Typewriting machines – Control of print position along print-line by signal...
Patent
1992-02-11
1994-04-26
Wiecking, David A.
Typewriting machines
Control of print position along print-line by signal...
400121, B41J 230
Patent
active
053060849
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a printing control system and method of controlling the printing timing of a printer.
BACKGROUND OF THE ART
In the prior-art printing control method of printers, the printing timing has been decided on the basis of the regular time intervals determined by the carriage travel speed and the printing density (the number of dots per unit distance), with the result that this printing control method is effective only when the carriage travels at a constant speed. In other words, in the prior-art printer, the printing operation is not executed during acceleration or deceleration as immediately after the carriage starts traveling or immediately before the carriage is stopped.
According to the prior-art printing method, it has been necessary to prepare marginal sections over the entire length of the printer for accelerating or decelerating the carriage, and therefore the space efficiency is reduced by that amount. Further, the throughput is decreased because no printing operation is executed during the carriage acceleration and deceleration.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to enable a high precise printing without being subjected to the influence of carriage speed, by precisely determining the printing timing even when the carriage travels at non-constant speed as when being accelerated and decelerated.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a printing control system for deciding printing timings at printing positions when a carriage is traveling in accordance with a designated printing density, which comprises: timer means for generating time information indicative of current time; speed information forming means for forming speed information related to the latest travel speed of the carriage; time estimating means for estimating time at which the carriage arrives at each printing position on the basis of the speed information formed by said speed information forming means; and printing timing deciding means for deciding each printing timing at the time when the current time of said timer means matches the estimated time.
According to the present invention, it is possible to decide the printing timing even when the carriage is traveling in the acceleration and deceleration sections
Further, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the distance unit is determined so that the printing density is equal to the common multiple of the printing density and the positional pulse density, and the respective printing positions are grasped on the basis of the distance unit. Therefore, it is possible to allow the printing system to be applicable to a plurality of different printing densities.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an entire system configuration of an embodiment of the printing control system according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a more detailed block diagram showing the distance unit forming section shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a more detailed block diagram showing the base time forming section shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a more detailed block diagram showing the printing timing forming section shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a more detailed block diagram showing the conduction pulse forming section shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a timing chart for assistance in explaining the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an entire configuration of another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the base time forming section shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the printing timing forming section shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the base time buffer shown in FIG. 10;
FIG. 11 is a flowchart for assistance in explaining the base time calculation processing in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for assistance in explaining the printing time calculation processing in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7; and
FIG. 13 is an illustration for assistance in explaining an exam
REFERENCES:
patent: 4421431 (1983-12-01), Dorrfub
patent: 4459050 (1984-07-01), Goldberg et al.
patent: 4733981 (1988-03-01), Takeuchi
patent: 4844635 (1989-07-01), Malkemes
patent: 4877343 (1989-10-01), Hori
Kelley Steven S.
Seiko Epson Corporation
Wiecking David A.
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