Display device having reflective region and transmissive region

• US 8,208,102 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2006
• 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: Nishida, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lauren
• Application Number:
  US12/373,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20090262286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 349/114, 349/141, 349/113
• US Class Current: 349/114
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134363 for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134372 for fringe field switching [FFS] where the common electrode is not patterned
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/137 characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering

Abstract

The present invention is a display device which can provide bright display by both of reflective display and transmissive display without having a multi-gap structure and which can reduce a difference in response time between the reflective region and the transmissive region. The display device of the present invention is a display device including: a pair of substrates; a display medium interposed between the pair of substrates; and a pixel having a reflective region for performing reflective display and a transmissive region for performing transmissive display, wherein the display device includes a pixel electrode and a common electrode on one of the pair of substrates, a voltage is applied to the display medium through the pixel electrode and the common electrode, each of the pixel electrode and the common electrode is provided with a slit, the pixel electrode is provided with the slit in the reflective region and the transmissive region, and the common electrode is provided with the slit in the reflective region.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a pair of substrates;

a display medium interposed between the pair of substrates; and

a pixel having a reflective region for performing reflective display and a transmissive region for performing transmissive display,

wherein the display device includes a pixel electrode and a common electrode on one of the pair of substrates,

a voltage is applied to the display medium through the pixel electrode and the common electrode,

each of the pixel electrode and the common electrode is provided with a slit,

the pixel electrode is provided with the slit in the reflective region and the transmissive region, and

the common electrode comprises a first portion in the reflective region and a second portion in the transmissive region, wherein the first portion of the common electrode in the reflective region comprises a plurality of slits defined in the common electrode, and the second portion of the common electrode in the transmissive region does not include a plurality of slits defined therein, so that the common electrode does not include a plurality of slits in the transmissive region of the pixel.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the common electrode is formed over the entire transmissive region.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the common electrode has a comb-tooth shape in the reflective region.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the common electrode is entirely surrounded by the common electrode.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the common electrode has a rectangular shape.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the common electrode has a rectangular shape having at least one bent part.

7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the common electrode has a zig-zag shape.

8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the common electrode has a circular arc shape.

9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the common electrode has a meandering shape.

10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel electrode has a comb-tooth shape.

11. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the pixel electrode is entirely surrounded by the pixel electrode.

12. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the pixel electrode has a rectangular shape.

13. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the pixel electrode has a rectangular shape having at least one bent part.

14. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the pixel electrode has a zig-zag shape.

15. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the pixel electrode has a circular arc shape.

16. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the pixel electrode has a meandering shape.

17. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the slit of the pixel electrode has substantially the same shape as a shape of the slit of the common electrode.

18. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a width of the slit of the pixel electrode in the reflective region is larger than a width of the slit of the pixel electrode in the transmissive region.

19. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a shield electrode is arranged between the pixel electrode and the common electrode in the reflective region.

20. The display device according to claim 19, wherein the shield electrode is connected to ground.