Patents by Inventor Masae Kitayama

Masae Kitayama 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: 8427465
    Abstract: Provided are a display device which may be capable of eliminating display irregularities due to the difference in the charging rate between lines, while preventing increase in heat generation and power consumption by the device, and a circuit and method for driving the same. In a liquid crystal display device employing both a 2-line dot-inversion drive method and a charge-sharing method, a charge-sharing period (TB) within a horizontal scanning period (2H period) in which the polarity of each data signal is the same as that in one horizontal scanning period previous thereto, is set to be longer than a charge-sharing period (TA) within a horizontal scanning period (1H period) in which the polarity of each data signal is different from that in one horizontal scanning period previous thereto. Thus, a charge period within the 2H period can be shorter than that within the 1H period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Kentaro Irie
  • Patent number: 8427413
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a liquid crystal display device is disclosed in which a gate driver applies a gate-on pulse so that a second period is longer than a first period. The first period and the second period are defined as follows. Among gate-on pulses applied before the moment of polarity inversion of a data signal, the last end of the gate-on pulse nearest to the moment of the polarity inversion is earlier than the end time of the horizontal period during which the gate-on pulse is applied. The first period starts at the last end of the gate-on pulse and ends at the end time of the horizontal period during which the gate-on pulse is applied. The second period starts at the moment of the polarity inversion and ends at the moment of the application start of the gate-on pulse nearest to the moment of the polarity inversion among the gate-on pulses applied after the polarity inversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Kentaro Irie, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Toshihide Tsubata, Naoshi Yamada
  • Publication number: 20130057791
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device of the present invention has a vertical scanning period in which the polarity of a display signal is positive and a vertical scanning period in which the polarity of a display signal is negative.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2011
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh
  • Patent number: 8368829
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a plurality of pixels each including a first subpixel and a second subpixel having liquid crystal layers to which mutually different voltages are applicable, and two switching elements that are provided for the first and second subpixels, respectively. The device further includes a plurality of storage capacitor trunks electrically connected to respective storage capacitor counter electrodes of either the first subpixels or the second subpixels of the pixels through storage capacitor lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh
  • Publication number: 20130027525
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device (100) according to the present invention performs display in a stereoscopic display mode. In each of the plurality of pixels in the liquid crystal display device (100), left-eye image data and right-eye image data are alternately written every two successive vertical scanning periods. Each of the plurality of pixels exhibits the same polarity over the two vertical scanning periods in which left-eye image data is written, and exhibits the same polarity over the two vertical scanning periods in which the right-eye image data is written. Accordingly, the liquid crystal display device (100) performs stereoscopic display with suppressed display unevenness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Atsushi Ban, Nobuyoshi Nagashima, Kazuyoshi Fujioka, Shinji Shinjo, Takayuki Nagaoka, Kenichi Hyohdoh
  • Publication number: 20130002992
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device (100) according to the present invention includes a color display pixel D including pixels PA through PD arrayed in a matrix. The pixels PA through PD respectively include sub pixels SA1 through SD1 and sub pixels SA2 through SD2. At least at an intermediate gray scale level, the luminance of the sub pixels SA2 through SD2 is higher than the luminance of the sub pixels SA1 through SD1. The plurality of sub pixels S included in the pixels PA through PD are arrayed in a matrix. The sub pixel SA2 is adjacent to the sub pixel SB2 in the row direction, is adjacent to the sub pixel SC2 in the column direction, and is adjacent to the sub pixel SD2 in an oblique direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Hirata, Masae Kitayama, Kenichi Hyohdoh, Ikumi Itsumi, Yuki Yamashita, Akane Sugisaka, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh
  • Publication number: 20120327135
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device (100A) according to the present invention includes a plurality of pixels (10) which are arranged in columns and rows to form a matrix pattern. Each of the plurality of pixels (10) includes first and second subpixels (10a, 10b), which are arranged in a column direction, one of which is a bright subpixel that exhibits a higher luminance than the other at least at a particular grayscale, and the other of which is a dark subpixel. The plurality of pixels define a plurality of color display pixels, each of which includes an even number of pixels including first, second, third and fourth pixels (Y, R, G, B) that are arranged in a row direction. In an arbitrary row of pixels, a row of subpixels including the bright subpixels includes the respective bright subpixels of all of the first, second, third and fourth pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh
  • Publication number: 20120326954
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device which hardly causes image sticking even when there is a difference in the pixel areas. The liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and is configured such that a pixel is formed by picture elements of a plurality of colors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ikumi Itsumi, Mitsuaki Hirata, Masae Kitayama, Kenichi Hyohdoh, Yuki Yamashita, Akane Sugisaka, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh
  • Publication number: 20120320297
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which hardly causes image sticking in a panel in which Cgd gradation is performed, even when the pixel capacitances of the picture elements are different from one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2010
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ikumi Itsumi, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Mitsuaki Hirata, Masae Kitayama, Kenichi Hyohdoh, Yuki Yamashita, Akane Sugisaka
  • Publication number: 20120320026
    Abstract: A color display pixel PCD in a liquid crystal display device (100) includes first through fourth pixels P1 through P4 arrayed in two rows by two columns, and first and second signal lines (13a, 13b) which are located in correspondence with each column of pixels and are supplied with signal voltages of polarities opposite to each other from a signal line driving circuit (30) in each vertical scanning period. A TFT (14) of one of the first and third pixel P1 and P3 is connected to the first signal line (13a), and a TFT (14) of the other pixel is connected to the second signal line (13b). A TFT (14) of one of the second and fourth pixel P2 and P4 is connected to the first signal line (13a), and a TFT (14) of the other pixel is connected to the second signal line (13b).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Mitsuaki Hirata, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Kenichi Hyodo, Ikumi Itsumi, Yuki Yamashita, Akane Sugisaka
  • Publication number: 20120306732
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device (100) according to the present invention has a plurality of pixels that are arranged in columns and rows to form a matrix pattern and one color display pixel (P) is comprised of four or any other larger even number of pixels. The liquid crystal display device (100) of the present invention includes a plurality of source bus lines (13) which run in a column direction. The even number of pixels that form one color display pixel (P) include larger pixels with a relatively large area and smaller pixels with a relatively small area. Each set of pixels to be supplied with a signal voltage from an associated one of the plurality of source bus lines (13) has substantially the same total area as any other set of pixels. According to the present invention, in a liquid crystal display device in which a plurality of pixels that forms one color display pixel includes the larger and smaller pixels, generation of display unevenness that runs in the column direction can be minimized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2011
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshinori Sugihara, Toshihide Tsubata, Yuki Yamashita, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Mitsuaki Hirata, Kenichi Hyohdoh, Ikumi Itsumi, Akane Sugisaka, Masae Kitayama
  • Publication number: 20120299897
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a plurality of pixels each including a first subpixel and a second subpixel having liquid crystal layers to which mutually different voltages are applicable, and two switching elements that are provided for the first and second subpixels, respectively. The device further includes a plurality of storage capacitor trunks electrically connected to respective storage capacitor counter electrodes of either the first subpixels or the second subpixels of the pixels through storage capacitor lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masae KITAYAMA, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh
  • Publication number: 20120274889
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device which hardly causes image sticking even when there is a difference in the picture element areas. The liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and is configured such that a pixel is formed by picture elements of a plurality of colors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akane Sugisaka, Mitsuaki Hirata, Kenichi Hyohdoh, Masae Kitayama, Ikumi Itsumi, Yuki Yamashita, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh
  • Patent number: 8228283
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a liquid crystal panel driving apparatus is disclosed which sequentially receives pieces of video data for one data signal line, (i) prepares a data string by sorting, in order of outputting, a plurality of pieces of video data inputted in a predetermined period while adding a piece of dummy data to a predetermined position, (ii) assigns one horizontal scanning period to an output of a piece of video data while assigning a dummy scanning period to an output of a piece of dummy data, and (iii) sets one horizontal scanning period shorter than an interval of inputting of pieces of video data. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in vertical display period even though a piece of dummy data is added to inputted video data while a dummy scanning period is assigned thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Kentaro Irie, Toshihide Tsubata, Naoshi Yamada
  • Patent number: 8208081
    Abstract: Each pixel includes first and second subpixels and two switching elements provided for those subpixels. Each subpixel includes a liquid crystal capacitor and a storage capacitor. The storage capacitor counter electrodes of the first and second subpixels are electrically independent. A storage capacitor counter voltage applied to each storage capacitor counter electrode by way of its associated storage capacitor line has a first period (A) with a first waveform during one vertical scanning period. The first waveform oscillates between multiple voltage levels in a first cycle time (PA) that is an integral number of times (and at least four times) as long as one horizontal scanning period (H). Each of the voltage levels has a flat portion with a duration TP. While the two switching elements are ON, a display signal voltage is applied to the respective subpixel electrodes and respective storage capacitor electrodes of the first and second subpixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh
  • Publication number: 20120038834
    Abstract: In at least one embodiment a ripple, generated in an electric potential of data signal lines even in long-term reversal driving, is reduced and display quality is improved. In at least one example embodiment, the liquid crystal display apparatus of the present invention includes scanning signal lines and data signal lines, in which one scanning pulse is outputted to select one scanning signal line, each of the data signal lines receives data signals whose polarities are reversed per one vertical scanning period while in one horizontal scanning period, one of two data signal lines receives a data signal having a polarity and the other of the two data signal lines receives another data signal having another polarity, the two data signal lines being arranged adjacent to each other, scanning pulses are successively outputted in sets of two, and at a timing in which two scanning pulses fall, two scanning pulses rise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2010
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Kentaroh Irie
  • Publication number: 20110285612
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel in which a plurality of pixels (A) are arranged. A storage capacitor (Cs) is provided in each pixel (A) of liquid crystal panel. The storage capacitor (Cs) is connected to a Cs bus line. The liquid crystal display device includes a plurality of Cs bus lines. The Cs bus line is connected to a stem line. The stem line transfers a driving signal to the storage capacitor (Cs) via the Cs bus line. The liquid crystal display device includes a bridge line, separate from the stem line, for connecting a plurality of Cs bus lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Inventors: Yuki Yamashita, Akihiro Shoraku, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Masae Kitayama
  • Patent number: 7948463
    Abstract: The vertical scan period of the input video signal is divided into at least two sub-frames. In each of the sub-frames, a display signal voltage is written into each pixel. Two vertical scan periods in which the input video signals are continuous contain a sequence of two continuous sub-frames where a display signal voltage is written with the same polarity and a sub-frame where the polarity of the display signal voltage is inversed. The auxiliary capacity opposing voltage includes, in each of the sub-frames, a first waveform vibrating with a first cycle of the horizontal scan period multiplied by an integer not smaller than 2 and a second waveform in which an effective value of the auxiliary capacity opposing voltage is set to a predetermined constant value for each vertical scan period of a predetermined number of continuous input video signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Makoto Shiomi
  • Patent number: 7884890
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a large-screen or high-definition LCD is provided with its display quality improved significantly by reducing the viewing angle dependence of ? characteristic. Each pixel includes first and second subpixels, to which different voltages are applicable. The device further includes electrically independent storage capacitor trunks, each of which is electrically connected to the respective storage capacitor counter electrodes of either the first or second subpixels through storage capacitor lines. The pixels include pixels belonging to a first display area and pixels belonging to a second display area. The first and second display areas can be scanned independently of each other. And the storage capacitor trunks include a first storage capacitor trunk belonging to the first display area and a second storage capacitor trunk belonging to the second display area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Masae Kitayama
  • Publication number: 20100238151
    Abstract: The present invention relates to display devices. The present invention aims to provide a display device capable of eliminating display irregularities due to the difference in the charging rate between lines, while preventing increase in heat generation and power consumption by the device, and also to provide a circuit and method for driving the same. In a liquid crystal display device employing both a 2-line dot-inversion drive method and a charge-sharing method, a second charge-sharing period (TB), which is a charge-sharing period within a horizontal scanning period (2H period) in which the polarity of each data signal is the same as that in one horizontal scanning period previous thereto, is set to be longer than a first charge-sharing period (TA), which is a charge-sharing period within a horizontal scanning period (1H period) in which the polarity of each data signal is different from that in one horizontal scanning period previous thereto.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2007
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Inventors: Masae Kitayama, Fumikazu Shimoshikiryoh, Kentaro Irie