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).

  • Publication number: 20110080548
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device and method includes a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched therebetween, first and second alignment films formed on respective ones of the substrates, at least one first projecting portion which is disposed between the first alignment film and one of the substrates, and at least one second projecting portion disposed between the second alignment film and the other of the substrates, facing the at least one first projecting portion. A height of the at least one first projecting portion is smaller than a height of the at least one second projecting portion, and an area of an upper surface of the at least one first projecting portion is smaller than an area of an upper surface of the at least one second projecting portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2010
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Inventors: Hidehiro Sonoda, Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu
  • Publication number: 20110007233
    Abstract: In an IPS type liquid crystal display device, a light shielding film, a red 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 red color filter is disposed below the overcoat film to block the moisture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Inventors: Chikae Matsui, Hidehiro Sonoda, Noboru Kunimatsu
  • Patent number: 7859625
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device which can reduce or eliminate a display defect is provided. The liquid crystal display device includes a first alignment film formed on one of the pair of substrates; a second alignment film formed on another of the pair of substrates; first projecting portions which are provided to the first alignment film and project into the liquid crystal layer by first constitutional members which constitute a layer below the first alignment film; and second projecting portions which are provided to the second alignment film, face the first projecting portions, and project into the liquid crystal layer by second constitutional members which constitute a layer below the second alignment film, the first projecting portion being set lower than the second projecting portion, and an area of an upper surface of the first projecting portion being set smaller than an area of an upper surface of the second projecting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi Displays, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidehiro Sonoda, Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu
  • Publication number: 20100201933
    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: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Inventors: Hidehiro SONODA, Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu
  • Publication number: 20100066961
    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: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Inventors: Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu, Hidehiro Sonoda
  • Publication number: 20100060836
    Abstract: An image retention phenomenon and black unevenness generated after long-time operation in the liquid crystal device are prevented. By using a material having a polyamide acid ester as a precursor less likely to adsorb impurities on a boundary for an alignment film and a material having a dielectric constant anisotropy ?? of 5 or less for liquid crystals, adsorption of an antioxidant dispersed in the liquid crystals is suppressed to prevent oxidation of the liquid crystals. The extent that impurities are intruded into the liquid crystals is reduced by restricting the dielectric constant anisotropy ?? of the liquid crystals to 5 or less, thereby capable of preventing the image retention phenomenon and the black unevenness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2009
    Publication date: March 11, 2010
    Inventors: Noboru KUNIMATSU, Chikae MATSUI, Shigeru MATSUYAMA, Masaki MATSUMORI, Yasushi TOMIOKA, Katsumi KONDO
  • Patent number: 7663720
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which can decrease lowering of light utilization efficiency attributed to a light absorption axis of an alignment film. A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight arranged on a back surface of the liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal display panel includes liquid crystal, and a first substrate and a second substrate arranged to face each other in an opposed manner with the liquid crystal therebetween. The first substrate is arranged between the second substrate and the backlight. The first substrate includes a first polarizer and a first alignment film arranged between the first polarizer and the liquid crystal. The second substrate includes a second polarizer and a second alignment film arranged between the second polarizer and the liquid crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi Displays, Ltd.
    Inventor: Chikae Matsui
  • Publication number: 20090289260
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device which can reduce or eliminate a display defect is provided. The liquid crystal display device includes a first alignment film formed on one of the pair of substrates; a second alignment film formed on another of the pair of substrates; first projecting portions which are provided to the first alignment film and project into the liquid crystal layer by first constitutional members which constitute a layer below the first alignment film; and second projecting portions which are provided to the second alignment film, face the first projecting portions, and project into the liquid crystal layer by second constitutional members which constitute a layer below the second alignment film, the first projecting portion being set lower than the second projecting portion, and an area of an upper surface of the first projecting portion being set smaller than an area of an upper surface of the second projecting portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Inventors: Hidehiro Sonoda, Chikae Matsui, Noboru Kunimatsu
  • Publication number: 20080204647
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which can decrease lowering of light utilization efficiency attributed to a light absorption axis of an alignment film. A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight arranged on a back surface of the liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal display panel includes liquid crystal, and a first substrate and a second substrate arranged to face each other in an opposed manner with the liquid crystal therebetween. The first substrate is arranged between the second substrate and the backlight. The first substrate includes a first polarizer and a first alignment film arranged between the first polarizer and the liquid crystal. The second substrate includes a second polarizer and a second alignment film arranged between the second polarizer and the liquid crystal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Inventor: Chikae Matsui
  • Publication number: 20080106682
    Abstract: The present invention compensates for a viewing angle of a VA-mode liquid crystal display device without using an expensive viewing angle enlarging film. In a VA-mode liquid crystal display panel, by radiating light such as ultraviolet rays to a first alignment film, main chains in molecules of the alignment film are arranged to form a first slow axis. By also radiating the light to a second alignment film, a second slow axis is formed. The first slow axis and the second slow axis are arranged to cross each other. When an electric field is applied to a liquid crystal layer, liquid crystal molecules tilt in the direction which crosses the extending direction of projections formed on a substrate. The projections are formed such that the direction along which the liquid crystal molecules tilt and a first slow axis or a second slow axis differ from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2007
    Publication date: May 8, 2008
    Inventors: Chikae Matsui, Hidehiro Sonoda