Patents by Inventor Shigeaki Mizushima

Shigeaki Mizushima 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: 7463328
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid crystal display device in which a liquid crystal layer may form a stable transparent state and, in addition, which provides for a black display with an excellent viewing angle characteristic, as well as a high contrast ratio and a high response speed in liquid crystal display. The present invention is directed to a liquid crystal display device comprising an electrode and a liquid crystal layer between substrates, said liquid crystal layer consists of a liquid crystalline material containing liquid crystal molecules and fine particles, and is optically isotropic when the voltage applied to the electrode is lower than a threshold value and undergoes optical transition due to change in the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules when the applied voltage is not lower than the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masako Nakamura, Yoshito Hashimoto, Tokihiko Shinomiya, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Publication number: 20060244873
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid crystal display device in which a liquid crystal layer may form a stable transparent state and, in addition, which provides for a black display with an excellent viewing angle characteristic, as well as a high contrast ratio and a high response speed in liquid crystal display. The present invention is directed to a liquid crystal display device comprising an electrode and a liquid crystal layer between substrates, said liquid crystal layer consists of a liquid crystalline material containing liquid crystal molecules and fine particles, and is optically isotropic when the voltage applied to the electrode is lower than a threshold value and undergoes optical transition due to change in the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules when the applied voltage is not lower than the threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2006
    Publication date: November 2, 2006
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masako Nakamura, Yoshito Hashimoto, Tokihiko Shinomiya, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Patent number: 7088410
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device incorporates two phase difference plates stacked together and disposed between a liquid crystal display element and a pair of polarizers, the liquid crystal display element being formed by sandwiching a liquid crystal layer between a pair of electrode substrates, and the polarizers being disposed on one side of the liquid crystal display element. Since the principal refractive indices na, nb, and nc of the phase difference plates are such that na<nb<nc, the phase difference plates exhibit positive refractive index anisotropies. The principal refractive index nb inclines to the normal to the surfaces of the phase difference plates about one of the principal refractive indices na or nc that is parallel to the surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamahara, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Patent number: 7002653
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus comprises a pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal layer having negative dielectric anisotropy sandwiched by the pair of substrates. Electrodes are provided on each of the pair of substrates, each pixel being defined by an electrode on one of the pair of substrate and a corresponding electrode on the other of the pair of substrates. Each of the electrodes provided on at least one of the pair of substrates has at least first and second tilted surfaces facing directions different from a direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate surface and being adjacent to each other. An insulating film is provided on a liquid crystal molecule side of the electrodes provided on the at least one of the pair of substrates to bury the tilted surfaces of the electrodes to produce a flat surface of the at least one of the pair of substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Taniguchi, Noriko Watanabe, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Publication number: 20050062927
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid crystal display device in which a liquid crystal layer may form a stable transparent state and, in addition, which provides for a black display with an excellent viewing angle characteristic, as well as a high contrast ratio and a high response speed in liquid crystal display. The present invention is directed to a liquid crystal display device comprising an electrode and a liquid crystal layer between substrates, said liquid crystal layer consists of a liquid crystalline material containing liquid crystal molecules and fine particles, and is optically isotropic when the voltage applied to the electrode is lower than a threshold value and undergoes optical transition due to change in the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules when the applied voltage is not lower than the threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Publication date: March 24, 2005
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masako Nakamura, Yoshito Hashimoto, Tokihiko Shinomiya, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Patent number: 6839110
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device incorporates two phase difference plates stacked together and disposed between a liquid crystal display element and a pair of polarizers, the liquid crystal display element being formed by sandwiching a liquid crystal layer between a pair of electrode substrates, and the polarizers being disposed on one side of the liquid crystal display element. Since the principal refractive indices na, nb, and nc of the phase difference plates are such that na<nb<nc, the phase difference plates exhibit positive refractive index anisotropies. The principal refractive index nb inclines to the normal to the surfaces of the phase difference plates about one of the principal refractive indices na or nc that is parallel to the surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamahara, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Publication number: 20040233364
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device incorporates two phase difference plates stacked together and disposed between a liquid crystal display element and a pair of polarizers, the liquid crystal display element being formed by sandwiching a liquid crystal layer between a pair of electrode substrates, and the polarizers being disposed on one side of the liquid crystal display element. Since the principal refractive indices na, nb, and nc of the phase difference plates are such that na<nb<nc, the phase difference plates exhibit positive refractive index anisotropies. The principal refractive index nb inclines to the normal to the surfaces of the phase difference plates about one of the principal refractive indices na or nc that is parallel to the surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Publication date: November 25, 2004
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamahara, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Patent number: 6678019
    Abstract: A transmission type liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal display element including a pair of transparent insulating substrates placed to face each other with a gap therebetween, transparent electrodes being formed on inner surfaces of the substrates, and a liquid crystal material injected in the gap; a light source placed on a back side of the liquid crystal display element; and a light diverging element placed on a front side of the liquid crystal display element, wherein the liquid crystal display device satisfies an expression 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Sato, Noriko Watanabe, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Patent number: 6600538
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display having in the display portion a transmission-type liquid crystal panel 1 comprising a nematic liquid crystal layer 2 having horizontal orientation and positive anisotropy of dielectric constant, a pair of transparent substrates 31, 32 having said liquid crystal layer 2 sandwiched therebetween and equipped with transparent electrodes, and a pair of polarizing plates 41, 42 arranged in cross-Nicol and having absorption axes each oriented differently from the direction of liquid crystal orientation, wherein said liquid crystal layer 2 includes two kinds of orientation regions each having a liquid crystal orientation direction that differ by approximately 180 degrees from the liquid crystal orientation direction of the other region, and further mounting a lens sheet 7 to the viewing surface side of said liquid crystal panel 1 for either scattering or refracting wider than its incident angle light ray stretched in the direction substantially parallel to the direction of liquid crystal orie
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Inventors: Makoto Shiomi, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Publication number: 20030053009
    Abstract: A transmission type liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal display element including a pair of transparent insulating substrates placed to face each other with a gap therebetween, transparent electrodes being formed on inner surfaces of the substrates, and a liquid crystal material injected in the gap; a light source placed on a back side of the liquid crystal display element; and a light diverging element placed on a front side of the liquid crystal display element, wherein the liquid crystal display device satisfies an expression 1 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2001
    Publication date: March 20, 2003
    Inventors: Takashi Sato, Noriko Watanabe, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Publication number: 20020159003
    Abstract: A transmission type display device includes: a backlight source; a display element, which is disposed in front of the backlight source and includes at least one polarizer; a light diffusing element, which is disposed in front of the display element; and a polarizing element, which is disposed in front of the light diffusing element. In this display device, the polarizer included in the display element faces the light diffusing element, and an absorption axis of the polarizing element is substantially aligned with that of the polarizer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2002
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Inventors: Takashi Sato, Noriko Watanabe, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Patent number: 6424393
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a high-contrast liquid crystal display apparatus which is excellent in display quality, with its substrates equally spaced with high accuracy. On a first and a second substrate are formed a color filter of three colors: red, green, and blue, electrodes for applying a voltage to a liquid crystal layer, orientation film layers for orienting liquid crystal, a pair of polarizing plates arranged in a crossed Nicol state, a TFT element, and a wire (not shown). The substrates are bonded together with spherical spacers interposed therebetween, thereby constituting the liquid crystal layer. Then, the spherical spacers are selectively placed in the color filter regions of red- and blue-color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Hirata, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Shigeaki Mizushima, Mitsuaki Morimoto, Tazo Ikeguchi
  • Publication number: 20020071080
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus comprises a pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal layer having negative dielectric anisotropy sandwiched by the pair of substrates. Electrodes are provided on each of the pair of substrates, each pixel being defined by an electrode on one of the pair of substrate and a corresponding electrode on the other of the pair of substrates. Each of the electrodes provided on at least one of the pair of substrates has at least first and second tilted surfaces facing directions different from a direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate surface and being adjacent to each other. An insulating film is provided on a liquid crystal molecule side of the electrodes provided on the at least one of the pair of substrates to bury the tilted surfaces of the electrodes to produce a flat surface of the at least one of the pair of substrates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2001
    Publication date: June 13, 2002
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Taniguchi, Noriko Watanabe, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Publication number: 20020047958
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a high-contrast liquid crystal display apparatus which is excellent in display quality, with its substrates equally spaced with high accuracy. On a first and a second substrate are formed a color filter of three colors: red, green, and blue, electrodes for applying a voltage to a liquid crystal layer, orientation film layers for orienting liquid crystal, a pair of polarizing plates arranged in a crossed Nicol state, a TFT element, and a wire (not shown) The substrates are bonded together with spherical spacers interposed therebetween, thereby constituting the liquid crystal layer. Then, the spherical spacers are selectively placed in the color filter regions of red- and blue-color.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2001
    Publication date: April 25, 2002
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Hirata, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Shigeaki Mizushima, Mitsuaki Morimoto, Tazo Ikeguchi
  • Patent number: 6376271
    Abstract: A dry film resist is used to form an interlayer insulating film in a process for fabricating a liquid crystal display device of the POP structure. The dry film resist is formed by applying a photosensitive resin on a base film to a uniform thickness, and a protective film layer is formed on a surface of the photosensitive resin film thus formed. From the dry film resist guided to the vicinity of a glass substrate, the protective film is removed immediately before transfer. Then, the photosensitive resin is heated and pressed against the foregoing glass substrate by a transfer roller, whereby the interlayer insulating film is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Sawayama, Kazuhiko Tsuda, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Patent number: 6373542
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device is provided with a liquid crystal display element, made up of a pair of electrode substrates and a liquid crystal layer filling a space therebetween; a pair of polarizing plates, one provided on each side of the liquid crystal display element; and at least one optical retardation plate, provided between the liquid crystal display element and one of the polarizing plates. Each optical retardation plate has negative anisotropy of the refractive index, and has an inclined index ellipsoid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamahara, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Patent number: 6342939
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display is described which includes a pair of transparent substrates disposed opposite each other sandwiching a liquid crystal layer therebetween, with a transparent electrode and an alignment film formed on the liquid crystal layer side of each of the substrates. The transparent electrodes disposed opposite each other in pairs are at two or more different spacings at least within one display area of a pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Hirata, Shigeaki Mizushima, Noriko Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6323926
    Abstract: At least one of alignment films in the liquid crystal display device has a first alignment regulation region provided within each of a plurality of picture-element regions for aligning liquid crystal molecules of a liquid crystal layer approximately vertically, and a second alignment regulation region provided outside the plurality of picture-element regions for aligning the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer in a single azimuth direction. When a voltage is applied to the first alignment regulation region having vertically aligned liquid crystal molecules, these vertically aligned liquid crystal molecules are tilted in the same direction as that of the liquid crystal molecules regulated by the alignment film of the second alignment regulation region. Thus, even in a turned-on state of the vertical alignment liquid crystal display device, uniform alignment is obtained across the entire display plane, so that high-quality display is realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriko Watanabe, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Publication number: 20010020993
    Abstract: At least one of alignment films in the liquid crystal display device has a first alignment regulation region provided within each of a plurality of picture-element regions for aligning liquid crystal molecules of a liquid crystal layer approximately vertically, and a second alignment regulation region provided outside the plurality of picture-element regions for aligning the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer in a single azimuth direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2001
    Publication date: September 13, 2001
    Inventors: Noriko Watanabe, Shigeaki Mizushima
  • Patent number: 6233032
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus of the present invention, which has a plurality of display pixels arranged in a matrix, includes: a pair of substrates opposing each other; a liquid crystal layer placed between the pair of substrates; an alignment film formed on a surface of at least one of the pair of substrates opposing the liquid crystal layer and subjected to a treatment for aligning liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer; and a pair of polarizing plates placed so as to interpose the pair of substrates, wherein the liquid crystal layer is divided into at least two regions in each of the display pixels, alignment states of the liquid crystal molecules are different in the at least two regions, and one absorption axis of one of the pair of polarizing plates is substantially parallel to a 6-12 o'clock direction or a 3-9 o'clock direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamahara, Iichiro Inoue, Shigeaki Mizushima