Patent Application
20230264486
One disclosed aspect of the embodiments relates to a recording apparatus and a recording method.
Monochrome printing using thermal paper and color printing using ink ribbons have heretofore been widely used for recording by a thermal print head. In recent years, color recording using a sheet including color developing layers of different colors has been discussed and become prevalent as easy-to-use means for printing pictures. The color developing layers of different colors have respective different heating temperatures and heating times for color development, and a color image is recorded by utilizing the differences to cause a specific color developing layer to develop color (United States Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0309946).
However, the technique discussed in United States Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0309946 may produce pixels of insufficient development density. Take, for example, a trailing portion of an area where color is developed in high density. If energy applied to pixels subsequent to the trailing portion is low, no heat propagates to the trailing portion from the pixels subsequent to the trailing portion. The trailing portion can thus have insufficient development density since the applied energy is lower than in the central part of the area where color is developed in high density.
According to an aspect of the embodiments, a recording apparatus includes a recording head, a first conditional determination unit or circuit, and a pulse control unit or circuit. The recording head includes a plurality of heating elements arranged in a predetermined direction. The recording head is configured to heat a sheet-like recording medium based on image data to form an image on the recording medium by causing a desired color developing layer to develop color among a plurality of color developing layers stacked in the recording medium. The plurality of color developing layers corresponds to a plurality of colors and is configured to develop color in response to heating. The first conditional determination unit is configured to determine whether a first condition is satisfied. The first condition is that an immediately subsequent pixel that is located at a same position as a pixel of interest in the predetermined direction and is to be recorded next to the pixel of interest be either a pixel that develops color of which an effect on color development of the pixel of interest is not visually identifiable or a pixel that does not develop color of any of the color developing layers of the recording medium. The pulse control unit is configured to control a pulse to be applied to the recording head in forming the pixel of interest based on a result of determination made by the first conditional determination unit. The pulse control unit is configured to control, in a case where the pixel of interest of the image data has a predetermined value and the first condition is satisfied, the pulse to increase thermal energy for the recording head to apply to the recording medium in forming the pixel of interest as compared to a case where the pixel of interest of the image data has the predetermined value and the first condition is not satisfied.
Further features of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Exemplary embodiments will be specifically described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The following exemplary embodiments are not intended to limit the disclosure set forth in the claims. While the exemplary embodiments describe a plurality of features, all such features are not necessarily indispensable to the disclosure, and the features may be freely combined. In the attached drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numbers. A redundant description thereof will be omitted. In the following, the term “unit” may refer to a software context, a hardware context, or a combination of software and hardware contexts. In the software context, the term “unit” refers to a functionality, an application, a software module, a function, a routine, a set of instructions, or a program that can be executed by a programmable processor such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), or a specially designed programmable device or controller. A memory contains instructions or program that, when executed by the CPU, cause the CPU to perform operations corresponding to units or functions. In the hardware context, the term “unit” refers to a hardware element, a circuit, an assembly, a physical structure, a system, a module, or a subsystem. It may include mechanical, optical, or electrical components, or any combination of them. It may include active (e.g., transistors) or passive (e.g., capacitor) components. It may include semiconductor devices having a substrate and other layers of materials having various concentrations of conductivity. It may include a CPU or a programmable processor that can execute a program stored in a memory to perform specified functions. It may include logic elements (e.g., AND, OR) implemented by transistor circuits or any other switching circuits. In the combination of software and hardware contexts, the term “unit” or “circuit” refers to any combination of the software and hardware contexts as described above. In addition, the term “element,” “assembly,” “component,” or “device” may also refer to “circuit” with or without integration with packaging materials.
A first exemplary embodiment will be described below.
As illustrated in
The host PC 50 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 501, a random access memory (RAM) 502, a hard disk drive (HDD) 503, a data transfer interface (I/F) 504, a keyboard mouse I/F 505, and a display I/F 506.
The CPU 501 performs processing based on programs stored in the HDD 503 and the RAM 502. The RAM 502 is a volatile storage, and temporarily stores programs and data. The HDD 503 is a nonvolatile storage, and also stores programs and data. The data transfer I/F 504 controls data transmission and reception to/from the recording apparatus 40. Examples of the data transmission and reception method include wired connections, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394, and a local area network (LAN), and wireless connections, such as Bluetooth® and Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi). The keyboard mouse I/F 505 is an I/F for controlling a user interface (UI) with a keyboard and a mouse. The user can input information into the host PC 50 via the keyboard mouse I/F 505. The display I/F 506 controls display of a display device (not illustrated).
The recording apparatus 40 includes a CPU 401, a RAM 402, a ROM 403, a data transfer I/F 404, a head controller 405, and an image processing accelerator 406.
The CPU 401 performs processing according to exemplary embodiments to be described below based on programs stored in the ROM 403 and the RAM 402. The RAM 402 is a volatile storage, and temporarily stores programs and data. The ROM 403 is a nonvolatile storage, and stores table data and programs to be used in the processing of the exemplary embodiments to be described below. The data transfer I/F 404 controls data transmission and reception to/from the host PC 50.
The head controller 405 controls a heating operation (to be described below) on the recording head 30 based on recording data. More specifically, the head controller 405 is configured to read control parameters and recording data from a predetermined address of the RAM 402. In response to the CPU 401 writing the control parameters and the recording data at the predetermined address of the RAM 402, the head controller 405 activates processing and performs a heating operation on the recording head 30.
The image processing accelerator 406 is a hardware configuration that performs image processing faster than the CPU 401. More specifically, the image processing accelerator 406 is configured to read parameters and data to be used for the image processing from a predetermined address of the RAM 402. When the CPU 401 writes the parameters and data at the predetermined address of the RAM 402, the image processing accelerator 406 is activated to perform predetermined image processing.
The image processing accelerator 406 is not necessarily an essential component. Depending on the specifications of the recording apparatus 40, the processing for generating the foregoing table parameters and the image processing may be executed through the processing of the CPU 401 alone.
The recording head 30 includes a glazed layer 32 on a substrate 31. A convex glazed layer 33 may be further disposed on the glazed layer 32. If there is a convex glazed layer 33, a resistor 34 is disposed at the surface of the convex glazed layer 33. If not, the resistor 34 is disposed at the surface of the flat glazed layer 32. A protective film layer is desirably formed over the resistor 34, the glazed layer 32, and the convex glazed layer 33. The combination of the glazed layer 32 and the convex glazed layer 33, which are typically made of the same material, will hereinafter be referred to as a “glazed layer of the recording head 30”. A thermistor 36 is located on the glazed layer 32 near the resistor 34.
The substrate 31 is in contact with a heat sink 35, and cooled by using a fan. The recording medium 10 makes contact with the glazed layer of the recording head 30, which typically has a length substantially greater than that of an actual heating resistor. The resistor 34 is an electrothermal transducer (heater or heating element) that generates heat when an electric current is supplied thereto. If the resistor 34 generates heat, the resistance of the thermistor 36 located nearby changes and the temperature near the thermistor 36 can be estimated. The temperature of the resistor 34 corresponding to the surface of the recording head 30 is unable to be directly measured using the thermistor 36. Thus, the temperature at the surface of the recording head 30 can be estimated by associating temperatures near the thermistor 36 with the corresponding temperatures at the surface of the recording head 30 by experiment in advance. The resistor 34 typically has a length of approximately 120 μm or so in the conveyance direction of the recording medium 10. The thermal contact area between the glazed layer of the recording head 30 and the recording medium 10 is typically 200 μm or more.
As illustrated in
Each image forming layer is initially colorless, and develops color when heated to a specific temperature called activation temperature. The color order of the image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 are freely selectable. A suitable color order of the image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 is as described above. Another suitable color order is such that the three image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 are C, M, and Y. Here, an example where the image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 are configured in the foregoing order of Y, M, and C will be described.
The spacer layer 15 is desirably thinner than the spacer layer 17. This does not necessarily apply if the member including the two layers has substantially the same thermal diffusivities. A function of the spacer layers 15 and 17 is to control thermal diffusion in the infrared image member 10. If the spacer layer 17 is made of the same material as that of the spacer layer 15, the spacer layer 17 is desirably at least four times as thick as the spacer layer 15. Before image formation, all the layers on the base 12 are substantially transparent. If the base 12 is in reflective color (such as white), the color image formed in the infrared image member 10 is viewed through the protective film layer 13 on the reflective background provided by the base 12. Since the layers on the base 12 are transparent, the combination of colors formed in the respective image forming layers can be seen.
The three image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 of the infrared image member 10 are located on the same side of the base 12. However, some of the image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 may be located on the other side of the base 12.
The image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 are processed independently at least in part, by changing two adjustable parameters, namely, temperature and time. Images can be formed in desired image forming layers by selecting the temperature of the recording head 30 and the time period when the infrared image member 10 is heated.
Each of the image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 is processed by the recording head 30 generating heat in contact with the topmost layer of the infrared image member 10, that is, the protective film layer 13 of the infrared image member 10. The image forming layer 14 (the third image forming layer from the base 12, and the image forming layer closest to the surface of the infrared image member 10) has an activation temperature (Ta3) higher than that (Ta2) of the image forming layer 16 and also higher than that (Ta1) of the image forming layer 18.
Image forming layers at greater distances from the recording head 30 are heated with a delay as much as a heating time for heat to diffuse to the layers through the spacer layers. Such a heating delay prevents image forming layers that are substantially higher in the activation temperature and closer to the recording head 30 than the image forming layers having lower activation temperatures (image forming layers farther from the recording head 30) from activating the underlying image forming layers. This enables heating beyond the activation temperatures. In processing the topmost image forming layer 14, the recording head 30 is therefore heated to a relatively high temperature for a short time so that both the image forming layers 16 and 18 are insufficiently heated and prevented from activation.
To activate only an image forming layer closer to the base 12 (here, the image forming layer 16 or 18), the infrared image member 10 is heated at a temperature lower than the activation temperature(s) of the image forming layer(s) farther from the base 12 for a sufficiently long period. If the image forming layer having the lower activation temperature is thus activated, the image forming layer(s) having the higher activation temperature(s) is/are prevented from activation.
While the infrared image member 10 is desirably heated using the recording head 30, other methods for applying controlled heat to the infrared image member 10 may be used. For example, some kind of known means, such as a modulated light source (e.g., laser light source), may be used.
In
The activation temperatures selected for the image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 are typically in the range of approximately 90° C. to approximately 300° C. The activation temperature Ta1 of the image forming layer 18 is desirably as consistently low as possible in view of the thermal stability of the infrared imaging member 10 at shipment and during storage. The activation temperature Ta1 is suitably approximately 100° C. or higher. For the activation temperature Ta3, in order to heat the other image forming layers, which are the image forming layers 16 and 18, via the image forming layer 14 for activation and color-development without activation of the image forming layer 14 by the heating method according to the present exemplary embodiment, the image forming layer 14 desirably has a consistently low activation level as compared with the image forming layers 16 and 18. In other words, the temperature (Ta3) at which the image forming layer 14 is activated to develop color is desirably high. The activation temperature T3a is suitably approximately 200° C. or higher. The activation temperature Ta2 of the image forming layer 16 satisfies Ta1<Ta2<Ta3. The activation temperature Ta2 is suitably between approximately 140° C. and approximately 180° C.
The recording head 30 used here includes a resistor array including a plurality of resistors linearly arranged to extend substantially over an entire image width (in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the infrared image member 10).
The recording width of the recording head 30 may be smaller than the image width. In such a case, however, the recording head 30 is configured to be moved with respect to the infrared image member 10 or used in combination with another recording head so that the image is processed across the entire width.
Currents are fed through the resistors to provide heating pulses for imaging while the infrared image member 10 is being conveyed in the direction orthogonal to that in which the resistors of the recording head 30 are arranged. The recording head 30 typically heats the infrared image member 10 for a time in the range of approximately 0.001 to approximately 100 milliseconds per line of the image. The upper limit is rationally set in view of an image printing time. The lower limit is defined by limitations of the electronic circuits.
The dot pitch of the formed image is typically in the range of 100 to 600 lines per inch in both the conveyance direction of the infrared image member 10 and the direction perpendicular thereto. The dot pitch may vary depending on the direction.
The recording apparatus 40 described above is a type of thermal printer. The recording apparatus 40 uses a recording method called Zero Ink (ZINK) method or Zero Ink technology (registered trademark).
In such a state, in step S601, the host PC 50 performs a print service discovery. In step S612, the recording apparatus 40 responds to the discovery and notifies the host PC 50 that the recording apparatus 40 can provide the print service. In step S602, the host PC 50 obtains print capability information. Basically, the host PC 50 requests print capability information from the recording apparatus 40. In step S613, the recording apparatus 40 notifies the host PC 50 of information about the print service that the recording apparatus 40 can provide.
In step S604, the host PC 50 constructs a UI for generating a print job based on the notified print capability information. More specifically, the host PC 50 displays appropriate options, such as print sizes and printable sheet sizes, on the display device and thereby provides the appropriate options for the user based on the print capability information about the recording apparatus 40. In step S605, the host PC 50 issues a print job.
In step S614, the recording apparatus 40 receives the print job. In step S616, the recording apparatus 40 executes the print job. If the recording apparatus 40 completes printing based on the print job, then in step S617, the recording apparatus 40 notifies the host PC 50 of the completion of the printing (issues a print completion notification). In step S606, the host PC 50 receives the print completion notification, and notifies the user of the completion of the printing.
With the print job completed, the host PC 50 and the recording apparatus 40 complete the respective series of print service processes.
In the foregoing description, various pieces of information are all described to be communicated by the host PC 50 issuing a request to the recording apparatus 40 and the recording apparatus 40 responding to the request. However, the communication between the host PC 50 and the recording apparatus 40 is not limited to pull communication. Push communication where the recording apparatus 40 spontaneously transmits information to the host PC 50 (and other host PCs) on the network may be employed.
Colors to be developed are listed to the left of
The heating times of the image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 are as follows:
The amount of heat applied by the recording head 30 decreases due to heat conduction to the glazed layer 32, the substrate 31, and the heat sink 35 of the recording head 30 while the infrared image member 10 is not heated, such as the pulse intervals Δt2, Δt4, Δt5, and Δt7, and the temperature of the infrared image member 10 thus drops. The amount of heat applied to the infrared image member 10 also decreases due to heat conduction to the platen 43, and the temperature of the infrared image member 10 drops accordingly. If the same amount of heat is applied at the same temperature, the temperature drops more as the intervals increases. Using the heating times and the heating intervals, the peak temperatures in developing the colors of the respective image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 alone are set to satisfy the following relationship:
Next, heating pulses for controlling the development of secondary colors red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and a tertiary color black (K) will be described.
In
In the case of developing red, the heating pulse for developing Y is the same as that for singly developing Y, that is, a heating pulse for the time Δt1. However, the heating pulses for developing M are one fewer than those for singly developing M. The reason for the fewer heating pulses is to prevent the image forming layer of C from reaching its color developing temperature. In the case of developing green, heating pulses obtained by ORing the heating pulse for singly developing Y and those for singly developing C are used. The development of M is prevented by lowering the temperature inside the recording medium 10 between the heating pulse for developing Y and those for developing C. In the case of developing blue, a heating pulse for the time Δt6 is applied a total of ten times starting at timing p0, with intervals of Δt7. The greater number of heating pulses than for singly developing C makes the image forming layer of M reach its color developing temperature as well. In the case of developing K, heating pulses obtained by ORing those for developing red and those for singly developing C are applied.
In step S901, the CPU 401 starts print processing in executing the print job in step S616 of
In step S902, the CPU 401 inputs image data included in the print job received in step S614 of
In step S903, the CPU 401 performs decoding processing if the image data is compressed or encoded.
In step S904, the CPU 401 determines whether a pixel on an nth line, which is the pixel of interest of the image data, is a red pixel. Whether a pixel is a red pixel to develop red can be determined from the R, G, and B values (hereinafter, may be referred to as RGB values) of the input image data. The determination can be made by defining a range in advance such that a pixel having RGB values of R=r0 to r1, G=g0 to g1, and B=b0 to b1 is determined to be red. r0, g0, b0, r1, g1, and b1 can be set based on the intended range for red. If r0=255, g0=0, b0=0, r1=255, g1=0, and b1=0, pixel data with R=255, G=0, and B=0 is determined to be red. Pixel data having other values is determined to not be red.
In step S905, the CPU 401 determines whether there are pixels on (n−3)th to (n+1)th lines illustrated in
In step S906, the CPU 401 inputs 8-bit (0 to 255) RGB values that are pixel data on the (n−3)th to (n+1)th lines.
In step S907, the CPU 401 makes a first thermal history determination. In the first thermal history determination, the CPU 401 determines which of the red development patterns of
In step S908, the CPU 401 makes a first immediately subsequent pixel determination. In the first immediately subsequent pixel determination, the CPU 401 makes a conditional determination to determine whether the following condition is satisfied: the pixel marked with ● that is the immediately subsequent pixel downstream of the pixel of interest marked with ∘ in the conveyance direction be a pixel that practically does not need to develop color of any of the image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 that are the color developing layers of the recording medium 10. At least a white pixel (R=255, G=255, and B=255) that does not develop any color is determined to practically not need to develop color. Whether the image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 practically do not need to develop color can be determined based on whether R=r2 to 255, G=g2 to 255, and B=b2 to 255 are all satisfied. r2, g2, and b2 can be set to color where the effect of the heating pulses of the immediately subsequent pixel on the color development of the preceding pixel of interest is not visually identifiable. For example, with a value approximately ¾ of 255 as a threshold, r2, g2, and b2 may be set so that r2=191, g2=191, and b2=191. The values may be changed color by color since heat propagates differently from one color developing layer to another. If r2=255, g2=255, and b2=255, and the immediately subsequent pixel marked with ● in
In other words, immediately after the application of the R pulses to the pixel of interest during printing of consecutive red pixels, the pixel of interest has a lower density than that of the immediately preceding pixel. The last pixel of a solid red image thus has a lower density than that of the inner pixels of the solid red image. For such a reason, the present exemplary embodiment focuses on the pixel immediately after the pixel of interest in the heating pulse control.
In step S909, the CPU 401 inputs 8-bit (0 to 255) RGB values that are pixel data on existing lines among the (n−3)th to (n+1)th lines illustrated in
In step S910, the CPU 401 makes a second thermal history determination. In the second thermal history determination, the CPU 401 determines which of the red development patterns of
In step S911, the CPU 401 makes a second immediately subsequent pixel determination. In the second immediately subsequent pixel determination, if pixel data on the (n+1)th line is input, the CPU 401 determines, as in step S908, whether the pixel marked with ● that is the pixel immediately subsequent to the pixel of interest in the conveyance direction is a pixel that practically does not need to develop the color of any of the image forming layers 14, 16, and 18 that are the color developing layers of the recording medium 10. If pixel data on the (n+1)th line is not input, the CPU 401 determines that the immediately subsequent pixel practically does not need to develop color.
In step S912, the CPU 401 determines whether the pixel of interest marked with ∘ is likely to be the last pixel of a solid red image. If one of the red development patterns of
In step S913, the CPU 401 sets high-density pulses for the pixel of interest marked with ∘. By using a three-dimensional lookup table (3D_LUT), the high-density pulses can be set as follows:
The 3D_LUT includes 256×256×256×3 pieces of data. As illustrated in
In step S914, the CPU 401 determines whether the pixel of interest is an inner pixel of a solid red image. If one of the red development patterns of
In step S915, the CPU 401 sets normal pulses for the pixel of interest marked with ∘. Using the 3D_LUT, the CPU 401 can set the normal pulses as follows:
Normal pulses are set to be suitable for the color development of an inner pixel of a solid image in each color. In this step S915, the CPU 401 sets the normal pulses illustrated in
In step S916, the CPU 401 sets leading pulses for the pixel of interest marked with ∘. Using the 3D_LUT, the CPU 401 can set the leading pulses as follows:
In this step S916, the leading pulses illustrated in
In step S917, the CPU 401 performs head control. The CPU 401 applies the pulses set in step S913, S915, or S916 to the recording head 30 to cause the recording medium 10 to develop color.
In step S918, the CPU 401 checks whether the recording of this page is completed. If no (NO in step S918), the processing returns to step S903 to continue recording this page with the next pixel (pixel on the (n+1)th line) as the pixel of interest. If the determination in step S918 is yes (YES in step S918), the processing proceeds to step S919. In step S919, the CPU 401 ends the print processing.
As illustrated in
According to the method described above, if the thermal history falls within a predetermined value range and the immediately subsequent pixel practically does not need to develop color, pulses having high thermal energy are applied to the red pixel of interest as compared to when the thermal history is the same and the immediately subsequent pixel develops color. As illustrated in
Next, a method for finely controlling heating pulses based on thermal history will be described. As the number of pixels to which the same heating pulses are applied increases in the conveyance direction, the temperature of the recording head 30 increases. This increases the thermal energy propagating from the recording head 30 to the recording medium 10, and the temperature resulting from the applied heating pulses increases as well. If the temperature increases further, an image forming layer not intended to develop color can exceed its color developing temperature and develop color. In view of this, reduction of density variations between pixels through control of heating pulses based on thermal history will be described. Note that density variations between the inner pixels of a solid red image can be reduced by controlling the heating pulses based on the thermal history. By contrast, the last pixel has a lower density than that of the inner pixels since there is no heat propagation to the last pixel from an immediately subsequent pixel. The thermal history control and the use of high-density pulses for the last pixel are therefore desirably implemented in combination as described below.
The foregoing 3D_LUT includes 256×256×256×3×4 pieces of data. The heating pulses of
The heating pulses of
Even in finely controlling pulses based on thermal history, the CPU 401 can set leading pulses in step S916 by storing the pulse data of
The thermal history-based normal pulse control described in conjunction with
A second exemplary embodiment will be described below. In the first exemplary embodiment, the high-density pulses are described to be implemented by increasing at least either the duty ratio or the number of times of application of heating pulses. In the present exemplary embodiment, an example where high-density pulses are implemented by reducing a blank time (described below) where no pulse is applied between the pulses of the last pixel and those of the immediately preceding pixel compared to that between the normal pulses of the inner pixels will be described.
A similar procedure to that described in conjunction with
In step S913, the CPU 401 sets the pulse data of
In step S915, the CPU 401 sets the pulse data of
According to the method described above, if the thermal history falls within a predetermined value range and the immediately subsequent pixel practically does not need to develop color, high-density pulses having a short blank time from the immediately preceding pixel are applied to the red pixel of interest as compared to when the thermal history is the same and the immediately subsequent pixel develops color. The application of the high-density pulses to the last pixel of a solid red image can thus reduce a drop in the density of the last pixel of the image and enable recording with a reduced density difference from the inner pixels of the solid red image.
The first exemplary embodiment is described in conjunction with red expressed by R=255, G=0, and B=0. However, r0, g0, b0, r1, g1, and b1 may be set to other numerical values. In other words, the first exemplary embodiment can be applied to any color where the last pixel is likely to be insufficiently developed due to insufficient heat propagation.
For example, blue expressed by R=0, G=0, and B=255 is applicable. The numerical values are desirably set to color where the temperature immediately before the pixel of interest is estimated to fall within a predetermined range and the immediately subsequent pixel can be determined to practically not need to develop color from the thermal history, and the application of high-density pulses to the last pixel of the solid image can reduce a density difference between the last pixel and inner pixels of the solid image.
In the first and second exemplary embodiments, the high-density pulses and normal pulses for red are described to be controlled. The reason for focusing on red will now be described with reference to
According to the foregoing exemplary embodiments, a drop in the development density of pixels with which a high-density image is recorded can be reduced.
Embodiment(s) of the disclosure can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a ‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). The computer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.
While the disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-025903, filed Feb. 22, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-025903 | Feb 2022 | JP | national |
