Abstract: A storage media control circuit for controlling inputs to and outputs from a plurality of types of storage media of different shapes and specifications is equipped with detection terminals provided for respective ones of the storage media of the plurality of types in order to detect the state of connection of each storage medium, and input/output terminals for inputting data to and outputting data from a storage medium whose connection has been detected by the detection terminals. The number of input/output terminals is made equal to the number of input/output signals of whichever storage medium has the largest number of input/output signals among the storage media of the plurality of types.

Abstract: A printer and a digital camera are connected so as to be capable of communicating with each other. The printer transmits information indicative of its capabilities to the digital camera and the digital camera incorporates the transmitted printer capability information in a print settings menu. The capability information has information relating to the printer capabilities and information indicative of a default setting. The capabilities of the printer are incorporated in the print settings menu together with the default setting. A desired printing condition can be set selectively at the digital camera using the print settings menu in which the capability information has been incorporated.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus is adapted to use a non-contact method for detecting the presence and the amount of liquid, in the form of ink droplets discharged from a printhead or ink tank, using electromagnetic waves in the form of infrared rays. The apparatus and method employ an infrared sensor to detect infrared radiation emitted by the ink in proportion to the amount of ink present. The apparatus and method further employ one of various shielding members to prevent the intrusion of infrared radiation noise into the infrared sensor field of detection, and, in some aspects, a fan to control air flow within the field of detection. The result is less noise in the detection signals of the infrared sensor, and therefore a more sensitive and more reliable liquid detection method and liquid detection apparatus.

Abstract: A printer and a digital camera are connected so as to be capable of communicating with each other. The printer transmits information indicative of its capabilities to the digital camera and the digital camera incorporates the transmitted printer capability information in a print settings menu. The capability information has information relating to the printer capabilities and information indicative of a default setting. The capabilities of the printer are incorporated in the print settings menu together with the default setting. A desired printing condition can be set selectively at the digital camera using the print settings menu in which the capability information has been incorporated.

Abstract: A storage media control circuit for controlling inputs to and outputs from a plurality of types of storage media of different shapes and specifications is equipped with detection terminals provided for respective ones of the storage media of the plurality of types in order to detect the state of connection of each storage medium, and input/output terminals for inputting data to and outputting data from a storage medium whose connection has been detected by the detection terminals. The number of input/output terminals is made equal to the number of input/output signals of whichever storage medium has the largest number of input/output signals among the storage media of the plurality of types.

Abstract: In the present invention, the minimum necessary consumption of ink can recover the channel miss state of the plurality of nozzles. The present invention provides a recovery processing method of an ink jet printing apparatus for forming images using a print head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink droplets. The method comprises a first step for detecting channel miss state of said plurality of nozzles, and a second step for executing at least one of different recovery processes depending on the channel miss states of said plurality of nozzles detected in the first step.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus, is adapted to use a non-contact method for detecting the presence and the amount of liquid, in the form of ink droplets discharged from a printhead or ink tank, using electromagnetic waves in the form of infrared rays. The apparatus and method employ an infrared sensor to detect infrared radiation emitted by the ink in proportion to the amount of ink present. The apparatus and method further employ one of various shielding members to prevent the intrusion of infrared radiation noise into the infrared sensor field of detection, and, in some aspects, a fan to control air flow within the field of detection. The result is less noise in the detection signals of the infrared sensor, and therefore more sensitive and more reliable liquid detection method and liquid detection apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention allows the detection of ink in a printing head that can be widely applied to various printing systems by significantly simplifying its configuration. There are a heater for supplying an energy to eject ink, a driver for driving the heater, and a detection electrode capable of detecting a voltage variation that arises between the heater and the driver and that depends on the driving of the heater. Furthermore, an insulating film that covers the surface of the detection electrode protects the detection electrode from chemical or physical change. Furthermore, a reference element group or a reference unit that produces a signal as a reference of the detection signal avoids the influence of noise. Furthermore, an energy-generating element and another signal source improve the accuracy of ink detection. A drive pulse which is insufficient to eject ink may be supplied to the heater to improve the accuracy of ink detection.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus is provided which can detect ink in a print head highly precisely with a simple construction. The apparatus includes: a detection electrode to detect, through the ink on the ink jet print head board, a voltage change between print elements and drive elements which is produced as the print elements are driven; a periodical driver to drive the print elements at a predetermined drive frequency; a voltage detector to periodically detect an output voltage of the detection electrode at a timing corresponding to the drive frequency; and a state check device to check an ink ejection state of the ink jet print head according to a result of the detection by the voltage detector.

Abstract: In a printer for forming an image by means of main scanning as a reciprocating operation of a recording head and sub-scanning as an operation for feeding a recording medium, an image recording position is automatically and accurately corrected in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction. To achieve this, a reference image extending in the sub-scanning direction is first formed at a first predetermined position on the recording medium during a forward operation of the recording head, while particular images are formed at second predetermined positions on the recording medium during the reciprocating main-scanning operations of the recording head, the first predetermined position being different from that of the second predetermined positions.

Abstract: Detection of whether or not liquid or a liquid droplet (ink) has passed is realized without contacting the passing liquid or liquid droplet, by providing a radiated-wave detector, arranged near the liquid or liquid droplet, for detecting an infrared ray radiated from the passing liquid or liquid droplet, and a detector for detecting variation of an output value of the radiated-wave detector. Furthermore, the variation of an output value detected by the detector is integrated to obtain the variation amount of the output values, thereby obtaining the amount of liquid or liquid droplet (ink) passed. With the use of the foregoing configuration, further provided is an ink-jet printing apparatus which can accurately determine whether or not ink has been discharged by a printhead and which can measure the amount of ink discharged without contacting the ink, and an ink detection method for the ink-jet printing apparatus.

Abstract: In a printing apparatus which performs printing operation in an emulation mode designated by a host computer, data necessary for the designated emulation mode is down-loaded. First, a fixed data buffer size is reserved in accordance with the emulation mode which requires the maximum amount of data to be down-loaded. Then, a ring buffer for receiving data is assigned next to the fixed data buffer. After the data size to be down loaded is determined, portions of area reserved for the fixed data buffer which becomes unnecessary is reassigned as print data buffer. Since the print data buffer is a ring buffer, if no received data is stored at an address which is at the border between the fixed data buffer and the print data buffer, it is possible to move the border. Therefore, the printing apparatus waits until a state of the print data buffer changes to a state in which no received data is stored at the address at the border, then expands the print data ring buffer.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus is provided which can detect ink in a print head highly precisely with a simple construction. The apparatus includes: a detection electrode to detect, through the ink on the ink jet print head board, a voltage change between print elements and drive elements which is produced as the print elements are driven; a periodical drive means to drive the print elements at a predetermined drive frequency; a voltage detection means to periodically detect an output voltage of the detection electrode at a timing corresponding to the drive frequency; and a state check means to check an ink ejection state of the ink jet print head according to a result of the detection by the voltage detection means.

Abstract: In the present invention, the minimum necessary consumption of ink can recover the channel miss state of the plurality of nozzles. The present invention provides a recovery processing method of an ink jet printing apparatus for forming images using a print head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink droplets. The method comprises a first step for detecting channel miss state of said plurality of nozzles, and a second step for executing at least one of different recovery processes depending on the channel miss states of said plurality of nozzles detected in the first step.

Abstract: The present inventions allow the detection of ink in the printing head by significantly simplified their configurations and on which various printing systems can be widely applied. There are a heater for supplying an energy to ejecting ink, a driver for driving heater, and a detection electrode capable of detecting a voltage variation between the heater and the driver to be occurred depending on the driving of the heater. Furthermore, an insulating film that covers the surface of the detection electrode prevents a chemical or physical change from the detection electrode. Furthermore, a reference element group or a reference unit that produces a signal as a reference of the detection signal avoids the influence of noise. Furthermore, an energy-generating element and another signal source improve the accuracy of ink-detection. A drive pulse which is insufficient to ejecting ink may be supplied to the heater to improve the accuracy of ink-detection.

Abstract: A printer has an electric power supply controller which controls electric power supplied to an indicator indicating a state of the printer so as to prolong a driving time of the printer, which is driven by a battery. When the apparatus is set to an on-line state using an on-line key, electric power is initially supplied to an on-line LED, which indicates the apparatus is in the on-line state. Afterwards, when a predetermined time period has passed, the supply of electric power is cut off to the on-line LED, whereby the consumption of electric power supplied to the indicator can be minimized.

Abstract: A battery-driven recording apparatus records a plurality of lines by recording-scan by using a recording head having a plurality of recording elements. A capacity of a battery is detected, and when the capacity of the battery is lowered, the number of lines to be recorded in one recording scan is reduced.

Abstract: A drive control system for a stepping motor prevents erroneous operation of a motor drive circuit due to the lack of coincidence between the logic level and an analog 0 voltage. This is accomplished by inhibiting an electric current from flowing by closing a gate circuit until a reference voltage for specifying a drive current into an input terminal reaches a specified voltage with respect to the ground potential, regardless of the output from a comparator to the terminal.

Abstract: A printing apparatus is capable of being driven by a battery for an extended period of time without using a battery having a large capacity, and the battery is capable of being charged while the occurrence of the memory effect is suppressed. Also provided is a method of charging the battery in this apparatus. Battery capacity is detected in the driving interval of a carriage motor and/or conveyance motor. When the battery capacity falls below a predetermined value, control is performed in such a manner that the driving intervals of the carriage motor and conveyance motor will not overlap. When charging of the battery is designated, the battery is discharged using a current load in the apparatus, after which the battery is charged.

Abstract: In this invention, a stepping motor control system includes a PWM unit for generating a PWM signal corresponding to a changing duty ratio, a low-pass filter for receiving the PWM signal from the PWM unit, and converting staircase voltage levels represented by the changing duty ratio of the PWM signal into a smooth, substantially continuous voltage signal, and an arbitrary current value setting type constant current driving circuit, which receives the voltage signal from the low-pass filter, excites the excitation coil of the stepping motor by a current value set in correspondence with the voltage signal, and maintains the current value set in correspondence with the voltage of the voltage signal. Thus, a stepping motor control system which can eliminate wasteful power consumption and can realize high-precision, constant-speed rotation can be provided.