Liquid Crystal Compositions Patents (Class 252/299.01)
  • Patent number: 9933685
    Abstract: A liquid crystal Fresnel lens is provided. The liquid crystal Fresnel lens includes a liquid crystal cell and two polarizers. The liquid crystal cell includes: two transparent substrates having conducting layers disposed thereon with alignment layers, wherein an alignment pattern formed by the alignment layers are configured to provide multiple alignment domains in a Fresnel zones pattern, and wherein an easy axis of adjacent alignment domains are oriented at an angle relative to one another; and a ferroelectric liquid crystal layer disposed between the two transparent substrates, wherein the ferroelectric liquid crystal layer has a planar surface orientation and smectic layers perpendicular to the two transparent substrates. The liquid crystal cell is disposed between the two polarizers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Abhishek Kumar Srivastava, Xiaoqian Wang, Vladimir Grigorievich Chigrinov, Hoi-Sing Kwok
  • Patent number: 9927672
    Abstract: A multicolored pressure sensitive liquid crystal device includes a first transparent substrate that is flexible on which pressure is applied and a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate. Also included are electrically conductive layers, one of which is in contact with the first substrate and is transparent and another of which is in contact with the second substrate. The electrically conductive layers are separated from each other. Also included is a pressure sensitive liquid crystal layer including cholesteric liquid crystal disposed between the electrically conductive layers. The liquid crystal layer includes at least first and second color regions. The first color region reflects light of a first color and the second color region reflects light of a second color. The pressure applied to the substrate results in a change in reflectance of the liquid crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Kent Displays Inc.
    Inventors: Clinton Braganza, Mauricio Echeverri, Asad Khan, Erica Montbach
  • Patent number: 9920908
    Abstract: A lighting device (400) with an off-state white appearance is provided. The lighting device comprises a light source (403), having a white appearance in an on-state and a colored appearance in an off-state, and a switchable optical element (404) downstream from the light source. The colored appearance of the light source is caused by a photoluminescent material in the light source. The switchable optical element has at least a transmissive state and a state being reflective in the wavelength region in which the light source absorbs light, resulting in a white appearance when the light source is in its off-state and the switchable optical element is in its reflective state. According to an embodiment of the invention, the lighting device (400) is arranged as a luminaire further comprising an optical cavity (401) and a window (402) covering the optical cavity. The light source (403) is arranged inside the optical cavity and the window is provided with the switchable optical element (404).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: PHILIPS LIGHTING HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Rifat Ata Mustafa Hikmet, Ties Van Bommel
  • Patent number: 9920249
    Abstract: A liquid crystal composition, a liquid crystal film and a display device are provided. The liquid crystal composition can be uniformly aligned with no problems such as dewetting in an operation of aligning horizontally alignable liquid crystals. Also, a state of the aligned liquid crystal compound can be stably maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Dae Hee Lee, Sin Young Kim, Da Mi Lee, Moon Soo Park
  • Patent number: 9909064
    Abstract: A compound, represented by formula (1): wherein, R1 and R2 are alkyl having 1 to 15 carbons or the like; ring A1 is tetrahydropyran-2,5-diyl, and ring A2 and ring A3 are 2-fluoro-1,4-phenylene or 2-chloro-1,4-phenylene; Z1, Z2 and Z3 are a single bond or the like; and a and b are 0 or 1, and a sum of a and b is 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignees: JNC CORPORATION, JNC PETROCHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Gotoh, Mayumi Goto, Michiko Sawada
  • Patent number: 9904112
    Abstract: A composition, an alignment layer and a method for preparing the same, a liquid crystal alignment unit and a liquid crystal display panel are provided. The composition comprises a nematic liquid crystal polymerizable monomer and a cholesteric liquid crystal polymerizable monomer. The composition can be used for solving the drawbacks existing in the multi-domain display field, such as complex manufacturing processes, high cost, and difficult to be manufactured. The composition allows controlling the alignment of the molecules in the surface of the coating of the composition through adjusting the amounts of the components in the composition and through adjusting the thickness of the coating. The alignment layer, the liquid crystal alignment unit, and the liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention can be prepared by using a simple process and allow to achieve a multi-domain display at a lower cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignees: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiaojuan Wu, Jianyun Xie
  • Patent number: 9902905
    Abstract: A liquid crystal composition includes at least one polar liquid crystal molecule represented by Chemical Formulas A or B. Each K is independently 1,4-cyclohexylene or 1,4-phenylene, groups connected to carbon ring of 1,4-cyclohexylene or 1,4-phenylene are all hydrogen or at least one of the groups is fluorine, and n is 1 or 2; in Chemical Formula A, X1 and X2 are independently a single bond, —CH2-, —CH2CH2-, —CF2-, —CH2O—, or —OCH2-, L1 and L2 are independently —H, —F, —CF3, or —OCF3, and R1 and R2 are independently an alkyl or alkoxy group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group having 2 to 9 carbon atoms; in Chemical Formula B, L3 and L4 are independently —H, —F, —CF3, or —OCF3, and R3 is an alkyl or alkoxy group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group having 2 to 9 carbon atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Si Heun Kim, Beom-Soo Shin, Hye Lim Jang
  • Patent number: 9896427
    Abstract: A liquid crystal composition including at least one of the liquid crystal molecules represented by Chemical Formulas 1 to 3:
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ji Hong Bae, Keun Chan Oh
  • Patent number: 9884941
    Abstract: Provided herein are systems and methods for polymerizing and programming a liquid crystal polymer, including a liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) with two-way shape-memory via a stepped or self-limiting reaction. In the described method, the reaction may be stepped to achieve different aspects of the two-way shape-memory effect in the produced LCE. In one embodiment, the method creates a polydomain LCE body with a completed thiol-acrylate Michael addition reaction polymerization. The method may further crosslink the polydomain LCE body under a stimulus, thereby locking a domain state in a portion of the polymer. A two-way shape-memory effect of the LCE may thereafter be programmed and locked into the LCE the second stage polymerization reaction. The self-limiting reaction allows for unprecedented control over LCE domain states and cross-linking densities, as well as the resultant mechanical and optical properties of the LCE formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Inventors: Christopher M. Yakacki, Mohand Saed, Devatha P. Nair, Tao Gong, Christopher Bowman
  • Patent number: 9879181
    Abstract: A nematic liquid crystal composition according to the invention is used for a liquid crystal display element for an active matrix drive for TV applications or the like for which a high speed and a wide viewing angle are required. The liquid crystal composition has a negative dielectric anisotropy having a large absolute value and also has a sufficiently low viscosity. Therefore, the liquid crystal composition has excellent characteristic properties, that is, a high speed response, good display quality and a suppressed display defect, and is therefore suitable as a practical liquid crystal composition. Further, a liquid crystal display element produced using the liquid crystal composition can be used favorably as a liquid crystal display element of a VA type or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: DIC Corporation
    Inventors: Go Sudo, Shotaro Kawakami
  • Patent number: 9874669
    Abstract: The present invention provides a reflection film, comprising a right circularly-polarized light reflection layer and a left circularly-polarized light reflection layer as circularly-polarized light reflection layers, each of the circularly-polarized light reflection layers consisting of a layer obtained by fixing a cholesteric liquid-crystalline phase, having a reflection wavelength at which a diffuse reflectance for non-polarized light becomes 50% or more in a wavelength region in which each of the circularly-polarized light reflection layers exhibits selective reflection, the reflection wavelength being in an infrared wavelength region, and the reflection film exhibiting a direct transmittance of non-polarized visible light of 50% or more and a haze value of 5% or less; and an optical member including the reflection film, which can be used as a handwriting input sheet. The optical member can be used by being stuck to the surface of a display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Oki, Mitsuyoshi Ichihashi, Wataru Majima
  • Patent number: 9873835
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal polyester, comprising: a melt polycondensation step in which 0.001 to 1% by mass of a heterocyclic aromatic compound represented by the following formula (I) is added to a monomer mixture comprising at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of terephthalic acid, a terephthalic acid derivative, 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid and a 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid derivative, relative to 100% by mass of the monomer mixture, and then a melt polycondensation is conducted at a temperature of 240 to 300° C. so as to obtain a polymer. (wherein each of X1 and X2 independently represents a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, a butyl group or a pentyl group, provided that one or more hydrogen atoms on a heterocyclic aromatic ring may each independently be replaced by a halogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventor: Shintaro Saito
  • Patent number: 9874657
    Abstract: A compensation film including a polymer having a first structural unit represented by Chemical Formula 1, and having a photoelastic coefficient of less than or equal to about 40×10?13 cm2/dyn wherein in Chemical Formula 1, Ar1, X, L1, and R1 are the same as described in the detailed description.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kitae Park, Dmitry Androsov, Masashi Tsuji, Hyunseok Choi
  • Patent number: 9869901
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a composition for forming an alignment layer. The composition includes a chiral additive and polymerizable liquid crystal monomers. The composition also includes an initiator for enabling polymerization reactions in the liquid crystal monomers. Further, the polymerizable liquid crystal monomers include at least one of polymerizable cholesteric liquid crystal monomers and polymerizable nematic liquid crystal monomers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignees: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiaojuan Wu, Hailin Xue
  • Patent number: 9868904
    Abstract: The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media (LC media) having negative or positive dielectric anisotropy comprising self-aligning mesogens (SAMs) which effect homeotropic (vertical) alignment of the LC media at a surface or the cell walls of a liquid-crystal display (LC display). The invention therefore also encompasses LC displays having homeotropic alignment of the liquid-crystalline medium (LC medium) without conventional imide alignment layers. The LC media may be supplemented by a polymerizable or polymerized component, which serves for stabilization of the alignment, for adjustment of the tilt angle and/or as passivation layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: MERCK PATENT GESELLSCHAFT MIT BESCHRANKTER HAFTUNG
    Inventors: Archetti Graziano, Andreas Taugerbeck
  • Patent number: 9862831
    Abstract: A method of assembling superparamagnetic colloids into ordered structures with magnetically tunable photonic properties in nonpolar solvents by establishing long-range electrostatic repulsive forces using charge control agents. Reverse micelles resulted from the introduction of charge control agents such as AOT molecules can enhance the charge separation on the surfaces of n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane modified Fe3O4@SiO2 particles. The significantly improved long-range electrostatic repulsion can counterbalance the magnetically induced attraction and therefore allow ordering of superparamagnetic colloids in nonpolar solvents. This system possesses fast and fully reversible optical response to the external magnetic fields, long-term stability in performance, and good diffraction intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Yadong Yin, Jianping Ge
  • Patent number: 9865745
    Abstract: A thin-film transistor comprises a substrate, a first electrode on the top surface of the substrate, an insulation layer on the top surface of the substrate and covering the first electrode, a semiconductor oxide layer on the top surface of the insulation layer, a protection layer on the top surface of the semiconductor oxide layer, an organic dielectric layer on the top surface of the semiconductor oxide layer and covering the protection layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode both penetrating the organic dielectric layer from the top surface thereof. A channel thickness of the semiconductor oxide layer is not thicker than 20 nanometers. The source electrode contacts the semiconductor oxide layer at the first side of the protection layer and the drain electrode contacts the semiconductor oxide layer at the second side, opposite to the first side, of the protection layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: AU OPTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Liang-Yu Lin, Chun-Cheng Cheng
  • Patent number: 9850428
    Abstract: A polar compound has a high chemical stability, high ability to align liquid crystal molecules and high solubility in a liquid crystal composition, and causes no decrease of liquid crystallinity of the liquid crystal composition, a liquid crystal composition contains the compound, and a liquid crystal display device includes the composition. The compound is represented by formula (1), the composition contains the compound, and the liquid crystal display device uses the composition. In formula (1), R1 is alkyl having 3 to 15 carbons, alkenyl having 4 to 15 carbons or the like; a is an integer from 2 to 12; and R2 is a group represented by formula (1a), formula (1b) or formula (1c). In the formulas, S1 and S2 are independently a single bond, alkylene having 1 to 10 carbons; S3 is >CH— or >N—; S4 is >C< or >Si<; and X1 is —OH, —NH2 or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignees: JNC CORPORATION, JNC PETROCHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Tanaka, Masakazu Yano
  • Patent number: 9828550
    Abstract: Provided are a liquid crystal device, a composition capable of forming a liquid crystal layer, a method of manufacturing the liquid crystal device, a system for manufacturing the liquid crystal device, and a use of the liquid crystal device. The liquid crystal device is a device capable of exhibiting, for example, a normally white or black mode, which may exhibit a high contrast ratio and be driven with a low driving voltage, and exhibit excellent durability such as thermal stability. Such a liquid crystal device may be applied to various optical modulators such as a smart window, a window protective film, a flexible display device, an active retarder for displaying 3D images, or a viewing angle control film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Jung Sun You, Dong Hyun Oh, Sung Joon Min, Kyung Jun Kim, Dae Hee Lee, Jun Won Chang, Moon Soo Park
  • Patent number: 9828548
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid crystal composition which enables a significant reduction in crystallization temperature as compared with addition of a homolog while having a similar skeleton structure, which has an excellent compatibility, and which enables an increase in the absolute value of negative dielectric anisotropy (??). The liquid crystal composition contains two or more compounds which each have two to four ring structures between two side chains. At least one of the ring structures is a 2,3-difluorobenzene skeleton. The two side chains are bonded to different ring structures. The positions of the 2,3-difluorobenzene skeletons are different from each other, and the number of the ring structures are the same as each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: DIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Fujisawa, Kazuaki Hatsusaka, Kazunori Maruyama, Isa Nishiyama
  • Patent number: 9831177
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a through via formed in a substrate. The through via is coupled between a first side and a second side of the substrate. The through via comprises a bottom portion adjacent to the second side of the substrate, wherein the bottom portion is formed of a conductive material. The through via further comprises sidewall portions formed of the conductive material and a middle portion formed between the sidewall portions, wherein the middle portion is formed of a dielectric material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yung-Chi Lin, Hsin-Yu Chen, Lin-Chih Huang, Tsang-Jiuh Wu, Wen-Chih Chiou
  • Patent number: 9823516
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that is less likely to have display failures and has high reliability and excellent light resistance in aging. The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, including: a pair of substrates; a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules and interposed between the pair of substrates; and an alignment control layer for perpendicularly aligning the liquid crystal molecules, the alignment control layer being formed by polymerizing a monofunctional monomer and a polyfunctional monomer in a liquid crystal composition containing the liquid crystal molecules, the monofunctional monomer, and the polyfunctional monomer, the polyfunctional monomer generating a radical by annealing and irradiation with light at not less than 340 nm, the monofunctional monomer having a biphenyl skeleton as a core and a polymerizable group bonded to the biphenyl skeleton directly or indirectly via a spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: MERCK PATENT GMBH
    Inventors: Takeshi Noma, Youhei Nakanishi, Masanobu Mizusaki
  • Patent number: 9822303
    Abstract: Provided are liquid crystal compounds and mixtures incorporating the same. The liquid crystal compounds of the invention generally comprise a cyclopentane group and at least two other rings. In one embodiment, the liquid crystal compounds of the invention comprise a cyclopentane group and at least two other rings, one of which is a fused ring system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: VVI BRIGHT CHINA LTD
    Inventors: Xinhua Chen, R. Amaranatha Reddy
  • Patent number: 9822302
    Abstract: The compounds of the formula I, and a liquid-crystalline medium, preferably having a nematic phase and negative dielectric anisotropy, which comprises a) one or more compounds of the formula I and b) one or more compounds of the formulae II-1 to II-4, in which the parameters have the meanings defined herein, are suitable for use in an electro-optical display, particularly in an active-matrix display based on the VA, ECB, PALC, FFS or IPS effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Merck Patent GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Engel, Thorsten Kodek, Ingo Almeroth, Rocco Fortte
  • Patent number: 9822304
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid crystal composition having positive ??, having a liquid crystal phase in a wide temperature range, having high solubility at low temperatures, having high ODF process compatibility, having a high specific resistance and voltage holding ratio, and being insensitive to heat and light. In order to achieve this object, there is provided a liquid crystal composition containing at least one compound represented by the following general formula (i) and at least one compound represented by the following general formula (ii).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: DIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Joji Kawamura, Makoto Negishi, Yoshinori Iwashita
  • Patent number: 9815767
    Abstract: Provided are compounds of the following: wherein R1 is a saturated or unsaturated cyclic hydrocarbon optionally substituted with an alkyl and/or an OXO-ester, and R2 is a C4 to C14 hydrocarbyl, preferably the residue of a C4 to C14 OXO-alcohol. Also provided are processes for making the compounds and plasticized polymer compositions containing said compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Jihad M. Dakka, Lorenzo C. DeCaul, Christine A. Costello, Edmund J. Mozeleski, Pierre Osterrieth, Stephen Zushma, Allen D. Godwin, Diana Smimova, Catherine A. Faler, Victor DeFlorio, Didier A. Naert
  • Patent number: 9809747
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition in which various characteristics of a liquid crystal display element such as a dielectric anisotropy, a viscosity, a nematic phase upper limit temperature, and ?1, and a burn-in characteristic of a display element are not deteriorated, dropping mark is unlikely to be generated during preparation, a compound represented by liquid crystal composition Formula (I) suitable for a liquid crystal display element in which a discharging amount of the liquid crystal material stable in an ODF step is realized is contained, and a compound represented by General Formula (II) is contained by equal to or more than 15%, and a liquid crystal display element using the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: DIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshinori Iwashita, Masahiro Niwa
  • Patent number: 9784894
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an optically anisotropic sheet comprising a substrate and a liquid crystal cured layer laminated together, wherein the substrate has a surface roughness of 1.0 nm or less in a field of view of 1 ?m2 and a water contact angle of 70° or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventor: Tadahiro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9780306
    Abstract: This invention relates to a supported polymer heterostructure and methods of manufacture. The heterostructure is suitable for use in a range of applications which require semiconductor devices, including photovoltaic devices and light-emitting diodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
    Inventors: Peter Ho, Perq-Jon Chia, Lay-Lay Chua, Rui-Qi Png, Richard Henry Friend
  • Patent number: 9777219
    Abstract: A problem is to provide a liquid crystal compound satisfying at least one physical property such as high stability to heat and light, a high clearing point (or high maximum temperature), a low minimum temperature of a liquid crystal phase, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large dielectric anisotropy, a suitable elastic constant and excellent compatibility with other liquid crystal compounds, a liquid crystal composition containing the compound and a liquid crystal display device including the composition. A solution is a compound represented by formula (1). In which, R1 is alkyl having 1 to 10 carbons or the like; Z1, Z2 and Z3 are independently a single bond, —COO—, —OCH2—, —CF2O— or the like, and at least one of Z1, Z2 and Z3 is —CF2O—; X1 is hydrogen, fluorine, —CF3 or —OCF3; and L1, L2, L3 and L4 are independently hydrogen, fluorine or chlorine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignees: JNC CORPORATION, JNC PETROCHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keiji Kimura, Takahiro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9777096
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to: a polymerizable compound represented by a formula (I); a polymerizable composition comprising the polymerizable compound and an initiator; a polymer obtained by polymerizing the polymerizable compound or the polymerizable composition; and an optically anisotropic article comprising the polymer. The present invention provides a polymerizable compound, a polymerizable composition, and a polymer that have a practical low melting point, exhibit excellent solubility in a general-purpose solvent, can be produced at low cost, and can produce an optical film that achieves uniform conversion of polarized light over a wide wavelength band, and also provide an optically anisotropic article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Zeon Corporation
    Inventors: Kei Sakamoto, Satoshi Kiriki, Kumi Okuyama
  • Patent number: 9777220
    Abstract: A polymerizable compound-containing liquid crystal composition of the present invention relates to a liquid crystal composition containing a polymerizable compound represented by general formula (I) and a compound represented by general formula (II) and can be used for a liquid crystal display device imparted with liquid crystal aligning ability by polymerization. The polymerizable liquid crystal composition is required to cause no precipitation in a wide temperature range and have a low viscosity corresponding to fast switching, and a liquid crystal display device using the composition is required to have more stable alignment after polymerization and to cause no defect in display characteristics. In the present invention, the problems can be solved using a specified compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: DIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Go Sudo, Shotaro Kawakami
  • Patent number: 9776954
    Abstract: The present invention relates to: a polymerizable compound represented by a formula (I); a polymerizable composition comprising the polymerizable compound and an initiator; a polymer obtained by polymerizing the polymerizable compound or the polymerizable composition; and an optically anisotropic article comprising the polymer [in the formula, Y1 to Y8 are a chemical single bond, —O—, —O—C(?O)—, —C(?O)—O—, or the like; G1 and G2 are a divalent aliphatic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or the like; Z1 and Z2 are an alkenyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, or the like; A1 is a tetravalent aromatic group, or the like; A2 and A3 are a divalent alicyclic hydrocarbon group having 3 to 30 carbon atoms, or the like; A4 and A5 are a divalent aromatic group having 4 to 30 carbon atoms, or the like; Ax1 and Ax2 are an organic group having 2 to 30 carbon atoms that includes an aromatic ring, or the like; Ay1 and Ay2 are a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or the like; Q1 and Q2 are a hydrogen
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kei Sakamoto, Satoshi Kiriki, Kumi Okuyama
  • Patent number: 9766066
    Abstract: A sensor apparatus is provided for sensing relative position of two objects. First and second molecular components, each comprising at least one electronic system, are connected to respective objects. The molecular components are arranged in mutual proximity such that an interaction between the electronic systems of respective components varies with relative position of the objects, the interaction affecting an electrical or optical property of the components. A detector detects the property to produce an output dependent on relative position of the objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES INC.
    Inventors: Bernd W. Gotsmann, Emanuel Loertscher
  • Patent number: 9769919
    Abstract: Discussed is a display device and a method of manufacturing the display device. The display device according to one example includes a display panel including a first substrate and a second substrate facing and coupled to the first substrate, wherein the first substrate includes a display part in which a plurality of pixels are formed, a bending part formed at one side of the display part, and a pad part formed at an end of the bending part; a back film adhered to a portion, corresponding to the display part and the pad part, in a bottom of the first substrate; and a supporting member formed to guide the bending part and support the back film adhered to a portion corresponding to the display part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji Sun Park, Dal Jae Lee, Ji Yong Jeong
  • Patent number: 9746622
    Abstract: Technologies are generally described to communicatively couple an optical fiber to an optical element using a polymer layer. An optical fiber may be coupled to an optical element, such as an optical waveguide or another optical fiber, using a layer of rewritable photorefractive polymer positioned between the optical fiber and the optical element. Light from a light source may be applied to the optical fiber to initiate a transient photorefractive effect in the polymer layer facilitating corrections of misalignment. A path of high refractive index may be formed in the polymer layer, where the path of high refractive index communicatively couples the optical fiber to the optical element reducing alignment concerns and increasing alignment tolerances of optical elements. In some examples, the path of high refractive index may be re-established by rewriting the polymer layer through another application of light from the light source if the communicative coupling is disrupted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
    Inventors: Francois Ladouceur, Michael John Nicholls
  • Patent number: 9738831
    Abstract: A liquid crystal composition is described, containing a chiral agent and achiral component T containing at least one compound 1 having an unsubstituted or methyl group-substituted dioxane ring and having at least one —COO— or —CF2O— as a connecting group, and exhibiting an optically isotropic liquid crystal phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignees: JNC CORPORATION, JNC PETROCHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shin-Ichi Yamamoto, Koki Sago, Yasuhiro Haseba
  • Patent number: 9739919
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a polarizer and fabrication method thereof. The polarizer includes a substrate made of transparent material and a first polarizing layer formed on the substrate having an optical alignment direction after being exposed to a polarized ultraviolet light. The substrate is the only substrate in the polarizer, and no additional substrate is configured on the polarizing layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignees: XIAMEN TIANMA MICRO-ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., TIANMA MICRO-ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Long Zhang, Poping Shen, Ting Zhou
  • Patent number: 9732277
    Abstract: A liquid crystal cell includes substrates defining a gap and electrodes having one of (i) an in-plane geometry generating an electric field parallel with the substrates and (ii) a top-down geometry generating an electric field across the gap between the two spaced apart substrates. A liquid crystal material disposed in the gap between the substrates comprises a chiral nematic material formed by a mixture of: 1-(4-cyanobiphenyl-4?-yl)-6-(4-cyanobiphenyl-4?-yloxy)hexane (CB6OCB) or ?,?-bis(4,4-cyanobiphenyl)nonane (CB9CB) dimeric liquid crystal material; at least one additional dimeric liquid crystal material; and a chiral dopant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignees: KENT STATE UNIVERSITY, THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
    Inventors: Oleg D. Lavrentovich, Jie V. Xiang, Sergij V. Shiyanovskii, Corrie T. Imrie, Daniel A. Paterson, John M. Storey
  • Patent number: 9732275
    Abstract: To provide a liquid crystal composition satisfying at least one of characteristics such as high maximum temperature, low minimum temperature, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large negative dielectric anisotropy, large specific resistance, high stability to ultraviolet light and heat, or having a suitable balance regarding at least two of the characteristics; and an AM device having characteristics such as short response time, a large voltage holding ratio, low threshold voltage, a large contrast ratio and long service life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: JNC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayuki Saito, Yoshimasa Furusato
  • Patent number: 9725651
    Abstract: There is provided a polymerizable compound-containing liquid crystal composition having strong alignment regulating force of a liquid crystal compound. The polymerizable compound-containing liquid crystal composition includes: a polymerizable compound; and a liquid crystal compound, in which the polymerizable compound includes at least one polymerizable compound represented by General Formula (I), and in which the liquid crystal compound includes at least one component selected from the group consisting of at least one compound represented by General Formula (II) as a second component, at least one compound represented by General Formulae (IIIa), (IIIb), and (IIIc) as a third component, and at least one compound represented by General Formulae (IVa), (IVb), and (IVc) as a fourth component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: DIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichi Hirata, Shotaro Kawakami
  • Patent number: 9726933
    Abstract: The present invention relates to liquid-crystalline media (LC media) having negative or positive dielectric anisotropy comprising self-alignment additives (SAMs) with an at least one bifunctional or polyfunctional anchor group, which effects the homeotropic (vertical) alignment of the LC media at a surface or the cell walls of a liquid-crystal display (LC display). The invention therefore also encompasses LC displays having homeotropic alignment of the liquid-crystalline medium (LC medium) without conventional imide alignment layers. The LC media may be supplemented by a polymerizable or polymerized component, which serves for stabilization of the alignment, for adjustment of the tilt angle and/or as passivation layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Merck Patent GmbH
    Inventors: Graziano Archetti, Andreas Taugerbeck, Renate Bender, Rocco Fortte, Peer Kirsch, Izumi Saito
  • Patent number: 9726928
    Abstract: A backlight unit for a liquid crystal display device, the backlight unit including: an light emitting diode (“LED”) light source; a light conversion layer disposed separate from the LED light source to convert light emitted from the LED light source to white light and to provide the white light to the liquid crystal panel; and a light guide panel disposed between the LED light source and the light conversion layer, wherein the light conversion layer includes a semiconductor nanocrystal and a polymer matrix, and wherein the polymer matrix includes a first polymerized polymer of a first monomer including at least two thiol (—SH) groups, each located at a terminal end of the first monomer, and a second monomer including at least two unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds, each located at a terminal end of the second monomer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hyun A Kang, Eun Joo Jang, Hyo Sook Jang, Shin Ae Jun
  • Patent number: 9726934
    Abstract: A display device including a first substrate, a second substrate facing the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. The liquid crystal layer has a value of rotation viscosity (?l)/bending modulus of elasticity (K33) of about 6.0 to about 6.4 mPa*s/pN.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Joon-Hyung Park, Keunchan Oh, Min-Jae Kim, Min-Hee Kim, Kangseob Jeong, Kyungseon Tak
  • Patent number: 9720265
    Abstract: As a liquid crystal display is assembled, the compressive force of a member or multiple members shears the liquid crystal layer, causing the liquid crystal layer to assume a more uniform, more ordered texture. This novel shearing, coupled with optimal temperature, optimal forms of electromagnetic radiation, and novel combinations of materials synergistically produces a display that is driven at less than 6 volts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Inventor: Allen Howard Engel
  • Patent number: 9714210
    Abstract: A liquid crystal composition satisfies at least one of characteristics such as a high maximum temperature, a low minimum temperature, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large negative dielectric anisotropy, large specific resistance, high stability to ultraviolet light, to heat or the like, or has a suitable balance regarding at least two of the characteristics; and an AM device has characteristics such as a short response time, a large voltage holding ratio, a low threshold voltage, a large contrast ratio and a long service life. The liquid crystal composition contains a specific compound having at least two polymerizable groups, and the liquid crystal display device includes the composition. The composition contains a specific compound having large negative dielectric anisotropy as a first component, and may contain a specific compound having the high maximum temperature or the small viscosity as a second component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignees: JNC CORPORATION, JNC PETROCHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshimasa Furusato, Masayuki Saito
  • Patent number: 9714383
    Abstract: A liquid crystal composition having a suitable balance regarding at least one or two of characteristics such as a high maximum temperature of a nematic phase, a low minimum temperature of the nematic phase, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large positive dielectric anisotropy, large specific resistance, high stability to ultraviolet light and heat or a large elastic constant; and an AM device having a short response time, a large voltage holding ratio, a low threshold voltage, a large contrast ratio or a long service life. The composition has positive dielectric anisotropy and contains a specific compound having high stability to ultraviolet light as a first component, and a liquid crystal display device includes the composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignees: JNC CORPORATION, JNC PETROCHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eriko Kurihara, Masayuki Saito, Yoshimasa Furusato, Kenji Hirata
  • Patent number: 9714381
    Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium based on a mixture of polar compounds which contains at least one compound of the formula I, and at least one additional compound, and to the use of the LC mixtures for an active- or passive matrix addressed displays, in particular based on the VA, PSA, PS-VA, IPS, FFS, PS-IPS, PS-FFS technology, preferably in optical displays for the self-aligning VA mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: Merck Patent GmbH
    Inventors: Graziano Archetti, Melanie Klasen-Memmer, Rocco Fortte, Sabine Schoen
  • Patent number: 9709854
    Abstract: A reliability of seal portion of a liquid crystal display device can be improved by the following structure. A liquid crystal display device includes: a TFT substrate which includes a display region and a terminal part, and has an inorganic insulating film formed on an organic passivation film and an alignment film formed over the inorganic insulating film; a counter substrate, the TFT substrate and the counter substrate bonded together by a sealing material formed at a seal part surrounding the display region; and a liquid crystal sealed inside. At the seal part, a transparent conductive oxide film is formed between the inorganic insulating film and the alignment film. The transparent conductive oxide film exists inside an edge of the TFT substrate and hence, the edge of the TFT substrate is free of the transparent conductive oxide film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Japan Display Inc.
    Inventors: Takenori Hirota, Yasuhiro Kanaya, Hidehiro Sonoda, Toshiki Kaneko
  • Patent number: 9703145
    Abstract: A liquid crystal composition and a method of manufacturing an optical film. The liquid crystal composition which may form a liquid crystal layer having excellent optical characteristics and a high surface hardness. The liquid crystal layer formed as described above may be used in various applications, and for example, may be disposed on the outermost surface of a display device, such as an LCD or an OLED, or at an outer side of a polarizing layer of the display in which the polarizing layer is disposed at a visible side, thereby serving as a liquid crystal layer which may solve a problem of degrading brightness occurring when an observer watches an image with polarizing sunglasses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Su Young Ryu, Moon Soo Park, Jun Won Chang, Sin Young Kim