JP2002073301A - Information processing system and method, printer device, and storage medium storing computer readable program - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] An IF unit for controlling communication with an external host device, an analyzing unit for analyzing a command received from the outside, a control unit for controlling a print engine, and printing for printing. In a printer device having an engine, a response timing of an analysis unit is appropriately controlled. An analysis unit includes an IF based on a command type.
The response timing to the means is switched and executed. In the first timing, when a command is received from the host device through the IF unit, an instruction is output to the control unit based on the command, and after receiving a response to the instruction from the control unit, the IF unit responds to the command. Output the response. At the second timing, when a command is received from the host device through the IF unit, a response to the command is output to the IF unit, and then an instruction is output to the control unit based on the command.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing technique for controlling task response timing, and more particularly to an information processing technique applicable to a task executed in a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printers have been developed which are connected to a host computer via a network and perform various operations in response to control commands transmitted from the host computer. In particular, recently, in order to reduce the cost of the printer device, a printer device has been proposed in which a panel or the like for inputting control commands is not provided in the printer device itself, and all control commands are received from a host computer. .

The main tasks (functional means) executed in such a printer device include an IF for controlling communication with a host computer and receiving a control command.
Task, analysis task to analyze received control commands,
Control tasks for controlling the print engine according to control commands can be given.

These tasks output requests to other tasks and obtain responses to the requests from the other tasks, similarly to the case where a plurality of tasks are executed cooperatively in a general information processing apparatus. By doing so, it is configured to execute processing while exchanging information between tasks.

For example, when the analysis task receives a predetermined request from the IF task, the analysis task outputs a request to the control task based on the request, and outputs a response to the request from the IF task to the IF task. Is done. Hereinafter, in order to distinguish a request output by the IF task from a request output by the analysis task, the latter will be referred to as an instruction.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In an analysis task,
As a timing for returning a response to a request from the IF task, a configuration in which an instruction is output to the control task, a response to the instruction is received from the control task, and then a response is output to the IF task is considered. Such a configuration can pass information included in a response from the control task to the IF task, and thus is suitable for the case where the IF task acquires the status of the control task.

However, in such a configuration, since the response from the control task and the response from the analysis task are executed in this order, the response timing of the analysis task always depends on the response timing of the control task. Therefore, even if there is no problem in the analysis task itself, if a problem occurs, such as a delay in processing in the control task, a problem arises in that the response timing of the analysis task is chained. Furthermore, I
Since the F task basically waits for a response from the analysis task and shifts to the next processing, the delay in the response timing of the analysis task has a great effect on the IF task.

For example, when the request from the IF task (instruction from the analysis task) is a reset request (reset instruction) to the control task, the analysis task outputs an INIT that is output when the control task ends the reset processing.
The signal will be obtained as a response signal from the control task. In this case, it takes a certain amount of time until the reset processing is completed, so that the response timing of the analysis task is expected to be greatly delayed.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for performing processing while exchanging information among a plurality of tasks.
An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing technique capable of appropriately returning a response to a predetermined request without depending on the processing progress of another task.

[0010] The present invention also provides a printer device,
The purpose is to appropriately control the response timing of an analysis task.

[0011]

According to an information processing method of the present invention, when a predetermined request is received from a first task, an instruction is output to a second task based on the request, and a response to the request is provided. Is output to the first task, and is an information processing method for executing at least one task (hereinafter, referred to as “task A”), wherein the task A is the second task After receiving a response to the instruction from the first task, and a pattern for outputting a response to the request to the first task, and without waiting for receiving a response to the instruction from the second task, to the first task A pattern for outputting a response to the request is switched and executed according to the request.

[0012] Preferably, the information processing method is an information processing method for controlling a printer, wherein the first task is an IF task for controlling communication with an external host computer, The second task is a control task for controlling a print engine, and the task A is an analysis task for analyzing a command received from outside. Preferably, the request is a request to reset the second task.

An information processing method according to the present invention comprises: an IF unit for controlling communication with an external host computer; an analyzing unit for analyzing a command received from the outside; a control unit for controlling a print engine; An information processing method used in a printer device having a print engine for performing, wherein a response timing of the analysis unit to the IF unit is switched based on a type of a command.

Preferably, a step of receiving a command from a host computer through the IF means, and the analyzing means outputs an instruction to the control means based on the command, and receives a response to the instruction from the control means. A first step of outputting a response to the command to the IF unit; and
After outputting a response to the command to the IF unit, a second step of outputting an instruction to the control unit based on the command and a first step or a second step based on the type of the command are selected. And a selecting step. It is preferable that the selecting step selects the second step when the type of the command is a reset command.

The information processing method of the present invention can be implemented by a computer, and a computer program for that is installed or loaded into the computer through various media such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, and a communication network. be able to.

The information processing system according to the present invention, when receiving a predetermined request from the first task, outputs an instruction to the second task based on the request, and outputs a response to the request to the first task. Configured to output to
An information processing system for executing at least one task (hereinafter, referred to as “task A”), wherein the task A receives a response to the instruction from the second task, and then executes the first task Without waiting for receiving a response to the instruction from the second task,
And a pattern for outputting a response to the request to the task in accordance with the request.

Preferably, the information processing system is a printer system, the first task is an IF task for controlling communication with an external host computer, and the second task is a printing task. The task A is a control task for controlling the engine, and the task A is an analysis task for analyzing a command received from the outside. Preferably, the request is a request to reset the second task.

The printer device of the present invention performs IF printing for controlling communication with an external host computer, analyzing means for analyzing a command received from the outside, control means for controlling a print engine, and printing. A printer device including a print engine, wherein the analysis unit switches and executes a response timing to the IF unit based on a type of a command.

Preferably, when receiving a command from a host computer through the IF means, the analysis means outputs an instruction to the control means based on the command, and receives a response to the instruction from the control means. A first function of outputting a response to the command to the IF unit; and, when a command is received from a host computer through the IF unit, outputting a response to the command to the IF unit. A second function of outputting an instruction to the control means based on the second function. It is preferable that the analysis unit executes the second function when receiving a reset command from a host computer through the IF unit.

In this specification, the term “means” does not simply mean a physical means, but also includes a case where the function of the means is realized by software. Further, the function of one unit may be realized by two or more physical units, or the function of two or more units may be realized by one physical unit.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a printer device 10 according to the present embodiment. The printer device 10 includes a power supply mechanism that includes a paper feeder 1 that supplies paper into the printer device, a print engine 15 that performs printing, and a paper discharge feeder 2 that discharges paper out of the printer. CPU 3, ROM 4,
And a RAM 5. The information processing system unit is connected to the host device 20 via the interface device 6 and controls each mechanism according to the print data transmitted from the host device 20 to actually perform a printing operation. Function.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the printer 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 10 includes an IF unit 11, an analysis unit 12, a control unit 1
3. The print engine 14 is provided. Each means
The application program stored in the ROM 4 is C
It is functionally realized by the execution of the PU3. CP
It is desirable that U3 executes a program for realizing each means on the real-time multitask OS.

The function means realized by executing the application program as described above can be grasped as a task (or a process). That is,
The IF unit, the analysis unit, and the control unit can be grasped as an IF task, an analysis task, and a control task executed in the information processing system unit, respectively.

The IF means 11 is transmitted from the host device 20 via the network 21 to, for example, IEEE1284. D
Print data and control commands are received in four formats.

The print data and the control command are described in a predetermined printer control language.
0 generated by the printer driver. As the control command, for example, a reset command for requesting the control unit 13 to restart (reboot) the OS, a timer command for notifying the control unit 13 (or the print engine 14) of a timer value (time information), the control unit 13 For example, a printer information acquisition command requesting predetermined information (status information or the like) managed by the printer may be considered. When receiving the control command, the IF unit 11 outputs this to the analysis unit 12.

The analyzing means 12 analyzes the received print data, generates raster image data for one band or one page, and stores the data in an image buffer (not shown). Then, a print instruction is output to the control unit 13.

When the control unit 14 receives a control command from the IF unit 11, the analysis unit 12 analyzes the control command and sends it to the control unit 14 or another unit (for example, an external input / output management unit) according to the analysis result. A predetermined instruction is output in response to the instruction. Further, a response signal to the reception of the control command is output to the IF unit 11. IF means 11
By receiving such a response signal, for example, processing such as releasing the memory area used by the IF means 11 for outputting the control command can be executed.

Here, the analyzing means 12 has a function of switching the output timing of the response signal based on the type of the control command. Such a function will be described later.

When receiving the print instruction, the control means 13 outputs a paper feed instruction to the print engine 14. The print engine 14 receives the feed instruction and controls the paper feed mechanism and the like to prepare a state necessary for starting printing. Then, it outputs a data transfer request to the control means 13. Control means 1
In response to the data transfer request, the print engine 1
The image data is transferred from the image buffer to the print engine 14 in accordance with the synchronization signal sent from the printer 4, and printing is executed while controlling the print engine 14.

When the control unit 13 receives an instruction other than the print instruction from the analysis unit 12, the control unit 13 restarts the OS, receives and stores the timer value, and acquires the status according to the instruction. And output it as a response signal.

The print engine 14 includes, for example, a print head, a paper feed mechanism (a carriage, a carriage drive motor, and the like), and performs printing on a print recording medium such as paper under the control of the control unit 13. Print engine 14
Various types of print engines corresponding to a page printer that prints in units of pages such as a laser printer, a serial printer that prints in units of one character such as an ink jet printer and a thermal transfer printer, and a line printer that prints in units of lines are used. be able to.

(Response Signal Output Timing Switching Function) The analysis means 12 has a function of switching the output timing of the response signal to the IF means 11 based on the type of the control command received from the IF means 11.
The following two types of patterns can be considered as the output timing.

The first pattern is a pattern in which after receiving a response to an instruction from the control means 13, a response to the request is output to the IF means 11. FIG. 3 shows the overall signal flow in the first pattern, and FIG.
4 shows a processing flow of the analysis means 12 in a pattern.

In step S100, the analyzing means 12
Receives the control command from the IF unit 11, analyzes the control command, and issues an instruction based on the analysis result to the control unit 1.
Output to 3.

In step S101, the control means 13
It is determined whether a response to the instruction has been received.
If no response has been received, the process returns to step S101; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, the analyzing means 12
Outputs a response signal to the IF means 11 indicating that the control command has been received.

The second pattern is that the IF unit 11 does not wait for a response to the instruction from the control unit 13.
Is a pattern for outputting a response to a request to
FIG. 5 shows the overall signal flow in the second pattern, and FIG. 6 shows the processing flow of the analysis means 12 in the second pattern. Note that the order of step S200 and step S201 may be switched and executed.

In step S200, the analyzing means 12
Receives the control command from the IF unit 11,
A response signal indicating that the control command has been received is output to the means 11.

In step S201, the received control command is analyzed, and an instruction based on the analysis result is output to the control means 13.

The analysis means 12 stores information on which control command is used and which output timing is used. Such information can be configured by, for example, a table in which control commands are associated with output timing patterns, or by an if-then rule such as if (control command) then (output timing pattern). The analysis means 12 selects an output timing pattern based on this information.

Here, as a specific correspondence relationship, a configuration in which a second pattern is associated with a reset command and a first pattern is associated with other control commands is considered.

The reset command is a control command for rebooting the OS. By reboot, in principle,
All the tasks (functional means) running on the OS are initialized. However, in the present embodiment, the IF unit 11 and the analysis unit 12 are initialized only in a part of the memory area used by each unit, and are configured to be executable during the reboot.

When a reset command is transmitted from the host device 20, the IF unit 11 receives the reset command, and
Output to 2. When receiving the reset command from the IF unit 11, the analysis unit 12 outputs a reset instruction to the control unit 13.

When a reset instruction is output to the control means 13, the control means 13 executes a reboot of the OS. When the response timing to the reset command is set to the first pattern, the analyzing unit 12 has to repeat the loop in step S101 and wait during the reboot, and only after the completion of the reboot, the IF unit 1
A response signal is output in response to "1". Rebooting the OS requires a certain amount of processing time to initialize the program counter, initialize the memory, and the like. Therefore, in the first pattern, the response timing is greatly delayed.

On the other hand, when the response timing to the reset command is the second pattern, a response signal can be output to the IF means 11 in step S200 without waiting for the completion of the reboot, so that the response is not delayed. Absent. When the reset process of the control unit 13 is started, a part of the memory area used by the analysis task is also initialized, so that the memory area for storing the request received from the IF unit 11 may be initialized. There is. Therefore, in order to reliably output the response signal, it is desirable to output a response signal to the IF unit 11 and then output a reset instruction to the control unit 13 as shown in FIG.

By receiving the response signal without delay, the IF means 11 can execute processing such as releasing the memory area used for outputting the reset command without delay, and as a result, the memory can be quickly restored. And can be used efficiently.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment includes a recording medium on which an information processing program is recorded. This recording medium may be a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or another recording medium, and includes a case where the recording medium is distributed via a network. In addition, it also includes the case where it is distributed as a printer card or a printer option board.

The information processing program is read from the recording medium into the information processing device, and controls the operation of the information processing device.
The information processing apparatus controls the
At least one task configured to output an instruction to a second task based on the request when receiving a predetermined request from the task, and to output a response to the request to the first task. Execute In response to the request, the task receives a response to the instruction from the second task, and then outputs a response to the request to the first task. A pattern for outputting a response to the request to the first task is switched and executed without waiting for receiving a response.

That is, the information processing apparatus controls the information processing system in FIG.
That is, the IF unit 11 and the analysis unit 1 in FIG.
2. The same processing as the processing by the control means 13 is executed.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be applied in various modifications.
For example, although not described in the above embodiment, priorities are set for each task, and when a task with a higher priority is requested during execution of a task with a lower priority, a priority of the task is set. It can be configured to interrupt the execution of a lower task and execute a higher priority task.

In the above embodiment, the CPU 3 of the information processing system is configured to realize each functional unit.
A configuration may be provided in which a device that executes each function unit exclusively is provided. For example, a configuration is conceivable in which a DMA (Direct Memory Access) device is provided and a part of the functions of the IF unit 11 is executed. In addition, for example, ASIC (ApplicationSpe
A configuration is also conceivable in which a part of the function of the control means 13 is executed by providing a cific IC).

[0052]

According to the configuration of the present invention, in the case of executing processing while exchanging information among a plurality of tasks, a predetermined request does not depend on the processing progress of another task. Can properly return a response.

According to the configuration of the present invention, in the printer device, the analysis task for analyzing the command received from the outside is provided with the function of switching the output timing of the response signal based on the type of the control command. Task response timing can be appropriately controlled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a printer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration diagram according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an overall signal flow at a response timing of a first pattern.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of an analysis unit at a response timing of a first pattern.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an overall signal flow at a response timing of a second pattern.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of an analysis unit at a response timing of a second pattern.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printer apparatus 11 IF means 12 Analysis means 13 Control means 14 Print engine 20 Host device

Claims (13)

[Claims] When a predetermined request is received from a first task, an instruction is output to a second task based on the request, and a response to the request is output to the first task. An information processing system that executes at least one task (hereinafter, referred to as “task A”), wherein the task A receives a response to the instruction from the second task, A pattern for outputting a response to the request to one task, and a pattern for outputting a response to the request to the first task without waiting to receive a response to the instruction from the second task. An information processing system, which is switched and executed according to a request. 2. The information processing system is a printer system, wherein the first task is an IF task for controlling communication with an external host computer, and wherein the second task is a printer engine. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the control task is a control task, and the task A is an analysis task that analyzes a command received from the outside. 3. 3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the request is a request for resetting the second task. 4. An IF unit for controlling communication with an external host computer, an analyzing unit for analyzing a command received from the outside, a control unit for controlling a print engine,
A printer device comprising a print engine for performing printing, wherein the analysis unit switches and executes a response timing to the IF unit based on a type of a command. 5. When receiving a command from a host computer through the IF unit, the analysis unit outputs an instruction to the control unit based on the command, and after receiving a response to the instruction from the control unit. A first function of outputting a response to the command to the IF unit, and, when a command is received from a host computer through the IF unit, outputting a response to the command to the IF unit, based on the command. 5. The printer according to claim 4, further comprising a second function of outputting an instruction to the control unit. 6. The printer device according to claim 4, wherein the analysis unit executes the second function when receiving a reset command from a host computer through the IF unit. 7. When a predetermined request is received from a first task, an instruction is output to a second task based on the request, and a response to the request is output to the first task. An information processing method for executing at least one task (hereinafter, referred to as “task A”), wherein the task A receives a response to the instruction from the second task, A pattern for outputting a response to the request to one task, and a pattern for outputting a response to the request to the first task without waiting to receive a response to the instruction from the second task. An information processing method characterized by switching and executing the method according to a request. 8. The information processing method for controlling a printer, wherein the first task is an IF task for controlling communication with an external host computer; 8. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the second task is a control task for controlling a print engine, and the task A is an analysis task for analyzing a command received from outside. 9. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the request is a request for resetting the second task. 10. An image processing apparatus comprising: IF means for controlling communication with an external host computer; analyzing means for analyzing a command received from the outside; control means for controlling a print engine; and a print engine for performing printing. An information processing method used in a printer device, the method comprising:
An information processing method characterized by switching a response timing to an IF unit. 11. A step of receiving a command from a host computer through the IF unit, and in the analyzing unit, after outputting an instruction to the control unit based on the command, receiving a response to the instruction from the control unit, A first step of outputting a response to the command to the IF unit, and a second step of outputting a response to the command to the IF unit and outputting an instruction to the control unit based on the command in the analysis unit. 11. The information processing method according to claim 10, further comprising: selecting a first step or a second step based on a type of the command. 12. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the selecting step selects the second step when the type of the command is a reset command. 13. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 7.