Patents by Inventor Gen Ichimura
Gen Ichimura 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).
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Patent number: 8230118Abstract: An interface circuit includes: a first transmitting section transmitting a first signal as an in-phase signal to an external device through a transmission path; and a second transmitting section transmitting a clock signal, which is synchronized with the first signal to be transmitted by the first transmitting section, as a differential signal to the external device through the transmission path.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2009Date of Patent: July 24, 2012Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Kazuaki Toba, Gen Ichimura, Kenichi Saito
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Publication number: 20120166702Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a first communication unit configured to perform I2C bidirectional communication with an external apparatus using two signal lines included in a transmission path as I2C communication lines, a second communication unit configured to perform bidirectional differential communication with the external apparatus using the two signal lines as high-speed data communication lines, a switching unit configured to select a first communication state in which the first communication unit is connected to the two signal lines or a second communication state in which the second communication unit is connected to the two signal lines, and a controller configured to control operation of the switching unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2011Publication date: June 28, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuaki Toba, Gen Ichimura, Kazuyoshi Suzuki, Hideyuki Suzuki, Toshihide Hayashi
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Publication number: 20120167149Abstract: An electronic device includes: a digital signal transmission/reception unit configured to perform two-way transmission of a digital signal using multiple differential signal lanes prepared at a transmission path with an external device; a transmission path arrangement determining unit configured to determine a transmission path arrangement including the number of use lanes, a use lane number, and a transmission direction by performing communication with the external device using a two-way communication line prepared at the transmission path with the external device; and a transmission path arrangement control unit configured to control the arrangement of the digital signal transmission/reception unit based on the information of the transmission path arrangement determined at the transmission path arrangement determining unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2011Publication date: June 28, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuaki Toba, Gen Ichimura, Kazuyoshi Suzuki, Toshihide Hayashi, Hideyuki Suzuki
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Publication number: 20120128319Abstract: A transport signal transmitted from a television receiver apparatus through a signal line is subjected to a separation operation by a transport-signal processor and decoded by a video-signal decoding unit and an audio-signal decoding unit. A decoded video signal is supplied through a signal line to the television receiver apparatus. Video processing time of the television receiver apparatus is obtained by a delay-information obtaining unit through a signal line. An audio-signal delaying unit delays an audio signal decoded by the audio-signal decoding unit in accordance with the video processing time obtained by the delay-information obtaining unit and outputs the audio signal to a speaker.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2012Publication date: May 24, 2012Inventors: Gen Ichimura, Yasuhisa Nakajima
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Patent number: 8160259Abstract: An audio signal processing apparatus includes a localization direction detector that detects localization directions of two-channel input audio signals, a localization direction distribution calculator that calculates a distribution of the localization directions detected by the localization direction detector, a gain table information recording unit that records gain table information defining weights corresponding to respective localization angles, a gain generator that generates a gain corresponding to an output audio signal on the basis of the distribution calculated by the localization direction distribution calculator and the gain table information recorded in the gain table information recording unit, and a synthesizing unit that synthesizes the two-channel input audio signals using the gain generated by the gain generator.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2007Date of Patent: April 17, 2012Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Masayoshi Noguchi, Gen Ichimura
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Publication number: 20120036284Abstract: [Object] To determine the digital interface of a connected external device at a circuit, whereby the operation of a data transmission unit can be switched in accordance with the digital interface of the connected external device. [Solution] A control unit 123 of a sink device 120 includes a determining unit 124. This determining unit 124 determines whether or not a source device 110 is connected to this sink device 120, whether or not the digital interface of a data transmission unit 112 of the source device 110 is HDMI standard or new standard, and so forth. In the event that a data reception unit 122 can handle both of HDMI standard and new standard, based on the determination result of the determining unit 124, a control unit 123 switches the operation of the data reception unit 122 so as to perform operation in accordance with the digital interface of the data transmission unit 112 of the source device 110.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 2, 2011Publication date: February 9, 2012Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Akihiko Tao, Takehiko Saito, Toshihide Hayashi, Gen Ichimura
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Publication number: 20110206355Abstract: There is provided an AV system including a sink device including a tuner unit that receives and demodulates broadcast wave content, a buffer unit that stores a stream as a demodulation result, a decoding unit that decodes the stored stream by reading the stream from the buffer unit, an SPDIF transmitting circuit that transmits audio data of a decoding result to a source device, and a sink-side transmitting/receiving circuit capable of transmitting/receiving a clock signal used by the decoding unit for decoding a stream to/from the source device and the source device including an SPDIF receiving circuit that receives the audio data transmitted by the SPDIF transmitting circuit and a source-side transmitting/receiving circuit capable of transmitting/receiving the clock signal used by the decoding unit for decoding the stream to/from the sink device.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2011Publication date: August 25, 2011Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Kazuaki Toba, Gen Ichimura
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Patent number: 8000355Abstract: A video signal and an audio signal are TMDS transmitted from a source device to a sink device. Through a reserved line and a HPD line provided separately from a TMDS transmission line, an Ethernet™ signal is bidirectionally transmitted, and also, a SPDIF signal is transmitted from the sink device to the source device. The Ethernet™ signal bidirectionally transmitted between Ethernet™ transmitter/receiver circuits is differentially transmitted by an amplifier and is received by the amplifier. The SPDIF signal from a SPDIF transmitter circuit is common-mode transmitted from an adder and is received by the adder to be supplied to the SPDIF receiver circuit.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2010Date of Patent: August 16, 2011Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Gen Ichimura, Hidekazu Kikuchi, Yasuhisa Nakajima
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Patent number: 7982538Abstract: A differential includes first and second current mirror circuits that provide the gates of slave transistors with gate voltages of master transistors via a voltage follower where a slew rate at a rise time is equal to a slew rate at a fall time. Thus, when the master current is increased or decreased, an incremental change in slave current and a decremental change in slave current are symmetrical with each other. The use of such current mirrors in a differential manner leads to no generation of common mode noise even in these changes.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2009Date of Patent: July 19, 2011Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Hidekazu Kikuchi, Gen Ichimura, Yukihisa Kinugasa
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Publication number: 20110142245Abstract: Provided is an output control apparatus connected to an audio output apparatus controlling output of audio data, including: a receiving unit configured to receive encoded data obtained by encoding multi-channel audio data; a decoding unit configured to decode the encoded data; an output control unit configured to control output of a predetermined number of channels of audio data among the multi-channel audio data obtained by the decoding; a transmitting unit configured to transmit any one of audio data different from the audio data of which the output is controlled by the output control unit among the multi-channel audio data obtained by the decoding and the encoded data to an audio output apparatus connected through an integrated cable formed by integrating at least a video line, an audio line, and a control line; and a control unit configured to control the audio output apparatus through the integrated cable.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 2, 2010Publication date: June 16, 2011Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Kazuaki Toba, Gen Ichimura
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Patent number: 7911244Abstract: A differential drive circuit includes at least a first or second drive system. The first drive system has first and second field effect transistors, first and second resistors, and first and second circuits controlling the source voltages of the first and second field effect transistors to equal first and second drive target voltages, the first and second field effect transistors having sources connected to a power potential via the first and second resistors, respectively. The second drive system has third and fourth field effect transistors, third and fourth resistors, and third and fourth circuits controlling the source voltages of the third and fourth field effect transistors to equal third and fourth drive target voltages, the third and fourth field effect transistors having sources connected to a reference potential via the third and fourth resistors, respectively. A common-mode voltage is driven to form a constant differential signal across a load resistance.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2008Date of Patent: March 22, 2011Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Hidekazu Kikuchi, Gen Ichimura, Miho Ozawa
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Publication number: 20100290540Abstract: A video signal and an audio signal are TMDS transmitted from a source device to a sink device. Through a reserved line and a HPD line provided separately from a TMDS transmission line, an Ethernet™ signal is bidirectionally transmitted, and also, a SPDIF signal is transmitted from the sink device to the source device. The Ethernet™ signal bidirectionally transmitted between Ethernet™ transmitter/receiver circuits is differentially transmitted by an amplifier and is received by the amplifier. The SPDIF signal from a SPDIF transmitter circuit is common-mode transmitted from an adder and is received by the adder to be supplied to the SPDIF receiver circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2010Publication date: November 18, 2010Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Gen Ichimura, Hidekazu Kikuchi, Yasuhisa Nakajima
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Publication number: 20100290541Abstract: A video signal and an audio signal are TMDS transmitted from a source device to a sink device. Through a reserved line and a HPD line provided separately from a TMDS transmission line, an Ethernet™ signal is bidirectionally transmitted, and also, a SPDIF signal is transmitted from the sink device to the source device. The Ethernet™ signal bidirectionally transmitted between Ethernet™ transmitter/receiver circuits is differentially transmitted by an amplifier and is received by the amplifier. The SPDIF signal from a SPDIF transmitter circuit is common-mode transmitted from an adder and is received by the adder to be supplied to the SPDIF receiver circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2010Publication date: November 18, 2010Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Gen Ichimura, Hidekazu Kikuchi, Yasuhisa Nakajima
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Publication number: 20100290539Abstract: A video signal and an audio signal are TMDS transmitted from a source device to a sink device. Through a reserved line and a HPD line provided separately from a TMDS transmission line, an Ethernet™ signal is bidirectionally transmitted, and also, a SPDIF signal is transmitted from the sink device to the source device. The Ethernet™ signal bidirectionally transmitted between Ethernet™ transmitter/receiver circuits is differentially transmitted by an amplifier and is received by the amplifier. The SPDIF signal from a SPDIF transmitter circuit is common-mode transmitted from an adder and is received by the adder to be supplied to the SPDIF receiver circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2010Publication date: November 18, 2010Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Gen Ichimura, Hidekazu Kikuchi, Yasuhisa Nakajima
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Publication number: 20100232522Abstract: A video signal and an audio signal are TMDS transmitted from a source device to a sink device. Through a reserved line and a HPD line provided separately from a TMDS transmission line, an Ethernet™ signal is bidirectionally transmitted, and also, a SPDIF signal is transmitted from the sink device to the source device. The Ethernet™ signal bidirectionally transmitted between Ethernet™ transmitter/receiver circuits is differentially transmitted by an amplifier and is received by the amplifier. The SPDIF signal from a SPDIF transmitter circuit is common-mode transmitted from an adder and is received by the adder to be supplied to the SPDIF receiver circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2010Publication date: September 16, 2010Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Gen Ichimura, Hidekazu Kikuchi, Yasuhisa Nakajima
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Publication number: 20100189104Abstract: In an HDMI-connected AV system, bidirectional data transmission between two devices is implemented at low cost. An audio amplifying device serving as an HDMI source and a display device as an HDMI sink are connected additionally using an auxiliary transmission path such as IEEE 1394, so that the data received by the display device 3 from another device is transmitted to the audio amplifying device 2 over the auxiliary transmission path. In this setup, the display device 3 generates a CTS based on a clock regenerated by ACR and on a TMDS clock received from the audio amplifying device 2 via the HDMI, and transmits the CTS over the auxiliary transmission path along with a frequency dividing ratio N. The audio amplifying device generates an audio signal clock from the CTS and N thus received.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2008Publication date: July 29, 2010Inventor: Gen Ichimura
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Publication number: 20100188567Abstract: The present invention relates to a communication system, a transmission device, a reception device, a communication method, a program, and a communication cable, whereby high-speed communication can be executed while maintaining compatibility. In the event that an HDMI® source 71 and an HDMI® sink 72 execute two-way IP communication using a CEC line 84 and a signal line 141, a switching control unit 121 controls a switch 133 to select a partial signal making up the differential signal from a conversion unit 131 at the time of transmitting data, and controls the switch 133 to select a partial signal making up a differential signal from a receiver 82 at the time of transmitting data, and in the case of executing two-way communication using the CEC line 84 alone, the switching control unit 121 controls the switch 133 to select the CEC signal from the HDMI® source 71 or receiver 82 with the switch 133. The present invention may be applied to HDMI®, for example.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 26, 2008Publication date: July 29, 2010Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Gen Ichimura, Akihiko Tao
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Publication number: 20100132001Abstract: [Object] To enable an external device to recognize, in the case of including a communication unit configured to execute communication via a communication path made up of a pair of differential transmission paths included in a transmission path, information relating to the communication unit thereof. [Solving means] A disk recorder 210 transmits function information indicating that a communication unit (high-speed data line I/F 213) configured to execute communication with an external device via a communication path made up of a reserve line and an HPD line of an HDMI cable 350 to a television receiver 250 via a CEC line that is a control data line of the HDMI cable 350. The television receiver 250 receives function information, whereby whether or not the disk recorder 210 is an eHDMI-compatible device can be determined, and in the case of an eHDMI-compatible device, a compatible transmission format (application) can be recognized.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 5, 2009Publication date: May 27, 2010Applicant: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Masaki Kitano, Kazumoto Kondo, Toshihide Hayashi, Gen Ichimura
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Publication number: 20100128182Abstract: A video signal and an audio signal are TMDS transmitted from a source device to a sink device. Through a reserved line and a HPD line provided separately from a TMDS transmission line, an Ethernet™ signal is bidirectionally transmitted, and also, a SPDIF signal is transmitted from the sink device to the source device. The Ethernet™ signal bidirectionally transmitted between Ethernet™ transmitter/receiver circuits is differentially transmitted by an amplifier and is received by the amplifier. The SPDIF signal from a SPDIF transmitter circuit is common-mode transmitted from an adder and is received by the adder to be supplied to the SPDIF receiver circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 13, 2008Publication date: May 27, 2010Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Gen Ichimura, Hidekazu Kikuchi, Yasuhisa Nakajima
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Publication number: 20100120383Abstract: A differential includes first and second current mirror circuits that provide the gates of slave transistors with gate voltages of master transistors via a voltage follower where a slew rate at a rise time is equal to a slew rate at a fall time. Thus, when the master current is increased or decreased, an incremental change in slave current and a decremental change in slave current are symmetrical with each other. The use of such current mirrors in a differential manner leads to no generation of common mode noise even in these changes.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 12, 2009Publication date: May 13, 2010Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Hidekazu Kikuchi, Gen Ichimura, Yukihisa Kinugasa