Abstract: Provided is a structure including a supporting member, a recording medium configured to be attached on a surface of the supporting member, and a positioning portion configured to serve as a mark when the recording medium is attached on the surface of the supporting member, the positioning portion having an average height lower than an average thickness of the recording medium.

Abstract: Provided is an image erasing method including heating a thermoreversible recording medium with laser beams to erase an image which has been recorded on the thermoreversible recording medium, the thermoreversible recording medium reversibly changing between a colored state and a decolored state depending on a heating temperature and a cooling time; and measuring at least one of a surface temperature of the thermoreversible recording medium and an erasing environmental temperature before a beginning of erasing the image to obtain a measured temperature value and controlling a heating time with the laser beams to be emitted for erasing the image depending on the measured temperature value.

Abstract: Provided is an image processing method, the method including heating a thermoreversible recording medium with laser beams to erase an image which has been recorded on the thermoreversible recording medium, the thermoreversible recording medium reversibly changing between a colored state and a decolored state depending on a heating temperature and a cooling time; heating the thermoreversible recording medium, on which the image has been erased, with the laser beams to record a subsequent image on the thermoreversible recording medium; and measuring at least one of a surface temperature of the thermoreversible recording medium and a recording environmental temperature after a completion of erasing the image but before a beginning of recording the subsequent image to obtain a measured temperature value and controlling a time interval between the completion of erasing the image and the beginning of recording the subsequent image depending on the measured temperature value.

Abstract: A disclosed marking control device controls a marking device to mark a target image on a thermoreversible recording medium by applying a laser beam includes a marking position determination unit dividing the image into plural marking lines, and determining their marking positions; a marking order determination unit determining a marking order to mark the marking lines in mutually opposite directions; an adjusting unit adjusting a distance between a first ending point and a second starting point to be longer than a distance between a first starting point and a second ending point, or adjusting laser power applied to a second starting point side of the second marking line to be lower than the laser power applied to a second ending point side of the second marking line; and a marking instruction generator unit generating marking instructions including the marking positions of the marking lines and the marking order thereof.

Abstract: To provide an image processing method, including: image recording, wherein an image composed of a plurality of laser drawn lines is recorded by heating by irradiating parallel laser lights on a recording medium spaced by a predetermined distance, wherein, in the image recording, among the plurality of laser drawn lines constituting the image, at least two units of lines drawn with different energy, each composed of a pair of laser drawn lines adjacent to each other and with different irradiation energy, are formed.

Abstract: A method for uniformly erasing an image recorded on a thermo-reversible recording medium. The image erasing apparatus includes an LD array, which emits a laser light whose cross section has a line shape; optics which include at least one cylindrical lens which converts, into a converging light which converges in a width direction, a line-shaped laser light which is emitted from the LD array and emits the converging light; and a mono-axial galvano mirror which deflects the laser light emitted from the optics in the width direction to scan the deflected laser light onto the thermo-reversible recording medium.

Abstract: A nitride semiconductor light emitting element is provided with: a substrate; a buffer layer that is provided on the substrate; a base layer that is provided on the buffer layer; an n-side nitride semiconductor layer that is provided on the base layer; an MQW light emitting layer that is provided on the n-side nitride semiconductor layer; and a p-side nitride semiconductor layer that is provided on the MQW light emitting layer. An x-ray rocking curve half-value width ? (004) with respect to a (004) plane, i.e., the crystal plane of the nitride semiconductor, is 40 arcsec or less, or the x-ray rocking curve half-value width ? (102) with respect to a (102) plane is 130 arcsec or less, and the rate P (80)/P (25) between light output P (25) at 25° C. and light output P (80) at 80° C. with a same operating current is 95% or more.

Abstract: To provide an image processing method, including: image recording, wherein an image composed of a plurality of laser drawn lines is recorded by heating by irradiating parallel laser lights on a recording medium spaced by a predetermined distance, wherein, in the image recording, among the plurality of laser drawn lines constituting the image, at least two units of lines drawn with different energy, each composed of a pair of laser drawn lines adjacent to each other and with different irradiation energy, are formed.

Abstract: A disclosed marking control device controls a marking device to mark a target image on a thermoreversible recording medium by applying a laser beam includes a marking position determination unit dividing the image into plural marking lines, and determining their marking positions; a marking order determination unit determining a marking order to mark the marking lines in mutually opposite directions; an adjusting unit adjusting a distance between a first ending point and a second starting point to be longer than a distance between a first starting point and a second ending point, or adjusting laser power applied to a second starting point side of the second marking line to be lower than the laser power applied to a second ending point side of the second marking line; and a marking instruction generator unit generating marking instructions including the marking positions of the marking lines and the marking order thereof.

Abstract: A disclosed marking control device controls a marking device to mark a target image on a thermoreversible recording medium by applying a laser beam includes a marking position determination unit dividing the image into plural marking lines, and determining their marking positions; a marking order determination unit determining a marking order to mark the marking lines in mutually opposite directions; an adjusting unit adjusting a distance between a first ending point and a second starting point to be longer than a distance between a first starting point and a second ending point, or adjusting laser power applied to a second starting point side of the second marking line to be lower than the laser power applied to a second ending point side of the second marking line; and a marking instruction generator unit generating marking instructions including the marking positions of the marking lines and the marking order thereof.

Abstract: A method for uniformly erasing an image recorded on a thermo-reversible recording medium. The image erasing apparatus includes an LD array, which emits a laser light whose cross section has a line shape; optics which include at least one cylindrical lens which converts, into a converging light which converges in a width direction, a line-shaped laser light which is emitted from the LD array and emits the converging light; and a mono-axial galvano mirror which deflects the laser light emitted from the optics in the width direction to scan the deflected laser light onto the thermo-reversible recording medium.

Abstract: Provided is an image recording system for recording an image on a thermally reversible recording medium held by a conveyed article conveyed on a predetermined conveying path in a predetermined conveying direction, including: a recording device provided on at least one side of the conveying path in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and configured to record an image on the thermally reversible recording medium of the conveyed article conveyed to a position facing the recording device by heating the thermally reversible recording medium. The image includes a scan image to be read by a reading device when the conveyed article is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction from the position facing the recording device. The recording device records the scan image on the thermally reversible recording medium within a former half of a recording time of the image.

Abstract: A laser rewriting apparatus positioned on one side or the other side of a conveyance path through which a to-be-conveyed object on which a thermoreversible recording medium is affixed is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction. The laser rewriting apparatus emits laser light to the thermoreversible recording medium and rewrites an image. The laser writing apparatus includes an image erasing apparatus that emits laser light to the thermoreversible recording medium and erases the image from the thermoreversible recording medium; and an image recording apparatus positioned on the predetermined conveyance direction downstream side of the image erasing apparatus and records a new image by emitting laser light to the thermoreversible recording medium. The image erasing apparatus and the image recording apparatus have the respective laser light emitting parts from which the laser light is emitted at ends on the same side with respect to the predetermined conveyance direction.

Abstract: An image processing method including: measuring a distance between a medium where an image is to be recorded and an image processing apparatus which stores a relation between irradiation energy and distance previously measured; calculating an irradiation energy from the distance measured in the measuring based on the relation stored in the image processing apparatus; and irradiating and heating the medium with laser beams having the irradiation energy obtained in the calculating to record an image in the medium.

Abstract: To provide a thermosensitive recording medium including: a support; an image recording layer on the support; and an inorganic material in particle form as a light-heat conversion material, wherein the inorganic material has a ratio of Y to X, represented by Y/X, of 2 or greater, where X denotes an average value of absorption intensities with respect to light having wavelengths in the range of 400 nm to 700 nm, and Y denotes a maximum value among absorption intensities with respect to light having wavelengths greater than 700 nm but smaller than or equal to 1,200 nm.

Abstract: A thermosensitive recording medium including a support; a layer containing a photothermal conversion material, formed over a surface of the support; and an oxygen blocking layer formed over a surface of the layer opposite to a surface thereof over which the support is formed, wherein the layer further contains a resin, which is in a cross-linked state, and the photothermal conversion material absorbs a light having a specific wavelength and converts the light into heat, and wherein the oxygen blocking layer has an oxygen permeability of 0.5 mL/(m2·24 hr·atm) or less at 25° C. and 80% RH.

Abstract: An image processing method including calculating a density of a character to be recorded based on information of a type, size and line width of the character; adjusting an irradiation energy of a laser beam for recording the character based on the density of the character; and irradiating a recording medium with the laser beam whose irradiation energy is adjusted so as to record the character thereon.

Abstract: A laser rewriting apparatus positioned on one side or the other side of a conveyance path through which a to-be-conveyed object on which a thermoreversible recording medium is affixed is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction. The laser rewriting apparatus emits laser light to the thermoreversible recording medium and rewrites an image. The laser writing apparatus includes an image erasing apparatus that emits laser light to the thermoreversible recording medium and erases the image from the thermoreversible recording medium; and an image recording apparatus positioned on the predetermined conveyance direction downstream side of the image erasing apparatus and records a new image by emitting laser light to the thermoreversible recording medium. The image erasing apparatus and the image recording apparatus have the respective laser light emitting parts from which the laser light is emitted at ends on the same side with respect to the predetermined conveyance direction.

Abstract: A method for erasing an image including irradiating an image formed on a thermoreversible recording medium with a laser light having a wavelength of 700 nm to 1,500 nm so as to erase the image, wherein an energy density of the laser light is in a range of the energy density which can erase the image and a center value or less of the range, wherein the thermoreversible recording medium includes a support, and a thermoreversible recording layer on the support, and wherein the thermoreversible recording layer contains a leuco dye serving as an electron-donating color-forming compound and a reversible developer serving as an electron-accepting compound, in which color tone reversibly changes by heat, and at least one of the thermoreversible recording layer and a layer adjacent to the thermoreversible recording layer contains a photothermal conversion material, which absorbs the light and converts the light into heat.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image processing method which includes recording an image by irradiating a recording medium with laser beams which are arrayed in parallel at predetermined intervals to heat the recording medium, so that the image is composed of a plurality of lines written with the laser beams on the recording medium, and wherein in the image recording, the plurality of lines written with the laser beams include a line written first and an overwritten line, a part of which is overlapped with the line written first; and the irradiation energy for the overwritten line is smaller than the irradiation energy for the line written first.