Patents by Inventor Manabu Sawasaki

Manabu Sawasaki 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: 7864279
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vertically aligned liquid crystal display and a method of manufacturing the same and provides a liquid crystal display in which singular points can be sufficiently controlled to achieve high display quality and a method of manufacturing the same. A surface of the common electrode facing at least one-fourth of a non-electrode part at the outer periphery of the electrode unit is formed with a height of 0.2 ?m or more or a height in the range from 0.4 to 1.5 ?m if possible above a surface of the common electrode facing a part of the electrode unit substantially in the middle thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Manabu Sawasaki, Takashi Takagi
  • Patent number: 7826027
    Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide a substrate for a liquid crystal display, a liquid crystal display having the same, and a method of manufacturing the same which make it possible to provide a display having high luminance and preferable display characteristics to be used in display sections of information apparatuses and the like. Each pixel is defined by gate bus lines extending in the horizontal direction and drain bus lines extending in the vertical direction. TFTs are formed in the vicinity of intersections between the bus lines, and resin overlap sections for shielding the TFTs from light are formed above the same. No black matrix is formed on a common electrode substrate which is provided in a face-to-face relationship with a TFT substrate, and the bus lines and the resin overlap sections formed on the TFT substrate function as a black matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Manabu Sawasaki, Yuichi Inoue, Masakazu Shibasaki
  • Patent number: 7821603
    Abstract: A vertical alignment type liquid crystal display device including a plurality of pixels, which further includes a first substrate and a second substrate and a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first substrate and the second substrate include alignment control structures which extend linearly, and when viewed in a direction vertical to the first substrate, in a pixel, the alignment control structure of the first substrate and the alignment control structures of the second substrate are arranged alternately. The alignment control structure of the first substrate includes first and second linear portions, and distances between the first and second linear portions and an adjacent alignment control structure of the second substrate are different from each other. Additionally, each of the first and second linear portions and the alignment control structures of the second substrate are arranged in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    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: 20100231838
    Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide a substrate for a liquid crystal display, a liquid crystal display having the same, and a method of manufacturing the same which make it possible to provide a display having high luminance and preferable display characteristics to be used in display sections of information apparatuses and the like. Each pixel is defined by gate bus lines extending in the horizontal direction and drain bus lines extending in the vertical direction. TFTs are formed in the vicinity of intersections between the bus lines, and resin overlap sections for shielding the TFTs from light are formed above the same. No black matrix is formed on a common electrode substrate which is provided in a face-to-face relationship with a TFT substrate, and the bus lines and the resin overlap sections formed on the TFT substrate function as a black matrix.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Manabu Sawasaki, Yuichi Inoue, Masakazu Shibasaki, Naoto Kondo, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Takashi Takagi, Tomonori Tanose, Tomoshige Oda, Akira Komorita, Katsunori Misaki, Shiro Hirota
  • Patent number: 7760305
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device that includes a plurality of pixels, a first substrate and a second substrate, as well as a liquid crystal layer provided between the first and second substrates. A first alignment structure and a second alignment structure are formed on the first substrate, and a third alignment structure and a fourth alignment structure are formed on the second substrate, for controlling an alignment of the liquid crystal. At least one auxiliary alignment structure is also formed on the first substrate for controlling an alignment of liquid crystals. The first and second alignment structures extend linearly in different directions from each other in a pixel, and the third and fourth alignment structures extend parallel to the first and second alignment structures, respectively. Also, the auxiliary alignment structure extends substantially along an edge of the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    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
  • Patent number: 7697106
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device of the present invention has a structure in which vertically aligned liquid crystal is sealed between a TFT substrate and a CF substrate. Pixel electrodes in which slits are provided are formed on the TFT substrate, while cell gap holding spacers and domain defining projections are formed on the CF substrate. For example, positive type photoresist is coated on a common electrode. Then, first exposure is executed by using a mask for light-shielding spacer forming regions and projection forming regions, and then second exposure is executed by using a mask for light-shielding the spacer forming regions. Then, the photoresist is developed. Accordingly, the spacers and the projections, each having a different height, can be formed simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Manabu Sawasaki, Takashi Takagi, Yoji Taniguchi, Hiroyasu Inoue, Susumu Nakano, Tomonori Tanose, Naonobu Matsui, Kazuyuki Hosokawa, Kazuhiko Sumi, Masahiro Ikeda, Naoshige Itami
  • Publication number: 20100066955
    Abstract: The invention relates to a substrate for use in a liquid crystal display of a CF-on-TFT structure in which a color filter is formed on the side of an array substrate in which a switching element is formed, and has an object to provide a substrate for use in a liquid crystal display, which enables simplification of a manufacturing process typified by a photolithography process and has high reliability. The substrate for use in the liquid crystal display is constructed to include external connection terminals which include first terminal electrodes electrically connected to gate bus lines led out from a plurality of pixel regions arranged on a glass substrate in a matrix form, second terminal electrodes formed of forming material of a pixel electrode and directly on the glass substrate, and electrode coupling regions for electrically connecting the first and the second terminal electrodes, and which electrically connect an external circuit and the gate bus lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atuyuki Hoshino, Shiro Hirota, Naoto Kondo, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Masahiro Kihara, Katsunori Misaki, Seiji Doi, Tomoshige Oda, Akira Komorita, Akihiro Matsui, Manabu Sawasaki, Masahiro Ikeda, Takashi Takagi, Tomonori Tanose, Takuya Saguchi, Hidetoshi Sukenori, Hiroyasu Inoue
  • Patent number: 7649601
    Abstract: The invention relates to liquid crystal displays used in display sections of electronic apparatus and provides a liquid crystal display in which high anti-pressure characteristics can be achieved with a high aperture ratio maintained. A configuration is provided, which includes a pair of substrates provided opposite to each other, a liquid crystal sealed between the substrates, a plurality of pixel regions provided on the substrates, and protrusion-like structures provided in the pixel regions for regulating the alignment of the liquid crystal and maintaining a cell thickness between the substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignees: Fujitsu Limited, AU Optronics Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Ikeda, Manabu Sawasaki, Takashi Takagi
  • Patent number: 7586579
    Abstract: On a TFT substrate, gate bus lines, data bus lines, picture element electrodes, and the like are formed, and further a first alignment film is formed of polyimide or the like. On an opposing substrate, black matrices, common electrodes, and the like formed; and further column-like spacers are formed at positions facing regions where the gate bus lines and the data bus lines cross. A second alignment film covering the surfaces of the common electrode and the spacers is formed. However, the first and second alignment films are maintained semi-setting. Thereafter, the TFT substrate and the opposing substrate are overlapped, and heated at high temperature under pressure; and the second alignment film on the apexes of the spacers and the first alignment film on the TFT substrate side are joined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Takagi, Manabu Sawasaki, Tetsuya Fujikawa
  • Publication number: 20090207360
    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: April 28, 2009
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Applicant: 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
  • Patent number: 7557895
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device includes preparing a pair of substrates that have a structure P1 having a height Hp1 and a structure P2 having a height Hp2, the heights Hp1 and Hp2 satisfying a relationship of 0.3 (?m) ?Hp1?Hp2?1.0 (?m); controlling a dropping amount V of liquid crystal so that a cell gap G1 that is determined by the dropping amount V of liquid crystal, the height Hp1 and the height Hp2 satisfying a relationship of Hp2<G1<Hp1; dropping the controlled dropping amount V of liquid crystal on one of the pair of substrates; and attaching the pair of substrates in a vacuum followed by returning to an atmospheric pressure to fill in the liquid crystal between the pair of substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignees: Fujitsu Limited, Au Optronics Corporation
    Inventors: Manabu Sawasaki, Yoji Taniguchi, Takashi Takagi
  • Patent number: 7554631
    Abstract: By circular or polygonal openings formed in at least one of a metal film, a semiconductor film, an insulating film and the like, which films are below a reflecting electrode, minute irregularities are densely formed on a surface of the reflecting electrode. In this case, it is required that a linear density defined by peripheral dimensions of the openings per unit area is equal to 0.2 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunihiro Tashiro, Yasutoshi Tasaka, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yoshinori Tanaka, Seiji Doi, Tomoshige Oda, Manabu Sawasaki, Tomonori Tanose, Takashi Takagi, Isao Tsushima, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Norio Sugiura
  • Publication number: 20090122245
    Abstract: There is provided an MVA type liquid crystal display device having high brightness and excellent display quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsunori Misaki, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Yoshihisa Taguchi, Kenichi Nagaoka, Manabu Sawasaki
  • Publication number: 20090109382
    Abstract: To provide a liquid crystal display device having excellent display quality and a substrate to be used for such liquid crystal display device. A liquid crystal display device is provided with a pair of substrates; a liquid crystal sealed between the substrates, CF resin layers formed in a display area on the substrate; and a structure for sustaining a cell gap between the substrates in the display area. The structure is provided with a resin spacer layer occupying 90% or more of the volume of an organic member constituting the structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2006
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Inventors: Manabu Sawasaki, Takashi Takagi
  • Patent number: 7471348
    Abstract: There is provided an MVA type liquid crystal display device having high brightness and excellent display quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsunori Misaki, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Yoshihisa Taguchi, Kenichi Nagaoka, Manabu Sawasaki
  • Publication number: 20080303997
    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: May 15, 2008
    Publication date: December 11, 2008
    Applicant: 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
  • Patent number: 7450212
    Abstract: The invention relates to a substrate for a liquid crystal display used as a display portion of an electronic apparatus and a liquid crystal display having the same and provides a substrate for a liquid crystal display which allows high display quality to be achieved and a liquid crystal display having the same. The substrate has a TFT substrate and a CF substrate provided opposite to each other, pillar spacers formed on the CF substrate to maintain a cell gap between the substrates, a region ? which is located in the neighborhood of the center of a display area and in which the pillar spacers are compressed in a first amount of compressive displacement when a predetermined pressure in a direction perpendicular to a substrate surface is applied, and a region ? which is located in the neighborhood of a picture-frame area outside the above region ? and in which the pillar spacers are compressed in a second amount of compressive displacement greater than the first amount of compressive displacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignees: Fujitsu Limited, AU Optronics Corporation
    Inventors: Manabu Sawasaki, Tetsuya Fujikawa
  • Patent number: 7450211
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device is disclosed that is capable of suppressing disorder of alignment of liquid crystal molecules caused by a spacer arranged between two TFT substrates. In liquid crystal display device, the spacer arranged between the two TFT substrates is capable of aligning liquid crystal molecules near the spacer along a specified direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignees: Fujitsu Limited, Au Optronics Corporation
    Inventors: Arihiro Takeda, Takahiro Sasaki, Manabu Sawasaki
  • Patent number: 7440073
    Abstract: A substrate for a liquid crystal display device produced at a low cost and featuring a good display quality, that can be used for a display unit of electronic equipment and a liquid display device having the same. The substrate for a liquid crystal display device, comprises a glass substrate for holding liquid crystal together with an opposing substrate, a plurality of pixel regions arranged on the glass substrate, drain bus lines formed on the glass substrate, CF resin layers of a plurality of colors the ends of which are arranged on the drain bus lines, a pixel electrode formed for each pixel region on the CF resin layers, a groove portion formed between the ends of the neighboring CF resin layers, and an organic insulating layer formed so as to fill the groove portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignees: Fujitsu Limited, AU Optronics Corporation
    Inventor: Manabu Sawasaki
  • Patent number: 7426009
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device capable of obtaining high luminance and good display characteristics, a substrate for such a liquid crystal display device, and a manufacturing method of such a substrate, are provided. A color filter substrate that holds, together with an array substrate, a liquid crystal having negative dielectric anisotropy. Color filters are formed on a glass substrate and a common electrode is formed on the color filters. Protrusions and auxiliary protrusions for regulating the alignment of the liquid crystal are formed on the common electrode so as to have different sectional shapes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Manabu Sawasaki, Takashi Takagi, Tomonori Tanose