Light control device

Abstract

This light control device comprises: a panel unit in which a plurality of light control panels are layered in a first direction, each of the light control panels being polygonal and having a light-transmitting first substrate and a light-transmitting second substrate superposed on the first substrate; and a light source disposed on one side of the panel unit in the first direction, the first substrate or second substrate in each of the light control panels having a light control region irradiated by light from the light source, first wiring disposed on the periphery of the light control region, and second wiring, the first wiring serving as a first light-shielding region that covers between the light control region and at least one of a plurality of sides of the polygon, the second wiring serving as a second light-shielding region that covers between the light control region and a non-light-shielding region at edge sections of the other sides among the plurality of sides, and the first wiring of each of the plurality of light control panels being disposed in all the sides of the panel unit and shielding the non-light-shielding region of each of the plurality of light control panels when the panel unit is viewed from the first direction.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a light control device and a panel unit. [Background technology]

[0002] There are lighting fixtures that combine a thin lens engraved with a prism pattern with a light source such as an LED, and change the distance between the light source and the thin lens to change the light distribution angle. In such lighting fixtures, a small motor is used to drive the thin lens to change the distance between the light source and the thin lens.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses a lighting fixture in which the front surface of a transparent light bulb is covered with a liquid crystal dimming element, and the transmittance of the liquid crystal layer is changed to switch between direct light and scattered light. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-65001 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a configuration using a liquid crystal cell, electrodes are provided on two substrates sandwiching a liquid crystal layer, and the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is controlled by applying a drive voltage between the electrodes provided on each of the two substrates. The alignment film is provided in an area where the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules can be controlled by providing the electrodes, but in the surrounding area, the alignment cannot be controlled, and this can lead to light leakage due to alignment disturbance.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a light control device and a panel unit with less light leakage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A dimming device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a panel unit in which a plurality of polygonal dimming panels, each having a light-transmissive first substrate and a light-transmissive second substrate overlapping the first substrate, are stacked in a first direction, and a light source is arranged on one side of the panel unit in the first direction, wherein the first substrate or the second substrate in each of the plurality of dimming panels has a dimming area to which light from the light source is irradiated, a first wiring arranged around the dimming area, and a second wiring, wherein the first wiring forms a first shading area that covers the area between at least one of a plurality of sides of the polygon and the dimming area, and the second wiring forms a second shading area that covers the area between a non-shading area at an edge of another of the plurality of sides, and wherein when the panel unit is viewed from the first direction, the first wiring of each of the plurality of dimming panels is arranged on all sides of the panel unit and shades the non-shading areas of each of the plurality of dimming panels.

[0008] A dimming device according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a panel unit in which multiple polygonal dimming panels, each having a light-transmitting first substrate and a light-transmitting second substrate overlapping the first substrate, are stacked in a first direction, and a light source is arranged on one side of the panel unit in the first direction, wherein the first substrate or the second substrate in each of the multiple dimming panels is provided with a strip-shaped electrode that extends along a side of the polygon and has light-shielding properties, and when the panel unit is viewed from the first direction, the strip-shaped electrode is arranged along all of the sides of the panel unit.

[0009] A panel unit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a panel unit in which a plurality of dimming panels, each having a light-transmitting first substrate and a light-transmitting second substrate overlapping the first substrate, are stacked in a first direction, and the first substrate or the second substrate in each of the dimming panels has a light-transmitting dimming area in the center and a peripheral area surrounding the dimming area, a portion of which is shielded by a shading area, and the dimming panels are overlapped while rotated relative to each other, and when the panel unit is viewed from the first direction, the peripheral areas of the dimming panels are shielded by each other's shading areas. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a light control device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the array substrate according to the first embodiment as viewed from above. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the opposing substrate according to the first embodiment as viewed from above. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section according to a comparative example, and corresponds to FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a schematic diagram of a light control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a light control panel constituting the light control device of FIG. 6, seen from above. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an array substrate included in the light control panel of FIG. 7 as viewed from above. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a counter substrate included in the light control panel of FIG. 7 as viewed from above. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the first light control panel constituting the light control device of FIG. 6, seen from above. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the second light control panel constituting the light control device of FIG. 6, seen from above. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a third light control panel constituting the light control device of FIG. 6, seen from above. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a fourth light control panel constituting the light control device of FIG. 6, seen from above. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a light blocking state when the light control device according to the second embodiment is viewed from above. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a plan view illustrating a schematic diagram of a light control panel according to a first modified example. [Figure 16]FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of an array substrate included in the light control panel of FIG. 15 as viewed from above. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a counter substrate included in the light control panel of FIG. 15 as viewed from above. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a light control device according to a second modified example. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a light control device according to a third modified example. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a light control device according to a fourth modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The form (embodiment) for carrying out the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiment. In addition, the components described below include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the components described below can be appropriately combined.

[0012] The disclosure is merely an example, and those who are skilled in the art can easily conceive of appropriate modifications that maintain the gist of the disclosure are naturally included in the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, in order to make the explanation clearer, the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part may be shown diagrammatically compared to the actual embodiment, but these are merely examples and do not limit the interpretation of the present disclosure. In addition, in this specification and each figure, elements similar to those described above with respect to the previous figures may be given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations may be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] In the XYZ coordinate system shown in the figure, the X direction is the front-to-back direction, and the X1 side is opposite the X2 side. The X1 side is also called the rear side, and the X2 side is also called the front side. The Y direction is the left-to-right direction, and the Y1 side is opposite the Y2 side. The Y1 side is also called the left side, and the Y2 side is also called the right side. The Z direction is the up-down direction (stacking direction). The Z1 side is opposite the Z2 side. The Z1 side is also called the upper side, and the Z2 side is also called the lower side. The Z direction is also called the first direction, the Z2 side is also called one side of the first direction, and the Z1 side is also called the other side of the first direction.

[0014] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a light control device according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing an array substrate according to the first embodiment from above. Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing an opposing substrate according to the first embodiment from above.

[0015] 1, the light control device 100 according to the first embodiment includes a panel unit 110, a flexible printed circuit board (FPC: FLEXIBLE PRINTED CIRCUITS) 400, and a light source 700. In the light control device 100 according to the present embodiment, a liquid crystal cell for p-wave polarization and a liquid crystal cell for s-wave polarization are combined by being stacked.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the panel unit 110 is rectangular in plan view in the first embodiment, but the panel unit of the present invention is not limited to a rectangle and includes various polygons such as an octagon, a decagon, a dodecagon, and an icosagon. That is, the shape of the panel unit 110 according to the present invention is a polygon having three or more sides. The panel unit 110 is formed by stacking a plurality of light control panels 1 in the Z direction (first direction). In this embodiment, a plurality of light control panels 1 (four in the embodiment) are stacked. The shape of the light control panel 1 is also a polygon having four or more sides. In addition, the flexible printed circuit boards 400 are electrically connected to each of the light control panels 1 one by one.

[0017] The light control panel 1 includes a light-transmitting array substrate (first substrate) 2 and a light-transmitting counter substrate (second substrate) 3 disposed on the upper side of the array substrate 2. The array substrate 2 will be described below.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the array substrate 2 is rectangular and has a first side 21, a second side 22, a third side 23, and a fourth side 24. As shown in Fig. 2, the array substrate 2 is provided with wiring, liquid crystal driving electrodes, and connection sections. Note that the connection section 202 of the array substrate 2 and the connection section 306 (see Fig. 3) of the counter substrate 3 are electrically connected via a conductive pillar (not shown) that can be conductive. Similarly, the connection section 207 of the array substrate 2 and the connection section 305 (see Fig. 3) of the counter substrate 3 are electrically connected via a conductive pillar (not shown) that can be conductive.

[0019] 2, terminal group 10 includes a first terminal 101, a second terminal 102, a third terminal 103, and a fourth terminal 104. First terminal 101, second terminal 102, third terminal 103, and fourth terminal 104 are aligned along the X direction.

[0020] The first terminal 101 and the connection portion 202 are connected via a wiring 201. The wiring 201 extends along the Y direction. The second terminal 102 is connected to a wiring 203. The wiring 203 extends along the Y direction. The wiring 203 is located on the X2 side of the wiring 201. The third terminal 103 is connected to wirings 204 and 205. The wiring 204 extends in the X direction. The wiring 204 extends from the third terminal 103 to an end 204a. The wiring 205 extends in the Y direction. The wiring 205 extends from the end 204a to an end 205a. The fourth terminal 104 is connected to wirings 206 and 208. The wiring 206 extends in the X direction. The wiring 206 extends from the fourth terminal 104 to the connection portion 207. The wiring 208 extends in the Y direction. The wiring 208 extends from the connection portion 207 to an end 208a. The wiring 206 is located closer to the Y1 side than the wiring 204, and the wiring 208 is located closer to the X2 side than the wiring 205.

[0021] The multiple liquid crystal drive electrodes 251 are connected to the wiring 203. The liquid crystal drive electrodes 251 extend linearly in the X direction. The liquid crystal drive electrodes 251 are arranged at equal intervals in the Y direction. The multiple liquid crystal drive electrodes 252 are connected to the wiring 205. The liquid crystal drive electrodes 252 extend linearly in the X direction. The liquid crystal drive electrodes 252 are arranged at equal intervals in the Y direction. The liquid crystal drive electrodes 251 and the liquid crystal drive electrodes 252 are arranged alternately in the Y direction.

[0022] Next, the counter substrate 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the counter substrate 3 is rectangular and has a first side 31, a second side 32, a third side 33, and a fourth side 34. The first side 31 and the second side 32 are parallel to each other and extend in the X direction. The third side 33 and the fourth side 34 are parallel to each other and extend in the Y direction. The counter substrate 3 is provided with four strip electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340. The strip electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340 are metal electrodes having a light-shielding property. The strip electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340 are formed by a thin film forming method such as sputtering or vacuum deposition. The strip electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340 include a metal having a light-shielding property. Examples of light-shielding metals are molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu). Molybdenum (Mo) and aluminum (Al) are materials that are generally used for wiring and electrodes, so there is little need to prepare them anew, which is advantageous for manufacturing strip electrodes and keeps costs low. Nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) are materials with low reflectivity, so they are advantageous as light-shielding measures.

[0023] The strip electrode 310 is located at the end of the counter substrate 3 on the X1 side. The strip electrode 310 extends in the Y direction along the third side 33. The strip electrode 310 extends from end 301a to end 301b. End 301b is a connection portion 306. The strip electrode 320 is located at the end of the counter substrate 3 on the Y2 side. The strip electrode 320 extends in the X direction along the first side 31. The strip electrode 320 extends from end 301b to end 302a. The strip electrode 310 and the strip electrode 320 are connected to form an L shape.

[0024] The strip electrode 330 is located at the end of the counter substrate 3 on the Y1 side. The strip electrode 330 extends in the X direction along the second side 32. The strip electrode 330 extends from the end 303a to the connection portion 305. The strip electrode 340 is located at the end of the counter substrate 3 on the X2 side. The strip electrode 340 extends in the Y direction along the fourth side 34. The strip electrode 340 extends from the connection portion 305 to the end 304a. The strip electrode 330 and the strip electrode 340 are connected to form an L shape.

[0025] A plurality of liquid crystal driving electrodes 371 are connected to the strip-shaped electrode 320. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 371 extend linearly in the Y direction. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 371 are arranged at equal intervals in the X direction. A plurality of liquid crystal driving electrodes 372 are connected to the strip-shaped electrode 330. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 372 extend linearly in the Y direction. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 372 are arranged at equal intervals in the X direction. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 371 and the liquid crystal driving electrodes 372 are arranged alternately in the X direction.

[0026] As described above, the edge of the counter substrate 3 is surrounded by the four strip electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340. In other words, when the panel unit 110 is viewed from the top-bottom direction (first direction), the strip electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340 are disposed on all sides of the panel unit 110.

[0027] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section according to a comparative example, and corresponds to Fig. 4.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, an alignment film 610 is provided on the wirings 201 and 203 of the array substrate 2 and the strip electrodes 310 of the counter substrate 3. The upper surface of the array substrate 2 is the surface 2a on which wirings and terminals are provided, and the lower surface is the back surface 2b opposite to the surface 2a. The lower surface of the counter substrate 3 is the surface 3a on which wirings and terminals are provided, and the upper surface is the back surface 3b opposite to the surface 3a. A liquid crystal layer 4 is filled between the array substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3, and is sealed with a seal 600. The end 310a of the strip electrodes 310 and the end 203a of the wiring 203 are located at the same position in the Y direction, and the Y1 side of the position is a light-shielding region (non-effective region) A11, and the Y2 side of the position is a non-light-shielding region (effective region) B11. The boundary P1 between the light-shielding region A11 and the non-light-shielding region B11 is located at the same position in the Y direction as the ends 310a and 203a.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 5, in the comparative example, normal wiring 209, 309 is provided on the array substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3. Of the ends 209a, 309a of the wiring 209, 309, the end 209a is located on the Y2 side, and therefore the position of the end 209a becomes the boundary P2 between the light-shielded area A12 and the non-light-shielded area B12. Comparing Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the light-shielded area A11 is larger in Fig. 4.

[0030] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the light control panel 1 has the strip electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340 extending along the sides of a polygon. When the panel unit 110 is viewed from the top-bottom direction (first direction), the strip electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340 are disposed on all sides of the panel unit 110. The strip electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340 are metal electrodes having a light-shielding property. Specifically, the strip electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340 include at least one of molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu).

[0031] In this way, since the strip electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340 are metal electrodes having light-shielding properties, the present embodiment can provide a light control device 100 with less light leakage. In addition, in order to provide the light control device 100 with a light-shielding function, for example, a light-shielding tape may be attached to the substrate. In this case, the light-shielding tape is attached only for the light-shielding function. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the strip electrodes are provided with a light-shielding function. Since the strip electrodes have both an electrode function and a light-shielding function, they require fewer manufacturing steps and are less expensive than light-shielding tape.

[0032] Moreover, strip-shaped electrodes 310, 320, 330, and 340 extending along all sides are provided on the light control panel 1. Therefore, light leakage from the light control device 100 can be suppressed if there is only one light control panel among the multiple light control panels that are stacked.

[0033] The array substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3 in the light control panel 1 are provided with wiring, and these wirings are electrically connected to each other via conductive columns. Therefore, it is not necessary to connect the flexible printed circuit board 400 to each of the array substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3, and it is sufficient to connect one flexible printed circuit board 400 to either the array substrate 2 or the counter substrate 3.

[0034] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a light control device according to the second embodiment. Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a light control panel constituting the light control device of Fig. 6, seen from above. Fig. 8 is a schematic view of an array substrate included in the light control panel of Fig. 7, seen from above. Fig. 9 is a schematic view of an opposing substrate included in the light control panel of Fig. 7, seen from above.

[0035] The light control device 100A according to the second embodiment has four regular octagonal light control panels stacked together. A specific description will be given below. As shown in FIG. 6, the panel unit 110A included in the light control device 100A is a regular octagon in plan view, has a circular light control area (light-transmitting area or effective area) B10 in the center, and has a light-shielding area A in a peripheral area (frame area) on the outer periphery side of the light control area B10. The light control area B10 is a circular area to which light from a light source is irradiated. Note that the uppermost of the stacked light control panels is the light control panel 1A shown in FIG. 7, and therefore in FIG. 6, only the light control panel 1A is indicated by a solid line.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 7, the light control panel 1A is a regular octagon in a plan view. The light control panel 1A has a first side 11, a second side 12, a third side 13, a fourth side 14, a fifth side 15, a sixth side 16, a seventh side 17, and an eighth side 18. The light control panel 1A has two terminal groups (terminal groups 10A, 20A). The terminal group 10A is provided on the edge of the second side 12, and the terminal group 20A is provided on the edge of the first side 11. The light control panel 1A includes a light-transmitting array substrate (first substrate) 2A and a light-transmitting counter substrate (second substrate) 3A disposed on the upper side of the array substrate 2A. The array substrate 2A will be described below.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the array substrate 2A is a regular octagon, and has a first side 21A, a second side 22A, a third side 23A, a fourth side 24A, a fifth side 25A, a sixth side 26A, a seventh side 27A, and an eighth side 28A. As shown in FIG. 8, the array substrate 2A is provided with wiring, liquid crystal driving electrodes, and a connection section. The connection section 210 of the array substrate 2A and the connection section 306A (see FIG. 9) of the counter substrate 3A are electrically connected via a conductive pillar (not shown). Similarly, the connection section 211 of the array substrate 2A and the connection section 305A (see FIG. 9) of the counter substrate 3A are electrically connected via a conductive pillar (not shown).

[0038] 8, terminal group 10A includes a first terminal 101A, a second terminal 102A, a third terminal 103A, and a fourth terminal 104A. First terminal 101A, second terminal 102A, third terminal 103A, and fourth terminal 104A are aligned along the X direction.

[0039] Furthermore, the terminal group 20A includes a fifth terminal 201A, a sixth terminal 202A, a seventh terminal 203A, and an eighth terminal 204A. The fifth terminal 201A, the sixth terminal 202A, the seventh terminal 203A, and the eighth terminal 204A are aligned along the Y direction.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 8, a pair of semicircular wirings 216A and 213A are disposed facing each other in the center of the array substrate 2A. The wiring 216A is located on the Y1 side, and the wiring 213A is located on the Y2 side. The wiring 216A extends from an end 2161 to an end 2162. The wiring 213A extends from an end 2131 to an end 2132. The inner circumferences of the wirings 216A and 213A are arc-shaped, and the inner circumferences of the wirings 216A and 213A form a circle of the effective area B (see Fig. 7).

[0041] The first terminal 101A and the eighth terminal 204A are connected via a wiring 217A. The connection portion 211 is connected to the wiring 217A. The second terminal 102A is connected to the wiring 216A. The third terminal 103A and the sixth terminal 202A are connected via a wiring 211A. The fourth terminal 104A and the fifth terminal 201A are connected via a wiring 210A and the connection portion 210. The connection portion 210 is connected to the wiring 210A. The sixth terminal 202A is connected to the wiring 213A via the wiring 212A. The seventh terminal 203A is connected to the wiring 216A via the wiring 215A. The wiring 215A is arranged inside the wiring 217A (towards the center of the substrate), and the wiring 213A is arranged inside the wiring 215A.

[0042] The liquid crystal driving electrodes 251A are connected to the wiring 213A. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 251A extend linearly in the Y direction. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 251A are arranged at equal intervals in the X direction. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 252A are connected to the wiring 216A. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 252A extend linearly in the Y direction. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 252A are arranged at equal intervals in the X direction. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 251A and the liquid crystal driving electrodes 252A are arranged alternately in the X direction.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 9, the counter substrate 3A is provided with wiring, liquid crystal driving electrodes, and connection parts. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, the counter substrate 3A is an octagon that is slightly deformed from a regular octagon, and has a first side 31A, a second side 32A, a third side 33A, a fourth side 34A, a fifth side 35A, a sixth side 36A, a seventh side 37A, and an eighth side 38A. When the counter substrate 3A is placed on the upper side of the array substrate 2A, the first side 31A, the second side 32A, and the third side 33A are located inside the first side 21A, the second side 22A, and the third side 23A of the array substrate 2A, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 8. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, the first side 31A is located closer to the X1 side than the first side 21A, the second side 32A is located closer to the Y2 side than the second side 22A, and the third side 33A is located closer to the X1 side and the Y2 side than the third side 23A. Therefore, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, in the light control panel 1A, the edge portion along the first side 21A, the edge portion along the second side 22A, and the edge portion along the third side 23A of the array substrate 2A are exposed. Therefore, the terminal groups 10A and 20A are also exposed.

[0044] 9, the counter substrate 3A is provided with a first wiring 350 and a second wiring 360 formed along the outline of the counter substrate 3A and the outline of the dimming region B10. The first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360 have a sufficiently large width so that they can cooperate with each other to function as a light-shielding layer.

[0045] In this regard, the outline of the first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, the outline of the first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360 is indicated by a thick solid line. That is, the light-shielding area A is formed on the counter substrate 3A by two wirings, the first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360. The light-shielding area A has, in outline, a central portion A1 having a regular octagonal outline and a circular dimming area B10 formed in the center, and an extension portion A2 provided on the outside of two adjacent sides of the eight sides of the central portion A1 of the regular octagon. The outline of the dimming panel 1A itself is a regular octagon, and the central portion A1 has a regular octagonal shape that is one size smaller than the regular octagonal shape of the dimming panel 1A, and the extension portion A2 is provided over two sides so as to fill the gap between the outline of the dimming panel 1A and the central portion A1. According to this embodiment, the extension portion A2 has a protruding portion A3 that protrudes partially to the adjacent side when viewed from the central portion A1. Note that a gap G is provided between the first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360 to avoid short circuits, and it is considered that light passes through the gap G, but as described in detail below, by stacking a plurality of light-adjusting panels 1A, the gap G overlaps with the light-shielding layer of another light-adjusting panel 1A.

[0046] The first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360 are arranged around the dimming region B10 as specifically shown in FIG. 9. The first wiring 350 is arranged on the X1 side of the counter substrate 3A, and the second wiring 360 is arranged on the X2 side of the counter substrate 3A. The first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360 contain at least one of molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu). Therefore, the first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360 have light-shielding properties. The first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360 may be formed as a solid film of these metal layers, or may be formed by forming such metal materials into a dense mesh shape. By forming the mesh shape, the light-shielding layer may transmit a small amount of light, but as described later, by stacking a plurality of light-controlling panels 1A, the light-shielding layers overlap each other. By such an embodiment, the light passing through the light-shielding layer is ultimately significantly reduced when viewed as a whole.

[0047] The first wiring 350 includes a portion disposed between the fifth side 35A and the sixth side 36A of the counter substrate 3A and the dimming region B10, and is extended to reach a portion of the fourth side 34A and a portion of the seventh side 37A. As a result, the first wiring 350 constitutes a first light-shielding region A10 that covers the area between the dimming region B10 and a portion of the second side 32A, a portion of the fourth side 34A, a portion of the fifth side 35A, a portion of the sixth side 36A, and a portion of the seventh side 37A. In other words, the first wiring 350 becomes the first light-shielding region A10 that covers the area between at least one side (the second side 32A, the fourth side 34A, the fifth side 35A, the sixth side 36A, and the seventh side 37A) of the multiple sides of the polygon and the dimming region B10. The first light-shielding region A10 constitutes the upper half (X1 side) of the central portion A1 of the light-shielding region shown in FIG. 6, and also constitutes the extended portion A2 and the protruding portion A3. To describe the first wiring 350 in more detail, an inner periphery 357a on the X2 side of the first wiring 350 is arc-shaped. Ends 357b and 357c are provided at the end of the first wiring 350 on the X2 side. An edge 353 of the first wiring 350 overlaps with the fifth side 35A, and an edge 354 overlaps with the fourth side 34A. An edge 355 of the first wiring 350 overlaps with the sixth side 36A, and an edge 356 overlaps with the seventh side 37A. The first wiring 350 has a connection portion 305A that protrudes from the central portion A1 of the light-shielding region toward the second side 32A of the counter substrate 3A. The connection portion 305A is connected to the first wiring 350.

[0048] A non-light-shielding region B20 is provided at the edge 300 of the first side 31A and the eighth side 38A of the counter substrate 3A. The second wiring 360 is disposed between the non-light-shielding region B20 and the dimming region B10. The second wiring 360 constitutes a second light-shielding region A20 that covers the gap between the non-light-shielding region B20 provided along the edge 300 at a part of the third side 33A, the first side 31A, the eighth side 38A, and a part of the seventh side 37A, and the dimming region B10. In other words, the second wiring 360 becomes the second light-shielding region A20 that covers the gap between the non-light-shielding region B20 at the edge 300 of the other sides (the first side 31A and the eighth side 38A) among the multiple sides, and the dimming region B10. The second light-shielding region A20 constitutes the lower half (the half on the X2 side) of the central portion A1 of the light-shielding region shown in FIG. 6, and is provided alongside the first light-shielding region A10 with a gap G therebetween. The inner periphery 360a of the second wiring 360 is arc-shaped. The second wiring 360 extends from an end 360b to an end 360c. The second wiring 360 also has a connection portion 306A that protrudes from the central portion A1 of the light-shielding region toward the first side 31A of the counter substrate 3A. The connection portion 306A is connected to the second wiring 360.

[0049] The liquid crystal driving electrodes 371A are connected to the second wiring 360. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 371A extend linearly along the X direction. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 371A are arranged at equal intervals in the Y direction. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 372A are connected to the first wiring 350. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 372A extend linearly along the X direction. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 372A are arranged at equal intervals in the Y direction. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 371A and the liquid crystal driving electrodes 372A are arranged alternately in the Y direction.

[0050] Next, the stacking state of the dimming panels in the dimming device 100A will be described. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a first dimming panel constituting the dimming device of Fig. 6, seen from above. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of a second dimming panel constituting the dimming device of Fig. 6, seen from above. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of a third dimming panel constituting the dimming device of Fig. 6, seen from above. Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of a fourth dimming panel constituting the dimming device of Fig. 6, seen from above.

[0051] In the panel unit 110A shown in Fig. 6, the dimming panel 1A, the dimming panel 1B, the dimming panel 1C, and the dimming panel 1D are stacked in this order from the top. When the panel unit 110A is viewed from the top-bottom direction (first direction), the first wiring 350 of each of the multiple dimming panels, more specifically, the extended portion A2 of the light-shielding area, is arranged on all sides of the panel unit 110A to shield the non-light-shielding area B20 of each of the multiple dimming panels. In addition, by stacking the panels with the gap G between the first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360 shifted in this manner, the gap G overlaps with the light-shielding area of ​​another dimming panel.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 10, in the light control panel 1A, the extended portion A2 of the first light-shielded area A10 is disposed on the fifth side 15 and the sixth side 16, similarly to FIG.

[0053] The light control panel 1B is laminated on the lower side of the light control panel 1A. As shown in Fig. 11, the light control panel 1B is obtained by rotating the light control panel 1A by 180 degrees around the center C of the panel. Therefore, in the light control panel 1B, the extension portion A2 of the first light-shielding area A10 is disposed on the first side 11 and the third side 13.

[0054] The light control panel 1C is stacked on the lower side of the light control panel 1B. As shown in Fig. 12, the light control panel 1C is obtained by rotating the light control panel 1A counterclockwise (left) by 90 degrees around the center C of the panel. Therefore, in the light control panel 1C, the extension portion A2 of the first light-shielding area A10 is disposed on the second side 12 and the fourth side 14.

[0055] The light control panel 1D is laminated on the lower side of the light control panel 1C. As shown in Fig. 13, the light control panel 1D is obtained by rotating the light control panel 1A 90 degrees clockwise (rightward) around the center C of the panel. Therefore, in the light control panel 1D, the extension portion A2 of the first light-shielding area A10 is disposed along the seventh side 17 and the eighth side 18.

[0056] Next, the light-shielding state of the light control device 100A as viewed from above will be described. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the light-shielding state of the light control device according to the second embodiment as viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 14, in the panel unit 110A (light control device 100A), the light control panel 1A is disposed on the top side, so that the light control device 100A is shielded by the first light-shielding area A10 and the second light-shielding area A20 (see FIG. 7) (shown by hatching in FIG. 14) of the light control panel 1A. The second light control panel 1B from the top is located below the light control panel 1A, so that when viewed from above, the part of the light control panel 1A that does not overlap with the first light-shielding area A10 becomes a light-transmitting area. Here, a part of the light-transmitting area is shielded by the first light-shielding area A10 of the light control panel 1B. More specifically, the translucent area extends counterclockwise from a portion of the fourth side 14 of the dimming panel 1A to a portion of the eighth side 18, of which the portion from a portion of the second side 12 to a portion of the eighth side 18 is shaded by the first shading area A10 of the dimming panel 1B (more specifically, the extended portion A2 of the shading area A).

[0057] By overlapping the third light control panel 1C from the top, the portion of the light transmitting area from a part of the fifth side to a part of the second side 12 is shaded by the first light-shielding area A10 of the light control panel 1C.

[0058] Furthermore, by overlapping the fourth light-control panel 1D from the top, the portion of the light-transmitting area from a part of the seventh section to a part of the first side 11 is shaded by the first light-shielding area A10 of the light-control panel 1D.

[0059] In addition, by arranging the light control panels 1A to 1D in this manner, the protruding portions A3 of the light blocking areas A overlap each other between the light control panels.

[0060] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the counter substrate 3A in the light control panel is provided with the first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360. The first wiring 350 forms the first light-shielding area A10 that covers the area between the fifth side 35A and the sixth side 36A and the light control area B10. The second wiring 360 forms the second light-shielding area A20 that covers the area between the non-light-shielding area B20 at the edge of the first side 31A, the seventh side 37A, and the eighth side 38A and the light control area B10. When the panel unit 110A is viewed from the top-bottom direction (first direction), the first wiring 350 of each of the multiple light control panels is arranged on all sides of the panel unit 110A and shields the non-light-shielding area B20 of each of the multiple light control panels. Moreover, the first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360 are metal electrodes containing at least one of molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu). In this way, in the second embodiment, since the first wiring 350 having a light-shielding property is provided in one dimming panel 1A, a dimming device 100A with less light leakage can be provided by stacking a plurality of dimming panels 1A to 1D in which the dimming panel 1A is rotated by a predetermined angle in the circumferential direction and the circumferential position of the first wiring 350 is shifted little by little.

[0061] In the dimming panel 1A, the first wiring 350 is provided on a plurality of adjacent sides (the second side 32A, the fourth side 34A, the fifth side 35A, the sixth side 36A, and the seventh side 37A). Therefore, with a smaller number of dimming panels than a dimming panel in which the first wiring 350 is provided on one side, when the panel unit 110A is viewed from the top-bottom direction (first direction), the first wiring 350 can be arranged on all sides of the panel unit 110A.

[0062] In the light control panel 1A, the first wiring 350 is provided on the counter substrate 3A. Therefore, the number of steps is smaller and the cost is lower than when the first wiring 350 is provided on both the array substrate (first substrate) 2A and the counter substrate 3A.

[0063] Since the array substrate 2A has two terminal groups 10A and 20A each consisting of a plurality of terminals connectable to the flexible printed circuit board 400, the direction in which the flexible printed circuit board 400 is pulled out can be selected more freely than in the case of a single terminal group.

[0064] The terminals included in the terminal group 10A (first terminal 101A, second terminal 102A, third terminal 103A, and fourth terminal 104A) are electrically connected to the terminals included in the terminal group 20A (fifth terminal 201A, sixth terminal 202A, seventh terminal 203A, and eighth terminal 204A). Therefore, the flexible printed circuit board 400 can be connected to both the terminal group 10A and the terminal group 20A.

[0065] In this embodiment, the light-shielding layer is formed by the first wiring 350 and the second wiring 360 on the opposing substrate side. Alternatively, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the line width of the wiring (wiring 210A to wiring 217A) on the array substrate side is made thicker or formed into a dense mesh, thereby forming a light-shielding region by these wirings.

[0066] [First Modification] Next, a first modified example will be described. Fig. 15 is a plan view showing a light control panel according to the first modified example. Fig. 16 is a schematic view of an array substrate included in the light control panel of Fig. 15, seen from above. Fig. 17 is a schematic view of an opposing substrate included in the light control panel of Fig. 15, seen from above.

[0067] In the second embodiment, two terminal groups (terminal groups 10A and 20A) are provided on the light control panel 1A, but in the first modified example, there is only one terminal group. The following mainly describes the differences from the second embodiment.

[0068] 15, the light control panel 1E according to the first modification has a regular octagonal shape in a plan view. The light control panel 1E has one terminal group 10B. The terminal group 10B is provided on the edge portion of the second side 12.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 16, a pair of semicircular wirings 216A and 213A are disposed facing each other in the center of the array substrate (first substrate) 2E. The wiring 216A is located on the Y1 side, and the wiring 213A is located on the Y2 side. The wiring 216A extends from an end 2161 to an end 2162. The wiring 213A extends from an end 2131 to an end 2132. The inner circumferences of the wirings 216A and 213A are arc-shaped, and the inner circumferences of the wirings 216A and 213A form a circle of the effective area B (see FIG. 15). The array substrate 2E is provided with connection parts 210 and 211E, and the counter substrate 3A is provided with connection parts 305A and 306A. The connection part 210 of the array substrate 2E and the connection part 306A (see FIG. 17) of the counter substrate 3A are electrically connected via a conductive pillar (not shown) that can be electrically connected. Similarly, the connection portion 211E of the array substrate 2E and the connection portion 305A (see FIG. 17) of the counter substrate 3A are electrically connected via a conductive common electrode (not shown).

[0070] The first terminal 101B is connected to the connection portion 211E. The second terminal 102B is connected to the wiring 216A. The third terminal 103B is connected to the wiring 213A via the wiring 211A. The fourth terminal 104B is connected to the connection portion 210 via the wiring 210A.

[0071] The liquid crystal driving electrodes 251A are connected to the wiring 213A. The liquid crystal driving electrodes 252A are connected to the wiring 216A.

[0072] The counter substrate 3A shown in FIG. 17 is the same as the counter substrate 3A (see FIG. 9) described in the second embodiment.

[0073] As described above, according to the first modified example, the dimming panel 1A has only one terminal group 10B, which reduces the number of wirings on the array substrate 2E compared to when there are two terminal groups, and also reduces the cost of the dimming panel 1A.

[0074] [Second modified example] Next, a description will be given of a second modified example. Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a light control device according to the second modified example.

[0075] The light control device 100B according to the second modification includes a panel unit 110A, a light source 700, and a cover member 730.

[0076] For example, an LED (light emitting diode) is used as the light source 700. Light 710 emitted from the light source 700 travels toward the upper side (Z1 side).

[0077] In the panel unit 110A, four dimming panels 1A are stacked. The dimming panel 1A has an array substrate 2A and a counter substrate 3A. As described in FIG. 9, the counter substrate 3A is provided with a first wiring 350 and a second wiring 360, and the first wiring 350 has an end 357c on the Y1 side and an end 357b on the Y2 side. In the second modified example, the Y-direction length of the end 357c and the Y-direction length of the end 357b are made the same for all dimming panels 1A. As a result, the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 described in FIG. 7 becomes the same for all dimming panels 1A.

[0078] A cover member 730 is provided on the upper end of the panel unit 110A. The cover member 730 is, for example, decorative glass. The decorative glass is formed by applying and fixing a colorant to a glass base material, which is an inorganic base material having high transparency. A light shielding band 731 is provided on the lower surface of the cover member 730. The light shielding band 731 is printed on the cover member 730 by patterning, for example. The Y-direction length of the light shielding band 731 is smaller than the Y-direction length of the end 357c and the Y-direction length of the end 357b. The cover member 730 may be formed of a glass plate that is not decorated, or may be formed of a transparent resin.

[0079] The cover member 730 is adhered to the panel unit 110A via a light-transmitting adhesive 720. The vertically adjacent light control panels 1A are also adhered to each other via the light-transmitting adhesive 720. The light-transmitting adhesive 720 may be, for example, a light-transmitting double-sided adhesive sheet (OCA: Optical Clear Adhesive).

[0080] As described above, according to the second modification, the cover member 730 is disposed on the upper side (the other side in the first direction) of the panel unit 110B. Therefore, the cover member 730 protects the panel unit 110A and suppresses damage to the panel unit 110A. In addition, by using decorative glass for the cover member 730, it can be applied to various uses with excellent appearance.

[0081] In addition, the diameter (size) of the dimming area B10 is the same in all of the dimming panels 1A. Therefore, the number of manufacturing steps is smaller and the cost is cheaper than stacking a plurality of types of dimming panels having different diameters (sizes) of the dimming area B10.

[0082] [Third Modification] Next, a third modified example will be described below. Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a light control device according to the third modified example.

[0083] The light control device 100C according to the third modification is different from the light control device 100B according to the second modification in that the size of the effective area B is changed for each light control panel 1A. A brief description will be given below.

[0084] 19, in the third modified example, the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 increases toward the upper dimming panel 1A. That is, the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the second dimming panel 1A from the bottom is larger than the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the bottommost dimming panel 1A. Also, the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the third dimming panel 1A from the bottom is larger than the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the second dimming panel 1A from the bottom, and the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the topmost dimming panel 1A is the largest.

[0085] As described above, according to the third modified example, the diameter (size) of the dimming area B10 increases toward the upper dimming panel 1A, so that the light 710 emitted from the topmost dimming panel 1A can be made to be a more widespread light.

[0086] [Fourth Modification] Next, a fourth modified example will be described below. Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a light control device according to the fourth modified example.

[0087] In a light control device 100D according to the fourth modification, the size of the effective area B is changed for each of the two light control panels 1A. A brief description will be given below.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 20, in the fourth modified example, the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 is different between the two upper dimming panels 1A and the two lower dimming panels 1A. Specifically, the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the bottom dimming panel 1A is the same as the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the second dimming panel 1A from the bottom. The diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the third dimming panel 1A from the bottom is the same as the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the topmost dimming panel 1A. The diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the third dimming panel 1A from the bottom and the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the topmost dimming panel 1A are larger than the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the bottommost dimming panel 1A and the diameter (size) of the dimming region B10 of the second dimming panel 1A from the bottom.

[0089] As described above, according to the fourth modification, the diameter (size) of the dimming area B10 is changed for each of the two dimming panels 1A, so the number of steps for manufacturing the dimming device is smaller and the cost is cheaper than in the third modification in which the diameter (size) of the dimming area B10 of all panels is different. Also, since the diameter (size) of the dimming area B10 of the upper two dimming panels 1A is larger than that of the lower two dimming panels 1A, the light 710 emitted from the top dimming panel 1A can be made to be a wider light. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E Dimming Panel 10, 10A, 10B, 20A terminal group 11 Side 1 12 Side 2 13 Third Side 14 Side 4 15 Side 5 16 Side 6 17 Side 7 18 Side 8 2, 2A, 2E Array board (first board) 2a surface 2b Back side 21, 21A Side 1 22, 22A Side 2 23, 23A Third Side 24, 24A Side 4 25A Side 5 26A Side 6 27A Side 7 28A Side 8 3, 3A Opposing substrate (second substrate) 3a surface 3b back side 31, 31A Side 1 32, 32A Side 2 33, 33A Third Side 34, 34A Side 4 35A Side 5 36A Side 6 37A Side 7 38A Side 8 4 Liquid crystal layer 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D Dimmer 101, 101A, 101B 1st terminal 102, 102A, 102B 2nd terminal 103, 103A, 103B 3rd terminal 104, 104A, 104B 4th terminal 110, 110A Panel Unit 201A 5th terminal 202A 6th terminal 203A 7th terminal 204A Terminal 8 201, 203, 204, 205, 206, 208, 209, 210A, 211A, 212A, 213A, 215A, 216A, 217A Wiring 202, 207, 210, 211, 211E Connections 203a, 204a, 205a, 208a, 209a, 301a, 301b, 302a, 303a, 304a, 310a, 2131, 2132, 2161, 2162 End 251, 251A, 252, 252A, 371, 371A, 372, 372A Liquid crystal drive electrodes 300 Edge 305, 305A, 306, 306A Connections 309 Wiring 309a edge 310, 320, 330, 340 Strip electrodes 350 1st wiring 353, 354, 355, 356 Edge 357a Inner circumference 357b, 357c end 360 2nd wiring 360a Inner circumference 360b, 360c end 400 Flexible Printed Circuit Board 600 stickers 610 Orientation Film 700 light source 710 light 720 Translucent adhesive 730 Cover material 731 Shading strip A, A11, A12 Shade area A1 center part A2 Extension B11, B12 Non-shaded area (effective area) A10 1st light shielding area A20 2nd light shielding area B20 Non-shading area P1, P2 boundary C center

Claims

1. A panel unit in which a plurality of polygonal light control panels each having a light-transmitting first substrate and a light-transmitting second substrate overlapping the first substrate are stacked in a first direction; a light source disposed on one side of the panel unit in the first direction; Equipped with The first substrate or the second substrate in each of the plurality of light control panels is a dimming region to which light from the light source is irradiated; A first wiring and a second wiring are arranged around the dimming area, the first wiring forms a first light-shielding region that covers a region between at least one side of the polygon and the light control region, The second wiring serves as a second light-shielding region that covers a region between the light-adjusting region and a non-light-shielding region at an edge of another of the plurality of sides, When the panel unit is viewed from the first direction, the first wiring of each of the plurality of light control panels is arranged on all sides of the panel unit, and shades the non-shaded areas of each of the plurality of light control panels. Dimmer.

2. the first wiring contains at least one of molybdenum, aluminum, nickel, and copper; The light control device according to claim 1 .

3. The first wiring provided on the first substrate or the second substrate in one of the light control panels is arranged on a plurality of adjacent sides, The light control device according to claim 1 .

4. a cover member is disposed on the other side of the panel unit in the first direction; The light control device according to claim 1 .

5. The first substrate has two or more terminal groups each including a plurality of terminals connectable to a flexible printed circuit board. The light control device according to claim 1 .

6. In the two or more terminal groups provided on the first substrate, A terminal included in one terminal group is electrically connected to a terminal included in another terminal group. The light control device according to claim 5 .

7. The light control panel has a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate. The light control device according to claim 1 .

8. The first substrate and the second substrate in the light control panel are each provided with wiring, and these wirings are electrically connected to each other via conductive columns. The light control device according to claim 1 .

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