KR20160002350A - Light controlling apparatus, method of fabricating the light controlling apparatus, and transparent display device including the light controlling appratus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a light control apparatus which can transmit or block light by using a guest-host liquid crystal layer including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer and dichroic dyes, to a method for manufacturing the light control apparatus, and a transparent display apparatus including the light control apparatus. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the light control apparatus comprises: first and second substrates which face each other; a first electrode placed on the first substrate; a second electrode placed on the second substrate; and a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer and a guest-host liquid crystal layer positioned between the first and second electrodes. The polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer includes droplets having first liquid crystals, and the guest-host liquid crystal layer includes second liquid crystals and the dichroic dyes.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a light control device, a method of manufacturing the light control device, and a transparent display device including the light control device. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Light control devices,

The present invention relates to a light control device capable of implementing a transparent mode and a light shielding mode, a method of manufacturing the light control device, and a transparent display device including the light control device.

Recently, as the information age is approaching, a display field for processing and displaying a large amount of information has been rapidly developed, and various display devices have been developed in response to this.

Specific examples of such a display device include a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a field emission display device (FED), an electroluminescent display device An electroluminescence display device (ELD), and an organic light emitting diode (OLED). This display device has excellent performance of being thinner, lighter, and lower in power consumption, and the application field of display devices is continuously increasing. In particular, in most electronic devices and mobile devices, a display device is used as one of the user interfaces.

In recent years, studies have been made actively on a transparent display device which allows a user to view objects or images located on the opposite side through a display device.

The transparent display device has advantages of space utilization, interior and design, and can have various application fields. The transparent display device realizes the functions of information recognition, information processing, and information display in a transparent electronic device, thereby solving the spatial and visual restrictions of the existing electronic device. Such a transparent display device can be used for a smart window, and a smart window can be applied to a smart home or a smart car window.

Of these, a transparent display device using an LCD is implemented by applying an edge type backlight, but the transmissivity is very low, and a transparent display device using an LCD technology has a transparency due to a polarizer used for implementing a black And there is a disadvantage to outdoor visibility.

In addition, a transparent display device incorporating an OLED has a higher power consumption than a LCD, has difficulty in displaying true black, and has no problem in a contrast ratio in a dark environment. However, in a light environment, And has a disadvantage as a transparent display device which is deteriorated.

Therefore, in order to realize a transparent mode and a light-shielding mode, a method of utilizing a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) composed of a single layer as a light control device of a transparent display device incorporating an OLED Has been proposed. A polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) composed of a single layer is prepared by mixing a monomer with a liquid crystal and then changing the monomer into a polymer through ultraviolet (UV) curing to form a liquid crystal in the polymer Droplet " state. ≪ / RTI >

When an electric field is applied to a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC), the arrangement of liquid crystals located in the polymer is changed. Accordingly, a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) can scatter or transmit light incident from the outside. That is, since a device using a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) can scatter light or transmit light without a polarizer, it can be applied to a light control device of a transparent display device.

The present invention is based on the discovery that the use of a plurality of liquid crystal layers comprising a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer and a guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) Provided is a light control device that increases the transmittance and has a high light shielding ratio in the light shielding mode, a method of manufacturing the light control device, and a transparent display device including the light control device.

Further, the present invention can reduce the amount of dichroic dye included in the guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) layer, and thus provides a light control device having high light transmittance in a transparent mode.

The present invention also provides a light control device in which a first alignment layer and a second alignment layer are bonded on dams of barrier ribs included in a guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) layer.

Further, the present invention provides a light control device capable of suppressing the background of the light control device in the light shielding mode by displaying a specific color by dichroic dyes.

The present invention also provides a light control device using a plurality of liquid crystal layers including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer and a guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) layer, which can simplify the manufacturing process and reduce cost.

Further, the present invention provides a transparent display device in which dams on a partition wall of a guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) layer are provided in a light emitting region of a transparent display panel.

A light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other; A first electrode on the first substrate; A second electrode on the second substrate; And a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer between the first electrode and the second electrode and a guest host liquid crystal layer, wherein the polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer comprises droplets having first liquid crystals, And the liquid crystal layer includes second liquid crystals and dichroic dyes.

A transparent display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a transmissive area and a light emitting area, and the light emitting area includes pixels for displaying an image. And a light control device on one side of the transparent display panel comprises: a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other; A first electrode on the first substrate; A second electrode on the second substrate; And a plurality of liquid crystal layers including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer and a guest host liquid crystal layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the plurality of liquid crystal layers transmit light incident when no voltage is applied And in a display mode in which the pixels display an image, the plurality of liquid crystal layers are implemented as a shading mode for shielding incident light, And in a non-display mode in which the pixels do not display an image, the plurality of liquid crystal layers are implemented in a transparent mode for transmitting incident light or a light shield mode for shielding incident light.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transparent display device including: a transparent display panel including a lower substrate and an upper substrate; And a light control device under the lower substrate or on the upper substrate of the transparent display panel, the light control device comprising: a first electrode on the first substrate; A second electrode on the lower substrate or the upper substrate substrate; And a plurality of liquid crystal layers including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer and a guest host liquid crystal layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the plurality of liquid crystal layers transmit light incident when no voltage is applied And in a display mode in which the pixels display an image, the plurality of liquid crystal layers are implemented as a shading mode for shielding incident light, And in a non-display mode in which the pixels do not display an image, the plurality of liquid crystal layers are implemented in a transparent mode for transmitting incident light or a light shield mode for shielding incident light.

In the present invention, by including a plurality of liquid crystal layers including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer and a guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) layer, it is possible to increase the transmittance in a transparent mode, .

In addition, since the present invention includes a plurality of liquid crystal layers including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer and a guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) layer, the amount of dichroic dyes can be reduced compared to a liquid crystal layer composed of one layer, Transparency can be increased in the transparent mode.

Further, in the present invention, by including a plurality of liquid crystal layers including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer and a guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) layer, the path of light scattered in the light shielding mode becomes long. Therefore, the light absorption by the dichroic dye is increased, and the light shielding ratio can be increased in the light shielding mode.

In addition, according to the present invention, since a specific color is displayed according to dichroic dyes in the guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) layer, the background of the light control device can be rendered invisible in the light shielding mode, It is possible.

In addition, since the transparent mode can be implemented without voltage application, there is an advantage that no separate power consumption is required to implement the transparent mode.

Further, in the present invention, the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer are bonded on the dams of the barrier ribs of the guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) layer to compensate for weakness of the guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) layer due to external pressure.

In addition, in the present invention, since a method of forming a liquid crystal material on a substrate and curing by UV is used instead of a method of injecting liquid crystal between the first substrate and the second substrate, the manufacturing process can be simplified, .

In the present invention, in a display mode in which pixels of a transparent display panel display an image, when the light control device is implemented as a shading mode for blocking light incident on the back surface of the transparent display panel, .

In the present invention, the dams on the barrier ribs of the guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) layer are provided in the light emitting region of the transparent display panel to maximize the area of the dams on the barrier ribs, thereby enhancing the adhesion between the first and second alignment layers .

In the present invention, the lower substrate or the upper substrate of the transparent display panel is also used as the substrate of the light control device. That is, the transparent display panel and the light control device can share the substrates. Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention can reduce the substrate, thereby reducing the thickness of the transparent display device and increasing the transmittance.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The scope of the claims is not limited by the matters described in the contents of the invention, as the contents of the invention described in the problems, the solutions to the problems and the effects to be solved do not specify essential features of the claims.

1 is a perspective view showing a light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the light control device of FIG. 1 in detail;
3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a light control device in a transparent mode.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a light control device of a light-shielding mode.
5A and 5B are cross-sectional views showing other examples of the light control device in detail;
6A to 6D are cross-sectional views illustrating other examples of the light control device of FIG. 1 in detail;
7 is a flow chart showing a method of manufacturing a light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
8A to 8D are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of a light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is another sectional view showing a manufacturing process of a light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
10 is a flow chart showing a method of manufacturing a light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
11A to 11C are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of a light control device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a flow chart showing a method of manufacturing a light control device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
13A and 13B are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of a light control device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a perspective view showing a transparent display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
15A is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a lower substrate of the transparent display panel of FIG. 14 in detail;
FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the lower substrate of the transparent display panel of FIG. 14 in detail; FIG.
16 is a perspective view illustrating a transparent display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
17 is a sectional view showing a transparent display device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
18 is a sectional view showing a transparent display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention, and the manner of achieving them, will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

The shapes, sizes, ratios, angles, numbers, and the like disclosed in the drawings for describing the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative, and thus the present invention is not limited thereto. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

Where the terms "comprises," "having," "consisting of," and the like are used in this specification, other portions may be added as long as "only" is not used. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, including the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In interpreting the constituent elements, it is construed to include the error range even if there is no separate description.

In the case of a description of the positional relationship, for example, if the positional relationship between two parts is described as 'on', 'on top', 'under', and 'next to' Or " direct " is not used, one or more other portions may be located between the two portions.

In the case of a description of a temporal relationship, for example, if the temporal relationship is described by 'after', 'after', 'after', 'before', etc., May not be continuous unless they are not used.

The first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, but these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. Therefore, the first component mentioned below may be the second component within the technical spirit of the present invention.

The terms "X-axis direction "," Y-axis direction ", and "Z-axis direction" should not be construed solely by the geometric relationship in which the relationship between them is vertical, It may mean having directionality.

It should be understood that the term "at least one" includes all possible combinations from one or more related items. For example, the meaning of "at least one of the first item, the second item and the third item" means not only the first item, the second item or the third item, but also the second item and the second item among the first item, May refer to any combination of items that may be presented from more than one.

It is to be understood that each of the features of the various embodiments of the present invention may be combined or combined with each other, partially or wholly, and technically various interlocking and driving are possible, and that the embodiments may be practiced independently of each other, It is possible.

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

A plurality of liquid crystal layers for use as a light control device of a transparent display device are arranged in a vertical direction by an alignment film, and incident light is transmitted as it is to realize a transparent mode. The light incident by the guest material is scattered and absorbed to realize a shading mode.

The inventors of the present invention invented a novel optical control device capable of realizing a transparent mode and a light shielding mode by using a plurality of liquid crystal layers through various experiments. This will be described in the following examples.

[Light control device]

A transparent mode and a light shielding mode can be realized by a liquid crystal layer composed of a single layer not including a dye, but in this case, a light shielding mode of white is realized by light scattering in the light shielding mode . However, the inventors of the present invention have recognized that a light control device for a transparent display device must implement a light shielding mode in black rather than white in terms of visibility and contrast ratio.

Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have conducted various experiments to improve the light shielding state of a plurality of liquid crystal layers. The inventors of the present invention have experimented with a guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) containing a dye in order to realize a black shading mode. It was confirmed that the guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) containing the dye can realize the black shading mode by the light absorption of the dye. However, the guest host liquid crystal (GHLC) is difficult to realize scattering due to the absence of polymer, so the shading ratio is low in the light shielding mode. Therefore, although the amount of the dye (Dye) is increased to increase the shading rate, it is recognized that when the transparent mode is implemented, the transparency is lowered due to the light absorption of the dye.

The inventors of the present invention have recognized the above-mentioned problems and proposed a novel optical control device capable of increasing the transmittance by minimizing the light absorption of the dye in the transparent mode and realizing a black shading mode having a high shading ratio in the shading mode Invented.

1 to 4, 5A, 5B, and 6A to 6D, a light control device according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

1 is a perspective view of a light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the light control device of FIG. 1 in detail. 1 and 2, a light control apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 110, a first electrode 120, a plurality of liquid crystal layers 130, a second electrode 140), and a second substrate (150).

The first substrate 110 and the second substrate 150 may be a transparent glass substrate or a plastic film. For example, the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 150 may be formed of a COP (e.g., cellulose resin) such as TAC (triacetyl cellulose) or DAC (diacetyl cellulose), Norbornene derivatives cycloolefin polymer, COC (cyclo olefin copolymer), acrylic resin such as poly (methylmethacrylate), polycarbonate, polyolefin such as PE (polyethylene) or PP (polypropylene) (polyimide), polysulfone (PSF), or fluorine such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyether sulfone (PES), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN), and polyethyleneterephthalate But is not limited to, a sheet or a film including a fluoride resin or the like.

A first electrode 120 is provided on the first substrate 110 and a second electrode 140 is provided on the second substrate 150. The first and second electrodes 120 and 140 may be transparent electrodes. For example, the first and second electrodes 120 and 140 may be formed of a metal oxide such as AgO or Ag2O or Ag2O3, an aluminum oxide such as Al2O3, a tungsten oxide such as WO2 or WO3 or W2O3, (Eg, MgO), molybdenum oxide (eg MoO3), zinc oxide (eg ZnO), tin oxide (eg SnO2), indium oxide (eg In2O3), chromium oxide (eg CrO3 or Cr2O3) Oxides such as Sb2O3 or Sb2O5, titanium oxides such as TiO2, nickel oxides such as NiO, copper oxides such as CuO or Cu2O, vanadium oxides such as V2O3 or V2O5, CoO), iron oxide (eg Fe2O3 or Fe3O4), niobium oxide (eg Nb2O5), indium tin oxide (eg ITO), indium zinc oxide (eg Indium Zinc Oxide, IZO) Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZAO), aluminum-doped tin oxide (eg, aluminum tin oxide, TAO) or antimony tin oxide (eg, Antimony Tin Oxide, A TO), but is not limited thereto.

1, a plurality of liquid crystal layers 130 are interposed between a first substrate 110 and a second substrate 150, and a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer 131 (hereinafter referred to as a "PDLC layer "Quot;) and a guest host liquid crystal layer 132 (hereinafter, referred to as a "GHLC layer"). 1, a plurality of liquid crystal layers 130 includes only the PDLC layer 131 and the GHLC layer 132. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 130 may further include at least one PDLC layer or a GHLC layer in addition to the PDLC layer 131 and the GHLC layer 132. In addition, the PDLC layer 131 may be replaced with a polymer network liquid crystal layer (PNLC), in which case the polymer network liquid crystal layer may include spacers or barrier ribs.

This will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, a GHLC layer 132 is provided on the PDLC layer 131. The PDLC layer 131 includes a polymer 131a and droplets 131b. Each of the droplets 131b may include a plurality of first liquid crystals 131c. That is, the first liquid crystals 131c may be dispersed by the polymer 131a into a plurality of droplets 131b. The first liquid crystals 131c may be nematic liquid crystals whose arrangement is changed by the vertical (y-axis) electric field of the first and second electrodes 120 and 140, but are not limited thereto. The remaining portion of the PDLC layer 131 except for the droplets 131b due to the polymer 131a is in a solid state. Thus, the PDLC layer 131 can maintain cell gaps without spacers or barrier ribs.

The GHLC layer 132 includes second liquid crystals 132a and dichroic dyes 132b to realize a black shading mode. The second liquid crystals 132a may be a host material, and the dichroic dyes 132b may be a guest material. At this time, the black state of the light shielding mode can be realized by the light absorption of the dichroic dyes 132b. Accordingly, the external light is scattered through the PDLC layer 131, and the scattered external light is absorbed by the dichroic dyes 132b of the GHLC layer 132 to realize a light shielding state. Also, since the light scattered through the PDLC layer 131 passes through the GHLC layer 132 with a long optical path, the shading ratio can be increased.

The second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b may be nematic liquid crystals whose arrangement is changed by a vertical (y-axis direction) electric field, but are not limited thereto. The dichroic dyes 132b may be dyes that absorb light. For example, the dichroic dyes 132b absorb light other than a black dye or a specific color (for example, red) wavelength band that absorbs all of light in a visible light wavelength band and emit light of a specific color ) ≪ / RTI > In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the dichroic dyes 132b are preferably black dyes in order to increase light blocking efficiency for blocking light, but are not limited thereto. For example, the dichroic dye 132b may be a dye having a color of any one of red, green, blue, and yellow, or a mixture thereof. have. When the dichroic dyes 132b in the GHLC layer 132 are dyes having a red-based color, light passing through the GHLC layer 132 from the PDLC layer 131 becomes a red-based color. Accordingly, when the voltage is not applied, as the light passes from the PDLC layer 131 to the GHLC layer 132, the light control device 100 controls the color of the dichroic dyes 132b located in the GHLC layer 132 Can be displayed. Accordingly, when the light control device 100 of the present invention is implemented in a light-shielded mode, various colors other than the black color may be displayed, and the backlight may be shielded. This can provide aesthetic effects to the user because it can provide a variety of colors when shading. For example, when the light control device 100 is applied to a smart window or a public window that is used in a public place and requires a transparent mode and a light shielding mode, the light control device 100 can display various colors according to time or place.

In this case, the amount of the dichroic dye included in the PDLC layer 131 may be such that the transmittance of the light passing through the PDLC layer 131 in the transparent mode is not greatly deteriorated .

The dichroic dyes 132b may be materials including, but not limited to, aluminum aluminum zinc oxide (AZO). The dichroic dyes 132b may be included in the liquid crystal layer 130 at 0.5 wt% to 1.5 wt% when the cell gap of the liquid crystal layer 130 is 5 [mu] m to 15 [mu] m. However, as the shading ratio of the shading mode is improved, the amount of the dichroic dyes 132b smaller than 0.5 wt% in the liquid crystal layer 130 may be included. Accordingly, the amount of the dichroic dyes 132b can be reduced to 0.1 wt% as the shading rate of the shading mode is improved. Alternatively, when the cell gap of the liquid crystal layer 130 is small, the amount of the dichroic dyes 132b should be greater than 1.5 wt% to improve the shading ratio. Therefore, when the cell gap is smaller than 5 mu m, the dichroic dyes 132b may be contained up to 3 wt%. On the other hand, the dichroic dyes 132b have a predetermined refractive index, but the amount of the dichroic dyes 132b contained in the liquid crystal layer 130 is small and the dichroic dyes 132b absorb the incident light, (132b) contribute little to refracting the incident light.

In addition, when the amount of the dichroic dyes 132b is increased in the liquid crystal layer 130 in order to increase the shading ratio in the light shielding mode, the light control device may have a low transmittance. Therefore, the amount of the dichroic dyes 132b in the liquid crystal layer 130 can be set in consideration of the light shielding rate of the light shielding mode and the transmissivity of the transparent mode.

Further, the dichroic dyes 132b can be easily discolored by ultraviolet rays (hereinafter referred to as " UV "). Specifically, a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer or a polymer network liquid crystal layer (PDLC layer) containing dichroic dyes 132b is required to have a UV process for curing a polymer. In this case, The problem that the dyes 132b are discolored due to UV may occur. For example, the blue dichroic dyes 132b may be discolored to purple (purple) by UV. In this case, since the wavelength band of the light absorbed by the dichroic dyes 132b is changed, a problem may occur that the light is shielded from a color different from the originally intended color. In addition, the dichroic dyes 132b may be damaged by UV, thereby reducing the light absorption rate of the dichroic dyes 132b. Therefore, in order to prevent the shading rate of the shading mode from being lowered, the amount of the dichroic dyes 132b must be increased, so that the cost can be increased. Therefore, the liquid crystal layer 130 including the dichroic dyes 132b may be composed of the liquid crystal layer 130 that does not require a UV process. The GHLC layer 132 is in a liquid state different from the PDLC layer 131. Thus, the solid state PDLC layer 131 is not vulnerable to external pressure and can maintain a cell gap between the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 150 without a spacer or barrier, and the GHLC layer 132 ) Is required to compensate for the weakness of the external pressure, and a spacer or partition for maintaining the cell gap.

The partition 132c is formed in a concavo-convex shape and may include dams CA1. A plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA are provided between the dams CA1 of the barrier ribs 132c. The second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b are provided in a plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA between the dams CA1 of the partition wall 132c. The second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b provided in one liquid crystal region LCA are separated by the dam CA1 from the second liquid crystals 132a provided in another liquid crystal region LCA, (132b). Therefore, since the movement of the dichroic dyes 132b is very limited, the light control apparatus can realize the light shielding mode evenly as a whole. The barrier rib 132c of the embodiment of the present invention not only can maintain the cell gap between the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 150 but also can maintain the cell gap in each of the plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA 2 ratios of the liquid crystals 132a to the dichroic dyes 132b can be kept substantially similar. For example, the ratio of the second liquid crystals 132a to the dichroic dyes 132b among the plurality of liquid crystal regions (LCAs) may differ by 1% or less. When the ratio of the second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b in the plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA differs by more than 1%, the transmittance and the transmittance in the transparent mode between the plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA In the shading mode, the shading rates may be different from each other.

The barrier ribs 132c may be any one of a transparent photoresist, a photocurable polymer, and a polydimethylsiloxane. However, the barrier ribs 132c are not limited thereto.

A first alignment layer 133 is formed on the barrier rib 132c and a second alignment layer 134 is formed on the second electrode 140. [ The second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b may be arranged in a predetermined direction by the first and second alignment layers 133 and 134. [ For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b may be arranged in the vertical direction (y-axis direction).

In addition, the first and second substrates 110 and 150 may be plastic films in order to implement a light control device having flexibility. In this case, the first and second substrates 110 and 150 can be damaged by a high-temperature process. Therefore, the process for forming the first and second alignment films 133 and 134 on the first and second substrates 110 and 150 may use a vertical alignment material that can be formed at a low temperature of 200 ° C or lower.

At this time, the second alignment layer 134 may be bonded to the first alignment layer 133 on the dams CA1 of the barrier rib 132c including the adhesive material. The first alignment layer 133 and the second alignment layer 134 are formed on the first alignment layer 133 and the second alignment layer 134. In this case, Can be increased. Accordingly, since the GHLC layer 132 can compensate for the weakness of the external pressure, a light control device having flexibility can be realized. In addition, when the first and second substrates 110 and 150 are plastic films, it is difficult to attach the first and second substrates 110 and 150 using a separate adhesive, It is preferable to widen the adhesion area between the first alignment layer 133 and the second alignment layer 134 to increase the adhesion between the second alignment layers 134. However, as the area of the dams CA1 of the partition 132c increases, (LCAs) are narrowed. At this time, since the areas where the second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b are provided become narrow, a light shielding failure may occur in the light shielding mode. Therefore, it is preferable that the area of the dam CA1 of the partition 132c is set in consideration of the shading factor and the adhesive force.

In addition, the GHLC layer 132 may comprise a polymer network. At this time, the GHLC layer 132 can increase the light scattering effect due to the polymer network.

The light control device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be implemented in a light shielding mode for shielding light or a transparent mode for transmitting light by controlling the voltage applied to the first and second electrodes 120 and 140 have. Hereinafter, the transparent mode and the light shielding mode of the light control device 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a light control device in a transparent mode, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a light control device in a light shielding mode.

3 and 4, the light control apparatus 100 may further include a voltage supply unit 160 for supplying a predetermined voltage to the first and second electrodes 120 and 140, respectively. The liquid crystal layer 130 controls the arrangement of the liquid crystals and the dichroic dyes according to the voltage applied to the first electrode 120 and the voltage applied to the second electrode 140, Mode or a transparent mode through which incident light is transmitted.

3, when the voltage is not applied, the first liquid crystals 131c of the PDLC layer 131 and the second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b of the GHLC layer 132 are separated from each other (Y-axis direction) by the first and second alignment films 133 and 134, respectively. Specifically, the difference between the first voltage applied to the first and second electrodes 120 and 140 or the second voltage applied to the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 140 is The first liquid crystals 131c of the PDLC layer 131 and the second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b of the GHLC layer 132 are separated from the first and second alignment layers 133 , 134 in the vertical direction (y-axis direction).

In this case, the first liquid crystals 131c are arranged in a direction in which light is incident, and the refractive index between the polymer 131a of the PDLC layer 131 and the first liquid crystals 131c is minimized, The scattering of the light incident on the light source is minimized. Also, since the second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b are arranged in a direction in which light is incident, the absorption of light incident on the GHLC layer 132 is minimized. Therefore, most of the light incident on the light control device 100 can pass through the plurality of liquid crystal layers 130. [

As shown in FIG. 3, the embodiment of the present invention can realize a transparent mode when no voltage is applied, so that there is an advantage that no separate power consumption is required to realize a transparent mode.

4, when the voltage is applied, the first liquid crystals 131c of the PDLC layer 131 and the second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b of the GHLC layer 132 are aligned in the horizontal direction (x-axis and z-axis directions). Specifically, when the difference between the first voltage applied to the first electrode 120 and the second voltage applied to the second electrode 140 is greater than the second reference voltage, the first liquid crystal 131c of the PDLC layer 131, And the second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b of the GHLC layer 132 may be arranged in the horizontal direction (x-axis and z-axis directions). At this time, the second reference voltage may be equal to or greater than the first reference voltage.

Since the refractive index difference between the polymer 131a and the first liquid crystals 131c of the PDLC layer 131 is maximized at this time, the light incident on the PDLC layer 131 is scattered by the first liquid crystals 13c do. The light scattered by the first liquid crystals 131c is scattered by the second liquid crystals 132a of the GHLC layer 132 or absorbed by the dichroic dyes 132b. Therefore, the light control device 100 can block the light incident in the light shielding mode. For example, when the dichroic dyes 132b are black dyes, the light control device 100 can block incident light by displaying black-based colors in a light-shielding mode. That is, the embodiment of the present invention can display the background of the light control device by displaying a specific color according to the dichroic dyes 132b.

In the embodiment of the present invention, it can be assumed that the light shielding mode represents a case where the transmittance of the light control device 100 is smaller than a%, and the transparent mode represents a case where the light transmittance of the light control device 100 is b% or more. The transmittance of the light control device 100 represents the ratio of light output to the light controller 100. For example, a% may be 10 to 50%, and b% may be 60 to 90%, but is not limited thereto. In this case, the first voltage V1 applied to the first electrode 120 and the second voltage V1 applied to the second electrode 140 are applied to the first and second electrodes 120 and 140, V2) is smaller than the first reference voltage, the light control device 100 is implemented in a light shielding mode in which the transmittance is smaller than a%. When the voltage difference between the first voltage V1 applied to the first electrode 120 and the second voltage V2 applied to the second electrode 140 is greater than the second reference voltage, Is implemented in a transparent mode with b% or more. If the voltage difference between the first voltage V1 applied to the first electrode 120 and the second voltage V2 applied to the second electrode 140 is equal to or higher than the first reference voltage and lower than the second reference voltage, The transmissivity of the control device 100 is neither smaller than or equal to a% nor equal to or larger than b%, and thus can not satisfy both the transparent mode and the light shielding mode of the present invention.

On the other hand, the second reference voltage may be set to be larger than the first reference voltage, but may be set substantially equal to the first reference voltage. In this case, the transmittance reference of the light-shielding mode and the transmittance reference of the transparent mode can be set to be equal to c%. For example, when the voltage difference between the first voltage V1 applied to the first electrode 120 and the second voltage V2 applied to the second electrode 140 is smaller than the reference voltage, Is realized in a light shielding mode in which the transmittance is smaller than c%. When the voltage difference between the first voltage V1 applied to the first electrode 120 and the second voltage V2 applied to the second electrode 140 is equal to or greater than the reference voltage, Transparent mode. For example, c% may be between 10 and 50%.

3 and 4, in the embodiment of the present invention, the PDLC layer 131 including the first liquid crystals 131c transmits light in a transparent mode and scatters light in a light shielding mode, 132a and the GHLC layer 132 including the dichroic dyes 132b can transmit light in a transparent mode and absorb light in a light shielding mode, so that light is transmitted in a transparent mode and light is blocked in a light shielding mode .

On the other hand, when the light control device 100 includes one liquid crystal layer containing dichroic dyes, for example, when one liquid crystal layer is a GHLC layer, it is difficult to implement scattering by the absence of a polymer. Therefore, there is a problem that the light shielding rate is lowered in the light shielding mode. At this time, in order to increase the shading ratio, dichroic dyes should be included in one liquid crystal layer, for example, GHLC layer in order to absorb light. However, when a large amount of dichroic dyes are included, there is a problem that the transmittance of the optical control device 100 is lowered in the transparent mode due to light absorption by the dichroic dyes.

In the light control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the light incident on the PDLC layer 131 is scattered by the first liquid crystals 131c in the light shielding mode as shown in FIG. 4, It becomes longer. Since light having a long light path is incident on the GHLC layer 132, the light incident on the GHLC layer 132 is incident on the second liquid crystals 132a in the light control device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. And is likely to be absorbed by the dichroic dyes 132b. That is, when the liquid crystal layer includes a plurality of liquid crystal layers such as the PDLC layer 131 and the GHCL 132, the light absorption by the dichroic dyes 132b is increased, so that the shading ratio can be increased.

On the other hand, in the transparent mode, since the dichroic dyes 132b in the GHLC 132 layer absorb light, it is desirable to reduce the amount of the dichroic dyes 132b in order to increase the transmittance. Accordingly, the light control device can increase the shading rate by reducing the amount of the dichroic dyes 132b when the PDLC layer and the GHLC layers 131 and 132 are included, as compared with the case where the light control device includes one GHLC layer. Therefore, absorption of light by the dichroic dyes 132b in the transparent mode is minimized, and the transmittance can be increased. The PDLC layer and the GHLC layers 131 and 132 can increase the light transmittance in the light shielding mode and increase the light transmittance in the transparent mode, as compared with the case including one GHLC layer.

5A is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the light control device of FIG. 1 in detail. 5A, a light control device 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 210, a first electrode 220, a PDLC layer 231, a GHLC layer 232, An electrode 240, and a second substrate 250.

The first substrate 210, the first electrode 220, the PDLC layer 231, the second electrode 240, and the second substrate 250 of FIG. 5A are the same as the first substrate 210 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, The first electrode 120, the PDLC layer 131, the second electrode 140, and the second substrate 150 are substantially the same as the first electrode 110, the first electrode 120, the PDLC layer 131, Therefore, detailed description of the first substrate 210, the first electrode 220, the PDLC layer 231, the second electrode 240, and the second substrate 250 of FIG. 5A will be omitted.

The GHLC layer 232 is provided on the second electrode 240. The GHLC layer 232 includes second liquid crystals 232a and dichroic dyes 232b. The second liquid crystals 232a and the dichroic dyes 232b in FIG. 5A are substantially the same as the second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the second liquid crystals 232a and the dichroic dyes 232b in FIG. 5A are omitted.

The GHLC layer 232 is in a liquid state different from the PDLC layer 231. Thus, the GHLC layer 232 requires a spacer or barrier to maintain the cell gap.

The partition 232c is formed in a concave-convex shape and may include dams CA1. A plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA are provided between the dams CA1 of the barrier ribs 132c. The second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b are provided in a plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA between the dams CA1 of the partition wall 132c. The second liquid crystals 232a and the dichroic dyes 232b provided in one liquid crystal region LCA are separated by the dam CA1 from the second liquid crystals 232a provided in another liquid crystal region LCA, Can be separated from the sex dyes 232b. Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention can maintain the ratio of the second liquid crystals 232a and the dichroic dyes 232b to each other in the liquid crystal region LCA to be substantially similar. That is, the embodiment of the present invention can uniformly maintain the ratio of the second liquid crystals 232a and the dichroic dyes 232b in the light control device 200. [ For example, the ratio of the second liquid crystals 132a to the dichroic dyes 132b among the plurality of liquid crystal regions (LCAs) may differ by 1% or less. When the ratio of the second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b in the plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA differs by more than 1%, the transmittance and the transmittance in the transparent mode between the plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA In the shading mode, the shading rates may be different from each other. The barrier ribs 232c may be any one of a transparent photoresist, a photocurable polymer, and a polydimethylsiloxane. However, the barrier ribs 232c are not limited thereto.

A first alignment layer 233 is provided on the barrier rib 232c and a second alignment layer 234 is provided on the PDLC layer 231. [ The second liquid crystals 232a and the dichroic dyes 232b may be arranged in a predetermined direction by the first and second alignment films 233 and 234. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the second liquid crystals 232a and the dichroic dyes 232b may be arranged in the vertical direction (y-axis direction). In addition, the second alignment film 234 may be bonded to the first alignment film 233 on the dams CA1 of the barrier rib 232c including the adhesive material. The first alignment layer 233 and the second alignment layer 234 have a larger area than the first alignment layer 233 and the second alignment layer 234 because the areas of the dams CA1 in the barrier rib 232c are wider, Can be increased. When the first and second substrates 210 and 250 are plastic films, it is difficult to attach the first and second substrates 210 and 250 using a separate adhesive. Therefore, the first and second alignment films 233 and 233, It is preferable to widen the bonding area between the first alignment film 233 and the second alignment film 234 in order to increase the adhesive force between the alignment films 234. However, the area of the liquid crystal regions LCA becomes narrower as the area of the dams CA1 of the barrier rib 232c becomes wider. In this case, the areas where the second liquid crystals 232a and the dichroic dyes 232b are provided are narrow Light defects may occur in the light shielding mode. Therefore, the area of the dam CA1 of the partition 232c can be appropriately set in consideration of the shading ratio and the adhesive force.

In addition, the GHLC layer 232 may comprise a polymer network. At this time, the GHLC layer 232 can increase the scattering effect of light incident due to the polymer network.

The light control device 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5A controls the voltage applied to the first and second electrodes 220 and 240 so that a light-shielding mode for shielding light or a light- Mode, and the transparent mode and the light shielding mode of the light control device 200 shown in Fig. 5A are substantially the same as those described in conjunction with Figs. 3 and 4. Fig.

5B is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the light control device of FIG. 1 in detail. 5B, a light control device 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 310, a first electrode 320, a PDLC layer 331, a GHLC layer 332, An electrode 340, and a second substrate 350.

The first substrate 310, the first electrode 320, the PDLC layer 331, the second electrode 340, and the second substrate 350 of FIG. 5B are the same as the first substrate 310 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, The first electrode 120, the PDLC layer 131, the second electrode 140, and the second substrate 150 are substantially the same as the first electrode 110, the first electrode 120, the PDLC layer 131, Therefore, detailed description of the first substrate 310, the first electrode 320, the PDLC layer 331, the second electrode 340, and the second substrate 350 of FIG. 5B will be omitted.

A GHLC layer 332 is provided on the PDLC layer 331. The GHLC layer 332 includes second liquid crystals 332a and dichroic dyes 332b. The second liquid crystals 332a and the dichroic dyes 332b in Fig. 5B are substantially the same as the second liquid crystals 332a and the dichroic dyes 332b described in conjunction with Figs. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the second liquid crystals 332a and the dichroic dyes 332b in FIG. 5B are omitted.

The GHLC layer 332 is in a liquid state different from the PDLC layer 331. Therefore, the GHLC layer 332 requires a spacer or partition 332c to maintain the cell gap. The barrier rib 332c may be any one of a transparent photoresist, a photocurable polymer, and polydimethylsiloxane, but is not limited thereto.

The second liquid crystals 332a and the dichroic dyes 332b are provided in a plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA between the dams CA1 of the partition wall 332c. The second liquid crystals 332a and the dichroic dyes 332b provided in one liquid crystal region LCA are separated by the dam CA1 from the second liquid crystals 332a provided in another liquid crystal region LCA, Can be separated from the sex dyes 332b. Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention can maintain the ratio of the second liquid crystals 332a and the dichroic dyes 332b to each other in the liquid crystal region LCA in a substantially similar manner. That is, the embodiment of the present invention can maintain the ratio of the second liquid crystals 332a and the dichroic dyes 332b evenly within the light control device 300. [ For example, the ratio of the second liquid crystals 332a to the dichroic dyes 332b among the plurality of liquid crystal regions (LCAs) may differ by 1% or less. When the ratio of the second liquid crystals 332a to the dichroic dyes 332b in the plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA differs by more than 1%, the transmittance in the transparent mode between the plurality of liquid crystal regions LCA In the shading mode, the shading rates may be different from each other.

A first alignment layer 333 is provided on the PDLC layer 331 and a second alignment layer 334 is provided on the GHLC layer 332. The second liquid crystals 332a and the dichroic dyes 332b may be arranged in a predetermined direction by the first and second alignment films 333 and 334. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, the second liquid crystals 332a and the dichroic dyes 332b may be arranged in the vertical direction (y-axis direction). Further, the barrier ribs 332c may be cured by UV irradiation and adhered to the first and second alignment films 333 and 334.

The light control device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5B may include a light-shielding mode for shielding light by controlling a voltage applied to the first and second electrodes 320 and 340, Mode, and the transparent mode and the light-shielding mode of the light control device 300 shown in Fig. 5B are substantially the same as those described in conjunction with Figs. 3 and 4. Fig.

6A is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the light control device of FIG. 1 in detail. 6A, a light control device 400 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 410, a first electrode 420, a plurality of liquid crystal layers 430, a second electrode 440 , A second substrate 450, a first refractive index matching layer 460, and a second refractive index matching layer 470.

The first substrate 410, the first electrode 420, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 430, the second electrode 440, and the second substrate 450 shown in FIG. 6A are the same as those described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 Is substantially the same as the first substrate 110, the first electrode 120, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 130, the second electrode 140, and the second substrate 150. Therefore, detailed description of the first substrate 410, the first electrode 420, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 430, the second electrode 440, and the second substrate 450 of FIG. 6A will be omitted.

The first refractive index matching layer 460 may be provided on the opposite side of one surface of the first substrate 410 on which the first electrode 420 is provided. That is, a first electrode 420 may be formed on one surface of the first substrate 410, and a first refractive index matching layer 460 may be provided on the other surface of the first substrate 410 opposite to the first surface of the first substrate 410 .

Fresnel reflection may occur due to the difference in refractive index between the air and the first substrate 410. For example, when there is a difference in refractive index between the air and the first substrate 410, light incident on the first substrate 410 through the air is reflected due to a difference in refractive index between the air and the first substrate 410 . Therefore, the first refractive index matching layer 460 may have a refractive index between the air and the first substrate 410 to reduce a refractive index difference between the air and the first substrate 410. For example, when the index of refraction of air is 1 and the refractive index of the first substrate 410 is 1.6, the first refractive index matching layer 460 may have a refractive index of 1.1 to 460 to reduce the refractive index difference between air and the first substrate 410. [ 1.5. ≪ / RTI >

The second refractive index matching layer 470 may be provided on the opposite side of one surface of the second substrate 450 on which the second electrode 450 is provided. That is, a second electrode 440 may be provided on one surface of the second substrate 450, and a second index matching layer 470 may be provided on the other surface of the second substrate 450 opposite to the first surface of the second substrate 450 .

Fresnel reflection may occur due to the difference in refractive index between the air and the second substrate 450. For example, when there is a difference in refractive index between the air and the second substrate 450, a part of the light passing through the second substrate 450 may be reflected due to the refractive index difference when it is incident on the air. Therefore, the second refractive index matching layer 470 may have a refractive index between the air and the second substrate 450 to reduce the refractive index difference between the air and the second substrate 450. For example, if the refractive index of air is 1 and the refractive index of the second substrate 450 is 1.6, then the second refractive index matching layer 470 may have a refractive index of 1.1 to 4.8 to reduce the refractive index difference between air and the second substrate 450. [ 1.5. ≪ / RTI >

Each of the first and second refractive index matching layers 460 and 470 may be formed of a transparent adhesive film such as OCA (optically clear adhesive), an organic compound adhesive capable of thermosetting or UV curing, or the like.

6B is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the light control device of FIG. 1 in detail. 6B, a light control device 500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 510, a first electrode 520, a plurality of liquid crystal layers 530, a second electrode 540, A second substrate 550, a first refractive index matching layer 560, and a second refractive index matching layer 570.

The first substrate 510, the first electrode 520, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 530, the second electrode 540, and the second substrate 550 of FIG. 6B are described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 Is substantially the same as the first substrate 110, the first electrode 120, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 130, the second electrode 140, and the second substrate 150. Therefore, detailed description of the first substrate 510, the first electrode 520, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 530, the second electrode 540, and the second substrate 550 of FIG. 6B will be omitted.

The first refractive index matching layer 560 may be provided between the first substrate 510 and the first electrode 520. Fresnel reflection may occur due to the difference in refractive index between the first substrate 510 and the first electrode 520. For example, when there is a refractive index difference between the first substrate 510 and the first electrode 520, when a part of light passing through the first substrate 510 is incident on the first electrode 520, As shown in FIG. Therefore, the first refractive index matching layer 560 may have a refractive index between the first substrate 510 and the first electrode 520 to reduce a refractive index difference between the first substrate 510 and the first electrode 520 have. For example, when the refractive index of the first substrate 510 is 1.6 and the refractive index of the first electrode 520 is 2, the first refractive index matching layer 460 includes the first substrate 510 and the first electrode 520 ) To reduce the difference in refractive index between the first and second layers.

The second refractive index matching layer 570 may be provided between the second substrate 550 and the second electrode 540. Fresnel reflection may occur due to the difference in refractive index between the second substrate 550 and the second electrode 540. For example, when a difference in refractive index exists between the second electrode 540 and the second substrate 550, when a part of the light passing through the second electrode 540 is incident on the second substrate 550, As shown in FIG. The second refractive index matching layer 570 may have a refractive index between the second substrate 550 and the second electrode 540 to reduce the refractive index difference between the second substrate 550 and the second electrode 540 have. For example, when the refractive index of the second substrate 550 is 1.6 and the refractive index of the second electrode 540 is 2, the second refractive index matching layer 570 may be disposed between the second substrate 550 and the second electrode 540 ) To reduce the difference in refractive index between the first and second layers.

Each of the first and second refractive index matching layers 560 and 570 may be formed of a transparent adhesive film such as OCA (optically clear adhesive), an organic compound adhesive capable of thermosetting or UV curing, or the like.

FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the light control device of FIG. 1 in detail. 6C, a light control device 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 610, a first electrode 620, a plurality of liquid crystal layers 630, a second electrode 640 ), A second substrate 650, a first refractive index matching layer 660, and a second refractive index matching layer 670.

The first substrate 610, the first electrode 620, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 630, the second electrode 640, and the second substrate 650 of FIG. 6C are similar to those described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 Is substantially the same as the first substrate 110, the first electrode 120, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 130, the second electrode 140, and the second substrate 150. Therefore, the detailed description of the first substrate 610, the first electrode 620, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 630, the second electrode 640, and the second substrate 650 of FIG. 6C will be omitted.

The first refractive index matching layer 660 may be provided between the first electrode 620 and the PDLC layer 631. The Fresnel reflection may occur due to the difference in refractive index between the first electrode 620 and the PDLC layer 631. For example, when there is a refractive index difference between the first electrode 620 and the PDLC layer 631, a part of the light that has passed through the first electrode 620 is incident on the PDLC layer 631, Can be reflected. Therefore, the first refractive index matching layer 660 may have a refractive index between the first electrode 620 and the PDLC layer 631 to reduce a refractive index difference between the first electrode 620 and the PDLC layer 631. For example, the first electrode 620 may have a refractive index between 1.6 and 1.8, and the PDLC layer 631 may have a refractive index between 1.3 and 1.6, in which case the first refractive index matching layer 660 And may have a refractive index between the first electrode 620 and the PDLC layer 631 between 1.3 and 1.8.

The second refractive index matching layer 670 may be provided between the second electrode 640 and the GHLC layer 632. Fresnel reflection may occur due to the difference in refractive index between the second electrode 640 and the GHLC layer 632. For example, when there is a difference in refractive index between the second electrode 640 and the GHLC layer 632, a part of the light passing through the second electrode 640 is incident on the GHLC layer 632, Can be reflected. Therefore, the second refractive index matching layer 670 may have a refractive index between the second electrode 640 and the GHLC layer 632 to reduce a refractive index difference between the second electrode 640 and the GHLC layer 632. For example, the second electrode 640 may have a refractive index between 1.6 and 1.8, and the GHLC layer 632 may have a refractive index between 1.3 and 1.6. In this case, the second refractive index matching layer 670 And may have a refractive index between the second electrode 640 and the GHLC layer 632 between 1.3 and 1.8.

Each of the first and second refractive index matching layers 660 and 670 may be formed of a transparent adhesive film such as OCA (optically clear adhesive), an organic compound adhesive capable of thermosetting or UV curing, or the like.

6D is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the light control device of FIG. 1 in detail. 6D, a light control device 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 710, a first electrode 720, a plurality of liquid crystal layers 730, a second electrode 740 ), A second substrate 750, and a refractive index matching layer 760.

The first substrate 710, the first electrode 720, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 730, the second electrode 740, and the second substrate 750 shown in FIG. 6D are described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 Is substantially the same as the first substrate 110, the first electrode 120, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 130, the second electrode 140, and the second substrate 150. Accordingly, detailed descriptions of the first substrate 710, the first electrode 720, the plurality of liquid crystal layers 730, the second electrode 740, and the second substrate 750 in FIG. 6D are omitted.

The refractive index matching layer 760 may be provided between the plurality of liquid crystal layers 730. That is, the refractive index matching layer 760 may be provided between the PDLC layer 731 and the GHLC layer 732. The refractive index matching layer 760 may be formed by combining the refractive indices between the PDLC layer 731 and the GHLC layer 732 to prevent Fresnel reflection from occurring due to the refractive index difference between the PDLC layer 731 and the GHLC layer 732 Lt; / RTI >

The refractive index matching layer 760 may be formed of a transparent adhesive film such as OCA (optically clear adhesive), an organic compound adhesive capable of thermosetting or UV curing, or the like.

If there is no refractive index matching layer in the light control device, for example, if light is incident into the light control device, the refractive index difference between the first electrode and the PDLC layer and the refractive index difference between the second electrode and the GHLC layer Fresnel reflection occurs. That is, when the light control device is implemented in the transparent mode, a considerable amount of light is reflected from the PDLC layer due to the difference in refractive index when light passing through the first electrode enters the PDLC layer in the process of propagating light into the light control device. do. Then, when light passing through the PDLC layer and the GHLC layer passes again to the second electrode, a substantial amount of light is again reflected toward the inside of the GHLC layer due to the refractive index difference between the second electrode and the GHLC layer. Therefore, when the light control device is implemented in a transparent mode, a considerable amount of light can not pass through the light control device due to Fresnel reflection, and the light can be reflected, and transparency may be lowered.

On the other hand, as described in FIGS. 6A to 6D, since the refractive index matching layer is disposed in the light control device of the present invention, Fresnel reflection hardly occurs while light passes through the light control device. For example, the difference in refractive index between the first electrode and the PDLC layer and the refractive index difference between the second electrode and the GHLC layer are canceled by the refractive index matching layer, thereby preventing loss of light incident from the outside, . Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with improved transparency when the light control device is implemented in a transparent mode.

As described above, since the refractive index matching layer can be made of a transparent adhesive film such as OCA (optically clear adhesive), an organic compound adhesive capable of being thermally cured or UV curable, and the like, Can be prevented. For example, when a physical pressure is applied to the light control device, the first electrode and the second electrode are in contact with each other, so that disconnection may occur in the light control device. In addition, there is a possibility that minute foreign matter may be mixed into the PDLC layer and the GHLC layer during the process of manufacturing the optical control device, and the foreign substance acts as a conductor to enable electrical connection between the first electrode and the second electrode in the PDLC layer and the GHLC layer So that disconnection may occur within the light control device. However, since the refractive index matching layer of the present invention is made of the above-mentioned material, it can serve as an insulator. Therefore, the refractive index matching layer can prevent the occurrence of disconnection in the light control device, and therefore, the reliability of the light control device can be improved. The light control devices 400, 500, 600, and 700 according to the embodiments of the present invention shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D include a light shielding mode for shielding light by controlling voltages applied to the first and second electrodes Or transparent mode in which light is transmitted, and the transparent mode and the light-shielding mode of each of the light control devices 400, 500, 600, and 700 shown in Figs. 6A to 6D are combined with Figs. 3 and 4 Are substantially the same as those described above.

[Manufacturing method of light control device]

7, 8A to 8D, 9, 10, 11A to 11C, 12, 13A and 13B, a manufacturing method of the light control device according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail do.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 8A to 8D are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of a light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a manufacturing method of a light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A to 8D.

First, a first electrode 120 is formed on a first substrate 110 and a second electrode 140 is formed on a second substrate 150, as shown in FIG. 8A. The first substrate 110 and the second substrate 150 may be a transparent glass substrate or a plastic film. The first and second electrodes 120 and 140 may be transparent electrodes. (S101 in Fig. 7)

8B, a first liquid crystal material for forming the PDLC layer 131 is coated on the first electrode 120 to form the PDLC layer 131. [

At this time, the first liquid crystal material may be coated on the first electrode 120 and UV-cured to form the PDLC layer 131. The first liquid crystal material includes a plurality of monomers, first liquid crystals 131c, and a photoinitiator. In this case, the mixing ratio of the plurality of monomers and the first liquid crystals 131c may be 30 wt%: 70 wt% to 50 wt%: 50 wt%. When the ratio of the plurality of monomers contained in the first liquid crystal material is less than 30 wt%, the shading ratio of the first liquid crystal material is lowered. In addition, when the ratio of the plurality of monomers in the first liquid crystal material is 50 wt% or more, the transmittance of the first liquid crystal material is lowered. Therefore, the mixing ratio of the plurality of monomers and the first liquid crystals 131c can be set within the above range in consideration of the shading ratio or the transmissivity. In order to align the first liquid crystals 131c of the PDLC layer 131 in the vertical direction (y-axis direction) when the PDLC layer 131 is formed by UV curing, the plurality of monomers have different surface energies. Among the plurality of different monomers, the monomer having a relatively low surface energy becomes a polymer 131a upon UV curing and becomes a surface part of the droplet 131b, so that the surface energy of the droplet 131b is lowered . Accordingly, the droplets 131b having a lower surface energy cause the first liquid crystals 131c to be arranged in the vertical direction (y-axis direction). In UV curing, the UV wavelength band can be from 10 to 400 nm, preferably from 320 to 380 nm. For example, the UV irradiation time may be 10 s (100 seconds) to 100 s (100 s) although the UV irradiation time varies depending on the plurality of monomers. At this time, the UV intensity may be 10 to 50 mW / cm 2, preferably 10 to 20 mW / cm 2. In order to align the first liquid crystals 131c of the PDLC layer 131 in the vertical direction (y-axis direction) when the PDLC layer 131 is formed without UV curing, the first liquid crystal material is separated from the first liquid crystal 131c, The droplets 131b having the droplets 131b should be included in the solvent. At this time, the first liquid crystal material may be coated on the first electrode 120 and dried to form the PDLC layer 131. When the first liquid crystal material is dried, the solvent is vaporized and the droplet 131b is deformed from spherical to elliptical. Accordingly, the first liquid crystals 131c in the droplet 131b of the PDLC layer 131 are arranged in the vertical direction (y-axis direction). (S102 in Fig. 7)

Third, as shown in FIG. 8C, a barrier rib 132c is formed on the PDLC layer 131, a first alignment layer 133 is formed on the barrier rib 132c, and a dam CA1 The second liquid crystal material is injected into the liquid crystal regions LCA provided between the liquid crystal regions LCA. The barrier ribs 132c may be formed by an imprinting method or a photolithography method. In the case where the barrier rib 132c is formed by imprinting, the material for forming the barrier rib 132c is coated on the PDLC layer 131 and then pressurized with a mold made of silicon, quartz or a polymer material, 132c. The pattern of the partition 132c on which the thicknesses, the heights and the widths of the dams CA1 of the partition 132c are designed is formed in the mold. When the barrier ribs 132c are formed by photolithography, the barrier ribs 132c are formed by applying a material for forming the barrier ribs 132c on the PDLC layer 131 and then exposing the barrier ribs 132c using a photolithography process. can do. The barrier rib 132c may be any one of a photoresist, a photocurable polymer, and a polydimethylsiloxane.

The second liquid crystal material may include second liquid crystals 132a and dichroic dyes 132b. In this case, the GHLC layer 132 may be formed by injecting the second liquid crystal material into the liquid crystal regions LCA provided between the dams CA1 of the barrier ribs 132c. The dichroic dyes 132b included in the second liquid crystal material may be included in the second liquid crystal material in an amount of 0.5 wt% to 5 wt%. The dichroic dyes 132b may be contained in the second liquid crystal material in an amount of not less than 0.5 wt% in order to obtain a shading ratio by the dichroic dyes 132b in the shading mode. In addition, since the dichroic dyes 132b partially absorb light even in the transparent mode, the amount of the dichroic dye 132d must be adjusted to such an extent that the transmittance is not significantly deteriorated in order to obtain the transmittance in the transparent mode. Therefore, the dichroic dyes 132b may be contained in the second liquid crystal material in an amount of 5 wt% or less. (S103 in Fig. 7)

Fourth, a second alignment layer 134 is formed on the second electrode 140 as shown in FIG. 8D. At this time, the second alignment layer 134 may include an adhesive material so that the second alignment layer 134 can be adhered to the first alignment layer 133 on the dams CA1 of the barrier rib 132c. Therefore, the first alignment layer 133 provided on the dams CA1 of the barrier rib 132c can be adhered to the second alignment layer 134. [ Accordingly, the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 150 can be bonded. The adhesion area between the first alignment layer 133 and the second alignment layer 134 is increased as the area of the chambers CA1 of the partition 132c is wider. Therefore, the adhesion between the first alignment layer 133 and the second alignment layer 134 Can be increased. Accordingly, since the GHLC layer 132 can compensate for the weakness of the external pressure, a light control device having flexibility can be realized. In addition, when the first and second substrates 110 and 150 are plastic films, it is difficult to attach the first and second substrates 110 and 150 using a separate adhesive, It is preferable to widen the adhesion area between the first alignment layer 133 and the second alignment layer 134 to increase the adhesion between the second alignment layers 134. However, as the area of the dams CA1 of the partition 132c increases, (LCAs) are narrowed. At this time, since the areas where the second liquid crystals 132a and the dichroic dyes 132b are provided become narrow, a light shielding failure may occur in the light shielding mode. Therefore, the area of the dam CA1 of the partition wall 132c can be appropriately set in consideration of the shading factor and the adhesive force. For example, the adhesion between the first alignment layer 133 and the second alignment layer 134 provided on the block portions CA1 of the barrier rib 132c may be 0.05 to 0.3 N / cm. In this case, N / cm indicates a force received by the bonding portion between the first alignment film 133 and the second alignment film 134 when the light control device 100 having a width of 1 cm is bent. (S104 in Fig. 7)

Alternatively, the first electrode 120 and the PDLC layer 131 may be formed on the first substrate 110, the second electrode 140 may be formed on the second substrate 150, the second electrode 140 may be formed on the second substrate 150, The barrier ribs 132c can be formed on the barrier ribs 132c. The first alignment layer 133 is formed on the barrier rib 132c and the second liquid crystal material is injected into the liquid crystal regions LCA provided between the dams CA1 of the barrier ribs 132c. The barrier ribs 132c and the PDLC layer 131 can be adhered to each other by disposing the barrier ribs 132c on the PDLC layer 131 and thermally curing the barrier ribs 132c. In this case, the barrier 132c is cross-linked with the PDLC layer 131 due to thermal curing, so that the GHLC layer 132 can be supported.

Meanwhile, steps S102 through S104 of FIG. 7 may be performed by a roll-to-roll method as shown in FIG.

9 is another cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing process of a light control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9, the first substrate 110 provided with the first electrode 120 is moved by the rollers R, the first liquid crystal material injecting device LD1 is moved by the first liquid crystal material injecting device LD1, A material (LM1) is applied on the first electrode (120). The UV irradiation device UVD1 irradiates the first liquid crystal material LM1 coated on the first electrode 120 with UV, thereby forming the PDLC layer 131. [ The UV energy irradiated to form the PDLC layer 131 is as described in connection with FIG. 8B.

The first substrate 110 having the PDLC layer 131 is moved by the rollers to form a barrier rib 132c on the PDLC layer 131 and a first alignment layer And the second liquid crystal material injector LD2 injects the second liquid crystal material LM2 into the PDLC layer 131 in the liquid crystal regions LCA provided between the dam CA1 of the partition wall 132c, Lt; / RTI > Thus, a GHLC layer 132 is formed.

Third, the first substrate 110 having the PDLC layer 131 and the GHLC layer 132 is moved by the rollers. Therefore, the second substrate 150 having the second alignment layer 134 on the first substrate 110 and the second electrode 140 may be bonded together as shown in FIG.

Fourth, the light control device 100 can be manufactured by cutting the bonded first and second substrates 110, 150.

As described above, the light control apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 can be completed according to the manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A to 8D or 9. In addition, the light control devices 400, 500, 600, 700 according to other embodiments shown in Figs. 6A to 6D may also be used in an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figs. 7 and 8A to 8D or 9 Can be produced according to the production method according to the invention.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a light control device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 11A to 11C are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of a light control device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a manufacturing method of a light control device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 10 and FIGS. 11A to 11C.

Steps S201 and S202 of the manufacturing method of the light control device shown in Fig. 10 are substantially the same as steps S101 and S102 described in connection with Figs. 7, 8A and 8B. Therefore, the detailed description of steps S201 and S202 of the manufacturing method of the light control device shown in Fig. 10 will be omitted.

 11A, a barrier rib 232c is formed on the second electrode 240, and a first alignment film 233 is formed on the barrier rib 232c.

The barrier ribs 232c may be formed by an imprinting method or a photolithography method. When the barrier rib 232c is formed by the imprinting method, the material for forming the barrier rib 232c is coated on the second electrode 240 and then pressed by a mold made of silicon, quartz or a polymer material, (232c) can be formed. The pattern of the partition 232c designed with thickness, height, width, etc. of the dam CA1 of the partition 232c is formed in the mold. When the barrier rib 232c is formed by a photolithography method, a material for forming the barrier rib 232c is applied on the second electrode 240, and liquid crystal regions LCA are formed using a photolithography process The partition wall 232c can be formed. The barrier rib 232c may be any one of a photoresist, a photocurable polymer, and a polydimethylsiloxane. (S203 in Fig. 10)

The second liquid crystal material is injected into the liquid crystal regions LCA provided between the dams CA1 of the barrier rib 232c as shown in Fig. 11B. The second liquid crystal material may include second liquid crystals 232a and dichroic dyes 232b. In this case, the GHLC layer 232 can be formed by injecting the second liquid crystal material into the liquid crystal regions LCA provided between the dams CA1 of the barrier ribs 232c. The second liquid crystal material may include second liquid crystals 232a and dichroic dyes 232b. The dichroic dyes 232b may be included in the second liquid crystal material in an amount of 0.5 wt% to 5 wt%. In order to obtain a shading ratio by the dichroic dyes 232b in the shading mode, the dichroic dyes 232b may be contained in the second liquid crystal material in an amount of 0.5 wt% or more. Further, since the dichroic dyes 232b partially absorb light even in the transparent mode, the amount of the dichroic dye 232b should be adjusted so that the transmittance of light is not significantly deteriorated in order to obtain the transmittance in the transparent mode. Therefore, the dichroic dyes 232b may be contained in the second liquid crystal material in an amount of 5 wt% or less. (S204 in Fig. 10)

The second alignment layer 234 is bonded to the first alignment layer 233 provided on the block portions CA1 of the barrier rib 232c through a lamination process, as shown in FIG. 11C. The second alignment layer 234 may include an adhesive material. As the area of the dams CA1 of the barrier rib 232c is wider, the area of adhesion between the first alignment layer 233 and the second alignment layer 234 is widened, Can be increased. Accordingly, since the GHLC layer 232 can compensate for the weak external pressure, a flexible optical control apparatus can be realized. When the first and second substrates 210 and 250 are plastic films, it is difficult to attach the first and second substrates 210 and 250 using a separate adhesive. Therefore, the first and second alignment films 233 and 233 It is preferable to widen the bonding area between the first alignment layer 233 and the second alignment layer 234 in order to increase the adhesion between the second alignment layer 234 and the second alignment layer 234. [ However, as the area of the dam CA1 of the partition 232c is wider, the area of the liquid crystal regions LCA becomes narrower. At this time, since the areas where the second liquid crystals 232a and the dichroic dyes 232b are provided become narrow, a light shielding failure may occur in the light shielding mode. Therefore, it is preferable that the area of the dam CA1 of the partition 232c is set in consideration of the shading factor and the adhesive force. For example, the adhesion between the first alignment layer 233 and the second alignment layer 234 provided on the block portions CA1 of the barrier rib 232c may be 0.05 to 0.3 N / cm2. In this case, N / cm indicates a force received by the bonding portion between the first alignment film 233 and the second alignment film 234 when the light control device 200 having a width of 1 cm is bent. (S205 in Fig. 10)

Alternatively, the first electrode 220 and the PDLC layer 231 may be formed on the first substrate 210, the second electrode 240 may be formed on the second substrate 250, the second electrode 240 may be formed on the second substrate 250, The barrier rib 232c may be formed on the barrier rib 232c. The first alignment layer 233 is formed on the barrier rib 232c and the second liquid crystal material is injected into the liquid crystal regions LCA provided between the dams CA1 of the barrier rib 232c. The barrier ribs 232c and the PDLC layer 131 can be adhered to each other by disposing the barrier ribs 232c on the PDLC layer 131 and thermally curing the barrier ribs 232c. In this case, the barrier 232c is cross-linked with the PDLC layer 231 by thermal curing, so that the GHLC layer 232 can be supported.

The steps S202 to S205 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11A to 11C may be formed in a roll-to-roll manner as described with reference to FIGS.

As described above, the light control device 200 shown in FIG. 5A can be completed according to the manufacturing method according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 10, 11A to 11C.

12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a light control device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 13A and 13B are cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing process of a light control device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a manufacturing method of a light control device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 12, 13A and 13B.

The steps S301 and S302 of the manufacturing method of the light control device shown in Fig. 12 are substantially the same as the steps S101 and S102 described with reference to Figs. 8, 9A and 9B. Therefore, detailed descriptions of steps S301 and S302 of the method of manufacturing the light control device shown in Fig. 12 will be omitted.

13A, a first alignment layer 333 is formed on the PDLC layer 331, a second liquid crystal material LC is coated on the first alignment layer 333, and a second liquid crystal material The second substrate 340 is disposed on the second substrate LC2.

The second liquid crystal material LC2 may include second liquid crystals 332a, dichroic dyes 332b, and photo-curable polymers. The dichroic dyes 332b may be included in the second liquid crystal material in an amount of 0.5 wt% to 5 wt%. In order to obtain a shading ratio by the dichroic dyes 332b in the shading mode, the dichroic dyes 332b may be contained in the second liquid crystal material in an amount of 0.5 wt% or more. On the other hand, since the dichroic dyes 332b absorb UV when UV is irradiated, some of the monomers may not be cured with the polymer. The amount of the monomer remaining in the GHLC layer 332 increases due to the UV absorption of the dichroic dyes 332b as the amount of the dichroic dyes increases. This may cause a problem that the transmittance of the GHLC layer 332 is lowered in the transparent mode. Accordingly, the dichroic dyes 332b may be contained in the second liquid crystal material in an amount of 5 wt% or less. (S303 in Fig. 12)

13B, a mask M including an opening portion O and a blocking portion B is disposed on the second substrate 350, and UV light is irradiated to the second liquid crystal material LC2 so that the sight of the second liquid crystal material LC2 Thereby forming barrier ribs 332c by curing the ignited polymers. Specifically, the photo-curable polymers in the region irradiated with UV through the opening (O) of the mask (M) are cured and the photo-curable polymers in the UV-unexposed region move to a higher concentration of polymer . Thus, the photo-curable polymers of the second liquid crystal material are gathered in a region corresponding to the opening O of the mask M to which UV is irradiated, thereby forming the partition walls 332c. Particularly, the barrier ribs 332c are fixed to the first and second alignment layers 333 and 334, whereby the first and second substrates 310 and 350 are bonded together. (S304 in Fig. 12)

As described above, the manufacturing method according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 12, 13A, and 13B is different from the method of injecting liquid crystal between the first substrate and the second substrate, It is applied and UV curing method is used. Therefore, since the manufacturing process can be simplified, the light control device 300 shown in Fig. 5B can be completed while reducing the cost

[Transparent Display]

14 to 18, a transparent display device according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

14 is a perspective view showing a transparent display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 14, the transparent display device includes a light control device 1000, a transparent display panel 1100, and an adhesive layer 1200. Fig.

The light control apparatus 1000 includes the light control apparatuses 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, and 600 according to the embodiments of the present invention described in conjunction with FIGS. 2, 5A, 5B, 6A, 700 may be implemented. Therefore, the light control apparatus 1000 can block the light incident in the light shielding mode and transmit the light incident in the transparent mode. In addition, since the background of the light control device can be rendered invisible by expressing a specific color according to the dichroic dyes, the light control device 1000 can provide a sense of beauty to the user in addition to the light shielding function.

15A is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a lower substrate of the transparent display panel of FIG. 14 in detail. FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the lower substrate of the transparent display panel of FIG. 14 in detail.

15A and 15B, the transparent display panel 1100 includes a transmissive area (TA) and an emissive area (EA) in one sub pixel area. The light emitting region EA may be referred to as a light emitting portion, and the transmissive region TA may be referred to as a transmissive portion. The light emitting area EA is an area for displaying an actual image, and the transmissive area TA is an area through which external light is transmitted to the transparent display panel. Therefore, when the transparent display panel is not driven, the user can visually recognize the background of the transparent display panel, that is, the object behind or behind the transparent display panel, through the transmission area TA. Alternatively, when the transparent display panel is driven, the user can simultaneously view the actual image of the light emitting area EA and the background through the transmission area TA. The area ratio of the light emitting region EA and the transmissive region TA in the sub pixel region can be variously set in terms of visibility and transmittance

In the light emitting region EA, pixels P for displaying an image are provided. Each of the pixels P may be provided with a transistor element T, an anode electrode AND, an organic layer EL, and a cathode electrode CAT as shown in Figs. 15A and 15B.

The transistor element T includes an active layer ACT provided on the lower substrate 1101, a first insulating film I1 provided on the active layer ACT, a gate electrode GE provided on the first insulating film I1 A second insulating film I2 provided on the gate electrode GE and a second insulating film I2 provided on the second insulating film I2 and connected to the active layer ACT through the first and second contact holes CNT1 and CNT2 And includes a source electrode SE and a drain electrode DE. 15A and 15B illustrate that the transistor element T is formed in a top gate manner. However, the transistor element T is not limited thereto and may be formed in a bottom gate manner.

The anode electrode AND is connected to the drain electrode DE of the transistor element T through the third contact hole CNT3 passing through the interlayer insulating film ILD provided on the source electrode SE and the drain electrode DE do. Between the adjacent anode electrodes (AND), barrier ribs are provided, so that the adjacent anode electrodes (AND) can be electrically isolated.

An organic layer EL is provided on the anode electrode AND. The organic layer EL may include a hole transporting layer, an organic light emitting layer, an electron transporting layer, and the like.

A cathode electrode (CAT) is provided on the organic layer (EL) and the barrier rib (W). When a voltage is applied to the anode electrode (AND) and the cathode electrode (CAT), holes and electrons move to the organic light emitting layer through the hole transporting layer and the electron transporting layer, respectively.

15A illustrates that the transparent display panel 1100 is implemented by a bottom emission method. When the transparent display panel 1100 is implemented by a bottom emission type, light is emitted toward the lower substrate 1101. Accordingly, the light control device 1000 can be disposed on the upper substrate.

In the bottom emission type, since the light of the organic layer EL is emitted in the direction of the lower substrate 1101, the transistor T may be provided under the barrier W in order to reduce the luminance reduction due to the transistor T. In the bottom emission type, the anode electrode (AND) is formed of a transparent metal material such as ITO or IZO, and the cathode electrode (CAT) may be formed of a metal material having a high reflectance such as a lamination structure of aluminum, aluminum and ITO . In order to improve the transmittance, the cathode electrode CAT may be formed by patterning only the light emitting region EA.

FIG. 15B illustrates that the transparent display panel 1100 is implemented as a top emission method. When the transparent display panel 1100 is realized as a top emission type, light is emitted toward the upper substrate. Accordingly, the light control device 1000 may be disposed below the lower substrate 1101. [

In the front emission type, since the light of the organic layer EL is emitted toward the upper substrate, the transistor T may be provided broadly below the barrier rib W and the anode electrode AND. Accordingly, the front emission type has an advantage that the design area of the transistor T is wider than that of the back emission type. Also, in the top emission type, the anode electrode (AND) may be formed of a metal material having a high reflectivity such as aluminum, a laminate structure of aluminum and ITO, and the cathode electrode (CAT) may be formed of a transparent metal material such as ITO or IZO .

The transparent display panel according to the embodiment of the present invention can also be implemented by a dual emission method. When the transparent display panel 1100 is realized by a double-sided light emitting method, light is emitted in the direction of the upper substrate and the direction of the lower substrate.

The adhesive layer 1200 bonds the light control device 1000 and the transparent display panel 1100. The adhesive layer 1200 may be a transparent adhesive such as OCA (optically clear adhesive) or a transparent adhesive such as OCR (optically clear resin).

The light emitting area EA of the transparent display panel 1100 should shield only the transmissive area TA without shading when the light control device 1000 is attached in the direction in which the light of the transparent display panel 1100 is emitted. Therefore, the light control device 1000 can form a light shielding area by patterning the light control device to shield only the transmissive area TA of the transparent display panel 1100. In this case, the light shielding area should be aligned with the transmissive area TA of the transparent display panel 1100.

As described above, when the light control device 1000 is attached to the direction in which the light of the transparent display panel 1100 is emitted, the light shielding region of the light control device 1000 must be patterned, It is preferable that the light control device 1000 is attached to the transparent display panel 1100 in a direction opposite to the direction in which light is emitted. 15B, one side of the adhesive layer 1200 is bonded to the lower substrate 1101 of the transparent display panel 1100, and the other side of the adhesive layer 1200 is bonded to the light control device 1000 . 15A, one side of the adhesive layer 1200 may be adhered to the upper substrate of the transparent display panel 1100, and the other side of the adhesive layer 1200 may be adhered to the light control device 1000. FIG. When the adhesive layer 1200 is composed of a transparent adhesive such as OCA or a transparent adhesive such as OCR, it may have a refractive index between 1.4 and 1.9.

In addition, dichroic dyes excellent in dichroic ratio (DR) can be used to realize true black in a transparent display device. DR represents the light absorptivity of the dichroic dye in the major axis direction with respect to the light absorption rate in the minor axis direction. Since the dichroic dyes are arranged in the vertical direction (y-axis direction) in the transparent mode and are arranged in the horizontal direction (x-axis and z-axis direction) in the shading mode, the uniaxial light absorption rate of the dichroic dye is And the light absorptance in the long axis direction may be the light absorptivity of the dichroic dye in the light shielding mode. In order to realize a true black transparent display device, it may be effective to use dichroic dyes having a DR of 7 or more.

In addition, the lower substrate 1101 or the upper substrate of the transparent display panel 1100 may be the second substrate of the light control device 1000. At this time, the second electrode 140 of the light control device 1000 may be provided on the lower substrate 1101 or the upper substrate of the transparent display panel 1100.

The transparent display panel 1100 can be implemented in a display mode in which pixels P display an image and in a non-display mode in which pixels P display no image. In the case where the pixels P are implemented in a display mode for displaying an image, the light control device 1000 is implemented in a light shielding mode in which light incident through the back surface of the transparent display panel 1100 is shielded to enhance the quality of the image .

In the non-display mode in which the pixels P do not display an image, the light control device 1000 can be implemented in a light-shielding mode or a transparent mode. When the light control device 1000 is implemented in the light-shielding mode in the non-display mode in which the pixels P do not display images, the transparent display device appears black to the user. When the light control device 1000 is implemented in the transparent mode in the non-display mode in which the pixels P do not display an image, the transparent display device is implemented transparently, Can be seen.

The light emitting region EA of the transparent display panel 1100 blocks the light irrespective of whether the light control device 1000 is implemented in the light shielding mode or the transparent mode, (CA1) are preferably provided in the light emitting area EA. Since the bonding area between the first alignment layer 233 and the second alignment layer 234 is increased as the area of the dam CA1 of the barrier rib 232c is increased, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the partition wall 132c of the GHLC layer 132, The adhesiveness between the first alignment layer 233 and the second alignment layer 234 can be increased by forming the dams CA1 of the first alignment layer 233 and the second alignment layer 233 in the light emitting area EA of the transparent display panel 1100 as wide as possible.

16 is a perspective view showing a transparent display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 16, the transparent display device includes a first light control device 1000a, a second light control device 1000b, a transparent display panel 1100, a first adhesive layer 1200, and a second adhesive layer 1300 .

Each of the first and second light control devices 1000a and 1000b includes a plurality of light control devices 1000a and 1000b according to embodiments of the present invention described in connection with FIGS. 1, 2, 5A, 5B, and 6A- (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700). Therefore, each of the first and second light control devices 1000a and 1000b can block the light incident in the light shielding mode and transmit the light incident in the transparent mode. Each of the first and second light control devices 1000a and 1000b may provide a sense of aesthetics to the user in addition to the shading function according to the dichroic dyes.

The transparent display panel 1100 is substantially the same as that described with reference to Figs. 14 and 15. Fig. Therefore, a detailed description of the transparent display panel 1100 will be omitted.

The first adhesive layer 1200 bonds the first light control device 1000a and the transparent display panel 1100. [ The first adhesive layer 1200 may be a transparent adhesive film such as OCA (optically clear adhesive). One side of the first adhesive layer 1200 may be adhered to the lower substrate 1101 or the upper substrate of the transparent display panel 1100 and the other side thereof may be adhered to the first optical control device 1000a. When the first adhesive layer 1200 is made of a transparent adhesive film such as OCA, it may have a refractive index between 1.4 and 1.9.

The second adhesive layer 1300 bonds the second light control device 1000b and the transparent display panel 1100. [ The second adhesive layer 1300 may be a transparent adhesive film such as OCA (optically clear adhesive). One side of the second adhesive layer 1300 may be adhered to the lower substrate 1101 or the upper substrate of the transparent display panel 1100 and the other side thereof may be adhered to the second optical control device 1000b. When the second adhesive layer 1300 is made of a transparent adhesive film such as OCA, it may have a refractive index of between 1.4 and 1.9.

The transparent display panel 1100 can be implemented in a display mode in which pixels P display an image and in a non-display mode in which pixels P display no image. Assuming that the user views an image in the second optical control apparatus 1000b, when the pixels P are implemented in a display mode in which an image is displayed, the first optical control apparatus 1000a is transparent The second light control device 1000b may be implemented in a light-shielding mode for blocking light incident through the rear surface of the display panel 1100, and the second light control device 1000b may be implemented in a transparent mode.

In the non-display mode in which the pixels P do not display an image, the first and second light control devices 1000a and 1000b may be implemented in a shading mode or a transparent mode. When the first and second light control devices 1000a and 1000b are implemented in a light-shielding mode in a non-display mode in which the pixels P do not display an image, the transparent display device appears black to the user. When the first and second light control devices 1000a and 1000b are implemented in a transparent mode in a non-display mode in which pixels P do not display an image, the transparent display device is implemented transparently, The background of the transparent display device can be seen.

Meanwhile, the transparent display panel 1100 can be embodied as a double-sided transparent display panel capable of displaying an image in both directions. When the first and second light control devices 1000a and 1000b are implemented in a transparent mode in a display mode in which the both-side transparent display panel displays images in both directions, users can view images in both directions. In a display mode in which the both-side transparent display panel displays images in both the both-side directions, when any one of the first and second light control devices 1000a and 1000b is implemented in a light-shielding mode, The user can block the image from being viewed.

17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a transparent display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 17, the transparent display device includes a light control device 1000 and a transparent display panel 1100. Fig.

The cross section of the transparent display panel 1100 may be substantially the same as the cross section of the bottom emission type shown in FIG. 15A or the cross section of the top emission type shown in FIG. 15B, but in FIG. 17, And the upper substrate 1102 are shown. When the transparent display panel 1100 is implemented as a top emission type as shown in FIG. 15B, the light of the transparent display panel 1100 goes toward the upper substrate 1102, And may be disposed under the substrate 1101. [ 15A, when the light of the transparent display panel 1100 is directed toward the lower substrate 1101, the light control device 1000 may be mounted on the upper substrate (not shown) 1102 < / RTI >

15, the light control device 1000 of FIG. 17 may be configured such that the second electrode 140 is not the second substrate, but the lower substrate of the transparent display panel 1100, The light control device shown in Fig. 2 can be implemented substantially the same as the light control device shown in Fig. 15A, when the second electrode 140 is formed on the upper substrate (not shown) of the transparent display panel 1100 instead of the second substrate, The light control device shown in Fig. 2 can be implemented substantially the same as the light control device shown in Fig.

A refractive index matching layer may be formed between the second electrode 140 and the lower substrate 1101 to reduce a difference in refractive index between the second electrode 140 and the lower substrate 1101. Further, a protective film may be formed to cover the side surface or the side surface and the bottom surface of the PDLC layer 131. The lower surface of the PDLC layer 131 represents one surface of the PDLC layer 131 contacting the first electrode 120. In addition, the protective layer may protect the PDLC layer 131 as well as the first electrode 120. The protective film may be made of a transparent inorganic material having a predetermined strength and capable of passing external light. The protective film may be made of any one of a polymer, an OCA (optical clear adhesive), a polymer organic compound material capable of being thermally or UV curable, a transparent inorganic material such as SiOx, SiNx and polyimide, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the protective film may be a transparent plastic or transparent substrate such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PMMA (poly (methyl methacrylate)) when higher strength is required depending on the use environment of the transparent display device. Furthermore, the protective film may have a refractive index of 1.3 to 1.9 for refractive index matching.

In addition, an adhesive layer may be further provided to couple the light control device 1000 and the transparent display panel 1100. The adhesive layer is disposed between the second electrode 140 of the light control device 1000 and the lower substrate 1101 of the transparent display panel 1100. For example, the adhesive layer may be an adhesive film, such as optical clear adhesive (OCA), which is one of the optical transparent adhesives. In this case, the second electrode 140 of the light control device 1000 or the back surface of the lower substrate 1101 of the transparent display panel 1100 is laminated, and then the light control device 1000 and the transparent display panel 1100) may be combined. The OCA used as the adhesive layer may have a refractive index of between 1.4 and 1.9.

As described above, the embodiment of the present invention uses the lower substrate 1101 or the upper substrate 1102 of the transparent display panel 1100 also as a substrate of the light control device 1000. That is, the transparent display panel 1100 and the light control device 1000 share the substrates. Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention can reduce the thickness of the transparent display device, and the transparency can be increased because the substrate can be reduced.

18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a transparent display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 18, the transparent display device includes a light control device 1000 'and a transparent display panel 1100.

The cross section of the transparent display panel 1100 may be substantially the same as the cross section of the bottom emission type shown in FIG. 15A or the cross section of the full emission type shown in FIG. 15B, but in FIG. 18, And the upper substrate 1102 are shown. When the transparent display panel 1100 is implemented as a top emission type as shown in FIG. 15B, the light of the transparent display panel 1100 goes toward the upper substrate 1102, so that the light control device 1000 ' And may be disposed under the lower substrate 1101. [ 15A, the light of the transparent display panel 1100 is directed toward the lower substrate 1101, so that the light control device 1000 'is arranged on the upper substrate 1101. Therefore, 0.0 > 1102 < / RTI >

The light control device 1000 'may include a first substrate 110, a first electrode 120, a PDLC layer 131, and a second electrode 140 as shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 18, it is illustrated that the light control device 1000 'includes one liquid crystal layer. In FIG. 18, one liquid crystal layer is a PDLC layer 131 corresponding to a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a polymer network liquid crystal layer or a cholesteric liquid crystal layer liquid crystal layer).

The first substrate 110, the first electrode 120, the PDLC layer 131 and the second electrode 140 of the optical control device 1000 'shown in FIG. Is substantially the same as that described with reference to Fig. 2, except that it is formed on the lower substrate 1101 of the transparent display panel 1100 instead of the substrate. 15A, the second electrode 140 of the light control device 1000 'is electrically connected to the upper surface of the transparent display panel 1100, not to the second substrate, (Not shown).

Meanwhile, in the embodiment of the present invention, a protective layer 135 may be formed to cover the side surface or the side surface and the bottom surface of the PDLC layer 131. The lower surface of the PDLC layer 131 represents one surface of the PDLC layer 131 contacting the first electrode 120. In addition, the protective layer 135 may protect the PDLC layer 131 as well as the first electrode 120. The protective film 135 may be made of a transparent inorganic material having a predetermined strength and capable of passing external light. The protective layer 135 may be formed of any one of a polymer, an optical clear adhesive (OCA), a polymer organic compound material capable of being thermally or UV curable, a transparent inorganic material such as SiOx, SiNx, and polyimide, but is not limited thereto . The protective film 135 may be a transparent plastic or a transparent substrate such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PMMA (poly (methyl methacrylate)) when higher strength is required depending on the use environment of the transparent display device.

The protective layer 135 may have a refractive index of 1.3 to 1.8 in order to prevent Fresnel reflection due to the refractive index difference between the first electrode 120 and the PDLC layer 131. For example, The first electrode 120 may have a refractive index between 1.6 and 1.8 and the PDLC layer 131 may have a refractive index between 1.3 and 1.6 so that the protective film 135 may have a refractive index between 1.3 and 1.8, It is possible to prevent Fresnel reflection due to a difference in refractive index between the first electrode 120 and the PDLC layer 131 when the first electrode 120 and the PDLC layer 131 have a refractive index.

In addition, when the light control device 1000 'does not include the protective film 135, it is possible to prevent a short that may occur in the light control device. For example, when a physical pressure is applied to the light control device 1000 ', the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 140 are in contact with each other, so that a disconnection may occur in the light control device 1000' . In addition, there is a possibility that minute foreign matter may be mixed into the PDLC layer 131 during the manufacturing process of the optical control device 1000 ', and the foreign substance may be mixed with the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 140 in the PDLC layer 131 It may serve as a conductor for enabling electrical connection, and a disconnection may occur in the optical control device. However, since the protective film 135 is made of the above-mentioned material, it can serve as an insulator. Therefore, the protection film 135 can prevent the occurrence of disconnection within the light control device 1000 ', thereby improving the reliability of the light control device.

A refractive index matching layer may be formed between the second electrode 140 and the lower substrate 1101 to reduce a refractive index difference between the second electrode 140 and the lower substrate 1101. A refractive index matching layer may be formed between the second electrode 140 and the PDLC layer 131 to reduce a refractive index difference between the second electrode 140 and the PDLC layer 131.

Further, an adhesive layer may be further provided to couple the light control device 1000 'and the transparent display panel 1100. The adhesive layer is disposed between the second electrode 140 of the light control device 1000 'and the lower substrate 1101 of the transparent display panel 1100. For example, the adhesive layer may be an adhesive film, such as optical clear adhesive (OCA), which is one of the optical transparent adhesives. The second electrode 140 of the light control device 1000 'or the back surface of the lower substrate 1101 of the transparent display panel 1100 and then laminated to the light control device 1000' and the transparent display panel 1100 ) Can be combined. The OCA used as the adhesive layer may have a refractive index of between 1.4 and 1.9. As described above, the embodiment of the present invention also uses the lower substrate 1101 or the upper substrate 1102 of the transparent display panel 1100 as a substrate of the light control device 1000 '. That is, the transparent display panel 1100 and the light control device 1000 'share the substrates. Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention can reduce the thickness of the transparent display device, and the transparency can be increased because the substrate can be reduced.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. . Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 1000:
110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710:
120, 220, 320, 420, 520, 620, 720:
130, 230, 330, 430, 530, 630, 730: liquid crystal layers
131, 231, 331, 431, 531, 631, 731: PDLC layer
132, 232, 332, 432, 532, 632, 732: GHLC layer
140, 240, 340, 440, 540, 640, 740:
150, 250, 350, 450, 550, 650, 750:
460, 560, 660: a first refractive index matching layer
470, 570, 670: a second refractive index matching layer
760: refractive index matching layer
1000a: a first light control device
1000b: a second light control device
1100: Transparent display panel

Claims (20)

A first substrate and a second substrate facing each other;
A first electrode on the first substrate;
A second electrode on the second substrate; And
A polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a guest host liquid crystal layer,
Wherein the polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer comprises droplets having first liquid crystals and the guest host liquid crystal layer comprises second liquid crystals and dichroic dyes. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the guest host liquid crystal layer further comprises a partition having dams,
And a plurality of liquid crystal regions including the second liquid crystals and the dichroic dyes are provided between the dams. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein a ratio of the second liquid crystals to the dichroic dyes in the plurality of liquid crystal regions is within 1%. 3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a first alignment layer on the barrier for arranging the second liquid crystals and the dichroic dyes,
And a second alignment layer between the first alignment layer and the second electrode,
Wherein the first alignment film and the second alignment film are bonded on the dams. 3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a first alignment layer on the barrier for arranging the second liquid crystals and the dichroic dyes,
And a second alignment layer between the first alignment layer and the polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer,
Wherein the first alignment film and the second alignment film are bonded on the dams. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a first alignment layer on the polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer for arranging the second liquid crystals and the dichroic dyes,
And a second alignment layer between the first alignment layer and the second electrode,
Wherein the barrier is fixed to the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer and the guest host liquid crystal layer have a difference between a first voltage applied to the first and second electrodes and a second voltage applied to the first electrode, Is implemented in a transparent mode that transmits incident light when the first reference voltage is lower than the first reference voltage. The method according to claim 1,
When the difference between the first voltage applied to the first and second electrodes or the first voltage applied to the first electrode and the second voltage applied to the second electrode is smaller than the first reference voltage, The second liquid crystals, and the dichroic dyes are arranged in the vertical direction. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer and the guest host liquid crystal layer shield incident light when a difference between a first voltage applied to the first electrode and a second voltage applied to the second electrode is greater than a second reference voltage Wherein the light control device is implemented in a shading mode. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein when the difference between the first voltage applied to the first electrode and the second voltage applied to the second electrode is greater than the second reference voltage, the first liquid crystals, the second liquid crystals, Lt; / RTI > direction. The method according to claim 1,
A first refractive index matching layer on the opposite side of one surface of the first substrate having the first electrode and having a refractive index between the refractive index of the first substrate and the refractive index of air; And
And a second refractive index matching layer on the opposite side of one surface of the second substrate having the second electrode and having a refractive index between the refractive index of the second substrate and the refractive index of the air. The method according to claim 1,
A first refractive index matching layer between the first substrate and the first electrode, the first refractive index matching layer having a refractive index between a refractive index of the first substrate and a refractive index of the first electrode; And
And a second refractive index matching layer between the second substrate and the second electrode and having a refractive index between a refractive index of the second substrate and a refractive index of the second electrode. The method according to claim 1,
A first refractive index matching layer between the first electrode and the polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer and having a refractive index between a refractive index of the first electrode and a refractive index of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer; And
And a second refractive index matching layer provided between the second electrode and the guest host liquid crystal layer and having a refractive index between a refractive index of the second electrode and a refractive index of the second guest host liquid crystal layer. A transparent display panel including a transmissive region and a light-emitting region, wherein the light-emitting region is provided with pixels for displaying an image; And
The light control device on one side of the transparent display panel,
A first substrate and a second substrate facing each other;
A first electrode on the first substrate;
A second electrode on the second substrate; And
And a plurality of liquid crystal layers including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer and a guest host liquid crystal layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the plurality of liquid crystal layers transmit light incident thereon A light-shielding mode that is implemented in a transparent mode and blocks incident light when a voltage is applied,
In a display mode in which the pixels display an image, the plurality of liquid crystal layers are implemented in a light shielding mode for shielding incident light, and in a non-display mode in which the pixels do not display an image, And a light-shielding mode for shielding incident light. 15. The method of claim 14,
The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
The polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer further comprising droplets having first liquid crystals; And
And the guest host liquid crystal layer further comprising second liquid crystals and dichroic dyes. 16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the first liquid crystals, the second liquid crystals, and the dichroic dyes are arranged in the vertical direction when the voltage is not applied, and are arranged in the horizontal direction when the voltage is applied. 17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the guest host liquid crystal layer further comprises a partition having dams,
And a plurality of liquid crystal regions including the second liquid crystals and the dichroic dyes are provided between the dams. 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the dams of the partition walls are in the light emitting region. 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the ratio of the second liquid crystals to the dichroic dyes in the plurality of liquid crystal regions is within 1%. A transparent display panel including a lower substrate and an upper substrate; And
And a light control device disposed below or above the lower substrate of the transparent display panel,
The light control device includes:
A first electrode on a first substrate;
A second electrode on the lower substrate or the upper substrate substrate; And
A plurality of liquid crystal layers including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer and a guest host liquid crystal layer between the first electrode and the second electrode,
Wherein the plurality of liquid crystal layers are implemented in a transparent mode for transmitting incident light when a voltage is not applied and a light shielding mode for blocking incident light when a voltage is applied, The plurality of liquid crystal layers are formed in a light shielding mode for shielding incident light, and in the non-display mode in which the pixels do not display an image, the plurality of liquid crystal layers are formed in a transparent mode for transmitting incident light, Shielding mode in which light is shielded from light.

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