Patents by Inventor Gen Ichimura

Gen Ichimura 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: 20190165919
    Abstract: A signal is transmitted at a high speed in a direction opposite to a transmitting direction of a main large-capacity channel. A first transmitting unit transmits a first signal including a clock component to an external device through a transmission path as a differential signal. A second transmitting unit superimposes a second signal including a clock component on the transmission path as an in-phase signal to transmit to the external device. A state notifying unit communicates with the external device through a pair of differential transmission paths included in the transmission path and notifies the external device of a connection state of its own device by a DC bias potential of at least one of the pair of differential transmission paths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: KAZUAKI TOBA, GEN ICHIMURA
  • Patent number: 10291948
    Abstract: It is made possible to easily acquire and use various kinds of information of each HDMI device in an HDMI cluster. A database in which at least an HDMI CEC logical address, an HDMI CEC physical address, and acquisition destination information for acquiring unique information are registered for each HDMI device in an HDMI cluster is included. A processing unit performs processing using this database. For example, the processing unit transmits the database to an external device. Also, for example, the processing unit displays an HDMI device in an HDMI cluster, a connection status thereof, and unique information of each HDMI device on the basis of this database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Miyazaki, Gen Ichimura, Kazuaki Toba
  • Patent number: 10255875
    Abstract: Transmission of a high-definition video signal or the like that requires a wide transmission band is realized. A video signal is divided by frames to generate divisional video signals, and the respective divisional video signals are transmitted to an external device via transmission channels independent of one another Transmission of a high-definition video signal or the like that requires a wider transmission band than the transmission band of one transmission channel can be realized in a preferred manner. For each frame, first information indicating the existence of the other divisional video signal to be combined therewith and second information for establishing synchronization with the other divisional video signal to be combined therewith are added to the divisional video signals to be transmitted by a data transmitting unit. In the external device, a reception video signal can be easily obtained by arranging the divisional video signals in the frame order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuaki Toba, Gen Ichimura
  • Publication number: 20190094479
    Abstract: There is provided a cable including at least one optical fiber cable, at least two electrical cables provided so as to sandwich the optical fiber cable, and plugs positioned at both ends and each having an electrical contact part connected to each of the electrical cables.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: KAZUYOSHI SUZUKI, GEN ICHIMURA, HIDEYUKI SUZUKI, KAZUAKI TOBA, MASANARI YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 10222567
    Abstract: There is provided an electronic device including: a receptacle comprising at least two electrical contacts and a plurality of a light-emitting parts configured to emit laser light for performing communication by light to a sink device; and a light emission control part configured to control emission of laser light from the plurality of light-emitting parts, wherein the light emission control parts starts control of the emission of the laser light from the plurality of light-emitting parts by a current when a cable is connected to the receptacle and the current flow to the electrical contacts from the sink device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Suzuki, Gen Ichimura, Hideyuki Suzuki, Kazuaki Toba, Masanari Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10218488
    Abstract: A signal is transmitted at a high speed in a direction opposite to a transmitting direction of a main large-capacity channel. A first transmitting unit transmits a first signal including a clock component to an external device through a transmission path as a differential signal. A second transmitting unit superimposes a second signal including a clock component on the transmission path as an in-phase signal to transmit to the external device. A state notifying unit communicates with the external device through a pair of differential transmission paths included in the transmission path and notifies the external device of a connection state of its own device by a DC bias potential of at least one of the pair of differential transmission paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuaki Toba, Gen Ichimura
  • Publication number: 20190005968
    Abstract: To enable to favorably send a compressed digital audio signal at a high data rate. First, second, and third metadata are added to a compressed digital audio signal of a predetermined number of channels. The first metadata is metadata indicating a sending frequency of the compressed digital audio signal. The second metadata is metadata indicating a sampling frequency used for converting an uncompressed digital audio signal of each channel into an analog signal. The third metadata is metadata indicating a ratio of the sending frequency to the sampling frequency. The compressed digital audio signal provided with each type of the metadata is transmitted to an external device through a predetermined sending path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2016
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Inventor: GEN ICHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20180294998
    Abstract: A video signal and an audio signal are TMDS transmitted from a source device to a sink device. Through a reserved line and a HPD line provided separately from a TMDS transmission line, an Ethernet™ signal is bidirectionally transmitted, and also, a SPDIF signal is transmitted from the sink device to the source device. The Ethernet™ signal bidirectionally transmitted between Ethernet™ transmitter/receiver circuits is differentially transmitted by an amplifier and is received by the amplifier. The SPDIF signal from a SPDIF transmitter circuit is common-mode transmitted from an adder and is received by the adder to be supplied to the SPDIF receiver circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Gen Ichimura, Hidekazu Kikuchi, Yasuhisa Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20180247671
    Abstract: A plurality of kinds of LPCM signals/compression digital audio signals is switched to one another in transmission, thereby enabling audio reproduction to be satisfactorily carried out. A digital audio signal is transmitted to an external apparatus through a predetermined transmission path. Information associated with the digital audio signal to be next transmitted is added to the digital audio signal which is currently being transmitted. For example, first metadata exhibiting a transmission frequency of the digital audio signal, and second metadata exhibiting a data type of the digital audio signal are contained in the information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventor: GEN ICHIMURA
  • Patent number: 10033553
    Abstract: A video signal and an audio signal are TMDS transmitted from a source device to a sink device. Through a reserved line and a HPD line provided separately from a TMDS transmission line, an Ethernet™ signal is bidirectionally transmitted, and also, a SPDIF signal is transmitted from the sink device to the source device. The Ethernet™ signal bidirectionally transmitted between Ethernet™ transmitter/receiver circuits is differentially transmitted by an amplifier and is received by the amplifier. The SPDIF signal from a SPDIF transmitter circuit is common-mode transmitted from an adder and is received by the adder to be supplied to the SPDIF receiver circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Gen Ichimura, Hidekazu Kikuchi, Yasuhisa Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20180184037
    Abstract: Bidirectional transmission is performed by switching transmission directions of a serial transmission path. A transmission system includes first and second devices which perform transmission to each other through a transmission path. The first device includes a first transmission circuit which performs transmission to the second device through the transmission path, and a first transmission direction reversal control unit which opens the transmission path after making a request for reversal of a transmission direction in the transmission path to the second device, and reverses the transmission direction at the first transmission circuit in response to permission for reversal from the second device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventors: KAZUAKI TOBA, GEN ICHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20180091575
    Abstract: It is possible to perform favorable content reproduction on a reception side. An encoded stream including a plurality of pieces of encoded data having degree-of-priority information is acquired. Among the plurality of pieces of encoded data, decoding processing is performed with respect to a piece of encoded data having a predetermined or more degree of priority, and a decoded stream including decoded data is generated. Further, among the plurality of pieces of encoded data, an encoded stream including a piece of encoded data having less than the predetermined degree of priority is generated. The decoded stream and the encoded stream are simultaneously transmitted as a partially decoded stream to the reception side via a digital interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2016
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: KAZUAKI TOBA, GEN ICHIMURA, SATOSHI MIYAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20180069911
    Abstract: To make it possible to apply optimal decoding processing to an encoded stream including a plurality of pieces of encoded data having degree-of-priority information. An encoded stream including a plurality of pieces of encoded data having degree-of-priority information is acquired. Whether or not a decoding ability of a reception side is equal to or greater than a decoding ability of the own side is determined on the basis of decoding ability information of the reception side indicating to what number of degree of priority decoding can be performed. In a case where the decoding ability of the reception side is equal to or greater than the decoding ability of the own side, an encoded stream is transmitted. On the contrary, in a case where the decoding ability of the reception side is less than the decoding ability of the own side, a decoded stream including decoded data generated by subjecting the encoded stream to decoding processing is transmitted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2016
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: KAZUAKI TOBA, GEN ICHIMURA, SATOSHI MIYAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20180054644
    Abstract: It is made possible to easily acquire and use various kinds of information of each HDMI device in an HDMI cluster. A database in which at least an HDMI CEC logical address, an HDMI CEC physical address, and acquisition destination information for acquiring unique information are registered for each HDMI device in an HDMI cluster is included. A processing unit performs processing using this database. For example, the processing unit transmits the database to an external device. Also, for example, the processing unit displays an HDMI device in an HDMI cluster, a connection status thereof, and unique information of each HDMI device on the basis of this database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Publication date: February 22, 2018
    Inventors: SATOSHI MIYAZAKI, GEN ICHIMURA, KAZUAKI TOBA
  • Patent number: 9900653
    Abstract: An external device may recognize, in the case of including a communication unit that executes communication via a communication path made up of a pair of differential transmission paths included in a transmission path, information relating to the communication unit thereof. A disk recorder transmits function information indicating that a communication unit (high-speed data line I/F 213) configured to execute communication with an external device via a communication path made up of a reserve line and an HPD line of an HDMI cable to a television receiver via a CEC line that is a control data line of the HDMI cable. The television receiver receives function information, whereby whether or not the disk recorder is an eHDMI-compatible device can be determined, and in the case of an eHDMI-compatible device, a compatible transmission format (application) can be recognized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Kitano, Kazumoto Kondo, Toshihide Hayashi, Gen Ichimura
  • Publication number: 20180041286
    Abstract: A communication device includes a transmitter configured to generate a data signal, and a controller configured to stop an operation of the transmitter in response to an optical transmission stop instruction. The optical transmission stop instruction preferably has a predetermined bit pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2016
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Inventors: Toshihisa Hyakudai, Masanari Yamamoto, Takeshi Ogura, Tsugita Komatsu, Hiroshi Morita, Gen Ichimura
  • Publication number: 20180011272
    Abstract: There is provided a cable including at least one optical fiber cable, at least two electrical cables provided so as to sandwich the optical fiber cable, and plugs positioned at both ends and each having an electrical contact part connected to each of the electrical cables.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Inventors: KAZUYOSHI SUZUKI, GEN ICHIMURA, HIDEYUKI SUZUKI, KAZUAKI TOBA, MASANARI YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170302633
    Abstract: To make high-level copyright protection of transmission audio data possible. Audio data is sequentially transmitted to a reception side via a predetermined transmission channel for each unit audio data. Audio data to be transmitted is encrypted, and encryption information indicating that the audio data has been encrypted is added to the audio data. For example, the encryption information is added using a predetermined bit area of a channel status of each block that is configured every predetermined number of unit audio data pieces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventor: GEN ICHIMURA
  • Patent number: 9791650
    Abstract: There is provided a cable including at least one optical fiber cable, at least two electrical cables provided so as to sandwich the optical fiber cable, and plugs positioned at both ends and each having an electrical contact part connected to each of the electrical cables.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Suzuki, Gen Ichimura, Hideyuki Suzuki, Kazuaki Toba, Masanari Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20170289613
    Abstract: To enable multichannel audio data to be transmitted favorably. Multichannel audio data of a predetermined number of channels is acquired. The multichannel audio data has a sampling frequency corresponding to the predetermined number of channels. Audio data of the respective channels configuring the multichannel audio data are sequentially transmitted to a reception side via a predetermined transmission channel for each unit audio data. Information indicating the sampling frequency is added to the transmission audio data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: GEN ICHIMURA