LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20150301399A1
• Filed: 04/17/2015
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: TAMAKI, Masaya, KURASAWA, Hayato, KAWATA, Yasushi
• Granted Patent: US 10,031,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1323 Arrangements for providing a switchable viewing angle
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133504 Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134318 having a patterned common electrode

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate unit including pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix configuration, a second substrate unit including counter electrodes, and a liquid crystal layer. The pixel electrodes include a first and a second pixel electrode arranged to be adjacent along one of the row direction or the column direction. An inter-pixel region is provided between the first and the second pixel electrodes. The counter electrodes include a first and a second opposing portion arranged to be adjacent along the other of the row direction or the column direction. An inter-counter electrode region is provided between the first and the second opposing portions. The inter-counter electrode region overlaps the inter-pixel region. A light-shielding layer is provided in the second substrate unit, and covers the inter-counter electrode region and the inter-pixel region.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

a first substrate unit;

a second substrate unit provided to oppose the first substrate unit; and

a liquid crystal layer provided between the pair of substrate units,

the first substrate unit including;

a first major surface;

a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix configuration in the first major surface, a row direction of the matrix being an X-axis direction, a column direction of the matrix being a Y-axis direction intersecting the X-axis direction; and

an alignment film covering the pixel electrodes and opposing the liquid crystal layer,

the pixel electrodes including a first pixel electrode and a second pixel electrode arranged to be adjacent along one of the row direction or the column direction, the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode being driven by mutually-different polarities, an inter-pixel region being provided to extend in the column direction between the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode,

the second substrate unit including;

a second major surface opposing the first major surface of the first substrate unit;

a plurality of counter electrodes disposed in the second major surface, the counter electrodes being light-transmissive; and

an alignment film covering the counter electrodes and opposing the liquid crystal layer,

the counter electrodes including a first opposing portion and a second opposing portion, the first opposing portion and the second opposing portion opposing the pixel electrodes of the first substrate unit, being provided to extend in one of the row direction or the column direction, and being arranged to be adjacent to each other along the other of the row direction or the column direction,

an inter-counter electrode region being provided between the first opposing portion and the second opposing portion, the inter-counter electrode region and the inter-pixel region of the first substrate unit overlapping when projected onto the first major surface,

a light-shielding layer being provided along the other of the row direction or the column direction in the second substrate unit, the light-shielding layer extending in the column direction and covering the inter-counter electrode region and the inter-pixel region.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein

an alignment direction of the alignment film on the first substrate unit side is orthogonal to one of the row direction or the column direction or intersects one of the row direction or the column direction at an acute angle, and

an alignment direction of the alignment film on the second substrate unit side has the reverse orientation of the alignment direction of the alignment film on the first substrate unit side and intersects one of the row direction or the column direction at an obtuse angle.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode are arranged in the column direction.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode are arranged in the row direction.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the pixel electrodes further includes:

a third pixel electrode arranged in the column direction with the first pixel electrode; and

a fourth pixel electrode arranged in the row direction with the third pixel electrode and arranged in the column direction with the second pixel electrode,

the third pixel electrode is set to a potential having the same polarity as the second pixel electrode, and

the fourth pixel electrode is set to a potential having the same polarity as the first pixel electrode.

6. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an optical layer on the second substrate unit,

an intensity of scattered light of the optical layer for light incident on the optical layer from a first incident direction being different from an intensity of scattered light of the optical layer for light incident on the optical layer from a second incident direction,

a direction component of the first incident direction in a plane parallel to the first major surface being different from a direction component of the second incident direction in the plane.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein

the optical layer is formed in a sheet configuration and includes a plurality of first optical units and a second optical unit, the first optical units being light-transmissive and disposed in the plane, the second optical unit being light-transmissive and provided between two of the first optical units,

the first optical units and the second optical unit are provided from one surface of the optical layer to one other surface of the optical layer,

a refractive index of the second optical unit is different from a refractive index of each of the first optical units, and

a boundary between the second optical unit and the first optical units is tilted with respect to the plane.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein

the optical layer has a scattering center direction having a straight line configuration from the one surface toward the one other surface, and

the intensity of the scattered light of the optical layer for the light incident on the optical layer from the first incident direction increases as an angle between the scattering center direction and the first incident direction decreases.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the scattering center direction when projected onto the first major surface is a direction aligned with the column direction.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein

a polarizing layer is provided in the second substrate unit to cover the second major surface, and one or a plurality of phase difference layers is provided below the polarizing layer, and

a reflective layer is provided in each of the pixel electrodes of the first substrate unit, the reflective layer reflecting external light incident via the polarizing layer and the phase difference layer.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the light-shielding layer includes a compound including chrome.