Abstract: A downsized, low-cost, high-density printhead, a printing apparatus and a printing method using the printhead can be achieved. If the number of electrothermal transducers is N, a shift register is capable of storing print information corresponding to N/8 electrothermal transducers. First, print information corresponding to the capacity of the shift register is transferred to the printhead. Then, the shifting function of the shift register is stopped to hold the print information. A 3-bit selection signal is inputted from an input terminal as the print information information. The selection signal is sent to a time-divisional logical circuit, then N/8 electrothermal transducers are selected, and a printing operation based on the input data is performed. This operation is repeated eight times, to complete printing by all the N electrothermal transducers.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus includes a printhead controller including a printhead driver circuit having a set of ink jet nozzle control outputs and a printhead select circuit having a plurality of printhead select outputs. A plurality of printheads are provided, wherein each printhead includes a plurality of ink jet nozzles, a plurality of individually controllable ink jet nozzle firing circuits, and a printhead enable circuit, wherein the printhead enable circuit is electrically coupled between the plurality of individually controllable ink jet nozzle firing circuits and the set of ink jet nozzle control outputs, and wherein the printhead enable circuit is electrically coupled to one of the plurality of printhead select outputs and enables the electrical conduction of the plurality of controllable ink jet nozzle firing circuits upon receipt of a printhead select signal from one of the printhead select outputs of the printhead select circuits.

Abstract: A tape printing device comprises a print head, means for causing relative movement between an image receiving tape and the print head, and control circuitry for controlling the print head. The print head has a set of selectively activable printing elements arranged along a longitudinal axis of the print head. The control circuitry prints each pixel by activating the same printing elements on successive print cycles to limit the peak current of the print head. Each group of printing elements lie at an acute angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the print head to prevent staggering in the printed image. The tape printing device uses an arrangement of group switches and switches for individual printing elements to reduce the required number of switches which reduces the cost of the apparatus. Current is controlled to prevent accidental activation of printing elements to reduce the number of errors in the printed image.

Abstract: A thermal head includes a thermal resistance member formed in a straight form, a first lead conductor group having a plurality of first lead conductors which are connected to the thermal resistance member, a second lead conductor group having a plurality of second lead conductors which are connected to the thermal resistance member, the first lead conductors and the second lead conductors being alternately arranged at a given interval, a third lead conductor group connected to the thermal resistance member between the first and second lead conductor groups, and a switch having a first selecting mode for selecting the first lead conductor group and a second selecting mode for selecting the second lead conductor group, wherein when the switch selects the first selecting mode, a region of the thermal resistance member sandwiched by the first lead conductor group and the third lead conductor group is heated, and when the switch selects the second selecting mode, a region of the thermal resistance member sandwiche

Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided with a thermal head which has a plurality of heatable elements disposed in a line and divided into plural groups. A control unit controls the plural groups of heatable elements in accordance with printing data to generate heat to thermal-transfer ink of an ink ribbon onto a label tape, thereby printing the printing data on the label tape. A boundary heatable element within one group of heatable elements which is disposed adjacently to other group of heatable elements is driven in accordance with the printing data when the other group of heatable elements are driven to generate heat. The boundary heatable element generates heat twice to prints data twice on the label tape at a portion corresponding to the boundary between two groups of heatable elements, there by printing data on the portion with higher printing intensity.

Abstract: A thermal printer has a thermal head provided with a plurality of thermal elements arranged linearly. The thermal printer also includes a power source capable of supplying a predetermined power level to the plurality of thermal elements which generate heat, a drive for driving the thermal elements with power, and a controller for dividing the plurality of thermal elements into at least two groups. The grouping of the thermal elements is determined such that a difference in power consumption between the groups is minimized.

Abstract: A method for controlling heat generated by the heat-generating elements of a thermal head, the elements being successively actuated to heat the thermal head in response to an electrical current which is applied to each of the plurality elements from a control circuit for a power-on time which is n times a minimum time period.

Abstract: A thermal head comprising heating resistors connected in series and arranged on an edge portion of a substrate, first group switching elements respectively connected to first group electrode patterns, second group switching elements respectively connected to second group electrode patterns, and a selecting circuit for selecting one group or the other group of every other switching elements in the second group switching elements, and for selecting at least one of the first group switching elements, whereby a high quality of printing is attained without using diode array.

Abstract: A method of supplying an energization signal to a selected element in an array of print elements. Printing activity of the selected element and neighboring elements is determined, compressed and stored to memory. Based on the stored compressed printing activity data, an energization schedule for the selected element is determined using a look-up table technique. The data in the look-up table may also be compressed reducing the memory required by the energization data. Further reductions in memory are achieved by grouping portions of the printing activity data to identify common energization schedules for differing printing activities. The printing activity data may relate to temporal distributions and/or spatial distributions of printing activity of elements in the array. The method may be applied to linear or two-dimensional arrays of print elements.

Abstract: A gradational printing method for performing a gradational printing by energizing a plurality of heat emitting elements arranged on a thermal head correspondingly to respective bits of digital gradation data representing a gray level. In case of this method, the plurality of heat emitting elements are divided into two or more blocks and the blocks are energized correspondingly to different bits of the digital gradation data. Thus, an energizing time, during which a maximum current should be supplied, can be reduced. Further, the weight of the printer can be light. Moreover, if the maximum electric current of a printer is equal to that of the conventional method, the duration thereof can be equal to the minimum duration of the energizing pulses corresponding to the bits of the gradation data. Consequently, the capacities of a power supply and a printer employing this method can be small. Further, the size and manufacturing cost of the power supply and the printer can be small.

Abstract: A multiplexed array of resistors including a plurality of address leads and a plurality of ground leads which cooperatively define a matrix of nodes, each node defining a possible location in the matrix for a resistor heater interconnecting one address lead and one ground lead. Resistor heaters are located in the array at only a portion of the nodes. The locations of the resistor heaters are selected to limit the conductance of alternate current paths around the resistor heater when addressed. The resistor heaters are preferably formed at nodes selected so that no two address leads are interconnected through resistor heaters to more than one common ground lead. Preferably, each alternate current path includes at least four non-addressed resistors in series.

Abstract: A plurality (n) of heating elements are driven by respective drive elements in accordance with printing data stored in first and second shift registers each having at least n/2 memory cells. Common bit-serial printing data is input to the first and second shift registers. In a first period, new printing data of n/2 bits is stored into the first shift register by application of a first clock signal and printing data already stored in the second shift register is provided to the associated drive elements. In a second period, new printing data of n/2 bits is stored into the second register by application of a second clock signal and printing data already stored in the first shift register is provided to the associated drive elements. The first and second shift registers may include an equal number of dummy memory cells for storing dummy printing data, in which case the part of the drive elements associated with the dummy memory cells are not connected to any printing elements.

Abstract: A thermal head has a reduced power capacity and an electronic apparatus incorporates that thermal head. Printing data is stored in a shift register while ON-data for one line is latched relative to each block in a heating element array. A microcomputer checks the magnitude of the number of ON-data in each block. If the number of ON-data is equal to or less than a given value, the microcomputer outputs a strobe signal to that block so that the heating elements therein will be batch-driven. If the number of ON-data exceeds the given level, the microcomputer outputs two or more strobe signals to that block which in turn is further divided into two blocks. The two or more divided blocks are sequentially driven. In order to change the batch-printing range depending on the printing rate, the power capacity can be reduced to the minimum level within the necessary limit.