Multiple Compensators Patents (Class 349/119)
  • Patent number: 8134665
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a first polarizer located on one side of a first substrate, a second polarizer located on the opposite side of a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer formed of liquid crystal molecules and between the first and the second substrates so that the liquid crystal molecules may be aligned in parallel to the first or the second substrate and to which an electric field is applied in parallel to the first substrate, and a lighting device. The first or the second polarizer includes a polarization layer and supporting materials located on both sides of the polarization layer, reducing light leakage and a color shift in a black display state when viewed from the oblique direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignees: Hitachi Displays, Ltd., Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Kajita, Ikuo Hiyama, Mutsumi Maehara, Yuka Utsumi
  • Patent number: 8125597
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a pair of polarizing films; a liquid crystal cell that is sandwiched between the pair of polarizing films; a retardation layer (A) of 70 ?m or less in thickness, which is disposed between the liquid crystal cell and one of the pair of polarizing films; and a retardation layer (B) of 70 ?m or less in thickness, which is disposed between the liquid crystal cell and the other of the pair of polarizing films, wherein the retardation layers (A) and (B) satisfy following formulae (1) to (3): RthU>RthD??Formula (1): ?20 nm?RthD?20 nm??Formula (2): 20 nm<RthU?60 nm??Formula (3): wherein RthU and RthD represent a retardation in a thickness direction at a wavelength of 550 nm of the retardation layer (A) and the retardation layer (B), respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Sata, Kotaro Yasuda, Junichi Hirakata
  • Patent number: 8125596
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus of the present invention includes: a liquid crystal cell including a pair of substrates provided with a color filter on one substrate, and a liquid crystal layer as a display medium provided between the substrates; and an optical compensation element including at least an optical compensation layer. The optical compensation element is arranged on the opposite side against the color filter with respect to the liquid crystal layer. Such a liquid crystal display apparatus allows excellent viewing angle compensation, exhibits exceptional contrast in an oblique direction, and can be reduced in thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventor: Nao Murakami
  • Publication number: 20120038870
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes an OCB mode liquid crystal display panel, and an optical compensation element which is disposed outside of the liquid crystal display layer. The optical compensation element includes a polarizer plate, a first retardation plate which is disposed between the polarizer plate and the liquid crystal layer, and a second retardation plate which is disposed between the polarizer plate and the first retardation plate and has a biaxial refractive index anisotropy. The optical compensation element compensates a difference of a polarization state that differs between azimuth directions of light passing through the liquid crystal layer and compensates a shift of the polarization state of light, which passes through the retardation plate, from an azimuth direction of an absorption axis of the polarizer plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2011
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Inventors: Emi KISARA, Kazuhiro Nishiyama, Mitsutaka Okita, Shigesumi Araki
  • Patent number: 8111459
    Abstract: A laminated polarizing film that is capable of enhancing a viewing angle of a liquid crystal display device, particularly in an IPS mode, is provided. The laminated polarizing film can be obtained by adhering a phase retardation film and a polarizing film by a roll-to-roll process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Teijin Limited
    Inventors: Akihiko Uchiyama, Yuhei Ono, Jyuho Matsuo
  • Patent number: 8107041
    Abstract: An LCD apparatus includes a first polarizer, a half-wavelength retardation plate, a liquid crystal unit and a second polarizer. The LCD apparatus further has a backlight module for generating first polarized light. The first polarizer is disposed downstream of the backlight module, and the first polarizer has a transmission axis. The half-wavelength retardation plate is disposed between the backlight module and the first polarizer. Second polarized light parallel to the transmission axis is generated from the first polarized light passing through the half-wavelength retardation plate. The second polarizer is disposed downstream of the first polarizer. The liquid crystal unit is disposed between the first polarizer and the second polarizer, and the second polarized light emits out of the LCD apparatus through the first polarizer, the liquid crystal unit and the second polarizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Chimei Innolux Corporation
    Inventors: Chien-Cheng Liu, I-Lin Ho, Tzu-Chang Wang, I-Lung Yang, Tsung-Hsien Lin
  • Patent number: 8094262
    Abstract: A TFT array panel on which both pixel electrodes and common electrodes are formed and a color filter panel is disposed opposing the array panel, and liquid crystals are interposed therebetween. The liquid crystals are aligned parallel to the two panels and driven by parallel electric field formed between the pixel electrodes and reference electrodes. Polarization films are arranged outsides the two panels, and a quasi-A plate compensation film is arranged between the color filter panel and the polarization film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hak-Sun Chang, Eun-Hee Han, Chang-Hun Lee, Seon-Hong Ahn
  • Patent number: 8094272
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display comprises two parallel spaced substrates and a liquid crystal layer with negative dielectric anisotropy interposed between the substrates. The ratio d/p, the cell gap d between the substrates to the pitch p of the liquid crystal layer, is equal to or less than 0.3, and the retardation value ?n*d may be in the range of 0.25-0.4. In absence of electric field, the liquid crystal molecules are arranged vertically to the substrates, and when the sufficient electric field is applied, the liquid crystal molecules are parallel to the substrates and twisted by 90° from one substrate to the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae-Jin Lyu, Hea-Ri Lee, Kyeong-Hyeon Kim, Jian-Min Chen
  • Patent number: 8089569
    Abstract: A phase difference element, in which imbalance hardly occurs between right and left pictures during displaying a three-dimensional image, and a display device having the phase difference element are provided. A base film of the phase difference element includes, for example, a thin resin film having optical anisotropy. A slow axis of the base film points in a vertical or horizontal direction, and points in a direction intersecting with a slow axis of a right-eye region of the phase difference element and with a slow axis of a left-eye region thereof. Thus, influence due to optical anisotropy of the base film is exerted on each light being transmitted by the base film, so that the influence is not extremely greatly exerted on only one of light corresponding to a right eye and light corresponding to a left eye, the respective light being transmitted by the base film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Mitsunari Hoshi
  • Patent number: 8089591
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device includes a pair of substrates with at least one liquid crystal cell therebetween, filled with a mixture of an alignment solution and liquid crystal molecules. The liquid crystal molecules are exposed to UV rays and a first voltage is applied to the pair of substrates to form a polymer network in each of the liquid crystal cells. Thus, the liquid crystal molecules achieve a bend state without transiting from a splay state. Further, a method of aligning the liquid crystal molecules is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Kuei-Lin Chu
  • Patent number: 8085371
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display having improved retardation plate is described. In the liquid crystal display, at least one of two panel plates has a polarizer placed on an outer side which is opposite to a liquid crystal layer and a quarter wavelength retardation plate between a substrate glass and the polarizer. The quarter wavelength retardation plate is composed of two retardation films including a half wavelength and a quarter wavelength retardation film. A slow axis of a half ? film which is adjacent to the polarizer makes an angle of ?1 with a transmissive axis of the polarizer and that of a quarter ? film which is adjacent to the substrate glass makes an angle of ?2 where ?2=2×?1±45 degree. The retardation films are single-axial films. The specific angle ?1 is one of degree values (15, 75, 105, and 165).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yong-Kyu Jang
  • Patent number: 8085369
    Abstract: Self-compensating, quasi-homeotropic liquid crystal devices overcome the contrast reducing effects of smaller pretilt angles. The devices exhibit extremely high contrast ratio but at the same time suppress fringe field-induced disclination lines in high pixel density and small pixel size quasi-homeotropic displays. The surface pretilt and cell twist angles are set at values that, in combination, contribute to establishing a cuspate singularity in the contrast ratio for normally incident light in response to a drive signal switching the liquid crystal device to the OFF director field state that provides nearly 0% optical efficiency. The OFF director field state corresponds to a subthreshold drive level that provides for the liquid crystal device self-compensation for in-plane optical retardation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Cuspate, LLC
    Inventors: Terry J. Scheffer, Jiuzhi Xue
  • Patent number: 8072567
    Abstract: A liquid crystal panel of the present invention includes in the following order toward a viewer side: a first polarizer; a first optical compensation layer having a refractive index ellipsoid of nx>ny>nz and an in-plane retardation Re1 of 90 to 300 nm; a liquid crystal cell; a second optical compensation layer having a refractive index ellipsoid of nx>ny>nz and an in-plane retardation Re2 of 90 to 300 nm; and a second polarizer, wherein a total thickness direction retardation ?Rth1 to n of all the optical compensation layers and a thickness direction retardation Rthc of the liquid crystal cell satisfy the following Expression (1): ?160 nm<(?Rth1 to n?Rthc)<50 nm??(1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventors: Shunsuke Shutou, Masato Bitou, Youji Ishihara
  • Patent number: 8064009
    Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a liquid crystal cell comprising a pair of substrates which are provided in mutually opposed manner and which has an electrode in at least either thereof, and a liquid crystal material supported between the pair of substrates; a first polarizing film disposed outside the liquid crystal cell; and at least an in-cell optical compensation film disposed between the pair of substrates, with plural domains per a pixel having a different mean alignment direction each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Junichi Hirakata
  • Patent number: 8059240
    Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display device is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yukito Saitoh
  • Patent number: 8054423
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate; a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a first polarizer provided on a surface of the first substrate which is on the opposite side to the liquid crystal layer; a second polarizer provided on a surface of the second substrate which is on the opposite side to the liquid crystal layer; a first phase compensation element provided between the first polarizer and the liquid crystal layer; and a second phase compensation element provided between the second polarizer and the liquid crystal layer. A plurality of pixel areas are provided for display. The first substrate includes at least one transmissive electrode, and the second substrate includes a reflective electrode region and a transmissive electrode region in correspondence with each of the plurality of pixel areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masumi Kubo, Yozo Narutaki, Shogo Fujioka, Yuko Maruyama, Takayuki Shimada, Youji Yoshimura, Mikio Katayama, Yutaka Ishii, Shirrya Yamakawa, Atsushi Ban
  • Patent number: 8054441
    Abstract: A laminated optical film including a first optical anisotropic layer, and a second optical anisotropic layer, wherein Relationship (1), ?10 nm??Re1??Re2?10 nm, is satisfied when a slow phase axis of the first optical anisotropic layer is substantially perpendicular to a slow phase axis of the second optical anisotropic layer, wherein Relationship (2), ?10 nm??Re1+?Re2?10 nm, is satisfied when the slow phase axis of the first optical anisotropic layer is substantially parallel to the slow phase axis of the second optical anisotropic layer, wherein an in-plane retardation value Re of the film as a whole satisfies 30 nm?Re?500 nm, where ?Re1 denotes a value calculated from “Re1 (at a temperature of 50° C.)?Re1 (at a temperature of 25° C.)” concerning the first optical anisotropic layer, and ?Re2 denotes a value calculated from “Re2 (at a temperature of 50° C.)?Re2 (at a temperature of 25° C.)” concerning the second optical anisotropic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Shun Nakamura, Masayoshi Toyoda
  • Patent number: 8049849
    Abstract: The present invention provides an optical film including at least two optically anisotropic layers, wherein one optically anisotropic layer satisfies Expression (1) described below, the other optically anisotropic layer satisfies Expression (2) described below, and a slow axis of the one optically anisotropic layer is parallel to a slow axis of the other optically anisotropic layer, 0?Re(450)/Re(550)?0.5??Expression (1) 0.95?Re(450)/Re(550)?1.05??Expression (2) where Re (?) represents an in-plane retardation value (unit: nm) of the corresponding optically anisotropic layer measured at a wavelength of ? nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Michio Nagai
  • Patent number: 8049843
    Abstract: Disclosed is a polarizing plate comprising at least first and second polarizing elements and satisfying (1) kx1>ky1=kz1, (2) kz2>ky2 and (3) (kx1?ky1)×d1>(kz2?ky2)×d2, wherein an x-axis and a y-axis are in-plane axes crossing perpendicularly to each other, and a z-axis is the axis crossing perpendicularly to the x-y axis plane; kx1, ky1 and kz1 each are the absorption coefficient in the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis directions, respectively, of the first polarizing element; ky2 and kz2 each are the absorption coefficient in the y-axis and z-axis directions, respectively, of the second polarizing element; and d1 and d2 each are the thickness (unit: nm) of the first and second polarizing elements, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yukito Saitoh
  • Patent number: 8049850
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprising a liquid crystal panel in which liquid crystals having negative dielectric anisotropy are interposed between upper substrate and lower substrate that have been vertically oriented on the surface, the orientation of the liquid crystals being almost vertical with no applied voltage, almost horizontal when a predetermined voltage is applied, and tilted when a smaller voltage than the predetermined voltage is applied; a first polarizer and a second polarizer disposed on both sides of the liquid crystal panel such that the absorption axes of the polarizers are perpendicular to each other; a first retardation film disposed between the liquid crystal panel and the first polarizer; and a second retardation film disposed between the liquid crystal panel and the second polarizer, wherein the polarizer comprises a polarizing film and a pair of protective films having the polarizing film in between, and wherein at least one of the protective films is a cellulose acylate film sat
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Susumu Sugiyama, Eiichiro Aminaka, Hajime Nakayama, Yukito Saitoh
  • Patent number: 8049824
    Abstract: A single-layer birefringent crystal trim retarder includes a birefringent crystal cut such that its optic axis is at a high oblique angle and such that it provides low in-plane retardance values even when the birefringent crystal is relatively thick. To compensate for the inherent high +C-plate retardance of this high-tilt O-plate, the single-layer birefringent crystal is coupled with a ?C-plate thin-film retarder to provide a trim retarder having an overall A/?C-plate retarder functionality. This full-function trim retarder is practical to fabricate, is thickness and azimuthal angle tolerant, and is suitable for low sensitivity angular clocking requirements of LCoS panel compensation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation
    Inventors: Kim Leong Tan, Karen Denise Hendrix
  • Patent number: 8031309
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprising a pair of substrates, at least one polarizing film provided outside the pair of substrates, a liquid crystal cell having a red color filter, a green color filter and a blue color filter provided inside the pair of substrates, a first retardation film compensating for light of a wavelength or wavelengths corresponding to a color or colors of any one or two of the three color filters, and a second retardation film compensating for light of a wavelength that is not compensated for by the first retardation film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Mitsuyoshi Ichihashi
  • Patent number: 8031308
    Abstract: To provide a retardation film in which the retardation condition is adjusted to achieve a liquid crystal display without coloration over a wide viewing angle range and having a high contrast ratio, and a method of designing the same, as well as a polarizing film and a liquid crystal display using the same. A liquid crystal display comprising a liquid crystal cell and polarizing films in a Cross-Nicol relationship with each other on both sides of the liquid crystal cell; wherein at least one polarizing film includes a retardation film having reverse wavelength dispersion property; and the liquid crystal display further includes a retardation film having a wavelength dispersion property substantially the same as a liquid crystal layer configuring the liquid crystal cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Sakai
  • Publication number: 20110234953
    Abstract: A product comprising a patterned optically anisotropic layer having two or more regions of different birefringence in the form of a pattern, comprising at least an intensity gradation-type pixel of approximately uniform birefringence and an area gradation-type pixel comprising two or more of drawing units of different birefringence, and each region of a single birefringence in the patterned optically anisotropic layer comprising a plurality of the drawing units is provided. The product permits the formation of full-color images (latent images) and includes delicate color representation, such as the densities of particular colors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Inventors: Ichirou Amimori, Kouki Takahashi, Takeshi Fujii
  • Patent number: 8027002
    Abstract: A vertical alignment type liquid crystal display, which has a liquid crystal layer whose retardation value is about 600 nm or more, can solve the viewing angle problems associated with the wider viewing angle. The liquid crystal display can include a vertical alignment liquid crystal cell, and first and second polarizing plates cross-Nicol disposed on respective sides of the liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal cell has a liquid crystal layer with a retardation of about 600 nm or more. A biaxial plate is provided between the liquid crystal cell and the first polarizing plate, and two C-plates are provided between the liquid crystal cell and the second polarizing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Stanley Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Sugiyama, Yoshihisa Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 8023081
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device of a simplified structure and a widened viewing angle are provided. The liquid crystal display device having a stacked structure with its component plates and layers laid one over another in the following top-down order, comprises a first polarizing plate of ? in optic-axial angle, a first ?/2 retardation plate of ? in the optic-axial angle, a first ?/4 retardation plate of ? in the optic-axial angle, a liquid crystal layer located as an interlayer between two of substrates and having its opposite major surfaces oriented in vertical directions, a second ?/4 retardation plate disposed in phase or in parallel with the first ?/4 retardation plate (i.e., the optic-axial angle of ?), a second ?/2 retardation plate of (2???) in the optic-axial angle, and a second polarizing plate of (?/2??+2?) in the optic-axial angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: TPO Hong Kong Holding Limited
    Inventor: Minoru Shibazaki
  • Patent number: 8018556
    Abstract: A LCD device includes a LC cell including a homogeneously-oriented LC layer and a pair of transparent substrates. A pair of polarizing films sandwiching therebetween the LC cell. A protective layer of the light-emitting-side polarizing film has an optical isotropy, and protective layer of the light-incident-side polarizing film has an thickness-wise retardation of 20 to 90 nm. A biaxial optical anisotropic film is interposed between the light-emitting-side polarizing film and the LC cell, and a second optical anisotropic film for cancelling the wavelength dispersion caused by the biaxial optical anisotropic film is interposed between the light-incident-side polarizing film and the LC cell. The biaxial optical anisotropic film has three-dimensional refractive indexes ns, nf and nz that satisfy therebetween (ns?nz)/(ns?nf)?0.5%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd
    Inventor: Hiroshi Nagai
  • Patent number: 8018557
    Abstract: A retardation compensator 40 for compensating for residual retardation of a liquid crystal panel 11 includes a retardation compensating plate 50 having birefringence. An in-plane retardation R0c of the retardation compensating plate 50 and an in-plane retardation R0p of the liquid crystal panel 11 satisfy a relationship of 1<R0c/R0p?10, thereby allowing changes in the amount of compensated retardation among rotation angles occurring when the retardation compensating plate 50 is set with respect to the liquid crystal panel 11 to be confined within narrow limits. Therefore, the contrast can be adjusted readily, and variations in residual retardation among the individual liquid crystal panels 11 can be accommodated flexibly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yutaka Muramoto, Satoshi Sekino, Hideki Terashima, Tatsuya Harima, Sachie Shoji, Noriaki Doi, Tokuhiro Morioka
  • Patent number: 8018554
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device, in which a liquid crystal layer is held between a pair of substrates, includes a plurality of pixels and a retardation layer. Each of the plurality of pixels includes a transmissive display area and a reflective display area. The retardation layer is arranged at a position that at least overlaps the reflective display areas and on an inner surface side of the pair of substrates. The retardation layer is formed so as to extend over the reflective display areas of at least two adjacent pixels among the plurality of pixels. The retardation layer has a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion is located on one of the two adjacent pixels. The second end portion is opposite the first end portion and located on the other pixel of the two adjacent pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shin Fujita
  • Patent number: 8017199
    Abstract: A cellulose acylate film comprising at least one retardation raising agent having specific rod-like polarizability anisotropy or specific plane polarizability anisotropy, and specific distance between terminals of a molecule in a specific amount; a process for producing the same; and a polarizing plate and liquid crystal display using the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Nobutaka Fukagawa, Osamu Ochida, Shigeki Uehira, Tomohiro Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8013964
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device uses a first quarter-wave retardation film and a hybrid aligned nematic film to reduce light leakage in dark state for reaching high contrast ratio, and uses multiple-gamma IC to provide different gamma-curve signals for pixels of different colors to solve color shift problem. In addition, the liquid crystal display device may use a second quarter-wave retardation film to reduce light leakage when viewed in a wide angle so as to further provide higher contrast ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: AU Optronics Corp.
    Inventors: Cheng Lo, Yung-Lun Lin, Ching-Sheng Cheng, Chih-Jen Hu
  • Patent number: 7999894
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal cell including a liquid crystal layer twist-aligned at 90° sandwiched between a pair of substrates, first and second polarizing layers arranged to sandwich the liquid crystal cell therebetween so that their absorption axes set to parallel with directions crossing aligning treatment directions of the substrates at 45°, and viewing angle compensating plates respectively arranged between the polarizing layers and the liquid crystal cell. A total value of retardations in a thickness direction, defined as a value of a product of a phase difference within a plane perpendicular to substrate surfaces of the liquid crystal cell and a layer thickness, of optical layers present between the polarizing layers is set to a value that substantially cancels out a retardation in a liquid crystal layer thickness direction when a saturation voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Ohsawa, Tetsushi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 7999895
    Abstract: A contrast compensator for improving the panel contrast of liquid crystal (LC) microdisplays having a high-order waveplate configured as an O-plate and supporting a thin film transistor layer is provided. The contrast compensator includes a counter high-order waveplate configured as an O-plate, which has a birefringence opposite in sign to a birefringence of the thin film transistor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation
    Inventors: Kim Leong Tan, Nada A. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 7999893
    Abstract: The present invention provides a complex birefringent medium, which has the so-called inverse wavelength dispersibility, that is, a wavelength dispersibility capable of giving an optimum phase difference to a light of a wide visible wavelength range, has a wide viewing angle, can be produced by a convenient method and is excellent in a degree of adjusting freedom of inverse wavelength dispersibility and in mass productivity, a polarizing plate and a liquid crystal display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Sakai, Takayuki Natsume, Masahiro Hasegawa, Kazuhiko Tsuda, Nobuaki Yamada
  • Patent number: 7995159
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus, includes a liquid crystal panel including a first substrate, a second substrate disposed in an opposing relationship to the first substrate with a space left, and a liquid crystal layer provided in the space between the first and second substrates, the liquid crystal panel including a pixel region in which a plurality of pixels are provided on the faces of the first and second substrates which oppose to each other such that illuminating light irradiated from the first substrate side upon the second substrate side is transmitted through the pixel region to display an image, and the liquid crystal panel further including a light scattering layer provided on the face of the first substrate on which the illuminating light is illuminated and configured to scatter and transmit the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Harumi Okuno, Osamu Ishige, Masumitsu Ino
  • Patent number: 7990494
    Abstract: A peripheral part of a substrate 1A includes a straight line part 1a. Similarly, a peripheral part of a substrate 1B includes a straight line part. A peripheral part of a polarizing plate 2 is formed of a curved part, and includes a straight line part 2a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsuko Oono, Tatsuaki Kuji, Yoshitaka Yamada
  • Patent number: 7990493
    Abstract: A laminated optical film including a first optical anisotropic layer, and a second optical anisotropic layer, wherein Relationship (1) is satisfied when a slow phase axis of the first optical anisotropic layer is substantially perpendicular to a slow phase axis of the second optical anisotropic layer, ?10 nm??Re1??Re2?10 nm??Relationship (1) wherein Relationship (2) is satisfied when the slow phase axis of the first optical anisotropic layer is substantially parallel to the slow phase axis of the second optical anisotropic layer, and ?10 nm??Re1+?Re2?10 nm ??Relationship (2) wherein an in-plane retardation value Re of the film as a whole satisfies 30 nm?Re?500 nm, where ?Re1 denotes a value calculated from “Re1 (at an RH of 80%)—Re1 (at an RH of 50%)” concerning the first optical anisotropic layer, and ?Re2 denotes a value calculated from “Re2 (at an RH of 80%)—Re2 (at an RH of 50%)” concerning the second optical anisotropic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Shun Nakamura, Yasuyuki Sasada
  • Patent number: 7990502
    Abstract: A liquid-crystal display device comprising a liquid-crystal cell, a first polarizing element and a second polarizing element disposed on either side of the liquid-crystal cell respectively, a first retardation layer between the first polarizing element and the liquid-crystal cell, and a second retardation layer between the second polarizing element and the liquid-crystal cell, wherein a transmission axis of the first polarizing element is perpendicular to the slow axis of the first retardation layer; and a transmission axis of the second polarizing element is parallel to the slow axis of the second retardation layer; and the first retardation layer and the second retardation layer satisfy the formula (1) 0 nm<?Re1(548)??Re2(548)?50 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Nobutaka Fukagawa, Hajime Nakayama, Hirofumi Toyama
  • Patent number: 7973890
    Abstract: An optical compensation film includes an optical film and a retardation film. The optical film provides a plate retardation in the direction of thickness (Rth), while the retardation film is disposed on the optical film. The retardation film includes first retarders and second retarders, wherein the first retarders are disposed on at least partial areas of the optical film and provide a first planar retardation (Ro1); the second retarders are disposed on partial areas of the optical film but outside the first retarders and provide a second planar retardation (Ro2) and the first planar retardation (Ro1) is different from the second planar retardation (Ro2). The above-mentioned optical compensation film is capable of compensating the displays for different display areas in a liquid crystal display panel. In addition, the present invention also provides a fabricating method of optical compensation film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Au Optronics Corporation
    Inventors: Yue-Shih Jeng, Zeng-De Chen, Kuan-Yi Hsu, Chih-Ming Chang, Feng-Yuan Gan
  • Patent number: 7969543
    Abstract: This invention pertains to the design and construction of retardation films (or plates) with any targeted dispersive property, including those with no wavelength dependence for the entire visible range. In particular, this invention deals with specific design of films with broadband (achromatic) quarterwave and halfwave retardation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Hoi-Sing Kwok, Xing-Jie Yu
  • Patent number: 7969540
    Abstract: A transflective liquid crystal display with uniform cell gap configuration throughout the transmissive and the reflective display region is invented. Mutually complementary common electrode pattern and reflector pattern or mutually complementary ITO pixel electrode pattern and reflector pattern produce an electric field in the transmissive display region that has a uniform longitudinal field and an electric field in the reflective display region that is a fringing field. An initially vertically aligned negative dielectric anisotropic nematic liquid crystal material between the electrodes forms a smaller tilt angle with respect to the substrate normal in the reflective display region while a larger tilt angle with respect to the substrate normal in the transmissive display region. Consequently, the ambient incident light experiences smaller phase retardation in the reflective display region while the light from the backlight source experiences larger phase retardation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignees: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc., Toppoly Optoelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Xinyu Zhu, Zhibing Ge, Shin-Tson Wu
  • Patent number: 7965359
    Abstract: Self-compensating, quasi-homeotropic liquid crystal devices (100, 200, 300, 400) overcome the contrast reducing effects of smaller pretilt angles. The devices exhibit extremely high contrast ratio but at the same time suppress fringe field-induced disclination lines in high pixel density and small pixel size quasi-homeotropic displays. The surface pretilt (520, 540) and cell twist (570) angles are set at values that, in combination, contribute to establishing a cuspate singularity in the contrast ratio for normally incident light in response to a drive signal switching the liquid crystal device to the OFF director field state that provides nearly 0% optical efficiency. The OFF director field state corresponds to a subthreshold drive level that provides for the liquid crystal device self-compensation for in plane optical retardation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Cuspate, LLC
    Inventors: Terry J. Scheffer, Jiuzhi Xue
  • Patent number: 7956966
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an very thin achromatic quarter wave film laminate for transflective LCD included in an LCD polarizer. More specifically, the very thin achromatic quarter wave film laminate for transflective LCD has a considerably reduced thickness, as compared to conventional quarter wave films in which anisotropic polymeric films are laminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyuk Yoon, Je-Hyuk Yoo, Moon-Soo Park
  • Patent number: 7956956
    Abstract: An ECB-mode liquid crystal display device having a pair of substrates 9 and 12, a liquid crystal layer 11, a pair of polarizing plates (1,3,5) (16,18,20) and at least one optically anisotropic layer 7 and/or 14, wherein they are disposed such that the absorption axes 4 and 19 of the polarizing films 3 and 18 in the polarizing plates are parallel or vertical to the left-rightward direction of the screen of the display device. The orientation axes 10 and 13 of the substrates 9 and 12 and the orientation axes 8 and 15 of the optically anisotropic layers 7 and 14 preferably cross the absorption axes 4 and 19 of the polarizing films 3 and 18 of the adjacent polarizing plates at an angle of 45°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yukito Saitoh, Yusuke Ohashi, Katsufumi Ohmuro
  • Patent number: 7956938
    Abstract: A retardation compensation plate having a birefringent property for compensating residual retardation of a liquid crystal panel includes: a combined unit formed of an optical multi-layered film composed of a plurality of layers having different refractive indices stacked in a regular order and a polymer film. In the retardation compensation plate, the retardation compensation plate and the liquid crystal panel have in-plane retardations that satisfy the relationship: 1<R0c/R0p?10, where R0c is an in-plane retardation of the retardation compensation plate and R0p is an in-plane retardation of the liquid crystal panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yutaka Muramoto
  • Patent number: 7956965
    Abstract: This invention provides a vertically aligned liquid crystal display, including a first polarizing plate and a second polarizing plate having absorption axes perpendicular to each other and a vertically aligned panel provided therebetween and including vertically aligned liquid crystals having negative dielectric anisotropy, in which a +A-film and a +C-film are provided between the first polarizing plate and the vertically aligned panel, the +C-film is positioned between the first polarizing plate and the +A-film, and the optic axis of the +A-film is parallel to or perpendicular to the absorption axis of the first polarizing plate. According to this invention, the contrast of the vertically aligned liquid crystal display can be improved at surface-facing angle and tilt angle thereof and the color shift depending on the viewing angle in a dark state can be minimized, thus greatly increasing the viewing angle range of the vertically aligned liquid crystal display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Byoung Kun Jeon, Sergey Belyaev, Nikolay Malimonenko, Jun Won Chang, Soo Jin Jang
  • Publication number: 20110128484
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and second substrates. The first substrate includes first to N-th 1st retardation plates arranged on the first transparent substrate, and the second substrate includes first to N-th 2nd retardation plates arranged on the second transparent substrate. Assuming that a retardation plate among the first to N-th 1st retardation plates has an optical axis arranged at a first angle relative to a reference direction and a retardation plate among the first to N-th 2nd retardation plates, corresponding to the retardation plate among the first to N-th 1st retardation plates, has an optical axis arranged at a second angle relative to the reference direction, the first and second angles are different from each other by about 90 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Publication date: June 2, 2011
    Applicant: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
    Inventors: HIDENORI IKENO, MICHIAKI SAKAMOTO, TAKAHIKO WATANABE, TERUAKI SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 7952658
    Abstract: An in-plane-switching-mode (IPS) LCD device includes a TFT substrate and a CF substrate sandwiching therebetween an LC layer, and a pair of polarizing films sandwiching therebetween the substrates and the LC layer. Each polarizing film has a polarization layer and a protective layer. An optical compensation layer having a birefringence is disposed between the light-emitting-side polarizing film and to the CF substrate. The optical compensation layer has an in-plane retardation of N1 satisfying the following relationship: 83.050?0.810×D1?N1?228.090?0.74D1 in the range of 0<D1?80 ?m, wherein D1 is the thickness of the protective layer of the light-incident-side polarizing film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nagai, Hidenori Ikeno
  • Patent number: 7952667
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate; a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a first polarizer provided on a surface of the first substrate which is on the opposite side to the liquid crystal layer; a second polarizer provided on a surface of the second substrate which is on the opposite side to the liquid crystal layer; a first phase compensation element provided between the first polarizer and the liquid crystal layer; and a second phase compensation element provided between the second polarizer and the liquid crystal layer. A plurality of pixel areas are provided for display. The first substrate includes at least one transmissive electrode, and the second substrate includes a reflective electrode region and a transmissive electrode region in correspondence with each of the plurality of pixel areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masumi Kubo, Yozo Narutaki, Shogo Fujioka, Yuko Maruyama, Takayuki Shimada, Youji Yoshimura, Mikio Katayama, Yutaka Ishii, Shinya Yamakawa, Atsushi Ban
  • Patent number: RE43123
    Abstract: A vertical alignment mode liquid crystal display device having an improved viewing angle characteristic is disclosed. The 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 is 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 to regulate azimuths of the oblique orientations of the liquid crystal when the intermediate voltage is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Sasabayashi, Arihiro Takeda, Katsufumi Ohmuro, Yoshio Koike, Shingo Kataoka, Takahiro Sasaki, Kenji Okamoto, Tsuyoshi Kamada, Shougo Hayashi, Hideaki Takizawa, Keiji Imoto, Hidefumi Yoshida, Hiroyasu Inoue, Yoji Taniguchi, Satoshi Murata