IP Library Granted Patent US 7,817,233
Granted Patent B2
US 7,817,233 · App. 11/616,644 · Granted Oct 19, 2010

OCB-mode liquid-crystal display device

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,817,233
App. No.
11/616,644
Granted
Oct 19, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

In an embodiment of the invention for an OCB (Optically Compensated Bend)-mode liquid-crystal display (LCD) device, retardation and/or a predetermined voltage range, from which a voltage applied to pixels in a viewing area is selected, is set for the each pixel or for the pixels in each region of the viewing area such that: the luminance on each pixel monotonously increases or decreases with increase of voltage in the predetermined voltage range; the luminance in central portion of the viewing area becomes minimum at black displaying.

Claims (24)

1. A liquid-crystal display device comprising:

a display panel having an array substrate, a counter substrate, an OCB-mode liquid-crystal layer sandwiched between the array and counter substrates, and a viewing area formed of an array of pixels;

a voltage applier that selects at least one voltage from a predetermined voltage range in response to an inputted video signal and apply a selected voltage to the OCB-mode liquid-crystal layer at each of the pixels, as to determine a luminance on the each pixel in response to the inputted video signal;

wherein retardation and/or the predetermined voltage range is set for the each pixel or for the pixels in each region of the viewing area such that:

the luminance on each pixel monotonously increases or decreases with increase of voltage within the predetermined voltage range;

the luminance in central portion of the viewing area becomes minimum value at black displaying; and

the retardation in the central portion differs from that in an end portion of the viewing area.

2. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein thickness of the OCB-mode liquid-crystal layer in the central portion differs from that in the end portion.

3. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 2 , wherein thickness of the OCB liquid crystal layer in the end portion is thicker than that in the central portion.

4. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 2 , wherein the display panel includes a plurality of column spacers between the array substrate and the counter substrate to maintain the thickness of the OCB-mode liquid-crystal layer; and wherein a density of arranging the column spacers in the central portion is lower than that in the end portion.

5. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 2 , wherein the display panel includes a plurality of column spacers between the array substrate and the counter substrate to maintain the thickness of the OCB-mode liquid-crystal layer; and wherein diameter of the column spacers in the central portion is smaller than that in the end portion.

6. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein the display panel includes a retardation plate arranged at least on one main surface; and the retardation realized by the retardation plate in the central portion differs from that in the end portion.

7. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 6 , wherein the retardation realized by the retardation plate in the end portion is smaller than that in the central portion.

8. A liquid-crystal display device comprising:

a display panel having an array substrate, a counter substrate, an OCB-mode liquid-crystal layer sandwiched between the array and counter substrates, and a viewing area formed of an array of pixels;

a voltage applier that selects at least one voltage from a predetermined voltage range in response to an inputted video signal and apply a selected voltage to the OCB-mode liquid-crystal layer at each of the pixels, as to determine a luminance on the each pixel in response to the inputted video signal;

wherein retardation is set so that; a voltage achieving a minimum luminance of the pixels in the end portion when applied thereto is larger than a voltage achieving a minimum luminance of the pixels in the central portion when applied thereto.

9. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 8 , wherein thickness of the OCB liquid crystal layer in the end portion is thicker than that in the central portion.

10. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 8 , wherein the display panel includes a plurality of column spacers between the array substrate and the counter substrate to maintain the thickness of the OCB-mode liquid-crystal layer; and wherein a density of arranging the column spacers in the central portion is lower than that in the end portion.

11. The liquid-crystal display device according to claim 8 , wherein the display panel includes a plurality of column spacers between the array substrate and the counter substrate to maintain the thickness of the OCB-mode liquid-crystal layer; and wherein diameter of the column spacers in the central portion is smaller than that in the end portion.

12. A liquid-crystal display device comprising:

a display panel having an array substrate, a counter substrate, an OCB-mode liquid-crystal layer sandwiched between the array and counter substrates, and a viewing area formed of an array of pixels;

a voltage applier that selects at least one voltage from a predetermined voltage range in response to an inputted video signal and apply a selected voltage to the OCB-mode liquid-crystal layer at each of the pixels, as to determine a luminance on the each pixel in response to the inputted video signal;

wherein a voltage applied to the pixels in the central portion at a time of displaying black images achieves a minimum luminance of the pixels in the central portion and is set to be larger than a voltage applied to the pixels in the end portion at the time of displaying black images.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 8, 2012
From: TOSHIBA MATSUSHITA DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
To: TOSHIBA MOBILE DISPLAY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 028339/0273 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 8, 2012
From: TOSHIBA MOBILE DISPLAY CO., LTD.
To: JAPAN DISPLAY CENTRAL INC.
Reel/Frame 028339/0316 →