Transflective liquid crystal display device

• US 8,400,386 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shanghai Tianma Micro-Electronics Company Limited (Tianma Microelectronics Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Shanghai Tianma Micro-Electronics Company Limited (Tianma Microelectronics Company Limited)
• Inventors: Peng, Xuhui, Ling, Zhihua, Nie, Xinghua, Huo, Sitao
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu, William
• Application Number:
  US12/866,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20100321368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 345204-215, 345690-699, 345 87-104
• US Class Current: 345/90
• 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: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers

Abstract

A transreflective liquid crystal display device includes an upper substrate (202) on which a color filter is disposed, a lower substrate (201) on which scanning lines and data lines are formed, a liquid crystal layer (206) sandwiched between the upper substrate (202) and the lower substrate (201) and a backlight unit (204) provided on the side of the lower substrate (201) opposite to the liquid crystal layer (206). The lower substrate (201) and the upper substrate (202) are parallel, and the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer (206) are arranged parallel the upper substrate (202) when no voltage is applied. A transparent electrode (205) is disposed on the side of the upper substrate (202) faced to the liquid crystal layer (206), and there are comb-shaped electrodes (203) disposed on the side of the lower substrate (201) faced to the liquid crystal layer (206). The comb-shaped electrodes (203) include a first comb-shaped electrode (301) and a second comb-shaped electrode (302) both of which are interdigitated. A method for driving the said display devices is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A transreflective liquid crystal display device comprising:

an upper substrate on which color filters are disposed;

a lower substrate parallel to the upper substrate on which scanning lines and data lines are formed;

a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the upper substrate and the lower substrate, wherein liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer are arranged parallel to the upper substrate when no voltage is applied; and

a backlight unit provided on a surface of the lower substrate opposite to the liquid crystal layer,

wherein a transparent electrode is disposed on a surface of the upper substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, comb-shaped electrodes are disposed on a surface of the lower substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, and the comb-shaped electrodes include a first comb-shaped electrode and a second comb-shaped electrode which are interdigitated;

wherein the transreflective liquid crystal display device is adapted to perform a transmission display mode by applying a voltage between the first comb-shaped electrode and the second comb-shaped electrode to generate an electrical field parallel to the upper substrate in the liquid crystal layer; and

wherein the transreflective liquid crystal display device is adapted to perform a reflective display mode by applying a voltage to one reflective electrode of the comb-shaped electrodes and the transparent electrode to generate an electrical field perpendicular to the upper substrate in the liquid crystal layer.

2. The transreflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein both the transmission display mode and the reflective display mode are normally white display mode.

3. The transreflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first comb-shaped electrode and the second comb-shaped electrode is a reflective electrode and the other is a transparent electrode.

4. The transreflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein both the first comb-shaped electrodes and the second comb-shaped electrode are reflective electrodes.

5. The transreflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the transparent electrode on the upper substrate may be any one of ITO electrode, IZO electrode, and IGO electrode or a combination thereof.

6. A method for driving a transreflective liquid crystal display device, the transreflective liquid crystal display device comprising:

an upper substrate on which color filters are disposed;

a lower substrate parallel to the upper substrate on which scanning lines and data lines are formed;

a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the upper substrate and the lower substrate, wherein liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer are arranged parallel to the upper substrate when on voltage is applied; and

a backlight unit provided on a surface of the lower substrate opposite to the liquid crystal layer,

wherein a transparent electrode is disposed on a surface of the upper substrate faced to the liquid crystal layer, comb-shaped electrodes are disposed on a surface of the lower substrate faced to the liquid crystal layer, and the comb-shaped electrodes include a first comb-shaped electrode and a second comb-shaped electrode which are interdigitated,

the method comprising the steps of;

applying a voltage to the first comb-shaped electrode and the second comb-shaped electrode to generate an electric field parallel to the upper substrate by which a transmission display mode is performed; and

applying a voltage to the transparent electrode on the upper substrate and one reflective electrode of the comb-shaped electrodes to generate an electric field perpendicular to the upper substrate by which a reflective display mode is performed.

7. The method for driving a transreflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 6, wherein both the first comb-shaped electrode and the second comb-shaped electrode are reflective electrodes.

8. The method for driving a transreflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 6, wherein one of the first comb-shaped electrode and the second comb-shaped electrode is a reflective electrode and the other is a transparent electrode.

9. The method for driving a transreflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 6, wherein both the transmission display mode and the reflective display mode are normally white display mode.

10. The method for driving a transreflective liquid crystal display device according to claim 6, wherein the transparent electrode on the upper substrate may be any one of ITO electrode, IZO electrode, and IGO electrode or a combination thereof.