JPH03244555A - Dot impact printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To select a low-noise mode in which printing data is divided into 3 or more parts to be printed to further reduce a noise by providing a means for printing the data in one of a plurality of low-noise modes set depending upon the number of division and a means for selecting a specific low-noise mode by an operator. CONSTITUTION:In a dot impact printer having low-noise modes in which printing data printable in one process is divided into a plurality of parts to be printed, a printer user selects a specific low-noise mode out of the tow or more low-noise modes through a selection switch 11. A control part 12 recognizes the selected low-noise mode by referring to the selection switch 11, processes the bit image of the printing data from a printing data memory part 13 storing the bit image of the printing data in accordance with the selected low-noise mode, and outputs the result to a printing data output part 14. The printing data is outputted from the printing data output part 14 to a printer head 15 to be printed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a dot impact printer, and particularly to a low noise mode in which print data that can be printed once is divided into a plurality of prints and printed.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, this type of dot impact printer has only a low noise mode in which print data that can be printed once is divided into two parts and printed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The conventional dot impact printer mentioned above has only a single low-noise mode that prints in two parts, so this two-part method has the disadvantage that there are many print patterns that do not have much of a noise reduction effect. Also, since the noise reduction effect is at most 1/2, there is a drawback that even if you want to reduce the noise, you cannot do it.

[Means to solve the problem]

The dot impact printer of the present invention is a dot impact printer that has a low noise mode in which print data that can be printed once is divided into multiple times and printed, and is capable of printing in multiple low noise modes corresponding to the different number of times of division. and means for selecting a specific low noise mode from among the plurality of low noise modes.

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, one embodiment of the present invention is a dot impact printer having a low noise mode in which print data that can be printed at one time is divided into multiple times and printed. A selection switch 11 that selects a mode, a control unit 12 that processes a bit image of print data, and a print data memory unit 13 that stores print data.
, a print data output unit 14 that outputs data processed into a bit image as print data, and a print head 15 that prints based on the output print data.

A printer user selects a specific low noise mode from among a plurality of low noise modes via the selection switch 11. The control unit 12 recognizes the selected low noise mode by referring to the selection switch 11, and extracts a bit image of the print data according to the selected low noise mode from the print data memory unit 13 in which the bit image of the print data is stored. is processed and output to the print data output section 14. This print data is output from the print data output section 14 to the printer head 15 and printed.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the print data and the operation of the print data output in multiple parts.

FIG. 2(a) shows a normal case in which print data that can be printed at one time is output at one time, and all print bit images are printed at the first print output.

Figure 2(b) shows the case of the low noise mode in which the print data that can be printed in one time is output in two times. The second time, the even bit image line (2°4.6.8) is printed out.

Figure 2 (c) shows the case of low-noise mode in which the print data that can be printed in one time is output in four times, and the first time prints the odd-numbered dot rows of the odd-numbered bit image rows (1, 3, 5, 7). The second time it prints out the odd numbered dot rows of the even numbered bit image rows (2, 4, 6, 8>), and the third time it prints out the even numbered bit rows of the odd numbered bit image rows (1°3.5.7). death,
Furthermore, the fourth even bit image row (2, 4, 6°8)
Print out the even bit string of .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, another embodiment of the present invention is a dot impact printer having a low noise mode in which print data that can be printed at one time is divided into multiple times and printed. A selection switch 21 that selects the noise mode, a control unit 22 that processes the bit image of print data, a print data memory unit 23 that stores the print data, and a specific low A divided mask pattern 24 that masks according to the noise mode, a print data output unit 25 that outputs the print data masked by the divided mask pattern 24 as print data, and a printer head that prints based on the output print data. 26.

The printer user operates the selection switch 21 to select a specific division method from a plurality of division methods for a specific number of divisions. The control section 22 refers to the selection switch 21, recognizes the selected division method, selects the corresponding division mask dot pattern 24, and selects the selected division mask dot pattern 24 from the print data memory section 23 in which dot image data of the print data is stored. The dot image data is processed using the divided mask dot pattern 24 and the print data output unit 25
Output to. This dot image data is output from the print data output unit 25 to the print head 26 and printed.

FIG. 4 is an operational explanatory diagram showing two division methods in another embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 4, the two-division method of this other embodiment outputs the odd numbered dots in the odd numbered dot row and the even numbered dots in the even numbered dot row at the first time, and the even numbered dots in the odd numbered dot row at the second time.
This outputs the odd numbered dots in the even numbered dot rows.

That is, this other embodiment is a method in which the first and second times are divided into a mesh pattern, in which approximately half the dot density is output in the first time, and the remaining half of the dots are output in the second time. It is.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention has a means for printing in a plurality of low-noise modes corresponding to the difference in the number of divisions, and a means for the operator to select a specific low-noise mode. For printing patterns that do not have much of a noise reduction effect, selecting a low noise mode of 3 or more divisions can provide a sufficient effect. Furthermore, although this two-division method can achieve the effect of reducing the noise by a maximum of 1/2, the noise can be further reduced by selecting a low-noise mode with three or more divisions.

Part, 13.23...Print data memory part, 14゜25
. . . Print data output section, 15. 26 . . . Print head, 24 . . . Division mask pattern.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A dot impact printer having a low-noise mode that divides print data that can be printed once into multiple times and prints the data, the dot impact printer has means for printing in multiple low-noise modes corresponding to different numbers of divisions, and multiple low-noise modes that correspond to different numbers of divisions. and means for selecting a specific low noise mode among the noise modes.