Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Koji Yabuta

Hiroshi Fukushima

Tomoo Takatani

Akira Imai

Masakazu Wada

Yoshihide Koyama

Hiroyuki Moriwaki

Emma Jayne Walton

Martin David Tillin

Paul Bonnett

Diana Ulrich Kean

Grant Bourhill

Nobuhiro Kasai

Robert Winlow

Michel Sagardoyburu

Manabu Abiru

Zabbie J Acosta

Diana U Kean

In an image display device having a parallax barrier element, a bright display with a broad viewing range can be realized. The image display device according to the present invention includes: a display panel having a first group of pixels for displaying a first image and a second group of pixels for displaying a second image; and a parallax barrier element for separating display light emitted from the first group of pixels and display light emitted from the second group of pixels, the parallax barrier element including a plurality of light-shielding portions and a plurality of light-transmitting portions which are alternately positioned within the same plane. The parallax barrier element includes converging elements respectively provided for the plurality of light-transmitting portions.

Image display device, electronic device, and parallax barrier element

A multiplex image display device prevents onscreen input buttons from appearing at the same positions. A 'command area' refers to an area of the display screen where the user can enter a command for manipulating one of images being simultaneously displayed on the single display section for individual viewing from different directions. In the multiplex image display device, the positioning control section controls the positioning of the command areas so that a command area for one of the images being simultaneously displayed on the display section is displayed at a different (i.e., non-overlapping) position on the display section from a command area for another one of such images.

Multiplex image display device, multiplex image display computer program, and computer-readable storage medium containing the program

In a SW-LCD, an orienting film is divided into first and second regions having different directions of orientation, and a transparent electrode film is also patterned so as to be divided into regions respectively corresponding to the first and second regions. In the first region, a viewing angle in right and left directions is controlled. In the second region, a viewing angle in upper and lower directions is controlled. With this, a display device is realized which makes it possible to switch between a wide viewing angle display mode and a narrow viewing angle display mode, which controls a viewing angle in both upper and lower directions and in right and left directions in the narrow viewing angle display mode, and which makes it possible to prevent an image from being seen obliquely from the right and left directions and from the upper and lower directions.

Display device and electronic apparatus

An ATM of the present invention includes a liquid crystal display panel having, between two transparent substrates, (i) an image forming layer including at least a liquid crystal layer and a pixel section in which RGB pixels are arranged in a matrix manner, and (ii) a plurality of barriers () for splitting a display image formed by the image forming layer into a plurality of images each having a specific viewing angle. The plurality of barriers are provided so as to face the image forming layer. The plurality of barriers () are extended in a horizontal direction (lateral direction) parallel to the surfaces of the transparent substrates, and provided at substantially regular intervals in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction, parallel to the surfaces of the transparent substrates (i.e., in a longitudinal direction). This makes it possible to provide an ATM that prevents a peep at private information such as a secret number without giving, whichever direction a display is viewed, a false recognition that the display is in a resting state.

Automated teller machine

In a display device, when a first image is an absolute white image, a direction in which a luminance is maximum is regarded as a main viewing direction for the first image. A luminance Ld in the main viewing direction for the first image in cases where the first image is an absolute black image and other image is an absolute white image, and a luminance Lb in the main viewing direction for the first image in cases where the first image and the other image are absolute black images satisfy a relationship represented by Formula (1):()/&#x2266;2.5&#x2003;&#x2003;(1).This makes it possible to realize a display device, which is capable of displaying different images to a plurality of different viewpoints and has an improved function of separating the images in the different display directions.

Display device

A control section of a portable phone controls a viewing-angle changing section that changes a viewing angle of an image display section-and controls the viewing angle of the image display section on the basis of a status of use of various devices. The control section includes: a device-in-use detecting section to detect use of the devices; a storage section to store a device/viewing-angle matching table containing a correspondence relationship between a device to be used and a viewing angle; a viewing-angle retrieving section to retrieve, from the table, a viewing angle for the device detected being in use by the device-in-use detecting section; and a viewing-angle control section to control the viewing-angle changing section on the basis of the viewing angle retrieved by the viewing-angle retrieving section. The foregoing allows the viewing angle to be controlled automatically on the basis of the status of use, with a few settings.

Viewing-angle control device, display apparatus, method for controlling viewing-angle control device, viewing-angle control program, and storage medium storing the program

A first transparent electrode film, which is a component of a SW-LCD for viewing angle control, is used as a touch panel. When a contacting object contacts the surface of the first transparent electrode film, a position detector detects currents flowing from plural parts of the first transparent electrode film so as to detect the contacting position of the contacting object, with reference to the detection result. With this, it is possible to provide a built-in touch sensor display device which is thin, lightweight, and low-cost, a viewing angle control device, and an electronic device.

Display device, viewing angle control device, and electronic device

A display section of a portable phone includes a first polarizer, a switching panel section, a reflective polarizer, and a main panel section. The switching panel section has a liquid crystal layer including a plurality of regions having at least two different alignment directions. This makes it possible, by utilizing the difference in the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer, to make the image difficult to observe by a sight-line from an oblique direction. Furthermore, it is also possible, by utilizing the mirror-surface displaying caused by the reflective polarizer, to make the image significantly difficult to observe.

Display apparatus and electronics device

On the display surface side of a DV display apparatus which performs image separation via a parallax barrier, a normally-white TN liquid crystal section is arranged such that a viewing angle direction heads toward the passenger seat. In a case where display is performed for both the driver's seat and the passenger seat, a drive voltage of the TN liquid crystal section is switched off. In a case where display for the driver's seat is set to non-display and an image is displayed only for the passenger seat, a halftone voltage is applied as the drive voltage of the TN liquid crystal section. In the case where display for at least one display direction is set to non-display in a display apparatus which can display different images in plural display directions by using a common display screen, it is possible to prevent image light for other directions from leaking to the non-display direction.

Display apparatus

In a parallax barrier DV (Dual View) display apparatus, a TN (Twisted Nematic) liquid crystal display panel is adopted as a display device for display images. The TN liquid crystal display panel includes a pair of opposing substrates, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched therebetween, orientation films arranged to orient liquid crystal molecules constituting the liquid crystal layer, and electrodes arranged to independently apply electric fields to areas of the liquid crystal layer which correspond to respective pixels. The orientation films are oriented in such a manner that liquid crystal molecules in the aforesaid areas are oriented so that display directions of the pixels are parallel or substantially parallel to a viewing angle direction. This arrangement improves image separation capability in all display directions, in a DV (Dual View) display apparatus displaying different images in respective display directions, by a single display screen.

A portable phone has a main LCD and a SW-LCD, provided on a path of light to be transmitted by the main LCD, which electrically switches between (i) an image to be seen in a single image display mode and (ii) an image to be seen in a multiple image display mode. In the multiple image display mode, the display switch makes it possible that (a) the image displayed by the image display is seen from a front direction and (b) an image obtained by superimposing, onto the image displayed by the image display, a switching image formed by the display switch is seen from an oblique direction. The switching image is formed by providing, with at least one of a pair of transparent electrode films for applying a voltage to a liquid crystal layer, a patterning having an area larger than 50% of an area of a display screen.

Display device, viewing angle control device, and electronic apparatus

A portable phone has a main LCD and a SW-LCD, provided on a path of light to be transmitted by the main LCD, which electrically switches between (i) an image to be seen in a single image display mode and (ii) an image to be seen in a multiple image display mode. Furthermore, a first polarization plate serving as a reflective polarization plate is provided between the SW-LCD and the main LCD, and a second polarization plate is provided on a front surface side of the SW-LCD. The SW-LCD has a liquid crystal layer to which a voltage is applied in the multiple image display mode. With this, an image displayed by an image display can be seen from a front direction. In addition, the image displayed by the image display means is blocked by the second polarization plate when the image is seen from the an oblique direction, and outside light from the oblique direction is reflected by the first polarization plate, so that a mirror surface display is carried out.

A display is provided for switching between a narrow or private viewing mode and a wide or public viewing mode. The display comprises a display device which is controlled to provide display of a desired image or sequence of images. This is associated with a liquid crystal device having at least one liquid crystal layer whose molecules are switchable between a first state providing a first angular viewing range and a second state providing a second angular viewing range which is within and smaller than the first angular viewing range. With the molecules in the second state, the device at least partially blocks light propagating towards part of the first angular viewing range outside the second angular viewing range. The or each liquid crystal layer is in contact with at least one alignment surface, the or each of which comprises a uniform non-patterned alignment surface.

Display

A viewing angle control element of the present invention contains transparent regionshaving a transmittance Tand light shield regionscapable of switching between a transmittance Tand a transmittance Twhich is less than Tand Taccording to an external signal. Each of the transparent regionsand the light shield regionsis positioned opposite to one of pixels. Displays are produced at or close to the original brightness of the image display element in wide viewing angle mode, whereas in narrow viewing angle mode, light transmission is limited to achieve narrow viewing angles. This is in contrast with other viewing angle control elements which produce displays at or close to the original brightness of the image display element in narrow viewing angle mode, whereas in wide viewing angle mode, light is diffused or otherwise modified to achieve wide viewing angles. Thus, the viewing angle control element is capable of achieving both wide viewing angles and narrow viewing angles, and still preventing image quality deterioration at wide viewing angles due to decreased brightness of the image display element.

Viewing angle control element and image display based on same

A display device includes: a main LCD; a SW LCD, disposed on an optical path of light transmitting through the main LCD, for electrically switching a visible image between a single image display mode and a multiple image display mode; a first polarizer; and a second polarizer. The major axis direction of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer of the SW LCD is always substantially parallel to the polarization direction of light after transmission through the first polarizer when projected from the normal to the substrates. At least some of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are controlled in terms of alignment direction so that the major axis direction of the liquid crystal molecules is substantially parallel to the substrates in the single image display mode and tilted from the substrates in the multiple image display mode.

Growing community of inventors

Kashiba, Japan

Koji Yabuta