JPH05145882A - Video printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily confirm the layout of a print without decreasing the resolu tion by facilitating the operation in multiple mode wherein plural same images are printed on one sheet of photographic paper on the video printer which prints external input image information on the photographic paper. CONSTITUTION:This video printer is provided with a frame memory 7 which stores a video signal of one screen, and a read circuit 13 reads the video data out of the frame memory 7 line by line. Then a print data control circuit 25 processes print data of plural same images and supplies the resulting data to a printing unit 14. Further, a print layout display circuit outputs data on the layout display of the printing from the output of a controller 6 which controls the frame memory 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video printer for printing image information inputted from the outside on a printing paper, and more particularly to a video printer for printing a plurality of identical images on the same printing paper without lowering the resolution. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the structure of a conventional thermal transfer type video printer. In the figure, 1 is an input terminal for an external video signal, 2 is a Y / C separation circuit that separates the input video signal into a luminance signal Y and a chroma signal C, and 3 is a sync separation that separates the sync signal from the video signal. The circuit 4 outputs the luminance signal and the chroma signal to R, G,
A decoder circuit 5 for converting into a B baseband signal, and an A / D 5 for digitizing R, G, B analog video signals
A conversion circuit 6 is a frame memory controller for controlling the operation of the frame memory 7. The frame memory 7 can store the above-mentioned digitized video signal for one screen, and each color has a capacity of horizontal H _O × vertical V _O pixels. It is composed of a semiconductor memory.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a D / A conversion circuit for converting a digital video signal stored in the frame memory 7 into an analog signal,
Reference numeral 9 is an NTSC encoder for converting an analog video signal into a video signal, and 10 is a switch for switching between the video signal in the frame memory 7 and the video signal from the input terminal 1, which is controlled by a controller described later. 11
Is a video signal output terminal, and 12 is the above-mentioned controller including a CPU, which sends various control signals for controlling the operation of the main body to the respective operation units.

Reference numeral 13 is a data reading circuit for reading the digital video signal stored in the frame memory 7, 14 is a thermal transfer printing unit, and 15 is a data reading circuit 13.
A P / S conversion circuit for converting the parallel video data from the above into serial data for printing, 16 is a head control circuit for controlling the operation of the M _O thermal heads 17, 18 is a printing paper consisting of paper and ink sheets, Reference numeral 19 is a print unit control circuit for controlling the overall operation of the printing unit 14, 20 is an ink sheet / paper feed mechanism composed of a pulse motor and a drive mechanism, and 21 is a signal for designating an operation mode from the outside to this video printer. In the switch control section,
Print start switch SW1, image capture switch SW2, print mode selection switch SW3
Also, a switch SW4 for switching the motor is connected.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a detailed structure of the frame memory controller 6. In the figure, 50 is a print address designation buffer in the X direction (horizontal direction) to which an address signal is input from the data read circuit 13, 51 is a horizontal address counter for counting horizontal addresses, and 52 is an X direction address. An X address selector 53 for selecting an address in the X direction, and an X address selector 53 for selecting an address in the X direction. Similarly, for the Y direction (vertical direction), a print address designation buffer 54, a vertical address counter 55, and a Y direction address latch 56. And a Y address selector 57 are provided.

Reference numeral 58 is an R / W generation circuit for outputting a read / write R / W signal, and 59 is an R / W generation circuit for selecting the signal.
A W selector, 60 is an A / D / D / A data buffer connected to the data terminals of the conversion circuits 5 and 8, 61 is a print data buffer connected to the data reading circuit 13, and 62
Is a data bus selector for selecting a data bus, 63, 6
4 is an I / N frequency divider, 65 is a clock generation circuit for outputting a clock for synchronous control, 66 is A / D conversion and D / A
It is a clock generation circuit that outputs a conversion clock.

In the video printer having the above-described structure, when the image capturing switch SW2 of the switch control unit 21 of FIG. 12 is pressed, the video signal from the input terminal 1 is converted into the luminance signal by the Y / C separation circuit 2. And a chroma signal component, and is then guided to a decoder circuit 4, which in turn decodes R, G, B of the baseband video signal.
Is converted to a signal. Then, it is converted into a digital video signal by the A / D conversion circuit 5 at the timing of the A / D clock from the frame memory controller 6, and the X direction address latch 52 and the Y direction address latch 5 in FIG.
The data is stored in the frame memory 7 in order from the address set in 7.

At this time, the horizontal address counter 50 selects the Hsync signal from the horizontal and vertical Hsync and Vsync sync signals separated from the video signal by the sync separation circuit 3.
The value in the X-direction address latch 52 is loaded by the signal nc, and the output of the clock generating circuit 65 is counted up by the clock divided by N by the frequency divider 63 from the value. Further, the vertical address counter 54 includes the sync separation circuit 3
The value in the Y-direction address latch 57 is loaded by the Vsync signal from, and counted up by the output signal of the frequency divider 65 obtained by dividing the Hsync signal by N.

Further, the X address selector 53 and the Y address selector 57 are respectively provided in the horizontal address counter 5.
1, signals are input from the print address designation buffer 50, the vertical address counter 55, and the print address designation buffer 54, and the R / W selector 59 also performs R / W selection.
Output of W generation circuit 58 and R / from data read circuit 13
W signal is input, and the data bus selector 62 is A /
The D data buffer 60 and the print data buffer 61 are alternately connected to the address lines and the data lines of the frame memory 6 by the cycle still system, and the image being printed is printed through the D / A conversion circuit 8 even during the printing operation.
It is output as a video signal by the C encoder 9, and is controlled so that which image is printed can be confirmed on a monitor as necessary.

The control from the capture of the video signal to the display on the monitor has been described above. Next, the print control will be described.

When the print start switch SW1 in FIG. 12 is pressed, the controller 12 sends a print operation start command to the print unit control circuit 19 and sends a conversion start pulse to the P / S conversion circuit 15 to start the print operation. .. Then, the digital video signal temporarily stored in the frame memory 7 is read by the data reading circuit 13 from bottom to top in the Y-direction column order (hereinafter, this column is referred to as a row) as shown in FIG. After that, a masking process and a gamma process for matching with the ink characteristics are performed, and the masking process and the gamma process are supplied to the P / S conversion circuit 15 together with the synchronous clock to convert the parallel data to serial data. Further, the resistor of each pixel of the thermal head 17 of the printing unit 14 is converted into a data format in which heat generation can be easily controlled and supplied to the head control circuit 16.

At this time, if the printing gradation is 64 gradations, the drive pulse to the resistor for printing the image of one column is divided into 64 times, and if there is only one gradation density, the first driving is performed. The resistor is heated only during the pulse, and the remaining 63 times are not heated. Similarly, in the case of two gradations, the electric signal is converted into the density value only twice. And 1
When the printing of the line is completed, the print unit control circuit 1
A control signal for feeding the printing paper 18 for one line is sent from the printer 9 to the ink sheet / paper feeding mechanism 20. This operation is repeated N times to finish printing for one color.

Next, the printing sheet 18 is moved to the initial position by the ink sheet / paper feed mechanism 20 and the ink sheet is moved to the leading position of the next color by the control signal from the print unit control circuit 19, and similarly the next color component is transferred. Print. This operation is applied to each image data of R, G, B, and one color printing is completed.

Here, the weight of one pixel of the frame memory 7 of each pixel in the conventional printing is such that the number of effective vertical pixels of the frame memory 7 is V _O , the number of effective heating heads of the thermal head 17 is M, and The number of effective horizontal pixels of the frame memory 7 is H. Further, the relationship with the number of printing pixels in the paper feeding direction is V _O from the relationship of cost and performance balance.
= M _O , H _O = N or designed to be almost close to each other.

Next, the printing operation in the above thermal video printer is performed when one image is printed in the effective area of one printing sheet (hereinafter referred to as normal mode).
And a case where a plurality of images are printed on one sheet of printing paper (hereinafter referred to as multi-mode).

<Normal mode> When the switch SW3 for selecting the print mode in FIG. 12 is off, the value of N of the frequency dividers 63 and 64 in the frame memory controller 6 in FIG. 13 is set to N = 1 by the controller 12. Then, the image frame memory 7 is fully stored. FIG. 14 shows an example of the result of printing the image. As shown in the figure, a portion outside the printing effective area occurs.

<Multi mode> When the switch SW3 for selecting the print mode in FIG. 12 is on, the N values of the frequency dividers 63 and 64 in the frame memory controller 6 in FIG. Is set to an integer multiple of 2. At this time, if you do the image capture operation,
The storage area of the frame memory 7 is N × N (2, 4,
8, ...) It is equally divided, and the input image is written there. Then, when the switch SW1 for starting printing is pressed when several sheets have been taken in, operation is performed according to the above description, and printing is performed as shown in FIG. If the input video signal is a still video signal from a still video player, the same image can be printed on the multi-screen.

The example of FIG. 15 shows the case where the frequency division ratio is N = 2, and the multi-image in the memory lacks the eyes. FIG. 16 shows the order of reading data from the frame memory 6. R, G, and B data are read from the bottom and from the left.

[0019]

However, in the conventional video printer as described above, it is necessary to perform a plurality of switch operations in order to capture the same image in the image memory in the multi-print mode, and the operation is complicated. In addition, it is difficult to capture the same image from a subject when a video signal of a moving image from a VTR camera or the like is input, and it is very difficult to capture the same image from a subject. ..

Further, in order to confirm in what arrangement the same image is printed, it is necessary to repeat the image capturing operation each time and capture it in the image memory.
There is a problem in that the print layout of the same image cannot be easily confirmed.

Further, the printing quality in the multi-print mode is that the information originally contained in the input video signal when the image is taken into the image memory is subjected to A / D conversion by band limitation, so that the image is printed in the normal mode. The image is deteriorated as compared with the case, and in some cases, the image (eye portion) that actually exists may not be represented as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, and therefore, the printing in the multi-print is detailed information such as an identification card. There is a problem in that it cannot be used as a substitute for a photo that requires the. Further, even in the case of printing in the normal mode, there is a problem that detailed information is not printed unless the image is photographed at a certain image size, and the image size of a certificate or the like is pushed out if the image is photographed large. ..

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above problems, and multi-mode printing can be performed by a simple operation, and even in the case of a moving image, the multi-mode printing can be easily performed. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a video printer capable of performing the same, and further to obtain a video printer capable of easily confirming a print layout of a plurality of identical images.

Further, it is possible to obtain a video printer capable of printing a plurality of images stored in an image memory on the same printing paper without lowering the resolution without lowering the printing quality even when printing in the multi-mode. Has a purpose.

[0024]

The video printer of the present invention is configured as follows.

(1) An image memory for storing the input video signal for one screen, a reading circuit for reading out the video signal stored in the image memory for each line, and printing paper sequentially according to the read video data. The printing unit includes a printing unit for printing, and a printing data control circuit for calculating and supplying printing data of a plurality of identical images of a predetermined size designated by the printing unit.

(2) In the video printer of (1), the print data control circuit has a calculation circuit for calculating print data of a specified print size and a memory for storing the calculation data, and the print unit is provided in the print unit. Print data having different print sizes are supplied.

(3) An image memory for storing the input video signal for one screen, a reading circuit for reading out the video signal stored in the image memory for each line, and a printing paper in sequence according to the read video data. Equipped with a print unit for printing, a print data control circuit for calculating and supplying print data of a plurality of identical images of a fixed size or different sizes to this print unit, and a layout display circuit for displaying the layout of the print of the same image. It was

(4) In the video printer of (3), the layout display circuit includes a semiconductor memory having a depth of 1 bit for storing a video signal and a composite sync signal forming circuit for forming a composite sync signal from the video signal. , The display can be switched by the switch.

(5) In the video printer of (4), the layout display circuit rewrites the contents of the semiconductor memory to display the character display and the print layout display in a superimposed manner.

(6) An image memory for storing the input video signal for one screen, a reading circuit for reading out the video signal stored in the image memory for each line, and a printing paper in sequence according to the read video data. A printing unit for printing is provided, wherein the printing unit makes the number of printing dots of the printing head larger than the number of constituent pixels in the vertical direction of the image memory, and the number of printing lines of the printing paper is greater than the number of horizontal constituent pixels of the image memory. I made it bigger.

(7) In the video printer of (6), the video data of the same line is read out a plurality of times from the image memory at the printing time for each line of the printing unit, and a plurality of identical data of a predetermined size designated in the printing unit is read. A print data control circuit for supplying print data of an image is provided.

(8) In the video printer according to (7), the print data control circuit has a calculation circuit for calculating print data of a specified print size and a memory for storing the calculated data, and the print unit is provided in the print unit. Print data having different print sizes are supplied.

[0033]

In the video printer of the present invention, the video signal for one screen is stored in the image memory, the video data is read line by line from the image memory, and the images are sequentially printed on the printing paper. At that time, the print data control circuit calculates print data of a plurality of identical images of a predetermined size and supplies the calculated print data to the print unit.

In the video printer of the present invention, the print data control circuit calculates the print data of a plurality of identical images of a fixed size or different sizes, and the layout display circuit displays the layout of the print of the same image. To be done.

Further, in the video printer of the present invention, the number of printing dots of the printing head is larger than the number of pixels constituting the image memory in the vertical direction, and the number of lines of the printing paper is larger than the number of pixels constituting the image memory in the horizontal direction. It is configured and printing is performed without losing the information of the original image.

[0036]

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a video printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 12 of the prior art indicate the same components. In the figure, 1 is a video signal input terminal, 2 is a Y / C separation circuit for separating a video signal into a luminance signal Y and a chroma signal C, 3 is a sync separation circuit for separating a sync signal from a video signal, and 4 is a brightness signal. And a decoder circuit for converting chroma signals into R, G, B baseband signals, 5 is an A / D conversion circuit for digitizing R, G, B video signals, and 6 is a frame memory controller for controlling the frame memory 7. The frame memory 7 is an image memory capable of storing a digitized video signal (video signal) for one screen, and is composed of a semiconductor memory of horizontal H × vertical V pixels for each color.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a D / A conversion circuit for converting the digital video signal stored in the frame memory 7 into an analog signal,
Reference numeral 9 is an NTSC encoder for converting an analog video signal into a video signal, 10 is a switch for switching the video signal in the frame memory 7 and the video signal from the video input terminal 1, 11 is a video signal output terminal, and 12 is a video signal output terminal. It is a controller that sends various control signals for controlling the operation of the main body to each operation unit, and is composed of a CPU.

Reference numeral 13 is a data reading circuit for reading the digital video signal stored in the frame memory 7 line by line.
A print unit 4 prints images sequentially according to the read video data, and a print data control circuit 2 that calculates print data of a plurality of identical images of a specified predetermined size.
Print data is supplied from 5.

Reference numeral 15 is a P / S conversion circuit for converting the parallel video data from the print data control circuit 25 into serial data for printing, and 16 is the M thermal heads 1.
7 is a head control circuit for controlling the operation, 18 is a printing paper composed of paper and an ink sheet, 19 is a print unit control circuit for controlling the overall operation of the printing unit 14, and 20 is an ink sheet composed of a pulse motor and a drive mechanism. A paper feed mechanism 21 is a switch control unit for inputting an operation mode designating signal to the video printer from outside, a switch SW for starting printing, a switch SW for capturing an image.
2, a switch SW3 for selecting a print mode, a switch SW4 for switching a monitor, and switches SW5, SW6 for designating the number of prints are connected.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the print data control circuit 25. In the figure, reference numeral 30 is a high-speed arithmetic circuit for arithmetically operating print data of a print size designated from input data, and a RAM 31 for calculation is connected. 32
Is a line buffer for printing, which is a memory for storing the calculated data, from which print data having different print sizes is supplied to the print unit 14. Reference numeral 33 is a read head address setting circuit that outputs an address designation signal to the data reading circuit 13, and 34 is a timing control circuit that outputs a synchronous clock to the data reading circuit 13.

In the video printer constructed as described above, when the image capturing switch SW2 of the switch control unit 21 of FIG.
The video signal from is separated into a luminance signal and a chroma signal component by the Y / C separation circuit 2 and then guided to the decoder circuit 4, which converts the base band video signal into R, G, and B signals. To be converted. Then, it is converted into a digital video signal by the A / D conversion circuit 5 at the timing of the A / D clock from the frame memory controller 6, and is set in the X direction address latch 52 and the Y direction address latch 57 of FIG. It is stored in the frame memory 7 in order from the address.

At this time, the horizontal address counter 50 detects the Hsyn separated from the video signal by the sync separation circuit 3.
The value in the X-direction address latch 52 is loaded by the signal of Hsync among the synchronization signals of c and Vsync, and the value is counted up by the clock of the clock generation circuit 65 divided by N. In addition, the vertical address counter 54
Is Y by the signal of Vsync from the sync separation circuit 3.
The value in the direction address latch 57 is loaded and Hsyn
It is counted up by a signal obtained by dividing the signal of c by N.

The X address selector 53 and the Y address selector 57 are respectively provided in the horizontal address counter 5.
1, signals are input from the print address designation buffer 50, the vertical address counter 55, and the print address designation buffer 54, and the R / W selector 59 also performs R / W selection.
Output of W generation circuit 58 and R / from data read circuit 13
W signal is input, and the data bus selector 62 is A /
The D data buffer 60 and the print data buffer 61 are alternately connected to the address lines and the data lines of the frame memory 7 by the cycle still system, and the image being printed is printed through the D / A conversion circuit 8 even during the printing operation.
The image is output as a video signal by the C encoder 9, and is controlled so that which image is printed can be confirmed on the monitor as necessary.

The control from the capture of the video signal to the display on the monitor has been described above. Next, the print control will be described. This print operation changes depending on the state of the switch SW3 for selecting the print mode, and differs between the normal mode and the multi mode.

<Normal Print Mode> When the switch SW3 is in the released state, the normal print mode in which the digital image temporarily stored in the frame memory 7 is printed in the printing area is set.

At this time, the switch SW1 for starting printing
When is pressed, the controller 12 sends a print mode signal for operating the print data control circuit 25 in the normal mode to determine the subsequent operation. A print operation start command is sent to the print unit control circuit 19, and a conversion start pulse is sent to the P / S conversion circuit 15 to start the print operation. The P / S conversion circuit 15 receives the print data from the print data control circuit 25 in synchronization with the synchronous clock 1 from the print data control circuit 25, and converts the data into a data string suitable for heating the thermal head 17. And sends it to the head control circuit 16.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation in the normal mode, which is a method of giving print data to the P / S conversion circuit 15 (M
= 2V, N = 2H). The print data control circuit 25 adjusts the print data calculated from the digital video signal temporarily stored in the frame memory 7 from the data reading circuit 13 in accordance with the (i, j) pulse of the clock 1 and outputs P /
Output to the S conversion circuit 15 (at this time, the data read circuit 1
The data read from No. 3 has already been subjected to color conversion, masking, gamma correction, etc. for simplicity). Here, (i, j) is a clock that gives data to the j-th heating head on the i-th line of the print, and i =
1, 2−−, N j = 1, 2, −−, M. In order to simplify the description, the relationship between the pixel configurations H and V of the frame memory 7, the number N of printing lines, and the head effective pixel M is as follows.
It is shown as N = 2H and M = 2V. Further, FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the address and the position of the frame memory 7.

Next, a method for the print data control circuit 25 to read the image data of the frame memory 7 via the data read circuit 13 will be described.

The print data control circuit 25 supplies the start address of the frame memory 7 to be read by the data read circuit 13 to the data read circuit 13 in response to the address designation signal, and digitally extends in the vertical direction of the frame memory 7 in synchronization with the synchronous clock 2. The image data is sequentially read. At that time, if necessary, read the image data line by line multiple times,
The high-speed operation circuit 30 performs a filtering operation and writes it in the print line buffer 32 in FIG. The data in the print line buffer 32 is sequentially read by the data transfer clock 1 to the P / S conversion circuit 15,
It is supplied to the S conversion circuit 15. Then, the P / S conversion circuit 15 converts the resistor of each pixel of the thermal head 17 into a data format in which heat generation can be easily controlled, and the data is passed to the head control circuit 16.

Specifically, assuming that the printing gradation is 64 gradations, the drive pulse to the resistor for printing the image of one column is divided into 64 times, and when there is only one gradation density, The resistor heats up only during the second drive pulse, and the remaining 6
Do not generate heat for 3 times. Similarly, in the case of two gradations, the electric signal is converted into the density value such that it is said only twice.

When the printing of the first row is completed, a control signal for feeding the printing paper 18 for one row is sent from the print unit control circuit 19 to the ink sheet / paper feed mechanism 20, and this operation is repeated N times to print one color. To finish printing. As a result, the ink sheet / paper feed mechanism 20 moves the paper of the printing paper 18 to the initial position and the ink sheet to the leading position of the next color by the control signals from the print unit control circuit 19, respectively. Is printed. Then, this operation is performed on each of the R, G, and B image data, and one color printing is completed.

<Multi-print mode> switch SW3
When is closed, the multi-print mode is performed in which a plurality of digital images temporarily stored in the frame memory 7 are printed in the printing area.

At this time, when the print start switch SW1 is pressed, the controller 12 causes the print data control circuit 25 to operate.
It sends a print mode signal to operate in multi mode to determine the subsequent operation. A print operation start command is sent to the print unit control circuit 19, and a conversion start pulse is sent to the P / S conversion circuit 15 to start the print operation. The P / S conversion circuit 15 receives the print data from the print data control circuit 25 in synchronization with the synchronous clock 1 from the print data control circuit 25, and converts the data into a data string suitable for heating the thermal head 17. Converted,
It is sent to the head control circuit 16.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation in the above-mentioned multi-mode, and how to give the print data to the P / S conversion circuit 15 (M =
2V, N = 2H). The print data control circuit 25 uses the frame memory 7 from the data reading circuit 13.
Print data calculated from the digital video signal temporarily stored in the P / S according to the (i, j) pulse of the clock 1
Output to the conversion circuit 15. Here, the (i, j) pulse is a clock that gives data to the j-th heating head on the i-th line of the print, and i = 1, 2, ---, Nj = 1,
The values are 2,-, and M.

Next, a method for the print data control circuit 25 to read the image data of the frame memory 7 via the data read circuit 13 will be described.

The print data control circuit 25 supplies the head address of the frame memory 7 to be read by the data read circuit 13 to the data read circuit 13 in response to the address designation signal, and digitally extends in the vertical direction of the frame memory 7 in synchronization with the synchronous clock 2. The image data is sequentially read. At that time, if necessary, read the image data line by line multiple times,
A filtering operation is performed and the result is written in the print line buffer 32 in FIG. The data in the line buffer 32 is sequentially read by the data transfer clock 1 to the P / S conversion circuit 15 and supplied to the P / S conversion circuit 15. The flow of data from the P / S conversion circuit 15 to the head control circuit 16 is the same as that at the time of printing in the normal mode.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the same four images are shown in FIG.
As described above, how to give data when printing on the same printing paper is shown. As can be seen from FIG. 6, it is possible to obtain a good print by reducing the loss of information that the eye portion is not printed as in the conventional print result shown in FIG.

In this way, the frame memory 7 for one screen is
It is possible to automatically print a plurality of the same images of a predetermined size on the same printing paper 18 without lowering the resolution only by using. In addition, the operation is simple, and even in the case of a moving image, it is possible to easily perform multi-mode printing.

In the above embodiment, the case where the image captured in the frame memory 7 is printed on the same printing paper and the case where four identical images are printed are described as the printing examples, but the same method is used. By changing the method of giving data from the print data control circuit 25 to the P / S conversion circuit 15, only two images or one of them is printed on one print paper 18 as shown in FIGS. It is also possible to print a combination image of. Switch S of FIG.
W5 and switch SW6 are switches for selecting the number of prints of this image, and the state and operation thereof are shown in Table 1 below.

[0060]

[Table 1]

In Table 1, the switches SW3, SW5 and SW6
"0" indicates off, "1" indicates on,
“X” indicates that it may be either on or off. In addition, (a) to (d) in the example of FIG.
This corresponds to (d).

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention. Since the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same components, duplicated description will be omitted. In the figure, 2
Reference numeral 6 denotes a print layout display circuit for displaying a print layout of the same image in the multi mode.
The switch 10a corresponding to (1) switches the output signal of the print layout display circuit 26, the video signal in the frame memory 7 and the video signal from the input terminal 1 by a control signal from the controller 12. Further, the print data control circuit 25 calculates and supplies print data of a plurality of identical images of a fixed size or different sizes to the print unit 14, and basically has the same configuration as that of FIG. There is.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the print layout display circuit 26. In the figure, reference numeral 40 denotes a host interface for inputting a display control signal from the controller 12 to a semiconductor memory (Dual port RAM) 41 having a depth of 1 bit.
e) Signal, data and address signals are input. Reference numeral 42 denotes a control circuit for controlling the output of the semiconductor memory 41, which outputs a read signal and an address signal to the semiconductor memory 41 and also serially outputs data.

Further, 43 and 44 are high-brightness level signal generating circuits and low-brightness level signal generating circuits, 45 is a composite synchronizing signal forming circuit which forms a composite synchronizing signal from a video signal, 4
6 is an analog switch circuit for switching the outputs of the level signal generating circuits 43, 44, and 47 is this switch circuit 4
An adder for adding the output signal of 6 and the composite synchronizing signal, 4
Reference numeral 8 is a switch control terminal.

In the video printer configured as described above, it is possible to perform normal normal mode printing and multimode printing as in the first embodiment shown in FIG. The operation is the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted. Similarly, it is possible to obtain a good print image without information loss.

Here, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, the print layout display circuit 26 is provided, and the monitor display by the output of the output terminal 11 in the frame memory 7 is provided in response to the operation of the print layout selecting means. The image display is switched to the print layout display of the display circuit 26. That is, the print layouts of a plurality of identical images can be automatically displayed as shown in FIGS. 10A to 10D when the multi-mode is selected, and the print layouts of a plurality of identical images can be easily confirmed. You can

FIG. 10 shows a display example in the above-mentioned multi-mode, and it is possible to display only two images or a combination of four images as in FIG. Table 2 shows the relationship between the states of the switches SW3, SW5 and SW6 and the printing and layout display. Note that (a) to (d) in the example shown in Table 2 correspond to (a) to (d) in FIG. 7, and (a) to (d) in the layout display example are shown in FIG. It corresponds to d).

[0068]

[Table 2]

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the contents of the semiconductor memory 41 are rewritten by the controller 12 in the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 to display the character display and the print layout display in a superimposed manner. .. In FIG. 11, 10b is a switch for switching the output of the switch 10, the output of the print layout display circuit 26, and the output of the high-brightness signal generation circuit 27 to supply to the output terminal 11, and 28 is a character information generation circuit.

The output of the character information generation circuit 28 is input to the controller 12, and the switch circuit 46 is controlled by the signal of the switch control terminal 48 shown in FIG. 9, whereby character dot data or layout display data is stored in the semiconductor memory 41. The written portion is switched to the video signal and displayed in superimpose.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The main configuration of the present embodiment is the same as that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and therefore the description thereof is omitted. However, in the printing unit 14, the number of printing dots of the thermal head (printing head) 17 is set to the frame memory 7.
The number of pixels in the vertical direction of the
The number of printing lines of 8 is made larger than the number of pixels constituting the frame memory 7 in the horizontal direction.

Specifically, the number of printing dots of the thermal head 17 is M, the number of printing lines of the printing paper 18 in the paper feed direction is N, and the number of pixels constituting the frame memory 7 is H in the horizontal direction and vertical in the vertical direction. The values of M and V and the values of N and H are set so that the relationship of M ≧ 2V N ≧ 2H is satisfied when V is set to V.

Further, the print data control circuit 25 reads out the video data of the same line from the frame memory 7 a plurality of times during the printing time of one line of the print unit 14 and outputs the print data of a plurality of the same image of the designated predetermined size. The image is supplied to the printing unit 14 and a plurality of the same images are printed on the same printing paper 18.

Also in the video printer having such a structure, the normal normal mode and multimode printing, that is, the operations as shown in FIGS. It is possible to print a plurality of stored images on the same printing paper 18 without degrading the resolution. At that time, since the relationship between the number of pixels of the frame memory 7 and the printing unit 14 is set as described above, the printing quality in the multi-mode does not deteriorate as in the conventional case, and an image that actually exists is not represented. Things will disappear. Therefore, the print image in the multi-mode can be used as a substitute for a photograph such as an identification card, and it is not necessary to take a picture that exceeds the image size of the certificate or the like.

Also in the present embodiment, by changing the way of giving data from the print data control circuit 25 to the P / S conversion circuit 15, only two images are printed on one print sheet as shown in FIG. It is also possible to print and display four images in combination.

[0076]

As described above, according to the present invention, an image memory for storing a video signal for one screen is provided, and video data is read line by line from the image memory and a plurality of identical print data control circuits are used. Since the print data of the image is calculated and the print data is printed,
There is an effect that it is possible to perform multi-mode printing without lowering the resolution with a simple operation, and it is possible to easily perform multi-mode printing even in the case of a moving image.

Further, since the print layouts of a plurality of the same images are displayed, the print layouts can be easily confirmed, and further, the number of dots of the print head and the number of lines of the print paper are set to the number of pixels constituting the image memory. By making it larger, it is possible to obtain a printed image without missing information.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a print data control circuit in FIG.

3 is a timing diagram showing an operation of the circuit of FIG. 1 in a normal mode.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between an address and a position of the frame memory of FIG.

5 is a timing diagram showing the operation of the circuit of FIG. 1 in multimode.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print image in the multi mode according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing an example of printing when the number of prints is changed in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a print layout display circuit of FIG.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example in the multi-mode of the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional example.

13 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the frame memory controller of FIG.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing memory contents and a printing result of the circuit of FIG. 12 in a normal mode.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the memory contents and the printing result of the circuit of FIG. 12 in the multi mode.

16 is an explanatory diagram showing the order of reading from the frame memory of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 A / D conversion circuit 7 Frame memory (image memory) 12 Controller 13 Data reading circuit 14 Printing unit 15 P / S conversion circuit 18 Printing paper 19 Printing unit control circuit 21 Switch control section 25 Printing data control circuit 26 Printing layout display circuit 28 Character information generation circuit 30 High-speed operation circuit 32 Line buffer (memory) for printing 41 Semiconductor memory 45 Composite synchronization signal formation circuit 46 Switch circuit

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location G09G 5/00 D 8121-5G A 8121-5G H04N 5/76 E 7916-5C

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An image memory for storing an input video signal for one screen, a reading circuit for reading out the video signal stored in the image memory for each line, and printing on a printing paper sequentially according to the read video data. And a print data control circuit for calculating and supplying print data of a plurality of identical images of a predetermined size designated by the print unit. 2. The print data control circuit has a calculation circuit for calculating print data of a specified print size and a memory for storing the calculated data, and supplies print data of different print sizes to a print unit. The video printer according to claim 1, wherein the video printer comprises: 3. An image memory for storing an input video signal for one screen, a reading circuit for reading out the video signal stored in the image memory for each line, and printing on a printing sheet in sequence according to the read video data. A print unit, a print data control circuit for calculating and supplying a plurality of print data of the same image of a fixed size or different sizes to the print unit, and a layout display circuit for displaying the layout of the print of the same image. A video printer characterized in that 4. The layout display circuit includes a semiconductor memory having a depth of 1 bit for storing a video signal and a composite sync signal forming circuit for forming a composite sync signal from the video signal, and a display is switched by a switch. The video printer according to claim 3. 5. The video printer according to claim 4, wherein the layout display circuit rewrites the contents of the semiconductor memory to display a character display and a print layout display in a superimposed manner. 6. An image memory for storing an input video signal for one screen, a reading circuit for reading out the video signal stored in the image memory for each line, and printing on a printing paper sequentially according to the read video data. The number of printing dots of the printing head is larger than the number of vertical constituent pixels of the image memory, and the number of printing lines of the printing paper is larger than the number of horizontal constituent pixels of the image memory. A video printer characterized by the above. 7. Printing data for reading out the video data of the same line from the image memory a plurality of times at a printing time for each line of the printing unit and supplying the printing data of a plurality of the same images of a predetermined size designated to the printing unit. 7. The video printer according to claim 6, further comprising a control circuit. 8. The print data control circuit has a calculation circuit for calculating print data of a specified print size and a memory for storing the calculated data, and supplies print data of different print sizes to a print unit. The video printer according to claim 7, wherein the video printer comprises: