JPS60240292A - Color printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a color printer capable of changing a hue in various ways by providing plural tables as a color conversion table, and selecting and using one among these plural tables. CONSTITUTION:When a printing command button is depressed, a CPU1 first outputs data receiving commands to a receiving circuit 4. Receiving this output, said circuit 4 sequentially reads each color data CD of a display screen DG, and supplies it to the CPU1. When the color data CD of all dots is written to a RAM3, the CPU1 outputs a selection data SD to a table selection circuit 9, which, receiving the data SD, outputs ''1'', for instance, to a select terminal CS of a table 7a. Thus, the table 7a becomes the enable state. Then the CPU1 reads out each color data CD from the RAM3, and supplies it to an address terminal of the table 7a in order. Next, a printing data PRD is read out from the table 7a, and converted into serial data which is recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a color printer used for hard copies of display screens of color display devices.

[Prior art]

This type of color printer converts color signals supplied from a color display device into a color conversion table to generate printing color data, that is, Y (yellow), M (magenta), C
It is converted into [cyan] color data, and printing is performed based on this color data.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

By the way, in conventional color printers, the above-mentioned t
Only one color conversion table is provided, and as a result, each color signal can only be printed in a specific color determined by the color conversion table, and the color tone cannot be changed. Purpose] This invention was made in view of the above circumstances.

The purpose is to provide a color printer that can produce various color tones.

[Ninth way to solve the problem]

In this invention, a plurality of tables are provided as color conversion tables, and one of the plurality of tables is selected and used.

〔Example〕.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, l is a CPU (central processing unit), 2 is a ROM in which programs used in the CPU l are stored, 3 is a RAM for data storage,
4 is a receiving circuit. The receiving circuit 4 is supplied with color data CD, a horizontal synchronizing signal H8YNC, and a vertical synchronizing signal VSYNC from the color display device. That is, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the display screen DG of the color display device. Sequential output and synchronization signal H8Y
Outputs NC and VSYNC. In this case, the color data CD is, for example, 6-bit data consisting of 2-bit R (red) color data, G (green) color data, and B (blue) color data. and,
The receiving circuit 4 is connected to each driver) D-00, D-01...D-N
The timing at which M color data CD is supplied is detected based on the synchronization signal H8YNC and VSYNC, and each color data CD is sequentially read at this detected timing, and the read color data CD is output to pass line 5. The color data CD output to the pass line 5 is processed by the CPU.
1 to RAM 3 sequentially.

Reference numerals 7a to 7d are color conversion tables. These color conversion tables 7a to 7d are all RAMs, and each has a Y (yellow) data area, an M (magenta) data area, and a C (cyan) data area. Then, 4 dots of printing data (PRD) are written in each Y, M, C data area corresponding to the color data CD.Here, each dot D-00, D
-01...D-NM,! :, Explains the relationship with pixels (picture cells) during printing. Figure 3 is a pixel PC
As shown in this figure, one pixel vPC is composed of four dots. Then, each dot D-nO, D-01...D on the display screen DG
-NM are respectively printed on this pixel PC. That is, in the color printer according to this embodiment,
One dot on the display screen DG is expressed as four dots when printed. The print data PRD mentioned above is 4-bit data corresponding to the 4 dots of the pixel PC5.For example, the print data PRD is "1, 1, 0...".
0', this data PRD is the pixel P
Dot PD of C) %PD 2 is colored, PD 3P
D4 indicates no coloring.

Then, each address terminal A of the color conversion tables 7a to 7d
The color data CD read from %RAM 3 is supplied to the lower 6 bits of D (E/), and the first 1 bit is supplied with 10'' or glg, which specifies the upper 2 bits or lower 2 bits of the print data PRD. is supplied, and data specifying one of the Y, M, and C data areas is supplied to the upper two bits of the address terminal AD.As a result,
The color conversion tables 7a to 7d output the upper or lower two bits of the print data PRD corresponding to the color data CD.

The table selection circuit 9 supplies a 111 signal to the select terminal C8 of the color conversion tables 7a to 7a corresponding to the selection data SD output from the CPU 1. Table 7a~
When the 611@ signal is supplied to the select terminal C8 of 7d,
The tables 7a to 7a are enabled and the internal print data PRD is read out. The P/S () parallel/serial) conversion circuit 10 is a color conversion table 7.
The print data PRD (Z bit) read from a to 7d is converted into serial data and output to the head control circuit 11. The head control circuit 11 includes a shift register including the same number of flip-flops as the heating elements of the thermal head 120, and a gate circuit for controlling opening/closing of each output signal of the shift register. When the print command PST is supplied from the CPU 1, the gate circuit is opened and each output signal of the shift register is supplied to each heating element of the thermal head 12. Explain the operation of. When the print command button on the operation unit (not shown) is pressed, C
The PU 1 first outputs a data reception command to the reception circuit 4. The receiving circuit 4 receives this data receiving command, sequentially reads each color data CD of D-00% D-01 . . . D-NM on the display screen DG, and supplies it to the CPU i.

The CPU 1 sequentially writes each color data CD to the RAM 3. Next, color data C of all dots on the display screen DG
When D is written into the RAM 3, the %CPU 1 outputs selection data SD to the table selection circuit 9. Now, CP
If U1 outputs selection data SD specifying table 7a, table selection circuit 9 outputs this selection data SD.
T-receiver, select terminal C8/\11 of table 7a
Outputs a seal signal. As a result, the table 7a becomes enabled. Next, the CPU 1 reads each color data C of dots D-00 to D-OM (first line) from the RAM 3.
D is sequentially read out and sequentially supplied to the lower 6 bits of the address terminal AD of the table 7a. At the same time, IO'' is sent to the 7th bit of the address terminal AD of the table 7a.
Data specifying the Y data area is supplied to the upper 2 bits. In addition, the upper two bits of the print data PRD in the Y data area of the workpiece p% table 7a are sequentially read out. Then, the read fL9 data is converted into serial data by the P/S conversion circuit and sequentially written into the shift register in the head control circuit 11. Next, dot D-0
Printing data PRD (upper 2 bits) corresponding to each color data CD from 0 to D-OM is read into the shift register, and at time t, CPU 1 issues a print command PST.
is output to the head control circuit]1. When the print command PST is supplied to the head control circuit 11, each data read into the shift register is supplied to each heating element of the thermal head 12, and printing is performed on this in yellow in the first row. be exposed. Then, as soon as this printing is finished and the printing paper and ink ribbon move by one line, the CPU 1 connects to the address terminal AD of the table 7a.
It outputs 111 to the 7th bit of , and repeats the same transition as above. This is followed by printing in yellow on the second line. Next, CPU 1 uses RAM 3
Each force from dot D-10 to D-1M? - Read the data CD sequentially, and read out the lower 6 of address terminals AD of table 7a.
tyc, outputs @OI to the 7th bit of the same address terminal AD, and outputs data specifying the Y data area to the upper 2 bits. Then, the print data PRD(DR) corresponding to each of the color data CDs D-10 to D-LM are stored in the shift register of the head control circuit 11.
2 bits) is read.

When the print command P8T is output, the third line is printed in yellow, and at the end of this printing, the printing paper and the ink ribbon are moved by one line. Thereafter, printing in yellow is sequentially performed in the same manner. When a certain number of lines have been printed in yellow, the color of the ink ribbon changes to magenta, and the printing paper is rewound to its original position. When this rewinding of the printing paper 10 is completed, the CPU 1 redirects the RAM 3
Each color data CD of dots D-00 to D-OM is sequentially read from the address terminal AD of the table 7a.
Furthermore, 10 mushrooms are supplied to the 7th bit of the same address terminal AD, and data specifying the M data area is supplied to the upper 2 bits. Then, the upper two bits of the print data PRD in the M data area of the table 7a are sequentially read out and read into the shift register in the head control circuit 11 via the P/S conversion circuit 10. When the bcPU, 1 outputs a print command PST, magenta printing is performed on the first line of the printing paper overlapping the yellow printing described above.

Thereafter, magenta printing is performed sequentially on the second line, third line, etc. of the paper, and when a certain number of lines have been printed with magenta h, the color of the ink ribbon changes to cyan. Then, the printing paper is rewound again to its original position. Thereafter, in the same process as the above-mentioned process, printing in F and cyan colors is superimposed on printing in yellow and magenta colors.

The above describes the case where the CPU 1 selects the table 7a and k is %.If the CPU 1 selects the table 7b and the table 7b is 9, color printing is performed based on the print data PRD in the table 7b. That is, according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, since four color conversion tables 7a to 7d are provided, it is possible to select four different tones for color printing. 4 images9
The color tone makes it possible to print.

Note that the color conversion tables 7a to 7d are designed to be able to be changed by the CPU 1. The color conversion tables 7a to 7d can be selected either by providing a selection switch in the operation section and using this selection switch, or by selecting by the program of the CPU 1.゛ha. Furthermore, the receiving circuit 4 may receive a condigital video signal and create a color 41 data CD from this signal.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, since a plurality of color conversion tables are provided according to the present invention, the same color image can be printed in a plurality of tones.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display screen of a color display device;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a pixel PC, which is a basic unit during printing. 7a-7d...Color conversion table, 9...
・Table, selection circuit. Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a color printer that converts a color signal into printing data using a color conversion table and performs color printing based on this printing data, a plurality of tables are provided as the color conversion table, and one of the plurality of tables is provided as the color conversion table. A color printer characterized in that one can be selectively used.