Abstract: The invention relates to a method and to a device for determining the value of a delay to be applied between sending a first dataset and sending a second dataset, the data being representative of a sequence of coded images, the datasets consisting of data subsets, the coded images being coded according to a first level of resolution and at least a second level of resolution higher than the first level of resolution, the data subsets containing data of a first level of resolution. According to the invention: first and second datasets are obtained (E506); and the value of the delay is determined (E507), the value of the delay being dependent on the number of decoded images that can be formed from the data subsets of the first dataset which contain data of the second or of a second level of resolution.

Abstract: Methods for configuring antennas of first and second nodes of a wireless communications network clocked by transmission cycles, each cycle being divided into time slots, the first node and second nodes having first and second time slots for transmitting data in the first mode, the first node having a third time slot for transmitting data to the second node in a second mode, are proposed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image former for forming an unfixed toner image on a recording material, and a fixer for fixing the unfixed toner image on the recording material. The fixer includes a rotatable member for forming a fixing nip for nipping and feeding the recording material, and a cleaner, movable toward and away from the rotatable member, for cleaning the rotatable member. The apparatus is operable in a blankless image formation mode for forming the toner image without a blank at least at one of a leading end and a trailing end of the recording material. The cleaner contacts the rotatable member when a portion of the rotatable member in a blankless range at the leading end or the trailing end of the recording material reaches a position where the portion opposes the cleaner.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of driving a semiconductor laser, where the method can control changes in the internal temperature of a device as well as control optical output using a driving current. A method of driving a semiconductor laser includes steps of: preliminary driving the semiconductor laser by preliminary activating at a current value larger than a threshold value; de-activating the semiconductor laser, after the step of preliminary driving; and starting a formation of a latent image on a photosensitive drum based on a latent image formation signal, after the step of de-activating.

Abstract: Disclosed is a sheet feeding device capable of prolonging the durability life span of the retard roller with a simple structure with ease and an image forming apparatus which includes the sheet feeding device. The sheet feeding device includes a feed roller 102 which rotates in a sheet feed direction, a retard roller 103 which is able to rotate in a reverse direction to the sheet feed direction which forms a separation nip portion. A torque limiter 202 which is interposed between a drive shaft 202b and a roller shaft 103b of the retard roller 103 to transfer a predetermined torque of the reverse direction to the retard roller 103; and a speed changing device 301 which is interposed between an output shaft 202a of the torque limiter 202 and the roller shaft 103b to change a magnitude of the predetermined torque transferred to the retard roller 103.

Abstract: In a molding apparatus in which upper and lower dies are held in a bearing, there are provided pipes for introducing N2 gas used for controlling temperatures of balls of the bearing, whereby difference in temperature between the guide member and the upper and lower dies is controlled. With this structure, it is possible to prevent generation of an excessive compressive force between the upper die and the lower die and the bearing, to thereby prevent breakage of the dies. Further, it is also possible to prevent formation of gaps between the upper die and the lower die and the bearing, to thereby mold an optical element excellent in accuracy of an optical axis.

Abstract: A printing apparatus prints on a printing medium by scanning a printhead having a plurality of nozzle arrays in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, and has a structure in which an air flow entering the nozzle array in the scan of the printhead in the first direction becomes larger than an air flow entering the nozzle array in the scan of the printhead in the second direction. The apparatus increases, in scanning in the second direction, discharge speed of ink discharged from at least one nozzle array arranged leeward in the scanning direction of the printhead from a predetermined position on the printhead in the scanning direction to be higher than or equal to the discharge speed of ink discharged from at least one nozzle array arranged windward in the scanning direction of the printhead from the predetermined position.

Abstract: The optical deflector includes a deflector, a vibration detector, a driving signal generator, a modulation timing signal generator, and a deflection detector. The deflector has a vibrational system having a movable body with a light deflecting member, and deflects light from a light source by the movable body. The vibration detector detects the vibration condition of the vibrational system of the deflector. The driving signal generator generates a driving signal for driving the vibrational system of the deflector. The modulation timing signal generator generates a modulation timing signal as the reference time for regulating the amount of light from the light source. The deflection detector detects the deflection condition of light deflected by the deflector.

Abstract: A substrate supporting apparatus includes a pallet on which a substrate is mounted, a pallet double-end holding mechanism holding both ends of the pallet in a diameter direction while the pallet is in a vertical posture, a pallet center holding mechanism rotatably holding a center section of the pallet, and a moving mechanism moving an apparatus body, wherein the pallet double-end holding mechanism is a mechanism that grips both ends of the pallet in the diameter direction from both sides of a thickness direction, the pallet double-end holding mechanism holds the pallet during movement, the pallet is held by both of the holding mechanisms during delivery from the pallet double-end holding mechanism to the pallet center holding mechanism, and the pallet center holding mechanism rotatably holds the center section of the pallet and holding by the pallet double-end holding mechanism is released during substrate processing.

Abstract: Provided is an angular velocity sensor including: a reference vibrator supported so as to generate reciprocating rotational vibration about a first rotation axis as a center; a detection vibrator supported by the reference vibrator so as to generate reciprocating rotational vibration about a second rotation axis, which is different from the first rotation axis, as a center; a reference vibration generating unit for allowing the reference vibrator to generate reciprocating rotational vibration; and a detection unit for detecting a displacement amount of the detection vibrator with respect to the reference vibrator, which is in association with the reciprocating rotational vibration of the detection vibrator.

Abstract: An objective of the invention is to provide an improved ink storage apparatus and an inkjet print head including the ink storage apparatus. Furthermore, an effective elimination of the air bubbles flowed into or generated in the print head is realized by an ink storage apparatus and an inkjet print head including the ink storage apparatus.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus which adopts a distributed control system and increases the error detection accuracy of each control unit. To accomplish this, the image forming apparatus includes a master control unit that controls the overall image forming apparatus, a plurality of sub-master control units that control a plurality of functions for performing image formation, and a plurality of slave control units that control loads for implementing a plurality of functions. The master control unit determines a diagnosis path for performing a diagnosis process for an error using the signal lines and a connection bridge connected to the respective control units. The master control unit performs the diagnosis process for an error in accordance with the determined diagnosis path.

Abstract: A region of a latent image and that of a background image in a first dot image are converted into binary data so as to have different binary data, and a region of the latent image in the binary data is converted into dot data by expressing that region as dots. A second dot image is converted into outline data by removing dots of a region corresponding to the region of the latent image to form an outline region. The converted dot data and converted outline data are composited to generate a dot image including the outline data as a latent image and the dot data as a background image.

Abstract: A sensor includes a movably supported movable element and an opposing member, and sensor detects a relative positional relationship between the movable element and the opposing member which are provided with a spacing therebetween. The opposing member has an impurity-doped portion which is provided at either an opposing portion, which is opposed to the movable element, or an adjoining portion, which adjoins the opposing portion. At least a part of the impurity-doped portion is formed on an opposite surface (that is, opposite to a surface that faces the movable element), from which opposite surface an electrical wiring is led out.

Abstract: To prevent a situation that an external device cannot confirm that a data processing device cannot execute data reception, the data processing device first notifies the external device of a first data size capable of being received by the data processing device and then notifies the external device a second data size larger than the first data size.

Abstract: This invention enables the suppression of block noise even at an intermediate resolution equal to or lower than the original resolution and further increases the number of directly decodable resolutions for higher convenience. For this purpose, a memory stores original image data photographed by an image sensing unit. A resizing unit generates resized image data by reducing the numbers of horizontal and vertical pixels of the original image data stored in the memory to ½ and stores the image data in the memory again. An image compression unit encodes the original image data and the resized image data by HD Photo®. A CPU puts the two encoded data into one file and stores it in a nonvolatile memory card connected to an output unit.

Abstract: This invention provides an image processing system and image processing method, which can acquire a document such as a paper document or the like as data of a format that allows easy re-use and re-edit processes. Image information is acquired by scanning a document, and its features are recognized. The image information is converted into character codes, vector data, or a predetermined image format in accordance with the recognized features. In this case, parameters used upon recognizing the features of the image information are variably set, and the operations of the character process, vectorization, and image conversion are controlled in accordance with the set parameters.

Abstract: A CT scanner which can reconstruct high-quality tomographic images using only the projected images obtained by scanning an object without requiring any special three-dimensional phantom is provided. A two-dimensional radiation sensor placed to face a radiation source via the object acquires projected images while relatively rotating the object in the radiation emitted from the radiation source. Tomographic images are obtained at one predetermined slice position of the object by performing, for each of geometrical calibration parameter values, reconstruction of a tomographic image of the object using one of the calibration parameter values based on acquired projected images. One of the calibration parameter values is selected based on the obtained tomographic images. A tomographic image is reconstructed at each slice position by using a selected calibration parameter value based on a projected image at each acquired slice position of the object.

Abstract: A raster image processor (RIP) can process data for one page for each of a plurality of small areas, and handles each individual small area as a display list. Each individual display list holds information required to determine a rendering resolution. The RIP renders a small area including a text object with a high resolution, and a small area which does not include any text object with a low resolution. The RIP renders the respective small areas with the designated resolutions, and temporarily holds the rendering results in a memory for respective small areas. Upon generating a page image, the RIP directly transfers the high-resolution rendering result to a page memory. The RIP transfers the low-resolution rendering result to the page memory with applying an enlarging pixel process to the rendering result.

Abstract: A solid-state image pickup apparatus includes rows and columns of pixels, each column or each set of a plurality of columns being provided with an analog-to-digital converter. When an operation for holding analog electric signals performed by the analog-to-digital converters is performed simultaneously with an operation for outputting data from memories holding digital signals that are output from the analog-to-digital converters, “streaky noise” artifacts appear on an image obtained by such operations. To avoid this, the operation for holding the analog electric signals and the operation for outputting data from the memories holding the digital signals are set apart from each other by at least one data clock period of a scanning circuit.