JPH0725182B2 - Print control device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print control device for a printer that includes a plurality of character fonts and that allows a user to select a desired character font.

[Conventional technology]

Printers are becoming popular as peripheral equipment for OA. Current,
The price of optical printers (abbreviated as LP) such as laser printers and LED printers is decreasing, and conventional daisy wheel printers (abbreviated as DP) and wired dot printers (abbreviated as WP) are being rewritten by LP. .

LP features include high-speed, low-noise printing, high-quality printing based on high resolution, and multi-font printing. The multi-font printing is to print with a plurality of character fonts selected and one character font selected from these character fonts at any time according to a user's instruction.
Multi-font printing became practical only when it was possible to use character fonts with a sufficient number of dots that took advantage of the high resolution of LP.

With LP, in addition to the printer's built-in ROM, it is possible to use about 30 or more types of character fonts by using a cartridge ROM that is attached to the outside of the printer.

Conventionally, the following two methods have been used as the multi-font selection method.

(1) Font selection method based on font name (abbreviated as font name method).

In this method, the font is selected by the font name specified by the user by the switch on the control command or the operation panel. Font names include proportional, pica, elite, italic, bold, gossyk, and mincho. A typical example of this method is the EPSON method, and the contents are described in EPON User's Manual FX-80 Printer.

(2) Font selection method based on character pitch (abbreviated as character pitch method) In this method, font selection is performed by a character pitch designated by a user using a control command or a switch on the operation panel. Normally, character pitch is specified in units called cpi (characters per inch). An example of this method is Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-17.
There is 9261.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

 First, problems common to the above two conventional examples will be described.

(1) Problems associated with insufficient monitoring of the cartridge ROM installation status.

In the conventional example, the cartridge ROM is not used, or even if it is used, its mounting state is checked only at the initial point. That is, when the user attaches or detaches the cartridge ROM while using the printer, changes in the contents of the attached cartridge ROM and the attached font are not monitored successively. Therefore, a character font that was installed at the initial point is not removed at the time of printing, which may cause a printing error. Also,
On the other hand, even if a character font that has not been mounted at the initial time is mounted at the time of printing, it is determined that there is no character font and the printer does not print data.

The conventional multi-font selection method has the following problems.

(2) Problems with font name system In the conventional font name system, one for each font name.
It was supposed that there was only one font each.
Therefore, when there are a plurality of character fonts having the same font name but different character shapes, there is a problem in that even if the font name is designated, the corresponding font cannot be uniquely determined.

By the way, as described above, the LP has physical characteristics (high resolution) capable of realizing multi-font printing. But,
Normally, when using LP, in order to maintain compatibility of application software on personal computers such as word processors, the printer command system for conventional DP and WP with low multi-font selection function is often used. In these conventional printer command systems, the multi-font selection is performed by the font name system described above, and this problem is serious.

(3) Problems of Character Pitch Method When the character pitch method is used, one can always be selected from a plurality of fonts, but the problem that a favorite character font cannot be selected by font name occurs.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in a printer equipped with an external cartridge ROM so that a corresponding font can always be uniquely determined in a font selection method based on font names, and a character font desired by a user can be obtained. Is to be able to select.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a host computer that transmits a print control command including a character command and a character font selection command that specifies a character font name, a program for interpreting and executing at least a command, and a resident character. System memory means having a built-in ROM storing font pattern data and a cartridge ROM detachably mounted in a slot and storing character font pattern data of a plurality of character shapes corresponding to character font names; Display means for displaying and confirming character font candidates, and 1 / F for the host computer
Of the system memory means connected via the bus based on a print control command including a character code and a character font selection command for designating a character font name transmitted from the host computer.
The ROM is accessed to select the highest priority character font candidate from a plurality of character fonts having the same character font name and different character shapes corresponding to the character font selection command according to a predetermined priority rule and display it on the display means. A CPU for performing character expansion based on the displayed and confirmed highest priority character font to generate character pattern data; a buffer memory means for storing the character pattern data generated by the CPU; and a buffer memory means And a printer for performing printing by outputting the character pattern data stored in the print control device.

[Action]

 The function of the above means is as follows.

(1) It is possible to monitor the cartridge ROM and the character fonts installed at the time of printing, and select the character font from them. Therefore, the character font can be selected in accordance with the user's attachment / detachment operation of the cartridge ROM during the use of the printer.

(2) Even if there are a plurality of character fonts having the same font name, one character font can always be selected by using the priority among the character fonts in addition to the designated font name.

(3) By devising the definition of the priority order, the character font desired by the user can be selected from a plurality of character fonts while using the font name system which is the conventional printer command system.

For example, the priority order can be set such that the character fonts in the cartridge ROM instead of the built-in ROM are preferentially selected. This function has the following advantages. The printer (for FX-80 emulation) Proportioner to null font (referred to as P _1), are built one user (referred to as P ₂₎ different Proportioner to null fonts be stored in Katoritsuji ROM I have. At this time, the user can select the font P ₂ by mounting the cartridge ROM on the print control device. If you want to select font P ₁ , just remove it from the ROM cartridge print controller. By utilizing this advantage, for the first time, the user can select a desired character font from a plurality of character fonts while using the conventional command system.

By allowing the user to define the priority,
It is now possible to select character fonts that further reflect the user's intention.

(3) is the effect when the continue key on the panel is pressed immediately.

(4) The user attaches and detaches the cartridge ROM before pressing the continue key (that is, remove the cartridge containing the extra fonts that you do not want to select, but put on the cartridge containing the font you want to select).
By doing so, I was able to reliably select the desired font.

(5) Due to the above operations (1) to (4), even if data is not sent back from the host computer to the print control device,
It is now possible to print using fonts that the user desires.

〔Example〕

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

First, a configuration example of the present invention will be shown. In FIG. 2, the print control device, which is the image of the present invention, is connected to the host computer by a serial or parallel signal, and is connected to the printer body by a video signal.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the print control device. In this figure
11 is a serial I / that controls serial communication with the host computer.
F and 12 are parallel 1 / F which also manages parallel communication. Reference numeral 13 denotes a CPU that controls this device, and interprets and executes the character code and control command transmitted from the host computer. Character expansion, that is, the process of writing the character pattern corresponding to the character code to the buffer memory of 15 while referring to the font ROM, is regarded as one of command interpretation and execution. Reference numeral 14 denotes a system memory unit of this device, which includes 141 built-in ROM, 142 RAM, and 143 cartridge ROM.
Consists of. 141 stores command interpretation, execution programs, and resident font patterns (hereinafter referred to as built-in font ROM). The RAM 142 includes a command buffer unit 142-a, a font identification table 142-b,
-C font front address table, 142-d character expansion font table, 142-e character expansion control table, and the like. The CPU interprets and executes commands while updating these tables in RAM.

The cartridge ROM 143 is removable, and the number of mounted cartridge ROMs can be changed from 0 to the number of cartridge slots by the attachment / detachment operation. A font pattern or a command interpreting program is written in advance in these cartridge ROMs. Reference numeral 15 is a buffer memory unit in which character patterns expanded as a result of command execution are sequentially written. A parallel-serial conversion unit 16 converts the parallel format data in the buffer memory unit 15 into a serial format video signal. Reference numeral 17 is an operation panel I / F, and 18 is an operation panel.

The operation panel has a display section for notifying the user of the status of the printer and the print control device, and a switch and a key for the user to set the status.

A plurality of character font data are stored in the built-in ROM 141 and the cartridge ROM 143 in the data format shown in FIG. In this figure, the characters fonts I to N are stored. 31 start addresses for each character font n
The following 3 items of data from An, i 32 common management information, ii
33 individual character management information and iii 34 character pattern data are separately entered.

The common management information 32 is common information that does not change for each character, and the following 10 items are entered.

Font identification number, font name, distinction between portrait and landscape, start address of character pattern data 34, start address of individual character management information 33,
Number of characters in font, ASCII code of first character, horizontal size of character pattern, vertical size of character pattern, number of occupied words in character pattern.

These are commonly used when expanding all the characters belonging to the character font n. To speed up character expansion, the latter seven items of these are 142 in RAM.
It is stored in the font table for character expansion shown in -d and used. This table is set by selecting and copying from 32 pieces of information when the character font n is selected and confirmed.

FIG. 6 shows the contents of the table 142-d.

When N character fonts are stored in the ROM in the data format shown in FIG. 3A, there are the following degrees of freedom.

The characters fonts I to N may be put in one font ROM or divided into a plurality of font ROMs.

Built-in ROM and cartridge ROM as font ROM
One of them may be used, or both may be used together.

As the data format, the method shown in FIG. 3 (b) can be used instead of the method shown in FIG. 3 (a).

Note that FIG. 3 (a) shows the data storage format in the case where N font data are installed in this apparatus at that time. Generally, there are M font start addresses (A ₁ , A ₂ , ..., A _M ) that can be mounted on the apparatus, and N (Aj ₁ , Aj ₂ , ..., Ajn) of these font data are mounted. FIG. 3 (c) shows the situation of data storage in this case.

The font identification table 142-b will be described with reference to FIG. In this table, a column of the number of character fonts and a font identification number is entered for each font name. For example, it is written in this table that there are two character fonts whose font names are proportional and font identification numbers 1 and 3. Therefore, by using this table, a sequence of font identification numbers can be obtained for font names. The following two methods are generally conceivable as the method of setting this table.

(Method 1) A table equivalent to that shown in FIG. 4 is created in advance for all the character fonts supplied to the user by the printer maker and stored in the ROM 141.

When the power of the printer is turned on, the data is read from the ROM and copied to create the table 142-b in the RAM. In this method, the program directly refers to the table on the ROM so that the table 142-b on the RAM does not need to be created or referenced.

(Method 2) For each delimiter of character expansion such as page, line, character, etc., the common management information 32 of all the character fonts installed at that time is checked and this table is created.

In the present invention, by using the method 2, the cartridge RO
Sequentially monitor the wearing state of M and record it in the font identification table.

The font start address table of 142-c will be described with reference to FIG. In this table, all the character fonts (font identification number I to
The top addresses A _{1 to} A _{M of} M) are entered. By using this table, it is possible to know the head address An of the ROM in which the character font is stored for each font identification number n. As a value of An, a special numerical value that cannot occur as an address is entered to indicate that the character font of the font identification number n is not attached to this device. As an effect, since it is possible to identify that the designated character font is not attached to the present device, it is possible to notify the user by displaying it on the 18 equipment panel. The setting of this table is performed as follows. For each delimiter of character expansion such as page, line, character, etc., common management information of all the character fonts installed at that time is checked and this table is created.

The operation of this apparatus will be described below with reference to the flow chart of FIG. In FIG. 7A, after the printer and the print control device are turned on (71), the font identification table 142-b on the RAM is initially set (72). Thereafter, the CPU 13 processes the character code and control command string (hereinafter referred to as a command) transmitted from the host computer through the communication 1 / F 11 or 12 (73).

In the command processing of FIG. 7B, the command is first stored in the command buffer unit 142-a (730). CP
The U13 sequentially reads and interprets the commands in the command buffer unit 142-a (731).

The command fixed in command interpretation is executed as follows (732). As shown in FIG. 7 (c), the font mounting state is first investigated, and the font start address table 142-c and the font identifying table 142-b are reset. Note that the font identification table may be set without resetting. In addition, as described above, the examination of the font mounting state is performed by separating the character expansion of pages, lines, characters, etc. (733,734). If the command is a font selection command (735), it is checked whether it is a selection command by font name (736). If Yes, perform font selection procedure by font name (73
7).

If No, perform another type of font selection procedure (73
8). If the command is not for font selection (735), other processing indicated by the command is executed (739).

Font selection by font name is executed by the procedure shown in FIG. First, the font identification number n corresponding to the input font name is searched on the font identification table 142-b (FIG. 4) previously set in steps 72 and 734. As a result, if the number of corresponding character fonts is 0 (741), after displaying that fact on the operation panel 18, other necessary processing is performed. If the number of the corresponding character fonts is 1 (741), the character expansion font table 142-d for the character font having the determined font identification number n (the sixth character
Figure) is created (744). If the number of relevant character fonts is 2 or more (741), the font identification number with the first priority is selected as a candidate (745), and the user determines the character font that is a candidate (747), and then ( 744)
Create a font table for character expansion by the same procedure as (746).

The character expansion font table for the character font having the determined font identification number n is created by the procedure shown in FIG. 7 (e).

The following three methods were implemented as the method of selecting one font identification number based on the priority order in 745.

(Method a) The cartridge ROM has priority over the internal ROM. Built-in ROM
If not present, the cartridge ROM has priority.

If multiple Cartridge ROMs are installed, the Cartridge ROMs will be changed according to the position of the Cartridge slot.
Prioritize in between. For example, it is attached to the left or right or top and bottom.

If the fonts cannot be uniquely determined by the priorities up to, the priority is assigned using the magnitude relationship of the font identification numbers.

(Method b) Same as the method a.

If more than one cartridge ROM is installed, use the cartridge ROM identification number (pre-filled in each cartridge ROM) to prioritize.

 Same as for method a.

(Method c) Select the largest font identification number.

It should be noted that the above-described priority order is set by the user through the panel operation or
It can also be changed by DIP switch operation.

The judgment of the character font which is a candidate in 747 is made by the user in the procedure shown in FIGS. 7 (f) and 7 (g). After first displaying the candidate font selected at 745 (747-a), if the user immediately presses the continue key on the panel, that candidate font is determined as the last selected font (747-b), (747-a). g). The cartridge ROM is installed or removed before the user presses the continue key (747-c,
In the case of 747-d), after checking the font mounting state at this point (747-e), font selection by font name is executed again (747-f).

Here, the presence or absence of the font attachment / detachment operation was detected and then notified to the 13 CPUs by a hardware interrupt. The process of 747-f was executed recursively.

By executing the operation procedure of FIG. 7 described above by the print control device, the printer can be caused to perform a desired operation.

〔The invention's effect〕

The effects obtained by the present invention are summarized as follows.

(1) Cartridge storage by the user while using the printer
Following the ROM loading / unloading operation, the character fonts could be selected.

(2) Even if there are a plurality of character fonts having the same font name, it is possible to always select one character font by using the priority between the character fonts in addition to the designated font name.

(3) By devising the definition of the priority order, it is possible to select the character font desired by the user from a plurality of character fonts while using the font name system which is the conventional printer command system. It was

For example, when the priority method of method a is adopted, the user can select a desired character font from a plurality of character fonts only by attaching / detaching the cartridge ROM or changing the mounting position. It was

(4) By allowing the user to redefine the priority order, it becomes possible to select character fonts that further reflect the user's intention.

The above (3) and (4) are the effects when the continue key on the panel is immediately pressed.

(5) By the user attaching / detaching the cartridge ROM before pressing the continue key (that is, remove the cartridge containing the extra fonts that you do not want to select, but wear the cartridge containing the font you want to select) I was able to definitely select the font I wanted.

(6) By the above operations (1) to (4), even if data is not sent from the host computer to the print control device again,
It is now possible to print using fonts that the user desires.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 and 2 are block diagrams for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 3 to 6 are explanatory diagrams for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an illustration of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the operation procedure of an Example. 13 ... CPU, 14 ... System memory section, 15 ... Buffer memory section, 16 ... Parallel-serial conversion section, 17 ... Operation panel I / F, 18 ... Operation panel, 141 ... Internal ROM, 142 ...
... RAM, 143 ... Cartridge ROM, 142-a ... Command buffer section, 142-b ... Font identification table, 142
-C ... Font start address table, 142-b ...
Font table for character expansion, 142-e ... Character expansion control table.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A host computer for transmitting a print control command including a character font selection command for designating a character code and a character font name, and a built-in computer for storing at least a program for interpreting and executing the command and resident character font pattern data. A ROM and a system memory means that is detachably attached to a slot and has a cart rich ROM that stores character font pattern data of a complicated character shape corresponding to a character font name, and a top priority character font candidate are displayed. Based on a print control command including a character font selection command of a character code and a character font name transmitted from the host computer, which is in contact with the display means to be confirmed by the display device and the host computer via 1 / F via a bus. R of said system memory means connected via a bus OM is accessed to select the highest priority character font candidate from a plurality of character fonts having different character shapes with the same character font name corresponding to the character font selection command according to a predetermined priority rule and display it on the display means. A CPU for performing character expansion based on the displayed and confirmed highest priority character font to generate character pattern data, a buffer memory means for storing the character pattern data generated by the CPU, and the buffer memory means And a printer for outputting the character pattern data stored in the printer for printing.