JPH0550718A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To reduce the processing time of the entire printing operation. [Structure] An address monitoring unit 4 monitors the expansion of image data, which is created based on input data by the control unit 1, into the image memory 1a. When the address monitoring unit 4 detects an address corresponding to the time required for pre-printing processing in the printing unit 2 before the image data for one page has been expanded to the final address of the image memory 1a, the control unit 1 prints. An output start signal is output to the unit 2. Since the printing unit 2 starts the pre-printing process in response to the output start signal, the control unit 1
The character creation processing by and the printing preprocessing in the printing unit 2 are performed in parallel.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, and more particularly to an electrophotographic printing apparatus used as an output printer in an information processing apparatus, an electronic typesetting system apparatus, or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a printing apparatus is used as an output printer of an information processing apparatus in a general office or the like, or is used as an electronic typesetting output printer in a printing office or the like for producing a printed matter.

Conventionally, in this type of printing apparatus, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, when input data such as character codes is input from the external device 3 on the upper device side, the control unit 5 on the printing device side
Then, the image data that has been subjected to the character writing processing based on the input data is output to the printing unit 2, and the output start signal for activating the printing unit 2 is output from the control unit 5. The printing unit 2 is activated by an output activation signal from the control unit 5,
The image data from is printed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when the control section 5 receives the input data from the external device 3, the control section 5 performs character writing processing based on the input data to create image data, and the image data is processed. The image is expanded in an image memory (not shown). When the image data for one page is expanded in the image memory, the control unit 5 outputs an output start signal to the printing unit 2.

When the printing unit 2 receives the output start signal from the control unit 5, the printing unit 2 starts a pre-printing process for printing. After that, when the printing unit 2 completes the pre-printing process and enters the image data receivable state, the printing unit 2 outputs an image data receivable signal notifying that the state has been reached to the control unit 5.

When the control unit 5 receives the image data receivable signal from the printing unit 2, the control unit 5 outputs a printing reference signal serving as a reference of the printing start position from the front end of the paper (not shown) to the printing unit 2 and then the image. Output the data. The printing unit 2 executes the printing process of the image data based on the received printing reference signal and prints out.

Here, the pre-printing process in the printing section 2 is a process for stabilizing a polygon motor (not shown), a process for making a surface potential on a photosensitive drum (not shown) constant, and the like. Is.

In such a conventional printing apparatus, the control unit 5
The output start signal is output to the printing unit 2 after the image data creation process in step 2 is completed, and the pre-print process is started in the printing unit 2 after the output start signal is received. Until then, the image data cannot be output to the printing unit 2, and there is a disadvantage that extra processing time is required for the pre-printing processing in the entire printing operation.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a printing apparatus capable of shortening the processing time of the entire printing operation.

[0010]

The printing apparatus according to the present invention generates image data for printing on the basis of input data input from an external device and generates the image data in an image memory, and a printing unit before performing a printing process. A printing device that performs a pre-printing process to make the printable state, and then prints the image data generated by the generating device on a sheet, and is not expanded in the image memory. Detecting means for detecting the expansion of the image data to a predetermined address of the image memory showing at least the time required for completion to be at least equal to the processing time of the pre-printing processing; Instructing means for instructing the printing means to start the pre-printing processing when the expansion of the image data is detected. That.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the control unit 1 on the printing device side has a character creation processing function for creating image data based on input data such as character codes received from the external device 3 on the upper device side, and an overall control function. There is. The printing unit 2 also has a function of printing the image data received from the control unit 1. The address monitoring unit 4 has a function of monitoring the address of the image memory for one page where the image data is expanded in the control unit 1.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of division of the image memory in one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, in the image memory 1a, the memory capacity for one page is divided into row units, and addresses SL0 to SLn are given to the respective row units.

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing the operation of one embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

When the control unit 1 receives the input data from the external device 3, it starts the character formation of the image data based on the input data. At this time, the image data on which characters have been written is expanded in the image memory 1a in the control unit 1 in units of lines. The address monitoring unit 4 is an address SL for each line of the image memory 1a.
Monitor 0-SLn.

When the address monitoring unit 4 detects the expansion of the image data at the address SLx corresponding to the time T0 before the end of the expansion of the image data for one page at the final address SLn of the image memory 1a, the control unit 1 notifies to that effect. To notify. Here, the time T0 is the time required for the printing pretreatment in the printing unit 2.

Upon receiving the notification from the address monitoring unit 4, the control unit 1 outputs an output start signal to the printing unit 2 by T0 time before the completion of developing the image data in the image memory 1a. As a result, the character forming process by the control unit 1 and the pre-printing process by the printing unit 2 are performed in parallel.

Here, the address S of the image memory 1a
Lx is the image data created based on the input data, from the address SLx to the final address SLn of the image memory 1a.
Is set so that the time Tx required for developing the image data for x characters into the image memory 1a and the time T0 required for pre-printing processing in the printing unit 2 are equal. That is, Tx = T0
The number of characters x is set so that
The address SLx is the line address that is the number of characters before the last character expanded to the final address SLn of the character x. still,
The address of the image memory 1a is a code that determines the print layout of the characters included in the input data.

However, depending on the input data, Tx
Since -T0 <0 in some cases, the print reference signal output from the control unit 1 to the print unit 2 is output T0 time after the output start signal is output.

When the control section 1 outputs the print reference signal to the print section 2, the control section 1 subsequently outputs the image data expanded in the image memory 1a to the print section 2. The printing unit 2 executes the printing process of the image data sent from the control unit 1 and prints it out.

In this way, the address monitoring unit 4 monitors the expansion of the image data in the image memory 1a of the control unit 1, and the address monitoring unit 4 expands the image data for one page at the final address SLn of the image memory 1a. When the address SLx corresponding to the time T0 before the end of the processing is detected, the control unit 1 outputs an output start signal to the printing unit 2 to start the pre-printing process in the printing unit 2. The character writing process and the pre-printing process in the printing unit 2 can be performed in parallel. Therefore, it is not necessary to start the pre-printing process in the printing unit 2 after the character creation process by the control unit 1 is completed, and the processing time of the entire printing operation can be shortened by the time T0 required for the pre-printing process.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the image memory 1a is divided on a row-by-row basis and an address is given, but it may be divided on a block-by-block basis and an address is given, but the invention is not limited thereto.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the image data for printing generated based on the input data is expanded in the image memory, the remaining image data can be expanded in the image memory. By instructing to start the preprinting process when the expansion of the image data to the predetermined address of the image memory is detected, which shows that the time required for completion is at least equal to or more than the processing time of the preprinting process, There is an effect that the processing time of the entire printing operation can be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of division of an image memory according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional example.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 control unit 1a image memory 2 printing unit 4 address monitoring unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A generation means for generating image data for printing based on input data input from an external device and expanding the image data in an image memory, and a printable state before performing a printing process. And a printing unit that prints the image data generated by the generating unit on a sheet after that, which is required until the expansion into the image memory is completed. Detecting means for detecting the expansion of the image data to a predetermined address of the image memory, the time of which is at least equal to or longer than the processing time of the print preprocessing, and the expansion of the image data to the predetermined address by the detecting means. A printing apparatus comprising: an instruction unit for instructing the printing unit to start the pre-printing process when detected.