Patents by Inventor Osamu Itou

Osamu Itou 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: 7088409
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display of a transflective IPS system in which a lateral electric field is applied to a liquid crystal layer. Polarization films are arranged on the entire surface of a transmissive display unit and a reflective display unit in a manner similar to a transmissive IPS system. An inner retardation layer whose retardation is equal to a half wave is formed in the reflective display unit. A retardation of the liquid crystal layer of the reflective display unit is set to a quarter wave. Thus, a reflective display can be performed in a wide range of environment from a light place to a dark place and a transmissive display of a wide viewing angle and high picture quality can be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Hitachi Displays, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Junji Tanno, Hirotaka Imayama, Takahiro Ochiai, Masateru Morimoto
  • Publication number: 20060103782
    Abstract: An optical element is arranged in such a manner that a screen thereof can be hardly observed from a predetermined direction, and a deterioration of an image quality caused by moire does not occur. The optical element is constituted by a first polarizing layer, a second polarizing layer, and a liquid crystal layer arranged between these two polarizing layers. In the optical element, absorption axes of the first polarizing layer and the second polarizing layer are located parallel to each other; the liquid crystal layer is made of hybrid-aligned discotic liquid crystal; and an alignment axis of the liquid crystal layer is located parallel to, or perpendicular to both absorption axes of the first polarizing layer and of the second polarizing layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2005
    Publication date: May 18, 2006
    Inventors: Masaya Adachi, Osamu Itou, Shinichi Komura
  • Publication number: 20050264731
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display of a transflective IPS system in which a lateral electric field is applied to a liquid crystal layer. Polarization films are arranged on the entire surface of a transmissive display unit and a reflective display unit in a manner similar to a transmissive IPS system. An inner retardation layer whose retardation is equal to a half wave is formed in the reflective display unit. A retardation of the liquid crystal layer of the reflective display unit is set to a quarter wave. Thus, a reflective display can be performed in a wide range of environment from a light place to a dark place and a transmissive display of a wide viewing angle and high picture quality can be performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Publication date: December 1, 2005
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Junji Tanno, Hirotaka Imayama, Takahiro Ochiai, Masateru Morimoto
  • Publication number: 20050264720
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a transmissive display portion having the same liquid crystal alignment directions and transmissive axes of the polarizers as the transmissive IPS liquid crystal display apparatus. Further, the liquid crystal layer of its reflective display portion has a retardation of a quarter wave. The liquid crystal alignment directions of the reflective display portion are set to be crossed with the transmissive axes of the polarizers in the transmissive display portion at an angle of 45 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2005
    Publication date: December 1, 2005
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Junji Tanno, Hirotaka Imayama, Takahiro Ochiai, Masateru Morimoto
  • Publication number: 20050211142
    Abstract: In a burner of construction having a primary nozzle, a secondary nozzle and a tertiary nozzle, a partition wall partitioning the secondary nozzle and the tertiary nozzle and having a flow path change member provided thereon, the partition wall is formed so as to be movable in parallel to the burner axis to control jetting speeds and flow rates of secondary air and tertiary air, whereby it is possible to cool the burner constituent members while reducing NOx. The partition wall is composed of a fixed wall and a movable wall. The burner comprises a bypass passage through which tertiary air in the tertiary nozzle bypasses the tertiary nozzle to flow into the secondary nozzle or the primary nozzle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Publication date: September 29, 2005
    Applicant: Babcock-Hitachi K.K.
    Inventors: Kenji Yamamoto, Hirofumi Okazaki, Osamu Itou, Masayuki Taniguchi, Takanori Yano, Kenji Kiyama, Kouji Kuramashi
  • Publication number: 20050156813
    Abstract: A thin display unit which display a plurality of objects to be viewed located at different depthwise positions viewed from the viewer so as to exhibit an image with depthwise feeling, comprising: a single display portion having a screen which is divided into a far-distant display zone and a near-distant display zone, a polarized beam splitting element located in front of the near-distant display zone, a polarized beam changing element located in front of the far-distant display zone, and a total reflection mirror for reflecting an image beam emitted from the far-distant display zone, onto the polarized beam splitting element, wherein an image beam emitted from the near-distant display zone is transmitted through the polarized beam splitting element and then viewed by the viewer, and an image beam emitted from the far-distant display zone is transmitted through the polarized beam changing element, then is reflected at the total reflection mirror, and thereafter is reflected by the polarized beam splitting elem
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Publication date: July 21, 2005
    Inventors: Masaya Adachi, Osamu Itou, Shinichi Komura
  • Publication number: 20050105033
    Abstract: The comb like electrodes to drive the orientation of the liquid crystal through the lateral electric field in the IPS (In plane Switching) LCD panel has a construction that the comb like electrodes are optically reflective, are projections in the gap area and have curved surfaces in the cross section of the electors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2004
    Publication date: May 19, 2005
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Makoto Abe
  • Publication number: 20050035353
    Abstract: The present invention provides light emitting displays which produce a bright image by efficiently emitting light radiated from a light-emitting thin-film layer to the viewer side, and also produces a high-quality image of high contrast ratio and changing in color to a limited extent over a wide viewing angle range even in a bright atmosphere.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2004
    Publication date: February 17, 2005
    Inventors: Masaya Adachi, Osamu Itou
  • Patent number: 6850219
    Abstract: A display device is constituted by a display module which determines a plurality of pieces of pixels as belonging to one block unit, selects the plurality of pixels in each block unit at the same time and displays a picture image by adding one or a plurality of specific patterns each having different spatial frequencies of each block unit; a display control unit which controls the display module; a picture image signal generation unit which generates picture image signals; and a computing circuit which generates the specific patterns each having different spatial frequencies while weighting the same based on the picture image signals for every block unit. Thereby, a display device which reduces the signal clock frequency as well as increases the signal writing time, enhances the opening rate of an LC panel and permits a highly fine display and a high speed motion picture display, is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Aoyama, Shinichi Komura, Ikuo Hiyama, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Yoshiyuki Kaneko, Mitsuji Ikeda, Osamu Itou, Hideo Satou, Shoichi Hirota
  • Publication number: 20040263729
    Abstract: The present invention is configured so that it has a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer pinched between the first substrate and second substrate, and a driving unit, wherein a characteristic of a reflectivity versus an applied voltage is a normally closed type and a characteristic of a transmissivity versus an applied voltage is the normally closed type: wherein the first substrate has a common electrode, and an upside polarization plate and upside phase plate on an upper surface; wherein the second substrate has a reflective electrode and transparent electrode connected with an active element, and a downside polarization plate and downside phase plate on a lower surface; wherein the liquid crystal layer has a twist angle not less than 40 degrees and not more than 65 degrees; wherein a retardation of the liquid crystal layer in a reflective display unit is within a range of not less than 230 nm and not more than 300 nm; and wherein a retardation of the liquid crystal layer in a transm
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Publication date: December 30, 2004
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Hiroko Hayata, Kouichi Anno, Shinichi Komura
  • Patent number: 6803980
    Abstract: A reflective liquid crystal display apparatus with pixels includes a first electrode substrate, a second electrode substrate and a liquid crystal layer. The first electrode substrate includes a polymer layer having plural protrusions or depressions arranged randomly formed on a glass substrate, and a reflective layer, color filters, transparent electrodes, and an alignment layer formed and laminated sequentially on the polymer layer. The second electrode substrate, includes transparent electrodes and an alignment layer formed and laminated on a glass substrate, and arranged so that the alignment layer faces the alignment layer on the first electrode substrate. The liquid crystal layer is formed by filling a liquid crystal composition into an interval between the first and second electrode substrates. Portions of the reflective layer corresponding to the portions of each pixel other than apertures of each pixel are colored black.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Funahata, Shinichi Komura, Kazuhiro Kuwabara, Osamu Itou, Katsumi Kondo, Makoto Yoneya, Makoto Abe
  • Patent number: 6788370
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display apparatus includes a liquid crystal layer 10 and a liquid crystal driving unit 19 which are held in being sandwiched between a pair of opposed boards 11, 12, and polarization plates 33, 34 and phase plates 31, 32 which are located on the upper side and on the lower side, respectively. Moreover, a pixel of the liquid crystal display apparatus includes the reflection display unit whose reflectivity's applied voltage characteristic is the normally-closed type and the transmission display unit whose layer thickness is thicker than that of a liquid crystal layer constituting the reflection display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Shinichi Komura
  • Publication number: 20030182338
    Abstract: Conventionally, a coarse mesh having a same size in that a calculation cell was used regardless to whether the location is near or remote from radiation elements such as calculation cells and wall face elements. Therefore, it took very long calculation time to calculate an energy exchange between a remote location covered by a coarse mesh and a noted cell. Further, there were many non-influential cells for calculation in a location remote from a noted radiation element for radiation calculation, the calculation accuracy was low. The present invention is to propose a method of calculating radiation which is provided with a measure for completing the calculation rapidly while keeping calculation accuracy high.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2003
    Publication date: September 25, 2003
    Inventors: Kenji Yamamoto, Osamu Itou, Masayuki Taniguchi, Hirofumi Okazaki, Taro Sakata
  • Patent number: 6600536
    Abstract: A reflection type liquid crystal display apparatus can avoid degradation of a reflection surface or an electrode terminal, provide a multiple color display with high color purity, and reduce fluctuation of voltage due to loss of a drive voltage or capacitive coupling, even when a color filter is provided on a substrate on the side of a reflection plate, thereby to realize a bright display having a high contrast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Kuwabara, Shinichi Komura, Osamu Itou, Katsuyuki Funahata
  • Patent number: 6556260
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus featuring an excellent contrast ratio even though it is a reflection type liquid crystal display unit. The display apparatus includes a: liquid crystal layer; upper and lower substrates for interposing the liquid crystal layer therebetween; reflection plate for reflecting light which passes through the liquid crystal layer back to the liquid crystal layer; and light emitting element layer for emitting light to the liquid crystal layer, and wherein light emitting element layer is arranged above liquid crystal layer so as to surround the display portion of the liquid crystal layer. Further, the light emitting element layer is provided with a reflection layer for deflecting light emitted in the upper direction back to liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Shinichi Komura, Ikuo Hiyama, Masaya Adachi, Shoichi Hirota
  • Patent number: 6538711
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes two electrode substrates and a liquid crystal layer laid between these substrates. One electrode is composed of a glass substrate with a plastics layer having plural convex portions or convex and concave portions randomly formed thereon and a lamination of a reflector, an insulating and flatting layer, a transparent electrode, and alignment layer formed on the plastics layer. The other electrode substrate is composed of a glass substrate and a lamination of a transparent electrode and alignment layer formed on the glass substrate. Both of the electrode substrates are located in a manner to allow the alignment layer of them to be opposed to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Funahata, Shinichi Komura, Kazuhiro Kuwabara, Osamu Itou, Katsumi Kondo
  • Publication number: 20020191134
    Abstract: A reflective liquid crystal display apparatus with pixels includes a first electrode substrate, a second electrode substrate and a liquid crystal layer. The first electrode substrate includes a polymer layer having plural protrusions or depressions arranged randomly formed on a glass substrate, and a reflective layer, color filters, transparent electrodes, and an alignment layer formed and laminated sequentially on the polymer layer. The second electrode substrate, includes transparent electrodes and an alignment layer formed and laminated on a glass substrate, and arranged so that the alignment layer faces the alignment layer on the first electrode substrate. The liquid crystal layer is formed by filling a liquid crystal composition into an interval between the first and second electrode substrates. Portions of the reflective layer corresponding to the portions of each pixel other than apertures of each pixel are colored black.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2002
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Funahata, Shinichi Komura, Kazuhiro Kuwabara, Osamu Itou, Katsumi Kondo, Makoto Yoneya, Makoto Abe
  • Patent number: 6476890
    Abstract: A reflective color liquid crystal display apparatus, which can obtain bright images with a contrast in when viewed from any direction, is provided at a low cost. The reflective color liquid crystal display apparatus has an inside reflector and is able to produce bright images with a high contrast because unnecessary reflecting light from non-aperture portions can be decreased, and its aperture ratio can be determined approximately only by intervals of the reflective layer and intervals between the transparent electrodes. This can be accomplished by removing a reflective layer corresponding to black a matrix layer, adding a black matrix function to a polymer layer having protrusions and depressions under the reflective layer, and making a composition of its element so that a black matrix layer is not formed on the reflective layer, but only color filters are formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Funahata, Shinichi Komura, Kazuhiro Kuwabara, Osamu Itou, Katsumi Kondo, Makoto Yoneya, Makoto Abe
  • Publication number: 20020118323
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display apparatus includes a liquid crystal layer 10 and a liquid crystal driving unit 19 which are held in being sandwiched between a pair of opposed boards 11, 12, and polarization plates 33, 34 and phase plates 31, 32 which are located on the upper side and on the lower side, respectively. Moreover, a pixel of the liquid crystal display apparatus includes the reflection display unit whose reflectivity's applied voltage characteristic is the normally-closed type and the transmission display unit whose layer thickness is thicker than that of a liquid crystal layer constituting the reflection display unit. Furthermore, the polarization plate 34 and the phase plate 32 located on the lower side of the opposed boards form an elliptical polarization plate, thereby converting, into a circularly-polarized light, a backlight light at a point-in-time of having passed through a liquid crystal layer's portion corresponding to a difference in the layer thickness between the liquid crystal layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2001
    Publication date: August 29, 2002
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Shinichi Komura
  • Publication number: 20020093620
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device comprising a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between an upper substrate and a lower substrate having a twist angle in the range of about 40 to 65 degrees and a light diffusive reflective electrode having recesses and projections provided on the lower substrate wherein a product of the height of the recesses and projections and a birefringence of the liquid crystal layer is in the range of about 10 to 53 nm at the twist angle of about 40 degrees and about 10 to 64 nm at the twist angle of about 65 degrees, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2001
    Publication date: July 18, 2002
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Shinichi Komura