Patents by Inventor Makoto Kitagawa

Makoto Kitagawa 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).

  • Publication number: 20120113340
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention comprises a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of source lines, and a plurality of liquid crystal pixels, wherein the plurality of source lines and the plurality of liquid crystal pixels are laid out so that the polarity of voltage to be applied to the plurality of liquid crystal pixels is inverted for individual dots for the liquid crystal display panel overall, and so that the polarity of voltage to be applied to the plurality of source lines is not inverted for at least an entire row scan interval.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicant: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yaguma, Makoto Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 8144499
    Abstract: A variable resistance memory device includes: a first common line; a second common line; plural memory cells each formed by serially connecting a memory element, resistance of which changes according to applied voltage, and an access transistor between the second common line and the first common line; a common line pass transistor connected between the first common line and a supply node for predetermined voltage; and a driving circuit that controls voltage of the second common line, the predetermined voltage, and voltage of a control node of the common line pass transistor and drives the memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Wataru Otsuka
  • Publication number: 20120026777
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a variable-resistance memory device including: a memory-cell array employing a plurality of memory cells each including a storage element having a resistance varying in accordance with the direction of a voltage applied to the storage element and including an access transistor connected in series to the storage element between a bit line and a source line; and a voltage supplying circuit for setting a read voltage used for reading out the resistance of the storage element on a selected bit line connected to the memory cell serving as a read object in an operation to supply the read voltage to the selected bit line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Hiroshi Yoshihara
  • Publication number: 20120020141
    Abstract: A variable-resistance memory device includes: a memory cell including a memory element being variable in resistance in accordance with a polarity of an application voltage applied to the memory element in a set or reset operation and an access transistor connected to the memory element in series between first and second common lines; and a driving circuit including a first path transistor connected between a first supply line for supplying a first voltage and the first common line as well as a second path transistor connected between a second supply line for supplying a second voltage and the first common line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Kentaro Ogata
  • Patent number: 8102716
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device including a plurality of memory cells; and a driver circuit configured to perform a verify write operation in a cycle including selecting from an array of the plurality of memory cells a predetermined number of memory cells constituting a write cell unit, writing data collectively to the predetermined number of memory cells, and verifying the written data, the driver circuit further performing the verify write operation repeatedly until all memory cells within the write cell unit are found to have passed the verification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tsunenori Shiimoto, Makoto Kitagawa, Tomohito Tsushima
  • Patent number: 8094491
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a memory cell including a thyristor element with a gate having a pnpn structure formed in a semiconductor substrate, and a plurality of access transistors formed on the semiconductor substrate and each connected at a first terminal thereof to a storage node at one terminal of the thyristor element such that a potential at the storage node can be transmitted to bit lines different from each other, the gate of the thyristor element and the gates of the plurality of access transistors of the memory cell being connected to word lines different from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Mitsuo Soneda
  • Publication number: 20110305068
    Abstract: A resistance random access change memory device includes: a memory cell array in which plural memory cells having current paths with series-connected access transistors and variable resistive elements are two-dimensionally arranged; plural bit lines that connect one ends of the current paths; plural source lines that connect the other ends of the current paths; and plural word lines that control conduction and non-conduction of the access transistors, wherein bit line contacts are shared between two memory cells to which the word lines are adjacently provided, and pairs of memory cells are formed, all of the pairs of memory cells connected to the adjacent two bit lines are connected to the corresponding source lines via individual source line contacts, and the source lines are formed by a wiring layer upper than that of the bit lines with a larger pitch than that of the bit lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Hiroshi Yoshihara
  • Publication number: 20110199812
    Abstract: A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes: a memory element in which a rate of charge discharge between two electrodes of the memory element differs according to a logical value of stored information; cell wiring connected to one electrode of the memory element; a sense amplifier having a sense node connected to the cell wiring, the sense amplifier reading the logical value of the information by comparing a potential of the sense node with a reference potential; and a readout control circuit capable of switching between a dynamic sense operation performing readout by precharging the cell wiring and discharging or charging the cell wiring via the memory element and a static sense operation performing readout in a state of a current load being connected to the sense node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Publication date: August 18, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Tomohito Tsushima
  • Publication number: 20110116296
    Abstract: A non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes: a memory component in which an electric charge discharging rate between two electrodes is different in accordance with logic of stored information; a sense amplifier that detects the logic of the information by comparing a discharge electric potential of a wiring to which one of the electrodes of the memory component is connected with a reference electric potential; and a load capacitance changing unit that changes load capacitance of a sense node of the sense amplifier to which the discharge electric potential is input or both the load capacitance of the sense node and load capacitance of a reference node of the sense amplifier to which the reference electric potential is input in accordance with the logic of the information read out by the memory component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto
  • Publication number: 20110110142
    Abstract: A memory device includes: a memory unit in which an electric charge discharging rate between two electrodes is different in accordance with logic of stored information; a sense amplifier that detects the logic of the information by comparing a discharge electric potential of a wiring to which one electrode of the memory unit is connected with a reference electric potential; and a replica circuit that has a replica unit emulating the memory unit and controls a sense timing of the sense amplifier in accordance with a discharge rate of the replica unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Hiroshi Yoshihara
  • Patent number: 7916556
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes: a memory cell; a sense line; and a sense amplifier circuit connected to the memory cell via the sense line. The sense amplifier circuit includes a differential sense amplifier, a pull-up section, a read gate transistor, and a threshold correction section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Wataru Otsuka
  • Publication number: 20110026332
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a semiconductor memory device including: a bit line and a sense line; a data storage element having a data storage state changing in accordance with a voltage applied to the bit line; a first switch for controlling connection of the sense line to the bit line; a data latch circuit having a second data holding node and a first data holding node connected to the sense line; and a second switch for controlling connection of the second data holding node of the data latch circuit to the bit line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Kitagawa
  • Publication number: 20100289941
    Abstract: In order to perform adjustment of relative positions between an optical system and imaging devices, a plurality of the imaging devices, a plurality of solid lenses that form images of the imaging devices, and a plurality of optical-axis control units that control the direction of optical axes of light incident to the imaging devices are included.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ito, Makoto Kitagawa, Tomoya Shimura, Shinichi Arita, Satoru Inoue, Hirokazu Katakame, Sakae Saito, Shunichi Sato
  • Publication number: 20100271861
    Abstract: A variable-resistance memory device includes: memory cells; first wires; a second wire; a drive/control section; and a sense amplifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2010
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Makoto Kitagawa
  • Publication number: 20100214818
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a memory device including: first and second wires; memory cells including a variable-resistance storage element having a data storage state making a transition by a change of a voltage applied and an access transistor connected in series between the first and second wires; driving control sections controlling a direct verify sub-operation by applying a write/erase pulse between the first and second wires in a data write/erase operation respectively for causing a cell current to flow between the first and second wires through the memory cell for a transition of the data storage state; sense amplifiers sensing an electric-potential change occurring on the first wire in accordance with control on the direct verify sub-operation; and inhibit control sections determining whether or not to inhibit a sense node of the sense amplifier from electrically changing at the next sensing time on the basis of an electric potential appearing at the sense node at the present sensing time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto
  • Patent number: 7777737
    Abstract: Power consumption in an active matrix type liquid crystal display device having partial display function is reduced. In one frame period, a display area corresponding to first 80 horizontal periods, that is the first line through the 80th line, is set as a partial display area and a display area corresponding to the remaining 239 lines is set as a background display area. And a partial display area control signal ENBSC is set at a low level and an SC inversion drive is performed in the partial display area. The partial display area control signal ENBSC is fixed at a high level in the background display area and all of SC inversion control units corresponding to the background display area halt their operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hikaru Akutsu, Yusuke Tsutsui, Makoto Kitagawa
  • Publication number: 20100195370
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device including a plurality of memory cells; and a driver circuit configured to perform a verify write operation in a cycle including selecting from an array of the plurality of memory cells a predetermined number of memory cells constituting a write cell unit, writing data collectively to the predetermined number of memory cells, and verifying the written data, the driver circuit further performing the verify write operation repeatedly until all memory cells within the write cell unit are found to have passed the verification.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2010
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tsunenori Shiimoto, Makoto Kitagawa, Tomohito Tsushima
  • Publication number: 20100182820
    Abstract: A variable resistance memory device includes: a first common line; a second common line; plural memory cells each formed by serially connecting a memory element, resistance of which changes according to applied voltage, and an access transistor between the second common line and the first common line; a common line pass transistor connected between the first common line and a supply node for predetermined voltage; and a driving circuit that controls voltage of the second common line, the predetermined voltage, and voltage of a control node of the common line pass transistor and drives the memory cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kitagawa, Tsunenori Shiimoto, Wataru Otsuka
  • Patent number: 7755937
    Abstract: A semiconductor device, includes a memory cell including a thyristor element with a gate having a pnpn structure formed on a semiconductor substrate and having first and second terminals, and an access transistor formed on the semiconductor substrate and having first and second terminals connected to a bit line and the first terminal of the thyristor element, respectively, and a control section including a load current element whose load current flows, upon reading out operation, to the second terminal side of the thyristor element and configured to carry out access control to the memory cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 7756978
    Abstract: A multiplicity adjustment agent collects request information database from a sub-system including an element of a system to be monitored. An individual sub-system's multiplicity adjustment server sorts and merges request information collected from each sub-system for each element/request path. An integrated multiplicity analysis server calculates a necessary multiplicity on the basis of the request information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Nakaminami, Makoto Kitagawa, Mitsuhiko Yoshimura, Susumu Kobayashi, Misa Ikeuchi