Abstract: A wire-dot printing head having a plurality of printing elements each including an armature fixedly holding a printing wire on the free end thereof, a plate spring fixedly holding the armature on the free end thereof, a permanent magnet for attracting the armature to strain the plate spring so that strain energy is stored in the plate spring, and an electromagnet which cancels the magnetism of the permanent magnet when energized to release the armature so that the armature is returned to the free position thereof by the strain energy of the plate spring to advance the printing wire for printing. The plate spring has an operating lug portion which can be bent in either direction from outside, and an adjusting lug portion which is formed integrally with the operating lug portion and is moved in the opposite direction when the operating lug portion is moved in one direction to adjust the position of the base end of the armature so that the strain energy stored in the plate spring is varied.

Abstract: An IC card connecting mechanism connects an IC card having a terminal array with a connector for connecting the IC card to external equipment. The IC card connecting mechanism includes a frame of the IC card, having a peripheral rim provided with recesses at opposite ends of the front portion thereof, a terminal protecting member of the IC card, having a terminal protecting part for protectively covering the terminal array, and legs extending from the opposite longitudinal sides of the terminal protecting part and held at respective free ends thereof on the frame of the IC card. A body of the connector has guide legs for guiding the IC card upon inserting the IC card in the connector. Lifting devices provided in the body of the connector enter the recesses of the frame to lift up the terminal protecting part of the terminal protecting member when the IC card is inserted in the connector.

Abstract: In a thermal transfer recording device which performs thermal transfer recording by using an ink ribbon which applies monochrome or polychrome transfer of ink to a base film and moves the ink ribbon and paper holding them between a thermal head and a platen, a first control section outputs a signal for the control of the heat quantity of the thermal head based on input binary data, a second control section outputs a signal for the control of the heat quantity of the thermal head based on input multi-value data, a setting unit outputs setting results based on the setting of the binary data print mode or the multi-value data print mode, and a selection unit selects the output signal of the first control section or the second control section based on the above mentioned setting results and supplies it to the above-mentioned thermal head.

Abstract: A switching regulator includes a high frequency transformer having a primary and secondary and tertiary windings. It also has a switching element and shunt regulator and photo coupler and control circuit and these elements are arranged for controlling the on-period and the on-time of the switching element so as to increase the on-period as well as the on-time when the load is heavy. The switching losses caused by the limit of the capability of the switching element as a result of an increase in the on-period upon the load becoming light are prevented while the switching frequency is prevented from becoming an audio frequency upon the load becoming heavy. Thus, a high efficiency switching regulator with a wide range of equal load capacities may be constructed.

Abstract: An electromechanical actuator includes an electric motor and a control and drive circuit mounted integrally with the electric motor. The control and drive circuit includes a serial-to-parallel converter for converting a control signal in the form of serial data into parallel data, and a device responsive to the control signal in the form of parallel data for producing a drive current or voltage for the electric motor. A system for accessing or controlling a plurality of such actuators by commands from a main controller can include a control and drive circuit which is integral with the motor itself.

Abstract: In a method for operating a serial dot matrix printer having a print head that is reciprocated along a first direction and stopped for performing bi-directional printing on a medium that is moved in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, correction amounts for correcting the bi-directional printing alignment are stored in a memory device. The desire correction amount is then selected and stored in a battery-backed-up memory. The bi-directional printing then is performed using the desired correction amount stored in the battery-backed-up memory.

Abstract: A character pattern converting circuit is adapted to control a character pattern expressed in the form of a dot matrix and received from a character generator and to deliver the character pattern so converted, and includes a first switching circuit for switching the order of bits constituting the character pattern provided from the character generator; a matrix circuit having shift registers arranged in the form of a matrix, the shift registers being adapted to shift upon permitting the character pattern from the first switching circuit to be entered in succession in the row or column direction thereof and to be delivered in the row direction thereof, respective bits of the character pattern simultaneously or selectively in conformity with the mode of the concerning conversion; a second switching circuit for switching the order of the bits constituting the character pattern provided from the matrix circuit in conformity with the mode of the concerning conversion; and a matrix control part for controlling the

Abstract: A printer includes a first paper feed passage extending from the rear of a platen to a printing position through the lower part of the platen, and a second paper feed passage extending from substantially just under the printing position to the printing position. A first pinch roller is disposed on the way to the first paper feed passage for pressing a first paper against the platen. The first paper is fed by rotating the platen. A second pinch roller is disposed on the way to the second paper feed passage for pressing the second paper against the platen. Rotation of the platen causes the second paper to be fed. In addition, a paper insertion device includes a flat part for placing a paper thereon and a slit for converting the advance direction of a paper from horizontal to vertical. With the second paper placed on the flat part and inserted into the printer, the paper is directed upwardly by a curved surface defining the slit and is allowed to enter the second paper feed passage with ease for further advance.

Abstract: A paper feeding control system of an automatic paper feeder has a setting device for enabling a position to head a printing medium to be reset. The setting device consists of a read/write enable nonvolatile memory for holding a reset value of the heading position of the printing medium. Upon taking in and setting the printing medium, an operating panel switch is operated to correct the heading position of the printing medium. In addition, the corrected value is again written in the memory, whereby the heading position of the printing medium can be corrected and altered.

Abstract: In a printer in which a printing medium is moved by a line-feed stepping motor during line-feed operation, and the line-feed stepping motor is stopped during printing operation and in a ready state, the line-feed stepping motor is caused to generate a first holding torque for preventing unwanted movement of the printing medium while permitting the operator to feed the printing medium manually, in the ready state of the printer, and the line-feed stepping motor is caused to generate a second holding torque which is greater than the first holding torque, during the printing operation.

Abstract: A driving apparatus for controlling the drive of a direct current (DC) brushless motor including a stator having a plurality of armature coils which are provided on a generally circular stator yoke, and a rotatable rotor in which a disk-like magnet having N and S poles arranged alternately in a circumferential direction is provided on a generally circular rotor yoke to face the armature coils, includes a speed sensor for producing outputs responsive to a rotation speed of the rotor, a counter for counting the pulses which are produced by the speed sensors, a control circuit responsive to the speed sensors and counter for controlling the current applied to the armature coils in a predetermined sequence to thereby rotate the rotor, and a mechanism for cancelling a load acting on the rotor.

Abstract: A flexible cable has a grounding pattern or patterns provided therein. Thereby, when an object having static electricity of high voltage is caused to approach the flexible cable, dielectric breakdown of a base and cover of a high polymer material of the cable, to a conducting portion of the cable which is not exposed at the interior of the flexible cable is prevented, and damage to an electronic circuit connected with the not exposed portion, due to electric discharge, can be prevented by causing the static electricity to be discharged to the exposed grounding pattern.

Abstract: A printer comprises a first paper feed passage extending from the rear of a platen to a printing position through the lower part of the platen, and a second paper feed passage extending from substantially just under the printing position to the printing position. A first pinch roller is disposed on the way to the first paper feed passage for pressing a first paper against the platen. The first paper is fed by rotating the platen. A second pinch roller is disposed on the way to the second paper feed passage for pressing the second paper against the platen. Rotation of the platen here causes the second paper to be fed. In addition, a paper insertion device according to the present invention includes a flat part for placing a paper thereon and a slit for converting the advance direction of a paper from horizontal to vertical.

Abstract: A carriage moving mechanism includes a carriage movably mounted on a guide shaft, a travelling motor fixedly mounted on the carriage, the travelling motor including a pinion mounted on a rotary shaft thereof, a rack provided in substantially parallel to the guide shaft, the rack being rigid longitudinally and flexible in a perpendicular direction to the longitudinal direction, the rack having longitudinally a tooth part engaged with the pinion, the surface of the rack located on the opposite side of the surface of the tooth part being substantially parallel to the guide shaft, a roller rotatably mounted on the carriage, the roller radially facing to the pinion and making contact with the opposite side surface to the tooth surface of the rack, the rack being rotatably mounted on the frame in one end thereof and restricted by the frame in the other end thereof in the extent of moving thereof or directly fixed on the frame in the other end thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of leading a moving body, such as a print head carrier of a printer of the like, which is driven by a direct current brushless motor, to a starting position. The direct current brushless motor, which forms part of the present invention, includes a stator including a plurality of armature coils secured on a stator yoke through a substrate, a disk-like magnet having N and S poles arranged alternately in the circumferential direction, the magnet being arranged to confront the armature coils, and a rotatable rotor provided with a speed-detecting slit arranged outside the magnet. Rotating power is obtained by applying an electric current corresponding to the magnetic pole of the magnet to each armature coil.

Abstract: To simplify both the printed circuit board connector structure itself and the circuit board connecting work, the improved circuit board connector comprises a connector body and plural roughly U-shaped spring contacts elastically housed within the connector body. Circuit boards to be connected are engageable with the board connector in card edge connection manner or in bolt-nut connection manner. The above board connector is simple in structure and in connecting operation so as to be available for an automatic mass-production assembly process line.

Abstract: Disclosed is a serial printer comprising a carriage loaded with a printing head and moved in the horizontal direction, wherein a motor is contained in the carriage, a pinion is attached to a rotor shaft of the motor, a rack engaged with this pinion is attached onto a guide rail for movably supporting the carriage and the carriage loaded with the printing head is moved along the rack by rotating the pinion engaged with the rack by rotation of the motor.In this serial printer, the power loss of the motor due to the presence of an intermediate power transmitting member indispensable for the conventional printer, such as a wire rope, a toothed belt or a screw shaft, can be eliminated, and occurrence of troubles due to stretching or deformation of this intermediate power transmitting member is prevented. Accordingly, the capacity of moving and positioning the printing head is increased.