Patents by Inventor Isao Kawahara
Isao Kawahara 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: 7839357Abstract: An image display apparatus for displaying gray-scale images by writing display information to an image display area of a panel. The display information includes values of a plurality of sub-fields that constitute one field. The image display apparatus converts an input image signal into a piece of display information so that a difference between sub-fields in correspondence with each other in adjacent high gray-scale levels becomes less. The image display apparatus displays a gray-scale image in accordance with the piece of display information.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2004Date of Patent: November 23, 2010Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Isao Kawahara, Kunio Sekimoto
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Patent number: 7710358Abstract: An image display apparatus, such as a plasma display panel, suppresses dynamic false contours with gradation levels sufficiently retained. The image display apparatus has agitation constant adder for generating a plurality of agitation constants for a gradation level corresponding to an image signal, for selecting one agitation constant therefrom, and for adding the agitation constant to the image signal. As a result, dynamic false contours can not be visually perceived because their portions are dispersed by superimposing an agitation to each image signal.Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 2003Date of Patent: May 4, 2010Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Kazuhiro Yamada, Isao Kawahara
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Patent number: 7474280Abstract: An image display apparatus using a display panel such as a plasma display panel having two illumination states aims to widen a dynamic range by increasing a ratio of maximum to minimum luminance reproducible on the same screen. In the image display apparatus, one TV field period is divided into a plurality of sub-fields which respectively have luminance weights and are arranged in order of time, and a gray-scale image is displayed by selecting a combination of sub-fields for each pixel and sustaining a light emission state of each pixel during the selected sub-fields, wherein when arranged in ascending order of luminance weight, the plurality of sub-fields include at least one sub-field whose luminance weight is one-half of a luminance weight of the next sub-field.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2005Date of Patent: January 6, 2009Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventor: Isao Kawahara
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Patent number: 7418152Abstract: An Image correction device for detecting an image area having movement according to an image signal, and providing the image signal with image correction and switching correction methods according to a control signal. The image correction device further detects the boundary area of the image area having movement; detects an image area with great gradational change by comparing gradation of image signals corresponding to adjoining pixels; and provides the boundary area of the image area having movement with a diffusion process in an area excluding the image area with great gradational change. The correcting methods performed by the image correcting device can be switched according to the movement signal, thereby improving image correction.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2005Date of Patent: August 26, 2008Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventor: Isao Kawahara
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Patent number: 7365799Abstract: The gradation display device contains gradient detecting circuit (3) for detecting a gradient of gradation values of pixels in an incoming image; time-varying gradation-value detecting circuit (4) for detecting changes in gradation values of the pixels with a passage of time; an image detector for detecting a magnitude and a direction of movement of the incoming image according to outputs from gradient detecting circuit (3) and time-varying gradation-value detecting circuit (4); and gradation correcting circuit (12) for correcting signals of the incoming image according to the detected magnitude and direction of the image and the weight of luminance assigned to each of the sub-fields so as to display proper image.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2004Date of Patent: April 29, 2008Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventor: Isao Kawahara
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Patent number: 7154516Abstract: The image display device disclosed detects areas including grayscales with gradients and motions in an image signal and compensates the prescribed grayscales of the image signals to the other grayscales according to the motion amplitude and direction of the area, and the gradient amplitude and direction of the grayscale. Consequently, intermediate non-lit sub-fields causing the dynamic false contour are distributed to display image suppressing the dynamic false contour.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2003Date of Patent: December 26, 2006Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Isao Kawahara, Kazuhiro Yamada
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Patent number: 7139007Abstract: The present invention provides a gray scale display method and apparatus that can be used with a large screen plasma display panel to perform illumination in a binary manner while substantially controlling flicker effects. The gray scale can be displayed by combining illumination and non-illumination periods in each of a plurality of subfields, the subfields being defined by at least a first block and a second block which have different structures. The plurality of subfields are arranged so that the luminance value of each subfield is in an ascending or descending order in the blocks.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2000Date of Patent: November 21, 2006Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventor: Isao Kawahara
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Patent number: 7071902Abstract: An image display apparatus using a display panel such as a plasma display panel having two illumination states aims to widen a dynamic range by increasing a ratio of maximum to minimum luminance reproducible on the same screen. In the image display apparatus, one TV field period is divided into a plurality of sub-fields which respectively have luminance weights and are arranged in order of time, and a gray-scale image is displayed by selecting a combination of sub-fields for each pixel and sustaining a light emission state of each pixel during the selected sub-fields, wherein when arranged in ascending order of luminance weight, the plurality of sub-fields include at least one sub-field whose luminance weight is one-half of a luminance weight of the next sub-field.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2000Date of Patent: July 4, 2006Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventor: Isao Kawahara
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Publication number: 20060055827Abstract: The gradation display device contains gradient detecting circuit (3) for detecting a gradient of gradation values of pixels in an incoming image; time-varying gradation-value detecting circuit (4) for detecting changes in gradation values of the pixels with a passage of time; an image detector for detecting a magnitude and a direction of movement of the incoming image according to outputs from gradient detecting circuit (3) and time-varying gradation-value detecting circuit (4); and gradation correcting circuit (12) for correcting signals of the incoming image according to the detected magnitude and direction of the image and the weight of luminance assigned to each of the sub-fields so as to display proper image.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 27, 2004Publication date: March 16, 2006Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventor: Isao Kawahara
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Publication number: 20060050979Abstract: Image correction device (100), which has movement detecting means (120) for detecting an image area having movement according to an image signal and image correcting means (170) capable of providing the image signal with image correction and switching correction methods according to a control signal, further contains movement boundary detecting means (130) for detecting the boundary area of the image area having movement; gradational change detecting means (140) for detecting an image area with great gradational change by comparing gradation of image signals corresponding to adjoining pixels; and movement signal modulating means (160) for providing the boundary area of the image area having movement with a diffusion process in an area excluding the image area with great gradational change. With the structure above, switching the correcting methods of the image correcting means (170) according to the output of the movement signal modulating means (160) realizes an improved image correction.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 17, 2005Publication date: March 9, 2006Inventor: Isao Kawahara
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Publication number: 20050237277Abstract: An image display apparatus using a display panel such as a plasma display panel having two illumination states aims to widen a dynamic range by increasing a ratio of maximum to minimum luminance reproducible on the same screen. In the image display apparatus, one TV field period is divided into a plurality of sub-fields which respectively have luminance weights and are arranged in order of time, and a gray-scale image is displayed by selecting a combination of sub-fields for each pixel and sustaining a light emission state of each pixel during the selected sub-fields, wherein when arranged in ascending order of luminance weight, the plurality of sub-fields include at least one sub-field whose luminance weight is one-half of a luminance weight of the next sub-field.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 24, 2005Publication date: October 27, 2005Inventor: Isao Kawahara
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Patent number: 6956592Abstract: In an image display device equipped with a panel having first and second electrodes, a field period is divided into a plurality of sub-field periods that each have a predetermined luminance weight, and a gray-scale image for is displayed by (a) writing sub-field image data of each sub-field period obtained by dividing input image data of the field period into the plurality of sub-field periods, into the panel through the first and second electrodes, and (b) sustaining an illumination state of ON or OFF in each cell for each sub-field period using luminance equivalent to a luminance weight of each sub-field period. The image display device includes an image changing unit for changing a part of sub-field image data of a predetermined sub-field period, so that a total number of charges and discharges performed on the first electrode when writing the sub-field image data becomes smaller.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2001Date of Patent: October 18, 2005Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamada, Isao Kawahara
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Publication number: 20050225512Abstract: An image display apparatus, such as a plasma display panel, suppresses dynamic false contours with gradation levels sufficiently retained. The image display apparatus has agitation constant adder for generating a plurality of agitation constants for a gradation level corresponding to an image signal, for selecting one agitation constant therefrom, and for adding the agitation constant to the image signal. As a result, dynamic false contours can not be visually perceived because their portions are dispersed by superimposing an agitation to each image signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 26, 2003Publication date: October 13, 2005Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamada, Isao Kawahara
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Publication number: 20040183820Abstract: The image display device disclosed detects areas including grayscales with gradients and motions in an image signal and compensates the prescribed grayscales of the image signals to the other grayscales according to the motion amplitude and direction of the area, and the gradient amplitude and direction of the grayscale. Consequently, intermediate non-lit sub-fields causing the dynamic false contour are distributed to display image suppressing the dynamic false contour.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2003Publication date: September 23, 2004Inventors: Isao Kawahara, Kazuhiro Yamada
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Publication number: 20040113901Abstract: Erroneous writing may occur to write scanning of images using subfields, depending on patterns and motions of the images. A pattern for which erroneous writing is liable to occur is subjected to a different correction process depending on whether the pattern is a still image or a moving image. For a moving image part, in particular, pixels at the top edge of the image are activated by preceding writing of a low luminance, so as to ensure a correct writing operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2003Publication date: June 17, 2004Inventor: Isao Kawahara
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Patent number: 6556214Abstract: A multilevel image display method performs error diffusion processing on data that is inputted as multiphase data. The display error of a target pixel is diffused into pixels included in data blocks that are inputted after the data block that includes the target pixel.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 1999Date of Patent: April 29, 2003Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamada, Isao Kawahara
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Patent number: 6456302Abstract: An image display apparatus which displays images, suppressing the occurrence of the moving image false edge. The image display apparatus selects a signal level among a plurality of signal levels in accordance with a motion amount of an input image signal, where each signal level is expressed by an arbitrary combination of 0, W1, W2, . . . and WN and luminance weights W1, W2, . . . and WN are assigned to subfields.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2001Date of Patent: September 24, 2002Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Isao Kawahara, Kunio Sekimoto
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Patent number: 6380979Abstract: There is provided a low-cost scanning line converting circuit being capable of properly converting the number of scanning lines for a video signal at various conversion ratios. Under the control of a write control signal generating circuit, an original video signal is written, on a scanning-line basis, in individual line memories. A write operation is performed to each of the line memories based on a clock and a horizontal synchronizing signal on the input side, while a read operation is performed to each of the line memories based on a clock and a horizontal synchronizing signal on the output side. A selecting circuit selects, based on a line select signal, at least one from scanning line signals stored in the individual line memories necessary to generate a post-conversion scanning line signal and outputting the selected scanning line signal.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 1997Date of Patent: April 30, 2002Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masaki Tokoi, Isao Kawahara, Tomohisa Tagami
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Publication number: 20020024527Abstract: An image display apparatus for displaying gray-scale images by writing display information to an image display area of a panel. The display information includes values of a plurality of sub-fields that constitute one field. The image display apparatus converts an input image signal into a piece of display information so that a difference between sub-fields in correspondence with each other in adjacent high gray-scale levels becomes less. The image display apparatus displays a gray-scale image in accordance with the piece of display information.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 15, 2001Publication date: February 28, 2002Inventors: Isao Kawahara, Kunio Sekimoto
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Patent number: 6310588Abstract: An image display apparatus which displays images, suppressing the occurrence of the moving image false edge. The image display apparatus selects a signal level among a plurality of signal levels in accordance with a motion amount of an input image signal, where each signal level is expressed by an arbitrary combination of 0, W1, W2, . . . and WN and luminance weights W1, W2, . . . and WN are assigned to subfields.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 1998Date of Patent: October 30, 2001Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Isao Kawahara, Kunio Sekimoto