JPS61182960A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a printing speed from being lowered, by regularly masking dot data to such an extent as not to impair printing quality of Chinese characters and graphic patterns. CONSTITUTION:For example, when dot data n1-nn are received, a controlling part 2 resets circuits such as a memory 3 and and I/O port 103, then outputs a mask pattern-1 (a) from a ROM4 to a data masking circuit 101, and demands transfer of printing data from a host device through the port 103. The printing data n1 thus sent are ANDed with a mask pattern '1' assigned by the ROM4, and only the printing data n1 corresponding to the mask pattern '1' are stored into the memory 3 through the port 103. In the case of a printer with a vertical 24 dot construction, the operation is performed three times, and the data are stored into the memory 3, sequentially from a starting end of the memory 3. Thus, the print pattern consists of staggered dots (every other dot), so that the load on a printing bead is at most 50% of a normal load, the head is prevented from being overheated, and printing can be performed at a steady speed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a wire dot type printer suitable for printing out Chinese characters, graphic patterns, etc., and is particularly aimed at improving the printing speed thereof.

[Background of the invention]

Conventional wire dot printers have the ability to instantly stop data reception or change the printing order in order to protect the printing wire from temperature, etc. when the printing wire is used very frequently for extremely complex characters or graphic patterns. The printing speed was instantly lowered by changing the printing speed, and no measures were taken to reduce the effective printing speed. Note that some wire dot type printers are known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-64569.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to print characters and graphic patterns in which printing wires are used very frequently in a wire dot printer, even if printing quality is slightly lowered.
To provide a printer having a function of printing without reducing printing speed.

[Summary of the invention]

By removing the pressure received from the dot data corresponding to the print wire, the dot data is regularly masked to the extent that the print quality of Kanji characters and graphic patterns is not impaired, and the print wire is used less frequently. The purpose is to avoid reducing the printing speed for protection purposes and to effectively improve the printing speed.

[Embodiments of the invention]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printer that is an embodiment of the present invention. The interface control circuit 1 includes a data mask circuit 101. Mask control circuit +02 & input/output board 10
5, and performs input/output signal exchange between the control unit 2 and a host device (not shown). The control unit 2 is RO
Each part of the printer is controlled according to the control program in M (read-only, memory) 4. Furthermore, ROMa
also acts as a character pattern generator. Memory 5 stores input data. Print tA groove 8 &'! It consists of a print head, a print head line direction feeding mechanism, etc. Print side +W
The J part circuit 7 inputs and outputs from the control part 2 till-circuit 9.
Printing 1 of the print head following a signal given via
Controls drive and line direction feed. The motor 6 drives a line feed feed mechanism (not shown) for printing paper. A motor control circuit 5 generates motor drive pulses as a subsidiary of the control unit 2 .

The operation panel circuit 10 supplies signals corresponding to switch operations on an operation panel (not shown) to the control section 2 via the input/output control circuit 9. The operation panel circuit 10 also includes a control section 2.
The lamp on the operation panel is made to blink according to the signal sent via the input/output control circuit 9. The detection circuit 11 is
Detection signals from a sensor that detects when the print head reaches the left end or the right end, a sensor that detects the presence or absence of printing paper, etc. are sent to the control section 2 via the input/output control circuit 9.

Next, the operation of the printer of this embodiment will be explained. Now, for convenience, dot data as shown in Figure 2 ~rLrL
Assume that dot mask printing is to be performed when receiving a message. First, the control unit 2 uses the memory 51 input/output board 1.
After resetting the circuits such as 05, mask pattern 1 (Fig. 5 (a)) is transferred from ROM a to data mask circuit 10.
1 (* is "1", ○ is "01") and requests the transfer of print data to the host device through the input/output port 103.

In response to this request, print data is sent from the host device.

The print data sent from the host device.

Only the print data (-) corresponding to "1" of the mask pattern is output from the input/output port 10 under the control of the control unit according to the timing at which it is issued from the mask side dividing circuit 102.
5 is stored in the memory 5. In the case of a printer with a vertical 24-dot configuration, the above operation is performed five times, and the data is stored in the memory 5 in order from the beginning.

Print data, (4th time) At the time of data detection +1 mask control circuit 102 prints mask pattern 1 (Fig. 5 (a)
) shifted one bit higher (mask pattern 2) is used as a mask pattern (Figure 5 (b)), and is ANDed with the print data sent from the host device to print the print data corresponding to the "edge" of the mask pattern. Only the data is gated and stored in the memory 5 under the control of the control section 2.

Print data for this operation! , ``perform for IK, then ``r m''11 , for ``I,'').

The process is repeated in sequence until the print trigger control code is received. As a result, print data as shown in FIG. 4 is stored in the memory 3.

By receiving a print trigger, the print data is read from the starting point of the memory 5, and is sent to the print control circuit 7 via the input/output control circuit 9 according to an instruction from the control unit 2 in the ROMa, and is printed (the printing operation is known in the art). (This is the same as the dot printer, so the details are omitted.) The printing pattern is as shown in Figure 4, and because it is staggered every other dot, the load on the print head is at most 50%, so it is possible to print at a steady speed without reducing the printing speed to prevent the print head from overheating. It becomes possible to print Oi.

The data mask circuit 101 of this embodiment is a gate circuit, and determines whether or not to mask the data line of input dot data under the control of the mask control sub-circuit 102. The presence or absence of a data mask, the mask type, etc. are selected from either a command from a host device (not shown) or an instruction from an operation panel (not shown). Therefore, by leaving the data mask circuit 101 open, conventional printing (printing as shown in FIG. 2) is possible, and by opening the gate, various types of printing such as those shown in FIG. 5 are possible.

In this embodiment, the data mask circuit 101 and the mask control circuit +02 are provided inside the interface control unit w51, but there are [(The device that stores dot pattern data in 0M.

It may be provided between the ROM 4 and the control unit 2 (or it may be implemented by firmware within a microprogram).

〔Effect of the invention〕

Since the present invention has the above-described configuration, it achieves the following effects. (1) By controlling the mask circuit, part of the received data is scattered and printed, so the printing density can be lowered. Printing including graphic patterns, figures, etc. can be done without reducing printing speed.

(2) Since the mask circuit can be selected using a switch on the operation panel, the printing dot density can be treated as being seemingly infinite without having to be conscious of output data control from the host.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a printing pattern, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a mask pattern, and FIGS. 1... Interface control circuit 2... Control unit 5... Memory 4... ROM 9... Input/output control circuit 10... Operation panel circuit 101... Data mask Circuit 102...Mask control circuit 105...I/O port

Claims (1)

[Claims] What is claimed is: 1. A printer of a dot matrix type, characterized by having means for printing a partial pattern of print data received from a host device by selecting a data mask circuit.