Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided which uses, as a print head, a thermal head having heating elements arrayed in a line perpendicular to the traveling direction of a printing medium. Correspondingly pixel data, at either end, or near the end, of each line of image data going to be printed, data on heat storage in the thermal head (108) is calculated for each line on the basis of data on heat storage in the print head for a preceding line, and the data on heat storage in the print head for each line is compared with predetermined-temperature data. When any of the stored-heat data is larger than the predetermined-temperature data, energy to the heating element (113) is decreased. The image data is printed on the printing medium (104) with the energy for application to the heating element (113) being kept decreased.

Abstract: A printing apparatus is provided which uses, as a print head, a thermal head having heating elements arrayed in a line perpendicular to the traveling direction of a printing medium. Correspondingly pixel data, at either end, or near the end, of each line of image data going to be printed, data on heat storage in the thermal head (108) is calculated for each line on the basis of data on heat storage in the print head for a preceding line, and the data on heat storage in the print head for each line is compared with predetermined-temperature data. When any of the stored-heat data is larger than the predetermined-temperature data, energy to the heating element (113) is decreased. The image data is printed on the printing medium (104) with the energy for application to the heating element (113) being kept decreased.

Abstract: A marking device for encoding metallic workpieces with two-dimensional matrix codes includes a striking tool for forming the code recesses, driven by an electromagnetic device. The driving movement is performed against the force of a return device. A positioning device displaceable on two axes (x, y) of a plane perpendicular to the striking direction (z) is used for positioning the striking tool in the desired code positions. An electronic control device for controlling movement of the striking tool includes means for presetting a higher current for the electromagnet device during a first acceleration phase of the striking tool and a lower current during a subsequent moving phase until the workpiece is impinged. In this manner, the precision of the code recesses in the workpiece can be exactly set or maintained, so that readability of the coding is substantially improved.

Abstract: A positive piece engagement indicator for marking tool is provided in which a metal workpiece is contacted with a workpiece contact probe for providing physical contact with, as well as electrical communication with the metal surface of a workpiece. A test voltage and indicator means are placed in series between the workpiece and marking tool. Upon physical contact of the marking tool engagement surface with the surface of the metal workpiece, a circuit is completed by the electrical communication there between, thereby engaging the indicator means. This allows positive verification of actual engagement of worktool to workpiece.

Abstract: A control circuit generates two sorts of printing timing signals on the basis of the position of the printing mechanism module detected by a detector, and sends the generated signals to respective drive circuits. Herein, the printing mechanism module is configured of two printing element assemblies each of which includes a plurality of printing elements, and both of which are mechanically coupled. The two drive circuits taking charge of the two printing element assemblies send printing input signals to the respective printing elements which are to be driven according to the two sorts of printing timing signals received by the drive circuits. The relative positions between the print dots of the two printing element assemblies can be adjusted for each direction of printing on a sheet by changing the difference between the times of the two sorts of printing timing signals.

Abstract: An ink density closed loop control system for an ink ribbon of an impact printer having a reservoir roller formed of an ink absorbent material with at least one or more channels within the reservoir roller fluidly connected to a pump and ink supply. A transfer roller can contact the reservoir roller for imparting ink to the ink ribbon. A sensor senses the relative amount of ink on the print ribbon and an electrical drive responsive to the sensor drives the pump for a flow of ink to the one or more channels. The sensor can sense ink on different segments of the ribbon and, with two or more channels in the reservoir roller can distribute ink to two or more segments of the reservoir roller depending upon the ink sensed at a particular segment of the ribbon. A further enhancement of this invention provides a multi-viscosity ink to compensate for changes in ambient temperature conditions.

Abstract: A wire dot printer head including a yoke, cores arranged in an annular form on the yoke, coils combined with the cores so as to fit the cores, armatures supported so as to be raised or lowered in respect to the cores, wires supported at the free ends of the armatures in such a way that they may be driven and displaced, and an extremity end guide having guide holes for independently and slidably supporting the extremity ends of the wires to arrange them. When the moving direction of the wire dot printer head is as a main scanning direction, the guide holes of the extremity end guide are arranged along an arc curved only in direction of the sub-scanning direction so as to cause the arrangement positions in the main scanning direction to be made different.

Abstract: A structure for supporting wires driven by armatures displaced under electrical excitation for coils and applying an impact force for a printing operation of a sheet. Extremity ends of the wires are supported independently and slidably by guide holes arranged at extremity end guides which are set such that wires having rear ends adjacent to each other within a certain range are applied as one sub-group, the extremity ends of the wires being arranged on a straight line in the sub-scanning direction, and the arrangement positions of the extremity ends of the wires in the main scanning direction are different in response to a difference in the arrangement positions of the rear ends of the wires for every sub-group different in that the bending stress of the corresponding is low as compared with that where the extremity ends of all the wires are arranged on the straight line.

Abstract: A printing head control apparatus 10 is used for a dot-impact printer in which a dot is formed on a paper set on a platen via an ink ribbon 16 with an impact force applied by a pin 18. The printing head control apparatus 10 comprises: a dot classifier for classifying into a normal dot b1 and a final dot b2 the dots constituting a print data “a” supplied from an upper-node apparatus 20; and a printing head drive controller 26 for supplying to the printing head 24 a normal dot print drive signal c1 and a final dot print drive signal c2 for the normal dot b1 and the final dot b2, respectively.