Abstract: A pointing device including a base section, an operating section shiftably supported on the base section, a magnet carried on one of the base section and the operating section, and a magneto-electro transducer carried on the other of the base section and the operating section at a location close to the magnet. The operating section includes a first part securely holding one of the magnet and the magneto-electro transducer and supported on the base section shiftably in a desired horizontal direction relative to the base section, and a second part connected to the first part and elastically biasing the first part toward a home position in a horizontal shifting range during a period when the first part is horizontally shifted along the base section.

Abstract: An image processing unit (300) for processing an image that is to be displayed in a plurality of sub-fields on a plasma display panel (406), has a storage (304) for storing the set of combinations of sub-fields that are available as intensity levels, and a selector (310) for selecting, from the storage, a particular combination for a pixel to be displayed. The difference regarding sub-fields between a first one of the combinations representing a first available illumination level, and a second one of the combinations representing the next higher illumination level, has been limited, the limiting including control such that only a limited number of the sub-fields that are switched on in the first one of the combinations, are not switched on in the second one of the combinations.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to enhancing a user's interaction with a physical document, such as a page of a book, by supplying the user with additional information related to the physical document in a simple, easy to use fashion. Exemplary embodiments provide this additional information as digital content that is displayed as an overlay upon the document. The overlay can be in the form of a flat digital display that can be moved about a surface of the physical document. The absolute position of the movable display is tracked, so that digital content presented on the display is related to a particular position of the display over the document. This capability can be exploited to, for example, provide an on-the-fly translation of a particular document, with the translation being provided as the movable display is scanned over the words printed on a document to be translated.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a liquid crystal display apparatus driving method capable of preventing display quality deterioration caused by action of DC voltage components exerted on a liquid crystal layer. Common electrode potential set at counter potential K5 for correcting a first DC voltage component &Dgr;V1 ascribable to parasitic capacitance of TFT is shifted to correction potential K6 for correcting a second DC voltage component &Dgr;V2 ascribable to characteristics of each substrate. Since the second DC voltage component &Dgr;V2 ascribable to difference in characteristics between the substrates and the first DC voltage component &Dgr;V1 ascribable to parasitic capacitance are corrected beforehand, the DC voltage component acting upon the liquid crystal layer is kept as small as possible, thereby preventing an image persistence or the like, so that the reliability of the liquid crystal display apparatus improves.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for dynamically rendering transparent ink strokes, in some situations such that the rendered ink stroke has transparency similar to physical ink while it is being drawn. For example, the ink stroke may be dynamically rendered as a stroke having uniform transparency while it is being drawn. Only the new ink segment that has most recently been added to the stroke may be drawn, and areas of the new ink segment that overlap older segments of the ink stroke may be frozen, or excluded from being re-painted.

Abstract: Values are calculated which control the manner in which a display streamer directs the movement of display data. The values are stored in the display streamer.

Abstract: A driving apparatus comprises switches SW1 to Sw3, a first signal line OUTA, and a second signal line OUTB. By ON/OFF control of the switches SW1 to Sw3, the voltage of the first signal line OUTA is changed between a positive voltage (+1/2V) level, which is smaller than a voltage V to be applied to a load 20, and the ground level, and the voltage of the second signal line OUTB is changed between the ground level and a negative voltage (−1/2V). By ON/OFF control of switches SW4 and SW5, the positive and negative voltages given by the first and second signal lines are selectively applied to the load 20. The maximum voltage applied to each element in the driving apparatus can be thereby lowered to the voltage (1/2V), which is smaller than the voltage V to be applied to the load 20. This makes it possible to hold down the breakdown voltage of each element to half the conventional value.

Abstract: An optical fingertip tracker, which may be a pseudo trackball, responds to the motion of the texture on one of the user's digits pressed against an image input aperture to produce motion signals processed within an appliance to be controlled. The appliance may have a minimal GUI, such as an LCD display having only a modest number of low resolution pixel locations and/or preestablished characters or icons. An appliance control parameter is set or adjusted in response to translation of the fingertip along a particular axis. E.g., to enter a parameter value (volume) a changing bar graph can be displayed. The display might even be omitted; to set the tone control of an audio appliance it can be sufficient to simply adjust the tone until the result is as desired. A numeric display of control parameter digits may be desirable, as when moving the fingertip tunes a receiver. There can be several particular axes along which fingertip movement changes an associated appliance control parameter.

Abstract: A display device (506) is driven in a number of sub-fields. Each of the sub-fields is for outputting a respective illumination level by the display device. In each sub-field, a pixel of the displayed image may emit an amount of light corresponding to the particular sub-field, depending on whether it is switched on or not. A required intensity level of the pixel is realized by selecting an appropriate combination of sub-fields in which the pixel is switched on. A selection is made from the possible intensity levels that can be generated by all possible combinations of sub-fields. This selection contains those intensity levels that can be generated by sub-fields that are temporally close together, thus causing that the light of a pixel is emitted during a relatively short period. The image display unit (300) has a look-up table (306) for storing the combinations of sub-fields for the respective selected intensity levels.

Abstract: An operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) circuit, and a liquid crystal display that uses such an OTA circuit, having a controlled slew rate. The OTA has an output that drives a load, beneficially a liquid crystal display panel. That OTA includes a first current source that sinks a first tail current, and a second current source that selectively sinks a second tail current. That second current source is selected by a control signal applied to a switch. When the second current source sinks the additional second tail current the slew rate of the OTA is increased. When used in a liquid crystal display, the OTA drives the liquid crystal display panel with a ramp. During ramp fly back, the second current source sinks the second tail current and increases the slew rate.

Abstract: An apparatus, method and algorithm for the economical, intuitive rotational control of a three dimensional object displayed on a computer monitor. The computer input device consists of a tracked ball, with a directed source emanating from it, that is housed in an enclosure which allows for the free rotation of the ball. The ball sits on a bearing within a base equipped with an array of sensors. Activated sensors are grouped in such a way that the positions of the detected sources can be determined. A 3×3 orientation matrix is then computed to allow applications programs to present a graphical object in the same orientation as the orientation that the user has given to the ball in the input device.

Abstract: A display device (506) is driven in a number of sub-fields. Each of the sub-fields is for outputting a respective illumination level by the display device. In each sub-field, a pixel of the displayed image may emit an amount of light corresponding to the particular sub-field, depending on whether it is switched on or not. A required intensity level of the pixel is realized by selecting an appropriate combination of sub-fields in which the pixel is switched on. A selection is made from the possible intensity levels that can be generated by all possible combinations of sub-fields. The selected intensity levels are uniformly spaced on a perceptual scale, allowing a relatively small number of intensity levels for displaying an image with a relatively high perceived quality. The image display unit (300) has a the combinations of sub-fields for the respective selected intensity levels.