US20220163828A1

Movatterモバイル変換

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Publication number: US20220163828A1
Application number: US17/104,587
Authority: US
Inventors: Kazuto JITSUI
Original assignee: Innolux Corp
Current assignee: Innolux Corp
Priority date: 2020-11-25
Filing date: 2020-11-25
Publication date: 2022-05-26
Also published as: US12287539B2; US20230168529A1

Abstract

An electronic device includes: a display cell; a first light adjusting unit; and a second light adjusting unit, wherein the display cell, the first light adjusting unit and the second light adjusting unit are at least partially overlapped, and at least one of the first light adjusting unit and the second light adjusting unit is an ECB mode liquid crystal cell.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a privacy electronic device.

2. Description of Related Art

Recently, a privacy display device is developed for several usages, such as automotive displays, Notebook displays, PC monitors, ATM displays, etc. Requirement of the privacy display device depends on the product. In addition, some privacy display devices are required to have the function of switching between the wide mode (i.e. the public mode) and the narrow mode (i.e. the privacy mode).

However, the currently used privacy display devices have some disadvantages. For example, the brightness of the display devices at the wide viewing angle is not low enough, and other people near to the user may feel annoyed.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a novel privacy electronic device to improve the disadvantages of the privacy display devices currently used.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an electronic device, comprising: a display cell; a first light adjusting unit; and a second light adjusting unit, wherein the display cell, the first light adjusting unit and the second light adjusting unit are at least partially overlapped, and at least one of the first light adjusting unit and the second light adjusting unit is an ECB mode liquid crystal cell.

The present disclosure further provides another electronic device, comprising: a first light adjusting unit; and a second light adjusting unit comprising plural pixels, wherein at least one of the plural pixels comprises a display region and a viewing angle changing region, and an operation mode of the display region is different from an operation mode of the viewing angle changing region.

Other novel features of the disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display cell and a second light adjusting unit of an electronic device shown inFIG. 1 in a wide mode.

FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display cell and a second light adjusting unit of an electronic device shown inFIG. 1 in a narrow mode.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A is a schematic top view of a pixel of an electronic device ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second light adjusting unit of an electronic device shown inFIG. 3 in a wide mode.

FIG. 4C is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second light adjusting unit of an electronic device shown inFIG. 3 in a narrow mode.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of pixels of a second light adjusting unit shown inFIG. 3 in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of a pixel of a second light adjusting unit shown inFIG. 3 in another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of a pixel of a second light adjusting unit shown inFIG. 3 in further another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

Different embodiments of the present disclosure are provided in the following description. These embodiments are meant to explain the technical content of the present disclosure, but not meant to limit the scope of the present disclosure. A feature described in an embodiment may be applied to other embodiments by suitable modification, substitution, combination, or separation.

It should be noted that, in the present specification, when a component is described to comprise an element, it means that the component may comprise one or more of the elements, and it does not mean that the component has only one of the element, except otherwise specified.

Moreover, in the present specification, the ordinal numbers, such as “first” or “second”, are used to distinguish a plurality of elements having the same name, and it does not means that there is essentially a level, a rank, an executing order, or an manufacturing order among the elements, except otherwise specified. A “first” element and a “second” element may exist together in the same component, or alternatively, they may exist in different components, respectively. The existence of an element described by a greater ordinal number does not essentially means the existence of another element described by a smaller ordinal number.

In the present specification, except otherwise specified, the feature A “or” or “and/or” the feature B means the existence of the feature A, the existence of the feature B, or the existence of both the features A and B. The feature A “and” the feature B means the existence of both the features A and B. The term “comprise(s)”, “comprising”, “include(s)”, “including”, “have”, “has” and “having” means “comprise(s)/comprising but is/are/being not limited to”.

Moreover, in the present specification, the terms, such as “top”, “upper”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, or “middle”, as well as the terms, such as “on”, “above”, “over”, “under”, “below”, or “between”, are used to describe the relative positions among a plurality of elements, and the described relative positions may be interpreted to include their translation, rotation, or reflection.

Furthermore, the terms recited in the specification and the claims such as “above”, “over”, or “on” are intended not only directly contact with the other element, but also intended indirectly contact with the other element. Similarly, the terms recited in the specification and the claims such as “below”, or “under” are intended not only directly contact with the other element but also intended indirectly contact with the other element.

Furthermore, the terms recited in the specification and the claims such as “connect” is intended not only directly connect with other element, but also intended indirectly connect and electrically connect with other element.

Furthermore, when a value is in a range from a first value to a second value, the value may be the first value, the second value, or another value between the first value and the second value.

Moreover, in the present specification, a value may be interpreted to cover a range within ±20% of the value, and in particular, a range within ±10%, ±5%, ±3%, ±2%, ±1% or ±0.5% of the value, except otherwise specified. The value provided in the present specification is an approximate value, which means the meaning “about” is also included in the present disclosure without specifically specifying “about”.

In the present specification, except otherwise specified, the terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the meanings generally known by a person skilled in the art. It should be noted that, except otherwise specified in the embodiments of the present disclosure, these terms (for example, the terms defined in the generally used dictionary) should have the meanings identical to those known in the art, the background of the present disclosure or the context of the present specification, and should not be read by an ideal or over-formal way.

Hereinafter, the term “narrow mode” refers to the privacy mode, and the images displayed on the electronic device may be seen within, for example, 25 degrees of the viewing angle, and the ranges within ±10 degrees or ±5 degrees of 25 degrees are also included in the scope of the present disclosure. The term “wide mode” refers to the public mode, and the images displayed on the electronic device may be seen within, for example, near to 90 degrees (for example, 80 degrees) of the viewing angle. The term “low contrast ratio (CR)” means a function that the contrast ratio is ranged from 0.2 to 5. The term “dark” means a function that the brightness of the electronic device is 2% of the maximum brightness of grayscale.

The term “viewing angle” can be defined by the followings. A direction perpendicular to a surface of a side of the electronic device near to the user (i.e. the display side) is defined. A first virtual line is defined, which is substantially parallel to the direction and is a line connecting the eyes of the user and the center (or a point close to the center within a tolerable deviation; or a point which is on the central line of the display side, wherein the central line may be substantially parallel to one side edge of the display side) of the display side of the electronic device. When the user moves (for example, along a moving direction parallel to the display side), a second virtual line is defined, which is a line connecting the center (or a point close to the center within a tolerable deviation) of the display side of the electronic device and the position of the eyes of the user that the user still can see the images displayed by the electronic device. The angle included between the first virtual line and the second virtual line is defined as the viewing angle.

The electronic device of the present disclosure may comprise a display device, an antenna device, a sensing device, a touch device, a curved electronic device or a free shape display device, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The electronic device of the present disclosure may be a bendable or a flexible display device. The display device may include, for example, a tiled display device, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The electronic device of the present disclosure may be a combination of the aforesaid devices, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, the shapes of the electronic device of the present disclosure is not particularly limited, and may be rectangle, circular, polygon, a shape with curved edges or other suitable shapes, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The electronic device of the present disclosure may comprise a driving system, a control system, a light source system, a shelving system or other peripheral system to support the display device or the tiled display device. Hereinafter, a display device is used as an example to illustrate the electronic device of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device of the present embodiment comprises: adisplay cell11; a firstlight adjusting unit12; and a secondlight adjusting unit13, wherein thedisplay cell11, the firstlight adjusting unit12 and the secondlight adjusting unit13 are at least partially overlapped.

Herein, thedisplay cell11 is for displaying images. In an embodiment, thedisplay cell11 may be a liquid crystal cell, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In detail, thedisplay cell11 may include two substrates, liquid crystal, plural pixels and a color filter, wherein the liquid crystal, plural pixels and the color filter are disposed between the two substrates. The driving mode of the liquid crystal ofdisplay cell11 is not particularly limited. For example, the driving mode of the liquid crystal may be an in-plane switching (IPS) mode, a fringe field switching (FFS) mode, a vertical alignment (VA) mode, a twisted nematic (TN) mode, an electrically-controlled birefringence (ECB) mode or an optically compensated birefringence (OCB) mode; but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, thedisplay cell11 may be a self-luminance display cell, including plural pixels which may produce different colors. For example, the plural pixels may include an organic light emitting diode (OLED), an inorganic light emitting diode (ILED), a mini-LED, a micro-LED, quantum dots (QDs), a quantum dot diode (QLED/QDLED), an electrophoresis, fluorescence, phosphor, other suitable materials or a combination of the above materials, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

In addition, at least one of the firstlight adjusting unit12 and the secondlight adjusting unit13 is an ECB mode liquid crystal cell. In some embodiments, the firstlight adjusting unit12 may be an ECB mode liquid crystal cell, a TN mode liquid crystal cell, a VA mode liquid crystal cell, or a VA-ECB hybrid mode liquid crystal cell.

Furthermore, the secondlight adjusting unit13 may be an ECB mode liquid crystal cell.

The electronic device of the present embodiment comprises: afirst polarizer15 and asecond polarizer16, wherein thedisplay cell11 and the secondlight adjusting unit13 are disposed between thefirst polarizer15 and thesecond polarizer16, and the secondlight adjusting unit13 is disposed on thedisplay cell11. Thereby, the relative position of thefirst polarizer15, thesecond polarizer16, the secondlight adjusting unit13 and thedisplay cell11 described above may have the a low CR (contrast ratio) function. In some embodiments, the amount and the positions of the polarizers may be adjusted according to the need. In addition, other optical films such as prism sheets, diffusors or bright enhancement films may also be included in the electronic device of the present disclosure if it is needed.

The electronic device of the present embodiment further comprises: athird polarizer17, wherein the firstlight adjusting unit12 is disposed between thesecond polarizer16 and thethird polarizer17. Herein, the relative position of thefirst polarizer15, thesecond polarizer16, thethird polarizer17, thedisplay cell11, the firstlight adjusting unit12 and the secondlight adjusting unit13 is shown asFIG. 1, thereby the electronic device may have the low contrast ratio function and dark function at the same time in the narrow mode. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, two different polarizers may be used as the second polarizers, one is disposed on and adjacent to the secondlight adjusting unit13 and the other one is disposed under and adjacent to the firstlight adjusting unit12. In this embodiment, relative position of the one polarizer mentioned above, the secondlight adjusting unit13, thedisplay cell11 and thefirst polarizer15 may have the low contrast ratio function in the narrow mode. The relative position of the other one polarizer mentioned above, the firstlight adjusting unit12 and thethird polarizer17 may have dark function in the narrow mode, but the present disclosure is not limit thereto.

For the dark function, in the wide mode, no liquid crystal retardation is occurred at all viewing angle, so the image displayed by thedisplay cell11 can be seen from all viewing angle. In the narrow mode, no or little liquid crystal retardation is occurred at the on-axis or at the user viewing angle (for example, within 25 degrees), but significant liquid crystal retardation is occurred at the off-axis or at the viewing angle outside the user viewing angle (for example, more than 25 degrees). Thus, the image displayed by thedisplay cell11 can be seen from the user viewing angle but cannot be seen from the viewing angle outside the user viewing angle.

In the electronic device of the present embodiment, thefirst polarizer15, thesecond polarizer16 and thethird polarizer17 may respectively be any retardation film, for example, an A-plate, a C-plate, an O-film a discotic LC film, or a combination thereof; but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, thefirst polarizer15, thesecond polarizer16 and thethird polarizer17 may be the same or different from each other.

As mentioned above, the electronic device of the present embodiment of the present embodiment is a combination of the low CR function and the dark function. In the case that the electronic device is in the narrow mode, the images displayed by thedisplay cell11 can be visible at user viewing angle (for example, within 25 degrees); but the images displayed by thedisplay cell11 is invisible at the narrow viewing angle (for example, in a range from 25 degrees to 40 degrees) due to the low CR and also invisible at the wide viewing angle (for example, in a range from 40 degrees to 80 degrees) due to the low CR and enough darkness. In particular, the brightness of the electronic device at the wide viewing angle is low, so a person near to the user may not be disturbed when the electronic device is in the narrow mode. The ranges within ±5 degrees or ±10 degrees of the viewing angles described herein are still included in the scope of the present disclosure due to the design or the process error of the electronic device.

The electronic device of the present embodiment has both the dark function and the low CR function, so the brightness at the viewing angle outside the user viewing angle is low enough when the electronic device is in the narrow mode. Thus, a person adjacent to the user cannot see the images displayed on the electronic device, or the person is not disturbed by the electronic device due to the insufficient darkness.

As shown inFIG. 1, in the electronic device of the present embodiment, the secondlight adjusting unit13 is disposed on thedisplay cell11, the firstlight adjusting unit12 is disposed on the secondlight adjusting unit13, the secondlight adjusting unit13 and thedisplay cell11 is disposed between thefirst polarizer15 and thesecond polarizer16 and the firstlight adjusting unit12 disposed between thesecond polarizer16 and thethird polarizer17.

Furthermore, the electronic device of the present embodiment may further selectively comprise abacklight module14, disposed under thedisplay cell11, the firstlight adjusting unit12 and the secondlight adjusting unit13. In some embodiments, thebacklight module14 may be a direct-lit backlight module or an edge-lit backlight module, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

FIG. 2A andFIG. 2B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the display cell and the second light adjusting unit shown inFIG. 1 in a wide mode and in a narrow mode. Herein, for example, the driving mode of the liquid crystal of thedisplay cell11 may be an IPS mode. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and any driving mode of the liquid crystal may be used in the present disclosure. In addition, the secondlight adjusting unit13 may be used an ECB mode.

As shown inFIG. 2A andFIG. 2B, thedisplay cell11 comprises: afirst substrate111; asecond substrate116 opposite to thefirst substrate111; acommon electrode112 disposed on thefirst substrate111; an insulatinglayer113 disposed on thecommon electrode112; apixel electrode114 disposed on the insulatinglayer113; and a firstdisplay medium layer115 disposed between thefirst substrate111 and thesecond substrate116. Herein, plural transistors (not shown in the figure) electrically connected to thepixel electrode114 are disposed on thefirst substrate111. Thecommon electrode112 may be a planer electrode, and thepixel electrode114 may be a patterned electrode, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Even not shown in the figure, in some embodiments, thedisplay cell11 may selectively comprise a color filter layer and a black matrix layer respectively formed on thefirst substrate111 or thesecond substrate116. In addition, the firstdisplay medium layer115 may be a liquid crystal layer, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The secondlight adjusting unit13 comprises: athird substrate131; afourth substrate135 opposite to thethird substrate131; afirst electrode132 disposed on thethird substrate131; asecond electrode134 disposed on thefourth substrate135; and a seconddisplay medium layer133 disposed between thethird substrate131 and thefourth substrate135. Thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134 may be respectively a planer electrode, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiment, the seconddisplay medium layer133 may be a liquid crystal layer, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, an alignment layer may be disposed between the seconddisplay medium layer133 and thesecond electrode134; and another alignment layer may be disposed between the seconddisplay medium layer133 and thefirst electrode132.

As shown inFIG. 2A, when the electronic device is in a wide mode, there is no voltage difference between thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134. For example, in one embodiment, no voltage is applied to thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134. In another embodiment, same voltage is applied to thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. As shown inFIG. 2B, when the electronic device is in a narrow mode, there is a voltage difference between thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134. In one embodiment, no voltage is applied to thefirst electrode132 and a predetermined voltage is applied to thesecond electrode134. In another embodiment, a predetermined voltage is applied to thefirst electrode132 and no voltage is applied to thesecond electrode134. In further another embodiment, different voltage is applied to thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Herein, the voltage difference may cause the liquid crystal molecules in thedisplay medium layer133 rotates, the rotation of the liquid crystal molecules may not influence the brightness of the secondlight adjusting unit13 at the user viewing angle (for example, within 25 degrees) but causes the brightness increased at the narrow viewing angle (for example, in a range from 25 degrees to 40 degrees) and wide viewing angle (for example, in a range from 40 degrees to 80 degrees). Thus, the purpose of low CR at the narrow viewing angle and wide viewing angles can be achieved.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, andFIG. 4A is a schematic top view of a pixel of an electronic device ofFIG. 3. The electronic device of the present embodiment comprises: a firstlight adjusting unit12; and a secondlight adjusting unit13′ comprising plural pixels P, wherein at least one of the plural pixels P comprises a display region R1 and a viewing angle changing region R2, and an operation mode of the display region R1 is different from an operation mode of the viewing angle changing region R2. The difference between the electronic devices shown inFIG. 1 andFIG. 3 is that the electronic device ofFIG. 1 comprises thedisplay cell11 and the secondlight adjusting unit13, but the electronic device ofFIG. 3 comprises the secondlight adjusting unit13′ with pixels P. Thus, the secondlight adjusting unit13′ of the present embodiment can be considered as a display cell with light adjusting function.

The electronic device of the present embodiment further comprises: afirst polarizer15 and asecond polarizer16, wherein the secondlight adjusting unit13′ is disposed between thefirst polarizer15 and thesecond polarizer16.

The electronic device of the present embodiment further comprises: athird polarizer17, wherein the firstlight adjusting unit12 is disposed between thesecond polarizer16 and thethird polarizer17.

Furthermore, the electronic device of the present embodiment may further selectively comprise abacklight module14, disposed under the firstlight adjusting unit12 and the secondlight adjusting unit13′. In some embodiments, thebacklight module14 may be a direct-lit backlight module or an edge-lit backlight module, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Thefirst polarizer15, thesecond polarizer16, thethird polarizer17 and thebacklight module14 are similar to those illustrated above, and are not repeated again.

As shown inFIG. 4A, the liquid crystal molecules in the display region R1 may be driven by an IPS mode, and liquid crystal molecules in the viewing angle changing region R2 may be driven by an ECB mode. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, self-luminance display medium may be used in the display region R1. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.FIG. 4B andFIG. 4C are respectively cross-sectional views of the secondlight adjusting unit13′ shown inFIG. 3 in a wide mode and in a narrow mode.

As shown inFIG. 4A toFIG. 4C, the secondlight adjusting unit13′ comprises: afirst substrate111; asecond substrate116 opposite to thefirst substrate111; acommon electrode112 disposed on thefirst substrate111; an insulatinglayer113 disposed on thecommon electrode112; apixel electrode114 disposed on the insulatinglayer113; and a firstdisplay medium layer115 disposed between thefirst substrate111 and thesecond substrate116. Herein, thepixel electrode114 is disposed in the display region R1 of the pixel P, but is not disposed in the viewing angle changing region R2 of the pixel P. Herein, plural transistors (not shown in the figure) electrically connected to thepixel electrode114 are disposed on thefirst substrate111. Thecommon electrode112 is a planer electrode, and thepixel electrode114 is a patterned electrode. Even not shown in the figure, in some embodiments, thedisplay cell11 may selectively comprise a color filter layer and a black matrix layer respectively formed on thefirst substrate111 or thesecond substrate116. In addition, the firstdisplay medium layer115 may be a liquid crystal layer, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the shape or design of thepixel electrode114 can be adjusted according to actual needs, not limited toFIG. 4A.

The secondlight adjusting unit13′ further comprises: afirst electrode132 disposed on the insulatinglayer113, wherein thepixel electrode114 and thefirst electrode132 may be formed by the same layer; and asecond electrode134 disposed on thesecond substrate116, wherein the firstdisplay medium layer115 is disposed between thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134. Herein, thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134 are disposed in the viewing angle changing region R2 of the pixel P, but are not disposed in the display region R1 of the pixel P. Thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134 may be respectively a planer electrode, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In addition, an alignment layer is disposed between thepixel electrode114 and the firstdisplay medium layer115, and also between thefirst electrode132 and the firstdisplay medium layer115. Another alignment layer is disposed between thesecond electrode134 and the firstdisplay medium layer115. The rubbing direction of the alignment layer on thepixel electrode114 and thefirst electrode132 is homogeneous. The rubbing direction of the alignment layer on thepixel electrode114 and thefirst electrode132 is different from (for example, opposite to) the rubbing direction of the alignment layer on thesecond electrode134.

As shown inFIG. 4B, when the electronic device is in the wide mode, there is no voltage difference between thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134. For example, no voltage is applied to thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Thus, the viewing angle changing region R2 is dark at all viewing angle, and the image displayed by the display region R1 can be observed by anyone at all viewing angle. As shown inFIG. 4C, when the electronic device is in the narrow mode, there is a voltage difference between thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134. For example, no voltage is applied to thesecond electrode134 and a predetermined voltage is applied to thefirst electrode132, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Herein, the voltage difference may cause the liquid crystal molecules in the firstdisplay medium layer115 rotates, the rotation of the liquid crystal molecules may not influence the brightness of the viewing angle changing region R2 of the secondlight adjusting unit13′ at the user viewing angle (for example, within 25 degrees) but causes the brightness of the viewing angle changing region R2 increased at the narrow viewing angle (for example, in a range from 25 degrees to 40 degrees) and wide viewing angle (for example, in a range from 40 degrees to 80 degrees). Thus, the image displayed by the display region R1 may be observed by the user at the user viewing angle but may not be observed by a person at the narrow and wide viewing angles due to low CR.

Herein, the relative position of thefirst polarizer15, thesecond polarizer16, thethird polarizer17, the firstlight adjusting unit12 and the secondlight adjusting unit13′ is shown asFIG. 3, thereby the electronic device may have the low contrast ratio function and dark function at the same time in the narrow mode.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of pixels of a second light adjusting unit shown inFIG. 3 in one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 4B andFIG. 5, avoltage source18 is electrically connected to thefirst electrode132 or thesecond electrode134 in the viewing angle changing region R2. In the wide mode, thevoltage source18 does not provide a voltage to thefirst electrode132 or thesecond electrode134. Thus, in the wide mode, the viewing angle changing region R2 is dark at all viewing angle. In the narrow mode, thevoltage source18 provides a predetermined voltage to thefirst electrode132 or thesecond electrode134. Thus, in the narrow mode, the viewing angle changing region R2 is in a bright state and the purpose of low CR can be achieved. Herein, in the narrow mode, the CR of the secondlight adjusting unit13′ can be calculated by the following equation (I), wherein R1 means the display region R1 and R2 means the viewing angle changing region R2:

CR=(Brightness ofR1 in the bright state+Brightness ofR2 in the bright state)/(Brightness ofR1 in the dark state+Brightness ofR2 in the bright state) (I).

In addition, as shown inFIG. 5, at least one TFT is disposed in the display region R1, wherein a control end of the TFT is electrically connected to a first scan line S1, a first end of the TFT is electrically connected to a first data line D1, and a second end of the TFT is electrically connected to the capacitor C_L1of the firstdisplay medium layer115 which is in the display region R1. A first end of a storage capacitor C_S1is electrically connected to a first end of the capacitor C_L1, and a second end of the storage capacitor C_S1and a second end of the capacitor C_L2are connected to the ground. Furthermore, in the viewing angle changing region R2, an end of the capacitor C_L2of the first display medium layer115 (or the capacitor betweenfirst electrode132 and the second electrode134) is electrically connected to thevoltage source18, and another end of the capacitor C_L2is connected to the ground.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of pixels of a second light adjusting unit shown inFIG. 3 in one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 4B andFIG. 6, an alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the display region R1 are controlled by a first transistor TFT1, and an alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the viewing angle changing region R2 are controlled by a second transistor TFT2. More specifically, the secondlight adjusting unit13′ (as shown inFIG. 3) further comprises a first scan line S1, a first data line D1, a second scan line S2 and a second data line D2, the first transistor TFT1 is electrically connected to the first scan line S1 and the first data line D1, and the second transistor TFT2 is electrically connected to the second scan line S2 and the second data line D2. Thus, the brightness of the display region R1 and the viewing angle changing region R2 are respectively controlled by the first transistor TFT1 and the second transistor TFT2. As shown inFIG. 4B andFIG. 6, the capacitor C_L1of the firstdisplay medium layer115 is electrically connected to the first transistor TFT1, and the capacitor C_L2of the first display medium layer115 (or the capacitor betweenfirst electrode132 and the second electrode134) is electrically connected to the second transistor TFT2.

In the wide mode, no voltage is provided to thefirst electrode132 and/or thesecond electrode134. Thus, in the wide mode, the viewing angle changing region R2 is dark at all viewing angle. In the narrow mode, a predetermined voltage is provided to thefirst electrode132 or thesecond electrode134, so a voltage difference may be formed between thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134 and the viewing angle changing region R2 is in the bright state. Thus, the purpose of low CR in the narrow mode can be achieved, and the CR can be close to 0.2 to 5. Herein, in the narrow mode, the CR of the secondlight adjusting unit13′ can be calculated by the following equation (II), wherein R1 means the display region R1 and R2 means the viewing angle changing region R2:

CR=(Brightness ofR1 in the bright state+Brightness ofR2 in the dark state)/(Brightness ofR1 in the dark state+Brightness ofR2 in the bright state) (II).

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of pixels of a second light adjusting unit shown inFIG. 3 in one embodiment of the present disclosure. The circuit diagram shown inFIG. 7 is similar to that shown inFIG. 6, except for the following difference. InFIG. 6, the second transistor TFT2 is electrically connected to the second scan line S2 and the second data line D2. InFIG. 7, the secondlight adjusting unit13′ (as shown inFIG. 3) further comprises a first scan line S1, a first data line D1 and a second scan line S2, the first transistor TFT1 is electrically connected to the first scan line S1 and the first data line D1, and the second transistor TFT2 is electrically connected to the second scan line S2 and the first data line D1. As shown inFIG. 4B andFIG. 7, the capacitor C_L1of the firstdisplay medium layer115 is electrically connected to the first transistor TFT1, and the capacitor C_L2of the first display medium layer115 (or the capacitor betweenfirst electrode132 and the second electrode134) is electrically connected to the second transistor TFT2.

Furthermore, as shown inFIG. 4B andFIG. 7, avoltage source18 is further electrically connected to an end of capacitor C_L2(for example,first electrode132 or the second electrode134) in the viewing angle changing region R2. Thus, the brightness of the viewing angle changing region R2 is controlled by the second transistor TFT2 and thevoltage source18.

As shown inFIG. 4B andFIG. 7, in the wide mode, no voltage is provided to thefirst electrode132 and/or thesecond electrode134 and thevoltage source18 does not provide a voltage, so there is no voltage difference between thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134. Thus, in the wide mode, the viewing angle changing region R2 is dark at all viewing angle. In the narrow mode, when the display region R1 is in the dark state, no voltage is provided to thefirst electrode132 and/or thesecond electrode134 and thevoltage source18 provides a predetermined voltage, so there is a voltage difference between thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134 and the viewing angle changing region R2 is in the bright state. In the narrow mode, when the display region R1 is in the bright state, thevoltage source18 provides the predetermined voltage and the same predetermined voltage is provided to thefirst electrode132 and/or thesecond electrode134, so there is no voltage difference between thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134 and the viewing angle changing region R2 is in the dark state. Thus, the purpose of low CR in the narrow mode can be achieved, and the CR can be close to 0.2 to 5. Herein, in the narrow mode, the CR of the secondlight adjusting unit13′ can be calculated by the following equation (III), wherein R1 means the display region R1 and R2 means the viewing angle changing region R2:

InFIG. 5 toFIG. 7, the voltage provided to the second transistor TFT2 and/or the voltage provided by thevoltage source18 is not particularly limited, and can be adjusted according to the brightness of the display region R1. For example, the voltage provided to the second transistor TFT2 and/or the voltage provided by thevoltage source18 can be adjusted to make the brightness of the display region R1 in the bright state similar to or the same as the brightness of the viewing angle changing region R2 in the bright state. Thus, the purpose of low CR or CR close to 0.2 to 5 can be achieved.

As shown inFIGS. 2A, 2B, 4B and 4C, thefirst substrate111, thesecond substrate116, thethird substrate131 and thefourth substrate135 may respectively be a non-flexible substrate, a flexible substrate, a thin film or a combination thereof. The material thereof may respectively include quartz, glass, silicon wafer, sapphire, polycarbonate (PC), polyimide (PI), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or other plastic or polymer material, or a combination thereof, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. When thefirst substrate111, thesecond substrate116, thethird substrate131 or thefourth substrate135 is a thin film, which may be a water barrier film or an encapsulating water barrier film formed by laminated inorganic-organic-inorganic (I-O-I) insulating layers. In some embodiment, the materials of thefirst substrate111, thesecond substrate116, thethird substrate131 and thefourth substrate135 may be the same or different; but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The material of thecommon electrode112, thepixel electrode114, thefirst electrode132 and thesecond electrode134 may respectively include a transparent conductive metal oxide such as ITO (indium tin oxide), IZO (indium zinc oxide), ITZO (indium tin zinc oxide), IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide), AZO (aluminum zinc oxide) or a combination thereof; but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The insulatinglayer113 may include organic material or inorganic material, for example, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, resin, polymer, photoresist, or a combination thereof; but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device of the present embodiment is similar to that shown inFIG. 1, except for the following differences.

As shown inFIG. 8, the secondlight adjusting unit13 and thedisplay cell11 is disposed between thefirst polarizer15 and thesecond polarizer16, the firstlight adjusting unit12 disposed between thesecond polarizer16 and thethird polarizer17, the secondlight adjusting unit13 is disposed on thedisplay cell11, and the firstlight adjusting unit12 can be disposed below thedisplay cell11. In addition, the firstlight adjusting unit12 comprises a first viewingangle changing area12aand afirst dummy area12b,and the secondlight adjusting unit13 comprises a second viewingangle changing area13aand asecond dummy area13b.The first viewingangle changing area12acorresponds to the second viewingangle changing area13a,and in particular, the second viewingangle changing area13athe first viewingangle changing area12aare overlapped. Thefirst dummy area12bcorresponds to thesecond dummy area13b,and in particular, thesecond dummy area13boverlaps thefirst dummy area12b.

Herein, the region with thefirst dummy area12band thesecond dummy area13bis in the wide mode, no matter the region with the first viewingangle changing area12aand the second viewingangle changing area13ais in the narrow mode or in the wide mode. Herein, thefirst dummy area12bof the firstlight adjusting unit12 or thesecond dummy area13bof the secondlight adjusting unit13 may respectively disposed with or without electrodes. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, thefirst dummy area12bof the firstlight adjusting unit12 and thesecond dummy area13bof the secondlight adjusting unit13 are disposed with the electrodes to maintain the transmittance of the region with thefirst dummy area12band thesecond dummy area13b,but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Even not shown inFIG. 1, the firstlight adjusting unit12 and the secondlight adjusting unit13 may also comprise the first viewingangle changing area12aand thefirst dummy area12b,the second viewingangle changing area13aand thesecond dummy area13bmentioned above.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device of the present embodiment comprises: adisplay cell11; a firstlight adjusting unit12; and a secondlight adjusting unit13, wherein thedisplay cell11, the firstlight adjusting unit12 and the secondlight adjusting unit13 are at least partially overlapped. The electronic device of the present embodiment further comprises: afirst polarizer15 and asecond polarizer16, wherein thedisplay cell11 and the secondlight adjusting unit13 are disposed between thefirst polarizer15 and thesecond polarizer16.

As shown inFIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the firstlight adjusting unit12 comprises a collimatedbacklight module141 and anactive diffuser142 disposed on the collimatedbacklight module141, and thedisplay cell11 is disposed on theactive diffuser142.

In the present embodiment, the collimatedbacklight module141 may be a direct-lit backlight module or an edge-lit backlight module. The collimatedbacklight module141 may comprise a prism sheet or a louver film to make the light emitting from the collimatedbacklight module141 have narrow light dispersion. The beam angle of the collimate light may be, for example, within ±40 degrees, ±30 degrees or ±20 degrees from a normal direction of thedisplay cell11, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In addition, theactive diffuser142 used herein refers to a diffuser that the haze thereof can be adjusted. Example of theactive diffuser142 may include a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) film or a polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) film. In the wide mode, theactive diffuser142 is adjusted to have high haze, and theactive diffuser142 is in a diffusing state. In the narrow mode, theactive diffuser142 is adjusted to have low haze (for example, close to 0%), and theactive diffuser142 is in a transparent state.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device of the present embodiment is similar to that shown inFIG. 9, except for the firstlight adjusting unit12. In the present embodiment, the firstlight adjusting unit12 comprises: anon-collimated backlight module14; a louver film143 disposed on thenon-collimated backlight module14; and anactive diffuser142 disposed on the louver film143, wherein thedisplay cell11 is disposed on theactive diffuser142. Theactive diffuser142 used herein is similar to that illustrated above.

Thenon-collimated backlight module14 may be a direct-lit backlight module or an edge-lit backlight module. The difference between thenon-collimated backlight module14 and the collimatedbacklight module141 is that, the collimatedbacklight module141 has narrow light dispersion, but thenon-collimated backlight module14 has wide light dispersion. The beam angle of the light emitting from thenon-collimated backlight module14 may be, for example, within ±90 degrees, ±80 degrees or ±70 degrees from a normal direction of thedisplay cell11, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. By using the louver film143, the light emitting from thenon-collimated backlight module14 can be converted into collimate light.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device of the present embodiment is similar to that shown inFIG. 9, except for the firstlight adjusting unit12. In the present embodiment, the firstlight adjusting unit12 comprises a collimatedbacklight module141 and atransparent backlight module144 disposed on the collimatedbacklight module141, and thedisplay cell11 is disposed on thetransparent backlight module144. Herein, thetransparent backlight module144 has wide light dispersion, and the beam angle of the light emitting from thetransparent backlight module144 may be, for example, within ±90 degrees, ±80 degrees or ±70 degrees from a normal direction of thedisplay cell11.

The structure of thetransparent backlight module144 can be similar to the non-collimated backlight module. For example, thetransparent backlight module144 may comprise a light guide plate, and plural cavities or air bubbles are formed or embedded in the light guide plate. Because the refractive index of the cavities or the air bubbles is different from the refractive index of the material of the light guide plate, so the light incident into the light guide plate may be refracted, reflected or scattered. Thus the purpose of wide viewing angle can be achieved. Herein, the shapes or the sizes of the cavities or the air bubbles are not particularly limited, and may be adjusted according to the need.

As shown inFIG. 11, in the wide mode, the collimatedbacklight module141 is in the off-state and thetransparent backlight module144 is in the on-state. In the narrow mode, the collimatedbacklight module141 is in the on-state and thetransparent backlight module144 is in the off-state.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device of the present embodiment is similar to that shown inFIG. 11, except for the firstlight adjusting unit12. In the present embodiment, the firstlight adjusting unit12 comprises: anon-collimated backlight module14; a louver film143 disposed on thenon-collimated backlight module14; and atransparent backlight module144 disposed on the louver film143, wherein thedisplay cell11 is disposed on thetransparent backlight module144. Herein, thetransparent backlight module144 has wide light dispersion.

Thenon-collimated backlight module14, the louver film143 and thetransparent backlight module144 with wide light dispersion are similar to those stated above, and the descriptions thereof are not repeated again.

As shown inFIG. 12, in the wide mode, thenon-collimated backlight module14 is in an off-state and thetransparent backlight module144 is in an on-state. In the narrow mode, thenon-collimated backlight module14 is in an on-state and thetransparent backlight module144 is in an off-state.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device of the present embodiment is similar to that shown inFIG. 11, except for the firstlight adjusting unit12. In the present embodiment, the firstlight adjusting unit12 comprises: anon-collimated backlight module14; and atransparent backlight module144′ disposed on thenon-collimated backlight module14, wherein thedisplay cell11 is disposed on thetransparent backlight module144′. Herein, thetransparent backlight module144′ has narrow light dispersion, and the beam angle of the light emitting from thetransparent backlight module144 may be, for example, within ±40 degrees, ±30 degrees or ±20 degrees from a normal direction of thedisplay cell11.

As shown inFIG. 13, in the wide mode, thenon-collimated backlight module14 is in the on-state, and thetransparent backlight module144′ is in the off-state. In the narrow mode, thenon-collimated backlight module14 is in the off-state, and thetransparent backlight module144 is in the on-state.

In the electronic devices shown inFIG. 9 toFIG. 13, thedisplay cell11, the secondlight adjusting unit13, thefirst polarizer15 and thesecond polarizer16 are similar to those stated above, and are not repeated again. In addition, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, thedisplay cell11 and the secondlight adjusting unit13 of the electronic devices shown inFIG. 9 toFIG. 13 together may be replaced by the secondlight adjusting unit13′ illustrated above.

In addition, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the firstlight adjusting unit12 of the electronic devices shown inFIG. 9 toFIG. 13 may comprise a first viewing angle changing area and a first dummy area (not shown in the figure), and the secondlight adjusting unit13 comprises a second viewingangle changing area13aand asecond dummy area13b(similar to those shown inFIG. 8). The first viewing angle changing area corresponds to the second viewingangle changing area13a,and in particular, the second viewingangle changing area13aoverlaps the first viewing angle changing area. The first dummy area corresponds to thesecond dummy area13b,and in particular, thesecond dummy area13boverlaps the first dummy area. Herein, the region with the first dummy area and thesecond dummy area13bis in the wide mode, no matter the region with the first viewing angle changing area and the second viewingangle changing area13ais in the narrow mode or in the wide mode.

In the present disclosure, the features in different embodiments of the present disclosure can be mixed to form another embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as hereinafter claimed.

Although the present disclosure has been explained in relation to its embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display cell;

a first light adjusting unit; and

a second light adjusting unit,

wherein the display cell, the first light adjusting unit and the second light adjusting unit are at least partially overlapped, the display cell directly contacts the second light adjusting unit, and at least one of the first light adjusting unit and the second light adjusting unit is an ECB mode liquid crystal cell.

2. The electronic device ofclaim 1, comprising a first polarizer and a second polarizer, wherein the display cell and the second light adjusting unit are disposed between the first polarizer and the second polarizer.

3. The electronic device ofclaim 2, wherein the second light adjusting unit is disposed on the display cell.

4. The electronic device ofclaim 2, comprising a third polarizer, wherein the first light adjusting unit is disposed between the second polarizer and the third polarizer.

5. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein the second light adjusting unit is an ECB mode liquid crystal cell.

6. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the first light adjusting unit is an ECB mode liquid crystal cell, a TN mode liquid crystal cell, a VA mode liquid crystal cell, or a VA-ECB hybrid mode liquid crystal cell.

7. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein the first light adjusting unit comprises:

a collimated backlight module; and

an active diffuser disposed on the collimated backlight module, wherein the display cell is disposed on the active diffuser.

8. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein the first light adjusting unit comprises:

a collimated backlight module; and

a transparent backlight module disposed on the collimated backlight module, wherein the display cell is disposed on the transparent backlight module.

9. The display device ofclaim 8, wherein the transparent backlight module comprises a light guide plate, and plural cavities or air bubbles are formed or embedded in the light guide plate.

10. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein the first light adjusting unit comprises:

a non-collimated backlight module;

a louver film disposed on the non-collimated backlight module; and

an active diffuser disposed on the louver film, wherein the display cell is disposed on the active diffuser.

11. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein the first light adjusting unit comprises:

a non-collimated backlight module;

a louver film disposed on the non-collimated backlight module; and

a transparent backlight module disposed on the louver film, wherein the display cell is disposed on the transparent backlight module.

12. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein the first light adjusting unit comprises:

a non-collimated backlight module;

a transparent backlight module disposed on the non-collimated backlight module, wherein the display cell is disposed on the transparent backlight module.

13. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the first light adjusting unit comprises a first viewing angle changing area and a first dummy area, and the second light adjusting unit comprises a second viewing angle changing area and a second dummy area;

wherein the first viewing angle changing area corresponds to the second viewing angle changing area, and the first dummy area corresponds to the second dummy area.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a backlight module;

a first light adjusting unit; and

a second light adjusting unit disposed between the first light adjusting unit and the backlight module, wherein the second light adjusting unit comprises plural pixels,

wherein at least one of the plural pixels comprises a display region and a viewing angle changing region, and an operation mode of the display region is different from an operation mode of the viewing angle changing region.

15. The electronic device ofclaim 14, wherein the display region is operated by an IPS mode.

16. The electronic device ofclaim 14, wherein the viewing angle changing region is operated by an ECB mode.

17. The electronic device ofclaim 14, wherein an alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the display region are controlled by a first transistor, and an alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the viewing angle changing region are controlled by a second transistor.

18. The electronic device ofclaim 14, further comprising a first polarizer and a second polarizer, wherein the second light adjusting unit is disposed between the first polarizer and the second polarizer.

19. The electronic device ofclaim 18, further comprising a third polarizer, wherein the first light adjusting unit is disposed between the second polarizer and the third polarizer.

20. The display device ofclaim 14, wherein the first light adjusting unit is an ECB mode liquid crystal cell, a TN mode liquid crystal cell, a VA mode liquid crystal cell, or a VA-ECB hybrid mode liquid crystal cell.