JPH106551A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a printing time to achieve high speed printing by performing printing processing by a plurality of laser beams corresponding to a plurality of printing data outputted from an image controller receiving image data from a host apparatus. SOLUTION: The image data (a) from a host apparatus 1 is divided into image data (b) of odd-numbered lines and image data (c) of evennumbered lines by a dividing part 2. A controller 20 inputs image data (b), (c) to output them as a plurality of printing data (d), (e). A printer engine 5 inputs the printing data (d), (e) to emit laser beams (g), (h) from a laser apparatus 12 having laser beam sources 10, 11 to perform printing processing. Therefore, the printing time from the input of image data to printing is shortened to increase a printing speed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer device, and more particularly, to a printer device capable of shortening a printing time from inputting image data to performing a printing process to speed up printing.

[0001]

2. Description of the Related Art As disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-353476, one image controller inputs image data output from a host device such as a personal computer.
The data is sequentially taken into the image data storage device. The image controller measures the timing with a horizontal synchronization signal, a vertical synchronization signal, and a video clock, and outputs the captured image data to the printer engine as print data. The printer engine is adapted to output the print data corresponding to the output data.
Print processing is performed using two laser beams.

[0002]

In recent years, in order to shorten the transfer time of image data from the host device and reduce the memory for storing the image data, the transfer data is often compressed and transferred. It is required to process the data quickly after receiving the data.

However, in a conventional printer device, image data output from a host device is fetched into an image data storage device in one image controller, and 1
All the image data for the page was output to the printer engine as print data, and the printing process was performed using one laser beam, so the data processing load per unit time became large, and printing was performed after inputting the image data There is a problem that it takes time to do so.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and a printing apparatus capable of shortening a printing time and increasing a printing speed by performing a printing process using a plurality of laser beams. The purpose is to provide.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a printer apparatus which receives image data output from a host apparatus, outputs the image data as a plurality of print data, and print data output from the image controller. And printing means for performing a printing process using a plurality of laser beams.

According to the present invention, printing is performed by a plurality of laser beams corresponding to a plurality of print data, so that printing can be performed at high speed.

When the image controller comprises a plurality of image controllers for inputting a plurality of divided image data, the load of data processing per unit time in each image data controller can be reduced.

Preferably, the printing means reflects a plurality of laser beams by one polygon mirror and simultaneously irradiates the recording medium. Further, a print data output control means for transmitting a start signal to the image controller based on a signal from the print means and controlling output of print data to the print means may be provided.

The printer device of the present invention also receives an odd-numbered line of image data from among the image data output from the host device, and outputs an odd-numbered line image data and prints out even-numbered line image data. The odd line and the even line are simultaneously processed by two laser beams corresponding to the image controller for the even line outputting the print data and the image controller for the odd line and the image controller for the even line. And a print data output control means for transmitting a start signal to the image controller for odd lines and the image controller for even lines based on a signal from the print means, and controlling output of print data to the print means. When,
It is characterized by having.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a printer device of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a printer apparatus A of the present invention comprises an image data dividing section for dividing image data a output from a host apparatus 1 into odd line image data b and even line image data c. 2, an image controller 20 for inputting image data b and c and outputting as a plurality of print data d and e, a printer engine 5 (printing means) for inputting print data d and e for print processing, and an image controller And a start timing creation circuit 6 for sending a start signal f to the start timing generation circuit 20.

The host device 1 is a personal computer that outputs image data a to the printer device A, an office computer, a word processor, a data processing device,
An external device such as an image processing device.

The image data dividing unit 2 is a host device 1
While fetching the image data a for one page output from, the one-line width counter 7 is referred to and divided into odd-line image data b and even-line image data c.

The image controller receives the odd-line image data b and outputs it as print data d. The odd-line image controller 3 receives the even-line image data c and outputs it as print data e. A line image controller 4.

Odd line image controller 3
Is for storing the odd-numbered lines of image data b output from the image data dividing unit 2 in the image data storage device 8 and outputting the same to the printer engine 5 as print data d. Image controller 4 for even lines
Stores the image data c of the even-numbered lines output from the image dividing unit 2 in the image data storage device 9 and outputs the same to the printer engine 5 as print data e.

The printer engine 5 emits laser beams g and h from a laser device 12 having two laser beam sources 10 and 11, and performs a printing process.

The start timing generating circuit 6 counts a margin by the horizontal synchronizing signal i from the printer engine 5 and transmits a start signal f to the odd-line image controller 3 and the even-line image controller 4 after the top margin count is completed. Then, output control of print data is performed.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the odd-line image controller 3 and the image data storage device 8 in more detail.

As shown in FIG. 5, the odd line image controller 3 includes a left margin counter 30 for counting the left margin of the print line, a line width counter 31 for counting the line width of the print line, Counter 32 that counts
An image data output control unit 33 for generating an output enable signal p based on signals from 0, 31, and 32; and a plurality of registers 34 (four registers of a first register to a fourth register in the present embodiment). The image data storage device 8 receives the output enable signal p from the image data output control unit 33 and outputs print data d to the printer engine 5, and controls writing to each register 34 in the image data storage device 8. And an image data input switching circuit 35 for performing the operation.

The output enable signal p is stopped while the left margin counter 30 is counting, is generated while the line width counter 31 is counting, and repeats its generation until the page counter 32 finishes counting.

Register 3 in image data storage device 8
4 is, for example, a one-word register for image data 32
Stores bits.

In FIG. 5, the top margin counter 4
0 indicates that the margin is counted by the horizontal synchronization signal i from the printer engine 5, and after the counting is completed,
A top margin count end signal m is transmitted to the start timing creation circuit 6.

The image controller unit 4 for even lines and the image data storage device 9 are the same as the image controller unit 3 for odd lines and the image data storage device 8 described above.
It is configured similarly to.

Next, the operation of the printer A of the present invention will be described.

When the vertical synchronizing signal request signal j is output from the printer engine 5, the start timing generating circuit 6 which has received the request outputs the vertical synchronizing signal k to the printer engine 5. And the top margin counter 4
In the case of 0, the top margin is counted by the horizontal synchronization signal i from the printer engine 5, and after the count is completed, the top margin count end signal m is transmitted to the start timing creation circuit 6 (see FIG. 5).

After the end of the top margin counting, the start timing creation circuit 6 generates a start signal f created by sampling the vertical synchronizing signal (see FIG. 6).
The image data is transmitted to the odd-line image controller 3 and the even-line image controller 4. This start signal f
Accordingly, the odd-line image controller 3 converts the odd-line image data b of the image data a output from the host device 1 into the image data dividing unit 2.
, And stores the image data in the image data storage device 8. The even-line image controller 4 requests the even-line image data c and stores it in the image data storage device 9.

The image data device 8 (9) has a plurality of registers 34.
4 is loaded with image data. At this time, the writing control to the plurality of registers 34 is performed by the image data input switching circuit 35. The image data input switching circuit 35 switches the image data input to the second register when the area of the first register of the register 34 is full, to the third register when the area of the second register is full, and so on. I do.

In the odd-line image controller 3 and the even-line image controller 4, a rest margin counter 30, a line width counter 3
1. The page counter 32 starts counting with the start signal f as a trigger. These counters 30, 3
1 and 32, the image data output control unit 33 creates an output enable signal p, and
Output to (9). Then, the image data storage device 8 (9) that has received the output enable signal p transmits the print data d (e) to the printer engine 5 while the signal is enabled.
Output to

When printing is started, print data is sequentially output from the first register of the registers 34.
For example, when the data in the first register runs out, the image data is written to the first register while the print data of the second register is being output, and when the data in the second register runs out, the printing of the third register starts. A loop operation is performed such that image data is written to the second register while data is being output.

The printer engine 5 which has received the print data d and e operates the laser device 12 (see FIG. 1),
From two laser beam sources 10, 11, print data d,
The laser beams g and h modulated according to e are emitted simultaneously. The emitted laser beams g and h are reflected by one polygon mirror 13 (see FIG. 2) and irradiated on the photosensitive drum 14 (see FIG. 3). Polygon mirror 1
3 is rotated at a predetermined number of revolutions by the motor 15, so that the laser beams g and h are scanned in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 14, and are irradiated onto the photosensitive film of the photosensitive drum 14 by two lines. A latent image is formed on the surface, and as a result, printing processing is performed for every two lines (see FIG. 4).

According to the present invention, the image data a is divided by the two image controllers 3 and 4, and the printing process is performed by the two laser beams g and h. The time can be reduced, and the printing speed can be increased. Further, the load of data processing per unit time on each of the image controller units 3 and 4 can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the technical scope described in the claims.

For example, in the present embodiment, the image controller 20 includes the odd-numbered line image controller 3 and the even-numbered line image controller 4, but is not limited thereto, and has three or more image controllers. Then, printing processing may be performed using three or more laser beams.

The image controller does not necessarily need to have a plurality of image controller units. For example, one image controller inputs image data, writes the image data into a plurality of buffer memories, and reads a plurality of print data from the buffer memory. May be output simultaneously.

[0035]

According to the present invention, since a printing process is performed by a plurality of laser beams corresponding to a plurality of printing data, a printing time from inputting image data to printing can be shortened, and printing can be shortened. Higher speed can be achieved.

When the image controller is composed of a plurality of image controller sections for inputting a plurality of divided image data, the plurality of image controller sections divide the image data and perform image processing.
Since the printing process is performed by a plurality of laser beams, the load of data processing per unit time can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a printer device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which two laser beams are being scanned by a polygon mirror.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state where a laser beam is irradiated on a photosensitive drum.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state where printing processing is performed every two lines by two laser beams.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration inside an image controller.

6 is a waveform diagram showing waveforms of a vertical synchronizing signal, a horizontal synchronizing signal, and a start signal in the block diagram of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

A Printer 1 Host 2 Image data divider 20 Image controller 3 Odd line image controller 4 Even line image controller 5 Printer engine (printing means) 6 Start timing creation circuit (print data output control means) 8 Image data storage Device 9 Image data storage device 12 Laser device a Image data b Image data of odd line c Image data of even line d Print data e Print data

Claims (5)

[Claims] An image controller for inputting image data output from a host device and outputting the data as a plurality of print data, and printing means for performing a printing process using a plurality of laser beams corresponding to the print data output from the image controller. And a printer device comprising: 2. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the image controller comprises a plurality of image controller sections for inputting a plurality of divided image data. 3. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the printing unit reflects a plurality of laser beams by one polygon mirror and simultaneously irradiates the recording medium with the laser beams. 4. A printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a start timing generating means for transmitting a start signal to said image controller based on a signal from said printing means and controlling output of print data to said printing means. 3. The printer according to any one of items 3. 5. An odd line image controller for inputting image data of an odd line among image data output from a host device and outputting the same as print data, and inputting image data of an even line and outputting the same as print data. An image controller for even-numbered lines, and printing means for simultaneously printing odd-numbered lines and even-numbered lines with two laser beams corresponding to print data output from the image controller for odd-numbered lines and the image controller for even-numbered lines, Print data output control means for transmitting a start signal to the odd-line image controller and the even-line image controller based on a signal from the printing means, and controlling output of print data to the printing means. Pudding characterized by that Apparatus.