second electrode and the plurality of electrode units of the first electrode; the liquid crystal molecules within a projection area of each of the electrode units being deflected at a corresponding angle under action of the periodic electric field;
maintaining the periodic electric field and exposing the polymer monomers to form stabilized polymers with the liquid crystal molecules maintained in the stabilized polymers at deflecting angles such that the liquid crystal layer has a 3D lens effect when no electric field is applied.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the performing an alignment process on a first substrate provided with a first electrode and a second substrate provided with a second electrode comprises: performing a photo alignment process on the first substrate provided with the first electrode and the second substrate provided with the second electrode.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the performing an alignment process on a first substrate provided with a first electrode and a second substrate provided with a second electrode comprises: performing a rubbing alignment process on the first substrate provided with the first electrode and the second substrate provided with the second electrode.

10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the exposing the polymer monomers comprises: exposing the polymer monomers within each region corresponding to one of the electrode units on the first electrode by using a mask plate.

11. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the performing an alignment process on a first substrate provided with a first electrode and a second substrate provided with a second electrode comprises: performing a photo alignment process on the first substrate provided with the first electrode and the second substrate provided with the second electrode.

12. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the performing an alignment process on a first substrate provided with a first electrode and a second substrate provided with a second electrode comprises: performing a rubbing alignment process on the first substrate provided with the first electrode and the second substrate provided with the second electrode.

13. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the exposing the polymer monomers comprises: exposing the polymer monomers within each region corresponding to one of the electrode units on the first electrode by using a mask plate.

14. The method according to claim 7 , wherein a content of the polymer monomers in the mixed liquid is less than 10%.

15. The polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrode comprises at least N electrode units which correspond to one periodic electric field, where N is an odd number and is larger than or equal to seven;
the liquid crystal layer is divided into at least N liquid crystal layer sub-regions in an arranging direction of the at least N electrode units by the at least N electrode units;
the at least N liquid crystal layer sub-regions corresponds to the at least N electrode units in a one-to-one manner;
the at least N liquid crystal layer sub-regions includes a first liquid crystal layer sub-region to an N-th liquid crystal layer sub-region in the arranging direction of the at least N electrode units;
the liquid crystal molecules in an X-th liquid crystal layer sub-region are maintained at an X-th deflecting angle by the stabilized polymers in the X-th liquid crystal layer sub-region, where X is larger than or equal to 1 and smaller than or equal to N;
in the arranging direction of the at least N electrode units, the first deflecting angle to the N-th deflecting angle first increase monotonically and then decrease monotonically.

16. The polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens according to claim 15 , wherein N is one of seven, nine and eleven.

17. The polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens according to claim 16 , wherein a difference between the first deflecting angle and an [(N+1)/2]-th deflecting angle is 90.

18. The polymer stabilizing liquid crystal lens according to claim 17 , wherein the X-th deflecting angle is equal to an (N−X+1)-th deflecting angle.

19. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the first electrode comprises at least N electrode units which correspond to one periodic electric field, where N is an odd number and is larger than or equal to seven;
the liquid crystal layer is divided into at least N liq

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Xinxing
• You Jaegeon
• Yao Jikai

Classifications

• G02B30/27

  involving lenticular arrays · CPC title

• G02F1/29

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

• H04N13/236

  using varifocal lenses or mirrors · CPC title

• G02B3/14

  of variable focal length · CPC title

• C25B3/00

  Electrolytic production of organic compounds · CPC title