JP2022157949A - printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of properly processing individual image data even when a plurality of pieces of image data are continuously received in a printer.SOLUTION: A printer 1 analyzes reception data from the top and starts filing based on a head character when detecting the head character of image data of PDF. The printer 1 detects an end character from the reception data after starting the filing, finishes the filing and stores the generated file in a memory 40 when detecting another head character after detecting the end character or when not detecting another head character and specifying that the detected end character is the last end character included in the reception data. The printer 1 reads out the file stored in the memory 40, generates raster data by performing RIP processing based on the reception data indicated by the read file, and performs printing based on the generated raster data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to printing devices that print images based on received data.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a printing apparatus that receives a print job and prints an image based on the received print job. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 discloses a printing apparatus that includes a print engine and a controller that causes the print engine to execute print processing. A configuration is disclosed in which raster data is created by a print engine and an image is printed by a print engine based on the created raster data.

JP 2015-123712 A

A printing apparatus is required to appropriately process received data in units of image data. However, when a plurality of image data are continuously transmitted from an external device without gaps, the printer may not be able to recognize that the received data is a continuous plurality of image data. cannot be handled properly.

This specification discloses a technique that enables a printing apparatus to appropriately process individual pieces of image data even when a plurality of pieces of image data are received in succession.

A printing device that aims to solve this problem is a printing device that includes a printing unit, a memory, and a communication interface. Image data is sequentially analyzed to obtain image data, and the printing unit is caused to print based on the obtained image data, and the type of image data to be printed by the printing unit is predetermined and printable. There are a plurality of types of image data, the plurality of types include a specific type capable of including a plurality of end information indicating the end of image data in one piece of image data, and the printing device further includes: , when head information indicating the head of image data of the specific type of image data is detected from the received data after starting analysis of the received data, creating a file based on the detected head information; is started, and the printing device detects the end information from the received data after starting filing, and further detects another head information from the received data after detecting the end information, Alternatively, when the other head information is not detected and the detected end information is identified as the last end information included in the received data, the file creation is terminated and the generated file is stored in the memory. Further, the printing apparatus reads the file saved in the memory, performs RIP processing based on the received data indicated by the read file to generate raster data, and generates the generated raster data. It is characterized by causing the printing unit to print based on the data.

The printing apparatus disclosed in this specification starts filing the received data when it detects head information of a specific type of image data that can include a plurality of end information from the received data. Then, when the printer detects the end information from the received data and further detects another head information after the end information, or when the end information is specified as the last end information included in the received data. , end the file creation. As a result, even when receiving a specific type of data in which a plurality of terminal information can be included in one piece of image data, each piece of image data is appropriately cut out and converted into a file so that each piece of image data can be obtained. Data can be processed appropriately.

A control method, a computer program, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program for realizing the functions of the printing apparatus are also novel and useful.

According to the technology disclosed in this specification, a technology is realized that can appropriately process each image data even when a plurality of image data are received in succession in a printing apparatus.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printer of this embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a data analysis procedure; FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a PCLXL print job including PJL data; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a PDF print job including PJL data; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a print job that does not contain PJL data; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of delimiter information; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a filing procedure; 4 is a flow chart showing a procedure of filing processing;

A printer according to the present embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses a printer that executes printing based on received image data.

The printer 1 of this embodiment includes a first controller 10, a second controller 20, and a third controller 30, which are connected to a bus 19, as shown in FIG. The printer 1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13, a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, a print engine 15, and a memory 40, which are It is connected to bus 19 . The printer 1 is an example of a printing device.

The first controller 10, the second controller 20, and the third controller 30 execute various processes according to programs read from the memory 40 and based on user's operations. The first controller 10 of the printer 1 of this embodiment is a multi-core CPU having a first core 11 and a second core 12 as processor cores. The first controller 10 is an example of a controller. On the other hand, both the second controller 20 and the third controller 30 are single-core CPUs having one processor core.

The first core 11 of the first controller 10 is responsible for, for example, analyzing received data and managing memory and files. The second core 12 of the first controller 10 is responsible for, for example, rasterizing image data and analyzing received data. The second core 12 of this embodiment has a clock frequency higher than that of the first core 11 and is suitable for rasterization processing, which is a high-load process. The second controller 20 is responsible for, for example, controlling the print engine 15 and controlling the transport mechanism. The third controller 30 is responsible for, for example, colorant management and LED control. Note that the first controller 10, the second controller 20, and the third controller 30 in FIG. It does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that

Various programs and various data are stored in the memory 40 . The memory 40 is also used as a work area when various processes are executed. An example of the memory 40 is not limited to the ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the printer 1, but may be a computer-readable and writable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. A non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. On the other hand, an electrical signal that carries a program downloaded from a server on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium, which is a kind of computer-readable medium, but is a non-transitory computer-readable storage. Not included in media. The buffers provided in the first controller 10, the second controller 20, and the third controller 30 are also examples of memories.

The user IF 13 is, for example, a touch panel, and includes hardware that displays a screen for informing the user of information and hardware that accepts user operations. The user IF 13 may be a set of a display unit and an operation button or the like. The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with an external device such as a personal computer. The communication standard of the communication IF 14 is Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, or the like. The printer 1 may include multiple communication IFs 14 that support multiple communication standards. The print engine 15 includes a configuration for printing an image on a sheet or the like. The image forming method of the print engine 15 is, for example, an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method. Print engine 15 is an example of a printing unit.

Next, the operation of the printer 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to sequence diagrams and the like. It should be noted that the following processing basically indicates the processing of each CPU according to the instructions described in the program. That is, the processes such as "judgment", "extraction", "selection", "calculation", "determination", "specification", "acquisition", "acceptance", "control", etc. in the following description are performed by the CPU. represents. Processing by the CPU also includes hardware control using the API of the OS. In this specification, the description of the OS is omitted and the operation of each program will be described. That is, in the following description, the description to the effect that "the program B controls the hardware C" may refer to "the program B controls the hardware C using the API of the OS." Also, the processing of the CPU according to the instructions written in the program may be described in abbreviated terms. For example, it may be described as "performed by the CPU". In addition, the processing of the CPU according to the instructions described in the program may be described by abbreviating the CPU, such as "performed by the program A."

Note that "acquisition" is used as a concept that does not require a request. That is, the concept of "the CPU acquires data" includes the process of receiving data without the CPU requesting it. Also, "data" in this specification is represented by a computer-readable bit string. Data having substantially the same meaning and content but different formats are treated as the same data. The same applies to "information" in this specification. Further, "request" and "instruct" are concepts indicating outputting information indicating requesting or instructing to the other party. Also, information indicating a request or information indicating an instruction is simply referred to as a "request" or an "instruction."

Also, the process of judging by the CPU whether or not the information A indicates that the matter B is conceptually described as "judging whether or not the information A is the matter B". There is The process of determining whether information A indicates matter B or matter C by the CPU is referred to as "determining whether information A is matter B or matter C. It may be described conceptually as

When the printer 1 of this embodiment starts receiving data such as a print job via the communication IF 14, it sequentially analyzes the received data. A data analysis procedure will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. In the data analysis procedure, as shown in FIG. 2 , the first core 11 is provided with a received data analysis unit 111 , various processing units 112 , and an engine control unit 113 . A RIP unit 121 is provided in the second core 12 . Each unit provided in the first core 11 and the second core 12, such as the received data analysis unit 111, various processing units 112, the engine control unit 113, and the RIP unit 121, It is realized by executing the corresponding program. The communication IF 14 of the printer 1 sequentially stores the received data in an input buffer. The input buffer is a volatile memory that can store up to several kilobytes of data, for example.

The received data analysis unit 111 of the first core 11 acquires received data from the input buffer (S101), and determines whether the received data includes PJL data of a print job (S102). The PJL data is data including commands and print parameters used to control the printer 1 . Print data generated using a printer driver compatible with the printer 1 includes PJL data.

An example of a print job containing PJL data is shown in FIG. A print job 200 shown in FIG. 3 includes a header portion 201 , a body portion 202 and a footer portion 203 . The header portion 201 and footer portion 203 are PJL data, and the body portion 202 is PCLXL format image data. When "[ESC]%-12345X" is detected from the received data, it is determined that PJL data is included (S102: YES), and the received data analysis unit 111 stores the necessary information in the memory 40, and extracts the PJL data. Analyze the data.

As shown in FIG. 3, the PJL data in the header portion 201 includes, for example, identification information such as the job name of the print job and user name, setting information indicating print settings, and type information indicating the type of image data in the body portion 202. Contains various commands that specify . Various commands included in the PJL data are examples of printer control commands.

The received data analysis unit 111 determines whether or not the "ENTER LANGUAGE" command, which is one of the commands of the PJL data, is detected from the received data (S103). There are multiple types of image data that can be printed by the printer 1, such as PCLXL, PDF (Portable Document Format), PostScript, and JPEG. The information indicated by the "ENTER LANGUAGE" command indicates the type of image data. This is type information. The "ENTER LANGUAGE" command is an example of a type specific command. The "ENTER LANGUAGE" command is included, for example, in the last line of the header section 201 of the print job 200 shown in FIG. In other words, the data following the "ENTER LANGUAGE" command is the body part 202, which is image data.

If the received data analysis unit 111 determines that the "ENTER LANGUAGE" command is not detected from the received data (S103: NO), it further analyzes the received data. When receiving PJL data that does not include the "ENTER LANGUAGE" command, the received data analysis unit 111 determines that the received data is not a job instructing printing. PJL data that does not include the "ENTER LANGUAGE" command is a job that does not include image data, and is highly likely not a print job. Examples of PJL data that do not include the "ENTER LANGUAGE" command include, for example, an information acquisition request command for the printer 1 and a firmware update request command.

When receiving PJL data that does not include the "ENTER LANGUAGE" command, the received data analysis unit 111 passes a processing request to each processing unit 112 of the first core 11 according to the contents of the PJL data (S106). The processing unit 112 performs appropriate processing based on the processing request. For example, if the received command is an information acquisition request command for the printer 1, the processing unit 112 acquires the requested information from each component of the printer 1 and performs processing for returning the acquired information. . If the received command is a setting change command for the printer 1, the processing unit 112 changes and stores the setting information stored in the memory 40. FIG. By having the first core 11 process PJL data that is not a print job, the second core 12 can concentrate on high-load processing. Note that the received data analysis unit 111 continues analyzing until there is no more received data even after passing the processing request to the processing unit 112, and waits for data reception when all the received data has been analyzed.

On the other hand, when the reception data analysis unit 111 determines that the read reception data does not contain the PJL data (S102: NO), the reception data analysis unit 111 sends a document analysis request to the second core 12 together with a pointer indicating the start address of the reception data to be analyzed. (S111). If "[ESC]%-12345X" is not included at the beginning of the print job, the received data analysis unit 111 determines that the PJL data is not included. The analysis processing of received data that does not contain PJL data is processing by the second core 12, and the document analysis request is an example of the first request.

Note that the printer 1 may receive a print job consisting of only image data without PJL data. For example, some programs other than the printer driver corresponding to the printer 1 output print jobs that do not include PJL data. The printer 1 of this embodiment can execute printing based on image data regardless of whether image data itself is received or a print job that does not include PJL data is received. In the following, even if the image data itself is received, it will be described that the print job has been received.

When a document analysis request is input, the second core 12 reads the received data based on the pointer, and determines whether or not the received data contains information indicating image data that needs to be filed. (S115). The filing process is a process of filing the received data and storing it in a storage location different from the input buffer, for example, the RAM area of the memory 40 or the non-volatile memory area. Details of the image data that require execution of the filing process and details of the filing process will be described later.

If the reception data analysis unit 111 determines that the reception data includes PJL data and the "ENTER LANGUAGE" command is detected (S103: YES), it outputs a RIP request to the second core 12 (S112). ). A RIP request is information requesting RIP processing by the second core 12, and the RIP request is an example of a first request. Along with the RIP request, the received data analysis unit 111 receives the type of image data specified by the "ENTER LANGUAGE" command, the print parameter information obtained from the header section, and the start address of the body section, which is the next reading position of the input buffer. , to the second core 12 . By passing a pointer to the address of the received data stored in the input buffer, the printer 1 can share the received data between the first core 11 and the second core 12 .

Based on the RIP request from the first core 11, the RIP unit 121 of the second core 12 sequentially reads the received data from the address indicated by the pointer, and adds image data that needs to be filed to the received data. It is determined whether or not the information indicating is included (S116). The details of the image data that needs to be filed and the details of the process when YES is determined in S116 will be described later.

When the RIP unit 121 determines that the information indicating the image data that needs to be filed is not included (S116: NO), the RIP unit 121 performs the RIP process (S121) to generate raster data. For example, in the print job 200 shown in FIG. 3, the type of image data is PCLXL, and the head of the body portion 202 includes information indicating PCLXL image data. In the PCLXL print job 200, the PJL data in the header portion 201 includes all parameters used for RIP processing. , the RIP process can be sequentially executed from the beginning of the body portion 202. FIG. PCLXL image data is image data that does not need to be filed.

After starting the RIP process, the RIP unit 121 sequentially rasterizes the received data and outputs an output request to the engine control unit 113 of the first core 11 each time a predetermined amount of raster data is generated (S123). The RIP unit 121 passes information indicating the address of the rasterized image data to the first core 11 in the output request. The RIP unit 121 may write output command data and raster data to a predetermined buffer read by the engine control unit 113 . The RIP unit 121 waits for the next request from the first core 11 after rasterizing to the end of the RIP target image data.

Based on the output request received from the second core 12, the engine control unit 113 of the first core 11 receives enough raster data for the print engine 15 to start printing. (S124) to execute printing.

Next, a description will be given of the process when it is determined in S115 or S116 of FIG. 2 that execution of the filing process is necessary. In S115 or S116, the RIP unit 121 determines, for example, based on the type of image data, whether or not the image data needs to be filed. Image data that needs to be filed is, for example, PDF image data.

In PDF, incremental updating is possible by adding characters and images to an existing file and saving them, and additional data may be added after the end character indicating the end of the image data. For example, a print job 300 including PDF image data shown in FIG. The header portion 301 and footer portion 303 contain PJL data, and the body portion 302 contains image data 304 and additional data 305 .

Since the additional data 305 may include print parameters for printing the image data 304 , the printer 1 needs to analyze the additional data 305 before starting RIP processing of the image data 304 . However, the input buffer has a limited capacity, and it is not always possible to store the image data 304 in the input buffer until the analysis of the additional data 305 is completed. If information indicating PDF image data is included at the head of the body portion, the RIP unit 121 determines that execution of file conversion processing is necessary in S116 in order to avoid the input buffer becoming full.

In addition, the printer 1 may receive a print job of only the body part that contains PDF image data and does not contain PJL data. For example, a print job 310 shown in FIG. 5 has no header or footer, and is composed of image data 311 and additional data 312 . When the print job 310 is received, the received data analysis unit 111 of the first core 11 determines NO in S102 of FIG. 2 pass to core 12. The RIP unit 121 of the second core 12 analyzes the received data from the beginning of the image data 311, and if information indicating PDF image data is included, determines in S115 that execution of file processing is necessary.

A predetermined delimiter is added to the beginning of the image data for each type of image data. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the RIP unit 121 stores delimiter information that associates and stores delimiter information indicating the beginning and end of image data with information indicating the type of image data for various types of image data. 51. A delimiter indicating the head of image data is an example of head information. A delimiter indicating the end of image data is an example of end information. For example, the beginning of PDF image data includes "%PDF" as a delimiter. When the RIP unit 121 detects "% PDF" from the read received data, it determines that execution of the file conversion process is necessary. "%PDF" is an example of predetermined information. Note that the first core 11 may detect the delimiter indicating the head of the image data.

PDF is a type of image data that may contain additional data such as printing parameters after the terminating character, and is an example of a particular type. Note that the delimiter character indicating the beginning or end of the image data may be a character string containing a plurality of characters. It is simply described as "first letter". The details of the first character and the last character will be described later.

Next, with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 7, the procedure when the RIP unit 121 determines that execution of the file conversion process is necessary will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the first core 11 is provided with a document separator section 115 , a file system section 116 and a memory management section 117 . The second core 12 is provided with a RIP section 121 and a file reading section 122 .

The file system unit 116 of the first core 11 is configured to be able to read from and write to the memory 40 via the memory management unit 117 . Unlike the file system unit 116 of the first core 11, the file reading unit 122 of the second core 12 is configured to read files from the memory 40 and cannot write to the memory 40. do not

If the RIP section 121 determines that execution of the filing process is necessary, the RIP section 121 inputs a filing request and the start address of the image data to the first core 11 (S201). A filing request is an example of a second request. As a result, the first core 11 sequentially reads the received data from the input address and executes the file processing.

When outputting the filing request in S201, the RIP unit 121 passes the delimiter information 51 shown in FIG. The first core 11 uses the delimiter information 51 to execute the file conversion process. The first core 11 executes file conversion processing in cooperation with the document separator section 115 , the file system section 116 and the memory management section 117 .

Instead of passing the delimiter information 51 from the second core 12 to the first core 11 , the first core 11 may also have the delimiter information 51 . However, the structure of the image data and the type of delimiter may be changed. Version management is complicated because the version of the firmware required for the first core 11 and the second core 12 must be the same. In this embodiment, image data analysis is collected in the second core 12, so version management is easy. In particular, when there are multiple types of image data that need to be filed, the program executed by the second core 12 manages the delimiter information 51, thereby facilitating version management.

A procedure of filing processing executed by the document separator unit 115 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The filing process is a process of filing the image data included in the received print job and subsequent printing parameters into a file and storing the file in the memory 40 . In addition, below, the process of writing to memory or a file is described as "saving."

When the filing process is started, the document separator section 115 passes a file open instruction to the file system section 116 of the first core 11 (S301). Upon receiving the instruction, the file system unit 116 sets a storage area for the file in association with the file name based on the instruction in S301, and determines the head address of the file.

The document separator unit 115 acquires the received data from the input buffer (S302) and analyzes the acquired data. Based on the delimiter information 51 received from the RIP unit 121, the document separator unit 115 determines whether or not the acquired data includes the end character of the image data to be filed (S303). If the target of the file conversion process being executed is PDF, as shown in FIG. 6, the end character is "%%EOF". contains "%%EOF".

If it is determined that the terminating character is not included in the acquired data (S303: NO), the document separator unit 115 passes the received data acquired in S302 to the file system unit 116, and transfers the received data to the file opened in S301. An instruction to save is given (S304). Received data that does not contain the terminating character indicates that it is part of the image data and is still followed by image data. The file system unit 116 instructs the memory management unit 117 to secure memory and store the received data. After S304, the document separator unit 115 returns to S302 and obtains the next data from the input buffer.

If it is determined that the terminating character is included in the acquired data (S303: YES), the document separator 115 determines whether the terminating character is at the end of the acquired data, that is, whether the acquired data ends with the terminating character. (S310). If it is determined that it is at the end (S310: YES), the document separator section 115 waits for a predetermined time (S311) and again determines whether or not the termination character is at the end (S312). The predetermined time is, for example, several tens of milliseconds. If the printer 1 continues to receive data, there is a high possibility that the next data will be received via the communication IF 14 during this period.

If it is determined that the terminating character is at the end after waiting for the predetermined time (S312: YES), that is, if data after the terminating character is not received within the predetermined time, the document separator unit 115 receives data up to the terminating character. It is determined that the data inside has ended. Then, the document separator section 115 instructs the file system section 116 to save the data up to the last character (S313) and to close the file (S314), thereby terminating the filing process. As a result, for example, the data from the first character (“%PDF”) to the end character (“%%EOF”) of the PDF are saved as one file.

If it is determined that the terminating character is not the end of the data (S310: NO or S312: NO), document separator section 115 analyzes the data following the terminating character and attempts to detect the first character (S320). Specifically, document separator unit 115 determines whether or not there is a leading character based on delimiter information 51 . For example, in PDF, as in the print job 310 shown in FIG. 5, the end character "%%EOF" may be at the end of image data 311, and additional data 312 may follow. The end of the additional data 312 also includes the end character “%%EOF”, which is the same as that of the image data 311 . In other words, a single terminating character does not mean the end of a print job, and subsequent data must be parsed.

Further, for example, in PDF print jobs that do not include PJL data, a plurality of print jobs may be sent in succession as shown in FIG. For example, when print instructions based on a plurality of image data are received, there is a possibility that a plurality of print jobs that do not contain PJL data will be sent in succession. The specification of the USB communication protocol enables image data to be transmitted without gaps between image data. In data transmission from an external device connected to a network, image data is not transmitted continuously.

In the example of FIG. 5, following the additional data 312 of the print job 310, image data 321 and additional data 322 of another print job 320 are transmitted. When multiple print jobs containing no PJL data are sent in succession, the printer 1 receives the leading character of the subsequent print job after the trailing terminating character of the preceding print job. Document separator portion 115 determines that the terminating character is the end of the print job if there is another leading character after the terminating character.

A small number of characters, such as several linefeed codes, may be interposed between the end character at the end of a print job and the beginning character of the next print job. A predetermined amount of data of several bytes beyond the character is analyzed to determine whether there is another leading character.

In the case of a PDF print job including PJL data, like the print job 300 shown in FIG. 4, a body portion 302 including image data is followed by a footer portion 303 of PJL data. If there is "[ESC]%-12345X", which is data indicating PJL data, after the end character, the document separator unit 115 determines that the end character is the end of the data to be filed.

If it is determined that neither the leading character nor the PJL data is within several bytes (S320: NO), the document separator unit 115 determines that the trailing character is not the last character of the print job, and proceeds to S304. That is, the document separator unit 115 instructs the file system unit 116 to save the received data acquired in S302 in the open file, returns to S302, and further acquires the next data. If the document separator unit 115 detects another terminal character from the acquired data, it also determines YES in S303 and proceeds to S310.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the leading character or PJL data exists within several bytes (S320: YES), the document separator unit 115 saves the data up to immediately before the leading character or PJL data (S321), closes the file, and ( S322) is instructed to the file system unit . If the received data contains the leading character or PJL data, the data to be filed is up to the terminating character. Therefore, the document separator unit 115 first closes the open file.

Then, if the next data is the leading character, the document separator unit 115 determines whether the leading character is the leading character of image data such as PDF that needs to be filed (S323). Anything after the first character is another print job. If it is determined that the subsequent print job needs to be filed based on the delimiter information 51 (S323: YES), the document separator section 115 instructs the file system section 116 to open the next file (S324). ), the data after the first character is stored in the opened file (S325).

When receiving a plurality of consecutively transmitted print jobs, the document separator unit 115 saves each image data included in each print job in one file. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the document separator unit 115 converts the image data 311 and the additional data 312 of the print job 310 into a single file, closes the file, and then opens another file to create a subsequent file. save the data of After S325, the document separator unit 115 returns to S302 to obtain the next data. Then, the image data 321 and the additional data 322 of the subsequent print job 320 are filed as one file.

Even if the received data contains a leading character, if it is determined that the leading character is not the leading character of the PDF (S323: NO), or if the data following the terminating character is determined to be PJL data If so, the document separator unit 115 terminates the filing process. Since there is no need to create a file for data other than PDF print jobs, the document separator unit 115 terminates the file creation process and returns to the process of FIG.

When a leading character other than PDF is included, the document separator unit 115 passes a pointer indicating the position of the leading character and a document analysis request to the RIP unit 121 of the second core 12, and the RIP unit 121 transfers the leading character to the RIP unit 121. Document analysis processing is performed on subsequent data. Also, if PJL data is included, the document separator unit 115 passes a subsequent data processing request to the received data analysis unit 111 (see FIG. 2) of the first core 11 .

Returning to the description of FIG. After completing the filing process, the document separator unit 115 notifies the RIP unit 121 of the second core 12 of the completion of filing (S211). Document separator unit 115 outputs file management information of each created file to second core 12 as a return value in response to a filing request input from second core 12 . The file management information is information such as a pointer indicating the start address of the file storage area, a file name, etc., and is an example of file information.

It should be noted that even before the filing of all data ends, for example, when the file is closed in S322, the document separator unit 115 may output the file management information of the closed file to the second core 12. good. The RIP unit 121 of the second core 12 may start processing the file based on the file management information input from the first core 11 .

The RIP unit 121 passes the file management information input from the first core 11 to the file reading unit 122 of the second core 12 (S213), and causes it to perform preparation processing for reading the file. By providing the file reading unit 122 in the second core 12, the RIP unit 121 can easily access files. The file reading unit 122 of the second core 12 has a simpler configuration than the file system unit 116 of the first core 11, so compared to the case where both file systems are provided, the enlargement of the program size for printing is suppressed. be able to.

After the file reading unit 122 completes preparation for reading, the RIP unit 121 reads the image data from the file via the file reading unit 122 (S214), and executes RIP processing (S215). The RIP unit 121 first analyzes the entire image data read from the file, extracts print parameters, and performs RIP processing according to the extracted print parameters. When parameters based on PJL data are received from the first core 11, the RIP unit 121 uses both the parameters received from the first core 11 and the parameters extracted from the file as parameters.

Filed image data may contain parameters after the image data, so appropriate RIP processing can be executed by extracting parameters from the entire file and performing RIP processing according to the extracted parameters. . If there are conflicting parameters between the parameters received from the first core 11 and the parameters extracted from the file, the printer 1 prioritizes one of the parameters according to a pre-programmed method. Note that the printer 1 may accept selection of a parameter with priority.

Then, the RIP unit 121 outputs an output request to the first core 11 each time a predetermined amount of raster data is generated (S216). S216 is the same process as S123 in FIG. Based on the output request, the engine control unit 113 of the first core 11 controls the print engine 15 to execute printing.

The RIP unit 121 repeats file reading and RIP processing until the processing of the entire file received from the document separator unit 115 is completed. This completes the RIP process for one print job. Even when a plurality of print jobs are received in succession, the RIP unit 121 can perform appropriate processing for each print job because each print job is a single file. As a result, the printer 1 can form an appropriate printed matter for each print job.

As described in detail above, when the printer 1 of the present embodiment detects the first character of PDF image data, it files the image data. Since PDF image data can contain a plurality of terminating characters, the printer 1 detects a terminating character after detecting another leading character, or detects that terminating character. is the last terminating character in the received data, end filing. As a result, even when receiving data of a type in which a plurality of terminal characters can be included in one piece of image data, each piece of image data is appropriately cut out and filed. Data can be processed appropriately.

Furthermore, even if the printer 1 of this embodiment detects the terminating character again after detecting the terminating character, the printer 1 detects another leading character after that, or detects the last character including the terminating character in the received data. Since the file creation is continued until the end character of , individual image data can be cut out appropriately. Further, when the printer 1 detects another leading character and that leading character is the leading character of the PDF, the printer 1 starts filing the subsequent image data, so that the subsequent image data is also appropriately filed. be able to. On the other hand, when the first character other than the PDF is detected, the printer 1 terminates filing and generates raster data, thereby shortening the processing time.

Further, the printer 1 of the present embodiment detects PJL data, and when the information indicating the type of image data included in the PJL data indicates PDF, the printer 1 starts file conversion, while specifying the type of image data included in the PJL data. If the indicated information does not indicate PDF, the raster data is quickly generated, so that the processing time can be shortened.

Further, the printer 1 of the present embodiment includes a first core 11 and a second core 12. The first core 11 performs filing processing, and the second core 12 performs RIP processing. This makes it possible to cause the second core 12 to perform the RIP process, which has a high processing load, among the processes up to printing, and to perform processes other than the RIP process in parallel with the RIP process. The processing time up to printing can be expected to be shortened compared to the case of execution. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second core 12 has the delimiter information 51, which is passed to the first core 11 when file processing is performed, so an appropriate terminal character can be used according to the type of image data.

It should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the technology disclosed in this specification can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the printer 1 is not limited to a printer having a single printing function, and can be applied to any printer having a printing function such as a multifunction machine, a copier, a FAX machine, and the like. Image data to be printed by the printer 1 is not limited to a print job transmitted from a PC or the like, and may be image data obtained from a scanner, a cloud server, a USB memory, or the like.

For example, if the printer 1 has a USB memory insertion slot as the communication IF 14, it can accept a print instruction based on the image data stored in the inserted USB memory. For example, when a USB memory storing print jobs is attached, the printer 1 may acquire data such as print jobs from the attached USB memory. When acquiring data from the USB memory, the printer 1 may write the data acquired from the USB memory into the input buffer and perform the processing from S101 onwards for the data in the input buffer. Alternatively, the printer 1 may perform the processes after S101 while acquiring data from the USB memory without writing to the input buffer. When data is acquired without going through the input buffer, each process in the embodiment is a process in which the "input buffer" is replaced with the "USB memory". Also, for example, image data may be stored as a file in the USB memory. RIP processing may be performed as a target.

Further, for example, when image data is obtained by downloading from a cloud server or the like, the printer 1 stores the entire downloaded image data in a storage location different from the input buffer, and then stores the data obtained from the USB memory. It may be processed in the same way as the case. For example, the printer 1 may once file the entire downloaded image data and perform RIP processing on the file.

Further, in the present embodiment, the printer 1 is provided with the first controller 10 of the multi-core CPU, but it may be a single-core CPU. Also, in this embodiment, printing is performed each time one page of raster data is generated, but printing may be performed every two or more pages.

Further, in this embodiment, the printer 1 executes the filing process when the type of image data is PDF, but the filing process may also be executed for image data other than PDF. In this case, the second core 12 also inputs a filing request to the first core 11 when the first character is detected for other types of image data to be filed. The first core 11 receives from the second core 12 the end character information of the type of image data together with the filing request, and files the received data until the end character is detected. It should be noted that, in the case of filing image data of a type that is unlikely to include a plurality of terminal characters, the first core 11 may end filing when detecting the terminal character. Specifically, when the first core 11 determines YES in S303 of the filing process, the process proceeds to S313.

Further, in the present embodiment, the second core 12 has the file reading unit 122 that does not write files, but the second core 12 also has a file system capable of writing and reading, like the first core 11. may be provided. Also, in the present embodiment, the second core 12 has the delimiter information 51 and passes it to the first core 11 together with the filing request, but the first core 11 may also have the delimiter information 51 .

Further, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, multiple processes in any multiple steps can be arbitrarily changed in execution order or executed in parallel as long as there is no contradiction in the processing contents.

Also, the processing disclosed in the embodiments may be performed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be realized in various forms such as a recording medium recording a program for executing the processes, a method, and the like.

1 Printer 10 First Controller 11 First Core 12 Second Core 14 Communication IF
15 print engine 40 memory

Claims (11)

a printing unit;
memory;
a communication interface;
A printing device comprising:
The printing device
Received data received via the communication interface is analyzed sequentially from the beginning to obtain image data, and the print unit is caused to print based on the obtained image data, and the image data is to be printed by the print unit. The type of image data is predetermined, there are a plurality of types of printable image data, and the plurality of types can include a plurality of end information indicating the end of image data in one image data. includes certain types of
Further, the printing device
After starting the analysis of the received data, when head information indicating the head of the image data of the specific type of image data is detected from the received data, creating a file based on the detected head information. start and
Further, the printing device
When the end information is detected from the received data after starting filing, and after detecting the end information, another head information is detected from the received data, or the other head information is not detected , if the detected termination information is identified as the last termination information included in the received data, ending filing and storing the generated file in the memory;
Further, the printing device
reading the file stored in the memory, performing RIP processing based on the received data indicated by the read file to generate raster data, and printing on the printing unit based on the generated raster data to do
A printing device characterized by: The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The printing device
Even if the end information is detected from the received data after starting filing, and further the other end information is detected from the received data after the end information is detected, the other end information is detected from the received data. File formation is continued even after detection, and when the different top information is detected from the received data, or when another top information is not detected and the detected end information is included in the received data If it is identified as information, end filing and save the generated file in the memory;
A printing device characterized by: The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
Further, the printing device
After starting filing, when the end information is detected from the received data, and after detecting the end information, when another head information is detected from the received data, the filing is terminated and the generated and storing the file in the memory, and if the detected another head information is the head information of the specific type of image data, the next file is made into a file based on the detected another head information. Start,
A printing device characterized by: In the printing device according to claim 3,
The printing device
After starting filing, when the end information is detected from the received data, and after detecting the end information, when another head information is detected from the received data, the filing is terminated and the generated and storing the file in the memory, and if the detected another head information is the head information of the specific type of image data, the next file is made into a file based on the detected another head information. On the other hand, if the detected another head information is not the head information about the specific type of image data, it does not start filing the next file based on the detected another head information,
Further, the printing device
reading the file stored in the memory, performing the RIP process based on the data indicated by the read file to generate raster data, and instructing the printing unit to print based on the generated raster data; If data not filed remains in the received data, the RIP processing is performed based on the remaining data to generate raster data, and based on the generated raster data, causing the printing unit to print;
A printing device characterized by: In the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
head information and end information are associated with each type of the image data and stored;
The printing device
When head information about the specific type of image data is detected from the received data, file formation is started based on the detected head information, and the type of image data is specified based on the detected head information. , extracting the termination information corresponding to the identified image data type;
Further, the printing device
After starting file formation, the extracted end information is detected from the received data, and after detecting the end information, another head information is detected from the received data, or another head information is detected. if no detection is made and the detected termination information is specified as the last termination information included in the received data, the file creation is terminated and the generated file is saved in the memory;
A printing device characterized by: In the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The printing device
If the end information is detected from the received data after starting filing, the detection of the start information is attempted from the time the end information is detected until a predetermined amount of data is read.
A printing device characterized by: In the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The specific type of image data that can include multiple terminal information in one image data is PDF (Portable Document Format) image data,
A printing device characterized by: The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The printing device
analyzing the received data, detecting a printer control command, which is a command used for controlling the printing device, from the received data; and specifying a type indicating a type of image data in the detected printer control command. the received data when a command is included and the type specifying command included in the detected printer control command indicates the specified type, or when the received data does not include the printer control command; When the head information of the specific type of image data is detected from the received data, the head information of the specific type of image data is detected from the received data. and
detecting the end information from the received data after starting filing, and detecting another head information from the received data after detecting the end information, or not detecting another head information, if the detected termination information is identified as the last termination information included in the received data, ending filing and storing the generated file in the memory;
reading the file stored in the memory, performing the RIP process based on the received data indicated by the read file to generate raster data, and sending the generated raster data to the printing unit; to print,
A printing device characterized by: The printing device according to claim 8,
The printing device
The received data is analyzed, the printer control command, which is a command used for controlling the printing device, is detected from the received data, and the type of image data is indicated in the detected printer control command. When a type specifying command is included and the type specifying command included in the detected printer control command indicates the specific type, or when the received data does not include the printer control command, When trying to detect head information of the specific type of image data from the received data, and detecting the head information of the specific type of image data from the received data, based on the detected head information Start filing
detecting the end information from the received data after starting filing, and detecting another head information from the received data after detecting the end information, or not detecting another head information, if the detected termination information is identified as the last termination information included in the received data, ending filing and storing the generated file in the memory;
reading the file stored in the memory, extracting parameters used for the RIP processing from the entire read file, and performing the RIP processing based on the received data indicated by the file according to the extracted parameters to generate raster data, and cause the printing unit to print based on the generated raster data;
A printing device characterized by: In the printing device according to claim 8 or 9,
The printing device
The received data is analyzed, the printer control command, which is a command used for controlling the printing device, is detected from the received data, and the type of image data is indicated in the detected printer control command. When a type specifying command is included and the type specifying command included in the detected printer control command does not indicate the specific type, the received data is not filed, and the RIP is performed based on the received data. processing to generate raster data, and causing the printing unit to print based on the generated raster data;
A printing device characterized by: In the printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The printing device comprises a controller comprising a first core that is a processor core and a second core that is a processor core different from the first core,
The first core is
analyzing the received data received via the communication interface, and outputting a first request to the second core when it is determined that image data may be included;
The second core is
analyzing the received data in response to the first request from the first core, and sending the second request to the first core when the head information of the specific type of image data is detected from the received data; output to
The first core is
starting to file the received data in response to the second request from the second core;
Furthermore, the first core is
detecting the end information from the received data after starting filing, and detecting another head information from the received data after detecting the end information, or not detecting another head information, When the detected termination information is specified as the last termination information included in the received data, the file creation is terminated, the generated file is saved in the memory, and the saved file is saved. outputting the indicated file information to the second core;
The second core is
When the second request is output to the first core, in response to the file information being input from the first core, the file is transmitted using the file information input from the first core. reading from memory and performing the RIP processing based on the received data indicated by the file to generate raster data;
if the second request is not output to the first core, performing the RIP process based on the received data to generate raster data;
The first core is
causing the printing unit to print based on the raster data generated by the second core;
A printing device characterized by:

Images