JPH0671986A - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To inform a user that he has made an erroneous selection of an emulation without wasting a large quantity of sheet as usually seen in a conventional printing device, if print information supplied by a host computer is different from a command system in the emulation mode selected currently. CONSTITUTION:The printing device consists of a means 17 of connecting to a host computer for sending/receiving data on an image or communication control between a host computer and a printing device, a storage means 19 for storing data on an image or communication control sent from the host computer, temporarily and a means 18 for data analysis which interprets whether the data on an image or communication control stored in the storage means 19, coincides with a currently selected command system. In addition, the printing device is equipped with a sending means for sending a sending stop command or a sending continuation command to the host computer based on the interpretation result, and a display means 13 for indicating an error, if the information analysis means interprets that the stored data does not coincide with the currently selected command system.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is capable of bidirectional communication with a host device such as a host computer.
The present invention relates to a printing device such as a printer, a copying machine, and a word processor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when two-way communication is carried out between a host machine and a printing apparatus, an application installed in the host machine forms print information by combining various commands based on a certain command system. When the user gives an instruction to execute printing, the print information is transmitted to the printing device.

However, when the printing device has a plurality of command systems (hereinafter referred to as emulation), the emulation currently selected on the printing device side is printed by the application on the host machine side. It is quite possible that you have a command system that is completely different from the information. In such a case, the command interpreter of the printer cannot interpret the transmitted print information at all, and abnormal printing is performed many times, resulting in waste of paper. was there.

If the data sent from the application is different from the currently selected emulation command system, the printer should be forcibly disconnected from the host machine by turning off the power of the printer. I had to do it. When there is a lot of data sent from the host machine, the data remains in the buffer on the host machine side, so even if the printer is turned off, the data will be printed again when the printer is started up next time. Sent to the device,
In some cases, the defect continued.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is, when print information having an emulation code system different from the currently selected emulation is transmitted from a host machine, a transmission stop instruction as abnormal data. Is sent to the host machine to interrupt the data transfer and prevent the wasteful consumption of paper. In that case, even if data remains in the buffer on the host machine side, it is possible to stop the transmission from the host device without turning off the power on the printing device side, and inform the user of an emulation selection error. Is to be able to.

[0006]

A printer according to the present invention comprises a connecting means for connecting to a host device for transmitting and receiving image information or communication control information to and from the host device, and image information transmitted from the host device. Alternatively, a storage unit that temporarily stores the communication control information, an information analysis unit that determines whether the stored image information or communication control information matches the currently selected command system, and the determination result A transmission means for transmitting a transmission stop instruction or a transmission continuation instruction to the higher-level device through the connection means, and a display means for displaying an error when it is determined that the information analysis means are different from each other. And

Further, when it is determined that the information analysis means is different, in addition to the display by the display means, it is also possible to make an error notification by a buzzer sound or a voice by a voice generation means. Furthermore, the information analysis means comprises means for canceling the transmission stop command,
In response to the cancellation of the transmission stop command, the transmission means is controlled to transmit the transmission continuation command to the upper-level device, and then the analysis is performed even if the upper-level device again transmits image information or communication control information. It should be configured not to.

[0008]

According to the printer of the present invention, when the print information sent from the host machine (upper device) differs from the currently selected emulation code system, the printer sends the code to the host machine. The transmission stop command is transmitted, and the user is informed of this.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a laser printer according to the present invention. The laser printer 10 includes a controller 11
It has a printer engine 12, an operation panel 13, a sound source device 14, and a main power (power source) 15, and can bidirectionally communicate with a host machine 16.

The controller 11 is a laser printer 10
Is a control mechanism for converting print data from the host machine 16 into video data and outputting the video data to the printer engine 12 in accordance with the control mode set in step 1 and the control code from the host machine 16. The host I / F 17 and the CPU 1
8, RAM 19, NV-RAM 20, and program ROM
21, a font ROM 22, an engine I / F 23, a panel I / F 24, and a sound source I / F 25. The functions of these modules are as follows.

The host I / F 17 is an interface for transmitting and receiving control signals and data from the host machine 16 to the laser printer 10 and status signals from the laser printer 10 to the host machine 16.

The CPU 18 processes data (print data, control data) from the host machine 16 according to a program stored in the program ROM 21.

The RAM 19 is a work memory for processing by the CPU 18, a buffer for managing and temporarily storing the data from the host machine 16 in page units, converting the data stored in the buffer into an actual print pattern, and a video. It is used as a bit map memory for storing data.

The NV-RAM 20 is a non-volatile RAM for storing data to be retained even when the power is turned off. The program ROM 21 stores programs for controlling data processing in the controller 11 and peripheral modules. The font ROM 22 stores various fonts used for printing.

The engine I / F 23 is a controller 11
Is an interface for exchanging control signals from the printer engine 12 to the printer engine 12 and status signals from the printer engine 12 to the controller 11. Panel I / F 24
Are various signals from the operation panel 13, for example, signals for switching the state, mode, font, etc. of the laser printer 10, and the operation panel 13
It is an interface that sends and receives a signal for displaying to. The sound source I / F 25 is an interface for controlling the sound source device 14.

The printer engine 12 is a controller 1
An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor by the video signal and the control signal from 1 and developed, and the transfer paper is fed from the paper feeding unit to be transferred and fixed to form an image. The operation panel 13 is a display unit showing the state of the laser printer 10 and also a switch unit for switching the mode, font, etc. of the laser printer 10.

The data sent from the host machine 16 through the host I / F 17 is print data and print control data (SP, CR, LF, HT, V) by the CPU 18.
T, etc.) and others, and print data and print control data are stored in a buffer. When the print command from the host machine 16 or the received data exceeds one page, the controller 11 sends a print start command to the printer engine 12 through the engine I / F 23. The print data from the host machine 16 is printed through the printer engine 12 in such a series of flow.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing performed in the laser printer 10 upon receiving a printer printing application from the host machine 16. The printer printing application installed in the host machine 16 selects a font according to a certain command system, processes various printing information such as image information and image print position designation command in the application, and then combines them. , Host I / F1
It is sent to the laser printer 10 via 7.

When the controller 11 of the laser printer 10 receives such print information (step S1), R
The print information is temporarily stored in the temporary print information storage buffer (pre-buffer) allocated in the AM 19 (step S2). Then, the stored print information is stored according to the resident program in the program ROM 21.
Investigate every byte in the order in which they were stored.

First, it is checked whether the 1-byte data is an ESC code (escape code) (step S3),
If it is not the ESC code, 1-byte data is taken out from the buffer again. If it is an ESC code, the next 1-byte data that follows it is taken out, and the data is compared to see if there is a match in the currently selected emulation command system table. Yes (step S4). Here, the command system table is a collection of all command sequences supported by a certain emulation, and an example thereof is shown in FIG.

When a match is found in the table (step S5), the write count is incremented by 1 (step S6), and then it is determined whether or not the write count reaches a certain specified value (for example, 20). Yes (step S7). The larger the specified value, the higher the reliability that the currently selected emulation matches the print information generated by the application. When the write count exceeds the specified value, it is considered that the received print information and the emulation match, and the previous print information is fetched into the input buffer in the RAM 19 (step S8) and normal printing is performed. The mode is changed (step S9).

On the other hand, if they do not match in step S5, a transmission stop command (Xoff or the like) is immediately returned to the host machine 16 (step S10), and the host machine 16 outputs more incorrect printing information to the laser printer 1.
Do not send it to 0. Next, program RO
The program in M21 displays an emulation selection error on the operation panel 13 through the panel I / F 24 (step S11). In addition, in order to auditorily inform the user that an emulation selection error has occurred, the sound source device 14 is operated through the sound source I / F 25 to generate a buzzer sound or a voice with a specific error content (step S12). ).

When an emulation selection error occurs, the process proceeds to the transmission stop command cancellation routine shown in FIG. In this routine, when the transmission stop command release button on the operation panel 13 is pressed after an emulation selection error has occurred (step S13), the data in the pre-buffer is transferred to the command interpreter (CPU1) of the controller 11.
8), and calls only a subroutine that fetches data only and does not analyze commands (step S14).

Next, a code for canceling the transmission stop command, that is, a transmission continuation command (Xon, etc.) is transmitted from the laser printer 10 to the host machine 16 (step S1).
5). Therefore, the host machine 16 is the laser printer 10
Although the print information is transmitted again to the laser printer 10, the laser printer 10 temporarily stores the print information, but this time the process enters a subroutine in which command analysis is not performed even if the data is fetched, so the print data group is fetched but the printing operation is performed. I don't know.

When there is no print data from the host machine 16 and the transmission from the host machine 16 is stopped, the pre-buffer becomes empty (step S16), and this triggers the calling of the command interpreter routine, and The display of the emulation selection error that was continuously displayed until then is canceled, and the normal operation mode is restored (step S1).
7). After returning to this normal operation, the user may reselect the emulation that matches the previously used application using the operation panel 13 or a command.

[0026]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, when the print information sent from the host machine, which is a higher-level device, is different from the currently selected emulation command system, It is possible to inform the user that the emulation selection is incorrect without wasting a large amount of paper as in the past.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, even after the occurrence of the emulation selection error, neither the host machine nor the printing device takes forcible means such as turning off the power,
In addition, the emulation selection error can be canceled without wasting paper.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a laser printer which is an example of a printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing performed in the laser printer upon receiving a printer printing application from a host machine.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a routine following FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a command example of a command system table.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Laser Printer 11 Controller 12 Printer Engine 13 Operation Panel 14 Sound Source Device 15 Main Power 16 Host Machine 17 Host I / F 18 CPU 19 RAM 20 NV-ROM 21 Program ROM 22 Font ROM 24 Panel I / F 25 Sound Source I / F

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printing device capable of bidirectionally communicating with a higher-level device, and means for connecting to the higher-level device for transmitting and receiving image information or communication control information to and from the higher-level device, Storage means for temporarily storing the image information or communication control information transmitted from the higher-level device and determining whether the stored image information or communication control information matches the command system currently selected When it is determined that the information analysis unit and the information analysis unit are different from the transmission unit that transmits a transmission stop command or a transmission continuation command to the host device based on the determination result, an error display is displayed. A printing device, comprising: a display means for performing the printing. 2. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising: a sound generation unit that gives an error notification by a buzzer sound or a sound when it is determined that the information analysis unit is different. 3. The information analysis means comprises means for releasing the transmission stop instruction, and the information analysis means controls the transmission means to transmit a transmission continuation instruction to the higher-level device in response to the release of the transmission stop instruction, and thereafter. 2. The image data or the communication control information is transmitted again from the higher-level device, and the analysis is not performed.
The printing device described in 1.