Display device, electronic appliance, optical member, display panel, controller, and control method for driving display panel

• US 8,362,975 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beihai HKC Optoelectronics Technology Company Limited
• Original Assignee: NLT Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Uehara, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, TONY O
• Application Number:
  US12/388,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20090243971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 345/32
• US Class Current: 345/32
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1323 Arrangements for providing a switchable viewing angle
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133526 Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134309 characterised by their geometrical arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134345 Subdivided pixels, e.g. for grey scale or redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13624 having more than one switching element per pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3659 the addressing of the pixel involving the control of two or more scan electrodes or two or more data electrodes, e.g. pixel voltage dependant on signal of two data electrodes

Abstract

To provide a display device that is capable of achieving a sufficient confidentiality keeping performance for directions other than a specific direction without a troublesome work such as wearing special eyeglasses. The display device includes: a plurality of display units each having a main pixel for displaying a first image and a sub-pixel for displaying a second image arranged in matrix in a first direction and a second direction; and an optical member which distributes light emitted from the plurality of display units towards different directions along the first direction. The display unit has a first display area in which the main pixel and the sub-pixel are formed in the second direction, and a second display area in which only the main pixel is formed.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

a display part in which a plurality of display units each containing a main pixel for displaying a first image and a sub-pixel for displaying a second image are arranged in matrix in a first direction and a second direction that crosses with the first direction; and

an optical member provided by being corresponded to each of the display units for distributing light emitted from the display units to different directions at least along the first direction,

wherein a display area of the display unit includes a first display area in which the main pixel and the sub-pixel are formed in the second direction,

wherein a second display area in which only the main pixel is formed in the second direction,

wherein the optical member is configured with a lenticular lens in which cylindrical lenses are arranged by corresponding to each of the display units arranged at least along the first direction, and

wherein the display unit has a structure in which the main pixel is formed in a flat T-letter shape having a longitudinal-bar part extended in the second direction, and the sub-pixel is arranged, respectively, on both sides of the longitudinal-bar part in the first direction; and

width P1 of the longitudinal-bar part in the first direction satisfies following Expressions;

P1≦

(P×

L/e/I)×

((OD^2+e^2)^0.5−

I); and

I=1/(n/(H^2+P^2)^0.5−

(n−

1)/r),

where pitch of the display units in the first direction is P, pitch of the cylindrical lenses in the first direction is L, refractive index of the cylindrical lens is n, distance between a principle point of the cylindrical lens and the display unit is H, observing distance is OD, and cycle of enlarged projection images of the display units at the observing distance OD is e.

2. An electronic appliance, comprising the display device claimed in claim 1.

3. A display device, comprising:

a display part in which a plurality of display units each containing a main pixel for displaying a first image and a sub-pixel for displaying a second image are arranged in matrix in a first direction and a second direction that crosses with the first direction; and

an optical member provided by being corresponded to each of the display units for distributing light emitted from the display units to different directions at least along the first direction,

wherein a display area of the display unit includes a first display area in which the main pixel and the sub-pixel are formed in the second direction,

wherein a second display area in which only the main pixel is formed in the second direction,

wherein the optical member is configured with a lenticular lens in which cylindrical lenses are arranged by corresponding to each of the display units arranged at least along the first direction, and

wherein the display unit has a structure in which the main pixel is formed in a flat “

π

”

shape in which a plurality of longitudinal-bar parts extended in the second direction are arranged in the first direction, and the sub-pixels are arranged neighboring to each of the longitudinal-bar parts; and

width P1S of the longitudinal-bar part in the first direction and pitch P1P between each of the longitudinal-bar parts in the first direction satisfy following Expressions;

P1S≦

(P×

L/e/I)×

((OD^2+((P−

(P1P+P1S)/2)×

e/P)^2)^0.5−

I); and

I=1/(n/(H^2+(P−

(P1P+P1S)/2)^2)^0.5−

(n−

1)/r),

where pitch of the display units in the first direction is P, pitch of the cylindrical lenses in the first direction is L, refractive index of the cylindrical lens is n, distance between a principle point of the cylindrical lens and the display unit is H, observing distance is OD, and cycle of enlarged projection images of the display units at the observing distance OD is e.

4. An electronic appliance, comprising the display device claimed in claim 3.