Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Naoki Oda

Yuji Koga

Tetsuya Kato

Takamitsu Kawai

Masaaki Hori

Satoshi Mizutani

An apparatus includes two DC/DC converters including two conversion circuits for converting a power supply voltage to first and second output voltages, respectively, two driving circuits for driving the respective conversion circuit based on first and second pulse wave modulated signals, and two pulse width modulation circuits for performing pulse width modulation on a thinned wave signal formed from a first wave signal and on a second wave signal to generate the pulse wave modulated signals, respectively. One DC/DC converter includes a thinning circuit for removing portions of a first wave signal to form the thinned wave signal. The apparatus includes a speaker for generating sound by inputting a signal based on the voltages.

Apparatus with speaker

A recording apparatus includes a head that discharges ink and a head driving circuit that generates a switching signal. The recording apparatus further includes a switching signal generating unit that generates and outputs a switching signal, a first switch that is turned on or off based on the switching signal and a second switch that is turned on or off based on the switching signal. A first DC voltage is converted into a second DC voltage by switching one of the first switch and the second switch based on the switching signal, and the second DC voltage is supplied to the head driving circuit. The first switch and the second switch may be turned on or off based on the detected temperature of the head or ink in the head.

Recording apparatus

An ink jet printer connected to a personal computer and normally driven by a PC battery accommodated in the personal computer. The ink jet printer detachably accommodates therein an auxiliary battery. The printer has a control portion and a driving portion for moving a print head. If a voltage level of the PC battery becomes less than a threshold voltage during printing operation, the electrical connection between the PC battery and the control portion is maintained, whereas a power source to the driving portion is switched from the PC battery to the auxiliary battery. After the printing operation is completed, a power source to the control portion is switched from the PC battery to the auxiliary battery.

Image forming device operable by different power sources

A facsimile apparatus capable of preventing the loss received information even if there is a possibility of a print failure. The facsimile apparatus has a reception memory that stores the data received, a print executing unit that prints, on a recording sheet, the data stored in the reception memory, and a print-failure determining unit that determines whether there is a possibility that a print failure will occur if the print executing unit performs printing. If it is determined that there is the possibility of the print failure, a print stopping unit stops execution of printing by the print executing unit, and a data retaining unit retains the data stored in the reception memory, even after the data has been printed out by a forced printing function. More specifically, if a determination cannot be made regarding a paper jam or an ink shortage due to, for example, strong external light coming in, or if it is determined that there is a print failure, the apparatus does not start printing, but displays a message &ldquo;RECEIVED . . . &rdquo;, and retains the received data in the reception memory. The forced-printing of the data can be performed by operating a start switch. The received data thus retained can be maintained even after the forced printing, and is erased only when a reset instruction is input.

Facsimile apparatus that detects print failure to retain data in memory

A buffer memory 18 is formed with at least one buffer area, each for storing one band's worth of print data. The storage capacity of each buffer area is determined dependently on both the resolution and the print mode. The number of the buffer areas formed in the buffer memory is also determined dependently on both the resolution and the print mode. When the printer is supplied with successive bands' worth of print data at 720 dpi at a color print mode, the buffer memory is formed with a single buffer area for storing one band's worth of print data for four colors. The buffer area has four storage regions for the four colors. Each storage region is for storing one band's worth of print data for a corresponding color. When the printer is supplied with successive band's worth of print data at the same resolution in a monochromatic print mode, the buffer memory is formed with four buffer areas capable of storing four bands' worth of print data for a single color. Each buffer area is for storing one band's worth of print data for the single color.

Printer with buffer memory

To increase the printing speed by distributing data processing of a printing head, an image recorder is provided with a print buffer for storing print data received from an information processor, a printing head having nozzles for plural channels that print on the basis of the print data stored in the print buffer, a 4-bit shift register unit that temporarily stores the print data of the print buffer and sequentially supplies the print data for each dot to the printing elements, and a buffer controller that divides the nozzles into odd and even channel groups and transfers the print data corresponding to the channel groups with a staggered timing to the 4-bit shift register unit from the print buffer.

Growing community of inventors

Kasugai, Japan

Naoki Oda