Patents Assigned to Sharp
  • BACKLIGHT UNIT AND LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICE
    Publication number: 20140063416
    Abstract: In order to prevent the occurrence of unevenness of planar light and reduce consumption energy, a backlight unit (1) includes: a light source unit (3); a light guide plate (2) in which light from the light source (3) enters through a light receiving surface (22) and in which planar light is emitted through a light emitting surface (21); an optical sheet (4) that is arranged on the side of the light receiving surface (22) of the light guide plate (2); a first optical member (61) that is formed on a portion of the optical sheet (4) close to the light source (3) and that reflects the light; and a second optical member (62) that is formed on a portion of the optical sheet (4) close to the first optical member (6).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2012
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takaharu Shimizu
  • WIRING DEFECT INSPECTING METHOD, WIRING DEFECT INSPECTING APPARATUS, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATE
    Publication number: 20140062521
    Abstract: A wiring defect inspecting method in accordance with the present invention comprises: obtaining a resistance of a short-circuited path of a semiconductor substrate; applying a voltage, which is specified on the basis of the resistance obtained, to the semiconductor substrate having a defect portion so as to cause the defect portion to generate heat; and capturing, with use of an infrared camera, an image of the semiconductor substrate whose temperature has increased due to the heat generated from the defect portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Eiji Yamada
  • CAPACITIVE TOUCH PANEL WITH A 'DUAL LAYER' FORCE SENSOR
    Publication number: 20140062933
    Abstract: A capacitive touch panel includes a first substrate and a second substrate arranged relative to the first substrate. A plurality of drive electrodes are arranged on the first substrate, wherein each drive electrode comprises a first drive electrode section and a second drive electrode section. In addition, a plurality of sense electrodes are arranged on the second substrate, the plurality of sense electrodes including touch sensing electrodes and force sensing electrodes. At least part of a sense electrode of the plurality of sense electrodes forms a force sensitive coupling capacitance with a second drive electrode section and not with a first drive electrode section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Michael Paul COULSON, Christopher James BROWN, Dauren Slamkul
  • METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HUMIDIFYING HAIR AND REDUCING HAIR DAMAGE
    Publication number: 20140060565
    Abstract: There is provided with a method for humidifying hair and reducing hair damage that humidifies hair readily and improves hair damage with the use of both positive ions and negative ions. A positive ion generation means for discharging electricity between electrodes applied by a voltage to generate positive ions combined to water molecules and a negative ion generation means for discharging electricity between electrodes applied by a voltage to generate negative ions combined to water molecules are prepared. Hair is humidified and hair damage is reduced by irradiation of hair with the positive and negative ions generated respectively by the positive ion generation means and the negative ion generation means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Emi Saito
  • CAPACITIVE TOUCH PANEL WITH FORCE SENSING
    Publication number: 20140062934
    Abstract: A capacitive type touch sensing device includes a first electrode array including a plurality of drive electrodes and a plurality of sense electrodes, and a second electrode array spaced apart from the first electrode array and including a plurality of discrete, electrically floating conductive regions. At least part of the second electrode array positionally overlaps with at least part of the first electrode array to define a separation distance therebetween, the separation distance varying with a force applied to a surface of the touch sensing device. Further, each conductive region is positioned relative to a respective drive electrode and sense electrode of the first electrode array so that a capacitance between certain pairs of drive and sense electrodes is more sensitive to a variation in the separation distance than a capacitance between other pairs of drive and sense electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Michael Paul Coulson, Christopher James BROWN, Dauren Slamkul
  • Methods and systems for inter-layer image prediction signaling
    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
  • Inverter unit, integrated circuit chip, and vehicle drive apparatus
    Patent number: 8664909
    Abstract: A miniaturizable, low-cost highly reliable inverter unit. A control circuit section for controlling operating timing of high breakdown voltage semiconductor elements included in an inverter circuit section and first and second drive and abnormality detection circuit sections for outputting drive signals for driving the high breakdown voltage semiconductor elements according to the operating timing and for feeding back an abnormality of the inverter circuit section to the control circuit section are formed on an SOI substrate as one integrated circuit chip. On the integrated circuit chip, circuit formation areas which differ in reference potential are separated from one another by dielectrics. A plurality of level shifters for transmitting signals exchanged between circuit formation areas separated by the dielectrics are formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignees: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Sharp Kabushiki-Kaisha
    Inventors: Hitoshi Sumida, Akinobu Teramoto, Ken-ichi Nonaka, Toshio Naka
  • Display device and method for driving display device
    Patent number: 8665201
    Abstract: A display device includes: a source driver; a plurality of gate drivers which share a plurality of scan signal lines to which they are connected; a gate output judging section for judging whether or not each of the plurality of gate drivers has a failure, on the basis of timing at which a gate signal Gout is outputted from a corresponding one of the plurality of gate drivers; and a control section for, in a case where the gate output judging section judges that the gate driver has a failure, switching over to the gate driver. This makes it possible to extend a lifetime of the display device with not a complicated arrangement but a simple arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koji Ueno
  • Reception device, reception method, and reception program
    Patent number: 8666003
    Abstract: A propagation channel estimation unit estimates a propagation channel estimated value. A symbol replica generation unit generates a symbol replica which is a modulated symbol from demodulated information. A signal extraction unit extracts each subcarrier component from a received signal from which interference has been removed, based on the propagation channel estimated value and the symbol replica. A demodulation unit demodulates the signals of the subcarrier components extracted by the signal extraction unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuya Kato, Takashi Yoshimoto, Ryota Yamada
  • Nitride semiconductor light-emitting chip, method of manufacture thereof, and semiconductor optical device
    Patent number: 8664688
    Abstract: A nitride semiconductor light-emitting chip offers enhanced luminous efficacy as a result of an improved EL emission pattern. The nitride semiconductor laser chip (nitride semiconductor light-emitting chip) has a nitride semiconductor substrate having a principal growth plane, and nitride semiconductor layers grown on the principal growth plane of the nitride semiconductor substrate. The principal growth plane of the GaN substrate is a plane having off-angles in both the a- and c-axis directions relative to an m plane, and the off-angle in the a-axis direction is larger than the off-angle in the c-axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Kamikawa, Masataka Ohta
  • Developer container and image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 8666291
    Abstract: A developer container 1 includes (i) a developer vessel 2, having a cylindrical shape, that carries and discharges toner contained therein through its first discharge opening 31 while the developer vessel 2 is being driven to rotate, and (ii) a developer supply section 3 which (a) supports the developer vessel 2 such that the developer vessel 2 can rotate, (b) temporarily stores the toner discharged from the first discharge opening 31, and (c) discharges the toner outside of the developer supply section 3 from a second discharge opening 5. The first discharge opening 31 is formed in an inclined surface 31a of an edge part of the developer vessel 2. The inclined surface 31a inclines, upstream of a direction in which the toner is carried along a shaft line L1, so as to be at angles with a surface perpendicular to the shaft line L1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihide Ohgoshi, Koichi Mihara
  • Image reading device and image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 8665503
    Abstract: A document reading section includes a document load table, a document load tray, a first document receiving tray, a linear conveyance path, a first guide member and a first reading section. The linear conveyance path, inclining downward from the document load tray, reaches the first document receiving tray. The first guide member is disposed in the linear conveyance path, and its top surface inclines downward along the linear conveyance path toward a downstream side in a document conveying direction in relation to the document load table. The first guide member is disposed in such a manner that part of its top surface intersects with a plane containing a top surface of the document load table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuharu Yoshimoto, Yasuhiro Suto, Shohichi Fukutome, Kenji Nakanishi, Hisashi Yamanaka, Sohichi Takata
  • Video resolution enhancement technique
    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
  • Multistage method and system for estimating respiration parameters from acoustic signal
    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
  • Multifunction peripheral information processor for providing control information to a multifunction peripheral
    Patent number: 8665459
    Abstract: A multifunction peripheral 1 of the present invention includes an image data storage section 16 for storing image data received by a first communication section 14 or a modem 15, the first communication section 14 for transmitting reception information including sender's information of the image data to an information processor 2, and a sections control section 10 for causing, according to control information transmitted from the information processor 2, a predetermined process to be executed on the image data stored in the image data storage section 16.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kunihiko Neil Tsujimoto
  • Power supply circuit and display device including the same
    Patent number: 8665255
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply circuit including a charge-pumping booster section which uses switching elements provided only by N-channel transistors yet does not have a problem of voltage drop by threshold value. In a booster section (11a), capacitors (C1) and (C2) have their respective first terminals connected with transistors (Q1, Q3) and (Q2, Q4) respectively. Each transistor has its gate terminal supplied with control signals generated in a driver section (11b). The driver section (11b) includes capacitors (C3, C4) connected with input terminals (Ti3, Ti4) for respective supply of clock signals DCK2, DCK2B each having a voltage alternating between ?VDD and VDD (VDD represents an input supply voltage from outside), as level-shifted signals of clock signals DCK1, DCK1B which are supplied to second terminals of the capacitors (C1, C2) respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sachio Tsujino, Shuji Nishi, Yuhichiroh Murakami, Yasushi Sasaki, Seijirou Gyouten
  • Pixel array substrate and display device
    Patent number: 8665187
    Abstract: A pixel array substrate includes: a first through fourth transistors (Ta through Td); a light-emitting element (OEL); a scanning line connected with a control terminal of the fourth transistor; a data line connected with one conducting terminal of the fourth transistor; a first control line (AZi) connected with one conducting terminal of the third transistor; a second control line (Ei) connected with a control terminal of the first transistor; and a first power source line (Ypj) connected with one conducting terminal of the first transistor. One conducting terminal of the second transistor is connected with the first power source line via the first transistor. A control terminal of the second transistor is connected with the data line via the fourth transistor and with a terminal of the light-emitting element via a capacitor (C).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Noritaka Kishi
  • Display device and method for driving display device
    Patent number: 8665200
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides a display device which prevents effective voltages applied to liquid crystal from differing between positive and negative polarities, even when a generation timing of a timing signal is shifted. In at least one example embodiment, a driving signal has an electric potential waveform where one frame period is made up of first period, second period, third period, and fourth period. In first frame, each of a Low level in the first period and a Low level in the third period is lower in electric potential than a Low level in the second period. In second frame, each of a High level in the first period and a High level in the third period is higher in electric potential than a High level in the second period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Sasaki
  • Liquid crystal display device, liquid crystal display device drive method, and television receiver
    Patent number: 8665199
    Abstract: A gate driver creates a dummy insertion period in which the driver does not apply a gate on pulse to a scanning signal line immediately after the time of the inversion of a data signal. When a period from the time of the application of the gate on pulse to an odd numbered or even numbered scanning signal line to which the gate on pulse is applied previously to the time of the application of the gate on pulse to an even numbered or odd numbered scanning signal line to which the gate on pulse is applied later is set as an adjacent line writing time lag period for two scanning signal lines adjacent to each other, a CS control circuit allows the polarity of every CS signal to be reversed on the same cycle at least in the adjacent line writing time lag period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Kentaro Irie, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Toshihide Tsubata, Naoshi Yamada
  • Liquid crystal display device
    Patent number: 8665408
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device (100) according to the present invention includes a first substrate (10) including pixel electrodes (11), gate lines (G) and switching elements (12), a second substrate (20) including a plurality of signal electrodes (21) which are electrically independent of each other, and a liquid crystal layer (30) interposed between the first and second substrates. The first substrate further includes a gate driver (15) which generates gate signals to be supplied to the gate lines. The second substrate further includes an external connecting terminal section (24). A signal that has been input through the external connecting terminal section is supplied to the gate driver. The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device with a counter source structure which contributes to narrowing its frame area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kaoru Yamamoto