The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 23, 1999
Filed:
Jun. 05, 1995
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A liquid crystal apparatus comprises a liquid crystal device comprising a group of scanning electrodes and a group of signal electrodes intersecting each other to form an electrode matrix, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed in a non-helical alignment state so as to form a picture element at each intersection of the scanning electrodes and the signal electrodes. Drive means are provided for: (a) applying a scanning selection signal and a scanning non-selection signal to the scanning electrodes, the scanning selection signal comprising a voltage of one polarity and a voltage of the other polarity, respectively with reference to a voltage level of the scanning nonselection signal, and being applied in a period for selecting one scanning electrode, (b) in a period of applying the voltage of one polarity, applying signals to the signal electrodes for causing one orientation state of the chiral smectic liquid crystal, so as to non-selectively erase the picture elements on a scanning electrode to which the scanning selection signal is applied, and (c) periodically applying the scanning selection signal to the scanning electrodes.