Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoshihiro Onitsuka

Tadashi Mihara

Osamu Taniguchi

Hiroshi Inoue

Atsushi Mizutome

Akira Tsuboyama

Hiroshi Takabayashi

Makoto Uehara

Hirofumi Iwamoto

Toshiyuki Kanda

Masahiro Terada

Hisao Tajima

Shigeki Yabu

Katsumi Kurematsu

Hidemasa Mizutani

Satoshi Yoshihara

Toshiaki Itazawa

Takao Miyamoto

Masanori Takahashi

Osamu Yuki

Hideyuki Kawagishi

Tetsuya Shimada

Takashi Yamamoto

Yasushi Shioya

Mitsuo Iwayama

Hiroyuki Yokomizo

Yasushi Maeda

Kumiharu Takai

Hidetarou Tsuchiya

A display apparatus features an optical modulation device including a plurality of pixels and a pair of electrodes to which a voltage is applied, and an illumination device for illuminating the optical modulation device instantaneously and successively with a plurality of monochromatic lights of different colors in a frame period to provide a full-color image in combination with application of the voltage to the electrodes of the optical modulation device thereby effecting a full-color display over a succession of the prescribed period. A controller divides each frame period into two periods including a first period for displaying a full-color image at each pixel and a second period immediately after the first period and for placing the optical modulation device in a non-display state, thus effectively suppressing an after image phenomenon adversely affecting a full-color image display in a subsequent frame period.

Display apparatus having a liquid crystal device with separated first and second thin film transistors

Display apparatus having a full-color display

A liquid crystal apparatus comprises scanning electrodes and data electrodes intersecting with each other to form a pixel at each intersection, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal disposed between the scanning electrodes and data electrodes. The apparatus includes a first unit for applying to the scanning electrodes at least two scanning selection signals in at least two vertical scanning periods; the scanning selection signals having mutually different waveforms and each having a pulse of one or the other voltage polarity with respect to the level of a voltage applied a scanning electrode when it is not selected; and a second unit for applying data pulses to the data electrodes in phase with said pulse of one or the other voltage polarity. The first unit and second unit in combination apply a fore voltage pulse to a pixel on a scanning electrode selected by application of the pulse of one or the other voltage polarity prior to each application of a writing voltage formed by combination of the pulse of one or the other polarity and an information pulse. The fore voltage pulse has a polarity opposite to that of the writing voltage and an amplitude which is 1/2 or less of that of the writing voltage.

Liquid crystal apparatus

A display apparatus includes a display unit for displaying images, a backlight unit disposed behind the display unit for illuminating the display unit, an inverter unit for electrically controlling the backlight unit, a controller unit for controlling the inverter unit and the display unit, and a power supply unit having an exothermic heat distribution for supplying electricity to the inverter unit and the controller unit. The inverter unit and controller unit are disposed behind the backlight unit and the power supply unit is disposed on a side of the display unit, backlight unit, inverter unit and controller unit. The display unit, backlight unit, inverter unit, controller unit and power supply unit are disposed in a common housing. The inverter unit and the controller unit are arranged behind the backlight unit. An insulating member is further disposed between the power supply unit and the display unit at a position corresponding to a region of relatively large exothermic heat of the power supply unit, and the insulating member is disposed at a diagonal position with respect to the inverter unit. The display apparatus may be supported by a support structure including vertically tilting and laterally turning mechanisms.

Display apparatus

A backlight device suitable for illuminating a transmission-type display device, such as a liquid crystal device, is constituted by a reflection member for reflecting light, a transmission member disposed opposite to the reflection member so as to form a space from the reflection member, and a light source disposed to emit light into the space. Light issued from the light source into the space is reflected by the reflection member and transmitted through the transmission member. The transmission member is preferably provided with a reflection layer having apertures having an aperture ratio which increases with an increase in distance from the light source toward a center of the space in a linear function, a hyperbolic function or a function intermediate therebetween of the distance from the light source. Between the transmission member and the display device, a prism sheet and/or a diffusion sheet may be disposed so as to improve the frontal illumination performance.

Backlight device for display apparatus

A liquid crystal apparatus comprises a) a liquid crystal device comprising an electrode matrix composed of scanning electrodes and data electrodes, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal; and b) a driving means. The driving means includes a first drive means for applying a scanning selection signal two or more scanning electrodes apart in one vertical scanning so at to effect in one picture scanning in plural times of vertical scanning, and a second drive means for applying data signals in synchronism with the scanning selection signal.

An illumination device for a liquid crystal display apparatus to be disposed on a back side of a liquid crystal display panel is constituted by a plurality of illumination circuits, and plural hot cathode tubes including at least one hot cathode tube associated with each illumination circuit. Each illumination circuit includes a life detection circuit for detecting an end of life of a hot cathode tube, and a turn-off circuit for turning off the hot cathode tube depending on an output of the life detection circuit. Each illumination circuit controls said at least one hot cathode tube associated therewith independently from the other hot cathode tubes. As a result, even when a hot cathode tube approaches its end of life, the illumination device can be partially turned off to allow an operator to continue the operation on the liquid crystal display apparatus.

Illumination device for liquid crystal display apparatus

An illumination device includes a plurality of linear light sources disposed with a prescribed spacing therebetween, a light guide means disposed between or among the linear light sources, and a reflection means disposed behind the light guide means so that light issued from the linear light sources is transmitted through the light guide means and reflected by the reflection means to be emitted in a direction forward from the light guide means. Further, a luminance distribution-adjusting means for reflecting light transmitted through the light guide means is disposed along the light guide means in a disribuption density which varies continuously at a changing rate free from discontinuity so as to adjust the luminance distribution of the light emitted in the direction forward from the light guide means. The illumination device may be suitably used as a backlight behind a liquid crystal panel to provide a liquid crystal display apparatus having improved display qualities.

Illumination device and liquid crystal display apparatus including same

An illumination device includes: a linear light source; first reflection means disposed opposite to and with a spacing from the linear light source; a light guide means disposed between the linear light source and the first reflection means; and a second reflection means disposed behind the light guide means so that light issued from the linear light source is transmitted through the light guide means and reflected by the first and second reflection means to be emitted in a direction forward from the light guide means. Further, a luminance distribution-adjusting means for reflecting light transmitted through the light guide means is disposed along the light guide means in a distribution density which varies at a changing rate free from discontinuity so as to adjust the luminance distribution of the light emitted in the direction forward from the light guide means. The illumination device may suitably be used as a backlight unit for a liquid crystal panel to provide a liquid crystal display apparatus having improved display qualities.

Illumination device with luminance distribution adjusting reflection

A rear right source device having a lamp chamber in which straight-tube light source lamps are arranged in the vertical direction. The light source device includes a ventilating hole formed on the upper lateral face of the lamp chamber for releasing the air of the lamp chamber heated by the light source lamps to the extrior, and a seal member mounted on the lower lateral face of the lamp chamber and substantially closing the gap between the lamp and an aperture for inserting the lamp.

Light source for display device

A method of producing an impact resistant liquid crystal display, for a nematic liquid crystal display or a chiral smectic ferroelectric liquid crystal display, includes the steps of fixing a liquid crystal panel onto a panel fixing member so as to substantially expose the liquid crystal panel through an opening of the panel fixing member and disposing an elastic member along a periphery of the panel fixing member. The elastic member is affixed to a supporting member so as to define an almost closed space with the liquid crystal panel, the panel fixing member, the elastic member and the supporting member, whereby an air damping effect is created to suppress flexural deformation of the liquid crystal panel.

Impact resistant liquid crystal apparatus

A liquid crystal display apparatus having scanning electrodes, data electrodes, and ferroelectric liquid crystal material placed between the scanning electrodes and the data electrodes. Scanning signals are applied sequentially to the scanning electrodes to select a scanning electrode. Data signals are applied in synchronization with the scanning signals to place a voltage at the intersection of the data electrode and the selected scanning electrode which will place the ferroelectric material at the intersection into the desired optical state. The scanning signals and the data signals are such that pixels located at the intersection of the non selected scanning electrodes and data electrodes receive an AC voltage superimposed onto a DC voltage. Pixels on selected scanning electrodes may also receive the AC voltage superimposed onto the DC voltage. The DC voltage has its polarity inverted with every vertical scanning period.

Liquid crystal apparatus and driving method

A liquid crystal display apparatus is constituted by: a housing; a liquid crystal panel comprising a liquid crystal disposed between a pair of substrates each provided with electrodes, the liquid crystal panel being affixed to the housing; and a backlight for illuminating the liquid crystal panel, detachably affixed to the housing. A light-transmissive plate, such as a diffusion plate, allowing transmission of light from the backlight is further disposed between the liquid crystal panel and the backlight so as to define an almost closed first space in cooperation with the liquid crystal panel, whereby the first space retaina its almost closed state even when the backlight is detached from the housing.

Liquid crystal display apparatus in which a non-transmissive elastic

A liquid crystal apparatus includes a liquid crystal device including scanning electrodes, data electrodes and a ferroelectric liquid crystal disposed between the scanning electrodes and the data electrodes. A scanning selection signal and a scanning nonselection signal are applied to the scanning electrodes. The data signals are applied to the data electrodes in phase with the scanning selection signal. The average voltage values of the data signals are varied during the period of applying a scanning selection signal.

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Yokohama, Japan

Yoshihiro Onitsuka