JPH10268246A - Device and method for manufacturing curved surface display liquid crystal panel, and method for manufacturing liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a feeling of breadth and the expansibility of design by providing a surface panel insertion part on a matching surface and equipping at least one of a couple of matched molds with a heating means. SOLUTION: When empty cell which are connected in a sheet shape are inserted into the matched molds 56 and 58, the flexible cells 16 are around the inside molds 56 and the outside mold 58 while expanded is moved and closed where it surround the inside mold 56. Then the cells 16 come into contact with respective panel insertion parts 57 and 59 of the inside mold 56 and outside mold 58 and are held while curved into a shape conforming with the curved shape of the panel insertion parts 57 and 59. In this state, the heating means provided in the inside mold 56 slowly heats a polymer film forming a transparent substrate up to plastic deforming temperature, and this state is held for a specific time. Then the cells 16 are slowly cooled down to room temperature, the outside mold 58 is expanded, and the cells 16 are taken out. The cells 16 are curved and have the specific surface shape.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel and a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In various electronic devices such as telephones, portable telephones, pagers, and electronic organizers, liquid crystal display devices are widely used as display units for displaying visible information.

[0003] Such a liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel and a drive circuit, and is provided with auxiliary equipment such as a backlight and a casing as necessary. Then, a liquid crystal display panel serving as a display surface is incorporated in the electronic device substantially in parallel with the outer surface of the housing of the electronic device, thereby forming a display unit.

In recent years, with respect to the display surface of such electronic devices, from the viewpoint of pursuit of a wide feeling and development of design,
2. Description of the Related Art A liquid crystal display panel in which a convex lens is incorporated above a display surface is used.

However, this structure requires a convex lens on the upper part of the liquid crystal display panel, which causes a problem that the volume and the weight are increased. In addition, although the display can be made large by the convex lens, the display area cannot be expected to increase due to the curvature of the display unit.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a wide feeling and design development without increasing the volume and weight. Another object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing device and a manufacturing method of a curved display liquid crystal panel capable of increasing a display area, and a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display device.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel, comprising: a pair of mating dies; A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a panel, wherein each of the mating dies has a curved-shaped panel insertion portion on a mating surface, and at least one of the pair of mating dies has a heating means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel having a heating means on at least one of the mating dies having a curved panel insertion portion on the mating surface.

Therefore, the liquid crystal display panel having flexibility is inserted into the panel insertion portion, the mating mold is closed to deform the liquid crystal display panel, and the liquid crystal display panel is heated by the heating means of at least one of the mating molds. As a result, a transparent substrate or the like constituting the liquid crystal display panel can be heated and deformed to manufacture a curved display liquid crystal panel.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus for manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel according to the first aspect, the pair of mating dies are formed so as to be disassembled with a cylindrical inner mold, and the inner mold is formed so as to be disassembled. And a cylindrical outer mold that covers the side surface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel, wherein a liquid crystal display panel is provided between the entire peripheral surface of a cylindrical inner die and the entire inner peripheral surface of a cylindrical outer die. , And can process many liquid crystal display panels.

In addition, since the entire device has a cylindrical shape, the surface area can be reduced as compared with, for example, a plate-like device, so that the amount of heat radiated to the outside air is reduced, and the manufacturing device has high thermal efficiency. Becomes

Further, the manufacturing apparatus of the curved display liquid crystal panel according to the present invention is a manufacturing apparatus that requires a small bottom area and a small installation area since the entire apparatus has a cylindrical shape.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel, the method comprising manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel between a pair of mating dies having a curved panel insertion portion on a mating surface. A step of inserting a flexible liquid crystal display panel before enclosing the liquid crystal and heating the liquid crystal display panel by a heating means to form a curved surface is provided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a curved display type liquid crystal display panel can be obtained, and when incorporated in an electronic device, it is necessary to use a convex lens to obtain a feeling of wideness and design development. It is possible without. Therefore, a curved surface display liquid crystal panel having a larger display area than a flat display type liquid crystal display panel can be obtained without increasing the volume and weight, providing a sense of wideness and design development, and having a curved display surface. Obtainable.

Further, according to the method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel of the present invention, a liquid crystal display panel before completion, which is constructed in exactly the same manner as a normal flat display type liquid crystal display panel, is held between the mating molds. Then, only by heating, a curved display liquid crystal panel can be manufactured. Therefore, a curved display liquid crystal panel can be manufactured using exactly the same constituent material as a normal flat display liquid crystal display panel.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel of the present invention, the liquid crystal is sealed after the flexible liquid crystal display panel is curved, so that the uniformity of the cell gap of the curved display liquid crystal panel can be easily achieved. Can be secured. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the display quality may be deteriorated due to the non-uniform cell gap.

According to the method for manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel of the present invention, the process of manufacturing a flat display type liquid crystal display panel by simply adding a step of holding the liquid crystal display panel in a curved shape and heating the liquid crystal display panel can be performed. A display liquid crystal panel can be manufactured. Therefore, the equipment used for manufacturing the flat display type liquid crystal display panel can be shared, and there is no need to change the design of the manufacturing equipment. Further, according to this manufacturing method, a common manufacturing line can be used for the two types of liquid crystal display panels, that is, the curved display type and the flat display type, except for the added steps. Does not cause a significant increase in capital investment or cause a reduction in the capacity utilization rate.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel, the method comprising manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel between a pair of mating dies having a curved panel insertion portion on a mating surface. The method is characterized by including a step of inserting the flexible liquid crystal display panel after the liquid crystal is enclosed, and heating the liquid crystal display panel by a heating means to form a curved surface.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel according to the third aspect of the present invention, except that the liquid crystal display panel after the liquid crystal is filled has a curved shape. Is different from the manufacturing method. Therefore,
Except for the function and effect associated with making the liquid crystal display panel before liquid crystal sealing into a curved shape, the liquid crystal display panel has the same function and effect as the curved display liquid crystal panel according to the third aspect of the present invention.

In particular, according to the method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel of the present invention, the liquid crystal display panel after the liquid crystal is filled is held between the mating molds and heated to manufacture the curved display liquid crystal panel. The steps up to the step of manufacturing a liquid crystal cell in which liquid crystal is sealed, that is, a liquid crystal display panel sandwiched between a pair of transparent substrates, are exactly the same as the steps of manufacturing a flat display type liquid crystal display panel. Accordingly, the production line can be shared with the flat display type liquid crystal display panel in more steps, and the production efficiency can be improved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein an oven is used as the heating means.

In the curved display liquid crystal panel according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, an oven available as a commercial product is used as a heating means. And its design and manufacture can be facilitated.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, comprising: a curved surface display liquid crystal panel; and a drive circuit for driving the curved surface display liquid crystal panel. The curved display liquid crystal panel is formed into a curved shape by inserting a flexible liquid crystal display panel between a pair of mating dies having a curved panel insertion portion on a mating surface and heating the liquid crystal display panel by a heating means. It is characterized by being formed including steps.

A sixth aspect of the present invention defines a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device having a curved display liquid crystal panel manufactured by using the manufacturing method according to the third or fourth aspect of the present invention.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, by bending the liquid crystal display panel, it is possible to obtain a feeling of wideness and design development without incorporating a convex lens when the liquid crystal display panel is incorporated in an electronic device. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a liquid crystal display device having a wide feeling and design development without increasing the volume and weight. Moreover, since the display surface is curved, a liquid crystal display device having a curved display liquid crystal panel having a larger display area than a flat display type liquid crystal display panel can be obtained.

Further, according to the method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device of the present invention, a curved flat display type liquid crystal display panel can be manufactured only by holding and heating a normal flat display type liquid crystal display panel between the mating dies. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a liquid crystal display device having a curved display liquid crystal panel which can be manufactured using exactly the same constituent material as a normal flat display type liquid crystal display panel.

According to the method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device of the present invention, the process of manufacturing a flat display type liquid crystal display panel can be performed by simply adding a step of heating and holding the liquid crystal display panel in a curved shape. A liquid crystal panel can be manufactured. Therefore, the equipment used for manufacturing the flat display type liquid crystal display panel can be shared, and there is no need to change the design of the manufacturing equipment. Further, according to this manufacturing method, a common manufacturing line can be used for the two types of liquid crystal display panels, that is, the curved display type and the flat display type, except for the added process, so that another manufacturing line is required. This does not cause a large increase in capital investment or cause a decrease in the capacity utilization rate.

[0029]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below more specifically with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a curved display liquid crystal panel 10 of the present embodiment along a direction in which there is no curvature. The curved display liquid crystal panel 10 of the present embodiment has a simple matrix-type flexible liquid crystal display including a liquid crystal cell (hereinafter, referred to as a cell) and polarizing plates 50 attached to upper and lower outer surfaces thereof. It is a panel.

This liquid crystal cell is composed of two opposing transparent substrates 24 and a sealing material 28 arranged over the entire edge of the opposing surfaces of the two transparent substrates 24 to hermetically seal the transparent substrates.
A transparent electrode 32 formed on each of the opposing surfaces of the two transparent substrates 24, an alignment film 36 formed covering the transparent electrodes 32, and a substrate disposed in a gap between the two transparent substrates 24. It is formed to include a spacer 40 for keeping the distance therebetween, and a liquid crystal 44 sealed in a space defined by the two transparent substrates 24 and the sealing material 28.

The transparent substrate 24 is formed of a polymer film such as polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethersulfone, and polycarbonate, and has flexibility.

Next, the curved display liquid crystal panel 10 of the present embodiment
Will be described. The curved display liquid crystal panel 10 of the present embodiment includes a transparent electrode forming, printing, assembling, bending processing,
It is manufactured through the steps of injecting liquid crystal and attaching a polarizing plate.

In the transparent electrode forming step, first, a transparent conductive layer, for example, an ITO (indium tin oxide) layer is formed on the surfaces of the pair of transparent substrates 24 by sputtering. In this step, the transparent substrate 24 of the present embodiment is in a roll state having a size corresponding to a plurality of transparent substrates.

Next, by applying photolithography, ie, applying a resist solution, exposing a predetermined pattern, developing, etching, and then removing the resist solution, the transparent electrode 32 having a predetermined pattern is formed. In the case of the embodiment, an ITO electrode is formed on the transparent substrate 24.

Then, the roll-shaped polymer film is cut, and a pair of sheet-shaped transparent substrates 24 of about A4 size are cut.
After that, the printing process starts.

In the printing step, the alignment film 3 is formed on each transparent substrate 24.
6 are printed, spacers 40 for keeping the cell thickness constant are dispersed and arranged on one transparent substrate 24, and baked.
Then, rubbing is performed by rubbing the alignment film 36 with a cloth or the like, so that the alignment film 36 has an orientation.

In the assembly process, first, the transparent substrate 24 on one side
Is printed around the seal material. Then, a double-sided conductive material 30 is printed on a predetermined portion of the transparent substrate 24 on one side.

In a subsequent step, a part of the transparent substrate 24 is removed to expose a part of the transparent electrode 32 so that the terminal 26 can be formed.
A cut is made in the vicinity of the place where the double-sided conductive material 26 of No. 4 is printed.

Next, the pair of transparent substrates 24 are heated and pressed together and dried to cure the sealing material 28. As a result, the empty cells 1 before the liquid crystal is sealed in a sheet shape
6 is completed.

In the bending process, first,
As shown in FIG. 2, between a pair of mating dies 56 and 58,
A sheet-shaped flexible liquid crystal display panel before enclosing the liquid crystal, that is, an empty cell 16 connected in a sheet shape is inserted.

The pair of mating dies 56 and 58 are shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 4, the inner mold 56 has a cylindrical inner mold 56 and a cylindrical outer mold 58 that covers the entire circumference thereof at a predetermined interval.
In this pair of mating dies, the entire mating surface, that is, the entire outer periphery of the inner mold 56 and the entire inner periphery of the outer mold 58 constitute the panel insertion portions 57, 59. And the outer mold 58
As shown in FIG. 2, the two parts are connected by a hinge 60 and are formed to be deployable on a plane parallel to the axis. Furthermore, the heating means 62 is incorporated in the inner mold 56 so that a symbol schematically showing the heating means 62 such as a nichrome wire is drawn by a broken line. This heating means 6
Reference numeral 2 is connected to a power supply (not shown).

Since the pair of mating dies 56 and 58 have the above-described shapes, the pair of mating dies 56 and 58 are provided between the entire peripheral surface of the cylindrical inner die 56 and the entire inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical outer die 58. Since a liquid crystal display panel can be inserted, many liquid crystal display panels can be processed. In addition, since the shape at the time of processing, that is, when the mating mold is closed is a cylindrical shape, for example, the overall shape at the time of closing is plate-like compared with the mating mold having the same processing capacity
Small surface area. Therefore, the amount of heat radiated to the outside air is reduced, and a combined type having high thermal efficiency is obtained.

The sheet-like flexible liquid crystal display panel before enclosing the liquid crystal, that is, the empty cells 16 like a sheet.
As shown in this figure, after the flexible cell 16 is adhered to the periphery of the inner mold 56, the outer mold 58 is placed at a position surrounding the inner mold 56 in a deployed state. Move and close. Then, as shown in a plan view in FIG. 3 and a perspective view in FIG.
8 and is kept in a state of being curved into a shape along the curved shape of each panel insertion portion 57, 59. In this state, as described above, the heating means 62 provided on the inner mold 56 heats the polymer film forming the transparent substrate 24 to a temperature at which the polymer film is slowly plastically deformed, and this state is maintained for a predetermined time. For example, cell 16
Hold in this state at 80 ° C. for 3 days.

Thereafter, the cell 16 is slowly cooled to room temperature while being held between the inner mold 56 and the outer mold 58. Then, the outer mold 58 is unfolded and the cell 16 is taken out. The cell 16 taken out is curved to be a cell 16 having a predetermined curved surface shape. At this stage, the cells 16 are also in the form of a sheet in which a plurality of cells 16 are connected.

Then, the sheet-like transparent substrate 24 having the size of the plurality of transparent substrates 24 is cut into a strip shape in which a plurality of cells are arranged in a line. By this cutting, the liquid crystal inlet of each cell is opened, and the inlet is arranged on one side of the strip.

In the next step of injecting the liquid crystal 44, a plurality of empty cells arranged in a strip shape in the above step are placed at positions separated from the liquid crystal in a container having a liquid crystal storage at the bottom, The inside of the container is evacuated. After that, the inside of the container is returned to the atmospheric pressure with the filling port in the liquid crystal storage. Then, the liquid crystal is filled in the cell by the pressure difference and the capillary phenomenon. Then, after sealing the inlet, a plurality of cells arranged in a strip shape are washed.

Thereafter, the transparent electrode 24 is cut for each unit cell, a part of one of the transparent substrates 24 is removed from the above-mentioned cut, and the transparent electrode 3 is cut.
After exposing part of 2 to form the terminal portion 26, the process proceeds to a polarizing plate attaching step.

In the polarizing plate sticking step, a polarizing plate 50 is stuck to the transparent substrate 24 of each cell.

Through the above-described steps, the curved display liquid crystal panel 10 of this embodiment is changed to the transmission type curved display liquid crystal panel 1.
Completed as 0.

Although FIG. 1 shows a transmissive liquid crystal display panel 10 without a reflection plate, when the liquid crystal display panel is formed as a reflection type curved display liquid crystal panel, a reflection plate is further provided on the outer surface of one of the polarizing plates 50. Is added.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where the curved display liquid crystal panel 10 of the present embodiment manufactured as described above is connected to a circuit board 80 via a wiring board 70 to form a liquid crystal display device 150. FIG. A drive circuit and the like for driving the curved display liquid crystal panel 10 are incorporated in the circuit board 80. The wiring board 70 has a belt shape, is formed by integrally covering a wiring pattern with a polymer film such as a polyester film, and has flexibility. Therefore,
It can be easily connected to the terminals arranged on the curved edge of the curved display liquid crystal panel 10 and the flat terminals of the circuit board 80 by means of thermal fusion or the like via a bonding agent that becomes an anisotropic conductive film. it can.

The liquid crystal display device 15 of this embodiment shown in FIG.
FIG. 6 shows a state in which the circuit board 80 is bent at the portion of the wiring board 70 and the circuit board 80 is arranged on the back surface of the curved display liquid crystal panel 10.
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view passing through the liquid crystal display device 150, which is incorporated in an electronic device such as a mobile phone 130 as schematically shown. 6 and 7, components other than the liquid crystal display device 150 are considerably omitted. Actually, the mobile phone 150 is provided with a display information output source, a display information processing circuit,
It is configured to include various circuits such as a clock generation circuit and a power supply circuit for supplying power to those circuits.

In the above description, the portable telephone 130 is used as an electronic device in which the liquid crystal display device 150 of this embodiment is incorporated.
However, the liquid crystal display device 150 of this embodiment includes a clock,
Pager, mobile phone, electronic organizer, calculator, POS terminal, I
Electronic devices such as C cards and mini-disc players can be similarly incorporated.

As described above, according to the method of manufacturing the curved display liquid crystal panel of the present embodiment, the curved display liquid crystal display panel 10 can be obtained, and when incorporated into an electronic device, a wide feeling and a development in design can be obtained. It is possible to obtain the property without using a convex lens. Therefore, a curved surface display liquid crystal panel 10 having a large display area as compared with a flat display type liquid crystal display panel is provided because the display surface is curved without increasing the volume and weight and the display surface is curved. Can be obtained.

Further, according to the method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel of the present embodiment, a liquid crystal display panel before completion, which is constructed in exactly the same manner as that of a normal flat display type liquid crystal display panel, is placed between the mating type. The curved display liquid crystal panel 10 can be manufactured only by holding and heating. Therefore, the curved display liquid crystal panel 10 can be manufactured using exactly the same constituent material as that of a normal flat display type liquid crystal display panel.

Further, according to the method of manufacturing the curved display liquid crystal panel of the present embodiment, the liquid crystal is sealed after the flexible liquid crystal display panel is bent.
Cell gap uniformity can be easily ensured. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the display quality may be deteriorated due to the non-uniform cell gap.

According to the method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel of the present embodiment, a process of holding and heating a liquid crystal display panel in a curved shape is added to the process of manufacturing a flat display type liquid crystal display panel. The curved display liquid crystal panel 10 can be manufactured. Therefore, the equipment used for manufacturing the flat display type liquid crystal display panel can be used in common, and there is no need to change the design of the manufacturing equipment. Further, according to this manufacturing method, a common manufacturing line can be provided for two types of liquid crystal display panels of a curved display type and a flat display type except for the added process.
As in the case where a separate production line is required, there is no significant increase in capital investment and no decrease in the capacity utilization rate.

Further, according to the method of manufacturing the curved display liquid crystal panel of the present embodiment, in the bending process, processing is performed in a state where a plurality of cells, that is, a liquid crystal display panel before completion without a polarizing plate or the like attached thereto is connected. Therefore, higher manufacturing efficiency can be realized as compared with the case where processing is performed for each individual cell.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the bending is performed in a sheet-like state in which a plurality of cells are connected.
The cutting may be performed in a strip shape in which a plurality of cells are arranged in a line by cutting the transparent substrate in advance. Further, the transparent substrate may be further cut and curved processing may be performed in a state of each single cell. In this case, the subsequent step of injecting liquid crystal is also performed in the state of each cell.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which a pair of mating dies used in the bending process are formed of a cylinder and a cylinder surrounding the cylinder. However, the pair of mating dies is not limited to such a shape, but may have any shape as long as the mating surface has a panel insertion portion for curving the liquid crystal display panel into a predetermined curved shape. It may be something.

A pair of mating dies shown in FIG. 8 is one example. In this pair of mating dies, the mating surface of one mating mold 64 has a concave panel insertion portion 65 corresponding to the curved shape of the curved display liquid crystal panel, and the mating surface of the other mating mold 66 has the shape of the curved display liquid crystal panel. It has a convex panel insertion part 67 corresponding to the curved shape. These paired mating types are
Hinges 68 fixed to one side of each mating surface are connected to be openable and closable. In addition, such a pair of mating dies 6
Heating means can be incorporated in at least one of 4,66. By using such a pair of mating dies in the above-described bending process, a curved display liquid crystal panel can be manufactured in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

[Second Embodiment] The present embodiment differs from the method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel of the first embodiment in that the bending step is a step after the liquid crystal injection step. The other points are the same as in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the bending process of this embodiment, a plurality of cells into which liquid crystal has been injected are arranged in a row in a strip shape.
Similarly to the first embodiment, it is inserted between the pair of mating dies 56 and 58 shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, kept at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time, and then cooled to room temperature to cool the mating dies 56 and 58.
Remove from 58. As a result, a plurality of strip-shaped cells processed into a curved shape are obtained.

Thereafter, the cells are cut into individual cells, and a polarizing plate sticking step is performed. As shown in FIG. 1 as a schematic cross-sectional view along a direction having no curvature, a transmissive curved display liquid crystal panel 10 is formed. Is completed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

In the case where the liquid crystal panel is formed as a reflective curved display liquid crystal panel, the step of attaching a reflector is performed following the step of attaching a polarizing plate.

According to the method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel of the present embodiment, the manufacturing method of the curved display liquid crystal panel of the first embodiment except for the operation and effect related to the fact that the bending step is performed before the liquid crystal injection step. It has the same effect as the method.

In particular, according to the method for manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel of the present embodiment, the liquid crystal display panel after the liquid crystal is enclosed is held between the mating dies 56 and 58 and heated, whereby the curved display liquid crystal panel 10 is formed. The manufacturing process is exactly the same as the manufacturing process of the flat display liquid crystal panel up to the process of manufacturing the liquid crystal cell in which the liquid crystal is sealed, that is, the component of the liquid crystal display panel sandwiched between a pair of transparent substrates. Therefore, the production line can be shared with the flat display liquid crystal panel in more steps, and the production efficiency can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the bending is performed in a strip shape in which a plurality of cells are connected. However, after the transparent substrate is cut into individual cells in advance, the bending is performed. May go.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be variously modified within the scope of the present invention or within the equivalent scope of the claims. Modifications are possible.

For example, in each of the above embodiments, an example is shown in which the heating means is provided only in one of the mating dies, but the heating means may be provided in both of the mating dies. By providing the heating means in both of the molds, more uniform heating can be performed.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the liquid crystal display panel, that is, the liquid crystal cell in which the polarizing plate is not stuck is used.
Although an example in which the liquid crystal display panel is bent in the bending step has been described, in the bending step, the liquid crystal display panel to which the polarizing plate or the like is attached may be bent in the same manner as in the above-described embodiments. In this case, the polarizing plate attaching step and the like are performed before the bending step.

In each of the above embodiments, an example has been described in which the heating means is incorporated in at least one of the mating dies. However, the heating means does not necessarily have to be incorporated in the mating mold. For example, a pair of mating dies shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 8 is manufactured without incorporating a heating means, and a liquid crystal display panel before being bent is inserted between such a pair of mating dies. Similarly, the liquid crystal display panel can be curved by heating the whole in an oven.

Further, in each of the embodiments described above, an example was described in which a simple matrix drive liquid crystal display panel was used as the liquid crystal display panel. However, a static drive liquid crystal display panel may be used, or the liquid crystal display panel may be configured. If a switching element can be formed on a transparent substrate having flexibility, an active matrix liquid crystal display panel using a three-terminal switching element represented by a TFT or a two-terminal switching element represented by an MIM may be used. . Further, in terms of electro-optical characteristics, various types of liquid crystal display panels such as a TN type, a STN type and the like, as well as a guest host type, a polymer dispersion type phase transition type and a ferroelectric type can be used.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the liquid crystal display device is constituted by the curved display liquid crystal panel and the circuit board on which the driving circuit and the like are mounted. However, the liquid crystal display device is driven by the transparent substrate constituting the curved display liquid crystal panel. When a circuit or the like is also mounted, the liquid crystal display device is constituted by the curved display liquid crystal panel itself. Alternatively, such a curved display liquid crystal panel with a drive circuit fixed to a frame such as a metal,
It can also be used as a liquid crystal display device incorporated in electronic equipment. Further, in the case of a backlight type, a liquid crystal display device can be configured by incorporating a curved display liquid crystal panel, a light guide, and the like in a frame.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a curved display liquid crystal panel according to a first embodiment, taken along a direction in which there is no curvature.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a state where a liquid crystal display panel is mounted on a pair of mating dies according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which a liquid crystal display panel is mounted on a pair of mating dies of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a liquid crystal display panel is mounted on a pair of mating dies of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the curved display liquid crystal panel of the first embodiment is configured as a liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 6 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a mobile phone using the liquid crystal display device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a mobile phone using the liquid crystal display device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a modification of a pair of mating dies.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Curved surface display liquid crystal panel 16 Cell (sheet shape) 56 Matching type (Inner type) 57,59,65,67 Panel insertion part 58 Matching type (Outer type) 62 Heating means 64,66 Matching type 150 Liquid crystal display device

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel by bending a flexible liquid crystal display panel having a pair of mating dies, wherein each of the mating dies has a curved shape on a mating surface. An apparatus for manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel, comprising a panel insertion portion, wherein at least one of the pair of mating dies has a heating means. 2. The pair of mating dies according to claim 1, wherein the pair of mating dies have a cylindrical inner mold, and a cylindrical outer mold formed so as to be disassembled and covering a side surface of the inner mold. For manufacturing curved display liquid crystal panels. 3. A method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel, comprising: inserting a flexible liquid crystal display panel before liquid crystal sealing between a pair of mating dies having a curved panel insertion portion on a mating surface; And heating the liquid crystal display panel to obtain a curved surface by heating the liquid crystal display panel. 4. A method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel, comprising: inserting a liquid crystal-filled flexible liquid crystal display panel between a pair of mating molds each having a curved panel insertion portion on a mating surface; And heating the liquid crystal display panel to obtain a curved surface by heating the liquid crystal display panel. 5. The method of manufacturing a curved display liquid crystal panel according to claim 3, wherein an oven is used as the heating unit. 6. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, comprising: a curved display liquid crystal panel; and a driving circuit for driving the curved display liquid crystal panel, wherein the curved display liquid crystal panel has a curved panel insertion part on a mating surface. A liquid crystal display device comprising a step of inserting a flexible liquid crystal display panel between a pair of mating dies and heating the liquid crystal display panel by a heating means to form a curved surface. Manufacturing method.