US5594570A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Liquid crystal display device and method for producing the same
Assignee: Sharp Corp
•
Filing: 1995-05-30
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Granted: 1997-01-14
•
Expires: 2015-05-30
Abstract
Abstract A liquid crystal display device which includes a pair of substrates; a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates; and an electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer is disclosed. The liquid crystal layers includes liquid crystal molecules, and is divided into a plurality of regions having different twist angles from one another.
Inventors
- 👤 Mitsuaki Hirata
- 👤 Akihiro Nammatsu
- 👤 Noriko Watanabe
- 👤 Shigeaki Mizushima
- 👤 Seiji Makino
- 👤 Hiroko Iwagoe
- 👤 Kei Oyobe
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 15:30
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02F; G02F1/00; G02F1/01; G02F1/13; G02F1/133; G02F1/1333; G02F1/1337; G02F1/133753; G02F1/133757; G02F1/133761; G02F1/13378; G02F1/133788
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
141 words
A liquid crystal display device, comprising: a pair of substrates; a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates and including liquid crystal molecules; and an electrode layer for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, wherein the electrode layer includes a plurality of areas, and each of the plurality of areas and an area of the liquid crystal layer in positional correspondence with the each of the plurality of areas of the electrode layer are included in a pixel, the liquid crystal layer includes two regions in the pixel, the two regions having opposite reference orientation directions and occupying different ratios of a surface area of the pixel, and the liquid crystal layer includes a vertical orientation region between the two regions, the vertical orientation region including the liquid crystal molecules oriented vertically with respect to the substrates.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
141 words
A liquid crystal display device, comprising: a pair of substrates; a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates and including liquid crystal molecules; and an electrode layer for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, wherein the electrode layer includes a plurality of areas, and each of the plurality of areas and an area of the liquid crystal layer in positional correspondence with the each of the plurality of areas of the electrode layer are included in a pixel, the liquid crystal layer includes two regions in the pixel, the two regions having opposite reference orientation directions and occupying different ratios of a surface area of the pixel, and the liquid crystal layer includes a vertical orientation region between the two regions, the vertical orientation region including the liquid crystal molecules oriented vertically with respect to the substrates.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
51 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising an alignment layer sandwiched between one of the pair of substrates and the liquid crystal layer and another alignment layer sandwiched between the other substrate and the liquid crystal layer, wherein the alignment layers are formed of an organic polymer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 2, wherein the organic polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polyamide, polystyrene, epoxy acrylate, spirane acrylate and polyurethane.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, which is a twisted nematic type and is operated in a normally white mode.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
190 words
A liquid crystal display device, comprising: a pair of substrates: a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates and including liquid crystal molecules; an alignment layer sandwiched between one of the pair of substrates and the liquid crystal layer and another alignment layer sandwiched between the other substrate and the liquid crystal layer, and an electrode layer for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, wherein the electrode layer includes a plurality of areas, and each of the plurality of areas and an area of the liquid crystal layer in positional correspondence with the each of the plurality of areas of the electrode layer are included in a pixel; at least one of the alignment layers includes a horizontal orientation area having a property for aligning the liquid crystal molecules horizontally with respect to the substrates and a vertical orientation area having a property for aligning the liquid crystal molecules vertically with respect to the substrates; and the vertical orientation area has a shape selected from the group consisting of a point-like shape, a curved line, and a combination of a curved line and a straight line.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
190 words
A liquid crystal display device, comprising: a pair of substrates: a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates and including liquid crystal molecules; an alignment layer sandwiched between one of the pair of substrates and the liquid crystal layer and another alignment layer sandwiched between the other substrate and the liquid crystal layer, and an electrode layer for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, wherein the electrode layer includes a plurality of areas, and each of the plurality of areas and an area of the liquid crystal layer in positional correspondence with the each of the plurality of areas of the electrode layer are included in a pixel; at least one of the alignment layers includes a horizontal orientation area having a property for aligning the liquid crystal molecules horizontally with respect to the substrates and a vertical orientation area having a property for aligning the liquid crystal molecules vertically with respect to the substrates; and the vertical orientation area has a shape selected from the group consisting of a point-like shape, a curved line, and a combination of a curved line and a straight line.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 5, wherein each of the pixels has the vertical orientation area.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 6, wherein the vertical orientation area has a point-like shape formed in correspondence with the center of each of the pixels.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, wherein the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are oriented radially around the vertical orientation area.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 8, wherein the liquid crystal layer includes a dichroic dye.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, wherein the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are oriented concentrically around the vertical orientation area.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 5, further comprising a black mask having a light blocking area, wherein the light blocking area is located in positional correspondence with the vertical orientation area.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 5, wherein a surface area of the vertical orientation area is not more than 50% with respect to a total surface area of the pixels.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
171 words
A liquid crystal display device, comprising: a pair of substrates; a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates and including liquid crystal molecules; an alignment layer sandwiched between one of the pair of substrates and the liquid crystal layer and another alignment layer sandwiched between the other substrate and the liquid crystal layer, and an electrode layer for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, wherein the electrode layer includes a plurality of areas, and each of the plurality of areas and an area of the liquid crystal layer in positional correspondence with the each of the plurality of areas of the electrode layer being included in a pixel; at least one of the alignment layers includes a horizontal orientation area having a property for aligning the liquid crystal molecules horizontally with respect to the substrates and a vertical orientation area having a property for aligning the liquid crystal molecules vertically with respect to the substrates; and each of the pixels includes a plurality of vertical orientation areas.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
171 words
A liquid crystal display device, comprising: a pair of substrates; a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates and including liquid crystal molecules; an alignment layer sandwiched between one of the pair of substrates and the liquid crystal layer and another alignment layer sandwiched between the other substrate and the liquid crystal layer, and an electrode layer for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, wherein the electrode layer includes a plurality of areas, and each of the plurality of areas and an area of the liquid crystal layer in positional correspondence with the each of the plurality of areas of the electrode layer being included in a pixel; at least one of the alignment layers includes a horizontal orientation area having a property for aligning the liquid crystal molecules horizontally with respect to the substrates and a vertical orientation area having a property for aligning the liquid crystal molecules vertically with respect to the substrates; and each of the pixels includes a plurality of vertical orientation areas.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of vertical orientation areas have a shape selected from the group consisting of a point-like shape, a straight line and a curved line.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-01-14 | 2000-07-15 | 2001-01-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-01-14 | 2004-07-15 | 2005-01-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-01-14 | 2008-07-15 | 2009-01-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |