JPS646036B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a serial printer control method applied to a serial printer that changes the moving speed of a carriage depending on the amount of type selected by a print head.

Conventionally, in this type of serial printer, a single command signal is input from the outside to move the carriage to the next printing position and to select the print head, and that single command signal is input inside the printer. It recognized that the above two commands had been received and started the above operations.

Although this one-command control method does not complicate the control of the printer by a host device that controls the printer, it has the disadvantage that the degree of freedom of printing functions in the printer is restricted.

That is, in the conventional one-command control system, carriage movement and type selection are paired, and it is not possible to separate them and have only one of them be performed. For this reason, when printing only while stopped at a certain printing position (for example, multi-strike printing function that prints the same type multiple times for emphasis printing), complicated operations such as using a combination with the backspace command are required. necessary control.

Therefore, a method has been proposed in which commands for moving the carriage and commands for selecting type are distinguished and each is input independently from the outside.
According to this independent command control system, in the case of the multi-strike printing function, simple control can be achieved by simply supplying only the character selection command continuously from the outside. However, since the movement speed of the carriage is determined by the amount of type selected by the print head, if the movement command and selection command are input asynchronously, the carriage will not move properly until the selection command is input. If the time from the arrival of the operation command to the arrival of the selection command becomes longer, this results in a decrease in the overall printing speed.

Therefore, the present invention waits for a type selection command to be input for a certain period of time after a carriage movement command is input, and if a selection command is input within a certain period of time, the carriage moves and the print head selects the type. This serial printer control eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks by performing operations in parallel and performing only the carriage movement operation in advance if a selection command is not input after a certain period of time. The purpose is to provide a method.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically explained based on an embodiment shown in the drawings.

The serial printer 1, as shown in FIG.
It has a cylindrical platen 2, and a guide shaft 3 and a screw shaft 5 are provided along the axis of the platen 2. The screw shaft 5 is screwed with a carriage 6 which is slidably fitted on the guide shaft 3 in the directions of arrows A and B, and the screw shaft 5 is further fitted with a pulley 5a,
A space motor 10 having a built-in transducer 9 is installed via a belt 7. On the other hand, a U-shaped support stand 11 is provided on the carriage 6, and arms 13 and 13' having a type selection motor 12 fixed to one end are attached to the support stand 11 by arrows C and 13'.
It is supported rotatably in the D direction. motor 12
A type wheel 15 which is a printing head is attached to the type wheel 15, and a number of arms 15 are attached to the wheel 15.
A is provided. A typeface 15b is formed at the tip of each arm 15a, and above the motor 12 is a hammer 1 that can be freely driven and protruded in the direction of arrow E.
A printing hammer 16 having a diameter 6a is provided.
The printer 1 also includes latches 17 and 17 connected to independent signal lines 32 and 33, as shown in FIG.
19, and a flip-flop 20 is connected to the latches 17 and 19. A logic circuit 21 and a timer 22 are connected to the flip-flop 20, and a flip-flop 23 and a timer 22 are connected to the flip-flop 20.
25, an OR circuit 26 and an AND circuit 27 are connected. Note that a logic circuit 23 is connected to the flip-flop 23.

Since the serial printer 1 has the above-described configuration, when printing on the print medium 31, the type selection motor 12 is rotated and retracted in the D direction together with the type wheel 15 via the arms 13 and 13'. In this state, the medium 31 is wound around the platen 2, and the motor 12 is rotated in the C direction to return it onto the carriage 6. Next, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3a, when a pulsed carriage operation command _C1 is input to the latch 17 via the signal line 32,
The output signal S5 of the latch 17 becomes "1", and the flip-flop 20 outputs the output signal S5 from the latch 19.
3 is set to "0" at the time of inputting the signal S5, the signals S1 and S2 are set to "1". The timer 22 is started by the signal S1, and the timer 22
starts counting a certain period of time T and drives the flip-flop 25. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3b, the latch 19 receives a type selection command C2, which is asynchronous with the operation command C1, via the signal line 33.
Command C1 is input after time T1 when it is input into latch 17. Since the time T1 is not constant, it is unknown when it is input, but the command C2 is input for a certain time T.
If the input signal is within . That is, the flip-flop 25 receives the character selection command C within a certain period of time after the carriage operation command C1 is input.
It has a function to determine whether or not 2 has been input.
The logic circuit 21 operates only when the signals S2, S4, and S5 are all "1" and the end signal EP1, which indicates that the previous carriage movement operation has ended, is "1" (when the printer is started). signal EP1 is "1"), the carriage start signal S6 is changed from "0" to "1", the space motor 10 is rotated at a predetermined speed, and the screw shaft is driven through the belt 7 and pulley 5a. 5
Rotate in forward or reverse direction as appropriate. Then, the carriage 6 moves along with the type wheel 15 in the direction of arrow A or B.
The carriage 6 is moved by a predetermined amount in the direction, and a movement signal S7 of the carriage 6 is obtained from the transducer 9 in the form of a triangular wave with the printing position X as a reference, as shown in FIG. 3c. The moving speed of the carriage 6 is determined by the amount of type selected by the type wheel 15.
By inputting the command C2 within the time T, the character selection operation start signal S8 of the logic circuit 30 becomes "1", the end signal EP2 of the previous selection operation becomes "1", and the output signal S9 of the flip-flop 23 becomes "0". (When starting the printer, signal EP2 is “1”,
The flip-flop 23 has also been reset and the signal S9 is "0". ), becomes “1”,
A command is given to the type selection motor 12 to select the type 15b to be printed. Here, character information (character code) to be printed externally in synchronization with the type selection operation command
is also input, so the amount of rotation of the print head, that is, the amount of selected type, is determined from the relationship between this character information and the character printed just before, and the carriage 6 moves to the next printing position at a speed corresponding to this amount of selected type. controlled to do so. Before the carriage 6 reaches the printing position X, the motor 12 is set to complete the character selection operation, as shown in FIG. ), the logic circuit 3 sets the end signal EP2 to “1”.
Output to 0. On the other hand, carriage 6 is placed at printing position
Set end time EP1 to “1” before time TH reaches
is output to the logic circuit 30, and the printing hammer 16 is energized to project the hammer 16a in the E direction as shown in FIGS. Since it takes a certain period of time TH for the printing hammer 16 that prints by pressing on the medium 31 to be energized and for the hammer 16a to print on the medium 31, printing is performed accurately when the carriage 6 reaches the printing position X. . Note that the end signal EP2 is also output to the AND circuit 27, and the AND circuit 27 receives the end signal EP of the carriage 6.
1 also becomes "1", the timer 22 is cleared. From then on, every time the operation command C1 is input, the timer 2
2 is driven, and if the operation command C1 arrives before the generation of the end signal EP1 of the previous printing operation, and the selection command C2 is input within a certain time T, the movement of the carriage 6 and the movement of the type wheel 15 are performed. The character selection operation is performed in parallel, the carriage 6 moves without stopping, and the printing operation is performed continuously. Next, when the command C2 is input to the latch 19 with a delay from the time T, the timer 22 times up, the driving of the flip-flop 25 is stopped, the output signal S10 becomes "1", and the OR circuit 26 and the flip-flop 23 The signal S9 of the flip-flop 23 is set to "1", and the activation signal S8 from the logic circuit 30 is prohibited from becoming "1". The signal S10 is also input to the logic circuit 21 via the OR circuit 26, and the circuit 21 receives the signals S2,
As long as S5 and EP1 are "1", the activation signal S6 is set to "1" to command the carriage 6 to move to the next printing position X. Even before the signal S6 becomes “1” due to the signal S10, the carriage 6 is set to A or B.
continues to move in the direction, but the speed of movement is
The movement speed determined by the amount of type selected last time is maintained as is. Therefore, command C1
When the signal S6 becomes "1" after a time T has elapsed after the input of , the carriage 6 is driven to move at the highest speed regardless of the amount of selected characters, and is positioned and stopped at the next printing position X. At this time, even if the type selection command C2 is input after the time T and the signal S3 becomes "1", the logic circuit 30 still has the signal S9 set to "1".
The start signal S8 never becomes "1" and therefore the type wheel 15 does not select a type, but when the carriage 6 reaches the printing position X, the end signal EP1 is set to "1" and the flip-flop 23 is activated. The output signal S9 is reset to "0", and the output inhibited state of the signal S8 of the logic circuit 30 is released. Then, if the command C2 has been input before the signal EP1 becomes "1", the signal S
3 is "1", the activation signal S8 of the logic circuit 30 becomes "1", causing the motor 12 to perform the character selection operation, and when the selection is completed,
The end signal EP2 is set to "1", the timer 22 is cleared via the AND circuit 27, and the printing hammer 16 is driven to perform printing at the printing position X. Further, when printing is not to be performed at the printing position X, the carriage 6 is driven to move to the next printing position X again by outputting the command C1 again without receiving the command C2.

Note that command C1 is the end signal EP1 of the previous printing operation.
If EP1 has arrived before the occurrence of EP1, the carrier will move while maintaining the carriage movement speed of the previous printing operation and monitor the arrival of command C2 for a certain period of time T. If the end signal EP1 of the previous printing operation is generated but does not arrive, the carriage is controlled to stop at the printing position, and even if command C1 arrives, it does not start and remains stopped for a certain period of time when command C2 is received. monitor the arrival of

As explained above, according to the present invention, the character selection command C2 is input for a certain period of time T after the carriage operation command C1 is input, and when the selection command C2 is input, the carriage 6 is The movement operation and the character selection operation of the print head such as the type wheel 15 are performed in parallel, and if the command C2 is not input even after a certain period of time T has elapsed, only the movement operation of the carriage 6 is performed in advance. Therefore, even if commands C1 and C2 are input independently and asynchronously, command C2 is input after command C1 is input.
Appropriate response can be taken depending on the time T1 until the input of , and the degree of freedom in controlling the printer 1 can be improved without reducing the printing speed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a serial printer to which the present invention is applied, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the control system of the printer shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a timing diagram showing the operation of the printer shown in Fig. 1. It's a chat. 1... Serial printer, 6... Carriage,
15...Print head (type wheel), C1...
... Carriage operation command, C2 ... Type selection command,
T...a certain amount of time.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A carriage equipped with a printing head is moved to the next printing position in response to a carriage operation command input from the outside, and the type selection operation of the print head is performed in accordance with a type selection command inputted from the outside. in a serial printer in which the moving speed of the carriage is changed according to the amount of type selected by the print head, the time counting means starting counting a certain period of time when the carriage operation command is input; means for determining whether or not the type selection command has been input; and, if the type selection command is input within the certain period of time, the type selection amount specified in the printed character information input in synchronization with the type selection command; The carriage is moved at a speed corresponding to the amount of selected type in parallel with the type selection operation, and if a type selection command is not input within the certain period of time, the carriage is moved to the next one at a high speed unrelated to the amount of type selected. A serial printer characterized by comprising a carriage movement control means for moving to a printing position and stopping the carriage.