Patent ID: 11960176
Assignee: SHARP DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 9:
10. A liquid crystal display device comprising:
a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other; and
a liquid crystal layer being a vertical alignment type and provided between the first substrate and the second substrate, the liquid crystal display device having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix including a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns,
wherein the first substrate includes a pixel electrode provided in each of the plurality of pixels and a first alignment film provided between the pixel electrode and the liquid crystal layer,
the second substrate includes a counter electrode facing the pixel electrode and a second alignment film provided between the counter electrode and the liquid crystal layer,
each of the plurality of pixels has a plurality of liquid crystal domains having reference alignment directions different from each other defined by the first alignment film and the second alignment film,
the plurality of liquid crystal domains include a first liquid crystal domain in which the reference alignment direction is a first direction, a second liquid crystal domain in which the reference alignment direction is a second direction, a third liquid crystal domain in which the reference alignment direction is a third direction, and a fourth liquid crystal domain in which the reference alignment direction is a fourth direction,
the first direction, the second direction, the third direction, and the fourth direction are four directions in which a difference between any two directions is approximately equal to an integer multiple of 90°,
the first liquid crystal domain, the second liquid crystal domain, the third liquid crystal domain, and the fourth liquid crystal domain are arranged in two rows and two columns,
the first direction and the second direction form an angle of approximately 180°, and the first liquid crystal domain and the second liquid crystal domain are adjacent to each other in an oblique direction inclined in a row direction and a column direction,
among a plurality of edges of the pixel electrode, a portion adjacent to the first liquid crystal domain includes a first edge portion in which an azimuth angle direction orthogonal to the first edge portion and directed toward the inside of the pixel electrode forms an angle of greater than 90° with the first direction,
among the plurality of edges of the pixel electrode, a portion adjacent to the second liquid crystal domain includes a second edge portion in which an azimuth angle direction orthogonal to the second edge portion and directed toward the inside of the pixel electrode forms an angle of greater than 90° with the second direction,
the pixel electrode has a plurality of first slits formed in a region corresponding to the first liquid crystal domain and extending approximately parallel to the first direction, and a plurality of second slits formed in a region corresponding to the second liquid crystal domain and extending approximately parallel to the second direction,
each of the plurality of pixels has a shape in which a pixel longitudinal direction and a pixel traverse direction are defined,
the third liquid crystal domain is adjacent to the first liquid crystal domain in the pixel longitudinal direction and adjacent to the second liquid crystal domain in the pixel traverse direction,
the fourth liquid crystal domain is adjacent to the first liquid crystal domain in the pixel traverse direction and adjacent to the second liquid crystal domain in the pixel longitudinal direction,
the pixel electrode further includes a plurality of third slits formed in a region corresponding to the third liquid crystal domain and extending approximately parallel to the third direction, and a plurality of fourth slits formed in a region corresponding to the fourth liquid crystal domain and extending approximately parallel to the fourth direction,
each of the plurality of third slits is shorter than at least some first slits among the plurality of first slits and at least some second slits among the plurality of second slits, and is located in a vicinity of the second liquid crystal domain in the region corresponding to the third liquid crystal domain, and
each of the plurality of fourth slits is shorter than at least some first slits among the plurality of first slits and at least some second slits among the plurality of second slits, and is located in a vicinity of the first liquid crystal domain in the region corresponding to the fourth liquid crystal domain.