公开(公告)号：US20210349346A1

公开(公告)日：2021-11-11

申请号：US16870219

申请日：2020-05-08

Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Inventor： NATHAN JAMES SMITH ,  ANDREW ACREMAN ,  ENRICO ANGIONI ,  MIHO YAMADA ,  AKIRA SAKAI

IPC: G02F1/1335 ,  G02B5/30

Abstract: A method of fabricating a reactive mesogen (RM) guest-host polarizer is disclosed. The method includes forming an RM guest-host polarizer material on a substrate that promotes a substantially uniform planar alignment configuration of the RM guest-host molecules, forming a temporary layer on the RM guest-host polarizer material to align RM guest-host molecules of the RM guest-host polarizer material in the substantially uniform planar alignment configuration, performing polymerization of the RM guest-host polarizer material, and removing the temporary layer from the RM guest-host polarizer. The temporary layer includes at least one of a temporary fluid layer, a temporary particulate layer, a temporary gaseous layer, a temporary vacuum layer, and a temporary alignment substrate layer.

公开(公告)号：US20220382100A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-01

申请号：US17329774

申请日：2021-05-25

Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Inventor： ANDREW ACREMAN ,  Nathan James SMITH ,  DAVID JAMES MONTGOMERY

IPC: G02F1/1335 ,  G02F1/13363

Abstract: A composite lens system may include one or more first optical elements configured to provide a first focal length selected from a first continuous range of focal lengths, as well as one or more second optical elements configured to provide a discrete focal length selected from a plurality of discrete focal lengths. The one or more first optical elements and the one or more second optical elements may be configured in series such that the composite lens system provides an output focal length based on a combination of the selected first focal length and the selected discrete focal length.

公开(公告)号：US20220137450A1

公开(公告)日：2022-05-05

申请号：US17089655

申请日：2020-11-04

Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Inventor： NATHAN JAMES SMITH ,  JACK WEST ,  ANDREW ACREMAN

IPC: G02F1/1335 ,  G02F1/13357 ,  G02F1/13363 ,  G02F1/1337

Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus that has increased contrast in displayed images, from the viewing side includes; a first external linear polarizer layer having a transmission axis aligned along in a first direction, a color filter substrate layer. A patterned color filter layer including individual color filters, a guest-host in-cell polarizer alignment layer an in-cell guest-host polarizer layer having a transmission axis aligned along the first direction, a first liquid crystal (LC) alignment layer, an LC layer, a second LC alignment layer, a first electrode layer, a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate layer, a second external polarizer layer having a transmission axis aligned along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a backlight unit configured for illuminating the LCD apparatus.

公开(公告)号：US20220397792A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-15

申请号：US17347973

申请日：2021-06-15

Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Inventor： ANDREW ACREMAN ,  Nathan James SMITH

IPC: G02F1/1335 ,  G02F1/137 ,  G02F1/1337 ,  G02F1/1343 ,  G02F1/01

Abstract: A reflective display apparatus is provided. The reflective display apparatus includes a textured sub-micron metal film textured in a periodic manner, a phase change material (PCM) layer, and a phase change control layer that is configured to change reflection properties of the textured sub-micron metal film by causing the PCM to switch between at least two of a plurality of phases.

公开(公告)号：US20220397711A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-15

申请号：US17342964

申请日：2021-06-09

Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Inventor： Nathan James SMITH ,  JIYUN YU ,  ANDREW ACREMAN ,  KIYOSHI MINOURA ,  AKIRA SAKAI ,  MASAHIRO HASEGAWA ,  MIHO YAMADA

IPC: G02B5/30 ,  G02F1/1335 ,  G02B1/18

Abstract: A polarizer for use with a display device having a viewing area and a non-viewing area includes a patterned hydrophobic layer, a patterned lyotropic liquid crystal (LC) polarizer layer, a lyotropic LC polarizer alignment layer, a reactive mesogen (RM) quarter wave plate (QWP) layer, an RM QWP alignment layer, a substrate, and an adhesive. The patterned hydrophobic layer surrounds the patterned lyotropic LC polarizer layer. The patterned hydrophobic layer is wholly contained within the non-viewing area of the display device. The substrate is adjacent to the RM QWP alignment layer, and the adhesive is disposed between the substrate and the display device.