Liquid crystal display device

• US 6,259,490 B1
• Filed: 08/26/1998
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kurihara, Mikio, Karube, Satoshi, Sakai, Kazumi, Kanzaki, Eisuke, Mishima, Hiroshi, Colgan, Evan George, Levine, James Lewis
• Primary Examiner(s): Dudek, James A.
• Application Number:
  US09/140,641
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 349/23, 349/24, 349/12, 345/173, 345/174, 345/175
• US Class Current: 349/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0444 using a single conductive element covering the whole sensing surface, e.g. by sensing the electrical current flowing at the corners

Abstract

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device having a position detecting function with a high sensitivity and a high resolution. The position detecting function comprises a position detecting electrically conductive film on a polarizer or a color filter glass substrate of the liquid crystal display device. The present invention also can suppress the undesired generation of an air gap between the polarizer and color filter glass substrate by using a polarizer that is smaller in size relative to the position detecting electrically conductive film.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate and a second substrate;

a plurality of liquid crystal cells disposed between said first and second substrates;

a polarized disposed on said first substrate on a side opposite said plurality of liquid crystal cells;

an electrically conductive film, disposed between said polarizer and said first substrate, for detecting position of an input device based upon signals applied to said film, said electrically conductive film being directly applied to said polarizer, wherein said film is continuous between edges of one of said polarizer and said first substrate, and a linearization pattern is formed on an outer peripheral region of said electrically conductive film.

2. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein said input device is a human finger, and said signals are applied directly to said film.

3. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein said input device is a touch pen, and said signals are injected into said film by said touch pen.

4. A polarizing device comprising:

a polarizer, and

an electrically conductive film integrally disposed on said polarizer for detecting position of an input device based upon signals applied to said film, wherein said film is continuous between edges of said polarizer, and a linearization pattern is formed on an outer peripheral region of said electrically conductive film.

5. The polarizer of claim 4, wherein said input device is a human finger, and said signals are applied directly to said film.

6. The polarizer of claim 4, wherein said input device is a touch pen, and said signals are injected into said film by said touch pen.

7. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a plurality of liquid crystal cells disposed between a pair of substrates;

an electrically conductive film integrally disposed on one of said substrates for detecting position of an input device based upon signals applied to said film, wherein said film is continuous between edges of said one substrate, and a linearization pattern is formed on an outer peripheral region of said electrically conductive film.

8. The liquid crystal display device of claim 7, wherein said input device is a human finger, and said signals are applied directly to said film.

9. The liquid crystal display device of claim 7, wherein said input device is a touch pen, and said signals are injected into said film by said touch pen.

10. A liquid crystal display device comprising;

a first substrate and a second substrate;

a plurality of liquid crystal cells disposed between said first and second substrates;

a polarizer disposed on said first substrate on a side opposite said plurality of liquid crystal cells;

an electrically conductive film, disposed between said polarizer and said first substrate, for detecting position of and input device based upon signals applied to said film, said film being deposited directly on said first substrate, and wherein a linearization pattern is formed on an outer peripheral region of said film.

11. The liquid crystal display device of claim 10, wherein the size of said polarizer is smaller than size of said film such that said polarizer does not contact said linearization pattern.