Liquid crystal display element, image display apparatus, method for driving image display apparatus, and portable device

An image display apparatus comprising:

• a liquid crystal display element in which a plurality of display units including at least a pixel that displays an image for a first eyepoint and a pixel that displays an image for a second eyepoint are arranged in a matrix shape;
• optical means which distributes light emitted from the pixel that displays the image for the first eyepoint and light emitted from the pixel that displays the image for the second eyepoint in mutually different directions depending on a predetermined signal;
• a first control electrode and a second control electrode disposed on each pixel in the display units;
• and
• a plurality of domain regions of which an orientation of liquid crystal molecules is controlled by a diagonal electric field or a lateral electric field formed by the first control electrode and the second control electrode and which have different liquid crystal molecule orientation states,
• wherein, assuming that a direction of the light distributed by the optical means is a first direction and a direction orthogonal to the first direction is a second direction, a region in which respective pixels in the display units overlap each other in the second direction is an overlapping region, a case in which a predetermined signal is input into the optical means is a 3D mode, and the other case is a 2D mode,
• the optical means comprises an optical principal axis that effectively passes through a center point of the display units and extends in the second direction;
• the control electrodes in the overlapping region are disposed in a direction different from the second direction;
• the overlapping region is repeatedly bent and disposed to be across the optical principal axis in each of the display units arranged in the second direction;
• each of the regions in different liquid crystal molecule orientation states is disposed in each of the display units arranged in the second direction along the overlapping region;
• the regions in different liquid crystal molecule orientation states are disposed effectively periodically disposed along the optical principal axis;
• and
• the driving polarity of a pixel is different between the 3D mode and the 2D mode,
• wherein
• the second control electrode disposed on an upper layer of the first control electrode via an insulating film comprises a plurality of slits extending in the first direction;
• any one of the control electrodes is composed of a pixel electrode which can be independently driven in each of the pixels;
• and
• a section between the pixel electrodes adjacent to each other in the first direction tilts in a direction different from the second direction in the overlapping region and is repeatedly disposed across the optical principal axis in each of the display units arranged in the second direction,
• wherein
• assuming that an angle between the second direction and a liquid crystal initial orientation direction θLC is (90-θ) degree(s) and an angle between the second direction and a tilt direction between the pixel electrodes is φ, a first region in which an angle between a liquid crystal initial orientation direction θLC and a liquid crystal driving electric field direction φE satisfies (90-θ) degree(s), a second region in which an angle between a liquid crystal initial orientation direction θLC and a liquid crystal driving electric field direction φE satisfies (φ+θ) degree(s), and a third region in which an angle between a liquid crystal initial orientation direction θLC and a liquid crystal driving electric field direction φE satisfies (φ-θ) degree(s) are disposed on at least the optical principal axis and are periodically disposed along the second direction.

A liquid crystal display element in which a plurality of square pixels, which comprises at least two subpixels and in which a plurality of display units comprising subpixels having the same color are arranged, are arranged in a matrix shape, wherein

• a control electrode pair comprising a first control electrode and a second control electrode disposed in each pixel in the display units and a plurality of domain regions in different liquid crystal molecule orientation states, of which an orientation of liquid crystal molecules is controlled by a diagonal electric field or a lateral electric field formed by the first control electrode and the second control electrode are included;
• assuming that a direction in which the subpixels are arranged is a first direction, a direction orthogonal to the first direction is a second direction, and a region in which respective subpixels in the display units overlap each other in the second direction is an overlapping region,
• the control electrodes in the overlapping region are disposed in a direction different from the second direction;
• the overlapping region is bent and repeatedly disposed in each of the display units arranged in the second direction;
• and
• each of the regions in different liquid crystal molecule orientation states is disposed in each display unit arranged in the second direction in the overlapping region,
• wherein
• the second control electrode disposed on an upper layer of the first control electrode via an insulating film comprises a plurality of slits extending in the first direction;
• any one of the control electrodes is composed of a pixel electrode which can be independently driven in each of the pixels;
• and
• a section between the pixel electrodes adjacent to each other in the first direction tilts in a direction different from the second direction in the overlapping region and is repeatedly disposed across the optical principal axis in each of the display units arranged in the second direction,
• wherein
• assuming that an angle between the second direction and a liquid crystal initial orientation direction θLC is (90-θ) degree(s) and an angle between the second direction and a tilt direction between the pixel electrodes is φ, a first region in which an angle between a liquid crystal initial orientation direction θLC and a liquid crystal driving electric field direction φE satisfies (90-θ) degree(s), a second region in which an angle between a liquid crystal initial orientation direction θLC and a liquid crystal driving electric field direction φE satisfies (φ+θ) degree(s), and a third region in which an angle between a liquid crystal initial orientation direction θLC and a liquid crystal driving electric field direction φE satisfies (φ-θ) degree(s) are disposed on at least the optical principal axis and are periodically disposed along the second direction.