JP3001213B2 - Printer control device - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a printer control device that controls a printing unit to execute a printing operation corresponding to a printing unit based on print data sent from a host device such as a host computer.

[Conventional technology]

The printer control device that controls the printing unit of the printer has a plurality of print operation modes that can be selected for specific print operation control information input from the above device such as a host computer. The operation mode is configured to be set in advance so as to execute the operation mode. Such a print operation mode selection designation (hereinafter referred to as a print operation condition) is set in, for example, a nonvolatile memory in which data can be rewritten, and this setting state is set in an initial setting period immediately after the power of the printer control device is turned on. A controller in the printer control device reads the data therein and sets data corresponding to a control memory. Thereafter, the printer control device executes a printing operation in accordance with the printing operation condition data set in the control memory. Here, in particular, the printing operation conditions supplied from the non-volatile memory include so-called portrait printing / landscape printing, which specifies the printing direction on paper, designation of automatic page break at the time of printing operation, and automatic line feed. This is data such as designation of a character font for setting a character type and the like.

Conventionally, the printing process is performed after setting the printing operation conditions necessary for the printing operation as described above during the initial setting period immediately after the apparatus power is turned on.However, in order to change the printing operation conditions, the printing operation is performed by a special operation. After rewriting the print operation information stored in the non-volatile memory to desired information, the apparatus must be turned on again to execute a process of writing the newly designated print operation information from the non-volatile memory to the control memory.

In addition, as a method of writing the printing operation condition data to the control memory of the control unit, it is also possible to set using a dip switch, but in this case, the user sets the printing operation condition to the dip switch as described above. Then, the apparatus power is turned on again, and a process of writing new printing operation conditions into the control memory is performed.

[Problems of the prior art]

When changing the printing operation conditions in the conventional printer control device as described above, every time the printing operation conditions are changed, a power-on operation is performed to execute a process of writing data stored in the non-volatile memory to the control memory. There must be. This is the same as in the case of performing the printing operation condition setting process using the dip switch. For this reason, the operation during the printing process is complicated, and even if the device is turned off and then turned on again, it takes a long time until the printer becomes ready for printing even if it is turned on again. Since the user is kept waiting, efficient print processing cannot be performed.

[Object of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and enables the printing operation conditions stored in the storage unit of the control unit to be easily changed without performing a power-on operation of the printer control device, thereby enabling efficient printing processing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer control device that enables the above.

[Gist of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a rewritable nonvolatile storage means for preliminarily storing a printing operation condition of a printer, and a receiving buffer memory for receiving and temporarily storing print information including a print control command input from a higher-level device. And a print control means including identification means for sequentially identifying the print information stored in the reception buffer memory means in accordance with the printing operation conditions and causing a printing unit to perform a printing process in accordance with the identification result of the identification means. In the control device,
Means for temporarily interrupting reception of subsequent print information received from the higher-level device when the identification means identifies a print operation condition setting command of the printer; and Rewriting means for rewriting information; initialization control means for initializing the control means in response to rewriting processing by the print operation condition setting instruction; and interruption of reception processing to the reception buffer memory means in response to the initialization processing And a release control means for releasing the following print information, wherein the subsequent print information is identified and printed in accordance with a newly set print operation condition.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of the printer control device of the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a system configuration in the printer control device 1 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 2, a system ROM 3, a system RAM 4, a nonvolatile memory 5, and the like.
A host computer 7 is connected to the host computer 7 via the F (shown by F). In particular, in this embodiment, a Centronics interface is used. The host computer 7 is a host device with respect to the printer control device 1, and receives character code data, print control data,
Data such as printing operation conditions (hereinafter collectively referred to as printing data) is supplied to the printer device 1.

The CPU 2 controls each unit of the printer control device according to a system program stored in the system ROM 3. For example, the print data output from the host computer 7 is supplied to the reception buffer 8 via the host I / F 6,
Also, it controls processing such as reading character code data from the reception buffer 8 and converting it into corresponding dot pattern data by the font CG (character generator) 9.

The non-volatile memory 5 is composed of, for example, an EEPROM, and stores the above-described printing operation condition data included in the printing data output from the host computer 7 as described later in detail. The system RAM 4 is a control memory for storing various data generated while the CPU 2 is controlling the printer control device 1. The image memory 10 has, for example, a storage capacity for data of one page of paper, and stores dot pattern data converted by the above-described font CG9 for one page. Further, a printing unit 12 is a device that prints on paper in accordance with dot pattern data output from the image memory 10 through an output interface (hereinafter, referred to as an output I / F) 11 under output control of the CPU 2.

The print processing operation in the printer control device 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. However, it is assumed that the printing operation information data of the printer device 1 at the initial time is stored in the nonvolatile memory 5 in advance.

First, when the power of the printer control device 1 is turned on, a hardware check process is executed (step (hereinafter, referred to as S) 1). This hard check is a process for checking, for example, an abnormality of the substrate provided with the system circuit shown in FIG. Next, the printing operation condition data stored in the nonvolatile memory 5 is written into the system RAM 4 (S2). Next, after performing initial processing such as clearing the work area of the system RAM4 and setting the initial value in the point area (S3), various settings are made according to the printing operation condition data written in the system RAM4 as described above. For example, as described above, designation of portrait printing / landscape printing, designation of automatic page break during printing operation, designation of automatic line feed, and designation of a character font for setting a character type and the like are performed (S4).

The symbol shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2 corresponds to the time chart of the initial processing operation of the printer control device 1 shown in FIG. That is, the above processes (S2 to S4) are executed during a period (offline period) in which the power supply of the printer control device 1 is turned on and the printer device has the select signal (SELECT) indicating the connection state with the host computer at a low level. Indicates that Further, a period C shown in the figure shows an undefined state immediately after the power supply to the printer control device 1 is turned on. Therefore, the initial setting process is executed after the unstable period C. During this time, the busy signal (BUSY) is held at a high level to control the print data not to be input from the host computer 7, and after the above-described initialization processing is completed, the SELECT signal is set to the high state and the BUSY signal is set to the high state. An acknowledgment signal (▲ ▼) is output after the state is low, and the print data can be received thereafter.

When the initial setting operation of the printer control device 1 is completed as described above, it is determined whether or not print data has been input to the reception buffer 8 (S5). If print data has not been input to the receiving buffer 8, the process waits for print data to be supplied from the host computer 7 (Y in S5).
Here, the input processing of the print data to the reception buffer 8 is set by the flowchart of FIG. 4 and the time charts of FIGS. The print data is composed of character code data, print control data, and print operation condition data as described above.
The operation is performed according to the time chart shown in the figure, and the printing operation condition data is received according to the time chart shown in FIG. That is, in the case of receiving the character code data and the print control data, the character code data or the print control data is input to the printer control device 1 together with the strobe signal as shown in FIG. Then, the printer control device 1 enters, for example, character code data into a predetermined area of the reception buffer 8 while keeping the busy signal (BUSY) in the Hihg state (step (hereinafter, referred to as ST) 1). Is input to a predetermined area of the reception buffer 8 (ST2). Also, every time the above processing (ST1 to STn) is completed, the processing for enabling the reception of the next print data (the BUSY signal (BUSY) is returned to the low state and the acknowledge signal (▲
▼) is sent out) (STn + 1).

On the other hand, when the printing operation condition data is received from the host computer 7 together with the strobe signal (コ ン ピ ュ ー タ), the commands and parameters constituting the data are stored in the reception buffer 8 (STn + 2).

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a time chart of an interface signal when new printing operation condition data output from the host computer 7 at this time is input. That is, since the printing operation condition data is input from the host computer, the select signal is set to the high state.

In this state, every time a strobe signal is input, data including the new printing operation condition is input. The busy signal is returned to the low state every time reception of one byte data is completed, and an acknowledge signal is output. This process is repeated to receive all the print operation condition data consisting of a plurality of bytes of data, but when all data has been received, unlike the case of character code data reception, the process to enable the reception of the next print data Is not performed. That is, the busy signal is Low
Without returning to the state, the select signal is further switched to the low level and set to the offline state. This state is maintained until the received printing operation condition data is written into the nonvolatile memory 5 by the processing described later until the writing is completed. When the input of the print data to the receiving buffer 8 is completed as described above (S5 in FIG. 2 is N (No)), the CPU 2 reads out the data in the receiving buffer 8 sequentially and follows the print data. The process (S6) is executed.

That is, this process is an execution process of each of the above commands. In this process, when the CPU 2 reads out the print control data from the reception buffer 8, the CPU 2 analyzes a command included in the print control data and executes a process corresponding to the command. For example, if the read command is an instruction such as a rotation process, a shading process, and a half-width process of a predetermined character string, the CPU 2 executes a corresponding process on the designated character string. Also, CP
If the data read from the receiving buffer 8 by U2 is character code data, the character code data is converted into the corresponding dot pattern data by using the font CG9 as described above, and the converted dot pattern data is converted into an image. Write to memory 10.

When the CPU 2 reads out the printing operation condition data input to the reception buffer 8 after the above-described command execution processes are completed, the command included in the data is a command for specifying the printing operation condition. To image memory
A process of outputting the dot pattern data written in 10 to the printing unit 12 is performed (S7 is Y, S8). Since the output process from the image memory 10 to the printing unit 12 is actually performed in parallel while the dot pattern data is being written to the image memory 10, the image memory is read when the CPU 2 reads the printing operation condition data. In some cases, all ten dot pattern data have been read (N in S7).

Accordingly, the CPU 2 executes a command for setting the printing operation conditions included in the printing operation condition data read from the reception buffer 8, and writes the new printing operation conditions into the nonvolatile memory 5 (S9).

As described above, the printing operation conditions in the nonvolatile memory 5 can be changed without turning off the power by performing the writing processing of the new printing operation conditions in the nonvolatile memory 5 based on the printing operation condition data input from the host computer 7. New conditions can be changed. Thereafter, the flow returns to S2 in the flowchart of FIG. 2, and an initial setting process (S2 to S4) for performing a printing operation according to the newly set printing operation condition in the nonvolatile memory 5 is executed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the rewriting process of the initial setting data in the nonvolatile memory 5 can be performed without turning off the power as in the related art.

Note that the nonvolatile memory 5 used in the present embodiment is not limited to the EEPROM, and other nonvolatile storage means such as a bubble memory may be used.

In the above embodiment, when changing the printing operation conditions, the printing operation conditions in the nonvolatile memory 5 are rewritten.
The data may be written directly into the printing operation condition setting area in the system RAM 4 and the data in the nonvolatile memory 5 may be set to remain as initial values.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to change the printing operation conditions for the nonvolatile memory without turning off the power during the printing operation, and it is possible to perform efficient printing processing.

In addition, since the power-off process of the printer control device can be omitted, if the printing process is performed using a computer system, even if the printing operation conditions need to be changed,
Print processing can be performed using the terminal computer without moving to the installation location of the printer control device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a printer control device according to one embodiment, FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printer control device according to one embodiment, FIG. 3 is a time chart showing an initial stage of print processing, FIG. FIG. 5 is a time chart showing a print data receiving process, FIG. 5 is a time chart showing a normal printing operation, and FIG. 6 is a time chart showing an operation when inputting initial setting data. 1 Printer control device 2 CPU 3 System ROM 4 Non-volatile memory 8 Reception buffer 9 Font CG 10 Image memory 12 …… Printing section.

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-63-59563 (JP, A) JP-A-63-209967 (JP, A) JP-A-64-41023 (JP, A) JP-A-63-307976 (JP, A) , A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 3/12 B41J 29/38 B41J 5/30

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rewritable nonvolatile storage means for storing printing operation conditions of a printer in advance, a reception buffer memory means for receiving and temporarily storing print information including a print control command input from a host device, and a reception buffer A printer control device comprising: identification means for sequentially identifying the print information stored in the memory means in accordance with the printing operation conditions; and print control means for causing a printing unit to perform a printing process according to the identification result of the identification means. Means for temporarily interrupting reception of subsequent print information received from the higher-level device when the means identifies a print operation condition setting command of the printer, and information in the nonvolatile storage means according to the print operation condition setting command. Rewriting means for rewriting, and initializing the control means in response to rewriting processing by the print operation condition setting command Initialization control means, and release control means for releasing interruption of reception processing to the reception buffer memory means in accordance with the initialization processing, and identifying the subsequent print information according to a newly set print operation condition. A printer control device for processing and printing.