Liquid Crystal Displays With Uniformed Heat Producing Apparatus

The present invention generally relates to liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and more particularly to LCDs with heating elements therein for heating the display surface.

In todays aviation industry, aircraft are called upon to operate in extremely cool conditions. For example, the temperature in the cockpit of a small business jet might reach below 0 degrees F. on an overnight stop during a northern Minnesota winter, where the ambient temperature might drop below -40 degrees F. The liquid crystal (LC) material in an LCD behaves remarkably different at 0 degrees F. than at room temperature or higher. In the past, uniform heating films have been applied to the LC material. However, typically LCDs are physically contained inside a rigid metal box by being clamped around their periphery. The metal box can act as a heat sink or heat conduction and storage area. If the faceplate of an LCD is heated uniformly, the periphery of the LCD may lose heat through conduction to the metal box. This typically results in a non-uniform temperature across the LC surface. This non-uniform temperature can cause undesirable degradation of the uniformity of performance across the display. Typically, colder areas are much slower to respond than warmer areas. This can result in the center (warm area) of a display responding quickly while the periphery (cold area) is much slower. This can result in a much degraded image, especially for rapidly changing displays.

Consequently, there exists a need for improvement in LCDs having an improved temperature uniformity across the display surface.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a display with enhanced image quality when used in cold environments.

It is a feature of the present invention to include a non-uniform heat producing film disposed on a liquid crystal display surface.

It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a liquid crystal display with a more uniform temperature across the display surface.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an easily manufactured liquid crystal display heating element.

It is another feature of the present invention to include a resistive heating film with non-uniform current paths therethrough.

It is another advantage of the present invention to allow for compensation of the heat lost in thermal conduction through the physical connection of the LCD with its container by providing a non-uniform heat producing film disposed on or about the liquid crystal material.

The present invention provides an improved LCD with increased uniformity of temperature across the display surface, which is designed to satisfied the aforementioned needs, include the above described objects, contain the earlier articulated features, and provide the previously stated advantages. The invention is carried out in a "cold periphery-less" system in the sense that the colder periphery of the display surface caused by heat conduction into the box has been greatly reduced. Instead, an improved LCD with a non-uniform heat generating film is utilized to compensate and provide extra heat to the periphery of the display surface.

Accordingly, the present invention includes a liquid crystal display having a liquid crystal material therein with physical connections around its periphery and a heating element disposed on the liquid crystal material which produces more heat around the periphery.

The invention may be more fully understood by reading the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a heating system, of the prior art, which utilizes a uniform resistive film and a pair of electrodes which produce a uniform current flow (dotted lines) across the film.

FIG. 2 is a three dimensional plot of the temperature (vertical axis) across a prior art display surface which shows a high temperature differential between the center of the panel and its periphery.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the heater element, of the present invention, which shows the inclusion of two shorting bars therein which generate a non-uniform current flow (dotted lines) through the film.

FIG. 4 is an alternative embodiment, of the present invention, which shows a group of smaller shorting bars disposed along the edges of the film for producing a different current flow pattern through the heating film.

FIG. 5 is a three dimensional plot of the heat generated by the heating film, of the present invention, showing the increased heat output around the periphery.

FIG. 6 is a three dimensional plot of the temperature (vertical axis) across the display surface of the liquid crystal display, of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an LCD display, of the present invention, with a non-uniform heat generating film therein, disposed in a thermally conductive assembly, wherein the dotted lines represent current flow through the film.

Now referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like text and matter throughout, and more particularly referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an LCD heater, of the prior art, generally designated 100, having a resistive transparent film 102 such as indium tin oxide (ITO) disposed in a relatively uniform fashion, a current source 104 and a current sink 106 coupled to source electrode 108 and sink electrode 110, respectively. Shown with dotted lines between source electrode 108 and sink electrode 110 are a plurality of current paths 112 which are depicted as being generally uniform across film 102.

Now referring to FIG. 2, there is a three dimensional plot of the temperature, in the z axis, versus the display surface in the x and y axes. The center of the display surface clearly is shown to have a higher temperature in relation to the periphery of the display surface. This represents the effect of the thermal conduction around the periphery of the liquid crystal display, of the prior art.

Now referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a plan view of the LCD heater, of the present invention, generally designated 300, having a resistive film 102 which is preferably disposed on the display surface of the LCD. The heater 300 having a current source 104, current sink 106, source electrode 108, and sink electrode 110. Also shown is a first shorting bar 314 and a second shorting bar 316 disposed opposite each other and generally between source electrode 108 and sink electrode 110. Shorting bars 314 and 316 are preferably low impedance conductors similar to electrodes 108 and 110. However, the material of and impedance of bars 314 and 316 may be varied as a matter of designers choice which would provide for variable current paths through the film 102. The lower the impedance chosen for bars 314 and 316 will provide for a higher heat generation around the periphery as opposed to the center of the film 102. Also shown are current paths 312 which are non-uniformly disposed across the film 102. Shorting bars 314 and 316 provide a lower impedance path between source electrode 108 and sink electrode 110 and consequently a higher portion of the current flow will be contained in bars 314 and 316 and the areas of the film 102 immediately about the bars 314 and 316.

Now referring to FIG. 4, there is shown an alternative embodiment of the present invention, generally designated 400, having a resistive film 102, current source 104, current sink 106 and source electrodes 108 and 110. Shorting bars 314 and 316 (FIG. 3) have been replaced with shorting bars 420, 422, 424, 430, 432, and 434. The size, shape, material, impedance and placement of shorting bars 420, 422, 424, 430, 432, and 434 are a matter of designers choice which can be varied to accommodate the needs of a particular situation which may be variable depending upon the thermal conductive nature of the material surrounding the periphery of the film 102. Not shown in FIG. 4 are current paths which are essentially identical to those shown in FIG. 7.

Now referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a three dimensional plot of the temperature (z axis) versus display area in the x and y axes for a heater, of the present invention. The heat generated around the periphery is clearly shown to be higher than the heat generated in the center of the display area. This is effectively a heat compensator for the thermal conduction occurring around the periphery of the display surface.

Now referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a three dimensional plot of the temperature (z axis) versus the display area in the x and y axes. It can be seen that the temperature difference between the center of the display area and the periphery of the display area is not as great as the temperature gradient of FIG. 3.

Now referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a perspective view of a liquid crystal display, generally designated 700, of the present invention, having a resistive film 102 disposed thereon. Also shown are shorting bars 420, 422, 424, 430, 432, and 434 which are disposed between source electrode 108 and sink electrode 110. Also shown by dotted lines are current flow lines which clearly show that there is a higher current density around the periphery of the display. Also shown are clamps 740, 742, 744, and 746 which are devices which physically grasp the liquid crystal display lamination and consequently provide for heat conduction away from the display surface.

In operation, the placement, shape, size and impedance of shorting bars 420, 422, 424, 430, 432, and 434 are selected to closely match the heat conduction through the clamps 740, 742, 744, and 746. The shorting bars are shown disposed along the right and left edges only, however, they may be disposed anywhere around the display surface including across the top and bottom edges or in interior portions. When they are disposed in interior portions, it is desirable to utilize a transparent electrode with a lower impedance then the resistive film 102.

It is thought that the liquid crystal display with the non-uniform heating element, of the present invention, and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, the construction and arrangement of the parts thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of their material advantages. The form herein being described is merely a preferred or exemplary embodiment thereof.