Patents Examined by Vince E Kovalick
  • Patent number: 7580020
    Abstract: A semiconductor device carries out a test utilizing contact with a probe needle without being affected by narrowing of the pitch at which output pads are arranged. The device is equipped with test circuits provided between a plurality of output buffers via which signals are output and output pads corresponding thereto. The test circuit includes output switches caused to sequentially make connections by a controller in test and interpad switches involved in making connections of the output pads with a test pad by the controller in test. In test, probe needles are brought into contact with the test pad. The output pads are not used in test, and can be arranged at a narrowed pitch. Thus, the chip area can be reduced and are therefore so that the pitch for the output pads can be narrowed and the chip area can be decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited
    Inventors: Shinya Udo, Masao Kumagai, Masatoshi Kokubun, Hidekazu Nishizawa, Takeo Shigihara
  • Patent number: 7573472
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an invention about a drive waveform for driving an image display unit. In particular, the present invention discloses the structure of using as a drive waveform a drive waveform signal which is level controlled by a plural of discontinuous levels including a minimum level which is a level corresponding to luminance brightness gradation data which is not 0, at least one non-minimum level which is a level corresponding to larger luminance brightness gradation data, and an intermediate level between the above-described minimum level and the above-described non-minimum level, and is given pulse width control with discontinuous pulse width, and which has a portion, which is controlled with the above-described minimum level, in its trailing edge, and a portion, which is controlled with the above-described intermediate level just before the former portion, when it has the portion controlled by the above-described non-minimum level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadashi Aoki, Kazunori Katakura, Aoji Isono, Kazuhiko Murayama, Kenji Shino
  • Patent number: 7570257
    Abstract: An element driving transistor controls an amount of power supplied from a power supply PVDD to an element to be driven (display element) provided in a pixel of each row. A storage capacitor has a first electrode connected to a gate electrode of an element driving transistor and a second electrode connected to a capacitor line. A voltage level of a capacitor control signal SCn to be output to the capacitor line is set to a voltage level which controls the element driving transistor via the storage capacitor Cs to be periodically switched off. A V driver formed at a periphery of a display portion of a panel has a generator which generates a capacitor control signal SCn using outputs of registers which sequentially transfer and output a signal according to a V start signal STV so that the off-control period of the element driving transistor is determined according to the H level period of the V start signal STV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kyoji Ikeda
  • Patent number: 7570256
    Abstract: An apparatus for transmitting data of an image display device includes an image display part equipped with sub-pixels formed between gate lines and data lines, a data driver for driving the data lines of the image display part, a gate driver for driving the gate lines of the image display part, and a timing controller for controlling operations of the data driver and the gate driver, generating a data inversion signal using an transmitted data signal and the next data signal, switching the data inversion signal when the data inversion signal has a logic state successively maintained at least two times, and transmitting one of the next data signal and the inverted next data signal depending on the data inversion signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sang Soo Han
  • Patent number: 7567231
    Abstract: A display device of the present invention has a drain driver mounted to a display substrate and having a gate driver and a controller therein, and also has a power source mounted to a flexible printed board and supplying a power voltage to the gate driver. The wiring of a common control signal outputted from the controller and commonly used in control of the gate driver and the power source is formed on the display substrate so that the number of pads for connecting the display substrate and the flexible printed board is reduced. Thus, the construction of the flexible printed board is simplified, and the entire display device can be made compact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Takahashi, Katsuhiko Yarita
  • Patent number: 7567244
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit for driving a liquid crystal display, capable of improving the quality of an image displayed by preventing an imbalance between the outputs of a pair of amplifiers for positive voltage and negative voltage for AC driving of the liquid crystal panel and transmission of noise from one amplifier to the other amplifier is realized. A driver circuit that generates and outputs dive signals to be applied to signal lines of the liquid crystal panel includes decoder circuits, each of which selects a gray-scale voltage corresponding to image data. It also includes amplifiers for positive voltage which perform impedance conversion of positive voltages selected by the decoder circuits and amplifiers for negative voltage which perform impedance conversion of negative voltages selected by the decoder circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Renesas Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Shinobu Nohtomi, Toshikazu Tachibana, Shinya Suzuki, Kazuo Okada
  • Patent number: 7561147
    Abstract: To provide a current output type semiconductor circuit, a drive device for display, a display device, and a current output method that can control an increase in a circuit size to be lower even if the number of output bits of a current driver is increased. A current output type semiconductor circuit, including first current source groups 241a and 241b, includes first unit transistors of outputting a predetermined current and output lower order N (N is a natural number) bits; and second current source groups 242a, 242b, 242c, 242d, 242e, and 242f that include second unit transistors of outputting a current larger than that of the first unit transistors and output higher order M (M is a natural number, (N+M)?3) bits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hitoshi Tsuge
  • Patent number: 7557797
    Abstract: The notion of a conventional mouse is extended to provide an extended number of simultaneously adjustable user interface parameters. In one family of realizations, one or more trackballs, touchpads, or other types of user interface sensors may be added to a traditional mouse to provide additional user interface parameters. These additional user interface sensors may be simultaneously adjusted along with any movement of the mouse. The overall physical configuration may provide mixed physical modalities for adjusting a common pair of user interface parameters to prevent or ease hand fatigue, or to provide alternate parameter adjustment offsets, warpings, or resolutions. The additional user interface sensors, particularly trackballs and touchpads, may also be specially configured to provide up to six or more simultaneously adjustable and widely-variable user interface parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Inventor: Lester F. Ludwig
  • Patent number: 7551164
    Abstract: An active matrix display device has an array of oled display pixels (2) operable in two modes in which the power supply line (26) is modulated between a low voltage and a normal power supply voltage. In a first mode, a pixel drive transistor current is supplied to the display element (2) and is selected to provide a desired pixel brightness. In a second mode, a voltage is provided to the drive transistor and is selected to provide a desired ageing effect, but no current flows through the display element. The frame time is thus divided into two periods, one when the power supply line (26) is supplied with a voltage of e.g. OV or ?5V to turn the display element on and the other when the power supply line (26) is supplied with a voltage of e.g. OV or ?5V to turn the display element off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Steven C. Deane
  • Patent number: 7545383
    Abstract: An information processing system includes a first information processor to process data to be displayed in a first display unit and a second information processor to indicate the data displayed in the first display unit. The first information processor includes a first display control unit to control the data to be displayed; a first communication unit to receive operation information from the second information processor and transmit data information about a piece of data indicated by the second information processor; and a first detecting unit to detect a position on the first display unit indicated by the second information processor. The second information processor includes an accepting unit to accept an operation by a user; a second communication unit to transmit operation information to the first information processor and receive the data information from the first information processor; and a received data storage unit to store the data information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tadashi Morita
  • Patent number: 7545397
    Abstract: Video processing for enhancing contrast includes detecting the ambient light levels on a display, performing local contrast enhancement processing to emphasize the luminance component based on the detected ambient light levels to provide a processed video signal, and presenting the processed video signal on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen R. O'Dea, Michael O'Connell, William Berardi
  • Patent number: 7538762
    Abstract: Systems and methods provide automatic switching of display update properties such as screen resolution, pixel depth, and refresh rate in response to a power management event. The display update property may be decreased when power is switched from AC power to DC power, for example, when the system is unplugged from a wall outlet and is running on battery power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Terry M. Fletcher, Edward P. Costales
  • Patent number: 7532207
    Abstract: For making outputs of a drive circuits accurate, the drive circuit is composed of a plurality of current signal generation circuits for outputting a current signal to each of a plurality of output units, a current signal output line to which outputs of the plurality of current signal generation circuits are commonly connected, a correction value output circuit for outputting a correction value obtained by evaluating the output of one or more specific circuits of the plurality of current signal generation circuits on a basis of current values output through the current signal output line, and a correction circuit for correcting an image signal supplied to the current signal generation circuits by means of the correction value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Somei Kawasaki, Fujio Kawano, Masami Iseki
  • Patent number: 7525525
    Abstract: A display module includes an emitting device provided with a first electrode layer that is driven by an active device, an organic emitting layer that is coated on said first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer CD that is formed over said organic emitting layer. An electrode layer CNTB is provided on the substrate thereof lower than the second electrode layer CD and is coated with an insulating or passivation film. The electrode layer CNTB is in contact with the second electrode layer CD through a contact hole CNT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Sato, Yoshiyuki Kaneko
  • Patent number: 7522153
    Abstract: The displaying apparatus 100 displays a plurality of display data sequentially by updating its display. On a surface of the frame 100a, the displaying apparatus 100 includes a display panel 110, a bend member 120a, and a bend member 120b and both the bend member 120a and the bend member 120b have elasticity. Each of the bend member 120a and the bend member 120b is provided at an edge of the surface of the frame 100a. The user bends each of the bend member 120a and the bend member 120b when he wants to update the display of the display panel 110. The displaying apparatus 100 updates the display in the display panel 110 based on the deformation volume in the bend member 120.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Shuichi Ohtsuka
  • Patent number: 7508385
    Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid crystal display device used for a display part of an information equipment and a driving method thereof, and has an object to provide a liquid crystal display device in which excellent viewing angle characteristics can be obtained and a driving method thereof. When a relatively high level data voltage is applied to a gate electrode of a TFT, a driving voltage is applied to a liquid crystal layer for a long time and a white display is realized. When a relatively low level data voltage is applied to the gate electrode of the TFT, the driving voltage is not applied to the liquid crystal layer, and a black display is realized. When an intermediate data voltage between the high level and the low level is applied to the gate electrode of the TFT, the TFT keeps an on state for a time determined by a time constant depending on a capacitance and a resistance. The driving voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer for the on time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuya Ueda, Hidefumi Yoshida, Yuichi Inoue, Yoshio Koike
  • Patent number: 7499032
    Abstract: A keypad of six keys connected to a circuit that includes a microprocessor and interface driver connected to cable which plugs directly into a computer mouse port. The keypad has four arrow keys, which allow for cursor control in eight directions, and two other keys, which provide the left and right mouse button functions. The keypad is made of molded silicone rubber, is waterproof, and has translucent key legends which allow for back-lighting, that is provided by six LED's that are controlled by the microprocessor allowing the light intensity to be adjusted by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Inventor: Peter J. Mikan
  • Patent number: 7495642
    Abstract: A field sequential pulse width modulated display system comprises a digital micromirror device (DMD) having a plurality of micromirrors that each selectively pivot to reflect light onto a screen to illuminate a corresponding pixel. A driver circuit controls the DMD responsive to sequences of pulse width segments formed by a processor. The processor actuates at least one pulse in a first pulse width segment for a given color to increase pixel brightness with a range lying between first and second pixel brightness values. To further increase pixel brightness, the processor actuates at least one pulse within additional pulse width segments associated with the same given color to increase pixel brightness above the second brightness boundary. The pulses within the additional segments are actuated unequally so that the additional pulse width segments closest in time to the first segment (i.e.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventor: Donald Henry Willis
  • Patent number: 7486270
    Abstract: An electronic whiteboard with built-in membrane antenna array lattice electromagnetic induction layer includes: a writing input portion; a covering frame provided around the periphery of the electronic whiteboard; and a control circuit; wherein, the writing input portion has multilayer structure and is enclosed in the frame, the said writing input portion includes a surface writing layer, an underlayer, and an input induction layer which is connected to the control circuit by its output; the said induction layer may be the antenna array printed on the insulation membrane and arranged along the X, Y axes, therein the area enclosed by each lattice unit constitutes one induction cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Tai Guen Enterprise Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hsuan-Ming Shih
  • Patent number: 7483021
    Abstract: A drive control circuit sends out pulse signals of various pulse signals so as to control the light emission amount and luminance of LEDs by gradually increasing and decreasing the pulse width in predetermined cycles during predetermined periods based on parameters supplied from an LED drive controller that determine a first emission control processing period, a second emission control processing period, first to fourth slope periods and the like. The tone of an emitted color realized by a plurality of LEDs is controlled by synchronizing the periods of time of light emission control processings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Yamamoto, Tomoyuki Ito, Hiroyuki Iwaki