JP4061562B2 - Color printer and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a color printer that forms an image by adhering a plurality of colorants while scanning the surface of a print medium with a print head.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In this type of color printer, as shown in FIG. 1, a print head 23 mounted on a carriage 21 moves on the surface of a sheet (print medium) 25 in a main scanning direction 27 (for example, horizontal direction), for example, yellow (for example) Y), image data for one print line of each color such as magenta (M), cyan (C), etc. are read, and a color image of one print line is attached to the paper 25 according to each color data. 29 is formed. Next, the print head moves in the sub-scanning direction 31 by a predetermined distance with respect to the paper 25, moves to the start position of the next main scan, and performs image data of the next print line while performing the main scan again. Read to form a color image for the next print line.
[0003]
Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-28231 discloses a conventional technique for driving such a print head. In this conventional method, there are cases where the number of image columns (number of dots or characters, in short, the length of the image) differs for each color even in the same print line, in which case the color with the larger number of columns In order to solve the problem that the image cannot be printed completely, the number of columns for one print line is counted for each color from the data stored in the register, and the maximum number of columns among the counted number of columns is selected, The carriage is controlled so that the print head is continuously moved in the main scanning direction by the maximum number of columns and then returned.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In an actual color image, the start position and end position of the image of one print line may differ for each color. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the image data 41Y, 41M, and 41C of three colors Y, M, and C in the same print line are different at the start positions 43Y, 43M, and 43C, and the end positions 45Y, 45M, and 45C. But it is different. In such a case, a color image cannot be printed correctly with the above-described conventional technology. The above-described conventional technique continuously moves the print head by the maximum number of columns in the number of columns for one print line for each color (that is, the length from the start position to the end position of each color image data). However, when the image start position is different for each color as illustrated in FIG. 2, the range that the print head should move, that is, the print range of one print line, is determined from the number of columns of each color image data. It is because it is not possible.
[0005]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a color printer that can correctly print a color image in which the image start position and the image end position of the same print line are different for each color.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The color printer of the present invention includes a print head, a moving mechanism that moves the print head in the main scanning direction, and a plurality of image buffers that store image data for each color for one print line. Then, each color image data for one print line is stored in the storage area of each color image buffer corresponding to the range from the start position to the end position of each color image of one print line in the main scanning direction. The start address and end address of each color image data stored in each color image buffer are detected, and then the top address of the detected start address and the end address of the detected end address are detected. Is done. Then, the moving mechanism is controlled so that the print head continuously moves in the position range in the main scanning direction corresponding to the detected address range from the top address to the end address. Further, each color image data is read from the storage area from the top address to the last address of each color image buffer, and is supplied to the print head in synchronization with the continuous movement of the print head.
[0007]
According to this color printer, even if the start position and end position of the image are different for each color, the print head covers the range from the top position of the start position to the end position of the end position. Since each color image data is read out from the address range of the image buffer corresponding to this range and supplied to the print head, a complete color image can be printed correctly.
[0008]
In a preferred embodiment, after each color image data is temporarily stored in each color image buffer, it is checked whether there is a null area at both ends of each color image data. Determine the start and end addresses of the net image data. Then, the head address is selected from the start address of the determined net image data, and the tail address is selected from the end address of the determined net image data. This reduces the printing time for each print line because the print head need only move continuously within the range where the net image data exists.
[0009]
In a preferred embodiment, when the position range for continuously moving the print head in the next print line is not yet determined when the printing of one print line is completed, the print head is set to the predetermined position after the printing of the one print line is completed. Move to the position. The predetermined position is, for example, the start position of the line where printing has been completed, or the position of the 0th digit. This is effective in increasing the printing speed, particularly in the case of unidirectional printing and when printing is started from the same or close position in every print line.
[0010]
The operation method of the color printer according to the present invention detects the start position and the end position in the main scanning direction of the image data for each color for one print line, and detects the top position and the detected end position in the detected start position. Determining the last position of the print head, continuously moving the print head through the position range from the first position to the last position, and continuously moving the print head from the start position to the end position of each color image data And driving the print head using each color image data.
[0011]
In a preferred embodiment, when determining the last position from the top position, if there are null areas at both ends of the image data for each color for one print line, the null areas are excluded from the image data for each color. Thus, the start position and end position of the net image data of each color are determined, and the top position and the end position are determined from the start position and end position of the determined net image data.
[0012]
In a preferred embodiment, when the range for continuously moving the print head in the next print line is not yet determined when printing of one print line is finished, the print head is moved to a predetermined position after the printing of one print line is finished. Move to.
[0013]
According to the operation method of the present invention, a color image can be printed correctly even if the image start position and the image end position of the same print line are different for each color.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A color printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. There are actual color printers that use a large number of colorants such as four colors, six colors, and seven colors, but in order to make the explanation easy to understand, the color printer of this embodiment has three colors Y, M, and C. A colorant shall be used.
[0015]
This color printer includes a carriage 21 and a print head 23 mounted on the carriage 21 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3A or 3B, the print head 23 has, for example, three color-specific head portions 23Y, 23M, and 23C of Y, M, and C, and the color-specific head portions 23Y, 23M, and 23C, respectively. 23C includes a large number of dot forming elements (for example, an ink jet nozzle of an ink jet printer, an impact wire of a wire impact dot printer, a heat generating element of a thermal transfer printer, etc.) 33Y, 33M, and 33C for attaching each colorant to a sheet. Have. The three color-specific head portions 23Y, 23M, and 23C are arranged in the sub-scanning direction 31 in the example of FIG. 3A, and are arranged in the main scanning direction 27 in the example of FIG. These are merely examples, and various arrangement forms are possible.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 1, the print head 23 is carried by the carriage 21 and moves on the surface of the paper (print medium) 25 in the main scanning direction (horizontal direction) 27, and prints one of three colors Y, M, and C. A line image data is read and three colorants are attached to the paper 25, thereby forming a color image 29 for one printing line. When the image of one print line is formed, the sheet is fed in the sub-scanning direction (vertical direction), the print head 23 moves to the vertical position of the next print line on the sheet 25, and the print head 23 moves to the next. Is moved in the main scanning direction to the print start position of the next print line, and then the image of the next print line is printed.
[0017]
4 and 5 show the hardware configuration and the functional configuration of the controller of this color printer, respectively.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 4, the controller of the printer 100 performs a printing process as will be described later based on a host interface circuit 53 that communicates with the host device 51 and receives a print command, and a print command received from the host device 51. The CPU 55, a ROM 57 storing a program for the CPU, a reception buffer 61 for temporarily storing a received print command, an image buffer 63 for storing image data of one print line, a RAM 95 used as a work area, and the control of the CPU 55 A mechanism driver 65 for driving mechanisms such as a paper feed motor 67, a carriage motor 69, and the print head 23 is provided below. As is well known, the paper feed motor 67 feeds the paper 25 in the sub-scanning direction, and the carriage motor 69 moves the carriage 21 in the main scanning direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the image buffer 63 is divided into image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C for three colors Y, M, and C.
[0019]
When the controller having such a hardware configuration is viewed functionally as shown in FIG. 5, the image buffer 63Y, 63M, 63C for three colors of the receiving unit 71, the command interpreting unit 73, Y, M, and C is shown. Three-color image range detection units 75Y, 75M, and 75C, three-color head drivers 77Y, 77M, and 77C, a print range determination unit 79, a paper feed control unit 81, and a carriage motor driver 83 are provided.
[0020]
The receiving unit 71 receives a print command from the host device 51 and stores it in the reception buffer 61 shown in FIG. The command interpreting unit 73 sequentially reads out the print commands from the reception buffer 61, interprets the print commands, and according to the result, for example, if the print command is a command that has sent image data of one print line, the command interpreter 73 The Y, M, and C image data of one print line that has been converted is converted into a format that can be transferred to the print head 23, and necessary corrections are made, and then written into the image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C for each color. Or if the print command instructs the next paper feed, an operation such as giving a paper feed command to the paper feed control unit 81 is performed.
[0021]
The image range detectors 75Y, 75M, and 75C for the respective colors access the image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C for the respective colors, and start addresses of the image data for the respective colors for one print line stored therein (for the respective color images). A start address) and an end address (corresponding to the end position of each color image) are detected, and the start address and end address are stored. The print range determination unit 79 transfers each color image data to the print head 23 based on the start and end addresses of the three color image data stored by the three color image range detection units 75Y, 75M, and 75C. An address range in which image data is to be read from each color image buffer 63Y, 63M, 63C (hereinafter referred to as a “read address range”). This is a horizontal “print range” in which the print head 23 is actually run to perform printing. Is determined). Then, the print range determination unit 79 designates the determined “read address range” to the head drivers 77Y, 77M, and 77C for each color and activates them, and also corresponds to the determined “read address range” in the horizontal direction. The carriage motor 69 is activated and controlled via the carriage motor driver 83 so that the printing head 23 continuously moves in the “printing range” in the (main scanning direction).
[0022]
The head drivers 77Y, 77M, and 77C for the respective colors read the color image data in the order of addresses from the read address ranges of the color image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C while the print head 23 is continuously moving in the print range. By transferring the data to 23 color head units 23Y, 23M, and 23C, the color head units 23Y, 23M, and 23C are caused to perform a printing operation.
[0023]
The paper feed controller 81 sends the paper 25 in the vertical direction in response to a paper feed command from the command interpreter 73.
[0024]
The operation of the controller under the above configuration will be described more specifically below.
[0025]
FIG. 6 shows the configuration of a set of print commands for one print line sent from the host device 51 to the printer 100.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 6, the print command set for one print line first includes three image data commands for sending image data of each color. An image data command for one color includes a command code (not shown), a parameter for specifying “color”, a parameter for specifying an “image start position” in the horizontal direction (main scanning direction), and “image It consists of a parameter that specifies the “data length” (data amount of image data) and the “image data” itself for that color. A "carriage return" (CR) command is added after the image data command for one color. A set of the image data command for one color and the CR command is repeated for three colors Y, M, and C. This is followed by a paper feed command specifying the “vertical position” (position in the sub-scanning direction) of the next print line. Thus, a set of print commands for one print line is configured.
[0027]
When a set of print commands for one print line as shown in FIG. 6 is sent from the host device 51 to the printer 100, the command interpreter 73 of the printer 100 interprets the received commands in the order received. First, by interpreting the image data command for each color, the command interpretation unit 73 stores the image data for each color in the image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C for each color.
[0028]
In FIG. 7, when the reception of the print command set for one print line is finished, the command interpretation unit 73 has finished storing the image data for one print line of three colors in the three color image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C. The states of the image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C are shown.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 7, the image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C for the respective colors are the entire printable range in the horizontal direction (that is, the entire movement range in which an image can be formed while the print head 23 is moving. (0 digit to 80th digit). Upon receiving the image data command for each color, the command interpretation unit 73 receives the addresses (hereinafter referred to as “image start addresses”) 102Y of the color image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C corresponding to the “image start position” specified by the command. , 102M, 102C, storage of image data for one print line of each color into each color image buffer 63Y, 63M, 63C is started. Then, storage of each color image data is completed at the addresses 103Y, 103M, and 103C obtained by adding the “image data length” specified by the command to the image start addresses 102Y, 102M, and 102C (hereinafter referred to as “image end addresses”). To do. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, each color image is stored in the storage areas 104Y, 104M, and 104C from the image start addresses 102Y, 102M, and 102C to the image end addresses 103Y, 103M, and 103C in the color image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C. Data is stored. Naturally, the storage areas 105Y, 105M, and 105C having smaller addresses than the image start addresses 102Y, 102M, and 102C in the image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C, and the storage areas 106Y and 106M having larger addresses than the image end addresses 103Y, 103M, and 103C. , 106C are empty areas (null areas) in which image data is not stored.
[0030]
When the image data for one print line of each color is stored in the color image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C as described above, the image range detection units 75Y, 75M, and 75C for the respective colors are next operated by the color image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C. 63C is accessed and the empty area scanning operation shown in FIG. 8 is performed.
[0031]
That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the image range detectors 75Y, 75M, and 75C for each color move the color image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C from the image start addresses 102Y, 102M, and 102C in the address increasing direction, and the image end address 103Y. , 103M, 103C are scanned in the address decreasing direction, and there is no empty area (null area) where blank image data (null data) that does not need to be printed is stored at both ends of each color image data stored in each buffer. To check. If there is such a null area, the null area is excluded from the image data, and the image start addresses 107Y, 107M, 107C and the image end positions 108Y, 108M, 108C of the net image data that actually needs to be printed are set. Determine. The storage areas outside the determined image start positions 107Y, 107M, 107C and image end positions 108Y, 108M, 108C are null areas containing only null data. The image range detectors 75Y, 75M, and 75C for each color store the determined net image start addresses 107Y, 107M, and 107C and the image end positions 108Y, 108M, and 108C.
[0032]
Next, the print range determination unit 79 of the printer 100 determines the net image start addresses 107Y, 107M, and 107C and the image end positions 108Y, 108M, and 108C stored by the image range detection units 75Y, 75M, and 75C for the respective colors. As shown in FIG. 9, the read address ranges of the three color image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C are determined.
[0033]
That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the three color net image start addresses 107Y, 107M, and 107C stored by the image range detectors 75Y, 75M, and 75C are compared, and the smallest address among them, that is, the net image data. The first head address 109 (M image start address 107M in the illustrated example) is selected. Further, the three color net image end addresses 108Y, 108M, and 108C stored by the image range detection units 75Y, 75M, and 75C are compared, and the maximum address among them, that is, the last address 110 of the net image data (illustrated). In this example, the C image start address 108C) is selected. The address range from the top address 109 to the end address 110 becomes the read address range 111 of the image buffers 63Y, 63M, and 63C. As shown in FIG. 9, since this read address range 111 completely includes the net image data of the three colors Y, M, and C, the image data in the read address range 111 (the net image data and , Including null data before or after) is transferred to the print head 23, a color image can be formed correctly.
[0034]
After determining the read address range 111 (that is, the top address 109 and the end address 110 of the net image data) as described above, the print range determination unit 79 sets the top address 109 and the end address 110 for each color. The head drivers 77Y, 77M, and 77C are designated, and the respective color head drivers 77Y, 77M, and 77C are activated. Each color head driver 77Y, 77M, 77C reads each color image data in the order of addresses from the read address range 111 (that is, the range from the top address 109 to the end address 110) of each color image buffer 63Y, 63M, 63C. The data is transferred to the head units 23Y, 23M, and 23C.
[0035]
In synchronization with the transfer of the image data, the printing range determination unit 79 starts the horizontal printing corresponding to the last address 110 from the horizontal printing start position 113 corresponding to the top address 109 (main scanning direction). The carriage motor 69 is driven and controlled via the carriage motor driver 83 so that the print head 23 continuously moves in the range 115 up to the position 114 (that is, the “printing range” described above). In this case, when the print start position 113 can be determined, the print head 23 stopped at the end position of the previous print line is first moved to the print start position 113, and then synchronized with the transfer of the image data. The print head 23 is continuously moved from the print start position 113 to the print end position 114. As a result, the print head 23 continuously moves from the print start position 113 to the print end position 114, and based on the three-color image data transferred from the read address range 111 of each color image buffer 63Y, 63M, 63C. A color image is formed on the paper 25. When bidirectional printing is performed, the data transfer and head movement operations described above and operations in the opposite direction are performed, that is, image data is read and printed in reverse address order from the last address 110 to the top address 109. The operation of continuously moving the print head 23 from the print end position 114 to the print start position 113 while transferring to the head 23 is alternately performed.
[0036]
As described above, the three-color image data is read out from the read address range 111 up to the head address 109 and the tail address 110 of the net color image data of the three colors, transferred to the print head 23, and the read address. By continuously moving the print head 23 through the print range 115 corresponding to the range 111, a color image can be printed correctly even if the start position and end position of each color image data differ for each color. In addition, since the print head 23 is continuously moved within the minimum necessary range, the printing time for one print line is short.
[0037]
After the printing of one print line is completed in this way, the command interpretation unit 73 of the printer 100 moves the print head 23 to the vertical position of the next print line on the paper 25 in accordance with the paper feed command designating the vertical position of the next print line. The paper feed motor 67 is driven via the paper feed control unit 81 to feed the paper 25 in the vertical direction (sub-scanning direction). This paper feeding may be performed together with the movement of the print head 23 to the mark print start position 113 of the next print line.
[0038]
After completing the printing of one print line, there are a number of variations that can be considered as to when and how the carriage is moved and the paper is fed for printing the next print line. For example, in the case of unidirectional printing, if there is a high possibility that printing will start from the same position or close position, there is a large amount of transfer of image data or the processing speed of the printer is slow. If the image data of the next print line is not yet prepared at the end of printing of one print line, the carriage is moved to the start position of the print line that has been printed immediately after the end of printing of that one print line. May be. Then, as soon as the image data of the next print line is prepared, the next line can be printed immediately or with a slight delay. In this case, if the paper feed amount up to the next printing line is determined when the carriage is moved, the paper can be fed in the same manner as the carriage movement. Further, the carriage movement destination may be the 0-digit position, not the start position of the previous line. Then, it is possible to eliminate useless logical seek when the next line start position is different.
[0039]
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is an illustration for description of this invention to the last, and is not the meaning which limits this invention only to these embodiment. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in various forms other than the above-described embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the head portions 23Y, 23M, and 23C for each color are arranged in the main scanning direction, an offset corresponding to the distance between the color heads is set to the head portions 23Y, 23Y for each color. It is necessary to apply to the drive timing of 23M, 23C or the read address range from each color image buffer 63Y, 63M, 63C.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a mechanical configuration for moving a print head of a color printer to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the start position and the end position of image data are different for each color.
FIG. 3 is a front view of a print head.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a color printer controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the controller.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a set of print commands for one print line.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state of an image buffer at a stage where image data for one print line has been stored.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of scanning an empty area of an image buffer.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing how a read address range and a print range are determined.
[Explanation of symbols]
21 Carriage 23 Print head 63 Image buffer 73 Command interpretation unit 75 Image range detection unit 77 Head driver 79 Print range determination unit 102 Image start address 103 Image end address 107 Net image start address 108 Net image end address 109 Net image Top address 110 Net end address 111 Read address range 113 Print start position 114 Print end position 115 Print range

Claims (4)

A print head;
A moving mechanism for moving the print head in the main scanning direction;
Receiving means for receiving a print command including image data for each color for one print line and designating an image start position for each color;
A plurality of image buffers for storing the image data for each color of one print line;
Data for storing each color image data for the one print line included in the received print command in a storage area starting from an address corresponding to each color image start position specified by the received print command in each color image buffer Storage means;
The start address and the end address of each color image data stored in each color image buffer are detected, and it is checked whether null areas exist at both ends of the storage area from the start address to the end address of each detected color image data. If present, the null area is excluded to determine the start address and end address of the net image data of each color, and the start address of the determined start address of the net image data is determined. Address detecting means for detecting a tail address of end addresses of the net image data,
A movement control means for controlling the moving mechanism so that the print head continuously moves in a position range in the main scanning direction corresponding to the detected address range from the top address to the tail address;
A head that reads the image data of each color from a storage area from the head address to the tail address of each color image buffer and supplies the read image data to the print head in synchronization with the continuous movement of the print head Driving means;
With color printer.   If the position range for continuously moving the print head in the next print line is not yet determined when the printing of one print line is completed, the movement control unit may print the print head after the printing of the one print line is completed. The color printer according to claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism is controlled to move the printer to a predetermined position. In an operating method of a color printer comprising a print head, a moving mechanism for moving the print head in the main scanning direction, and a plurality of image buffers,
Receiving a print command including image data for each color for one print line and designating an image start position for each color;
Each color image data for one print line included in the received print command is stored in a storage area starting from an address corresponding to each color image start position specified by the received print command in each color image buffer. Steps,
The start address and the end address of each color image data stored in each color image buffer are detected, and it is checked whether null areas exist at both ends of the storage area from the start address to the end address of each detected color image data. If present, the null area is excluded to determine the start address and end address of the net image data of each color, and the start address of the determined start address of the net image data is determined. Detecting a last address of end addresses of the net image data,
A step from the forefront position corresponding to the detected the forefront address of the position range to the end position corresponding to the detected the last address the print head continuously moves,
And a step of driving the print head using the color image data when the print head is continuously moving. If the range in which the print head in the next print line is continuously moved when the printing of one print line is not yet determined, the print head is moved to a predetermined position after the printing of the one print line is completed. The method of operating a color printer according to claim 3 , further comprising a step.

Images