JP2003191570A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer in which effect of power saving control can be enhanced. <P>SOLUTION: The filter section 15 of a network interface 11 discards packets consisting of the information of a filtering pattern or a specific protocol preset at a storing section 16. Only those packets as not discarded are stored in a receiving buffer 12 and transferred by a DMAC 13 to a memory section 40 where it is processed by a CPU 20. When no packet is received within a predetermined time, the CPU 20 performs power saving control. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus connected to a network, and more particularly to power saving control.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of computers, the number of cases in which a printing device such as a printer is shared via a network is increasing. In a printing device connected via such a network, when print data is not received for a preset time, power is supplied to a part of the printing device (for example, a power consuming portion such as a fixing unit). So-called power saving control is performed to stop.

In this power saving control, in order to determine whether or not a packet received via the network contains print data, the packet is once taken in and the computer (microprocessor, etc.) prints the print data in the packet. Will be determined. However, it is necessary to perform a process for analyzing the inside of the data to determine whether or not it is print data, a microprocessor with a relatively high performance is used for that purpose, an operation clock is high, and power consumption is relatively It is generally large.

Therefore, in order to make it possible to shift to power saving control by using a processor with relatively low performance, it is judged whether or not a packet requiring processing is received via the network, and the packet requiring processing is fixed. There is also a method in which power saving control is performed when the time is not received. For example, JP-A-8
The one described in Japanese Patent No. 324071 has a certain time or more,
The power saving control is performed when a packet requiring processing is not received.

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned conventional power saving control of the printing apparatus has the following problems. That is, in recent years, with the diversification of protocols and print services, it has become common for packets containing control data as well as print data to flow on the network. Some of these packets, such as broadcast packets and multicast packets, are addressed so that they can be received by network-connected devices, and conventional printing devices receive these packets. Is not performed, and the effect of power saving control is diminished.

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation. Even when connected to a network in which broadcast packets or multicast packets are flowing, power saving control is performed to obtain the effect of power saving control. An object is to provide a printing device that can be improved.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems of the conventional example is a printing apparatus which is connected to a network and prints according to an instruction received through the network. A method of selectively discarding packets arriving via the network that match a predetermined discard condition set in advance, and a case where the packet is not received for a predetermined time. And means for controlling to shift to the power saving mode. Here, it is also preferable that the predetermined condition is a condition determined in relation to a protocol. It is also preferable that the predetermined condition is held so that it can be set by the user.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus which is connected to a network and prints according to an instruction received via the network, the printing main body section executing a printing process, A control unit that controls the printing main body unit, and the control unit discards, without selectively receiving, a packet that meets a predetermined discarding condition set among preset packets that arrive via the network. And a means for controlling to shift to a power saving mode when a packet is not received for a predetermined time.

Further, the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems of the conventional example is a method for controlling power saving of a printing apparatus which is connected to a network and performs printing according to an instruction received via the network. Of packets arriving through the network, the packets that match the predetermined discard conditions set in advance are not selectively received, and the packets are received for a predetermined time. If not, a step of controlling to shift to the power saving mode is included.

Furthermore, the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems of the conventional example is a power-saving control program, which is connected to a network and performs printing in accordance with an instruction received through the network. If a packet is not received for the time specified in, the computer that outputs the packet to the printing device that is controlled to shift to the power saving mode is preset among the packets that arrive via the network. Execute a procedure to discard packets that do not meet the specified discard conditions without selectively receiving them.
It is characterized in that the printing device is controlled so as to be able to shift to the power saving mode even while a packet matching the discard condition arrives for the printing device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network information processing apparatus which is connected to a network and processes data received via the network, wherein a packet which arrives via the network is processed in advance. Means for selectively discarding a packet that matches the predetermined discard condition set in No. 1 and controlling to shift to the power saving mode when the packet is not received for a predetermined time. Means and are included.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is connected to a network 1 and has a network control unit 10 as means for selectively discarding packets, a CPU 20, a printing main body unit 30,
The memory unit 40 is included, and these units are connected via an internal bus B. The network control unit 10 also includes a network interface 11, a reception buffer 12, and a DMA controller (Direct MemoryA).
ccess Controller; hereinafter abbreviated as DMAC) 13. Furthermore, the network interface 1
1 includes a filter unit 15 and a storage unit 16.

The network control unit 10 receives the data arriving via the network 1, stores the data in the memory unit 40, and when the storage in the memory unit 40 is completed, the CPU
An interrupt signal is output to 20 to notify the completion of data reception. Specifically, the network interface 11 of the network control unit 10 is configured to include a microcomputer and a storage element (not shown) that stores a program executed by the microcomputer, and has address information preset as a local address. 2 and waits until a packet arrives via the network 1 as shown in FIG. 2 (S1). When the packet arrives, whether or not this is the packet to be received, that is, A packet to be received by each network device connected to the network 1, such as a packet addressed to its own address (unicast packet) or a broadcast packet (BC) or a multicast packet (MC) with reference to the header part (S2), the incoming packet is received If not the packet should (if No), continue the process returns to the process S1.

In step S2, if the incoming packet is a packet to be received (Yes), writing of the packet into the reception buffer 12 is started (S).
3). Then, the filter unit 15 checks whether or not the packet matches a discard condition preset in the storage unit 16 (S4). If the packet matches the discard condition (Ye).
If s), the receive buffer 12 is reset (S
5) The contents of the reception buffer 12 are erased, and the process returns to step S1 to continue the processing.

On the other hand, if the discard condition is not met in the process S4 (if No), the completion of writing of the packet to the reception buffer 12 is waited (S6), and if the writing is completed, the writing is completed. A signal notifying the completion (storage completion signal) is output to the reception buffer 12 (S7), and the process returns to the process S1 to continue the process.

Here, the processing by the filter unit 15 is C
A filtering switch register (storage unit 1 for all packets of a filtering pattern and a specific protocol as a discard condition preset by the PU 20)
Referring to 6), the data in the packet is analyzed, and if the packet includes data that matches the filtering pattern, or if the packet includes data of the specific protocol, it is determined that the discard condition is met. The reception buffer 12 is reset.

The reception buffer 12 holds the packet data input from the network interface 11, receives the storage completion signal, and outputs a data transfer request signal to the DMAC 13. DMAC
When the request signal 13 is input, the device 13 acquires the right to use the internal bus B and then starts reading the packet data stored in the reception buffer 12. And D
The MAC 13 stores the packet data read from the reception buffer 12 in the memory unit 40 connected to the internal bus B.
When the transfer is completed, the CPU 20 outputs a reception completion interrupt signal for notifying the CPU 20 that the reception is completed.

Upon receiving the reception completion interrupt signal, the CPU 20 analyzes the packet data stored in the memory section 40. Then, as a result of the analysis, if the data of the packet is data instructing printing, the right to use the internal bus B is acquired and then the data is transferred to the print main body unit 30. The printing body unit 30 performs printing processing according to the data sent from the CPU 20. Also, this CPU 20
Is a setting stored in the storage unit 16 of the network interface 11 if the data of the packet data stored in the memory unit 40 is data that changes the setting of the filtering pattern or the specific protocol as a result of analysis. To change. Further, the CPU 20 operates as a means for performing power saving control in the present invention, and is provided with a timer (not shown), and when the reception completion interrupt signal is not input for a preset time, the printing main body unit A known power saving control such as stopping the power supply to 30 is executed.

Next, the operation of the printing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. In addition, the printing apparatus of the present embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 3, a personal computer P as a plurality of network information processing devices is connected via a network.
It is assumed to be connected to C or the like. Further, the received packet has a 6-byte destination address D as shown in FIG.
A (Destination Address) and M of 6-byte transmission source
AC address SA (Source Address) and 2-byte data field length or protocol type information L / T
(Length or Type) and a variable length data field DATA of 46 to 1500 bytes.

The personal computer PC sends and receives various packet data even while the CPU 20 controls the power saving and the power supply to the printing main body 30 and the like is stopped. First, when the personal computer PC sends out a broadcast packet, the printing apparatus of the present embodiment operates as follows.

The network interface 11 of the network control unit 10 of the printing apparatus refers to the packet header portion of the broadcast packet coming through the network 1. Then, since it is a broadcast packet, the packet data is received in the reception buffer 1
Start storing in 2. On the other hand, if the discard condition stored in the storage unit 16 is set as a packet not received by the broadcast packet, the filter unit 15
Instructs the receive buffer 12 to reset.

Then, the reception buffer 12 resets and discards the data of the packet that was being stored. Further, the network interface 11 refuses to receive the packet thereafter and does not output the storage completion signal. Therefore, the reception buffer 12 does not output the request signal to the DMAC 13, does not transfer the packet data to the memory unit 40, nor outputs the reception completion interrupt signal from the DMAC 13 to the CPU 20.
Keeps the power saving control.

Further, even if the personal computer PC sends a packet to the address assigned to the network interface 11 of the printing apparatus, the protocol included in the packet is not received by the storage unit 16.
When the packet is set as the specific protocol, the filter unit 15 refers to the header of the packet, and when the data included in the packet is the data of the specific protocol according to the protocol type information (L / T), it is similarly received. The buffer 12 is reset, and as a result, the CPU 20
Will continue the power saving control.

On the other hand, when the personal computer PC sends print data to the printing apparatus according to this embodiment, the printing apparatus according to this embodiment operates as follows.

The network interface 11 of the network control unit 10 of the printing apparatus refers to the packet header portion of the broadcast packet coming through the network 1. Then, since it is addressed to itself, the packet data starts to be stored in the reception buffer 12.
On the other hand, the filter unit 15 checks the contents of the packet with reference to the condition stored in the storage unit 16, but since the data is print data and is not set as a condition that should not be received, The received packet is continuously stored in the reception buffer 12. At this time, a storage completion signal is output to the reception buffer 12 every time one packet has been stored.

The receiving buffer 12 which has received the storage completion signal outputs a request signal to the DMAC 13. The DMAC 13 transfers the packet to the memory unit 40 via the internal bus B, and upon completion of the transfer, outputs a reception completion interrupt signal to the CPU 20. The CPU 20, which has received the reception completion interrupt signal, checks the packet data stored in the memory unit 40, and because it is the print data, the power saving control is terminated and the power supply to the printing main unit 30 is restarted. The print data is output to the print main body unit 30 by performing an operation such as. Then, printing is performed by the printing main body unit 30.

As described above, when a large number of broadcast packets or multicast packets that are originally control packets that are not print data are received, the CPU 20
Has to operate to analyze a large amount of control packets transferred in the memory unit 40, the possibility that the CPU 20 will be in an idle state is low, and power saving control cannot be performed. In the embodiment, the filter unit 15 is provided in the network interface unit 11,
Since unnecessary control packets are not transferred to the memory unit 40, the effect of power saving control can be improved.

The network interface unit 1
The first filter unit 15 performs filtering by matching processing with a filtering pattern preset by the CPU 20, and filtering for all packets of a specific protocol preset by the CPU 20, for example.

Further, in the above description, the printing apparatus has been described as an example, but an information processing apparatus connected to another network such as a personal computer or a network device has a similar configuration, so that it can be saved. The effect of power control can be improved.

[0030]

According to the present invention, a printing apparatus which is connected to a network and prints according to an instruction received via the network is set in advance among packets arriving via the network. When a packet that matches a predetermined discard condition is not selectively received and is discarded, and no packet is received for a predetermined time,
Since the printing apparatus is controlled to shift to the power saving mode, the effect of power saving control can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a connection state of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the content of a received packet.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 network, 10 network control unit, 11
Network interface, 12 receive buffers, 1
3 DMA controller, 15 filter section, 16 storage section, 20 CPU, 30 printing main body section, 40 memory section.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus, which is connected to a network and prints according to an instruction received via the network, wherein a predetermined discarding condition set in advance among packets arriving via the network. And a means for discarding a packet matching with the above without selectively receiving it, and a means for controlling to shift to the power saving mode when the packet is not received for a predetermined time. And printing device. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition determined in relation to a protocol. 3. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is held so that it can be set by a user. 4. A printing apparatus, which is connected to a network and performs printing in response to an instruction received via the network, wherein a printing main body section that executes a printing process, and a control section that controls the printing main body section. And means for discarding, without selectively receiving, a packet that matches a preset predetermined discarding condition among the packets arriving via the network. And a unit that controls to shift to a power saving mode when a packet is not received for a certain period of time. 5. A method for power-saving control of a printing apparatus, which is connected to a network and performs printing according to an instruction received via the network, wherein the setting is made in advance among packets arriving via the network. And discarding a packet that does not selectively receive a packet that meets the specified predetermined discarding condition, and controlling to shift to a power saving mode when a packet is not received for a predetermined time. A power saving control method for a printing apparatus, comprising: 6. A control for connecting to a network, performing printing according to an instruction received through the network, and controlling to shift to a power saving mode when a packet is not received for a predetermined time. Causing a computer that outputs a packet to a printing device to execute a procedure of selectively discarding a packet arriving via a network that matches a predetermined discard condition set in advance, A power saving control program for a printing apparatus, wherein the printing apparatus is controlled so that the printing apparatus can shift to a power saving mode even while a packet that meets the discard condition arrives. 7. A network information processing apparatus, which is connected to a network and processes data received via the network, wherein a packet arriving via the network meets a predetermined discard condition set in advance. And a means for discarding the matching packet without selectively receiving the packet, and a means for controlling to shift to the power saving mode when the packet is not received for a predetermined time. Network information processing device.