JP2006276587A - Electro-optical device and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electro-optical device capable of reducing moire stripes and improving display quality without executing fine angular adjustment between the array direction of pixels and the optical period direction of a converging sheet. <P>SOLUTION: The electro-optical device is provided with an electro-optical panel having a pair of substrates and an electro-optical materials arranged between the pair of substrates and constituted so that a plurality of pixels 101a including the electro-optical material are arrayed along the pair of materials, wherein each of the plurality of pixels 100a is provided with a light transmitting area 100b for transmitting light and the opening forms of the light transmitting areas 100b in respective pixels 100a are changed along the prescribed array direction of the pixels 100a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electro-optical device and an electronic apparatus, and more particularly to a pixel structure for improving display quality of an electro-optical panel.

  In general, a liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel that modulates transmitted light, and a backlight that is disposed behind the liquid crystal display panel (on the side opposite to the viewing side) and supplies light to the liquid crystal display panel. A device that realizes a desired display mode by controlling a transmission state of illumination light emitted from a backlight by an optical shutter function of a liquid crystal display panel is known.

  In the above liquid crystal display device, in many cases, two condensing sheets made of a prism sheet or the like are arranged between the liquid crystal display panel and the backlight, and the ratio of illumination light used as display light, that is, the light The display brightness is increased by increasing the utilization efficiency. In order to condense the light emitted from the backlight in the viewing direction, the condensing sheet has a periodic structure with a large number of condensing structures on the surface, specifically, a prism structure having a chevron or V-groove surface structure. Is formed. These light collecting sheets are usually arranged so that the arrangement directions of the optical periodic structures are orthogonal to each other.

  Said condensing sheet can condense the illumination light radiate | emitted from a backlight to a visual recognition direction, and can improve the brightness | luminance of a liquid crystal display device several tens% or more. As the condensing sheet, those having various condensing structures are known, but those having a mountain-shaped or V-groove prism structure as described above are the most common.

  However, in the liquid crystal display device, when the light condensing sheet is used as described above, a striped pattern with a strong modulation degree is obtained depending on the relationship between the optical structure period of the light condensing sheet and the arrangement period of the pixels of the liquid crystal display panel. Brightness and darkness unevenness (hereinafter referred to as “moire fringes”) may occur, which causes a problem that the display quality of the liquid crystal display device is lowered. In particular, as the resolution of liquid crystal display devices in recent years is increasing, the arrangement period of pixels and the prism period of the prism sheet are approaching, so moire fringes are likely to occur, which is a big problem.

In order to solve the above problem, the prism-shaped groove directions of the two prism sheets are arranged orthogonal to each other, and a predetermined angle is set between the groove direction and the arrangement direction of the pixels of the liquid crystal display panel. There is known a technique for improving the display quality of a liquid crystal display device by making it so fine that moire fringes are not visible (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).
JP-A-8-68997

  By the way, in the above-described liquid crystal display device, it is necessary to incline the groove direction of the prism sheet at a predetermined angle with respect to the pixel arrangement direction, but the predetermined angle effective for reducing moire fringes is the prism. Since it varies depending on the optical characteristics of the sheet, the pixel arrangement period, the distance between the liquid crystal display panel and the prism sheet, etc., it is necessary to set an optimum angle every time the panel is designed. In particular, if this angle changes, the viewing angle characteristics of the device may change due to changes in the relationship between the light collection characteristics of the prism sheet and the light modulation characteristics of the liquid crystal display panel. Obtaining the optimum angle is not easy.

  Further, in the above liquid crystal display device, since it is necessary to cut out the prism sheet so that the groove direction of the prism is inclined with respect to each side, the number of prism sheets that can be cut out from a large raw material sheet is small. Therefore, there is a problem in that the use efficiency of the expensive prism sheet is reduced and the manufacturing cost is increased.

  Furthermore, the above moire fringes are not only caused by the light collecting sheet, but may also be caused by the light / dark distribution of the light emitted from the backlight. For example, a surface uneven structure for emitting light may be formed on the surface of the light guide plate, and the surface uneven structure may have a distribution in which the illuminance of the emitted light is periodically increased or decreased.

  Therefore, the present invention solves the above problems, and its purpose is to reduce moire fringes without performing fine angle adjustment between the pixel arrangement direction and the optical periodic direction of the light collecting sheet. An object of the present invention is to provide an electro-optical device capable of improving display quality.

  In view of such circumstances, the electro-optical device of the present invention includes a pair of substrates and an electro-optical material disposed between the pair of substrates, and includes a plurality of the electro-optical materials along the pair of substrates. In the electro-optical device including the electro-optical panel in which the pixels are arranged, each of the plurality of pixels is provided with a light transmission region that transmits light, and the pixel is arranged in the pixel along a predetermined arrangement direction of the pixels. The opening shape of the light transmission region is changed.

  The cause of moire fringes is that the illumination light irradiates the electro-optical panel due to the uneven structure formed on the surface of the light guide plate and the optical periodic structure of the condensing sheet such as a prism sheet. Although it is possible to interfere with the formation cycle of the light transmissive region formed by the arrangement, according to the present invention, the opening shape of the light transmissive region in the pixel changes along the predetermined arrangement direction of the pixel. As a result, the period of the light transmission region in the arrangement direction is different from the pixel period, or the periodic structure of the light transmission region itself disappears. Is less likely to occur, and moire fringes can be reduced.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the opening shapes of the plurality of light transmission regions change randomly along the predetermined arrangement direction. According to this, since the periodic structure of the light transmission region substantially disappears along the predetermined arrangement direction of the pixels, moire fringes can be further reduced.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that opening areas of the light transmission regions formed in the plurality of pixels arranged in the predetermined arrangement direction are the same. By making the opening area the same between the pixels arranged in the predetermined arrangement direction, even if the opening shapes of the plurality of light transmission regions change along the predetermined arrangement direction as described above, the display mode is disturbed. This can be suppressed.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the opening shape of the light transmission region is obtained by changing an additional light shielding range of the plurality of pixels in the predetermined arrangement direction. According to this, by changing the additional light shielding range with respect to the basic opening shape, the opening shape can be reliably changed regardless of the pixel structure or without affecting the pixel structure. be able to.

  In the present invention, the opening shape of the light transmission region may be obtained by dividing the interior of the pixel into a plurality of sub-regions and setting the light-shielding range to at least one of the plurality of sub-regions. It is preferable that the sub-region or a combination thereof for setting a light-shielding range is changed in the predetermined arrangement direction. According to this, the opening shape of the light transmission region can be reliably and easily changed by changing the sub-region or the combination thereof for setting the light-shielding range. In particular, by previously specifying a plurality of sub-regions in which a light-shielding range is to be set in a pixel, it is possible to easily design a random change mode of the aperture shape by calculation processing or the like.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to further include an illumination device for irradiating the electro-optical panel with light. According to this, it is possible to reduce moire fringes caused by the light / dark distribution of light emitted by the illumination device by changing the aperture shape in the pixel.

  In the present invention, it further includes a light collecting sheet disposed between the electro-optical panel and the illumination device, and the light collecting sheet has a direction substantially coincident with the predetermined arrangement direction. It is preferable that an optical periodic structure having a light collecting function is formed. Moire fringes are generated by the optical periodic structure of the condensing sheet and the arrangement periodic structure of the light transmission region of the electro-optical panel. By substantially matching the pixel arrangement direction in which the shape changes, the effect of reducing moire fringes due to the change in the opening shape can be obtained efficiently.

  In the present invention, the two light-condensing sheets that are orthogonal to each other in a reference direction in which the optical periodic structure is formed are disposed between the electro-optical panel and the illumination device. It is preferable that two predetermined arrangement directions that substantially coincide with both of the two reference directions orthogonal to each other of the two light collecting sheets are set. In an electro-optical device, in general, two light-collecting sheets are often stacked and arranged in a posture in which reference directions in which an optical periodic structure is formed are orthogonal to each other. By configuring so that the predetermined arrangement direction is set for each reference direction of the light collecting sheets, the opening shape of the light transmission region changes along any reference direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce moire fringes caused by any optical periodic structure of the two light collecting sheets.

  Next, an electronic apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includes any one of the electro-optical devices described above and a control unit that controls the electro-optical device. The electronic apparatus on which the electro-optical device is mounted is not particularly limited, but the period of the light transmission region of the electro-optical panel approaches the period of the optical periodic structure of the condensing sheet due to high definition of the display screen. In particular, when moire fringes are easily generated, the area of the display screen is limited, especially when an electro-optical device is mounted on a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone, a portable information terminal, an electronic dictionary, or an electronic watch. It is valid.

  Next, embodiments of the electro-optical device according to the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the electro-optical device according to the present invention is configured as a liquid crystal display device. FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a liquid crystal display device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display device 100 of this embodiment includes a liquid crystal display panel 100P, a backlight 140 disposed behind the liquid crystal display panel 100P, and a diffusion disposed between the liquid crystal display panel 100P and the backlight 140. A sheet 180 and two condensing sheets 162 and 164; Note that FIG. 1 is drawn so that there is a gap between the elements constituting the liquid crystal display device 100, but this is merely the result shown for the purpose of making the structure easy to understand, and in fact, the elements are almost identical to each other. It is preferable that they are arranged in close contact.

  The liquid crystal display panel 100P has a transmissive cell structure, and includes a first substrate 110 provided with electrodes 115 on the inner surface and a second substrate 120 provided with color filters 127 and electrodes 123 on the inner surface. The liquid crystal 131 is filled in the space defined by the first substrate 110, the second substrate 120, and the sealing material 130. Further, polarizing plates 101 and 102 are disposed on the outer surfaces of the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120, respectively, by sticking or the like.

  In the liquid crystal display panel 100P, a plurality of pixels 100a are arranged vertically and horizontally, and each pixel 100a is provided with a light transmission region. In the case of the present embodiment, since a transmissive panel is configured, the plurality of pixels 100a each having a light transmissive region and the light transmissive region provided in the pixel 100a are substantially the same (same as the same). In practice, however, there may be a light shielding region at the outer edge of the pixel 100a. In the present specification, each of the display areas in which the pixels 100a are arranged is divided by virtual lines to be described later as pixels, and when a light-shielding area is formed around the light-transmitting area, the pixel The following description will be made assuming that both the light transmission region and the light shielding region are included in 100a.

  In the present embodiment, the liquid crystal 131 is driven by applying a voltage between the pair of electrodes 115 and 123 facing each other, whereby the intensity of the transmitted light La can be changed for each pixel 100a, thereby enabling display. It is configured as follows. That is, the pixel 100a constitutes the minimum unit region in which the light modulation characteristics can be independently controlled in the liquid crystal display panel 100P.

  The color filter 127 includes three colored layers 127R, 127G, and 127B of R (Red: red), G (Green: green), and B (Blue: blue) that are periodically arranged to form a stripe shape as a whole. It is a thing. The three colored layers 127R, 127G, and 127B are formed corresponding to the respective pixels 100a. That is, the colored layers 127R, 127G, and 127B are sequentially and repeatedly arranged corresponding to the pixels 100a when viewed in the horizontal direction in the figure.

  The backlight 140 is for illuminating the liquid crystal display panel 100P from the back. A cold cathode tube or an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is provided on a side surface of the light guide plate 142 made of a transparent synthetic resin such as acrylic resin. The light sources 141 are arranged close to each other. In the backlight 140, light emitted from the light source 141 enters the light guide plate 142 from the end face, propagates through the light guide plate 142, and is guided by a light emitting structure including a fine surface uneven structure (not shown). By gradually emitting light from the surface of the light plate 142, substantially uniform illumination light is emitted from the surface of the light guide plate 142 as a whole. Note that a light reflecting sheet (not shown) is preferably disposed behind the light guide plate 142.

  The light diffusion sheet 180 is disposed on the light exit side of the light guide plate 142 and has a function of scattering or diffusing the illumination light in order to improve the illuminance uniformity of the illumination light emitted from the surface of the light guide plate 142. Have. As this light diffusion sheet 180, for example, a sheet made by coating a transparent synthetic resin sheet such as polyester with a resin mixed with transparent beads can be used.

  The two condensing sheets 162 and 164 are disposed between the liquid crystal display panel 100P and the light diffusion sheet 180, and condensing the illumination light of the backlight 140 in the front direction of the liquid crystal display panel 120. This is to increase the brightness. These condensing sheets 162 and 164 are arranged in a state of being overlapped with each other.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view schematically showing the light collecting sheets 162 and 164 as viewed obliquely from above. An X direction and a Y direction in the figure indicate reference directions of the liquid crystal display device (actually, two directions perpendicular to each other along the side of the device configured in a rectangular shape). As shown in FIG. 2, the condensing sheets 162 and 164 are formed with a large number of mountain-shaped (inverted V-shaped) ridges 162a and 164a on the surfaces thereof in a striped manner as a whole. It is configured. These ridges 162a and 164a function optically as prisms, respectively, and their arrangement forms a periodic optical structure period on the light collecting sheets 162 and 164. In other words, this optical structure period is a surface structure in which V-grooves are periodically formed on the surface along a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the grooves.

  More specifically, the apex angle (angle between the inclined surfaces on both sides of the ridge line) of the ridges 162a and 164a and the angle between adjacent ridges (the bottom angle of the V groove) are both about 80 to 90 degrees. The ridge lines (ridge lines) of the ridges 162a and 164a and the valley lines of the V-groove are alternately arranged.

  Here, the light condensing sheet 162 and the light condensing sheet 164 are arranged so that the extending direction of the ridges 162a and the extending direction of the ridges 164a are orthogonal to each other. That is, the formation direction of the optical structure period formed by the ridges 162 in the first light collecting sheet 162 (this is a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the ridges 162) and the second light collection. The formation direction of the optical structure period formed by the ridges 164 in the sheet 164 (this is a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the ridges 164) is orthogonal to each other.

  Accordingly, the illumination light of the backlight 140 can be condensed in the front-rear direction of the drawing using the condensing sheet 162, and the illumination light can be condensed in the left-right direction of the drawing using the condensing sheet 164. Accordingly, by using the two condensing sheets 162 and 164 as described above, it is possible to convert a large part of the illumination light having different emission angles into light that can be used as display light.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the protruding portion 162a of the condensing sheet 162 extends substantially in the X direction (lateral direction) in the drawing, but the optical structure period constituted by the protruding portion 162a of the condensing sheet 162 is protruding. Since it is formed in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the portion 162a, it is formed in the Y direction (vertical direction) in the figure. In addition, the convex strip portion 164a of the light collecting sheet 164 extends substantially in the Y direction (vertical direction) in the drawing, but the optical structure period P2 constituted by the convex strip portion 164a of the light collecting sheet 164 has Since it is formed in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction, it is formed in the X direction (lateral direction) in the figure.

  The optical structure period formed on the condensing sheet 162 periodically changes the illuminance distribution in the lateral direction of the illumination light of the backlight 140. That is, bright and dark illuminance unevenness occurs at a period corresponding to the optical structure period when viewed in the Y direction in the figure. This uneven illuminance cannot be formed as a strict line segment between the ridge line (ridge line) of the ridge 162a or the valley line between adjacent ridges 162a due to the limit of processing accuracy. In the vicinity, the light collecting performance decreases, and the light sources 141 are disposed only on one side of the light guide plate 142. For example, the amounts of light collected on the inclined surfaces on both sides of the ridge 162a are not the same. This is caused by different things.

  Similarly to the above, the optical structure period formed on the condensing sheet 164 periodically changes the illuminance distribution in the X direction of the illumination light of the backlight 140 in the drawing. That is, bright and dark illuminance unevenness occurs at a period corresponding to the optical structure period as viewed in the X direction. The reason for this is the same as in the case of the optical structure period of the light collecting sheet 162 described above.

  Here, the formation direction of the optical structure period of the condensing sheet 162 and the Y direction shown in the figure may completely coincide with each other as shown in the example, but about 1 to 25 degrees (preferably about 2 to 20 degrees). ) May be tilted within the range. Similarly, the formation direction of the optical structure period of the condensing sheet 164 and the X direction in the drawing may completely coincide with each other as shown in the example, but the range is 1 to 25 degrees (preferably about 2 to 20 degrees). You may be inclined at. The reason for this is that, even if it is slightly inclined as described above, the relationship between the optical structure period of the condensing sheet 162 and the arrangement pitch of the pixels 100a in the Y direction shown in the drawing is the same as in the case of complete coincidence. The presence / absence of moire fringes extending in the vertical direction and the moire intensity are determined, and the moire fringes extending in the horizontal direction are determined by the relationship between the optical structure period of the light collecting sheet 164 and the arrangement pitch of the pixels 100a in the X direction shown in the drawing. This is because the presence or absence of moiré and the moire intensity are determined. Therefore, in the present specification, if it is within the above-mentioned inclination range, the formation direction of the optical structure period of the light collecting sheets 162 and 164 is substantially set in the direction along the Y direction and the X direction. To be included.

  FIG. 3A is a schematic explanatory view schematically showing an arrangement mode of pixels (an arrangement mode of light transmission regions) configured in the liquid crystal display panel 100P of the present embodiment, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a light transmissive area | region and a light-shielding area | region. As shown in FIG. 3A, the pixels 100a provided on the liquid crystal display panel 100P are arranged in a matrix in the vertical and horizontal directions (that is, in the X and Y directions in the figure). Here, in the illustrated example, each pixel 100a is drawn so as to be divided by an imaginary line indicated by a one-dot chain line in the figure. Each pixel 100a is actually provided with a light transmission region 100b and a light shielding region 100c that defines an opening shape of the light transmission region 100b. The light shielding region 100c is formed by a light shielding film 122, which will be described in detail later, formed on at least one of the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120.

  In the electro-optical panel 100P of the present embodiment, the opening shape of the light transmission region 100b in the pixel 100a is configured to change along the vertical and horizontal arrangement patterns shown in FIG. That is, the opening shape of the light transmission region 100b changes along both the X direction and the Y direction in the drawing. More specifically, in the case of the present embodiment, the opening shape of the light transmission region 100b changes in any direction between the pixels arranged in a plane. The change mode is configured to be a random change.

  In the present invention, the change mode of the opening shape of the light transmission region 100b is not particularly limited, but in the case of the present embodiment, the change mode of the opening shape is performed under a certain premise. This premise is as follows in the case of this embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, each pixel 100a basically has a common structure (planar pattern such as an electrode, a color filter, an insulating film, and a light shielding film), so that it is originally formed as a light transmission region on the pixel structure. A possible opening possible range 100 s is set. This openable range 100 s is a region where the minimum necessary light-shielding portion from the pixel 100 a, for example, a region where a switching element is formed, a region where light leakage occurs corresponding to the peripheral region of the electrode structure, and the contrast is lowered. Etc. are excluded. Next, the openable range 100s is divided into a plurality (9 in the illustrated example) of sub-regions 100x. The sub-region 100x can be divided in any manner, but in the present embodiment, all the sub-regions 100x are divided so as to have the same area. The openable range 100s and the subregion 100x are virtually formed. In the manufacturing process of each part of the electro-optical panel 100P, patterning is performed based on the settings of the openable range 100s and the subregion 100x. Is done.

  In the present embodiment, at least one of the plurality of sub-regions 100x set as described above is selected and incorporated into the light shielding range, and the other range is defined as the light transmission region 100b. That is, a region excluding one or more sub-regions incorporated in the light shielding range from the openable range 100s becomes the light transmission region 100b. In the example shown in FIG. 3B, the light transmission region 100b is a region obtained by excluding the two sub-regions 100x from the openable range 100s.

  In the present embodiment, the opening shape of the light transmission region 100b is changed by changing the position of the subregion 100x selected for each pixel or a combination thereof. In the example shown in FIG. 3A, a range excluding two or three sub-regions 100x selected from the openable range 100s in each pixel is defined as a light transmission region 100b, and these selected sub-regions are selected. The position and combination of the region 100x are changed between pixels.

  In the conventional structure, for example, the light transmission regions 100b are arranged with a predetermined period in the X direction and the Y direction shown in the figure, but if configured as described above, the periodicity of the light transmission region 100b is disturbed by a change in the opening shape. Therefore, the aperture period of the light transmission shape is different from the pixel arrangement period. In other words, by changing the aperture shape, the periodicity of the aperture shape of the light transmission region can be completely eliminated, the periodicity can be weakened, or the cycle can be longer than the pixel arrangement cycle. Therefore, moire fringes generated due to the relationship between the optical periodic structure of the light-collecting sheets 162 and 164 and the pixel arrangement period are less likely to occur, and even if they occur, the moire intensity is reduced.

  The moire fringes are not limited to the light collecting sheets 162 and 164. For example, when the periodicity of the light emission distribution of the light guide plate 142 or the periodicity of the light transmission distribution of the light diffusion plate 180 exists, these periods It can also occur depending on sex. The present embodiment has an effect of reducing moire fringes caused by the light / dark cycle regardless of where the light / dark cycle of the illumination light is generated.

  In the above example, not only the opening shape of the light transmission region 100b is changed along each of the X direction and the Y direction in the figure, which are pixel arrangement directions, but also in any other direction (for example, in the figure). It is also configured to change in an oblique direction. Further, the change in the shape of the opening is configured to change randomly so as not to have any change period. As a result, the change in the aperture shape does not have periodicity, so that moire fringes are less likely to occur, thereby further improving the display quality.

  Further, in the above example shown in FIG. 3A, only two sub-regions 100x in the openable range 100s shown in FIG. Since the combination is changed, the opening area of the light transmission region 100b is constant (same) between the pixels 100a in any arrangement direction. Thereby, disorder of a display image can be reduced. However, if the change in the opening area between the pixels 100a is not so large, the number of sub-regions 100x that are the light-shielding ranges in the pixels 100a may be slightly changed.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an equivalent circuit structure of each pixel provided on the substrate 110 of the electro-optical panel 100P. The electro-optical panel 100P is provided with a plurality of scanning lines 117 and a plurality of data lines 118 extending in a direction crossing the scanning lines. The scanning lines 117 are connected to the gates of TFTs (thin film transistors) 112 at the scanning potentials Gn, Gn + 1. (N is an arbitrary natural number) is supplied, and the data line 118 is configured to supply signal potentials Sn, Sn + 1, Sn + 2 (n is an arbitrary natural number) to the source of the TFT 112. The drain of the TFT 112 supplies a potential to the pixel electrode 115. In addition, a capacitance line 119 is provided for each scanning line 117, and an auxiliary capacitance Cs is formed between the drain of the TFT 112 and the capacitance line 119.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial vertical sectional view showing the pixel structure of the electro-optical panel 100P, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial plan view showing the pixel structure. In the first substrate 110, a base insulating film 111X is formed on a substrate 111 made of transparent glass, plastic, or the like, and a semiconductor layer 112c is formed on the base insulating film 111X from polycrystalline silicon or the like. A gate electrode 112a is formed on the semiconductor layer 112c via a gate insulating film 112b, thereby forming a TFT 112 having a MOS structure. Note that the gate electrode 112a is conductively connected to the scanning line 117. In the same layer as the gate electrode 112a, a capacitor electrode 112f conductively connected to the capacitor line 119 is formed in a range overlapping with the semiconductor layer 112c, and a part of the semiconductor layer 112c and the capacitor electrode 112f are gate-insulated. The auxiliary capacitor Cs is configured by being opposed to each other across the film 112b.

  An interlayer insulating film 112X is formed on the gate electrode 112a, and the data line 118 is formed on the interlayer insulating film 112X. The data line 118 is conductively connected to the source electrode 112d, and the source electrode 112d is conductively connected to the source region of the semiconductor layer 112c in the through hole of the interlayer insulating film 112X. Further, a drain electrode 112e is formed on the surface of the interlayer insulating film 112X, and the drain electrode 112e is conductively connected to the drain region of the semiconductor layer 112c in the through hole of the layer insulating film 112X.

  The TFT 112 is covered with an insulating film 113 made of an organic resin or the like. On the insulating film 113, an electrode (pixel electrode) 115 provided for each pixel 100a is formed of a transparent conductor such as ITO. The The electrode 115 is conductively connected to the drain electrode 112e through a contact hole 113a formed in the insulating film 113. An alignment film 116 made of a polyimide resin or the like is formed on the electrode 115, and the alignment film 116 controls the liquid crystal 131 to a predetermined initial alignment state.

  On the other hand, in the second substrate 120, the color layers 127R, 127G, and 127B are formed in a predetermined arrangement pattern on the surface of the substrate 121, and the protective film 127OC is formed thereon, whereby the color filter 127 is provided. . A light shielding film 122 is formed on the color filter 127 in a region corresponding to the light shielding range. The light shielding film 122 is made of, for example, black resin in the illustrated example. However, the light-shielding film 122 may be formed by a portion in which a metal film such as Cr or two or more of the colored layers 127R, 127G, and 127B are overlapped with each other.

  Further, an electrode 123 is formed of a transparent conductor such as ITO on the color filter 127, and an alignment film 124 similar to the alignment film 116 is formed thereon.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, a range excluding a region that cannot be a light transmission region (a region hatched by a dotted line in the drawing) by the TFT 112, the scanning line 117, the data line 118, and the capacitor line 119 is as described above. The opening possible range is 100 s.

  In the above embodiment, the openable range 100s is made common to a plurality of pixels, and the additional light shielding range is set in the openable range 100s to change the open shape. The shape of the openable range 100 s itself may be changed by changing the planar shape of the scanning line 117, the data line 118, the capacitor line 119, and the like.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a liquid crystal display device using a liquid crystal display panel having another structure according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 7 is a schematic partial longitudinal sectional view showing the pixel structure of the liquid crystal display panel 100Q of the present embodiment, FIG. 8 is a plan pattern diagram showing the arrangement of the pixels of the present embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a schematic partial plan view showing the pixel structure. It is. While the liquid crystal display panel 100P of the first embodiment is a transmissive liquid crystal display panel, the liquid crystal display panel 100Q is a transflective liquid crystal display panel. However, since the liquid crystal display device includes the backlight 140, the light diffusing plate 180, and the light collecting sheets 162 and 164 similar to those of the previous embodiment, illustration and description thereof are omitted. Further, in the liquid crystal display panel 100Q of the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the liquid crystal display panel 100P of the previous embodiment, and the description thereof is also omitted.

  The liquid crystal display panel 100Q of this embodiment has a light reflecting layer 114 made of aluminum, silver, or an alloy thereof on the insulating film 113 for each pixel 100a, and the electrode is formed on the light reflecting layer 114. 115 is formed. The light reflecting layer 114 has an opening 114a for each pixel 100a. The opening 114a constitutes the light transmission region 100t shown in FIG. 8 in each pixel 100a, and a portion other than the opening 114a in the openable range 100s of the first embodiment is formed by the light reflecting layer 114. It is a light reflection region 100r. The light shielding region 100c shielded by the light shielding film 122 or the like is basically configured to coincide with a region other than the openable range 100s of the first embodiment in the pixel 100a.

  Note that, in the above structure, the light reflecting layer 114 itself may be used as the electrode 115 without using a transparent conductor. Further, an insulating film may be formed on the light reflecting layer 114, and the electrode 115 may be formed on the insulating film. In this case, the light reflection layer 114 may be integrally formed across the plurality of pixels 100a.

  The light transmission region 100t provided for each pixel 100a is a region that transmits illumination light emitted from the backlight 140 similar to the previous embodiment, and the light reflection region 100r receives external light incident from the viewing side. It is an area to be reflected. Accordingly, in the liquid crystal display panel 100Q, the backlight 140 is turned on to enable transmissive display using the light transmission region 100t, and the backlight 140 is turned off and external light is used to turn off the light reflection region. Reflective display using 100r becomes possible.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the pixel arrangement mode of the liquid crystal display panel 100Q of the present embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. However, in each pixel 100a, as shown in FIG. The light transmission region 100t is disposed at a substantially central portion in the pixel 100a, and is configured so that the light reflection region 100r surrounds the periphery thereof. Further, a light shielding region 100c is further formed around the light reflecting region 100r. However, the position of the light transmission region 100t in the pixel 100a is arbitrary, and two or more light transmission regions 100t may be provided in one pixel 100a.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, in the transmissive display, the first embodiment is changed by changing the opening shape of the light transmission region 100t along the X direction and the Y direction as shown in the first embodiment. As with the case, moire fringes can be reduced.

  In the case of using the transflective liquid crystal display panel 100Q having the light transmission region 100t for each pixel 100a as in the present embodiment, only the opening position of the light transmission region 100t in each pixel 100a is changed. As a result, the opening shape in the pixel 100a may be changed. For example, the position in the pixel 100a is changed along the pixel arrangement direction without changing the shape and area of the rectangular light transmission region 100t. Even in this case, it goes without saying that it is more preferable to change the position at random.

[Other Examples]
As another embodiment other than the above, as shown in FIG. 10, in the transmission type liquid crystal display panel similar to the first embodiment, the opening shape of the light transmission region 100b ′ corresponding to each pixel 100a is It is also possible to change without being obstructed by the boundary line of the pixel 100a indicated by the one-dot chain line in the drawing. In other words, the light transmission region 100b ′ of each pixel is not limited to the region of the pixel 100a defined in the same shape and at the same interval, and is set in such a manner that it may extend to the region corresponding to the adjacent pixel. , Change its opening shape. In this case, in order to ensure display quality, it is desirable that the opening areas of the respective light transmission regions 100b ′ are substantially equal. The light shielding region 100c ′ is the same as that in the first embodiment.

  Further, in the transflective liquid crystal display panel, as shown in FIG. 11, a light transmission region 100t ′ is disposed in the upper part of the figure 100a and a light reflection region 100r ′ is disposed in the lower part of the drawing. In this case, the boundary line between the light transmission region 100t ′ and the light reflection region 100r ′ is made different from the original boundary line (shown by the dotted line), whereby the light transmission region 100t ′. The shape of the opening can be changed. Even in this case, it is desirable to keep the opening area of the light transmission region 100t ′ of the pixel 100a constant. The light shielding region 100c ′ is the same as that in the second embodiment.

[Electronics]
Next, an embodiment in which the electro-optical device according to the above-described embodiment is used in an electronic apparatus will be described. FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an overall configuration of a control system (display control system) for the liquid crystal display device 100 in the electronic apparatus. The electronic device shown here includes a display information output source 291, a display information processing circuit 292, a power supply circuit 293, a timing generator 294, and a light source control circuit 195 that supplies power to the backlight 140. 290. Further, the liquid crystal display device 100 is provided with a liquid crystal display panel 100P having the above-described configuration, a drive circuit 100D that drives the liquid crystal display panel 100P, and a backlight 140. The drive circuit 100D is composed of electronic components (such as a semiconductor IC and the above-described drive circuit 132) that are directly mounted on the liquid crystal display panel 100P. However, in addition to the above-described aspect, the drive circuit 100D is a circuit pattern formed on the substrate surface of the liquid crystal display panel 100P, or a semiconductor IC mounted on a circuit board conductively connected to the liquid crystal display panel 100P. It can also be constituted by a chip or a circuit pattern.

  The display information output source 291 includes a memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage unit such as a magnetic recording disk or an optical recording disk, and a tuning circuit that tunes and outputs a digital image signal. The display information is supplied to the display information processing circuit 292 in the form of an image signal or the like of a predetermined format based on various clock signals generated by the timing generator 294.

  The display information processing circuit 292 includes various known circuits such as a serial-parallel conversion circuit, an amplification / inversion circuit, a rotation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, and a clamp circuit, and executes processing of input display information to obtain image information. Are supplied to the driving circuit 100D together with the clock signal CLK. The drive circuit 100D includes a scanning line drive circuit, a signal line drive circuit, and an inspection circuit. The power supply circuit 293 supplies a predetermined voltage to each of the above-described components.

  The light source control circuit 295 supplies power to the light source of the backlight 140 based on the voltage supplied from the power supply circuit 293, and controls whether or not the light source is turned on and its brightness based on a predetermined control signal. ing.

  FIG. 13 shows a mobile phone which is an embodiment of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention. A cellular phone 1000 shown here includes an operation unit 1001 including a plurality of operation buttons, a mouthpiece, and the like, and a display unit 1002 including a mouthpiece and the like, and the liquid crystal display device described above is provided inside the display unit 1002. 100 is incorporated. The display area of the liquid crystal display device 100 can be viewed on the surface (inner surface) of the display unit 1002. In this case, a display control circuit for controlling the liquid crystal display device 100 is provided inside the mobile phone 1000. This display control circuit sends a predetermined control signal to a known drive circuit (liquid crystal driver circuit) that drives the liquid crystal display panel 100P, and determines the display mode of the liquid crystal display device 100.

  In addition to the mobile phone shown in FIG. 13, examples of the electronic apparatus according to the present invention include a liquid crystal television, a car navigation device, a pager, an electronic notebook, a calculator, a workstation, a videophone, and a POS terminal. And the liquid crystal display device which concerns on this invention can be used as a display part of these various electronic devices.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in this embodiment, a liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal display panel has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to a liquid crystal display device as long as it performs display and image projection using illumination light. It may be another electro-optical device such as an electrophoretic display device.

  In the above embodiment, the planar shape of the light transmission region is defined by the light shielding layer. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described mode. For example, a normally black type (with no voltage applied) In the electro-optical device having a light shielding configuration, the planar shape of the light transmission region can be defined by the planar shape of the voltage application region. That is, since the shape of the light transmission region can be defined by the planar shape of the electrode, it is not necessary to provide a light shielding layer. In this case, the shape of the light transmission region can be changed by changing the electrode shape.

1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The schematic perspective view which shows typically the arrangement | positioning relationship of the two condensing sheets of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view schematically showing a pixel arrangement structure of the liquid crystal display panel of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit on one substrate of the liquid crystal display panel of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial longitudinal sectional view showing a pixel structure of the liquid crystal display panel of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial plan view showing a pixel structure of the liquid crystal display panel of the first embodiment. The expanded partial longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the pixel structure of the liquid crystal display panel of 2nd Embodiment. The schematic plan view which shows typically the pixel arrangement structure of the liquid crystal display panel of 2nd Embodiment. The enlarged partial top view which shows the pixel structure of the liquid crystal display panel of 2nd Embodiment. The schematic plan view which shows the pixel arrangement | sequence aspect of another Example. Furthermore, the schematic plan view which shows the pixel arrangement | sequence aspect of another Example. The schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the display control system of an electronic device. The schematic perspective view which shows the external appearance of an electronic device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Liquid crystal display device, 100P ... Liquid crystal display panel, 100a ... Pixel, 100b, 100t ... Light transmission area | region, 100c ... Light-shielding area | region, 140 ... Back light, 162, 163 ... Condensing sheet | seat

Claims (9)

An electro-optical panel comprising a pair of substrates and an electro-optical material disposed between the pair of substrates, wherein a plurality of pixels including the electro-optical material are arranged along the pair of substrates. In an optical device,
Each of the plurality of pixels is provided with a light transmission region that transmits light, and an opening shape of the light transmission region in the pixel changes along a predetermined arrangement direction of the pixels. Optical device.   The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein opening shapes of the plurality of light transmission regions are randomly changed along the predetermined arrangement direction.   3. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein opening areas of the light transmission regions formed in the plurality of pixels arranged in the predetermined arrangement direction are the same.   4. The opening shape of the light transmission region is obtained by changing an additional light shielding range of the plurality of pixels in the predetermined arrangement direction. 5. Electro-optic device.   The aperture shape of the light transmission region is set when the inside of the pixel is divided into a plurality of sub-regions and the light-shielding range is set to at least one of the plurality of sub-regions. 5. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein a position of the sub-regions or a combination thereof is changed in the predetermined arrangement direction. 6.   The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising an illumination device that irradiates the electro-optical panel with light. A light collecting sheet disposed between the electro-optical panel and the illumination device;
The electro-optic according to claim 6, wherein an optical periodic structure having a condensing function is formed on the condensing sheet along a direction substantially coinciding with the predetermined arrangement direction. apparatus. Between the electro-optical panel and the illuminating device, the two condensing sheets that are orthogonal to each other in the reference direction in which the optical periodic structure is formed are arranged,
The electro-optical panel has two predetermined arrangement directions that substantially coincide with both of the two reference directions orthogonal to each other of the two light collecting sheets. Item 7. The electro-optical device according to Item 6. An electronic apparatus comprising: the electro-optical device according to claim 1; and a control unit that controls the electro-optical device.

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