JP2000284253A - Information display device, information terminal device, information terminal system and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to suppress an increase in a cost and electric power consumption even if plural displays are provided in order to improve operability. SOLUTION: The information display device (computer system) 10 has a main display 12 and a sub-display 13. The main display 12 is a non-memory type display, such as TFT liquid crystals or CRT, and the sub-display 13 is a memory type display composed of chiral nematic liquid crystals. The information displayed on the main display 12 is transferred as reference information to the sub-display 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an information display device, an information terminal device, an information terminal system, and an information processing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, most information display devices such as personal computers have a single display. However, the amount of display information (the required number of pixels) required for a display is steadily expanding in order to realize better operability and to allow a large amount of information to be viewed simultaneously.

For example, in a display device in which a user interface is configured by a window display, windows need to be arranged so as not to overlap each other in order to simultaneously grasp a plurality of pieces of information. To this end, it is usually considered to increase the capacity of the display device, that is, to use a large display capable of simultaneously displaying a plurality of screens. Alternatively, a method of connecting a plurality of relatively small displays and simultaneously displaying a plurality of screens may be employed.

[0004]

However, a large-sized display requires an extremely large installation space, is difficult to manufacture with high accuracy, has a low yield, and dramatically increases costs. Has problems. There is also a problem that the weight of the display increases. Also, when connecting multiple displays,
Even if it is a relatively small display, there is a problem that power consumption increases.

Further, in order to display a large number of pixels, a video memory having a large capacity corresponding to the display is required. This video memory is a memory for storing data corresponding to the pixels of the display screen of the display, and its capacity must always be secured in correspondence with the number of pixels of the display. As a result, more (usually high-speed) dedicated video memories are required, which also leads to an increase in the cost of the display device.

[0006] On the other hand, as a task often performed by the user,
1. 1. Call the data to be referenced. 2. Print it out. 3. Open a new document There is a procedure in which a new document is created while viewing the printed reference data. The data to be referred to may be placed on the screen, but a single display often does not have a sufficient display area, and is often output to paper for reference.
After work, the paper used for reference is discarded,
As a result, consumption of paper resources was increased.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a display apparatus having a plurality of displays in order to improve operability.
An object of the present invention is to provide an information display device, an information terminal device, and an information terminal system that can suppress increases in cost and power consumption. Another object of the present invention is to provide an information display device used with an information terminal device connected to a main display, which can display information displayed on the main display without omission. It is in. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an information display device capable of grasping a display position of information on a display. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an efficient information processing method capable of suppressing an increase in power consumption.

[0008]

To achieve the above object, a first information display device, an information terminal device,
The information terminal system includes a plurality of displays, and at least one of the displays is configured using a rewritable display element having a memory property. In the first information display device, the information terminal device, and the information terminal system according to the present invention, a display using a rewritable display element having a memory property (hereinafter, referred to as a memory display) is used as a sub-display for a reference screen. While using, TFT liquid crystal display, CRT display,
Plasma display, electroluminescence (E
L) A display such as a display that does not have a memory property and that can update the screen at high speed (hereinafter referred to as a non-memory display) can be used as a main display for normal operation. Therefore, the work efficiency when performing information processing work by displaying information on these displays by the information terminal can be improved, and the increase in power consumption can be suppressed.

Further, a second information display device according to the present invention comprises a receiving means for receiving data from an information terminal device connected to a main display, and a sub-display including a rewritable display element having a memory function. And the sub-display has a screen larger than the main display. By doing so, the information displayed on the main display can be displayed on the sub-display without omission.

Further, a third information display device according to the present invention is a display including a rewritable display element having a memory function, and a memory for storing at least information on a display position of an image displayed on the display. It has. By providing such a memory, the information display position on the display can be grasped, and information is displayed at an appropriate position with reference to the information on the display position stored in the memory, or information is erased only in a necessary portion. It becomes possible.

In a first information processing method according to the present invention, information displayed on a main display is transferred to a sub-display including a rewritable display element having a memory function to continue displaying, and After the transfer, processing is performed using the main display. By doing so, the display is continued on the sub-display without consuming power, and other information can be displayed and processed on the main display while referring to this display. Therefore, work efficiency can be improved while suppressing an increase in power consumption, and an increase in consumption of paper resources does not occur.

In a second information processing method according to the present invention, when all or a part of information displayed on a main display is updated and the display is not performed, the erased information is stored in a memory. The display is performed on a sub-display including a rewritable display element, and processing is performed using the main display while the display is continued. In this way, information that has been erased from the sub-display or has become invisible due to being covered by other information is displayed on the sub-display, and this display is continued without consuming power. Processing can be performed by displaying other information on the display. Therefore, work efficiency can be improved while suppressing an increase in power consumption, and an increase in consumption of paper resources does not occur.

As a rewritable display element having a memory property, it is preferable to use a liquid crystal exhibiting a cholesteric phase at room temperature, particularly a liquid crystal display element containing a chiral nematic liquid crystal. A display using a chiral nematic liquid crystal can be manufactured inexpensively at a large size (high number of pixels). In addition, since it has a memory property, power is not required except for updating the screen (to maintain the display state).

In the information terminal device and the information terminal system according to the present invention, a video memory for always storing information corresponding to display contents of a display including a display element having a memory function may not be provided. By utilizing the memory properties of the display and writing directly to the memory display based on the image data without going through the video memory, the video memory can be omitted, and the effective use of memory resources can be achieved.

[0015]

Embodiments of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an information display apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
This device 10 is a device in which a main display 12 (display device 212) and a sub-display 13 (display device 213) are connected to a personal computer body 11.
A keyboard 14 having a mouse 15 is further connected to the personal computer body 11. Main display 12
Is a display device comprising a TFT liquid crystal or a CRT,
Handles videos and frequently rewritten information. Sub-display 1
Reference numeral 3 denotes a display device composed of a chiral nematic liquid crystal having a memory property, and handles a still image and reference information with little rewriting. The specific configuration of the liquid crystal display element included in the sub-display 13 will be described later. A plurality of these displays 12 and 13 may be connected respectively.

Since the chiral nematic liquid crystal takes a relatively long time to update the screen, in this embodiment, a non-memory display is used to display frequently-rewritten data (information) among a plurality of displays. .
The same applies to other embodiments thereafter.

FIG. 2 shows an information display apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
This device 20 is configured such that a main display 22 and a sub-display 23 are divided into two parts on an integrally configured display device. Each display 22, 23
The configuration and function of the (display device 214) are the same as those of the displays 12 and 13.

FIG. 3 shows an information display apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
In this device 30, a sub-display 43 is provided in a notebook personal computer having a main display 42 so as to be freely inserted and removed. 41 is the main body, 44 is the keyboard, 4
5 is a mouse.

(Circuit Configuration of Display Device, See FIG. 4) FIG. 4 shows an outline of a control circuit of the information display device 10. An input device 32 including a keyboard 14 and a mouse 15, an external storage device 33, and a communication line 39 are connected to a CPU 31 that controls the entire system, and the CPU 31 performs various processes while using a general-purpose memory 34. The processing result is usually displayed on the main display 12. This display content is stored in the dedicated video memory 35, and the driver 36 always reflects the content of the video memory 35 on the main display 12.

On the other hand, when it becomes necessary to update the display of the main display 12 with reference data and the like, the CPU
31 and the sub-display 1 via the driver 37
3 is displayed. At this time, the update data is
Is displayed using the general-purpose memory 34 (rasterized if necessary). The sub-display 13 does not have a dedicated video memory, and updates the display by using the general-purpose memory 34 as necessary.

Usually, a computer system has a working memory area. Therefore, when updating the information of the memory display, the data is processed by temporarily using the working memory of the system, and the (rasterized) result is transferred to the memory display. A display function can be provided without having a dedicated video memory. This is different from the printer in that only a part of the data is rewritten, but is similar to the processing for printing data on a printer having no page memory. With such a configuration, an inexpensive system that does not require a dedicated memory while having a display having a large number of pixels (usually requiring a large-capacity video memory) can be realized.

Note that, using a part of the general-purpose memory 34, data relating to the display position, size, and display time of the window displayed on the sub-display 13 is updated each time writing to the sub-display 13 is performed. Is to be remembered. Thus, the CPU 31 always manages the display state on the sub-display 13 using a small area on the memory 34.

(Example of display on sub-display 1, FIG. 5,
(See FIG. 6) Sub-display 13 in the first embodiment
Is displayed on the screen of the main display 12 as shown in FIG. 5, and the control procedure is shown in FIG.

When the window 17 of the main display 12 is the data for reference or becomes the data for reference, when the mouse is clicked on the control area (such as the title bar) of the window 17 (step S).
1), a menu appears. Here, "To sub display"
Is clicked (see step S2), it is searched whether or not the sub-display 13 has an area where the window 17 can be displayed (see step S3). In particular,
Data related to the display position of the window displayed on the sub-display 13 is read from the specific area of the general-purpose memory 34, and the position and size of the area not displayed are determined. If it can be displayed without overlapping other windows (YES in step S4), the reference point of the displayable position (for example, the upper left position of the sub-display 13) is transferred to the CPU 31. The CPU 31 obtains the coordinates of the reference point and displays the window 1 on the sub-display 13.
7 is displayed (see step S5), and the window 17 of the main display 12 is deleted. further,
In step S7, the memory is updated.

On the other hand, if another window is already displayed on the sub-display 13 and cannot be displayed unless it overlaps (NO in step S4), the window that has been displayed on the sub-display 13 from the oldest is deleted ( Step S6). This procedure is called window 17
Repeat until can be displayed. Normally sub-display 1
Since the size (number of pixels) of the window 17 is larger than the size of the main display 12, it can always be finally displayed. However, if the size of the window 17 is larger than the size of the sub-display 13,
Is reduced to a size that can be accommodated, and then displayed on the sub-display 13.

[0027] Generally, a graphical user user that allows window overlap to be used conventionally.
In the interface system, the new window is displayed over the old window without performing such processing. Also, it will not be displayed in a reduced size,
Usually, the display is partially off the screen. However, since the chiral nematic liquid crystal has a relatively slow display update speed, it is not possible to smoothly perform a process of "clicking on a part of an overlapped and lower window to appear on the entire surface". Therefore, the user does not change the overlapping state of the windows, but deletes the old window.

If a window larger than the display size is transferred to the sub-display 13 and part of the window is displayed outside the window, it is necessary to move the window in order to see the portion outside the window. It is not realistic because it takes time to update the display. Therefore, processing is performed so that the image is automatically reduced and displayed so that the entire image can be seen. Since the data displayed on the sub-display 13 is for reference, it is more convenient to view the entire view even if the window is reduced, rather than moving and viewing the window.

Although the above-described window movement control has been described on the assumption that the mouse is clicked, the personal computer 1
1. If a switch such as a "catch button" is provided on a part of the main display 12, the keyboard 14 or the mouse 15, when this switch is operated, the active window at that time is moved to the sub-display 13. The control form may be used.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the non-memory display is used as the main display, and the memory display is used as the sub-display, thereby effectively cooperating. By displaying the part where the user is currently working (this is assumed to be a character input screen of a word processor, an active sheet of counting table software or a work screen of graphic software, etc.) on a non-memory display, Work under high-speed response without stress. On the other hand, by displaying the reference data portion on a memory display, large size (high pixel count) taking advantage of low cost and low power consumption
Reference display can be configured. This makes it possible to obtain an information display device that is larger and easier to see than before and has good workability without increasing costs and power consumption, and provides great convenience to the user. The same applies to other embodiments thereafter.

Further, in the present embodiment, the advantage can be exhibited well by appropriately distributing the display on the main non-memory display and the display on the sub-memory display. That is, the effectiveness is improved by having means for instructing to transfer information displayed on the non-memory display to the memory display. By moving data that the user considers to be almost fixed as reference data to the non-memory display, a work environment in which the work screen is a non-memory display and the reference screen is a memory display can be realized. When the user freely manipulates the transfer instruction, the screen expansion due to the provision of the memory display can be effectively used by utilizing the feature of the memory display.

(Display example 2 on sub-display, FIG. 7,
FIG. 7 shows a display procedure on the sub-display 23 in the second embodiment. The main display 22 is configured as a multi-window system, and generally has one “active window” that preferentially receives user processing such as key input. Usually, a newly opened window or a window explicitly designated by a mouse click is the active window.

When the active window is changed (see step S11), if the window is not clipped, that is, if it is not partially or entirely obscured (NO in step S12), both windows can be viewed simultaneously. Therefore, the process ends. If the clip has been clipped (YES in step S12), it is searched whether or not the sub-display 23 has an area where the old active window can be displayed (see step S13). If the old active windows can be displayed without overlapping (YES in step S14), the reference point of the displayable position is transferred to the CPU 31. The CPU 31 obtains the reference point coordinates, displays the old active window on the sub-display 23 (see step S15), and erases the old active window on the main display 22. Further, the memory is updated in step S17.

On the other hand, if another window has already been displayed on the sub-display 23 and cannot be displayed unless it overlaps (NO in step S14), the window that has been displayed on the sub-display 23 since the oldest is erased (step S14). See step S16). This procedure is repeated until the window can be displayed in the same manner as described with reference to FIG.

The "automatic display movement accompanying change in active window" is specifically described below with reference to FIG.

When a user creates a report or the like while referring to certain information, first, reference information 27 is called on the main display 22 (see FIG. 8A). At this time, the reference information 27 is an active window. Of course, the screen of the newly created report 28 may be opened first. Even in this case, the window from which the reference information 27 is called becomes the active window. Next, the window of the newly created report 28 is opened, or the window of the newly created report opened earlier is activated again.

As a result, the window displaying the reference information 27 is no longer active (see FIG. 8B).
At this time, if the window of the newly created report 28 does not clip the window of the reference information 27, that is, if the window of the reference information 27 is not partially or entirely obscured, both windows can be viewed on the main display 22 at the same time. The process of moving the information 27 to the sub-display 23 may not be performed. On the other hand, if the reference information 27 is clipped by the newly created report 28, the reference information 27 is moved onto the sub-display 23 (see FIG. 8C).

According to the above control procedure, the reference information can be moved in a natural flow without the user having to explicitly move the window to the sub-display 23. Of course, even if this function is provided, this function may be turned off at the discretion of the user. If only a part of the old window is hidden by the new window, the old window may not be deleted from the main display. In addition, whether to delete the old window from the main display may be determined according to the size of the hidden area.

Although the above control procedure is for a multi-window environment, the same control is performed in a single-window environment where the entire screen is always used. In the single window, since the old screen is always deleted when the entire screen is updated, the old screen is evacuated to the sub-display 23 each time it is updated. However, the screen is not saved in an update in which only some data on the screen changes. This is, specifically, character input or scrolling by a word processor, or cell data updating by counting table software. The screen is evacuated when a new data file is read or an entire display is updated when new software is started.

(Modification) In the above embodiment, data relating to the display position, size, and display time of the window displayed on the sub-display 13 is stored in a partial area of the general-purpose memory 34 provided in the personal computer 11. Is stored, but the present invention is not limited to this.
May be provided with such storage means. FIG.
Is the sub-display 13 (display device 21).
3 ') shows a circuit of a modification in which such storage means is provided. The memory 38 corresponds to this storage means, and data relating to the display position, size, and display time of the window is written into the memory 38 every time the CPU 31 updates the screen of the sub-display 13.

(Preview Function) Further, the output to the sub-displays 13 and 23 can be used as a printer preview. Generally, when the resolution of the printer is 300 to 1200 dpi and that of the display is 1
Since there is too much difference in resolution at 00 dpi or less, the output state of the printer cannot be grasped without actually printing.
However, the sub-displays 13 and 23 using the chiral nematic liquid crystal can have a high definition of about 300 dpi or more, although it differs depending on the size of the element and the like. Therefore, the output state to the printer can be almost reproduced, and the print state can be examined without wasting the test paper.

(Other Applications) Display of fixed information such as schedules, calendars, and telephone directories When users work with computers, there is data that they need to keep track of. These are, for example, schedule tables. Since such information is changed regularly or irregularly, it is often managed by a computer system. However, in general, a schedule or the like is a huge table, and it is difficult to display the schedule while performing other operations. As shown in FIG. 10, such fixed information is always displayed on the sub-display 13 separately from normal work, so that there is an advantage that necessary information can be always grasped.

Further, the sub-display 13 can hold information even when power is not supplied and without continuous refresh control from the computer system.
Therefore, information managed by the computer such as a schedule can be displayed without starting up the computer system, which has an advantage that it can be always checked. Such use is a great advantage, as the biggest weakness of information in computer management is that it cannot be confirmed unless the computer is running.

2. Displaying received information and transmitted information on different displays As computer systems are networked,
An information display request may be interrupted from an external device. For example, reception of a fax, reception of an e-mail, or a call from a conference system on a network. In such a case, if an interrupt is displayed on the display on which the work is currently being performed, the work is interrupted and the efficiency is extremely low.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, when a display request is made to the computer system from outside (see step S21), the received data is displayed on the sub-display 13 (see step S22). If all received data is to be displayed (YES in step S23), an icon for moving to the next page is displayed (see step S24).

As shown in FIG. 12, when an information display request such as an incoming e-mail is made, only the minimum information that can be recognized as received, such as the time and the number of times the request was last received, is provided. It may be displayed.

The information transmitted from outside has a relatively small data amount for each transmission. Therefore, the sub-display 13 using a chiral nematic liquid crystal, which is difficult to display at high speed, is used.
But it can be used satisfactorily. Such a use method can realize a function of confirming necessary information without greatly affecting a user's work on the computer system even when various kinds of information are sent through the network.

3. Use as Rewritable Paper As described above, the sub-display 13 using the chiral nematic liquid crystal can retain the display contents even when the energization is stopped. By utilizing this fact, the sub-display 13 can be used as rewritable paper. For example, it is a kind of “notification” that is pasted on a bulletin board that may be deleted after information is temporarily displayed. FIG.
As shown in the figure, "notice" is displayed on the sub-display 13, and the sub-display 13 is detached from the device 10 and attached to the bulletin board 31. In such a usage method, the display content can be erased and reused after the necessary notice period has ended, and the display device is economical and resource saving.

(Other Methods of Controlling Sub Display) After a predetermined time has elapsed after screen rewriting, only the driver circuit of the sub-display is turned off (FIG. 14, steps S41, S41).
42)

As described above, the display on the sub-display 13 is performed by a user's instruction or by automatically saving the window. Here, since the sub-display 13 does not require power to maintain the display content,
Even if the driver circuit stops functioning when the display update is completed, no problem occurs in the display itself. However,
It is preferable to turn off the driver circuit at the end of the update every time the display contents are frequently updated, and to start / return the driver circuit each time the display contents are updated, from the viewpoint of system responsiveness and effective use of power. Absent. Therefore, the driver circuit may be stopped when a certain time (an arbitrary time of about one minute to one hour) has elapsed since the display update on the sub-display 13.

To execute the above control, the timer is activated when the output to the sub-display 13 is completed. The timer counts in synchronization with a system clock or the like of the personal computer 11 or the like. When the timer reaches a predetermined count value (YES in step S41),
Generate an event (interrupt) in the operating system. Upon receiving this event, the operating system cuts off or miniaturizes the power supply to the driver circuit of the sub-display 13 and switches to the sleep mode (see step S42).

On the other hand, if the display on the sub-display 13 is performed again before the timer reaches the predetermined count value, the timer is reset at that point. Moreover,
After the display is completed, the timer starts counting again.

2. If the driver circuit of the sub-display is in the sleep mode when there is an image rewriting request,
Display is performed by switching to the active mode (see FIG. 14, steps S31 to S35).

When a drawing event has occurred on the sub-display 13 (YES in step S31), the system first determines whether the driver circuit is in the active mode or the sleep mode (step S32).
reference). If it is the active mode, a display is made on the sub-display 13 (see step S34). In the case of the sleep mode, activation processing such as turning on the supply power or increasing the supply amount from the state in which only the minute power is supplied is performed (see step S33), and then the display update processing is performed (see step S34). ). In any case, the timer is reset when the display is completed, and the counting is restarted (see step S35).

3. When the power of the entire apparatus is turned off, the driver circuit of the sub-display is set to the sleep mode, and the process is ended (FIG. 14, steps S51 to S53).
reference)

When a process for turning off the power of the entire system (turning off the power switch, etc.) is instructed (YES in step S51), a process for switching the driver circuit of the sub-display 13 to the sleep mode is performed (see step S52). All power supply is stopped or reduced (see step S53). Note that, in a system for use in which the last display content is maintained even when the power is turned off, if the display update processing is performed at the time when the power-off event occurs, the power supply is maintained until the display processing ends. Control to wait for the off process is preferable.

As described above, in the control shown in FIG. 14, it is assumed that the system is of the event driven type. Therefore, when YES is determined in each of steps S31, S41, and S51 in the event waiting routine, each process is performed.

4. Other Controls Note that the initialization process executed when the system is started is not included in the flowchart of FIG. 14 because the control is performed outside the event routine. When the system starts up,

(1) The driver circuit of the sub-display 13 is set to the active mode, and predetermined contents are displayed. Then, reset the display standby timer /
It is possible to adopt a control of starting the operation, (2) setting the driver circuit of the sub-display 13 to the sleep mode, and setting a standby state to wait for the occurrence of a drawing event. These are selected according to the intended use of the system.

(Liquid Crystal Display Element) Next, a liquid crystal display element incorporating a liquid crystal exhibiting a cholesteric phase at room temperature, which is used in the sub-displays 13 and 23, will be described.

(Structure) FIG. 15 shows an example of a reflection type liquid crystal display device. In the liquid crystal display element 100, a red display layer 111R for performing display by switching between red selective reflection and a transparent state is disposed on the light absorbing layer 121, and display is performed thereon by switching between green selective reflection and a transparent state. A blue display layer 111G for performing display by selectively reflecting blue and switching the transparent state on top of this.
B is laminated.

Each display layer 111R, 111G, 111B
Has a structure in which a resin columnar structure 115, a liquid crystal 116 and a spacer 117 are sandwiched between transparent substrates 112 on which transparent electrodes 113 and 114 are formed, respectively. Transparent electrode 11
An insulating film 118 and an orientation control film 119 are provided on the 3, 114 as needed. Further, a sealing material 1 for sealing the liquid crystal 116 is provided on an outer peripheral portion (outside the display area) of the substrate 112.
20 are provided.

The transparent electrodes 113 and 114 are connected to a drive circuit 130 (see FIG. 18), respectively.
A predetermined pulse voltage is applied between the transparent electrodes 113 and 114 by 30. In response to this applied voltage,
The display is switched between a transparent state in which the liquid crystal 116 transmits visible light and a selective reflection state in which visible light of a specific wavelength is selectively reflected.

The transparent electrodes 113 and 114 provided on each of the display layers 111R, 111G and 111B are composed of a plurality of strip electrodes which are arranged in parallel at a fine interval, and the directions of the strip electrodes are different from each other. They are opposed so as to be at right angles. Current is sequentially applied to these upper and lower strip electrodes. That is, display is performed by sequentially applying a voltage to each liquid crystal 116 in a matrix. This is called matrix driving. By performing such matrix driving sequentially or simultaneously for each display layer, a full-color image is displayed on the liquid crystal display element 100.

More specifically, in a liquid crystal display element in which a liquid crystal exhibiting a cholesteric phase is sandwiched between two substrates, display is performed by switching the state of the liquid crystal between a planar state and a focal conic state. When the liquid crystal is in the planar state, assuming that the helical pitch of the cholesteric liquid crystal is P and the average refractive index of the liquid crystal is n, light of wavelength λ = P · n is selectively reflected. Also,
In the focal conic state, the light is scattered when the selective reflection wavelength of the cholesteric liquid crystal is in the infrared light range, and transmits visible light when the wavelength is shorter than that. Therefore, by setting the selective reflection wavelength in the visible light region and providing a light absorbing layer on the side opposite to the observation side of the element indicated by arrow A, the display of the selective reflection color in the planar state and the display of black in the focal conic state are achieved. Will be possible. In addition, by setting the selective reflection wavelength in the infrared light range and providing a light absorption layer on the side opposite to the observation side of the element, light in the infrared light range is reflected in the planar state, but the wavelength in the visible light range is reflected. Is transmitted, so that a black display and a white display due to scattering in the focal conic state are possible.

(Full Color Display) Each display layer 111R, 1
In the liquid crystal display element 100 in which 11G and 111B are stacked, the blue display layer 111B and the green display layer 111G are in a transparent state in which liquid crystals are in a focal conic arrangement, and the red display layer 111R is in a selective reflection state in which liquid crystals are in a planar arrangement. By doing so, red display can be performed. Also,
Yellow display can be performed by setting the blue display layer 111B in a transparent state in which liquid crystals are in a focal conic arrangement, and setting the green display layer 111G and the red display layer 111R in a selective reflection state in which liquid crystals are in a planar arrangement. . Similarly, by appropriately selecting the state of each display layer between a transparent state and a selective reflection state, red, green, blue, white,
Display of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black is possible. Further, by selecting an intermediate selective reflection state as the state of each of the display layers 111R, 111G, and 111B, an intermediate color can be displayed, and the display layer can be used as a full-color display element.

Each display layer 11 in the liquid crystal display element 100
The stacking order of 1R, 111G and 111B is shown in FIG.
Other cases are also possible. However, considering that the transmittance of the long wavelength region is higher than that of the short wavelength region, the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal contained in the upper layer is changed to the selective reflection of the liquid crystal contained in the lower layer. When the wavelength is shorter than the wavelength, more light is transmitted to the lower layer, so that a bright display can be performed. Therefore, the blue display layer 111B and the green display layer 111 are sequentially arranged from the observation side (the direction of arrow A).
It is most preferable to form the G, red display layer 111R, and this state provides the most preferable display quality.

(Various Materials of Display Element) As the transparent substrate 112, a colorless and transparent glass plate or a transparent resin film can be used. As a material for the transparent resin film,
Polycarbonate resin, polyether sulfone resin,
Polyethylene terephthalate resin, norbornene resin,
Polyarylate resins, amorphous polyolefin resins, modified acrylate resins, and the like are included. The characteristics of the resin film include high translucency, no optical anisotropy, dimensional stability,
It has surface smoothness, friction resistance, bending resistance, high electrical insulation, chemical resistance, liquid crystal resistance, heat resistance, moisture resistance, gas barrier properties, etc., and has the necessary characteristics according to the environment and application used. You just have to choose what you have.

The transparent electrodes 113 and 114 are made of ITO.
(Indium Tin Oxide) and other transparent electrodes can be used, and metal electrodes such as aluminum and silicon, or amorphous silicon and BSO (Bismuth Silicon Oxid) can be used.
A photoconductive film such as e) can also be used. In addition, as for the lowermost transparent electrode 114, a black electrode can be used including the role as a light absorber.

As the insulating film 118, an inorganic film such as silicon oxide or an organic film such as a polyimide resin or an epoxy resin is used so as to function also as a gas barrier layer.
12 to prevent short circuit and improve the reliability of the liquid crystal. In addition, polyimide is a typical example of the orientation control film 119.

The liquid crystal 116 preferably shows a cholesteric phase at room temperature. In particular, a chiral nematic liquid crystal obtained by adding a chiral dopant to a nematic liquid crystal is preferable.

The chiral dopant is an additive having a function of twisting the molecules of the nematic liquid crystal when added to the nematic liquid crystal. By adding a chiral dopant to a nematic liquid crystal, a helical structure of liquid crystal molecules having a predetermined twist interval is generated, thereby exhibiting a cholesteric phase.

The chiral nematic liquid crystal has the advantage that the pitch of the helical structure can be changed by changing the addition amount of the chiral dopant, whereby the selective reflection wavelength of the liquid crystal can be controlled. In addition,
In general, as a term indicating the pitch of the helical structure of liquid crystal molecules, "helical pitch" defined by the distance between the liquid crystal molecules when rotated 360 degrees along the helical structure of the liquid crystal molecules is used.

As a material used for the columnar structure 115, for example, a thermoplastic resin can be used. For this purpose, a material which is softened by heating and solidified by cooling, is desired not to cause a chemical reaction with a liquid crystal material to be used and to have appropriate elasticity.

As specific examples, for example, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyvinylidene chloride resin, polymethacrylate resin, polyacrylate resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, polystyrene resin, polyamide resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, fluorine resin Resins, polyurethane resins, polyacrylonitrile resins, polyvinyl ether resins, polyvinyl ketone resins, polyvinyl pyrrolidone resins, polycarbonate resins, chlorinated polyether resins, saturated polyester resins, and the like.

The columnar structure 115 may be formed from a material containing at least one of these or a mixture of at least one of them, or a material containing at least one or a mixture thereof.

The above substance is printed by a known printing method as shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, printing is performed using a pattern so as to form a dot columnar shape. Depending on the size of the liquid crystal display element and the pixel resolution, the size of the cross-sectional shape, the arrangement pitch, and the shape (such as a cylinder, a drum, and a polygon) are appropriately selected. It is more preferable that the columnar structure 115 is preferentially arranged between the electrodes 113 because the aperture ratio is improved.

As the spacer 117, particles made of a hard material which does not deform by heating or pressing are preferable. For example, finely divided glass fibers, inorganic materials such as ball-shaped silicate glass and alumina powder, or organic synthetic spherical particles such as divinylbenzene-based crosslinked polymers and polystyrene-based crosslinked polymers can be used.

As described above, the hard spacer 117 for keeping the gap between the two substrates 112 at a predetermined size, and the pair of substrates 112 adhered and supported in the display area based on the predetermined arrangement rule. By providing a resin structure 115 mainly composed of a thermoplastic polymer material,
2, the two substrates 112 are firmly supported, there is no unevenness in arrangement, and generation of bubbles can be suppressed in a low-temperature environment.

(Example of Manufacturing Liquid Crystal Display Element) Here, an example of manufacturing the liquid crystal display element 100 will be briefly described.

First, a plurality of strip-shaped transparent electrodes are formed on two transparent substrates, respectively. The transparent electrode is an IT
After an O film is formed by a sputtering method or the like, patterning is performed by a photolithography method.

Next, a transparent insulating film or alignment control film is formed on the transparent electrode forming surface of each substrate. The insulating film and the orientation control film can each be formed by a known method such as a sputtering method, a spin coating method, or a roll coating method using an inorganic material such as silicon oxide or an organic material such as a polyimide resin.

Incidentally, the alignment control film is not usually subjected to a rubbing treatment. Although the function of the alignment control film is not yet clear, it is thought that the presence of the alignment control film can have a certain degree of anchoring effect on the liquid crystal molecules.
It is possible to prevent the characteristics of the liquid crystal display element from changing over time. In addition, a function as a color filter may be provided to these thin films by adding a dye or the like, so that color purity and contrast may be improved.

Thus, a resin structure is formed on the electrode forming surface of one of the substrates provided with the transparent electrode, the insulating film, and the alignment control film. The resin structure is a printing method in which a paste-like resin material obtained by dissolving a resin in a solvent is extruded with a squeegee through a screen stencil or a metal mask and printed on a substrate mounted on a flat plate, a dispenser method, an ink jet method, For example, it can be formed by a method in which a resin material is discharged onto a substrate from the tip of a nozzle, or a transfer method in which a resin material is supplied onto a flat plate or a roller and then transferred to the substrate surface. . It is desirable that the height at the time of forming the resin structure is larger than the desired thickness of the liquid crystal display layer.

On the electrode forming surface of the other substrate, a sealing material is provided using an ultraviolet curable resin, a thermosetting resin, or the like. The sealant is arranged in a continuous ring at the outer edge of the substrate. The arrangement of the sealing material, like the resin structure described above, a method of forming a resin by discharging a resin from the tip of a nozzle onto a substrate, such as a dispenser method or an inkjet method, a screen plate, a printing method using a metal mask, or the like, After the resin is formed on a flat plate or a roller, the resin may be transferred onto a transparent substrate by a transfer method or the like. Next, on at least one substrate surface,
The spacers are sprayed by a conventionally known method.

Then, the pair of substrates are superposed on each other so that the electrode forming surfaces face each other, and heated while being pressed from both sides of the pair of substrates. Pressing and heating are performed, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, by placing the substrate 112 a on which the resin structure 115 is formed on the flat plate 150 and stacking the opposing substrate 112 b,
The heating can be performed by passing between the roller 151 and the flat plate 150 while applying heat and pressure by the heating / pressing roller 151 from the end. By using such a method, a cell can be manufactured with high accuracy even using a flexible substrate having flexibility such as a film substrate. When the resin structure is formed from a thermoplastic polymer material, the resin structure is softened by heating and solidified by cooling, so that the two substrates can be bonded by the resin structure. When a thermosetting resin material is used as the sealing material, the sealing material may be cured by heating when the substrates are superposed.

In this overlapping step, a liquid crystal material is dropped on one of the substrates, and the liquid crystal material is injected into the liquid crystal element simultaneously with the overlapping of the substrates. In this case, the spacer may be included in the liquid crystal material in advance, and the spacer may be dropped on at least one of the substrates on which the strip electrode is formed.

The liquid crystal material can be filled in the entire area of the substrate by dropping the liquid crystal material on the edge of the substrate and spreading the liquid crystal material to the other end while overlapping the substrates with a roller. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the entrapment of bubbles generated when the substrates are overlapped with each other in the liquid crystal material.

Thereafter, the substrate is continuously pressed until the temperature of the substrate falls to at least the softening temperature of the resin material constituting the resin structure, and then the pressing is stopped. Further, a photo-curable resin material is used as a sealing material. If so, light irradiation is performed thereafter to cure the sealing material.

In the same procedure, the liquid crystal material is changed to a material having a different selective reflection wavelength, and cells for blue display, green display, and red display are manufactured. The cells thus manufactured are stacked in three layers, these are attached with an adhesive, and a light absorbing layer is further provided as a lowermost layer to obtain a full-color liquid crystal display device.

(Driving Circuit and Driving Method of Display Element) As shown in FIG. 18, the pixel configuration of the liquid crystal display element 100 includes a plurality of scanning electrodes R1, R2 to Rm and signal electrodes C respectively.
1, C2 to Cn (n and m are natural numbers). The scanning electrodes R1, R2 to Rm are connected to the scanning drive IC 13
1, and the signal electrodes C1, C2 to Cn are connected to the output terminals of the signal drive IC 132.

The scan driving IC 131 includes scan electrodes R1, R
A selection signal is output to a predetermined one of 2 to Rm to be in a selected state, while a non-selection signal is output to other electrodes to be in a non-selected state. The scan driving IC 131 sequentially switches the scan electrodes R1, R2 to R2 while switching the electrodes at predetermined time intervals.
A selection signal is applied to Rm. On the other hand, the signal drive IC 1
32 simultaneously outputs signals corresponding to the image data to the signal electrodes C1, C2 to Cn in order to rewrite each pixel on the selected scanning electrodes R1, R2 to Rm. For example,
When the scanning electrode Ra is selected (a is a natural number satisfying a ≦ m), the scanning electrode Ra and each of the signal electrodes C1, C2 to Cn
, The pixels LRa-C1 to LRa-Cn at the intersection with are rewritten simultaneously. Thereby, the voltage difference between the scanning electrode and the signal electrode in each pixel becomes the rewriting voltage of the pixel,
Each pixel is rewritten according to the rewriting voltage.

Scanning drive IC 131 and signal drive IC 13
2 is connected to the control circuit 136 to form a driver 37. A control signal is transmitted from the CPU 31 to the control circuit 136, and the signal drive IC 132 and the scan drive IC 132 are driven based on the rasterized image data sent from the general-purpose memory 34 as described above, and the image is displayed on the liquid crystal display element 100. Write.

Here, assuming that the first threshold voltage for untwisting the liquid crystal exhibiting the cholesteric phase is Vth1, after applying the voltage Vth1 for a sufficient time, the second threshold voltage which is lower than the first threshold voltage Vth1 is reduced. When the voltage is lowered to the threshold voltage Vth2 or less, a planar state is set. Further, when a voltage of Vth2 or more and Vth1 or less is applied for a sufficient time, a focal conic state is established. These two states are stably maintained even after the voltage application is stopped. Also, Vth1 to Vth
By applying a voltage between the two, halftone display, that is, gradation display is possible.

Rewriting of each pixel can be performed by the method described above. However, when an image is already displayed, all the pixels are reset to the same display state before rewriting in order to eliminate the influence of the image. Is preferred. The reset may be performed for all pixels at once or for each scan electrode. For example, it has been found that when resetting each pixel to the focal conic state, a relatively long time is required to obtain a sufficient transparent state. Therefore, it is preferable to collectively reset all the pixels to the focal conic state before rewriting because the rewriting time can be shortened as compared with the case where resetting is performed for each scanning electrode.

(Other Liquid Crystal Display Elements) In the liquid crystal display element 100, the element configuration in which the resin columnar structure is included in the liquid crystal display layer has been described. With such a configuration, it is possible to manufacture a light-weight liquid crystal display element having excellent display characteristics using a film substrate, and at the same time, it is easy to increase the size, the driving voltage is relatively small, and various excellent properties such as impact resistance are obtained. It has features and is particularly useful. However, the memory-like liquid crystal itself is not necessarily limited to this configuration, and the liquid crystal is dispersed in a conventionally known polymer three-dimensional network structure, or the polymer three-dimensional network structure is present in the liquid crystal. The liquid crystal display layer can be formed as a so-called polymer dispersed liquid crystal composite film. Further, as the liquid crystal having a memory property, a bistable liquid crystal exhibiting a cholesteric phase has been described as an example.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an information display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an information display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an information display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the information display device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a display example 1 on a sub-display.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the display example 1.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a display example 2 on a sub-display.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the display example 2;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a modification of the circuit shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage example of displaying a schedule on a sub-display.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a usage example of displaying interrupt information on a sub-display.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example on a sub-display.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example in which a sub-display is used as a rewritable display panel.

FIG. 14 shows various control methods of the sub-display.
The flowchart figure which shows an example.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a liquid crystal display element used as a sub-display.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a state in which a columnar structure and a sealing material are formed on a film substrate of the liquid crystal display element.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory view showing a manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display element.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a matrix drive circuit of the liquid crystal display element.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 20 information display device 11 personal computer body 12, 22 main (non-memory) display 13, 23 ... sub (memory) display 100 liquid crystal display element

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G09G 5/00 510 G09G 5/00 510V 5C094 (72) Inventor Katsuhiko Asai 2 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka No.3-13 Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H093 NA11 NC21 NC28 NC50 ND39 ND54 NF17 NH06 5B069 AA01 AA17 BA01 BA04 BB13 BC02 KA02 5C006 AA16 AA22 AF67 AF69 BA11 BB11 BF02 ABF05 A080 FA06 AA10 BB05 CC03 DD26 DD27 EE01 EE17 GG12 JJ01 JJ02 JJ06 JJ07 5C082 AA01 AA24 BA02 BA12 BA27 BB15 CA02 CA18 CA63 CA76 CB10 DA53 MM03 MM07 5C094 AA14 AA22 AA44 AA48 AA54 BA09 BA09 BA09 BA09 BA09

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. An information display device comprising a plurality of displays, wherein at least one of the displays is configured using a rewritable display element having a memory property. 2. A display device comprising: receiving means for receiving data from an information terminal device connected to a main display; and a sub-display including a rewritable display element having a memory function, wherein the sub-display is larger than the main display. An information display device characterized by having an image screen. 3. An information display device comprising: a display including a rewritable display element having a memory property; and a memory for storing at least information on a display position of an image displayed on the display. 4. The information display device according to claim 1, wherein the rewritable display element having a memory property is a liquid crystal display element using a chiral nematic liquid crystal. 5. An information terminal device comprising a plurality of displays, wherein at least one of the displays is configured using a rewritable display element having a memory property. 6. The information terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the rewritable display element having a memory property is a liquid crystal display element using a chiral nematic liquid crystal. 7. The information terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the information terminal device does not have a video memory for storing information always corresponding to display contents of a display including the display element having the memory function. 8. An information terminal device, including a plurality of displays connected to the information terminal device, at least one of the displays being configured using a rewritable display element having a memory property. An information terminal system characterized by the following. 9. The information terminal system according to claim 8, wherein the rewritable display element having a memory property is a liquid crystal display element using a chiral nematic liquid crystal. 10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a video memory for storing information always corresponding to display contents of a display including the display element having the memory function is not provided.
Information terminal system as described. 11. The information displayed on a main display is transferred to a sub-display including a rewritable display element having a memory function to continue display and perform processing using the main display. Information processing method. 12. A sub-display including a rewritable display element having a memory function, when all or a part of information displayed on a main display is updated and the display is no longer performed. And processing is performed using the main display while the display is continued. 13. The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein a liquid crystal display element composed of a chiral nematic liquid crystal is used as the rewritable display element having a memory property.