JP3804463B2 - Multihead feed control method and feed control apparatus for printer - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printer including a multi-head including a plurality of recording heads, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for controlling the multi-head to be fed to a print target having a plurality of drawing areas.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a printer, a method for feeding and controlling a multi-head in which a plurality of recording heads are combined into a print target having a plurality of drawing areas is performed as follows.
[0003]
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining such a conventional multi-head feed control method. In FIG. 6, the multi-head 1 includes a plurality of recording heads A, B, C, and D. In the longitudinal direction along L which is the length direction, they are arranged at equal pitches shown in a, that is, at equal intervals. Further, in the multi-head 1, each recording head A, B, C, D has a width of the multi-head 1 because it requires a built-in space such as a substrate for applying a driving current and a signal to each head. The positions are alternately shifted in the direction of W which is the direction.
[0004]
Further, in FIG. 6, a print target is indicated by a symbol P, and the print target has a drawing area where printing is performed. In this case, the printing target is, for example, paper prepared for printing. When printing is performed on printing paper, if the printing content covers a plurality of paper surfaces, printing is usually performed in a plurality of drawing areas in the continuous printing mode. Is done. That is, in this case, the first sheet is the first drawing area, and the second sheet that is continuously printed is the second drawing area.
[0005]
In the figure, P1 indicates the length of the first sheet, and indicates the length of the first drawing area. P2 indicates the length of the second sheet and indicates the length of the second drawing area.
[0006]
In such a configuration, when the multihead 1 performs printing on the first sheet, that is, the first drawing area, the multihead 1 moves in the E direction orthogonal to the length direction P1 of the first drawing area. Then, printing is performed while being sent in the direction of E1. In this case, all the recording heads A, B, C, and D included in the multi-head 1 are driven, and the first printing A1, B1, C1, and D1 are performed for each row (one line) according to the position of each recording head. Are printed or printed at the same time.
[0007]
Next, after the printing of A1, B1, C1, and D1 is completed, the multi-head 1 is relatively moved by one line in the direction of the arrow F, and then sent in the direction of E2, The recording heads A, B, C, and D are driven, and the next prints A2, B2, C2, and D2 are printed as shown on the right side of FIG. 6 from the stage of the first prints A1, B1, C1, and D1. Is done.
[0008]
In this way, the multi-head 1 is reciprocated in the E direction while being fed by the number n of rows set within the range of the pitch a between the recording heads A, B, C, and D. As a result, all the lines to be printed in the first drawing area are printed.
[0009]
Next, prior to starting the printing of the second drawing area, that is, for example, the paper for the second page, the multi-head 1 exceeds the first drawing area and is at least the length of the multi-head 1. A distance of L or more is relatively sent along the feed direction F.
[0010]
The printing of the second drawing area is performed by reciprocating in the E direction while feeding the multi-head 1 in the same manner as the printing of the first drawing area.
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, when the movement control of the multi-head 1 is performed in this way, the multi-head 1 is shown in FIG. 6 as the length of the multi-head 1 every time the drawing area changes, that is, every time the printing paper changes to the next page. It is always moved relative to the full scale by a distance obtained by adding X to the length L (including the case where the multi-head 1 is moved, the paper to be printed is moved, for example, or both are moved). .)
[0012]
Therefore, for example, even if there are only three remaining lines to be printed in the second drawing area, as shown in FIG. 6, the multihead 1 is always moved relative to each other at full scale, so that the first line The printing is always controlled by the recording head A at the tip of the recording head.
[0013]
For this reason, each time the drawing area changes, the multi-head 1 requires a movement time corresponding to the relative movement of the full scale, and there is a problem that it is not quick.
[0014]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a multihead feed control method and a feed control apparatus for a printer that can solve the above-described problems and can be driven quickly without wasteful movement of the multihead.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the feed direction is perpendicular to the direction in which the print line extends. Equal pitch a A multi-head feed control method including a plurality of recording heads arranged at intervals, wherein the plurality of print heads are arranged in a first drawing area which is a first sheet of a plurality of print targets to be printed continuously. To print all the lines to be printed in the first drawing area. And, for the last line of the first drawing area, the second drawing area which is the second sheet following the first sheet, along the feed direction, among the plurality of recording heads of the multi-head. Printing with the recording head at the end close to the When the multihead is moved to the second drawing area, the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area is the number of lines that needs to drive all the recording heads of the multihead. When it is necessary to drive all the recording heads of the multi-head, the feed direction perpendicular to the direction in which the multi-head print line extends is determined. Assuming that the number of recording heads of the multi-head is N, (N−1) × a as a dimension obtained by multiplying the total number N of recording heads by the pitch dimension a which is an interval between these heads, Relative movement is made by a full-scale distance corresponding to a distance obtained by adding a dimension X corresponding to the distance from the last printed line of the first sheet to the first printed line of the second sheet as the next printing area. If the number of all lines to be printed in the second drawing area does not require driving of all the recording heads of the multi-head, the required number of heads Where n is Movement amount corresponding to The movement amount obtained by adding the dimension X to (n−1) × a, which is a dimension obtained by multiplying the number n of heads to be moved by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between the heads. A multi-head feed control method for a printer in which the multi-head is relatively moved in the feed direction only. Is achieved.
[0016]
According to the configuration of the first aspect, when printing the first drawing area, that is, the first page when printing on the printing paper, the multi-head is at the initial position of printing, and the plurality of recording heads Is driven to print all lines to be printed in the first drawing area.
[0017]
A feature of the present invention resides in the multi-head feed control when the drawing area is switched. That is, when printing of the first drawing area is finished and printing of the second drawing area is started, the position of the multi-head with respect to the print target, for example, the paper, is arranged at a position where there is no waste in operation. .
[0018]
When the printing of the second drawing area, that is, for example, the paper for the second and subsequent pages is started, the number of all lines to be printed in the second drawing area is acquired, and the number of print lines is determined by the multihead. It is determined whether or not it is necessary to drive all the recording heads. If it is necessary to drive all the recording heads, the multi-head is relatively moved at full scale, and printing is performed in the same manner as in the first drawing area. When the number of all lines to be printed in the second drawing area does not need to drive all the recording heads, the multi-head is relatively moved in the feed direction by a movement amount corresponding to the required number of heads. Let As a result, the relative movement of the multi-head is always performed by the necessary amount of movement, so that unnecessary movement is eliminated, the movement time can be saved correspondingly, and quick printing is performed.
[0019]
According to the invention of claim 2, the above object is achieved in the feed direction perpendicular to the direction in which the print line extends. Equal pitch a A multi-head feed control device having a plurality of recording heads arranged at intervals, at least a head driving unit that issues a drive command to each of the plurality of recording heads of the multi-head, and drawing of a drawing target At the time of switching the area, a movement command unit for instructing the relative movement of the multi-head to the relative position at the start of printing between the multi-head and the drawing object, and all lines to be printed in the drawing area A printing line data receiving unit that receives numerical data; and storage means that stores at least the necessary driving data of the plurality of recording heads corresponding to the number of printing lines, and is further input to the printing line data receiving unit. Print line data and the necessary drive data stored in the storage means for a plurality of print targets to be printed continuously. At the time of switching pages of the picture area, In printing the last line of the first drawing area before the page switching, among the plurality of recording heads of the multi-head, close to the second drawing area following the first drawing area along the feed direction In the configuration in which printing is performed with the recording head at the end on the finished side, Pages to print For the second drawing area which is Analyzing whether or not the number of lines to be printed needs to drive at least all of the recording heads of the multi-head, When it is necessary to drive all the recording heads of the multi-head, when the number of the recording heads the multi-head has in the feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print line extends is N, The next print area from the last print line of the first sheet to (N-1) × a as a dimension obtained by multiplying the total number N of recording heads by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between these heads. A full-scale distance corresponding to a distance obtained by adding a dimension X corresponding to the distance to the first print line of the second sheet is calculated, and the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area is the number of lines. If it is not necessary to drive all the recording heads of the multi-head, this is the case when the required number of heads is n as the movement amount corresponding to the required number of heads. Movement amount corresponding to The movement amount obtained by adding the dimension X to (n−1) × a, which is a dimension obtained by multiplying the number n of heads to be moved by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between the heads. This is achieved by a multi-head feed control device for a printer that includes a print line data analysis unit that calculates.
[0020]
According to the configuration of the second aspect, by using such a device, it is possible to obtain a device configuration that obtains the same action as that of the first aspect.
[0021]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-head feed for a printer comprising a plurality of recording heads arranged at an equal pitch a in the feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print line extends. A recording medium storing a control program, wherein the plurality of heads are driven to a first drawing area which is a first sheet to be printed on a plurality of sheets to be printed, and the first drawing area Print all lines to be printed And, for the last line of the first drawing area, the second drawing area which is the second sheet following the first sheet, along the feed direction, among the plurality of recording heads of the multi-head. Printing with the recording head at the end close to the And when the multi-head is moved to the second drawing area, the number of lines of all lines to be printed in the second drawing area drives all the recording heads of the multi-head. The step of determining whether or not the number of lines is necessary, and when it is necessary to drive all the recording heads of the multi-head, the multi-head in the feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print lines extend, Assuming that the number of recording heads of the multi-head is N, (N−1) × a as a dimension obtained by multiplying the total number N of recording heads by the pitch dimension a which is an interval between these heads, Relative movement is made by a full-scale distance corresponding to a distance obtained by adding a dimension X corresponding to the distance from the first printed line of the first sheet to the first printed line of the second sheet as the next printing area. If the step and the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area do not require driving of all the recording heads of the multi-head, the amount of movement corresponding to the required number of heads Assuming that the required number of heads is n, Movement amount corresponding to The movement amount obtained by adding the dimension X to (n−1) × a, which is a dimension obtained by multiplying the number n of heads to be moved by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between the heads. And a recording medium storing a program having a step of relatively moving the multi-head in the feed direction.
[0022]
According to the configuration of claim 3, it is possible to hold, use, carry or carry a program capable of realizing the same operation as that of claim 1 in various recording media.
[0023]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-head feed for a printer having a plurality of recording heads arranged at an equal pitch a in the feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print line extends. A control program that drives the plurality of heads to the first drawing area, which is the first sheet to be printed, to be printed continuously, and prints all of the first drawing area. Print line And, for the last line of the first drawing area, the second drawing area which is the second sheet following the first sheet, along the feed direction, among the plurality of recording heads of the multi-head. Printing with the recording head at the end close to the Steps, Next, in the second drawing area When moving the multi-head, it is determined whether or not the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area is the number of lines that needs to drive all the recording heads of the multi-head. And when it is necessary to drive all the recording heads of the multi-head, the multi-head in a feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print line extends, Assuming that the number of recording heads of the multi-head is N, (N−1) × a as a dimension obtained by multiplying the total number N of recording heads by the pitch dimension a which is an interval between these heads, Relative movement is made by a full-scale distance corresponding to a distance obtained by adding a dimension X corresponding to the distance from the first printed line of the first sheet to the first printed line of the second sheet as the next printing area. If the step and the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area do not require driving of all the recording heads of the multi-head, the amount of movement corresponding to the required number of heads Assuming that the required number of heads is n, Movement amount corresponding to The movement amount obtained by adding the dimension X to (n−1) × a, which is a dimension obtained by multiplying the number n of heads to be moved by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between the heads. And a multi-head feed control program for a printer having a step of relatively moving the multi-head in the feed direction.
[0024]
According to the configuration of the fourth aspect, it is possible to hold and use a program that should exhibit the same operation as that of the first aspect on various recording media and transmission media.
[0026]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the multi-head has a plurality of N (N: natural number) recording heads, and the plurality of recording heads have the same pitch a in the feed direction. The area to be printed in the second drawing area when moving the multi-head to the second drawing area is less than (N−1) × a, or (N− 1) Determine whether it is larger than xa, and if it is smaller than (N-1) xa, move the multi-head relatively in the feed direction by the amount of movement corresponding to the required number of heads. The second drawing area is printed.
[0027]
According to the configuration of claim 5 or claim 6, a specific method for obtaining the operation of claim 1 can be configured.
[0028]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0029]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a printer to which a multi-head feed control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
[0030]
In the figure, a printer 10 has a configuration capable of performing predetermined printing with a multi-head 11 on, for example, a printing paper 15 as a printing target, and the overall configuration of the printer is a known and widely used configuration. Applicable.
[0031]
In the printer 10, a multihead 11 including a plurality of recording heads is used. As each recording head, for example, an ink jet type recording head can be used. Such a recording head includes a plurality of sets, for example, three sets of head portions, a liquid chamber for containing ink, and a driving means such as a piezo in each head portion. An element is provided (not shown). Each liquid chamber is connected to a nozzle portion for ejecting ink, and the nozzle portion is opened on the lower surface of the multihead 11 in FIG. Each set of liquid chambers contains inks of different colors, such as yellow (Y), magenta (M), and chroma (C) inks.
[0032]
The piezo element in each liquid chamber operates based on a command signal from a head drive unit of a feed control device, which will be described later, thereby directing ink in the liquid chamber from the nozzle unit toward the printing paper 15 shown in FIG. Can be fired and landed on the ink.
[0033]
The multi-head 11 is reciprocated along the direction of the arrow E along the feeding means 12 composed of, for example, a ball screw 12 or the like, and the movement in the E direction is made up of a feed motor or the like. This is performed by the first driving means 13. This arrow E direction coincides with the printing direction of the printing paper 15, that is, the line direction.
[0034]
Further, the multi-head 11 is moved relative to the printing paper 15 by the second drive means 14 such as a feed motor in the feed direction indicated by the arrow F perpendicular to the arrow E direction. Yes.
[0035]
In the illustrated case, the second driving unit 14 moves the multi-head 11, but the second driving unit 14 does not move the multi-head 11 directly, but the printing paper that is the printing target. It is sufficient that the 15 side is fed and moved relatively.
[0036]
A feed control device 20 is connected to the multihead 11, the first drive means 13, and the second drive means 14 in order to perform feed control during printing of the multihead 11.
[0037]
The feed control device 20 is interposed between the printer 10 and a terminal device 16 such as a personal computer that gives a print instruction to the printer 10, and performs feed control of the multi-head 11 during the operation of the printer 10. It is like that.
[0038]
FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the feed control device 20.
[0039]
In the figure, the feed control device 20 performs drawing with the heads 22, 23, 24, and 25 that issue drive commands to a plurality of recording heads of the multi-head 11, and the drawing with the multi-head 11. A movement command unit 29 that commands the relative movement of the multi-head 11 to the relative position at the start of printing with the object, and a print line data receiving unit 26 that receives the total number of lines to be printed in the drawing area. And a storage means 27 that stores necessary drive data for a plurality of recording heads corresponding to at least the number of print lines, and a print line data analysis unit 28.
[0040]
In the case of this embodiment, for example, four head driving units 22, 23, 24, and 25 are provided corresponding to the number of recording heads provided in the multi-head 11.
[0041]
The print line data receiving unit 26 is, for example, print data sent via the terminal device 16 shown in FIG. 1. When printing on the printing paper 15 to be printed, the print line data receiving unit 26 has at least one page in a predetermined format. In the print contents such as the total number of printable lines and the actual document to be printed, data including data for each page of the total number of lines to be printed is received.
[0042]
In the storage means 27, when the print data is assigned to each drawing area in a predetermined format, the total number of print lines for each drawing area and all the lines to be printed are printed in the corresponding drawing area. Data regarding the relationship with the required number of recording heads is stored.
[0043]
The print line data analysis unit 28 is to print from the print line data input to the print line data receiving unit 26 and the necessary drive data stored in the storage unit 27 when the drawing area is switched. For the drawing area to be printed, the number of lines to be printed is analyzed to determine whether at least all of the recording heads of the multi-head 11 need to be driven, and the movement corresponding to the analysis result The amount is calculated.
[0044]
The movement command unit 29 sends a signal for relatively moving the multi-head 11 in the feed direction F to the second driving unit 14 based on the analysis result of the print line data analysis unit 28. .
[0045]
The feed control device 20 stores, for example, a multi-head feed control program having steps to be described later in a storage means such as a hard disk or ROM (read only memory) of the terminal device 16 described above, or the printer 10 It is realized by storing in a storage means in a printer driver provided in the apparatus and operating it. Further, the multi-head feed control program can be supplied via a recording device such as a CD-ROM or floppy disk, or via a transmission recording medium such as the Internet, via the terminal device 16 connected thereto. it can.
[0046]
Therefore, for example, the control unit 21 configured by the CPU of the terminal device 16 is, for example, the above-described movement command unit 29, each head drive unit 22, 23, 24, 25, the print line data analysis unit 28, a hard disk or a ROM. Are connected to the storage means 27, etc., to make a determination in the processing described later.
[0047]
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining how printing is performed by the multi-head 11, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the feed control device 20 when such printing is performed.
[0048]
First, in FIG. 3, a multi-head 11 has the same configuration as the conventional multi-head 1 described in FIG. 6, and a plurality of recording heads, in this case, four recording heads A, B, C, D are shown in FIG. In the longitudinal direction along L which is the length direction of the head 11, the heads 11 are arranged at equal pitches indicated by a, that is, at equal intervals. Further, in the multi-head 11, the recording heads A, B, C, and D require a built-in space such as a substrate for applying a drive current and a signal to each head. The positions are alternately shifted in the direction of W which is the direction. Further, the recording heads of the multi-head 11 are arranged at the same pitch a so that the recording heads A, B, C, and D are arranged in order along the head feed direction F described later.
[0049]
In FIG. 6, reference numeral 15 denotes a print target, and the print target has a drawing area where printing is performed. In the case of this embodiment, the print target is, for example, paper prepared for printing. When printing on a printing paper, when the printing content covers a plurality of paper surfaces, the printing is usually performed in a plurality of drawing areas by a continuous printing mode. In other words, the first sheet in this case is the first drawing area 15a, and the second sheet that is continuously printed is the second drawing area 15b.
[0050]
In the figure, P1 indicates the length of the first sheet, and indicates the length of the first drawing area. P2 indicates the length of the second sheet and indicates the length of the second drawing area.
[0051]
In such a configuration, when the feed control of the multi-head 11 shown in ST1 of FIG. 4 is started by the command of the control unit 21 of FIG. 3, the movement command unit 29 is sent to the first drive unit 13 of FIG. The multihead 11 is placed at the print start position (initial position). In this case, the initial position is the upper end portion of the first drawing area 15a and the left end position.
[0052]
Next, printing of the first drawing area 15a is started (ST2). In this case, the multi-head 11 performs printing while being sent in the direction of E1 by the first driving unit 13 along the E direction orthogonal to the length direction P1 of the first drawing area 15a. This E direction is the line direction and coincides with the direction in which printing continues.
[0053]
In the printing of the first drawing area 15a, all the recording heads A, B, C, and D of the multi-head 11 are driven, and the first printing A1 is performed by one line (one line) according to the position of each recording head. , B1, C1, D1 are simultaneously printed or printed.
[0054]
Next, after the printing of A1, B1, C1, and D1 is completed, the multi-head 11 is relatively moved by one line in the direction of arrow F by the second driving unit 14 (ST3). All the recording heads A, B, C, and D are driven while being sent in the direction E2 by the first driving means 13, and the right side of FIG. 3 from the stage of the first printing A1, B1, C1, and D1. As shown in FIG. 5, the next line prints A2, B2, C2, and D2 are printed.
[0055]
In this way, the multi-head 11 is reciprocated in the E direction by repeating the line feed by the number n of lines set within the range of the pitch a between the recording heads A, B, C, and D. (ST4) As a result, all the lines to be printed in the first drawing area 15a are printed.
[0056]
Next, before starting the printing of the second drawing area 15b, that is, for example, the second page of paper, the movement amount of the multi-head 11 is obtained as follows.
[0057]
That is, first, the print line data receiving unit 26 in FIG. 2 receives data regarding the number of lines AL and the format to be printed in the second drawing area 15b, and the control unit 21 receives the data as print line data. Obtained via the analysis unit 28 (ST6). Next, the control unit 21 instructs the print line data analysis unit 28 to perform the determination of ST6 from the data regarding the number of print lines and the format stored in the storage unit 27.
[0058]
That is, the total number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area 15b is AL, the number of recording heads of the multi-head 11 is N (N is a natural number, and in this case, N is 4), the first driving means Let R be the number of line feeds by 13. Here, one recording head can perform R line printing. Then, it is determined whether the total number of lines AL to be printed is equal to (N−1) × R or more (ST6).
[0059]
Assuming that N is 4, when the total number of lines to be printed is AL equal to 3 × R, if three recording heads are used, the total number of lines to be printed can be printed as AL. 11 when the recording head is driven from the front in the relative movement direction F, that is, from the end 11b side of the multi-head 11, if the recording heads B, C, and D are used, the total number of lines AL to be printed Can be printed. Then, there is no need to send the multi-head 11 to the position corresponding to the above-mentioned initial position through the second drawing area 15b so that the recording head A can be used. It is not necessary to send the distance to the recording head A. In the illustrated case, since the total number of print lines in the second drawing area 15b is three lines, the movement is ST8.
[0060]
In this way, the print line data analysis unit 28 sends the determination result of ST6 to the control unit 21, and when the control unit 21 obtains a positive result in ST6, all the recording heads A, B, C, D Therefore, an instruction is given to the transfer command unit 29 to that effect. The transfer command unit 29 sends an instruction to the second drive unit 14 to move the multi-head 11 in full scale as described with reference to FIG. 6 (ST7). On the other hand, if the control unit 21 obtains a negative result in ST6, it is not necessary to drive all the recording heads A, B, C, and D, and further prints the number of heads that need to be driven. The line data analysis unit 28 calculates as described later, and issues an instruction to the transfer command unit 29 to that effect. The transfer command unit 29 sends an instruction to the second driving unit 14 and moves by a moving amount corresponding to the required number of heads (ST8).
[0061]
Here, calculation of the actual movement amount will be described. That is, when a negative result is obtained in ST6 of FIG. 4, the print line data analysis unit 28 obtains the number of print heads that need to be driven by the following procedure as an example.
[0062]
For example, the necessary number of recording heads can be obtained by dividing the total number of lines AL to be printed by the number of line feeds R (AL / R). The print line data analysis unit 28 determines the amount of movement of the multi-head 11 corresponding to the obtained number of required recording heads. In this case, the movement amount is, for example, the distance from the end 11b side of the multi-head 11 to the required recording head in FIG. Since the required number of recording heads and the amount of movement corresponding thereto can be obtained in advance, for example, if they are stored in the storage means 27 as table data, the necessary recording heads are as described above. The relative movement amount of the multi-head 11 in the F direction can be obtained simply by referring to the table data at the same time as obtaining the number of.
[0063]
As described above, this movement amount is transmitted to the movement command unit 29 via the control unit 21. Thus, the movement command unit 21 gives an instruction to the second driving means 14, and the multi-head is moved by the movement amount. 11 in the F direction.
[0064]
After the movement, the control unit 21 selects the recording heads to be driven by the number of the recording heads obtained as described above, gives a driving command to each of the head driving units 22 to 25, and outputs the second. The drawing area 15b is printed.
[0065]
As described above, in the present embodiment, when the multi-head 11 finishes printing the first drawing area 15a and starts printing the second drawing area 15b, the position of the multi-head 11 with respect to the print target, for example, paper, is determined. It is possible to arrange the drag at a position where there is no waste in operation.
[0066]
Specifically, when printing on the second and subsequent sheets of paper, which is the second drawing area 15b, is started, all the line numbers AL to be printed in the second drawing area 15b are acquired, It is determined whether the number of print lines AL needs to drive all of the four recording heads A, B, C, and D included in the multi-head 11. If it is necessary to drive all the recording heads, the multi-head 11 is relatively moved at full scale, and printing is performed in the same manner as the first drawing area 15a. When the number of all lines AL to be printed in the second drawing area 15b does not need to drive all the recording heads A, B, C, and D, the feed direction F corresponds to the movement amount corresponding to the required number of heads. The multi-head 11 is relatively moved. As a result, the relative movement of the multi-head is always performed by the necessary movement amount, so that unnecessary movement can be eliminated, the movement time can be saved correspondingly, and rapid printing can be realized.
[0067]
In the above-described embodiment, the number of print lines is used to determine the area to be printed in the second drawing area. In addition to such a method, for example, FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment. Such a method may be adopted.
[0068]
That is, in FIG. 5, the area to be printed in the second drawing area may be determined based on the pitch a between the recording heads A, B, C, and D in the multi-head. That is, one recording head prints within the range of the pitch a in each drawing area by line feed by the first driving unit 13. In this case, with reference to the range of the pitch a, it is determined how many of the pitch a the area to be printed in the second drawing area corresponds to.
[0069]
Specifically, in the second drawing area 15b of FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. 5, the area to be printed is AP (ST5 ′), and the number of recording heads of the multi-head 11 is N. (N is an integer). Then, it is determined whether the area AP to be printed in the second drawing area is equal to or smaller than (N−1) × a (ST6 ′). Then, the data obtained in the same manner as in the case of the above-mentioned line number criterion is received by the print data receiving unit using the same method as the print line data receiving unit in FIG. 2, and the print line data analyzing unit in FIG. Is provided, and the obtained print area is analyzed based on necessary drive data stored in the storage means.
[0070]
Thereafter, if it is necessary to move the multi-head 11 at full scale, it is moved at full scale (ST7). When it is not necessary to move the multi-head 11 in full scale, the multi-head 11 is relatively moved along the feed direction F by the amount of movement corresponding to the required number of heads (ST8), and in the second drawing area. A line to be printed may be printed by each recording head.
[0071]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, relative movement of the multi-head 11 in the feed direction F may be performed only on the print target side, or both the multi-head 11 and the print target may be moved. Further, the print target of the multi-head 11 can be applied not only to printing paper but also to any target. Furthermore, the configuration illustrated in the feed control device 20 may be realized with a smaller configuration by integrating its functions.
[0072]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a multi-head feed control method and a feed control apparatus for a printer that can be driven quickly without wasteful movement of the multi-head.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of a printer having a multi-head according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a multi-head feed control device of the printer of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of printing by a multi-head in the multi-head feed control device of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a head movement control method in the multi-head feed control apparatus of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another example of the head movement control method in the multi-head feed control apparatus of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state of printing by a conventional multi-head.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Printer
11 Multihead
13 1st drive part
14 Second drive unit
15 Print target (printing paper)
16 Terminal device
20 Feed control device
21 Control unit
22 Head drive
23 Head drive
24 Head drive
25 Head drive unit
26 Print line data receiving section
27 Memory means
28 Print Line Data Analysis Department

Claims (5)

A multi-head feed control method comprising a plurality of recording heads arranged at equal pitch a in the feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print line extends,
Successive first by driving the plurality of heads in the drawing area which is the first sheet of a plurality of print object to be printed, as well as printing all print to be line of the first drawing area The last line of the first drawing area is close to the second drawing area that is the second sheet following the first sheet, along the feed direction, among the plurality of recording heads of the multi-head. Print with the recording head at the edge of the
Then when moving the multi-head in the second drawing area, the number of lines the second drawing area all to be printed by the line requires driving of all of the recording heads having the above multi-head Determine if it is the number of lines,
When it is necessary to drive all the recording heads of the multi-head, when the number of recording heads of the multi-head is N in the feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print line of the multi-head extends , The next print area from the last print line of the first sheet to (N-1) × a as a dimension obtained by multiplying the total number N of recording heads by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between these heads. Move relative to the full scale distance corresponding to the distance plus the dimension X corresponding to the distance to the first print line on the second sheet,
When the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area does not need to drive all the recording heads of the multi-head , this corresponds to the case where the required number of heads is n . As the amount of movement, the movement amount obtained by adding the dimension X to (n−1) × a as a dimension obtained by multiplying the number n of heads to be moved by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between the heads in the feed direction. A multi-head feed control method for a printer, wherein the multi-head is moved relatively. A multi-head feed control device comprising a plurality of recording heads arranged at equal pitch a in the feed direction perpendicular to the direction in which the print line extends,
At least a head drive unit that issues a drive command to each of the plurality of recording heads of the multi-head;
A movement command unit that commands the relative movement of the multi-head to the relative position at the start of printing of the multi-head and the drawing object when switching the drawing area of the drawing target;
A print line data receiving unit for receiving the total line number data to be printed in the drawing area;
Storage means storing necessary drive data for the plurality of recording heads corresponding to at least the number of print lines, and
Further, based on print line data input to the print line data receiving unit and necessary drive data stored in the storage unit, page switching of a drawing area for a plurality of print targets to be printed continuously is performed. In the printing of the last line of the first drawing area before the page switching, the second drawing following the first drawing area along the feed direction among the plurality of recording heads of the multi-head. In the configuration in which printing is performed with the recording head at the end close to the area, the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area that is a page to be printed is a plurality of recordings that the multihead has. of head, when at least the driving of all of the heads to analyze whether requiring requires a drive of all the recording heads having the above multi-head Is the pitch that is the distance between these heads in the total number N of recording heads, where N is the number of recording heads that the multiheads have in the feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print lines extend. The dimension X corresponding to the distance from the last printed line of the first sheet to the first printed line of the second sheet, which is the next printing area, is (N-1) × a as a dimension multiplied by the dimension a. When the full-scale distance corresponding to the distance added is calculated, and the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area does not need to drive all the recording heads of the multi-head. As a movement amount corresponding to the required number of heads, when the required number of heads is n, a movement amount corresponding to this is obtained by multiplying the number n of heads to be moved by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between the heads. A multi-head feed control device for a printer , comprising a print line data analysis unit for calculating a movement amount obtained by adding the dimension X to (n-1) × a as a method . A recording medium storing a multi-head feed control program for a printer having a plurality of recording heads arranged at an equal pitch a in the feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print line extends,
Successive first by driving the plurality of heads in the drawing area which is the first sheet of a plurality of print object to be printed, as well as printing all print to be line of the first drawing area The last line of the first drawing area is close to the second drawing area that is the second sheet following the first sheet, along the feed direction, among the plurality of recording heads of the multi-head. Printing with the recording head at the end of the printed side ;
Subsequently, when the multihead is moved to the second drawing area, the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area needs to drive all the recording heads of the multihead. Determining whether it is the number of lines;
When it is necessary to drive all the recording heads of the multi-head, when the number of the recording heads the multi-head has in the feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print line extends is N, The next print area from the last print line of the first sheet to (N-1) × a as a dimension obtained by multiplying the total number N of recording heads by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between these heads. Relatively moving a full-scale distance corresponding to a distance obtained by adding a dimension X corresponding to the distance to the first print line of the second sheet;
When the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area does not require driving of all the recording heads of the multi-head, the required number of heads is set as a movement amount corresponding to the required number of heads. In the case of n, as the movement amount corresponding to this , the dimension X is set to (n−1) × a, which is a dimension obtained by multiplying the number n of heads to be moved by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between the heads. And a step of relatively moving the multi-head in the feed direction by an added movement amount . A multihead feed control program for a printer comprising a plurality of recording heads arranged at equal pitch a in the feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print line extends,
Successive first by driving the plurality of heads in the drawing area which is the first sheet of a plurality of print object to be printed, as well as printing all print to be line of the first drawing area The last line of the first drawing area is close to the second drawing area that is the second sheet following the first sheet, along the feed direction, among the plurality of recording heads of the multi-head. Printing with the recording head at the end of the printed side ;
Subsequently, when the multihead is moved to the second drawing area, the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area needs to drive all the recording heads of the multihead. Determining whether it is the number of lines;
When it is necessary to drive all the recording heads of the multi-head, when the number of the recording heads the multi-head has in the feed direction orthogonal to the direction in which the print line extends is N, The next print area from the last print line of the first sheet to (N-1) × a as a dimension obtained by multiplying the total number N of recording heads by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between these heads. Relatively moving a full-scale distance corresponding to a distance obtained by adding a dimension X corresponding to the distance to the first print line of the second sheet;
When the number of lines to be printed in the second drawing area does not require driving of all the recording heads of the multi-head, the required number of heads is set as a movement amount corresponding to the required number of heads. In the case of n, as the movement amount corresponding to this , the dimension X is set to (n−1) × a, which is a dimension obtained by multiplying the number n of heads to be moved by the pitch dimension a which is the distance between the heads. And a step of relatively moving the multihead in the feed direction by an added movement amount .   The multi-head has a plurality of N (N: natural number) recording heads, and the plurality of recording heads are arranged in the multi-head at an equal pitch a in the feed direction, and are arranged in the second drawing area. When moving the multi-head, it is determined whether the area to be printed in the second drawing area is less than (N−1) × a or greater than (N−1) × a, and (N− 1) If less than xa, the second drawing area is printed by relatively moving the multi-head in the feed direction by a movement amount corresponding to the required number of heads. The multihead feed control method for a printer according to claim 1.

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