JPH02286382A - Printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a printing mistake or the misunderstanding of trouble by returning a set mode to a predetermined value when there is no input of data within a predetermined time from the point of time when input data is received. CONSTITUTION:When a counter 113 counts up and the value 128 thereof reaches 'CCCD', the output 129 of a comparator 112 becomes a LOW level and a main control part 109 confirms that no input data comes within a prescribed time. That is, the main control part 109 returns the content of the user set up region within a non-volatile memory 115 to a default value and, if data remains in a bit map memory 104, the control part 109 clears the data or adds data for discriminating it from the data coming after the prescribed time. This main control part performs the same operation to a page memory 102. That is, the data of a page different from the page of the data coming after the prescribed time is discriminated clearly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a printing device that prints text patterns created using a personal computer, word processor, or the like.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, the setting mode of a printing device is: (1) It is set using a DIP switch or the like when the power is turned off, and does not change at all while the power is turned on.

■ Changed using the operation panel while the power is turned on. 0 It will not change until it is changed from the operation panel.

It was either.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Conventionally, the mode set in a printing device did not change unless the mode was set again the next time, resulting in the following drawbacks.

In other words, user A usually uses the printing device in the setting mode and registers this as the default value, but sometimes user B uses the printing device and
Suppose that you change the setting mode to .

If user B forgets to return the mode to the original setting and leaves the printer with the setting set to ■, and user A comes and uses the printing device with the setting still set to ■, it may malfunction or even worse. This may lead to a misunderstanding that the printing device is malfunctioning.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printing device that solves the above problems.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a mode setting means capable of changing the setting mode, and a mode setting means within a predetermined period of time from the time when the setting mode is changed by the mode setting means or from the time when input data is received after the setting mode is converted. and control means for returning the setting mode to a predetermined value when no data is input.

(Operation) According to the present invention, the time interval of input data is measured to check whether the printing device is used. In other words, if input data does not arrive within a certain predetermined time, it is determined that the printing device has finished using it, and the printer returns to the setting mode that is likely to be used normally the next time it is used. It is something.

(Example〕 The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 121 is text information including character codes sent from a host computer (not shown), 122 is a strobe signal of the text information 121, and 1
02 is a page memory for storing input data in page units, 103 is a character font memory, 104 is a bitmap memory, 105 is a scan buffer section, 10B is a parallel-to-serial converter, 107 is a printing section, 108 is an operation panel section, 10
9 is a main control section, and 110 is a readout control section.

The present invention will be described in detail below based on the embodiment shown in FIG. It is stored in memory 102.

The signal 123 from the main control unit 109 is normal! (Since it is at IGH level, the counter 113 is cleared every time the strobe signal 122 is input.

When one page of document data is stored in the page memory 102, the main control unit 109 sequentially reads character code data from the page memory 102 and stores the character code data in the character font memory 102.
03 to obtain the dot pattern of the read character,
The data is developed on the bitmap memory 104. When the dot pattern for one page has been developed on the bitmap memory 104, the main control section 109 next loads the dot pattern on the bitmap memory 104.
The image dot data of No. 04 is read in sequence and written to the scan buffer 1105.

The scan buffer 105 constitutes a so-called double buffer, and while one buffer is being read to transfer dot data to the printing unit 107, the other buffer is reading data for the next scan line from the bitmap memory 104. By loading data, the printing throughput of the printing device is improved.

When the dot data has been stored in the scan buffer 105, the main control section 109 outputs a print start command 123 to the printing section 107.

The printing section 107, such as a laser beam printer, receives page-by-page dot data as a signal 124, converts it to ON/OFF of a laser, and visualizes it on plain paper using a so-called electrophotographic method. The main control unit 109 also outputs a read start command 127 to the read control unit 110.

When the readout control unit 110 receives the readout start command 127, the readout control unit 110 starts reading in the vertical direction (paper traveling direction) from the printing unit 107.
Synchronization signal 125 and horizontal direction (scanning direction) synchronization signal 12
6, the dot data is read out from the scan buffer 105, converted into serial data by the converter 106, and then sent to the printing unit 107 as a signal 124.

When one of the scan buffers 105 becomes empty, the main control section 109 reads dot data for the next scan line from the bitmap memory 104 and loads it into the scan buffer 105.

In this way, one page of image data is printed out.

Now, the non-volatile memory 115 is loaded with various setup conditions for the printing apparatus, such as input interface protocols, input command systems, and various conditions for printing. The above conditions can be changed by key operations from the operation panel section 108, so that various input conditions can be accommodated. Furthermore, the nonvolatile memory 115 is roughly divided into two parts, one of which is default setup information and the other is user-changed setup information. Default setup information is an area that cannot be changed without taking special steps, whereas user-changed setup information can be easily changed by each user from the operation panel section. Since both are stored in the nonvolatile memory 115, they are saved even if the printing device is powered off.

A certain value is preloaded into the register 114 by the main control unit 109 . This value is directly related to the length of time for returning the printing apparatus to the default state, which is related to the present invention, and can be changed by the user from the operation panel lo8. As an example, in this register! Assume that rcccc is loaded in hexadecimal format.

Normally, signal 123 is at HIGH level. Also, since the clock generation circuit 11B always outputs the clock,
When the strobe signal 122 does not arrive, the counter 113 counts up, and this situation is shown in the timing chart of FIG.

That is, unless input data is input, the counter 11
3 continues to count up. counter 11
3 counts up and the value 128 is rccc
o, the output 129 of the comparator 112 becomes LO.
The level becomes W, and the main control unit 109 recognizes that the input data has not arrived within the specified time. That is, the main control unit 109 restores the contents of the user setup area in the nonvolatile memory 115 to the default value, and if any data remains in the bitmap memory 104, clears the data. Alternatively, data is added to distinguish it from data that has arrived after a specified time. This is page memory 10
The same operation is performed for 2. In other words, it is made clear that the data that comes after the specified time is data on a different page.

Further, in order to return the counter 113 to the initial state, the signal 123 is set to the LOIII level.

The above operation is an example in which the present printing apparatus is always in a printable state while the counter 113 is counting up.

For example, if an error occurs in the printing section, or the printing device is unable to print due to running out of printing paper, jamming, etc.
Since the text information 121 cannot be input, the main control unit 109 lowers the signal 123 to the LOW level and ends the detailed explanation of the present invention when the counter is reset to 0 or more.

[Other Examples]

In this embodiment, measurement of input data is used as a criterion, but going further, information such as whether or not an operation panel has been operated can also be used as a criterion with the same configuration.

Further, although time was measured using a counter, comparator, and register, it goes without saying that this may be replaced by software.

Ru.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the present invention. ...Operation panel section, ...Page memory, ...Bitmap memory, ...Nonvolatile memory, ...Main control section, ...Counter, ...Comparator. 〔Effect of the invention〕

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A mode setting means capable of changing the setting mode, and a mode setting means capable of changing the setting mode; a control means for returning a setting mode to a predetermined value when there is no input. 2) The control means changes from a state in which data cannot be input.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus restarts or redoes the measurement of the predetermined time from the time when the printing apparatus returns to an input enabled state. 3) The predetermined value includes an area that is not returned to the initial value if it is a preset area even if the value is different from the initial value. printing device. 4) When the setting mode is reset to a predetermined value, the control means considers that the input data remaining at that point and the data input thereafter are different print information. The printing apparatus according to claim 1. 5) The control means prints out or leaves the remaining input data at the time of returning to the setting mode;
5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein whether or not to clear the information can be set in advance.