Patent ID: 6243119
Filing Date: 2001-06-05
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
An image-forming system that records an image through selective heat and pressure application, the system comprising:a recording member that includes a layer of a plurality of types of micro-capsules filled with dye, each micro-capsule disposed in said layer exhibiting a temperature/pressure characteristic such that, when said each micro-capsule is squashed under a predetermined pressure at a predetermined temperature, said dye seeps from said squashed micro-capsule, each of said plurality of types of micro-capsules being squashed under different predetermined pressures at different predetermined temperatures;a conveyer unit that moves said recording member in a recording direction, said conveyer unit locally applying said different predetermined pressures to said recording member; anda plurality of thermal line heads that correspondingly heat said plurality of types of micro-capsules to said different predetermined temperatures, said thermal line heads extending perpendicular to said recording direction and aligned in said recording direction, a control system that controls each of said thermal line heads by a common control signal corresponding to a line of said image to be recorded by said thermal line head, at least two of said thermal line heads being driven to simultaneously recorded said lines;wherein each of said plurality of thermal line heads include a plurality of heating elements of predetermined resistance, the predetermined resistance of each of said plurality of thermal heads being different from the predetermined resistance of another of said plurality of thermal heads, and a controller that controls each of said thermal line heads to have equal heating times so that said thermal line heads are heated to said different predetermined temperatures.