JPH08292851A - Printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent the printer device from malfunctioning while image data are inputted by deciding whether or not a mode specification command is received only when it is decided that received data are text data. CONSTITUTION: A laser printer 10 is equipped with a recording part 11, a host interface 12, an image supply part 13, a console panel 14, and a power source part 15. Then a data receiving means specifies one of plural print modes and receives text data and image data including the mode specification command as a job control language. A decision means decides which of the text data and image data are received and decides whether or not the received data is the mode specification command when deciding that the received data are the text data. When it is decided that the received data is the mode specification command, a mode setting means sets the print mode that the received mode specification command specifies.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus connected to a host computer and having a plurality of print modes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to enable selection of a paper feed tray by a text format command regardless of the settings of an application program, the input data is converted into text data by a text format command from a host computer. And image data, and if the input data is text data, it is determined whether or not this data is a paper feed tray selection command, and the data is input according to an instruction from the operation panel. It is determined whether or not the paper feed tray selection command is valid, and when the command is valid, the paper feed tray is selected by this paper feed tray selection command or an instruction from the operation panel and the command is invalidated. In this case, the printing device that selects the paper feed tray only by the instruction from the operation panel is special. It disclosed in flat 5-185699 JP. In the printing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-185699, for example, the input data is determined to be text data from when the command “&&&” is input until the command “END” is input.

[0003]

By the way, an ART program 201H developed by each printer manufacturer is used.
An emulation program such as an emulation program, an ESC / P emulation program, an HP / GL emulation program, or the like is selected and executed by an emulation designation command transmitted from the host computer and designating any one of these emulation programs. There is a desire for a printing device that can.

Here, each emulation program is designed to perform error processing when a command other than the command used in the emulation program is input, while the emulation designation command is used for the emulation program. Since it must be set so that it does not overlap with the command, this emulation specification command is executed when the emulation specification command is received during execution of each emulation program, in other words, error processing is not performed. , It is necessary to give priority to the emulation specification command over the command of each emulation program. The emulation designation command designates an emulation program to be executed, and eventually instructs the end of the job being executed and the start of the job to be executed. Since some emulation programs cannot specify the start or end of a job with the commands in this emulation program, it is necessary to input the emulation specification command before inputting the commands of each emulation program. It is necessary to monitor frequently whether the specified command is input.

However, if the emulation designating command is given priority over the command of each emulation program and the presence or absence of the input of this emulation designating command is frequently monitored, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-18569.
In a printing apparatus such as the printing apparatus of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-90, since the arrangement of data is arbitrary, when image data that is likely to include the same data arrangement as the data arrangement of the emulation specification command is input, Unintentional malfunction may occur. That is, for example, the emulation designation command "///" is a command for selecting an emulation program different from the emulation program being executed, and the input image data is the data array "///" of this emulation designation command. When the same data array "///" is included, the command "END" of the executing emulation program that treats the input data as image data until the number of input data reaches the specified data number Since this emulation specification command has priority over ", the running emulation program may end.

The present invention takes the above facts into consideration,
An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that can prevent malfunction while image data is being input.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided data receiving means for designating one print mode from a plurality of print modes and receiving text data and image data including a mode designation command which is a job control language.
It is determined whether the received data is text data or image data, and when the received data is determined to be text data, whether the received data is the mode designation command or not. And a mode setting means for setting the print mode designated by the received mode designation command when it is determined that the received data is the mode designation command. Characterize.

[0008]

According to the present invention, the data receiving means receives one of a plurality of print modes, one print mode, and text data and image data including a mode designation command which is a job control language. The judging means is
It is determined whether the received data is text data or image data, and when the received data is determined to be text data, it is determined whether the received data is a mode designation command. . Then, when the received data is determined to be the mode designation command, the mode setting means sets the print mode designated by the received mode designation command.

[0009]

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

FIG. 1 shows an outline of a laser printer 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The laser printer 10 includes a recording unit 11 that prints image data and a host interface terminal 12 that is connected to a host computer such as a personal computer (not shown), and supplies the image data to the recording unit 11.
3 and an operation panel 14 provided with a display including a keyboard and a liquid crystal display panel for inputting output conditions such as paper size and character size as necessary.
And a power supply unit 15 which is connected to a commercial power supply (AC) (not shown) and which supplies predetermined power to the recording unit 11, the image supply unit 13, and the operation panel 14, which are mutually connected. ing.

The image supply unit 13 may have a plurality of host interface terminals as required, and may have an input terminal connected to a parallel or serial network (not shown).

Further, when the output condition from the operation panel 14 and the output condition from the host computer are input, the input from either one may always be prioritized, or the newly input output condition can be prioritized. You may let me.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the image supply unit 13. The image supply unit 13 has a CPU 20 for controlling the entire laser printer 10 and a program memory storing a program for controlling the entire laser printer 10. 21,
A character pattern memory 22 storing a character pattern for printing and a character code corresponding to this character pattern
And an NVM (nonvolatile memory) 23 that is backed up by a battery (not shown) and holds necessary data even when the power source of the laser printer 10 itself is turned off, and an RTC (real time clock) 2 for reading the current time.
4, a host interface circuit 25 such as a Centronics interface or Ethernet for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the host computer, and an operation panel 14.
A panel interface circuit 26 for transmitting and receiving signals to and from a receiving buffer for automatically and temporarily holding the data input from the host computer, and a recording sheet for recording character patterns and images generated based on the print data. A page memory 27 for expanding and electronically editing corresponding to one page, a work memory as a work area, a user-defined memory, and a predetermined time from the time when data is input from the host computer A recording unit interface circuit 29 for transmitting / receiving a signal between the recording unit 11 and a RAM 28 including a management memory that stores a reference time for determining whether or not, the number of pieces of image data described below, and read mode data. And transfer of image data between the recording interface circuit 29 and the page memory 27. Bit map controller 3 Gosuru
0, which are interconnected by a bus 31. In addition, the bitmap controller 30
Is a page memory 27 and a recording unit interface circuit 29.
Is directly connected to.

The laser printer 10 may have additional host interface circuits 32 according to the number of host interface terminals and input terminals, and the print data and control data transferred from the connected host computer may be added. When a corresponding program or character pattern is required, the program memory 33 or the character pattern memory 34, which is composed of a removable IC card type or SIMM type ROM, may be selectively connected.

Further, a hard disk 35 for adding a character pattern, storing form data, external character data and graphic data, holding input data from a host computer, etc. may be connected as necessary.

The program memory 21 stores a program corresponding to a flow chart described later, emulation programs such as an ART program, a 201H emulation program, an ESC / P emulation program and an HP / GL emulation program developed by each printer manufacturer. In addition, other programs are stored. Each emulation program is executed in each emulation mode which is a print mode. The emulation mode has priority over the commands of each emulation program and is sent from the host computer in the job control language (JC
L), which is designated by the emulation designation command.

Further, in the laser printer 10, a text reading mode in which inputted data is judged as text data such as a command, numerical data or character code, and the inputted data is an image such as graphic data or external character data. The image reading mode for determining data is switched by an image reading designation command in each emulation program. This image reading specification command includes the number of image data to be read. From the input of the image reading specification command until the number of input data reaches the number of data included in the image reading specification command. The area is in the image reading mode, and the other areas are in the text reading mode. Then, when the text reading mode is set, it is determined whether or not the emulation designation command is input.

The operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In step 100, the text reading mode is set. Specifically, the read mode data that determines the input data as text data is registered in the management memory. Also, i for measuring the number of input image data is reset and the reference time is erased from the management memory.

At the next step 102, the operation panel 14
Alternatively, it is determined whether or not a job forced termination signal for forcibly ending the running job is input from the host computer, and if the job forced termination signal is input, the job being executed is determined in step 104. The process is terminated and the process returns to step 100. If the job forced termination signal is not input, it is determined in step 106 whether the reference time is registered in the management memory. If the reference time is registered, the RTC 24 is determined in step 108 from the RTC 24. The current time is read and it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed from the registered reference time. When the predetermined time has elapsed from the registered reference time, the process returns to step 100.

On the other hand, if the reference time is not registered or if the predetermined time has not elapsed from the registered reference time, the determinations in steps 106 and 108 are denied, and in step 110, the host is stored in the reception buffer. It is determined whether data is input from the computer. If no data has been input from the host computer, the process returns to step 102, and if data has been input from the host computer, at step 112 R
The current time is read from the TC 24, and the read current time is registered or updated in the management memory as the reference time. In the next step 114, it is determined from the read mode data registered in the management memory whether the text read mode is set.

When the text reading mode is set, the input data is determined to be text data, the input data is transferred to the working memory and the command is analyzed in step 116, and the command is analyzed in step 118. It is determined whether the analyzed command is an emulation specified command. If the analyzed command is an emulation specified command, in step 120,
The emulation program designated by this emulation designation command is read from the program memory 21 to set the emulation mode, and the process returns to step 102.

On the other hand, if the analyzed command is not an emulation specified command, in step 122,
It is determined whether or not the analyzed command is an image reading designation command in each emulation program. If the analyzed command is not an image reading designation command, another command is executed in step 124, and the process returns to step 102.

If the analyzed command is an image reading designation command, in step 126,
The number m of data included in this image reading designation command is registered in the management memory, the read mode data for judging the input data as image data is registered in the management memory, that is, the image reading mode is set,
Return to step 102.

On the other hand, if the image reading mode is set in step 114, step 11
The data input at 0 is judged as image data,
In step 128, this image data is stored in the working memory, the number n of data of the stored image data is measured, and the sum of i and n is updated as a new i.

At the next step 130, the number m of data registered in the management memory is read out, and at step 132, i
Is determined to be equal to m. If i does not match m, the process returns to step 102 to continue the image reading mode, and if i matches m, step 13
In step 4, the text reading mode is set, i is reset, and the process returns to step 102.

As described above, in the laser printer 10 according to the present embodiment, when the text reading mode is set, in other words, when the image reading mode is not set, is the emulation designation command input? Since it is determined whether or not the laser printer 10 malfunctions due to the emulation designation command while the image data is being input.
Further, this allows the laser printer 10 to select each emulation program by the emulation designation command from the host computer.

[0027]

According to the present invention, since it is determined whether or not the mode designation command is received only when the received data is determined to be text data, the mode of the data arrangement is arbitrary. It is possible to prevent the malfunction of the printing apparatus when the image data that is likely to include the same array as the data array of the designated command is received.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a laser printer according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an image supply unit in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a control routine of a CPU for selecting an emulation program by an emulation designation command.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Laser Printer 20 CPU 21 Program Memory 28 RAM

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A data receiving unit for designating one print mode from a plurality of print modes and receiving text data and image data including a mode designation command which is a job control language, and the received data is text data and Determining means for determining whether the received data is text data, and determining whether the received data is the mode designation command, and A printing apparatus comprising: a mode setting unit that sets a print mode designated by the received mode designation command when it is determined that the received data is the mode designation command.