LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICE, LIQUID CRYSTAL CELL, TRANSPARENT SUBSTRATE, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING LIQUID CRYSTAL CELL

• US 20050174525A1
• Filed: 01/05/2005
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tsuboi, Kenji, Morimoto, Tsutomu
• Granted Patent: US 7,800,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/158
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1333 Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methodsG02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence

Abstract

To provide a liquid crystal display device capable of outputting a sound of a sufficiently large volume by use of a liquid crystal cell which displays an image. A liquid crystal display device includes a thin front glass substrate having an outer surface in which a rib is formed on a peripheral portion, a back glass substrate arranged with a predetermined gap from an inner surface of the front glass substrate, in which liquid crystal is sealed in the gap, and a sound source element provided in contact with the front glass substrate.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

a thin front transparent substrate having an outer surface in which a rib is formed on a peripheral portion;

a back transparent substrate arranged with a predetermined gap from an inner surface of the front transparent substrate, in which liquid crystal is sealed in the gap; and

a sound source element provided in contact with the front transparent substrate.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein, in the front transparent substrate, a region inside the rib is formed to have a thickness of approximately 0.05 to 0.4 mm.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the front transparent substrate is glass, and a metal oxide glass film having a refractive index equivalent to a refractive index of the front transparent substrate is coated on a region inside the rib of the outer surface.

4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein, in the front transparent substrate, the rib is formed on an entire region of the peripheral portion.

5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein, in the front transparent substrate, the rib is formed on a partial region of the peripheral portion.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein, in the front transparent substrate, a plurality of ribs are independently formed on top and bottom and/or left and right, and a plurality of sound source elements are provided on the ribs.

7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the sound source element is provided on a side face of the rib.

8. A liquid crystal cell, comprising:

a front transparent substrate;

a back transparent substrate arranged with a predetermined gap from the front transparent substrate, in which liquid crystal is sealed in the gap; and

a sound source element provided in contact with the front transparent substrate, wherein the front transparent substrate has an attenuation factor of vibration intensity of approximately 32% or less.

9. The liquid crystal cell according to claim 8, wherein the front transparent substrate includes an inner surface opposite to the back transparent substrate, and an outer surface in which a rib is formed in a peripheral portion.

10. A liquid crystal cell, comprising:

a front glass substrate; and

a back glass substrate arranged with a predetermined gap from the front glass substrate, in which liquid crystal is sealed in the gap, wherein the front glass substrate includes a planar portion with a thickness of approximately 0.05 to 0.4 mm, and a rib formed on a periphery of the planar portion.

11. The liquid crystal cell according to claim 10, wherein, in the front glass substrate, an outer surface of the planar portion is coated with a metal oxide glass film having a refractive index equivalent to a refractive index of the front glass substrate.

12. The liquid crystal cell according to claim 11, wherein a difference between the refractive index of the front glass substrate and the refractive index of the metal oxide glass film is approximately 0.02 or less.

13. The liquid crystal cell according to claim 11, wherein the metal oxide glass film is formed by a hydrolysis reaction of a metal alkoxide composition applied on the planar portion.

14. The liquid crystal cell according to claim 11, wherein a thickness of the metal oxide glass film is approximately 5 to 20 μ

m.

15. The liquid crystal cell according to claim 10, wherein the front glass substrate is formed by a chemical technique.

16. The liquid crystal cell according to claim 10, wherein, in the front glass substrate, the rib has a slant surface toward the planar portion.

17. The liquid crystal cell according to claim 10, wherein the front and back glass substrates are coupled to each other on a region where the rib is formed.

18. A transparent substrate which is for use in a liquid crystal cell and sandwiches and seals liquid crystal in cooperation with another transparent substrate, comprising:

a planar portion with a thickness of approximately 0.05 to 0.4 mm; and

a rib formed on a periphery of the planar portion.

19. The transparent substrate according to claim 18, wherein the planar portion has an attenuation factor of vibration intensity of approximately 32% or less.

20. The transparent substrate according to claim 18, wherein the planar portion and the rib are formed by a chemical technique.

21. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal cell, comprising the steps of:

pasting together front and back glass substrates such that a predetermined gap is provided therebetween;

sealing liquid crystal in the gap between the pasted front and back glass substrates;

masking at least a peripheral portion of an outer surface of the front glass substrate; and

performing an etching treatment for the pasted front and back glass substrates after the masking step.

22. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal cell according to claim 21, wherein the masking step further includes masking of one of a peripheral portion of an outer surface and an entire surface of the outer surface of the back glass substrate.

23. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal cell according to claim 21, further comprising:

coating an etched surface of the front glass substrate and/or an etched surface of the back glass substrate with metal oxide glass films, each having a refractive index equivalent to a refractive index of one of the front and back glass substrates.

24. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal cell according to claim 21, wherein in the etching treatment step, surfaces to be etched of the front glass substrate and/or back glass substrate are etched to a thickness of approximately 0.05 to 0.4 mm.