Abstract: A printing system is provided for printing an image on a substrate. The image is represented by a set of words with each word including M bits and being modulated so as to produce a single bit stream. The printing system includes a multi-phase clock generator, responsive to a clock signal with a first clock rate, for producing N phase signals and a data serializer, communicating with the multi-phase clock generator, for receiving the N phase signals and the word set. In operation, the data serializer processes each word of the word set, with the N phase signals, to produce the single bit stream, the single bit stream being outputted at a second clock rate with the second clock rate being greater than the first clock rate. The data serializer communicates with a print engine, the print engine receiving the single bit stream for imaging the image on the substrate.

Abstract: A scanner control circuit comprises a digital line delay memory and a control circuit coupled to the digital line delay memory. The control circuit receives digital multi-channel image data having a channel-to-channel delay and corrects for said channel-to-channel delay. Each channel's image data is written into the digital line delay memory at an address in the digital line delay memory corresponding to the correct line number and is then read out of the digital line delay memory for processing. The scanner control circuit operates to allow scanning of an object bi-directionally.

Abstract: The translation of an optical image into video signals by a video sensor illuminated by the optical image is adjusted by illuminating the sensor at a first level of light intensity sufficient to provide the video signals at maximum amplitude while adjusting the amplitude of the video signals to a first level, and then illuminating the sensor at a second reduced level of light intensity while adjusting the black level of the video signals so that the black level is at least equal to the amplitude of the signals produced by the sensor in the absence of illumination.

Abstract: A system for weighting nonlinear, e.g. logarithmic, pixel data as part of a missing pixel interpolation. This is accomplished to generate a weighted average of the logarithmic intensity values for those pixels which surround the missing pixel in order to approximate the logarithm of the linear average of these pixel values. Two weighting coefficients of unequal value are selected so that their sum equals the quantity one. The larger of the logarithmic values is weighted by multiplying the larger logarithmic pixel value by the larger weighting coefficient, and then by adding to this quantity the smaller logarithmic pixel value which has been multiplied by the smaller weighting coefficient. The result is a weighted logarithmic average which approximates the log of the linear average.

Abstract: Apparatus for generating automatic focus signals for positioning a lens includes a circuit for calculating a difference value between a selected pixel intensity level and the average value of the pixel intensities which neighbor the selected pixel. The difference value is fed to a thresholding circuit which generates a signal for clocking a downstream counter whenever the difference value exceeds a selected threshold value. The lens is repositioned until the output from the counter is a maximum thereby indicating an infocus position of the lens.