IP Library Granted Patent US 12,455,482
Granted Patent B2
US 12,455,482 · App. 18/404,038 · Granted Oct 28, 2025

Electronic apparatus incorporating a liquid crystal element

Inventors: Akio Takimoto (Tokyo, JP); Toshiki Kaneko (Tokyo, JP); Takuo Kaitoh (Tokyo, JP); Kazuhiro Nishiyama (Tokyo, JP); Hiroyuki Kimura (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Magnolia White Corporation
G02F1/137G02B6/0055G02F1/133528G09G3/36H04N23/57G09G2360/145
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,455,482
App. No.
18/404,038
Granted
Oct 28, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a camera, a first polarizer, a second polarizer, a liquid crystal panel, and a controller controlling the liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal panel includes a first region and a second region. The controller controls a first opening mode of transmitting light through the first region and the second region, and a second opening mode of making a quantity of light transmitted through the first region smaller than a quantity of light transmitted through the second region.

Claims (20)

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a camera;

a liquid crystal element overlapping on the camera;

a first annular electrode;

a second annular electrode;

a memory storing a program for controlling opening of the liquid crystal element;

a driver driving the liquid crystal element; and

a controller controlling the memory and the driver,

wherein

the liquid crystal element includes a first region and a second region that are overlaid on the camera, in plan view,

the first region is arranged surrounding the second region,

the first annular electrode is arranged in the first region,

the second annular electrode is located inside the first annular electrode in the second region, and

the program includes a first opening mode of transmitting light through the first region and the second region, and a second opening mode of making a quantity of the light transmitted through the first region smaller than a quantity of the light transmitted through the second region.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the liquid crystal element further includes a third region surrounding the first region,

the controller controls the liquid crystal element to display an annular first pattern in the third region corresponding to the first opening mode and to display an annular second pattern in the third region corresponding to the second opening mode, and

an area of an opening pattern displayed inside the annular second pattern is smaller than an area of an opening pattern displayed inside the annular first pattern.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the liquid crystal element further includes a third region surrounding the first region, and the liquid crystal element includes a color pixel including a color filter in the third region.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 27, 2025
From: JAPAN DISPLAY INC.
To: MAGNOLIA WHITE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 073057/0042 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 4, 2024
From: TAKIMOTO, AKIO; KANEKO, TOSHIKI; KAITOH, TAKUO; NISHIYAMA, KAZUHIRO; KIMURA, HIROYUKI
To: JAPAN DISPLAY INC.
Reel/Frame 066019/0926 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-123159 · Jun 28, 2018 · national
Continuity (4)
Continuation 18148072 · Dec 29, 2022
Continuation 17126475 · Dec 18, 2020
Continuation PCTJP2019020783 · May 24, 2019
Related Publication 20240142840A1 · May 2, 2024
References Cited (23)
US 20060066783A1 · Sampsell · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20110310290A1 · Oouchida · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20120195580A1 · Itoh · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20150084945A1 · Kizu et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20160161664A1 · Ishida et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20170053592A1 · Shin et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20190089880A1 · Murao · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190243427A1 · Nakamura · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190377222A1 · Smith et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200014780A1 · Jones · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210232249A1 · Evans, V et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
CN 105431753A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
CN 109239997A · 2019 [cited by examiner]
JP 980581A · 1997 [cited by applicant]
JP 2014211573A · 2014 [cited by applicant]
JP 2015129869A · 2015 [cited by applicant]
JP 2017040908A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
WO 2015022887A1 · 2015 [cited by applicant]
WO 2017075459A1 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
Decision of Rejection issued on Sep. 19, 2023, in corresponding Chinese Application No. 201980042873.X; 3 pages. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report issued Jul. 23, 2019 in PCT/JP2019/020783 filed May 24, 2019, 1 page. [cited by applicant]
English machine translation of Notice of Reasons for Refusal issued May 24, 2022 in Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-123159, 4 pages. [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued on Feb. 9, 2023, in corresponding Chinese Application No. 201980042873.X; 8 pages. [cited by applicant]