Patents by Inventor Muneo Maruyama

Muneo Maruyama 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: 6429916
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprises a transparent insulator substrate, switching elements which are formed on the transparent insulator substrate, a passivation layer for passivating the switching elements, color filters of prescribed colors which are formed on the passivation layer so that no color filter will be formed in areas around contact holes, black matrixes as shields for preventing light leakage which are formed on the passivation layer after the formation of the color filters so as to cover at least the switching elements and so that no black matrix will be formed in areas around the contact holes, an overcoat layer which is formed on the color filters and the black matrixes, pixel electrodes formed on the overcoat layer, lead electrodes of the switching elements for being connected to corresponding pixel electrodes, and contact holes which are formed through the overcoat layer and the passivation layer for establishing connection between the pixel electrodes and lead electrodes of the switch
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Nakata, Yuji Yamamoto, Mamoru Okamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto, Takahiko Watanabe, Hirofumi Ihara, Hironori Kikkawa, Muneo Maruyama
  • Publication number: 20020093612
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display unit produces image carrying light through a liquid crystal layer having a positive anisotropy of refractive index; an optically compensating layer with a negative anisotropy of refractive index is provided on an optical path of the image carrying light so as to compensate the optical anisotropy of the liquid crystal, and the image carrying light is incident onto an optically diffusing layer after the optical compensation so as to widen the viewing angle of the liquid crystal display unit without deterioration of image contrast.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2002
    Publication date: July 18, 2002
    Applicant: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Muneo Maruyama, Susumu Ohi
  • Patent number: 6396553
    Abstract: A polarizing plate, a phase compensation film, a liquid crystal panel, a phase compensation film, and a polarizing plate are stacked on a planar light source in this order. A color filter substrate and an active matrix substrate are arranged parallel to each other in the liquid crystal panel. A transparent common electrode and a color filter are formed on a transparent glass substrate in the color filter substrate. Thin film transistors and transparent pixel electrodes are arranged in the form of a matrix on a transparent glass substrate in the active matrix substrate. The color filter substrate and the active matrix substrate are adhered to each other with a sealing agent. A TN liquid crystal layer including a TN liquid crystal having a twisted angle of substantially 90° is sealed between the color filter substrate and the active matrix substrate by the sealing agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Muneo Maruyama
  • Publication number: 20020021374
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid crystal display device including: a switching device having a first electrode formed on a place near a crossing part of a scanning line with a signal line and connected to the scanning line to become a gate, a second electrode connected to the signal line to become a drain or a source, a third electrode connected to the pixel electrode to become the source or the drain and switching the display signal to feed the corresponding pixel electrode by the scanning signal; an electrode for an auxiliary capacitor, located in a place opposite to the pixel electrode to define the auxiliary capacitor; wherein in a same pixel, the second and third electrodes are formed in a layer different from the first electrode through a first insulation film, the pixel electrode is formed in top of the first, second, and third electrodes through a second insulation film, the electrode for an auxiliary capacitor, is formed in the same layer as the first electrode and is electrically connected to the adjacent
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2001
    Publication date: February 21, 2002
    Applicant: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Hironori Kikkawa, Muneo Maruyama, Yuji Yamamoto, Mamoru Okamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto
  • Publication number: 20020005920
    Abstract: An active matrix liquid crystal display device which has color filters disposed on a TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) substrate, and which reduces the effect of light leakage regions over data lines for an increased viewing angle. The liquid crystal display device has the data lines disposed on the TFT substrate at respective gaps between adjacent two of pixel electrodes, for supplying data signals to TFTs to drive pixel electrodes, and a black matrix disposed on the TFT substrate in association with the data lines for blocking light passing in a predetermined viewing angle range through a light leakage region created in the liquid crystal layer depending on a potential difference between adjacent two of the pixel electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Publication date: January 17, 2002
    Inventors: Michiaki Sakamoto, Muneo Maruyama, Yuji Yamamoto, Mamoru Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20010012079
    Abstract: First and second transparent substrates which are arranged to face each other are provided to a color liquid crystal display panel. A liquid crystal layer is provided between the first and the second transparent substrates, A plurality of thin film transistors are provided on the first transparent substrate. An insulation film provided on the first transparent substrate so as to cover the thin film transistors. A color filter which includes first to third color layers stacked on the insulation layer is provided. A contacting color layer is provided on the insulation film in a region above the thin film transistors. The contacting color layer has at least one color layer selected from a group of composed of the first to third color layers. A black matrix is provided on the contacting color layer. The black matrix has opening portions for transmitting light from the color filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2001
    Publication date: August 9, 2001
    Applicant: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuji Yamamoto, Mamoru Okamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto, Takahiko Watanabe, Hironori Kikkawa, Muneo Maruyama
  • Patent number: 5726727
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device including first and second substrate members, a layer of a liquid crystal material between the first and the second substrate members, an active switching element formed on the first substrate member, a pixel electrode connected to the active switching element and which has first and second portions, a primary signal line connected to the pixel electrode, a secondary signal line adjacent to the primary signal line with the pixel electrode interposed therebetween, a scanning line connected to the pixel electrode, the first portion of the pixel electrode is nearer to the primary signal line than to the secondary signal line while the second portion of the pixel electrode is nearer to the secondary signal line than to the primary signal line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Shibahara, Susumu Ohi, Muneo Maruyama, Michiaki Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 5600456
    Abstract: A transmission liquid crystal display comprises a liquid crystal panel including at least two substrates spaced apart from one another through spacers to confine a liquid crystal between the two substrates; a surface light source provided at a first side of the liquid crystal panel; and an optical diffusion lens having a plate-like shape provided at a second side of the liquid crystal panel, the lens having first and second surfaces, the first surface facing to a display screen and the second surface facing to a liquid crystal panel, entire parts of the first surface is flat, and the second surface comprises alternating flat portions and convex or concave portions having a predetermined curvature, the convex or concave portions having a difference in level of a top portion thereof from the flat portions, the convex or concave portions being arranged at a predetermined pitch, wherein a ratio of the difference in level to the pitch is in the range from 2.9:10 to 0.8:10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Muneo Maruyama, Koji Kashimoto
  • Patent number: 5557433
    Abstract: In a TN LCD, a prism lens film and a wave lens film are disposed on the incoming and outgoing sides of a liquid crystal panel, respectively, to obtain an image wide in visual angle and good in its quality. Thus, outgoing light having a sharp directivity, can be obtained from light emitted from a surface illuminant and having a gradually varying directional property by the prism lens film. Further, with a louver film provided in front of the prism lens film, all the light traveling in the diagonal direction can be cut off so that substantially parallel light enter the liquid crystal panel. Since the light in which a variation in retardation is next to nothing, is diffused by the wave lens film, a wide visual-angle representation free of a dependence on the visual angle can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1996
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Muneo Maruyama, Toshihiko Ueno, Hiroshi Hada, Masatake Baba