JPH03189721A - Printer controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the print processing efficiency by identifying and storing the printing action conditions and controlling the printing action based on the stored printing action conditions. CONSTITUTION:The character code data, the print control data, and the data (print data) on the printing action conditions, etc., are supplied to a printer device 1 from a host computer 7. A CPU s controls each part of a printer controller based on a system program stored in a system ROM 3. A nonvolatile memory 5 stores the printing action condition data included in the print data outputted from the computer 7. A printing part 12 performs a printing action to the printing form based on the dot pattern data outputted from a picture memory 10 via an output interface 11 with the output control of the CPU 2. Thus, the print processing efficiency is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a printer control device that controls a printing section to perform a corresponding printing operation based on printing data sent from a higher-level device such as a host computer.

[Conventional technology]

The printer control device that controls the printing section of the printer has a plurality of print operation modes that can be selected based on the specific print operation control information input from the above-mentioned equipment such as a host computer, and can perform desired printing according to the user's request. It is configured so that it can be set in advance to execute an operation mode. Selection and specification of such printing operation mode (hereinafter referred to as printing operation conditions)
The settings are, for example, set in a rewritable non-volatile memory, and the controller in the printer control device reads this setting state during the initial setting period immediately after the printer control device is powered on, and stores it in the control memory. Setting data. Thereafter, the printer control device performs one line of printing operation according to the printing operation condition data set in this control memory. In particular, the printing operation conditions supplied from the non-volatile memory include the specification of so-called portrait printing/landscape printing, which specifies the printing direction on paper, the specification of automatic page feed during printing, and the specification of automatic line feed. This is data such as specification, character font specification, etc. for setting character type, etc.

Conventionally, the printing operation conditions necessary for the printing operation as described above are set during the initial setting period immediately after the device is powered on, and then the printing process is performed. After rewriting the printing operation information stored in the nonvolatile memory with desired information, the apparatus must be powered on again to write the newly designated printing operation information from the nonvolatile 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 it using a deep switch, but in this case as well, the user can write the above printing operation conditions using the deep switch. After setting, the device power is turned on again to write the new printing operation conditions into the control memory.

[Problems with conventional technology]

In the conventional printer control device as described above, when changing the printing operating conditions, the power is turned on each time the printing operating conditions are changed, and the data stored in the non-volatile memory is written to the control memory. There must be. Further, this point also applies to the case where the printing operation condition setting process is performed using a dip switch. For this reason, operations during the print process are complicated, and even if the device is turned off and turned on again, it takes a long time for printers that use heat fixing methods to become ready for printing. You will have to wait for a long time and you will not be able to print efficiently.

[Purpose of the invention]

In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention provides efficient print processing by making it possible to easily change the printing operation conditions stored in the storage means of the control unit without having to turn on the power of the printer control device again. The purpose is to provide a printer control device that makes it possible to

[Key points of the invention]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a printer control device which has a storage means for storing printing operation conditions of the printer in advance and causes a printing section to perform a printing operation according to the printing operation conditions stored in the storage means. an identification means for identifying printing operation conditions inputted from a host device connected to the printer device; a storage means for storing the printing operation conditions identified by the identification means; The present invention is characterized by comprising a printing control means for controlling printing operations.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one 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 this embodiment. In the figure, the system configuration within the printer control device 1 is a CPU (central processing unit) 2, a system ROM,
3, a system RAM 4, a non-volatile memory 5, etc., and a host computer 7 is connected to the printer control device 1 via a host interface (hereinafter referred to as host I/F) 6. In particular, in this embodiment, a Centronics interface is used. This host computer 7 is a host device for the printer control device 1, and data such as character code data, print control data, printing operation conditions, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as print data) is sent from the host computer 7 to the printer device 1. Supplied.

The CPU 2 controls each part 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, character code data is read from the reception buffer 8, and the corresponding dot is read out by the phono)CG (character generator) 9. Controls the process of converting to pattern data, etc.

The nonvolatile memory 5 is composed of, for example, an EEPROM, and stores the above-mentioned printing operation condition data included in the printing data output from the host computer 7, as will be described in detail later. Further, the system RAM 4 is a control memory that stores various data generated while the CPU 2 is controlling the printer control device 1. Further, the image memory IO has a storage capacity of data for one page of paper, for example, and the image memory IO has a storage capacity of data for one page of paper.
The dot pattern data converted in step 9 is stored for one page. Further, the printing unit 12 is configured to print data from the image memory 10 to the C.
This device prints on paper according to dot pattern data outputted via an output interface (hereinafter referred to as output 1/F) 11 under the output control of the PU 2.

In the printer control device 1 having the above configuration, the print processing operation will be explained using the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 and the like. However, it is assumed that the nonvolatile memory 5 stores in advance printing operation information data of the printer device 1' at the initial stage.

First, when the printer control device 1 is powered on, a hard check process is executed (step (hereinafter referred to as S)).
1). This hard check is a process for checking for abnormalities in, for example, the board on which the system circuit shown in FIG. 1 is installed or the printing section 12 described above.

Next, the printing operation condition data stored in the nonvolatile memory 5 is written to the system RAM 4 (s2). Next, initialization is performed such as clearing the work area of the system RAM 4 and setting an initial value in the pointer area. After executing the process (S3), various setting processes are performed according to the printing operation condition data written to the system RAM 4 as described above, such as specifying boat rate printing/landscape printing as described above, and setting during printing operation. Specifying automatic page breaks,
The automatic line feed is specified, and furthermore, the character font for setting the character type, etc. is specified (S4).

In addition, the symbols ■ and ■ shown in the flowchart in Figure 2 refer to the third
This corresponds to ■ and ■ in the time chart showing the processing operation of the printer control device 1 at the initial stage shown in the figure. That is, the above processes (32 to 34) are performed when the printer control device 1 is powered on and the select signal (SELECT) representing the connection state with the host computer is at a low level.
Indicates that it will be executed during the period (offline period).

Further, a period C shown in the figure indicates an undefined state immediately after power is turned on to the printer control device I. Therefore, the above initial setting process is executed after this unstable period C. During this time, the busy signal (BUSY) is held at a high level to control printing data from being inputted from the host computer 7, and after the above initial setting process is completed, the SELECT signal is kept at a high level (BUSY).
After the signal is set to the low state, an acknowledge signal (ACK) is outputted, thereby making it possible to receive print data.

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 no print data has been input to the reception buffer 8, wait for print data to be supplied from the host computer 7 (S5 is Y (yes)).
. Here, the process of inputting print data to the reception buffer 8 will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4 and the time charts of FIGS. 5 and 6. As mentioned above, the print data consists of character code data, print control data, and print operation condition data, but the reception of the character code data and print control data is performed according to the time chart in Figure 5, and the reception of the print operation condition data is The case is carried out according to the time chart shown in FIG. That is, in the case of receiving character code data and print control data, the character code data or print control data is input to the printer control device 1 together with a strobe signal as shown in FIG. 5'. Then, the printer control device 1 inputs, for example, character code data into a predetermined area of the reception buffer 8 while setting the busy signal (BUSY) to a high state (step (hereinafter referred to as ST) l), and in the case of print control data, inputs commands and parameters. is input into a predetermined area of the reception buffer 8 (Sr1), and the above process (ST1
~5Tn), performs processing to enable reception of the next print data (returns the BUSY signal (BUSY) to the Lo- state and sends out an acknowledge signal (ACK)) (STn
+1).

On the other hand, when the printing operation condition data is received together with the strobe signal (STB) from the host computer 7, the commands and parameters constituting this data are also stored in the reception buffer 8 (STn12).

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a time chart of interface signals when new printing operation condition data output from the host computer 7 is input. In other words, since the printing operation condition data is input from the host computer,
The select signal is set to a high state.

In this state, every time a strobe signal is input, data including the new printing operation conditions is input.

Every time one byte of data is received, the busy signal is returned to the Low state and an acknowledge signal is output. This process is repeated to receive all the print operation condition data consisting of multiple bytes of data, but once all the data has been received, unlike the case of receiving character code data, the process that enables the reception of the next print data is Not done, i.e. busy
The signal is not returned to the Low state, but the select signal is further switched to the Low level to set the offline state. Note that this state is maintained until the received printing operation condition data is written into the nonvolatile memory 5 through processing described later.

When the input of the print data to the reception buffer 8 is completed as described above (85 in FIG. 2 is N), the CP
U2 sequentially reads these data in the reception buffer 8 and executes processing (S6) according to the print data.

That is, this process is an execution process of each of the above commands. In this process, once the CPU 2 reads the print control data from the reception buffer 8, it analyzes the command included in the print control data and executes the process corresponding to the command.For example, if the read command is a predetermined character string, If the instruction is rotation processing, shaded processing, half-width processing, etc., the CPU 2 executes the corresponding processing on the specified character string. Furthermore, if the data read out from the reception buffer 8 by the CPU 2 is character code data, as described above, phono) CO2
A process of converting the character code data into corresponding dot pattern data is executed using the dot pattern data, and the converted dot pattern data is written into the image memory 1O.

After the above-mentioned command execution processing is completed, when the CPU 2 reads the printing operation condition data input into the reception buffer 8, the command included in this data is a command that specifies the printing operation conditions, so the CPU 5 Then, the dot pattern data written in the image memory 10 is outputted to the printing section 12 (S7 is Y, S8). still,
In reality, while the image memory 10 head pattern data is being written, the output processing from the image memory 10 to the printing unit 12 is being performed in parallel, so the printing operation condition data is
In some cases, all the dot pattern data in the image memory 10 has been read out when the PU2 reads it out (S7 is N).
.

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

By writing new printing operating conditions to the non-volatile memory 5 based on the printing operating condition data input from the host computer 7 as described above, the printing operating conditions in the non-volatile memory 5 can be changed without turning off the power. Can be changed to new conditions. Thereafter, the process returns to 32 in the flowchart of FIG. 2, and initial setting processing (32 to S4) for performing a printing operation according to the newly set printing operation conditions in the nonvolatile memory 5 is executed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the initial setting data in the nonvolatile memory 5 can be rewritten without turning off the power unlike the conventional method.

Note that the nonvolatile memory 5 used in this embodiment is EEPRO.
The memory is not limited to M, and other non-volatile storage means such as bubble memory may be used.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when changing the printing operating conditions, the printing operating conditions in the non-volatile memory 5 are rewritten, but the data in the non-volatile memory 5 is written directly to the printing operating condition setting area in the system RAMd. It may be set so that it remains as the initial value.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the printing operation conditions for the nonvolatile memory can be changed without turning off the power during the printing operation, and efficient printing processing becomes possible.

Additionally, since the power-off process for the printer control device can be removed, when printing using a computer system, even if the printing operating conditions need to be changed, there is no need to move to the location where the printer control device is installed. It is now possible to print using the terminal's computer.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

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

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A printer control device comprising a storage means for storing printing operation conditions of the printer in advance and causing a printing section to perform a printing operation according to the printing operation conditions stored in the storage means, comprising: identification means for identifying printing operation conditions input from a connected host device; storage means for storing the printing operation conditions identified by the identification means;
1. A printer control device comprising: printing control means for controlling printing operations according to printing operation conditions stored in the storage means.