JPH01263816A - Diagnosis processing system for printer control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To decide the contents of the printing results with high accuracy and high efficiency by performing the comparison between the print result obtained from the print information and the print result of the deciding data which show the contents of the former print result in a symbol. CONSTITUTION:A printer 6 contains a buffer 1, a printer control program 2, a print part 3, a diagnosing part 4 and an interface 9. The part 4 includes a deciding data production part 5 consisting of a type part 10, a numeric character part 11 and a line number part 12, a pattern generating part 13, and an initial value memory 14. The print information on the buffer 1 is supplied from a processor 8 connected with the printer 6. A random pattern is produced from the part 13 at diagnosis and stored in the buffer 1. At the same time, the print information on the buffer 1 is sent to the program 2 and converted into the information used for the part 3 and including a character pattern via a conversion table 15. This information is sent to the part 5 and decoded for production of the print information.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] 〔overview〕 Concerning the diagnostic processing method of the printer control program.

The purpose is to prevent omissions in diagnosis and enable reliable diagnosis.

a buffer for storing the supplied print information, a printer control program for creating print information for performing actual printing based on the print information in the buffer, and a printer control program for creating print information for performing actual printing based on the print information for performing the actual printing. A printer comprising a printing section that performs printing, comprising a diagnostic section for diagnosing the printer control program, and a determination material creation section for creating determination materials regarding print information in the buffer, the diagnostic section comprising: , the printing unit is configured to print based on the print information for the actual printing, and also print the judgment material corresponding thereto.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a diagnostic processing method for a program, and more particularly, to a diagnostic processing method for a printer control program.

A printer (printing device) connected to a data processing device such as a computer is controlled by an internal printer control program.

[Conventional technology]

Verification or diagnosis of the functionality of the printer control program is performed by a test program within the processing device.

The test section causes the printer control program to execute printing information (consisting of commands, orders, or data) of a pattern (standard pattern) consisting of a plurality of characters predetermined for 9 diagnostics. Also, with just a fixed pattern,
There may be an omission in the diagnosis of the functions of the printer control program.

Therefore, the test section generates printing information of a pattern (random pattern) consisting of a plurality of random characters for one diagnosis, and causes the printer control program to execute this.

If the printer control program is correct, the print result output from the printer should be a correct fixed pattern or random pattern.

Therefore, the developer of the printer control program personally inspects the print result to determine whether the printer control program is a good product.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

According to the above-mentioned prior art, the quality of the printer control program is determined based only on the results of printing a fixed pattern or a random pattern.

For this reason, there is a problem in that a fixed pattern may be misread during inspection. Also, regarding random patterns.

Since random pattern commands and the like are generated in the test section, there is a problem in that it is not possible to know the correct random pattern during the test. In this case, it becomes difficult to judge whether the printer control program is good or bad, and as a result, there is little effect on preventing omissions in diagnosis.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a diagnostic processing method for a printer control program that prevents omissions in diagnosis and enables reliable diagnosis.

[Means to solve the problem]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the basic structure of the present invention, and shows a printer according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a buffer, 2 is a printer control program, 3 is a printing unit consisting of a structure that performs actual printing, and 4 is a printer control program.
Reference numeral 1 indicates a diagnostic section for diagnosing the printer-based jn program 2, 5 a determination material creation section, and 6 a printer.

Buffer l stores printing information about characters to be printed. This print information is supplied from a processing device to which the printer 6 is connected. Note that in this print information, characters to be printed are represented by character codes such as ASCII or EBCDIC.

The printer control program 2 creates print information for actual printing based on the print information in the buffer 1. That is, print information including a 9-character code is converted to print information including a 2-character pattern.

The character pattern is the information for actual printing.

The printing unit 3 performs printing based on print information from the printer control program 2.

The diagnostic unit 4 performs processing necessary for diagnosing the printer control program 2, and generates print information of a random (or fixed form) pattern during one diagnosis.

This print information is stored in buffer 1.

The determination material creation unit 5 creates determination materials for the diagnosis of the printer control program 2 regarding the print information stored in the buffer 1 at the time of one diagnosis.

This determination material is also converted by the printer control program 2 into print information for carrying out the corresponding actual printing, and is outputted from the printing section 3 as a print result. This printing process is performed by the diagnostic section 4.

[Effect]

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the present invention, and in the same figure, 7
is a printed matter printed by the printing unit 3.

FIG. 2(A) shows the print result of the print information in the buffer 1. This is the print result.

This is a random pattern, and is based on printed information of a random pattern generated by the diagnostic unit 4, for example.

FIG. 2(B) shows the result of printing the judgment material for the print information in the buffer 1, which serves as the judgment material for the random pattern of FIG. 2(A).

In Figure 2 (B), the first number of each line is shown in Figure 2 (A).
), ASC, KSC and H3S are ANK
Character 1 Indicates kanji and half-width characters.

The numbers following these indicate the number of these characters, and I
MG indicates image printing, and the number following this indicates the number of columns for image printing. That is, in FIG. 2(B), in the random pattern of FIG. 2(A), the first line has ANK characters at 4° and Kanji characters at 4. Four half-width characters are printed, and on the second line there are 72 columns of image printing (
24 columns x 3 (3 prints)) is printed.

The contents of the determination data in FIG. 2(B) match the random pattern in FIG. 2(A). Therefore, it can be determined that the printer control program 2 is a good product.

In this way, the random pattern print information is sent to the printer 6.
(Despite the fact that it occurred in Diagnosis Department 4).

Whether the printed random pattern (FIG. 2(A)) is correct can be known from the similarly printed judgment material (FIG. 2(B)).

This evaluation data can be obtained without any burden on the person conducting the 9 diagnosis. As a result, 2nd judgment can be easily and accurately performed, and 1st diagnosis error can be prevented.

Further, by obtaining similar judgment data for the fixed pattern, misreading can be prevented.

Note that the determination made based on the diagnostic processing of the present invention is as follows.

It compares the print result based on certain print information with the print result of judgment materials that express the contents of this print result in symbols.2
For example, one determination can be made more accurately and efficiently than when a plurality of identical print results are compared and determined.

In addition, if the printer control program 2 is defective, only the 1st judgment material or both this and the printed results such as random patterns may be inaccurate, but in this case as well,
Since there is a mismatch between the two, it is possible to know whether the product is defective or not.

〔Example〕

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment.

In FIG. 3, 8 is a processing device, 9 is an interface,
10 is a type section, 11 is a character number section, 12 is a line number section, 13 is a pattern generation section, 14 is an initial value memory, and 15 is a conversion table.

The print information stored in buffer 1 is typically provided by a processing unit 8, such as a data processing unit or central processing unit. The printer 6 is connected to the processing device 8 and serves as one of its output devices. On the other hand, at the time of second diagnosis, in the pattern generation section 13 of the first diagnosis section 4.

A random (or fixed) pattern of printed information is generated,
This is stored in buffer l.

The pattern generation unit 13 randomly generates a one-character code,
As a result, print information of a random pattern is obtained. The initial value for random number generation is 2. For example, the timer of printer 6 (not shown)
Find out the random number generation start time from , and use this. This initial value is stored in the initial value memory 14. Thereby, it is possible to provide the function of obtaining print information regarding the same random pattern again.

The print information in the buffer 1 is sent to the printer control program 2 via the ink face 9. The printer control program (control unit or conversion unit) 2 is.

The conversion table 15 is used to convert the print information from the buffer 1 containing the 2-character code into print information for the printing unit 3 containing the 9-character pattern. As a result, the printing section 3 has the following information:
Print information for actual printing is sent.

At the time of diagnosis, the printed information in buffer 1 is also sent to the 2nd judgment material creation section 5. The 0 line number section 12 decodes this printed information, distinguishes it line by line, and adds a line number. 1
0 is 2 The 0 character number section 11 receives the processing result of the line number section 12 and identifies the type of one character for each line.
After receiving the processing results, check how many characters of the same type are present in each line. Or, the 1-character count part 11 checks how many consecutive characters of the same type are in each line in the order of their appearance (printing) 0
The determination data creation unit 5 performs one or more processes.

The print information for the 0-judgment material used to create the print information for printing the determination material as shown in FIG. 2(B) has the same format as the print information in the buffer l, that is.

This is printing information that includes character codes representing characters to be printed. This print information is the print fl of buffer 1.
? Similar to f[j, ink face 9. The information is sent to the printing unit 3 via the printer control program 2 as print information for actual printing, and is printed.

The printer 6 of this embodiment is provided with an operation unit (not shown), and has a normal print mode, a diagnosis mode, and a random pattern print mode in the diagnosis mode.

It is possible to instruct the printing mode of judgment materials in the diagnostic mode from outside the printer 6.

In the normal print mode, the diagnostic section 4 is not activated.

Print information flows in the order of processing device 8 - buffer 1 - interface 9 - printer control program 2 - printing section 3 . Then, the printed matter 7 that depends on the printing information from the processing device 8 is obtained.

In the diagnostic mode, the diagnostic section 4 is activated and controls the printer 6.

After this, when you specify the random pattern print mode, 1
The diagnostic section 4 stores the initial value for random number generation in the initial value memory 14, and uses this to cause the pattern generation section 13 to generate a random pattern printing emotion.

Store this in buffer l and print it to printer control program 2.
is operated to obtain a random pattern as printed matter 7.

If you continue to specify the print mode for the evaluation materials.

The diagnostic section 4 takes the printing information from the buffer 1 into the judgment material creation section 5, causes the judgment material creation section 5 to create the judgment material, runs the printer control program 2, and obtains the judgment material corresponding to the random pattern as the printed matter 7.

Note that if the random pattern printing mode is then instructed again, the same random pattern can be obtained using the contents of the initial value memory 14.

On the other hand, in the 1-diagnosis mode, when print information is read from the processing device 8 into the buffer 1, the 1-diagnosis section 4 outputs printed matter 7 regarding this print information. After this, if you specify the print mode for the 7 judgment materials.

By using zero or more processes for obtaining determination materials for this print information, it is possible to read the print information of a regular pattern from the processing device 8 and obtain the regular pattern and its determination materials as a print result.

In the above embodiment, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the pattern generation section 13 and the initial value memory 14 are described as existing in the diagnosis section 4 within the printer 6. However, a method in which the pattern generating section 13 and the initial value memory 14 are provided in the processing device 8 shown in FIG. 5 has become common. From this.

The present invention does not exclude the configuration in which the pattern generation section 13 and the initial value memory 14 are provided within the processing device 8 in FIG.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the diagnostic processing of the printer control program, it is possible to print based on print information as well as to print determination materials that represent the contents of the print result in symbols, and the printer control program Diagnosis can be performed reliably and omissions in diagnosis can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principle configuration of the present invention. Figure 2 is a detailed explanation of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment. 1 is a buffer, 2 is a printer control program. 3 is a printing department, 4 is a diagnosis department, and 5 is a judgment material creation department. 6 is a printer. Patent applicant: BFN Co., Ltd. Agent: Patent attorney Hiroshi Mori (2 others) Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A buffer (1) for storing supplied print information, and a printer control program (1) for creating print information for actual printing based on the print information in the buffer (1).
2), and a printing section (3) that performs printing based on the print information for performing the actual printing, the printer (6) comprising: a diagnostic section (3) for diagnosing the printer control program (2); 4); and a determination material creation unit (5) that creates determination data regarding the print information in the buffer (1), and the diagnostic unit (
4) causes the printing unit (3) to perform printing based on the printing information for performing the actual printing, and
A diagnostic processing method for a printer control program, characterized in that the judgment material corresponding to this is also printed.