JP4442679B2 - Liquid crystal device and electronic device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device and an electronic apparatus having a viewing angle control function for switching between a wide viewing angle viewing state and a narrow viewing angle viewing state.

  Currently, liquid crystal devices are widely used in electronic devices such as mobile phones, portable information terminals, computer displays, and the like. For example, a liquid crystal device is used to display various types of information regarding electronic devices as images. For this liquid crystal device, a wide viewing angle characteristic may be required, or a narrow viewing angle characteristic may be required.

  Wide viewing angle characteristics are required when many people view the display of a liquid crystal device from multiple directions. On the other hand, a narrow viewing angle characteristic is required when one user is looking at the display and does not want to be looked at by others, for example, when viewing the display on a mobile phone while there are many people. In order to meet this demand, conventionally, a liquid crystal device that can be used by switching between a wide viewing angle and a narrow viewing angle has been proposed.

  For example, a liquid crystal device in which a viewing angle control element formed of a liquid crystal panel is additionally provided on a display element such as a liquid crystal device is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 to Patent Document 5). In these liquid crystal devices, narrow viewing angle is achieved by darkening the display when the viewing angle control element is viewed from an inclined direction (that is, a direction having a large polar angle). In addition, as a technique for switching between a wide viewing angle and a narrow viewing angle, conventionally, two types of light sources having different light diffusibility or light directivity are provided in the backlight, and the wide viewing angle and the narrow viewing angle are changed by switching these light sources. What is switched is known.

  Furthermore, recently, the display pixel of a liquid crystal panel of a liquid crystal device having a horizontal electric field type operation mode represented by an IPS (In-Plain Switching) mode and an FFS (Fringe Field Switching) mode is driven by a vertical electric field. A liquid crystal device having a configuration incorporating a viewing angle control pixel has been proposed (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-361917 (pages 8-9, FIG. 10) JP 2005-275342 A (pages 10 to 11, FIG. 12) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-066482 (pages 10 to 11, FIG. 1) JP 2006-072239 A (pages 10 to 11, FIG. 1) JP 2006-106439 A (7th to 8th pages, FIG. 1) H.S. Jin et al. “Novel Viewing-Angle Controllable TFT-LCD”, SID (Society for Information Display) 06 DIGEST P-139

  In the liquid crystal device disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, image display performed in the horizontal electric field mode is limited to a narrow viewing angle or displayed with a wide viewing angle by switching the viewing angle control pixel between an on state and an off state. The viewing angle control is performed. This viewing angle control has an advantage in that it is not necessary to add a viewing angle compensation liquid crystal panel in addition to the display liquid crystal panel, and the viewing angle compensation can be performed with only one liquid crystal panel. However, in the above Non-Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide electrodes on each of a pair of substrates facing each other in order to form a vertical electric field in the viewing angle control pixel, and the electrode structure and the wiring structure are complicated for the pair of substrates. There was a problem that there was. In addition, there is a problem in that the occurrence of misalignment must be strictly regulated when a pair of substrates is attached.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and performs image display based on a horizontal electric field by a display pixel provided between a pair of substrates and a viewing angle by a viewing angle control pixel provided between the same substrates. To provide a liquid crystal device and an electronic apparatus that can simplify the electrode structure and the wiring structure of a pair of substrates and can increase the tolerance of assembly displacement between the pair of substrates. Objective.

A first liquid crystal device according to the present invention includes a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate, the first substrate, and the first substrate. A plurality of display pixels and a plurality of viewing angle control pixels which are arranged in a plane area of two substrates and constitute a display region, and each of the display pixels and the viewing angle control pixels is provided on the first substrate. The liquid crystal layer is driven by an electric field generated between the first electrode and the second electrode, and in the viewing angle control pixel, the planar direction of the electric field generated between the first electrode and the second electrode and the The initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer is substantially parallel, the first substrate has a first polarizing plate, the second substrate has a second polarizing plate, the first substrate and the second substrate. The liquid crystal alignment directions are antiparallel, the transmission axis of the first polarizing plate and the second polarizing plate Transmission axes are perpendicular to each other, the transmission axis of the transmission axis or the second polarization plate of the first polarizing plate Ri parallel der and the liquid crystal alignment direction, the colored film having a predetermined color is provided in the display pixel The viewing angle control pixel is provided with a colored film that is the same colored film as a colored film in one of the display pixels adjacent to the viewing angle control pixel and has a non-colored region in part. To do.

  According to the present invention, in a display pixel, a liquid crystal layer is driven by an electric field generated between a first electrode and a second electrode provided on a first substrate which is a common substrate, a so-called lateral electric field. For example, black display (that is, dark display) can be achieved when an off voltage is applied, and white display (that is, bright display) can be achieved when an on voltage is applied. A desired image can be displayed by applying an on-voltage to a desired display pixel. White display when an on-voltage is applied is based on alignment control of liquid crystal molecules based on a lateral electric field, and thus has a wide viewing angle characteristic. That is, the white display can be visually recognized even when viewed from the front and when viewed from a direction inclined greatly (that is, a direction having a large polar angle).

  On the other hand, in the viewing angle control pixel, the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules is set along the direction of the electric field parallel to the surface of the first substrate generated between the first electrode and the second electrode. In the viewing angle control pixel, since the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer and the extending direction of the electrode linear portion intersect, black display is possible even when viewed from the front direction or an oblique direction with a large polar angle when the off-voltage is applied. is there. On the other hand, when the on-voltage is applied, display characteristics remain black when viewed from the front, and display white at a specific polar angle position when viewed from the oblique direction. This is considered to be because, when the viewing angle control pixel is in the on-voltage application state, the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in the vertical direction between the substrates, not in the direction substantially parallel to the substrates.

  Based on the above, a wide viewing angle display can be realized by applying a turn-off voltage to the viewing angle control pixel during image display by applying scanning signals and data signals to a plurality of display pixels. it can. On the other hand, if the on-voltage is applied to the viewing angle control pixel during the wide viewing angle display based on the horizontal electric field mode by the display pixel, the image display by the display pixel can be viewed without any restriction in the front direction. Since the white display is performed by the viewing angle control pixel at a specific oblique position where the white display is performed by the viewing angle control pixel, the contrast of the display performed by the display pixel is lowered and the image display cannot be viewed. In this way, it is possible to realize a narrow viewing angle display in which the image display can be viewed from the front and the image display cannot be viewed from the lateral direction. By controlling the voltage applied to the viewing angle control pixel, it is possible to control the white display at the position in the oblique direction, so that the degree of the viewing angle in the oblique direction can be adjusted.

  As described above, according to the present invention, by switching or controlling the voltage application to the viewing angle control pixel between the off state and the on state, the display mode in the display area can be changed between the wide viewing angle display and the narrow viewing angle display. Can be switched. Such viewing angle control is obtained by the operation of the display pixel provided between the pair of substrates and the viewing angle control pixel, that is, obtained by one liquid crystal panel, and therefore, viewing angle control is performed using a plurality of liquid crystal panels. As compared with the conventional liquid crystal device, the liquid crystal device and the electronic apparatus using the liquid crystal device can be provided with a function of controlling the viewing angle while keeping the overall thickness thin.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the viewing angle control pixel also has a lateral electric field type electrode structure, that is, a structure in which a pair of electrodes are provided on one substrate, and is not a structure in which electrodes are provided on both of the pair of substrates. Therefore, the electrode structure and the wiring structure on the pair of substrates can be simplified, and the tolerance for misalignment between the pair of substrates can be increased. Therefore, the production of defective liquid crystal devices can be greatly reduced.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, it is desirable that the storage capacitor of the display pixel and the storage capacitor of the viewing angle control pixel are equal to each other. This configuration can be achieved, for example, by making the display pixel and the viewing angle control pixel have the same area where the common electrode and the pixel electrode overlap in a plane. With this configuration, the impedance of the display pixel and the viewing angle control pixel can be made equal, and drive control of both pixels can be easily performed.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, the liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer is a liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy, and one of the first electrode and the second electrode of the display pixel has a gap. The electrode linear portions extend in parallel with each other, and the extending direction of the electrode linear portions is within an inclination angle range of 0 ° to ± 45 ° with respect to the longitudinal direction of the display pixel. It is characterized by. According to the aspect of the present invention, when a positive liquid crystal is used as the liquid crystal, the electrode linear portion of the pixel electrode (and hence the adjacent groove-like gap) has a shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the display pixel, that is, a so-called vertical stripe shape. It prescribes.

  The longitudinal direction of the display pixel is, for example, the vertical direction of the display area, or the vertical direction with respect to the image displayed in the display area. The pixels constituting the display area are generally rectangular, but the vertical direction of the display area generally coincides with the longitudinal direction of the pixels. In addition, the display region is usually formed by a plurality of pixels (here, sub-pixels) arranged in a matrix in both the scanning direction, which is a pixel column direction to which a scanning signal is applied, and the sub-scanning direction orthogonal thereto. However, the longitudinal direction of the display pixel is generally the same direction as the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the scanning direction.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules is preferably 0 ° to 15 ° with respect to the extending direction of the electrode linear portion in the display pixel. With this configuration, liquid crystal molecules can be accurately driven by controlling the voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode in the display pixel.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, it is desirable that a color film of a predetermined color is provided in the display pixel, and no color film is provided in the viewing angle control pixel. If a colored film is provided in the display pixel, color image display can be performed by controlling the horizontal electric field mode using the display pixel. By not providing a colored film in the viewing angle control pixel, when the viewing angle control pixel is turned on, it is possible to visually recognize a bright display that is not displayed in color when the display region is viewed from a horizontal oblique direction having a large polar angle. This is advantageous in terms of reducing the contrast of the display of the image pixels of the display pixel viewed from an oblique direction during narrow viewing angle display.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention using a colored film, a plurality of display pixels constitute one pixel by a collection of sub-pixels of a plurality of colors, and a plurality of the one pixels are arranged to form a display region. It is desirable that one viewing angle control pixel is provided for each display pixel. This configuration is a configuration in which the number of viewing angle control pixels is relatively large with respect to the number of display pixels. This configuration is used when the image formed by the display pixels is bright, for example, when the NTSC ratio is small or the resolution is low. It is an effective configuration.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention in which a colored film is used, a plurality of display pixels constitute one set by a collection of pixels of a plurality of colors, and a plurality of the sets are arranged to form a display area. The viewing angle control pixels are preferably provided one by one for two or more sets of display pixels. This configuration is a configuration in which the number of viewing angle control pixels is smaller than the number of display pixels. This configuration is used when the image formed by the display pixels is dark, for example, when the NTSC ratio is large or the resolution is high definition. It is an effective configuration.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention in which the colored film is used, one pixel of the display pixel is composed of sub-pixels each having a plurality of colored films, and the sub-pixels are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the display pixel. Are arranged in a stripe arrangement in which the same color is arranged in the first direction and different colors are arranged in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the viewing angle control pixel is between one pixel of the display pixel and another pixel adjacent thereto in the second direction. It is desirable to be provided. According to this configuration, the arrangement structure of the plurality of display pixels and the plurality of viewing angle control pixels can be simplified. In addition, the aperture ratio can be maintained higher than the configuration in which the viewing angle control pixel is attached to each of the plurality of display pixels.

  It should be noted that colored regions such as a plurality of colors, R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are visible light amount regions (380 nm to 780 nm) in which the hue changes according to the wavelength, “R” is red. The colored region of the system hue, “G” is the colored region of the green hue, and “B” is the region composed of the colored region of the blue hue. For example, “B” is a colored region having a wavelength peak of 415 nm to 500 nm, “G” is a colored region having a wavelength peak of 485 nm to 535 nm, and “R” is a colored region having a wavelength peak of 600 nm or more. Of course, since the present invention does not limit the colored region, other arbitrary wavelength regions can be selected as necessary, and Y (yellow) other than R, G, and B can be selected as necessary. M (magenta), C (cyan), and (EG) emerald green colored films may be combined.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention in which a colored film is used, one pixel of the display pixel is a sub-pixel having individually colored films of three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). The two sub-pixels of the three colors are arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction of the display pixel, and the remaining one sub-pixel of the three colors is the sub-pixel of the two colors Preferably, the viewing angle control pixels are arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction with respect to the remaining one color sub-pixel. According to this configuration, since the viewing angle control pixel is located adjacent to each of the R, G, and B display pixels, one viewing angle control pixel for each pixel formed by the three R, G, and B display pixels. In spite of the configuration only provided, the viewing angle can be efficiently controlled by the viewing angle control pixel for the display formed by the three display pixels.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, it is desirable that the total area of one display pixel is larger than the total area of viewing angle control pixels. According to this configuration, it is possible to brighten the image display by the display pixels while exhibiting a sufficient viewing angle limiting effect.

Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, each of the first electrode and the second electrode in the display pixel has a plurality of electrode linear portions arranged in parallel with a gap therebetween, and the first electrode the electrode linear portion distance between the end edges facing each other of the electrode line-shaped portions of the second electrode and D _0, when the thickness of the liquid crystal layer and the D _1, it is desirable that D _1> D ₀ . In this configuration, both the first electrode and the second electrode forming the lateral electric field have electrode linear portions, and the interval between the electrodes is set to be smaller than the thickness of the liquid crystal layer. It prescribes. This configuration defines the FFS mode of the transverse electric field mode. Unlike the IPS mode liquid crystal device, the FFS mode liquid crystal device can form an electric field also in the region immediately above the first electrode and the second electrode, so that a bright and clear image can be displayed.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, the first electrode in the display pixel has a plurality of electrode linear portions arranged in parallel with a gap therebetween, and the second electrode in the display pixel has a gap. It is desirable that there be no planar electrode. This configuration defines that one of the first electrode and the second electrode forming a transverse electric field is a striped electrode having an electrode linear portion, and the other is a planar (so-called solid) electrode It is. From another viewpoint, this configuration can be considered as an electrode structure in which the distance between the electrode linear portion of the first electrode and the electrode linear portion of the second electrode is 0 (zero). Also in this configuration, the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode is set to be smaller than the thickness of the liquid crystal layer, and this configuration defines the FFS mode of the transverse electric field mode. Unlike the IPS mode liquid crystal device, the FFS mode liquid crystal device can form an electric field also in the region immediately above the first electrode and the second electrode, so that a bright and clear image can be displayed.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, the first substrate has a first polarizing plate, the second substrate has a second polarizing plate, and the liquid crystal alignment directions of the first substrate and the second substrate are antiparallel. The transmission axis of the first polarizing plate and the transmission axis of the second polarizing plate are perpendicular to each other, and the transmission axis of the first polarizing plate or the transmission axis of the second polarizing plate is parallel to the liquid crystal alignment direction. It is desirable. This aspect of the invention defines the optical axis relationship between the polarizing plate used in the present invention and the liquid crystal alignment direction. By defining the optical axis relationship as in the aspect of the present invention, accurate viewing angle control can be performed.

  Next, in the second liquid crystal device according to the present invention, a colored film of a predetermined color is provided in the display pixel, and the colored film in one pixel of the display pixel adjacent to the viewing angle control pixel is provided in the viewing angle control pixel. A colored film having the same color and low density is provided.

  The difference between the second liquid crystal device and the first liquid crystal device is that the first liquid crystal device has no “colored film in the viewing angle control pixel”, whereas the second liquid crystal device has “ The viewing angle control pixel is provided with a colored film having the same color and low density as the colored film in the display pixel adjacent to the viewing angle control pixel. That is, a colored film is not provided in the viewing angle control pixel in the first liquid crystal device, but a colored film having a low density is provided in the viewing angle control pixel in the second liquid crystal device. Since the colored film is provided also in the viewing angle control pixel, it is not necessary to arrange a white or transparent colored film in the viewing angle control pixel, which is advantageous in terms of manufacturing cost. Further, at the time of viewing angle control at a specific oblique position, color display is performed by a colored film instead of white display by the viewing angle control pixel, and the contrast can be adjusted. It is possible to select a color display when viewed from an oblique direction in accordance with the display color in the color image.

  Next, in the third liquid crystal device according to the present invention, a colored film of a predetermined color is provided in the display pixel, and the colored film in one pixel of the display pixel adjacent to the viewing angle control pixel is provided in the viewing angle control pixel. A colored film having the same colored film and having a part of a non-colored region is provided.

  The third liquid crystal device is different from the second liquid crystal device in that the second liquid crystal device has the same color and density as the colored film in the display pixel adjacent to the viewing angle control pixel. In contrast, in the third liquid crystal device, “a colored film having the same characteristics as the colored film in the display pixel adjacent to the viewing angle control pixel is included in the third liquid crystal device”. Is provided with a colored film having a non-colored region. That is, in the second liquid crystal device, a colored film having a uniform color density is provided in the viewing angle control pixel, but in the third liquid crystal device, there is a region in which the colored film is missing in the viewing angle control pixel. It is. By adopting this configuration, at the time of viewing angle control in the oblique direction, white display and color display can be adjusted by the viewing angle control pixel, and the contrast in the oblique direction can be finely adjusted.

  Next, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the liquid crystal device having the above-described configuration. Since the liquid crystal device according to the present invention can perform viewing angle control between wide viewing angle display and narrow viewing angle display, the viewing angle control can be performed by one liquid crystal panel without overlapping a plurality of liquid crystal panels. The overall thickness of the liquid crystal device can be kept thin. Therefore, the electronic device of the present invention configured using this liquid crystal device can also have a function of viewing angle control without increasing the thickness of the electronic device.

(First Embodiment of Liquid Crystal Device)
Hereinafter, as an example of a liquid crystal device, an embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking as an example a case where the present invention is applied to an active matrix liquid crystal device capable of color display. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a liquid crystal device using a channel-etched type single-gate polysilicon TFT element as a switching element. In the liquid crystal device according to the present embodiment, an FFS (Fringe Field Switching) mode, which is one of the transverse electric field type operation modes, is employed. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In the drawings used in the following description, the dimensions of a plurality of constituent elements may be shown in different ratios from actual ones in order to easily show the characteristic portions.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a liquid crystal device according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the liquid crystal device 1 includes a liquid crystal panel 2 and a lighting device 3. Regarding the liquid crystal device 1, the side on which the arrow A is drawn is the observation side, and the illumination device 3 is disposed on the opposite side to the observation side with respect to the liquid crystal panel 2 and functions as a backlight. The illuminating device 3 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 4 as a light source and a light guide 5 formed of a translucent resin. The light emitted from the LED 4 is taken into the light guide 5 from the light incident surface 5a of the light guide 5, and is supplied to the liquid crystal panel 2 as planar light from the light output surface 5b. The lighting device 3 may not be a point light source such as the LED 4 but may be a line light source such as a cold cathode tube.

  The liquid crystal panel 2 includes an element substrate 8 as a first substrate and a color filter substrate 9 as a second substrate, which are bonded to each other by a rectangular or square-shaped (that is, frame-shaped) sealing material 7 when viewed from the direction of arrow A. . The element substrate 8 is an element substrate on which switching elements are formed. The color filter substrate 9 is a color filter substrate on which a color filter is formed. In this embodiment, the color filter substrate 9 is disposed on the observation side, and the element substrate 8 is disposed on the back as viewed from the observation side. The sealing material 7 is formed of, for example, a thermosetting or ultraviolet curable resin, such as an epoxy resin, and is formed in a desired annular shape by, for example, screen printing.

  A plurality of parallel scanning lines 11 are provided extending in the row direction X in a region surrounded by the sealing material 7 inside the liquid crystal panel 2. A plurality of parallel signal lines 12 are provided extending in the column direction Y. A plurality of dot-shaped (that is, island-shaped) regions surrounded by the plurality of scanning lines 11 and the plurality of signal lines 12 are arranged in a matrix (so-called matrix) as viewed from the direction of the arrow A. A subpixel P is provided in each of these regions. A display region V is formed by arranging these sub-pixels P in a matrix. In FIG. 1, the sub-pixel P is schematically shown in an enlarged manner than the actual one. The row direction X and the column direction Y are directions that become the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, respectively, when the observer views the image display on the liquid crystal panel 2.

  The sub-pixel P is an area that is a unit for switching between bright display (white display) and dark display (black display). May be formed). For example, sub-pixels P are formed corresponding to each of R (red), G (green), and B (blue), and three sub-pixels P corresponding to R, G, and B are individually included. Collectively, one pixel is formed. In addition, subpixels P of four colors obtained by adding one color (for example, blue green) to the three colors R, G, and B may be collected to form one pixel. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that one pixel is formed by R, G, and B subpixels.

  In the present embodiment, a desired image is displayed by a pixel set composed of a collection of sub-pixels P corresponding to each color of R, G, and B, and another sub-pixel P is provided along with the pixel set. The viewing angle is controlled by the associated sub-pixel P. In this specification, the three sub-pixels P constituting the pixel set are individually referred to as “display pixels Pa”, and the additional sub-pixels P for performing viewing angle control are referred to as “viewing angle control pixels Pb”. The viewing angle control is a wide viewing angle (a wide viewing angle state) when the liquid crystal panel 2 (see FIG. 1) is viewed from the front, and a narrow viewing angle (when the liquid crystal panel 2 is viewed from a slanting direction). This is a control for realizing a state in which the viewing angle is narrow.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the planar structure near one pixel (pixel set) on the element substrate 8 of FIG. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the planar structure in the vicinity of one pixel set of the color filter substrate 9 shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from the direction of the arrow A. FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional structure of one sub-pixel P (particularly the display pixel Pa) according to the Z ₄ -Z ₄ line in FIGS. FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional structure of one sub-pixel P (particularly the viewing angle control pixel Pb) according to the Z ₅ -Z ₅ line in FIGS. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional structure along the row direction X of one pixel set and one viewing angle control pixel according to the Z ₆ -Z ₆ line in FIGS.

  In FIG. 1, a gap having a predetermined thickness, that is, a so-called cell gap is formed between the element substrate 8 and the color filter substrate 9. The thickness of the cell gap is maintained by a gap material included in the sealing material 7 and a spacer (not shown) placed on the surface of the element substrate 8 or the color filter substrate 9. The spacers may be formed by dispersing spherical members on the element substrate 8 or the color filter substrate 9, or may be formed on the element substrate 8 or the color filter substrate 9 by photolithography. The cell gap formed in this way is indicated by the symbol G in FIG. Liquid crystal is injected into the cell gap G to form a liquid crystal layer 14. In this embodiment, a nematic liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy (Δε> 0) is used as the liquid crystal. Reference numeral 14a schematically shows liquid crystal molecules 14a included in the liquid crystal. In the present embodiment, the initial alignment of the liquid crystal molecules 14 a is set parallel to the element substrate 8 and the color filter substrate 9. Here, the term “parallel” includes the case where the liquid crystal molecules have a predetermined pretilt angle with respect to the substrate.

  The element substrate 8 includes a first light-transmitting substrate 15 that is rectangular or square when viewed from the direction of arrow A. The first translucent substrate 15 is made of translucent glass, translucent plastic, or the like, for example. A first polarizing plate 16 (see FIG. 1) is attached to the outer surface of the first light transmissive substrate 15. On the other hand, the color filter substrate 9 has a second light-transmitting substrate 17 that is rectangular or square when viewed from the direction of arrow A. The second translucent substrate 17 is formed of, for example, translucent glass, translucent plastic, or the like. A second polarizing plate 18 (see FIG. 1) is attached to the outer surface of the second light transmissive substrate 17.

  Next, the film elements formed on the inner surfaces (the liquid crystal side surfaces) of the first light-transmissive substrate 15 and the second light-transmissive substrate 17 will be described. In this embodiment, the film structure is shown in FIG. The display pixel Pa and the viewing angle control pixel Pb in FIG. 3 are different. Hereinafter, the film element will be described for each of the sub-pixels.

(Configuration on the element substrate 8 in the display pixel Pa)
First, the film configuration on the first light-transmissive substrate 15 in the display pixel Pa related to the element substrate 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6. In FIG. 4, the gate line 20 and the common line 21 are provided on the inner surface (that is, the liquid crystal side surface) of the first translucent substrate 15. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of gate lines 20 are formed extending in the row direction X in parallel with each other. A plurality of common lines 21 are formed extending in the row direction X in parallel with the gate lines 20. The gate line 20 functions as the scanning line 11 in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a common electrode 22 serving as a second electrode having a substantially rectangular shape and a planar shape (so-called solid shape) is formed on each display pixel on the first light-transmitting substrate 15 between the gate lines 20 adjacent to each other. One is provided for each Pa. As shown in FIG. 4, the common electrode 22 is formed so that a part of the common electrode 22 overlaps the common line 21. As a result, each common electrode 22 and the common line 21 are electrically connected. Yes.

  On the gate line 20, the common line 21, and the common electrode 22, a gate insulating film 23 which is a planar resin film covering these is formed, and a source line 24 is formed on the gate insulating film 23 so as to extend in the column direction Y. Yes. The source line 24 functions as the signal line 12 in FIG. In FIG. 2, a rectangular region surrounded by the gate line 20 and the source line 24 is a region of the display pixel Pa as the sub-pixel P. In this embodiment, color display is performed with three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue), and the display pixel Pa is a unit pixel corresponding to each color and is arranged in the row direction X. A group of three display pixels Pa corresponding to these three colors constitutes one pixel (pixel set) as a display unit. In FIG. 2, symbols (R), (G), and (B) indicate that the red display pixel Pa, the green display pixel Pa, and the blue display pixel Pa are arranged in a line in the column direction.

  In FIG. 2, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) element 26 which is an active element functioning as a switching element is provided in the vicinity of the intersection of the gate line 20 and the source line 24. The TFT element 26 is formed as a channel etch type polysilicon TFT having a bottom gate structure and a single gate structure. In FIG. 4, the TFT element 26 includes a gate electrode 20 a which is a part of the gate line 20, a gate insulating film 23, a semiconductor film 27 formed using polysilicon, a source electrode 28, and a drain electrode 29. And have. The source electrode 28 and the drain electrode 29 are electrode terminals of the TFT element 26 as a switching element. The source electrode 28 is formed to branch from the source line 24 as shown in FIG. Although the TFT element 26 of this embodiment has a bottom gate structure, it can also be a top gate structure.

  In FIG. 4, a passivation film 30 as a protective film, which is a planar resin film for covering the TFT element 26 and the source line 24, is provided on the gate insulating film 23. The passivation film 30 is made of, for example, a photosensitive resin. A pixel electrode 31 as a first electrode is provided on the passivation film 30, and an alignment film 32 is provided thereon. In FIG. 2, the alignment film 32 is not shown. In FIG. 4, a through hole 33 is formed in the passivation film 30 in the upper region of the drain electrode 29 of the TFT element 26, and the pixel electrode 31 and the drain electrode 29 are conductively connected through the through hole 33.

  In the present embodiment, the source line 24 in FIG. 7 is a signal line, the source electrode 28 of the TFT element 26 extends from the signal line, and the drain electrode 29 of the TFT element 26 is connected to the pixel electrode 31. It has become. Alternatively, the electrode connected to the source line 24 may be a drain electrode, and the electrode connected to the pixel electrode 31 may be a source electrode.

In FIG. 4, the common electrode 22 as the second electrode and the pixel electrode 31 as the first electrode are formed of a light-transmitting metal oxide such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide). The passivation film 30 and the gate insulating film 23 each function as an interlayer insulating film provided between the common electrode 22 and the pixel electrode 31 and also serve as an overcoat layer that is a resin film for covering other elements. Function. The passivation film 30 and the gate insulating film 23 are made of, for example, acrylic resin, SiN (silicon nitride), or SiO ₂ (silicon oxide). The alignment film 32 is made of, for example, polyimide.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the pixel electrode 31 is formed in a rectangular planar shape corresponding to the display pixel Pa as a sub-pixel, and has a plurality of slanted slanted slits, that is, gaps 35 therein. is doing. The gap 35 is a groove-like opening that penetrates the pixel electrode 31, and the passivation film 30 that is the lower layer of the pixel electrode 31 can be seen through the gap 35. In addition, the plurality of gaps 35 are provided in parallel with a space between each other along the column direction Y in a state where the upper end is inclined to the right side along the row direction X. Between these gaps 35, strip-shaped electrode linear portions 31a are formed. The gap 35 and the electrode linear portion 31a shown in the drawings of the present specification are schematically drawn, and the actual numbers thereof may be different from those shown in the drawings.

  The gap 35 and the electrode linear portion 31a extend in the column direction Y. Therefore, the gap 35 and the electrode linear portion 31a and the column direction Y (that is, the vertical direction of the display area, the vertical direction, or the source line 24). The formed angle is in the range of 0 ° to ± 45 °.

  In the present embodiment, both short sides of the gap 35 are closed, but one of both short sides of the gap 35 can be open. In the open state, each of the plurality of electrode linear portions 31a is in a cantilever state, and is generally comb-shaped. Also, both short sides of the gap 35 can be opened. As described above, in the present embodiment, in the display pixel Pa, both the common electrode 22 and the pixel electrode 31 that are a pair of electrodes are provided on the element substrate 8 that is one substrate, and a predetermined electrode is provided between the two electrodes. By applying a voltage, an electric field parallel to the surface of the element substrate 8, a so-called lateral electric field, is formed, and the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules 14 a in the liquid crystal layer 14 is controlled in the lateral plane by this lateral electric field.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show a modification of the electrode structure including the pixel electrode 31 and the common electrode 22 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the common electrode 22 is formed as a planar electrode. However, in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the common electrode 22 is similar to the pixel electrode 31 and the electrode linear portion 22 a. A combination with the gap 35 forms a stripe shape. In both of the modifications shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the electrode linear portion 22a of the common electrode 22 is provided between the electrode linear portions 31a of the pixel electrode 31 in plan view from the arrow A direction. In particular, in FIG. 8 (a), both electrode linear portions 31a, 22a are provided at an interval of the electrode interval D ₀ , and in FIG. 8 (b), the electrode interval D _{0 of} both electrode linear portions 31a, 22a is provided. Is D ₀ = 0 (zero). In the case of this embodiment shown in FIG. 6, since the common electrode 22 is a planar electrode and overlaps (that is, overlaps) the pixel electrode 31 in plan view, as a result, the electrode interval D ₀ = 0 ( Zero).

Although it is known that there are IPS and FFS modes as the lateral electric field type operation mode, in the present invention, a lateral oblique electric field (that is, a parabolic electric field) for realizing the FFS mode can be formed. The electrode interval D ₀ shown in FIG. 8A is set to be smaller than the liquid crystal layer thickness D ₁ of the liquid crystal layer 14, that is, D ₁ > D ₀ . In particular, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the common electrode 22 is provided in a planar shape (so-called solid shape) in the sub-pixel P (display pixel Pa) region on the first translucent substrate 15. Therefore, D ₀ = 0 (zero). In FIG. 8A, the IPS mode can be realized instead of the FFS mode by setting the electrode interval D ₀ to be larger than the liquid crystal layer thickness D ₁ , that is, D ₁ <D ₀ .

  Next, the configuration of the pixel electrode including the gap 35 and the electrode linear portion 31a in FIG. 7 is not limited to the illustrated configuration. For example, the inclination direction of each gap 35 is set to the short direction of the sub-pixel P (that is, the row). It is also possible to arrange them symmetrically in the row direction X with the center in the direction X) as a boundary. That is, the upper half of the left half in the sub-pixel P can be inclined to the right, and the upper half can be inclined to the left in the right half.

(Configuration on the color filter substrate 9 in the display pixel Pa)
Next, the film configuration on the second light-transmissive substrate 17 in the display pixel Pa related to the color filter substrate 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 6. In FIG. 6, a colored film 36 constituting a color filter is formed on the inner surface (that is, the liquid crystal side surface) of the second light transmissive substrate 17, and a light shielding film 37 is formed around the colored film 36. Each colored film 36 is formed in a rectangular or square dot shape (that is, an island shape) corresponding to the display pixel Pa (subpixel P) as shown in FIG. A plurality of the colored films 36 are arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y. The light shielding film 37 is formed in a lattice shape surrounding the colored films 36.

  Each of the colored films 36 is set to an optical characteristic that allows one of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) to pass, and the colored films 36 of R, G, and B are arranged in a stripe arrangement. Yes. In this specification, the reference numerals (R), (G), and (B) attached to the reference numeral 36 indicate that the colors of the colored films are red, green, and blue, respectively. The stripe arrangement is an arrangement in which the same colors R, G, and B are arranged in the column direction Y, and R, G, and B are alternately arranged one by one in the row direction X one by one. Instead of the stripe arrangement, the colored films 36 of the respective colors can be arranged in another arrangement, for example, a mosaic arrangement or a delta arrangement. The optical characteristics of the colored film 36 are not limited to the three colors of R, G, and B, but may be three colors of C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow), or other It can also be four or more colors. The light shielding film 37 is formed as a resin film by overlapping two or three colors of different colored films 36. However, the light shielding film 37 can also be formed of a metal film such as Cr.

  4 and 6, an overcoat layer 38 is formed on the colored film 36 and the light shielding film 37, and an alignment film 39 is formed thereon. The overcoat layer 38 is a layer that covers the colored film 36 and the light shielding film 37 and is provided in a planar shape (solid shape). The colored film 36 is formed, for example, by mixing a pigment or a dye with a photosensitive resin material. The overcoat layer 38 is made of, for example, an acrylic resin. The alignment film 39 is made of polyimide. The overcoat layer 38 functions as a protective film that prevents the constituent material of the color filter from being mixed into the liquid crystal and a flattening film that flattens the surface of the color filter.

  In FIG. 6, the rubbing direction applied to the alignment film 39 on the color filter substrate 9 side and the alignment film 32 on the element substrate 8 side is an antiparallel (that is, antiparallel) direction parallel to the column direction Y. The transmission axes of the first polarizing plate 16 on the element substrate 8 side (observation back side) and the second polarizing plate 18 on the color filter substrate 9 side (observation side) are perpendicular to each other, and the second polarizing plate on the observation side. The transmission axis 18 is parallel to the rubbing direction of the alignment films 39 and 32, and the transmission axis of the first polarizing plate 16 on the observation back side is orthogonal to the rubbing direction.

(Operation of display pixel Pa)
Since the configuration in the display pixel Pa is as described above, when planar light is supplied from the illumination device 3 to the liquid crystal panel 2 in FIG. 1, light is supplied to the display pixel Pa from the back side in FIG. The When an off voltage is applied between the common electrode 22 and the pixel electrode 31 in the display pixel Pa, the polarized light that has passed through the liquid crystal layer 14 is prevented from being absorbed by the second polarizing plate 18 on the observation side and going outside. As a result, black display is performed. When an on-voltage is applied between the common electrode 22 and the pixel electrode 31, the polarized light that has passed through the liquid crystal layer 14 passes through the second polarizing plate 18 on the observation side and is emitted to the outside, so that white display is performed.

  An image is displayed in the display region V by controlling the black display and the white display in each of the plurality of sub-pixels P (particularly the display pixel Pa) in the display region V of FIG. At this time, a desired full-color image can be displayed by appropriately controlling the transmitted light intensities of R, G, and B in one pixel set. In the present embodiment, since the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules 14a is controlled in the horizontal plane of the substrate according to the horizontal electric field when controlling the black display and the white display, in the case of the vertical electric field system represented by the TN (Twisted Nematic) type. A wider viewing angle characteristic can be realized as compared with the case where the orientation of liquid crystal molecules is controlled in the vertical plane of the substrate. That is, in the case where the image is viewed from the front of the display area V in FIG. 1 (that is, the polar angle = 0 ° or the vicinity thereof), the image is viewed from the lateral direction (a direction in which the polar angle is large) inclined greatly from the front. The image can be recognized normally.

(Configuration on the element substrate 8 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb)
Next, the film configuration on the first translucent substrate 15 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb related to the element substrate 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 5, and 6. In FIG. 5, a gate line 20, a common line 21, and a common electrode 42 as a second electrode are formed on a first transparent substrate 15 in an element substrate 8 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, and a gate is formed on them. An insulating film 23 is formed, each element other than the gate electrode 20a of the TFT element 26 and the source line 24 are formed thereon, a passivation film 30 is formed thereon, and a pixel electrode as a first electrode is formed thereon. 51 is formed, and an alignment film 32 is formed thereon.

  The gate line 20, the common line 21, the gate insulating film 23, the TFT element 26, the source line 24, the passivation film 30, and the alignment film 32 are the same as the elements indicated by the same reference numerals in the display pixel Pa shown in FIG. Each of these elements is made of the same material and in the same process. The common electrode 42 is also formed in the same process with the same material as the common electrode 22 in the display pixel Pa. Note that the common electrode 22 in the display pixel Pa and the common electrode 42 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb may be formed in rectangular shapes having different sizes (that is, areas) as necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the pixel electrode 31 in the display pixel Pa shown in FIG. 4 has gaps 35 that are elongated in the column direction Y and electrode linear portions that are alternately provided with respect to the gaps 35. Formed by 31a. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the pixel electrode 51 of the present embodiment includes gaps 45 that are elongated in the row direction X and electrode linear portions 51 a that are alternately provided with respect to the gaps 45. Is formed. The pixel electrode 51 is formed of the same material and in the same process as the pixel electrode 31 in the display pixel Pa. The gap 45 and the electrode linear portion 51a constituting the pixel electrode 51 are formed by the pixel electrode of the display pixel Pa. Unlike the gaps 35 and the electrode linear portions 31a constituting 31, the positional relationship is substantially orthogonal to the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14 a aligned in the column direction Y. That is, the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14a is along the direction of the electric field parallel to the surface of the first translucent substrate generated between the pixel electrode 51 and the common electrode 42 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb. The term “along” here means a number that includes an angular variation of about ± 5 ° due to variations in manufacturing accuracy of electrodes, variations in electric field direction, and other manufacturing variations, and the pixel electrode 51 and the common electrode 42 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb. When the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14a is aligned with the direction of the electric field parallel to the surface of the first light-transmitting substrate generated between the angles, the angle at which the viewing angle control can be controlled most efficiently is obtained, and the effect decreases with deviation from this angle. However, the effect is drastically reduced at ± 15 ° or more.

(Configuration on the color filter substrate 9 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb)
Next, the film configuration on the second translucent substrate 17 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb related to the color filter substrate 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 5, and 6. As described above, for the display pixel Pa, the colored film 36 is formed on the second light transmissive substrate 17, and the overcoat layer 38 and the alignment film 39 are formed thereon. On the other hand, with respect to the viewing angle control pixel Pb, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the overcoat layer 38 is formed directly on the second translucent substrate 17 without forming the colored film 36.

(Operation of viewing angle control pixel Pb)
As described above, in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the common electrode 42 as the second electrode and the pixel electrode 51 as the first electrode are provided on the element substrate 8 which is one substrate. When the on-voltage is applied, a lateral electric field that is an electric field in the direction parallel to the substrate is generated in the viewing angle control pixel Pb as in the display pixel Pa. However, unlike the electrode linear portion 31a provided in the display pixel Pa, the electrode linear portion 51a of the pixel electrode 51 provided in the viewing angle control pixel Pb intersects the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14a. Is formed. In other words, the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14a is along the direction of the electric field parallel to the surface of the element substrate 8 generated between the pixel electrode 51 and the common electrode 42 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb. Therefore, when an on-voltage is applied between the common electrode 42 and the electrode linear portion 51a in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules 14a changes not in the inter-substrate parallel direction but in the inter-substrate vertical direction.

  When a predetermined off voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer 14 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the liquid crystal molecules maintain the horizontal alignment state that is the initial state, and the viewing angle control pixel Pb is in front (polar angle = 0 ° or Even when viewed from the vicinity thereof, the display is black even when viewed from an inclined direction (a direction in which the polar angle is large). In this state, if the image display based on the lateral electric field control is performed on the display pixel Pa, the display can be seen both in the front direction and in the tilted direction (that is, the wide-angle region). Thereby, wide viewing angle display can be realized.

  On the other hand, when a predetermined ON voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer 14 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is in the vertical direction between the substrates based on the electric field between the common electrode 42 and the electrode linear portion 51a. When viewed from the front, the viewing angle control pixel Pb changes in the vertical arrangement direction and is black, but when viewed from the side inclined side, the transmitted light transmitted through the viewing angle control pixel Pb can be viewed brightly. In this state, if the image display based on the lateral electric field control is performed in the display pixel Pa, the display can be seen in the front. On the other hand, when viewed from the side inclined side, the light from the display pixel Pa itself does not change, but the light from the viewing angle control pixel Pb becomes strong and the contrast of the light from the display pixel Pa is lowered. The light (that is, image display) from the display pixel Pa cannot be visually recognized. Thereby, a narrow viewing angle display can be realized.

  Conventionally, it has been known to perform viewing angle control using an additional viewing angle compensation panel in addition to an image display panel. However, in this conventional liquid crystal device, the entire thickness of the liquid crystal device is increased, There has been a problem that costs and manufacturing costs are increased. On the other hand, according to the liquid crystal device 1 of the present embodiment, since the viewing angle control can be performed only by performing the voltage control on the viewing angle control pixel Pb in one liquid crystal panel 2, the entire liquid crystal device 1 can be thinned. In addition, component costs and manufacturing costs can be kept low. Particularly in recent years, there has been a strong demand for reducing the thickness of electronic devices, as represented by mobile phones. The ability to perform viewing angle control with a single liquid crystal panel greatly contributes to such a demand for thinning.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the viewing angle control pixel Pb also has a lateral electric field type electrode structure like the display pixel Pa, that is, a structure in which a pair of electrodes are provided on one substrate, and electrodes are provided on both of the pair of substrates. Since it is not a structure, the electrode structure and wiring structure between a pair of substrates can be simplified, and the tolerance for misalignment between a pair of substrates can be increased, thus greatly reducing the production of defective liquid crystal devices. Can be reduced.

  This embodiment is a technique that makes it difficult to see the display when viewed from an oblique direction as compared to the display when viewed from the front, so that the display from the oblique direction can be seen by eliminating or reducing the contrast of the image display. It is a technology that makes it difficult. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, one viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided for the three display pixels Pa of R, G, and B, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. Thus, compared with the structure in which the viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided for each display pixel Pa, it is conceivable that the performance is deteriorated in terms of eliminating contrast. However, according to the present embodiment, compared to the structure in which the viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided for each display pixel Pa, there is an advantage that the wiring is simple and the aperture ratio can be maintained high.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the colored film 36 is provided in the display pixel Pa, and the film member that is the same layer as the colored film 36 is not provided in the viewing angle control pixel Pb. Instead of this configuration, a film member that transmits light of all wavelengths, that is, a so-called total transmission film may be provided in the viewing angle control pixel Pb with the same film thickness as the colored film 36.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, one viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided for three display pixels Pa (that is, one pixel set) of R, G, and B. However, when the brightness of the display pixel Pa decreases due to an increase in NTSC ratio or a high resolution, the total area of the viewing angle control pixels Pb can be reduced. In such a case, one viewing angle control pixel Pb is not provided for one R, G, and B pixel set, but two or more R, G, and B pixel sets are provided. However, a sufficient viewing angle control effect can be obtained by providing only one viewing angle control pixel Pb. In this case, the aperture ratio can be increased by reducing the area of the viewing angle control pixel Pb, and a bright display can be obtained in the wide-angle display.

(Second Embodiment of Liquid Crystal Device)
9 and 10 show a second embodiment of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a plan view of an element substrate corresponding to FIG. 2 in the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the color filter substrate corresponding to FIG. 3 in the first embodiment. The overall configuration of the liquid crystal device according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

The sectional structure along the column direction Y of one sub-pixel P (particularly the display pixel Pa) according to the Z ₄ -Z ₄ line in FIG. 9 is the same as the sectional structure shown in FIG. 4 in the first embodiment. . The cross-sectional structure along the column direction Y of one sub-pixel (particularly the viewing angle control pixel Pb) according to the Z ₅ -Z ₅ line in FIG. 9 is the same as the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 5 in the first embodiment. . However, the lengths in both the row direction X and the column direction Y of the display pixel Pa and the viewing angle control pixel Pb in FIG. 9 are the lengths in the row direction X and the column direction Y of the display pixel Pa and the viewing angle control pixel Pb in FIG. On the other hand, it is different as needed.

A cross-sectional structure along the row direction X of three display pixels Pa (that is, one pixel set) of R, G, and B according to the Z ₆₁ -Z ₆₁ line in FIG. 9 is shown in FIG. 6 in the first embodiment. Among the cross-sectional structures, the cross-sectional structures of the three display pixels Pa of R, G, and B are the same. The sectional structure along the row direction X of the viewing angle control pixel Pb according to the Z ₆₂ -Z ₆₂ line in FIG. 9 is the sectional structure of the viewing angle control pixel Pb in the sectional structure shown in FIG. 6 in the first embodiment. The same.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided adjacent to the row direction X (that is, the horizontal direction) of the display pixel Pa. Further, one viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided for each of the three display pixels Pa (ie, one pixel set) of R, G, and B. On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided adjacent to the column direction Y of the display pixel Pa (that is, the longitudinal direction or vertical direction of the pixel). One viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided for each display pixel Pa.

(Operation of display pixel Pa)
Also in this embodiment, when planar light is supplied from the illumination device 3 to the liquid crystal panel 2 in FIG. 1, light is supplied from the back side of the paper surface to the display pixel Pa in FIG. When an off voltage is applied between the common electrode 22 and the pixel electrode 31 in the display pixel Pa, the polarized light that has passed through the liquid crystal layer 14 is prevented from being absorbed by the second polarizing plate 18 on the observation side and going outside. As a result, black display is performed. When an on-voltage is applied between the common electrode 22 and the pixel electrode 31, the polarized light that has passed through the liquid crystal layer 14 passes through the second polarizing plate 18 on the observation side and is emitted to the outside, so that white display is performed.

  An image is displayed in the display region V by controlling the black display and the white display in each of the plurality of sub-pixels P (particularly the display pixel Pa) in the display region V of FIG. At this time, a desired full-color image can be displayed by appropriately controlling the transmitted light intensities of R, G, and B in one pixel set. In the present embodiment, when controlling black display and white display, the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules 14a is controlled in the horizontal plane of the substrate in accordance with the horizontal electric field. Therefore, in the case of the vertical electric field system represented by the TN type, the liquid crystal molecules Compared with the case where the orientation is controlled in the vertical plane, a wider viewing angle characteristic can be realized. That is, the image can be normally recognized not only when the image is viewed from the front of the display area V in FIG. 1 but also when the image is viewed from the lateral direction inclined greatly from the front. In this way, wide viewing angle control is realized.

(Operation of viewing angle control pixel Pb)
Also in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the common electrode 42 as the second electrode and the pixel electrode 51 as the first electrode are provided on the element substrate 8, and the pixel electrode 51 is As shown in FIG. 9, it has the gap | interval 45 and the electrode linear part 51a which extend in the direction orthogonal to the initial orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecule 14a. When a predetermined off voltage is applied between the common electrode 42 and the pixel electrode 51 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the liquid crystal molecules maintain the horizontal alignment state that is the initial state, and the viewing angle control pixel Pb is viewed from the front. However, even when viewed from an inclined direction, the display is black. In this state, if display based on the lateral electric field control is performed on the display pixel Pa, the display can be viewed both in the front and in the tilted direction (that is, in the wide-angle region). Thereby, wide viewing angle display can be realized.

  On the other hand, when a predetermined on-voltage is applied between the common electrode 42 and the pixel electrode 51 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules 14a changes in the vertical alignment direction of the substrate vertical direction, and the viewing angle control pixel Pb When viewed from the front, the display is black without changing, but when viewed from the side inclined, the transmitted light transmitted through the viewing angle control pixel Pb can be viewed brightly. In this state, if the image display based on the lateral electric field control is performed in the display pixel Pa, the display can be seen in the front. On the other hand, when viewed from the side inclined side, the light from the display pixel Pa itself does not change, but the light from the viewing angle control pixel Pb becomes strong and the contrast of the light from the display pixel Pa is lowered. The light (that is, image display) from the display pixel Pa cannot be visually recognized. Thereby, a narrow viewing angle display can be realized.

  Conventionally, it has been known to perform viewing angle control using an additional viewing angle compensation panel in addition to an image display panel. However, in this conventional liquid crystal device, the entire thickness of the liquid crystal device is increased, There has been a problem that costs and manufacturing costs are increased. On the other hand, according to the liquid crystal device 1 of the present embodiment, since the viewing angle control can be performed only by performing the voltage control on the viewing angle control pixel Pb in one liquid crystal panel 2, the entire liquid crystal device 1 can be thinned. In addition, component costs and manufacturing costs can be kept low. Particularly in recent years, there has been a strong demand for reducing the thickness of electronic devices, as represented by mobile phones. The ability to perform viewing angle control with a single liquid crystal panel greatly contributes to such a demand for thinning.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the viewing angle control pixel Pb also has a lateral electric field type electrode structure like the display pixel Pa, that is, a structure in which a pair of electrodes is provided on one substrate, and electrodes are provided on both of the pair of substrates. Since it is not a structure, the electrode structure and the wiring structure between a pair of substrates can be simplified, and the tolerance for misalignment between a pair of substrates can be increased, thus greatly reducing the production of defective liquid crystal devices. Can be reduced.

  This embodiment is a technique that makes it difficult to see the display when viewed from an oblique direction as compared to the display when viewed from the front, so that the display from the oblique direction can be seen by eliminating or reducing the contrast of the image display. It is a technology that makes it difficult. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, since the viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided for each display pixel Pa, it has a high capability for eliminating contrast.

(Third embodiment of liquid crystal device)
FIG. 11 shows a color filter substrate which is a main part of the third embodiment of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention. The third embodiment shown here is a modified example obtained by modifying the second embodiment shown in FIGS. FIG. 11 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 10 in the second embodiment, and therefore is a plan view of the color filter substrate 9 corresponding to FIG. 3 in the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. . The element substrate used in this embodiment is the same as the element substrate 8 shown in FIG. 9 used in the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional structure along the column direction Y of the viewing angle control pixel Pb according to the Z ₁₂ -Z ₁₂ line of FIG. FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional structure along the row direction X of three display pixels Pa (that is, one pixel set) according to the Z ₁₃ -Z ₁₃ line of FIG. FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional structure along the row direction X of the three viewing angle control pixels Pb according to the Z ₁₄ -Z ₁₄ line of FIG. The overall configuration of the liquid crystal device according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10, with respect to the viewing angle control pixel Pb adjacent in the column direction Y of each display pixel Pa, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the colored film 36 is formed on the color filter substrate 9. It was set as the structure which does not provide. In contrast, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the colored films 36 (R), 36 (G), and 36 (B) of the colors R, G, and B are provided for the display pixel Pa. Of course, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, the colored films 36 (R ′), 36 (G ′), and 36 (B ′) are also provided in the viewing angle control pixel Pb on the color filter substrate 9.

  The colored film 36 (R ′) is an R (red) colored film similar to the colored film 36 (R) in the display pixel Pa, but is lighter in color than the colored film 36 (R) (and therefore has a stronger intensity). Is a colored film. The colored film 36 (G ′) is a G (green) colored film similar to the colored film 36 (G) in the display pixel Pa, but is lighter in color than the colored film 36 (G) (and therefore has a stronger intensity). Is a colored film. Further, the colored film 36 (B ′) is a colored film of B (blue) like the colored film 36 (B) in the display pixel Pa, but is lighter in color than the colored film 36 (B) (thus having a higher intensity). It is a colored film that transmits strong light. The color density of the colored film can be adjusted by appropriately selecting a color material for forming the color film.

(Operation of display pixel Pa)
Also in this embodiment, when planar light is supplied from the illumination device 3 to the liquid crystal panel 2 in FIG. 1, light is supplied to the display pixel Pa from the back side in FIG. In FIG. 9, when an off-voltage is applied between the common electrode 22 and the pixel electrode 31 in the display pixel Pa, the polarized light that has passed through the liquid crystal layer 14 is absorbed by the second polarizing plate 18 on the observation side and is emitted to the outside. Exiting is blocked and black display is performed. When an on-voltage is applied between the common electrode 22 and the pixel electrode 31, the polarized light that has passed through the liquid crystal layer 14 passes through the second polarizing plate 18 on the observation side and is emitted to the outside, so that white display is performed.

  An image is displayed in the display region V by controlling the black display and the white display in each of the plurality of sub-pixels P (particularly the display pixel Pa) in the display region V of FIG. At this time, a desired full-color image can be displayed by appropriately controlling the transmitted light intensities of R, G, and B in one pixel set. In the present embodiment, when controlling black display and white display, the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules 14a is controlled in the horizontal plane of the substrate in accordance with the horizontal electric field. Therefore, in the case of the vertical electric field system represented by the TN type, the liquid crystal molecules Compared with the case where the orientation is controlled in the vertical plane, a wider viewing angle characteristic can be realized. That is, the image can be normally recognized not only when the image is viewed from the front of the display area V in FIG. 1 but also when the image is viewed from the lateral direction inclined greatly from the front. In this way, wide angle control is realized.

(Operation of viewing angle control pixel Pb)
Also in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the common electrode 42 as the second electrode and the pixel electrode 51 as the first electrode are provided on the element substrate 8, and the pixel As shown in FIG. 9, the electrode 51 has a gap 45 and an electrode linear portion 51a extending in a direction orthogonal to the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14a. When a predetermined off voltage is applied between the common electrode 42 and the pixel electrode 51 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the liquid crystal molecules maintain the horizontal alignment state that is the initial state, and the viewing angle control pixel Pb is viewed from the front. However, even when viewed from an inclined direction, the display is black. In this state, if display based on the lateral electric field control is performed on the display pixel Pa, the display can be viewed both in the front and in the tilted direction (that is, in the wide-angle region). Thereby, wide viewing angle display can be realized.

  On the other hand, when a predetermined on-voltage is applied between the common electrode 42 and the pixel electrode 51 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules 14a changes in the vertical alignment direction of the substrate vertical direction, and the viewing angle control pixel Pb When viewed from the front, the display is black without changing, but when viewed from the side inclined, the transmitted light transmitted through the viewing angle control pixel Pb can be viewed brightly. In this state, if the image display based on the lateral electric field control is performed in the display pixel Pa, the display can be seen in the front. On the other hand, when viewed from the side inclined side, the light from the display pixel Pa itself does not change, but the light from the viewing angle control pixel Pb becomes strong and the contrast of the light from the display pixel Pa is lowered. The light (that is, image display) from the display pixel Pa cannot be visually recognized. Thereby, a narrow viewing angle display can be realized.

  Conventionally, it has been known to perform viewing angle control using an additional viewing angle compensation panel in addition to an image display panel. However, in this conventional liquid crystal device, the entire thickness of the liquid crystal device is increased, There has been a problem that costs and manufacturing costs are increased. On the other hand, according to the liquid crystal device 1 of the present embodiment, since the viewing angle control can be performed only by performing the voltage control on the viewing angle control pixel Pb in one liquid crystal panel 2, the entire liquid crystal device 1 can be thinned. In addition, component costs and manufacturing costs can be kept low. Particularly in recent years, there has been a strong demand for reducing the thickness of electronic devices, as represented by mobile phones. The ability to perform viewing angle control with a single liquid crystal panel greatly contributes to such a demand for thinning.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the viewing angle control pixel Pb also has a lateral electric field type electrode structure like the display pixel Pa, that is, a structure in which a pair of electrodes are provided on one substrate, and electrodes are provided on both of the pair of substrates. Since it is not a structure, the electrode structure and wiring structure between a pair of substrates can be simplified, and the tolerance for misalignment between a pair of substrates can be increased, thus greatly reducing the production of defective liquid crystal devices. Can be reduced.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, in FIG. 11, the viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided with a colored film having a low color density. Instead of providing a color film having a low color density in the viewing angle control pixel Pb in this way, the color density itself is the same as the color film in the display pixel Pa, but a part of the non-colored region transmits light. It is also possible to provide a colored film that can reduce the color density. The non-colored region can be realized by forming a region without a colored film in the colored film. The planar shape of the region without the colored film can be a circular shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, or any other shape that fits within the viewing angle control pixel Pb. Such a region without a colored film can be formed by photolithography.

(Fourth Embodiment of Liquid Crystal Device)
15 and 16 show a fourth embodiment of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention. This embodiment is a modified example obtained by modifying the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 is a plan view of an element substrate corresponding to FIG. 2 in the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a plan view of a color filter substrate corresponding to FIG. 3 in the first embodiment. The overall configuration of the liquid crystal device according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

The cross-sectional structure along the column direction of one sub-pixel P (particularly the display pixel Pa) according to the Z ₄ -Z ₄ line in FIG. 15 is the same as the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 4 in the first embodiment. The cross-sectional structure along the column direction of one sub-pixel (particularly the viewing angle control pixel Pb) according to the Z ₅ -Z ₅ line in FIG. 15 is the same as the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 5 in the first embodiment. However, the length in the row direction X and the length in the column direction Y of the display pixel Pa and the viewing angle control pixel Pb in FIG. 15 are the lengths in the row direction X and the column direction Y of the display pixel Pa and the viewing angle control pixel Pb in FIG. On the other hand, it is different as needed.

The cross-sectional structure along the row direction X of the two display pixels Pa according to the Z _D3 -Z _D3 line in FIG. 15 is within the range indicated by reference numeral D ₃ in the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 6 in the first embodiment. This is a cross-sectional structure in which the cross-sectional structures of the two display pixels Pa of R and G are continuous. The cross-sectional structure along the row direction X of the two sub-pixels P according to the Z _D4 -Z _D4 line in FIG. 15 is within the range indicated by the symbol D ₄ in the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 6 in the first embodiment. This is a cross-sectional structure in which the cross-sectional structures of the two sub-pixels P of the display pixel Pa and the viewing angle control pixel Pb are continuous.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided adjacent to the row direction X (that is, the horizontal direction) of the display pixel Pa. Further, one viewing angle control pixel Pb is provided for each of the three display pixels Pa (ie, one pixel set) of R, G, and B. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, colored films 36 (R) and 36 (G) of two colors “R” and “G” out of the three colors R, G, and B are colored films. 36. The colored film 36 (B) of “B”, which is the remaining one color, is arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction (row direction X) of 36 and is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the colored film 36 (R) of “R”. The viewing angle control pixels Pb are arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction (row direction X) with respect to the colored film 36 (B) of “B”. . 1 is arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y, thereby forming the display region V in FIG. Yes. Note that R, G, and B may be appropriately replaced in the arrangement state of FIG.

  Also in the present embodiment, in the display pixel Pa, the common electrode 22 as the second electrode and the pixel electrode 31 as the first electrode are provided on the element substrate 8 as shown in FIG. A colored film 36 constituting a color filter is provided on the substrate. On the other hand, in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, as shown in FIG. 5, the common electrode 42 as the second electrode and the pixel electrode 51 as the first electrode are provided on the element substrate 8, and the color filter substrate 9 is colored. No membrane is provided.

(Operation of display pixel Pa)
Also in this embodiment, when planar light is supplied from the illumination device 3 to the liquid crystal panel 2 in FIG. 1, light is supplied to the display pixel Pa from the back side in FIG. When an off-voltage is applied between the common electrode 22 and the pixel electrode 31 in the display pixel Pa, the polarized light that has passed through the liquid crystal layer 14 (see FIG. 4) is absorbed by the second polarizing plate 18 on the observation side and externally applied. It is blocked from going out and black display is performed. When an on-voltage is applied between the common electrode 22 and the pixel electrode 31, the polarized light that has passed through the liquid crystal layer 14 passes through the second polarizing plate 18 on the observation side and is emitted to the outside, so that white display is performed.

  An image is displayed in the display region V by controlling the black display and the white display in each of the plurality of sub-pixels P (particularly the display pixel Pa) in the display region V of FIG. At this time, a desired full-color image can be displayed by appropriately controlling the transmitted light intensities of R, G, and B in one pixel set. In the present embodiment, when controlling black display and white display, the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules 14a is controlled in the horizontal plane of the substrate in accordance with the horizontal electric field. Therefore, in the case of the vertical electric field system represented by the TN type, the liquid crystal molecules Compared with the case where the orientation is controlled in the vertical plane, a wider viewing angle characteristic can be realized. That is, the image can be normally recognized not only when the image is viewed from the front of the display area V in FIG. 1 but also when the image is viewed from the lateral direction inclined greatly from the front. In this way, wide angle control is realized.

(Operation of viewing angle control pixel Pb)
Also in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the common electrode 42 as the second electrode and the pixel electrode 51 as the first electrode are provided on the element substrate 8. As shown in FIG. 15, it has a gap 45 and an electrode linear portion 51a extending in a direction orthogonal to the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14a. When a predetermined off voltage is applied between the common electrode 42 and the pixel electrode 51 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the liquid crystal molecules maintain the horizontal alignment state that is the initial state, and the viewing angle control pixel Pb is viewed from the front. However, even when viewed from an inclined direction, the display is black. In this state, if display based on the lateral electric field control is performed on the display pixel Pa, the display can be viewed both in the front and in the tilted direction (that is, in the wide-angle region). Thereby, wide viewing angle display can be realized.

  On the other hand, when a predetermined on-voltage is applied between the common electrode 42 and the pixel electrode 51 in the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules 14a changes in the vertical alignment direction of the substrate vertical direction, and the viewing angle control pixel Pb When viewed from the front, the display is black, but when viewed from the side inclined, the transmitted light transmitted through the viewing angle control pixel Pb can be viewed brightly. In this state, if the image display based on the lateral electric field control is performed in the display pixel Pa, the display can be seen in the front. On the other hand, when viewed from the side inclined side, the light from the display pixel Pa itself does not change, but the light from the viewing angle control pixel Pb becomes strong and the contrast of the light from the display pixel Pa is lowered. The light (that is, image display) from the display pixel Pa cannot be visually recognized. Thereby, a narrow viewing angle display can be realized.

  Conventionally, it has been known to perform viewing angle control using an additional viewing angle compensation panel in addition to an image display panel. However, in this conventional liquid crystal device, the entire thickness of the liquid crystal device is increased, There has been a problem that costs and manufacturing costs are increased. On the other hand, according to the liquid crystal device 1 of the present embodiment, since the viewing angle control can be performed only by performing the voltage control on the viewing angle control pixel Pb in one liquid crystal panel 2, the entire liquid crystal device 1 can be thinned. In addition, component costs and manufacturing costs can be kept low. Particularly in recent years, there has been a strong demand for reducing the thickness of electronic devices, as represented by mobile phones. The ability to perform viewing angle control with a single liquid crystal panel greatly contributes to such a demand for thinning.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the viewing angle control pixel Pb also has a lateral electric field type electrode structure like the display pixel Pa, that is, a structure in which a pair of electrodes are provided on one substrate, and electrodes are provided on both of the pair of substrates. Since it is not a structure, the electrode structure and wiring structure between a pair of substrates can be simplified, and the tolerance for misalignment between a pair of substrates can be increased, thus greatly reducing the production of defective liquid crystal devices. Can be reduced.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims.

  For example, in each of the above embodiments, the FFS mode is exemplified as the operation mode of the liquid crystal panel, but the IPS mode may be set as the operation mode. In the IPS mode, the electrode linear portion of the common electrode and the electrode linear portion of the pixel electrode are provided at a relatively wide interval (for example, an interval wider than the layer thickness of the liquid crystal layer) along the substrate surface. This is a mode having an electrode structure in which an electric field is hardly formed in a region immediately above the electrode linear portion. On the other hand, in the FFS mode, the electrode linear portion of the common electrode and the electrode linear portion of the pixel electrode are provided at a relatively narrow interval (for example, an interval narrower than the layer thickness of the liquid crystal layer) along the substrate surface. This mode has an electrode structure in which an electric field is also formed in the region directly above the electrode linear portion of the pixel electrode.

  Next, the overall structure of the liquid crystal device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example of the liquid crystal device. FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration in which the element substrate 8 has one projecting side from the color filter substrate 9 and the driving IC 44 is directly mounted on the projecting side, that is, a so-called COG (Chip On Glass) mounting structure. did. However, the liquid crystal device may have a configuration having a plurality of overhanging sides, and a driving IC may be mounted on each of the overhanging sides. Further, a configuration in which a driving IC is connected to the liquid crystal panel by an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) substrate instead of the COG method may be employed.

(Embodiment of electronic device)
FIG. 17 shows a mobile phone which is an embodiment of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention. The mobile phone 61 includes an operation unit 62 and a display unit 63 provided on the mobile unit 61 so as to be openable and closable. The operation unit 62 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons 64 and a transmission unit 65. The display unit 63 is provided with a display device 66 and a receiver unit 67.

  The display device 66 is configured using, for example, the liquid crystal device 1 shown in FIG. When black voltage is displayed by applying an off voltage to the viewing angle control pixel, the display device 66 has a wide range of polar angles R centered on the front (R = 0 degree) by display control of the display pixel in the FFS mode. Display (so-called wide viewing angle display). On the other hand, when white display is performed by applying an ON voltage to the viewing angle control pixel, there is no change in the image display viewed from the front, but the contrast of the image display viewed from the wide angle region where the polar angle R is large. Is lowered or eliminated by the light from the viewing angle control pixel, so that the image display cannot be visually recognized. Thus, narrow viewing angle display is realized.

  The liquid crystal device according to the present embodiment does not perform viewing angle control with two or more liquid crystal panels, but performs viewing angle control with one liquid crystal panel, so that the thickness of the entire liquid crystal device can be kept thin. Therefore, the thickness of the mobile phone 61 does not increase.

(Other embodiments)
The electronic device of the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims. For example, the present invention is not limited to a mobile phone, but a personal computer, a liquid crystal television, a viewfinder type or a monitor direct-view type video tape recorder, a car navigation device, a pager, an electronic notebook, a calculator, a word processor, a workstation, a videophone device, Various electronic devices such as a POS terminal, a digital still camera, and an electronic book are conceivable. In any electronic device, viewing angle display control can be performed between wide viewing angle display and narrow viewing angle display by a display device having a very thin structure.

  In FIG. 18, a liquid crystal layer in which liquid crystal molecules are arranged in a horizontal direction (substrate horizontal direction) in an initial state is interposed between substrates of a horizontal electric field structure, and an on-voltage is applied to both the display pixel Pa and the viewing angle control pixel Pb. The brightness distribution figure of the result of having simulated the change of the brightness of the transmitted light with respect to the viewing angle direction (polar angle) at the time by calculation is shown. The horizontal axis of this distribution chart indicates the polar angle in the viewing direction, and the vertical axis indicates the brightness of the transmitted light.

  Both the display pixel Pa and the viewing angle control pixel Pb are black when viewed from the front or the diagonal direction when the off-voltage is applied. However, when the on-voltage is applied to the display pixel Pa and the viewing angle control pixel Pb, as shown in FIG. Differences. As shown in the distribution diagram, when the liquid crystal panel is viewed from the front when the ON voltage is applied, the display pixel Pa becomes bright and the viewing angle control pixel Pb remains dark. On the other hand, when viewed obliquely (that is, when the polar angle is large, that is, when the absolute value of the horizontal axis of the distribution diagram is large), the display pixel Pa becomes gradually dark, but the viewing angle control pixel Pb becomes once bright. It has the property of darkening later. Thereby, it is understood that the viewing angle characteristic of the liquid crystal panel can be switched between the wide viewing angle display and the narrow viewing angle display by switching between the on-voltage application and the off-voltage application to the viewing angle control pixel Pb.

  FIG. 19 is a view angle control (when an on-voltage is applied to the viewing angle control pixel Pb) and a viewing angle is not controlled (an off-voltage is applied to the viewing angle control pixel Pb) in the liquid crystal device according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. ) And the simulation result of the change in the viewing angle characteristic. In FIG. 19, the horizontal axis represents the polar angle, and the vertical axis represents the contrast (contrast between the display pixel and the viewing angle control pixel). It can be seen that when the viewing angle is not controlled when the off-voltage is applied to the viewing angle control pixel Pb, the contrast is maintained at 20 or more in the range of ± 80 degrees of the polar angle, and the wide viewing angle display is performed. On the other hand, it is understood that in the viewing angle control in which the on-voltage is applied to the viewing angle control pixel Pb, a very inconspicuous state where the contrast is 2 or less when the polar angle is ± 50 degrees or more, that is, a narrow angle display state is realized. The

  The narrow viewing angle display state shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 depends on the tilt state of the liquid crystal and the distribution state of the tilt of the liquid crystal in the pixel. Therefore, a desired viewing angle control state can be obtained according to the voltage applied to the pixel, the electrode width, the electrode interval, and the like.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a liquid crystal device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the vicinity of one pixel set on one substrate constituting the liquid crystal device of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the vicinity of one pixel set on another substrate constituting the liquid crystal device of FIG. 1. Sectional view taken along a column direction of the display pixels in accordance with the Z ₄ -Z ₄ line of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Sectional view taken along the column direction of the viewing angle control in the pixel in accordance with Z ₅ -Z ₅ line of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the row direction in the vicinity of one pixel set according to the Z ₆ -Z ₆ line of FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing one sub-pixel P in FIG. 2. Is a sectional view showing a modified example of the electrode structure of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, (a) shows the case where the electrode spacing D ₀ is not zero, (b) if the electrode spacing D ₀ is zero. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a main part of another embodiment of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, and particularly a plan view showing the vicinity of one pixel set on one substrate. The top view which shows the board | substrate facing the board | substrate of FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a main part of still another embodiment of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, and particularly a plan view showing the vicinity of one pixel set on one substrate. FIG. _{12 is} a cross-sectional view along the column direction in the viewing angle control pixel according to the Z ₁₂ -Z ₁₂ line of FIG. 11. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view along the row direction in the display pixel according to the Z ₁₃ -Z ₁₃ line of FIG. 11; FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view along the row direction in the viewing angle control pixel according to the Z ₁₄ -Z ₁₄ line of FIG. 11. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a main part of still another embodiment of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, and particularly a plan view showing the vicinity of one pixel set on one substrate. The top view which shows the board | substrate facing the board | substrate of FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a mobile phone that is an embodiment of an electronic apparatus according to the invention. FIG. 6 is a graph showing characteristics of display brightness distribution of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a difference in contrast between a display pixel and a viewing angle control pixel when viewing angle control is performed and when viewing angle control is not performed in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Liquid crystal device, 2 ... Liquid crystal panel, 3 ... Illumination device, 4 ... LED, 5 ... Light guide, 7 ... Sealing material, 8 ... Element board | substrate as 1st board | substrate, 9 ... Color filter board | substrate as 2nd board | substrate , 11 ... scanning lines, 12 ... signal lines, 14 ... liquid crystal layer, 14a ... liquid crystal molecules, 15 ... first translucent substrate, 16 ... first polarizing plate, 17 ... second translucent substrate, 18 ... second. Polarizing plate, 20 ... gate line, 20a ... gate electrode, 21 ... common line, 22 ... common electrode as second electrode, 23 ... gate insulating film, 24 ... source line, 26 ... TFT element, 27 ... semiconductor film, 28 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Source electrode, 29 ... Drain electrode, 30 ... Passivation film, 31 ... Pixel electrode as 1st electrode, 31a ... Electrode linear part, 32 ... Orientation film, 33 ... Through-hole, 35 ... Gap, 36 ... Colored film, 37 ... Light-shielding film, 38 ... Overcoat layer, 39 ... Orientation , 42 ... common electrode as a second electrode, 44 ... driving IC, 45 ... gap, 51 ... pixel electrode as a first electrode, 51a ... electrode linear portion, 61 ... mobile phone as an electronic device, D ₀ ... Electrode spacing, D ₁ ... Liquid crystal layer thickness, G ... Cell gap, P ... Sub pixel, Pa ... Display pixel, Pb ... View angle control pixel, R ... Polar angle, X ... Row direction, Y ... Column direction, V ... Display region .

Claims (10)

A first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate, and a display arranged in a plane area of the first substrate and the second substrate Having a plurality of display pixels and a plurality of viewing angle control pixels constituting the region,
The display pixel and the viewing angle control pixel drive the liquid crystal layer by an electric field generated between a first electrode and a second electrode provided on the first substrate, respectively. In the viewing angle control pixel, The planar direction of the electric field generated between the first electrode and the second electrode is substantially parallel to the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer, the first substrate has a first polarizing plate, The two substrates have a second polarizing plate, the liquid crystal alignment directions of the first substrate and the second substrate are antiparallel, and the transmission axis of the first polarizing plate and the transmission axis of the second polarizing plate are perpendicular to each other. , and the said transmission shaft of the transmission axis or the second polarization plate of the first polarizing plate Ri parallel der and the liquid crystal alignment direction, is within the display pixel is provided colored films of a predetermined color, the viewing angle control pixels The same as the colored film in one of the display pixels adjacent to the viewing angle control pixel A liquid crystal device, wherein a colored film having a non-colored region in a part a color film is provided.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a storage capacitor of the display pixel and a storage capacitor of the viewing angle control pixel are equal to each other.   The liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer is a liquid crystal having a positive dielectric anisotropy, and one of the first electrode and the second electrode of the display pixel is a plurality arranged in parallel with a gap. An electrode linear portion is provided, and an extending direction of the electrode linear portion is in a range of an inclination angle of 0 ° to ± 45 ° with respect to a longitudinal direction of the display pixel. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 3, wherein an initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules is 0 ° to 15 ° with respect to an extending direction of the electrode linear portion in the display pixel. The plurality of display pixels constitute one pixel by a collection of sub-pixels of a plurality of colors, the display region is configured by arranging a plurality of the one pixels, and the viewing angle control pixel is one for each pixel of the display pixels. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid crystal device is provided one by one. The plurality of display pixels constitute one pixel by a collection of sub-pixels of a plurality of colors, and a plurality of the one pixels are arranged, and one viewing angle control pixel is provided for two or more of the display pixels. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid crystal device is provided one by one. One pixel of the display pixel includes a sub-pixel having individual colored films of a plurality of colors, and the sub-pixel is arranged in a first direction which is a longitudinal direction of the display pixel, and the same color is arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. arranged in a stripe arrangement in which different colors are aligned in a direction, the viewing angle control pixels claims, characterized in that provided between the other one pixel adjacent one pixel and the second direction to that of the display pixel The liquid crystal device according to claim 5 or 6 . One pixel of the display pixel includes a sub-pixel having individual colored films of three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue), and two sub-pixels of the three colors are the display The pixels are arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction of the pixels, and the remaining one-color sub-pixel of the three colors is adjacent to one of the two-color sub-pixels in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. 7. The liquid crystal device according to claim 5 , wherein the viewing angle control pixels are arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction with respect to the remaining one color sub-pixel. The liquid crystal device according to any one of claims 1 to請Motomeko 8 area of one pixel of the display pixel may be greater than the area of the viewing angle control pixels. The first electrode in the display pixel has a plurality of electrode linear portions arranged in parallel with a gap therebetween, and the second electrode in the display pixel is a planar electrode without a gap. the liquid crystal device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in.

Images