JP3129289B2 - Drawing control system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a drawing control system, and more particularly, to a drawing control system applied to a color printer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional drawing control system is disclosed in
No. 7064. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a drawing control system described in this publication. The drawing control system includes a color printer 860, in which a processor 800 operated by program control of a host computer, a program storage unit 810, a data storage unit 820, an application program interface unit 830, Output interface means 840. The printer engine unit 850 includes the data output interface unit 84
Connected to 0.

The data storage means 820 has a frame buffer 821 for developing print commands. The frame buffer 821 has storage areas for four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The data storage unit 820 further has a storage area and a work area for other application programs, operating systems, other program codes, data, and the like.

In the conventional drawing control system having the above configuration,
When the reception of the print command for one page is completed, the print command corresponding to each of the bands divided into a plurality of parts so as to form a page is developed into bitmap data, and this bitmap data is stored in the frame buffer 821. Store. Further, the bitmap data in the frame buffer 821 is transferred to the printer 850 via the data output interface 840.

[0005]

In the above-described conventional drawing control system, even if the print command corresponding to the band to be developed does not include multicolor information for color printing, the frame buffer 821 always stores cyan, magenta, A storage area for four colors of yellow and black is secured. For this reason, as the resolution of the printer becomes higher, the frame buffer requires a larger storage capacity. As a result, a storage area and a work area for storing other application programs, operating systems, and other program codes in the storage unit are reduced, thereby causing a problem such as a reduction in processing speed or a reduction in processing stability. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drawing control system capable of avoiding problems such as a reduction in processing speed and an unstable processing even when the resolution of a printer is increased. And

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a drawing control system according to the present invention is a drawing control system for printing on a print medium in accordance with bitmap data stored in a frame buffer. A print control unit that determines a band to be drawn from a predetermined number of bands based on the print command; and determines whether or not the print command corresponding to the band determined by the print control unit includes multicolor information. When it is determined by the color information determining means and the color information determining means that the multi-color information is included, a storage area for a plurality of colors is allocated to the frame buffer, and when it is determined that the multi-color information is not included, A storage area securing unit for allocating a storage area for one black color to the frame buffer.

In the drawing control system of the present invention, when the reception of the print command for one page is completed and the print command is developed into bitmap data, the print command corresponding to the determined band contains multicolor information. Storage areas for multiple colors are allocated to the frame buffer only when Therefore, even when the resolution of the printer is increased, it is possible to suppress an increase in the storage capacity of the frame buffer and to secure areas for other application programs, operating systems, other program codes, data, work areas, and the like. A decrease in speed and a decrease in stability can be prevented.

Here, the image processing apparatus further includes a band information storage unit for storing information relating to the input band, wherein the color information determining means determines that the print command corresponding to the determined band includes multicolor information. Preferably, a color flag is set in the corresponding band information storage.
In this case, the determination result by the color information determining means can be accurately transmitted to the storage area securing means.

[0010] More preferably, a print command storage unit for storing the input print command is provided, and the print control means expands and separates the print command stored in the print command storage unit corresponding to the band to be expanded. Preferably, the data is stored as bitmap data in the frame buffer. As a result, the entire printing process proceeds smoothly.

It is preferable that the drawing control system is applied to a printer. Or alternatively,
It is also a preferable embodiment to apply the drawing control system to a facsimile machine. Alternatively, it is also a preferable embodiment to apply the drawing control system to a copying apparatus. In these cases, the drawing control system of the present invention can be fully utilized.

[0012]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a drawing control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This drawing control system includes, in a color printer device 160, a processor 100 operated by program control, a program storage unit 110, a data storage unit 120, an input / output unit 130, and a printer engine control unit 140. The processor 100 constitutes a print control unit, a color information determination unit, and a storage area securing unit.

The program storage means 110 stores program data used in the present drawing control system. The processor 100 executes a program stored in the program storage unit 110 and controls various units.

The data storage means 120 has a storage area for other application programs, an operating system, other program codes, data, and the like. The data storage unit 120 further includes a band information storage unit 121 having a storage area for the number of bands forming one page as a use area of the drawing control system, and a print command storage unit for storing a print command sent from a host computer. 1
22, a frame buffer 123 for storing color information developed into bitmap data, and a program work area (not shown).

The input / output means 130 receives a print command sent from a host computer. The printer engine control unit 140 transfers the bitmap data developed in the frame buffer 123 to the printer engine unit 150. The printer engine unit 150 uses cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks to print on printing paper according to the received bitmap data. Also,
The processor 100, the program storage unit 110, the input / output unit 130, the data storage unit 120, and the printer engine control unit 140 are each connected to the data bus 170 so that data can be exchanged between them.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the stored data. FIG. 2A shows the stored data in the band information storage unit.
(B) Each of the data stored in the frame buffer is shown.

The band information storage section 121 is a section for storing information relating to an input band. As shown in FIG. 2A, a band number 121A and a color flag 12 are stored.
1B and a print command pointer storage unit 121C. Further, the frame buffer 123 is provided in FIG.
As shown in (b), the processor 100 stores bitmap data in which the print command is expanded and color-separated. At the time of this storage, either the storage area 123A for four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black or the storage area 123B for one color of black is selected.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a printing sheet showing a printable range of the color printer in the embodiment.
The print range 200 of the print page is divided into a plurality of bands 201, 202 to 20n that are continuous in the vertical direction, and print commands located on each of the bands 201, 202 to 20n are sequentially developed into bitmap data. You.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the color printer according to this embodiment. Here, FIG.
The operation of the entire color printer according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First, in step A1, the print command sent from the host computer is received by the input / output means 130 and stored in the print command storage unit 122. Next, the processor 100 determines a band to be drawn from a predetermined number of bands based on the input print command. In other words, the processor 100 analyzes the print position of the print command on the page (step A2), determines on which band the print command is located from the analyzed position information, and determines the corresponding band information storage unit 121. Is stored in the pointer storage unit 121C for the print command (FIG. 2A).
The pointer information indicating the storage position of the print command in the print command storage unit 122 is stored (step A).
3).

Next, at step A4, the processor 1
00 determines whether or not the print command corresponding to the determined band includes multicolor information. That is, it is analyzed whether the print command is printed in color or only in black, and in step A11, it is determined whether the print command is color printing. At this time, in the case of color printing, the process proceeds to step A5, and a color flag 121B (FIG. 2A) in the corresponding band information storage unit 121 is set. On the other hand, if color printing is not to be performed, the process jumps to step A12.

In step A12, it is determined whether or not the end of the page has been reached.
The process returns to 1 and repeats the process. When the process has been reached, that is, when the reception of the print command for one page has been completed, the process proceeds to step A13. In step A13, the print command on the band constituting the page is developed into bitmap data and transferred to the printer engine unit 150 via the printer engine control unit 140.

Next, in step A14, if the color flag 121B (FIG. 2 (a)) is set in the band information storage unit 121 corresponding to the band to be developed, the processor 100 sets four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. An area 123A (FIG. 2B) that can store the color components is allocated to the frame buffer 123 (step A6). On the other hand, when the color flag 121B is not set, an area 123B (FIG. 2B) capable of storing one black color is allocated to the frame buffer 123 (step A7).

Next, the processor 100 expands and separates the print commands in the print command storage unit 122 corresponding to the band to be expanded, and
Is stored as bitmap data in the area 123A or 123B allocated to the data (step A8). Furthermore,
In step A9, when the expansion of all the print commands on the band is completed, the bitmap data in the frame buffer 123 is transferred to the printer engine unit 150 via the printer engine control unit 140. In step A15, this transfer processing is performed for all the bands and the printer engine unit 150 for the bitmap data.

Next, in step A16, it is determined whether or not the band developing process for one page has been completed. If the band developing process has not been completed, the process returns to step A14 and the process is repeated. On the other hand, when the band development process is completed, the process proceeds to step A10, where the printer engine unit 15
Perform printing of that page with 0.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a drawing control system of the color printer according to the present embodiment. The color printer 560 includes a processor 500 that operates under program control on a host computer, a program storage unit 510, a data storage unit 520, an application program interface unit 530, and a data output interface unit 540. Further, the printer engine unit 550 includes the data output interface unit 5.
40.

The program storage means 510 stores a program of the drawing control system in this embodiment, other application programs, an operating system, other data, and the like. Processor 500
Executes the program stored in the program storage unit 510 and controls various units.

The data storage means 520 has storage areas for other application programs, operating systems, other program codes, data, and the like. The data storage unit 520 further includes a band information storage unit 521 having a storage area corresponding to the number of bands constituting one page, a print command storage unit 522, a frame buffer 523, and a program work area as use areas of the drawing control system. Region (not shown). The processor 50
0, program storage means 510, data storage means 52
0, application program interface means 5
30 and the application program interface means 530 are connected to the data bus 570 so that data can be exchanged between them.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams schematically showing the configuration of the stored data, wherein FIG. 6A shows the stored data in the band information storage unit, and FIG. 6B shows the stored data in the frame buffer.

The band information storage section 521 is a section for storing information on an input band. As shown in FIG. 6A, a band number 521A and a color flag 52 are stored.
1B and a print command pointer storage unit 521C. Also, the frame buffer 523 is
As shown in (b), the processor 500 stores the bitmap data in which the print command is expanded and color-separated. At the time of this storage, either the storage area 523A for four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black or the storage area 523B for one color of black is selected.

The application program interface means 530 receives a print command sent from a higher-level application program. The data output interface unit 540 transfers the bitmap data expanded in the frame buffer 523 to the printer 550. The printer device 550 prints the received bitmap data on printing paper using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the color printer according to this embodiment. Here, FIG.
The operation of the entire color printer according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First, in step B 1, the print command sent from the host application program is received by the application program interface unit 530 and stored in the print command storage unit 522. Next, in step B2, the processor 500 analyzes the print position of the print command on the page. Further, the processor 5
00 determines which band the print command is on from the analyzed position information, and stores a pointer to the print command in the corresponding band information storage unit 521 in the pointer storage unit 521C.
(FIG. 6A) stores pointer information indicating the storage position of the print command in the print command storage unit 522 (step B3).

Next, at step B4, the processor 5
It is analyzed whether 00 is printed in color or black only by the print command. Further, the processor 500
It is determined whether or not color printing is performed (step B11). If color printing is performed, the process proceeds to step B5, and the color flag 521B of the corresponding band information storage unit 521 (FIG.
(a)). On the other hand, if color printing is not to be performed, the process jumps to step B12.

In step B12, it is determined whether or not the end of the page has been reached.
The process returns to 1 and repeats the process. When the process has been reached, that is, when the reception of the print command for one page has been completed, the process proceeds to step B13. In step B13, the print command on the band constituting one page is developed into bitmap data and transferred to the printer engine unit 550 via the data output interface unit 540.

Next, in step B14, if the color flag 521B (FIG. 6A) of the band information storage section 521 corresponding to the band to be developed is set, four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black can be stored. Area 523A
(FIG. 6B) is allocated to the frame buffer 523 (step B6). On the other hand, if the color flag 521B is not set, an area 523B (FIG. 6B) that can store one black color is allocated to the frame buffer 523 (step B7).

Next, the processor 500 expands and separates the print commands stored in the print command storage unit 522 corresponding to the band to be expanded, and
The data is stored as bitmap data in the area 523A or 523B in Step 23 (Step B8). Step B
In step 9, when the development of all the print commands on the band is completed, the bitmap data in the frame buffer 523 is transferred to the printer engine unit 550 via the data output interface unit 540. Step B
In step S15, the transfer process is performed for all the bands and the printer engine unit 550 for the bitmap data.

Next, in step B16, it is determined whether or not the band development processing for one page has been completed. If the band development processing has not been completed, the flow returns to step B14 to repeat the processing. On the other hand, when the band development processing is completed, the process proceeds to step B10, where the printer engine unit 55
0 prints the corresponding page.

In actual print data, print commands including multicolor information are rarely arranged over the entire page, and black character print commands occupy most of the print commands in many cases. Focusing on this point, in the first and second embodiments, only when there is a print command including multi-color information on the band to be expanded, four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are used as frame buffers. When there is no print command including multi-color information on the band, a storage area for one color of black is secured, and unnecessary area reservation in the frame buffer is eliminated.

In the first and second embodiments, when a print command constituting a page is developed into a bitmap, only when a print command including multicolor information exists on the determined band. Frame buffers 123, 52
3, a storage area for a plurality of colors is allocated. Thereby, the frame buffer 123 storing the bitmap data,
The storage capacity for 523 can be reduced. Therefore, even when the resolution of the printer is increased, the increase in the capacity of the frame buffer is suppressed, areas for other application programs, operating systems, other program codes, data, work areas, and the like are secured, and processing of the entire upper computer is performed. A decrease in speed and a decrease in stability can be prevented.

In the first and second embodiments, an example has been described in which the drawing control system of the present invention is applied to a color printer. However, the present invention may be applied to a color-compatible facsimile apparatus and a copying apparatus. it can.

Although the present invention has been described based on the preferred embodiment, the drawing control system of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, but rather the configuration of the above-described embodiment. A drawing control system in which various modifications and changes have been made is also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0043]

As described above, according to the drawing control system of the present invention, the increase in the storage capacity of the frame buffer is suppressed, and the processing speed is reduced and the processing becomes unstable even when the resolution of the printer is increased. It is possible to avoid problems such as becoming.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a drawing control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of stored data;
(A) shows the storage data in the band information storage unit, and (b) shows the storage data in the frame buffer.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a printing sheet showing a printable range of the color printer in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the color printer according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a drawing control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of stored data;
(A) shows data stored in the band information storage unit,
(B) shows data stored in the frame buffer.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the color printer according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a conventional drawing control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

100, 500: Processor 110, 510: Program storage unit 120, 520: Data storage unit 121, 521: Band information storage unit 122, 522: Print command storage unit 123, 523: Frame buffer 130: Input / output unit 140: Printer Engine control unit 150, 550: Printer engine unit 170, 570: Data bus 530: Application program interface unit 540: Data output interface unit 580: Application program

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 5/30 G06F 3/12 H04N 1/46

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A drawing control system for printing on a print medium in accordance with bitmap data stored in a frame buffer, wherein a band to be drawn is determined from a predetermined number of bands based on an input print command. A print control unit; a color information determination unit that determines whether or not the print command corresponding to the band determined by the print control unit includes multicolor information; and the multicolor information is included by the color information determination unit. Storage area allocating means for allocating a storage area for a plurality of colors to the frame buffer when the determination is made, and allocating a storage area for one color to the frame buffer when it is determined that multi-color information is not included. And a drawing control system. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a band information storage unit configured to store information on an input band, wherein the color information determining unit determines that the print command corresponding to the determined band includes multicolor information.
The drawing control system according to claim 1, wherein a color flag is set in the corresponding band information storage unit. 3. A print command storage unit for storing an input print command, wherein the print control unit expands and separates a print command stored in the print command storage unit corresponding to a band to be expanded, 2. The drawing control system according to claim 1, wherein the image data is stored as bitmap data in the frame buffer. 4. A printer comprising the drawing control system according to claim 1. Description: 5. A facsimile apparatus comprising the drawing control system according to claim 1. Description: 6. A copying apparatus comprising the drawing control system according to claim 1. Description: