JPH06206360A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a recording apparatus capable of informing the completion degree of receiving or recording processing with respect to the total quantity of recording data sent from external machinery or the time required in reception or recording and capable of informing the accurate quantity of data when recording data not yet decided are present. CONSTITUTION:The total quantity of the recording data contained in a header is read to be stored in a total quantity memory part 4 and recording data is received by a receiving quantity count part 5 to measure the quantity of the stored recording data and the quantity of recorded data among the stored recording data is measured by a printing quantity count part 10. The time required in the reception of recording data is measured by a receiving time measuring part 6 and the time required in the recording of recorded data is measured by a printing time measuring part 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium based on recording data sent from a host computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording device such as a printer for receiving image data sent from an external device such as a host computer and recording the image data on a recording medium such as recording paper is known.
In such a printer device, since the total amount of print data sent from the host computer is unknown, what proportion of the currently received data or the data currently being printed is to the total print data amount? However, it has not been possible to determine, for example, how long after that the printing process can be completed.

Further, since the record data is unconfirmed, even when the print operation is held in a state where it cannot be started, the fact that there is unconfirmed record data is merely notified by a lamp or the like, and the correct record data There was nothing that could inform the amount.

[0004]

Therefore, in the above-mentioned conventional example, with respect to the print data from the host computer, the printer cannot determine how much print processing of the print data has been completed, and The operator on the printer side had to wait for the end of the print operation by looking at the printed result and predicting the time when the print processing will end, such as how many sheets will be printed later.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional example, and to what extent the reception or recording processing is completed or the time required for the reception or recording with respect to the total recording data amount sent from the external device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording device that can inform the user.

If unrecorded data exists,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording device that can notify an accurate data amount.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the recording apparatus of the present invention has the following constitution. That is,
A recording device for recording an image on a recording medium based on recording data sent from an external device, the storage device reading and storing the total amount of recording data included in the header of the recording data, and receiving the recording data. Of the recorded data stored in the received data storing means, the first measuring means for measuring the amount of data stored in the received data storing means, and the recorded data stored in the received data storing means. Second measuring means for measuring, reception time measuring means for measuring a time required for receiving the record data stored in the received data storing means, and recording time measuring for measuring a time required for recording the recorded data And means.

[0008]

With the above structure, the total amount of recording data included in the header of the recording data is read and stored, the recording data is received, the stored data amount is measured, and the stored recording is performed. Of the data, measure the amount of recorded data. In addition, the time required to receive the stored record data is measured, and the time required to record the recorded data is measured.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a host computer which sends print data or various commands to the printer of this embodiment to print various data. 2 is a reception control unit,
The print data sent from the host computer 1 is received, and the received data is stored in the reception buffer 3. Reference numeral 4 denotes a total amount storage unit which stores the total amount of print data included in the header if the data received by the reception control unit 2 is a header. A reception amount counting unit 5 counts the amount of data received from the host computer 1.
A reception time measuring unit 6 measures the time required for the reception.

A print control unit 7 reads the print data received from the reception buffer 3 and expands the read print data in the print buffer 8. A print control unit 9 reads print data from the print buffer 8 and controls the printer unit 12 according to the read print data to print on the recording paper. A print amount counting unit 10 counts the amount of data printed by the printer unit 12. A print time measurement unit 11 measures the time required for the print. A printer unit 12 inputs print data input from the print control unit 9 and prints the print data on a recording medium such as recording paper. A print time estimating unit 13 inputs various data from the above-described total amount storage unit 4, reception amount counting unit 5, reception time measuring unit 6, print amount counting unit 10 and print time measuring unit 11,
It estimates the time required to finish printing the entire print data. A display control unit 14 controls the data display on the display unit 15. The display unit 15 is a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT that displays various data.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of display on the display unit 15 of the printer of this embodiment. On the display unit 15, the byte count area 200, the ratio area 201, the actual measurement time area 202 and the possibility display are shown. Area 203 is displayed.

In the area 200, the number of bytes of all print data, the number of bytes of received data, and the number of bytes of printed data are displayed.
The ratio (%) of the received data to the total print data and the ratio (%) of the printed data to the total print data when% is displayed. Further, in the area 202, an estimated time until completion of all printing, an actual measurement time required for reception, and an actual measurement time required for printing are displayed. Further, in the area 203, there is displayed a possibility that the estimated time will be longer or shorter than the estimated time.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure in the reception control section 2 of the printer apparatus of this embodiment.

First, in step S11, it is determined whether the data transmitted from the host computer 1 is a header. If it is a header, the process proceeds to step S12, and the total recording data amount included in the header is stored in the total amount storage unit 4. Then, in step S13, the measurement value of the reception time measuring unit 6 is reset to "0". Further, in step S14, the measurement value of the print time measuring unit 11 is reset to "0".

If it is determined in step S11 that the header is not the header, the process proceeds to step S15, and the received data is saved in the receiving buffer 3. Next, the process proceeds to step S16, and the reception amount counting unit 5 counts the reception data amount.
Next, in step S17, it is determined whether the received data is the first received data after receiving the header. If the received data is the first received data, the process proceeds to step S18, and the reception time measuring unit 6 starts measuring the reception time. If not, the process ends.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure in the print control unit 9 of the printer apparatus of this embodiment.

First, in step S21, the print data expanded in the print buffer 8 by the print processing unit 7 is taken out and output to the printer unit 12 for printing. Next, in step S22, the amount of printed data is counted by the print amount counting unit 10. Here, the amount of print data to be counted is the number of data from the host computer 1 used for printing, which is added to the printer data.

Next, in step S23, it is determined whether or not it is the first print data after the header is received from the host computer 1 and the print time measurement value is reset. If it is the first print data after the reset, the process proceeds to step S24, and the print time measuring unit 11 starts the measurement of the print time, and if not, the process ends.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure in the print time estimation unit 13 which measures the time until the printing of all print data is completed in the printer apparatus of this embodiment.

First, in step S31, the total amount of print data from the host computer 1 is received from the total amount storage unit 4, and the amount of received data received is received amount counting unit 5.
From the print amount counting unit 10, the measured amount of time required for receiving the printed amount of printed matter is measured by the reception time measuring unit 6 and the measured amount of time required for printing is measured by the print time measuring unit 1.
Read from 1. Next, in step S32,
Estimate the time required to finish printing all print data. The estimated time is calculated by first obtaining the printed amount of print and the ratio of the printed amount to all print data with respect to the actually measured time required for printing. Further, the estimated time is determined in consideration of the difference between the received data amount received and the printed amount printed, that is, the amount of data stored in the receiving buffer 3 for printing.

If there is no print waiting data,
Either the timing at which the print data is sent from the host computer 1 and the print timing at the printer unit 12 match, or the data transmission from the host computer 1 is slower. It is estimated that the time to finish may be longer than the calculated estimation time. When print data remains in the reception buffer 3, the print data is sent from the host computer 1 faster than the print speed in the printer unit 12, and therefore a certain amount of data is already received. It is determined that the print processing may be completed in a time shorter than the actually calculated estimated time, including the fact that the time required for the reception processing of that portion has been reduced.

Next, the process proceeds to step S33, and step S3
The result estimated in 2 is displayed on the display unit 15 through the display control unit 14.
To display. Then, in step S34, it is determined whether all print data has been received or printed. When the reception of all data is completed, the process proceeds to step S35, and the measurement of the reception time and the display of the reception time are stopped. Also, when the printing is completed, step S
Proceeding to step 35, the print time measurement and its display are stopped. On the other hand, if not, the process is ended as it is.

As a second embodiment of the present invention, as in the case where vertically-doubled character data is overlaid on normal character data and the like, it is in an undecided state and waiting for printing in order to print at one time. A case where data exists will be described.

The block diagram of the second embodiment of the present invention and the flow chart showing the processing procedure are the same as those of the above-mentioned first embodiment, and therefore their explanations are omitted.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example in the printer device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Here, the undetermined data amount is expressed only by the number of bytes. This unconfirmed data amount is obtained by calculating the number of data items defined as unconfirmed print data among the print data existing in the print buffer 8 by the print control unit 9.

An ink jet printer will be described below as an example of the printer of this embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an ink jet recording apparatus IJRA to which the present invention can be applied. In the figure, the carriage HC that engages with the spiral groove 5004 of the lead screw 5005 that rotates via the driving force transmission gears 5011 and 5009 in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 5013 has a pin (not shown). Then, it is reciprocated in the directions of arrows a and b. An inkjet cartridge IJC is mounted on the carriage HC. A paper pressing plate 5002 presses the paper against the platen 5000 in the moving direction of the carriage. Reference numerals 5007 and 5008 denote photocouplers, which are home position detecting means for confirming the presence of the carriage lever 5006 in this area and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013. 501
6 is a cap member 50 for capping the front surface of the recording head.
Reference numeral 5015 is a member for supporting the inside of the cap, and 5015 is a suction means for sucking the inside of the cap. Reference numeral 5017 is a cleaning blade, and 5019 is a member that allows this blade to move in the front-rear direction, and these are supported by a main body support plate 5018. Needless to say, a well-known cleaning blade can be applied to this example instead of this form. Reference numeral 5012 denotes a lever for starting suction for suction recovery, which moves in accordance with the movement of the cam 5020 that engages with the carriage, and the movement of the driving force from the driving motor is controlled by a known transmission means such as clutch switching. To be done.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that the desired processing can be performed at their corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005 when the carriage comes to the area on the home position side. As long as the desired operation is performed at the timing, any of the above can be applied to this example.

Next, a control configuration for executing the recording control of the above-mentioned apparatus will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. In the figure showing the control circuit, 1700
Is an interface for inputting a recording signal, and 1701 is M
PU, 1702 is a program ROM that stores a control program executed by the MPU 1701, and 1703 is various data (the above-mentioned recording signals, recording data supplied to the head, etc.).
It is a dynamic RAM that stores the data. 170
A gate array 4 controls the supply of print data to the print head 1708.
0, MPU 1701, and RAM 1703 are also controlled for data transfer. Reference numeral 1710 is a carrier motor for carrying the recording head 1708, and 1709 is a carrying motor for carrying the recording paper. Reference numeral 1705 is a head driver for driving the head, and 1706 and 1707 are conveyance motors 17, respectively.
09, a motor driver for driving the carrier motor 1710.

The operation of the above control structure will be described. When a recording signal is input to the interface 1700, the gate array 1
A recording signal is converted between the 704 and the MPU 1701 to print data for printing. And the motor driver 1
The recording heads 706 and 1707 are driven, and the recording head is driven according to the recording data sent to the head driver 1705 to perform printing.

It is obvious that the constituent elements of the present invention can be incorporated in the control structure of the ink jet printer as described above, and the present invention is not limited to the laser beam printer and can be applied to the above ink jet printer and the like.

The present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of a single device. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to the case where it is achieved by supplying a program for implementing the present invention to a system or an apparatus.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

First, the degree to which the print data sent from the host computer is received or printed, the time required to receive or print, and the estimated time until the printing of all print data is finished are displayed. Therefore, the operator can accurately grasp the print state.

Secondly, if there is print data that is held in the printer device as unconfirmed data and has not been printed, the unconfirmed data amount can be accurately grasped, so the unconfirmed data is not printed. It is possible to prevent operation mistakes that would be accidentally lost.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to determine how much the reception or recording processing is completed or the time required for the reception or recording with respect to the total recording data amount sent from the external device. There is an effect that can be notified.

If unrecorded data exists,
There is an effect of being able to inform the accurate amount of data.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example on the printer device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure in a reception control unit of the printer device according to the present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a print control unit according to the present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in an all-printing-time estimating unit of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example in the printer device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an inkjet recording apparatus I to which the present invention can be applied.
It is a general view of JRA.

8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 host computer 2 reception control unit 3 reception buffer 4 total amount storage unit 5 reception amount counting unit 6 reception time measuring unit 7 print processing unit 8 print buffer 9 print control unit 10 print amount counting unit 11 print time measuring unit 12 printing device 13 Print time estimation unit 14 Display control unit 15 Display unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A recording device for recording an image on a recording medium based on recording data sent from an external device, the storage device reading and storing the total amount of recording data included in a header of the recording data, Reception data storage means for receiving and storing the record data, first measurement means for measuring the amount of data stored in the reception data storage means, and record data stored in the reception data storage means,
Second measuring means for measuring the amount of recorded data, reception time measuring means for measuring the time required for receiving the recorded data stored in the received data storage means, and time for recording the recorded data A recording device comprising: a recording time measuring unit for measuring. 2. Estimating the time required to record all record data based on at least the time required for reception and the time required for recording, the total amount of stored data, the amount of received data, and the amount of recorded data. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a guessing unit. 3. The ratio of the received data amount to the total recorded data and the ratio of the recorded data amount based on the time required for the reception and the time required for the recording, the total stored data amount, the received data amount, and the recorded data amount. 2. Further comprising means for obtaining and displaying at least one of the above items.
The recording device according to 1. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying the amount of recording data held in an undetermined state in the received data storage means.