JP2003228465A - Printer system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer system that can print at a print speed, according to print use and is adapted to wide usages. <P>SOLUTION: A host device has as its feature, a synchronization signal generating means that generates a synchronization signal of a given period, a dividing means that divides a source outgoing frequency to generate the period of the synchronization signal, a control means that changes a divided value and a transmission means, that performs an OR operation on time sharing for the synchronization signal and print data to be printed and transmits the result to a communication channel. The printer has as its feature, a receiving means that receives the synchronization signal and the print data from the host device through the communication channel, a synchronization signal detection means that detects the synchronization signal, a separation means that separates the synchronization signal and the print data on detecting the synchronization signal, a phase synchronizing means that matches the phase of a reference clock of frequency N/T, based on the separated synchronization signal of a period T, a print mechanism control means that controls a printing mechanism part using the frequency N/T of the reference clock and a means that prints the separated print data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus system that can be used for a wide range of printing jobs according to printing applications (print quality or printing paper). 2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, a printing mechanism of an electrophotographic printing apparatus has been controlled at a constant printing speed because a motor is controlled based on a fixed reference clock. [0003] In an electrophotographic printing apparatus, if the printing speed is low, the print quality is good.
If the printing speed is high, the print quality tends to deteriorate. [0004] In the above-mentioned prior art, the printing speed of the printing apparatus is fixed, so that there is a problem that a printing time peculiar to the printing apparatus is required even when performing test printing. An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus system adapted to a wide range of uses by solving the above-mentioned problems. According to the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus system comprising a host apparatus and a printing apparatus connected to the host apparatus for printing print data. Synchronizing signal generating means for generating a signal, frequency dividing means for dividing the original oscillation frequency to generate the period of the synchronizing signal, control means for changing the frequency dividing value, and printing for printing the synchronizing signal Transmitting means for performing a logical sum operation on data in a time-division manner and transmitting the data to a communication path, the printing apparatus receiving means for receiving a synchronization signal and print data from the host device via a communication path, A synchronizing signal detecting means for detecting a synchronizing signal, a separating means for separating the synchronizing signal and the print data by detecting the synchronizing signal, and a phase of a reference clock having a frequency N / T based on the synchronizing signal having the separated period T is matched. A phase synchronizing unit for dividing the frequency by N, a printing mechanism control unit for controlling a printing mechanism unit at the frequency N / T of the reference clock, and a unit for printing separated print data. The frequency N / T of the reference clock of the printing apparatus is changed by changing the frequency division value, and printing is performed by changing the printing speed of the printing apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 1, the timing diagrams on the communication paths of FIGS. 2 and 3, and the phase synchronization timing diagram of the printing apparatus of FIG. . In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a high-level device, 2 denotes a printing device, 3 denotes a communication path connecting the high-level device 1 and the printing device 2,
Is a control unit of the host device 1, 5 is an original oscillator for generating a synchronization signal, 6 is a frequency divider for dividing the frequency of the original oscillator to create a synchronization signal, and 7 is a synchronization of period T Signal generator,
Reference numeral 8 denotes print data for printing, 9 denotes a logical sum unit for performing a logical sum operation of the synchronization signal of the period T and the print data 8 in a time-division manner, 1
0 is a synchronization signal of period T constituted by time division and print data 8
, A control unit of the printing apparatus 2, a receiving unit 12 for receiving a synchronization signal and a print data of a period T constituted by time division from the communication path 3, and a time division unit 13. A synchronization signal detection unit for detecting a synchronization signal having a period T from the synchronization signal having the period T and the print data, a separation unit 14 for separating the synchronization signal having the period T formed by time division from the print data, and a separation unit 15. The print data separated by the separation unit 14, the synchronization signal 16 having a period T separated by the separation unit 14, and the synchronization signal 17 having a period T
The phase synchronization (Ph) of the frequency division ratio N for matching the phase of the reference clock of frequency N / T based on the synchronization signal of (frequency 1 / T)
case Locked Loop) section 18 has a frequency N /
A printing mechanism control section for controlling a motor of the printing mechanism section by a reference clock of T; 19, a printing mechanism section; 19a, an optical unit for irradiating a laser beam; 19b, a photosensitive drum;
c is a print medium. In the high-order apparatus 1, if the frequency division value of the frequency divider 6 is set to be large, the period T of the synchronization signal generated by the synchronization signal generator 7 becomes long, and the frequency division value of the frequency divider 6 is set to be small. Then, the period T of the synchronization signal generated by the synchronization signal generator 7
Becomes shorter. Here, the setting of the frequency division value of the frequency divider 6 is performed by the control unit 4. The synchronization signal of period T created by the synchronization signal generator 7 based on the set frequency division value and the print data 7 are:
The logical sum is time-divisionally calculated by the logical sum unit 9 and transmitted from the transmission unit 10 to the communication path 3. In the printing apparatus 2, the receiving unit 12 receives the time-divided synchronization signal and the print data from the communication path 3, performs synchronization control by the synchronization signal detection unit 13, and controls the synchronization signal 16 of period T by the separation unit 14. And print data 15. next,
In the phase synchronization unit (PLL) 17 having the division ratio N, the period T
The printing mechanism 18 generates a reference clock having a frequency N / T whose phase matches the synchronization signal 16 of (frequency 1 / T), and controls the motor of the printing mechanism using the reference clock having the frequency N / T. Printing is performed by rotating the photosensitive drum 19b.
That is, by changing the frequency division value of the frequency divider 6 in the host device 1, the period T of the synchronization signal changes. Next, the printing apparatus 2 that has received the synchronization signal of the period T can change the printing speed to control the printing mechanism based on the reference clock of the frequency N / T by the phase synchronization unit (PLL). The timing structure of the multiplexing of the synchronization signal sent to the communication path and the print data will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a multiplexing configuration of a synchronization signal having a long cycle T and print data, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a multiplexing configuration of a synchronization signal having a short cycle T and print data.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 100 denotes a synchronization signal of the n-th page;
Is the n-th page print data, 103 is the (n + 1) -th page synchronization signal, 104 is the (n + 1) -th page print data, 10
Reference numeral 2 denotes a printing time for printing the n-th page, which is equal to the cycle of the synchronization signals 100 and 103. 3, reference numeral 200 denotes an n-th page synchronization signal, 201 denotes an n-th page print data, 203 denotes an (n + 1) -th page synchronization signal,
204 is the print data of the (n + 1) th page, and 206 is the (n +) th page.
A synchronization signal of two pages, 207 is print data of the (n + 2) th page, 202 is a print time for printing the nth page,
Reference numeral 205 denotes a print time for printing the (n + 1) th page. The period T in the phase locked loop (PLL) 17
The phase synchronization timing between the synchronization signal of (frequency = 1 / T) and the reference clock of frequency N / T will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numerals 300 and 301 denote an n-th page synchronization signal and an (n + 1) -th page synchronization signal separated by the separation unit 14, and 302 denotes an output signal of a phase synchronization unit (PLL) 17 having a division ratio N, and a printing mechanism control unit 18 Reference clocks 303 and 304
Is a phase synchronization unit (P) obtained by dividing the reference clock by a division ratio N.
LL) 17 is a feedback signal (phase comparison clock) inside the phase synchronization section (PLL) 17 and the phase is compared with the synchronization signal 16. The phase synchronization section (PLL) 17 compares the phase difference between the rising edge of the phase comparison clock 303 and the synchronization signal 300 of the n-th page. Here, the synchronization signal 30
When the rising edge of 0 is ahead of the rising edge of the phase comparison clock 303, the reference clock 30
By raising the frequency of No. 2, the rising edge of the synchronization signal 301 of the (n + 1) th page is made to coincide with the rising edge of the phase comparison clock 304 (FIG. 4 is this example).
On the other hand, if the rising edge of the synchronization signal 300 is later than the rising edge of the phase comparison clock 303, the frequency of the reference clock 302 is reduced, so that the rising edge of the synchronization signal 301 on page n + 1 and the rising edge of the phase comparison clock 304. To match. in this way,
The reference clock 302 of the printing mechanism control unit 18 in the printing device 2 is a signal that is phase-dependent on the synchronization signal received from the host device 1. Therefore, if the period of the synchronization signal generated by the host device 1 is changed, the reference clock 30 of the printing device 2 can be changed.
2 is changed, and the printing speed of the printing device 2 is changed. As described above, according to the present invention, the period T of the synchronization signal is changed by changing the frequency division value of the higher-level device, and the reference clock of the printing apparatus that has received the synchronization signal is changed. Can be changed, the printing speed of the printing apparatus can be changed, and a printing apparatus system suitable for a wide range of applications can be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a timing chart on a communication channel according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a cycle of a synchronization signal is long. FIG. 3 is a timing chart on a communication path according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the period of a synchronization signal is short. FIG. 4 is a timing diagram of a phase locked loop (PLL) according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Description of Signs] 1 upper device, 2 printing device, 3 communication path, 4 control unit, 5 original transmitter, 6 minute cycle, 7 synchronization signal generator,
8: print data, 9: OR unit, 10: transmission unit, 11 ...
Control unit, 12 receiving unit, 13 synchronizing signal detecting unit, 14
Separation unit, 15: print data, 16: synchronization signal, 17: phase synchronization unit, 18: printing mechanism control unit, 19: printing mechanism unit.

Claims (1)

1. A printing apparatus system comprising a host device and a printing device connected to the host device for printing print data, wherein the host device generates a synchronization signal having a predetermined period. Signal generating means, frequency dividing means for dividing the original oscillation frequency to create the period of the synchronization signal, control means for changing the frequency dividing value, and the synchronization signal and print data to be printed are time-divisionally divided. Transmitting means for performing a logical sum operation and transmitting the result to the communication path, wherein the printing apparatus receives a synchronization signal and print data from the higher-level apparatus via the communication path, and detects the synchronization signal Synchronous signal detecting means, separating means for separating the synchronous signal and print data by detecting the synchronous signal, and a dividing ratio N for matching the phase of a reference clock of frequency N / T based on the synchronous signal having the separated period T. Rank A print mechanism control means for controlling a print mechanism section at a frequency N / T of the reference clock; and a means for printing separated print data, and changing a frequency division value of the host device. A printing apparatus system for printing by changing the frequency N / T of the reference clock of the printing apparatus and changing the printing speed of the printing apparatus.