Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC

Sanyo Semiconductor Co., Ltd.

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Kensuke Goto

Takayasu Otagaki

Tetsuya Tokunaga

Yasuo Osawa

Yoshiyuki Yamagata

Hiroyuki Arai

Takeshi Kimura

Yasunori Yamamoto

Tomoshi Yoshida

Mamoru Yamaguchi

Norikazu Katagiri

Hiroshi Yoshino

Taiki Kimura

Various embodiments of the present technology may provide methods and apparatus for a capacitive sensor configured to detect rain. The capacitive sensor may be integrated within an interior surface of a laminated glass structure comprising an adhesive interlayer disposed between two glass layers. The capacitive sensor electrodes may be arranged in a variety of configurations between the two glass layers. The capacitive sensor may be used with a printed circuit board that is configured to electrically couple to the capacitive sensor electrodes.

Methods and apparatus for a capacitive sensor

Various embodiments of the present technology may provide methods and system for a capacitive touch sensor. The system is configured to measure a capacitance of a capacitive sensor element and generate a corresponding voltage using a sensing circuit. The sensing circuit may include an amplifier configured to generate a plurality of amplified voltages by applying a set of gain values to the voltage. The sensing circuit may further analyze a set of values according to the plurality of the amplified voltages.

Methods and system for a capacitive touch sensor

Various embodiments of the present technology may provide methods and apparatus for a capacitive sensor configured to detect rain. The capacitive sensor may provide a reception electrode in communication with a drive electrode to form an electric field and a ground electrode surrounding the reception and drive electrodes. The ground electrode may couple the rain to a ground potential resulting in a decrease in the capacitance of the capacitive sensor.

Various embodiments of the present technology may comprise methods and apparatus for a touch sensor. The capacitive touch sensor may comprise a plurality of drive electrodes and a reception electrode, wherein two capacitors are formed. Under various conditions, the capacitive touch sensor may be configured to trigger a touch event in the presence of a human finger and trigger a non-touch event in the presence of water.

Methods and apparatus for a capacitive touch sensor

Various embodiments of the present technology may provide methods and apparatus for a capacitive pressure sensor configured to detect firm pressure to a sensing surface. The capacitive pressure sensor may include a first substrate and a second substrate, wherein at least one of the first and second substrate is configured to deform when firm pressure is applied. The deformation of the sensor may either create a gap between the substrates or eliminate a gap between the substrates. The deformation may be interpreted as firm pressure to the sensing surface.

Methods and apparatus for a capacitive pressure sensor

Various embodiments of the present technology may comprise methods and apparatus for a 3-dimensional capacitive sensor. The method and apparatus may comprise a sensing element formed along multiple planes to create a sensing field. The capacitive sensor comprises two sensing planes in communication with each other. Each sensing plane may comprise a multi-operation electrode, where the multi-operation electrode is configured to operate as a transmission electrode and a reception electrode.

Methods and apparatus for a 3-dimensional capacitive sensor having multi-operation electrodes

Various embodiments of the present technology may comprise methods and apparatus for increased sensitivity of a capacitive proximity sensor. The method and apparatus may comprise additional external capacitors coupled in parallel with internal variable capacitors to increase the effective capacitance of a detection circuit allowing for a larger sensing element, and therefore a stronger sensing field, without increasing the applied voltage or the internal capacitance of the proximity sensor. In alternative embodiments, the methods and apparatus may be configured to operate as one of a transmission electrode and a reception electrode to increase the strength of the sensing field.

Various embodiments of the present technology may comprise methods and apparatus for a capacitive pressure sensor configured to detect firm pressure to a sensing surface. The capacitive pressure sensor may comprise a first substrate and a second substrate, wherein at least one of the first and second substrate is configured to deform when firm pressure is applied. The deformation of the sensor may either create a gap between the substrates or eliminate a gap between the substrates. The deformation may be interpreted as firm pressure to the sensing surface.

Various embodiments of the present technology may comprise methods and apparatus for a 3-dimensional capacitive sensor. The method and apparatus may comprise a sensing element formed along multiple planes to create a sensing field. The capacitive sensor comprises at least two parallel sensing planes. Each sensing plane may comprise two electrodes, where one electrode of each sensing plane be configured to operate as a transmission electrode and a reception electrode.

Various embodiments of the present technology may comprise methods and apparatus for increased sensitivity of a capacitive proximity sensor. The method and apparatus may comprise a sensing element with a plurality of multi-operation electrodes configured to operate as one of a transmission electrode and a reception electrode to increase the strength of the sensing field. Each of the multi-operation electrodes may be selectively operated by a detection circuit to couple one multi-operation electrode to an amplifier and each remaining multi-operation electrode to a voltage source.

A liquid-crystal-driving circuit includes: resistors connected in series between first and second potentials lower than the first potential; one or more voltage follower circuits to impedance-convert one or more intermediate potentials between the first and second potentials, to be outputted, respectively, the intermediate potentials generated at one or more connection points between the resistors, respectively; a common-signal-output circuit to supply common signals to common electrodes of a liquid crystal panel, respectively, the common signals being at the first, second, or one or more intermediate potentials in a predetermined order; and a segment-signal output circuit supplies segment signals to segment electrodes of the liquid crystal panel, respectively, the segment signals being at the first and second potentials, or the intermediate potentials according to the common signals, wherein the segment-signal output circuit increases impedances of the segment signals only for a first period when the of segment signals potentials are switched.

Liquid crystal driving circuit

A data processing circuit comprising: a first circuit configured to time-division-multiplex a first digital signal synchronous with a clock signal input from an external controller and a second digital signal asynchronous with the clock signal; and a second circuit configured to output a digital signal time-division-multiplexed by the first circuit to the controller.

Data processing circuit and data processing method

This invention offers an LCD drive circuit that prevents conversion to a wrong duty driving state and an unintended display caused by taking in of serial data corresponding to the wrong duty driving state. The LCD drive circuit is provided with an LCD drive signal generation circuit that generates driving signals to turn LCD segments on and off based on serial data received by a serial data receiving circuit and is switchable between a &#xbc; duty driving state and a &#x2153; duty driving state. The LCD drive circuit is also provided with a driving state setting circuit that sets the LCD drive signal generation circuit to the &#xbc; duty driving state based on identification data when the serial data receiving circuit receives the serial data corresponding to the &#xbc; duty driving state and thereafter forbids the LCD drive signal generation circuit to take in serial data corresponding to the &#x2153; duty driving state when the serial data receiving circuit receives the serial data corresponding to the &#x2153; duty driving state.

Liquid crystal display drive circuit

This invention offers a data communication system that can perform data communication and detection of a data read-in request signal while reducing the number of communication lines to three, and is tolerant of noise. The data communication between a microcomputer and a key scan IC and the detection of the data read-in request signal are performed through a control line, a clock line and a data line. The data communication system is provided with a data line control circuit that controls the data line so that outputting of the data read-in signal RDRQ to the data line is disabled when first command data is inputted to the key scan IC through the data line, and that the outputting of the data read-in request signal RDRQ to the data line is enabled when second command data is inputted from the microcomputer to the key scan IC through the data line.

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Ashikaga, Japan

Kensuke Goto