Abstract: A vehicle navigation apparatus displays an expressway guide diagram indicating the names of plural exits at which a travelling vehicle can exit an expressway and the distance and estimated arrival time to each of the exits. The expressway guide diagram includes a map display for indicating a display of a surrounding-area map of an exit. When the map display is operated, the display scale of the surrounding-area map is determined so as to contain a predetermined number of representative facilities, and the surrounding-area map is displayed on a display device according to the display scale. Therefore, with respect to each exit at which the vehicle can get off the expressway, a map based on the proper display scale corresponding to the positional relationship between each exit and facilities can be displayed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that allow a user to choose to display or not to display information obtained from a server, e.g. an advertisement, which is to be displayed on a screen of the image forming apparatus, according to the user's own will is provided.

Abstract: Branch-point image data has coordinates added thereto according to the distance from a branch point such as an intersection. When the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from a branch point on a suggested route, the coordinates of the present position of the vehicle and the coordinates added to the branch-point image data are compared to locate the present position on the image data, and a present-position mark is displayed superimposed on the branch-point image data. The displayed present-position mark moves according to the distance between the vehicle and the branch point.

Abstract: Map data is divided into meshes of a prescribed size. Treating four meshes as one group, mesh numbers are assigned to the meshes following an N pattern. After numbers are assigned to the four meshes, these four meshes are collected as one, and numbers are assigned to respective meshes following an N pattern. The map data storage medium stores the map data according to mesh number. As a result, data portions for areas located in close proximity are positioned in close proximity in the map database (storage medium), to thereby improve access efficiency.

Abstract: An ink-jet printer includes a rotary drum 10, having a dielectric peripheral surface 11, for rotating at a constant speed, a sheet loader 90 for loading a sheet to the rotary drum 10, a sheet holding system for causing the sheet to be held on the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10, and a print head section 200 for printing an image on the sheet held on the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10 by jetting ink to the sheet while the rotary drum 10 makes a predetermined number of rotations. Particularly, the sheet holding system includes a charging section 20 and a supplementary charger section 26. The charging section 20 is charges the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10 on an upstream side of the loading point where the leading end of the sheet loaded by the sheet loader 90 contacts the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10. The supplementary charger section 26 charges the sheet to supplement the electrostatic attraction force attenuated during the rotation of the rotary drum 10.

Abstract: The invention provides an image forming apparatus having sheet supply device, image forming device for forming an image on a sheet supplied by the sheet supply device, fixing device for fixing the image formed on the sheet, a sheet guide for guiding the movement of the sheet, and a control board bearing an element for controlling the image forming device, wherein the sheet guide positioned between the sheet supply device and the fixing device is provided substantially linearly in such a manner that the sheet moves in an inclined upward direction, and the control board is provided in a space under the sheet guide and at the bottom face of the apparatus.

Abstract: Map data is divided into meshes of a prescribed size. Treating four meshes as one group, mesh numbers are assigned to the meshes following an N pattern. After numbers are assigned to the four meshes, these four meshes are collected as one, and numbers are assigned to respective meshes following an N pattern. The map data storage medium stores the map data according to mesh number. As a result, data portions for areas located in close proximity are positioned in close proximity in the map database (storage medium), to thereby improve access efficiency.

Abstract: An ink-jet printer includes a sheet feed-in mechanism 60 for feeding a paper sheet, a rotary drum 10 having a peripheral surface 11 of a size larger than the paper sheet to be fed by the sheet feed-in mechanism 60, for rotating at a constant speed, a sheet holding system 20 for holding the paper sheet on the peripheral surface of the rotary drum, a print head 200 for printing an image by repeatedly ejecting ink onto the paper sheet held on the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 10 while the rotary drum 10 performs a predetermined number of rotations, a sheet separator 140 for separating the paper sheet from the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum, a sheet feed-out mechanism 160 for feeding out the paper sheet separated by the sheet separator 140, a control unit 111 for controlling the sheet feed-in mechanism 60, the rotary drum 10, the sheet holding system 20, the print head 200, the sheet separator 140 and the sheet feed-out mechanism 160.

Abstract: An ink-jet printer includes a rotary drum 10, having a dielectric peripheral surface 11, for rotating at a constant speed, a sheet loader 90 for loading a sheet to the rotary drum 10, a sheet holding system for causing the sheet to be held on the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10, and a print head section 200 for printing an image on the sheet held on the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10 by jetting ink to the sheet while the rotary drum 10 makes a predetermined number of rotations. Particularly, the sheet holding system includes a charging section 20 and a supplementary charger section 26. The charging section 20 is charges the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10 on an upstream side of the loading point where the leading end of the sheet loaded by the sheet loader 90 contacts the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10. The supplementary charger section 26 charges the sheet to supplement the electrostatic attraction force attenuated during the rotation of the rotary drum 10.

Abstract: A color ink jet printer for forming a color image on a recording medium transported, by ejecting a plurality of colors of ink along a direction intersecting a transportation direction of the recording medium, includes a plurality of ink jet units corresponding to a plurality of colors of ink, each one of which has a plurality of ink jet nozzles arranged along the direction intersecting the recording medium transportation direction, wherein an ink jet nozzle arrangement density in the ink jet unit which uses an ink used most frequently in the plurality of ink jet units is set higher than the arrangement density of the ink jet nozzles of each of the remainder of the plurality of ink jet units.

Abstract: An ink-jet printer includes a rotary drum 10, having a dielectric peripheral surface 11, for rotating at a constant speed, a sheet loader 90 for loading a sheet to the rotary drum 10, a sheet holding system for causing the sheet to be held on the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10, and a print head section 200 for printing an image on the sheet held on the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10 by jetting ink to the sheet while the rotary drum 10 makes a predetermined number of rotations. Particularly, the sheet holding system includes a charging section 20 and a supplementary charger section 26. The charging section 20 charges the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10 on an upstream side of the loading point where the leading end of the sheet loaded by the sheet loader 90 contacts the peripheral surface 11 of the rotary drum 10. The supplementary charger section 26 charges the sheet to supplement the electrostatic attraction force attenuated during the rotation of the rotary drum 10.

Abstract: In an apparatus which cannot detect a size of recording sheet before the recording sheet is fed, the first recording sheet is regarded as having the maximum size and paper feeding is controlled on this basis and the size of the sheet is measured during the conveyance of the recording sheet. For the second or third and subsequent recording sheets, paper feeding control is executed at a paper feeding interval at which a maximum throughput is obtained in accordance with the measured size.

Abstract: A heat fixing apparatus includes a heater; a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the heater; a bias wave number determining limit for determining the number of bias waves corresponding to a predetermined image fixing temperature in accordance with utility voltage source voltage; a bias wave number changing unit for changing a bias wave number in accordance with temperature changing rate of the heater; and a supply wave number control unit for controlling the number of waves supplied to the heater in accordance with an output of the temperature sensor and bias wave number. The unit includes a PID controller.

Abstract: An exposing device includes a laser light source section for emitting a laser beam, an optical scanning section for scanning a surface of a photosensitive drum in one direction with the laser beam emitted from the laser light source section, and a light source driving section for selectively driving the laser source in dot exposing cycles to form one of an exposure dot and non-exposure dot on the surface of the photosensitive drum within a scanning range of the optical scanning section. Particularly, the light source driving section incudes a laser control circuit for changing a laser power of the laser beam in a predetermined control pattern during each dot exposing cycle assigned to form an exposure dot adjacent to a non-exposure dot. The control pattern is predetermined such that the laser power is changed from a first level to a second level lower than the first level in a first half of the dot exposing cycle, and from the second level to the first level in the remaining half of the dot exposing cycle.

Abstract: A laser scanner control circuit which is used for an apparatus for scanning onto a photo sensitive material by a laser beam and forming and image thereon is constructed as a monolithic driver IC onto a single chip. A reset circuit is provided for a sample-hold circuit so as to minimize the laser power when the image forming apparatus is in a standby mode. A circuit to detect an abnormality of the laser power is further provided. Due to this, the safety of the laser power control of the sample-hold circuit is improved. The operation of the sample-hold circuit can be started at a time point when the laser emitting operation is stable.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a heating member; a temperature detecting member for detecting the temperature of the heating member; a power supply controller for controlling the power supply to the heating member so that the temperature detected by the temperature detecting element during a fixing operation is maintained substantially constant at a predetermined fixing temperature; and a temperature selecting device for selecting a fixing temperature in response to both the temperature of the heating member before beginning of the fixing temperature control and a rate of the temperature change of the heating member upon supplying a predetermined amount of power to the heating member or upon turning it off.

Abstract: A laser scanner control circuit which is used for an apparatus for scanning onto a photo sensitive material by a laser beam and forming an image thereon is constructed as a monolithic driver IC onto a single chip. A reset circuit is provided for a sample-hold circuit so as to minimize the laser power when the image forming apparatus is in a standby mode. A circuit to detect an abnormality of the laser power is further provided. Due to this, the safety of the laser power control of the sample-hold circuit is improved. The operation of the sample-hold circuit can be started at a time point when the laser emitting operation is stable.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a heater; temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the heater; electric power supply controller for controlling electric power supply to the heater during image heating, so that the temperature detector detects a predetermined set temperature; and a temperature determining device for determining the set temperature on the basis of a change of the temperature detected by the temperature detector when electric power supply to the heater is stopped.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a detecting unit that detects the size of a recording medium and a designating unit that designates the size of a recording medium onto which an image is to be recorded. The comparing unit compares the detected size with the designated size to determine which size is larger and a control unit controls the apparatus to perform operations such that an operation when the detected size is larger than the designated size is different from that when the detected size is smaller than the designated size.

Abstract: An apparatus for properly adjusting an attitude of optical axes of head lamps on a vehicle includes a motor driven actuator and a controlling section. The motor driven actuator additionally includes a voltage dividing circuit comprising two resistors and one of a plurality of contact positions in the controlling section is earthed directly, whereby a resistance value of the controlling section becomes zero ohm when the angle of elevation assumed by the head lamps is maximized in an upward tilted state. A motor circuit in the motor driven actuator includes in a power supply line an element for preventing an excessive intensity of electric current from being fed to a motor when motor is held in a blocked state for some reason. Preferably, the element has positive temperature characteristics which suppress generation of heat when rotation of the motor is blocked.