Patents by Inventor Chikae Matsui

Chikae Matsui has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9188811
    Abstract: An alignment film is given a 2-layer structure comprising a photoalignment film that is photoalignable and a low-resistivity alignment film whose resistivity is smaller than that of the photoalignment film. The photoalignment film is formed by a polyimide whose precursor is polyamide acid alkyl ester, the number molecular weight of the photoalignment film is large, and the stability of alignment of the photoalignment film by photoalignment is excellent. The low-resistivity alignment film is formed by a polyimide whose precursor is polyamide acid, the number molecular weight of the low-resistivity alignment film is small, and the resistivity of the low-resistivity alignment film is small. The 2-layer structure alignment film can be maintaining an excellent photoalignment characteristic, so DC afterimages can be controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignees: Japan Display Inc., PANASONIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu, Hidehiro Sonoda
  • Publication number: 20150309372
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a first alignment film formed over the first substrate, a second substrate, a second alignment film formed over the second substrate, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first alignment film and the second alignment film, and a projecting portion formed over the second substrate. The first alignment film is a photo alignment film, and a thickness “d2” of the second alignment film over the projecting portion and a film thickness “d1” of a portion of the first alignment film facing the projecting portion satisfy formula (1) and (2): 0 nm<d2<30 nm ??(1); d2<d1 ??(2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Inventors: Hidehiro SONODA, Chikae MATSUI, Noboru KUNIMATSU
  • Patent number: 9170458
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a TFT substrate having a first alignment film and an opposing substrate having a second alignment film with liquid crystals sandwiched therebetween. One of the first and second alignment films, comprises a first polyimide produced via polyamide acid ester containing cyclobutane as a precursor and a second polyimide produced via polyamide acid as a precursor. The polyamide acid has a higher polarity than that of the polyamide acid ester. The one of the first and second alignment films is responsive to photo-alignment. A first side of the one of the first and second alignment films is adjacent to the liquid crystals, and a second side thereof is closer to one of the TFT substrate and the counter substrate than the first side. The first side contains more of the first polyimide and less of the second polyimide than the second side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignees: Japan Display Inc., Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Noboru Kunimatsu, Chikae Matsui, Hidehiro Sonoda, Yuko Matsumoto, Shoichi Uchino, Masaki Matsumori, Yasushi Tomioka
  • Patent number: 9134574
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display device including a TFT substrate having an alignment film formed thereon, an opposing substrate, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched therebetween. The alignment film on the TFT substrate includes a photolytic polymer made from a first precursor including cyclobutane, and a non-photolytic polymer made from a second precursor. The method includes the steps of depositing a mixture material including the first precursor and the second precursor in which the second precursor settles more on an upper surface of the TFT substrate than the first precursor, imidizing the mixture material, and irradiating the mixture material with ultraviolet light for photo-alignment, and after irradiating, heating the mixture material to form the alignment film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignees: JAPAN DISPLAY INC., PANASONIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Noboru Kunimatsu, Chikae Matsui, Hidehiro Sonoda, Yuko Matsumoto, Shoichi Uchino, Masaki Matsumori, Yasushi Tomioka
  • Patent number: 9097939
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes: a pair of substrates at least one of which is transparent; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the pair of substrates; an electrode group formed on at least one substrate of the pair of substrates, for applying an electric field to the liquid crystal layer; a plurality of active elements connected to the electrode group; and a liquid crystal alignment film disposed on at least one substrate of the pair of substrates, in which the liquid crystal alignment film, which is formed by a photo-alignment process, contains polyimide formed using tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride and/or diamine each having a specific chemical structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignees: JAPAN DISPLAY INC., PANASONIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shoichi Uchino, Noboru Kunimatsu, Hidehiro Sonoda, Chikae Matsui, Yuko Matsumoto, Masaki Matsumori, Yasushi Tomioka, Jun Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9086597
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a first alignment film formed over the first substrate, a second substrate, a second alignment film formed over the second substrate, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first alignment film and the second alignment film, and a projecting portion formed over the second substrate. The first alignment film is a photo alignment film, and a thickness “d2” of the second alignment film over the projecting portion and a film thickness “d1” of a portion of the first alignment film facing the projecting portion satisfy formula (1) and (2): 0 nm<d2<30 nm??(1); d2<d1??(2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignees: JAPAN DISPLAY INC., PANASONIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hidehiro Sonoda, Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu
  • Patent number: 9086591
    Abstract: A high quality liquid crystal display device has an alignment film with a photoconductive characteristic. Since a region having gate lines situated therebelow does not undergo irradiation of a backlight, no photoconductive effect can be obtained. A photoresist is disposed below the alignment film situated over the gate lines in order to transfer the charges in the region to an opening portion of the alignment film in an early stage. Since the photoresist has a thickness of about 1.5 ?m, which is 20 times or more the 70 nm thickness of the alignment film, the resistance in the lateral direction is low in a portion where the photoresist is present. Accordingly, since the charges on the alignment film present over the gate line transfer to the opening portion of the alignment film and are eliminated in an early stage, the residual image is eliminated in the early stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Japan Display Inc.
    Inventors: Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu, Hidehiro Sonoda
  • Publication number: 20150168755
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device, a light shielding film, a color filter, an overcoat film, and an alignment film are formed in this order on a counter substrate. However, the alignment film is not formed in a seal portion. When the alignment film is subjected to photo-alignment with ultraviolet radiation, a portion of the overcoat film not covered with the alignment film is degraded by ultraviolet radiation. In order to prevent moisture penetrating from the degraded overcoat film from reaching the light shielding film to thereby alter the light shielding film and from causing the peeling of the light shielding film, the color filter is disposed below the overcoat film to block the moisture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Inventors: Chikae MATSUI, Hidehiro SONODA, Noboru KUNIMATSU
  • Publication number: 20150140709
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display device including a TFT substrate having an alignment film formed thereon, an opposing substrate, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched therebetween. The alignment film on the TFT substrate includes a photolytic polymer made from a first precursor including cyclobutane, and a non-photolytic polymer made from a second precursor. The method includes the steps of depositing a mixture material including the first precursor and the second precursor in which the second precursor settles more on an upper surface of the TFT substrate than the first precursor, imidizing the mixture material, and irradiating the mixture material with ultraviolet light for photo-alignment, and after irradiating, heating the mixture material to form the alignment film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventors: Noboru KUMIMATSU, Chikae MATSUI, Hidehiro SONODA, Yuko MATSUMOTO, Shoichi UCHINO, Masaki MATSUMORI, Yasushi TOMIOKA
  • Patent number: 9036120
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device has a liquid crystal display panel including pixels each having an active device, a pixel electrode, a common electrode and a liquid crystal layer arranged in a dot matrix array. The liquid crystal display panel has a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first substrate has the active device, the pixel electrode, the common electrode and a first alignment film. The second substrate has a second alignment film. The first alignment film and the second alignment film are respectively a photo alignment film formed by irradiating a photo decomposition type insulating film with light. The second alignment film has a thickness of at least 10 nm and no greater 50 nm and is thinner than the first alignment film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignees: JAPAN DISPLAY INC., PANASONIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hidehiro Sonoda, Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu, Yuko Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20150116617
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a TFT substrate having a first alignment film and an opposing substrate having a second alignment film with liquid crystals sandwiched therebetween. One of the first and second alignment films, comprises a first polyimide produced via polyamide acid ester containing cyclobutane as a precursor and a second polyimide produced via polyamide acid as a precursor. The polyamide acid has a higher polarity than that of the polyamide acid ester. The one of the first and second alignment films is responsive to photo-alignment. A first side of the one of the first and second alignment films is adjacent to the liquid crystals, and a second side thereof is closer to one of the TFT substrate and the counter substrate than the first side. The first side contains more of the first polyimide and less of the second polyimide than the second side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Noboru Kunimatsu, Chikae Matsui, Hidehiro Sonoda, Yuko Matsumoto, Shoichi Uchino, Masaki Matsumori, Yosushi Tomioka
  • Publication number: 20150116624
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a TFT substrate and a counter substrate and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched therebetween. A scanning line, a video signal line, a thin film transistor connected to the scanning line and the video signal line, a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor, and a counter electrode are formed on the TFT substrate, and a columnar spacer formed on the counter substrate. The pixel and counter electrodes are transparent, and the liquid crystal layer is controlled by an electric field generated between the pixel and counter electrodes. The counter electrode contacts with a metal line having a first part which is extended in parallel with the scanning line and a second part which is extended in parallel with the video signal line, a width of the first part of the metal line being narrower than a width of the scanning line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2015
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Hidehiro Sonoda, Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu
  • Patent number: 8994908
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device, a light shielding film, a color filter, an overcoat film, and an alignment film are formed in this order on a counter substrate. However, the alignment film is not formed in a seal portion. When the alignment film is subjected to photo-alignment with ultraviolet radiation, a portion of the overcoat film not covered with the alignment film is degraded by ultraviolet radiation. In order to prevent moisture penetrating from the degraded overcoat film from reaching the light shielding film to thereby alter the light shielding film and from causing the peeling of the light shielding film, the color filter is disposed below the overcoat film to block the moisture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignees: Japan Display Inc., Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chikae Matsui, Hidehiro Sonoda, Noboru Kunimatsu
  • Publication number: 20150085231
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device has a liquid crystal display panel including pixels each having an active device, a pixel electrode, a common electrode and a liquid crystal layer arranged in a dot matrix array. The liquid crystal display panel has a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first substrate has the active device, the pixel electrode, the common electrode and a first alignment film. The second substrate has a second alignment film. The first alignment film and the second alignment film are respectively a photo alignment film formed by irradiating a photo decomposition type insulating film with light. The second alignment film has a thickness of at least 10 nm and no greater 50 nm and is thinner than the first alignment film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventors: Hidehiro SONODA, Chikae MATSUI, Noboru KUNIMATSU, Yuko MATSUMOTO
  • Patent number: 8988639
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display device including a TFT substrate having an alignment film formed thereon, an opposing substrate, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched therebetween. The alignment film on the TFT substrate includes a photolytic polymer made from a first precursor including cyclobutane, and a non-photolytic polymer made from a second precursor. The method includes the steps of depositing a mixture material including the first precursor and the second precursor in which the second precursor settles more on an upper surface of the TFT substrate than the first precursor, imidizing the mixture material, and irradiating the mixture material with ultraviolet light for photo-alignment, and after irradiating, heating the mixture material to form the alignment film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignees: Japan Display Inc., Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Noboru Kunimatsu, Chikae Matsui, Hidehiro Sonoda, Yuko Matsumoto, Shoichi Uchino, Masaki Matsumori, Yasushi Tomioka
  • Publication number: 20150049271
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes: a pair of substrates at least one of which is transparent; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the pair of substrates; an electrode group formed on at least one substrate of the pair of substrates, for applying an electric field to the liquid crystal layer; a plurality of active elements connected to the electrode group; and a liquid crystal alignment film disposed on at least one substrate of the pair of substrates, in which the liquid crystal alignment film, which is formed by a photo-alignment process, contains polyimide formed using tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride and/or diamine each having a specific chemical structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Inventors: Shoichi Uchino, Noboru Kunimatsu, Hidehiro Sonoda, Chikae Matsui, Yuko Matsumoto, Masaki Matsumori, Yasushi Tomioka, Jun Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8958042
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device of the invention can, when a liquid crystal panel receives a pressing force from the outside, prevent the displacement of columnar spacers which are formed over a counter substrate for defining a distance between the counter substrate and a TFT substrate in the direction parallel to the substrate. In a case where the TFT substrate or the counter substrate receives a pressing force from the outside, when the columnar spacers which define the distance between the TFT substrate and the counter substrate are displaced in one or more directions, the alignment disorder of liquid crystal molecules occurs or an alignment film is shaved so that leaking of light occurs due to shaved chips of the alignment film and hence, contrast of an image is lowered. Projections are formed on a TFT substrate side by making use of bus electrodes provided for preventing lowering of a voltage of counter electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignees: Japan Display Inc., Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidehiro Sonoda, Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu
  • Publication number: 20150015840
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a TFT substrate and a counter substrate on each of which an alignment film is formed and a liquid crystal interposed and held between the alignment films of the TFT and counter substrate, wherein the alignment film is made of a material capable of applying liquid crystal alignment regulation force by polarized light irradiation, a convex structure is formed on the TFT substrate or the counter substrate, and the alignment film is applied the liquid crystal alignment regulation force to a surface of a region ranging from the periphery of the convex structure to the vicinity of an inclined part of the convex structure and is not applied the liquid crystal alignment regulation force to a surface of the inclined part of the convex structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventors: Yasuo IMANISHI, Yosuke HYODO, Chikae MATSUI, Hidehiro SONODA, Noboru KUNIMATSU
  • Publication number: 20150011032
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display device including a TFT substrate having an alignment film formed thereon, an opposing substrate, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched therebetween. The alignment film on the TFT substrate includes a photolytic polymer made from a first precursor including cyclobutane, and a non-photolytic polymer made from a second precursor. The method includes the steps of depositing a mixture material including the first precursor and the second precursor in which the second precursor settles more on an upper surface of the TFT substrate than the first precursor, imidizing the mixture material, and irradiating the mixture material with ultraviolet light for photo-alignment, and after irradiating, heating the mixture material to form the alignment film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Inventors: Noboru Kunimatsu, Chikae Matsui, Hidehiro Sonoda, Yuko Matsumoto, Shoichi Uchino, Masaki Matsumori, Yasushi Tomioka
  • Patent number: 8908133
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device has a liquid crystal display panel including pixels each having an active device, a pixel electrode, a common electrode and a liquid crystal layer arranged in a dot matrix array. The liquid crystal display panel has a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first substrate has the active device, the pixel electrode, the common electrode and a first alignment film. The second substrate has a second alignment film. The first alignment film and the second alignment film are respectively a photo alignment film formed by irradiating a photo decomposition type insulating film with light. The second alignment film has a thickness of at least 10 nm and no greater 50 nm and is thinner than the first alignment film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignees: Japan Display Inc., Panasonic Liquid Crystal Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidehiro Sonoda, Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu, Yuko Matsumoto