IP Library Granted Patent US 8,330,922
Granted Patent B2
US 8,330,922 · App. 12/862,263 · Granted Dec 11, 2012

Liquid crystal device and electronic apparatus

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,330,922
App. No.
12/862,263
Granted
Dec 11, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A liquid crystal device includes: a pair of substrates; a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates; a display pixel and a viewing-angle control pixel that are substantially rectangular and disposed on at least one of the pair of substrates; a first electrode and a second electrode disposed in the viewing-angle control pixel; and a plurality of strip-like electrode portions that are provided to at least either the first electrode or the second electrode and spaced from one another across a width direction of the viewing-angle control pixel, the liquid crystal device being configured so that an electric field is generated between the first electrode and the second electrode to control the direction of alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer, thereby changing the luminance of the viewing-angle control pixel in a direction oblique to the front.

Claims (18)

1. A liquid crystal device comprising:

a pair of substrates;

a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates;

a display pixel and a viewing-angle control pixel that are substantially rectangular and disposed on at least one of the pair of substrates;

a first electrode and a second electrode disposed in the viewing-angle control pixel; and

a plurality of strip-like electrode portions that are provided to at least either the first electrode or the second electrode and spaced from one another across a width direction of the viewing-angle control pixel,

the liquid crystal device being configured so that an electric field is generated between the first electrode and the second electrode to control the direction of alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer, thereby changing the luminance of the viewing-angle control pixel in a direction oblique to the front,

wherein the other of the pair of substrates has color filters of different colors including at least red, green, and blue, the display pixel is disposed corresponding to each of the color filters of the different colors, and the viewing-angle control pixel is disposed across and adjacent to the display pixels of the different colors, and

wherein the display pixel is disposed in an area that is defined by data lines each electrically connected to a thin film transistor for driving and controlling the display pixel and scanning lines intersecting the data lines, and

a thin film transistor for driving and controlling the viewing-angle control pixel has connected thereto a dedicated data line different from the data lines corresponding to the display pixels of the different colors.

2. A liquid crystal device according to claim 1 , wherein at least the other of the pair of substrates has a light-shielding region that overlaps, in plan view, at least one end of the strip-like electrode portions.

3. A liquid crystal device according to claim l, wherein

the display pixel is disposed in an area that is defined by data lines each electrically connected to a thin film transistor for driving and controlling the display pixel and scanning lines intersecting the data lines, and

a thin film transistor for driving and controlling the viewing-angle control pixel has connected thereto one of the data lines, the one data line being corresponding to one of the display pixels of the different colors.

4. A liquid crystal device according to claim 1 , wherein the dedicated data line is disposed along one of the data lines, the one data line being corresponding to one of the display pixels of the different colors, the one display pixel being a display pixel of red.

5. A liquid crystal device according to claim 1 , wherein the dedicated data line is disposed so as to overlap, in plan view, one end of the strip-like electrode portions.

6. A liquid crystal device according to claim 1 , wherein taking the display pixels of the different colors as a single set, the viewing-angle control pixel is disposed adjacent to a plurality of the sets.

7. An electronic apparatus comprising a liquid crystal device according to claim 1 .

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 11, 2025
From: JAPAN DISPLAY INC.
To: MAGNOLIA WHITE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 072398/0001 →
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 24, 2025
From: JAPAN DISPLAY EAST INC.; JAPAN DISPLAY WEST INC.
To: JAPAN DISPLAY INC.
Reel/Frame 071935/0063 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 9, 2013
From: SONY CORPORATION
To: JAPAN DISPLAY WEST INC.
Reel/Frame 030182/0522 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 16, 2010
From: MATSUSHIMA, TOSHIHARU; TSUYUKI, TADASHI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 024997/0098 →