Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Citizen Holdings Company, Ltd.

Chikashi Osakama

Hiroyuki Murayama

Fumihisa Hori

Takahito Maruyama

Jun Taniguchi

Makoto Chida

Saki Yanata

When forming an image by developing a color development layer that reacts to a light, the image formation processes (color development, color erasure, and/or fixing) that can be performed simultaneously with information recording are performed in the same period as that of the information recording to reduce the time required for image formation. An image formation device that forms an image by developing a color development layer reacting to a light comprises a color development unit that develops colors by focusing a light on the color development layer, color erasure units that selectively erase the developed colors by focusing a light on the developed color development layer, and a fixing unit that fixes an image formed by the color erasure wherein the color development unit and/or the fixing unit performs processing in a period in which information is recorded on the recording medium on which the color development layer is provided.

Image formation device and image formation method

Problems, which occur when printing is performed on the surface of a rotating disk using by using a print head arranged in the outer circumferential direction from the center of rotation, are resolved. Light emitting sections performs exposure in synchronism with rotational driving for rotating a medium, and pixels which are adjacent in the circumferential direction of rotation are exposed in a partially superimposed fashion by making the amount of movement in the circumferential direction along which the outermost circumference of the medium moves between exposures smaller than the width in the circumferential direction of the pixels formed by exposure. In a plurality of light emitting sections provided in an optical unit, the quantity of light for exposing a pixel on the inner circumferential side in the radial direction is set to be smaller than the quantity of light for exposing a pixel on the outer circumferential side in the radial direction for the respective exposure positions for the medium. Therefore, difference in the tonal shading caused by superposition is reduced by lowering the density created by each exposure in respect of the pixels on the inner circumferential side in the radial direction where there is a large overlap between exposures.

Image forming apparatus for disk-shaped media

A head up-down mechanism in a printer is to be provided wherein, by a simple construction, a carriage is returned up to a printing start position while a thermal head is spaced apart from a platen and at the same time there is performed a paper feed operation and which can thereby improve an effective printing speed. To this end the head up-down mechanism includes a head up-down lever with a thermal head mounted thereon at a position opposed to a platen, the head up-down lever being supported pivotably by a carriage which reciprocates along the platen between both side plates spaced a predetermined distance from each other, an urging member for urging the head up-down lever in a direction in which the thermal head comes into abutment against the platen, and a head up-down cam which is moved by abutment thereof against each of the side plates and which causes the head up-down lever to turn so that the thermal head comes into or out of contact with the platen.

Head up-down mechanism in printer

A thermal printer including a cam for pivoting a carriage guide plate to cause a thermal head mounted on the carriage to approach/separate from a platen. The cam is of a mountain-shaped form whose one side for pivoting the carriage guide plate to release the thermal head in press-contact with the platen is made heightened than the other side to bring the thermal head into press-contact with the platen.

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Iwate, Japan

Chikashi Osakama