JP2004230849A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To finish printing normally without providing a time-out after data supply from a host unit is interrupted. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus comprises a plurality of interfaces 231 and 232 for receiving data from the host unit including at least one interface 231 for which the start and end of communication are determined on an interface protocol, a print section 244 for printing data inputted through any one of the plurality of interfaces, and a control section 230 performing printing of data described by character codes inputted from any one of the plurality of interfaces only when it is inputted through the interface for which the start and end of communication are determined on the interface protocol. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that can be connected to a host device through a plurality of interfaces.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, recent recording apparatuses incorporate a dedicated driver in a host apparatus, and are controlled to print print data created by the dedicated driver. If such a printing apparatus operates according to a control command dedicated to the printing apparatus, printing can be completed normally.
[0003]
However, it is difficult for a portable terminal such as a PDA or a mobile phone to have dedicated drivers for various recording devices, and it is generally possible to handle only data written in character codes such as text files.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-30081 [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-53461 [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
Therefore, in a recording device that prints data such as a text file, since the data such as a text file does not include a control command dedicated to the recording device, the size of the text data is not known, and the timing for ending printing is determined. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-30081 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 7-53461 (Patent Document 2), a timeout is provided after data from the host device is interrupted, or the timeout time is made variable. It was necessary to set it by devising it.
[0005]
Nevertheless, if a timeout is provided, the recording apparatus is stopped for the timeout, making it impossible to perform a smooth recording operation. Or was.
[0006]
However, depending on the interface, especially in the wireless interface, a link is established between the host device and the recording device every time printing is performed, and the link is cut off when the transmission of the print data is completed. It is easy to understand.
[0007]
Also, with an interface other than the wireless interface, it is impossible to determine the end of print data transmission with print data such as a text file as described above, but recently print data output via such an interface is provided by a dedicated driver. In most cases, the data is output together with a dedicated control command via the printer, so that printing can be performed in accordance with the control command.
[0008]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable printing to be normally completed without providing a timeout after data from the host device is interrupted. It is.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of interfaces for receiving data from a host device, and the start and end of communication are determined on an interface protocol. A plurality of interfaces including at least one interface, printing means for printing data input via any of the plurality of interfaces, and a character code described from any of the plurality of interfaces. And control means for executing printing only when the data described in the character code is input through an interface for determining the start and end of communication on the interface protocol when data is input. It is characterized by the following.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0011]
First, an outline of the present embodiment will be described.
[0012]
The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of interfaces for receiving data from a host device, including a plurality of interfaces including at least one interface for determining start and end of communication on an interface protocol. A printing unit for printing data input through any of the interfaces, and when data described in a character code is input from any of the plurality of interfaces, the data is described in the character code. Control means for executing printing only when the input data is input via an interface for determining the start and end of communication on the interface protocol.
[0013]
Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the interface for determining the start and end of communication on the interface protocol is a wireless interface.
[0014]
In the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the control unit may be configured such that the data described in the character code is input via an interface of the plurality of interfaces, from which the start and end of communication are not determined on an interface protocol. In this case, the printing operation is terminated without executing the printing.
[0015]
Also, the control method of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of interfaces for receiving data from the host device, the plurality of interfaces including at least one interface for determining the start and end of communication on an interface protocol. An interface, and a method for controlling an image forming apparatus having a printing unit for printing data input via any of the plurality of interfaces, wherein a character code is used from any of the plurality of interfaces. When the described data is input, printing is executed only when the data described in the character code is input via an interface that determines the start and end of communication on the interface protocol. And
[0016]
Further, in the control method of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, an interface for determining a start and an end of communication on the interface protocol is a wireless interface.
[0017]
Further, in the control method of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, when the data described in the character code is input through an interface in which the start and end of communication are not determined on the interface protocol among the plurality of interfaces. Is characterized by terminating the printing operation without executing the printing.
[0018]
The program according to the present embodiment causes a computer to execute the above control method.
[0019]
Further, the storage medium of the present embodiment is characterized in that the above-mentioned program is stored in a computer-readable manner.
[0020]
Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described.
[0021]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus is an ink jet printer, and the battery is a charging device that has a built-in battery and is detachable from the printer body. Shows the cradle, which is a stand for vertically storing the charger and both with the two attached. In addition, although a paper is described as an example of a recording medium to be recorded by the inkjet printer, the present invention is not limited to this, and any recordable sheet-shaped medium may be used.
[0022]
In FIG. 1, the appearance of the ink jet printer 800 has an integral shell structure including an upper case 801, a lower case 802, a paper feed cover 803, and a paper outlet cover 804. ) Take this form. On the side of the ink jet printer 800, a DCin jack (DC power input jack) 817 for inserting an AC adapter cable, which is a power supply, and an I / F connector (interface connector) 815 for connecting a USB cable are provided. I have. A paper supply cover 803 is a recording sheet supply tray for opening a recording sheet such as paper by opening to the printer body during recording.
[0023]
Next, the external appearance of the battery charger 900 is composed of a main case 901, a cover case 902, and a battery cover 903. The battery pack, which is a rechargeable battery, is removed by removing the battery cover 903 and opening the main case 901. Is possible.
[0024]
The mounting surface (connection surface) of the battery charger 900 with the ink jet printer 800 has a main body connector 904 for electrical connection and fixing screws 905 and 906 for mechanically attaching and fixing. The battery can be driven by connecting to the printer main body in the direction of arrow A in FIG. Further, on the top surface of the battery charger 900, there is provided a charge display portion 909 for indicating the state of charge of the battery. On the side surface of the battery charger 900, a CHG-DCin jack 907 for inserting an AC adapter cable as a power supply, A blind plate 908 for covering the DCin jack 817 of the inkjet printer 800 when the charger 900 is attached is provided.
[0025]
The cradle 950 functions as a table when inserted in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1 with the battery charger 900 attached to the inkjet printer 800.
[0026]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a state in which the battery charger 900 is mounted on the ink jet printer 800, as viewed obliquely from the rear side of the printer and the top side of the printer.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 2, a battery charger 900 is attached to the back of the ink jet printer 800 and fixed with fixing screws 905 and 906, so that the printer can be driven by a battery.
[0028]
As described above, the blind plate 908 provided on the battery charger 900 covers the DCin jack 817 of the inkjet printer 800. Therefore, when the user attaches the battery charger 900, he or she must insert the AC adapter cable into the CHG-DCin jack 907 of the battery charger 900, thereby preventing erroneous insertion.
[0029]
On the back surface of the battery charger 900, four feet 901a, 901b, 901c, and 901d provided on the main case 901 are provided. Further, on the rear surface, contact portions 910a, 910b, and 910c for electrically contacting when attached to the cradle 950 are provided.
[0030]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the charging display section 909 of the battery charger 900 is located on a top surface that is easily visible when the inkjet printer 800 is mounted and used, and is not obstructed even when the paper feed cover 803 is opened. It is arranged in.
[0031]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ink jet recording apparatus.
[0032]
In FIG. 3, a recording head 105 is mounted on a carriage 104 and is capable of reciprocating in a longitudinal direction along a scanning guide 103. The ink discharged from the recording head reaches the recording material (recording medium) 102 whose recording surface is regulated by the platen roller 101 at a minute interval from the recording head, and forms an image thereon.
[0033]
An ejection signal is supplied to the print head via the flexible cable 119 in accordance with image data. Reference numeral 114 denotes a carriage motor for scanning the carriage 104 along the scanning guide 103. A belt 113 transmits the driving force of the motor 114 to the carriage 104. Reference numeral 118 denotes a transport motor coupled to the platen roller 101 to transport the recording material 102.
[0034]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a block configuration of an image forming apparatus (recording apparatus) according to an embodiment.
[0035]
230 is a microprocessor unit, 233 is a ROM storing control data of the printing apparatus and a font for converting character codes into image data, and a program of the present embodiment described later. 234 is used as a work area when executing the program, Etc. are stored in the RAM. The microprocessor 230 checks the presence / absence of recording paper, the position of the carriage, and the state of the recovery system unit using sensors such as the paper end sensor 240, the carriage home sensor 243, and the recovery system sensor 237, while checking the conveyance motor driver 238 and the carriage motor driver. 241, a drive pulse is given to the recovery motor driver 235 to control the transport motor 239 (corresponding to 118 in FIG. 3), the carriage motor 242 (corresponding to 114 in FIG. 3), and the recovery motor 236. Reference numerals 231 and 232 denote an interface A and an interface B. A host computer or a portable electronic device (not shown) sends a file to be printed, a command for printing, and print data to the microprocessor 230 via this interface. In this embodiment, the interface A is an infrared interface, and the interface B is a centro interface. The interface A is an interface for determining the start and end of communication on the interface protocol. The management of the protocol of each interface is performed by the microprocessor 230. A recording head 244 records print data while being controlled by the microprocessor 230.
[0036]
Next, processing of the recording apparatus (printing apparatus) of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.
[0037]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing of the interface unit.
[0038]
First, in step S0, the print mode is initialized to undetermined. The print mode is a flag referred to by the program for processing print data shown in FIG. 6, and the data sent from the host device is print data composed of control commands and image data dedicated to the recording apparatus of the present embodiment. Indicates whether the print mode is present or data described by a character code such as a text file. If the print mode is not determined, it is set to undetermined. Note that the control commands dedicated to the printing apparatus of the present embodiment include a print start command and a printing end command dedicated to the printing apparatus of the present embodiment.
[0039]
Next, in step S1, wait until data is sent from the host device to the interface A or interface B, and if so, proceed to step S2 to determine whether data is sent from the interface A or the interface B. Is determined, and if it is from the interface A, the process proceeds to step S3, and the IF mode is set to A.
[0040]
Since the interface A is an infrared interface, data from the host device is sent in a packet format. Then, the process proceeds to step S5 to receive the data in the packet format. In step S6, it is determined from the header of the received packet data whether the packet data is a control packet for controlling communication or a print data packet. If it is a print data packet, the data event flag is set. The data event flag is for operating a program for processing print data shown in FIG.
[0041]
Then, in step S11, the next packet is requested from the host device, and the process returns to step S5 to wait for packet data from the host device.
[0042]
If it is a control packet in step S6, it is determined in step S7 whether the control packet is a disconnection packet for terminating communication. If not, a request for the next packet to the host device is made in the same manner as in step S11. It returns to step S5. If it is a disconnection packet, it means that all the print data has been sent, so the process proceeds to step S9, where a data end flag is set, and the process proceeds to step S14.
[0043]
If the interface is B in step S2, the flow advances to step S4 to set the IF mode to B, and the data event flag is set in step S12. Then, in step S13, the process waits until the print end flag is turned on. The print end flag is set by a program for processing print data shown in FIG. Finally, in step S14, since the print data has been completed, a print end process such as setting the print mode to undetermined or ejecting the paper if any exists.
[0044]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for processing print data.
[0045]
When the data event flag indicating that the print data has been sent from the host device in the processing of the interface unit shown in FIG. 5 is set, the program for processing the print data shown in FIG. 6 operates.
[0046]
First, in step S100, if a data event occurs while waiting for the data event flag, the flow advances to step S101 to determine whether or not the print mode has been determined. If it is sent from the device-dedicated driver, it is the print start command at first, so it is determined whether or not the sent data is the print start command. If so, the print mode is changed to the dedicated driver mode in step S103. Otherwise, the text mode is set in step S104.
[0047]
Then, the process proceeds to step S105, where the print mode determination flag is set, and the process proceeds to step S106. In step S106, the IF mode described with reference to FIG. 5 is checked, and if A (infrared interface) is set, the print mode is checked in step S107. Proceed to step S109.
[0048]
If the IF mode is B (centro interface) in step S106, the print mode is checked in step S110. If the print mode is the text mode, the process proceeds to step S110. If the IF mode is the dedicated driver mode, the process proceeds to step S113.
[0049]
Step S108 is a printing process when the IF mode is A (infrared interface) and the printing mode is the text mode. The printing process is performed in the text mode until the above-mentioned packet data is exhausted. If there is no more packet data, the process exits step S108, clears the data event flag in step S114, and returns to step S100 to wait for print data of the next packet.
[0050]
Step S109 is a printing process when the IF mode is A (infrared interface) and the printing mode is the dedicated driver mode. The dedicated driver mode printing process is performed until there is no packet data described above. If there is no more packet data, the process exits from step S109 and proceeds to step S114 described above. .
[0051]
Step S111 is print processing when the IF mode is B (Centro interface) and the print mode is the dedicated driver mode. The print processing is continued until a print end command from the dedicated driver of the recording apparatus of the present embodiment is received. When a print end command is received, a print end flag is set and the loop of step S13 in FIG. 5 is exited. Then, the process proceeds to step S114 described above.
[0052]
Step S113 is a process when the IF mode is B (Centro interface) and the print mode is the text mode. In step S113, the data sent from the host device is discarded, and the process proceeds to step S114.
[0053]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, printing is executed only when data described in a character code such as a text file is input from an interface where the start and end of communication are determined on an interface protocol. When input is made from an interface for which the start and end of communication are not determined on the interface protocol, the processing is ended without printing, so that a timeout is set after the data from the host device is interrupted. , It is possible to end printing normally.
[0054]
In addition, by providing the timeout period, the recording device is stopped by the timeout period, so that a smooth recording operation cannot be performed. Become.
[0055]
[Other embodiments]
Further, an object of each embodiment is to supply a storage medium (or a recording medium) in which a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or an apparatus, and a computer (or CPU) of the system or the apparatus. And MPU) reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the function of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a part or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0056]
Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function of the program is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU included in the expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.
[0057]
When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the flowcharts described above.
[0058]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, printing can be normally completed without providing a timeout after data from the host device is interrupted.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of an ink jet printer which is one embodiment of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a battery charger is mounted on the ink jet printer shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ink jet recording apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing of an interface unit.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for processing print data.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 transport roller 102 recording medium 103 guide rail 104 carriage 105 cartridge 113 carriage drive belt 114 carriage drive motor 118 transport motor 119 flexible cable 800 inkjet printer 801 upper case 802 lower case 803 paper feed cover 804 paper outlet cover 815 I / F connector 817 DCin jack 900 Battery charger 901 Main case 901a, 901b, 901c, 901d Foot 902 Cover case 903 Battery lid 904 Body connector 905, 906 Fixing screw 907 CHG-DCin jack 908 Blind plate 909 Charging indicator 910, 910a, 910b , 910c Contact point 950 Cradle 951 Upper case 951a Window 952 Floor member 944, 955 CDL decorative board 956 CDL-DCin jack 957 CDL rubber feet 958, 958a, 958b, 958c Contact terminal 959 Shutter members 959a, 959b, 959c Slit

Claims (1)

A plurality of interfaces for receiving data from the host device, the plurality of interfaces including at least one interface on which start and end of communication are determined on an interface protocol;
Printing means for printing data input via any of the plurality of interfaces,
When data described in a character code is input from any of the plurality of interfaces, the data described in the character code is transmitted through an interface where the start and end of communication are determined on the interface protocol. Control means for executing printing only when input is performed;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images