Abstract: A liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal panel having a plurality of liquid crystal pixels and a plurality of switching elements provided to correspond to the respective liquid crystal pixels; a back-light, disposed on the rear face of the liquid crystal panel, for emitting red, green and blue lights in a time-divided manner; and a data driver and a scan driver for switching the respective switching elements according to red, green and blue data of the respective pixels, in which the light emitting area of the back-light is divided into a plurality of light emitting areas and the intensity of light to be emitted from each of the divided light emitting areas is adjusted by a back-light control circuit and drive power source so as to compensate for differences in the light transmittance of the liquid crystal panel.

Abstract: There is disclosed a display device designed to cut off noise to prevent the surroundings from being adversely affected by noise. The display device has a circuit board on which a support frame is mounted in a given position. A liquid crystal panel is mounted on the support frame and made stationary by a holddown frame. An EL panel for illuminating the liquid crystal panel is mounted behind the liquid crystal panel with a given gap with the EL panel. An EL circuit board holding an EL driver circuit thereon is adhesively bonded to the bottom surface of the EL panel. A shielding plate is mounted on the top surface of the inner circuit board surrounded by the support frame, and is located opposite to the EL panel. The shielding plate consists of a flexible plastic film on which a copper foil is formed. The shielding plate cuts off noise generated from the EL driver circuit. The EL panel is connected with given electrodes on the EL circuit board via lead wires.

Abstract: A haptic interface system or force feedback system having a magnetically-controllable device that provides resistance forces opposing movement. The magnetically-controllable device is adapted for use with a force feedback computer system to provide force feedback sensations to the system's operator. The magnetically-controllable device contains a magnetically-controllable medium beneficially providing variable resistance forces in proportion to the strength of an applied magnetic field. The system further comprises a controller that executes an interactive program or event, a video display, and a haptic interface device (e.g. joystick, steering wheel) in operable contact with an operator for controlling inputs and responses to the interactive program.

Abstract: An orthopedic computer mouse which can be translated over a support surface, the mouse adapted for supporting the hand in the “physiological position” or “position of function”. The proposed shape was obtained from a mold of the human hand, and the mold was realized in the “position of function.” This position forces the user's hand to be placed in a position of function, thus eliminating the possibility of diseases. The present invention provides an orthopedic computer mouse which is “innocuous,” i.e., a computer mouse which has no adverse effect on, or which is harmless to the user.

Abstract: Pointer positioning device based on infrared light sources and detectors that is compact, rugged and ergonomically easy to use such as can be used in laptop computers and similar devices. The pointer positioning device fits in the same area as a conventional touch-pad device in a portable computing device. It detects movement in the finger movement area by scanning for shadow information with infrared light sources. This pointing device is superior to existing devices in terms of wear and tear on the touch surface and insensitivity to user's finger condition.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an informing apparatus and method for exchange time of expendable supplies in a refrigerator. In the present invention, an exchange date of the expendable supplies is calculated on the basis of data on the exchange of the expendable supplies inputted by a user upon exchange of the expendable supplies, and indication of request for the exchange of the expendable supplies is displayed onto a screen 50 on the relevant date in accordance with the exchange date of the expendable supplies. According to the present invention, the expendable supplies can be replaced at more accurate exchange time, and the operation of the refrigerator in a state where its performance has been reduced by using the expendable supplies of which a term of validity has passed can be prevented beforehand.

Abstract: A column electrode driving circuit for an image display device for selecting, from among a plurality of reference voltage levels, reference voltage levels respectively corresponding to gray scale levels in input data, and outputting the respective selected voltage levels to at least one data line. The input data includes data of a first color, a second color, and a third color. The reference voltage levels are independently selected corresponding to the gray scale levels in the input data of the first, second, and third colors. Among the reference voltage levels independently selected corresponding to a given gray scale level in the input data of the first, second, and third colors, the reference voltage level selected corresponding to at least one color is different from the reference voltage level or levels selected corresponding to the other color or colors, the given gray scale level being within a predetermined range.

Abstract: In executing the opposing common inverse drive in an active matrix-type semiconductor display device, a gate bias is suppressed to be comparable with that of the conventional inverse drive to avoid a range in which the off current jumps up and, hence, to suppress the leakage of the stored electric charge, thereby to maintain an ON/OFF margin of the pixel TFTs. The gate bias applied to the pixel TFT is maintained to be near the customarily employed voltage to maintain a gate breakdown voltage, and the electric power is consumed in a decreased amount by the drive circuit as a whole, thereby to provide a novel drive circuit. In the semiconductor display device, a tristate buffer is used for a gate signal line drive circuit, and different buffer potentials are applied depending upon a frame in which the opposing common potential assumes a positive sign and a frame in which the opposing common potential assumes a negative sign. thereby to maintain an ON/OFF margin of the pixel TFTs.

Abstract: A system and method providing for the generation of an image having enhanced three-dimensional attributes from a source image having only two-dimensional spatial domain information is disclosed. Object image discrimination through the use of machine vision techniques is utilized to identify objects within the source image. Thereafter, object images are dissected into image cells wherein the object images are supplemented to include missing information. Generation techniques are utilized to reassemble the image cells into an image having the desired enhanced three-dimensional attributes.

Abstract: The present inventions relates to an apparatus and method for inputting Chinese characters, and more specifically to an apparatus and method for inputting a Chinese character by generating the Chinese character designated by the inputted radical key and the combination key from a memory mean.

Abstract: A plurality of letter output devices (workstations, printers) are connected to a letter data control device by a transmission path. The control device stores letter data for transmission to the letter output devices, and is able to convert that letter data to a desired layout (e.g. from a vector font to a dot font) and then transmits the converted letter data to one or more of the letter output devices. The control device is able to select part of its stored letter data for transmission so that only commonly used letter data need be transmitted during start up of the system. Since a large amount of letter data may be stored in the control device, and only part may be transmitted to the letter output devices, those output devices can have a relatively small memory.

Abstract: To increase support a screen having a different aspect ratio or a large screen by use of existing graphics adapters, thus improving performance and flexibility of the whole system.

Abstract: A graphic pattern processing apparatus using a raster scan type CRT is disclosed. The graphic pattern processing apparatus can update one-pixel data, translate a logical address to physical address and transfer data in a display memory, at a high speed.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a CCM calculating system being relatively inexpensive and alleviating the necessity of a spectrophotometer, a CCM calculating method and a recording medium. A CCM calculating system according to the invention calculates a blending ratio of colorants based on stored color data 16. The system has an input device 5 (20b) for inputting data of color specification values corresponding to a desired target color; and a data operation unit 1 (20c) for calculating a blending ratio of colorants for reproducing the target color, based on the input data of color specification values and stored color data. Since the blending ratio of colorants for reproducing the desired target color may be calculated based on the input color specification value data and stored color data, such CCM calculation may be performed without the necessity of a spectrophotometer.

Abstract: Color coded signals are superimposed upon one another in order to more conveniently understand phenomenon to which the signals relate. A specific application of the technique is non-destructive eddy-current testing of tubes used in devises such as nuclear reactors for detecting anomalies such as pits, through-holes and dents. The signals generated during the eddy tests are displayed as overlapping lissajous transforms which produce distinctive color patterns for each anomaly.

Abstract: A compositing system (300) that comprises an optimized alpha-channel compositing module (303) is disclosed. The compositing system (300) optimizes the range correction in the alpha-channel compositing module (303) by using a constant divider (401) and delaying the correction of an alpha value until after the summation of the alpha values from all contributing regions. Uncorrected opacity values are used to index a look-up table in order to reduce the data processing path to a multiplier (407) for processing after premultiplication of a color values from all contributing regions.

Abstract: An image merging apparatus extracts noise included in a background image, and adds the noise to a CG image, thereby producing the merged image of the CG image and the background image. It can solve a problem of a conventional image merging apparatus in that although it can suppress the Mach band taking place in an edge segment, it brings about a mismatched feeling between the CG image and the background image when combining the shaded CG image and background image because it lacks a device for combining them taking account of the color difference between the CG image and the background image, or of the noise included in the background image.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a design document for a product, with the product having product elements arranged in a hierarchical manner and stored in a relational database, is described. A selection is received for at least one product element. At least one performance value associated with the selected product element is received. A text segment associated with each selected product element is retrieved from the database. Selected text segments are then used to construct the design document.

Abstract: A video providing device (30) comprises network I/Fs (37), (38) for transmitting/receiving a video to an external network, a high-quality video server (32) for storing the video as a regular editing video, a high-compressed video streamer (35) for storing the video as a rough editing video, a high-compressed video server (31) for reading out and transmitting the rough editing video on the basis of a video transmission request from a production (51) included in the external network (20), and a high-quality video server (32) for extracting and transmitting a part of the regular editing video to a post production (40) on the basis of the result of editing processing from the production (51). Thus, the video providing device (30) receives, for example, a video prepared by the production (51) and supplies a part of the video to the post production (40).

Abstract: The present invention pertains to an automated system for creating and customizing a screen display, comprising: a customizer user interface for interactively presenting a sequence of customizer dialogs each having one or more controls, the controls being responsive to input from a writer of the application project generator to thereby choose from a plurality of generator options; and a customizer tool being responsive to the customizer user interface for creating a screen according to the generator options chosen by the writer, the application project generator comprising: a device template file generator for generating and editing canonical template files and device template files; a screen template generator for generating and editing screen template files; a plurality of canonical template files, a plurality of screen definition files, and a plurality of device templates files; and wherein the screen display is created in HyperText markup language.

Abstract: A system and method for capturing and managing live images in a digital format on an electronic device in a manner that is easy, intuitive and useful is provided. The system and method includes an image management engine and graphical user interface that allows a user to manage, manipulate, edit and store the images in the electronic device. Additionally, the invention provides a method of transmitting images thus captured and stored to a remote device.

Abstract: A multifunction switch device with a display function is provided, by which a plurality of functions can be selected with a single switching operation so that a degree of freedom for assigning functions to each switch is increased and the selected function can be easily seen. An icon CR1 of TV is displayed using an animation on a screen of the left side switch MF1a out of a MF switches MF1, while an icon CR2 of CD as an equipment presently selected is displayed using an animation on a screen of the right side switch MF1b, and in addition, a letter “CD” and a letter “MD” are seen at right and left under the icon CR2. If a CD player is an equipment presently selected, a letter “CD” is displayed to be white in a black background, while a letter “MD” indicating a MD player to be selected next is displayed with a normal displaying image.

Abstract: An ink jet printer has an ink jet printing head which includes plural nozzles arranged in a main scan direction. A feeder rollers feed continuous recording sheet relative to the printing head in a sub scan direction. A controller drives the printing head and the feeder rollers to print images and a head check pattern to the continuous recording sheet. The head check pattern is printed outside a region of the images, and adapted to check whether the nozzles print at intended printing density.

Abstract: A service station device for an ink-jet printer is disclosed. This service station device cleans a nozzle of a head with a wiper on a housing, and seals with a cap on the housing, while the head is moved to the printer's service zone from a printing zone by a carriage. The service station device includes a cleaner having the movable wiper; a capping assembly operating to move the cleaner, and moving simultaneously with the cap's movement, thereby sealing the head's nozzle; and a locking member limiting the movement of the carriage making the capping assembly move, and controlling a release of the capping assembly's capping force.

Abstract: In an ink jet printer of the type having two separate heads mounted on a carriage, alignment errors of the nozzles in the two heads occurring in the main scanning direction are reduced to improve print quality. To this end, a print paper is moved a relevant amount after the firstly actuated head completes printing of the dots during one scan and before the secondly actuated head starts printing the dots in the subsequent scan.

Abstract: A substrate for an ink jet recording head is provided with a plurality of heat generating resistors for discharging ink. The wiring for applying the electric power supplied from outside to the plurality of heat generating resistors is divided into plural numbers, and each of the plurally divided wiring is arranged to provide substantially the same wiring resistive value from each of electrode pads arranged together therewith for receiving the supply of electric power from outside to each of the heat generating resistors. With the structure thus arranged, it is made possible to make the difference smaller in the voltage drop at the time of driving all the heat generating resisters simultaneously and driving only one of them, respectively, as well as to perform stabilized discharging of liquid for the formation of recorded images in good condition.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a liquid-discharging recording head can prevent deviation in the dimensions and the pitch of grooves, serving as liquid channels, and holes, serving as discharging ports, and generation of burrs around discharging ports while maintaining the grooves and the holes to desired sizes and without increasing a time required for the processing when forming the grooves and the holes by projecting a laser beam. In the method, when performing ablation processing of the liquid-channel grooves or the discharging ports in a top-plate blank by projecting the laser beam, the processing is performed by changing the energy density per unit time of the laser beam continuously or stepwise by adjusting the oscillation voltage or the oscillation frequency of the laser beam, attenuating the laser beam, or moving a substance to be processed along the optical axis.

Abstract: A passage forming plate (1) is provided with a plurality of pressure chambers (5). A nozzle plate (2) is provided with nozzle holes (6). The nozzle plate (2) is disposed on the front surface (1a) of the passage forming plate (1) so that the nozzle holes (6) communicate with the pressure chambers (5), respectively. Pressure is applied to the ink in the pressure chambers (5) by piezoelectric vibrators (8). A casing member (3) with an ink reservoir (10) for containing the ink to be supplied to the pressure chambers (5) is disposed on the side of the back surface (1b) of the passage forming plate (1). A sealing plate (4) is held between the passage forming plate (1) and the casing member (3). The sealing plate (4) is provided with a plurality of through holes (18) communicating with the plurality of pressure chambers (5), respectively.

Abstract: The ink cartridge comprises a container formed with an inner space and a base plate provided with a port, a sealing mechanism used to fit in the port, and an ink supply needle used to connect the inner space and output the ink. Pluralities of capillary portions are formed on the inner sidewall of the port so as to keep the filter with ink. A positioning hole indented from one end of the sealing mechanism is used to align the ink supply needle, and a recess is provided at another end of the sealing mechanism so as to connect the inner space of the container. When the sealing mechanism has been fully inserted with the ink supply needle, the sealing mechanism clamps the ink supply needle and the ink received in the container can be smoothly transmitted via the ink supply needle. When the ink cartridge is pulled out of the ink supply needle, the piercing hole of sealing mechanism is rapidly converged and sealed the port, and then the stored ink can be kept in the container with no leakage.

Abstract: An ink jet printer comprises at least one ink jet head, in which plural nozzles are arranged in an array in a main scan direction, and eject a droplet of ink to recording material respectively at an ejected amount according to information of an image. Feeder rollers feed the recording material relative to the ink jet head in a sub scan direction, to print the image to the recording material two-dimensionally. A thermal head includes plural heating elements arranged in an array in the main scan direction, for applying heat to the recording material respectively in a heating region. A system controller sets drying heat energy according to the ejected amount, and drives the thermal head to apply the drying heat energy to the heating region, to promote drying of the droplet in the heating region.

Abstract: An automatic sheet-feeding device of a printer includes a sheet loading section for holding a plurality of stacked recording sheets to be printed, delivery rollers movable closer to and further apart from the recording sheets placed on the sheet loading section so as to supply the recording sheets in the sheet feeding direction, and a separating plate disposed at the lower end of the sheet loading section so as to allow the leading ends of the recording sheets to contact therewith and to separate the uppermost recording sheet one by one. When the recording sheets placed on the sheet loading section are supplied, the delivery rollers are rotationally driven in contact with the sheet loading section, and the inclination of the separating plate with respect to the surface of the sheet loading section is changed to the angle that allows the uppermost recording sheet to be separated one by one.

Abstract: A removing claw 164 has a width W1 in a cross direction of 5 [mm] and a rectangular cross section with a height reduced toward a tip, and both ends of an upper side of the rectangle are chamfered to have a chamfered portion with a radius of r=1 [mm]. Consequently, a contact area of a toner sheet with the removing claw 164 is large. Therefore, a face pressure of a surface of the removing claw 164 where the toner sheet is to be delivered is reduced. Accordingly, the toner sheet can be delivered while being removed by the removing claw 164 without a material thereof rubbed and shaved by the surface of the removing claw and shaved by both ends of the upper side of the removing claw 164 even if the toner sheet comes in contact with the removing claw.

Abstract: Ink on a ink film 1 wound around a first supply reel 5, which is driven by a first DC motor 21, is transferred to an intermediate recording medium 7 wound around a second supply reel 8, which is driven by a first stepping motor 31, in a first heating section 500. While transferring the ink on the ink film 1 to the intermediate recording medium 7 in the first heating section 500, the ink is transferred with rewinding the ink film 1 and the intermediate recording medium 7 by the first supply reel 5 and the second supply reel 8 respectively.

Abstract: The printing plate has a carrier layer, a photopolymer layer and a laser-sensitive layer, in particular, a flexographic printing plate for direct laser exposure. The laser-sensitive layer is firstly selectively removed in a laser exposure unit with a laser beam that is moved relative to the printing plate, and the printing plate is subsequently irradiated with UV light at least on the side of the selectively removed laser-sensitive layer. This prevents washing out of the photopolymer layer under the removed regions of the laser-sensitive layer during subsequent developing of the printing plate. Time required for the partial removal of the laser-sensitive layer and the irradiation with UV light and to lower the space requirement and investment costs, different regions of the plate are irradiated with laser beam and with the UV light simultaneously in the laser exposure unit.

Abstract: An optical writing apparatus including a semiconductor laser having plural light emitting elements and a single light-receiving element and plural semiconductor laser drive controlling devices. The plural light emitting elements in the semiconductor laser array are driven such that an optical writing operation at a same time per each of plural lines is performed. A commonly used LD drive controlling circuit drives the LD array. An output timing-determining device outputs a switch changing-over signal to either one of respective changing-over switches in a changing-over switch circuit. After an operational delay time of the changing-over switch elapses, an APC signal is output to an APC control section of the LD drive controlling circuit connected to a negative feedback loop formed by a changing-over operation of the changing-over switch circuit. After the completion of the APC operation, the outputting of the switch changing-over signal to the changing-over switch is stopped.

Abstract: Unevenness due to dispersion of properties among organic electroluminescent devices is prevented to form an optimal light emission form for exposure. The organic EL devices in lines R1, R2 and R3 have respectively different x-coordinates and move relatively in a y-axis direction with respect to a photosensitive material at a time of exposure to form a horizontal scan line R-all by the exposure. Similarly, lines R4, R5 and R6 further form the horizontal scan line R-all. Thus, the horizontal scan line R-all is exposed twice: by the lines R1, R2 and R3, and by the lines R4, R5 and R6.

Abstract: A light source unit having optical elements which include a laser source, a collimator lens, a cylindrical lens and an optical path adjusting optical parallel mounted in fixed positions on a metal mount is adjusted to provide given optical characteristics and secured to a plastic housing of an optical scanning device. After optical scanning device is installed to an image forming machine so as to direct a scanning beam from the laser source toward an image carrier which is scanned by the scanning beam.

Abstract: An image communication terminal comprises a face extraction part 7 for extracting the position and the size of a face with respect to an image picked up by a camera part 4, a display part 3 for displaying the image toward a user, a communication part 9 for establishing two-way communication of the image to and from an information processor on the side of the other party, and a transmitting data processing part 8 for outputting to the communication part 9 an image in a rectangular transmission region set so as to be movable in the image picked up by the camera part 4, an effective region which moves integrally with the transmission region being set in the image picked up by the camera part 4, to move the position of the transmission region in conformity with the position of the face region, provided that the face region deviates from the effective region.

Abstract: This electric mask generating apparatus reads mask bit string generation data, which has a configuration of one pixel per bit and is set in ROM, by a microcomputer, develops the mask bit string generation data in RAM, and thereafter writes the mask bit string generation data in mask generation memory. This electric mask generating apparatus reads a mask signal in this mask generation memory by a microcomputer, and mixes an image signal of an object with the above-described mask signal by using a shift register or the like in a mask-mixing circuit. According to the mask signal having this configuration of one pixel per bit, since it is possible to write the mask signal in the above-described mask generation memory during the time that is one-eighth of conventional write time, it becomes possible to quickly display an image to which a normal mask or a scaled mask is given.

Abstract: A reduced area imaging device is provided for use in medical or dental instruments such as an endoscope. In a first embodiment of the endoscope, connections between imaging device elements and between a video display is achieved by hard-wired connections. In a second embodiment of the endoscope, wireless transmission is used for communications between imaging device components, and/or for transferring video ready signals to a video display. In one configuration of the imaging device, the image sensor is placed remote from the remaining circuitry. In another configuration, all of the circuitry to include the image sensor is placed in a stacked fashion at the same location. The entire imaging device can be placed at the distal tip of an endoscope. Alternatively, the image sensor can be placed remote from the remaining circuitry according to the first configuration, and control box is used which communicates with the image sensor and is placed remotely from the endoscope.

Abstract: An image reading system that reads long-type film images and displays the images on a monitor screen. The image reading system includes a display method having the capability to effectively utilize, on the monitor screen, all of the image information that is on the film, and which allows easy imaging capability of the final image when changes have been made to the original image. The image reading system creates first image data corresponding to roughly the entire body of the image storage region based on the image signal, and creates second image data corresponding to the image of the image storage region that has been trimmed based on trimming-related information included in the image signal and magnetic information. The image reading system displays the first image corresponding to the first image data and the second image corresponding to the second image data on the display.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention is a digital film processing system having a first light source operable to illuminate film. The digital film processing system also includes a first sensor operable to produce a first output in response to a first amount of light reflected from the film for a first time interval and a second sensor operable to produce a second output in response to a second amount of light passed through the film for the first time interval. The digital film processing system further includes processing circuitry coupled to the first light source and operable to adjust the output of the first light source in response to the first and second outputs so that the first sensor and the second sensor do not saturate. More particularly, the processing circuitry is further operable to adjust image data obtained from the film in response to the first and second outputs.

Abstract: A system and method for image capture, storage, and retrieval, which captures one or more images in a digital format and stores the images in a database to improve their accessability. The system and method also stores the images in a smaller physical space than conventional systems and may be used with a variety of image capture devices. Furthermore, the system and method may also allow access to the images from remote locations by way of a computer network such as the Internet.

Abstract: If a telop-character recording mode is selected, then, in response to depression of a shutter-release button, the image of a subject is sensed and voice enters from a microphone for a fixed period of time so that data representing voice is obtained. Character data for indicating the content of voice by characters is generated from the data representing voice. Image data representing the image of a subject, the voice data and the character data is recorded on a memory card. When an image is reproduced, the character data is combined with the image data and the characters represented by the character data are combined with the image and displayed together with the image. The content of voice can be ascertained by telop characters even with a playback device that is incapable of outputting voice.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus, a stereo image is photographed by fitting a stereophotographic adapter to a camera for photographing an object image. A depth map representing a depthwise distribution of an object is extracted from the stereo image. A multi-viewpoint image sequence of the object looking from multiple viewpoints is generated based on the stereo image and the depth map. A three-dimensional image is synthesized based on the multi-viewpoint image sequence. Further, a printer prints the three-dimensional image for enabling a stereoscopic image of the object to be observed with an optical member such as a lenticular sheet.

Abstract: In a digital still camera which contains an internal RAM (a volatile internal memory device) and to/from which an external RAM (a nonvolatile external memory device) is attachable/detachable, the internal RAM has a work area for an image processing process and a surplus area for storing image data photographed by the digital still camera. An image data storage device receives the image data from a photographing processing section. When the external RAM is attached to the digital still camera, an image data managing unit 31 stores the image data in the external RAM. When the external RAM is detached from the digital still camera, the image data managing unit 31 stores the image data in the surplus area of the internal RAM.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to easily execute photography in various photography modes. In order to achieve this object, an image pickup apparatus of this invention has a setting device for setting a plurality of chapters, and a control device for controlling photography operation in an order of the set chapters on the basis of settings of the plurality of chapters by the setting device, in which the setting device sets, for each of the plurality of chapters, a photography time and a mode for executing desired photography during the photography time.

Abstract: A color image processing apparatus for detecting and correcting fault pixels in a color image pickup device having a plurality of pixels each with a correspondingly disposed filter device of color filter having a plurality of filter devices respectively of predetermined colors, including means for detecting fault pixels by establishing a correlation among pixel signals along an arrangement of consecutive ones of identical color, and means for correcting pixel signals corresponding to the fault pixels detected at the fault pixel detecting means. By thus establishing a correlation among pixel signals along an arrangement of consecutive ones of identical color to detect and correct fault pixels, the fault pixels are efficiently detected in a small range and correction of the fault pixels is performed in real time.

Abstract: An image recorder for recording objects or scenes in three dimensions comprising a detector unit with a multiplicity of photosensitive pixel elements. This is used to generate signals which contain information, such as brightness and distance for example, about individual image points. A signal output serves to output the image information. The arrangement of the pixel elements contributing to the image information is adapted or can be adapted to expected positions of characteristic image elements, or is irregular. The pixel elements may be permanently installed, or individual pixel elements from an array of pixel elements may be activated or deactivated by programming in order to form, for example, a V-shaped region of interest with regard to the image to be recorded.

Abstract: In a solid-state image-sensing device, when an image sensing operation is performed in each pixel, a MOS transistor T1 is turned on and a MOS transistor T4 is turned off to make a MOS transistor T2 operate in a subthreshold region. When a reset operation is performed in each pixel, the MOS transistor T1 is turned off and the MOS transistor T4 is turned on to feed a constant voltage to the gate and drain of the MOS transistor T2. Then, the MOS transistor T4 is turned off, then the voltage at the node “a” is reset, and then a pulse signal &phgr;V is fed to a MOS transistor T5 to obtain an output. By using the thus obtained output as compensation data, variations in sensitivity among individual pixels are reduced.