Abstract: A decrease in a light receiving sensitivity at a peripheral portion of an image capturing area is suppressed, thereby obtaining a solid-state image capturing device with an excellent luminance shading characteristic. In a solid-state image capturing device in which an image capturing area 1 is structured having a plurality of light receiving sections 12 arranged at a top portion of a semiconductor substrate 11 in a two-dimensional array; metal wirings 14 and 15 of a plurality of layers of wirings is provided to avoid areas above the light receiving sections 12; and the plurality of layers of wirings are connected to via contact sections, a position of each metal wiring 15 of the uppermost layer and each via contact 16 relative to a unit pixel (light receiving section 12) is designed offset so as to be closer to the center of the image capturing area 1 as an observed portion of the image capturing area 1 moves from a central portion 2 toward peripheral portions 3 and 4 of the image capturing area 1.

Abstract: Provided is a communication apparatus by which a user can simply set a transmission quality in a network and QoS control effectively functions. QoS type receiving sections (11, 21, 31, 41) are arranged in communication apparatuses (10, 20, 30, 40) on a network, and a user is permitted to specify a QoS type to be requested to the communication apparatuses (10, 20, 30, 40), by operating the QoS type receiving sections (11, 21, 31, 41). When the communication apparatuses (10, 20, 30, 40) perform communication, the network is controlled to ensure the QoS corresponding to the QoS type received by the QoS type receiving sections (11, 21, 31, 41).

Abstract: A polycrystalline Si thin film and a single crystal Si thin film are formed on an SiO2 film deposited on an insulating substrate. A polycrystalline Si layer is grown by thermally crystallizing an amorphous Si thin film so as to form the polycrystalline Si thin film. A single crystal Si substrate, having (a) an SiO2 film thereon and (b) a hydrogen ion implantation portion therein, is bonded to an area of the polycrystalline Si thin film that has been subjected to etching removal, and is subjected to a heating process. Then, the single crystal Si substrate is divided at the hydrogen ion implantation portion in an exfoliating manner, so as to form the single crystal Si thin film. As a result, it is possible to provide a large-size semiconductor device, having the single crystal Si thin film, whose property is stable, at a low cost.

Abstract: A camera module (1) is an assembly of a lens holder (4) and a wiring board (2). The lens holder (4) holds an optical structure (3) which forms an image of a subject. The wiring board (2) has formed thereon a solid-state image sensing element (21) which converts the image of the subject formed by the optical structure (3) to electrical signals. Grease (7) is applied to the camera module (1) in such a manner that the grease is not present in an optical path in the optical structure (3). The grease (7) catches the dust (D) produced during manufacture and while in use, thereby prevented the dust (D) from causing image defects. A solid-state image sensing device is thus provided which is capable of preventing the dust produced during manufacture and while in use from causing image defects.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a circuit device that performs a certain processing operation with respect to an input signal by referring to a reference voltage and outputs the result is caused to have a function of switching the reference voltage, whereby a circuit device from which a stable output can be obtained is disclosed. The circuit device includes a comparator and a reference voltage setting circuit. The comparator compares an input voltage fed from outside with a reference voltage selected from a reference voltage set including a plurality of voltage values that are different from one another.

Abstract: Comparisons are made independently for a controlled target temperature and a detected temperature of an endless belt, and a controlled target temperature and a detected temperature of a fixing roller. The operation of a halogen lamp installed in an external heating section is controlled based on results of these comparisons. This allows a temperature of the fixing member to be controlled more appropriately in a fixing apparatus that includes an external heating section for heating the fixing member.

Abstract: The display device of the invention includes: a first plastic substrate including a composite layer having a resin-impregnated fiber fabric, an inorganic barrier layer 25 formed on the composite layer, and a planarizing resin layer formed on the inorganic barrier layer; and a display medium layer formed on the planarizing resin layer-side of the first plastic substrate.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to certain hydropyranopyrrolidine compounds which are useful as neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor antagonists, and inhibitors of tachykinin and in particular substance P. The invention is also concerned with pharmaceutical formations comprising these compounds as active ingredients and the use of the compounds and their formulations in the treatment of certain disorders, including emesis, urinary incontinence, depression, and anxiety.

Abstract: Methods to and devices capable of transmitting data in a centralized network are disclosed. A central coordinator receives data from a source device to be relayed to at least one destination device. The central coordinator acknowledges reception of the data from the source device and transmits data to at least one destination device. The central coordinator then waits for an acknowledgement of data reception from each destination device to which the data was sent.

Abstract: An electrostatic charger according to the present invention includes a needle electrode, a support, and a cleaning member. The needle electrode has a linear array of needles. The support can move along the linear array. The cleaning member is supported by the support rotatably on an axis perpendicular to the linear array. While the support is moving with the cleaning member along the linear array, the cleaning member rotates, with the needles sinking in order into and subsequently coming in order out of the cleaning member. When the cleaning member makes each rotation while moving with the support, some of the needles sink in positions into the cleaning member where any other needles did not sink when the cleaning member made the previous rotation.

Abstract: An array of fully isolated multi-junction complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) filterless color imager cells is provided, with a corresponding fabrication process. The color imager cell array is formed from a bulk silicon (Si) substrate without an overlying epitaxial Si layer. A plurality of color imager cells are formed in the bulk Si substrate, where each color imager cell includes a photodiode set and a U-shaped well liner. The photodiode set includes first, second, and third photodiode formed as a stacked multi-junction structure, while the U-shaped well liner fully isolates the photodiode set from adjacent photodiode sets in the array. The U-shaped well liner includes a physically interfacing doped well liner bottom and first wall. The well liner bottom is interposed between the substrate and the photodiode set, and the first wall physically interfaces each doped layer of each photodiode in the photodiode set.

Abstract: A method for transmitting data streams from a transmitter to a plurality of receivers over a shared channel that includes a transmitter simultaneously transmitting a plurality of the data streams to the plurality of receivers of the shared channel. The method includes jointly adapting bit rates of the respective data streams being transmitted in accordance with the available bandwidth, a general target time, and a quality measure.

Abstract: When a radio communication device receives a communication permission signal assigning a communication right permitting transmission of signals, if a received signal analysis portion determines that the received signal is the communication permission signal assigning the communication right to another radio communication device, it measures communication quality with the other radio communication device within a prescribed period.

Abstract: Certain novel N-acylated spiropiperidine derivatives are ligands of the human melanocortin receptor(s) and, in particular, are selective ligands of the human melanocortin-4 receptor (MC-4R). They are therefore useful for the treatment, control, or prevention of diseases and disorders responsive to the modulation of MC-4R, such as obesity, diabetes, nicotine addiction, alcoholism, sexual dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction and female sexual dysfunction.

Abstract: A germanium (Ge) short wavelength infrared (SWIR) imager and associated fabrication process are provided. The imager comprises a silicon (Si) substrate with doped wells. An array of pin diodes is formed in a relaxed Ge-containing film overlying the Si substrate, each pin diode having a flip-chip interface. There is a Ge/Si interface, and a doped Ge-containing buffer interposed between the Ge-containing film and the Ge/Si interface. An array of Si CMOS readout circuits is bonded to the flip-chip interfaces. Each readout circuit has a zero volt diode bias interface.

Abstract: The data signal line driving circuit of the present invention is arranged so that data signal line groups, each of which is made up of two data signal lines sequentially disposed, are connected to two video signal lines, each of which allows a two-phased video signal to be forwarded. A shift register SR, a drive switching circuit, and a waveform shaping circuit, that constitute a video signal fetching section, collect the data signal line groups via the two video signal lines as a single block. At this time, the data signal lines are respectively driven so as to fetch the video signal from the video signal lines into the data signal lines of the data signal line groups in each block. Thus, in performing multiphase development, it is possible to provide the data signal line driving circuit which can reduce power consumption in low resolution driving compared with a case of high resolution driving.

Abstract: The invention provides, in one aspect, a virtual processor that includes one or more virtual processing units. These virtual processing units execute on one or more processors, and each virtual processing unit executes one or more processes or threads (collectively, “threads”). While the threads may be constrained to executing throughout their respective lifetimes on the same virtual processing units, they need not be. An event delivery mechanism associates events with respective threads and notifies those threads when the events occur, regardless of which virtual processing unit and/or processor the threads happen to be executing on at the time. The invention provides, in other aspects, virtual and/or digital data processors with improved dataflow-based synchronization. A process or thread (collectively, again, “thread”) executing within such processor can execute a memory instruction (e.g.

Abstract: A system records an AV stream composed of a plurality of record units (RUs) containing independently reproducible video units (VUs) of at least video or audio and program information (Movie atom) managing the AV stream, onto a recording medium. The program information contains a piece of information (Edit list atom) that manages a point of junction between the record units or between AV streams. In decoding the AV stream, decoding is halted or decoders are switched at the point of junction, based on the management information on the points of junction, for example.

Abstract: A Stirling engine is provided with a piston and a displacer. When the piston is made to reciprocate inside a cylinder by a linear motor, the displacer reciprocates inside a cylinder with a predetermined phase difference relative to the piston. In parts of the displacer and the cylinder that receives the displacer, the parts facing a compression space are made of metal, and the parts facing an expansion space are made of a low-thermal-conductivity material. In the metal part, the fitting accuracy is defined.

Abstract: A system includes effective transmission of compressed audio/video stream as a sequence of audio/video (AV) data units. The system includes a transcoder that transcodes the data at different data unit rates. The system also includes a transmitter that transmits the data units at different average data unit rates. A controller controls the bit rate at which the transcoder transcodes the data units in conjunction with the data unit rate per second at which the transmitter transmits the said transcoded data stream.