Continuous media printer including memory for buffering pages
View Patent ↗A printer is provided with a buffer to receive print data. Print data is read from the buffer by a control system and information is printed by one or more printhead assemblies in accordance with print data read by the control system from the buffer.
1. An inkjet type printer including:
a conveyor that conveys continuous media along a path past at least one printhead assembly that extends substantially across the width of the media relative to the direction of travel along the path, the printhead assembly having a printable width comprised of at least two sections and incorporating at least two printhead modules each of which prints a different section;
a control system that controls the printhead assembly, the control system incorporating at least one physically and logically distinct control module associated with each printhead module; and
a buffer in which print data is stored, the buffer incorporating at least one logically distinct memory module associated with each printhead module,
wherein each control module of said control system reads print data from an associated memory module of said buffer and causes the associated printhead module of said at least one printhead assembly to print information derived from the read print data onto the continuous media.
2. The printer of claim 1 wherein the buffer stores print data corresponding to at least one page of information.
3. The printer of claim 1 wherein print data received by the printer via at least one input is stored in the buffer whilst simultaneously the control system reads print data stored in the buffer.
4. The printer of claim 1 wherein the conveyor conveys the media past the at least one printhead assembly at a substantially constant speed.
5. The printer of claim 1 wherein the buffer is sized to allow continuous printing.
6. The printer of claim 1 wherein each printhead assembly includes at least two printhead modules arranged end on the end across the width of the media.
7. The printer of claim 1 wherein said buffer includes at least two physically and logically distinct memory modules.
8. The printer of claim 1 wherein the control system includes at least two physically and logically distinct control modules.
9. The printer of claim 1 wherein each printhead module includes two elongate printhead chips assemblies, each of said printhead chip assemblies extending in parallel across the respective section.
10. The printer of claim 1 wherein each control module includes two printer engine control chips.
11. The printer of claim 1 including at least one data input and a serial data connection interconnecting said buffer with said at least one input.
12. The printer of claim 1 having a printable width of about 18,625 inches, wherein:
the or each printhead assembly is capable of printing 12 different materials onto a corresponding printable surface of the media; and
the buffer has a capacity of about 32 MB per printable surface.
13. The printer of claim 1 wherein the buffer is about 5772 bytes per colour per cm of printable width.
14. An inkjet type printer having a printable width comprised of at least two sections, comprising:
a conveyor that conveys media along a path past at least one printhead assembly that extends substantially across the width of the media relative to the direction of travel along the path and comprises at least two printhead modules each of which prints a different section of the printable width;
a control system that controls the printhead assembly and comprises at least one physically and logically distinct control module associated with each printhead module; and
a buffer in which print data is stored comprising at least one logically distinct memory module associated with each printhead module,
wherein each control module retrieves data from an associated memory module and causes the associated printhead module to print information derived from the data so retrieved.
15. The printer of claim 14 wherein each printhead module includes two elongate printhead chips assemblies, each of said printhead chip assemblies extending in parallel across the respective section of the printable width.
16. The printer of claim, 14 wherein each control module includes two printer engine control chips.