Abstract: Icons (displayed in the pictorial outline display area and in the finished output style display area) for displaying the conditions in accordance with the input of conditions through setting keys(keys displayed in setting key display area) integrally display multiple number of conditions input through setting keys in a multiple number of setting frames. A condition pictorially represented corresponding to the setting key arranged in the input-active setting frame is made visually distinguishable from that pictorially represented corresponding to the setting key arranged in an input-inactive setting frame.

Abstract: In a thin-film transistor to be used in an active matrix liquid crystal display device, each of a gate signal line, a source signal line, and a drain extraction electrode has a three-layer structure. Specifically, each of these members is made up of a lower layer made of a titanium film, an intermediate layer made of an aluminum film, and an upper layer made of a titanium film containing nitrogen. Since the respective upper layers, in contact with a gate insulating film or an interlayer insulating film made of a silicon nitride film, are made of titanium films containing nitrogen, they have superior adhesion to the silicon nitride film. Consequently, film peeling, etc. during the manufacturing process can be suppressed. Further, providing the titanium film beneath the aluminum film contributes to reduction of the resistance of the aluminum film.

Abstract: A plasma process device capable of forming homogeneous plasma and coping with a large size substrate less costly can be obtained. The plasma process device includes a processing chamber, microwave guiding means, a shower plate and a reaction gas supply passage. The microwave guiding means guides a microwave into the processing chamber. The shower plate has a gas inlet hole to supply to the processing chamber a reaction gas attaining a plasma state by the microwave, and a lower surface facing the processing chamber and an upper surface positioned on the opposite side of the lower surface. The reaction gas supply passage is positioned on the upper surface of the shower plate and supplies the reaction gas to the gas inlet hole. A wall surface of the reaction gas supply passage includes an upper surface of the shower plate and a conductor wall surface opposing the upper surface.

Abstract: The present image forming device is provided with a toner carrier and a counter electrode opposite the toner carrier. Between the toner carrier and the counter electrode is provided a jet control section having a plurality of gates, each forming a space for passage of a jet of toner. Also provided is a control electrode driver, which is capable of applying potentials independently to each gate of the jet control section. The present image forming device forms a toner image on a transfer material by controlling passage of toner through a given gate by application of an ON potential which allows passage of the toner through the gate and an OFF potential which prevents passage of the toner through the gate. A potential difference VH between the toner carrier and the counter electrode and an intensity EH of an electrical field in the vicinity of the counter electrode satisfy VH≦1.5 kV and EH≧1.8 kV/mm, respectively.

Abstract: A solid imaging device including: a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity types a layer of a second conductivity type formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the layer at least including a photosensitive portion of the second conductivity type; and a MOS transistor of the second conductivity type coupled to the photosensitive portion, wherein the solid imaging device further includes a layer of the first conductivity type in at least a channel region of the MOS transistor of the second conductivity type, the layer of the first conductivity type having an impurity concentration which is higher than an impurity concentration of the semiconductor substrate, and wherein at least a portion of a boundary of the layer of the second conductivity type is in direct contact with the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: The invention produces a document-image reading device that can analyze a speed fluctuation state of a scanner when scanning an image in the feed direction by separately extracting speed fluctuation components by determining a change in density of references scale lines; and, on the basis of the analysis result, prevents the occurrence of an image blur that can result from unstable factors of a driving mechanism of the device. The document-image reading device, which reads document image data at a specified time interval given by a reference clock signal, comprises an image sensor that can read a document image while the document-image reading device or the document moves in the feed direction. Additionally, the document-image reading device includes a chart reader for reading a reference chart portion having alternations of high-density and low-density divisions that are arranged one after another at a distance interval equal to the least pitch readable by the document-image reading device.

Abstract: An electronic book display control device capable of solving the problem of a conventional page turning method of an electronic book device that pages are turned in accordance with a value predetermined by a speed controller and hence it is difficult to turn pages flexibly in accordance with the contents of the book and the characteristics of the user. The control device is provided with a CPU (1) which controls the whole device, an image data storage unit (2) in which the contents of the book are stored as image data, an image data control unit (3) which receives the image data and performs the required control, a display preparation image data memory unit (4) in which image data of the page being displayed and the page to be displayed next are stored, and a display unit (5) on which information concerning the image data and information concerning the operation of the electronic book are displayed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes ring electrodes for controlling flying of toner from a carrier to a sheet, and a control power source section for applying a potential that is in accordance with an image signal to each ring electrode. The control power source section carries out, in the case where the image signal is applied to each ring electrode so that the potential is applied at the same timing, a control of shifting the timing of applying ON potential so that the sum of transient current flowing through each ring electrode at a predetermined time is smaller than the sum of maximum value of the transient current flowing through each ring electrode. This ensures that the amount of transient current supplied at a predetermined time to each ring electrode by the control power source section is reduced.

Abstract: A free key layout setting apparatus is mounted in a data input apparatus. The data input apparatus includes a display unit covered with a touch panel. A plurality of keys are laid out and displayed on a display screen of the display unit according to layout data prestored in a ROM or a RAM. When an arbitrary key is touched through the touch panel in the display screen, a CPU of the data input apparatus carries out a function corresponding to that key. In setting the layout data to lay out each of the plurality of keys at an arbitrary position in the display screen in the free key layout setting apparatus, the CPU generates layout data as desired by the user including various data such as the size for display, the display position, a code identifying the type of the function of the ECR executed by operation of a key, and a character string of a label displayed on a key. The layout data is stored in the ROM or the RAM.

Abstract: A magnetic tunnel junction element includes a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer acting as a memory layer, and a first insulating layer sandwiched between the first and second magnetic layers. Further, the magnetic tunnel junction element includes a third magnetic layer on a side of the second magnetic layer opposite from the first insulating layer. This third magnetic layer constitutes a closed magnetic circuit together with the second magnetic layer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes (i) an image interpolating section for calculating interpolation point and interpolation density of the interpolation point when subjecting a binary image to resolution conversion and scaling and (ii) an offset amount correcting section for giving an offset beforehand when the image interpolating section calculates the interpolation point. As a result, the image forming apparatus can comply with unrounded magnifications of other than integral multiples and a desirable image even with respect to a character image and a pseudo-halftone image.

Abstract: In an optical pickup device, the numerical aperture (NA) of an objective lens is set at 0.7 or more, and the ellipticity of polarized light of a light beam which is incident upon the objective lens is set to be larger than (1.4×NA)−0.7. According to the structure, an optical pickup device which can prevent deterioration of the jitter and crosstalk characteristics, for example, due to oval deformation of a beam spot can be provided.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus for image formation uses power control means provided to a laser driver for controlling exposure energy and accordingly forming an image. Specifically, exposure energy is varied depending on an isolated-dot pattern and an isolated-line pattern by changing the pulse height (drive power) of a drive pulse for each dot. Both of the isolated-line and isolated-dot patterns of a high resolution can thus be reproduced with a high image quality without increase of cost due to requirements for accuracy in processing and positioning of a lens and without decrease of life of a photoreceptor due to a decreased thickness of its photosensitive layer.

Abstract: In the case where an image of a document or the like is taken by an economical camera in a TV conference system and the image is transmitted and received through a communication line, when an image of the whole of the document is taken, small characters are defaced and illegible, and, when an imaging operation is performed with a resolution at which characters are readable, it is impossible to take an image of the whole of the document. An image F1 at time T1 which is taken while moving an imaging section is captured into an image storing section and a feature point extracting section. The feature point extracting section extracts feature points of the image F1. An image F2 at time T2 when the subsequent frame is started is captured into the image storing section and the feature point extracting section.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a liquid crystal display device; a light source for illuminating the liquid crystal display device; a LCD device driving circuit for providing a driving voltage to the liquid crystal display device based on a display data signal and a plurality of liquid crystal driving signals including a display data latch signal; a dividing circuit for dividing a frequency of the display data latch signal by a factor of N so as to obtain a period which is N times as large as that of the display data latch signal, where N is an integer greater than zero; a duty control circuit for changing an ON duty ratio of the frequency-divided signal by using the frequency-divided signal as a reference frequency; and a light source driving circuit for turning the light source ON/OFF based on a signal from the duty control circuit having the ON duty ratio set in the duty control circuit, wherein, where a driving duty is (1/D), and a remainder of D divided by the integer N is A, each of the inte

Abstract: An object of the invention is to obtain achromatic display with high contrast and high lightness. A reflection type liquid crystal display device of NB mode comprises a liquid crystal cell having an STN type liquid crystal layer; a first phase difference plate; a second phase difference plate; a polarizing plate, the first and second phase difference plates and polarizing plate being disposed on one surface of the liquid crystal cell in this order; and a reflecting layer disposed in the liquid crystal cell, the reflecting layer forming the other surface of the liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal layer retardation &Dgr;nLC.dLC, the first phase difference plate retardation &Dgr;n1.d1 and the second phase difference plate retardation &Dgr;n2.d2 are selected from the ranges of 660 nm to 830 nm, 120 nm to 240 nm and 300 nm to 430 nm, respectively. A twist angle &khgr; is selected from the range of 220° to 260°.

Abstract: An information display system capable of displaying the instruction input frame(basic frame) for allowing instructions of conditions of an arbitrary processing job to be input therethrough and the status confirmation frame (job status frame) for allowing the status of an arbitrary processing job to be checked is characterized in that with the basic frame preferentially displayed, a job list area that presents brief content of a processing job displayed in the job status frame can be displayed along with the basic frame.

Abstract: A toy gun (10) produces a series of traveling smoke rings (12). It has a smoke chamber (14) fed with smoke from a battery (24)-powered electrical resistance generator (30). An elastic, edge-mounted diaphragm (74) extends across at least a portion of the rear of the smoke chamber (14). A reciprocating actuator (68) movable in response to a trigger (22) strikes the diaphragm (74) to eject a smoke ring (12) through an orifice (14d) in the opposite wall (14a) of the smoke chamber (14). The smoke generator (30) includes a supply tank (32) of a suitable liquid (34) and a source (36) of variable pressure to drive the liquid (34) through a narrow annular clearance (43) to the heater (38) where it is rapidly vaporized. The generator (30) includes a pair of concentric tubes (40,42) that define the annular clearance (43) and an electrical resistance heating element (38) mounted on one of them at a point spaced from the supply tank.

Abstract: There are provided a magneto-optical disk, a super-resolution magneto-optical disk and a domain wall moving magneto-optical disk whose cross-talk, cross-write and cross-erasure are suppressed and whose recording density is improved. A recording magnetic layer formed on a land is shut off magnetically from the recording magnetic layer formed on a groove and thermal diffusion in the track direction is suppressed, by selectively oxidizing a magnetic layer formed on a side wall between the land and the groove.

Abstract: A control unit of an image forming apparatus for controlling exposure energy includes a reference image storage unit storing a plurality of reference images, an image recognition unit comparing image information consisting of a plurality of pieces of pixel information with data stored in the reference image storage unit, an exposure energy density storage unit storing an exposure energy density for each reference image stored in the reference image storage unit, an exposure energy density determination unit based on data from the image recognition unit and data in the exposure energy density storage unit an exposure energy density to be applied to a dot position corresponding to each piece of the pixel information, and a laser drive driving a laser of an exposure unit based on data from the exposure energy density determination uni. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus can be provided which exhibits an excellent image reproducibility for images with various dot densities.