Patents by Inventor Ikuo Hiyama

Ikuo Hiyama 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: 20040021818
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus having a liquid crystal panel including a pair of substrates, a plurality of electrodes formed on at least one of the pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and a light source provided on one surface of the liquid crystal panel. An electric field in the liquid crystal layer produced by the plurality of electrodes is predominantly in parallel with surfaces of the pair of substrates. The light source has a luminous characteristic with a first chromaticity and the liquid crystal panel has a characteristic of spectral transmittance with a second chromaticity different from the first chromaticity so as to compensate for the color of the light source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2003
    Publication date: February 5, 2004
    Inventors: Yuka Utsumi, Katsumi Kondo, Ikuo Hiyama, Osamu Itoh, Masahito Ohe, Kazuhiko Yanagawa, Keiichiro Ashizawa
  • Patent number: 6650472
    Abstract: It is possible eliminate a fringe pattern produced at the time of incidence of polarized light of a light distribution control element, in which stray light derived from outside unnecessary light in a liquid crystal display apparatus or the like can be effectively reduced, and bright, wide viewing angle characteristics can be achieved when the display is viewed at any angle by an observer. In a light distribution control element constituted of a transparent base member, an array of a plurality of micro-lenses (transparent beads) densely arranged on the transparent base member and a light absorbing layer having very small opening portions substantially at focal positions of the micro-lenses, the transparent base member is constituted of a transparent body which is substantially isotropic optically or a transparent body having uniaxial optical anisotropy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaya Adachi, Makoto Tsumura, Ikuo Hiyama, Tetsuro Minemura
  • Patent number: 6646699
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display for displaying an image to be visible for a viewer, has a liquid crystal, a pair of electrodes for controlling an orientation of at least a part of the liquid crystal in accordance with an electric field between the electrodes, a light source for generating a light to be transmitted through the liquid crystal to the viewer, a pair of first and second polarizer plates, the first polarizer plate being arranged between the liquid crystal and the light source, and the second polarizer plate being arranged between the liquid crystal and the viewer, and a band-pass filter for absorbing a component of the light, a wave-length of which component is not more than 440 nm, and the band-pass filter being arranged between the light source and the viewer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuka Utsumi, Ikuo Hiyama, Shinichi Komura, Katsumi Kondo
  • Publication number: 20030201969
    Abstract: A light illumination apparatus comprising a light source on a lateral side of a light-pipe, and a reflector on the backside of the light-pipe, further comprising an air layer or the like between the light-pipe and the reflector, and, in order that light coming from a light source into the light-pipe is emitted from a light emission plane, the apparatus further comprising a light scattering control layer disposed at a portion of the light-pipe and having directivity in a direction substantially normal to the light emission plane, a means for substantially removing light scattering characteristics of a predetermined region of the light scattering control layer so as to satisfy the conditions for totally internal reflection of the incident light from the light source at an interface of the light-pipe, and a means for moving the predetermined region, wherein the time average amount of emitted light is substantially equal in each of all light emission regions, and there is time when the light emissive region subst
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2003
    Publication date: October 30, 2003
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Ikuo Hiyama, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Makoto Tsumura, Yoshinori Aono
  • Publication number: 20030202363
    Abstract: A lighting unit is provided which comprises: a plurality of linear light sources arranged in parallel; light-guiding plates arranged along said light sources; light diffusion means arranged at the top of said light sources and light-guiding plates; and reflection means arranged at the bottom of the light sources; wherein said lighting unit is characterized in that the surface of each light-guiding plate is flat, in that the reverse side of the light-guiding plate includes an inclined face of a curvilinear shape that thins down as the inclined face is more distanced from the light source, and in that when a position relatively near the light source and a position relatively far from the light source, on the reverse side of the light-guiding plate, are inclined by &thgr;n1 and &thgr;f1, respectively, the relationship of &thgr;n1≧&thgr;f1 is satisfied and the angle-of-inclination of the thinnest portion on the reverse side of the light-guiding plate is 0 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2003
    Publication date: October 30, 2003
    Inventors: Masaya Adachi, Ikuo Hiyama, Makoto Tsumura, Shusuke Endo
  • Patent number: 6621538
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus having a liquid crystal panel including a pair of substrates, a plurality of electrodes formed on at least one of the pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and a light source provided on one surface of the liquid crystal panel. An electric field in the liquid crystal layer produced by the plurality of electrodes is predominantly in parallel with surfaces of the pair of substrates. The light source has a luminous characteristic with a first chromaticity and the liquid crystal panel has a characteristic of spectral transmittance with a second chromaticity different from the first chromaticity so as to compensate for the color of the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuka Utsumi, Katsumi Kondo, Ikuo Hiyama, Osamu Itoh, Masahito Ohe, Kazuhiko Yanagawa, Keiichiro Ashizawa
  • Publication number: 20030169379
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus which is so configured that first and second pixel electrodes and active elements are positioned in a pixel, and an output terminal thereof is connected to a pixel electrode and a row line or a common line respectively, driving is performed by a difference voltage between the row lines or between the row line and the common line, and besides, a superimposing portion via a dielectric film of the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode is provided around a center in a row direction of pixels, and moreover, a holding capacitance is formed in the superimposing portion, and the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode are in a shape forming an axisymmetric relation in the row direction centering on the superimposing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2003
    Publication date: September 11, 2003
    Inventors: Makoto Tsumura, Akitoyo Konno, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Ikuo Hiyama, Yoshinori Aono
  • Patent number: 6608657
    Abstract: A light illumination apparatus comprising a light source on a lateral side of a light-pipe, and a reflector on the backside of the light-pipe, further comprising an air layer or the like between the light-pipe and the reflector, and, in order that light coming from a light source into the light-pipe is emitted from a light emission plane, the apparatus further comprising a light scattering control layer disposed at a portion of the light-pipe and having directivity in a direction substantially normal to the light emission plane, a means for substantially removing light scattering characteristics of a predetermined region of the light scattering control layer so as to satisfy the conditions for totally internal reflection of the incident light from the light source at an interface of the light-pipe, and a means for moving the predetermined region, wherein the time average amount of emitted light is substantially equal in each of all light emission regions, and there is time when the light emissive region subst
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ikuo Hiyama, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Makoto Tsumura, Yoshinori Aono
  • Publication number: 20030117422
    Abstract: A display device including a plurality of blocks of pixels each of which includes a red subpixel, a green subpixel, and a blue subpixel, each of the blocks including pixels in a form of a matrix having N rows and M columns includes a first active element shared among three subpixels of each pixel and a second active element connected to a second active element formed in each subpixel connected to the first active element. Ma gradation voltage lines (Ma is an integer; M≧Ma≧2) respectively of red, green, and blue subpixels in a direction of the column are commonly connected. The display device directly displays a compressed image signal without developing the image signal into a bit map in which each subpixel has gradation information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2002
    Publication date: June 26, 2003
    Inventors: Ikuo Hiyama, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Akitoyo Konno, Makoto Tsumura
  • Publication number: 20030090448
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus which is so configured that first and second pixel electrodes and active elements are positioned in a pixel, and an output terminal thereof is connected to a pixel electrode and a row line or a common line respectively, driving is performed by a difference voltage between the row lines or between the row line and the common line, and besides, a superimposing portion via a dielectric film of the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode is provided around a center in a row direction of pixels, and moreover, a holding capacitance is formed in the superimposing portion, and the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode are in a shape forming an axisymmetric relation in the row direction centering on the superimposing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2002
    Publication date: May 15, 2003
    Inventors: Makoto Tsumura, Akitoyo Konno, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Ikuo Hiyama, Yoshinori Aono
  • Patent number: 6561663
    Abstract: A lighting unit is provided which comprises: a plurality of linear light sources arranged in parallel; light-guiding plates arranged along said light sources; light diffusion means arranged at the top of said light sources and light-guiding plates; and reflection means arranged at the bottom of the light sources; wherein said lighting unit is characterized in that the surface of each light-guiding plate is flat, in that the reverse side of the light-guiding plate includes an inclined face of a curvilinear shape that thins down as the inclined face is more distanced from the light source, and in that when a position relatively near the light source and a position relatively far from the light source, on the reverse side of the light-guiding plate, are inclined by &thgr;n1 and &thgr;f1, respectively, the relationship of &thgr;n1 ≧&thgr;f1 is satisfied and the angle-of-inclination of the thinnest portion on the reverse side of the light-guiding plate is 0 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaya Adachi, Ikuo Hiyama, Makoto Tsumura, Shusuke Endo
  • Publication number: 20030080932
    Abstract: There is disclosed a liquid crystal display apparatus having high motion image display performance. After preset writing, polarities are reversed between double and quadruple speeds of a normal speed to carry out writing. Accordingly, en-block black wiring on a full surface of screen and in-frame AC driving are achieved. By combining this with intermittent lighting of an illuminator, high motion image display performance is achieved. Scanning is started from one line or a pair of adjacent lines, one or more lines being present in the screen, and the scanning is carried out in both upper and lower directions with the one line or the pair of adjacent lines set as a reference. Thus, discontinuity of luminance in the screen is prevented, and high display performance is achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2002
    Publication date: May 1, 2003
    Inventors: Akitoyo Konno, Makoto Tsumura, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Ikuo Hiyama, Yoshinori Aono
  • Patent number: 6556260
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus featuring an excellent contrast ratio even though it is a reflection type liquid crystal display unit. The display apparatus includes a: liquid crystal layer; upper and lower substrates for interposing the liquid crystal layer therebetween; reflection plate for reflecting light which passes through the liquid crystal layer back to the liquid crystal layer; and light emitting element layer for emitting light to the liquid crystal layer, and wherein light emitting element layer is arranged above liquid crystal layer so as to surround the display portion of the liquid crystal layer. Further, the light emitting element layer is provided with a reflection layer for deflecting light emitted in the upper direction back to liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Shinichi Komura, Ikuo Hiyama, Masaya Adachi, Shoichi Hirota
  • Publication number: 20030052847
    Abstract: To provide a high-quality liquid crystal display device that does not produce an image sticking and that can realize high response speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2002
    Publication date: March 20, 2003
    Inventors: Kenji Okishiro, Hitoshi Oaku, Ikuo Hiyama, Katsumi Kondou
  • Patent number: 6469755
    Abstract: An illumination apparatus provides an improved light utilization efficiency and improved collimation. The illumination apparatus has a light guide, a collimating unit provided at least on one side of the light guide for collimating rays incident on the light guide, and a light source disposed in the vicinity of the collimating unit and surrounded by a reflector. Preferably, in order for the light guide to be able to emit collimated light uniformly from its emission surface, the light guide has inclined reflecting irregularities or stepwise reflecting plates which are provided directly or via an air gap on a back surface opposite to the emission surface thereof, wherein the inclined reflecting plates are specular-finished at least on the inclined portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaya Adachi, Ikuo Hiyama, Makoto Tsumura
  • Publication number: 20020118158
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes pixels arranged in matrix; a pixel electrode disposed inside each of the pixels; a display device disposed inside each of the pixels, for executing display in accordance with a voltage of the pixel electrode; a scanning line driving circuit; an identification signal line driving circuit; a storage unit for storing the identification signal supplied from the identification signal line in the pixel; a gray scale voltage line driving circuit; a selection unit for selecting the gray scale voltage supplied to the gray scale voltage lines based on the identification signal stored in the storage unit; a switching device for applying the selected gray scale voltage to the pixel electrode; and a gray scale write line driving circuit for supplying a gray scale write signal to a gray scale write line for controlling the switching device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2001
    Publication date: August 29, 2002
    Inventors: Tsunenori Yamamoto, Tatsuki Inuzuka, Ikuo Hiyama, Shinichi Komura
  • Publication number: 20020118183
    Abstract: A control device, which is capable of suppressing an increase in a load of a data transfer for an increase of an amount of data is provided. The control device includes a compressed data generation unit for generating a compressed data based on a set-up value inputted, and a controller for outputting a frame rate information to the compressed data generation unit, and for making compressed data to be outputted from a memory for use in storing a compressed data to an image display device in accordance with the frame rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Publication date: August 29, 2002
    Inventors: Tatsuki Inuzuka, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Ikuo Hiyama, Makoto Tsumura, Yasutaka Toyoda
  • Publication number: 20020109809
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display for displaying an image to be visible for a viewer, has a liquid crystal, a pair of electrodes for controlling an orientation of at least a part of the liquid crystal in accordance with an electric field between the electrodes, a light source for generating a light to be transmitted through the liquid crystal to the viewer, a pair of first and second polarizer plates, the first polarizer plate being arranged between the liquid crystal and the light source, and the second polarizer plate being arranged between the liquid crystal and the viewer, and a band-pass filter for absorbing a component of the light, a wave-length of which component is not more than 440 nm, and the band-pass filter being arranged between the light source and the viewer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2001
    Publication date: August 15, 2002
    Inventors: Yuka Utsumi, Ikuo Hiyama, Shinichi Komura, Katsumi Kondo
  • Publication number: 20020105506
    Abstract: To provide a display device capable of displaying a moving picture with high definition and at high speed. An image display system includes: an image display unit; and a control unit. The control unit has: a block discrimination circuit portion; an image processing portion; a storage portion; and a synchronizing signal generation portion. The block discrimination circuit portion discriminates a moving picture or a still picture to process the image information in accordance with the discriminated result, in which the number of gradations for the image information processed when the discriminated result is the moving picture is lower than when the discriminated result is the still picture. Thereby, the high definition image display and the high speed moving picture display can be effected by reducing the information with lower degree of recognition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2001
    Publication date: August 8, 2002
    Inventors: Ikuo Hiyama, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Akitoyo Konno, Makoto Tsumura, Yoshiyuki Kaneko, Yoshiro Mikami, Tatsuki Inuzuka, Yasutaka Toyoda
  • Publication number: 20020051153
    Abstract: A display method can achieve both of substantially high definition image display and high speed dynamic image display. The image displaying method of an image displaying apparatus having a display portion consisted of a plurality of pixels takes each of a predetermined number of pixels as one block unit and forms one screen image for displaying by combining a region for displaying the same information on a plurality of pixels in the one block unit during one scanning period and a region for permitting display of respectively different information on the plurality of pixels in the one block unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2001
    Publication date: May 2, 2002
    Inventors: Ikuo Hiyama, Shinichi Komura, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Tetsuya Aoyama, Hideo Sato, Makato Tsumura, Katsumi Kondo, Yuka Utsumi