JP2016168794A - Thermal printer, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal printer, a control method, and program which are highly efficient in print control.SOLUTION: A thermal printer includes a thermal head configured by arranging a plurality of heating elements, a paper delivery mechanism which supplies a thermal paper sheet to the thermal head, and a control device which sets the number of times of dividing and printing print data for an area constituted by a plurality of dot lines on the basis of a printing rate of the print data, sequentially heats the heating elements divided by the number of times, and prints the print data on the thermal paper sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal printer, a control method, and a program.

  In a thermal printer that operates on a battery, the current that can be supplied to the printer is limited due to limitations in battery specifications. In order to realize a higher-speed printing process under such conditions, for example, in the thermal printer described in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, the heating element of the thermal head of the printer is divided into a plurality of blocks and printed. The number of heating elements energized at the same time is controlled according to the control. That is, in a conventional thermal printer, each time a dot line is printed, the heating element of the thermal head is divided into a plurality of blocks, and a block that can be energized at the same time according to the printing content is combined to print one dot line. The print control is performed for all the dot lines.

Japanese Patent No. 297248 Japanese Patent No. 3012747

However, performing the printing control for dividing the heating element of the thermal head into a plurality of blocks for each dot line has a problem in that the control becomes complicated and the efficiency of the printing control is lowered.
Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve this problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal printer, a control method, and a program with high print control efficiency.

  In order to solve the above problems, a thermal printer of the present invention includes a thermal head configured by arranging a plurality of heating elements, a paper transport mechanism for supplying thermal paper to the thermal head, and a plurality of dot lines. The number of times when the print data is dividedly printed for the area is set based on the print rate of the print data, and the heating element divided into the number of times for the area is sequentially heated to print the print on the thermal paper. A control device for printing data;

  In the printer according to the present invention, the control device integrates the number of dots to be printed for each dot line constituting the print data, and the maximum simultaneous energization that is the number of the heating elements that simultaneously generate the accumulated result. A division number determination unit that compares the number of dots and determines the number of divisions when dividing and printing the one dot line based on the comparison result; and the maximum value among the number of divisions for each dot line is the print Block selection information indicating which block of the plurality of heating elements to be controlled is set as the number of times when all the 1 dot lines constituting the data are divided and printed, and divided into a plurality of block units. A printer driving condition setting unit for sending out based on the set number of times, and heating the block units sequentially on the basis of the block selection information, A head drive control unit for printing all the one-dot lines constituting the printing data, characterized in that it comprises a.

  In the printer of the present invention, the control device creates the print data and outputs the print data for each dot line, the division number determination unit, and the printer drive condition setting. A second control device having a first control device, a motor drive control unit that accelerates or decelerates a speed at which the thermal paper is supplied to the thermal head, and the head drive control unit. It is characterized by providing.

  The printer according to the present invention is characterized in that the print data creation / transfer section creates the print data by moving dots in a predetermined one dot line of the print data to another dot line.

  In the printer of the present invention, the print data creation and transfer unit may detect half of the dots in the predetermined one dot line when dots in the predetermined one dot line of the print data become ruled lines after printing. The print data is generated such that the dot data is moved to adjacent one dot line and two dot lines are arranged in a staggered arrangement.

  In order to solve the above problems, a control method of the present invention is a thermal printer comprising a thermal head configured by arranging a plurality of heating elements, and a paper transport mechanism for supplying thermal paper to the thermal head. The control computer sets the number of times when the print data is divided and printed based on the print rate of the print data, sequentially heats the heating elements divided into the number of times, and puts the print data on the thermal paper. Print.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a program according to the present invention controls a thermal printer including a thermal head configured by arranging a plurality of heating elements, and a paper transport mechanism that supplies thermal paper to the thermal head. The number of times when the print data is divided and printed on the computer is set based on the print rate of the print data, the heating elements divided into the number of times are sequentially heated, and the print data is printed on the thermal paper. To perform the process.

  According to the present invention, the control device sets the number of times when the print data is divided and printed for an area composed of a plurality of dot lines based on the print rate of the print data, and for the area composed of a plurality of dot lines, Since the heating elements divided into the number of times are sequentially heated to print the print data on the thermal paper, it is not necessary to perform the print control for dividing the heating element into a plurality of blocks for each dot line. Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a thermal printer, a control method, and a program with high printing control efficiency.

It is the perspective view which showed the whole portable terminal of this embodiment. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. It is a detailed functional block diagram of the thermal printer part 4 in the portable terminal 1 of this embodiment. 6 is a flowchart for explaining printing control. It is a figure which shows an example of a credit card slip. It is a figure which shows another example of a credit card slip. It is a figure for demonstrating the font used when developing the image of the printing data of the credit card slip shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the font used when developing the image of the printing data of the credit card slip shown in FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining division number determination processing in print control. It is a figure for demonstrating the determination result by the division | segmentation frequency determination process in printing control.

  In a device such as a credit card payment terminal, the format of a slip printed by a thermal printer is fixed, and since the printing rate per dot line is generally low, the entire slip or most of the slip is printed with a dot line. There is a high possibility that the number of divisions can be determined and printed. However, depending on the contents to be printed (a combination of characters), the number of heating elements energized at the same time may increase, exceeding the power supply capacity of the AC adapter or battery. For this reason, in the credit card settlement terminal according to the present embodiment, the printing condition (the number of divisions for printing one dot line and the paper conveyance speed) is analyzed by analyzing the data of the slip to be printed before actually printing. Appropriately, the slip (or a predetermined print range) can be printed without complicated control. The credit card payment terminal according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire portable terminal of the present embodiment. The portable terminal 1 (thermal printer) of this embodiment is a credit card payment terminal as an example.
The portable terminal 1 includes a thermal printer unit 4, a display unit 11, a key input unit 12, a magnetic card reading unit 13, and an IC card reading unit 14.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 1 of the present embodiment.
The mobile terminal 1 includes a main MPU 2 (first control device), a sub MPU 3 (second control device), a thermal printer unit 4, a power supply unit 5, a battery 6, a RAM 7, a ROM 8, a display unit 11, a key input unit 12, A magnetic card reading unit 13, an IC card reading unit 14, a wireless communication unit 15, and a wired communication unit 16 are included.
The portable terminal 1 operates by receiving power from an external AC adapter 9 and also operates by receiving power from the battery 6.
The main MPU 2 performs various types of information processing and control of the mobile terminal 1 according to a predetermined program.
The sub MPU 3 controls the thermal printer unit 4 and the power source unit 5.
The battery 6 is a rechargeable battery that is stored inside the mobile terminal 1 as a battery pack and is charged by receiving power from the AC adapter 9.
The RAM 7 is a memory in which data and programs are temporarily stored in a program work area. In addition, when printing a slip from a thermal printer, the data to be printed on the RAM 7 is developed into a bitmap.
The ROM 8 is a memory that stores control programs and processing data.
The display unit 11, the key input unit 12, the magnetic card reading unit 13, the IC card reading unit 14, the wireless communication unit 15, and the wired communication unit 16 are various functional units that cause the mobile terminal 1 to function as a credit card payment terminal. It is.

FIG. 3 is a detailed functional block diagram of the thermal printer unit 4 in the portable terminal 1 of the present embodiment.
The thermal printer unit 4 includes a printer module 40 and a motor driver 47. Printer drive power is supplied to the printer module 40 and the motor driver 47 from the power supply unit 5 shown in FIG. The voltage of the printer driving power source is relatively high (for example, 9V) when power is supplied from the AC adapter 9, and is relatively low (for example, 7.2V) because it depends on the voltage of the battery 6 when power is supplied only from the battery 6. ).
The printer module 40 includes a line thermal head 41 (thermal head), a stepping motor 46, and a paper transport mechanism 49 (gear, platen roller, etc.). Although not shown in the figure, the printer module 40 includes a sensor for detecting printer paper.

The line thermal head 41 includes a heating element array 42, an output driver 43, a latch register 44, a shift register 45, and a temperature sensor 48.
The heating element array 42 has a large number of heating elements arranged in one line. In this embodiment, the number of heating elements is 384.
The output driver 43 is an element for turning ON / OFF the power supply to the heating element, and controls the heating element in units of blocks. In the present embodiment, since 64 heating elements are controlled as one block, the number of blocks is six. Each block of the output driver 43 is controlled by a strobe signal 32 output from the sub MPU 3. In the present embodiment, since the number of blocks of the output driver 43 is 6, the number of strobe signals 32 is 6.
The latch register 44 is an element that holds print data, and the data of the shift register 45 is taken into the latch register 44 by controlling the latch signal 31.
The shift register 45 is an element that receives serial print data sent from the main MPU 2.
The stepping motor 46 is a motor that drives the paper transport mechanism 49.
The temperature sensor 48 is an element that detects the temperature of the line thermal head.

The main MPU 2 includes a print data creation / transfer unit 25, a division number determination unit 26, and a printer drive condition setting unit 27.
The print data creation transfer unit 25 creates print data and outputs the print data to the shift register 45 for each dot line.
The division number determination unit 26 accumulates the number of dots to be printed for each dot line constituting the print data, and compares the accumulated result with the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots that is the number of heating elements that simultaneously generate heat, and compares the result. Is used to determine the number of divisions when one dot line is divided and printed.
The printer driving condition setting unit 27 uses the maximum number of divisions determined by the division number determination unit 26, and the maximum number of divisions when dividing all the 1 dot lines (predetermined printing range) constituting the print data. (Number of times) is set, and block selection information indicating which block of the plurality of heating elements divided into a plurality of block units is controlled is output to the sub MPU 3 based on the set maximum number of divisions.
This block selection information is used when the sub MPU 3 outputs the strobe signal 32.

The sub MPU 3 includes a head drive control unit 35 and a motor drive control unit 36.
The head drive control unit 35 outputs the strobe signal 32 to the output driver 43 based on the block selection information input from the printer drive condition setting unit 27 to sequentially generate heat for each block, and the print held by the latch register 44. Print one dot line composing data on thermal paper.
The motor drive controller 36 controls the motor driver 47 and the stepping motor 46 to accelerate or decelerate the speed at which the paper transport mechanism 49 supplies the thermal paper to the thermal head.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the printing control. In the portable terminal 1 of the present embodiment, a slip printing process is performed as follows.
First, the main MPU 2 sets printing conditions (step ST1).
The motor drive control unit 36 of the sub MPU 3 monitors the power supply unit 5 in order to detect whether power is supplied from the AC adapter 9. When the main MPU 2 starts the slip printing process, the main MPU 2 acquires from the sub MPU 3 the power supply type information of the portable terminal 1 (whether it is operating with the power from the AC adapter 9 / operating with the power from the battery 6). The division number determination unit 26 of the main MPU 2 sets the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots in, for example, the RAM 7 based on the acquired power supply type information.
The maximum number of simultaneously energized dots is determined by the specifications of the printer module 40 to be used and the specifications of the battery 6. In the present embodiment, the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots is determined to be 96 in the specification of the printer module 40, and when the AC adapter 9 is driven, the capacity and power supply of the AC adapter 9 so that the 96 resistors can be energized simultaneously. Determines the capabilities of the circuit. In the case of driving the battery 6, the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots is determined to be 64 because of limitations on the size and weight of the battery 6 that can be used.

Subsequently, the main MPU 2 develops an image of the print data (step ST2).
The print data creation and transfer unit 25 of the main MPU 2 develops a bitmap of print data in a predetermined print range of a slip to be printed on the RAM 7 connected to the main MPU 2. That is, the print data creation / transfer unit 25 develops an image of the character data on the RAM 7 using a print font.
Here, FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a credit card slip.
As shown in FIG. 5, when a trademark logo is printed on a slip, printing processing is performed by dividing a predetermined printing range into a logo printing range 50 and a printing range not including the other logo printing ranges 51.
In the case of a credit card payment terminal, 3 to 4 slips are output in one payment. In the present embodiment, the print image is processed on a slip basis. However, for a slip for printing a logo, as shown in FIG. 5, a printing process is performed by dividing a predetermined printing range into a logo portion and other portions. This is because the logo portion often has a high printing rate, and if the number of divisions is determined in accordance with the logo, printing of the entire slip becomes slow.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of a credit card slip.
The credit card slip shown in FIG. 6 is different from the credit card slip shown in FIG.
There is no need to divide the predetermined printing range and perform the printing process. However, the credit card slip shown in FIG. 6 is printed with a plurality of one-dot lines 61 that increase the printing rate in which specific characters “4”, “7”, etc. are continuous. In such a case, the print data creation / transfer unit 25 uses a predetermined print font.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a font used when image data of the print data of the credit card slip shown in FIG. 6 is developed. As shown in FIG. 7A, a plurality of 1-dot lines in which “4” are continuously arranged are shown. The plurality of 1 dot lines include dot lines 70 having a high printing rate.
In such a case, the print data creation transfer unit 25 reduces the left side of the dot “4” in the predetermined one dot line 70 of the print data and moves the right side of “4” to the other dot line 71 to print data. Create Therefore, the print data creation / transfer unit 25 uses a predetermined print font. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7B, the printing rate of the dot line 70 having a high printing rate in a plurality of 1-dot lines in which “4” is continuously arranged can be lowered.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a font used when developing the image of the print data of the credit card slip shown in FIG. The credit card slip shown in FIG. 5 is printed with ruled lines 53 that increase the printing rate. In such a case, the print data creation transfer unit 25 uses a staggered print font.
As shown to Fig.8 (a), the 1 dot line 81 which arranged the dot continuously is represented. This one dot line is a dot line with a high printing rate.
In such a case, when the dot in the predetermined 1 dot line 81 of the print data becomes a ruled line after printing, the print data creation transfer unit 25 adjoins half of the dots in the predetermined 1 dot line 81 adjacent to each other. The print data is created so that the dot lines 82 are moved and the two dot lines 81 and 82 are arranged in a staggered arrangement. For this reason, the print data creation / transfer unit 25 uses a staggered print font. Thereby, the printing rate of the ruled line 53 having a high printing rate can be lowered. Further, in this case, since the ruled line is created with 2 dot lines, the print rate of the ruled line 53 can be lowered, and the staggered array print data can be created easily and in a space-saving manner.
The staggered array print data created by the print data creation unit 25 is not limited to this. For example, the print data creation and transfer unit 25 may move a plurality of dots to two adjacent dot lines among the dots in a predetermined one dot line. Further, the print data creation unit 25 may create staggered print data with three or more dot lines. Even in this case, the printing rate of ruled lines having a high printing rate can be lowered.

Returning to FIG. 4, the main MPU 2 subsequently determines the number of divisions in the printing process (step ST3).
The division number determination unit 26 integrates the number of dots to be printed (the number of energized resistors) for each dot line constituting the print data (bitmap data) developed on the RAM 7. The division number determination unit 26 compares the integration result with the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots of the type of power source being used, which is the number of heating elements that simultaneously generate heat. The division number determination unit 26 determines the number of divisions when one dot line is divided and printed based on the comparison result. The number of divisions is obtained corresponding to the print rate of print data in one dot line.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining division number determination processing in print control.
The division number determination unit 26 performs a division number determination process for all one dot lines constituting the print data (bitmap data).
The division number determination unit 26 determines whether or not the number of printing dots of one dot line is less than or equal to the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots (step ST11).
If it is determined that the number of print dots for one dot line is less than or equal to the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots (step ST11—Yes), the division number determination unit 26 sets the number of divisions to 1 for one dot line print data (division). (None) (step ST12).
On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of print dots of one dot line is larger than the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots (No in step ST11), the division number determination unit 26 counts the number of print dots for every three blocks (step ST13). ).
At this time, since the number of print dots for every three blocks is six, 20 print dot numbers can be obtained.
The division number determination unit 26 determines whether all of the obtained 20 print dot numbers are equal to or less than the maximum simultaneous energization dot number (step ST14).
The division number determination unit 26 counts the number of print dots every three blocks, and determines whether or not all combinations of the obtained print dot numbers are equal to or less than the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots, but is not limited thereto. For example, the division number determination unit 26 determines only the combination of the right 3 blocks and the left 3 blocks out of the 20 print dot numbers obtained in the print dot number for every 3 blocks, or the center 3 blocks and others. Only the combination with the three blocks (both ends) may be determined, or some predetermined combinations among all the combinations may be determined.
If it is determined that the 20 print dot numbers are all equal to or less than the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots (Yes in step ST14), the division number determination unit 26 sets the division number to 2 for the print data of one dot line. (Step ST15).
On the other hand, if it is determined that the 20 print dot numbers are all larger than the maximum simultaneous energization dot number (step ST15-No), the division number determination unit 26 counts the print dot numbers for every two blocks (step ST16). .
At this time, since the number of print dots for every two blocks is six, 90 print dot numbers can be obtained.
The division number determination unit 26 determines whether all of the obtained 90 print dot numbers are equal to or less than the maximum simultaneous energization dot number (step ST17).
The division number determination unit 26 counts the number of print dots for every two blocks, and determines whether or not all combinations of the obtained print dot numbers are equal to or less than the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots, but is not limited thereto. For example, the division number determination unit 26 determines only the combination of the right 2 blocks, the center 2 blocks, and the left 2 blocks out of the 90 print dot numbers obtained in the print dot numbers for each two blocks, or the center 2 Only a combination of a block, two blocks at the left and right ends, and the other two blocks may be determined, or some predetermined combinations of all combinations may be determined.
If it is determined that the 90 print dot numbers are all equal to or less than the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots (Yes in step ST17), the division number determination unit 26 sets the division number to 3 for the print data of one dot line. (Step ST18).
On the other hand, if it is determined that the 90 print dot numbers are all greater than the maximum simultaneous energization dot number (No in step ST17), the division number determination unit 26 sets the division number to 6 for the print data of one dot line. (Step ST19).

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a determination result by the division number determination process in the print control.
FIG. 10A shows the number of divisions, the number of simultaneously energized blocks, and the printing rate in the combination of simultaneously energized blocks when driven by the battery 6. FIG. 10B shows the number of divisions, the number of simultaneously energized blocks, and the printing rate in the combination of simultaneously energized blocks when driven by the AC adapter 9.
Here, the operation performed by the division number determination unit 26 to obtain the determination result shown in FIG.
When the battery 6 is driven, the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots is 64. Therefore, if the total number of print dots of one dot line is 64 or less, it is determined that the dot line can be printed without division (number of divisions 1). In this case, the number of simultaneously energized blocks is 6, and all 6 blocks are selected when printing. Also, the printing rate in the combination of 6 blocks that are energized simultaneously is 16.6% or less.
If there is a line where the number of dots to be printed exceeds 64, the dot line data is divided into two, and if the number of print dots in each of the two divided print data is 64 or less, the dot line is divided into two. It is determined that printing is possible. In this case, the number of simultaneously energized blocks is 3, and two combinations of 3 blocks are sequentially selected. Further, the printing rate in the combination of three blocks that are energized simultaneously is 33% or less.
If the number of print dots in one of the two divided print data exceeds 64, the target dot line is again divided into three, and if the number of print dots in each of the three divided print data is 64 or less, that dot It is determined that the line can be printed in three divisions. In this case, the number of simultaneously energized blocks is 2, and when three combinations of 2 blocks are printed, they are sequentially selected. Further, the printing rate in the combination of two blocks energized simultaneously is 50% or less.
If the number of print dots in one of the print data divided into three exceeds 64, it is determined that the slip needs to be printed in six. In this case, the number of simultaneously energized blocks is 1, and when one combination of 6 blocks is printed, the blocks are sequentially selected. Further, the printing rate within the combination of one block that is energized simultaneously is 100% or less.

In this way, the number of divisions, the number of simultaneously energized blocks, and the printing rate in the combination of simultaneously energized blocks for all the dot lines constituting the print data (bitmap data) are known. The division number determination unit 26 stores these pieces of information in the RAM 7 in association with one dot line. The number of divisions for each dot line determined by the division number determination unit 26 is obtained corresponding to the print rate of the print data in one dot line. Based on the number of divisions determined by the division number determination unit 26, the printer drive condition setting unit 27 performs the maximum number of divisions (number of times) when dividing and printing all 1 dot lines (predetermined print range) constituting the print data. Is determined as a fixed value.
In the present embodiment, the division number determination unit 26 counts the number of print dots for each of a plurality of blocks, and determines whether or not the total number of print dots obtained is equal to or less than the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots. It is not limited to this. For example, the division number determination unit 26 may count the number of printed dots for each of a plurality of blocks, and determine whether or not at least one combination of the obtained number of printed dots is equal to or less than the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots. Further, for example, the division number determination unit 26 determines only the combination of the right 3 blocks and the left 3 blocks out of the 20 print dot numbers obtained for the print dots for each 3 blocks, or the central 3 blocks. Only the combination of the other three blocks (both ends) may be determined, or some predetermined combinations of all combinations may be determined.
Further, for example, the division number determination unit 26 counts the number of print dots for each of a plurality of blocks, determines whether all combinations of the obtained print dot numbers are equal to or less than the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots, and determines all combinations. If it is determined that at least one combination is equal to or less than the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots, the number of divisions corresponding to the number of blocks is set. In this case as well, the maximum number of divisions (number of times) for dividing and printing all 1 dot lines (predetermined printing range) constituting the print data is determined as a fixed value.

Returning to FIG. 4, the main MPU 2 continues to determine the maximum number of divisions (step ST4).
The printer drive condition setting unit 27 sets the maximum number of divisions (the maximum number of divisions among the number of divisions for all the dot lines constituting the print data (bitmap data) stored in the RAM 7 by the division number determination unit 26). Frequency). Note that the maximum number of divisions is the number of times obtained corresponding to the print rate of the print data since the number of divisions is obtained corresponding to the print rate of the print data in one dot line.

In the present embodiment, the line thermal head 41 of the printer module 40 controls the 384 heating elements by dividing them into 6 blocks in units of 64, and therefore, the following four combinations of energizing the heating elements are provided. The printer drive condition setting unit 27 determines which one of the four combinations is selected, and the head drive control unit 35 so that the head drive control unit 35 of the sub MPU 3 can energize the selected combination. Send block selection information to
(1) When the maximum number of divisions is 1, energization is performed simultaneously on six blocks.
This energization means that the head drive control unit 35 of the sub MPU 3 turns on the six strobe signals 32 of the output driver 43 simultaneously. Therefore, the printer drive condition setting unit 27 sends block selection information indicating that 6 blocks are turned ON to the head drive control unit 35.
(2) When the maximum number of divisions is 2, after energizing the three blocks in the first time, energizing the remaining three blocks in the second time.
This energization means that the head drive control unit 35 of the sub MPU 3 turns on the strobe signal 32 of the output driver 43 in two steps. For this reason, the printer drive condition setting unit 27 turns on three blocks of the six blocks for the first time and selects the remaining three blocks of the six blocks for the second time. Information is sent to the head drive controller 35.
(3) When the maximum number of divisions is 3, the two blocks are energized at the first time, the next two blocks are energized at the second time, and the remaining two blocks are energized at the third time.
The energization means that the head drive control unit 35 of the sub MPU 3 turns on the strobe signal 32 of the output driver 43 in three times. Therefore, the printer drive condition setting unit 27 turns on two of the six blocks for the first time, turns on two of the remaining four blocks for the second time, and sets the remaining two for the third time. Block selection information indicating turning on the individual blocks is sent to the head drive control unit 35.
(4) When the maximum number of divisions is 6, one block is energized at a time. A total of 6 energization processes are performed.
This energization means that the head drive control unit 35 of the sub MPU 3 turns on the strobe signal 32 of the output driver 43 in six steps. Therefore, the printer driving condition setting unit 27 sends block selection information indicating that one block is turned ON each time from the first to the sixth time to the head driving control unit 35.

Note that four or five divisions are possible. In addition, it is assumed that the block to be energized when the maximum number of divisions is 2 is the first 3 blocks + the second 3 blocks, but the first 2 blocks + the second 4 blocks or the first 1 block + the second 5 blocks It doesn't matter. If the data to be printed is analyzed at a higher level, it is often appropriate to energize the two blocks at both ends of the print area at the same time and energize the four blocks at the center at the same time. .
By determining the maximum number of divisions performed by the printer driving condition setting unit 27 of the main MPU 2 as described above, the maximum number of divisions for dividing and printing all 1 dot lines (predetermined print range) constituting the print data is set as a fixed value. it can. Further, since block selection information indicating which block of the plurality of heating elements divided into a plurality of block units is controlled is sent to the sub MPU 3 based on the set maximum number of divisions, the division of the sub MPU 3 The burden on processing can be reduced.

Finally, the main MPU 2 and the sub MPU 3 execute slip printing (step ST5).
That is, the main MPU 2 and the sub MPU 3 print the print data (bitmap data) under the above-described division condition. The main MPU 2 sends data for one dot line to the shift register 45. The sub MPU 3 performs the process of fetching the print data into the latch register 44 and then controls the output driver 43 and the drive control of the stepping motor 46 according to the maximum number of divisions determined by the print data analysis.
In the sub MPU 3, in the division control of the output driver 43, the division number of the printing process is fixed to the maximum division number, so the burden on the division process is reduced. Therefore, the division control of the output driver 43 is possible even when the sub MPU 3 has a low processing capability.
In the drive control of the stepping motor 46, the sub MPU 3 fixes the number of print processing divisions to the maximum number of divisions, and thus basically transports the paper at a constant speed. For this reason, since the rotation speed of the stepping motor 46 may be constant except during the start process and the stop process, the drive control of the stepping motor 46 is possible even if the sub MPU 3 has a low processing capacity.
Note that the voltage of the printer driving power supply (constant at 9 V when the AC adapter 9 is used and varies depending on the state of the battery when the battery 6 is used) and the temperature of the battery are important information for printing control of the printer. The sub MPU 3 may perform the printing process using the secondary battery voltage sensor information indicating the information and the secondary battery temperature sensor information (temperature information measured by the temperature sensor 48).

  The slip printing process of the mobile terminal 1 (thermal printer) has been described above. The portable terminal 1 includes a line thermal head 41 (thermal head), a paper transport mechanism 49 (paper transport mechanism), a main MPU 2 and a sub MPU 3 (control device). The line thermal head 41 is configured by arranging a plurality of heating elements. The paper transport mechanism 49 supplies thermal paper to the line thermal head 41. The main MPU 2 and the sub MPU 3 set the maximum number of divisions (number of times) when dividing and printing all 1 dot lines constituting the print data based on the print data printing rate, and are divided based on the maximum number of divisions. The generated heating elements are sequentially heated to print all 1 dot lines constituting the print data on the thermal paper.

  According to the main MPU 2 and the sub MPU 3, the maximum number of divisions (number of times) when the print data is divided and printed for an area composed of a plurality of dot lines is set based on the print rate of the print data, and the plurality of dot lines are formed Since the heating elements divided into the maximum number of divisions for the region are sequentially heated and print data is printed on the thermal paper, it is not necessary to perform printing control for dividing the heating element into a plurality of blocks for each dot line. Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a thermal printer, a control method, and a program with high printing control efficiency.

  Of the control devices, the main MPU 2 has a higher processing capability than the sub MPU 3, and therefore performs bitmap development of the print data and analysis of the print rate. On the other hand, among the control devices, the sub-MPU 3 has a processing capability lower than that of the main MPU 2, and therefore performs split control of the output driver 43 and drive control of the stepping motor 46 based on the analysis result of the print data by the main MPU 2. Therefore, the use of the sub MPU 3 can suppress an increase in the cost of the mobile terminal 1 as a whole.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is possible to

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Portable terminal, 2 ... Main MPU, 3 ... Sub MPU, 4 ... Thermal printer part, 5 ... Power supply part, 6 ... Battery, 7 ... RAM, 8 ... ROM, 9 ... AC adapter, 11 ... Display part, 12 ... Key input unit, 13 ... Magnetic card reading unit, 14 ... IC card reading unit, 15 ... Wireless communication unit, 16 ... Wired communication unit, 25 ... Print data creation / transfer unit, 26 ... Division number determination unit, 27 ... Printer drive condition Setting unit 35... Head drive control unit 36... Motor drive control unit 40... Printer module 41. Line thermal head 42. Heating element array 43 43 Output driver 44 latch register 45 Shift register 46 ... Stepping motor, 47 ... Motor driver, 48 ... Temperature sensor

Claims (7)

A thermal head configured by arranging a plurality of heating elements;
A paper transport mechanism for supplying thermal paper to the thermal head;
The number of times when the print data is divided and printed for an area consisting of a plurality of dot lines is set based on the print rate of the print data,
A controller that sequentially heats the heating element divided into the number of times for the region and prints the print data on the thermal paper;
Thermal printer equipped with. The control device includes:
For each dot line constituting the print data, the number of dots to be printed is integrated, and the integrated result is compared with the maximum number of simultaneously energized dots, which is the number of heating elements that simultaneously generate heat. A division number determination unit that determines the number of divisions when dividing and printing dot lines;
Among the number of divisions for each one dot line, the maximum value is set as the number of times when all the one dot lines constituting the print data are divided and printed, and the plurality is divided into a plurality of blocks. A printer driving condition setting unit that sends out block selection information indicating which block of the heating element is controlled based on the set number of times,
Based on the block selection information, a head drive controller that sequentially heats the block units and prints all the 1 dot lines constituting the print data on the thermal paper;
The thermal printer according to claim 1, further comprising: The control device includes:
A first control device that includes the print data creation and transfer unit that creates the print data and outputs the print data for each dot line; the division number determination unit; and the printer drive condition setting unit;
A second control device comprising: a motor drive control unit for accelerating or decelerating a speed of supplying the thermal paper to the thermal head; and the head drive control unit;
The thermal printer according to claim 2, further comprising: The print data creation transfer unit moves the dots in a predetermined one dot line of the print data to another dot line, and creates the print data.
The thermal printer according to claim 3. The print data creation and transfer unit moves half of the dots in the predetermined one dot line to an adjacent one dot line when dots in the predetermined one dot line of the print data become ruled lines after printing. The print data is created so that 2 dot lines are arranged in a staggered arrangement.
The thermal printer according to claim 4. A thermal printer control computer comprising a thermal head configured by arranging a plurality of heating elements, and a paper transport mechanism for supplying thermal paper to the thermal head,
A control method for printing the print data on the thermal paper by setting the number of times when the print data is divided and printed based on the print rate of the print data and sequentially heating the heating element divided into the number of times. . A thermal printer control computer comprising a thermal head configured by arranging a plurality of heating elements, and a paper transport mechanism for supplying thermal paper to the thermal head,
The number of times when the print data is divided and printed is set based on the print rate of the print data, and the heating element divided into the number of times is sequentially heated to print the print data on the thermal paper. Program to be performed.

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