JP2009086255A - Liquid crystal shutter, electronic sunglasses with the same, electronic ic card holder, and electronic bracelet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal shutter superior in operability and durability. <P>SOLUTION: A pair of electronic sunglasses 50 is provided with a liquid crystal shutter 100 including a liquid crystal panel 10 and an electrostatic capacity coupling type touch sensor 20 for operating application of voltage to the liquid crystal panel 10. Further, the pair of sunglasses 50 is formed by a pair of lens parts 51, 51, a frame body 53 to which the pair of lens parts 51, 51 are attached and a pair of temple parts 54, 54 coupled with both the end parts of the frame body 53, and each of the pair of lens parts 51, 51 is provided with the liquid crystal panel 10. In the pair of electronic sunglasses 50, the touch sensor 20 is attached to either one of the pair of temple parts 54, 54. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal shutter. The present invention also relates to an electronic sunglasses, an electronic ID card holder, and an electronic bracelet provided with the liquid crystal shutter.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, electronic devices that can adjust the light transmittance using the electro-optic effect of liquid crystal have been used. In this type of electronic device, a liquid crystal panel is used as a shutter for adjusting the light transmittance.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic sunglasses capable of automatically adjusting a light transmission amount according to an external light amount using a liquid crystal panel. This electronic sunglasses has switch means that is turned off when the locking portion for locking the sunglasses to the user's ear is folded and turned on when the locking portion is released.

  Patent Document 2 includes an electronic sunglasses that includes a liquid crystal panel and a solar battery, and the illuminance at which the light transmittance changes from high to low is higher than the illuminance at which the transmittance changes from low to high. Is disclosed.

  Further, Patent Document 3 discloses an electronic identification card including a liquid crystal display having a display unit for displaying a facial photograph and a shutter unit functioning as a shutter. The electronic identification light is usually stored in a holder, and this holder generates a magnetic signal when the electronic identification card is taken out. This electronic identification light has a magnetic sensor for detecting a signal from an external magnetic signal generator in a non-contact manner. When the electronic identification light is taken out from the holder, the magnetic sensor is Is detected, and a face photograph is displayed on the display unit for 20 seconds, and the shutter unit is opened to display the name and address.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-136883 JP-A-6-27425 JP-A-5-254280

  However, in the electronic sunglasses described in Patent Document 1, when the locking portion is in an open state, the switch is turned on even if it is not used. Thus, after use, in order to turn off the switch, it is necessary to fold the locking portion, so operability is poor. Further, in order to operate the switch means, a mechanical operation such as opening or folding of the locking portion is performed, so that the durability of the switch means is inferior.

  Moreover, the electronic sunglasses described in Patent Document 2 do not have a switch, and power is supplied to the electronic circuit depending on the power generation state of the solar cell. Therefore, even if the electronic sunglasses are not used, a voltage is always applied to the liquid crystal panel as long as the solar cell is in a power generated state, and the liquid crystal panel is deteriorated.

  Further, the electronic identification document described in Patent Document 3 is inconvenient because information such as a name can be displayed only for a predetermined period after being taken out from the holder.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal shutter excellent in operability and durability. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic sunglasses, an electronic ID card holder, and an electronic bracelet provided with the liquid crystal shutter.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid crystal shutter according to the present invention includes a liquid crystal panel whose light transmittance changes according to an applied voltage, and a touch sensor for operating the applied voltage to the liquid crystal panel. It is characterized by that.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electronic sunglasses according to the present invention includes the liquid crystal shutter, and includes a pair of lens portions, a frame body on which the pair of lens portions are mounted, and both ends of the frame body. Each of the pair of lens portions includes the liquid crystal panel.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electronic ID card holder according to the present invention includes the liquid crystal shutter and a card holder portion formed by a pair of opposing holder substrates, and the card holder portion is One of the pair of holder substrates is formed by the liquid crystal shutter.

  Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, an electronic bracelet according to the present invention is formed by the liquid crystal shutter and a bracelet substrate to which the liquid crystal shutter is bonded.

  Since the liquid crystal shutter according to the present invention described above uses a touch sensor, it is excellent in operability and durability. Since the electronic sunglasses, the electronic ID card holder, and the electronic bracelet provided with the liquid crystal shutter also use touch sensors, they are similarly excellent in operability and durability. In particular, when the touch sensor for operating the application of voltage to the liquid crystal panel is a capacitive coupling type sensor, the operability and durability are further improved.

  Hereinafter, a liquid crystal shutter of the present invention will be described based on a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal panel and a touch sensor in a liquid crystal shutter of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal shutter 100 of the present embodiment includes a liquid crystal panel 10 whose light transmittance changes according to an applied voltage, and a touch sensor 20 for operating the applied voltage to the liquid crystal panel 10. ,have.

  In the liquid crystal shutter 100 according to the present embodiment, when the touch sensor 20 detects that the user's finger 1 is placed, a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel 10 is operated by a circuit unit provided outside, and the liquid crystal panel 10 The light transmittance changes. The light transmittance of the liquid crystal panel 10 is highest when the liquid crystal shutter 100 is open, and the light transmittance of the liquid crystal panel 10 is lowest when the liquid crystal shutter 100 is closed. The phrase “a user's finger is placed on the touch sensor 20” simply includes an operation of touching the touch sensor 20 with the finger.

  The light transmittance of the liquid crystal shutter 100 changes according to the voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel 10. If the voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel 10 is controlled to be on and off, the liquid crystal shutter 100 transitions to two states of opening and closing. Further, if the voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel 10 is continuously changed and controlled, the light transmittance of the liquid crystal panel 10 can be continuously changed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal panel 10 has a pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 that face each other with a gap therebetween. Transparent electrodes 13 and 14 are formed in layers on the opposing surfaces of the pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12. Each of the transparent electrodes 13 and 14 is formed in a so-called solid shape on substantially the entire surface of the transparent substrates 11 and 12 excluding the peripheral portion.

  In addition, alignment films 15 and 16 are formed on the opposing surfaces of the transparent electrodes 13 and 14, respectively. In the present embodiment, the distance between the pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 is set to 7 μm, but is preferably in the range of 1.5 to 15 μm.

  The pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 are maintained in a state of facing each other with a predetermined interval through the seal portion 17. The space sealed by the pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 and the seal portion 17 is filled with liquid crystal and a liquid crystal layer 18 is disposed. It should be noted that the scale may differ from the actual for the sake of explanation.

  An alignment pattern is formed on the pair of opposing alignment films 15 and 16 by rubbing or the like. In this embodiment, the orientation pattern formed on the alignment film 15 is orthogonal to the orientation pattern formed on the alignment film 16.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wiring from the pair of transparent electrodes 13 and 14 to the external circuit portion is taken out from the end portion where the transparent electrodes 13 and 14 on the opposite sides of the transparent electrodes 13 and 14 are exposed. It is comprised so that.

  In the present embodiment, each of the pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 is formed of a flexible plastic plate. The plastic plate is light and deformable, and has excellent processability.

  As this plastic plate, for example, polycarbonate resin, modified acrylic resin, polymethacrylic resin, polyethersulfone resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin or norboltene resin can be used. In the present embodiment, the thickness of the transparent substrates 11 and 12 is 100 μm, but is preferably in the range of 50 μm to 250 μm from the viewpoint of light transmittance, strength, weight, and the like.

  The liquid crystal panel 10 shown in FIG. 1 is flat, but may have a curved shape. As described above, since the pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 have flexibility, the transparent substrates 11 and 12 can be curved.

  The pair of transparent electrodes 13 and 14 can be formed using a known transparent conductive film such as an ITO film or a NESA film. In the present embodiment, the pair of transparent electrodes 13 and 14 are formed of an ITO film.

  Specifically, the pair of transparent electrodes 13 and 14 is formed by depositing a transparent conductive film made of ITO on each of the pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 by sputtering, and then removing unnecessary portions by etching. It is formed by. In the present embodiment, the thickness of the transparent electrode is set to about 0.03 μm.

  In this embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 10 has a guest-host liquid crystal. That is, the liquid crystal layer 18 is formed of guest-host liquid crystal. Specifically, in the present embodiment, a mixture of dichroic dye and twisted nematic (TN) liquid crystal is used. Thus, by using the guest-host liquid crystal, the liquid crystal panel 10 of the present embodiment has a configuration that does not require a polarizing plate.

  By appropriately adjusting the color and density of the dichroic dye mixed in the guest-host liquid crystal, the color of the liquid crystal panel 10 and the light transmittance can be set.

  In the liquid crystal shutter 100 of this embodiment, the liquid crystal layer 18 is configured to change the transmittance when a predetermined alternating voltage is applied between the pair of transparent electrodes 13 and 14. Specifically, the liquid crystal layer 18 is oriented so as to reduce the transmittance of light perpendicularly incident on the pair of transparent electrodes 13 and 14 by application of voltage, and light transmission is performed by removing the application of voltage. Orient so that the rate increases. In the present embodiment, the liquid crystal panel 10 is substantially transparent when a voltage is applied.

Next, the touch sensor 20 will be described below.
The touch sensor 20 in the liquid crystal shutter 100 of the present embodiment is a capacitive coupling type sensor. As shown in FIG. 1, the touch sensor 20 includes an insulating sensor substrate 21 and a sensor electrode 22 formed on one surface of the sensor substrate 21. The sensor electrode 22 is formed on the surface opposite to the surface on which the finger of the sensor substrate 21 is placed.

  FIG. 1 shows the capacitance between the sensor electrode 22 and the finger 1. Thus, for example, when the user's finger 1 is placed on the sensor substrate 21, an electrostatic capacitance Ch is generated between the sensor electrode 22 and the finger. The external circuit unit determines that an input instruction has been given to the touch sensor 20 by detecting the electrostatic capacitance Ch.

  As a material for forming the sensor substrate 21, the same material or glass plate as the transparent substrates 11 and 12 described above can be used. As a forming material of the sensor electrode 22, the same material as the transparent electrodes 13 and 14 described above or an opaque conductive material can be used.

  The above-described capacitive coupling type sensor can accurately detect contact with a finger placed lightly. Moreover, since this sensor does not have a structure in which the conductive films are in mechanical contact with each other, the thickness is thin and the durability is excellent.

  Hereinafter, the electronic sunglasses provided with the above-described liquid crystal shutter of the present invention will be described based on the preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are perspective views showing electronic sunglasses equipped with the liquid crystal shutter of the present invention, and FIG. 2 (a) shows a state in which the liquid crystal shutter is open and the light transmittance is high. In FIG. 2B, the liquid crystal shutter is closed and the light transmittance is low. FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the electronic sunglasses of FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the lens portion of the electronic sunglasses of FIG.

  2 to 4, the electronic sunglasses 50 includes a liquid crystal shutter 100 including a liquid crystal panel 10 and a touch sensor 20 for operating a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel 10.

  The electronic sunglasses 50 includes a pair of lens portions 51, 51, a frame main body 53 on which the pair of lens portions are mounted, and a pair of temple portions 54, 54 provided at both ends of the frame main body 53. Each of the pair of lens portions 51, 51 is provided with a liquid crystal panel 10.

  In the electronic sunglasses 50, the touch sensor 20 is provided on the side surface of the temple portion 54 as shown in FIG. 2. A similar touch sensor 20 is also provided on the side surface of the other temple portion 54.

  The electronic sunglasses 50 operates the touch sensor 20 to change the voltage to the liquid crystal panel 10, thereby transmitting light through the pair of lens portions 51, 51 as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). You can adjust the rate.

  Each of the pair of lens parts 51, 51 of the electronic sunglasses 50 is fitted into two rim parts provided on the frame body 51. The shape of the lens unit 51 in plan view is substantially elliptical.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lens portion 51 is formed by bonding the liquid crystal panel 10 to one surface of the lens 52 and joining it. The liquid crystal panel 10 is bonded to the outer surface of the lens 52 attached to the frame body 53 (the surface opposite to the surface facing the user wearing the electronic sunglasses 50; the same applies hereinafter). In FIG. 4, the frame main body 53 is not shown.

  The lens 52 can be formed using a known material such as plastic or glass. The lens 52 may be transparent or may be colored. The lens 52 may have a degree as necessary.

  As a method for joining the liquid crystal panel 10 and the lens 52, it is preferable to use a method that allows the liquid crystal panel 10 and the lens 52 to be in close contact with each other without impeding light transmission. For example, an optical adhesive resin, a transparent double-sided adhesive tape, or the like can be used.

  The color and light transmittance of the lens unit 51 can be set by appropriately adjusting the color and density of the dichroic dye mixed in the guest-host liquid crystal included in the liquid crystal panel 10.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the electronic sunglasses 50 includes a liquid crystal shutter 100 including a liquid crystal panel 10 and a touch sensor 20, a liquid crystal driving circuit 30, a detection circuit 31, a control circuit 32, a regulator 33, The circuit configuration includes a booster circuit 34 and a power supply 35.

  A circuit unit including the liquid crystal drive circuit 30, the detection circuit 31, the control circuit 32, the regulator 33, the booster circuit 34, and the power source 35 is incorporated in the temple unit 54. Further, the liquid crystal panel 10 and the circuit unit are electrically connected via a mounting unit (not shown). This mounting portion can be formed using a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or an anisotropic conductive film (ACF). Similarly, the touch sensor 20 and the circuit unit are also electrically connected via the mounting unit.

  Hereinafter, each component of the circuit part of the electronic sunglasses 50 will be described.

  The power source 35 supplies power to the booster circuit 34 and the regulator 33. As the power source 35, a dry battery, a rechargeable battery, a solar battery, or the like can be used.

  The regulator 33 supplies a constant voltage to the detection circuit 31, the control circuit 32, and the liquid crystal drive circuit 30. The booster circuit 34 amplifies the voltage supplied from the power supply 35 and supplies the liquid crystal drive circuit 30 with power for voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel 10. The voltage supplied from the booster circuit 34 to the liquid crystal drive circuit 30 can be set to 12 V, for example.

  The detection circuit 31 detects that the user's finger 1 is placed on the touch sensor 20 and outputs a detection signal to the control circuit 31.

  The control circuit 32 is configured to include a CPU and the like, and inputs a detection signal from the detection circuit 31 to control the operation of the liquid crystal drive circuit 30. For example, the control circuit 32 controls the liquid crystal driving circuit 30 so as to alternately repeat application and non-application of a voltage to the liquid crystal panel 10 every time a detection signal from the detection circuit 31 is input.

  The liquid crystal driving circuit 30 applies a voltage to the pair of transparent electrodes 13 and 14 of the liquid crystal panel 10 in accordance with a control signal from the control circuit 32.

  An example of the operation of the electronic sunglasses 50 described above will be described below.

  First, when the user's finger 1 touches the touch sensor 20 in a state where the liquid crystal shutter 100 of the electronic sunglasses 50 is open, a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal panel 10 by the circuit unit as shown in FIG. Further, the liquid crystal shutter 100 is closed, and the light transmittance of the lens unit 51 is reduced.

  Subsequently, when the user's finger 1 touches the touch sensor 20, a voltage is not applied to the liquid crystal panel 10 by the circuit unit, and the liquid crystal shutter 100 is opened as shown in FIG. The light transmittance of 51 increases.

  According to the electronic sunglasses 50 described above, the capacitive coupling type touch sensor is provided, and the operability and durability are extremely excellent. Moreover, since the liquid crystal panel 10 has a guest-host liquid crystal, a polarizing plate is unnecessary, the weight is light, and the manufacturing cost is reduced. Furthermore, since the pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 are made of plastic, the lens portion 51 is light.

  Next, a modification of the above-described electronic sunglasses will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b). For the points that are not particularly described with respect to this modified example, the description in detail regarding the above-described electronic sunglasses is applied as appropriate. 5A and 5B, the same components as those in FIGS. 2 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the modified example of the electronic sunglasses (hereinafter also referred to as this modified example) is that the touch sensor 20 is provided in the lens unit 51 as described above. This is the difference. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the lens unit 51 as viewed from the outside.

  In this modification, the touch sensor 20 is formed in the vicinity of the end portion of the lens portion 51 on the temple portion 54 side, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the touch sensor 20 is formed on one of the pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12. The touch sensor 20 has a sensor substrate 21 formed in a portion without a liquid crystal layer using a part of the outer transparent substrate 11. The sensor electrode 22 is formed of the same material as that of the transparent electrode 13 in the same process. The touch sensor 20 may be provided in each of the pair of lens portions 51 and 51, or may be provided in only one of them.

This modification will be further described. The touch sensor 20 has a substantially elliptical shape as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5B, the sensor electrode 22 is formed at a predetermined interval from the transparent electrode 13, so that both electrodes are electrically insulated.
Further, in this modification, the wiring from the pair of transparent electrodes 13 and 14 to the mounting portion is taken out from the end portions on the same side of the transparent electrodes 13 and 14 as shown in FIG. It is configured. The wiring from the sensor electrode 22 to the mounting portion is also taken out from the end on the same side as the transparent electrodes 13 and 14.

Since the touch sensor 20 of the present modification is also a capacitive coupling type sensor, the touch sensor 20 has a configuration including only the sensor substrate 21 and the sensor electrode 22, and thus has high light transmittance to the lens unit 51. In addition, since the area of the touch sensor 20 is about 20 mm ² at most and is provided at the end of the lens unit 51, the touch sensor 20 has little influence on the visibility of the user wearing the electronic sunglasses 50.

A circuit block diagram of the above-described modification is shown in FIG. In the touch sensor 20 of the present modification, the sensor electrode 21 is formed by using a part of the transparent substrate 11 outside the liquid crystal panel 10, so the touch sensor 20 is formed of a transparent substrate by forming an ITO film pattern. 11 can be formed simultaneously with the formation of the transparent electrode 13.
Therefore, according to this modification, the manufacturing cost can be reduced by forming the touch sensor 20 integrally with the transparent electrode 13.

  Next, an electronic ID card holder and an electronic bracelet provided with the liquid crystal shutter of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. For points that are not particularly described, the description in detail regarding the above-described electronic sunglasses is applied as appropriate. Moreover, in FIGS. 7-11, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as FIGS. 1-6.

The electronic ID card holder 60 provided with the liquid crystal shutter of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
The electronic ID card holder 60 includes a liquid crystal shutter 100 including the liquid crystal panel 10 and a pair of touch sensors 20 a and 20 b for operating a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel 10.
The electronic ID card holder 60 includes a card holder portion 61 formed by a pair of opposing holder substrates 61a and 61b. The card holder portion 61 includes one of the pair of holder substrates 61a and 61b. The liquid crystal shutter 100 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the electronic ID card holder 60 is a holder for storing the ID card 70 inside and holding it by the user. The ID card 70 is a card on which information for identifying an individual such as an identification card lent to an employee by a company is displayed. On the ID card 70, for example, as shown in FIG. 8A, a company name 71, an employee face photo 72, and a name 73 are displayed.

  The electronic ID card holder 60 has a card holder portion 61 formed by a pair of holder substrates 61a and 61b arranged to face each other at a predetermined interval. The ends of the pair of holder substrates 61a and 61b are joined via a mounting portion 63 that connects the wiring of the liquid crystal shutter 100 to the circuit portion.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the ID card 70 is inserted into the card holder portion 61 and stored in the electronic ID card holder 60 while being regulated by the mounting portion 63.

  The shape of the electronic ID card holder 60 in plan view has a shape in which four corners of a rectangular shape are taken, as shown in FIG. Each of the pair of holder substrates 61a and 61b has the same plan view shape.

Of the pair of holder substrates 61a and 61b, the outer holder substrate 61a is formed by a liquid crystal shutter 100 as shown in FIG. The configuration of the liquid crystal panel 10 of the liquid crystal shutter 100 is the same as that of FIG. 4 or FIG. 5B except that it does not have an alignment film.
The holder substrate 61a is formed by a pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12, and the transparent substrate 11 on the outer side (the side opposite to the holder substrate 61b) is composed of a liquid crystal layer 18 as shown in FIG. Extends in the opposite direction.

  A portion of the transparent substrate 11 between the liquid crystal layer 18 and the end portion on the mounting portion 63 side is inclined toward the holder substrate 61b as shown in FIG. 7B.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the liquid crystal unit 18 of the liquid crystal panel 10 has a rectangular shape in plan view and covers the personal information displayed on the ID card 70 stored in the card holder unit 61. Is arranged.

  Transparent wirings 62b and 62c extending from the pair of transparent electrodes 13 and 14 (not shown) of the liquid crystal panel 10 extend downward and are connected to the mounting portion 63, as shown in FIG. 7A. Yes. The transparent wirings 62 b and 62 c are formed of the same material as that of the transparent electrode 13 and can be formed on the transparent substrate 11 at the same time as the transparent electrode 13. The transparent wiring 62 c is electrically insulated from the transparent electrode 13 and is connected to the transparent electrode 14 through the seal portion 17.

  In the electronic ID card holder 60, the liquid crystal panel 10 has a light scattering liquid crystal. As the light scattering liquid crystal, for example, a polymer network type liquid crystal (PNLC) or a polymer dispersion type liquid crystal (PDLC) can be used.

The principle of operation of this light-scattering liquid crystal is that when no voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer, the liquid crystal molecules are scattered due to the influence of the polymer, and the incident light is scattered and appears cloudy (the liquid crystal shutter is closed). Status). On the other hand, when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer, the liquid crystal molecules are aligned parallel to the electric field and transmit light (the liquid crystal shutter is opened). And when a voltage is removed again, it will return to the state which scatters incident light and becomes cloudy. Similarly to the above-described electronic sunglasses, the liquid crystal panel 10 also has a configuration that does not require a polarizing plate.
In the example of the electronic ID card holder 60, the distance between the pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 is preferably set to 7 to 10 μm, for example. The voltage supplied from the booster circuit 34 to the liquid crystal drive circuit 30 can be set to 5 V, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the liquid crystal shutter 100 includes a pair of touch sensors 20a and 20b. Each of the pair of touch sensors 20 a and 20 b is a capacitive coupling type sensor similar to the above-described modification of the electronic sunglasses, and is integrally formed on the transparent substrate 11.

  The transparent wirings 62a and 62d extending from the pair of touch sensors 20a and 20b respectively extend downward and are connected to the mounting portion 63 as shown in FIG. Similar to the transparent wirings 62b and 62c, the transparent wirings 62a and 62d are also formed integrally in the same material and in the same process without the liquid crystal layer.

  In the electronic ID card holder 60, the liquid crystal shutter 100 is opened by touching the touch sensor 20a, and the liquid crystal shutter 100 is closed by touching the touch sensor 20b. The circuit block diagram of the electronic ID card holder 60 is the same as FIG.

  A circuit unit including a liquid crystal drive circuit 30, a detection circuit 31, a control circuit 32, a regulator 33, a booster circuit 34, and a power source 35 is incorporated in the holder substrate 61b of the electronic ID card holder 60. Specifically, in the electronic ID card holder 60, the holder substrate 61b uses a printed circuit board (PCB).

  An example of the operation of the electronic ID card holder 60 described above will be described below. On the ID card 70 stored in the electronic ID card holder 70, as shown in FIG. 8A, a company name 71, an employee face photo 72, and a name 73 are displayed.

  First, the user touches the touch sensor 20a with the liquid crystal shutter 100 opened. When the liquid crystal shutter 100 is open, the employee's face photo 72 and name 73 of the ID card 70 covered with the liquid crystal panel 10 of the liquid crystal shutter 100 can be viewed from the outside.

  Next, when the user's finger touches the touch sensor 20b, the liquid crystal panel 10 becomes cloudy and the liquid crystal shutter 100 is closed. As shown in FIG. 8B, the employee's face photo 72 and name 73 of the ID card 70 are displayed. Is not visible from the outside, and personal information can be protected.

  According to the electronic ID card holder 60 including the liquid crystal shutter 100 described above, personal information displayed on the ID card stored in the electronic ID card holder can be protected as necessary. In addition, since the capacitive coupling type sensor is provided, the operability and durability are particularly excellent. If this electronic ID card holder 60 is used, for example, when an employee goes out of the office, the liquid crystal shutter 100 of the electronic ID card holder 60 can be closed so that personal information cannot be viewed from the outside. It becomes possible.

  Further, the liquid crystal panel may be doubled by further laminating another liquid crystal shutter outside the holder substrate 61a. With such a configuration, it is possible to further prevent the personal information displayed on the ID card 70 from being visually recognized by increasing the degree of cloudiness of the liquid crystal layer. In this case, it is preferable that the touch sensors 20a and 20b are formed on the outermost transparent substrate (the transparent substrate disposed at a position farthest from the holder substrate 61b).

Next, the electronic bracelet 80 provided with the liquid crystal shutter of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
The electronic bracelet 80 includes a liquid crystal shutter 100 including the liquid crystal panel 10 and a pair of touch sensors 20a and 20b for operating a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel 10, and a bracelet substrate ( (Not shown). The configuration of the liquid crystal panel 10 is the same as that in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5B described above except that the ITO pattern of the transparent electrode 13 is different.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the electronic bracelet 80 has a ring shape with a part missing. The electronic bracelet 80 is used by being worn on the user's wrist or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the electronic bracelet 80 is formed by joining a vertically long liquid crystal shutter 100 to one surface of a bracelet substrate having the same shape as the liquid crystal shutter in plan view. The curved shape of the electronic bracelet 80 is determined by the shape of the bracelet substrate. The bracelet substrate can be formed of, for example, a flexible plastic plate. The bracelet substrate preferably has moderate flexibility and resilience in order to enhance the wearing feeling of the electronic bracelet 80.

  Since the pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 constituting the liquid crystal panel 10 are formed by the above-described flexible plastic substrate, they are curved corresponding to the curved shape of the joined bracelet substrate.

  In this electronic bracelet 80, the liquid crystal panel 10 of the liquid crystal shutter 100 includes a clock display unit as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and the time is displayed by the user touching the touch panel 20a. Yes. The touch panels 20a and 20b are arranged on both sides of the display unit. The electronic bracelet 80 is configured such that the time is displayed when the user touches the touch panel 20a with a finger, and the time display disappears when the user touches the touch sensor 20b with the finger. FIG. 10 shows a state where an external force is applied to the electronic bracelet 80 shown in FIG.

  In the electronic bracelet 80, the transparent electrode 13 on the outside of the liquid crystal panel 10 (in the direction opposite to the wrist when the electronic bracelet 80 is mounted on the user's wrist) is patterned with an ITO film as shown in FIG. The segment electrode 82 and the transparent electrodes 83 and 84 are formed by forming a segment. Further, a seal portion 17 is disposed in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the liquid crystal panel 10.

  The segment electrode 82 is driven by the liquid crystal driving circuit 30 to display numerals or alphabets “A” and “P”. The transparent electrode 83 is driven by the liquid crystal driving circuit 30 to display the letter “M”. The transparent electrode 84 is driven by the liquid crystal driving circuit 30 to display the symbol “:” (colon).

  The pair of touch sensors 20a and 20b of the electronic bracelet 80 is a capacitive coupling type sensor. The pair of touch sensors 20 a and 20 b are integrally formed on the same transparent substrate 11 as the transparent electrode 13 on both sides of the transparent electrode 13 so as to be electrically insulated from the transparent electrode 13.

  The segment electrode 82, the transparent electrodes 83 and 84, and the pair of touch sensors 20a and 20b are each connected to the mounting portion 81 by a transparent wiring 85 made of an ITO film. The segment electrode 82 is composed of seven divided small electrodes, and FIG. 10 shows only a part of the transparent wiring. However, in actuality, the transparent wiring is drawn out from each of the small electrodes. 81. The mounting portion 81 is disposed on one side of the electronic bracelet 80. The transparent wiring 85 is made of the same material as that of the transparent electrode 13 and is integrally formed on the transparent substrate 11.

  The electronic bracelet 80 circuit block diagram is the same as the electronic ID card holder except that the control circuit 32 has a clock function. The circuit part of the electronic bracelet 80 is disposed on the outer surface of the transparent substrate 12 (the wrist side when the electronic bracelet 80 is attached to the user's wrist).

  In the electronic bracelet 80, the liquid crystal panel 10 has a light-scattering liquid crystal mixed with a dichroic dye. As the light-scattering liquid crystal, those described above can be used. The color of the electronic bracelet 80 can be variously set by appropriately adjusting the color of the dichroic dye and the concentration thereof.

  In the electronic bracelet 80, the distance between the pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 is set to 10 μm, but is preferably in the range of 1.5 to 15 μm. The voltage supplied from the booster circuit 34 to the liquid crystal drive circuit 30 can be set to 5 V, for example.

  The operation of the liquid crystal panel 10 of the electronic bracelet 80 exhibits an opaque color having the color of the dichroic dye when no voltage is applied. On the other hand, when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal panel 10, the portion where the transparent electrode 13 is formed becomes transparent, and the portion where the transparent electrode 13 is not formed has no color change. Therefore, when the user touches the touch sensor 20a with a finger, the time is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 10 with transparent characters.

  Therefore, if the surface of the bracelet substrate on which the liquid crystal shutter 100 is bonded is colored, the character portion indicating the time is displayed in this colored color.

  According to the electronic bracelet 80 described above, the color changes and the time is displayed. In addition, a capacitive coupling type sensor is provided, which is extremely excellent in operability and durability. The color of the electronic bracelet 80 can enhance fashionability by appropriately selecting a dichroic dye and mixing it with the light scattering liquid crystal.

  In the electronic bracelet 80, the transparent electrode 13 may be patterned so that the display of the transparent electrode 13 portion and other portions when the voltage is applied to the liquid crystal panel 10 is reversed.

  Next, modifications 1 and 2 of the electronic bracelet described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b). Regarding the points that are not particularly described with respect to this modified example, the description in detail regarding the above-described electronic bracelet is appropriately applied. In FIGS. 11A and 11B, the same components as those in FIGS. 9 and 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, Modification 1 of the electronic bracelet has a ring shape in which the entire circumference is continuous. Other configurations are the same as those of the electronic bracelet.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, the electronic bracelet modification 2 (hereinafter, also referred to as this modification) has a ring shape and does not have a function of displaying time.

  In this modification, the guest-host liquid crystal described in the electronic sunglasses may be used as the liquid crystal to be filled in the liquid crystal panel 10. Further, by coloring the surface of the bracelet substrate on the side where the liquid crystal shutter 100 is bonded, the colored color can be seen even when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal panel 10, and the two colors are displayed. A bracelet may be constructed.

  The liquid crystal shutter of the present invention and the electronic sunglasses, the electronic ID card holder, and the electronic bracelet provided with the liquid crystal shutter are not limited to the above-described forms, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, the touch sensor 20 of the electronic sunglasses 50 is formed such that electrodes are divided in the longitudinal direction and are arranged side by side, and slides while touching with the fingertip along the longitudinal direction of the touch sensor. The transmittance of the liquid crystal panel may be changed according to the number.

  In addition, although the liquid crystal shutter 100 is provided in the electronic sunglasses 50, a liquid crystal panel may be bonded to a lens portion of goggles used in skiing or the like.

  Further, in the electronic ID card holder 60, the liquid crystal shutter 100 is provided in the electronic ID card holder 60. However, the name or card displayed on the credit card by incorporating the liquid crystal shutter 100 into the credit card holder holding the credit card. You may make it hide numbers.

  Further, in the electronic bracelet 80, the incoming call of the mobile phone may be displayed by a color change. For example, a configuration in which a reception circuit that receives a radio signal output from a mobile phone is incorporated in the electronic bracelet, and when there is an incoming call to the mobile phone of the wearer of the electronic bracelet, a signal is output from the mobile phone to the electronic bracelet can be considered. . For example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used for communication between the mobile phone and the electronic bracelet.

  Further, the electronic bracelet 80 may be displayed with movement. For example, it is conceivable to form a transparent electrode pattern having a plurality of patterns on the liquid crystal panel and change the voltage applied to each pattern over time. Further, the transparent electrode of the liquid crystal panel may be formed in a plurality of dot matrix shapes to display a moving image as a liquid crystal display.

  In addition, as the liquid crystal filled in the liquid crystal panel 10 in each embodiment, other types of liquid crystal can be used as long as the light transmittance or scattering rate can be changed by applying a voltage.

  The portions of only one embodiment described above can be used with each other as appropriate.

It is sectional drawing of the liquid crystal panel and touch sensor in the liquid-crystal shutter of this invention. The perspective view which shows the electronic sunglasses provided with the liquid-crystal shutter of this invention is shown, Fig.2 (a) is the state which the liquid-crystal shutter opened, FIG.2 (b) is the state which closed the liquid-crystal shutter. It is a circuit block diagram of the electronic sunglasses of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the lens portion of the electronic sunglasses of FIG. The modification of electronic sunglasses is shown, Drawing 5 (a) is a top view of a lens part, and Drawing 5 (b) is a YY line expanded sectional view of Drawing 5 (a). FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram of a modified example shown in FIG. 5. The electronic ID card holder provided with the liquid-crystal shutter of this invention is shown, Fig.7 (a) is a top view, FIG.7 (b) is the ZZ line expanded sectional view of Fig.7 (a). FIG. 8A shows a state in which the liquid crystal shutter of the electronic ID card holder in FIG. 7 is opened, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the liquid crystal shutter is closed. It is a perspective view which shows the electronic bracelet provided with the liquid-crystal shutter of this invention. It is the figure which expand | deployed the electronic bracelet of FIG. 9 in planar shape. Fig.11 (a) is a perspective view which shows the modification of an electronic bracelet, FIG.11 (b) is a perspective view which shows another modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Liquid crystal shutter 10 Liquid crystal panel 11, 12 Transparent substrate 13, 14 Transparent electrode 15, 16 Orientation film 17 Seal part 18 Liquid crystal layer 20, 20a, 20b Touch sensor 21 Sensor substrate 22 Sensor electrode 30 Liquid crystal drive circuit 31 Detection circuit 32 Control circuit 33 Regulator 34 Booster circuit 35 Power supply 50 Electronic sunglasses 51 Lens part 52 Lens 53 Frame body 54 Temple part 60 Electronic ID card holder 61 Card holder part 61a, 61b Holder substrate 62a, 62b, 62c, 62d Transparent wiring 63 Mounting part 70 ID card 80 Electronic bracelet 81 Mounting part 82 Segment electrode 83, 84 Transparent electrode 85 Transparent wiring

Claims (13)

A liquid crystal panel whose light transmittance changes according to the applied voltage;
A touch sensor for operating a voltage applied to the liquid crystal panel;
A liquid crystal shutter characterized by comprising:   The liquid crystal shutter according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor is a capacitive coupling type sensor. The liquid crystal panel has a pair of substrates filled with liquid crystal therebetween,
The liquid crystal shutter according to claim 1, wherein an electrode of the touch sensor is formed on one of the pair of substrates.   The liquid crystal shutter according to claim 3, wherein the pair of substrates is made of plastic.   The liquid crystal shutter according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal panel has a guest-host liquid crystal.   The liquid crystal shutter according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal panel includes light-scattering liquid crystal.   The liquid crystal shutter according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal panel includes a timepiece display unit. A liquid crystal shutter according to claim 1, comprising a pair of lens portions, a frame body on which the pair of lens portions are mounted, and a pair provided at both ends of the frame body. Electronic sunglasses formed by the temple part of
Each of the pair of lens units includes the liquid crystal panel.   The electronic sunglasses according to claim 8, wherein the touch sensor is provided in the temple portion.   The electronic sunglasses according to claim 8, wherein the touch sensor is provided in the lens unit. An electronic ID card holder comprising the liquid crystal shutter according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and a card holder portion formed by a pair of opposed holder substrates,
One of the pair of holder substrates is formed by the liquid crystal shutter, and the card holder portion is an electronic ID card holder.   The electronic ID card holder according to claim 11, wherein the liquid crystal panel of the liquid crystal shutter is disposed at a position covering personal information displayed on an ID card attached to the card holder portion.   An electronic bracelet comprising: the liquid crystal shutter according to claim 1; and a bracelet substrate to which the liquid crystal shutter is bonded.

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