JP2002103751A - Printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] To increase the printing speed of a printer device connected by two or more host interfaces. SOLUTION: In a printer device connected by two or more host interfaces, a data receiving speed of a currently receiving interface is detected, and when the receiving speed is lower than a preset value, a preset value is set. An interface for which a transmission request is made is selected according to the priority order, and a data transmission request is made to the selected interface so that data from the selected interface can be received at the same time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer, and more particularly to a printer connected by two or more host interfaces.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A plurality of host computers and printers are connected to a single line, such as a network, in a host interface for connecting a host computer and a printer.

[0003]

As described above, since the host interface is connected like a network, the data transfer speed for printing depends on the frequency with which other host computers or printers use the network. There is a problem that it becomes slow. Further, if the data transfer becomes slow, it becomes impossible to create image data to be printed, so that there is a problem that the printing speed becomes slow.

[0004] On the other hand, a printer device during printing uses a plurality of host interfaces. in this case,
In the case of an engine error (an error in which printing cannot be executed, such as a jam or no paper), data cannot be received, and no data transfer is performed. For this reason, since a plurality of host interfaces remain in use even during an engine error, there is a problem that other printer apparatuses cannot use the host interface, which is wasteful.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a first object of the present invention to provide a printer connected by two or more host interfaces and capable of increasing the printing speed. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a printer capable of eliminating waste in the case of an engine error.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer device connected by two or more host interfaces, wherein a receiving speed detecting device detects a data receiving speed of a currently receiving interface. Means, and if the data reception speed detected by the reception speed detection means is lower than a preset value, an interface selection means for selecting an interface to request transmission according to a preset priority, and an interface selection means. The first object is achieved by providing a data transmission / reception unit capable of making a data transmission request to a selected interface and simultaneously receiving data from the selected interface. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a printer connected by two or more host interfaces, when the data reception speed of the interface currently receiving is detected and the reception speed is lower than a preset value. In addition, an interface for which a transmission request is made according to a preset priority order is selected, a data transmission request is made to the selected interface, and data from the selected interface can be received at the same time. In this way, by selecting an interface for which a transmission request is to be made according to a preset priority order, making a data transmission request to the selected interface, and simultaneously receiving data from the selected interface, it is possible to increase the data transfer amount. Printing speed is increased.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the printer device according to the first aspect, the receiving speed detecting means includes:
Detecting reception speeds of all interfaces during reception, the interface selecting means repeats selection of an interface for which a transmission request is made according to a preset priority when the reception speed is lower than a preset value. It is characterized by. In other words, according to the invention of claim 2, the reception speeds of all the interfaces being received are detected, and when the reception speed is lower than a preset value, an interface for requesting transmission according to a preset priority is set. The selection is repeated. In this way, by detecting the reception speeds of all the interfaces that are receiving, and when the reception speed is lower than a preset value, by repeatedly selecting an interface to request transmission according to a preset priority order, Therefore, the data transfer amount is increased, and the printing speed is increased.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the printer device according to the first aspect, the interface selecting means is provided when an engine error occurs while data is simultaneously received from two or more interfaces. ,
An interface to be stopped is selected according to a preset priority, and the data transmission / reception unit can issue a data transfer stop request to the interface selected by the interface selection unit.
That is, according to the invention of claim 3, when an engine error occurs while simultaneously receiving data from two or more interfaces, an interface to be stopped according to a preset priority is selected, and the selected interface is selected. It is characterized in that a request to stop data transfer can be made. As described above, by selecting the interface to be stopped according to the priority set in advance and making a request to stop the data transfer to the selected interface, the host interface can be transferred to another printer, so that there is no waste. .

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a system using a printer device according to the present embodiment.
As shown in this figure, in the present system, a plurality of host computers 11, 12, and 13 (hereinafter, a symbol (1) will be used in a representative description; the same applies hereinafter) and a plurality of printer devices (2) will be described. They are connected via a network (N). The host computer (1) performs various processes, creates print data, and instructs printing of the created print data. As the plurality of networks, a LAN (Local Area Network)
Various networks such as k) are used.

The printer device (2) includes a CPU (3), a printer engine (4), a memory (5), n host interfaces 1 (6), 2 (7),... N (8), and an engine. An interface (9) is provided. C
The PU (3) performs various processes by executing a predetermined program. For example, print data of the host computer (1) is converted into print image data, and is passed to the printer engine (4) via the engine interface (9).

The printer engine (4) prints print image data on paper. The memory (5) is a storage device used by the CPU (3), and is loaded with various processing programs such as interface selection processing and printer engine error processing in the present embodiment, and other various programs.

The printer device (2) has the same number of host interfaces 1, 2,..., N as the number of networks to which each host computer (1) is connected. The host interfaces 1, 2,... N detect the data reception speed.

Each host computer (1) is connected to the printer device (2) via at least one of a plurality of networks (N) and a host interface corresponding to the network. That is, as exemplified in FIG. 1, the host computer 11 is connected to the host interface 1 (6) via the network N1 and to the host interface 2 (7) via the network N2. The host computer 12 is connected to the host interface 1 (6) via the network N1, and is also connected to the host interface 2 (7) via the network N2.
n to the host interface n (8). The host computer 13 is connected to the network Nn
To the host interface n (8).

In the present system, the number of printers connected to the network does not need to be one, and a plurality of printers to which the present invention is applied may be connected to the same or different network (N). . Further, it may be connected together with a printer device which is not an object of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an example of setting the data reception speed. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the reception speed is set to 2 Mbps for the host interface 1, the reception speed is set to 4.5 Mbps for the host interface 2, and the reception speed is set to 1 Mbps for the host interface n.
Is set.

FIG. 3 shows a setting example of the host interface selection. As exemplified in FIG.
The priority 10 is set for the host interface 1, the priority 5 is set for the host interface 2, and the priority 3 is set for the host interface n. As described above, any one of the priorities 1 to n is set in advance for each of the n host interfaces. This priority can be set arbitrarily, and another priority other than the priority illustrated in FIG. 3 may be set. For example, it may be set so that the higher the reference receiving speed, the higher the priority. In this case, at the reception speed illustrated in FIG. 2, among the three host interfaces 1, 2, and n, the host interface 2 has the highest priority, and then the host interface 1, host interface n has the highest priority. Set high.

The reference reception speed illustrated in FIG. 2 and the priority illustrated in FIG. 3 are stored in the memory 5.

Next, the operation of the printer according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. (1) First Processing Operation This first processing operation corresponds to claim 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the interface selection processing by the first processing operation. When the printer device (2) receives data from the host computer (1), the host interface receiving the data detects the data reception speed during reception and supplies it to the CPU (3) (step 1;
Receiving speed detecting means). For example, the host computer 11
Is transmitted over the network N1 from the host interface 1 that receives the data.
(6) detects the data reception speed.

Then, the CPU (3) receives the detected data reception speed and compares it with the reception speed set for the received host interface (step 2).
As a result of the comparison, if the data reception speed is high, the interface selection processing ends, and the data reception at the current host interface is continued.

On the other hand, as a result of the comparison, if the detected data receiving speed is lower than the set receiving speed, another host interface which is connected to the host computer receiving the data and has the highest priority. To
Priority setting stored in memory (3) (see FIG. 3)
(Step 3). Then, a data transmission request (data retransmission request) is made from the host interface selected in step 3 to the host computer (step 4). Next, printing on the selected host interface is set to be valid, and data reception is performed (step 5).

(2) Second processing operation This second processing operation corresponds to claim 2. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the interface selection processing by the second processing operation. When the printer device (2) receives data from a specific host computer (1) through a plurality of networks (N) by, for example, packet communication or the like, all the host interfaces that are receiving data receive the received data. The speed is detected and supplied to the CPU (3) (step 11; receiving speed detecting means). For example,
From the host computer 12, the networks N1, N2,
When data is transmitted via Nn, all host interfaces 1 (6), 2 (7), n for receiving each data
Each of (8) detects the data reception speed.

The CPU (3) receives the detected data reception speeds and compares them with the reception speeds set for the respective host interfaces (step 2). As a result of comparison, all data reception speeds are
If the speed is higher than the set reception speed, the interface selection process ends, and data reception at the current host interface is continued.

On the other hand, as a result of the comparison, if one or more of the detected data reception speeds is lower than the set reception speed, the host computer receiving the data is connected and the priority is the highest. Another larger host interface is selected from the priority settings (see FIG. 3) stored in the memory (3) (step 3). At this time, if all of the detected data reception speeds are smaller than the set reception speed, the host interface with the highest priority is selected from all the host interfaces that are receiving data. On the other hand, if any of the detected data reception speeds is higher than the set reception speed, the host interface having the highest priority among the host interfaces receiving data at a speed higher than the set reception speed is selected.

Then, a data transmission request (data retransmission request) is sent from the host interface selected in step 3.
Is performed on the host computer (step 4). Next, printing on the selected host interface is set to be valid, and data reception is performed (step 5).

(3) Third Processing Operation This third processing operation corresponds to claim 3. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the printer engine error processing by the third processing operation. When an error of the printer engine (4) occurs while receiving data from the host computer (1) and the CPU (3) detects this error (step 2).
1), the CPU (3) is the host computer (1)
The host interface having the lowest priority is selected from the host interfaces connected via the network (N) with reference to the memory (5) (step 22).

Next, a data transmission stop request is made to the host computer (1) that is transmitting data by the selected host interface (step 3). And C
The PU (3) invalidates the host interface being received (Step 24), and ends the processing. As described above, the data transmission stop request is sent to the host computer (1) that is transmitting data in step 3, so that the host computer (1) generates an error when an error such as a jam occurs in the printer device (2). The data transmission can be stopped without keeping the generated host interface in use, and it is possible to shift to another process, for example, a print process by another printer, if necessary.

[0027]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, an interface for which a transmission request is made according to a preset priority is selected, a data transmission request is made to the selected interface, and data from the selected interface is simultaneously transmitted. By receiving the data, the data transfer amount is increased, and the printing speed is increased. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the receiving speed of all the receiving interfaces is detected, and when the receiving speed is lower than a predetermined value, an interface that requests transmission according to a predetermined priority order. By repeating the selection, the data transfer amount is increased, and the printing speed is increased. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the host interface can be transferred to another printer by selecting an interface to be stopped according to a priority set in advance and requesting the selected interface to stop data transfer. Therefore, there is no waste.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a system using a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a setting example of a data reception speed in the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting example of host interface selection in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an interface selection process according to a first processing operation in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an interface selection process according to a second processing operation in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating printer engine error processing according to a third processing operation in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 11, 12, 13 Host computer 2 Printer device 3 CPU 4 Printer engine 5 Memory 6 Host interface 1 7 Host interface 2 8 Host interface n 9 Engine interface N, N1, N2, Nn Network

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printer device connected by two or more host interfaces, a receiving speed detecting means for detecting a data receiving speed of a currently receiving interface, and a data receiving device detecting by the receiving speed detecting means. When the speed is lower than a preset value, an interface selection means for selecting an interface to request transmission according to a preset priority, and a data transmission request is made to the interface selected by the interface selection means, and the data is selected. A data transmission / reception unit capable of simultaneously receiving data from an interface. 2. The reception speed detection means detects reception speeds of all interfaces during reception, and the interface selection means determines a predetermined priority when the reception speed is lower than a predetermined value. 2. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein selection of an interface for which a transmission request is made is repeated according to the order. 3. The interface selecting means selects an interface to be stopped according to a preset priority when an engine error occurs while simultaneously receiving data from two or more interfaces. 2. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission / reception unit can issue a data transfer stop request to the interface selected by the interface selection unit.