Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Chikanori Tsukamura

Yoshiharu Kataoka

Katsuhiko Morishita

Dai Chiba

Takehiko Sakai

Tsuyoshi Okazaki

Takahiro Sasaki

Takaharu Yamada

Naoshi Yamada

Okifumi Nakagawa

Nobuhiro Waka

Eiichiro Nishimura

Ichiro Nakamura

Hiroyuki Araki

Kohichi Toriumi

Kazushi Tsuji

It is an object to provide a display that can reliably shield visible light in the entire wavelength regions when viewed from an oblique direction and a viewing angle control element used for the display. A viewing angle control liquid crystal panel () is comprised of a liquid crystal cell () and an emission-side polarizing plate (). When light having a part of wavelength components (R,G) in the visible wavelength regions enters at least at a predetermined angle, the liquid crystal cell () provides the incident light with a phase difference so as to function as a first light-shielding layer that shields the light of the R and G components not to pass through the emission-side polarizing plate (). A retardation plate () and a polarizing plate () function as auxiliary light-shielding layers, more specifically, when the light that has passed through the first light-shielding layer enters at least at the predetermined angle, the retardation plate () provides the light with a phase difference so that at least light having a wavelength component (B) is shielded and thus not transmitted by the polarizing plate ().

Display and viewing angle control element used for same

There are provided a viewing angle control device that can provide a pure black display without coloring and have a significantly improved shielding ability in the narrow viewing angle state, and a display using the viewing angle control device. To adjust the VT (voltage-transmittance) characteristics of a viewing angle control liquid crystal panel () that switches a viewing angle between a wide viewing angle state and a narrow viewing angle state by using birefringence of liquid crystal, translucent electrode films (), to which alternating-current voltages with different frequencies are applied, are provided on a portion of at least one of a pair of translucent substrates () sandwiching the liquid crystal, the portion corresponding to at least one color of a picture element of a display liquid crystal panel (), so that the voltage-transmittance characteristics of the liquid crystal are adjusted.

Viewing angle control device and display provided with the same

A negative C plate () is arranged to be between a polarizing plate () and a reflective liquid crystal panel (). A retardation of the negative C plate () is set so that a combination of the negative C plate () and the liquid crystal panel () generates a phase difference of 'n&#x3bb;/4+&#x3bb;/8 (n is 0, or a positive or negative integer)' for a one-way light path with respect to linearly-polarized light entering into the liquid crystal display device. This makes it possible to provide, at low cost, a liquid crystal display device whose viewing angle can be narrowed by arbitrarily setting a direction in which visibility is limited.

Liquid crystal display device

A viewing angle controlling liquid crystal panel in which uniformity of a shielding effect in a screen is further improved is provided. Linearly polarized light enters a liquid crystal layer. Further, the liquid crystal layer is provided, on a light exit side of the liquid crystal layer, with a polarizing plate transmitting only a component of light having exited from the liquid crystal layer which component is parallel to a polarization axis of the linearly polarized light having entered the liquid crystal layer. Liquid crystal molecules contained in the liquid crystal layer are tilted in a direction parallel to or perpendicular to the polarization axis of the linearly polarized light having entered the liquid crystal layer. In addition, an electrode () is provided so that two or more different voltages can be applied to the liquid crystal layer simultaneously.

Viewing angle controlling liquid crystal panel and display device

There are provided a display that can block light so that a display on an image display device is invisible from a wide range of view angles in an oblique direction, and a view angle control element employed therein. In a narrow view angle state, a view angle control liquid crystal panel () prevents light in a predetermined wavelength region that has been incident at a polar angle of &#x3c6;or more from being transmitted through a polarizing plate () by using a phase difference imparted by a liquid crystal cell (). In the narrow view angle state, a view angle control liquid crystal panel () prevents light that has been incident at a polar angle of &#x3c6;or more, among light that has been transmitted through the polarizing plate (), from being transmitted through a polarizing plate () by using a phase difference imparted by a liquid crystal cell (). Consequently, light forming a polar angle of &#x3c6;or more is blocked as a whole, which allows the narrow view angle state to cover a wide range.

Display and view angle control element employed therein

There are provided a viewing angle control device that can provide a black display without coloring and achieve a significantly improved shielding ability during a narrow viewing angle state, and a display using the same. In order to adjust VT (voltage-transmittance) characteristics of a viewing angle control liquid crystal panel () that switches a viewing angle between a wide viewing angle state and a narrow viewing angle state by using birefringence of liquid crystal, the viewing angle control liquid crystal panel () includes a translucent dielectric film () for adjusting the voltage-transmittance characteristics of the liquid crystal at a position corresponding to a picture element of at least one color in a display liquid crystal panel () on at least one of a pair of translucent substrates () that sandwich the liquid crystal therebetween.

In a liquid crystal display device including a display liquid crystal panel and a viewing-angle-control liquid crystal panel and capable of switching viewing angle characteristics, a half wavelength plate for setting a viewing restricted direction is provided between the display liquid crystal panel and the viewing-angle-control liquid crystal panel. This makes it possible to realize a liquid crystal display device that allows a viewing restricted direction to be set as appropriate.

Liquid crystal display device and viewing angle control module

A display system includes a liquid crystal display () including a backlight (), a liquid crystal display panel (), and a viewing angle control panel () for controlling the viewing angle of the display panel (), the display system causing the amount of external light reflected by the liquid crystal display () to be relatively larger than the amount of light leaked from the backlight () onto the liquid crystal display panel (). This provides a display system having an enhanced blocking effect.

Display system

A liquid crystal display includes a backlight (), a liquid crystal display panel (), and a viewing angle control panel () for controlling the viewing angle of the display panel (), the liquid crystal display further including a lens sheet () provided between the backlight () and the liquid crystal display panel (). This provides a display device system which is capable of providing better blocking.

Liquid crystal display

A liquid crystal display device includes a reflective liquid crystal panel () having a liquid crystal panel polarization plate (), a polarization plate () provided on a front surface side of the polarization plate () with its absorption axis in parallel with an absorption axis of the polarization plate (), and a negative C plate () provided between the liquid crystal panel polarization plate () and the polarization plate (). The negative C plate () sets a direction in which viewing limitation is carried out. Thus, it is possible to provide the liquid crystal display device in which a viewing angle can be narrowed by freely setting, in the reflective liquid crystal panel, the direction in which the viewing limitation should be carried out.

A liquid crystal display device () of the present invention includes a backlight (), a display liquid crystal panel () and a viewing angle control panel () for switching a viewing angle of the display liquid crystal panel () between a wide viewing angle mode and a narrow viewing angle mode. The viewing angle control panel () includes a control panel upper polarizing plate (), a liquid crystal cell () and a control panel lower polarizing plate () stacked in this order, and phase difference plates () are provided between the polarizing plates () and the liquid crystal cell (), respectively. The viewing angle control panel () is arranged such that Rein a white display portion in the wide viewing angle mode is n&#x3bb;/2 (n is an integer of 1 or more), Rein a white display portion in the narrow viewing angle mode is n&#x3bb;/2 (n is an integer of 1 or more), and Rein a black display portion in the narrow viewing angle mode is n&#x3bb; (n is an integer of 1 or more).

Liquid crystal display device and viewing angle control panel

It is an object of the invention to provide a liquid crystal display apparatus in which the cell gap is uniform and the display quality is high, and also a method for manufacturing the same. In the liquid crystal display apparatus, a color filter side substrate in which a protrusion is formed by a black mask, and a TFT side substrate in which a recess is formed by a resin film such as an orientation film are bonded together via dispersed spacers therebetween, and a liquid crystal is filled between the substrates. In the resin film such as an orientation film, patterning is performed except a portion which is opposed to the protrusion, thereby forming the recess in the TFT side substrate. The formation of the recess prevents the cell gap from being pushed up even when the dispersed spacers are placed on the protrusion. Even in the case where the substrates are not flat, therefore, the cell gap can be maintained uniform.

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Osaka, Japan

Chikanori Tsukamura