Patents by Inventor Minoru Akatsuka

Minoru Akatsuka 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: 5923392
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the present invention comprises a liquid crystal layer of a nematic liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy and including a chiral material, the liquid crystal layer being interposed between a pair of substrates with transparent electrodes each having an aligning layer which are arranged substantially in parallel to provide a twist angle of 160-300.degree., a driving means to apply a voltage across the electrodes attached to the substrates which interpose the liquid crystal layer, a pair of polarizing plates arranged outside the liquid crystal layer, and at least one birefringent plate provided between the liquid crystal layer and the polarizing plate at at least one side of the liquid crystal layer, wherein the product .DELTA.n.sub.1 .multidot.d, of the anisotropy of refractive index .DELTA.n, of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer and the thickness d, of the liquid crystal layer is in a range of 0.4-1.5 .mu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Akatsuka, Yuji Sohda, Kazutoshi Sawada
  • Patent number: 5650833
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the present invention comprises a liquid crystal layer of a nematic liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy and including a chiral material, the liquid crystal layer being interposed between a pair of substrates with transparent electrodes each having an aligning layer which are arranged substantially in parallel to provide a twist angle of 160.degree.-300.degree., a driving means to apply a voltage across the electrodes attached to the substrates which interpose the liquid crystal layer, a pair of polarizing plates arranged outside the liquid crystal layer, and at least one birefringent plate provided between the liquid crystal layer and the polarizing plate at at least one side of the liquid crystal layer, wherein the product .DELTA.n.sub.1 .multidot.d, of the anisotropy of refractive index .DELTA.n, of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer and the thickness d, of the liquid crystal layer is in a range of 0.4-1.5 .mu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1997
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Akatsuka, Yuji Sohda, Kazutoshi Sawada
  • Patent number: 5523867
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the present invention comprises a liquid crystal layer of a nematic liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy and including a chiral material, the liquid crystal layer being interposed between a pair of substrates with transparent electrodes each having an aligning layer which are arranged substantially in parallel to provide a twist angle of 160.degree.-300.degree., a driving means to apply a voltage across the electrodes attached to the substrates which interpose the liquid crystal layer, a pair of polarizing plates arranged outside the liquid crystal layer, and at least one birefringent plate provided between the liquid crystal layer and the polarizing plate at at least one side of the liquid crystal layer, wherein the product .DELTA.n.sub.1 .multidot.d, of the anisotropy of refractive index .DELTA.n, of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer and the thickness d, of the liquid crystal layer is in a range of 0.4-1.5 .mu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1996
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Akatsuka, Yuji Sohda, Kazutoshi Sawada
  • Patent number: 5406396
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the present invention comprises a liquid crystal layer of a nematic liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy and including a chiral material, the liquid crystal layer being interposed between a pair of substrates with transparent electrodes each having an aligning layer which are arranged substantially in parallel to provide a twist angle of 160.degree.-300.degree., a driving means to apply a voltage across the electrodes attached to the substrates which interpose the liquid crystal layer, a pair of polarizing plates arranged outside the liquid crystal layer, and at least one birefringent plate provided between the liquid crystal layer and the polarizing plate at at least one side of the liquid crystal layer, wherein the product .DELTA.n.sub.1 .multidot.d, of the anisotropy of refractive index .DELTA.n, of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer and the thickness d, of the liquid crystal layer is in a range of 0.4-1.5 .mu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1995
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Akatsuka, Yuji Sohda, Kazutoshi Sawada
  • Patent number: 5369513
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the present invention comprises a liquid crystal layer of a nematic liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy and including a chiral material, the liquid crystal layer being interposed between a pair of substrates with transparent electrodes each having an aligning layer which are arranged substantially in parallel to provide a twist angle of 160.degree.-300.degree., a driving means to apply a voltage across the electrodes attached to the substrates which interpose the liquid crystal layer, a pair of polarizing plates arranged outside the liquid crystal layer, and at least one birefringent plate provided between the liquid crystal layer and the polarizing plate at at least one side of the liquid crystal layer, wherein the product .DELTA.n.sub.1 .multidot.d, of the anisotropy of refractive index .DELTA.n, of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer and the thickness d, of the liquid crystal layer is in a range of 0.4-1.5 .mu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Akatsuka, Yuji Sohda, Kazutoshi Sawada
  • Patent number: 5194975
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the present invention comprises a liquid crystal layer of a nematic liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy and including a chiral material, the liquid crystal layer being interposed between a pair of substrates with transparent electrodes each having an aligning layer which are arranged substantially in parallel to provide a twist angle of 160.degree.-300.degree., a driving means to apply a voltage across the electrodes attached to the substrates which interpose the liquid crystal layer, a pair of polarizing plates arranged outside the liquid crystal layer, and at least one birefringent plate provided between the liquid crystal layer and the polarizing plate at at least one side of the liquid crystal layer, wherein the product .DELTA.n.sub.1 .multidot.d, of the anisotropy of refractive index .DELTA.n, of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer and the thickness d, of the liquid crystal layer is in a range of 0.4-1.5 .mu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1993
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Akatsuka, Yuji Sohda, Kazutoshi Sawada
  • Patent number: 5136406
    Abstract: A plural layer liquid crystal display device for a high density display has a second liquid crystal layer containing dye and a dirst layer constructed such that the product .DELTA.n.sub.1 .multidot.d.sub.1 of the anisotropy of refractive index .DELTA.n.sub.1 of liquid molecules in the first liquid crystal layer and the thickness of the first liquid crystal layer d.sub.1 is in a range of 0.7-2.0 .mu.m. The foregoing arrangement provides a display close to a monochrome display with excellent viewing angle characteristics and a high contrast ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1992
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazunori Kato, Yukiio Endo, Minoru Akatsuka, Masao Ohgawara, Kazutoshi Sawada
  • Patent number: 4818070
    Abstract: A liquid crystal optical device comprising a pair of substrates provided with electrodes and a layer containing a liquid crystal material sandwiched between the pair of substrates, wherein said layer is formed by irradiating light to a mixture of a liquid crystal material and a photo-curable compound selected so that the refractive index of the resulting cured product agrees to either the ordinary refractive index (n.sub.O) or the extraordinary refractive index (n.sub.e) of the liquid crystal material used, or the refractive index (n.sub.x) of the liquid crystal material when it is randomly oriented, held between the pair of substrates provided with electrodes, to cure the photo-curable compound and fix the resulting phase separation of the liquid crystal material and the cured product, wherein said layer has at least a portion optically oriented by applying a voltage to the portion across the substrates during the irradiation of light to cure the photo-curable compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1989
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoki Gunjima, Hiroshi Kumai, Minoru Akatsuka, Shoichi Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 4033291
    Abstract: An apparatus for liquid-phase epitaxial growth is characterized in that the greater part of that surface of a well, made of carbon, which contacts with a solution for liquid-phase epitaxial growth is covered with a fused quartz layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1975
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1977
    Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Naito, Masaru Kawachi, Tetuo Sekiwa, Minoru Akatsuka, Akinobu Kasami, Masaharu Toyama