JP4443756B2 - Printing apparatus and printing apparatus setting method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing apparatus setting method, and more particularly, to a printing apparatus and a printing apparatus setting method capable of performing various settings such as printing density and printing speed.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as an operation method when entering a setting mode for setting various setting values in a printer, for example, a power switch is pressed while pressing a predetermined key among a plurality of about 2 to 6 keys provided in the printer. There are several ways to operate, such as pressing to turn on the power. There is also a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as a personal computer) connected to a printer so that various setting values of the printer can be set on the screen of the personal computer.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, since the operation method when entering the setting mode is not unified, there is a problem that the operation method is not known or the operation is wrong, which is not efficient. Further, the method of setting various printer setting values on a personal computer screen by connecting a personal computer to the printer has a problem that the personal computer must be connected to the printer, which makes the operation complicated and expensive.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and can easily enter a setting mode for performing various settings of a printer, so that a setting operation can be performed efficiently. .
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The printing apparatus according to claim 1 is a printing apparatus having an interface for connecting a predetermined input device and a power switch for turning on / off the power, and the power switch is operated and the power is turned on. Immediately after the determination, the determination unit includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the input device is connected to the interface, and a switching unit that switches a mode of the printing apparatus according to a determination result by the determination unit. Is determined to be connected to the interface, the switching means switches the mode of the printing apparatus to a mode for setting various setting values.
In addition, when the determination unit determines that the input device is not connected to the interface, the printing device can be set in a printable state with the set value that has already been set.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus setting method including an interface for connecting a predetermined input device, and a power switch for turning on / off the power. Immediately after being operated and turned on, a determination step for determining whether or not the input device is connected to the interface, and a switching step for switching the mode of the printing device according to the determination result in the determination step, When it is determined in the determination step that the input device is connected to the interface, the mode of the printing device is switched to a mode for setting various setting values in the switching step.
In the printing apparatus and the setting method of the printing apparatus according to the present invention, immediately after the power switch is operated and the power is turned on, it is determined whether the input device is connected to the interface, and according to the determination result, Switch the printer mode. At this time, when it is determined that the input device is connected to the interface, the mode of the printing device is switched to a mode for setting various setting values.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is an external view of a label printer to which the printing apparatus of the present invention is applied. As shown in the figure, a label printer 1 includes a display unit 3 such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an operation unit 2 composed of a plurality of keys, a power switch 4 that is operated when power is turned on, and printing. The paper discharge unit 5 is configured to discharge a printed label and a connector (not shown) for connecting an input device 6 such as a mouse.
[0007]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the label printer 1 shown in FIG. The main control unit 11 includes a CPU (central processing unit) that performs processing according to a predetermined control program stored in a memory 12 to be described later, and controls each unit according to the control program. The memory 12 is a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the control program and storing various data, a ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing a boot program and a control program, and various printer setting values described later. SRAM (static random access memory) or the like.
[0008]
As described above, the display unit 3 is configured by an LCD or the like and displays various types of information. The operation unit 2 is composed of, for example, about 2 to 6 keys, and is operated when performing various settings. The printing unit 17 includes a print head that prints on a label, a platen roller that conveys the label in the conveyance direction, and the like, and prints predetermined characters, figures, barcodes, and the like on the label under the control of the main control unit 11. It is like that.
[0009]
An input / output interface (I / O) 13 is connected to a personal computer (PC) 15 via a connector (not shown), transmits / receives data to / from the PC 15, and transmits data from the PC 15 to the main control unit. 11 and the data from the main control unit 11 is transferred to the PC 15. The input / output interface 14 is a serial interface or a parallel interface, and is connected to the input device 6 such as a mouse via a connector (not shown) so as to supply a signal from the input device 6 to the main control unit 11. It has become.
[0010]
Next, a procedure for setting various set values such as print density, print speed, base point correction value, etc. in the label printer 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the power switch 4 of the label printer 1 is operated and the power is turned on, the control program is started. First, in step S1, the main control unit 11 determines whether or not the input device 6 is connected to the input / output interface 14 via a connector. This determination is performed using a serial interface or a parallel interface.
[0011]
That is, the input / output interface 14 is a serial interface or a parallel interface, and in either case, the main control unit 11 monitors the change of the signal from the input / output interface 14 in a software manner based on a predetermined program. By recognizing the connection of the input device 6 such as a mouse, it is determined whether or not the input device 6 is connected to the input / output interface 14.
[0012]
When it is determined that the input device 6 is connected to the input / output interface 14, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, the main control unit 11 sets the mode of the label printer 1 to the printer setting mode. In step S3, a setting change instruction screen as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display unit 3, and it is determined whether or not a setting change is instructed by the user.
[0013]
For example, since the character strings “YES” and “NO” are displayed as selection items on the setting change instruction screen, the user selects “YES” when changing the setting and does not change the setting. Select “NO”. When “YES” is selected by the user, the main control unit 11 determines that the setting change is instructed, and when “NO” is selected, the main control unit 11 determines that the setting change is not instructed.
[0014]
For example, when the input device 6 is constituted by a mouse, when the input device 6 is moved to the left or right, a thick frame surrounding one of the items displayed on the screen is sequentially moved to other adjacent items. Controlled. Therefore, after the user moves the input device 6 to the left and right so that the target item (“YES” or “NO”) displayed on the setting change instruction screen is surrounded by a thick frame, the left of the input device 6 By clicking the button, the target item can be selected. Alternatively, a desired item (“YES” or “NO”) is surrounded by a thick frame by pressing a predetermined button on the operation unit 2, and then a desired item is selected by pressing another predetermined button. can do.
[0015]
If it is determined in step S3 that “YES” (setting change) is selected, the process proceeds to step S4, and various settings are performed. For example, first, the print density is set. That is, under the control of the main control unit 11, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the items "1" (thin), "2" (slightly thin), "3" (normal), "4" (slightly) are displayed on the display unit 3. Dark) and “5” (dark) are displayed, and a thick frame is displayed around the item corresponding to the currently set print density. Therefore, the user operates the input device 6 to select from among the items. The desired print density is selected so that the item corresponding to the desired print density is surrounded by a thick frame, and the print density is set. The set value that has been set is stored and held in the SRAM of the memory 12.
[0016]
When the setting of the print density is completed, the process proceeds to step S5, where the main control unit 11 displays a setting end instruction screen as shown in FIG. 6 on the display unit 3, and determines whether the setting end is instructed. That is, when the user selects “NO” on the setting end screen, the main control unit 11 determines that the setting end is not instructed, returns to step S4, and repeats the processing from step S4. Then, a screen for performing the next setting is sequentially displayed on the display unit 3, and the next setting value, for example, the printing speed, the base point correction value, and the like are sequentially set. On the other hand, when the user selects “YES” on the setting end screen, the main control unit 11 determines that the setting end is instructed, and proceeds to step S7.
[0017]
If it is determined in step S1 that the input device 6 is not connected to the input / output interface 14, the process proceeds to step S6, and the label printer 1 is activated in the normal mode. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S7, and a printing operation with a set value that has already been set is possible.
[0018]
In step S3, if “NO” is selected on the setting change instruction screen and it is determined by the main control unit 11 that the user has not instructed not to change the setting, the process proceeds to step S7, where the already set setting is set. Printing based on the value is possible. That is, various setting values held in the SRAM of the memory 12 are read out, and printing based on these setting values becomes possible. If “YES” is selected in step S5 and it is determined by the main control unit 11 that the user has instructed to end the setting, the process proceeds to step S7 and is based on the setting value set in step S4. Printing is possible.
[0019]
In the above embodiment, the case where the input device 6 such as a mouse is connected via the interface 14 such as a serial interface or a parallel interface has been described. However, USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE (The Institute). The present invention can also be applied to a case of being connected via of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (1394), IrDA (Infrared Data Association), weak radio waves, or the like.
[0020]
The configuration and operation of the above embodiment, the layout of the screen display, and the like are examples, and it goes without saying that they can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the printing apparatus and the printing apparatus setting method according to the present invention, immediately after the power switch is operated and the power is turned on, it is determined whether or not the input device is connected to the interface. The mode of the printing apparatus is switched according to the result. At this time, when it is determined that the input device is connected to the interface, the mode of the printing device can be switched to the mode for setting various setting values. The mode can be easily entered, and the setting operation can be performed quickly and efficiently.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external view of an embodiment of a label printer to which a printing apparatus of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the label printer of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure when setting a setting value;
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting change instruction screen displayed on a display unit.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print density setting screen displayed on a display unit.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting end instruction screen displayed on a display unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Label printer 2 Operation part 3 Display part 4 Power switch 5 Paper discharge part 6 Input device 11 Main control part 12 Memory 13, 14 Input / output interface (I / O)
15 Personal computer (PC)
17 Print section

Claims (3)

A printing apparatus having an interface for connecting a predetermined input device and a power switch for turning on / off the power,
A determination means for determining whether or not the input device is connected to the interface immediately after the power switch is operated and the power is turned on;
Switching means for switching the mode of the printing apparatus according to the determination result by the determination means,
When the determination unit determines that the input device is connected to the interface, the switching unit switches the mode of the printing device to a mode for setting various setting values. apparatus. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit determines that the input device is not connected to the interface, the printing device is set in a printable state with a set value that has already been set. Printing device. A setting method of a printing apparatus having an interface for connecting a predetermined input device and a power switch for turning on / off the power,
A determination step of determining whether or not the input device is connected to the interface immediately after the power switch is operated and the power is turned on;
A switching step of switching the mode of the printing device according to the determination result in the determination step,
When it is determined in the determination step that the input device is connected to the interface, the mode of the printing device is switched to a mode for setting various setting values in the switching step. Setting method.

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