JPH02137950A - Dot matrix printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve data processing speed by providing information for longitudinally enlarging to print in an attribute information storage area at the time of longitudinal enlarging print, developing it in a size of a normal size in an image buffer, and longitudinally enlarging to print at the time of printing. CONSTITUTION:A RAN 30 is composed of a data buffer 31 for temporarily storing data input from a host computer 13, an image buffer 32 for storing image data developed for each dot on the basis of data stored in the buffer 31, and an attribute information storage area 33 for storing the information when a special printing mode is set. Printing data given from the computer 13 is temporarily stored in the buffer 31. When the data is of longitudinally enlarged character, it is developed in the size of normal character in the buffer 32, and information indicating the longitudinal character is simultaneously stored in a corresponding column. When a print command is applied, a dot pattern developed in the column of the longitudinally enlarged character is longitudinally enlarged to be applied to a printing head 4 as printing data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a dot matrix printer that performs printing according to data received from a host computer, and particularly to a printer that performs vertically enlarged printing.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, a dot matrix printer that prints according to data received from a host computer operates as follows.

First, when data sent from the host computer is received by the printer, the data is temporarily stored in a data buffer. If the data is a character code, a character font corresponding to the character code is obtained from a character generator, developed into a dot pattern, and stored in an image buffer. Then, the character data that has been expanded into the image buffer is erased from the data buffer, and the process proceeds to the same process for the data stored in the next data buffer, and this operation is repeated as long as the data is character data.

If the next data stored in the data buffer is a print command, in printers that only have one line of image buffer, decoding of the data stored in the data buffer is temporarily stopped, and the data stored in the image buffer is stopped. Print the data.

When printing is completed, the process moves to the same process for the data stored in the next data buffer, and this operation is repeated.

For printers with two lines of image buffer, 1
While a line is being printed, the contents of the data buffer will be expanded to another line.

Furthermore, the case of vertically enlarged printing will be explained using a printer having an image buffer for two lines as an example.

First, a control code and character data for vertically enlarged printing are obtained from the host computer and stored in a data buffer.

Next, the upper half of the character data is created in the image buffer according to the character data in the data buffer. Then, printing is performed according to the data in the image buffer. Furthermore, according to the character data in the data buffer, the lower half of the character data is created in the image buffer, and at the same time, the character data to be expanded vertically in the data buffer is erased. Finally, print is performed according to the data in the image buffer.

[Issue 8 to be solved by the invention] In the case of normal characters, the data stored in the data buffer can be erased at the stage when the data stored in the data buffer is developed into an image buffer. In the case of vertically enlarged characters, the data stored in the data buffer cannot be erased until the lower half of the data has been expanded as described above. Therefore, because the capacity of the data buffer in the printer is limited, the data in the data buffer is more likely to become saturated when printing with vertical enlargement than when printing with normal printing, which has the disadvantage of slowing down the processing speed. .

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a dot matrix printer that efficiently utilizes a data buffer when performing vertically enlarged printing.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve this object, the dot matrix printer of the present invention includes means for determining that data stored on a data buffer is a vertically enlarged character, and a means for determining that data stored on a data buffer is a vertically enlarged character. means for storing columns of a dot matrix to be printed; means for developing characters to be vertically enlarged on an image buffer in a pattern of a size corresponding to a dot pattern stored in a character generator; In some cases, the printer is equipped with a print control device that vertically enlarges the print pattern on the image buffer at the column position and provides it to the print head as print data.

[Effect] The effects of the configuration of the present invention are as follows.

Print data provided by the host computer is temporarily stored in a data buffer. When this print data is a vertically enlarged character, it is expanded into the image buffer in the size of a normal character, and at the same time, information indicating that it is a vertically enlarged character is stored in the corresponding column. When a print command is given, the dot pattern developed in the column indicated as a vertically enlarged character is vertically enlarged and provided to the print head as print data.

[Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a serial printer (hereinafter referred to as printer) to which the present invention is applied.

A platen 3 is rotatably supported within the main body frame 2 of the printer 1, and a pair of guide shafts (paths shown) that movably support a carriage (paths shown) are arranged below the front of the platen 3. . Further, a wire dot type print head 4 is placed on the carriage so as to face the platen 3, and a pair of paper feed rollers (not shown) are arranged in front and behind the platen 3, respectively, for transporting printing paper. has been established,
It is similar to a normal printer.

At the right end of the main body frame 2, an operating section 5 is provided with various functional switches such as a power switch, a page feed key, a line feed key, and the like.

Next, the overall configuration of the control system of the printer 1 will be explained based on the block diagram of FIG.

The printer 1 basically consists of an operating section 5, a print head 4, a paper feed roller drive motor 6, a carriage drive motor 7, drive circuits 4a, 6a, 7a, a control device C, etc. - 6a and 7a are connected to the input/output interface 11 of the control device C via a data bus or the like.

The drive circuit 4a is connected to a plurality of solenoids that respectively drive a plurality of wires provided in the print head 4. The drive circuit 6a is connected to a paper feed roller drive motor 6 that drives the paper feed roller. The drive circuit 7a is connected to a carriage drive motor 7 that drives the carriage.

The control device C includes a CPU (central processing unit) 9 and its C
Character generator 10 and ROM (read only memory) connected to PU9 via data bus etc.
20, RAM (Random Access Memory) 30,
It is composed of an input/output interface 11 and a communication interface 12.

The character generator 10 stores dot matrix data of a large number of characters and symbols in correspondence with code data.

The ROM 20 stores programs such as communication rules for inputting data output from the host computer 13 via the communication interface 12 and control programs for driving and controlling each of the drive circuits 4a, 6a, and 7a. has been done.

The RAM 30 includes a data buffer 31 that temporarily stores data input from the host computer 13, an image buffer 32 that stores image data developed for each dot based on the data stored in the data buffer 31, and a special It is composed of an attribute information storage area 33 that stores information when a print mode is set.

As shown in FIG. 3, the attribute information area 33 has areas associated with each column of the image buffer 32, including area b.

indicates vertically enlarged printing as attribute information. The bo of this attribute information storage area 33 is
A bit of “1” or “0” is stored, but “
1" is set, it is defined that vertical enlargement processing is performed. Note that this attribute information storage area 33
is initialized each time one line of print pattern data developed in the image buffer 32 is printed.

Next, the operation will be explained based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5.

In step S1, it is determined whether or not the data given from the host computer 13 has been received in the data buffer 31. If NO, the reception is waited; if YES, the process advances to step S2, and the previously received data is character coded. Determine whether or not. If the determination is YES in step S2, the character is developed in the image buffer in step S3, while if it is not a character code, the determination is NO and the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, it is determined whether the previously received code specifies vertical enlargement. If vertical enlargement is specified, the process advances to step S5, sets a vertical enlargement flag, and waits for reception of the next data. - On the other hand, if vertical enlargement is not specified, the answer is NO and the process proceeds to step S6, where it is determined whether vertical enlargement is to be canceled. In step S6, if you want to cancel vertical enlargement, select Y.
If it is determined to be S, the vertical enlargement flag is reset in step S7 and the reception of the next data is waited for.If the vertical enlargement is not canceled, it is determined to be NO and the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, it is determined whether or not it is a print command.

In the case of a print command, it is determined as YES and print processing is performed in step S9, and then in step S10, processing other than the print processing of the print command, such as - additional paper feeding, is performed.
Waits for next data to be received. - On the other hand, if it is not a print command, the determination is NO, other controls are performed in step Sll, and the reception of the next data is waited.

On the other hand, the process returns to step S3, and after developing the character in the image buffer, (in step S12, it is determined whether or not the vertical expansion flag is set. If it is not set, it is determined as No, and the process returns to step S1. Waits for data to be received. On the other hand, if it is set, it is determined as YES and the vertical expansion attribute is set in the expanded column in step 813, and the process returns to step S1 to wait for data to be received.

The print processing mode in step S9 will be explained based on FIG.

In this mode of routine, first step 510
At step 1, it is determined whether or not there is a vertically enlarged print column in one line to be printed. If so, decide YES,
In step 5102, a line feed is made in the opposite direction to the printing position of the upper half of the vertically enlarged character, and in step 5103, the carriage is moved to the first column position where printing is to be performed. Next, in step 5104, 1 is assigned to a variable n representing the column position, and in step 5105, it is determined whether or not the n-th column is to be vertically enlarged. In the case of vertical enlarged printing, the determination is YES, a print pattern for the upper half of the n-th column is created in step 5106, and printing in the n-th column is performed in step 5107. Creating a pattern in this case means converting one dot on the image buffer vertically, for example twice, to provide data to the print head. On the other hand, if it is not vertically enlarged printing, the determination is No and the process proceeds to step 5116. If the column position n is not the last column in step 5116, that is, if printing of the upper half of the enlarged character has not been completed, the process advances to step 5118. In step 5118, 1 is added to the variable n representing the column position, and in step 5119, the carriage is moved to the next column position, and the process returns to step 5105.

When printing of the upper half of the enlarged characters is completed, step 511
If YES is determined in step 6, the process proceeds to step 5117, and a line feed is performed in the positive direction to the printing position of the lower half of the vertically enlarged character. Next, in step 5108, the carriage is moved to the first column position to be printed, and in step 5109, 1 is assigned to a variable n representing the column position. Next, in step 5110, it is determined whether or not the n-th column is vertically enlarged printing, and if it is vertically enlarged printing, it is judged as YES, and in step 5111, a print pattern for the lower half of the n-th column is created, and in step 5112,
Print the column number. On the other hand, when the n-th column is not vertically enlarged printing, the determination is NO and the n-th column is printed in the size developed in the image buffer 32 in step 5112. Then, in step 8113, it is determined whether or not it is the last column, and if it is not the last column, it is determined NO, and in step 5114, 1 is added to the variable n representing the column position, and in step 5115, the carriage is moved to the next column position. Then, the process returns to step 5110. On the other hand, if n is the last column, the determination is YES and the process returns to the main routine.

On the other hand, returning to step 5101, if there is no vertically enlarged printing column in the line to be printed, it is determined No, and in step 5108 the carriage is moved to the first column position to be printed, and in step 5109 the column position is Assign 1 to the variable n representing . Then, in step 8110, n
It is determined whether the column number is vertically enlarged printing or not, but in this case, since it is not vertically enlarged printing, it is judged as No and the process goes to step 5112.
Proceed to. Then, in step 5112, printing of the nth column is performed. Then, in step 5113, it is determined whether or not it is the last column, and if it is not the last column, it is determined NO, and in step 5114, 1 is added to the variable n representing the column position, and in step 5115, the carriage is moved to the next column position. Then, the process returns to step 5110. On the other hand, if n is the last column, the determination is YES and the process returns to the main routine.

As explained above in the embodiment, information on whether or not to perform vertically enlarged printing is stored in bo of the attribute information storage area 33, and based on that information, the configuration is such that printing is performed with vertically enlarged printing. As in the case of normal printing, data from the data buffer 31 can be received in the image buffer 32 of another line while printing one line, which has the effect of improving the printing speed.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the detailed description above, the present invention provides information for vertically enlarged printing in the attribute information storage area, and stores information for vertically enlarged printing in the image buffer when performing vertically enlarged printing. Since the configuration is such that the data is expanded into a two-line image buffer and the data processing speed is slowed down when printing is expanded vertically, unlike the conventional method, the data is expanded vertically and printed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 5 show embodiments embodying the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control system of a printing device;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printing device, FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing details of the image buffer and additional information storage section, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the main program, and FIG.
The figure is a flowchart showing the print processing mode in the main program. In the figure, 10 is a character generator, 13 is a host computer, 31 is a data buffer, and 32 is an image buffer.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A data buffer that temporarily stores data transmitted from a host computer, a character generator that stores dot patterns corresponding to character codes, and a character generator that stores data stored in the data buffer. , an image buffer that converts and expands the dot pattern stored in the character generator.
In a matrix printer, means for determining that data stored on the data buffer is a vertically enlarged character, means for storing a dot matrix column to perform vertically enlarged printing, and a character to be vertically enlarged. on the image buffer in a pattern of a size corresponding to the dot pattern stored in the character generator; A dot matrix type printer characterized by comprising a print control device that provides print data to a print head.