Patent · US Expired

Bistable display device based on nematic liquid crystals allowing grey tones

US5995173A · kind A · utility

12Cited by
10References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 8, 1996
Grant dateNov 30, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 8, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F1/1391
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present invention relates to a display device based on liquid crystals, comprising a nematic liquid-crystal material (10) with positive dielectric anisotropy sandwiched between two transparent confinement plates (20, 30) each provided with transparent electrodes (22, 32), characterized in that at least one of the plates, (30), defines a quasi-bistable anchoring and in that it is provided with main electrical supply means (40) suitable for applying a temporary electric field to the liquid-crystal material (10) capable of breaking the anchoring on the aforementioned plate (30) and subsequently allowing, due to the effect of hydrodynamic instabilities, various localized orientations of the liquid-crystal molecules (10) corresponding to the preferred orientations of the quasi-bistable anchoring.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.