Multi-color display device

• US 6,580,482 B1
• Filed: 11/09/1999
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hiji, Naoki, Yamamoto, Shigeru, Hikichi, Takehito, Suzuki, Teiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): DUDEK, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US09/436,227
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 349/106, 349/115, 349/74
• US Class Current: 349/115
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13473 for wavelength filtering or for colour display without the use of colour mosaic filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13478 based on selective reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13718 based on a change of the texture state of a cholesteric liquid crystal

Abstract

A reflective-type multi-color display device is capable of obtaining a vivid and bright multi-color display with less display layers, and therefore, with a state where a parallax is decreased and a cost of the device can be reduced. Specifically, the display device of the present invention includes a cell 51 having a display layer 31 comprising a right-handed cholesteric liquid crystal which selects and reflects blue, a cell 53 having a display layer 33 comprising a left-handed cholesteric liquid crystal which selects and reflects green, a cell 57 having a display layer 37 comprising a right-handed cholesteric liquid crystal which selects and reflects yellow and a cell 55 having a display layer 35 comprising a left-handed cholesteric liquid crystal which selects and reflects red, these layers being laminated in this order from the observation side. A color filter 43 which transmits red and absorbs the other color light is provided between the cell 57 and the cell 55. A black light-absorbing layer 41 is formed at the back side of the cell 55.

Claims

1. A multi-color display device comprising a plurality of display layers laminated with one another, the display layers each comprising a single cholesteric liquid crystal layer and each having a different wave band of a selective reflection, wherein a helix sense of a cholesteric liquid crystal of at least one display layer is different from those of cholesteric liquid crystals of the other display layers.

2. The multi-color display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of display layers are three layers comprising each of cholesteric liquid crystal layers selecting and reflecting blue, green and red respectively.

3. The multi-color display device according to claim 2, wherein the helix sense of the cholesteric liquid crystal of the green display layer is different from the helix senses of the cholesteric liquid crystals of the blue and red display layers.

4. The multi-color display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of display layers are four layers comprising each of cholesteric liquid crystal layers selecting and reflecting blue, green, yellow and red respectively.

5. The multi-color display device according to claim 4, wherein the helix senses of the cholesteric liquid crystals of the blue and yellow are the same while they are different from the helix senses of the cholesteric liquid crystals of the green and red display layers.

6. A multi-color display device comprising a plurality of display layers laminated with one another, the display layers each comprising a single cholesteric liquid crystal layer and each having a different wave band of a selective reflection, wherein the helix senses of the cholesteric liquid crystals of all the display layers are the same, and a retardation layer for changing reversely a circular deviation is provided between one display layer and the other display layer adjacent to the one layer.

7. The multi-color display device according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of display layers are three display layers comprising a first display layer comprising a cholesteric liquid crystal which selects and reflects green and a second and third display layers comprising cholesteric liquid crystals each selecting and reflecting blue and red or red and blue, and wherein the retardation layer is provided between the first display layer and the second display layer.

8. The multi-color display device according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of display layers are four display layers comprising a first and second display layers comprising cholesteric liquid crystals each selecting and reflecting blue and yellow or yellow and blue and a third and fourth display layers comprising cholesteric liquid crystals each selecting and reflecting green and red or red and green, and wherein the retardation layer is provided between the second display layer and the third display layer.

9. A multi-color display device comprising a plurality of display layers laminated with one another, the display layers each comprising a single cholesteric liquid crystal layer and each having a different wave band of a selective reflection, wherein:

a helix sense of a cholesteric liquid crystal of at least one display layer is different from those of cholesteric liquid crystals of the other display layers;

or

each of the display layers has a cholesteric liquid crystal, each of the cholesteric liquid crystal having a same helix sense, and a retardation layer for changing reversely a circular deviation is provided between one display layer and another display layer adjacent to the one layer.

10. A multi-color display device comprising a plurality of cholesteric liquid crystal layer laminated with each other and each having a different wave band of a selective reflection, wherein a helix sense of a cholesteric liquid crystal of at least one cholesteric liquid crystal layer is different from those of cholesteric liquid crystals of the other cholesteric liquid crystal layers.