Display element and display device

• US 20050185105A1
• Filed: 01/19/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2004
• 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: Jinda, Akihito, Ishihara, Shoichi, Inoue, Iichiro, Miyachi, Koichi, Shibahara, Seiji, Ogishima, Kiyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,724,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/24
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/02 characterised by optical, electrical or physical properties of the components, in general
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2019/0418 containing a dendromer structure; Dendritic liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/07 based on electro-optical liquids exhibiting Kerr effect
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134363 for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS]

Abstract

A display element according to the present invention is provided with a pair of substrates, at least one of which is transparent; a medium between the substrates, wherein optical anisotropy magnitude of the medium is changeable by and according to an electric field applied thereon; at least one pair of electrodes for applying, on the medium, the electric field substantially parallel to the substrates; and a shielding electrode overlapping at least a display portion of at least one of the substrates, and used for shielding the display element from static electricity.

Claims

1. A display element, comprising:

a pair of substrates, at least one of which is transparent;

a medium between the substrates, wherein optical anisotropy magnitude of the medium is changeable by and according to an electric field applied thereon;

at least one electrode pair on a principal plane of one of the substrates, the at least one electrode pair including a first and a second electrodes for applying, on the medium, the electric field substantially parallel to the one of the substrates; and

a third electrode provided on an other principal plane of the substrates than the principal plane on which the at least one electrode pair is provided.

2. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the third electrode is provided on that facing surface of the other one of the substrates which faces against the first and second electrodes.

3. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a potential of the third electrode is fixed to a constant value.

4. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the third electrode is patterned.

5. A display element as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

the third electrode functions as a shielding electrode for shielding the display element from the static electricity, and as a heating section for heating the medium.

6. A display element as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

the third electrode is so formed as not to overlap the first and the second electrode.

7. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the medium is optically isotropic when no field is applied thereon, and becomes optically anisotropic when the field is applied thereon.

8. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the medium is optically anisotropic when no field is applied thereon, and becomes optically isotropic when a field is applied thereon.

9. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the medium has an orientational order in a scale smaller than a wavelength of visible light when an electric field is applied or when no electric field is applied.

10. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the medium has an orderly structure having a cubic symmetry.

11. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the medium is a material that shows cubic phase or smectic D phase.

12. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the medium is a liquid crystal micro emulsion.

13. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the medium is a lyotropic liquid crystal that shows a micelle phase, a reverse micelle phase, a sponge phase or a cubic phase.

14. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the medium is a liquid-crystal-particulate-dispersed system that shows a micelle phase, a reverse micelle phase, a sponge phase or a cubic phase.

15. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the medium is a dendrimer.

16. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the medium is a material that shows a cholesteric blue phase.

17. A display element as set forth in claim 1, wherein;

the medium is a material that shows a smectic blue phase.

18. A display element, comprising:

a pair of substrates, at least one of which is transparent;

a medium between the substrates, wherein optical anisotropy magnitude of the medium is changeable by and according to an electric field applied thereon;

at least one pair of electrodes for applying, on the medium, the electric field substantially parallel to the substrates; and

a shielding electrode overlapping at least a display portion of at least one of the substrates, and used for shielding the display element from static electricity.

19. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

a potential of the shielding electrode is fixed to a constant value.

20. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the shielding electrode is provided at least on that facing surface of one of the substrates which faces against the other one of the substrate.

21. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the medium is optically isotropic when no field is applied thereon, and becomes optically anisotropic when the field is applied thereon.

22. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the medium is optically anisotropic when no field is applied thereon, and becomes optically isotropic when a field is applied thereon.

23. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the medium has an orientational order in a scale smaller than a wavelength of visible light when an electric field is applied or when no electric field is applied.

24. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the medium has an orderly structure having a cubic symmetry.

25. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the medium is a material that shows cubic phase or smectic D phase.

26. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the medium is a liquid crystal micro emulsion.

27. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the medium is a lyotropic liquid crystal that shows a micelle phase, a reverse micelle phase, a sponge phase or a cubic phase.

28. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the medium is a liquid-crystal-particulate-dispersed system that shows a micelle phase, a reverse micelle phase, a sponge phase or a cubic phase.

29. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the medium is a dendrimer.

30. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the medium is a material that shows a cholesteric blue phase.

31. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the medium is a material that shows a smectic blue phase.

32. A display element as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

the shielding electrode is patterned.

33. A display element as set forth in claim 32, wherein:

the shielding electrode also functions as a heating section for heating the medium.

34. A display element as set forth in claim 32, wherein:

the shielding electrode is so formed as not to overlap the first and the second electrode.

35. A display device comprising:

a display element comprising;

a pair of substrates, at least one of which is transparent;

a medium between the substrates, wherein optical anisotropy magnitude of the medium is changeable by and according to an electric field applied thereon;

at least one electrode pair on a principal plane of one of the substrates, the at least one electrode pair including a first and a second electrodes for applying, on the medium, the electric field substantially parallel to the one of the substrates; and

a third electrode provided on an other principal plane of the substrates than the principal plane on which the at least one electrode pair is provided.

36. A display device comprising:

a display element including;

a pair of substrates, at least one of which is transparent;

a medium between the substrates, wherein optical anisotropy magnitude of the medium is changeable by and according to an electric field applied thereon;

at least one pair of electrodes for applying, on the medium, the electric field substantially parallel to the substrates; and

a shielding electrode overlapping at least a display portion of at least one of the substrates, and used for shielding the display element from static electricity.