Patents Examined by Ryan Crockett
  • Patent number: 11520181
    Abstract: A flexible optical element adopting liquid crystals (LCs) as the materials for realizing electrically tunable optics is foldable. A method for manufacturing the flexible element includes patterned photo-polymerization. The LC optics can include a pair of LC layers with orthogonally aligned LC directors for polarizer-free properties, flexible polymeric alignment layers, flexible substrates, and a module for controlling the electric field. The lens power of the LC optics can be changed by controlling the distribution of electric field across the optical zone. Lens power control can be provided using combinations of electrode configurations, drive signals and anchoring strengths in the alignment layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: COOPERVISION INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
    Inventors: Hung-Chun Lin, Yu-Jen Wang, Hao-Ren Lo, Yi-Hsin Lin
  • Patent number: 11513400
    Abstract: A pixel array substrate including a substrate, a plurality of pixel structures, and a flat layer is provided. The pixel structures are correspondingly disposed in pixel regions of the substrate. At least one of pixel structure includes an active element, a reflective electrode, and an auxiliary electrode. The reflective electrode is electrically connected to the active element. The auxiliary electrode is electrically connected to the reflective electrode and the active element. A vertical projection of the reflective electrode on the substrate overlaps a vertical projection of the auxiliary electrode on the substrate. An area of the vertical projection of the reflective electrode on the substrate is not greater than an area of the vertical projection of the auxiliary electrode on the substrate. The flat layer is disposed between the auxiliary electrode and the active element. A display device by using the pixel array substrate is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: HannStar Display Corporation
    Inventors: Mei-Ling Chou, Yao-Chih Chuang, Chih-Wei Chen, Ming-Chang Yu, Chia-Yu Liu
  • Patent number: 11506946
    Abstract: The present application discloses an array substrate and a liquid crystal display panel. The array substrate includes an underlay substrate, a first electrode layer, a protection layer, and a second electrode layer that are disposed sequentially. The second electrode layer includes a pixel electrode, and the pixel electrode includes a pixel electrode main body and a conductive portion connected to each other. A rough surface is disposed on the conductive portion for draining redundant alignment liquid on the conductive portion such that a thickness of an alignment layer formed by curing the alignment liquid is even.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: TCL CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Xiaowen Lv
  • Patent number: 11500236
    Abstract: This discourse provides a display panel and a manufacturing method of the same. The display panel comprises an array substrate, a color filter substrate, a sealant, a plurality of metal electrodes, and a plurality of walls. The sealant is disposed on edges of the array substrate and the color filter substrate, sealing the array substrate and the color filter substrate. The plurality of metal electrodes are arranged on an aperture region of a plurality of pixel units of the array substrate. A top of the plurality of walls contacts with an inner surface of the color filter substrate. The plurality of walls block liquid crystals on left and right sides, ensuring uniformity of thickness of liquid crystal cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kaijun Wang
  • Patent number: 11500241
    Abstract: A polarizer, a display panel and a method for manufacturing the display panel are disclosed. The polarizer may include a first liquid crystal layer and a second liquid crystal layer. The second liquid crystal layer may be formed on the first liquid crystal layer and stacked on the first crystal layer. A polarity of first liquid crystal molecules in the first liquid crystal layer may be smaller than a polarity of first liquid crystal molecules in a natural state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignees: Kunshan New Flat Panel Display Technology Center Co., Ltd., KunShan Go-Visionox Opto-Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Lingyan Chen, Lingxiao Du
  • Patent number: 11487182
    Abstract: A display device includes a display panel which displays an image and a lenticular lens panel disposed above the display panel, where a lenticular lens area and a sealing area adjacent to the lenticular lens area are defined in the lenticular lens panel. The lenticular lens panel includes a first substrate disposed on the display panel, a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate, an insulating layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, where a plurality of lenticular lens surfaces overlapping the lenticular lens area and a groove overlapping the sealing area are defined on the insulating layer, a sealing member disposed in the groove, where the sealing member combines the first substrate with the insulating layer, and a plurality of liquid crystal molecules disposed between the lenticular lens surfaces and the first substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jiyeon Seo, SuJung Huh, Dong-Chul Shin, Jiwon Lee, Youngsang Ha
  • Patent number: 11487168
    Abstract: A liquid crystal panel and a display device are disclosed. The liquid crystal panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer. The first substrate includes a first base substrate, and a pixel electrode and a common electrode provided on the first base substrate. The second substrate is opposed to the first substrate and includes a second base substrate. The liquid crystal layer is provided between the first substrate and the second substrate in a direction perpendicular to the first base substrate. An initial alignment of liquid crystal in the liquid crystal layer is vertical alignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Beijing BOE Technology Development Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Meina Yu, Hyun Sic Choi, Pengxia Liang, Xiaochuan Chen, Zheng Fang, Xue Dong
  • Patent number: 11474401
    Abstract: A display panel and a fabrication method thereof, and a display apparatus are provided. The display panel includes: a base substrate, and a display region and a non-display region on the base substrate. The display region has a special shaped boundary, and includes: a plurality of display pixels and transition pixels; the transition pixels are provided between the display pixels and the special-shaped boundary; each of the display pixels and each of the transition pixels respectively include: a first electrode and a second electrode. An area of each of the first electrodes of the transition pixels is different from an area of each of the first electrodes of the display pixels; and/or, an area of each of the second electrodes of the transition pixels is different from an area of each of the second electrodes of the display pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignees: Hefei BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing BOE Technology Development Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Zhaoke Zhang, Bing Wang, Kun Wang, Jun Hong
  • Patent number: 11467465
    Abstract: A reflective display apparatus including a reflective display portion which is two-dimensionally divided into pixels each having subpixels and changes reflectance of each subpixel based on an image signal, and colored layers facing the reflective display portion and partially overlapping the pixels as viewed in a facing direction in which the colored layers face the reflective display portion. The colored layers include traversing colored layers that overlap more than one of the subpixels as viewed in the facing direction, and the colored layers are positioned such that at most one of the colored layers overlaps one of the subpixels as viewed in the facing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoko Tsuruda, Mamoru Ishizaki
  • Patent number: 11467427
    Abstract: An optical device (3) comprising a light transmitting electrode layer (2) provided onto a light transmitting carrier (15), wherein a conductive layer (6) is provided on the first electrode layer (2), the conductive layer establishing a connecting area (4), the conductive layer having a thickness being significantly larger than the thickness of the electrode layer (2), and wherein the electrode layer (2) and carrier (15) show a perforation in the connecting area, the perforation being at least partially filled with a conductive material (7) which is further connected to a conductive element (1) thereby establishing an electrical connection between the electrode layer (2) and the conductive element (1) via the conductive layer (6) and the conductive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: MORROW N.V.
    Inventors: Jelle De Smet, Paul Wilfried Cecile Marchal, Philip Ekkels
  • Patent number: 11467450
    Abstract: An optical assembly, a liquid crystal display panel, and a display apparatus, the optical assembly including: a quarter-wave plate, a half-wave plate, and a linear polariser stacked in sequence; the direction of the absorption axis of the linear polariser, the direction of the slow axis of the half-wave plate and the quarter-wave plate are all parallel to the linear polariser; a first included angle between the direction of the absorption axis of the linear polariser and a first direction is 90°-100°; a second included angle between the direction of the slow axis of the half-wave plate and the first direction is 107°-114°; a third included angle between the direction of the slow axis of the quarter-wave plate and the first direction is 164°-176°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignees: BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., BEIJING BOE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xuan Zhong, Hongliang Yuan, Jiantao Liu, Jian Wang, Donghua Zhang
  • Patent number: 11460745
    Abstract: An LCD apparatus includes a first substrate and a second substrate. A first TFT array is deposited on the first substrate. A first array of drive electrodes is also deposited on the first substrate. A second TFT array is deposited on the second substrate. A second array of drive electrodes is deposited on the second substrate. The first TFT array, the second TFT array, the first array of drive electrodes and the second array of drive electrodes are configured to enable pixels or sub-pixels of the LCD apparatus to modulate light. The first TFT array may at least partially overlap the second TFT array, and the first array of drive electrodes may at least partially overlap the second array of drive electrodes, from an LCD viewing perspective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nathan James Smith, David James Montgomery
  • Patent number: 11454858
    Abstract: An optical deflector includes: a light transmitting portion through which a light passes; and a pair of electrodes arranged to oppose to each other with the light transmitting portion interposed therebetween. The light transmitting portion is a transparent ion conductor made of a single crystal or polycrystal. The pair of electrodes apply a predetermined voltage to the light transmitting portion to move ions inside the transparent ion conductor so as to change a traveling direction of the light passing through the light transmitting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Yosuke Suzuki, Tadaaki Nagao, Akio Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11454853
    Abstract: A switchable privacy display apparatus comprises a spatial light modulator, a light control film, and a polar control retarder that comprises plural retarders arranged between a display polariser of the spatial light modulator and an additional polariser. The display achieves high image visibility to an off-axis user in a public mode of operation and high image security to an off-axis snooper in privacy mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: RealD Spark, LLC
    Inventors: Graham J. Woodgate, Michael G. Robinson, Jonathan Harrold, Robert A. Ramsey, Ben Ihas
  • Patent number: 11442332
    Abstract: An optical system includes a first set of electrodes arranged in a concentric pattern and a liquid crystal material in electrical communication with the first set of electrodes. The optical system also includes a second set of electrodes arranged in a two-dimensional pattern and in electrical communication with the liquid crystal material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Arthur Sprague, Jim Weijian Li, Haiwei Chen
  • Patent number: 11435627
    Abstract: A liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) display device and an electronic device are disclosed. The LCOS display device includes a wafer substrate and a pixel electrode layer over the wafer substrate. The pixel electrode layer comprises a plurality of pixel electrodes, and a reflector stack or at least a stack comprised of, stacked vertically downward, a first high refractive index insulating layer and a first low refractive index insulating layer is arranged between every adjacent two pixel electrodes. By arranging the reflector stacks or stacked layers (in the gaps) between adjacent pixel electrodes, the gaps exhibit higher reflectivity and produce less diffraction noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: OMNIVISION SEMICONDUCTOR (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Kozakai, Regis Fan, Ming Zhang, Libo Weng
  • Patent number: 11435638
    Abstract: This liquid crystal display apparatus is provided with: a TFT substrate comprising a thin film transistor and a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor; and a counter substrate comprising a common electrode that faces the pixel electrode via a liquid crystal layer. The thin film transistor comprises: a semiconductor layer deposited over a gate electrode via a gate insulating layer, while having a planar shape that has a first side and a second side each overlapping the gate electrode in plan view; and a first electrode which is connected to the pixel electrode and a second electrode which faces the first electrode, said first and second electrodes being formed on the semiconductor layer. The first side and the second side of the semiconductor layer are adjacent to each other at a predetermined angle; and the first electrode at least partially covers the first side and the second side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: SAKAI DISPLAY PRODUCTS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Okumoto, Akihiro Yamamoto, Koji Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 11434427
    Abstract: A self-aligning material, a self-aligning liquid crystal material, and a liquid crystal panel are provided. The self-aligning material is a nano-surfactant having a conductive material-philic end and a liquid crystal material-philic end, which can align liquid crystal molecules. Thus, it is unnecessary to dispose a polyimide alignment layer in the liquid crystal panel. As a result, the polyimide alignment layer and its manufacturing are saved, and production cost is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yu Zhang
  • Patent number: 11422404
    Abstract: The display device is mounted on a vehicle and includes a display, a reflectance control part, and a control circuit. The display includes a display surface on which a video is displayed, and is able to switch between on and off. The reflectance control part is positioned close to the display surface and is able to change a reflectance of incident light. The control circuit is configured to control a reflectance of the reflectance control part, the on and off of the display, and the video. The display surface is subjected to low reflection processing for reducing a reflectance of light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Marumo, Hideki Morinaga
  • Patent number: 11422428
    Abstract: An optical deflector includes an electro-optical material in a paraelectric phase and having a trap for accumulating charges inside the electro-optical material; an electrode pair formed on facing surfaces of the electro-optical material; a first and second conductor hold units provided so as to hold the electro-optical material and the electrode pair therebetween; a temperature sensor that measures at least one of temperatures of the conductor hold units; and a temperature control unit that controls the temperatures of the conductor hold units, based on the measurement temperature, and the optical deflector sets an optical axis of incident light into the electro-optical material so as to be orthogonal to the electric field direction, applies between the electrode pair an alternating current voltage on which a direct current bias voltage is superimposed, and thereby deflects the incident light, in which the temperatures of the first and second conductor hold units are controlled so as to give the electro-opti
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Sakamoto, Tadayuki Imai, Yuichi Akage, Masahiro Ueno, Sohan Kawamura