Patents by Inventor Nobukazu Tanaka
Nobukazu Tanaka 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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Publication number: 20240134474Abstract: A display driver includes a driver circuit and a sensing controller. The driver circuit is configured to drive a display panel according to display information. The display panel defines a sensing region. The sensing controller interface circuit is configured to transmit an output vertical sync signal to a proximity sensing controller. The proximity sensing controller is configured to generate positional information of an input object based at least in part on a resulting signal received from a sensor electrode disposed in the sensing region. The output vertical sync signal comprises encoding the display information in the output vertical sync signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2024Publication date: April 25, 2024Inventors: Makoto Takeuchi, Hirokazu Hatayama, Masaaki Shiomura, Nobukazu Tanaka, Daisuke Ito, Takayuki Noto, Takashi Miyamoto
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Publication number: 20240069671Abstract: In general, in one aspect, one or more embodiments relate to an input device that includes a proximity sensing panel including sensor electrodes, and a proximity sensing circuit. The proximity sensing circuit configured to receive an indication of a transition from a first image refresh rate to a second image refresh rate, wherein the first image refresh rate is greater than a beacon signal rate and the second image refresh rate is equal to or lower than the beacon signal rate. The proximity sensing panel is also configured to align transmitting a beacon signal on the proximity sensing panel to a non-refresh period corresponding to the second refresh rate.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 6, 2023Publication date: February 29, 2024Inventors: Masaaki Shiomura, Hirokazu Hatayama, Makoto Takeuchi, Takayuki Noto, Nobukazu Tanaka, Daisuke Ito, Tomohiro Hirakawa
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Patent number: 11907453Abstract: A display driver includes a driver circuit and a sensing controller. The driver circuit is configured to drive a display panel according to display information. The display panel defines a sensing region. The sensing controller interface circuit is configured to transmit an output vertical sync signal to a proximity sensing controller. The proximity sensing controller is configured to generate positional information of an input object based at least in part on a resulting signal received from a sensor electrode disposed in the sensing region. The output vertical sync signal comprises encoding the display information in the output vertical sync signal.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2022Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Makoto Takeuchi, Hirokazu Hatayama, Masaaki Shiomura, Nobukazu Tanaka, Daisuke Ito, Takayuki Noto, Takashi Miyamoto
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Publication number: 20240019947Abstract: A rotatable knob system includes: a panel comprising a plurality of sensor electrodes; and a rotatable knob interface comprising a rotary wheel and a fixed base, wherein the fixed base comprises knob sensing electrodes and a ground pad. The knob sensing electrodes of the fixed base are disposed over the knob sensing electrodes of the plurality of sensor electrodes of the panel, and the ground pad is disposed over reference electrodes of the panel. The panel comprises a plurality of traces which connect the knob sensing electrodes of the panel to a processing system, and the plurality of traces connecting the knob sensing electrodes of the panel to the processing system do not overlap with the reference electrodes of the panel.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 13, 2022Publication date: January 18, 2024Inventors: Tomohiro Hirakawa, Nobukazu Tanaka, Takayuki Noto
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Patent number: 11861103Abstract: In general, in one aspect, one or more embodiments relate to an input device that includes a proximity sensing panel including sensor electrodes, and a proximity sensing circuit. The proximity sensing circuit is configured to determine that an image refresh rate to an equal or lower frequency than a beacon signal rate. The input-display device is configured to align transmitting a beacon signal on proximity sensing panel to during non-refresh period of a display or perform an additional image refresh frame on the display panel immediately before a next Vsync signal and a corresponding non-refresh period.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2022Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Masaaki Shiomura, Hirokazu Hatayama, Makoto Takeuchi, Takayuki Noto, Nobukazu Tanaka, Daisuke Ito, Tomohiro Hirakawa
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Patent number: 11816285Abstract: An input-display device includes a display panel, sensor electrodes, and a display driver. The display panel includes source lines. The sensor electrodes are capacitively coupled to the source lines. The display driver is configured to receive image data. The display driver is further configured to process the image data in response to a detection of a horizontal stripe pattern in an image corresponding to the image data. The display driver is further configured to drive the source lines based at least in part on the processed image data.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2022Date of Patent: November 14, 2023Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Daisuke Ito, Nobukazu Tanaka, Masaaki Shiomura
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Publication number: 20230325027Abstract: In general, in one aspect, one or more embodiments relate to an input device that includes a proximity sensing panel including sensor electrodes, and a proximity sensing circuit. The proximity sensing circuit is configured to determine that an image refresh rate to an equal or lower frequency than a beacon signal rate. The input-display device is configured to align transmitting a beacon signal on proximity sensing panel to during non-refresh period of a display or perform an additional image refresh frame on the display panel immediately before a next Vsync signal and a corresponding non-refresh period.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2022Publication date: October 12, 2023Applicant: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Masaaki Shiomura, Hirokazu Hatayama, Makoto Takeuchi, Takayuki Noto, Nobukazu Tanaka, Daisuke Ito, Tomohiro Hirakawa
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Publication number: 20230315223Abstract: A display driver includes a driver circuit and a sensing controller. The driver circuit is configured to drive a display panel according to display information. The display panel defines a sensing region. The sensing controller interface circuit is configured to transmit an output vertical sync signal to a proximity sensing controller. The proximity sensing controller is configured to generate positional information of an input object based at least in part on a resulting signal received from a sensor electrode disposed in the sensing region. The output vertical sync signal comprises encoding the display information in the output vertical sync signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 4, 2022Publication date: October 5, 2023Applicant: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Makoto Takeuchi, Hirokazu Hatayama, Masaaki Shiomura, Nobukazu Tanaka, Daisuke Ito, Takayuki Noto, Takashi Miyamoto
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Publication number: 20230315227Abstract: An input-display device includes a display panel, sensor electrodes, and a display driver. The display panel includes source lines. The sensor electrodes are capacitively coupled to the source lines. The display driver is configured to receive image data. The display driver is further configured to process the image data in response to a detection of a horizontal stripe pattern in an image corresponding to the image data. The display driver is further configured to drive the source lines based at least in part on the processed image data.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2022Publication date: October 5, 2023Applicant: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Daisuke Ito, Nobukazu Tanaka, Masaaki Shiomura
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Patent number: 11693511Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises driver circuitry, an analog-digital (AD) converter, and processing circuitry. The driver circuitry is configured to supply a drive signal to a sensor array in a sensing frame comprising 2N bursts, N being an integer of two or more. The mixer circuitry is configured to modulate a plurality of carrier waves with a plurality of sensing signals corresponding to capacitances of a plurality of sensing electrodes of the sensor array, respectively, to output a plurality of mixer outputs. A number of the plurality of sensing electrodes is 2N?1 or 2N. The AD converter is configured to perform AD conversion on a sum signal of the plurality of mixer outputs. The processing circuitry is configured to detect an object based on the output of the AD converter.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2021Date of Patent: July 4, 2023Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Xueyong Yang, Tetsuo Tanemura, Nobukazu Tanaka, Takayuki Noto
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Patent number: 11592937Abstract: A display controller includes a touch sensing controller configured to drive sensing electrodes with a touch sensing waveform that includes multiple modulations. The touch sensing controller is further configured to halt driving the plurality of sensing electrodes when a number of the modulations satisfies a selected sub-burst size. The touch sensing waveform is synchronized to an instance of a horizontal sync signal.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2022Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Masaaki Shiomura, Nobukazu Tanaka, Daisuke Ito, Sung-Sool Lee
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Patent number: 11209926Abstract: A processing system comprises a first source amplifier and an analog front end. The first source amplifier comprises a first input electrically connectable to a first sensor electrode of a display panel and configured to generate a first drive signal based on a first grayscale voltage corresponding to a first pixel data and generate a first comparison output signal based on a first sensing signal from the first sensor electrode and a reference voltage. The analog front end is configured to generate a first digital detection data used for proximity sensing based on the first comparison output signal outputted from the first source amplifier.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2021Date of Patent: December 28, 2021Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Shinobu Nohtomi, Nobukazu Tanaka, Takayuki Noto
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Publication number: 20210389841Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises driver circuitry, an analog-digital (AD) converter, and processing circuitry. The driver circuitry is configured to supply a drive signal to a sensor array in a sensing frame comprising 2N bursts, N being an integer of two or more. The mixer circuitry is configured to modulate a plurality of carrier waves with a plurality of sensing signals corresponding to capacitances of a plurality of sensing electrodes of the sensor array, respectively, to output a plurality of mixer outputs. A number of the plurality of sensing electrodes is 2N?1 or 2N. The AD converter is configured to perform AD conversion on a sum signal of the plurality of mixer outputs. The processing circuitry is configured to detect an object based on the output of the AD converter.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 20, 2021Publication date: December 16, 2021Inventors: Xueyong Yang, Tetsuo Tanemura, Nobukazu Tanaka, Takayuki Noto
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Patent number: 11144162Abstract: A method for testing a sensor electrode is provided. The method includes acquiring a first resulting signal from a sensor electrode. The method further includes determining an in-phase response and a quadrature-phase response through a quadrature demodulation based on the first resulting signal. The method further includes detecting a defect of the sensor electrode based on the in-phase response and the quadrature-phase response.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2020Date of Patent: October 12, 2021Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Nobukazu Tanaka, Takayuki Noto
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Patent number: 11126303Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises driver circuitry, an analog-digital (AD) converter, and processing circuitry. The driver circuitry is configured to supply a drive signal to a sensor array in a sensing frame comprising 2N bursts, N being an integer of two or more. The mixer circuitry is configured to modulate a plurality of carrier waves with a plurality of sensing signals corresponding to capacitances of a plurality of sensing electrodes of the sensor array, respectively, to output a plurality of mixer outputs. A number of the plurality of sensing electrodes is 2N?1 or 2N. The AD converter is configured to perform AD conversion on a sum signal of the plurality of mixer outputs. The processing circuitry is configured to detect an object based on the output of the AD converter.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2020Date of Patent: September 21, 2021Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Xueyong Yang, Tetsuo Tanemura, Nobukazu Tanaka, Takayuki Noto
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Publication number: 20210157434Abstract: A processing system comprises a first source amplifier and an analog front end. The first source amplifier comprises a first input electrically connectable to a first sensor electrode of a display panel and configured to generate a first drive signal based on a first grayscale voltage corresponding to a first pixel data and generate a first comparison output signal based on a first sensing signal from the first sensor electrode and a reference voltage. The analog front end is configured to generate a first digital detection data used for proximity sensing based on the first comparison output signal outputted from the first source amplifier.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2021Publication date: May 27, 2021Inventors: Shinobu Nohtomi, Nobukazu Tanaka, Takayuki Noto
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Patent number: 10928944Abstract: A processing system comprises a first source amplifier and an analog front end. The first source amplifier comprises a first input electrically connectable to a first sensor electrode of a display panel and configured to generate a first drive signal based on a first grayscale voltage corresponding to a first pixel data and generate a first comparison output signal based on a first sensing signal from the first sensor electrode and a reference voltage. The analog front end is configured to generate a first digital detection data used for proximity sensing based on the first comparison output signal outputted from the first source amplifier.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2019Date of Patent: February 23, 2021Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Shinobu Nohtomi, Nobukazu Tanaka, Takayuki Noto
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Patent number: 10921939Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises first mixer circuitry and processing circuitry. The first mixer circuitry is configured to generate a plurality of first mixer outputs through quadrature decomposition of a sensing signal. The first sensing signal corresponds to a capacitance of a first sensing electrode supplied with a drive signal. The quadrature decomposition is based on an in-phase local carrier which is in phase with the drive signal and an out-of-phase local carrier having a phase different from that of the in-phase local carrier. The plurality of first mixer outputs comprises an in-phase mixer output generated based on the in-phase local carrier and the sensing signal, and an out-of-phase mixer output generated based on the out-of-phase local carrier and the sensing signal.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2019Date of Patent: February 16, 2021Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Nobukazu Tanaka, Takayuki Noto, Tetsuo Tanemura
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Publication number: 20210026490Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises driver circuitry, an analog-digital (AD) converter, and processing circuitry. The driver circuitry is configured to supply a drive signal to a sensor array in a sensing frame comprising 2N bursts, N being an integer of two or more. The mixer circuitry is configured to modulate a plurality of carrier waves with a plurality of sensing signals corresponding to capacitances of a plurality of sensing electrodes of the sensor array, respectively, to output a plurality of mixer outputs. A number of the plurality of sensing electrodes is 2N?1 or 2N. The AD converter is configured to perform AD conversion on a sum signal of the plurality of mixer outputs. The processing circuitry is configured to detect an object based on the output of the AD converter.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 2, 2020Publication date: January 28, 2021Inventors: Xueyong YANG, Tetsuo TANEMURA, Nobukazu TANAKA, Takayuki NOTO
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Patent number: 10795503Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises driver circuitry, an analog-digital (AD) converter, and processing circuitry. The driver circuitry is configured to supply a drive signal to a sensor array in a sensing frame comprising 2N bursts, N being an integer of two or more. The mixer circuitry is configured to modulate a plurality of carrier waves with a plurality of sensing signals corresponding to capacitances of a plurality of sensing electrodes of the sensor array, respectively, to output a plurality of mixer outputs. A number of the plurality of sensing electrodes is 2N?1 or 2N. The AD converter is configured to perform AD conversion on a sum signal of the plurality of mixer outputs. The processing circuitry is configured to detect an object based on the output of the AD converter.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2019Date of Patent: October 6, 2020Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventors: Xueyong Yang, Tetsuo Tanemura, Nobukazu Tanaka, Takayuki Noto