JPS63175918A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To immediately decide whether the cause of a BUSY state is released by waiting for a prescribed time, or its release operation must be executed, by providing an output terminal for transmitting the OR signal of a PAUSE signal and the FAULT signal of a parallel interface to a serial interface. CONSTITUTION:For instance, when a printer 1 is connected to a host computer 2 through an interface 18, when an error state is generated, or a PAUSE state is generated in the printer 1, the reception of a data is stopped, and also, a BUSY signal is outputted, and also, in a centronics interface 17, a FAULT signal and a PAUSE signal are generated, therefore, an RSFLT signal is also outputted from the output terminal 189 of the interface 18. The host computer 2 receives the RSFLT signal, as well, together with the BUSY signal, therefore, it can be decided that the cause of transmission impossibility of a data is in the printer 1 side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to a printer having both a parallel interface such as a Centronics interface and a serial interface such as an R8232C interface.

[Prior Art] For example, some printers that are connected to a host computer, receive print data from the host computer, and perform data printing are equipped with both a parallel interface and a serial interface. This increases the versatility of the printer by making it possible to select whether to use a parallel interface or a serial interface depending on which device is used as the host computer.

By the way, the parallel interface is a device (printer)
It is equipped with an output terminal that sends a BUSY signal when data cannot be received, and also sends a PAUSE signal when the cause is the paper end, head up, ribbon end, etc. of the device. Sometimes an output terminal is provided for transmitting the FAtJLT signal. However, the serial interface only has an output terminal for transmitting the BtJSY signal when the device cannot receive data.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Therefore, when such a printer is connected to a host computer via a serial interface, when the host computer is unable to send data to the printer, only the BUSY signal is received from the printer. For example, it is not possible to distinguish whether the cause is due to the data buffer being full on the printer side, or whether it is due to paper end, head up, ribbon end, or an error.
For this reason, the host computer uses the BUS after a certain amount of time has passed.
It was not possible to distinguish whether the Y state was canceled or whether the BUSY state was canceled unless some kind of release operation was performed on the device side.

For this reason, when a BUSY state occurs due to a paper end, for example, the operator waits for the necessary time to release the BUSY state when the data buffer is full on the host computer side, and then determines that the cause of the BUSY is on the equipment side. had to do the work.

This invention was made in view of the above points, and even when connected to a host computer using a serial interface, the host computer does not know whether the cause of the BLJSY state will be released after a certain period of time or whether there is any problem on the device side. The present invention aims to provide a printer that can immediately determine whether a release operation is necessary.

[Means for solving the problem] This invention transmits a BUSY signal to the host computer when the device becomes unable to receive data, and also detects when this condition occurs at the paper end, head up, ribbon end, etc. of the device. When this happens, it sends a PAUSE signal, and when it occurs due to a device error, it sends a FALJ signal.
It has a parallel interface that has an output terminal that transmits the LT signal, and a serial interface that has only an output terminal that transmits the BUSY signal when the device cannot receive data to the host computer. In a printer that is connected to a host computer, receives print data from the host computer, and prints the data, the parallel interface P is connected to the serial interface.
It is provided with an output terminal for transmitting a logical sum signal of the AUSE signal and the FAULT signal.

[Operation] In the present invention having such a configuration, when connected to a host computer using a serial interface, when the host computer receives only the BUSY signal from the printer, the host computer releases the signal after a period of time such as when the data buffer is full. It determines that it is in the BUSY state and waits. Also, along with the BUSY signal from the printer, PAtJ
When the OR signal of the SE signal and the FAULT signal is received, it is determined that a paper end, ribbon end, or error has occurred in the printer, and that a release operation must be performed on the printer side.

[Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a printer, and 2 is a host computer connected to this printer 1. In FIG.

The printer 1 includes a CPLll, which constitutes a control unit main body;
A ROM 12 in which program data and character codes for printing are stored for this CPU'+i to control various parts, a RAM 13 in which various memories for data processing such as a memory for storing printer data are provided, and a printer controller 14 , this printer controller 1
A stepping motor 15 and a print head 16 controlled by 4, a Centronics interface 17 as a parallel interface, and an R8232C interface 18 as a serial interface are provided.

The stepping motor 15 drives, for example, a carrier on which a print head 16 is mounted, and the print head 16 is of a dot printing type.

The printer 1 is connected to the host computer 2, for example, by R8.
232C interface 18. Note that depending on the type of host computer, it may be connected via the Centronics interface 17.

As shown in FIG. 2, the R8232C interface 18 includes an I10 port 181 and a plurality of gate circuits 182.
．． 18i, 184.18s, multiple inverters 18
It consists of gate circuits 182 to 185 and inverter 1, which transmit and receive signals between host computer 2 and 110 boat 181.
86-188. Especially I
A BUSY signal is output from the DTR terminal of the 10 boat 181 to the output terminal 18s via the gate circuit 185, and an R8FLT signal as an OR signal input from the Centronics interface 17, which will be described later, is output to the gate circuit 1.
It is output to the output terminal 18g via 82.

As shown in FIG. 3, the Centronics interface 17 consists of an I10 board 17t, D-type flip-flops 172 and 173, a monostable circuit 174, a plurality of inverters, an output terminal 175, an OR gate circuit 176, etc., and is connected to the host computer 2 and I10. Transmission and reception of signals between the boats 171 is performed using each inverter, flip-flop 172 .
173, a monostable circuit 174, and an output terminal 175. In particular, the BLJSY signal, PAUSE signal, and FAL are sent to the output terminal 175 through the inverter.
In addition to outputting the ILT signal, an R8FLT signal obtained by calculating the logical sum of the PAUSE signal and the FAULT signal by an OR gate circuit 17G is output to the R8232C interface 18.

Note that in the R8232C interface 18 and the Centronics interface 17, the BUSY signal is generated when the data buffer becomes full on the printer 1 side or when the PA
This is output to the host computer 2 when it becomes impossible to receive data, such as when it is in a USE state, an error state, or the reception process cannot be completed in time because it is in operation. Furthermore, in the Centronics interface 17, the PAUSE signal is output to the host computer 2 when the printer 1 is in a PAUSE state such as a paper end state, head up state, ribbon end state, etc., and a FAULT signal is output to the host computer 2 when the printer 1 is in a PAUSE state such as a paper end state, a head up state, a ribbon end state, etc. This is what is output to the host computer 2 when .

In this embodiment with such a configuration, when the printer 1 is connected to the host computer 2 via the R8232C interface 18, if an error state or a PAUSE state occurs in the printer 1, the As shown in FIG. 4(a), data reception is stopped, and as shown in FIG. 4(b), a BUSY signal is output, and the Centronics interface 1
Since the FAtJLT signal and the PAtJSE signal are generated at 7, the R8FLT signal is also output from the output terminal 189 of the R8232C interface 18 as shown in FIG. 4(C). However, host computer 2 is BtJ
Since the R8FLT signal is also received along with the SY signal, it can be determined that the cause of the inability to transmit data is on the printer 1 side. Therefore, the operator can immediately inspect the printer 1 and perform operations to release the BLJSY state, such as setting vapor and ribbon, lowering the head, and checking for errors.

Furthermore, when the data buffer becomes full in the printer 1, data reception is stopped as shown in (a) of FIG. 5, and a BUSY signal is output as shown in (b) of the fifth cause. As shown in FIG. 5(C), the R8FLT signal is not output. However, host computer 2 uses BUS
Since only the Y signal will be received, it is determined that the reason for the inability to send data is that the data buffer is full.
It lasts until the printer 1 becomes ready to receive data.

In this way, R8232 which is a serial interface
host computer 2 via C interface 18
Even if the host computer 2 is connected to the BLJ
Is it necessary to perform work to release the SY state?
If you wait for a while, you can definitely determine whether it will be lifted or not.

Note that when the printer 1 is connected to the host computer via the Centronics interface 17, the PAUSE signal and FAULT signal are sent along with the BUSY signal.
Since the signal is output, the host computer can reliably determine the cause of the printer 1's inability to receive data at this time.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, even when connected to a host computer using a serial interface, the host computer can detect whether the cause of the 8USY state is cleared after a certain period of time, or whether the device side It is possible to provide a printer that can immediately determine whether some kind of release operation is required.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show an embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a block diagram, Fig. 2 is a specific circuit diagram of the R8232C interface, and Fig. 3 is a specific circuit diagram of the Centronics interface, and the fourth and fifth factors. The figure is a timing diagram showing the signal output timing when the printer enters the BtJSY state using the R8232C interface. 1...Printer, 2...Host computer, 11
...CPU, 17...Centronics interface, 18...R8232C interface, 17
6...OR gate circuit. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] When the device cannot receive data to the host computer, it sends a BUSY signal, and when this situation occurs at the paper end, head up, ribbon end, etc. of the device, it sends a PAUSE signal, and when it occurs due to an error in the device. It has a parallel interface that has an output terminal that sends a FAULT signal when the device is unable to receive data from the host computer, and a serial interface that only has an output terminal that sends a BUSY signal when the device becomes unable to receive data from the host computer. In a printer that connects one side to a host computer, receives print data from the host computer, and prints the data, the PAUS of the parallel interface is connected to the serial interface.
A printer characterized in that it is provided with an output terminal for transmitting a logical sum signal of an E signal and a FAULT signal.