公开(公告)号：US07023460B2

公开(公告)日：2006-04-04

申请号：US10692479

申请日：2003-10-24

申请人： Eric Kaerts ,  Ivan Hoogmartens ,  Geert Defieuw

发明人： Eric Kaerts ,  Ivan Hoogmartens ,  Geert Defieuw

IPC分类号： B41J2/315

CPC分类号： B41J2/33545 ,  B41J2/3357

摘要： A thermal head printer for printing but not perforating a substantially light-insensitive thermographic material, the thermal printer comprising: a transport system having a transport direction, n thermal heads, where n is an integer, each of the thermal heads comprising an array of substantially rectangular energizable heating elements, the heating elements having a length Ln in the transport direction and a pitch Pn between adjacent heating elements, and a means for supplying electrical energy to each of the substantially rectangular energizable heating elements in at least one of the thermal heads, the transport system being capable of transporting the light-insensitive thermographic material in contact or proximity with at least one of the thermal heads, wherein at least one of the thermal heads comprises heating elements for which Ln/Pn is between 0.25 and 0.88; a first process for printing a substantially light-insensitive thermographic material with the above-described thermal head printer; a second process for printing a substantially light-insensitive thermographic material at different printing speeds with a thermal head comprising heating elements without significant variation in image tone, wherein the length of the heating elements in the transport direction of the substantially light-insensitive thermographic material decreases with decreasing printing speed; and a third process for printing a substantially light-insensitive thermographic material at different printing speeds with a different thermal head at each printing speed without significant variation in image tone, wherein each of said different thermal heads comprises heating elements with a different length in the transport direction of the substantially light-insensitive thermographic material and the length of the heating elements in the transport direction of the substantially light-insensitive thermographic material decreases with decreasing printing speed.

公开(公告)号：US5664893A

公开(公告)日：1997-09-09

申请号：US387030

申请日：1995-02-10

申请人： Dirk Meeussen ,  Eric Kaerts

发明人： Dirk Meeussen ,  Eric Kaerts

IPC分类号： B41J2/36 ,  B41J2/365

CPC分类号： B41J2/365

摘要： A thermal sublimation printer comprises means for counting at periodic observation times the number (N.sub.h) of activated heating elements; means for measuring at periodic observation times the temperature (T.sub.d) of the drum and the temperature (T.sub.h) of the heatsink; means for digitising the measured temperature of the drum and the measured temperature of the heatsink; means for transferring the number of activated heating elements and the digitised temperature values T.sub.d and T.sub.h ; a device for estimating the temperature (T.sub.e) of the heating elements based on the values of N.sub.h, T.sub.d and T.sub.h ; memory means for storing the estimate of the temperature of the heating elements; the printer operating to adjust the applied energy as a function of the estimate of the temperature of the heating elements and of the required temperature of the heating elements.

摘要翻译： 热升华打印机包括用于在周期性观察时间对激活的加热元件的数量（Nh）进行计数的装置; 用于在周期性观察时间测量滚筒的温度（Td）和散热器的温度（Th）的装置; 用于数字化测量的滚筒温度和散热器测得的温度的装置; 用于传送激活的加热元件的数量和数字化温度值Td和Th的装置; 基于Nh，Td和Th的值估计加热元件的温度（Te）的装置; 用于存储加热元件的温度的估计的存储装置; 打印机操作以根据加热元件的温度估计和加热元件的所需温度来调节施加的能量。

公开(公告)号：US06774922B2

公开(公告)日：2004-08-10

申请号：US10116363

申请日：2002-04-04

申请人： Eric Kaerts ,  Bartholomäus Herrmann-Biber

发明人： Eric Kaerts ,  Bartholomäus Herrmann-Biber

IPC分类号： B41J2355

CPC分类号： B41J2/36 ,  B41J29/393

摘要： A method for calibrating a thermal printer, having a thermal head incorporating a plurality of energisable heating elements, comprises the step of supplying to the thermal printer a thermographic material m, a plurality of printer data Pi each intended to be recorded as a pixel having a density Di, and default reference values for printing parameters comprising a value Pref for a reference printing power; and the step of printing a calibration pattern for the plurality of printer data Pi, the calibration pattern comprising a multiple step density wedge such that a whole range of a relation Di(Pi) between the printer data Pi and the density Di is covered. Further steps comprise measuring a density Dexpi for each patch of the density wedge of the calibration pattern in relation to the plurality of printer data Pi and storing a first set S1=(Pref, Pi, Dexpi) in a first memory M1; calculating, for a desired density Dwantj, a corresponding value Prefnewj for the reference printing power and storing a second set S2=(Dwantj, Prefnewj) in a second memory M2; calculating, for the desired density Dwantj, for each printer data Pi a corresponding density Di and storing a third set S3 =(Dwantj, Prefnewj, Pi, Di) in a third memory M3.

摘要翻译： 一种用于校准热敏打印机的方法，其具有并入有多个可激活加热元件的热​​敏头，包括向热敏打印机供应热成像材料m的步骤，多个打印机数据Pi，每个打印机数据Pi被记录为具有 密度Di和用于打印参数的默认参考值，其包括用于参考打印功率的值Pref; 以及打印用于多个打印机数据Pi的校准图案的步骤，校准图案包括多阶密度楔形，使得打印机数据Pi和密度Di之间的关系Di（Pi）的整个范围被覆盖。 进一步的步骤包括相对于多个打印机数据Pi测量校准图案的密度楔的每个贴片的密度Dexpi，并将第一组S1 =（Pref，Pi，Dexpi）存储在第一存储器M1中; 针对期望的密度Dwantj计算用于参考打印功率的相应值Prefnewj，并将第二组S2 =（Dwantj，Prefnewj）存储在第二存储器M2中; 对于每个打印机数据Pi，对于每个打印机数据Pi计算相应的密度Di并将第三组S3 =（Dwantj，Prefnewj，Pi，Di）存储在第三存储器M3中，计算所需密度Dwantj。

公开(公告)号：US5701150A

公开(公告)日：1997-12-23

申请号：US399746

申请日：1995-03-07

申请人： Luc Horemans ,  Eric Kaerts

发明人： Luc Horemans ,  Eric Kaerts

IPC分类号： B41J15/04 ,  B41J2/32 ,  B41J2/325

CPC分类号： B41J2/325

摘要： A thermal dye transfer printing process for making transparent prints, which comprises bringing a dye-bearing donor ribbon (17) in contact with a dye-receiving polymer print sheet (15) at a print zone, supporting both materials on a backing support (14) in said zone and contacting the donor ribbon with a print head (18) for image-wise heating the ribbon and cause dye transfer to the print sheet, wherein the rear side of the print sheet is uniformly heated on a drum (30) after removal of the sheet from the backing support, thereby to reduce curling of the sheet caused by the image-wise heating of its front side.

摘要翻译： 一种用于制造透明印刷品的热染料转印印刷方法，其包括使染料承载供体带（17）在印刷区域与染料接收聚合物印张（15）接触，将两种材料支撑在背衬支撑件（14）上 ），并将供体带与打印头（18）接触，用于图像地加热色带并使染料转移到印刷纸上，其中印刷纸的后侧在鼓（30）之后均匀地在鼓（30）上加热 从背衬支撑件移除片材，从而减少由其前侧的图像加热引起的片材的卷曲。

公开(公告)号：US07139010B2

公开(公告)日：2006-11-21

申请号：US10796766

申请日：2004-03-09

申请人： Stefaan DeMeutter ,  Eric Kaerts

发明人： Stefaan DeMeutter ,  Eric Kaerts

IPC分类号： B41J2/36

CPC分类号： B41J2/36

摘要： A thermal head printer with image-invariant printing speeds for printing a substantially light-insensitive thermographic material having a print density-driving power level characteristic, the thermal head printer comprising a transport means, one or more thermal heads each having an array of heating elements, a thermal print head drive system capable of supplying power to each of the printing elements, and a calibration means based on the print density-driving power level characteristic of the thermographic material; a process for calibrating a thermal head printer with image-invariant printing speeds, the thermal head printer comprising one or more thermal heads each having an array of heating elements connected to a power supply capable of supplying a given number of heating element driving power levels from 0 to a maximum driving power level number, corresponding to Pmax, to each heating element for printing a substantially light-insensitive thermographic material by image-wise heating the thermographic material with the heating elements, the process comprising the steps of: (i) putting the printer into a calibration mode; (ii) printing one or more step-wedges of print densities by heating the thermographic material with the heating elements at different DPLN'S; (iii) determining the optical density of each step of the step-wedge(s) of print densities with a densitometer thereby obtaining the dependence of the print density upon DPLN; (iv) deriving from the dependence, or all the dependences of the print density upon DPLN, a single smoothed dependence of the rate of change of print density, D, with DPLN, ΔD/ΔDPLN, as a function of DPLN for the thermographic material; (v) establishing a threshold rate of print density change per DPLN for the specific thermographic material being printed; and (vi) setting up the thermal head printer so that the threshold rate of print density increase per DPLN cannot be undercut; and a process for printing a substantially light-insensitive thermographic material with a thermal head printer comprising one or more thermal heads each having an array of heating elements connected to a power supply capable of supplying a given number of heating element driving power levels from 0 to a maximum driving power level number, corresponding to Pmax, the process comprising the steps of: calibrating the thermal head printer according to the above-described calibration process, transporting the substantially light-insensitive thermographic material past the thermal head, and image-wise heating of the substantially light-insensitive thermographic material by means of the heating elements.

公开(公告)号：US5796420A

公开(公告)日：1998-08-18

申请号：US248336

申请日：1994-05-24

申请人： Eric Kaerts ,  Paul Verzele

发明人： Eric Kaerts ,  Paul Verzele

IPC分类号： B41J2/36 ,  B41J2/365 ,  B41J2/37

CPC分类号： B41J2/36

摘要： A method for printing by thermal sublimation is provided, comprising the steps of: 1) supplying uncorrected input data I.sub.i,u to a processing unit of a printer having a head with a plurality of heating elements; 2) obtaining density correction means M.sub.i,d for improving across-the-head uneveness according to the steps of: a) activating each heating element with power compensated input data, so that a same time-averaged power is generated in each heating element; b) measuring the printing density of pixels; c) estimating for each heating element the deviation .delta..sub.i of the density from a density aimed at by applying said power; d) calculating for each heating element a density correction means M.sub.i,d taking into account said deviation .delta..sub.i ; e) storing each of said density correction means M.sub.i,d ; 3) combining the respective uncorrected input data I.sub.i,u with the respective density correction means M.sub.i,d ; 4) providing the thus corrected data to the thermal head.

摘要翻译： 提供了一种通过热升华进行打印的方法，包括以下步骤：1）将未校正的输入数据Ii，u提供给具有多个加热元件的头部的打印机的处理单元; 2）根据以下步骤获得用于改善横向头部不均匀的密度校正装置Mi，d：a）用功率补偿输入数据激活每个加热元件，从而在每个加热元件中产生相同的时间平均功率; b）测量像素的打印密度; c）通过施加所述功率来估计每个加热元件的密度的偏差δi与来自密度的偏差δi; d）计算每个加热元件的密度校正装置Mi，d，其考虑所述偏差δi; e）存储每个所述密度校正装置Mi，d; 3）将相应的未校正输入数据Ii，u与相应的浓度校正装置Mi，d组合; 4）将如此校正的数据提供给热敏头。

公开(公告)号：US5786837A

公开(公告)日：1998-07-28

申请号：US554856

申请日：1995-11-07

申请人： Eric Kaerts ,  Dirk Meeussen

发明人： Eric Kaerts ,  Dirk Meeussen

IPC分类号： B41J2/36

CPC分类号： B41J2/36

摘要： Thermal recording comprising the steps of supplying input data I.sub.u to a processing unit (23) of a printer having a thermal head with a plurality of heating elements; storing input data of a line into a buffer memory (24), further called input line data I.sub.l ; converting (25) the data I.sub.l into serial configurated data I.sub.s ; mapping (32) the data I.sub.s with resistance compensation data into power mapped data I.sub.m ; shifting the data I.sub.m into a shift buffer memory (26), further called shifted power mapped data I.sub.m' ; counting (33) a number N.sub.s,on of simultaneously activated heating elements; adapting (34) a strobe duty cycle .delta. (35) in accordance with N.sub.s,on, further called voltage corrected strobe duty cycle .delta..sub.v ; providing (36) the .delta..sub.v and the data I.sub.m' to the heating elements for reproducing the line of an image.

摘要翻译： 热敏记录包括以下步骤：向具有多个加热元件的热​​敏头的打印机的处理单元（23）提供输入数据Iu; 将行的输入数据存储到缓冲存储器（24）中，进一步称为输入行数据II; 将数据Il转换（25）为串行配置数据Is; 映射（32）数据是将电阻补偿数据转换为电源映射数据Im; 将数据Im移动到移位缓冲存储器（26）中，进一步称为移位的功率映射数据Im'; 计数（33）数字Ns，同时激活加热元件; 适应（34）根据Ns的选通占空比增量（35），进一步称为电压校正的选通占空比Δv; 向加热元件提供（36）delta v和数据Im'以再现图像的线。