CN114253022B

CN114253022B - Display device

Info

Publication number: CN114253022B
Application number: CN202011007971.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 洪文彬; 黄秋渊
Original assignee: Innolux Display Corp
Current assignee: Innolux Corp
Priority date: 2020-09-23
Filing date: 2020-09-23
Publication date: 2023-07-11
Anticipated expiration: 2040-09-23
Also published as: CN114253022A

Abstract

The invention provides a display device, which comprises two substrates and a liquid crystal layer. Each substrate has two opposite surfaces and two opposite sides, and the liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the two substrates. At least one of the two substrates has an inclined portion on at least one of two opposite sides connecting one of the two opposite surfaces and having an included angle of more than ninety degrees and less than one hundred eighty degrees with respect to the connected surface.

Description

Display device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a display device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a display device having a liquid crystal layer.

Background

Nowadays, display devices with display panels (such as display screens of televisions, notebook computers or smart phones) are mostly developed towards large screens and narrow frames. However, due to the narrowing frame of the electronic device, light leakage may occur at the edge of the electronic device. Therefore, how to solve the above problems has become an important issue.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a display device including two substrates and a liquid crystal layer. Each substrate has two opposite surfaces and two opposite sides, and the liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the two substrates. At least one of the two substrates has an inclined portion on at least one of the two opposite sides connecting one of the two opposite surfaces and having an included angle of more than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees with respect to the connected surface.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a substrate according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a typical substrate;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction A-A' in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of a substrate actually fabricated according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of a substrate actually fabricated according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5C is a schematic diagram of a substrate actually manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Symbol description

10 display device

100 light source

200 first substrate

201 upper surface

202 lower surface

210 wire

220 two opposite sides

221 vertical portion

222 inclined portion

300 liquid crystal layer

400 second substrate

401 upper surface

402 lower surface

410 light shielding layer

420 two opposite sides

500 outer frame

AX1 first virtual line

AX2 second virtual line

Distance D

L spacing

P1 first intersection point

P2:

p3:third intersection point

P4-fourth intersection point

T: light ray

W: circuit board

Theta is the included angle

Detailed Description

The following describes an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, it should be readily appreciated that the embodiments of the present invention provide many suitable disclosed concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments disclosed are illustrative only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Certain terms are used throughout the description and claims to refer to particular components. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that electronic device manufacturers may refer to a same component by different names. It is not intended to distinguish between components that differ in function but not name. In the following description and claims, the terms "include", "have" and the like are open-ended terms, and thus should be interpreted to mean "include, but not limited to …". Thus, when the terms "comprising" and/or "having" are used in the present description, they specify the presence of stated features, regions, steps, operations, and/or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more corresponding features, regions, steps, operations and/or components.

In addition, relative terms such as "lower" and "upper" may be used in the embodiments to describe the relative relationship of one element to another element of the figures. It will be appreciated that if the device of the drawings is turned upside down, elements described as "below" would then be elements on the "above" side.

When a corresponding element (e.g., a film layer or region) is referred to as being "on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or other elements can be present therebetween. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" another element, there are no elements therebetween. In addition, when a component is referred to as being "on" another component, the two are in a top-down relationship in the top-down direction, and the component may be above or below the other component, and the top-down relationship depends on the orientation of the device.

In some embodiments of the invention, terms such as "coupled" and the like with respect to coupling, connecting, and the like, unless specifically defined otherwise, may refer to two structures being in direct contact or may refer to two structures not being in direct contact, with other structures being disposed between the two structures.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first," "second," and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, layers and/or sections, these elements, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are used solely to distinguish between different elements, layers and/or sections. Thus, a first element, layer and/or section discussed below could be termed a second element, layer and/or section without departing from the teachings of some embodiments of the present invention. In addition, for the sake of brevity, the terms "first," "second," and the like may not be used in the description to distinguish between different elements. The first element and/or the second element recited in the claims may be construed as being any element consistent with the recitation of the present disclosure without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims.

As used herein, the terms "about" and "approximately" generally mean within 15%, such as within 10%, within 5%, within 3%, within 2%, within 1%, or within 0.5% of a given value or range. Where a given amount is an approximate amount, that is, unless specifically stated to the context of "about" or "approximately," the meaning of "about" or "approximately" may still be implied. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It is noted that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present invention and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. In addition, for the sake of brevity, some elements may be omitted from the drawings herein as appropriate.

Referring first to fig. 1, the display device 10 of the present invention may include, for example, but not limited to, a rectangular display device, a non-rectangular display device, or a curved display device. The display device 10 may include, for example, but not limited to, a bendable or flexible display device. The display device 10 may include, for example, but is not limited to, a liquid crystal or other suitable display device. The display device 10 may include, for example, but is not limited to, a tiled display device. In the present invention, the display device 10 may include a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (Thin film transistor liquid crystal display, TFT-LCD), for example, and the display device 10 may be applied to a public information display (public information display, PID), a television (television), a display screen (monitor), a notebook PC (notebook PC), a smart phone (smart phone), or a smart watch (smart watch), but is not limited thereto.

The display device 10 mainly includes a light source 100, a first substrate 200, a liquid crystal layer 300, a second substrate 400, and an outer frame 500, wherein the first substrate 200 is disposed between the light source 100 and the liquid crystal layer 300, and the liquid crystal layer 300 is disposed between the first substrate 200 and the second substrate 400, that is, the first substrate 200 and the second substrate 400 sandwich the liquid crystal layer 300. The light source 100, the first substrate 200, the liquid crystal layer 300, and the second substrate 400 may be disposed in the outer frame 500, and the outer frame 500 may protect or fix the respective elements of the display device 10, but is not limited thereto.

The light source 100 may be, for example, a backlight module, which may include one or more light emitters to provide light T to the first substrate 200. In some embodiments, the light source 100 may be disposed adjacent to the first substrate 200. In some embodiments, the light T provided by the light source 100 passes through the first substrate 200, the liquid crystal layer 300 and the second substrate 400, and finally leaves the display device 10 through the upper surface 401 (display surface) of the second substrate 400.

For example, the light source 100 may include a light-emitting diode (LED), a lamp (e.g., a cold cathode tube (cold cathode fluorescent lamp, CCFL)), or other suitable type of light source. The Light Emitting Diode may include, for example, an inorganic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED), a sub-millimeter Light Emitting Diode (mini LED), a micro LED, a quantum dot Light Emitting Diode (Quantum Dots Light-Emitting Diode, QLED or QD-LED), other suitable Light Emitting Diode, or a combination thereof, but is not limited thereto.

In the present embodiment, the light source 100 may be a direct-type backlight (direct-type backlight) as follows. In some embodiments, the light source 100 can be replaced by a side-light type backlight module (side-light type backlight). In some embodiments, the light source 100 is non-ambient light.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a plurality of wires 210 may be disposed on a side of the first substrate 200 facing the liquid crystal layer 300, and the wires 210 may be connected to a circuit board W disposed on the side of the first substrate 200. The circuit board W may be electrically connected to an external circuit. Through the circuit board W, a signal (e.g., a control signal) of an external circuit may be transferred to the first substrate 200. In some embodiments, the circuit board W may be used to electrically connect with other electronic components within the display device 10. In addition to the conductive lines 210, a transistor (e.g., a thin film transistor), a color filter (color filter), a light shielding layer, other suitable devices, and/or combinations thereof may be disposed on the first substrate 200, but is not limited thereto. The first substrate 200 may include, for example, a flexible substrate or a non-flexible substrate, and the material thereof may include, for example, glass, quartz, polycarbonate (PC), polyimide (PI), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (polyethylene terephthalate, PET), other suitable materials, or a combination of the above materials, but is not limited thereto. The conductive line 210 may be a line such as a data line, a common line, or a touch line, but is not limited thereto, and the conductive line 210 may be a conductive line including a metal material (e.g., aluminum, copper, or an alloy thereof) and/or a transparent conductive material (e.g., indium tin oxide), but is not limited thereto, and in some embodiments, the conductive line 210 may be disposed on the first substrate 200 and/or the second substrate 400. For example, the conductive lines 210 may be disposed on the first substrate 200 and the second substrate 400 (e.g., the side of the second substrate 400 adjacent to the liquid crystal layer 300), but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the conductive line 210 may include one or more insulating layers between the substrate (e.g., the first substrate 200), and the material may include, but is not limited to, silicon oxide (SiOx), silicon nitride (SiNx), polytetrafluoroethylene (PFA), other suitable materials, or a combination thereof. The circuit board W may include, for example, but not limited to, a flexible printed circuit (Flexible Printed Circuit, FPC), a Chip On Film (COF), and the like.

The side of the second substrate 400 facing the liquid crystal layer 300 may include one or more light shielding members 410 or color filter layers (not shown). The material of the second substrate 400 may be the same as or similar to that of the first substrate 200, and will not be described herein. In some embodiments, the light shielding member 410 may be a black matrix (black matrix), which may have a grid-like structure, but is not limited thereto, and in some embodiments, the light shielding member 410 may be on the first substrate 200 and/or the second substrate 400. In some embodiments, the light shielding member 410 may further include one or more insulating layers between the substrate (e.g., the second substrate 400), and the material may include, for example, an organic material, an inorganic material, or other suitable materials, but is not limited thereto.

When the light T provided by the light source 100 passes through the first substrate 200 and the second substrate 400, a portion of the light T may be reflected by the wires 210 and/or other components to the edge of the display device 10, and the portion of the light T may leak from the gap between the second substrate 400 and the outer frame 500, so that the viewer facing the display surface may see the light leakage. In addition, due to the traveling angle, a part of the light T may be reflected or refracted to the edge of the display device 10 at the interface between the light source 100 and the first substrate 200, the interface between the first substrate 200 and the liquid crystal layer 300, or the interface between the liquid crystal layer 300 and the second substrate 400, or a part of the light T may be totally reflected (as shown in fig. 3) in the first substrate 200 and/or the second substrate 400, and may be emitted to the gap between the first substrate 200 and/or the second substrate 400 and the outer frame 500 after leaving from the side edges (e.g., two opposite sides 220 and/or 420) of the first substrate 200 and/or the second substrate 400, which may also cause the viewer facing the display surface to see the light leakage.

The display device 10 in the present embodiment further changes the structure of the first substrate 200 to improve the situation in which the viewer facing the display surface sees light leakage. Referring to fig. 1 and 4, the first substrate 200 has opposite surfaces (i.e., an upper surface 201 and a lower surface 202), and opposite sides 220 connecting the opposite surfaces.

The upper surface 201 may be substantially parallel to the lower surface 202, and on at least one of the two opposite sides 220, a vertical portion 221 and an inclined portion 222 may be formed. The vertical portion 221 connects the upper surface 201 and the inclined portion 222, and is substantially perpendicular to the upper surface 201. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the sides of the first substrate 200 and/or the second substrate 400 may have an inclined portion 222 and/or an inclined portion, but is not limited thereto. The inclined portion 222 connects the vertical portion 221 and the lower surface 202, and is inclined with respect to the lower surface 202. The other of the opposite sides may be formed with only a vertical portion (not shown) that may connect the upper surface 201 and the lower surface 202, and the vertical portion (not shown) may be substantially perpendicular to the upper surface 201 and the lower surface 202, respectively, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the surface of the vertical portion (not shown) may be uneven, and the extension lines of the surface may be substantially perpendicular to the upper surface 201 and the lower surface 202, respectively, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the lower surface 202 to which the inclined portion 222 is connected may face the light source. In some embodiments, two vertical portions 221 and two inclined portions 222 (shown in fig. 1) may be formed on two opposite sides 220 of the first substrate 200 adjacent to the light source 100. In some embodiments, upper surface 201 and lower surface 202 may be substantially parallel to the X-axis, but are not limited thereto. In some embodiments, substantially perpendicular may mean, but is not limited to, an included angle between two lines, two surfaces, or a line and a surface in the range of 85 degrees to 95 degrees (85 degrees +. Ltoreq. Included angle +. Ltoreq. 95 degrees).

The upper surface 201 and the lower surface 202 of the first substrate 200 may face the liquid crystal layer 300 and the light source 100, respectively. As shown in fig. 4, in some embodiments, a portion of the light T provided by the light source 100 may enter the first substrate 200 from the lower surface 202 of the first substrate 200 and be refracted or reflected in the first substrate 200 to the inclined portion 222 of at least one side 220 of the first substrate 200, that is, the portion of the light T may move in the first substrate 200 and be guided by the inclined portion 222 to leave the first substrate 200, and the direction in which the portion of the light T is guided by the inclined portion 222 and the direction in which the light T emitted by the light source passes through the first substrate 200 may be different from the direction of the second substrate 400 (for example, but not limited to, the direction of the light shown in fig. 1 and/or the direction of the light leaving from the upper surface 201 in fig. 3).

More specifically, after the light ray T traveling in the first substrate 200 contacts the inclined portion 222, the part of the light ray T may leave the first substrate 200 through the inclined portion 222, and since the inclined portion 222 faces away from the display surface of the display device 10, the light ray T leaving the first substrate 200 through the inclined portion 222 also travels toward the display surface facing away from the display device 10, thereby reducing the chance that an observer facing the display surface sees the light ray T exiting the substrate through the inclined portion 222, and further improving the light leakage.

In the present embodiment, the included angle θ between the inclined portion 222 and the lower surface 202 may be greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees (90 ° < θ <180 °), such as 100 °, 110 °, 120 °, 130 °, 140 °, 150 °, 160 °, or 170 °, so that the light T exiting from the side 202 of the substrate 200 mostly passes through the inclined portion 222. In some embodiments, the included angle θ may be in the range of 135 degrees to 165 degrees (135 ° < θ <165 °), but is not limited thereto. When the included angle θ is smaller (e.g. less than 135 degrees, but not limited thereto), the edge of the first substrate 200 may be thinner, which may further affect the strength of the first substrate 200, and when the included angle θ is larger (e.g. less than 165 degrees, but not limited thereto), the inclined portion 222 may be too large, which may further affect the width of the peripheral region of the display device 10.

In addition, although the large-area inclined portion 222 may effectively reduce the side light leakage, the strength of the first substrate 200 may be insufficient if the size of the vertical portion 221 is too small, and thus, the length of the vertical portion 221 may be greater than half of the thickness of the first substrate 200, and the ratio of the length of the inclined portion 222 to the length of the vertical portion 221 (the length of the inclined portion 222/the length of the vertical portion 221) may be in the range of 0.2 to 2 (0.2. Ltoreq. Ratio. Ltoreq. 2), for example, 0.5, 1, or 1.5, but is not limited thereto, so as to ensure that the first substrate 200 has sufficient thickness and strength, and at the same time, the side light leakage may be effectively reduced.

Furthermore, the roughness of the surface affects whether the light ray T easily passes through the surface, and when the roughness of the surface is greater, the light ray T traveling toward the surface will more easily exit from the surface due to the greater total reflection of the roughened surface damage, and vice versa. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the inclined portion 222 may further increase the roughness of the surface thereof by grinding or the like, and the roughness of the inclined portion 222 may be made larger than that of the vertical portion 221. Thereby, the light ray T can more easily leave the first substrate 200 from the inclined portion 222. For example, the roughness of the inclined portion 222 may be in the range of 1 micrometer (μm) to 5 micrometers (1 μm. Ltoreq. Roughness. Ltoreq.5 micrometers), such as 1.5 micrometers, 2 micrometers, 2.5 micrometers, 3 micrometers, or 4 micrometers, but is not limited thereto. The "roughness" may refer to a number average roughness (Ra), i.e., an arithmetic average of the centerline-to-profile deviation values over the length of the sample portion, but is not limited thereto. For example, the roughness may be measured in a rectangular area having a side length of, for example, 10 microns, 50 microns, or 200 microns, but is not limited thereto, the side length of the rectangular area being adjustable depending on the size of the substrate. In some embodiments, the position of the inclined portion 222 may substantially correspond to the position of the large substrate cut by the wheel knife as the first substrate 200 or the second substrate 400 in the substrate cutting process, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first substrate 200 may have two inclined portions, wherein one of the inclined portions (e.g., the inclined portion 222) may have a roughness different from that of the other inclined portion. In other embodiments, one of the inclined portions (e.g., the inclined portion 222) may have the same roughness as the other inclined portion, but is not limited thereto. The second substrate 400 may also have the same structure, and thus will not be described again. In some embodiments, the first substrate 200 may include at least one inclined portion (e.g., the inclined portion 222), the second substrate 400 may include at least one inclined portion, and the inclined portion of the first substrate 200 and the inclined portion of the second substrate 400 may have different roughness. In other embodiments, the inclined portion of the first substrate 200 and the inclined portion of the second substrate 400 may have the same roughness. The roughness of the inclined portion 222 of the first substrate 200 may be greater than the roughness of the lower surface 202 and/or the roughness of the upper surface.

In addition, as shown in fig. 2, the light leakage at the side of the first substrate 200 where the circuit board W is disposed may be partially shielded by the circuit board W, so that the formation of the inclined portion 222 is not required. In other words, the inclined portion 222 and the circuit board W may be located at different sides of the first substrate 200.

In some embodiments, the second substrate 400 may also have two opposite surfaces (i.e., the upper surface 401 and the lower surface 402) and two opposite sides 420 connecting the two opposite surfaces, wherein at least one of the two opposite sides 420 may have a vertical portion and an inclined portion formed thereon. The structures and connection relationships of the upper surface 401, the lower surface 402, the vertical portion, and the inclined portion of the second substrate 400 are the same as or similar to those of the upper surface 201, the lower surface 202, the vertical portion 221, and the inclined portion 222 of the first substrate 200, and thus, the description thereof will not be repeated. The display device 10 may further reduce side light leakage by the inclined portion of the second substrate 400, but is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the first substrate 200 and the second substrate 400 of the display device 10 may be formed with the inclined portion only on one of them, and the other is formed substantially as a cuboid without the inclined portion, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the inclined portion is disposed between the liquid crystal layer 300 and the light source 100. In other embodiments, the liquid crystal layer 300 is disposed between the inclined portion and the light source 100.

Fig. 5A-5C are schematic diagrams illustrating different embodiments of the first substrate 200. As shown in fig. 5A to 5C, one side 220 of the first substrate 200 may have a vertical portion 221 connected to the upper surface 201 and an inclined portion 222 connected to the lower surface 202, and the surface of the inclined portion 222 may not be smooth, so that the roughness thereof may be greater than that of the vertical portion 221.

It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the vertical portion 221 and the inclined portion 222 of the first substrate 200 may have a relatively concave-convex surface, so that the related parameters of the vertical portion 221 and the inclined portion 222 may be measured in the following manner, but not limited thereto, and the related parameters may be measured directly in general.

First, the user can measure the distance D between the upper surface 201 and the lower surface 402 along the direction perpendicular to the upper surface 201 and the lower surface 202 from a distance L from the corner where the upper surface 201 and the vertical portion 221 of the first substrate 200 are connected. The distance L may be, for example, 0.5 millimeter (mm), 1 millimeter, or 2 mm, but is not limited thereto, and the distance L may be determined according to the size or thickness of the substrate, and it should be noted that a point of the distance L away from the vertical portion 221 (a point defining the distance D) may be projected onto the lower surface 202 of the first substrate 200, in other words, a point of the distance L away from the vertical portion 221 may not be projected onto the inclined portion 222.

In the direction substantially perpendicular to the lower surface 202, a position spaced apart from the lower surface 202 by 0.85D may be projected to one side 220 of the first substrate 200 to form a first intersection point P1, and a position spaced apart from the lower surface 202 by 0.99D may be projected to one side 220 of the first substrate 200 to form a second intersection point P2. The connection line between the first intersection point P1 and the second intersection point P2 may form a first virtual line AX1. In the embodiment of fig. 5A to 5C, the first intersection point P1 and the second intersection point P2 may both be located on the vertical portion 221, and an angle between the first virtual line AX1 and the upper surface 201 of the first substrate 200 may be in a range of 80 degrees to 100 degrees (80 ° -100 °), such as 82.5 °, 85 °, 95 °, or 97.5 °, but not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the angle between the first virtual line AX1 and the upper surface 201 of the first substrate 200 is in the range of 85 degrees to 95 degrees (85 °. Ltoreq.angle.ltoreq.95°).

In the direction perpendicular to the upper surface 201, a position spaced apart from the upper surface 201 by 0.85D may be projected to one side 220 of the first substrate 200 to form a third intersection point P3, and a position spaced apart from the upper surface 201 by 0.99D may be projected to one side 220 of the first substrate 200 to form a fourth intersection point P4. The connection between the third intersection point P3 and the fourth intersection point P4 can form a second virtual line AX2. In the embodiment of fig. 5A to 5C, the third intersection point P3 and the fourth intersection point P4 are located on the inclined portion 222, and an obtuse angle may be formed between the second virtual line AX2 and the lower surface 202 of the first substrate 200. This obtuse angle can be considered as the angle θ between the inclined portion 222 and the lower surface 202.

In the embodiment of fig. 5A, a portion of the upper surface 201 near the side 220 of the first substrate 200 is inclined toward the lower surface 202, and a portion of the vertical portion 221 is slightly concave, so that an angle between the first virtual line AX1 and the upper surface 201 of the first substrate 200 may be between 90 degrees and 95 degrees, but is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment of fig. 5B, the upper surface 201 is substantially horizontal, and a portion of the vertical portion 221 is slightly concave, so that the angle between the first virtual line AX1 and the upper surface 201 of the first substrate 200 may be between 85 degrees and 90 degrees, but is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment of fig. 5C, the upper surface 201 is substantially horizontal, and a portion of the vertical portion 221 is slightly convex, so that the angle between the first virtual line AX1 and the upper surface 201 of the first substrate 200 may be between 90 degrees and 95 degrees, but is not limited thereto.

The features of the foregoing embodiments can be mixed and matched at will without departing from the spirit or conflict of the invention.

In summary, the present invention provides a display device including two substrates and a liquid crystal layer. Each substrate has two opposite surfaces and two opposite sides, and the liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the two substrates. At least one of the two substrates has an inclined portion on at least one of two opposite sides connecting one of the two opposite surfaces and having an included angle of more than ninety degrees and less than one hundred eighty degrees with respect to the connected surface.

The display device may further include a light source, light emitted from the light source passes through one of the two substrates sandwiching the liquid crystal layer, and a portion of the light moves in the one of the two substrates and is guided by the inclined portion of the one of the two substrates to leave the one of the two substrates. The direction in which the light is guided by the inclined portion may be different from the direction in which the light passes through the two substrates. For example, the direction in which the light is guided by the inclined portion may be opposite to the direction in which the light passes through the two substrates, so as to reduce side light leakage of the display device.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in connection with the above embodiments and their advantages, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification, but rather should be understood to correspond to the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification, unless otherwise indicated herein, unless otherwise clearly indicated by the context of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains. In addition, each claim constitutes a separate embodiment, and the scope of the invention also includes combinations of the individual claims and embodiments.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention should therefore be determined only by the following claims. Furthermore, each claim is to be construed as a separate embodiment, and various claims and combinations of embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

two substrates, each of the two substrates having two opposite surfaces and two opposite sides;

a light source disposed adjacent one of the two substrates, wherein the two opposing surfaces include a lower surface facing the light source and an upper surface facing away from the light source; and

a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the two substrates;

wherein at least one of the two substrates has an inclined portion and a vertical portion on at least one of the two opposite sides, the inclined portion connecting the lower surface facing the light source, the vertical portion connecting the upper surface facing away from the light source, and the inclined portion having an included angle of more than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees with respect to the connected surface, wherein a roughness of the inclined portion is greater than a roughness of the vertical portion.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein a substrate of the two substrates adjacent to the light source has the inclined portion on the at least one of the two opposite sides.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein light emitted from the light source passes through one of the two substrates sandwiching the liquid crystal layer, and a portion of the light moves in the one of the two substrates and is guided away from the one of the two substrates by the inclined portion, the direction in which the portion of the light is guided away by the inclined portion being different from the direction in which the light passes through the two substrates.

4. The display device of claim 1, wherein the light source is a direct-lit backlight.

5. The display device of claim 1, wherein the included angle is in a range of 135 degrees to 165 degrees.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a length of the inclined portion to a length of the vertical portion is in a range of 0.2 to 2 in a sectional view.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein the roughness of the inclined portion is in a range of 1 to 5 microns.

8. The display device of claim 1, wherein a length of the vertical portion is greater than half a thickness of at least one of the two substrates having the inclined portion.

9. The display device of claim 1, wherein the vertical portion connects the inclined portion.

10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the two substrates includes another inclined portion and another vertical portion, the inclined portion and the vertical portion being provided on one of the two opposite sides, and the other inclined portion and the other vertical portion being provided on the other of the two opposite sides.

11. The display device according to claim 10, wherein a roughness of the inclined portion and a roughness of the other inclined portion are different.

12. The display device of claim 1, wherein the vertical portion is concave.

13. The display device of claim 1, wherein the vertical portion is convex.

14. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a circuit board provided on one side of at least one of the two substrates having the inclined portion, and the circuit board and the inclined portion are provided on different sides of at least one of the two substrates.

15. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a roughness of the inclined portion is greater than a roughness of the lower surface.

16. The display device according to claim 15, wherein a roughness of the inclined portion is greater than a roughness of the upper surface.