Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Jiyun Yu

Hywel Hopkin

Nathan James Smith

Andrew Acreman

Kiyoshi Minoura

Akira Sakai

Koji Murata

David James Montgomery

Yuichi Kawahira

Takehiro Murao

A liquid crystal device (LCD) is configured for minimizing unwanted internal ambient light reflections. The LCD includes a plurality of layers, the layers comprising from a viewing side: a first linear polariser; an external retarder that is made of a cyclic olefin polymer (COP) material or a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) material; a colour filter substrate; a colour filter layer; an internal reactive mesogen (RM) retarder alignment layer; an internal reactive mesogen (RM) retarder; a liquid crystal (LC) layer; and a second linear polarizer. The external retarder and the internal RM retarder are configured such that the optical properties (for example light polarization control function) of the external retarder and the internal retarder are matched to negate each other for light passing through the external retarder and the internal RM retarder. The LCD simultaneously maintains high image quality in both high and low ambient lighting conditions.

Low reflectivity LCD with COP retarder and COP matching RM

A switchable view angle control device for a privacy view display system includes an electrically switchable view angle control LCD that is operable in a first state and a second state; a front polarizer located on a viewing side of the switchable view angle control LCD; and a polarized light source located on a non-viewing side of the switchable view angle control LCD that emits polarized light. When the switchable view angle control LCD in the first state, the view angle control device operates in a narrow angle view mode in which off-axis polarized light from the polarized light source is changed by the switchable view angle control LCD so that the off-axis light is absorbed by the front polarizer, and on-axis light passes through the switchable view angle control LCD and the front polarizer. When the switchable view angle control LCD is in the second state, the view angle control device operates in a wide angle view mode in which the polarized light from the polarized light source is scattered by the switchable view angle control LCD and passes through the front polarizer.

Liquid crystal private device

A passive matrix display has corrugated electrode edges to reduce zone visibility within a display system. A passive matrix display includes a first substrate and a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer positioned between the first and second substrates; a patterned electrode layer formed on the first substrate comprising a plurality of individual electrodes, wherein adjacent individual electrodes are separated by an electrode gap; and a second electrode layer formed on the second substrate. At least a portion of opposing edges of adjacent individual electrodes at the electrode gap include corrugations. The elements of the corrugations may be any suitable shapes and/or sizes as may be suitable for any particular application. The corrugations may be uniformly shaped or varying, symmetric or asymmetric about a horizontal axis, and/or may have a regular or irregular pattern. Another aspect is a display system including the enhanced passive matrix display that reduces zone visibility.

Thin two-dimensional dimming backlight with low zone visibility

Growing community of inventors

Oxford, United Kingdom

Jiyun Yu