Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Hideki Nakanishi

Hitoshi Nishikori

Masao Maeda

Takayuki Murata

Yuichiro Suzuki

Kazuhisa Kuruma

Hiroshi Uemura

Hiroko Tsujiguchi

Tetsuhito Ikeda

Akira Kuribayashi

Hideo Horigome

Yuichi Kaneko

Junichi Arakawa

Yusuke Komano

A printing apparatus which prints by scanning a printhead in two directions based on raster data containing multi-valued data, sequentially stores multi-valued data contained in each raster data in a print buffer in correspondence with a predetermined direction of the two directions, acquires for each raster data, identification information corresponding to the multi-valued data stored in the print buffer first and identification information corresponding to the multi-valued data stored in the print buffer lastly for each tone value based on initial values of identification information and the number of multi-valued data contained in each raster data, generates bitmap data from the multi-valued data using pattern data read out based on identification information selected based on a scanning direction of the printhead, and controls printing of the printhead based on the generated bitmap data.

Printing apparatus and processing method therefor

A printing apparatus which prints by discharging ink droplets from a first nozzle array and a second nozzle array based on print data using a printhead including the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array for discharging ink droplets of the same color and different discharge amounts, the apparatus comprising: a specifying unit configured to specify a discharge failure nozzle in the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array; and a controller configured to assign print data corresponding to the discharge failure nozzle specified by the specifying unit to a nozzle of a nozzle array different from a nozzle array to which the discharge failure nozzle belongs, out of the first nozzle array and the second nozzle array.

Printing apparatus and printing method

A recording apparatus configured to cause a recording head to move and scan in a reciprocating manner includes a buffer configured to store raster data including multivalued data, a table in which a plurality of dot patterns is defined for a value of the multivalued data and including a dot pattern corresponding to the value, a first information storage unit configured to store an initial value of the dot pattern according to a direction of scanning by the recording head and the value of the multivalued data, a second information storage unit configured to store information indicating an empty raster, and a generation unit configured to, based on the initial value stored by the first information storage unit and the table, read the multivalued data from the buffer and generate a dot pattern based on the read multivalued data.

Recording apparatus and processing method executed by the recording apparatus

A discharge failure nozzle, which cannot print, can be complemented by a printable discharge nozzle according to a simple, low-cost method capable of a high-speed process. A printing apparatus, which prints by using an inkjet head having nozzle arrays formed by arraying a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink while scanning the inkjet head on a printing medium, includes a storage unit which stores the position of an abnormal nozzle that abnormally discharges ink among the plurality of nozzles arrayed in the nozzle arrays, an assignment unit which assigns data subjected to discharge by the abnormal nozzle to a plurality of normal nozzles positioned near the abnormal nozzle in a nozzle array including the abnormal nozzle in accordance with predetermined priorities, and a control unit which controls to perform assignment of data subjected to discharge by the abnormal nozzle every time column data along the scanning direction are created by a predetermined number of columns.

Printing apparatus, printing method and data processing method for compensating for abnormal nozzles in accordance with priorities

Printing apparatus for assigning data subjected to discharge by an abnormal nozzle in accordance with predetermined priorities

Disclosed are a printing apparatus and printing method which suppress degradation of the image quality caused by discharge failure complement. In the printing apparatus, virtual data are generated for predetermined dots in a scanning direction on the basis of printing data of a plurality of dots in the scanning direction of an inkjet printhead that are printed by an ink discharge failure nozzle among a plurality of nozzles. The priorities of dots subjected to complementary printing among a plurality of dots within a predetermined adjacent area where the printing data and virtual data are printed are decided on the basis of the printing data and virtual data. A position subjected to complementary printing is decided on the basis of the priorities, printing data, and virtual data. Printing data and virtual data which actually cause ink discharge are so moved as to print at the position. Corrected printing data to be actually printed is generated on the basis of the moved data. Printing is performed by driving the inkjet printhead on the basis of the corrected printing data.

Printing apparatus and method capable of complementary printing for an ink discharge failure nozzle

A printing apparatus and printing method can realize high-quality printing without degrading the quality of a printed image even when a nozzle restriction function is adopted in addition to a discharge failure complement function. In a printing apparatus using an inkjet printhead having a plurality of nozzles, whether the position of an ink discharge failure nozzle exists at or near the end of a nozzle area which is still usable regardless of the use restriction on the nozzles is detected. The use of a nozzle for complementary printing executed with a nozzle positioned near the ink discharge failure nozzle is controlled in accordance with the detection result.

An invented battery-operating multifunctional apparatus in use for such as office automation provides an adequate threshold level thereby to detect a low energy state of the battery by discriminating whether species of a head loaded on a carriage unit 7 is an ink head 401 for printing the characters or a scanner head 402 for reading the image pictures. To attain the purpose, the threshold value of the low battery state is lowered for the scanning operation compared with for the printing operation.

Multifunctional apparatus and control method for said apparatus

The present invention relates to a power supply apparatus and provides a power supply apparatus capable of properly performing the protective operation at the completion of use of the instrument connected through the power supply line, when and after suspension of supplement from the side of the power supply apparatus. In response to the on/off operation of a switch 106 which is responsive to the closing/opening movement of the top cover member of the instrument for which the electric power is supplied, a MPU 110 generates an instruction for the instrument to move a state in which the instrument has turned to no-use condition and to be suspended to receive the power supply, and, based on the instruction, by means of a timer 107, after a predetermined period of time is measured, the supplement of the power supply is suspended.

Power supply apparatus

By means of MPU6, which is the control means, at the time of production, a reference voltage from an external device is applied to detector means 2 to be detected and converted to a digital signal in A/D converter means 3 and stored in memory means 4; while, at the time of operation, such as printing or image recording, the voltage of a battery equipped in the apparatus itself is applied to detector means 2 to be detected and converted to another digital value by the A/D converter means 3 to be applied to comparing means 5; the digital value of the reference voltage, already stored in memory means 4 is also applied to comparing means 5, and is compared with the battery voltage also stored in memory means 4, thereby it is determined whether the battery voltage will comply with the voltage which is necessary for performing the operation, such as printing operation, of the apparatus. In this process, it is possible to check the battery voltage of a battery-operated apparatus without involving any error.

Apparatus for detecting battery voltage

A power supply is detachably attached to an outside surface of an outer casing of an electronic apparatus which can be driven by both a battery and an AC adaptor. The power supply includes a battery, a first connector for detachably connecting the AC adaptor, a switch for switching a mode for performing a power supply to the electronic apparatus by an output of the battery or a mode for performing such a power supply by an output of the AC adaptor connected to the first connector, and a second connector for a power source output which is detachably connected to an AC adaptor connector of the electronic apparatus. When the AC adaptor is not connected to the first connector, the output of the battery is applied to the second connector through the switch. When the AC adaptor is connected to the first connector, the output of the AC adaptor is applied to the second connector.

Electronic apparatus

Current of electricity provided from a secondary battery 1 to a load 2, such as a personal computer and a printer, is determined by a current determination circuit 8. The detected result is compared with a predetermined threshold by a comparing circuit 7, the comparison result is used to deciding a voltage threshold for judging whether or not the secondary battery is in a low battery power state. After the voltage threshold is decided, a terminal voltage of the secondary battery is measured by a voltage determination circuit 6, then the measured result is compared with the voltage threshold. Thereby whether or not the secondary battery 1 is in a low battery power state is judged.

Low battery power state determination apparatus and method for secondary

A battery-driven recording apparatus records a plurality of lines by recording-scan by using a recording head having a plurality of recording elements. A capacity of a battery is detected, and when the capacity of the battery is lowered, the number of lines to be recorded in one recording scan is reduced.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Hideki Nakanishi