Patents by Inventor Satofumi Koike

Satofumi Koike 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: 8203663
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device includes a first substrate, an optically transparent second substrate, a liquid crystal layer provided between the first and second substrates, a plurality of light reflecting pixel electrodes provided between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer, pixels including the pixel electrodes, a translucent electrode provided between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer, and a reflective layer. The reflective layer is provided close to the first substrate rather than the pixel electrodes so as to overlap, in plan view, at least a part of a gap between the first pixel electrode of the pixel electrodes and the second pixel electrode adjacent to the first pixel electrode, and the cross-section of the reflective layer in a direction where the first and second pixel electrodes are adjacent to each other has a concave surface that is dented toward a side opposite to the liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Satofumi Koike
  • Publication number: 20100053482
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device includes a first substrate, an optically transparent second substrate, a liquid crystal layer provided between the first and second substrates, a plurality of light reflecting pixel electrodes provided between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer, pixels including the pixel electrodes, a translucent electrode provided between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer, and a reflective layer. The reflective layer is provided close to the first substrate rather than the pixel electrodes so as to overlap, in plan view, at least a part of a gap between the first pixel electrode of the pixel electrodes and the second pixel electrode adjacent to the first pixel electrode, and the cross-section of the reflective layer in a direction where the first and second pixel electrodes are adjacent to each other has a concave surface that is dented toward a side opposite to the liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satofumi KOIKE
  • Publication number: 20100053031
    Abstract: An electro-optical device, in which the position of the view point of a viewer who sees the display region on a substrate is fixed to a predetermined position within the display region in a plan view, includes a first color filter which overlaps a first pixel region disposed at the predetermined position among a plurality of pixel regions constituting the display region and a second color filter which overlaps a second pixel region disposed closer to an outer side of the display region than the predetermined position among the plurality of pixel regions, in which the hue of the first color filter is the same as that of the second color filter, and thicknesses of the first and second color filters are set such that a difference in density of color between a first display ray which has passed through the first color filter and a second display ray which has passed through the second color filter is small when measuring the first display ray and the second display ray at the position of the view point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satofumi KOIKE
  • Patent number: 6678025
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which is capable of suppressing occurrence of an electric field between a metal light shielding layer and a metal interconnecting layer in a peripheral circuit portion, and preventing disconnection of the metal interconnecting layer due to corrosion, and which has improved reliability under conditions where light and heat are present. In the liquid crystal display device, a metal light shielding layer is formed in a pattern reverse to a metal interconnecting layer 13 on the metal-interconnecting layer on the driving substrate side. The potential of the metal light shielding layer is set to the same potential as the potential Vss of the metal interconnecting layer. On the metal light shielding layer is provided a transparent electrode through a flattening film. The transparent electrode is set to the same potential (=the potential of auxiliary capacitor or capacitance Cs) as a counter electrode on the counter substrate side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Iida, Satofumi Koike
  • Patent number: 6483560
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which is capable of suppressing occurrence of an electric field between a metal light shielding layer and a metal interconnecting layer in a peripheral circuit portion, and preventing disconnection of the metal interconnecting layer due to corrosion, and which has improved reliability under conditions where light and heat are present. In the liquid crystal display device, a metal light shielding layer is formed in a pattern reverse to a metal interconnecting layer 13 on the metal interconnecting layer on the driving substrate side. The potential of the metal light shielding layer is set to the same potential as the potential Vss of the metal interconnecting layer. On the metal light shielding layer is provided a transparent electrode through a flattening film. The transparent electrode is set to the same potential (=the potential of auxiliary capacitor or capacitance Cs) as a counter electrode on the counter substrate side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Iida, Satofumi Koike
  • Publication number: 20020057404
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which is capable of suppressing occurrence of an electric field between a metal light shielding layer and a metal interconnecting layer in a peripheral circuit portion, and preventing disconnection of the metal interconnecting layer due to corrosion, and which has improved reliability under conditions where light and heat are present. In the liquid crystal display device, a metal light shielding layer is formed in a pattern reverse to a metal interconnecting layer 13 on the metal -interconnecting layer on the driving substrate side. The potential of the metal light shielding layer is set to the same potential as the potential Vss of the metal interconnecting layer. On the metal light shielding layer is provided a transparent electrode through a flattening film. The transparent electrode is set to the same potential (=the potential of auxiliary capacitor or capacitance Cs) as a counter electrode on the counter substrate side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Publication date: May 16, 2002
    Inventors: Masayuki Iida, Satofumi Koike
  • Patent number: 6388723
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which is capable of suppressing occurrence of an electric field between a metal light shielding layer and a metal interconnecting layer in a peripheral circuit portion, and preventing disconnection of the metal interconnecting layer due to corrosion, and which has improved reliability under conditions where light and heat are present. In the liquid crystal display device, a metal light shielding layer is formed in a pattern reverse to a metal interconnecting layer 13 on the metal interconnecting layer on the driving substrate side. The potential of the metal light shielding layer is set to the same potential as the potential VSS of the metal interconnecting layer. On the metal light shielding layer is provided a transparent electrode through a flattening film. The transparent electrode is set to the same potential (=the potential of auxiliary capacity CS) as a counter electrode on the counter substrate side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Iida, Satofumi Koike
  • Publication number: 20020054255
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which is capable of suppressing occurrence of an electric field between a metal light shielding layer and a metal interconnecting layer in a peripheral circuit portion, and preventing disconnection of the metal interconnecting layer due to corrosion, and which has improved reliability under conditions where light and heat are present. In the liquid crystal display device, a metal light shielding layer is formed in a pattern reverse to a metal interconnecting layer 13 on the metal-interconnecting layer on the driving substrate side. The potential of the metal light shielding layer is set to the same potential as the potential Vss of the metal interconnecting layer. On the metal light shielding layer is provided a transparent electrode through a flattening film. The transparent electrode is set to the same potential (=the potential of auxiliary capacitor or capacitance Cs) as a counter electrode on the counter substrate side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Publication date: May 9, 2002
    Inventors: Masayuki IIda, Satofumi Koike
  • Patent number: 6327006
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device is so constructed that the scattered or reflected incident rays and even the return rays are prevented from entering the transistor part. The device is free from the problem of photoelectric current leakage. The device comprises an active substrate with a pixel transistor TFT thereon and a counter substrate that faces the active substrate via liquid crystal therebetween, wherein light-shielding layers (upper light-shielding layer, and lower light-shielding layer) are formed to be adjacent to the side of the pixel transistor part that faces the counter substrate and adjacent to the side thereof that faces opposite to the counter substrate and wherein the upper light-shielding layer and the lead electrode shield the entire region except the pixel openings from the incident rays that enter the device through the counter substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takusei Sato, Fumiaki Abe, Yoshihiro Hashimoto, Satofumi Koike, Katsuhide Uchino, Yuji Hayashi, Masayuki Iida
  • Patent number: 6043858
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device, positional shifts in patterns formed on an upper substrate and a lower substrate are reduced. The liquid crystal display device is arranged by one pair of substrates whose thermal expansion coefficients are different from each other, the substrates being mutually attached to each other via a predetermined space, predetermined patterns formed on inner surfaces of the respective substrates and positionally aligned to each other, a dimension of one pattern being previously and adjustably set with respect to a dimension of the other pattern based upon a difference existing in the thermal expansion coefficients of the paired substrates; and liquid crystal held in the predetermined space defined by the paired substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Satofumi Koike, Yuji Hayashi
  • Patent number: 5850276
    Abstract: To provide a liquid crystal display device and manufacturing method thereof for preventing a drop in the pixel slot opening and focus rates due to poor alignment precision of the drive substrate and microlens which face each other, and for improving the focus rate and production efficiency. A lens group comprised of a plurality of microlenses is integrated into the opposing substrate. A second alignment mark is formed at the desired position within the display area on the opposing substrate. This second alignment mark is formed along grooves between numerous protrusions having a semi-circular shaped cross section so the outer contours of the face form a cross shape of a specific width. These protrusions are made of the same material (for instance transparent plastic) and shape (semi-circular cross section) as those of the microlens at the display area, forming a lens shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1998
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Ochi, Shizuo Nishihara, Hiroaki Ichikawa, Satofumi Koike, Yasunori Sato
  • Patent number: 5771085
    Abstract: To provide a liquid crystal display device and manufacturing method thereof for preventing a drop in the pixel slot opening and focus rates due to poor alignment precision of the drive substrate and microlens which face each other, and for improving the focus rate and production efficiency. A lens group comprised of a plurality of microlenses is integrated into the opposing substrate. A second alignment mark is formed at the desired position within the display area on the opposing substrate. This second alignment mark is formed along grooves between numerous protrusions having a semi-circular shaped cross section so the outer contours of the face form a cross shape of a specific width. These protrusions are made of the same material (for instance transparent plastic) and shape (semi-circular cross section) as those of the microlens at the display area, forming a lens shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1998
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Ochi, Shizuo Nishihara, Hiroaki Ichikawa, Satofumi Koike, Yasunori Sato
  • Patent number: 5682215
    Abstract: There is provided a color display device comprising a first substrate provided on the light source side to accept an incident light, a second substrate joined with the first substrate via a space to emit an outgoing light, an electro-optical substance held in the space, a plurality of picture elements arranged in a matrix on the second substrate to modulate an incident light and emit an outgoing light, a plurality of microlenses, arranged on the incident light side of the picture elements, for condensing incident light to individual picture elements and a color filter, arranged on the incident light side of the microlenses, for coloring individual picture elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shizuo Nishihara, Toshihiro Fukuda, Satofumi Koike, Shunji Kurita, Shin Yoshizawa, Tetsuro Ochi
  • Patent number: 5416619
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprises: a first substrate; picture element electrodes formed on the inner surface of the first substrate and arranged in a matrix; switching elements formed on the inner surface of the first substrate and combined respectively with the picture element electrodes; address lines formed on the inner surface of the first substrate so as to extend respectively along the rows of the picture element electrodes; signal lines formed on the inner surface of the first substrate so as to extend respectively along the columns of the picture element electrodes; a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate so that a space of a predetermined thickness is formed between the first and second substrates; a common electrode formed over the inner surface of the second substrate; a liquid crystal layer sealed in the space; and an orienting layer formed at least between the inner surface of either the first substrate or the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1995
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Satofumi Koike
  • Patent number: 5406399
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus is disclosed which can effectively prevent chipping of a glass substrate or damage to a polarizing plate constituting a liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal display apparatus comprises a liquid crystal panel including a pair of substrates having transparent electrodes on inner faces thereof, a liquid crystal layer held between the substrates, and a polarizing plate disposed on an outer face of each of the substrates. The liquid crystal panel is supported on a protective frame, and the end faces of the substrates are surrounded by a side wall of the protective frame which has a vertical dimension greater than the overall thickness of the liquid crystal panel. The protective frame and the liquid crystal panel are secured to each other by means of a bonding agent so as to form the liquid crystal display apparatus into a unitary block which is easy to handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1995
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Satofumi Koike
  • Patent number: 5093739
    Abstract: This invention relates to an STN liquid crystal display device and a retardation means, in which coloring caused by wavelength dependency of a birefringent effect is compensated for and decolored by using a novel combination of retardation films. At least a pair of retardation films manufactured by stretching a polymeric film and having positive and negative intrinsic birefringence values are arranged such that their main stretching directions cross each other. Coloring is decolored and at the same time viewing angle dependency of display is minimized by this arrangement. Decolored black-and-white display having small viewing angle dependency can be obtained, bright display with less light absorption is realized, and the thickness of the display device can be decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1992
    Assignee: Citizen Watch Co.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Aida, Osamu Yoshimura, Motonao Arai, Satofumi Koike