Patents by Inventor Katsufumi Ohmuro

Katsufumi Ohmuro 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: 7224421
    Abstract: A vertical alignment mode liquid crystal display device having an improved viewing angle characteristic uses a liquid crystal having a negative anisotropic dielectric constant, and orientations of the liquid crystal are vertical to substrates when no voltage being applied, almost horizontal when a predetermined voltage is applied, and oblique when an intermediate voltage is applied. At least one of two substrates includes a structure as domain regulating means, to regulate azimuths of the oblique orientations of the liquid crystal when the intermediate voltage is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Arihiro Takeda, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Yoshio Koike, Shingo Kataoka, Takahiro Sasaki, Takashi Sasabayashi, Hideaki Tsuda, Hideo Chida, Makoto Ohashi, Kenji Okamoto, Hisashi Yamaguchi, Minoru Otani, Makoto Morishige, Noriaki Furukawa, Tsuyoshi Kamada, Yoshinori Tanaka, Atuyuki Hoshino, Shougo Hayashi, Hideaki Takizawa, Takeshi Kinjou, Makoto Tachibanaki, Keiji Imoto, Tadashi Hasegawa, Hidefumi Yoshida, Hiroyasu Inoue, Yoji Taniguchi, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Satoshi Murata, Manabu Sawasaki, Tomonori Tanose, Siro Hirota, Masahiro Ikeda, Kunihiro Tashiro, Kouji Tsukao, Yasutoshi Tasaka, Takatoshi Mayama, Seiji Tanuma, Yohei Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20070103607
    Abstract: The invention has an object to provide a liquid crystal display device of an excellent viewing angle characteristic and high brightness, including: sandwiching liquid crystals containing polymerizable monomers between a first substrate with a pixel electrode having a micro slit and a second substrate facing the first substrate; polymerizing the monomers with voltage applied to the liquid crystals; and controlling an alignment orientation of the liquid crystals to a direction of extending the micro slit, wherein the pixel electrode includes: a direct coupling part electrically connected to a switching element; a capacitive coupling part electrically insulated from the switching element, and forming capacitance with a control capacitance electrode having a same potential as that of a source electrode of the switching element; and a space between the direct and capacitive coupling parts, wherein directions of extending the micro slit in the adjacent direct and capacitive coupling parts are orthogonal to each oth
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2006
    Publication date: May 10, 2007
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazutaka Hanaoka, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Kunihiro Tashiro, Jin Hirosawa, Norio Sugiura, Kengo Kanii, Shota Makimoto, Yasuhiro Ohno, Isao Tsushima, Tomonori Tanose, Takashi Takagi, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Takahiro Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7212266
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display comprises a first substrate 2 including a gate bus line 12a, a data bus line 28, a thin film transistor 18 formed near an intersection between the gate bus line 12a and the data bus line 28, and a pixel electrode 52 including a transmission electrode 32a electrically connected to the thin film transistor 18 and a reflection electrode 48b electrically connected to the transmission electrode 32a; a second substrate 4 opposed to the first substrate 2 and including an opposed electrode 68 opposed to the pixel electrode 52; and a liquid crystal layer 6 sealed between the first substrate 2 and the second substrate 4. The reflection electrode 48b is formed over another gate bus line 12b which is different from the gate bus line 12a, with an insulation layer 40 formed therebetween. The decrease of a voltage applied between the reflection electrode 48b and the opposed electrode 68 can be prevented while the space which can be not used as the transmission region can be utilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignees: Fujitsu Limited, AU Optronics Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiro Tashiro, Yasutoshi Tasaka, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yoshinori Tanaka, Norio Sugiura, Seiji Doi, Manabu Sawasaki, Tomonori Tanose, Isao Tsushima, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Tomoshige Oda
  • Patent number: 7209107
    Abstract: On a glass substrate, gate bus lines, data bus lines, and TFTs are formed. Then, on the substrate, an insulating film, covering the gate bus lines, data bus lines and TFTs, is formed, and a positive type photoresist film is further formed thereon. Next, through exposure and development processes, the resist film is divided for each picture element and subjected to ultraviolet ray irradiation to harden only a surface layer thereof. Then, the resist film is subjected to heat treatment to form thereon wrinkle-form surface ruggedness of a uniform pattern, which is determined depending on the size of the resist film. Subsequently, reflection electrodes are formed on the resist film. The reflection electrodes are formed to overlap the gate bus line, data bus line and TFTs, and the regions between the adjacent reflection electrodes serve as light transmission regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsufumi Ohmuro, Norio Sugiura, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20070064187
    Abstract: A vertically alignment mode liquid crystal display device having an improved viewing angle characteristic is disclosed. The disclosed liquid crystal display device uses a liquid crystal having a negative anisotropic dielectric constant, and orientations of the liquid crystal are vertical to substrates when no voltage being applied, almost horizontal when a predetermined voltage is applied, and oblique when an intermediate voltage is applied. At least one of the substrates includes a structure as domain regulating means, and inclined surfaces of the structure operate as a trigger to regulate azimuths of the oblique orientations of the liquid crystal when the intermediate voltage is applied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Publication date: March 22, 2007
    Inventors: Arihiro Takeda, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Yoshio Koike, Shingo Kataoka, Takahiro Sasaki, Takashi Sasabayashi, Hideaki Tsuda, Hideo Chida, Makoto Ohashi, Kenji Okamoto, Hisashi Yamaguchi, Minoru Otani, Makoto Morishige, Noriaki Furukawa, Tsuyoshi Kamada, Yoshinori Tanaka, Atuyuki Hoshino, Shougo Hayashi, Hideaki Takizawa, Takeshi Kinjou, Makoto Tachibanaki, Keiji Imoto, Tadashi Hasegawa, Hidefumi Yoshida, Hiroyasu Inoue, Yoji Taniguchi, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Satoshi Murata, Manabu Sawasaki, Tomonori Tanose, Siro Hirota, Masahiro Ikeda, Kunihiro Tashiro, Kouji Tsukao, Yasutoshi Tasaka, Takatoshi Mayama, Seiji Tanuma, Yohei Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20070035691
    Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid crystal display used as a display unit of an electronic apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same and provides a liquid crystal display which can achieve high display quality and a method of manufacturing the same. A liquid crystal including a polymeric component and having a specific resistance of 1×1013 ?·cm or more at room temperature (25° C.) is dispensed onto a TFT substrate. After combining the TFT substrate with an opposite substrate in vacuum, the atmospheric pressure is restored to fill a gap between the TFT substrate and the opposite substrate with the liquid crystal, thereby forming a liquid crystal layer. The polymeric component is polymerized while applying a predetermined voltage to the liquid crystal layer to form polymer layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Publication date: February 15, 2007
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norio Sugiura, Satoshi Murata, Kengo Kanii, Shota Makimoto, Katsufumi Ohmuro
  • Publication number: 20070030421
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus including a pair of substrates having electrodes and vertical alignment layers. A liquid crystal having a negative anisotropy of dielectric is inserted between the substrates. Each substrate has linearly arranged alignment control structures for controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal. The alignment control structures are formed in the form of projections or slits. Each alignment control structure is formed of a plurality of constituent units. In addition, means for forming a boundary of alignment of liquid crystal (singular point in director field) to control the liquid crystal located on the alignment control structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2006
    Publication date: February 8, 2007
    Inventors: Takahiro Sasaki, Arihiro Takeda, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Hideo Chida, Yoshio Koike, Kimiaki Nakamura, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20070024561
    Abstract: In accordance with a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device including, in a picture element, a first sub-picture-element region where a threshold voltage of the transmittance-applied voltage characteristic is Vth1 and a second sub-picture-element region where a threshold voltage of the transmittance-applied voltage characteristic is Vth2, liquid crystal, which polymerizable components are added to, is filled into the space between a first and a second substrates; thereafter, a voltage V1 slightly higher than the threshold voltage Vth1 is applied to a liquid crystal layer, and is held for a certain length of time; subsequently, a voltage V2 slightly higher than the threshold voltage Vth2 is applied to the liquid crystal layer, and is held for a certain length of time; additionally, a voltage V3 higher than a white-displaying voltage which is applied while the liquid crystal display device is in actual use is applied to the liquid crystal layer, and is held for a certain length of time; then, t
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2006
    Publication date: February 1, 2007
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazutaka Hanaoka, Yohei Nakanishi, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Kunihiro Tashiro, Norio Sugiura, Kengo Kanii
  • Patent number: 7167224
    Abstract: A vertically alignment mode liquid crystal display device having an improved viewing angle characteristic is disclosed. The disclosed liquid crystal display device uses a liquid crystal having a negative anisotropic dielectric constant, and orientations of the liquid crystal are vertical to substrates when no voltage being applied, almost horizontal when a predetermined voltage is applied, and oblique when an intermediate voltage is applied. At least one of the substrates includes a structure as domain regulating means, and inclined surfaces of the structure operate as a trigger to regulate azimuths of the oblique orientations of the liquid crystal when the intermediate voltage is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Arihiro Takeda, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Yoshio Koike, Shingo Kataoka, Takahiro Sasaki, Takashi Sasabayashi, Hideaki Tsuda, Hideo Chida, Makoto Ohashi, Kenji Okamoto, Hisashi Yamaguchi, Minoru Otani, Makoto Morishige, Noriaki Furukawa, Tsuyoshi Kamada, Yoshinori Tanaka, Atuyuki Hoshino, Shougo Hayashi, Hideaki Takizawa, Takeshi Kinjou, Makoto Tachibanaki, Keiji Imoto, Tadashi Hasegawa, Hidefumi Yoshida, Hiroyasu Inoue, Yoji Taniguchi, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Satoshi Murata, Manabu Sawasaki, Tomonori Tanose, Siro Hirota, Masahiro Ikeda, Kunihiro Tashiro, Kouji Tsukao, Yasutoshi Tasaka, Takatoshi Mayama, Seiji Tanuma, Yohei Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20060270085
    Abstract: On a glass substrate, gate bus lines, data bus lines, and TFTs are formed. Then, on the substrate, an insulating film, covering the gate bus lines, data bus lines and TFTs, is formed, and a positive type photoresist film is further formed thereon. Next, through exposure and development processes, the resist film is divided for each picture element and subjected to ultraviolet ray irradiation to harden only a surface layer thereof. Then, the resist film is subjected to heat treatment to form thereon wrinkle-form surface ruggedness of a uniform pattern, which is determined depending on the size of the resist film. Subsequently, reflection electrodes are formed on the resist film. The reflection electrodes are formed to overlap the gate bus line, data bus line and TFTs, and the regions between the adjacent reflection electrodes serve as light transmission regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2006
    Publication date: November 30, 2006
    Inventors: Katsufumi Ohmuro, Norio Sugiura, Kunihiro Tashiro, Yoshio Koike
  • Publication number: 20060238674
    Abstract: The gate bus lines, the data bus lines, TFTs, etc. are formed on one glass substrate. Also, linear structures arranged in parallel with the gate bus lines are formed simultaneously with any one of the gate bus lines and the data bus lines. Then, a positive resist film is formed over the substrate, and then only a surface layer is cured by irradiating the ultraviolet ray onto the resist film. Then, the annealing is applied to the resist film. Since the linear structures are present under the resist film, a cross section of the resist film is corrugated by the annealing and thus wrinkle-like roughness extending in the almost same direction as the structures are formed on the surface. Then, the reflective electrode is formed on the resist film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2006
    Publication date: October 26, 2006
    Inventors: Norio Sugiura, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20060203150
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate sandwiching a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a first polarizer disposed adjacent to the first substrate at a side opposite to a side of the first polarizer facing the liquid crystal layer, with a first gap between the first polarizer and the first substrate, a second polarizer disposed adjacent to the second substrate at a side opposite to a side of the second polarizer facing the liquid crystal layer, with a second gap between the second polarizer and the second substrate, wherein at least one of the first and second gaps includes therein a first retardation film having a positive optical anisotropy and a second retardation film having a negative optical anisotropy, such that the first retardation film is disposed closer to the liquid crystal layer with respect to the second retardation film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2006
    Publication date: September 14, 2006
    Inventors: Katsufumi Ohmuro, Yoshio Koike, Takahiro Sasaki, Hideaki Tsuda, Hideo Chida
  • Publication number: 20060192911
    Abstract: A substrate for a transflective liquid crystal display that is capable of display in both reflective and transmissive modes and a display having the same. One embodiment includes a substrate that sandwiches a liquid crystal in combination with an opposite substrate formed with a common electrode on the opposing surface, a plurality of bus lines on a top surface of the substrate that intersect each other with an insulation film interposed therebetween, and thin film transistors formed near the intersections of the plurality of bus lines. A plurality of pixel regions constituted of a plurality of reflective regions in which reflective electrodes for reflecting incident light from the side of the top surface of the substrate are formed in a matrix and transmissive regions which are provided around the reflective regions and which transmit incident light from the side of a bottom surface toward the top surface of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2006
    Publication date: August 31, 2006
    Inventors: Katsufumi Ohmuro, Norio Sugiura, Kunihiro Tashiro, Yoshio Koike
  • Patent number: 7098977
    Abstract: The gate bus lines, the data bus lines, TFTs, etc. are formed on one glass substrate. Also, linear structures arranged in parallel with the gate bus lines are formed simultaneously with any one of the gate bus lines and the data bus lines. Then, a positive resist film is formed over the substrate, and then only a surface layer is cured by irradiating the ultraviolet ray onto the resist film. Then, the annealing is applied to the resist film. Since the linear structures are present under the resist film, a cross section of the resist film is corrugated by the annealing and thus wrinkle-like roughness extending in the almost same direction as the structures are formed on the surface. Then, the reflective electrode is formed on the resist film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norio Sugiura, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Patent number: 7092053
    Abstract: The gate bus lines, the data bus lines, TFTs, etc. are formed on one glass substrate. Also, linear structures arranged in parallel with the gate bus lines are formed simultaneously with any one of the gate bus lines and the data bus lines. Then, a positive resist film is formed over the substrate, and then only a surface layer is cured by irradiating the ultraviolet ray onto the resist film. Then, the annealing is applied to the resist film. Since the linear structures are present under the resist film, a cross section of the resist film is corrugated by the annealing and thus wrinkle-like roughness extending in the almost same direction as the structures are formed on the surface. Then, the reflective electrode is formed on the resist film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norio Sugiura, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20060176430
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus including a pair of substrates having electrodes and vertical alignment layers. A liquid crystal having a negative anisotropy of dielectric is inserted between the substrates. Each substrate has linearly arranged alignment control structures for controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal. The alignment control structures are formed in the form of projections or slits. Each alignment control structure is formed of a plurality of constituent units. In addition, means for forming a boundary of alignment of liquid crystal (singular point in director field) to control the liquid crystal located on the alignment control structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Publication date: August 10, 2006
    Inventors: Takahiro Sasaki, Arihiro Takeda, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Hideo Chida, Yoshio Koike, Kimiaki Nakamura, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20060152657
    Abstract: The invention provides a reflective liquid crystal display device being low cost, high reflectance, and high contrast in the reflective liquid crystal display device of VA system providing a diffusion reflective plate having uneven shape and using negative dielectric anisotropy liquid crystal and a substrate using for a reflective liquid crystal display device. Assuming that reflective surface of the reflective plate has plurality of small mirror surfaces, direction of normal vector In of the small mirror is constructed so that standard deviation of probability distribution existing within angle range of azimuth angle from ?n to ?n+1° is 0.1 or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Publication date: July 13, 2006
    Inventors: Norio Sugiura, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Patent number: 7075609
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate sandwiching a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a first polarizer disposed adjacent to the first substrate at a side opposite to a side of the first polarizer facing the liquid crystal layer, with a first gap between the first polarizer and the first substrate, a second polarizer disposed adjacent to the second substrate at a side opposite to a side of the second polarizer facing the liquid crystal layer, with a second gap between the second polarizer and the second substrate, wherein at least one of the first and second gaps includes therein a first retardation film having a positive optical anisotropy and a second retardation film having a negative optical anisotropy, such that the first retardation film is disposed closer to the liquid crystal layer with respect to the second retardation film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsufumi Ohmuro, Yoshio Koike, Takahiro Sasaki, Hideaki Tsuda, Hideo Chida
  • Patent number: 7075602
    Abstract: The invention provides a reflective liquid crystal display device being low cost, high reflectance, and high contrast in the reflective liquid crystal display device of VA system providing a diffusion reflective plate having uneven shape and using negative dielectric anisotropy liquid crystal and a substrate using for a reflective liquid crystal display device. Assuming that reflective surface of the reflective plate has plurality of small mirror surfaces, direction of normal vector In of the small mirror is constructed so that standard deviation of probability distribution existing within angle range of azimuth angle from ?n to ?n+1° is 0.1 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norio Sugiura, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20060146243
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device according to the present invention is constituted of a TFT substrate and an opposing substrate which are arranged so as to be opposite to each other with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween. In addition, in the liquid crystal layer, formed is a polymer into which a polymer component added to liquid crystal is polymerized, and which determines directions in which liquid crystal molecules tilt when voltage is applied. In the TFT substrate, formed are a sub picture element electrode directly connected to a TFT and a sub picture element electrode connected to the TFT through capacitive coupling. In each of these sub picture element electrodes, formed are slits extending in directions respectively at angles of 45 degrees, 135 degrees, 225 degrees and 315 degrees to the X axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2005
    Publication date: July 6, 2006
    Inventors: Yohei Nakanishi, Kunihiro Tashiro, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Kazutaka Hanaoka, Jin Hirosawa, Norio Sugiura, Kengo Kanii, Shota Makimoto, Naoto Kondo, Isao Tsushima, Tomonori Tanose, Takashi Takagi, Tetsuya Fujikawa