JPS615966A - Printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a printing system which performs a printing, by selecting the mode of either printing after the end of spacing for constant speed printing or printing after the end of type selection according to the number of selected printing characters depending on the relationship between the type selection time and the spacing time. CONSTITUTION:When the number (n) of selected characters meet n<=n1, spacing is made at the time t1 for selecting n1 and a constant speed printing because type selection time <= spacing time. When the number (n) of selected characters meet n>n1, an intermittent printing is performed. The spacing operation time for intermittent characters is given as character selection time t2 for the set number n2 of selected type character. When n<n1 in characters, printing is performed after the end of spacing while it is done after the type selection when n>n2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an impact serial printer, and more particularly to a printing method.

Fbl Technology Background Serial printers, which are one of the output devices for computers, include impact type printers that print type by impacting it onto a recording medium. There is a non-impact type that prints without impact, such as the 3-heat method. The impact type has been praised for its superior performance in terms of printed font and simultaneous copying, even though it has higher noise and lower printing speed than the latter.

An overview of the printing method of a typical impact printer using the printer structure diagram in Figure 1 shows that the printing type 5 (hereinafter referred to as type wheel) is arranged radially and rotates.
is rotated and selected by the motor 6 to the position of the print hammer 7, and at the same time the carriage 4 carrying the type is sent to a predetermined position, and after the operations of both are completed, the print hammer 7 impacts and prints the type on the recording medium. It is something. The printing speed is generally determined by the print selection time, but the character selection time is determined by the rotation selection time from the previously selected character and varies considerably. Therefore, in order to achieve high-speed printing, a method is adopted in which the carriage is sent at the same timing for each character selection and printing is performed without stopping the carriage. However, in this method, the motor drive device is complicated and expensive, so there is a demand for a high-speed, low-cost printer.

FCI Prior Art and Problems The conventional technology will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. 2
is a platen on which recording paper is attached, which absorbs the impact of the printing hammer, performs printing, and feeds the paper.

3 is a gear that rotates the platen, and when one line of printing is completed, the paper is fed by a motor (not shown). Carriage 4 carries print wheel 5 and type wheel 5
It is equipped with a wheel motor 6 and a printing hammer 7 that rotate the platen, and is moved parallel to the platen by a carriage motor 8 and a belt 9. Each of the above-mentioned motors is operated synchronously by the control device, and the printing operation is performed as described above.

A detailed description of the conventional printing operation is as follows.

In FIG. 2(a), reference numeral 101 is a graph representing the number of selected characters versus the selection time of printed characters, which represents the time it takes to select the next character after a certain printed character has been selected and printed. For example, in Fig. 1, when type 5a is currently printed and is located at the position of print hammer 7, and type 5b is selected next, the number of selected characters is the number of characters from type 5a to 5b, and in the example of Figure 1, n =
3, which means that the time required to select a type is different depending on the number of characters.

In conventional high-speed printers, the carriage movement speed is determined based on this number of selected characters. For example, Fig. 2 (a), (b)
) If the number of selected characters is no and the selection time is to at the time of printing as shown in ), the carriage moves in l space at a speed of to time, and at the end of the character selection time, it prints 1.
Since the space movement is completed and impact printing is performed, high-speed printing is possible without the carriage stopping.

FIG. 3 shows a drive circuit that realizes such high-speed printing. In this figure, reference numeral 20 indicates a speed signal 102 of the carriage 4 corresponding to the type selection time to from a control unit (not shown).
A D/A converter 21 is a comparison unit that compares the actual carriage speed with the commanded speed 102 and performs feedbank control so that the carriage speed matches the commanded speed 102. The carriage speed is determined by the output of a sensor 22 attached to the carriage motor 6 using a position-speed converter 23.

As described above, in the conventional printing method, since the carriage speed is controlled in synchronization with the character selection time, the drive circuit becomes complicated and expensive (and the drive power increases).

(dl) OBJECT OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, it is an object of the present invention to provide a high-speed and low-cost impact printer.

(e) Structure of the invention Therefore, the object of the present invention can be achieved with the following structure. That is, a first means for performing constant speed printing in which the space time of the carriage is kept constant and printing is performed at a predetermined printing position without stopping the carriage for printing having a character selection time within the space time; A second means performs intermittent printing in which the carriage is stopped and printed for printing having a character selection time that exceeds the time; and in the second means, the intermittent space time is constant and the character selection time is the intermittent space time. a third means for printing characters within the intermittent space after the end of the space, and printing after the end of type selection for characters exceeding the intermittent space time; Second
゜ Means for performing spacing in the third means by oven loop control of a pulse motor, and prints by selecting the first ゜ second and third means according to the number of selected characters to be printed. This can be achieved using a printing method.

The above method prevents a decrease in printing speed, simplifies the space driving device, and provides a low-cost impact printer.

The above configuration will be further explained in detail using figures.

Figure 4 (al is a graph (104) representing the curve of the number of selected characters versus time for selecting type), Figure 4 (bl is the carriage's inter-word movement movement (hereinafter referred to as spacing or space), that is, space distance - space time) Graph, 5th
The figure is a time chart showing the printing operation by the pulse motor.

The present invention is a space drive method using oven loop control of a pulse motor, and is a method in which the space speed is set in the following two modes and printing is performed according to the character selection time. That is, a) The selected number of characters n to be printed is nun, and n
Spacing is performed at time t1 when l is selected. Therefore, the type selection time for characters in this area is the same as or shorter than the spacing time, so printing can be done at the same time as spacing ends.
Therefore, when characters in this area are continuous, the carriage moves at a constant speed without stopping. This mode is hereinafter referred to as constant speed printing.

口) When the number of selected characters n to be printed is n>nl,
The carriage performs spacing from a stopped state, stops once, and prints. (This mode is hereinafter referred to as intermittent printing) The spacing operation time for intermittent characters is performed at the character selection time t2 of the set number of printed characters selected 02, and in the case of characters with n<n 2tP, printing is performed after spacing is completed, If n>n2, printing is performed after completion of character selection.

c) The fact that the printing one space before the intermittent printing is more than a constant speed mark will be explained using FIG. 4(b). Fig. 4(b) shows a space distance-space time curve that shifts to intermittent printing at point 107 after continuous constant speed printing, and stops once at space distance Sa (position from the home position) and prints. After that, the printer shifts to intermittent printing, moves to sb, stops, prints, and then shifts to constant speed printing. In this intermittent printing, when n≦1//n2, printing is performed at time tb1, and when n>n2, printing is performed at time tb2 after character selection.

The character wheel is arranged sequentially on the left and right, centering around the type characters that have many chances of appearing.For example, if you set it to nl-5 to nl-10, you can expect continuous constant speed printing, so it is easy to operate and increases the average drive power. It is possible to achieve high-speed printing without causing any problems.

The above method can be easily realized by space drive using oven loop control of a pulse motor, and its outline will be explained using FIG.

Fig. 5 is a time chart when a pulse motor is used as a wheel motor and a carignon motor, and corresponds to Fig. 4 (kl+). Fig. 5 f
a) is space distance - space velocity, Fig. 5 (bl is the input pulse of the pulse motor corresponding to the space velocity, Fig. 5 fcl is the input pulse of the wheel motor, Fig. 5 (
dl each represents a printing hammer drive pulse. The pulses shown in FIG. 5 are time charts showing speed changes, and the actual driving method will be described later. Figure 5 (108 in al is constant speed printing.

109 represents constant speed stop printing before intermittent printing, ] 10 represents intermittent printing, and 11 represents a state in which the carriage is stopped when n>n2 and is waiting for type selection.

If the printing operation is constant speed printing, the spacing ends (112
and 113) i& pulses (112-1 and 113
-1), and in the case of intermittent printing, the character selection ends (11
If 5) is earlier than the end of spacing (114), it is after the end of spacing (111-1) and the end of character selection (111-1).
If 116) is slower than the spacing, print at <116-1) after character selection is completed. In this case, carry and ji are 11
Like 1 (in a stopped state).

As mentioned above, space drive is constant speed, intermittent, constant speed-stop,
If it can be simplified into multiple patterns such as stopping at a constant speed, and one line of information is given as printing information, the printing operation and space drive pattern for one line can be determined and the open loop control of the pulse motor can be performed. This can be easily realized.

(“) Examples of the invention Examples will be described below using FIGS. 6 to 8.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram configuring the present printer. FIG. 7 is an operational flow chart of the printing method of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of generating pulses for driving the carriage pulse motor.

First, each functional part will be explained with reference to FIG.

6-1 is a storage unit 6-2 like a microcomputer.
6-3 is a character selection pulse generation table storage unit that stores a time table for generating drive pulses for the wheel motor; 6-4 is a drive pulse for the carriage motor; 6-6 is a print information storage unit that stores one line of print information received by the interface 6-7;
-5 is a line speed table storage unit that stores a speed pattern for one line by combining various space speed patterns from print information, and 6-8 is a paper feed unit that rotates the platen and sends the recording paper after printing for one line is completed.・Paper feed motor drive unit that drives the motor 6-13; 6-9 is a wheel motor drive unit that drives the wheel motor 6 and selects type; 6-1;
0 is a space drive unit that drives the carriage motor 8 to perform spacing, and 6-11 is a print hammer drive unit that drives a print hammer that impacts selected characters.

6-12 is an I10 control unit which inputs signals from various sensors 14 such as a home position sensor.

The operation of this printing method, which is a printer having the above-mentioned functions, is as follows. (FIG. 7a) When one line of print information is received from the computer main body through the interface 6-7, the control section 6-1 stores the information in the temporary print information storage section 6-6. Next, the control unit 6-1 creates a line speed table for one line, and the line speed table storage unit 6-1 creates a line speed table for one line.
Store in 5.

The line speed table is created by combining space speed patterns corresponding to constant speed printing 9 and intermittent printing, and the space speed pattern numbers are recorded therein. The control unit 6-1 refers to this table for each print, extracts the space speed pattern No. of the print, and controls the carriage motor drive unit 6-10.
instructs generation of the drive pulse. On the other hand, the Schass pulse Q main table stores a pulse generation table for each space velocity pattern, and the carriage motor drive section can generate a predetermined pulse by referring to this table.

b) At the same time, the control unit 6-1 sets the print head address number of the line in the counter in the storage unit 6-2 based on the print information. This value (L) is incremented by 1 every time one character is printed and is used to monitor the end of printing one line.

C) Next, print the first character of the line. The spacing for the first character is generally high-speed spacing such as a carriage return, and after a pause, the first character is printed and then printing of that line is started.

d) Printing of the second and subsequent characters is a repeated operation as shown in FIG. First, the control unit 6-1 is set to ■.

=L+1, extract the print information from the print information storage unit, compare it with the previous print, calculate the number of selected characters n, and determine whether the number of selected characters n is n<nl, nl<n<n2, or n>n2. Discern. According to the determination, the control section 6-1 issues the following commands to each driving section.

d-1) When n<=nl The wheel motor drive section 6-9 is started by giving the number n of selected characters or the address of the character selection pulse generation table. The wheel motor drive unit 6-9 obtains pulse information from the speed pattern of the character selection pulse table, creates a signal, and sends an end signal to the control unit 6-1 after completing the process.

The carriage motor drive unit 6-10 is activated by specifying the constant speed pattern number or the address in the space pulse generation table storage unit 6-4 where the pattern is stored.

After the carriage motor drive section generates the pulse, it sends an end signal to the control section 6-1.

The control unit 6-1 monitors each end signal and issues a print command to the print hammer drive unit 6-11 after character selection is completed.

d-2) In the case of nl<n<n2, the control unit 6-1 starts the wheel motor drive unit in the same manner as in item d-1). Carriage motor drive section 6-10
For this purpose, an intermittent speed pattern is specified and activated. Spacing end t&, send print command.

d3) In the case of n>fi2, the same pattern as in d-2) is commanded to each drive unit and activated. The print command is sent after character selection is completed.

When the printing of one character is completed and the above operation is repeated until the value of the line counter reaches the predetermined number of characters printed in one line, printing of one line is completed and line feed, paper feeding, etc. are performed.

FIG. 8 shows an example of generating carriage morph drive pulses. A four-phase motor is used as a pulse motor, and two phases are sequentially selected from among the four phases according to the direction of rotation and a predetermined voltage is applied. The pulse repetition frequency of the applied voltage determines the speed. Space pulse generation/
The table stores the time to be applied to each phase of the motor for each space speed pattern, and the carriage motor drive unit 6-10 sequentially refers to this table to determine the applied pulse for each phase. . For example, if pattern 1 is selected, the carriage motor drive unit 6
-10 first reads tabl, operates a soft timer for t a b 1 hour, generates a pulse, converts it to a predetermined drive voltage, and supplies it to each phase of the motor. The space speed pattern is acceleration (stop constant speed), deceleration (constant speed - stop),
There are several types of patterns such as constant speed, and the control unit 6-1 creates a speed pattern for one line by combining them and stores the pattern number in the line speed table.

As described above, space driving by the oven loop control section of the pulse motor can be achieved.

A similar method can also be used for wheel motor drive.

Through the functions and operations of each part described above, it is possible to realize constant speed printing and intermittent printing stitching operations based on the selected number of characters using pulse motor O1〉' loop control, which is the object of the present invention, and to provide a high-speed and inexpensive printer. can do.

Note that each of the storage units 6-3 to 6-6 can be included in the storage unit 6-2, and the pulse generation and control functions in each of the drive units 6-8 to 6-11 can be included in the control unit 6-1. I can do it.

tgl Effects of the Invention By carrying out the present invention, oven loop control using a pulse motor with a simple configuration can be used for space drive, and a low-cost impact printer can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a block diagram of an impact printer, Figure 2 is a diagram explaining the conventional technology, and Figure 2 (a) shows the number of selected characters -
A type selection time curve, FIG. 2(b) is a space distance-space time curve, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional space drive circuit, FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams explaining the principle of the present invention,
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the printer configuration of the embodiment, and FIG.
The figure is a flow chart showing the operation of this printing method]. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of space drive pulse generation. In the figure, 6-1 is a control unit, 6-3 is a character selection pulse generation table storage unit, 6-4 is a space pulse generation table storage unit, 6-5 is a line speed table storage unit, and 6-6 is a print information storage unit. 6-7 is an interface, 6-9 is a wheel motor drive section, and 6-10 is a carry motor drive section. ′≧1-44 Figure (η)
(Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure 7)

Claims (1)

[Claims] A printer that selects type by rotating a printing wheel mounted on a carriage, then moves the carriage along the recording medium to perform spacing, and then impacts the selected type with a printing hammer to continuously print on the recording medium. A first means for performing constant speed printing in which the space time of the carriage is kept constant and printing is performed at a predetermined printing position without stopping the carriage for printing having a type selection time within the space time. , a second means for performing intermittent printing in which the carriage is stopped and printed for printing having a character selection time exceeding the space time; and in the second means,
With the intermittent printing space time constant, printing is performed after the space ends for printing whose type selection time is within the intermittent printing space time, and printing is performed after the completion of type selection for printing exceeding the intermittent printing space time. The third means and the spacing in the first, second and third means are pulsed.
means by open-loop control of the motor, and the first, second, and third
A printing method of an impact printer characterized by printing by selecting the means of printing.