JP2854987B2 - Print control method for non-impact printer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print control method for a non-impact printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a non-impact printer, when a CPU receives a video signal, it transmits the video signal to a print head as a print signal, and the print head is driven by a print drive signal to perform printing. I have. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a printer unit in a conventional non-impact printer.

In FIG. 1, a CPU 1 comprises a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, an input / output port, a timer, etc., receives a control signal 22 and a video signal 23 from a control unit 21, and performs sequence control of the entire printer unit. To perform the printing operation. Upon receiving the print instruction via the control signal 22, the CPU 1 first determines whether or not the fixing device 12a including the heater 12 is in a usable temperature range.
If the temperature is detected by the thermistor 11 via the / O port 2 and the temperature is not within the above-mentioned temperature range, the heater 12 is turned on to raise the temperature to a usable temperature. Next, the motor 4 for the development / transfer process
Is rotated via the driver 3, the charging high-voltage power supply 13 is turned on, and the rollers in the developing device 14 are charged. Then, the type of the set sheet is detected by the sheet remaining amount sensor 9 and the sheet size sensor 10, and the sheet feeding corresponding to the sheet is started.

Here, the paper transport motor 6 is a driver 5
, And is rotated in the opposite direction at first, rotates in the reverse direction at first, and performs the feeding operation of the set sheet by a preset amount. Subsequently, when the paper inlet sensor 7 detects the paper, it rotates forward to convey the paper and pass it through the printing mechanism inside the printer. When the sheet reaches the printable point, the CPU 1 sends a timing signal 25 to the control unit 21.
(Including a line timing signal and a raster timing signal) and a video signal 23 is received. The received video signal 23 becomes a print signal 16 in the CPU 1 and is transmitted to the print head 18. When the CPU 1 receives the video signal 23 for the line and transmits it to the print head 18, the CPU 1 subsequently sends a data latch signal 17 to the print head 18 to hold the print signal 16. The held print signal 16 is printed by the print drive signal 30. The transmission and reception of the video signal 23 is performed for each print line.

The information printed by the print head 18 is formed into a latent image as dots having an increased potential on a photosensitive drum charged to a negative potential, and each dot is electrically charged with an image forming toner charged to a negative potential. The toner image is formed by being sucked by an appropriate suction force. In the transfer section, the high voltage power supply 13 causes the transfer device 15 to have a positive potential, and the toner image is transferred onto a sheet passing through the gap between the photosensitive drum and the transfer device 15.

The paper having the transferred toner image is conveyed while being in contact with a fixing device 12a having a heater 12 built therein.
The sheet is fixed on the sheet by the heat of the fixing unit 12a. The sheet having the fixed image is further conveyed, passes through the printing mechanism of the printer and the sheet outlet sensor 8, and is discharged to the outside of the printer. FIG. 3 is a time chart of a conventional print control method for a non-impact printer.

In FIG. 1, FSYNC-N is a raster timing signal, which indicates the number of lines that can be transferred in one page and the image writing start position in the paper running direction. L
SYNC-N is a line timing signal, LGATE-N
Is a line gate signal, which indicates the amount of image information that can be transferred to one line. WDATA-N is a video signal, which is an image information signal sent from the control unit 21 to the CPU 1,
CLK-N is an image information transfer clock, HDATA is an image information signal transferred to the print head 18, and HDCLK-
N is a clock for transferring the HDATA signal, and HDLD is a signal for holding the image information transferred to the print head 18 in the print head 18.

When the FSYNC-N signal becomes "L", transfer of the image information signal of one page of the sheet is started.
The line is switched by taking the timing by the LSYNC-N signal.
The image information signal of the number of dots set by the EN signal is WC.
The data is transferred in synchronization with the LK-N signal. The number of dots set here is the same as the number of LEDs of the LED head.
The transferred data is further transferred to the print head 18 as an HDATA signal in synchronization with the HDCLK-N signal. When the transfer is completed, the print head 18
The HDATA signal inside is held. The held data is formed as an image by the print drive signal 30.
This operation is repeated for each line.

[0009]

However, in the non-impact printer having the above-mentioned structure, the print head 18 is not provided.
When the LED head is used as the LED head, since the LED head is fixed inside the apparatus, the printing position may be LE due to a difference in the assembly state of the apparatus, a difference in accuracy of each component constituting the apparatus, and the like.
The LEDs in the D head vary in the arrangement direction, that is, in the row direction. Therefore, it is conceivable that the mounting position of the LED head can be changed in the row direction. However, it is necessary to perform adjustment during the assembling, and the assembling work is cumbersome, and it is difficult to make a small movement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a print control method for a non-impact printer which can solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional non-impact printer and can correct a printing position error for each device.

[0011]

For this purpose, in the print control method for a non-impact printer according to the present invention, data transmitted from a host device is edited into actual print data, and the actual print data is sequentially transmitted to a print head. Transmitting a correction value for correcting the horizontal shift amount of the print head,
Converting the timing at which the transfer of the actual print data to the print head is started into a timing correction value for changing the timing, and changing the timing of starting the transfer of the actual print data to the print head based on the timing correction value . Then, the received data is discarded and blank data is sent to the print head in accordance with the timing correction value.

[0012]

According to the present invention, in the print control method of the non-impact printer as described above, the data transmitted from the host device is edited into actual print data, and the actual print data is sequentially transmitted to the print head. Converting a correction value for correcting the amount of displacement of the print head in the horizontal direction into a timing correction value for changing a timing at which transfer of the actual print data to the print head is started, The timing for starting the transfer to the print head is changed based on the timing correction value. Then, in accordance with the timing correction value, the received data is discarded,
And sending blank data to the print head.

In this case, the data transmitted from the host device is edited to become actual print data, and the actual print data is sequentially transmitted to the print head. Then, a correction value for correcting the amount of displacement of the print head in the horizontal direction is converted to a timing correction value for changing the timing at which the transfer of the actual print data to the print head is started, and the actual print data is changed. The timing for starting the transfer to the print head is changed based on the timing correction value. Accordingly, in accordance with the timing correction value, the sent data is discarded and the blank data is sent to the print head.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram for implementing a print control method for a non-impact printer according to the present invention. In the figure, CPU 1 is a microprocessor, R
It is configured by an OM, a RAM, an input / output port, a timer, etc., receives a control signal 22 and a video signal 23 from the control unit 21, performs sequence control of the entire printer unit, and performs a printing operation. The CPU 1 that has received the print instruction via the control signal 22 first detects with the thermistor 11 via the I / O port 2 whether or not the fixing device 12a including the heater 12 is in a usable temperature range. If the temperature is not within the above temperature range, the heater 12 is turned on to increase the temperature to a usable temperature. Next, the developing / transfer process motor 4 is rotated via the driver 3, the charging high voltage power supply 13 is turned on, and the rollers in the developing device 14 are charged. And
The type of paper that has been set is detected by the paper remaining amount sensor 9 and the paper size sensor 10, and paper feeding that matches the paper is started.

Here, the paper transport motor 6 is a driver 5
, And is rotated in the opposite direction at first, rotates in the reverse direction at first, and performs the feeding operation of the set sheet by a preset amount. Subsequently, when the paper inlet sensor 7 detects the paper, it rotates forward to convey the paper and pass it through the printing mechanism inside the printer. When the paper reaches the printable point, the CPU 1 transmits a timing signal 25 (including a line timing signal and a raster timing signal) to the control unit 21 and receives a video signal 23 as data. The received video signal 23 is edited by the CPU 1 and becomes a print signal 16 as actual print data, which is transmitted to the print head 18. When the CPU 1 receives the video signal 23 for the line and transmits it to the print head 18,
Subsequently, a data latch signal 17 is sent to the print head 18 to hold the print signal 16. The held print signal 16 is printed by the print drive signal 30. The transmission and reception of the video signal 23 is performed for each print line.

The information printed by the print head 18 is converted into a latent image as dots having an increased potential on a photosensitive drum charged to a negative potential, and each dot is electrically charged with a toner for forming an image charged to a negative potential. The toner image is formed by being sucked by an appropriate suction force. In the transfer section, the transfer device 15 is set at a positive potential by the high-voltage power supply 13, and the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum to the transfer device
Is transferred onto the paper passing through the gap.

The sheet having the transferred toner image is conveyed while being in contact with a fixing device 12a having a heater 12 therein.
The sheet is fixed on the sheet by the heat of the fixing unit 12a. The sheet having the fixed image is further conveyed, passes through the printing mechanism of the printer and the sheet outlet sensor 8, and is discharged outside the printer. By the way, by a signal transmitted from a host computer as a higher-level device, or by operating unit 27
Is operated, the printing position can be moved by the operation section signal 29 sent from the operation section CPU 28. The movement amount at this time is set, for example, by the length.

When the control unit 21 receives a request to move the printing position, it communicates the request to the CPU 1 by a control signal 22. The CPU 1 checks the set correction value, that is, the number of the movement amount in the table, and converts it into the number of dots. Additionally, EEPR is used to store this information.
The EEPROM control signal 26 is sent to the OM 19,
A specific address in the ROM 19 is "number of the table"
And the counter 20 is set with the value of the number of dots corresponding to the movement amount, that is, the timing correction value.

The CPU 1 always reads the address of the EEPROM 19 in which the above data is written when the power is turned on and when the reset is released, and sets the movement amount in the counter 20. FIG. 4 is a time chart when the print position is moved to the left by the print control method of the non-impact printer of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a time chart when the print position is moved to the right by the print control method of the non-impact printer of the present invention. It is a chart.

In the figure, FSYNC-N is a raster timing signal, which indicates the number of lines that can be transferred within one page and the image writing start position in the paper running direction. L
SYNC-N is a line timing signal, LGATE-N
Is a line gate signal, which indicates the amount of image information that can be transferred to one line. WDATA-N is an image information signal sent from the control unit 21 to the CPU 1, WCLK-N is an image information transfer clock, HDATA is an image information signal transferred to the print head 18, and HDCLK-N is an HDATA signal transfer clock. , HDLD are signals for holding the image information transferred to the print head 18 in the print head 18.

The counter 20 counts the WCLK-N signal by the set movement amount, and controls the WDATA-N signal transmitted from the
HDCLK-N transmitted from U1 to the print head 18,
The timing at which the transfer of each signal of HDATA and HDLD, that is, the actual print signal 16 to the print head 18 is started is relatively shifted based on the timing correction value.
Further, the CPU 1 discards data sent from the control unit 21 or sends blank data to the print head 18. As a result, the output print moves leftward or rightward on the paper.

[0022]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in a print control method for a non-impact printer, data transmitted from a higher-level device is edited into actual print data, and the actual print data is processed. Send to the print head sequentially,
A correction value for correcting the amount of displacement of the print head in the horizontal direction is converted into a timing correction value for changing a timing at which transfer of the actual print data to the print head is started, and printing of the actual print data is performed. The timing for starting the transfer to the head is changed based on the timing correction value. Then, the received data is discarded and blank data is sent to the print head in accordance with the timing correction value.

In this case, the correction value for correcting the horizontal shift amount of the print head is converted into a timing correction value for changing the timing at which the transfer of the actual print data to the print head is started. The timing to start transferring the actual print data to the print head is changed based on the timing correction value. Then, the received data is discarded and blank data is sent to the print head in accordance with the timing correction value. Therefore, since the printing position can be moved on the output paper, an error in the printing position for each device of the non-impact printer can be corrected. As a result, it is not necessary to adjust the manufacturing error in the assembly work of the non-impact printer, and the working cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for implementing a print control method for a non-impact printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a printer unit in a conventional non-impact printer.

FIG. 3 is a time chart of a conventional print control method for a non-impact printer.

FIG. 4 is a time chart when the print position is moved to the left by the print control method of the non-impact printer of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a time chart when the print position is moved to the right by the print control method of the non-impact printer of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 CPU 2 I / O port 18 Print head 20 Counter 21 Control part

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-62-290568 (JP, A) JP-A-1-1722861 (JP, A) JP-A-1-281961 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 29/38 B41J 2/51

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] (A) editing data transmitted from a higher-level device into actual print data; (b) sequentially transmitting the actual print data to a print head; and (c) shifting the print head in the horizontal direction. The correction value for correcting the amount is converted into a timing correction value for changing the timing at which the transfer of the actual print data to the print head is started. (D) The transfer of the actual print data to the print head is performed. The start timing is changed based on the timing correction value, and (e) the timing is transmitted in accordance with the timing correction value.
Discard data and send blank data to print head
Print control method non-impact printer and performing.