Display device, viewing angle control device, and electronic device

• US 8,031,273 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fukushima, Hiroshi, Imai, Akira, Yabuta, Koji, Takatani, Tomoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Briggs; Nathanael R
• Application Number:
  US11/575,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20080055221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,213 Days
• Field of Search: 349/12, 349/1, 349/129, 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 349/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0444 using a single conductive element covering the whole sensing surface, e.g. by sensing the electrical current flowing at the corners
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/028 by changing the viewing angle properties, e.g. widening the viewing angle, adapting the viewing angle to the view direction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/068 for control of viewing angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers

Abstract

A first transparent electrode film, which is a component of a SW-LCD for viewing angle control, is used as a touch panel. When a contacting object contacts the surface of the first transparent electrode film, a position detector detects currents flowing from plural parts of the first transparent electrode film so as to detect the contacting position of the contacting object, with reference to the detection result. With this, it is possible to provide a built-in touch sensor display device which is thin, lightweight, and low-cost, a viewing angle control device, and an electronic device.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

an image display device arranged to display an image; and

a display switching device arranged to electrically switch the image displayed on the image display device, between (i) a single image display mode in which the image is viewable in any of a front direction and a plurality of oblique directions with respect to the image display device, and (ii) a plural image display mode in which the image is viewable in the front direction but not in the plurality of oblique directions, the image display device being provided on a front side of the display device;

wherein

the display switching device is arranged to keep a liquid crystal layer between a pair of substrates and includes a front-side first transparent conductive film arranged to apply a voltage to the liquid crystal layer and a back-side second transparent conductive film, and

the display device further includes a position detection device arranged to detect, when a contacting object contacts a front surface of the display switching device, a contacting position of the contacting object by detecting currents flowing from plural parts of the first transparent conductive film.

2. The display device as defined in claim 1, wherein,

in the single image display mode, an image displayed by the image display device is viewable in any directions, whereas, in the plural image display mode, when viewed in a certain direction, another image overlaps the image displayed by the image display device, on account of birefringence caused by the display switching device.

3. The display device as defined in claim 1, wherein,

the display switching device further includes a first polarizing device arranged to output unidirectional linearly polarized light and a second polarizing device arranged to allow the linearly polarized light, which has been output from the display switching device, to pass through,

when liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are projected in a direction orthogonal to surfaces of said pair of substrates, a longitudinal axis direction of liquid crystal molecules is always in parallel to or orthogonal to a linear polarization direction of light incident to the liquid crystal molecules,

in the single image display mode, a longitudinal axis direction of at least some of the liquid crystal molecules is aligned to be in parallel to or orthogonal to the surfaces of said pair of substrates, and

in the plural image display mode, the longitudinal axis direction of said at least some of the liquid crystal molecules is aligned to be tilted with respect to the surfaces of said pair of substrates.

4. The display device as defined in claim 1, wherein,

(i) display switching performed by the display switching device between the single image display mode and the plural image display mode and (ii) detection of the contacting position of the contacting object by the position detection device are alternately switchable.

5. The display device as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a first circuit which is arranged to supply a voltage or current to the first transparent conductive film for display switching; and

a second circuit which is arranged to supply a voltage or current to the first transparent conductive film for position detection, wherein

a frequency of the voltage or current supplied from the first circuit to the first transparent conductive film is different from a frequency of the voltage or current supplied from the second circuit to the first transparent conductive film.

6. The display device as defined in claim 5, further comprising a frequency detection device arranged to obtain only a voltage or current which has a particular frequency.

7. The display device as defined in claim 1, wherein,

the first transparent conductive film is divided so as to have plural regions, and a current flowing between at least two of the regions is detected by the position detection device.

8. The display device as defined in claim 3, wherein,

a polarization transmission axis of the first polarizing device is in parallel to a polarization transmission axis of the second polarizing device, and

the polarization transmission axes are in parallel to or orthogonal to the longitudinal axis direction of the liquid crystal molecules, when the liquid crystal molecules are projected in the direction orthogonal to the surfaces of said pair of substrates.

9. The display device as defined in claim 1, wherein,

the second transparent conductive film is a pattern electrode with a particular shape, and

alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer changes at a region where a voltage or current is applied to the pattern electrode.

10. The display device as defined in claim 3, further comprising a third polarizing device arranged to cause unidirectional linearly polarized light to enter the image display device,

the third polarizing device being provided on one surface of the image display device, whereas the first polarizing device is provided on the other surface of the image display device,

the second polarizing device being provided on one surface of the display switching device, and

the other surface of the display switching device, on which the second polarizing device is not provided, being pasted onto the image display device.

11. The display device as defined in claim 1, wherein,

in the plural image display mode, a longitudinal axis direction of liquid crystal molecules forms an angle of not less than 40°

and not more than 50°

with surfaces of said pair of substrates.

13. An electronic device comprising the display device defined in claim 1.

12. A viewing angle control device which controls a viewing angle of incident light and outputs the incident light, and which also detects a contacting position of a contacting object on a surface of a device, the viewing angle control device comprising:

a liquid crystal element;

a linear polarization plate provided on the liquid crystal element; and

a position detection element, wherein

the liquid crystal element includes an opposing transparent electrode,

when the contacting object contacts, the position detection element detecting the contacting position of the contacting object by detecting currents flowing from plural portions of the opposing transparent electrode,

a longitudinal axis direction of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal element being in parallel to a plane formed by (i) a direction of either a transmission axis or an absorption axis of the linear polarization plate and (ii) a traveling direction of light,

the liquid crystal molecules being either;

in parallel to or orthogonal to the traveling direction of the light;

or tilted with respect to the traveling direction of the light, and

the viewing angle control device is arranged to switch the viewing angle of the incident light between (i) a wide angle viewing mode in which the incident light is viewable in any direction, and (ii) a narrow angle viewing mode in which the incident light is viewable only in a specific direction such that at least a portion of the incident light is not viewable in a direction different from the specific direction.

14. An electronic device comprising the viewing angle control device defined in claim 12.