CN109387957B

CN109387957B - Peep-proof device driving method, peep-proof device and manufacturing method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN109387957B
Application number: CN201710655255.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 郭峻廷
Original assignee: Acer Inc
Current assignee: Acer Inc
Priority date: 2017-08-03
Filing date: 2017-08-03
Publication date: 2021-07-06
Anticipated expiration: 2037-08-03
Also published as: CN109387957A

Abstract

The invention provides a driving method of a peep-proof device. The privacy device includes a light transmissive layer and a plurality of electrically switchable optical structures. The transparent layer includes a plurality of trenches that do not cross each other and the electrically switchable optical structures are disposed in the trenches. The driving method of the peep-proof device comprises the steps of applying a driving electric field to part of the grooves to enable part of the electrically switchable optical structures to be transparent, and maintaining the other parts of the electrically switchable optical structures to be in a mist shape. In addition, a peep-proof device and a manufacturing method thereof are also provided.

Description

Peep-proof device driving method, peep-proof device and manufacturing method thereof

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device driving method, a device and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly, to a device driving method, a device and a manufacturing method thereof.

Background

In the research field related to the display in recent years, the peep-proof function of the display is gradually emphasized. People hope to use related products and protect personal privacy, so that the demand for adding a peep-proof function to a display is increasing. The application range of the conventional anti-peeping display also extends from notebook computers and liquid crystal monitors to portable consumer video products, such as mobile phones and tablets. In order to realize the peep-proof function, a common peep-proof design method is to add a peep-proof sheet in front of the display. The peep-proof sheet can have a shutter-shaped microstructure to shield the wide-angle display light, so that the display can normally display images in a front view angle or a certain view angle range nearby the front view angle and can not clearly display the images in a larger-angle squint view angle.

However, due to the periodic design of the microstructures in the privacy mask, in some cases, the microstructures in the privacy mask may interfere with the period of the display pixels (pixels) of the display, thereby forming moire (moir) on the display screen of the display. Users often need to select and purchase privacy masks based on the model (or resolution) of the display. The peep-proof angle of the peep-proof sheet is often a fixed value and cannot be adjusted, so that the use convenience is limited.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a driving method of an anti-peeping device, which provides a switchable anti-peeping function.

The invention provides a peep-proof device which has a peep-proof function convenient to use and a good display effect.

The invention provides a manufacturing method of a peep-proof device, which can manufacture the peep-proof device.

The invention relates to a driving method of a peep-proof device, wherein the peep-proof device comprises a light-transmitting layer and a plurality of electrically switchable optical structures. The light-transmitting layer includes a plurality of grooves that do not cross each other and in which the electrically switchable optical structure is disposed. The driving method comprises the steps of applying a driving electric field to a part of the grooves to enable a part of the electrically switchable optical structures to be transparent, and maintaining the other parts of the electrically switchable optical structures to be in a fog shape.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the first mode, the other portions of the electrically switchable optical structures are separated from each other by a first distance, and in the second mode, the other portions of the electrically switchable optical structures are separated from each other by a second distance, and the first distance is different from the second distance.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electrically switchable optical structure includes a first electrically switchable optical structure and a second electrically switchable optical structure stacked in the trenches, and the driving electric field applied to one of the trenches makes one of the first electrically switchable optical structure and the second electrically switchable optical structure in one of the trenches to be transparent and the other to be haze-maintained.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electrically switchable optical structure includes a first electrically switchable optical structure and a second electrically switchable optical structure stacked one above the other in the trenches, and the driving electric field applied to one of the trenches makes both the first electrically switchable optical structure and the second electrically switchable optical structure in one of the trenches to be light transmissive.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electrically switchable optical structure includes a first electrically switchable optical structure and a second electrically switchable optical structure stacked up and down in the trenches, and a first driving electric field is applied to the trenches of the first portion and a second driving electric field is applied to the trenches of the second portion, so that both the first switchable optical structure and the second electrically switchable optical structure in the trenches of the first portion are transparent, and one of the first switchable optical structure and the second electrically switchable optical structure in the trenches of the second portion is transparent and the other is in a mist shape, wherein the first driving electric field is different from the second driving electric field.

The invention provides a peep-proof device, which comprises a light-transmitting layer, a plurality of first electrically switchable optical structures, a plurality of second electrically switchable optical structures, a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer. The light-transmitting layer includes a plurality of grooves that do not cross each other. The plurality of first electrically switchable optical structures and the plurality of second electrically switchable optical structures are disposed in the grooves, and each of the second electrically switchable optical structures is stacked with one of the first electrically switchable optical structures in one of the grooves. The first electrode layer is disposed on the first side of the light-transmitting layer and includes a plurality of first electrodes separated from each other, wherein the first electrically switchable optical structures are respectively located between the first electrodes and the second electrically switchable optical structures. The second electrode layer is disposed on a second side of the light-transmitting layer and includes a plurality of second electrodes separated from each other, wherein the second electrically switchable optical structures are respectively located between the second electrodes and the first electrically switchable optical structures.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, in a plane of the peep-proof device, an extending direction of each of the grooves is inclined with respect to an edge of the peep-proof device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the light-transmitting layer includes a first groove and a second groove that do not cross each other, and on a plane of the peep-proof device, an extending direction of the first groove is inclined by a first inclination angle with respect to an edge of the peep-proof device, and an extending direction of the second groove is inclined by a second inclination angle with respect to the edge of the peep-proof device, and the first inclination angle is different from the second inclination angle.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the grooves includes a first section and a second section, the first section and the second section are connected at ends of each other, and an extending direction of the first section is different from an extending direction of the second section in a plane of the peep-proof device.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first sections of two adjacent grooves extend in the plane of the privacy device at different inclination angles with respect to the edge of the privacy device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the grooves are parallel to each other.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the trenches are arranged in a non-equidistant manner.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first electrically switchable optical structures and the second electrically switchable optical structures are made of a polymer dispersed liquid crystal material.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first electrically switchable optical structures and the second electrically switchable optical structures have a first color when they are in the form of fog, and the second electrically switchable optical structures and the first electrically switchable optical structures have a second color when they are in the form of fog.

The invention provides a peep-proof device, which comprises a light-transmitting layer, a plurality of electrically switchable optical structures, a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer. The light transmitting layer comprises a plurality of grooves which do not cross each other, wherein in the plane of the privacy device the direction of extension of each groove is inclined with respect to the edge of the privacy device. A plurality of electrically switchable optical structures are disposed in the trenches. The first electrode layer is disposed on the first side of the light-transmitting layer and includes a plurality of first electrodes separated from each other. The second electrode layer is disposed on the second side of the light-transmitting layer and includes a plurality of second electrodes separated from each other, and the electrically switchable optical structures are respectively located between the first electrodes and the second electrodes.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the grooves have at least one inclination angle with respect to the edge of the peep-proof device, and the inclination angle is greater than or equal to 30 degrees and less than or equal to 75 degrees.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the plane of the peep-proof device, the extending directions of at least two of the grooves are inclined at different inclination angles with respect to the edge of the peep-proof device.

The invention provides a manufacturing method of a peep-proof device, which comprises the step of forming a light-transmitting layer, wherein the light-transmitting layer comprises a plurality of grooves which do not cross each other. A mask having at least one opening is disposed on the transparent layer such that the opening exposes the first portion of the trenches and the mask shields the second portion of the trenches. The first portions of the trenches exposed by the openings in the mask are filled with a first electrically switchable optical material. And filling a second portion of the trenches with a second electrically switchable optical material after removing the mask, wherein the first electrically switchable optical material and the second electrically switchable optical material have different colors.

Based on the above, the driving method of the anti-peeping device of the present invention is to apply the driving electric field to a portion of the trench to make a portion of the electrically switchable optical structure transparent, and to maintain the other portion of the electrically switchable optical structure to be misty. Therefore, the user can adjust or change the space of the groove for shielding the light in the peep-proof device without replacing the peep-proof device, and the peep-proof device is suitable for displays with different specifications. The invention is partially implemented by arranging a first electrically switchable optical structure and a second electrically switchable optical structure which are superposed up and down in the same groove. Therefore, the anti-peeping device according to some embodiments of the present invention can adjust the size of the anti-peeping angle and/or adjust the direction of the anti-peeping angle by changing the light transmission states of the first electrically switchable optical structure and the second electrically switchable optical structure that are stacked one above the other.

In order to make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the invention more comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a peep-proof device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a first mode;

FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a peeping prevention device according to another embodiment of the present invention in a second mode;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a privacy device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a privacy device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of a privacy device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5A-5C are schematic top views of a privacy device according to various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a schematic top view of a privacy device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is an enlarged, fragmentary schematic view of the privacy device of FIG. 6A;

fig. 7A to 7C are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of a peep-proof device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a peep-proof device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a first mode. Fig. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a peep-proof device according to another embodiment of the present invention in a second mode. Referring to fig. 1A and 1B, the peep-proof device 10 includes a light-transmitting layer 110 and a plurality of electrically switchable optical structures 120, the light-transmitting layer 110 includes a plurality of trenches 130, and the electrically switchable optical structures 120 are disposed in the trenches 130. Fig. 1A and 1B only show cross-sections, but if the grooves 130 are, for example, strip-shaped grooves 130, respectively, as seen from the top view of the privacy apparatus 10, each of the electrically switchable optical structures 120 may be a strip-shaped structure and the grooves 130 do not cross each other.

The electrically switchable optical structure 120 is, for example, comprised of an electrically switchable optical material. Such electrically switchable optical material may be a liquid crystal material, such as a Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC). Thus, the optical properties of the electrically switchable optical structure 120 may change under a particular driving electric field. For example, the electrically switchable optical structure 120 may be changed from a light-blocking fog to a light-transmitting fog under a certain electric field. The privacy device 10 may or may not provide privacy by switching the optical characteristics of the electrically switchable optical structure 120. In addition, in all embodiments herein, a portion of the electrically switchable optical structure 120 may have a first color when being in the form of a fog, and another portion of the electrically switchable optical structure 120 may have a second color when being in the form of a fog, and the first color is different from the second color by adding a pigment, a dye, or a colorant. Therefore, when the user looks at the side view angle, the user can see the specific pattern composed of the first color and the second color although the user cannot clearly see the display picture.

In the present embodiment, the privacy device 10 further includes a first electrode layer 140, a second electrode layer 150, a first substrate 160 and a second substrate 170. The electrically switchable optical structure 120 is disposed between the first substrate 160 and the second substrate 170. The first electrode layer 140 is disposed on the first side 111 of the light-transmitting layer 110, is located between the electrically switchable optical structure 120 and the first substrate 160, and includes a plurality of first electrodes 142 separated from each other. The second electrode layer 150 is disposed on the second side 112 of the light transmitting layer 110, is located between the electrically switchable optical structure 120 and the second substrate 170, and includes a plurality of second electrodes 152 separated from each other. In addition, the first electrode layer 140 and the second electrode layer 150 further include a compensation electrode 144 and a compensation electrode 154 disposed outside the trench 130 and at the location of the light-transmitting layer 110. In other words, the first electrode layer 140 and the second electrode layer 150 are substantially distributed over the entire area of the privacy device 10. When all the electrically switchable optical structures 120 of the privacy device 10 are switched to the light-transmitting state, the privacy device 10 has substantially uniform light transmission rate over the entire area, avoiding visual non-uniformity due to electrode material distribution.

In this embodiment, a desired voltage signal may be applied to the first electrode 142 and the second electrode 152 to generate a desired driving electric field in the corresponding trench 130. In addition, the characteristics of the electrically switchable optical structure 120 may be used to determine which voltage signals are applied to the first electrode 142 and the second electrode 152. In some embodiments, an alternating voltage signal may be applied to at least one of the first electrode 142 and the second electrode 152. For example, the voltage applied to at least one of the first electrode 142 and the second electrode 152 may be an ac voltage with a frequency of 8.3 ms to 16.67 ms, but is not limited thereto. In other alternative embodiments, the dc voltage signal can be selectively applied to the first electrode 142 and the second electrode 152.

The driving method of the privacy device 10 includes applying a driving electric field to a portion of the grooves 130 to make a portion of the electrically switchable optical structure 120 transparent, and maintaining a mist of the other portion of the electrically switchable optical structure 120. Referring to fig. 1A, the driving electric field applied to the

trenches

130b, 130c, 130e, and 130f causes the electrically switchable optical structure 120 disposed in the

trenches

130b, 130c, 130e, and 130f to be transparent. Meanwhile, the first electrode 142 and the second electrode 152 on the two sides of the groove 130a and the groove 130d may be grounded so that the electrically switchable optical structure 120 maintains the fog shape. Thus, in the first mode, the grooves 130a and 130D of the electrically switchable optical structure 120 are in the form of mists and are separated from each other by the first distance D1. The pitch is measured as the distance from the right edge of the trench of one of the mists of electrically switchable optical structures 120 to the right edge of the trench of the next one of the mists of electrically switchable optical structures 120. In other embodiments, the pitch may also be the distance between the centers of the grooves of two adjacent electrically switchable optical structures 120, or the distance between the left edges of the grooves.

In the present embodiment, the voltage V1, the voltage V2, the voltage V3, the voltage V4, the voltage V5 and the voltage V6 are applied to the first electrodes 142 of the

trenches

130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 130e and 130f, respectively. The second electrodes 152 of the

trenches

130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 130e, and 130f are applied with a voltage V7, a voltage V8, a voltage V9, a voltage V10, a voltage V11, and a voltage V12, respectively. In order to make the electrically switchable optical structure 120 in the

trenches

130b, 130c, 130e and 130f transparent, the voltage difference between the voltage V2 and the voltage V8, the voltage difference between the voltage V3 and the voltage V9, the voltage difference between the voltage V5 and the voltage V11, and the voltage difference between the voltage V6 and the voltage V12 need to be greater than the threshold value at which the electrically switchable optical structure 120 can be transparent. Taking one of the grooves 130b as an example, if the driving electric field for the electrically switchable optical structure 120 to be in the transmissive state is 20 volts difference, one of the voltages V2 and V8 may be an AC voltage with an amplitude of 20 volts and the other one is 0 volts or ground. In addition, the voltage difference between the voltage V1 and the voltage V7 and the voltage difference between the voltage V4 and the voltage V10 need to be smaller than a threshold value at which the electrically switchable optical structure 120 can be in a transparent state, or the voltage V1, the voltage V7, the voltage V4, and the voltage V10 are all 0 volt or grounded, so that the electrically switchable optical structure 120 disposed in the trench 130a and the trench 130d is maintained to be in a fog shape, but the invention is not limited thereto.

In the second mode, as shown in fig. 1B, a driving electric field is applied to the

grooves

130B, 130c, 130d, and 130e, so that the electrically switchable optical structures 120 disposed in the

grooves

130B, 130c, 130d, and 130e are transparent, and the electrically switchable optical structures 120 disposed in the

grooves

130a and 130f are kept in a fog shape. Therefore, in the second mode, the electrically switchable optical structures 120 in the form of the mist disposed in the

grooves

130a and 130f are spaced apart from each other by the second distance D2.

As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the first distance D1 is different from the second distance D2. That is, at different times, different privacy pitches (i.e., pitches of the misty electrically switchable optical structures 120) can be obtained by adjusting and applying the driving electric field at different times. In some embodiments, the first distance D1 and the second distance D2 are, for example, greater than or equal to 150um and less than or equal to 450um, and the width W of the trench 130 is, for example, greater than or equal to 1um and less than or equal to 7um, which is not limited thereto. The user can adjust the hole pitch of the peep-proof device 10 according to the display to be matched with the peep-proof device 10, so as to avoid the display quality from being affected by the moire fringes on the display picture.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a peep-proof device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a driving mode. Referring to fig. 2, the privacy device 10A is similar to the privacy device 10 and includes a light transmissive layer 110 and a plurality of electrically switchable optical structures 120A. Specifically, the light-transmitting layer 110 includes a plurality of grooves 130, and the electrically switchable optical structures 120A are disposed in the grooves 130. The electrically switchable optical structure 120A comprises a first electrically switchable optical structure 121 and a second electrically switchable optical structure 122 stacked one above the other in each of the grooves 130. In this embodiment, the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 and the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 may be optically transparent under different driving electric fields by selection of materials and compositions. Therefore, the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 and the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 in the same trench 130 may be in a fog state or in a transparent state at the same time, or one of the two structures may be in a transparent state while the other structure maintains the fog state.

In one embodiment, the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 may comprise a low voltage distribution type liquid crystal material, and the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 may comprise a high voltage distribution type liquid crystal material. In one embodiment, the driving electric field (e.g., the clamping pressure between the first electrode 142 and the second electrode 152) applied to the

trenches

130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 130e, and 130f is larger than the driving electric field that the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 can exhibit light transmittance, and smaller than the driving electric field that the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 can exhibit light transmittance. Under such a driving electric field, the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 in each groove 130 is transparent, and the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 remains fog-like, so the privacy device 10A has the viewing angle θ 1 at this time.

If the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 and the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 disposed in the

grooves

130A, 130b, 130c, 130d, 130e, and 130f maintain the fog shape, the privacy device 10A has a viewing angle θ 2, and the viewing angle θ 2 is smaller than the viewing angle θ 1. Therefore, the present embodiment can switch the size of the viewing angle of the privacy device 10 by adjusting the driving electric field to make the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 and the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 stacked up and down in the groove 130 to be transparent or maintain a fog shape.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the peep-proof device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a driving mode. Referring to fig. 3, the structural design and components of the peep-proof device 10A can be described with reference to the embodiment of fig. 2, and are not described herein again. In the embodiment of fig. 3, the driving electric field applied to each trench 130 is different from that of the embodiment of fig. 2. As shown in fig. 3, the driving mode of the present embodiment includes, for example, applying a first driving electric field to the

trenches

130c and 130f, and applying a driving electric field different from the first driving electric field to the

trenches

130a, 130b, 130d and 130 e. The first driving electric field is larger than the driving electric field for the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 and the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 to be switched into the light-transmitting state. Therefore, the first driving electric field makes both the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 and the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 disposed in the groove 130c and the groove 13f to be light-transmissive. The electric field applied in the

grooves

130a, 130b, 130d and 130e makes the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 and the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 in the specific region S appear fog-like, and makes the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 and the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 outside the specific region S in the

grooves

130a, 130b, 130d and 130e appear transparent or more transparent than the specific region S.

In the present embodiment, the voltage difference between the voltages V3 and V9 (i.e., the driving electric field) and the voltages V6 and V12 is, for example, greater than the voltage difference required for the first electrically switchable optical structure 121 and the second electrically switchable optical structure 122 to switch to the transmissive state. In addition, the voltages V1, V4, V8 and V11 applied to the

trenches

130a, 130b, 130d and 130e are, for example, 0V or ground, and the voltages V2, V5, V7 and V10 are, for example, floating, but the invention is not limited thereto.

In this driving mode, the line F1 connecting the first electrode 142 of the trench 130a and the second electrode 152 of the trench 130b is substantially equal to 0V or an equipotential line of the ground voltage, and a voltage of about 20V is present between the second electrode 152 of the trench 130b and the line F2 connecting the first electrode 142 of the trench 130 c. Therefore, the specific region S exhibiting the fog is substantially distributed along the connection line F1. At this time, the peep preventing device 10A has the viewing angle θ 3 shifted to one side when performing the peep preventing operation by the driving method of fig. 3. For example, the viewing angle θ 3A of the privacy device 10A is greater on one side than on the other side. In other embodiments, the same or similar method may be used to make the peep-proof device 10A have a viewing angle shifted to the other side, which is not described herein. Therefore, when the dual-layer electrically switchable optical structure 120A is disposed in the groove 130, the direction of the peep-proof angle of view of the peep-proof device 10A can be adjusted in the above manner.

Fig. 4 is a schematic top view of a peep-proof device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 4, the peep-proof device 20 includes a light-transmitting layer 210 and a plurality of electrically switchable optical structures 220, wherein the light-transmitting layer 210 has a plurality of grooves 230, and the electrically switchable optical structures 220 are disposed in the grooves 230. In the plane of the rectangular peep-proof device 20, the grooves 230 are parallel to each other and extend in a direction perpendicular to one of the edges E20 of the peep-proof device 20, but not limited thereto. In addition, although the grooves 130 are arranged at equal intervals in fig. 4, they may be arranged at different intervals in other embodiments.

In the present embodiment, each of the grooves 230 may be disposed with an electrically switchable optical structure 220 (the cross section of which has the structural design shown in fig. 2 and 3) disposed above and below, and the peep-preventing device 20 may be driven by the driving method shown in fig. 1A and 1B or the driving method shown in fig. 2 or 3. That is, the electrically switchable optical structures 220 in different grooves 230 can be driven independently to be transparent or misty. With different privacy effects, the privacy device 20 can fog the electrically switchable optical structures 220 in each of the grooves 230 to have a first pitch in the first mode, and fog the electrically switchable optical structures 220 in only a portion of the grooves 230 to have a second pitch in the second mode. Even more, the electrically switchable optical structures 120 stacked one above the other in the same trench 230 may be one misty and the other transparent to achieve the desired privacy effect. Of course, the electrically switchable optical structures 120 stacked one above the other in the same trench 230 may be misted or transparent at the same time.

Fig. 5A to 5C are schematic top views of the peep-proof device according to other embodiments of the present invention. In the context of FIG. 5A, the privacy device 30A is substantially similar to the privacy device 20, but differs therefrom primarily in the direction of the grooves. In the present embodiment, the peep-proof device 30A includes a light-transmitting layer 310 and a plurality of electrically switchable optical structures 320, wherein the light-transmitting layer 310 has a plurality of trenches 330, and the electrically switchable optical structures 320 are disposed in the trenches 330. In particular, in the plane of the peep-proof device 30A, the grooves 330 are parallel to each other and extend in an inclined direction with respect to one of the edges E30 of the peep-proof device 30A. In the present embodiment, each of the grooves 330 may be disposed with an electrically switchable optical structure 320 (the cross section of which has the structural design shown in fig. 2 and 3) stacked one above another, and the peep-preventing device 30A may be driven by the driving method shown in fig. 1A and 1B or the driving method shown in fig. 2 or 3.

In the view of FIG. 5B, the privacy device 30B is substantially similar to the privacy device 30A, but the grooves 330 of the privacy device 30B are arranged in a non-equidistant manner. In addition, only a single electrically switchable optical structure 320 (with the cross section having the structural design shown in fig. 1A and 1B) or stacked electrically switchable optical structures 320 (with the cross section having the structural design shown in fig. 2 and 3) may be disposed in each groove 330 of the privacy device 30B, and the privacy device 30B may be driven by the driving method shown in fig. 1A and 1B or the driving method shown in fig. 2 or 3.

Referring to FIG. 5C, privacy device 30C is substantially similar to privacy device 30A. Specifically, the groove 330 of the light-transmitting layer 310 of the peep-proof device 30C includes a first groove 331 and a second groove 332, and the electrically switchable optical structure 320 is disposed in the first groove 331 and the second groove 332. In the plane of the privacy device 30, the extending direction of the first grooves 331 is inclined with respect to the edge E30 of the privacy device 30 by a first inclination angle α 1, while the extending direction of the second grooves 332 is inclined with respect to the edge E30 of the privacy device 30 by a second inclination angle α 2, and the first inclination angle α 1 is different from the second inclination angle α 2. The first groove 331 and the second groove 332 may intersect but do not cross each other. A single electrically switchable optical structure 320 (having a cross-section as shown in fig. 1A and 1B) may be disposed in each trench 330, or two electrically switchable optical structures 320 (having a cross-section as shown in fig. 2 and 3) may be disposed one above the other.

In the embodiment, the angle between the first inclination angle α 1 and the second inclination angle α 2 is, for example, greater than or equal to 30 degrees and less than or equal to 75 degrees, and the angle difference Δ α between the first inclination angle α 1 and the second inclination angle α 2 is, for example, greater than or equal to 1 degree and less than or equal to 6 degrees, but not limited thereto. The first trenches 331 are parallel to each other, and may be arranged at equal intervals or may be arranged at unequal intervals. The second trenches 332 are parallel to each other and may be arranged in an equidistant manner or in a non-equidistant manner. The pitch of the first grooves 331 may be equal to the pitch of the second grooves 332, and the first grooves 331 and the second grooves 332 may intersect but do not cross each other. In other embodiments, the groove 330 in the privacy device 30C can be inclined at three or more different angles relative to the edge E30 of the privacy device 30C.

The peep prevention device 30C can be driven by the driving method described in fig. 1A and 1B. For example, the electrically switchable optical structures in the trenches 330 with the same tilt angle may be misty while the electrically switchable optical structures in the trenches 330 with other tilt angles are transparent, so as to achieve the desired privacy effect. In some embodiments, the electrically switchable optical structures in the trenches 330 at different tilt angles may also be selected to exhibit haze simultaneously. Alternatively, the peep preventing device 30C may be driven by the driving method described in fig. 2 or 3 so as to have a desired peep preventing angle.

Fig. 6A is a schematic top view of a privacy device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 6A, the privacy device 40 includes a light transmissive layer 410 and a plurality of electrically switchable optical structures 420. The transparent layer 410 has a plurality of trenches 430 and the electrically switchable optical structures 420 are disposed in the trenches 430. Specifically, each trench 430 includes a first segment 430a and a second segment 430 b. The first segment 430a and the second segment 430b are connected to each other at the ends, and the first segment 430a extends in a direction different from the direction in which the second segment 430b extends in the plane of the privacy device 40. That is, each groove 430 has a zigzag structure in which first segments 430a and second segments 430b are alternately connected. Here, for the sake of explanation, the first segment 430a refers to a line segment whose extending direction is the upper right-lower left direction, and the second segment 430b refers to a line segment whose extending direction is the upper left-lower right direction.

In the present embodiment, the peep preventing device 40 is, for example, a rectangular device, and the extending direction of the first section 430a (the second section 430b) of the adjacent groove 430 on the plane of the peep preventing device 40 may be inclined at different inclination angles with respect to the edge of the peep preventing device 40. As shown in fig. 6B, the extending directions of the first sections 430a1, 430a2 and 430a3 of the adjacent three grooves 430 in the plane of the peep-proof device 40 have inclination angles β 1, β 2 and β 3, respectively, relative to the edge E40 of the peep-proof device 40, and the extending directions of the second sections 430B1, 430B2 and 430B3 of the adjacent three grooves 430 in the plane of the peep-proof device 40 have inclination angles γ 1, γ 2 and γ 3, respectively, relative to the edge E40 of the peep-proof device 40. The inclination angles β 1, β 2, and β 3 may be equal to or greater than 30 degrees and equal to or less than 75 degrees, respectively. The inclination angles γ 1, γ 2, and γ 3 may be equal to or greater than 105 degrees and equal to or less than 150 degrees, respectively. In the present embodiment, the angle difference Δ β between adjacent two of the inclination angles β 1, β 2, and β 3 is greater than or equal to 1 degree and less than or equal to 6 degrees, and the angle difference Δ γ between adjacent two of the inclination angles γ 1, γ 2, and γ 3 is greater than or equal to 1 degree and less than or equal to 6 degrees. In addition, the angle between the first segment 430a and the second segment 430b of the same groove 430 may be parallel to the edge E40 of the peep-proof device 40, but not limited thereto. For the purpose of describing the relationship between the inclined angles, the inclined angles are measured by rotating the groove from the extending direction to the direction parallel to the edge E40 in the clockwise direction, but not limited thereto.

In the present embodiment, the inclined direction of the first section 430a of the groove 430 helps to provide a peep-proof effect in the left-right direction of the drawing, and the inclined direction of the second section 430b of the groove 430 helps to provide a peep-proof effect in the up-down direction of the drawing. Thus, the privacy device 40 can provide privacy effects at both the up and down viewing angles as well as the left and right viewing angles. In addition, a single electrically switchable optical structure 420 may be disposed in each groove 430, and the privacy device 40 may be driven by the driving method described in fig. 1A and 1B; alternatively, each groove 430 may be provided with an electrically switchable optical structure 420 stacked one above the other, and the peep prevention device 40 is driven by the driving method described in fig. 1A and 1B or the driving method of fig. 2 or 3.

Fig. 7A to 7C are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of a peep-proof device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 7A, a transparent layer 110 is formed on the substrate 70, and the transparent layer 110 includes a plurality of grooves 130 that do not intersect with each other. The material of the substrate 70 may include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or Polycarbonate (PC). The material of the transparent layer 110 may include a transparent UV curable optical adhesive. A mask 700 is disposed on the transparent layer 110, the mask 700 having at least one opening 710, such that the opening 710 exposes the first portions 731 of the trenches 130, and the mask 710 shields the second portions 732 of the trenches 130.

Referring to fig. 7B, the first portions 731 of the trenches 130 exposed by the openings 710 of the mask 700 are filled with a first electrically switchable optical material 720 a. The method of filling the first electrically switchable optical material 720a may be coating, dropping, or other suitable methods. Here, the material of the first electrically switchable optical material 720a may include a polymer dispersed liquid crystal material (PDLC). A curing step may be performed to cure the first electrically switchable optical material 720a in the trenches 130 of the first portion 731 before subsequent steps are performed. The curing method may be selected according to the properties of the first electrically switchable optical material 720a, such as photo-curing or thermal-curing, or a combination thereof.

Referring to fig. 7C, after removing the mask 700, the second portions 732 of the trenches 130 are filled with a second electrically switchable optical material 720b, wherein the second electrically switchable optical material 720b may comprise a polymer dispersed liquid crystal material (PDLC). Although the first electrically switchable optical material 720a and the second electrically switchable optical material 720b may contain different pigments, dyes or colorants, the first electrically switchable optical material 720a and the second electrically switchable optical material 720b have different colors when misted or when transformed to be light transmissive. The privacy device 50 is then obtained by curing the second electrically switchable optical material 720 b. Since the first electrically switchable optical material 720a and the second electrically switchable optical material 720b with different colors are distributed in different regions and have different colors, when the peep-proof device 50 performs the peep-proof function, the patterns presented by the first electrically switchable optical material 720a and the second electrically switchable optical material 720b can be seen by the viewer with an oblique viewing angle, so that the peep-proof device 50 provides the peep-proof function and can present the patterns at the oblique viewing angle, thereby improving the liveliness of the product application.

In summary, the driving method of the anti-peeping device of the present invention is to apply the driving electric field to a portion of the grooves to make a portion of the electrically switchable optical structure transparent, and to maintain the other portion of the electrically switchable optical structure to be misty. Therefore, the pitch of the peep-proof device can be adjusted, and a user does not need to replace the peep-proof device with a specific pitch to correspond to the pixel periods of the displays with different specifications, so that moire fringes caused by the pitch design of the peep-proof device on a display screen can be avoided. In addition, in the anti-peeping device according to some embodiments of the present invention, the different grooves are inclined at different angles compared to the edge of the anti-peeping device, which is also helpful for preventing moire fringes from occurring on the display screen due to the hole pitch design of the anti-peeping device. In addition, in the anti-peeping device according to some embodiments of the present invention, the electrically switchable optical structures are disposed in the respective trenches in an up-down stacked manner, and the size and direction of the anti-peeping viewing angle can be adjusted by switching the states of the electrically switchable optical structures in the same trench. In addition, the privacy device of some embodiments of the present invention uses electrically switchable optical structures of different colors to allow a user to see a predetermined pattern at a side view angle.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments, it should be understood that various changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for driving a privacy device, the privacy device comprising a light-transmitting layer and a plurality of electrically switchable optical structures, the light-transmitting layer comprising a plurality of grooves, the plurality of grooves being non-crossing each other, and the plurality of electrically switchable optical structures being disposed in the plurality of grooves, wherein the plurality of electrically switchable optical structures comprise a first electrically switchable optical structure and a second electrically switchable optical structure stacked one above another in each of the plurality of grooves, and wherein the first electrically switchable optical structure comprises a low voltage distribution of distributed liquid crystal materials and the second electrically switchable optical structure comprises a high voltage distribution of distributed liquid crystal materials, and wherein the method comprises:

applying a driving electric field to a portion of the plurality of trenches to cause a portion of the plurality of electrically switchable optical structures to be optically transmissive; and

maintaining the plurality of electrically switchable optical structures in other portions to appear cloudy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in a first mode, the electrically switchable optical structures of the other portion are separated from each other by a first pitch, and in a second mode, the electrically switchable optical structures of the other portion are separated from each other by a second pitch, and the first pitch is different from the second pitch.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driving electric field applied to one of the grooves causes one of the first electrically switchable optical structure and the second electrically switchable optical structure in the one of the grooves to be transparent while the other one is maintained as a mist.

4. The method of driving a privacy device according to claim 1, wherein the driving electric field applied to one of the grooves causes both the first electrically switchable optical structure and the second electrically switchable optical structure in the one of the grooves to appear light transmissive.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein applying a first driving electric field to the first portion of the grooves and applying a second driving electric field to the second portion of the grooves causes the first electrically switchable optical structure and the second electrically switchable optical structure in the first portion of the grooves to be transparent, and causes one of the first electrically switchable optical structure and the second electrically switchable optical structure in the second portion of the grooves to be transparent and the other one of the first electrically switchable optical structure and the second electrically switchable optical structure to be haze, wherein the first driving electric field is different from the second driving electric field.

6. A privacy device, comprising:

the light-transmitting layer is provided with a plurality of grooves which do not cross each other;

a plurality of first electrically switchable optical structures disposed in the plurality of trenches, the first electrically switchable optical structures comprising a low voltage formulation of a dispersed liquid crystal material;

a plurality of second electrically switchable optical structures disposed in the plurality of trenches, the second electrically switchable optical structures comprising a dispersed liquid crystal material in a high voltage formulation, each of the second electrically switchable optical structures being stacked with one of the first electrically switchable optical structures in one of the trenches;

a first electrode layer including a plurality of first electrodes separated from each other;

a second electrode layer comprising a plurality of second electrodes separated from each other, wherein the first electrically switchable optical structure and the second electrically switchable optical structure in the same trench are located between one of the first electrodes and one of the second electrodes.

7. The privacy device of claim 6, wherein the grooves extend in a direction that is oblique to the edge of the privacy device in the plane of the privacy device.

8. The privacy device of claim 7, wherein the light transmissive layer comprises a first groove and a second groove that do not cross each other, wherein in the plane of the privacy device, the direction of extension of the first groove is inclined at a first inclination angle with respect to the edge of the privacy device, and the direction of extension of the second groove is inclined at a second inclination angle with respect to the edge of the privacy device, and the first inclination angle is different from the second inclination angle.

9. The privacy device of claim 6, wherein each channel comprises a first segment and a second segment, the first segment and the second segment being joined to each other at their ends and the first segment extending in a direction different from the direction of extension of the second segment in the plane of the privacy device.

10. The privacy device of claim 9, wherein the first segments of two adjacent grooves extend in the plane of the privacy device at different inclination angles with respect to the edge of the privacy device.

11. The privacy device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of grooves are parallel to one another.

12. The privacy device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of grooves are arranged in an equally or unequally spaced manner.

13. The privacy device of claim 6, wherein the first and second electrically switchable optical structures comprise dispersed polymer liquid crystal material.

14. The privacy device of claim 6, wherein a portion of the first electrically switchable optical structures and a portion of the second electrically switchable optical structures have a first color when misted, another portion of the first electrically switchable optical structures and another portion of the second electrically switchable optical structures have a second color when misted, and the first color is different from the second color.

15. A privacy device, comprising:

a light-transmitting layer comprising a plurality of grooves, the plurality of grooves not crossing each other, wherein in the plane of the peep-proof device, the extending direction of each groove is inclined relative to the edge of the peep-proof device;

a plurality of electrically switchable optical structures disposed in the plurality of trenches, wherein the plurality of electrically switchable optical structures includes a first electrically switchable optical structure and a second electrically switchable optical structure stacked one above the other in each of the plurality of trenches, and the first electrically switchable optical structure includes a low voltage distribution of liquid crystal material and the second electrically switchable optical structure includes a high voltage distribution of liquid crystal material;

and the second electrode layer comprises a plurality of second electrodes which are separated from each other, and each electrically switchable optical structure is respectively positioned between one of the first electrodes and one of the second electrodes.

16. The privacy device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of grooves have at least one angle of inclination relative to the edge of the privacy device, the angle of inclination being greater than or equal to 30 degrees and less than or equal to 75 degrees.

17. The privacy device of claim 15, wherein at least two of the plurality of grooves extend in a direction that is inclined at different angles of inclination relative to an edge of the privacy device in a plane of the privacy device.

18. The privacy device of claim 15, wherein each channel includes a first segment and a second segment, the first and second segments being distally connected to one another, and the first segment extending in a direction different than the second segment.

19. The privacy device of claim 18, wherein the first segments of two adjacent grooves extend in the plane of the privacy device at different inclination angles with respect to the edge of the privacy device.