KR20210081822A - Light route control member and display having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An optical path control member in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first substrate; a first electrode disposed on the upper surface of the first substrate; a second substrate disposed on the upper part of the first substrate; a second electrode disposed on the lower surface of the second substrate; and a light conversion unit disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and defining a first direction and a second direction, wherein the light conversion unit includes a partition wall unit and a holding unit which are alternately arranged in the first direction, the holding unit has a light transmittance changed in accordance with the application of a voltage, the holding unit includes a plurality of cells disposed to be spaced apart in the second direction, at least one of the cells includes a first inner surface and a second inner surface connected to each other, and at least one inner surface of the first inner surface and the second inner surface extends in a direction different from the first direction and the second direction. The present invention can enhance front brightness of the optical path control member.

Description

A light path control member and a display device including the same

The embodiment relates to a light path control member that can be easily manufactured and has improved front luminance and side shielding effect, and a display device including the same.

The light-shielding film blocks the transmission of light from the light source. It is attached to the front of the display panel, which is a display device used for mobile phones, laptops, tablet PCs, vehicle navigation, and vehicle touch, and the angle of incidence of light when the display transmits the screen. Accordingly, it is used for the purpose of expressing clear image quality at the required viewing angle by adjusting the viewing angle of the light.

In addition, the light-shielding film is used for windows of vehicles or buildings to partially shield external light to prevent glare or to prevent the inside from being seen from the outside.

That is, the light blocking film may be a light path converting member that controls a movement path of light to block light in a specific direction and transmit light in a specific direction. Accordingly, it is possible to control the viewing angle of the user by controlling the transmission angle of light by the light-shielding film.

On the other hand, such a light-shielding film is a light-shielding film that can always control the viewing angle regardless of the surrounding environment or the user's environment, and a switchable light-shielding film that allows the user to turn on/off the viewing angle control according to the surrounding environment or the user's environment. can be distinguished.

Such a switchable light blocking film may be implemented by adding electrically moving particles to the pattern portion and changing the pattern portion into a light transmitting portion and a light blocking portion by dispersion and aggregation of the particles.

At this time, the charged particles and a dispersion liquid for dispersing the charged particles moving according to the application of a voltage may be disposed inside the pattern part.

Such a pattern part may be formed by immersing the substrate on which the pattern part is formed in a jig containing a dispersion in which charged particles are dispersed, and injecting the dispersion into the pattern part through a capillary phenomenon.

However, there is a problem in that it is difficult to inject the same amount of dispersion at the same speed for each pattern portion, and the process time increases as the size of the pattern portion increases.

Accordingly, there is a need for an optical path control member having improved front luminance while solving the above problems.

The embodiment relates to a light path control member that can be easily manufactured and has improved front luminance and side shielding effect, and a display device including the same.

An optical path control member according to an embodiment includes: a first substrate; a first electrode disposed on an upper surface of the first substrate; a second substrate disposed on the first substrate; a second electrode disposed on a lower surface of the second substrate; and a light conversion unit disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and defining a first direction and a second direction, wherein the light conversion unit includes a partition wall unit and a receiving unit alternately arranged in the first direction, , The accommodating part has a light transmittance changed according to the application of a voltage, and the accommodating part includes a plurality of cells spaced apart from each other in the second direction, and at least one of the cells includes a first inner surface connected to each other and and a second inner surface, wherein an inner surface of at least one of the first inner surface and the second inner surface extends in a direction different from the first direction and the second direction.

The light path control member and the method for manufacturing the same according to the embodiment form an accommodating part having a predetermined size and having an intaglio shape in a resin layer, so that the dispersion can be easily filled in the accommodating part by a method such as squeezing or screen printing. .

That is, by forming a short-circuiting part in the accommodating part, the size of the accommodating part is controlled to a size of a certain unit, so that the dispersion can be filled while satisfying the filling properties even by squeezing or screen printing.

In addition, by forming a plurality of shorting portions in the accommodating portion, the front luminance of the light path control member may be improved by the shorting portions.

In addition, by arbitrarily controlling the angles of the inner surfaces connected to each other of the accommodating part, the process of arbitrarily tilting the filling direction when the dispersion is filled can be omitted to improve process efficiency.

In addition, in the accommodating part including a plurality of accommodating parts, by controlling the arrangement of the shorting part of each accommodating part or the shorting part between the plurality of accommodating parts, it is easy to control the side shielding and the front brightness according to the environment to be used, can be improved

1 is a view showing a perspective view of a light path control member to which electrophoretic particles are applied according to an embodiment.
2 and 3 are perspective views of a first substrate, a first electrode, a second substrate, and a second electrode of a light path control member according to an embodiment, respectively.
4 and 5 are cross-sectional views illustrating a light path control member according to an embodiment.
6 to 9 are views illustrating other cross-sectional views of the light path control member according to the embodiment.
10 to 14 are views illustrating a top view of a light conversion layer of a light path control member according to an embodiment.
15 to 21 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing a light path control member according to an embodiment.
22 is a cross-sectional view of a display device to which a light path control member according to an exemplary embodiment is applied.
23 and 24 are diagrams for explaining an embodiment of a display device to which a light path control member according to an embodiment is applied.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited to some of the described embodiments, but may be implemented in various different forms, and within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention, one or more of the components may be selected between embodiments. It can be combined and substituted for use.

In addition, terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the embodiments of the present invention may be generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, unless specifically defined and described explicitly. It may be interpreted as a meaning, and generally used terms such as terms defined in advance may be interpreted in consideration of the contextual meaning of the related art.

In addition, the terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular form may also include the plural form unless otherwise specified in the phrase, and when it is described as "at least one (or more than one) of A and (and) B, C", it can be combined with A, B, and C. It may contain one or more of all possible combinations.

In addition, in describing the components of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and are not limited to the essence, order, or order of the component by the term.

And, when it is described that a component is 'connected', 'coupled' or 'connected' to another component, the component is not only directly connected, coupled or connected to the other component, but also with the component It may also include a case of 'connected', 'coupled' or 'connected' due to another element between the other elements.

In addition, when it is described as being formed or disposed on "above (above) or below (below)" of each component, the top (above) or bottom (below) is one as well as when two components are in direct contact with each other. Also includes a case in which another component as described above is formed or disposed between two components.

In addition, when expressed as “up (up) or down (down)”, it may include the meaning of not only the upward direction but also the downward direction based on one component.

Hereinafter, an optical path control member according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The optical path control member described below relates to a switchable optical path control member that drives in various modes according to the movement of electrophoretic particles by application of a voltage.

1 to 3 , the optical path control member according to the embodiment includes a first substrate 110 , a second substrate 120 , a first electrode 210 , a second electrode 220 , and a light conversion unit. (300) may be included.

The first substrate 110 may support the first electrode 210 . The first substrate 110 may be rigid or flexible.

Also, the first substrate 110 may be transparent. For example, the first substrate 110 may include a transparent substrate capable of transmitting light.

The first substrate 110 may include glass, plastic, or a flexible polymer film. For example, the flexible polymer film is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (Polycabonate, PC), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), polymethyl methacrylic Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA), Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN), Polyether Sulfone (PES), Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC), TAC (Triacetylcellulose) film, Polyvinyl alcohol ( Polyvinyl alcohol, PVA) film, polyimide (Polyimide, PI) film, may be made of any one of polystyrene (Polystyrene, PS), this is only one example, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

In addition, the first substrate 110 may be a flexible substrate having a flexible characteristic.

Also, the first substrate 110 may be a curved or bent substrate. That is, the optical path control member including the first substrate 110 may also be formed to have flexible, curved, or bent characteristics. For this reason, the light path control member according to the embodiment may be changed into various designs.

The first substrate 110 may have a thickness of about 1 mm or less.

The first electrode 210 may be disposed on one surface of the first substrate 110 . In detail, the first electrode 210 may be disposed on the upper surface of the first substrate 110 . That is, the first electrode 210 may be disposed between the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 .

The first electrode 210 may include a transparent conductive material. For example, the first electrode 210 may include indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, copper oxide, tin oxide, or zinc oxide. , and may include a metal oxide such as titanium oxide.

The first electrode 210 may be disposed on the first substrate 110 in a film shape. In addition, the light transmittance of the first electrode 210 may be about 80% or more.

The first electrode 210 may have a thickness of about 10 nm to about 50 nm.

Alternatively, the first electrode 210 may include various metals to realize low resistance. For example, the first electrode 210 may include chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), or molybdenum (Mo). At least one of gold (Au), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof may be included.

The first electrode 210 may be disposed on the entire surface of one surface of the first substrate 110 . In detail, the first electrode 210 may be disposed as a surface electrode on one surface of the first substrate 110 . However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the first electrode 210 may be formed of a plurality of pattern electrodes having a predetermined pattern.

For example, the first electrode 210 may include a plurality of conductive patterns. In detail, the first electrode 210 may include a plurality of mesh lines crossing each other and a plurality of mesh openings formed by the mesh lines.

Accordingly, even if the first electrode 210 includes a metal, the first electrode is not visually recognized from the outside, so that visibility may be improved. In addition, the light transmittance is increased by the openings, so that the luminance of the light path control member according to the embodiment may be improved.

The second substrate 120 may be disposed on the first substrate 110 . In detail, the second substrate 120 may be disposed on the first electrode 210 on the first substrate 110 .

The second substrate 120 may include a material capable of transmitting light. The second substrate 120 may include a transparent material. The second substrate 120 may include the same or similar material to the first substrate 110 described above.

For example, the second substrate 120 may include glass, plastic, or a flexible polymer film. For example, the flexible polymer film is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (Polycabonate, PC), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), polymethyl methacrylic Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA), Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN), Polyether Sulfone (PES), Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC), TAC (Triacetylcellulose) film, Polyvinyl alcohol ( Polyvinyl alcohol, PVA) film, polyimide (Polyimide, PI) film, may be made of any one of polystyrene (Polystyrene, PS), this is only one example, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

In addition, the second substrate 120 may be a flexible substrate having a flexible characteristic.

Also, the second substrate 120 may be a curved or bent substrate. That is, the optical path control member including the second substrate 120 may also be formed to have flexible, curved, or bent characteristics. For this reason, the light path control member according to the embodiment may be changed into various designs.

The second substrate 120 may have a thickness of about 1 mm or less.

The second electrode 220 may be disposed on one surface of the second substrate 120 . In detail, the second electrode 220 may be disposed on the lower surface of the second substrate 120 . That is, the second electrode 220 may be disposed on a surface of the second substrate 120 facing the first substrate 110 . That is, the second electrode 220 may be disposed to face the first electrode 210 on the first substrate 110 . That is, the second electrode 220 may be disposed between the first electrode 210 and the second substrate 120 .

The second electrode 220 may include a transparent conductive material. For example, the second electrode 220 may include indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, copper oxide, tin oxide, or zinc oxide. , and may include a metal oxide such as titanium oxide.

The second electrode 220 may be disposed on the second substrate 120 in a film shape. In addition, the light transmittance of the second electrode 220 may be about 80% or more.

The second electrode 220 may have a thickness of about 10 nm to about 50 nm.

Alternatively, the second electrode 220 may include various metals to realize low resistance. For example, the second electrode 220 may be chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), or molybdenum (Mo). At least one of gold (Au), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof may be included.

The second electrode 220 may be disposed on the entire surface of one surface of the second substrate 120 . In detail, the second electrode 220 may be disposed as a surface electrode on one surface of the second substrate 120 . However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the second electrode 220 may be formed of a plurality of pattern electrodes having a predetermined pattern.

For example, the second electrode 220 may include a plurality of conductive patterns. In detail, the second electrode 220 may include a plurality of mesh lines crossing each other and a plurality of mesh openings formed by the mesh lines.

Accordingly, even if the second electrode 220 includes a metal, the second electrode is not visually recognized from the outside, so that visibility may be improved. In addition, the light transmittance is increased by the openings, so that the luminance of the light path control member according to the embodiment may be improved.

The light conversion unit 300 may be disposed between the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 . In detail, the light conversion unit 300 may be disposed between the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 .

An adhesive layer 400 may be disposed between at least one of the light conversion unit 300 and the first substrate 110 or between the light conversion unit 300 and the second substrate 120 . For example, an adhesive layer 400 may be disposed between the light conversion unit 300 and the second substrate 120 , and the first substrate 110 and the second substrate may be formed by the adhesive layer 400 . 120 and the light conversion unit 300 may be adhered.

4 and 5 , the light conversion unit 300 may include a partition wall unit 310 and a receiving unit 320 .

The partition wall part 320 may be defined as a partition wall area dividing the accommodation part. That is, the partition wall part 320 is a partition wall area dividing a plurality of accommodation parts. In addition, the accommodating part 320 may be defined as a region that changes into a light blocking part and a light transmitting part according to the application of a voltage.

The area of the partition wall part 310 and the area of the receiving part 320 may be alternately disposed with each other. The area of the partition wall part 310 and the area of the accommodation part 320 may be disposed to have different widths. For example, a width of the partition wall portion 310 may be greater than a width of the receiving portion 320 area.

The partition wall part 310 and/or the accommodating part 320 may be disposed in contact with at least one of the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 .

For example, the partition wall part 320 may be disposed in contact with at least one of the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 . 4 and 5 , the partition wall part 310 may be disposed in contact with the first electrode 210 , and may be indirectly bonded to the second electrode 220 through the adhesive layer 400 . have.

The partition wall part 310 and the accommodating part 320 may be alternately disposed with each other. In detail, the partition wall part 310 and the accommodating part 320 may be alternately disposed with each other. That is, each of the partition wall portions 310 may be disposed between the accommodating portions 320 adjacent to each other, and each of the accommodating portions 320 may be disposed between the adjacent partition wall portions 310 .

The partition wall part 310 may include a transparent material. The barrier rib part 310 may include a material capable of transmitting light.

The partition wall part 310 may include a resin material. For example, the barrier rib part 310 may include a photo-curable resin material. For example, the barrier rib part 310 may include a UV resin or a transparent photoresist resin. Alternatively, the partition wall portion 310 may include a urethane resin or an acrylic resin.

The barrier rib part 310 may transmit light incident on one of the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 in the direction of the other substrate.

For example, in FIGS. 4 and 5 , light may be emitted from the direction of the first substrate 110 and may be incident on the direction of the second substrate 120 . The barrier rib part 310 transmits the light. and the transmitted light may move toward the second substrate 120 .

A sealing part 500 sealing the light path control member may be disposed on a side surface of the partition wall part, and a side surface of the light conversion part 300 may be sealed by the sealing part.

The accommodating part 320 may include the dispersion 320a and the light conversion particles 10. Specifically, the accommodating part 320 is filled by injecting the dispersion 320a into the dispersion 320a. A plurality of light conversion particles 10 may be dispersed.

The dispersion liquid 320a may be a material for dispersing the light conversion particles 10 . The dispersion 320a may include a transparent material. The dispersion 320a may include a non-polar solvent. In addition, the dispersion 320a may include a material capable of transmitting light. For example, the dispersion liquid 320a may include at least one of a halocarbon-based oil, a paraffin-based oil, and isopropyl alcohol.

The light conversion particles 10 may be dispersed in the dispersion 320a. In detail, the plurality of light conversion particles 10 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the dispersion 320a.

The light conversion particle 10 may be a charged particle. The light conversion particles 10 may have a color. For example, the light conversion particles 10 may include black charged carbon black particles.

In the receiving part 320 , the light transmittance may be changed by the light conversion particles 10 . In detail, the accommodating part 320 may be changed into a light blocking part and a light transmitting part by changing the light transmittance by the light conversion particles 10 . That is, the accommodating part 320 may change the transmittance of the light passing through the accommodating part 320 by dispersion and aggregation of the light conversion particles 10 disposed therein in the dispersion 320a.

For example, the light path member according to the embodiment changes from the first mode to the second mode or from the second mode to the first mode by a voltage applied to the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 . can be

In detail, in the light path control member according to the embodiment, in the first mode, the accommodating part 320 may be a light blocking part, and light at a specific angle may be blocked by the accommodating part 320 . That is, the viewing angle of the user viewing from the outside may be narrowed.

In addition, in the light path control member according to the embodiment, in the second mode, the accommodating part 320 becomes a light transmitting part, and in the light path controlling member according to the embodiment, the partition wall 310 and the accommodating part 320 . All light can be transmitted. That is, the viewing angle of the user viewing from the outside may be widened.

The conversion from the first mode to the second mode, that is, the conversion of the accommodating part 320 from the light blocking part to the light transmitting part, may be implemented by the movement of the light conversion particles 10 of the accommodating part 320 . can That is, the light conversion particle 10 has a charge on the surface, and may move in the direction of the first electrode or the second electrode according to the application of a voltage according to the characteristics of the charge. That is, the light conversion particles 10 may be electrophoretic particles.

In detail, the receiving part 320 may be electrically connected to the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 .

At this time, when no voltage is applied to the optical path control member from the outside, the light conversion particles 10 of the accommodating part 320 are uniformly dispersed in the dispersion 320a, and accordingly, the accommodating part 320 . The light may be blocked by the light conversion particles (10). Accordingly, in the first mode, the receiving unit 320 may be driven as a light blocking unit.

Alternatively, when a voltage is applied to the light path control member from the outside, the light conversion particles 10 may move. For example, the light conversion particle 10 may be moved toward one end or the other end of the receiving unit 320 by a voltage transmitted through the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 . can That is, the light conversion particles 10 may move in the direction of the first electrode or the second electrode.

In detail, when a voltage is applied to the first electrode 210 and/or the second electrode 220, an electric field is formed between the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220, The charged light conversion particles 10 may be moved in the direction of the (+) electrode of the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 using the dispersion 320a as a medium.

That is, when a voltage is applied to the first electrode 210 and/or the second electrode 220 , as shown in FIG. 4 , the light conversion particle 10 is the first electrode in the dispersion 320a. It may move in the (210) direction, that is, the light conversion particles 10 may be moved in one direction, and the receiving unit 320 may be driven as a light transmitting unit.

Alternatively, when no voltage is applied to the first electrode 210 and/or the second electrode 220 , as shown in FIG. 5 , the light conversion particles 10 are uniformly dispersed in the dispersion 320a. Thus, the accommodating part 320 may be driven as a light blocking part.

Accordingly, the light path control member according to the embodiment may be driven in two modes according to the user's surrounding environment. That is, when the user wants to transmit light only at a specific viewing angle, the receiving unit is driven as a light blocking unit, or in an environment in which the user requires a wide viewing angle and high luminance, a voltage is applied to drive the receiving unit as a light transmitting unit. have.

Accordingly, since the light path control member according to the embodiment can be implemented in two modes according to the user's request, the light path member can be applied regardless of the user's environment.

6 to 9 are views illustrating other cross-sectional views of the light path control member according to the embodiment.

6 and 7 , in the light path control member according to the embodiment, the receiving part 320 may be disposed in contact with the electrode differently from FIGS. 4 and 5 .

For example, the receiving part 320 may be disposed in direct contact with the first electrode 210 .

Accordingly, since the first electrode 210 and the accommodating part 320 are not spaced apart and are disposed in direct contact with each other, the voltage applied from the first electrode 2100 can be smoothly transferred to the accommodating part 320 . can

Accordingly, it is possible to improve the moving speed of the light conversion particle 10 inside the accommodating part 320 can improve the driving characteristics of the light path control member.

In addition, referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , in the light path control member according to the embodiment, unlike FIGS. 4 and 5 , the receiving part 320 may be disposed while having a constant inclination angle θ.

In detail, referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , the receiving part 320 may be disposed while having an inclination angle θ of greater than 0° to less than 90° with respect to the first electrode 210 . In detail, the accommodating part 320 may extend upwardly while having an inclination angle θ of greater than 0° to less than 90° with respect to one surface of the first electrode 210 .

Accordingly, when the light path member is used together with the display panel, moire due to the overlapping phenomenon between the pattern of the display panel and the receiving portion 320 of the light path member may be prevented, thereby improving user visibility.

As previously described. The light conversion unit 300 may include a receiving unit formed in a plurality of pattern shapes to control a viewing angle of light.

Accordingly, visibility of a user viewing a display or the like through the light path control member by the receiving unit may be reduced. That is, as the amount of light transmitted toward the user by the accommodating part is reduced, the front luminance is reduced, so that the visibility of the user may be reduced.

In addition, as the width of the pattern shape of the accommodating part extending in one direction increases, there is a problem in that process efficiency is lowered in filling the dispersion containing the electrophoretic particles in the accommodating part.

Accordingly, in the light path control member according to the embodiment, a plurality of short-circuit portions are formed in the accommodating portion, thereby improving the front luminance of the light path controlling member and improving process efficiency.

Hereinafter, the light conversion unit of the light path control member according to the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14 .

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the light conversion unit, and FIG. 11 is a top view of the light conversion unit.

10 and 11 , the light conversion unit 300 includes a resin layer 301 constituting the light conversion unit 300 , and the resin layer 301 includes the partition wall unit 310 and The receiving part 320 may be formed.

The light conversion unit 300 may be defined in a first direction 1A and a second direction 2A. For example, the first direction 1A may be defined as a long side direction of the light conversion unit, and the second direction 2A may be defined as a short side direction of the light conversion unit.

In addition, the first direction 1A and the second direction 2A may correspond to a filling direction of the dispersion including the light conversion particles filled in the accommodating part 320 . That is, the dispersion may be filled in any one of the first direction 1A and the second direction 2A through a squeezing or screen printing process.

The receiving part 320 may be formed in the resin layer 301 . In detail, the accommodating part 320 may be formed in the shape of an intaglio formed on the resin layer 301 , and the intaglio may be formed to extend in the second direction.

That is, the receiving part 320 may be disposed to extend in the second direction. In addition, the accommodating part 320 may include a plurality of accommodating parts spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and partition walls 310 may be disposed between the plurality of accommodating parts.

For example, the accommodating part 320 may include a first accommodating part P1 and a second accommodating part P2 spaced apart from each other.

At least one of the first accommodating part P1 and the second accommodating part P2 may include a plurality of short circuit parts SA. That is, at least one accommodating part of the first accommodating part P1 and the second accommodating part P2 may include a plurality of short-circuiting parts dividing the accommodating part into a plurality of cells SP.

Accordingly, at least one of the first accommodating part P1 and the second accommodating part P2 extending in the second direction may include a plurality of cells defined by the short circuit part SA. have.

As the cell SP is formed in an engraved shape on the resin layer 301 , it may include a bottom surface BS and inner surfaces. In addition, the inner surfaces may include a first inner surface IS1 and a second inner surface IS2 connected to each other.

In this case, at least one of the first inner surface IS1 and the second inner surface IS2 may extend in a direction different from the first direction and the second direction.

For example, referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 , the first inner surface IS1 may extend in a direction equal to the first direction, and the second inner surface IS2 may extend in the second direction and It may extend in other directions.

Accordingly, the first inner surface IS1 and the second inner surface IS2 may be connected at an angle of an acute angle θ1 or an obtuse angle θ2. In detail, the first inner surface IS1 and the second inner surface IS2 may be connected at an acute angle of 35° to 55° or an obtuse angle of 125° to 145°.

That is, the lower and upper surfaces of the cell may be formed in a trapezoidal shape as a whole as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 .

Accordingly, the dispersion can be easily filled in a plurality of cells. In detail, the dispersion may be filled in each of the plurality of cells in any one of the first direction 1A and the second direction 2A through a squeezing or screen printing process. .

At this time, since at least one of the first inner surface IS1 and the second inner surface IS2 extends in a direction different from the first direction and the second direction, the dispersion liquid is formed in the first direction 1A and The dispersion liquid may be filled in the cell in any one of the second directions 2A.

That is, in the related art, the first inner surface IS1 and the second inner surface IS2 extend in directions corresponding to the first and second directions, respectively, and accordingly, when filling the dispersion liquid , as the filling direction was intentionally tilted to fill, there was a problem in that the process efficiency was lowered.

On the other hand, in the light path control member according to the embodiment, when the dispersion liquid is filled, the inner surface of at least one of the inner surfaces of the cell filled with the filling liquid is inclined in a direction different from the first and second directions, Since filling can be performed in the same direction as the 1st and 2nd directions, process efficiency can be improved.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 11 , each cell SP may be formed to have a predetermined length. Here, the length of the cell SP may be defined as the maximum length of the cell SP.

In detail, the cell SP may have a length L of about 50 μm to 150 μm.

The lengths of the plurality of cells SP may be the same or different from each other. That is, the plurality of cells SP may have the same length or may have different lengths within the above range.

The length of the cell SP may be related to the fillability of the dispersion liquid filled into the cell SP. In detail, when the length L of the cell SP is formed to be less than 50 μm, an area of the short-circuiting part SA formed in each receiving part is increased, so that the side shielding effect may be reduced.

In addition, when the length L of the cell SP exceeds 150 μm, due to the increase in the length of the cell SP, the fillability of the dispersion filled into the cell SP may be reduced. and the filling uniformity of the dispersion filled into each cell may be reduced.

10 and 11 , each of the accommodating parts may include a plurality of short-circuiting parts SA.

The plurality of cells included in each accommodating part may be partitioned from each other by the short circuit parts SA.

The shorting part SA may be an area integrally formed with the partition wall part 310 . That is, the short-circuiting part SA may be a region through which light is transmitted regardless of the application of voltage to the receiving parts.

A length l of the shorting part SA may be smaller than a width w of the cell SP. Here, the length l of the shorting part SA may be defined as the maximum length l of the shorting part SA.

In addition, the length l of the shorting part SA may be smaller than the length of the cell SP. Also, a length l of the short-circuiting part SA may be smaller than a pitch p of the receiving parts. In detail, the length l of the short-circuiting part SA may be smaller than the pitch p of the first accommodating part P1 and the second accommodating part P2.

For example, the length l of the shorting part SA may be less than or equal to 0.5 times the width w of the cell SP. When the length l of the shorting part SA exceeds 0.5 times the width w of the cell SP, the side shielding effect of the light path control member due to an increase in the area of the shorting part SA may be lowered.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the light path control member according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14 .

Referring to FIG. 12 , the short-circuiting parts formed in the accommodating parts 320 of the light conversion part 300 may be formed in different sizes in each accommodating part.

In detail, the accommodating part 320 includes a first accommodating part P1 and a plurality of accommodating parts spaced apart from the first accommodating part P1, and each of the accommodating parts includes a first short-circuiting part SA1 and a second accommodating part. It may include a second shorting part SA2.

In this case, the first shorting part SA1 and the second shorting part SA2 may be formed to have different sizes. That is, the first shorting part SA1 and the second shorting part SA2 may be formed to have different lengths.

In detail, the length l1 of the first shorting part SA1 and the length l2 of the second shorting part SA2 may be formed to have different sizes. For example, the length l1 of the first short-circuiting part SA1 may be greater than the length l2 of the second short-circuiting part SA2.

Accordingly, by differently controlling the length of the shorting part in each receiving part, it is possible to easily control the front luminance and the side shielding effect according to the environment to be used.

Referring to FIG. 13 , the short-circuit portions formed in the receiving portion 320 of the light conversion unit 300 may be formed in different sizes from each other.

In detail, the accommodating part 320 includes a first accommodating part P1 and a second accommodating part P2 spaced apart from each other through the first accommodating part P1 and the partition wall 310 , and the first The accommodating part P1 may include a first shorting part SA1 , and the second accommodating part P2 may include a second shorting part SA2 .

In this case, the first shorting part SA1 and the second shorting part SA2 may be formed to have different sizes. That is, the first shorting part SA1 and the second shorting part SA2 may be formed to have different lengths.

In detail, the length l1 of the first short-circuiting part SA1 and the length l2 of the second short-circuiting part SA2 may be formed to have different sizes. For example, the length l1 of the first shorting part SA1 may be smaller than the length l2 of the second shorting part SA2 .

Accordingly, by differently controlling the length of the shorting part in each receiving part, it is possible to easily control the front luminance and the side shielding effect according to the environment to be used.

Referring to FIG. 14 , the short-circuiting parts formed in the accommodating part 320 of the light conversion part 300 may be formed so that adjacent accommodating parts do not overlap each other.

In detail, the accommodating part 320 includes a first accommodating part P1 and a second accommodating part P2 spaced apart from each other through the first accommodating part P1 and the partition wall 310 , and the first The accommodating part P1 may include a first shorting part SA1 , and the second receiving part P2 may include a second shorting part SA2 .

In this case, the first shorting part SA1 and the second shorting part SA2 may be disposed not to overlap each other.

In detail, the first short-circuiting part SA1 and the second short-circuiting part SA2 may be respectively disposed at positions that do not overlap each other in the first direction A.

Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the short circuit portion from being concentrated in one region of the light path control member, thereby preventing the short circuit portion from being visually recognized, and preventing the side shielding effect from being deteriorated in the one region.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the light path control member according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to .

Referring to FIG. 15 , the first substrate 110 is prepared. Subsequently, an electrode material forming the first electrode 210 may be coated or deposited on the first substrate 110 . In detail, the electrode material may be formed on the entire surface of one surface of the first substrate 110 . Accordingly, the first electrode 210 formed as a surface electrode may be disposed on one surface of the first substrate 110 .

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 16 , a resin layer 301 may be formed by coating a resin material on the first substrate 110 on which the first electrode 210 is formed. In detail, a resin layer may be formed by coating a urethane resin or an acrylic resin on the first electrode 210 .

Then, referring to FIG. 17 , an intaglio portion may be formed on the resin layer 301 using a mold. In detail, by imprinting the mold, an intaglio-shaped groove is formed in the resin layer, and thus a plurality of embossed-shaped partition walls are formed between the intaglio-shaped accommodating part and the accommodating part by the remaining resin layer. An addition may be formed. That is, the partition wall portion 310 and the receiving portion 320 described above may be formed on the resin layer.

Alternatively, the barrier rib portion and the accommodating portion may be formed through exposure and development processes after disposing a mask on the resin layer 301 .

Then, referring to FIG. 18 , the dispersion 320a including the electrophoretic particles may be filled in the accommodating part 320 . For example, the filling direction of the grinding liquid may correspond to the first direction or the second direction of the light conversion unit.

That is, in order to fill the dispersion, the process of arbitrarily tilting the filling direction of the dispersion may be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 19 , the second substrate 120 is prepared. Subsequently, an electrode material forming the second electrode 220 may be coated or deposited on the second substrate 120 . In detail, the electrode material may be formed on the entire surface of one surface of the second substrate 120 . Accordingly, the second electrode 220 formed as a surface electrode may be disposed on one surface of the second substrate 120 .

Then, referring to FIG. 20 , an adhesive layer 400 may be formed by coating an adhesive material on the second substrate 120 on which the second electrode 220 is formed.

Then, referring to FIG. 21 , the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 are laminated to each other through the adhesive layer 400 , and the side surface using a sealing material on the first substrate 110 . By disposing the sealing layer 500 , the optical path control member may be finally manufactured.

In the method of manufacturing the light path control member according to the embodiment, a accommodating part having a engraved shape and a predetermined size is formed in the resin layer, and the dispersion may be easily filled in the accommodating part by a method such as squeezing or screen printing.

That is, by forming a short-circuiting part in the accommodating part, the size of the accommodating part is controlled to a size of a certain unit, so that the dispersion can be filled while satisfying the filling properties even by squeezing or screen printing.

In addition, by forming a plurality of shorting portions in the accommodating portion, the front luminance of the light path control member may be improved by the shorting portions.

In addition, by arbitrarily controlling the angles of the inner surfaces connected to each other of the accommodating part, the process of arbitrarily tilting the filling direction when the dispersion is filled can be omitted to improve process efficiency.

In addition, in the accommodating part including a plurality of accommodating parts, by controlling the arrangement of the shorting part of each accommodating part or the shorting part between the plurality of accommodating parts, it is easy to control the side shielding and the front brightness according to the environment to be used, can be improved

Below. A display device and a display device to which the light path control member according to the embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 to 24 .

Referring to FIG. 22 , the light path control member 1000 according to the embodiment may be disposed on the display panel 2000 .

The display panel 2000 and the light path control member 1000 may be disposed to adhere to each other. For example, the display panel 2000 and the light path control member 1000 may be bonded to each other through an adhesive member 1500 . The adhesive member 1500 may be transparent. For example, the adhesive member 1500 may include an adhesive or an adhesive layer including an optically transparent adhesive material.

The adhesive member 1500 may include a release film. In detail, when the light path member and the display panel are adhered, the light path control member and the display panel may be adhered after the release film is removed.

The display panel 2000 may include a first substrate 2100 and a second substrate 2200 . When the display panel 2000 is a liquid crystal display panel, the display panel 2000 includes a first substrate 2100 including a thin film transistor (TFT) and a pixel electrode, and a second substrate including color filter layers. 2200 may be formed in a structure in which the liquid crystal layer is interposed therebetween.

In addition, in the display panel 2000 , a thin film transistor, a color filter, and a black electrolyte 320a are formed on a first substrate 2100 , and a second substrate 2200 has a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween. ) and may be a liquid crystal display panel having a color filter on transistor (COT) structure. That is, a thin film transistor may be formed on the first substrate 2100 , a protective film may be formed on the thin film transistor, and a color filter layer may be formed on the protective film. Also, a pixel electrode in contact with the thin film transistor is formed on the first substrate 2100 . In this case, in order to improve the aperture ratio and simplify the mask process, the black electrolyte 320a may be omitted, and the common electrode may also serve as the black electrolyte 320a.

Also, when the display panel 2000 is a liquid crystal display panel, the display device may further include a backlight unit that provides light from a rear surface of the display panel 2000 .

Alternatively, when the display panel 2000 is an organic light emitting display panel, the display panel 2000 may include a self-luminous device that does not require a separate light source. In the display panel 2000 , a thin film transistor may be formed on a first substrate 2100 , and an organic light emitting device in contact with the thin film transistor may be formed. The organic light emitting device may include an anode, a cathode, and an organic light emitting layer formed between the anode and the cathode. In addition, a second substrate 2200 serving as an encapsulation substrate for encapsulation on the organic light emitting device may be further included.

Also, although not shown in the drawings, a polarizing plate may be further disposed between the light path control member 1000 and the display panel 2000 . The polarizing plate may be a linear polarizing plate or an external light reflection preventing polarizing plate. For example, when the display panel 2000 is a liquid crystal display panel, the polarizing plate may be a linear polarizing plate. Also, when the display panel 2000 is an organic light emitting display panel, the polarizing plate may be an external light reflection preventing polarizing plate.

In addition, an additional functional layer 1300 such as an anti-reflection layer or anti-glare may be further disposed on the light path control member 1000 . In detail, the functional layer 1300 may be adhered to one surface of the base substrate 100 of the light path control member. Although not shown in the drawings, the functional layer 1300 may be bonded to the base substrate 100 of the light path control member through an adhesive layer. In addition, a release film for protecting the functional layer may be further disposed on the functional layer 1300 .

Also, a touch panel may be further disposed between the display panel and the light path control member.

Although the drawing illustrates that the light path control member is disposed above the display panel, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the light control member is positioned at a position where light can be controlled, that is, below the display panel or the display panel. It may be disposed in various positions such as between the second substrate and the first substrate of

23 and 24 , the light path control member according to the embodiment may be applied to a vehicle.

23 and 24 , the light path control member according to the embodiment may be applied to a display device displaying a display.

For example, when power is not applied to the light path control member as shown in FIG. 23 , the receiving unit functions as a light blocking unit, the display device is driven in the light blocking mode, and power is applied to the light path controlling member as shown in FIG. 24 . In this case, the accommodating part functions as a light transmitting part, so that the display device may be driven in the open mode.

Accordingly, the user can easily drive the display apparatus in the privacy mode or the normal mode according to the application of power.

Also, although not shown in the drawings. The display device to which the light path control member according to the embodiment is applied may also be applied to the interior of a vehicle.

For example, the display device including the light path control member according to the embodiment may display vehicle information and an image confirming a moving path of the vehicle. The display device may be disposed between a driver's seat and a passenger seat of the vehicle.

In addition, the light path control member according to the embodiment may be applied to an instrument panel that displays a vehicle speed, an engine, and a warning signal.

In addition, the light path control member according to the embodiment may be applied to the windshield FG or left and right window glass of a vehicle.

Features, structures, effects, etc. described in the above-described embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to one embodiment. Furthermore, features, structures, effects, etc. illustrated in each embodiment can be combined or modified for other embodiments by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments belong. Accordingly, the contents related to such combinations and modifications should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

In addition, although the embodiments have been mainly described above, these are merely examples and do not limit the present invention, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains are exemplified above in a range that does not depart from the essential characteristics of the present embodiment. It can be seen that various modifications and applications that have not been made are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiments may be implemented by modification. And the differences related to these modifications and applications should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims.

Claims (16)

a first substrate;
a first electrode disposed on an upper surface of the first substrate;
a second substrate disposed on the first substrate;
a second electrode disposed on a lower surface of the second substrate;
and a light conversion unit disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and defining a first direction and a second direction,
The light conversion unit includes barrier rib portions and accommodating portions alternately arranged in the first direction,
The accommodating part is changed in light transmittance according to the application of voltage,
The receiving unit includes a plurality of cells spaced apart from each other in the second direction,
At least one of the cells includes a first inner surface and a second inner surface connected to each other,
An inner surface of at least one of the first inner surface and the second inner surface extends in a direction different from the first direction and the second direction. The method of claim 1,
The accommodating part includes at least one short-circuiting part disposed between cells adjacent in the second direction. The method of claim 1,
The first inner surface or the second inner surface extends in a direction corresponding to the first direction or the second direction. The method of claim 1,
and the first inner surface and the second inner surface are inclined at an angle of 35 degrees to 55 degrees or 125 degrees to 145 degrees. The method of claim 1,
An upper surface and a lower surface of the cell have a trapezoidal shape. The method of claim 1,
The length of the cells is 50㎛ to 150㎛ light path control member. 3. The method of claim 2,
A length of the shorting part is smaller than a width of the cell. 8. The method of claim 7,
A length of the shorting part is 0.5 times or less of a width of the cell. 3. The method of claim 2,
A length of the shorting part is smaller than a width of the cell. The method of claim 1,
The light path control member is integrally formed with the short circuit portion and the partition wall portion. The method of claim 1,
The accommodating part comprises a dispersion and light conversion particles dispersed in the dispersion,
At least one of the first direction and the second direction is defined as a direction in which the dispersion liquid is filled. The method of claim 1,
The accommodating parts include a first accommodating part and a second accommodating part spaced apart from each other in the first direction,
A length of the shorting part is smaller than a pitch of the first accommodating part and the second accommodating part. 13. The method of claim 12,
The light path control member including a plurality of short-circuiting portions having different lengths in at least one of the first and second accommodation portions. 13. The method of claim 12,
An optical path control member having different lengths between the shorting part of the first accommodating part and the shorting part of the second accommodating part. 13. The method of claim 12,
The short-circuiting part of the first accommodating part and the short-circuiting part of the second accommodating part do not overlap each other. display panel; and
a light path control member disposed on the display panel;
The light path control member,
a first substrate;
a first electrode disposed on an upper surface of the first substrate;
a second substrate disposed on the first substrate;
a second electrode disposed on a lower surface of the second substrate;
and a light conversion unit disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and defining a first direction and a second direction,
The light conversion unit includes barrier rib portions and accommodating portions alternately arranged in the first direction,
The accommodating part is changed in light transmittance according to the application of voltage,
The receiving unit includes a plurality of cells spaced apart from each other in the second direction,
At least one of the cells includes a first inner surface and a second inner surface connected to each other,
At least one inner surface of the first inner surface and the second inner surface extends in a direction different from the first direction and the second direction.

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