Luminance-enhancing film, optical sheet member, and liquid crystal display device

• US 9,829,615 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2016
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watano, Akiko, Saitoh, Yukito, Ohmuro, Katsufumi, Ichihashi, Mitsuyoshi, Ishikawa, Hiroyuki, Yasuda, Kotaro, Nishikawa, Hideyuki, Matsuda, Yuki, Hoshino, Wataru
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Sang V
• Application Number:
  US15/052,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20160170114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/26 Reflecting filters G02B5/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3016 involving passive liquid crystal elements optical properties of liquid crystals G02F1/0063; polarising elements associated with active liquid crystal devices G02F1/133528
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3041 comprising multiple thin layers, e.g. multilayer stacks
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133536 Reflective polarizers G02F1/13362 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133543 Cholesteric polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133603 with LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133614 using photoluminescence, e.g. phosphors illuminated by UV or blue light
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133621 providing coloured light G02F1/133617, G02F1/133533 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13363 Birefringent elements, e.g. for optical compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133634 the refractive index Nz perpendicular to the element surface being different from in-plane refractive indices Nx and Ny, e.g. biaxial or with normal optical axis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133638 Waveplates, i.e. plates with a retardation value of lambda/n

Abstract

The present invention provides a luminance-enhancing film including a λ/4 plate, and a reflection polarizer, including a first light reflection layer, a second light reflection layer, and a third light reflection layer from the λ/4 plate side sequentially, the light reflection layers being light reflection layers formed by fixing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, and including blue, green and red light reflection layers, and Rth(550) of the first light reflection layer and Rth(550) of the second light reflection layer having inverse signs; and a luminance-enhancing film including a λ/4 plate and a reflection polarizer including at least a light reflection layer formed of a rod-like cholesteric liquid crystal material and a light reflection layer formed of a disk-like cholesteric liquid crystal material. The luminance-enhancing film has high luminance and is able to suppress an oblique change in the color.

Claims

1. A luminance-enhancing film, comprising:

a λ

/4 plate; and

a reflection polarizer,

wherein the reflection polarizer sequentially includes a first light reflection layer, a second light reflection layer, and a third light reflection layer from the λ

/4 plate side,

all of the first light reflection layer, the second light reflection layer, and the third light reflection layer are light reflection layers formed by fixing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase,

any one of the first light reflection layer, the second light reflection layer, and the third light reflection layer is a blue light reflection layer which has a reflection center wavelength of 380 nm to 499 nm and a reflectivity peak having a half band width of less than or equal to 100 nm, any one of the first light reflection layer, the second light reflection layer, and the third light reflection layer is a green light reflection layer which has a reflection center wavelength of 500 nm to 599 nm and a reflectivity peak having a half band width of less than or equal to 200 nm, and any one of the first light reflection layer, the second light reflection layer, and the third light reflection layer is a red light reflection layer which has a reflection center wavelength of 600 nm to 750 nm and a reflectivity peak having a half band width of less than or equal to 150 nm, and

Rth(550) of the first light reflection layer and Rth(550) of the second light reflection layer have opposite signs to each other in which Rth(550) represents retardation of each of the layers in a film thickness direction at a wavelength of 550 nm in the unit of nm.

2. The luminance-enhancing film according to claim 1,

wherein the green light reflection layer has a reflection center wavelength of 500 nm to 599 nm and a reflectivity peak having a half band width of less than or equal to 125 nm.

3. The luminance-enhancing film according to claim 1,

wherein a cholesteric liquid crystal material of one of the first light reflection layer and the second light reflection layer is a rod-like liquid crystal compound, and a cholesteric liquid crystal material of the other one is a disk-like liquid crystal compound.

4. The luminance-enhancing film according to claim 2,

wherein a cholesteric liquid crystal material of one of the first light reflection layer and the second light reflection layer is a rod-like liquid crystal compound, and a cholesteric liquid crystal material of the other one is a disk-like liquid crystal compound.

5. The luminance-enhancing film according to claim 1, further comprising:

a layer changing a polarization state of light on a side of the reflection polarizer opposite to the λ

/4 plate layer side,

wherein the layer changing the polarization state of the light satisfies conditions described below,

an absolute value of a difference between an average refractive index of layer changing polarization state of light with respect to the average refractive index of the third light reflection layer is within the range 0 to 0.8.

7. An optical sheet member, comprising:

the luminance-enhancing film according to claim 1; and

a polarizing plate including a polarizer,

wherein an angle between a slow axis of the λ

/4 plate and an absorption axis of the polarizer is 30°

to 60°

, and

the polarizing plate, the λ

/4 plate, and the reflection polarizer are sequentially laminated directly in contact with each other or are sequentially laminated through an adhesive layer.

9. A liquid crystal display device, sequentially comprising:

a liquid crystal cell;

the luminance-enhancing film according to claim 1; and

a backlight unit,

wherein the backlight unit includes a light source emitting blue light which has an emission center wavelength in a wavelength range of 430 nm to 480 nm, green light which has an emission center wavelength in a wavelength range of 500 nm to 600 nm, and red light which has at least a part of an emission intensity peak in a wavelength range of 600 nm to 700 nm, and

the backlight unit includes a reflection member performing conversion of a polarization state of light which is emitted from the light source and is reflected on the luminance-enhancing film or the optical sheet member and reflection of the light in rear of the light source.

11. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9,

wherein all of half band widths of the blue light, the green light, and the red light are less than or equal to 100 nm.

13. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9,

wherein the light source is a light source including a blue light emitting diode which emits the blue light, and a fluorescent material which emits the green light and the red light when the blue light of the blue light emitting diode is incident thereon.

15. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 13,

wherein the fluorescent material is a quantum dot member.

17. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9,

wherein the emission center wavelength of the red light of the backlight unit and a reflection center wavelength of a red light reflection layer satisfy Expression (A) described below,

Expression (A):

an absolute value of a difference between an emission center wavelength of the red light of the backlight unit with respect to a reflection center wavelength of the red light reflection layer is within the range 10 nm to 50 nm.

18. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9,

wherein the backlight unit includes two prism sheets, and

prism directions of the two prism sheets are parallel to each other.

19. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9,

wherein the light source is a white LED.

6. A luminance-enhancing film, comprising:

a λ

/4 plate; and

a reflection polarizer,

wherein the reflection polarizer includes at least two light reflection layers,

both of the at least two light reflection layers are light reflection layers formed by fixing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, and

the at least two light reflection layers comprise a combination of a light reflection layer whose cholesteric liquid crystal material is a rod-like liquid crystal compound, and a light reflection layer whose cholesteric liquid crystal material is a disk-like liquid crystal compound.

8. An optical sheet member, comprising:

the luminance-enhancing film according to claim 6; and

a polarizing plate including a polarizer,

wherein an angle between a slow axis of the λ

/4 plate and an absorption axis of the polarizer is 30°

to 60°

, and

the polarizing plate, the λ

/4 plate, and the reflection polarizer are sequentially laminated directly in contact with each other or are sequentially laminated through an adhesive layer.

10. A liquid crystal display device, sequentially comprising:

a liquid crystal cell;

the luminance-enhancing film according to claim 6; and

a backlight unit,

wherein the backlight unit includes a light source emitting blue light which has an emission center wavelength in a wavelength range of 430 nm to 480 nm, green light which has an emission center wavelength in a wavelength range of 500 nm to 600 nm, and red light which has at least a part of an emission intensity peak in a wavelength range of 600 nm to 700 nm, and

the backlight unit includes a reflection member performing conversion of a polarization state of light which is emitted from the light source and is reflected on the luminance-enhancing film or the optical sheet member and reflection of the light in rear of the light source.

12. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 10,

wherein all of half band widths of the blue light, the green light, and the red light are less than or equal to 100 nm.

14. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 10,

wherein the light source is a light source including a blue light emitting diode which emits the blue light, and a fluorescent material which emits the green light and the red light when the blue light of the blue light emitting diode is incident thereon.

16. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 14,

wherein the fluorescent material is a quantum dot member.

20. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 10,

wherein the light source is a white LED.

22. The luminance-enhancing film, according to claim 6, wherein a reflection center wavelength of one of said light reflection layers is in a range of 380 nm to 750 nm.

21. A luminance-enhancing film, comprising:

a λ

/4 plate; and

a reflection polarizer,

wherein the reflection polarizer sequentially includes a first light reflection layer, a second light reflection layer, and a third light reflection layer from the λ

/4 plate side,

all of the first light reflection layer, the second light reflection layer, and the third light reflection layer are light reflection layers formed by fixing a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase,

any one of the first light reflection layer, the second light reflection layer, and the third light reflection layer is a blue light reflection layer which has a reflection center wavelength of 380 nm to 499 nm and a reflectivity peak having a half band width of less than or equal to 100 nm, any one of the first light reflection layer, the second light reflection layer, and the third light reflection layer is a green light reflection layer which has a reflection center wavelength of 500 nm to 599 nm and a reflectivity peak having a half band width of less than or equal to 200 nm, and any one of the first light reflection layer, the second light reflection layer, and the third light reflection layer is a red light reflection layer which has a reflection center wavelength of 600 nm to 750 nm and a reflectivity peak having a half band width of less than or equal to 150 nm, and

Rth(550) of the first light reflection layer and Rth(550) of the second light reflection layer have opposite signs to each other in which Rth(550) represents retardation of each of the layers in a film thickness direction at a wavelength of 550 nm in the unit of nm; and

the at least two light reflection layers comprise a combination of a light reflection layer whose cholesteric liquid crystal material is a rod-like liquid crystal compound, and a light reflection layer whose cholesteric liquid crystal material is a disk-like liquid crystal compound.