JPH0286465A - printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to printer devices such as laser printers.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, printer devices such as laser printers have been widely used in corporate offices and the like that require printing a large number of copies. For this reason, in the past, printing was performed by outputting the same print data from a host computer as many times as the required number of copies.

A conventional printer device will be described below.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a conventional printer device, in which reference numeral 1 denotes a host computer (not shown in the figure).

), and 2 analyzes the code signal output from the receiving means 1 to obtain character information including double height, double width, position in one line, character code, etc. , a text development means for developing text including print information such as image data and underline data, 3 a text buffer for storing text data, and 4 a dot matrix shape of characters corresponding to each character code. This is a font memory, and the text buffer 3 stores character codes as well as addresses in the font memory 4 corresponding to the character codes. Reference numeral 5 denotes an image development means for developing the text stored in the text buffer 3 into dot matrix image information while referring to the font memory 4; 6, a memory for one page for storing the image information developed by the image development means 5; A page buffer 7 having a capacity is a printing means for printing according to information output from the page buffer 6.

FIG. 4 is a device block diagram of a conventional printer device, in which 20 is a central processing unit (hereinafter abbreviated as CPU);
Reference numeral 21 indicates a read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM) for storing programs for the CPU 20, 22 indicates a dynamic random access memory (hereinafter referred to as DRAM) for storing text data, etc., and 23 corresponds to each character code. 24 is a font read only memory (hereinafter referred to as font ROM) that stores the dot matrix shape of the characters to be displayed; and 24 is a video random access memory (hereinafter referred to as font ROM) that stores image information for one page.
It is abbreviated as VRAM. >, and the text development means 2 and image development means 5 in FIG.
Each of these is realized by executing a program stored in the ROM 21 while exchanging data with the ROM 22 and the like.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a laser printer, which is a general printer device, in which 30 is a photoreceptor drum that rotates at a constant speed, 31 is a corona discharger that applies an electric charge to the photoreceptor drum 30, and 32 is a photoreceptor drum. 30 is a laser unit that scans over the electrostatic latent image to form an electrostatic latent image; 33 is a developer that attaches toner (not shown in the figure) to the electrostatic latent image; 34 is paper; 35 is on the photosensitive drum 30. 36 is a conveying means for conveying the paper, 37 is a fixing means for fixing the toner image transferred onto the paper 34, and 38 is a portion remaining on the photosensitive drum 30. This is a static elimination lamp that removes the electric charge that has been generated.

Regarding the conventional printer device configured as described above, the image information preparation operation thereof will be described below.

First, a code signal transmitted from the host computer is received by the receiving means 1. Then, the text development means 2 analyzes this code signal and determines the double height, double width, and character position within one line.

It is developed into text including character information including character codes and addresses in the font memory 4, and print information such as image data and underline data, and is stored in the text buffer 3.

When the text data for one page is stored, the image development means 5 refers to the font memory 4, develops the text data into image information, and stores it in the page buffer 6.

When a certain amount of image information is sent to the page buffer 6, the image information is sent to the printing means 7, and the printing means 7 starts printing. Then, when the image information for one page is sent out, the image development means 5
The image information of the next page is expanded into the image buffer 6.

Next, the image information recording operation of the conventional printer device will be described below.

The laser unit 32 forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 30 charged by the corona discharger 31 according to the image information sent from the page buffer 6, and the developer 33 applies toner to the electrostatic latent image. to form a toner image.

The formed toner image is transferred by a transfer device 35 onto a sheet 34 that is conveyed in synchronization with the rotation of the photoreceptor drum 30, and the sheet 34 is conveyed to a fixing position by a conveying means 36, and is heated by a fixing means 37. It will be established.

The conveyance of the paper 34 is synchronized with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 30, and there is a considerable time difference from when the laser unit 32 records one page until the fixing is completed by the fixing means 37.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the conventional configuration described above, if printing fails during printing of one page due to a paper jam or other reason after image development for one page is completed, printing of the failed page is repeated. Even if you try to do so, the image information for the next page has already been developed in the page buffer 6, so it is necessary to send the same data from the host computer to the printer device again, and it takes a considerable amount of time to develop the text and image. The problem was that it required

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a printer device having a plurality of page buffers for storing one page of image information, and a recording means for inputting and recording image information from the page buffers. The apparatus is provided with means for reconnecting the page buffer to the recording means before the page buffer storing the recorded information is cleared after the ejection of the paper is completed.

Effect With the above configuration, the document of a certain page printed once is retained even while the image of the document of the next page is being developed.
When reprinting the first page of the document, there is no need to perform text expansion and image expansion UfJ again (printing can be started immediately).

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a receiving means, 2 is a text development means, 3 is a text buffer, 4 is a font memory,
5 is an image developing means, and 7 is a printing means, which have the same structure as the conventional example. Reference numerals 40 and 41 refer to page buffers having a storage capacity of one page for storing the image information developed by the image development means 5; control means 45 for connecting a page buffer to the first printing stage 7 and simultaneously connecting another page buffer to the image development means 5 to start image development for the next page;
is an interrupt means that interrupts the printing operation after the ejection of the recording paper is completed but before the operation to clear the information stored in the page buffer is started.

FIG. 2 is a device block diagram of the printer device of this embodiment, in which 20 is a CPU, 21 is a ROM, 22 is a DRAM,
Reference numeral 23 denotes a font ROM, which has the same configuration as the conventional example. 43 and 44 are VRAMs each storing one page of image information.

The block diagram of the printer device of this embodiment is similar to the block diagram of a laser printer, which is a general printer device, shown in FIG. 5, so the explanation thereof will be omitted.

Regarding the conventional printer device configured as described above, the image information preparation operation thereof will be described below.

First, as in the conventional example, a code signal sent from a host computer is received by the receiving means 1, and the text developing means 2 analyzes this code signal, develops it into text including character information and print information, and stores it in a text buffer. Store in 3.

When one page of text data is stored, the image development means 5 refers to the font memory 4 and develops the text data into image information, which is stored in the page buffer 40.

When the image information for one page is sent to the page buffer 40, the image information is sent to the printing means 7, and the image information is sent to the printing means 7.
starts printing.

At this time, the printing means 7 is in a state where image information is input only from the page buffer 40, and from this point on, the text development means 2 develops the next page of text in the text buffer 3 in parallel, and one page worth of text is developed. After the text data is expanded, the image information of this page is expanded into the page buffer 41.

Note that unlike the conventional example, the printer device of this embodiment uses two page buffers alternately, so one
The image information for the first page is retained even after the laser unit 32 forms an electrostatic latent image for one page on the photoreceptor drum 30, and the electrostatic latent image for the first page is transferred to the paper 34, and the fixing device After the paper 34 is thermally fixed by 37 and ejected, the information stored in the page buffer 40 is cleared,
Thereafter, development of the image information of the third page into the page buffer 40 starts.

Furthermore, the interrupt means 4
5 interrupts the printing operation, the control means 42 reconnects the page buffer 4o to the printing means 7 before the clearing operation.

Therefore, according to the printer device of this embodiment, after the laser unit 32 records one page, until the fixing is completed by the fixing means 37, the recording of that page may fail due to a paper jam or the like. Even in this case, since the image information of the page is stored in the page buffer, there is no need to send the data again from the host computer, and reprinting can be quickly performed by feeding the stored image information to the printing means 7 again.

Effects of the Invention The present invention has a plurality of page buffers for storing one page of image information, and is capable of recording and ejecting recording paper in a printer device equipped with a recording means for inputting image information from the page buffers and performing recording. It is equipped with a means for reconnecting the page buffer to the recording means before clearing the page buffer storing the information that has been recorded, and - the document of the previously printed page is replaced by the next page of the document. This information is retained even while the image of the document is being developed, and when printing that page of the document again, there is no need to perform text development and image development again, and printing of the first page can be started immediately.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the same device, FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a conventional printer device, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the same device. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a general printer device. ■...Receiving means, 2...Text development means, 3...
・Text buffer, 4... Font memory 5...
・Image developing means, 7...Printing means, 20...C
PU121...ROM, 22...DRAM. 23... Font ROM, 30... Photosensitive drum,
31... Corona discharger, 32... Laser unit, 33... Developing device, 34... Paper, 35... Transfer device, 36... Conveying means, 37... Fixing means, 38・
... Static elimination lamp, 40.41 ... Page buffer, 4
2...Control means, 43.44...VRAM. 45... Interrupt means diagram

Claims (1)

[Claims] a text development means for analyzing the received code and developing it into text data including character information and control information; a text storage means for storing the text data; a font storage means for storing the dot matrix shape of the characters; an image development means that refers to the font storage means and develops the text data into dot matrix image information; and at least two image development means each storing image information for one page.
a first page buffer; a recording means for inputting image information from the page buffer and recording on recording paper; and a recording paper transport means for ejecting the recording paper after recording;
When one page worth of image information is stored in the page buffer, the first page buffer is connected to the recording means, and at the same time, the second page buffer is connected to the image development means to start image development of the next page. After the recorded recording paper is completely ejected from the recording paper conveying means, the stored information in the page buffer that holds the information corresponding to the image written on the ejected recording paper is cleared and a new image development is started. an interrupt means for interrupting the printing operation between the completion of ejection of the recording paper and the start of the operation to clear the information stored in the page buffer; 1. A printer apparatus comprising means for reconnecting a page buffer whose information is to be cleared to the recording means prior to a clearing operation.