Dual Function Layer Or Element Patents (Class 349/162)
  • Patent number: 6721019
    Abstract: There is provided a highly reliable screen input type display device using a touch panel which can facilitate the control of a gap formed between upper and lower substrates and can stabilize the linearity of the resistance value detection of a resistance film, whereby an erroneous detection of coordinated can be eliminated. For this purpose, a tape-like conductive pressure sensitive adhesive member, which is formed by sandwiching a metal foil with conductive pressure sensitive adhesive material, is used at a connection portion between an upper wiring electrode mounted on an upper resistance film formed on an upper substrate and an inter-substrate connection wiring electrode formed on a lower substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Device Engineering Co., Ltd., Hitachi Chiba Electronics, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Kono, Akira Kakinuma, Koji Ishii, Haruhisa Otsuka, Kazuo Ishii
  • Patent number: 6707511
    Abstract: Disclosed are a reflective and transflective liquid crystal display device and its manufacturing method, which can raise light efficiency by removing a depressed part in a reflective device without forming a capacitor contact hole in a storage capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: LG. Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dong Guk Kim, Woong Kwon Kim, Kyoung Su Ha, Heume Il Baek, Yong Beom Kim
  • Patent number: 6600470
    Abstract: The invention relates to driving a transflective liquid-cystal panel in such a manner as to increase a contrast ratio during a transmissive-type display time while appropriately maintaining the brightness during a reflective-type display. The liquidcrystal panel includes a Y driver circuit and an X driver circuit for supplying an applied voltage having an effective value of a magnitude corresponding to the gray scale level indicated by gray scale data to a liquid crystal element, and a driver control circuit for switching the setting of each magnitude of an effective value of an applied voltage with respect to each gray scale level in the X driver circuit to a setting for a reflective-type display in response to the non-switching on of a light source and to a setting for a transmissive-type display in response to the switching on of the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Atsunari Tsuda
  • Patent number: 6404463
    Abstract: A display device is created in particular for a combination instrument of a motor vehicle and has an electro-optic display device; at least one scale device for at least one analog display device which is arranged adjacent to the electro-optic display device, with one section of the scale device covering at least one section (10a; 10b) of the electro-optic display device; and a luminous layer applied to the scale device by which the section of the scale device covering the electro-optic display device as well as the remainder of the scale device can each be lighted at least in part. In this way, space can be saved between the electro-optic display device and the scale device and an esthetic transition is achieved in terms of illumination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Knoll, Ralf Sybrichs, Bernhard Herzog
  • Patent number: 6359668
    Abstract: A retardation film 30 and an upper polarized light separator 20 are provided on the upper side of a liquid crystal cell 10. A diffuser 40, a lower polarized light separator 50, a color filter 60, a PET film 70 and an Al deposited film 80 are provided on the lower side of the liquid crystal cell 10. As the upper polarized light separator 20 and the lower polarized light separator 50, a polarized light separator (reflective polarizer) is used, which reflects linearly-polarized light in one direction as linearly-polarized light in the one direction, and transmits linearly-polarized light in another direction perpendicular to the one direction as linearly-polarized light in the other direction. The light emitted from LED 120 is introduced into a light guide plate 130 between the upper polarized light separator 20 and the retardation film 30 through a light guide 110. Then the light is emitted from the lower side of the light guide plate 130 to the liquid crystal cell 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Chiyoaki Iijima, Seiichi Sakura, Toshihiko Tsuchihashi
  • Patent number: 6320631
    Abstract: A liquid crystal reflective display comprising cholesteric liquid crystal capable of selectively reflecting spectral rays of a specific wavelength in a visible range; and a carrier carrying said cholesteric liquid crystal, wherein at least one of said cholesteric liquid crystal and said carrier contains a coloring agent absorbing spectral rays in a wavelength range different from the selective reflection wavelength of said cholesteric liquid crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masakazu Okada, Takuji Hatano, Kiyofumi Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 6204902
    Abstract: A flexible LCD device includes first and second substrates spaced away from each other in a parallel relationship. An electrode, an insulating layer, and an orientation layer are deposited on each substrate in order. A liquid crystal layer is formed between the first and second substrates. At least one of the first and second substrates is made of at least a sheet of retardation film or at least a sheet of diffuser film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Samsung Display Devices Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sun-Hwa Kim, Byung-Hee Kim, Seung-Gon Kang, Young-Il Choi
  • Patent number: 6184955
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal device comprising a liquid crystal panel, a polarizer 101, which is provided at one side of the liquid crystal panel, absorbing the light of polarized orientation and transmits light of predetermined polarized orientation which is different than the above polarized light component, and a reflective polarizer 109, which is provided on the opposite side of the polarizer relative to the liquid crystal panel, reflecting the predetermined and limited wavelength range of the visible light and transmitting the predetermined light which is different than the above light component, such that a reflective and a transflective liquid crystal device that can display bright and brilliant colors is realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Osamu Okumura
  • Patent number: 6147734
    Abstract: In a combination reflective/transmissive liquid-crystal display device, when the liquid-crystal display device is in the transmissive mode, unpolarized light from a light source passes through a circular polarization separating layer, a half-wavelength layer in the off condition, and a first bidirectional dichroic circular polarizing layer and then strikes a liquid-crystal cell, the retardation value of which, as a result of an electrical field applied thereto, changes so as to shift light 0 to .pi., thereby modulating incident circularly polarized light, which is caused to strike a second bidirectional dichroic circular polarizing layer, the transmitted component in which serves as the display light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Keiji Kashima
  • Patent number: 6124919
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device is constructed such that a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between an upper substrate, which is provided with upper transparent electrodes for forming pixels, and a lower substrate, which is provided with lower transparent electrodes disposed so as to intersect with the upper transparent electrodes. The liquid crystal panel includes a half reflection layer having a reflection function and a transmission function which is formed on the inner surface of the lower substrate as a lower layer of the lower transparent electrodes; an upper retardation film, an upper polarizing plate, and a light diffusing plate which are laminated on the upper substrate; and a lower retardation film and a lower polarizing plate, which are laminated on the surface of the lower substrate. Due to such a construction, the half reflection type liquid crystal display device is capable of providing an image display of high brightness and high contrast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2000
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiichiro Kubo, Yoshikuni Nagashima, Masaru Suzuki, Terunori Saito
  • Patent number: 6008873
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device is made with plastic substrates (#1) and has an isotropic, non-birefringent polynorbornene alignment layer (#4) formed over an electrode pattern (#2). This isotropic, non-birefringent polynorbornene alignment layer also functions as a moisture barrier to prevent degradation of the liquid crystal fluid. No additional moisture barrier layers are needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas J. Swirbel, Patrick M. Dunn
  • Patent number: 6005651
    Abstract: In a display panel, a first substrate is opposed to a second substrate and interposing a liquid crystal/resin composite layer. If the display panel is a transmission type display, a film for absorbing light is formed on a black matrix and between pixel electrodes. If the display panel is a reflection type display, a film for absorbing light is formed between reflection electrodes. Further, a counterelectrode is made from a multi-layer film of dielectric films and a transparent electrically conductive film for preventing reflection. The film for absorbing light includes pigments which can absorb light modulated by the liquid crystal/resin composite layer. By using the display panel, a projection display system of high contrast and high brightness can be constructed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahara, Hideki Ohmae, Hideaki Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 6002460
    Abstract: There is provided a polarizing plate including (a) upper and lower substrates both composed of transparent material, (b) a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the upper and lower substrates, (c) a pair of adhesive layers formed on the upper and lower substrates, respectively, (d) first hard coat layers adhered to the upper and lower substrates, respectively, through the adhesive layers, (e) polarizing layers formed on the first hard coat layers, respectively, (f) a second hard coat layer formed on one of the polarizing layers, and (g) an electrically conductive layer having glare shield function and formed on the other of the polarizing layers. For instance, the electrically conductive layer is composed of a resin in which electrically conductive particles composed of In.sub.2 O.sub.3, SnO.sub.2, or a mixture of In.sub.2 O.sub.3 and SnO.sub.2 are scattered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Yuji Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 5986737
    Abstract: A multi-layer flat panel display screen. The present invention includes a multi-layer flat panel display screen including a rear polarizer for polarizing incident light; a back glass structure disposed adjacent to the rear polarizer; a thin film matrix for selectively polarizing light emitted through the rear polarizer, the thin film matrix including a transistor layer having a two-dimensional matrix of individually addressable transistors; a color filter layer; and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the transistor layer and the color filter layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel E. Evanicky, Leroy Bertrand Keely, Steven Siefert
  • Patent number: 5976297
    Abstract: The present invention provides a transparent functional film comprising a transparent plastic substrate film and a hard coat layer provided thereon, wherein functional ultrafine particles are present in a highly localized form, thereby enabling the functional ultrafine particles to effectively exhibit their function and, at the same time, the hard coat layer to have a good adhesion to the functional ultrafine particle layer; and also an antireflection film and processes for producing the transparent functional film and the antireflection film.A functional ultrafine particle layer 2 is formed on a release film 1. Separately, a resin composition for a hard coat layer is coated on a transparent plastic substrate film 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motohiro Oka, Mitsuru Tsuchiya, Norinaga Nakamura, Kiyotaka Takematsu, Yurie Ota, Hiroko Suzuki, Natsuko Yamashita, Hiroomi Katagiri, Hiroshi Yamada, Toshio Yoshihara
  • Patent number: 5963283
    Abstract: A liquid crystal panel includes a first substrate on which pixel electrodes are formed in a matrix pattern, a second substrate on which a counter electrode is formed, an ultraviolet reducing layer formed on one of the first and second substrates and corresponding to the matrix pattern of the pixel electrodes and a polymer dispersion liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and second. The liquid crystal layer is cured by irradiating ultraviolet light from the side on which the ultraviolet reducing layer is formed. The polymer dispersion liquid crystal layer is arranged between the counter electrode and each pixel electrode and has an average liquid crystal drop diameter which is larger than that arranged in other areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Hideki Omae, Hiroshi Takahara, Shinya Sannohe
  • Patent number: 5920367
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device of the present invention, a white plate light source such as a cool cathode fluorescent tube is provided on a back surface of a liquid crystal cell, i.e., on a surface opposite to a displaying surface of the liquid crystal cell. On a surface opposite to the displaying surface of the liquid crystal panel, a polarizing plate-equipped semitransmitting reflecting plate is provided. The liquid crystal panel is composed of active elements such as MIM (Metal-Insulator-Metal) elements or TFTs (Thin Film Transistors). With this arrangement, discharge of a charge is suppressed by switching of the active element when a voltage is applied to two types of electrodes sandwitching a liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1999
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Kajimoto, Takeshi Seike
  • Patent number: 5907382
    Abstract: A transparent conductive substrate, that has excellent heat resistant characteristic, shock resisting characteristic, chemical resisting characteristic, oxygen barrier characteristic, steam barrier characteristic, and scratch resisting characteristic while the substrate is easy to handle and has a thin, and light-weight structure, is provided. A display apparatus having such a transparent conductive substrate is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Sadao Kajiura, Toshiro Hiraoka, Akira Yoshizumi
  • Patent number: 5886799
    Abstract: The present invention provides a polarizing holographic reflector module useful in the manufacture of a holographically-illuminated liquid crystal display assembly by combination thereof with a partial LCD stack. The polarizing holographic reflector module is substantially quadrangular in shape and comprises a reflective holographic diffuser, a light polarizer, a pressure sensitive adhesive, and a removable protective liner. A method of manufacture is also provided wherein a web of polarizer material having a linear or downweb orientation is roll-to-roll laminated to a web of angularly offset reflective holographic diffusers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: Polaroid Corporation
    Inventors: William J. Molteni, Philip J. Ralli
  • Patent number: 5852487
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus having an input function includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a third substrate; a display medium provided between the first substrate and the second substrate; a first electrode provided between the first substrate and the display medium; a second electrode provided between the second substrate and the display medium; spacers for supporting the second substrate and the third substrate with respect to each other; and at least two electrodes provided between the second substrate and the third substrate. The display medium includes a polymer projection and a liquid crystal region at least partially surrounded by the polymer projection, and the first, second and third substrates are each formed of a polymer material, at least one of the first, second and third substrates has a polarizing function, and at least one of the first, second and third substrates has a phase contrasting function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kohichi Fujimori, Tokihiko Shinomiya, Ippei Inou, Shuichi Kozaki
  • Patent number: 5818558
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of the invention includes: a first substrate and a second substrate, each substrate having an electrode formed thereon; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and a convex pattern formed on a surface of the second substrate so as to face the liquid crystal layer, the convex pattern having an alignment function for controlling an orientation of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer so as to conduct a display in an electrically controlled birefringence mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1998
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Ogishima
  • Patent number: 5751382
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device including a pair of electrode substrates and a display medium sandwiched between the electrode substrates and including a polymeric wall and liquid crystal regions at least partly surrounded by the polymeric wall. In this liquid crystal display device, the polymeric wall is tightly attached to both the electrode substrates. Furthermore, the invention also provides a method for producing a liquid crystal display device including a pair of electrode substrates, at least one of which is transparent, and a display medium including a polymeric wall and liquid crystal regions at least partly surrounded by the polymeric wall and sandwiched between the electrode substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1998
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuaki Yamada, Masahiko Kondo, Masayuki Okamoto, Shuichi Kozaki
  • Patent number: 5739890
    Abstract: This invention relates to a reflection liquid crystal display device using a reflection liquid crystal light bulb and a method for fabricating such liquid crystal display devices, and an object thereof is to provide a liquid crystal display device and its manufacture wherein the numerical aperture of the subpixel is increased to improve the display brightness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Uda, Masami Shinohara, Mamoru Nishida
  • Patent number: 5734449
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof is disclosed, including a storage capacitor part being comprised of a lower storage electrode formed on the same base material as the above, first and second insulation films for isolating the lower storage electrode from a upper storage electrode, an upper storage electrode formed by patterning conductive material deposited on the second insulation film, a third insulation film for isolating the upper storage electrode from the upper structure, and a pixel electrode at the upper side of the third insulation film, thereby providing the required capacitance with the reduced area of the storage capacitance part so as to enhance the brightness of the liquid crystal display apparatus and improve image quality by increasing pixel numbers without the reduction of the brightness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Seok Pil Jang
  • Patent number: 5729318
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device including a pair of electrode substrates and a display medium sandwiched between the electrode substrates and including a polymeric wall and liquid crystal regions at least partly surrounded by the polymeric wall. In this liquid crystal display device, the polymeric wall is tightly attached to both the electrode substrates. Furthermore, the invention also provides a method for producing a liquid crystal display device including a pair of electrode substrates, at least one of which is transparent, and a display medium including a polymeric wall and liquid crystal regions at least partly surrounded by the polymeric wall and sandwiched between the electrode substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1998
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuaki Yamada, Masahiko Kondo, Masayuki Okamoto, Shuichi Kozaki
  • Patent number: 5684550
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device in which a back light is arranged below a liquid crystal display panel having a plurality of pixels arrayed on a transparent substrate surface and in which a prism plate having a plurality of stripe grooves arrayed in parallel is arranged between the liquid crystal display panel and the back light. If the stripe grooves has a pitch .lambda..sub.1 (mm) and if the pixels in parallel with the stripe grooves has a pitch .lambda..sub.2 (mm), the liquid crystal display device is constructed to satisfy a relation of .lambda..sub.1 .ltoreq.0.075.lambda..sub.2 /(.lambda..sub.2 +0.075). This construction can increase the brightness of the back light and prevent the interference fringes from being formed on the display frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Device Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Shibata, Yoshio Toriyama, Naoto Kobayashi, Shiro Ueda
  • Patent number: 5677744
    Abstract: The display apparatus of the invention includes: a first substrate and a second substrate which are disposed so as to face each other; a display medium having variable optical characteristics sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate; a display circuit provided on the first substrate; and a coordinate input section for inputting coordinates of a point on the first substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 14, 1997
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yoneda, Hiroshi Tsujioka, Takao Tagawa
  • Patent number: 5581380
    Abstract: A display device (1) has a display panel (2) which comprises a first substrate (6) on which a first picture electrode (11-27) is provided as well as a substantially parallel second substrate (7) on which a second picture electrode (20) is provided, both substrates (6, 7) sandwiching an electro-optical medium (8). Said electro-optical medium (8) is capable of switching between an at least substantially transparent state and a scattering state under the influence of an electric field. A transparent insulating layer (10) is provided between the first picture electrode (11-17) and the electro-optical medium (8), said insulating layer reflecting the light (30) which, at least during operation, is emitted by a light source (3) and sidelong captured by the panel (2), so that it does not reach the first picture electrode (11-17).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1996
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventor: Anthonie H. Bergman
  • Patent number: RE36161
    Abstract: A display apparatus comprises a first substrate provided with a thin film transistor array as a driving switching element and a second substrate provided with another electrode, and produces a display by electro-optical change generated between these substrates. Visibility of the display is improved in such a way that rays of light incident on the display apparatus are converted into diffusion light. Photoconductive material, in particular amorphous silicon, can be used by covering semiconductive portions of the thin film transistor array of the display apparatus with an intercepting member. In a display apparatus using a thin film transistor array as a driving switching element, a conductive surface electrically insulated from gate lines on a substrate on where the gate lines for the thin film transistor array are formed, such conductive surface acts as a counter electrode of capacitors for storing charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukitoshi Okubo, Yoshiyuki Osada, Masao Sugata, Katsunori Hatanaka, Takashi Nakagiri