Patents by Inventor Koji Murata

Koji Murata 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: 11016552
    Abstract: To provide an image forming apparatus whose detection range of a person by using a pyroelectric sensor is adjustable without adjusting sensitivity of the pyroelectric sensor, an image forming apparatus includes: an image forming apparatus main body; and a pyroelectric sensor that detects presence of a person based on light received from the periphery of the image forming apparatus main body, wherein the pyroelectric sensor is rotatably mounted to the image forming apparatus main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Koji Murata
  • Publication number: 20210132450
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device of a transverse electric field mode that may inhibit internal reflection and realize proper black display to which coloring does not occur. The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device including a first linear polarizer, a first ?/4 retardation layer, a first substrate, a second ?/4 retardation layer configured with a different material from the first ?/4 retardation layer, a liquid crystal layer that contains liquid crystals which are horizontally aligned in a case where no voltage is applied, plural electrode pairs that generate a transverse electric field in the liquid crystal layer by a voltage being applied, a second substrate, a second linear polarizer, and a backlight. In a case where a color of light emitted from the backlight is expressed by using chromaticity coordinates (x, y) of an XYZ color system, both of x and y are 0.32 or greater.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: AKIRA SAKAI, YUICHI KAWAHIRA, KOJI MURATA, MASAHIRO HASEGAWA, TAKAKO KOIDE, KOZO NAKAMURA, KIYOSHI MINOURA
  • Publication number: 20210124223
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal panel including an active matrix substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and a color filter substrate in a stated order, the active matrix substrate including a first substrate, and a first electrode and second electrodes stacked with an insulating layer in between, the second electrodes arranged in the respective sub-pixels, the color filter substrate including a second substrate, a color filter, and a third electrode, either the first electrode or the second electrodes arranged with electrical connection over the sub-pixels, each of the sub-pixels provided with an optical opening, the third electrode not superimposed with at least a portion of each of the optical openings in a plan view and arranged with electrical connection, a control circuit configured to switch between application of alternating voltage and application of constant voltage to the third electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventors: KOJI MURATA, HIDEFUMI YOSHIDA
  • Patent number: 10989954
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes in the following order from a viewing surface side a first polarizer, a first positive A plate having an in-plane retardation of 120 nm or greater and 155 nm or smaller, a positive C plate having a thickness retardation of 80 nm or greater and 100 nm or smaller, a first substrate, a second positive A plate having an in-plane retardation of 120 nm or greater and 155 nm or smaller, a horizontally aligned liquid crystal layer, a second substrate, a viewing angle compensation layer, and a second polarizer. The device further includes between the first polarizer and the first positive A plate a positive C plate having a thickness retardation of 30 nm or greater and 80 nm or smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Hasegawa, Akira Sakai, Takako Koide, Yuichi Kawahira, Koji Murata, Kiyoshi Minoura
  • Patent number: 10983396
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a liquid crystal panel. The method includes curing a first reactive mesogen layer with ultraviolet light at an illuminance within a range of 40 to 90 mW/cm2. The liquid crystal panel includes a first transparent base material, a TFT layer and a first alignment film stacked in order on the first transparent base material, a second transparent base material, a color filter layer, an in-cell retardation layer, and a second alignment film stacked in order on the second transparent base material, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first alignment film and the second alignment film, an out-cell retardation layer disposed on a side opposite to a color filter layer side of the second transparent base material, and a pair of linearly polarizing plates arranged so as to sandwich the first transparent base material and the out-cell retardation layer and having transmission axes orthogonal to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Murata, Akira Sakai, Yuichi Kawahira, Takako Koide, Masahiro Hasegawa, Kiyoshi Minoura
  • Publication number: 20210109269
    Abstract: The present invention provides: (I) a display device including a display panel, a retardation layer, and a polarizer which are stacked in the stated order from a back surface side to a viewing surface side and integrated without an adhesive layer; and (II) a method for producing a display device including: forming a first alignment film on a display panel, applying a solution containing first polymerizable liquid crystal to the first alignment film, and curing the first polymerizable liquid crystal to produce a retardation layer; and forming a second alignment film on the retardation layer, applying a solution containing second polymerizable liquid crystal and a dichroic material to the second alignment film, and curing the second polymerizable liquid crystal to produce a polarizer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: AKIRA SAKAI, MASAHIRO HASEGAWA, ATSUSHI BAN, KOJI MURATA, YUICHI KAWAHIRA, KIYOSHI MINOURA, TAKAKO KOIDE, KOZO NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20210103083
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a retardation film excellent in retardation controllability against heat and the retardation film. The method for producing a retardation film includes, in the following order: fixing an alignment of liquid crystal compounds to form a retardation giving layer, and heating the retardation giving layer. Preferably, the heating is first heating and the method further includes second heating for heating the retardation giving layer after the first heating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2017
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: KOJI MURATA, AKIRA SAKAI, YUICHI KAWAHIRA, MASAHIRO HASEGAWA, TAKAKO KOIDE, KOZO NAKAMURA, KIYOSHI MINOURA
  • Patent number: 10962839
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display panel includes in the following order from a viewing surface side to a back surface side: a first polarizer; a first ?/4 retardation layer; a first substrate; a second ?/4 retardation layer; a liquid crystal layer; a second substrate; and a second polarizer, the liquid crystal display panel being in a transverse electric field mode, the first substrate including a color filter layer in a display region, the second ?/4 retardation layer being a single layer covering the color filter layer and including a first retardation portion in an end region of the display region and a second retardation portion in a central region of the display region, the first retardation portion having a greater thickness than the second retardation portion, and the first retardation portion and the second retardation portion differing from each other in in-plane retardation by 10 nm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuichi Kawahira, Kiyoshi Minoura, Akira Sakai, Takako Koide, Masahiro Hasegawa, Koji Murata
  • Patent number: 10948778
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display panel of the present invention includes, sequentially from the viewer side: a first linearly polarizing plate; a first ?/4-wavelength layer; a first substrate including a color filter, a black matrix, and a second ?/4-wavelength layer; a liquid crystal layer; a second substrate; and a second linearly polarizing plate, the liquid crystal display panel further including a sealing material disposed so as to surround the liquid crystal layer in a plan view, wherein the second ?/4-wavelength layer is disposed closer to the liquid crystal layer than the color filter and the black matrix are and such that an outer edge of the second ?/4-wavelength layer lies inside an arrangement region of the sealing material, and the first ?/4-wavelength layer and the second ?/4-wavelength layer are disposed such that their slow axes are perpendicular to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Hasegawa, Koji Murata, Yuichi Kawahira, Takako Koide, Kozo Nakamura, Akira Sakai, Kiyoshi Minoura
  • Patent number: 10942411
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes: a first substrate including a pair of counter electrodes; a second substrate including a pixel electrode and a common electrode; and a liquid crystal layer that includes liquid crystal molecules aligned horizontally with the substrates. The liquid crystal display device is configured to perform display in any of multiple display modes. The multiple display modes include: a first display mode of performing display in a first state where an alternating-current voltage is applied at a first frequency between the pair of counter electrodes; and a second display mode of performing display in at least one of a second state where no voltage is applied between the pair of counter electrodes, or a third state where an alternating-current voltage is applied at a second frequency that is higher than the first frequency between the pair of counter electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Murata, Hidefumi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 10937608
    Abstract: An operation panel includes a push key and a switch. The push key is depressed through an opening formed in a panel body. The switch is pushed by depressing of the push key. The push key includes a tapered part tapered toward the switch. The panel body includes an elastic piece inclined toward the tapered part from a circumference of the opening and elastically deformable to an opposite side to the tapered part. When the push key is depressed, the elastic piece is elastically deformed to the opposite side by the tapered part. When the depressing of the push key is released, the push key is pushed up by an elastic restoring force of the elastic piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Koji Murata
  • Patent number: 10890805
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes sequentially from a viewing surface side: a first polarizer; an out-cell retardation layer; a first substrate; an in-cell retardation layer; a horizontally aligned liquid crystal layer; a second substrate; and a second polarizer. The liquid crystal display device includes a viewing angle compensation film between the first polarizer and the out-cell retardation layer or between the second substrate and the second polarizer. The out-cell retardation layer is a laminate including sequentially from a viewing surface side: a first retardation layer having an NZ coefficient of 1.0-1.1 and an Re of 120 nm or greater and smaller than 137.5 nm; and a second retardation layer having an Re of 0-10 nm and an Rth of 80-150 nm. The in-cell retardation layer is a third retardation layer having an NZ coefficient of 0.7-1.4 and an Re of 120 nm or greater and smaller than 137.5 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Hasegawa, Akira Sakai, Takako Koide, Yuichi Kawahira, Koji Murata, Kiyoshi Minoura
  • Patent number: 10808929
    Abstract: Formed in a wall part of a dome part of an annular combustor encircling an axis of a gas turbine engine are multiple fuel supply holes spaced at predetermined intervals in circumferential direction around the axis and many cooling holes extending through the wall part in direction inclined to a normal thereof. When two adjacent fuel supply holes are defined as first and second fuel supply holes, a virtual boundary line contacting an outer semi-circular portion, far from the axis, of the first fuel supply hole and an inner semi-circular portion, close to the axis, of the second fuel supply hole is set. The first cooling holes in region radially outward, relative to the axis, of the line are inclined toward the second fuel supply hole, and the second cooling holes in region radially inward, relative to the axis, of the line are inclined toward the first fuel supply hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuharu Kamoi, Koji Murata
  • Patent number: 10802187
    Abstract: A circularly polarizing plate includes: a first retardation layer having negative refractive index anisotropy; a second retardation layer having positive refractive index anisotropy; and a linear polarizer, the first retardation layer and the second retardation layer being disposed such that their optical axes are parallel to each other, the first retardation layer providing an in-plane retardation whose absolute value is |R1(?)| to light having a wavelength of ? nm, the second retardation layer providing an in-plane retardation whose absolute value is |R2(?)| to light having a wavelength of ? nm, the first retardation layer and the second retardation layer satisfying the following formulas (1) to (4): |R1(450)|>|R1(550)|>|R1(650)|??(1) |R2(550)|>|R1(550)|??(2) |R2(550)|?|R1(550)|>|R2(450)|?|R1(450)|??(3) |R2(650)|?|R1(650)|>|R2(550)|?|R1(550)|??(4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akira Sakai, Masahiro Hasegawa, Koji Murata, Yuichi Kawahira, Takako Koide, Kiyoshi Minoura
  • Patent number: 10802343
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device (LCD) is configured for minimizing unwanted internal ambient light reflections. The LCD includes a plurality of layers, the layers comprising from a viewing side: a first linear polariser; an external retarder that is made of a cyclic olefin polymer (COP) material or a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) material; a colour filter substrate; a colour filter layer; an internal reactive mesogen (RM) retarder alignment layer; an internal reactive mesogen (RM) retarder; a liquid crystal (LC) layer; and a second linear polarizer. The external retarder and the internal RM retarder are configured such that the optical properties (for example light polarization control function) of the external retarder and the internal retarder are matched to negate each other for light passing through the external retarder and the internal RM retarder. The LCD simultaneously maintains high image quality in both high and low ambient lighting conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nathan James Smith, Andrew Acreman, Hywel Hopkin, Kiyoshi Minoura, Koji Murata, Yuichi Kawahira, Akira Sakai, Jiyun Yu
  • Patent number: 10795197
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a liquid crystal panel including in the following order from a viewing surface side: an antireflection film; a circularly polarizing plate including a linearly polarizing plate and an out-cell retarder; a touch panel including a support and a detection electrode; a panel substrate; and an in-cell retarder, the support having a retardation slow axis that forms an angle of 40° to 50° with a slow axis of the in-cell retarder and with a slow axis of the out-cell retarder, the support having a retardation of 3 nm or smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuichi Kawahira, Koji Murata, Takako Koide, Masahiro Hasegawa, Akira Sakai
  • Publication number: 20200310201
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first substrate includes a first dielectric substrate, a first electrode and a second electrode provided on the first dielectric substrate and capable of generating a horizontal electric field in the liquid crystal layer, and a first alignment film being in contact with the liquid crystal layer. The second substrate includes a second dielectric substrate and a second alignment film provided on the second dielectric substrate and being in contact with the liquid crystal layer. The first alignment film has an azimuthal anchoring strength lower than the second alignment film. The liquid crystal layer includes a nematic liquid crystal material and a polymer network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: KOJI MURATA, KIYOSHI MINOURA, AKIRA SAKAI, YUICHI KAWAHIRA, KOHZOH NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20200310182
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a liquid crystal panel. The method includes curing a first reactive mesogen layer with ultraviolet light at an illuminance within a range of 40 to 90 mW/cm2. The liquid crystal panel includes a first transparent base material, a TFT layer and a first alignment film stacked in order on the first transparent base material, a second transparent base material, a color filter layer, an in-cell retardation layer, and a second alignment film stacked in order on the second transparent base material, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first alignment film and the second alignment film, an out-cell retardation layer disposed on a side opposite to a color filter layer side of the second transparent base material, and a pair of linearly polarizing plates arranged so as to sandwich the first transparent base material and the out-cell retardation layer and having transmission axes orthogonal to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: KOJI MURATA, AKIRA SAKAI, YUICHI KAWAHIRA, TAKAKO KOIDE, MASAHIRO HASEGAWA, KIYOSHI MINOURA
  • Publication number: 20200310200
    Abstract: A photo-alignment film of the present invention includes a polymer layer containing a photoreactive polymer and metal nanoparticles dispersed in the polymer layer at a concentration of 109 particles/(cm2×100 nm) or more and 1019 particles/(cm2×100 nm) or less. The metal nanoparticles have an absorption peak in a wavelength region of 420 nm or less. An absorbance A1 at the absorption peak of the metal nanoparticles and an absorbance A2 at an absorption peak of the polymer layer satisfy a relationship represented by the following formula 1: 0.2?A1/A2?25??(Formula 1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: KOJI MURATA, AKIRA SAKAI, YUICHI KAWAHIRA, TAKAKO KOIDE, MASAHIRO HASEGAWA, KIYOSHI MINOURA
  • Publication number: 20200257143
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes: a first substrate including a pair of counter electrodes; a second substrate including a pixel electrode and a common electrode; and a liquid crystal layer that includes liquid crystal molecules aligned horizontally with the substrates. The liquid crystal display device is configured to perform display in any of multiple display modes. The multiple display modes include: a first display mode of performing display in a first state where an alternating-current voltage is applied at a first frequency between the pair of counter electrodes; and a second display mode of performing display in at least one of a second state where no voltage is applied between the pair of counter electrodes, or a third state where an alternating-current voltage is applied at a second frequency that is higher than the first frequency between the pair of counter electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: KOJI MURATA, HIDEFUMI YOSHIDA