Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Ichiawa

Hiroaki Ichiawa 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).

  • Liquid crystal display device having protuberance with base area ≦5% of one pixel to control liquid crystal molecule orientation
    Patent number: 6801286
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device of a multi-domain vertical-alignment mode includes a driving substrate having a pixel electrode, a counter substrate opposing the driving substrate and having a counter electrode, and a liquid crystal sandwiched between the substrates. In the liquid crystal display device, molecules of the liquid crystal are aligned nearly perpendicularly to the substrates when no electric field is produced, and are aligned nearly horizontally by the application of a predetermined voltage. The counter substrate has an alignment center portion for orienting the molecules of the liquid crystal in all directions centered on a certain point when the voltage is applied. The area of the alignment center portion of the counter substrate is set to be less than or equal to 5% of the area of one pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hidemasa Yamaguchi, Makoto Jisaki, Yoko Fukunaga, Shintarou Morita, Hiroaki Ichiawa