JPS63222865A - Page printer control - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify and quicken processing, by obtaining a space data for a space portion on a page not through not map memory thereby shortening the time for writing a page of dot patterns into a dot map memory. CONSTITUTION:A space control section 25 provided in a control means 2 detects upper and lower end space portions which produce space outputs without requiring a dot map memory 5. Upper and lower space portions are detected and written into a bit map memory 5. Since processing for reading out page buffer and then developing into the bit map memory 5 is not required at space portion, only such portions as having printing content, i.e. from Pa to Pb, are required to be written into the bit map memory 5, writing process is simplified and quickened.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Table of contents] Overview Industrial field of application Prior art (Figure 4) Problems to be solved by the invention Means for solving the problems (Figure 1) Working examples (a ) Explanation of one embodiment (Figs. 2 and 3) (b) Explanation of other embodiments - Effects of the invention [Summary] Converting one page worth of print data into a bit pattern and developing it in a bitmap memory However, in the page printer control method that reads the bitmap memory to obtain one page's worth of bit patterns, in order to speed up the flow of bit patterns through the bitmap memory, blank areas at the top and bottom ends of the page are read out through the bitmap memory. This improves throughput by producing a blank output instead of a blank output.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention provides a page printer control method for a page printer such as a laser printer or an LED printer, in which a bit pattern corresponding to a print code is written in a bitmap memory, and then the bit pattern is read out to obtain a bit pattern for one page. .

In recent years, page printers such as laser printers, LED printers, and liquid crystal printers that perform printing operations on a page-by-page basis have become widespread, and their prices have decreased significantly.

In these page printers, a printing bit pattern for one page is required for printing, and a method is used in which this is stored in a bitmap memory.

This bitmap memory has two methods: a full-page bitmap method that has the capacity of one page, and a full-page bitmap method that has a capacity of one page.
There is a band bitmap method with a capacity of .

Regardless of which method is used, it is necessary to expand and write the bit pattern to the bitmap memory for the given print code, and then read the bitmap memory, which requires faster writing/reading processing. It is being

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the prior art.

In FIG. 4(A), ■ is a data input unit that receives and inputs data (print code) from the host, and 2 is a control means, usually a microprocessor (MP).
U), which executes write/read control; 3
4 is a page buffer that stores print data for one page; 4 is a pattern converter that is composed of a memory that stores bit patterns corresponding to the print data; 5 is a bit map 6 is a video output section which reads out the bit pattern of the bitmap memory 5 and outputs bits one line at a time according to the synchronization signal. 6 is a print control unit that outputs the pattern as a video signal, and controls the printing mechanism according to the supplied video signal to execute a printing operation.

20 is a data processing unit that creates a print position and print data (address of the corresponding bit pattern of pattern conversion unit 4) from the data from data input unit 1; 21 is a print position control unit that 22 is a print data control unit that writes print data consisting of a horizontal print position and print data for each vertical address into the page buffer 3. 23 is a bit map memory (BPM) write control unit which reads and judges the contents of the page buffer 3, accesses the pattern conversion unit 4,
Pull out the corresponding bit pattern and store it in bitmap memory 5.
24 is a print start control unit that writes a bit pattern at a specified print position (vertically, horizontally), and a data processing unit 20 transfers one page of print data to a page buffer 3.
In response to the print start request issued when the bitmap memory (BPM
)5 write and read control.

The blocks 20 to 24 of the control means 2 are blocks of processing performed by the MPU.

In such conventional technology, even when printing one page as shown in FIG. 4(B), the input data is
2, the data processing unit 20 moves from the start position Po to the end position Pe.
After sequentially writing the print data to the page buffer 3 via the print position control section 21 and the print data control section 22, a print start request is issued to the print start control section 24. As a result, the print start control section 24 first issues a write request to the BPM write control section 23, and then issues a read request to the video output section 6.

When the bitmap memory 5 is constituted by a band bitmap memory, as shown in FIG. , BPM5, returns to the beginning and performs writing W and reading R.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Generally, when printing a document, there are blank areas Sa and Sb at the top and bottom edges as shown in FIG.

In the conventional BPM5 writing/reading process, these blank areas 5asSb are also treated as print data, written to the page buffer 3, read out, written to the BPM5, and further read out from the BPM5.

For this reason, even if the actual printed content is small, BPM5
The writing/reading process for one page remains unchanged, making it difficult to simplify and speed up the process, which has hindered the speeding up of page printers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a page printer control method that can simplify and speed up processing by preventing blank areas of a page from being expanded into a bitmap memory.

[Means for solving problems]

FIG. 1 is a diagram explaining the principle of the present invention.

In the figure, the same parts as those shown in FIG. 4 are indicated by the same symbols, and 25 is a blank control unit, which is provided in the control means 2 and detects the top blank part and the bottom blank part in the page. death,
The upper blank part and the lower blank part are designed to generate blank output without using the bitmap memory 5.

[Effect]

In the present invention, blank areas at the upper and lower ends are detected and blank writing is performed in the bitmap memory 5 at these areas.

This eliminates the need for the writing process of reading the page buffer and expanding it to the bitmap memory 5 in the blank area, and only the part with the print content, from Pa to Pb in FIG. 4(B), is transferred to the bitmap memory 5. Since it is only necessary to write, the writing process can be simplified and speeded up.

Further, since blank output is performed in the blank portion, a blank video output is obtained, and the control means can execute other processing during this period.

(Example) (a) Description of one embodiment FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, the same parts as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 are indicated by the same symbols, and 25a is a print upper and lower edge monitoring unit, which receives print data for the entire page from the print position control unit 21. Check the vertical address of , and find the top edge (Pa in Figure 4 (B)) and bottom edge (pb in Figure 4 (B)) of the print, 2.
Reference numeral 5b denotes an empty internal control unit, which controls the BP to write the bit pattern between the upper end address and the lower end address from the print upper and lower end monitoring unit 25a in response to the write start of the print start control unit 24.
25c is a blank output control unit that controls the M write control unit 23. It is activated by the read activation from the print activation control unit 24, receives the upper end address and lower end address from the print upper and lower end monitoring unit 25a, and outputs the video. The video output section 6 is started to read data and is instructed to output a blank space according to the address pointer of the video output section 6.

Note that the blocks 25a to 25b correspond to the blank control section 25 in FIG.
corresponds to

The video output section 6 is also provided with a blank output generation section that outputs a blank video output.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of one embodiment of the present invention.

First, data provided from the host through the data input section 1 is decoded by the data processing section 20, and print data, vertical addresses, and horizontal addresses are generated. The control unit 22 writes print data and horizontal addresses into the page buffer 3.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 3(A), no data is written to the blank areas Sa and sb, and the upper end (vertical address) P
Print data from a to the lower end address Pb is written to the page buffer 3.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 3(B), when writing of one page to the page buffer 3 is completed, the data processing unit 20
issues a print start request to the print start control section 24.

The print upper and lower end monitoring section 25a receives the vertical address of each print data from the print position control section 21 during the writing period to the page buffer 3 described above, and determines the upper end address Pa and the lower end address pb.

When the print start control unit 24 receives the print start request, the print start control unit 24
The data output request shown in FIG. 3(B) is given to the print upper and lower end monitoring unit 25a, and the upper end address Pa and lower end address Pb are output set to the blank part system amzsb and the blank output control unit 25c.

The print start control unit 24 further gives a write start to the blank internal control unit 25b, and the blank internal control unit 25b thereby performs BPM write control to expand (write) from the print data at the start vertical address Pa to BPM5. Instruct the department 23.

The BPM write control section 23 reads out the print data at the vertical address Pa from the page buffer 3, converts it into a corresponding bit pattern in the pattern conversion section 4, and writes it into the BPM 5.

That is, a bit pattern is written from the print data at the vertical address Pa to the BPM 5 as indicated by W in FIG. 3(A).

The printing start control unit 24 controls the BPM of the BPM writing control unit 23.
It monitors the write pointer indicating the write address to BPM 5, detects that a certain amount of bit pattern has been written to BPM 5 by the write pointer, and activates the blank output control section 25c to read.

As a result, the blank output control section 25c controls the video output section 6.
is read out and started, and furthermore, a blank output instruction is given.

The video output unit 6 outputs video in response to a video synchronization signal from the print control unit 7, and during a blank output instruction, the blank output generation unit outputs a blank video signal.

The blank output control unit 25c knows which line the video output unit 6 is outputting video from using the address pointer that counts the synchronization signals, and drops the blank output instruction when the line with the upper end address Pa is reached. As a result, the video output section 6 stops outputting the blank video signal from the blank output generating section, and reads out the bitmap memory 5 from the beginning in accordance with the synchronizing signal, as shown in FIG. 3(A).

On the other hand, the empty internal control unit 25b uses the write pointer of the BPM write control unit 23 to write the BPM to the lower end address Pb.
5, the BPM writing control section 23 ends the writing.

Along with this, the blank output control section 25c also controls the video output section 6.
BP to the lower end address Pb by the address pointer of
When it is determined that M5 has been read and video output has been performed, a blank output instruction is issued to the video output unit 6, the reading of BPM5 is completed, and a blank video signal is output from the blank output generating unit.

Then, when the blank video signal has been output to the bottom row Pe, the operation of the video output section 6 is ended.

In this way, the upper end blank part 5a (PO
-Pa), blank data is output from the video output unit 6, and between the upper printing edge Pa and the lower printing edge Pb, print bit data is output by writing/reading to the BPM 5, and the lower blank area 5b (between Pb and Pe) is output from the video output unit 6. ), blank data is output from the video output unit 6.

Therefore, the writing time to the BPM 5 is shortened, and during this time, the print data for the next page can be prepared, and the writing time to the page buffer 3 for the next page is shortened.

Also, MP
U2 can prepare the print data for the next page.

(b) Description of Other Embodiments In the above embodiments, a band bitmap memory is used as the bitmap memory, but a full page bitmap memory may also be used.

Although the present invention has been described above using examples, the present invention can be modified in various ways according to the gist of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the present invention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, blank data is obtained for blank areas on a page without going through the bitmap memory, so the time required to write one page's worth of bit patterns to the bitmap memory can be reduced. Using this effect, the total printing time can be shortened or other processing can be executed, which contributes to improving the throughput of the printer.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the principle of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the prior art. In the figure, 2: control means, 3: page buffer, 4: pattern conversion unit, 5: bitmap memory, 6: video output unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A page buffer (3 pages) that stores print data for one page.
), a pattern converter (4) that converts the contents of the page buffer (3) into a bit pattern to be printed, a bitmap memory (5) that stores the bit pattern, and a bitmap memory (5) that converts the contents of the page buffer (3) into a bit pattern to be printed. control means (2) for developing bit patterns corresponding to the print data and controlling readout;
), the control means (2) reads the bit pattern of the bit map memory (5) to obtain the bit pattern corresponding to one page of print data, and the control means (2) reads the bit pattern of the bit map memory (5) to obtain the bit pattern corresponding to one page of print data. It is configured to detect the bottom blank area and generate a blank output, and obtain a bit pattern by blank output for the top blank area and bottom blank area in the page without using the bitmap memory (5). A page printer control method characterized by: