Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Tatsuya Moriike

Mitsuru Kano

Katsumasa Yoshii

Kenji Omote

Masao Ohkita

Tomomasa Takatsuka

Tetsushi Tanada

Akito Miura

Koichi Moue

Yoshihiko Ishitaka

Sadao Nakamura

Toshiyuki Teshirogi

Atsushi Haseyama

Kinji Omote

Hideharu Watanabe

Katsutoshi Uwami

The present invention provides a reflector having a light-diffusing property which suppresses inter-object reflection over a wide angle, and giving particularly high reflectance in an intended range of viewing angle; and to provide a reflection type liquid crystal display device using the same. The reflector includes a plurality of light-reflective concave portions. Each of the concave portions is formed so that an inclination angle (an angle between a plane tangential to a point on a concave surface and the surface of the base material) is maximum on a side portion of the curved surface, and so that the direction of the side portion having the maximum inclination angle is on a far side from a view point of an observer.

Reflector providing particularly high reflectance in an intended viewing angle and reflection type liquid crystal display device using the same

The present invention provides a reflector having a light-diffusing property which suppresses inter-object reflection over a wide angle, and giving particularly high reflectance in an intended range of viewing angle; and to provide a reflection type liquid crystal display device using the same. The reflector includes a plurality of light-reflective concave portions. Each of the concave portions is formed so that an inclination angle (an angle between a plane tangential to a point on a concave surface and the surface of the base material) is maximum on a side portion of the curved surface, and so that the direction of the side portion having the maximum inclination angle is on a far side from a view point of an observer. Moreover, the reflector includes many concave portions formed on a reflector surface, an inner surface of each of the concave portions-including a peripheral curved surface and a bottom curved surface that are continuously connected to each other, the peripheral curved surface being a part of a first sphere having a first radius, the bottom curved surface being a part of a second sphere having a second radius different from the first radius, and the bottom curved surface being located within the peripheral curved surface, wherein the first radius is smaller than the second radius, and a normal line extending from a center of the first sphere to the reflector surface and a normal line extending from a center of the second aphere to the reflector surface are not collinear. Further, the reflection type liquid crystal display device is provided with the reflector.

The present invention provides a reflector having a light-diffusing property which suppresses inter-object reflection over a wide angle, and giving particularly high reflectance in an intended range of viewing angle; and to provide a reflection type liquid crystal display device using the same. The reflector includes a plurality of light-reflective concave portions. Each of the concave portions is formed so that an inclination angle (an angle between a plane tangential to a point on a concave surface and the surface of the base material) is maximum on a side portion of the curved surface, and so that the direction of the side portion having the maximum inclination angle is on a far side from a view point of an observer. Moreover, the reflector includes many concave portions formed on a reflector surface, an inner surface of each of the concave portions including a peripheral curved surface and a bottom curved surface that are continuously connected to each other, the peripheral curved surface being a part of a first sphere having a first radius, the bottom curved surface being a part of a second sphere having a second radius different from the first radius, and the bottom curved surface being located within the peripheral curved surface, wherein the first radius is smaller than the second radius, and a normal line extending from a center of the first sphere to the reflector surface and a normal line extending from a center of the second sphere to the reflector surface are not collinear. Further, the reflection type liquid crystal display device is provided with the reflector.

A reflector for a liquid crystal display includes a substrate with light-reflective concave portions on the surface thereof. Each concave portion has a specific vertical section which passes through a deepest point of the concave portion. The internal shape of the specific vertical section is defined by a first curve, which extends from one point on the peripheral edge of the concave portion to the deepest point of the concave portion, and a second curve, which extends continuously from the first curve and from the deepest point of the concave portion to another point on the peripheral edge of the concave portion. The average of the absolute value of an inclination angle of the first curve relative to the substrate surface is larger than the average of the absolute value of an inclination angle of the second curve relative to the substrate surface.

Reflector which appears bright when viewed at specific angle and reflective liquid crystal display

A liquid crystal display device includes a reflector disposed at an outside surface side of one substrate of a liquid crystal cell or between the first substrate and an electrode disposed on an inside surface side of the first substrate. When an angle between a direction of a normal line with respect to a display surface of the liquid crystal display device and a main viewing direction is from about 0 degrees to about 20 degrees, a reflection ratio peak value of light incident upon the liquid crystal display device and reflected by the reflector is set so as to occur within a range of about 20 degrees from the normal line direction.

Liquid crystal display device with improved viewing angle properly and portable electronic apparatus using the same

A reflector and reflector-type LCD suppresses inter-object reflection over a wide angle, and provides particularly high reflectance in an intended range of viewing angle. The reflector includes a plurality of concave portions with an inclination angle (an angle between a plane tangential to a point on a concave surface and the surface of the base material) that is maximum on a side portion of the curved surface. The concave portions may also be formed such that an inner surface of each of the concave portions include a peripheral curved surface and a bottom curved surface are continuously connected to each other. The peripheral curved surface and the bottom curved surface are interposed partial spheres having different radii and non-collinear normal lines from the surface of each sphere.

Liquid crystal display device with improved viewing angle property and portable electronic apparatus using the same

A brighter and whiter reflector provides high reflection efficiency over a wide range of angles. An indenting tool is pressed against the surface of a matrix base material; the pressing operation is repeated while changing the position of the indenting tool on the surface of the base material for the matrix to successively form many pits, the inner surfaces of which are shaped like partial spheres, on the mold surface of the matrix base material so as to provide it as the matrix for forming the reflector. Then, a transfer mold having a mold surface which has a reversed pattern of the pits and projections of the mold surface of the matrix is made, and the mold surface of the transfer mold is transferred to the surface of the base material for the reflector to provide a reflector ( ). Pits ( ) of the reflector ( ) are formed so that the depths the pits ( ) range from 0.1 &mgr;m to 3 &mgr;m, the tilt angles of the inner surfaces of the pits ( ) are distributed in the range of &minus;18 degrees to &plus;18 degrees, and the pitches between adjoining pits ( ) range from 5 &mgr;m to 50 &mgr;m. A reflection type liquid crystal display device in accordance with the present invention is equipped with the reflector ( ).

Reflector having pits and projection on a surface thereof, manufacturing method for the same, and reflection-type liquid crystal display device employing the reflector

Reflector having pits and projections on a surface thereof, manufacturing method for the same, and reflection type liquid crystal display device employing the reflector

A highly reliable reflection type liquid crystal display device having an organic film is disclosed in which generation of cracks in an electrode layer caused by the sinking in of the terminals of a driving element are prevented. A reliable electrical connection is thereby established between the driving element and the first electrode layer and the organic film is prevented from being separated from the substrate. The reflection type liquid crystal display device includes a pair of substrates, a seal material held between the pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal layer sealed in the space surrounded by the pair of substrates and the seal material. The organic film, which has a plurality of protrusions and recesses, a metal reflection film, an overcoat film, and first electrode layers sequentially formed on the surface of one of the pair of substrates. The organic film and the metal reflection film are formed in a display region but are not formed in a driving element mounting region.

Reflection type liquid crystal display device wherein the organic film is terminated before extending into the driving element mounting region

A laser beam machine is used to locally remove color filters in a liquid crystal display via laser trimming. The laser beam machine includes an X-Y table, and a machine body containing a rotatable phase difference plate and a beam splitter that are arranged in the optical path of the laser beam. A workpiece is mounted on the X-Y table. The workpiece contains color filters that have been previously formed on transparent electrodes patterned on a transparent substrate. Beams spots are applied to the workpiece in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the color filters and at a specific pitch. The laser beam machine may be used to form an opaque film around the color filters at low cost.

Laser beam machine with mode conversion

To provide a liquid crystal display device fabrication method making it possible to form a desired opaque film around a color filter at a low cost. Color filters 52 are locally removed through laser trimming by a laser beam machine provided with a machine body in which a rotatable phase difference plate and a beam splitter are arranged in the optical path of a laser beam and moreover provided with an XY table, mounting a workpiece in which a plurality of transparent electrodes 51 and color filters 52 superposed on transparent electrodes 51 are previously formed on a transparent substrate on the XY table, and applying a plurality of beam spots S to the workpiece in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of color filters 52 at a certain pitch.

Laser beam machine and liquid crystal display device fabrication method

A color filter is manufactured in the steps described below. 1 A plurality of transparent electrodes which extend in a straight line at fixed pitch intervals are formed on one surface of a transparent board: 2 color filters of a plurality of colors are stacked on transparent electrodes in a predetermined sequence: 3 a high energy beam is scanned at fixed pitch intervals in a direction intersecting at right angles to the extension direction of the transparent electrodes in order to selectively remove the transparent electrodes and the color filters, or only the color filters: 4 a black resist is coated onto that surface of the transparent board where the transparent electrodes are formed, light for exposing the black resist is irradiated from the back of the transparent board, and the black resist layer coated onto an area other than the color filter formation portion is exposed: 5 the exposed transparent board is developed to selectively remove the unexposed black resist coated on the color filters, and thus a light-shielding film is formed around the color filter. In this case, when the unexposed black resist is removed by using laser light with a short wavelength of 380 nm or less as the high energy beam, removal at the same width is made possible regardless of the color of the color filters, and processing quality is improved.

Method of manufacturing color filters

A luminous key top having display sections comprises: a display member having a plurality of protrusions corresponding to the respective external configurations of the display sections and formed of a transparent or a translucent synthetic resin; an external member consisting of an opaque synthetic resin and formed integrally on the display member except for the respective top surfaces of the protrusions; first light-transmitting color layers formed by printing on the respective top surfaces of the protrusions; and second light-transmitting color layers formed by printing on the first light-transmitting color layers.

Luminous key top

A key top includes an indicator member formed of a transparent or translucent synthetic resin and having a projection corresponding to a contour of an indicating portion, an outer member formed of an opaque synthetic resin and molded to cover an outer surface of the indicator member except a top surface of the projection, a light transmitting colored coating printed on the top surface of the projection, and a light shielding coating printed on a part of the light transmitting colored coating which corresponds to a closed portion of the indicating portion such as the center of the letter 'O'.

Growing community of inventors

Fukushima-ken, Japan

Tatsuya Moriike