Patents by Inventor Yoshio Koike

Yoshio Koike 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).

  • Publication number: 20100103206
    Abstract: This invention relates to an image processing method for improving the quality of an image to be displayed on a display device and to a liquid-crystal display device using the same, and aims at providing an image processing method for providing wide viewing angle and excellent tonal-intensity viewing angle characteristic and a liquid-crystal display device using the same. Combined together are a higher-luminance pixel to be driven higher in luminance than the luminance data of an image to be displayed and a lower-luminance pixel to be driven lower in luminance than the luminance data, to determine a luminance on the higher-luminance pixel and luminance on the lower-luminance pixel as well as an area ratio of the higher-luminance and lower-luminance pixels in a manner obtaining a luminance nearly equal to a desired luminance based on the luminance data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Kamada, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yoshio Koike, Toshiaki Suzuki, Tetsuya Kobayashi, Yasutoshi Tasaka, Masakazu Shibasaki, Kunihiro Tashiro, Kazuya Ueda, Katsuyoshi Hiraki
  • Publication number: 20100090938
    Abstract: This invention relates to an image processing method for improving the quality of an image to be displayed on a display device and to a liquid-crystal display device using the same, and aims at providing an image processing method for providing wide viewing angle and excellent tonal-intensity viewing angle characteristic and a liquid-crystal display device using the same. Combined together are a higher-luminance pixel to be driven higher in luminance than the luminance data of an image to be displayed and a lower-luminance pixel to be driven lower in luminance than the luminance data, to determine a luminance on the higher-luminance pixel and luminance on the lower-luminance pixel as well as an area ratio of the higher-luminance and lower-luminance pixels in a manner obtaining a luminance nearly equal to a desired luminance based on the luminance data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Kamada, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yoshio Koike, Toshiaki Suzuki, Tetsuya Kobayashi, Yasutoshi Tasaka, Masakazu Shibasaki, Kunihiro Tashiro, Kazuya Ueda, Katsuyoshi Hiraki
  • Publication number: 20100035504
    Abstract: The invention has an object to provide a liquid crystal display in which a wide angle of view is obtained and a response time at a halftone can be shortened by regulating an alignment orientation of a liquid crystal by the use of a polymer fixation system in which a liquid crystal layer containing a polymerizable component is sealed between substrates, and the polymerizable component is polymerized while a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer to fix a liquid crystal alignment. A liquid crystal layer containing a polymer for regulating a pretilt angle of a liquid crystal molecule and a tilt direction at a time of driving is sealed between two substrates arranged opposite to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro Sasaki, Kazutaka Hanaoka, Tsutomu Seino, Yohei Nakanishi, Seiji Tanuma, Kimiaki Nakamura, Yuichi Inoue, Masakazu Shibasaki, Hideaki Tsuda, Yoshio Koike, Yasutoshi Tasaka, Hidefumi Yoshida, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20090290110
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus including a pair of substrates having electrodes and vertical alignment layers. A liquid crystal having a negative anisotropy of dielectric is inserted between the substrates. Each substrate has linearly arranged alignment control structures for controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal. The alignment control structures are formed in the form of projections or slits. Each alignment control structure is formed of a plurality of constituent units. In addition, means for forming a boundary of alignment of liquid crystal (singular point in director field) to control the liquid crystal located on the alignment control structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro Sasaki, Arihiro Takeda, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Hideo Chida, Yoshio Koike, Kimiaki Nakamura, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20090290111
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus including a pair of substrates having electrodes and vertical alignment layers. A liquid crystal having a negative anisotropy of dielectric is inserted between the substrates. Each substrate has linearly arranged alignment control structures for controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal. The alignment control structures are formed in the form of projections or slits. Each alignment control structure is formed of a plurality of constituent units. In addition, means for forming a boundary of alignment of liquid crystal (singular point in director field) to control the liquid crystal located on the alignment control structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro Sasaki, Arihiro Takeda, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Hideo Chida, Yoshio Koike, Kimiaki Nakamura, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Patent number: 7609345
    Abstract: A substrate for a transflective liquid crystal display that is capable of display in both reflective and transmissive modes and a display having the same. One embodiment includes a substrate that sandwiches a liquid crystal in combination with an opposite substrate formed with a common electrode on the opposing surface, a plurality of bus lines on a top surface of the substrate that intersect each other with an insulation film interposed therebetween, and thin film transistors formed near the intersections of the plurality of bus lines. A plurality of pixel regions constituted of a plurality of reflective regions in which reflective electrodes for reflecting incident light from the side of the top surface of the substrate are formed in a matrix and transmissive regions which are provided around the reflective regions and which transmit incident light from the side of a bottom surface toward the top surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsufumi Ohmuro, Norio Sugiura, Kunihiro Tashiro, Yoshio Koike
  • Patent number: 7593081
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus including a pair of substrates having electrodes and vertical alignment layers. A liquid crystal having a negative anisotropy of dielectric is inserted between the substrates. Each substrate has linearly arranged alignment control structures for controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal. The alignment control structures are formed in the form of projections or slits. Each alignment control structure is formed of a plurality of constituent units. In addition, means for forming a boundary of alignment of liquid crystal (singular point in director field) to control the liquid crystal located on the alignment control structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Sasaki, Arihiro Takeda, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Hideo Chida, Yoshio Koike, Kimiaki Nakamura, Kunihiro Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20090213305
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate sandwiching a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a first polarizer disposed adjacent to the first substrate at a side opposite to a side of the first polarizer facing the liquid crystal layer, with a first gap between the first polarizer and the first substrate, a second polarizer disposed adjacent to the second substrate at a side opposite to a side of the second polarizer facing the liquid crystal layer, with a second gap between the second polarizer and the second substrate, wherein at least one of the first and second gaps includes therein a first retardation film having a positive optical anisotropy and a second retardation film having a negative optical anisotropy, such that the first retardation film is disposed closer to the liquid crystal layer with respect to the second retardation film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2009
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsufumi Ohmuro, Yoshio Koike, Takahiro Sasaki, Hideaki Tsuda, Hideo Chida
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20090190050
    Abstract: A MVA type liquid crystal panel is slow in a response speed when a black state at a drive voltage about 1V is switched to a low brightness halftone state at the drive voltage about 2 to 3V. According to the present invention, in a liquid crystal display device for driving the MVA type liquid crystal panel, when a liquid crystal pixel at a pixel electrode is changed from a first transmittance to a second transmittance greater than the first transmittance, a drive voltage greater than a fist target drive voltage in correspondence with a second transmittance is applied to the pixel electrode in a first frame period of changing to the second transmittance, and the first target display voltage is applied from a second frame period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsufumi Ohmuro, Arihiro Takeda, Hideo Chida, Kimiaki Nakamura, Yoshio Koike
  • Publication number: 20090167992
    Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid crystal display used as a display section of an electronic apparatus and provides a liquid crystal display having high chromaticity characteristics and viewing angle characteristics. A configuration is employed which includes substrates having electrodes on respective surfaces thereof opposite to each other, a liquid crystal sealed between the substrates, and a pixel region including a low effective voltage area in which an effective voltage applied to the liquid crystal is lower than a voltage applied between the electrodes, the low effective voltage area occupying part of the region in a predetermined area ratio, the pixel region having a threshold voltage that varies between the low effective voltage area and another area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2009
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuya Ueda, Tsuyoshi Kamada, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yoshio Koike, Kenji Okamoto, Yuichi Inoue, Seiji Tanuma
  • Publication number: 20090152077
    Abstract: A hydraulic control system includes a key detector that detects whether an ignition key is in an on state, a control portion that outputs different control signals according to whether the engine is on if the key is on, and a valve, such as a solenoid valve, that controls gear shifts according to the control signals from the control portion. A hydraulic control method includes determining whether an ignition key is on; determining whether an engine is on or off if the key is on; and controlling a valve, such as a solenoid valve, that controls gear shifts, differently depending on whether the engine is on or off, such as by applying different duty values to the valve. A low duty value may be applied to the valve when the engine is off, and a higher duty value may be applied to the valve when the engine is on.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Aisin Aw Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyun Ku Lee, Yoshio Koike, Ryogo Kato, Yoshizou Akita, Kiyotaka Wakamatsu
  • Patent number: 7548294
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate sandwiching a liquid crystal layer therebetween, a first polarizer disposed adjacent to the first substrate at a side opposite to a side of the first polarizer facing the liquid crystal layer, with a first gap between the first polarizer and the first substrate, a second polarizer disposed adjacent to the second substrate at a side opposite to a side of the second polarizer facing the liquid crystal layer, with a second gap between the second polarizer and the second substrate, wherein at least one of the first and second gaps includes therein a first retardation film having a positive optical anisotropy and a second retardation film having a negative optical anisotropy, such that the first retardation film is disposed closer to the liquid crystal layer with respect to the second retardation film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsufumi Ohmuro, Yoshio Koike, Takahiro Sasaki, Hideaki Tsuda, Hideo Chida
  • Publication number: 20090141226
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device, liquid crystal molecules are oriented in a vertical direction to the first substrate and the second substrate by the first molecule orientation film and the second molecule orientation film, respectively, in a non-driving state. A structural pattern is formed so as to extend in a first direction parallel to a surface of the liquid crystal layer and so as to form, in a driving state, an electric field periodically changing in a second direction that is parallel to the liquid crystal layer and vertical to the first direction. The liquid crystal molecules substantially tilt in the first direction in the driving state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2008
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shingo Kataoka, Arihiro Takeda, Takahiro Sasaki, Tsutomu Seino, Yoshio Koike, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yuichi Inoue, Kazutaka Hanaoka, Seiji Tanuma, Takatoshi Mayama, Kimiaki Nakamura, Hideo Chida, Seiji Doi, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Takashi Takagi, Hiroyasu Inoue
  • Patent number: 7532183
    Abstract: A MVA type liquid crystal panel is slow in a response speed when a black state at a drive voltage about 1V is switched to a low brightness halftone state at the drive voltage about 2 to 3V. According to the present invention, in a liquid crystal display device for driving the MVA type liquid crystal panel, when a liquid crystal pixel at a pixel electrode is changed from a first transmittance to a second transmittance greater than the first transmittance, a drive voltage greater than a fist target drive voltage in correspondence with a second transmittance is applied to the pixel electrode in a first frame period of changing to the second transmittance, and the first target display voltage is applied from a second frame period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsufumi Ohmuro, Arihiro Takeda, Hideo Chida, Kimiaki Nakamura, Yoshio Koike
  • Patent number: 7515214
    Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid crystal display used as a display section of an electronic apparatus and provides a liquid crystal display having high chromaticity characteristics and viewing angle characteristics. A configuration is employed which includes substrates having electrodes on respective surfaces thereof opposite to each other, a liquid crystal sealed between the substrates, and a pixel region including a low effective voltage area in which an effective voltage applied to the liquid crystal is lower than a voltage applied between the electrodes, the low effective voltage area occupying part of the region in a predetermined area ratio, the pixel region having a threshold voltage that varies between the low effective voltage area and another area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuya Ueda, Tsuyoshi Kamada, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yoshio Koike, Kenji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 7508385
    Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid crystal display device used for a display part of an information equipment and a driving method thereof, and has an object to provide a liquid crystal display device in which excellent viewing angle characteristics can be obtained and a driving method thereof. When a relatively high level data voltage is applied to a gate electrode of a TFT, a driving voltage is applied to a liquid crystal layer for a long time and a white display is realized. When a relatively low level data voltage is applied to the gate electrode of the TFT, the driving voltage is not applied to the liquid crystal layer, and a black display is realized. When an intermediate data voltage between the high level and the low level is applied to the gate electrode of the TFT, the TFT keeps an on state for a time determined by a time constant depending on a capacitance and a resistance. The driving voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer for the on time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuya Ueda, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yuichi Inoue, Yoshio Koike
  • Publication number: 20090073097
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display comprises a first substrate including a first pixel electrode and a second pixel electrode, a second substrate with an opposed electrode formed on, and a liquid crystal layer sealed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The thickness d1 of the liquid crystal layer on the first pixel electrode in the first pixel region is larger than the thickness d2 of the liquid crystal layer on the second pixel electrode in the second pixel region. The first pixel region includes a first partial region and a second partial region where the threshold voltage is higher than in the first partial region. The second pixel region includes a third partial region and a fourth partial region where the threshold voltage is higher than in the third partial region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicants: FUJITSU LIMITED, AU OPTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuya Ueda, Tsuyoshi Kamada, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yoshio Koike, Kenji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 7505103
    Abstract: In a vertically aligned liquid crystal display device for controlling liquid crystal molecules alignment in voltage application by providing linear structures or linear slits consisting of a plurality of constituent units to at least one of a pair of substrates having an electrode thereon, there is provided alignment controlling means for forming an alignment singular point s=?1 of liquid crystal molecules at an intersecting point between the structures on the pixel electrode or the slits in the electrode and an edge of a pixel electrode on one of the substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Arihiro Takeda, Yoshio Koike, Takahiro Sasaki, Kouji Tsukao, Shingo Kataoka, Kimiaki Nakamura, Yuichi Inoue, Kazutaka Hanaoka, Seiji Tanuma, Takatoshi Mayama, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yasutoshi Tasaka, Takashi Sasabayashi, Yohei Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 7486366
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device, liquid crystal molecules are oriented in a vertical direction to the first substrate and the second substrate by the first molecule orientation film and the second molecule orientation film, respectively, in a non-driving state. A structural pattern is formed so as to extend in a first direction parallel to a surface of the liquid crystal layer and so as to form, in a driving state, an electric field periodically changing in a second direction that is parallel to the liquid crystal layer and vertical to the first direction. The liquid crystal molecules substantially tilt in the first direction in the driving state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shingo Kataoka, Arihiro Takeda, Takahiro Sasaki, Tsutomu Seino, Yoshio Koike, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yuichi Inoue, Kazutaka Hanaoka, Seiji Tanuma, Takatoshi Mayama, Kimiaki Nakamura, Hideo Chida