Patents Examined by Walter J. Malinowski
  • Patent number: 6262784
    Abstract: Active matrix display devices having improved opening and contrast ratios utilize light blocking lines to improve display contrast ratios yet position the light blocking lines on the same level of metallization as the gate lines to thereby limit parasitic capacitive coupling between the data lines and the pixel electrodes. The light blocking lines are also positioned on only one side of the data lines so that improvements in the display's opening ratio can also be achieved. The light blocking lines are preferably patterned so that no overlap occurs between a display's data lines and the light blocking lines. The elimination of overlap reduces the step height in the display's pixel electrodes and thereby reduces the extent of disclination of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal material extending opposite the pixel electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Dong-Gyu Kim
  • Patent number: 6259492
    Abstract: An antiferroelectric liquid crystal display apparatus free from burn-in and achieving high display quality is provided by providing means for preventing pixel brightness from varying between pixels continuously held in an ON (bright) state and pixels continuously held in an OFF (dark) state. Aging processing is performed to saturate the brightness level of pixels into a stable state and thereby prevent the occurrence of a white brightening phenomenon. For this purpose, the brightness at a no voltage condition (base brightness) is set to a normalized level for all pixels in the liquid crystal panel that are required to exhibit uniform display performance. Further, temperature variations in the liquid crystal panel are eliminated to stabilize the brightness level and thereby prevent the occurrence of a white darkening phenomenon. Means is also provided for repeatedly performing normalization processes automatically or manually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Imoto, Heihachiro Ebihara
  • Patent number: 6259502
    Abstract: An in-plane switching mode liquid crystal display device comprises a substrate, a pixel region, a common bus line, a thin film transistor, a data electrode, a passivation layer over the data electrode and the thin film transistor, and a common electrode. The pixel region lies on the substrate. The common bus line is aligned in the pixel region. The thin film transistor is coupled to the pixel region and the pixel regions comprises a gate electrode and a gate insulator having a portion overlying the gate electrode. The data electrode lies over the gate insulator and has a portion overlying the common bus line to form a first storage capacitor. The passivation layer overlies the data electrode and the thin film transistor. The common electrode overlies the passivation layer and has a portion overlying the data electrode to form a second storage capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Komatsu
  • Patent number: 6256081
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to prevent color shift in liquid crystal display devices and to improve their aperture ratio and transmittance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung Hee Lee, Woo Ho Choi, Tae Yong Eom
  • Patent number: 6252639
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) includes a first panel assembly and a second panel assembly with a liquid crystal material layer positioned therebetween, and wherein the first panel assembly has a resonant frequency substantially the same as a resonant frequency of the second panel assembly so that the LCD is resistant to damage from vibration. The first panel assembly preferably includes a first cover panel immediately adjacent the liquid crystal material layer and at least one additional panel positioned adjacent the first cover panel Similarly, the second assembly may include a second cover panel immediately adjacent the layer of liquid crystal material and at least one additional panel adjacent the second cover panel. The first panel assembly has substantially matched mechanical properties to the second panel assembly. For example, the substantially matched mechanical properties preferably include a stiffness to mass ratio. In addition, the resonant frequency is preferably a first mode resonant frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Harris Corporation
    Inventor: Carl J. Giannatto
  • Patent number: 6249325
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device has gate signal lines extending in the x-direction and arranged in the y-direction, and drain signal lines extending in the y-direction and arranged in the x-direction on the surface of the liquid crystal side of the one transparent substrate between a pair of transparent substrates opposed to each other via liquid crystals. A thin-film transistor is fumed on by a scanning signal from a gate signal line, and a pixel electrode will be supplied with a video signal from the drain signal line via the thin-film transistor that is fumed on in each of the regions surrounded by the signal lines. The thin-film transistor is of the MIS type, and the capacity between the gate electrode and the source electrode thereof is small on the input terminal side of the gate signal line and increases in a direction toward the end of the gate signal line, thereby to suppress the occurrence of flickering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Hitach, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ohkawara, Takanori Nakayama, Takeshi Tanaka, Hikaru Itoh, Tatsuo Kamei, Tetsuya Kawamura, Masataka Natori, Hidetaka Hakoda
  • Patent number: 6249329
    Abstract: The present invention features flat-panel displays having a mosaic of tiles, and methods of constructing and sealing them. Sealing designs are described to maintain appropriate vacuum levels for FEDs, PFPDs and LCDs. The mosaic of tiles forming a flat-panel display may include subassembly tiles, with each consisting of two, unsealed, substantially parallel plates having a structure positioned between them; these are known as s-tiles. The tiles may be enclosed by a cover plate and backplate. Non-permeable material may be deposited on the cover plate and the backplate, with solderable metal overlaid on the non-permeable material. A metallized, non-permeable spacer/connector is also located between the cover plate and backplate for hermetically sealing the perimeter of the display. A set of electrical-interconnection, metal feed-throughs can also be positioned in the non-permeable spacer/connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Rainbow Displays, Inc.
    Inventors: Sanjay Dabral, Raymond G. Greene, John P. Koons, Donald P. Seraphim, Boris Yost
  • Patent number: 6249326
    Abstract: An active matrix type liquid crystal display which has storage capacitance cells formed on scanning lines, and which is designed to increase the aperture ratio. The pitch between each of adjacent pair of signal lines on a thin-film transistor array substrate is increased relative to the pitch between each of adjacent pair of scanning lines to form an oblong dot, different from those in displays constructed in the conventional manner. A portion of a pixel electrode is extended over a portion of the preceding-stage scanning line. The portions of the pixel electrode and the scanning line form a storage capacitance cell. Even if the display is designed so that the capacitance value of the storage capacitance cell is equal to that in the conventional displays, the light stop area can be reduced relative to that in the conventional displays, thereby increasing the aperture ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignees: LG Philips LCD Co., Ltd., Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Hebiguchi
  • Patent number: 6249328
    Abstract: A white cold-cathode fluorescent lamp, which is used as an illumination backlight for liquid crystal, is replaced by cold-cathode fluorescent lamps that emit red, green and blue lights, respectively. Since a liquid crystal picture is illuminated by the fluorescent lights in a time-sequential manner, a multi-color display can be provided without spatially dividing liquid crystal pixels using a color filter; and as it is not necessary for one pixel to be divided into three color cells, the size of a pixel can be reduced. Furthermore, in the liquid crystal display device, a phosphor having a short emission life is employed to coat the interior of the cold-cathode fluorescent lamp and enable the cold-cathode fluorescent lamp to be turned on and off rapidly, so that degradation of display colors due to slow fluorescence decay can be prevented and moving pictures can be displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Fukuzawa, Shigeo Shionoya
  • Patent number: 6243154
    Abstract: Disclosed is an LCD preventing color shift and simultaneously improving the characteristics of viewing angle. The LCD comprises a substrate and a common electrode and a pixel electrode having same spiral shape formed on the substrate and being opposed each other, wherein an electric field formed between the common electrode and the pixel electrode is radial shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae Geon You, Jang Sick Park, Bong Gyu Rho
  • Patent number: 6243148
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device has a light source and includes a two-dimensional light-emitting element array plate formed of a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in a plane array, and a liquid crystal panel having a plurality of pixels. Each of the pixels corresponds to each of the light-emitting elements. A light-projecting portion of each of the light-emitting elements is disposed within a light-transmitting region of the corresponding pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeo Kaneko, Osamu Yokoyama, Satoshi Nebashi, Tatsuya Shimoda
  • Patent number: 6239855
    Abstract: A method for producing a liquid crystal display panel of the present invention includes the steps of: forming a plurality of injection seals on at least one of a pair of substrates, the injection seals defining a liquid crystal injection area; forming a dummy seal of dispersed sealant particles outside the liquid crystal injection area; attaching the substrates to each other thereby sandwiching the injection seal and the dummy seal therebetween; and injecting a liquid crystal material into the liquid crystal injection area formed between the pair of substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Nakahara, Kyouhei Isohata, Daisuke Ikesugi, Manabu Ano, Kazuya Yoshimura, Yoshihiro Shirai
  • Patent number: 6236440
    Abstract: In a display device comprising a first substrate having at least one transparent, first picture electrode of a first material, a second substrate comprising at least one second picture electrode of a second material which, jointly with the picture electrode on the first substrate and an intermediate opto-electronic material, defines a pixel, and means for supplying electric voltages to the picture electrodes, the work function between the two picture electrodes is decreased in that at least one of the picture electrodes is coated with at least one layer of conducting material, or a layer of a material comprising a dipole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Mark T. Johnson, Adrianus A. Van Der Put, Gerard Cnossen, Michael Buchel, Josephus P. A. Deeben, Tom Marshall, Kevin W. Haberern
  • Patent number: 6226056
    Abstract: A plasma addressed liquid crystal display device includes a plasma cell substrate; a counter substrate; and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the plasma cell substrate and the counter substrate, the plasma cell substrate including a first substrate, a dielectric sheet provided on a side of the liquid crystal layer, and a plurality of stripe-shaped discharge channels surrounded by a plurality of partition walls formed in a gap between the first substrate and the dielectric sheet, the counter substrate including a second substrate, and a plurality of stripe-shaped electrodes formed on the second substrate so as to extend perpendicularly to the plurality of stripe-shaped discharge channels, and each of intersection regions of the plurality of discharge channels and the plurality of stripe-shaped electrodes defines a picture-element region, wherein the dielectric sheet includes a sheet-like dielectric, a plurality of conductive portions extending between surfaces of the sheet-like dielectric which respect
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Wataru Horie
  • Patent number: 6226060
    Abstract: In an active matrix type liquid crystal display device, at least material of one element, forming the connecting portion between signal transfer lines related to the scan lines and the data signal lines of the device, is an alloy of at least a chemical element selected from the group consisting of Nb, Mo, Ta, and W, with Cr, the scan lines and means for generating scan pulses are connected to each other via a first opening formed in an insulating film, the data signal lines and the means for generating image data are connected to each other via a second opening formed in an insulating film, a polycrystalline thin film, which is connected to the means for generating scan pulses, is inserted into the first opening, and a polycrystalline thin film, which is connected to the means for generating image data, is inserted into the second opening, and the polycrystalline thin film is composed of indium tin oxide, which is made of mainly indium oxide and added tin oxide, having a specific resistance of, at the utmost,
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Onisawa, Kikuo Ono, Toshiki Kaneko, Kenichi Chahara, Katsunori Nakajima, Etsuko Nishimura, Takeshi Satou, Tetsuro Minemura
  • Patent number: 6222596
    Abstract: A system and method for driving a thin film diode (TFD) inclusive AMLCD or imaging device includes providing each pixel with a pair of select lines and a single data line. In certain embodiments, the insulator or semi-insulator layer between electrodes of the diode includes, or is of, amorphous carbon nitride alloy. In other embodiments, the semi-insulating layer includes polycrystalline carbon or nanocrystalline carbon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: OIS Optical Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Vijayen S. Veerasamy
  • Patent number: 6222603
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an LCD device, in which, a seal pattern is formed by applying a sealing material for enclosing a liquid crystal on one of a pair of substrates between which liquid crystal is sandwiched. Spacers are formed on the other substrate to determine a cell gap, then the substrates are respectively held by a pair of surface plates disposed in a vacuum chamber, in which at least one of the surface plates is movable. The air-pressure of the vacuum chamber is then decreased, and the alignment of a pair of substrates is performed and a cell gap is formed by pressing the substrates toward each other, by which the gap precision, the gap uniformity and the alignment precision of an LCD device can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Sakai, Hideki Matsukawa, Shiro Sumita, Norihiko Egami, Osamu Hirota
  • Patent number: 6219126
    Abstract: When fabricating a liquid crystal panel from a pair of substrates using the “one-drop fill” method to deposit liquid crystal material in a central portion of one substrate and then sealing the substrates together with a fillet of epoxy between the outer peripheral portions of the substrates, the uncured epoxy tends to contaminate the liquid crystal material and impair its function. Here, a relatively thick barrier fillet, as of silicone elastomer, is deposited in the form of a continuous closed circuit upon one of the substrates and is fully cured before depositing the liquid crystal material within that closed circuit. To seal the substrates together, they are brought together to a spacing determined by a relatively thin spacer fillet provided on one of the substrates and an epoxy fillet is deposited along the outer periphery of the substrates. The barrier fillet, preferably compressed, serves to prevent contamination of the liquid crystal material by any regions of uncured epoxy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Robert Jacob Von Gutfeld
  • Patent number: 6219123
    Abstract: A rubbing buff is wrapped around a roller so that an axial direction of short fibers on a rubbing cloth crosses diagonally with a roller rolling direction. The roller is placed so that a rotational shaft crosses diagonally with a moving direction of a substrate. Then orientation films formed on an upper and a lower substrates are rubbed by the roller in a first and second directions whereby an orientation direction is determined. As a result, quality display can be realized on an LCD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikatsu Naito, Hideaki Mochizuki, Satoshi Yamada, Hideki Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 6219116
    Abstract: A liquid crystal panel module includes a liquid crystal panel unit on a backlight unit. The backlight unit preferably has a holding member for holding the liquid crystal panel unit in a specific position on the backlight unit with no gap therebetween. Preferably, the backlight unit comprises a light guide; a lamp for emitting illumination from one side of the light guide; and a reflector for collecting light from the lamp on the light guide. The reflector has a polygonal cross section, a thickness greater than the thickness of the light guide, and is open to only the thickness of the light guide on the light guide side of the reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha, Advanced Display Inc.
    Inventors: Akimasa Yuuki, Mitsumasa Umesaki, Sadayuki Matsumoto, Tomohiro Sasagawa, Sin Kawabe, Kazutoshi Shimojo