Patents by Inventor Akira Sakai

Akira Sakai has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230375873
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device sequentially including: a first polarizer; a liquid crystal panel; a second polarizer; a biaxial retarder; a third polarizer; and a backlight including a light source and a prism sheet disposed closer to the viewing surface side than the light source is. The prism sheet includes prisms arranged in multiple columns on a surface close to the viewing surface side. The liquid crystal display has a light diffusion property curve having no side lobe or having a side lobe satisfying a ratio of a local maximum luminance to a local minimum luminance of 1.35 or less, the light diffusion property curve being obtained by plotting a luminance in a white display state in a direction perpendicular to ridge lines of the prisms against a polar angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Inventors: Yuichi KAWAHIRA, Masahiro HASEGAWA, Ryosuke SAIGUSA, Akira SAKAI
  • Patent number: 11822181
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device sequentially including: a first polarizer; a liquid crystal panel; a second polarizer; a biaxial retarder; a third polarizer; and a backlight including a light source and a prism sheet disposed closer to the viewing surface side than the light source is. The prism sheet includes prisms arranged in multiple columns on a surface close to the viewing surface side. The liquid crystal display has a light diffusion property curve having no side lobe or having a side lobe satisfying a ratio of a local maximum luminance to a local minimum luminance of 1.35 or less, the light diffusion property curve being obtained by plotting a luminance in a white display state in a direction perpendicular to ridge lines of the prisms against a polar angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Sharp Display Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Yuichi Kawahira, Masahiro Hasegawa, Ryosuke Saigusa, Akira Sakai
  • Publication number: 20230367156
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device having high luminance and high CR in a front direction and especially useful as a head-mounted liquid crystal display device, for example. The liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal panel; an optical element; and a backlight, arranged in this order from a viewing surface side. The optical element includes a first polarizer, a retardation layer, and a second polarizer. The first polarizer, the retardation layer, and the second polarizer are arranged in this order from the viewing surface side. The first polarizer and the second polarizer are reflection polarizers. A reflection axis of the first polarizer and a reflection axis of the second polarizer are parallel to each other. In oblique directions at azimuths of 0°, 45°, and 90° at a polar angle of 60°, a polarization state of light incident on the first polarizer is elliptical polarization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Inventors: Yuichi KAWAHIRA, Masahiro HASEGAWA, Ryosuke SAIGUSA, Akira SAKAI
  • Publication number: 20230333402
    Abstract: Provided are 3D glasses capable of reducing crosstalk when disposed on the viewer side of a liquid crystal panel that is time-divisionally driven; an optical device including the 3D glasses; and a three-dimensional image display device including the optical device. The 3D glasses include a right-eye polarizer and a left-eye polarizer, the right-eye polarizer and the left-eye polarizer each including a polarizing plate and a first ?/4 plate, at least one of the right-eye polarizer or the left-eye polarizer including a phase difference layer on or behind a back surface side of the polarizing plate, wherein a phase difference introduced by the right-eye polarizer in a thickness direction at a wavelength of 550 nm is different from a phase difference introduced by the left-eye polarizer in the thickness direction at a wavelength of 550 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Masahiro HASEGAWA, Akira SAKAI, Kiyoshi MINOURA
  • Publication number: 20230333427
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a first polarizing plate, a first substrate including a thin-film transistor, a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules, a second substrate, a second polarizing plate, and a backlight. The first polarizing plate, the first substrate, the liquid crystal layer, the second substrate, the second polarizing plate, and the backlight are arranged in this order. The first substrate has a display area and a frame area placed on an outer edge of the display region. The liquid crystal display device has an ink layer between the frame area of the first substrate and the first polarizing plate. The liquid crystal display device has an internal reflectance ratio y of 0.2 to 0.3. The internal reflectance ratio y is expressed by Formula (1-1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Akira HIRAI, Yuichi KAWAHIRA, Akira SAKAI
  • Publication number: 20230314868
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device in which reflection and light leakage from oblique directions are reduced or prevented. The liquid crystal display device includes, sequentially in the following order from a back surface side: a first polarizer; a liquid crystal panel; a second polarizer; a first retardation layer; and a third polarizer, wherein light transmitted in an oblique direction between the second polarizer and the third polarizer is elliptically polarized light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: Akira SAKAI, Ryosuke SAIGUSA, Yuichi KAWAHIRA, Masahiro HASEGAWA, Kiyoshi MINOURA
  • Patent number: 11774813
    Abstract: Provided are a liquid crystal display device that can increase light use efficiency and reduce external light reflection, and a method of producing the liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal display device sequentially includes, from a back surface side toward a viewing surface side: a first substrate; a liquid crystal layer; and a second substrate, the liquid crystal display device including sub-pixels each including an optical opening allowing light to pass through, the first substrate sequentially including, from the back surface side toward the viewing surface side: a supporting substrate; a metal layer surrounding the optical openings; and a resist layer being superimposed with the metal layer and being in contact with the metal layer, an end of the resist layer being superimposed with an end of the metal layer and having a taper angle ? of 40° or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Sharp Display Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Yuichi Kawahira, Akira Hirai, Akira Sakai
  • Publication number: 20230281845
    Abstract: An information processing device acquires output image data that is acquired by inputting image data indicating a pseudo-shadow area to an auto-encoder that is generated by machine learning using label image data contained in training data, the label image data indicating a shadow area in ultrasound image data of a captured target. The information processing device generates augmented data corresponding to the training data by combining the acquired output image data with the ultrasound image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2022
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Applicant: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Suguru YASUTOMI, Akira SAKAI, Takashi KATOH, Kento UEMURA
  • Publication number: 20230271086
    Abstract: A control system includes: one or more memories configured to store instructions; and one or more processors communicatively connected to the one or more memories and configured to execute the instructions to: acquire status data indicative of a status of a game from a game system configured to progress the game played by one or more players; generate commentary information to be played by a terminal apparatus to which a game video representative of the status of the game is delivered, the commentary information being to be played in conjunction with the game video; and use the status data and setting data specifying a commentary condition to generate the commentary information on the status of the game under the commentary condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2023
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Applicant: Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki KANAHARA, Shigeru CHIBA, Tsuguo SHINPO, Kai INOUE, Junki HIRAI, Akira SAKAI
  • Publication number: 20230229048
    Abstract: Provided is an optical element including: a first liquid crystal cell; and a second liquid crystal cell, with no polarizing plate between the first and second liquid crystal cells. The first liquid crystal cell includes a first liquid crystal layer containing first liquid crystal molecules, and a first electrode pair which applies voltage to the first liquid crystal layer. The second liquid crystal cell includes a second liquid crystal layer containing second liquid crystal molecules, and a second electrode pair which applies voltage to the second liquid crystal layer. With no voltage applied to the first and second liquid crystal layers, an alignment direction of the first liquid crystal molecules near the second liquid crystal cell in the first liquid crystal layer is parallel to an alignment direction of the second liquid crystal molecules near the first liquid crystal cell in the second liquid crystal layer in a plan view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Akira SAKAI, Masahiro HASEGAWA
  • Publication number: 20230229967
    Abstract: A machine learning process including identifying a first axis including elements represented by one-hot vectors and a second axis including elements not represented by one-hot vectors, among a plurality of axes included in tensor-form data, when calculating a core tensor from the tensor-form data via a plurality of intermediate tensors, calculating the core tensor from the tensor-form data by a first process of concatenating elements included in a first element matrix corresponding to the first axis to elements included in a first intermediate tensor among the plurality of intermediate tensors and a second process of calculating a mode product between a second intermediate tensor among the plurality of intermediate tensors and a second element matrix corresponding to the second axis, and performing machine learning of a machine learning model with the core tensor as an input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Applicant: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Arseny TOLMACHEV, Akira SAKAI, Masaru TODORIKI
  • Publication number: 20230182015
    Abstract: A program recorded in a computer-readable recording medium causes a processor of a server apparatus communicable with a game apparatus that executes a video game and generates video information indicative of a video of the video game. The program causes a processor of the server apparatus to function as: a distribution information generator configured to generate distribution information indicative of a distributed video based on the video information; and a modifiable replaying information generator configured to generate modifiable replaying information that indicates a progress status of the video game in the game apparatus and that enables a modifiable replaying of a game, of the video game in which a user of a terminal apparatus plays the video game under the progress status of the video game, in the terminal apparatus configured to display the distributed video based on the distribution information generated by the distribution information generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2023
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Applicant: Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru CHIBA, Hiroshi Tanibuchi, Junki Hirai, Kai Inoue, Tsuguo Shinpo, Akira Sakai, Toshiaki Kanahara
  • Publication number: 20230185123
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device and a polarizing plate capable of improving the contrast ratio in the front direction. The polarizing plate includes a pair of polarizers including a first polarizer and a second polarizer whose transmission axes are parallel to each other; a retarder between the paired polarizers; and a diffusion layer in at least one of a region between the paired polarizers or a region on a side without the retarder of the first polarizer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2023
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventors: AKIRA SAKAI, YUICHI KAWAHIRA, MASAHIRO HASEGAWA, KIYOSHI MINOURA
  • Publication number: 20230185139
    Abstract: Provided are a liquid crystal display device that can increase light use efficiency and reduce external light reflection, and a method of producing the liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal display device sequentially includes, from a back surface side toward a viewing surface side: a first substrate; a liquid crystal layer; and a second substrate, the liquid crystal display device including sub-pixels each including an optical opening allowing light to pass through, the first substrate sequentially including, from the back surface side toward the viewing surface side: a supporting substrate; a metal layer surrounding the optical openings; and a resist layer being superimposed with the metal layer and being in contact with the metal layer, an end of the resist layer being superimposed with an end of the metal layer and having a taper angle ? of 40° or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2022
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventors: Yuichi KAWAHIRA, Akira HIRAI, Akira SAKAI
  • Patent number: 11676361
    Abstract: A method includes: acquiring data including moving image obtained by photographing a target and annotation images each indicative of a region of the target in each of frame images in the moving image; executing a process using the data. The process includes: detecting the target in the frame images; inputting, to an auto-encoder, an image obtained by combining partial images including the target and peripheral region images of the target detected in a given number of preceding and succeeding second frame images in a time series of the moving image of a first frame image; inputting a partial image corresponding to the first frame image to a neural network performing a segmentation; updating parameter of the auto-encoder and the neural network based on a difference between an image obtained by combining images from the auto-encoder and the neural network and a partial image of the annotation image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignees: FUJITSU LIMITED, RIKEN, NATIONAL CANCER CENTER
    Inventors: Akira Sakai, Masaaki Komatsu, Ai Dozen
  • Patent number: 11668966
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device includes: a display region for displaying an image; and a frame region surrounding the display region, the liquid crystal display device sequentially including from a viewing surface side toward a back surface side: a first polarizing plate; a first substrate provided with a switching element connected to a gate line and a source line; a liquid crystal layer; a second substrate; and a second polarizing plate, in the frame region, the first substrate sequentially including from a viewing surface side toward a back surface side a support substrate, a reflectance-reducing layer, and a metal line layer that overlaps the reflectance-reducing layer and includes at least one of a gate line layer provided with the gate line or a source line layer provided with the source line, the reflectance-reducing layer having a lower viewing surface side reflectance than the metal line layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akira Hirai, Yuichi Kawahira, Akira Sakai
  • Publication number: 20230132944
    Abstract: A control system includes: at least one memory that stores a program; and at least one processor that implements the program to: manage a contest in which a plurality of participants play a competitive video game; accept a registration request of each of a plurality of users; and determine a pair of (i) any participant of the plurality of participants and (ii) any user of the plurality of users. The pair will be players of the competitive video game.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Applicant: Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru CHIBA, Akira SAKAI, Junki HIRAI, Kai INOUE, Tsuguo SHINPO, Toshiaki KANAHARA, Yoshihiko NARITA
  • Publication number: 20230095922
    Abstract: Provided are a polarizing plate including a polarizing layer containing a lyotropic liquid crystal compound and capable of achieving uniform polarization properties over a large area, and a display device equipped with the polarizing plate. The polarizing plate includes: an alignment film; and a polarizing layer on the alignment film. The alignment film contains an alignment film polymer, has a static contact angle with water of 60° or smaller, and has a slow axis. The polarizing layer contains a lyotropic liquid crystal compound and has an absorption axis parallel to the above slow axis. The lyotropic liquid crystal compound is preferably dichroic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Inventors: Miho YAMADA, Akira SAKAI, Masahiro HASEGAWA, Yuichi KAWAHIRA, Hiroaki ASAGI
  • Publication number: 20230091665
    Abstract: A program recorded on a computer-readable recording medium causes a processor of a game apparatus to function as a game controller that executes a video game and generates video information indicative of a video of the video game; and an acquirer that acquires message information that is output from a terminal apparatus configured to display a distributed video that is based on the video information, the message information including a message related to at least one of the distributed video or the video game. The game controller incorporates the message included in the message information into the video of the video game, based on progress status information indicative of a progress status of the video game.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Applicant: Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru CHIBA, Junki Hirai, Kai Inoue, Akira Sakai, Tsuguo Shinpo, Toshiaki Kanahara
  • Publication number: 20230085798
    Abstract: A program recorded on a computer-readable recording medium causes a processor of a game apparatus to function as a game controller configured to execute a video game and generate video information indicative of a video of the video game; and a generator configured to generate analysis information obtained by analyzing a plurality of pieces of game message information output from a plurality of terminal apparatuses configured to display a distributed video based on the video information. The game controller is configured to impart to the video of the video game at least one of a visual effect that is in accordance with the analysis information or an auditory effect that is in accordance with the analysis information, and each piece of game message information output from the plurality of terminal apparatuses includes a message related to at least one of the distributed video or the video game.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Applicant: Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru CHIBA, Hiroshi TANIBUCHI, Junki HIRAI, Kai INOUE, Tsuguo SHINPO, Akira SAKAI, Toshiaki KANAHARA