JPH03226885A - Barcode printing control method - 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] [Summary] Regarding the improvement of a barcode printing control method using a dot matrix type printer device, it is an object of the present invention to provide a barcode printing control method that can make the black-white ratio accurate when printing a barcode. This is a barcode printing control method that uses a dot-matrix printer to print a barcode twice, and in the first printing, the black bar width is set to the normal black-white ratio. Print a black bar thinner by the amount of correction, then scan the barcode printed on the paper with a barcode sensor, find the black bar width from the detection waveform of the barcode sensor, and then print it for the second time. The system calculates the difference between the black bar width determined from the detected waveform of the barcode sensor and the black bar width that corresponds to the normal black-white ratio, and prints the remaining black bar portion by referring to the calculated difference. That is.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to an improvement in a barcode printing control method using a dot matrix printer.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating conventional barcode printing using a dot matrix printer. In the conventional technology, the regular black bar width is set to be n times (n is an integer) the dot pitch (for example, 1/180 inch). The dot pattern of the bar code to be printed is stored in a pattern buffer. For example, when the first dot pulse rises, the first dot pattern in the pattern buffer is
When the second dot row is printed and the second dot pulse rises, the second dot row in the pattern buffer is printed. Similar processing is performed thereafter.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional barcode printing method, the printing timing interval is constant, so when printing n rows of black dots that make up one black bar, the pin diameter of the printing pin and the ink
Due to ink bleeding on the ribbon, etc., the black bar actually printed on the paper becomes wider than the regular black bar width.

Also, the standard width of a black bar is, for example, 1.7 dots, but conventional barcode printing methods cannot print black bars with a bar width of 1.7 dots. .

The present invention was created in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a barcode printing control method that can make the black-white ratio accurate when printing barcodes.

[Method to solve the problem]

FIG. 1 is a diagram explaining the principle of the present invention. In the present invention, a dot matrix type printer device is used,
Print the barcode twice.

In the first printing, a black bar is printed that is thinner by a correction width (for example, one dot) than the black bar width that corresponds to the normal black-white ratio. After the first barcode is printed, the barcode printed on the paper is scanned by a barcode sensor, and the black bar width is determined from the detected waveform of the barcode sensor. In the second printing, the difference between the black bar width determined from the detection waveform of the barcode sensor and the black bar width that corresponds to the regular black-white ratio is determined, and the remaining black bar portion is printed by referring to the determined difference. I do.

〔Example〕

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the time from the rise of the dot pulse to actual printing. In the figure, 1 indicates a dot pulse that triggers the start of the printing process, and 2 indicates the printing position.

The rising edge of the dot pulse provides an opportunity to start the printing process, and actual printing is performed after a period of time T has elapsed. The time T is the adjustment time T1. It consists of a pin (hammer magnet) energization time T2 and a mechanical delay time T3 for the pin to print. The printer control unit can control the adjustment time T1. The pin energization time T2 and the mechanical delay time T3 are fixedly determined by the specifications of the printing head. Adjustment time T1
is determined by the value of a print timing fine adjustment timer, and this value is variable.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating printing of a dot pattern in the editing data storage area. In the figure, 3 is an edited data storage area where the edited dot pattern is stored;
DP each indicates a data pointer.

The data in the edited data storage area 3 is output column by column. For example, for column P2, P21 is output.
．． P22. . . , the data of each dot of P27 is driven by pins at the same time. dot pulse 1
21 columns, P
2 columns, ..., PT column are output, and if printing in the reverse direction, P7 column and P6 column are output.

..., 21 columns will be output. The data pointer DP specifies the dot string to be read out, and when the read dot string is printed, the data pointer DP specifies the dot string to be read out.
The correctness of pointer DP is increased by +1.

FIG. 4 is a plot diagram showing an example of the electric circuit of the printer. In the figure, 5 is a CPU, 6 is an address bus,
7 is a data bus, 8 is a pattern buffer, 9 is a program storage ROM, 10 is a data storage RAM, 11 is a console panel, 12 is an interface, 13 is a main unit, 14 is a motor driver, and 15 is a hammer driver. , 16 is a sensor driver, 17 is a line feed motor, 1
8 is a motor for moving the carrier, 19 is a sensor, 20 is a carrier, 21 is a barcode sensor, 23 is a print head,
24 indicates an ink ribbon cassette, respectively.

The CPU 5 executes programs stored in the program storage ROM 9. CPU 5 uses address bus 6
and writes data to registers and memory via the data bus 7, and reads data from registers and memory. Although not shown, the CPU 5 has an internal timer, and this timer is used as a timer for fine-tuning print timing.

The pattern buffer 8 is the same as the edit data storage area 3, and stores one line of dot matrix data to be sent to the print head 23. Various programs are stored in the program storage ROM 9. Various buffers, work areas, etc. exist in the data storage RAM 10. Various switches, a liquid crystal display, etc. are present on the console panel 11. Although not shown, it goes without saying that there is a CG memory for storing character dot patterns and barcode dot patterns.

The interface 12 is a part that communicates with the main device 13. When a print command is sent from the main device 13, the interface 12 stores the print command in data storage R.
It is stored in the buffer of AMl0 and interrupts the CPU5. When this interrupt is accepted, the CPU 5 performs processing for printing characters, symbols, figures, etc. based on the print command.

The motor driver 14 amplifies signals to be sent to the line feed motor 17 and the carrier movement motor 18. The hammer driver 15 amplifies the hammer drive current to be sent to the print head 24. The sensor driver 16 amplifies the signal sent from the sensor 19 and shapes the waveform. A signal output from barcode sensor 21 is also input to sensor driver 16 .

A print head 23 and a barcode sensor 21 are fixed to the carrier 20, and an ink ribbon cassette 24 is also fixed to the carrier 20.
is attached removably.

When the carrier moving motor 18 rotates, the carrier 20
runs left and right.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating first printing and second U printing in the present invention. Assume that a black bar consisting of four rows of black dots is stored in the pattern buffer 8. 1
In the second printing, the first black dot row, the second black dot row, and the third black dot row are printed. That is,
When the first dot pulse rises, the first black dot row in the pattern buffer is read out, and the first black dot row is read out from the print pin after T time from the rising edge of the first dot pulse. When the second dot pulse rises, the second dot pulse in the pattern buffer is printed.
The second black dot row is read out, the second black dot row is printed by the print pin T hours after the rise of the second dot pulse, and when the third dot pulse rises, the pattern buffer is read out. The third black dot row is read out and the third black dot row is read out.
Printing is performed by the printing pin after T time from the rise of the pulse.

After printing a black bar consisting of three rows of black dots on a sheet of paper, the black bar on the sheet is scanned by a barcode sensor 21, and the width X of the black bar on the sheet is calculated from the detection output of this sensor 21. do.

Assuming that the width of the black bar according to the normal black-white ratio is Wn, the remaining bar width B is as follows: B=Wn-x.

The second printing is performed as follows. Fourth
The value of the print timing fine adjustment timer is adjusted so that the printing of the 10-th dot row is delayed by the time required to move by B from the timing at which the 3rd dot pulse rises. Then, the fourth black dot string is read out at the rising edge of the third dot pulse, and the fourth black dot string is printed by the printing pin after T time from the rising edge of the third dot pulse.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of barcode printing processing.

The barcode printing process is executed by a barcode printing process routine in the program storage ROM. When performing barcode printing processing, first determine whether it is high resolution or low resolution.
Barcode height.

The type of barcode, barcode data (representing numbers), etc. are sent from the main unit, and then a print command is sent. When a print command is received, a barcode printing processing routine is executed, and the following processing is performed.

■ Edit the barcode/dot pattern.

The edited barcode dot pattern is stored in data storage RAM10.

■ Move the print head to the print start position.

■ Print the barcode leaving one dot for each bar (black bar). In other words, clear the black dot row at the right end of the black bar from the barcode dot pattern edited in step (■), move the cleared barcode dot pattern to pattern buffer 8, and execute the routine in Figure 7 by CAL.
L.

■■ When the first printing is completed, move the barcode sensor 21 to the starting position.

■ Scan the barcode sensor 21 to detect the width of the black bar printed on the paper.

■ Compare the detection results and the exact black bar width.

■ Detect remaining bar width.

■ Adjust the value of the timer for fine adjustment of print timing.

[Phase] The remaining 1 dot is printed for the second time based on the print timing fine adjustment timer. In other words, from the barcode dot pattern edited in ■, clear all but the row of black dots at the right end of the black bar, and use the cleared barcode dot pattern.
The i column of the dot pattern is i- in the pattern buffer 8.
The cleared barcode dot pattern is transferred to the pattern buffer 8 so that it forms one column, and the routine of FIG. 7 is called.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the dot pattern printing process in the edited data storage area.

■ Set the data pointer DP to its initial value.

■ Issue carrier operation instructions. Note that in the case of forward printing, the carrier is initially located at the left end.

■ Check whether the dot pulse is turned on.

If Yes, proceed to ■.

■ Wait for the adjustment time specified by the count value of the print timing fine adjustment timer.

(2) Set the data (dot string) pointed to by the data pointer DP in the latch circuit (present in the hammer driver 15).

■ Turn on pin drive current. Note that the pin drive current 3 is automatically turned off by the hardware circuit after a certain period of time has elapsed.

■ Advance the data pointer DP by one.

■ Check whether printing is finished or not, and if Yes, proceed to ■.
If No, return to ■.

■ Issue a carrier stop instruction. Note that in the case of forward printing, the carrier stops at the left end.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to print a barcode with the black-and-white ratio of a regular barcode, and it is possible to eliminate misreading and misreading of barcodes.

In the above-described embodiment, one dot row on the right side of each black bar is printed in the first printing, but instead of just one dot row, several dot rows may be left. Furthermore, in the first printing, one or several dot rows may be left on the left side of each black bar.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a diagram explaining the principle of the present invention, Figure 2 is a diagram explaining the time from the rise of the dot 4 pulse to actual printing, and Figure 3 is a diagram explaining the printing of the dot pattern in the editing data storage area. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the electric circuit of the printer, FIG. 5 is a diagram explaining the first printing and second printing in the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the barcode printing process of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a dot pattern printing process, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating conventional barcode printing. 1... Dot pulse, 2... Print position, 3...
Edit data storage area, 5...CPU, 6...Address bus, 7...Data bus, 8...Pattern buffer, 9...Program storage ROM, 10...
・Data storage RAM, 11...console panel,
12...Interface, 13...Main device, 14
...Motor driver, 15...Hammer driver, 16...Sensor driver, 17...Line feed motor, 18...Carrier movement motor, 19...Sensor, 20... Carrier, 21... Barcode sensor, 23... Print head, 24... Ink ribbon cassette, DP... Data pointer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A barcode printing control method that uses a dot matrix printer to print a barcode twice; Print a black bar that is thinner than the bar width by the correction amount, then scan the barcode printed on the paper with a barcode sensor, find the black bar width from the detection waveform of the barcode sensor, and then print the black bar width for the second time. When printing, find the difference between the black bar width found from the detected waveform of the barcode sensor and the black bar width that corresponds to the regular black-white ratio, and print the remaining black bar portion by referring to the difference found. A barcode printing control method characterized by: