JPS61120788A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect a non-response trouble quickly by providing a timer which can be set by host unit. CONSTITUTION:A printer is composed of an instruction means 2 which receives an instruction from a host unit 1, a printing performance means 3 which performs printing operation and an end reporting means 5 which reports the end of printing to the host unit 1. For this printer, a storage means 6 to store a timer value to be set by the host unit 1, a timer to count based on the timer value and an intermediate reporting means 8 to report an interim report to the host unit 1 when the timer has registered 'time out' are provided. If a printing instruction is received by an instruction receiving means 2 from the host unit 1, this means instructs the timer to commence timer operation, and at the same time, instructs the printing performance means 3 to perform printing operation. If the timer indicates 'time out' while the printing performance means 3 is performing printing operation, an interim report is transmitted to the host unit 1 from the intermediate reporting means 8 to restart the timer. Then if the printing performance means 3 completed its operation before the indication of 'time out' by the timer, the timer stops its operation ane the end reporting means 5 transmits an end report.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to a printing device.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, this type of printing device received data from a higher-level device at the beginning of one line and reported the end of printing, so when a higher-level device issues a printing command, it can be done by starting a monitoring timer for a certain period of time. It was possible to monitor printing devices for non-responses.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, as printing devices have become more functional and have become capable of copy printing functions, image printing functions, graph printing functions, etc., the time it takes to complete printing may become longer depending on the content of the data to be printed. On the other hand, since host devices generally have a monitoring timer with a fixed value, it is necessary to set the monitoring timer in accordance with the maximum printing end time. Therefore, if the printing device becomes unresponsive, the failure in the maximum printing completion time cannot be detected, resulting in a decrease in maintainability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a device in which an appropriate monitoring timer can be set in a higher-level device, and a failure can be quickly detected when a non-response failure occurs.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention is an apparatus comprising a command means for receiving a command from a higher-level device, a printing execution means for executing a printing operation according to the command, and a completion reporting means for reporting the completion of printing to the higher-level device when the printing operation is finished. It has a storage means for storing a value, a timer for counting based on the timer value, and an intermediate report means for reporting an intermediate report to a host device when the timer times out, and is printed from the host device to the command receiving means 5. Upon receiving the command, instructs the timer to start a timer operation and instructs the printing execution means to execute a printing operation;
If the timer times out while the printing execution means is performing a printing operation, the intermediate reporting means notifies the host device of an intermediate report, restarts the timer, and operates the printing execution means before the timer times out. The printing apparatus is characterized in that when the printing is completed, the operation of the timer is stopped and the completion report is notified from the completion reporting means.

〔Example〕

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a host device, 2 is a command receiving circuit that receives commands from the host device 1, 3 is a printing execution circuit that executes a printing operation according to the command, and 5 is a host device 1 when the printing operation is completed.
This is a completion reporting circuit that reports the completion of printing. In addition to the above configuration, the present invention includes a storage circuit 6 that stores a count value set from the host device 1, a counter 7 that counts based on the count value, and an intermediate report that is sent to the host device 1 when the counter 7 counts out. This is a printing device 9 having an intermediate reporting circuit 8 that reports to the printer.

In the embodiment, upon receiving a print command and print data from the host device 1, the command reception circuit 2 decodes the command and then instructs the print execution circuit 3 to print. The print execution circuit 3 edits the print data and prints it on the paper 4. When the printing is completed, the print execution circuit 3 sends a signal a to instruct the completion report circuit 5 to report the completion. The completion report circuit 5 notifies the host device 1 of the p completion report using the signal b.

When the command reception circuit 2 receives a command to store the count value,
After storing the count value in the memory circuit 6, the completion report circuit 5 reports the completion.

When the printing execution circuit 3 executes the printing operation, the signal C is changed to ゜1.
”, the count value of the memory circuit 6 is stored in the count value, and then the count operation is instructed.The counter 7 is set to 1.
'', and when it becomes II Q #, the signal d instructs the intermediate report circuit 8 to perform an intermediate report, and the memory circuit 6
Read the count value from and execute the counting operation again. The intermediate report circuit 8 notifies the upper device of the intermediate report via the signal line e. After that, when the count reaches ``II O'' again, the intermediate report is sent to the host device 1.The above operation is repeated until the printing operation is completed.When the printing execution circuit 3 finishes the printing command, the signal C is set to ``0''. After stopping the operation of the shikarunter 7 by doing this, the completion report circuit 5 notifies the host device 1 of the completion report.

When the host device 1 sends a print command, it starts a monitoring timer that is larger than the value stored in the storage circuit 6, and restarts the monitoring timer every time it receives an intermediate report from the printing device 9. When this operation is repeated and a completion report is received, the monitoring timer is stopped and the completion process is performed. If a failure occurs in which the printing device becomes unresponsive, no intermediate report will be sent, so the host device 1 detects a timeout of the monitoring timer and performs timeout processing.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention has the advantage that a no-response failure can be quickly detected by providing a timer that can be set from a host device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
Host device, 2... Command reception circuit, 3... Print execution circuit, 4... Paper, 5... Completion report circuit, 6... Memory circuit, 7... Counter, 8... Intermediate report circuit, 9
...Printing device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) a command reception means for receiving commands from a host device;
In a printing device comprising a printing execution means for executing a printing operation according to the command, and a completion reporting means for reporting the completion of printing to the upper-level device when the printing operation is finished, a timer value set by the higher-level device is stored. It has a storage means, a timer that counts based on the timer value, and an intermediate report means that reports an intermediate report to a host device when the timer times out, and when a print command is received from the host device to the command reception means. , instructs the timer to start a timer operation and also instructs the printing execution means to execute a printing operation, and if the timer times out while the printing execution means is in the printing operation, the intermediate reporting means sends an intermediate report to the host device. A report is notified, the timer is restarted, and when the printing operation of the printing execution means is completed before the timer times out, the operation of the timer is stopped, and the completion report is notified from the completion reporting means. A printing device characterized by: