Systems for displaying images involving transflective liquid crystal displays

• US 20070146590A1
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: InnoLux Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toppoly Optoelectronics Corporation (InnoLux Corporation)
• Inventors: Chang, Wei-Chih, Chuang, Li-Sen
• Application Number:
  US11/319,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20070146590A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/114
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133553 Reflecting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133605
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors

Abstract

Systems for displaying images are provided. A representative system comprises a transflective liquid crystal display panel. The display panel comprises a liquid crystal display element and a retro-reflector disposed at the bottom of the liquid crystal display element such that an incident ray of light incident upon the retro-reflector is internally reflected twice such that the ray is redirected as a reflected ray that travels substantially parallel to the incident ray yet in an opposing direction.

Claims

1. A system for displaying images comprising:

a transflective liquid crystal display panel, comprising;

a liquid crystal display element; and

a retro-reflector disposed at the bottom of the liquid crystal display element;

wherein an incident ray of light incident upon the retro-reflector is internally reflected twice such that the ray is redirected as a reflected ray that travels substantially parallel to the incident ray yet in an opposing direction.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retro-reflector comprises a retro-reflector element operative to reflect incident light and a transmissive element operative to transmit incident light.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retro-reflective element comprises a trigonal pyramid shape.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the retro-reflective element comprises three faces, with any two of the three faces being perpendicular to each other.

5. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the retro-reflective element comprises three faces, with any two of the three faces defining an included angle in a range of 90±

10 degrees.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal layer comprises twisted nematic mode liquid crystal material.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a first polarizer adjacent to the liquid crystal display element;

and a second polarizer located between the liquid crystal display element and the retro-reflector.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a compensation structure disposed under the retro-reflector.

9. A system for displaying image comprising:

a transflective liquid crystal display panel, comprising;

a first substrate having a plurality of pixels, each of the pixels comprising a reflective region and a transmissive region;

a second substrate;

a twisted nematic liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a first polarizer on the first substrate;

a second polarizer between the second substrate and the retro-reflector; and

a retro-reflector disposed on the second substrate with a plurality of retro-reflective elements and transmissive elements, each of the retro-reflective elements corresponding to one of the reflection regions and each of the transmissive elements corresponding to one of the transmissive regions.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one of the retro-reflective elements comprises a trigonal pyramid shape.

11. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the retro-reflective element comprises three faces, with any two of the three faces defining an included angle in a range of 90±

10 degrees.

12. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the transmissive elements are substantially planar.

13. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the system comprises a transflective liquid crystal display device, comprising

the transflective liquid crystal display panel;

and

the system further comprises a controller coupled to the transflective liquid crystal display panel to control the panel to render an image in accordance with an input.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the system comprises an electronic device comprising

the transflective liquid crystal display device.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the electronic device is a laptop computer.

16. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the system comprises

the transflective liquid crystal display panel;

and

the system further comprises

means for controlling the panel.