JP2859755B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery-driven recording device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a battery is driven in a device such as a printer having a large load variation, the battery voltage is likely to drop at a peak load exceeding the battery supply capacity. Will not return. In particular, at the end of the battery capacity, the battery voltage drops and falls out of the operation range, and the operation becomes impossible.

For this reason, conventionally, in a battery-driven printing apparatus, when a battery voltage falls below a certain level, a warning is issued to an operator to urge replacement of the battery.

[0004]

However, in the above-described conventional example, if printing becomes impossible during printing, the power is turned off and the battery is replaced. Therefore, printing must be performed again from the beginning after the battery is replaced. However, there is a disadvantage that the printed matter is wasted until printing becomes impossible. In addition,
Provide a backup power supply in parallel with the power
Apparatus for backing up the entire recording device at the time of battery replacement
It is described in JP-A-55-95164. But
However, this equipment requires a large backup power supply.
As a result, the size of the recording device itself has increased
Was.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus which does not require re-recording from the beginning after replacing a battery. Another aspect of the present invention
It is possible to prevent the backup power supply from becoming large
To provide a simple recording device.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power supply provided from a main power supply.
Recording means for performing recording based on the recording data by the sources, small
At least a storage means for storing and storing the recording data , and a backup for backing up only this storage means
And a power supply, the measured voltage of the main power, if the measured value is equal to or less than the allowable value, the voltage monitor means for generating a detection signal, stops operation of said recording means in response to said detection signal Set and indicate that the operation has stopped halfway
A first recording control unit for performing a stop process including a flag setting process for the storage unit ;
According to the set flag, the data is stored in the storage means.
Based on the recording data, determine whether the recording
And a second recording control means for canceling the recording stop state.

[0007] In addition, the invention of the second embodiment, in addition to the invention of the first embodiment, further comprises instruction means for instructing release of the recording stop state of the recording means, and wherein the second recording control means comprises: The recording stop state of the recording means is released on the condition that the instruction from the means is received and the generated detection signal has disappeared.

[0008]

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, information used for recording is stored in a backup storage means so as not to be lost by replacing the battery. Further, when the battery as the main power supply is replaced, a voltage drop is detected by the voltage monitoring means, the recording means is set to the operation stop state, and the recovery of the voltage is detected by disappearance of the detection signal of the voltage monitoring means. The recording operation of the recording means is automatically restarted by releasing the operation stop state. According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the operator can instruct the restart of the recording operation via the instructing means. For this purpose, the execution condition of the second recording control means for canceling the recording stop state is instructed by the instructing means. Receiving the instructions of, and
It is assumed that the voltage is equal to or higher than the allowable value (the detection signal disappears).

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the basic configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1000 denotes recording means for performing recording based on recording-related information.

Reference numeral 1100 denotes a storage unit having a backup power supply 1050 for storing the recording-related information.

Reference numeral 1300 denotes voltage monitoring means for measuring the voltage of the main power supply 1200 and generating a detection signal when the measured value falls below an allowable value.

Reference numeral 1400 denotes first recording control means for setting the recording means to an operation stop state while the detection signal is being generated.

Reference numeral 1500 denotes second recording control means for releasing the recording stop state of the recording means on condition that the detection signal disappears after the generation of the detection signal.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect,
Instructing means 2000 for instructing the canceling of the recording stop state of the recording means, wherein the second recording control means receives the instruction of the instructing means and confirms that the generated detection signal has disappeared. The recording stop state of the recording means is released on condition.

FIG. 2 shows the appearance of an electronic typewriter to which the present invention is applied.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a keyboard, and 21 denotes a display.

When the printing operation is resumed after replacing the battery, a message indicating that the printing has been stopped in the middle of printing is displayed on the display unit 2.
1 and selects whether or not to resume printing in response to an input from the keyboard 20. When the user inputs print data from the keyboard, the carriage 102 of the printer unit
Moves in the direction of the platen 103 (left and right), presses the thermal head 5 against the platen 103, and intermittently applies power to a heating element (not shown) of the thermal head 5 to record ink in the ribbon cassette 105. The image is transferred to the sheet 106 and a printing operation is performed.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a circuit configuration of the first embodiment.

In FIG. 3 , reference numeral 1 denotes a battery (main power supply);
Reference numeral 4 denotes a DC / DC converter, and reference numeral 5 denotes a thermal head of the printer. 6 is a motor, 7 is a central processing unit (C
PU) and P1 are A / D ports for detecting a battery voltage level. 8 is a read only memory (ROM) for storing a control program, and 9 is a random access memory (RAM) as storage means for storing program variables.
It is. 10 is a diode, 11 is a capacitor (backup power supply), and 12 is a switch.

The supply voltage of the battery 1 is converted into appropriate voltages by DC / DC converters 2, 3 and 4, and the thermal head 5, motor 6, CPU 7, ROM 8,
The power is supplied to the RAM 9. CPU7 / ROM8
RAM 9 Thermal head 5 Motor 6 is connected via a system bus (not shown).
The printing is performed by controlling the thermal head 5 and the motor 6 according to the program stored in the memory 8.

When the switch 12 is turned off and the supply from the battery 1 is cut off, the contents of the RAM 9 are held by the power supply from the capacitor 11.

FIG. 4 shows a control processing procedure for interruption of printing executed by the CPU 7 of FIG.

First, in step S100, the CPU 7 reads the battery voltage level from the A / D port P1. Next, in step S110, the print inhibition level information stored in the ROM 8 is compared with the battery voltage level information read in S100. At this time, the CPU 7 operates as the voltage monitoring means of the present invention. If the battery voltage level is not lower than the print prohibition level, the control process is terminated. If the battery voltage is equal to or lower than the print prohibition level, the process proceeds to step S115, and processing for stopping the printer is performed . In step S120 to have continued, and sets a flag indicating that the stop in the middle of printing, and waits until the switch 12 is turned off by the operator. CPU 7 when executing this processing
Operates as the first recording control means of the present invention.

The interruption of printing is controlled by inserting the above processing into each of the interruptable steps in the print processing program.

FIG. 5 shows a control processing procedure for resuming printing.

In FIG. 5, when the switch 12 is turned on by the operator and the power is turned on, first, in step S1.
At 30, an initial setting process of the apparatus is performed. Next, in step S140, it is determined whether the flag is set. If it is not set, it is determined that there is no interruption during printing, and this control processing ends. If the flag has been set, in step S150, a print restoration process is performed in accordance with the contents stored in the RAM 9 backed up by the capacitor 11, and printing is restarted in step S160. The CPU 7 at this time operates as the second recording control means of the present invention. At this time, when the voltage of the battery 1 is equal to or lower than the allowable value, it goes without saying that the recording is stopped by the above-described control.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 6 shows a circuit configuration of a second embodiment. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that an output port P2 is added to the CPU 7.

The port P2 is connected to DC / DC converters 2, 3
And 4, the DC / DC converters 2, 3 and 4 are disconnected by the output of P2.

FIG. 7 shows a print interruption processing procedure of the CPU 7 in the second embodiment.

First, in step S200, the battery voltage level is read from the A / D port P1. Next, in step S210, the print prohibition level information stored in the ROM 8 is compared with the battery voltage level read in S200. If the battery voltage level is not lower than the print prohibition level, the control process is terminated. If the battery voltage level is equal to or lower than the print prohibition level, the process advances to step S215 to perform processing for stopping the printer. In step S220, a flag indicating that printing has stopped halfway is set, and port P is set.
2, the DC / DC converters 2, 3 and 4 are disconnected.

The interruption of printing is controlled by inserting the above processing into each of the interruptible steps in the print processing program.

The control procedure for restarting printing after the power is turned on again is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

(Third Embodiment) In the first and second embodiments described above, the battery voltage level is detected at each of the interruptable steps in the printing process. A description will be given of a third embodiment in which a timer (not shown) is provided in the CPU 7 for monitoring and the battery voltage level is detected at regular intervals.

FIG. 8 shows a routine for monitoring the battery voltage level, which measures a certain time by the timer and executes the interruption in response to the time-out signal.

First, in step S300, the battery voltage level is read from the A / D port P1. Next, in step S310, the print permission level information stored in the ROM 8 is compared with the battery voltage level read in S300. If the battery voltage level is not lower than the print prohibition level, the control process is terminated. If the battery voltage level is lower than the print prohibition level, a flag indicating that the battery voltage level is lower than the print prohibition level is set in step S320. This control processing ends.

In the control of printing interruption, the CPU 7 judges the necessity of printing interruption by judging the contents of the flag instead of reading the battery voltage.

(Fourth Embodiment) In the above-described embodiment, when the battery voltage level reaches the print prohibition level range even once, the print stop state is set and printing cannot be resumed until the print stop state is released. This is an example.

The battery voltage changes depending on the environmental temperature. Therefore, if the battery voltage becomes higher than the print prohibition level after printing is stopped, printing can be automatically restarted.
An example will be described.

FIG. 9 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
The print control procedure executed by the PU 7 will be described.

In FIG. 9, the CPU 7 first reads the battery voltage level from the A / D port P1 in step S400. Then, in step S410, the ROM
8 is compared with the battery voltage level read in S400. If the battery voltage level is not lower than the print prohibition level, the control process is terminated. If the battery voltage level is lower than the print prohibition level, the process proceeds to step S415. Perform the process of stopping the printer. Step S42 even after the printer is stopped
At 0, the battery voltage level is read by the A / D port P1. At step S430, the print permission level stored in the ROM 8 is compared with the battery voltage level read at S420. Repeat this until it returns.

After returning to the print permission level or higher, a process for restarting the printer operation is performed in step S435, and the process ends. The above processing is inserted into each interruptible step in the print processing to control the interruption / restart of the printing.

(Fifth Embodiment) In the fourth embodiment described above, the battery voltage level is detected at each interruptible step in the printing process. However, the battery voltage is monitored more finely. 2 shows an example in which a timer (not shown) is provided in the CPU 7 and the battery voltage level is detected at regular intervals.

A certain time is measured by a timer, and the CPU 7 executes a routine for monitoring the battery voltage level shown in FIG. 10 every time the certain time elapses. In this monitoring routine, first, in step S500, the battery voltage level is read from the A / D port P1. Then, in step S510,
The print permission level stored in the ROM 8 is compared with the battery voltage level read in S500. If the battery voltage level is not lower than the print prohibition level, this process is terminated. If the battery voltage level is lower than the print prohibition level, the process proceeds to step S520. Is set to indicate that the value has become below the print prohibition level, and the process is terminated.

FIG. 10 shows a control routine for interrupting and resuming printing, which is executed at each interruptible step in the printing process.

First, in step S550, the contents of the flag are determined. If the flag is not set, the process is terminated. If the flag is set, step S55 is performed.
At 5, the printer is stopped.

Then, at step S560, the A / D port P
The battery voltage level is read by 1. Step S565
Then, the print permission level previously stored in the ROM 8 and S56
The battery voltage level read at 0 is compared with the battery voltage level, and if the battery voltage level does not reach the print permission level, the process returns to S560 and repeats this until the battery voltage level returns to the print permission level or more by replacing the battery. When the battery voltage returns to the print permission level or higher, a process of restarting the printer operation is performed in step S590, and the flag is reset in step S580, that is, the print stop state is released, and the printable state is set. To end.

(Sixth Embodiment) Next, an example in which a warning display is performed in connection with the stop of the printing process due to the decrease in the battery voltage will be described. FIG. 12 shows a circuit configuration of this embodiment.

In the figure, a first battery BT1 is used as a main power source.
Is used to stabilize the voltage through a DC-DC converter DD which is a power supply stabilizing circuit and supply power to each unit.

There is a backup circuit BT2 using a second battery to hold the data in the rewritable memory RAM when the battery capacity decreases or when the power switch is turned off. The backup circuit BT2 uses the first battery BT1 or the backup circuit BT2. Via the diode D1 or D2, the memory RAM is always backed up and holds data regardless of whether the power is on or off.

Changes in the battery capacities of the first battery BT1 and the backup circuit BT2 are detected by voltage detection circuits VD1 and VD1.
It is detected by measuring the voltage at D2. The measurement results of the voltage detection circuits VD1 and VD2 using the A / D converter are digitally converted and input to the control unit CN. The print data is input from the keyboard KY, converted into a code signal by the control unit CN, and stored in the rewritable memory RAM.

The read only memory ROM has a control unit CN.
A program command for performing arithmetic processing, data for performing printing and display, a fixed data table for performing time control, and the like are stored.
Is read out.

This embodiment has a timer circuit TM, and performs periodic scanning of the keyboard KY input, battery voltage detection timing, control timing of the printer mechanism PR, output timing of the display DS, and the like in conjunction with the control unit CN. Controlling.

Printing to the printer mechanism PR is executed by sequentially outputting print data stored in the memory RAM from the control unit CN via the printer drive circuit DR1 when a print command is externally input. At this time, control information such as a sensor (not shown) is transmitted from the printer to the receiving circuit RX1.
Is input to the control unit CN via the.

The display unit DS displays document data necessary for document creation, a mode display for confirming a setting state, display data for various messages, and the like from the control unit CN to the drive circuit DR2.
Is output via.

Next, the printing operation will be described with reference to the operation flow of FIG.

When the power of the apparatus is turned on (step: S
1) In step 2, the voltage of the first battery BT1 is measured to detect the battery capacity. Current battery voltage V a minimum battery voltage for the printer to operate was determined that the V _min
If V _B ≧ V _{min as} compared with _B , the device is determined to be operable and an initialization operation is performed (S3).

If V _B <V _min , it is determined that the printer cannot be operated, a warning display urging replacement of the battery or charging of the secondary battery is output to the display section DS, and a warning sound is generated at the buzzer BZ ( S21). Next, the operation of the device is locked (S
22), end this procedure.

[0060] After completion of the initialization operation in S3, the control unit CN enters the standby state (S4), after operating for a certain period of time the timer (S5), the same measurement as the battery voltage V _B and S2, determination Is performed (S6). After this, keyboard KB
Is detected (S7). If there is no key input, the process returns to the standby state S4 and repeats the loop. If there is a key input, it is first determined whether or not a print restart command from a state where unprinted data is left before turning on the power. (S8).

If the key input is not a print restart instruction, it is next determined whether or not the key input is a normal print instruction (S
9) If it is not a print command (for example, input of document data to memory RAM, display control signal, etc.), each process specified by key input is executed (S91), and Return to the standby state.

If it is determined in S9 that the command is a normal printing command, a printing operation unique to the printer (for example, printing in units of one line and one page) is executed for one cycle (S10). Then the same measurement as the battery voltage V _B and S2, after performing determination (S11), sequentially reads the print data stored in the memory RAM. Thereafter, the print cycle of S10 to S12 described above is repeated until print data is exhausted (S12). When print data is lost,
When printing is completed, an end operation for returning the printer to the standby state is performed (S13), and the process returns to the standby state in S4.

In S11, if the battery voltage V _B <V _min , it is determined that printing cannot be continued, and the control unit CN suspends the operation at the end of the printing cycle (S111). The print data is saved in the memory RAM and the data is held (S112). This data is retained by the backup circuit (second battery BT2) even after the power is turned off. Then, a print restart request flag flg = "1" indicating that unprinted data remains is set (S11).
3). Next, a warning prompting replacement of the temporary battery or charging of the secondary battery is output and displayed (S21), and the operation of the apparatus is locked (S22).

If the key input from the keyboard KY (instruction means of the present invention) in S8 is a print resumption command, whether the operation was interrupted before the current power-on, leaving unprinted data. Whether or not the print restart request flag fl
Confirm with the value of g (S81).

If flg = "0", there is no unprinted data, and the process returns to the standby state. If flg = "1", printing is resumed from the head of the unprinted data backed up in the memory RAM ( (S82), the above-described one printing cycle is performed (S83).

[0066] Then, the same measurement as the battery voltage V _B and S2, after performing determination (S84), sequentially reads the unprinted data, repeated printing cycles until the data is lost (S85).

When the printing of the unprinted data is completed, an end operation for returning the printer to the standby state is executed (S86).
The print restart flag is cleared to flg = "0" (S8
7) Return to the standby state S4.

In this embodiment, after the printing is interrupted due to a decrease in the battery capacity during printing, the battery is replaced or the secondary battery is charged. The restart of printing of unprinted data may be automatically started immediately after the power is turned on again. Also, the backup circuit of the rewritable memory RAM is the first power supply of the main power supply.
A second battery separate from the battery described above may be provided, or the battery may be charged during operation of the device using a capacitor, and after the power is turned off, a backup is performed by limiting the time required for the user to replace the battery. You may.

Further, the warning output due to the decrease in the battery capacity can be effectively notified to the user not only by the display device but also by a sound output means such as a buzzer. It is also effective to notify the user of the restart of printing by display or audio output means even when the power is turned on again while leaving unprinted data.

Since the print cycle in the line unit or the page unit as the minimum operation unit described in the embodiment depends on the performance of the printer of the apparatus and the size of the memory RAM, the print cycle unit is one line or one line. The present invention is not limited to the page, and it is optional to use one character, word or phrase as a unit.

[0071]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the battery voltage falls below a certain level during printing, printing is automatically interrupted, and printing is automatically or manually performed after battery replacement. By restarting with an instruction, there is an effect of preventing printing from becoming ineffective during printing and preventing waste of printing. In addition, the present invention
According to, the backup power supply backs up only the storage means.
Can be prevented from increasing in size,
Can prevent an increase in the size of the recording apparatus itself.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the appearance of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by a CPU 7 of FIG. 3 in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by a CPU 7 of FIG. 3 in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by a CPU 7 of FIG. 6 in a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by a CPU 7 of FIG. 6 in a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by a CPU 7 of FIG. 6 in a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by a CPU 7 of FIG. 6 in a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by a CPU 7 of FIG. 6 in a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure executed by a control unit CN of FIG. 12;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery (main power supply) 2, 3, 4 DC / DC converter 5 Thermal head 6 Motor 7 CPU 8 Read-only memory (ROM) 9 Random access memory (RAM) 10 Diode 11 Capacitor 12 (Power supply) switch 20 Keyboard 21 Display 102 Carriage 103 Platen 105 Thermal head 106 Recording paper KY Keyboard CN Control unit BT1 Battery main power supply BT2 Backup circuit VD1, VD2 Voltage detection circuit DD DC / DC converter RAM Rewritable memory used as data RAM ROM Read-only used as data ROM Memory TM Timer PR Printer DR1, DR2 Drive circuit RX1 Receiver circuit DS Display BZ Buzzer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 29/46 B41J 29/38

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A recording data is supplied by a power supply from a main power supply.
Recording means for performing recording based on chromatography data, and storage means for storing stores at least the recording data, backup power to back up only the storage means
If the measured voltage of the main power supply, set if the measured value is equal to or less than the allowable value, the voltage monitor means for generating a detection signal, stops operation of said recording means in response to said detection signal And that the operation has stopped halfway
A first recording control means for performing stop processing including flag setting process to憶means, operation resumes when the recording means, on the set flag
Therefore, based on the recording data stored in the storage means,
And a second recording control means for releasing the recording stop state from the recording stop position of the recording means. 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an instruction unit for instructing the recording unit to cancel a recording stop state, wherein said second recording control unit receives the instruction from said instruction unit, and causes the generated detection signal to disappear. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording stop state of the recording unit is released on condition that the recording is stopped.