JP2817445B2 - Printing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus having a dump function, and more particularly, to a printing apparatus having a dump print mode. When this mode is set, data sent from a host computer is printed out. And a printing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many printing apparatuses are connected to a host computer such as a computer or a word processor.
The data to be output is printed out. At this time, the host computer not only transmits the character code, but also specifies the type of character font and gives various instructions such as line feed and page break.
The printing apparatus interprets such data sent from the host computer and performs printing.

When printing out data sent from a host computer in this way, an unintended print result may be obtained on the receiving side.
In such a case, it is necessary to analyze whether the printing apparatus itself has failed or whether the transmitted data itself has a problem. Conventionally, in such a case, the data transferred from the host computer is
The analysis was done by printing out in hexadecimal or binary code.

[0004]

An input prime signal may be received from the host computer during such a dump print. Here, the input prime signal is one of a group of signals sent from a host computer via an interface generally called Centronics. The input prime signal indicates that the received data is discarded and the inside of the device is returned to an initial state. This is an instruction signal. Conventionally, the printing apparatus which has received the input prime signal has stopped the printing operation of the data being printed out according to the instruction of the signal, and has initialized the apparatus. Therefore, when this input prime signal is received, there is a problem that code information around the input prime signal cannot be checked.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of executing a dump print even when a signal for instructing discard of received data such as an input prime signal or initialization of the apparatus is sent from a host computer. Is to provide.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a mode setting means for setting data sent from a host computer to a dump print mode for printing in binary or hexadecimal code, Discard instruction signal detecting means for detecting a discard instruction signal for instructing discard of the received data sent from the computer, and signal ignoring means for ignoring the instruction of this signal when the discard instruction signal is received in the dump print mode. When the discard instruction signal is received in the dump print mode, the printing apparatus is provided with printing means for visually distinguishing this signal and printing in chronological order together with data arrived before and after the discard instruction signal.

In other words, according to the first aspect of the present invention, if a discard instruction signal for instructing discard of received data is received on condition that the dump print mode is set, this is ignored and discard is not performed. To do. Then, in order to enable analysis of the signal state before and after the discard instruction signal, the discard instruction signal is visually distinguishable, and is printed out in chronological order together with data arriving before and after the discard instruction signal.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the mode setting means for setting the data sent from the host computer to a dump print mode for printing in binary or hexadecimal code, and initialization of the apparatus. Initialization instruction signal detection means for detecting an initialization instruction signal to be instructed; signal ignoring means for ignoring the instruction of this signal when the initialization instruction signal is received in the dump print mode; and initialization in the dump print mode. A printing device is provided with a printing means for printing the instruction signal in a time series together with data arriving before and after the instruction signal so that the signal can be visually distinguished.

In other words, according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the initialization instruction signal for instructing the initialization of the apparatus is received on condition that the apparatus is set to the dump print mode, the initialization is ignored and the initialization is performed. Don't do it. Then, in order to enable analysis of the signal state before and after the initialization instruction signal, the initialization instruction signal can be visually distinguished so as to be printed out in chronological order together with the data arrived before and after the initialization instruction signal.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows an outline of an image recording apparatus as an embodiment of the printing apparatus of the present invention. The image recording apparatus 11 includes a recording section 12 as a printer section exclusively for recording an image, and an image supply apparatus 13 for supplying an image to the recording section 12. A predetermined DC or AC power is supplied from a power supply unit 14 connected to the AC (AC). The image supply device 13 is connected to an operation panel 15 disposed on a front surface of a device main body (not shown).

In this image recording apparatus 11, print data to be recorded can be input in two systems. One of the methods is to input print data from a host computer (not shown) via a host interface (I / F) terminal 17. For example, the print data is input from a personal computer (not shown) to the image recording device 11 via a dedicated cable. Is supplied. Another method uses a local area network (L, not shown).
AN) via the input terminal 18 to input print data. In the latter case, there is a possibility that a plurality of devices on the local area network will be sources of print data.

As described above, the image recording apparatus 11 of this embodiment
Is the host interface terminal 17 or the input terminal 1
The print data can be supplied from various information processing devices such as a host computer and a workstation via the printer 8. There are many types of information processing devices, and the control data transmitted by these is not necessarily unified. That is, the control data sent from a certain device is designed to finely specify the size of paper or characters to be printed, but the control data of another device cannot perform such specification. Therefore, this image recording device 1
Reference numeral 1 denotes necessary instruction information 1 regarding recording from the operation panel 15.
9 can be input and can be transmitted to the image supply device 13. The image supply device 13 returns the response information 21 to this.

Since the image recording apparatus 11 is provided with the operation panel 15, even if the information processing apparatus specifies the size of the paper to be recorded or the size of the characters as the control data, the operation panel 15 can be used. Can input the instruction information 19. In such a case, it is possible to always give priority to the instruction from the information processing device,
The input on the operation panel 15 can also be prioritized. It is also possible to give priority to the one given the instruction later in time.

In the image recording apparatus 11 of this embodiment, the recording unit 1
Reference numeral 2 denotes a laser printer, for example, which transmits and receives various signals to and from the image supply device 13 to perform a recording operation, and discharges the recording paper 23 on which recording has been performed on one side or both sides. . That is, the recording unit 12 determines what kind of recording paper is stored in a cassette tray (not shown) equipped with the recording unit 12 and a fixing unit (not shown).
Various status signals 2 such as whether the toner has reached the fixing temperature
4 is sent to the image supply device 13. A synchronization pulse 25 for synchronizing the image transfer with the recording unit 12 is also sent to the image supply device 13. The image supply device 13 supplies various operation command signals 26 and an image signal 27 as recording contents to the recording unit 12 in response thereto.

FIG. 2 shows a main part of a circuit configuration of such an image recording apparatus. The image recording device 11
A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 which performs a central function of various controls is provided. The CPU 31 is a CPU bus 32
Through various circuit devices. The panel interface circuit 33 is a circuit for interfacing with the operation panel 15 shown in FIG. For example, when the operator of the apparatus operates the operation panel 15, an instruction signal corresponding to the operation is output and the CPU bus 32
Will be transferred above.

The host interface circuit 34 is a circuit for interfacing with a host such as a host computer. For example, the host interface circuit 34 has a circuit configuration that receives print data input from the host based on the RS232C standard. The non-volatile memory (NVM) 35 is a memory backed up by a battery (not shown),
Necessary data can be retained even when the power of the image recording apparatus 11 itself is turned off. Programmable
The timer counter (PTC) 37 is a type of a known counter circuit, and performs processing such as measuring time and generating timing. The RAM 38 is a working memory, and temporarily stores data necessary for performing various controls of the image recording apparatus and print data input from the host interface circuit 34. The program memory 39 is a memory storing a program for controlling the image recording apparatus. The character pattern memory 41 is a memory called a so-called font memory, and stores character patterns used when performing printout. The bitmap memory 42 is a memory for performing electronic editing by pasting the generated character pattern in correspondence with one page of the recording paper. Recording unit interface circuit 4
3 supplies the bit data developed in the bitmap memory 42 to the recording unit 12 shown in FIG. 1 as an image signal 27 as raster data, or converts the other various signals 24 to 26 shown in FIG. An interface circuit for transmitting and receiving data to and from the recording unit 12. Bitmap controller 4
Reference numeral 4 controls such image transfer.

Since the image recording apparatus can be connected to various hosts as described above, a program or a character pattern corresponding to print data or control data sent from the host may be required. The program memory 46 and the character pattern memory 47 are both read-only memories in the form of removable cartridges, and can be selectively used to correspond to these various hosts or to realize special functions required by the operator. Is to be connected to.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration of an operation panel of the image recording apparatus. A display unit 50 is arranged at an upper part of the operation panel 15, and eight keys 5 are arranged below the display unit 50.
2 to 59 are arranged. The display unit 50 has 16 characters x 2
It has a row display area. In the online mode in which data can be transmitted to and received from the host computer, this display area is divided into the following seven display areas 61 to 67. The seven display areas include a document selection display area 61 for displaying the size of the selected document, a determination result display area 62 for displaying a result of determination as to whether or not printing is possible at the specified magnification, and a storage area in the selected tray. Paper selection display area 63 for displaying the size of the copied paper, number of copies display area 64, paper direction display area 65, paper position display area 66, and emulation display area 67 for displaying the name of the device to be emulated.
It is.

The contents of the eight keys 51 to 58 are as follows. The mode key 51 is for switching between an online mode in which data can be transmitted / received to / from the host computer and an offline mode in which data transmission / reception to / from the host computer is interrupted. The document selection key 52 is used to select the size of a document in the online mode. Each time the key is pressed, “A3”, “B4”,
The document size is switched in the order of “A4”,. The size of the document selected by the document selection key 52 is displayed in a document selection display area 61. Note that this document selection key 5
In 2, the size can be set independently of the actual document size. The menu that can be selected with the document selection key 52 also includes an instruction for printing at the same size. When this is selected, “TOWER” is displayed in the document selection display area 61. The tray selection key 53 is used to select the size of the paper to be printed by selecting the tray containing the paper in the online mode. Each time the key is pressed, the “upper tray”, “lower tray”, “ The order is switched in the order of “manual feed”, and the size of the paper stored in the selected tray is displayed in the paper selection display area 63. Therefore, the image recording device 1
A size that is not actually set to 1 cannot be selected.
The two keys 54 and 55 are used to select the number of copies in the online mode. When the up key 54 is pressed, the number of copies increases, and when the down key 55 is pressed, the number of copies decreases. The selected number of copies is displayed in the number of copies display area 64. The memory key 56 is for storing items set for a specific application in the offline mode. The key 57 is a key for selecting whether the paper direction is portrait or landscape in the online mode, and the selected paper direction is displayed in the paper direction display area 65. The key 58 is a key for selecting a position to place a sheet from, for example, “left” or “center” in the online mode. The selected sheet position is displayed in the sheet position display area 66, and is input in the offline mode. Key to set items. Pressing the keys 51 and 56 simultaneously resets the setting items.

(Setting of Dump Print)

In this image recording apparatus, the data sent from the host computer can be printed out in a hexadecimal or binary code by setting a dump print mode. To set this mode, the image recording apparatus must first be set to a mode called a utility mode.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation procedure in the utility mode. The display panel 50 and eight keys 51 to 5 are provided on the operation panel 15 shown in FIG.
The character "printable" is printed between the characters 8 and 8, and a lamp 59 is arranged on the left side of the character. When this lamp 59 lights up, it is displayed that printing is possible. The CPU 31 shown in FIG.
Is determined (step S101), and in this state, the pressed state of each of the keys 51 to 58 is monitored. When the mode key 51 is pressed under this monitoring (step S102; Y),
The device shifts to the “utility mode” and the display unit 50
Is displayed (step S103). On the other hand, when another key is pressed in step S102 (step S104; Y), the work assigned to each key is executed online.

After the display of "utility mode" is displayed on the display unit 50, the operator presses the up key 54 or the down key 55 in this state to set a desired mode (steps S105 and S106). . Up key 5
When 4 is pressed (Step S105; Y), the utility mode is counted up to one of a predetermined number of modes (Step S107), and the contents of the mode are displayed on the display unit 50 (Step S108). When the down key 55 is pressed (Step S106; Y), the countdown is performed to one of the predetermined number of modes in the utility mode (Step S109), and the contents of the mode are displayed on the display unit 50 (Step S10). Similarly, each time the up key 54 or the down key 55 is pressed once, the contents of the mode are counted up or down one by one and displayed. By appropriately pressing the up key 54 or the down key 55 in this manner, the display unit 5
The character "Dump Print Mode" for performing the dump print can be displayed in the upper display area of 0. In this apparatus, since a plurality of modes that can be selected in the utility mode are cyclically displayed one by one, even when a desired mode is overlooked, the up key 54 or the down key 55 is pressed. By repeatedly pressing the button, the desired mode can be displayed again.

FIG. 5 shows the display contents of the display unit when the mode is set to the dump print mode. The text “dump print mode” is displayed in the upper part of the display unit 50. In the lower part, the characters "hex" and "binary" are displayed. This is to allow the user to select whether to display the dump print in hexadecimal or binary. When the operator operates the document selection key (left direction key) 52 or the tray selection key (right direction key) 53 (step S111; Y), the cursor 71 is moved and displayed leftward or rightward accordingly (step S111; Y). Step S112). Then, when the operator presses the setting key 58 in a state where the cursor 71 is present at a desired position of “hexadecimal” or “binary” (step S113; Y), it is set that the code is printed out. (Step S114), dump printing is started.

FIG. 6 shows the state of print control in dump printing. In the image recording apparatus of this embodiment, when a character code, a control code, or an input prime signal is received in the dump print mode, the CPU 31 (FIG. 2) is notified by an interrupt process. Therefore, the CPU 31 waits for an interrupt reception (step S201), and if there is an interrupt (Y), determines whether or not it is an input prime code (signal) (step S202). In the case of an input prime code (Y), this is converted to an asterisk (*) code (step S203). Then, the asterisk code is converted into a dot pattern and printing is performed (step S204). On the other hand, if it is not the input prime code (step S20)
2; N), the code is converted into a corresponding dot pattern and printing is performed (step S204). As described above, when the input prime code arrives between the character code and the control code, these are printed out as visible data in time series.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are for explaining the state of the dump print performed in this manner.
FIG. 7 shows an example of the relationship between the data sent from the host computer and the reception timing of the input prime code. Character codes are sent from the host computer in the order of “1,” “2,” “3,” “4,”..., And input at time t between character codes “3” and “4”. Assume that the prime code has been received.

In this case, as shown in principle in FIG. 8, the data after the character code "3" is also subject to printing. Then, an asterisk * indicating the input prime code is printed between the printing of the character code "3" and the printing of the next character code "4". As a result, the operator can not only check the reception status of the data in chronological order but also analyze the data printed before and after the input prime code in relation to the reception time.

FIG. 9 shows another example of the time point at which the input prime code is received. In this case, the character code “4” immediately after the input prime code is received is underlined. In addition, various processes such as inverting the character immediately after or immediately before reception in black and white, or inserting a special character at the reception position and printing the character can be performed.

[0030]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the dump print mode is set, even if a signal for instructing to discard the received data, such as an input prime signal, arrives, it is discarded. Is not performed, the received data can be reliably analyzed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in a state where the apparatus is set to the dump print mode, initialization is not performed even when a signal instructing initialization of the apparatus, such as an input prime signal, arrives. Therefore, there is an effect that the dump print can be continued and the received data can be printed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of an image recording apparatus as one embodiment of a printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main part of a circuit configuration of the image recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of an operation panel of the image recording apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an operation in a utility mode in the apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing display contents of a display unit when a dump print mode is set in the apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating print control in dump printing in the apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the relationship between data sent from a host computer and the reception timing of an input prime code.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the content printed under the reception conditions shown in FIG. 7 in the apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the content printed under the reception conditions shown in FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

11 image recording device, 12 recording unit, 15 operation panel, 31 CPU, 34 host interface circuit 3
4, 38 RAM, 39 program memory, 41 character pattern memory, 50 display unit

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. Mode setting means for setting a dump print mode for printing data sent from a host computer in a binary or hexadecimal code, and instructing discard of received data sent from the host computer. A discard instruction signal detecting means for detecting a discard instruction signal to be executed, a signal ignoring means for ignoring the instruction of this signal when the discard instruction signal is received in the dump print mode, and a discard instruction signal being received in the dump print mode. And a printing means for printing the signals in time series together with data arriving before and after the signals so that the signals can be visually distinguished. 2. A mode setting means for setting a dump print mode for printing data sent from a host computer in a binary or hexadecimal code, and detecting an initialization instruction signal for instructing initialization of the apparatus. Means for detecting an initialization instruction signal, a signal ignoring means for ignoring the instruction of this signal when the initialization instruction signal is received in the dump print mode, and a signal ignoring means for receiving the initialization instruction signal in the dump print mode. A printing apparatus, comprising: printing means for printing a signal in time series with data arriving before and after the signal so that the signal can be visually distinguished.