Patents Assigned to Sharp
  • Patent number: 7903206
    Abstract: An opposed substrate has a configuration in which a retardation film and a polarizer are provided outside a glass substrate, and a color filter is provided inside the glass substrate. The color filter selects a color of light passing through the color filter itself. The color filter has a color reproduction range of 0.079 or more both in a reflection area and in a transmission area. It is preferable that color filters are formed of the same color material and have almost the same thickness in a reflection area and a transmission area. That is, it is preferable that one pixel area has the same configuration in the reflection area as in the transmission area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kozo Nakamura, Shun Ueki, Tokio Taguchi, Kazuhiko Tsuda
  • Patent number: 7903054
    Abstract: An active matrix substrate includes: a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix pattern and each forming a pixel; a plurality of gate lines each provided between the corresponding pixel electrodes and extending in parallel with each other; a plurality of first source lines each provided between the corresponding pixel electrodes and extending in a direction crossing an extending direction of the gate lines; a plurality of TFTs provided corresponding to the respective pixel electrodes and connected to the respective pixel electrodes, the respective gate lines, and the respective first source lines; a plurality of capacitor lines each provided between the corresponding gate lines and extending in parallel with each other; and a plurality of second source lines each provided between the corresponding pixel electrodes and extending in parallel with the first source lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshihide Tsubata
  • Patent number: 7903062
    Abstract: The cold cathode tube for illuminating pixels with light which is in accordance with an output signal has luminance which gradually increases at a rise and gradually decreases at a fall per one frame time. The cold cathode tube contains a fluorescent material of only one of three primary colors of light, and has a certain OFF period or dimming period per one frame time. Between a diffusing plate and a reflecting plate are provided partition walls for parting emitting areas, so that the illumination light of one cold cathode tube does not reach the display elements to be illuminated by the other cold cathode tubes. The emission of each display element is changed per one frame time between a normal ON state and a dim state. The cold cathode tube has two or more OFF periods within one frame time, and, luminance of the cold cathode tube is changed per one frame period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Miyachi, Akihito Jinda, Makoto Shiomi
  • Patent number: 7904002
    Abstract: A developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an image bearer with a dual-component developer, includes: a developing hopper for storing the developer; an agitation and conveying member for conveying the developer while agitating; a developer support which supports the developer that has been mixed and agitated inside the developing hopper and supplies the developer to a developing area located opposing the image bearer; a layer thickness-regulating member for regulating the layer thickness of the developer being conveyed by the developer support; a flow-guide plate member for flowing down the surplus developer that was rejected and conveyed away from the layer thickness-regulating member; a multiple number of diffusing elements arranged upright on the flow-guided plate member for flowing down the surplus developer in a predetermined direction whilst diffusing the developer with respect to the longitudinal direction of the developer support; and a downflow direction turning mechan
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shuichi Akedo
  • Patent number: 7902088
    Abstract: A method is provided for fabricating a high quantum efficiency silicon (Si) nanoparticle embedded SiOXNY film for luminescence (electroluminescence—EL and photoluminescence—PL) applications. The method provides a bottom electrode, and deposits a Si nanoparticle embedded non-stoichiometric SiOXNY film, where (X+Y<2 and Y>0), overlying the bottom electrode. The Si nanoparticle embedded SiOXNY film is annealed. The annealed Si nanoparticle embedded SiOXNY film has an extinction coefficient (k) of less than about 0.001 as measured at 632 nanometers (nm), and a PL quantum efficiency (PLQE) of greater than 20%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Pooran Chandra Joshi, Jiandong Huang, Apostolos T. Voutsas
  • Patent number: 7903098
    Abstract: A TV microcomputer sends a channel switching demand command to a wireless center microcomputer, via an SS transmission/reception unit and an SS transmission/reception unit. Via the SS transmission/reception unit and the SS transmission/reception unit, the wireless center microcomputer returns, to the TV microcomputer, a response indicating that the command demanding the channel selection has been received. Subsequently, the wireless center microcomputer performs a process demanded by the received channel switching demand, and sends, to the TV microcomputer, process completion information indicating that the process has been performed. Receiving the process completion information, a TV main body performs muting of the screen for a certain period starting from the reception of the information, so as to hide the visual disturbance on account of the delay at the time of the channel switching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toyoshi Tokimoto
  • Patent number: 7903708
    Abstract: A nitride semiconductor laser device uses a substrate with low defect density, contains reduced strains inside a nitride semiconductor film, and thus offers a satisfactorily long useful life. On a GaN substrate (10) with a defect density as low as 106 cm?2 or less, a stripe-shaped depressed portion (16) is formed by etching. On this substrate (10), a nitride semiconductor film (11) is grown, and a laser stripe (12) is formed off the area right above the depressed portion (16). With this structure, the laser stripe (12) is free from strains, and the semiconductor laser device offers a long useful life. Moreover, the nitride semiconductor film (11) develops reduced cracks, resulting in a greatly increased yield rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Kamikawa, Eiji Yamada, Masahiro Araki, Yoshika Kaneko
  • Patent number: 7903129
    Abstract: A simple double-speed process circuit 60 outputs a video signal V1 twice at a double speed in units of frames. A time-division gradation process circuit 50 performs gradation level conversion on the video signal in order to distribute brightness for one frame cycle to two sub-frame cycles, i.e. first and second sub-frame cycles. An overshoot process circuit 40 performs gradation level conversion on the video signal in order to-emphasize a temporal change of the signal. A drive circuit 20 drives liquid crystal display elements 31 using a video signal V2 obtained through processing by the three circuits. A frame interpolation process circuit may be added to this circuit configuration or may be substituted for the simple double-speed process circuit 60. This makes it possible to improve moving image display performance, while making up for a lack of response speed of the display elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akihiko Inoue
  • Patent number: 7902451
    Abstract: A plurality of photoelectric conversion elements delimited by connection line regions and isolation line regions are provided on a glass substrate having an external profile of a right triangle. A connection line region is configured to connect photoelectric conversion elements in series. An isolation line region is configured to electrically isolate adjacent photoelectric conversion elements and to separate (divide) photoelectric conversion elements by a predetermined area. A connection line region is orthogonal to an isolation line region. The external profile of a photoelectric conversion elements represents a rectangle. An external interconnection to electrically connect photoelectric conversion elements is formed at an outer circumferential region of the glass substrate at the side outer to the region where photoelectric conversion elements are formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7902595
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a power IC device is disclosed containing a power MOS transistor with a low ON resistance and a surface channel MOS transistor with a high operation speed. There is also provided a method of manufacturing such a device. A chip has a surface of which the planar direction is not less than ?8° and not more than +8° off a silicon crystal face. The p-channel trench power MOS transistor includes a trench formed vertically from the surface of the chip, a gate region in the trench, an inversion channel region on a side wall of the trench, a source region in a surface layer of the chip, and a drain region in a back surface layer of the chip. The surface channel MOS transistor has an inversion channel region fabricated so that an inversion channel current flows in a direction not less than ?8° and not more than +8° off the silicon crystal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, National University Corporation Tohoku University, Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Alberto O. Adan, Mitsuhiro Kikuta, Akinobu Teramoto, Tadahiro Ohmi, Hiroo Yabe, Takanori Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7904014
    Abstract: A waste toner collecting device comprising: a waste toner removing section that removes a toner which is adhered on a surface of a member to be cleaned, as waste toner; a waste toner storing section that stores the waste toner; and a waste toner transporting section that transports the waste toner to the waste toner storing section, wherein the waste toner transporting section includes a waste toner transporting path, a rotatable shaft arranged in the waste toner transporting path, a transport screw that is arranged at an outer periphery of the shaft in the waste toner transporting path and that has one end in a longitudinal direction coupled to the shaft, and a driving section that is coupled to the other end of the transport screw in the longitudinal direction so as to transmit a rotational force or that is coupled to the shaft so as to transmit a rotational force while rotatably supporting the other end of the transport screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takao Umehara, Takashi Kubo
  • Patent number: 7904000
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a first and a second photoconductor groups constituted of one or more photoconductors respectively; a first and a second drive control sections for controlling the drive of the first and second photoconductor groups respectively to rotate the photoconductors thereof, and a deceleration measuring section for measuring respective degrees of deceleration when the first and second photoconductor groups rotate under their own inertias with a drive thereof being stopped, wherein the rotational phases of the first photoconductor group and the second photoconductor group are adjusted to be matched therebetween; and the first and second drive control sections determine a control pattern for decelerating so that a degree of deceleration to be applied at the stage of stopping drive of the first and second photoconductor groups become equal to or slower than the slowest one among the degrees of deceleration being measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirotsugu Akamatsu
  • Patent number: 7901893
    Abstract: The present invention provides human, rat and mouse NPCIL1 polypeptides and polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. Methods for detecting ligands which bind to NPC1L1 and block intestinal cholesterol absorption are provided. Also included is a method of identifying ligands which bind to NPCILI using membranes derived from brush border membrane preparations. Compounds that bind to NPCILI can be used for inhibiting intestinal cholesterol absorption in a subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.
    Inventor: Maria Margarita Garcia-Calvo
  • Patent number: 7903519
    Abstract: In an information recording/reproducing device, a resting period (tm) is set to be constant regardless of a mark length of a recording mark and regardless of the number of divided recording pulses. Consequently, it is possible to provide an information recording device, an information recording method, and an information recording medium, each allowing formation of a recording mark with a uniform width by use of a low laser power and allowing reduction of the number of parameters for determining a recording waveform, when forming a long recording mark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Etoh, Yoshihisa Adachi, Mitsuo Ishii, Shigemi Maeda, Hiroyasu Inoue, Masaki Aoshima
  • Patent number: 7901101
    Abstract: Relay connectors are arranged to supply power from power boards arranged on the back side of a chassis having a substantially plate-shaped configuration to discharge tubes arranged on the front side of the chassis. Each relay connector includes a holder having an insulation property and to be mounted to the chassis, and further includes a relay terminal mounted to the holder and capable of electrical connection to the discharge tube and the power board. The relay terminal is immune to direct contact with the chassis. This enables the use of a metallic chassis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited
    Inventors: Yoshiki Takata, Kenichi Iwamoto, Takaaki Kudo, Naofumi Ikenaga
  • Patent number: 7903012
    Abstract: A variable resistor is connected to each terminal of (2^n)?1 resistors R connected in series. The variable resistors have resistances RH and RL determined according to a digital signal containing m lower bits LoB<m?1:0>.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Inoue, Hideki Shioe
  • Patent number: 7904814
    Abstract: A system for presenting a summarization of audio and/or visual content having a plurality of segments to a user together with a graphical user interface that preferably indicates to the viewer the relative temporal position of video segments viewed in the summary within the content from which the summary was derived.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: James Errico, Petrus J. L. van Beek, Ahmet Mufit Ferman, Baoxin Li, Louis J. Kerofsky
  • Patent number: 7901099
    Abstract: An object is to prevent fall of a lamp clip due to an external factor such as vibration or impact. It is structured that a reflective member 30 provided inside a backlight device has fitting holes 32 each including an insertion hole 32b and a holding hole 32a, a pair of fitting holes 32 are provided in a direction where the holding holes 32a with respect to the insertion holes 32b are mutually opposed, a pair of locking sections 16 on a substrate 12 of a lamp clip 10 are inserted into the insertion holes 32b in the fitting holes 32, and thereafter, the lamp clip 10 is rotated counter-clockwise or clockwise, so that the locking sections 16 are held in the holding hole 32a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toru Namiki, Masaki Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7903707
    Abstract: A nitride semiconductor light-emitting device wherein a substrate or nitride semiconductor layer has a defect concentration region and a low defect density region other than the defect concentration region. A portion including the defect concentration region of the nitride semiconductor layer or substrate has a trench region deeper than the low defect density region. Thus by digging the trench in the defect concentration region, the growth detection is uniformized, and the surface planarity is improved. The uniformity of the characteristic in the wafer surface leads to improvement of the yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Kamikawa, Yoshika Kaneko, Kensaku Motoki
  • Patent number: D634055
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kaoru Hokazono, Yumiko Takeshita