초록 ▼

A camera that includes a camera head, an amplifier, and a camera control unit. The camera head includes a charge coupled device and at least one lens that is optically coupled to the charge coupled device to focus light energy onto the charge coupled device. The charge coupled device provides a plur

A camera that includes a camera head, an amplifier, and a camera control unit. The camera head includes a charge coupled device and at least one lens that is optically coupled to the charge coupled device to focus light energy onto the charge coupled device. The charge coupled device provides a plurality of signals indicative of the light energy incident upon a plurality of regions of the charge coupled device. The amplifier is electrically coupled to the charge coupled device to receive the plurality of signals from the charge coupled device and provide a plurality of amplified signals to the camera control unit, but, the amplifier is physically separated from the charge coupled device so that the amplifier is outside the camera head. The camera control unit is electrically coupled to the amplifier to receive the plurality of amplified signals from the amplifier and to process the plurality of amplified signals to form an image. In one embodiment, the camera head can move in numerous directions relative to other portions of the camera system, including rotationally, pivotally, and towards and away from a body of the camera.

대표청구항 ▼

A camera that includes a camera head, an amplifier, and a camera control unit. The camera head includes a charge coupled device and at least one lens that is optically coupled to the charge coupled device to focus light energy onto the charge coupled device. The charge coupled device provides a plur

A camera that includes a camera head, an amplifier, and a camera control unit. The camera head includes a charge coupled device and at least one lens that is optically coupled to the charge coupled device to focus light energy onto the charge coupled device. The charge coupled device provides a plurality of signals indicative of the light energy incident upon a plurality of regions of the charge coupled device. The amplifier is electrically coupled to the charge coupled device to receive the plurality of signals from the charge coupled device and provide a plurality of amplified signals to the camera control unit, but, the amplifier is physically separated from the charge coupled device so that the amplifier is outside the camera head. The camera control unit is electrically coupled to the amplifier to receive the plurality of amplified signals from the amplifier and to process the plurality of amplified signals to form an image. In one embodiment, the camera head can move in numerous directions relative to other portions of the camera system, including rotationally, pivotally, and towards and away from a body of the camera. 1. A printer comprising a printer main body, a cover arranged on the printer main body in such a manner that the cover can be opened, a sprocket for feeding a sheet from a sheet roll arranged in the printer main body, a platen roller and a printing head for printing on the sheet, a driving gear mechanism for rotating the sprocket and the platen roller, a gear mechanism for rotating a ribbon core of an ink ribbon cassette mounted on the cover using the driving gear mechanism, and backlash eliminating means for eliminating backlash of the platen gear when the cover is closed. 2. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the backlash eliminating means includes a core gear for the ribbon core, which core gear is engaged with a gear of the gear mechanism when the cover is closed, thereby slightly rotating the gear of the gear mechanism in a reverse direction, so as to eliminate backlash of the platen gear. 3. The printer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sheet is preparatively fed by a predetermined amount and then the driving gear mechanism is driven, prior to empty feed of the sheet before starting printing. 4. A printer comprising a printer main body, a cover arranged on the printer main body in such a manner that the cover can be opened, a sprocket for feeding a sheet from a sheet roll arranged in the printer main body, a platen roller and a printing head for printing on the sheet, a driving gear mechanism for rotating the sprocket and the platen roller, and a gear mechanism for rotating a ribbon core of an ink ribbon cassette mounted on the cover using the driving gear mechanism, the printer further comprising preparatory feed means for feeding the sheet by a first predetermined amount as a preparatory feed and empty feed means for feeding the sheet by a second predetermined amount before starting printing. 5. The printer as claimed in claim 4, the printer further comprising backward feed means for feeding backward the sheet by a total length of the preparatory feed amount, the empty feed amount, and an actual printing range. 6. The printer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising preparatory feed means for feeding the sheet by a first predetermined amount as a preparatory feed and empty feed means for feeding the sheet by a second predetermined amount before starting printing. 7. The printer as claimed in claim 6, the printer further comprising backward feed means for feeding backward the sheet by a total length of the preparatory feed amount, the empty feed amount, and an actual printing range. 8. The printer as claimed in claim 4, wherein the ribbon core includes a core gear that is engaged with and slightly rotates a gear of the gear mechanism in a reverse direction when the cover is closed so as to eliminate backlash of the platen gear. 9. A printer comprising a printer main body, an openable cover arranged on the printer main body, a sprocket for feeding a sheet from a sheet roll arranged in the printer main body, a platen roller and a printing head for printing on the sheet, a drive mechanism for driving rotation of the sprocket and the platen roller, a rotating mechanism for rotating a ribbon core of an ink ribbon cassette mounted on the cover using the drive mechanism, and a backlash eliminating mechanism cooperating with said rotating mechanism for eliminating backlash of the platen gear when the cover is closed. 10. The printer as claimed in claim 9, wherein the backlash eliminating mechanism includes a core gear for the ribbon core which is engaged with said rotating mechanism when the cover is closed, said drive mechanism driving said rotating mechanism engaged with said core gear in a reverse direction so as to eliminate backlash of the platen gear. 11. The printer as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a motor mechanism for feeding the sheet by a first predetermined amount as a preparatory feed and for feeding the sheet by a second predetermined amount before starting printing. 12. The printer as clai med in claim 11, wherein said motor mechanism feeds backward the sheet by a total length of the preparatory feed amount, the empty feed amount, and an actual printing range. ng left longest edge and right longest edge, respectively, and the rastering in step (c) proceeds from the expanded longest edge of the triangle to the original two edges of the triangle on the other side. 3. A method of claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprising the steps of: (b1) expanding parallel, outwardly in the horizontal dimension a distance of the reciprocal of the absolute value of the slope of the triangle edge from the original triangle edge if the absolute value of slope of the triangle edge is smaller than one; and (b2) expanding parallel, outwardly in the horizontal dimension a distance of one pixel width from the original triangle edge if the absolute value of slope of the triangle edge is greater than one. 4. A method of claim 2 wherein step (c) further comprising at least one of the steps of: (c1) obtaining weighting value of each pixel within the expanded region of the starting edge, the slope of which in absolute value is smaller than one, along the mastering line by calculating one of the following: (c11) the ratio of the distance in the vertical dimension between the left upper vertex of the pixel to be calculated at the rastering line and the expanded starting edge to one pixel width; and (c12) one minus the ratio of the distance in the vertical dimension between the left upper vertex of the pixel to be calculated at the rastering line and the original starting edge to one pixel width; (c2) obtaining weighting value of each pixel within the expanded area of the starting edge, the slope of which in absolute value is greater than one, along the rastering line by calculating one of the following: (c21) the ratio of the distance in the horizontal dimension between the left upper vertex of the pixel to be calculated at the rastering line and the expanded starting edge to one pixel width; and (c22) one minus the ratio of the distance in the horizontal dimension between the left upper vertex of the pixel to be calculated at the rastering line and the original starting edge to one pixel width; (c3) obtaining weighting value of each pixel within the expanded area of the ending edge, the slope of which in absolute value is smaller than one, along the mastering line by calculating one of the following: (c31) one minus the ratio of the distance in the vertical dimension between the left upper vertex of the pixel to be calculated at the rastering line and the original ending edge to one pixel width; and (c32) the ratio of the distance in the vertical dimension between the left upper vertex of the pixel to be calculated at the rastering line and the expended ending edge to one pixel width; and (c4) obtaining the weighting value of each pixel within the expanded area of the ending edge, the slope of which in absolute value is greater than one, along the rastering line by calculating one of the following: (c41) one minus the ratio of the distance in the horizontal dimension between the left upper vertex of the pixel to be calculated at the rastering line and the original ending edge to one pixel width; and (c42) the ratio of the distance in the horizontal dimension between the left upper vertex of the pixel to be calculated at the rastering line and the expanded ending edge to one pixel width. 5. A method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: (d) storing the depth value of the rasterized pixel nearest to the viewer and the second nearest depth value of the rasterized pixel in a Z-buffer in a memory; (e) storing respective colors and weighting values of the nearest pixel and the second nearest pixel in a frame buffer in a memory; and (f) blending the color of the nearest pixel and that of the second nearest pixel according to the weighting value in the frame buffer. 6. A method of claim 5 wherein step (d) further comprising the steps of: (d1) performing a Z-buffer depth test based on the weighting value and depth value of the rasterized pixel; and (d2) storing the color of nearest pixel, color of second nearest pixel and the weighting value in the frame buffer and updating the frame buffer according to the result of the Z buffer depth test. 7. A method of claim 6 wherein step (d2) further comprising at least one of the steps of: (d21) if the weighting value of the rasterized pixel equals to one, then performing the Z-buffer depth test as follows: (1) discarding the rasterized pixel if the rasterized pixel is behind the second nearest pixel; (2) updating the second nearest depth value with the depth value of the rasterized pixel and updating background color with the color of the rasterized color if the depth of the incoming pixel is between the nearest pixel and the second nearest pixel; and (3) if the rasterized pixel is in front of the nearest pixel, replacing the depth value of the second nearest pixel with the depth value of the nearest pixel and replacing the background color with the foreground color, updating the depth value and color of the nearest pixel with the depth value and color of the rasterized pixel and updating the weighting value of the corresponding pixel in the frame buffer with the weighting value of the rasterized pixel; and (d22) if the weighting value of the rasterized pixel is not equal to one, then the Z buffer depth test is given as follows: (4) discarding the rasterized pixel if the rasterized pixel is behind the second nearest pixel; (5) updating the background color with the color of the rasterized pixel if the depth value of the rasterized pixel is between the nearest pixel and second nearest pixel; and (6) if the rasterized pixel is in front of the nearest pixel, replacing the depth value of the second nearest pixel with the depth value of the nearest pixel and replacing the background color with the foreground color, updating the depth value and color of the nearest pixel with the depth value and color of the rasterized pixel and updating the weighting value of the corresponding pixel in the frame buffer with the weighting value of the rasterized pixel. 8. A computer readable medium recorded with a program that enables a computer to perform a method for improving the image quality of a plurality of polygons overlapped and interlaced with one another in a three-dimensional graphics display system of the computer, wherein the three-dimensional graphics is represented by a two dimensional plane composed of a plurality of pixels in the horizontal and vertical dimensions, respectively, and depth of each pixel of the polygons, comprising the steps of: (a) decomposing each of the plurality of polygons as at least one triangle; (b) obtaining expanded regions for each of the at least one triangle of the decomposed polygon by expanding parallel, outwardly each edge of the at least one triangle a distance from the original triangle edge, wherein said distance is determined based on the slope of each of the triangle edges; and (c) rastering each decomposed triangle per horizontal pixel line to obtain weighting values of pixels within the expanded regions, said weighting values being associated with the distances between pixels at the rasterized line and one of the expanded triangle edge and the original triangle edge. 9. A computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein each of the decomposed triangle in step (a) is classified as of two types having left longest edge and right longest edge, respectively, and the rastering in step (c) proceeds from the expanded longest edge of the triangle to the original two edges of the triangle on the other side. 10. A computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein step (b) further comprising the steps of: (b1) expanding parallel, outwardly in the horizontal dimension a distance of the reciprocal of the absolute value of the slope of the triangle edge from the original triangle edge if the absolute value of slope of the triangle edge is smaller than one; and (b2) expanding parallel, outwardly in the horizontal dimens