Liquid crystal display

• US 7,948,580 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Morishita, Katsuhiko, Kataoka, Yoshiharu, Sakai, Takehiko, Tsukamura, Chikanori, Chiba, Dai, Okazaki, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Uyen-Chau N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu; Chris H
• Application Number:
  US12/293,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20090096954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,615 Days
• Field of Search: 349/74, 349/117, 349/119, 349/127
• US Class Current: 349/64
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1323 Arrangements for providing a switchable viewing angle
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133607 the light controlling member including light directing or refracting elements, e.g. prisms or lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1347 Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells

Abstract

A liquid crystal display includes a backlight (3), a liquid crystal display panel (1), and a viewing angle control panel (2) for controlling the viewing angle of the display panel (1), the liquid crystal display further including a lens sheet (41) provided between the backlight (3) and the liquid crystal display panel (1). This provides a display device system which is capable of providing better blocking.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display, comprising:

a backlight;

a display panel;

a viewing angle control panel for controlling a viewing angle of the display panel; and

a lens sheet provided either (i) between the backlight and the display panel which is provided so as to be closer to the backlight than to the viewing angle control panel, or (ii) between the backlight and the viewing angle control panel which is provided so as to be closer to the backlight than to the display panel, wherein

the viewing angle control panel includes;

a liquid crystal cell; and

a driving circuit for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, said liquid crystal cell including;

a pair of light-transmitting substrates; and

a liquid crystal layer, provided between the light-transmitting substrates, in which liquid crystal molecules are aligned vertically when no voltage is applied, and

the liquid crystal cell of the viewing angle control panel being provided between two polarizing plates which face each other so that polarizing transmission axes are substantially orthogonal to each other, and

the driving circuit causing an alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer of the liquid crystal cell of the viewing angle control panel to be switched between a first alignment and a second alignment so that a display state is switched between a first viewing angle range and a second viewing angle range which is within the first viewing angle range and is narrower than the first viewing angle range,

said first viewing angle range occurring when a first voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer, and said second viewing angle range occurring when a second voltage that is different from said first voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer, and

said first alignment being an alignment in which molecular long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are parallel to surfaces of the light-transmitting substrates, and said second alignment being an alignment in which the molecular long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are slanted with respect to the normals of the light-transmitting substrates.

2. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1, wherein each of the display panel and the viewing angle control panel includes a liquid crystal cell,

said liquid crystal display, further comprising:

at least one polarizing plate, which has not been subjected to a diffusion treatment, provided between the liquid crystal cell of the display panel and the liquid crystal cell of the viewing angle control panel.

3. A liquid crystal display, comprising:

a backlight;

a display panel;

a viewing angle control panel for controlling a viewing angle of the display panel; and

a plurality of layered lens sheets provided either (i) between the backlight and the display panel which is provided so as to be closer to the backlight than to the viewing angle control panel, or (ii) between the backlight and the viewing angle control panel which is provided so as to be closer to the backlight than to the display panel, wherein

the viewing angle control panel includes;

a liquid crystal cell; and

a driving circuit for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, said liquid crystal cell including;

a pair of light-transmitting substrates; and

a liquid crystal layer, provided between the light-transmitting substrates, in which liquid crystal molecules are aligned vertically when no voltage is applied, and

the liquid crystal cell of the viewing angle control panel being provided between two polarizing plates which face each other so that polarizing transmission axes are substantially orthogonal to each other, and

the driving circuit causing an alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer of the liquid crystal cell of the viewing angle control panel to be switched between a first alignment and a second alignment so that a display state is switched between a first viewing angle range and a second viewing angle range which is within the first viewing angle range and is narrower than the first viewing angle range,

said first viewing angle range occurring when a first voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer, and said second viewing angle range occurring when a second voltage that is different from said first voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer, and

said first alignment being an alignment in which molecular long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are parallel to surfaces of the light-transmitting substrates, and said second alignment being an alignment in which the molecular long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are slanted with respect to the normals of the light-transmitting substrates.

4. The liquid crystal display according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of layered lens sheets are made up of a first lens sheet and a second lens sheet,

the first lens sheet being provided so as to be closer to the backlight and having a prism ridgeline pattern which is vertically stripped with respect to the display panel, and

the second lens sheet being provided on the first lens sheet and having a prism ridgeline pattern which is horizontally stripped with respect to the display panel.

5. The liquid crystal display according to claim 4, wherein each of the display panel and the viewing angle control panel includes a liquid crystal cell,

said liquid crystal display, further comprising:

at least one polarizing plate, which has not been subjected to a diffusion treatment, provided between the liquid crystal cell of the display panel and the liquid crystal cell of the viewing angle control panel.

6. The liquid crystal display according to claim 3, wherein each of the display panel and the viewing angle control panel includes a liquid crystal cell,

said liquid crystal display, further comprising:

at least one polarizing plate, which has not been subjected to a diffusion treatment, provided between the liquid crystal cell of the display panel and the liquid crystal cell of the viewing angle control panel.

7. A liquid crystal display, comprising:

a backlight;

a display panel; and

a viewing angle control panel for controlling a viewing angle of the display panel,

each of the display panel and the viewing angle control panel including a liquid crystal cell,

said liquid crystal display, further comprising;

at least one polarizing plate, which has not been subjected to a diffusion treatment, provided between the liquid crystal cell of the display panel and the liquid crystal cell of the viewing angle control panel, wherein

the viewing angle control panel includes;

a liquid crystal cell; and

a driving circuit for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, said liquid crystal cell including;

a pair of light-transmitting substrates; and

a liquid crystal layer, provided between the light-transmitting substrates, in which liquid crystal molecules are aligned vertically when no voltage is applied, and

the liquid crystal cell of the viewing angle control panel being provided between two polarizing plates which face each other so that polarizing transmission axes are substantially orthogonal to each other, and

the driving circuit causing an alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer of the liquid crystal cell of the viewing angle control panel to be switched between a first alignment and a second alignment so that a display state is switched between a first viewing angle range and a second viewing angle range which is within the first viewing angle range and is narrower than the first viewing angle range,

said first viewing angle range occurring when a first voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer, and said second viewing angle range occurring when a second voltage that is different from said first voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer, and

said first alignment being an alignment in which molecular long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are parallel to surfaces of the light-transmitting substrates, and said second alignment being an alignment in which the molecular long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are slanted with respect to the normals of the light-transmitting substrates.