US 8,264,645 B2 · Transflective display

Abstract

A multi-mode Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) capable of functioning in a multi-mode, a monochrome reflective mode and a color transmissive mode. One embodiment provides an LCD with color filters only over most or all of the transmissive part of a pixel but only part of the reflective portion of a pixel, enabling readability in the ambient light. Embodiments eliminate the black matrix mask used typically in color filter creation. Additionally, an embodiment provides diagonal pixels to improve the resolution of the LCD in the color transmissive mode. Further, an embodiment enables the light to switch between two colors, while a third color (typically green) is always on, thereby decreasing the required frame rate of the LCD, when used in the hybrid field sequential approach. Yet another embodiment creates colors from the backlight, eliminating the need for color filters. Another embodiment involves use of color filters over only the green pixels, eliminating the need for using additional masks for making the color filter array.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A multi-mode Liquid Crystal display, comprising:

a light source for illuminating the multi-mode display;
a first polarizer for aligning the plane of polarization of light from the light source to a first plane;
a second polarizer for aligning the plane of polarization of the light from the light source to a pre-defined second plane;
a first substrate and a second substrate, the first substrate and the second substrate being interposed between the first polarizer and the second polarizer;
and
a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels being positioned at the first substrate, each of the plurality of pixels comprising a reflective part and a transmissive part, wherein the reflective part has only part of a color filter, and at least part of the transmissive part comprises one or more color-filters that mostly or completely cover the transmissive part of the pixel;
wherein the reflective part is configured for monochrome reflectance;
wherein the reflective part comprises a first reflective area covered with the color filter and a second reflective area not covered with the color filter, and wherein the first reflective area is smaller than the second reflective area.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Transflective display

Life of this patent

Transflective display

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22