Abstract: A data transmission system and method is provided for furnishing data to respective drivers for a multicolor sparse array non-impact recording head that includes plural sets of recording elements for sequentially exposing a single pixel area on a recording medium. In one recording mode each recording element of a set of recording elements for recording one color is provided with the same color component exposure data to sequentially control enablement of the plural recording elements at the pixel area. In a second mode at least one of the recording elements of the set is disabled from recording at the pixel area whereas at least one other recording element of the set is enabled to record with a color component exposure at the pixel area.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus has a support shoe with an at-least-partially cylindrical inner surface for receiving a recording media. A rotor is simultaneously rotatable about, and linearly translated along, a fixed axis; and a write head assembly is carried by the rotor to write on recording media received on the inner surface of the support shoe. A pair of disks, having arcuate outer peripheries, are supported within the support shoe for movement with the rotor along the fixed axis on opposed axial sides of the rotor. One of the disks leads the translation of the rotor along the fixed axis as the rotor moves in either axial direction during a write operation. The disks are rotationally fixed relative to the support shoe and have circular outer peripheries.

Abstract: A gray scale printer is adapted to modulate an exposure source in both amplitude and duration in accordance with an eight-bit data signal. The printer provides for modulating the amplitude of the exposure source in accordance with the six least significant bits of the data signal, and for modulating the duration of the exposure source in accordance with the two most significant bits of the data signal. Amplitude modulation may effect electrical current to the exposure source, and the duration modulation may effect pulse width of electrical current to the exposure source. The exposure source may be, for example, a laser diode or a light-emitting diode array.

Abstract: An image data transmission system minimizes image data source access cycles and serial transmission channel bandwidth requirements when supplying image data to a sparse LED array in a rotary printer. A subpixel data accessing unit is employed within the transmission system to compensate for the physical offset of red, green and blue diode sets in a page scan direction. A column correction unit is employed to accommodate redundant exposure of an image location by the diodes in a line scan direction. The subpixel data accessing unit preferably includes a set of First-In, First-Out (FIFO) memories, which receive input lines of image data with pixels organized as sets of three bytes corresponding the red, green and blue (RGB) information of unique physical locations of an image and output lines of image data with R, G and B components from pixels in offset input lines. The column correction unit preferably includes a tapped parallel shift register memory.

Abstract: A gray scale printer modulates an exposure source in both amplitude and duration such that the exposure source is actuated during the latest portion of each pulse time period. For exposure periods having actuation times that are very short relative to the decay period of the amplitude-modulating electronics, actuation time of the exposure source for very short exposure periods may be timed to end before the start of the decay period. If the amplitude modulating means includes electronics having a ramping up period before producing a stable output, the actuation of the exposure source occurs during each pulse time period only after the ramping up period has substantially expired.

Abstract: Providing thermal compensation for laser diodes used in intensity modulated applications by using active feedback. A PIN diode serves as a laser light output sensor for the closed loop feedback system. The input from the PIN diode is convened into a voltage and then fed into a feedback amplifier. The PIN diode current is slightly dependent upon the temperature due to transmission effects of materials within the laser diode assembly. A temperature voltage signal generated by a semiconductor temperature sensor may be used as a second input to the feedback amplifier. The output of this amplifier is sampled at periodic intervals such as once a scan line, by a sample and hold amplifier. The output of the sample and hold amplifier is added to a data dependent modulated current reference in a summing amplifier. The output of the summing amplifier is the resultant sensor and provides an input reference to the laser driver integrated circuit.