KR20120120017A - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A display device of a parallax barrier type is provided to control the generation of moire. CONSTITUTION: A display device comprises a display part(20) and a barrier part(10). The display part comprises a plurality of display pixels. The barrier part comprises a plurality of sub regions for transmitting and blocking light. The barrier part comprises a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer, and a plurality of spaces. The liquid crystal layer is placed between the substrates. The plurality of spacers is placed between the substrates. An alignment direction of the spacers which are adjacent each other among the plurality of spacers is different with an arrangement direction of the plurality of display pixels. [Reference numerals] (10) Barrier part; (20) Display part; (29) Backlight part; (30) Backlight; (40) Controller; (50) Display driving part; (9) Barrier driving part

Description

Display device {DISPLAY DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a display device of a parallax barrier type capable of stereoscopic display.

In recent years, display devices capable of achieving stereoscopic display have attracted attention. Stereoscopic display represents left and right eye images with parallax components (different perspectives) relative to each other, such that an observer sees each of these images in the left and right eyes, stereoscopically viewing the images. It can be recognized as an effective stereoscopic image. In addition, a display device that reliably provides a more natural three-dimensional image to an observer by displaying three or more images having parallax components with respect to each other has also been developed.

Such display apparatuses are broadly classified into types that require exclusive eyeglasses and types that remove exclusive eyeglasses, but the observer may be troublesome to use such exclusive eyeglasses, and thus, the type with the exclusive eyeglasses removed is preferable. Examples of the display device from which the dedicated glasses are removed include a lenticular lens type, a parallax barrier type, and the like. In these types, a plurality of images (viewpoint images) having parallax components with respect to each other are displayed at the same time, so that the images viewed according to the relative positional relationship (angle) between the display device and the viewer's viewpoint are different from each other. Examples of the parallax barrier type display device include the display device described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H03-119889.

However, in such a lenticular lens type and parallax barrier type display device, due to its structure, moire may easily occur in an image. Thus, although many improvements have been proposed to reduce moire so far, further improvement in image quality is required.

It is desirable to provide a display device that can realize an improved image.

A first display device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a display portion including a plurality of display pixels, and a barrier portion including a plurality of sub-regions that transmit light and block light. The barrier portion includes a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrates, and a plurality of spacers interposed between the substrates. An arrangement direction of spacers adjacent to each other among the plurality of spacers is different from an arrangement direction of display pixels.

A second display device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a display portion including a plurality of display pixels, and a barrier portion including a plurality of sub-regions that transmit light and block light. The barrier unit includes a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrates, and a plurality of spacers interposed between the substrates. One or more of the spacers are disposed such that the relative position between the one or more spacers and one or more display pixels corresponding thereto is different from the relative position between the other spacers and the other display pixels corresponding thereto. For example, one or more of the spacers may have a relative position between the one or more spacers and one or more display pixels corresponding thereto in an in-plane direction, and a relative position between another spacer and the corresponding other display pixels in an in-plane direction thereof. And may be arranged to be different.

In the first display device according to the aspect of the present invention, spacers adjacent to each other in the barrier portion that transmits light and block the light are arranged in a direction different from the arrangement direction of the display pixels in the display portion. In addition, in the second display device according to an aspect of the present invention, one or more of the spacers may have a relative position between one or more spacers and one or more display pixels corresponding thereto between the other spacers and the other display pixels corresponding thereto. It is arranged to be different from the position. This reduces any periodic variation in the apparent brightness of the image light reaching the viewer.

In the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement direction of the display pixels of the display unit and the arrangement direction of the spacers of the barrier unit do not coincide with each other, or the relative position between the spacer and the corresponding display pixel is different from that of the other spacers. The relative position between the other display pixels corresponding thereto is at least partially different. This can reduce any periodic variation in the luminance of appearance. As a result, the generation of moire can be effectively suppressed, so that an improved image can be realized.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation of the claimed technology.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments and together with the specification serve to explain the principles of the present technology.
1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2A and 2B are explanatory views showing an example of the configuration of the display device shown in FIG. 1, respectively.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the display unit and the display driver shown in FIG. 1.
4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the structure of the pixel circuit and the cross-sectional structure of the pixel shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a configuration example of a pixel array in the display unit illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a configuration of an opening and closing portion in the liquid crystal barrier portion shown in FIG. 1.
7A and 7B are schematic diagrams showing a cross-sectional configuration example and a planar configuration example of the liquid crystal barrier portion shown in FIG. 1.
8A and 8B are explanatory views showing an example of the arrangement orientation of the liquid crystal layer in the transmission state and the blocking state in the liquid crystal barrier portion shown in FIG. 1.
9 is a plan view illustrating a configuration example of a transparent electrode related to the liquid crystal barrier unit illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a group configuration example of the liquid crystal barrier portion shown in FIG. 1.
11A to 11C are schematic views showing examples of operations of the display unit and the liquid crystal barrier unit illustrated in FIG. 1, respectively.
12A and 12B are another schematic diagram showing an example of operation of the display portion and the liquid crystal barrier portion shown in FIG. 1, respectively.
13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an arrangement position relationship of pixels and spacers in a display device according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an arrangement positional relationship of pixels and spacers in a display device as a reference example.
FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a first modification related to the arrangement positional relationship between the pixel and the spacer illustrated in FIG. 13.
FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a second modification related to the arrangement positional relationship of the pixels and the spacers shown in FIG. 13.
17 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a third modification related to the arrangement positional relationship of the pixels and the spacers shown in FIG. 13.
It is explanatory drawing which shows the structural example of the switching part in a liquid crystal barrier part as a 4th modified example.
19A and 19B are explanatory views showing a configuration example of a pixel arrangement of a display unit and a switch unit in a liquid crystal barrier unit as a fifth modification.
20A and 20B are explanatory views showing the structural example of a display apparatus as a 6th modified example, respectively.
21A and 21B are schematic diagrams illustrating an operation example of the display device illustrated in FIGS. 20A and 20B, respectively.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

≪ Embodiment 1 >

[Overall Configuration]

1 shows an example of the configuration of a display device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The display device 1 can realize both stereoscopic display (three-dimensional display) and normal display (two-dimensional display). The display device 1 includes a control unit 40, a display driver 50, a display unit 20, a backlight driver 29, a backlight 30, a barrier driver 9, and a liquid crystal barrier unit 10.

The controller 40 supplies control signals to the display driver 50, the backlight driver 29, and the barrier driver 9 based on the image signal Vdisp supplied from the outside, and the respective units are synchronized with each other. This circuit is controlled to operate. Specifically, the controller 40 supplies the video signal S based on the video signal Vdisp to the display driver 50, the backlight control signal CBL to the backlight driver 29, and the barrier driver 9 to the display driver 50. Supply the barrier control signal CBR. In this configuration, when the stereoscopic display device 1 performs stereoscopic display operation, as described later, the video signal S includes a video signal SA each including a plurality of viewpoint images (six images in this example). And SB.

The display driver 50 drives the display unit 20 based on the video signal S supplied from the control unit 40. The display unit 20 performs a display operation by modulating the light emitted from the backlight 30 by driving the liquid crystal element.

The backlight driver 29 drives the backlight 30 based on the backlight control signal supplied from the controller 40. The backlight 30 has a function of projecting light emitted from the surface of the display unit 20. The backlight 30 includes, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) and a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL).

The barrier driver 9 drives the liquid crystal barrier unit 10 based on the barrier control signal supplied from the controller 40. The liquid crystal barrier portion 10 has a function of dividing the image light emitted from the display portion 20 in a predetermined direction, and a plurality of opening and closing portions 11 and 12 (to be described later), each of which transmits or blocks the light. It includes.

2A and 2B show an example of the configuration of the main part of the display device 1, FIG. 2A shows an enlarged perspective view of the display device 1, and FIG. 2B shows a side view configuration of the display device 1. Illustrated. As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, parts of the display device 1 are disposed in the order of the backlight 30, the display unit 20, and the liquid crystal barrier unit 10. In other words, the light projected from the backlight 30 passes through the display portion 20 and the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 in this order to reach the observer. The display portion 20 and the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 may or may not be bonded to each other.

[Display Driver 50 and Display 20]

3 shows an example of a block diagram of the display driver 50 and the display unit 20. The pixels Pix are arranged in a matrix pattern in the display unit 20. The display driver 50 includes a timing controller 51, a gate driver 52, and a data driver 53. The timing controller 51 controls the driving timing of the gate driver 52 and the data driver 53, and supplies the video signal S supplied from the controller 40 as the video signal S1 to the data driver 53. The gate driver 52 performs sequential line scanning by sequentially selecting the pixels Pix (to be described later) in the liquid crystal display device 45 for each row in accordance with the timing control performed by the timing controller 51. The data driver 53 supplies a pixel signal based on the image signal S1 to each pixel Pix of the display unit 20. Specifically, the data driver 53 generates a pixel signal in the form of an analog signal by performing D / A (digital / analog) conversion based on the video signal S1, and supplies the resulting pixel signal to each pixel Pix. .

The display unit 20 seals a liquid crystal material between two transparent substrates made of glass, for example. In the portion facing the liquid crystal material of these transparent substrates, a transparent electrode made of a material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) is formed to form the pixel Pix together with the liquid crystal material. Hereinafter, the structure of the display part 20 (pixel Pix) is demonstrated in detail.

4A shows an example of a circuit diagram of the pixel Pix. Pixel Pix contains TFT (Thin Film Transistor) element Tr, liquid crystal element LC, and storage capacitor element C. The TFT element Tr is made of, for example, a metal oxide semiconductor-field effect transistor (MOS-FET), a gate thereof is connected to a gate line G, a source is connected to a data line D, and a drain thereof is a liquid crystal element LC. The first stage and the first stage of the storage capacitor C are respectively connected. In the liquid crystal element LC, the first end is connected to the drain of the TFT element Tr, and the second end is grounded. In the storage capacitor C, the first end is connected to the drain of the TFT element Tr, and the second end is connected to the storage capacitor line Cs. The gate line G is connected to the gate driver 52, and the data line D is connected to the data driver 53.

4B illustrates a cross-sectional configuration of the display unit 20 including the pixel Pix. As can be seen from the cross section, the display unit 20 seals the liquid crystal layer 203 between the driving substrate 201 and the counter substrate 205. The driving substrate 201 forms a pixel driving circuit including the above-described TFT element Tr, and the pixel electrode 202 is arranged for each pixel Pix on the driving substrate 201. On the counter substrate 205, a color filter and a black matrix (not shown) are formed, and on the surface of the liquid crystal layer 203 side, the counter electrode 204 is disposed as an electrode common to each pixel Pix. On the light incidence side (in this case, the backlight 30 side) and the light emission side (in this case, the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 side) of the display portion 20, the polarizing plate 206a and the polarizing plate 206b cross-nicole each other. (cross-nicol) or parallel-nicol (parallel-nicol) to be bonded to each other.

5 shows an example of the configuration of a pixel array of the display unit 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the pixels Pix are arranged in a matrix pattern in the plane (in the X-Y plane) parallel to the driving substrate 201 and the opposing substrate 205. Specifically, the display unit 20 includes a plurality of pixels Pix (represented by R, G, and B) of three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) required for color display in a two-dimensional array. Has a pixel structure. As shown in FIG. 5, pixels Pix of each color appear periodically in the same row in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) of the screen, and pixels Pix of the same color appear in the same row in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) of the screen. The pixels are arranged to be arranged. Each of the plurality of gate lines G from the gate driver 52 extends along an array of pixels Pix in the X-axis direction, for example, and each of the plurality of data lines D from the data driver 53 is, for example. , Extends along the array of pixels Pix in the Y-axis direction. Thus, in the display unit 20, a plurality of data lines D and gate lines G as signal lines and scanning lines for supplying voltage to each pixel Pix are provided, respectively, and the pixels Pix in a matrix pattern along the data lines D and gate lines G. Is placed.

[Backlight (30)]

The backlight 30 is configured by mounting a device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) on the side of the optical waveguide, for example. Alternatively, the backlight 30 may have a configuration in which a plurality of Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFLs) and the like are arranged.

[Liquid Crystal Barrier Part 10]

6 shows an example of the arrangement of the opening and closing portions in the liquid crystal barrier portion 10. FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the liquid crystal barrier portion 10, and FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of the X-Y plane showing the positional relationship between the transparent electrode layer 15 and the spacer PS. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the arrow display direction along the line I-I in FIG. 7B.

The liquid crystal barrier portion 10 is a so-called parallax barrier, and as illustrated in FIG. 5, a plurality of openings and closing portions 11 (second sub-regions) and openings and closings 12 (first) that transmit or block light. Subarea). The opening and closing portions 11 and 12 perform different operations depending on whether the display device 1 performs normal display (two-dimensional display) or stereoscopic display (three-dimensional display). Specifically, the opening / closing part 11 is in an open state (transmission state) during normal display and a closed state (blocking state) during stereoscopic display, as will be described later. As will be described later, the opening and closing section 12 is in an open state (transmission state) during normal display, and performs a switching operation in time division during stereoscopic display. The plurality of openings and closing parts 11 and 12 are alternately provided, and can drive for each group consisting of selective switches among the plurality of openings and closing parts 11 and 12, or for each group. Can be performed time-divisionally.

The opening and closing portion 11 and the opening and closing portion 12 extend in one direction in the XY plane (in this case, for example, a direction forming a predetermined angle θ1 with respect to the Y axis direction) via the boundary portion S therebetween. Is installed. The width E1 of the opening and closing portion 11 and the width E2 of the opening and closing portion 12 are different from each other. In this case, for example, the relationship of E1> E2 is maintained. However, the size relationship of the widths of the openings and closing parts 11 and 12 is not limited to this, but may alternatively be an E1 <E2 or E1 = E2 relationship. The boundary part S is a part corresponding to the groove | channel (slit) between the transparent electrode 110 and the transparent electrode 120 mentioned later, for example. Such opening and closing portions 11 and 12 include a liquid crystal layer (the liquid crystal layer 19 described later) and perform a switching operation in accordance with the driving voltage supplied to the liquid crystal layer 19.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7A, the liquid crystal barrier part 10 includes a liquid crystal layer 19 between a transparent substrate 13 made of glass and the transparent substrate 16. In this example, the transparent substrate 13 is disposed on the light incident side, and the transparent substrate 16 is disposed on the light exit side. On the surface on the liquid crystal layer 19 side of the transparent substrate 13 and the surface on the liquid crystal layer 19 side of the transparent substrate 16, for example, the transparent electrode layer 15 made of ITO and the transparent electrode layer 17 Each is formed. The polarizing plate 14 and the polarizing plate 18 are respectively bonded to the light incident side of the transparent substrate 13 and the light exit side of the transparent substrate 16. Hereinafter, the configuration of each component part will be described in detail.

The liquid crystal layer 19 is composed of, for example, liquid crystal (TN liquid crystal) in TN mode. In this embodiment of the present invention, the case where the liquid crystal layer 19 is driven in the normally white mode will be described as an example. The liquid crystal layer 19 transmits light as shown in Fig. 8A, for example, in a state where a driving voltage is not applied, so that white display is performed as a result. On the other hand, the liquid crystal layer 19 blocks the light as shown in Fig. 8B while the driving voltage is applied, and as a result, black display is performed. Specifically, in the white display where no driving voltage is applied, the directors of the liquid crystal molecules M are orthogonal to each other between the light incidence side and the light outgoing side, and gradually rotate along the thickness direction of the liquid crystal layer 19. Is arranged to change. On the other hand, in the black display to which the driving voltage is applied, the directors of the liquid crystal molecules M are arranged along the thickness direction of the liquid crystal layer 19.

The transparent electrode layer 15 is divided into a plurality of transparent electrodes 110 and 120 to which voltage can be individually supplied. On the other hand, the transparent electrode layer 17 is provided as a common electrode with respect to each of the transparent electrodes 110 and 120. In this example, 0 V is applied to the transparent electrode layer 17. The transparent electrode 110 of the transparent electrode layer 15 and the part corresponding to the transparent electrode 110 of the transparent electrode layer 17 comprise the opening-and-closing part 11 as a sub area | region. Similarly, the transparent electrode 120 of the transparent electrode layer 15 and the part corresponding to the transparent electrode 120 of the transparent electrode layer 17 comprise the opening-and-closing part 12 as a sub area | region. By such a configuration, in the liquid crystal barrier portion 10, a voltage is selectively applied to the transparent electrodes 110 and 120, and the liquid crystal layer 19 is brought into a liquid crystal alignment state in accordance with the applied voltage, thereby opening and closing portions 11 and 12. Each opening / closing operation can be performed. On the surface of the liquid crystal layer 19 side of each of the transparent electrode layers 15 and 17, an alignment film not shown in the figure is formed.

The polarizing plates 14 and 18 control each polarization direction of the incident light and the emitted light to / from the liquid crystal layer 19. The transmission axis of the polarizing plate 14 is arranged in the X-axis direction, for example, and the transmission axis of the polarizing plate 18 is arranged in the Y-axis direction, for example. That is, the transmission axes of the polarizing plates 14 and 18 are arranged to be orthogonal to each other.

Placement of Spacer PS

In such a liquid crystal barrier portion 10, the micro spacers PS for controlling the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 19 are inserted between the transparent substrate 13 and the transparent substrate 16. The spacer PS is made of resin having light transmittance, such as a photoresist, for example, and is molded into a columnar shape such as a columnar column. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the spacer PS includes a plurality of optional regions in the XY plane of the liquid crystal barrier portion 10, specifically, regions excluding the boundary portion S (opening and closing portions 11 and 12). In the non-boundary part of the). According to this embodiment of the present invention, each spacer PS is disposed so as to overlap the transparent electrode 120 in the thickness direction (light transmission direction) (at the center of the transparent electrode 120 in FIGS. 7A and 7B). In other words, each spacer PS is arrange | positioned so that it may not cross | intersect the crossing area | region (boundary part S) between the transparent electrode 110 and the transparent electrode 120. FIG. In addition, each spacer PS is arranged in the direction different from the arrangement direction of the pixel Pix in the display part 20. That is, the pixels Pix are arranged along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, while adjacent spacers PS are arranged side by side in the direction intersecting with both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. Specifically, for example, the spacer PS is arranged along the transparent electrode 120 extending inclined to form an angle θ1 (for example, 18 degrees) with respect to the X-axis direction. The spacers PS provided on the adjacent transparent electrodes 120 via the spacers are arranged along an imaginary line L7 that is inclined at an angle θ2 (for example, 26 degrees) with respect to the X-axis direction. The PS has the following positional relationship: For example, if any spacer PS1 is used as a reference, there are spacers PS2 to PS9 adjacent to the spacer PS1 in the region around it, in which case the spacer PS1 and the spacer are present. The arrangement direction of the PS2, that is, the line connecting the spacer PS1 and the spacer PS2 is different from both of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, as well as the relationship between the spacer PS1 and the spacers PS3 to PS9, respectively. Note that it is most desirable that the relationship between any spacer PS on the screen and any other spacer PS adjacent thereto is most preferably maintained as described above, but, at least, at a position closest to each other. The arrangement direction of the two spacers PS (for example, the spacer PS1 and the spacer PS2 (or PS3)) may be different from the arrangement direction of the pixel Pix.

Note that in this example, the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 performs a normally white operation, but the display operation is not limited to this. Alternatively, the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 may perform a normally black operation, for example. Selection of a normally black operation and a normally white operation can be set using a polarizing plate and liquid crystal orientation.

In addition, in this embodiment of the present invention, the liquid crystal layer 19 can be configured as a liquid crystal (VA liquid crystal) in the vertical alignment (VA) mode instead of the liquid crystal (TN liquid crystal) in the TN mode. In the case of using a VA liquid crystal, the following electrode pattern can be adopted, and the spacer PS is arranged at a predetermined position. 9 shows an example of the configuration of the transparent electrodes 110 and 120 in the transparent electrode layer 15. Each of the transparent electrodes 110 and 120 has a stem portion 61 extending in the same direction as the extending direction of the opening and closing portions 11 and 12 (the direction forming an angle θ1 with respect to the Y-axis direction). The sub-electrode regions 70 are provided in the transparent electrodes 110 and 120 along the extending direction of the stem portion 61, respectively. Each sub-electrode region 70 has a stem portion 62 and a branch portion 63. The stem portion 62 is formed to extend in the direction crossing the stem portion 61, and in this example, extends in the horizontal direction X. In each sub-electrode region 70, four branch regions (domains) 71 to 74 partitioned by the stem portion 61 and the stem portion 62 are provided. In addition, the spacer PS is provided at each intersection of the stem part 61 and the stem part 62.

Branch portions 63 are formed to extend from stem portions 61 and 62 in each branch region 71 to 74. The line width of each branch portion 63 is equal to each other in the branch regions 71 to 74. Similarly, the slit widths of the respective branch portions 63 are equal to each other in the branch regions 71 to 74. In each of the branch regions 71 to 74, the branch portion 63 extends in the same direction within each region. The extending direction of the branch portion 63 of the branch region 71 and the extending direction of the branch portion 63 of the branch region 73 are symmetrical with respect to the axis, with the Y-axis direction serving as the axis. Similarly, the extension direction of the branch portion 63 of the branch region 72 and the extension direction of the branch portion 63 of the branch region 74 are symmetrical with respect to the axis with respect to the Y axis direction. In other words, the extension direction of the branch portion 63 of the branch region 71 and the extension direction of the branch portion 63 of the branch region 73 are asymmetrical about the axis with the stem portion 61 as the axis, The extension direction of the branch portion 63 of the branch region 72 and the extension direction of the branch portion 63 of the branch region 74 are asymmetrical about the axis with the stem portion 61 as the axis. In addition, the extension direction of the branch part 63 of the branch area 71, and the extension direction of the branch part 63 of the branch area 72 make the axis | shaft part 62 (X-axis direction) the axis | shaft the axis | shaft. Is symmetric about. Similarly, the extension direction of the branch portion 63 of the branch region 73 and the extension direction of the branch portion 63 of the branch region 74 are the axes of the stem portion 62 (the X-axis direction). Is symmetric about. In this example, specifically, the branch portion 63 of the branch regions 71 and 74 extends in the direction rotated by a predetermined angle φ in the counterclockwise direction from the X-axis direction, and the branches of the branch regions 72 and 73. The portion 63 extends in the direction rotated at a predetermined angle φ clockwise from the X-axis direction. It is preferable that angle (phi) is 45 degrees, for example.

With such a configuration, when a VA liquid crystal is used, when a voltage is applied to the transparent electrode layer 15 (transparent electrodes 110 and 120) and the transparent electrode layer 17, when the potential difference becomes large, in the liquid crystal layer 19 The light transmittance is increased, and the opening and closing portions 11 and 12 are in a transmission state (open state). On the other hand, when the electric potential difference becomes small, the light transmittance in the liquid crystal layer 19 decreases, and the opening-closing parts 11 and 12 will be in a blocking state (closed state).

In the liquid crystal barrier portion 10, the plurality of opening and closing portions 12 form a group, and the plurality of opening and closing portions 12 belonging to the same group perform the opening operation and the closing operation at the same timing as when performing stereoscopic display. Below, the group of the opening-closing part 12 is demonstrated.

10 shows an example of the group configuration of the opening and closing part 12. In this example, the openings and closings 12 form two groups. Specifically, the plurality of switching portions 12 arranged alternately constitute a group A and a group B. In the following, it is noted that the opening and closing portion 12A is appropriately used as a generic name of the opening and closing portion 12 belonging to the group A, and similarly, the opening and closing portion 12B is appropriately used as a generic name of the opening and closing portion 12 belonging to the group B.

When performing the three-dimensional display, the barrier driver 9 drives the plurality of opening and closing parts 12 belonging to the same group to perform the opening / closing operation at the same timing. Specifically, the barrier driving unit 9 is configured so that the plurality of openings and closings 12A belonging to the group A and the plurality of openings and closings 12B belonging to the group B perform the open / close operations alternately in time division as described later. Drive.

11A to 11C show the state of the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 in the case of performing stereoscopic display and normal display (two-dimensional display), respectively, as a schematic diagram using a cross-sectional structure, and FIG. 11A shows a state of performing stereoscopic display. 11B shows another state of performing stereoscopic display, and FIG. 11C shows a state of performing normal display. In the liquid crystal barrier part 10, the opening-closing part 11 and the opening-and-closing part 12 (opening-closing part 12A and opening / closing part 12B) are alternately arrange | positioned. FIG. 10 shows an example where the opening and closing portion 12A is provided at one ratio per six pixels Pix. Similarly, the opening and closing part 12B is also provided at one ratio per six pixels Pix.

When stereoscopic display is performed, the video signals SA and SB are alternately supplied to the display driver 50, and the display unit 20 performs the video display operation in time-division based on the video signals thus supplied. At this time, in the liquid crystal barrier part 10, the opening / closing part 12 (opening / closing part 12A, opening / closing part 12B) performs time-divisionally opening / closing operation in synchronism with time-division image display, and the opening-and-closing part 11 is in a closed state. Keep (block state). Specifically, when the video signal SA is supplied, as shown in FIG. 11A, the opening and closing portion 12A is opened and the opening and closing portion 12B is closed. In the display unit 20, as described later, six pixels Pix adjacent to each other arranged at positions corresponding to the opening / closing unit 12A perform display operations corresponding to six viewpoint images included in the video signal SA. As a result, the observer feels the displayed image as a three-dimensional image, for example, by viewing different viewpoint images in the left eye and the right eye, as described later. Similarly, when the video signal SB is supplied, as shown in Fig. 11B, the opening and closing portion 12B is in the open state and the opening and closing portion 12A is in the closed state. In the display unit 20, as will be described later, six pixels Pix adjacent to each other arranged at positions corresponding to the opening / closing unit 12B perform display operations corresponding to six viewpoint images included in the video signal SB. As a result, the observer feels the displayed image as a three-dimensional image, for example, by viewing different viewpoint images in the left eye and the right eye, as described later. In the display device 1, the resolution of the display device can be improved by alternately opening the opening and closing portion 12A and the opening and closing portion 12B to display an image.

When performing normal display (two-dimensional display), in the liquid crystal barrier portion 10, as shown in Fig. 11C, the opening and closing portion 11 and the opening and closing portion 12 (opening and closing portion 12A and opening and closing portion 12B) are together. Keep open (transmissive). Thereby, an observer can visually recognize the normal two-dimensional image displayed on the display part 20 based on the video signal S. As shown in FIG.

[Operation and Action]

Subsequently, the operation and operation of the display device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[Overview of overall operation]

First, with reference to FIG. 1, the outline | summary of the whole operation | movement of the display apparatus 1 is demonstrated. The controller 40 supplies control signals to the display driver 50, the backlight driver 29, and the barrier driver 9 based on the video signal Vdisp supplied from the outside so that they operate in synchronization with each other. To control. The backlight driver 29 drives the backlight 30 based on the backlight control signal CBL supplied from the controller 40. The backlight 30 projects the surface-emitted light onto the display unit 20. The display driver 50 drives the display unit 20 based on the video signal S supplied from the control unit 40. The display unit 20 performs a display operation by modulating the light projected from the backlight 30. The barrier driver 9 drives the liquid crystal barrier unit 10 based on the barrier control signal CBR supplied from the controller 40. The opening and closing portions 11 and 12 (12A, 12B) of the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 perform the opening / closing operation based on the barrier control signal CBR, so that the light projected from the backlight 30 to pass through the display portion 20. Permeate or block.

[Detailed operation of stereoscopic display]

Next, with reference to some drawings, the detailed operation | movement at the time of performing stereoscopic display is demonstrated.

12A and 12B show an example of the operation of the display unit 20 and the liquid crystal barrier unit 10, FIG. 12A shows a case where the video signal SA is supplied, and FIG. 12B shows a case where the video signal SB is supplied. .

When the video signal SA is supplied, as shown in FIG. 12A, each of the pixels Pix of the display unit 20 displays pixel information P1 to P6 corresponding to each of six viewpoint images included in the video signal SA. At this time, the pixel information P1 to P6 are displayed on the pixel Pix arranged near the opening / closing portion 12A, respectively. When the video signal SA is supplied, the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 controls the opening and closing portion 12A to be in an open state (transmissive state) and the opening and closing portion 12B to be in a closed state. The light emitted from each pixel Pix of the display unit 20 is output with the angle limited by the opening and closing portion 12A. An observer can recognize a three-dimensional image, for example by viewing pixel information P3 to the left eye and pixel information P4 to the right eye.

When the video signal SB is supplied, as shown in FIG. 12B, each of the pixels Pix of the display unit 20 displays pixel information P1 to P6 corresponding to each of six viewpoint images included in the video signal SB. At this time, the pixel information P1 to P6 are displayed on the pixel Pix arranged near the opening / closing part 12B, respectively. When the video signal SB is supplied, the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 controls the opening and closing portion 12B to be in an open state (transmissive state) and the opening and closing portion 12A to be in a closed state. The light emitted from each pixel Pix of the display unit 20 is output with the angle limited by the opening and closing portion 12B. An observer can recognize a three-dimensional image, for example by viewing pixel information P3 to the left eye and pixel information P4 to the right eye.

In this way, the observer can see the other pixel information in the pixel information P1 to P6 with the left eye and the right eye, so that the pixel information can be felt as a three-dimensional image. In addition, by opening and closing the opening and closing portion 12A and the opening and closing portion 12B alternately in time division to display an image, an observer can averagely view the images displayed at positions shifted from each other. This allows the display device 1 to realize a resolution twice as high as when the display device 1 is provided with only the opening and closing portion 12A. In other words, the resolution required for the display device 1 is only 1/3 (= 1/6 × 2) in the case of two-dimensional display.

As described above, the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 is provided with a plurality of spacers PS for controlling the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 19 between the transparent substrate 13 and the transparent substrate 16. Even if this spacer PS is formed of the resin material which has light transmittance, it is easy to reflect, scatter, or absorb a part of the light which injects into the liquid crystal barrier part 10. Because of the small dimensions of the individual spacers PS, the spacers PS do not have a significant influence, but there is a possibility that the image quality can be hindered when performing three-dimensional display, as compared with the case of two-dimensional display. This is because, when performing stereoscopic display, the number of pixels of the appearance forming the image is smaller than that of the two-dimensional display, and the brightness of the image displayed on the entire screen is low. Therefore, in this embodiment, each spacer PS is provided on each transparent electrode 120. The transparent electrode 120 constitutes the opening / closing part 11 to be in a closed state (blocking state) when performing stereoscopic display. That is, light does not transmit to the area occupied by the transparent electrode 120 when performing stereoscopic display. For this reason, the spacer PS provided on the transparent electrode 120 is not visually recognized by an observer. As a result, when performing stereoscopic display, image quality deterioration caused by the spacer PS can be reliably prevented.

On the other hand, when the two-dimensional display is performed, the opening and closing portion 11 is in an open state (transmission state), so that the spacer PS can also be viewed. However, compared with the case of stereoscopic display, the number of external pixels increases and the brightness of the image to be displayed on the entire screen is obtained sufficiently, so that the influence on the image quality is extremely small. In this embodiment of the present invention, each spacer PS is arranged in a direction different from the arrangement direction of the pixel Pix in the display unit 20. This can reduce the occurrence of moire, as compared with the case where each spacer PS is arranged in the same direction as the arrangement direction of the pixel Pix. This may be due to the following. In the display unit 20, a boundary portion that separates adjacent pixels Pix extends in the arrangement direction (the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction) of the pixel Pix. That is, in the arrangement direction of the pixels Pix, an area not emitting light extends. Further, in the direction in which the spacer PS is arranged on the screen, an area having a slightly lower luminance (low luminance) than the surrounding area is continuous due to the effects of reflection, scattering, and absorption of light caused by the spacer PS. In such a situation, when the spacer PS is arranged in the same direction as the arrangement direction of the pixel Pix, the light and dark distribution in the light projected from the display unit 20 and the light and dark distribution in the light passing through the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 are arranged. May be easy to interfere with each other. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the direction of the light and dark distribution in the light projected from the display unit 20 and the direction of the light and dark distribution in the light transmitted through the liquid crystal barrier part 10 are different, such interference is not sufficient. It is certainly difficult to get up.

[Favorable effect]

As described above, in the display device 1 according to the present embodiment, in the liquid crystal barrier unit 10, the arrangement direction of two arbitrary spacers PS located at the nearest position to each other is the pixel Pix of the display unit 20. Is different from the arrangement direction of. Thereby, the occurrence of moire caused by the spacer PS can be reduced. In addition, a spacer PS is provided on the transparent electrode 120 functioning as the opening / closing portion 11 that blocks light when performing stereoscopic display. As a result, image quality deterioration caused by the spacer PS can be reliably prevented, and stereoscopic display with good image quality can be realized.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the opening and closing portion 11 and the opening and closing portion 12 in the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 respectively extend in the direction inclined with respect to the arrangement direction of the pixel Pix in the display portion 20, respectively. . Thereby, the balance between the horizontal resolution and the vertical resolution in the stereoscopic display can be reliably improved.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, when the VA liquid crystal is adopted, the stem portion 61 extending in the direction shifted from the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) in the transparent electrodes 110 and 120 in the transparent electrode layer 15. Install it. Further, the extension direction of the branch portion of the branch region 71 and the extension direction of the branch portion of the branch region 73 are asymmetrical with respect to the axis with the stem portion 61 as an axis, and the branch of the branch region 72. The extending direction of the portion and the extending direction of the branch portion of the branch region 74 are asymmetrical about the axis with the stem portion 61 as the axis. Thereby, the viewing angle in the horizontal direction can be freely set.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, when adopting the VA liquid crystal, stem portions 61 and 62 extending to cross each other in each transparent electrode 120 are provided, and the spacer PS is provided with the stem portion 61 and the stem portion. It is installed in the intersection of 62. Thereby, in the two-dimensional display, it is possible to reduce the influence on the image quality caused by light scattering and other disadvantages caused by the spacer PS.

According to the present embodiment, when the VA liquid crystal is adopted, the viewing angle in the horizontal direction can be made symmetrical. This is a branch portion of the branch region 72 while the extension direction of the branch portion of the branch region 71 and the extension direction of the branch portion of the branch region 73 are symmetric with respect to the axis along the Y axis direction. This is because the extending direction of and the extending direction of the branch portion of the branch region 74 are symmetrical about the axis with respect to the Y-axis direction.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, when the VA liquid crystal is adopted, the stem portion 62 extending in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) in the display surface of the transparent electrodes 110 and 120 of the transparent electrode layer 15 is provided. Install. Further, the extending direction of the branch portion of the branch region 71 and the extending direction of the branch portion of the branch region 72 are symmetrical about the axis with the stem portion 62 as the axis, and the branch portion of the branch region 73. The direction of extension of and the direction of extension of the branch portion of the branch region 74 are symmetrical about that axis with the stem portion 62 as the axis. Thereby, the viewing angle in the vertical direction can be made symmetrical.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when VA liquid crystal is adopted, the branch region 72 is directed to the direction in which the branch portions of the branch regions 71 and 74 extend in the counterclockwise direction at an angle of 45 degrees. 73) is directed toward the angle of 45 degrees clockwise from the horizontal direction. As a result, a wide viewing angle can be realized.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the VA liquid crystal is adopted, the stem portion 61 is formed to extend in the same direction as the extending direction of the opening and closing portions 11 and 12, so that the stem portion 61 is, for example, a step. Compared with the case of forming a pattern, a simple electrode structure can be realized, and the resistance values of the transparent electrodes between the upper and lower ends of the openings 11 and 12 can be reduced.

Second Embodiment

Next, a display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Except that the arrangement positions of the spacers PS in the liquid crystal barrier unit 10 are different, the display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the display device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above. Have the same configuration. Therefore, below, the arrangement position of spacer PS is mainly demonstrated, and the other description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the spacer PS and the pixel Pix when the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 and the display portion 20 overlap each other. Here, as in FIG. 5, R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are simply represented by R, G, and B, respectively. Note that each spacer PS is formed over the transparent electrode 120. In addition, the configuration shown in FIG. 13 corresponds to the space-division display of four viewpoint images or the time division display of eight viewpoint images having two time divisions instead of the time division display. That is, FIG. 13 shows a case where one pitch of the spacer PS in the horizontal direction of the screen is a distance equivalent to four pixels Pix. However, some spacer PS is omitted, and the space | interval of spacer PS in the horizontal direction of a screen is the distance equivalent to 8 pixel Pix in some place.

In the liquid crystal barrier portion 10, an array pattern of the same shape composed of a plurality of spacers PS is formed continuously or periodically (at intervals). Specifically, the plurality of unit regions AR having the same arrangement pattern constituted by groups of spacers PS are arranged in a matrix arrangement in the liquid crystal barrier portion 10. In the liquid crystal barrier portion 10, for example, the unit region AR having the same arrangement pattern is formed continuously in both the horizontal direction (X axis direction) and the vertical direction (Y axis direction). Alternatively, the unit regions AR having two or more kinds of different types of arrangement patterns may be periodically arranged in the horizontal direction or in the vertical direction or in both directions.

Here, when one unit area AR is noted, one or more of the plurality of spacers PS are disposed differently from each other than any other relative position with respect to each of the corresponding pixels Pix (R, G, B). For example, when the number of space-division view images in the display unit 20 is "p", the arrangement pitch of the spacer PS in the vertical direction is different from the integer multiple of "p". Alternatively, assuming that the display unit 20 sequentially displays p space-divided viewpoint images (p is an integer of 2 or more) with "q" time division display patterns (q is an integer of 1 or more). The array pitch of is equal to an integer multiple of (p × W / q) (W is the horizontal dimension of the pixel Pix), and the array pitch of the spacer PS in the vertical direction is an integer multiple of (p × L / q) (L is Value in the vertical direction of the pixel Pix).

In Fig. 13, for example, the spacers PS11, PS21, PS31 are located at the lower left corners of the pixels B, R, and G, respectively. In other words, the relative positions between the spacers PS11, PS21, PS31 and the pixels B3, R3, G3 are the same (equal). On the other hand, relative to the spacers PS22 and PS23 positioned on the same transparent electrode 120 as the spacer PS21, the relative positions of the corresponding pixels G22 and R23 are different from the relative positions between the spacers PS21 and the pixels R11. Specifically, the spacer PS22 is located at the upper right corner of the pixel G22, and the spacer PS23 is located almost at the center of the pixel G23. As a result, the luminance level of each pixel Pix that is visible to the viewer for one unit area may be different. In other words, since the bright-visible pixel Pix and the dark-visible pixel Pix are mixed in one unit region AR, the luminance level remains almost constant when the unit region AR is viewed as a whole.

On the other hand, assuming that the relative positional relationship between the pixel Pix and the spacer PS is all the same (equivalent) with the reference example shown in FIG. Has relatively lower luminance than the other pixel rows. Since the pixel rows having such low luminance are arranged periodically, a periodic contrast distribution occurs so that the moire caused by the spacer PS becomes visible to the viewer.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to maintain a substantially constant luminance level in each unit region AR. Therefore, a screen in which such unit areas AR are arranged in a matrix arrangement can maintain an almost constant luminance level as a whole. As a result, this makes it possible to effectively remove the moire caused by the spacer PS.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the plurality of spacers PS in the unit region AR constitute an arrangement pattern symmetrical with respect to the point around the center position CP of the unit region AR as the rotation center point. This can further reduce any deformation in the in-plane direction of the gap between the transparent electrode layer 15 and the transparent electrode layer 17.

Further, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of unit regions AR having the same array pattern composed of groups of spacers PS are arranged continuously or periodically. As a result, an inspection can be performed efficiently at the time of the inspection after a manufacturing step or a finishing process.

The arrangement pattern of the spacer PS according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to that shown in FIG. 13, but alternatively, for example, an arrangement pattern (first modification) shown in FIG. 15 may be used. In FIG. 15, the unit area AR has half of the area of the example shown in FIG. 13.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the time division number and the space-division number can be arbitrarily set. For example, in the configuration shown in Fig. 16, when the arrangement pattern shown in Fig. 13 is arranged with two time divisions and nine viewpoint images (one pitch of the spacer PS in the horizontal direction of the screen is 4.5 pixels). The distance equivalent to Pix) (the second modification). Similarly, in the configuration shown in Fig. 17, when the arrangement pattern shown in Fig. 15 is arranged with two time divisions and nine view images (one pitch of the spacer PS in the horizontal direction of the screen is 4.5 pixels Pix and Equivalent distance) (third modification). Note that since some spacers PS are also omitted in the configuration shown in Figs. 16 and 17, the interval of the spacer PS in the horizontal direction of the screen has a distance equivalent to nine pixels Pix in some places.

While the present technology has been described with reference to several embodiments, the present technology is not limited to the embodiments and variations, and various modifications may be made. For example, according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing portions 11 and 12 on the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 extend in the diagonally inclined direction upward to the right with respect to the horizontal direction (X-axis direction). However, in the present technology, for example, as in the modification (fourth modification) shown in Fig. 18, the opening and closing portions 11 and 12 may extend in the diagonally inclined direction of the left upward with respect to the horizontal direction. In addition, although the angle θ1 is defined as 18 degrees in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the present technology may also take any other angle value.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the arrangement direction of the pixel Pix in the display portion 20 is defined as the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and the opening and closing portions 11 and 12 of the liquid crystal barrier portion 10 are defined. Although the extension direction is defined as the inclination direction, the present technology is not limited to this arrangement. For example, as shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, the arrangement direction of the pixel Pix may be defined as the horizontal direction and the inclination direction, and the extension direction of the opening and closing portions 11 and 12 in the liquid crystal barrier portion 10. May be defined as the vertical direction. FIG. 19A shows the pixel arrangement of the display portion 20A as a modification (fifth modification), and FIG. 19B shows the arrangement of the opening and closing portion in the liquid crystal barrier portion 10A as the fifth modification. As shown in FIG. 19A, in the display portion 20A according to the present modification, a plurality of rows of pixels Pix extending in the X-axis direction and adjacent to each other in the Y-axis direction are formed. Here, for example, if attention is paid to the pixel rows L1 and L2, the virtual straight line L13A passing through the center position of each pixel Pix in the pixel row R1 and the center position of each pixel Pix in the pixel row R2, The angle θ1 is formed with respect to the vertical direction (Y-axis direction). In addition, as shown in FIG. 19B, the spacer PS is disposed along an opening and closing portion which becomes a closed state (blocking state) when performing stereoscopic display, and an angle θ2 (for example, 64 with respect to the horizontal direction (X-axis direction)). The same advantageous effect as the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention is realized in this modified example.

Further, according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the spacer PS provided on the adjacent transparent electrode 120 is arranged on a virtual straight line, but alternatively, the spacer PS may be provided at a position away from the virtual straight line. Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the spacers PS provided on the same transparent electrode 120 are arranged at regular intervals along the extending direction of the transparent electrode 120, but the spacers PS may be arranged at any other interval. have.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, in the display device 1, the liquid crystal barrier portion 10, the display portion 20, and the backlight 30 are arranged in this order from the observer's side, but the configuration is in this order. It is not limited. Alternatively, like the display device 1A as the modified example (the sixth modified example) shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the display portion 20, the liquid crystal barrier portion 10, and the backlight 30 are disposed from the observer side. The arrangement arranged in this order is also applicable.

21A and 21B show an operation example of the display unit 20 and the liquid crystal barrier unit 10 according to the sixth modification example shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B. Specifically, FIG. 21A shows a case where the video signal SA is supplied, and FIG. 21B shows a case where the video signal SB is supplied. In the sixth modification, the light projected from the backlight 30 first enters the liquid crystal barrier portion 10. Thereafter, among the optical signals, the light transmitted through the opening and closing portions 12A and 12B is modulated in the display portion 20, and six viewpoint images are output.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the opening and closing portion 12 constitutes two groups, but the configuration is not limited to this. Alternatively, the opening and closing portion 12 may constitute three or more groups. As a result, the resolution of the display can be further improved.

In addition, according to the embodiments of the present invention described above, the display portion 20 is a liquid crystal display portion, but the configuration is not limited thereto. Alternatively, for example, an EL display using organic EL (Electro Luminescence) can be used. In such a case, the use of the backlight driver 29 and the backlight 30 shown in FIG. 1 becomes unnecessary.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the case where the liquid crystal layer 19 is composed of a TN liquid crystal or a VA liquid crystal has been described, but the present technology is not limited thereto. Alternatively, liquid crystals such as IPS mode may be used.

Therefore, at least the following configuration can be realized from the above-described embodiments and modifications of the present invention.

(1) As a display device,

A display unit including a plurality of display pixels, and

A barrier portion including a plurality of sub-regions that transmit light and block light;

The barrier unit,

A pair of substrates,

A liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrates, and

A plurality of spacers interposed between the substrates;

And an arrangement direction of spacers adjacent to each other among the plurality of spacers is different from an arrangement direction of the display pixels.

(2) in (1),

And an arrangement direction of two spacers positioned closest to each other among the plurality of spacers is different from an arrangement direction of the display pixels.

(3) In (1) or (2),

And the sub regions each extend in a direction inclined with respect to an arrangement direction of the display pixels in the display unit.

(4) In any one of (1)-(3),

The sub-regions include first sub-regions that transmit light and second sub-regions that block light, and the spacers are disposed in the second sub-regions.

(5) to (4),

The first sub-regions and the second sub-regions are alternately arranged one by one in a direction different from an extension direction of the first sub-regions and an extension direction of the second sub-regions,

And an arrangement direction of the spacers adjacent to each other provided in the second sub-regions is different from an arrangement direction of the display pixels.

(6) In any one of (1)-(5),

The barrier unit includes a pair of electrodes for supplying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer,

The first electrode, the second electrode, or both the first electrode and the second electrode of the pair of electrodes are divided into a plurality of sub-electrodes for each of the sub-regions,

The spacers are disposed at positions overlapping the sub-electrodes.

(7) The method according to (6)

The sub-regions include first sub-regions that transmit light and second sub-regions that block light, and the spacers are disposed in the second sub-regions.

(8) In (6),

And the sub electrodes each include a first stem portion and a second stem portion extending to intersect with each other, and the spacers are positioned at intersections of the first stem portions and the second stem portions.

(9) In any one of (1)-(8),

A plurality of display modes including a three-dimensional image display mode and a two-dimensional image display mode,

The sub-regions include first sub-regions and second sub-regions,

In the 3D image display mode, the display unit displays a plurality of different viewpoint images, the first sub-regions are in a transmissive state, and the second sub-regions are in a blocked state, so that the 3D image is displayed.

In the two-dimensional image display mode, the display unit displays one view image, the first sub-regions and the second sub-regions are in a transmissive state, so that the two-dimensional image is displayed.

(10) to (9),

The spacers are disposed in the second sub-regions.

(11) In any one of (1)-(10),

And the display unit includes a signal line and a scan line for supplying a voltage to the display pixels, and an arrangement direction of the display pixels is a direction along an extension direction of the signal line and an extension direction of the scan line.

(12) The method according to any one of (1) to (11),

And the spacers constitute a plurality of array patterns periodically arranged in a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, or in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction.

(13) In any one of (1)-(12),

The spacers constitute an array pattern having the same shape for each unit region arranged in a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, or in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction.

(14) As for (13),

One or more of the spacers may be disposed such that, in each of the unit regions, a relative position between one or more spacers and one or more display pixels corresponding thereto is different from a relative position between another spacer and another display pixel corresponding thereto. Display device.

(15) As for (13) or (14),

The spacers, in each of the unit regions, constitute a symmetrical array pattern with respect to a point around a center position of each of the unit regions as a rotation center point.

(16) The method according to any one of (1) to (15),

An array pattern having the same shape formed by the spacers is periodically provided in the barrier unit.

(17) The method according to any one of (1) to (16),

The display unit displays p space-division viewpoint images,

An arrangement pitch of spacers in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, or the horizontal direction and the vertical direction has a value different from an integer multiple of p, and p is an integer of 2 or more.

(18) The method according to any one of (1) to (17),

The display unit sequentially displays p space-division viewpoint images based on q time division display patterns,

The arrangement pitch of the spacers in the horizontal direction has a value equal to an integer multiple of p × W / q, the arrangement pitch of the spacers in the vertical direction has a value different from an integer multiple of p × L / q, p is an integer of 2 or more, q is an integer of 1 or more, W is the dimension of any one of the display pixels in the horizontal direction, and L is the dimension of any one of the display pixels in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

(19) A display device,

A display unit including a plurality of display pixels, and

A barrier portion including a plurality of sub-regions that transmit light and block light;

The barrier unit,

A pair of substrates,

A liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrates, and

A plurality of spacers interposed between the substrates;

At least one of the spacers is disposed such that a relative position between the one or more spacers and one or more display pixels corresponding thereto is different from a relative position between another spacer and another display pixel corresponding thereto.

The present invention relates to the contents disclosed in Japanese priority patent application JP 2011-094267 filed with the Japan Patent Office on April 20, 2011 and Japanese priority patent application JP 2011-251676, filed with the Japan Patent Office on November 17, 2011. Including the subject matter, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, combinations, subcombinations, and modifications may be made depending on design requirements and other factors, as long as they are included within the scope of the appended claims or their equivalents.

1, 1A: display device
9: barrier driving part
10, 10A: liquid crystal barrier portion
11, 12: opening and closing part
13, 16: transparent substrate

Claims (19)

As a display device,
A display unit including a plurality of display pixels, and
A barrier portion including a plurality of sub-regions that transmit light and block light;
The barrier unit,
A pair of substrates,
A liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrates, and
A plurality of spacers interposed between the substrates;
And an arrangement direction of spacers adjacent to each other among the plurality of spacers is different from an arrangement direction of the display pixels. The method of claim 1,
And an arrangement direction of two spacers positioned closest to each other among the plurality of spacers is different from an arrangement direction of the display pixels. The method of claim 1,
And the sub regions each extend in a direction inclined with respect to an arrangement direction of the display pixels in the display unit. The method of claim 1,
The sub-regions include first sub-regions that transmit light and second sub-regions that block light, and the spacers are disposed in the second sub-regions. 5. The method of claim 4,
The first sub-regions and the second sub-regions are alternately arranged one by one in a direction different from an extension direction of the first sub-regions and an extension direction of the second sub-regions,
And an arrangement direction of the spacers adjacent to each other provided in the second sub-regions is different from an arrangement direction of the display pixels. The method of claim 1,
The barrier unit includes a pair of electrodes for supplying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer,
The first electrode, the second electrode, or both the first electrode and the second electrode of the pair of electrodes are divided into a plurality of sub-electrodes for each of the sub-regions,
The spacers are disposed at positions overlapping the sub-electrodes. The method according to claim 6,
The sub-regions include first sub-regions that transmit light and second sub-regions that block light, and the spacers are disposed in the second sub-regions. The method according to claim 6,
And the sub electrodes each include a first stem portion and a second stem portion extending to intersect with each other, and the spacers are positioned at intersections of the first stem portions and the second stem portions. The method of claim 1,
A plurality of display modes including a three-dimensional image display mode and a two-dimensional image display mode,
The sub-regions include first sub-regions and second sub-regions,
In the 3D image display mode, the display unit displays a plurality of different viewpoint images, the first sub-regions are in a transmissive state, and the second sub-regions are in a blocked state, so that the 3D image is displayed.
In the two-dimensional image display mode, the display unit displays one view image, the first sub-regions and the second sub-regions are in a transmissive state, so that the two-dimensional image is displayed. 10. The method of claim 9,
The spacers are disposed in the second sub-regions. The method of claim 1,
And the display unit includes a signal line and a scan line for supplying a voltage to the display pixels, and an arrangement direction of the display pixels is a direction along an extension direction of the signal line and an extension direction of the scan line. The method of claim 1,
And the spacers constitute a plurality of array patterns periodically arranged in a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, or in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction. The method of claim 12,
The spacers constitute an array pattern having the same shape for each unit region arranged in a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, or in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction. The method of claim 13,
One or more of the spacers may be disposed such that, in each of the unit regions, a relative position between one or more spacers and one or more display pixels corresponding thereto is different from a relative position between another spacer and another display pixel corresponding thereto. Display device. The method of claim 13,
The spacers, in each of the unit regions, constitute a symmetrical array pattern with respect to a point around a center position of each of the unit regions as a rotation center point. The method of claim 1,
An array pattern having the same shape formed by the spacers is periodically provided in the barrier unit. The method of claim 1,
The display unit displays p space-division viewpoint images,
An arrangement pitch of spacers in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, or the horizontal direction and the vertical direction has a value different from an integer multiple of p, and p is an integer of 2 or more. The method of claim 1,
The display unit sequentially displays p space-division viewpoint images based on q time division display patterns,
The arrangement pitch of the spacers in the horizontal direction has a value equal to an integer multiple of p × W / q, the arrangement pitch of the spacers in the vertical direction has a value different from an integer multiple of p × L / q, p is an integer of 2 or more, q is an integer of 1 or more, W is the dimension of any one of the display pixels in the horizontal direction, and L is the dimension of any one of the display pixels in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. As a display device,
A display unit including a plurality of display pixels, and
A barrier portion including a plurality of sub-regions that transmit light and block light;
The barrier unit,
A pair of substrates,
A liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrates, and
A plurality of spacers interposed between the substrates;
At least one of the spacers is disposed such that a relative position between the one or more spacers and one or more display pixels corresponding thereto is different from a relative position between another spacer and another display pixel corresponding thereto.

Images