Patents Assigned to Sharp
  • Publication number: 20140208605
    Abstract: A hair care device includes main body having a fan and a heater, a removable cover member configured to cover an opening of the main body, and a power supply cut-off part configured to cut off a power supply when the cover member is detached from the main body. As a result, safety is improved during attachment and detachment of components in the hair care device that require maintenance and replacement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akihiro Yoshidome
  • Patent number: 8792469
    Abstract: A method for coding control data with user data repetition is disclosed. Bits in user data may be removed. Bits in control data may be repeated to increase a number of bits in the control data. A number of bits in the user data that is the same as the number of bits in the control data may be copied. The copied user data bits may be added to the control data. The user data and the control data may be multiplexed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhanping Yin, John M. Kowalski, Lizhong Zheng
  • Patent number: 8792738
    Abstract: When a filtering process on decoded image data is performed using filter parameters, gradient values near the pixel to be the target of the filtering process are calculated. In accordance with the calculated gradient, a single filter parameter is selected from a set of filter parameters. Based on the selected filter parameter, weight coefficients for the filtering process are calculated. Then, using the pixel value to be the processing target, the surrounding pixel values and the calculated weight coefficients, the pixel value after correction of the processing target pixel is calculated. With this process, it is possible to provide an image coding apparatus that can efficiently code an image properly and an image decoding apparatus that can decode an image, by performing a filtering process in accordance with the image characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohiro Ikai
  • Patent number: 8792026
    Abstract: A video disk player includes (i) a disk reading section for reading out video data, a program, synchronization timing information from an optical disk; (ii) a clock for generating a clock signal; (iii) a decoder for converting, in accordance with the clock signal, the video data into decompressed video data for reproduction output; (iv) a video reproducing section including a synchronization control section for transmitting, in accordance with the clock signal, a synchronization control signal to the program executing section at a timing specified by a field timing contained in the synchronization timing information, and (v) a program executing section for executing a program in accordance with the synchronization control signal received from the synchronization control section. This makes it possible to efficiently execute the program in synchronization with reproduction of AV data or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jiro Kiyama, Hideaki Kizuki, Katsushi Ohizumi
  • Patent number: 8791966
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device in which the color purity of red display can be improved and also to provide an electric apparatus using the same. A controller (19) of the display device is provided with an illumination control part (22) that turns on a light-emitting diode (first light source) (9C) to emit a cyan light during the former half of one frame time period and turns on a light-emitting diode (second light source) (9M) to emit a magenta light during the latter half of the one frame time period. In addition, a video signal converting part (21b) is provided to a panel control part (display control part) 21. The video signal converting part 21b converts an inputted video signal to video signals for the former half and the latter half of the one frame time period, on the basis of the inputted video signal and the colors of the lights in the former half and the latter half of the one frame time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keiji Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8791476
    Abstract: The present invention provides an active matrix substrate and a display device that have sufficient resistance to a surge current without formation of a short ring and that enable narrowing of a picture-frame region. The present invention is an active matrix substrate on which a plurality of pixels are formed in a matrix shape. The active matrix substrate includes, on one principal surface side of the substrate: a terminal; a semiconductor element; wiring that is formed in a picture-frame region of the substrate and that connects the terminal and the semiconductor element; and an annular conductive portion formed through an insulation layer on at least one of an upper layer side and a lower layer side of the wiring. The wiring comprises a meander structure including a meander-shaped portion. A portion of the conductive portion is disposed along the meander-shaped portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshimitsu Tajima
  • Patent number: 8791895
    Abstract: In a memory liquid crystal display device, a potential of a storage capacitor line signal (CS) supplied to the CS lines (CSL(i)) are once decreased (?Vcs) while the gate lines (GL(i)) are made simultaneously active (period t4, period t10) in the data holding period (T2), and the potential of the storage capacitor line signal (CS) is made back to its original potential while the gate lines (GL(i)) are made simultaneously inactive and the refresh output control lines (RC(i)) are made active (period t5, period t11). This reduces flicker, thereby allowing for improvement in display quality of the memory liquid crystal display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Yokoyama, Shige Furuta, Yuhichiroh Murakami, Yasushi Sasaki, Seijirou Gyouten, Shuji Nishi
  • Patent number: 8790503
    Abstract: An anodized layer formation method includes: (a) providing an aluminum base or an aluminum film deposited on a support; anodization step (b) in which a forming voltage is increased to a predetermined first voltage level under a predetermined condition with a surface of the aluminum base or a surface of the aluminum film being kept in contact with an electrolytic solution, and thereafter, the forming voltage is maintained at the first voltage level for a predetermined period of time, whereby a porous alumina layer which has a minute recessed portion is formed; and etching step (c) in which, after step (b), the porous alumina layer is brought into contact with an etching solution, whereby the minute recessed portion is enlarged and a lateral surface of the minute recessed portion is sloped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ichiroh Ihara
  • Patent number: 8789959
    Abstract: A backlight unit includes a chassis, LED light sources, and a reflection member. The LED light sources are arranged in a matrix on a bottom plate of the chassis. The reflection member includes side wall portions and through holes through which the LED light sources are passed. The side wall portions surround each of the LED light sources passing through the respective through holes. The side wall portions have inclined surfaces on side surfaces thereof that lead light from the LED light sources toward the opening side of the chassis. Each of the side wall portions located between the LED light sources that are adjacently positioned in a diagonal direction has a height greater than a height of each of the side wall portions located between the LED light sources that are adjacently positioned in a vertical direction or in a horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takaharu Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8792735
    Abstract: A color image processing apparatus is provided with a black text emphasis mode, in which, when compressing an image in a compression processing section, edges of a black text in the image are detected, a foreground layer in which the detected edges of the black text are represented by a binary image is generated, and lossless compression is performed on the foreground layer. When the black text emphasis mode is selected, a background layer in which the difference in density between the edges of the black text and pixels in the vicinity of the edges in the image is reduced is generated, and lossy compression is performed on the background layer. With this operation, in an image obtained by decompressing a compressed file, outline of the black text is clearly represented, and an artifact caused by the lossy compression is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Teruhiko Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 8791932
    Abstract: A display device includes: an LED control section (4) for carrying out control in which (i) an output luminance of an LED (10) whose measured luminance is deviated from a reference luminance or (ii) output luminances of peripheral LEDs (10) which are provided around the LED (10) is or are corrected, respectively, by using control information of the plurality of LEDs, which control information contains (a) information on measured luminances of the plurality of LEDs, the information being obtained by the plurality of photosensors (11) and (b) positional information of the plurality of LEDs, the positional information being obtained by the plurality of photosensors (11), and a liquid crystal display control section (3) for controlling, based on (i) video signals which have been subjected to the video signal process and are supplied from a video signal processing section (2) and (ii) the control information supplied from the LED control section (4), (a) levels of video signals to be supplied to pixels correspondi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masafumi Ueno, Hiroyuki Furukawa, Kazuyoshi Yoshiyama, Yasuhiro Ohki, Kenji Takase, Takashi Ishizumi
  • Patent number: 8791628
    Abstract: A light emitting apparatus includes: a laser element which emits laser light; a light emitting section which generates fluorescence in response to the laser light emitted from the laser element; a parabolic mirror which reflects the fluorescence generated by the light emitting section; and a multilayer filter which transmits the laser light and reflects the fluorescence, the laser element being provided outside the parabolic mirror, the parabolic mirror being provided with a window part through which the laser light passes, and the multilayer filter being provided so as to cover the window part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuo Fukai, Kei Yamamoto, Koji Takahashi, Yoshiyuki Takahira, Yosuke Maemura
  • Patent number: 8792194
    Abstract: A magnetic recording element records information by applying a recording magnetic field to a magnetic recording medium having an information recording area to form a plurality of recording columns extending in a first direction. Recording by the magnetic recording element is performed so that a first recording column and a second recording column formed before the first recording column partially overlap each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and that a recording start position of the first recording column is positioned upstream, relative to the recording direction, of a recording start position of the second recording column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiko Sakai, Yoshiteru Murakami
  • Patent number: 8789236
    Abstract: A substrate cleaning apparatus includes a cleaning plate, a vibration unit for vibrating the cleaning plate, a suction unit having an intake opening in the vicinity of a tip end portion of the cleaning plate, for sucking an upper surface of a substrate to be cleaned without being in contact with the substrate, and a moving mechanism for moving the cleaning plate relative to the substrate. In the substrate cleaning apparatus, the tip end portion of the cleaning plate is pressed against the upper surface of the substrate to cause the cleaning plate to be elastically deformed, and the cleaning plate moves relative to the substrate in the cleaning direction of the substrate, with the tip end portion of the cleaning plate being in line contact or surface contact with the upper surface of the substrate. Such a configuration allows the substrate to be cleaned stably while preventing scratching the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideshi Makita, Toru Tanigawa
  • Patent number: 8789960
    Abstract: A backlight unit (49) of a display device (69) having a liquid crystal display panel (59) is provided with a chassis (41), a diffusion plate (43) supported by the chassis, and a light source which irradiates the diffusion plate with light. The light source is constructed by combining a plurality of mounting substrates (21) provided with an LED (22) which serves as the light-emitting element and a diffusion lens (24) for covering the LED. Connectors (25A) are mounted on matching edges of the plurality of mounting substrates to electrically connect the substrates. The connectors are placed so as not to interfere with the illumination light region in which the LED imparts brightness to the diffusion plate. In order to achieve this state of non-interference, a beveled part (26) is formed on the side of the connectors facing the LED.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masashi Yokota
  • Patent number: 8791882
    Abstract: A display device of active matrix type allows reducing display brightness non-uniformity that is caused by initial variation and fluctuation over time in a driving transistor for emissive elements in pixel circuits. The display device includes pixel circuits, a measurement circuit and a gradation voltage supplying circuit. Each pixel circuit includes the driving transistor and an input circuit. The measurement circuit includes a constant current supplying circuit for generating and supplying one or more constant currents to the input circuit of the pixel circuits in a time division manner. The measurement circuit A/D-converts output voltages of the constant current supplying circuit and calculates data relating to electron mobility and threshold value of the driving transistor. The gradation voltage supplying circuit supplies to the pixel circuits a corrected gradation voltage, which is data corrected on the basis of data calculated from the measurement circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuhiko Tsuji
  • Patent number: 8791463
    Abstract: Gate electrodes, a gate insulating layer, and an oxide semiconductor layer are simultaneously formed to form a multilayer structure, so that an SOG film serves as an etching stopper on channel regions in forming source electrodes and drain electrodes. In the SOG film, channel isolation holes are formed in positions each of which is located between adjacent two of TFTs connected to a common one of the gate lines, and corresponds to the common gate line. The oxide semiconductor layer of the adjacent TFTs is divided in each channel isolation hole. Terminal sections of the gate lines are exposed in the terminal section exposing holes formed in positions each corresponding to a gate line end portion. The pixel electrode is made of a film identical to a film forming one layer included in the drain electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsunori Misaki
  • Patent number: 8791630
    Abstract: A light emitting section emits fluorescence upon receiving exciting light emitted from a laser element. The light emitting section includes a plurality of fluorescent material particles made from a single type of fluorescent material or several types of fluorescent materials, the plurality of fluorescent material particles being accumulated on a metal substrate to form a layer of the plurality of fluorescent material particles. Each of the plurality of fluorescent material particles has a surface coated with a coating layer. The coating layer forms an uneven shape of a surface of the light emitting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yosuke Maemura, Yoshiyuki Takahira
  • Patent number: 8791162
    Abstract: This invention relates to deuterated compounds which are useful for treating diseases in which inhibition of bone resorption is indicated, such as osteoporosis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.
    Inventors: Kelem Kassahun, Christine Fandozzi, Donald R. Gauthier, Jr., Lisa A. Shipley
  • Publication number: 20140206117
    Abstract: An IZO layer (113) is formed on an a-ITO layer (112), and resist patterns (202R, 202G) having different film thicknesses are formed in at least sub-pixels (71R, 71G). The a-ITO layer (112) and the IZO layer (113) are etched by utilizing (i) a reduction in thickness of the resist patterns (202R, 202G) by ashing and (ii) a change in etching tolerance due to transformation from the a-ITO layer (112) into a p-ITO layer (114).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2012
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tohru Sonoda, Shoji Okazaki, Hiromitsu Katsui, Tetsunori Tanaka