Curved LCD Panel Spacers for Viewing Angle and Reflection Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liquid crystal display devices experience increased viewing angle differences and reflections as screen sizes grow, with existing methods for curving screens to improve viewing angles being difficult to manufacture and prone to color irregularities.
Innovation Solution
A method to curve liquid crystal display panels by using spacers with a concavely curved shape to support and press the edges of a flat panel, allowing it to naturally curve without changing the manufacturing steps or requiring new materials, thereby reducing viewing angle differences and reflections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If glass sheets are curved to improve viewing angle, then viewing angle difference is reduced, but manufacturing difficulty increases and color irregularities occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming the glass sheets into curved shapes before assembly. The glass sheets are manufactured with predetermined curvatures that match the desired final display geometry, allowing the viewing angle correction to be built into the structure itself rather than requiring complex adjustment during assembly. This resolves the contradiction by establishing the correct geometry in advance, eliminating the need for difficult post-assembly adjustments that cause color irregularities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent directly applies curvature to the glass sheets to correct the viewing angle problem. By forming the glass sheets with specific curved surfaces, the display achieves improved viewing angles from different positions. The curvature is carefully designed to compensate for the geometric distortion that occurs when viewing large screens from off-center positions, thereby reducing viewing angle difference without requiring complex manufacturing processes.
2Ease of manufacture
If curved glass sheets are used, then viewing angle improves, but maintaining constant distance between sheets becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using spacers with position-dependent dimensions. The spacers are designed with varying thicknesses at different locations to compensate for the curvature of the glass sheets. At regions where the glass sheets are closer together due to curvature, thinner spacers are used, and vice versa. This local adjustment maintains a constant effective distance between the glass sheets across the entire display surface, preventing color irregularities while preserving the viewing angle benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of the spacer components to adapt to the curved geometry. Instead of using uniform spacers, the design employs spacers with varying dimensions that match the local curvature requirements. This parameter variation allows the system to maintain stable sheet spacing despite the overall curved configuration, resolving the contradiction between improved viewing angle and stable composition.
3Ease of manufacture
If new manufacturing methods are developed for curved panels, then viewing angle improves, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the curved panel system into separate, manufacturable components: flat glass sheets, curved spacers, and liquid crystal layers. Each component can be manufactured using conventional processes, and the curvature is achieved through the spacer assembly rather than requiring complex curved glass manufacturing. This segmentation allows standard manufacturing techniques to produce the components, which are then assembled to achieve the desired curved geometry and improved viewing angles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces spacers as intermediary components that enable the curved configuration without requiring complex curved glass manufacturing. The spacers act as mediators between the flat glass sheets, providing the necessary curvature and spacing control. This intermediary approach allows the use of simple, flat glass sheets that can be easily manufactured, while the spacers create the curved geometry needed for improved viewing angles, thereby reducing overall manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Curved-panel liquid crystal display and method of its manufacture are realized without necessitating drastic changes to the display structure or to the steps in its manufacture, and without requiring new materials or manufacturing technology. The back side of a liquid crystal panel is set on first concavely curved spacers that support two opposing edges of the panel back side. Second concavely curved spacers are set on the front side of the two opposing panel edges. Third spacers of uniform height are disposed on the panel back side to support it along the remaining two edges. The second spacers are then pressed to pressure the panel from the front side against the first spacers, wherein the panel is clamped between the first and second spacers.