Print head pulsing techniques for multicolor printers
US7791626B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 30, 2008 |
| Grant date | Sep 7, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 30, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N1/3876
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In one aspect of the invention there is disclosed a multicolor thermal imaging system wherein different heating elements on a thermal print head can print on different color-forming layers of a multicolor thermal imaging member in a single pass. The line-printing time is divided into segments, each of which is divided into a plurality of subintervals. All of the pulses within the segments have the same energy. In one embodiment, every pulse has the same amplitude and duration. Different colors are selected for printing during the different segments by varying the fraction of subintervals that contain pulses. This technique allows multiple colors to be printed using a thermal print head with a single strobe signal line. Pulsing patterns may be chosen to reduce the coincidence of pulses provided to multiple print head elements, thereby reducing the peak power requirements of the print head.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.