FLAT PANEL DISPLAY HAVING INTEGRAL METAL HEATER OPTICALLY HIDDIEN BEHIND AN EMI SHIELD

• US 20080049183A1
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mercury Mission Systems LLC (Mercury Systems, Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: American Panel Corporation (Mercury Systems, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kwon, Keuk-Sang, Kang, In-Byeong, Park, Hyoung-Yol, Dunn, William
• Granted Patent: US 7,750,994 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/161
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133334 Electromagnetic shields
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133382 Heating or cooling of liquid crystal cells other than for activation, e.g. circuits or arrangements for temperature control, stabilisation or uniform distribution over the cell
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133502 Antiglare, refractive index matching layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/50 Protective arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/22 Antistatic materials or arrangements

Abstract

A flat panel display having a black mask EMI layer isolated from Vcom and tied to zero potential. The flat panel display has an integral metal heater layer and thermal sensor that are in close proximity to the liquid crystals to provide efficient heating and temperature sensing.

Claims

1. A flat panel display comprising:

a front glass plate;

a rear glass plate;

a layer of liquid crystals interposed between the front and rear glass plates;

a TFT array layer interposed between said front and rear glass plates;

a metal heater layer; and

an EMI layer interposed between said front and rear glass plates.

2. The flat panel display according to claim 1 wherein the metal heater layer is optically transmissive.

3. The flat panel display according to claim 1, wherein both the metal heater layer and the EMI layer are overcoated on both sides with index matching dielectrics.

4. The flat panel display according to claim 1, wherein the EMI layer is a black mask layer.

5. The flat panel display according to claim 4, wherein the black mask layer comprises an opaque metal.

6. The flat panel display according to claim 4, wherein the black mask layer is electrically tied to a chassis.

7. The flat panel display according to claim 1, wherein said metal heater layer is interposed between said front and rear glass plates to allow faster heating of said layer of liquid crystals.

8. A flat panel display comprising:

a front glass plate;

a rear glass plate;

a layer of liquid crystals interposed between said front and rear glass plates;

a black mask layer disposed between said front glass and said layer of liquid crystal;

a TFT array layer interposed between said front and rear glass plates; and

a metal heater layer patterned onto said TFT array layer.

9. The flat panel display according to claim 8, wherein said metal heater layer is comprised of a grid of intersecting horizontal and vertical lines.

10. The flat panel display according to claim 8, wherein the structure of the black mask layer does not obscure the active pixel aperture.

11. The flat panel display according to claim 8, wherein the metal heater layer is opaque.

12. The flat panel display according to claim 8, wherein the structure of the metal heater layer does not obscure the active pixel aperture.

13. The flat panel display according to claim 8, wherein the black mask layer is deposited and adhered to the inside of the front glass plate.

14. The flat panel display according to claim 8, further comprising a Vcom ITO disposed between the black mask layer and the liquid crystal layer.