Display device

• US 6,967,763 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2004
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujii, Takamichi, Harada, Akinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Spector, David N.
• Application Number:
  US10/794,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20040179259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 345/48, 345/84, 345/107, 359/290, 359/291, 359/295, 359/296, 359/297
• US Class Current: 359/297
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/004 based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid

Abstract

A display device comprises a plurality of light modulating elements being arranged in an array. In the display device, an image is displayed by driving the light modulating elements and each of the light modulating elements has a pair of substrates which are spaced apart from each other; a fluid which is enclosed in a sealed space formed by a gap between the substrates; and a driving section which deforms the fluid in the sealed space to control an area of the fluid in the sealed space, the area extending in a face of at least one of the substrates, thereby adjusting an amount of transmitted light or reflected light.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a plurality of light modulating elements being arranged in an array,

wherein an image is displayed by driving the light modulating elements; and

wherein each of the light modulating elements has;

a pair of substrates which are spaced apart from each other;

a fluid which is enclosed in a sealed space formed by a gap between the substrates; and

a driving section which deforms the fluid in the sealed space to control an area of the fluid in the sealed space, the area extending in a face of at least one of the substrates, thereby adjusting an amount of transmitted light or reflected light.

2. A display device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a magnetic fluid exhibiting magnetism, and the driving section includes a magnetic force generating section which generates a magnetic field in the sealed space to deform the fluid by means of a magnetic force.

3. A display device according to claim 1, wherein the driving section includes a piezoelectric member which is deformed by applying a voltage to change a thickness of the sealed space, thereby deforming the fluid.

4. A display device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a colored fluid containing a colored substance, and a transparent fluid which is nonmiscible in the colored fluid is enclosed in the sealed space.

5. A display device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a transparent fluid, and a colored fluid which is nonmiscible in the transparent fluid is enclosed in the sealed space.

6. A display device according to claim 4, wherein one or both of the colored fluid and the transparent fluid is a thixotropic fluid having a property that, in a quiescent state, the fluid is solidified in a gel state, and the fluid is set to a sol state by an external force to become fluent.

7. A display device according to claim 5, wherein one or both of the colored fluid and the transparent fluid is a thixotropic fluid having a property that, in a quiescent state, the fluid is solidified in a gel state, and the fluid is set to a sol state by an external force to become fluent.

8. A display device according to claim 1, wherein a backlight which emits light is disposed on a side of rear faces of the arranged light modulating elements.

9. A display device according to claim 1, wherein a reflection plate or a white diffusion plate which reflects light is disposed on a side of rear faces of the arranged light modulating elements.

10. A display device according to claim 8, wherein a microlens array is disposed between the light modulating elements and the backlight, the microlens array having a plurality of microlenses which converge light from the backlight to light modulating regions of the respective light modulating elements.