JP2002103754A - Recording system, printer driver and method of recording - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To monitor an advancing condition in a recording operation when the recording is performed by using a mobile type ink jet recorder by a manual scanning. SOLUTION: The ink jet recorder has an ink jet recording head for performing the recording by ejecting ink and is so constituted that the recording is performed according to recording information received from an external device while a user moves the recording head on a recording medium. When recording is performed by using the ink jet recorder, data for recording an index is added to the recording information so as to record the index (603a, 603b, 603c, 603d) for indicating the advancing condition in the recording is recorded on the recording medium 601 together with recording data 602.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing system, a printer driver, and a printing method, and more particularly, to a printing system having an ink jet printing head for performing printing by discharging ink, while the user moves the printing head over a printing medium. A printing system including an inkjet printing apparatus configured to perform printing according to print information received from an external device,
The present invention relates to a printer driver for the printing apparatus and a printing method in such a printing system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, information devices have rapidly become more sophisticated and smaller. Among them, PDA (Personal Dig)
ital Assistant) is a portable personal digital assistant.
Users are increasing for convenience. Such a P
With the spread of DA and the like, there is an increasing demand for recording and storing such data anytime and anywhere.

In order to meet such demands, various small-sized portable recording devices have been developed. As the recording method, various methods such as an ink jet method, a wire dot method, a thermal method, a thermal transfer method, and a laser beam method are used.

[0004] Among them, the ink-jet method is to perform recording by discharging ink from a recording head to a recording medium (recording material), and it is possible to reduce the size of the recording head.
It has features that are advantageous for a portable recording apparatus such as recording of high-definition data, recording on plain paper, reduction of running cost, and reduction of noise due to non-impact method.

As such a portable recording apparatus of the ink jet system, for example, there has been proposed a printer which performs recording while manually moving (scanning) a columnar housing in which a recording head is incorporated. Such a printer is configured to detect the rotation speed of a roller attached to a housing or a moving speed as needed by a magnetic encoder, etc., and to perform recording by controlling a recording head according to the detected moving speed. Have been.

[0006]

In such a printer that performs manual scanning as described above, in order to prevent printing from being terminated halfway or performing unnecessary scanning, the user must be notified of the progress of the printing operation. It is desirable to notify.

However, the conventional ink jet printing apparatus employs a method of transferring print data by dividing print data into blocks and performing color processing. Therefore, even if the transfer of print data from a host is monitored, printing is performed. However, there is a problem that the real-time monitoring cannot be accurately performed because the progress of the operation cannot be monitored.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and enables the progress of a printing operation to be monitored when printing is performed using a portable ink jet printing apparatus that performs manual scanning. It is intended to be.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of a recording system according to the present invention has an ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink, and the recording head is operated by a user. An inkjet recording apparatus configured to perform recording according to recording information received from an external device while moving on a recording medium, and a recording system including a host device that transmits recording information to the recording apparatus, At the time of the recording, there is provided a data adding means for adding data for recording the index to the recording information so that an index indicating the progress of recording is recorded together with the recording data on the recording medium. .

A second aspect of the recording system of the present invention that achieves the above object has an ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink, and first communication means for communicating with an external device. An ink jet printing apparatus configured to perform printing in accordance with print information received by the first communication unit while the user moves the print head over a printing medium; and a second apparatus for communicating with the printing apparatus. A recording system including a communication unit and a host device having a display unit for displaying information, wherein at the time of the recording, the recording device transmits a predetermined amount to the host device every time a predetermined amount of recording is performed. A signal is transmitted by the first communication means, and the host device indicates the progress of recording on the display means every time the predetermined signal is received by the second communication means. To display and update the broadcast.

The above object is also achieved by a recording method and a printer driver corresponding to the recording system.

That is, the present invention has an ink jet recording head for performing recording by discharging ink, and performs recording in accordance with recording information received from an external device while the user moves the recording head over a recording medium. When recording is performed using the inkjet recording apparatus configured as described above, data for recording the index is added to the recording information so that the index indicating the progress of recording is recorded together with the recording data on the recording medium. I do. Alternatively, each time a predetermined amount of recording is performed, a predetermined signal is transmitted from the recording device to the host device,
The host device updates and displays the information indicating the progress of the recording on the display means every time a predetermined signal is received.

With this configuration, when printing is performed using a portable ink jet printing apparatus that performs manual scanning,
The progress of the recording operation is indicated by the result of recording on the recording medium.
Alternatively, it can be monitored by the display of the host device.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the printing from being interrupted halfway, or to perform unnecessary scanning after the print data is exhausted.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a portable recording system according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

In this specification, "recording" (sometimes referred to as "printing") refers not only to the formation of significant information such as characters and figures, but also to the perception of humans irrespective of significance. Regardless of whether or not the image has been exposed so as to be able to perform the process, the case where an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like is widely formed on a recording medium or a case where the medium is processed is also described.

The term "recording medium" refers to not only paper used in general recording apparatuses but also inks such as cloth, plastic films, metal plates, glass, ceramics, wood, leather, etc. Things are also represented.

Further, "ink" (sometimes referred to as "liquid") is to be interpreted widely as in the definition of "recording (printing)", and by being applied on a recording medium, A liquid that can be used for forming an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like, processing a recording medium, or processing ink (for example, coagulating or insolubilizing a colorant in ink applied to the recording medium) is used.

[First Embodiment] The first embodiment of the portable recording system of the present invention comprises at least two devices. That is, a portable information device as a host device typified by a PDA and a Mobile PC, and a portable inkjet printer as a recording device.
The information device and the printer communicate data using a cable connection such as a serial, parallel, or USB (Universal Serial Bus), or a cableless connection method using infrared rays or wireless communication, and are transmitted from the information device. The printer is operated according to the information so as to obtain a desired recording result.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the information equipment of the present embodiment. Information device 121 of the present embodiment
Are a CPU 122, a ROM unit 123, a RAM unit 124,
It has a display unit 125, an input unit 126, a communication unit 127, and a power supply unit 128.

As the power supply unit 128, a rechargeable secondary battery such as a NiH or Li-Ion battery is often used.
Provides the energy required to operate all functional blocks.

The CPU 122 is a central processing unit for controlling the entire information equipment 121, and a program for operating the CPU 122 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory)
It is stored in an AM (Random Access Memory) unit 24, and an OS (Operating System) and various application software are read and executed as needed. In many cases, a storage device having a capacity of several Mbytes is used for the ROM unit 123, and a semiconductor memory element or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is used for the RAM unit according to the capacity and purpose.
e) etc. are used.

The display unit 125 uses a liquid crystal display device or the like, and displays messages and screens of application software. A keyboard, a mouse, a pen input device, or the like is used for the input unit 126, and is used for inputting information from a user.

The communication section 127 performs data communication with another device, here, an ink jet printer. In the present invention, an infrared communication method IrDA will be described as an example for explanation. Details will be described later. There is no problem even if a wireless or wired communication system is adopted in addition to the IrDA system.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a state in which recording is performed by the ink jet printer of this embodiment. This figure shows a state in which the printer 3 records on a sheet 40 as a recording medium placed on a flat plate such as a desk. The printer 3 is moved in the direction of arrow A to scan once, and recording is performed while moving in the direction of arrow B.

The roller 4 is rotatably mounted on the printer 3 and has two rubber feet 9 provided at both ends of the guide shaft 7.
Together with a desk or the like on which the paper 40 is placed. The clearance (distance) between the nozzle surface of the recording head (not shown) stored in the printer 3 and the paper 40 is kept constant by the two rubber feet 9 and the rollers 4. Three spurs (not shown) that rotate freely are mounted inside the printer. These spurs are configured to slightly press the sheet 40 downward by a spring shaft (not shown) in the recording state.

The guide shaft 7 has a substantially cylindrical shape, but has an upper portion cut out over the entire length thereof, and a magnetic encoder 20 is attached to that portion. The guide shaft 7 is slidably inserted into a guide hole 15 provided in the printer 3 in a recording state.

The cap 1 can be attached to the upper part of the printer 3 in a recordable state, and assists in gripping when scanning the printer 3 by hand. Further, the cap 1 that covers the recording head during non-recording such as when carrying the portable head prevents drying of the nozzle portion of the recording head and adhesion of dust. The cap 1 is provided with a groove in the central longitudinal direction, and a lever 2 movable along this groove is provided. The lever 2 is used to move a wiper to be used at the time of a recording head recovery operation, as described later.

A communication unit 41 which is an interface for transmitting and receiving infrared signals between the printer 3 and an information device serving as a host, and a magnetic sensor for reading a magnetic signal of the encoder 20 and detecting a moving amount of the printer 3 include: It is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) fixed inside the printer 3. The LED 5 is a display unit that indicates the status of the printer, and the switch 6 plays a role of input means to the printer.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the central portion of the printer 3 when the lever 2 is moved to the central portion.

A wall 37 is formed in the cap 1, and two guide portions 35 are formed on the wall 37 in parallel with the groove. The wiper holder 23 is slidably engaged with the guide portion 35 by the cutout portions 25 and 26. The magnet 22 is provided integrally with the wiper holder 23. Since the magnet 21 and the magnet 22 are configured to attract each other, the lever 2 can move along the groove. Accordingly, the wiper holder 23 can also move along the guide 35.

A wiper 29 is also provided integrally with the wiper holder 23. The wiper 29 is made of a rubber material such as HNBR, and has a flat shape with a thickness of about 0.6 mm. The wiper 29 is configured such that an end thereof comes into contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head 31 in a state where the cap 1 is attached to the printer 3 as shown in the figure. Therefore, by moving the lever 2, dust, ink, and the like attached to the nozzle surface of the head 31 can be removed at the end of the wiper 29.

A hole (not shown) is provided near one end of the printer 3, and the removed dust and ink are wiped off by the wiper 29. An absorber is adhered to the bottom of the hole, and the scraped-off dust, ink, and the like are held by the absorber.

The cap 1 is provided with a wall 36 in which a hole 27 is formed, and the valve 24 is attached so as to close the hole 27 in a normal state. Further, since the packing 30 is provided on the inner peripheral portion of the cap 1 in close contact with the printer 3, the cap 1 is moved to generate a negative pressure in the space between the recording head 31 and the nozzle surface. Can be. Conversely, when the cap 1 is moved, the valve 24 moves as shown by the dashed line in the figure, and the hole 27 is opened, so that no negative pressure is generated.

The printer 3 is provided with a recording head 31 for discharging ink and an ink tank for supplying ink to the recording head. The recording head 31 has 1
At a density of 360 nozzles per inch, a total of 1200 nozzles are formed in a line in the longitudinal direction of the printer 3.

An integrated circuit that performs overall control of the transmission and reception of the ejection signal to the recording head 31 and the signal from the outside is, for example, P
It is located in the CB. Further, a rechargeable secondary battery, which is a power supply for supplying electric energy to the recording head 31 and an integrated circuit on the PCB, is provided in the printer 3 in a detachable manner.

The housing of the printer 3 is made of a plastic material such as ABS, and a claw 11 and a claw 12 are provided integrally. These pawls 11 and 12 are configured to hold the guide shaft 7 when carrying, but when recording, remove the guide shaft 7 from the pawls 11 and 12 and move the cap 1 to the side of the printer 3 where the pawls 11 and 12 are located. Use with cover.

Next, each functional block relating to a control system disposed inside the printer 3 and its role will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. Printer 3 as shown
The control system includes a power supply unit 201, an IF control unit 202, and a line head unit 203.

The power supply unit 201 is a main power supply of the printer, and supplies power from an AC power supply or a rechargeable secondary battery such as a NiH or Li-Ion battery to the IF control unit 202 and the line head unit 203. The power supply unit 201 supplies 12 V to the line head unit 203 and 5 V to the IF control unit 202.

The IF control unit 202 buffers data in order to assist communication (data transmission / reception) between the line head unit 203 that actually performs recording and the information device 121 as a host serving as a sender. Control commands, communication control, power saving control, external switches and displays as user interfaces (in the present invention, L
ED) and control for detecting the speed of the printer. The IF control unit 202 mainly includes the IO control circuit 20
4. Microprocessor (CPU) 20 for performing main control
5. ROM 206 which is a non-volatile memory as a memory for performing main control and RA which is a readable / writable memory
M207, head I / F2 for buffering signals between oscillators 208 and 209 and line head unit 203
Consists of 10 mag.

Further, the IF control unit 202 controls the power supply,
Off-line control switch (ErrorSW) 211
And an LED 212 capable of displaying a network status, a power supply status, and a printer status. All of these controls are performed by the IO control circuit 103. Further, in order to detect the moving speed of the present printer, when the printer 3 is moved by the user, a signal for converting a magnetic speed of a magnetic encoder provided on the guide shaft 7 into a moving speed is output. It has an encoder 213 and an IO control circuit 103 to which a signal obtained by amplifying the detection pulse by a buffer 214 is input.

The control ROM 206 stores various control programs such as protocol control for performing communication with the host and speed detection control. CPU 20 that performs main control
5 executes the code in the control ROM 206.
The control program also includes power saving control, and the printer 3 can shift to and return to the power saving mode depending on the state of the printer 3. This also controls the change and stop of the operation clock of the printer 3.

The CPU 205 that performs main control according to the code in the control ROM 206 performs communication with the outside (with the information device 121) through the communication unit 215 that performs infrared communication.

A RAM which is a readable / writable memory
Reference numeral 207 denotes a memory having areas such as a work area used as a register, a data buffer for storing print data, and a control buffer from an interface. The IO control circuit 204 sequentially reads out data, which is a dot image, from the RAM 207, and appropriately reads out the head I / O
The print data is supplied to the line head 203 by controlling F210.

The head I / F 210 supplies a power of 5 V to the line head unit 203. Also, head I / F2
Reference numeral 10 denotes various signals including a data signal for exchanging print data and data for controlling the line head unit 203 and a control signal for controlling the data signal, and is connected to the line head unit 203.

Next, communication between the information device 21 and the printer according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, a communication method defined as infrared communication IrDA (Infra-red Data Association) will be described as an example of communication means between the information device 121 and the printer.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication unit 215. As illustrated, the communication unit 215 includes a UART
502, a modulator 503, an infrared transmitter 504, an infrared receiver 505, and a demodulator 506.

UART (Universal Asynchronous Recei)
ver / Transmitter) 502 is a serial
Provide a data channel. The modulation unit 503 uses the UAR
The data transmitted from T502 is modulated into data used in the infrared transmission unit 504 and supplied to the infrared transmission unit 504. The infrared transmitting unit 504 includes an LED that generates infrared light.
And a driver for converting the transmission data supplied from the modulation unit 503 into infrared rays and transmitting the infrared rays.

The infrared receiving section 505 is composed of a photodetector for receiving infrared rays and its driver, and supplies the received reception data to the demodulation section 506. The demodulation unit 506 demodulates the supplied reception data into data usable by the UART 502 and supplies the data to the UART 502.

A device for performing infrared communication in accordance with IrDA,
Here, the communication unit 21 shown in FIG.
5 are listed. A program for controlling the communication unit 215 is stored in the ROM of the information device 121 and the ROM of the printer 3, and data used for communication is temporarily stored in the RAM.

The control program has a hierarchical structure as shown in FIG. 6, and the lowest layer corresponds to a communication unit 215 called a physical layer. IrDA-SIR for IrDA
/ FIR. Each layer defines a service to be provided, a frame structure as a data format, and a protocol as a transmission procedure. Above that, three data link layers are defined.
LAP (Infra-red Link Access Protocol), IrLM
P (Infra-red Ling Management Protocol), IrTP
(Infra-red Transport Protocol).

IrLAP is a point based on HDLC.
Two multipoint (for now point to two
(Only points are specified). IrLMP manages the link, and a multiplexing unit IrL
MP (MUX) and Information Access Service Department IrLMP
(IAS). The MUX provides a multiplexing service for using one infrared link for a plurality of applications, and the IAS provides a service for obtaining device information. IrTP is optional,
The IrDA data transfer control protocol enables application programs multiplexed on IrLMP to perform flow control on an application basis.

The service, frame format, and protocol details provided in each layer are defined, and information exchange and data communication are performed according to these specifications. But,
Here, the detailed explanation is omitted.

An application program is defined on these data link layers, and the application program can perform infrared data communication using services provided by IrLAP and IrTP.

Next, referring to the basic operation flow of FIG.
The operation of a simple infrared data communication will be described. In FIG.
One communication device is shown. For simplicity, it is assumed that the left communication device 1 operates as a primary station and the right communication device 2 operates as a secondary station, and that data communication is performed only from the communication device 1 to the communication device 2. I do. However,
Actually, bidirectional communication is possible, and communication between communication devices having the capability of the primary station is also possible. The difference between the capabilities of the primary station and the secondary station is that the primary station and the secondary station have a capability of searching for a communication device with which to communicate, and that communication control is performed. The secondary station can only perform passive communication operations.

In FIG. 7, the operation of each communication device is represented by two layers, the layer represented by Software is the data link layer, and the layer represented by Hardware is the physical layer.

The communication device 1 starts the infrared communication operation, that is, when there is a communication request from an application, the data link layer starts a search operation called discovery (step S501). Discovery request is h
The notification is sent to the "ardware" and a signal is transmitted according to the discovery protocol (step S502). If there is no response for a certain period from the transmission of this signal, it is determined that the search has failed, and the same operation is repeated again (step S507).

On the other hand, when the communication device 2 receives the discovery signal, the communication device 2 sends a discovery reception notification to software.
re (step S503). softwar
In step e, it is checked whether infrared communication is possible. If it is determined that communication is possible, an operation for returning a response is started, and a command is sent to hardware to return a response (step S504). Hardwar
e sends a response in response to the request (step S505). The communication device 1 receiving the response,
The status is changed to the next connection operation (step S506, step S507).

The communication device 1 that has confirmed by the discovery operation that the other communication device is in a communicable state.
Notify each other of the communication capability by the connection operation (step S508). The communication capability includes a communication speed at which data can be transmitted and received, a data payload size, and the like. First, the maximum value of the communication capability of the communication
(Step S509). The communication conditions at this time are performed with the minimum communication capacity determined by the standard. The communication device 2 that has received the communication capability of the communication device 1 then sends out its own communication capability to the communication device 1 (step S5).
10, step S511, step S512). The communication capability of the communication device 2 is received and analyzed by the communication device 1 (step S513).

Subsequently, the communication device 1 performs a communication condition negotiation operation. This operation is to arbitrate between two communication devices and determine a set value of a greatest common divisor determined by mutual transmission / reception capabilities. The communication device 1 determines the optimum communication conditions based on its own communication capability and the communication capability of the communication device 2 received in the connection operation, in this case, the communication speed, the size of the data payload, and the like. The data is transmitted (step S514, step S515).
The communication device 2 that has received the communication condition negotiated by the communication device 1 determines whether to perform communication under the condition, and transmits the result to the communication device 1 (steps S516, S517, and S518). Here, when the rejected result is returned from the communication device 2, the following condition is set and the same operation is repeated again. This continues until the communication conditions are accepted.

When the negotiation operation ends, transmission and reception of data actually used by the application become possible. Here, data is transmitted from the communication device 1, and the received communication device 2 processes the data, and an ACK for the data is returned. This is the simplest communication flow in which this operation is repeated until there is no more data to be transmitted (steps S520 to S526).
Actually, two-way communication is possible, and it is possible to transmit data from the communication device 2 and realize a more complicated communication flow, but it is omitted here.

Finally, in the communication device 1, when the data communication by the application is completed and a request for ending the infrared communication is generated, the disconnection operation is started. A request for disconnection is transmitted from the communication device 1 to the communication device 2, and if a request acknowledgment is transmitted from the communication device 2, the disconnection operation ends and the infrared communication ends (steps S 527 to S 527). S53
2).

Here, the simplest communication flow has been described by taking infrared communication as an example. However, there is no problem in using communication means such as wireless communication using electromagnetic waves in a radio frequency band instead of infrared rays. Further, wired communication means may be used, in which case there are serial communication, parallel communication, and the like. RS for serial communication
-232C, Ethernet (registered trademark), USB,
IEEE 1394 and the like are candidates. In parallel communication, IEEE 1284, SCSI (Small Computer System
Interface).

Here, the characteristic operation of this embodiment is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the figure, the left side shows information processing, and the right side shows processing in the printer. Note that this flowchart shows the time from when the printout operation is executed to when the printing is completed while the application software installed in the information device 121 is being executed. At this time, it is assumed that the negotiation has already been completed as shown in FIG.

First, when the user attempts to record some data and executes a recording command from the application using the input unit 126, a recording request is issued to the printer driver (step S541). The printer driver starts the operation of capturing the status of the printer 3 to check the current status of the printer 3. A request is made to transmit a status command for that purpose to the printer 3 via the communication unit 127 (step S542). The communication unit 127 transmits a status command in response to the request (Step S543).

The printer 3 that has received the status command for checking the status in the communication unit 215 checks the status and transmits a response to the status command (steps S544, S545, and S546).
At this time, the information device 121 is notified whether the status of the printer is all clear and is in a recordable state or is not in a recordable state.

The information device 121 that has received the response from the printer 3 notifies the printer driver of the reception result (step S547). The printer driver receiving the result determines the current state of the printer (step S548). As a result, if recording is not possible,
A request is made to display on the display unit 125 to notify the user that the recording cannot be performed and the cause thereof (step S54).
9). When this request is accepted, a message is displayed on the display unit 125, and the user can perform the next action corresponding to the message (step S550). If it is in the recordable state, the printer driver requests print data (step S551).

When print data is requested, the address information of the storage location of the print data on the RAM unit 124 and information necessary for access such as the data length are notified to the printer driver (step S552). The printer driver that has received the print data according to this information develops the data into a dot map for each ejection unit (step S55).
3).

Next, the indicator data visually representing the progress of the recording operation is inserted into the dot map created in step S553 (step S554). By recording the indicator data, the user can check the progress of the recording operation.

The indicator data may be inserted at any of the upper end and the lower end of the paper as long as it is inserted on the axis in the scanning direction. Also, only at the end of the scan, indicator data indicating the end may be inserted.

Here, a specific example of the indicator data will be described with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B. In the figure, reference numeral 601 denotes a recording sheet, and 602 denotes an area where recording data is recorded. In the present embodiment, the recording area 6
In the scanning direction 02, the indicator data is also recorded.

FIG. 10A shows four kinds of indicator data, in which 603a indicates the progress of the recording by the density of the gradation color, and 603b indicates the progress of the recording by the thickness of the indicator data. , 603c indicate the progress of recording in the memory. In this case, for example, a numerical value representing a percentage or the like may be stored in the memory. Reference numeral 603d indicates the start and end of the recording area by marks. Reference numeral 603e shown in FIG. 10B indicates only the end of the recording area by two marks.

When the preparation of the recording data is completed, the printer driver requests transmission of the recording data (step S).
555). When a request to transmit the recording data occurs, the recording data is transmitted (step S556). And
The printer 3 performs a recording data receiving operation (step S557).

At the end of the recording data received in step S557, a control command for the printer 3 is added. By this command, the LED 212 is turned on, so that the user can know the completion of the recording preparation.
The recording operation is performed by the user confirming the lighting of the LED 212 and starting the manual scanning of the printer 3 (step S558).

At this time, the user moves the printer 3 while checking the indicator data included in the print data, and stops the manual scanning of the printer 3 when the indicator data indicates the end of the print, so that a necessary and sufficient distance is obtained. Only the printer 3 is moved, and the recording operation is completed.

When the recording operation is completed, the printer 3 controls the communication unit 215 to transmit a recording end notification to notify the information device 121 of the end of the recording (step S559). With this control, a recording end notification is transmitted from the communication unit 215 to the information device 121 (step S5).
60).

Upon receiving the recording end notification, the information device 121 notifies the printer driver of the result (step S561). Upon receiving the recording end notification, the printer driver issues a request to display a recording end message on the display unit 125 to notify the user that the recording operation has ended (step S562). A message indicating the end of recording is displayed on the display unit 125, and a series of recording operations ends (step S563).

As described above, in the present embodiment, by recording the indicator data together with the actual recording data so that the progress of the recording can be visually grasped, when the user manually performs the scanning, the recording operation is performed. It is possible to easily understand the progress and prevent a failure such as interrupting the recording. Further, unnecessary scanning after all the recording data is recorded can be omitted.

The user may be allowed to select whether or not to record the indicator data. A plurality of types of indicator data are prepared, and the indicator data to be recorded can be selected by the user. This improves convenience.

Further, in this embodiment, the configuration in which the indicator data is inserted into the recording data on the information device side has been described, but the indicator data may be inserted into the recording data received on the printer side.

[Second Embodiment] A portable recording system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

In the first embodiment, the indicator data is inserted into the recording data. In this case,
Since the indicator data not intended by the user is recorded, an extra recording area is required and ink may be consumed correspondingly, which may cause a problem.
In the present embodiment, this is improved, and the progress of recording is displayed on the display unit 125 of the information device 121 without recording the indicator data.

Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, only different portions will be described below.
The recording system of this embodiment performs the same operation as that of the first embodiment except that the indicator data is not inserted in step S554 until step S557 in the flowchart shown in FIG. The subsequent operation indicated by A in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

Upon receiving the print data, the printer 3 calculates the total number of lines to be printed from the data (step S).
564). Then, by dividing the total number of lines obtained here by the predetermined number of divisions, the number of display lines as a unit for updating the progress displayed on the display unit 125 of the information device 121 is calculated (step S565). For example, when it is desired to notify the user of the recording progress when 10% of the recording data is recorded, the number of lines obtained by dividing the total number of lines by 10 is obtained, and this is set as the number of display lines. The display may be updated every time the recording of the minute is completed.

When the setting of the number of display lines is completed, the LED
212 is turned on, so that the user can know that the recording preparation is completed. When the user confirms the lighting of the LED 212 and starts the manual scanning of the printer 3, the recording operation is performed.

When printing for one line is completed in response to the user's manual scanning, the number of lines is incremented by one (steps S566 and S567). Next, it is determined whether or not the recording is completed by comparing the number of recorded lines with the number of lines of the recorded data (step S56).
8). If the recording has not been completed yet, it is determined whether or not the counted line number has become the display line number (step S569). If the determination result is not the number of display lines, the process returns to step S556, and the recording operation of the next line is performed.

When the result of the determination in step S569 indicates that the number of display lines has been reached, a display update request is generated, and the printer 3 controls the communication unit 215 to notify the information device 121 of the display update request (step S570). With this control, the display update request is sent from the communication unit 215 to the information device 1.
21 is transmitted (step S572). At the same time,
The count value is initialized and returned to 0, and the next line is recorded (step S571).

When the information device 121 receives the display update request, the result is notified to the printer driver (step S573). Upon receiving the display update request, the printer driver issues a request to update the display screen indicating the progress of the recording operation (step S574). With this request, the display screen is updated (step S57).
5). This display screen is held until the next display update request is received or a recording end notification is transmitted (step S576).

Examples of the display screen include various displays such as a visual display such as a bar graph and a pie graph, and a display of a number expressed as a percentage such as 10 or 20.
For example, a reduced display of the recording data may be displayed.

As described above, every time the recording for the number of display lines is completed, a display update request is generated, and the display on the display unit 125 is updated.

When the recording operation is completed, the printer 3 controls the communication unit 215 to transmit a recording end notification to notify the information device 121 of the end of the recording (step S577). With this control, a recording end notification is transmitted from the communication unit 215 to the information device 121 (step S57).
8).

When the information device 121 receives the recording end notification, the result is notified to the printer driver (step S579). Upon receiving the recording end notification, the printer driver issues a request to display a recording end message on the display unit 125 to notify the user that the recording operation has ended (step S580). A message indicating the end of recording is displayed on the display unit 125, and a series of recording operations ends (step S581).

As described above, the printer 3 notifies the information device 121 of the display update timing, and the display unit 12 of the information device 121 transmits the update timing.
By updating the display of No. 5, it is possible to inform the user of the progress of the recording operation.

[Other Embodiments] In the above-described embodiments, a means for generating thermal energy (eg, an electrothermal converter, laser light, ), And by using a method in which a change in the state of the ink is caused by the thermal energy, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

The typical structure and principle are described, for example, in US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method is applicable to both on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding the nucleate boiling to the electrothermal transducer arranged corresponding to the sheet or the liquid path in which Since thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer and film boiling occurs on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis can be formed. It is valid.

The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.

As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

[0098] The configuration of the recording head is not limited to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (linear liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications. The configurations described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which the heat acting surface is arranged in a bending region, are also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slot is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal transducer for a plurality of electrothermal transducers, or an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is discharged. A configuration based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration corresponding to each unit, may be adopted.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length is determined by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. This may be either a configuration satisfying the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally.

In addition to the cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself described in the above embodiment, the recording head is electrically connected to the apparatus main body by being mounted on the apparatus main body. A replaceable chip-type recording head, which enables a simple connection and supply of ink from the apparatus main body, may be used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like to the configuration of the printing apparatus described above, since the printing operation can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof. It is also effective to provide a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection that is different from printing, in order to perform stable printing.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be an integral recording head or a combination of a plurality of recording heads. Alternatively, the apparatus may be provided with at least one of full colors by color mixture.

In the embodiment described above, the description is made on the assumption that the ink is a liquid. However, even if the ink solidifies at room temperature or lower, it is possible to use an ink that softens or liquefies at room temperature. Or, in the ink jet method, generally, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range.
It is sufficient that the ink is in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied.

In addition, in order to positively prevent the temperature rise due to thermal energy as energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state,
Alternatively, in order to prevent evaporation of the ink, an ink which solidifies in a standing state and liquefies by heating may be used. In any case, the application of heat energy causes the ink to be liquefied by application of the heat energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink to be ejected, or to start to solidify when reaching the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink having a property of liquefying for the first time is used.

In such a case, ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-5
No. 6,847, or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-71260, in which the porous sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter while being held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. It may be. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

The present invention can be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), but can be applied to a single device (for example, a copier, a facsimile). Device).

Further, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or a recording medium) in which a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (a computer) of the system or the apparatus. It is needless to say that the present invention can also be achieved by a CPU or an MPU) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. Also,
When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also the operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instructions of the program code.
It goes without saying that a case where the functions of the above-described embodiments are implemented by performing some or all of the actual processing, and the processing performs the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into the memory provided in the function expansion card inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. Needless to say, the CPU included in the function expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the above-described flowcharts (shown in FIG. 8 and / or FIG. 9).

[0110]

As described above, according to the present invention, the progress of a printing operation can be monitored when printing is performed using a portable ink jet printing apparatus that performs manual scanning.
Unnecessary scanning after printing processing has failed or printing data has run out, such as interrupting printing, is prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a portable recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control portion of the information device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the portable recording apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control part of the portable recording device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a communication unit in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a hierarchy of software for communication control.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a communication procedure of infrared communication.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating processing related to recording according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating processing related to recording according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10A is a diagram showing an example of indicator data of the present invention.

FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an example of indicator data of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Printer 121 Information device 125 Display unit 127, 215 Communication unit 40, 601 Recording medium 602 Recording area 603a to 603e Indicator data

Claims (7)

[Claims] An ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink is configured to perform recording according to recording information received from an external device while a user moves the recording head over a recording medium. An ink jet recording apparatus, and a recording system including a host device that transmits recording information to the recording apparatus, wherein at the time of the recording, an index indicating the progress of recording is recorded together with the recording data on the recording medium. And a data adding unit for adding data for recording the index to the recording information. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the host device includes the data adding unit, and transmits the recording information to the recording device after adding data for recording the index to the recording information. system. 3. The recording system according to claim 1, wherein the recording device includes the data adding unit, and adds data for recording the index to recording information received from the host device. 4. An ink jet recording head which performs recording by discharging ink, and first communication means for communicating with an external device, wherein the recording head is moved while a user moves the recording head over a recording medium. An inkjet printing apparatus configured to perform printing in accordance with the print information received by the first communication means; a second communication means for communicating with the printing apparatus; and a display means for displaying information. A recording system including a host device, wherein at the time of the recording, the recording device transmits a predetermined signal to the host device by the first communication unit every time a predetermined amount of recording is performed; Wherein the information indicating the progress of recording is updated and displayed on the display means every time the predetermined signal is received by the second communication means. 5. An ink jet recording head for performing recording by discharging ink, wherein recording is performed in accordance with recording information received from an external device while a user moves the recording head over a recording medium. A printer driver for an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: data for adding data for recording the index to the recording information so that an index indicating a recording progress is recorded together with the recording data on the recording medium. A printer driver comprising additional means. 6. An ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink, and is configured to perform recording in accordance with recording information received from an external device while the user moves the recording head over a recording medium. A recording method in a recording system including: an inkjet recording device; and a host device that transmits recording information to the recording device, wherein at the time of the recording, an index indicating a recording progress is recorded on the recording medium. Recording data for recording the index to the recording information so as to be recorded together with the recording information. 7. An ink jet recording head for performing recording by discharging ink, and first communication means for communicating with an external device, wherein the recording head is moved while a user moves on a recording medium. An inkjet printing apparatus configured to perform printing in accordance with the print information received by the first communication means; a second communication means for communicating with the printing apparatus; and a display means for displaying information. A recording method in a recording system including a host device, wherein, at the time of the recording, a predetermined signal is transmitted to the host device by the first communication unit each time the recording device performs a predetermined amount of recording; Each time the host device receives the predetermined signal by the second communication unit, the display unit updates and displays the information indicating the progress of the recording on the display unit. Recording method.