JPH0566898A - Printer device control circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable fast printing process by preserving data in an image memory on the host device side so as to permit data restoration when the power source is turned an again even if it is lost due to power disconnection in a printer device. CONSTITUTION:The printing information from a host device 20 is stored in a printing information storing part 6 and then it is interpreted and arithmetically processed page by page by a CPU 4 and a firm ware 5 so as to be stored as an image data in an image memory 7. Ordinarily, the data is outputted to a printer engine 12 far printing by an image output changeover part 9. Upon receiving a transfer instruction from the host device 20, the image output changeover part 9 transfers the data to the host device 20 through a host interface control part 3. The host device 20 stores the data in a storage media and makes the image memory 7 store it when the power source of a printer device is turned on again after power disconnection without relying on the CPU 4 and the firm ware 5.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer device control circuit, and more particularly to storage control of image data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional printer device control circuit stores image data in an image memory as a method of storing the image data.

[0003]

In this conventional printer device control circuit, since the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is used as a storage medium of the image memory, its contents are lost by turning off the power of the printer device. Will end up. Therefore, even when the power is turned on next time to perform the same printing as the previous time, the print information is sent again from the host device to the printer device, the printer device control circuit performs the processing, and the image data is generated. It had to be stored in the image memory. In particular, when the processing time is long, there is a problem in that the process waits until the print result is obtained.

[0004]

The printer device control circuit of the present invention is a printer device control circuit connected to a host device having a storage means for storing image data.
A host interface control unit that controls information exchange with the host device, a print information storage unit that stores print information from the host device via the host interface control unit, and the printing based on a command stored in firmware. A CPU that decodes print information in the information storage unit and performs arithmetic processing to generate image data, and stores the image data generated by this CPU and the image data from the host device via the host interface control unit. An image memory, a printer engine that prints the image data stored in the image memory, and the image data stored in the image memory is the printer engine or the host device via the host interface control unit. And an image output switching unit for selectively outputting to either of the above.

Further, in the above-mentioned configuration, the image output switching unit may be configured to select the upper device side as a destination of the image data of the image memory according to a transfer designation from the upper device.

[0006]

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. On the printer device internal bus 1, a host device interface control unit 3 that sends and receives print information to and from a host device 20 (for example, a personal computer) via a host interface line 2, and a C that executes commands such as arithmetic processing.
The PU 4, the firmware 5 that stores a program that is a set of instructions, the print information storage unit 6 that stores the print information sent from the higher-level device 20, the print information that is analyzed by the firmware 5 and the CPU 4, and the like. The image memory 7 for storing the image data obtained by performing the processing described above and the output image output (A) 8 of the image memory 7 are input to switch the image output (B) 10 and the image output (C) 11. And the image output switching unit 9 for performing the connection. The image output (B) 10 is sent to the printer engine 12 and printed on printing paper or the like. Image output (C) 11 is the internal bus 1
Is sent to the host device 20 via the host interface controller 3 and the host interface line 2.

Next, the operation will be described.

The print information sent from the host device 20 is received by the host interface control section 3 via the host interface line 2 and sent to the print information storage section 6 via the internal bus 1 and stored therein. The information stored in the print information storage unit 6 is decoded and arithmetically processed page by page by the CPU 4 and the firmware 5, and is sent to and stored in the image memory 7 as image data. When the image data for one page is stored in the image memory 7, this data is sent to the image output switching unit 9 as the image output (A) 8.
After being converted from parallel to serial data, it is sent to the printer engine 12 as an image output (B) 10 and printed on printing paper or the like.

When an image memory data transfer command is sent from the host device in addition to the print information sent from the host device 20, the data in the image memory 7 is displayed as an image output (A) 8 by the CPU 4 and the firmware 5. The image data is sent to the output switching unit 9 and used as the image output (C) 11 for the internal bus 1.
It is transferred to and stored in the host device 20 via the host interface controller 3 and the host interface line 2. If the storage medium of the higher-level device 20 is a hard disk, an optical disk, or the like, even after the power of the higher-level device 20 and the printer device is turned off, when the power of both is turned on again, the hard disk, the optical disk, etc. of the higher-level device 20. The image data stored in the printer is sent to the printer and printed. In this case, the image data is directly sent to the image memory 7, and the CPU 4 and the firmware 5 do not perform the decoding and calculation processes.

[0011]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the printer device control circuit has the image output switching unit, the image data for one page stored in the image memory is transferred to the host device and stored. Even if the power of the printer device is turned off and the contents of the image memory are lost, the image data stored in this host device can be sent to the printer device as many times as desired at any time. This has the effect that high-speed printing can be performed without the need for processing such as decoding and calculation of the control circuit.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Printer Device Control Circuit Internal Bus 2 Upper Interface Line 3 Upper Interface Control Unit 4 CPU 5 Firmware 6 Print Information Storage Unit 7 Image Memory 9 Image Output Switching Unit 12 Printer Engine 20 Upper Device

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A printer device control circuit connected to a higher-level device having storage means for storing image data, and a higher-level interface control unit for controlling exchange of information with the higher-level device, and the upper-level interface control unit. A print information storage unit that stores print information from the higher-level device, a CPU that decodes the print information in the print information storage unit based on a command stored in firmware, and performs arithmetic processing to generate image data, and the CPU. An image memory for storing the image data generated by the image data and the image data from the host device via the host interface control unit; a printer engine for printing the image data stored in the image memory; The image data stored in the memory is transferred to the printer engine or the high-order interface. A printer device control circuit, comprising: an image output switching unit that selectively outputs to one of the higher-level devices via a interface control unit. 2. The printer device control according to claim 1, wherein the image output switching unit selects the upper device side as a destination of the image data of the image memory according to a transfer designation from the upper device. circuit.