JP2995064B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus used by connecting to a plurality of host machines.

[Conventional technology]

The image forming apparatus includes a device that functions independently, such as a copying machine, and a device that functions while being connected to a host machine, such as a printer. Generally, the latter, for example, a printer is provided with an operation panel on a front portion or an upper portion thereof, and a connector for connection to a host machine on a rear portion thereof.

As the typical connectors, an RS232C type for inputting and outputting data serially and a Centronics type for inputting and outputting data in parallel are known.

Generally, a printer is provided with one or both connectors, and is connected to a controller comprising a microcomputer (abbreviated as CPU) in the printer via an interface according to the specifications.

However, in the case of RS232C, for example, the size of the connector and the type of line connected to the pin or socket are unified according to the standard, but the communication conditions such as the data length and baud rate (communication speed) sent through the line are It depends on the performance of the device.

Therefore, after connecting the interface cable from the host machine to the connector selected according to the host machine, the interface communication conditions are set by, for example, a dip switch provided alongside the connector on the back of the printer. I was familiar.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, setting of communication conditions by such a dip switch is complicated, so that it is usually performed while checking the specifications.
The structure is such that it is difficult to operate so that the setting does not change unintentionally by someone touching it.

When the printer is used in a one-to-one combination with the host machine, the setting of the communication condition is complicated only once in the initial stage, so there is not much problem.

However, printers are often used in connection with a plurality of host machines because of high performance, and in order to further improve the use efficiency of the system, a combination of a plurality of printers and a plurality of host machines is occasionally used. There have been cases where they are used differently.

In such a case, the connectors and communication conditions of all devices that make up the system need to be unified, but in general they are not unified, so the communication conditions must be reset every time the combination with the host machine changes. I must have.

As described above, the setting of the communication conditions is complicated, and if the setting is wrong, it does not operate or causes a malfunction, thereby causing a problem that the use efficiency of the system is reduced.

Further, since the date switch is an aggregate of ultra-small toggle switches, it has a problem in that it is structurally weak and easily damaged by repeated operations.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points,
An object of the present invention is to facilitate setting of communication conditions for an interface when a host machine is changed, to prevent mistakes, and to improve the use efficiency of the system.

Further, it is another object of the present invention to be able to easily register or change communication conditions as needed.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides, in an image forming apparatus having an interface for inputting image data, an interface corresponding to a plurality of host machines for outputting image data which can be connected to the image forming apparatus. A condition storage unit for storing communication conditions, a menu designating unit for outputting a menu signal designated by an operator according to a host machine connected to the image forming apparatus; and a menu signal from the communication conditions stored in the condition storage unit. Condition setting means for selecting a corresponding communication condition and setting the selected interface as an interface.

Further, it is preferable to provide a condition registering unit for the operator to register or change the communication condition stored in the condition storage unit or the stored communication condition in accordance with the menu signal.

(Operation)

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is configured as described above, so that when the combination of the host machine and the image forming apparatus is changed, the operator simply specifies the menu corresponding to the connected host machine by the menu specifying means. Thus, it is possible to easily and reliably set the communication conditions for the interface without performing a complicated operation such as a date switch.

Further, by providing the condition registering means, the communication conditions can be easily registered or changed as needed.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a laser printer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

This laser printer includes a switching knob 12 and a plurality of push buttons on an operation panel 11 provided on the front of the printer body 10.
13 and a display unit 14 are arranged.

A paper tray on the right side for stacking paper
15 and an IC card insertion hole 16 and a cartridge insertion hole 17 for mounting an IC card and a cartridge, which are external storage media to be described later, respectively.

Further, a paper discharge tray 18 for discharging printed paper is provided on an upper surface portion of the printer body 10.

On the back (not shown), in addition to a power socket and a fuse socket into which a power cable is inserted, an RS23 which is connected to a host machine and receives image data, respectively.
A 2C connector and a Centronics connector, and a dip switch for setting various modes and communication conditions are provided.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the pin arrangement of the RS232C connector 20, FIG. 4 is a pin arrangement of the Centronics connector 21, and FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing an example of setting the dip switch 22.

RS232C connector 20 for data serial input / output
As shown in FIG. 3, a D-sub connector of 25 pins is provided. One pin is allocated for data transmission and data reception, two pins for signal ground, and five pins for command signal. Pins are NC (no connection).

The Centronics connector 21 for inputting / outputting data in parallel comprises a 14-pin amphenol connector as shown in FIG. 4, 8 pins for an 8-bit parallel data bus, 2 pins for signal ground, and 2 pins for command signals. 2 pins are assigned to each, and the other 2 pins are NC
It is.

The data transfer standard of RS232C, that is, the communication condition, consists of two types of data length: 8 bits or 7 bits, and the baud rate (communication speed, unit baud is bits / second) from 75 baud to 2 bits.
It consists of 8 types up to 9600 baud.

Therefore, the combinations are 16 types, and those with a low baud rate are not used recently. Therefore, in practice, the combination may be limited to 4 types of 1200 baud, 2400 baud, 4800 baud, and 9600 baud. There are eight types.

The dip switch 22 conventionally used for setting the communication conditions is composed of eight ultra-small toggle switches which are independent of each other and are serially numbered from the left, as shown in FIG. Is on if it is, and off if it is below.

In this embodiment, the leftmost switch numbered “1” (hereinafter “SW1”, and so on) is used for setting the data length. When ON, 8 bits are used, and when OFF, 7 bits are used. Show.

SW2 to SW5 are used for setting the baud rate, and when only one of them is on, 1200 baud, 2400 baud, 4800 baud, and 9600 baud are set, respectively.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, since SW1 and SW5 are on,
The figure shows a case of a data length of 8 bits and 9600 baud.

In this embodiment, as described later, the setting of the communication condition is mainly performed by the switching knob arranged on the operation panel 11.
This is carried out by means of 12 or push button 13
22 is used for registering or changing communication conditions, but can also be used for setting communication conditions as usual.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of this laser printer, which includes a controller 1, an engine drum 2, a printer engine 3, an interface circuit (I / F circuit) 4, an I / F (interface) setting unit 5, It comprises a RAM 6, a battery 7, a display unit 14, and a dip switch 22.

The controller 1 is a CPU that performs calculations and various determinations.
And a micro computer comprising a ROM for storing operation programs and constants thereof and a RAM for storing image data and the like, and also functions as condition setting means.

The controller 1 includes an interface circuit 4 and an RS23.
It is connected to a host machine (not shown) through the 2C connector 20 or the Centronics connector 21, inputs and outputs various commands (including characters), inputs image data, and follows a program stored in a built-in ROM. A bit map based on image data is formed on a built-in RAM, and the bit map data is output to the engine driver 2 as a video signal.

The engine driver 2 is also composed of a microcomputer or the like, is connected to the printer engine 3 and controls its sequence, and sends a video signal input from the controller 1 to the engine driver 3 for printing.

The interface circuit 4 includes a circuit for serial data and a circuit for parallel data, and sets image data from a host machine connected via the RS232C connector 20 and the Centronics connector 21 according to each host machine. The data is input according to the communication conditions thus set, and output to the controller 1.

The I / F setting unit 5, which is a menu designating unit, includes an operation panel 1
1 (FIG. 2) is provided with a switching switch such as a switching knob 12 or a push button 13, for example. FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged views showing respective parts.

The operator responds to the connected host machine,
When menus 0 to 4 are designated by turning the switching knob 12 or pressing the push button 13, the I / F setting unit 5 outputs a menu signal corresponding to the designated menu to the controller 1.

Communication conditions corresponding to menus 1 to N (N = 4 in the embodiment) specified by the I / F setting unit 5 are stored in a nonvolatile RAM 6 serving as condition storage means backed up by the battery 7.

An example of the communication conditions stored corresponding to the menu is shown in the table.

The controller 1 as a condition setting means inputs a menu signal from the I / F setting unit 5, and when menus 1 to N are designated, it corresponds to the menu signal from a plurality of communication conditions stored in the RAM 6. The communication condition to be performed is selected and read, and the read communication condition is set in the interface circuit 4.

When the menu 0 is designated, the communication conditions set in the DIP switch 22 are set in the interface circuit 4, but the menu 0 may be omitted.

When registering or changing the communication conditions corresponding to the menu, for example, the communication conditions are first set by the dip switch 22 as the condition registration means.

Next, the switching knob 12 or the push button 1 as the I / F setting unit 5
According to 3, after adjusting to the desired menu (1-N),
Turn on SW8 of the dip switch 22 once and turn it back off (you may leave it on).

As a result, the controller 1 detects the rise of SW8 and changes the communication condition set in the dip switch 22 to the I / O.
The data is stored at the address corresponding to the menu specified by the F setting unit 5, and the communication condition stored at that address disappears.

The non-volatile RAM 6 serving as the condition storage means may be provided on, for example, a control board (not shown) in the printer, but may be a removable external storage medium.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are perspective views showing an example of an IC card and a cartridge which are detachable external storage media.

The IC card 30 shown in FIG. 8 and the cartridge 31 shown in FIG. 9 both comprise a non-volatile RAM 6 backed up by a built-in battery 7, and the IC of the printer main body 10 shown in FIG. When inserted into the card insertion hole 16 or the cartridge insertion hole 17, the plugs 30a and 31a
The controller 1 via the bus line in the printer body 10
Connected to.

Switching knob 12 and push button 13 shown in FIGS.
The number of menus that can be specified by is four (except for menu 0).

In most practical cases, the number of menus is three or less, and if the number of menus that can be specified is increased, it is cumbersome and there is a risk of mistaken specification.

However, when the number of menus becomes insufficient due to an increase in the scale of the system and the number of host machines and printers, menu 0 is designated and the dip switch 22 is set.
If the setting is performed by using, the number is not limited, but the complication of the communication condition setting is returned to the conventional state.

In such a case, an IC storing different communication conditions or combinations thereof for menus 1 to N, respectively.
If a plurality of external storage media such as the card 30 and the cartridge 31 are prepared, by exchanging them, the number of menus is not limited, and the complicated setting and mistakes of the date switch 22 can be prevented.

The IC card 30 or the cartridge 31 storing such communication conditions can be used for other printers.

Further, one dedicated IC card 30 (or cartridge 31) is prepared for each of a plurality of machines without using the switching knob 12 or the push button 13, and the IC card 30 dedicated to the host machine connected to the printer. When the device is inserted into the IC card insertion hole 16 (or the cartridge insertion hole 17), the communication condition can be set immediately. When the device is removed, the communication condition set in the dip switch 22 can be set.

In such a case, the external storage medium also functions as the I / F setting unit. This eliminates the need for the operator to store or confirm the menu number corresponding to the host machine, so that the setting of the communication conditions is further simplified.

In addition, if a dedicated external storage medium is used, the communication condition to be stored may be one type and is not changed. Therefore, a programmable ROM including a matrix circuit which does not require a backup battery can be used. .

In the above embodiment, the switching knob 12, the push button 13, etc.
The case where the I / F setting unit 5 is provided on the operation panel 11 for easy operation has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As described above, the external storage medium such as the IC card 30 and the cartridge 31 is used. May also serve as the I / F setting unit 5.

If the host machine is a computer,
Communication conditions can be easily registered and changed from a computer instead of the date switch 22.

Furthermore, the menu number specified by the I / F setting unit 5 or the communication condition corresponding to the menu number is displayed by the controller 1 on the display unit 14 on the operation panel 11 (FIG. 2).
In this case, the operator can easily check and prevent a mistake from being specified.

Furthermore, when the host machine is a computer, the device name (or machine number) of the host machine is added to the communication conditions, and the device name is displayed when a menu is specified. In addition, it can check reliably.

As described above, according to the present invention, the communication conditions can be easily set in the interface circuit 4, so that when a plurality of host machines are connected to the printer as needed, the setting time is short. Thus, the setting error can be prevented and the use efficiency of the system can be improved.

If the user stores the contents of the menu (communication conditions) in order, and changes the least frequently used one each time, the system usage efficiency is maintained even if the number of menus is slightly short. I can do it.

 If the menu 0 is provided, the operation is further facilitated.

Since the condition storage means is composed of non-volatile RAM 6 (or programmable ROM), once the user registers the communication conditions, the contents of the menu are saved even if the power is turned off, and it is necessary to register again every time the power is turned on. There is no.

Also, the condition storage means is stored in the cartridge 31 from the IC card 30.
If you use an external storage medium like this, the registered contents can be set to another printer as it is. Once the menu is specified, the power is turned off or the connection with the host machine is changed to change the menu. Since the communication conditions are set to the interface 4 unless the condition is changed, the communication conditions can be easily set to the interfaces 4 of all the printers by using one external storage medium.

As described above, the case of the printer as the image forming apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the printer, and can be applied to a still image display apparatus having an image memory for at least one frame.
For example, in a showroom where a large number of display devices are arranged, it is also effective in a case where the arrangement of displaying images from a plurality of host machines is changed according to the situation.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily set communication conditions for an interface when changing a host machine to be connected, to prevent mistakes, and to improve the use efficiency of the system.

Further, communication conditions can be easily registered or changed as needed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the construction of a laser printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the laser printer, and FIGS. 3 and 4 show the pin arrangement of different connectors. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an example of the setting of the depth switch, FIGS. 6 and 7 are partially enlarged views showing an example of the I / F setting unit, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are also the same. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an example of an IC card and a cartridge as the external storage media. 1 ... Controller (condition setting means) 4 ... Interface circuit (I / F circuit) 5 ... I / F setting unit (menu setting means) 6 ... RAM (condition storage means) 11 ... Operation panel, 12 … Switching knob 13… Push button, 16… IC card insertion hole 17… Cartridge insertion hole 20… RS232C connector 21… Centronics connector 22… Dip switch (condition registration means)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G06F 3/12 B41J 5/30 B41J 29/38

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus having an interface for inputting image data, wherein a plurality of host machines which can be connected to the image forming apparatus and output the image data are provided with communication conditions of the interface corresponding thereto. Condition storing means for storing, menu specifying means for outputting a menu signal specified by an operator according to a host machine connected to the image forming apparatus, and menu setting based on the communication conditions stored in the condition storing means. An image forming apparatus provided with condition setting means for selecting a communication condition corresponding to a menu signal output from the means and setting the selected communication condition in the interface. 2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said menu designating means corresponds to a menu signal output by said menu designating means.
An image forming apparatus comprising: a condition registration unit for allowing an operator to register or change communication conditions stored in or stored in the condition storage unit.