Patents by Inventor Hirofumi Honda

Hirofumi Honda 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: 20130038645
    Abstract: Crosstalk is reduced to provide a high quality of image display when displaying a stereoscopic image on a plasma display panel. For this purpose, a driving method is provided in which one field is formed of a plurality of subfields each having an address period and a sustain period, image data is set to indicate light-emission/no light-emission for respective discharge cells for each of subfields in accordance with an image signal, and a field for right-eye for displaying an image signal for right-eye and a field for left-eye for displaying an image signal for left-eye are alternately repeated, which thereby displays the image on the plasma display panel. The method is such that, for a discharge cell displaying a gradation not smaller than a predetermined threshold, address operation is prohibited in the last subfield of each of the field for right-eye and the field for left-eye.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2011
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiko Origuchi, Hirofumi Honda
  • Publication number: 20130038642
    Abstract: Crosstalk is reduced to provide a high quality of image display when displaying a stereoscopic image on a plasma display panel. For this purpose, there is provided a method for driving a plasma display apparatus which displays the image on the plasma display panel, by alternately repeating a field for right-eye displaying an image signal for right-eye and a field for left-eye displaying an image signal for left-eye. The method is such that, in a first field and a temporally consecutive second field, for a discharge cell where a gradation displayed in the occurring-temporally-later second field is not larger than a predetermined comparison value, when displaying a gradation not smaller than a predetermined threshold in the occurring-temporally-earlier first field, image data are set where address operation is prohibited in a last subfield of the first field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2011
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiko Origuchi, Hirofumi Honda
  • Publication number: 20120281029
    Abstract: The plasma display apparatus suppresses addressing failure, enhancing stability of address discharge, and therefore, enhancing quality of display image on the panel. The present invention attains above through the followings: preparing display combination sets each of which having difference in number of combinations; determining whether or not magnitude of image signals, except for a predetermined color image signal, is greater than a threshold; and according to the determination above, selecting a set for the predetermined color image signal from the display combination sets. A display combination set used for the predetermined color image signal when the image signals except for the predetermined color image signal have magnitude not less than the threshold is smaller in number of combinations than that used for the predetermined color image signal when the image signals except for the predetermined color image signal have magnitude smaller than the threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Inventors: Takahiko Origuchi, Hirofumi Honda, Hidehiko Shoji, Naoyuki Tomioka, Kazuhiro Kanai
  • Patent number: 8203507
    Abstract: A drive method of a plasma display panel that can increase the dark contrast, without causing a discharge failure. When a discharge cell that assumes a black display state in a first field from among first and a second fields that are adjacent in time and switches to a display state representing a brightness other than black in the second field is detected as a lighting transition cell, at least one drive of the below-described first and second forced lighting drives is executed. In the first forced lighting drive, the lighting transition cell is forcibly set into the lighting mode only in the address process of a predetermined subfield within the field in the first field. In the second forced lighting drive, an adjacent discharge cell that is adjacent to the lighting transition cell is forcibly set into the lighting mode only in the address process of the predetermined subfield in the second field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Shunsuke Itakura, Mitsuhiro Ishizuka, Kazuo Yahagi, Tetsuya Shigeta, Hirofumi Honda
  • Publication number: 20110246841
    Abstract: A storing apparatus, equipped with a control unit configured to control the writing of data into a memory and to communicate a notice to an external device with a communication unit if the remaining amount of substitute blocks becomes equal to or less than a threshold value specified by stored threshold value information, includes the control unit configured to change the threshold value information, used for the notice communicated by the control unit, by the use of threshold value information received from the external device with the communication unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirofumi Honda, Naru Hamada, Toshinori Koba, Koji Ogaki, Keiichi Inoue
  • Patent number: 8023765
    Abstract: A block noise removal device classifies interpixel differential values by using a block size N of the decoded video signal. The block noise removal device accumulates the interpixel differential values in the pixels disposed in the nth position. The results of the accumulation provide first to Nth block noise values. A block boundary position signal is produced that represents the pixel position in the pixel group that corresponds with the largest block noise value. The larger of two block noise values of the adjacent pixels on both sides of the pixel having the largest block noise value is taken as the phase error block noise value. A phase error signal is generated on the basis of the ratio between the phase error block noise value and the largest block noise value, block noise removal processing is effected, and the phase correction pixel sample value is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Okumichi, Hirofumi Honda
  • Publication number: 20110187894
    Abstract: A recording apparatus records data in a recording medium which has a plurality of blocks and includes an alternative block for a defect block, in accordance with a recording unit of a set data amount. The recording apparatus sets the data amount of the recording unit based on an alternative block remaining amount in the recording medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2011
    Publication date: August 4, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naru Hamada, Keiichi Inoue, Hirofumi Honda, Toshinori Koba, Koji Ogaki
  • Publication number: 20110176017
    Abstract: A data recording apparatus records data onto a recording medium having a flash memory in which data can be written in block units using a part of a recording region as an alternative block for a defect block in which normal data writing cannot be performed. The data recording apparatus causes a user to select one of plural recording modes including a first recording mode and a second recording mode in which an amount of data to be processed is larger than that of the first recording mode, then obtains data in the selected recording mode and stores the data onto the recording medium. If an alternative block remaining amount obtained from the recording medium is equal to or less than a threshold value, the data recording apparatus allows recording in the first recording mode and inhibits recording in the second recording mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naru Hamada, Keiichi Inoue, Hirofumi Honda, Toshinori Koba, Koji Ogaki
  • Patent number: 7974491
    Abstract: A block noise removal device calculates a block boundary correction value which indicates a correction amount for a pixel sample value immediately before a block boundary position and a correction amount for a pixel sample value immediately after the block boundary position for each block boundary position in a pixel sample value sequence. The block noise removal device obtains the block boundary correction value based on at least two consecutive pixel sample values immediately before the block boundary position and at least two consecutive pixel sample values immediately after the block boundary position. The block noise removal device generates a block noise correction signal representing a correction amount for the pixel sample values corresponding to respective pixels in the pixel block by performing interpolation computations based on the block boundary correction value found for each two adjacent block boundary positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Okumichi, Hirofumi Honda
  • Publication number: 20110158626
    Abstract: A drive control apparatus 118 includes a stepping motor 111-a capable of performing a micro step drive having a predetermined division number by using a sinusoidal excitation current, a transmission mechanism 111-c, 111-d configured to transmit an energy generated by a drive of the stepping motor to a focus lens 105 to move the focus lens 105, and a controller 111-b configured to control the stepping motor 111-a so that the number of micro steps in a micro step drive having the predetermined division number in a drive crossing a first phase is smaller than the number of micro steps in a drive crossing a second phase where a rotation angle of the stepping motor 111-a is smaller than a rotation angle in the first phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hirofumi Honda
  • Patent number: 7919929
    Abstract: In one aspect, an impedance component which exhibits a high impedance in a high frequency region is arranged on a high pressure line formed on a secondary side of a transformer. The potential difference generated at both ends of the impedance component is used to detect an abnormal electrical discharge generated in the high pressure line. When the abnormal electrical discharge is detected, a switching operation is stopped by a controlling circuit whereby a protection operation is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Honda, Shinichi Ishida, Tatsuya Sakurai
  • Patent number: 7868941
    Abstract: The data transfer apparatus includes a recording unit which records a plurality of image data on a first recording medium, a management unit which manages the plurality of image data by classifying the image data into a plurality of groups, an addition unit which adds one of the plurality of groups as a group of a second recording medium, a determination unit which determines a group corresponding to the group from the plurality of groups, a search unit which searches the plurality of image data for image data classified into the group determined by the determination unit, a display control unit which displays information of image data found by the search unit, and a transfer unit which transfers selected image data to a recording apparatus for recording information data on the second recording medium so as to record the selected image data on the second recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirofumi Honda
  • Patent number: 7847757
    Abstract: Prepared is brightness frequency data that indicates the number of pixels, having the same brightnesses in a brightness distribution for each of the fields represented by an input image signal. Based on the brightness frequency data, the number of subfields for emission at each brightness in a brightness region is adjusted for each of at least two brightness regions. As a result, the greater the frequency indicating the total number of pixels at each of the same brightnesses in a brightness region, the larger the number of subfields allocated to that brightness region. Therefore, satisfactory grayscale representation suitable to human visual characteristics is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Urakami, Hirofumi Honda, Takashi Okushima, Tetsuya Shigeta, Tetsuro Nagakubo
  • Publication number: 20100271357
    Abstract: A scan-pulse generating circuit has a shift resister section that has 2N (i.e. twice the number of the driving-voltage waveforms) resisters and shifts the data of the resisters; an N-bit latching section that retains output from every other resister of 2N resisters of the shift resister section and generates N control pulses for generating scan pulses; and switching section that generates scan pulses according to N control pulses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hirofumi Honda, Takahiko Origuchi, Jun Kamiyamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7702175
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus receives an input image signal and performs an enhancement process on a high frequency component included in the input image signal based on a low frequency component of the input image signal. The apparatus extracts a low frequency component from the input image signal and combines a step variation component of the input image signal with the low frequency component to generate a combined wave component. The apparatus performs an enhancement process on the high frequency component obtained by removing the combined wave component from the input image signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: PIONEER Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Yazaki, Hirofumi Honda
  • Patent number: 7576714
    Abstract: The number of subfields that are to be allocated to a luminance level in an input picture signal is changed in accordance with the peak luminance level in one field's worth of the input picture signal if the luminance level is lower than a predetermined luminance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Hirofumi Kawaguchi, Hirofumi Honda, Tetsuro Nagakubo
  • Patent number: 7561204
    Abstract: Values of actual pixels existing on upper and lower scanning lines of a pixels to be interpolated are detected, and a differential of each of the actual pixels is calculated. Each of the actual pixels is weighted in accordance with the differential and both the weighted values of the pixels are added together. The sum of the addition is used as a value of the pixel to be interpolated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Pioneer Electronic Corporation
    Inventor: Hirofumi Honda
  • Patent number: 7548275
    Abstract: A right side interpolation component and a left side interpolation component for each present pixel are calculated. The right side interpolation component of a present pixel on the left side of an assumption pixel to be interpolated is added to the left side interpolation component of another present pixel on the right side of the assumption pixel, thereby obtaining a pixel data for the assumption pixel. The right side interpolation component and the left side interpolation component are calculated based on a pixel data of a central present pixel and pixel data of present pixels around the central present pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Pioneer Electronic Corporation
    Inventor: Hirofumi Honda
  • Publication number: 20090125928
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an information recording apparatus, such as a digital camera, arranged to record information on a detachably mountable storage medium, such as for example to record video data on the storage medium. In one version of the apparatus, when a connection of an AC adapter is cancelled, the storage medium is detected by a storage medium detection unit, and in a case where the storage medium is not mounted to the mounting unit, a warning is issued, for example in an audio output unit or a display unit. Accordingly, the user can find out that the storage medium is not mounted before the digital camera has been brought outside for use. Thus, it may be possible to prevent a failure in which the user first realizes that they forgot to mount the storage medium only when they are already away from home.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2008
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuichiro Matsushima, Yasushi Kasai, Hirofumi Honda
  • Publication number: 20090021188
    Abstract: In one aspect, an impedance component which exhibits a high impedance in a high frequency region is arranged on a high pressure line formed on a secondary side of a transformer. The potential difference generated at both ends of the impedance component is used to detect an abnormal electrical discharge generated in the high pressure line. When the abnormal electrical discharge is detected, a switching operation is stopped by a controlling circuit whereby a protection operation is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Publication date: January 22, 2009
    Applicant: Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Honda, Shinichi Ishida, Tatsuya Sakurai