Patents Assigned to Sharp Laboratories
  • Patent number: 8685779
    Abstract: A method is provided for forming a Group VA-doped solution-processed metal chalcogenide. The method forms a first solution including a first material group, dissolved in solvent. A Group VA-containing material is added to the first solution. The Group VA-containing material may include arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), bismuth (Bi), or combinations thereof. The first solution is deposited on a conductive substrate, and a Group VA-doped first intermediate film is formed comprising metal precursors from corresponding members of the first material group. Thermal annealing is performed in an environment of selenium (Se), Se and hydrogen (H2), hydrogen selenide (H2Se), sulfur (S), S and H2, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), or combinations thereof. As a result, the metal precursors in the Group VA-doped first intermediate film are transformed, forming a Group VA-doped metal chalcogenide layer. In one aspect, an antimony-doped Cu—In—Ga—Se chalcogenide (CIGS) is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean Vail, Alexey Koposov, Gary Foley
  • Patent number: 8687143
    Abstract: A method of illuminating a display includes spatially varying the luminance of a multi-colored light source illuminating a plurality of pixels of the display in response to receiving a plurality of pixel values, and varying the transmittance of a light valve of the display having filters corresponding to the multi-colored light source in response to receiving the plurality of pixel values. The illumination is modified for a plurality of pixel values based upon modification of the luminance of the light source and varying the transmittance of the light valve. The modifying is further based upon modification of at least one of the multi-colored light sources together with modification of the transmittance of the light valve corresponding to at least one of the filters of a different color than the at least one of the multi-colored light sources in such a manner that increases the color gamut of the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaofan Feng, Dan Zhang
  • Patent number: 8689253
    Abstract: A remote support site having a detector internally collecting information on a user-selectable intrinsic broadcast characteristic of a media-playing set or television and a server enabling specification of a preferred setting for such characteristic from this information. A method including maintaining a remote site, therefrom internally collecting information from the set about a user-selectable intrinsic broadcast characteristic, and therefrom specifying a preferred setting for such characteristic. A similar method but information detected upon user request about user-adjustable component for selecting on-screen characteristic and final step is remotely adjusting component. A similar method but information is about broadcast characteristic potentially selectable initially by user instead remotely specified initially. A similar method but information is about plural broadcast characteristics and final step is remotely providing settings for each.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan Severt Hallberg, Gary A. Feather, George Rome Borden, Vishnu-Kumar Shivaji-Rao
  • Patent number: 8685596
    Abstract: A grayscale mask made from semi-transparent film layers is provided, along with an associated fabrication method. The method provides a transparent substrate, such as quartz, with a surface. A first layer of a semi-transparent film having a surface with a first surface area, is formed overlying the substrate surface. At least a second layer of the semi-transparent film having a surface with a second surface area greater than the first surface area, is formed overlying the first layer. A first vertical region is formed having a light first attenuation parameter through the combination of substrate, first layer, and second layer. A second vertical region is formed having a light second attenuation parameter through the combination of the first layer and substrate, and a third vertical region is formed having a light third attenuation parameter through the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Wei Gao, Bruce D. Ulrich, Yoshi Ono
  • Patent number: 8685774
    Abstract: A method is provided for fabricating three-dimensional gallium nitride (GaN) pillar structures with planar surfaces. After providing a substrate, the method grows a GaN film overlying a top surface of the substrate and forms cavities in a top surface of the GaN film. The cavities are formed using a laser ablation, ion implantation, sand blasting, or dry etching process. The cavities in the GaN film top surface are then wet etched, forming planar sidewalls extending into the GaN film. More explicitly, the cavities are formed into a c-plane GaN film top surface, and the planar sidewalls are formed perpendicular to a c-plane, in the m-plane or a-plane family.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Albert Crowder, Changqing Zhan, Paul J. Schuele
  • Publication number: 20140086318
    Abstract: An image decoder includes a base layer to decode at least a portion of an encoded video stream into a first image having a first image format. The image decoder can generate a color space prediction by scaling a color space of the first image from the first image format into a color space corresponding to a second image format. The image decoder includes an enhancement layer to decode the encoded video stream to generate a second image in the second image format based, at least in part, on the color space prediction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Louis Joseph KEROFSKY, Kiran MISRA, Seung-Hwan KIM
  • Patent number: 8681710
    Abstract: A method and system for delivering MBS in an H-FDD wireless communication system minimizes MBS bandwidth allocation and maintains appropriate balance between two H-FDD mobile device groups. Generally speaking, this is achieved by allocating a downlink bandwidth section for one group of mobile devices (e.g. Group 2) to MBS and allowing a subgroup of mobile devices (e.g. Group 1A) in the other group (e.g. Group 1) that subscribes to MBS to participate in the former group (e.g. Group 2) as required to identify and decode MBS data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Eric Helvick
  • Publication number: 20140075745
    Abstract: An alkali/oxidant battery is provided with an associated method of creating battery capacity. The battery is made from an anode including a reduced first alkali metal such as lithium (Li), sodium (Na), and potassium (K), when the battery is charged. The battery's catholyte includes an element, in the battery charged state, such as nickel oxyhydroxide (NiOOH), magnesium(IV) (oxide Mn(4+)O2), or iron(III) oxyhydroxide (Fe(3+)(OH)3), with the alkali metal hydroxide. An alkali metal ion permeable separator is interposed between the anolyte and the catholyte. For example, if the catholyte includes nickel(II) hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) in a battery discharged state, then it includes NiOOH in a battery charged state. To continue the example, the anolyte may include dissolved lithium ions (Li+) in a discharged state, with solid phase reduced Li formed on the anode in the battery charged state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuhao Lu, Hidayat Kisdarjono, Jong-Jan Lee, David R. Evans
  • Publication number: 20140077158
    Abstract: A method is provided for fabricating a light emitting diode (LED) using three-dimensional gallium nitride (GaN) pillar structures with planar surfaces. The method forms a plurality of GaN pillar structures, each with an n-doped GaN (n-GaN) pillar and planar sidewalls perpendicular to the c-plane, formed in either an m-plane or a-plane family. A multiple quantum well (MQW) layer is formed overlying the n-GaN pillar sidewalls, and a layer of p-doped GaN (p-GaN) is formed overlying the MQW layer. The plurality of GaN pillar structures are deposited on a first substrate, with the n-doped GaN pillar sidewalls aligned parallel to a top surface of the first substrate. A first end of each GaN pillar structure is connected to a first metal layer. The second end of each GaN pillar structure is etched to expose the n-GaN pillar second end and connected to a second metal layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2013
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Albert Crowder, Changqing Zhan, Paul J. Schuele
  • Patent number: 8675528
    Abstract: A method for reporting uplink control information (UCI) by a user equipment (UE) is described. Downlink channels are measured to obtain channel state information (CSI). Radio resource control (RRC) signaling is received from an eNode B. It is determined whether simultaneous physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission is enabled. One or more CSI reports are transmitted on the PUSCH according to the RRC signaling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ahmad Khoshnevis, Zhanping Yin, Shohei Yamada, Sayantan Choudhury
  • Patent number: 8674481
    Abstract: A hydrogen (H) exfoliation gettering method is provided for attaching fabricated circuits to receiver substrates. The method comprises: providing a Si substrate; forming a Si active layer overlying the substrate with circuit source/drain (S/D) regions; implanting a p-dopant into the S/D regions; forming gettering regions underling the S/D regions; implanting H in the Si substrate, forming a cleaving plane (peak concentration (Rp) H layer) in the Si substrate about as deep as the gettering regions; bonding the circuit to a receiver substrate; cleaving the Si substrate along the cleaving plane; and binding the implanted H underlying the S/D regions with p-dopant in the gettering regions, as a result of post-bond annealing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven R. Droes, Yutaka Takafuji
  • Patent number: 8670489
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention relate to systems and methods for picture up-sampling using direct interpolation. Some aspects of the present invention provide an up-sampling procedure designed for the Scalable Video Coding extension of H.264/MPEG-4 AVC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Shijun Sun
  • Patent number: 8669952
    Abstract: An electrical pressure sensor is provided with a method for measuring pressure applied to a sensor surface. The method provides an electrical pressure sensor including a sealed chamber with a top surface, first electrode, second electrode, an elastic polymer medium, and metallic nanoparticles distributed in the elastic polymer medium. When the top surface of the sensor is deformed in response to an applied pressure, the elastic polymer medium is compressed. In response to decreasing the metallic nanoparticle-to-metallic nanoparticle mean distance between metallic nanoparticles, the electrical resistance is decreased between the first and second electrodes through the elastic polymer medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Akinori Hashimura, Liang Tang, Apostolos T. Voutsas
  • Patent number: 8671337
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems, methods and devices for determining by-storyline data from by-episode data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Kristine Elizabeth Matthews
  • Patent number: 8665942
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for predicting high dynamic range image blocks, wherein the systems and methods comprise a first image block and a second image block, where a received first prediction data of the first image block and a received prediction difference data of the second image block may be combined to determine a second prediction data for the second image block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher A. Segall
  • Patent number: 8665367
    Abstract: A method for increasing the resolution of a frame of a video includes receiving at least three frames of the video and compensating for the motion of a portion of at least two of the frames with respect to another one of the frames. After the motion compensation, spatially processing each of the frames of the video to increase the resolution of each of the at least three frames of the video. After the spatial processing, temporally processing at least three frames to determine the increased resolution of the frame of the video, wherein the frame is one of the at least three frames of the video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Hao Pan, Yeping Su
  • Patent number: 8663125
    Abstract: Dual path noise detection and isolation for an acoustic respiration monitoring system detects noise in an acoustic signal recording lung sounds using two discrete noise detection techniques. A first technique detects portions of the signal that exhibit long-term, moderate amplitude noise by analyzing cumulative energy in the signal. A second technique detects portions of the signal that exhibit short-term, high amplitude noise by analyzing peak energy in the signal. Noisy portions of the signal are isolated using the combined results of the dual path detection. A respiration parameter is estimated using the signal without resort to the noisy portions and information based at least in part on the respiration parameter is outputted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Yongji Fu, Yungkai Kyle Lai, Bryan Severt Hallberg
  • Patent number: 8663124
    Abstract: A multistage system and method for estimating respiration parameters from an acoustic signal. At a first stage, the method and system detect and isolate portions of the signal that exhibit long-term, moderate amplitude noise by analyzing cumulative energies in the signal, and portions of the signal that exhibit short-term, high amplitude noise by analyzing peak energies in the signal. At a second stage, the method and system filter heart sound from the signal energy envelope by applying an adaptive filter that minimizes the loss of respiration sound. At a third stage, the system and method isolate respiration phases in the signal by identifying trends in the energy envelope. Once respiration phases are isolated, these phases are used to estimate respiration parameters, such as respiration rate and I/E ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Yongji Fu, Yungkai Kyle Lai, Bryan Severt Hallberg
  • Publication number: 20140050982
    Abstract: A method is provided for synthesizing sodium iron(II)-hexacyanoferrate(II). A Fe(CN)6 material is mixed with the first solution and either an anti-oxidant or a reducing agent. The Fe(CN)6 material may be either ferrocyanide ([Fe(CN)6]4?) or ferricyanide ([Fe(CN)6]3?). As a result, sodium iron(II)-hexacyanoferrate(II) (Na1+XFe[Fe(CN)6]Z.MH2O is formed, where X is less than or equal to 1, and where M is in a range between 0 and 7. In one aspect, the first solution including includes A ions, such as alkali metal ions, alkaline earth metal ions, or combinations thereof, resulting in the formation of Na1+XAYFe[Fe(CN)6]Z.MH2O, where Y is less than or equal to 1. Also provided are a Na1+XFe[Fe(CN)6]Z.MH2O battery and Na1+XFe[Fe(CN)6]Z.MH2O battery electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Publication date: February 20, 2014
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuhao Lu, Sean Andrew Vail
  • Patent number: 8655071
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are related to systems and methods for identifying a document region in a non-scanned image. A first candidate document region-of-interest mask may be determined from a luminance-only image by foreground elimination, non-uniformity reduction and thresholding. A second candidate document region-of-interest mask may be formed by subtracting from the first candidate document region-of-interest mask an edge mask resulting from detecting edges in the luminance-only input image. The second candidate document region-of-interest mask may be refined, to form a final document region-of-interest mask, based on text features calculated from the luminance-only input image. The document region-of-interest may be extracted using the final document region-of-interest mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ahmet Mufit Ferman, Lawrence Shao-hsien Chen