LCD displays for handheld devices

Abstract

The present invention discloses a liquid crystal display (LCD) for a handheld device, comprising a first substrate disposed at an upper portion, a second substrate disposed at a lower portion, and a photospacer supported between the first and second substrates. A filter layer having multiple color cells is further disposed on the inner side of the first substrate. The photospacer is positioned below the filter layer, and the projection of the photospacer in a direction perpendicular to the first substrate does not overlap with the projection of the filter layer in a direction perpendicular to the first substrate. The periphery of the photospacer is coated with a reflective layer, or the color of the outermost layer of the photospacer is the same as the color of at least one of the color cells closest to the photospacer. In embodiments of the present invention, coating the periphery of the photospacer with a reflective layer or setting the color of the outermost layer of the photospacer to the same as the color of at least one of the color cells closest to the photospacer can reflect light impinging on the photospacer to the outside of the LCD, thereby improving the screen brightness of the LCD.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of handheld devices, and in particular relates to a liquid crystal display of a handheld device. Background Art

[0002] Most of the existing handheld terminal displays are liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and the mainstream solution is to use TFT (Thin Film Transistor), i.e., thin film field effect tubes. Figure 1 As shown, the liquid crystal display (LCD) is primarily composed of an upper glass substrate 1a, a lower glass substrate 2a, liquid crystals 3a disposed between the upper and lower glass substrates 1a and 2a, and photo spacers (PS) 4a supported between the upper and lower glass substrates 1a and 2a. The lower glass substrate 2a includes a plurality of TFT switches. The upper glass substrate 1a includes a grid-like black matrix layer 5a comprising a plurality of light-blocking strips arranged vertically and crosswise. A filter layer 6a is disposed within the black matrix layer 5a to prevent crosstalk between different colors of light within the filter layer 6a. The brightness of the screen display primarily comes from a backlight located below the liquid crystal layer. During use, at a narrow viewing angle not perpendicular to the LCD or in strong ambient light, the screen may be unclear due to insufficient brightness. Increasing the backlight brightness increases costs, power consumption, and heat. Furthermore, because the black matrix layer 5a shields the metal wiring on the lower glass substrate 2a, some light is blocked and cannot be effectively utilized. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display of a handheld device capable of enhancing the display brightness of the liquid crystal screen without increasing the brightness of the backlight source itself.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a liquid crystal display for a handheld device, comprising a first substrate disposed at an upper portion, a second substrate disposed at a lower portion, and a photo spacer supported between the first and second substrates. A filter layer having a plurality of color cells is further disposed on the inner side of the first substrate. The photo spacer is positioned below the filter layer, and a projection of the photo spacer in a direction perpendicular to the first substrate does not overlap with a projection of the filter layer in a direction perpendicular to the first substrate. The periphery of the photo spacer is coated with a reflective layer, or the color of the outermost layer of the photo spacer is the same as the color of at least one of the color cells closest to the photo spacer.

[0005] Preferably, the light spacer is in a columnar structure that is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom.

[0006] Preferably, the reflective layer is a metal reflective layer, and the metal reflective layer is formed by an evaporation process.

[0007] Preferably, the metal of the metal reflective layer is at least one of silver, aluminum, chromium and titanium.

[0008] Preferably, the light spacer is a plate-like structure, including a first plate surface and a second plate surface opposite to the first plate surface, the color of the first plate surface is the same as the color of the color unit closest to the first plate surface and / or the color of the second plate surface is the same as the color of the color unit closest to the second plate surface.

[0009] Preferably, a matrix frame is further provided on the inner side surface of the first substrate, the matrix frame includes a plurality of frame units arranged corresponding to the color units, the frame units are surrounded by a rectangular frame, a receiving cavity is provided in the frame unit, the color unit is arranged in the receiving cavity, the light spacer is provided below the rectangular frame, and the light spacer is arranged along the length direction and / or width direction of the rectangular frame.

[0010] Preferably, the light spacer is arranged below each frame of the rectangular frame.

[0011] Preferably, the rectangular frame includes two opposite first frames and two opposite second frames, the length of the first frame is greater than the length of the second frame, the photo spacer includes a first photo spacer and a second photo spacer, the length of the first photo spacer is less than or equal to the length of the first frame, the length of the second photo spacer is less than or equal to the length of the second frame, the first photo spacer is arranged below the first frame, and the second photo spacer is arranged below the second frame.

[0012] Preferably, the color of the outermost layer of the photo spacer is formed by coating a dye of a desired color on the photo spacer.

[0013] Preferably, the photo spacers are formed by adding a dye into the resin to form the photo spacers in a desired color.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, in the embodiments of the present invention, a reflective layer is coated on the periphery of the photo spacer, or the color of the outermost layer of the photo spacer is set to be the same as the color of at least one color unit among the color units closest to the photo spacer. When the backlight source under the second substrate shines on the photo spacer, the light shining on the photo spacer can be reflected to the outside of the liquid crystal display, thereby improving the screen brightness of the liquid crystal display. By utilizing the part of the light that is blocked by the light shining on the photo spacer, the utilization rate of the backlight source is improved, and the required brightness specification can be achieved using low-cost materials, thereby achieving cost reduction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of a liquid crystal display in the prior art, which is a cross-sectional view.

[0016] Figure 2 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid crystal display after a reflective layer is coated on a photo spacer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The schematic structural diagram is a cross-sectional view.

[0017] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the distribution of color units and photo spacers after the reflective layer is coated on the photo spacers according to an embodiment of the present invention. The structural diagram is a top view from the color units downward. The photo spacers are located below the matrix frame, shown by dotted lines.

[0018] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the light path after the photo spacer is coated with a reflective layer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 5 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid crystal display with a plate-shaped photo spacer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the schematic structural diagram is a cross-sectional view.

[0020] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the distribution of color units and plate-shaped photo spacers according to an embodiment of the present invention. This structural diagram is a top view from the color units downward. The photo spacers are located below the matrix frame and are shown by dotted lines. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to explain the technical content, structural features and achieved effects of the present invention in detail, the following is a detailed description in conjunction with the embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Example 1

[0023] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a liquid crystal display for a handheld device, comprising a first substrate 1 disposed at an upper portion, a second substrate 2 disposed at a lower portion, and a photo spacer 4 supported between the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2. A filter layer 6 having a plurality of color units is further disposed on the inner side of the first substrate 1. The photo spacer 4 is located below the filter layer 6, and the projection of the photo spacer 4 in a direction perpendicular to the first substrate 1 does not overlap with the projection of the filter layer 6 in a direction perpendicular to the first substrate 1. The outer periphery of the photo spacer 4 is coated with a reflective layer 7.

[0024] Specifically, the handheld device can be a tablet, a mobile phone, or other device. The first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 are both glass substrates, but can also be other transparent substrates, which is not limited here. A liquid crystal 3 is also arranged between the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2. The filter layer 6 includes multiple color units, each color unit has a color of one of red, green, and blue, and the red, green, and blue colors are evenly arranged. The optical spacer 4 is used to define the distance between the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2. The optical spacer 4 can be formed of a resin material.

[0025] In the embodiment of the present invention, the outer periphery of the optical spacer 4 is coated with a reflective layer 7, such as Figure 4 As shown, when the backlight source under the second substrate 2 shines on the reflective layer 7 on the photo spacer 4, the reflective layer 7 has a reflective property, and the light shining on the reflective layer 7 can be reflected to the outside of the liquid crystal display, thereby improving the screen brightness of the liquid crystal display. By utilizing the part of the light that is blocked and shines on the photo spacer 4, the utilization rate of the backlight source is improved, and the required brightness specification can be achieved by using low-cost materials, thereby achieving cost reduction.

[0026] In the embodiment of the present invention, Figures 2 to 3 As shown, a matrix frame 5 is further provided on the inner side surface of the first substrate 1. The matrix frame 5 includes a plurality of frame units 51 corresponding to the color units. The frame units 51 are surrounded by a rectangular frame. A cavity is provided within the frame unit 51. The color units are provided within the cavity. The optical spacer 4 is provided below the rectangular frame. Specifically, the matrix frame 5 is a black matrix frame, which is used to prevent crosstalk between light from different color units in the filter layer 6 and to shield the circuit layer on the second substrate 2. The color units are respectively a red unit 61, a green unit 62, and a blue unit 63. The optical spacer 4 is arranged directly below the matrix frame 5 between two adjacent color units, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 shown.

[0027] In the embodiment of the present invention, the light spacer 4 is in a columnar structure that is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom. By setting the light spacer 4 in a columnar shape that is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom, the screen brightness in a narrow viewing angle scene can be improved. Because the main application scenario of the handheld device is when the human eye is facing the liquid crystal display, the light of the backlight source is mainly emitted from the direction facing the liquid crystal display. When the human eye is located at the side of the handheld device, for example, when the mobile phone is placed on a table and the human eye looks at the mobile phone from the side, the light from the side of the mobile phone is less than that from the front, and the human eye receives less light, and the liquid crystal display screen may not be seen clearly. By setting the light spacer 4 in a structure that is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom, such as Figure 4 As shown, more light can be reflected to the human eye under small viewing angle conditions, so that the human eye can see the mobile phone screen clearly.

[0028] In an embodiment of the present invention, the reflective layer 7 is a metal reflective layer, which is formed by an evaporation process. Specifically, the metal of the metal reflective layer 7 is at least one of silver, aluminum, chromium, and titanium. The metal reflective layer 7 is plated on the periphery of the photo spacer 4 by an evaporation process to achieve light reflection of the photo spacer 4.

[0029] Of course, in some other embodiments, some non-metallic reflective layers may also be selected, such as reflective films made of polymer materials, which is not limited here.

[0030] It is understandable that the metal reflective layer in the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to being formed by an evaporation process, and any process that can achieve the metal reflective layer covering the periphery of the photo spacer 4 can be used; in addition, the end connected to the second substrate 2 may not have a metal reflective layer. When the metal reflective layer is formed, the end can be shielded to prevent metal from being evaporated, or it can be removed after the metal is evaporated at the end.

[0031] Example 2

[0032] like Figures 5 and 6 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a liquid crystal display for a handheld device, comprising a first substrate 10 disposed at an upper portion, a second substrate 20 disposed at a lower portion, and a photo spacer 40 supported between the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20. A filter layer 60 is further disposed on an inner side surface of the first substrate 10. The filter layer 60 has a plurality of color units. The photo spacer 40 is located below the filter layer 60, and a projection of the photo spacer 40 in a direction perpendicular to the first substrate 10 does not overlap with a projection of the filter layer 60 in a direction perpendicular to the first substrate 10. The color of the outermost layer of the photo spacer 40 is the same as the color of at least one of the color units closest to the photo spacer 40.

[0033] Specifically, the handheld device can be a tablet, a mobile phone, or other device. The first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 are both glass substrates, but they can also be other transparent substrates, which is not limited here. A liquid crystal 30 is also arranged between the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20. The filter layer 60 includes multiple color units, each of which has a color of red, green, and blue, and the red, green, and blue colors are evenly arranged.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present invention, the color of the outermost layer of the photo spacer 40 is set to be the same as the color of at least one color unit in the color unit closest to the photo spacer 40. In this way, when the backlight is irradiated on the photo spacer 40, since the photo spacer 40 is an opaque object, it can reflect the color of the photo spacer 40. In this way, the photo spacer 40 can be used as a light source with the outermost color, thereby increasing the screen brightness of the liquid crystal display. By utilizing the part of the light that is blocked by the light irradiated on the photo spacer 40, the utilization rate of the backlight source is improved, and the required brightness specification can be achieved using low-cost materials, thereby achieving cost reduction.

[0035] In the embodiment of the present invention, Figures 5 and 6 As shown, the photo spacer 40 has a plate-like structure, including a first plate surface 403 and a second plate surface 404 opposite the first plate surface 403. The color of the first plate surface 403 is the same as the color of the color unit closest to the first plate surface 403, and / or the color of the second plate surface 404 is the same as the color of the color unit closest to the second plate surface 404. The plate-like structure of the photo spacer 40 further increases the reflective area of ​​the photo spacer 40, thereby improving the efficiency of light reflection. In addition, the light reflected by the first plate surface 403 and the second plate surface 404 is primarily emitted toward the sides of the handheld device, meaning that more light reaches the human eye at narrow viewing angles, allowing the human eye to clearly see the LCD screen of the handheld device.

[0036] Specifically, such as Figures 5 and 6 As shown, a matrix frame 50 is further provided on the inner side of the first substrate 10. The matrix frame 50 includes a plurality of frame units 501 arranged corresponding to the color units. The frame units 501 are surrounded by a rectangular frame. The frame units 501 have a receiving cavity, and the color units are arranged in the receiving cavity. The optical spacers 40 are arranged below the rectangular frame and along the length and / or width of the rectangular frame. Specifically, the color units are red units 601, green units 602, and blue units 603. The optical spacers 40 between the red units 601 and the green units 602 have a first plate surface 403 adjacent to the red units 601 and a second plate surface 404 adjacent to the green units 602. The color of the first plate surface 403 is set to red, and the color of the second plate surface 404 is set to green. The first plate surface 403 can reflect red light, and the second plate surface 404 can reflect green light. Using a single optical spacer 40, the brightness of both colors can be improved, and the brightness improvement effect is good.

[0037] In other specific implementations of the present invention, the colors of the first plate surface 403 and the second plate surface 404 of the photo spacer 40 can be the same. For example, the colors of the first plate surface 403 and the second plate surface 404 of the photo spacer 40 between the red unit 601 and the green unit 602 can both be red or both be green. For example, the colors of the first plate surface 403 and the second plate surface 404 are both red. In this case, in order to make the light color displayed by the liquid crystal display more uniform, the color of the photo spacer 40 between the green unit 602 and the blue unit 603 is selected to be green, and the color of the photo spacer 40 between the blue unit 603 and the red unit 601 is selected to be blue. This ensures uniform light color while ensuring increased brightness, thereby improving the display effect.

[0038] In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to further improve the display brightness, a photo spacer 40 may be arranged under each frame of the rectangular frame.

[0039] In the embodiment of the present invention, the rectangular frame includes two opposing first frames 502 and two opposing second frames 503, the length of the first frame 502 is greater than the length of the second frame 503, the optical spacer 40 includes a first optical spacer 401 and a second optical spacer 402, the length of the first optical spacer 401 is less than or equal to the length of the first frame 502, the length of the second optical spacer 402 is less than or equal to the length of the second frame 503, the first optical spacer 401 is arranged below the first frame 502, and the second optical spacer 402 is arranged below the second frame 503.

[0040] It is understood that the number, arrangement, and length of the photo spacers 40 can be flexibly adjusted based on the brightness of the LCD, support strength, and cost, and are not limited here. In addition, the cross-section of the photo spacers 40 in the direction perpendicular to the first substrate 10 can be rectangular, trapezoidal, etc.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present invention, the color of the outermost layer of the photo spacer 40 is formed by coating a dye of a corresponding color on the photo spacer 40. Specifically, the photo spacer 40 is formed by curing a resin, and the dye of the corresponding color is coated on the cured resin to make the color of the first plate surface 403 and the color of the second plate surface 404 of the photo spacer 40 form the desired color.

[0042] In other specific implementations of the present invention, the photo spacers 40 are formed into photo spacers 40 of a desired color by adding a dye to a resin. Specifically, when the photo spacers 40 are molded, a resin containing the dye is used to form the photo spacers 40 of the desired color. When the color of the first plate surface 403 and the color of the second plate surface 404 are required to be different, two sub-photo spacers of the desired color can be combined to form a single photo spacer 40. For example, if the color of the first plate surface 403 is red and the color of the second plate surface 404 is green, a first sub-photo spacer of red color can be molded first, and the thickness of the first sub-photo spacer is smaller than that of the photo spacer 40. Then, a second sub-photo spacer of green color is molded on one side of the first sub-photo spacer 40, so that the first sub-photo spacer and the second sub-photo spacer form the desired photo spacer 40.

[0043] The above disclosure is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and certainly cannot be used to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, equivalent changes made according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention still fall within the scope covered by the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display for a handheld device, characterized in that: The optical spacer comprises a first substrate disposed on an upper portion, a second substrate disposed on a lower portion, and a light spacer supported between the first and second substrates. A filter layer is further disposed on an inner side surface of the first substrate, the filter layer having a plurality of color units. The light spacer is located below the filter layer, and a projection of the light spacer in a direction perpendicular to the first substrate does not overlap with a projection of the filter layer in a direction perpendicular to the first substrate. The outermost layer of the photo spacer has the same color as that of at least one color unit among the color units to which the photo spacer is closest.

2. The liquid crystal display of the handheld device according to claim 1, wherein: The light spacer has a plate-like structure, including a first plate surface and a second plate surface opposite to the first plate surface, the color of the first plate surface is the same as the color of the color unit closest to the first plate surface and / or the color of the second plate surface is the same as the color of the color unit closest to the second plate surface.

3. The liquid crystal display of the handheld device according to claim 2, wherein: A matrix frame is further provided on the inner side surface of the first substrate, and the matrix frame includes a plurality of frame units arranged corresponding to the color units. The frame units are surrounded by a rectangular frame, and a receiving cavity is provided in the frame unit. The color unit is arranged in the receiving cavity, and the light spacer is provided below the rectangular frame, and the light spacer is arranged along the length direction and / or width direction of the rectangular frame.

4. The liquid crystal display of the handheld device according to claim 3, wherein: The light spacer is arranged under each frame of the rectangular frame.

5. The liquid crystal display of the handheld device according to claim 4, wherein: The rectangular frame includes two opposing first frames and two opposing second frames, the length of the first frame is greater than the length of the second frame, the photo spacer includes a first photo spacer and a second photo spacer, the length of the first photo spacer is less than or equal to the length of the first frame, the length of the second photo spacer is less than or equal to the length of the second frame, the first photo spacer is arranged below the first frame, and the second photo spacer is arranged below the second frame.

6. The liquid crystal display of a handheld device according to claim 2, wherein: The color of the outermost layer of the photo-spacer is formed by coating a dye of a desired color on the photo-spacer.

7. The liquid crystal display of the handheld device according to claim 2, wherein: The photo spacers are formed by adding a dye to the resin to form the photo spacers of a desired color.

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