JP2010204554A - Electrophoretic display device and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrophoretic display device and electronic device having superior impact resistance and moisture resistance. <P>SOLUTION: The electrophoretic display device 1 includes an electrophoretic display panel 10, having an electrophoretic layer 31 in the display area of an element substrate 2; a surface protective substrate 12 and a support plate 13, which are made of tempered glass and clamp the electrophoretic display panel 10; and a sealing material 14 which is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the electrophoretic display panel 10 and seal the electrophoretic layer 31 between the surface protective substrate 12 and the support plate 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrophoretic display device and an electronic apparatus that are resistant to external impact and self-drop impact in the field of display body mounting.

  A flat display device typified by a liquid crystal display device is used in various fields such as an OA device, an information terminal, a clock, and a television by making use of features such as thinness, light weight, and low power consumption. Currently, these liquid crystal display devices including mobile phones are required to be thinner, lighter and more durable.

  On the other hand, although it is inferior to a liquid crystal display device in terms of color display and moving image display, an electrophoretic display (EPD) has attracted attention as a display body that can realize thinness, lightness, and low power consumption. This electrophoretic display (hereinafter referred to as EPD) has properties similar to paper, and is being developed as “electronic paper” for the purpose of reading.

  A microcapsule type EPD, which is a typical electronic paper, encloses a solvent in which charged particles are dispersed in a microcapsule and applies a voltage to electrodes formed on the top and bottom of the microcapsule to generate an electric field, thereby generating a distribution of charged particles. It is a display body that obtains contrast by changing. Even when the voltage application is stopped, the charged particles attracted by the electrostatic force or the intermolecular force remain in the vicinity of the electrode, so that the display image can be held without consuming electric power.

  Furthermore, instead of transmitted light like a liquid crystal display or light emission like an organic EL display, the color of the charged particles and the solvent itself (reflected light) is observed. There is also an advantage of being able to endure time staring.

  In such an electrophoretic display device, a configuration including an electrophoretic display panel having a moisture-proof structure by sealing an electrophoretic sheet bonded to a display region of an element substrate with a moisture-proof sheet and a sealing material is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In an actual application device, the electrophoretic display panel has an inlet structure that is surrounded by a surface protective material, a support plate, and an outer frame to improve the drop resistance and moisture resistance.

JP 2007-72127 A

  However, when a surface protection substrate made of an acrylic material is provided to reduce the weight of the device, the panel is warped and deformed due to a difference in thermal expansion between the surface protection substrate and the element substrate (glass substrate). There is. If the electrophoretic display panel is deformed, the panel or the like may be destroyed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide an electrophoretic display device and an electronic apparatus that are excellent in impact resistance and moisture resistance.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electrophoretic display device of the present invention comprises an electrophoretic display panel having an electrophoretic layer in a display area of an element substrate, and a surface protective substrate made of tempered glass and sandwiching the electrophoretic display panel And a support plate and a sealing material that is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the electrophoretic display panel and seals the electrophoretic layer between the surface protection substrate and the support plate. It has been.

  According to the present invention, the periphery of the electrophoretic display panel not provided with the sealing structure is surrounded by the surface protection substrate, the support plate, and the sealing material. Since the surface protection substrate and the support plate are both made of tempered glass and sandwich the electrophoretic display panel, warpage deformation due to the difference in thermal expansion of these tempered glass is less likely to occur. In addition, by adopting such a configuration, it is possible to sufficiently secure moisture resistance for the electrophoretic layer even if the moisture-proof measures are not taken on the electrophoretic display panel side. This eliminates the need for a moisture-proof sheet and a double-sided adhesive tape for bonding the moisture-proof sheet onto the electrophoretic sheet, thereby improving production efficiency and reducing manufacturing costs.

Further, it is preferable that a buffer material is disposed between the sealing material and the electrophoretic display panel.
According to the present invention, since the electrophoretic display panel is prevented from coming into direct contact with the sealing material due to an impact such as dropping, the electrophoretic display panel is prevented from being broken.

Moreover, it is preferable that the sealing material is arrange | positioned between the element substrate and the surface protection substrate, and the buffer material is arrange | positioned between the surface protection substrate and the support plate outside the sealing material.
Also in the present invention, as described above, it is possible to ensure moisture resistance for the electrophoretic layer even if moisture resistance measures are not taken on the electrophoretic display panel side. Moreover, it is possible to reduce the impact from the outside by the buffer material.

Moreover, it is preferable that the sealing material is comprised with the tempered glass.
According to the present invention, the periphery of the electrophoretic display layer is sealed with the surface protective substrate made of tempered glass, the support plate, and the sealing material, and the moisture resistance with respect to the electrophoretic layer is further improved.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electrophoretic display device of the present invention comprises an electrophoretic layer bonded to a display region of an element substrate, a surface protective substrate made of tempered glass and disposed on the electrophoretic layer, A first seal is disposed between the element substrate and the surface protective substrate so as to surround the electrophoretic layer and seals the electrophoretic layer between the element substrate and the surface protective substrate. A sealing material, and a housing that holds the surface protection substrate and surrounds an outer peripheral portion of the electrophoretic layer.

  According to the present invention, since the surface protection substrate is made of tempered glass, warpage deformation or the like of the electrophoretic display panel or the surface protection substrate due to the difference in thermal expansion from the element substrate is prevented. Further, with such a configuration, it is possible to ensure good moisture resistance without arranging a moisture-proof sheet on the electrophoretic display panel as in the prior art. Moreover, since it is set as the double prevention structure by the 1st sealing material and a housing | casing, moisture resistance can be improved more.

Further, it is preferable that the size of the element substrate in a plan view is substantially the same as that of the surface protection substrate, and the element substrate is held in the casing together with the surface protection substrate.
According to the present invention, not only the surface protection substrate but also the element substrate is directly fixed to the housing, so that the rigidity of the panel can be improved and warpage deformation can be further prevented.

The electrophoretic layer has a moisture-proof sheet on a surface opposite to the element substrate side, and the electrophoretic layer is sealed by a second sealing material disposed between the moisture-proof sheet and the element substrate. It is preferable that
According to the present invention, it is possible to ensure excellent moisture resistance by providing a moisture-proof structure in the electrophoretic display panel itself.

Moreover, it is preferable that the adhesive layer arrange | positioned between a surface protection board | substrate and the said electrophoretic layer has elasticity.
According to the present invention, the elastic adhesive layer can absorb external impact and relieve the stress between the surface protection substrate and the electrophoretic layer, thereby preventing the electrophoretic layer from being broken. Can be prevented.

The electronic apparatus of the present invention includes the electrophoretic display device described above.
According to the present invention, a highly reliable electronic device can be obtained by including an electrophoretic display device having excellent impact resistance and moisture resistance.

The top view which shows schematic structure of the electrophoretic display device of 1st, 2nd embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the electrophoretic display apparatus of 1st, 2nd embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the electrophoretic display device of 3rd, 4th embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the electrophoretic display device of 5th Embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the electrophoretic display device of 6th Embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the electrophoretic display device of 7th Embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the electrophoretic display device of 8th Embodiment. FIG. 14 illustrates an example of an electronic device. FIG. 14 illustrates an example of an electronic device. FIG. 14 illustrates an example of an electronic device.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an electrophoretic display device 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration along the section AA in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electrophoretic display device 1 includes an electrophoretic display panel 10 and a sealing member 11, and the entire surface of the electrophoretic display panel 10 is surrounded by the sealing member 11. It has become. The sealing member 11 includes a surface protection substrate 12, a support plate 13, and a sealing material 14.

The electrophoretic display panel 10 has a configuration in which the electrophoretic sheet 3 is attached to the surface of the element substrate 2.
The electrophoretic display panel 10 is provided with a display area 5 for displaying images such as still images and moving images. A plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix are provided in the display area 5, and display is performed for each pixel. The area around the display area 5 is a non-display area 6 where no image is displayed. The non-display area 6 is not provided with pixels, and is provided with drive circuit elements 22 and 23.

  The element substrate 2 includes a substrate 20 and a drive layer 21 including a pixel electrode 25 and a switching element 26 formed on the substrate 20. The substrate 20 is provided in a rectangular shape in plan view. As a material constituting the substrate 20, for example, an inorganic substrate such as a glass substrate, a quartz substrate, a silicon substrate, a gallium arsenide substrate, polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate A plastic substrate (resin substrate) composed of (PC), polyethersulfone (PES), aromatic polyester (liquid crystal polymer), or the like can be used.

  A drive layer 21 is formed in an area corresponding to the display area 5 in the substrate 20. In the drive layer 21, a pixel electrode 25 provided in each pixel, a switching element 26, a data line (not shown) connected to the switching element 26, a scanning line, and the like are formed. A planar formation region of the drive layer 21 is substantially coincident with the display region 5, and the drive circuit elements 22 and 23 are provided in the peripheral portion (non-display region 6) of the drive layer 21. These drive circuit elements 22 and 23 are electrically connected to data lines and scanning lines, and supply signals to the drive layer 21. The substrate 20 is in contact with the sealing member 11 so as not to be fixed.

The electrophoretic sheet 3 includes a transparent substrate 30, a common electrode 35, an electrophoretic layer 31 as an electro-optical layer, and an adhesive layer 33.
The transparent substrate 30 is a light-transmitting substrate that holds the electrophoretic layer 31. For example, the transparent substrate 30 has a rectangular shape made of a highly light-transmitting material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethersulfone (PES), or polycarbonate (PC). It is a substrate. The surface 30 a side of the transparent substrate 30 is the display surface side of the electrophoretic display device 1.

  The common electrode 35 is formed almost on the entire inner surface 30 b of the transparent substrate 30. The common electrode 35 is made of a conductive material having high light transmission, such as ITO, and is connected to the element substrate 2 by the vertical conduction member 9.

The electrophoretic layer 31 has a plurality of microcapsules 32.
The microcapsule 32 is a substantially spherical capsule in which an electrophoretic dispersion is enclosed, and the diameter of each capsule is substantially the same (50 μm to 100 μm). Examples of the material for forming the capsule wall film of the microcapsule 32 include compounds such as a gum arabic / gelatin composite film, urethane resin, urea resin, and urea resin. The electrophoretic dispersion liquid enclosed in the microcapsule 32 includes a plurality of electrophoretic particles and a liquid layer dispersion medium for dispersing the electrophoretic particles.

  Examples of the liquid layer dispersion medium include water, alcohol solvents, various esters, ketones, aliphatic hydrocarbons, alicyclic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, carboxylates, and other various oils. These can be used alone, or a mixture of these with a surfactant or the like.

  As the electrophoretic particles, organic or inorganic particles (polymer or colloid) having a property of moving by electrophoresis due to a potential difference in a liquid phase dispersion medium can be used. Specifically, black pigments such as carbon black and aniline black, white pigments such as titanium dioxide, monoazo azo pigments, yellow pigments such as isoindolinone, monoazo azo pigments, red pigments such as quinacridone red, phthalocyanine One or more of blue pigments such as blue and green pigments such as phthalocyanine green can be used. These pigments include electrolytes, surfactants, metal soaps, resins, rubbers, oils, varnishes, charge control agents composed of particles such as compounds, titanium-based coupling agents, aluminum-based coupling agents, silanes as necessary. A dispersant such as a system coupling agent, a lubricant, a stabilizer, and the like can be added.

  In the microcapsule 32, for example, two types of electrophoretic particles of titanium dioxide which is a white pigment and carbon black which is a black pigment are encapsulated, one of which is negatively charged and the other of which is positively charged. Of course, other electrophoretic particles may be used, or only one type of electrophoretic particle may be used, and the electrophoretic particles may be moved to the common electrode side or the pixel electrode side so that display can be performed.

  The adhesive layer 33 is a thermosetting adhesive that also serves as a binder. The adhesive layer 33 is preferably an adhesive having good affinity for the capsule wall film of the microcapsule 32, excellent adhesion to the pixel electrode 25, and good insulation. Moreover, although it is a thermosetting type, the adhesive agent which has elasticity after hardening is preferable.

  In this way, the element substrate 2 and the electrophoretic sheet 3 are integrated to form an electrophoretic display panel 10. The electrophoretic display panel 10 is held in the sealing member 11 via the adhesive layer 41.

The adhesive layer 41 is provided on the surface of the transparent substrate 30 of the electrophoretic display panel 10 so as to cover the surface. Specifically, it is provided in a region overlapping the element substrate 2 in plan view, and its outer peripheral portion protrudes from the outer peripheral portion of the transparent substrate 30. The adhesive layer 41 is an adhesive layer having a high light transmittance made of, for example, silicon gel, and has a complex elastic modulus of 1 × 10 ⁵ Pa or less and a thickness of about 0.5 mm.

The sealing member 11 includes a surface protection substrate 12, a support plate 13, and a sealing material 14.
The surface protection substrate 12 is formed in such a size that the size in plan view is larger than that of the element substrate 2. The electrophoretic display panel 10 is disposed on the electrophoretic sheet 3 side, and is provided so that the adhesive layer 41 is in contact with the inner surface 12a thereof. The surface protection substrate 12 is a base material configured to have a predetermined thickness by, for example, tempered glass.

  The support plate 13 is provided on the element substrate 2 side of the electrophoretic display panel 10 and is provided at a position overlapping the surface protection substrate 12 in plan view. The support plate 13 is made of, for example, tempered glass like the surface protection substrate 12 and is configured to have a thermal expansion coefficient substantially equal to the thermal expansion coefficient of the surface protection substrate 12. For this reason, the warp deformation of the electrophoretic display panel 10 due to the difference in thermal expansion between the surface protection substrate 12 and the support plate 13 can be prevented.

  The sealing material 14 is provided so as to surround the side surface of the electrophoretic display panel 10, and is sandwiched between the peripheral portions of the surface protection substrate 12 and the support plate 13. The sealing material 14 is made of, for example, an organic material such as acrylic resin or PET, and is in close contact with the peripheral portions of the surface protection substrate 12 and the support plate 13 and is in a state of fixing the peripheral portions. ing. About this fixed state, between the sealing material 14, the surface protection board | substrate 12, and the support plate 13 is fixed with the adhesive agent etc. which is not illustrated, for example. When an adhesive is used as the fixing means, it is preferable to improve the moisture resistance by using an adhesive containing a material having a high moisture resistance. In this way, the electrophoretic display panel 10 is sealed with the sealing member 11.

  The electrophoretic display panel 10 is fixed to the surface protection substrate 12 by an adhesive layer 41 provided on the surface of the transparent substrate 30, while the back surface 2 b side of the element substrate 2 is in contact with the support plate 13 without being fixed. It is held in the sealing member 11 in a state.

  The electrophoretic layer 31 is sandwiched between the element substrate 2 and the transparent substrate 30 and is sealed by the surface protection substrate 12, the support plate 13, and the sealing material 14. Since the electrophoretic layer 31 dislikes moisture, by adopting a configuration that covers the layer in this way, moisture intrusion into the electrophoretic layer 31 is reliably prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the buffer material 15 is disposed between the electrophoretic display panel 10 and the sealing member 11. The buffer material 15 is provided between the side portion of the electrophoretic display panel 10 and the sealing material 14, and is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the sealing material 14 and the outer peripheral surfaces of the element substrate 2 and the adhesive layer 41, respectively. It is arranged to touch. Examples of the material constituting the buffer material 15 include acrylic and silicon resins. The shock applied to the peripheral portion of the electrophoretic display panel 10 by such a buffer material 15 can be mitigated.

Next, the operation of the electrophoretic display device 1 configured as described above will be briefly described.
When a voltage is applied between the pixel electrode 25 and the common electrode 35 so that the voltage of the common electrode 35 becomes relatively high, the positively charged black electrophoretic particles are out of the pixels in the microcapsule 32 by the Coulomb force. It is drawn toward the electrode 25 side. On the other hand, negatively charged white electrophoretic particles are attracted toward the common electrode 35 in the microcapsule 32 by Coulomb force. As a result, white electrophoretic particles gather on the transparent substrate 30 side in the microcapsule 32, and the color (white) of the white electrophoretic particles is displayed in the display area 5 of the electrophoretic display device 1. The Rukoto.

  On the contrary, when a voltage is applied between the pixel electrode 25 and the common electrode 35 so that the potential of the pixel electrode 25 becomes relatively high, the negatively charged white electrophoretic particles are moved to the pixel electrode 25 side by Coulomb force. Be drawn to. On the other hand, the positively charged black electrophoretic particles are attracted toward the common electrode 35 by the Coulomb force. As a result, black electrophoretic particles gather on the transparent substrate 30 side in the microcapsule 32, and the color (black) of the black electrophoretic particles is displayed in the display area 5 of the electrophoretic display device 1. It will be.

  In the present embodiment, the entire surface of the electrophoretic display panel 10 that is not provided with a sealing structure is surrounded by a sealing member 11. Since the surface protection substrate 12 and the support plate 13 are both made of tempered glass and sandwich the electrophoretic display panel 10, the electrophoretic layer can be used even if no anti-moisture measures are taken on the electrophoretic display panel 10 side. Moisture resistance to 31 can be ensured. Further, since the electrophoretic display panel 10 is made of a material of the same quality, even when the environmental temperature changes, the electrophoretic display panel 10 is less likely to be warped or deformed. Therefore, the electrophoretic display device 1 having excellent durability and moisture resistance can be obtained.

  In this embodiment, since the moisture-proof sheet and the double-sided adhesive tape for bonding the moisture-proof sheet to the transparent substrate 30 are not necessary, the moisture-proof sheet or the double-sided adhesive sheet reduces the light transmittance, The taste does not turn yellow. Thereby, it can prevent that a display characteristic and visibility fall.

Further, since the moisture-proof sheet and the double-sided adhesive sheet are not required, an operation of attaching the moisture-proof sheet to the surface of the transparent substrate 30 via the double-sided adhesive sheet in the mounting process, or between the moisture-proof sheet and the peripheral portion of the element substrate 2 Since the work of filling the sealing resin as the sealing material can be reduced, the mounting cost and the material cost can be reduced.
Furthermore, when a moisture-proof sheet is stuck on the electrophoretic sheet 3 via a double-sided adhesive sheet, no defective product is generated due to air bubbles or foreign matters mixed in, and the mass production yield is improved.

  The electrophoretic display device of each embodiment shown below differs in the sealing structure of the electrophoretic layer. Therefore, in the following description, description of portions common to the previous embodiment is omitted, and in each drawing used for description, the same reference numerals are given to components common to FIGS. 1 and 2.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The sealing member 11 of the electrophoretic display device 40 in this embodiment includes a frame member 16 (sealing material) made of tempered glass instead of the sealing material 14 made of resin or the like.
According to this embodiment, the same effect as the previous embodiment can be obtained. Moreover, since it is set as the sealing structure which seals the outer peripheral part of the electrophoretic display panel 10 with the surface protection board | substrate 12, the support plate 13, and the frame member 16 comprised with the tempered glass, a high moisture-proof effect can be acquired. .

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The electrophoretic display device 50 according to this embodiment includes an electrophoretic display panel 52 that does not have a sealing structure, and a sealing member 53 that seals the outer periphery of the electrophoretic display panel 52.

The electrophoretic display panel 52 includes the element substrate 2 and the electrophoretic sheet 3 bonded to the display area of the element substrate 2. The surface protection substrate 12 is bonded to the display surface side of the electrophoretic display panel 52 via an adhesive layer 41, and the surface protection substrate 12 and the element substrate 2 facing the surface protection substrate 12 are electrically connected by a sealing material 51. The electrophoresis sheet 3 is sealed.
The element substrate 2 of the present embodiment is configured to have a size that projects outward from the peripheral edge of the adhesive layer 41, and a sealing material 51 is provided on the projecting region.

The sealing material 51 is made of an organic material such as acrylic resin or PET, and has a frame shape so as to surround not only the electrophoretic sheet 3 but also the outer periphery of the adhesive layer 41. As described above, the sealing material 51 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the surface protection substrate 12 and the element substrate 2 and is fixed to these, and the inner surface thereof is in contact with the outer surface of the adhesive layer 41. ing.
The support plate 13 is bonded to the back surface 2b side of the element substrate 2 via an adhesive or a double-sided adhesive sheet.
The support member 13, the sealing material 51, and the surface protection substrate 12 constitute the sealing member 53 of this embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the buffer material 15 is provided on the side of the electrophoretic display panel 52 and outside the sealing material 51. The buffer material 15 has a frame shape so as to surround the electrophoretic display panel 52, and is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the peripheral portions of the surface protection substrate 12 and the support plate 13.

  In this embodiment, instead of providing a sealing structure on the electrophoretic display panel 52, the sealing member 53 constituted by the surface protection substrate 12 and the support plate 13 made of tempered glass and the sealing material 51 is used for electricity. A sealing structure is formed by surrounding the electrophoresis sheet 3. Thereby, the same effect as the previous embodiment can be obtained. Further, the connection interface between the sealing material 51 and the surface protection substrate 12 and the element substrate 2 is covered with the buffer material 15, so that moisture resistance is improved.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The electrophoretic display device 60 of this embodiment includes a frame member 61 (sealing material) made of tempered glass, instead of the sealing material 51 in the fourth embodiment. By providing the sealing member 64 in which each member of the frame member 61, the element substrate 2, and the surface protection substrate 12 is made of tempered glass, moisture resistance and durability with respect to the electrophoretic layer 31 are further improved.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The electrophoretic display device 70 of this embodiment includes an electrophoretic display panel 71, a surface protection substrate 72, and a housing 76, and the outer periphery of the electrophoretic display panel 71 is surrounded by the surface protection substrate 72 and the housing 76. It has become the composition.
The electrophoretic display panel 71 of this embodiment includes an element substrate 74 and an electrophoretic sheet 3 bonded to the surface of the electrophoretic display panel 71 via an adhesive layer 33.

  The surface protection substrate 72 is disposed on the transparent substrate 30 of the electrophoretic display panel 71 via the adhesive layer 41, and is integrated with the electrophoretic display panel 71 by a sealing material 75 disposed between the element substrate 74. It is structured.

  The sealing material 75 is disposed so as to contact the tempered glass of the element substrate 74 and the surface protection substrate 72 so as to fill a gap between the element substrate 74 and the adhesive layer 41, and It is sealed. Here, it is preferable that the sealing material 75 is provided so as to cover the peripheral portion on the back surface side of the element substrate 2. As a result, it is possible to lengthen the intrusion path of moisture or the like that travels through the interface between the sealing material 75 and the element substrate 74, so that improvement in moisture resistance can be expected.

  The casing 76 has a bottomed box shape, and a groove 76a for fitting the outer peripheral portion of the surface protection substrate 72 is provided on the opening side. The groove 76 a has a depth t corresponding to the thickness of the surface protection substrate 72. A surface protection substrate 72 integrated with the electrophoretic display panel 71 is disposed in the groove 76a and fixed by an adhesive 44 made of an adhesive or a double-sided adhesive tape. A space K for arranging a circuit board (not shown) is provided inside the housing 76, and the electrophoretic display panel 71 is incorporated above the circuit board in a state where the circuit board is arranged in the space K. It will be.

  Also in this embodiment, the same effect as the previous embodiment is obtained. In the present embodiment, the electrophoretic sheet 3 is sealed by the surface protection substrate 72 and the element substrate 74 made of tempered glass and the sealing material 75 disposed therebetween. For this reason, it is possible to ensure moisture resistance without providing a sealing structure on the electrophoretic display panel 71 side.

(Sixth embodiment)
Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The electrophoretic display device 80 according to the present embodiment includes an electrophoretic display panel 78 including an element substrate 77 having a size in plan view that is substantially the same as that of the surface protection substrate 72 and the electrophoretic sheet 3. . The electrophoretic display panel 78 is fixed to the casing 76 together with the surface protection substrate 72 bonded to the transparent substrate 30 via the adhesive layer 41.

  The casing 76 is provided with a groove portion 76 b that can fit not only the surface protection substrate 72 but also the element substrate 77, and supports the electrophoretic display panel 78 from the back side of the element substrate 77. . The depth t1 of the groove 76b is a dimension corresponding to the thickness of the surface protection substrate 72, the electrophoretic display panel 78, and the like.

  The electrophoretic display panel 78 is fixed in the groove 76 b of the housing 76 together with the integrated surface protection substrate 72 through a sealing material 79 disposed between the peripheral portions of the element substrate 77 and the surface protection substrate 72. Has been. In this fixed state, the periphery of the electrophoretic sheet 3 is sealed with a sealing material 79.

  According to the present embodiment, since the sealing structure is not provided on the electrophoretic display panel 78 side, the same effect as the previous embodiment can be obtained. Further, in this embodiment, the sealing structure of the electrophoretic sheet 3 is secured by directly fixing the surface protection substrate 72 and the element substrate 77 made of tempered glass to the casing 76 via the sealing material 79. It has a configuration. For this reason, even if the electrophoretic display panel 78 side does not have a moisture-proof structure, a good moisture-proof property for the electrophoretic sheet 3 can be ensured.

  Furthermore, since the rigidity of the electrophoretic display panel 78 itself is increased by supporting the element substrate 77 with the housing 76, warping deformation of the electrophoretic display panel 78 can be prevented. As a result, the surface pressing strength from the surface protection substrate 72 side is also improved, so that the panel can be prevented from being greatly bent when the electrophoretic display device 80 is applied to a touch panel or the like.

(Seventh embodiment)
Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The electrophoretic display device 90 of the present embodiment includes an electrophoretic display panel 91 having a sealing structure.
The electrophoretic display panel 91 includes a moisture-proof sheet 92 disposed on the transparent substrate 30 (the surface 30 a opposite to the element substrate 2) of the electrophoresis sheet 3, and between the moisture-proof sheet 92 and the peripheral portion of the element substrate 2. The periphery of the electrophoretic sheet 3 is sealed with the disposed sealing material 93 (second sealing material). The outer peripheral end of the electrophoretic display panel 91 is further sealed with a sealing material 94 (first sealing material). The sealing material 94 covers the bonding end surfaces of the members such as the element substrate 2, the sealing material 93, the moisture-proof sheet 92, and the adhesive layer 41.

  The electrophoretic display panel 91 having such a sealing structure is accommodated in the housing 76, and the peripheral portion of the surface protection substrate 72 integrated with the electrophoretic display panel 91 is grooved in the housing 76 by the adhesive 44. It is fixed to 76a.

  According to the present embodiment, since the electrophoretic display panel 91 has a double moisture-proof structure, a more excellent moisture-proof effect can be obtained with respect to the electrophoretic layer 31, and an electrophoretic display device with high reliability. 90 is obtained.

(Eighth embodiment)
Next, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The electrophoretic display device 101 according to the present embodiment includes an element substrate 77 having a size in plan view substantially the same as that of the surface protection substrate 72, and a double sealing structure is formed by the sealing materials 93 and 94. The electrophoretic display panel 111 is provided.
In the electrophoretic display panel 111, the element substrate 77 is fixed and held in the groove 76 b of the housing 76 together with the surface protection substrate 72 provided on the display surface side.

  According to the present embodiment, not only the surface protection substrate 72 but also the element substrate 77 of the electrophoretic display panel 111 is fixed to the casing 76, thereby preventing not only the surface protection substrate 72 but also the element substrate 77 from warping. Therefore, destruction of the electrophoretic display panel 111 can be prevented.

  The preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples, and the above embodiments may be combined. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that it belongs to.

  For example, by making the thermal expansion coefficient of the surface protection substrate made of tempered glass equal to the thermal expansion coefficient of the element substrate, it becomes possible to cancel warpage deformation of the electrophoretic display panel. It is possible to prevent warpage and deformation of the electrophoretic display panel itself even in an environment where the temperature changes drastically.

(Electronics)
Next, the case where the electrophoretic display device 1 of the above embodiment is applied to an electronic device will be described.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the PDA 100 (electronic device).
The PDA 100 includes a display unit 120 in a main body 130. The display unit 120 includes any one of the electrophoretic display devices 1, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 101 according to the above-described embodiment, and is connected to a control / arithmetic unit housed inside the main body 130. An operation image and other information are displayed. An input device 110 having an ultrasonic sensor unit (not shown) is installed on the outer periphery of the main body 130. The input device 110 detects, for example, the position, shape, and speed of a human hand, finger, input pen, and the like using an ultrasonic sensor unit, outputs signals corresponding to them, and inputs them to the PDA 100.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the electronic paper 1100. The electronic paper 1100 includes any one of the electrophoretic display devices 1, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 101 of the above embodiment in the display area 1101. The electronic paper 1100 is flexible and includes a main body 1102 made of a rewritable sheet having the same texture and flexibility as conventional paper.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the electronic notebook 1200. An electronic notebook 1200 is obtained by bundling a plurality of the electronic papers 1100 and sandwiching them between covers 1201. The cover 1201 includes display data input means (not shown) for inputting display data sent from an external device, for example. Thereby, according to the display data, the display content can be changed or updated while the electronic paper is bundled.

  According to the PDA 100, the electronic paper 1100, and the electronic notebook 1200, any one of the electrophoretic display devices 1, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 101 according to the present invention is employed. The electronic device includes a display portion with excellent reliability that can maintain display quality over a period.

  In addition, said electronic device illustrates the electronic device which concerns on this invention, Comprising: The technical scope of this invention is not limited. For example, any one of the electrophoretic display devices 1, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 101 according to the present invention is preferably used for a display unit of an electronic device such as a mobile phone or a portable audio device. Can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,40,50,60,70,80,90,101 ... Electrophoretic display apparatus, 2,74,77 ... Element board | substrate, 3 ... Electrophoresis sheet, 5 ... Display area | region 10,52,71,78,91 111 ... Electrophoretic display panel, 12 ... Surface protection substrate, 13 ... Support plate, 14, 51 ... Sealing material, 15 ... Buffer material, 16 ... Frame member (sealing material), 31 ... Electrophoresis layer, 72 ... Surface protective substrate, 76 ... casing, 75, 79, 94 ... sealing material (first sealing material), 92 ... moisture-proof sheet, 93 ... sealing material (second sealing material), 100 ... PDA ( Electronic equipment), 1100 ... electronic paper (electronic equipment), 1200 ... electronic notebook (electronic equipment)

Claims (9)

An electrophoretic display panel having an electrophoretic layer in the display region of the element substrate;
A surface protective substrate and a support plate made of tempered glass and sandwiching the electrophoretic display panel;
An electrophoretic display comprising: a sealing material provided so as to surround an outer periphery of the electrophoretic display panel, and sealing the electrophoretic layer between the surface protection substrate and the support plate. apparatus. The electrophoretic display device according to claim 1, wherein a buffer material is disposed between the sealing material and the electrophoretic display panel. The sealing material is disposed between the element substrate and the surface protection substrate;
The electrophoretic display device according to claim 1, wherein a buffer material is disposed outside the sealing material and between the surface protection substrate and the support plate. The electrophoretic display device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing material is made of tempered glass. An electrophoretic layer bonded to the display area of the element substrate;
A surface protective substrate made of tempered glass and disposed on the electrophoretic layer;
A first seal is disposed between the element substrate and the surface protective substrate so as to surround the electrophoretic layer and seals the electrophoretic layer between the element substrate and the surface protective substrate. A sealing material;
An electrophoretic display device comprising: a housing that holds the surface protection substrate and surrounds an outer peripheral portion of the electrophoretic layer. The size in plan view of the element substrate is substantially the same size as the surface protection substrate,
6. The electrophoretic display device according to claim 5, wherein the element substrate is held in the casing together with the surface protection substrate. A moisture-proof sheet on the surface of the electrophoretic layer opposite to the element substrate side;
The electrophoretic display device according to claim 5, wherein the electrophoretic layer is sealed with a second sealing material disposed between the moisture-proof sheet and the element substrate. The electrophoretic display device according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive layer disposed between the surface protection substrate and the electrophoretic layer has elasticity.   An electronic apparatus comprising the electrophoretic display device according to claim 1.

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