JP2007183688A - Liquid crystal device and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal device wherein a sufficient amount of environmental light can be received on a light receiving surface and to provide an electronic device. <P>SOLUTION: In the liquid crystal device provided with a liquid crystal panel provided with a first substrate, a second substrate and a sealing material provided therebetween and sealing a liquid crystal layer and a photodetector having the light receiving surface receiving environmental light made incident in the liquid crystal panel, the liquid crystal panel includes a light shielding film enclosing an image display region and the light shielding film includes a transmission region in a position overlapping with at least part of the light receiving surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device and an electronic apparatus that emit illumination light from the back side of a liquid crystal panel, for example.

In general, a liquid crystal device used as a display unit of an electronic device includes a liquid crystal panel and a backlight that is illumination means provided on the back side of the liquid crystal panel. In a portable electronic device such as a cellular phone, in order to reduce power consumption in the backlight, a transmissive display mode in which display is performed by transmitting illumination light from the backlight, and ambient light that is light outside the casing of the cellular phone. A transflective liquid crystal device having a reflective display mode for performing display by reflecting the light is used.
In such a liquid crystal device, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is used as a backlight, and a control circuit that controls the intensity of illumination light by adjusting the amount of current supplied to the LED is provided. Is provided. In addition, in order to perform good display on the liquid crystal panel according to the brightness of the outside of the electronic device, an optical sensor that measures the intensity of ambient light is provided, and the control circuit uses a backlight based on the measurement result of the optical sensor. A liquid crystal device for adjusting the strength of the liquid crystal has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Here, as an arrangement position of the optical sensor, it is desirable that the detection position of the ambient light by the optical sensor is in the vicinity of the display area of the liquid crystal panel.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-121997

  However, the conventional liquid crystal device has the following problems. That is, this is because the polarizing plates are provided on the front side and the back side of the display area of the liquid crystal panel, respectively. Generally, non-polarized ambient light passes through the polarizing plate on the front side of these polarizing plates and reaches the liquid crystal panel, so that the intensity of the environmental light is approximately halved. For this reason, the amount of light received at the light receiving surface of the optical sensor is significantly attenuated by the polarizing plate, and it becomes impossible to receive a sufficient amount of ambient light at the light receiving surface. Therefore, there is a problem that it is necessary to increase the light receiving area of the optical sensor in order to improve the sensitivity of ambient light by the optical sensor. And by enlarging the light receiving area in this way, the display area of the liquid crystal device is narrowed and the appearance design of the liquid crystal device is impaired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a liquid crystal device and an electronic apparatus that can receive a sufficient amount of ambient light on a light receiving surface.

  The following configuration is adopted as an example for solving the above-described problems. That is, the first and second substrates sandwiching the liquid crystal layer and a sealing material provided between the first and second substrates for sealing the liquid crystal layer are irradiated with illumination light from the back side. A liquid crystal panel, an optical plate disposed on the front side of the liquid crystal panel, and control means for controlling a display state of an image displayed on the liquid crystal panel, wherein the liquid crystal panel receives ambient light. And at least a part of the light receiving surface of the light receiving means is provided at a position that does not overlap the optical plate in plan view.

  In the above example, by forming at least a part of the light receiving surface at a position that does not overlap the optical plate in plan view, the ambient light reaches the light receiving surface without being significantly attenuated or blocked by the sealing material or the optical plate. As a result, the amount of ambient light can be prevented from being significantly attenuated in the optical plate, and a sufficient amount of light can be received by the light receiving surface, eliminating the need to increase the light receiving area. Therefore, the display area of the liquid crystal device, which is the area surrounded by the sealing material, is not narrowed, and the appearance design is maintained.

Moreover, it is preferable that at least a part of the light receiving surface of the light receiving means is provided at a position that does not overlap the sealing material and the optical plate in plan view.
In this example, by forming at least a part of the light receiving surface at a position that does not overlap with the sealing material and the optical plate in plan view, similarly to the above, the amount of ambient light is prevented from being significantly attenuated in the optical plate. A sufficient amount of light can be received on the light receiving surface, and it is not necessary to increase the light receiving area. Therefore, the display area of the liquid crystal device is not narrowed and the appearance design is maintained.

The light receiving surface of the light receiving means is provided at a position overlapping the liquid crystal layer in plan view, and transmits the ambient light to a position of the optical plate that overlaps at least a part of the light receiving surface in plan view. It is preferable that a transmissive region is formed.
In this example, by forming a transmission region on the optical plate, the ambient light reaches the light receiving surface without being significantly attenuated or blocked by the optical plate.

A liquid crystal device according to the present invention receives a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal panel provided between them and a sealing material for sealing a liquid crystal layer, and ambient light incident on the liquid crystal panel And a light-receiving element having a light-receiving surface, wherein the liquid crystal panel includes a light-shielding film that surrounds an image display region, and the light-shielding film is a transmission region at a position that overlaps at least a part of the light-receiving surface. It is characterized by comprising. It is preferable that at least a part of the light shielding film and the light receiving surface is disposed inside a region surrounded by the sealing material. The light receiving element can be disposed at a corner of a region surrounded by the light shielding film, and more specifically, the corner may be cut out.
In this invention, by forming the light shielding film transmission region in the light shielding film, the ambient light reaches the light receiving surface without being attenuated by the light shielding film. As a result, it is possible to prevent the light receiving intensity of ambient light on the light receiving surface from decreasing.

In addition, it is preferable that the first substrate has a projecting portion that projects from the second substrate in a plan view, and the light receiving surface of the light receiving means is provided on the projecting portion.
In this example, the light receiving surface of the light receiving means is formed on the overhanging portion, so that ambient light reaches the light receiving surface without passing through the optical plate.

The optical plate is preferably a polarizing plate.
In this example, the intensity of the ambient light is reduced to about half by the polarizing plate. It reaches.

The liquid crystal panel further includes an illuminating means for illuminating illumination light, and controls the intensity of the illumination light based on the intensity of the ambient light received by the light receiving element.
In this invention, since the control means controls the intensity of the illumination light by the illumination means based on the intensity of the ambient light, it is possible to perform an appropriate display regardless of the brightness of the ambient light, and to reduce the power consumption of the illumination means. Can be reduced.

An electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the liquid crystal device described above.
In the present invention, since the above-described liquid crystal device is provided and a sufficient amount of ambient light can be received by the light receiving surface, the display area of the liquid crystal device is not narrowed and the appearance design is maintained.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a liquid crystal device and an electronic apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the liquid crystal device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2A is a plan view of the liquid crystal panel, FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit configuration of a liquid crystal device.
The liquid crystal device 10 is a transflective TFT (Thin Film Transistors) active matrix type liquid crystal device. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the liquid crystal device 10 includes a liquid crystal panel 11, a first polarizing plate (optical plate) 12 provided on the front side and the back side of the liquid crystal panel 11, and a second polarizing plate. 13, a backlight (illuminating means) 14 provided on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 11, and a backlight control circuit (control means) 15 that controls the intensity of the illumination light by adjusting the current supplied to the backlight 14. It has.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, the liquid crystal panel 11 includes a TFT array substrate (first substrate) 22 and a counter substrate (second substrate) 23 that sandwich the liquid crystal layer 21, and these And a sealing material 24 which is provided at the peripheral portion of the opposing surface and has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view and seals the liquid crystal layer 21. In the liquid crystal panel 11, the TFT array substrate 22 and the counter substrate 23 overlap with each other, and the inside of a seal region surrounded by a later-described peripheral light shielding film (light shielding film) 51 formed inside the sealing material 24 is displayed as an image. This is an area 25. In the liquid crystal panel 11, the TFT array substrate 22 is a back side substrate, and the counter substrate 23 is a front side substrate.

  The liquid crystal layer 21 is made of, for example, liquid crystal mixed with one or more types of nematic liquid crystal, and is in a predetermined alignment state between alignment films (not shown) formed on the TFT array substrate 22 and the counter substrate 23, respectively. ing. Here, as the liquid crystal layer 21, a TN (Twisted Nematic) mode using a liquid crystal having a positive dielectric anisotropy and a VAN (Vertical Aligned Nematic) mode having a negative dielectric anisotropy are applicable. is there.

  The TFT array substrate 22 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and is formed of a light-transmitting material such as quartz, glass, or plastic. In addition, the TFT array substrate 22 is formed with an overhanging portion 22A that projects outward from the counter substrate 23 at one end portion.

In a region of the TFT array substrate 22 that overlaps the counter substrate 23 in plan view, a plurality of scanning lines 31, signal lines 32, TFTs 33 and pixel electrodes 34, a light receiving element (light receiving means) 35, and a signal line driving circuit 36 are provided. And scanning line driving circuits 37 and 38 are provided.
The overhanging portion 22A of the TFT array substrate 22 is provided with respective terminal portions 39 of the signal line driving circuit 36, the scanning line driving circuits 37 and 38, and the light receiving element 35. It is connected to the.

As shown in FIG. 3, the scanning line 31 is a wiring extending in the X direction, and is formed of a metal such as aluminum. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the signal line 32 is a wiring extending in the Y direction, and is provided so as to intersect with the scanning line 31. Similarly to the scanning line 31, a metal such as aluminum is used. Is formed by. A pixel region is formed by the scanning lines 31 and the signal lines 32.
This pixel area is an area surrounded by each scanning line 31 and each signal line 32. The pixel area is formed so as to overlap with an arrangement area of a color filter (not shown) provided on the counter substrate 23 in plan view.

The TFT 33 is composed of, for example, an n-type transistor, and is provided at each intersection of the scanning line 31 and the signal line 32. In addition, an amorphous polysilicon film or a polysilicon film obtained by crystallizing an amorphous polysilicon film is partially formed on the upper surface of the TFT array substrate 22, and partial impurity introduction or activation is performed on the polysilicon film. It is formed by doing.
The scanning line 31 is electrically connected to the gate of the TFT 33, and the pixel electrode 34 is electrically connected to the drain of the TFT 33.
In addition, a storage capacitor 41 is connected in parallel with the pixel electrode 34 in order to prevent leakage of the image signal written to the pixel electrode 34.

  The pixel electrode 34 is formed of a light-transmitting conductive material such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), for example, and is disposed to face a counter electrode 54 (described later) provided on the counter substrate 23. Then, the liquid crystal layer 21 is sandwiched between the pixel electrode 34 and a counter electrode 54 formed on the counter substrate 23 and arranged to face the pixel electrode 34. The pixel electrode 34 is provided with a reflective layer (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 3, the light receiving element 35 is formed at one corner of the image display area 25 on the TFT array substrate 22. The light receiving element 35 is configured by, for example, a photodiode or a phototransistor.
Here, when the light receiving element 35 is constituted by, for example, a PIN (Positive-Intrinsic-Negative) type photodiode, the semiconductor layer constituting the light receiving element 35 is an area where an intrinsic semiconductor or a trace concentration impurity is introduced. An intrinsic semiconductor region (I layer), a p-type semiconductor region (P layer) on one side of the intrinsic semiconductor region (I layer), and an n-type semiconductor region (N layer) on the other side. Thus, a PIN type photodiode can be formed. Such a PIN photodiode can be formed in the same manufacturing process as the TFT 33 by using a semiconductor layer formed in the same process as the semiconductor layer of the TFT 33 as the semiconductor layer.

The signal line driving circuit 36 is partially covered with the sealing material 24 in a plan view, and the other part is provided in the image display area 25 so as to supply image signals to the plurality of signal lines 32. It is configured. Here, the image signal written to the signal line 32 by the signal line driving circuit 36 may be supplied line-sequentially or may be supplied to each of a plurality of adjacent signal lines 32 for each group. Also good.
Similar to the signal line drive circuit 36, the scanning line drive circuits 37 and 38 are partially covered with the sealing material 24 in a plan view and the other parts are provided in the image display region 25, and a plurality of scanning line The scanning signal is supplied to 31 in a pulse-sequential manner at a predetermined timing.
The signal line driving circuit 36 and the scanning line driving circuits 37 and 38 are configured by an electronic circuit in which transistors, diodes, capacitors, and the like are combined. Like the TFT 33 and the light receiving element 35, the signal line driving circuit 36 and the scanning line driving circuits 37 and 38 The amorphous polysilicon film or the polysilicon film obtained by crystallizing the amorphous polysilicon film is formed by partially introducing or activating the impurity. Therefore, it can be formed in the same manufacturing process as the TFT 33 and the light receiving element 35.

  One end side of the flexible substrate 42 is connected to the terminal portion 39 via an anisotropic conductive material such as an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) or an anisotropic conductive paste (ACP). Has been. The timing generation circuit 43 and the scanning line driving circuits 37 and 38 are electrically connected via the flexible substrate 42, and the power supply circuit 44, the signal line driving circuit 36, and the scanning line driving circuits 37 and 38 are electrically connected. The light receiving element 35 and the backlight control circuit 15 are electrically connected. The timing generation circuit 43 is connected to the image processing circuit 45.

  Similar to the TFT array substrate 22, the counter substrate 23 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and is formed of a light-transmitting material such as glass or plastic. A peripheral light shielding film 51, a display area light shielding film 52, a color filter film 53, a counter electrode 54, and an alignment film (not shown) are sequentially stacked on the lower surface of the counter substrate 23 on the liquid crystal layer 21 side.

The peripheral light-shielding film 51 has a rectangular frame shape in plan view, is provided along the inner peripheral side of the sealing material 24, and defines an image display area. Further, in the peripheral light shielding film 51, a light shielding film notch (light shielding film transmission region) 51A is formed at a position overlapping with the light receiving surface 35A in a plan view and a region in the vicinity thereof.
Further, the display area light shielding film 52 has a lattice shape or a stripe shape in plan view, and is provided so as to cover the image display area 25 which is an inner area of the peripheral light shielding film 51.
The color filter film 53 is composed of a plurality of color filters arranged in a matrix in a plan view so as to correspond to each pixel region described above.
The counter electrode 54 is a planar film formed of a light-transmitting conductive material such as ITO, like the pixel electrode 34.

  In addition, vertical conduction members 55 that function as vertical conduction terminals between the counter substrate 23 and the TFT array substrate 22 are disposed at the four corners of the counter substrate 23. Electrical connection between the counter substrate 23 and the TFT array substrate 22 is achieved through the vertical conductive member 55.

  The sealing material 24 has a rectangular frame shape in plan view, and bonds the TFT array substrate 22 and the counter substrate 23 together. The sealing material 24 is made of, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin or a thermosetting resin, and is applied to a predetermined position of the TFT array substrate 22 and then cured by ultraviolet irradiation or heating. Further, a gap material such as glass fiber or glass bead is mixed in the sealing material 24 in order to set the distance (inter-substrate gap) between the TFT array substrate 22 and the counter substrate 23 to a predetermined value.

Each of the first and second polarizing plates 12 and 13 transmits only linearly polarized light that vibrates in a specific direction, and the first polarizing plate 12 is provided on the front side of the liquid crystal panel 11. Is provided on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 11. The first and second polarizing plates 12 and 13 are arranged so that the transmission axes are substantially orthogonal to each other and intersect the rubbing direction of the alignment film at approximately 45 degrees.
Further, in the first polarizing plate 12, a cutout portion (transmission region) 12 </ b> A is formed at a corner portion including a position overlapping with the light receiving surface 35 </ b> A of the light receiving element 35 in the plan view and the vicinity thereof. Therefore, the ambient light incident on the cutout portion 12A of the first polarizing plate 12 from the front side of the first polarizing plate 12 travels toward the light receiving surface 35A without being attenuated by the first polarizing plate 12 regardless of the vibration direction. To do.

The backlight 14 includes a light source formed of, for example, a white LED, a light guide plate that guides illumination light emitted from the light source, and a reflector.
The backlight control circuit 15 is electrically connected to the light receiving element 35 and the backlight 14, and controls the intensity of illumination light from the backlight 14 based on the intensity of ambient light received by the light receiving surface 35 </ b> A of the light receiving element 35. To do.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the intensity of ambient light and the intensity of illumination light emitted from the backlight 14 by the backlight control circuit 15.
As shown in FIG. 4, the backlight control circuit 15 increases the amount of current supplied to the light source of the backlight 14 so that the intensity of illumination light from the backlight 14 gradually increases as the intensity of ambient light increases. . Then, the backlight control circuit 15 supplies a current to the light source so that the intensity of the illumination light becomes the maximum value when the intensity of the ambient light reaches the threshold value T1. Further, the backlight control circuit 15 stops the supply of current to the light source and stops the illumination by the backlight 14 when the threshold T2 is higher than the threshold T1.
That is, the liquid crystal device 10 is in a transmissive display mode in which display is performed by irradiating illumination light from the backlight 14 and transmitting through the liquid crystal panel 11 when the intensity of ambient light is equal to or less than the threshold T2.
The liquid crystal device 10 reflects the reflected ambient light in the liquid crystal panel 11 when the ambient light intensity is greater than a threshold value T2 that is the maximum intensity of illumination light emitted from the backlight 14. It becomes a reflective display mode in which the display is performed by reflecting the light and using it as illumination light.

The liquid crystal device 10 having such a configuration is applied to a mobile phone (electronic device) 60 as shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a mobile phone.
The mobile phone 60 includes a main body 61 and a lid 62 connected to the lower end of the main body 61 via a hinge mechanism, and the lid 62 can be opened and closed with respect to the main body 61. ing. The main body 61 is provided with a display unit 63 including the liquid crystal device 10 described above, an operation unit 64 in which a plurality of operation keys are arranged, an earpiece 65, and an antenna 66. Further, the lid 62 is provided with a mouthpiece 67.

Next, a method for controlling the intensity of illumination light of the backlight 14 based on the intensity of ambient light in the mobile phone 60 including the liquid crystal device 10 having such a configuration will be described.
When the ambient light enters the liquid crystal device 10 from the display unit 63, the light receiving element 35 receives the ambient light. Here, since the notch 12A is formed in the first polarizing plate 12 at a position overlapping the light receiving surface 35A of the light receiving element 35 in plan view, the ambient light is remarkably generated in the first polarizing plate 12 regardless of the vibration direction. It proceeds toward the light receiving surface 35A without being attenuated. Further, since the light receiving surface 35A is not covered with the sealing material 24 and the light shielding film notches 51A and 52A are formed in the peripheral light shielding film 51, the ambient light is received without being attenuated in the peripheral light shielding film 51. Proceed toward the surface 35A.
The light receiving element 35 converts the received ambient light into an electrical signal by photoelectric conversion, and outputs the electrical signal to the backlight control circuit 15.

The backlight control circuit 15 calculates the intensity of illumination light of the backlight 14 corresponding to the intensity of ambient light based on the received electrical signal, and controls the current supplied to the backlight 14.
For example, when the intensity of the ambient light is smaller than the threshold value T1 shown in FIG. 4, the intensity of the illumination light is controlled to gradually increase according to the intensity of the ambient light, and the intensity of the ambient light becomes the threshold value T1. In addition, the transmissive display mode is set with the illumination light intensity set to the maximum value. Further, when the intensity of the ambient light is equal to or higher than the threshold T1 shown in FIG. When the ambient light intensity is larger than the threshold value T2, the ambient light intensity is sufficiently high, so that the current supply to the backlight 14 is stopped and the reflective display mode is set.
As described above, the transmissive display mode and the reflective display mode are selectively used by adjusting the amount of current supplied to the backlight 14 according to the intensity of the ambient light.

  According to the liquid crystal device 10 and the cellular phone 60 configured as described above, the first polarizing plate 12 and the peripheral light shielding film 51 are provided with the notch 12A and the light shielding film notch 51A, respectively, and the light receiving surface 35A is provided. Since it is not covered with the sealing material 24, the ambient light is not significantly attenuated when traveling toward the light receiving surface 35A, and a sufficient amount of ambient light can be received at the light receiving surface 35A. For this reason, since it is not necessary to sufficiently secure the sensitivity of the light receiving element 35 and increase the light receiving area of the light receiving surface 35A, the display area of the liquid crystal device 10 is not narrowed and the appearance design can be maintained.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The embodiment described here has the same basic configuration as that of the first embodiment described above, and is obtained by adding another element to the first embodiment described above. Therefore, in FIG.6 and FIG.7, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as FIG.1 and FIG.2, and this description is abbreviate | omitted.
The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that, in the liquid crystal device 10 of the first embodiment, the light receiving surface 35A of the light receiving element 35 is formed in the image display region 25 of the liquid crystal panel 11. In the liquid crystal device 70 according to the second embodiment, the light receiving surface 72A of the optical element 72 is formed on the protruding portion 22A of the liquid crystal panel 71.
Therefore, the first polarizing plate 73 is provided so as to cover the entire counter substrate 23, and the peripheral light shielding film (not shown) is also provided so as to cover the entire image display region.
Since the light receiving surface 72A is formed on the overhanging portion 22A, the ambient light can be transmitted to a region including the position overlapping the light receiving surface 72A and the vicinity thereof when the liquid crystal panel 71 is viewed in a plan view in the casing of the mobile phone. For this purpose, a through hole is formed and filled with a translucent material.

  In the liquid crystal device 70 configured as described above, similarly to the first embodiment described above, it is possible to ensure the amount of light received at the light receiving surface 72A without the ambient light being significantly attenuated by the first polarizing plate 73. it can.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change can be added in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the entire light receiving surface is formed so as not to overlap with the polarizing plate in a plan view of the liquid crystal panel. However, as long as at least a part of the light receiving surface is not overlapped with the polarizing plate. Good. Further, although the entire light receiving surface is formed so as not to be covered with the sealing material, it is sufficient that at least a part of the light receiving surface is not covered with the sealing material.
Further, although the light receiving element is formed on the TFT array substrate, it may be formed on the counter substrate as long as ambient light can be received on the light receiving surface. Here, the light receiving element formed on the counter substrate is electrically connected to the terminal portion on the TFT substrate via the vertical conduction portion. At this time, the light receiving surface and the sealing material may overlap in a plan view.
Further, although the intensity of illumination light is controlled based on the intensity of ambient light received by the light receiving element, an image displayed on the liquid crystal panel may be corrected based on the intensity of ambient light.
In the first embodiment, a transmission region through which ambient light is transmitted is formed by forming a cutout in the first polarizing plate. However, the transmission is not limited to the cutout and is transmitted by other shapes such as a through hole. A region may be formed. Further, although the light shielding film notch is formed in each light shielding film, the light shielding film notch may not be formed if the attenuation amount of the ambient light by each light shielding film is small.

Further, although the liquid crystal panel has an active matrix structure, a passive matrix structure may be used. At this time, strip-like transparent electrodes were arranged in stripes on one substrate corresponding to the TFT array substrate, and formed on one substrate on the other substrate corresponding to the counter substrate. In the plan view, strip-shaped transparent electrodes are arranged in stripes so as to intersect the transparent electrodes.
Further, although the color filter is formed on the upper surface of the counter substrate on the liquid crystal layer side, the color filter may be formed on the TFT array substrate.

Further, although the liquid crystal device has a transflective configuration, the liquid crystal device may have a transmissive configuration.
Further, the signal line driving circuit and the scanning line driving circuit are partially covered with the sealing material in a plan view, but the sealing material can be provided by being provided within the sealing material region or outside the sealing material region. It is good also as a structure which is not covered with.
Further, although the peripheral light shielding film is formed on the counter substrate, a part or all of the peripheral light shielding film may be provided as a built-in light shielding film on the TFT array substrate side.

The timing generator, power supply circuit, and backlight control circuit are connected to the signal line drive circuit, scan line drive circuit, light receiving element, etc. via a flexible printed circuit board. Similarly to the circuit and the scanning line driver circuit, the TFT array substrate may be formed.
On the upper surface of the TFT array substrate, in addition to the signal line driving circuit and the scanning line driving circuit, a sampling circuit for sampling the image signal on the image signal and supplying it to the signal line and a plurality of signal lines are predetermined. It is possible to provide a precharge circuit that supplies a precharge signal of a voltage level in advance of the image signal, an inspection circuit for inspecting the quality and defects of the mobile phone in the middle of manufacture or at the time of shipment, and the like.
Further, a signal line driving circuit and a scanning line driving circuit are formed on the upper surface of the TFT array substrate. For example, a COF (Chip On) in which a driving LSI having the functions of these signal line driving circuit and scanning line driving circuit is mounted. Film) The substrate may be electrically and mechanically connected to the scanning lines and signal lines on the TFT array substrate via an anisotropic conductive material.

Moreover, you may arrange | position a phase difference plate inside each of a pair of polarizing plate. Here, a circularly polarizing plate can be configured with a pair of polarizing plates by using a λ / 4 plate having a phase difference of approximately ¼ wavelength with respect to the wavelength in the visible light region as the retardation plate. . Moreover, a broadband circularly polarizing plate can be configured by combining a λ / 2 plate and a λ / 4 plate.
Furthermore, an optical compensation film may be provided inside one or both of the pair of polarizing plates as necessary. By using the optical compensation film, the phase difference of the liquid crystal layer between when the liquid crystal device is viewed from the front and when the liquid crystal device is viewed can be compensated, and light leakage can be reduced and the contrast can be increased. Here, as the optical compensation film, a negative uniaxial medium formed by hybrid alignment of discotic liquid crystal molecules having negative refractive index anisotropy or the like can be used. It is also possible to use a positive uniaxial medium formed by hybrid alignment of nematic liquid crystal molecules having positive refractive index anisotropy. Further, a negative uniaxial medium and a positive uniaxial medium can be used in combination. In addition, a biaxial medium in which the refractive index in each direction satisfies nx>ny> nz, a negative C-Plate, or the like may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, a mobile phone is used as an electronic device. However, the present invention is not limited to a mobile phone. Camera, television receiver, viewfinder type or monitor direct-view type video tape recorder, car navigation device, pager, electronic notebook, calculator, word processor, workstation, video phone, POS terminal, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant: personal digital assistant) Other electronic devices such as a device equipped with a touch panel.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows the liquid crystal device in 1st Embodiment. The liquid crystal panel of FIG. 1 is shown, (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view. It is a circuit diagram of the liquid crystal device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the intensity | strength of environmental light, and the intensity | strength of illumination light. 1 is an external perspective view showing a mobile phone according to a first embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the liquid crystal device in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of the liquid crystal device of FIG. 6.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,70 ... Liquid crystal device, 11, 71 ... Liquid crystal panel, 12, 73 ... 1st polarizing plate (optical board), 12A ... Notch part (transmission area | region), 14 ... Backlight (illuminating means), 15 ... Backlight control Circuit (control means), 21 ... liquid crystal layer, 22 ... TFT array substrate (first substrate), 23 ... counter substrate (second substrate), 24 ... sealing material, 35, 72 ... light receiving element (light receiving means), 35A, 72A ... light-receiving surface, 51 ... peripheral light-shielding film (light-shielding film), 51A ... light-shielding film notch (light-shielding film transmission region), 60 ... mobile phone (electronic device).

Claims (6)

A liquid crystal panel comprising a first substrate, a second substrate, and a sealing material provided between them to seal the liquid crystal layer; and a light receiving element having a light receiving surface for receiving ambient light incident on the liquid crystal panel; In a liquid crystal device comprising:
The liquid crystal panel includes a light-shielding film that surrounds an image display area,
The liquid crystal device, wherein the light shielding film is provided with a transmission region at a position overlapping at least a part of the light receiving surface. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1,
At least a part of the light shielding film and the light receiving surface is disposed inside a region surrounded by the sealing material. The liquid crystal device according to claim 2,
The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving element is arranged at a corner of a region surrounded by the light shielding film. The liquid crystal device according to claim 3.
The liquid crystal device, wherein the light shielding film is formed by cutting out the corners. The liquid crystal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The liquid crystal panel further includes illumination means for illuminating illumination light,
A liquid crystal device, wherein the intensity of the illumination light is controlled based on the intensity of the ambient light received by the light receiving element.   An electronic apparatus comprising the liquid crystal device according to claim 1.

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