Abstract: The image forming apparatus comprises: a plurality of nozzles; a plurality of liquid supply channels each of which is communicated with a corresponding one of the plurality of nozzles and supplies a liquid to the corresponding one of the plurality of nozzles; a plurality of drive elements each of which applies pressure in the liquid in a corresponding one of the liquid supply channels so as to eject the liquid as a droplet from the corresponding one of the plurality of nozzles; a pressure determination device which is arranged through the plurality of liquid supply channels and determines a pressure of the liquid in each of the liquid supply channels applied by a corresponding one of the plurality of drive elements, the pressure determination device being separated from the plurality of drive elements; and a failed ejection detection device which detects failed ejection of the droplet from each of the plurality of liquid supply channels according to the pressure determined by the pressure determination device

Abstract: The inkjet recording head comprises: pressure chambers in which nozzles for discharging ink are formed; diaphragms which form portions of walls of the pressure chambers; laminated piezoelectric elements which are disposed on the diaphragms at a side opposite from the pressure chambers and are formed by alternately laminating piezoelectric elements and electrodes for driving the piezoelectric elements in a lamination direction; and lead electrodes which mutually join the electrodes that impart a same electric potential of the laminated electrodes in a plane orthogonal to the lamination direction.

Abstract: The discharge determination device which determines discharge status in a droplet discharge apparatus comprising: a nozzle which discharges a droplet of liquid; a pressure chamber which is connected to the nozzle and stores the liquid to be discharged from the nozzle; a supply flow channel which supplies the liquid to the pressure chamber and is connected to the pressure chamber; and an actuator which causes the droplet to be discharged from the nozzle by causing at least a portion of the pressure chamber to deform and thereby applies a pressure change to the liquid inside the pressure chamber, the discharge determination device comprises: a pressure determination device which is disposed inside the pressure chamber and includes a film member forming a portion of a face constituting the pressure chamber, the film member being displaceable in accordance with pressure change in the liquid inside the pressure chamber, the pressure determination device outputting a determination signal in accordance with displace

Abstract: The inkjet recording apparatus comprises: a head which ejects ink droplets of light-curable ink to a print medium to form an image on the print medium; a light irradiating device which is located at a downstream side of the head, and irradiates light from a light source onto the ink droplets immediately after the ink droplets have been deposited on the print medium; and a control device which controls the light irradiating device in such a manner that luminous energy irradiated onto a region of the print medium where bleeding of the ink droplets would be conspicuous is greater than luminous energy irradiated onto another region of the print medium.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium by using coloring materials of at least three colors of cyan, magenta and yellow, wherein: at least one of the cyan and magenta color materials is a coloring material of lower density than the yellow; and ink brightness or perception of graininess on the recording medium is substantially the same for each of the three coloring materials, if recording is carried out on the recording medium according to any one condition of: a first condition wherein recording is carried out using substantially the same dot size for each color, at a recording rate of 100%; a second condition wherein recording is carried out using substantially the same dot size for each color, at the same recording rate for each color with respect to the surface area of the recording medium that is to be evaluated, and at an overlap rate of 100%; and a third condition wherein recording is carried out using substantially the same dot size distribution for each color, at the same re

Abstract: The image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium by using coloring materials of a plurality of colors including at least cyan, magenta and yellow, and the apparatus comprises: a cyan recording head which has a plurality of cyan recording elements for forming cyan recording pixels on the recording medium; a magenta recording head which has a plurality of magenta recording elements for forming magenta recording pixels on the recording medium; a yellow recording head which has a plurality of yellow recording elements for forming yellow recording pixels on the recording medium, a density of the plurality of yellow recording elements arranged in the yellow recording head being lower than each of a density of the plurality of cyan recording elements arranged in the cyan recording head and a density of the plurality of magenta recording elements arranged in the magenta recording head; and a recording control device which controls a recording operation in such a manner that a recording density of the

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of determining characteristic correction data from reference data values picked up through an image sensor by scanning a reference original a plurality of times per one photoelectric conversion element of the image sensor. A running mean value of the reference data values is calculated with respect to a respective one of the photoelectric conversion elements, and is served as low spatial frequency component data. High spatial frequency component data is obtained by subtracting the running mean values from the reference data values with respect to the respective one of the photoelectric conversion elements. Noise components are eliminated from the high spatial frequency component data by averaging only those data values of the high spatial frequency component data which are not less than AV−K&sgr; and not more than AV+K&sgr;, wherein AV is a mean value and &sgr; is a standard deviation of the high spatial frequency component data, and K is a predetermined constant.

Abstract: Objects of the present invention are to facilitate filling out by hand an electronic paper and to realize digitization of contents with which the electronic paper is filled out by hand with a simple structure. A read image is obtained by optically reading a reading-object of the electronic paper. Based on the document information written on the electronic paper and writing-conditions during document writing, which are represented by the document information, a display image of the document in accordance with the read image information is formed. A written image is separated and extracted by converting a density only of pixels among the respective pixels of the read image, whose densities vary in accordance with the document writing and which correspond to a portion, to which ink of a pen for the handwriting is not adhered.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to obtain a high-quality image by reading an image of an electronic paper with high accuracy. When optically copying the electronic paper, a controller reads out display characteristics such as a reading resolution and a reading light quantity from a display characteristic memory of the electronic paper. The controller performs optical copying processing after setting optimal conditions on the basis of the display characteristics which have been read out from the display characteristic memory.

Abstract: At a host device, attribute information (the presence or absence of an overwriting prohibition and the like) of each of image display mediums (electronic papers) is stored in association with individual identification numbers, which are unique to each image display medium. Hence, when a predetermined image is to be displayed at an image display medium in accordance with input from an operation portion, for example, an image display medium for which an overwriting prohibition has not been written to the attribute information can be selected, and image data can be transmitted to this display medium for displaying the image. Thus, image display at each image display medium can be excellently controlled in accordance with attribute information such as overwriting prohibitions and the like.

Abstract: A recording medium is structured by a recording layer, which is for storing storage data, and an indication layer, which is for indication information used for identifying the storage data, being laminated together. Writing and deletion are possible at the indication layer. A PC generates inputted storage data and indication information for identifying the storage data, and transmits them to a writing/reading device. The writing/reading device writes the storage data and the indication information to the recording medium. The storage data is written at the recording layer, and the indication information is written at the indication layer. The storage data stored at the recording medium can be easily and correctly grasped.

Abstract: A holding stand is constituted by a carrying case for holding sheets of electronic paper and a base for uprightly supporting the carrying case that is substantially vertical. From the holding stand, two page fields, each expressing the number of pages of sheets of electronic paper to be displayed and position page field expressing a current page position of electronic paper and incremented on each of the sheets, are added to image data, and the image data is output to the sheets of electronic paper. In each sheets, when the two page fields coincide with each other in comparison between the two page fields, an image based on the image data is displayed in a display region. When the two page fields are different from each other, the position page field is incremented by one, and the position page field is transmitted to the next electronic paper.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of determining characteristic correction data from reference data values picked up through an image sensor by scanning a reference original a plurality of times per one photoelectric conversion element of the image sensor. A running mean value of the reference data values is calculated with respect to a respective one of the photoelectric conversion elements, and is served as low spatial frequency component data. High spatial frequency component data is obtained by subtracting the running mean values from the reference data values with respect to the respective one of the photoelectric conversion elements. Noise components are eliminated from the high spatial frequency component data by averaging only those data values of the high spatial frequency component data which are not less than AV-K&sgr; and not more than AV+K&sgr;, wherein AV is a mean value and &sgr; is a standard deviation of the high spatial frequency component data, and K is a predetermined constant.

Abstract: A CCD line sensor is adjusted to a dynamic range capable of reliably reading a maximum density (highest density) so as to ascertain the density distribution of an original image (prescan). Next, a pixel which outputs date having a density value higher than a predetermined density threshold value (for example, D=about 2.0 to 2.3 with a maximum density value D as 3 to 3.3) is extracted from image data obtained by one scanning. At the main scanning time, a liquid crystal shutter is operated, transmittance is reduced, and an original image is read only when light is received by the extracted pixel(main scan). An image reading method is provided as mentioned above, and also a scanner for restraining the deterioration of the S/N ratio from the low density area of the original image to the high density area thereof and reliably reading the original image is obtained.

Abstract: The improved method of color correction control is capable of assuring the desired amounts of color correction at all times, thereby reproducing a high-quality image of good color balance even from an original image that is so much upset in color balance as to require that color filters for three primary colors be inserted into the optical path in greatly varying amounts. Seven tables are preliminarily constructed for each of the three primary colors that represent the relationships between the amounts of insertion of color filter into the optical path and the amounts of resulting color correction, three tables for the insertion of three single color filters, three for the insertion of any two filters and one for the insertion of the three filters in combination.

Abstract: An exposure device which scans and exposes a photosensitive material at low cost and with an appropriate amount of light. In a state in which the original is moved, light adjusted by a light-adjusting filter is transmitted through a light-attenuating filter and then is illuminated onto the original. The light-attenuating filter has regions 54A1, 54A2, 54A3, . . . having a fixed transmittance and a region 54B having the same transmittance of the regions 54A1, 54A2, 54A3, . . . The light-attenuating filter is moved and a transmission region on the regions 54A1, 54A2, 54A3, . . . of light illuminated onto the original is adjusted, so that an amount of light illuminated onto the original becomes an amount of light corresponding to exposure conditions. When the amount of light corresponding to the exposure conditions is the minimum amount of light, the light-attenuating filter is moved so that light illuminated onto the original is transmitted through the region 54B.

Abstract: The improved image recording apparatus scans a transmission-type original with light from a light source and allows the light through the original to be focused on a light-receiving material by means of an imaging lens. The apparatus comprises the light source, a lens or a mirror that converge or collimate the light from the light source, and a lens or a mirror that have more one focus and that are placed in the optical path between said light converging or collimating lens or mirror and the transmission-type original. The apparatus is capable of so efficient utilization of light as to have a sufficient quantity of the transmitted light fall on the entrance pupil of the imaging lens and is capable of recording high-quality images that render the dust buildup or other flaws on the transmission-type original less noticeable.

Abstract: A method of forming a coposite film over the surface of aluminum materials, for forming an aluminum oxide film over the surface of an aluminum material, and metal deposits in the aluminum oxide film so as to connect electrically with the aluminum material, in which a voltage is applied to the aluminum material immersed in a sulfuric acid solution to form an aluminum oxide film having pores over the surface of the aluminum material; then the voltage is dropped sharply to near zero while the aluminum material is immersed in the sulfuric acid solution, and a voltage of approximately 0.1 V or less is applied to the aluminum material to dissolve the aluminum oxide film forming the bottoms of the pores; and then the aluminum material coated with the aluminum oxide film is nickel-plated through electroplating to form nickel deposits in the pores of the aluminum oxide film so that the nickel deposts connect electrically with the aluminum material.

Abstract: Green sheets can be laminated without destroying the cross-sectional shape of a metallization pattern printed on a green sheet by burying the pattern in the green sheet while freezing the pattern and heating the green sheet until the green sheet containing the pattern has a flat top surface. Accordingly, the pattern is buried in the green sheet and the shape of the pattern is preserved. When laminated and pressed, the pattern is not damaged since it has been buried in the green sheet.

Abstract: A heating apparatus especially suitable for use in a crystal growth system, comprises a combination of a high pressure xenon arc discharge lamp and an ellipsoidal reflecting mirror having first and second focal points to heat a material feed rod by concentrated infrared radiation from the xenon lamp. The reflecting mirror is divided into at least two mirror portions between which a substantially straight additional part of a predetermined length is interpositioned. The additional part makes the distance between the two foci longer by said predetermined length. The center positions of the xenon lamp and the feed rod are located respectively at points apart from each of the focal points toward each other at a distance corresponding to the predetermined length, so as to obtain a desirable temperature distribution around the rod relative to a major horizontal axial plane of the ellipsoidal reflecting mirror.