Parallax Barrier and Application Thereof

• US 20120013606A1
• Filed: 04/22/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Chih-Wen, Shih, Chih-Hung, Tsai, Meng-Chieh
• Granted Patent: US 8,823,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• 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 1/1323 Arrangements for providing a switchable viewing angle
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133 Constructional arrangements; Operation of liquid crystal cells; Circuit arrangements arrangements or circuits for control of liquid crystal elements in a matrix, not structurally associated with these elements G09G3/36
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1335 Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. polarisers or reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1347 Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/122 having a particular pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/124 interdigital
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/44 Arrangements combining different electro-active layers, e.g. electrochromic, liquid crystal or electroluminescent layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/52 RGB geometrical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/12 spatial light modulator
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/317 using slanted parallax optics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/324 Colour aspects

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a parallax barrier including a first substrate, a second substrate and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and the second substrates. A plurality of first strip electrodes and a plurality of second strip electrodes are arranged on the first substrate, whereas a plurality of third electrodes and a plurality of fourth electrodes are arranged on the second substrate. Each of the third electrodes has a step-shaped first portion and each of the fourth electrodes has a step-shaped second portion.

Claims

1. A parallax barrier, comprising:

a first substrate;

a plurality of first electrodes disposed on the first substrate along a first direction, wherein the first electrodes are strip-shaped and electrically connected to one another;

a plurality of second electrodes disposed on the first substrate along the first direction, wherein the second electrodes are strip-shaped and electrically connected to one another, and the first electrodes and the second electrodes are arranged alternately;

a second substrate;

a plurality of third electrodes disposed on the second substrate along a second direction and electrically connected to one another, wherein each of the third electrodes comprises at least one first portion being step-shaped;

a plurality of forth electrodes disposed on the second substrate along the second direction and electrically connected to one another, wherein each of the forth electrodes comprises at least one second portion being step-shaped, and the third electrodes and the forth electrodes are arranged alternately; and

a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

2. The parallax barrier of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first electrodes is disposed between the two adjacent second electrodes.

3. The parallax barrier of claim 1, wherein the first electrodes, the second electrodes, the third electrodes and the forth electrodes are made of a transparent conductive layer, respectively.

4. The parallax barrier of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first electrodes comprises:

a plurality of transparent conductive patterns, the transparent conductive patterns being separated from one another; and

at least one opaque bridging pattern for bridging the transparent conductive patterns so that the transparent conductive patterns are electrically connected to one another, wherein the at least one opaque bridging pattern is disposed above a gap between the adjacent third electrode and the forth electrode.

5. The parallax barrier of claim 1, further comprising at least one opaque bridging pattern, wherein the at least one opaque bridging pattern is disposed at an overlap between the first electrode and a gap between the two adjacent third electrode and forth electrode.

6. The parallax barrier of claim 1, wherein at least one of the third electrodes comprises:

a plurality of transparent conductive patterns, the transparent conductive patterns being separated from one another; and

at least one opaque bridging pattern for bridging the transparent conductive patterns so that the transparent conductive patterns are electrically connected to one another, wherein the at least one opaque bridging pattern is disposed above a gap between the adjacent first electrode and second electrode.

7. The parallax barrier of claim 1, further comprising at least one opaque bridging pattern, wherein the at least one opaque bridging pattern is disposed at an overlap between the third electrode and a gap between the two adjacent first electrode and second electrode.

8. The parallax barrier of claim 1, further comprising a black matrix layer for shielding a plurality of gaps between the first electrodes and the second electrodes or between the third electrodes and the forth electrodes.

9. The parallax barrier of claim 1, wherein each of the third electrodes further comprises a third portion, the third portion being step-shaped and mirroring the first portion.

20. A method for forming an autostereoscopic image, comprising the steps of:

rendering a two-dimensional image using a display element; and

operating a parallax barrier of claim 1 so as to transform the two-dimensional image into a parallax image, wherein the parallax image is capable of providing a left-eye image and a right-eye image to a user so that the user perceives a three-dimensional image.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the steps of operating a parallax barrier of claim 1 comprises carrying out the following steps in a first mode:

applying a reference voltage to the third electrodes and the forth electrodes; and

applying a data voltage to the first electrodes, and applying the reference voltage to the second electrodes such that the parallax barrier transforms the two-dimensional image into the parallax image.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the steps of operating a parallax barrier of claim 1 comprises carrying out the following steps in a second mode:

applying a reference voltage to the first electrodes and the second electrodes; and

applying a data voltage to the third electrodes, and applying the reference voltage to the forth electrodes such that the parallax barrier transforms the two-dimensional image into the parallax image.

10. A display device, comprising:

a display panel, comprising a plurality of pixels being arranged in a pixel array along a first direction and a second direction, wherein each of the pixels has a width of Wp along the first direction and a height of Hp along the second direction, and each of the pixels comprises 3 sub-pixels, wherein each of the sub-pixels has a width of (Wp/3) along the first direction;

a parallax barrier disposed at a side of the display panel, the parallax barrier comprising;

a first substrate;

a plurality of first electrodes disposed on the first substrate along the first direction, wherein the first electrodes are strip-shaped and electrically connected to one another;

a plurality of second electrodes disposed on the first substrate along the first direction, wherein the second electrodes are strip-shaped and electrically connected to one another, and the first electrodes and the second electrodes are arranged alternately;

a second substrate;

a plurality of third electrodes disposed on the second substrate and electrically connected to one another, wherein each of the third electrodes comprises at least one first portion, the first portion comprises three first segments arranged along the second direction as step-shaped, and a step difference between any two adjacent first segments is (Wp/3) or (2 Wp/3);

a plurality of forth electrodes disposed on the second substrate and electrically connected to one another, wherein each of the forth electrodes comprises at least one second portion, the second portion comprises three second segments arranged along the second direction as step-shaped, a step difference between any two adjacent second segments is (Wp/3) or (2 Wp/3), and the third electrodes and the forth electrodes are arranged alternately; and

a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

11. The display device of claim 10, wherein each of the adjacent first electrodes and second electrodes have a gap therebetween.

12. The display device of claim 10, wherein each of the adjacent third electrodes and forth electrodes have a gap therebetween.

13. The display device of claim 10, wherein the first electrodes, the second electrodes, the third electrodes and the forth electrodes are made of a transparent conductive layer, respectively.

14. The display device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first electrodes comprises:

a plurality of transparent conductive patterns, the transparent conductive patterns being separated from one another; and

at least one opaque bridging pattern for bridging the transparent conductive patterns so that the transparent conductive patterns are electrically connected to one another, wherein the at least one opaque bridging pattern is disposed above a gap between the adjacent third electrode and the forth electrode.

15. The display device of claim 10, further comprising at least one opaque bridging pattern, wherein the at least one opaque bridging pattern is disposed at an overlap between the first electrode and a gap between the two adjacent third electrode and forth electrode.

16. The display device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the third electrodes comprises:

a plurality of transparent conductive patterns, the transparent conductive patterns being separated from one another; and

at least one opaque bridging pattern for bridging the transparent conductive patterns so that the transparent conductive patterns are electrically connected to one another, wherein the at least one opaque bridging pattern is disposed above a gap between the adjacent first electrode and second electrode.

17. The display device of claim 10, further comprising at least one opaque bridging pattern, wherein the at least one opaque bridging pattern is disposed at an overlap between the third electrode and a gap between the two adjacent first electrode and second electrode.

18. The display device of claim 10, further comprising a black matrix layer for shielding a plurality of gaps between the first electrodes and the second electrodes or shielding a plurality of gaps between the third electrodes and the forth electrodes.

19. The display device of claim 10, wherein each the third electrodes further comprising a third portion mirroring the first portion, and the third portion comprises three third segments arranged along the second direction as step-shaped, and a step difference between any two adjacent third segments is (Wp/3) or (2 Wp/3).