Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Asagi

Hiroaki Asagi 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: 20190229431
    Abstract: A scanning antenna is a scanning antenna in which antenna units are arranged, including a TFT substrate provided with a first dielectric substrate, a TFT, a gate bus line, a source bus line, patch electrodes, and a first alignment film covering the patch electrodes; a slot substrate provided with a second dielectric substrate, a slot electrode, and a second alignment film covering the slot electrode; a liquid crystal layer provided between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate; and a reflective conductive plate. The slot electrode includes slots disposed corresponding to each of the patch electrodes. A sealing portion includes a main sealing portion that defines at least one injection port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2017
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: HIROAKI ASAGI, ISAMU MIYAKE
  • Publication number: 20190221933
    Abstract: A liquid crystal cell including multiple antenna units includes a TFT board that includes a first dielectric substrate, TFTs on the first dielectric substrate, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs, a slot board that includes a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode having slots on the second dielectric substrate, a conductive alignment film having conductivity on at least one of the patch electrodes and the slot electrode, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the TFT board and the slot board with the patch electrodes and the slot electrode facing each other. The liquid crystal layer includes liquid crystal molecules that are horizontally aligned with respect to the TFT board and the slot board while no voltage is being applied across the patch electrodes and the slot electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventors: HIROAKI ASAGI, ISAMU MIYAKE
  • Publication number: 20190113792
    Abstract: A liquid crystal panel includes a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates, a birefringent retardation layer provided on the liquid crystal layer side of at least one of the pair of substrates, and an alignment film provided in contact with the surface of the retardation layer. The retardation layer is formed of a first polymer material having a first photofunctional group, and the alignment film is formed of a second polymer material having a side-chain second photofunctional group. The first and second photofunctional groups are ones that undergo at least one photoreaction selected from the group consisting of isomerization, dimerization, and Fries rearrangement. The retardation layer further contains the second polymer material with its percentage increasing with the distance from the substrate, and the alignment film further contains the first polymer material with its percentage decreasing with the distance from the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Inventors: HIROAKI ASAGI, ISAMU MIYAKE
  • Patent number: 9977290
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device including a photo-alignment film and capable of sufficiently improving the display quality. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device including a photo-alignment film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Isamu Miyake, Koichi Miyachi, Hiroaki Asagi
  • Publication number: 20170355853
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device which requires a reduced light irradiation dose in the alignment treatment for a photo-alignment film and achieves a favorable contrast ratio and a viewing angle property. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device includes, in the following order, the steps of: (1) forming on a substrate a film of a photo-alignment film material containing two or more polymers and a solvent; (2) pre-baking the film to evaporate the solvent; (3) post-baking the pre-baked film gradually at multiple temperatures from a low temperature to a high temperature; and (4) irradiating the post-baked film with polarized light, at least one of the two or more polymers being a photo-reactive polymer containing a photo-functional group in a side chain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2015
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventors: Hiroaki ASAGI, Isamu MIYAKE, Yuichi KAWAHIRA
  • Patent number: 9810950
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a liquid crystal display device which can produce a liquid crystal display device with favorable voltage holding ratio reliability and reduced image sticking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroaki Asagi, Isamu Miyake, Akira Hirai
  • Patent number: 9733524
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device (100) includes a first substrate (10) and a second substrate (20) opposing each other, and a liquid crystal layer (30) provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. At least one of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a horizontal alignment film (12, 22) provided on a side closer to the liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal display device further includes an alignment sustaining layer (40a, 40b) provided between the horizontal alignment film and the liquid crystal layer, the alignment sustaining layer containing a polymerization product of a photopolymerizable compound. The photopolymerizable compound contains an acrylate group or a methacrylate group. The polymerization product in the alignment sustaining layer contains an acrylate group or a methacrylate group as a residue. The horizontal alignment film contains an acrylate group or a methacrylate group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Isamu Miyake, Koichi Miyachi, Hiroaki Asagi, Akira Hirai
  • Publication number: 20170212389
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that can maintain favorable contrast characteristics for a long period of time using a photo-alignment film. The liquid crystal display device includes in the following order from a back surface side: a backlight that emits light including visible light; a linear polarizer; a first substrate; an alignment film; a liquid crystal layer that contains liquid crystal molecules; and a second substrate, the alignment film containing a material with an azobenzene structure that exhibits anisotropic absorption of visible light and isomerizes upon absorption of visible light, the linear polarizer having a polarized light transmission axis that intersects a direction in which the alignment film has larger absorption anisotropy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Inventors: Hiroaki ASAGI, Isamu MIYAKE
  • Publication number: 20170212393
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a liquid crystal display device which can produce a liquid crystal display device with favorable voltage holding ratio reliability and reduced image sticking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroaki ASAGI, Isamu MIYAKE, Akira HIRAI
  • Patent number: 9488869
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that sufficiently reduces image sticking, by forming a polymer layer with stable alignment control appropriately. In a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display device of the present invention, base film forming conditions are different between the step of forming a base film on a substrate including an active element and the step of forming a base film on a substrate different from the substrate including an active element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Hirai, Hiroaki Asagi, Isamu Miyake
  • Publication number: 20160178969
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device including a photo-alignment film and capable of sufficiently improving the display quality. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device including a photo-alignment film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Isamu MIYAKE, Koichi MIYACHI, Hiroaki ASAGI
  • Publication number: 20160178968
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device including a photo-alignment film and capable of sufficiently improving the display quality. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device including a photo-alignment film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Isamu MIYAKE, Koichi MIYACHI, Hiroaki ASAGI
  • Publication number: 20150234237
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that sufficiently reduces image sticking, by forming a polymer layer with stable alignment control appropriately. In a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display device of the present invention, base film forming conditions are different between the step of forming a base film on a substrate including an active element and the step of forming a base film on a substrate different from the substrate including an active element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2013
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Hirai, Hiroaki Asagi, Isamu Miyake
  • Patent number: 9034567
    Abstract: Provided is a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device that includes a photoalignment film. The photoalignment film is formed from a liquid crystal alignment agent, and aligns liquid crystal molecules horizontally to the main face of the at least one of the substrates. The liquid crystal alignment agent contains a solvent and at least two kinds of polyamic acids or their derivatives obtained by reacting diamine and tetracarboxylic dianhydride. At least two of the diamines and at least one of the tetracarboxylic dianhydrides are compounds represented by predetermined formulas. The method includes the steps of: (1) forming the film of the liquid crystal alignment agent; (2) pre-baking the film; (3) irradiating the pre-baked film with light; and (4) post-baking the irradiated film, the step (4) including an operation of post-baking the film multiple times at temperatures ranging from low to high temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, JNC Corporation
    Inventors: Isamu Miyake, Hiroaki Asagi, Toshihiro Matsumoto, Koichi Miyachi, Youichiro Ooki, Fumitaka Kondo
  • Publication number: 20150056544
    Abstract: Provided is a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device that includes a photoalignment film. The photoalignment film is formed from a liquid crystal alignment agent, and aligns liquid crystal molecules horizontally to the main face of the at least one of the substrates. The liquid crystal alignment agent contains a solvent and at least two kinds of polyamic acids or their derivatives obtained by reacting diamine and tetracarboxylic dianhydride. At least two of the diamines and at least one of the tetracarboxylic dianhydrides are compounds represented by predetermined formulas. The method includes the steps of: (1) forming the film of the liquid crystal alignment agent; (2) pre-baking the film; (3) irradiating the pre-baked film with light; and (4) post-baking the irradiated film, the step (4) including an operation of post-baking the film multiple times at temperatures ranging from low to high temperatures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Isamu MIYAKE, Hiroaki ASAGI, Toshihiro MATSUMOTO, Koichi MIYACHI, Youichiro OOKI, Fumitaka KONDO
  • Publication number: 20150002799
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device (100) includes a first substrate (10) and a second substrate (20) opposing each other, and a liquid crystal layer (30) provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. At least one of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a horizontal alignment film (12, 22) provided on a side closer to the liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal display device further includes an alignment sustaining layer (40a, 40b) provided between the horizontal alignment film and the liquid crystal layer, the alignment sustaining layer containing a polymerization product of a photopolymerizable compound. The photopolymerizable compound contains an acrylate group or a methacrylate group. The polymerization product in the alignment sustaining layer contains an acrylate group or a methacrylate group as a residue. The horizontal alignment film contains an acrylate group or a methacrylate group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Isamu Miyake, Koichi Miyachi, Hiroaki Asagi, Akira Hirai
  • Publication number: 20140016075
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display panel and a liquid crystal display apparatus that features sufficiently fast response and are excellent in transmittance performance. The liquid crystal display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate. Each of the first substrate and the second substrate includes electrodes. The electrodes of the second substrate include a pair of comb substrates and a planar electrode. The liquid crystal display panel is configured to align liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer in a direction horizontal to a substrate main surface in response to an electric field generated between the pair of comb electrodes or an electric field generated between the first substrate and the second substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yosuke IWATA, Mitsuhiro MURATA, Hiroaki ASAGI, Yasuhiro NASU, Hidefumi YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20140002762
    Abstract: A liquid crystal driving method and a liquid crystal display apparatus that achieve a sufficiently fast response, and a sufficiently high transmittance, and reduces transmittance greatly during black image displaying. The liquid crystal driving method includes performing a driving operation to cause a potential difference between a first pair of electrodes during a subframe period, a driving operation to cause a potential difference between a second pair of electrodes, and a driving operation to cause no difference between all the electrodes of the first pairs of electrodes and the second pair of electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yosuke Iwata, Mitsuhiro Murata, Yasuhiro Nasu, Hidefumi Yoshida, Hiroaki Asagi