JPH032079A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To print out characters which are well understood by users in each different destination country by indicating a string of characters such as of message on a character indicator using a language of a country set in accordance with the string of characters to be printed out on the setting of a country name setting device. CONSTITUTION:A mode setting device M has a country name setting device A which sets a country name and prints characters using either of languages of countries in accordance with the setting of the device A. In this case, an automatically indicating language selection device C changes a string of characters such as of message indicated on a character indicator B in a language matching with a set country name, in accordance with a language set by the device A in which a string of characters are printed out. Thus a printout which is well understood by users in each destination country is realized without preparing special software.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a printer that can print out data in any one of the languages of a plurality of countries.

[Conventional technology]

Some printers are equipped with a character display on the front panel that can display various messages to the operator in addition to various keys (switches) and lamps. Some printers allow you to set the country name using key operations, and then print in one of the languages of multiple countries depending on the setting.

However, even in such printers, the front panel display usually supports only one language, and the character strings displayed on the character display are generally in English, as are the character strings engraved on each key on the front panel. are unified.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Therefore, in non-English-speaking countries, the display engraved on the key is commonly used and is easy to understand in English, but when it comes to informing you of the printer's mode settings or printer status, Since many of the displayed contents are not well known to the general public, it is difficult to understand them in English, so when exporting a printer to a non-English speaking country, display software that is compatible with that country's language is required. It was necessary to create a new one.

This invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to automatically change the language of the character string displayed on the character display device according to the language of the character string to be printed. .

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a printer that is capable of printing in any of a plurality of languages according to settings made by a mode setting means and is equipped with a character display that can display various messages, etc. on the front panel. As shown in the functional block diagram in FIG.
has a country name setting means A for setting a country name.

A display language automatic selection means C is provided to change the language of the message, etc., displayed on the character display device B to match the language of the character string to be printed out according to the setting, and to change the language of the character string of the message, etc. to be displayed on the character display device B to the language corresponding to the set country name. be.

Further, as shown in the functional block diagram in FIG. 2, the mode setting means M has a character set selection means for selecting a character set to be used for printing, and the character set selected by the means is in which country. A discriminating means E for discriminating whether the message is for the language to be used, and an automatic display language selecting means F for selecting the language of a character string such as a message to be displayed on the character display B according to the discriminating result are provided. It's okay.

[For production]

According to the printer shown in FIG. 1, the display language automatic selection means C displays characters such as messages on the character display B in accordance with the language selection of the character string to be printed out according to the setting of the country name setting means A. The language of the column will also be changed to the language according to the country name set.

Further, according to the printer shown in FIG. 2, the determining means E determines which language the character set selected by the character set selecting means is for, and the character set selected by the character set selecting means is for which language the character set is used in which country. Then, the display language automatic selection means F selects the language of the character string such as a message to be displayed on the character display B so that the language is the same as the language of the character string to be printed.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 3 and subsequent figures.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a laser printer which is an embodiment of the present invention.

This laser printer has a main body 1 with a removably attached paper feed tray 2, a first paper stacker 6 at the top, and a second paper stacker 4 at the rear.

Of the two paper output stackers 3 and 4, the first paper output stacker 3 is normally selected, but in special cases, such as when using paper that tends to curl, such as envelopes and postcards, the second paper output stacker 3 is selected. Stacker 4 is selected.

Note that the paper discharge to these two paper discharge stackers can be switched by a switching claw 5.

Furthermore, inside the main body 1, there are various process devices constituting an image forming section of a printer engine, which will be described later, such as a photosensitive drum 6, a charging section 7. Kokoshobu 8. Developing section 9. Transfer section 10. Fixing unit 11, paper feed roller 12, and registration roller pair 13
It is provided with a paper feeding section such as a paper feed section, and a paper ejection conveyance section 14 consisting of a conveyance roller, a paper guide plate, and the like.

Further, on the top of this printer, boards of a printer controller 20 and an engine driver 18, which will be described later, are mounted.

By commands from the host computer described later,
When the print sequence is started, the paper feed roller 12 starts feeding paper from the paper feed tray 2, and pauses at a position where the leading edge of the paper is held between the pair of registration rollers 13.

On the other hand, each process device executes an electrophotographic process.

That is, the photosensitive drum 6 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The beam is irradiated and exposed while main scanning in the direction of the drum axis to form a latent image.

It is developed with toner in the developing section 9, transferred to a sheet of paper fed at a predetermined timing by a pair of registration rollers 13 by a transfer section 10, and then heated and fixed in a fixing section 11. The paper is discharged to the first paper discharge stacker 3 via the stacker 4 or the paper discharge transport section 14.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printer controller of this laser printer.

As shown in FIG. 4, this printer controller 20 includes a host interface 21 for connecting to a host computer 15, an engine interface 23 for connecting to a printer engine 22, and a front panel (
various interfaces (I/F) such as a panel interface 24 for connecting to an operation panel) 40, an option interface 27 for connecting to options such as a read/write RAM cartridge 25 and a read-only ROM cartridge 26; Microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as rcPUJ) 28, ROM 29
．． RAM30. A non-volatile memory 51 is also provided.

Note that each of these parts is an address bus and a control bus.

They are interconnected by a data bus pass line 32.

In addition, the optional RAM cartridge 25 and R
The OM cartridge 26 is a RAM cartridge for increasing the capacity of the RAM 30, and a ROM 29.
These are font cartridges that store fonts other than those stored in fonts, or emulation cards that provide the functionality of other printer models, and both are used to expand printer functionality.

The host interface 21 is an office computer,
This is an interface for connecting to a host computer 15 such as a personal computer, word processor, data processing device 2, image processing device, etc., and various parallel interfaces or serial interfaces are selected depending on the host computer to be connected.

cpU28 is a microprocessor and ROM.

It is a general-purpose 16-bit or 32-bit microcomputer consisting of RAM, timer (counter), Ilo, etc., and the program in ROM 29 and non-volatile memory 31.
It processes the data from the host computer 15 using the data, and also controls the entire printer controller 20.

In particular, as a function related to this invention, the front panel 4
0 or a country name setting means for setting a country name (nationality) according to an instruction from the host computer 15; It also functions as an automatic display language selection means that changes the character strings of messages, etc. to be displayed into a language corresponding to the set country name.

The ROM 29 is a read-only memory, and in addition to programs for operating the cPU 28 and resident fonts, it also stores various character string data to be displayed on the character display on the front panel 40 in the languages of various countries, as illustrated in FIG. Multiple string data is stored in a table.

Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 6, font data (character sets) corresponding to each character code (character code) of the language corresponding to the name of each country are also stored.

The RAM 50 is a large-capacity random access memory, and includes an input buffer that temporarily stores data such as character codes, control codes, and commands from the host computer 15, and a video buffer that stores video data sent to the printer engine 22. bitmap area) and
Download fonts from host computer 15 (
Character set) or ROM cartridge 2 is used in font memory to store fonts (character set) from the 2nd day.

The non-volatile memory 31 is used as a mode setting memory in this laser printer, and is generally used in NVR.
Although AM is used, it is also possible to use EEPROM, RAM backed up by a battery, etc.

The printer engine 22 includes a mechanical section including the photoconductor drum 6 shown in FIG. The engine driver 18 performs sequence control of the mechanical parts according to commands and video data from the printer controller 20.

The front panel 40 is configured as shown in FIG. 7, for example, and includes a character display (LCD display) 41, four pictograms 42 to 45 each displayed by lighting of an LED (light emitting diode), and eight pictographs. key 46
~53.

The character display device 41 is, for example, a character display of 16 characters x 2 lines, and supplementary explanations of the display are provided using pictograms 42 to 45 (only when necessary).

Contents when setting the mode and various other messages can be displayed.

For pictograms 42 to 45, 42 is the power ON, respectively.

43 is online, 44 is warming up.

45 lights up to indicate the presence of video data (bitmap information).

Keys 46 to 49 are respectively 46 an online key for switching the printer online/offline;
7 is a form feed key for printing the video data in the printer when the pictogram indicating that there is video data is lit, and 48 is a test key for starting the printer's self-diagnosis test function, etc. , 49 are reset keys for resetting the printer, and 50 to 53 are operation keys for mode setting.

Here, the procedure for setting the country name (nationality) related to the present invention will be explained using an example of setting the country name (nationality) to French using the front panel 40 of FIG. 7.

Note that the country name is one of the operating modes of this laser printer, that is, items or printing conditions that are compatible with the host computer and application connected to this laser printer, and this operating mode is shown in FIG. 8, for example. Settings or changes are made by selecting each item to be set and the menu (details: setting contents) for each item.

The set contents are stored as mode set information in the nonvolatile memory 31 shown in FIG. 4, and remain valid until reset.

The country name setting is also used to convert the characters to be printed into the destination language.

First, it is assumed that the pictogram (online display) 43 in FIG. 7 is lit and the user is in an online state. From this state, perform the following key operation.

- By pressing the online key 46, the online display turns off and the device becomes offline.

■ By pressing the up arrow mode set key 50, the mode set state (mode setting possible) is entered, and "Host Interface" is displayed on the character display 41 as the first item.
will be displayed.

■ Continue to press the left or right arrow key 51 or 52 until mode number 8 "Nationality" is displayed on the character display 41.

Note that each time the right arrow key 52 is pressed, the item display changes from "host interface" to "emulation" and "print orientation."

On the other hand, each time the left arrow key 51 is pressed, the rotation rotates in the opposite direction.

The item display changes from ``Host Interface'' to ``Address Kneeple Area'' and ``Nationality.''

■ By pressing the up arrow enter key 53 while mode number 8 "Nationality" is displayed, the character display 41 displays, for example, rU, s, A, which have been registered in the non-volatile memory 31, J (English) is displayed.

■ Continue to press the left or right arrow key 51 or 52 until r France J is displayed on the character display 41.

■ With r France J displayed on the character display 41, by pressing the up arrow enter key 53, for example, r France is displayed instead of rU, S, A, J.
a” is updated and registered in the nonvolatile memory 31.

As a result, the character set for converting the character code to be printed into bitmap data is changed from the English character set shown in FIG. 10 to the French character set shown in No. 11@.

Next, the display on the character display 41 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be explained with reference also to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in this laser printer, when it becomes necessary to display a character string such as a message, for example, the 4th rj! By each sensor (not shown) of the printer engine 22 of I,
When a paper jam (paper jam) 2 is detected, such as no paper or opening/closing of a cover, the engine driver that controls the printer engine 22 sends information indicating the state to the CPU 28 of the printer controller 20.

Thereby, the CPU 2f3 determines the content of the information, and determines the number (code) of the corresponding character string data from the determination result and the country name data registered in the nonvolatile memory 31.

Next, from among the character string data of each language stored in the ROM 29 as shown in FIG. Send the item to 40.

Thereby, the CPU on the front panel 40 side converts the character string data into display data and displays it on the character display 41.

Therefore, the necessary character string is displayed on the character display 41 of the front panel 40 in the language corresponding to the country name selected and registered in advance.

In this way, the laser printer according to this embodiment can change the character string displayed on the character display in the language corresponding to the country name set according to the language of the character string to be printed out according to the country name setting when setting the mode. Since the corresponding content is automatically selected based on the character string data in the ROM 29 of the printer controller 20, several types of front panels (operation panels) with printer software corresponding to the language of the destination country are provided depending on the destination. Even if you don't,
One type of front panel can correspond to each country for each destination.

The language of the character string displayed on the character display 41 when setting the mode is the language corresponding to the country name in the mode set information registered in the nonvolatile memory 31 when the previous mode was set.

Also, when printing out the mode set information registered in the non-volatile memory 51 as a summary sheet,
We can respond in the language depending on the country name.

In other words, if the set country name is U, S, A, the first
A summary sheet using English as shown in FIG. 2 is printed out, and if the country name set is France, a summary sheet using French as shown in FIG. 13 is printed out, for example.

Next, other embodiments of the invention will be described.

It should be noted that the hardware configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the previous embodiment described in FIGS. 3, 4, and 7, so the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In mode setting, this embodiment has a function of selecting and setting a character set instead of the country name, and mode set information including the character set name is registered in the nonvolatile memory 31.

Therefore, the display on the character display 41 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference also to the flowchart of FIG. 14.

Note that the reference numerals of the respective parts of the above-described embodiment shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 7 are used as they are.

First, in this laser printer, when it becomes necessary to display a character string such as a message, the printer engine 22 sends a message to the printer controller 2 in the same way as in the previous embodiment.
Information indicating a state such as a jam is sent to the CPO 28 of No. 0.

Thereby, the CPU 28 determines the content of the information,
Next, it is determined which country and language the character set registered in the nonvolatile memory 31 is for.

Next, the number (code) of the corresponding character string data is determined from the determination result and the content of the information to be displayed, and the ROM is
Character string data of each language stored in 29 (Figure 5)
Among them, character string data corresponding to the number obtained as a result of the determination is extracted and sent to the front panel 40 via the panel interface 24.

Thereby, the CPU on the front panel 40 side converts the character string data into display data and displays it on the character display 41.

In this way, the laser printer according to this embodiment determines which language the selected character set is for when setting the mode, and prints the corresponding content in the language obtained as a result of the determination. Since the character string data of is automatically selected, this embodiment also provides the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiment.

The embodiments in which the present invention is applied to a laser printer have been described above, but the present invention is applicable not only to other page printers such as LED printers and liquid crystal shutter printers, but also to dot printers such as wire dot printers, thermal printers, and inkjet printers. Applicable to various printers.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the printer according to the present invention, the language of the character string displayed on the character display device is automatically displayed in accordance with the language of the character string to be printed. Furthermore, each destination can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner for the user without creating any special software.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are functional block diagrams showing the basic configuration of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a laser printer that is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printer controller, and FIG. 5 is an example of a character string table stored in the ROM 29. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of characters for setting the country name stored in the ROM 29, FIG. 7 is a layout diagram showing a specific example of the front panel of FIG. 4, and FIG. 8 is an illustration of this implementation. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing display processing according to this embodiment; Figures 10 and 11 are explanatory diagrams showing different examples of character sets; 13 and 13 are diagrams showing examples of summary sheets in English and French, respectively, printed out according to this embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing display processing according to another embodiment of the present invention. 1... Laser printer body 15... Host computer 18... Engine driver 20... Printer controller 22... Printer engine 28... Microcomputer (CPU) 29...
Read-on memory (ROM) 30...Random access memory (RAM) 40...Front panel 41...Character display (LCD) 50...Mode set key 51...Left arrow key 52... right arrow key 5
3...Enter key 1 Figure 2 Figure 5 Figure 2J6 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 1114 Figure

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A printer capable of printing in any of a plurality of languages according to settings by a mode setting means, and equipped with a character display capable of displaying various messages, etc. on a front panel, comprising: The setting means has a country name setting means for setting a country name, and according to the setting, the character string of the message etc. displayed on the character display device also corresponds to the set country name according to the language of the character string to be printed out. A printer characterized in that it is provided with automatic display language selection means. 2. In a printer equipped with a character display capable of printing in any of a plurality of languages according to the settings made by the mode setting means and displaying various messages on the front panel, the characters used by the mode setting means for printing. a character set selection means for selecting a character set, a determination means for determining which language the character set selected by the means is for a language used in a country; 1. A printer comprising automatic display language selection means for selecting the language of a character string such as a message displayed on a display.