DE1272598B - Arrangement for line-by-line printing of characters in data processing systems - Google Patents

Description

Arrangement for line-by-line printing of characters in data processing systems The invention relates to an arrangement for printing out one line at a time Data processing system in binary-coded form, in particular output one after the other Characters using a buffer memory from which the print commands for the flying print can be given to the individual printing systems, e.g. B. with pressure with constantly rotating type shaft.

For the cooperation of the data processing system with a data printer, the z. B. is equipped with a rotating type shaft, often needs a buffer be used. The data processing system delivered characters to be printed line by line and stored with one of the current position of the type wave corresponding character, for example is supplied by a clock running synchronously with this wave, compared. If they are the same, the printing system is triggered and the corresponding character is printed. Is the intermediate memory connected between the data processing system and the printer designed as a buffer memory for a print line, so one achieves the large one The advantage that the central unit carries out other operations during a printing process can perform.

With reference to FIG. 1 and 2 the known methods for line-by-line printing of the characters output by a data processing system are explained. In the figures, tuT means the time for one revolution of the type shaft, tPn the time to fill the buffer memory for line n, tDn the time to print line n, tVii the time to advance the paper after the lines have been printed.

According to the method of FIG. 1 , the printing process is always started with the output of the same character. The reset pulse can be used to mark this symbol. The printing process is completed after one full revolution of the type shaft.

According to the method of FIG. 2, the printing process can be started immediately after the last information has been delivered to the buffer memory. The end of the printing operation is determined by a counter which counts the number of running past the print hammers sign '. This counter interrupts the printing process when all characters appearing on the type shaft have passed the print hammers.

It often happens that not all of them appear on the type wave Characters must be printed on one line. After printing the last type of character there is usually a long period of time until the new storage in the buffer memory, which remains unused.

Arrangements have become known in which it is possible to initiate a new printing cycle again shortly after the actual previous printing process has ended. In a known arrangement (French patent specification 1267 942) there is continuous monitoring of the character signals changed by the imprint, which are read out cyclically from a buffer memory. As soon as all character signals have been printed, the next print cycle is initiated by entering the character signals for the next line. In another arrangement (French patent specification 1280 212), precautions are taken which lead to the same goal, in that after all characters to be printed in a line have been printed, a signal is generated to initiate the next printing cycle. In a further arrangement (French patent specification 1276 630) the complete printout of a print line is monitored with a core storage level, the cores of which are assigned to the print positions of the line are set during data input and reset again during the printing process.

These arrangements already lead to a high operating speed of the printing unit.

The object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement which allows equally high printing speeds, i. This means that the next print cycle can be initiated immediately after the last character of a print line has been printed out. In addition, the arrangement to be created is based on the task that the individual assemblies are simple in structure and easy in the assignment to one another and that it is ensured that the respective characters are actually printed, ie. This means that the pressure control takes place in the area of the print hammers.

This is achieved according to the invention in that a counting element is supplied with a counting pulse for a character that is output by the data processing system and cannot be stored by the memory and a counting pulse for a print command given by the memory to the printing systems and that the memory interrogation process is completed after n counted pulses is, with which the time available for the printing process is usually shortened and the memory is released for storing new information from the data processing system. This arrangement, for which a functional diagram in FIG. 3 is shown, Z, Clestablishes the best utilization of a data printer, since in most cases no full revolution of the type shaft has to be devalued to output a line and, on the other hand, the printing process takes place immediately after the last character has been stored in the memory.

According to a further development of the invention, the data processing system goes an error message if either more or less than n character pulses for one line can be counted.

According to the invention, in addition to the printing unit for flying print and a counter in a buffer memory which stores the print commands line by line for counting the characters that do not trigger a print command, such as B. "Space", a facility z. B. a magnetic core line for registering the to the printing systems issued print commands, a clock distributor to query this registration device and another counter for counting the revolutions of the rotating type shaft during a printing process of a line, provided.

Details of the invention are based on the drawing shown in FIG. Figure 4 is a block diagram of the buffer memory device according to the invention.

The delivery of the information from the data processing system DY to the buffer memory takes place character by character on six lines IL in parallel. A seventh line IE, the "information input line" from the data processing system DV, serves as a synchronization line for writing the data into the memory. The storage can only take place, however, if the message “buffer memory free” is present in the data processing system DV via the line Pf. The information supplied to the data processing system DY in the six-digit code is fed to the code converter CU, which decodes this information into the 64 possible characters. Ten of these 64 possible characters are "invalid" characters in the example given, one character corresponds to the "space", and the remaining 53 characters can be printed. Thus 53 output lines of the code converter CU feed the horizontal writing wires of the magnetic core matrix MM. With every valid character, except for the character "space", one of these 53 lines receives a current that corresponds to half the magnetic reversal current of a memory core of the magnetic core matrix MM. If the character "space" or an "invalid" character is present, none of the horizontal write lines of the magnetic core matrix MM receives a current, but these characters are fed to a counting circuit ZZ via separate lines Zwr and uZ. The delivery of the "invalid" characters is also reported to the data processing system via the uZ line.

In order to achieve storage in the buffer memory that is appropriate for the writing point, the synchronization line IE of the data processing system advances the clock distributor TE, which also supplies half the magnetic reversal current to the vertical writing wires of the magnetic core matrix MM. This clock distributor TE works in such a way that when the first character is delivered, the first vertical write wire receives half the magnetic reversal current and the first character is thus stored in the first column of the magnetic core matrix MM in coincidence with the line write wire. One of the 53 none in the first column is magnetized into the "1-Lao" e ". When the second character is delivered, one of the 53 none in the second column of the magnetic core matrix MM is also placed in the" 1- This process is repeated until the last column of the magnetic core matrix MM has been written to. When the character “space” or an “invalid” character is delivered, the clock distributor is switched to one position so that all cores This column remains in the "0 position" and the counter ZZ is incremented by one digit. When storing in the last column of the magnetic core matrix AIM, a bistable flip-flop KSD is switched to "Print". At the same time, another bistable flip-flop KSF is switched over and thereby the message "buffer free" prevented the data processing system via the line DY Pf. the flip-flop KSD forwarded immediately printing, reading d. h d. he inputs information from the magnetic core matrix MM by applying half the magnetic reversal current 1/2 to the common interrogation winding of all memory cores of the magnetic core matrix. Reading is controlled by the clock distributor TA , which in turn gives half the magnetic reversal current 1/2 to the horizontal interrogation wires of the magnetic core matrix MM. This clock distributor is incremented by a character pulse generator ZIG of the data printer DD in character cycle and ensures that the correct character is printed in the correct place. The clock distributor TA continuously sends impulses to the Mac, netkernmatrix MM in synchrony with the passing of types on the print hammers of the printing systems DS. Depending on the clock distributor TA , all memory cores written to a matrix line are read together. Cores that were in the "1 position" transmit the information to the printing systems DS via a read amplifier LY, which extends and amplifies the read signals with the aid of monostable circuits.

In the underlying operating mode of the printer, a printing process should be started at any point in time, based on the current position of the type shaft. The clock distributor TA must therefore constantly work together with the rotating type shaft, that is to say also in those time segments in which information is currently being stored in the magnetic core matrix MM. When storing, however, the write current may be compensated for by the query current. In order to prevent this, the storage is delayed by a blocking gate SG when the clock distributor TA delivers current to the magnetic core matrix. The same effect could also be achieved in that when information is supplied, the pulse of the clock distributor TA is delayed until the writing process of this character has ended.

After the character pulses emitted by the magnetic core matrix in the read amplifier LV, as many cores of the core line KZ are tilted into the "1 position" per line to be printed, as are the pulses for the printing systems DS. The core is then KZ line per read interrogated by means of a further clock distributor TKZ in series in each case once a row of the magnetic core matrix MM and if the pulses read by a sense amplifier LDC to the counter ZZ. The clock distributor TKZ of the core line KZ works so fast that the core line is queried between two character pulses ZiG. The interrogation of the core line is initiated by the character pulse generator ZIG via a bistable flip-flop KSS and terminated by the last interrogated character in the core line KZ; the bistable flip-flop KSS is reset again. The character pulse generator ZIG causes the "reset" of the clock distributor TKZ in each case before the interrogation of the core line KZ.

As soon as the counting circuit ZZ has so many character pulses of the "valid" Characters, the characters "space" Zwr and the "invalid" characters tiZ are counted has the maximum number of character positions intended for one line in the printer through a message the b # istable flip-flop KSD from »print« to »print end« switched; the buffer memory must be completely emptied if the output is correct.

If, after switching over the bistable flip-flop KSD, further pulses are registered from the core line, then there is an error, which is reported via the coincidence gate KG in conjunction with the signal "end of printing" via line FM. is given to the data processing system DV. For this reason, after the message "End of printing", the common interrogation line of all memory cores of the magnetic core matrix MM receives the full remagnetization current. If one of the magnetic cores in the matrix is still in the "1 position", then it delivers a pulse on the vertical read line, the associated sense amplifier LY emits a current, and a core of the core line KZ is thus in the "1 position" magnetized. This error can be determined by a further cycle of the clock distributor TKZ, which is initiated by the message “end of printing” and can also be reported to the data processing system DY via the coincidence gate KG.

If the sum of the "invalid" characters supplied, the "space" characters and the characters sent to the printing systems is less than the number of writing positions provided for a line in the printer, this error is detected by the counting circuit ZS, which is shown in the time in which the flip-flop KSD is switched to "print" counts the pulses emitted by the UICT rotation pulse generator of the type shaft. If two or more pulses of the revolution counter are detected during the time in which the toggle switch KSD is switched to "Print", this error message is reported to the data processing system DV.

, When the bistable multivibrator KSD is the end of "able" print from a coincidence gate KGPf, the last sampled core, the bistable multivibrator KSF freely switched "on arrival of the pulse in the core line KZ to" buffer memory which this information on line Pf passes on to the data processing system and at the same time resets the counting circuit ZZ for a new count. The data processing system DY iann now deliver new information for the next line to be printed out to the buffer.

Claims (2)

Claims: 1. Arrangement for printing out n characters issued by a data processing system in binary-coded form for a print line, using a buffer memory from which the print commands for the flying print are given to the individual printing systems, characterized in that a counting element (ZZ ) one counting pulse each for a character that is output by the data processing system (DY) and cannot be stored by the memory (MM) and one counting pulse each for a printing command output from the memory (MM) to the printing systems (DS) and that after n counted pulses the Memory query process is completed, with which the time available for the printing process is usually shortened and the memory (MM) is released for storing new information from the data processing system (DV) . 2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that a magnetic core line (KZ) is provided for registering the printing commands issued to the printing systems (DS), of which the registered printing commands are energized between the individual printing phases in which printing magnets (DS) can be transmitted as counting pulses to the counter (ZZ). 3. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the counting element (ZZ) is fed back to the buffer memory (MM) in such a way that if the printed characters match the number of characters to be printed, a read pulse is fed to the memory, so that incorrectly stored characters C are output via the read amplifier to the core line (KZ), so that these characters are reported as incorrect characters via the flip-flop (LYK) and prepared gates of the data processing system (DY). 4. Arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that a clock distributor (TKZ) is provided for querying the issued print commands registering core line (KZ), which the magnetic core line after issuing print commands from the buffer memory for each type of character once and additionally after completion of the entire Printing process abfragL 5. Arrangement according to spoke 1 to 4, characterized in that a counter (ZS) is provided which counts the revolutions (UIG) of the rotating type shaft during a printing process of a line, is reset after completion of a printing process of a line and that one Issues an error message to the data processing system when the type carrier has completed a printing cycle, but the printing process has not yet been completed. Documents considered: French Patent Specifications Nos. 1267 942, 1276 630, 1280 212.