Abstract: A sheet feeding device is operable to feed a sheet medium to an image forming apparatus. A cassette chamber has an inner face. A cassette member is adapted to accommodate the sheet medium therein, and to be withdrawably inserted into the cassette chamber in a first direction. The cassette member has an outer face adapted to oppose the inner face of the cassette chamber when the cassette member is inserted into the cassette chamber. At least one recess is formed on one of the inner face of the cassette chamber and the outer face of the cassette member. At least one protrusion is formed on the other one of the inner face of the cassette chamber and the outer face of the cassette member, and adapted to be fitted with the recess when the cassette member is plenarily inserted into the cassette chamber.

Abstract: A solid state image pickup apparatus capable of reading a signal at a high speed while securing a wide dynamic range is provided. A signal based on a part of charges having overflown a photoelectric conversion unit (201) to a floating diffusion region (205) is quantified at an upper bit of an AD converter (206), and a signal based on charges stored in the photoelectric conversion unit (201) is quantified at a lower bit of the AD converter (206). Thereby, multi-bit data having a wide dynamic range can be taken out at a speed as high as possible without increasing the number of devices.

Abstract: There is provided a reset circuit for reducing current consumption during resetting. A reset circuit 20 is constituted in such a manner that a pulse generation circuit 22 for generating a reset pulse signal (PRSTN) 50 from a reset signal input to an input terminal (RSTN) is connected to a plurality modules 10, 12, 14, a register 40 arranged in the module 10 is initialized based on the reset pulse signal (PRSTN) 50, a register 42 arranged in the module 12 of a next stage is initialized based on a module reset signal (MRSTN) 60 output from a control circuit 30 arranged in the module 10 of a previous stage, and a register 44 arranged in each of modules of stages thereafter, e.g., the module 14, is initialized based on a module reset signal (MRSTN) output from a control circuit 32 arranged in the module 12 of a previous stage.

Abstract: There is provided an electron-emitting device of a field emission type, with which the spot size of an electron beam is small, an electron emission area is large, highly efficient electron emission is possible with a low voltage, and a manufacturing process is easy. The electron-emitting device includes a layer 2 which is electrically connected to a cathode electrode 5, and a plurality of particles 3 which contains a material having resistivity lower than that of a material constituting the layer 2, and is wherein a density of particles 3 in the layer 2 is 1×1014/cm3 or more and 5×1018/cm3 or less.

Abstract: A terminal is wirelessly connected to a base station. The terminal has a timer and a controller. The timer has a register for storing a beacon interval as a comparison value. The timer also includes a beacon counter for counting timer clocks. The timer also includes a comparator for generating an interrupt signal when an output value of the register and a count value of the counter match. The controller causes the counter to start counting when it receives a beacon for the first time. The controller causes the register to store the count value of the beacon counter when it receives a beacon next time. Since the beacon interval is measured using the timer clock in the terminal, instead of using the beacon interval information included in the beacon, it is unnecessary to strictly match the clock precision of the base station and the terminal, and therefore the cost of the system decreases.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device comprising a semiconductor substrate of a first conduction type, and a photoelectric conversion element having an impurity region of the first conduction type and a plurality of impurity regions of a second conduction type opposite to the first conduction type. The plurality of second-conduction-type impurity regions include at least a first impurity region, a second impurity region provided between the first impurity region and a surface of the substrate, and a third impurity region provided between the second impurity region and the surface of the substrate. A concentration C1 corresponding to a peak of the impurity concentration in the first impurity region, a concentration C2 corresponding to a peak of the impurity concentration in the second impurity region and a concentration C3 corresponding to a peak of the impurity concentration in the third impurity region satisfy the following relationship: C2<C3<C1.

Abstract: There is provided a reset circuit for reducing current consumption during resetting. A reset circuit 20 is constituted in such a manner that a pulse generation circuit 22 for generating a reset pulse signal (PRSTN) 50 from a reset signal input to an input terminal (RSTN) is connected to a plurality modules 10, 12, 14, a register 40 arranged in the module 10 is initialized based on the reset pulse signal (PRSTN) 50, a register 42 arranged in the module 12 of a next stage is initialized based on a module reset signal (MRSTN) 60 output from a control circuit 30 arranged in the module 10 of a previous stage, and a register 44 arranged in each of modules of stages thereafter, e.g., the module 14, is initialized based on a module reset signal (MRSTN) output from a control circuit 32 arranged in the module 12 of a previous stage.

Abstract: With the present invention, there is provided a driving method that favorably drives an electron source, which is driven in a passive matrix manner, without being affected by a disturbance. There is also provided an image-forming apparatus that uses this electron source. An anode electrode having a constant potential is arranged over a plurality of electron-emitting devices including gate electrodes and cathode electrodes. During passive matrix driving of the electron source where the amount of electrons to be emitted is adjusted by modulating potentials between the cathode electrodes and the gate electrodes, a predetermined time difference is maintained between the driving of signal lines in a group and the driving of signal lines in another group during the driving of signal lines divided into N groups after selection of scanning lines.

Abstract: The control unit 21 takes in a test command and expected value data from input terminals 11 and 12 respectively, to output via an internal bus 30 the command to the function block 31 etc. and the expected value data to a decision unit 40. A processing result of the function block 31 etc. is provided to the decision unit 40, where it is compared to the expected value data in order to decide acceptability of the function block 31 etc. The decision result is held in an output unit 50 and output from an output terminal 104 etc. Such a configuration provides a semiconductor integrated circuit which can easily adjust the timing in a test operation mode and reduce the number of external terminals.

Abstract: The control unit 21 takes in a test command and expected value data from input terminals 11 and 12 respectively, to output via an internal bus 30 the command to the function block 31 etc. and the expected value data to a decision unit 40. A processing result of the function block 31 etc. is provided to the decision unit 40, where it is compared to the expected value data in order to decide acceptability of the function block 31 etc. The decision result is held in an output unit 50 and output from an output terminal 104 etc. Such a configuration provides a semiconductor integrated circuit which can easily adjust the timing in a test operation mode and reduce the number of external terminals.

Abstract: A field emission electron-emitting device in which an electron beam diameter is small and an electron emission area is large, with which highly efficient electron emission is possible at a low voltage, and which can be easily manufactured. Also provided is an electron source and an image-forming apparatus that use the electron-emitting device. An opening is formed to penetrate through a first electrode layer and a first insulating layer, and a second insulating layer is included in the opening. The second insulating layer is provided with an opening having a taper such that an opening area gradually decreases from the first electrode layer side to the second electrode layer side. A third electrode layer is provided between the second insulating layer and the second electrode layer. The third electrode layer is also provided with an opening, in which an electron-emitting layer comprised of an electron-emitting material is formed.

Abstract: There are provided a method of properly driving an electron source, in matrix driving in which each signal line and scanning line have large capacitance and are capacitively coupled to disturb each other, without any influence of the disturbance, an electron source using the driving method, an image-forming apparatus, and a method of driving the image-forming apparatus. In an electron source made up of electron-emitting devices each having a gate electrode and cathode electrode, in performing passive matrix driving operation of driving a plurality of signal lines together after selecting a scanning, letting V1off be the OFF voltage of the scanning line and V2on be the ON voltage of a signal line, V1off>V2on−. In addition, V1off−V2on is set to be large enough to prevent a gate/cathode voltage from changing to the ON region during an OFF period even if the voltage changes due a disturbance caused by driving.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display comprising one or more than one shift registers is characterized in that the timing of turning off the input gate of the inverter connected to the gate of the pMOS transistor of the CMOS transistor is earlier than that of the input gate of the inverter connected to the gate of the nMOS transistor of the CMOS transistor by the difference between the two MOS transistors in the time required for getting to a threshold level after turning off the input gate.

Abstract: With the present invention, there is provided a driving method that favorably drives an electron source, which is driven in a passive matrix manner, without being affected by a disturbance. There is also provided an image-forming apparatus that uses this electron source. An anode electrode having a constant potential is arranged over a plurality of electron-emitting devices including gate electrodes and cathode electrodes. During passive matrix driving of the electron source where the amount of electrons to be emitted is adjusted by modulating potentials between the cathode electrodes and the gate electrodes, a predetermined time difference is maintained between the driving of signal lines in a group and the driving of signal lines in another group during the driving of signal lines divided into N groups after selection of scanning lines.

Abstract: A small-size liquid crystal capable of exhibiting good color balance and light utilization efficiency is formed of a layer of liquid crystal, two-dimensionally arranged pixel electrodes disposed so as to apply voltages to the liquid crystal and, together with the liquid crystal, form two-dimensionally arranged pixels each corresponding to one pixel electrode and designed to emit light of one of a plurality of colors, and an array of microlenses disposed to illuminate each pixel with a condensed light spot of illumination light of one of the plurality of colors. In the device, pixels of at least one of the plurality of colors are set to have a pixel size different from those of pixels of the other color(s).

Abstract: A semiconductor device including: an insulated gate type transistor having a columnar semiconductor region formed on the main side of a semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode formed on the side surface of the columnar semiconductor region while interposing a gate insulating film and main electrode regions respectively formed on and formed below the columnar semiconductor region; and a memory element which is formed on the upper main electrode region and which can be broken electrically.

Abstract: There are provided a method of properly driving an electron source, in matrix driving in which each signal line and scanning line have large capacitance and are capacitively coupled to disturb each other, without any influence of the disturbance, an electron source using the driving method, an image-forming apparatus, and a method of driving the image-forming apparatus. In an electron source made up of electron-emitting devices each having a gate electrode and cathode electrode, in performing passive matrix driving operation of driving a plurality of signal lines together after selecting a scanning, letting V1off be the OFF voltage of the scanning line and V2On be the ON voltage of a signal line, V1off>V2On. In addition, V1off−V2On, is set to be large enough to prevent a gate/cathode voltage from changing to the ON region during an OFF period even if the voltage changes due a disturbance caused by driving.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display comprising one or more than one shift registers is characterized in that the timing of turning off the input gate of the inverter connected to the gate of the pMOS transistor of the CMOS transistor is earlier than that of the input gate of the inverter connected to the gate of the nMOS transistor of the CMOS transistor by the difference between the two MOS transistors in the time required for getting to a threshold level after turning off the input gate.

Abstract: A field emission electron-emitting device in which an electron beam diameter is small and an electron emission area is large, with which highly efficient electron emission is possible at a low voltage and whose manufacturing process is easy, and an electron source and an image-forming apparatus that use the electron-emitting device are provided. A second insulating layer is included in an opening that is formed to penetrate through a first electrode layer and a first electrode layer, and the second insulating layer is provided with an opening having a taper such that an opening area is gradually getting smaller from the first electrode layer side to a second electrode layer side. A third electrode layer is provided between the second insulating layer and the second electrode layer. The third electrode layer is also provided with an opening, in which an electron-emitting layer as an electron-emitting material is formed.

Abstract: A matrix substrate includes a plurality of conductive members constituting pixels provided on a substrate, the plurality of conductive members forming substantially a smooth plane, wherein the matrix substrate further comprises a nonconductive section for insulating the plurality of conductive members from each other, the distance between two adjacent conductive members being lower at the surfaces of the conductive members than at the side of the substrate.