Display device and light barrier element

• US 9,025,125 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: Kanari, Yuzo, Tanaka, Hironao, Higashi, Amane, Okuno, Harumi, Ito, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGO, HUYEN LE
• Application Number:
  US13/403,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20120236237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 349/106, 349/155, 349/156
• US Class Current: 349/155
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/27 involving lenticular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/31 involving active parallax barriers involving directional light or back-light sources G02B30/33
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13392 spacers dispersed on the cell substrate, e.g. spherical particles, microfibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13396 Spacers having different sizes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13471 in which all the liquid crystal cells or layers remain transparent, e.g. FLC, ECB, DAP, HAN, TN, STN, SBE-LC cells G02F1/13475 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers

Abstract

A display device includes a display section, and a light barrier element. The light barrier element includes a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer that is provided between the pair of substrates and has a plurality of sub-regions that transmit or block light, and a plurality of spacers provided between the pair of substrates. The plurality of spacers are randomly arranged in part or all of a region in surfaces of the substrates.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display section;

a backlight; and

a light barrier section between the display section and the backlight, the light barrier section having a plurality of light barrier sub-regions that selectively transmit or block transmission of the light therethrough,

wherein

the light barrier section includes (a) a pair of substrates, (b) a liquid crystal layer between the pair of substrates and (c) a plurality of spacers formed on one of the substrates and positioned between the pair of substrates, and

the plurality of spacers are positioned randomly across a region between the substrates.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein:

the display section includes a display region and a plurality of pixels across the display region, and

an arrangement of the plurality of spacers is non-periodical with respect to an arrangement of the plurality of pixels.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the respective spacers are irregularly positioned with respect to the pixels.

4. The display device according to claim 2, wherein:

the plurality of pixels includes pixels corresponding to a plurality of colors, and

an amount of area of overlap of the spacers and the pixels is substantially equal for each color throughout the display region.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the total amount of area of overlap of the spacers and the pixels is substantially equal for each color across the region between the light barrier section substrates.

6. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the total area of overlap of the spacers and the pixels is substantially equal for pixels of each color across the entire display region.

7. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the pixels corresponding to the plurality of colors comprise red (R) pixels, green (G) pixels, and blue (B) pixels.

8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein:

the region between the light barrier substrates is partitioned into a plurality of unit regions, and

the plurality of spacers are positioned randomly in each of the unit regions.

9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of spacers are positioned randomly across the entirety of the region between the light barrier substrates.

10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of spacers are fixed between the pair of light barrier substrates.

11. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of spacers each have a columnar shape.

12. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display section comprises a liquid crystal display section.

13. A display device comprising:

a backlight;

light barrier element comprising (a) a pair of substrates, (b) a liquid crystal layer that is between the pair of substrates and has a plurality of sub-regions that selectively transmit or block light, and (c) a plurality of spacers formed on one of the substrates and provided between the pair of substrates; and

a display between the backlight and the light barrier element,

wherein,

the plurality of spacers are positioned randomly across a region between the substrates.