JP2004209763A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recorder that can reduce a total recording time period by performing efficient exclusive controlling among tasks by varying a judgment of stopping in controlling of stopping of a motor according to various conditions. <P>SOLUTION: This recorder performs the recording according to data transmitted from a host device by using a recording head. The recorder comprises a means for moving and driving a carriage having the recording head mounted thereon and an analyzing means for analyzing the data. A next moving start position and a next moving stop position are calculated based on the analyzed result of the data, the stopping condition of the driving means is obtained based on the calculated positions, and then the stopping operation is performed based on the stopping condition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and more particularly, to controlling a motor in a recording operation.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Generally, in a firmware of a printer or the like, a system in which a task intervenes in each of a system control unit, a CR motor control unit, and an LF motor control unit using a real-time OS and performs exclusive control of those resources to perform printing processing. Many. In such a system, motor control such as DC motor and pulse motor sets the target position and target number of steps in all kinds of various sequences, drives the motor, and eliminates vibration such as damping, which is a characteristic of the motor. They do not release resources until they are completely stopped in the correct position.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, there are many cases in an actual sequence where there is no problem in control even if it does not completely stop at a correct position.
[0004]
For example, when a certain task (task 1) drives a CR motor to perform printing, another task (task 2) performs exclusive control in which CR control is prohibited by another command during printing. While Task 1 receives the CR motor resource and then drives the motor to move to the target position, Task 2 receiving the print stop command attempts to move the CR to the home position. In the CR motor control, the task 2 does not release the CR motor resources until the stop determination in the CR motor stop control is satisfied. Therefore, the task 1 stops the CR completely by the task 1 to release the CR motor resources, and then releases the CR motor resources. To the home position. However, since it is actually a print stop instruction, it is desirable that the task 1 immediately terminates the CR stop determination, releases the resources, and gives the resources to the task 2.
[0005]
FIG. 7 shows a conventional print control in the case where left and right end information of print data of two scans is different. More specifically, the horizontal axis indicates the moving distance, and the vertical axis indicates the processing content during the CR movement when reciprocating printing is performed with the speed taken. In addition, the deceleration distance and the acceleration distance are made the same for easy understanding.
[0006]
FIG. 9 shows, in a time-series manner, the contents of processing performed by two-scan printing with the horizontal axis representing time with respect to this processing.
[0007]
From FIGS. 7 and 9, in the processing up to this point, since the right end position of the print data of Scan_2 has a margin with respect to the target position for stopping the CR motor of Scan_1, the stop position of Scan_1 can be printed to some extent even if there is an error. Although there is no influence, the stop determination condition is uniform, so in the scan control of Scan_1, the normal stop determination condition is satisfied (the stop determination control is performed and the CR completely reaches the target position). Until the printing is stopped), it is not possible to shift to the scan process of Scan_2.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and makes it possible to make the stop determination in the motor stop control variable for various situations, perform efficient exclusive control between tasks, and perform total control. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of shortening a recording time.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to the present invention is a printing apparatus that performs printing using a print head based on data sent from a higher-level device, and scans a carriage on which a print head is mounted. Means, driving means for driving the scanning means, analysis means for analyzing the data, means for calculating a scan start position and a scan end position based on the result analyzed by the analysis means, and the calculated position Control means for determining a stop condition of the driving means based on the stop condition, and performing a stop process based on the stop condition.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0011]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a printing system to which a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, in which a printer P and a personal computer PC are connected via a predetermined interface capable of bidirectional communication.
[0012]
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[0013]
The host interface unit (2-1) is connected to a data processing device (hereinafter, host) via an interface cable, and mainly receives print data command processing from the host, print stop command reception processing from the host, and connects the interface cable. The status monitoring process is being performed. The host interface unit (2-1) transfers the print data command from the host to the data expansion processing unit (2-3) and notifies the system control unit (2-4) of a print stop command from the host. And notifies the system controller (2-4) when the connection of the interface cable is interrupted.
[0014]
The panel interface unit (2-2) has a function of detecting a panel operation when the user wants to stop printing and a function of detecting opening and closing of the cover when the user wants to replace the print head, and the system detects the detected information. It plays the role of notifying the control unit (2-4).
[0015]
The data development processing section (2-3) analyzes the print data command notified from the host interface section (2-1) and performs data development processing on the print buffer into a form suitable for the configuration of the installed print head. Its role is to notify the system control unit (2-4) when the data for one scan has been developed in the print buffer.
[0016]
The motor control section (2-5) includes motor controls for CR, LF, PG, and ASF. The CR motor unit (2-5-1) cooperates with a CR unit capable of mounting a print head and plays a role of realizing print control by controlling the CR motor. The LF motor unit (2-5-2) The PG motor unit (2-5-3) plays a role of performing print head maintenance processing by controlling the PG motor. The ASF motor unit controls the LF motor. (2-5-4) plays the role of automatically picking up the recording paper by controlling the ASF motor.
[0017]
The system control unit (2-4) receives commands from the data development processing unit (2-3), the host interface unit (2-1), and the panel interface unit (2-2), and according to the commands, necessary motor control units Exclusive control is performed so that the resources of (2-5) are acquired and the processes performed for each command operate correctly. In addition, a process for determining whether to stop the CR is performed by a process of calculating the start position and the stop position of the CR in the printing process.
[0018]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the present invention. The host interface unit (2-1) receives a print data command from the host, and the data expansion processing unit (2-3) sends the print data command to the print buffer and sends the print data command to the print head. 9 is a processing flow of the system processing unit (2-4) from developing to combined print data to printing one scan.
[0019]
First, it is determined whether or not the development of the print data for one scan in the print buffer has been completed. If the development has not been completed, the process waits until the development is completed (No is selected in 3-1). When development is completed (Yes selected in 3-1) Acceleration / deceleration distance is obtained based on the table (Fig. 5) used for DC motor and pulse motor control corresponding to the current print mode, and necessary for CR motor control The start position of the CR motor start and the target position (P1, P2) for stopping the CR motor are calculated using the information on the right and left ends of the print (3-2). Further, it is determined whether the development of the print data in the next next scan is completed and the left and right end information is determined (3-3). If the information is known (Yes in 3-3), the current print direction is selected. It is determined whether the designation is a bidirectional designation (3-4), and if the printing direction is bidirectional (Yes in 3-4), the CR motor start position P3 is calculated in the same manner as described above (3-2) (3-2). 3-5).
[0020]
The calculated next CR motor stop target position P2 and the CR motor start start position P3 in the next next scan are compared based on the current CR position (3-6). As a result, if it is determined that the next CR motor stop position P2 is farther than the next next CR motor start position P3 (Yes in 3-6), the distance d1 between P2 and P3 is obtained ( 3-7). The stop target position P of the CR is set to P2, and the stop error distance Dj is obtained from the stop determination table (FIG. 6) based on the obtained distance d1 (3-8).
[0021]
Also, if it is determined in (3-3) that the left and right end information in the next next scan (next scan) is not known (No is selected in 3-3), the CR target position P is set to P2 ( 3-9) The stop error distance Dj is set to Dis_4 (the longest stop determination time) from the stop determination table (3-10). Since the stop position is not known, the strictest stop accuracy is to be ensured.
[0022]
If it is determined in (3-4) that the print direction is not bidirectional (No in 3-4), the stop target position P of the CR is set to P2, and the stop determination error distance Dj is set to Dis_0 from the stop determination table. (The shortest stop determination time) is set (3-12). Strict stopping accuracy is not required.
[0023]
When the next CR motor stop target position P2 is compared with the CR motor start start position P3 in the next next scan in (3-6), when it is determined that P2 is closer (No in 3-6) (Selection) The stop target position of the CR is set to P3 (3-11), and the stop error distance Dj is set to Dis_0 from the stop determination table to perform the constant speed printing in the next next scan (3-10). .
[0024]
Once the CR target stop position P and the stop determination error Dj are obtained, the process waits until a CR motor resource can be obtained to perform exclusive control with other processes (No is selected in 3-13). When the acquisition is successful (Yes in 3-13), the CR motor interrupt process is started based on the CR motor target stop position P and the stop error distance Dj (3-14).
[0025]
When the interrupt is activated, wait until the notification that the interrupt processing has stopped the CR motor is received (select No in 3-15), and when the notification that the stop of the CR motor is completed is received from the interrupt processing (in 3-15) (Yes is selected) The CR motor resource for exclusive control is released (3-16), and the data development process for the next one scan is again waited (3-1).
[0026]
As described above, the system control unit (2-4) repeats the above processing from the completion of the development of the print data for one scan to the print buffer by the data development processing unit (2-3) to the printing.
[0027]
FIG. 4 shows an interrupt processing flow in the CR motor control unit (2-5-1) when the above-described CR motor interrupt processing is started from the system control unit. When the CR motor interrupt processing is activated, the DC motor is controlled using a known servo control for the set target position based on the CR table in the current print mode (4-1). Servo control is performed until the CR unit satisfies the stop determination criterion Dj (No is selected in 4-2). When the CR unit satisfies the stop criterion Dj (Yes in 4-2), the system control unit (2) -4) is notified of CR motor stop completion (4-3).
[0028]
As described above, in the DC motor control unit (2-5-1), the system control unit (2-4) specifies the CR motor target stop position and starts the interrupt processing, and then the stop determined by the system control unit. Servo control of the DC motor is performed until the criterion is satisfied.
[0029]
FIG. 8 illustrates the control for varying the stop determination based on the print left and right end information, as in the above embodiment. In the figure, the horizontal axis represents the movement distance of CR, and the vertical axis represents the speed of CR, and Scan_1 represents print control when the print range is longer than Scan_2. Also, in the figure, in the deceleration region of Scan_1, it can be determined that the distance from the CR stop target position of Scan_1 to the CR start start position of Scan_2 is sufficient. A represents a control for setting the value A to be loose and stopping the CR.
[0030]
FIG. 10 shows a condition in which the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents speed under the conditions of FIG. 8 to omit the stop control performed in the conventional control, and the stop determination time in FIG. It indicates that it is possible to move.
[0031]
As can be seen from FIGS. 8 and 10, the stop determination time is made variable by making the stop determination time variable as compared with the case where the same stop determination time Tj has been uniformly applied to all CR stop control as shown in FIG. Tj time can be shortened.
[0032]
FIG. 6 shows a stop condition, and shows a width of an error in the stop determination, where α1>α2>α3>α4> α5. LEVEL0 (level 0) has the mildest stop condition (the widest error range), and LEVEL4 (level 4) has the strictest stop condition (the narrowest error range). The more severe this level, the more rigorous the controls for suspension.
[0033]
For example, when the print end position of the first scan is longer than the print start position of the second scan by α3 (α3 or more and less than α4), the determination level Level2 is obtained. When the stop processing is controlled by the distance based on the determination level, the distance Dis_2 is obtained. Alternatively, when the stop process is controlled by time, time T_2 is obtained.
[0034]
As described above, the stop processing according to the CR start position (or the print start position), the CR stop position (the print end position), and the CR (carriage) operation mode (for example, the print mode) of the next scan and the next scan. Can be managed.
[0035]
As described above, examples of the embodiments of the present invention are listed below.
[0036]
[Embodiment 1]
A printing apparatus that performs printing using a print head based on data sent from a higher-level device, comprising: a scanning unit that scans a carriage equipped with a print head; a driving unit that drives the scanning unit; Analyzing means for analyzing, a means for calculating a scan start position and a scan end position based on a result analyzed by the analysis means, and a stop condition for the drive means based on the calculated position, And a control unit for performing a stop process based on the recording device.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the stop control time can be shortened and the throughput can be improved by relaxing the condition of the stop accuracy under the condition where the stop accuracy is not required.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a printing system showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a system block diagram of a printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a processing flow in a system control unit, representing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an interrupt processing flow of a CR motor control unit, representing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a table of various motors according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which motor control information for a print mode is stored.
FIG. 6 shows a stop determination criterion for a determination level in a stop determination table of various motors, which represents an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 illustrates a conventional technique in which a stop determination does not change depending on a print data position.
FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the present invention, in which a stop determination area varies depending on a print data position.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a conventional technique, and is illustrated using a time axis in FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention and is illustrated in FIG. 8 using a time axis.

Claims (1)

A recording device that performs recording using a recording head based on data transmitted from a higher-level device,
Scanning means for scanning a carriage equipped with a recording head;
Driving means for driving the scanning means;
Analysis means for analyzing the data,
Means for calculating a scan start position and a scan end position based on the result of analysis by the analysis means,
And a control unit for obtaining a stop condition of the driving unit based on the calculated position and performing a stop process based on the stop condition.

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