Sub-pixel structure in transflective color liquid crystal display

• US 7,564,530 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optronic Sciences LLC (Lumina Innovations LLC)
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Pei, Chih-Chun, Hung, Kuo-Yung, Hu, Chih-Jen, Chang, Chih-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Font; Frank G
• Assistant Examiner(s): El Shammaa; Mary A
• Application Number:
  US11/321,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20070153165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 349/143
• US Class Current: 349/143
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/52 RGB geometrical arrangements

Abstract

The pixel in a transflective color LCD panel of the present invention has an additional sub-pixel area. According to the present invention, a pixel is selectively divided into at least three color sub-pixels in R, G, B and a fourth sub-pixel M. Each of the color sub-pixels R, G and B is selectively divided into a transmission area and a reflection area. The fourth sub-pixel M can be entirely reflective or partially reflective. The color filter for use in the pixel comprises R, G, B color filter segments corresponding to the R, G, B color sub-pixels and a filter segment for the fourth sub-pixel. The filter segment for the fourth sub-pixel can be entirely colorless or partially colorless. Furthermore, one or more of the R, G, B color filer segments associated with the reflection area may have a colorless sub-segment.

Claims

1. A transflective liquid crystal display having a plurality of pixels, comprising:

a first substrate having a common electrode;

a second substrate; and

a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second substrate, the liquid crystal layer comprising a plurality of layer segments associated with a plurality of pixels, wherein at least some of the pixels comprise a plurality of sub-pixels and wherein at least three of the sub-pixels are color sub-pixels for providing three different colors in the liquid crystal display and at least one of the sub-pixels is a fourth sub-pixel for providing a fourth color different from said three colors, and wherein each of the color sub-pixels comprises a transmission area having a transmissive electrode disposed on the second substrate and a reflection area having a reflective electrode disposed on the second substrate, and the fourth sub-pixel comprises a further reflective electrode disposed on the second substrate, wherein the fourth sub-pixel has a reflection area associated with the further reflective electrode, said fourth sub-pixel further comprises a transmission area having a further transmissive electrode disposed on the second substrate.

2. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the reflection area in the fourth sub-pixel is smaller than the reflection area in each of the color sub-pixels.

3. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the reflection area in the fourth sub-pixel is substantially equal to the reflection area in each of the color sub-pixels.

4. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the reflection area in the fourth sub-pixel is larger than the reflection area in each of the color sub-pixels.

5. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the further transmission electrode is electrically connected to the transmissive electrode of one of the color sub-pixels.

6. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the fourth sub-pixel is equal in area to at least one of the color sub-pixels.

7. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the fourth sub-pixel is smaller than each of the color sub-pixels.

8. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the fourth sub-pixel is larger than each of the color sub-pixels.

9. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein each pixel further comprises a filter disposed on the first substrate, the filter comprising three color filter segments and a fourth filter segment, and wherein

each of the color filter segments has a color associated with one of the color sub-pixels, and

the fourth filter segment has a colorless sub-segment and a color sub-segment having a color substantially the same as the color of one of the color filter segments.

10. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein each pixel further comprises a filter disposed on the first substrate, the filter comprising three color filter segments and a fourth filter segment, and wherein

each of the color filter segments has a color associated with one of the color sub-pixels, and

the fourth filter segment has a colorless sub-segment associated with the further reflective electrode, and a color sub-segment associated with the further transmissive electrode, the color sub-segment having a color substantially the same as the color of one of the color filter segments.

11. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein each pixel further comprises a filter disposed on the first substrate, the filter comprising three color filter segments and a fourth filter segment, and wherein

each of the color filter segments has a color associated with one of the color sub-pixels, and

the fourth filter segment is colorless.

12. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein each pixel further comprises a filter disposed on the first substrate, the filter comprising three color filter segments and a fourth filter segment, and wherein

the fourth filter segment is colorless, and

each of the color filter segments has a color associated with one of the color sub-pixels, wherein at least one of the color filter segments has a colorless sub-segment disposed in the reflection area of the color sub-pixels associated with said at least one color filter segment.

13. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the color sub-pixels and the fourth sub-pixel are arranged as a plurality of strips within said pixel and the fourth sub-pixel is adjacent to only one of the color sub-pixels within said each pixel.

14. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the color sub-pixels and the fourth sub-pixel are arranged as a plurality of strips within said pixel and the fourth sub-pixel is disposed between two of the color sub-pixels.

15. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the color sub-pixels and the fourth sub-pixel are disposed in four quadrants of a rectangular or square pixel.

16. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein some of the pixels have only three color sub-pixels.

17. The transflective liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the pixels are arranged in a plurality of pixel rows including a pixel row and an adjacent pixel row, wherein

the color sub-pixels and the fourth sub-pixel in each of the pixel in the pixel row are arranged in a first order, and

the color sub-pixels and the fourth sub-pixel in each of the pixel in the adjacent pixel row are arranged in a second order different from the first order.

18. A method to improve viewing quality of a transflective liquid crystal display having a plurality of pixels, said method comprising the steps of:

partitioning each of at least some of the pixels into a plurality of sub-pixels, wherein at least three of the sub-pixels are color sub-pixels for providing three different colors in the display and at least one of the sub-pixels is a fourth sub-pixel for providing a fourth color different from the three colors;

partitioning each of said color sub-pixels into a transmission area having a transmissive electrode and a reflection area having a reflective electrode; and

providing a further reflective electrode in the fourth sub-pixel, wherein the fourth sub-pixel is partitioned into a transmission area and a reflection area, the reflection area being associated with the further reflective electrode, said method further comprising the step of providing a further transmissive electrode in the transmission area of the fourth sub-pixel.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of

providing a color filter to the pixel, the color filter having three color filter segments, each of the color filter segments being associated with one of the color sub-pixels.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein each of said at least some pixels further comprises a color filter, the color filter comprising three color filter segments, each of the color filter segments being associated with one of the color sub-pixel, and wherein the color filter further comprises a further filter segment associated with the further transmissive electrode in the fourth sub-pixel.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the color filter segment of at least one color sub-pixel has a colorless sub-segment associated with the reflective electrode in said at least one color sub-pixel.