JPH11305955A - Printer, printer driver, printing system and method for transmitting command data in the system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To economize memory capacity or to improve throughput concerning a print system provided with a printer driver or host as well as a printer by reducing command data transmitted from the host to the printer. SOLUTION: In command data 25', a command group of one unit is composed of one relatively perpendicular position batch designating command 25'a and a group of following continuous 60 pieces of data (60 pieces of ESC data (image data). The command 25'a contains a number '60' of times of data and a perpendicular set value '01' as shown in a figure and after this command, 60 pieces of continuous ESC data (image data) are accompanied with perpendicular position designating (1 dot) processing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer for executing a printing process based on print data input from a host such as a personal computer, a printer driver for driving the printer, and a printing system including the host. In particular, the present invention relates to a technique for transmitting command data from a host including a printer driver to a printer in such a printing system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Such a printing system has been conventionally known as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a host 20 for creating and editing print data, a printer 30 for executing print processing based on print data input from the host 20, and usually further converting an internal processing code of the host 20 to a printer 30 And a printer driver 40 for controlling the code conversion and transmission to the printer 30.

The printer 30 analyzes the command data 25 received from the host 20 and
An analysis / decompression processing unit 32 for developing a raster image based on the image on an image buffer (not shown), a transfer processing unit 36 for transferring the image developed on the image buffer to the print head, and a print head unit 38 Have.
Each functional block such as the analysis / decompression processing unit 32 and the transfer processing unit 36 includes an instruction group (computer program and necessary data) stored in an instruction storage unit such as a ROM (not shown) provided in the printer 30. ), A processing device (CPU, not shown) also provided in the printer 30
Is formed by performing required processing.

In a printing system including such a conventional printer 30, when printing in a raster image mode,
An example of the command data 25 transmitted from the host 20 to the printer 30 is shown in FIG.

[0005] As shown in FIG.
/ P specification raster data command uses ESC. Data [image data], ESC (v 02h 00h
01h 00h) [Relative vertical position designation (1 dot) command], ESC. Data [image data], ESC
(V 02h 00h 01h 00h) [Relative vertical position designation (1 dot) command]... Are transmitted from the host 20 to the printer 30 in this order. The conventional command data is composed of a relative vertical position designation command and image data repetition, as is apparent from FIG.

[0006]

However, in the above-described conventional method of transmitting command data in the raster image mode, the parameter portion indicating the specified vertical position in each relative vertical position specifying command shown in FIG.
02h 00h 01h 00h) in the vertical direction in FIG. The vertical position designation of the data [image data] is repeated with the same value every time (for example, the vertical position designation of the same value is repeated for 60 ESC data [image data]).

[0007] Similar repetition occurs for other parameters than the relative vertical position, such as the horizontal position and the color in the color image data.

Conventionally, there have been many proposals for reducing the data to be transferred in the transfer processing section 36 shown in FIG. 8 or reducing the expanded data in the analysis / decompression processing section 32 to reduce the throughput. But host 2
Command data 25 transmitted from printer 0 to printer 30
Focusing on itself and reducing the command data 25, the memory capacity can be saved or the time required for generating and analyzing the command data 25 can be shortened.
And attempts to improve the throughput of printing systems have been few.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made under the above background, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the command data transmitted from the host to the printer, thereby reducing the size of the command data transmitted from the host to the printer. Another object of the present invention is to reduce the memory capacity or improve the throughput.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the fact that many parts of the above-mentioned conventional command data are constituted by repeating the same parameter values and image data. Is repeated with the same value every time, the above object is achieved by newly providing a command for collectively specifying the parameter values of a plurality of continuous image data groups.

That is, in the command data transmitting method according to the first aspect, at least a part of a raster data command group generated based on a raster image includes a repetition of a parameter command in which the same parameter value as the image data is designated. When a command sequence is included, a parameter value common to a plurality of continuous image data groups is collectively specified, and a collective specification command including information on the number of data of the plurality of continuous image data is generated and transmitted to the printer. It is characterized by doing.

Further, in the printer according to the present invention, the printer is generated when at least a part of a raster data command group based on a raster image includes a command sequence formed by repeating a parameter command specifying the same parameter value as image data. And collectively specifying a parameter value common to a plurality of continuous image data groups, receiving a collective specification command including information on the number of data of the plurality of continuous image data, and analyzing the collective specification command. The method is characterized in that the number of data and the parameter value are obtained, the number of data is counted for a subsequent image data group, and the expansion process is performed until the number of data is reached.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the printer driver, when at least a part of the image data group formed by the host includes repetition of the image data and the same parameter value that defines the image data,
It is characterized in that a parameter value common to a plurality of continuous image data is collectively specified, and a collective specification command including information on the number of data of the plurality of continuous image data is generated.

In a printing system according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in a printing system including a host and a printer that receives image data and commands from the host and performs a printing process, a group of image data formed by the host is provided. When at least part of the image data and the same parameter value that defines the image data are repeated, the host side specifies the parameter values common to a plurality of continuous image data and collectively specifies the parameter values. Generate a batch designation command including information on the number of data of a plurality of image data and send it to the printer,
The printer receives the collective designation command, analyzes the collective designation command, obtains the number of data and the parameter value, and counts the number of data with respect to a subsequent image data group. Until the processing is performed, the processing is performed.

Further, in the recording medium according to the present invention, parameter values common to a plurality of continuous image data groups are collectively designated, and information on the number of data of the plurality of continuous image data is stored. It is characterized in that the collective designation command data and a plurality of image data continuous after the collective designation command are recorded at least in this order.

[0016]

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

First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The printing system to which this embodiment is applied also
Since it is completely the same as that shown in FIG. 8 described in connection with the conventional example, FIG. 8 will be referred to as necessary.

That is, the printing system to which the present embodiment is applied also executes a printing process using a host 20 for creating and editing print data and print data input from the host 20, as shown in FIG. The printer 30, which usually further includes a printer driver 40 for converting code from the internal processing code of the host 20 to the printer 30 and controlling transmission to the printer 30.

FIG. 1 shows a printing system to which the present embodiment is applied when printing in a raster image mode.
2 shows a configuration of command data 25 'transmitted from the host 20 to the printer 30.

As shown in FIG. 1, command data 25 '
Among them, one relative vertical position batch designation command 25'a
And the subsequent 60 image data groups (60 ESC data [image data])
One unit of command group is configured. The relative vertical position batch designation command 25'a includes a data count "60" and a vertical set value "01" as shown in FIG.
After this command, 60 consecutive ESC. Vertical position designation for data [image data] (1 dot)
Processing is involved.

Referring again to FIG. 8, print data is created and edited by the host 20, and the print data is rasterized by the printer driver 40 and developed 60 times in the same manner as in the above-described conventional example shown in FIG. As a result, when it is determined that the vertical position specification is repeated with the same value every time, the printer driver 40 executes the relative vertical position batch specification command 25'a shown in FIG. 1 and the subsequent 60 image data groups. Is generated. The relative vertical position batch designation command group is transmitted to the printer 30 via the host 20.

When the printer 30 receives the command data 25'a from the host 20, the analysis / decompression processing unit 3
2 obtains the number of data “60” and the vertical set value “01” by analyzing the parameters, and the subsequent 60
The number of data is counted from the group of image data (60 ESC data [image data]), and processing is performed until the number of data reaches 60.

Here, the processing in each of the printer driver 40 and the printer 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG.

The command data generation processing of the printer driver 40 is performed in the following procedure.

As shown in FIG. 2, first, it is determined whether or not the image coming from the host 20 has been completed (S20).
1) If not completed, band processing is performed, command data is stored in a storage medium (S202), and an image from the host 20 is waited. If the command has been completed, it is determined whether the command is a command or data (S203). If the command is a command (vertical movement amount, data count, color information,
(Horizontal position, etc.) is stored as command information (S20).
4). In the case of data, it is stored as data only (S
205). Subsequently, as a result of expanding as described above,
Whether the parameter is repeated with the same value each time,
It is determined whether the command has regularity (S20).
6) If there is no regularity, return to S203 and repeat the subsequent operations. If there is a regularity, collective designation command data is generated and transmitted to the printer 30 (S20).
7). S2 until the data / command analysis is completed
The operation after 03 is repeated (S208).

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the printer 30 which has received the batch designation command data first acquires the batch designation command and analyzes the command (S30).
1). Subsequently, the data is analyzed (S302). Until the collective designation command or the data is completed, if there is a collective designation command, the processing after S301 is repeated, and if there is data, the processing after S302 is repeated (S303).

Here, the operation of the analysis / expansion processing unit 32 (see FIG. 8) of the printer 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 taking the case of the above-described relative vertical position batch designation command as an example.

As shown in FIG. 4, the analysis / expansion processing section 32 first determines whether or not a collective designation command has been input (S401). The number of data and the vertical set value (vertical movement number) are obtained from the parameters (S402). Then, it is determined whether or not the number of data has become 0 (S403).
The process of acquiring / developing data (S404) and the process of updating the vertical position (S405) are repeated until.

As described above, according to the command data transmission method of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to analyze the repeatedly sent vertical position designation command by the firmware of the printer, and the first relative command is transmitted. Since the internal vertical management can be performed only by analyzing the vertical position batch designation, the time required for analyzing the command data 25 in the analysis / expansion processing unit 32 can be reduced, and the throughput of the printer 30 can be improved. Further, the size of the command data 25 is reduced by eliminating repetition, so that the memory capacity can be reduced and the cost of the printer or the printing system can be reduced.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention as a modified example of the first embodiment will be described. In the above-described first embodiment, the printer driver 40 that rasterizes print data created and edited by the host 20
However, if it is determined that the vertical position designation has been repeated with the same value each time as a result of expanding 60 times, for example, a relative vertical position batch designation command group is generated and the printer 30
However, in the present embodiment, the printer 30 repeats the same data development until the printer 30 confirms a new movement amount batch designation command.

When sending data collectively (such as when interlacing processing is performed by the printer driver 40)
And the case where data is sent for each nozzle of the print head unit 38 (see FIG. 8) (the case where the interlacing process is not performed) will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

That is, in the former, as shown in FIG. 5, it is first determined whether or not the amount of vertical movement differs from the previous vertical movement amount (S50).
1) Only when they differ, a new moving amount batch designation command is transmitted to the printer 30 (S502). Unless otherwise, a band process (S503) and a process of transmitting data to the printer 30 in band units (S504) are performed. Repeat as long as there is a band (S505).

On the other hand, in the latter case, as shown in FIG. 6, it is first determined whether or not there is an image in the band (S60).
1) Only when there is an image, it is determined whether or not the amount is different from the previous vertical movement amount (S602). If not, a collective designation command of a new movement amount is transmitted to the printer 30 (S603). If the amount is the same as the previous vertical movement amount, when the height reaches the nozzle height (S604), transmission to the printer (S605) is repeated. Until the nozzle height is reached, data processing is performed for each nozzle (S60).
6).

In the above embodiment, the collective designation command is mainly applied only to the designation of the vertical position. However, the collective designation command of the present invention is not limited to this, and is the same in the command group of the image data. If the parameter value appears repeatedly, it can be applied to the designation of the horizontal position and the designation of the color in the color image data.

Therefore, a case where a color batch designation command is used will be described below as a third embodiment of the present invention. In the color image data, for example, a command sequence can also be generated in the order of C, M, Y, and K for four colors of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black). It is.

In this embodiment, the printer driver 40
Transmits, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, a color batch designation command of four colors of C, M, Y, and K to the printer 30 (S7).
01). Next, it is determined whether or not there is an image of each color by band processing (S702). For a color having an image, data of the color is processed (S703). For a color having no image, dummy data is processed. (S704). The process of transmitting the data of the four colors C, M, Y, and K together to the printer 30 (S705) is repeated as long as there is a band (S706).

As described above, in the present embodiment using the color collective designation command, C, M, Y,
In some cases, a command sequence is not generated in a regular order of K. In that case, dummy data is inserted.
The printer driver 40 clarifies the dummy data. By doing so, the printer 30
Is not processed as dummy data (non-print data), so even if it is included in the color batch designation command,
There is no drop in throughput.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By reducing the command data transmitted from the host to the printer, it is possible to reduce the memory capacity or to improve the throughput of the printer and eventually the printing system including the printer driver or the host.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of command data transmitted from a host to a printer.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining processing in a printer driver in a printing system to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining processing in a printer in the printing system to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of an analysis / expansion processing unit of the printer to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining processing in a printer driver in a printing system to which the second embodiment of the present invention is applied. In particular, when data is sent collectively (interlace processing is performed by the printer driver). Etc.).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining processing in a printer driver in a printing system to which the second embodiment of the present invention is applied.
The case where data is sent for each nozzle is shown.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a case where a color batch designation command is used as a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional general printing system.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of command data transmitted from a host to a printer when printing in a raster image mode in a conventional printing system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 Host 30 Printer 40 Printer driver 25 Command data 25 'Command data 25'a Relative vertical position batch designation command

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of a raster data command group generated based on the raster image includes a command sequence including a repetition of a parameter command specifying the same parameter value as the image data. Collectively specifying parameter values common to the data group and generating a collective specification command including information on the number of data of the plurality of continuous image data,
A method of transmitting command data, which is transmitted to a printer. 2. The command data transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein the parameter value is a vertical position. 3. The command data transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein said parameter value is a horizontal position. 4. The command data transmitting method according to claim 1, wherein the parameter value is a color. 5. A plurality of continuous image data generated when at least a part of a raster data command group based on a raster image includes a command sequence formed by repeating a parameter command specifying the same parameter value as image data. Collectively specifying a parameter value common to the group and receiving a collective specification command including information on the number of data of the plurality of continuous image data,
Analyzing the collective designation command to obtain the number of data and the parameter value, counting the number of data for the subsequent image data group, and performing expansion processing until the number of data is reached. Printer. 6. The printer according to claim 5, wherein the parameter value is a vertical position. 7. The printer according to claim 5, wherein the parameter value is a horizontal position. 8. The printer according to claim 5, wherein the parameter value is a color. 9. When at least a part of an image data group formed by a host includes repetition of image data and the same parameter value that defines the image data, a parameter common to a plurality of continuous image data is provided. A printer driver that specifies a value collectively and generates a collective specification command including information on the number of data of the plurality of continuous image data. 10. The printer driver according to claim 9, wherein the parameter value is a vertical position. 11. The printer driver according to claim 9, wherein the parameter value is a horizontal position. 12. The printer driver according to claim 9, wherein the parameter value is a color. 13. A printing system comprising a host and a printer which receives image data and a command from the host side and performs a printing process, wherein at least a part of an image data group formed by the host side includes image data and the image data. When there is a repetition of the same parameter value that defines the image data, the host side collectively specifies a parameter value common to a plurality of continuous image data and information on the number of data of the plurality of continuous image data. And generates a batch designation command including the command, and the printer receives the batch designation command, analyzes the batch designation command, obtains the number of data and the parameter value, and outputs the subsequent image data. Count the number of data for the group, and expand the data until the number of data is reached And a printing system. 14. A recording medium on which data is recorded, wherein:
A batch designation command data that collectively designates a parameter value common to a plurality of successive image data groups and includes information on the number of data of the plurality of successive image data; A recording medium wherein data is recorded at least in this order.