Patents by Inventor Akira Ebisui
Akira Ebisui has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20130314620Abstract: An illumination unit includes a light modulation layer including a first region and a second region that have optical anisotropy and different responsiveness to an electric field. The light modulation layer satisfies an expression A/B<A1/B1 when the light modulation layer exhibits the scattering characteristics.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2013Publication date: November 28, 2013Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Akira Ebisui, Harumi Sato, Kentaro Okuyama, Shogo Shinkai
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Publication number: 20130258711Abstract: In a scan system, a lighting unit, a display, and a three-dimensional display that have all of high luminance, low power consumption, and high reliability of a circuit board are provided. A light modulation device bonded to a light guide plate is provided with a light modulation layer exhibiting scattering property or transparency to light propagating through the light guide plate. The light modulation layer is interposed between a lower electrode that is configured of a plurality of partial electrodes extending in a direction parallel to a light incident surface and a sheet-like upper electrode. A drive circuit sequentially drives the plurality of partial electrodes to scan a region exhibiting the scattering property of the light modulation layer in a direction orthogonal to the light incident surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 8, 2011Publication date: October 3, 2013Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Kentaro Okuyama, Makoto Shinoda, Shinpei Nagatani, Yuji Takahashi, Tomoaki Suzuki, Shogo Shinkai, Akira Ebisui, Taizo Nishimura
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Publication number: 20130229595Abstract: A display panel and a display unit are provided that allow a high-contrast and a bright image to be obtained. A display panel is composed of a light modulation device. The light modulation device includes: an electrode capable of generating a main electric field in a direction parallel to a plane intersecting with a normal line of a transparent substrate; and a light modulation layer including a bulk and a particulate each having an optical anisotropy. Optical axes AX1 and AX2 of the bulk and the particulate are parallel or substantially parallel to a top surface of the transparent substrate, and may be faced in different directions from each other and may be faced in same or substantially same directions with each other within the plane parallel or substantially parallel to the top surface of the transparent substrate depending on a magnitude of the electric field generated by the electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 17, 2011Publication date: September 5, 2013Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Shogo Shinkai, Kentaro Okuyama, Tomoaki Suzuki, Akira Ebisui, Yuji Takahashi, Taizo Nishimura
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Patent number: 8493526Abstract: A lighting device includes: a light guide plate; a light source disposed on a side face of the light guide plate; and a light modulation element disposed on a surface or in the inside of the light guide plate and adhered to the light guide plate. The light modulation element has a pair of transparent substrates disposed separately and oppositely, a pair of electrodes provided on respective surfaces of the pair of transparent substrates, and a light modulation layer provided in a gap between the pair of transparent substrates. The light modulation layer includes a first region, having optical anisotropy, responsive to an electric field, and a second region, having optical anisotropy, unresponsive to an electric field. The second region has a striped structure with average striped texture size of 0.05 ?m to 10 ?m both inclusive in a short axis direction.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2011Date of Patent: July 23, 2013Assignees: Sony Corporation, Tohoku UniversityInventors: Tatsuo Uchida, Takahiro Ishinabe, Tohru Kawakami, Tomoaki Suzuki, Kentaro Okuyama, Akira Ebisui, Harumi Sato, Mamoru Mizuno, Masahiro Ikeda, Shogo Shinkai
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Publication number: 20120281273Abstract: A light modulation layer disposed between a first transparent substrate and a second transparent substrate generates a plurality of first strip-like illumination light beams extending in a direction intersecting with a first end surface of the first or second transparent substrate at a first angle with use of light from a light source, when an electric field for a first mode is applied from an electrode to the light modulation layer. The light modulation layer generates a plurality of second strip-like illumination light beams extending in a direction intersecting with the first end surface at an angle different from the first angle or a direction parallel to the first end surface with use of light from the light source, when an electric field for a second mode is applied from the electrode to the light modulation layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 18, 2012Publication date: November 8, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Shogo Shinkai, Kentaro Okuyama, Akira Ebisui, Harumi Sato
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Publication number: 20120274867Abstract: An illumination unit includes: a light modulation layer disposed in a gap between a first transparent substrate and a second transparent substrate, and exhibiting a scattering property or transparency with respect to light from a light source, depending on magnitude of an electric field; and an electrode generating an electric field in the light modulation layer, when a voltage is applied thereto, in which the light modulation layer generates a plurality of strip-like illumination light beams extending in a direction intersecting with a first end surface of the first or second transparent substrate with use of light from the light source, when an electric field for a three-dimensional display mode is applied from the electrode to the light modulation layer, and a light emission area per unit area of each of the strip-like illumination light beams varies with a distance from the light source.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 18, 2012Publication date: November 1, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Shogo Shinkai, Kentaro Okuyama, Akira Ebisui, Harumi Sato
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Publication number: 20120257139Abstract: There are provided an illumination unit and a display which are capable of further uniformizing chromaticity of illumination light in a plane while suppressing a reduction in light extraction efficiency. A light modulation device bonded to a light guide plate includes a light modulation layer exhibiting a scattering property or transparency with respect to light propagating through the light guide plate. The light modulation layer is sandwiched between a pair of transparent substrates. While alignment films controlling alignment of the light modulation layer are disposed on surfaces of the transparent substrates, an electrode generating an electric field which changes the alignment of the light modulation layer is disposed on only the surface of the transparent substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 13, 2011Publication date: October 11, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Shogo Shinkai, Kentaro Okuyama, Tomoaki Suzuki, Akira Ebisui, Yuji Takahashi, Taizo Nishimura
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Patent number: 8259384Abstract: An illumination device is provided and includes: a light guide member; a light source provided on one or more side faces of the light guide member; and a light modulating element including a pair of transparent substrates disposed to oppose each other with a gap therebetween, a first electrode provided on a surface of one of the transparent substrates, a second electrode provided on a surface of the other of the transparent substrates, and a light modulation layer provided in the gap and expressing a scattering property or a transparency to light from the light source in accordance with a magnitude of an electric field. The first electrode, the second electrode, or both thereof is patterned, and a density of pattern of the first electrode, the second electrode, or both thereof to which the patterning is applied is varied depending on a distance from the light source.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2010Date of Patent: September 4, 2012Assignees: Sony Corporation, Tohoku UniversityInventors: Tatsuo Uchida, Takahiro Ishinabe, Tohru Kawakami, Kentaro Okuyama, Shinpei Nagatani, Akira Ebisui, Masahiro Ikeda
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Publication number: 20120098875Abstract: An illumination device includes a light guide plate, a light source, and a light modulation element. The light guide plate has convex portions extending in a direction parallel to a normal to a face opposed to the light source among side faces of the light guide plate, and the light source is configured of light source blocks. The light modulation element includes a pair of transparent substrates disposed separately and oppositely to each other, a plurality of first electrodes provided on a surface of one of the transparent substrates, and extending in a direction crossing an extending direction of the convex portions, a second electrode provided on a surface of the other transparent substrate, and a light modulation layer provided in a gap between the transparent substrates, and exhibiting a scattering property or a transparent property to light from the light source depending on magnitude of an electric field.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 12, 2011Publication date: April 26, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Shogo Shinkai, Kentaro Okuyama, Tomoaki Suzuki, Akira Ebisui, Yuji Takahashi, Taizo Nishimura, Shinpei Nagatani
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Publication number: 20110249221Abstract: A lighting device includes: a light guide plate; a light source disposed on a side face of the light guide plate; and a light modulation element disposed on a surface or in the inside of the light guide plate and adhered to the light guide plate. The light modulation element has a pair of transparent substrates disposed separately and oppositely, a pair of electrodes provided on respective surfaces of the pair of transparent substrates, and a light modulation layer provided in a gap between the pair of transparent substrates. The light modulation layer includes a first region, having optical anisotropy, responsive to an electric field, and a second region, having optical anisotropy, unresponsive to an electric field. The second region has a striped structure with average striped texture size of 0.05 ?m to 10 ?m both inclusive in a short axis direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 30, 2011Publication date: October 13, 2011Applicants: Tohoku University, Sony CorporationInventors: Tatsuo Uchida, Takahiro Ishinabe, Tohru Kawakami, Tomoaki Suzuki, Kentaro Okuyama, Akira Ebisui, Harumi Sato, Mamoru Mizuno, Masahiro Ikeda, Shogo Shinkai
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Publication number: 20110141551Abstract: An illumination device is provided and includes: a light guide member; a light source provided on one or more side faces of the light guide member; and a light modulating element including a pair of transparent substrates disposed to oppose each other with a gap therebetween, a first electrode provided on a surface of one of the transparent substrates, a second electrode provided on a surface of the other of the transparent substrates, and a light modulation layer provided in the gap and expressing a scattering property or a transparency to light from the light source in accordance with a magnitude of an electric field. The first electrode, the second electrode, or both thereof is patterned, and a density of pattern of the first electrode, the second electrode, or both thereof to which the patterning is applied is varied depending on a distance from the light source.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2010Publication date: June 16, 2011Applicants: TOHOKU UNIVERSITY, SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Tatsuo Uchida, Takahiro Ishinabe, Tohru Kawakami, Kentaro Okuyama, Shinpei Nagatani, Akira Ebisui, Masahiro Ikeda