Mirror display and electronic device

• US 10,012,866 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2015
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sakai, Akira, Hasegawa, Masahiro, Hakoi, Hiroyuki, Minoura, Kiyoshi, Mizushima, Shigeaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Dennis Y
• Application Number:
  US15/125,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20170082895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3041 comprising multiple thin layers, e.g. multilayer stacks
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3058 comprising electrically conductive elements, e.g. wire grids, conductive particles
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1334 based on polymer dispersed liquid crystals, e.g. microencapsulated liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133504 Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133536 Reflective polarizers G02F1/13362 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133538 with spatial distribution of the polarisation direction
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133557 Half-mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/02 reflective

Abstract

The present invention provides a mirror display that can match the peripheral environment having diffusely reflecting surfaces in the mirror mode, and an electronic device including the mirror display. The mirror display includes a half mirror plate that includes a reflective polarizer and a display device. The half mirror plate further includes a light-diffusing member that diffuses at least part of incident light. The mirror display includes, in the order from the back surface side, the display device, the reflective polarizer, and the light-diffusing member.

Claims

1. A mirror display comprising:

a half mirror plate that includes a reflective polarizer; and

a display device, wherein

the half mirror plate further includes a light-diffusing member that diffuses at least a portion of incident light,

the light-diffusing member includes a polarized-light-diffusing layer with a haze affected by a polarization state of incident light,

the polarized-light-diffusing layer has a haze in an azimuthal orientation of a transmission axis,

the haze in the azimuthal orientation of the transmission axis of the polarized-light-diffusing layer is less than a haze in an azimuthal orientation of a diffusion axis of the polarized-light-diffusing layer,

a transmission axis of the reflective polarizer and the transmission axis of the polarized-light-diffusing layer are parallel or substantially parallel to each other, and

the mirror display includes, in an order from a back surface side, the display device, the reflective polarizer, and the light-diffusing member.

2. The mirror display according to claim 1, wherein

the display device includes a polarizer, and

a transmission axis of the polarizer and the transmission axis of the reflective polarizer are substantially parallel or perpendicular to each other.

3. The mirror display according to claim 1, wherein

the half mirror plate further includes a switching region, and

the switching region is closer to a viewing surface side than the polarized-light-diffusing layer and is capable of switching a state that light can pass through from the viewing surface side of the mirror display to the display device and a state that light cannot pass through from the viewing surface side of the mirror display to the display device.

4. The mirror display according to claim 3, wherein

the switching region includes, in the order from the back surface side, a liquid crystal display panel and an absorptive polarizer, and

a transmission axis of the absorptive polarizer and the transmission axis of the reflective polarizer are substantially parallel or perpendicular to each other.

5. The mirror display according to claim 1, wherein the polarized-light-diffusing layer has the haze in the azimuthal orientation of the diffusion axis of 20% or greater.

6. The mirror display according to claim 1, wherein the light-diffusing member includes a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal display panel.

7. The mirror display according to claim 1, wherein the display device is a liquid crystal display device.

8. An electronic device comprising the mirror display according to claim 1.

9. The mirror display according to claim 1, wherein the polarized-light-diffusing layer has the haze in the azimuthal orientation of the transmission axis of 13.2% or greater.