Abstract: A transducer of the preferred embodiment including a transducer and a plurality of adjacent, tapered cantilevered beams. Each of the beams define a beam base, a beam tip, and a beam body disposed between the beam base and the beam tip. The beams are arranged such that each of the beam tips extends toward a common area. Each beam is joined to the substrate along the beam base and is free from the substrate along the beam body. A preferred method of manufacturing a transducer can include: depositing alternating layers of piezoelectric and electrode onto the substrate in block, processing the deposited layers to define cantilever geometry in block, depositing metal traces in block, and releasing the cantilevered beams from the substrate in block.

Abstract: A method relating to ascertaining and adjusting friction between media pages in a document feeder. The method includes: detecting slipping of a media page when traversing from a stack of media pages to passing through a path defined by the document feeder; and sending a signal to a fluid-containing cartridge to spray small drops of fluid onto the slipping media page soon after the slipping is detected while the media page passes through the document feeder. A system and apparatus are also associated with the above method.

Abstract: The thermal printer of the invention comprises a frame, a print head tiltably mounted in the frame, and a spring carried by the frame and forming a member for urging the print head into its printing position, with a flexible sheet of conductors terminating at the print head. According to the first characteristic of the invention, the spring is made of an electrically conductive material and includes a finger for being received in a corresponding orifice of the frame, while a portion of the sheet carries a conductive eyelet through which the finger of the spring passes when the spring is received in the orifice of the frame, the spring thus pinching the eyelet against the frame.

Abstract: Disclosed is an automatic metal printer which prints a camera-photographed and computer-processed image on a surface of a hard material, such as a metal sheet, through a dot matrix printing type method wherein brightness of the printed image is expressed in accordance with density of dots in the dot matrix formed on the surface of the hard material. The automatic metal printer includes a platform which reciprocates forward and rearward in a lower portion of a body by a motor-operated first ball screw. A saddle is installed at a position above the platform so as to reciprocate to the left and right in the body by a motor-operated second ball screw. A dotter is vertically installed on the saddle so as to dot the upper surface of the hard material seated on the platform to print a desired image.

Abstract: In a head drive circuit for an impact dot printer which performs printing by driving a print wire, a DC power source supplies a power source voltage. A switching element is on/off controlled to apply the power source voltage to a head coil for a predetermined time period. A voltage regulator converts an input voltage having a value higher than the power source voltage into an output voltage having a value as substantially same as the power source voltage. A voltage introducer inputs an inductive voltage, generated in the head coil when the switching element is turned off, into the voltage regulator as the input voltage. A voltage returner feeds back the output voltage of the voltage regulator to the DC power source.

Abstract: A drive arrangement, for example for a writing head, comprising a piezoelectrically actuated lever arrangement (1d) for moving a writing tip (21) in the direction of a recording medium when writing on the recording medium. This drive arrangement is characterized in that a piezoelectric actuator (4) is used, which is separate from the lever arrangement (1d) and in that the lever arrangement (1d) exerts a compressive force on the piezoelectric actuator (4), which is supported against a rigid abutment (section 1b). This drive arrangement can be used for a series of other applications as a positioning drive. Inverse arrangements are also described.