Liquid crystal cells – elements and systems – Particular structure – Having significant detail of cell structure only
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-23
2002-10-29
Sikes, William L. (Department: 2871)
Liquid crystal cells, elements and systems
Particular structure
Having significant detail of cell structure only
C349S149000, C349S190000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06473147
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device including a pair of substrates and liquid crystal sealed in a space between the substrates, and to a method for manufacturing the same. The present invention also relates to an electronic apparatus composed of the liquid crystal device.
BACKGROUND ART
Recently, liquid crystal devices have been widely used in various types of electronic apparatuses, such as mobile phones and portable information terminal units. In many cases, the liquid crystal devices are used to display visible information, such as letters and numeric characters.
As a conventional liquid crystal device, a liquid crystal device such as that shown in
FIG. 12
has been known. The liquid crystal device is formed by joining a first substrate
51
a
and a second substrate
51
b
by means of an annular sealing member
52
. A plurality of linear first electrodes
53
a
are formed on the inner surface of the first substrate
51
a
, and a plurality of external terminals
54
are formed on a section of the first substrate
51
a
protruding to the outside of the second substrate
51
b
. The first electrodes
53
a
are individually jointed to the external terminals
54
. In addition, a plurality of linear second electrodes
53
b
opposing the first electrodes
53
a
in an orthogonal state are formed on the inner surface of the second substrate
51
b
opposing the first substrate
51
a.
In an actual liquid crystal device, a great number of first electrodes
53
a
, second electrodes
53
b
and external terminals
54
are formed on the substrate
51
a
or
51
b
. In
FIG. 12
, however, several of them are shown in order to make the structure understandable.
The sealing member
52
serves as an anisotropic conductive member by mixing a plurality of conductive particles into an adhesive agent. The second electrodes
53
b
on the second substrate
51
b
are routed to a section of the sealing member
52
where the external terminals
54
are located, and are subjected to conductive connection to the external terminals by the conductive particles included in the sealing member
52
. According to the conventional liquid crystal device, however, the conductive particles are mixed into the whole area of the sealing member
52
and therefore, routing lines extending from the first electrodes
53
a
and routing lines extending from the second electrodes
53
b
cannot be subjected to cross wiring or wiring in such a manner that they linearly overlap (hereinafter, referred to as cross wiring and the like) within an area where the sealing member
52
exists. Consequently, there is a problem in that pattern design of a wiring pattern is greatly limited by the existence of the sealing member
52
.
A liquid crystal device having a structure shown in
FIG. 13
is also known as a conventional liquid crystal device. According to the conventional liquid crystal device shown therein, a sealing member
62
is formed of an insulating adhesive agent, and conductive members
61
are provided at the area that is both outside the sealing member
62
and between the first substrate
51
a
and the second substrate
51
b
. Routing lines extend from the second electrodes
53
b
on the second substrate
51
b
across the sealing member
62
and extend to the conductive members
61
and are individually subjected to conductive connection to the external terminals
54
on the first substrate
51
a.
According to this conventional device, since the sealing member
62
does not have conductivity, the routing lines of the first electrodes
53
a
and the routing lines of the second electrodes
53
b
can be subjected to cross wiring and the like within an area of the sealing member
62
. Therefore, this conventional device provides the advantage that the versatility of possible pattern design increases. According to this conventional device, however, since the conductive members
61
should be formed outside the sealing member
62
, there is a problem in that a useless space which is formed around an effective display area of the liquid crystal device and which does not contribute to display, a so-called frame area or parting area, becomes enlarged.
The present invention has been achieved in consideration of the above-described problems of the conventional liquid crystal devices, and an object is to enable outer dimensions, particularly the size of a so-called parting area around an effective display area to be reduced despite the use of a conductive member regarding a liquid crystal device of a type in which electrodes formed on one substrate are subjected to conductive connection to external terminals formed on the other substrate using conductive members, and to enable a complicated pattern design including cross wiring and the like regarding electrode patterns formed on a pair of substrates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
(1) In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal device comprising a first substrate having a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of external terminals; a second substrate having a plurality of second electrodes opposing the first electrodes; and an annular sealing member for joining the first substrate and the second substrate to each other, wherein the sealing member includes a conductive section having the function of conductive connection and a non-conductive section having no function of conductive connection, and wherein the plurality of second electrodes on the second substrate are individually subjected to conductive connection to the plurality of external terminals on the first substrate via the conductive section of the sealing member.
According to this liquid crystal device, the sealing member is divided into two sections: the conductive section and the non-conductive section, and the second electrodes on the second substrate and the external terminals on the first substrate are subjected to conductive connection to each other by the conductive section. Therefore, the necessity for preparing a special conductive member in addition to the sealing member is eliminated, and consequently, the outer dimensions of the liquid crystal device can be reduced. In particular, the so-called parting area of the liquid crystal can be reduced. In addition, since the section of the sealing member other than the conductive section is the non-conductive section, a complicated electrode pattern including cross wiring and the like can be formed over a wide region of the liquid crystal device.
(2) Next, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device comprising a first substrate having a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of external terminals; a second substrate having a plurality of second electrodes opposing the first electrodes; and an annular sealing member for joining the first substrate and the second substrate to each other. This manufacturing method is characterized in that {circle around (1)} a conductive section of the sealing member is formed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate, that {circle around (2)} a non-conductive section of the sealing member is formed on the other one of the first substrate and the second substrate, and that {circle around (3)} the first substrate and the second substrate are secured to each other in such a manner that the conductive section and the non-conductive section are jointed to form the annular sealing member.
If the manufacturing method is used, the liquid crystal of the above (1) can be reliably manufactured without undergoing a specially complicated process.
(3) Regarding the manufacturing method of the above (2), the conductive section of the sealing member may be provided in a state of being jointed to the plurality of external terminals on the first substrate or to the plurality of second electrodes on the second substrate. According to this method, an operation for forming the conductive member of the sealing member on one of the substrates
Nakahara Hiroki
Nakamura Takeshi
Okumura Hideaki
Harness & Dickey & Pierce P.L.C.
Nguyen Viet B.
Sikes William L.
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