Liquid crystal display device that includes both a transmissive portion and a reflective portion

• US 8,405,806 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Japan Display West Incorporated (Japan Display Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mitsui, Masashi, Koma, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Briggs, Nathanael R
• Application Number:
  US13/149,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20110228202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 349/114, 349/141
• US Class Current: 349/114
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133753 with different alignment orientations or pretilt angles on a same surface, e.g. for grey scale or improved viewing angle
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134309 characterised by their geometrical arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134381 Hybrid switching mode, i.e. for applying an electric field with components parallel and orthogonal to the substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/09 transflective

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device includes, in sequence, a first substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and a second substrate. The first substrate, the liquid crystal layer, and the second substrate are disposed in a subpixel having a transmissive portion for performing transmissive display and a reflective portion for performing reflective display. The first substrate includes a first electrode and a second electrode. The second substrate includes a third electrode. The first electrode and the second electrode are disposed in the transmissive portion and at least the first electrode and the third electrode are disposed in the reflective portion. Alignment of the liquid crystal layer is controlled by an electric field occurring between the first electrode and the second electrode in the transmissive portion and by an electric field occurring between the first electrode and the third electrode in the reflective portion.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate including an electrode;

a liquid crystal layer comprising liquid crystal molecules; and

a second substrate,

wherein the first substrate, the liquid crystal layer, and the second substrate are disposed in a subpixel having a transmissive portion for performing transmissive display and a reflective portion for performing reflective display,

wherein a mechanism for controlling alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the transmissive portion is of a different type from a mechanism for controlling alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the reflective portion,

wherein the mechanism for controlling alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the reflective portion is of the ECB type, and

wherein the electrode is a common electrode for both the transmissive portion and the reflective portion.

2. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein the mechanism for controlling alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the transmissive portion is of the FFS type.

3. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein the mechanism for controlling alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the transmissive portion is of the IPS type.

4. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, comprising a retardation film, wherein the retardation film is present in the reflective portion but not the transmissive portion.

5. The liquid crystal display device of claim 4, wherein the retardation film is a half-wave plate.

6. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein a cell gap in the reflective section is smaller than a cell gap in the transmissive section.

7. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein the first substrate includes a reflective film, and the surface of the electrode is flat in the transmissive portion and has a shape similar to that of projections of the reflective film in the reflective portion.

8. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein the first substrate includes a reflective film, and the electrode is in contact with at least a portion of the reflective film.

9. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein the surface of the electrode is flat throughout an entirety of the transmissive portion.