JPS5938843A - Printing controlling system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To raise the printing efficiency, by controlling so that a printing head is moved quickly to a printing start position of the following line, even in case of using a line buffer having capacity of one line portion. CONSTITUTION:When a revised code CR is detected, an interface control part 7 generates an input end signal E, and subsequently, a restart signal RS. A space control part 5 starts a space operation by an operation command signal C, a printing start signal G is applied, and a printing operation is started. When a printing data has gone, said signal becomes an operation stop signal Q by an invertor 13. When an input of the following line printing data is ended, an AND circuit 16 converts the operation stop signal Q to a space stop signal F and inputs it to a space control part 5. On the other hand, the operation stop signal Q inputted to a delaying circuit 14 is delayed by a prescribed time, and is inputted to an AND circuit 12. When a space operation and an input of the following line printing data are ended, the restart signal RS is generated by an AND circuit 9 and said operation is repeated.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (a) Technical field of the invention The present invention relates to a print control method for a printer.

(b) Conventional technology and problems When a printer connected to a processing device requires high-speed processing 2
It has a line buffer that can store data for a row. Therefore, while printing the data Llk in the buffer of the first line, by analyzing the data L2 in the buffer at the beginning of the next line, it is determined that the printing start position of the next line is t', and the printing of the data L1 of the first line is completed. At the same time, the print head can be moved to the next print start position (depending on space control). Therefore, print positioning control is performed continuously, improving the throughput of the system. The above-described printing control can be applied even when the capacity of this line buffer is one line. However, in this case, the entire next line of data L2 will be written into the empty area from the print area of the first line of data L1 in the line buffer, but the end of writing data LlO means the end of printing of data L1. In some cases, printing may be delayed, so it has the disadvantage that printing cannot be completely controlled.

(c) Object of the Invention The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing control system that improves printing efficiency.

(d) Structure of the Invention The present invention comprises a print buffer that stores one line of received print data, a print control unit that sends the print data in the print buffer to a printing unit and prints it, and a space control unit. In a printer having: a means for transmitting the first print data stored in the print buffer to the printing section, and writing subsequent second print data in the print buffer which becomes an empty area due to the sending; and means for detecting completion of writing of print data into the print buffer; and means for monitoring a predetermined time elapsed after the print operation of the printing section ends, When writing of the second print data to the print buffer is completed, printing of the second print data is started, or when writing is not completed, the space control means prints a predetermined number of characters. This printing control method is characterized in that printing of the second print data is started after space control is performed.

Embodiment of the Invention The present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the present invention, FIG. is a processing device, 2 is an interface section, 3 is a control section, 4 is a print control section, 5 is a space control section, 6 is a print section, 7 is an interface control section, 8 is a line buffer control section, 9.12.16. 19 is an AND circuit, 10.11.13 is an impark, 14 is a delay circuit, 15 is an OR circuit, 17.18 is a comparator, A is next line print position data, B is print start position data, BUSY
is the space busy signal, C is the operation command signal, D is the data, E is the input end signal, F is the space stop signal, G is the print start signal, H is the print head 3-position data, LB, LB' are the line nozzles. ,L2,
L is line data, N, , N2 is area, Pl is input pointer, Pt is output pointer, Q is operation stop No. 100,
RDY is a ready signal, RQ is a request signal, R8 is a restart signal, S is a free area, SB is a strobe signal, SP is a printing stop signal, and W is an allowable signal. During the printing of the line data L1 indicated by the broken line in FIG.
Regarding the line data L in the row, it is possible to easily know the entire printing start position of the line data L to be printed on the next line (by examining its data content. In the case of the line buffer LB, the entire line data L received from the processing device 1 is written to the area O that has already been printed while printing the line data L directly. Continuous position control is possible using the line buffer LB for
will be explained with reference to FIG.

4- of the valley control section, line buffer, etc. in Figure 2 The functions are as follows.

(2) Interface Control Unit (7) If writing to the line buffer LB is possible, data D is accepted from the interface unit 2 shown in FIG. 1, and the line feed code CR is determined. When the line feed code is not CR, the received data Di is transferred to the line buffer control unit 8. When the line feed code is CR, an input end signal E is sent and the operation is completely stopped. After this, restart signal R8k
It will be activated again when received.

■ Line Buffer (LB) As shown in Figure 1, the line buffer 7LBl is an area N1 where input for one line has been completed and ready-to-print data L is stored, and an area N1 where print data L2 for the next line is input. area N, and the empty space MS where no data is stored.
It has pointers p and P that indicate the respective boundaries.

■ Line buffer control unit (8) If there is free space in the line buffer LB, it sends a permission signal W to the interface control unit 7, which indicates that writing to the line buffer LB is possible.
After storing the data D from i at the address indicated by the input pointer P1, the input pointer PI and the next line printing position are updated. By inputting the restart signals R and S, the area Ntk area N.

1, set the print start position, and set the operation command signal C'. Request signal RQ' from the print control unit 4
After sending the data stored at the address indicated by the output pointer P to the print control unit 4, the output pointer P is completely updated (the address after sending becomes the free area S), and the data stored in the address indicated by the output pointer P is updated to the area N1. When data is lost, the operation command signal C is reset.

■ Space control m (5) The space control operation is started by the operation command signal C, and the operation is completed by the space stop signal F.

During operation, the space busy signal BUSYk is held and the print head position data Ha is sent out.

(2) Printing control section (4) According to the printing start signal Gl, the operation is switched to the interval axis L7, and the data transferred from the line buffer control section 8 is printed. The operation is terminated by the print stop signal SP.

(2) Delay circuit (14) Delays the operation command signal Ck by a predetermined time and generates a space stop signal F'<< if input of next line print data is not completed within a predetermined time after printing is completed.

■ Comparator (17) Compares the print head position data H and the next line printing position data A, and outputs an output if the next line can be printed.

■ Comparator (18) Compares print head position data H and print start position data B, and outputs if they match.

The above is a functional explanation of the main parts shown in Figure 2.
The operation in the figure will be explained. In FIG. 2, the interface control m7 accepts data D'fr from the interface 2 if the line buffer LB is capable of input, and stores it in the line buffer LB via the line buffer control unit 8't-. This operation is repeated until the line feed code CR is detected. Upon detection of the line feed code CR, the interface control unit 7 generates the input end signal EV, and immediately if the space operation is not in progress, or immediately if the space operation is in progress. For example, a restart signal R8' (l- is generated) after the operation is completed.

In response to the restart signal R8j, the interface control unit 7 resets the input end signal Et and starts inputting data for the next line, and the line buffer control unit 8 changes to area N, all area N, and outputs the print start position signal. Ak upper is set, and operation command signal C1- is set. In response to the operation command signal C, the space control s5 starts the full space operation, and when the comparator 18 detects that the print head position has reached the print start position, a print start signal G is given to the print control section 4. , the printing operation starts. In response to the request signal RQ from the print control section 4, the line buffer control section 8 transfers print data In to the print control section 4.

Addresses that are no longer needed due to transfer serve as empty areas for inputting the next row of data.

8- When the print data (data in the area of Nl) runs out, the line buffer control section 8 resets the operation command signal C, so that the inverter 134 generates the operation stop signal Q. The operation stop signal Q stops the printing operation and also
The signal is applied to circuit 16 and delay circuit 14 . AND circuit 1
6, when the comparator 17 detects that the input of the next line print data has been completed and the print head has moved to a position where the next line can be printed, the operation stop signal Q' is input to the space control unit 5 as a space stop signal F. do.

On the other hand, the operation stop signal Q input to the delay circuit 14 is delayed by a predetermined time and input to the AND circuit 12. If the input of the next line data has not been completed, the AND circuit 12 inputs a delayed operation stop signal (1 space stop signal F to the space control section 5. In other words, the output signal is input within a predetermined time after the printing operation is completed). When the input of the next line print data (as determined by the delay circuit 14) is completed, the spacing operation is continued until the next line can be printed, and the space operation is completed within a predetermined time. When the space operation and the input of the next line print data are completed, a start signal R8 is generated from the AND circuit 91 and the above operation is repeated.

(f) Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention enables control to quickly move the print head to the print start position of the next line even when using a line buffer with a capacity used by public and public sectors. This has the advantage of improving the throughput of the printing system.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numerals used in the figures are as follows. ■ is a processing unit, 2 is an interface section, 3 is a control section,
4 is a print control section, 5 is a space control section, 6 is a print section, 7
is an interface control section, 8 is a line buffer control section, 9.12.16.19 is an AND circuit, 10.11.1
3 is impark, 14 is a delay circuit, 15 is an OR circuit, 1
7.18 is a comparator, A is next line print position data, B is print start position data, BUSY is a space busy signal, C is an operation command signal, D is data, E is an input end signal, F is a space stop signal, G is a print start signal, H is print head position data, LB, LB' are line buffers, L, , L
! is line data, Nr, Nt are areas, Pl is input pointer, R2 is output pointer, Q is operation stop signal, R
DY is a ready signal, RQ is a request signal, R8 is a beam start signal, S is an empty area, SB is a strobe signal, SP is a print stop signal, and W is an allowable signal.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a printer having a print buffer for storing one line of received print data, and a print control means for sending the print data in the print buffer to a printing unit [7], the print data in the print buffer is A means for sending the stored first print data to the printing unit, and a means for writing subsequent second print data into the print buffer which becomes an empty area by the sending, and a means for writing the subsequent second print data into the print buffer. means for detecting the end of writing of print data; and means for monitoring the entire predetermined time period after the end of the printing operation of the printer; 1. When writing of the second print data to the print buffer is completed, printing of the second print data is started, or when writing is not completed, the space control means starts printing a predetermined number of characters. After controlling the space of
A print control method characterized by causing all printing of the second print data to start.