JPH03180370A - Printed data processor - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a printed information processing device that outputs printed information outputted from a host to printing means while smoothing the printed information.

(Prior Art) With the recent advances in output devices such as office automation equipment and personal computers, printed information output from a host is processed and edited printed information (
Composite document information (one character, one image, one character and an image) is output according to each resolution.

In order to improve the print quality, various print information processing may be performed. As this print information processing, the following smoothing processing is executed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, conventional smoothing processing requires many sampling points for correction, and for correction processing in the y-axis direction, it is necessary to collect data in the y-axis direction for three or more lines (current processing line and data before and after). line), the hardware becomes extremely complicated, and there are problems such as a longer processing time and lower print processing efficiency.

This invention was made in order to solve the above problems, and print data obtained by density converting print processing information in a predetermined direction that is sequentially output and smoothing data obtained by smoothing this print data are alternately output. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printed information processing device that can quickly obtain density-converted high-quality printed information with a simple circuit configuration by outputting the information to a printing means.

[Means to solve the problem]

The printed information processing device according to the present invention includes a host data storage means for sequentially capturing and storing host printed dot information sent from the host to the printing means, and a host data storage means for sequentially capturing and storing host printed dot information sent from the host to the printing means, and A converting means for reading and converting the density, a smoothing means for generating density-converted smoothing data from adjacent host printed dot information sequentially stored in the host data storage means, and smoothing data density-converted by the smoothing means. The apparatus includes data output control means for alternately outputting the density conversion data and the density conversion data density-converted by the conversion means to the printing means.

[Effect]

In this invention, when the host print dot information is sent from the host to the printing means, it is once taken into the host data storage means, read out by the conversion means, and subjected to density conversion processing to generate density conversion data. With,
The smoothing means generates density-converted smoothing data from the sequentially stored adjacent host print dot information. The control means alternately outputs the density conversion data and smoothing data generated by the conversion means to the printing means, thereby making it possible to obtain high-quality printed dot information of the same size in the printing means from the host printed dot information. .

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a print information processing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a host unit, which communicates with the control unit 5 of the printer controller 2 through a communication line 6.7.8. and send the printed dot information.

3 is the printer unit, communication line 1
3.14 via $IHKI unit 5. Based on the smoothing data and density conversion data processed by the smoothing processing unit 4, print processing is performed based on the final print dot data that has been density-converted to, for example, the same size according to the print density of the printer unit 3.

The printer controller 2 includes a control unit 5, a smoothing processing unit 4, etc., and the control unit 5 includes a RAM 5a, a ROM 5b, a CPU 5c, etc. The control unit 5 also outputs the printed host print dot data stored in the RAM 5a via the current print data setting line 9 to the smoothing processing unit 4, and also outputs the printed host print dot data stored in the RAM 5a via the correction data setting line 10. Outputs the current host print dot data.

On the other hand, the smoothing processing unit 4 develops the processed print dot information (smoothing data density-converted from the host print dot information) onto the RAM 5a of the control unit 5 via the smoothing print data output line 11, and performs density conversion. , to obtain final printed output dot data that has been smoothed.

A communication line 12 sends the final printout dot data developed on the RAM 5a to the printer unit 3 through communication with communication lines 13 and 14. A mode setting line 15 specifies the processing mode of the smoothing processing unit 4.

FIG. 2 shows the smoothing processing unit 4 shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 is a detailed circuit block diagram illustrating the configuration of FIG. 1, in which the same components as in FIG.

In the figure, 41 is a host print data section, HB indicates printed host print data, and HP indicates host print data currently being printed (hereinafter also referred to as print dot).

42 is a density conversion print data section, where PB indicates density conversion print data that has already been printed, pp indicates density conversion print data that is currently being printed, and print dot AND indicates density conversion for dot 52 of host print data HP. Corresponds to dot. Note that the circle in the figure corresponds to one dot of the print dot data.

43 and 44 are selectors, and the selector 43 selects and sends out either the logic circuit 45 or the logic circuit 46 based on the print dot data 51 for the print dot A in the figure. Note that the logic circuit 45 corrects the printed dot A to a black dot (rIJ) based on the host print data HP and the printed host print data HB. The logic circuit 46 outputs correction data for correcting the printed dot A to a white dot ('OJ) from the host print data HP and the printed host print data HB via the output line 49.

The selector 44 selects the logic circuit 47 or 48 based on the print dot data 51 for the print dot A in the figure.
Select one and send it.

Note that the logic circuit 47 corrects the printed dot A to a black dot (rl'') based on the host print data HP and the printed host print data HB. The logic circuit 48 outputs correction data for correcting the printed dot A to a white dot ('OJ) from the host print data HP and the printed host print data HB via the output line 50.

In the print information processing apparatus configured as described above, when host print dot information is sent from the host unit 1 to the printing means (printer unit 3), it is first taken into the host data storage means (RAM 5a) and converted. Density conversion processing is performed by the means (the smoothing processing unit 4 processes the print data read out from the RAM 5a) to generate density conversion data, and adjacent host print data is sequentially stored by the C1 smoothing means (smoothing processing unit 4). Smoothing data is generated by density conversion from the dot information.

The control means (also served by the control unit 5) alternately outputs the density conversion data and smoothing data generated by the conversion means to the printing means, and prints high-quality printed dots at the same size in the printer unit 3 based on the host printed dot information. get information.

Specifically, line data for smoothing is created based on the printed host print data HB (in this example, two lines in the y-axis direction), which is the source of the print dot data that has already been printed from the print dot HP before enlargement, which is the original print dot HP. (y-axis direction). That is, in the process of enlarging the original printed dots before enlargement to, for example, 4 dots per dot, printed dots A and B (details are shown in FIG. 3) in FIG. It is associated with each printed dot on the left vertical line, and logic circuits 45 to 48 are selected using selectors 43 and 44 depending on the black/white data of the original printed dots HP and HB.
Select to generate and output smoothing data.

Then, the smoothed printed dot data and the simply density-converted printed dot data obtained in this way are alternately sent to the printer unit 3 as shown in FIG.
Printing is performed by outputting to .

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating density conversion dot processing of the dots 52 shown in FIG. 2, and LC and LD are data lines.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the printed dot data output from the control unit 5 shown in FIG. 1, and the printed dot data ``■'', ``■,'' and ``■'' in the figure correspond to smoothed data.

Next, the data processing operation in the print information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG.

FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are flowcharts illustrating an example of a data processing procedure in the print information processing apparatus according to the present invention. Note that (1) to (15) indicate each step.

First, a print start command is output from the host unit 1 to the printer controller 2 (1).

Next, when the print dot data is transferred to the control unit 5 of the printer controller 2 (2), the control unit 5
sets the mode setting line 15 to rQJ and sets the data in the current print data setting line 9 (3). This results in
As shown in FIG. 3, the smoothing processing unit 4 doubles the number of printed dots C and D for each dot.

Next, the control unit 5 reads the doubled print dot data via the smoothing print data output line 11 (4) and causes the printer unit 3 to print it as density-converted print dot data (5).

Next, it is determined whether the control unit 5 caused the printer unit 3 to print the same data for the second time (printing of print lines 1 and 2 shown in FIG. 4), and if No, the process returns to step (5). , if YES, mode setting line 1
5 as "1" (7), and smoothing processing by the smoothing processing unit 4 is started.

First, the smoothing processing unit 4
Set the printing dot corresponding to the current printing data setting line 9, and set the printing dot data corresponding to the correction data setting line 10 (8) Next, each dot 52 in the printing dot HP is set to the printing dot A and B in density. After being converted and smoothed, it is output to the printer unit 3 (9) Next, the control unit 5 reads the smoothing print data output line 11 and sends the smoothing print data to the printer unit 3 via the communication lines 12 to 14. The print dot data read through the output line 11 is printed (10).

Next, the control unit 5 sets the mode setting line 15 to "O".
11), the smoothing processing unit 4 sets the dot 52 shown in FIG. 3 as a printed dot C9D.

Next, the control unit 5 reads the print dot data through the smoothing print data output line 11, and sends the print dot data after simple double density conversion to the printer unit 3 for printing (simple double print) (12
).

Next, it is determined whether printing has been completed up to the final line (in the y-axis direction) of the X line (in the X-axis direction) shown in FIG. For printer unit 3 by unit 5,
Line feed (LF).

A carriage return (CR) is sent out (14).

Next, the control unit 5 sends a print completion status to the host unit 1 (15).

As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the printing quality of the smoothed density-converted data cuff 2 that has been smoothed by the smoothing processing unit 4 shown in FIG. becomes possible.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which each printed dot is subjected to density conversion processing to double the density in the main and sub-scanning directions, but the density conversion magnification is not limited to 2 times and can be set as appropriate. This can be easily handled by changing the configuration of the smoothing processing unit 4 shown in FIG. 2 accordingly.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention includes a host data storage means for sequentially capturing and storing host print dot information sent from the host to the printing means, and a host data storage means for reading out the host print dot information stored in the host data storage means. a smoothing means for generating density-converted smoothing data from adjacent host printed dot information sequentially stored in the host data storage means; and a density-containing smoothing data density-converted by the smoothing means. Since it is equipped with a data output control means that alternately outputs the conversion data and the density conversion data that has been density-converted by the conversion means to the printing means, it is possible to print at least three lines of printing data with a simple and compact circuit configuration as in the conventional case. There is no need for sampling, and density-converted print information without damage to character output quality can be provided to printing means at high speed at low cost based on a small amount of sampling data. Therefore, even if the density of the print information output from the host differs from the print density of the printing means, excellent effects such as being able to output the same size print information with high quality are achieved.

[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a printed information processing device showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the smoothing processing unit shown in FIG. 1. Detailed circuit block diagram, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram explaining the dot density conversion dot processing shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 shows printed dot data output from the control unit shown in FIG. 1. Schematic diagrams, FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are flowcharts illustrating an example of a data processing procedure in the printed information processing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an example of printed information output in the printed information processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. In the figure, 1 is a host unit, 2 is a printer controller, 3 is a printer unit, 4 is a smoothing processing unit, and 5 is a control unit. Figure Figure 4 Main scanning direction ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ Current figure (a) Output figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] a host data storage means for sequentially capturing and storing host print dot information sent from the host to the printing means; a conversion means for reading out and density-converting the host print dot information stored in the host data storage means; smoothing means for generating density-converted smoothing data from adjacent host printed dot information sequentially stored in the host data storage means; density-converted data including the smoothing data density-converted by the smoothing means; A printed information processing device comprising: data output control means for alternately outputting the converted density conversion data to the printing means.