US 12,280,603 B2
Printing apparatus, printing method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium
Keisuke Nishihara, Nagoya (JP); and Akira Minami, Nagoya (JP)
Assigned to BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Nagoya (JP)
Filed by BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Nagoya (JP)
Filed on Apr. 22, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/305,328.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-073044 (JP), filed on Apr. 27, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0347659 A1, Nov. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. B41J 2/335 (2006.01); B41J 2/525 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/3352 (2013.01) [B41J 2/525 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a thermal head having a plurality of heat-generating elements aligned in a line form;
a conveyor configured to convey a print medium in a conveying direction orthogonal to a serial direction in which the plurality of heat-generating elements are aligned in the thermal head, the printing apparatus being configured to form print dots on the print medium conveyed by the conveyor; and
a processor configured to:
generate a signal pattern for causing the plurality of heat-generating elements to selectively generate heat based on image data; and
control an application of energy to the heat-generating elements according to the signal pattern, for each printing cycle that is repeated continuously,
wherein the signal pattern is configured by a pattern in which application information of indicating a period for applying energy to the heat-generating elements and non-application information of indicating a period not for applying energy to the heat-generating elements are combined, and
wherein the processor is configured to generate the signal pattern by a combination of:
a multi-dot forming signal pattern including a pattern in which one printing cycle is divided into a plurality of divided printing cycles, and a print dot is formed by a combination of the application information and the non-application information in each of the divided printing cycles; and
a single-dot forming signal pattern that is a pattern in which a single print dot is formed by a combination of the application information and the non-application information within one printing cycle, without dividing the one printing cycle.