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Description  |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a controlling device for controlling a Chinese
character printer which prints characters, particularly Chinese
characters, on print paper, and more particularly to a controlling device
which controls a Chinese character printer such that while the printer is
not performing printing, a character pattern may be written into a font
memory in order to allow an input process to be performed without a delay
from an output process to allow the printer to perform printing without
the necessity of waiting.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a printer which prints information processed by a processing
unit or the like as characters, numerals and marks on print paper is used
as one of peripheral equipments of various computers. Such a printer can
print various characters, but particularly a printer which has a function
to print Chinese characters, there is a problem a little different from a
printer for the exclusive use for alphabetic characters, numerals and
marks due to the large of the number of Chinese characters. FIG. 1 is a
block diagram showing a controlling device which is applied to a
conventional Chinese character printer. Referring to FIG. 1, reference
numeral 1 denotes a host computer, 2 a temporary storage buffer for
temporarily storing therein print data and character patterns received
from the host computer 1, 3 an unregistered character code table for
storing therein unregistered character codes within the temporary storage
buffer 2, 4 a character pattern registration check table for storing
therein information regarding whether or not a character pattern is
registered, 5 a page buffer for storing print data therein, 6 a font
memory for storing character patterns therein, 7 a printer, and 8 a
pattern converting unit for receiving a character pattern via an output
controlling unit 10 and for delivering the received character pattern to
the printer 7.
Reference numeral 9 denotes an input controlling unit. The input
controlling unit 9 reads contents of the temporary storage buffer 2, and,
if the contents are print data, then it studies a character code of the
print data with the character pattern registration check table 4 and if
the character code is not yet registered, the input controlling unit 9
sets the character code into the unregistered character code table 3 and
writes the print data into the page buffer 5. To the contrary, if the
contents of the temporary storage buffer 2 are a character pattern, then
the input controlling unit 9 rewrites contents of a cell of the character
pattern registration check table 4 corresponding to the character as
registered and then writes the character pattern into the font memory 6.
Reference numeral 10 denotes an output controlling unit which reads out
print data from the page buffer 5 and transfers the print data thus read
out to the pattern converting unit 8.
FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the unregistered character code table 3.
Referring to FIG. 2, reference symbols 3a to 3n individually denot n
unregistered character codes, and reference symbol 3x denotes an empty
cell of the unregistered character code table 3.
FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the character pattern registration check table
4, and in FIG. 3, reference symbols 4a to 4n indicate corresponding
relationships to character codes, and the contents "0" represent
"unregistered" and "1" represent "registered".
FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the page buffer 5. Referring to FIG. 4,
reference symbol 51 denotes a write address register, 52 a read-out
address register, "5w" a write address, "5r" a read-out address, 53 an
empty area, 54 an area in which print data are present, 54a a character
code.
FIG. 5 illustrates information stored in the temporary storage buffer 2,
and in FIG. 5, reference symbol 2a denotes an area in which print data are
stored, 2b an area in which a character pattern is stored, reference
symbols 2a.sub.1 to 2a.sub.n denote each a character code within the print
data area 2a, reference symbol 2b.sub.1 denotes a character code within
the character pattern area, and 2b.sub.2 a pattern of a character within
the character pattern.
FIG. 6 illustrates results of printing, and in FIG. 6, references symbol 7a
denotes a zone in which patterns are printed, and 7b a zone in which no
pattern is printed and only paper feeding is effected.
Now, operation of the controlling unit will be described. At first, input
operation will be described.
If a notice is received from the host computer 1, the input controlling
unit 9 delivers print data and character patterns received from the host
computer 1 to the temporary storage buffer 2 and then effects following
operations individually for the print data and the character patterns.
In case of the print data, character codes 2a.sub.1 to 2a.sub.n within the
temporary storage buffer 2 are read out one after another therefrom and
are then checked whether or not they are already registered with the
character pattern registration check table 4. In particular, if contents i
of a cell of the character pattern registration check table 4
corresponding to a character code 4n are "0", then it is determined that
the character pattern is not yet registered, and on the contrary if
contents i are "1", then it is determined that the character pattern is
already registered. Here, such a character which is not yet registered is
registered into the unregistered character code table 3.
Then, the input controlling unit 9 writes the contents of the temporary
storage buffer 2 into cells of of the page buffer 5 beginning with that
one of cells which is designated by the write address register 51 and then
updates contents of the write address register 51.
After completion of the processes described above, the input controlling
unit 9 delivers contents of the unregistered character code table 3 to the
host computer 1.
Normally, the host computer 1 delivers character patterns for the
characters corresponding to the contents within the unregistered character
code table 3 to the Chinese character printer controlling device.
Thus, in case a character pattern is received from the host computer 1, the
input controlling unit 9 at first fetches the character code 2b.sub.1 of
the character pattern from the temporary storage buffer 2 and rewrites
contents of a cell of the character pattern registration check table 4
corresponding to the character to "1".
Then, the input controlling unit 9 transfers the pattern 2b.sub.2 from the
temporary storage buffer 2 to the font memory 6.
Through the operations described above, the print data within the print
data area 2a are written into the page buffer 5 and the character pattern
within the character pattern area 2b is written into the font memory 6.
Now, outputting operation will be described mainly with respect to
operation of the output controlling unit 10. The output controlling unit
10 fetches a character code 54a from a cell of the page buffer 5
designated by the address register 52 and then fetches a corresponding
pattern from the font memory 6 and delivers it to the pattern converting
unit 8.
The pattern converting unit 8 re-arranges the pattern received from the
output controlling unit 10 and delivers it to the printer 7. Details of
the operation of the pattern converting unit 8 are omitted herein because
they have no direct relation to the scope and spirit of the present
invention.
The output controlling unit 10 repeats such a series of operations with the
read-out address register 52 for the page buffer 5 updated for each
repetition.
In this manner, printing is effected in accordance with the print data
stored in the page buffer 5.
However, since the conventional controlling device for a Chinese character
printer has such a construction as described above, during outputting
operation of the controlling device wherein outputting is being conducted
from the pattern converting unit to the printer, writing into the font
memory as an input process operation cannot be performed and hence input
process becomes delayed relative to output process. As a result, there is
a problem that output printing is delayed and hence the printing speed
becomes low, resulting in deterioration in printing capacity of the
printer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention resides in provision of a controlling
device for a Chinese character printer wherein the input process is not
delayed relative to the output process to allow a rise of the printing
speed and improvement in the printing capacity of the printer.
In order to attain the object, according to the present invention, a
controlling device for a Chinese character printer comprises a pattern
buffer for storing a character pattern therein, whereby a character
pattern is written into the pattern buffer during the input process
operation and then while a paper feeding operation is being performed
without being accompanied by printing during the output process operation,
the character pattern stored in the pattern buffer is written into a font
memory.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating general construction of a typical
one of conventional controlling devices for a Chinese character printer;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating details of an unregistered character
code table;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating details of a character pattern
registration check table;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a page buffer;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a temporary storage buffer in which
print data and a character pattern are stored;
FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration showing results of printing by a
printer;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a controlling
device for a Chinese character printer according to the present invention;
and
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating details of a pattern buffer of the
device of FIG. 7 in which data are stored.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Now, a preferred embodiment of a controlling device for a Chinese character
printer according to the present invention will be described in detail
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to FIG. 7 which is a block diagram illustrating construction of
an embodiment of the invention, reference numerals 1 to 10 denote like or
corresponding elements or components to those described hereinabove in
conjunction with the conventional controlling device with reference to
FIG. 1, and hence description thereof is omitted herein to avoid
redundancy. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 11 denotes a patter buffer for
storing a character pattern therein, which is newly added to the
controlling device in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 8 is a
view illustrating details of the pattern buffer 11, and in FIG. 8,
reference symbol 111 denotes a write address register, 112 a read-out
address register, "11w" a write address, "11r" a read-out address, 113 an
empty area, 114 a print data area, and reference symbols 114a.sub.1,
114a.sub.2, 114b.sub.1 and 114b.sub.2 each denot a section of the print
data area 114 of the pattern buffer 11 in which data regarding an
individual character pattern are stored.
Now, operation will be described. At first, inputting operation will be
described mainly with respect to operation of the input controlling unit
9.
In case input data received from a host computer 1 is a print data, the
controlling device operates in a similar manner to that of the
conventional device described hereinabove in conjunction with FIG. 5.
Meanwhile, in case input data received from the host computer 1 is a
character pattern, the input controlling unit 9 first fetches a character
code 2b.sub.1 of the character pattern from a temporary storage buffer 2
and rewrites contents of a cell of a character pattern registration check
table 4 corresponding to the character to "1".
Then, the input controlling unit 9 writes a character pattern 2b.sub.2 of
the character pattern within the temporary storage buffer 2 into cells of
the pattern buffer 11 beginning with a cell designated by the write
address register 111 and then updates contents of the write address
register 111.
With the operations described above, the print data stored in the print
data area 2a of the temporary storage butter 2 are written into the page
buffer 5, and the character pattern stored in the character pattern area
2b is written into the pattern buffer 11.
Now, output operation will be described mainly with respect to operation of
the output controlling unit 10. The output controlling unit 10 fetches a
character pattern from a cell of the pattern buffer 11 designated by the
read-out address register 112, then writes the character pattern into the
font memory 6, and updates contents of the read-out address register 112
until the updated contents of the read-out address register 112 are
determined by the output controlling unit to coincide with the contents of
the write address register 111.
Subsequently, the output controlling unit 10 delivers the contents of the
page buffer 5 to a pattern converting unit 8 in order to effect printing
in a similar manner to that of the conventional controlling device
described hereinabove.
Then, after initiation only of a paper feeding operation after completion
of the preceding printing operation, the output controlling unit 10
repeats to fetch a character pattern from the pattern buffer 11 and write
the character pattern into the font memory 6 until the contents of the
read-out address register 112 and the write address register 111 coincide
with each other. Normally, an interval of time while all the stored
character patterns are fetched from the pattern buffer 11 and written into
the font memory is shorter than an interval of time while only paper
feeding is being performed.
It is to be noted that while the embodiment described above relates to an
example in which a character pattern is stored into a pattern buffer,
similar effects can be attained otherwise if graph data or image data are
to be stored into a graph buffer or an image buffer.
As apparent from the foregoing description, according to the present
invention, a character pattern is written into a pattern buffer, and then
while paper is being fed without being accompanied by printing, the
character pattern is read out from the pattern buffer and written into a
font memory. Accordingly, a controlling device for a Chinese character
printer can be obtained wherein the input process is not at all delayed
relative to the output process and hence printing is not delayed.
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