JPH1178173A - Printing controller and method for controlling printing in printing controller and storage medium wherein program which can be read by computor is stored - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To remarkably shorten the first print time based on received printing information while a scanning system is prevented from being deteriorated. SOLUTION: A CPU 2 analyzes printing information accumulated in a receiving buffer 6b based on a program stored in an ROM 7 and a development processing time is measured by an interrupt processing generated by a timer 2a and this measured development processing time is stored in an EEPROM 8 and a predicted time of development processing is introduced based on the stored plurality of development processing time data and based on this predicted time and the starting time of a scanner motor in a printer engine 3, a command for starting the scanner motor is outputted to control starting of the scannner motor in parallel with the analysis of the printing information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print control device capable of communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium, a print control method of the print control device, and a storage medium storing a computer-readable program. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view for explaining a configuration of a printing apparatus to which a conventional printing control apparatus can be applied, and corresponds to, for example, a laser beam printer (hereinafter abbreviated as LBP).

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1500 denotes an LBP main body, which inputs and stores print information (character codes, etc.), form information, macro instructions, and the like supplied from an externally connected host computer, and stores the information. , A corresponding character pattern, form pattern, or the like is created, and an image is formed on a recording medium such as a recording sheet.

Reference numeral 1501 denotes an operation panel on which operation switches, LEDs, an LCD display and the like are arranged. 1
000 is a control unit of the printer,
It analyzes the overall control and character information supplied from the host computer. 1502 is a laser driver,
This is a circuit for driving the semiconductor laser 1503, and switches on / off a laser beam 1504 emitted from the semiconductor laser 1503 according to an input video signal.

The control unit 1000 mainly converts the video signal into a video signal having a character pattern corresponding to the character information and outputs the video signal to the laser driver 1502.

[0006] The laser beam 1504 is a rotating polyhedron 1505.
Scanning exposure is performed on the electrostatic drum 1506 while being swung in the left-right direction at a. The rotating polyhedron 1505a is driven to rotate by a scanner motor 1505b. As a result, an electrostatic latent image of a character pattern is formed on the electrostatic drum 1506.

The latent image is developed by a developing unit 1507 disposed around the electrostatic drum 1506,
Transferred to recording paper. A cut sheet is used as the recording paper, and the cut sheet recording paper is stored in a paper cassette 1508 mounted on the LBP body 1500,
9 and transport rollers 1510 and 1511, are taken into the apparatus and supplied to the electrostatic drum 1506. The cut sheet recording paper to which the toner has been transferred is conveyed to a fixing unit 1513 via a conveyance unit 1512, fixed, and output to a paper discharge tray 1514.

The LBP body 150 constructed as described above
At 0, the scanner motor 1505b is generally a mechanical component and rotates at high speed, so it has a life. In order to prevent deterioration, the scanner motor 1505b is stopped in a normal standby state.

Then, in response to a print start command from the control unit 1000, the rotation operation of the scanner motor 1505b is started. After the rotation operation of the scanner motor 1505b is started, it takes a certain amount of time to reach a predetermined rotation speed (constant rotation speed) at which printing can be performed.

In recent years, the speed and resolution have been remarkably advanced, and accordingly, the rotation speed of the scanner motor 1505b has been required to be higher. Due to the increase in the number of rotations accompanying such progress, the time required to reach the predetermined number of rotations is several seconds to several tens of seconds, which cannot be ignored.

[0011]

Since the printing apparatus including the conventional printing control apparatus is configured as described above, the control unit 1000 analyzes the print information from the host computer and completes the preparation for printing. Since the rotation operation of the scanner motor 1505b is started at the time, the first print time required until the first print information is received and discharged is long, and there is a problem that print performance is deteriorated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to measure a time required to generate print data based on print information to be received, and to measure the measured time. By controlling the issuance of a start start command to the scanning system during the generation of print data from the start-up time set in the scanning system, the first printing time based on the received printing information can be reduced while preventing the deterioration of the scanning system. It is an object of the present invention to provide a print control device, a print control method of the print control device, and a storage medium storing a computer-readable program which can be significantly shortened.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print control apparatus capable of communicating with a data processing apparatus via a predetermined communication medium, wherein print information received from the data processing apparatus is transmitted. Analyzing means for analyzing and generating printable print data; scanning means for scanning a light beam modulated based on the print data on an image carrier; and a driving means for driving the scanning part. Measuring means for measuring the development processing time from the start of reception of the print information to the generation of the print data and the start of printing each time the print information is received; and the development processing time measured by the measurement means. Storage means for storing a plurality of data; derivation means for deriving a development processing predicted time until the printing can be started based on a plurality of development processing time data stored in the storage means; Issuing means for issuing a command to start the drive unit from the predicted expansion processing time derived by the above and the start-up time set in the drive unit; and the print information based on the command issued by the issue unit. Control means for controlling the start of the start of the drive unit in parallel with the analysis of the above.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print control device capable of communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium, wherein the print control device analyzes print information received from the data processing device and performs printing. Analysis means for generating print data, scanning means comprising a scanning unit for scanning the image carrier with a light beam modulated based on the print data, and a drive unit for driving the scanning unit; and A measuring unit for measuring the expansion processing time for each type of the print information from the start of the reception of the print information until the print data is generated and the print can be started, each time the print information is received; A storage unit for storing a plurality of development processing time data measured for each type; and a development processing estimated time until the printing can be started based on the plurality of development processing time data stored in the storage unit. Deriving means for deriving for each type of print information, and starting the driving unit from the predicted expansion processing time for each type of printing information derived by the deriving means and a start-up time set in the driving unit. The printer includes an issuing unit that issues a command, and a control unit that controls the start of starting of the driving unit in parallel with the analysis of the print information based on the command issued by the issuing unit.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the analysis means analyzes print information received from the data processing device and generates print data in printable page units or band units.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the storage means comprises a nonvolatile storage medium.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analyzing means for analyzing print information received from a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium to generate printable print data, and based on the print data. A printing control method for a printing control device, comprising: a scanning unit that scans a light beam to be modulated on an image carrier; and a scanning unit that includes a driving unit that drives the scanning unit. A measuring step of measuring the expansion processing time from the start of receiving the print information until the print data is generated and printing can be started; and a registration step of registering a plurality of expansion processing time data measured by the measurement step in a memory. And a deriving step of deriving a development processing predicted time until the printing can be started based on a plurality of development processing time data registered in the memory; and Those having an issuing step of issuing in parallel a command to start the drive unit from start-up time set in the drive unit and the development processing prediction time analysis of the print information.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analyzing means for analyzing print information received from a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium to generate printable print data, and based on the print data. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program for controlling a printing control device having a scanning unit for scanning a light beam to be modulated on an image carrier and a scanning unit having a driving unit for driving the scanning unit. A measuring step of measuring the expansion processing time from the start of receiving the print information to the generation of the print data until the printing can be started, each time the print information is received; and the expansion processing measured by the measurement step. A registration step of registering a plurality of time data in a memory; and a predicted development processing time until the printing can be started based on the plurality of development processing time data registered in the memory. Issuing a command to start the drive unit in parallel with the print information analysis process from the derivation step to derive, and the expansion processing predicted time derived in the derivation step and the start-up time set in the drive unit. And a computer-readable program including an issuance step.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analyzing means for analyzing print information received from a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium to generate printable print data, and based on the print data. A printing control method for a printing control device, comprising: a scanning unit that scans a light beam to be modulated on an image carrier; and a scanning unit that includes a driving unit that drives the scanning unit. A measurement step of measuring the development processing time for each type of the print information from the start of reception of the print information until the print data is generated and printing can be started, and the development processing time data measured by the measurement step is A registration step of registering a plurality of data in the memory for each type of the print information; and a step of setting the estimated processing time until the printing can be started based on the plurality of processing time data registered in the memory. A derivation step for deriving for each type of information, and a command for starting the drive unit from the expansion processing predicted time for each type of the print information derived in the derivation step and a start-up time set in the drive unit Is issued in parallel with the print information analysis process.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analyzing means for analyzing print information received from a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium to generate printable print data, based on the print data. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program for controlling a printing control device having a scanning unit for scanning a light beam to be modulated on an image carrier and a scanning unit having a driving unit for driving the scanning unit. A measuring step of measuring the expansion processing time for each type of the print information from the start of receiving the print information until the print data can be generated from the start of the reception of the print information every time the print information is received; A registration step of registering a plurality of development processing time data measured by the measurement step in a memory for each type of the print information; and a registration processing step based on the plurality of development processing time data registered in the memory. A derivation step of deriving a development processing prediction time for each type of the print information until the printing can be started, and setting the development processing prediction time for each type of the print information derived in the derivation step and the driving unit Issuing a command to start the drive unit in parallel with the print information analysis process from the start-up time to be executed. The computer-readable program is stored in a storage medium.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] A print control apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a print control apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and corresponds to, for example, a laser beam printer.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a laser beam printer (LBP), which is a CPU for controlling the entire apparatus, and a printer engine (hereinafter, referred to as a printer engine) having a scanner motor (not shown).
And an input / output (I / O) port 4, all connected by a bus 5.

6 is a random access memory (RAM)
Thus, a work area 6a of the CPU 2, a reception buffer 6b for temporarily storing data received from a host computer (hereinafter, referred to as a host) 10, and a conversion from the reception data stored in the reception buffer 6b to internal data in page units. An area used as a page buffer 6c for storing the received data obtained and a bitmap memory 6d for storing at least one page of image data converted from the data in the page buffer 6c into a bit image are secured.

Reference numeral 6aa denotes a prescan flag storage area.
A prescan flag, which is a flag indicating whether a prescan command has been issued, is stored. Reference numeral 6ab denotes a count value storage area, which is a storage area necessary for measuring an image development processing time value which is a time from the start of reception of print data to be processed in the first print to the start of printing. Note that these storage areas are secured in the work area 6a in the RAM 6.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a read-only memory (ROM);
A control program and font data for operating the PU 2 are stored.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a nonvolatile memory (EEPROM).
In addition to storing setting information such as the operation mode of the LBP 1, a first development processing information storage area 8a is secured,
The development processing information storage area 8a functions as an area for storing a plurality of times of the image development processing time value and the order of measurement (indicating new or old data). In the present embodiment, for example, 16 sets of image development processing time values and their order can be stored in the first development processing information storage area 8a.

A RAM 6, a ROM 7, and an EEPROM 8 are connected to the bus 5.

The CPU 2 includes a timer 2a and a direct memory access controller (DMAC) 2b. The timer 2a generates an interrupt to the CPU 2 at a predetermined cycle when the timer 2a is activated.
In this embodiment, the interruption by the timer 2a is set to 0.
It shall occur every 5 seconds.

The DMAC 2b transfers the received data from the host 10 from the I / O port 4 to the receiving buffer 6b in the RAM 6, and the bitmap memory 6 in the RAM 6 for the image data expanded into the bit image.
d to direct access to Engine 3 (DM
A) Control transfer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the format of the expansion processing information stored in the first expansion processing information storage area 8a shown in FIG. Note that the expansion processing information in the present embodiment includes the image expansion processing time values of the print data processed so far and their order.

In the figure, reference numeral 40 denotes an order time storage area,
The data width is composed of, for example, 16 bits and stores expansion processing information. Reference numeral 41 denotes an order storage area for storing the order of measurement (indicating new or old data) and using the upper 4 bits of the order time storage area 40. Reference numeral 42 denotes a time storage area which stores the image development processing time value and uses the lower 12 bits of the sequential time storage area 40.

Therefore, the first development processing information storage area 8a
Is configured as described above, the image development processing time value and the order of measurement can be stored.

Hereinafter, the characteristic configuration of this embodiment will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

A print control device capable of communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium configured as described above, wherein the print control device analyzes print information received from the data processing device and prints printable print data. Analysis means to generate (ROM7
And a scanning unit (a rotating polyhedron (not shown) included in the printer engine 3) for scanning the image carrier with a light beam modulated based on the print data. A scanning unit including a driving unit (a scanner motor (not shown) included in the printer engine 3) for driving the scanning unit; and each time the print information is received, the print data is generated and printed from the start of reception of the print information. Measuring means (measured by the CPU 2 based on a program stored in the ROM 7) for measuring the expansion processing time until it can be started, and storage means (EEP) for storing a plurality of expansion processing time data measured by the measuring means.
First expansion processing information storage area 8 secured in ROM 8
a) and deriving means for deriving an estimated processing time until the printing can be started based on a plurality of expansion processing time data stored in the storage means (derived by the CPU 2 based on a program stored in the ROM 7) Issuing means for issuing a command to start the drive unit based on the predicted expansion processing time derived by the derivation means and the start-up time set in the drive unit (based on a program stored in the ROM 7; Issuance) and control means (CPU 2 controls the start of the drive unit based on a program stored in ROM 7) in parallel with the analysis of the print information based on the command issued by the issuance means. ), The scanning system is started at an optimum timing even when various data are received, and the first print time is increased. It can be shortened to.

The analyzing means can start the scanning system at an optimal timing when analyzing the print information received from the data processing device and generating print data in printable page units or band units. .

Further, since the storage means is constituted by a non-volatile storage medium (EEPROM 8), even if the power of the print control apparatus is turned off, the processing means retains the development processing time data and performs the development processing based on the already stored history. Even if various data are received with reference to the time data, the scanning system can be started at an optimal timing, and the first print time can be greatly reduced.

Hereinafter, the first data processing will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a first data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the head of the print data transmitted from the host 10 contains a job start command for a series of print jobs. Also,
(1) to (11) show each step.

First, the CPU 2 determines whether or not print data has been received from the host 10 (whether or not a job start command has been detected) (1). If it is determined that print data has not been received, the process returns to step (1) to receive the print data. Wait.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the
Then, a predicted value T of the pre-scan command issuance timing is calculated based on the image development processing time value stored in the development processing information storage area 8a (2).

Specifically, the predicted value of the pre-scan command issuance timing is calculated as follows.

That is, a plurality of times of image development processing time values of the print data processed so far stored in the first development processing information storage area 8a in the EEPROM 8 are read out from the time storage area 42, and are read out. The calculated arithmetic average is used as a predicted value Ta of the image development processing time. That is, the predicted value Ta of the image development processing time in the present embodiment is, for example, the average of the image development processing time values of the past 16 times.

The time Tb required for activating the scanner motor is subtracted from the predicted value Ta to obtain a predicted value T (T = Ta−Tb) of the pre-scan command issuance timing.

Next, parameters (pre-scan flag and count value) are initialized (3). That is, RAM
The pre-scan flag stored in the pre-scan flag storage area 6aa on 6 is set to “1”, and the count value of the image development processing time stored in the count value storage area 6ab is set to “0”.

The prescan flag is a flag indicating whether or not a prescan command has been issued. The count value is used to measure an image development processing time value of print data to be processed. Are stored in the work area 6a in the RAM 6.

Then, the timer 2a is started (4).
As a result, a timer interrupt is generated every predetermined time (0.5 seconds) thereafter. A description of the timer interrupt processing will be described later. Next, the print data in the page buffer 6c is sequentially analyzed and developed in the bitmap memory 6d (5), and it is determined whether the development processing for one page has been completed (6), and it has been determined that the processing has not been completed. In this case, the process returns to step (5), and if it is determined that the process has been completed, the process proceeds to step (7).

Next, it is determined whether or not the page for which rendering processing has been completed immediately before is the first page in the print job (7). If it is determined that the page is the first page, the process proceeds to step (8). If it is determined that it is not the first page, that is, if it is the second page or later, the process proceeds to step (10).

Next, the timer 2a is stopped (8). As a result, no timer interrupt is generated thereafter. Then, the measured value of the image development processing time is updated (9). That is, the oldest data of the image development processing time value at the time of the first printing for a plurality of times for the print data processed so far stored in the EEPROM 8 is deleted, and the current data (count value) is stored. The update is performed.

Then, the printing operation is started for the printer engine 3, and the DAMC 2b is started.
The bit image data developed in the bit map memory 6d in the RAM 6 is sent to the printer engine 3 for printing (10).

Next, it is determined whether or not the print job has been completed (11). If it is determined that the print job has been completed, the process returns to step (1) to wait for the start of the next job. On the other hand, if it is determined that the print job has not been completed, step (5)
And the above process is repeated until the end of the job. However, in this case, since the processing is for the second and subsequent pages, steps (8) and (9) are skipped.

In the present embodiment, the developing process is performed on a page basis. However, the developing process may be performed on a band basis.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the second data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention. The second data processing procedure is performed by the timer 2a in the CPU 2 shown in FIG. Corresponds to the data processing performed when a timer interrupt occurs. In addition, (1) to (5) indicate each step.

First, the CPU 2 determines whether the pre-scan flag stored in the pre-scan flag storage area 6aa of the RAM 6 is "1" or "0" (1), and if it determines "0", the step (5). If it is determined to be "0", the process proceeds to step (2).

Next, the count value and the step (2) in FIG.
The magnitude is compared with the predicted value T obtained in the above, and it is determined whether or not the count value is larger than the predicted value (whether or not count value ≧ predicted value T is satisfied). Proceed to step (5) if it is determined that the value is not large.

Then, the CPU 3 is the printer engine 3
Issues a prescan command to the printer engine 3
(3) to clear the prescan flag (prescan flag storage area 6aa)
Is set to "0") (4). Next, the count value is incremented (5), and the process returns.

Hereinafter, the characteristic configuration of this embodiment will be described.
This will be further described with reference to FIGS.

Analysis means for analyzing print information received from the data processing device via the predetermined communication medium configured as described above to generate printable print data (CPU 2 based on a program stored in ROM 7 Analyzes)
A scanning unit (a rotating polyhedron (not shown) included in the printer engine 3) for scanning the image carrier with a light beam modulated based on the print data, and a driving unit (included in the printer engine 3) for driving the scanning unit A print control method of a print control device having a scanning unit having a scanner motor (not shown) and print data that can be printed by analyzing print information received from a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium. Controlling a printing control apparatus, comprising: an analyzing unit that generates a light beam; and a scanning unit that includes a scanning unit that scans the image carrier with a light beam that is modulated based on the print data and a driving unit that drives the scanning unit. A storage medium storing a computer readable program, wherein each time the print information is received, the print information is received from the start of reception of the print information. (A step (5) in FIG. 4) for generating data and measuring the development processing time until printing can be started; and a registration step for registering a plurality of development processing time data measured by the measurement step in a memory ( Step (9) in FIG. 3 and a deriving step of deriving a predicted processing time until the printing can be started based on the plurality of processing time data registered in the memory (step (2) in FIG. 3). Issuing a command to start the drive unit from the estimated processing time derived in the derivation process and the start-up time set in the drive unit in parallel with the print information analysis process ( Since step (3) in FIG. 4) is provided, even when various data are received, the scanning system can be started at an optimal timing, and the first print time can be greatly reduced.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, when printing the first page, the image development processing time required to start printing is predicted, and the image development processing required to start printing is waited for. Instead, the rotation of the scanner motor constituting the printer engine can be started at an appropriate preceding timing.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment,
A case has been described where the predicted value Ta of the image development processing time is calculated by calculating the arithmetic average of the image development processing time values of the print data processed so far, but the print data belongs to the same type as the received print data. The prediction value Ta of the image development processing time may be calculated by calculating the arithmetic average of the image development processing time value of the print data. Hereinafter, the embodiment will be described.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a print control apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the figure, reference numeral 8b denotes a second development processing information storage area, which is the type information of the print job of the print data processed so far (the type information of the application that called the printer driver (eg, word processor, spreadsheet, graphic , Image, etc.)), the image development processing time value, and the order of measurement thereof are stored a plurality of times.

In the present embodiment, the second development processing information storage area 8b secured in the EEPROM 8 stores, for example, a plurality of, specifically, four image development processes for four types of print jobs. It is configured to be able to store time values.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the format of the expansion processing information stored in the second expansion processing information storage area 8b secured on the EEPROM 8 shown in FIG.

Note that the development processing information in the present embodiment includes the image development processing time values of print data processed so far, their order, and the type of print data.

In the figure, reference numeral 50 denotes an order type time storage area, which has a data width of, for example, 16 bits and stores expansion processing information. Reference numeral 51 denotes an order storage area, which stores the order of measurement (indicating new or old data) and uses the upper two bits of the order type time storage area 50. A type storage area 52 stores the type information of the print job, and uses the middle two bits of the order type time storage area 50. Reference numeral 53 denotes a time storage area, which stores an image development processing time value, and uses the lower 12 bits of the order type time storage area 50.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the predicted value Ta of the image development processing time is the last four times for the four types of jobs.
This is the average of the image development processing time values for the batches.

Hereinafter, the characteristic configuration of this embodiment will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

A print control device capable of communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium configured as described above. The print control device analyzes print information received from the data processing device and prints printable print data. Analysis means to generate (ROM7
And a scanning unit (a rotating polyhedron (not shown) included in the printer engine 3) for scanning the image carrier with a light beam modulated based on the print data. A scanning unit including a driving unit (a scanner motor (not shown) included in the printer engine 3) for driving the scanning unit; and each time the print information is received, the print data is generated and printed from the start of reception of the print information. Measuring means (measured by the CPU 2 based on a program stored in the ROM 7) for measuring the expansion processing time for each type of the print information until it can be started
Storage means (EEPRO) for storing a plurality of development processing time data measured by the measurement means for each type of the print information.
Second expansion processing information storage area 8b secured in M8)
And a deriving unit (RO) for deriving an estimated processing time for each type of print information until the printing can be started based on a plurality of processing time data stored in the storage unit.
CPU 7 derives based on the program stored in M7), and based on the decompression processing prediction time for each type of the print information derived by the deriving means and the start-up time set in the drive unit, Issuing means for issuing a command to start the printer (issued by the CPU 2 based on a program stored in the ROM 7); and analyzing the print information based on the command issued by the issuing means. Control means (CPU
2 is controlled based on a program stored in the ROM 7). Therefore, even when data of different types is included, the decompression processing time is accurately derived, and the scanning system is started at an optimal timing. The first print time can be greatly reduced.

Hereinafter, the third data processing in the print control apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the third data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the head of the print data transmitted from the host 10 contains a job start command for a series of print jobs and print job type information. Note that (1) to (11) indicate each step.

First, the CPU 2 determines whether or not print data has been received from the host 10 (whether or not a job start command has been detected) (1). If it is determined that print data has not been received, the process returns to step (1) to receive the print data. Wait.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the print job has been received, the type of the print job is detected, and the type of the print job is determined based on the detection result and the type detected based on the expansion processing information stored in the second expansion processing information storage area 8b. A predicted value T of the pre-scan command issuing timing is calculated (2).

That is, it is the image development processing time value for a plurality of times for the print data processed so far stored in the second development processing information storage area 8b in the EEPROM 8, and The data having the same type information as the type is read out, and the arithmetic average thereof is calculated as the predicted value Ta of the image development processing time. That is, the predicted value T of the image development processing time in the present embodiment.
a is, for example, the average of the image development processing time values of the past four times. The time Tb required for activating the scanner motor is subtracted from the predicted value Ta to obtain a predicted value T (T = Ta−Tb) of the pre-scan command issuing timing.

Next, parameters (pre-scan flag and count value) are initialized (3). That is, RAM
The pre-scan flag stored in the pre-scan flag storage area 6aa on 6 is set to “1”, and the count value of the image development processing time stored in the count value storage area 6ab is set to “0”.

The pre-scan flag is a flag indicating whether or not a pre-scan command has been issued. The count value is used to measure an image development processing time value of print data to be processed. Are stored in the work area 6a in the RAM 6.

Then, the timer 2a is started (4).
As a result, a timer interrupt is generated every predetermined time (0.5 seconds) thereafter. Since the timer interrupt processing is the same as described above, the details are omitted.

Next, the print data in the page buffer 6c is sequentially analyzed and developed in the bit map memory 6d (5).
It is determined whether or not the rendering process for one page has been completed (6). If it has not been completed, the process returns to step (5). If it has been completed, the process proceeds to step (7).

Next, it is determined whether or not the page for which the expansion processing has been completed immediately before is the first page in the print job (7). If it is determined that the page is the first page, the process proceeds to step (8). If it is determined that the page is not the first page, that is, if it is the second page or later, the process proceeds to step (10).

Next, the timer 2a is stopped (8). As a result, no timer interrupt is generated thereafter. Then, the measured value of the image development processing time is updated (9). That is, the oldest image development processing time value data among the image development processing time values at the time of the first print for a plurality of times of the print data stored in the EEPROM 8 is deleted. The update is performed by storing the current data (count value).

Then, a printing operation is started for the printer engine 3 and the DAMC 2 b is started,
The bit image data developed in the bit map memory 6d in the RAM 6 is sent to the printer engine 3 and printed (10).

Next, it is determined whether the print job has been completed (11). If it is determined that the print job has been completed, the process returns to step (1) to wait for the start of the next job.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step (11) that the print job has not ended, the process returns to step (5), and the above processing is repeated until the end of the job. However,
In this case, since the process is for the second and subsequent pages, steps (8) and (9) are skipped.

Hereinafter, the characteristic configuration of this embodiment will be described.
This will be further described with reference to FIGS.

Analysis means for analyzing print information received from the data processing device via the predetermined communication medium configured as described above to generate printable print data (CPU 2 based on a program stored in ROM 7 Analyzes)
A scanning unit (a rotating polyhedron (not shown) included in the printer engine 3) for scanning the image carrier with a light beam modulated based on the print data, and a driving unit (included in the printer engine 3) for driving the scanning unit A print control method of a print control device having a scanning unit having a scanner motor (not shown) and print data that can be printed by analyzing print information received from a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium. And a scanning unit that includes a scanning unit that scans the image carrier with a light beam modulated based on the print data and a driving unit that drives the scanning unit. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein each time the print information is received, the print data is received from the start of reception of the print information. A measurement process (step (2) in FIG. 3 and step (5) in FIG. 4) for generating a data and measuring the development processing time for each type of the print information until printing can be started; A registration step (step (9) in FIG. 7) of registering a plurality of expanded processing time data in the memory for each type of the print information, and the printing start based on the plurality of expanded processing time data registered in the memory. A derivation step (step (2) in FIG. 7) for deriving a development processing prediction time for each type of the print information until the above, and the development processing prediction time for each type of the print information derived in the derivation step. An issue step (step (3) in FIG. 4) for issuing a command to start the drive unit from the start-up time set in the drive unit in parallel with the print information analysis process. Different de Even if it contains data, it is possible to accurately derive the expansion processing time, start the scanning system at the optimum timing, greatly shortening the first print time.

According to the above embodiment, when printing the first page, the image development processing time required to start printing according to the type information of the print job is predicted, and the image development processing required to start printing is performed. Without waiting for the end, the scanner motor can be started to rotate with respect to the printer engine 3 in advance.

In the first and second embodiments,
The bitmap memory has been described as being processed in units of one page, but it goes without saying that the processing may be performed in units of bands. That is, it is apparent that the band development processing time required for starting the printing may be predicted and measured.

Hereinafter, the configuration of a data processing program readable by the printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to a memory map shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a memory map of a storage medium for storing various data processing programs which can be read by the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

Although not shown, information for managing a group of programs stored in the storage medium, for example, version information, a creator, etc. are also stored, and information dependent on the OS or the like on the program reading side, for example, a program is stored in the storage medium. An icon or the like for identification display may also be stored.

Further, data dependent on various programs is also managed in the directory. In addition, a program for installing various programs on a computer or a program for decompressing a program to be installed when the program to be installed is compressed may be stored.

The functions shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 in this embodiment may be executed by a host computer by a program installed from the outside.
In this case, the present invention is applied even when a group of information including a program is supplied to the output device from a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a flash memory, or an FD, or from an external storage medium via a network. Things.

As described above, the storage medium storing the program codes of the software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to the system or the apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MP) of the system or the apparatus is supplied.
It goes without saying that the object of the present invention is also achieved when U) reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

Examples of a storage medium for supplying the program code include a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, and C
DR, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, RO
M, EEPROM and the like can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) And the like perform part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, The CPU provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing,
It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing is also included.

[0098]

As described above, the first embodiment according to the present invention is described.
According to the invention, there is provided a print control device capable of communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium, wherein the analyzing unit analyzes print information received from the data processing device and generates printable print data. A scanning unit that scans the image carrier with a light beam modulated based on the print data, and a scanning unit that includes a drive unit that drives the scanning unit. Each time the print information is received, the print information Measurement means for measuring the development processing time from the start of reception of the print data until the print data is generated and printing can be started, storage means for storing a plurality of development processing time data measured by the measurement means, and storage in the storage means A deriving unit that derives an expansion processing prediction time until the printing can be started based on the plurality of expansion processing time data, and the expansion processing prediction time derived by the derivation unit. Issuing means for issuing a command to start the drive unit from a start-up time set in the drive unit; and, in parallel with the analysis of the print information based on the command issued by the issue means, the drive unit And control means for controlling the start of the start of the scanning operation. Therefore, even if various data are received, the scanning system can be started at an optimum timing, and the first print time can be greatly reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print control device capable of communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium, wherein the print control device analyzes print information received from the data processing device and prints the print data. Analyzing means for generating a light beam modulated on the basis of the print data on the image carrier, and a scanning means comprising a drive unit for driving the scanning unit; and receiving the print information. Measuring means for measuring the expansion processing time for each type of the print information from the start of reception of the print information until the print data is generated and printing can be started; and Storage means for storing a plurality of development processing time data measured on the basis of the plurality of development processing time data stored in the storage means; Deriving means for deriving for each type of information, a command for starting the driving unit from the expansion processing predicted time for each type of the print information derived by the deriving means and a start-up time set in the driving unit And a control unit for controlling start of the drive unit in parallel with the analysis of the print information based on the command issued by the issuing unit, so that different types of data are included. Even if it has been done, it is possible to accurately derive the development processing time, start the scanning system at the optimal timing, and greatly reduce the first print time.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the analysis means analyzes print information received from the data processing apparatus and generates print data in printable page units or band units.
The scanning system can be started at the optimal timing.

According to the fourth aspect, since the storage means is constituted by a non-volatile storage medium, even if the power of the print control apparatus is turned off, the processing means retains the development processing time data and stores the data in the history already stored. Even if various data are received with reference to the development processing time data based on the data, the scanning system can be started at an optimum timing, and the first print time can be greatly reduced.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects, an analyzing means for analyzing print information received from a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium to generate printable print data, and A printing control method of a printing control apparatus, comprising: a scanning unit that scans a light beam modulated by an image on an image carrier; and a scanning unit that includes a driving unit that drives the scanning unit. Analyzing means for analyzing print information received from the data processing device via the data processing apparatus to generate print data that can be printed, a scanning unit for scanning a light beam modulated based on the print data on the image carrier, and the scanning unit A storage medium storing a computer-readable program that controls a print control device having a scanning unit including a driving unit that drives the unit, and each time the print information is received, A measurement step of measuring the development processing time from the start of receiving the print information until the print data is generated and the printing can be started, and a registration step of registering a plurality of development processing time data measured by the measurement step in a memory; A derivation step of deriving a development processing prediction time until the printing can be started based on the plurality of development processing time data registered in the memory, and the development processing prediction time derived by the derivation step and the driving unit And a issuing step of issuing a command to start the drive unit from the set start-up time in parallel with the analysis of the print information. Once started, the first print time can be significantly reduced.

According to the seventh and eighth aspects, an analyzing means for analyzing print information received from a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium to generate printable print data, and modulating the print data based on the print data. A printing control method of a printing control device including a scanning unit that scans the image carrier with a light beam to be applied and a scanning unit that includes a driving unit that drives the scanning unit, or via a predetermined communication medium. Analyzing means for analyzing print information received from the data processing device to generate printable print data, a scanning unit for scanning the image carrier with a light beam modulated based on the print data, and the scanning unit. A storage unit storing a computer readable program for controlling a print control apparatus having a scanning unit including a driving unit for driving, wherein each time the print information is received, A measurement step of measuring the development processing time for each type of the print information until the print data is generated and printing can be started from the start of receiving the information, and the development processing time data measured by the measurement step is calculated based on the print information. A registration step of registering a plurality of types in a memory for each type, and a deriving step of deriving a predicted expansion processing time for each type of the print information until the printing can be started based on a plurality of expansion processing time data registered in the memory And a command to start the driving unit based on the expansion processing prediction time for each type of the printing information derived in the deriving step and the start-up time set in the driving unit, in parallel with the printing information analysis processing. Since it has an issue process of issuing data, even if data of different types is included, the processing time is derived accurately and the scanning system is started at the optimal timing. Te, it is possible to significantly reduce the first print time.

Accordingly, the first print time based on the received print information can be significantly reduced while preventing the scanning system from deteriorating.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a print control apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format of expansion processing information stored in a first expansion processing information storage area illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a second data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a print control apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format of expansion processing information stored in a second expansion processing information storage area illustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a third data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a memory map of a storage medium that stores various data processing programs that can be read by the print control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus to which a conventional print control apparatus can be applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 printing apparatus 2 CPU 2a timer 3 printer engine 4 input / output (I / O) port 6 RAM 8 EEPROM

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A print control device capable of communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium, comprising: an analysis unit configured to analyze print information received from the data processing device and generate printable print data; A scanning unit that scans the image carrier with a light beam that is modulated based on the print data; and a scanning unit that includes a drive unit that drives the scanning unit. Each time the print information is received, the print information Measuring means for measuring the development processing time from the start of receiving the data until the print data is generated and printing can be started; storage means for storing a plurality of development processing time data measured by the measurement means; storage in the storage means Deriving means for deriving a development processing predicted time until the printing can be started based on the plurality of developed processing time data obtained, and the development processing predicted time derived by the deriving means Issuing means for issuing a command to start the drive unit from the start-up time set in the drive unit, and analyzing the print information based on the command issued by the issuance means. And a control unit for controlling start of the start of the unit. 2. A printing control device capable of communicating with a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium, wherein the analyzing device analyzes print information received from the data processing device and generates printable print data. A scanning unit that scans the image carrier with a light beam that is modulated based on the print data; and a scanning unit that includes a drive unit that drives the scanning unit. Each time the print information is received, the printing unit performs the printing. Measuring means for measuring the expansion processing time for each type of the print information from the start of receiving the information until the print data is generated and printing can be started; and the expansion processing measured by the measurement means for each type of the print information. A storage unit that stores a plurality of time data, and based on the plurality of expansion processing time data stored in the storage unit, an expansion processing prediction time until the printing can be started for each type of the print information. Issuing means for issuing a command to start the driving unit from the expansion processing predicted time for each type of the print information derived by the deriving means and a start-up time set in the driving unit. And a control unit configured to control start of the drive unit in parallel with analysis of the print information based on a command issued by the issuing unit. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit analyzes print information received from the data processing apparatus and generates print data in printable page units or band units. Control device. 4. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit is configured by a non-volatile storage medium. 5. An analyzing means for analyzing print information received from a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium to generate print data which can be printed, and an image carrier for modulating a light beam modulated based on the print data. What is claimed is: 1. A print control method for a print control apparatus, comprising: a scanning unit having a scanning unit that scans on a body and a driving unit that drives the scanning unit. A measurement step of generating the print data from and measuring the development processing time until printing can be started; a registration step of registering a plurality of development processing time data measured by the measurement step in a memory; and a registration step of registering the development data in the memory. A derivation step of deriving a development processing prediction time until the printing can be started based on a plurality of development processing time data; and Printing control method for a printing control apparatus, characterized by having, an issuing step of issuing a command to start the drive unit from start-up time that is set in the drive unit parallel with the analyzing process of the print information. 6. An analyzing means for analyzing print information received from a data processing apparatus via a predetermined communication medium to generate print data which can be printed, and an image bearing means for carrying a light beam modulated based on the print data. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program for controlling a printing control device having a scanning unit that scans on a body and a scanning unit that includes a driving unit that drives the scanning unit, wherein the printing information is received. Every time the print information is received, the print data is generated and the print data is generated, and the print processing time is measured until print can be started; and a plurality of print processing time data measured by the measurement step are registered in the memory. A registration step, and a derivation step of deriving a development processing prediction time until the printing can be started based on the plurality of development processing time data registered in the memory, An issue step of issuing a command to start the drive unit from the estimated processing time derived in the derivation step and a start-up time set in the drive unit in parallel with the print information analysis process. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program characterized by including the following. 7. An analyzing means for analyzing print information received from a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium to generate print data which can be printed, and an image bearing means for carrying a light beam modulated based on the print data. What is claimed is: 1. A print control method for a print control apparatus, comprising: a scanning unit having a scanning unit that scans on a body and a driving unit that drives the scanning unit. A measurement step of measuring the development processing time for each type of the print information until the print data can be generated and printing can be started; and storing the development processing time data measured by the measurement step for each type of the print information. A registration process of registering a plurality of times, and deriving an estimated processing time for each type of the print information until the printing can be started based on the plurality of data of the processing times registered in the memory. A derivation step, and a command to start the drive unit from the expansion processing prediction time for each type of the print information derived in the derivation step and a start-up time set in the drive unit. A print control method for a print control device, comprising: 8. An analyzing means for analyzing print information received from a data processing device via a predetermined communication medium to generate print data which can be printed, and an image carrier for modulating a light beam modulated based on the print data. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program that controls a printing control device having a scanning unit that scans on a body and a scanning unit that includes a driving unit that drives the scanning unit, wherein the printing information is A measuring step of measuring the expansion processing time for each type of the print information from the start of reception of the print information to the generation of the print data and the start of printing, each time the print information is received; and the expansion processing measured by the measurement step. A registration step of registering a plurality of time data in a memory for each type of the print information; and the print start can be started based on a plurality of development processing time data registered in the memory. A derivation step of deriving a decompression processing predicted time for each type of the print information, and a decompression processing predicted time for each type of the print information derived in the derivation step and a start-up time set in the drive unit. Issuing a command to start the drive unit in parallel with the print information analysis process.