JPS6338304B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a printer device that performs printing by striking a printing ribbon with a printing head.

Generally, printer devices are configured to print on only one side of paper. Therefore, when creating documents etc. using such a printer device,
The drawbacks are that the number of sheets required is significantly increased and the price is high. In addition, to save paper, there is a method of printing on the back side of the paper (double-sided printing).
This posed a problem because it required paper to be replaced, which significantly reduced work efficiency.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to be able to automatically print on both sides of paper using a common print head without replacing the paper, thereby doubling paper usage efficiency and improving work efficiency. An object of the present invention is to provide a printer device whose efficiency is significantly improved.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a printer device such as a serial
This figure shows a schematic configuration of a printer section 1 of a wide dot printer, with FIG. 1A being a plan view and FIG. 1B being a side view. Note that the scales of Figure 1 A and B do not match. In the figure, P is paper, 2 and 3 are paper P
Printing ribbons are placed on the front and back sides of the printer. In this embodiment, printing ribbons 2, 3
As shown in FIG. 1B, it is vertically divided into ink-covered areas 2a and 3a to which ink is applied and non-ink-covered areas 2b and 3b to which ink is not applied. There is. In this embodiment, the printing ribbon 2
The lower half of the print ribbon 3 and the upper half of the printing ribbon 3 are the ink adhesion parts 2a and 3a, respectively. 4 is a ribbon cassette in which the printing ribbon 2 is stored; 5 is a ribbon cassette vertical movement axis (hereinafter referred to as (simply referred to as the movement axis)
It is. 6 is a print head; 7 is a support base (carriage) that fixedly supports the print head 6 and moves the print head 6 back and forth; and 8 is a pair of guide rails for guiding the reciprocating movement of the support base 7.

9 is a platen with a ribbon guide equipped with a guide mechanism for arranging the printing ribbon 3 on the back side of the paper P; 10 is a ribbon spool for the printing ribbon 3; 11
is a ribbon spool vertical movement axis (hereinafter simply referred to as a movement axis) that moves the ribbon spool 10 in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrow b in FIG. 1B).

Reference numeral 12 denotes a paper feeding mechanism for the paper P, a so-called tractor device. Note that the tractor device 12 is not shown in FIG. 1A.

Next, the configuration of the printer control section 21 that controls printing of the printer section 1 will be explained with reference to FIG.
22 is a back data buffer that temporarily stores, for example, one line of print data to be printed on the back side of the paper P (referred to as back data), and 23 is a back data buffer that also stores one line of print data to be printed on the front side of the paper P (referred to as front data). This is a table data buffer. These back data buffer 22 and front data buffer 23 are first-in-first-out (FIFO).
First-in-last-out (FILO) data retrieval is possible (note that the back data buffer 22 may only have the FILO function). 24 is an output switching circuit. The output switching circuit 24 is a computer (hereinafter referred to as CPU).
Print data (back data or front data) given from 25 is switched and outputted to either the back data buffer 22 or the front data buffer 23 in accordance with a switching signal SW given from a timing control section 32, which will be described later. 26 is a character pattern memory in which various character patterns are stored. The above character pattern has an n×m dot matrix structure, and this character pattern is stored in the character pattern memory 2.
6 to m dots are sequentially read out in column pattern units. 27 is a character inversion circuit. The character reversal circuit 27 reads a character pattern corresponding to the print data taken out from the back data buffer 22 or the front data buffer 23 from the character pattern memory 26, and configures the character pattern in accordance with the inversion command signal INV given from the timing control section 32. The arrangement order of the column patterns can be reversed (left and right) or output as is to the printer section 1. 28 is the printer control unit 2
1 to the printer unit 1; an output data line for character patterns, that is, print pattern data;
29 is an input data line for print data transferred from the CPU 25 to the printer control section 21. 3
0 is from the output switching circuit 24 to the back data buffer 22
31 is a front data line from the output switching circuit 24 to the front data buffer 23.

32 is a printer section 1, a back data buffer 22,
This is a timing control section that controls the operation timing of the table data buffer 23, output switching circuit 24, character inversion circuit 27, and the like. 33, 34 are
These are signal lines for mode signals MODE ₁ and MODE ₂ given from the CPU 25 to the timing control unit 32. This mode signal MODE ₁ is a signal for instructing a single-sided printing mode in which printing is performed on the front surface of the paper P. Further, the mode signal MODE ₂ is a signal for instructing a double-sided printing mode in which printing is performed on both sides of the paper P. 35 is a read permission signal for notifying the CPU 25 that table data can be read and requesting transfer of one row of table data.
The READY ₁ signal line 36 is a READY ₂ signal line for notifying the CPU 25 that back data can be read and requesting transfer of one line of back data. 37 is CPU2
5 to the timing control unit 32 to notify that print data is being transferred.
, 38 is a signal line for an output switching signal SW for the timing control section 32 to instruct the output switching circuit 24 as to the data output destination, and 39 is a signal line for the character inversion circuit 27 to convert the column pattern arrangement. This is a signal line for an inversion command signal INV for giving instructions. 40 and 41 are the timing control section 3
2 is a signal line for controlling data storage and retrieval of the back data buffer 22 and the front data buffer 23, respectively; 42 is a signal line for notifying the timing control unit 32 that the printer unit 1 has finished printing one character and requesting subsequent character pattern data; This is the signal line for the transfer ready signal READY. 43 is a signal line for line feed signal LF for instructing line feed to printer section 1; 44, 4;
Reference numeral 5 denotes a signal line for an up signal UP and a down signal DOWN for instructing the printer section 1 to move upward (up operation) and downward movement (down operation) of the moving axes 5 and 11, respectively.

Next, the operation of the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to the timing chart shown in FIG. 3, taking the case of double-sided printing as an example. Assume that the mode signal MODE ₂ is now output from the CPU 25 onto the signal line 34. The timing control unit 32 is activated by this mode signal MODE ₂ , and first outputs a read ready signal READY ₂ in order to control double-sided printing.
is output onto the signal line 36, and an output switching signal SW and an inversion command signal INV are output onto the signal lines 38 and 39, respectively. The CPU 25 inputs back data A for one row sequentially from the first data of the row to the input data line 2 in response to the read enable signal READY ₂ .
9 and outputs the data transfer signal T onto the signal line 37.

The output switching circuit 24 switches and outputs the sub data A on the input data line 29 onto the sub data line 30 in response to the output switching signal SW (the logic "1" state). Back data A on this back data line 30
are sequentially stored in the back data buffer 22 under the control of the timing control section 32. Then, one line of back data A (one line of data string for printing on the back side)
When all are stored in the back data buffer 22, the timing control unit 32 outputs a line feed signal LF on the signal line 43. This line feed signal LF is input to the printer section 1, which drives the tractor device 12 to feed the paper P by one line.

Next, the timing control unit 32 controls the signal line 45
A down signal DOWN is output on the signal line 35, and a read enable signal READY ₁ is output on the signal line 35. At this time, the timing control section 32 stops outputting the output switching signal SW. The down signal DOWN is input to the printer section 1, which causes the movement axis 5,
11 both move downward and are stopped at a predetermined position. In Fig. 1B, the moving axes 5 and 11 have down signals.
The moving shafts 5 and 11 are shown in a state in which the non-inked portion 2b of the printing ribbon 2 and the ink-covered portion 3a of the printing ribbon 3 are moved to the printing head 6 ( (printing pin (not shown)) directly or via the paper P to a position where it faces the printing pin (not shown).

In this state, the timing control unit 32 controls the back data buffer 22 and takes out the back data A, that is, the print data for back side printing, one character at a time, in the reverse order of the storage order. That is, in this embodiment, when the double-sided printing mode is instructed, printing is performed on the back side of the paper P by the outward movement of the print head 6 (movement movement from left to right in FIG. 1A), and the return movement of the print head 6 Since printing is performed on the front side of the paper P by the movement (moving movement from right to left in Fig. 1A), in the case of double-sided printing, the timing control unit 32
3), data is retrieved from the end of the row in reverse order to the storage order (FILO).

The character inversion circuit 27 reads each column pattern constituting the corresponding character pattern from the character pattern memory 26 based on the print data taken out from the back data buffer 22 (at the end of the line). In the case of double-sided printing mode, as described above, the timing control section 32 outputs the inversion command signal INV, and the character inversion circuit 27 receives this inversion command signal.
Arrange the above column pattern according to INV (left and right)
The data is reversed and sent out onto the output data line 28 sequentially starting from the right column pattern. This output data line 2
The column patterns on the top 8 are sequentially input to the printer section 1, and the printing head 6 (the corresponding printing pin) is driven for printing based on this column pattern. beginning,
The print head 6 is located at the left end of the paper P, and
Each time a row pattern (one dot row) is printed, it moves to the right in FIG. 1A. As mentioned above, the moving shafts 5 and 11 are now in the lowered state as shown in FIG. Part 3
a is struck, and a one-column pattern of the last character of the corresponding line is printed on the back side of the paper P. At this time, since the non-inked portion 2b of the printing ribbon 2 is struck by the printing head 6, no printing is performed on the surface of the paper P. In this way, when the printing of the last character of the corresponding line is completed in response to the rightward movement of the print head 6, a transfer ready signal READY is outputted from the printer section 1 onto the signal line 42. As a result, the timing control section 32 takes out the subsequent print data from the back data buffer 22. Thereafter, in the same way as in the case described above, one line of characters is printed on the back side of the paper P in order from the characters in the corresponding line to the first character by the outward movement of the print head 6.

By the way, the timing control section 32
When DOWN is output, the read ready signal READY ₁ is output as described above. CPU25 is
In response to the read enable signal READY ₁ , one line of table data A' is sequentially sent onto the input data line 29 starting from the print data at the head position of the line, and a data transfer signal T is output onto the signal line 37.
At this time, as described above, the output of the output switching signal SW has been stopped, and therefore the output switching signal SW is not output to the output switching circuit 2.
4 switches and outputs the table data A' on the input data line 29 onto the table data line 31. The table data A' on the table data line 31 is transferred to the table data buffer 23 under the control of the timing control section 32.
are stored sequentially. In this way, in this embodiment, while back data is being printed on the back side of the paper P by the forward movement of the print head 6, the front data is stored in the front data buffer 23, and the back data is printed on the front side of the paper P by the return movement of the print head 6. Ready for printing.

The timing control unit 32 controls the table data buffer 2
3, all of the front data A' for one line is stored, and the row printing of back data A is completed. (This can be determined by detecting that the transfer enable signal READY has been on for a certain period of time or more), outputs the up signal UP on the signal line 44 and stops outputting the down signal DOWN. Similarly, the timing control section 32 outputs a read enable signal on the signal lines 36 and 38, respectively.
READY ₂ , output switching signal SW.

The up signal UP on the signal line 44 is input to the printer section 1, whereby both the moving shafts 5 and 11 move upward, and the ink-covered portion 2a of the printing ribbon 2 and the non-inked portion of the printing ribbon 3 are moved upward. 3b are stopped at positions facing the print head 6 either directly or via the paper P.

In this state, the timing control unit 32 controls the table data buffer 23 to extract table data A', that is, print data for front side printing, one character at a time, starting from the last data in the row in the reverse order of storage. Print data taken out from the table data buffer 23 is input to a character inversion circuit 27. Character reversal circuit 27
As in the case described above, each column pattern constituting the character pattern corresponding to the print data is read out, and the arrangement of these column patterns is reversed (left and right) in response to the inversion command signal INV and sequentially output on the output data line 28. Send to. This output data line 2
The column patterns on the top 8 are sequentially input to the printer section 1, and the printing head 6 (the corresponding printing pin) is driven for printing based on this column pattern. When the print head 6 has finished printing one line of back data A on the back side of the paper P in its outward movement, it has moved to the right end of the paper P in FIG. 1A. The print head 6 moves to the left in FIG. 1A every time one row pattern (one dot row) is printed. As described above, the ink-applied portion 2a and non-ink-applied portion 3b of the print ribbons 2, 3 are moved to positions corresponding to the print head 6 due to the upward movement of the moving shafts 5, 11. Accordingly, the printing operation of the printing head 6 strikes the ink-applied portion 2a of the printing ribbon 2, and a single column pattern of the last character of the corresponding line is printed on the surface of the paper P. At this time, print ribbon 3
Since the non-inked portion 3b is struck by the print head 6, no printing is performed on the back side of the paper P. In this manner, when printing of the last character of the corresponding line is completed in accordance with the leftward movement of the print head 6, a transfer ready signal READY is outputted from the printer unit 1 onto the signal line 42. This results in
The timing control section 32 takes out subsequent print data from the table data buffer 22. Thereafter, in the same manner as described above, by the return movement of the print head 6, characters for one line are printed on the surface of the paper P in order from the last character to the first character in the corresponding line.

By the way, the timing control section 32
When UP is output, the read ready signal READY ₂ and output switching signal SW are output as described above. Therefore, as in the previous case, the CPU
One line of back data B from 25 is sent onto the input data line 29, and this back data B is stored in the back data buffer 22 via the back data line 30. In this way, in this embodiment, the print head 6
While printing the front data on the front side of the paper P in the return operation, the back data is stored in the back data buffer 22,
It is prepared for printing on the back side of the paper P by the outward movement of the print head 6.

The timing control unit 32 controls the back data buffer 2
When all the back data B for one line is stored in 2, and the line printing of the front data A' is completed, a line feed signal LF is output. As a result, the paper P is fed by one line and is prepared for printing the following line. Next, the timing control section 32 outputs a down signal.
It outputs DOWN and stops outputting the UP signal. Similarly, the timing control section 32 outputs the read enable signal READY ₁ and stops outputting the output switching signal SW. As a result, one line of back data B is printed on the back side of the paper P by the outward movement of the print head 6, and during this printing period, the front data
The data in the next row of A' (table data B') is stored in the table data buffer 23. Similarly,
By the return movement of the print head 6, one line of table data B' is printed on the surface of the paper P, and then a line feed is performed.
The same applies to subsequent operations.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the printing head 6 repeats a series of operations in which back data is printed in the forward movement, front data is printed in the return movement, and a line is broken.
By synchronizing the vertical movements of the moving shafts 5 and 11, printing can be performed on both sides of the paper P.

Next, the single-sided printing mode in which printing is performed on the front surface of paper P will be briefly described. When the mode signal MODE ₁ is output from the CPU 25 to designate the single-sided printing mode, the timing control unit 32 uses only the table data buffer 23 to store one line of print data. Then, the timing control unit 32 sequentially retrieves the print data stored in the table data buffer 23 in the order in which they are stored (FIFO), unlike in the double-sided printing mode. The character reversal circuit 27 reads each column pattern constituting the character pattern corresponding to the print data taken out from the table data buffer 23 from the character pattern memory 26. (Since the row patterns will not be output), the column patterns are sequentially output to the printer section 1 in the order in which they are arranged. In the initial state, the print head 6 is located at the left end of the paper P, and prints a column pattern while sequentially moving to the right. In addition, in the single-sided printing mode, the timing control unit 32 always outputs an up signal.
UP is being output, and only the ink-applied portion 2a of the printing ribbon 2 faces the printing head 6, so that printing is performed only on the surface of the paper P.
When one line of printing is completed, the paper P is fed by one line by the line feed signal LF, and the carriage is returned. During this carriage return, the next line of print data is transferred from the CPU 25 to the printer control section 21 and stored in the table data buffer 23. Then, one line of print data stored in this table data buffer 23 is taken out in the order in which it was stored, and the next line is printed on the front side of the paper P by the outward movement of the print head 6, as in the case described above. It will be printed. Note that printing on odd-numbered lines may be performed by the backward movement of the print head 6. In this case, even-numbered rows of print data are stored in the table data buffer 23,
When storing the print data of odd-numbered lines in the back data buffer 22 and taking out the print data from the back data buffer 22, it is necessary to reverse the storage order. Furthermore, in the case of printing on odd numbered lines, it is necessary to reverse the arrangement of the column patterns read from the character patterns and output them as in the double-sided printing mode.

In the above embodiment, in the double-sided printing mode, the forward movement of the print head 6 prints on the back side of the paper P, and the return movement of the print head 6 prints on the front side of the paper P. It is also possible to print on the front side in the movement and print on the back side in the return movement. In this case, the order in which print data is taken out from the back data buffer 22 and the front data buffer 23 is the order in which they are stored, which is different from the previous embodiment. In addition, the character pattern memory 26
Since it is no longer necessary to reverse the arrangement of the column pattern read from the character and output it, the character inversion circuit 27 can be made unnecessary. It goes without saying that the output timings of the up signal UP and the down signal DOWN must be reversed from those in the previous embodiment. Furthermore, if processing speed is ignored, either one of the back data buffer 22 and the front data buffer 23 may be made unnecessary, and the remaining buffer may be used in common for front data and back data. In this case, the output switching circuit 24 becomes unnecessary.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the ink adhesion parts 2a and 3a of the print ribbons 2 and 3 are positioned upside down, but they may be located at the same position (on the top or bottom of the print ribbon). However, it is necessary to reverse the vertical movement directions of the moving shafts 5 and 11. The printing ribbons 2 and 3 also have non-inked areas 2b,
3b, but it may be a normal printing ribbon whose entire surface is coated with ink, and the point is to apply the ink to the desired printing ribbon of the printing ribbon arranged on both sides of the paper P. It is sufficient that only one printing ribbon directly or indirectly faces the printing head, and that the ink-covered portion of the other printing ribbon does not face the printing head. Further, in the above embodiment, a case was explained in which one line of printing is performed on each of both sides of the paper P in one reciprocating movement of the print head 6. However, although the processing speed becomes slower, printing is performed only in the outward movement. For example, printing may be performed on the front side in the first outward movement, printing on the back side may be performed in the next outward movement, and then line feed may be performed.

As detailed above, according to the printer device of the present invention, it is possible to automatically print on both sides of the paper using a common print head without changing the paper, thereby doubling the paper usage efficiency and increasing work efficiency. is significantly improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 1A and 1B are a plan view and a side view of the printer section of the printer device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printer control section. FIG. 3 is a timing chart for explaining the operation. 1... Printer section, 2, 3... Printing ribbon, 2
a, 3a... Ink adhesion part, 5... Ribbon cassette vertical movement axis, 6... Print head, 11... Ribbon spool vertical movement axis, 21... Printer control unit, 22... Back data buffer, 23... Table data buffer, 24... Output switching circuit, 25... Computer (CPU), 26... Character pattern memory, 2
7...Character inversion circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 In a printer device that prints on both sides of the paper by moving a printing ribbon arranged on both sides of the paper, there is a print head that can move back and forth and prints in column pattern units, and a print head that is used for the printing operation of this print head. A data buffer means for temporarily storing data line by line; and a data buffer means for determining whether the print data stored in the data buffer means is to be printed by forward movement or return movement of the print head, and by which side of the paper the print data is to be printed. readout control means for sequentially reading one character at a time from the first character of the line or the last character of the line depending on whether there is a character; and a character corresponding to one character's worth of print data read from the data buffer means by the readout control means. A character reversal circuit that outputs the pattern as it is or inverted in column pattern units as the pattern to be printed by the print head, and a character reversal instruction to the character reversal circuit by either the forward movement or the backward movement of the print head. 1. A printer apparatus comprising: character reversal instruction means for giving a character reversal instruction depending on whether the printing is to be performed or to which side of the paper the printing is to be performed.