Liquid crystal display device and electronic apparatus including the same

• US 20080186420A1
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Japan Display West Incorporated (Japan Display Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hironao, Yamaguchi, Hidemasa, Noguchi, Koji
• Application Number:
  US12/008,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20080186420A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/33
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134345 Subdivided pixels, e.g. for grey scale or redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134363 for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0456 with a reflective area and a transmissive area combined in one pixel, such as in transflectance pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers

Abstract

There is provided a liquid crystal display device in which a direction of an orientation axis of a liquid crystal changes based on an electric field component in a direction different from that of a normal to a principal surface of a substrate, the liquid crystal display device including: a transmitting portion and a reflecting portion disposed on the substrate; wherein a voltage applied to the liquid crystal in the transmitting portion is different from that applied to the liquid crystal in the reflecting portion.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device in which a direction of an orientation axis of a liquid crystal changes based on an electric field component in a direction different from that of a normal to a principal surface of a substrate, said liquid crystal display device comprising:

a transmitting portion and a reflecting portion disposed on said substrate;

wherein a voltage applied to the liquid crystal in said transmitting portion is different from that applied to the liquid crystal in said reflecting portion.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein in a phase of black display, a voltage equal to or higher than a threshold value at which an orientation of the liquid crystal changes is applied to said reflecting portion, and either a voltage equal to or lower than the threshold value or no voltage is applied to said transmitting portion.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein in a phase of white display, a voltage equal to or higher than a threshold value at which an orientation of the liquid crystal changes is applied to said transmitting portion, and either a voltage equal to or lower than the threshold value or no voltage is applied to said reflecting portion.

4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein in a phase of black display, a voltage equal to or higher than a threshold value at which an orientation of the liquid crystal changes is applied to said reflecting portion, and either a voltage equal to or lower than the threshold value or no voltage is applied to said transmitting portion, while in a phase of black display, a voltage equal to or higher than the threshold value is applied to said transmitting portion, and either a voltage equal to or lower than the threshold value or no voltage is applied to said reflecting portion.

5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 2, wherein a first polarizing plate and a second polarizing plate are disposed in a cross nicol state,

in the phase of the black display, a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said transmitting portion agrees with a direction of an absorption axis of one of said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate, and

a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said reflecting portion is different from each of directions of the absorption axes of said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 3, wherein a first polarizing plate and a second polarizing plate are disposed in a cross nicol state,

in the phase of the white display, a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said reflecting portion agrees with a direction of an absorption axis of one of said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate, and

a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said transmitting portion is different from each of directions of the absorption axes of said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate.

7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 4, wherein a first polarizing plate and a second polarizing plate are disposed in a cross nicol state,

in the phase of the black display, a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said transmitting portion agrees with a direction of an absorption axis of one of said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate, and

a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said reflecting portion is different from each of directions of the absorption axes of said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate,

while in the phase of the white display, a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said reflecting portion agrees with a direction of an absorption axis of one of said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate, and

a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said transmitting portion is different from each of directions of the absorption axes of said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate.

8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, wherein in the phase of the black display, the liquid crystal layer in said reflecting portion delays a phase of a linearly-polarized light by λ

/4.

9. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate includes a first substrate and a second substrate, the liquid crystal is disposed between said first substrate and said second substrate, a transmitting portion electrode is formed in said transmitting portion, a reflecting portion electrode is formed in said reflecting portion, and relative voltages applied to said transmitting portion electrode and said reflecting portion electrode, respectively, are different from each other.

10. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein said transmitting portion electrode includes a transmitting portion pixel electrode and a transmitting portion common electrode, said reflecting portion electrode includes a reflecting portion pixel electrode and a reflecting portion common electrode, a common voltage is applied to each of said transmitting portion pixel electrode and said reflecting portion pixel electrode, and different voltages are applied to said transmitting portion common electrode and said reflecting portion common electrode, respectively.

11. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein said transmitting portion electrode includes a transmitting portion pixel electrode and a transmitting portion common electrode, said reflecting portion electrode includes a reflecting portion pixel electrode and a reflecting portion common electrode, a common voltage is applied to each of said transmitting portion common electrode and said reflecting portion common electrode, and different voltages are applied to said transmitting portion pixel electrode and said reflecting portion pixel electrode, respectively.

12. A liquid crystal display device in which a direction of an orientation axis of a liquid crystal changes based on an electric field component in a direction different from that of a normal to a principal surface of a substrate, said liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate;

a transmitting portion and a reflecting portion disposed on said substrate;

a liquid crystal layer disposed between said first substrate and said second substrate;

a first polarizing plate and a second polarizing plate disposed in a cross nicol state;

a transmitting portion electrode formed in said transmitting portion; and

a reflecting portion electrode formed in said reflecting portion;

wherein relative voltages applied to said transmitting portion electrode and said reflecting portion electrode are different from each other.

13. An electronic apparatus comprising a liquid crystal display device;

wherein in said liquid crystal display device, a direction of an orientation axis of a liquid crystal changes based on an electric field component in a direction different from that of a normal to a principal surface of a substrate,

a transmitting portion and a reflecting portion are disposed on said substrate, and

a voltage applied to the liquid crystal in said transmitting portion is different from that applied to the liquid crystal in said reflecting portion.

14. The electronic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein in a phase of black display, a voltage equal to or higher than a threshold value at which an orientation of the liquid crystal changes is applied to said reflecting portion, and either a voltage equal to or lower than the threshold value or no voltage is applied to said transmitting portion,

while in a phase of black display, a voltage equal to or higher than the threshold value is applied to said transmitting portion, and either a voltage equal to or lower than the threshold value or no voltage is applied to said reflecting portion.

15. The electronic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein in the phase of the black display, a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said transmitting portion agrees with a direction of an absorption axis of one of said first polarizing plate and said polarizing plate, and

a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said reflecting portion is different from each of directions of the absorption axes of said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate,

while in the phase of the white display, a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said reflecting portion agrees with a direction of an absorption axis of one of said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate, and

a direction of the orientation of the liquid crystal in said transmitting portion is different from each of directions of the absorption axes of said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate.

16. The electronic apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said first polarizing plate and said second polarizing plate are disposed in a cross nicol state, and in the phase of the black display, the liquid crystal layer in said reflecting portion delays a phase of a linearly-polarized light by λ

/4.

17. The electronic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said substrate includes a first substrate and a second substrate, the liquid crystal is disposed between said first substrate and said second substrate, a transmitting portion electrode is formed in said transmitting portion, a reflecting portion electrode is formed in said reflecting portion, and relative voltages applied to said transmitting portion electrode and said reflecting portion electrode, respectively, are different from each other.

18. The electronic apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said transmitting portion electrode includes a transmitting portion pixel electrode and a transmitting portion common electrode, said reflecting portion electrode includes a reflecting portion pixel electrode and a reflecting portion common electrode, a common voltage is applied to each of said transmitting pixel electrode and said reflecting portion pixel electrode, and different voltages are applied to said transmitting portion common electrode and said reflecting portion common electrode, respectively.

19. The electronic apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said transmitting portion electrode includes a transmitting portion pixel electrode and a transmitting portion common electrode, said reflecting portion electrode includes a reflecting portion pixel electrode and a reflecting portion common electrode, a common voltage is applied to each of said transmitting portion common electrode and said reflecting portion common electrode, and different voltages are applied to said transmitting portion pixel electrode and said reflecting portion pixel electrode, respectively.