Camera having a liquid crystal display device
First Claim
1. A camera having a liquid crystal display device as a module which is installed in a finder optical system, whereinsaid liquid crystal display device is composed of a liquid crystal display panel in which a first substrate formed with a signal electrode and a second substrate formed with a single counter electrode on one surface, respectively, are coupled together, with said signal electrode and said counter electrode opposed each other, with a fixed gap provided therebetween by interposing a sealing part at an outer peripheral part of a display area, and a liquid crystal layer is provided in the gap, wherein a finder screen is disposed outside said first substrate and a finder lens is disposed outside said second substrate of said liquid crystal display panel, said signal electrode is composed of a surrounding electrode formed as a single body over almost the entire area of said display area, a pattern electrode isolatedly formed within said surrounding electrode with a small gap therebetween, and a wiring electrode formed across said surrounding electrode with a gap provided between said wiring electrode and said surrounding electrode in order to selectively apply voltage to said pattern electrode, wherein said pattern electrode is a target electrode for displaying a target pattern for autofocus, said counter electrode is provided over the entire area of said display area to face said signal electrode, said first substrate, said second substrate, said signal electrode and said counter electrode are all transparent, said liquid crystal layer is a scattering type liquid crystal layer which changes in transmittance and scattering rate depending on existence or absence of application of voltage by means of said signal electrode and said counter electrode, in which scattering degree increases in a part to which voltage is not applied and transparency increases in a part to which voltage is applied, said small gap is made small in width so that scattering at said small gap is inconspicuous when most of display region becomes transparent by applying voltage between said signal electrode and said counter electrode and when said target pattern is displayed without applying voltage between said target electrode and said counter electrode, said wiring electrode is made small in width so as to be inconspicuous when said target pattern is displayed without applying voltage between said target electrode and said counter electrode, and a light source means which emits linearly polarized light is disposed outside a peripheral part of said liquid crystal display panel, and at least a part of said sealing part facing said light source means has a light transmitting property to allow linearly polarized light emitted from said light source means to pass through said sealing part and enter said liquid crystal layer.
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Abstract
A liquid crystal display panel in which a signal electrode provided on a first substrate (1), a counter electrode provided on a second substrate (2), and a liquid crystal layer (18) between the substrates, and which carries out display without polarizers by changing the degree of transmission and scattering by means of a voltage applied to a pixel part. A light source part (27) is provided along the periphery of both substrates (1, 2), and a polarization separating device (30) is provided between the liquid crystal panel and the light source part (27).
66 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A camera having a liquid crystal display device as a module which is installed in a finder optical system, wherein
said liquid crystal display device is composed of a liquid crystal display panel in which a first substrate formed with a signal electrode and a second substrate formed with a single counter electrode on one surface, respectively, are coupled together, with said signal electrode and said counter electrode opposed each other, with a fixed gap provided therebetween by interposing a sealing part at an outer peripheral part of a display area, and a liquid crystal layer is provided in the gap, wherein a finder screen is disposed outside said first substrate and a finder lens is disposed outside said second substrate of said liquid crystal display panel, said signal electrode is composed of a surrounding electrode formed as a single body over almost the entire area of said display area, a pattern electrode isolatedly formed within said surrounding electrode with a small gap therebetween, and a wiring electrode formed across said surrounding electrode with a gap provided between said wiring electrode and said surrounding electrode in order to selectively apply voltage to said pattern electrode, wherein said pattern electrode is a target electrode for displaying a target pattern for autofocus, said counter electrode is provided over the entire area of said display area to face said signal electrode, said first substrate, said second substrate, said signal electrode and said counter electrode are all transparent, said liquid crystal layer is a scattering type liquid crystal layer which changes in transmittance and scattering rate depending on existence or absence of application of voltage by means of said signal electrode and said counter electrode, in which scattering degree increases in a part to which voltage is not applied and transparency increases in a part to which voltage is applied, said small gap is made small in width so that scattering at said small gap is inconspicuous when most of display region becomes transparent by applying voltage between said signal electrode and said counter electrode and when said target pattern is displayed without applying voltage between said target electrode and said counter electrode, said wiring electrode is made small in width so as to be inconspicuous when said target pattern is displayed without applying voltage between said target electrode and said counter electrode, and a light source means which emits linearly polarized light is disposed outside a peripheral part of said liquid crystal display panel, and at least a part of said sealing part facing said light source means has a light transmitting property to allow linearly polarized light emitted from said light source means to pass through said sealing part and enter said liquid crystal layer.
Specification
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- Resources
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Current AssigneeCitizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
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Original AssigneeCitizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
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InventorsHoshino, Koichi, Hashimoto, Nobuyuki, Kikuchi, Masami, Sekiguchi, Kanetaka
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Primary Examiner(s)Parker, Kenneth
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Assistant Examiner(s)Duong, Thoi V.
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Application NumberUS09/926,803Time in Patent Office1,677 DaysField of Search349/61, 349/139, 349/62, 349/86, 349/153, 349/65, 349/151, 349/152, 349/149, 349/96, 354/53, 396/296, 396/219, 396/232, 348/333.01, 348/333.02US Class Current349/139CPC Class CodesG02F 1/1334 based on polymer dispersed ...G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, ...G02F 1/13362 providing polarized light, ...
