Patents by Inventor Junichiro Kanbe

Junichiro Kanbe 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: 6159562
    Abstract: A layer of discotic liquid crystal having a molecular structure including a disk-shaped core and plural side chains connected to the core is disposed in contact with a substrate boundary provided with a homeotropic alignment power for aligning the side chains of the discotic liquid crystal molecules vertically to the boundary, whereby a uniform columnar structure vertical to the substrate of the discotic liquid crystal is formed. As a result, a discotic liquid crystal device having a stable homeotropic monodomain alignment can be formed from a wide scope of discotic liquid crystal materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Takao Takiguchi, Takeshi Togano, Shinichi Nakamura, Takashi Moriyama
  • Patent number: 6091388
    Abstract: A driving method for an optical modulation device is applicable to driving of an optical modulation device, e.g. a liquid crystal device having a matrix electrode arrangement comprising a group of scanning electrodes, a group of signal electrodes oppositely spaced from the group of scanning electrodes, and an optical modulation material (e.g. a liquid crystal) showing bistability with respect to an electric filed applied thereto disposed between the groups of scanning electrodes and signal electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri, Syuzo Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5886680
    Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus comprises a liquid crystal device comprising a group of scanning electrodes and a group of signal electrodes intersecting each other to form an electrode matrix, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed in a non-helical alignment state so as to form a picture element at each intersection of the scanning electrodes and the signal electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri, Syuzo Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5877739
    Abstract: A driving method for an optical modulation device comprising matrix picture elements each formed at intersecting points of scanning lines and data lines between which a bistable optical modulation material represented by a ferroelectric liquid crsytal is interposed. The driving method comprises an erasure step of applying a voltage signal orienting the optical modulation material to the first stable state between the scanning and data lines, at all or a part of the matrix picture elements, and a writing step of sequentially applying a scanning selection signal to the scanning lines and applying an information orientation signal orienting the optical modulation material to the second stable state to the data lines in phase with the scanning selection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri
  • Patent number: 5847686
    Abstract: An optical modulation device comprises scanning electrodes and signal electrodes disposed opposite to and intersecting with the signal electrodes, and an optical modulation material disposed between the electrodes, a pixel being formed at each intersection of the electrodes and showing a contrast depending on the polarity of a voltage applied thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Mouri, Tsutomu Toyono, Shuzo Kaneko, Yutaka Inaba, Junichiro Kanbe
  • Patent number: 5841417
    Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus includes a liquid crystal device having a group of scanning lines and a group of signal lines intersecting each other to form a matrix of picture elements, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed so as to form the picture elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri, Syuzo Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5831587
    Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus includes a liquid crystal device having a group of scanning lines and a group of signal lines intersecting each other to form a matrix of picture elements, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed so as to form the picture elements. The device is driven by: (a) applying a scanning selection signal and a scanning non-selection signal to the scanning lines, (b) applying data signals having a predetermined voltage determined according to an environmental temperature and including a gradation data signal to the signal lines so as to provide a selected picture element at an intersection of a selected scanning line receiving the scanning selection signal and a selected signal electrode with a ratio between an area occupied with one orientation state and an area occupied by another orientation state, respectively of the chiral smectic liquid crystal, depending on given gradation data, and (c) periodically applying the scanning selection signal to the scanning lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri, Syuzo Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5825390
    Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus includes a liquid crystal device having a group of scanning electrodes and a group of signal electrodes intersecting each other to form an electrode matrix, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal having a threshold voltage varying depending on a voltage pulse width disposed so as to form a picture element at each intersection of the scanning electrodes and the signal electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri, Syuzo Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5812108
    Abstract: A driving method for an optical modulation device is applicable to driving of an optical modulation device, e.g. a liquid crystal device having a matrix electrode arrangement comprising a group of scanning electrodes, a group of signal electrodes oppositely spaced from the group of scanning electrodes, and an optical modulation material (e.g. a liquid crystal) showing bistability with respect to an electric filed applied thereto disposed between the groups of scanning electrodes and signal electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri, Syuzo Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5790449
    Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus includes a liquid crystal device having a group of scanning electrodes and a group of signal electrodes intersecting each other to form an electrode matrix, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal having a threshold voltage varying depending on a voltage pulse width disposed so as to form a picture element at each intersection of the scanning electrodes and the signal electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri, Syuzo Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5774102
    Abstract: A driving method for an optical modulation device comprising matrix picture elements each formed at intersecting points of scanning lines and data lines between which a bistable optical modulation material represented by a ferroelectric liquid crystal is interposed. The driving method comprises an erasure step of applying a voltage signal orienting the optical modulation material to the first stable state between the scanning and data lines, at all or a part of the matrix picture elements, and a writing step of sequentially applying a scanning selection signal to the scanning lines and applying an information orientation signal orienting the optical modulation material to the second stable state to the data lines in phase with the scanning selection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri
  • Patent number: 5757350
    Abstract: A driving method for an optical modulation device comprising matrix picture elements each formed at intersecting points of scanning lines and data lines between which a bistable optical modulation material represented by a ferroelectric liquid crsytal is interposed. The driving method comprises an erasure step of applying a voltage signal orienting the optical modulation material to the first stable state between the scanning and data lines, at all or a part of the matrix picture elements, and a writing step of sequentially applying a scanning selection signal to the scanning lines and applying an information orientation signal orienting the optical modulation material to the second stable state to the data lines in phase with the scanning selection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri
  • Patent number: 5746939
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device having a cell structure comprising a pair of base plates and a smectic liquid crystal having cholesteric phase at a higher temperature side; the ratio (P/d) of the spiral pitch of the cholesteric phase (P) to the spacing between the pair of base plates (d) is 0.5 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Taniguchi, Shinjiro Okada, Kazuharu Katagiri, Junichiro Kanbe
  • Patent number: 5726460
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device is constituted by (a) a pair of base plates each having an orientation control film thereon, and (b) a liquid crystal composition interposed between the base plates. The liquid crystal composition comprises a mixture including at least one liquid crystal compound which has a temperature range in which it shows chiral smectic phase and at least one optically active substance which does not have a temperature range in which it shows chiral smectic phase. The liquid crystal composition has a temperature range in which it shows cholesteric phase and is placed in chiral smectic phase which has been formed through cholesteric phase on temperature decrease. The liquid crystal composition comprises liquid crystal molecules having long axes forming a pre-tilt in the chiral smectic phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuharu Katagiri, Kazuo Yoshinaga, Shinjiro Okada, Junichiro Kanbe
  • Patent number: 5724059
    Abstract: A method for driving an optical modulation device having a group of scanning electrodes and a group of signal electrodes arranged so that picture elements are defined at the intersections therebetween and a bistable optical modulation material assuming one of two stable states between the groups of electrodes, by in a first phase orienting the bistable material at the picture elements on an N-th scanning electrode to one stable state, and applying a writing signal to the signal electrodes in synchronism with a scanning signal to the N-th scanning electrode while orienting the bistable material at the picture elements on an N+1-th scanning electrode to the one stable state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri
  • Patent number: 5724114
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device is constituted by (a) a pair of base plates each having an orientation control film thereon, and (b) a liquid crystal composition interposed between the base plates. The liquid crystal composition comprises a mixture including at least one liquid crystal compound which has a temperature range in which it shows chiral smectic phase and at least one optically active substance which does not have a temperature range in which it shows chiral smectic phase. The liquid crystal composition has a temperature range in which it shows cholesteric phase and is placed in chiral smectic phase which has been formed through cholesteric phase on temperature decrease. The liquid crystal composition comprises liquid crystal molecules having long axes forming a pre-tilt in the chiral smectic phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuharu Katagiri, Kazuo Yoshinaga, Shinjiro Okada, Junichiro Kanbe
  • Patent number: 5717419
    Abstract: A method for driving an optical modulation device having a group of scanning electrodes and a group of signal electrodes arranged so that picture elements are defined at the intersections therebetween and a bistable optical modulation material assuming one of two stable states applied between the groups of electrodes, by in a first phase orienting the bistable material at the picture elements on an N-th scanning electrode to one stable state, and applying a writing signal to the signal electrodes in synchronism with a scanning signal to the N-th scanning electrode while orienting the bistable modulation material at the picture elements on an N+1-th scanning electrode to the one stable state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri
  • Patent number: 5703614
    Abstract: An optical modulation device comprises scanning electrodes and signal electrodes disposed opposite to and intersecting with the signal electrodes, and an optical modulation material disposed between the electrodes, a pixel being formed at each intersection of the electrodes and showing a contrast depending on the polarity of a voltage applied thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Mouri, Tsutomu Toyono, Shuzo Kaneko, Yutaka Inaba, Junichiro Kanbe
  • Patent number: 5696525
    Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus comprises a liquid crystal device comprising a group of scanning electrodes and a group of signal electrodes intersecting each other to form an electrode matrix, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed so as to form a picture element at each intersection of the scanning electrodes and the signal electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri, Syuzo Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5696526
    Abstract: A liquid crystal apparatus comprises a liquid crystal device including scanning electrodes and signal electrodes intersecting each other, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed therebetween. The chiral smectic liquid crystal assumes a first orientation state when supplied with a pulse voltage of one polarity exceeding a first threshold voltage, a second orientation state when supplied with a pulse voltage of the other polarity exceeding a second threshold voltage, and a third orientation state when released from application of the pulse voltage of one or the other polarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichiro Kanbe, Kazuharu Katagiri, Syuzo Kaneko