JP2571860Y2 - Printer device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

The present invention relates to an LED for performing a printing process based on print data output from an external host device.
The present invention relates to a printer device such as a printer and an LCS printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, printer devices such as an LED printer and an LCS printer are expensive, so that a single printer device is often used in common by a plurality of host devices.
In this case, if the host device connected to the printer device differs, the format and data structure of the print control information input to the printer device differ. For this reason, in a printer device requiring versatility as described above, a so-called emulation cartridge in which a processing program corresponding to the connected host device is cartridge-processed in order to perform a process corresponding to the connected host device. Use by attaching to the device.

When printing is performed by a printer , basic preconditions for a print output format such as a page format, a paper direction, the number of copies, a paper margin, a print font, and the like.
Must be set as print style data (hereinafter referred to as format data) . The format data may be determined to some extent by the connected host device, or may be selectable by the user. For example, the page format and the print font such as Mincho and Gothic are determined to some extent by the connected host device, and the user can freely select items such as the paper direction and the number of copies. These data are stored in a non-volatile memory in the printer device in advance by operating a switch provided in an operation / display unit of the printer device, for example. When performing the printing process, the emulation cartridge corresponding to the connected host device is attached to the printer device, and the
The format data stored in the storage memory is read, and printing processing is performed in the format desired by the user with the format data corresponding to the host device.

[0004]

However, when a plurality of host devices are connected to a printer device to perform a printing process, a user reads corresponding format data from a non-volatile memory every time the host device is switched, and, for example, reads a work area of a CPU. RAM). Therefore,
The printing process is complicated.

When the power of the printer is turned on, the format data registered at, for example, the address “0” of the nonvolatile memory is read out to the work area regardless of the host device connected thereto. At this time, it is sufficient that the host device corresponding to the read format data is connected to the printer device. Otherwise, the format data must be changed as described above. Therefore, also in this case, the processing becomes complicated, and efficient printing processing cannot be performed.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention makes it possible to easily set desired format data even when the host device is changed or in the initial state of the printer after the power is turned on. It is an object to provide a printer device.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a printer device which performs printing processing in accordance with character information and print control information input from a higher-level device, and is configured to be detachable from and replaceable with an apparatus main body. A memory cartridge including a ROM storing a control program for executing a printing operation corresponding to the printing operation, setting means for inputting and setting printing format data for defining basic preconditions of a printing output format, a working memory for storing the print style data, reads the control program from the memory cartridge mounted, and having a central processing unit for executing printing control in accordance with the print style data and the control program, the memory cartridge Before
A non-volatile memory for storing the print style data input by the serial setting means, the print style de time of initial setting of the apparatus above the working memory stored in the non-volatile memory
Data is automatically set.

[0008]

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of the printer of the present embodiment, and particularly shows a system block diagram in which a plurality of host computers are connected to the printer. In FIG. 1, the system configuration in the printer device 1 includes an MPU 2 as a central processing unit, a RAM 3 as a working memory, an EEPROM 4, and an operation / setting unit as a setting unit.
It comprises a display unit 5, a built-in EMROM 6, and the like. The printer device 1 is connected to a plurality of host computers 8a, 8b,... The host computers 8a, 8b,.
8n is a host device (host device) with respect to the printer device 1, and host computers 8a, 8b,.
From n, character information and print control information are output to the printer device 1 via the switch 10 and the host I / F 7.

The built-in EMROM 6 performs an initial setting process when the printer 1 is powered on, or the host computer 8a,
8b,... 8n is a memory for storing a program such as a switching process.
Alternatively, it has a program for reading format data from an EEPROM 9 ′ to be described later and writing the format data to the RAM 3. RAM3
Stores format data read from the EEPROM 4 or 9 ', and stores operation data generated during the control processing of the MPU 2. The operation / display unit 5 includes various function keys and DIP switches, and is used for setting format data.

The EEPROM 4 is a non-volatile memory having an area for storing a plurality of format data, and its configuration is shown in FIG. The EEPROM 4 has a large number of storage areas (No.
1 to No. n), and format data set by operating a dip switch is stored in these areas.
For example, the storage area No. 1 has the host computer 8a
Is stored, and page format setting data for printing character information output from the host computer 8a, paper direction setting data, margin forming data, and the like are stored. The storage area No. 2 stores format data for printing character information output from the host computer 8b.
Stores format data for printing character information output from the host computers 8c, 8d,... corresponding to o.3, No.4,.

On the other hand, the printer 1 is provided with a cartridge adapter (not shown) to which an emulation cartridge 9 as a memory cartridge can be mounted.
An emulation cartridge 9 corresponding to the drive of the host computers 8a, 8b,. The emulation cartridge 9 contains programs and intermediate codes necessary for analyzing character information and print control information output from the corresponding host computers 8a, 8b,... 8n. The emulation cartridge 9 has a built-in EEPROM 9 'as a nonvolatile memory for storing the same format data as the format data stored in the EEPROM 4. However,
The EEPROM 9 'stores only format data for printing using the emulation cartridge 9 incorporating the EEPROM 9'. That is, FIG.
The above-mentioned EEPROM 4 shown in FIG.
3, No. 4,..., And stores all format data to be printed by the printer device 1, whereas the EEPROM 9 'in the emulation cartridge 9 uses the corresponding emulation cartridge 9. Only the format data of is stored.

Next, the operation of the printer 1 of the present embodiment will be described. First, when the power of the printer device 1 is turned on,
The MPU 2 performs an initial setting process. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating this initial setting process. The MPU 2 determines whether the emulation cartridge 9 is mounted on the printer device 1 (step (hereinafter referred to as ST)).
1). This determination is made based on a signal output when a sensor provided on a cartridge adapter (not shown) detects the mounting of the emulation cartridge 9, for example.
Here, if the emulation cartridge 9 is mounted (ST1 is Y (yes)), the format data is read from the EEPROM 9 'in the emulation cartridge 9 and written into the RAM 3 (ST2). On the other hand, if the emulation cartridge 9 is not mounted (S
T1 is N (No), EEPROM 4 of the printer 1
And reads the format data from RAM and writes it to RAM 3 (ST
3). Therefore, when the emulation cartridge 9 is mounted, the format data is always read from the EEPROM 9 ', and this format data is the format data for which the data rewriting process has always been performed as described later.

Next, it is determined whether there is an initial data rewriting process (ST4), and if not, the process proceeds to a print control process. This print control processing is not specifically shown, but will be briefly described. The character code and print control information output from the host computer (for example, the host computer 8a) selected by the user are stored in the RAM via the host I / F7.
Then, when a predetermined amount of data is written to the RAM 3, the character code is read from the RAM 3 and converted into corresponding dot pattern data. The print control information is stored in RAM
When read out from the emulation cartridge 9, the command is converted into, for example, a corresponding intermediate code based on the program of the emulation cartridge 9 and the command is analyzed. Based on this analysis, the above-described dot pattern data is stored in a frame memory (not shown).

Thereafter, when data for one page of paper is stored in the frame memory, the data in the frame memory is thereafter output to a printing unit (not shown), and printing processing is executed. At this time, printing on the paper is performed based on the format data stored in the RAM 3. That is, the print format, the margin width of the paper, the print font, the transport direction of the paper, and the like are set based on the format data.

On the other hand, when there is a change in the format data registered in the EEPROM 4, the determination (ST4) becomes Y and M
PU2 receives the setting of the format data (ST5). Specifically, the user sets the format data by operating the operation / display unit 5 to read out the format data stored in the RAM 3 and display the format data. Then, the user operates a dip switch while looking at this display, and writes desired data. For example, rewriting processing such as changing the direction of the paper from vertical to horizontal or changing the typeface is performed. The new format data thus rewritten is stored in the RAM 3 by operating, for example, an execution key or the like of the operation / display unit 5, is output to the emulation cartridge 9 and is written in the EEPROM 9 '(ST6). ). That is, the emulation cartridge 9 currently in use at this time is mounted, and the changed format data can be written easily.

Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the format data used at this time is written in the RAM 3 and the same data is always written in the EEPROM 9 'of the emulation cartridge 9. In addition, RAM
The format data written in 3 is written in the EEPROM 4 when the use of the printer 1 is finished.

The contents stored in the EEPROM 9 'as described above are retained even after the emulation cartridge 9 is removed from the printer device 1 and the power is turned off. At the time of the above-mentioned initial setting process executed after the power of the printer device 1 is turned on, the data is read out to the RAM 3 (ST1, ST2). still,
When the power of the printer 1 is turned on and the emulation cartridge 9 is not mounted, the format data stored in the EEPROM 4 is read out in the same manner as described above (ST1, ST3).

[0018]

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, even when the printer device of the present invention is changed, the format data stored in the non-volatile memory provided in the emulation cartridge is automatically stored in the printer. The format data can be easily set because the data is written to the work memory of the first embodiment.

Since the format data is read from the non-volatile memory provided in the emulation cartridge, the desired format data can always be set in the working memory even at the initial stage of use of the printer, so that the printing can be performed quickly. It becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram in which a host computer is connected to a printer of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an EEPROM in the printer device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printer device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a RAM of the printer device according to the embodiment and an EEPROM in an emulation cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer apparatus 2 MPU 3 RAM 4, 9 'EEPROM 5 Operation / display part 6 Built-in EMROM 7 Host interface 8a, 8b, ... 8n Host computer 9 Emulation cartridge 10 Switching device

Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-1-192575 (JP, A) JP-A-3-230989 (JP, A) JP-A-1-159272 (JP, A) JP-A-1-183729 (JP) JP-A-63-59563 (JP, A) JP-A-62-111776 (JP, A) JP-A-60-70461 (JP, A) JP-A-63-188224 (JP, A) 2-121860 (JP, A) JP-A-62-297926 (JP, A) JP-A-3-279 (JP, A) JP-A-4-78923 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. 1-161038 (JP, A) U)

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A printer device for performing a printing process in accordance with character information and print control information input from a higher-level device, the control device being configured to be detachably exchangeable with a device main body and executing a printing operation corresponding to the print control information. A memory cartridge including a ROM in which a program is stored, setting means for inputting and setting print format data for defining basic preconditions of a print output format, and a working memory for storing the set print format data ; Central processing means for reading out the control program from the mounted memory cartridge and executing print control in accordance with the print style data and the control program; and the memory cartridge is inputted by the setting means.
Having a non-volatile memory for storing the print style data, the printer apparatus when the initial setting of the apparatus above the working memory, characterized in that the printing style data stored in the nonvolatile memory is automatically set .