Patents by Inventor Junichi Hirakata

Junichi Hirakata 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).

  • Patent number: 7683899
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel having plural pixels, a lighting device having at least one light source and projecting light generated by the light source on the liquid crystal display panel, and a circuit supplying a first current during a first period and a second current smaller than the first current during a second period to the light source alternately. The circuit includes a current monitoring circuit which measures the first current and the second current, and a light control circuit which adjusts a ratio of the first period to the second period based upon a signal from the current monitoring circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Device Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Hirakata, Kikuo Ono, Akira Shingai
  • Patent number: 7683996
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a pair of transparent substrates opposed to each other with liquid crystal therebetween, one of the pair of transparent substrates having a plurality of drain signal lines and a plurality of gate signal lines, and a plurality of pixel areas defined by the drain signal lines and the gate signal lines. The pixel areas includes a pixel electrode formed of a transparent electrode having a plurality of slits including a slit opened in a first direction and a slit opened in a second direction, and a counter electrode formed of a transparent electrode disposed between the transparent electrode of the pixel electrode having the plurality of slits and the one substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Publication number: 20090213302
    Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a liquid crystal cell comprising a pair of substrates which are provided in mutually opposed manner and which has an electrode in at least either thereof, and a liquid crystal material supported between the pair of substrates; a first polarizing film disposed outside the liquid crystal cell; and at least an in-cell optical compensation film disposed between the pair of substrates, with plural domains per a pixel having a different mean alignment direction each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Junichi Hirakata
  • Publication number: 20090135326
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a pair of transparent substrates opposed to each other with liquid crystal therebetween, one of the pair of transparent substrates having a plurality of drain signal lines and a plurality of gate signal lines, and a plurality of pixel areas defined by the drain signal lines and the gate signal lines. The pixel areas includes a pixel electrode formed of a transparent electrode having a plurality of slits including a slit opened in a first direction and a slit opened in a second direction, and a counter electrode formed of a transparent electrode disposed between the transparent electrode of the pixel electrode having the plurality of slits and the one substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Publication date: May 28, 2009
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Publication number: 20090128764
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a pair of transparent substrates opposed to each other with liquid crystal therebetween, one of the pair of transparent substrates having a plurality of drain signal lines and a plurality of gate signal lines, and a plurality of pixel areas defined by the drain signal lines and the gate signal lines. The pixel areas includes a pixel electrode formed of a transparent electrode having a plurality of slits including a slit opened in a first direction and a slit opened in a second direction, and a counter electrode formed of a transparent electrode disposed between the transparent electrode of the pixel electrode having the plurality of slits and the one substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Inventors: Kikuo ONO, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Publication number: 20090096974
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a pair of transparent substrates opposed to each other with liquid crystal therebetween, one of the pair of transparent substrates having a plurality of drain signal lines and a plurality of gate signal lines, and a plurality of pixel areas defined by the drain signal lines and the gate signal lines. The pixel areas includes a pixel electrode formed of a transparent electrode having a plurality of slits including a slit opened in a first direction and a slit opened in a second direction, and a counter electrode formed of a transparent electrode disposed between the transparent electrode of the pixel electrode having the plurality of slits and the one substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Inventors: Kikuo ONO, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Publication number: 20090096979
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a pair of transparent substrates opposed to each other with liquid crystal therebetween, one of the pair of transparent substrates having a plurality of drain signal lines and a plurality of gate signal lines, and a plurality of pixel areas defined by the drain signal lines and the gate signal lines. The pixel areas includes a pixel electrode formed of a transparent electrode having a plurality of slits including a slit opened in a first direction and a slit opened in a second direction, and a counter electrode formed of a transparent electrode disposed between the transparent electrode of the pixel electrode having the plurality of slits and the one substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Inventors: Kikuo ONO, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Publication number: 20090091697
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a pair of transparent substrates opposed to each other with liquid crystal therebetween, one of the pair of transparent substrates having a plurality of drain signal lines and a plurality of gate signal lines, and a plurality of pixel areas defined by the drain signal lines and the gate signal lines. The pixel areas includes a pixel electrode formed of a transparent electrode having a plurality of slits including a slit opened in a first direction and a slit opened in a second direction, and a counter electrode formed of a transparent electrode disposed between the transparent electrode of the pixel electrode having the plurality of slits and the one substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Publication date: April 9, 2009
    Inventors: Kikuo ONO, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Publication number: 20090058796
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having superior moving-image display characteristics are provided. In the liquid crystal display device, the timing of application of grayscale voltage to liquid crystal cells at the top end of its screen with respect to the timing of application of grayscale voltage to liquid crystal cells in the center of the screen and the timing of application of grayscale voltage to liquid crystal cells at the bottom end of the screen with respect to the timing of application of grayscale voltage to the liquid crystal cells in the center of the screen are made approximately coincident with each other or are deviated from each other by approximately one scanning-line selection period, and a liquid crystal panel is illuminated by a backlight which is intermittently lit in synchronism with vertical synchronizing signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Inventors: Akira SHINGAI, Junichi HIRAKATA
  • Patent number: 7495646
    Abstract: A display device which includes a plurality of adjacent gate lines and drain lines disposed in a display area of the display device, and a plurality of pixels disposed in the display area, each of the plurality of pixels having a switching element coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of adjacent gate lines and a corresponding one of the plurality of drain lines. During one frame period, the plurality of adjacent gate lines are selected, and thereby video signals are written into the plurality of pixels via the plurality of drain lines, and thereafter during the one frame period, the plurality of adjacent gate lines are selected, and thereby signals corresponding to blanking data are written into the plurality of pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Kawabe, Junichi Hirakata
  • Patent number: 7456924
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes first and second substrates with a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a plurality of gate signal lines made of metal and a plurality of drain signal lines made of metal, wherein the gate signal line and the drain signal line have a first overlapping region, and a plurality of counter voltage signal lines, wherein the counter voltage signal line and the drain signal line have a second overlapping region. A plurality of pixel regions are defined by neighboring gate signal lines and drain signal lines, and a pixel electrode is formed on the first substrate in each pixel region. A thin film transistor having a semiconductor layer is formed on the gate signal line, and the semiconductor layer at least overlaps with the drain signal line at the first overlapping region and the second overlapping region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Publication number: 20080259246
    Abstract: A matrix-type liquid crystal display device, includes: a liquid crystal panel including: a pair of substrates disposed to face each other with at least one of the pair of substrates having an electrode; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the pair of substrates; a pair of polarizing plates disposed to sandwich the liquid crystal layer, each having a polarizing film and a protective film provided directly or indirectly on at least one surface of the polarizing film; and an optically compensatory film disposed in at least one of spaces between the liquid crystal layer and the pair of polarizing films; a backlight comprising a light source; a first optical member having a light-condensing property; and a second optical member having a surface scattering function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Watanabe, Junichi Hirakata
  • Publication number: 20080212003
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a pair of polarizing films; a liquid crystal cell that is sandwiched between the pair of polarizing films; a retardation layer (A) of 70 ?m or less in thickness, which is disposed between the liquid crystal cell and one of the pair of polarizing films; and a retardation layer (B) of 70 ?m or less in thickness, which is disposed between the liquid crystal cell and the other of the pair of polarizing films, wherein the retardation layers (A) and (B) satisfy following formulae (1) to (3): RthU>RthD : ??Formula (1) ?20 nm?RthD?20 nm : ??Formula (2) 20 nm<RthU?60 nm : ??Formula (3) wherein RthU and RthD represent a retardation in a thickness direction at a wavelength of 550 nm of the retardation layer (A) and the retardation layer (B), respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Sata, Kotaro Yasuda, Junichi Hirakata
  • Publication number: 20080211996
    Abstract: A novel optical film is disclosed. The optical film comprises an optically anisotropic layer comprising oriented optical elements, wherein the optical elements are oriented in the optically anisotropic layer with an order parameter, which expresses the degree of orientation of said optical elements, varying in the direction of film thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2005
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yukito Saitoh, Junichi Hirakata
  • Patent number: 7379131
    Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display device is disclosed. The device comprises two polarizer films, a liquid crystal cell disposed between these two polarizer films wherein liquid-crystalline molecules are oriented substantially normal to the substrates under non-operative state in the absence of applied external electric field; at least one layer of a first optically-anisotropic layer having an optically positive refractive anisotropy having Re falling within a range from 40 to 150 nm at visible light; and at least one layer of a second optically-anisotropic layer having an optically negative refractive anisotropy, and having Re of 10 nm or less and Rth falling within a range from 60 to 250 nm at visible light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Tadashi Ito, Junichi Hirakata
  • Patent number: 7352350
    Abstract: In a hold-type display device, such as a liquid crystal display device, so-called blurring which appears on a profile of a displayed animated image can be suppressed without degrading the brightness of the image. An image based on video data to be inputted to a display device is displayed for every frame period and, thereafter, the image is masked with a blanking image. Here, the ratio between an image display period of the video data and a blanking image display period in one frame period is adjusted, based on the number of pixel rows selected in a pixel array in response to a scanning clock for respective periods, the frequency of the scanning clock, and shortening of a horizontal period of display signal inputting to every pixel row with respect to a horizontal scanning period of the video data, whereby the image can be efficiently cancelled using the blanking image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Nitta, Tsutomu Furuhashi, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshinori Tanaka, Kazuyoshi Kawabe
  • Publication number: 20080062371
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a pair of transparent substrates opposed to each other with liquid crystal therebetween, one of the pair of transparent substrates having a plurality of drain signal lines and a plurality of gate signal lines, and a plurality of pixel areas defined by the drain signal lines and the gate signal lines. The pixel areas includes a pixel electrode formed of a transparent electrode having a plurality of slits including a slit opened in a first direction and a slit opened in a second direction, and a counter electrode formed of a transparent electrode disposed between the transparent electrode of the pixel electrode having the plurality of slits and the one substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Publication date: March 13, 2008
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Publication number: 20080013028
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes first and second substrates with a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a plurality of gate signal lines made of metal and a plurality of drain signal lines made of metal, wherein the gate signal line and the drain signal line have a first overlapping region, and a plurality of counter voltage signal lines, wherein the counter voltage signal line and the drain signal line have a second overlapping region. A plurality of pixel regions are defined by neighboring gate signal lines and drain signal lines, and a pixel electrode is formed on the first substrate in each pixel region. A thin film transistor having a semiconductor layer is formed on the gate signal line, and the semiconductor layer at least overlaps with the drain signal line at the first overlapping region and the second overlapping region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Inventors: Kikuo Ono, Makoto Yoneya, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Junichi Hirakata, Yoshiaki Nakayoshi
  • Patent number: 7307679
    Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display is disclosed. The display comprises a pair of substrates disposed facing each other and at least one of which has an electrode, a liquid-crystal layer being sandwiched in between the pair of substrates and comprising liquid-crystal molecules aligned along with a first alignment axis and a second alignment axis respectively formed on facing surfaces of the first and second substrates, a pair of polarizing plates disposed sandwiching the liquid-crystal layer, and at least an optically anisotropic layer disposed between the liquid-crystal layer and either of the polarizing plates, and comprising at least one liquid crystal compound which is aligned along with a third alignment axis and is fixed in the alignment state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Kentaro Toyooka, Yusuke Ohashi, Junichi Hirakata
  • Publication number: 20070258032
    Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display device is disclosed. It comprises, at least, a pair of polarizing plates, and a liquid crystal cell, disposed between the pair of polarizing plates, comprising a pair of substrates opposed to each other, electrodes disposed on at least one of the pair of substrates, capable of forming an electric field including a component parallel to the pair of substrates, liquid crystal layer, of which alignment is controlled, disposed between the pair of substrates, a plurality of pixel regions respectively having first, second and third pixels, and a plurality of color filter layers, respectively having first, second and third color filter layers, each corresponding to the first, second and third pixel regions, wherein Rth is different between at least two of the first, second and third color filter layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Publication date: November 8, 2007
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kaihoko, Junichi Hirakata