Patents by Inventor Tetsuo Minami

Tetsuo Minami 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: 8334822
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a display apparatus, including: a pixel array section configured to have a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix thereon, each of the pixels including an electro-optical element, a writing transistor, a driving transistor, and a storage capacitor connected between the gate electrode and the source electrode of the driving transistor for storing an image signal written by the writing transistor, each of the pixels carrying out a mobility correction process for applying negative feedback to a potential difference between the gate and the source of the driving transistor with a correction amount determined from current flowing to the driving transistor; a detection section configured to detect variation of a characteristic of any transistor in the pixels; and a control section configured to control the period of the mobility correction process based on a result of the detection by the detection section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuhide Uchino, Tetsuo Minami
  • Publication number: 20120313923
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a pixel circuit including: a light emitting element; a storage capacitor; a writing transistor for writing a driving voltage corresponding to a video signal to the storage capacitor; and a driving transistor for driving the light emitting element on a basis of the driving voltage written to the storage capacitor, wherein a characteristic of the writing transistor is controllable in such a manner as to be operatively associated with a process of writing the driving voltage corresponding to the video signal to the storage capacitor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Patent number: 8284135
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes: a plurality of pixel circuits; and a signal supply circuit which supplies any one of a potential of a video signal, an extinction potential for extinguishing light-emitting devices, and a high-level potential higher than the extinction potential, wherein each of the plurality of pixel circuits includes a storage capacitor which retains a voltage corresponding to the video signal, a drive transistor which supplies a current based on the voltage retained in the storage capacitor to the corresponding light-emitting device, a light-emitting device which emits light in accordance with the current supplied from the drive transistor, and a write transistor which writes the voltage corresponding to the video signal to the storage capacitor after the potentials supplied by the signal supply circuit in order of the high-level potential and the extinction potential are given to the gate terminal of the drive transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Patent number: 8269755
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes: a plurality of pixel circuits; drive scan lines which supply the same power supply potential to each group of the plurality of pixel circuits, the group having a plurality of pixel circuits for a plurality of successive rows; and a power supply circuit which, during an extinction period for extinguishing light-emitting devices in pixel circuits belonging to each group, supplies a high-level power supply potential to the respective pixel circuits belonging to the group related to the extinction period so as to switch the power supply potential to the high-level power supply potential higher than the power supply potential, wherein each of the plurality of pixel circuits includes a storage capacitor which retains a voltage corresponding to a video signal, a drive transistor which supplies a current based on the voltage retained in the storage capacitor to the corresponding light-emitting device by receiving the power supply potential supplied to the corresponding drive scan line, a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuo Minami
  • Patent number: 8217862
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a display apparatus, including: a pixel array section having a plurality of pixels each including an electro-optical element, a writing transistor, a driving transistor, and a holding capacitor; a power supply scanning circuit; and a signal outputting circuit; wherein the power supply scanning circuit is operable to supply a second power supply potential to initialize the potential of a second electrode of the driving transistor and then change over the potential of a power supply line to a first power supply potential; and the signal outputting circuit is operable to output, when the writing transistor is in a conducting state, a first reference potential, supply, midway while a threshold value correction process is carried out, a second reference potential, output a third reference potential within a period within which the writing transistor remains in the conducting state, and output a image signal after the threshold correction process ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Masatsugu Tomida
  • Publication number: 20120146886
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a display apparatus, including: a foldable substrate; a pixel array section including a plurality of pixels disposed on the substrate and each including an electro-optical device; the foldable substrate being folded at a substrate end portion at least on one side thereof around the pixel array section; a peripheral circuit section disposed on the substrate end portion and adapted to drive the pixels of the pixel array section; and a pad section provided on the substrate end portion on which the peripheral circuit section is provided and adapted to electrically connect the peripheral circuit section to the outside of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Publication date: June 14, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Publication number: 20120146036
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a device using an oxide semiconductor, the device including a circuit part configured to include a thin film transistor using the oxide semiconductor as a channel material, wherein the circuit part has a lower interconnect, an upper interconnect, and an interlayer insulating film, the interlayer insulating film includes an oxide semiconductor layer and a channel protective layer, and the channel protective layer is interposed between an outer circumferential surface of a rising part of the oxide semiconductor layer corresponding to thickness of the lower interconnect and the upper interconnect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2011
    Publication date: June 14, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Patent number: 8199081
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a display apparatus including: a pixel array section including pixel circuits laid out to form a matrix as pixel circuits each having an electro optical device, a signal writing transistor, a device driving transistor, and a storage capacitor; a power-supply scan circuit; a signal outputting circuit; and a write scan circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuo Minami
  • Publication number: 20120092391
    Abstract: A self-luminous display panel driving method for driving a self-luminous display panel of the active matrix driving type, includes the step of executing threshold value correction operation for a driving transistor divisionally in a plurality of periods within at least one of which, after a point of time of an end of a preceding correction period till a point of time of a start of a succeeding correction period, a potential to be applied to the drain electrode of the driving transistor is controlled to an intermediate potential between a first potential for lighting driving of the driving transistor and a second potential for initialization applied within a preparation period of the first one of the correction periods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yukihito Iida, Yutaka Mitomi, Mitsuru Asano, Tetsuo Minami, Takao Tanikame, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Publication number: 20120062450
    Abstract: A pixel circuit includes: a switching transistor whose conduction is controlled by a drive signal supplied to the control terminal; a drive wiring adapted to propagate the drive signal; and a data wiring adapted to propagate a data signal. The drive wiring is formed on a first wiring layer and connected to the control terminal of the switching transistor. The data wiring is formed on a second wiring layer and connected to a first terminal of the switching transistor. A multi-layered wiring structure is used so that the second wiring layer is formed on a layer different from that on which the first wiring layer is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Yukihito Iida, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Publication number: 20120013590
    Abstract: Disclosed is an organic electroluminescent (EL) display device including a pixel array section in which pixels having organic EL elements are arranged; and a drive circuit section provided in a circumferential portion of the pixel array section on the same substrate as that of the pixel array section, the drive circuit section having a circuit configuration including a capacitive element, wherein the capacitive element uses, as a dielectric member, an organic layer formed in the circumferential portion of the pixel array section through the same process as that of the organic layer of the organic EL element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Publication date: January 19, 2012
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Patent number: 8089430
    Abstract: A self-luminous display panel driving method for driving a self-luminous display panel of the active matrix driving type, includes the step of executing threshold value correction operation for a driving transistor divisionally in a plurality of periods within at least one of which, after a point of time of an end of a preceding correction period till a point of time of a start of a succeeding correction period, a potential to be applied to the drain electrode of the driving transistor is controlled to an intermediate potential between a first potential for lighting driving of the driving transistor and a second potential for initialization applied within a preparation period of the first one of the correction periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yukihito Ilda, Yutaka Mitomi, Mitsuru Asano, Tetsuo Minami, Takao Tanikame, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Patent number: 8013812
    Abstract: A pixel circuit includes: a switching transistor whose conduction is controlled by a drive signal supplied to the control terminal; a drive wiring adapted to propagate the drive signal; and a data wiring adapted to propagate a data signal. The drive wiring is formed on a first wiring layer and connected to the control terminal of the switching transistor. The data wiring is formed on a second wiring layer and connected to a first terminal of the switching transistor. A multi-layered wiring structure is used so that the second wiring layer is formed on a layer different from that on which the first wiring layer is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Yukihito Iida, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Publication number: 20110181629
    Abstract: A display device includes: a display section including scan lines, power lines, signal lines, and pixels, each having a light emitting element and a pixel circuit which has a first transistor controlling a current in the light emitting element, and a second transistor writing a voltage on the signal line to the first transistor; and a driver section driving the pixels. Each power line is provided for each unit of pixel rows. The driver section sequentially applies a first pulse signal for inactivating the light emitting element to each of the scan lines in a pixel row unit, and applies one or more second pulse signals for activating the second transistor to at least a scan line corresponding to a pixel row to be inactivated first in the pixel row unit while a non-gray-scale signal is applied to each signal line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Publication number: 20110175868
    Abstract: A display device includes a display section including a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of power lines, being arranged in rows, a plurality of signal lines arranged in columns, and a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix; and a driver section driving each pixel. The power lines are individually provided for each of units with a plurality of pixel rows as a unit, and the driver section reverses a scan direction of scan lines in the unit between odd and even fields.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2011
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Publication number: 20110163943
    Abstract: An image display device includes: a pixel array part formed of first to fourth scanning lines arranged in rows, signal lines arranged in columns, pixel circuits in a matrix connected to the scanning lines and signal lines, and a plurality of power source lines which supplies first to third potentials necessary for the operations of pixel circuit; a signal part which supplies a video signal to the signal lines; and a scanner part which supplies a control signal to the first to fourth scanning lines, and in turn scans the pixel circuit for every row, wherein the pixel circuits include a sampling transistor, a drive transistor, first to third switching transistors, a pixel capacitance, and a light emitting device, and a channel length of the drive transistor is made longer than a channel length of the switching transistors to suppress fluctuations in threshold voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junichi Yamashita, Yutaka Mitomi, Tetsuo Minami, Takao Tanikame
  • Patent number: 7952542
    Abstract: An image display device includes: a pixel array part formed of first to fourth scanning lines arranged in rows, signal lines arranged in columns, pixel circuits in a matrix connected to the scanning lines and signal lines, and a plurality of power source lines which supplies first to third potentials necessary for the operations of pixel circuit; a signal part which supplies a video signal to the signal lines; and a scanner part which supplies a control signal to the first to fourth scanning lines, and in turn scans the pixel circuit for every row, wherein the pixel circuits include a sampling transistor, a drive transistor, first to third switching transistors, a pixel capacitance, and a light emitting device, and a channel length of the drive transistor is made longer than a channel length of the switching transistors to suppress fluctuations in threshold voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Junichi Yamashita, Yutaka Mitomi, Tetsuo Minami, Takao Tanikame
  • Patent number: 7920120
    Abstract: A pixel circuit of a display device of the present invention has a drive transistor which serves also as a transistor adapted to control the emission and non-emission periods of an organic EL element or other elements. A final stage buffer in an output circuit of a write scan circuit (WS) has its power supply separated from the power supply of circuit portions of a previous stage. In a first embodiment, a scan signal WS from the write scan circuit is activated instantaneously. In a second embodiment, the trailing edge of the scan signal WS falls slowly. This allows for writing of an input signal voltage in a stable manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Katsuhide Uchino, Yukihito Iida
  • Patent number: 7880693
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a display that includes a plurality of pixel circuits, a scanner, and a drive interconnect. The plurality of pixel circuits are arranged in a matrix and each includes at least one transistor of which the conduction state is controlled through the reception of a drive signal to a control terminal. The scanner outputs a drive signal to the control terminals of the transistors included in the pixel circuits. The drive interconnect is connected to the control terminals of the transistors in the pixel circuits in common and allows transmission of a drive signal output by the scanner. The drive interconnect includes a configuration that averages signal delay due to interconnect resistance differences dependent upon the distance from a drive signal output terminal of the scanner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuo Minami
  • Publication number: 20100309186
    Abstract: A drive method of a display device includes the steps of: performing threshold voltage cancel processing at least once, which changes a potential of a second node of a display device toward a potential obtained by subtracting a threshold voltage of a drive transistor from a potential of a first node by applying a given drive voltage to one source/drain region of the drive transistor from a feeding line while maintaining the potential of the first node; and then, performing writing processing which applies a video signal to the first node from a data line through a write transistor, wherein the sum of lengths of periods in which the threshold voltage cancel processing is performed is so set as to be shorter as a frame frequency becomes higher.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2010
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Minami, Katsuhide Uchino