Patents Examined by Tai V. Duong
  • Patent number: 5995172
    Abstract: In a tablet integrated type liquid crystal display apparatus, a first transparent substrate is provided on a view side. The first substrate is a plastic substrate having a thickness equal to or thinner than 0.6 mm, and a counter electrode is formed on the first substrate. A second substrate on which a driving layer composed of switching elements and pixel electrodes respectively connected to the switching elements is formed. The second substrate is a glass substrate having a thickness in a range of 0.6 mm to 1.1 mm. A guest host liquid crystal layer sandwiched by the first substrate and the second substrate such that the guest host liquid crystal is driven by a voltage applied between the counter electrode and the pixel electrode. A tablet electrode layer may be provided between the first substrate and the counter electrode. Alternatively, a tablet electrode layer may be provided on the first substrate on an opposite side of the counter electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Naoyasu Ikeda, Eishi Mizobata, Yoshihiko Hirai
  • Patent number: 5995178
    Abstract: The active matrix liquid crystal panel of this invention includes: a plurality of scanning lines and a plurality of signal lines arranged to cross each other; a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in respective regions defined by the plurality of scanning lines and the plurality of signal lines; and a plurality of switching elements for driving the plurality of pixel electrodes, wherein each of the plurality of pixel electrodes overlaps at least one of the adjacent scanning lines and signal lines among the plurality of scanning lines and signal lines via an insulating film, and at least one of the plurality of pixel electrodes is electrically connected with the overlapped line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Fujikawa, Yoshiharu Kataoka, Masaya Okamoto, Mikio Katayama, Katsumi Irie, Yuzuru Kanemori, Akihiro Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 5990986
    Abstract: Gate wire is formed on a transparent glass substrate, and a gate insulating film, an amorphous silicon layer, a doped amorphous silicon layer and Cr layer are deposited in sequence. After patterning the Cr layer, the doped amorphous silicon layer and the amorphous silicon layer, an ITO (indium-tin-oxide) layer is deposited and patterned, and then the exposed portions of the Cr layer and of the doped amorphous silicon layer are removed. A passivation film is deposited and patterned to form a plurality of contact holes over the ITO layer, and then a conductive layer is deposited and patterned to form a data line which is connected to the ITO layer through the contact holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jean-Ho Song, Sang-Ki Kwak
  • Patent number: 5990997
    Abstract: A normally white (NW) twisted nematic (TN) liquid crystal display (LCD) outputs improved viewing characteristics which are defined by high contrast ratios and/or reduced inversion. The display includes a pair of negative tilted retarders located on opposite sides of the liquid crystal layer, each of the tilted retarders including a tilt or incline angle which varies throughout the thickness of the layer. Additionally, one or two negative uniaxial or biaxial retarders may also be provided on opposite sides of the LC layer. As a result of the particular orientations, alignments, and retardation values described in different embodiments herein, the display exhibits improved contrast and/or reduced inversion, often in the same viewing areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: OIS Optical Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael R. Jones, John A. VanderPloeg
  • Patent number: 5990988
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device has a semiconductor substrate. A plurality of switching elements are arranged on the substrate in matrix, and a plurality of pixel electrodes are provided above the switching elements, arranged in matrix corresponding to the switching elements. A liquid crystal layer is provided on the pixel electrodes. The switching element is connected with a corresponding pixel electrode by a wiring layer. Dummy layers are provided in the same level as the wiring layer so that a surface of the dummy layer is substantially flush with a surface of the wiring layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignees: Pioneer Electric Corporation, Pioneer Video Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Hanihara, Itaru Tsuchiya, Kenichi Hanada, Kunihisa Ishii, Motohisa Ohkuni
  • Patent number: 5986730
    Abstract: A dual mode liquid crystal display device has a liquid crystal material disposed between a first polarizer and a second reflective polarizer. A light source is disposed behind the second polarizer and an absorbing means is disposed behind the second polarizer in front of the light source. The reflective polarizer may be a wire grid polarizer and reflects one polarization back towards the front of the display to create a bright image. The other polarization is passed by the reflective polarizer and absorbed by the absorbing means. The absorbing means may be a third polarizer and a wave plate for rotating the polarization passed by the second polarizer before absorbing it so that the second and third polarizers pass the same polarization so that the light produced by the light source may also pass through to the front of the display. The absorbing means may also be a removable sheet of absorbing material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Moxtek
    Inventors: Douglas P. Hansen, John E. Gunther
  • Patent number: 5986731
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, particularly a liquid crystal display device provided with a retardation film, and an electronic device using the same, and provides a liquid crystal display device which satisfactorily and certainly eliminates coloring in the ON-state as well as in the OFF-state and gives a good contrast, and an electronic device using the same. The invention provides a liquid crystal display device comprising a liquid crystal display panel having a liquid crystal layer and a retardation film for eliminating coloring caused on the liquid crystal display panel; wherein a polarized light separator comprising a first film having birefringence and a second film not having birefringence is arranged at least on one side of the liquid crystal display panel; the ratio B.sub.LC /B.sub.RF of the wavelength dispersion B.sub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Chiyoaki Iijima
  • Patent number: 5986736
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device is formed by a pair of substrates each having thereon electrodes, and a liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to be movable along surfaces of the substrates. The liquid crystal is disposed over regions extending between the surfaces of the substrates including an effective optical modulation region, a first peripheral region outside the effective optical modulation region and a second peripheral region formed along a part or an entirety of outer periphery of the first peripheral region. The liquid crystal is disposed to have a higher liquid crystal molecular pretilt angle in the first peripheral region than in the effective optical modulation region. The liquid crystal is disposed in a random alignment state free from uniaxial alignment characteristic or in a layer structure in the second peripheral region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuto Kodera, Kenji Onuma, Bunryo Sato, Tadashi Mihara, Masamichi Saito, Takatsugu Wada, Kazuhiro Aoyama, Seishi Miura, Kouki Nukanobu
  • Patent number: 5978060
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to solve the problem that a pitch of a connection terminal is limited and a circuit size is enlarged by itself in the case where a Com-PWB and a Seg-PWB provided along a side of the liquid crystal display panel are connected via the flexible flat cable. The Com-PWB is provided approximately in parallel along one side of the liquid crystal display panel on the voltage application terminal side of the scanning electrode while the Seg-PWB is provided approximately in parallel along the other side of the liquid crystal display panel on the voltage application terminal side of the data electrode. The Com-PWB has a length nearly equal to that of the one side of the liquid crystal display panel while the Seg-PWB has a length nearly equal to that of the other side of the liquid crystal display panel. The Com-PWB and the Seg-PWB are electrically connected with an FPC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiteru Nakawaki, Shinichi Tani, Masayoshi Takemoto
  • Patent number: 5973759
    Abstract: A liquid crystal projector having a high contrast ratio has an optical system including, for each color, a liquid crystal display device, a drive device for driving the liquid crystal display device and a polarization device, and a light source. The liquid crystal display device has active devices connected to reflective electrodes. Driving voltages applied to pixels have different polarities in every row. The liquid crystal layer is aligned at an angle from 75.degree. to 105.degree. to the direction of an electric field between electrodes. An optical rotator is provided between the liquid crystal display device and the polarization device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Itoh, Shoichi Hirota, Masaya Adachi
  • Patent number: 5969779
    Abstract: The present invention reduces overall electrostatic capacity by effectively reducing capacitor surface area. In one embodiment, each data line is formed so that it directly intersects or overlaps a repair line that surrounds the LCD screen a single time at an end of the data line corresponding to a data line input pad. The other end of the data line does not intersect with the repair line, but instead uses a conductive layer that overlaps this other end of the data line at one end and the repair line at another end. In another embodiment, a plurality of repair lines that each surround the LCD screen are used. Groups of data lines are associated with one repair line and the widths of the data lines are narrowed if the data line intersects a repair line that it is not associated with.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dong-Gyu Kim, Byoung-Sun Na, Won-Hee Lee
  • Patent number: 5963282
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device (10) capable of displaying dark characters on a light background, for example a paper white type display, having an LC medium (20), such as PDLC material, switchable between a state in which ambient light incident on one side is back scattered towards a viewer and a state in which incident visible light is transmitted through the medium to a light absorber at the other side so that a viewer perceives a dark display, and in which a photovoltaic structure (25) is used as the light absorber for generating an output voltage in response to the visible light transmitted thereto. In equipment such as a portable computer or the like, the generated power can be utilised to supplement a battery power supply (45).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventor: Stephen J. Battersby
  • Patent number: 5959705
    Abstract: A switch activating system for an automatically darkening lens system and an automatically darkening lens system including such a switch activating system, includes a cover plate through at least part of which a scene may be viewed, a support, a pair of switch electrodes, one switch electrode positioned in relatively fixed relation with said support, the other switch electrode being positioned for movement with respect to said one switch electrode selectively to make electrical connection therewith in response to deflecting of said cover plate. The automatically darkening lens assembly also includes a controllable light shutter for controlling transmission of light for viewing therethrough, and a circuit for operating said light shutter and affecting operating characteristics thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: OSD Envizion, Inc.
    Inventor: John D. Fergason
  • Patent number: 5956105
    Abstract: An electro-optical device including a substrate having an insulating surface and at least one thin film transistor formed on the insulating surface, wherein the thin film transistor includes a semiconductor film. An interlayer insulating film including an inorganic material is provided over the thin film transistor. A leveling film including an organic resin is formed over the substrate and covers the thin film transistor. The leveling film is prevented from directly contacting the semiconductor film by the interlayer insulating film formed over the semiconductor film. A pixel electrode is formed on the leveling film and is directly connected to the semiconductor film of the thin film transistor through an opening provided in the leveling film, wherein an edge of the organic resin film at a periphery of the opening is round.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Akira Mase, Masaaki Hiroki, Yasuhiko Takemura
  • Patent number: 5953091
    Abstract: A multi-domain liquid crystal display includes multiple liquid crystal alignment domains per pixel. In certain embodiments, only a single mechanical buffing step is required per substrate to provide the multiple domains per pixel. A continuous base underlying mechanically buffed alignment layer is provided, and a reactive alignment layer is provided thereon. The reactive alignment layer is doped so as to cause twist of molecules therein. The reactive layer may be photo-polymerizable and patterned so as to form an array of alignment portions and expose/uncover a corresponding array of areas of the underlying buffed alignment layer. Thus, liquid crystal molecules contacting the patterned reactive alignment portions are aligned in one direction while liquid crystal molecules contacting the exposed mechanically buffed polyimide layer are aligned in another direction. Multiple domains are thus provided, with only a single mechanical buffing step being necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: OIS Optical Imaging Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael R. Jones, Laurie D. Lovshe
  • Patent number: 5949512
    Abstract: A mounted substrate is a TCP of high definition and multi-output used in connection with a liquid crystal display panel of high definition and a great number of pixels. The TCP has a base film in whose aperture an LSI chip is installed. On the back surface of the base film, input and output wiring patterns are provided. A stress-absorbing portion is provided in the neighborhood of the LSI chip on an input-terminal side to be orthogonal to the input wiring patterns. The stress-absorbing portion absorbs a stress which occurs upon connecting a PWB and the input terminal of the TCP by a heating-and-pressurizing connection method. Therefore, it is possible by utilizing the TCP to obtain a thin liquid crystal module of high definition and a great number of pixels and with a high ratio of an available display area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshimichi Taguchi
  • Patent number: 5946060
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes: a first plate and a second plate; a liquid crystal layer provided between the first plate and the second plate, an interlayer insulation film provided between the first plate and the liquid crystal layer; a first electrode provided on a first face of the interlayer insulation film; a second electrode and a third electrode provided on a second face of the interlayer insulation film; and a counter electrode provided between the second plate and the liquid crystal layer. The first electrode and the counter electrode face each other in a first direction. The second electrode and the third electrode are provided in a picture element area at equal intervals in an alternate manner in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirohiko Nishiki, Yoshinori Shimada
  • Patent number: 5946057
    Abstract: In order to prevent a liquid crystal display (LCD) from being damaged by electrostatic discharge, a plurality of static voltage discharging circuits are provided within the display. The LCD includes a first and second transparent substrates provided in a manner wherein they oppose each other and are spaced apart by a predetermined distance. The first substrate has one surface on which a color filter is deposited. The color filter is entirely covered with a common electrode. The second substrate carries a plurality of pixel electrodes in matrix and a plurality of thin film transistors. Another electrode is deposited at a periphery of one surface of the second transparent substrate. A plurality of lines, for thin film transistors, including column and row lines, and are deposited on the one surface of the second transparent substrate. The plurality of lines respectively extend to the corresponding thin film transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Tomohiro Kusanagi
  • Patent number: 5946066
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display having a lower substrate, a data line bended and formed on the lower substrate, a counter electrode bended in the same direction as the data line and formed on the lower substrate, and a pixel electrode bended in the same direction as the data line and formed on the lower substrate. The pixel electrode has a bar for bisecting a space defined by the counter electrode. The counter electrode is a rectangular frame. Accordingly, an aperture ratio of the liquid crystal display is increased while multidomain is formed between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung Hee Lee, Hyang Yul Kim, Woo Ho Choi
  • Patent number: 5943107
    Abstract: A color display device such as an active-matrix type liquid crystal display apparatus has a first substrate having pixel electrodes arranged in the form of the matrix, switching elements associated with respective pixel electrodes and color filters aligned with the respective pixel electrodes. The first substrate is composed of a laminate structure including, superposed in the mentioned sequence, a first layer having the switching elements, a second layer having the color filters, a third layer including a planarization film which fills convexities presented by the switching elements and the color filters, and a fourth layer having the pixel electrodes aligned with the color filter. The display device also has a second substrate including a counter electrode and adjoined to the first substrate leaving a predetermined gap left therebetween. A liquid crystal is charged in the gap between the first and second substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hisashi Kadota, Yuko Inoue, Takenobu Urazono, Masafumi Kunii, Shinj Nakamura