JP2003226065A - Emulator, its controlling method and controlling program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an emulator, its controlling method and controlling program, and a storage medium for enhancing the efficiency of developing a controller section while lessening stress on a developer. <P>SOLUTION: A control section 100 controls the operation such that an output image can be obtained at the desired timing of a developer by altering the operational timing of emulation according to the demand of the developer. <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 an emulation device, and more particularly to a controller unit for generating output image data, which cooperates with an engine unit for outputting the generated output image data to a medium such as paper. Verify the operation of the controller unit that constitutes the image output device such as a printer,
The present invention relates to an emulation device that supports development of the printer, a control method for the emulation device, a control program for the emulation device, and a storage medium that stores the control program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image output device such as a printer is provided with a controller section for converting image data (print data) instructed to be output from a connected host computer or digital camera into image data suitable for output, and the controller. The engine unit receives image data output from the unit and outputs the received image data to a recording medium such as paper.

A laser beam printer will be described below as an example of the image output device.

A laser beam printer receives image data (print data) from a host computer through a serial line, a parallel line, or a network line such as Ethernet (registered trademark), and converts it into bitmap data, and a paper unit. It consists of an engine that controls and drives the transport and electrophotographic processes.

The controller section and the engine section are connected by a communication path called a video interface. This video interface includes a video signal for transferring image data, a control signal for controlling timing of the image signal, a command signal for the controller unit to instruct the engine unit, and an engine unit for informing the controller unit of the state of the engine. Communication such as status signals for transmission is performed.

The engine unit operates according to a command received from the video interface, receives a video signal (image data) according to a control signal, and outputs the received video signal to a recording medium such as paper using an electrophotographic process. To do.

The engine section holds various operating states of the electrophotographic process and the like, and the controller section uses the size information printable by the engine section, error information such as paper jam, etc. as appropriate status signals and control signals. Send to.

The state of the electrophotographic process indicates an idle state, a warm-up state, a print ready state and the like.

The engine section is not always in a printable state, but outputs an image transfer permission signal to the controller section when it becomes in a printable state. The controller unit and the engine unit operate in close cooperation with each other using the control signal, the command signal, and the status signal.

In order to output the print data normally in the image output device composed of the controller section and the engine section as described above, the engine section is appropriate for the command signal and the control signal output from the controller section. It is necessary to transmit various status signals and control signals, and the controller unit converts the image data into normal image data and then transmits the image data to the engine unit to drive the engine unit properly and output the image data.

Conventionally, in the development process, operation verification, or performance test of an image output device, the engine unit and the controller unit are connected to each other, various print data are transmitted from the controller unit to the engine unit, and the engine unit is actually used. Need to be operated to obtain an output image, and whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the output image is evaluated by human eyes.

However, in the conventional method of actually operating the engine section to obtain the output image, the development of both the controller section and the engine section has progressed sufficiently and cannot be carried out until the stage where both of them operate is reached. , It is difficult to shorten the development period and parallel development. Further, there is a problem in that the amount of output matter (printed matter) for evaluating the image and measuring the output time (printing time) becomes enormous, and a great amount of time and consumable items such as toner and paper are required.

To solve these problems, the present applicant emulates the operating state of the engine section and operates in cooperation with the controller section to receive and visualize the video signal output by the controller section. An emulation device that transmits a status signal and a control signal in accordance with the state of the engine unit emulated to the controller unit was previously proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-220689).

By using the method proposed above, the verification of the image data output by the controller unit, the timing processing of the controller unit, and the verification of the processing speed can be performed even when the engine unit is not completed. It enables distributed and parallel development of the control section and the controller section.

[0015]

However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques have the following problems.

That is, the above-mentioned proposed device is characterized in that it emulates the operating state of the engine section, and the operating state necessary for the actual engine section such as warming up of the fixing device and waiting for rotation of the drum. As for, the emulator is emulated using a timer.

Therefore, there is a problem in that even if it is desired to simply verify the image data output by the controller unit, it is necessary to wait until the output image is obtained due to the above-mentioned operation state. Although this problem is aimed at increasing the efficiency of the development of the controller unit, it also causes the increase of stress on the developer of the controller unit due to the above-mentioned problems.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to improve the development efficiency of the controller section and reduce the stress on the developer. An emulated device, a control method for the emulated device, a control program for the emulated device, and a storage medium that are enabled.

[0019]

In order to achieve the above object, an emulation device of the present invention includes a controller section for generating image data and outputting a command signal, and a controller section for outputting the image data and outputting the command signal. An emulation device for verifying the operation of the controller unit of an image output device having an engine unit for sending back a status signal to the controller unit, the interface unit performing data communication with the controller unit, and the interface unit via the interface unit. A command signal acquisition unit that acquires a command signal output from the controller unit, a timer unit that notifies the elapse of a predetermined time, an operation state of the engine unit according to the acquired command signal and a time elapse notification by the timer unit. Emulating means, and the timer hand Of operation mode selecting means for changing the time to be counted and changing the operation timing of the emulation means, and a response signal via the interface means according to the operating state of the emulated engine section and the acquired command signal. It is characterized in that it has a transmitting means for transmitting and a generating means for generating an image synchronization signal to the controller section according to the state of the emulated engine section.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, a control method of an emulation device of the present invention is: a controller section for generating image data and outputting a command signal; and a controller section for outputting the image data and responding to the command signal. A control method for controlling an emulation device that verifies the operation of the controller unit of an image output apparatus that includes an engine unit that returns a status signal by a communication step of performing data communication with the controller unit by interface means. , A command signal acquisition step of acquiring a command signal output from the controller section via the interface means, a notification step of notifying the elapse of a predetermined time by a timer means, the acquired command signal and the timer means According to the notification of elapsed time, And operation mode selection step of changing the emulation step of emulating the operation timing of and the emulated means change the time for counting of the timer means by emulating means work state,
A transmission step of transmitting a response signal via the interface means according to the operating state of the emulated engine section and the acquired command signal; and an image synchronization signal to the controller section according to the state of the emulated engine section. And a generating step for generating.

In order to achieve the above object, the control program of the emulation device of the present invention includes a controller section for generating image data and outputting a command signal, and a controller section for outputting the image data and responding to the command signal. Is a computer-readable control program for controlling an emulation device that verifies the operation of the controller unit of the image output apparatus that includes an engine unit that returns a status signal by means of an interface unit for data communication with the controller unit. A communication step of performing, a command signal acquisition step of acquiring a command signal output from the controller section via the interface means, a notification step of notifying a lapse of a predetermined time by a timer means, and the acquired command signal To the timer means An emulation step of emulating the operating state of the engine unit by an emulation means according to a notification of the passage of time, and an operation mode selection step of changing the time measured by the timer means and changing the operation timing of the emulation means. A transmission step of transmitting a response signal through the interface unit according to the operating state of the emulated engine unit and the acquired command signal; and image synchronization with the controller unit according to the state of the emulated engine unit. And a program code for causing a computer to execute a generating step for generating a signal.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the storage medium of the present invention is characterized in that a control program of the emulation device is stored.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the emulation device according to this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the emulation device according to this embodiment is a video data control for generating output image data. Unit 200, a video interface unit 400 for connecting the video data control unit 200 to the controller unit 100 of the image output device (for example, a printer) to be analyzed, and the video data control unit 200 via the expansion bus 300. It is composed of a personal computer (not shown) (general-purpose computer 25 of FIG. 2 described later) connected.

The video data control unit 200 constituting the printer emulation device includes an image input control unit 203 and a dual port memory control unit 204 which are connected in series.
And an image output control unit 205, a controller interface control unit 201 connected to the dual port memory control unit 204, and an expansion bus interface control unit 202.
And a frame memory unit 206. Further, the video data control unit 200 stores the image data output from the printer controller unit 100 in the frame memory unit 2.
06, and the stored image data is stored in the expansion bus 300.
And a function of notifying various signals such as command signals, status signals, and control signals output from the controller unit 100 of the printer to the processing unit of the personal computer. .

In the video data control unit 200, the controller interface control unit 201 detects various signals such as command signals and control signals output from the controller unit 100 of the printer, and sends them through the expansion bus interface control unit 202 and the expansion bus 300. The processing unit of the personal computer is notified as an interrupt. The image input control unit 203 transfers the image data output from the controller unit 100 of the printer to the dual port memory control unit 204.

The dual port memory control unit 204 writes the image data in the frame memory unit 206. The expansion bus interface control unit 202 uses the expansion bus 30.
The transfer state of the image data is notified to the personal computer via 0, and the image stored in the frame memory unit 206 is read according to the transfer request from the personal computer and transferred to the image output control unit 205. The image output control unit 205 outputs the image data to the expansion bus 300.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a connection configuration of the emulation device having the configuration shown in FIG. 1. In FIG.
Reference numeral 3 denotes an emulation device having the configuration shown in FIG. 1. The emulation device 23 is connected to the output of the printer controller 21 (corresponding to the controller section 100 of FIG. 1) via the video interface cable 22. The printer controller 21 is connected to a personal computer (not shown) or the like via a parallel interface (not shown), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, or a network interface.

The emulation device 23 includes an interface section "PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)".
Board "24 (the video interface unit 400 of FIG. 1
And the video data control unit 200. A general-purpose computer (general-purpose PC) 25 having C) and a display device C
And RT26.

The output of the printer controller 21 is originally connected to the engine controller of the engine section of the image output device (eg printer). When the image output device is, for example, an electrophotographic printer, the engine controller drives a laser driver to form the raster image data generated by the printer controller 21 as an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a photosensitive drum (not shown). Then, the toner is magnetically attached to the electrostatic latent image to develop it on a recording medium such as a recording sheet.

On the other hand, when the printer controller 21 is verified using the emulation device 23, the emulation device 2 is connected via the video interface cable 22.
3 to the interface unit 24. The interface unit 24 receives the command signal output from the printer controller 21, holds it in the memory on the interface unit 24, generates an interrupt, and notifies the software running on the general-purpose computer 25 that the command signal has been received. . Also, the interface unit 24
Generates a control signal (horizontal synchronization signal and vertical synchronization signal) in accordance with a command signal output from the printer controller 21, and outputs the image data output from the printer controller 21 to the memory on the interface unit 24 (the frame memory unit in FIG. 1). It corresponds to 206.).

The image data held in the memory on the interface section 24 is reconstructed by the software operating on the general-purpose computer 25 and displayed on the CRT 26.

When image data acquisition is completed from the printer controller 21 (corresponding to the controller unit 100 in FIG. 1) of the image output device (printer), the CRT is used.
On the screen 26, it is possible to select whether or not to display the acquired image data.

The emulation device 23 is thus connected to the controller unit 100 (corresponding to the printer controller 21 in FIG. 2) instead of the engine unit of the image output device (printer), and the software and hardware of the controller unit 100 are connected. Used for development of clothing.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the interface section 24 in FIG. Interface part 2
4 is composed of a video interface unit 400 and a video data control unit 200. As described in the description of FIG. 1, the video data control unit 200 includes a video interface logic, a memory controller, a memory, a PCI interface, and the like, and stores data, command signals, and control signals via the video interface unit 400. Etc. performs various types of signal reception processing. The video data control unit 200 is connected to the expansion slot of the general-purpose computer 25 as a PCI interface expansion board.

The video interface section 400 is a unit that is inter-board coupled to the video data control section 200 and has a replaceable structure. Since the interface unit 24 including the video interface unit 400 and the video data control unit 200 has a configuration that can be mounted in the expansion slot of the general-purpose computer 25, the computer that serves as the system control unit can be operated according to the required processing speed. It can be replaced. Further, by making the video interface unit 400 replaceable, the present emulation device can be easily applied to the development of an image output device having another different interface. With this, the hardware can be supported only by changing the video interface unit 400.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the video interface unit 400 shown in FIG.
The video interface unit 400 includes a connector 40,
A line driver 41 connected to the connector 40 and a direct connection or a FIFO (First
In First Out) a connector 43 for inter-plate coupling connected via a memory 42.

The connector 40 is connected to the controller section 100 shown in FIG. 1 via the dedicated video interface cable 22 shown in FIG. 2, and the video signals, command signals, status signals, etc. transmitted and received by the video interface cable 22 shown in FIG. Various signals are input. The line driver 41 is composed of a balanced signal interface driver / receiver for connecting a high speed video signal via a cable. FIFO memory 4
2 holds the image data according to the video synchronization clock. The connector 43 controls a physical interface with the video data control unit 200.

The video data control unit 200 is based on a print command or the like sent from the controller unit 100 (corresponding to the printer controller 21 in FIG. 2) and the like. Image data sent according to
FIFO memory 42 of video interface unit 400
Extract more.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing the operation timing of the emulation device having the configuration of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5A shows the operation timing of various signals in the controller interface control unit 201. The parentheses indicate the operation timings of various signals in the expansion bus interface control unit 202.

Control signal (image transfer request signal a)
2 is issued from the printer controller 21 of FIG. 2 (corresponding to the controller unit 100 of FIG. 1), the controller interface control unit 201 of the video data control unit 200 of FIG. 2 responds to the control signal (image transfer). Permission signal b) is returned. The printer controller 21 of FIG. 2, which has returned the image transfer permission signal b, transfers the image data input (1) c to the image data input (4) f on the video interface cable 22 of FIG. 2 at a predetermined timing.

The image input control unit 203 of the video data control unit 200 shown in FIG. 2 receives the transferred image data input (1) c.
The image data input (4) f is stored in the frame memory 206 via the dual port memory control unit 204. 1
When the transfer of the image data input (4) f for the page is completed, the expansion bus interface control unit 202 generates an expansion bus interrupt signal g to notify the system (general purpose) that the storage of the image data for the first page is completed. Computer 2
5) Notify the side.

On the other hand, the system (general-purpose computer 25)
On the side, the image data stored in the frame memory unit 206 of the video data control unit 200 of FIG. 2 is acquired based on the interrupt signal via the expansion bus 300 of FIG. In this case, data transfer from the video data control unit 200 to the system (general-purpose computer 25) side can be executed based on the expansion bus interface control unit 202, and any method may be used. For example, the frame memory 206 is mapped to the memory space on the expansion bus 300 and read by a normal memory read access, or the video data control unit 2
It is possible to use a method in which the 00 side is provided with a master transfer function operable on the expansion bus 300 and transferred to a memory designated in advance.

By the series of operations described above, the image data of the first page is controlled by the controller section 100 (corresponding to the printer controller 21 in FIG. 2) of the image output apparatus (printer) to control the video data of the emulation apparatus. It is transferred to the expansion bus 300 via the unit 200.

The image data transfer procedure for the second page is performed in the same manner as the image data transfer procedure for the first page described above.

The emulation device according to the present embodiment is
As shown in FIG. 5, transfer of image data of the second page from the controller unit 100 of the image output device (printer) to the video data control unit 200 and image of the first page from the video data control unit 200 to the expansion bus 300. Perform data transfer in parallel. The video data control unit 200 has a memory capacity of two pages in order to execute the image data output of the first page and the image data input of the second page in parallel, and controls reading and writing in parallel. Since it has a means for doing so, it is possible to shorten the page interval and improve the processing throughput.

Next, software executed by the emulation device according to the present embodiment (software operating on the general-purpose computer 25 as a host) will be described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of software on the general-purpose computer 25 shown in FIG. The general-purpose computer 25 includes an operating system (basic software) 61, a driver 62, manager layer software 63, and application software 64.
It has and.

In this embodiment, the operating system 61 is Microsoft Windows
(Registered trademark) 2000 is used, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The operating system 61 includes a memory of the general-purpose computer 25, an interrupt, a hard disk,
Manage resources such as timers. The driver (device driver) 62 is software that provides basic operations for the interface unit 24 of FIG. 2, which is the hardware required for this embodiment. What is the basic operation?
The access to the register on the interface unit 24, the access to the frame memory unit 206, the interrupt processing from the interface unit 24, and the like are performed.

The manager layer software 63 is
It is middleware that provides more advanced operations to the interface unit 24. The advanced operation is a function of acquiring the image data stored in the frame memory unit 206 on the interface unit 24 in the DIB format (device-independent bitmap format), and at the time of acquisition, reduction / enlargement / dither correction, etc. Can be processed simultaneously.
In addition, the manager layer software 63 reads the register of the interface unit 24 in response to the interrupt signal received by the driver 62 and notifies the application software 64, which will be described later, of an interrupt message, and requests the application software 64 to transmit. It has a function of transmitting the generated status signal using the driver 62.

The application software 64 is software that serves as a user interface for the operator of the apparatus (general-purpose computer 25). The user, through the application software 64,
It is possible to issue instructions such as start / stop / analysis to the device. Further, the application software 64 displays the command signal and the interrupt signal notified from the software 63 of the manager layer in an easy-to-understand manner for the operator, and emulates the engine state from the received various signals and the timer information from the operating system 61. The status signal to be returned is determined based on the received command signal and engine state, and the status signal is generated through the software 63 of the manager layer.

Next, details of the emulation apparatus according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

The software shown in each flow chart described later is software that operates on the general-purpose computer 25 of the emulation device. This software provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) to the user and controls the interface unit 24.

<Real Time Analysis Function> FIG. 7 is an application of a function (hereinafter, referred to as a real time analysis function) for displaying image data generated by the printer controller 21 in real time, which is executed by the emulation apparatus of FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing operations in software 64.

In FIG. 7, when the software is activated, initialization processing (step S701) is performed.
This initialization processing initializes variables such as the software and instructs the software 63 of the manager layer to perform initialization, thereby initializing hardware such as setting of registers related to the video data control unit 200. It is what you do. Subsequently, the CRT 26 displays the below-described initial screen of FIG. 8 (step S7).
02).

FIG. 8 is a view showing the initial screen of the CRT 26 displayed in step S702 of FIG. 7, in which 801 is an image display area, which is the image display area 801.
Displays the image data generated by the printer controller 21. The user first specifies the size and color space of the image to be displayed and the operation mode of engine state emulation. Reference numeral 802 denotes a combo box area for designating an image size. The number of main scanning pixels, main scanning start position / sub scanning line number / sub scanning start position, etc. corresponding to the paper size preset in the combo box area 802 are displayed. Is set.

Reference numeral 803 denotes a button for displaying a user interface for detailed setting. This button 803
When is pressed, the detail window shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on CRT2.
6 is displayed.

In the detailed window of FIG. 9, preset parameters (main scanning start position, main scanning effective pixel number, sub scanning starting position, sub scanning effective line number, etc.) can be changed.

Reference numeral 804 is a radio button for designating a display color space described later. Reference numeral 805 is a check box for instructing the timing of engine state emulation. When it is desired to efficiently check the image data generated by the printer controller 21 by shortening the engine state that can be shortened in the engine state emulation operation and operating at high speed, the user checks the check box 805. .

The engine state that can be shortened in the emulation operation is an engine state such as a "warming up state" or a "drum rotation waiting state" which is caused by the hardware of the printer engine and which causes the operation of the controller section 100 to wait. Refers to.

806 is a start button, 807 is a stop button, 808 is a printer command display area, 809 is an information display area, and 810 is a printed page number display area.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an engine state chart displayed on the CRT 26 together with FIG. 8 in step S702 of FIG. 7, in which an ellipse 1001 is shown.
˜1007 show possible internal states of the printer engine emulated by the emulation apparatus according to the present embodiment. According to FIG. 10, the emulated printer engine has seven internal states (idle state 1001, warm-up state 1002, drum rotation waiting state 1).
003, a paper feeding state 1004, a printing state 1005, a paper discharging state 1006, and a post-processing state 1007).

In FIG. 10, ellipses 1001 to 1007 are shown.
Each arrow connecting the two shows the transition direction of the engine state, and the abnormality of the printer controller 21 is detected by detecting the state transition in the direction not following the arrow and the occurrence of the transition between the states without the arrow. can do.

The engine state held by the application software 64 is as shown by an ellipse 1001.
For example, it is displayed in a conspicuously colored manner.

In FIG. 120, reference numeral 1008 denotes an engine state log display button for displaying a log in which engine state transitions described later are recorded in time series.

Returning to FIG. 7, when an instruction to change the image size is given (YES in step S703), the parameter is set in the software 63 of the manager layer to display the designated image data (step S704).
Then, it progresses to step S705. The software 63 of the manager layer uses the set parameters to set a value in a register related to the video data control unit 200, and the video data control unit 200 only stores the image data of the effective area according to the set value in the frame memory unit. Hold at 206.

If an instruction to change the display color space is given (YES in step S705), the parameter is set to display the designated image data (step S705).
After 706), the process proceeds to step S707. As the display color space, it is possible to select five types of colors of C (cyan) plane, M (magenta) plane, Y (yellow) plane, and K (black) plane. In this case, the display color space is selected by the radio button 804 in FIG.

Since the image data output by the printer controller 21 is normally in the C, M, Y, K color space, when color is selected here, the C, M, Y, K stored in the frame memory unit 206 is stored. The image data is taken out, converted into R (red), G (green), and B (blue) data, and then displayed in the image display area 801 in FIG. C / M / Y
When displaying the / K plane, the frame memory unit 206
Extract only the necessary color plane data from and display it.

Further, if the check box 805 is checked and an operation in the engine state emulation debug (shortening) mode is instructed (step S7)
(YES in 07), in the emulation of the engine state such as the warming up state and the drum rotation waiting state,
The timer value related to the engine state that can be shortened is set to a small value (for example, 1 second) or the like (step S708).
Then, it progresses to step S709.

When the image size and the display color space have been set as described above, the actual image capturing operation can be started.

Since default values are set for the above parameters, it is not necessary to reset them when they are unnecessary.

Next, it is determined whether or not the pressing of the start button 806 in FIG. 8 is detected (step S709). Then, when the pressing of the start button 806 is not detected, the processing from step S703 is repeated. Further, when the pressing of the start button 806 is detected, the application software 64 causes the manager layer software 6
3, the video data control unit 200 is set to start the operation of acquiring image data and various signals such as command signals (step S710), and the interrupt processing described later for this software is enabled (step S711).

This interrupt processing is performed by receiving a command signal output from the printer controller 21 (2) receiving control signals such as an image request signal and an image transfer permission signal (3), and storing one page of image data by the video data control unit 200. Is to notify the end of the software to the software, and is hereinafter referred to as command signal reception interrupt processing, control signal reception interrupt processing, page end interrupt processing, respectively.
It corresponds to the process of FIG. 11, the process of FIG. 12, and the process of FIG. The interface unit 20 is used for interrupt processing.
In addition to the hardware interrupt from 5, (4) there is also a software interrupt for notifying the software of the elapse of a fixed time, which is hereinafter called a timer interrupt process and corresponds to the process of FIG.

When the interrupt is enabled, this software continues to wait for the interrupt processing until the stop button 807 of FIG. 8 on the CRT 26 is pressed, and then disables the interrupt processing (step S715), and the video data control unit Set registers for 200 (step S
716), the real-time analysis function processing operation ends.

When an interrupt has occurred (YES in step S712), a predetermined interrupt process (command signal reception interrupt process, control signal reception interrupt process, page end interrupt process, timer interrupt process, etc.) is executed (step). S713).

"(1) Command reception interrupt processing" FIG.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of a command signal reception interrupt processing operation which is one of the interrupt processing in step S713 of FIG.

In FIG. 11, the application software 64 reads the command signal received from the video data control unit 200 and records the received command signal in the application software 64 together with the time (step S1101).

The application software 64 analyzes the received command signal (step S1102),
The engine state that the application software 64 emulates and holds is analyzed (step S1103).
By doing so, the status signal to be returned in response to the new engine state and command signal is determined.

There are seven types of engine states emulated by the emulation apparatus according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, and the engine state is “idle state” immediately after the start button 807 is pressed. For example, when a command indicating "print preparation start" is received when the engine state is "idle state", the status signal to be returned is "normal execution" and the next engine state is "warming up".
To decide.

In a succeeding step S1104, a status signal is returned from the video data control unit 200 via the manager layer software 63. The returned status signal is recorded so as to correspond to the command signal received in step S1101 (step S110).
5). The received command signal and the returned status signal are displayed in the area 808 of the CRT 26 so as to be easily understood by the operator, such as "reception: printing preparation start" and "transmission: normal execution" (step S1106).

Subsequently, an engine state update process, which will be described later, will be performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.
07), a timer setting process described later according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 16 (step S1108), and a control signal process described later according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 17 (step S1109), respectively, and then this processing operation is ended.

"(2) Control Signal Reception Interrupt Processing" FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the control signal reception interrupt processing operation which is one of the interruption processing in step S713 of FIG.

In FIG. 12, the personal computer (general-purpose computer 25) reads the received control signal from the video data control unit 200, records it together with the reception time (step S1201), and the state of the engine held by the application software 64. And a new engine state is analyzed from the received control signal (step S1202). Subsequently, an engine state update process described later according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 15 (step S1203) and a timer setting process described later according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 16 (step S12).
04), after performing the control signal processing described later according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 17 (step S1204), this processing operation is ended.

As an operation example, when the control signal "image transfer request signal" is received when the engine state is "feeding", the engine state is changed to "printing" and the "image transfer permission signal". , Etc. are output.

"(3) Page end interrupt processing" FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of page end interrupt processing operation which is one of the interrupt processing in step S713 of FIG.

In FIG. 13, the application software 64 records the time when the page end interrupt occurs in the application software 64 (step S1301).

Next, in the area 804 of the CRT 26,
It is determined whether color display is designated as the display color space (step S1302). If the result of determination in step S1302 is that color display has not been designated (NO in step S1302), the general-purpose computer reduces the designated plane of the image data accumulated in the frame memory unit 206 of the video data control unit 200. The data is transferred to the working memory 25 (step S1303).

In many cases, since the size of the image display area 801 of the CRT 26 is smaller than the size of the image data output by the printer controller 21, the image data is taken out while performing reduction conversion.

Specifically, the main scanning pixel number stored in the frame memory unit 206 is 4864 pixels and the sub scanning line number is 6
High-definition image data such as 849 pixels is reduced to 1/8 times,
The image data of 608 pixels × 856 lines is transferred to the general-purpose computer 25. Further, at this time, band limitation is performed by a predetermined spatial filter in order to suppress the influence of aliasing noise and the like due to subsampling. By the reduction conversion here, the frame memory unit 206 is changed to the general-purpose computer 25.
It is possible to reduce the amount of data transferred to and realize high-speed operation.

When the display image color space is set to the C, M, Y and K planes, only the designated plane is fetched as the image data to be fetched. When only the designated plane is displayed, the amount of data transfer and the amount of processing are smaller than in the case of displaying in color, and therefore the stress required for the processing required by the general-purpose computer 25 can be reduced. Further, the data of each plane can be observed as it is for each plane as the data generated by the controller 21.

Subsequently, the image data is negative-positive inverted to improve the visibility of the image (step S1304),
The image is displayed in the image display area 801 of FIG. 8 on the CRT 26 (step S1307), and the displayed number of prints,
That is, the number of pages for which printing is completed 810 is displayed (step S
1308).

The negative / positive reversal in step S1304 may be omitted if it is not necessary.

On the other hand, as a result of the discrimination in the step S1302, if the color display is designated (step S
(YES in 1302), the image data of each of the C, M, Y, and K planes is extracted at a predetermined reduction ratio (step S1305), and color conversion processing is performed on the extracted image data (step S1306). , Step S
1307 and step S1308 are executed.

The color conversion processing in step S1306 is as follows.
The C, M, Y, K image data is converted into R, G, B image data for display by a generally used conversion formula.

The following formula shows an example of a conversion formula for color conversion.

R = 1- (C + K) G = 1- (M + K) B = 1- (Y + K) The R, G, B image data obtained by the above conversion equations are:
In step S1307, the image is displayed in the image display area 801 of the CRT 26 shown in FIG. In the case of color display, the C, M, Y, and K images generated by the printer controller 21 are not purely reproduced due to color conversion processing and the difference in color reproducibility between the printer engine and the display device such as the CRT 26. However, because it is reproduced as a color image,
This is effective for finding clear rasterization errors.

By the processing of steps S1302 to S1308, as a page end interrupt occurs,
Similarly to the image output to the recording paper in the printer engine 23, the image data to be rasterized by the printer controller 21 is displayed in the image display area 8 of FIG.
01 can be displayed in real time. In step S1309, a new engine state is analyzed from the engine state held by the application 64.

Subsequently, an engine state update process, which will be described later, is executed in accordance with the flow chart shown in FIG. 15 (step S
1310), the timer setting process described later according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 16 (step S1311), and FIG.
After performing the control signal processing described later according to the flowchart shown in (step S1312),
This processing operation ends.

"(4) Timer interrupt processing" FIG.
7 is a flowchart showing the flow of timer interrupt processing operation, which is one of the interrupt processing in step S713 of FIG.

In FIG. 14, the application software 64 analyzes the new engine state from the held engine section and the timer that generated the interrupt (step S1401). Subsequently, an engine state update process described later according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 15 (step S1401) and a timer setting process described later according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 16 (step S1402) are performed.
After performing the control signal processing described later according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 (step S1403), this processing operation is ended.

For example, the application software 6
When the state of the printer engine emulated by No. 4 is in the "paper discharge" state, if a timer interrupt for notifying the elapse of a predetermined time (time required for paper discharge) from the start of paper discharge occurs, the engine status To a “post-processing in progress” state and set a timer corresponding to the time required for the post-processing.

[Engine State Update Processing] FIG.
1 step S1107 (or step S1 in FIG. 12)
20 is a flowchart showing the flow of the engine state update processing operation of step S1310 in FIG.

Step S1103 of FIG. 11 (or FIG.
2 step S1202, FIG. 13 step S130
In the engine state analysis of 9), when the engine state needs to transit (YE in step S1501).
S) and record the new engine state in the application software 64 together with the time (step S150).
2) After updating the new engine state in the information area 809 of FIG. 8 and the engine state chart of FIG. 10 in the CRT 26 (step S1503), this processing operation is ended.

For example, when the current engine state is the “idle” state and the command signal read in step S1101 is the “print preparation execution” command, the engine state transitions to the “warming up state”.

In step S1503, the engine state chart of FIG. 10 is updated as shown in FIG.
The new engine state (warming up state in the present embodiment) is displayed darkly as an ellipse 1801, and the immediately preceding engine state (idle state in this embodiment) is displayed as an ellipse 1802 slightly lighter than the ellipse 1801. This makes it easier to grasp the progress of the engine state transition.

[Timer Setting Processing] FIG. 16 shows step S1108 of FIG. 11 (or step S120 of FIG. 12).
14 is a flowchart showing the flow of the timer setting processing operation in step S1311) of FIG.

In FIG. 16, when it is necessary to set the timer interrupt (YES in step 1601), the application software 64 checks the check box 805 of FIG. 8 on the CRT 26 to determine whether the shortening operation mode is selected. Determine (step S16
02). If the shortening operation mode is selected (YES in step S1602), the shortening operation timer value set in step S708 of FIG. 7 is acquired as the timer setting value (step S1603).

On the other hand, in step S1602,
When the shortening operation mode is not selected (step S1
(NO in 602) acquires a default timer value as a value for timer setting (step S1604). next,
In step S1605, a timer is set using the timer value acquired in step S1603 or step S1604.

For example, by the engine state updating process,
When the engine state transitions after a certain period of time, such as “warming up”, the value for timer setting is set to a small value (for example, 1 second) in the shortened operation mode, and the application software 64 does not operate in the normal operation mode. A value according to the specifications of the engine to be rated (for example,
15 seconds) and set the timer. This is because the operation of warming up the engine is caused by the actual hardware of the engine and is an engine state that is not necessary in the emulation of the engine.

[Control signal processing] FIG.
1 step S1109 (or step S1 in FIG. 12)
205 is a flowchart showing the flow of the control signal processing operation of step S1312 of FIG. 13, 205.

In FIG. 17, when it is necessary to output the control signal in response to the received command or the state transition of the engine (YES in step S1701),
The control signal is output via the manager 603 (step S1702).

<Offline Analysis Function> Now, in step S714 of FIG. 7, when the pressing of the stop button 808 of FIG. 8 on the CRT 26 is detected (step S7).
14 YES), manager layer software 63
The generation of the interrupt process is prohibited via the application software 64, and the application software 64 stops the emulation function of the present device. At this time, the system (the present emulation device) shifts to the offline analysis mode in FIG. The off-line analysis mode provides an analysis function for the image data of the last page and the page immediately before that stored in the frame memory unit 206 during the operation of the real-time analysis mode.

FIG. 19 shows CR in the offline analysis mode.
It is a figure which shows the display screen of T26, and the image of the last page is displayed in the image display area 1901 in the figure. In the off-line analysis mode, the enlargement / reduction function button 1902, the data storage function button 1903, the command log display function button 1904, the previous image data designation function button 1908, the reload button 1909, and the like are activated.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing the flow of an offline analysis processing operation for analyzing the image data acquired by being executed by the emulation apparatus of FIG.

In FIG. 20, when the change of the display color space is instructed (YES in step S2001), the image re-take display processing of FIG. 21 described later is executed (step S2).
002), and proceeds to step S2003.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart showing the flow of the image reacquisition display processing operation in step S2002 of FIG. In this image reacquisition display processing, the image data of the desired plane reduced to a predetermined magnification is transferred from the frame memory unit 206 and displayed in the display area of the CRT 26.

In FIG. 21, first, it is determined whether or not color display is designated as the display color space (step S).
2101). Color display is not specified, C / M /
When the Y / K independent plane is designated, only the image data of the designated plane is transferred to the storage device of the general-purpose computer 25 while being reduced and converted at a desired reduction ratio (step S2102), and transferred. After performing the negative-positive conversion processing of the image data (step S2103), it is displayed in the image display area 1901 of the screen of FIG. 19 as monochrome grayscale image data (step S210).
6).

On the other hand, when the color display is designated as a result of the determination in step S2101, the storage device of the general-purpose computer 25 reduces the image data of each of the C, M, Y, and K planes to a predetermined magnification. (Step S2104), color conversion processing is performed on the transferred image data (step S2105), and the obtained R, G, B image data is displayed in the image display area 1 of the screen of FIG.
It is displayed in 901 (step S2106).

Returning to FIG. 20, if the enlargement function button 1902 is pressed on the screen of FIG. 19 (step S2003
21), the image reacquisition display process of FIG. 21 is executed (step S2004), and the process proceeds to step S2005.
By pressing the enlargement function button 1902 once, the image data enlarged by + 10% is retransferred from the frame memory unit 206.

FIG. 22 shows step S200 of FIG.
C when the enlargement function button 1902 in 3 is pressed
It is a figure which shows the display screen of RT26. In the figure,
In the image display area 2201, the frame memory unit 20
The high resolution image data transferred from No. 6 is displayed. In this case, since the image data does not fit in the image display area 2201, the scroll bar 2202 is automatically displayed. The entire image can be recognized by operating the scroll bar 2202.

Returning to FIG. 20, if the reduction function button 1902 is pressed on the screen of FIG. 19 (step S2005
21), the image reacquisition display process of FIG. 21 is executed (step S2006), and the process proceeds to step S2007.
By pressing the reduction function button 1902 once, the image data reduced by -10% is retransferred from the frame memory unit 206.

Then, the reload button 1909 shown in FIG.
If is pressed (YES in step S2007),
The image reacquisition display processing of FIG. 21 is executed (step S2
008), and proceeds to step S2009. By pressing the reload button 1909, the image data is displayed at the frame memory unit 206 at the reduction ratio specified in the real-time analysis processing.
Retransmit more. Further, enlarged display by designating a mouse area (not shown) is also possible as shown in FIG.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing how the area is designated by the mouse. In FIG. 23, reference numeral 2301 denotes a designated area, and the area 2301 is re-transferred from the frame memory unit 206 and displayed in the same size without being reduced and converted.

In the flowchart of FIG. 20, steps relating to mouse operation are not shown.

Returning to FIG. 20, when the user presses the save function button 1903 on the screen of FIG. 19 (step S200
(YES in 9), and it is determined whether the display color space is set to color (step S2010). When the save function button 1903 is pressed, for example, when the color display is set, the display screen of the CRT 26 becomes as shown in FIG. 24, "TIFF: Tag Image File Format (C, M,
Save in Y, K) format. " Step S2010
If the result of the determination is that the color is set, all the colors of the C, M, Y, K image data stored in the frame memory unit 206 are transferred to the main storage unit of the general-purpose computer 25 (step S2013). , TIFF (C, M, Y,
K) Formatted as a file, general-purpose computer 2
5 is recorded on the hard disk or the like (step S201).
4).

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S2010 is that C / M / Y / K plane designation is set instead of color, only the image data of the designated plane is set from the frame memory unit 206 to the general-purpose computer. 25 to the main storage unit (step S2011),
Monochrome grayscale DIB format (BM
P) Record as an image file (step S201)
2). By this processing, the image data rasterized by the printer controller 21 is displayed in accordance with the display color space of the image data displayed in the display area of the CRT 26.
It can be made into a file in a general format.
As a result, the image data can be analyzed by using another analysis tool or the like.

Incidentally, the steps S2001 to S2014
The image data to be operated in is the image data of the last page acquired at the time of real-time analysis, but since the image data of two pages is stored in the frame memory unit 206 as described above, the image data of FIG. If the image data designation function 1908 is checked, the above step S2001
The image data scanned in steps S to 2014 is the image data immediately before the final page acquired during the real-time analysis.

Then, when the log display function button 1904 is pressed on the screen of FIG. 19 on the CRT 26 (YES in step S2015), step S11 of FIG.
01, step S1105, step S120 of FIG.
1 and the command signal, status signal, control signal, and page end interrupt accumulated in step S1301 of FIG. 13 are read (step S201), and the read signals are displayed on the CRT 26 (step S201).
7).

At this time, the screen display of the CRT 26 is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the time 250 when the command signal is received.
1, hexadecimal display command signal 2502, decoded command signal 2503, hexadecimal display status signal 2
504, the decoded status signal 2505 is displayed in chronological order by clearly indicating the combination of the command signal and the status signal. Further, the information of the control signal 2506 and the page end interrupt 2508 is also displayed in time series with the time. Particularly, the image transfer permission signal indicating the start of printing and the page end interrupt indicating the end of printing are also displayed together with the corresponding page numbers. (2507 and 250
9).

As described above, by confirming the command signal, the status signal, and the control signal between the printer controller 21 and the emulation apparatus according to the present embodiment, the printer controller 21 and the printer engine 23 are normally linked. It is possible to verify whether or not it is operating.

Returning to FIG. 20, next, in the engine state chart of FIG. 10, the engine state log display button (engine state log display function button 100
8) is pressed (YES in step S2018)
S), the record of the engine state accumulated in step S1502 of FIG. 15 is read (step S2019), and the read record of the engine state is displayed on the CRT 26 in time series (step S2020).

The display of the CRT 26 at this time is as shown in FIG. 26, and the time 2601 when the status has changed, the engine status 2602 before the transition, and the engine status 2603 after the transition are displayed.

By confirming the state transition timing of the printer engine emulated by the emulation apparatus according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform more detailed verification such as whether or not the printer controller 21 is operating normally. You can

In the offline analysis mode, these analysis operations can be performed on the image data stored in the frame memory unit 206 and various signal data stored in the general-purpose computer 25. This allows
It is possible to perform verification on a pixel level basis with respect to image data, comparison of engine state transition recording and command signal state recording, etc. by an easy operation and immediately after stopping the real-time analysis mode.

That is, when the status of continuous operation is observed in the real-time analysis mode and it is determined that an abnormality has occurred, the target image data and the command and engine status log up to the time when the stop button is pressed are simply pressed by pressing the stop button. Can be analyzed in detail in the offline analysis mode.

Returning to FIG. 20, next, when the start function button 1907 of FIG. 19 on the CRT 26 is pressed (YES in step S2021), the process proceeds to step S710 of FIG. 7 to immediately shift to the real-time analysis mode.
When the mode is shifted to the real-time analysis mode, the image data output from the printer controller 21 is accumulated in the frame memory unit 206, and the image is displayed in real time in the image display area 801 of the CRT 26 shown in FIG.

With the above operation, the verification work of the printer controller 21 can be repeatedly performed by a simple operation while shifting between the real-time analysis mode and the offline analysis mode at an arbitrary timing.

As described above, according to the emulation apparatus of this embodiment, the controller section for generating image data and outputting the command signal, and the generated image data for outputting to the recording medium and the command. When verifying and developing an image output device consisting of an engine unit that returns a status signal in response to a signal,
The emulation device that visualizes the image data generated by the controller in real time is used instead of the engine part, and the operation timing of the engine condition emulation is changed according to the request of the user of the emulation device, thereby emulating the engine condition. It is possible to shorten the period of the engine state that can be shortened.

As a result, the output image can be obtained at the timing desired by the user, the development of the controller section can be efficiently advanced, and at the same time, the image output by the user can be delayed. It is possible to avoid an increase in stress.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In the above-described first embodiment, the operation timing mode of engine state emulation is as shown in FIG.
Although the check boxes 805 in FIG. 2 are collectively set, a user interface for selecting an operation timing (a timer value to be used) for each state of the engine may be provided.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface for individually setting the operation timing in the emulation device according to the present embodiment.

In FIG. 27, in the dialog 2700, default timer values are selected for each engine state that can be shortened (three states of the warm-up state, the drum rotation state, and the post-processing state in this embodiment). A user interface of a radio button 2701 for selecting, a radio button 2702 for selecting a shortened timer value, and a radio button 2703 for selecting to input a timer value by the user are provided.

If the radio button 2703 is selected, it is necessary to input an arbitrary timer value in the text box 2704. This makes it possible to finely adjust the timing of obtaining the output image.

(Other Embodiments) In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the case where the laser beam printer is used as the printer has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the bubble jet (registered trademark) system is used. It can be used for the development of various other printer controllers such as the printers of the above. In that case, by changing the video interface unit according to the video interface system of the printer or the like, it can be used for developing various printer controllers.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the state chart is used as a display example of the printer state has been described, but the inside of the printer such as the paper feed tray, the photosensitive drum, the fixing device, and the paper discharge tray is described. The configuration may be illustrated so that the exposure of the photosensitive drum, the state of paper feeding, and the like may be displayed in animation according to changes in the engine state.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the operating system is Microsoft Windows
Although the case where s (registered trademark) is used has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be configured in various other environments.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the system is configured by combining with the personal computer has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be realized by combining with various other devices. good.

Further, an object of the present invention is to store a recording medium in which a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-mentioned respective embodiments is stored in a computer or a CPU (MPU or MPU) of a system or apparatus. It is also achieved by reading and executing the program code. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the recording medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, C
A D-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, a ROM or the like can be used.

Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the respective embodiments described above are realized, but also the OS (operating system) running on the computer is executed based on the instruction of the program code. This also includes the case where the system) performs some or all of the actual processing and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, This also includes a case where a CPU or the like included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Also, the program code at this time is M
It may be PU native code, or it may be written in a predetermined interpreter language and MP
It may be converted into U-native code, or may be script data described in a predetermined format and interpreted and executed by an operating system or the like.

[0156]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the period of the engine state that can be shortened in the engine state emulation can be shortened, the output image can be obtained at the timing desired by the user, and the development of the controller section can be efficiently advanced. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in user's stress caused by waiting for image output.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an emulation processing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a connection configuration of the emulation device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an interface unit in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a video interface unit in FIG.

5 is a timing chart showing the operation timing of the emulation device in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a software configuration on a general-purpose computer in FIG.

7 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations of a real-time analysis program executed by the emulation apparatus of FIG.

8 is a diagram showing an initial screen displayed in step S702 of FIG. 7. FIG.

9 is a diagram showing a detailed setting window in the initial screen of FIG.

10 is a diagram showing an engine state chart displayed in step S702 of FIG. 7. FIG.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing operations when a command signal reception interrupt occurs in the emulation device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing operation when a control signal reception interrupt occurs in the emulation device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing operations when a page end interrupt occurs in the emulation device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing operations when a timer interrupt occurs in the emulation device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

15 is a flowchart showing a flow of an engine state update processing operation which is the processing of step S1107 of FIG.

16 is a flowchart showing the flow of a timer setting processing operation which is the processing of step S1108 in FIG.

17 is a flowchart showing a flow of timer setting processing operation which is the processing of step S1109 of FIG. 11. FIG.

18 is a diagram showing an engine state chart updated in step S1503 of FIG.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a user interface in an offline analysis mode in the emulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a flow of operation of a program of offline analysis processing executed by the emulation device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 21 shows steps S2002 and S2 of FIG.
It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the image re-acquisition display processing operation of 004, step S2006, and step S2008.

22 is a diagram showing a display screen when the enlargement button is pressed in step S2003 of FIG.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing how an area is designated by a mouse in the emulation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

24 is a diagram showing a display screen when the save function button is pressed in step S2009 of FIG.

25 is a diagram showing a display screen when the command log display function button is pressed in step S2015 of FIG.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a display screen when the engine status log display function button is pressed in step S2018 of FIG. 20.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a user interface for performing engine speed reduction setting in the emulation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

21 controller unit 22 video interface cable 23 emulation device 24 interface unit (interface board, PCI board) 25 general-purpose computer 26 CRT (image display means) 40 connector 41 line driver 42 FIFO memory 43 connector 61 operating system 62 driver 63 manager (command Signal acquisition unit, transmission unit, generation unit) 64 application (emulation unit) 100 controller unit 200 video data control unit (image data acquisition unit) 201 controller interface control unit 202 expansion bus interface control unit 203 image input control unit 204 dual port memory Control unit 205 Image output control unit 206 Frame memory unit (image storage means) 300 Expansion buffer 400 video interface unit (interface unit) 805 operation mode selecting means 2700 operation mode selecting means 2704 hours setting means

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masami Kato             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation (72) Inventor Isamu Ozawa             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation (72) Inventor Yukihiko Ogata             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation F term (reference) 2C061 AQ06 HK19 HM00 HN20 KK04                       KK35                 5B021 NN00

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. A controller of an image output device, comprising: a controller section for generating image data and outputting a command signal; and an engine section for outputting the image data and returning a status signal in response to the command signal. An emulation device for verifying the operation of a unit, an interface unit for performing data communication with the controller unit, a command signal acquisition unit for acquiring a command signal output from the controller unit via the interface unit, Timer unit for notifying the elapse of time, the emulation unit for emulating the operating state of the engine unit according to the acquired command signal and the time elapse notification by the timer unit, and changing the time measured by the timer unit. And the operation timing of the emulation means An operation mode selecting means for changing; a transmitting means for transmitting a response signal through the interface means in accordance with the emulated operation state of the engine section and the acquired command signal; and according to the state of the emulated engine section. An emulation device, comprising: a generation unit that generates an image synchronization signal for a controller unit. 2. An image data acquisition unit that acquires image data output from the controller unit through the interface unit, an image storage unit that holds the acquired image data, and a display of the held image data. The emulation device according to claim 1, further comprising display means. 3. The operation mode selection means changes a transition interval of an operation state of the engine section emulated by the emulation means, which is timed by the timer means. The described emulation device. 4. The emulation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation mode selection unit selects the transition interval from a transition interval according to the engine unit and a shortened transition interval. 5. The emulation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation mode selection unit has a time setting unit that changes an arbitrary time in the transition interval. 6. The emulation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation mode selection means is capable of selecting an engine state for changing the transition interval. 7. The emulation device according to claim 1, wherein the image output device is a printer. 8. The controller of an image output device, comprising: a controller section for generating image data and outputting a command signal; and an engine section for outputting the image data and returning a status signal in response to the command signal. A control method for controlling an emulation device for verifying the operation of a controller unit, comprising a communication step of performing data communication with the controller unit by an interface unit, and obtaining a command signal output from the controller unit via the interface unit. Command signal acquisition step, a notification step for notifying the elapse of a predetermined time by the timer means, and the operating state of the engine section is emulated by the emulation means according to the acquired command signal and the time elapse notification by the timer means. Emulated step An operation mode selecting step of changing a time measured by the timer means and changing an operation timing of the emulation means, the interface means according to the operation state of the emulated engine unit and the acquired command signal. A method of controlling an emulation device, comprising: a transmission step of transmitting a response signal via a controller; and a generation step of generating an image synchronization signal to the controller section according to the state of the emulated engine section. 9. An image data obtaining step of obtaining image data output from the controller section via the interface means, an image storing step of holding the obtained image data, and displaying the held image data. The emulation apparatus control method according to claim 8, further comprising a display step. 10. The operation mode selection step changes a transition interval of an operation state of the engine section, which is emulated by the emulation means and which is timed by the timer means. A method for controlling the described emulation device. 11. The method of controlling an emulation device according to claim 10, wherein the operation mode selecting step selects the transition interval from a transition interval according to the engine unit and a shortened transition interval. 12. The control method of the emulation device according to claim 10, wherein the operation mode selecting step includes a time setting step of changing an arbitrary time in the transition interval. 13. The control method for an emulation device according to claim 10, wherein the operation mode selection step can select an engine state in which the transition interval is changed. . 14. The control method of an emulation device according to claim 8, wherein the image output device is a printer. 15. A controller of an image output device, comprising: a controller section for generating image data and outputting a command signal; and an engine section for outputting the image data and returning a status signal in response to the command signal. A computer-readable control program for controlling an emulation device for verifying the operation of a unit, comprising: a communication step of performing data communication with the controller unit by an interface unit; and outputting from the controller unit via the interface unit. A command signal acquisition step of acquiring a command signal, a notification step of notifying the elapse of a predetermined time by a timer means,
An emulation step of emulating the operating state of the engine section by the emulation means according to the acquired command signal and the notification of the passage of time by the timer means, and changing the time measured by the timer means and operating the emulation means. An operation mode selecting step of changing the timing, a transmitting step of transmitting a response signal via the interface means according to the operating state of the emulated engine section and the acquired command signal, and a state of the emulated engine section A control program for an emulation device, comprising: a program code for causing a computer to execute a generation step of generating an image synchronization signal for the controller unit according to the above. 16. An image data acquisition step of acquiring image data output from the controller unit via the interface means, an image storage step of holding the acquired image data, and displaying the held image data. 16. The emulation apparatus control program according to claim 15, comprising program code for causing a computer to execute the display step. 17. The operating mode selecting step changes a transition interval of an operating state of the engine section, which is emulated by the emulating means and which is timed by the timer means. A control program for the described emulation device. 18. The emulation apparatus control program according to claim 17, wherein the operation mode selecting step selects the transition interval from a transition interval according to the engine unit and a shortened transition interval. 19. The emulation apparatus control program according to claim 17, wherein the operation mode selecting step includes a time setting step of changing an arbitrary time in the transition interval. 20. The emulation apparatus control program according to claim 17, wherein the operation mode selecting step can select an engine state for changing the transition interval. . 21. The emulation device control program according to claim 15, wherein the image output device is a printer. 22. A storage medium on which the control program for the emulation device according to claim 15 is stored.