Reflection--type liquid crystal displaying device

• US 5,889,570 A
• Filed: 12/17/1996
• Issued: 03/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mitsui, Seiichi, Iwauchi, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGO, HUYEN LE
• Application Number:
  US08/767,978
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 349/112, 349/113, 349/114, 349/84
• US Class Current: 349/113
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133504 Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133553 Reflecting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133605
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133565 inside the LC elements, i.e. between the cell substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13725 based on guest-host interaction G02F1/13762, G02F1/13737, take precedence

Abstract

A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device includes an optically transmitting first substrate on which an optically transmitting electrode is at least formed; an anisotropic scattering/reflecting plate for performing a function of anisotropically scattering an incident light and a function of reflecting a light; and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the optically transmitting first substrate and the anisotropic scattering/reflecting plate. The obtained reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device exhibits an extremely bright, uniform, and good displaying capability.

Claims

1. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device comprising:

at least one optically transmitting first substrate on which an optically transmitting electrode is formed;

an anisotropic scattering/reflecting plate for performing a function of anisotropically scattering an incident light and a function of reflecting a light; and

a liquid crystal layer disposed between the optically transmitting first substrate and the anisotropic scattering/reflecting plate.

2. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device according to claim 1, wherein the anisotropic scattering/reflecting plate comprises:

an anisotropic scattering film for anisotropically scattering the incident light;

a reflecting film for reflecting the incident light transmitted through the anisotropic scattering film; and

a second substrate,

the anisotropic scattering film being formed on the second substrate and the reflecting film being formed on the anisotropic scattering film.

3. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device according to claims 2, wherein the reflecting film comprises a metal film.

4. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device according to claim 2, wherein the reflecting film comprises a dielectric mirror film.

5. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device according to claim 1, wherein the anisotropic scattering/reflecting plate comprises:

an anisotropic scattering film for anisotropically scattering the incident light;

a reflecting film for reflecting the incident light transmitted through the anisotropic scattering film; and

a second substrate,

the reflecting film being interposed between the anisotropic scattering film and the second substrate.

6. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device according to claim 1, wherein the anisotropic scattering film comprises a transparent film containing a transparent matrix material in which a transparent substance having a refractive index different from that of the transparent matrix material is dispersed so that the incident light can be anisotropically scattered.

7. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device according to claim 6, wherein the transparent substance has an anisotropic shape and is homogeneously dispersed in an orderly manner in the transparent film containing the transparent matrix material so that the substance particles are arranged parallel to each other.

8. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device according to claim 7, wherein the anisotropic shape of the transparent substance is a spheroid, a rectangular parallelepiped, or a circular cylinder.

9. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device according to claim 6, wherein the difference of refractive indices between the transparent matrix material and the transparent substance is at least 0.0001.

10. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device according to claim 6, wherein the transparent matrix material comprises a transparent resin.

11. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device comprising:

a liquid crystal display cell,

a reflecting plate disposed behind the display cell, and

an optical control film, disposed between the display cell and the reflection plate, for controlling reflection characteristics of the reflecting plate,

wherein the optical control film is opaque for incident light with an incident angle within a predetermined value and is transparent for incident light with an incident angle more than the predetermined value, thereby uniformizing a displaying capability of the display cell.

12. A reflection-type liquid crystal displaying device according to claim 11, wherein the optical control film comprises an anisotropic scattering film including a transparent film containing a transparent matrix material in which a transparent substance different from the transparent matrix material in refractive index is homogeneously dispersed.