Liquid crystal matrix display cells piled with non-overlapping display elements

• US 4,448,490 A
• Filed: 02/12/1981
• Issued: 05/15/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takahashi, Masami, Shibuya, Yoshimichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Corbin, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, David
• Application Number:
  US06/233,867
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 350/333, 350/334, 350/332, 350/335, 340/765, 340/784
• US Class Current: 349/82
• 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: G09G 3/18 using liquid crystals

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device having a plurality of display sections each formed of a plurality of common electrodes and corresponding segment electrodes to display a character is disclosed. The device comprises a plurality of liquid crystal display elements piled in the direction perpendicular to the display surface of the device. Each of the liquid crystal display elements includes ones selected from the above-mentioned common electrodes and segment electrodes corresponding to the selected common electrodes to reduce the number of common electrodes included in each liquid crystal display element, thereby reducing the number of common electrode leads provided in each liquid crystal display element.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal device having a plurality of display sections arranged in at least one row, each of said display sections being formed of a plurality of common electrodes divided into a plurality of groups and a plurality of segment electrodes corresponding to said common electrodes and divided into a plurality of groups, each common electrode group including a plurality of common electrodes, each segment electrode group including a plurality of segment electrodes, common electrodes included in the corresponding common electrode groups in said plurality of display sections being connected in common in a single common electrode lead, said single common electrode lead including plural lead sections connecting said common electrodes and also said display sections, segment electrodes included in each segment electrode group in respective ones of said display sections being connected to a single segment electrode lead, said single segment electrode lead including plural lead sections connecting said segment electrode, said liquid crystal display device including a plurality of liquid crystal display elements piled in the direction perpendicular to a display surface of said liquid crystal display device, and, in each display section, at least one of adjacent common electrodes and corresponding segment electrodes being arranged in different ones of the plurality of piled liquid crystal display elements, each of said liquid crystal display elements comprising first and second transparent substrates arranged opposite to each other, a liquid crystal material disposed between said first and second substrates, said common electrodes of said groups being formed on an inner surface of said substrate, said segment electrodes being formed on an inner surface of said second substrate, a power source for selectively applying voltages having predetermined waveforms between said common electrodes of selected groups and said segment electrodes corresponding to said common electrodes of said selected groups to drive said liquid crystal display element in a time divisional fashion, and wherein each of the display sections includes a plurality of display areas, each of the display areas being delimited by a common electrode and a corresponding segment electrode, the display areas of one of said plurality of piled liquid crystal display elements being arranged in non-overlapping relationship with the display areas of others of said plurality of piled liquid crystal display elements when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the display surface of the liquid crystal device.

2. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein two of said liquid crystal display elements are provided, said elements being piled to form a two-layer structure.

4. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein each of said liquid crystal display elements is driven by a driving method of 1/3 bias with a duty factor of 1/4.

5. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein each of said liquid crystal display elements is driven by a driving method of 1/3 bias with a duty factor of 1/3.

6. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said adjacent common electrodes of a display section are arranged in different ones of said plurality of piled liquid crystal display elements.

7. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein two liquid crystal display elements are piled to form a two-layer structure, and said adjacent common electrodes are alternately arranged in said two piled liquid crystal display elements.

3. A liquid crystal display device having a plurality of display sections arranged in at least one row, each of said display sections being formed of a plurality of common electrodes divided into a plurality of groups and a plurality of segment electrodes corresponding to said common electrodes and divided into a plurality of groups, common electrodes included in the corresponding common electrode groups in said plurality of display sections being connected in common to a single common electrode lead, said single common electrode lead including plural lead sections connecting said common electrode and also said display sections, segment electrodes included in each segment electrode group in respective ones of said display sections being connected to a single segment electrode lead, said single segment electrode lead including plural lead sections connecting said segment electrodes, wherein said liquid crystal display device includes a plurality of liquid crystal display elements piled in the direction perpendicular to a display surface of said liquid crystal display device, each of said liquid crystal display elements comprising first and second transparent substrates arranged opposite to each other, a liquid crystal material disposed between said first and second substrates, common electrodes belonging to selected groups of said common electrode groups, said common electrodes of said selected groups being formed on an inner surface of said first substrate, segment electrodes corresponding to said common electrodes of said selected groups, said segment electrodes being formed on an inner surface of said second substrate, a power source for selectively applying voltages having predetermined waveforms between said common electrodes of said selected groups and said segment electrodes corresponding to said common electrodes of said selected groups to drive said liquid crystal display element in a time divisional fashion, wherein two of said liquid crystal display elements are provided, said elements being piled to form a two-layer structure, and in each of said display sections, said common electrodes and segment electrodes are arranged to form a matrix having a plurality of rows and columns, and said common electrodes are grouped to every one of said rows, wherein a first one of said first liquid crystal display elements is provided with common electrodes arranged in odd-numbered rows and with segment electrodes corresponding to said common electrodes in said odd-numbered rows, and a second one of said second liquid crystal display elements is provided with common electrodes arranged in even-numbered rows and with segment electrodes corresponding to said common electrodes in said even-numbered rows.