Abstract: A display apparatus according to the present invention is arranged to inform a user that the set time of a timer circuit capable of setting an arbitrary time will end shortly, immediately before the end of the set time, or inform the user that the set time has ended, immediately after the end of the set time, thereby preventing the user from using the display apparatus for an excessively long time without noticing the lapse of the use time of the display apparatus.

Abstract: A device supporting a user interface includes a feedback module for presenting information related to a data structure and a processor for controlling the feedback module and the data structure. The device also has a detector for determining handedness of a user, allowing modification of the displayed data structure based on handedness of a user.

Abstract: A double-sided keyboard having a first keymat and a second keymat located on two sides of a circuit board, wherein the first and second keymats share an activation mat located between the first keymat and the circuit board. The first keymat has a plurality of keys, and the second keymat has a plurality of keys so that any key can be used to activate the circuit board through the same activation mat. The double-sided keyboard can be used on the cover of an electronic device so that the first keymat is used to enter information in the electronic device when the cover is closed and the second keymat is used when the cover is open. Preferably,.the activation mat has a plurality of dome-shaped, electrically conducted sections which make contact with the circuit board when one of the keys is pressed.

Abstract: A gesture sensing split keyboard can couple the hand and keyboard rotations, can sense hand rotation and one or more keystrokes of each hand, can produce symbolic, control, command, and other types of information based upon all the sensed inputs, and can present the produced information to a computing, communications, or control device through electrical conductors, infrared transceivers, or other communications technologies. The various embodiments can be mounted on the operator's hands, arms, or belt, on a desktop or other stable surface, or may be embedded in the target device, such as a laptop computer. The ability of certain embodiments to fold into a compact size for storage while providing ease-of-use of a full-sized keyboard when unfolded for typing makes them well suited for laptop computers.

Abstract: A display device includes a data acquiring unit for acquiring data, a display unit for displaying data acquired by said data acquiring unit, an operation unit for operating the display device, a controller for controlling the display device, a communication unit for communicating with other display devices, and a coupling unit for structurally coupling the display device with other display devices with which communication is made by the communication unit. Accordingly, a plurality of display devices capable of individually operating can be coupled or decoupled in a flexible manner, and display contents can be updated to be displayed such that they are consistent with each other even if the display devices are coupled or decoupled.

Abstract: The present specification discloses a drive circuit of a liquid crystal display device that transfers image data to a liquid crystal panel which is able to reduce the amount of change of the value of each bit of data that may be transferred over a bus line. In the case the number of data signals that cause a polarity change in the output to a bus line is equal to or greater than the majority of data signals for each of four output ports, a controller inverts the polarity of the data signals, and outputs data from each output port to the bus line. In addition, the controller outputs polarity inversion signals, which indicate that the polarity of data signals output to the bus line has been inverted, for each output port.

Abstract: Adjustments are made to a displayed image in order to take into account user viewing angle. Brightness values for colors are stored within palette registers. In response to a user indicating a view angle change, brightness values stored in at least some of the palette registers are changed. As brightness values are increased, contrast between color shades is decreased.

Abstract: A display drive apparatus for driving liquid crystals by applying a voltage to the liquid crystals based on gray-scale data representative of a display. The display drive apparatus includes a polarity control circuit, an input selection circuit, a non-linear operation region identifying circuit and an offset current generation circuit. The polarity control circuit generates a polarity control signal based on a polarity signal. The input selection circuit selects a predetermined reference voltage for driving the liquid crystals from a plurality of reference voltages provided from an input voltage generation circuit or a plurality of reference voltages generated within the input selection circuit based on an input signal representative of gray-scale data and the polarity control signal.

Abstract: A drive circuit for a liquid crystal display apparatus and a large-sized liquid crystal display apparatus integrated with the drive circuit and having a reduced area occupied by the circuits. The drive circuit includes sample/hold circuits for sampling the input voltage at a predetermined timing, comparator circuits for comparing the output of the sample/hold circuits with the voltage of the signal line VD(i), switches for controlling the output voltage of the signal line, a voltage supply circuit constituted as an image signal control circuit for supplying a voltage to the switches, and control circuits for controlling the switches in accordance with the output of the comparator circuits. For the liquid crystal display panel drive circuit configured as described above, the signal line is controlled by the switches, and therefore the area occupied by the drive circuits can be reduced.

Abstract: A radio frequency plasma display panel that is capable of reducing a height of a barrier rib and a frequency of a radio frequency signal as well as improving a light-emission efficiency. In the radio frequency plasma display panel, a plurality of discharge cells are arranged in a matrix pattern. Each of the discharge cells has upper and lower substrates. First and second address electrodes are provided on at least one of the upper and lower substrates to generate an address discharge. Barrier ribs are provided between the upper and lower substrates to define a discharge space. First and second radio frequency electrodes are provided the respective barrier ribs opposed to each other to generate a radio frequency sustaining discharge. Accordingly, the radio frequency sustaining discharge is generated between the first and second radio frequency electrodes within the respective barrier ribs for a long time, so that a height of the barrier ribs and a frequency of a radio frequency signal can be lowered.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system and method for noise reduction in touch screen systems. A touch screen system comprises an analog to digital converter capable of converting to digital signals analog signals from at least one analog resistive film in a touch screen. The analog signal is indicative of a location on the touch screen. The invention comprises an apparatus for reducing noise in a touch screen comprising a microcontroller coupled to said analog to digital converter. The microcontroller receives a synchronization trigger signal, and in response to receiving the synchronization trigger signal, waits to receive digital signals from the analog to digital converter until the expiration of a period of time in which noise associated with the synchronization trigger signal has occurred. A method for reducing common mode noise is disclosed that actively senses and removes the ground return offset from the analog signals of the touch screen.

Abstract: A keyboard switch matrix arrangement provides keyboard key discrimination utilizing simultaneous groupings of drive line combinations and sense line combinations (time division multiplexing) to discriminate between keyboard keys with substantially fewer total drive and sense lines than a conventional switch matrix, thereby substantially reducing the number of required IC pin connections. The invention permits given sense lines to sense more than one drive line for a valid key press duration (i.e., key actuation), and given drive lines to drive more than one sense line for a given valid key press duration. In this manner, and through utilization of time division multiplexing, the switch capacity of a matrix with a given number of drive lines and sense lines can be substantially increased.

Abstract: In a color liquid crystal display device, two capacitors are connected in parallel between a pixel signal line and an electrode of a liquid cell, or one of the capacitors is connected therebetween, or none of the capacitors are connected therebetween, in order to selectively set a potential of the electrode of the liquid crystal cell in any of four steps. Therefore, gradation display in four steps can be achieved without a digital-to-analog conversion circuit, so that the cost of the device can be reduced.

Abstract: It is an object of this invention to provide an electron generating apparatus which eliminates, with a simple process, variations in electron-emitting characteristics of electron sources caused by various factors, a method of adjusting the characteristics of the electron generating apparatus, a method of manufacturing the electron generating apparatus, and an image forming apparatus using the electron generating apparatus. Characteristic measuring voltages are applied from pulse generators (6, 7) to each surface-conduction emission device of a display panel (1), so that the electron-emitting characteristics are measured by a current detector (12). A pulse peak value setting circuit (8) is controlled to output a voltage signal having a peak value determined in the above manner, and characteristic shift voltages are applied from the pulse generators (6, 7) to the surface-conduction emission device. With this process, the electron-emitting characteristics of the surface-conduction emission devices are equalized.

Abstract: A touch screen construction provides a plurality of brilliant command icons for a user to easily operate an electronic device. The icons are marked on an icon layer mounted between a top touch layer and a bottom display layer. A cool light layer is located under the icon layer for illuminating the command icons. The user can see the icons clearly and mistaken operation of the electronic device can be prevented even in the dark.

Abstract: Apparatus for a touch sensitive panel or input screen for a hand held computing device that provides increased active or key area for the input screen. Four wires, each connected to one of the electrodes, are divided into smaller two-wire and one-wire units, with two of the four wires being connected to a signal processor from opposed locations on a boundary of the input screen. Replacing a conventional four-wire unit with this arrangement, the active or key area on the input screen can be increased by as much as 10-14 percent on a typical hand held device, or one or more dimensions of the device housing can be reduced. The four wire connection may be replaced by a three wire connection.

Abstract: A phase adjuster, a phase adjusting method and a display device for adjusting a phase of a picture image signal of a picture image displayed on a display screen based on the same number of clock pulses as that of picture elements on each horizontal line generated on each horizontal line of the display screen. The phase adjuster or the display device includes a counting circuit for counting the number of clock pulses between two predetermined picture elements of the picture image on an arbitrary horizontal line over a plurality of frames. A phase adjusting circuit is provided for adjusting a phase of a clock so as to correspond to the phase of the picture image signal based on a counted result of the counting circuit. Thus, manageability or handiness can be remarkably improved.

Abstract: A joy stick which is simply constituted using a decreased number of parts. The joy stick has two swing arms 23 and 24 intersecting at right angles and are supported by a shaft so as to be operated by the swinging operation of a lever 27 and to transmit the rotational displacement to rotary encoders, and a contact switching means 33 that is switched by the depressing operation of the lever 27 in a casing 22, wherein an upper end of a spring 35 is brought into contact with the outer circumference of the lever 27 to maintain the attitude of the lever 27, a support member 31 is provided for limiting the upward displacement of the lever 27, plural protrusions 30, 30, —are formed near the lower end along the outer circumference of the lever 27 to protrude outward and to support the lower end of the spring 35, the contact switching means 33 is provided on a base plate 34, and the base plate 34 is used as the bottom plate of the casing 22.

Abstract: A precharge circuit is composed of (a) a reference signal input section, to which at least one precharge reference potential is inputted, (b) a control signal input section, to which at least one control signal is inputted, (c) a plurality of signal delay sections for sequentially delaying an output of the control signal input section, and (d) a reference signal switching section for switching, in accordance with outputs of the signal delay sections, between a state of outputting the precharge reference potential of the reference signal input section to each of the data signal lines and a state of non-outputting the same thereto. With this arrangement, the precharge control signal is sequentially delayed within the precharge circuit by the delay circuits composed of inverter circuits or the like, so that timings at which the precharge reference potential is written in the data signal lines are dispersed.

Abstract: A virtual image system is disclosed comprising: a passive optical unit for interfacing with portions of a user's head; and an optical projection unit directing a retinal scanning beam into the passive optical unit, the optical projection unit detached from the passive optical unit.