Transflective Liquid Crystal Display Device

• US 20070177082A1
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirota, Shoichi, Nagata, Tetsuya, Itou, Osamu, Imayama, Hirotaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,982,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/114
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133504 Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134363 for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS]

Abstract

The present invention enhances display efficiency and a contrast of a reflective part in an IPS-type transflective liquid crystal display device. In a transflective liquid crystal display device in which the liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel having a pair of substrates and liquid crystal sandwiched between the pair of substrates, the liquid crystal display panel includes a plurality of sub pixels each having a transmissive part and a reflective part, each sub pixel out of the plurality of sub pixels includes a pixel electrode which is formed on one substrate out of the pair of substrates and a counter electrode which is formed on the one substrate, and an electric field is generated by the pixel electrode and the counter electrode thus driving the liquid crystal, a portion of the counter electrode of the each sub pixel at the reflective part constitutes a reflective electrode, the reflective electrode includes an uneven portion and a flat portion, and the flat portion of the reflective electrode is arranged on a boundary portion between the transmissive part and the reflective part of the each sub pixel.

Claims

1. A transflective liquid crystal display device comprising a liquid crystal display panel having a pair of substrates;

and liquid crystal sandwiched between the pair of substrates,

the liquid crystal display panel including a plurality of sub pixels each having a transmissive part and a reflective part,

each sub pixel out of the plurality of sub pixels including a pixel electrode which is formed on one substrate out of the pair of substrates and a counter electrode which is formed on the one substrate, and

an electric field is generated by the pixel electrode and the counter electrode thus driving the liquid crystal, wherein

a portion of the counter electrode of the each sub pixel at the reflective part constitutes a reflective electrode,

the reflective electrode includes an uneven portion and a flat portion, and

the flat portion of the reflective electrode is arranged on a boundary portion between the transmissive part and the reflective part of the each sub pixel.

2. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the pixel electrode is arranged in a region where the flat portion of the reflective electrode is formed.

3. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel electrode includes a comb-teeth electrode in the transmissive part, a comb-teeth electrode in the reflective part, and a strip-like connection part which is formed between the comb-teeth electrode in the transmissive part and the comb-teeth electrode in the reflective part, and

the strip-like connection part is arranged in a region where the flat portion of the reflective electrode is formed.

4. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the one substrate out of the pair of substrates includes a through hole which is provided for allowing a video voltage to be applied to the pixel electrode, and

the through hole is arranged in a region where the flat portion of the reflective electrode is formed.

5. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel electrode in the reflective part is arranged in a region of the reflective electrode where the uneven portion is formed.

6. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel electrode includes comb-teeth electrodes, and a number of the comb-teeth electrodes of the pixel electrode is large in the reflective part compared to the number of comb-teeth electrodes of the pixel electrode in the transmissive part.

7. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel electrode includes a comb-teeth electrode, and

in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the comb-teeth electrode of the pixel electrode, a distance from a center line between the sub pixels arranged close to each other to an end portion of the comb-teeth electrode of the pixel electrode is set smaller in the reflective part than in the transmissive part.

8. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, wherein a comb-teeth interval of the pixel electrodes is set small in the reflective part compared to the comb-teeth interval of the pixel electrodes in the transmissive part.

9. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel electrode is formed of a transparent electrode.

10. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the counter electrode is formed of a transparent electrode.

11. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the reflective electrode is formed of a metal film.

12. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the reflective electrode is formed of a metal film which is formed on the counter electrode.

13. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display device includes an interlayer insulation film which is formed on the counter electrode, and

the pixel electrode is formed on the interlayer insulation film.

14. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein another substrate out of the pair of substrates has a step forming layer in a region which faces the reflective part in an opposed manner.

15. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 14, wherein the step forming layer is formed between the neighboring sub pixels, and

the respective reflective parts of two neighboring sub pixels are formed in a region where the step forming layer is formed.

16. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein another substrate out of the pair of the substrates includes an optical element which controls a polarization state of light in a region which faces the reflective part in an opposed manner.

17. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 16, wherein the optical element is formed between the neighboring sub pixels, and

the respective reflective parts of two neighboring sub pixels are formed in a region where the optical element is formed.

18. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 16, wherein the optical element is a ½

wave plate.

19. A transflective liquid crystal display device comprising:

a liquid crystal display panel having a pair of substrates; and

liquid crystal sandwiched between the pair of substrates,

the liquid crystal display panel including a plurality of sub pixels each having a transmissive part and a reflective part,

each subpixel out of the plurality of subpixels including a pixel electrode which is formed on one substrate out of the pair of substrates and a counter electrode which is formed on the one substrate, and

an electric field is generated by the pixel electrode and the counter electrode thus driving the liquid crystal, wherein

another substrate out of the pair of substrates includes a step forming layer in a region which faces the reflective part in an opposed manner such that a layer thickness of the liquid crystal in the reflective part is set smaller than a layer thickness of the liquid crystal in the transmissive part,

the pixel electrode includes comb-teeth electrodes, and

a number of the comb-teeth electrodes of the pixel electrode is larger in the reflective part than in the transmissive part.

20. A transflective liquid crystal display device comprising:

a liquid crystal display panel having a pair of substrates; and

liquid crystal sandwiched between the pair of substrates,

the liquid crystal display panel including a plurality of sub pixels each having a transmissive part and a reflective part,

each sub pixel out of the plurality of sub pixels including a pixel electrode which is formed on one substrate out of the pair of substrates and a counter electrode which is formed on the one substrate, and

an electric field is generated by the pixel electrode and the counter electrode thus driving the liquid crystal, wherein

another substrate out of the pair of substrates includes a step forming layer in a region which faces the reflective part in an opposed manner such that a layer thickness of the liquid crystal in the reflective part is set smaller than a layer thickness of the liquid crystal in the transmissive part, the pixel electrode includes a comb-teeth electrode, and

in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the comb-teeth electrode of the pixel electrode, a distance from a center line between the sub pixels which are arranged close to each other to an end portion of the comb-teeth electrode of the pixel electrode is set smaller in the reflective part than in the transmissive part.

21. A transflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 20, wherein a comb-teeth interval of the pixel electrodes is set small in the reflective part compared to the comb-teeth interval of the pixel electrodes in the transmissive part.