JPS586927B2 - EXI-ODOKEI NO JIKOKUHIYOJIBAN - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in the time display panel of a liquid crystal watch. The time display panel of a liquid crystal watch is equipped with a liquid crystal cell sandwiched between Nesa glasses, and a time display pattern appears when an electric field is applied by using two polarizing plates together. Regarding improvements.

The time display panel of a conventional liquid crystal watch was as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

That is, the conventional time display has a liquid crystal cell 1 formed by sandwiching a liquid crystal between two pieces of Nesa glass, and has approximately the same area as the liquid crystal cell 1, and each plane of polarization is approximately orthogonal to each other. 2
It consisted of neutral gray polarizing plates 2 and 3 and a reflecting plate 4 that reflected incident light, and these four were arranged in a stack as shown in FIG.

In such a conventional time display panel, the time display pattern that appears when an electric field is applied to the electrodes is a reflection when the transmission of incident light is blocked by the cooperative action of two neutral gray polarizing plates. It was a so-called shadow due to the absence of light.

Therefore, in conventional time display panels, the time display pattern that appears when an electric field is applied does not exhibit any color.

Furthermore, in the conventional time display panel, two neutral gray polarizing plates 2 having approximately the same area as the liquid crystal cell 1,
3, the amount of reflected light was reduced over the entire area of the reflector 4, and the reflector 4 itself could not be perceived clearly.

Therefore, it was not possible to increase the contrast of the time display pattern that appeared when an electric field was applied.

In devices such as the time display panel of a liquid crystal watch that read the time based on the pattern that appears when an electric field is applied, especially those in which the time display pattern exhibits color, extremely high contrast is required for such patterns. It is something.

In view of these points, the present invention aims to solve the drawbacks of the time display panels of conventional liquid crystal watches.

An object of the present invention is to provide a time display panel for a liquid crystal watch, which exhibits color in the time display pattern that appears when an electric field is applied to the electrodes, and in which the pattern exhibiting such color has a large contrast. It is on offer.

A detailed explanation will be given below based on illustrative drawings.

What is shown in FIG. 3 is a time display board 5.

This time display board 5 is composed of a first polarizing plate 11, a liquid crystal cell 6, a second polarizing plate 12, and a reflecting plate 17.

The liquid crystal cell 6 is a field-effect nematic liquid crystal in which the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules is normally located parallel to the electrodes 9 and 10 between the upper Nesa glass 7 and the lower Nesa glass 8, or such a nematic liquid crystal. It is made by sandwiching a liquid crystal 19 which has the same effect as .

The upper Nesa glass 7 and the lower Nesa glass 8 are the spacer 2
The gap for liquid crystal filling is maintained at 0.

The liquid crystal contact surface of the upper Nesa glass 7 is coated with an electrode 9 made of a transparent conductive thin film such as tin oxide in accordance with an electrode pattern consisting of an hour display section H, a minute display section M, and a second display section S. .

On the other hand, the liquid crystal contact surface of the lower Nesa glass 8 is similarly coated with an electrode 10 made of a transparent conductive thin film such as tin oxide, in accordance with the electrode pattern.

The liquid crystal contact surface of the upper Nesa glass 7 is rubbed in a certain direction with cloth, paper, or the like.

On the other hand, the liquid crystal contact surface of the lower Nesa glass 8 is rubbed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rubbing direction of the upper Nesa glass 7.

The liquid crystal 19 sandwiched between the upper Nesa glass 7 and the lower Nesa glass 8 that have been rubbed in a specific direction in this way has the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules at the liquid crystal contact surface of the upper Nesa glass 7 rubbed in a specific direction. The length of the liquid crystal molecules at the liquid crystal contact surface of the lower Nesa glass 8! The axes are oriented in substantially the same direction as the rubbing direction of the lower Nesa glass 8, and the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are gradually rotated between the upper Nesa glass 7 and the lower Nesa glass 8,
The entire arrangement is twisted 90 degrees.

This liquid crystal cell 6 is sandwiched between a first polarizing plate 11 and a second polarizing plate 12.

This first polarizing plate 11 has the electrode patterns H, M, S on a transparent plate 13 made of transparent glass or transparent plastic.
The first polarizing section 14 is formed only at a location corresponding to the first polarizing section 14.

On the other hand, on the lower polarizing plate 12, second polarizing portions 16 are similarly provided on the transparent plate 15 only at locations corresponding to the electrode patterns H, M, and S.
has been configured.

The first polarizing section 14 is made of dye.

It is desirable that each part of the hour display section, each part of the minute display section, and the second display section of the first polarizing section 14 be coated with dyes of different colors.

This allows the hours, minutes, and seconds to be displayed using patterns of different colors, making it extremely easy to read the time.

The dye coated on the electrode pattern is
By coating on a transparent plate using the following method,
It comes to have polarizing properties.

For example, the side of the transparent plate 13 to be coated with the dye is rubbed with cloth or paper in the same direction as the rubbing direction of the upper Nesa glass 7.

On the surface rubbed in a certain direction, a dye having a desired color is coated in a nematic state only at locations corresponding to the electrode pattern.

When the dye in this nematic state is coated, the long axis of its molecules is oriented in substantially the same direction as the direction in which the transparent plate 13 is rubbed.

In this state, the coated dye is coagulated while controlling the speed at which the orientation of the molecules is not destroyed, thereby fixing the orientation direction of the dye molecules.

In this way, a polarizing section can be constructed in which each section corresponding to the electrode pattern on the transparent plate 11 has a desired color.

The direction of the polarization plane of the first polarizing section 14 is approximately the same direction as the rubbing direction of the upper Nesa glass 7, that is, the alignment direction of the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules on the liquid crystal contact surface of the upper Nesa glass 7.

On the other hand, the second polarizing section 16 is similarly made of dye.

Each part of the second polarizing part 16 is coated with the same type of dye as the dye coated on the corresponding part of the first polarizing part.

The rubbing direction of the transparent plate 15 coated with this dye is a direction perpendicular to the rubbing direction of the lower Nesa glass 8, that is, a direction substantially perpendicular to the alignment direction of the long axes of liquid crystal molecules on the liquid crystal contact surface of the lower Nesa glass 8.

Therefore, the direction of the polarization plane of the second polarizing section 16 is a direction substantially perpendicular to the cross direction of the lower Nesa glass 8.

A reflecting plate 17 is arranged on the lower surface of the second polarizing plate 12.

It is desirable that the reflector 17 has a high reflectance so as to reflect almost all of the incident light.

Dogs with such reflectance include, for example, those with mirror surfaces or white surfaces.

The reflective plate 17 shown in FIG. 3 has a pattern 18 similar to the electrode pattern drawn in black on a white background.

As mentioned above, the following pleochroic dyes exist as dyes having the property that dye molecules are oriented in the rubbing direction in a nematic state.

These dyes may be used alone or in an appropriate mixture.

In addition, the inside of the bracket indicates the color index number.

For example, Naphthol Yellow S (10), Crocein Orange (26), Orange I (150), Chrome Fast Violet B (169), Amaranth W (184)
, Chrome Blue Black B (201), Naphthol Blue Black B (246), Crocein Scarlet MB
(252), First Wool Cyanone R (289),
Batuffalo Black 10B (294), Batuffalo Chrome Black F (299), Fast Breen B (30
2), Nellore 4B (304), Basic Brown B
R (332), Brilliant Pabayero Conch (36)
4), Congo Red (370), Triazole Fast Red B (382), Benzo Orange R Conch (4)
15), tartrazine (640), Victoria Green SC (657), setoglaucine (658), xylene cyanol FF (715), pinacyanol (808),
Neutral Red (825), Fushia (842),
New methylene blue (911), Lausus violet (920), methylene blue (922), chalcodine green (924), toluidine blue (925)
, Chalcodin New Blue N (927), Alizarin Red S (1034), etc.

Further, the polarizing section is not limited to the one formed by the method described above, and any polarizing section may be used as long as the polarizing section has polarization properties due to dye molecules.

Next, a description will be given of the incident and reflection state of light and the appearance of a time display pattern when no electric field is applied between the electrodes 9 and 10 and when an electric field is applied.

At locations other than the first polarizing section 14 and the second polarizing section 16, the incident light is transmitted to the transparent plate 13, the twisted liquid crystal 19, and the transparent plate 15, regardless of whether or not an electric field is applied to the electrodes 9 and 10. and is reflected by the reflection plate 17.

As a result, the amount of incident light is not unexpectedly reduced in the polarizing section at locations other than the first polarizing section 14 and the second polarizing section 16, and the reflected light from the reflecting plate 17, that is, the reflecting plate itself is clearly perceived. be able to.

Next, the light incident on the first polarizing section will be explained.

A case will be described in which the first polarizing section and the second polarizing section are coated with a red dye, such as Congo red.

When no electric field is applied between the electrodes 9 and 10, the first
Of the light incident on the polarizing section 14, only light having a wavelength in the red range is transmitted, and the polarization plane of the light is transmitted through the first transparent plate 13.
The light is polarized in almost the same direction as the rubbing direction.

The plane of polarization of the incident light polarized by the first polarizing section 14 is rotated by approximately 90 degrees by the liquid crystal 19 which is in a twisted state.

As a result, the plane of polarization of the incident light that has reached the second polarizing section 16 is substantially perpendicular to the plane of polarization of the second polarizing section 16 .

Therefore, such incident light cannot pass through this second polarizing section 16.

As a result, since there is no reflected light reflected by the reflection plate 17, a so-called shadow pattern appears.

When an electric field is applied between the two electrodes, the direction of the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules becomes approximately perpendicular to the electrodes at the location where the electric field is applied.

For this reason, the incident light having a wavelength in the red range that has passed through the first polarizing section 14 at the location where the electric field is applied travels straight through the liquid crystal 19 without being rotated by the liquid crystal 19 in its polarization plane.

As a result, the plane of polarization of the incident light that has reached the second polarizing section 16 is almost parallel to the plane of polarization of the second polarizing section 16, so that the incident light having a wavelength in the red range is directly transferred to the second polarizing section 16. It can be transmitted through the two polarizing sections 16.

In this way, only the incident light having a wavelength in the red range is reflected by the reflection plate 17, and a red pattern appears.

In this way, when no electric field is applied, for example, a so-called shadow-like time display pattern appears on the white reflector plate, and when an electric field is applied, a red pattern appears only at the point where the electric field is applied. be done.

The time can be perceived by such a red pattern.

In the actual case, the first polarizing section 14 and the second polarizing section 16 were constructed on the transparent plate 13 and the transparent plate 15, but as shown in FIG. It can also be configured as

Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the first polarizing section 14 and the second polarizing section 16 are made of polarizing parts made of dye, but either one of the polarizing parts may be made of a neutral gray polarizing plate. can.

Further, in the embodiments described above, only a reflective type time display board has been described, but by omitting the reflector plate 17, the present invention can also be used in a transmissive type time display board.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the polarization plane of the first polarization section 14 and the polarization plane of the second polarization section 16 are configured to be parallel to each other. Can be configured.

In the case of such a configuration, a colored pattern appears when no electric field is applied, and when an electric field is applied, the color at the application point disappears, and a so-called shadow pattern appears.

Furthermore, in the above embodiments, a field-effect nematic liquid crystal in which the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules is normally located parallel to the electrodes is used as the liquid crystal, and the liquid crystal is placed between two sheets of Nesa glass 7.
, it is constructed by actively twisting it 90 degrees between 8 and 8.
Instead of such a nematic liquid crystal, it is possible to use a cholesteric liquid crystal in which the alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules has a rotation angle of an odd multiple of 90 degrees between two sheets of Nesa glass.

As detailed above, in the present invention, at least one of the first polarizing part and the second polarizing part arranged on both sides of the liquid crystal cell is made of a dye having polarizing properties. , the time display pattern can be colored, and the time can be accurately perceived by the colored pattern.

In addition, such a colored pattern improves the aesthetics of the time display board and has a great design effect.

Furthermore, since both the polarizing portions are configured only in locations corresponding to the electrode patterns, the contrast of the colored time display pattern can be made extremely high. The display pattern can be perceived more clearly, and the time can therefore be perceived accurately and reliably.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the disassembled state of the time display panel of a conventional liquid crystal watch, FIG. 2 is a central cross-sectional view of the time display panel of FIG. 1 in an assembled state, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a central sectional view of the time display panel shown in FIG. 3 in an assembled state; FIG. 5 is a central sectional view of the time display panel in an assembled state showing another embodiment. be. 5...Time display board, 6...Liquid crystal cell,
11...First polarizing plate, 12...Second polarizing plate, 17...Reflecting plate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In the time display panel of a liquid crystal watch equipped with a liquid crystal cell formed by sandwiching a liquid crystal between two sheets of Nesa glass coated with electrodes, a first polarized light is applied to one side of the liquid crystal cell only at a location corresponding to the pattern of the electrodes. and a second polarizing portion is formed only at a location corresponding to the electrode pattern on the other side of the liquid crystal cell, and at least one of these polarizing portions is a dye polarizing portion. The time display panel of a liquid crystal clock.