LCD pixel design varying by color

• US 8,294,647 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Cheng, Xu, Ming, Gu, Mingxia, Chang, Shih Chang, Gettemy, Shawn Robert, Zhong, John Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOFFNER, LINH NGUYEN
• Application Number:
  US12/371,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20100207858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 345/88
• US Class Current: 345/88
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/52 RGB geometrical arrangements

Abstract

A liquid crystal display (LCD) having a plurality of pixels is provided. In one embodiment, the pixels of the LCD each include common and pixel electrodes formed on an insulating layer, and a liquid crystal layer responsive to electric fields generated by the electrodes. The plurality of pixels may include two or more sets of pixels each configured to transmit light of a different color, and the pixel electrodes of one set of pixels may be configured differently from those of another set. In other embodiments, the sizes of the pixels may differ. Various additional devices and methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel comprising:

a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising;

a common electrode formed on an insulating layer;

a pixel electrode formed on the insulating layer; and

a liquid crystal layer responsive to electric fields generated by the common and pixel electrodes;

wherein the plurality of pixels includes at least two sets of pixels that are each configured to emit a different color of light, and wherein the pixel electrodes of the pixels in a first set of the at least two sets of pixels are configured different than the pixel electrodes of the pixels in a second set of the at least two sets of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels are configured to emit a substantially uniform respective peak transmittance at a common voltage.

2. The LCD panel of claim 1, wherein each of the pixel electrodes includes two or more elongated portions spaced apart from one another.

3. The LCD panel of claim 2, wherein the two or more elongated portions of the pixel electrodes of the pixels in the first set have different widths than the two or more elongated portions of the pixel electrodes in the second set.

4. The LCD panel of claim 2, wherein the two or more elongated portions of the pixel electrodes of the pixels in the first set are spaced at a greater distance apart than the two or more elongated portions of the pixel electrodes in the second set.

5. The LCD panel of claim 1, wherein the at least two sets of pixels include a set of red pixels, a set of green pixels, and a set of blue pixels.

6. The LCD panel of claim 1, wherein the common electrode and the pixel electrode are formed on opposite sides of the insulating layer.

7. An electronic device comprising:

one or more input structures;

a storage structure encoding one or more executable routines;

a processor capable of receiving inputs from the one or more input structures and of executing the one or more executable routines when loaded in a memory; and

a liquid crystal display (LCD) capable of displaying an output of the processor, wherein the LCD includes a plurality of different-colored pixels, the different-colored pixels each comprising;

a color filter enabling the pixel to output light having a wavelength associated with a respective color;

a liquid crystal layer; and

at least one electrode capable of controlling transmittance of the liquid crystal layer;

wherein the shape of the at least one electrode of each pixel associated with one color is different than the shape of the at least one electrode of each pixel associated with another color, wherein the shape of the electrodes are configured to provide a substantially uniform transmittance-voltage response of the plurality of different-colored pixels upon application of a common voltage.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the at least one electrode of each pixel includes an electrode having one or more slits.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the contours of the one or more slits are different for each pixel associated with one color than for each pixel associated with another color.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the number of slits varies according to the color associated with the respective pixel.

11. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the LCD panel includes a fringe field switching LCD panel.

12. A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel comprising:

a plurality of red pixels;

a plurality of green pixels; and

a plurality of blue pixels;

wherein the pluralities of red pixels, green pixels, and blue pixels are configured such that the transmittance response of each of the red, green, and blue pixels, upon application of a common voltage to each of the red, green, and blue pixels, is substantially uniform.

13. The LCD panel of claim 12, wherein the pixels of at least one of the pluralities of red, green, and blue pixels have different sizes than those of another of the pluralities of red, green, and blue pixels.

14. The LCD panel of claim 13, wherein the pixels of each of the pluralities of red, green, and blue pixels have different sizes than those of the other pluralities of red, green, and blue pixels.

15. The LCD panel of claim 12, wherein the pixels of each of the pluralities of red, green, and blue pixels have different cell gaps than those of the other pluralities of red, green, and blue pixels.

16. A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel including a pixel array comprising:

a first column of pixels;

a second column of pixels adjacent the first column of pixels; and

a third column of pixels adjacent the second column of pixels;

wherein each pixel of the first, second, and third columns of pixels includes one or more electrodes configured to control orientation of molecules in a liquid crystal layer, and wherein the one or more electrodes of each pixel of the first, second, and third columns are substantially identical to the one or more electrodes of other pixels in its respective column, but different than the one or more electrodes of the pixels in the other two columns of the first, second, and third columns of pixels, wherein each pixel of the first, second, and third columns of pixels are configured to emit a substantially uniform respective peak transmittance at a common voltage.

17. The LCD panel of claim 16, wherein each of the first, second, and third columns of pixels includes pixels of a single respective color.

18. The LCD panel of claim 16, wherein the one or more electrodes of each pixel in one of the first, second, or third columns differ in at least one of shape or dimensions in comparison to the pixels in the other two columns.

19. An electronic device comprising:

one or more input structures;

a storage structure encoding one or more executable routines;

a processor capable of receiving inputs from the one or more input structures and of executing the one or more executable routines when loaded in a memory; and

a liquid crystal display (LCD) capable of displaying an output of the processor, wherein the LCD includes respective pluralities of red, green, and blue pixels, each pixel comprising;

a liquid crystal material;

first and second electrodes formed on opposite sides of an insulating layer,

wherein the first electrode includes a plurality of finger portions separated from one another by one or more respective slits in the first electrode; and

a transistor configured to control generation of an electric field to vary the orientation of molecules within the liquid crystal layer;

wherein at least one of the finger portions or slits of the pixels within one of the pluralities of red, green, or blue pixels differ in at least one of length or width from those of the pixels of the other pluralities of red, green, or blue pixels, wherein the at least one of the finger portions or slits of the pixels within one of the pluralities of red, green, or blue pixels are configured to provide a substantially uniform transmittance-voltage response of each of the plurality of the pluralities of red, green, and blue pixels upon application of a common voltage.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein at least one of the finger portions or slits of the pixels within one of the pluralities of red, green, or blue pixels differ in shape from those of the pixels of the other pluralities of red, green, or blue pixels.

21. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the first electrodes of the pixels in one of the pluralities of red, green, or blue pixels have a greater number of finger portions than those of the pixels in another of the pluralities of red, green, or blue pixels.

22. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein at least one of the finger portions or slits of the pixels within each of the pluralities of red, green, or blue pixels differ in at least one of length or width from those of the pixels of the other pluralities of red, green, or blue pixels.

23. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of pixels on a substrate, wherein forming the plurality of pixels comprises;

forming a thin film transistor (TFT) for each pixel; and

forming an electrode in electrical communication with the TFT for each pixel,

wherein the electrodes of some pixels differ in configuration from those of other pixels,

wherein the electrodes are configured to provide a substantially uniform transmittance-voltage response of the plurality of pixels upon application of a common voltage.

24. The method of claim 23, comprising:

coupling the substrate to an additional substrate having a plurality of color filters; and

providing a liquid crystal layer between the substrate and the additional substrate.

25. A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel comprising:

a plurality of pixels including a first set of pixels associated with a first color and a second set of pixels associated with a second color, wherein the pixels of the first set include cell gaps different in magnitude than cell gaps of the pixels of the second set, wherein the cell gaps of the plurality of pixels are configured to provide a substantially uniform transmittance-voltage response of the plurality of pixels upon application of a common voltage.

26. The LCD display of claim 25, wherein the cell gaps of the pixels of the first and second sets are configured to reduce a difference in transmittance-voltage response between the pixels of the first set and the pixels of the second set.

27. The LCD display of claim 25, wherein the plurality of pixels includes a set of red pixels, a set of green pixels, and a set of blue pixels.