Seiko Epson Corporation

King Jim Co., Ltd.

Shigekazu Yanagisawa

Kenji Watanabe

Takanobu Kameda

Tomoyuki Shimmura

Chieko Aida

Susumu Takatsu

Hideki Sakano

Shinichi Kamoshida

Takashi Nitta

Katsuhito Gomi

Satoshi Ogawa

Tomoyuki Ichikawa

Masao Akaiwa

Yoshiteru Nishimura

Noriaki Miyasaka

Kenichi Tanabe

Rie Sudo

Masayuki Takayama

Yoshio Karasawa

Yoshimichi Yonezawa

Ryuji Omoto

The quality of an image recorded on electronic paper is improved. Specifically, electronic paper for displaying an image is supplied in a region in which an electric field is generated in the thickness direction of the electronic paper, the electronic paper having charged color particles and being used for displaying an image as a result of charged color particles migrating in the thickness direction. Voltage for generating an electric field in the region is controlled by a voltage control section so that the value of the voltage varies together with time. The quality of an image recorded on electronic paper can thereby be improved.

Device and method for recording image to electronic paper

A three-dimensional hard copy apparatus including: a shape forming unit including plural display pins having a contact unit, which selectively contacts a thermoplastic sheet, and moves relative to a display surface and is capable of forming a predetermined pattern; a drive unit that selectively drives the plural display pins; a lock sheet that holds the positions of the plural display pins; and a fan that moves the thermoplastic sheet in a direction of the shape forming unit and brings the thermoplastic sheet into press contact with the shape forming unit, wherein the apparatus forms the predetermined pattern with the shape forming unit, holds the plural display pins with the lock sheet, and brings the thermoplastic sheet and the shape forming unit with the fan to mold a pattern of a shape matching the predetermined pattern, which is formed by the shape forming unit, on the thermoplastic sheet.

Three-dimensional hard copy apparatus

There is provided an method for a character-outputting apparatus which is capable of storing a character image defined by a character font, as bitmap data in the form of a dot matrix, and printing or displaying the character image. The bitmap data is converted temporarily to vector data when the character image is enlarged. Then a new line is drawn from a starting point of each vector of the vector data to an ending point of the vector in a vector direction, where is included a diagonal discontinuity between dots diagonally adjacent to each other, and an inside of the new line is filled to thereby regenerate bitmap data corresponding to the character image.

Outline smoothing method and system

There are provided an image-printing method and device for enabling a more attractive print image to be obtained, even when a basic image is printed which is formed by changing the size of a whole image including image elements formed based on outline fonts or dot matrices. The image-printing method and device print an image on a printing object, while causing a print head and the printing object to move in a predetermined direction to effect relative motion between the print head and the printing object, to thereby form a printed image t. A high-density printing basic image is formed by increasing a dot size in the predetermined direction of a basic image created by arranging at least one image element therein, by a factor of m (m is a natural number equal to or larger than 2). The high-density printing basic image is printed in a print size identical to a print size of a printed image to be obtained by directly printing the basic image, at a dot density increased by the factor of m in the predetermined direction.

Image-printing method and device

This invention relates to provide a label printer which prints by using data recorded in a recordable/reproducible disc and forms a label for the disc. The printer is capable of creating labels to affixed to various portions of the disc and a disc cartridge of the disc by easy operations, and at a time. Further, irrespective of the size of contents of the disc, the printer can create a label from which contents of the disc are grasped at a glance.

Label printer

There are provided a method and apparatus for printing a print image on a print material by using a print head based on dot information of the print image by causing at least one of the print head and the print material to move to thereby effect relative motion between the print head and the print material at a relative speed dependent on a rotational speed of a DC motor as a drive source. Driving of the DC motor and the print head is controlled for printing of the print image. A distance from a predetermined length start position selected from a front end position, a print start position, and a print end position of the print material to a predetermined length end position at which the relative motion is to be terminated, is set to a predetermined length. Braking of the DC motor is controlled by varying a braking load on the DC motor in dependence on the relative speed and the predetermined length so as to terminate the relative motion at the predetermined length end position.

Printing method and apparatus

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for driving and controlling a thermal head used in a printing device, such as a tape printer, in response to the temperature variations of the printing device environment and the thermal head. According to the present invention, in the printing operation of the tape printer, measurements are made of the initial temperature T1 immediately after the power is switched on, the temperature prior to printing T2, and the ambient temperature of the thermal head each time the thermal head prints T3 (i). If the temperature difference between the initial temperature T1 and the temperature prior to printing T2 is small, the duration of the current signals provided to the thermal head is controlled in accordance with the temperature prior to printing T2, which is the most recently measured thermal head ambient temperature best reflecting the printing device environmental temperature. If the difference is large, the duration is controlled in accordance with the initial temperature T1 which then best reflects the environmental temperature. If the rate of the increase in temperature during printing T3(i) is large, the duration is controlled in accordance with the initial temperature T2 to reduce the duration. If the temperature during printing T3(i) exceeds a temperature which indicates overheating, the printing operation is aborted. Thus, the present invention allows for controlling the thermal head drive by means of the measured thermal head ambient temperature excluding the effect of the heat generation of the thermal head and in accordance with the thermal state of the thermal head.

Method and apparatus for controlling the thermal head drive

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for driving and controlling a thermal head used in a printing device, such as a tape printer, in response to the temperature variations of the printing device environment and the thermal head. According to the present invention, in the printing operation of the tape printer, measurements are made of the initial temperature T1 immediately after the power is switched on, the temperature prior to printing T2, and the ambient temperature of the thermal head each time the thermal head prints T3(i). If the temperature difference between the initial temperature T1 and the temperature prior to printing T2 is small, the duration of the current signals provided to the thermal head is controlled in accordance with the temperature prior to printing T2, which is the most recently measured thermal head ambient temperature best reflecting the printing device environmental temperature. If the difference is large, the duration is controlled in accordance with the initial temperature T1, which then best reflects the environmental temperature. If the rate of the increase in temperature during printing T3(i) is large, the duration is controlled in accordance with the initial temperature T2 to reduce the duration. If the temperature during printing T3(i) exceeds a temperature which indicates overheating, the printing operation is aborted. Thus, the present invention allows for controlling the thermal head drive by means of the measured thermal head ambient temperature excluding the effect of the heat generation of the thermal head and in accordance with the thermal state of the thermal head.

Printer capable of printing a tape while the tape is accelerating and

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for driving and controlling a thermal head used in a printing device, such as a tape printer, in response to the temperature variations of the printing device environment and the thermal head. According to the present invention, in the printing operation of the tape printer, measurements are made of the initial temperature T1 immediately after the power is switched on, the temperature prior to printing T2, and the ambient temperature of the thermal head each time the thermal head prints T3 (i). If the temperature difference between the initial temperature T1 and the temperature prior to printing T2 is small, the duration of the current signals provided to the thermal head is controlled in accordance with the temperature prior to printing T2, which is the most recently measured thermal head ambient temperature best reflecting the printing device environmental temperature. If the difference is large, the duration is controlled in accordance with the initial temperature T1 which then best reflects the environmental temperature. If the rate of the increase in temperature during printing T3(i) is large, the duration is controlled in accordance with the initial temperature T2 to reduce the duration. If the temperature during printing T3(i) exceeds a temperature which indicates overheating, the printing operation is aborted. Thus, the present invention allows for controlling the thermal head drive by means of the measured thermal head temperature excluding the effect of the heat generation of the thermal head and in accordance with the thermal state of the thermal head.

Growing community of inventors

Nagano, Japan

Shigekazu Yanagisawa