Patents by Inventor Akira Shibazaki

Akira Shibazaki has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11823611
    Abstract: A display device includes a display control circuit. The display control circuit includes: an arithmetic unit obtaining a video signal, and calculating, in accordance with the video signal, an average voltage value of a source signal in a display period; and a controller and a signal synthesizer supplying, in the display period, a source signal, based on the video signal, from a source drive circuit to a plurality of source lines, and supplying, in a suspension period, a source signal, having the average voltage value, from a source drive circuit to each of the source lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: SHARP DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akira Shibazaki
  • Publication number: 20220351668
    Abstract: A display device includes a display control circuit. The display control circuit includes: an arithmetic unit obtaining a video signal, and calculating, in accordance with the video signal, an average voltage value of a source signal in a display period; and a controller and a signal synthesizer supplying, in the display period, a source signal, based on the video signal, from a source drive circuit to a plurality of source lines, and supplying, in a suspension period, a source signal, having the average voltage value, from a source drive circuit to each of the source lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventor: Akira SHIBAZAKI
  • Patent number: 9341904
    Abstract: The TFT substrate (10) of this liquid crystal display device (100) includes: a TFT (11) which is provided for each pixel; an upper electrode (12) which is electrically connected to the TFT's drain electrode (11d); a lower electrode (13) which is arranged under the upper electrode; and a dielectric layer (14) which is arranged between the upper and lower electrodes. Its counter substrate (20) includes a counter electrode (21) which faces the upper electrode. The upper electrode has first and second regions (R1, R2) which have mutually different electrode structures, and a third region (R3) which electrically connects the first and second regions to the drain electrode. The third region of the upper electrode includes a symmetrical connecting portion (12c) that is a conductive film pattern, of which the shape is substantially symmetrical with respect to a virtual line (L1) that splits each pixel into two adjacent regions in a row direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Seiichi Uchida, Seiji Kaneko, Yasuyuki Ogawa, Yutaka Takamaru, Kohhei Tanaka, Mitsuhiro Murata, Akira Shibazaki, Ken Kuboki
  • Patent number: 9057916
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display apparatus, an angle of orientation of a first extension orientation of a first slit is not greater than an angle of orientation of a first director orientation, an angle of orientation of a second extension orientation of a second slit is not smaller than an angle of orientation of a second director orientation, and a difference between the angle of orientation of the second extension orientation and the angle of orientation of the second director orientation is greater than a difference between the angle of orientation of the first extension orientation and the angle of orientation of the first director orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken Kuboki, Akira Shibazaki, Satomi Hasegawa, Hiroshi Tsuchiya, Yusuke Nishihara, Taichi Sasaki, Seiji Tanuma
  • Patent number: 9001296
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus includes an electrode and a slit formation region provided in the electrode and extending in a direction of extension of a boundary line, a first alignment region and a third alignment region are formed such that liquid crystal molecules are aligned toward a first director orientation, a second alignment region and a fourth alignment region are formed such that liquid crystal molecules are aligned toward a second director orientation greater in an angle of orientation than the first director orientation, an angle of orientation of a first slit orientation is not greater than an angle of orientation of the first director orientation, and an angle of orientation of a second slit orientation is not smaller than an angle of orientation of the second director orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken Kuboki, Akira Shibazaki, Satomi Hasegawa, Hiroshi Tsuchiya, Yusuke Nishihara, Taichi Sasaki, Seiji Tanuma
  • Patent number: 9001295
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal layer extending at least in a display region; first and second substrates affixed to each other so as to sandwich the liquid crystal layer therebetween; and a pair of polarization plates disposed to sandwich these substrates therebetween. The first substrate is provided with a pixel electrode corresponding to each of a plurality of pixels. The second substrate is provided with a counter electrode so as to face the pixel electrode. A first alignment film is disposed on the pixel electrode. A second alignment film is disposed on the counter electrode. The pixels each include a plurality of domains having different combinations of alignment directions of the first and second alignment films. The pixel electrode has a slit group along at least a part of an outline of the pixel electrode and in the vicinity of the outline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Shibazaki, Ken Kuboki, Satomi Hasegawa, Hiroshi Tsuchiya, Yusuke Nishihara, Taichi Sasaki, Seiji Tanuma
  • Publication number: 20150049290
    Abstract: The TFT substrate (10) of this liquid crystal display device (100) includes: a TFT (11) which is provided for each pixel; an upper electrode (12) which is electrically connected to the TFT's drain electrode (11d); a lower electrode (13) which is arranged under the upper electrode; and a dielectric layer (14) which is arranged between the upper and lower electrodes. Its counter substrate (20) includes a counter electrode (21) which faces the upper electrode. The upper electrode has first and second regions (R1, R2) which have mutually different electrode structures, and a third region (R3) which electrically connects the first and second regions to the drain electrode. The third region of the upper electrode includes a symmetrical connecting portion (12c) that is a conductive film pattern, of which the shape is substantially symmetrical with respect to a virtual line (L1) that splits each pixel into two adjacent regions in a row direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Inventors: Seiichi Uchida, Seiji Kaneko, Yasuyuki Ogawa, Yutaka Takamaru, Kohhei Tanaka, Mitsuhiro Murata, Akira Shibazaki, Ken Kuboki
  • Patent number: 8847863
    Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid crystal display device of active matrix type. Each pixel electrode (1) includes either a single regional electrode (2) or two or more regional electrodes (2) which are electrically connected to each other. The or each regional electrode is provided with: a first electrode (cross-shaped electrode) (3) which has a pattern dividing a first region into a plurality of second regions (R1, R2, R3, and R4); and a plurality of stripe electrodes (4) which are provided in each of the second regions so as to extend from the first electrode and so as to be separated from each other by a distance. A storage capacitor line (CSL) is provided facing one of pixel electrodes (1) in a film thickness direction to form a storage capacitor. The storage capacitor line (CSL) is provided so as not to extend facing an edge (2e, 2e?) of a first region in the film thickness direction parallelly to the edge (2e, 2e?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuichi Iyama, Akira Shibazaki, Yoshito Hashimoto, Masahiro Shimizu, Hiroshi Tsuchiya, Yusuke Nishihara, Ken Kuboki
  • Patent number: 8704860
    Abstract: An overshooting process is carried out, in an LCD device (1) whose LC layer thicknesses meet pixel R>pixel G>pixel B, so as to respectively set first through third output gray scales of current frame based on (i) first through third input gray scales of the current frame (current frame data) and (ii) first through third gray scales of frame which is one frame before the current frame (previous frame data). The first through third output gray scales are respectively set for the first through third pixels based on the thicknesses of the respective first through third liquid crystal layers so as to meet pixel R>pixel G>pixel B. This equalizes liquid crystal response speeds of the respective pixels R, G, and B, and therefore allows an improvement in display quality of the LCD device (1) having a multi gap structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Shibazaki, Seiji Tanuma, Kenji Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20130329148
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display apparatus, an angle of orientation of a first extension orientation of a first slit is not greater than an angle of orientation of a first director orientation, an angle of orientation of a second extension orientation of a second slit is not smaller than an angle of orientation of a second director orientation, and a difference between the angle of orientation of the second extension orientation and the angle of orientation of the second director orientation is greater than a difference between the angle of orientation of the first extension orientation and the angle of orientation of the first director orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Inventors: Ken Kuboki, Akira Shibazaki, Satomi Hasegawa, Hiroshi Tsuchiya, Yusuke Nishihara, Taichi Sasaki, Seiji Tanuma
  • Publication number: 20130329175
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus includes an electrode and a slit formation region provided in the electrode and extending in a direction of extension of a boundary line, a first alignment region and a third alignment region are formed such that liquid crystal molecules are aligned toward a first director orientation, a second alignment region and a fourth alignment region are formed such that liquid crystal molecules are aligned toward a second director orientation greater in an angle of orientation than the first director orientation, an angle of orientation of a first slit orientation is not greater than an angle of orientation of the first director orientation, and an angle of orientation of a second slit orientation is not smaller than an angle of orientation of the second director orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ken Kuboki, Akira Shibazaki, Satomi Hasegawa, Hiroshi Tsuchiya, Yusuke Nishihara, Taichi Sasaki, Seiji Tanuma
  • Publication number: 20130321747
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal layer extending in a display region; and a TFT substrate and a counter substrate affixed to each other so as to sandwich the liquid crystal layer therebetween. The TFT substrate is provided with a pixel electrode corresponding to each of a plurality of pixels. The counter substrate is provided with a counter electrode. A first alignment film is disposed on the surface of the pixel electrode that faces the liquid crystal layer. A second alignment film is disposed on the surface of the counter electrode that faces the liquid crystal layer. The pixels each include a plurality of domains having different combinations of alignment directions of the first and second alignment films. A slit is provided in the counter electrode at least in a part of a region corresponding to a boundary between the pixels adjacent to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masatoshi Kondo, Akira Shibazaki, Ken Kuboki, Satomi Hasegawa, Seiji Tanuma
  • Publication number: 20130293815
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal layer extending at least in a display region; first and second substrates affixed to each other so as to sandwich the liquid crystal layer therebetween; and a pair of polarization plates disposed to sandwich these substrates therebetween. The first substrate is provided with a pixel electrode corresponding to each of a plurality of pixels. The second substrate is provided with a counter electrode so as to face the pixel electrode. A first alignment film is disposed on the pixel electrode. A second alignment film is disposed on the counter electrode. The pixels each include a plurality of domains having different combinations of alignment directions of the first and second alignment films. The pixel electrode has a slit group along at least a part of an outline of the pixel electrode and in the vicinity of the outline.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2012
    Publication date: November 7, 2013
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Shibazaki, Ken Kobuki, Satomi Hasegawa, Hiroshi Tsuchiya, Yusuke Nishihara, Taichi Sasaki, Seiji Tanuma
  • Publication number: 20120306731
    Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid crystal display device of active matrix type. Each pixel electrode (1) includes either a single regional electrode (2) or two or more regional electrodes (2) which are electrically connected to each other. The or each regional electrode is provided with: a first electrode (cross-shaped electrode) (3) which has a pattern dividing a first region into a plurality of second regions (R1, R2, R3, and R4); and a plurality of stripe electrodes (4) which are provided in each of the second regions so as to extend from the first electrode and so as to be separated from each other by a distance. A storage capacitor line (CSL) is provided facing one of pixel electrodes (1) in a film thickness direction to form a storage capacitor. The storage capacitor line (CSL) is provided so as not to extend facing an edge (2e, 2e?) of a first region in the film thickness direction parallelly to the edge (2e, 2e?).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuichi Iyama, Akira Shibazaki, Yoshito Hashimoto, Masahiro Shimizu, Hiroshi Tsuchiya, Yusuke Nishihara, Ken Kuboki
  • Publication number: 20120056915
    Abstract: An overshooting process is carried out, in an LCD device (1) whose LC layer thicknesses meet pixel R>pixel G>pixel B, so as to respectively set first through third output gray scales of current frame based on (i) first through third input gray scales of the current frame (current frame data) and (ii) first through third gray scales of frame which is one frame before the current frame (previous frame data). The first through third output gray scales are respectively set for the first through third pixels based on the thicknesses of the respective first through third liquid crystal layers so as to meet pixel R>pixel G>pixel B. This equalizes liquid crystal response speeds of the respective pixels R, G, and B, and therefore allows an improvement in display quality of the LCD device (1) having a multi gap structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Inventors: Akira Shibazaki, Seiji Tanuma, Kenji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 7525530
    Abstract: Each of a gate driver and a source driver periodically receives a clock signal and a start pulse, where the start pulse has a certain width and is shifted as shift data in the gate driver or source driver in synchronism with the clock signal. A logic circuit composed of an NAND gate and an inverter receives the start pulse and the shift data, the shift data being the output that is supplied after a predetermined delay from the last stage with respect to the shift direction. The output of the inverter is used to test scanning circuits. This provides a display device and a scanning circuit testing method, which enable the scanning circuits to be judged both surely and quickly, without increasing the area or complexity of the circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Takafuji, Katsunori Shirai, Akira Shibazaki
  • Publication number: 20050206606
    Abstract: Each of a gate driver and a source driver periodically receives a clock signal and a start pulse, where the start pulse has a certain width and is shifted as shift data in the gate driver or source driver in synchronism with the clock signal. A logic circuit composed of an NAND gate and an inverter receives the start pulse and the shift data, the shift data being the output that is supplied after a predetermined delay from the last stage with respect to the shift direction. The output of the inverter is used to test scanning circuits. This provides a display device and a scanning circuit testing method, which enable the scanning circuits to be judged both surely and quickly, without increasing the area or complexity of the circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2005
    Publication date: September 22, 2005
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Takafuji, Katsunori Shirai, Akira Shibazaki
  • Patent number: 6909304
    Abstract: Each of a gate driver and a source driver periodically receives a clock signal and a start pulse, where the start pulse has a certain width and is shifted as shift data in the gate driver or source driver in synchronism with the clock signal. A logic circuit composed of an NAND gate and an inverter receives the start pulse and the shift data, the shift data being the output that is supplied after a predetermined delay from the last stage with respect to the shift direction. The output of the inverter is used to test scanning circuits. This provides a display device and a scanning circuit testing method, which enable the scanning circuits to be judged both surely and quickly, without increasing the area or complexity of the circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Takafuji, Katsunori Shirai, Akira Shibazaki
  • Publication number: 20030173991
    Abstract: Each of a gate driver and a source driver periodically receives a clock signal and a start pulse, where the start pulse has a certain width and is shifted as shift data in the gate driver or source driver in synchronism with the clock signal. A logic circuit composed of an NAND gate and an inverter receives the start pulse and the shift data, the shift data being the output that is supplied after a predetermined delay from the last stage with respect to the shift direction. The output of the inverter is used to test scanning circuits. This provides a display device and a scanning circuit testing method, which enable the scanning circuits to be judged both surely and quickly, without increasing the area or complexity of the circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2003
    Publication date: September 18, 2003
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha.
    Inventors: Yutaka Takafuji, Katsunori Shirai, Akira Shibazaki