JP2007071939A - Liquid crystal display device and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To uniform a display of a liquid crystal display device by irradiating a liquid crystal layer uniformly in-plane with light emitted from an illuminator. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid crystal display device has the illuminator 3 having a light emitting surface 14b to supply light to the liquid crystal layer 12 and a plurality of micro lenses 15 arranged between the liquid crystal layer 12 and the illuminator 3 and condensing light. The illuminator 3 has a plurality of light emitting regions with mutually different luminance on the light emitting surface 14b, and individual condensing characteristics of the plurality of micro lenses 15 are mutually different corresponding to luminance on the respective light emitting regions of the illuminator 3. Light beams with mutually different luminance emitted from the plurality of light emitting regions in the illuminator 3 are turned into light with uniform luminance in a plane with the plurality of micro lenses 15 with mutually different condensing characteristics. Thereby, as the light with uniform luminance is supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12, the display of the liquid crystal display device is uniformized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device that controls light using liquid crystal. The present invention also relates to an electronic device configured using the liquid crystal display device.

  Currently, in various electronic devices such as a mobile phone and a portable information terminal, for example, a liquid crystal display device is used as a display unit for visually displaying various information related to the electronic device. As such a liquid crystal display device, for example, a configuration having a pair of substrates each having an electrode, a liquid crystal layer provided between the substrates, and an illumination device for supplying light to the liquid crystal layer is there. In such a liquid crystal display device, for example, light is supplied to the liquid crystal layer by an illuminating device, and the voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer is controlled for each sub-pixel which is the minimum unit of display, whereby the alignment of liquid crystal molecules is sub- Control for each pixel. In such a liquid crystal display device, an effective display area is formed by arranging a plurality of sub-pixels in a matrix on a plane, and images such as characters, numbers, figures, etc. are displayed in the effective display area.

  In the liquid crystal display device having the above-described configuration, a structure in which a microlens is provided at a position corresponding to a planar surface of a subpixel has been conventionally known (for example, see Patent Document 1). The microlens is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of sub-pixels.

JP 2001-235738 A (4th page, FIG. 1)

  By the way, in the liquid crystal display device disclosed in Patent Document 1, all the microlenses arranged for each sub-pixel are formed in the same shape within the effective display area. Therefore, in this liquid crystal display device, the microlenses have the same light collecting characteristics over the entire display area. On the other hand, regarding the illuminating device, a difference may occur in the luminance of light emitted by the region, that is, a luminance distribution may occur on the light emitting surface of the illuminating device. As described above, light having different luminance is collected by a plurality of microlenses having uniform light collection characteristics and supplied in a planar shape to the liquid crystal layer in the liquid crystal display device. In some cases, the brightness may vary depending on the region. As a result, in the conventional liquid crystal display device, there is a possibility that the luminance of the display displayed in the effective display area may be uneven.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to make the display of a liquid crystal display device and an electronic apparatus uniform by uniformly irradiating a liquid crystal layer with light from an illumination unit. .

  The liquid crystal display device according to the present invention includes a liquid crystal layer, an illumination unit having a light emitting surface for supplying light to the liquid crystal layer, and a plurality of light units arranged between the liquid crystal layer and the illumination unit to collect light. The illumination means has a plurality of light exit areas with different brightness on the light exit surface, and the individual light collection characteristics of the plurality of microlenses are the light exit areas of the illumination means. It is characterized by being different corresponding to the brightness at.

  In the above liquid crystal display device, the individual condensing characteristics of the microlens are made different according to the luminance in each light emission region of the illumination means. For example, in the light emitting area of the illuminating means, in the area where the luminance is low, by setting the condensing efficiency of the microlens to be high, the light emitted from the illuminating means is reflected in the area of the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the light emitting area. Compared with this, light with higher luminance can be supplied. On the other hand, in the region where the luminance is high in the light emission region of the illumination means, the light collection efficiency of the microlens is increased in the region of the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the light emission region by setting the light collection efficiency of the microlens low. Light having a lower luminance than that of the set area can be supplied. In this way, light having different luminances emitted from a plurality of light emitting regions in the illumination unit can be made uniform in a plane by a plurality of microlenses having different condensing characteristics. Thereby, planar light with uniform luminance can be supplied to the liquid crystal layer, so that the display of the liquid crystal display device can be made uniform.

  Next, in the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the illuminating unit includes a light source and a light guide that converts light emitted from the light source into light emitted in a planar shape, and the light guide It is desirable to supply light emitted from the light exit surface to the liquid crystal layer. Here, as the light source, for example, a point light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or a linear light source such as a cold cathode tube can be used. When light emitted from these light sources is converted into planar light in the light guide, for example, the brightness of the planar light is increased due to the range in which the light source can emit light or the shape of the light guide. It is possible that unevenness occurs. In the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, even if unevenness occurs in the brightness of the planar light emitted from the light guide, the brightness of the planar light can be made uniform by a plurality of microlenses having different light collecting characteristics. Therefore, planar light with uniform luminance can be supplied to the liquid crystal layer.

  Next, in the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the light emission region near the light source in the light guide is a high luminance region, and the light emission region far from the light source in the light guide is a low luminance region. In addition, it is preferable that the microlens corresponding to the high luminance region has a low light collection efficiency, and the microlens corresponding to the low luminance region has a high light collection efficiency. In this way, by increasing the light collection efficiency of the microlens corresponding to the low luminance region, light having higher luminance than the light emitted from the illumination means is supplied to the liquid crystal layer region corresponding to the low luminance region. can do. On the other hand, by reducing the light condensing efficiency of the microlens corresponding to the high luminance region, the light of the lower luminance than the region where the condensing efficiency of the microlens is increased in the region of the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the high luminance region. Can be supplied. In this way, light having different luminances emitted from a plurality of light emission regions in the light guide of the illuminating means can be converted into light having uniform luminance in a plane by a plurality of microlenses having different condensing characteristics. it can. Thereby, planar light with uniform luminance can be supplied to the liquid crystal layer, so that the display of the liquid crystal display device can be made uniform.

  Next, in the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the light source is preferably a point light source. A point light source is a light source that can emit light at a predetermined angle. Usually, a plurality of such point light sources are provided for one light guide so that light from the point light source can be emitted to the entire area of the light guide. However, if there is a difference in the brightness of individual point light sources or the position of the point light source with respect to the light guide is shifted, unevenness is likely to occur in the brightness of the planar light emitted from the light guide. There is a fear. Thus, if the present invention is applied to a liquid crystal display device using a point light source, a plurality of microlenses having different condensing characteristics even if unevenness occurs in the brightness of the planar light emitted from the light guide Accordingly, the luminance of the planar light can be made uniform, so that the planar light with uniform luminance can be supplied to the liquid crystal layer.

  Next, in the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, a plurality of sub-pixels, which are the minimum unit of display, are provided side by side in the plane on which the liquid crystal layer is provided, and each of the plurality of microlenses is arranged on the sub-pixel. It is desirable to be provided at a corresponding position. In this way, the light condensing characteristic can be changed for each sub-pixel, and therefore the change in the luminance of the light supplied to the liquid crystal layer can be finely adjusted. Thereby, the brightness | luminance of the light supplied to a liquid-crystal layer can be made uniform more reliably.

  Next, in the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the plurality of microlenses can change the condensing characteristics of the light emitted from the illumination unit by changing the thickness and / or width of the microlenses. desirable. The thickness of the microlens here is the thickness in the traveling direction of light passing through the microlens. The width of the microlens is a width in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of light passing through the microlens. By changing the thickness and / or width of these microlenses, the curvature of the surface of the microlens can be changed. In this way, the condensing characteristic of the microlens can be set to a desired characteristic.

  Next, in the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the plurality of microlenses can be convex lenses having a shape in which the central portion is thick and becomes thinner toward the periphery. The convex lens can be provided with a convex portion facing the illumination means. The plurality of microlenses may be concave lenses having a shape in which the central portion is thin and becomes thicker toward the periphery. The concave lens can be provided with the concave portion facing the illumination means. Regardless of whether the microlens is a convex lens or a concave lens, the light emitted from the illumination means can be collected and supplied to the liquid crystal layer.

  Next, in the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, it is desirable that the plurality of microlenses have an asymmetric shape in cross section. It is conceivable that light emitted from the illumination means is incident on the microlens from multiple directions. For example, there may be a case where light having a strong luminance is incident from a light emission region away from a certain microlens. In such a case, by making the cross section of the microlens asymmetrical left and right, for example, if the light collection efficiency in the direction in which light with strong luminance is incident is increased, the light can be used efficiently.

  Next, in the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the sub-pixel is not provided with a reflective display region for performing reflective display using reflected light, and is transmissive for performing display using light from the illumination unit. Preferably, a display area is provided, and the plurality of microlenses condense light from the illuminating means in the transmissive display area. The liquid crystal display device having this configuration is a so-called transmissive liquid crystal display device. In this transmissive liquid crystal display device, some external light may be reflected by illumination means and used for display as so-called recycled light, but display is mainly performed using light from the illumination means. It is. Therefore, if the brightness of the light emitted from the illumination means is made uniform using the microlens, the brightness of the display performed by the liquid crystal display device can be made more surely uniform.

  Next, in the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, a transmissive display region that performs transmissive display using light from the illumination unit and a reflective display that performs reflective display using reflected light are provided in the sub-pixels. It is preferable that the plurality of microlenses condense light from the illumination unit on the transmissive display region. The liquid crystal display device having this configuration is a so-called transflective liquid crystal display device. Also in this transflective liquid crystal display device, the brightness of the display performed by the liquid crystal display device can be made more uniform by making the brightness of the light emitted from the illumination means uniform by using a microlens.

  In addition, this transflective liquid crystal display device displays both a reflective display that displays by reflecting external light and the like, and a transmissive display that transmits and displays the light emitted from the illumination means. It can be carried out. However, in this case, since the reflective display region and the transmissive display region are provided in the sub-pixel, it is conceivable that the transmissive display region is narrower than that of the transmissive liquid crystal display device. In a transflective liquid crystal display device, a retardation plate such as a so-called quarter-wave plate may be used. In this case, the phase changes before and after the external light is reflected by the illumination means through the retardation plate and after it is reflected by the illumination means and passes through the retardation plate, so that the reflected external light passes through the polarizing plate. become unable. For this reason, it is difficult to reflect external light and use it as recycled light for display as compared with a transmissive display device.

  As described above, the transflective liquid crystal display device has a narrow transmissive display area, and it is difficult to recycle the light reflected from the surface of the illumination means. In this case, the display brightness may not be sufficiently obtained. In the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, since the light emitted from the illumination means can be efficiently condensed on the transmissive display region by the microlens, if the present invention is applied to the transflective liquid crystal display device, the transflective type In a transmissive display in a liquid crystal display device, display with sufficient luminance can be performed.

  Next, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the liquid crystal display device having the above-described configuration. The liquid crystal display device according to the present invention irradiates the liquid crystal layer with planar light with uniform luminance by varying the individual condensing characteristics of the microlens in response to changes in the luminance of the light emitting area of the illumination means. Therefore, the display brightness of the liquid crystal display device can be made uniform. Therefore, even in an electronic apparatus using the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the display luminance can be made uniform.

(First embodiment of liquid crystal display device)
Hereinafter, a liquid crystal device according to the present invention will be described with reference to an embodiment thereof. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In the following description, various structures will be exemplified using drawings, but the structures shown in these drawings may be shown with different dimensions from the actual structures in order to show the characteristic parts in an easy-to-understand manner. There is. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to an active matrix type liquid crystal device using a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) element which is a three-terminal switching element as a switching element.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a liquid crystal device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view according to the Z1-Z1 line of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of one pixel portion in the liquid crystal display device of FIG. FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional structure on the long side of the sub-pixel according to the Z2-Z2 line of FIG. 3, that is, a portion indicated by an arrow B in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, a liquid crystal display device 1 includes a liquid crystal panel 2 and an illumination device 3 as illumination means attached to the liquid crystal panel 2. An FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) substrate 4 is connected to the liquid crystal panel 2. Regarding the liquid crystal display device 1, the side on which the arrow A is drawn is the observation side, and the illumination device 3 is disposed on the opposite side to the observation side with respect to the liquid crystal panel 2 and functions as a backlight.

  The liquid crystal panel 2 includes a pair of substrates 7 and 8 that are bonded to each other by a rectangular or square and annular sealing material 6. The substrate 7 is an element substrate on which switching elements are formed. The substrate 8 is a color filter substrate on which a color filter is formed. As shown in FIG. 2, the sealing material 6 forms a gap, that is, a so-called cell gap G between the element substrate 7 and the color filter substrate 8. As shown in FIG. 1, a part of the sealing material 6 has a liquid crystal injection port 6a, and liquid crystal as an electro-optical material is injected between the element substrate 7 and the color filter substrate 8 through the liquid crystal injection port 6a. Is done. The injected liquid crystal forms a liquid crystal layer 12 within the cell gap G as shown in FIG. The liquid crystal injection port 6a in FIG. 1 is sealed with resin after the liquid crystal injection is completed. As a method for injecting liquid crystal, a method of supplying liquid crystal droplets into a region surrounded by a continuous annular sealing material 6 having no liquid crystal injection port can be adopted in addition to the method of performing through the liquid crystal injection port 6a as described above.

  In FIG. 2, the distance between the cell gaps G, and thus the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 12 is maintained constant by a plurality of spacers (not shown) provided in the cell gap G. The spacer can be formed by placing a plurality of spherical resin members randomly (that is, disorderly) on the surface of the element substrate 7 or the color filter substrate 8. The spacer can also be formed in a columnar shape at a predetermined position by photolithography.

  In FIG. 1, the illumination device 3 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 13 as a light source and a light guide 14. As the light source, in addition to a point light source such as an LED, a linear light source such as a cold cathode tube can be used. The light guide 14 is formed by, for example, a molding process using a light-transmitting resin as a material, the side facing the LED 13 is the light incident surface 14a, and the surface facing the liquid crystal panel 2 is the light emitting surface 14b. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of prisms 17 having a substantially wedge-shaped cross section are provided on the entire surface of the light emitting surface 14b. For example, the prism 17 can be formed simultaneously on the light emitting surface 14b when the light guide 14 is formed. The prism 17 can also be provided by sticking an optical sheet having a prism on the surface (so-called prism sheet) on the light emitting surface 14b. The prism 17 provided on the light emitting surface 14b acts to direct the light emitted from the light guide 14 in a predetermined direction, in this embodiment, the direction of the surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 facing the light emitting surface 14b. Note that an optical sheet (not shown) such as a light diffusion sheet can be provided on the light emitting surface 14b as necessary. Further, a light reflection layer 16 is provided on the back surface of the light guide body 14 as viewed from the observation side indicated by the arrow A, as necessary.

  The element substrate 7 includes a first light-transmitting substrate 7a in FIG. The first translucent substrate 7a is formed of, for example, translucent glass or translucent plastic. A polarizing plate 18a and a phase difference plate 19a are attached to the outer surface of the first light transmitting substrate 7a, for example, by sticking. If necessary, optical elements other than the polarizing plate 18a and the phase difference plate 19a can be additionally provided. A translucent substrate 11 is provided outside the polarizing plate 18 a, and a plurality of microlenses 15 are provided on the outer surface of the substrate 11. The micro lens 15 will be described in detail later.

  On the other hand, on the inner surface of the first translucent substrate 7a, as shown in FIG. 4 which is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by the arrow B, the source electrode lines 20 as signal lines are arranged in the column direction Y (that is, in the left-right direction). ). Similarly, gate electrode lines 21 as signal lines extend in the row direction X (that is, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface). A TFT (Thin Film Transistor) element 31, which is an active element that functions as a switching element, is connected to the source electrode line 20 and the gate electrode line 21.

  An interlayer insulating film 22 as an insulating film is formed on the TFD element 31, the source electrode line 20 and the gate electrode line 21, and a light reflecting film 23 is formed thereon. A pixel electrode is formed thereon. 24 is formed, and an alignment film 26a is formed thereon. This alignment film 26a is subjected to an alignment process, for example, a rubbing process, and thereby the initial alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the vicinity of the element substrate 7 is determined.

  The interlayer insulating film 22 is formed, for example, by patterning a resin having translucency, photosensitivity, and insulation, such as an acrylic resin or a polyimide resin, by a photolithography process. The light reflecting film 23 is formed by patterning a light reflecting material such as Al (aluminum) or an Al alloy by a photoetching process. The pixel electrode 24 is formed by patterning a metal oxide such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) with a photo-etching process. The alignment film 26a is formed, for example, by applying polyimide or the like.

  A plurality of light reflecting films 23 and pixel electrodes 24 are formed in a dot matrix as viewed from the direction of arrow A on the element substrate 7 of FIG. The light reflection film 23 and the pixel electrode 24 are provided at positions where the source electrode lines 20 and the gate electrode lines 21 intersect with each other, and are connected to individual TFT elements 31.

  In FIG. 4, a contact hole 25 for electrically connecting the light reflecting film 23 and the TFT element 31 is formed in the interlayer insulating film 22. The contact hole 25 is a hole that penetrates the interlayer insulating film 22 in the thickness direction, and is a position that does not overlap the element body portion of the TFT element 31 in plan view, that is, in plan view, and overlaps the light reflection film 23. Formed in position.

  The TFT element 31 used in this embodiment is an amorphous silicon TFT. The TFT element 31 includes a gate electrode 32, a gate insulating layer 33, a semiconductor layer 34 formed of a-Si (amorphous silicon), a source electrode 35, A drain electrode 36 is provided. The drain electrode 36 has one end connected to the semiconductor layer 34 and the other end connected to the light reflecting film 23 and the pixel electrode 24 through the contact hole 25. The source electrode 35 is formed as a part of the source electrode line 20 extending in the left-right direction (column direction Y) in FIG. The source electrode line 20 functions as a data line for supplying a data signal to the pixel electrode 24. The gate electrode 32 extends from the gate electrode line 21 extending in the direction perpendicular to the source electrode line 20, that is, the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 4 (row direction X). The gate electrode line 21 functions as a scanning line for supplying a scanning signal to the pixel electrode 24.

  In this embodiment, by providing the interlayer insulating film 22 under the pixel electrode 24, the layer of the pixel electrode 24 and the layer of the TFT element 31 are separated into different layers. This structure makes it possible to effectively use the surface of the element substrate 7 as compared with the structure in which the pixel electrode 24 and the TFT element 31 are formed in the same layer. For example, the area of the pixel electrode 24, that is, the pixel area can be increased, so that clear display can be performed in the liquid crystal display device 1.

  In FIG. 2, the color filter substrate 8 facing the element substrate 7 includes a second light-transmitting substrate 8 a that is rectangular or square when viewed from the observation side indicated by the arrow A. The second translucent substrate 8a is made of, for example, translucent glass, translucent plastic, or the like. A polarizing plate 18b and a retardation film 19b are attached to the outer surface of the second light transmitting substrate 8a by, for example, sticking. If necessary, optical elements other than the polarizing plate 18b and the retardation film 19 can be additionally provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a colored film 41 is formed on the inner surface of the second translucent substrate 8 a, a light shielding film 42 is formed around the colored film 41, and an overcoat is formed on the colored film 41 and the light shielding film 42. A layer 43 is formed, a common electrode 44 is formed thereon, and an alignment film 26b is formed thereon. The alignment film 26b is formed, for example, by applying polyimide or the like.

  Regarding each of the colored films 41, a region Q in which the colored film 41 is not provided is provided in a part of a region overlapping the light reflecting film 23 provided on the element substrate 7 in a plane. As shown in FIG. 3, the region Q is formed in a circular shape when seen in a plan view. The region Q can be formed in any shape other than a circular shape, for example, an elliptical shape, an oval shape, a rectangular shape, or the like as necessary. In the region Q where the colored film 41 is not provided, light wavelength selection is not performed, and incident light passes through the region Q without being attenuated in intensity. For this reason, in this embodiment, a bright image can be displayed at the time of reflective display using light reflected by the light reflecting film 23 of FIG.

  The colored film 41 is formed in a rectangular or square dot shape when viewed from the arrow A direction. A plurality of the colored films 41 are arranged in a matrix in the vertical direction (row direction X) and the left-right direction (column direction Y) in FIG. 4 when viewed from the arrow A direction. The light shielding film 42 is formed in a lattice shape surrounding the colored films 41. Each of the colored films 41 is set to an optical characteristic that allows one of B (blue), G (green), and R (red) to pass through. The colored films 41 of B, G, and R are viewed from the direction of the arrow A. They are arranged in a predetermined arrangement, for example, a stripe arrangement. The stripe arrangement is an arrangement in which the same colors B, G, and R are arranged in the column direction Y, and B, G, and R are arranged alternately in the row direction X.

  The arrangement of the colored film 41 can be any arrangement other than the stripe arrangement, for example, a mosaic arrangement, a delta arrangement, or the like. Further, the optical characteristics of the colored film 41 are not limited to the three primary colors B, G, and R, but may be a characteristic that allows the three primary colors C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) to pass. In the present embodiment, the light shielding film 42 is formed by overlapping any two of the three primary colors B, G, and R. However, the light shielding film 42 can be formed by overlapping three colors of B, G, and R, or can be formed by patterning a predetermined material by photolithography. As the predetermined material in this case, for example, a light-shielding material such as Cr (chromium) can be considered. Note that in this specification, a light shielding film formed by overlapping colored films of a plurality of colors may be referred to as an overlapping light shielding film.

  The overcoat layer 43 formed on the colored film 41 and the light shielding film 42 planarizes the surfaces of the colored film 41 and the light shielding film 42, and the common electrode 44 is formed of the overcoat layer 43 thus planarized. Formed on top. The common electrode 44 is formed by patterning a metal oxide such as ITO, for example, by a photoetching process. The alignment film 26b formed on the common electrode 44 is subjected to an alignment process, for example, a rubbing process, whereby the initial alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the vicinity of the color filter substrate 8 is determined.

  In FIG. 1, the common electrode 44 is provided on the entire surface of the color filter substrate 8. On the other hand, the plurality of pixel electrodes 24 provided on the element substrate 7 are arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y as seen in a plan view from the arrow A direction. These pixel electrodes 24 and the common electrode 44 provided on the color filter substrate 8 overlap with each other in a plurality of dot-like regions when viewed in plan from the arrow A direction. Thus, the overlapping region forms a sub-pixel D which is the minimum unit for display. Then, the plurality of sub-pixels D are arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y, thereby forming a rectangular or square effective display region V as viewed from the direction of the arrow A, and in this effective display region V Images such as letters, numbers and figures are displayed.

  In the case of performing color display using the colored film 41 composed of the three colors B, G, and R as in the present embodiment, 3 corresponding to the three colored films 41 corresponding to the three colors B, G, and R. One subpixel D forms one pixel. On the other hand, when performing monochromatic display in black and white or any two colors, one pixel is formed by one sub-pixel D. As shown in FIG. 3, which is a plan view showing one pixel portion, the sub-pixel D is formed in a rectangular shape.

  In FIG. 4, the light reflecting film 23 is formed by, for example, photoetching processing. The light reflecting film 23 is provided in a partial region R of the sub-pixel D, and is not provided in the remaining region T. In the present embodiment, the region T is a partial rectangular region in the sub-pixel D as shown in FIG. The region R is a region other than the region T in the sub-pixel D and is a region around the region T.

  In each of the sub-pixels D, a region where the light reflecting film 23 exists is a reflective display region R, and a region T where the light reflecting film 23 does not exist is a transmissive display region. In FIG. 4, the external light L0 incident from the observation side indicated by the arrow A is reflected by the reflective display region R. On the other hand, the light L1 in FIG. 4 emitted from the light guide 14 of the illumination device 3 in FIG.

  Convex portions or concave portions are formed on portions of the surface of the interlayer insulating film 22 corresponding to the reflective display regions R in the individual sub-pixels D to form an uneven pattern. This concavo-convex pattern is a random (that is, disordered) pattern as viewed from the direction of arrow A. The light reflecting film 23 is formed on the interlayer insulating film 22 on which such a concavo-convex pattern is formed, and itself has the same concavo-convex pattern. By forming the uneven pattern on the light reflecting film 23 in this way, the light L0 reflected by the light reflecting film 23 can be not a specular reflection but a light having scattered light or directivity.

  The interlayer insulating film 22 functions as a layer thickness adjusting film for adjusting the layer thickness of the liquid crystal layer 12 between the reflective display region R and the transmissive display region T. Specifically, in FIG. 4, an interlayer insulating film 22 having a predetermined layer thickness is provided in the reflective display region R where the light reflecting film 23 is provided. Thereby, the layer thickness t0 of the liquid crystal layer 12 corresponding to the reflective display region R is set thin. On the other hand, the interlayer insulating film 22 is not provided in the transmissive display region T where the light reflecting film 23 is not provided. Thereby, the layer thickness t1 of the liquid crystal layer 12 corresponding to the transmissive display region T is set to be thicker than t0, that is, t1> t0.

  When the reflective display is performed, the reflected light L0 passes through the liquid crystal layer 12 twice. On the other hand, when transmissive display is performed, the transmitted light L1 passes through the liquid crystal layer 12 only once. Therefore, when the liquid crystal layer 12 is set to t1 = t0, there is a possibility that the display density is not uniform between the reflective display and the transmissive display. On the other hand, if t1> t0 is set as in the present embodiment, the length of the optical path passing through the liquid crystal layer 12 between the reflected light L0 and the transmitted light L1 can be made equal or close. Display with uniform darkness can be performed between the reflective display and the transmissive display.

  Next, in FIG. 2, the first translucent substrate 7 a constituting the element substrate 7 has an overhanging portion 46 that projects to the outside of the color filter substrate 8. A wiring 47 is formed on the surface of the overhanging portion 46 by a photo etching process or the like. A plurality of wires 47 are formed as viewed from the direction of arrow A, and the plurality of wires 47 are arranged in parallel to each other at equal intervals in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. Further, a plurality of external connection terminals 48 are formed at the side edges of the overhanging portion 46 so as to be arranged in parallel at equal intervals in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. These external connection terminals 48 are conductively connected to a plurality of wirings (not shown) formed on the FPC board 4 shown in FIG.

  The plurality of wirings 47 shown in FIG. 2 are formed so as to extend in the column direction Y toward a region surrounded by the sealing material 6. Some of these wirings 47 are directly connected to the source electrode line 20 (see FIG. 3) on the element substrate 7 and function as data lines. Further, another part of the plurality of wirings 47 is formed so as to extend in the column direction Y along the side of the element substrate 7 in the region surrounded by the sealing material 6, and further bent in the row direction X. It is formed to extend. These wirings 47 are directly connected to the gate electrode line 21 (see FIG. 3) on the element substrate 7 and function as scanning lines.

  A driving IC 52 is mounted on the surface of the overhanging portion 46 in FIG. 2 by COG (Chip On Glass) technology using an ACF (Anisotropic Conductive Film) 51. In this embodiment, a plurality of, for example, three drive ICs 52 are mounted as shown in FIG. For example, one driving IC 52 in the center transmits a data signal to the source electrode line 20. On the other hand, the driving ICs 52 and 52 on both sides transmit a scanning signal to the gate electrode line 21.

  According to the liquid crystal display device 1 configured as described above, in FIG. 2, when the liquid crystal display device 1 is placed in a bright outdoor room or a bright indoor room, it is a reflective type using external light such as sunlight or indoor light. Display is performed. On the other hand, when the liquid crystal display device 1 is placed outside a dark room or in a dark room, a transmissive display is performed using the lighting device 3 as a backlight.

  In the case of performing the reflection type display, in FIG. 4, the external light L0 that has entered the liquid crystal panel 2 through the color filter substrate 8 from the direction of arrow A on the observation side passes through the liquid crystal layer 12 and enters the element substrate 7. Then, the light is reflected by the light reflection film 23 in the reflective display region R and supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12 again. On the other hand, when performing the above-described transmissive display, the light source 13 of the illumination device 3 in FIG. 2 is turned on, and the light from the light source 13 is introduced into the light guide 14 from the light incident surface 14a of the light guide 14, and further the light emission. The light is emitted from the surface 14b as planar light. The emitted light is supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12 through a region where the light reflection film 23 does not exist in the transmissive display region T as indicated by a symbol L1 in FIG.

  While light is supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12 as described above, a predetermined distance specified by the scanning signal and the data signal is provided between the pixel electrode 24 on the element substrate 7 side and the common electrode 44 on the color filter substrate 8 side. Thus, the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 12 is controlled for each sub-pixel D. As a result, the light supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12 is modulated for each sub-pixel D. When the modulated light passes through the polarizing plate 18b (see FIG. 2) on the color filter substrate 8 side, the passage is permitted or restricted for each sub-pixel D according to the polarization characteristics of the polarizing plate 18b. Images such as letters, numbers, figures and the like are displayed on the surface of the color filter substrate 8 and are visually recognized from the direction of the arrow A.

  Hereinafter, the microlens 15 provided between the element substrate 7 and the illumination device 3 will be described in detail. In FIG. 2, a plurality of microlenses 15 are provided on the surface of the translucent substrate 11 that faces the illumination device 3. Each microlens 15 is provided at a position corresponding to each subpixel D as viewed in plan from the arrow A side. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of subpixels D are arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y, and the microlens 15 in FIG. 2 provided corresponding to each subpixel D is also included. , Arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y when viewed in plan from the arrow A direction.

  In this embodiment, each microlens 15 is formed as a convex lens having a semi-cylindrical shape or a shape of a part of a sphere. The kamaboko shape referred to here is, for example, the shape shown in FIG. 5 (a), and has a shape obtained by cutting a cylinder along a plane including the central axis S0, that is, a semicircular end surface having an arcuate outer periphery. Shape. On the other hand, the shape of a part of the sphere is, for example, the shape shown in FIG. 5B, in which the entire surface other than the bottom surface is formed with a spherical curved surface. In this embodiment, if a semi-cylindrical convex lens is used as the microlens 15 in FIG. 2, the axis S0 shown in FIG. 5A is arranged so as to be parallel to the row direction X in FIG. become. However, the direction in which the kamaboko lens is arranged is not limited to one direction, and can be arbitrarily set as necessary.

  In FIG. 4, the cross section of the microlens 15 is formed to be bilaterally symmetrical or substantially bilaterally symmetric. Strictly symmetrical means that it is not strictly symmetrical but optically substantially symmetrical, or is not strictly symmetrical in terms of shape and optics, but practical Above, there is an error that can be considered symmetrical. And the convex part of this convex lens is arrange | positioned facing the light-projection surface 14b of the light guide 14 of the illuminating device 3. As shown in FIG. These microlenses 15 can be formed, for example, by molding using a light-transmitting resin as a material.

  Such a microlens 15 can condense light emitted from the light exit surface 14b of the light guide 14 in FIG. 2 in a predetermined direction. Specifically, it is as follows. First, light emitted from the LED 13 is introduced into the light guide 14 from the light incident surface 14a. The light that has entered the light guide 14 is repeatedly reflected and travels through the light guide 14, and then, as shown by reference numeral L <b> 2 in FIG. 4, the light exit surface passes through the prism 17 at a certain angle as illumination light. The light is emitted from 14b to the outside of the light guide body 14. At this time, the illumination light L <b> 2 is refracted by the prism 17 and is directed toward the liquid crystal panel 2. The illumination light L2 is further refracted on the curved surface of the convex portion of the microlens 15 and is condensed on the transmissive display region T.

  As in the present embodiment, in the illumination device 3 having a structure in which the light emitted from the LED 13 (that is, the point light source) in FIG. 2 is converted into planar light by the light guide 14 and emitted, the light emitting surface 14b. In some cases, a plurality of light emission regions having different light intensities may be generated in the plane. FIG. 6 shows an example that can be considered as the luminance distribution of this light emitting region. In FIG. 6, the light emitted from each LED 13 is radiated at a predetermined angle and proceeds radially in the row direction Y while diverging inside the light guide 14. The first light emission region T1 is a region where the light emitted from the LED 13 is directly emitted and has the highest luminance. The second light emission region T2 is a region where the light emitted from the LED 13 does not reach directly but the light that travels while being reflected inside the light guide 14 is emitted. Is a high area. In addition, the third light emission region T3 is a region farthest from the LED 13 and it is considered that light does not reach the region sufficiently, so that the third light emission region T3 is a region with low luminance. In the region between the T1, T2, and T3 regions, the luminance may change gradually, depending on the case, the luminance may change stepwise, and in some cases, the luminance may change abruptly. .

  The microlens 15 shown in FIG. 4 has different light collection characteristics corresponding to changes in luminance in the light emission region of FIG. Specifically, the condensing characteristic of the microlens 15 is changed by changing the curvature of the convex portion by changing the thickness d and the width w to the apex of the microlens 15 in FIG. It is different.

  More specifically, the microlens 15 in FIG. 4 arranged in the region corresponding to the region T1 in FIG. 6 (that is, the high luminance region) has a thickness d up to the apex as shown in FIG. The light collection efficiency is lowered by thinning (d = d1) and reducing the curvature of the convex portion. Further, the microlens 15 arranged in the region corresponding to the region T2 (that is, the medium luminance region) in FIG. 6 increases the thickness d to the apex (d = d2) as shown in FIG. 7B. Thus, by increasing the curvature of the convex portion, the light condensing efficiency of the microlens 15 is increased compared to the region T1 in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, the microlens 15 arranged in the region corresponding to the region T3 (that is, the low luminance region) has a thickness d up to the apex as shown in FIG. 7B. (D = d2), and the width w3 in FIG. 7C is made smaller than the width w1 in FIG. 7A and the width w2 in FIG. ing. Thereby, the condensing efficiency of the microlens 15 is made higher than that in the region T2.

  In the present embodiment, in the region T3 in FIG. 6 which is a low luminance region, the width w3 of the microlens 15 is set to the width w1 in FIG. 7A and the width W1 in FIG. 7B as shown in FIG. The curvature of the convex portion is increased by making it smaller than the width w2, but instead, the width of the microlens 15 is the same (w1 = w2 = w3), and the thickness up to the apex is less than d2. The curvature of the convex portion may be increased by increasing the thickness.

  As described above, the microlenses 15 having different condensing characteristics shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C are arranged in accordance with the difference in luminance of the light emitting area of the light emitting surface 14b shown in FIG. Thus, it is possible to reduce the light collection efficiency in the high luminance region and to increase the light collection efficiency in the low luminance region. In this way, the planar light beams having different luminances emitted from the respective light emission regions of the illumination device 3 of FIG. 2 are adjusted to uniform luminance within the surface by the plurality of microlenses 15, and the uniform luminances thereof. Light is supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12.

  By the way, when transmissive display is performed using a lighting device as a backlight in a liquid crystal display device, the quality of display by the liquid crystal panel greatly depends on the quality of light emitted from the light guide. For example, when considering a conventional liquid crystal display device provided with a plurality of microlenses having the same shape, light having different luminance is generated from each of a plurality of light emitting regions having different luminances generated on the light emitting surface of the light guide. When the light is emitted, the brightness is also varied depending on the region with respect to the light that is condensed by a plurality of microlenses having uniform light condensing characteristics and is supplied to the liquid crystal layer in the liquid crystal panel in a planar shape. That is, a plurality of display areas having different luminances are generated in the display area of the liquid crystal panel. As a result, there is a possibility that the luminance of display performed by the liquid crystal panel may be uneven.

  On the other hand, in the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the individual light condensing characteristics of the microlens 15 are made different according to the change in the luminance of the light emitting region of the illumination device 3 shown in FIG. Specifically, in the region where the luminance of the illumination device 3 shown in FIG. 6 is low, the light is emitted from the illumination unit to the region of the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the light emission region by increasing the light collection efficiency of the microlens. It is possible to supply planar light having higher luminance than that of light. On the other hand, in the region where the light intensity of the illumination means is strong, the light collection efficiency of the microlens is lowered, so that the area of the liquid crystal layer corresponding to this light emission area has a lower brightness than the other areas, and in some cases the illumination means It is possible to supply light having a lower luminance than the light emitted from. In this way, in the illuminating device 3, lights having different luminances emitted from the plurality of light emission regions T1, T2, and T3 are converted into a plurality of light collecting characteristics shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C that are different from each other. The microlens 15 can make the light uniform in a plane. Thereby, planar light with uniform luminance can be supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12, so that the display of the liquid crystal display device 1 can be made uniform.

  In FIG. 6, as an example of the luminance distribution on the light exit surface 14 b of the illumination device 3, three regions of a high luminance region T <b> 1, an intermediate luminance region T <b> 2, and a low luminance region T <b> 3 are illustrated. . In FIG. 7, the microlens 15 has three kinds of condensing characteristics (that is, three kinds of shapes) in accordance with the regions T1, T2, and T3. However, the light of the illuminating device 3 in FIG. 6 is emitted from the entire surface of the light emitting surface 14b, and the luminance of the light is much higher than the regions T1, T2, T3 in the surface of the light emitting surface 14b. It is considered that the distribution of Therefore, it is desirable that the condensing characteristic (that is, the shape) of the microlens 15 is actually set more finely according to the luminance distribution.

  In the present embodiment, as an example of the luminance distribution on the light exit surface 14b of the illumination device 3, a region near the LED 13 that is the light source is a high luminance region, and a region far from the LED 13 is a low luminance region. Yes. However, the brightness level of the light emitting area may be determined regardless of the distance from the LED 13. In this case, regardless of the distance from the LED 13, the microlens 15 can set the condensing characteristic low in a region with high luminance and set the condensing characteristic high in a region with low luminance.

(Second Embodiment of Liquid Crystal Display Device)
Next, another embodiment of the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention will be described. The appearance of the liquid crystal display device according to this embodiment is generally the same as that shown in FIG. FIG. 8 shows a main part of the liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged portion indicated by an arrow B in FIG. In the first embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 4, the microlens 15 is formed in a substantially target shape on the left and right sections. On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the cross section of the micro lens 55 is formed in an asymmetric shape on the left and right.

  In the following, the present embodiment will be described focusing on differences from the embodiment shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In this embodiment, the components of the liquid crystal display device 1 other than the microlens 55 can be the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. In FIG. 8, the color filter substrate 8 has a second light-transmitting substrate 8a. A colored film 41 is formed on the inner surface of the second translucent substrate 8a, a light shielding film 42 is formed around the colored film 41, and an overcoat layer 43 is formed on the colored film 41 and the light shielding film 42. A common electrode 44 is formed thereon, and an alignment film 26b is formed thereon. On the other hand, a polarizing plate 18b and a phase difference plate 19b are attached to the outer surface of the second light transmitting substrate 8a by, for example, sticking.

  The element substrate 7 facing the color filter substrate 8 has a first light-transmitting substrate 7a. On the inner surface of the first translucent substrate 7a, source electrode lines 20 extend in the column direction Y (that is, in the left-right direction). The gate electrode line 21 extends in the row direction X (that is, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface). A TFT (Thin Film Transistor) element 31 is formed so as to be connected to the source electrode line 20 and the gate electrode line 21. An interlayer insulating film 22 as an insulating film covering them is formed on the TFT element 31, the source electrode line 20 and the gate electrode line 21, and a light reflecting film 23 is formed thereon, and a pixel electrode is formed thereon. 24 is formed, and an alignment film 26a is formed thereon.

  On the other hand, the polarizing plate 18a and the phase difference plate 19a are attached to the outer surface of the first translucent substrate 7a by, for example, sticking. A translucent substrate 11 is provided outside the polarizing plate 18 a, and a plurality of microlenses 55 are provided on the outer surface of the substrate 11.

  A plurality of microlenses 55 are provided on the surface of the translucent substrate 11 facing the illumination device 3. Each microlens 55 is provided at a position corresponding to each subpixel D as viewed in plan from the arrow A side. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of subpixels D are arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y, and the microlens 55 in FIG. 8 provided corresponding to each subpixel D is also included. , Arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y when viewed in plan from the arrow A direction. In the present embodiment, each microlens 55 is formed as a convex lens, and the convex portion is arranged to face the light emitting surface 14 b of the light guide 14 of the lighting device 3. These microlenses 15 can be formed, for example, by molding using a light-transmitting resin as a material.

  The cross-sectional shape of the convex portion of the microlens 55 has an asymmetric shape on the left and right in the Z1-Z1 cross section of FIG. 1, that is, the cross section shown in FIG. Specifically, the top of the convex portion of the microlens 55 has a shape that is offset to the left in FIG. 8 from the center line X0 of the bottom surface. In the microlens 55 having such a shape, the curvature of the convex portion in the left portion of the center line X0 is large, and the curvature of the convex portion in the right portion is small.

  The microlens 15 shown in FIG. 4 condenses the light emitted from the light emitting region at a position facing the microlens 15 out of the light emitted from the light emitting surface 14b, and mainly transmits the light. The light can be condensed on the display region T and supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12. On the other hand, the microlens 55 shown in FIG. 8 according to the present embodiment can efficiently collect the light L3 incident from the side of the microlens 55 and supply the light to the liquid crystal layer 12. The light L3 is, for example, light that is emitted from the LED 13 (see FIG. 2) and directly reaches the microlens 55 without entering the light guide 14, or light that is emitted from a light emission region far from the microlens 55. Can be considered. Such light L3 may not be sufficiently collected by the microlens 15 shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 8, the microlens 55 is formed so that the curvature of the convex portion in the portion on the left side of the center line X0 is large by making the shape of the cross section asymmetrical. For this reason, the light L3 incident at a shallow angle from the side surface direction (that is, the left-right direction) of the microlens 55 can be condensed toward the predetermined direction, that is, the transmissive display region T, so that the light can be used more efficiently.

(Third embodiment of liquid crystal display device)
Next, still another embodiment of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention will be described. The appearance of the liquid crystal device according to this embodiment is generally the same as that shown in FIG. FIG. 9 shows the main part of the liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment, and is an enlarged plan view of one pixel portion in the liquid crystal display device of FIG. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a reflective display region R where the light reflective film 23 exists and a transmissive display region T where the light reflective film 23 does not exist are provided in each sub-pixel D. It was. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a transmissive display area T is provided as a display area, and no reflective display area R is provided. That is, the liquid crystal display device in the present embodiment is a so-called transmissive liquid crystal display device.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described focusing on differences from the embodiment shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 9, the transmissive display region T provided in the sub-pixel D is a region defined by the light shielding film 62 provided on the color filter substrate 8. Specifically, a region covered with the light shielding film 62 in the sub-pixel D is a light shielding region, and is a region through which light emitted from the illumination device 3 in FIG. 1 does not pass. This light shielding area is an area that does not contribute to display. On the other hand, a region where the light shielding film 62 is not provided is a transmissive display region T, which is a region where light from the illumination device 3 is transmitted and display is performed. A TFT element 31, a source electrode line 20, and a gate electrode line 21 are provided in the light shielding region. In addition to the TFT element 31, the source electrode line 20, and the gate electrode line 21, for example, a storage capacitor region Vc surrounded by a broken line is provided. The holding capacitor region Vc holds the voltage applied by the pixel electrode 24 and the common electrode 44 for a predetermined period, thereby holding the alignment state of the liquid crystal in the sub-pixel D for a predetermined period, that is, the display state of the sub-pixel D. It can act to hold for a predetermined period.

  Also in the present embodiment, the microlens 15 shown in FIG. 4 or the microlens 55 shown in FIG. 8 can be provided at positions corresponding to the individual sub-pixels D when viewed in plan. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of subpixels D are arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y. In FIG. 9, the microlens 15 provided corresponding to each subpixel D or 55 are also arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y as viewed in a plan view.

  In the transmissive liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment, display is performed mainly using illumination light from the illumination device 3. Further, the transmissive display region T can be provided wider than the transflective liquid crystal display device of FIG. Therefore, if the luminance of the light emitted from the illumination device 3 is made uniform using the microlens 15 or 55, the luminance of the display performed by the liquid crystal display device 1 can be made more uniform.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims.
For example, in each of the embodiments described above, the convex lens 15 as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C is used as the microlens. As shown in FIG. A concave lens 65 can also be used. Moreover, as shown in FIG.10 (b), the convex part of the micro lens 75 which is a convex lens can also be arrange | positioned toward the base material 11 side. In this case, the microlens 75 can be provided by adhering to the base material 11 using, for example, an adhesive member 76 having translucency. In any case, the light from the illumination device 3 (see FIG. 1) can be collected. Further, by changing the thicknesses d4 and d5 and the widths w4 and w5 of the microlens 15, the condensing characteristic of the microlens can be changed.

  In each of the embodiments described above, an amorphous silicon TFT that is a three-terminal element is used as a switching element. However, other three-terminal elements such as a low-temperature polysilicon TFT and a high-temperature polysilicon TFT can also be used. . A two-terminal element can also be used as the switching element. As the two-terminal element, for example, a TFD (Thin Film Diode) element can be used.

(Embodiment of electronic device)
Hereinafter, an electronic device according to the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments. In addition, this embodiment shows an example of this invention and this invention is not limited to this embodiment.

  FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of an electronic apparatus according to the invention. The electronic apparatus shown here includes a liquid crystal display device 101 and a control circuit 100 that controls the liquid crystal display device 101. The control circuit 100 includes a display information output source 104, a display information processing circuit 105, a power supply circuit 106, and a timing generator 107. The liquid crystal display device 101 includes a liquid crystal panel 102 and a drive circuit 103.

  The display information output source 104 includes a memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a storage unit such as various disks, a tuning circuit that tunes and outputs a digital image signal, and various clock signals generated by the timing generator 107. Based on the above, display information such as an image signal in a predetermined format is supplied to the display information processing circuit 105.

  Next, the display information processing circuit 105 includes a number of well-known circuits such as an amplification / inversion circuit, a rotation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, a clamp circuit, and the like, executes processing of input display information, and outputs an image signal. It is supplied to the drive circuit 103 together with the clock signal CLK. Here, the drive circuit 103 is a generic term for an inspection circuit and the like together with a scanning line drive circuit and a data line drive circuit. The power supply circuit 106 supplies a predetermined power supply voltage to each of the above components.

  The liquid crystal display device 101 can be configured using, for example, the liquid crystal display device 1 shown in FIG. The liquid crystal display device 1 shown in FIG. 2 changes the individual light condensing characteristics of the microlens 15 in response to a change in the luminance of the light emitting area of the illumination device 3, thereby converting planar light with uniform luminance into a liquid crystal layer. 12 can be irradiated, so that the display brightness of the liquid crystal display device 1 can be made uniform. Accordingly, even in an electronic apparatus using the liquid crystal display device 1 according to the present invention, the display luminance can be made uniform.

  FIG. 12 shows a mobile phone which is another embodiment of the electronic apparatus according to the invention. A cellular phone 110 shown here includes a main body 111 and a display body 112 that can be opened and closed. A display device 113 configured by an electro-optical device such as a liquid crystal display device is disposed inside the display body portion 112, and various displays relating to telephone communication can be visually recognized on the display body portion 112 on the display screen 114. Operation buttons 115 are arranged on the main body 111.

  An antenna 116 is attached to one end of the display body 112 so as to be extendable and contractible. A speaker (not shown) is arranged inside the receiver unit 117 provided at the upper part of the display body unit 112. Further, a microphone (not shown) is built in the transmitter 118 provided at the lower end of the main body 111. A control unit for controlling the operation of the display device 113 is stored inside the main body unit 111 or the display body unit 112 as a part of the control unit that controls the entire mobile phone or separately from the control unit. The

  The display device 113 can be configured using, for example, the liquid crystal display device 1 shown in FIG. The liquid crystal display device 1 shown in FIG. 2 changes the individual light condensing characteristics of the microlens 15 in response to a change in the luminance of the light emitting area of the illumination device 3, thereby converting planar light with uniform luminance into a liquid crystal layer. 12 can be irradiated, so that the display brightness of the liquid crystal display device 1 can be made uniform. Accordingly, even in an electronic apparatus using the liquid crystal display device 1 according to the present invention, the display luminance can be made uniform.

(Modification)
In addition to the above-described mobile phones and the like as electronic devices, personal computers, liquid crystal televisions, viewfinder type or monitor direct view type video tape recorders, car navigation devices, pagers, electronic notebooks, calculators, word processors, Examples include workstations, video phones, and POS terminals.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention. It is sectional drawing shown along the Z1-Z1 line | wire of FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one pixel portion of the liquid crystal display device of FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the part shown by the arrow B of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the shape of the microlens of FIG. 4, (a) is a fish-eye shape, (b) has shown the shape of a part of sphere. It is a figure which shows the light-projection area | region of an illuminating device. It is sectional drawing which shows the shape of the micro lens of FIG. 4, (a) has low condensing efficiency, (b) has high condensing efficiency compared with (a), (c) has the highest condensing efficiency. Shows the case. It is sectional drawing which shows one pixel part of other embodiment of the liquid crystal display device based on this invention. It is a top view which shows one pixel part of further another embodiment of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows another example of the shape of the micro lens of FIG. 4, (a) has shown the concave lens, (b) has shown the convex lens. It is a block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the electronic device which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows other embodiment of the electronic device which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1. 1. Liquid crystal display device 2. Liquid crystal panel Lighting device (lighting means),
4). FPC board, 6. 6. sealing material Element substrate, 7a. A first translucent substrate,
8). Color filter substrate, 8a. 10. a second translucent substrate; Base material, 12. Liquid crystal layer,
13. LED, 14. Light guide, 15, 55, 65, 75. Micro lens,
16. Light reflecting layer, 17. Prism, 18a, 18b. Polarizer,
19a, 19b. Phase difference plate, 20. 21. Source electrode line Gate electrode wire,
22. Interlayer insulating film, 23. Light reflection film, 24. Pixel electrode, 25. Contact hole,
26a, 26b. Alignment film, 31. TFT element, 32. Gate electrode,
33. Gate insulating film, 34. Semiconductor layer, 35. Source electrode, 36. Drain electrode,
41. Colored film, 42,62. Light shielding film, 43. Overcoat layer, 44. Common electrode,
46. Overhang, 47. Wiring, 48. 51. External connection terminal ACF, 52. Driving IC, 100. Control circuit, 101. Liquid crystal display device, 102. LCD panel,
103. Drive circuit, 110. Mobile phone (electronic device), 111. Body part,
112. Display body part, 113. Display device, 114. Display screen, 115. Manual operation button,
116. Antenna, 117. Earpiece, 118. Transmitter, D. Sub-pixel,
d, d1, d2, d3, d4, d5. Microlens thickness,
w, w1, w2, w3, w4, w5. The width of the microlens; Cell gap,
L0, L1, L2, L3. Light, R.A. Reflective display area, T.I. Transparent display area,
V. Effective display area, Vc. Holding capacity area,

Claims (13)

A liquid crystal layer;
Illuminating means having a light exit surface for supplying light to the liquid crystal layer;
A plurality of microlenses arranged between the liquid crystal layer and the illuminating means for collecting light;
The illuminating means has a plurality of light exit areas with different brightness on the light exit surface,
The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein individual light collection characteristics of the plurality of microlenses are different in correspondence with luminance in each light emission region of the illumination unit.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting surface of the illuminating unit includes a light emitting region having a predetermined luminance and a light emitting region having a luminance higher (or lower) than the predetermined luminance. The condensing characteristic of the microlens arranged corresponding to the light emitting region having a luminance higher (or lower) than the predetermined luminance is a microscopic property arranged corresponding to the light emitting region having the predetermined luminance. A liquid crystal display device characterized by being set lower (or higher) than the condensing characteristic of the lens.   3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the illuminating unit includes a light source and a light guide that converts light emitted from the light source into light emitted in a planar shape, and the light guide. A liquid crystal display device that supplies light emitted from the light emitting surface of the liquid crystal layer to the liquid crystal layer.   4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 3, wherein the light emission region near the light source in the light guide is a high luminance region, and the light emission region far from the light source in the light guide is a low luminance region, The liquid crystal display device, wherein the microlens corresponding to the high luminance region has a low light collection efficiency, and the microlens corresponding to the low luminance region has a high light collection efficiency.   5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 3, wherein the light source is a point light source.   6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of sub-pixels, which are minimum units for display, are provided side by side in a plane on which the liquid crystal layer is provided, and the plurality of microlenses. Are respectively provided at positions corresponding to the sub-pixels.   7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of microlenses emit light emitted from the illumination unit by changing a thickness and / or a width of the microlens. 8. A liquid crystal display device characterized by changing a light condensing characteristic.   8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of microlenses are convex lenses having a shape in which a central portion is thick and becomes thinner toward a peripheral edge, and the convex lenses are convex portions. Is provided so as to face the illumination means.   8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of microlenses are concave lenses having a shape in which a central portion is thin and becomes thicker toward a peripheral edge, and the concave lens has a concave portion. A liquid crystal display device provided to face the illumination means.   10. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a cross section of each of the plurality of microlenses has an asymmetric shape.   11. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a transmissive display area for performing transmissive display using light from the illumination unit and reflected light are used in the sub-pixel. And a reflective display region for performing reflective display, wherein the plurality of microlenses condense light from the illumination means onto the transmissive display region.   11. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the sub-pixel is not provided with a reflective display region for performing reflective display using reflected light, and is provided from the illumination unit. A liquid crystal display device, wherein a transmissive display region for displaying light is provided, and the plurality of microlenses condense light from the illumination unit in the transmissive display region. An electronic apparatus comprising the liquid crystal display device according to claim 1.

Images