Patents by Inventor Shinji Tomokawa

Shinji Tomokawa 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: 11942056
    Abstract: A display device includes a lighting device, a display panel, a memory, and a correction circuit. The lighting device includes a light exit area defined into light exit sections corresponding to light sources. The display panel includes a display area disposed opposite the light exit area and including pixels. The memory stores data of pixel matrix linked to the display sections. The memory stores position data of the pixels that are not disposed opposite the corresponding light exit sections and deviation data when a position error is caused between the light exit area and the display area. The correction circuit is configured to determine whether the memory stores the position data of the pixels and link new pixel matrix units to the corresponding display sections based on the deviation data if a determination result is affirmative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Sharp Display Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Shinji Tomokawa, Yasutomo Nishihara, Yohji Inui, Kohichi Ohhara, Katsutoshi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20230096847
    Abstract: A display device includes a lighting device, a display panel, a memory, and a correction circuit. The lighting device includes a light exit area defined into light exit sections corresponding to light sources. The display panel includes a display area opposed to the light exit area and including pixels. The display area includes display sections to be opposed to the light exit sections. The memory stores data of pixel matrix linked to the display sections. The memory stores position data of the pixels that are not opposed to the corresponding light exit sections and deviation data when a position error is caused between the light exit area and the display area. The correction circuit is configured to determine whether the memory stores the position data of the pixels and link new pixel matrix units to the corresponding display sections based on the deviation data if determination result is affirmative.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Inventors: Shinji TOMOKAWA, Yasutomo NISHIHARA, Yohji INUI, Kohichi OHHARA, Katsutoshi KIKUCHI
  • Patent number: 11263981
    Abstract: A display device includes: a display panel including a display region for image display; an illumination device including a plurality of light sources, the illumination device being configured to cast light upon the display panel; and a control substrate including a regulator configured to regulate an amount of light emitted from the plurality of light sources, wherein the display region is sectioned into a plurality of sections in a form of concentric circles, and the regulator regulates the amount of light in such a manner that one of the plurality of sections that is adjacent to a middle of the concentric circles is irradiated with a relatively large amount of light, and in such a manner that another one of the plurality of sections that is adjacent to an outer edge of the concentric circles is irradiated with a relatively small amount of light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shinji Tomokawa
  • Patent number: 11195475
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image display device capable of appropriately controlling the luminance of its backlight even with a frame memory having a size larger than the size of the active area. The image display device of the present invention includes: an image display panel configured to display an image; a backlight configured to illuminate the image display panel; a frame memory having a size larger than the size of an active area of the image display panel; and a luminance determiner configured to determine the luminance of the backlight based on an image data set of a computational area among image data sets stored in the frame memory, the computational area being at least part of the active area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shinji Tomokawa
  • Patent number: 11145259
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device wherein blurring of a moving image is effectively suppressed. A liquid crystal display device 1 includes a liquid crystal layer 13 that is arranged on a backlight 10, and includes liquid crystal that is driven in response to a voltage applied thereto; a light detection unit 20 that is arranged between the backlight 10 and the liquid crystal layer 13; and a control unit that controls a timing of turning on the backlight 10. After the backlight 10 is turned off and driving of liquid crystal is started, the control unit turns on the backlight 10 when intensity of light detected by the light detection unit 20 enters a steady state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shinji Tomokawa
  • Publication number: 20210110776
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image display device capable of appropriately controlling the luminance of its backlight even with a frame memory having a size larger than the size of the active area. The image display device of the present invention includes: an image display panel configured to display an image; a backlight configured to illuminate the image display panel; a frame memory having a size larger than the size of an active area of the image display panel; and a luminance determiner configured to determine the luminance of the backlight based on an image data set of a computational area among image data sets stored in the frame memory, the computational area being at least part of the active area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Inventor: SHINJI TOMOKAWA
  • Publication number: 20200380922
    Abstract: A display device includes: a display panel including a display region for image display; an illumination device including a plurality of light sources, the illumination device being configured to cast light upon the display panel; and a control substrate including a regulator configured to regulate an amount of light emitted from the plurality of light sources, wherein the display region is sectioned into a plurality of sections in a form of concentric circles, and the regulator regulates the amount of light in such a manner that one of the plurality of sections that is adjacent to a middle of the concentric circles is irradiated with a relatively large amount of light, and in such a manner that another one of the plurality of sections that is adjacent to an outer edge of the concentric circles is irradiated with a relatively small amount of light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventor: SHINJI TOMOKAWA
  • Publication number: 20200365093
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device wherein blurring of a moving image is effectively suppressed. A liquid crystal display device 1 includes a liquid crystal layer 13 that is arranged on a backlight 10, and includes liquid crystal that is driven in response to a voltage applied thereto; a light detection unit 20 that is arranged between the backlight 10 and the liquid crystal layer 13; and a control unit that controls a timing of turning on the backlight 10. After the backlight 10 is turned off and driving of liquid crystal is started, the control unit turns on the backlight 10 when intensity of light detected by the light detection unit 20 enters a steady state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Inventor: SHINJI TOMOKAWA
  • Patent number: 10824032
    Abstract: A display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, s driver circuit, a first substrate connecting member, a spacer portion, and a spacer joint portion. The second substrate is opposed to overlap the first substrate and includes a first substrate non-overlapping portion not overlapping the first substrate. The driver circuit is mounted on the first substrate non-overlapping portion on a same side as the first substrate. The first substrate connecting member is connected to the first substrate and includes a portion disposed to overlap the driver circuit. The spacer portion is disposed between the first substrate connecting member and the driver circuit. The spacer portion has an insulating property. The spacer joint portion is disposed to overlap a section of the first substrate non-overlapping portion not overlapping at least the driver circuit on the same side as the first substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shinji Tomokawa
  • Patent number: 10558069
    Abstract: A display device includes a panel member, a flexible substrate, and a tap. The flexible substrate includes a substrate body and a substrate extending portion. The substrate body is disposed in an area of a surface of the panel member inner than an outer peripheral edge portion of the surface. The substrate extension portion is extended from an outer peripheral edge portion of the substrate body. The substrate extension portion includes an overlapping portion overlapping a section of the outer peripheral edge portion of the surface. The tape is pasted to the area inner than the outer peripheral edge portion of the surface. The tape covers the substrate extension portion that is folded back to the substrate body from an opposite side from the substrate body such that the overlapping portion does not overlap the outer peripheral edge portion of the surface to hold the substrate extension portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinji Tomokawa, Takafumi Matsuda, Akiyoshi Takaoka
  • Publication number: 20200041831
    Abstract: A display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, s driver circuit, a first substrate connecting member, a spacer portion, and a spacer joint portion. The second substrate is opposed to overlap the first substrate and includes a first substrate non-overlapping portion not overlapping the first substrate. The driver circuit is mounted on the first substrate non-overlapping portion on a same side as the first substrate. The first substrate connecting member is connected to the first substrate and includes a portion disposed to overlap the driver circuit. The spacer portion is disposed between the first substrate connecting member and the driver circuit. The spacer portion has an insulating property. The spacer joint portion is disposed to overlap a section of the first substrate non-overlapping portion not overlapping at least the driver circuit on the same side as the first substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2018
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventor: Shinji TOMOKAWA
  • Publication number: 20200026391
    Abstract: A touchscreen panel includes a touch panel having a plate shape having a front surface and a back surface, and a flexible circuit board one end of which is electrically connected to the touch panel. The touch panel includes a detection region where contact of an operator from a front surface side can be detected, and a terminal region where connection terminals to be connected to the flexible circuit board are disposed on aback surface side. The detection region and the connection terminals are connected to each other via panel lines formed on the touch panel, and one of the panel lines is a detour line that is connected to one of the connection terminals from a side where the detection region is not present seen from the connection terminals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventor: Shinji TOMOKAWA
  • Publication number: 20190384093
    Abstract: A display device includes a panel member, a flexible substrate, and a tap. The flexible substrate includes a substrate body and a substrate extending portion. The substrate body is disposed in an area of a surface of the panel member inner than an outer peripheral edge portion of the surface. The substrate extension portion is extended from an outer peripheral edge portion of the substrate body. The substrate extension portion includes an overlapping portion overlapping a section of the outer peripheral edge portion of the surface. The tape is pasted to the area inner than the outer peripheral edge portion of the surface. The tape covers the substrate extension portion that is folded back to the substrate body from an opposite side from the substrate body such that the overlapping portion does not overlap the outer peripheral edge portion of the surface to hold the substrate extension portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Inventors: Shinji TOMOKAWA, Takafumi MATSUDA, Akiyoshi TAKAOKA
  • Publication number: 20190306980
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides a flexible printed circuit board (1) which is distinguishable from another flexible printed circuit board by use of an identifier. The flexible printed circuit board (1) includes: a base layer (13); a wiring layer (14); a surface cover layer (15); and an identifier (121) which allows the flexible printed circuit board (1) to be distinguished from another flexible printed circuit board, the surface cover layer (15) being formed in a surface cover region (11) while not being formed in a non-surface cover region (12), and the identifier (121) being provided in the non-surface cover region (12).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: TAKUMA WATANABE, SHINJI TOMOKAWA, TAKAFUMI MATSUDA, AKIYOSHI TAKAOKA
  • Publication number: 20190287474
    Abstract: To reduce display unevenness of a liquid crystal display panel, a liquid crystal display device includes (i) a liquid crystal display panel having a plurality of areas different from each other in the cell thickness and (ii) a driving section configured to carry out a gamma correction with respect to each of the plurality of areas in accordance with the applied voltage-transmittance characteristic that varies according to each of the plurality of areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventor: SHINJI TOMOKAWA
  • Patent number: 9575240
    Abstract: A display device includes a display panel, a display area, a non-display area, a substrate member attached to the display panel with an adhesive layer interposed therebetween and including a touch panel and an operation section formed in the non-display area and used for performing an input operation on the touch panel, a step portion formed at least by a side portion of the display panel and a side portion of the adhesive layer such that a void is generated in a part between the display panel and the substrate member, and a light source unit disposed in the void such that at least a part of the light source unit is superimposed on the display panel in the step portion and configured to supply illumination light to the operation section to light the operation section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Akanuma, Hiromi Enomoto, Yuhsuke Nii, Shinji Tomokawa
  • Publication number: 20150042902
    Abstract: A lighting device includes a light source; a light guide plate including a side surface, on which light of the light source is incident, and a front surface extending perpendicular to the side surface; and a plurality of light emitting regions disposed on the front surface to be spaced apart from one another, and having optical patterns for emitting light from an inside of the light guide plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromi Enomoto, Nobuhiko Akanuma, Yuhsuke Nii, Shinji Tomokawa
  • Publication number: 20140192279
    Abstract: A display device includes a display panel, a display area, a non-display area, a substrate member attached to the display panel with an adhesive layer interposed therebetween and including a touch panel and an operation section formed in the non-display area and used for performing an input operation on the touch panel, a step portion formed at least by a side portion of the display panel and a side portion of the adhesive layer such that a void is generated in a part between the display panel and the substrate member, and a light source unit disposed in the void such that at least a part of the light source unit is superimposed on the display panel in the step portion and configured to supply illumination light to the operation section to light the operation section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Akanuma, Hiromi Enomoto, Yuhsuke Nii, Shinji Tomokawa