JPS61195865A - Printer-controlling system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate control of development of character data, by a system wherein character points for indicating the boundary between character data for the current page and character data for the next page are provided in each character line on a page buffer, at the time of a landscape mode operation. CONSTITUTION:A reading-controlling part 3 performs an access operation for reading character data from positions corresponding a scanning lien for the next printing. Line positions 1, 2, 3, ... are set on a line pointer 5. In a character pointer table 6, character pointers (d) indicating the data boundary between the current page and the next page are set for each line position (c). A blank region detecting part 4 takes out the character pointer (d) corresponding to the line position (c) in the line pointer 5 from the table 6, and detects the presence or absence of a blank region 1c. When the blank region is detected, a writing-controlling part 2 is started writing into the detected blank region the character data for the corresponding line on the next page, and the character pointers are shifted to new boundary positions.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] When operating in a landscape mode in which a line-scanning printer such as a laser printer develops one character line in parallel to the paper feeding direction, as printing progresses within the page buffer, Area that becomes empty one after another - 1, dynamically expands character data for the next page in parallel with printing operation, and overflows due to writing character data to the page buffer -
Destroy the 17-do.

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention is a laser or τ suspended beam printer control I
In particular, the present invention relates to a write control '11 method for expanding character data to a page buffer.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 2 shows the basic configuration of an example of a conventional laser printer.

In FIG. 2, 21 is a laser printer, 22 is a print control unit, 23 is a code buffer, 24 is a printer,
25 represents a character pattern table, and 26 represents a laser recording section.

The print data supplied from the host to the laser printer 21 is composed of a command and a character code, and is stored in the code bar 23 via the print control section 22.

The code buffer 23 is, for example, a desk provided with one page for two pages, and is configured so that the starting of the first page and the old entering of the next page can be executed independently.

The page buffer 24 is a so-called image memory, and stores pattern data of all characters to be printed corresponding to one page of output screen of the printer.

stored in each print position.

The print control unit 22 sequentially reads character codes from the code buffer 23 and converts them into corresponding character patterns using the character pattern table 25.

Write to the specified address of the page buffer 24.

After one page's worth of print data has been developed into the page buffer 24, data reading and recording operations to the laser recording section 26 are performed. Readout is in the main scanning direction (perpendicular to the paper feed direction).

It is done in line format.

When data for one page is read from the page buffer 24 and printing is completed, the print control unit 22
Character patterns for the next page are expanded into the page buffer 24.

In this way, consecutive pages are printed.

By the way, there are two types of arrangement of one character line: 3 perpendicular to the paper feeding direction and 6 parallel. The former is called portrait mode and the latter is called landscape mode. These modes can be used even if the paper size is the same, such as landscape or portrait.

It is set up so that its usage can be changed.

FIG. 3(al) and FIG. 3(bl) are in hoard rate mode and landscape mode, respectively.

This is an example of the character line arrangement in the page buffer.

Note that the arrows in Figure 1 indicate the readout scanning lines, and the 0.
1, 2, 3, . . . , 9 show examples of character patterns.

In the portrait mode shown in FIG. 3+al, one character line is in the same direction as the readout scanning line, that is, in the main scanning direction, so that successive character lines are scanned and printed as one sheet is fed.

However, in the landscape mode of Fig. 3 (bl).

Since the character lines are arranged in the paper feed direction (sub-scanning direction), as the paper feeds, the readout scanning line simultaneously scans and prints successive character positions in all the character lines.

The character pattern is stale in the page buffer.

It is done according to the character lines. Therefore, Fig. 3 (
Al's portrait mode writes line by line from left to right, and Figure 3 (bl's landscape mode writes line by line from bottom to top).

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

For printers that use traditional page buffers.

After the printing of one page was completely completed, the character data of the next page was developed into the page buffer.

For this reason, the time required to develop character data into the page buffer becomes an overhead, and during this time the printing mechanism of the printer is in a waiting state, resulting in a problem of inefficiency.

In this case, in portrait mode, the page buffer will print 1110 times per line as printing progresses line by line.
Since the next free area is generated, it is relatively easy to implement restrictions such as π-related character data in parallel with the printing operation of 1. , the expansion control of single character data becomes complicated and could not be easily realized in the past.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above problems in the landscape mode of conventional printers, the present invention provides a character pointer that indicates the character data boundary of the current and next page for each character line on the page buffer when operating in the landscape mode. It is.

As a result, an empty area is detected for each character line from the current print position (character position) and the position of the character pointer, and the character data of the corresponding line of the 0th page is expanded into the empty area, and the characters of the current page are The value of the character pointer is determined at the boundary position with the data, and the above operations are repeated as printing progresses. When the character pointer reaches the edge of a line, the development of the next page's character data in that line is completed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a page buffer, 2 is a write control unit, and 3 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention.
4 represents a read control unit, 4 represents a free area detection unit, 5 represents a line pointer, and 6 represents a character pointer table.

Vertical lines indicated by numbers ■, ■, ■, ... in page buffer l are character lines in landscape mode,
Also, the white area of la is the unprinted data area for the current page,
The cross area of lb is the expanded data area for the next-2 minutes,
The shaded area of lc is an empty area, and ld indicates the current printing position.

The write control unit 2 executes a write access operation of character data to a designated position of the page buffer l.

The read control unit 3 executes an access operation to read character data from a position corresponding to a scanning line of the primary printout.

The line pointer 5 is set with sequential line positions (■, ■, ■, . . . ) at which the empty area detecting section 4 performs the detection operation.

In the character pointer table 6, each line position (■, ■
, ■, . . . ), a character pointer is set to indicate the data boundary between the current page and the next page.

The free area detection unit 4 retrieves the character pointer corresponding to the line position of the one-line pointer 5 from the character pointer table 6, and compares this with the current print position 1d obtained from the readout control unit 3, thereby determining the free area 1c. Detect the presence or absence of.

If a free area is detected, the write control section 2 is activated to write the character data of the relevant line of the next page into the detected free area, and the character pointer is changed to a new boundary position.

This operation is performed in parallel with the printing operation by moving the line pointer 5.
is executed while updating, and when all the character pointers for one condition reach the bottom end, the page update is completed.

[Effect]

Figure 4 shows the page buffer update fee according to the present invention.
The arrow in the figure shows the current printing position, and the short bar mark shows the character pointer position. Also, ■ or ■ is the line number and is 1
The character data on the next page is "0.1, 2..." for each line.
, 9".

The diagram "fat" shows the printing start state of the current page, there is no empty area, and all character pointers are at the starting edge.

Row) is a state in which an empty area is detected in line ■ and the character data "789°" of the primary page is expanded.

゛ Figure (C) shows a state in which a free space is detected in line ① and the character data ``6789°'' of the primary page is expanded.

In the same way, when proceeding as shown in the figure (C1, (d+, (el), -, and returning to line ■ again in figure (f), an empty area is detected between the character pointer position and the character data of the secondary page “123456” is additionally expanded.

Thereafter, in the same way, the state of figure (gl) is reached, and finally figure (hl
In good health, all the characters on the next page are shown in the evening exhibition 1;? 1 is completed.

〔Example〕

FIG. 5 shows the main structure of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 shows its control flow.

In FIG. 5, 1 is a page buffer, 2 is a write control unit, 3 is a read 'H1't, 111 parts, 4 is a free area detection unit, 5 is a line pointer, 6 is a character pointer table, and 7 is an expansion control counter; 8 is a print position storage unit;
9 is a comparison/control unit, 1a is an unprinted data area for the current page, 1b is an expanded data area for the next page, lc
indicates an empty area, and ld indicates the current printing position.

Here, the expansion control counter 7 points to the next page's worth of character lines starting from the first character (lower end on the page buffer in the figure) character by character, and checks whether that character spans the free space on the page buffer. used. In addition, the print position storage unit 8 is
Printing position 5, that is, empty area 6a area I. With this first value, after the next page data is developed, it will be the developed data area 1.
It is used to hold the starting position of b.

The operation of the embodiment apparatus shown in FIG. 5 will be described below in accordance with steps ① to 8 of the control flow shown in FIG. In addition,
Assume that landscape mode is set.

(2) In the initial setting, the printing width of one line (assumed to be α) is set in the character pointer table 6 as the value of the character pointer for each character line. Also one line pointer 5
Set the first line to .

The development control counter 7 and print position storage section 8 are cleared to zero.

■The comparison/control unit 9 searches the character pointer table 6 with the one-row pointer 5, reads out the character pointer of the corresponding line (initially α, and after updating, α), and outputs it from the read control unit. The value of the current printing position 1d (width of the area 1a, here assumed to be β) and the value of the development control counter 7 (increased by γ here, however, initially r=o) are used to Checks whether the page's character data can be expanded. Specifically, when an area where β<7<α, that is, an empty area 1c, is detected in the page buffer 1, the writing controller 2 is instructed to develop the primary page character data.

In this case, since it is the first time, β>T, so move on to ■.

Check whether line 01 ends. If it has finished, move to ■, but in this case, since it has not finished, move to ■.

■Add one character to the value of the expansion system 1ffU counter (that is, β-β+1), then return to ■.

Repeat for β>T.

■Set the current print position β in the print position storage section.

This is because the printing position changes even during one-character data expansion operation, so move to the 0th order [F] to store the reference position 100 during expansion.

[F] The value of T is notified to the write control unit 2, and the process moves to the 0th order (2), where the character data at position Er in the character data for the first page is developed in the page buffer 1.

■Increase the expansion system j11 counter 7 by 1 (rr+1).

Next, move on to ■.

■ Compare character pointer α and updated γ, and r
=α, that is, when it is detected that the free area 1c has ended, the process moves to ■. In other cases, return to [F] and '! fL<Return the expansion of character data.

■Character pointer table 6 win! boi line end
is stored in the print position storage section 8 first.

Update with the value of β (α-β) 0 Next, move to ■.

The value of the 0th line pointer 5 is checked to see if it is the last line. If it is the last line, move to ■. In this case, it is not the last line, so move to ■.

The 0th row pointer is incremented by 1 and the state for performing free area accumulation for the 9th row is set. Namely.

The next character pointer is read from the character pointer table 6, and the development control counter 7 is cleared again. ■See you again.

The above operation is repeated for successive rows.

O When the last line is reached in this way, it moves from ■ to 0, and at 0 it moves to ■.

Set the 0-line pointer 5 to the first line, read the character pointer, clear r=o, and return to (2). ■Second
Start reverse eye development control] 1.

In this way, the process is repeated many times while β>O, and when it becomes β-0, that is, when the first character position of one line has been printed, the process ends at ■.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, in landscape mode, on a single page buffer.

In parallel with the printing operation of the current page, the character data of the primary page is dynamically expanded while sequentially detecting free space, so overload due to expansion of page data can be avoided without significantly increasing the amount of hardware. 1 The operating speed of the printer can be increased.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a laser printer to which the present invention can be applied, and Fig. 3 fa
) and FIG. 3 (bl is an explanatory diagram of portrait mode and landscape mode, respectively. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of page buffer update control according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a configuration of an apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a control flow diagram of the embodiment device shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 1, 1 is a page buffer, 2 is a write control section, 3 is a read control section, 4 is an empty area detection section, 5 is a line pointer, 6 is a character pointer table, la is an unprinted data area for the current page, 1b is an expanded data area for the next page, lc is an empty area, and ld is the current print position. .Patent applicant Usank Electronics Industry Co., Ltd. Representative Patent attorney Fumihiro Hase (2 others) Also, da A' No. 5
Example of a protruding axis in IAS) 〇- Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] It has a page buffer, a write control section that controls character data expansion to the page buffer, and a read control section that controls reading of character data in line format from the page buffer, In a printer that can operate in a landscape mode that arranges character lines in parallel with the
A character pointer table that includes a row pointer that indicates the position of one row for detecting free space in the page buffer, and multiple character pointers that indicate the boundary position between the current page data and the next page data for each row, and free space detection. The free area detecting unit sequentially advances the line position indicated by the line pointer, extracts a corresponding character pointer from the character pointer table at each line position, and uses the extracted character pointer and the readout control unit. When an empty area is detected, the write control unit is activated to develop the next page's character data in the detected empty area, and after the expansion is completed, the character pointer is A printer control method characterized by updating a character pointer in a table in correspondence with a new boundary position.