# US 2013/0155337 A1 · Liquid crystal display device

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- Number: US 2013/0155337 A1
- Document ID: US20130155337A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/820,692
- Filed: 2012-07-13
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2011-07-22
- Assignees: Panasonic Corporation
- Inventors: Keiji Sugiyama; Shinichi Shikii
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130155337A1

## CPC

- G02B 30/28: involving active lenticular arrays
- G02B 27/0093: {with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking}
- G02B 30/36: using refractive optical elements, e.g. prisms, in the optical path between the images and the observer
- G02F 1/1313: {specially adapted for a particular application}
- G02F 1/1347: Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells
- H04N 13/312: the parallax barriers being placed behind the display panel, e.g. between backlight and spatial light modulator [SLM]
- H04N 13/32: using arrays of controllable light sources; using moving apertures or moving light sources
- H04N 13/371: for tracking viewers with different interocular distances; for tracking rotational head movements around the vertical axis
- H04N 13/373: for tracking forward-backward translational head movements, i.e. longitudinal movements
- H04N 13/376: for tracking left-right translational head movements, i.e. lateral movements
- G02F 1/133615: {Edge-illuminating devices, i.e. illuminating from the side}
- G02F 1/29: for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

Included is a light emitting unit, an optical deflector, a control unit, and a liquid crystal panel. The optical deflector includes a first optical deflector and a second optical deflector which are arranged side by side in a direction from a light incident side to a light emitting side. A maximum light deflection angle of the first optical deflector is smaller than a maximum light deflection angle of the second optical deflector, and a maximum light deflection speed of the first optical deflector is higher than a maximum light deflection speed of the second optical deflector. The first optical deflector includes a first optical deflection layer and a second optical deflection layer stacked in the direction from the light incident side to the light emitting side. Each of the first and second optical deflection layers includes the liquid crystal deflection elements arranged in the planar state.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A liquid crystal display device, comprising:
a light emitting unit configured to emit light;
an optical deflector that deflects the light emitted by the light emitting unit;
a control unit configured to control a light deflection angle of the optical deflector; and
a liquid crystal panel that forms an image from the light traveling from the optical deflector,
wherein the optical deflector includes a first optical deflector and a second optical deflector which are arranged side by side in a direction from a light incident side to a light emitting side,
a maximum light deflection angle of the first optical deflector is smaller than a maximum light deflection angle of the second optical deflector, and a maximum light deflection speed of the first optical deflector is higher than a maximum light deflection speed of the second optical deflector,
each of the first optical deflector and the second optical deflector includes a plurality of liquid crystal deflection elements arranged in a planar state,
the control unit is configured to apply a voltage to each of the liquid crystal deflection elements to control a refractive index of the each of the liquid crystal deflection elements, thereby controlling a light deflection angle of the first optical deflector and a light deflection angle of the second optical deflector, and
the first optical deflector includes a plurality of optical deflection layers stacked in the direction from the light incident side to the light emitting side, each of the optical deflection layers including the liquid crystal deflection elements arranged in the planar state.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
wherein the optical deflection layers include at least a first optical deflection layer and a second optical deflection layer, and
the control unit is configured to:
when a light deflection direction of the first optical deflector is to be controlled to be a first deflection direction, control respective refractive indexes of the liquid crystal deflection elements in the first optical deflection layer to prevent the first optical deflection layer from deflecting the light, and
when the light deflection direction of the first optical deflector is to be controlled to be a second deflection direction different from the first deflection direction, control respective refractive indexes of the liquid crystal deflection elements in the second optical deflection layer to prevent the second optical deflection layer from deflecting the light.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
wherein the control unit has a visual distance measurement unit configured to measure a visual distance between a viewer viewing the liquid crystal panel and the liquid crystal panel, and
the control unit is configured to control an angle of a range in which the first optical deflector deflects the light to be equal to or larger than a larger one of a both-eye angle and a half angle, the both-eye angle being determined by a distance between both eyes of the viewer and the visual distance measured by the visual distance measurement unit, the half angle being a spread angle of light which is emitted from the liquid crystal panel and spreads due to diffraction until the light is incident on an eye of the viewer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
wherein the control unit is configured to change light deflection angles of at least two of the optical deflection layers, every time the first optical deflector deflects the light to a specific deflection direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
wherein the liquid crystal deflection elements includes respective liquid crystals, and
each of respective heights of the liquid crystals in the first optical deflector in the direction from the light incident side to the light emitting side is lower than a height of a corresponding one of the liquid crystals in the second optical deflector in the direction from the light incident side to the light emitting side.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
wherein the liquid crystal deflection elements includes respective liquid crystals,
each of respective widths of the liquid crystals in the first optical deflector in a direction perpendicular to the direction from the light incident side to the light emitting side is smaller than a width of a corresponding one of the liquid crystals in the second optical deflector in the direction perpendicular to the direction from the light incident side to the light emitting side.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
wherein the liquid crystal deflection elements include respective liquid crystals, and
each of respective change widths of refractive indexes of the liquid crystals in the first optical deflector is smaller than a change width of a refractive index of a corresponding one of the liquid crystals in the second optical deflector.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising
a head position detection unit configured to detect a position of a head of a viewer viewing the liquid crystal panel, and
wherein the control unit is configured to control a light deflection angle of the second optical deflector based on the position of the head of the viewer which is detected by the head position detection unit.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising
a both-eye position detection unit configured to detect positions of both eyes of a viewer viewing the liquid crystal panel,
wherein the control unit is configured to control a light deflection angle of the first optical deflector based on the positions of the both eyes of the viewer which are detected by the both-eye position detection unit.