Patents by Inventor Shinichi Komura

Shinichi Komura 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: 7477223
    Abstract: A method of driving an active-matrix liquid-crystal display device includes a frame period of a picture displayed on a liquid-crystal panel divided into a scanning period and a hold period longer than the scanning period. In the scanning period, image data of an amount corresponding to a frame is written into the liquid-crystal panel. In the hold period following the scanning period, an off state is sustained. Each data line repeatedly experiences a positive-polarity frame period and a negative-polarity frame period, which are arranged alternately along the time axis. In a frame period, an electric potential appearing on a positive-polarity data line in the hold period is increased to a level higher than an electric potential appearing on an opposite electrode. The positive-polarity data line is defined as the data line, on which an electric potential appears at a level higher than an electric potential appearing on the opposite electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Sekiguchi, Shouichi Hirota, Shinichi Komura, Susumu Edo
  • Publication number: 20080238817
    Abstract: In a display device, pixel electrodes I, II and III corresponding to color filters R, G and B are coupled to TFTs which are turned on in accordance with signals on gate lines G, and the drain (source) of the TFT coupled to the pixel electrode II is connected with the source (drain) of the TFT coupled to the pixel electrode III. A signal voltage is written in the pixel electrode I when the gate line G1a is in the “on” state, a signal voltage is written in the pixel electrode II when the gate line G1b is in the “on” state, and a signal voltage is written in the pixel electrode III when the gate lines G1a and G1b are both in the “on” state. Signal voltages are written in the pixel electrodes III, I and II in this order mentioned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Inventors: Norio Mamba, Tsutomu Furuhashi, Shinichi Komura
  • Publication number: 20080100785
    Abstract: A transflective liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel having a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate in which the liquid crystal display panel includes a plurality of subpixels having a transmissive portion and a reflective portion, wherein the transmissive portion of each of the plurality of subpixels includes a first common electrode formed on the first substrate, and a transmissive pixel electrode formed on the first common electrode through an interlayer insulating film, wherein the transmissive pixel electrode has a plurality of pectinate electrodes or slits, and wherein the reflective portion of each of the plurality of subpixels includes a reflective electrode formed on the first common electrode, a planar reflective pixel electrode formed on the first common electrode through the interlayer insulating film, second common electrodes formed on the second substrate, and a retarder formed be
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Inventors: Koichi Igeta, Hitoshi Komeno, Shinichi Komura, Shoichi Hirota, Osamu Itou, Shinichiro Oka
  • Publication number: 20080084376
    Abstract: In a color display device, when using white (W) sub-pixels in addition to subpixels of red (R) and green (G) plus blue (B) without increasing a wiring line number, the per-color pixel number in a unit area decreases so that the image resolution is deteriorated. The area and number of subpixels are adjusted in accordance with the visual sensitivity or luminosity required. Practically, the area of red (R) and blue (B) subpixels which are relatively low in luminosity is set to be about two times greater than the area of green (G) and white (W) subpixels that are relatively high in luminosity while letting the number of green (G) and white (W) subpixels be twice the number of red (R) and blue (B) subpixels. A larger subpixel is configured from a plurality of unit subpixels. A smaller subpixel is formed of a one unit subpixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventors: Shoichi Hirota, Shinichi Komura, Yoshifumi Sekiguchi, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Masaya Adachi
  • Publication number: 20080084524
    Abstract: A display apparatus is arranged to have pixels, each of which has a RGBW (Red, Green, Blue and White) wavelength distribution characteristic, located two-dimensionally. The display apparatus includes an input unit for inputting a signal for controlling a using ratio of a W signal, a color signal converting unit for calculating a RGBW driving signal from a RGB input signal and the W using ratio. The RGBW signal is calculated so as to control the contribution of the W signal to the image quality. The display apparatus switches the display from the contrast-highlighted display in a relatively bright lighting condition to the color-reproducibility-highlighted display in a relatively gloomy lighting condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventors: Tatsuki Inuzuka, Shinichi Komura, Yoshifumi Sekiguchi
  • Publication number: 20080084517
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device, rays of light of a light source for blue light emission are concentrated on a fluorescent material by using a lens of a first micro-lens array and fluorescent rays from the fluorescent material are concentrated on a pixel of corresponding color by using a lens of a second micro-lens array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Tatsuya Sugita, Masaya Adachi, Shinichi Komura, Shoichi Hirota
  • Publication number: 20080007493
    Abstract: An image display is provided with a display area including pixels, each including illuminating means. A control circuit turns the illuminating means of the pixels on and off. A capacitance is provided having a first node connected to an input terminal of the control circuit. A display signal voltage generation circuit generates display signal voltages for the pixels, while a pixel drive voltage generation circuit generates pixel drive voltages for the pixels. In addition, a connecter is provided for connecting either one of the display signal voltages or the pixel drive voltages to a second node of the capacitance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2007
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Inventors: Hajime AKIMOTO, Shigeyuki Nishitani, Shinichi Komura, Toshihiro Sato, Hiroshi Kageyama, Yoshiteru Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7292299
    Abstract: In an in-plane switching (ISP) mode controlling transmission and shielding of light by application of lateral electric field to liquid crystal molecules aligned in the direction in parallel to a substrate, increase in luminance or color shift at a black-representation area or upon black-representation condition at an inclined viewing angle is reduced. First and second polarizing plates sandwiching a liquid crystal layer each have a supporting member (plate) on at least either surface thereof. The supporting member on the inside surface of the first polarizing plate on the side of an illumination unit has a retardation in the thickness direction R1·h1 and the supporting member on the inside surface of the second polarizing plate has a retardation in the thickness direction R2·h2. In the O-mode, R1·h1>R2·h2 and in the E-mode, R1·h1<R2·h2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Displays
    Inventors: Ikuo Hiyama, Shinichi Komura, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Yuka Utsumi, Mutsumi Maehara, Daisuke Kajita
  • Patent number: 7277143
    Abstract: A low cost transflective type liquid crystal display is provided which can display a bright image with high contrast under both indoor and outdoor illumination environments. The liquid crystal display performing transmission type display and reflection type display, includes: a plurality of pixels surrounded on a substrate 10 by a plurality of gate electrodes 11 and a plurality of source electrodes 15 arranged perpendicularly to the gate electrodes; a switching element 19 arranged in each pixel and disposed neat at the intersection between each gate electrode and each source electrode; and a pixel electrode 16 connected to the switching element, wherein the pixel electrode is constituted of a transparent conductive layer and a conductive member 17 having a light reflection function and electrically connected to the transparent conductive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Displays, Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Funahata, Makoto Abe, Osamu Itoh, Shinichi Komura
  • Patent number: 7277072
    Abstract: An image display is provided with a display area including pixels, each including illuminating means. A control circuit turns the illuminating means of the pixels on and off. A capacitance is provided having a first node connected to an input terminal of the control circuit. A display signal voltage generation circuit generates display signal voltages for the pixels, while a pixel drive voltage generation circuit generates pixel drive voltages for the pixels. In addition, a connecter is provided for connecting either one of the display signal voltages or the pixel drive voltages to a second node of the capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Akimoto, Shigeyuki Nishitani, Shinichi Komura, Toshihiro Sato, Hiroshi Kageyama, Yoshiteru Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20070222723
    Abstract: An image display apparatus configured by a display panel having an image memory element in a pixel, which achieves low power consumption. A nonvolatile image memory element 1, which can change the resistance value by phase change, is connected to a pixel electrode 25 of a liquid crystal element 5. The output of a thin-film transistor 17 driven by scanning and signal electrode lines 7, 9 is connected to the pixel electrode 25. When the scanning electrode line 7 is selected to have a high level voltage, the thin-film transistor 17 is turned on and a current signal flowing through the signal electrode 9 is sent through the image memory element 1 to a reference electrode line 15. Depending on the current value or pulse width passing through the image memory element 1, the resistance of the image memory element 1 is changed and is stored as a resistance value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Publication date: September 27, 2007
    Inventors: Tatsuya Sugita, Shinichi Komura, Shoichi Hirota, Tsunenori Yamamoto, Tetsuya Ooshima, Susumu Edo, Akitoyo Konno
  • Patent number: 7259817
    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: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Hiroko Hayata, Kouichi Anno, Shinichi Komura
  • Publication number: 20070132916
    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: June 28, 2006
    Publication date: June 14, 2007
    Inventors: Osamu Itou, Shinichi Komura
  • Publication number: 20070115409
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display having a plurality of pixels includes liquid crystal layer disposed between first and second substrates, first and second polarization plates disposed on the said opposite to the side where the liquid crystal layer is disposed with respect to the first and second substrates. The second substrate includes a pixel electrode on the side of the liquid crystal layer. Each of the plurality of pixels including a reflection area and a transmission area is different from a ratio of the common electrode occupying an aperture in the reflection area in a place of the pixel and the ratio of the common electrode occupying the aperture in the reflection area is equal to or larger than 0% and smaller than 100%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2006
    Publication date: May 24, 2007
    Inventors: Shinichiro Oka, Masaya Adachi, Shinichi Komura
  • Publication number: 20070070020
    Abstract: A shift register circuit which stably operates with low electric power consumption and can realize a long life. In the shift register circuit constructed by connecting a plurality of fundamental circuits in each of which fundamental clocks of three phases are inputted to input terminals and is constructed by a gate line driving circuit, a timing control circuit, and a holding device control circuit, each of the gate line driving circuit and the timing control circuit has charging devices and holding devices. A node is stabilized by the timing control circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Publication date: March 29, 2007
    Inventors: Susumu Edo, Shinichi Komura, Masatoshi Wakagi
  • Publication number: 20070053063
    Abstract: Provided is a display panel having a high-performance antireflection layer at a low cost. In a liquid crystal display panel or an organic light-emitting diode display panel constituted by a first transparent substrate, a second transparent substrate and a liquid crystal layer between these two transparent substrates further includes an antireflection layer on a portion which is at least one display area and a visible side (outer surface) by a viewer, and layers made of the same material as the antireflection layer formed on at least the opposite side (inside surface) of the surface of the portion corresponding to the display area and on three edge faces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2006
    Publication date: March 8, 2007
    Inventors: Masaya Adachi, Makiko Sugibayashi, Tetsuya Ohshima, Shinichi Komura
  • Publication number: 20070046879
    Abstract: A semi-transparent homogeneous-alignment LCD device including a transmission part and a reflection part, a first linear dielectric protrusion disposed between a common electrode and a liquid crystal layer so as to extend over a plurality of pixels in a short side direction of pixels and be disposed nearly in center of the transmission part, and a second linear dielectric protrusion disposed in the reflection part between the common electrode and a first substrate so as to extend over a plurality of pixels in the short side direction, wherein an alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules crosses the first and second linear dielectric protrusions at right angles and is parallel to a long side direction of pixels, and a tilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules is approximately 0°, or even if there is a pre-tilt angle, the tilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules is 2° or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2006
    Publication date: March 1, 2007
    Inventors: Shoichi Hirota, Osamu Itou, Shinichiro Oka, Masaya Adachi, Shinichi Komura, Hirotaka Imayama, Masateru Morimoto, Tetsuya Nagata, Koichi Fukuda, Toshio Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 7180490
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a substrate and a second substrate with a liquid crystal layer sandwiched therebetween. A plurality of pixels are sandwiched between the two substrates and form a display section, each of the pixels is provided with first and second pixel electrodes both corresponding to the pixel, and a common electrode corresponding to the first and second pixel electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Aoyama, Shinichi Komura, Yuka Utsumi
  • Patent number: 7142180
    Abstract: An image display capable of multilevel display and having a minimal pixel-to-pixel display characteristic variation. The image display having a display area of a plurality of pixels and a signal line for feeding a display signal voltage to the pixels, comprises, in at least one of the plurality of pixels: a memory for storing the display signal voltage entered from the signal line to the pixel; a pixel turn-on period decision section for determining an ON period and an OFF period for an image output in the pixel according to the display signal voltage; and a pixel driver for repeating an ON operation of the image output a plurality of times in one frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Akimoto, Shigeyuki Nishitani, Shinichi Komura, Toshihiro Sato, Hiroshi Kageyama, Yoshiteru Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20060256055
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel having a plurality of pixels disposed in a matrix format, a Y-selecting signal generating unit for selecting one or more pixel rows, an X-selecting signal generating unit for selecting one or more pixel columns, and a tone signal generating unit for generating a tone signal for applying the corresponding tone voltage to tone information of said display data onto each of the pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2006
    Publication date: November 16, 2006
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Kudo, Tsutomu Furuhashi, Yoshiro Mikami, Shinichi Komura, Toshio Miyazawa