JPH10341270A - Communication equipment and communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To locate a cause when the equipment is not normally in operation in a short time by connecting a 1st communication section and a 2nd communication section, relaying communication between the 1st communication section and the 2nd communication section and recording data sent from a relay section. SOLUTION: A relay section 13 checks a communication result between a host device 11 and a 1st communication section 12. There are three communication results as data reception, data request and communication error, and on the occurrence of the communication error, error termination processing is executed. Data received by the 1st communication section 12 are sent to a recording section 14 and a data transmission instruction is outputted to a 2nd communication section 15. The 2nd communication section 15 receives a data transmission instruction from the relay section 13 and makes communication with a peripheral equipment 16 according to a data transmission protocol. In the case that the communication is finished and an error takes place on the way of communication, the 2nd communication section 15 is controlled by the relay section 13. The relay section 13 checks the communication result between the 2nd communication section 15 and the peripheral equipment 16 and executes error termination processing on the occurrence of the communication error.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to, for example, IEEE
The present invention relates to a communication device and a communication method for performing bidirectional communication between a host device and a peripheral device according to a protocol conforming to the 1284 standard and monitoring communication data transferred between the two devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a relay device such as a protocol converter or the like is used to enable communication using different protocols, for example, a communication protocol of a host device is a Centronics interface and a communication protocol of a peripheral device is GP-IB. Is used.

[0003] However, in bidirectional communication between devices having the same communication protocol such as the IEEE1284 standard, there is no relay device for relaying between the two devices, and therefore communication data transferred between the two devices. Has not been developed yet. That is, since there is no device for verifying whether or not the device is operating normally, the operation of the device cannot be verified unless both the host device and the peripheral device are available.

When it is determined that the host device and the peripheral device are not operating normally by connecting and testing the host device and the peripheral device, it is not possible to identify which of the host device and the peripheral device has the cause of the failure. Took a lot of time and effort.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object to connect a monitor device between a host device and a peripheral device that perform communication in accordance with the IEEE1284 standard. By simulating a peripheral device with respect to the host device and a host device with respect to the peripheral device, the relay device relays communication data transferred from the host device to the peripheral device and executes recording. Relays communication data transferred from the host device to the host device and performs recording to understand the data exchanged between the two devices and verify the operation and failure of peripheral devices such as printers and scanners connected to the personal computer An object of the present invention is to provide a communication device capable of easily executing a test.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a communication apparatus which changes a table to be referred to in a mode standardized by the IEEE 1284 standard when executing a monitor, and can execute transmission / reception and monitoring of communication data in any mode. That is.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a communication device in which a negotiation function for determining a communication mode is mounted on the first communication unit and the second communication unit, and which can relay the success or failure of the negotiation.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a communication apparatus of the present invention has the following arrangement. That is, a first communication unit that operates as a peripheral device for the host device and communicates with the host device, and operates as a host device for the peripheral device and communicates with the peripheral device. A second communication unit, connected to the first communication unit and the second communication unit, for relaying communication between the first communication unit and the second communication unit, and for transmitting and receiving data between the two communication units; And a recording unit that records data transmitted from the relay unit.

[0009] Preferably, the first communication unit has a first processing decision table for deciding a process according to a command transmitted from the relay unit, and the first processing decision table is responsive to the command. Thus, data can be transmitted and received in various modes. Further, even when a new mode is added in the future, data transmission / reception and monitoring can be performed in the new mode only by adding processes and tables.

[0010] Preferably, the second communication unit has a second processing decision table for deciding a process according to a command transmitted from the relay unit, and the second processing decision table is responsive to the command. Thus, data can be transmitted and received in various modes. Further, even when a new mode is added in the future, data transmission / reception and monitoring can be performed in the new mode only by adding processes and tables.

Preferably, the first communication unit requests the second communication unit to negotiate to the peripheral device, and the relay unit responds to a result of the negotiation request to the second communication unit. By transmitting the command to the first communication unit, the success or failure of the negotiation can be relayed.

Preferably, the second communication unit requests the first communication unit to negotiate to the host device, and the relay unit responds to a result of the negotiation request to the first communication unit. By transmitting the command to the second communication unit, the success or failure of the negotiation can be relayed.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a communication method of the present invention has the following features. That is, a first communication unit that operates as a peripheral device with respect to the host device, a second communication unit that operates as the host device with respect to the peripheral device, and is connected to the first communication unit and the second communication unit. A communication method for a communication device, comprising: a relay unit; and a recording unit that records data transmitted from the relay unit, wherein a first communication step of causing the first communication unit and a host device to communicate with each other; A second communication step of causing communication between the second communication unit and the peripheral device; and a relay step of relaying communication between the first communication unit and the second communication unit and transmitting and receiving data between the two communication units. And

[0014]

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

[System Configuration] An overall system configuration including a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall system configuration including the communication device of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, a system including a communication apparatus according to the present embodiment has a C for controlling the entire system.
The PU 1, a ROM 3 that stores various operation processing programs 3 a and control parameters 3 b connected to the CPU 1 via the common bus line 2, and can communicate with the CPU 1 and other devices via the common bus line 2, , A relay unit 13, a recording unit 14, and a second communication unit 15, a RAM that temporarily stores communication data and can communicate with the CPU 1, the ROM 3, and other devices via the common bus line 2.
4, an input interface 5 for transmitting data input from the input device 6 to the common bus line 2, an output interface 7 for outputting control data and the like from the CPU 1 to the output device 8 via the common bus line 2, and a common bus line 2. And an external storage interface 9 for inputting / outputting data to / from an external storage device 10 through the external storage device. The input device 6 is a keyboard, a tablet, a mouse or the like, and the output device 8 is a display 8a such as a CRT or an LCD.
It comprises a printing device 8b such as a printer or a plotter. Also,
The external storage device 10 is a hard disk (HD), a floppy disk (FD), a CD-ROM, or a mini disk (MD) (registered trademark).

[Configuration of Monitor Apparatus] Next, the configuration of the monitor apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the monitor device shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the monitor device 4 operates like a peripheral device with respect to the host
The first communication unit 12 transmits and receives communication data to and from the host device 11 according to the 1284 standard, and operates as a host device with respect to the peripheral device 16 and communicates with the peripheral device 16 according to the IEEE 1284 standard. A communication unit 15 for transmitting and receiving communication data between the host device 11 and a recording unit 14 for temporarily storing communication data received from the host device 11 or the peripheral device 16; a first communication unit 12 and a second communication unit 15; And a relay unit 13 for relaying communication data and transmitting the communication data to the recording unit 14.

[Operation of Monitor Device] Next, the operation of the monitor device shown in FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the monitor device illustrated in FIG. 2 and mainly illustrates the operation of the relay unit.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the process is started, in step S1, the relay unit 13 sets the first communication unit 12
Output a status monitoring command to In step S2, the first communication unit 12 communicates with the host device 11 in response to the status monitoring command in step S1. In this step S2, the first
The communication unit 11 is controlled by the relay unit 13 when receiving data from the host device 11, requesting data from the host device 11, or when an error occurs during communication. The processing in step S2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In step S3, the relay unit 13 examines the result of communication between the host device 11 and the first communication unit 12. Communication results include data reception, data request,
There are three types of communication errors. If the first communication unit 12 has received the data from the host device 11, the process proceeds to step S4. If the data is requested from the host device 11, the process proceeds to step S9. Run.

In step S4, the data received by the first communication unit 12 is transmitted to the recording unit 14, and a data transmission command is output to the second communication unit 15.

In step S5, the second communication unit 15 receives a data transmission command from the relay unit 13 and communicates with the peripheral device 16 according to a data transmission protocol. In this step S5, when the transmission is completed, the second communication unit 15
When an error occurs during communication, the relay unit 13 controls the error. The processing in step S5 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In step S6, the relay unit 13
The communication result between the communication unit 15 and the peripheral device 16 is examined.
The communication results include data transmission completion and communication error 2
There is a street. If the transmission has been completed between the second communication unit 15 and the peripheral device 16, the process proceeds to step S7, and if a communication error has occurred, an error end process is executed.

In step S7, the relay unit 13 outputs a state monitoring command to the first communication unit 12.

In step S8, the first communication unit 12 communicates with the host device 11 in response to the status monitoring command in step S7. Then, when data is received from the host device 11, data is requested from the host device 11, or an error occurs during communication, the relay unit 13 controls the data. After that, the process returns to step S3 to execute the processing after step S3. The processing in step S8 will also be described in detail with reference to FIG.

On the other hand, in step S9, the relay section 13 outputs a data request command to the second communication section 15.

In step S10, upon receiving the data request command, the second communication unit 15 performs communication between the peripheral devices 16 according to the data request protocol. In step S10, when data is received from the peripheral device 16, when no data is received from the peripheral device 16, or when an error occurs during the communication, the relay unit 13 controls. The processing in step S10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In step S11, the relay unit 13 examines the result of communication with the second communication unit 15. There are three types of communication results: data reception, no data, and communication error. If the second communication unit 15 has received data from the peripheral device 16, the process proceeds to step S12, if there is no data, the process proceeds to step S7, and if there is a communication error, an error end process is performed.

In step S12, the data received by the second communication unit 15 is transmitted to the recording unit 14, and the relay unit 1
Reference numeral 3 outputs a data transmission command of the received data to the first communication unit 12.

In step S13, upon receiving the data transmission command from the relay unit 13, the first communication unit 12 performs communication with the host device 11 according to the data transmission protocol. Then, in this step S13, the host device 11
, When the host device 11 requests the next data, or when an error occurs during communication, the relay unit 13 controls the data. After that, the process returns to step S3 to execute the processing after step S3. The processing in step S13 will also be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[Configuration of First Communication Unit] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first communication unit.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first communication section has a communication port section 12a and a data processing section 12b. The communication port unit 12a includes a first input port 21 and a first output port 2
2 and a first input / output port 23. Data processing unit 1
2b includes a first data storage unit 24, a first status storage unit 25, a first communication mode storage unit 26, a first processing decision table 27, a first data transmission / reception processing unit 28, and a first data conversion unit 29.

The first input port 21 reads the status of the host device 11. The first output port 22 writes the status of the first communication unit 12. First input / output port 2
No. 3 reads and writes data. First data storage unit 24
Stores data and write data read from the first input / output port 23. The first status storage unit 25
The status of the first communication unit 12 is stored. The first communication mode storage unit 26 stores the current communication mode. When the processing of the first communication unit 12 is determined, the first processing determination table 27 stores the status of the host device 11 read from the first input port 21 and the status of the first communication unit 12 read from the first status storage unit 25. Refer to when deciding processing based on status. First data transmission / reception processing unit 28
Performs a process based on the process determination table 27. First
The data conversion unit 29 performs bit conversion on data to be written to the first output port 22 when performing communication in the Nibble mode. The first communication unit 12 configured as described above operates on the host device 11 like a peripheral device. still,
The first input port 21, the first output port 22, and the first input / output port 23 are connected to corresponding ports in the host device 11.

[First Processing Determination Table] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing details of the first processing determination table.

As shown in FIG. 5, the processing operation of the first communication unit 12 includes the status of the host device 11 at the time of communication and the first communication unit 12 (in this case, the peripheral device) written in the first status storage unit 25. (Equivalent to the device) status. Since the status of the host device 11 is 4 bits in total, there are 16 types in total. Further, since the status of the first communication unit 12 has a total of 5 bits, there are a total of 32 statuses. When deciding the process in the first communication unit 12, the process written at the intersection of the two statuses is performed, and the status is changed to the next status. In this processing determination table, there are some places where the processing is not performed according to the standard. The content of the processing is one or a combination of reading data, writing data, and waiting for the passage of time. The change of the status is performed by changing the status of the first communication unit 12 (for example, Busy on,
off etc.).

In the normal state, in the Nibble mode,
Since tables to be referred to in the Byte mode and the ECP mode are different, a plurality of types of tables are prepared in the tables.

[Operation of First Communication Unit During State Monitoring] FIG.
5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the first communication unit 12 when a state monitoring command is output from the relay unit. This flowchart includes steps S2 and S2 shown in FIG.
8 shows the operation in detail.

As shown in FIG. 6, in step S21, the first communication unit 12 reads the status of the host device 11 from the first input port 21 and the status of the first communication unit 12 from the first status storage unit 25.

In step S22, the process and the next status are determined by referring to the first process determination table 27 based on the two statuses read in step S21.

In step S23, the first data transmission / reception processing unit 28 performs processing and changes the status according to the determined processing content. As this processing, the data written to the first data storage unit 24 is written to the first input / output port 23, and the data written to the first data storage unit 24 is written to the first data conversion unit 29 via the first data conversion unit 29. Write to the output port 22.

In step S24, the status changed in step S23 is written to the first status storage unit 25 and the first output port 22.

In step S25, the operation result is examined. The operation results include four types of communication continuation, data reception, request for next data, and communication error. If communication is to be continued, the process returns to step S21. If data is received, the process proceeds to step S26. If data is requested, the process proceeds to step S27. In the case of a communication error, the result is returned to the relay unit 13 and is left to the processing in the relay unit 13.

In step S26, the first data storage unit 2
4 is returned to the relay unit 13 and the relay unit 1
It is left to the processing in 3.

In step S27, the communication mode written in the first communication mode storage unit 26 is returned to the relay unit 13 and is left to be processed by the relay unit 13.

[Operation of First Communication Unit at the Time of Data Transmission] FIG.
Is the first when the data transmission command is output from the relay unit.
5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the communication unit 12. This flowchart shows the operation of step S13 shown in FIG. 3 in detail.

As shown in FIG. 7, in step S31, the first communication unit 12 writes the transmission data received from the relay unit 13 into the first data storage unit 24.

In step S32, the first input port 21
And the status of the first communication unit 12 from the first status storage unit 25.

In step S33, the processing is determined by referring to the first processing determination table 27 based on the two statuses read.

In step S34, the first data transmission / reception processing unit 28 performs processing according to the determined processing content to change the status. As this processing, the data written to the first data storage unit 24 is written to the first input / output port 23, and the data written to the first data storage unit 24 is written to the first data conversion unit 29 via the first data conversion unit 29. Write to the output port 22.

In step S35, the status changed in step S44 is stored in the first status storage 25 and the first status storage unit 25.
Write to output port 22.

In step S36, the operation result is examined. The operation results include three types: communication continuation, next data request, and communication error. If the communication is to be continued, the process proceeds to step S32.
In the case of a communication error, the result is returned to the relay unit 13 and is left to the processing in the relay unit 13.

In step S37, the communication mode written in the first communication mode storage unit 26 is returned to the relay unit 13 and is left to be processed by the relay unit 13.

[Operation of First Data Conversion Unit] FIG.
5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a data conversion unit.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first data conversion unit 29 reads data from the first data storage unit 24 in step S41.

In step S42, the upper or lower 4 bits of the data read in step S41 are assigned to status bits according to the standard.

In step S43, the status to which the upper or lower 4 bits of the data are assigned is written to the first output port 22.

[Configuration of Second Communication Unit] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second communication unit.

As shown in FIG. 9, the second communication section has a communication port section 15a and a data processing section 15b. The communication port unit 15a includes a second input port 31 and a second output port 3
2 and a second input / output port 33. Data processing unit 1
5b denotes a second data storage unit 34, a second status storage unit 35, a second communication mode storage unit 36, a second phase storage unit 37, a second processing determination table 38, a second data transmission / reception processing unit 39, a second data It has a conversion unit 40.

The second input port 31 reads the status of the peripheral device 16. The second output port 32 writes the status of the second communication unit 15. Second input / output port 33
Reads and writes data. The second data storage unit 34
Data and write data read from the second input / output port 33 are stored. The second status storage unit 35 stores the second status
The status of the communication unit 15 is stored. The second communication mode storage unit 36 stores the current communication mode. The second phase storage unit 37 stores the current phase. The second processing determination table 38 determines the processing of the second communication unit 15 based on the communication mode read from the second communication mode storage unit 36 and the current phase read from the second phase storage unit 37. Refer to when deciding processing. Second
The data transmission / reception processing unit 39 includes a second processing determination table 38
The processing is performed based on. The second data conversion unit 40 uses Ni
When performing communication in the bble mode, the second input port 31
Bit conversion is performed to write the data read from the second data storage unit 34 into the second data storage unit 34. The second configured as above
The communication unit 15 operates on the peripheral device 16 like a host device. The second input port 31, the second output port 32, and the second input / output port 33 are connected to corresponding ports on the peripheral device 16.

[Second Process Determination Table] FIG.
It is a figure showing the details of a processing decision table.

As shown in FIG. 10, the processing operation in the second communication section 15 is determined by the communication mode written in the second communication mode storage section 36 and the phase written in the second phase storage section 37. You. When deciding the processing, the processing written at the intersection of the communication mode and the phase is performed. In the second processing determination table, there are some places where the processing is not performed according to the standard. The content of the processing is
Data transfer, reverse data request, reverse data reception, negotiation, termination, etc., and the phase is changed after the processing is completed.

Since tables to be referred to differ depending on data transmission, data request, data reception, and the like, several types of tables are prepared in the table.

[Operation of Second Communication Unit During Data Transmission] FIG. 1
1 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the second communication unit when a data transmission command is output. This flowchart shows the operation in step S5 shown in FIG. 3 in detail.

As shown in FIG. 11, in step S 51, the second communication section 15 writes the transmission data received from the relay section 13 into the second data storage section 34.

In step S52, the communication mode received from the relay unit 13 is compared with the communication mode written in the second communication mode storage unit 36. In step S52, when the two communication modes match, the process proceeds to step S54, and when they do not match, the process proceeds to step S53.

In step S53, the second data transmission / reception processing section 39 performs termination processing. At that time, the second
The phase written in the phase storage unit 37 is updated. Thereafter, the communication mode received from the relay unit 13 is changed to the second mode.
Write to the communication mode storage unit 36.

In step S 54, processing is determined by referring to the second processing determination table 38 based on the communication mode written in the second communication mode storage section 36 and the phase written in the second phase storage section 37. I do.

In step S55, the second data transmission / reception processing section 39 performs processing according to the processing content determined in step S54. This processing is performed from the second input port 31 to the peripheral device 1 according to the protocol of the IEEE1284 standard.
6 is read, and the second status storage unit 35 is read.
At the same time as changing the status written to the second output port 32. In some cases, data written to the second data storage unit 34 may be written to the second input / output port 33 during communication.

In step S56, the phase is changed and written in the second phase storage unit 37.

In step S57, after the processing in step S56 is completed, the operation result is examined. As the operation result, there are three types of communication continuation, transmission completion, and communication error. If the communication is to be continued, the process returns to step S54,
In the case of transmission completion or a communication error, the processing is left to the processing in the relay unit 13.

[Operation of Second Communication Unit at Data Request] FIG. 1
2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second communication unit when the data request command is output. This flowchart shows the operation in step S10 shown in FIG. 3 in detail.

As shown in FIG. 12, in step S61, the second communication unit 15 compares the communication mode received from the relay unit 13 with the communication mode written in the second communication mode storage unit 36. In step S61, if the two communication modes match, the process proceeds to step S63; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S62.

In step S62, a termination process is performed to update the phase written in the second phase storage unit 37. After that, the communication mode received from the relay unit 13 is written in the second communication mode storage unit 36.

In step S 63, processing is determined by referring to the second processing determination table 38 based on the communication mode written in the second communication mode storage section 36 and the phase written in the second phase storage section 37. I do.

In step S64, the second data transmission / reception processing section 39 performs processing according to the determined processing content. In this process, the status of the peripheral device 16 is read from the second input port 31 according to the protocol of the IEEE1284 standard, the status written to the second status storage unit 35 is changed, and the status is written to the second output port 32. In addition, data is read from the second input / output port 33 during communication and written to the second data storage unit 34, or data read from the second input port 31 is transferred to the second data storage unit via the second data conversion unit 40. 34.

In step S65, after the processing in step S64 is completed, the phase is changed and the second phase storage unit 3
Write to 7.

At step S66, the operation result at step S65 is examined. The operation results include four types: communication continuation, data reception, no data, and communication error. If the communication is continued, the process returns to step S63. If the data is received, the process proceeds to step S67. If there is no data or a communication error occurs, the result is transmitted to the relay unit 13.
It is left to the processing in the relay unit 13.

In step S67, the second data storage unit 3
4 and the operation result are transmitted to the relay unit 13, and the processing is performed by the relay unit 13.

[Operation of Second Data Converter] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second data converter.

As shown in FIG. 13, the second data converter 40 reads the status of the peripheral device 16 from the second input port 31 in step S71. The upper or lower 4 bits of data are assigned to this status.

At step S 7, the upper or lower 4 bits of data are extracted from the status read at step S 71 in accordance with the standard and written into the second data storage unit 34.

[Operation of Recording Unit] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the recording unit.

As shown in FIG. 14, in step S81, the recording unit 14 waits for data to be transmitted from the relay unit 13.

In step S82, the data received from the relay unit 13 is recorded. Monitor display as recording operation,
For example, writing to a file.

[Recording Example in Recording Unit] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a recording example in the recording unit. The recording operation includes display on a monitor, writing to a file, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 15, each line is displayed by a maximum of 16 bytes. At the beginning of each line, the data transfer direction is displayed, and thereafter, the data is displayed in hexadecimal or ASCII.

The data transfer direction is from the host device 11 to the peripheral device 16 in the case of “h → p”, and from the peripheral device 16 to the host device 11 in the case of “p → h”.

[Second Embodiment] <Overall Operation Considering Success or Failure of Negotiation>
Although the present invention operates on the assumption that negotiation when determining the communication mode always succeeds,
An operation considering the success or failure of the negotiation is also conceivable.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the entire apparatus when the success or failure of negotiation is considered.
This flowchart also shows the operation of the relay unit 13.

As shown in FIG. 16, in step S91, the relay unit 13 outputs a state monitoring command to the first communication unit 12.

In step S92, the first communication unit 12 receives the status monitoring command in step S91, and
Communicates with. Then, data is received from the host device 11, the host device 11 requests data,
When the host device 11 requests negotiation,
If an error occurs during the communication, control is passed to the relay unit 13. The process in step S92 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In step S93, the relay unit 13 examines the communication result received from the first communication unit 12. The communication result includes four types of data reception, data request, negotiation request, and communication error. The process proceeds to step S94 in the case of data reception, proceeds to step S99 in the case of a data request, proceeds to step S104 in the case of a negotiation request, and executes a communication error end process in the case of a communication error.

In step S94, the data received from the host device 11 is transmitted to the recording unit 14, and a transmission command is issued to the second communication unit 15.

In step S95, when the data transmission command is output from the relay unit 13, the second communication unit 15 communicates with the peripheral device 16 in accordance with the data transmission protocol. Then, when the transmission is completed or an error occurs during the communication, control is passed to the relay unit 13. The operation in step S95 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In step S96, the relay unit 13 examines the communication result received from the second communication unit 15. The communication result includes two types: data transmission completed and communication error.
If the data transmission has been completed, the process proceeds to step S97, and if a communication error has occurred, a communication error end process is executed.

In step S97, the relay section 13 outputs a state monitoring command to the first communication section 12.

In step S98, the first communication unit 12 receives the status monitoring command in step S97, and
Communicates with When receiving data from the host device 11, the host device 11 requests data, the host device 11 requests negotiation, or when an error occurs during communication, the relay unit 13.
, And thereafter returns to step S93. The operation in step S98 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In step S99, the relay section 13 outputs a data request command to the second communication section 15.

In step S100, the second communication section 15 receives the data request command and communicates with the peripheral device 16 according to the protocol at the time of the data request. The relay unit 13 is controlled when data is received from the peripheral device 16, no data is received from the peripheral device 16, or when an error occurs during communication. The operation in step S100 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In step S101, the relay unit 13
The communication result received from the communication unit 15 is examined. There are three types of communication results: data reception, no data, and communication error. In the case of data reception, the process proceeds to step S102, in the case of no data, the process proceeds to step S97, and in the case of a communication error, a communication error end process is executed.

In step S102, step S101
Is transmitted to the recording unit 14, and the relay unit 13 outputs a data transmission command of the data to the first communication unit 12.

In step S103, the first communication unit 12 receives a data transmission command from the relay unit 13 and communicates with the host device 11 in accordance with the data transmission protocol. Then, when receiving data from the host device 11, when the host device 11 requests the next data, when the host device 11 requests negotiation, or when an error occurs during communication, it is controlled by the relay unit 13. Thereafter, the process returns to step S93. The operation in step S103 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In step S104, the relay unit 13 outputs to the second communication unit 15 the negotiation command in the communication mode received at the same time.

In step S105, the second communication unit 15 receives a negotiation command from the relay unit 13 and communicates with the peripheral device 16 according to the protocol at the time of the negotiation. Then, when the success or failure of the negotiation is transmitted from the peripheral device 16 or when an error occurs during the communication, it is controlled by the relay unit 13,
Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S106. The operation in step S105 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

At step S106, the relay unit 13
The communication result received from the communication unit 15 is examined. The communication result includes two types of negotiation success or rejection and a communication error. If the negotiation is successful or rejected, the process proceeds to step S97, and if a communication error occurs, a communication error end process is executed.

[Operation of First Communication Unit when Monitoring the Success of Negotiation in Consideration of Success of Negotiation] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first communication unit during monitoring of the state in consideration of success or failure of the negotiation. This flowchart corresponds to steps S92 and S98 shown in FIG.
The operation in is described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 17, in step S 111, the first communication section 12 sends the status of the host device 11 from the first input port 21 to the first status storage section 25.
, The status of the first communication unit 12 is read.

In step S112, step S111
The processing and the next status are determined by referring to the first processing determination table 27 based on the two types of statuses read in step (1).

In step S113, step S112
In the first data transmission / reception processing unit 28, the status is changed according to the processing content determined in.
As this processing, the data written in the first data storage unit 24 is written to the first input / output port 23,
The data written to the data storage unit 24 is written to the second output port 22 via the first data conversion unit 29.

In step S114, step S113
The changed status is written to the first status storage unit 25 and the first output port 22.

In step S115, step S113
Investigate the operation result in. As the operation result, there are five types of communication continuation, data reception, request for next data, negotiation request, and communication error. If the communication is continued, the process returns to step S111. If the data is received, the process proceeds to step S116. If the request is a negotiation request, the process proceeds to step S117. If the request is a communication error or a data request, the result is transmitted to the relay unit 13. Output and relay unit 1
It is left to control in 3.

In step S116, the data written in the first data storage unit 24 is transmitted to the relay unit 13 and is entrusted to control by the relay unit 13.

In step S117, the communication mode written in the first communication mode storage unit 26 is transmitted to the relay unit 13 and is left to control by the relay unit 13.

[Operation of First Communication Unit at the Time of Data Transmission Considering Success or Failure of Negotiation] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first communication unit at the time of data transmission considering success or failure of negotiation. This flowchart shows step S103 shown in FIG. 16 in detail.

As shown in FIG. 18, in step S121, the first communication unit 12 writes the transmission data received from the relay unit 13 into the first data storage unit 24.

In step S122, the first input port 2
1 to read the status of the host device 11 and the first status storage unit 25 to read the status of the first communication unit 12.

In step S123, step S122
Based on the two types of statuses read in step (1), the processing is determined with reference to the first processing determination table 27.

In step S124, step S123
In the first data transmission / reception processing unit 28, the status is changed according to the processing content determined in.
As this processing, the data written in the first data storage unit 24 is written to the first input / output port 23,
The data written to the data storage unit 24 is written to the first output port 22 via the first data conversion unit 29.

In step S125, step S124
The status changed by the first status storage unit 25
And write to the first output port 22.

In step S126, step S125
Investigate the operation result in. As the operation results, there are four types: communication continuation, next data request, negotiation request, and communication error. If communication is to be continued, step S1
Then, the process returns to step S127. If the request is a negotiation request, the process proceeds to step S127.

In step S127, the communication mode written in the first communication mode storage section 26 is transmitted to the relay section 13 and is left to control by the relay section 13.

[Operation of Second Communication Unit at the Time of Negotiation Request] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second communication unit at the time of negotiation request. This flowchart details the operation in step S15 shown in FIG.

At step S131, the second communication unit 1
5 determines processing based on the communication mode written in the second communication mode storage unit 36 and the phase written in the second phase storage unit 37 with reference to the processing determination table 38.

In step S132, the second data transmission / reception processing section 39 performs processing according to the processing contents determined in step S131. This processing is based on IEEE1284
According to the protocol of the standard, the status of the peripheral device 16 is read from the second input port 31, and the status written in the second status storage unit 35 is changed.
Write to the second output port 32. The data written to the second data storage unit 34 during the communication is transferred to the second input / output port 3
3 may be written.

In the step S133, the phase is changed and written in the second phase storage section 37.

In step S134, step S133
Investigate the operation result in. Operation results include four types of communication continuation, negotiation success, negotiation rejection, and communication error. If the communication is to be continued, the process returns to step S131. If the result is another result, the result is transmitted to the relay unit 13 and the control is performed by the relay unit 13.

[0128]

[Other Embodiments] The present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, and the like), and can be applied to a device including one device (for example, a copying machine). Machine, facsimile machine, etc.).

Further, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (or CPU) of the system or the apparatus.
And MPU) read and execute the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) May perform some or all of the actual processing, and the processing may realize the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, It goes without saying that the CPU included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the above-described flowcharts. Each module shown will be stored in a storage medium. That is, at least “first communication module”, “second communication module”,
What is necessary is just to store the program code of each module of the “relay module” in the storage medium.

[0135]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A monitor communication device is connected between devices performing two-way communication based on the IEEE1284 standard so that data transferred between two devices can be grasped, and device operation verification and testing can be easily performed. As a result, it becomes possible to specify the cause when the operation does not work properly in a short time.

[0136]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall system configuration including a communication device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the monitor device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the monitor device illustrated in FIG. 2 and mainly illustrates an operation of a relay unit.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a first communication unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing details of a first processing determination table.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a first communication unit when a status monitoring command is output from a relay unit.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a first communication unit when a data transmission command is output from a relay unit.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a first data conversion unit.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a second communication unit.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating details of a second processing determination table.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a second communication unit when a data transmission command is output.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a second communication unit when a data request command is output.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second data conversion unit.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the recording unit.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a recording example in a recording unit.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an operation of the entire apparatus when the success or failure of negotiation is considered.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first communication unit at the time of state monitoring when the success or failure of negotiation is considered.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation of the first communication unit at the time of data transmission when the success or failure of negotiation is considered.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the second communication unit when a negotiation request is made.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data format of a recording medium.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 CPU 2 common bus 3 ROM 4 RAM 5 input interface 6 input device 7 output interface 8 output device 9 external storage device interface 10 external storage device 11 host device 12 first communication unit 13 relay unit 14 recording unit 15 second communication unit 16 Peripheral device 21 First input port 22 First output port 23 First output port 24 First data storage unit 25 First status storage unit 26 First communication mode storage unit 27 First processing decision table 28 First data transmission / reception processing unit 29 First data conversion unit 31 Second input port 32 Second output port 33 Second input / output port 34 Second data storage unit 35 Second status storage unit 36 Second communication mode storage unit 37 Second phase storage unit 38 Second processing Decision table 39 Second data transmission / reception processing unit 40 Second data Conversion unit

Claims (12)

[Claims] A first communication unit that operates as a peripheral device for a host device and communicates with the host device; and a first communication unit that operates as a host device for the peripheral device and communicates with the peripheral device. A second communication unit that communicates with the first communication unit and the second communication unit, relays communication between the first communication unit and the second communication unit, and transmits and receives data between the two communication units. And a recording unit that records data transmitted from the relay unit. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit has a first processing determination table that determines a process according to a command transmitted from the relay unit, and the first processing determination table is changed according to the command. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the first processing determination table is changed according to a status of the host device and a status of the first communication unit. 4. The communication according to claim 3, wherein the first communication unit changes the status of the first communication unit after the processing determined based on the first processing determination table ends. apparatus. 5. The second communication unit has a second processing determination table for determining a process according to a command transmitted from the relay unit, and the second processing determination table is changed according to the command. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The second processing determination table according to claim 2, wherein
The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the communication device is changed according to a communication mode and a phase of the communication unit. 7. The communication according to claim 5, wherein the second communication unit changes the phase of the second communication unit after the processing determined based on the second processing determination table ends. apparatus. 8. The first communication unit requests the second communication unit to negotiate to the peripheral device, and the relay unit responds to the first communication unit in response to a result of the negotiation request to the second communication unit. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device transmits a command to the communication unit. 9. The second communication unit requests the first communication unit to perform negotiation to the host device, and the relay unit transmits the second negotiation to the first communication unit in response to a result of the negotiation request to the first communication unit. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device transmits a command to the communication unit. 10. The host device and the peripheral device are IEEE
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device performs two-way communication based on the E1284 standard. 11. A first communication unit operating as a peripheral device with respect to a host device, a second communication unit operating as a host device with respect to the peripheral device, and the first communication unit and the second communication unit. A communication method for a communication device, comprising: a relay unit to be connected; and a recording unit that records data transmitted from the relay unit, wherein a first communication step of causing the first communication unit to communicate with a host device And a second communication step of causing the second communication unit and the peripheral device to communicate with each other; and causing the communication between the first communication unit and the second communication unit to be relayed;
A relay step of transmitting and receiving data between the two communication units. 12. A first communication unit that operates as a peripheral device for a host device, a second communication unit that operates as a host device for a peripheral device, and the first communication unit and the second communication unit. A computer-readable memory storing a program code of a communication process of a communication device, comprising: a relay unit to be connected; and a recording unit for recording data transmitted from the relay unit, wherein the first communication unit and a host device A code of a first communication step for communicating between the first communication unit and a peripheral device; and a code of a second communication step for communicating between the second communication unit and a peripheral device. Relay the communication,
A code for a relay process for transmitting and receiving data between the two communication units.