JPS63308637A - Image output device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the confirmation of the inserted place of a control instruction by outputting a mark to correspond to the control instruction in a place where the control command is inputted in output character data. CONSTITUTION:Output data from a host computer 1 is fetched into an input buffer memory 2 and a data analyzing part 3 analyzes the output data. The data are decided whether or not they are control instructions, and they are written into a page buffer memory 4 as ordinary data, when they are not control instructions. On the other hand, when they are control instructions, a code to correspond to a mark to indicate that the control commands are inserted is written into the memory 4. Upon completion of the preparation of one page, it instructs a data processing part 5 to execute a dotting development from the memory 4 to an image buffer memory 6, and the image data are transferred to a printer engine part 8 through a printer I/F part 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image output device that outputs image data such as character codes in accordance with control commands.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in this type of device, output positions such as recording and display are set, etc. according to control commands in input data of characters such as letters, numbers, and symbols input from an image data source such as a host computer that generates output data. Alternatively, character types are set, and images such as character codes are output according to the settings. With conventional devices, it is not possible to check the location of a control command from the image output result, so when checking, it was necessary to perform a dump process that outputs all the contents of the output data.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In such conventional devices, since character codes and the like are also output as output results of dump processing, there is a problem in that in order to confirm the insertion point of a control command, it is necessary to compare the results with the results of normal output. Ta.

The present invention has focused on such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image output device that facilitates confirmation of the insertion point of a control command related to data output instructed by an external input means.

[Means for solving problems]

Therefore, the present invention, as shown in FIG. An analysis means 111 capable of generating a corresponding output code as well as an output code corresponding to control command data according to an instruction, an image output means 108 that outputs an image based on the generated output code, and an analysis means 111 For,
It is characterized by comprising an instruction input means 110 for inputting an instruction to generate an output code corresponding to control command data.

[Operation] According to the present invention, when a control command is inserted into character data related to output, an output code corresponding to the control command data is generated at the insertion position in response to an instruction by the instruction input means 110. Since a special mark is outputted as an image among the characters that are outputted as an image, it becomes possible to easily confirm the insertion point of the control command.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the image output device of the present invention. 1 in the diagram
is a host computer that serves as a source of output data, and sends output data, ie, character codes and control instructions, to the image output device according to this example. Reference numeral 2 denotes an input buffer memory, which receives output data and control instructions sent from the host computer 1. 3 is a data analysis section which receives character codes and control commands from the input buffer memory 2 and analyzes them. Reference numeral 4 denotes a page buffer, in which output data is stored page by page under the control of the data analysis section 3. Reference numeral 5 denotes an output processing section, which performs image data development into the image buffer memory 6 based on the code information stored in the page buffer memory 4.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a printer interface section, which is a main part of the printer that outputs an image by recording it on a recording medium in accordance with an instruction after the output processing section 5 finishes developing dots for one page into the image buffer memory 6. The image information is transferred from the image buffer memory 6 to the printer engine section 8. Reference numeral 10 denotes an external input section such as a keyboard or switch through which an instruction to change the output method, that is, a normal image output or an output including a code identifying a control command, can be inputted, and input information can be externally inputted in accordance with the instruction input. It is sent to the control unit IO. The external input control unit 10 holds the instructed output method in an internal memory.

The data analysis processing section 3, output processing section 5, and external input control section 9 described above can be configured, for example, as a single microcomputer-type CPIII, and the The functions of each part can be executed according to a program control procedure corresponding to a processing procedure as shown in FIG. IIB is CP
This RAM is an internal memory used by the UII for work, and is used to hold input instructions.

Information on output data sent from the host computer 1 is analyzed by a data analysis section 3 via an input buffer memory 2. At this time, the operation command input from the external input unit IO is analyzed by the external input control unit 9, and the output method instructed to RAMIIB is held. The data analysis unit 3 determines the output method, and if the position output of the control command is instructed, writes a code corresponding to the special mark indicating the insertion position of the control command into the page buffer memory 4 together with the character code data. When one page or the end of the output data has been written to the page buffer memory 4, the output processing section 5 performs dot expansion to the image buffer memory 6.

When dot development is completed, the printer interface section 7 is instructed to transfer the image data to the printer engine section 8. This series of operations makes it possible to output an image of the control command from the output data.

Next, an example of the operation of the apparatus related to the tree seed layer side will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

First, in step S1, when output data sent from the host computer 1, which is an information generation source, is taken into the input buffer memory 2, the data analysis section 3 starts analyzing the output data. That is, the end of the data is determined in step S2, and if it is not the end, the process advances to step S3, where data analysis processing and character code or control command analysis are performed. After this analysis, step S4
The output method held in RAMll8 is determined.

Here, if the position output of the control command has been specified, the process advances to step S9, and it is determined whether the data received from the host computer 1 is a control command. If it is not a control command, the process advances to step Sll and is written to the page buffer memory 4 as normal data. On the other hand, in the case of a control command, in step S5, a code corresponding to a special mark indicating that a control command has been inserted, such as a mark such as "mu", is written into the page buffer memory 4.

Thereafter, in step S6, it is determined whether or not one page's worth of data has been written. If the data for one page has not been written, the process returns to step S51. If it is determined that the creation of one page has been completed, the process advances to step S7, and the output processing section 5 is instructed to develop dots from the page buffer memory 4 to the image buffer memory 6. After completing this dot expansion,
In step S8, the printer interface unit 7 is instructed to transfer data to the printer engine unit 8, and then the process returns to step S].

If the output method is normal print output in step S4, the process proceeds to step Sll, where the data is written to the page buffer memory 4, and then the process proceeds to step S6.

If it is determined in step S2 that the data has been completed, the process proceeds to step 510, and it is determined whether one page's worth of data is still being created. If it is in the middle of creation, the process advances to step S7 to output the image, while if it is not in the middle of creation, the process ends.

In the above description, a single CPIII is used, but it is clear that the same effect can be obtained even if a separate CPU is provided for the output processing section 5, for example.

Further, the information supply source is not limited to the host computer 1 as shown above, but the present invention can be applied very effectively and easily to external storage devices such as magnetic tape devices or disk devices. Needless to say.

Furthermore, the output device is not limited to a printer, but may also be a display or the like.

[Effect of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, by changing the output method and outputting a mark corresponding to the control command at the position where the control command is input, it is possible to refer to the image output result. This means that the insertion position of the control command can be confirmed at a glance.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an embodiment of the image output device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the device shown in FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Host computer, 2... Input buffer memory, 3... Data analysis function section, 4... Page buffer memory, 5... Output processing function section, 6... Image buffer memory, 7 ... Printer I/F section, 8... Printer engine section, 9... External input control section, 10... External input, 11... CPU 0

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] Input means for receiving data including at least character data and control command data from an external device; sequentially analyzing the input data to generate an output code corresponding to the character data; analysis means capable of generating an output code corresponding to the control command data in response to an instruction; image output means capable of outputting an image according to the generated output code; An image output device comprising an instruction input means for inputting an instruction to generate an output code.