Liquid Crystal System Patents (Class 349/1)
  • Publication number: 20040125245
    Abstract: A backlight unit for a liquid crystal display panel includes a plurality of lamps each having a first electrode and a second electrode extending along a length of the lamp and at least one window formed by a first gap between the first and second electrodes, and a plurality of motors for rotating each of the plurality of lamps to irradiate light produced by the lamps onto the liquid crystal display panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Applicant: LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jong Hyun Choi
  • Patent number: 6753198
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of an active matrix substrate which can prevent the complexity of manufacturing processes, widens the range of material choice and allows high manufacturing yield, and a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display using such active matrix substrate. Conductive colored layers (606 to 608) functioning as pixel electrodes and color filters are formed by a process of discharging, by an ink jet method, a mixed ink of coloring material and conductive material to the formation area of a pixel electrode to be connected electrically to an active element (602).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kiguchi, Satoru Katagami, Tomomi Kawase, Hisashi Aruga, Masaharu Shimizu
  • Patent number: 6741301
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a first liquid crystal display panel, a second liquid crystal display panel smaller in area than the first liquid crystal display panel. A flat backlight has an optical waveguide and a point light source placed near one side surface portion of the optical waveguide, and is placed between the first liquid crystal display panel and the second liquid crystal display panel. One reflecting layer is placed at least between the flat backlight and the second liquid crystal display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaki Tsuji
  • Publication number: 20040080676
    Abstract: A display device substrate which meets requirements for weight reduction, thickness reduction, high reliability, good heat resistance, and good impact resistance all at once. The display device substrate is composed of a pair of glass sheets facing each other and a layer of plastics material interposed between said paired glass sheets in such a way that said glass sheets have an internal compressive strain ascribed to the plastic sheet. Thus, the very thin glass sheets are hardly liable to breakage. This makes light weight and reduced thickness compatible with reliability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2003
    Publication date: April 29, 2004
    Inventors: Hitoshi Oaku, Yasuo Hanawa, Shigeo Amagi, Tomoji Oishi, Katsumi Kondou
  • Patent number: 6723575
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a fluid-ejecting chip for an inkjet printer includes the step of forming CMOS layers on a wafer substrate. Nozzle chambers with ink ejection ports are formed on the wafer substrate. A sacrificial material is deposited on the wafer substrate. A shape memory material is deposited on the sacrificial material at a temperature above a transition temperature of the shape memory material with the shape memory material in a post-actuation shape. Heating circuits are formed on the sacrificial material to be in electrical contact with the CMOS layers and to heat the shape memory material upon receipt of an electrical signal from the CMOS layers to a temperature above the transition temperature. A stressed material is deposited on the sacrificial material. The sacrificial material is removed so that the shape memory material and the stressed material define a plurality of actuators that are operatively arranged with respect to the nozzle chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Publication number: 20040051817
    Abstract: A carriage 5 is provided with an injection head 7 to discharge an amount of liquid drops according to the supplied driving pulses and a liquid material sensor 17 to detect the ink amount hit at a filter substrate at each pixel region. A main controller 31 determines a waveform of the driving pulses capable of discharging the short amount of liquid drops according to a level of a detection signal from the liquid material sensor 17 and outputs the determined information on the waveform of the driving pulses to driving signal generator 32. The driving signal generator 32 generates driving pulses according to the received information on the waveform and outputs it to the injection head 7. The injection head 7 adjusts an ink amount at the corresponding pixel region to the target amount of liquid material by injecting the short amount of liquid drops to the corresponding pixel region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2003
    Publication date: March 18, 2004
    Inventors: Tomoaki Takahashi, Hirofumi Sakai
  • Patent number: 6696324
    Abstract: First, a conductive material made of aluminum-based material is deposited and patterned to form a gate wire including a gate line, a gate pad, and a gate electrode. A gate insulating layer is formed, and a semiconductor layer and an ohmic contact layer are sequentially formed. Next, a conductor layer including a lower layer of Cr and an upper layer of aluminum-based material is deposited and patterned to form a data wire include a data line intersecting the gate line, a source electrode, a drain electrode and a data pad. Then, a passivation layer is deposited and patterned to form contact holes exposing the drain electrode, the gate pad and the data pad, respectively. Next, an amorphous silicon layer is deposited, an annealing process is executed to form inter-layer reaction layers on the drain electrode, the gate pad and the data pad, which are exposed through the contact holes. Then, the amorphous silicon layer is removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mun-Pyo Hong, Sang-Gab Kim
  • Publication number: 20040021801
    Abstract: A mask for fabricating a liquid crystal display with a substrate includes a first mask pattern placed at the center of the substrate with the center line to expose the center of the substrate to light. A second mask pattern is placed to the left of the first mask pattern to expose the left side of the substrate to light. The second mask pattern is spaced apart from the first mask pattern with a first distance. A third mask pattern is placed to the right of the first mask pattern to expose the right side of the substrate to light. The third mask pattern is spaced apart from the first mask pattern with a second distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2003
    Publication date: February 5, 2004
    Inventors: Young-Mi Tak, Woon-Yong Park, Mun-Pyo Hong, Jung-Ho Lee
  • Publication number: 20040021802
    Abstract: Color 3D image display devices that show realistic 3D images using the virtual light points fields. Color-intensity and directions of the virtual light points fields are controlled by various methods such as selection of directions of properly color-intensified light rays. For such methods, micro-pinholes, liquid crystal pinholes, varifocal micro-lens arrays and varifocal index-gradient lens, etc. are used together with high-resolution and high-speed 2 dimensional pattern-generating displays. By adding linear (reciprocating) and/or rotational motion to such 3D display makes higher resolution and view angles wider.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2003
    Publication date: February 5, 2004
    Inventors: Kazutora Yoshino, Emily Yoshino
  • Patent number: 6680758
    Abstract: The present invention relates to beam steering and scanning devices which utilize cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) elements arranged in branches to form a logic tree. Each branch comprises an active and passive CLC element; the former further comprising a half-wave retarder and an electrode and the latter only the CLC element. Each succeeding branch contains twice as many branches as a preceding branch and, by activating active CLC element electrodes under control of a programmable pulsed source, inputs applied to the first stage of a logic tree are delivered as a scanned line of electromagnetic energy or light to the imaging cells of the last stage of the logic tree. By stacking identical logic trees with a laser source for each tree, a flat panel imaging array or display device is formed in which the transmission losses are minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Reveo, Inc.
    Inventor: Sadeg Mustafa Faris
  • Patent number: 6670514
    Abstract: Compounds of the formula (I) in which: R1 is H, F, CF3, OCF3, OCF2H, OCFH2, an alkyl radical or an alkenyl radical; R2 is H, an alkyl radical or alkyloxy radical or an alkenyl or alkenyloxy radical; G2—G1 is —CH═CH—, —CH2CH2—, —CF═CH—, —CH═CF—, —CF═CF—, —CH2—, —CF2—; M1, M2 are each, independently of one another, —C(═O)O—, —OC(═O)—, —CH2O—, —OCH2—, —OCF2—, —CF2O—, —C≡C—, —CH2CH2—, —CF2CF2— or a single bond; A1, A2 are each, independently of one another, phenylene-1,4-diyl, unsubstituted, monosubstituted or disubstituted by F, cyclohexane-1,4-diyl, 1,3-dioxan-2,5-diyl; m, n are each, independently of one another, zero or 1; m+n=0 or 1; The invention furthermore provides a liquid-crystal mixture comprising one or more compounds of the formula (I
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Clariant Finance (BVI) Limited
    Inventors: Rainer Wingen, Barbara Hornung, Wolfgang Schmidt
  • Patent number: 6661495
    Abstract: An optical system including one or more switchable holographic optical elements is described for use with a pancake window display system. Each of the switchable holographic optical elements of the optical system operates between active and inactive states in accordance with control signals provided by a control logic circuit. In the active state, each switchable holographic optical element operates to reflect and collimate a narrow band of incident light thereon. In the inactive state, the switchable holographic optical element operates to transmit a substantial portion of light thereon without substantial alteration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: DigiLens, Inc.
    Inventor: Milan M. Popovich
  • Patent number: 6657447
    Abstract: A chemical mixture of liquid crystal and a substance that lowers the clear/opaque transition temperature of the liquid crystal, thins the liquid crystal, and makes the liquid crystal more sensitive to heat generated in the lower layers of an integrated circuit chip during IC hot spot testing. The substance can be a solvent or a diluent comprising a ketone or an alcohol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Xilnx, Inc.
    Inventor: Seyed Amir David Parandoosh
  • Patent number: 6646689
    Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display is provided with a first supporter for supporting a first substrate with the state of restraining the displacement in a surface direction of the first substrate on a first surface plate, a second supporter for supporting a second substrate with the state of restraining the displacement in a surface direction of the second substrate on a second surface plate, a pressurized for press-welding the first and second substrates by pressing the first and second surface plates, and a position-aligning mechanism for performing an alignment between the first and second substrates while the pressing means presses the first and second surface plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventor: Akehiro Matsuda
  • Patent number: 6633348
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid crystal display including a first substrate, a second substrate facing the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer intervening between the first and second substrates and containing liquid crystal substances different from each other, a sum of values each calculated from a formula: X&agr;(RTlogP&agr;+HE&agr;) for all the liquid crystal substances in the liquid crystal layer being 32 kJ/mol or higher, wherein X&agr; denotes a molar fraction of a component &agr; in the liquid crystal layer, P&agr; denotes a distribution ratio of the component &agr; between an aqueous phase and a 1-octanol phase, HE&agr; denotes a hydration energy for 1 mol of the component &agr;, R denotes a gas constant of 8.3 J/K·mol, and T denotes a temperature of 300 K.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Shohara, Takeshi Yamamoto, Natsuko Maya, Nobuko Fukuoka, Katsuyuki Naito
  • Publication number: 20030186427
    Abstract: This invention provides method and apparatus for performing chemical and biochemical reactions in solution using in situ generated photo-products as reagent or co-reagent. Specifically, the method and apparatus of the present invention have applications in parallel synthesis of molecular sequence arrays on solid surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Publication date: October 2, 2003
    Applicant: The Regents Of The University Of Michigan
    Inventors: Xiaolian Gao, Xiaochuan Zhou, Erdogan Gulari
  • Publication number: 20030174256
    Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid crystal display device. The device comprises a scan drive unit for selectively outputting turn-on/turn-off signals in the image display mode and outputting turn-on signals in the fingerprint recognition mode; a data drive unit for outputting data signals in the image display mode; a switch control unit for outputting turn-off signals in the image display mode and for selectively outputting turn-on/turn-off signals in the fingerprint recognition mode; a reading unit for outputting fingerprint image information read in the fingerprint recognition mode; a sensor thin film transistor for driving liquid crystal in the image display mode; and a switch thin film transistor having a channel with a first end and a second end, a drain and a source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2002
    Publication date: September 18, 2003
    Inventors: Choong Hoo Kim, Kyu Chang Park, Min Soo Shim
  • Patent number: 6620741
    Abstract: A method for controlling etch bias of carbon doped oxide films comprising performing the etch in a cyclic two step process i.e., a carbon doped oxide (CDO) removal process, said CDO removal process comprises a first gas to etch a trench in the CDO layer. The CDO removal process is followed by a polymer deposition process. The polymer deposition process comprises introducing a second gas in the reactor to deposit a polymer in the trench of the CDO layer. The first gas comprises a first molecule having a first ratio of carbon atoms to fluorine atoms, and the second gas comprises a second molecule having a second ratio of carbon atoms to fluorine atoms, such that the second ratio of carbon atoms to fluorine atoms is greater than the first ratio of carbon atoms to fluorine atoms. The above process may be repeated to etch the final structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: David H. Gracias, Hyun-Mog Park, Vijayakumar S. Ramachandrarao
  • Publication number: 20030169377
    Abstract: A musical instrument tuner includes a display screen. A user can select predetermined configurations such as for guitar, bass guitar, violin, cello, etc. Popular detuned settings for guitars, such as “drop-D,” one half-step down, etc. can be provided as selectable presets with the display configuration changing to provide appropriate indicators. Bass guitars or other instruments that come in models having different numbers of strings can easily be accommodated with presets or through user customization. A user can also create a customized tuner with arbitrary note detection so that any instrument or user preference can be configured after the point of sale with a single manufactured device. In one embodiment, the tuner mounts adjacent to an instrument, such as a guitar, by using a standard ¼″ plug. The tuner has a display screen that pivots to permit viewing on different types of guitars. A model is disclosed that is suitable for both left and right handed guitar players.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2002
    Publication date: September 11, 2003
    Inventor: Charles J. Kulas
  • Patent number: 6617174
    Abstract: A fieldless CMOS image sensor that include a non-LOCOS isolation structure surrounding the photodiode diffusion region of each pixel. The isolation structure is formed by an anti-punchthrough (APT) implant isolation region formed in the substrate around the photodiode diffusion region, and spacer oxide that is formed using a special mask to cover the APT implant region. The APT implant isolation region is self-aligned with the special spacer oxide mask. A width of the isolation structure between two adjacent photodiodes is 0.5 &mgr;m or more. Similarly, LOCOS structures that are used, for example, in the image sensor active circuitry, are separated from the image-sensing (e.g., photodiode) region of each pixel by portions of the isolation structure having a width of 0.5 &mgr;m or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Tower Semiconductor Ltd.
    Inventor: Israel Rotstein
  • Patent number: 6614572
    Abstract: An apparatus for processing an optical beam has at least one variable optical element to dynamically alter the polarization state of a polarized optical beam to form a polarization-altered optical beam. The polarization-altered optical beam includes elliptical polarization. The at least one variable optical element is a compound birefringent crystal with a designed retardation response to temperature variations. In one embodiment, the compound birefringent crystal has a designed retardation response that is substantially invariant with operating temperature variations. At least one wave plate processes the polarized optical beam. Each wave plate has a selected retardation, order of retardation, and orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: CoAdna Photonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Jack R. Kelly, Haiji J. Yuan, Hudson Washburn
  • Publication number: 20030142243
    Abstract: A connector apparatus of a hard disk drive allows a connector automatically contact a flexible printed circuit board upon combining a printed circuit board with a the head/disk assembly. The connector apparatus includes a printed circuit board with the connector mounted thereon, and a head/disk assembly with the flexible printed circuit board mounted thereon. The connector includes a plurality of hooklike terminals for automatically connecting with the flexible printed circuit board when combining the printed circuit board with the head/disk assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2003
    Publication date: July 31, 2003
    Inventors: Bong-Jin Lee, Young-Sub Ahn
  • Patent number: 6587286
    Abstract: The present invention comprises of a circular prism having beveled periphery and center faces cooperating with multiple other prisms to form a light capacitor. The present invention allows a user to collect and hold the light in a storage-type device for use in a concentrated way when desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Inventor: James A. Townsend
  • Patent number: 6583284
    Abstract: Anisotropic films based on sulforderivatives of phenanthro-9′,10′:2,3-quinoxaline are disclosed. These compounds form liquid crystal and lyotropic liquid crystal systems that exhibit excellent optical properties with films that are significantly thinner than the current state of the art. The liquid crystal systems may be deposited on substrates or other film materials for use in a wide variety of commercial applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Optiva, Inc.
    Inventors: Elena N. Sidorenko, Tatiana Ya. Dutova
  • Patent number: 6583837
    Abstract: In a vertical aligned LCD the other substrate has further protrusion parts e.g. parallel to the gate buses or source buses, in addition to the protrusion parts parallel to slits of pixel electrodes. By the further protrusion, when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer, it becomes easy to align axes of liquid crystal molecules in one direction, so that transmittivity of light which travels through liquid crystal panel becomes high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Masakazu Fukumoto, Masahiro Yoshiga, Mark Thomas Johnson, Johannes Albertus Matthijs Maria Van Haaren, Dirk Kornelis Gerhardus De Boer, Jeffrey Alan Chapman, Armanda Cinderella Nieuwkerk
  • Patent number: 6574044
    Abstract: A polarizer construction is disclosed that includes a reflective polarizer disposed on a first side of the construction to transmit light having one polarization and reflect light having an orthogonal polarization, and one or more colored dichroic polarizers disposed on a second side of the construction. The one or more colored dichroic polarizers are arranged so that when the construction is illuminated from the first side, an observer viewing the construction from the second side will observe a first spectral distribution of visible light, and when the construction is illuminated from the second side, an observer viewing the construction from the second side will observe a second spectral distribution of visible light different from the first spectral distribution. Various display constructions using colored polarizers to achieve color changing and image reversal effects are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Hassan Sahouani, Kim Marie Vogel, Keith M. Kotchick, Mark B. O'Neill, William A. Hibbard, Robert S. Moshrefzadeh
  • Publication number: 20030098931
    Abstract: An optical member comprising an optical material or a laminated body of the optical materials in a shape a sheet or a film and an adhesive layer at least on one side thereof, wherein a repulsive force when deformed at 180° in radius of 25 mm with 25 mm width shows 0.2 to 0.8 N, is used in a liquid crystal display. The optical member have a peeling strength may be decreased without decrease in adhesive strength of adhesive itself to enable easy formation of trigger for peeling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2001
    Publication date: May 29, 2003
    Inventors: Yuuji Saiki, Masayuki Satake, Yasushi Takahashi, Takashi Shouda
  • Patent number: 6570628
    Abstract: A display device 1 includes an enclosure 2, a first display unit 3 and a second display unit 6. The enclosure 2 is provided with an opening portion 2a through which the first display unit 3 is loaded/unloaded. The first display unit 3 is movably provided between a loading position where said first display unit is completely loaded in the enclosure and a viewing position where information is visually recognized by a driver. The second unit 6 is pivotally supported at its end potion 6c by a pivotal shaft 7 attached to the enclosure 2. The second display unit 6 includes a display 6a and a frame member 6b. When the first display unit 6 is located at both loading position and the viewing position, an end face 6d of the frame member 6b is opposite to said opening portion 2a of the enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Hirano
  • Publication number: 20030086027
    Abstract: In the present invention, a retardation film is produced by adjusting the mixing ratio of at least two kinds of mutually compatible polymers A and B and by forming the resulting mixture into the film. The polymers A and B are copolymers comprising respective two common repeating units and different in copolymerization composition. According to the present invention, the retardation film having the desired wavelength dispersion can industrially and simply be produced. Furthermore, there can be provided the high-quality retardation film capable of controlling the wavelength dispersion of the retardation at a high level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Publication date: May 8, 2003
    Inventors: Akihiko Uchiyama, Masakazu Tsujikura, Takashi Kushida
  • Patent number: 6556181
    Abstract: Provided are a color display driving principle obtained while taking into account a difference in eye sensitivity to the flickering of differently colored lights, a TFT liquid crystal display module structure that is adequate for this method, and a double-panel projection type display device. The count of the G (green) color data that can be written is increased compared with the count for the other primary colors, or the display period for green can be extended. The repetitive unit is set to R, G, B and G, so that a satisfactory refresh rate can be set for the important color G. Therefore, the overall refresh frequency and the power consumed by the display device can be reduced without deterioration of the display quality, and requests for the time response speeds by the display device can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Fumiaki Yamada, Yoshitami Sakaguchi
  • Publication number: 20030063228
    Abstract: A method of adjusting a size of a substrate of a liquid crystal display device includes determining if first and second substrates that are sealed together and have a liquid crystal material disposed therebetween are mutually aligned, one of the first and second substrates having a deposition layer formed thereupon, and controlling an amount of deposition stress of the deposition layer when the first and second substrates are not mutually aligned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2002
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Applicant: LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Min Gu Cho
  • Patent number: 6529254
    Abstract: It is the object of the present invention to provide an optical element for controlling the polarization state spatially by using a liquid crystal and a method for manufacturing the same, and to provide an optical apparatus for correcting the polarization state in conformity with a particular purpose and method for manufacturing the same. The optical element for controlling the polarization state of light spatially by modifying directions of orientation of liquid crystal molecules caused by an oriented film and the optical apparatus by the use of the optical element are described. Orientation which is realized in the aforesaid oriented film for liquid crystal molecules is controlled by light irradiation with ultraviolet light etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Suganuma
  • Publication number: 20030020842
    Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for viewing computer generated images and for tracking the positions of the user's head and hand. One alternative of the apparatus includes a frame element, versatilely mountable, with sensors for the head tracking of a user whose bodily movement is constrained to a small area. Short range and inexpensive sensors are deployed for tracking the position of the user's head; these sensors are deployed partly on a on the user's head and partly on the tracking frame. All the electronics for tracking and user input are enclosed in a mobile pack. In another alternative of the tracking invention natural forces such as gravity, the Earth's magnetic field, and inertia are used, so additional references. The display allows for interchangeable optical elements so that it may be tailored to suit the needs of a particular user or application. One optical element disclosed is a bicolor polarizer, which allows an lcd to inexpensively provide a bicolor display without loss of resolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Applicant: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Ann Lasko-Harvill, Michael A. Teitel, Jaron Z. Lanier
  • Patent number: 6504581
    Abstract: Method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display apparatus including: a TFT array substrate having a plurality of scanning lines formed on a transparent insulating substrate by a metal film, a plurality of data lines formed on or beneath the scanning lines so as to be separated by an insulating film in such a manner as to intersect the scanning lines, switching elements that are formed by a semiconductor layer at respective intersections between the scanning lines and the data lines, and pixel electrodes that are formed by a transparent conductive film and electrically connected to the switching elements; and a counter substrate provided with a liquid crystal interposed between the TFT array substrate and the counter substrate; wherein a divisional exposing method is adopted as a patterning method on the TFT array substrate, so that adjacent exposing areas within a display area of the liquid crystal display apparatus have overlapped portions with each other, and so that a shot layout is defined in such a man
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Advanced Display Inc.
    Inventors: Miyuki Hirosue, Naoki Nakagawa, Hironori Aoki
  • Publication number: 20020196381
    Abstract: A granular liquid crystal of uniform grain diameter is discharged from a liquid crystal application unit. A charged plate ionizes the discharged granular liquid crystal. A power source supplies a plus voltage to the charged plate via a switch which turns on or off a supplied voltage from the power source. If the switch is turned on, the granular liquid crystal is ionized, and the ionized granular liquid crystal is deflected by a deflecting plate to reach a substrate. On the other hand, if the switch is turned off, the granular liquid crystal is not ionized, and not deflected by the deflecting plate to be captured by a garter. The switch is turned on or off in synchronism with the frequency of the piezoelectric transducer, whereby a desired amount of liquid crystal can be dripped on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2002
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Applicant: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tatsuhiro Taguchi
  • Publication number: 20020180896
    Abstract: An assembly of backlight mask is provided for lowering peripheral temperature of a LCD panel during operation so as to heighten efficiency and lifetime of the LCD panel, wherein the LCD panel is segregated from heat generated by a backlight device of the backlight mask; an insulation sheet is disposed between the backlight device and the LCD panel; and a plurality of vents and fans are provided to a base of the backlight mask for expelling heat generated from the backlight device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2001
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventor: Chun-Chi Liao
  • Patent number: 6486927
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) test system, and more particularly to an in-line LCD test system capable of promptly and accurately testing LCDs. There is provided an LCD test system including a main frame, an index stage located adjacent to the main frame and having a stacker for supplying a plurality of LCD cassettes, a pre-alinger for aligning the LCD supplied from the stacker of the index stage; a carrier for transferring the aligned LCD so as to test the LCD, and a work table unit for setting such that the LCD transferred by the carrier is tested. According the LCD test system thus constructed, the LCD to be tested is automatically aligned, transferred and electrically contacts to the probe pins by the pre-aligner, the carrier and the work table unit, respectively. A series of such processes reduces the time required to test the LCD and increases in an test accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: DE & T Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yong Keon Kim
  • Publication number: 20020167619
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a substantially transparent substrate layer between a grating layer and a pixel electrode that comprises a solid conductor and an electrically conductive mesh. The device also includes a liquid crystal layer between said pixel electrode and a substantially transparent counter electrode that is arranged at a transparent cover plate. It further includes an active circuit element layer with a field effect transistor for controlling the pixel electrode. A method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display device is further disclosed wherein the pixel electrode is formed by printing a patterned substance onto the substrate layer and selectively plating a conductor onto said substance. The device may also comprise a conductor mesh comprising rows of conductor lines crossing with columns of conductor lines, wherein at least part of the conductor lines are randomly spaced from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2002
    Publication date: November 14, 2002
    Applicant: IBM
    Inventors: Alexander Bietsch, Emmanuel Delamarche, Bruno Michel, Heinz Schmid
  • Patent number: 6473209
    Abstract: Described herein is an apparatus for producing three-dimensional staic or moving images. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an image generator and an optical device. The image generator generates a plurality of image elements including first and second image elements. In one embodiment the image elements constitute coherent beams of light encoded with image information, wherein the coherent beams of light are sequentially generated by one or more laser scanners of the image generator. The optical device receives the plurality of image elements on a first planar surface thereof and, in response, produces first output light rays and second output rays corresponding to the first and second image elements, respectively. The first and second output light rays, when seen by an observer, appear to originate from first and second common points, respectively. The first and second common points are spaced from each other and from the first planar surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: DigiLens, Inc.
    Inventor: Milan M. Popovich
  • Publication number: 20020154072
    Abstract: A method of recording rewritable time related information on a label, includes the steps of providing an electrically rewritable label associated with an article which includes a plurality of rewritable segments, each such segment having a layer including a material which is effective in at least first and second optical states so that the time related information can be written, rewritten and viewed, wherein such time related information relates to usage or potential usage of the article or a device associated with the article and such time related information can be electrically changed by providing appropriate electrical fields to the material, and electrically addressing selected segments to write or rewrite appropriate time related information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2001
    Publication date: October 24, 2002
    Applicant: Eastman Kodak Comapany
    Inventor: Stanley W. Stephenson
  • Publication number: 20020130990
    Abstract: A microlens substrate and a liquid crystal panel are attached with a liquid layer having a lower refractive index than that of a microlens interposed between them. This suppresses light amount loss caused by interface reflection. The liquid layer also prevents mixing of moisture or dust, which occurs when an air layer is interposed, and thereby improves the reliability of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Publication date: September 19, 2002
    Inventor: HIROSHI NAKAMURA
  • Patent number: 6451960
    Abstract: The present invention relates to amine compositions useful in the preparation of polyimides. The polyimides can be used for inducing alignment of a liquid crystal medium with polarized light in liquid crystal display elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Elsicon, Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne M. Gibbons, Paul J. Shannon, Hanxing Zheng
  • Publication number: 20020126234
    Abstract: An electronic device having an active matrix liquid crystal device comprising a sealing layer with a region overlapping an insulating film formed over another insulating film, which extends beyond said insulating film and forms on a peripheral switching device, a region in contact with said another insulating film, and a region where said second insulating film is not formed over said another insulating film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2002
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hongyong Zhang, Shunpei Yamazaki, Satoshi Teramoto, Yoshiharu Hirakata
  • Patent number: 6429962
    Abstract: An optical equalizer for use primarily with an erbium-doped fiber amplifier has an initial polarizer that convert the input beam to a predetermined polarization, followed by a series of dynamically-adjustable sinusoidal filters that provide attenuation as a sinusoidal function of beam wavelength. Each of the sinusoidal filters has a first liquid crystal cell adjustably rotating the polarization of the beam from the preceding polarizer. This is followed by a second optical element that retards the beam as a sinusoidal function of beam wavelength. For example, the second optical element can be a birefringent crystal that provided a fixed degree of retardance to the beam and a second liquid crystal cell that provides a variable degree of retardance, thereby allowing adjustment of the center frequency of the sinusoidal function. Finally, a third liquid crystal cell adjustably rotates the polarization of the beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Chorum Technologies LP
    Inventors: Ming Xu, Tizhi Huang, Chongchang Mao, Jian-Yu Liu, Kuang-Yi Wu, Charles Wong
  • Patent number: 6417826
    Abstract: A method of addressing a liquid crystal device having a plurality of scanning electrodes and a plurality of data electrodes defining a plurality of pixels at the intersections between at least one of the plurality of scanning electrodes and at least one of the plurality of data electrodes, the method comprising applying one frame of a scanning signal to one of the plurality of scanning electrodes, applying a data signal to at least one of the plurality of data electrodes, one frame of the scanning signal comprising n strobe portions, where n is an integer greater than 1, for co-operation with the at least one data signal to address one of the plurality of pixels, and at least one blanking portion, the number of blanking portions not exceeding (n−1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, The Secretary of State for Defence in Her Brittanic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
    Inventors: Paul Bonnett, Michael John Towler, Diana Cynthia Ulrich
  • Publication number: 20020085130
    Abstract: Generally, and in one form, the present invention is a device for the measurement of radiant energy using a polymer dispersed liquid crystal cell. In another form, the present invention is a device for the detection of ionizing radiation that uses a polymer dispersed liquid crystal cell and a light source that is optically oriented toward the cell. The cell is connected to an electrical signal generator, and a light detector capable of producing output is optically aligned with the light source. Finally, a computer is connected to the light detector to analyze the output from the light detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Publication date: July 4, 2002
    Inventor: Suresh C. Sharma
  • Patent number: 6411270
    Abstract: A spatial light modulator includes a pair of transparent substrates disposed with a prescribed gap therebetween and each having thereon a transparent electrode, and a liquid crystal layer and a photoconductor layer disposed between the substrates, with the transparent electrode on one substrate being split into a plurality of split electrodes. A display apparatus is formed by disposing a recording medium carrying a recorded picture at different sizes between the spatial light modulator and a writing light source. Depending on the picture size to be displayed on the spatial light modulator, a number among the plurality of split electrodes are selected for writing voltage application under illumination with writing light based on picture size data recorded in the recording medium, whereby a selected size of picture is written in the spatial light modulator and displayed thereon under illumination with reading light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshifumi Ohsawa
  • Patent number: 6404463
    Abstract: A display device is created in particular for a combination instrument of a motor vehicle and has an electro-optic display device; at least one scale device for at least one analog display device which is arranged adjacent to the electro-optic display device, with one section of the scale device covering at least one section (10a; 10b) of the electro-optic display device; and a luminous layer applied to the scale device by which the section of the scale device covering the electro-optic display device as well as the remainder of the scale device can each be lighted at least in part. In this way, space can be saved between the electro-optic display device and the scale device and an esthetic transition is achieved in terms of illumination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Knoll, Ralf Sybrichs, Bernhard Herzog
  • Publication number: 20020060755
    Abstract: An orientation inspector for LCD cell is utilized to inspect the LCD cell. The LCD cell includes two transparent substrates wherein the first transparent substrate is slightly bigger than the second transparent substrate and a step is formed on the first transparent substrate along the two side edges thereof. The orientation inspector for LCD cell comprises a main body connected to a hoister which can lower the main body to a predetermined position to stop the step at side edge of the LCD cell; a sensor disposed in the main body for detecting the step at side edge of the LCD cell below the main body, wherein when the body stops the step at side edge of the LCD cell and the sensor detects the step on the first transparent substrate, the sensor will confirm that the LCD cell is at correct orientation, and when the main body stops the side edge of the LCD cell and the sensor can not detect the step on the first transparent substrate, the sensor will confirm that the LCD cell is not at correct orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Publication date: May 23, 2002
    Applicant: HannStar Display Corp.
    Inventor: Kang Ting Liu
  • Publication number: 20020054967
    Abstract: Polyamideimide photoalignment materials having a photosensitive diamine derivative compound with side branches, and liquid crystal display devices using such a photoalignment material, beneficially as an alignment film. A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate with such a photoalignment material. The polyamideimide photoalignment materials have a chemical structure as follows:.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2001
    Publication date: May 9, 2002
    Inventors: Hyun Ho Shin, Mi Sook Nam, Su Hyun Park, Moonhor Ree, Seung Woo Lee