Curved display device

• US 10,254,583 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2015
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Woo, Hwa Sung
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Sang V
• Application Number:
  US14/802,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20160131945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133536 Reflective polarizers G02F1/13362 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133565 inside the LC elements, i.e. between the cell substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134345 Subdivided pixels, e.g. for grey scale or redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136209 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix, incorporated in the active matrix substrate, e.g. structurally associated with the switching element
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence

Abstract

A curved display device comprises: a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other and having a curvature; a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates; a first polarizing layer between the liquid crystal layer and a first surface of the first substrate that faces the liquid crystal layer, or positioned to face a second surface of the first substrate opposite to the first surface of the first substrate; and a second polarizing layer between the liquid crystal layer and a first surface of the second substrate that faces the liquid crystal layer, or positioned to face a second surface of the second substrate opposite to the first surface of the second substrate; wherein at least one of the first and second polarizing layers is either between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer or between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer.

Claims

1. A curved display device comprising:

a first substrate having a first uniform thickness and a second substrate having a second uniform thickness thicker than the first thickness, the first substrate and the second substrate facing each other and having a curvature;

a liquid crystal layer arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a first polarizing layer positioned to face a second surface of the first substrate, the second surface of the first substrate being opposite to a first surface of the first substrate, wherein the first surface of the first substrate faces the liquid crystal layer; and

a second polarizing layer arranged between the liquid crystal layer and a first surface of the second substrate that faces the liquid crystal layer.

2. The curved display device of claim 1, wherein the first polarizing layer comes in direct contact with the first substrate.

3. The curved display device of claim 1, further comprising thin film transistors arranged between the first polarizing layer and the liquid crystal layer.

4. The curved display device of claim 1, wherein the second polarizing layer comes in direct contact with the second substrate.

5. The curved display device of claim 1, wherein the first polarizing layer is formed to have a first optical axis, and the second polarizing layer is formed to have a second optical axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis.

6. The curved display device of claim 1, further comprising a backlight unit arranged on a lower portion of the first substrate to supply light.

7. The curved display device of claim 1, wherein the first substrate comprises a display area in which an image is to be displayed and in which a plurality of pixels are defined, as well as a non-display area positioned proximate to least one side of the display area.

8. The curved display device of claim 7, wherein the first polarizing layer is an absorption type polarizing layer, and the second polarizing layer is an absorption type polarizing layer, and

the first polarizing layer and the second polarizing layer are arranged over substantially an entire surface of the first substrate or arranged to overlap at least the display area of the first substrate.

9. The curved display device of claim 7, further comprising a first electrode arranged in a pixel of the first substrate and arranged between the first polarizing layer and the liquid crystal layer,

wherein the first polarizing layer is a reflection type polarizing layer, and the second polarizing layer is an absorption type polarizing layer, and

the first polarizing layer includes a plurality of metal lines which are arranged over substantially the entire first substrate, arranged to overlap the display area of the first substrate, or arranged to overlap the first electrode of the first substrate.

10. The curved display device of claim 7, further comprising a first electrode arranged in a pixel of the first substrate and arranged between the first polarizing layer and the liquid crystal layer,

wherein the first polarizing layer is an absorption type polarizing layer, and the second polarizing layer is a reflection type polarizing layer, and

the second polarizing layer includes a plurality of metal lines which are arranged on the second substrate to overlap the first electrode.

11. The curved display device of claim 10, further comprising:

thin film transistors arranged between the first polarizing layer and the first electrode; and

a black matrix arranged on the second substrate so as to overlap the thin film transistors,

wherein the first electrode includes a first sub-electrode and a second sub-electrode arranged so that the thin film transistors are interposed between the first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode, and

the second polarizing layer is positioned at a same level as the level of the black matrix.

12. The curved display device of claim 7, further comprising a first electrode arranged in a pixel of the first substrate and arranged between the first polarizing layer and the liquid crystal layer,

wherein the first polarizing layer is a reflection type polarizing layer, and the second polarizing layer is a reflection type polarizing layer,

the first polarizing layer includes a plurality of metal lines which are arranged over substantially the entire first substrate, arranged to overlap the display area on the first substrate, or arranged to overlap the first electrode on the first substrate, and

the second polarizing layer includes a plurality of metal lines arranged to overlap the first electrode.

13. The curved display device of claim 1, wherein the curved display device further comprises a pixel region and a non-pixel region which is not the pixel region, and

wherein the second polarizing layer is positioned not in the non-pixel region but in the pixel region.