JPH0584976A - Line feed control method for serial dot printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily raise the resolusion in line feed by increasing the number of pins of a printing head in a serial dot printer. CONSTITUTION:In addition to pins (the 1st pin-the 24th pin) normally used on a printing head in a serial dot printer, a plurality of pins (the 25th pin-the 27th pin) are used. In this manner, when a line feed less than a minimum line feed amount (1/45 inch) of a line feed mechanism is instructed, a resolution increased to the minimum line feed amount of the line feed mechanism or higher is obtained by printing a printing image with a downward shift of one dot (1/180 inch gap) or several dots.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a line feed control system for a serial dot printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional serial dot printer, for example, a printer having 24 pins and a pin interval of 1/180 inch has a minimum line feed width mechanism when the vertical resolution is 1/180 inch. It was 1/180 inch.

[0003]

In this conventional line feed control method, when the vertical resolution is small, the line feed mechanism must also operate at a fine pitch, and conversely when feeding a long line. There was a problem that the line feed speed of became slow. Also, due to rattling of gears,
There was also a problem that it was difficult to obtain accuracy when a fine line was broken.

[0004]

A line feed control method for a serial dot printer according to the present invention is a line feed mechanism in which a line feed mechanism is provided with a plurality of pins for printing a print image on a print head. The plurality of pins are arranged at equal intervals at a distance shorter than the minimum line feed pitch of the mechanism, and more than the predetermined number required to print one print image, and the predetermined number of consecutive pins from the plurality of pins are provided. By printing the print image by selecting the pins of while shifting any number of pins,
This is a configuration that realizes a resolution in the line feed direction that is higher than that realized by the line feed mechanism.

[0005]

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between the arrangement of pins and the line feed pitch of the print head according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the number of pins of the print head is 25, and the pin interval is 1/180.
The inch and minimum line feed pitch are 1/90 inch. Normally, when printing is performed, a total of 24 pins from the first pin 101 to the 24th pin 124 of this print head are used.

In this configuration, the vertical resolution is 1 /
When the line feed pitch is 180 inches, the line feed pitch is 1/90 inch. Therefore, for example, when a line feed command of 1/180 inch is requested from the host device, mechanical line feed (paper feed) cannot be performed. Here, the image to be printed without changing the line position in the vertical direction (that is, without executing the line feed) in order to artificially perform a line feed of 1/180 inch is 1
Printing is performed by shifting the pin downward. That is, printing is performed using the range from the second pin 102 to the 25th pin 125 of the print head. This is illustrated in the print image of FIG. The left side of FIG. 2 shows a print image of the first line, and the right side of the second line after a 1/180 inch line feed.
The image of the line is shown. In the image of the second line, the print pattern is shifted downward by one dot as compared with the first line, that is, 1/180 which is the pin interval.
The result is the same as the line break in inches.

When a line feed of (N × 2 + 1) / 180 inches (odd steps) is instructed, for example, N = 2.
In case of (5/180 inch), as shown in FIG.
First, a line feed of N / 90 inches (2/90 inches) is performed, and then a one-dot printing image is shifted to print (N × 2 + 1) / 180 inches (5/18).
You can get the same result as if you did a line break of 0 inch.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the arrangement of pins and the line feed pitch of the print head according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the number of pins of the print head is 27, and the pin interval is 1/180.
The inch and minimum line feed pitch are 1/45 inch. Normally, when printing is performed, a total of 24 pins from the first pin 201 to the 24th pin 224 of this print head are used.

In this configuration, the vertical resolution is 1 /
If it is 180 inches, the line feed pitch is 1/45 inch, so for example from 1/180 inch to 3/1
When a line feed command with a width in the range of 80 inches is requested from the host device, a functional line feed cannot operate. Here, for example, a line feed of 1/180 inch is artificially performed, so that the image to be printed is shifted by one pin downward without changing the line position in the vertical direction (that is, without performing a line feed). That is, printing is performed using the range from the second pin 202 to the 25th pin 225 of the print head. This is illustrated in the print image of FIG. The left side of FIG. 5 shows the print image of the first line, and the right side is 1/18.
The image of the second line after a 0-inch line feed is shown. The image on the second line shows that the print pattern is shifted downward by 1 dot as a whole compared to the first line, that is, the same result as the line feed of 1/180 inch which is the pin interval. Become. Similarly, a line feed of 2/180 or 3/180 inch can be realized by shifting the image downward by 2 pins or 3 pins and printing the image.

When a line feed of (N × 4 + 1) / 180 inches is instructed, for example, when N = 2 (9/180 inches), as shown in FIG. 6, first, N / 45 inches ( After the line feed of 2/45 inch) is performed, the one-dot print image is shifted to print (N
It is possible to obtain the same result as that when a line feed of * 4 + 1) / 180 inches (5/180 inches) is performed. Similarly, (N × 4 + 2) / 180 inches, (N × 4 + 3) / 18
A 0-inch line feed can also be realized by operating a N / 45-inch line feed and then shifting the print image downward by 2 dots or 3 dots for printing.

Generally, if the required vertical line feed resolution and printhead pin spacing are the same,
When the number of pins of the print head is set to be N more than usual, the minimum line feed amount that can be realized by the line feed mechanism is N + 1 times the resolution. For example, if the resolution and the pin spacing are 1/180 inch, and the number of printhead pins is one, the minimum line feed amount is 1/180 inch, which is twice 1 /
The minimum line feed amount for 90 inches and two more printhead pins may be 1/60 inch, which is three times 1/180 inch.

[0013]

As described above, according to the present invention, the minimum line feed amount that can be realized by the line feed mechanism can be increased by adding the number of pins of the print head in the vertical direction. This has the effect of increasing the line feed accuracy in the direction. It also has the effect of improving the line feed speed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of pins of a print head according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a print image for explaining a line feed of 1/180 inch in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a print image for explaining a line feed of 5/180 inches according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of pins of a print head according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a printing image for explaining a line feed of 1/180 inch in the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a print image for explaining a 9/180 inch line feed in the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101,201 1st pin 102,202 2nd pin 124,224 24th pin 125,225 25th pin

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A serial dot printer having a plurality of pins for printing a print image on a print head and performing line feed by a line feed mechanism, wherein the line feeds are arranged at equal intervals in the line feed direction at a distance shorter than the minimum line feed pitch of the line feed mechanism, and A plurality of pins, which are more than the predetermined number required to print one print image, are provided, and the predetermined number of consecutive pins are selected from the plurality of pins while shifting the desired number of pins to select the print image. A line feed control method for a serial dot printer, which achieves a line feed resolution higher than that achieved by the line feed mechanism by printing.