Patents Issued in April 14, 2009
  • Patent number: 7518573
    Abstract: In a plasma display device comprising: plural first, second, and third electrodes disposed adjacently and extending in a first direction, the third electrodes being provided between the first and second electrodes for repeating discharges; a dielectric layer covering the electrodes, a first electrode driving circuit for driving the first electrodes; a second electrode driving circuit for driving the second electrodes; and a third electrode driving circuit for driving the third electrodes, grayscale display is performed by a sub-field method, and the third electrodes are set to have a potential approximately the same as that of the first or second electrode at the discharge in the repetitive discharges. The third electrode driving circuit changes the ratio of the discharges in which the third electrodes operate as cathodes to the discharges in which they operate as anodes in the period when the discharges are repeated, at least in one sub-field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma Display Limited
    Inventors: Takashi Sasaki, Takayuki Kobayashi, Naoki Itokawa
  • Patent number: 7518574
    Abstract: An energy recovery circuit for a plasma display panel charges a panel capacitor using energy within an inductor and recovers the energy from the panel capacitor. The energy recovery circuit supplies the panel capacitor with a clamping voltage enabling a potential of the panel capacitor to be constantly maintained. A controller controls the energy recovery circuit to supply the clamping voltage to the panel capacitor within a period taken to discharge a current of the inductor from a maximum value to a current level greater than zero. The charging timing point of the panel capacitor occurs prior to the current IL of the inductor L being discharged to zero and/or prior to the panel capacitor Cp being charged up to the sustain potential Vs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Joong Seo Park, Yun Kwon Jung
  • Patent number: 7518575
    Abstract: A plasma display device that enables a stable address operation even in a high-speed drive so as to display an image of high definition and high quality. A PDP having discharge cells each provided with a scanning electrode and a sustaining electrode is driven by a method for displaying a frame of an image by repeating an address period, a discharge sustaining period, and a discharge suspend period. At least one initialization period that succeeds a discharge suspend period and in which the state of the wall charge in each discharge cell is initialized is provided. In the discharge suspend period, a voltage is applied between the scanning electrode and the sustaining electrode so that a wall voltage may be generated at which the polarity at the scanning electrode with respect to the sustaining electrode is the same as that of the initializing pulse applied to the scanning electrode in the initialization period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuaki Nagao, Toru Ando, Masaki Nishimura, Yuusuke Takada
  • Patent number: 7518576
    Abstract: The luminous efficiency of a plasma display panel (PDP) device is increased by positive column gas discharge sustaining, with higher voltage and Xe content, plus pre-discharges sustain priming. High-speed addressing by using address period priming discharge. Cost saving in row driver ICs is realized by row addressing separated from sustaining. High contrast ratio due to masking of setup and addressing discharges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Imaging Systems Technology
    Inventor: James C. Rutherford
  • Patent number: 7518577
    Abstract: An image display device which has a stable luminous brightness among pixels. An on/off control switch 15 for stopping the driving operation of a light emitting element 13 is provided in a pixel 1. A change in the luminous brightness caused by a variation in the characteristic of the light emitting element 13 is suppressed by feeding a result measured by a current measuring circuit provided in one end of a power line 4 back to a drive signal for the light emitting element 13.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi Displays, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Akimoto, Kiyoshige Kinugawa, Nobuaki Hayashi
  • Patent number: 7518578
    Abstract: A display device includes a demultiplexer. The demultiplexer programs time-divided and sequentially input data currents to at least two signal lines. The demultiplexer includes first and second sample/hold circuits for alternately sampling data currents and holding sampled data corresponding to the sampled data, and third and fourth sample/hold circuits for respectively sampling the sampled data held by the first and second sample/hold circuits and programming the current which correspond to the sampled data to the two signal lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Dong-Yong Shin
  • Patent number: 7518579
    Abstract: A display device including scan lines provided in a first direction for transmitting select signals, data lines provided in a second direction for transmitting data signals, and pixel circuits respectively coupled to the scan lines and the data lines. At least one of the pixel circuits includes a driving transistor for outputting a current corresponding to a data signal, emit elements for outputting light corresponding to the current output by the driving transistor, and emit control transistors coupled between the driving transistor and the emit elements. The display device includes semiconductor layers for forming the emit control transistors and the driving transistor. The semiconductor layers for forming the emit control transistors are formed to be branched from the semiconductor layer for forming the driving transistor and be coupled as a body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Won-Kyu Kwak
  • Patent number: 7518580
    Abstract: A light emitting display for compensating for the threshold voltage of transistor or mobility and fully charging a data line. A transistor and first through third switches are formed on a pixel circuit of an organic EL display. The transistor supplies a driving current for emitting an organic EL element (OLED). The first switch diode-connects the transistor. A first storage unit stores a first voltage corresponding to a threshold voltage of the transistor. A second switch transmits a data current in response to a select signal. A second storage unit stores a second voltage corresponding to the data current. A third switch transmits the driving current to the OLED. A third voltage determined by coupling of the first and second storage units is applied to a transistor to supply the driving current to the OLED.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung Mobile Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Oh-Kyong Kwon
  • Patent number: 7518581
    Abstract: Systems and methods to linearly scale the colors of display data in a display driver circuit before it is written in a display RAM have been achieved. Said systems and methods invented are applicable to any display type such as e.g. CSTN, DSTN, TFT, OLED, etc. Each primary color value, e.g. red, green and blue is individually adjusted with its own setting, which allows maximum flexibility in display adjustment. Set adjustment is performed to adjust the colors displayed to the specific color characteristics of any display screen type. A system processor sets the red, green and blue color adjust register settings for a particular display type. The display data is downloaded from a system processor into a display RAM via a display adjust circuit, Said display adjust circuit modifies the display data according to the color adjust register setting settings before it is written into the RAM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor GmbH
    Inventor: Julian Tyrell
  • Patent number: 7518582
    Abstract: A relation between a twist pitch p of twisted nematic liquid crystal and a thickness d of a liquid crystal layer is set to p/d<8, and polymer stabilization is carried out. In this way, torque to recover from alignment upon application of a voltage to alignment without application of the voltage is increased and response speed of the liquid crystal at decay time is thereby increased. By applying the present technique to a liquid crystal display device which is driven by a reset operation, an overdrive operation or common modulation, high response speed is obtained even when the twisted nematic liquid crystal is used. As a result, the liquid crystal display device can deal with field sequential display mode where higher response speed is required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Nec Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Takatori, Kossikhina A. Svetlana
  • Patent number: 7518583
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display is provided, which includes: groups of gate lines transmitting a gate-on voltage; data lines alternately transmitting normal data voltages and an impulsive data voltage; pixels arranged in a matrix and including switching elements that are connected to the gate lines and the data lines and turn on in response to the gate-on voltage to transmit the data voltages; gate driving circuits connected to respective groups of gate lines and sequentially applying the gate-on voltage to the gate lines; a data driver applying the data voltages to the data lines; a duty ratio selector outputting a duty ratio selection signal informing a selected duty ratio; and a signal controller controlling the gate driver and the data driver based on the duty ratio selection signal, wherein the signal controller determines a time for the application of the impulsive data voltage based on the duty ratio selection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chang-Hun Lee, So-Youn Park, Jong-Lae Kim, Cheol-Woo Park, Sang-Wook Yoo
  • Patent number: 7518584
    Abstract: A method of displaying an image on a color display comprises receiving image data to be displayed, forming a first sub image and a second sub image from said image data, said first sub image comprising a first set of colors and said second sub image comprising a second set of colors, wherein said first set of colors and said second set of colors are disjoint sets, and wherein said first set of colors and said second set of colors comprise a metamer formed by at least a first color in said first set of colors and at least a second color in said second set of colors, and displaying said image using said first sub image and said second sub image, or a representation thereof, on a color display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Ingrid Emilienne Joanna Rita Heynderickx, Erno Hermanus Antonius Langendijk
  • Patent number: 7518585
    Abstract: An organic EL display device is disclosed that prevents charging and discharging that do not contribute to light emission, thereby reducing power consumption. The organic EL display device comprises a plurality of first electrode elements, a plurality of second electrode elements crossing the first electrode elements, and organic light emitting layers sandwiched by the first electrode elements and the second electrode elements. A first driving unit passes light emitting current through the first electrode elements. A second driving unit connects the second electrode elements to the ground to pass the light emitting current and to a second power supply not to pass the light emitting current. The voltage of the second power supply is varied in synchronism with the voltage waveform of output of the light emitting current from the first driving unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takatoshi Onoda
  • Patent number: 7518586
    Abstract: A method for driving an LCD and its driving circuits are provided which are capable of being constructed at low costs, of reducing a flicker that occurs when a monochromatic color is displayed or an arbitrary image is displayed and of simultaneously making an adjustment for minimizing a line flicker and flicker occurring on an entire screen and of being applied to application areas in which a display is made more high-definition and a screen is made larger. The LCD is driven in a manner that a polarity of a data signal is reversed for every two scanning electrodes and for every signal electrode and the data signal having the reversed polarity is sequentially fed to each of signal electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunichi Hosoyamada
  • Patent number: 7518587
    Abstract: An impulse driving method and apparatus thereof for a liquid crystal display (LCD) are provided. The gate driver of the liquid crystal device generates first scan signals for controlling gate lines of the liquid crystal device according to the received first start vertical signal and first output enable signal. The scan signals are generated corresponding to the pixel data signals outputted from the data driver of the LCD. Moreover, the gate driver of the LCD generates second scan signals according to the received second start vertical signal and second output enable signals. The scan signals are generated corresponding to black data signals output from the data driver of the liquid crystal device. Therefore, the control signal scheme is simplified and the black insertion ratio is easily controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Hannstar Display Corporation
    Inventors: Ssu-Ming Lee, Seob Shin, Feng-Ting Pai, Hsien-Wen Chou
  • Patent number: 7518588
    Abstract: A source driver having the charge recycling function is suitable for a panel displaying device to drive a display array unit. The source driver includes a source driving circuit to output a plurality of data signals corresponding to a plurality of data lines. A circuit for recycling charges is coupled between the source driving circuit and the display array unit, including a plurality of switches to form a path of recycling charges and to transmit the data signals for driving the display array unit. A switch control circuit generates a set of control signals according to a timing relationship of the data signals of the circuit of source driving, to timely control the on/off states of each switch of the circuit for recycling charges. Consequently, a part of charges on the data lines can be recycled during a period of charging and discharging for the next period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventor: Che-Li Lin
  • Patent number: 7518589
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having two pieces of liquid crystal display panels commonly using a source driver is provided which is capable of displaying a different image in each of the two pieces of liquid crystal display panels. The liquid crystal display device includes the two liquid crystal display panels commonly using drain lines, a timing controller to control outputting timing of an image data signal for each liquid crystal display panel, a source driver to output image data, gate line by gate line, to a plurality of drain lines for each liquid crystal display panel, and gate drivers to sequentially output gate driving pulses to gate lines for each liquid crystal display panel according to a signal to provide instructions for a staff of outputting of an image data signal and to a signal to control an inputting period of image data in every line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Takeda
  • Patent number: 7518590
    Abstract: A driving circuit for an electro-optical device drives an electro-optical device an image display region driven by a scanning line driving circuit that drives a plurality of scanning lines. The image display region is divided into a plurality of partial regions. The scanning line driving circuit supplies scanning signals alternately to the partial regions and sequentially to a plurality of scanning lines in the respective partial regions, and an image signal supply circuit supplies image signals to a plurality of data lines such that each of the plurality of partial regions is subjected to horizontal scanning in a 1/n horizontal scanning period. The scanning line driving circuit supplies the scanning signals such that a scanning line, which is disposed at an edge of one side in the image display region, is the last for each field period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Yoshimoto
  • Patent number: 7518591
    Abstract: A driving method for a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel for displaying a frame having a first field and a second field on the LCD panel is provided. The driving method includes transmitting horizontal scan lines of the frame to the LCD panel using a line pair method and displaying the frame on the LCD panel using a column inversion method. Therefore, the driving method of the present invention can increase the resolution of the displayed frame without the need to provide additional memories or deploying complex algorithms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Prime View International Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tung-Liang Lin, Sung-Kon Kim, Chien-Chia Shih
  • Patent number: 7518592
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device with low power consumption is provided. In the liquid crystal display device having a source signal line driver circuit, a gate signal line driver circuit, a DAC controller, and a pixel portion and performing an image display using an n-bit (n is a natural number, n?2) digital image signal, one pixel has memory circuits for storing an n-bit digital image signal and a D/A converter, and the n-bit digital image signal for one frame can be stored in the pixel. In case of a static image display, the image signal stored in the memory circuits is read out every frame to perform the display, and thus, only a DAC controller is driven during the display. Therefore, this contributes to a reduction of the power consumption of the entire liquid crystal display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Koyama, Tomoaki Atsumi, Hiroyuki Miyake
  • Patent number: 7518593
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes a liquid crystal display panel and an illuminator disposed at the back of the panel for emitting at least two illumination lights having directivities in different directions toward the panel. The illuminator includes a light guide plate made of transparent material whose one end surface serves as a light entrance end surface, whose one plate surface serves as a light exit surface, and whose other plate surface serves as a light direction changing surface for changing the advancing direction of light entering from the light entrance end surface. The light direction changing surface has a plurality of circular-arcing slanted surfaces shaped into semicircles formed on concentric circles centered at the center of the longer dimension of the light entrance end surface. Light emitting elements are disposed on the light entrance end surface at two positions on left and right sides of the center equidistantly apart therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Daiku
  • Patent number: 7518594
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight disposed behind the liquid crystal display panel. The backlight includes: a light source including a discharge tube having no electrodes therein, and first and second electrodes disposed outside the discharge tube; and a power source which supplies first and second high-frequency voltages to the first and second electrodes, respectively. The first and second electrodes are disposed at two ends of the discharge tube in a direction of a longitudinal axis thereof, respectively. A length of a first wiring for coupling the power source to the first electrode is approximately equal to a length of a second wiring for coupling the power source to the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Electronic Devices, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Yajima, Seiichi Nishiyama, Shigetake Takaku, Yoshiharu Takeda, Shigeo Mikoshiba, Tomokazu Shiga, Koji Hashimoto, Yusuke Baba
  • Patent number: 7518595
    Abstract: A control unit 203 controls a position of a pointer to be displayed on a display 208A in response to an operation of a pointing device (PD) 11 by the user. In this case, the control unit 203 detects actual operation directions 50 and 50? of the PD 11 by means of a sensing module 13. Next, the control unit 203 determines whether or not the actual operation directions 50 and 50? are included in an adjustment region 70, which is preset with a movable range of the PD 11 as an object to be adjusted. Then, when it is determined that the actual operation directions are included in the adjustment region 70, the control unit 203 adjusts information indicating the actual operation directions to information indicating a direction 60 so predetermined as to correspond to the adjustment region in such a way that a moving direction of the pointer displayed on the display 208A in response to the actual operation directions is changed to the predetermined direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Tachikawa
  • Patent number: 7518596
    Abstract: A computer input device and computer system are provided that determine a height of the computer input device over a surface. Based on the height, an audio signal generator generates an audio driver signal. The audio driver signal is applied to an audio signal generate that generates an audio signal based on the audio driver signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth P. Hinckley, Michael J. Sinclair, Richard S. Szeliski, Matthew J. Conway, Erik J. Hanson
  • Patent number: 7518597
    Abstract: An apparatus for performing a layout operation on space includes a display with a touch panel for displaying space on which a layout operation is performed and controller for tracing a figure drawn by an operator on the touch panel of the display and determining, according to the figure, a field to be inputted and an input mode of the field. A method of performing a layout operation on space including the steps of displaying space on which a layout operation is performed on a monitor with a touch panel, tracing a figure drawn by an operator on the touch panel of the monitor, and determining, according to the figure, a field to be inputted and an input mode of the field. A program to perform the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Itoh, Takashi Yazaki, Kei Funabashi, Masato Sumita
  • Patent number: 7518598
    Abstract: Provided is a light pen comprising an elastic ejection assembly. In a retracting operation of the light pen, pressing a pushing rod into a barrel will move a pushing cylinder to compress a spring, push first teeth out of first grooves, clockwise turn the first teeth to move from the first groove to adjacent second groove, and cause a pilot bar to jump a pitch to completely conceal the light pen in a receptacle of an electronic device In an extending operation of the light pen, pressing the pushing rod again will clockwise turn the first teeth to move from the second groove to the adjacent first groove to cause the pilot bar to jump another pitch, and release a stored elastic force of the spring to push the pushing rod partially out of the receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: HWA Ying Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jung Tsan Liu
  • Patent number: 7518599
    Abstract: A display control device and a display control method for use in a portable electronic apparatus are disclosed. The portable electronic apparatus includes a main controller and a display panel. The display control device includes a digital data register in communication with the main controller for storing a digital data display signal received from the main controller, and a digital-to-analog converter in communication with the digital data register, converting the digital data display signal stored in the digital data register into an analog data display signal and outputting the analog data display signal to the display panel to be revealed. The main controller keeps on outputting refreshed digital data display signals in a normal mode, and suspends the output of any further digital data display signal in an idle mode. In the idle mode, the digital data register reiteratively outputs a last stored digital data display signal to the digital-to-analog converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Toppoly Optoelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Geng-Jen Lin, Chuan-Ying Wang, Ching-Tung Wang, Hung-Yang Kuo
  • Patent number: 7518600
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal display panel; a drive system for transmitting signals over a predetermined number of channels and for displaying a picture on the liquid crystal display panel; an interface part generating a channel mode signal in accordance with the predetermined number of channels; and a timing controller driven in correspondence with the generated channel mode signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jae Hyung Lee
  • Patent number: 7518601
    Abstract: An array substrate according to the invention includes an external terminal formed in the vicinity of an end portion of an insulating substrate so as to supply electric potential from the exterior to a driving circuit, a signal line monitoring terminal formed in parallel with the external terminal, a signal line branch terminal formed in such a way as to be connected to a signal line or to a signal line terminal, and an internal terminal associated with the signal line monitoring terminal, which is connected to the signal line monitoring terminal and connectable to a signal line branch terminal by an electrically conductive material and a bump of the driving circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha, Optrex Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Nakayama, Shuichi Iida
  • Patent number: 7518602
    Abstract: A test circuit and a test method capable of easily and accurately determining the presence or absence of a defect as well as defective points. The test circuit of the invention has a plurality of shift registers, a plurality of latch circuits, a plurality of first NOR circuits, a plurality of second NOR circuits, a plurality of first NAND circuits, a plurality of second NAND circuits, and a plurality of inverters. A plurality of source signal lines provided in a pixel area are connected to the respective plurality of latch circuits, and a test output is outputted from the inverter of the last stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ryo Nozawa
  • Patent number: 7518603
    Abstract: A power circuit outputs and applies an AC voltage and a DC voltage to respective terminals of a capacitor, so as to obtain an AC output voltage shifted in accordance with the DC voltage component. The power circuit includes a first voltage adjuster for outputting an AC voltage, a second voltage adjuster for outputting a DC voltage, a first output terminal which outputs the AC voltage from the first voltage adjuster, and a second output terminal which outputs the DC voltage from the second voltage adjuster. The first output terminal is connected to one end of the capacitor, while the second output terminal is connected to the other end of the capacitor. The power circuit controls impedance between the first output terminal and the first voltage adjuster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuji Yamamoto, Kazunori Nohara, Tomoshi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 7518605
    Abstract: Mode support systems and methods. The system comprises a storage device and an editing unit. The storage device comprises a first mode list comprising a plurality of display modes. The editing unit edits at least one supported display mode from the display modes in the first mode list, and stores a second mode list comprising the supported display mode to the storage device. The supported display mode in the second mode list is retrieved by a device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Via Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mo-Hsuan Lin, Te-Wei Fu, Ping-Huei Hsieh
  • Patent number: 7518606
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention provides a method for generating a curved pipe object in a computer-aided design drawing where the geometry of a curved pipe object is generally represented as a segment of a helix. A user selects a curved pipe creation method and a set of geometric attributes from which the helix parameters may be determined. From the helix parameters, a display representation of the curved pipe object may then be generated and displayed in the CAD drawing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward J. Connor, Anandaraja Devan, Michael C. Rogerson, Steve Milligan, Craig Storms, Michael A. Appolo, III
  • Patent number: 7518607
    Abstract: A hidden-line removal method is provided which is executed in an image processing apparatus. The method includes the steps of extracting portions of the polygons contained in each of the divided areas on a two-dimensional plane using the projected three-dimensional model and calculating memory consumption for each of the areas using the extracted polygons. The method includes the steps of determining the optimized division style based on the calculated memory consumption and executing the hidden-line removal based on the optimized division style.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Masayuki Kidera
  • Patent number: 7518608
    Abstract: A method of rendering a first image having a plurality of particles. The method comprises: receiving a z-depth image that provides a z-value for each pixel in the first image; generating a single pixel particle of an opaque transparency for each pixel in the z-depth image positioned at the same x-y position as the each pixel in the z-depth image and at a z-position indicated by the z-value; sorting the plurality of particles with a plurality of the generated single pixel particles in the first image based on the z-position; and rendering the sorted plurality of particles and single pixel particles based on the sorted order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Rob Bredow, Brian Hall
  • Patent number: 7518609
    Abstract: According to one aspect of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a method is provided for modeling a transition between adjoining surfaces. The method includes determining a curve of intersection of two adjoining surfaces, where the curve includes a plurality of points. For each of at least some of the points, the method includes selecting a point of the curve of intersection, and determining end points of a section of the transition located at the selected point, where each end point is located on a respective one of the adjoining surfaces. The method also includes determining a shape of the section of the transition, where the shape of the section for each of at least some of the points models the transition between the adjoining surfaces. The transition is curvature continuous with a first curvature at the end points and a second, different curvature at a portion therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Thomas A. Grandine, Thomas A. Hogan
  • Patent number: 7518610
    Abstract: A display apparatus is designed to make a display corresponding to one pixel through the use of a plurality of rectangular display elements. The apparatus comprises a multi-gradation character generating unit for generating information on a multi-gradation character image obtained by gradating a character edge portion and an element display control unit for controlling a display state in a display unit on the basis of information on this multi-gradation character image so that the multi-gradation character image is displayed in a state where each of the rectangular display elements constituting the display unit is associated with one or more pixels, thus reducing the quantization error so that character display with high visibility is achievable in the case of display of highly fine characters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Satoshi Iwata
  • Patent number: 7518611
    Abstract: A library can store different types of multimedia objects, including effects (for example, behaviors, filters, fonts, and particle effects) and content (for example, audio clips, video clips, and still images). The library can store both pre-defined objects and objects that have been created by a user. The library is extensible, so that it can store objects of unknown type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Boyd, Stephen Sheeler
  • Patent number: 7518613
    Abstract: An activity poller on an external graphics box is activated during inactivity in communication from a host information handling system to the external graphics box, such as over an external PCI Express cable. The activity poller periodically sends a memory read request from the external graphics box to the host information handling system through the PCI Express cable and analyzes the response to determine the operational state of the host information handling system. Failure of the host information handling system to respond to the polling for a predetermined time results in presentation of a locally generated diagnostic message at the external graphics box, such as message stored in shader instructions of the external graphics box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventor: Lawrence E. Knepper
  • Patent number: 7518614
    Abstract: A remote management controller may include a video redirection device and a processor. The video redirection device may be configured to: obtain multiple separate slices of video data output from a video graphics controller; calculate at least one value correlative to each of the multiple separate slices of video data; and if the calculated value for any portion of any of the multiple separate slices differs from a value for a previously obtained corresponding portion, update a table associated with an image related to a remote system with the calculated value, process the portion of the slice into a network packet, and move the network packet to one of multiple network buffers. The processor may be configured to: allocate the multiple network buffers; and facilitate transmission of the network packets loaded into the network buffers to the remote system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Theodore F. Emerson, Robert L. Noonan, David F. Heinrich, Don Dykes
  • Patent number: 7518615
    Abstract: A floating point rasterization and frame buffer in a computer system graphics program. The rasterization, fog, lighting, texturing, blending, and antialiasing processes operate on floating point values. In one embodiment, a 16-bit floating point format consisting of one sign bit, ten mantissa bits, and five exponent bits (s10e5), is used to optimize the range and precision afforded by the 16 available bits of information. In other embodiments, the floating point format can be defined in the manner preferred in order to achieve a desired range and precision of the data stored in the frame buffer. The final floating point values corresponding to pixel attributes are stored in a frame buffer and eventually read and drawn for display. The graphics program can operate directly on the data in the frame buffer without losing any of the desired range and precision of the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
    Inventors: John M. Airey, Mark S. Peercy, Robert A. Drebin, John Montrym, David L. Dignam, Christopher J. Migdal, Danny D. Loh
  • Patent number: 7518616
    Abstract: A graphics accelerator for processing a graphical image includes a texture buffer for storing texture maps and data relating to the texture maps stored in the texture buffer, and a texture processor that performs texturing operations on the graphical image. The texture processor includes a fetching engine that retrieves texture packets, where each texture packet is stored in the texture buffer and associated with a texture map. Each texture packet includes data relating to the location of its associated texture map in the texture buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: 3DLabs, Inc. Ltd.
    Inventor: Stephen W. Edwards
  • Patent number: 7518617
    Abstract: The invention discloses an image processing apparatus for adjusting the saturation of an input image. The input image also has a lightness and a hue. The image processing apparatus includes a look-up table, a processing unit, and a multiplier. The look-up table is used for recording M lightness ranges, N hue ranges, and M*N corresponding gains. The processing unit is used for storing the look-up table and, according to the look-up table, for judging that the lightness of the input image is located in which lightness range, and the hue is located in which hue range, so as to determine a corresponding gain from the gains. The multiplier is coupled to the processing unit and used for multiplying the saturation of the input image by the corresponding gain. Accordingly, the image quality is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Quanta Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Hsin-Hung Lee, Hsu-Hung Chen
  • Patent number: 7518618
    Abstract: The teachings provided herein disclose an image processing method for rendering a digital image possessing anti-aliased pixels by selecting a target pixel location within the digital image; observing a set of pixels within a pixel observation window superimposed on the digital image relative to the target pixel location; generating edge-state codes for a plurality of pairs of neighboring vectors of pixels within the pixel observation window; generating edge-identification codes from the plurality of edge-state codes using at least one look-up table; and, utilizing the edge-identification codes to select and apply to the digital image at the target pixel either anti-aliased rendering or conventional halftoning. The anti-aliasing may employ pixel signals that are high addressable and directionally biased to a particular orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Robert P. Loce, Beilei Xu, Stuart A. Schweid, Son H. Nguyen, Michael Branciforte
  • Patent number: 7518619
    Abstract: A system and method for utilizing a spatial three-dimensional display unit with a medical diagnostic imaging system is disclosed. The medical diagnostic imaging system may be a picture archival communication system. The system may include at least one two-dimensional display unit and an additional spatial three-dimensional display unit. Accordingly a user may view two and three-dimensional images of similar anatomical objects. The two and three-dimensional images may be linked, providing the user with a consistent viewing angle. The system may be used to review a surgical path. The display parameters of a first three-dimensional data set may be mapped to a second three-dimensional data set. The surgical path of the first data set and the second data set may be displayed on spatial display units. Accordingly, the anatomical objects along the surgical path may be viewed at different points in time, for example prior to surgery and after surgery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William Murray Stoval, III, Murali Kumaran Kariathungal
  • Patent number: 7518620
    Abstract: A method for display of and interaction with local and remote data objects in a distributed data processing system is disclosed. In an embodiment, given sufficient information or “meta data” (i.e. data about data) for a local system and a remote system, a data object viewer may combine both local and remote data objects in a single view. In an embodiment, a user may interact with these local and remote data objects in a context sensitive manner such that, in dependence on the selected data object, either a local action, a remote action, or both local and remote actions may be performed on the selected data object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Mazen Faraj
  • Patent number: 7518621
    Abstract: An uneven display correction method including a first step of dividing a display area of a display panel into a plurality of unit areas, the first step setting one arbitrary unit area among the unit areas at a reference area, the first step previously determining a value as a correction parameter in each unit area, the value corresponding to a difference between a light-emission start gradation level of the unit area and the light-emission start gradation level of the reference area; and a second step of correcting an input video signal based on the correction parameter determined in each unit area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Kinoshita, Susumu Tanase, Yukio Mori, Atsuhiro Yamashita, Masutaka Inoue, Shigeo Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 7518622
    Abstract: An image display apparatus that has a display section provided with a first plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix. Sequentially generated are dither signals each formed in a matrix of P rows×Q columns (P and Q being both positive integers and at least either one being 2 or more) corresponding to a second plurality of pixels that are a part of the first plurality of pixels in the display section, in order to enhance the gradation levels of a first image signal. The dither signals are sequentially added to the pixel data of the first image signal, thus a second image signal being output with enhanced gradation levels. One frame of the second image signal is divided into a plurality of subframes, thus a subframe signal being generated. Data per line carried by the subframe signal is sequentially supplied to column-signal electrodes connected to the pixels of the display section. Data per line carried by the subframe signal is sequentially supplied to pixels of rows corresponding to respective lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yutaka Ochi
  • Patent number: 7518623
    Abstract: A method for determining device-specific information for pixels to obtain an optimal display of fine structure monochrome images on an output display device, the method comprising determining a set of device-specific pixel input values that will cause the display system to display a corresponding set of target visual output intensities relative to the output display device, and determining a device-specific sub-pixel geometry for all the pixels of the output display device. Displaying for each of the pixels a selected visual output intensity relative to the output display device at a sub-pixel position according to a corresponding pixel input value will cause an optimal display of fine structure monochrome images to be displayed on the output display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: Terence S. Dowling, Jeremy A. Hall
  • Patent number: 7518624
    Abstract: A modular display system and method assembles an external interface module with a display module to support built-to-order display configurations. The display module has display panel, timing controller and speaker components assembled in a display module housing that accepts a single LVDS and a single audio interface. The external interface module couples to the display module housing to form an integral display system. Selective assembly of the display system from plural types of external interface modules allows selective configuration of the display system with various television and information handling system display functionalities, such as to fill a purchaser order in a build-to-order manufacturing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Jeremy M. Ford, Jeffrey Thelen