Shinko Electric Company, Ltd.

Hiroaki Fukuoka

Junji Kawano

Hitoshi Nakagawa

Yoshikazu Miyashita

Hideaki Sekiguchi

A heat accumulation control device is provided to control printing responsive to residual-heat values which remain in head elements of a thermal head in a line-type thermoelectric printer due to previous printing operation. The heat accumulation control device contains a line buffer for storing input data, which are supplied thereto from the printer or an external device, and a residual-heat-value storing memory which is capable of storing one line of residual-heat values corresponding to the head elements respectively. A correction calculation section performs correction calculations, using parameters, based on the input data, outputted from the line buffer, and a residual-heat value which is read out from the residual-heat-value storing memory with respect to a specific head element to be currently driven, so that print data are calculated. Thus, the specific head element is driven so that a dot is printed on a paper in a density corresponding to the print data. Further, a residual-heat-value calculation section performs calculations, using parameters, based on the print data and the residual-heat value read out from the residual-heat-value storing memory together with at least another one residual-heat value of a head element which is positioned adjacent to the specific head element in the thermal head, so that a new residual-heat value is produced with respect to the specific head element and is newly stored in the residual-heat-value storing memory.

Heat accumulation control device for line-type thermoelectric printer

A compact color printer having a Y head (2), an M head (9), a C head (16), platen rollers (8, 15, 22) and a multi-time ink ribbon (23) wherein yellow ink (23y), magenta ink (23m) and cyan ink (23c) each having effective lengths B are sequentially on a substrate (23o) with a pitch P. When a line L1 of the printing paper (1) and an edge (23ya) of the yellow ink (23y) are positioned over a line position y1, the Y head (2) prints the color yellow; when a line L1 of the printing paper 1 and an edge (23ma) of the magenta ink (23m) are positioned over a line position y2, the M head (9) prints the color magenta; and when a line L1 of the printing paper (1) and an edge (23ca) of the cyan ink (23c) are positioned over a line position y3, the C head (16) prints the color cyan.

Color printer and ink ribbon therefor

By counting the number of thermal printer head elements to be energized for each gradation, and adjusting the energizing period on the basis of the counted number, a common energizing period is obtained in order to prevent density unevenness which would otherwise occur because of differences in the number of head elements to be energized for each gradation.

Thermal printer in which head energization period is controlled based on

A thermal sublimation printer is disclosed. A pile of blank paper is inserted into a paper cassette 10, and a donor ribbon 21 coated with sublimation dyes is mounted on a supplying rotational axis 22 and a furl rotational axis 23 on bearings. The heating of a plurality of heating elements 4a, 4a, . . . , 4a of a thermal head 4, the movement of a platen roller 3, etc., are controlled by a control device as sublimation printing is carried out. The printed papers are then placed in the paper cassette 10, and exchanges the donor ribbon 21 for a fade preventive donor ribbon 27 coated with an over coating material. The over coating material is transferred on the printed paper by heat of the thermal head 4.

Thermal sublimation printer for use with different ribbons

An image reader is capable of improving the quality of reading a transmission manuscript and of reducing a cost for a luminaire power source compared with the conventional image reader. The image reader comprises a casing having a ceiling of a transparent manuscript plate, the casing further housing therein a read unit provided with a reflection read light source unit, a drive mechanism for reciprocally moving the read unit from its home position and a luminaire power source unit; and a transmission read light source unit provided separately from the casing, wherein the transmitted light which has passed the manuscript or the reflected light which has reflected from the manuscript is focused on the receiving surface of a read sensor of the read unit to thereby produce the image thereon, wherein the transmission read light source unit can be connected to the read unit mechanically and electrically by a connecting mechanism having a releasing function, and cooperate with the read unit, and wherein the casing has recess portions thereon in the scanning direction of the connecting mechanism, and wherein the luminaire power source unit is provided with an inverter power source which is common to the reflection read light source unit and the transmission read light source unit and a light source unit switching device which can switch the output of the inverter power source to the reflection read light source unit or the transmission read light source unit.

Growing community of inventors

Ise, Japan

Hiroaki Fukuoka