Liquid crystal display device

• US 3,944,331 A
• Filed: 09/05/1974
• Issued: 03/16/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Janning, John L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bauer, Edward S.
• Application Number:
  US05/503,235
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 350/150, 350/160 LC
• US Class Current: 349/83
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133734 by obliquely evaporated films, e.g. Si or SiO2 films
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1347 Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13471 in which all the liquid crystal cells or layers remain transparent, e.g. FLC, ECB, DAP, HAN, TN, STN, SBE-LC cells G02F1/13475 takes precedence

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device having a series of transparent panels, the inner surface of each panel successively supporting a transparent electrode film and an alignment film which sympathetically aligns crystals of liquid crystal material into the direction of film growth. The alignment films have their directions of alignment alternately pointing in the horizontal or vertical direction. Liquid crystal material is placed between adjacent alignment films to form a series of liquid crystal display cells. A character may be formed by certain transparent electrodes in the device. To read out a selected character from the device, the liquid crystal display device is placed between a light polarizer and a light analyzer. With an even number of cells in the device, the polarizer and analyzer are crossed to produce a dark background. The crystals of the unenergized cells, having crossed alignment films in them, will rotate polarized light which is passing through them by 90°. When a voltage is applied across one of the cells, the crystals in that cell will not rotate polarized light passing through the area of a character in that cell. However polarized light will continue to be rotated by the remainder of that cell. The polarized light passing through the area of the character of the energized cell is 90° out of phase with the other light passing through the device. Therefore only the light in phase with the analyzer will pass through the analyzer. Any character in the device may be displayed by energizing its corresponding cell.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

a. a plurality of transparent support panels positioned in spaced parallel planes along a common axis to form a plurality of discrete cells;

b. a transparent electrode film coated on adjacent facing surfaces of the support panels, each electrode film conforming to a particular different character; and

c. a plurality of alignment means deposited on respective electrode films in a direction which makes an acute angle with respect to the surfaces of the support panels;

d. the alignment means arranged in alternately displaced directions of alignment about the common axis whereby when liquid crystal material, having an elongated crystalline structure, is added to the discrete cells, the longitudinal axis of the crystalline material adjacent each alignment means is oriented in the direction of the adjacent alignment means and the longitudinal axis of the liquid crystalline material adjacent one alignment means is oriented in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the liquid crystalline material adjacent the next facing alignment means.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the alignment means is a vacuum deposited alignment film.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the liquid crystal material is nematic liquid crystal material.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the transparent supportive panels are glass panels.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the transparent electrode films are selected from the group consisting of tin oxide, indium oxide and cadmium oxide electrode films.

6. A liquid crystal display apparatus, comprising:

a. a liquid crystal display device having a plurality of transparent support panels positioned in spaced parallel planes along a common axis to form discrete cells;

a transparent electrode film coated on adjacent facing surfaces of the support panels, each electrode film having the configuration of a particular different character;

a plurality of alignment means disposed on respective transparent electrode films and support panels in a direction which makes an acute angle with respect to the surfaces of the support panels, each successive alignment means arranged in alternately displaced directions; and

liquid crystal material having elongated crystals disposed within each cell, the liquid crystal material adjacent each alignment means having their longitudinal axes oriented in the direction of alignment of the adjacent alignment means;

b. a first polarizer adjacent one end of the device; and

c. a second polarizer adjacent the other end of the device;

d. the alignment means arranged in alternately displaced directions of alignment about the common axis to cause the longitudinal axis of the liquid crystalline material adjacent one alignment means to be oriented in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the liquid crystalline material adjacent the next facing alignment means.

7. A liquid crystal display apparatus, comprising:

a. a liquid crystal display device having a plurality of transparent support panels positioned in spaced parallel planes along a common axis to form discrete cells;

a transparent electrode film coated on adjacent facing surfaces of the support panels, each electrode film having the configuration of a particular different character;

alignment means disposed on respective transparent electrode films and support panels in a direction which makes an acute angle with respect to the surfaces of the support panels in alternately displaced directions of alignment;

liquid crystal material having an elongated crystalline structure disposed within each cell, wherein the longitudinal axes of the crystalline material adjacent each alignment means have their longitudinal axes oriented in the direction of that alignment means;

b. a first polarizer adjacent one end of the device;

c. a second polarizer adjacent the other end of the device;

d. a voltage source; and

e. a switch means for selectively connecting the voltage source to selected adjacent facing transparent electrode films;

f. the alignment means arranged in alternately displaced directions of alignment about the common axis to cause the longitudinal axis of the liquid crystalline material adjacent one alignment means to be oriented in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the liquid crystalline material adjacent the next facing alignment means.