Patents by Inventor Hideki Koh

Hideki Koh 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).

  • Patent number: 8289474
    Abstract: A lamp clip (LC) includes a holding portion (11) having grasping pieces (12 and 12) for grasping a fluorescent tube (71), and a supporting column portion (21) for supporting the holding portion (11). Furthermore, a weight (51) is fitted to the supporting column portion (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideki Koh
  • Patent number: 8144109
    Abstract: In a light source inverter rectifier circuits are respectively connected to a CCFL in a substantially U-shaped lamp and a CCFL in a substantially U-shaped lamp, and the outputs from the rectifier circuits are fed to a stabilization circuit. Thus, the stabilization circuit monitors an average of currents flowing through the substantially U-shaped lamps. This makes it possible to make uniform the currents flowing through the substantially U-shaped lamps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideki Koh
  • Patent number: 8004215
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention relates to a lamp abnormality detecting device that detects an abnormality in a lamp. A maximum/minimum extraction circuit outputs, as a maximum current, a current having a maximum current value among currents supplied thereto from lamp drive circuits and outputs, as a minimum current, a current having a minimum current value. A subtraction circuit calculates a difference between the maximum current and the minimum current and outputs an amplified difference as a differential voltage. A comparison circuit compares the differential voltage with a predetermined threshold voltage and outputs a result of the comparison as a control signal. A control circuit stops the operation of the lamp drive circuit when the control signal indicates that the differential voltage is higher than the threshold voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideki Koh
  • Publication number: 20100195016
    Abstract: A backlight unit (82) is provided that includes a plurality of fluorescent tubes (171) that are aligned and a plurality of lamp clips (LC) that hold the fluorescent tubes (171). In the backlight unit (82), when a direction in which the fluorescent tubes (171) extend is an X-direction and a direction in which the fluorescent tubes (171) are aligned is a Y-direction, in a plane defined by the X-direction and the Y-direction, at least three types of lamp clips (LC) arranged in different positions in the X-direction are included.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideki Koh
  • Publication number: 20100182533
    Abstract: A lamp clip (LC) includes a holding portion (11) having grasping pieces (12 and 12) for grasping a fluorescent tube (71), and a supporting column portion (21) for supporting the holding portion (11). Furthermore, a weight (51) is fitted to the supporting column portion (21).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideki Koh
  • Publication number: 20100033097
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention relates to a lamp abnormality detecting device that detects an abnormality in a lamp. A maximum/minimum extraction circuit outputs, as a maximum current, a current having a maximum current value among currents supplied thereto from lamp drive circuits and outputs, as a minimum current, a current having a minimum current value. A subtraction circuit calculates a difference between the maximum current and the minimum current and outputs an amplified difference as a differential voltage. A comparison circuit compares the differential voltage with a predetermined threshold voltage and outputs a result of the comparison as a control signal. A control circuit stops the operation of the lamp drive circuit when the control signal indicates that the differential voltage is higher than the threshold voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2008
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Inventor: Hideki Koh
  • Publication number: 20090262279
    Abstract: In a light source inverter rectifier circuits are respectively connected to a CCFL in a substantially U-shaped lamp and a CCFL in a substantially U-shaped lamp, and the outputs from the rectifier circuits are fed to a stabilization circuit. Thus, the stabilization circuit monitors an average of currents flowing through the substantially U-shaped lamps. This makes it possible to make uniform the currents flowing through the substantially U-shaped lamps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2006
    Publication date: October 22, 2009
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideki Koh
  • Publication number: 20090103281
    Abstract: In a backlight device, lamp units including cold cathode-ray tubes (straight-tube lamp portions) and inverter circuits (driving circuits) for driving to switch on the cold cathode-ray tubes are arranged along a direction that is substantial perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the cold cathode-ray tubes. Further, the inverter circuits of the lamp units are disposed separately on one end portion side and other end portion side in the longitudinal direction of the cold cathode-ray tubes. Thereby, even when using the longitudinal cold cathode-ray tubes, brightness on a light emitting surface can be made uniform.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 4, 2006
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideki Koh