JP3797007B2 - Liquid crystal device and electronic device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device and an electronic apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a display using a liquid crystal device has been mainly a transmissive liquid crystal device provided with a backlight as a light source. However, in liquid crystal devices mainly used in portable electronic devices, it is necessary to reduce power consumption, and there is a limit to transmissive liquid crystal devices that require a backlight. Has been done.
[0003]
Since this reflection type liquid crystal device uses natural light from the outside as a light source, it can achieve a significant reduction in power consumption. On the other hand, since a clear display cannot be obtained in a dark place, a front light has recently been used. A reflection type liquid crystal device equipped with the same has been announced.
[0004]
The reflective liquid crystal device provided with the front light may be turned on / off according to the brightness of the place of use, and the power consumption of the portable electronic device equipped with the reflective liquid crystal device can be reduced. The battery can be driven for a long time because the battery is not reduced wastefully.
[0005]
Here, an example of a conventional front light will be described with reference to FIG. A light guide plate 620 is provided on the front surface of the liquid crystal panel P, light from the cold cathode tubes 640 attached to the side portions thereof is guided by the light guide plate 620, and the uneven pattern provided on the liquid crystal panel P side of the light guide plate 620 By 600, light is emitted in the direction of the liquid crystal panel P. The liquid crystal panel P is configured as a reflective display body having a reflecting plate, and can be visually recognized in a dark place by being illuminated with the emitted light L.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the above-described front light has various problems as described below. First, since the light guide plate is thick, the light reflected from the liquid crystal panel is absorbed by the light guide plate, the light transmittance is lowered, and the display becomes dark. Secondly, the unevenness pattern of the prism sheet formed to define the light emission direction is visible from the viewer's side, so the visibility of the display is reduced. Third, when the front light is turned on, not only the light reflected from the liquid crystal panel reaches the viewer, but there is also light that leaks from the cold cathode tube via the light guide plate. Decreases.
[0007]
Furthermore, when an illumination device comprising a cold cathode tube and a light guide plate is used, it becomes difficult to make the brightness of the display area uniform, and the cold cathode tube is attached to the side of the liquid crystal panel, so that the entire device becomes large. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the size. Further, since the power consumption when the lamp is lit is large, there is a limit to reducing the power consumption. That is, when mounted on a portable electronic device, it cannot be used continuously for a long time due to the problem of power consumption.
[0008]
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal device provided with illumination means capable of ensuring the visibility of a display body even in a dark place, and an electronic device including the liquid crystal device.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A liquid crystal device disclosed in the present application includes a liquid crystal panel in which liquid crystal is sandwiched between a pair of substrates, and an illuminating unit having a light emitting portion formed by sandwiching a light emitting layer between a pair of electrodes.
[0010]
With such a configuration, it becomes possible to arrange the light emitting portions constituting the illumination means on the surface of the liquid crystal panel in a planar and uniform manner, and the illumination efficiency can be increased.
[0011]
In addition, the light emitting portion constituting the illumination means is arranged and formed in a predetermined pattern on the support plate.
[0012]
Thereby, since the illumination means can be configured independently of the liquid crystal panel, the liquid crystal panel to be combined can be manufactured by a manufacturing method similar to the conventional one. Further, the arrangement of the light emitting portions can be freely set, and the display quality can be improved.
[0013]
Furthermore, the reflective liquid crystal panel is provided with a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix, and the light emitting part forming the illumination means is a part between the pixel electrodes and the pixel electrodes as viewed from the display observation surface It is desirable to be arranged in.
[0014]
According to this, since the light emitting layer is provided in a portion that does not contribute to display originally, a bright display can be obtained without reducing the aperture ratio, and when the illumination means is provided on the viewing side of the liquid crystal panel, The light emitting layer can also be used as a black mask.
[0015]
The illuminating means may be provided on a display observation side surface of the liquid crystal panel, and a low reflection means may be provided on the display viewing side of the illuminating means.
[0016]
As a result, it is possible to prevent the light incident from the outside from being reflected by the electrode or the like forming the light emitting portion and reducing the contrast.
[0017]
Furthermore, it is possible to divide and form the light emission part which comprises the said illumination means in the several area | region which each exhibits a different luminescent color.
[0018]
According to this, for example, when a reflective liquid crystal panel which is a monochrome display when performing display by reflection of external light without having a color filter, different color tones such as red, blue, and green are provided for each pixel by the illumination unit. By irradiating the light, color display can be performed during illumination.
[0019]
In the case where the liquid crystal panel is a reflective color liquid crystal panel having a color filter, the light emission color of the light emitting unit is arranged so as to correspond to the transmission color of the color filter provided in each pixel to be illuminated. It is also possible.
[0020]
Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently illuminate and display a clearer color at the time of illumination than when the external light is reflected.
[0021]
Further, it is desirable that a light transmissive member is formed between the support plate on which the illumination unit is formed and a constituent member of the liquid crystal panel facing the support plate.
[0022]
Thereby, while protecting a light emission part, the excess interface reflection in the support plate which comprises a liquid crystal panel surface and an illumination means can be suppressed.
[0023]
Furthermore, a touch sensor function can be provided on the support plate constituting the illumination means.
[0024]
Conventionally, another support substrate provided with electrodes for the touch sensor had to be attached to the surface of the liquid crystal panel. However, the support plate constituting the illumination means and the electrode constituting the light emitting unit were attached to the touch sensor. Therefore, it is possible to provide a lighting device with a touch sensor that can reduce the cost of materials.
[0025]
Furthermore, it is desirable that the light emitting layer constituting the light emitting part is composed of organic electroluminescence (hereinafter referred to as organic EL).
[0026]
The organic EL is excellent in power consumption because it can emit light with a direct current low voltage, and since it is possible to form a fine pattern of the light emitting portion by various methods in patterning, It is a light emitting element that is very suitable for the purpose of realizing the illumination means.
[0027]
In an electronic apparatus provided with the liquid crystal device of the present invention as a display, it is possible to perform display with low power consumption and good visibility by using it as a reflection type in a bright place, while it is dark by using illumination means. A bright and clear display can be obtained without degrading visibility even at a place.
[0028]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0029]
FIG. 1 shows an example of a configuration of a liquid crystal device to which the present invention is applied, which is a combination of a single polarizing plate type liquid crystal display method and an active matrix drive using TFTs. 1A is a plan view, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line HH ′ of FIG.
[0030]
First, the configuration of the reflective liquid crystal panel 320 will be described.
[0031]
On the upper surface of the lower substrate 210A, pixel electrodes 220A having a substantially square shape that also serves as a reflector made of Al (aluminum) or the like are arranged vertically and horizontally in a matrix, and in the lattice-like portions where the pixel electrodes 220A are not formed. The scanning lines and the data lines (not shown) are arranged so as to intersect each other vertically and horizontally. Although not shown, thin film transistors (hereinafter referred to as TFTs) are formed near the intersections of the scanning lines and the data lines, and the pixel electrodes 220A are connected to the drain electrodes of the TFTs. Yes. Further, the data line is connected to the source electrode of the TFT, and the scanning line is connected to the gate electrode, and the voltage applied to the pixel electrode is controlled by each TFT.
[0032]
The upper substrate 160 is a transparent glass substrate, and a color filter 170 is formed on the surface of the upper substrate 160 on the liquid crystal side. A transparent electrode 180 made of ITO is formed on the color filter 170 over the entire display area. Yes.
[0033]
In this case, the pixel electrode also functions as a reflector, but the metal used there may be a metal having high reflectivity such as Ni (nickel), Cr (chromium), or an alloy thereof in addition to Al. It ’s fine. In addition to the pixel electrode, a reflection plate made of a metal such as Al, Ni, or Cr can be provided on the surface of the pixel electrode. Further, the pixel electrode may be a transparent electrode made of ITO or the like, and the lower substrate may be a transparent glass substrate, and one reflection plate may be provided on the back side (lower side in the figure) of the lower substrate 210A. In the case of monochrome display, the color filter 170 is not necessary.
[0034]
After forming the color filter and the electrode as described above on each substrate, an alignment film made of polyimide is formed, and an alignment process is performed in a predetermined direction. Thereafter, the surfaces on which the electrodes are formed face each other and are bonded together with the sealant 200 while maintaining a predetermined gap, and the liquid crystal 190A is sandwiched between the lower substrate 210A and the upper substrate 160. Here, the liquid crystal material and the alignment direction thereof are selected under the condition that only one polarizing plate is used as disclosed in JP-A-3-223715.
[0035]
Further, a retardation plate 150 and a polarizing plate 140 are formed on the outer surface of the upper substrate 160. Note that a plurality of retardation plates 150 may be provided as necessary, or a configuration in which a retardation plate is not provided may be used. It is also possible to arrange a phase difference plate having a different phase difference depending on display characteristics, a phase difference plate for compensating the viewing angle, and the like.
[0036]
The reflective liquid crystal panel 320 is configured as described above.
[0037]
Next, the illumination unit 310 will be described.
[0038]
In the present embodiment, a glass support plate 120 having a thickness of 0.2 mm is disposed above the liquid crystal panel, and the light emitting unit 100 formed of organic EL on the inner surface (lower surface in the drawing) of the support plate 120. Is formed. The light emitting unit 100 is formed in a lattice shape in a portion corresponding to each pixel of the liquid crystal panel, that is, in the case of an active matrix type, in a portion overlapping the data lines and the scanning lines when the liquid crystal panel is viewed from above. To do. Preferably, the light emitting portion is formed so as not to overlap the pixel electrode when the liquid crystal panel is visually recognized. With this configuration, a reflective area can be secured without narrowing the display area, so that a bright reflective liquid crystal device can be obtained.
[0039]
The illuminating means 310 configured as described above has the surface on which the light emitting unit 100 is formed and the polarizing plate 140 facing each other and bonded together with an adhesive 130, and transmits light to a portion sandwiched between the support plate 120 and the polarizing plate 140. A sex member 110 is formed. The light transmissive member 110 emits light by the purpose of preventing reflection of external light on the surfaces of the support plate 120 and the polarizing plate 140 and by adsorbing moisture to the light emitting unit 100 formed of an organic EL described later. It is used for the purpose of preventing the life from being lost. Therefore, it is desirable that the material has a refractive index of about 1.5, which is the same as that of the glass substrate forming the support plate, and does not transmit moisture. For example, an epoxy resin can be used.
[0040]
When the liquid crystal panel is a small size of about 2 inches diagonal or less, or when strong adhesive strength is not required between the lighting device 310 and the liquid crystal panel 320, the light transmitting resin 110 is used without using the adhesive 130. It is also possible to fix the lighting device 310 to the liquid crystal panel 320.
[0041]
Here, an example of the pattern of the light emitting unit 100 is shown in FIGS. These figures are those when the liquid crystal device of this embodiment is viewed from the display observation surface.
[0042]
FIG. 3 shows an example in the case of forming the light emitting unit 100 that emits the same color light. Reference numeral 500 denotes a unit pixel formed on the liquid crystal panel 320, and reference numeral 510 denotes the light emitting unit 100 formed on the illumination unit 310. It is a pattern. FIG. 3A shows a case where the light emitting portions are provided in all of the grid-like regions between the pixels. According to such arrangement of the light emitting portion, the irradiation efficiency becomes the highest, and the display surface becomes brightest when the illumination means is used. On the other hand, when the display is viewed from an oblique direction, the light emitting portion and the pixel electrode overlap. As a result, the substantial area of the pixel opening is reduced, and the visibility when the display is viewed may be impaired by reflection of external light.
[0043]
FIG. 3B shows a case where the light emitting portions are provided in vertical stripes, and FIG. 3C shows a case where every other light stripe is provided in vertical stripes. Even with such an arrangement of the light emitting portions, it is possible to secure sufficient brightness to obtain visibility in a dark place, and it is possible to reduce the area of the light emitting portions as compared with the case of FIG. Therefore, even when viewing the display from an oblique direction, the aperture area of the pixel does not decrease and the visibility is not impaired.
[0044]
Further, although not shown in the drawings, the light emitting portions 100 may be formed to be scattered in the above-described formation regions. Although the vertical stripe pattern has been described, it goes without saying that the same applies to the horizontal stripe pattern. What is necessary is just to determine the pattern shape of a light emission part so that a sufficiently bright display can be obtained from the relationship between allowable power consumption and display quality.
[0045]
Although the case where the light emitting unit emits a single light emission color has been described above, the light emission color of the light emitting unit can be changed for each minute region. For example, a combination of a monochrome reflective liquid crystal display that does not use a color filter and illumination means having several types of light emitting parts with different emission colors, and when viewing the display by reflecting external light, the liquid crystal display device is in a bright monochrome state. When the display is viewed using an illumination device with a dark surrounding, it is possible to perform color display using red, blue, and green illuminations that are distributed for each pixel. In addition, when a color filter is formed on each pixel so that a color display is achieved even when viewing the display by reflection of external light, the emission color is adjusted according to the color tone displayed by each pixel, that is, the transmitted color of the color filter. By arranging different light emitting units, it is possible to display a more vivid color during illumination.
[0046]
FIG. 4 (a) shows an embodiment in the case where a light emitting section exhibiting a plurality of emission colors is provided. The figure shows the liquid crystal panel viewed from the display observation surface, and the color filter is formed in a vertical stripe shape. In the figure, R, G, and B indicate pixels on which red, green, and blue color filters are formed, respectively. Reference numeral 520 denotes a light emitting part forming region made of an organic EL exhibiting red, 530 denotes a light emitting part forming region made of an organic EL exhibiting green, and 540 denotes a light emitting part forming region made of an organic EL exhibiting blue.
[0047]
FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. In the pixel in which the red color filter 170R is arranged, a light emitting unit 100R that emits red light is arranged. In this way, if the color tone of the color filter corresponding to the pixel and the light emission color of the light emitting unit are the same, when illuminated, not only display with a clearer color tone than when viewed with external light reflection is possible, but also the light emitted. Since light is efficiently used for illumination, it is advantageous for reducing power consumption.
[0048]
FIG. 2A shows a specific structure example of the light emitting unit 100. The low reflection layer 103 made of Cr oxide is formed on the support plate 120 with a thickness of 100 Å to 1000 Å, and the first electrode 102 made of an Al—Li alloy has a thickness of 300 Å to 2000 Å, and the organic EL layer 101. Has a thickness of 1500 angstroms to 10,000 angstroms, and a second electrode 104 made of ITO is laminated with a thickness of 1000 angstroms to 3000 angstroms to form the light emitting portion 100. Here, the Al—Li alloy electrode 102 serving as the first electrode also serves as a reflector for directing all the light emitted isotropically from the organic EL layer 101 toward the liquid crystal panel.
[0049]
The low reflective layer 103 and the first electrode 102 are formed by forming a film of Cr oxide or Al—Li alloy by sputtering or the like and patterning it by a photolithography process. The organic EL layer 101 that actually contributes to light emission is formed on the first electrode by a mask vapor deposition method or an ink jet method in which a droplet-shaped organic EL material is ejected from a minute nozzle to form a pattern. The second electrode 104 made of ITO can be formed by patterning using a mask vapor deposition method.
[0050]
The low reflection layer 103 is formed for the purpose of preventing the contrast from being lowered due to the light incident from the support plate 120 being reflected by the first electrode 102. Therefore, the low reflection layer 103 can be omitted when the contrast reduction due to external light reflection at the first electrode is not a problem because the light emitting portion pattern area is small.
[0051]
In order to prevent the second electrode and the first electrode from being electrically short-circuited due to the pattern shift, the pattern cross-sectional shape usually covers the first electrode 102 with the organic EL layer 101 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the second electrode 104 is made thinner than the first electrode 102 or the organic EL layer 101 as shown in FIG. Here, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the first electrode 102 is covered with the organic EL layer 101, the second electrode 104 is not necessarily patterned. For example, the second electrode is formed on the entire surface of the support substrate 120. It is also possible to do.
[0052]
By applying a predetermined voltage between the first electrode 102 and the second electrode 104, the organic EL layer 101 sandwiched therebetween emits light. In the case of the organic EL, the magnitude of the voltage necessary for obtaining the necessary illuminance is about 2 to 10 V in direct current.
[0053]
When an organic material that can be formed into droplets such as a polymer material is used as the organic EL layer, the organic EL layer can be formed by an inkjet method. According to this, even when a light emitting part that emits a lattice pattern or a plurality of different emission colors is formed, the light emitting part 100 can be formed relatively easily. For example, in the case of a lattice pattern as shown in FIG. 3A, the mask vapor deposition method cannot form a pattern by a single vapor deposition, but it is easy according to the direct drawing of the organic EL material by the ink jet method. A complicated pattern can be formed. In addition, even when a light emitting portion that develops red, green, or blue as shown in FIG. 4 is selectively formed, a light emitting portion having a different emission color for each place can be easily formed by applying the ink jet method. At this time, for example, each light emitting layer 101 can be formed using cyanopolyphenylene vinylene as a red light emitting material, polyphenylene vinylene as a green light emitting material, and polyphenylene vinylene and alkylphenylene as a blue light emitting material.
[0054]
Even in the case of using a plurality of light emitting materials, the first electrode and the second electrode can be used in common, so that the formation process other than the organic EL layer is the same as in the case of a single color. As described above, the second electrode, which is a transparent electrode, can be formed over the entire surface of the support plate if attention is paid to an electrical short circuit with the first electrode.
[0055]
The configuration of the liquid crystal device of the present embodiment has been described above. Hereinafter, a method for using the illumination unit in the liquid crystal device of the present embodiment will be described.
[0056]
In the liquid crystal device of this embodiment, normally, without using illumination means, only the liquid crystal panel is driven to make the display visible using outside light such as natural light, and the surroundings become dark and display is obtained with sufficient brightness. If not, the lighting means is turned on for use.
[0057]
In FIG. 2, when the switch of the illumination unit is turned on, a voltage is applied between the first electrode 102 constituting the light emitting unit 100 and the second electrode 104, and colored light is emitted from the light emitting layer 101 made of organic EL. Here, the light is emitted isotropically from the light emitting layer 101, but the first electrode formed on the viewer side also serves as a reflector, so the light emitted to the first electrode side is reflected there. As a result, most of the light is emitted substantially downward.
[0058]
Here, as shown in FIG. 1B, when the illumination device 310 is mounted on the reflective liquid crystal panel 320, the emitted light is transmitted into the liquid crystal panel if the liquid crystal transmits light (white display). Is reflected by the pixel electrode 220A that also serves as a reflector, passes through a transparent support plate that forms the liquid crystal panel and the illumination device 310, and reaches the observer. If the liquid crystal is in a light-shielded state (black display), the light emitted from the illumination device is blocked by the liquid crystal panel and does not reach the observer.
[0059]
As mentioned above, although this invention was concretely demonstrated based on embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment.
[0060]
For example, the embodiment described the liquid crystal device in which only one polarizing plate is disposed, but two polarizing plates are disposed so as to sandwich the liquid crystal panel, and a reflector is provided outside the polarizing plate on the back surface side. A liquid crystal device can also be used.
[0061]
In addition, a liquid crystal panel having a configuration without using a polarizing plate can be used. That is, a liquid crystal panel in which a composite layer composed of a liquid crystal and a polymer is sandwiched between a pair of substrates does not require a polarizing plate, and display can be performed according to a light transmission state and a light scattering state.
[0062]
Further, it can be used for a GH type (guest host type) reflective liquid crystal liquid crystal display device using a dichroic dye.
[0063]
FIG. 5 shows an example of a configuration in which the present invention is applied to a two-polarizing plate type liquid crystal device using a reflective STN method. In this embodiment, a monochrome type in which the liquid crystal panel does not include a color filter is illustrated.
[0064]
In FIG. 5, a polarizing plate 230 is bonded to the back surface (lower surface in the figure) of the transparent lower substrate 210B, a reflecting plate 240 is bonded to the polarizing plate 230, and the liquid crystal side surface of the lower substrate 210B is made of ITO or the like. A transparent electrode 220B patterned in a stripe shape is arranged. On the other hand, on the liquid crystal side of the transparent upper substrate 160, a stripe-shaped transparent electrode 180 made of ITO and patterned in a direction perpendicular to the transparent electrode 220B provided on the lower substrate is formed. An alignment film made of polyimide (not shown) is formed on the innermost portion of each substrate and subjected to an alignment treatment. Nematic liquid crystal 190B having a positive dielectric anisotropy is adjusted and injected between the two substrates 160 and 210B so as to be stable in a state of being twisted by about 270 degrees. On the front side (upper surface in the drawing) of the upper substrate 160, a phase difference plate 150 for phase compensation and a polarizing plate 140 are installed. The illumination device 310 including the support plate 120 and the light emitting unit 100 is installed thereon.
[0065]
The light emitted from the illuminating means enters and is reflected as indicated by arrows in FIG. 5, and display is performed with transmission and absorption controlled by the liquid crystal and the polarizing plate. For this reason, in the above-described embodiment, the pixel electrode 220A also serves as a reflective electrode, but in this embodiment, the electrode 220B is a transparent electrode and a striped electrode. The lower substrate 210B is also formed as a transparent substrate.
[0066]
In this case, as the color exhibited by the light emitting unit 100, various colors such as a green system and a red system can be used in addition to a color close to white. At the time of illumination, the display is visually recognized by the combination of black due to light absorption and the light emission color of the light emitting portion.
[0067]
6 and 7 show other examples of the configuration of the liquid crystal device to which the present invention is applied.
The configuration of the liquid crystal device shown in this embodiment is almost the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 5, and only the formation position of the illumination means is different. Therefore, the description of the formation other than the illumination means is omitted.
[0068]
In FIG. 6, the light emitting unit 100 is formed in a predetermined pattern on the back surface of the liquid crystal panel (lower substrate 210B). In this embodiment, the lower substrate 210B is also used as a support plate. The lower substrate 210B and the polarizing plate 230 are bonded together with a sealing material, and the light transmissive member 110 is formed inside to constitute an illumination means. The light emitted from the illuminating means first enters the polarizing plate 230, is reflected by the reflecting plate 240, passes through the polarizing plate 230 again, and enters the liquid crystal. This light is controlled by the liquid crystal and the polarizing plate on the emission side to display.
[0069]
In FIG. 7, illumination means is provided between the pixel electrodes 220B formed on the lower substrate 210B. Such a structure is made possible by forming the light emitting unit 100 in the manufacturing process of the lower substrate 210B. In this case, the light emitting unit 100 is made of SiO. ₂ It is desirable to be isolated from the liquid crystal or the like by a protective layer 250 such as for ensuring reliability. The light emitted from the illuminating means is reflected by the reflecting plate 240 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7, and is displayed by being controlled by the liquid crystal and the polarizing plate.
[0070]
According to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the light path from when the light is emitted from the organic EL light emitting layer to reach the observer is shorter than that of the embodiment shown in FIG. Can be suppressed, and a bright display can be obtained. In addition, since there is no illumination device on the surface of the liquid crystal panel, there is no deterioration of display when displaying by normal external light reflection.
[0071]
Some examples of the location of the light emitting part have been shown, but when combined with a liquid crystal panel using a polarizing plate, the important thing is that the light emitted from the light emitting part is polarized once before entering the liquid crystal layer. The polarizing plate and the light emitting part are arranged so as to be in a state.
[0072]
Here, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the light emitting layer 101 is bonded to the support plate 120 via the first electrode 102 or the low reflection layer 103. For example, when an illumination unit is provided above the liquid crystal panel, The light emitting layer 101 may be formed in a predetermined pattern on the outer surface of the polarizing plate via the second electrode 104, and the first electrode 102 and the low reflection layer 103 may be further formed in a predetermined pattern thereon. In this case, it is not necessary to use a support plate, but in order to protect the organic EL layer forming the light emitting portion from moisture or the like, it is necessary to form a protective film on the surface separately.
[0073]
FIG. 8 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a liquid crystal device provided with a touch panel. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the configuration of the capacitive touch panel and the illumination means.
[0074]
In the liquid crystal device including the touch panel of this embodiment, the entire upper surface of the illumination unit, that is, the surface of the support 120 is uniformly covered with a transparent conductive film 810 having a predetermined surface resistance value that serves as a touch position detection element. The transparent conductive film 810 and a flexible printed circuit board (touch position detection circuit) 820 having a detection circuit are electrically connected via a plurality of electrode terminals 830. A protective film may be formed on the surface of the transparent conductive film. A frame-shaped portion 840 having an opening of a predetermined size is provided on the exterior case of the device, and an inner portion thereof becomes a touch region 850 that is exposed to the outside. When an arbitrary point on the touch region 850 is touched with a finger or the like, the transparent conductive film 810 is grounded through the capacitance of the human body at the touched point, and a resistance value between each electrode terminal 830 and the ground line. Changes. This change is detected by the touch position detection circuit 820, and a point (coordinates) on the display screen is thereby input.
[0075]
For example, as described above, the light emitting unit 100 is provided on the front side of the substrate constituting the liquid crystal panel, and the transparent electrode plate for forming the second electrode is provided as one transparent electrode on the entire display region. Thus, the transparent conductive film 810 can be substituted for the transparent electrode plate of the light emitting unit 100.
[0076]
FIG. 9 shows an example of an electronic apparatus provided with the liquid crystal device of the present invention. It is a reflective PDA (Personal Digital Assistant, portable information terminal) provided with the liquid crystal device of the present invention as a display.
[0077]
Reference numeral 700 denotes a PDA main body, and a display 710 is provided in front of the PDA main body, and the display 710 includes the liquid crystal device according to the present invention. When this PDA is used at night or in a dark room, the illumination device made of organic EL is activated by turning on the switch of the illumination device, and a bright and clear display can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a liquid crystal device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a light emitting unit made of organic EL.
FIG. 3 is a formation pattern diagram of a light emitting portion that emits the same color light.
FIG. 4 is a formation pattern diagram of a plurality of light emitting portions that emit different color lights.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a two-polarizing plate type liquid crystal device showing an outline of the illumination means of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another two polarizing plate type liquid crystal device showing an outline of the illumination means of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of another two polarizing plate type liquid crystal device showing an outline of the illumination means of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the configuration of a capacitive touch panel and illumination means.
FIG. 9 is a plan view of an electronic apparatus (PDA) including the liquid crystal device of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional front panel.
[Explanation of symbols]
100 light emitting part
101 Organic EL layer
102 Metal electrode (first electrode)
103 Low reflection layer
104 Transparent electrode (second electrode)
110 Light transmissive member
120 Support plate
130 Adhesive
140 Polarizing plate
150 retardation plate
160 Upper substrate (transparent glass substrate)
170 Color filter
180 Transparent electrode
190A, 190B liquid crystal
200 Sealing material
210A Lower substrate
210B Lower substrate (transparent glass substrate)
220A Pixel electrode (reflection electrode)
220B Pixel electrode (transparent electrode)
230 Polarizing plate
240 reflector
250 protective layer
310 Illumination means
320 LCD panel
500 unit pixel
510 Light-Emitting Section Formation Area

Claims (11)

A reflection type liquid crystal panel in which a liquid crystal is sandwiched between a pair of substrates, and an illuminating unit having a light emitting section formed by sandwiching a light emitting layer between the pair of substrates,
The liquid crystal panel has a plurality of pixels,
The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the illuminating unit includes a light emitting unit including organic electroluminescence elements that are arranged and arranged in each of the plurality of pixels, and each of which has a different emission color. A reflection type liquid crystal panel in which a liquid crystal is sandwiched between a pair of substrates, and an illuminating unit having a light emitting section formed by sandwiching a light emitting layer between the pair of substrates,
The liquid crystal panel has a plurality of pixels, and a plurality of color elements of a color filter are respectively disposed in the plurality of pixels.
The illuminating means has a light emitting portion that is arranged and arranged in each of the plurality of pixels, each of which is composed of an organic electroluminescence element that exhibits a different emission color,
The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a light emission color of the organic electroluminescence element constituting the light emission unit is the same color tone as a transmission color of the color filter in a pixel corresponding to the light emission unit.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination unit is provided on a viewing side of the liquid crystal panel. A reflection type liquid crystal panel in which a liquid crystal is sandwiched between a pair of substrates, and an illuminating unit having a light emitting section formed by sandwiching a light emitting layer between the pair of substrates,
The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a light emitting portion of the illumination means is formed on a substrate opposite to the viewing side of the liquid crystal panel.   5. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 4, wherein the liquid crystal panel is provided with a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix, and the light emitting portion is disposed at a portion between the pixel electrodes. Liquid crystal device.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 5, wherein the light emitting unit is formed so as not to overlap the pixel electrode in a planar manner.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit is arranged in a predetermined pattern on a support plate constituting the illumination unit.   8. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a low reflection means is provided on a viewing side of the light emitting unit. 9.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a light transmissive member is formed between the illumination unit and the liquid crystal panel.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a touch sensor function is provided on a support plate constituting the illumination unit.   11. An electronic device, wherein the liquid crystal device according to claim 1 is fixed at a predetermined position of the device body to form a display device.

Images