Liquid crystal display panel, display device and driving method for the same

• US 10,690,832 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2017
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Li, Zhongxiao, Chen, Xiaochuan, Zhao, Wenqing, Wang, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Briggs, Nathanael R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peterson, William D
• Application Number:
  US15/759,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20190129082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 349 33
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/005 provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed on the light output side of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13306 Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133565 inside the LC elements, i.e. between the cell substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133615 Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134309 characterised by their geometrical arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/137 characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/123 pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/302 grating coupler
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/305 diffraction grating
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/30 Gray scale
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/34 Colour display without the use of colour mosaic filters

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of display technology, and provides a liquid crystal display panel, a display device, and a driving method for the same. The liquid crystal display panel includes an array of pixel units, wherein each pixel unit includes a plurality of sub-pixel units. The liquid crystal display panel further includes: a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer, a pixel electrode layer, a common electrode layer, and a waveguide grating which are stacked over each other.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display panel, comprising an array of pixel units, wherein each pixel unit comprises a plurality of sub-pixel units, wherein the liquid crystal display panel further comprises:

a first substrate and a second substrate opposite to each other;

a liquid crystal layer as well as a pixel electrode layer and a common electrode layer for driving the liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate; and

a waveguide grating between the liquid crystal layer and the first substrate, wherein the waveguide grating comprises a waveguide layer and a grating layer on a surface of the waveguide layer facing the liquid crystal layer, and the grating layer is in contact with the liquid crystal layer;

wherein

the pixel electrode layer comprises an array of pixel sub-electrodes insulated from each other, wherein each sub-pixel unit corresponds to a plurality of pixel sub-electrodes;

the grating layer comprises an array of grating units, wherein each grating unit comprises a plurality of grating sub-units, and each grating sub-unit corresponds to a pixel sub-electrode; and

a refractive index of each grating sub-unit is configured for allowing no light to be transmitted through a corresponding portion of liquid crystal when a first voltage is applied to a respective pixel sub-electrode, and for allowing light to be transmitted through a corresponding portion of liquid crystal with a predetermined grayscale when a second voltage is applied to a respective pixel sub-electrode, wherein the second voltage is different from the first voltage.

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

the plurality of sub-pixel units comprise a first primary color of sub-pixel, a second primary color of sub-pixel, and a third primary color of sub-pixel;

and

the grating units comprise a first grating unit corresponding to the first primary color of sub-pixel, a second grating unit corresponding to the second primary color of sub-pixel, and a third grating unit corresponding to the third primary color of sub-pixel.

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

in each grating unit, the plurality of grating sub-units differ from each other at least in one or more of a duty cycle, a height of a grating bar in a direction perpendicular to the display panel, a cross-section shape of the grating bar in a plane parallel to the display panel, as well as a length and a width of a grating area in a direction parallel to a side of the display panel.

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

each grating unit comprises eight grating sub-units corresponding to eight pixel sub-electrodes respectively;

and

refractive indexes of the eight grating sub-units are configured respectively for allowing light to be transmitted through corresponding portions of liquid crystal with 1-level, 2-level, 4-level, 8-level, 16-level, 32-level, 64-level and 128-level grayscale when the second voltage is applied to respective pixel sub-electrodes.

5. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 4, wherein

the eight grating sub-units are arranged in a form of one row and eight columns, eight rows and one column, four rows and two columns, or two rows and four columns.

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

a refractive index of each grating sub-unit is configured to be identical to a refractive index of a corresponding portion of liquid crystal when the first voltage or the second voltage is applied to a respective pixel sub-electrode.

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

the first voltage or the second voltage is set to be zero voltage.

8. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 1, wherein

the liquid crystal display panel further comprises a color film layer between the liquid crystal layer and the second substrate, wherein the color film layer comprises an array of color film patterns, and each color film pattern corresponds to a sub-pixel unit.

9. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 1, wherein

the grating units comprise a first grating unit for outputting a first primary color of light, a second grating unit for outputting a second primary color of light, and a third grating unit for outputting a third primary color of light.

10. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 9, wherein

the first primary color of light, the second primary color of light and the third primary color of light are configured to be emitted out toward a viewing position.

11. A display device, comprising:

a liquid crystal display panel according to claim 1; and

a collimated light source located at a light entry side of the waveguide layer in the liquid crystal display panel.

12. A driving method for a display device according to claim 11, comprising:

scanning sub-pixel units in the display device row by row; and

inputting a first voltage or a second voltage to a plurality of pixel sub-electrodes respectively, according to a grayscale required by each sub-pixel unit, such that the sub-pixel unit displays based on the grayscale.

13. The display device according to claim 11, wherein

the plurality of sub-pixel units comprise a first primary color of sub-pixel, a second primary color of sub-pixel, and a third primary color of sub-pixel;

and

the grating units comprise a first grating unit corresponding to the first primary color of sub-pixel, a second grating unit corresponding to the second primary color of sub-pixel, and a third grating unit corresponding to the third primary color of sub-pixel.

14. The display device according to claim 11, wherein

in each grating unit, the plurality of grating sub-units differ from each other at least in one or more of a duty cycle, a height of a grating bar in a direction perpendicular to the display panel, a cross-section shape of the grating bar in a plane parallel to the display panel, as well as a length and a width of a grating area in a direction parallel to a side of the display panel.

15. The display device according to claim 11, wherein

each grating unit comprises eight grating sub-units corresponding to eight pixel sub-electrodes respectively;

and

refractive indexes of the eight grating sub-units are configured respectively for allowing light to be transmitted through corresponding portions of liquid crystal with 1-level, 2-level, 4-level, 8-level, 16-level, 32-level, 64-level and 128-level grayscale when the second voltage is applied to respective pixel sub-electrodes.

16. The display device according to claim 15, wherein

the eight grating sub-units are arranged in a form of one row and eight columns, eight rows and one column, four rows and two columns, or two rows and four columns.

17. The display device according to claim 11, wherein

a refractive index of each grating sub-unit is configured to be identical to a refractive index of a corresponding portion of liquid crystal when the first voltage or the second voltage is applied to a respective pixel sub-electrode.

18. The display device according to claim 17, wherein

the first voltage or the second voltage is set to be zero voltage.

19. The display device according to claim 11, wherein

the liquid crystal display panel further comprises a color film layer between the liquid crystal layer and the second substrate, wherein the color film layer comprises an array of color film patterns, and each color film pattern corresponds to a sub-pixel unit.

20. The display device according to claim 11, wherein

the grating units comprise a first grating unit for outputting a first primary color of light, a second grating unit for outputting a second primary color of light, and a third grating unit for outputting a third primary color of light.