Abstract: An optical recording system is disclosed in which input pixels are recorded by controlling the quantity of light as a medium based on the input pixels. The information on the pixels surrounding at least given one of the input pixels is compared with predetermined pattern information, and the particular pixel is accordingly subdivided into a plurality of regions for each of which the light quantity is controlled. Specifically, an optical recording system includes a recognition device for recognizing at least one feature of the desired image by comparing pixel information constituting a predetermined pattern with other pixel information making up a recording target and at least a given one of the pixels with surrounding pixels, and a device for determining the light quantity in a predetermined manner in accordance with the feature.

Abstract: A main control unit for controlling a dot printing element in a laser beam printer has a first control means for controlling the dot printing element so as to print a predetermined dot size in accordance with an existence of a dot signal in an image information signal. The main control unit has a second control means and a control selection means. The second control means controls the dot printing element so as to vary a size of the dot of a dither matrix. The control selection means operates selectively the first control means and the second control means. A gradation data is transmitted to the printer without conversion of a dither matrix data. The printer can print an image in response to in either cases of a character pattern dot data signal and a gradation data signal. The printer has a gradation signal on an interference, a gradation converting means and a laser modulating means. The printer can connect in either cases of an existence state and a non-existence state of the gradation signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a binary video signal carrying information of dots to be printed. The binary video signal is at a relatively higher or lower level for the whole of each bit time to constitute a unit portion of the binary video signal. The unit portion of the binary video signal at one of the levels is representative of one dot.

Abstract: The face pressure distribution shape of the graze portion of the thermal head is made to be consistent with the temperature distribution shape of the graze portion of the thermal head. The temperature distribution shape of the graze portion of the thermal head is made to be consistent with the face pressure distribution shape of the graze portion of the thermal head. The graze portion of the thermal head is formed projectingly in two steps, and the heating resistor element of the thermal head is provided on the top portion of the graze portion of the thermal head. A thermal transfer printer having no ink void and no ink transfer unevenness can be obtained.

Abstract: A thin film type thermal head includes a head substrate member, a partial projected glaze portion mounted on the head substrate member, a plurality of heating resistor elements provided on the partial projected glaze portion with each of the heating resistor elements having a uniform thin thickness and two electrode end portions. A common electrode is provided on the partial projected glaze portion and an individual control electrode is also provided on the partial projected glaze portion.

Abstract: A thermal trasfer printer including a thermal head, and a platen positioned against the thermal head through a printing sheet. The thermal head has a substrate formed of heat insulating material, at least one glaze layer on a top surface of the substrate extending longitudinally thereof, a plurality of heat generating elements on the glaze layer, a plurality of electrodes each connected to the heat generating elements in a manner to form an opening for the heat generating elements and a protective layer for preventing the electrodes and heat generating elements from contacting the printing sheet to avoid their wear. A portion of the protective layer for protectng the heat generating elements has a height which is greater by more than 5 .mu.m than the height of a portion of the protective layer for protecting the electrodes. The width of the glaze layer transversely of the substrate is less than 200 .mu.m at a location which is 10 .mu.

Abstract: A thermal head for use in a dot-matrix printer is disclosed in which a plurality of heating elements for printing dots on recording paper are arranged in a line oblique with respect the moving direction of the thermal head, the dimension of the heating surface of each heating element in a direction parallel to the moving direction of the thermal head is made smaller than the dimension of the heating surface in a direction perpendicular to the above moving direction, each of wiring conductor pairs for supplying a current to the heating elements is extended from both ends of the heating surface in the lengthwise direction thereof, in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the thermal head, one wiring conductor of each wiring conductor pair is connected to a common wiring conductor, and the other wiring conductor of each wiring conductor pair is connected directly to a drive circuit.

Abstract: In a serial thermal transfer printer or serial thermal printer comprising; a thermal head having a plurality of heat elements arrayed in a line; and means for selectively energizing and driving the plurality of heat elements in synchronous relation with the relative movement between the thermal head and the ink ribbon or heat sensitive paper, wherein when printing dots are successively positioned in the direction of the relative movement between the thermal head and the ink ribbon or heat sensitive paper, printing timing of the last dot is set ahead so as to be earlier than normal printing timing. When the previous printing data is "1" (recording) and the subsequent printing data is "0" (not recording), the position of the present printed dot is shifted toward the previous printed dot to compress the entire width in case of two or more successive dots.

Abstract: A thermal printer comprising a print head having many thermal resistors, a movable carriage with the print head mounted thereon, and a ribbon cassette mounted on the carriage. Print data transmitted from a host system, such as a personal computer, in the form of character code is conducted through a processor into character buffers separately for each line, the print data are transformed into dot-matrix data by character generators CG(L) and CG(S), the converted dot matrix data for two lines are stored through the processor into a dot line buffer, the contents of the dot line buffer are transferred to a shift register, and a head driver for the thermal resistors is activated in response to data from the shift register.

Abstract: A thermal printer comprises a plurality of thermal elements incorporated in a printing head. The thermal elements are pre-heated in dependence on logical product of data derived through inversion of data printed in the preceding cycle and data to be printed in the instant cycle, to thereby prevent excessive temperature rise in the printing head and suppress the power consumption to a minimum.

Abstract: A thermal printer includes an inked ribbon, an inked ribbon take-up mechanism, a print head with two arrays of thermal resistance elements, a carriage mounting the print head, and a controller for controlling the print operation. The printer is provided with print mode switching circuit which selects low-speed print mode in which one array of thermal resistance elements is activated for each dot pitch for printing, or high-speed print mode in which the two arrays of thermal resistance elements are activated alternately for every dot pitch for printing. The printer having the print head with two thermal resistance elements is capable of high-speed printing and also high quality printing at a low print speed.

Abstract: A CRT hard copy apparatus for sampling a picture signal from a CRT display and for recording the sampled signal on a recording paper. In order to obtain a suitable CRT hard copy for both kinds of CRT display in which the number of characters per screen is large and small, the CRT hard copy apparatus is constructed to include a first sampling means for sampling in the horizontal scanning direction a video signal on a CRT display of small number of characters per screen, and a second sampling means for sampling in the vertical direction to the horizontal scanning lines a video signal on a CRT display of large number of characters per screen. In addition, a switching means is provided to actuate only the first sampling means upon horizontal scanning and both the first and second sampling means upon vertical scanning.

Abstract: Method of and apparatus for driving, in accordance with a recording signal, a thermal head including a plurality of heating blocks each having M aligned heating elements (M: a positive integer), the amplitude of the recording signal being at a low level or at a high level, in which the number of occurrences of the high level in the recording signal is counted and a block drive signal is produced when the counted number reaches a pre-set value K (K: a positive integer larger than M), the sum of the number of occurrences of the high level and that of the low level in that signal portion of the recording signal within which the high level occurs K times being N, and the number P (P: a positive integer) of successive heating blocks is determined to simultaneously enable the heating elements of the P successive heating blocks in accordance with that signal portion of the recording signal within which the high level occurs not more than K times where PXM.ltoreq.N< (P+1)XM.