Thermal printer
AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHiroyuki TAKI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal printer with a thermal head including a heating element forms an image on a medium. The printer includes a temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the medium, a heater that heats an interior of the thermal printer, and a processor. The processor determines whether a temperature measured by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a preset temperature threshold, operate the heater if the measured temperature is less than the temperature threshold, and determine an application energy amount for the thermal head based on the measured temperature if the measured temperature is equal to or greater than the temperature threshold.
Claims20
A thermal printer comprising:
- a thermal head comprising a heating element, the thermal head configured to form an image on a medium, the medium being a sheet;
- a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the medium;
- a heater configured to heat an interior of the thermal printer and provide heat to the medium;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- determine whether a temperature measured by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a preset temperature threshold;
- in response to the temperature being less than the preset temperature threshold, operate the heater;
- and
- in response to the temperature being equal to or greater than the preset temperature threshold, determine an application energy amount for the thermal head based on the measured temperature.
A method for controlling a thermal printer comprising:
- determining whether a temperature of a medium is equal to or greater than a preset temperature threshold;
- in response to the temperature being less than the preset temperature threshold, operating a heater;
- and
- in response to the temperature being equal to or greater than the preset temperature threshold, determining an application energy amount for a thermal head based on the measured temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.