SE465073B - PROCEDURE FOR OPERATION OF PRINTING MACHINES, PRINTING OR SOFTWARE - Google Patents

Description

465 075 insignificant noise level, while in the second method the high additional costs for the sensor device may be mentioned.

The fact that in the case of the machines mentioned several such connection routines are usually required for the various drive devices, e.g. type wheels, paper carriers, ribbon lifting and transport, type carrier carriages, etc., exacerbate the problem.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a method for operating machines according to the preamble of claims 1 and 2, which makes it possible to carry out a connection routine only when this is unavoidable, whereby unnecessary sound generation is avoided and the machine quickly comes into state of readiness.

In solving this task, it was assumed that the specified mechanical elements in the case of qualified disconnection - this means that the disconnection does not take place e.g. during the execution of a printing process - is in the basic position. In this normal case, a connection routine can be dispensed with. Based on this fact, a "condition marker" is defined for solving the task, which characterizes the operating state of the electric motor before disconnection and is stored in the value-preserving part of the RAM memory, so that after reconnection, testing of the RAM content and hearing the "condition marker" it is decided whether a connection routine needs to be carried out or not.

The advantage of the method according to claim 1 lies, together with the already mentioned sound generation and the increase in speed with respect to the operational readiness, in that it can be integrated into machine constructions of the specified type without additional coupling technical efforts.

A preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. . 465 073 Figure 1 shows a flow chart of a control process for generating and managing the state marker; Figure 2 shows a flow chart of a control process for deciding whether a switching routine should be carried out and Figure 3 shows a flow chart of a switching routine.

In the following description of an exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that the element driven by means of an electric motor is a lifting device driven by means of a stepper motor for the ink belt, and furthermore such a machine construction is assumed as essential parts for the invention are defined in the preamble of the claim.

First, using the flow chart of Figure 1, it will be explained how the state marker, which characterizes the operating state of the stepper motor, is generated and managed. For this purpose, the step-by-step step of the control sequence is given below, assuming that a lifting of the ribbon has been triggered and a character is to be printed.

Step 1. The motor step counter is set to the value M, where M defines the number of motor steps to be performed until the ink ribbon is in the pressure position.

Stgg_å. A first bit pattern from the control program is inserted into the RAM (the value-preserving part) under the address A. In this case, the first bit pattern is "state marker" for the state "stepper motor in operation".

Step 3. An engine step in the forward direction is performed.

Step 4. The pedometer is decremented by 1.

Step 5. Question: Motor pedometer = 0? If yes: continue with step 6.

If no: continue with step 3.

Step 6. Character printing is performed. 465 073 Step 7. The motor step counter is set to M, where M defines the number of motor steps to be performed to bring the ribbon to the basic position.

Step 8. A motor step in the reverse direction is performed.

Step 9. The motor pedometer is decremented by 1.

Step 10. Question: Motor pedometer = 0? If yes: continue with step 11.

If no: continue with step 8.

Step 11. A second bit pattern from the control program is inserted into the RAM (the value-preserving part) under the address A. In this case, the second bit pattern is the state marker for the "step motor out of operation" state.

The control sequence shown in connection with Fig. 1 thus creates the condition for deciding whether a connection routine is to be performed after the machine is switched on. As already stated above, there is a need to carry out a connection routine only when the machine has been disconnected unqualified, e.g. while performing a character print, or when the contents of the RAM part of the memory are invalid, e.g. after a voltage drop. The unqualified disconnection is characterized by storing the first bit pattern under a predetermined address located in the value-preserving part of the RAM memory in addition to the time of the disconnection. The characterization of the validity of the information stored in the value-preserving part of the RAM memory is performed in an analogous manner.

After the generation and management of the condition marker during operation of the machine has been explained above, the control process must now be explained immediately after the connection of the machine in connection with the flow chart according to Figure 2. For this purpose, the control steps are again indicated point by point.

Step. The control unit is reset. 465 073 Step 2. Question: is the RAM content valid? If yes: continue with step 23.

If no: continue with step 26.

For the validity test, a bit pattern stored under a certain address located in the value-preserving part of the RA memory is usually compared with a bit pattern included in the control program, whereby corresponding signals validity of the contents of the memory.

Step 23. Question: Does the bit pattern stored under RAM address A (in the value-preserving part of RAM) correspond to the first bit pattern included in the control program? If yes: continue with step 26.

If no: continue with step 24.

Step 24. Question: Does the bit pattern stored under RAM address A (in the value-preserving part of the RAM memory) match the other bit pattern included in the control program? If yes: continue with step 25.

If no: continue with step 26.

Step 25. Power supply of the control motor with a flow pattern given in the control program.

Step 26. Activation of a connection routine according to Fig. 3.

Step 27. Execution of additional control processes, e.g. performing a pressure application.

By means of the control sequence specified in connection with the flow chart in Fig. 2 above, it will in most cases - since there is usually a qualified disconnection - be possible to refrain from carrying out a connection routine.

The connection routine, which is discussed above during control step 26, is explained in more detail below with the aid of the flow diagram according to Fig. 3, dissolved in individual steps. The production takes place again point by point.

Step 30. Power supply of the stepper motor with a power supply pattern given in the control program.

Step 31. The motor step counter is set to N, where N is the number of motor steps required to lift the ribbon from the basic position to the highest possible position.

Step 32. An engine step in the forward direction is performed.

Step 33. The motor pedometer is decremented by 1.

Step 34. Question: motor pedometer = 0? If yes: continue with step 35.

If no: continue with step 32.

Step 35. The motor pedometer is set to N.

Step 36. An engine step in the reverse direction is performed.

Step 37. The motor pedometer is decremented by Step 38. Question: the motor pedometer = 0? If yes: continue with step 27.

If no: continue with step 36.

Such connection routines, which appear from the above control sequence, are used in the machines mentioned as such or in transformed form in various ways.

With regard to the control processes shown in connection with the flow diagrams according to Figs. 1-3, it should be noted that the individual control steps of course in turn consist of control sequences, the shape of which depends on the microprocessor used. The execution of the specified control sequences is within the competence of the person skilled in the art, so that additional tasks are superfluous.

Furthermore, it may be mentioned that as a modification of the described example it is possible, that to begin with 7. 465 073 with generating and managing the "state marker" in the non-value-preserving part of the RAM memory and only at the time of disconnection by means of a so-called rescue routine store it under a given address in the RAM part of the memory.

Of course, the control principles indicated in the exemplary embodiment in connection with a stepper motor can be transferred without difficulty to designs which use the drive motor as e.g. a direct current motor, since the characteristics essential to the invention are independent of the nature of the motor used.

In addition, it should be noted that the method according to the invention is not limited to the conveyor belt lifting mechanism, but can also be used for other drive devices as long as these meet the conditions stated in the introduction.

Claims (1)

P0. 465 075 PATENT CLAIMS A method of operating typewriters, printers or the like, comprising a control unit, consisting of at least one microprocessor, a control program containing memory, in particular a ROM memory, and a recording of the variable data, at least in a part of the memory area RAM memory, an electric motor actuated by the control unit, in particular a stepping motor, which acts on a manually immovable mechanical element, so that at the beginning of the current supply the mechanical element performs a movement starting from a basic position designed as a mechanical stop, and at the end of the current supply again is in the basic position, the method containing a validation test, which at each connection tests the validity of the information stored in the value-preserving part of the RAM memory, characterized in that either the control unit, with the beginning of the electric motor current supply, during at least one in the control program given, in the value-preserving part of the HAM memory, address address is a first bit pattern included in the control program, and that the control unit, after the end of the power supply, overwrites the first bit pattern stored in the address with a second bit pattern also included in the control program, or alternatively that the control unit, starting with the electric motor power supply, at least one address given in the non-value-preserving part of the RAM memory makes a first bit pattern included in the control program, and that the control unit, after the end of the power supply, overwrites the first bit pattern stored in the address with a second bit pattern similarly included in the control program. ; and that when the machine is switched off, the control unit stores the bit pattern stored below the address in a rescue routine under another address given in the value-preserving part of the RAM memory; and in that in both mentioned alternatives the control unit, after each connection of the machine and after determination of invalidity of the information stored in the value-preserving part of the RAM memory, activates a connection routine; the control unit, after each connection of the machine and after determining the validity of the information stored in the value preservation part of the RAM memory, axis 465 073 compares the bit pattern stored under the address given in the control program with the first bit pattern given in the control program and / or with the second bit pattern given in the control program; the control unit, in case of conformity with the first bit pattern and / or lack of conformity with the second bit pattern, activates the switch-on routine; the control unit, in case of non-conformity with the first bit pattern and / or conformity with the second bit pattern, suppresses the switching routine.