Patents by Inventor Koichi Miyachi

Koichi Miyachi 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).

  • Patent number: 7518683
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device with an alignment film provided on at least one of a pair of substrates, sandwiching a liquid crystal layer, on the side facing the liquid crystal layer, in which the alignment film aligns liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer substantially vertical or horizontal when there is no voltage application, and a mask rubbing process is performed with at least a part of a hard mask adhered to the alignment film surface such that alignment control directions in regions of the alignment film are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Iichiro Inoue, Shinichi Terashita, Hiroyuki Hakoi, Koichi Miyachi, Akihito Jinda, Takako Koide
  • Patent number: 7518700
    Abstract: The subject invention provides a display element which achieves reduction in driving voltage. The display element according to the present invention includes substrates 1 and 2, at least one of which is transparent, and a medium layer 3 held between the substrates 1 and 2, the display element further including on the substrate 1 electrodes 4 and 5 for generating an electric field in a direction substantially parallel to the substrates so as to apply the electric field to the medium layer 3 to cause optical modulation of the medium; and an alignment film 6 which is provided on the surface of the substrate 2. With this arrangement, the voltage level is not decreased because of the alignment film 6, and the driving voltage of the display element does not need to be increased, thereby ensuring reduction of driving voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Seiji Shibahara, Iichiro Inoue, Koichi Miyachi
  • Publication number: 20090086115
    Abstract: A display element has a arrangement that allows the pixel to have at least two domains in which the medium shows optical anisotropies of different directions when a force (for example, an electric field) is applied or when no force is applied. It is preferable that directions of the optical anisotropies occurred in the respective domains when the electric field is applied respectively have 45 degrees±10 degrees with absorption axes of polarizers, and that the directions of the optical anisotropies occurred in the respective domains when the electric field is applied make 90 degrees±20 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi MIYACHI, Seiji SHIBAHARA, Ichiro INOUE, Shoichi ISHIHARA, Takako KOIDE
  • Publication number: 20090079923
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprising, a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer provided between the substrates, a first alignment film provided on the liquid crystal layer side surface of the first substrate, and a second alignment film provided on the liquid crystal layer side surface of the second substrate, wherein the liquid crystal layer includes liquid crystal molecules with negative dielectric anisotropy, the first alignment film and the second alignment film align the liquid crystal molecules substantially vertically to the alignment film surfaces and align the liquid crystal molecules near the first alignment film and the second alignment film such that alignment directions of the liquid crystal molecules near the first and second alignment films are perpendicular to each other, and the first alignment film and the second alignment film are photo-alignment films made of a material having a photosensitive group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2006
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Inventor: Koichi Miyachi
  • Patent number: 7508366
    Abstract: A display has a circuit for comparing video data for a first or current frame with video data for a second or desired frame. A processing section makes an instruction for a process to take place if certain conditions are met. In response to the instruction for a process, a signal generation circuit outputs a signal which reduces a degree of modulation or variation by which tone transition is facilitated relatively to a case where pixels are driven on the basis of data output from an ordinary processing section. Thus, by modulating or varying a drive signal to a degree suitable for a case where tone transition is sufficient, a display capable of improving display quality even in a situation where the display is not capable of being driven suitably, can be realized using circuitry of a relatively small scale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Shiomi, Kazunari Tomizawa, Koichi Miyachi, Mitsuhiro Shigeta
  • Publication number: 20090046221
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes an illuminator and a liquid crystal panel for performing displaying by using light which is emitted from the illuminator. The liquid crystal panel includes a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer provided between the pair of substrates, and a pair of alignment films provided on sides of the pair of substrates facing the liquid crystal layer. At least one of the alignment films is a photo-alignment film which is imparted with an orientation regulating force through a photo-alignment treatment, and the illuminator includes a light source causing primary generation of at least blue light, among other light which is used for displaying.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koichi Miyachi
  • Patent number: 7474373
    Abstract: A display element has a arrangement that allows the pixel to have at least two domains in which the medium shows optical anisotropies of different directions when a force (for example, an electric field) is applied or when no force is applied. It is preferable that directions of the optical anisotropies occurred in the respective domains when the electric field is applied respectively have 45 degrees±10 degrees with absorption axes of polarizers, and that the directions of the optical anisotropies occurred in the respective domains when the electric field is applied make 90 degrees±20 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Miyachi, Seiji Shibahara, Iichiro Inoue, Shoichi Ishihara, Takako Koide
  • Publication number: 20080218646
    Abstract: A pixel 3 includes a pixel electrode 31 and opposed electrodes 32 for generating electric fields between a pair of substrates in directions substantially parallel to the substrates and also includes two regions S1 and S2 defined by the pixel electrode 31 and the opposed electrodes 32. The electric fields are generated in the adjacent regions S1 and S2 in opposite directions. A liquid crystal layer has a structure in which a slow axis indicating a refractive-index anisotropy as viewed in a direction normal to the substrates is vertical to the electric-field direction without an application of an electric field whereas slow axis in these regions S1 and S2 rotate about axes normal to the substrates in opposite directions. In this manner, the viewing angle of a liquid crystal display device is increased and coloring is prevented. In addition, the response speed and the aperture ratio are enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2005
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventors: Koichi Miyachi, Iichiro Inoue
  • Publication number: 20080211756
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a plurality of areas in which response speeds greatly different from each other coexist in a pixel. A first replacement process section replaces the image data of the desired target frame with a first gradation, when a gradation transition from a current frame to a desired target frame corresponds to the above gradation transition. A second replacement process section replaces the image data of the current frame with a second value. The first value is set to a value causing the pixel to respond at a relatively higher speed without the occurrence of the excessive brightness. Without avoiding the deterioration of the image, it is possible to drive a liquid crystal display apparatus including areas whose response speeds are different from each other coexist in the pixel, such as a liquid crystal display apparatus of vertically aligned mode and normally black mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Inventors: Makoto Shiomi, Kazunari Tomizawa, Koichi Miyachi, Tomoo Furukawa
  • Patent number: 7408588
    Abstract: The present invention is arranged such that interlace image data, which has been supplied, is converted to progressive image data in an I/P conversion section, and the image data converted to progressive style in the I/P conversion section is subjected to image processing including data comparison in spatial or time series manner, in an image processing section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Shapr Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazunari Tomizawa, Makoto Shiomi, Hidekazu Miyata, Koichi Miyachi, Akihito Jinda
  • Patent number: 7403248
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the invention includes: a liquid crystal layer taking on a roughly vertically aligned state in the black display state: first and second polarizing plates placed to face each other so that the transmission axes are orthogonal to each other; at least one first phase plate placed between the liquid crystal layer and the first polarizing plate and/or the second polarizing plate; at least one second phase plate placed between the first phase plate and the first or second polarizing plate whichever is farther from the first phase plate; and an illuminator for illuminating the liquid crystal layer with light via the first or second polarizing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihisa Uchida, Koichi Miyachi, Masumi Kubo, Nobuhiko Nakai, Hidehiko Ohkura
  • Publication number: 20080129929
    Abstract: RGB colors are displayed with the same gradation by applying different voltages to display elements in pixels (7). This is in turn done by, for example, either producing a different reference voltage for each RGB color in a reference voltage generating circuit (8) or making reference to a LUT stored in a memory section (15). Hence, color discrepancies in a display element can be effectively limited.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2005
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Inventors: Koichi Miyachi, Takako Koide
  • Patent number: 7382383
    Abstract: A noise adding circuit adds noise data to video data, and a circuit rounds a less significant bit, so as to output video data of 6 bits from 8 bit input data for example. The video data of 6 bits is stored in a frame memory until a further next frame, and a previous frame grayscale correction circuit corrects video data of a previous frame as required so that the video data of the previous frame approaches video data of a further previous frame. It then outputs thus corrected video data. Further, a modulation processing section corrects video data of a current frame so as to emphasize grayscale transition from the video data of the previous frame which is outputted by the previous frame grayscale correction circuit. Thus, it is possible to realize a driving device of an image display device, which can improve a response speed of pixels and has a simple arrangement, without apparently deteriorating display quality of an image displayed in the pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Shiomi, Tomoo Furukawa, Koichi Miyachi, Kazunari Tomizawa
  • Publication number: 20080106689
    Abstract: A display element of the present invention includes: a pair of substrates which are opposed to each other; and a substance layer, which is sandwiched between the substrates, exhibiting an optical isotropy when no electric field is applied, while exhibiting an optical anisotropy when an electric field is applied, and the display element performs display operation by applying an electric field to between the substrates. The substance layer includes a liquid crystalline medium exhibiting a nematic liquid crystal phase, and it is ?n×|??|?1.9, where ?n is a refractive index anisotropy at 550 nm in a nematic phase of the liquid crystalline medium, and |??| is an absolute value of a dielectric anisotropy at 1 kHz in the nematic phase of the liquid crystalline medium. The display element and a display device including the display element realize a fast response speed and a low driving voltage and driving in a wide temperature range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2005
    Publication date: May 8, 2008
    Inventors: Iichiro Inoue, Seiji Shibahara, Koichi Miyachi, Shoichi Ishihara
  • Publication number: 20080100776
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device according to the present invention includes an illuminator and a liquid crystal panel for performing displaying by using light which is emitted from the illuminator. The liquid crystal panel includes a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer provided therebetween. The liquid crystal layer is formed of a liquid crystal material which contains molecules having at least one of a carbon-carbon triple bond and a polycyclic group. The illuminator includes a light source causing primary generation of at least blue light, among other light which is used for displaying.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2005
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koichi Miyachi
  • Patent number: 7358948
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a plurality of areas in which response speeds greatly different from each other coexist in a pixel. A first replacement process section replaces the image data of the desired target frame with a first gradation, when a gradation transition from a current frame to a desired target frame corresponds to the above gradation transition. A second replacement process section replaces the image data of the current frame with a second value. The first value is set to a value causing the pixel to respond at a relatively higher speed without the occurrence of the excessive brightness. Without avoiding the deterioration of the image, it is possible to drive a liquid crystal display apparatus including areas whose response speeds are different from each other coexist in the pixel, such as a liquid crystal display apparatus of vertically aligned mode and normally black mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Shiomi, Kazunari Tomizawa, Koichi Miyachi, Tomoo Furukawa
  • Publication number: 20080074374
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, data, such as video signal data, for example, for a next desired frame is first modulated or varied to facilitate a transition from a current frame to a next desired frame. A modulation processing section can be used, for example, to thus produce a corrected video signal to facilitate the current-to-next desired grayscale level transition. Thereafter, spatial filtering is then carried on the corrected video signal, using a spatial filtering section for example. As such, high frequency components in a spatial domain may be reduced, even after the spatial frequencies of an ordinary video signal and potentially those of noise have been scaled up. Therefore, undesirable noise-caused display quality degradation can be reduced or even prevented, while pixel response speed as a result of the facilitation of grayscale level transition is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Inventors: Makoto Shiomi, Kazunari Tomizawa, Koichi Miyachi, Tomoo Furukawa
  • Patent number: 7342632
    Abstract: A display element of the present invention includes: a pair of substrates at least one of which is transparent; a medium layer, made of a medium sandwiched between the substrates 1 and 2, whose magnitude of an optical anisotropy is changed by applying an electric field; and at least a pair of electrodes applying to the medium layer an electric field which is substantially parallel to the substrates. The electrodes are provided above the substrate via insulating layers each of which is formed in a convex shape. Therefore, a maximal electric field region generated by the electrodes is separated from interfaces of the substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Miyachi, Seiji Shibahara, Iichiro Inoue, Akihito Jinda, Takako Koide, Kiyoshi Ogishima
  • Patent number: 7327433
    Abstract: Each of a pair of substrates respectively comprises an electrode and a rubbed alignment film on one surface, while the other surface is provided with a polarizer. The substrates are placed so that the surfaces provided with the alignment films are opposed to each other, and the area between the substrates is filled with a medium to form a material layer. Then, a medium made of a negative-type liquid crystalline compound sing a photopolymerizable monomer and a polymerization initiator is injected into the material layer held between the substrates. Further, ultra violet irradiation is performed with the medium exhibiting a liquid crystal phase, so that the photopolymerized monomer is polymerized, thus forming a polymer chain. In this manner, obtained is a display element, that causes change in degree of optical anisotropy in response to application of electric (external) field, which display element can be driven by a lower intensity electric (external) field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Miyachi, Seiji Shibahara, Iichiro Inoue, Shoichi Ishihara, Takako Koide
  • Patent number: 7312777
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device carries out tone display with pixels by applying a tone voltage according to tone data to each pixel in each frame, and includes: an LUT memory, which receives tone data of a display frame and tone data of an immediately preceding frame, for converting and outputting the tone data of the display frame; a source driver for applying the tone voltage to the pixels based on the converted tone data outputted from the LUT memory; and a liquid crystal cell, which makes up the pixels, for realizing tone display by the applied tone voltage, wherein the LUT memory stores beforehand output tone data which is specified by the tone data of the display frame and the tone data of the immediately preceding frame. This reduces a voltage change of pixel electrodes which is associated with a tone change to suppress unmatched tone display, thereby improving image quality of moving images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidekazu Miyata, Makoto Shiomi, Akihito Jinda, Kazunari Tomizawa, Koichi Miyachi