Seiko Epson Corporation

Akira Koyabu

Satoshi Nakajima

Yuji Takiguchi

Tsutomu Momose

Yoshiki Kinoshita

Naoki Asai

Kenichi Hirabayashi

Hiroyuki Nakayama

Yoshikazu Ito

Sadao Murata

Kiyoshi Ito

Choji Morozumi

Kohei Osawa

Susumu Hama

Toshihiro Ota

Mitsuaki Teradaira

Seiji Kimura

Toru Takami

Koji Yamada

Hiroshi Narita

Ayumu Nakamura

Eizo Takahashi

Hitoshi Ishino

Hiroki Godo

Kenji Komatsu

Masaki Hirai

The battery charger has a socket that is tubular, has a bottom, and accepts a rechargeable battery inserted to the socket. At least one side wall of the socket is an inclined surface that is inclined to the vertical when a bottom of the battery charger is placed on a horizontal surface. A charging terminal of the battery charger is disposed on this side wall.

Battery charger and charging terminal structure

A thermal printer and control method for a thermal printer is provided. The thermal printer includes a print head and a paper feed mechanism for conveying a print medium past the print head at a controlled print speed based on predetermined print speed control factors. Operations include determining the print speed of the print medium based on the print speed control factors; determining a change, if any, in the print speed; determining if the change in print speed exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and controlling the paper feed mechanism to limit the change in the print speed if the change in the print speed is determined to have exceeded the threshold value. The change of the print speed is decreased for at least one predetermined time when the change in the print speed is determined to have exceeded the threshold value.

Thermal printer, thermal printer control method, and printing system

A thermal head enables printing even after printing for a long time to a print medium with low paper quality. A thermal headto which a print medium P is pressed by a platen rollerhas a heat unitwith a plurality of heat elementsarrayed on an axis, and an electrode connection unitthat is formed on an extension of the axis. A receptive space A to which the endof the platen rollercontact surfacethat is pressed to the thermal headis positioned is formed on this axis between the heat unitand the electrode connection unit

Thermal head and thermal printer

Battery pack

Accumulation of foreign matter on the surface of a thermal head that can cause printing defects can be reliably prevented. The downstream edge of a surface of the thermal head is substantially flush with the downstream end of a paper nipping area and a platen roller in the thermal printer. The downstream end extending from the downstream edge perpendicular to the back side is connected to a through-hole formed in a heat sink. Foreign matter on a liner-less label paper clings to the downstream end of the thermal head after passing the paper nipping area, and is then fed along the downstream end into the through-hole on the back. Foreign matter does not accumulate on the surface of the thermal head, and problems such as streaking and other printing defects caused by foreign matter on the surface of the thermal head do not occur.

Thermal printer

Battery charger

A thermal head avoids a drop in print quality caused by adhesion of printing chaff. A thermal headthat presses against thermal paper that moves from one side to the other side and prints by melting dye contained in the thermal paper has a glazed layerthat is formed in an area on one part of a ceramic substrateand stores in-flowing heat, and a heating resistorthat is located offset to one side from the center of the glazed layer, selectively heats the thermal paper S pressed in contact therewith, and melts a dye material contained in the thermal paper. A smooth surface P against which the thermal paper S heated by the heating resistorslides is formed to the other side of the glazed layerfrom the heating resistor

Thermal head and printer

A thermal printerand control method for controlling print speed to prevent variation in printing pitch due to frequent slight changes in the print speed following a significant change in print speed. The print speed, which is the speed at which the print medium i.e., paper is conveyed when printing, is controlled based on known print speed control factors. The thermal printer comprises a paper feed mechanism for conveying the print medium at a controlled print speed passed a thermal print head, a print speed control unitfor controlling the print speed of the paper feed mechanism based on the print speed control factors, a print speed change acquisition unitfor determining the change in the print speed over a predetermined time, and a comparison unitfor determining if the change in print speed exceeds a predetermined threshold value. The print speed control unitlimits change in the print speed based on the print speed control factors for a predetermined time after the comparison unitdetermines that the change in print speed exceeds the threshold value.

A recording device that records images on both sides of a recording medium using two recording heads suppresses slack in the recording medium and conveys the recording medium reliably. A first recording unitholds and conveys the roll paperbetween a first recording headthat records images to one side of the roll paperand a first platen roller. A second recording unitlocated downstream from the first recording unitholds and conveys the roll paperbetween a second recording headthat records images to the other side of the roll paperand a second platen roller. The first platen roller drive unit turns so that the circumferential speed of the second platen rolleris faster than the circumferential speed of the first platen roller

Recording device with a second platen roller that rotates at a faster speed than a first platen roller

A thermal printer enables both duplex printing and simplex printing. A double-sided thermal printerhas a first armand a second armthat opens and closes in conjunction with the first arm. A first platen rolleris mounted on the first arm, a second thermal print headis mounted on the second arm, and a first thermal print headand second platen rollerare disposed on the printer frameside. When the operating covercloses, the second thermal print headon the second armis pressed against the second platen roller, the first platen rolleron the first armis pressed to the first thermal print head, and the double-sided thermal papercan be set with no slack. For simplex printing, the paper transportation load can be reduced by pressing only the first platen rolleron the first arm to the first thermal print head

If the recording medium and the thermal head stick together, a recording device, a control method for a recording device, and a control program enable avoiding media transportation problems caused by such adhesion. If the recording medium has a release coat layer or an overcoating layer and the recording medium is left in contact with the thermal head, an operating pattern is set according to the contact conditions for moving the surface of the recording medium a specific distance from the thermal head, and transportation is controlled according to the set operating pattern.

Recording device, control method for a recording device, and a control program

A printer avoids scratching or damaging the platen and print defects caused by adhesive. The printerprints to thermal paper S that has an adhesive areaformed on one side with the edges of the paper adhesive-free, and color layers formed on the other side of the paper. The thermal paper S is wound sequentially into a roll so that the other side is on the outside without applying a liner protecting the adhesive areaon the one side. The printerhas a platen, a heating element unit, and a guide incline. The platenis disposed to a main cover, rotates in the thermal paper S transportation direction, and applies pressure to the thermal paper S from the one side. The heating element unitselectively heats the other side of the paper. The guide inclineguides the thermal paper S in a prescribed direction without contacting the area on the back of the adhesive areaon the other side of the thermal paper S after the thermal paper S passes the heating element unit, and guides the platento a prescribed position so that the platendoes not contact the heating element unitwhen the main cover is closed.

Printer with platen roller guide on thermal head

Accumulation of foreign matter on the surface of the thermal head that can cause printing defects can be reliably prevented. The downstream edgeof the surfaceof the thermal headis substantially flush with the downstream end of the paper nipping area C of the thermal headand the platen rollerin the thermal printer. The downstream endextending from the downstream edgein a direction perpendicular to the back side is connected to a through-hole(foreign matter receptacle) formed in the heat sink. Foreign matter on liner-less label paperclings to the downstream endof the thermal headafter passing the paper nipping area C, and is then fed along the downstream endinto the through-holeon the back. Foreign matter does not accumulate on the surfaceof the thermal head, and problems such as streaking and other printing defects caused by foreign matter on the surfaceof the thermal headdo not occur.

High print quality from a thermal printer is maintained while the print speed is decreasing without producing white streaks or uneven print density by controlling the hysteresis coefficient of the thermal print headbased on the energizing history of the thermal print headand print speed control factors used for determining print speed, which is the speed at which the paper is advanced while printing. The thermal printer, comprises a hysteresis coefficient setting unitfor setting a hysteresis coefficient for the print head based on the energizing history of the thermal print headan energizing time calculation unitfor calculating the energizing time during which drive signals are to be applied to the thermal print headfor printing based upon the hysteresis coefficient set by the hysteresis coefficient setting unit; a printing control devicefor generating the drive signals to be applied to the print head in response to the energizing time calculated by the energizing time calculation unit; a print speed determination unitfor determining the change in the print speed and when the print speed is decreasing; and a coefficient changing unitfor changing the hysteresis coefficient when a change in print speed occurs causing the print speed to decrease. Preferably the coefficient changing unit changes the hysteresis coefficient to a value greater than the hysteresis coefficient value used immediately before deceleration.

Growing community of inventors

Shiojiri, Japan

Akira Koyabu