Liquid crystal display device

• US 9,041,881 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
• Inventors: Takemoto, Hiroyuki, Shuto, Shunsuke, Fuchida, Takehito
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsu, Kendrick
• Application Number:
  US13/259,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20120008070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,887 Days
• Field of Search: 349/69, 349/110, 349/112
• US Class Current: 349/96
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/005 arranged along a single direction only, e.g. lenticular sheets G02B3/0043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/003 Light absorbing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3033 in the form of a thin sheet or foil, e.g. Polaroid
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133504 Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133524 Light-guides, e.g. fibre-optic bundles, louvered or jalousie light-guides

Abstract

A liquid crystal display being capable of improving the contrast ratio in the front direction thereof is provided. A liquid crystal display 100 of the present invention includes, in sequence: a light source device 14 that emits a parallel light beam; a back surface-side polarizer 16; a liquid crystal cell 13; a display surface-side polarizer 11; and a light diffusion layer 15. The liquid crystal display 100 further includes: a selective light-shielding layer 12 between the display surface-side polarizer 11 and the light diffusion layer 15 so that the selective light-shielding layer 12 shields light that is generated by being depolarized and scattered in the liquid crystal cell 13 and travels in a direction that is different from a direction in which the parallel light beam travels.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display comprising, in sequence:

a light source device that emits a parallel light beam;

a back surface-side polarizer;

a liquid crystal cell;

a display surface-side polarizer; and

a light diffusion layer,

wherein the liquid crystal display further comprises;

a selective light-shielding layer between the display surface-side polarizer and the light diffusion layer so that the selective light-shielding layer shields light that is generated by being depolarized and scattered in the liquid crystal cell and travels in a direction that is different from a direction in which the parallel light beam travels,

the light source has a half-value angle of the parallel light beam being 20°

or less,

an absorption axis of the back surface-side polarizer is orthogonal to that of the display surface-side polarizer,

the selective light-shielding layer comprises light-shielding parts and light-transmitting parts, and the light-shielding parts and the light-transmitting parts are arranged in stripes so that a direction orthogonal to a width direction of the stripes becomes parallel to an absorption axis of the display surface-side polarizer, and

the liquid crystal cell contains liquid crystal molecules aligned in a homeotropic alignment.

2. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1, wherein

a light-shielding angle of the selective light-shielding layer is in a range from 0.7 to 3.0 times the half-value angle of the parallel light beam emitted from the light source device.

3. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1, wherein

a light-shielding angle of the selective light-shielding layer is in a range from 1°

to 100°

.

4. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1, wherein

a diffusion half-value angle of the light diffusion layer is in a range from 10°

to 100°

.

5. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1, wherein

a surface roughness Ra of the light diffusion layer is 0.1 μ

m or less.

6. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1, wherein

a thickness (X) of each of the light-shielding parts is greater than a width (Y) of each of the light-transmitting parts.

7. The liquid crystal display according to claim 6, wherein

the thickness (X) of each of the light-shielding parts is 1.5 times or more the width (Y) of each of the light-transmitting parts.