Patent Application
20080117377
The present invention relates to liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and more particularly to a liquid crystal display with protrusions formed at a non-display area of a liquid crystal display panel employed in the liquid crystal display.
Liquid crystal displays have the advantages of portability, low power consumption, and low radiation. Therefore, liquid crystal displays have been widely used in common daily life. Typically, a liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal display panel.
The sealant 15 is sandwiched between the color filter substrate 11 and the TFT substrate 13. The sealant 15 coupled with the TFT substrate 13 and the color filter substrate 11 defines a liquid crystal cell (not labeled). The liquid crystal layer 17 is sealed in the liquid crystal cell.
The liquid crystal display panel 10 may be assembled by the following steps. Firstly, the TFT substrate 13 is provided. Secondly, the unhardened sealant 15 is arranged at four peripheral sides of the TFT substrate 13 to form a four-sided frame pattern. The sealant 15 together with the TFT substrate 13 forms a space for holding liquid crystal. Afterward, liquid crystal is put into the space drop by drop. The space is thereby filled with the liquid crystal. Then the TFT substrate 13 is transferred to a vacuum chamber. The color filter substrate 11 is pressed onto the sealant 15 and thereby covers the TFT substrate 13. Finally, the sealant 15 is hardened so as to bond the color filter substrate 11 and the TFT substrate 13 together.
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During the process of manufacturing the liquid crystal display panel 10, the color filter substrate 11 is pressed onto the TFT substrate 13 before the sealant 15 is hardened. The black matrix 14 and the coating layer 12 of the color filter substrate 11 may protrude into the liquid crystal layer 17 and extrude some liquid crystal toward the unhardened sealant 15. The unhardened sealant 15 is liable to be deformed by impact force exerted by the extruding liquid crystal. In particular, grooves 16 may be formed at parts of the sealant 15 that are adjacent to the TFT and color filter substrates 13, 11. As a result, the contacting areas between the sealant 15 and the TFT and color filter substrates 13, 11 are reduced. That is, the color filter and TFT substrates 11, 13 may not be strongly combined together with the sealant 15. Therefore, when the liquid crystal display panel 10 sustains shock or vibration, the color filter substrate 11 is liable to detach from the TFT substrate 13. When the liquid crystal display panel 10 becomes damaged in this way, it may malfunction or even fail altogether.
What is needed, therefore, is a liquid crystal display employing a liquid crystal display panel that can overcome the above-described deficiencies.
In one aspect, a liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal display panel defining a display area, and a non-display area around the display area. The liquid crystal display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate parallel to the first substrate, a sealing member located at peripheral sides of the non-display area of the second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer. The sealing member coupled with the first and second substrates defines a liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal layer is contained in the liquid crystal cell. The first substrate includes a plurality of first protrusions located at the non-display area adjacent to the sealing member. The second substrate includes a plurality of second protrusions located at the non-display area adjacent to the sealing member. The first protrusions protrude toward the second substrate and the second protrusions protrude toward the first substrate. The first protrusions are alternately arranged relative to the second protrusions.
In another aspect, a liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal display panel defining a display area, and a non-display area around the display area. The liquid crystal display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate parallel to the first substrate, a sealing member located at peripheral sides of the non-display area of the second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer. The sealing member coupled with the first and second substrates defines a liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal layer is contained in the liquid crystal cell. The first substrate includes a plurality of first protrusions located at the non-display area adjacent to the sealing member. The second substrate includes a plurality of second protrusions located at the non-display area adjacent to the sealing member. The first protrusions protrude toward the second substrate and the second protrusions protrude toward the first substrate. The plurality of first protrusions are staggered relative to at least a plurality of the second protrusions.
Other novel features and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, all the views are schematic.
Reference will now be made to the drawings to describe the preferred and exemplary embodiments in detail.
The liquid crystal display panel 20 includes a first substrate 21, a second substrate 23 disposed parallel to the first substrate 21, a sealant 25 located at four peripheral sides of the non-display area 29 of the second substrate 23, a plurality of spacers 26 disposed between the first and second substrates 21, 23, and a liquid crystal layer 27. In the illustrated embodiment, the first substrate 21 is a color filter substrate, and the second substrate 23 is a TFT substrate. The distance between the first substrate 21 and the second substrate 23 is about 4˜6 micrometers.
The sealant 25 coupled with the first substrate 21 and the second substrate 23 defines a liquid crystal cell (not labeled). The liquid crystal layer 27 is sealed in the liquid crystal cell. The spacers 26 are located in the display area 28 between the first and second substrates 21, 23.
The first substrate 21 includes a color filter layer 210, a first coating layer 212 covering the color filter layer 210, and a light shield layer 215. The color filter layer 210 is located in the display area 28 of the first substrate 21. The color filter layer 210 includes a plurality of color filter units 211 and a black matrix 213. The black matrix 213 fills gaps between the color filter units 211.
The light shield layer 215 is located in the non-display area 29 of the first substrate 21. The light shield layer 215 is provided to absorb light beams at the non-display area 29. The light shield layer 215 is made of the same material as the black matrix 213, and is simultaneously formed with the black matrix 213 in a same fabricating step.
The light shield layer 215 includes a plurality of first protrusions 214 separately arranged thereon. The first protrusions 214 are located between the display area 28 and the sealant 25. The first protrusions 214 are made of the same material as the first coating layer 212, and are simultaneously formed with the first coating layer 212 in a same fabricating step. Each of the first protrusions 214 has a trapezoidal cross-section. In the illustrated embodiment, the trapezoidal cross-section is an isosceles trapezoid. That is, each first protrusion 214 has a width that progressively decreases with increasing distance away from the first substrate 21. The maximum width of the first protrusion 214 is preferably in a range up to 200 micrometers. The minimum width of the first protrusion 214 is preferably in a range down to 20 micrometers. Each of the first protrusions 214 typically has a height in the range from 1.5 micrometers to 2.5 micrometers. The first protrusions 214 can for example be frusto-conical, frusto-pyramidal, frusto-polyhedral, or dome-shaped.
The second substrate 23 includes a plurality of TFTs 230, a second coating layer 232 covering the TFTs 230, and a plurality of second protrusions 234. The TFTs 230 are located on the second substrate 23 directly under corresponding portions of the black matrix 213. Each of the spacers 26 is located between a respective one of the TFTs 230 and the corresponding portion of the black matrix 213. Each of the second protrusions 234 has a structure similar to that of each of the first protrusions 214. The second protrusions 234 are located in the non-display area 29 of the second substrate 23, between the display area 28 and the sealant 25. The second protrusions 234 are made of the same material as the second coating layer 232, and are simultaneously formed with the second coating layer 232 in a same fabricating step. The second and first protrusions 234, 214 are alternately arranged relative to each other. In the illustrated embodiment, the second and first protrusions 234, 214 are aligned along a same vertical plane along a direction from the display area 28 to the sealant 25, but are staggered relative to each other. In alternative embodiments, the second protrusions 234 can be aligned along a same vertical plane, and the first protrusions 214 can be aligned along a same vertical plane different from the vertical plane of the second protrusions 234.
The liquid crystal display panel 20 may be assembled by the following steps. Firstly, the second substrate 23 is provided. Secondly, the unhardened sealant 25 is arranged at four peripheral sides of the second substrate 23 to form a four-sided frame pattern. The sealant 25 together with the second substrate 23 forms a space for holding liquid crystal. Afterward, liquid crystal is put into the space drop by drop. The space is thereby filled with liquid crystal. Then the second substrate 23 is transferred to a vacuum chamber. The first substrate 21 is pressed onto the sealant 25 and thereby covers the second substrate 23. Finally, the sealant 25 is hardened so as to bond the first and second substrates 21, 23 together.
The first and second substrates 21, 23 include the plurality of first and second protrusions 214, 234 located in the non-display area 29 between the display area 28 and the sealant 25. During the process of manufacturing the liquid crystal display panel 20, the first substrate 21 is pressed onto the second substrate 23 before the sealant 25 is hardened. The black matrix 213 and the first coating layer 212 of the first substrate 21 protrude into the liquid crystal layer 27 and extrude some of the liquid crystal toward the unhardened sealant 25. However, the first and second protrusions 214, 234 block the movement of the liquid crystal. Therefore little or even no force is exerted on the unhardened sealant 25 by the extruding liquid crystal. That is, the unhardened sealant 25 sustains little or even no deformation. The contacting areas between the sealant 25 and the first and second substrates 21, 23 remain substantially unchanged. Thus the first and second substrates 21, 23 are strongly bonded together with the sealant 25. As a result, even if the liquid crystal display 2 sustains shock or vibration, damage to the liquid crystal display panel 20 is avoided.
The first portions 415 are made of the same material as the black matrix 413, and are simultaneously formed with the black matrix 413 in a same fabricating step. The second portions 416 are made of the same material as the first coating layer 412, and are simultaneously formed with the first coating layer 412 in a same fabricating step.
A second substrate 43 includes a plurality of second protrusions 434 at the non-display area thereof. Each of the second protrusions 434 includes a third portion 435, and a fourth portion 436 extending from the third portion 435. A second coating layer 432 is provided in the display area of the liquid crystal display panel 40. Further, a plurality of spacers 46 are provided in the display area of the liquid crystal display panel 40.
The third portions 435 are made of the same material as the second coating layer 432, and are simultaneously formed with the second coating layer 432 in a same fabricating step. The fourth portions 436 are made of the same material as the spacers 46, and are simultaneously formed with the spacers 46 in a same fabricating step.
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Various modifications and alterations to the above-described embodiments are possible. For example, the protrusions at the first and second substrates may have other shapes. The protrusions at the first substrate may be made of or include the same material as a common electrode provided at the first substrate. The protrusions at the second substrate may be made of or include the same material as a gate electrodes of TFTs provided at the second substrate.
It is to be further understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set out in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200610156916.1 | Nov 2006 | CN | national |
