JP4412312B2 - Printing apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a control method thereof.

  Conventionally, a command is sent from a host device such as a computer to a printing device such as a printer to cause the printing device to print characters and graphics, to make a printing appearance, or to set the printing device itself Printing systems are widely used.

  On the other hand, in order to reduce printing costs, inkjet print heads and the like are becoming widespread. Some printing methods, such as an ink jet print head, require a print head cleaning process to maintain print quality when the printer is turned on or turned off. The cleaning process referred to here is a process performed by discharging the thickened ink in the nozzles of the print head or wiping off foreign matters on the nozzle surface, and is also called a maintenance process.

  For example, in an ink jet print head, when ink remains in the nozzles and dries and thickens, the nozzles may become clogged or the ink output may deteriorate. Therefore, in such a printing apparatus, it is not desirable to directly turn on / off the main power supply with a switch during operation.

  That is, if the thickened ink remains in the nozzles of the print head, a cleaning process using a large amount of ink is required. Therefore, when the power is turned off, a predetermined maintenance process may be performed. desirable.

  In addition, when used as a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal in a store or the like, there are many cases where it is not desired for the store clerk to directly turn on / off the printing apparatus.

  For this reason, when the power of the printing apparatus is managed from the host device and the power of the printing apparatus is turned off, a printing system that can surely cause the printing apparatus to perform a stop process is the subject of research and development. ing.

Research and development is also underway for a printing system that does not directly operate the switch of the printing apparatus, but can instruct the stop of the power supply of the printing apparatus by a command from the host apparatus.
JP 08-339275 JP 08-11393

  In such a printing system, there is a need for a printing system that can reliably stop the printing apparatus when the power of the printing apparatus is managed from a host device and the printing apparatus is turned off. Yes.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a printing apparatus suitable for reliably managing a stop of power supply of a printing apparatus from a host apparatus and a control method thereof. And

A printing apparatus of the present invention is a printing apparatus used as a POS terminal connected to a host apparatus,
A command receiving unit for receiving a command transmitted by the host device;
A power-off command determination unit that interprets the value of the command data every time the command is received and determines that the command data is a power-off command as a real-time command when it is detected that the command data is received in a predetermined order;
A stop processing unit that performs stop processing of the printing apparatus in response to confirmation of the power-off command ;
With
The stop processing unit
As the stop process, it is determined whether or not the power supply of the printing apparatus can be stopped by specifying a parameter included in the power-off command. When it is determined that the power supply can be stopped, various settings of the printing apparatus are determined. Value, various count values, and the status of the printing device are stored in the setting storage unit, a notification that the main part of the stop process has been completed is transmitted to the host device, and the power supply of the printing device is stopped after the transmission. It is possible to make it possible.

The printing apparatus according to the present invention is a printing apparatus connected to a host device, and sequentially reads the received command and a command storage unit that stores the received command, and the read command is a print command. In this case, the command processing unit that performs a printing operation corresponding to the print command and the power supply stop process include a process of moving and locking the print head mounted on the carriage to a predetermined position.

The printing apparatus power-off control method according to the present invention is a printing apparatus power-off control method used as a POS terminal connected to a host apparatus, and the command is sent every time a command transmitted by the host apparatus is received. Interpreting the value of the data and determining that it is a power off command as a real time command when detecting that the command data is received in a predetermined order; and
A stop process step of performing a stop process of the printing apparatus, a step of determining whether or not the power supply of the printing apparatus may be stopped by specifying a parameter included in a power-off command ;
If it is determined that the printer can be stopped, the various setting values, the various count values, and the state of the printer are stored in the setting storage unit, and the main part of the stop process is completed in the host device. A step of transmitting a notification and allowing the power supply of the printing apparatus to be stopped after the transmission ;
It is characterized by providing.

The printing apparatus power-off control method according to the present invention is a printing apparatus power-off control method used as a POS terminal connected to a host apparatus, and the command is sent every time a command transmitted by the host apparatus is received. Interpreting the value of the data and determining that it is a power off command as a real time command when detecting that the command data is received in a predetermined order; and
A stop process step for stopping the printing apparatus, a step for determining whether or not to stop power supply to the printing apparatus by specifying a parameter included in the power-off command, and a determination that the stop may be performed. A setting storage unit that stores various setting values, various count values, and the state of the printing device of the printing device, and transmits a notification that the main part of the stop process has been completed to the host device ; When receiving a notification indicating that the main part of the stop process has been completed from the printing apparatus, and a stop process main part end notification receiving step for receiving whether or not the main part of the stop process has been completed from the printing apparatus, A host device power supply stopping step of stopping power supply to the host device and turning off power to the printing device to which power is supplied in conjunction with the host device. And wherein the Rukoto.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when a power-off command is received from the host device, the printer is mounted on the carriage after determining whether or not the power supply to the printing device can be stopped as a printing device stop process. The print head is moved to a predetermined position and locked, and various setting values of the printing apparatus, various count values and the state of the printing apparatus are stored in the setting storage unit. Since the notification to that effect is transmitted and the power supply of the printing apparatus is stopped after a predetermined time of the transmission, the stopping process of the printing apparatus can be reliably performed.

  Further, according to the present invention, when the end of work is instructed by the user, the printing device sends a final print command from the host device, and after printing all the print data inside the printing device in the printing device that has received this command, Therefore, even if the power supply of the printing apparatus is stopped, unprinted data is not left.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The embodiments described below are for explanation, and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art can employ embodiments in which each of these elements or all of the elements are replaced with equivalent ones, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.
(First embodiment)

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the first embodiment of the printing system of the present invention. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

  The printing system 101 includes a printing apparatus 102 and a host apparatus 103 that controls the printing apparatus 102. The host apparatus 103 transmits a command to the printing apparatus 102 via the communication line 104. The printing apparatus 102 receives the command transmitted from the host device 103, interprets the command, prints characters and figures on paper, film, etc., arranges the printing appearance, and sets the printing apparatus 102 itself. Or change it.

  In this embodiment, the host apparatus 103 includes a power connector (not shown) for supplying power to an external device, and a power supply line 105 is connected to the printing apparatus 102 from the power connector. This power connector can be interlocked with the power supply of the host device 103. In this case, when the host apparatus 103 is powered off, all the power supply to the printing apparatus 102 can be stopped without operating any power switch of the printing apparatus 102.

Note that the communication line 104 may be a wired LAN, communication means such as a wireless local area network (LAN), a telephone line, or infrared communication.
(Embodiment of printing apparatus)

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the printing apparatus 102 of the printing system 101. In FIG. 2, the elements having the same functions as those in the above-described drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The printing apparatus 102 is controlled by the CPU 201. The power supplied from the power supply connector 202 is controlled and managed by the power controller 203. A main switch 204 is connected in the middle of the power supply line between the power supply connector 202 and the power controller 203, and the power can be completely turned off by turning off the entire printing apparatus 102.

  The printing apparatus 102 drives a printing mechanism 205 such as a print head, a paper feed mechanism, a platen, and a paper cutter, and prints characters and figures on paper, film, and the like.

  A sub switch 211 is connected to the CPU 201. The sub switch 211 is a push-type switch. When the sub switch 211 is pressed, the operation is a trigger, and the CPU 201 executes a cleaning process for the print head in the printing mechanism 205 and further controls the power controller 203. Then, the power supply by the power controller 203 is stopped. Note that power is supplied from the power supply controller to the CPU 201 and the printing mechanism 205, but in order to facilitate understanding of the drawing, the illustration of the power supply line is omitted in FIG.

  The printing apparatus 102 is connected to the host apparatus 103 via the interface 206, and the CPU 201 drives the printing mechanism 205 in accordance with a command received by the interface 206.

  When the interface 206 detects the reception of data representing a command, the CPU 206 generates an interrupt. The CPU 201 shifts control from the flow of control at that time to reception interrupt processing, causes the detected command data to be received by the interface, and executes processing corresponding to this when the data is a real-time command. The received data is stored in a reception buffer in a RAM (Random Access Memory) 207, and the reception interrupt process is terminated. The real-time command is a command that is executed in real time when received, and the power-off command in the present invention is implemented as a real-time command.

  Further, when processing the power-off command, information related to the power-off state is transmitted to the host apparatus 103 via the interface 206.

  On the other hand, as a normal process, the CPU 201 sequentially reads the command data stored in the reception buffer, prints characters and graphics, arranges the printing appearance, and changes the settings of the printing apparatus 102 according to the command data. Or Thus, the command interpreted here is called a normal command. When the command data is a real time command, the command data is skipped.

  When printing characters and graphics, a print image is developed in a line buffer in the RAM 207 using font information stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 208. When the expanded print image reaches one line or a line feed command is encountered, the printing mechanism 205 is driven according to the print image in the line buffer.

  A dip switch 209 performs various settings of the printing apparatus 102. The operation lamp 210 is lit in various colors or blinks to notify the user of the current operation state.

  A flash EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) 212 can store various settings of the printing apparatus, maintenance information such as the number of times the print head is driven, the amount of ink used, and accounting information such as FISCAL in a non-volatile manner.

  As the command format, a known print command system provided for the POS terminal can be adopted. In the following description, the following commands are used for easy understanding. 0x is a prefix meaning a hexadecimal number.

・ 0x0a Starts a new line. Normal command.
・ 0x20 ～ 0x7e Print the ASCII code characters. Normal command.
・ 0x100x140x020x01n Power off command. Real-time command.

  Here, a method for stopping the power supply is designated as the parameter n. For example, the following values can be specified:

・ 0x00 Turn off the power immediately.
・ 0x01 to 0x09 Turn off the power within 1 to 9 minutes respectively.
• 0xf0 Turn off if you can turn off the power immediately.
Otherwise leave the power on.
• 0xf1 to 0xf9 Turn off the power if it can be turned off within 1 to 9 minutes.
Otherwise leave the power on.
In order to indicate which parameter is designated, the printing apparatus 102 stores the designated parameter type in the parameter storage area in the RAM 207.

  In general, a print command system provided for a POS terminal also provides other commands. For example, a current status of the printing apparatus 102 is transmitted, a real-time command for opening the printing apparatus 102 when the printing apparatus 102 has a POS terminal money box, or a normal command for printing an image. Embodiments in which these instructions are implemented are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  Here, the interface 206 functions as a receiving unit, the CPU 201 functions as a permission unit, the RAM 207 functions as a command storage unit, the printing mechanism 205 functions as a printing unit in cooperation with the CPU 201, and a power source. The controller 203 functions as a stop processing unit in cooperation with the CPU 201. Further, the interface 206 functions as a transmission unit, and the CPU 201 functions as a transmission control unit that has been stopped. Further, the CPU 201 functions as a prohibition unit. Further, the CPU 201 functions as a stop process prohibition transmission unit.

The ROM 208 functions as an information recording medium of the present invention. When the ROM 208 can be updated (upgraded) from the host device 103, the information recording medium mounted on the host device 103 and the information recording medium included in the host device 103 also function as the information recording medium of the present invention. .
(Reception interrupt processing)

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control flow of reception interrupt processing executed by the printing apparatus 102. The reception interrupt process is started in a format that interrupts normal processing to be described later when the interface 206 detects that command data is being transmitted. This interruption occurs every time one byte of command data is transmitted.

  First, the CPU 201 causes the interface 206 to receive 1 byte of command data (step S301).

  Next, the CPU 201 transitions the reception state of the printing apparatus 102 to the next reception state according to the value of the received command data (step S302), and executes processing associated with the state transition (step S303).

  The reception state of the printing apparatus 102 can be represented by a state transition diagram as shown in FIG. The current reception state is stored in the RAM 207, and the value (A to E in the embodiment of FIG. 4) stored at each transition is updated.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the reception state A is a state indicating that a normal command string is being received, and the other states are states indicating that a real-time command is currently being received.

When a normal command such as 0x0a (line feed) or 0x20 to 0x7e (ASCII character printing) is received in the reception state A, the state shifts to the reception state A.
On the other hand, when the command data 0x10 at the head of the real time command is received in the reception state A, the state shifts to the reception state B.
When 0x14 is received in the reception state B, the state shifts to the reception state C.
When 0x02 is received in the reception state C, the state shifts to the reception state D.
When 0x01 is received in the reception state D, the state shifts to the reception state E.
When any of 0x00, 0x01 to 0x09, 0xf0, and 0xf1 to 0xf9 is received in the reception state E, the state shifts to the reception state A and a power stop permission process described later is executed.

  This state transition diagram may be stored in the ROM 208 or expressed in the form of a program.

  These state transitions can be changed according to the types of normal commands and real-time commands, and changed embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, when data other than the above command data is received in the reception states B to E, a similar reception state (not shown) is performed, a process associated with the transition is executed, or the reception state A is shifted. In addition, state transitions can be defined.

When the state transition and the process accompanying this are executed, the received 1-byte command data is stored in the reception buffer (step S304), and this process ends.
(Power stop permission process)

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow of the power stop permission process executed by the printing apparatus 102.

  First, the CPU 201 stores the value of the designated parameter (0x00, 0x01 to 0x09, 0xf0, or 0xf1 to 0xf9) in the parameter storage area in the RAM 207 (step S501).

  Further, the current time is stored in the power supply stop permission time area provided in the RAM 207 (step S502). The “current time” can be acquired when the printing apparatus 102 includes a real-time clock. Further, the elapsed time from when the power is turned on may be set as the “current time”. In this case, the value of the counter whose count value increases every predetermined number of clocks is set as “current time”.

  Next, the value of the parameter is examined (step S503). When the parameter value is 0x00 (step S502: 0x00), a power supply stop process described later is executed (step S504). As a result, the power supply to the printing apparatus 102 is stopped, and thus this process ends.

  On the other hand, when the value of the parameter is 0xf0 (step S503: 0xf0), the printing apparatus 102 checks whether or not it is possible to immediately turn off the power (step S505). As a state that may be immediately turned off, for example, a condition such as “whether all the command data stored in the reception buffer and the line buffer have been processed” can be adopted. These conditions will be described in more detail in the power supply stop described later.

  If only the head part 0x100x140x020x01 of the command data of the head part of the power-off command is stored in the reception buffer, it is treated as “all processed”.

  If the power may be turned off (step S505: Yes), the process proceeds to step S504, and a power supply stop process described later is executed.

  If the power cannot be turned off (step S505: No), the fact is transmitted to the host device 103 via the interface 206 (step S506), and 0xff is stored in the parameter storage area in the RAM 207 ( Step S507), the process is terminated. The transmission format will be described together in the power supply stop process described later.

  The reason why 0xff is selected in step S507 is that it is impossible as the value of the designated parameter. This value is a value stored as an initial value in the parameter storage area when the printing apparatus 102 is turned on. This value represents prohibition of power supply stop.

If the value of the parameter is other than these (step S503: other), this process is immediately terminated. In this case, the power supply is stopped during the normal process described later.
(Power stop processing)

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow of the power supply stop process executed by the printing apparatus 102.

  First, the CPU 201 blinks the operation lamp 210 (step S601), and notifies the user that the power supply stop process has started.

  Next, the CPU 201 executes a print head maintenance process of the printing mechanism 205 (step S602). In the maintenance process, the carriage for moving the print head is moved to a predetermined position and locked.

  Next, the CPU 201 stores various setting values of the printing apparatus 102, ink usage and remaining amount, various count values such as the number of printed pages, the number of lines, and the number of characters, the status of the printer, and the like in the flash EEPROM 212 (step S603).

  Further, the CPU 201 turns on the operation lamp 210 (step S604), and notifies the user that the main part of the power supply stop process has been completed.

  Thereafter, the CPU 201 terminates the main part of the power supply stop process in the host apparatus 103 via the interface 206 and turns off the power supply of the printing apparatus 102 main body after a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds); The result of the investigation in step S602 is notified together (step S605). At the time of notification, for example, the following data is transmitted.

-0x3b0x300x00 Indicates that the main part of the power shutdown process has been completed normally.
-0x3b0x0 * 0x00 Indicates that there was some abnormality in the power stop processing.

  0x3b is a header representing the start of the status notification data string, and 0x00 is a footer representing the end of the status notification data string.

  Data in the format of 0x3b0x0 * 0x00 is also used in step S506 described above. The * part of 0x0 * is a 4-bit area in which a value other than 0 is entered, and the following four types of states are represented by this bit string.

-Whether a power off command has been received during print head cleaning.
Whether there are unprocessed commands remaining in the reception buffer, or whether there are still unprinted print images that have been expanded in the line buffer.
・ Is there an abnormality such as a paper jam?
・ Whether or not a power-off command was received when offline.

  Finally, the CPU 201 causes the power supply controller 203 to stop power supply to the printing apparatus 102 (step S606). The power controller 203 stops power supply to the printing apparatus 102 after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  As described above, since the power of the printing apparatus 102 can be turned off by the power off command transmitted from the host apparatus 103, the user does not need to operate the main switch 204. Depending on the business form, it is possible to adopt an embodiment in which the main switch 204 is always turned on (closed) and the sub switch 211 is not used (a cover is provided so that the user cannot operate).

  In addition, since a power-off command is implemented as a real-time command, when 0x00 is selected as a parameter, the power is turned off even when the printing apparatus 102 is in an offline state (a state in which normal processing is waiting). be able to.

  On the other hand, since the status at the time when the printing apparatus 102 receives the power-off command can be grasped by the host apparatus 103, for example, when the power is turned off due to a paper jam or when data cannot be printed for some reason. In some cases, an appropriate response can be taken.

In this embodiment, as described above, the real-time command or the like is interpreted by the state transition, but the command data received by 1 byte is stored in the reception buffer, and then the reception buffer is scanned to determine whether the real-time command is received. It is also possible to adopt a form in which these are detected and the processing is executed when a real-time command is found.
(Normal processing)

  The normal process executed by the printing apparatus 102 is the same as the process executed by the normal printing apparatus. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of such normal processing control. Outlined below.

  In the normal process, first, the CPU 201 checks whether command data is stored in the reception buffer in the RAM 207 (step S701).

  When the command data is stored in the reception buffer (step S701: Yes), the command data is read (step S702), and the type of the command data is checked (step S703).

  When the command data is read in step S702, it is necessary to update the state of the reception buffer so that the next command data can be read the next time step S702 is reached.

  In the normal process, the command data is read in order from the reception buffer, and in the reception interrupt process, the command data is stored in the reception buffer in order. Therefore, in order to effectively use a reception buffer of a predetermined size, it is desirable to mount the reception buffer in the form of a queue or a ring buffer.

  When the command data is a real-time command (step S703: real-time command), the process returns to step S701. This is because the process corresponding to the command has already been executed in the reception interrupt process.

  When the command data is a normal command (step S703: normal command), processing corresponding to the command data is executed (step S704), and the process returns to step S601.

  On the other hand, when the command data is not stored in the reception buffer (step S701: No), the CPU 201 checks the type of value stored in the parameter storage area of the RAM 207 (step S710). When the value is 0xff (step S710: 0xff), in this embodiment, since the power-off command is not specified, it waits until some value is stored in the reception buffer (step S711), and a predetermined value is set. When waiting for a time or when triggered by a reception interrupt, the process returns to step S701.

  On the other hand, when the value is 0x01 to 0x09 (step S710: No), in this embodiment, it is specified that the power should be turned off within a predetermined time (each within 1 minute to 9 minutes).

  Therefore, the CPU 201 acquires the current time (step S712), compares the time with the power stop permission time stored in the RAM 207 in step S502, and checks whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step S712). S713).

  If it has not elapsed (step S713: No), the power supply stop process described above is executed (step S714). On the other hand, when the time has elapsed (step S713: Yes), the power supply stop process described above is executed (step S715). In step S605, data in the following format is transmitted to the host device 103.

  -0x3b0x1 * 0x00 The power supply stop process was forcibly started because the power supply stop process was not started even after the lapse of the specified time.

  Note that the status of the printing apparatus is added to the * part in the same manner as described above.

  On the other hand, when the value is 0xf1 to 0xf9 (step S710: No), in this embodiment, it is specified that the power should be turned off if it can be performed within a predetermined time (each within 1 minute to 9 minutes). It will be.

  Therefore, the CPU 201 acquires the current time (step S720), compares the time with the power stop permission time stored in the RAM 207 in step S502, and checks whether a predetermined time has elapsed (step S502). S721).

  If it has not elapsed (step S721: No), the power supply stop process described above is executed (step S722). On the other hand, if it has elapsed (step S721: Yes), 0xff is stored in the parameter storage area in the RAM 207 to prohibit the power supply stop (step S723), and data in the following format is sent to the host device 103. This is transmitted (step S724), and this process is terminated.

  -0x3b0x200x00 The power supply stop process was prohibited because the power supply stop process was not started even after a predetermined time.

  In this way, the power supply stoppage of the printing apparatus 102 can be managed finely according to the parameters specified by the host apparatus 103.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of normal command processing (step S605) in step S605.

  First, the type of command data is checked (step S761). When the command data is 0x20 to 0x7e (step S761: ASCII), the font definition corresponding to the data is read from the ROM 208 (step S762), and the definition is developed as a print image in the line buffer in the RAM 207 (step S763). ).

  Further, it is determined whether or not the line buffer has accumulated one line (step S764). If one line has been accumulated (step S764: Yes), the printing mechanism 205 is set in accordance with the print image developed in the line buffer. Driven to print characters or graphics (step S765).

  Next, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to perform a cleaning process (step S766). If it is necessary to perform the cleaning process, a print head cleaning process of the printing mechanism 205 is performed (step S767). Various known techniques such as ink ejection and ink suction can be used for the print head cleaning process.

  For example, the following criteria can be used to determine whether the cleaning process needs to be performed.

-Elapsed time since the last cleaning process.
-The amount of ink used since the previous cleaning process.
-The elapsed time from the previous printing to the current printing.

  On the other hand, if the line buffer has not accumulated for one line (step S764: No), the process proceeds to step S766, and if necessary, a cleaning process is performed.

  On the other hand, if the command data is 0x0a (step S761: LF), the process proceeds to step S765 to print the current line buffer contents, and if necessary, a cleaning process is performed.

  Here, the embodiment in which the normal command is in units of 1 byte has been described, but an embodiment in which the normal command is composed of a plurality of bytes may be adopted.

In this case, the reading of the command data in step S702 may perform state transition as in the reception interrupt process as reading one byte at a time, or adopt a form that reads sequentially while interpreting the size of the command data. Also good. For example, in an image image print command, since information indicating the size of the entire image image is embedded in the command data, the CPU 201 first determines the size of the image image by looking at the command data of a predetermined number of bytes at the beginning. After checking, the image data is repeatedly read from the reception buffer by that size.
(Host device embodiment)

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the host apparatus 103 in the printing system 101 of the present invention.

  The CPU 801 controls the host device 103. The host device 103 includes a power controller 802 controlled by the CPU 801, which supplies power to each unit of the host device 103 and can also supply power to the printing device 102 via the power connector 811. Note that the power supply lines to the respective units in the host apparatus 103 are not shown for easy understanding.

  The host device 103 receives an instruction input from the user by an input device 803 such as a keyboard or a mouse, the CPU 801 interprets the instruction input, processes the result, and displays the interpreted result as a display device such as a CRT (CathodeRay Tube) or a liquid crystal display. It is displayed in 804. The display device 804 can display the status of the printing device and notify the user.

  In accordance with the instruction input, various data can be stored in the external storage device 805 such as a hard disk or a floppy disk, updated, or deleted.

  Furthermore, according to the instruction input, command data can be transmitted to the printing apparatus 102 via the interface 810, and characters and figures corresponding to the instruction input and information stored in the external storage device 805 can be printed.

  Further, the distributed application program can be installed by a reading device such as the CD-ROM drive 806.

  The CPU 801 uses the RAM 807 as a storage area for performing temporary work. An IPL (Initial Program Loader) executed immediately after the power is turned on is stored in the ROM 809, and the CPU 801 executes an IPL to thereby execute a CD-ROM mounted on the external storage device 805 or the CD-ROM drive 806. OS (Operating System) and application programs are loaded into the RAM 807 and executed.

  Here, the interface 810 functions as a transmission unit and a reception unit, and the display device 804 functions as a notification unit in cooperation with the CPU 801.

  Further, the CD-ROM mounted on the external storage device 805 or the CD-ROM drive 806 functions as the information recording medium of the present invention.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of work end processing that is executed when the user inputs a work end instruction input from the input device 803 to the host device 103.

  First, the host apparatus 103 transmits 0x0a (line feed) to the printing apparatus 102 as the last print command (step S901). As a result, the printing apparatus 102 can print all the data remaining in the line buffer. In addition to 0x0a (line feed), commands such as page break (0x0c) and n-line line feed (0x1b0x64n) may be transmitted.

  Next, a normal command for notifying the current printing state is transmitted to the printing apparatus 102 (step S902), and the process waits until a reply is returned (step S903). For example, the following command can be used as a normal command for notifying the current printing state.

・ 0x1d0x720x01
Upon receiving this normal command, the printing apparatus 102 drives the printing mechanism 205 based on the above 0x0a (carriage return), and returns a reply indicating that the printing has been completed.

  When a reply indicating completion is returned, a power-off command is transmitted to the printing apparatus 102 (step S904), or until a reply is returned or a predetermined elapsed time (as described above, for example, 10 seconds) ) (Step S905). As described above, the reply to be returned is the following data string.

・ 0x3b0x300x00
・ 0x3b0x0 * 0x00
The format of these data strings can be appropriately selected according to the embodiment, and embodiments in which these formats are changed are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  Next, it is determined whether or not a reply has been returned within a predetermined time (step S906). If the reply has been returned (step S906: Yes), the reply is examined (step S907). If the reply ends normally (step S907: normal), that is, if the reply is in the form of 0x3b0x300x00, the operating application and OS of the host apparatus 103 main body are terminated (step S908), and then the power controller 802 The power supply to the host device 103 is stopped (step S909).

  On the other hand, if the reply is abnormally terminated (step S907: Abnormal), that is, if the reply is in the form of 0x3b0x0 * 0x00, a message corresponding to the reply is displayed on the display device 804 to notify the user (step In step S910, an inquiry is made as to whether or not to continue the work end processing as it is (step S911).

  If there is an instruction input to continue (Yes in step S911), the process proceeds to step S908. If there is an instruction input to not continue (No in step S911), the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when a reply is not returned within a predetermined time (step S906), a message to that effect is displayed on the display device 804 to notify the user (step S912), and the process proceeds to step S911.

  When power is supplied from the host apparatus 103 to the printing apparatus 102 by the interlocking power supply, the power to the entire printing apparatus 102 is also turned off here.

  When the stop of power supply within a predetermined time is selected as a parameter at another time point in the control flow as described above, the following data string is output from the printing apparatus 102 as a status report of the printing apparatus 102. May be sent.

・ 0x3b0x300x00
・ 0x3b0x1 * 0x00
・ 0x3b0x200x00
These data strings are received from the printing apparatus 102 after the power-off command is transmitted from the host apparatus 103. The host apparatus 103 can know the state of the printing apparatus 102 from these data strings, and can appropriately notify the user of such information.
(Second Embodiment)

  This embodiment is the same as the above-described embodiment with respect to the main part, but the details of the power supply stop process are different. This will be described below.

  In the above embodiment, the power supply to the printing apparatus 102 is turned off by the power stop process. However, in the power stop process of the present embodiment, the power stop process is performed by shifting to the power saving mode as described below. Instead.

-Stop the power supply to the printing mechanism.
-Lower the CPU 201 clock. Or stop.

  Either of these methods may be selected, or both may be used. These methods are used instead of step S606 of the power supply stop process described above.

  At this time, the display color of the operation lamp 210 in step S604 may be changed, or the current power saving mode may be indicated as intermittent lighting instead of constant lighting. Therefore, in this embodiment, the operation lamp 210 functions as a display unit.

  The return from the power saving mode to the normal mode may be performed by interrupting the CPU 201 by operating the sub switch or by command data from the host device 103.

In addition, information indicating the transition to the power saving mode and information on the shifted power saving mode can be transmitted to the host apparatus 103 as the status information of the printing apparatus 102 when the power-off command is received.
(Third embodiment)

  This embodiment is the same as the above-described embodiment with respect to main parts, but the details of the process of the power supply stop process are different. This will be described below.

  In the above-described embodiment, the power supply stop process in steps S601 to S606 is always executed during the state transition E → A of the reception interrupt process. However, in this embodiment, the setting of the dip switch 209 is performed before executing step S601. Check out.

  When the predetermined switch of the DIP switch 209 is in the first state (for example, ON), the power supply stop process in steps S601 to S606 is executed.

  On the other hand, when it is in the second state (for example, OFF), the power supply stop process in steps S601 to S506 is not executed, and the process directly returns to step S304. At this time, based on the setting of the dip switch 209, the host apparatus 103 is transmitted as status information indicating that the power supply stop process of the printing apparatus 102 has not been executed.

In this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not to respond to the power-off command transmitted from the host device 103 by setting the dip switch 209 according to the business mode such as a store. In the case of no correspondence, the host device 103 can know that fact.
(Fourth embodiment)

  This embodiment is the same as the above-described embodiment with respect to main parts, but is different in that the printing apparatus 102 and the host apparatus 103 are integrally configured. That is, the printing system 101 is realized as an integrated apparatus. Such a printing system 101 can be used as a POS terminal, for example.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a printing system of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a printing apparatus of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of interrupt processing control executed by the printing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a state transition diagram illustrating a transition of a reception state of the printing apparatus according to the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of control of power stop permission processing executed by the printing apparatus of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of control of power supply stop processing executed by the printing apparatus of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of control of normal processing executed by the printing apparatus of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a control flow of normal command processing executed by the printing apparatus of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a host device of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of control of work end processing executed by the host device of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Printing system 102 Printing apparatus 103 Host apparatus 104 Communication line 105 Power supply line 201 CPU
202 Power supply connector 203 Power supply controller 204 Main switch 205 Printing mechanism 206 Interface 207 RAM
208 ROM
209 DIP switch 210 Operation lamp 211 Sub switch 212 Flash EEPROM
801 CPU
802 Power controller 803 Input device 804 Display device 805 External storage device 806 CD-ROM drive 807 RAM
809 ROM
810 Interface 811 Power connector

Claims (4)

A printing device used as a POS terminal connected to a host device,
A command receiving unit for receiving a command transmitted by the host device;
A power-off command determination unit that interprets the value of the command data every time the command is received and determines that the command data is a power-off command as a real-time command when it is detected that the command data is received in a predetermined order;
A stop processing unit that performs stop processing of the printing apparatus in response to confirmation of the power-off command ;
With
The stop processing unit
As the stop process, it is determined whether or not the power supply of the printing apparatus can be stopped by specifying a parameter included in the power-off command. When it is determined that the power supply can be stopped, various settings of the printing apparatus are determined. Value, various count values, and the status of the printing device are stored in the setting storage unit, a notification that the main part of the stop process has been completed is transmitted to the host device, and the power supply of the printing device is stopped after the transmission. A printing apparatus used as a POS terminal characterized by enabling. A command storage unit for storing the received command;
Read the received commands in order, and when the read command is a print command, a command processing unit that performs a printing operation corresponding to the print command;
The printing apparatus used as a POS terminal according to claim 1, wherein the stop process includes a process of moving and locking a print head mounted on a carriage to a predetermined position. A power-off control method for a printing apparatus used as a POS terminal connected to a host apparatus,
Interpreting the value of command data every time a command transmitted by the host device is received, and determining that the command data is a power-off command as a real-time command when detecting that the command data is received in a predetermined order; ,
A stop processing step for stopping the printing apparatus ;
Determining whether the power supply of the printing apparatus can be stopped by specifying a parameter included in the power-off command ;
If it is determined that the printer can be stopped, the various setting values, the various count values, and the state of the printer are stored in the setting storage unit, and the main part of the stop process is completed in the host device. A step of transmitting a notification and allowing the power supply of the printing apparatus to be stopped after the transmission ;
A power-off control method for a printing apparatus used as a POS terminal. A power-off control method for a printing apparatus used as a POS terminal connected to a host apparatus,
Interpreting the value of command data every time a command transmitted by the host device is received, and determining that the command data is a power-off command as a real-time command when detecting that the command data is received in a predetermined order; ,
A stop processing step for stopping the printing apparatus ;
Determining whether the power supply of the printing apparatus can be stopped by specifying a parameter included in the power-off command ;
If it is determined that the printer can be stopped, the various setting values, the various count values, and the state of the printer are stored in the setting storage unit, and the main part of the stop process is completed in the host device. Sending a notification ;
A stop process main part end notification receiving step for receiving notification from the printing apparatus whether or not the main part of the stop process has ended;
When a notification that the main part of the stop process has been completed is received from the printing apparatus, the power supply to the host apparatus is stopped, and the power to the printing apparatus to which power is supplied in conjunction with the host apparatus A host device power supply stop process for turning off
A power-off control method for a printing apparatus used as a POS terminal by a host apparatus.

Images