Abstract: A variable dot ink-jet printer having an ejection flow passage with a decrease in sectional area from an ejection port toward the interior of the flow passage and up to a boundary. A draw-in part draws an ink front position in the interior of the flow passage. A push-out part pushes out the ink front position outside the flow passage. When ejecting a small ink drop, the ink front position is drawn at a place having an increase in sectional area by the draw-in part. The ink is pushed outward by the push-out part at such a speed as to exit from an edge of an area of the boundary on the ejection port side.

Abstract: To measure the distance to targets, local maxima exceeding a threshold (&egr;) and being associated with a correlation function (f) are determined, the reference values of which are obtained from scalar products of a received signal (e), produced by reflections of an optical pulse by the targets, and number of comparison functions, copies of a reference function (r) which are shifted as a function of time, and the transit times of the reflections are derived from the time-related shifts of the corresponding comparison functions. By interpolation with respect to the time-related shifts or optimization thereof, for example by adjusting them so that the orthogonal distance of the received signal (e) from the vector space which is spanned by the corresponding comparison functions is a minimum, the transit times can be determined even more accurately.

Abstract: An automated test system that has analog and digital resources for testing mixed signal ICs. A control pattern is provided that is used by the automated test system to simultaneously control both the digital resources and the analog resources. The control pattern is comprised of a sequentially executed two-dimensional array with columns corresponding to analog and digital resources. The automated test system uses the control pattern to control both the analog and digital resources.

Abstract: A nozzle plate for an ink-jet head used in an ink-jet type recorder, comprising a flat plate member which defines an ink blow-out surface on one main surface thereof and has a plurality of ink blow-out nozzles penetrating at predetermined positions, wherein said ink blow-out surface and portions on the inner surfaces of said ink blow-out nozzles neighboring said ink blow-out surface, have, at least partly, an ink-repelling layer of a fluorine-contained resin-containing electrolytic or non-electrolytic composite plating. Upon forming a particular ink-repelling layer on the nozzle plate, it is possible to prevent the ink from staying adhered on the peripheries of the nozzles after the ink droplets are blown out from the nozzles, permitting the ink droplets to fly stably toward the recording medium.

Abstract: A printing apparatus on which a liquid jet head having a nozzle array made up of a plurality of nozzles is mounted to conduct printing operation, the printing apparatus includes a preliminary discharge acceptor port which receives a discharge liquid not used for the printing operation from the nozzles of the liquid jet head, wherein a length of the preliminary discharge acceptor port along the arranging direction of the nozzle array is shorter than the length of the liquid jet head along the arranging direction of the nozzle array.

Abstract: A battery pack and a residual battery capacity computing method. A correction coefficient associated with a temperature detected by a temperature detection unit is stored in the storage unit, the correction coefficient is read out and the residual battery capacity is computed based on the correction coefficient and the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit. If a correction coefficient associated with the detected temperature is not stored in the storage unit, a correction coefficient associated with a pre-set temperature ahead and at back of the detected temperature is read out from the storage unit to compute a correction coefficient associated with the detected temperature based on each read-out correction coefficient to compute the residual battery capacity based on the computed correction coefficient and the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit.

Abstract: A miniaturized rolled-paper holding mechanism is capable of detecting the residual quantity of rolled-paper in both horizontally and vertically installed states of a printer. The rolled-paper holding mechanism includes a rolled-paper holder, a holder cover, a positioning member, and a residual-paper-quantity sensor. The positioning member is structured such that, as the holder cover is opened or closed, the inclination angle of the positioning member is varied with respect to a second-bottom-portion inclined surface formed in the rolled-paper holder. Further, a second positioning groove—which, when the holder cover is closed, can be contacted with rolled-paper R having a given diameter—is formed between the positioning member and the second-bottom-portion inclined surface of the rolled-paper holder.

Abstract: An ink supply comprises an ink container having an opening for releasing ink and a valve member and a mechanism for biasing the valve member so as to prevent the flow of ink from the container when the ink supply is not mounted on a supply base. The ink jet system includes an ink reservoir, a cover enclosing the reservoir, and a neck having a threaded inner surface engaging the ink supply when the ink supply is inserted within a first opening within the neck The cover has a second opening that is concentric with and below the neck and the first opening to permit ink to flow from the ink supply, through the second opening and into the reservoir.

Abstract: Through comparison of electronic shape data for parts, the invention automatically detects a difference in shapes of products due to the design change, and/or searches for a product that is similar in shape. A shape analysis system comprises: an analysis tree node generator; a neighbor graph generator, for creating an edge between the nodes that are generated by the analysis tree node generator and that are geometrically adjacent, so as to produce a neighbor graph; and an analysis tree generator, for merging nodes in the neighbor graph that are generated by the neighbor graph generator and that are connected by the edge, for generating a new node in correlation with a 3d-shape that encloses patches included in the merged nodes and a shape analysis tree wherein the node acquired by merging is defined as a parent node and the other nodes, before being merged, are defined as child nodes.

Abstract: The printer and the printer assembly of the present invention has a line thermal head extending in the paper width direction; a non-roller type platen disposed so as to face the line thermal head for printing a thermal paper between the line thermal head and the platen; and a paper extracting device disposed on the paper ejection side of the line thermal head and the platen for feeding a thermal paper between a first and a second roller. The non-roller type platen can press the thermal paper with uniform pressure and without distortion even if it is thin. Moreover, it is possible to prevent distortion of the rollers of the extracting device even with small diameters by supporting middle parts of each shaft of respective rollers. Therefore, a thin and compact printer assemblies and printers are provided.

Abstract: A rotary position of a rotary element is registered by a sensor arrangement having at least two sensors and an evaluation circuit disposed downstream thereof. In each position of the rotary element, the sensors are capable of supply raw signals by which it is possible to determine which angular range the rotary element has rotated. A power generation system outputs power pulses to the sensor arrangement sufficiently frequently so that, by using the registered angular ranges, detection of the direction of rotation of the rotary element is possible.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method to process POC information for potential QC compliance issues. A system and method for implementation of traditional laboratory analyzer based QC compliance in point-of-care (POC) environments is disclosed. A specific system and method to analyze data from POC testing to identify when the testing exceeds the variation expected under stable operation (i.e., the testing is “out of control”) is disclosed. This system and method is characterized by solving the QC compliance problem for POC devices by individuals not trained in traditional laboratory practices. This also provides the capability in real-time or near real-time to analyze POC testing information regarding the performance of each POC device, reagent kit (i.e., one kit per analyte tested) and/or lot, and operator so one can respond quickly to a particular device, reagent kit and/or lot, or operator that is not performing properly.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of determining the states on a wafer to be processed, e.g., whether residue in the form of metal is left on the surface of a wafer after chemical-mechanical polishing. The method comprises the steps of calculating first spectral signatures from a first set of measurement sites on one or more training wafers. Each measurement site is known to be in one of two or more states. In the case of only two states, the states could be “residue present” and “residue absent” states. The next step involves correlating the first spectral signatures to the states on the training wafer(s). The next step then involves calculating second spectral signatures from a second set of measurement sites on a wafer where the states are unknown. The final step is determining the states on the wafer to be processed based on the second spectral signatures.

Abstract: A method including acting a pointer toward a first target value B of the pointer from an indicated value A1 of the pointer determined at the present time, comparing the first target value B and a second target value C, judging whether the second target value C is increased or decreased relative to first target value B, using a predetermined function to obtain an indicating characteristic which indicates a value equal to or more than first target value B from the indicated value A1 of the pointer where the second target value is increased, and an indicating characteristic indicating a value equal to or less than first target value B from indicated value A1 of the pointer where the second target value is decreased, and smoothly acting the pointer using an indicated value p in unit of output updating cycle in accordance with the indicating characteristics.

Abstract: A compound recording method and compound recording apparatus are provided for producing a printed product. The apparatus includes a plurality of image forming devices to form images on a plurality of recording sheets based on a plurality of image data arbitrarily obtained. Each of the image forming devices forms a separate image on a separate recording sheet in parallel with other image forming devices, and a sheet finisher is provided to accept the plurality of recording sheets ejected from the plurality of image forming devices and apply a designated finish-processing to the plurality of recording sheets on which the images are already formed by the plurality of image forming devices.

Abstract: A CPU temperature control circuit is provided that can vary the clock frequency and the power source voltage of a central processing unit (CPU) while the CPU meets the operational specifications. The comparison circuit 8 compares the temperature of the CPU 1 measured by the CPU temperature sensor 2 with temperature information previously stored in the ROM 6. The CLK and power-source control circuit 9 switches the clock frequency from a high frequency to a low frequency when the temperature of the CPU 1 becomes high. Then, the CKL and power-source control circuit 9 switches the power source voltage from a high voltage to a low voltage at the time the timer 12 counts up. When the temperature of the CPU 1 becomes low, the CLK and power-source control circuit 9 switches the power source voltage from a low voltage to a high voltage. Then, the CLK and power-source control circuit 9 switches the clock frequency from a low frequency to a high frequency at the time the timer 13 counts up.

Abstract: A method of compensating for errors in the measurement of the kinematic properties of an electric power steering motor for an automobile is disclosed. The method comprises generating a set of M-ary signals; measuring the pulse width of the set of M-ary signals; and measuring the time between the edges of the set of M-ary signals. The motor velocity may be directly measured by a tachometer or other such device. The motor position signal can be used to estimate the angular velocity of the motor, by determining the change in angular position of the motor divided by the change in time.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving microprocessor data acquisition. Noise in analog signals is removed by a low pass filter with a variable cutoff frequency controlled to cut off all frequencies above a frequency range of interest. The filtered signal is sampled by an analog-to-digital converter at a sampling rate which is variable and controlled to sample at a rate that is at least two times the low pass filter cutoff frequency thereby reducing the rate at which data is passed to a microprocessor and reducing the need for speed in the microprocessor's processing.

Abstract: A method for determining spraying parameters that are suitable as input values for a paint spraying unit that can electrostatically charge a liquid paint. In this case, at least one artificial neural network is used to determine the spraying parameters, an output of such a neural network being available for each spraying parameter. A suitable number of real measured values are fed to the one neural network or a plurality of neural networks as input values, initially in a learning phase. The measured values further contain associated real spraying parameters in addition to a paint thickness distribution in the form of discrete values. Input values are fed to the one neural network or a plurality of neural networks in the application phase. The input values being the result of an analysis of the paint thickness distribution of a targeted, that is to say prescribed, spraying result.

Abstract: A method of selecting devices for use in a fluid pipeline network, wherein items of data concerning devices are stored in a pipe database, a pipe joint database and a valve database, and calculating equations for use in computation are also stored. Devices are temporarily selected by using the stored device data, and then computation is performed by using the stored calculating equations, thereby allowing device selection to be made easily. In addition, a block diagram of the fluid pipeline network can be made easily.