Patents by Inventor Iichiro Inoue

Iichiro Inoue 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: 20050162607
    Abstract: An electrode is provided on one surface of each of a pair of substrates. On the other surface of each of the substrates, a polarizer is provided. The substrates are assembled together so that their surfaces on which the electrodes are formed face each other. Then, a medium is introduced between the substrates, to form a dielectric material layer. The medium is prepared by mixing a chiral agent in a negative type liquid crystalline compound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2005
    Publication date: July 28, 2005
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Miyachi, Iichiro Inoue, Seiji Shibahara, Shoichi Ishihara
  • Publication number: 20050151912
    Abstract: A display element has a arrangement that allows the pixel to have at least two domains in which the medium shows optical anisotropies of different directions when a force (for example, an electric field) is applied or when no force is applied. It is preferable that directions of the optical anisotropies occurred in the respective domains when the electric field is applied respectively have 45 degreesĀ±10 degrees with absorption axes of polarizers, and that the directions of the optical anisotropies occurred in the respective domains when the electric field is applied make 90 degreesĀ±20 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Publication date: July 14, 2005
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi Miyachi, Seiji Shibahara, Iichiro Inoue, Shoichi Ishihara, Takako Koide
  • Publication number: 20050146662
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device with an alignment film provided on at least one of a pair of substrates, sandwiching a liquid crystal layer, on the side facing the liquid crystal layer, in which the alignment film aligns liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer substantially vertical or horizontal when there is no voltage application, and a mask rubbing process is performed with at least a part of a hard mask adhered to the alignment film surface such that alignment control directions in regions of the alignment film are different from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2004
    Publication date: July 7, 2005
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Iichiro Inoue, Shinichi Terashita, Hiroyuki Hakoi, Koichi Miyachi, Akihito Jinda, Takako Koide
  • Publication number: 20040246421
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer placed between the pair of substrates and an alignment film placed on the side of at least one of the pair of substrates facing the liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal layer has a first region in which the pretilt direction of liquid crystal molecules of which the alignment is regulated with alignment regulating force of a surface of the alignment film is a first direction and a second region in which the pretilt direction is a second direction different from the first direction. Display is performed using bend alignment of the first region of the liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Publication date: December 9, 2004
    Inventors: Iichiro Inoue, Tatsuo Uchida
  • Publication number: 20040008308
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of this invention includes: a liquid crystal display element including a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the pair of substrates, and an alignment film formed on a surface of at least one of the pair of substrates facing the liquid crystal layer; a pair of polarizers disposed on both surfaces of the liquid crystal element to sandwich the liquid crystal element; and at least one optical phase element disposed between at least one of the pair of polarizers and the liquid crystal element, wherein three principal refractive indices na, nb, and nc of an index ellipsoid of the optical phase element have the relationship of na=nc>nb, a direction of the principal refractive index nb is tilted clockwise or counterclockwise from the normal of a surface of the optical phase element with respect to a direction of one of the principal refractive indices na and nc which is substantially parallel to the surface of the optical phase element as an axis,
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2003
    Publication date: January 15, 2004
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamahara, Iichiro Inoue
  • Publication number: 20040008309
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of this invention includes: a liquid crystal display element including a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the pair of substrates, and an alignment film formed on a surface of at least one of the pair of substrates facing the liquid crystal layer; a pair of polarizers disposed on both surfaces of the liquid crystal element to sandwich the liquid crystal element; and at least one optical phase element disposed between at least one of the pair of polarizers and the liquid crystal element, wherein three principal refractive indices na, nb, and nc of an index ellipsoid of the optical phase element have the relationship of na=nc>nb, a direction of the principal refractive index nb is tilted clockwise or counterclockwise from the normal of a surface of the optical phase element with respect to a direction of one of the principal refractive indices na and no which is substantially parallel to the surface of the optical phase element as an axis,
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2003
    Publication date: January 15, 2004
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamahara, Iichiro Inoue
  • Patent number: 6606143
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device with a phase plate wherein three principal refractive indices na, nb, and nc of an index ellipsoid of the optical phase element have the relationship of na=nc>nb, a direction of the principal refractive index nb is tilted clockwise or counterclockwise from the normal of a surface of the optical phase element with respect to a direction of one of the principal refractive indices na and nc which is substantially parallel to the surface of the optical phase element as an axis, and a direction of the other principal refractive index nc or na is tilted clockwise or counterclockwise from a direction substantially parallel to the surface of the optical phase element, and at least one of rates of variation of an ordinary refractive index no and an extraordinary refractive index ne of a liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal layer with respect to a wavelength is set in a range in which viewing angle dependent coloring does not occur on a screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamahara, Iichiro Inoue
  • Patent number: 6233032
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus of the present invention, which has a plurality of display pixels arranged in a matrix, includes: a pair of substrates opposing each other; a liquid crystal layer placed between the pair of substrates; an alignment film formed on a surface of at least one of the pair of substrates opposing the liquid crystal layer and subjected to a treatment for aligning liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer; and a pair of polarizing plates placed so as to interpose the pair of substrates, wherein the liquid crystal layer is divided into at least two regions in each of the display pixels, alignment states of the liquid crystal molecules are different in the at least two regions, and one absorption axis of one of the pair of polarizing plates is substantially parallel to a 6-12 o'clock direction or a 3-9 o'clock direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamahara, Iichiro Inoue, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Patent number: 6163354
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device of the present invention has an arrangement wherein between (a) a liquid crystal display element prepared by inserting a liquid crystal layer to a spacing between a pair of electrode substrates and (b) a pair of polarizers provided on the both sides of the liquid crystal display element, there is provided at least one phase difference plate having a negative refractive index anisotropy whose optical axis is inclined with respect to a direction normal to the surface thereof, and a change, with a wavelength of light, in the refractive index anisotropy of a liquid crystal material constituting the liquid crystal layer is set in a range which does not generate viewing-angle-dependant coloration on a liquid crystal screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamahara, Iichiro Inoue
  • Patent number: 6084651
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a liquid crystal display element composed of a pair of transparent substrates, each provided with a transparent electrode layer and an alignment layer on a surface facing the other substrate, and a liquid crystal layer enclosed therebetween, a pair of polarizers provided on both sides of the liquid crystal display element, and at least one optical phase difference plate having inclined refractive index ellipsoid, positioned between the liquid crystal display element and the pair of polarizers, wherein the alignment layer aligns in different directions divided liquid crystal layers which have been prepared by dividing the liquid crystal layer at different ratios with respect to each pixel, and the liquid crystal layer made of a liquid crystal material whose change in refractive index anisotropy .DELTA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamahara, Iichiro Inoue, Shigeaki Mizusima