Sony Corporation

Jun Iwama

Yoshihito Higashitsutsumi

Yoshiteru Kamatani

Naoki Nishi

Akinori Kadota

Shinichiro Gomi

Masatake Hayashi

Hironobu Abe

Tomoaki Kichimi

An imaging device includes a camera, a light source, a polarizerarranged between the cameraplus the light sourceand an object, and a spatial light modulatorA arranged between the polarizerand the objectto control a revolution angle of an emitting light polarization plane relative to an incident light polarization plane.

Imaging device and imaging method

There is provided an imaging unit comprising at least one image sensor, a measuring instrument including at least one marker, a position computing unit, a determining unit, and an output controller, wherein the imaging unit is configured to acquire an image comprising a user and the marker, and provide the acquired image to the position computing unit, wherein the position computing unit is configured to compute a position of the marker with respect to the user based on the image provided by the imaging unit, and further provide the computed position to the determining unit, wherein the determining unit is configured to determine whether the computed position of the marker matches a retrieved measurement position, and further output the result of the determination to the output controller, and wherein the output controller is configured to provide an indication when the marker position matches the measurement position.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, program, and measuring system

The plasma addressed electro-optical display includes a panel having a plasma cell and a liquid crystal cell joined to each other with a dielectric sheet interposed in between. While the plasma cell has display channels arranged thereon in rows, the liquid crystal panel has signal electrodes arranged thereon in columns, which define pixels at the intersections with the display channels to thereby form an image. A scanning circuit is connected to the display channels and sequentially drives the display channels to discharge over the image and select pixels in each row through the dielectric sheet. A signal circuit is connected to the signal electrodes and drives the signal electrodes in synchronism with the driving for discharge and in accordance with one image of picture data, and, thereby, it writes signal voltages into the selected pixels. A calculating circuit, in accordance with externally input picture data, calculates effective potential differences occurring between adjoining signal electrodes in each row and accumulates the results over the image. A compensating circuit, in accordance with the results of accumulation, compensates for the signal voltages to be applied to the respective signal electrodes to thereby reduce the crosstalk caused by potential differences between adjoining signal electrodes.

Plasma addressed electro-optical display

A plasma addressed display system with a flat panel structure comprising a display cell for displaying an image through modulation of incident light in accordance with an image signal, and a plasma cell joined to the display cell for scanning the same. The plasma cell has discharge channels arrayed in rows and generates discharges in succession to scan the display cell line sequentially. The display cell has signal electrodes arrayed in columns, and forms pixels at intersections with the discharge channels. The display cell applies an image signal in synchronism with the line sequential scanning and modulates the incident light per pixel. Pixels of two rows are defined in the discharge channel of one row. The intersections of the signal electrodes and the discharge channels are partially shielded from light with a mask in a predetermined pattern, while the remaining unmasked light transmitting portions are assigned to the pixels 11 of either row, and the image signal is applied simultaneously to the pixels of two rows by the discharge generated in the discharge channel of one row. In this system, an enhanced resolution is achieved without harmfully affecting the aperture ratio or the electric resistance of signal electrodes.

Signal electrodes for plasma addressed display system

Disclosed herein is a plasma addressed display device which can adaptively control a voltage to be applied to each discharge channel, thereby suppressing an excess applied voltage. The plasma addressed display device includes a flat panel as a display. The flat panel has a laminated structure consisting of a plasma cell having a plurality of rows of discharge channels and a display cell having a plurality of columns of signal electrodes. A drive circuit sequentially supplies an applied voltage to a cathode in each discharge channel to generate a plasma discharge, thereby performing line-sequential scanning. A signal circuit supplies an image signal to each signal electrode in synchronism with the line-sequential scanning. A constant-current circuit operates so that a constant discharge current flows after the generation of the plasma discharge in each discharge channel. A detecting circuit samples a discharge voltage during flowing of the constant discharge current in each discharge channel. A control circuit adaptively controls the applied voltage to be supplied to each discharge channel according to the sampled discharge voltage.

Discharge voltage control for plasma addressed display device

To optimize a discharge current flowing in each of discharge channels for performing linear sequential scan of a display cell, a panel 0 has a laminated structure in which a display cell having signal electrodes D arranged in columns and a plasma cell having discharge channels (K,A) arranged in rows are laminated to each other. Pixels 1 are defined in a matrix at positions where the signal electrodes D cross the discharge channels (K,A). A vertical drive circuit 2 repeatedly performs field scans in each of which pixels 1 are selected in a row-sequential manner by sequentially applying drive pulses each to the signal channels (K,A) for generating plasma discharges. A horizontal drive circuit 3 applies image signals each to the signal electrodes D, to write the image signals in the selected pixels 1. The vertical drive circuit 2 includes a detecting resistance 14 for detecting a discharge state of each discharge channel (K,A) for each field scan. The vertical drive circuit 2 also includes a control means having a comparator 17, a memory 19, a flip-flop 13 and the like for controlling, on the basis of a detected result obtained in the previous field scan, a width of each of the drive pulses Q1 to Qn to be applied in the next field scan for each discharge channel.

Plasma addressed display

In a plasma addressed display device, rush currents flowing through the respective channels during a discharge starting time period are suppressed. A plasma addressed display device is comprised of: a plurality of data electrodes on a first substrate arranged in parallel to each other; a plurality of discharge electrodes on a second substrate each having an anode electrode and a cathode electrode arranged in parallel to each other and perpendicular to the data electrodes; a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate; a plurality of discharge channels formed between the liquid crystal layer and the second substrate, and containing ionized gas, each of the discharge channel having at least a pair of the anode electrode and the cathode electrode; a plurality of switching means for sequentially selecting the discharge channels, the switching means being provided in one-to-one correspondence with each of the discharge channels; a current supplying means for supplying a drive current to the discharge channels through the switching means corresponding to each of the discharge channels; and a control means for controlling the current supplying means in synchronization with a switching timing of the switching means, the drive current being intermittently supplied to the discharge channels by the control means.

Plasma driver circuit capable of surpressing surge current of plasma

An electro-optical display device in accordance with the present invention has a plurality of picture elements arranged in a matrix form, and each of the picture elements is composed of an electro-optical material layer and a switching element which is electrically connected to the material layer in a series form. A data voltage is written on the electro-optical material layer via the switching element for a writing period. A reference voltage is applied to the other end of a connection to which the data voltage is applied, and the reference voltage is inverted alternately together with the data voltage for each predetermined period, by which the electro-optical material layer is ac driven. The value of the data voltage is controlled to coincide approximately with that of the reference voltage for the periods other than the writing period.

Electro-optical display device

To restrain cross-talk caused by floating capacitance of switching elements contained in an active matrix liquid crystal display apparatus, the active matrix liquid crystal display apparatus includes a matrix structure in which there are scanning lines and signal lines which intersect with each other in the form of a matrix and liquid crystal pixels and switching elements are arranged at the intersections. The signal lines are comprised of transparent electrodes formed in liquid crystal cells, and the scanning lines are comprised of discharge channels formed in plasma cells. The discharge channels are formed by cathodes and anodes and function as switching elements. A scanning circuit selects the switching elements row by row through the cathodes. A drive circuit writes signal voltages through the selected switching elements into the respective liquid crystal pixels via the transparent electrodes. The drive circuit distributes pulses having pulse heights corresponding to the signal voltages to the liquid crystal pixels, and controls the pulses so that the product of the pulse height and the pulse width is the same for all the pulses.

Active matrix liquid crystal display apparatus with varying pulse widths

A plasma addressing electro-optical device which can be driven at a comparatively low voltage is disclosed. A plurality of signal electrodes are formed on an inner surface of an upper glass substrate. A plurality of plasma electrodes as anodes and cathodes are formed on an inner surface of a lower glass substrate and extend perpendicularly to the signal electrodes. A liquid crystal layer is filled between the upper glass substrate and an intermediate dielectric sheet. A plasma chamber is provided between the dielectric sheet and the lower glass plate, and ionizable gas is enclosed in the plasma chamber. The gas is selectively ionized by discharge between the cathodes and the anodes, and taking the discharge regions, in which the ionized gas exists locally, as scanning units, the liquid crystal layer positioned at intersecting positions between the signal electrodes and the discharge regions is driven. A driver circuit for such driving includes an invertor circuit which inverts an image signal to be applied to the signal electrodes and a potential to the anodes at a time with reference to a potential of a substantially middle level of a driving voltage for the signal electrodes.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Jun Iwama