printer

Abstract

To provide a new printer capable of shortening a data receiving time even if a plurality of screens are continuously printed without impairing print quality while a buffer capacity is limited.SOLUTION: When color image data CD sent for every color from a host computer are successively received and stored in a buffer 2 being a temporary storage part and the color image data CD stored in the buffer 2 are successively sent to a thermal head 11 to perform multicolor printing, control is performed to successively send the received and stored color image data CD to the thermal head 11 to start printing without waiting for the reception and storage of all the color image data CD for one screen. When the reception of next color image data CD (n + 1) is not completed at the time of the completion of the printing of previous color image data CD (n), printing is interrupted to stand by until the completion of the reception of the next color image data CD (n + 1) and a thermal head 11 is preheated during the printing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer that enables a reduction in the time required to receive data and hence the time required to start printing, without impairing print quality. [Background technology]

[0002] One type of printer that frequently prints color images is a photo booth machine that uses a dye-sublimation printer. This type of machine is designed to receive a print start command from a host PC, then receive YMC images, and start the printing operation (the mechanical operation for printing) once the command is received.

[0003] In particular, this type of purikura machine has a large image size due to its high resolution, and because continuous printing is not performed in commercial operations, the size of the DRAM memory, which is the memory that temporarily stores image data, is limited, and the image size that can be received at one time is usually limited to one screen's worth of Y / M / C image memory buffer. The memory size limit is determined based on cost considerations, as well as the physical area of ​​the mounting board and the impact on the size of the device itself.

[0004] With the one-buffer specification, the next screen's image cannot be received while printing, so the next screen's image must be received after each print is completed, resulting in image reception time between prints.

[0005] In particular, when a continuous print test is performed in which printing continues until all of the consumable paper or ribbon is used up, the image reception time accumulates significantly, and there is a strong demand for a reduction in this time.

[0006] The problem of reception time caused by receiving the next screen image after each print is completed is also introduced in the prior art of Patent Document 1 (paragraph 0002, etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 8-324011 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In this document, in order to shorten the image reception time, it is proposed, for example, as shown in paragraph 0004, to start printing when communication of only one type of color data has finished, rather than waiting until communication of all color data has finished (the printing order is Y, M, C). In other words, while the point of starting printing of Y color after all of the Y color data has been collected remains the same, the document introduces a method in which, while Y color is being printed, M color data is communicated, and when Y color printing has finished, it is determined that communication of M color data has finished, and if communication has not finished, a means is provided to temporarily suspend the print operation, and M color printing begins after all of the M color data has been collected.

[0009] In this case, the document states that printing will be interrupted if data reception is slower than printing, but that by temporarily pausing printing to wait for data after each color is printed, uneven printing will not occur, as would occur if printing were interrupted in the middle of one color. However, in reality, when printing is interrupted, the temperature of the thermal head drops, and even if printing is resumed, it does not immediately return to a print state that correctly reflects the gradation data, so the problem of uneven color development and density compared to the other colors before the printing was interrupted remains, and the issue of reduced print quality still remains.

[0010] The present invention was made in response to these problems, and aims to realize a new printer that can reduce the actual data reception time and therefore the printing time without compromising print quality, even when the capacity of the temporary storage unit (buffer) is limited. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following measures.

[0012] In other words, the printer according to the present invention is a printer that sequentially receives color image data sent from a host computer for each color and stores it in a temporary storage unit, and sequentially sends the color image data stored in the temporary storage unit to a thermal head to perform multi-color printing.The printer is configured so that, without waiting for the reception and storage of all color image data for one screen, color image data that has been received and stored is sent to the thermal head sequentially, and printing is started, and is characterized by having a function that, if the reception and storage of the next color image data has not been completed when the printing of the previous color image data has been completed, the printer will suspend printing and wait, and will preheat the thermal head during a specified standby state.

[0013] In this way, printing and data reception can proceed simultaneously without increasing the capacity of the temporary storage section, so the total time required for reception and printing can be shortened compared to when printing begins when reception of one screen's worth of data is complete and reception of the color image data for the next screen begins when printing is complete, and ultimately the printing time when multiple screens are printed continuously can be significantly reduced.

[0014] However, if printing is interrupted while waiting for data between colors, the head temperature drops and print quality deteriorates.In contrast, the present invention has a function that allows the thermal head to be preheated during this time, so print quality can be effectively maintained.

[0015] In this case, if the standby time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, it is preferable to wait until the standby time becomes equal to or shorter than the predetermined time before starting the preheating.

[0016] This allows for more energy-efficient operation than when preheating is performed during the entire standby period.

[0017] In particular, it is preferable to control the voltage for preheating the thermal head so that the thermal head reaches a predetermined temperature when printing is resumed.

[0018] In this way, for example, a predetermined temperature can be set for each color, so that printing can be carried out under appropriate conditions after restarting.

[0019] In addition, a printer having another configuration of the present invention sequentially receives color image data sent for each color from a host computer and stores it in a temporary storage unit, and sequentially sends the color image data stored in the temporary storage unit to a thermal head to perform multi-color printing.The printer is configured to wait until all of the color image data for one screen has been received and stored, and then control the sending of that color image data to the thermal head to start printing, and is characterized by controlling the receiving and writing of color image data for the next screen sequentially into the area where the color image data for the printed screen had been written, without waiting for the completion of printing of all of the color image data for one screen.

[0020] This makes it possible to receive the next frame's data while the previous frame is being printed, and increases the likelihood that most of the color image data for the next frame will have been received by the time the previous frame is printed, thereby shortening the time it takes to start printing the next frame without increasing the buffer. Moreover, this allows for more time to receive the color image data, avoiding waiting times when printing the next frame and making it less likely that printing will be interrupted mid-frame, making it possible to avoid a decline in print quality without preheating.

[0021] Furthermore, as a combination of the above, the printer of the present invention sequentially receives color image data sent for each color from a host computer and stores it in a temporary storage unit, and sequentially sends the color image data stored in the temporary storage unit to a thermal head to perform multi-color printing.The printer is configured so that, without waiting for the entire color image data for one screen to be received and stored, the color image data that has been received and stored is sent to the thermal head sequentially to start printing, and is characterized by the fact that the printer sequentially receives and writes color image data for the next screen into the area where the color image data for which printing has been completed was written, without waiting for the entire color image data for one screen to be printed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention as described above, it is possible to provide a new printer that can shorten the data reception time even when printing multiple images continuously without compromising print quality, even when the buffer capacity (capacity of the temporary storage unit) is limited. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of data control of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a mechanical configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure executed by a print control unit in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining timing control of color image data reception and printing operation in the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating conventional timing control, in comparison with FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 and showing a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the data control of color image data CD performed by a print control unit 1A that constitutes the printer of this embodiment, and Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the mechanical configuration of this printer 1. This printer 1 is a thermal dye sublimation printer, and its mechanical configuration is such that ribbon 13 and paper 14 are fed into a print unit 10 that is made up of a thermal head 11 and a platen roller 12 via ribbon reels 13a, 13b and paper reels 14a, 14b, and a voltage corresponding to the color image data CD is applied to heating resistor 11a of thermal head 11, generating heat, thereby printing the color material of ribbon 13 onto paper 14.

[0026] These components are controlled by a print control unit 1A and a transport control unit 1B.

[0027] In the following, when describing the relationship between color image data of the previous screen and color image data of the next screen, the previous screen will be written as n and the next screen as n+1 (or n=1, 2, . . . ) as necessary.

[0028] Under the control of the print control unit 1A, the color image data CD is received from the host computer HC and stored in the buffer 2, which is a temporary storage unit, and is then taken out of the buffer 2 and sent to the thermal head 11, where the next color image data CD(n+1) is written to the buffer 2. The buffer 2 is composed of a DRAM or the like.

[0029] The buffer 2 can store color image data CD including one screen's worth of YMC, and this one buffer's worth of color image data CD is sent to the thermal head 11 of the print unit 10 while repeatedly feeding and reversing the ribbon 13 and paper 14, thereby overlaying the colors in the order Y → M → C and completing the print. The color image data CD may include data for the OP layer (overcoat layer), and although a detailed explanation will be omitted here, the overcoat layer data can of course also be treated as one of the color image data.

[0030] Color image data CD for each of the YMC colors is sequentially received from the host computer HC into buffer 2. This printer 1 is for Purikura, and as mentioned above, Purikura machines on the market are generally not designed for continuous operation, so the capacity of buffer 2 is limited to the capacity of one frame of the image to be printed.

[0031] Since the one-buffer specification only stores one screen's worth of data, as shown in Figure 5, data reception typically begins (t0) after print preparation, printing begins (t2) after all of one screen's worth of color image data CD(1) (YMC) has been received (t1), and after printing is complete (t3), reception of the next screen's color image data CD(2) begins (t4), and once reception of that image data CD(2) is complete (t5), printing of the next screen's color image data CD(2) is started. However, doing this means that the entire reception time from t0 to t1 and t4 to t5 becomes standby time, which results in a long wait time for data reception when performing the continuous print test described above.

[0032] Specifically, when performing a continuous print test in which printing continues until the consumable ribbon 13 or paper 14 is completely used up, the image reception time accumulates significantly. For example, in the case of a paper roll with a capacity of 600 sheets, if the image resin waiting time is 4 seconds, then 4 seconds x 600 sheets = 40 minutes of waiting time will occur, and it is desirable to reduce this time.

[0033] Therefore, in this embodiment, once a print start instruction has been received, control is performed to progress printing in parallel as shown in Fig. 4 during the period t0-t1 in Fig. 5, during which time it is waiting for the completion of reception of all color image data CD. In other words, even if some color image data is still being received, control is performed to start printing Y color, M color, ... in order from the color that has been received.

[0034] 1, when the print control unit 1A receives a print command from the host computer HC, the data size of the color image data CD corresponding to one screen is received first, so if there are n colors, the data volume of each color is calculated as 1 / n. For example, for Y, M, and C, the data volume of each color image data CD is calculated as 1 / 3.

[0035] The print control unit 1A monitors how much of the color image data CD for each of the Y, M, and C colors has been received based on the data size.

[0036] When the print control unit 1A determines that a certain color has been received, it issues a command to start printing that color image data CD. In the right diagram of the aforementioned Figure 4, the shaded portion has already been received, and reception of the Y color image data CD has been completed, and reception of the M color image data CD has begun. Therefore, when reception of the Y color image data CD is completed (ta), printing of the Y color in the left diagram begins. This process is similarly performed for M color and C color.

[0037] In this way, data reception and printing can proceed in parallel, so compared to Figure 5, printing proceeds while the color image data CD is being received, and printing is almost complete by the time reception is complete (t1) in Figure 4, thereby shortening the total time for reception and printing.

[0038] The print control unit 1A has the function of applying a predetermined voltage to the printer body before printing to perform preheating. In Fig. 1, the print control unit 1A converts the color image data CD appropriately and outputs it to the thermal head 11. During preheating, the transport mechanism and print mechanism shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are basically not operated, and a preheat mode is provided in which the thermal head 11 is heated to a predetermined temperature.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the programs executed by the print control unit 1A and the transport control unit 1B, and this flowchart reflects the timing control for simultaneously performing the above-mentioned data reception and printing operation.

[0040] The print control unit 1A first executes step S0 relating to print preparation.

[0041] In this print preparation step S0, when the print control unit 1A receives a print preparation start instruction from the host computer HC (step S01), it starts print preparation operations, including necessary transport, for the thermal head 11, platen roller 12, ribbon reels 13a, 13b, paper reels 14a, 14b, etc. that make up the print unit 10 (step S02).

[0042] In this embodiment, upon receiving the print preparation start instruction (step S01), the print control unit 1A starts receiving color image data CD (YMC image data) from the host computer HC (step S03) in parallel with executing step S02. As a result, the print control unit 1A sequentially stores the color image data CD received from the host computer HC in the storage area of ​​the buffer 2 shown in FIG.

[0043] After the print preparation step S0, the print control unit 1A executes the Y color print step S10. First, before starting the Y color print, the thermal head 11 is put into standby mode before the start of printing so that it can start printing immediately when data is input (step S11). The head temperature at this time is defined as Y.

[0044] Since the reception of color image data has already started in step S03, the print control unit 1A determines whether reception of the Y color image data CD has been completed (step S12). This determination is based on the remaining amount of data received, as described above. If the answer is YES in step S12, the print control unit 1A executes printing of the Y color as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 4 (step S14).

[0045] On the other hand, if the answer to step S12 is No, the print control unit 1A preheats the thermal head 11 to maintain the head temperature Y (step S13) until the answer to step S12 is Yes. This is to prevent the temperature of the thermal head 11 from dropping and the print quality from deteriorating.

[0046] After printing Y, the print control unit 1A proceeds to step S20 for printing M. First, in preparation for printing the next M-color image data CD, the print control unit 1A executes print preparation operations, including necessary transport, for the thermal head 11, platen roller 12, ribbon reels 13a, 13b, paper reels 14a, 14b, etc. that make up the print unit 10, and then sets the thermal head 11 to a standby state where it can start printing immediately when data is input (step S21). The head temperature at this time is M.

[0047] Since the reception of the color image data CD has already started in step S03 and has been performed in advance as shown in FIG. 4, the print control unit 1A determines whether the reception of the M color image data has been completed (step S22).

[0048] If the answer is YES in step S22, the print control unit 1A executes printing in M ​​color as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 4 (step S24).

[0049] On the other hand, if the answer to step S22 is No, the print control unit 1A preheats the thermal head 11 to maintain the head temperature M until the answer to step S22 is Yes (step S23b).

[0050] This is to maintain the proper temperature of the thermal head 11, as external factors beyond the control of the printer, such as problems caused by the load on the CPU of the host computer HC (insufficient specifications, etc.), may delay the timing of data reception or temporarily prevent data from being received.

[0051] However, if the print control unit 1A determines in the previous stage that the time until the completion of receiving the remaining data will be longer than predicted (step S23a), it monitors the remaining time from the data transfer state and controls the preheat voltage so that the head temperature M is kept at an optimum value when printing starts, including transitioning to energy saving mode (step S23c).

[0052] Here, as shown in FIG. 4, a print wait time occurs in the print unit 10, but if this wait time is completed within the time it takes to receive the color image data CD, no print delay will occur. Even if a slight print delay does occur, this is not a problem, considering the effect of receiving and printing simultaneously.

[0053] The reason why the energy saving mode is not set in step S13 mentioned above is that the color image data CD has already been received since the print start instruction was received in step S0 before the printing of Y color begins (or when printing of the first screen begins in the case of continuous printing), so there is no significant delay in receiving data.

[0054] Step S30 for the C color print (and step S40 for the OP print) is carried out in the same manner as step S20 for the M color print.

[0055] Then, in step S50 where printing is completed, the print control section 1A receives a print command (print completion command) (step S52) at the timing when all print operations are completed (step S51).

[0056] As described above, the printer of this embodiment sequentially receives color image data CD sent for each color from the host computer HC, stores it in buffer 2, which is a temporary storage unit, and then sequentially sends the color image data CD stored in buffer 2 to thermal head 11 to perform multi-color printing.

[0057] The print control unit 1A, which controls printing, is configured to control the printing by sequentially sending the received and stored color image data CD to the thermal head 11 without waiting for the reception and storage of all the color image data CD for one screen, and to start printing.In addition, if the reception and storage of the next color image data CD (M color data) is not complete when the printing of the previous color image data (for example, Y color data) is complete, the printing is suspended and the unit waits until the reception of M color is complete, and the thermal head 11 is preheated during that time.

[0058] In this way, printing and data reception can proceed simultaneously without increasing the capacity of buffer 2. Therefore, compared to the case of Figure 5, in which printing begins when all color image data CD has been received and reception of the color image data (n+1) for the next screen begins after printing is complete, the total time required for receiving the color image data CD and printing can be shortened, and ultimately the printing time when multiple screens are printed consecutively can be significantly reduced.

[0059] Furthermore, when a standby state occurs between colors (e.g., Y and M) waiting for data reception, the thermal head 11 can be preheated during that time, so that the head temperature (e.g., Y) can be maintained appropriately when printing resumes, allowing printing that correctly reflects the gradation data, thereby effectively maintaining print quality.

[0060] Furthermore, such timing control of data reception and printing can be achieved by simply changing the software, so that the adoption of the present invention has little impact on costs and is highly applicable.

[0061] Furthermore, in steps S23a and S23b, the remaining time until reception is complete is monitored, and if it is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, preheating is started after the remaining time falls below the predetermined time, thereby enabling energy-saving operation compared to when the entire standby time is used for preheating.

[0062] Furthermore, in step S23b, voltage control for preheating the thermal head 11 is performed so that the thermal head 11 reaches a predetermined temperature when printing is resumed. Therefore, by setting a predetermined temperature for each color, for example, it becomes possible to resume printing in an appropriate state.

[0063] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0064] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, after all color image data for one screen has been received and stored (t1), the image data may be sent to the thermal head 11 and printing may begin (t2).

[0065] However, in this case, it is effective to perform control so that the color image data CD(n+1) of the next screen is sequentially received and written into the area where the color image data CD(n) that has been printed has been written, without waiting for the printing of all of the color image data CD for one screen to be completed.

[0066] This makes it possible to receive color image data CD(n+1) for the next frame while printing color image data CD(n) for the previous frame, and most of the color image data CD(n+) for the next frame can be received by the time printing of color image data CD(n) for the previous frame is completed, so it is possible to advance the start of printing operation for color image data CD(n+1) for the next frame without increasing buffer 2. Moreover, this type of control allows for more time to receive color image data, avoiding waiting times when printing of the next frame begins and making it less likely that printing will be interrupted mid-frame, making it possible to avoid a decline in print quality without preheating.

[0067] Of course, in this case, too, it is possible to use a control in which the color image data CD for one screen is sent to the thermal head 11 one by one after it has been received and stored, without waiting for the completion of reception and storage (t1), as shown in Figure 4, and printing is performed in parallel with reception.

[0068] Furthermore, comparing step S10 and step S20 in FIG. 3, step S12 corresponds to step S22, and step S13 corresponds to step S23b, but it is also preferable to similarly provide energy saving mode steps shown in steps S23a and S23b between step S12 and step S13.

[0069] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 2...Temporary storage unit (buffer) 11...Thermal head CD: Color image data HC...host computer

Claims

1. A printer that sequentially receives color image data for each color sent from a host computer, stores the data in a temporary storage unit, and sequentially sends the color image data stored in the temporary storage unit to a thermal head to perform multi-color printing, The color image data for one screen is sequentially sent to the thermal head after it has been received and stored, without waiting for the entire image data to be received and stored, and printing is started. The printer is characterized by having a function of interrupting printing and waiting if the reception and storage of the next color image data is not completed when the printing of the previous color image data is completed, and preheating the thermal head during a predetermined waiting state.

2. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein, if the waiting time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the printer waits until the waiting time becomes equal to or shorter than the predetermined time before starting the preheating.

3. 3. The printer according to claim 2, wherein a voltage for preheating the thermal head is controlled so that the thermal head reaches a predetermined temperature when printing is resumed.

4. A printer that sequentially receives color image data for each color sent from a host computer, stores the data in a temporary storage unit, and sequentially sends the color image data stored in the temporary storage unit to a thermal head to perform multi-color printing, After receiving and storing all of the color image data for one screen, the color image data is sent to the thermal head and printing is started. This printer is characterized by controlling the printer to receive and write color image data of the next screen in order to an area where color image data for which printing has been completed has been written, without waiting for the completion of printing of all color image data for one screen.

5. A printer that sequentially receives color image data for each color sent from a host computer, stores the data in a temporary storage unit, and sequentially sends the color image data stored in the temporary storage unit to a thermal head to perform multi-color printing, The color image data for one screen is sequentially sent to the thermal head after it has been received and stored, without waiting for the entire image data to be received and stored, and printing is started. This printer is characterized by controlling the printer to receive and write color image data of the next screen in order to an area where color image data for which printing has been completed has been written, without waiting for the completion of printing of all color image data for one screen.

Images