JPH05124302A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve image developing capability of a page printer or the like which can mount a cartridge thereon. CONSTITUTION:A cartridge containing a processor is loaded to a connector mounted on an electronic controller in a printer body. Input data from a computer is sequentially distributed the printer body or the cartridge for every page and the image is developed in parallel by respective CPUs. The developed data is transferred to the printer body and printed on a paper P by a xerography print unit.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer device comprising a printer body and a printer controller mounted on a connector provided on the printer body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, page printers such as laser printers have been remarkably widespread, and are becoming the mainstream of high-speed output devices for data from computers.
Most laser printers have 240 to 800 DPI
It has been developed to have a printing capacity of several pages per minute. Such a printer uses a xerographic unit that uses a photosensitive drum as an engine for printing, and continuously performs each process of charging, exposure, toner application, and transfer in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum. After storing the image for one page in the memory, the printing process is started.

Therefore, the image expansion memory provided in the page printer needs to have a capacity for storing at least one page of image in the memory, and if the image data is not compressed, the capacity is the resolution and processing. It depends on the size of the paper that can be used. For example, a resolution of 300 DPI,
Considering the case where the size of the paper is 8 inches in width and 10 inches in length, the total is 8 × 10 × 300 × 300 = 7,20.
It will handle 10,000 dots of pixels and at least 0.9 megabytes of memory must be provided.

If the print data received from the external computer is the bit image itself of the image to be printed, the printer only receives the data and sequentially stores it in the memory, and the processing speed is mainly Depends on the data transfer rate. Since parallel transfer, for example, a transfer system conforming to the Centronics standard is considerably high, it is almost unlikely that the transfer speed will fall below the printing capability of the xerographic unit.

[0005]

However, in a printer having a function of receiving information such as a character code and line and column pitch as print data and developing this as an image, or a program described in a page description language is used. A printer that receives this, interprets it, and expands it requires processing to calculate and generate a bit image based on the print data, which has the problem that the overall processing speed is greatly reduced compared to simple bit image transfer. It was That is, the processing speed of the printer is mainly determined by the capacity of the processor that performs the processing, the access time of the memory, and the like, and the printing capacity of the xerographic unit itself is greatly reduced.

For example, considering a page printer capable of printing 10 sheets per minute, the time allowed to prepare image data for one printed matter is only 6 seconds. If all 9 megabytes of data are to be expanded, the processing time per byte is only 6.67 microseconds (6 seconds / 0.9 seconds).
Megabytes). This processing speed is about whether or not it can be realized by a high-speed RISC type processor currently on the market. On the other hand, the xerographic unit often has a printing capacity of about 10 sheets / minute. Therefore, at present, the processing capability of the control unit that processes print data is a bottleneck in improving the overall printing speed.

It should be noted that some page printers are capable of increasing the internal memory capacity, or an expansion slot is prepared in advance, and the function is improved by installing a cartridge containing fonts and programs therein. However, in such an example, the processing capacity itself could not be improved even though the processing speed could be improved with the expansion of the memory.

The printer device of the present invention has been made for the purpose of solving these problems and improving the overall printing capability of the printer, and has the following configuration.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the printer of the present invention, a printer main body having a control unit for developing a two-dimensional image based on print data received from the outside and printing the image is provided. A printer controller connected to the printer main body via a connector to which bus lines such as an address bus and a data bus inside the controller are connected, the controller controls the printer according to a predetermined rule. Distribution means for distributing the print data to a plurality of groups in accordance with the above, and a main body side image expansion means for expanding an image based on the one group of print data distributed by the distribution means,
Print data transfer means for transferring print data of a group other than the one group distributed by the distribution means to the printer control device, wherein the printer control device prints data transferred by the print data transfer means. Print data input means for receiving data, image expansion means on the control device side for developing an image based on the print data received by the print data input means, and data for the developed image are transferred to the printer body. The gist of the present invention is to include a developed image data transfer means.

In this printer device, print data received from the outside is a program described in a page description language, and the main body side image expansion means and the control device side image expansion means each include an interpreter of the page description language. can do. Further, the predetermined rule may be a rule for distributing the image represented by the print data in page units.

A second configuration of the printer device of the present invention is a printer main body having a control unit for developing a two-dimensional image based on print data received from the outside and printing the image, and the control unit. In a printer device comprising a cartridge attachable to a connector to which bus lines such as an internal address bus and a data bus are connected, the cartridge includes a storage unit that stores extended data such as a program and font data, and the printer body. Data output means connected to internal bus lines such as an address bus and a data bus via the connector, for outputting the extended data from the storage means in response to a reading process from the printer body side, and the printer body side A cartridge side image developing means for developing an image based on the print data sent from Image data transfer means for transferring the image data to the printer main body, and the data bus inside the printer main body among the bus lines connected to the connector is configured as a read-only signal line from the cartridge. The control unit of the printer body is
Distribution means for distributing the print data received from the outside to a plurality of groups according to a predetermined rule, and a main body side image expansion means for expanding an image based on the one group of print data distributed by the distribution means, Print data sending means for sending to the cartridge print data of a group other than the one group distributed by the distributing means by performing a reading process of data in the cartridge according to a program provided in advance. That is the summary.

[0012]

In the first printer device of the present invention configured as described above, the print data received from the outside is distributed to the plurality of groups by the distribution means in accordance with a predetermined rule. Then, based on the distributed group of print data, an image is developed by the main body side image developing means, and the print data is printed as an image. On the other hand, the distributed print data of a group other than the one group is transferred to the printer control device by the print data transfer means. The transferred print data is received by the print data input means of the printer control device, and an image is expanded by the control device-side image expansion means based on the received print data.
The expanded image data transfer means transfers the expanded image data to the printer body. The transferred data is printed as an image by the control unit.

That is, print data received from the outside is distributed, image development processing is performed in parallel by the image development means on the printer body side and the printer control device side, and printed as an image by the control unit on the printer body side. To be done.

On the other hand, in the second printer device of the present invention,
The print data received from the outside is distributed to the plurality of groups by the distribution means according to a predetermined rule. Then, based on the distributed group of print data, an image is developed by the main body side image developing means, and the print data is printed as an image. On the other hand, the distributed print data of a group other than the one group is sent to the cartridge by the print data sending means. In detail, the data sending means performs the reading process of the data in the cartridge according to the program provided in advance, even though the data bus on the printer main body side connected to the cartridge is a read-only signal line. By this, desired print data is sent to the cartridge.

In this way, the print data sent from the printer main body side is received by the print data input means of the printer control device, and the image is developed by the cartridge side image developing means based on the received print data. The expanded image data transfer means transfers the expanded image data to the printer body. The transferred data is printed as an image by the control unit. That is, print data received from the outside is distributed, image development processing is performed in parallel by the image development means on the printer body side and the cartridge side, and is printed as an image by the control unit on the printer body side.

[0016]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in order to further clarify the constitution and operation of the present invention described above. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printer main body 1 of the present embodiment and a cartridge 3 attached thereto.

As shown in the figure, the printer main body 1 is a so-called page printer of the xerographic method, and is based on print data (hereinafter also referred to as input data) sent from an external computer 5 by a xerographic method. , An image is formed on the paper P. Inside the printer body 1, an electronic control unit 10 for inputting print data to develop an image, a connector 11 to which an address bus and a data bus of the electronic control unit 10 are connected, and a semiconductor driven by the electronic control unit 10 A laser device 12, a xerographic unit 15 mainly composed of the photosensitive drum 14, a paper cassette 17 for storing the paper P, a transport mechanism 19 for transporting the paper P so as to contact the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 14, and a toner transfer. A heat fixing roller 21 that heats the sheet P to fix the toner, and a tray 23 that ejects the printed sheet P are provided.

The xerographic unit 15 includes a charging unit 25 that charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 14 and a toner unit 27 that applies charged toner to the portion where the electric charge is released by the laser light from the semiconductor laser device 12. , A toner removing unit 29 for removing the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 14 after the transfer onto the paper P. The electronic control device 10 drives the semiconductor laser device 12 in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 14 and irradiates a portion corresponding to an image to be printed with laser light to form a latent image. Since the electric charge of the portion irradiated with the laser beam is lost, the toner charged to the same sign as the photosensitive drum 14 is transferred only to the portion where the electric charge is lost.

In synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 14, one sheet of paper P is pulled out from the paper cassette 17 and sent to the photosensitive drum 14 by the transport mechanism 19. The paper P is
Since the toner is nipped and conveyed between the photosensitive drum 14 and the transfer roller 30, most of the toner on the photosensitive drum 14 is
It is transferred onto the paper P. The sheet P is sent to the heat fixing roller 21 while the toner is carried on the surface thereof, and is heated there to melt the toner, so that the sheet P is fixed. Although the printing process in the printer body 1 has been briefly described above, the present invention is not limited to the laser printer, and for example, the one using the LED for the exposure of the photosensitive drum 14 and the ink jet method for the printing. It can be applied to various printers such as the one adopted.

Next, the structure of the electronic control unit 10 built in the printer body 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic control unit 10 is configured as an arithmetic and logic operation circuit centered on a well-known CPU 31 which is a processor that controls the entire process.
2, a data bus 34, a control signal bus 36, etc. are connected to each other. Connected to these buses are an address decoder 41, a ROM 43, an input buffer memory 44, a dynamic RAM (hereinafter, DRAM).
45, a memory control unit (hereinafter, M)
Called CU) 47, I / O port 49, laser I / F5
1, connector 11, and the like. Each element is connected to each bus in a readable / writable manner, but only the connector 11 has a bus driver 52 provided between it and the data bus 34, and when viewed from the CPU 31, it is connected to the connector 11. The cartridge 3 is a read-only device.

The address decoder 41 decodes an address signal generated by the CPU 31, and when a certain address is designated, the address decoder 41 follows the allocation to the memory space.
The select signal is output to the ROM 43, the DRAM 45, the I / O port 49, and the laser I / F 51. ROM43 is
It has a built-in processing program and is usually a CPU 31.
Operates according to a program stored in the ROM 43. The input buffer memory 44 temporarily stores the data input from the I / O port 49. DR
The AM 45 is for expanding image data and needs to store at least one page of image data. Therefore, the AM 45 has a capacity of 2 megabytes in this embodiment.

The MCU 47 analyzes the control signal output from the CPU 31 to read the ROM 43, the input buffer memory 44,
It outputs control signals for the DRAM 45, outputs read / write signals for memory and IO ports,
The refresh timing of the DRAM 45 is determined. Note that the refresh timer 53 is connected to the MCU 47, and when it receives a signal from the refresh timer 53 and determines that it is a refreshable timing, the MCU 47 outputs a refresh address,
The refresh address is output to the DRAM 45 via the multiplexer 55. The I / O port 49 receives input data from the external computer 5 and controls the interface with a motor (not shown) of the xerographic unit 15. The laser I / F 51 is connected to the cartridge 3 that drives the semiconductor laser device 12, and controls the interface with the semiconductor laser device 12. In addition to this, the electronic control unit 10 includes a timer 5
7 is provided and is connected to the connector 11 and the CPU 31.

The basic function of the printer main body 1 having the electronic control unit 10 is to input data (data previously developed into a bit image) received from the external computer 5 through the I / O port 49. Internal DRAM 4
5, when the data for one page is prepared, the xerographic unit 15 is controlled, the semiconductor laser device 12 is driven, and the image data is printed as it is. In addition to this basic function, the printer body 1 of the present embodiment can perform higher-level printing by using a cartridge connected to the connector 11 as an extended function. In the case of the printer main body 1, in addition to an existing cartridge such as a font cartridge in which fonts are stored or a program for interpreting a page description language, a cartridge 3 with a built-in processor described later can be connected.

The external shape of the cartridge 3 of this embodiment is
As shown in FIG. This cartridge 3, as shown,
It is attached to the connector mounting portion 61 provided in the printer body 1, and the appearance is such that the side to be inserted into the connector mounting portion 61 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but the outside of the housing of the printer body 1 The protruding part has a trapezoidal vertical cross section. When the cartridge 3 is inserted into the connector mounting portion 61 and pushed in, the connector at the rear end of the cartridge 3 fits into the connector 11, and the both are electrically connected. In this state, the stepped portion of the cartridge 3 is in a position where it is almost in contact with the housing of the printer body 1. Printer body 1
The front part of the cartridge 3 that has jumped out of the casing of
Its upper surface is sloped so that no other article is inadvertently placed on it.

Next, the internal structure of the cartridge 3 will be described. FIG. 4 shows the internal structure of the cartridge 3 as a block diagram. For the sake of illustration, the bus line is also drawn as a single line, but the bus line is connected to the bending point and the branching point by diagonal lines to distinguish it from a mere signal line (a line bent at a right angle).

The cartridge 3 has a CPU 71, which is a processor, inside thereof. The address bus CAD of the CPU 71 is also connected to a ROM 73 containing a page language processing program and a data transfer program, a RAM 75 for storing data, a logic array 77 for switching the address bus of the CPU 71, and a selector 79. There is. The data bus CD is RO
M73, RAM 75, the data input side D of the first latch 81, the data output side O of the second latch 82, and the output side of the bidirectional first buffer 84.

On the other hand, when the cartridge 3 is attached to the connector 11 of the printer main body 1, the address bus PA of the electronic control unit 10 is connected to the connector 90 of the cartridge 3.
D, a read-only data bus PD, and the signal lines TA and TB of the timer 57 are connected. This address bus PA
D is a selector 79, a ROM 91 and a logic array 77.
The data bus PD is connected to the unidirectional second buffer 92. The cartridge 3 realizes bidirectional data exchange (reading and writing) via the read-only data bus PD, and thus has a slightly complicated internal structure. This point will be further described.

The bus on the input side of the second buffer 92 is called the output bus OD. The output bus OD has data of the ROM 91, the output O of the first latch 81, and the second latch 82.
Input D and the output of the unidirectional third buffer 93 are respectively connected. Further, the input side of the third buffer 93 is a bus connected to the first buffer 84 and the data terminal of the RAM 95. This bus is called a print data bus PCD. These latches 81,8
Reference numeral 2 denotes a tri-state output, which is controlled by the logic array 77 to latch the contents of the input D and output O.
Further, the output can be brought to a high impedance state by the control of the logic array 77. The logic array 77 also controls the selector 79 and the RAM 95, and these elements operate as follows under the control of the logic array 77. The logic array 77 controls these according to the address designation by the CPU 71 via the address bus CAD or the address designation of the CPU 31 on the electronic control unit 10 side via the address bus PAD.

When the CPU 31 of the electronic control unit 10 designates the reading of the contents of a predetermined address of the RAM 95 of the cartridge 3, this address is analyzed and the logic array 77 switches the selector 79 to switch the address bus P.
AD is validated and the RAM 95 is read. The data read from the RAM 95 includes the print data bus PCD, the third buffer 93, the output bus OD,
It is delivered to the CPU 31 of the electronic control unit 10 via the second buffer 92 and the data bus PD. Therefore, the CPU 71 of the cartridge 3 is connected to the RAM 9 via the data bus CD, the first buffer 84, and the print data bus PCD.
If desired data is written in a predetermined area 5 in advance, the desired data can be passed from the cartridge 3 side to the electronic control unit 10 side.

There is another method for delivering desired data from the cartridge 3 side to the electronic control unit 10 side. The data bus CD of the CPU 71 has a first latch 8
Since 1 is connected, the CPU 71 can cause the first latch 81 to hold desired data. In this state, if the electronic control unit 10 side specifies the address assigned to the first latch 81, the logic array 77 validates the output of the first latch 81, and the data is transferred to the electronic control unit 10 side. Can be passed to.

Since the data bus connecting the electronic control unit 10 and the cartridge 3 is read-only when viewed from the electronic control unit 10 side, it is easy to transfer data from the cartridge 3 side as described above. It is impossible for the cartridge 3 side to receive data by normal access. Therefore, in this embodiment, using the above configuration,
Data transfer to the cartridge 3 side is realized by the following method.

From the CPU 31 of the electronic control unit 10 to the RO
When the reading of the contents of the predetermined address of M91 is designated,
By analyzing this address, the logic array 77 drives the second latch 82 at a predetermined timing. As a result, R
The data read from the OM 91 is stored in the second latch 82.
The data is latched by the CPU 71 of the cartridge 3 and can be read by the CPU 71 of the cartridge 3. At this time, since the second buffer 92 is closed, the CPU 31 on the electronic control unit 10 side cannot read this data. It should be noted that the CPU 31 may be made readable without closing the second buffer 92.

The CPU 71 outputs a predetermined address to the logic array 77 via the address bus CAD, and the second address
The output of the latch 82 of is validated, the content is read,
It is stored in the RAM 75. Therefore, data associated with the address is stored in a predetermined area of the ROM 91 in advance, and if the data to be passed from the electronic control unit 10 side is converted into the address of the ROM 91 and accessed, the electronic control unit 10 can be accessed. Data can be transferred from the side to the cartridge 3.

Next, the processing performed by the electronic control unit 10 and the cartridge 3 will be described. In this embodiment, the cartridge 3 is capable of processing the page description language, and the printer body 1 internally processes the page description language sent from the external computer 5 or passes it to the cartridge 3. , Receives the processing results, and drives the xerographic unit 15 to perform printing. The processing contents of the electronic control unit 10 and the cartridge 3 that execute such printing processing will be described below.

When the printing process is started, as shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 31 of the electronic control unit 10 first executes a cartridge check process for checking the cartridge 3, and then sends it from the computer 5. Executes the input data buffering process that fetches input data internally. When one page (odd page) of the input data is fetched by the input data buffering process, an image expansion process for expanding the input data for the one page is executed, and then the image data is transferred to the laser I / F 51. Execute the image data transfer process to transfer.

On the other hand, in the CPU 71 of the cartridge 3,
As shown in FIG. 5, from the computer 5 to the printer body 1
The input data buffering process is executed to fetch the input data sent via the. When one page (even page) of the input data is fetched by the input data buffering process, an image expanding process for expanding the input data for the even page is executed, and then the image data is read by the laser of the printer body 1. I / F51
Execute the image data transfer process to transfer to.

In this way, the input data is sequentially distributed to the CPUs 31 and 71 of the CPU 31 of the electronic control unit 10 for odd pages, the CPU 71 of the cartridge 3 for even pages, and the like. , 71, input data buffering process,
Image development processing and image data transfer processing are executed in parallel.

Each processing executed by both CPUs 31 and 71 will be described in detail below. FIG. 6 shows an electronic control unit 1.
6 is a flowchart showing a cartridge check processing routine executed by 0.

When the process is started, the CPU 31 of the electronic control unit 10 first performs a process of reading the contents of a predetermined address of the RAM 95 on the cartridge 3 side (step 100). This address is the identification number of the cartridge when the cartridge 3 is mounted. Specific data indicating that the cartridge 3 is not mounted (step S11).
0), the value 0 is assigned to the flag CATRG (step S
120).

On the other hand, when the content of the predetermined address is specific data and it is determined that the cartridge 3 is mounted (step S110), the identification number of the cartridge 3 indicated by the specific data is determined. Then, it is determined whether the mounted cartridge 3 is a CPU built-in type cartridge (step S130). If it is determined that the cartridge has a built-in CPU, the flag CA
The value 1 is substituted into TRG (step S140).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 130 that the mounted cartridge 3 is not of the CPU built-in type, the process proceeds to step S120 and the flag CATRG is set.
The value 0 is assigned to. Step 120 or Step 1
After executing the process of 40, the process of substituting the value 0 in the flag INSW is subsequently executed (step S160). The flag INSW is a flag indicating whether the input data sent from the computer 5 is transferred to the printer body 1 side or the cartridge 3 side, and is used in a processing routine described later. Then, this processing routine ends once.

By the above processing, the CP is printed on the printer body 1.
When the U-built-in type cartridge 3 is mounted, the value 1 is assigned to the flag CATRG, and when it is not mounted, the value 0 is assigned to the flag CATRG.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an input data buffering processing routine executed by the CPU 31 of the electronic control unit 10. This input data buffering processing routine is executed each time input data is received from the computer 5, and when the processing is started,
The CPU 31 of the electronic control unit 10 first determines whether or not the above-mentioned flag INSW has a value of 1 (step S21).
0). Here, since the flag INSW is assigned to the value 0 in the cartridge check processing routine shown in FIG. 6, a negative determination is made, and then the processing of transferring the input data to the input buffer memory 44 inside the electronic control unit 10. Is executed (step S230).

Subsequently, it is determined whether the input data is a page end command indicating the end of the page (step 240). If it is determined that the command is not the page end command, the processing routine is exited by exiting to "EXIT".

If it is determined in step 240 that the input data is the page end command, it is assumed that the input data for one page has been input, and the process proceeds to the subsequent steps. That is, it is determined whether or not the flag CATRG set in the above-described cartridge check processing routine is 1 (step 250). Here, if it is determined that the flag CATRG has the value 1, then the process of inverting the value of the flag INSW, that is, if the flag INSW has the value 1, the value 0
If the value is 0, the process of converting the value to 1 is executed (step S260). After that, the process exits to "EXIT" and this processing routine is once ended.

On the other hand, in step S250, the flag CATR is set.
If it is determined that G is not the value 1, the process of reversing the flag INSW in step S270 is not performed, the process goes to "EXIT", and the present process routine is temporarily terminated. Note that step S
When it is determined in 210 that the flag INSW has the value 1, then the process of transferring the input data to the cartridge 3 side is performed (S270). For this transfer process,
This will be explained in detail later.

By the above processing, the printer main body 1 is sent with CP.
Flag CATR with U built-in type cartridge 3 installed
When G has a value of 1, the transfer destination of the input data is sequentially switched and transferred between the input buffer memory 44 of the electronic control unit 10 and the cartridge 3 side for each page of the input data. That is, odd pages of input data are transferred to the input buffer memory 44 of the electronic control unit 10, and even pages are transferred to the cartridge 3 side.

Electronic control unit 10 in step S230
The input data is transferred from the cartridge to the cartridge side by the CPU 31 of the printer body 1 side directly executing the data transfer program in the ROM 73 of the cartridge 3. Specifically, it is realized by executing the data transfer processing routine shown in FIG. 8 on the printer main body 1 side and executing the data expansion processing routine shown in FIG. 9 on the cartridge 3 side. If there is data to be transferred to the cartridge 3 side, the electronic control unit 10 of the printer main body 1 will execute the process shown in FIG.
The processing routine shown in is started. When this process is activated, the electronic control unit 10 sends the hexadecimal data D to be transferred.
Address YY of the ROM 91 on the cartridge 3 side using Dh (h is a code indicating that it is a hexadecimal number) as an index
The operation of reading YYh + DDh is performed (step S3
00).

In response to this operation, on the cartridge 3 side, the logic array 77 controls the second latch 82,
The data read from the ROM 91 is latched. Figure 1
As shown in 0, data from 00h to FFh is written in 256 bytes from the address YYYY of the ROM 91. Therefore, if the data DDh to be transferred is used as an index and the addresses YYYY and thereafter are read, the data corresponding to the index is output to the output bus OD and is latched by the second latch 82. In FIG. 10, the case where the data to be transferred is 41h is shown as an example.

At this time, the CPU 71 of the cartridge 3 side
Executes the image development processing routine, first determines whether or not the second latch 82 has latched the data (step S310), and waits until the data is latched. When the data is latched in the second latch 82,
Then, the process of transferring the data from the second latch 82 to the RAM 75 is performed (step S320). Then, it is determined whether or not all the data for one page has been read from the electronic control unit 10 side based on whether or not the data is a page end command indicating the end of the page (step S33).
0). Here, if a negative determination is made, the processing is step S3.
After 40, the processing of the following steps is repeated until the print data for one page is read. The data sent from the electronic control unit 10 side and transferred to the RAM 75 is the page description language program as described above.

That is, until the print data for one page is read, the CPU 71 carries out the processing of expanding the data (step S340), and successively transfers the processing result to the RAM 95 (step S350). Here, the data expansion processing performed by the CPU 71 is
Using the page language processing program stored in advance in the ROM 73, the page description language program is converted to 300 DP.
This is a process such as a graphic operation for expanding an image image at a resolution of I to generate image data. In this way, one page of input data is read, data expansion processing is performed on each data, and then, when a positive determination is made in step S330, the processing is
Exit to "XIT".

Next, the image development processing routine executed by the CPU 31 of the printer body 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the process starts, first,
A process of reading one command of the input data stored in the input buffer memory 44 in the electronic control unit 10 is performed (step S400). Then, it is determined whether all the input data for one page has been read based on whether the data is a page end command indicating the end of the page (step S410). If a negative determination is made here, the process proceeds to step S420 and subsequent steps, and the processes of the following steps are repeated until one page of input data is read.

That is, until the input data for one page is read, the CPU 71 carries out a processing for developing the data (step S420), and a processing for successively developing the processing result in the DRAM 45 in the electronic control unit 10 (step S).
430) is repeatedly executed. Here, the data expansion process performed by the CPU 31 is performed by directly executing the page language processing program in the cartridge 3, and is the same graphic calculation process as the data expansion process performed by the CPU 71 on the cartridge side in S340.
In this way, one page of input data is read, data expansion processing is performed on each data, and when a positive determination is made in step S410, the processing is "EXIT".
Exit and exit once.

Next, the image data transfer processing routine executed by the CPU 31 of the printer body 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the process starts
The CPU 31 of the electronic control unit 10 first sets the flag OUT.
The value 0 is substituted into SW (step S500). The flag OUTSW is a flag indicating whether the expanded image data is transferred to the laser I / F 51 of the printer body 1 from the printer body 1 side or the cartridge 3 side. After execution of step S500, the flag OUTS
It is determined whether W is a value 0 or a value 1 (step S510), and if it is determined that the value is 0, the following processing is executed.

First, the printer main body 1 side determines whether or not the image data development by the image development processing routine shown in FIG. 11 is completed (step S52).
0), and waits until it is determined to end. Printer body 1
When it is determined that the image data expansion is completed,
Then, the expanded image data is stored in the DRAM 45.
To the laser I / F 51 is performed (step S530). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the flag CATRG set in the cartridge check processing routine is the value 1 (step 540), and when it is determined that the flag CATRG is the value 1, a process of inverting the value of the flag OUTSW, that is, If the value of the flag OUTSW is 1, the value is converted to 0, and if it is 0, the value is converted to 1 (step S550).

On the other hand, in step S540, the flag CATR is set.
If it is determined that G is not 1, the inversion process of the flag OUTSW in step S550 is not performed. After that, "E
"XIT" and the process ends.

On the other hand, in step S510, the flag OUT
When the SW is determined to have the value 1, the following processing is executed. First, on the side of the cartridge 3, it is determined whether or not the image data development by the image development processing routine shown in FIG. 9 is completed (step S560), and the process waits until it is determined. When it is determined that the development of the image data is completed on the cartridge 3 side, a transfer request for the image data is subsequently output to the cartridge 3 side, and thereafter,
A process of receiving the image data output from the cartridge 3 is performed (step 570). Thus, the process of transferring the received image data to the laser I / F 51 is performed (step S580). Then, a process progresses to step S540.

In step S570, the cartridge 3
When the image data transfer request is made to the side, the CPU 71 on the cartridge 3 side starts the image data transfer processing routine shown in FIG. 13 and determines that the image data transfer request is made (step S600). A process of transmitting the image data after the data expansion generated by the image expansion processing routine shown in (1) to the printer body side is executed (step S610). The transmitted data is received by the printer body 1 and the laser I /
It is transferred to F51 (steps S570 and 580).

By the image data transfer processing routine of the printer main body 1 side and the cartridge 3 as described above, the data of each one page whose image development is completed on the printer main body 1 side and the cartridge 3 side is transferred to the laser I / F. It will be. As described above, according to the printer body 1 and the cartridge 3 of the present embodiment, the cartridge 11 provided with the processor is attached to the connector 11 provided in the electronic control unit 10 and sent from the computer 5. The input data is distributed page by page to the printer main body 1 and the cartridge 3, and image development is performed in parallel by the CPUs 31 and 71.

Therefore, as compared with the case where the image development is performed only on the printer body 1 side, the processing capability of the image development is remarkably improved, and a high-order page processing language can be adopted.

Further, in this embodiment, the connector 11 provided for the purpose of supplying the processing program of the font and the page description language to the printer main body 1 and having only the read-only data bus when viewed from the electronic control unit 10 side is used. Meanwhile, the data can be transferred to the cartridge 3 side.
Therefore, it can be used for an existing printer that is not planned to be equipped with a cartridge equipped with a processor, and effective utilization of equipment can be achieved. Usually, as the function of the computer main body improves, the printer becomes a bottleneck of the system, so the printer main body is often replaced in accordance with the improvement of the function of the computer main body. In such a case, it suffices to mount the cartridge having the processor on the printer body 1, which is extremely advantageous in terms of cost.

In this embodiment, the ROM 91 corresponding to the address and the data is used to write the data by using the read-only signal line, but the data is written by using the read-only signal line. However, the configuration is not limited to this configuration. For example, a part of the address designation at the time of reading is directly used as data in the RAM in the cartridge 3.
It may be configured to be stored in. In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 14, three tri-state buffers 291 and 2 are used.
92, 293 and RAM 295 are required. The connection of each element is as follows.

Of the 24-bit address signals (AD23-AD0) from the electronic control unit 10, the most significant 4 bits (AD24-AD20) are connected to an address decoder (not shown) to write data in a specific area. It works so that the area and others are used as the read area. In this example, the address [AD
23, AD22, AD21, AD20] is [100
0], that is, the uppermost area of 8h is the writing area, and the addresses [AD23, AD22, AD21, AD20] are [1
001], that is, the uppermost 9h is the read area.

On the other hand, 20 bits of the address signals AD19 to AD0 are connected as follows. Of the address signals AD19 to AD0, the least significant 8 bits (AD7-AD0) are input to the input side of the first tri-state buffer 291 and the next 12 bits (AD19-AD0).
8) is connected to the input side of the second tri-state buffer 292, and the lower 12 bits (AD11-AD0) are connected to the input side of the third tri-state buffer 293. First and second tri-state buffers 291, 2
The output 92 is valid when an address corresponding to the write operation to the RAM 295 is accessed, and is in a high impedance state at other timings. The output of the first tri-state buffer 291 is R
It is connected to the data input of AM295. Also, the second
The output of the tri-state buffer 292 of
5 address RA11-RA0.

On the other hand, the third tri-state buffer 29
In No. 3, the output is valid when accessing the address corresponding to the read operation, and becomes the high impedance state at other timings. The output is the output of the second tri-state buffer 292 and the wired OR. Connected to address RA11-R of RAM295
It is input to A0. The RAM 295 has a capacity of 4 kilobytes, and its effective address is 12 bits, that is, 0.
00h to FFFh.

When the electronic control unit 10 writes the data DDh to a predetermined address (for example, C5Ah) of the RAM 295 on the cartridge 3 side, the address 8C5A
It suffices to read the contents of DDh. Since the access to the address 8XXXXXXh from the electronic control unit 10 side is judged to be a write operation, the outputs of the first and second tristate buffers 291 and 292 are valid. That is, RAM 29
5 is set to the write mode and its address RA11-RA0
Is the address AD19-AD8 from the electronic control unit 10.
Is output and the data DDh is written to this address.

On the other hand, the electronic control unit 10 causes the RAM 295 on the cartridge 3 side to have a predetermined address (for example, C5A).
To read the contents of h), read the address 9XXC5A
Just read the contents of h. Since the access to the address 9XXXXh from the electronic control unit 10 side is judged as the read operation, the output of the third tri-state buffer 293 becomes valid. That is, the RAM 295 is set to the read mode, and the electronic control unit 1 is assigned to its address RA11-RA0.
Addresses AD11-AD0 from 0 are output, and the contents of this address are read out. With this configuration, the electronic control unit 10 can write to and read from an arbitrary address of the RAM 295 on the cartridge 3 side.

Next, other configurations and functions of this embodiment will be described. The electronic control unit 10 of the present embodiment had the timer 57 built therein, and the signal line TB from the timer 57 is connected to the connector 11. This signal line TB
On the cartridge 3 side, is the CPU 71 as an interrupt request.
Connected to. The timer 57 is the electronic control unit 1.
It is also directly connected to the CPU 31 on the 0 side, and the CPU 31
Receives the setting of the interval timer, outputs an interrupt request to the CPU 31 at predetermined time intervals, receives a reading process from the CPU 31, and returns the elapsed time.

The CPU 31 of the electronic control unit 10 is shown in FIG.
The watchdog interrupt processing routine shown in is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals. When this routine is activated, it is first determined whether the flag Fwd has a value of zero (step S700). The flag Fwd has an initial value of zero and is kept at a value of zero while the CPU 71 on the cartridge 3 side is operating normally. If the flag Fwd is determined to have a value of zero, the timer 57 is controlled so that the interrupt processing request signal Iwd is output to the cartridge 3 side via the signal line TB (step S710).

After that, the flag Fwd is set to the value 1 (step S720), the process goes to "RTN", and this routine is once terminated. Interrupt processing request signal Iwd via signal line TB
The CPU 71 of the cartridge 3 which received the instruction starts the interrupt response processing routine shown in FIG. When this routine is activated, first, a process of incrementing the variable Tc used for the process of the page description language and showing the time from power-on by a value of 1 is performed (step S730), and then the data from the electronic control unit 10 is transferred. A process of decrementing the variable T0 used for monitoring the reception waiting time and the time until the completion of paper printing by 1 is performed (step S740). Since the cartridge 3 is not provided with a timer for counting time, the time is measured by using a signal from the electronic control unit 10.

After that, the CPU 71 performs a process of outputting an interrupt response signal (step S750), "RTN".
To exit this routine. The interrupt response signal output from the CPU 71 is sent to the CPU 31 of the electronic control unit 10 via the connector 90 and the connector 11 as the interrupt signal I.
Input as A. CPU31 receiving this signal IA
Starts the response time interrupt processing routine shown in FIG.
When this routine is activated, the CPU 31 causes the flag F
A process of resetting wd to the value 0 is performed (step S76).
0), "RTN" exit and this routine ends.

Therefore, as long as the above-described processing is normally performed on both the electronic control unit 10 side and the cartridge 3 side, the flag Fwd is maintained at the value 1 beyond the activation interval time of the watchdog interrupt processing routine. Therefore, the determination at step S700 of the processing routine shown in FIG. 15 is always "YES", and the CPU 71 on the cartridge 3 side causes the interrupt processing request signal I
You can use wd to count the time required to process a page description language.

On the other hand, when the CPU 71 on the cartridge 3 side cannot operate normally due to a program runaway or the like, the interrupt response processing routine shown in FIG. Also, the response time interrupt processing routine (FIG. 17) of the CPU 31 on the electronic control unit 10 side that is performed as a result is not executed. As a result, the flag Fwd
Will be maintained at the value 1, and step S7
The determination at 00 is "NO", and the CPU 31 performs the necessary processing assuming that the cartridge 3 has hung up (step S770). The process performed here is, for example, a process of resetting the cartridge 3 and restarting the transfer of input data, or a process of lighting an indicator (not shown) or the like to notify the user of the occurrence of an abnormality. After such processing, the flag Fwd is reset to the value 0 (step S780), after which the routine goes to "RTN" to end this routine.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the above processing. When the interrupt processing request signal Iwd is output from the timer 57 on the electronic control unit 10 side, the cartridge 3
Page language processing (PDL) program 790
The interval timer processing unit 793 counts the variables Tc and T0 for time counting, and the response processing unit 795 outputs an interrupt response signal to the CPU 31 on the electronic control unit 10 side. The interval timer processing unit 793 receives, for example, from the PDL program 790.
In response to the Usertime request signal, return the time value Tc,
In response to a request from the electronic control unit 10 to monitor the data reception waiting time, when the time value T0 becomes 0, a process of returning a time-out signal is performed.

With the above configuration, the printer apparatus comprising the printer main body 1 and the cartridge 3 of this embodiment does not need to have a timer in the cartridge 3 and has an advantage that the entire configuration can be extremely simplified. Further, the timer 57 of the electronic control unit 10 can be used to accurately determine the abnormality of the cartridge 3. In this embodiment, the abnormality of the processor on the cartridge 3 side is detected by the electronic control unit 1.
Although detected by the CPU 31 on the 0 side, a circuit dedicated to the abnormality determination may be provided on the printer body 1 side or the cartridge 3 side.

In the above embodiment, in order to distribute the input data sent from the computer to the printer body 1 and the cartridge 3, the destination is switched for each page of the input data, but to distribute the input data, The present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the input data is composed of a plurality of types of page description language programs, and the destination is switched between the printer body 1 and the cartridge 3 according to the type of the page description language program. Good.

In addition, the input data is set to 2 as in the above embodiment.
Instead of distributing to one group, it is distributed to three groups so that two cartridges 3 can be attached to the printer body 1, and the input data of the three groups are transferred to the printer body 1, the first cartridge and the first cartridge. The cartridge may be divided into two cartridges.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the data development process performed on the printer main body 1 side and the cartridge 3 side is performed by using the page language processing program stored in the ROM 73 of the cartridge 3 side in advance. However, the page language processing program may be stored in advance on the printer body 1 side, and the page language processing program may be used for data expansion processing on the printer body 1 side.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
The present invention is not limited to these embodiments in any way, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the scope of the present invention, such as a configuration in which the printer body is an inkjet printer. ..

[0080]

As described above, according to the printer apparatus of the present invention, the printer control apparatus (for example, a cartridge) is connected to the printer body through the connector, and the print data received from the outside is printed by the printer. The image is distributed to the main body side and the printer controller side, and the images are developed in parallel at each distribution destination based on the print data. Therefore, as compared with the case where the image is developed only by the printer main body side, the image development processing capability is significantly improved, and as a result, the overall printing capability of the printer device can be improved. Further, from the above, it becomes possible to supply a higher-order page processing language in the printer control device, and it is possible to adopt a higher-order page processing language.

Further, according to the printer device of the present invention, the data can be sent out to the cartridge by reading the data in the cartridge. Therefore, the image is developed on the cartridge side based on the print data and the printer is used. When the image is transferred to the main body and the image is printed, the transfer of the print data to the cartridge side can be performed using the read-only signal line when viewed from the printer main body. Therefore, it is possible to effectively use the existing printer body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer device that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic control unit 10 incorporated in the printer body 1 of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the external shape of the cartridge 3 and the state of attachment to the printer body 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of an internal configuration of a cartridge 3.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the processing contents of the electronic control unit 10 and the cartridge 3 of the printer body 1.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a cartridge check processing routine executed by the electronic control unit 10 of the printer body 1.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an input data buffering processing routine.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a data transfer processing routine of the same.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an image development processing routine executed on the cartridge 3 side.

FIG. 10: RO performed using data as an index
It is explanatory drawing explaining the read-out process of the data from M91.

11 is a flowchart showing an image development processing routine executed by the electronic control unit 10 of the printer body 1. FIG.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an image data transfer processing routine.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an image data transfer processing routine executed on the cartridge 3 side.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing another configuration example in which print data is transferred by a read process.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a watchdog interrupt processing routine performed in the electronic control unit 10 of the printer body 1.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an interrupt response processing routine executed on the cartridge 3 side.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a response time interrupt processing routine executed on the electronic control unit 10 side.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram schematically showing an outline of processing executed using a timer 57 on the electronic control unit 10 side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Printer Main Body 3 Cartridge 5 Computer 10 Electronic Control Device 11 Connector 12 Semiconductor Laser Device 15 Xerography Unit 31 CPU 32 Address Bus 34 Data Bus 36 Control Signal Bus 41 Address Decoder 43 ROM 45 DRAM 47 MCU 51 Laser I / F 57 Timer 71 CPU 73 ROM 75, 95 RAM

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI Technical display location G06K 15/00

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A printer main body having a control unit for developing a two-dimensional image based on print data received from the outside and printing the image, and a bus line such as an address bus and a data bus inside the control unit. In a printer device comprising a printer control device connected to the printer main body via a connected connector, the control unit includes a distribution unit that distributes the print data to a plurality of groups according to a predetermined rule, and Based on a group of print data distributed by the distributing means, a main body side image developing means for developing an image and print data of a group other than the one group distributed by the distributing means are transferred to the printer control device. And a print data transfer unit that receives the print data transferred by the print data transfer unit. Means, a control device-side image developing means for developing an image based on the print data received by the print data input means, and a developed image data transfer means for transferring the developed image data to the printer body. A printer device comprising: 2. The print data received from the outside is a program described in a page description language, and the main body side image developing means and the control device side image developing means are:
The printer device according to claim 1, further comprising an interpreter of the page description language. 3. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined rule is a rule for distributing an image represented by print data in page units. 4. A printer main body having a control unit for developing a two-dimensional image based on print data received from the outside and printing the image, and a bus line such as an address bus or a data bus inside the control unit. In a printer device including a cartridge that can be attached to a connected connector, the cartridge includes a storage unit that stores extended data such as a program and font data, and a bus line such as an address bus and a data bus inside the printer body. , A data output unit that is connected through the connector and outputs the extended data from the storage unit in response to a reading process from the printer body side, and an image is developed based on the print data sent from the printer body side. Cartridge side image developing means for storing the data of the developed image in the printer body. A developed image data transfer means for transferring, of the bus lines connected to the connector, a data bus inside the printer main body is configured as a read-only signal line from the cartridge, and a control unit of the printer main body Distribution means for distributing the print data received from the outside into a plurality of groups according to a predetermined rule, and a main body side image expansion means for expanding an image based on the group of print data distributed by the distribution means A print data sending means for sending to the cartridge print data of a group other than the one group distributed by the distributing means by performing a reading process of data in the cartridge according to a program provided in advance. A printer device characterized by the above.