Patents by Inventor Isamu Miyake

Isamu Miyake 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: 20190113812
    Abstract: A method for producing a liquid crystal panel of the present invention is a method for producing a liquid crystal panel including paired substrates, a liquid crystal layer between the substrates, and a horizontal photo-alignment film between at least one of the substrates and the liquid crystal layer, the method including the steps of: forming a film containing a polymer having a specific structure on a surface of at least one of the substrates; and irradiating the film with S-polarized light from a direction oblique to the normal to the substrate surface to perform an alignment treatment on the film and thereby form a horizontal photo-alignment film, wherein the horizontal photo-alignment, film aligns liquid crystal molecules perpendicularly to the polarization direction of light applied from the substrate normal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Inventors: ISAMU MIYAKE, AKIRA HIRAI
  • Publication number: 20190113781
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that, with photo-alignment films, can maintain a favorable voltage holding ratio for a long period of time and prevent generation of image sticking and stains on the display screen. The liquid crystal display device includes: an active-matrix liquid crystal panel; and a backlight, the liquid crystal panel including a liquid crystal layer, paired substrates holding the liquid crystal layer in between, and alignment films disposed on the liquid crystal layer side surfaces of the respective substrates, the alignment films each being a photo-alignment film formed from a material exhibiting photo-alignment performance, the liquid crystal layer containing a liquid crystal material and a radical scavenger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Inventors: Koichi MIYACHI, Masanobu MIZUSAKI, Tsuyoshi OKAZAKI, Hiroshi TSUCHIYA, Isamu MIYAKE, Toshihiro MATSUMOTO
  • 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: 10241364
    Abstract: The present invention is a liquid crystal display device including a first polarizer, a first protective layer, a first substrate, a first optical alignment film, a liquid crystal layer, a second optical alignment film, a second substrate including a signal electrode and an opposite electrode, a second protective layer, a second polarizer in this order, in which the layers satisfy the relationship nx=ny?nz, an in-plane retardation of each of optical alignment films is greater than or equal to 1 nm, given that R1 is a thickness-direction retardation of each of the protective layers and that R2 is the in-plane retardation of each of optical alignment films, the relationship R1?0.047R22?2.1R2+44.3 is satisfied, the liquid crystal layer has a positive dielectric anisotropy, and a transmission axis of the second polarizer is perpendicular to an initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuichi Kawahira, Isamu Miyake
  • Patent number: 10203558
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that maintains a sufficient voltage holding ratio over a long period of time even when a liquid crystal panel having a narrower frame is used and that undergoes no burn-in or no stains on a display screen. The liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes an active-matrix liquid crystal panel and a backlight, wherein the liquid crystal panel includes a liquid crystal layer, a pair of substrates between which the liquid crystal layer is sandwiched, alignment layers disposed on surfaces of the pair of substrates facing the liquid crystal layer, and a seal part that bonds the pair of substrates to each other and that is disposed around the liquid crystal layer, and the liquid crystal panel is formed by a liquid crystal one-drop fill process, wherein the liquid crystal layer includes a liquid crystal material and at least one of a radical scavenger and an antioxidant, and the seal part has a width of 0.6 mm or less at least in part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi Miyachi, Masanobu Mizusaki, Tsuyoshi Okazaki, Hiroshi Tsuchiya, Isamu Miyake, Toshihiro Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10197829
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that, with photo-alignment films, can maintain a favorable voltage holding ratio for a long period of time and prevent generation of image sticking and stains on the display screen. The liquid crystal display device includes: an active-matrix liquid crystal panel; and a backlight, the liquid crystal panel including a liquid crystal layer, paired substrates holding the liquid crystal layer in between, and alignment films disposed on the liquid crystal layer side surfaces of the respective substrates, the alignment films each being a photo-alignment film formed from a material exhibiting photo-alignment performance, the liquid crystal layer containing a liquid crystal material and a radical scavenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi Miyachi, Masanobu Mizusaki, Tsuyoshi Okazaki, Hiroshi Tsuchiya, Isamu Miyake, Toshihiro Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10042207
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display panel and a liquid crystal display device having excellent display quality, with reduced string-like defects that occur in display pixels. The liquid crystal display panel of the present invention includes multiple spacers between a pair of substrates, wherein the spacers are arranged such that an inter-spacer distance between adjacent spacers in a longitudinal direction is different from an inter-spacer distance between adjacent spacers in a transverse direction, and an angle formed between a line connecting the spacers with a shorter inter-spacer distance and an alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules at a voltage lower than a threshold voltage in the liquid crystal layer is 20° or smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Isamu Miyake, Koichi Miyachi
  • Patent number: 9995967
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device with reduced power consumption as well as reduced flicker. The liquid crystal display device is one in a transverse electric field mode, including: paired substrates; a photo-alignment film disposed on at least one of the substrates; a horizontal alignment liquid crystal layer disposed between the substrates; and pixels arranged in a matrix form, the liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules with a bicyclohexyl skeleton and liquid crystal molecules with a difluorobenzene skeleton, the liquid crystal layer having negative anisotropy of dielectric constant, one of the substrates including TFTs disposed in the respective pixels, the TFTs each including a semiconductor layer that contains an oxide semiconductor, the liquid crystal display device having a frame rate of lower than 50 Hz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Isamu Miyake, Koichi Miyachi
  • 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: 20180129101
    Abstract: The present invention is a liquid crystal display device including a first polarizer, a first protective layer, a first substrate, a first optical alignment film, a liquid crystal layer, a second optical alignment film, a second substrate including a signal electrode and an opposite electrode, a second protective layer, a second polarizer in this order, in which the layers satisfy the relationship nx=ny?nz, an in-plane retardation of each of optical alignment films is greater than or equal to 1 nm, given that R1 is a thickness-direction retardation of each of the protective layers and that R2 is the in-plane retardation of each of optical alignment films, the relationship R1?0.047R22?2.1R2+44.3 is satisfied, the liquid crystal layer has a positive dielectric anisotropy, and a transmission axis of the second polarizer is perpendicular to an initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Inventors: Yuichi KAWAHIRA, Isamu MIYAKE
  • Patent number: 9864236
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device capable of suppressing display unevenness around a seal in the case of performing PS treatment on a horizontal alignment film formed from a photoactive material. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes the steps of: forming a horizontal alignment film containing a photoactive material on at least one substrate of a pair of substrates; dropping a liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystal material and a monomer on one of the pair of substrates, the monomer being contained in an amount of 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Isamu Miyake, Koichi Miyachi, Yuko Teraoka
  • Publication number: 20170363891
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that maintains a sufficient voltage holding ratio over a long period of time even when a liquid crystal panel having a narrower frame is used and that undergoes no burn-in or no stains on a display screen. The liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes an active-matrix liquid crystal panel and a backlight, wherein the liquid crystal panel includes a liquid crystal layer, a pair of substrates between which the liquid crystal layer is sandwiched, alignment layers disposed on surfaces of the pair of substrates facing the liquid crystal layer, and a seal part that bonds the pair of substrates to each other and that is disposed around the liquid crystal layer, and the liquid crystal panel is formed by a liquid crystal one-drop fill process, wherein the liquid crystal layer includes a liquid crystal material and at least one of a radical scavenger and an antioxidant, and the seal part has a width of 0.6 mm or less at least in part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi MIYACHI, Masanobu MIZUSAKI, Tsuyoshi OKAZAKI, Hiroshi TSUCHIYA, Isamu MIYAKE, Toshihiro MATSUMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170363890
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device in which display unevenness is suppressed by preventing degradation of TFT characteristics due to photo-alignment treatment. The liquid crystal display device of the present invention is a liquid crystal display device including: a thin-film transistor substrate; and a liquid crystal layer, the thin-film transistor substrate including a thin-film transistor having a channel etch structure and an alignment film, the thin-film transistor including a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, a channel layer containing an oxide semiconductor, and a pair of a source electrode and a drain electrode in the stated order, the oxide semiconductor containing indium, tin, zinc, and oxygen, the alignment film having a photofunctional group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Inventors: ISAMU MIYAKE, YOHSUKE KANZAKAI
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20170343863
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display panel and a liquid crystal display device having excellent display quality, with reduced string-like defects that occur in display pixels. The liquid crystal display panel of the present invention includes multiple spacers between a pair of substrates, wherein the spacers are arranged such that an inter-spacer distance between adjacent spacers in a longitudinal direction is different from an inter-spacer distance between adjacent spacers in a transverse direction, and an angle formed between a line connecting the spacers with a shorter inter-spacer distance and an alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules at a voltage lower than a threshold voltage in the liquid crystal layer is 20° or smaller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2017
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Inventors: Isamu MIYAKE, Koichi MIYACHI
  • Publication number: 20170329185
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device in which display unevenness is suppressed by preventing degradation of TFT characteristics due to photo-alignment treatment. A liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes: a thin film transistor substrate; and a liquid crystal layer. The thin film transistor substrate includes a thin film transistor having an etching stopper structure, an alignment film, and a pair of electrodes for applying an electric field to the liquid crystal layer. The thin film transistor includes a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, a channel layer containing an oxide semiconductor, an etching stopper layer, and a pair of a source electrode and a drain electrode in the stated order. The alignment film includes a photofunctional group. The liquid crystal layer has negative dielectric anisotropy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: ISAMU MIYAKE, YOHSUKE KANZAKI
  • Patent number: 9817274
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, which hardly causes display unevenness in joining parts in which mutually neighboring exposure regions are overlapped upon carrying out a photo-alignment treatment for forming a horizontal alignment film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi Miyachi, Isamu Miyake
  • Patent number: 9817277
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device including a horizontal alignment type liquid crystal layer, sub spacers, and a photo-alignment film, wherein the liquid crystal display device can suppress the occurrence of a disclination. The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device including: a pair of substrates facing each other; and a horizontal alignment type liquid crystal layer interposed between the pair of substrates, wherein at least one of the pair of substrates includes a photo-alignment film, one of the pair of substrates includes multiple sub spacers, the multiple sub spacers are not in contact with the facing substrate under atmospheric pressure, and each of the multiple sub spacers is formed such that its thickness in a cross section monotonically increases and then monotonically decreases from one end to another end of the sub spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichi Hirato, Isamu Miyake
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20170315393
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device in which display unevenness is suppressed by preventing degradation of TFT characteristics due to photo-alignment treatment. The liquid crystal display of the present invention includes: a thin-film transistor substrate; and a liquid crystal layer, the thin-film transistor substrate including a thin-film transistor having a channel etch structure and an alignment film, the thin-film transistor including a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, a channel layer containing an oxide semiconductor, and a pair of a source electrode and a drain electrode in the stated order, the alignment film including at least one selected from the group consisting of a cinnamate structure, a chalcone structure, an azobenzene structure, a stilbene structure, a coumarin structure, and a phenyl ester structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: ISAMU MIYAKE, YOHSUKE KANZAKI