Patents Examined by David Nelms
  • Patent number: 8189127
    Abstract: According to the input device of the present invention, phase-difference plate (11) with ¼ wavelength is disposed on the top surface of upper substrate (1) of touch panel (12). As a result of passing through phase-difference plate (11), lamplight 9a that illuminates LCD element (8) goes outside as outgoing-light 9c with a phase-shift of ¼ wavelength. With the structure above, a user wearing polarized sunglasses—even if they have an absorption axis in a direction the same as that of lamplight 9a—can easily recognize the displays shown by LCD element (8) on the back surface of touch panel (12). The structure offers a user-friendly input device with good visibility of LCD element (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Matsumoto, Koji Tanabe
  • Patent number: 8169555
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate having a first electrode and a second electrode, a second substrate, a liquid crystal interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, pixels each having a transmissive portion for performing a transmissive display and a reflective portion for performing a reflective display, and a driving circuit driving the pixels. Here, a third electrode is disposed in the second substrate opposed to the first substrate with the liquid crystal interposed therebetween. The first electrode is disposed in the transmissive portion along with the second electrode and is also disposed in the reflective portion along with the third electrode. The driving circuit is provided to independently apply potentials to the second electrode and the third electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Mitsui, Norio Koma, Tomohide Onogi, Yasuo Segawa
  • Patent number: 8169580
    Abstract: A viewing angle controllable liquid crystal display device including red, green and blue color pixels and a control pixel of an electrically controlled birefringence (ECB) mode and its fabrication method are disclosed. A gate insulating layer and a passivation layer at a pixel area of the ECB control pixel are removed by using a half-tone mask to additionally secure a cell gap to thus maximize efficiency of the ECB control pixel to improve a viewing angle control effect. In addition, a light leakage is prevented by reducing a step in the vicinity of the pixel area of the ECB control pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hwi-Deuk Lee
  • Patent number: 8169572
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes: at least one pixel section including a display cell that has a pixel electrode and a light-receiving cell that has a light-receiving element; and a shielding electric conductor configured to electrically shield the pixel electrode on the side of the display cell from the light-receiving element. The shielding electric conductor is formed between the pixel electrode and the light-receiving element and has a fixed potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Go Yamanaka, Masafumi Matsui, Mitsuru Tateuchi, Yasuhito Maki, Yoshiharu Nakajima
  • Patent number: 8169558
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes pixels A and pixels B, wherein a width BB of the pixel B is smaller than a width AA of the pixel A. A pixel electrode formed in the pixel B is smaller than a pixel electrode formed in the pixel A in area and hence, capacitance formed between the pixel electrode and a counter electrode which is formed below the pixel electrode with an insulation film sandwiched therebetween becomes small. To eliminate this difference in capacitance, a first branch electrode and a second branch electrode are formed on the pixel electrode of the pixel B thus increasing capacitance between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode. Due to such a constitution, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of image quality attributed to imbalance of capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignees: Hitachi Displays, Ltd., Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masateru Morimoto, Junji Tanno
  • Patent number: 8164721
    Abstract: A grating trim retarder fabricated from a form-birefringent multi-layer dielectric stack including at least one anti-reflection coating and supported on a transparent substrate is provided. The form-birefringent dielectric stack includes an axially-inhomogeneous element in the form of a ?C-plate grating and a transversely-inhomogeneous element in the form of an A-plate grating. Each of the ?C-plate and the A-plate gratings are fabricated with dimensions to form a zeroth order sub-wavelength grating structure. Fabricating the grating trim retarder with anti-reflection coatings and/or a segment where the ?C-plate and A-plate grating overlap enables the in-plane and out-of-plane retardances to be tailored independently according to the desired application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Inventors: Kim L. Tan, Karen D. Hendrix, Charles A. Hulse, Curtis R. Hruska
  • Patent number: 8154676
    Abstract: An conductive coating serves as a light shield film and is kept at a give voltage. A metal interconnection is located in the same layer as a source line and connected to the drain of a thin-film transistor. An interlayer insulating film is constituted of at least lower and upper insulating layers and formed between the conductive coating and the source line. According to one aspect of the invention, an auxiliary capacitor is formed by the metal interconnection and the conductive coating serving as both electrodes and at least the lower insulating layer film serving as a dielectric. The auxiliary capacitor is formed in a region of the interlayer insulating film in which the upper insulating layer has been removed by etching. According to another aspect of the invention, the conductive coating has a portion that is in contact with the lower insulating layer in a region where the conductive coating coextends with the metal interconnection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Ohtani, Yasushi Ogata, Yoshiharu Hirakata
  • Patent number: 8149342
    Abstract: An autostereoscopic display device comprises: a display panel having an array of display pixels for producing a display, the pixels being arranged in rows and columns; and at least two arrays of light output directing elements, the arrays being arranged in series over the display panel at different depths, each array being controllable to direct the light output from respective groups of pixels in different directions to enable a stereoscopic image to be perceived. The device is operable to selectively control any one of the arrays to provide the light output directing function, thereby providing respective first and second three dimensional display modes having different amounts of perceived depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Willem Libertus Ijzerman, Oscar Hendrikus Willemsen
  • Patent number: 8149352
    Abstract: A backlight unit which prevents an initial driving malfunction is disclosed. The backlight unit includes: a bottom cover opened upwardly; a reflective sheet disposed in the inner surface of the bottom cover; a plurality of lamps arranged in a fixed interval on the reflective sheet; a driver disposed on the rear surface of the bottom cover; an auxiliary light source loaded on the driver; a first hole formed in a region of the bottom cover opposite to the auxiliary light source; and a hole region, on the reflective sheet, including one of plural micro-penetration holes and plural slit holes and opposite the first hole on the reflective sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ki Duck Park, Hyun Woo Kim
  • Patent number: 8144278
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized active matrix type liquid crystal display device that may achieve large-sized display, high precision, high resolution and multi-gray scales. According to the present invention, gray scale display is performed by combining time ratio gray scale and voltage gray scale in a liquid crystal display device which performs display in OCB mode. In doing so, one frame is divided into subframes corresponding to the number of bit for the time ratio gray scale. Initialize voltage is applied onto the liquid crystal upon display of a subframe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama
  • Patent number: 8139177
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device having a liquid crystal display panel which includes a first substrate and a second substrate, a back plate is arranged on a first-substrate-side of the liquid crystal display panel, a first polarizer is arranged between the back plate and the first substrate, the first polarizer is adhered to the back plate, a face plate is arranged on a second-substrate-side of the liquid crystal display panel, a second polarizer is arranged between the face plate and the second substrate, and the second polarizer is adhered to the face plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignees: Hitachi Displays, Ltd., Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeki Nishizawa
  • Patent number: 8128257
    Abstract: An LCD can include a Compact Collimating Reflector (CCR), is configured to be located downstream in a light path from an LCD light source, where the CCR is configured to reflect light from the LCD light source to provide collimated light downstream from the CCR. A light diffusion film is located downstream from the CCR and is configured to receive the collimated light from the CCR. An LCD panel is located downstream from the CCR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Bright View Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Robert L. Wood
  • Patent number: 8125590
    Abstract: An optical film, a backlight unit having the same, and a liquid crystal display device having the same are disclosed. The optical film comprises a base film and a plurality of structures disposed on the base film, at least one of the structures comprising a plurality of beads with a diffusion portion having a first diameter and a transmission portion having a second diameter integrally formed with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Yongsu Kim, Seungho Lee, Changjong Kim, Seungwook Kwon, Kabjin Hwang, Cheol Yoon
  • Patent number: 8125605
    Abstract: Disclosed are a liquid crystal display panel and apparatus, which can prevent electrolytic corrosion or other corrosion of on-off pads in a test pad part. The liquid crystal display panel comprises: a pixel part having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix at intersections of a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines; a gate pad part having a plurality of gate pads, each of the gate pads connected with the corresponding gate lines to deliver a gate signal; a data pad part having a plurality of data pads, each of the data pads connected with the corresponding data lines to deliver a data signal; a test pad part having at least one or more on-off pads delivering a test signal to the gate lines or the data lines; and a switching device for cutting off the gate signal and/or the data signal so as not to be provided to the on-off pads upon driving the liquid crystal display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hun Jeoung, Young Hak Lee
  • Patent number: 8120741
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a display panel, a first data circuit board, a second data circuit board, and a clip. The first data circuit board has a portion of a plurality of conductors that are coupled to the display panel. The second data circuit board has a second plurality of conductors that are coupled to the display panel. A clip couples the first and the second circuit boards together. A method of assembling the liquid crystal display includes positioning a light source; coupling a clip to the first circuit board and the second circuit board that form a display panel; positioning the clip, the first circuit board, and the second circuit board below the light source; and coupling the clip to a ground plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sang Mook Lee
  • Patent number: 8120737
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device including a pair of spaced and opposed substrates, an electrode and a first alignment layer formed on one substrate, an electrode and a second alignment layer formed on the other substrate, and liquid crystal filled between the pair of substrates. The first alignment layer defines two regions of different alignment directions, within one pixel, with the two regions of the first alignment layer being separated by a first boundary, where the two different alignment directions of the first alignment layer are generally parallel to the first boundary, but extend in opposite directions, and where each region of the first alignment layer is treated to realize an alignment with a pretilt angle by the irradiation of ultraviolet rays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidefumi Yoshida, Tsutomu Seino, Yasutoshi Tasaka
  • Patent number: 8120740
    Abstract: A method for producing an active-matrix substrate including a board, pixels, thin-film transistors that switch the pixels, and source lines and gate lines electrically connected to the thin-film transistors includes forming a conduction portion that provides electrical connection between the source lines and the gate lines using an organic conductive material at the same time as forming either the source lines or the gate lines; and breaking the electrical connection provided by the conduction portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Soichi Moriya, Takeo Kawase, Tsutomu Miyamoto, Kiyoshi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8111347
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device which can prevent lowering of characteristics thereof when a liquid crystal display panel is bent is provided. A liquid crystal display device includes: a bent liquid crystal display panel which includes a first substrate and a second substrate which are fixed to each other by a sealing material, and liquid crystal which is hermetically filled in a space defined between the first substrate and the second substrate; and pressing members which press the first substrate and the second substrate in the direction that the first substrate and the second substrate come closer to each other. The liquid crystal display panel includes a straight line on a surface thereof and is bent along a bent line which surrounds an axis arranged parallel to the straight line. The sealing material includes non-bent portions which extend along the straight line and are not bent, and bent portions which extend along the bent line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignees: Hitachi Displays, Ltd., Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobuyuki Koganezawa
  • Patent number: 8111338
    Abstract: A beam shaping device (1; 50; 60) comprising first (3) and second (4) substrates, a liquid crystal layer (2) sandwiched between the substrates, and a first electrode layer (5; 51) provided on a side of the first substrate (3) facing the liquid crystal layer (2). The beam shaping device is controllable between beam shaping states, each permitting passage of light through the beam shaping device, and further comprises an insulating layer (7) covering the first electrode layer (5; 51) and a second electrode layer (6; 53) provided on top of the insulating layer. The second electrode layer (6; 53) comprises a conductor pattern exposing a portion of the insulating layer (7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Ties Van Bommel, Rifat Ata Mustafa Hikmet, Thomas Caspar Kraan, Nathalie Magali Danielle Dessaud, Jan Frank Stromer
  • Patent number: 8102498
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device realizing improved reliability by preventing occurrence of a pixel defect. A liquid crystal display includes first and second substrates. A spacer maintains a distance between the first and second glass substrates. A liquid crystal layer is provided between the first and second substrates. A pixel electrode film and a common electrode film are formed over a base insulation film of the first substrate so as to sandwich a pixel insulation film in between. The common electrode film, the pixel electrode film or both of them are partly removed in a region corresponding to the spacer, and the pixel insulation film is partly removed in that region. It prevents the film structure from being broken due to deformation of the base insulation film made of a soft material caused by a pressure applied onto the spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Kanaya, Keiichi Yagi