Advanced Display Systems, Inc.

Kent State University

Display Research, Inc.

Advanced Display System, Inc.

Bao-Gang Wu

Yao-Dong Ma

Jianmi Gao

Hongxi Zhou

Yong-Jing Wang

Jianan Hou

John L West

J William Doane

Meng Zhao

Yao Dong Ma

Rui Hai Sun

Qihui J Zhang

Eugene P Wenninger

Shushan Li

Gang Chen

Disclosed are various reverse-mode direct-view liquid crystal displays employing a liquid crystal having a characteristic wavelength in the non-visible spectrum, including reflective, transmissive and reflective-transmissive mode displays. In accordance with the principles disclosed, a direct-view liquid crystal display (LCD) includes a front substantially transparent substrate, a rear substrate, and a controllable cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) disposed between the front and rear substrates and having a characteristic wavelength to reflect non-visible spectrum; the portions of the controllable CLC can selectively exhibit a planar state or a focal-conic state, the portions of the CLC in the planar state appearing dark, and the portions of the CLC in the focal-conic state appearing bright, to an observer of the LCD. The reflective, transmissive and reflective-transmissive mode displays are derived by further combinations with linear and/or circular polarizers, reflective mirrors and/or transmissive/reflective mirrors, and a source of visible light.

Reverse-mode direct-view display employing a liquid crystal having a characteristic wavelength in the non-visible spectrum

A substrate for a multi-color liquid crystal display (LCD), an LCD having the substrate, and methods of manufacturing the substrate and the LCD. In one embodiment, the substrate includes: (1) a substantially planar base and (2) a cell wall structure, located on a surface of the base, that defines at least first and second sets of independent cells having corresponding independent fluid fill ports when the cell wall structure is bonded to an opposing substrate.

Substrate for colored cholesteric liquid crystal display allowing cholesteric liquid crystal material to be filled by surface tension without vacuum

Methods of manufacturing a liquid crystal display ('LCD'); specifically, a multi-color LCD, e.g., a red-green-blue ('RGB') LCD. The methods include the steps of: (1) depositing a twist agent on a first substrate, the twist agent becoming an in situ twist agent, (2) bringing a second substrate into proximity with the first substrate to form at least one interstitial region between the second and first substrates, (3) introducing liquid crystal ('LC') having an initial pitch into the at least one interstitial region proximate the in situ twist agent and (4) stimulating the LC and the in situ twist agent to cause the LC and the in situ twist agent to mix in situ, the in situ twist agent changing the initial pitch of the LC.

Methods of manufacturing multi-color liquid crystal displays using in

Driver apparatus and methods of driving at least a portion of a cholesteric liquid crystal ('CLC') panel to a state having a given reflectivity. One of the methods includes the steps of: (1) initially driving the portion to a nematic phase, (2) subsequently driving the portion to a cholesteric phase focal-conic state, the cholesteric phase focal-conic state providing a known reference state for subsequent driving of the portion and (3) thereafter driving the portion to the state having the given reflectivity.

Apparatus for and method of driving a cholesteric liquid crystal flat

A light modulating apparatus containing cholesteric liquid crystals capable of indefinite zero field retention of optical images, including full color and complete gray scale capability, is described. This invention is predicated on establishment of zero field multistable liquid crystal domains representing a continuous distribution of states ranging from the highly reflective planar to the light-scattering focal-conic structures. The zero field multistable domain structure stability is achieved by controlling solid surface-liquid crystal boundary interactions to provide essential equalization of the total system energy of each of the domain structures. This is the first time this equalization, and thus zero field multistability, has been achieved without the use of a polymer gel addition to create rigid polydomains in the liquid crystal mix. The establishment of a particular domain structure, and thus the degree of light reflection or scattering by individual display pixels, is controlled using either a single relatively long voltage pulse or a number of shorter duration successive voltage pulses. The zero field multistability achieved is remarkably stable against both mechanical shocks and thermal variations. Because these displays eliminate the need for backlighting and image refreshing energy input, they represent ultra low power consumption devices ideal for use with portable display systems. Because these displays also eliminate the need for polarizers, analyzers, retarder and color filters, they are ultra thin and particularly well suited for use in ultra large (i.e., billboard) displays using a building block approach which retains total spatial integrity. These displays can also be fabricated as flexible all-plastic units again utilizing the overall thinness of these devices.

Multistable cholesteric liquid crystal devices driven by width-dependent

Surfactant-containing multistable cholesteric liquid crystal displays exhibit ultra fast response times with both video speed and gray scale capability.

Ultra fast response, multistable reflective cholesteric liquid crystal

Zero field multistable cholesteric liquid crystal displays

A light modulating material comprising phase-separated microdroplets of liquid crystal in a light transmissive, synthetic resin matrix wherein the index of refraction n.sub.p of the matrix is matched or mismatched to an index of refraction N.sub.o of the liquid crystal optical axis of the microdroplets so that when the microdroplet director is aligned relative to a surface of the material, maximum transmission of light occurs at a selected oblique angle relative to the surface of the material or at a selected narrow angle about the perpendicular to the surface of the material. Such matching or mismatching of indices of refraction may be accompanied by phase separation in an external magnetic or electric field, or by shaping the liquid crystal microdroplet into an ovoid or the like during or after phase separation to align the microdroplet directors thereby endowing the material with a permanent and movable viewing angle. One or more sheets of the improved light modulating material may be incorporated into a window or an electrooptic display device to provide angularly discriminating windows or displays that are transparent or visible only at selected angles of view and that are opague at other angles of view.

Growing community of inventors

Richardson, TX, United States of America

Bao-Gang Wu