JP3094119U - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To improve the printing speed without depending on the acceleration state of the carriage, which can flexibly cope with a change in load due to a variation in a mechanism unique to the apparatus or a remaining amount of ink. SOLUTION: A CPU 12 has a function of measuring an arrival time Tc until the carriage reaches a print start position for each swath printing, a function of storing the arrival time Tc in the RAM 14 while updating the arrival time Tc as needed, and It has a function of measuring the remaining time TFrem until the end of the feed operation based on the feed time TF from the start to the end of the operation, and finishes printing of any one swath and prints the next one swath. Is started, the feed motor 16 is driven to start the feed operation, and at the same time, the measurement of the remaining time TFrem until the end of the feed operation is started, and the remaining time TFrem and the arrival time Tc stored in the RAM 14 are used as needed. In comparison, when Tc ≧ TFrem, the carriage motor 18 is driven to start the carriage operation.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the device belongs]

  The present invention is designed to move a carriage equipped with a print head in the main scanning direction to carry it. The carriage motor, which is a DC motor that performs the scanning operation, moves the recording paper in the sub-scanning direction. And a feed motor that is a stepping motor that performs a feed operation by moving Control means for individually driving and controlling the carriage motor and the feed motor And a printing device such as a serial printer.

[0002]

[Prior art]

  In conventional serial printers, etc., drive a carriage equipped with a print head. As a moving drive source, there is a type that uses a DC motor.

[0003]   Serial printers that use this DC motor detect the rotation of the DC motor. Encoders and encoder slides that detect the moving position and moving speed of the carriage And a detection means comprising a position counter that increases or decreases according to changes in the encoder The control means counts the position counter by this detection means. Value and preset target speeds for carriage acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration The speed of the DC motor is controlled based on the target stop position. ing.

[0004]   By the way, in such a conventional serial printer or the like, the printing speed is improved. That is one issue, and one way to solve this issue is to Various techniques for overlapping the feeding operation and the feeding operation have been proposed ( See, for example, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3).

[0005]   The technique of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-242242 is a feed operation after the carriage that has finished printing stops. By starting the start-up of the carriage before the (paper feeding operation) is completely completed, Therefore, the time required from the end of printing to the start of printing of the next line is shortened. Concrete Specifically, the time until the end of the line feed currently in progress is calculated, and the time is calculated. It is less than the ramp-up time until the ridge motor reaches steady speed after starting. When it is turned on, the carriage motor is ramped up.

[0006]   In addition to the technique of Patent Document 1 described above, the technique of Patent Document 2 is It is configured to change the setting of the ramp-up time.

[0007]   Further, the technique of Patent Document 3 is preset based on the print data for one line. One of the three driving states is set in the control table, Printing after starting the carriage start-up according to the set driving status information The time T1 to reach the start position is calculated and the feed motor feeds And calculate the time T2 required for damping the vibration caused by the line feed, When T> 2, the carriage motor is started up. It

[0008]

[Patent Document 1]     JP-A-62-201278

[Patent Document 2]     JP-A-62-284775

[Patent Document 3]     JP-A-1-101173

[0009]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

  In the above Patent Documents 1 and 2, how to determine the ramp-up time Although nothing is described about it, in general, a table prepared in advance is used. It will be calculated with reference to Le. In this case, the ramp-up time is The load changes due to a decrease in the amount of ink remaining in the printer, and there are variations in the device itself. Therefore, it is not the time that can be uniquely determined by referring to the table. Tsuma It is the time that changes subtly as the printing progresses. Also, depending on the print data , The print start position of that line is also different, so the time also changes. Only However, the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not consider these matters at all. Since it does not exist, it is necessary to allow a certain amount of overlap for overlapping. There was a problem that was wasted. In other words, it's always the best timing. There was a problem that burlap could not be performed.

[0010]   This also applies to Patent Document 3 described above, and refer to the control table. However, the time T from the start of the carriage startup until the print start position is reached Since 1 is calculated, the load changes due to a decrease in the amount of ink in the cartridge. And that there is variation in the device itself, etc. There is a problem that it is not possible to overlap at optimal timing. It was

[0011]   Further, in each of the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 above, the carriage motor is This is the control in the case of a stepping motor, and it is a DC motor that controls the speed in an analog manner. However, there is a problem that it cannot be applied when

[0012]   The present invention was devised to solve such problems, and its purpose is device-specific. Flexible to changes in load due to variations in mechanical system and decrease in ink level in cartridge The print speed can be improved without depending on the acceleration state of the carriage. An object of the present invention is to provide a printing device that can do this.

[0013]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

  The printing device of the present invention is designed so that the printing direction of the print head is the main scanning direction and the recording paper is fed. When the direction is the sub-scanning direction, set the carriage with the print head in the main scanning direction. The carriage motor, which is a DC motor that moves the carriage to perform the carriage operation, and this key Detects the carriage position and speed by detecting the rotation of the carriage motor Detection means and stepping for moving the recording paper in the sub-scanning direction to perform a feeding operation The feed motor, which is a motor, and the carriage motor and feed motor And a control means for individually controlling the drive. And in addition to such a configuration, The carriage reaches the print start position after the carriage starts moving due to the carriage operation. Movement time for each carriage to measure the arrival time Tc up to Working time measuring means and one swath measured by the carriage operating time measuring means A memorizer that stores only the latest 1 swath while updating the arrival time Tc for each time And the feed time TF from the start to the end of the feed operation is calculated. And the feed time TF obtained by this computing means is set inside And a remaining time measuring means for measuring the remaining time TFrem until the end of the feeding operation. I am.

[0014]   Then, the control means finishes printing of one arbitrary swath and prints the next one swath. When starting the character, at the same time when the feed motor is driven to start the feed operation , Countdown of the feed time TF set internally by the remaining time measuring means To start the measurement of the remaining time TFrem until the end of the feed operation. TFrem and the arrival time T measured during the last one swath printing stored in the storage means Compare with c from time to time. Then, as a result of the comparison, when Tc ≧ TFrem, The carriage motor is driven and controlled to start the carriage operation.

[0015]   According to the present invention having such a feature, the carriage operation time measuring means is Carriage movement until the print start position is reached. The arrival time Tc at is measured every time one swath is printed, and the measurement result is The data is stored in the storage means while being updated every swath. Therefore, the memory hand The latest arrival time Tc (that is, the time measured immediately before) is always stored in the stage. It will be. This will reduce the load due to, for example, a decrease in the ink level in the cartridge. Is changed and the arrival time Tc of the carriage is changed, it is stored in the storage means. Since the arrival time Tc is a time that takes this into account, Feed operation and the print head It is possible to always match the print start timing by the method with high accuracy.

[0016]

[Embodiment of device]

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017]   FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a printing apparatus (printer) of the present invention.

[0018]   The printing device 10 is a personal computer (a host computer of a higher rank) that is a driver of an external device. Print command based on various commands and print data supplied from the computer 30. It is configured to work. Therefore, both the personal computer 30 and the printer 10 It is connected via a communication cable 40 capable of bidirectional communication.

[0019]   The printing device 10 includes an ASIC 11 which is a logic circuit IC configured exclusively for the printer. And a CPU 12 which is firmware for controlling the same. CPU1 Reference numeral 2 denotes a ROM 13 in which a program for executing the printing operation is stored, and Stores seed commands and data and works as a work area during printing RAMs 14 are respectively connected.

[0020]   The ASIC 11 has a stepping module that feeds recording paper (not shown) to the print position. Feed motor drive unit 15 for controlling the drive of the feed motor 16, which is a printer, A print head 19 that prints data by ejecting ink onto the printed recording paper. The carriage 2 equipped with the character head 19 with respect to the recording paper feeding direction (sub-scanning direction) Carrier which is a DC motor for reciprocating in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to each other. Carriage motor drive unit 17 for driving and controlling the drive motor 17, movement of the carriage A speed detection unit 20 for detecting the position and the moving speed, a power key, a print key, etc. Key input units 21 having (omitted) are respectively connected.

[0021]   FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of the printing and paper feeding mechanism section.   The carriage 2 equipped with the print head 19 moves the recording paper 3 downward (sub-scanning direction). Is arranged to face the paper feed roller 4 which is the upstream guide means for feeding The carriage 2 is moved along the guide shaft 5 in the main scanning direction (indicated by a and b in the figure). It is provided so as to be capable of reciprocating a predetermined distance in the indicated direction). This carriage 2 By rotating the carriage motor 18 forward or backward, the gear belt 6 It is designed to be driven through.

[0022]   On the other hand, the paper feed roller 4 is provided with a paper feed mechanism 8 including a speed change gear and the like. It is connected to the feed motor 16, and by this feed motor 16, It is driven to rotate normally in the direction indicated by the reference sign c or reversely driven in the direction indicated by the sign d. Growling. Then, by the normal rotation drive, the set recording paper 3 is sub-scanned. It is designed to feed (feed) paper in the downward direction.

[0023]   Further, an encoder slit 20a is provided in parallel with the guide shaft 5. , On the rear surface of the carriage 2 facing the encoder slit 20a. Da 20b is provided. In addition, it increases or decreases depending on the change of the encoder 20b. A position counter 20c (indicated by a broken line in the figure) is provided. Encoder slit 20a, encoder 20b and position counter 20c Therefore, the speed detection unit 20 shown in FIG. 1 is configured.

[0024]   The ASIC 11 is controlled by the CPU 12 so that the feed motor driving unit 15 and And carriage motor drive unit 17 to control the feed motor 16 and the carriage motor. The print head 19 is controlled by the print head 19 while controlling the drive of each of the printers 18. Control.

[0025]   In addition, the ASIC 11 has a counter of the position counter 20c in a predetermined area. Value is to be written. When the speed of the print head 19 is controlled, This count value changes as the encoder 20b changes as the carriage 2 moves. It will be updated from time to time. For example, the slit of the encoder slit 20a If the spacing was 1/150 inch, carriage 2 would move at 50 ips The count value of the position counter when And will be written in a predetermined area of the ASIC.

[0026]   On the other hand, the count value written in this ASIC 11 is firmware. It can be read by the CPU 12 at any time. CPU 12 is, for example, 2 ms The speed of the carriage motor 18 is controlled for each ec. Therefore, ASIC The count value of the position counter 20c written in 11 is set every 2 msec. Read-out, position buffer area 14 provided in a predetermined area of RAM 14 The data is sequentially written into a (this will be described later).

[0027]   The carriage motor drive unit 17 controls the CPU 12 and the ASIC 11. The detection result of the speed detection unit 20 (the count value of the position counter 20c Drive control of the carriage motor 18 by PWM voltage control based on Has become. Note that the PWM voltage control itself is a conventionally known control method. Therefore, detailed description is omitted here.

[0028]   In addition, the CPU 12, which is the firmware, executes the carriage operation by the carriage operation. It takes 1 swath to reach the print start position after 2 starts moving. Carriage operation time measurement function that measures each time you print, 1 swirl measured Stores only the latest 1 swath in RAM 14 while updating the arrival time for each swath as needed To calculate the feed time from the start to the end of the feed operation The calculation function that is set, and the remaining time until the end of the feed operation by setting the calculated feed time inside It has a remaining time measuring function to measure time.

[0029]   FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the principle of overlap processing according to the present invention. Is.

[0030]   Tc in the figure is from the start of the carriage operation until the print start position is reached. Time, TFacc is the acceleration time of the feed operation, TFconst is the constant speed time of the feed operation , TFdec is the feed operation deceleration time, and TFsettle is the feed operation processing completion time. , TF is the feed time from the start to the end of the feed operation (= TFacc + TFconst + TFdec + TFsettle), TFrem is the remaining time until the end of the feed operation. Is showing.

[0031]   When overlapping, carriage 2 reaches the print start position of the print line. It is sufficient that the processing period of the feed operation is completed before the operation. That is, Tc ≧ T When it becomes Frem, the carriage operation may be started.

[0032]   FIG. 4 realizes the principle of the overlap processing shown in FIG. 3 by firmware. Shows how to do it.

[0033]   The firmware implements the following three processes to achieve overlap. To go. [1] Carriage position sampling processing (sequence A), [2] Feed time calculation process (sequence B1, sequence B2), [3] Start printing operation Check processing (sequence C). FIG. 4 shows the timing of performing these processes and Indicates the period.

[0034]   Here, the carriage operation and the filter operation at the time of the printing operation in the printing apparatus 10 having the above-described configuration are performed. Before explaining the whole overlap processing of the feed operation, [2] Feed time calculation Of the processing, TF calculation processing (sequence B1) and [1] carriage position sampling The pulling process (sequence A) will be described separately.

[0035]   [2] Of the feed time calculation processing, the calculation processing of the feed time TF (sequence B1) is calculated in advance before driving the feed motor 16. Phil Since the motor 16 is a stepping motor, it can be calculated in advance even before driving. Can be turned on. That is, the feed time TF is as shown in FIG.

[0036]   TF = TFacc + TFconst + TFdec + TFsettle ・ ・ ・ Equation 1 Can be calculated by For TFacc, TFdec, and TFsettle, set the numerical value of each speed to R in advance. It is stored in AM14. Also, TFsettle can be calculated by the following formula. it can.

[0037]   TFsettle = (feed motor timer cycle at constant speed) x (number of constant speed steps)                                                             ... Equation 2   From the above, the feed time TF can be obtained.

[0038]   That is, to explain according to the flowchart of the sequence B1 shown in FIG. First, from the RAM 14, the acceleration time TFacc of the feed motor 16 and the deceleration time TFdec, The processing completion time TFsettle is acquired and added to TF (step S1). Then, etc. Fast time TFconst to (time per step at constant speed) x (number of constant speed steps) Therefore, it is obtained (step S2) and added to the TF obtained previously (step S3). So Then, the value of TF obtained in step S3 is calculated by counting down TFrem. The count value is stored in a count value storage unit (not shown) for processing (step S4).

[0039]   After that, the CPU 12 determines the flag based on the TF set in the count value storage unit. The remaining time TFrem until the end of the seed operation is calculated.   Next, [1] carriage position sampling processing (sequence A) is explained. Reveal

[0040]   At the start of the printing operation, the CPU 12 carries out the interrupt process at the interval of 2 msec. The distance traveled by J2 is sampled. That is, the port written in the ASIC 11 The count value of the position counter 20c is read every 2 msec, and the RAM 14 is read. Are sequentially written in the position buffer area 14a. Figure 5 shows the sample at this time. FIG. 2 msec in the position buffer area 14a A count value (position counter 20c Are sequentially written as d1, d2, d3, ..., dn. There is. This sampling is performed until the carriage 2 becomes completely uniform in speed.

[0041]   That is, to explain according to the flowchart of sequence A shown in FIG. First, confirm that the printing operation is in progress (step S11), and move distance up to the present. Is stored at the address indicated by the pointer in the position buffer area 14a (step Then, the pointer is advanced by 1 (step S13). This kind of processing is Until the carriage 2 becomes completely constant velocity (until Yes is determined in step S14) )repeat.

[0042]   Next, the carriage operation and the feed operation at the time of the printing operation in the printing apparatus 10 having the above-described configuration. Regarding the overlap processing of the feeding operation, mainly the above [2] Feed time calculation processing Of these, TFrem interrupt processing (sequence B2), and [3] print operation start check Flow chart of sequence B2 shown in FIG. 8 centering on the clock processing (sequence C) And a flowchart of sequence C shown in FIG. 9.

[0043]   The CPU 12 finishes printing one arbitrary swath and starts printing the next one swath. When starting, the processes of sequence B2 and sequence C are started in parallel.

[0044]   In the processing of sequence C, the CPU 12 firstly determines the current stop position of the carriage 2. The number of steps Dc from the position to the print start position is obtained (step S21). next, The positive obtained in the above [1] Carriage position sampling processing (sequence A) Smaller than the above step number Dc from the count value of the operation buffer area 14a Search for a numerical value that is closest to Dc.

[0045]   That is, the pointer of the position buffer area 14a is initialized and not shown. Set the count value (sampling count) of the sampling counter to 1 (sampling 1 (Second time) (step S22). And the position indicated by the pointer Data at the address of the buffer area 14a (if the first sampling, Current value d1) (step S23), and Dc obtained in step S21 The d1 acquired in step S23 is compared (step S24).

[0046]   As a result, when Dc> d1 (when No is determined in step S24) The pointer by 1 and the sampling counter by +1 (sampler) Second time) and the process returns to step S23.

[0047]   As a result of repeating the processing in steps S23 to S25, If Yes is determined in step S24, that is, the condition of Dc ≦ dn is satisfied. If so, the sampling counter is decremented by 1 at that time (step S26). You That is, the nth sampling is the n-1th sampling. Sampling n-1 times The und value dn-1 is a numerical value smaller than the number of steps Dc and is closest to Dc. It is a numerical value. Therefore, the carriage 2 prints on the basis of the sampling number n-1. Time Tc to reach the character start position,

[0048]   Tc = (n-1) (the second time) x 2 (msec) Is calculated (step S27). This arrival time Tc is a predetermined error in the RAM 14. Remembered in the rear.

[0049]   Explaining with a specific example, it is smaller than the number of steps Dc (for example, 1000). A count value that is a large number and is closest to Dc is 13 times in the position buffer 14a. The count value of d13 (eg, 985) sampled by the eye, which is 14 times If the count value of d14 sampled by the eye is 1200, for example, 1 If the count value of d14 sampled for the fourth time is Therefore, the condition of Dc (1000) ≦ d14 (1200) is satisfied. In step S26, the value of the sampling counter 14 (14th sampling) is set to − 1 is set to a value 13 (13th sampling). And this sampling cow The arrival time Tc based on the value 13 of the input data (13th sampling)

[0050]   Tc = 13 (first time) × 2 (msec) = 26 (msec) Calculate as.

[0051]   On the other hand, the CPU 12 performs the above-described processing of steps S21 to S27. At the same time as starting the feed operation by controlling the feed motor drive unit 15 , The feed time T set in the internal count value storage by the remaining time measuring function The F countdown has started. That is, as shown in FIG. Each time 1 msec has elapsed from the start of the work, the count value is obtained in step S4 of FIG. Processing for subtracting 1 from TF (= TFrem) set in the storage unit is executed (step S41, S42, S43).

[0052]   Then, in step S28 of FIG. 8, the feed motion subtracted in step S43. The remaining time TFrem until the end of the work and the arrival time Tc obtained in step S27 are calculated at any time. Compare.

[0053]   As a result, when Tc <TFrem (when it is determined No in step S28) ) Indicates that when the carriage 2 starts moving at this timing, the feeding operation ends. Carriage 2 reaches the print start position before the Without waiting, it will be maintained in the standby state (step S29).

[0054]   On the other hand, when the condition of Tc ≧ TFrem is satisfied (Yes in step S28) If the carriage 2 starts moving at this timing, the feed The carriage 2 reaches the print start position at the same time as or immediately after the end of the operation. Therefore, the movement of the carriage 2 is started at this point (step S30).

[0055]   Thus, according to the printer of the present invention, the carriage 2 reaches the print start position. The arrival time Tc is always the latest value (that is, the value measured immediately before). Since it will be used, the load will be Even when the carriage 2 changes and the arrival time Tc of the carriage 2 changes, the change can be dealt with flexibly. Accordingly, the end of the feed operation and the timing of the print start by the print head are always Can be accurately matched.

[0056]   In the sequence C that is the calculation process of the arrival time Tc, the current carrier The number of steps Dc from the stop position of D2 to the print start position is If it is larger than the count value dn last stored in the area 14a, the position The difference value between the count values dn-1 and dn stored in the buffer area 14a. , Can be obtained by calculation based on the value of the difference. That is, (Dc-d n) is divided by the value of the difference between dn-1 and dn until Dc is reached. It is possible to obtain the remaining number of samplings of. So this rest sample When the number of ringing times is 10, for example, the arrival time Tc is

[0057]   Tc = (n + 10) (twice) × 2 (msec) Can be calculated as

[0058]

[Effect of device]

  According to the printer of the present invention, the carriage reaches the print start position. Time will always use the most recent (ie last measured) value The load changes due to, for example, a decrease in the ink level of the cartridge, Even if the arrival time of the feed changes, it can flexibly respond to the change and end the feed operation. End and the print start timing by the print head always match with high accuracy. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a printing apparatus (printer) of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a printing and paper feeding mechanism section.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the principle of overlap processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for realizing the principle of the overlap processing shown in FIG. 3 with firmware.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of sampling processing to a position buffer area.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of sequence B1.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of sequence A.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of sequence C.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of sequence B2.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 carriage 4 paper feed rollers 5 Guide shaft 6 gear belt 8 Paper feed mechanism 10 Printer 11 ASIC 12 CPU 13 ROM 14 RAM 16 Feed motor 17 Feed motor drive 18 Carriage motor (DC motor) 19 Carriage motor drive 20 Speed detector 20a Encoder slit 20b encoder 20c position counter 21 Key input section 30 External device (PC) 40 communication cable

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A DC motor for performing a carriage operation by moving a carriage carrying the print head in the main scanning direction when the printing direction of the print head is the main scanning direction and the feeding direction of the recording paper is the sub scanning direction. A carriage motor, detection means for detecting rotation of the carriage motor to detect a moving position and moving speed of the carriage, and a feed motor which is a stepping motor for moving the recording sheet in the sub-scanning direction to perform a feeding operation. In a printing device including a motor and a control unit that individually controls the drive of the carriage motor and the feed motor, an arrival time Tc from when the carriage starts to move to when it reaches a print start position by the carriage operation.
The carriage operation time measuring means for measuring each time one swath is printed, and the arrival time Tc for each swath measured by the carriage operation time measuring means are updated at any time, and only the latest one swath is stored. And a feed time T from the start to the end of the feed operation.
The control means further includes a calculating means for calculating F by calculation, and a remaining time measuring means for setting the feed time TF calculated by this calculating means inside and measuring the remaining time TFrem until the end of the feed operation. When the printing of the arbitrary one swath is started and the printing of the next one swath is started, the feed motor is driven to start the feeding operation, and at the same time, the feed set internally by the remaining time measuring means is started. Time T
The countdown of F is started and the remaining time TFrem until the end of the feeding operation is started to be measured, and this remaining time TFrem is compared with the arrival time Tc measured at the time of the immediately preceding one swath print stored in the storage means. When Tc ≧ TFrem, the carriage motor is drive-controlled to start the carriage operation. 2. A DC motor for performing a carriage operation by moving a carriage carrying the print head in the main scanning direction when the printing direction of the print head is the main scanning direction and the feeding direction of the recording paper is the sub scanning direction. A carriage motor, detection means for detecting rotation of the carriage motor to detect the moving position and moving speed of the carriage, a feed motor for moving the recording paper in the sub-scanning direction to perform a feed operation, and In a printing apparatus including a control unit that individually controls the drive of a carriage motor and a feed motor, an arrival time Tc from when the carriage starts moving due to the carriage operation until when the carriage reaches a print start position.
The carriage operation time measuring means for measuring each time one swath is printed, and the arrival time Tc for each swath measured by the carriage operation time measuring means are updated at any time, and only the latest one swath is stored. And a remaining time measuring means for measuring a remaining time TFrem until the end of the feed operation based on a preset feed time TF from the start to the end of the feed operation. When the printing of one arbitrary swath is started and the printing of the next one swath is started, the feed motor is driven to start the feeding operation, and at the same time, the remaining time until the feeding operation is completed by the remaining time measuring means. The time TFrem is measured, and the remaining time TFrem and the arrival time measured at the time of immediately preceding one swath printing stored in the storage means are measured. And c compared from time to time, when it becomes Tc ≧ TFrem, printing apparatus characterized by drives and controls the carriage motor starts the carriage operation.