A liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal layer interposed between first and second substrates and set in vertical alignment (VA); a switching element provided on the first substrate; a connection electrode connected to the switching element; a first reflection film provided above the switching element; a first pixel electrode provided above the first reflection film and overlapping the first reflection film; a second pixel electrode located adjacent to the first pixel electrode; first and second contacts which connect the first and second pixel electrodes to the connection electrode; a first thickness adjusting layer provided on the second substrate and overlapping the first reflection film; a common electrode provided on the second substrate and the first thickness adjusting layer; and first and second protrusions provided on the common electrode and corresponding to the first and second pixel electrodes.

A controller for use in a wet environment such as an ablutionary setting includes a display for displaying information related to the operation of a fluid delivery system. The display includes a light source, a semi-transparent layer, and a touch interface configured to provide an input to the controller. The light source and the semi-transparent layer are configured such that the semi-transparent layer absorbs or reflects light transmitted towards the light source and allows light transmitted from the light source to be transmitted from the display, such that the light source appears hidden when light is not transmitted from the light source.

In the present embodiment, a sealing agent (50) sealing two substates contains a low melting-point glass material and is adhered to each of a first substrate (10) and a second substrate (20), a barrier rib (60), which is formed in such a manner as to surround the outer periphery of an electronic element (30), is disposed between the sealing agent (50) and the electronic element (30), and between the first substrate (10) and the second substrate (20), and the sealing agent (50) is spaced apart from the barrier rib (60). As a result, a deterioration of the electronic element, caused by the heat produced when sealing, may be prevented while the electronic element formed between the two substrates is protected from moisture and oxygen.

It is an object of the present invention to apply a sufficient electrical field to a liquid crystal material in a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display device typified by an FFS type. In a horizontal electrical field liquid crystal display, an electrical field is applied to a liquid crystal material right above a common electrode and a pixel electrode using plural pairs of electrodes rather than one pair of electrodes. One pair of electrodes includes a comb-shaped common electrode and a comb-shaped pixel electrode. Another pair of electrodes includes a common electrode provided in a pixel portion and the comb-shaped pixel electrode.

A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel including a light reflective portion, a first polarizing plate located on a display surface-facing side, a half-wavelength plate and a first quarter-wavelength plate disposed between the liquid crystal display panel and the first polarizing plate. A liquid crystal layer corresponding to the light reflective portion exhibits a retardation which is less than one-half of a retardation of the half-wavelength plate. The first quarter-wavelength plate has a slow axis which intersects a liquid-crystal molecular orientation axis at a time of no electric field application. The expression nx1>nz1>ny1 is satisfied, where nx1, ny1 and nz1 are the refractive indices at each orientation of the half-wavelength plate, and the expression nx2>nz2=ny2 is satisfied, where nx2, ny2 and nz2 are the refractive indices at each orientation of the first quarter-wavelength plate.

A method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device including a reflective or transflective liquid crystal cell whose liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a planar or vertical manner, this liquid crystal cell being formed of a transparent front substrate located on the side of an observer, and a rear substrate, also transparent, which extends beneath the front substrate, parallel to and at a distance from the latter, these two front and rear substrates being joined to each other with a sealing frame which defines a sealed enclosure in which a liquid crystal composition is confined, the front and rear substrates being coated on their opposite faces with electrically conductive transparent electrodes and counter-electrodes, the optical properties of the liquid crystal composition being modified by application of an electric field at the point of intersection between an electrode and a corresponding counter-electrode.

A method for manufacturing a reflective or transflective liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal cell whose liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a planar or vertical manner, this liquid crystal cell being formed of a transparent front substrate located on the side of an observer, and a rear substrate, also transparent, which extends under the front substrate, parallel to and at a distance from the latter, these two front and rear substrates being joined together with a sealing frame which delimits a sealed enclosure in which a liquid crystal composition is confined, the front and rear substrates being coated on the opposite faces thereof with electrically conductive transparent electrodes and counter-electrodes, the optical properties of the liquid crystal composition being changed by applying an electric field at the crossing point between an electrode and a corresponding counter-electrode.

The invention is notably directed to a transflective display device. The device comprises a set of pixels, wherein each of the pixels comprises a portion of bi-stable, phase change material, hereafter a PCM portion, having at least two reversibly switchable states, in which it has two different values of refractive index and/or optical absorption. The device further comprises one or more spacers, optically transmissive, and extending under PCM portions of the set of pixels. One or more reflectors extend under the one or more spacers. An energization structure is in thermal or electrical communication with the PCM portions, via the one or more spacers. Moreover, a display controller is configured to selectively energize, via the energization structure, PCM portions of the pixels, so as to reversibly switch a state of a PCM portion of any of the pixels from one of its reversibly switchable states to the other. A backlight unit is furthermore configured, in the device, to allow illumination of the PCM portions through the one or more spacers. The backlight unit is controlled by a backlight unit controller, which is configured for modulating one or more physical properties of light emitted from the backlight unit. The invention is further directed to related devices and methods of operation.

A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal cell including a first substrate, a second substrate disposed on a viewer side to the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate, and a first linear polarizer disposed on a viewer side to the liquid crystal cell, and has a plurality of pixels. Each of the pixels includes a reflective region where display is performed in a reflection mode. The liquid crystal display device does not include a λ/4 plate between the first linear polarizer and the liquid crystal layer. An in-plane retardation of the liquid crystal layer in the reflective region is configured to vary from approximately zero to approximately λ/4 depending on a voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer.

A display panel, and a display device and a drive method thereof are provided. The display panel includes a first array substrate and a second array substrate cell-assembled with each other, and a liquid crystal layer between the first array substrate and the second array substrate. The display panel further includes a plurality of sub-pixel units, and each of the sub-pixel units includes a color film pattern on the first array substrate, an electroluminescent layer on the second array substrate, and driving electrodes for driving the liquid crystal layer and the electroluminescent layer; and the driving electrodes comprise a reflective electrode on the second array substrate and below the electroluminescent layer, a transparent electrode on the electroluminescent layer, and a pixel electrode on the first array substrate.