JP4825435B2 - Liquid crystal display - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display device in which a light shielding layer is formed outside a display region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged.

  In general, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 5, the liquid crystal display device includes a counter substrate 2, a light shielding layer 9, a sealing material 3, and an array substrate 1 in order from the upper layer. The array substrate 1 has a display area 5 in which a plurality of pixels (not shown here) are arranged on a transparent glass substrate.

  The sealing material 3 is arranged so as to form a liquid crystal injection port 6 for injecting a liquid crystal layer along the edge of the array substrate 1 and in a part of the edge of the array substrate 1. 2 and pasted together. The liquid crystal material injected into the inlet is held by the sealing material 3 to form a liquid crystal layer. As shown in the figure, the light shielding layer 9 is arranged so as to surround the outside of the display area 5 on the counter substrate 2, and a part of the light irradiated from the backlight light source arranged on the back surface of the array substrate 1 is obtained. This prevents leakage outside the display area 5 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

When the quality control is performed to check whether the array substrate 1 and the counter substrate 2 are correctly bonded via the seal material 3, the tip of the seal material 3 at the liquid crystal injection port 6 portion from above the transparent counter substrate 2. Then, the position of the seal end and the seal width are inspected by visual observation using a magnifying glass or optical microscope or by using a measuring instrument.
JP 2001-133800 A

  However, FIG. 6 is a side view seen from the direction in which the liquid crystal injection port 6 of the liquid crystal display device of FIG. 5 is formed. As shown in FIG. 6, from the backlight light source 8 arranged at the lower part of the array substrate 1. Light is irradiated toward the display area 5 (broken arrows in the figure). A part of this light reaches the area outside the light shielding layer 9 disposed outside the display area 5, so that it passes through this portion of the counter substrate 2 and causes light leakage.

  On the other hand, in the plan view of the liquid crystal display device shown in FIG. 7, the region of the light shielding layer 10 on the counter substrate 2 is expanded to the vicinity of the four edges of the substrate. In such a case, since the tip of the sealing material 3 that is the liquid crystal injection port 6 at the substrate end is shielded by the light shielding layer 10, the sealing material for the liquid crystal injection port 6 is used during the quality control check of the liquid crystal substrate. There is a problem that the tip of 3 cannot be inspected.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and in a liquid crystal display device, it is possible to inspect the front end of a sealing material to be bonded to a liquid crystal substrate, and to obtain the maximum light shielding effect of a backlight leaking from the outside of the display area. For the purpose.

A liquid crystal display device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an array substrate having a display area in which a plurality of pixels are disposed, a counter substrate disposed to face the array substrate, and an edge of the substrate along the edge of the substrate. A sealing material arranged so as to form a liquid crystal injection port at a part of the edge, and an array substrate or a counter substrate on a region outside the display region up to the four sides of the counter substrate. A light shielding layer having a portion to be exposed, and the portion to be exposed is concave and formed at each of one end and the other end of the portion forming the liquid crystal injection port of the sealing material, and the center of the width of the concave portion The line is disposed so as to coincide with the center line of the width of one end or the other end of the portion forming the liquid crystal injection port of the sealing material .

  In the present invention, the front end of the sealing material is exposed by exposing the liquid crystal inlet of the sealing material that bonds the two substrates to the light shielding layer disposed in the region outside the display region on the counter substrate or the array substrate. Inspection is possible, and the light shielding layer can be extended to the ends of the four sides of the counter substrate.

  Furthermore, it is desirable that the depth of the recess is a dimension based on the accuracy of the width or the position of the sealing material.

  According to the liquid crystal display device of the present invention, it is possible to inspect the front end of the sealing material to which the liquid crystal substrate is bonded, and to obtain the maximum light shielding effect of the backlight leaking from the outside of the display area.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the present liquid crystal display device). As shown in the figure, the present liquid crystal display device includes a counter substrate 2, a light shielding layer 4, a sealing material 3, and an array substrate 1 in order from the upper layer.

  The array substrate 1 has a display area 5 in which a plurality of pixels (not shown here) are arranged on a transparent glass substrate. The counter substrate 2 has a light shielding layer (not shown here) formed in a matrix form on a transparent glass substrate to shield light leaking from between the colored layers corresponding to the respective pixels in the display region 5. .

  The sealing material 3 is demonstrated using the top view of FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1 excluding the counter substrate 2. The sealing material 3 is arranged so as to form a liquid crystal injection port 6 for injecting a liquid crystal layer along the edge of the array substrate 1 and in a part of the edge of the array substrate 1. 2 and pasted together. The liquid crystal material injected into the inlet is held by a sealing material to form a liquid crystal layer. As the sealing material 3, a highly reliable material is used in consideration of adhesive strength, moisture resistance, elution of impurities into the liquid crystal layer, and the like.

  Next, the configuration and effect of the light shielding layer 4 which is a feature of the present liquid crystal display device will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 1, the light shielding layer 4 is disposed so as to surround the outside of the display region 5 in the counter substrate 2, and has a recess 7 that exposes the liquid crystal injection port 6 of the sealing material 3. Here, for example, two recesses 7 are provided so as to correspond to one end and the other end of the sealing material 3. Further, for the light shielding layer 4 and the light shielding layer disposed inside the display area 5, a black coloring resin having excellent light shielding properties is used, and these are formed on the opposite substrate 2 in the same layer and in the same process. Formed with.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the concave portion 7 of the light shielding layer 4 of FIG. As shown in the figure, for example, the recess 7 in the figure is processed so as to correspond to one end and the other end of the sealing material 3. For processing the recess 7, for example, a photolithography technique is used. That is, when the light shielding layer 4 is formed, a pattern of the concave portion 7 having a width La and a depth Lb is applied and processed with a photosensitive resin.

  In the figure, Lc represents the width of the sealing material 3. When the quality control is performed to check whether the array substrate 1 and the counter substrate 2 are correctly bonded via the seal material 3, the manager visually checks the image using a loupe or an optical microscope or uses a measuring instrument 3 to actually arrange the seal material 3 And the width Lc of the sealing material 3 are inspected.

  When the position of the sealing material 3 is inspected, the position of the center line of the sealing material 3 actually disposed is measured with respect to the position of the center line of the sealing material, which is an expected value, and the value is within a range of ± A. If any. A represents the accuracy of the device for disposing the sealing material, and hereinafter referred to as the positional accuracy of the sealing material. When the width Lc of the sealing material 3 is inspected, the width of the sealing material 3 that is actually disposed is measured with respect to the expected width Lc of the sealing material, and if the value is in the range of Lc ± 2B. Allow. Here, B represents the accuracy of the apparatus for disposing the sealing material, and is hereinafter referred to as the width accuracy of the sealing material.

  At this time, the center line of the width La of the recess 7 is arranged so as to coincide with the center line of the width Lc at one end or the other end of the sealing material 3 extending to the end of the array substrate 1, and the width La of the recess Preferably has a length that satisfies at least the depth Lb of the recess and the width Lc of the sealing material 3 and the following expression (1).

La = 2 × Lb + Lc (1)
By setting it as such a structure, the visibility of the front-end | tip part of the sealing material 3 which is a test object can be improved at the time of the quality control inspection of a sealing material.

  The depth Lb of the recess 7 is a dimension based on the positional accuracy A of the sealing material or the width accuracy B of the sealing material. For example, the depth Lb of the recess is desirably a length that satisfies at least the positional accuracy A of the sealing material and the width accuracy B of the sealing material and the following equation (2).

Lb = √ (A ² + B ² ) (2)
By setting it as such a structure, the visibility of the front-end | tip part of the sealing material 3 which is a test object can be improved at the time of the quality control inspection of a sealing material.

  In this way, the tip portion of the sealing material 3 of the light shielding layer 4 is formed as the recess 7, so that at the time of inspection of the quality control of the liquid crystal substrate, the administrator places the tip portion of the sealing material 3 to be inspected on the light shielding layer 4. It can expose from the recessed part 7 and can test | inspect.

  Further, since the light shielding layer 4 has the above-described characteristics, the present liquid crystal display device can obtain the following effects. FIG. 4 is a side view seen from the direction in which the liquid crystal injection port 6 of the liquid crystal display device of FIG. 1 is formed. As shown in the figure, the light shielding layer 4 arranged outside the display area 5 on the counter substrate 2 is extended to the ends of the four sides of the substrate. As a result, the light shielding layer 4 has a part of the light (broken arrows in the figure) irradiated from the backlight source 8 disposed on the back surface of the array substrate 1 to the main area from the outside of the light shielding layer 4. Leakage outside the liquid crystal display device can be prevented.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, by exposing the liquid crystal injection port 6 of the sealing material 3 that bonds the two substrates to the light shielding layer 4 disposed so as to surround the outside of the display region 5 on the counter substrate 2. The tip of the sealing material 3 can be inspected. Further, by arranging the light shielding layer 4 so as to extend to the ends of the four sides of the counter substrate 2, the light shielding effect of the backlight leaking from the outside of the display region 5 can be obtained to the maximum.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the exposed portion of the light shielding layer 4 is concave, and the center line of the width La of the concave portion 7 is at one end or the other end of the portion that forms the liquid crystal inlet 6 of the sealing material 3. By arranging so as to coincide with the center line of the width Lc, it is possible to improve the visibility of the tip of the sealing material 3 to be inspected at the time of quality control inspection of the sealing material 3.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the depth Lb of the recess is a dimension based on the positional accuracy A or the width accuracy B of the sealing material. The visibility of the tip of a certain sealing material 3 can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, two concave portions 7 of the light shielding layer 4 are provided so as to correspond to one end and the other end of the sealing material 3 forming the liquid crystal injection port 6. The configuration is not limited to this as long as the tip portions at both ends can be inspected. For example, one recess 7 of the light shielding layer 4 is provided, and one end and the other end of the sealing material 3 are inspected from the recess 7. You may make it do.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the portion corresponding to the tip portion of the sealing material 3 of the light shielding layer 4 is a concave shape in which a rectangular pattern is cut out so as to expose the tip portion of the sealing material 3. It is not limited. The configuration is not limited to this as long as the tip portions at both ends of the sealing material 3 can be inspected from the concave portion 7. For example, the portion corresponding to the tip portion of the sealing material 3 of the light shielding layer 4 is semicircular. May be.

  In the present embodiment, the light shielding layer is disposed outside the display area of the counter substrate. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If light leakage to the outside of the display area from the backlight light source arranged at the lower part of the array substrate can be prevented, for example, a light shielding layer is provided on the lower surface or the upper surface of the drive circuit etc. arranged outside the display area of the array substrate. You may arrange.

  In the present embodiment, one liquid crystal injection port for injecting the liquid crystal layer is provided at the end of the substrate. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which two or more liquid crystal injection ports are provided at the end of the substrate may be employed. A liquid crystal display device having a larger display area is more efficient because the amount of liquid crystal layer injected between the substrates is large.

It is a top view which shows the outline of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a top view which removed the counter substrate from the liquid crystal display device which concerns on this Embodiment. It is the top view to which the recessed part of the light shielding layer arrange | positioned on the counter substrate of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on this Embodiment was expanded. It is the side view which looked at the liquid crystal display device concerning this embodiment from the direction of a liquid crystal injection mouth. It is a top view which shows the outline of the conventional liquid crystal display device which shows the example of a 1st light shielding layer. It is the side view which looked at the liquid crystal display device which has a 1st light shielding layer from the direction of the liquid-crystal injection hole. It is a top view which shows the outline of the conventional liquid crystal display device which shows the example of a 2nd light shielding layer.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Array substrate 2 ... Opposite substrate 3 ... Sealing material 4 ... Light shielding layer 5 ... Display area 6 ... Liquid crystal inlet 7 ... Light-shielding layer recessed part 8 ... Backlight light source 9 ... Light shielding layer 10 of 1st prior art example ... 2nd In the conventional example, the light shielding layer La ... the width Lb of the concave portion ... the depth Lc of the concave portion ... the width of the sealing material

Claims (2)

An array substrate having a display area in which a plurality of pixels are arranged;
A counter substrate disposed opposite to the array substrate;
A sealing material arranged to form a liquid crystal injection port along an edge of the substrate and at a part of the edge of the substrate;
A light-shielding layer that is disposed up to the ends of the four sides of the counter substrate in a region outside the display region of the array substrate or the counter substrate, and has a portion that exposes the liquid crystal injection port of the sealing material ,
The exposed portion is concave and formed at one end and the other end of the portion that forms the liquid crystal injection port of the sealing material, and the center line of the width of the concave portion defines the liquid crystal injection port of the sealing material. A liquid crystal display device, wherein the liquid crystal display device is arranged so as to coincide with a center line of a width of one end or the other end of a portion to be formed . The depth of the recess, the liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the dimension by the original accuracy of the precision or the position of the width of the sealing material.

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