Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Dot matrix array
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-12
2004-09-28
Lamb, Twyler (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Dot matrix array
C358S001900, C358S001130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06798535
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer head and a printer apparatus, and more particularly, it relates to a printer head and a printer apparatus, in which data is transferred from a host computer at a high speed.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 6
is a block diagram showing an example of a system using a conventional printer apparatus.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, in the conventional system, printer information is transferred between a printer apparatus
220
and a host computer
10
by using a computer communication interface. The host computer
10
is provided with an interface circuit
11
for outputting the printer information to the printer apparatus
220
by using the computer communication interface, and the printer apparatus
220
is provided with an interface circuit
221
for receiving the printer information transferred from the host computer
10
, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit)
222
for controlling the entire apparatus on the basis of the information, a ROM
226
, and a RAM
226
, a motor
224
controlled by the MPU
222
and adapted to convey a recording medium (not shown), a parallel/serial converting portion
223
for converting the information (parallel data) processed by the MPU
222
into serial data and outputting such serial data, and a printer head
230
for effecting recording by discharging ink onto the recording medium on the basis of the data outputted from the parallel/serial converting portion
223
. Incidentally, the interface circuit
221
and the MPU
222
are interconnected through a bus
227
, the MPU
222
and the ROM
225
are interconnected through a cable
274
, the MPU
222
and the parallel/serial converting portion
223
are interconnected through a cable
271
, and the parallel/serial converting portion
223
and the printer head
230
are interconnected through a serial data line
272
.
Further, the printer head
230
also includes parallel/serial converting portion
240
constituted by a plurality of shift registers
241
-
1
to
241
-n and adapted to convert the serial data outputted from the parallel/serial converting portion
223
into parallel data and to output such parallel data, a recording element portion
260
constituted by a plurality of recording elements
261
-
1
to
261
-n and adapted to discharge the ink onto the recording medium on the basis of the parallel data outputted from the parallel/serial converting portion
240
, and a drive portion
250
constituted by a plurality of drivers
251
-
1
to
251
-n and adapted to drive heater boards
261
-
1
to
261
-n on the basis of the parallel data outputted from the parallel/serial converting portion
240
.
In the printer apparatus
220
having the above-mentioned arrangement, when the printer information is transferred from the host computer
10
by using the computer communication interface, such information is inputted through the interface
221
, and, in the MPU
222
, the inputted information is converted in a software manner, and the converted data is converted into the serial data in the parallel/serial converting portion
223
and then is inputted to the printer head
230
. In the printer head
230
, the serial data inputted to the parallel/serial converting portion
240
is converted into the parallel data and then is outputted, and the drivers
251
-
1
to
251
-n are driven on the basis of the outputted data, with the result that the recording elements
261
-
1
to
261
-n are heated, thereby discharging the ink onto the recording medium to effect the recording.
In this way, in the conventional printer apparatus, the transferring of the printer information is effected between the printer apparatus and the host computer by using the computer communication interface, and the printer information transferred to the printer apparatus is supplied to the printer head after it is converted into the processable form.
In the above-mentioned conventional printer apparatus, although the computer communication interface is used for transferring the printer information between the host computer and the printer apparatus, in the printer head, since the recording operation cannot be performed on the basis of the printer information using the computer communication interface, the printer information transferred from the host computer to the printer apparatus is supplied to the printer head after it is converted into the processable form in the printer apparatus.
In an arrangement shown in
FIG. 6
, the printer information transferred from the host computer to the printer apparatus is firstly converted in the software manner in the MPU
222
and then is converted into the serial data in the parallel/serial converting portion
223
.
Thus, load of the converting operation and the converting system becomes great. If the data is transferred from the host computer at a high speed, the data is stayed in the printer apparatus, thereby causing problems that the recording speed is reduced and that the cost is increased.
In a case where the data transferring between the host computer and the printer apparatus is effected at a low speed (print head having 64 nozzles is driven at 6.0 kHz), although the above problems do not arise, in case of the high speed transferring (print head having 304 nozzles is driven at 9.6 kHz), high serial data transferring of 2.9 MHz (304×9.6 kHz) is reached, with the result that noise generated in the high speed transferring will affects a bad influence upon the surroundings and/or the transferring wave form will be distorted to result in data error.
To avoid this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-76153 discloses a printer apparatus in which a printer head is provided with an interface for receiving print data transferred from a host computer, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM and a driver for driving a main body of the apparatus so that data processing in the printer body is effected in the printer head and performance of the printer is improved.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-31566 discloses a printer apparatus in which image data having format processable by a printer head is formed by a host computer so that data processing load in a body of the printer is reduced and performance of the printer is improved.
However, in the printer apparatus disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-76153 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-31566, since supposing that the data transferring between the host computer and the printer apparatus is effected at the low speed, high speed transferring, particularly, high speed transferring more than 3 Mbps is not perceived.
Further, in the technique disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-31566, only the data transferred to the printer apparatus by the host computer is disclosed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made in consideration of recent high speed data transferring which was not perceived in the above-mentioned conventional techniques, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer head and a printer apparatus, in which recording can be effected without reduction of a processing speed even when data is transferred from a host computer at a high speed.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a printer head having a plurality of print elements for effecting recording on a recording medium on the basis of printer information inputted from outside, comprising an interface circuit for converting input of the printer information corresponding to communication interface standard for high speed data transferring into data processable in the print head and for outputting the converted data, and in which the recording on the recording medium is effected by the print elements in accordance with the printer information outputted from the interface circuit.
The interface circuit means, that it is provided with a controller circuit for controlling a communication protocol to be used for the communicating with an external equipment throu
Imanaka Yoshiyuki
Ishinaga Hiroyuki
Matsumoto Nobuyuki
Mochizuki Muga
Saito Ichiro
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Lamb Twyler
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