Patents by Inventor Shige Furuta

Shige Furuta 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: 9715940
    Abstract: A shift register is configured by connecting unit circuits 1 in multiple stages. An output transistor Tr1 switches between whether or not to output a clock signal CKA in accordance with a gate potential. A set transistor Tr2 switches between whether or not to provide an output of an on-potential output unit 2 to a gate terminal of Tr1 in accordance with an output of a set control unit 3. The set control unit 3 controls a gate terminal of Tr2 into a floating state in part of a period during which a high-level potential is provided to the gate terminal of Tr1. The gate potential of Tr2 is raised by being pushed up, whereby a high-level potential without a threshold drop is provided to the gate terminal of Tr1, and rounding of an output signal OUT is decreased when the output signal OUT shifts to a high level. Accordingly, an operation margin with respect to fluctuation of a threshold voltage of the transistor is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuhichiroh Murakami, Yasushi Sasaki, Shige Furuta, Shuji Nishi, Makoto Yokoyama
  • Publication number: 20160253977
    Abstract: A shift register according to the present invention is a shift register in which a plurality of unit circuits are connected in cascade, wherein the unit circuit includes a first output transistor whose current path is connected between an output terminal and a clock terminal to which a first clock signal is provided; a second output transistor whose current path is connected between the output terminal and a predetermined potential node; a setting device which, when a control signal is active, sets a signal level of the output terminal to a predetermined signal level; a first output control device which provides a signal level of the control signal to a control electrode of the first output transistor to turn off the first output transistor when the control signal is active; and a second output control device which turns off the second output transistor when the control signal is active.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Inventors: Hiroyuki OHKAWA, Shige FURUTA, Yuhichiroh MURAKAMI
  • Publication number: 20160240159
    Abstract: A shift register includes a plurality of unit circuits connected in cascade, each of the unit circuits including: a first output transistor having a current path connected between an output terminal and a clock terminal, the clock terminal being configured to be supplied with a first clock signal; a second output transistor having a current path connected between the output terminal and a predetermined potential node; a setting unit configured to set a signal level of the output terminal to a predetermined signal level in a case where a control signal is active; a first output controller configured to turn off the first output transistor in response to the control signal in the case where the control signal is active, supply a control electrode of the first output transistor with an input signal in response to one of a second clock signal in a case where the control signal is inactive; and a second output controller configured to turn off the second output transistor in the case where the control signal is ac
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventors: Hiroyuki OHKAWA, Shige FURUTA, Yuhichiroh MURAKAMI
  • Patent number: 9336740
    Abstract: A shift register is disclosed which includes, at respective stages, unit circuits (11) each including (i) a flip-flop (11a) including first and second CMOS circuits and (ii) a signal generation circuit (11b) for generating an output signal (SROUTk) for the current stage with use of an output (Q, QB) of the flip-flop (11a), the shift register including a floating control circuit (11c) between a gate terminal of an output transistor (Tr7) of the signal generation circuit (11b) and a Q terminal. This makes it possible to reduce a circuit scale of a display driving circuit without causing a shift register to malfunction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shige Furuta, Yuhichiroh Murakami, Makoto Yokoyama, Seijirou Gyouten
  • Patent number: 9293099
    Abstract: A retention circuit (22) corresponding to each stage of a shift register is configured such that, when SROUT(k?1) is active, an input terminal of an inverter (INV1) and an output terminal of an inverter (INV2) are electrically connected to each other and an output terminal of the inverter (INV1) and an input terminal of the inverter (INV2) are connected to each other. This makes it possible to reduce a circuit scale of a display driving circuit without causing any malfunction of the display driving circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuhichiroh Murakami, Shige Furuta, Makoto Yokoyama, Seijirou Gyouten
  • Publication number: 20160027527
    Abstract: A shift register is configured by connecting unit circuits 1 in multiple stages. An output transistor Tr1 switches between whether or not to output a clock signal CKA in accordance with a gate potential. A set transistor Tr2 switches between whether or not to provide an output of an on-potential output unit 2 to a gate terminal of Tr1 in accordance with an output of a set control unit 3. The set control unit 3 controls a gate terminal of Tr2 into a floating state in part of a period during which a high-level potential is provided to the gate terminal of Tr1. The gate potential of Tr2 is raised by being pushed up, whereby a high-level potential without a threshold drop is provided to the gate terminal of Tr1, and rounding of an output signal OUT is decreased when the output signal OUT shifts to a high level. Accordingly, an operation margin with respect to fluctuation of a threshold voltage of the transistor is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2014
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: Yuhichiroh MURAKAMI, Yasushi SASAKI, Shige FURUTA, Shuji NISHI, Makoto YOKOYAMA
  • Patent number: 9235092
    Abstract: In a region extending along a terminal region located near a substrate end and included in a frame region defined around a rectangular display region, a peripheral circuit section is provided between the display region and a mount region defined in part of the terminal region. The peripheral circuit section includes unit circuit sections that are monolithically provided and are aligned along one side of the display region. The arrangement pitch of outer ones of the unit circuit sections is larger than that of inner ones of the unit circuit sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Yamaguchi, Shige Furuta, Makoto Yokoyama, Shuji Nishi, Yohsuke Fujikawa
  • Patent number: 9230496
    Abstract: This display device has a demultiplexer (501) formed on a liquid crystal panel, the demultiplexer including three switching elements SW1 to SW3 for time-division drive, which are connected to video signal lines SL1 to SL3. Here, the number of switching control signal lines for transmitting switching control signals GS1 to GS6 to be provided to switching elements coupled to the video signal lines is six, which is twice the number of time divisions, and switching control signals (e.g., GS1 and GS4) with the same timing are individually transmitted by two switching control signal lines, so that the number of switching elements to be coupled to the switching control signal lines as loads can be halved, resulting in reduced waveform rounding of the control signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Seijirou Gyouten, Makoto Yokoyama, Takahiro Yamaguchi, Shige Furuta
  • Patent number: 9218775
    Abstract: A display device employing CC driving switches from (i) a first mode in which to carry out a display by converting resolution of a video signal by a factor of 2 in a column-wise direction to (ii) a second mode in which to carry out a display at the resolution of the video signal. During the first mode, signal potentials having the same polarity and the same gray scale are supplied to pixel electrodes included in respective two pixels that correspond to two adjacent scanning signal lines and that are adjacent to each other in the column-wise direction, and a direction of change in the signal potentials written to the pixel electrodes varies every two adjacent rows (2-line inversion driving). During the second mode, the direction of change in the signal potentials written to the pixel electrodes lines varies every single row (1-line inversion driving).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shige Furuta, Etsuo Yamamoto, Yuhichiroh Murakami, Seijirou Gyouten
  • Publication number: 20150261276
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device. During a vertical scanning period, a positive signal voltage is sent from three data signal lines corresponding to first- to third-colored pixel columns that belong to one group, and a negative signal voltage is sent from three data signal lines corresponding to first- to third-colored pixel columns that belong to another group, the two groups being adjacent to one another. Within each group, the first-colored pixel column is arranged furthest upstream, the third-colored pixel column is arranged furthest downstream, a signal voltage is sent from a data signal line positioned upstream of the first-colored pixel column to the first-colored pixel column, and a signal voltage is sent from a data signal line positioned upstream of the third-colored pixel column to the third-colored pixel column.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiichi Ina, Yoshimizu Moriya, Shige Furuta
  • Patent number: 9124260
    Abstract: A flip-flop circuit (11a) includes: an input transistor (Tr19) having a gate terminal thereof connected to an SB terminal, a source terminal thereof connected to an RB terminal, and a drain terminal thereof connected to a first CMOS circuit and a second CMOS circuit; a power supply (VSS) which is connected to the first CMOS circuit or the second CMOS circuit and, when an SB signal is turned to be active, is connected to the RB terminal; and a regulator circuit (RC). With the arrangement, a compact flip-flop and a compact shift register employing the flip-flop are provided, without causing malfunction of the flip-flop and the shift register.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shige Furuta, Yuhichiroh Murakami, Makoto Yokoyama, Seijirou Gyouten
  • Patent number: 9070471
    Abstract: Provided is a shift register of a display-driving circuit which carries out simultaneous selection of a plurality of signal lines by using a simultaneous selection signal. A stage of the shift register includes (i) a set-reset type flip-flop and (ii) a signal generating circuit which generates an output signal of the stage by selectively outputting a signal in response to an output of the flip-flop. The output signal of the stage (i) becomes active due to an activation of the simultaneous selection signal and then (ii) remains active while the simultaneous selection is being performed, and the output from the flip-flop is inactive during a period in which a setting signal and a resetting signal are both being active. This makes it possible to quickly carry out the simultaneous selection of all the signal lines and the initialization of the shift register.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shige Furuta, Makoto Yokoyama, Yasushi Sasaki, Yuhichiroh Murakami
  • Patent number: 9047842
    Abstract: Disclosed is a shift register for use in a display driving circuit that simultaneously selects signal lines, including, in a stage thereof: a flip-flop including an initialization terminal; and a signal generating circuit that receives a simultaneous selection signal and that generates an output signal of the stage by use of an output of the flip-flop, wherein: the output signal of the stage becomes active due to an activation of the simultaneous selection signal so as to be active during a period of the simultaneous selection; the output of the flip-flop is non-active while the initialization terminal, a set terminal, and a reset terminal of the flip-flop; and the initialization terminal of the flip-flop receives the simultaneous selection signal. This shift register makes it possible to downsize various drivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ohkawa, Yasushi Sasaki, Yuhichiroh Murakami, Shige Furuta, Makoto Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 9014326
    Abstract: A flip-flop includes: a first, second, third, and fourth transistors; input terminals; and first and second output terminals, the first and second transistors constituting a first CMOS circuit such that gate terminals are connected and drain terminals are connected, the third and fourth transistors constituting a second CMOS circuit such that gate terminals are connected and drain terminals are connected, the first output terminal connected to a gate side of the first CMOS circuit and a drain side of the second CMOS circuit, the second output terminal connected to a gate side of the second CMOS circuit and a drain side of the first CMOS circuit, at least one input transistor included in the group of the first through fourth transistors, a source terminal of the input transistor being connected to one of the input terminals. This can provide a further compact flip-flop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuhichiroh Murakami, Shige Furuta, Yasushi Sasaki, Makoto Yokoyama, Takahiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 8971478
    Abstract: A shift register includes a plurality of stages of unit circuits each including a flip-flop. Each of the unit circuits generates, by obtaining a sync signal in accordance with an output from the flip-flop, an output signal. The flip-flop includes a first switch and a second switch and a latch circuit for latching a signal supplied thereto and outputting the signal as the output from the flip-flop. A first shift direction signal is supplied to the latch circuit via the first switch, and the second shift direction signal is supplied to the latch circuit via the second switch. In each unit circuit other than those of the first and last stages, an output signal from a previous stage is supplied to a control terminal of the first switch, and an output signal from a subsequent stage is supplied to a control terminal of the second switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shige Furuta, Yuhichiroh Murakami, Yasushi Sasaki, Takahiro Yamaguchi, Seijirou Gyouten
  • Patent number: 8970565
    Abstract: A stage of the shift register has (i) a set-reset type flip-flop which receives an initialization signal and (ii) a signal generating circuit which receives a simultaneous selection signal and which generates an output signal by use of an output of the flip-flop. In at least one example embodiment, the output of the flip-flop becomes inactive regardless of whether a setting signal and a resetting signal are active or inactive, as long as the initialization signal is active. The initialization signal becomes active before the end of the simultaneous selection, and then becomes inactive after the end of the simultaneous selection. This makes it possible to stabilize operation of the shift register after the end of simultaneous selection of a plurality of signal lines carried out by the display driving circuit at a predetermined timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuya Hachida, Yuhichiroh Murakami, Shige Furuta, Makoto Yokoyama, Yasushi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 8952955
    Abstract: A display driving circuit for driving a liquid crystal display panel includes a shift register including a plurality of shift register circuits provided in such a way as to correspond to a plurality of gate lines, respectively, the display driving circuit having latch circuits provided in such a way as to correspond one-by-one to the shift register circuits, a polarity signal being inputted to the latch circuits. When a internal signal generated by a shift register circuit becomes active, a latch circuit loads and retains the polarity signal, and an output from the latch circuit is supplied to a CS bus line. The internal signal becomes active before a first vertical scanning period of a display picture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Yokoyama, Yasushi Sasaki, Yuhichiroh Murakami, Shige Furuta
  • Publication number: 20150028936
    Abstract: A circuit which is constituted by a plurality of n-channel transistors includes, in at least one embodiment, a transistor (T1) which has a drain terminal to which an input signal is supplied and a source terminal from which a output signal is supplied; and a transistor (T2) which has a drain terminal to which a control signal is supplied and a source terminal connected to a gate terminal of the transistor (T1). A gate terminal of the transistor (T2) is connected to the source terminal of the transistor (T2). With the arrangement, it is possible to provide (i) a semiconductor device which is constituted by transistors having an identical conductivity type and which is capable of reducing an influence of noise, and (ii) a display device including the semiconductor device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Etsuo YAMAMOTO, Yasushi SASAKI, Yuhichiroh MURAKAMI, Shige FURUTA
  • Publication number: 20150022770
    Abstract: In a region extending along a terminal region located near a substrate end and included in a frame region defined around a rectangular display region, a peripheral circuit section is provided between the display region and a mount region defined in part of the terminal region. The peripheral circuit section includes unit circuit sections that are monolithically provided and are aligned along one side of the display region. The arrangement pitch of outer ones of the unit circuit sections is larger than that of inner ones of the unit circuit sections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Inventors: Takahiro Yamaguchi, Shige Furuta, Makoto Yokoyama, Shuji Nishi, Yohsuke Fujikawa
  • Patent number: 8933918
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention switches, in a display driving circuit of a liquid crystal display device which carries out CC driving, between a two-line reversal driving mode in which a polarity of a data signal supplied to a source line is reversed every two horizontal scanning periods and a one-line reversal driving mode in which a polarity of a data signal supplied to a source line is reversed every one horizontal scanning period. In at least one example embodiment, a polarity signal reverses its polarity every two horizontal scanning periods in the two-line reversal driving mode, and reverses its polarity every one horizontal scanning period in the one-line reversal driving mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shige Furuta, Etsuo Yamamoto, Yuhichiroh Murakami, Seijirou Gyouten