JPH06328792A - Recording method and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a recording method and an apparatus therefor capable of efficiently realizing the parallel processing of both recording processing by running a carriage and data receiving processing. CONSTITUTION:Record data received from a host computer 100 are successively pattern-expanded to be stored in a print buffer 202, and recording sheet feed instructions to be received as record data are stored in a print buffer management table 203, together with control information, in the order of reception of the instructions. It is then determined whether a pattern which is recorded by one scanning of a carriage is stored for one scanning or the feed instructions are stored in parallel with the pattern expansion. When the pattern which is recorded by one scanning of the carriage is stored for one scanning, record for one scanning is performed by running the carriage and, when the feed instructions are stored, the feed quantity of the recording sheets is calculated on the basis of the control information, and operation is conducted so as to feed the recording sheets.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording method and apparatus for scanning a carriage equipped with a recording head to record an image on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional recording apparatus such as a serial printer, a line memory for storing print data for one line (for one main scan) or a main memory is used as a buffer memory for storing print data. Only a print buffer for storing print pattern data and the like sent from a host computer or the like in parallel with the print processing in the scanning direction is provided. Therefore, such a buffer memory alone does not store the data for controlling the print processing in the sub-scanning direction, and the print processing in the sub-scanning direction is performed by, for example, a line feed code or a line feed at the end of data printing for one main scan. It was carried out by doing.

In such a serial printer, even if a recording paper of a size different from the size information of the recording medium (recording paper) set in advance for the print data is set, it is adjusted to the paper size. By performing a line feed, the operation control in the sub-scanning direction can be performed, so that the printer control can be performed according to the actually set recording paper.

[0004]

However, in such a serial printer, when the print data includes a pattern with many decorations, when the pattern is generated and stored in the line memory, the printing operation in the main scanning direction is performed. Also, the recording paper feeding operation in the sub-scanning direction may stop. Also, every time the print pattern for one line developed in the dot image is stored, the CP controlling the recording device is stored.
The operation efficiency was poor, such as U entering the standby state.

On the other hand, in a page printer typified by a laser beam printer or the like, information regarding the sub-scanning direction of print data is stored when a print pattern is stored in a page buffer prepared to store print data for one page. It is referenced and stored. Therefore, if a recording paper of a size smaller than the size of the print data expanded in the page buffer is set, the protruding portion is not printed and the print data is lost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and an object of the present invention is to provide a recording method and apparatus capable of efficiently realizing a parallel process of a process of running a carriage for recording and a data receiving process. To do.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the recording apparatus of the present invention has the following constitution. That is,
A recording device for moving a carriage equipped with a recording head to record on a recording medium, comprising: a pattern storage unit for sequentially developing a pattern of recording data received from an external device and storing the pattern; and a recording medium received as the recording data. The sub-scanning information storage means for storing the carrying command together with the control information in the received order, and the pattern to be printed by one scanning of the carriage for one scanning are stored in parallel with the pattern development, or the carrying command is issued. Determination means for determining whether or not it is stored, and a recording means for moving the carriage to perform recording for one scanning when a pattern for recording by one scanning of the carriage is stored for one scanning, When a command is stored, a transporter that transports the recording medium by calculating the transport amount of the recording medium based on the control information. With the door.

In order to achieve the above object, the recording method of the present invention includes the following steps. That is, it is a recording method in which a carriage equipped with a recording head is run to record on a recording medium, and a step of sequentially developing a pattern of recording data received from an external device and storing the pattern, A step of storing the transport command together with the control information in the order of reception, and in parallel with the pattern development, whether the pattern to be printed by one scan of the carriage is stored for one scan or the transport command is stored. And a step of recording a pattern to be printed by one scan of the carriage for one scan, a step of running the carriage to print for one scan, and a step of storing the transport command. Calculating a carry amount of the recording medium based on the control information and carrying the recording medium.

[0009]

With the above-described configuration, the print data received from the external device is sequentially developed into patterns and stored in the pattern storage means, and the recording medium transport command received as the print data is stored together with the control information in the received order. . In addition, in parallel with this pattern development, whether the pattern to be printed by one scanning of the carriage is stored for one scanning,
Alternatively, it is determined whether or not the carrying instruction is stored, and when the pattern to be printed by one scanning of the carriage is stored for one scanning, the carriage is moved to perform printing for one scanning and the carrying instruction is stored. When the recording medium is being operated, the recording medium conveyance amount is calculated based on the control information, and the recording medium is conveyed.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic arrangement of the serial printer of this embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a host computer which is an external device, and print data including character codes for printing and various function codes (line feed, page break, vertical tab, etc.) is printed by the printer of this embodiment. It is outputting. Reference numeral 101 denotes an input / output interface unit, which is a host computer 10
Various communication controls are executed with 0, and the print data transferred from the host computer 100 is received and input. Reference numeral 102 denotes a CPU that controls the entire printer device.
The entire apparatus is controlled according to various control programs stored in the OM 103. ROM103 is CP
The control program executed by U102 and various character patterns are stored.

Reference numeral 104 denotes a RAM, which is a print position 201 indicating which position on the recording sheet the current print position corresponds to, a print buffer 202, sub-scanning control information, and a print buffer management table 20.
3, a print buffer 202 for a plurality of lines, a vertical tab table, a vertical tab table area 204 including a vertical tab table save area, and the like, and is also used as a work area of the CPU 102. An input / output controller 105 includes a carriage motor driver 107, a paper feed motor driver 108, and a control signal from the CPU 102.
The head driver 106 is driven. Furthermore, signals from the paper sensor 112 and the home position sensor 113 are also
It is input to the CPU 102 via the controller 105.

The recording head 109 is a recording head such as an ink jet head, and is mounted on a carriage and conveyed in the main scanning direction. Reference numeral 110 denotes a carriage motor, which is used as a drive source for carrying the carriage having the recording head 109 in the main scanning direction. 11
Reference numeral 1 denotes a recording paper conveyance motor, which is rotationally driven at the time of line feed, page break, vertical tab, or the like, and is used to convey the recording paper in the sub-scanning direction. The paper sensor 112 detects the presence or absence of recording paper, detects the size of the recording paper that is set, and detects the size of the recording paper through the input / output controller 105.
It is transmitted to the PU 102. In this way, the CPU 102 can detect the size of the currently loaded recording paper.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the construction of the printing section of a serial printer to which this embodiment can be applied.

In FIG. 2, the driving force transmission gears 5011 and 5009 are interlocked with the forward and reverse rotations of the carriage motor 110.
Spiral groove 5 of the lead screw 5005 rotating through
The carriage HC is engaged with 004, and the carriage HC is rotated by the forward and reverse rotations of the carriage motor 110.
Is reciprocated in the directions of arrows a and b. This carriage H
Ink C is equipped with an inkjet cartridge IJC. A paper pressing plate 5002 presses the recording paper P against the platen 5000 in the moving direction of the carriage HC. Reference numerals 5007 and 5008 denote photocouplers as the home position sensor 113, which confirm the presence of the lever 5006 of the carriage HC at this position,
The home position is detected in order to change the rotation direction of the carriage motor 110. Reference numeral 5016 denotes a cap member 502 that caps the front surface of the recording head 109.
Reference numeral 5015 is a member for supporting the inside of the cap, and 5015 is a suction means for sucking the inside of the cap. Reference numeral 5017 is a cleaning blade, and 5019 is a member that allows this blade to move in the front-rear direction, and these are supported by a main body support plate 5018. Needless to say, a well-known cleaning blade can be applied to this example instead of this form. Reference numeral 5012 denotes a lever for starting suction for suction recovery, which moves in accordance with the movement of the cam 5020 that engages with the carriage, and the movement of the driving force from the driving motor is controlled by a known transmission means such as clutch switching. To be done.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured such that when the carriage HC comes to the area on the home position side, the desired processing can be performed at the corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005. As long as the desired operation is performed at a known timing, any of these can be applied to this example.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of the use of the print buffer in the serial printer of this embodiment. The print buffer 202 stores pattern data to be printed in block units with vertical tabs or page breaks as block delimiters. In each block, the line feed code is processed to determine the position information for storing the print pattern.

In FIG. 3, 330 is a printed 1
The print result of a page is shown. The print data of one page is divided into blocks by vertical tabs. Three
Reference numeral 34 indicates image data corresponding to the print result of the block 331 (block 1), and reference numeral 335 indicates the block 33.
Image data corresponding to the print result of 2 (block 2) is shown, and 336 is image data corresponding to the print result of block 333 (block 3).
Further, the page 330 and the page 340 are separated by a page feed code.

FIG. 4 shows the print buffer management table 20.
It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of FIG. In this embodiment, vertical tabs, page breaks or continuous line feeds are used as control information in the sub-scanning direction. This sub-scanning control information is stored in the print buffer management table 2
Positioning processing in the sub-scanning direction to the position of the next block is added to the end portion of the block of block 03. Each item of the print buffer management table 203 has a one-to-one correspondence with the image data of each block of the print buffer 202, and the management table 203 is used in a ring shape.

In FIG. 4, the data structure of the in-block number 301 of the print buffer management table 203 is shown, and on the right side thereof, a pointer indicating the address where the corresponding image data of the print buffer 202 is stored is stored. ing. Now, for example, in block 1, when the data of the portion to be printed in the main scan of the first carriage HC is prepared, 36 of the management table 203 is set.
The pointer is set so as to indicate the intra-block number indicated by 0, and the print buffer 202 in which the corresponding image data 303 is stored by referring to the pointer 302 to the print buffer corresponding to the intra-block number.
Address is read, and image data is read from this address and sent to the recording head 109 in synchronization with the scanning of the carriage HC. When the main scanning is completed and the printing of one line is completed, all the in-block numbers of 360 are set to "1" (indicating that printing is completed).

In this way, the image data of the block 1 is sequentially printed, and the most significant bit (MS
B) When the block end code in which 310 is set to "1" is found, the printing of the block ends. Then, the paper feed is executed in accordance with the value designated by the block number 311 and the like, and the paper is fed to the print start position of the block 2.

The data structure of the block number column will be described. If the MSB 310 is "0", it indicates "continuation".
At that time, in the column 311, a numerical value indicating the number of line in the block is entered. MSB310 is "1"
If this is the case, "end" is indicated, and at this time, if the column 311 is "page break", "0" and "currently set paper length"
Is "vertical tab", "1" and "vertical tab table pointer" is "continuous line feed", "paper feed amount"
Are set respectively.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the arrangement of the vertical tab table 400.

The counter 401 located at the top of the table 400 receives a vertical tab command corresponding to the table 400, and receives the print buffer management table 20.
When the pointer to the tab table is set to 3, the counter is incremented (+1). Then, when the vertical tab is executed and the paper feed is executed, the countdown (-1) is performed. Thus, when the content of the counter 401 becomes "0" by the countdown, the tab table 400
Disappears. A terminal symbol is set in the final area of each of these vertical tab tables.

Based on the above configuration, the operation of the printer apparatus of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. The control programs shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 are stored in the ROM 103.

In the printer of this embodiment, when a continuous line feed command, a page break command, or a vertical tab command is received, one block in the print buffer 202 ends.
A data receiving program (flowchart in FIG. 6) that develops and stores a pattern in the print buffer 202 in accordance with print data and instructions from the host computer 100, and drives each driver via the controller 105 to be developed in the print buffer 202. It operates independently of the print processing program (flowcharts in FIGS. 7 and 8) that transfers the image data to the recording head 109 to perform printing. The print processing program shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is initially started by a start trigger from the data reception processing program (FIG. 6), but thereafter operates asynchronously with the data reception processing due to time division or interruption. I shall.

In FIG. 6, first, in step S1, it is judged whether or not the data from the host computer 100 is received by the input / output interface section 101. When the data is received, the process proceeds to step S2, and the received data is input to input the character data. (Character code) to determine whether. If it is a character code, the process proceeds to step S3, and CPU1
02 is a ROM according to the transferred character data
The corresponding character pattern is read from 103, and after being subjected to processing such as character decoration, it is written as a print pattern (image data) in the print buffer 202 of the RAM 104.

When the character code is not the character code in step S2, the process proceeds to step S4, it is determined whether it is a line feed code, and if it is a line feed code, the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, it is determined whether or not the line feed code was the last time. If not, the process proceeds to step S6, and the address to write the image data of the next line in the print buffer 202 (this is stored in the pointer 302 of the printer buffer management table). ). Then, in step S7, the RAM 1 is used to instruct the print processing program to start printing.
The print flag 206 of 04 is turned on. After this line feed, when the next character data is received, the in-block number 301 (the most significant bit is set to "0" and the in-block number set) and the pointer 302 to the print buffer are stored in the print buffer management table 203, The character code is expanded into a character pattern, and the expanded pattern data is stored from the address designated by the pointer 302 of the print buffer 303.

If the line feed code was also the previous one in step S5, the process proceeds to step S8 and the block internal number 301
In addition to setting the most significant bit of "1" to indicate the end of the block, a value "2" indicating that the line feed code is continuous is set in the column 311, and as the sub-scanning control information,
Set the currently set paper feed amount. When the line feed code continues, the paper feed amount of the sub-scanning control information stored in the column 311 is added and stored each time. When this process ends, the process returns to step S1.

If it is not a line feed code, the flow advances to step S9 to judge whether it is a page break code. If the code is a page break code, the process advances to step S10 to set the most significant bit of the intra-block number 301 to "1" to indicate the end of the block, and set a value "0" indicating a page break in the column 311. As the scan control information, the length of the sheet detected by the sheet sensor 112 at that time is set. Then, the process proceeds to step S7, and the print flag 206 is turned on.

If it is not the page feed code, step S9.
From step S11, it is determined whether a vertical tab code is received. When the vertical tab code is received, the process proceeds to step S12, in which the most significant bit of the intra-block number 301 is set to "1" to indicate the end of the block, and at the same time, the value "1" indicating the vertical tab is set in the column 311. Then, as the sub-scanning control information, a pointer pointing to the vertical tab table 400 set at that time is set. Next, in step S13, the content of the counter 401 located at the top of the vertical tab table 400 is incremented. Then, the process proceeds to step S7.

The above operation does not change even if the print position when the page break code and the vertical tab code is received is the head of the block.

When the vertical tab table update command is received in step S14, the process proceeds to step S16, the counter 401 of the vertical tab table 400 currently in use is checked, and if the value of the counter 401 is "0", it is left as it is. The current vertical table is updated (step S18). If it is not "0", there is a vertical tab that has not been executed yet in the vertical tab table 400, so the next vertical tab table is created in a new area of the vertical tab table area 204 (step S17). . If it is not the vertical tab table update command in step S14, the process proceeds to step S15, and the process according to the input command is executed.

The above is the description of the operation of the data reception process.

Next, the operation of the print processing program executed in parallel with the above-mentioned data receiving operation will be described.

This program starts with step S21.
To determine if the print flag 206 is set,
If it is set, the process proceeds to step S22, the print flag 206 is turned off, and the in-block number 301 of the print buffer management table 203 is referred to so that the amount of print data stored in the print buffer 202 is 1
It is determined whether or not the amount of data to be printed has been reached by the single print processing in the main scanning direction (step S2).
3). To explain this determination process in more detail, the block internal number 301 is read, and if all the bits are "1", the next block internal number 301 is considered to have already been processed. If the most significant (MSB) bit 310 is "0", it is determined that the character pattern data to be continuously printed in the current block is stored in the print buffer 202, and the process proceeds to step S24. Also, MSB3
If 10 is "1", it means the end code of the current block, and therefore the process proceeds from step S28 to step S29 to read the end factor.

If the data that can be printed by one main scan is stored in the print buffer 202, the process proceeds to step S24, the carriage motor 110 is started to rotate through the input / output controller 105, and the carriage HC is started to travel. The head driver 106 drives the recording head 109 to perform a printing operation. When the print processing for one scan is completed in this way, step S2
In step S26, the carriage return is executed to feed the recording paper by a predetermined amount according to the recording width. Then, in step S27, the print position 2
01 is updated, and the process proceeds to step S44 to set all the bits of the in-block number of this question to "1" and store that it has been processed.

On the other hand, when there is no data for one scan in step S23, the process proceeds to step S28 and the block number 30
When 1 is a code indicating the end of the block, the process proceeds to step S29, and it is determined what the end factor of the block is. First, in step S29, if the termination factor is a page break (= 0), the process proceeds to step S30, and the position information stored in the print position 201 is subtracted from the paper length set in the sub-scanning control information. Calculate the amount of paper feed for page breaks. Then, the process proceeds to step S38, and paper feeding is performed. The processing after step S38 will be described later.

On the other hand, if the end factor is not a page break in step S29, the process proceeds to step S31, and it is determined whether the end factor is a vertical tab (= 1). If it is a vertical tab, the process proceeds to step S32, and the pointer to the vertical tab table set in the sub-scanning control information 302 is referred to. In this way, the position information set in the vertical tab table (arranged in ascending order) and the current print position (position from the top of the paper) are sequentially compared, and the current position (print position 201) is exceeded and the current position is exceeded. Determines if there is a vertical tab position in the vertical tab table that is closest to. If it exists, the process proceeds from step S33 to step S35, and the difference obtained by subtracting the current print position from the vertical tab position information is determined as the paper feed amount. Then, the process proceeds to step S36, the value of the counter 401 is decremented by 1, and the process proceeds to step S38.

If there is no corresponding vertical tab position in the vertical tab table in step S33, the process proceeds to step S34, the line feed amount set as the normal paper feed amount is set as the paper feed amount, and step S38 is performed. Proceed to. The value of the counter 401 is "0" in step S36.
When it becomes, it is considered that all the vertical tabs corresponding to the vertical tab table have been executed, and the table is released.

Further, if the end factor of the block is not a vertical tab in step S31, the process proceeds to step S37. In this case, the end factor is continuous line feed (= 2). In this case, since the paper feed amount is set as the sub-scanning control information, the value is used as it is to carry out the paper feed in step S38. In this way, the paper feed is started in step S38, and it is determined whether or not the paper sensor 112 detects the paper out in step S39. If the paper is out, the process proceeds to step S42, and the paper amount set in advance is set. Determine if the feed is complete. When the paper feeding is completed in this way, the print position 20 is set in step S43.
1 is updated and the process proceeds to step S44, and the corresponding in-block number at that time is set to all bits "1" to set that it has been processed.

When there is no paper in step S39, the process proceeds to step S40, waits for a new paper to be set, and then proceeds to step S41. In step S41, the print position 201 is initialized to the upper end position of the sheet, and the vertical tab table pointer and the like are initialized. Then, the process proceeds to step S44, and all bits "1" indicating that the processing has been completed are set in the area of the in-block number 301 of the print buffer management table 203. If the paper sensor 112 detects that there is no paper in the middle of the paper feeding operation, the paper feeding processing is interrupted, but the interrupted paper feeding operation is invalid.

As described above, the in-block number 301 of the print buffer management table 203 is sequentially checked,
By executing the printing process in the main scanning direction and the sheet feeding in the sub scanning direction according to the contents, the printing process and the data reception can be efficiently executed in parallel.

Information on the vertical tab position and the paper length is stored until the vertical tab and page break are actually processed.
Paper feeding in the sub-scanning direction can be performed without expanding the print pattern in the print buffer in synchronization with the end of the print processing operation.

In this embodiment, the serial ink jet printer has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is applied to various printers such as a thermal printer, a thermal transfer printer and a wire dot printer. Of course you can.

The present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of a single device. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to the case where it is achieved by supplying a program for implementing the present invention to a system or an apparatus.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the serial printer can efficiently perform the data receiving process and the printing process in parallel.

[0049]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that the parallel processing of the processing of traveling the carriage for recording and the data receiving processing can be efficiently realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a serial printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view illustrating a configuration of a printing unit of the serial printer device according to the present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between a print result and an image stored in a print buffer in the printer device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a print buffer management table in the printer device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a vertical tab table in the printer apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a data receiving process in the printer device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a print process in the printer apparatus of this embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a print process in the printer apparatus of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 host computer 101 input / output interface unit 102 CPU 103 ROM 104 RAM 105 input / output controller 109 recording head 110 carriage motor 112 paper sensor 201 print position 202 print buffer 203 print management table 204 vertical tab table area 206 print flag

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A printing method for running a carriage equipped with a print head to print on a print medium, comprising a step of successively developing a pattern of print data received from an external device and storing the print data. A step of storing a conveyance instruction of a recording medium together with control information in the order of reception, and in parallel with the pattern development, a pattern to be recorded by one scanning of the carriage is stored for one scanning, or the conveyance instruction is stored. Whether the pattern is printed by one scan of the carriage is stored for one scan, the carriage is run to print for one scan, and the transport command is stored. And a step of calculating the carry amount of the recording medium based on the control information and carrying the recording medium. Recording method. 2. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the transport command includes at least one of a vertical tab command, a page break command, and a continuous line feed command. 3. The control information is size information of a recording medium in case of a page break command, and information instructing a tab position to execute a vertical tab in case of a vertical tab command. Recording method. 4. A printing apparatus for running a carriage equipped with a print head to print on a print medium, comprising pattern storage means for sequentially expanding and storing print data received from an external device, and receiving as print data. A sub-scanning information storage unit that stores the recording medium conveyance command together with the control information in the order in which it is received; and whether a pattern to be printed by one scanning of the carriage is stored for one scanning in parallel with the pattern development. Alternatively, if a determination unit that determines whether the transport instruction is stored and a pattern that is printed by one scan of the carriage is stored for one scan, the carriage is moved to perform printing for one scan. And a recording medium, the recording medium is configured to calculate a conveyance amount of the recording medium on the basis of the control information. Recording apparatus characterized by having a conveying means for conveying.