JPS63249222A - Printer controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enlarge a selecting range of a page printer device which can be used by a system, by deciding the receiving end of a printing data in accordance with a value which is set by a host computer in order to measure a printing data interval, developing a receiving data to an image data, and outputting its result. CONSTITUTION:A deciding circuit 21 decides whether a line memory 19 executed read of a line digit number portion or a control code such as a page feed code, etc., is received, and when read of the line digit number portion is ended, a conversion command is issued to a character generating circuit 22. Also, when the control code such as the page feed code, etc., is received, a printing command is issued to a printing control circuit 20. The character generating circuit 22 converts an image code of the line memory 19 to a dot pattern corresponding to its image code, and writes it in an idle area of an image memory 3. When the printing command is received, the printing control circuit 20 issues a discharge command to a page printer device, and also, issues an image data transfer command to a DMA circuit 23. In such a way, a selecting range of the page printer to be used can be enlarged.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a printer control device that performs ejection control of a page printer device, and in particular, expands the selection range of page printer devices to be used and The present invention relates to a printer control device that can control paper ejection according to applications.

[Prior art]

When a page printer device is connected to a host device, etc. and output is performed according to print data sent from the host device 1 For example, in the method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-176832, on the page printer device, The page printer device is equipped with means for detecting the interval between received data and determining the end of the transmitted received data, and performs paper ejection control in the page printer device.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the above conventional technology, when the data sending interval is changed due to the convenience of the data sender (host), the host cannot give an appropriate value for the data sending interval to the page printer device under control. There was a problem in that it was difficult to eject the paper or to eject the paper.

In addition, if another page printer device is connected due to print speed or other reasons, it is possible to detect the interval between received data and determine the end of the received data being sent, as with the previous page printer device. There is a problem in that a page printer device that does not have one cannot be used, and the selection range of printers is narrowed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printer control device that can improve the above-mentioned problems, expand the range of page printers to be used, and perform paper ejection control according to the host application. .

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the printer control device of the present invention includes means for receiving and storing received data in predetermined units, and means for developing and storing the received data stored in the receiving and storing means into image data. and means for outputting the image data stored in the expansion/storage means to the page printer device, a means for measuring the reception interval of the received data, and based on the measurement by the measuring means, At intervals specified by the data sender,
means for determining whether or not the next data has been received; and means for controlling the image data stored in the expansion/storage means to be outputted via the output means based on the output of the determination means. There are certain characteristics.

[Effect]

In the present invention, the printer control device sets the sending interval of print data sent from the host side, and further measures the receiving interval of the sent print data.

If the next print data cannot be received even after a preset reception interval has passed, the page printer device outputs the result of converting the received print data up to that point into image data and ejects the paper. .

〔Example〕

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

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a host computer in one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printer control device in one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the host computer 13 of this embodiment includes a CPUI, a code memory 2, an image memory 3, a disk adapter 4, a CRTIO, a keyboard (KBD) 11.
It includes a CRT/KBD adapter 5, a bitmap memory 6, a printer adapter 7, a printer control device 8, a hard disk 9, and a page printer device 12.

The printer adapter 7 receives a print program on the host computer 13 and causes the connected page printer device 12 to perform printing. In other words, host computer 1
3, a page printer device 12 such as a serial printer that prints byte by byte or a line printer that prints line by line is connected via a printer adapter 7 such as Centronics, and the printing on the host computer 13 is performed. Printing can be performed via the printer adapter 7 according to the program.

The printer control device 8 is built into the host computer 13, is connected to a page printer device 12 that prints out received data page by page, and receives control information that the printer adapter 7 does not have, such as reception interval values, Controls printing by determining the end of print data sent from a higher level.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to guarantee the operation of the conventional printing program, the printer adapter 7 is connected to the printer control device 8, and the printer control device 8 is connected to the printer control device 8 in order to receive control information that the printer adapter 7 does not have. , has an interface with the host computer 13 by bus connection.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the printer control device 8 includes a control information input circuit 15, a print information input circuit 16, a measurement counter 17, a measurement mechanism 18, a line memory 19, a print control circuit 20, a determination circuit 21, and a character generation circuit. circuit 22, and DM
An A circuit 23 is provided.

The measurement counter 17 is provided with the host computer 13 in advance.
The reception interval value input via the control information input circuit 15 is set.

The print information input circuit 16 inputs the print information transmitted from the host computer 13, issues a measurement start command to the measurement mechanism 18, and temporarily reads the input print information into the line memory 19.

The measurement mechanism 18 detects the reception interval of print information based on the measurement start command. In other words, the measurement counter 17 is counted down by 1 at regular intervals, and when it reaches 0,
A print command is issued to the print control circuit 20.

Note that, if a measurement start command is issued from the print information input circuit 16 before the measurement counter 17 reaches O, the measurement mechanism 18 resets the measurement counter 17 and reads 1 at regular intervals.
Count down step by step.

The determination circuit 21 determines whether the line memory 19 has read the number of line digits or whether a control code such as a page break code has been received. When the line memory 19 has finished reading the number of line digits, the character generation circuit 22 Issue a conversion command to. Further, upon receiving a control code such as a page break code, it issues a print command to the print control circuit 20.

When the character generation circuit 22 receives the conversion command, it converts the image code in the line memory 19 into a dot pattern corresponding to the image code, and writes it into the free area of the image memory 3.

When the print control circuit 20 receives the print command, it issues a discharge command to the page printer device, and also issues a DMA
An image data transfer command is issued to the circuit 23.

Upon receiving the image data transfer command, the DMA circuit 23 transfers the image data in the one-image memory 3 to the page printer device 12.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a paper ejection operation in one embodiment of the present invention.

When the printer control device 8 performs paper ejection control based on print information sent from the host computer 13, (A
), when the print information input circuit 16 receives print information, it is read into the line memory 19 (201), and the determination circuit 21 determines whether a control code such as a page break code has been received (202). Note that a reception interval value is set in advance in the measurement counter 17 from the host computer 13 via the control information input circuit 15.

When a control code such as a page break code is received (202),
The determination circuit 21 issues a print command to the print control circuit 20, and the print control circuit 20 issues an ejection command to the page printer device 12, and issues an image data transfer command to the DMA circuit 23. The DMA circuit 23 transfers the image data in the image memory 3 to the page printer device 12 by DMA, and the page printer device 12 performs printing using the image data (205).

Also, if it is not a control code such as a page break code (202)
, it is determined whether or not the line memory 19 has finished reading the number of line digits (203), and if the reading has been completed, a conversion command is issued to the character generation circuit 22. When the character generation circuit 22 receives the conversion command, it converts the image code in the line memory 19 into a corresponding dot pattern, writes it into the image memory 3 (205), and continues until a control code such as a page break code is received. Repeat the above actions.

Further, when the printer control device 8 performs paper ejection control based on the measured value of the measurement counter 17, as shown in (B),
First, the control information input circuit 1 is input from the host computer 13.
When the measurement value (reception interval value) designated via 5 is set in the measurement counter 17 (211), and a measurement start command is issued from the print information input circuit 16 to the measurement mechanism 18,
The measurement counter 17 counts down by 1 at regular intervals.

During this measurement, from the print information input circuit 16 to the measuring mechanism 18
If a measurement start command is not issued for (212),
Further, the measured value is counted down (213), and when the measured value reaches 0 (214), a print command is issued to the print control circuit 20. The print control circuit 2o operates in the same manner as in the case of paper ejection based on print information (205), and the page printer device 12 performs printing (215).

Also, during this measurement, if a measurement start command is issued from the print information input circuit 16 to the measurement mechanism 18 (212)
, reset the measurement counter 17 (211), and count down at set regular intervals.

In this way, the printer control device performs paper ejection control based on print information, and if it cannot receive a control code such as a page break code, or if it cannot receive the next data, it will perform paper ejection control based on the measured value set by the host 1-computer. ,
It is possible to determine the end of the received data and output the data in the image memory.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, since the printer control device measures the print data interval, it is possible to determine the end of receiving the print data according to the value set by the host computer, and output the result of developing the received data into image data.

This widens the range of page printer devices that can be used by the system.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a printer control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a paper ejecting operation according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a host computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 1: CPU, 2: Code memory, 3: Image memory, 4:
Disk adapter, 5: CRT/KBD adapter,
6: Bitmap memory, 7: Printer adapter, 8
:Printer control device, 9 hard disk, 10:CR
T, 11: keyboard (KBD), 12: page printer device, 13: host computer, 15: control information input circuit, 16: print information input circuit, 17: measurement counter, 18: measurement mechanism, 19 second line memory, 20 : Print control circuit, 21: Judgment circuit, 22: Character generation circuit, 23:
DMA circuit. Figure 1 Figure 2 (4) ■)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. means for receiving and storing received data in predetermined units;
A computer comprising means for rasterizing the received data stored in the receiving and storing means into image data and storing the image data, and means for outputting the image data stored in the rasterizing and storing means to a page printer device. The system includes means for measuring the reception interval of the received data, means for determining whether or not the next data has been received at an interval specified by the data sender, using the measuring means; A printer control device comprising: means for controlling the image data stored in the expansion/storage means to be outputted via the output means.