JPH0311275B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention has a graphic image generation means that generates a graphic image from parameters of graphic data, and develops a print image line by line on a line buffer and prints it out. The present invention relates to a printer control device used in a printer.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems] Conventionally, in processing devices such as word processors that handle characters and graphics, when printing images of characters, graphics, etc. on a printer, these printed images are printed on one page. There was one that was developed in units of page memory, and was sequentially taken out and printed out according to the printing operation. However, this type of print control means requires a large capacity page memory to store print images on a page-by-page basis, resulting in an economically disadvantageous configuration. Ta. Therefore, a configuration was realized in which graphic data is given as parameters and graphic images are developed on a row buffer. However, in conventional devices of this type, character images and graphic images are developed on a line buffer at separate line printing timings, and characters and figures are printed out by operating on the same line twice. The disadvantage is that a large amount of time is consumed in printing the entire page.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and includes a graphic image generation unit that extracts parameters of a graphic to be printed from parameters of graphic data and generates a graphic image, and a graphic image generator that generates a character image from character codes. In a printer that has a character image generation unit and a line buffer that stores print images line by line, even when characters and figures coexist on the same line, the characters and figures can be combined into one line. To provide a printer control device capable of printing out by a printing operation and greatly shortening the time required to print a page when characters and figures are mixed.

[Summary of the Invention] The present invention provides a system that, when both characters and graphics are included in a line to be printed, performs both character image generation processing and graphic image generation processing when printing that line. This system obtains character images and graphic images for a line, combines each image on a line buffer (or writes), and outputs it to the printer. The printer can be outputted by a moving operation, which greatly reduces the number of times the print head moves (the number of line printing operations), thereby greatly shortening the printing time for the entire page.

[Embodiment of the Invention] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration. In the figure, 11 is a processing unit (CPU) that controls the entire printer control device, and 12 is a reception interface unit (R-CPU) that receives various printing data sent from a host side device (H-CPU). I/
F), 13 is a character pattern memory for converting an input character code into a character image (character pattern) specific to that code. 14 is a control program storage area (EA), a figure image generation program storage area (EB), and a figure generation parameter storage area (hereinafter referred to as parameter area; EC).
This is an internal memory consisting of, etc. 15 is an image of one line to be printed (dot pattern data)
The row buffer that stores 16 is this row buffer 15.
This is a transmission interface section (T-I/F) for transmitting the image of the image to the printer 30. Here, it is assumed that a serial printer is used as the printer 30 to be controlled, and that paper is not fed in the reverse direction.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the main control blocks in the above embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a print execution control unit that receives various printing information received by the reception interface unit 12 and performs printing control including print image development control, print execution control, paper feeding control, etc. according to the commands; 21 is the print execution control unit 2
a character image generation unit that generates a character image according to the code from a character code given from 0;
Reference numeral 22 denotes a graphic image generation unit that generates a graphic image according to the parameters of graphic data given by the print execution control unit 20.
23 determines whether or not to print text and graphic images on the same line position from the data taken into the print execution control unit 20, and when printing text and graphic images on the same line position, Image generation unit 21
This is a character/graphic image synthesis control section which controls the operations of the and graphic image generation section 22 at predetermined timings, and develops each generated image into a dot at a corresponding position on the row buffer 15.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the above embodiment. In the figure, s is the range that can be printed in one printing operation, that is, the print head width (for example, 24 dot width), and Pi and Pj are the parameters of each figure. Indicated vertex position coordinates, LFi
is the line feed.

Here, the operation of one embodiment will be explained with reference to the drawings. When the processing device 11 receives character and graphic print data from the higher-level device (H-CPU) via the receiving interface unit 12, the processing device 11 sequentially stores the character pattern memory 1 in accordance with each character code for one line.
3 and develops the generated character image on the line buffer 15. Furthermore, after that, a graphic image is generated according to the parameters of the graphic data at the corresponding row position, the graphic image is repeatedly stored (or written) on the row buffer 15, and the character image and the graphic image are stored on the row buffer 15. to synthesize. A concrete example of the operation in this case is shown in the second section.
This will be explained with reference to FIGS. Here, an example will be explained in which shading is registered as a figure and processed. When one line of print data is input to the print execution control unit 20, the character/graphic image composition control unit 23 determines whether or not the print data includes character data and graphic data. If the character image generator 21 contains the input character code and graphic data, the character image generator 21 is activated and a character image (dot pattern data) according to the input character code generated by the character image generator 21 is placed on the line buffer 15. Expand the dots. For example, in the case of printing on the line indicated by s in FIG. Next, the graphic image generating section 22 is activated, and a graphic image according to the input parameters generated by the graphic image generating section 22 is overwritten (or written) on the row buffer 15. Taking Figure 3 as an example, the characters "ABCDE" have already been written.
, the dot positions are made to correspond to each other, and the hatching pattern is or-written. When the images of characters and figures for one line are combined and stored on the line buffer 15 in this way, the images stored in the line buffer 15 are transferred to the transmission interface section under the control of the print execution control section 20. 16 to the printer 30 and printed out. This line-by-line printing process is sequentially executed until the end of the page.

As mentioned above, when printing characters and figures on the same line, the character image and the figure image are combined by OR writing on the line buffer 15, and then sent to the printer 30 for one printing. By simultaneously embossing characters and graphics by moving the print head in rows, the number of print head movements can be significantly reduced, thereby significantly reducing the printing time for the entire page.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, there is provided a graphic image generation unit that extracts parameters of a figure to be printed from parameters of graphic data and generates a graphic image, and generates a character image from character codes. In a printer that has a character image generation unit and a line buffer that stores print images for each line, when characters and figures are mixed on the same line, the image of the character and the image of the figure are stored on the line buffer. By using a configuration that prints lines after composing them in It is possible to provide a printer control device that can significantly shorten the time required to print pages when a mixture of pages is printed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall hardware configuration, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall hardware configuration.
The figure is a control block diagram of the main part, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11...Processing device, 12...Reception interface unit, 13...Character pattern memory, 14...Internal memory, 15...Line buffer, 16...Transmission interface unit, 20...Print execution control unit, 21
. . . Character image generation section, 22 . . . Graphic image generation section, 23 .

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A graphic image generation unit that generates a graphic image from parameters of graphic data, a character image generation unit that generates a character image from character codes,
The printer has a line buffer that stores print images line by line, and sequentially edits the print image line by line for the page to be printed, and determines whether or not only graphic images are developed when the line images are developed. and means for generating a graphic image in accordance with parameters by the graphic image generation unit and developing the same image on the row buffer when only the graphic image is developed; When determining whether or not to use the character code and developing images of characters and figures, the character image generation unit generates a character image according to the character code, the figure image generation unit generates a figure image according to the parameters, and the character A printer control device comprising means for composing an image and a graphic image on the line buffer.