JPH0432410B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (1) Technical Field of the Invention The present invention provides a method for reading out print output data from a memory and sending it to a printing unit to obtain a print output, when printing output data stored in a control memory for adding density to the print output is used. This invention relates to a print output device that performs printing in direct connection with the above.

(2) Prior Art and Problems FIG. 1 shows an example of a conventional print output device that reads print output data from a memory and obtains a print output. In other words, microprocessor (MPU) 1
address bus, R/W control bus,
Memory (MEM) controlled through data bus
The print output data stored in 2 is read out and printed out by a printing section 4 via a register (REG) 3. Furthermore, data is exchanged with the main control section (MC) through the interface 5.

In this case, the density of the print output is controlled separately and is not directly related to the print output data read out from the memory, so if you want to make detailed density changes to the content of the print output data, the operation may be troublesome. Become.

(3) Object of the Invention An object of the present invention is to provide a print output device in which the addition of density to print output is controlled in direct association with print output data stored in a memory.

(4) Structure of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, the print output device of the present invention stores print output data, the density of the print output data, and a control code for instructing switching depending on the density at the same address. a memory; a multiplexer that selects print output data to output according to density based on the control code; a density generation circuit that outputs pulses with duty widths indicating different densities corresponding to the control code; A plurality of AND circuits that logically multiply the selected output and a signal with a duty width output by the density generation circuit for each density, and print with the specified density pulse width by obtaining the logical sum of the plurality of AND circuits. The present invention is characterized in that it includes an OR circuit that outputs output data, and a printing section that controls the print dot diameter based on the density pulse width.

(5) Embodiments of the Invention Figure 2a is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2b shows one of the output signal waveforms of each configuration in Figure 2a.
This is an operation time chart showing an example. Hereinafter, explanation will be made with reference to FIG. 4A and FIG. In this embodiment, the density difference of print output data is controlled in four stages.

R/W 8-bit data ADD0 to ADD7 indicating address 0 of memory 2 (MEM) from MPU1
By applying the clock CLK0 in the control signal, address 0 of the memory 2 (MEM) is specified and read out as illustrated in FIG. 3a, which will be described later.
Print output data DT7 to DT0 at address 0 is read out in parallel from memory 2 (MEM).
Stored in REG11. On the other hand, memory 2 (MEM)
The above data is stored at address 0, and 2-bit control bits CT0 and CT1 indicating the density are stored in a pattern of 0 and 1 at the same address, and these density control bits CT0 and CT1 Stored in REG12. In addition,
When reading of address 0 is completed, reading of address 1 is continued in the same manner as described above.

Since the common clock CLK1 is applied to REG11 and REG12, data (print output data and density control bits) are output from each REG11 and REG12 in synchronization. The data output from REG11 is converted from parallel to serial and output in 8-bit DT0 to DT7 units.
From REG12, the above concentration control bit CT-
0 and CT-1 are output.

These two data are sent to the multiplexer 13
(MPX), and in this MPX13, based on the fact that the output lines OUT0 to OUT3 corresponding to the combination pattern of the density control bits CT are selected in advance, the density control bits CT-1, CT-1,
The combination pattern of CT-0 is analyzed and one of the output lines OUT0 to OUT3 is selected according to the analysis result. In this embodiment, the density control bits corresponding to the print output data stored at address 0 are H, H, so MPX13 is
Since it is set to select OUT3, and the density control bits corresponding to the print output data stored at address 1 are L and H.
MPX13 is set to select OUT2. This selection line OUT0~3 is AND circuit ₁₅₀ ~1
5 Connected as one input line of ₃ . In addition,
OUT0 is the selection line for the print output data with the lightest density, and OUT3 is the selection line for the print data with the darkest density.

The other input lines of the AND circuits 15 ₀ to 15 ₃ have the outputs DN0 to DN3 of the concentration generation circuit 14 as their inputs. The concentration generation circuit 14 is shown in FIG. 3b described later.
As shown in the above concentration control bit
The duty width in one dot period is variable according to the density of CT0 and CT1, and DN0 to DN3 are output so that a difference in density appears (the pulse width of DN3 is the one with the highest density, so (The pulse width is such that the pulse width is always in the H state).
Note that the concentration generation circuit 14 outputs one of the outputs DN0 to DN3.
A pulse corresponds to one bit unit of serially converted data.

First, the output OUT3 selected by the MPX13 and the output DN3 of the density generation circuit 14 are combined dot by dot (AND circuit 15 ₃ ), and when the synthesis with the same density for every 8 bits is completed, the output OUT3 selected by the MPX13 is then combined dot by dot (AND circuit 15 3 ). The output OUT2 and the output DN2 of the density generation circuit 14 are combined dot by dot (AND circuit 15 ₂ ), and the combination is performed with the same density for every 8 bits.

Then, the outputs of the AND circuit 15 ₃ and the AND circuit 15 ₂ are ORed by an OR circuit 16, and this is given to the printing section 4 as a video output. In the printing section 4, the dot diameter of the printing section is controlled by each density pulse width of this video output. As the printing method of the printing section, a method in which the dot diameter is changed depending on the duty time of the dot period, such as an electrostatic type, a discharge type, a thermal type, etc., is suitable.

FIGS. 3a and 3b are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the main part of the embodiment. Figure a shows a storage format for a certain address in the memory (MEM) 2, in which a density is specified for each of 0 to n (8 bits in the embodiment) of print output data. In the embodiment, this designation is performed in four ways using a 0, 1 pattern of CT0 and CT1. Figure b
is the density output expressed by the duty width for 21 cycles of a plurality of output signals (four in the embodiment) of the density generation circuit 14. This density output is selected by the density control bit corresponding to the print output data by the multiplexer MPX13 as described above.

FIGS. 4a and 4b are explanatory diagrams showing the effects of the present invention.

Figure a shows a dot area on the printing paper 10. In order to represent the shading of figures and characters, printing is performed by varying the diameter of the print dots, as shown by 8-bit data, . . . in the figure.

As shown in the bit configuration of memory 2 corresponding to figure a in figure b, density control bits of 2 bits each are added after the 8-bit data, and the print dot diameter of the printing section is controlled by this density code. It is represented by the shading of large and small dots as shown in Figure a.

In the above, the density code is added to the same address as the print output data, but it is also possible to add control data for the required bits indicating auxiliary figures to be added to the print output data, such as underlines, erase lines, frames, etc.
These can also be used together with density codes.

(6) Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, control data for controlling the density of the data is added to the same address as the print output data in the memory, and the control data is read together with the print output, and the control data is read out together with the print output data. The print output is controlled by control data. This greatly simplifies the procedure and operation compared to the case where the density of print output data is changed independently and separately, and can be performed in detail and accurately.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a general explanatory diagram of a conventional print output device, FIGS. 2 a and b are configuration explanatory diagrams a and operation time chart b of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 a and b are main parts of the embodiment. Operation explanatory diagrams, FIGS. 4a and 4b are explanatory diagrams showing the effects of the present invention, in which 2 is a memory, 11, 1
2 is a register, 13 is a multiplexer, 14 is a concentration generation circuit, 15 ₁ , 15 ₂ , . . . , 15 _o is an AND circuit, and 16 is an OR circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A memory storing print output data, the density of the print output data, and a control code for instructing switching according to the density at the same address; a multiplexer that selects an output according to the control code; a concentration generation circuit that outputs a pulse with a duty width indicating a different concentration corresponding to the control code; and a concentration generation circuit that selects the output selected by the multiplexer and the duty width that the concentration generation circuit outputs. a plurality of AND circuits that obtain a logical product for each density, an OR circuit that obtains a logical product of the plurality of AND circuits and outputs print output data with a specified density pulse width; A printing output device comprising: a printing section that controls a printing dot diameter;