Liquid crystal display device

• US 6,573,957 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2000
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Shunji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AKKAPEDDI, PRASAD R
• Application Number:
  US09/611,035
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 349/73, 349/153
• US Class Current: 349/73
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13336 Combining plural substrates to produce large-area displays, e.g. tiled displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1339 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide the liquid crystal display (LCD) device with a structure which can prevent the light of a back light from being passing through a bonding region, and can prevent the TFTs of the pixel regions from being damaged by the accumulated electrostatic charges, during the handling of each discrete LCD panel, the rubbing process of the alignment layer on the lower glass substrate 1, the assembling process of the LCD panels, and the handling of the completed tiling panel. The present invention is directed to a LCD device comprising a first LCD panel and a second LCD panel; wherein one edge of the first LCD panel is positioned in proximity and adjacent to one edge of the second LCD panel; and wherein a light shielding and electrically conductive adhesive bonds the one edge of the first LCD panel and the one edge of the second LCD panel.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display (LCD) device comprising:

a first LCD panel in which a pixel array substrate, on which a pixel array is formed, and an opposing substrate, on which a common electrode is formed, are sealed along a sealing region surrounding said pixel array; and

a second LCD panel in which a pixel array substrate, on which a pixel array is formed, and an opposing substrate, on which a common electrode is formed, are sealed along a sealing region surrounding said pixel array;

wherein one edge of said first LCD panel is positioned in proximity and adjacent to one edge of said second LCD panel; and

wherein a light shielding and electrically conductive adhesive bonds said one edge of said first LCD panel and said one edge of said second LCD panel.

2. The LCD device according to claim 1, wherein said light shielding and electrically conductive adhesive is electrically connected to said common electrodes on said opposing substrates on said first and second LCD panels.

3. The LCD device according to claim 2, wherein a short ring is formed along remaining edges of each of said pixel array substrates of said first and second LCD panels, respectively;

and wherein said light shielding and electrically conductive adhesive is electrically connected to said short rings.

4. LCD device according to claim 3, wherein said sealing region along said one edge of each of said pixel array substrates of said first and second LCD panels is separated from said one edge to expose a surface region of each of said pixel array substrates, respectively;

wherein a contact electrode is formed on each of said surface regions of said pixel array substrates of said first and second LCD panels, said contact electrode on said pixel array substrate of said first LCD panel is connected to said short ring on said pixel array substrate of said first LCD panel, and said contact electrode on said pixel array substrate of said second LCD panel is connected to said short ring on said pixel array substrate of said second LCD panel; and

wherein said light shielding and electrically conductive adhesive s electrically and mechanically bonded to said contact electrode on said pixel array substrate of said first LCD panel and to said contact electrode on said pixel array substrate of said second LCD panel.

5. The LCD device according to claim 4, wherein said short ring on said pixel array substrate is connected to said common electrode on said opposing substrate.

6. The LCD device according to claim 5, wherein said first and second LCD panels are fixed to a transparent supporting substrate.

7. The LCD device according to claim 5, wherein an upper surface of each of said first and second LCD panels is fixed to a first transparent supporting substrate, and a lower surface of each of said first and second LCD panels is fixed to a second transparent supporting substrate.

8. The LCD device according to claim 1, wherein a short ring is formed along remaining edges of each of said pixel array substrates of said first and second LCD panels, respectively, a contact electrode connected to said short ring is formed on a surface, along said one edge, of said pixel array substrate of each of said first and second LCD panels, and an edge of said contact electrode is aligned to an edge of said sealing region along said one edge.

9. A LCD device comprising:

an upper left LCD panel in which a pixel array substrate, on which a pixel array is formed, and an opposing substrate, on which a common electrode is formed, are sealed along a sealing region surrounding said pixel array;

an upper right LCD panel in which a pixel array substrate, on which a pixel array is formed, and an opposing substrate, on which a common electrode is formed, are sealed along a sealing region surrounding said pixel array;

a lower right LCD panel in which a pixel array substrate, on which a pixel array is formed, and an opposing substrate, on which a common electrode is formed, are sealed along a sealing region surrounding said pixel array; and

a lower left LCD panel in which a pixel array substrate, on which a pixel array is formed, and an opposing substrate, on which a common electrode is formed, are sealed along a sealing region surrounding said pixel array;

wherein a right edge of said upper left LCD panel is positioned in proximity and adjacent to a left edge of said upper right LCD panel;

wherein a bottom edge of said upper right LCD panel is positioned in proximity and adjacent to a top edge of said lower right LCD panel;

wherein a left edge of said lower right LCD panel is positioned in proximity and adjacent to a right edge of said lower left LCD panel;

wherein a top edge of said lower left LCD panel is positioned in proximity and adjacent to a bottom edge of said upper left LCD panel; and

wherein a light shielding and electrically conductive adhesive bonds said right edge of said upper left LCD panel and said left edge of said upper right LCD panel, bonds said bottom edge of said upper right LCD panel and said top edge of said lower right LCD panel, bonds said left edge of said lower right LCD panel and said right edge of said lower left LCD panel, and bonds said top edge of said lower left LCD panel and said bottom edge of said upper left LCD panel.

10. The LCD device according to claim 9, wherein said light shielding and electrically conductive adhesive is electrically connected to said common electrodes on each of said opposing substrates on said upper left LCD panel, said upper right LCD panel, said lower right LCD panel and said lower left LCD panel.

11. The LCD device according to claim 10, wherein a short ring is formed along remaining edges of each of said pixel array substrates of said upper left LCD panel, said upper right LCD panel, said lower right LCD panel and said lower left LCD panel, respectively;

and wherein said light shielding and electrically conductive adhesive is electrically connected to said short rings.

12. The LCD device according to claim 11, wherein said sealing region along said right edge and said bottom, edge of said pixel array substrate of said upper left LCD panel is separated from right edge and said bottom edge to expose a surface region of said pixel array substrate, respectively, and a contact electrode is formed on said surface region along at least one of said right edge and said bottom edge;

wherein said sealing region along said left edge and said bottom edge of said pixel array substrate of said upper right LCD panel is separated from left edge and said bottom edge to expose a surface region of said pixel array substrate, respectively, and a contact electrode is formed on said surface region along at least one of said left edge and said bottom edge;

wherein said sealing region along said top edge and said left edge of said pixel array substrate of said lower right LCD panel is separated from top edge and said left edge to expose a surface region of said pixel array substrate, respectively, and a contact electrode is formed on said surface region along at least one of said top edge and said left edge;

wherein said sealing region along said right edge and said top edge of said pixel array substrate of said lower left LCD panel is separated from right edge and said top edge to expose a surface region of said pixel array substrate, respectively, and a contact electrode is formed on said surface region along at least one of said right edge and said top edge;

wherein said contact electrodes are connected to said short rings; and

wherein said light shielding and electrically conductive adhesive is electrically and mechanically bonded to said contact electrodes.

13. The LCD device according to claim 12, wherein said short ring on said pixel array substrate is connected to said common electrode on said opposing substrate.

14. The LCD device according to claim 13, wherein said upper left LCD panel, said upper right LCD panel, said lower right LCD panel and said lower left LCD panel are fixed to a transparent supporting substrate.

15. The LCD device according to claim 13, wherein an upper surface of each of said upper left LCD panel, said upper right LCD panel, said lower right LCD panel and said lower left LCD panel is fixed to a first transparent supporting substrate, and a lower surface of each of said upper left LCD panel, said upper right LCD panel, said lower right LCD panel and said lower left LCD panel is fixed to a second transparent supporting substrate.

16. The LCD device according to claim 12, wherein a portion of said contact electrode is covered by said sealing region.

17. The LCD device according to claim 12, wherein said contact electrode is separated from said edge of said pixel array substrate.

18. The LCD device according to claim 12, wherein said contact electrode comprises a first portion formed on said surface region and a second portion formed between said sealing region and said pixel array, and said first portion and said second portion are connected.

19. The LCD device according to claim 12, wherein said contact electrode comprises a first portion formed on said surface region and a second portion covered by said sealing region, and said first portion and said second portion are connected.

20. The LCD device according to claim 9, wherein a short ring is formed along a top edge and a left edge of said pixel array substrate of said upper left LCD panel, a contact electrode connected to said short ring is formed on a surface, along said right edge and said bottom edge, of said pixel array substrate, and an edge of said contact electrode is aligned to edges of said sealing region along said right edge and said bottom edge,

wherein a short ring is formed along a top edge and a right edge of said pixel array substrate of said upper right LCD panel, a contact electrode connected to said short ring is formed on a surface, along said left edge and said bottom edge, of said pixel array substrate, and an edge of said contact electrode is aligned to edges of said sealing region along said left edge and said bottom edge,

wherein a short ring is formed along a right edge and a bottom edge of said pixel array substrate of said lower right LCD panel, a contact electrode connected to said short ring is formed on a surface, along said top edge and said left edge, of said pixel array substrate, and an edge of said contact electrode is aligned to edges of said sealing region along said top edge and said left edge, and

wherein a short ring is formed along a left edge and a bottom edge of said pixel array substrate of said lower left LCD panel, a contact electrode connected to said short ring is formed on a surface, along said right edge and said top edge, of said pixel array substrate, and an edge of said contact electrode is aligned to edges of said sealing region along said right edge and said top edge.

21. The LCD device according to claim 9, wherein a contact electrodes is formed on an outside surface region, which exists outside of said sealing region, of said pixel array substrate of said upper left LCD panel, at each of an upper right corner region and the lower left corner region, respectively;

wherein a contact electrodes is formed on an outside surface region, which exists outside of said sealing region, of said pixel array substrate of said upper right LCD panel, at each of a lower right corner region and an upper left corner region, respectively;

wherein a contact electrodes is formed on an outside surface region, which exists outside of said sealing region, of said pixel array substrate of said lower right LCD panel, at each of an upper right corner region and the lower left corner region, respectively; and

wherein a contact electrodes is formed on an outside surface region, which exists outside of said sealing region, of said pixel array substrate of said lower left LCD panel, at each of a lower right corner region and an upper left corner region, respectively.