Patents by Inventor Masakazu Wada
Masakazu Wada 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).
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Patent number: 8350829Abstract: An input pen (60) of the present invention is an input pen used for performing an input to a touch-panel-integrated liquid crystal display device (100) (display device). The liquid crystal display device (100) includes a plurality of photosensitive elements (30) that senses light transmitted through a panel surface. The photosensitive elements (30) detect a position of input by sensing an image on a surface of a display panel. The input pen (60) includes a retroreflective element (61) at its tip that is to be in contact with the display panel. The retroreflective element (61) is made up of a spherical glass (62) (spherical transparent member) and an elastic reflective element (63). In this way, it is possible to provide an input pen which is to be used with a touch-panel-integrated display device and which makes it possible to perform a more accurate position detection.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2008Date of Patent: January 8, 2013Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shinichi Miyazaki, Masakazu Wada, Kengo Takahama, Toshiaki Nakagawa
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Patent number: 8259001Abstract: A weather radar includes an antenna unit configured to transmit a radio wave from a plurality of antenna elements, and receive a reflected wave from a weather target by carrying out beam scanning in an elevation angle direction by phase control, a drive unit configured to control an elevation angle of an aperture of the antenna unit, and a controller configured to cause the antenna unit to carry out the beam scanning in a state where the aperture is faced to a point which presents a maximum range in the observational range by the drive unit, and direct, at a time point when the weather target is detected based on a received signal of the reflected wave, the aperture toward the weather target by the drive unit.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 2010Date of Patent: September 4, 2012Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Fumihiko Mizutani, Masakazu Wada
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Patent number: 8207889Abstract: According to one embodiment, a dual polarization radar apparatus includes a received power calculation unit configured to calculate a horizontal polarization received power and a vertical polarization received power, the horizontal polarization received power indicating a power value of a horizontal polarization received signal reflected from an observation target, the vertical polarization received power indicating a power value of a vertical polarization received signal reflected from the observation target, a power ratio calculation unit configured to calculate a power ratio between the horizontal polarization received power and the vertical polarization received power, and an interference judgment unit configured to judge that an interference signal is mixed to the horizontal polarization received signal or the vertical polarization received signal when the power ratio is greater than a predetermined threshold value.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2010Date of Patent: June 26, 2012Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Hiroshi Ishizawa, Masakazu Wada, Fumihiko Mizutani
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Patent number: 8188906Abstract: According to one embodiment, a weather radar apparatus includes a transmitting/receiving unit configured to simultaneously transmit radar waves of a horizontally polarized wave and a vertically polarized wave and receive reflected waves, a signal processing unit configured to perform dual polarization observation based on a reception output from the transmitting/receiving unit and calculate a received power of each polarized wave, an observation parameter calculation unit configured to calculate, based on the received powers, a first observation parameter having a first spatial resolution, and a second observation parameter having higher correlation with a rainfall rate than that of the first observation parameter and a second spatial resolution lower than the first spatial resolution, and a rainfall rate calculation unit configured to synthetically determine the rainfall rate based on the first observation parameter and the second observation parameter.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2010Date of Patent: May 29, 2012Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Fumihiko Mizutani, Masakazu Wada
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Patent number: 8120718Abstract: A parallax barrier device includes a pair of transparent-electrode substrates each provided with a transparent electrode. A barrier light-shielding part and a light-transmitting part are formed in a gap between the pair of transparent-electrode substrates. A liquid crystal layer is formed in the barrier light-shielding part. A resin layer having the property of transmitting light is formed in the light-transmitting part. The barrier light-shielding part separates light for a first image viewed from a first direction and light for a second image viewed from a second direction different from the first direction. The light-transmitting part transmits the light for the first image and the light for the second image.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2010Date of Patent: February 21, 2012Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hiroshi Fukushima, Tomoo Takatani, Masakazu Wada
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Publication number: 20110304501Abstract: According to one embodiment, a radar return signal processing apparatus includes a detector, an estimation unit and an extraction unit. The detector detects an average Doppler frequency, a spectrum width, and a received power of each of echoes, from a radar return signal obtained repeatedly at regular intervals. The estimation unit estimates an optimum mixed density function by learning modeling a shaped of the frequency spectrum by calculating repeatedly a sum of density functions of each of the echoes. The extraction unit extracts information on any one of the echoes included in the radar return signal, from a parameter of the estimated mixed density function.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 28, 2011Publication date: December 15, 2011Inventors: Hideki MARUI, Toshihisa Tanaka, Satoshi Kon, Fumihiko Mizutani, Masakazu Wada, Hiroshi Ishizawa
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Publication number: 20110291993Abstract: A touch panel includes: an infrared light transmitting material through which infrared light is transmitted and which has a surface as a touch surface (20) touched by a detection subject; area sensors (3) including photo sensor elements (4) below a touch region, which is touched by the detection subject, of the infrared light transmitting material; and infrared light sources (1) provided outside the touch region, the infrared light sources (1) emitting infrared light along said surface of the infrared light transmitting material such that an entire circumference of the detection subject touching the touch surface (20) is irradiated with the infrared light, the touch panel detecting a position touched by the detection subject so that the photo sensor element (4) receives, among infrared light emitted by the infrared light sources (1) along said surface, infrared light reflected by the detection subject and transmitted through the infrared light transmitting material.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2010Publication date: December 1, 2011Inventors: Shinichi Miyazaki, Hiroshi Hamada, Mikihiro Noma, Kengo Takahama, Masakazu Wada, Norikazu Hohshi
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Publication number: 20110261300Abstract: An area sensor and an area-sensor-equipped display device are provided which can clearly discriminate between the presence and absence of a finger or input pen touching a panel surface. A liquid crystal display device (100) of the present invention includes: a liquid crystal panel (position detecting section) (20), provided with a plurality of light sensor elements (30) that detects the intensity of received light, which detects the position of an input through detection of an image on a panel surface (detector surface) (100a) by the light sensor elements (30); and a reflectance changing section (45), provided on that side of the liquid crystal panel (20) which faces the panel surface (100a), which effects a change in reflectance of light when pressure is applied to the panel surface (100a).Type: ApplicationFiled: July 28, 2009Publication date: October 27, 2011Inventors: Shinichi Miyazaki, Masakazu Wada, Norikazu Hohshi, Kengo Takahama, Toshiaki Nakagawa
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Publication number: 20110234453Abstract: According to one embodiment, a weather radar apparatus includes an antenna unit, a drive unit, an adjustment unit, and a control unit. The antenna unit is configured to transmit radio waves from a plurality of antenna elements, perform beam scan in a direction of elevation angle by phase control, and receive waves reflected by a weather target. The drive unit is configured to drive an elevation angle and an azimuth angle of an aperture plane of the antenna unit. The adjustment unit is configured to adjust an observation range and an observation elevation angle by the antenna unit and the drive unit in accordance with a plurality of observation modes. The control unit is configured to set the observation mode based on a received signal of the reflected waves.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 25, 2011Publication date: September 29, 2011Inventors: Fumihiko MIZUTANI, Masakazu Wada
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Patent number: 8009080Abstract: A weather radar includes an antenna unit of an active phased array system in which a plurality of antenna elements configured to transmit a radar pulse and receive a reflected pulse are arranged in a vertical direction, a transmission beam formation unit configured to divide an observation range in the elevation angle direction into a plurality of observation elevation angles, subdivide each observation elevation angle into a plurality of regions, assign a set of a plurality of regions not adjacent to each other to a pulse repetition interval (PRI), and form a fan-shaped transmission beam in the elevation angle direction for each of the regions in the set, and a reception beam formation unit configured to form a plurality pencil-shaped reception beams for each of the plurality of regions.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 2010Date of Patent: August 30, 2011Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Fumihiko Mizutani, Masakazu Wada
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Publication number: 20110157097Abstract: A coordinate sensor (10) includes at least two line sensors (1) that are disposed in x-axis and y-axis directions, and right-angle prisms (2) each of which changes a light path of light that has passed through an image display region of a liquid crystal panel (20). Each of the line sensors (1) is disposed outside the image display region and has a light-receiving surface (1a) parallel to an image display surface of the liquid crystal panel (20). The right angle prisms (2) cause light which travels in the x-axis and y-axis directions and which has passed through the image display region to be guided to the light-receiving surfaces (1a) of the line sensors (1). The coordinate sensor (10) receives the light which has thus passed through the image display region of the liquid crystal panel (20) so as to detect a coordinate, on the image display region, that is indicated by an object to be detected such as a finger.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2009Publication date: June 30, 2011Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hiroshi Hamada, Shinichi Miyazaki, Mikihiro Noma, Kengo Takahama, Masakazu Wada, Norikazu Hohshi, Kohichi Oda, Yukio Mizuno
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Publication number: 20110128467Abstract: A liquid crystal display device (100) of the present invention includes: a liquid crystal panel (20) including: an active matrix substrate (21); a counter substrate (22); and a liquid crystal layer (23) provided between the active matrix substrate (21) and the counter substrate (22); and a backlight (10) illuminating the liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal display device (100) has an area sensor function for detecting an external input position, and further includes a reflectance changing section (50) that reduces a reflectance of light from the backlight (10) in response to application of pressure on a panel surface (100a). The reflectance changing section (50) is configured so that in a state where no pressure is applied on the panel surface (100a), an air layer (50c) is formed between two elastic films (50a and 50b) whereas in a state where pressure is applied on the panel surface (100a), the two elastic films (50a and 50b) contact each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 17, 2009Publication date: June 2, 2011Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shinichi Miyazaki, Norikazu Hohshi, Masakazu Wada, Kengo Takahama, Toshiaki Nakagawa, Kohji Yabuta, Masayuki Hata
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Publication number: 20110102705Abstract: A liquid crystal display device (100) (display device) of the present invention includes a liquid crystal panel (20) including a liquid crystal layer (23) between an active matrix substrate (21) and a counter substrate (22). The liquid crystal display device (100) has an area sensor function that detects an input position of an external input by detecting an image on a surface (100a) (target surface for detection) of the liquid crystal panel (20). The liquid crystal display device (100) includes: the liquid crystal panel (20) (position detecting section) including a plurality of optical sensor elements (30) detecting an intensity of light received, the liquid crystal panel (20) detecting the input position by causing the plurality of optical sensor elements to detect the image on the surface of the liquid crystal panel; and a reflectance changing section (45) changing a reflectance of light in response to application of pressure onto the surface (100a) of the liquid crystal panel (20).Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2009Publication date: May 5, 2011Inventors: Shinichi Miyazaki, Norikazu Hohshi, Masakazu Wada, Kengo Takahama, Toshiaki Nakagawa
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Publication number: 20110102477Abstract: A backlight unit (60) is provided in such a manner that light (L3) incident from the backlight unit (60) to a liquid crystal display element (20) in a diagonal direction that causes the light to be likely to be emitted from the liquid crystal display element (20) in a normal direction thereof has lower intensity than light (L2) incident from the backlight unit (60) to the liquid crystal display element (20) in another diagonal direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 11, 2008Publication date: May 5, 2011Inventors: Tomoko Nango, Takashi Kurihara, Yasuhiro Kume, Masayuki Hata, Takaaki Okamoto, Kazuhito Matsumoto, Koji Yabuta, Hideki Fujimoto, Norikazu Hohshi, Masakazu Wada, Tomohisa Matsushita
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Publication number: 20110102311Abstract: A backlight unit (60) includes: a light guiding plate (64); and a diffusing sheet (70), the backlight unit (60) causing light exiting through a light exit plane (80) thereof to backlight a liquid crystal display element (20), the light exiting through the light exit plane (80), having a half width of not more than 44°.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2008Publication date: May 5, 2011Inventors: Tomoko Nango, Takashi Kurihara, Yasuhiro Kuma, Masayuki Hata, Takaaki Okamoto, Kazuhito Matsumoto, Koji Yabuta, Hideki Fujimoto, Norikazu Hohshi, Masakazu Wada, Tomohisa Matsushita
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Publication number: 20110063164Abstract: According to one embodiment, a weather radar apparatus includes a transmitting/receiving unit configured to transmit a radar wave to an observation target and receive a reflected wave, a distribution unit configured to distribute a received signal of the reflected wave to a main path and at least another path, an extraction unit configured to extract, from a signal of the other path, an interference wave signal extracted from another radio station, and a removing unit configured to remove the interference wave signal extracted from a signal of the main path.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2010Publication date: March 17, 2011Inventors: Fumihiko MIZUTANI, Masakazu WADA, Hiroshi ISHIZAWA
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Publication number: 20110063161Abstract: According to one embodiment, a dual polarization radar apparatus includes a received power calculation unit configured to calculate a horizontal polarization received power and a vertical polarization received power, the horizontal polarization received power indicating a power value of a horizontal polarization received signal reflected from an observation target, the vertical polarization received power indicating a power value of a vertical polarization received signal reflected from the observation target, a power ratio calculation unit configured to calculate a power ratio between the horizontal polarization received power and the vertical polarization received power, and an interference judgment unit configured to judge that an interference signal is mixed to the horizontal polarization received signal or the vertical polarization received signal when the power ratio is greater than a predetermined threshold value.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2010Publication date: March 17, 2011Inventors: Hiroshi ISHIZAWA, Masakazu WADA, Fumihiko MIZUTANI
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Publication number: 20110050486Abstract: According to one embodiment, a Doppler radar apparatus includes a quadrature detection unit configured to quadrature-detect a received signal of a reflected pulse from an observation target, and generate time-series data including an in-phase component and a quadrature component, an interference judgment unit configured to judge whether an interference signal is mixed into the received signal based on the time-series data, a correction unit configured to correct a vector expressed by the in-phase component and the quadrature component such that variation with respect to time of a deviation angle of the vector continues when the interference judgment unit has judged that an interference signal is mixed into the received signal, and a calculation unit configured to calculate a Doppler velocity of the observation target based on an amount of variation with respect to time of the deviation angle of corrected vector.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 23, 2010Publication date: March 3, 2011Inventors: Hiroshi ISHIZAWA, Masakazu WADA, Fumihiko MIZUTANI
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Publication number: 20110018757Abstract: According to one embodiment, a weather radar apparatus includes a transmitting/receiving unit configured to simultaneously transmit radar waves of a horizontally polarized wave and a vertically polarized wave and receive reflected waves, a signal processing unit configured to perform dual polarization observation based on a reception output from the transmitting/receiving unit and calculate a received power of each polarized wave, an observation parameter calculation unit configured to calculate, based on the received powers, a first observation parameter having a first spatial resolution, and a second observation parameter having higher correlation with a rainfall rate than that of the first observation parameter and a second spatial resolution lower than the first spatial resolution, and a rainfall rate calculation unit configured to synthetically determine the rainfall rate based on the first observation parameter and the second observation parameter.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2010Publication date: January 27, 2011Inventors: Fumihiko MIZUTANI, Masakazu Wada
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Patent number: 7868952Abstract: A parallax barrier device includes a pair of transparent-electrode substrates each provided with a transparent electrode. A barrier light-shielding part and a light-transmitting part are formed in a gap between the pair of transparent-electrode substrates. A liquid crystal layer is formed in the barrier light-shielding part. A resin layer having the property of transmitting light is formed in the light-transmitting part. The barrier light-shielding part separates light for a first image viewed from a first direction and light for a second image viewed from a second direction different from the first direction. The light-transmitting part transmits the light for the first image and the light for the second image.Type: GrantFiled: October 14, 2003Date of Patent: January 11, 2011Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hiroshi Fukushima, Tomoo Takatani, Masakazu Wada