JPH05238104A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Specification change can be easily realized by providing storage means for storing emulated control programs and fonts detachably from the printer body. An operation panel 1 is provided so as to be attachable to a front portion A of a casing 2 of a printer main body, and the operation panel 1 is also provided.
In addition to the original components of the operation panel 1 such as the LED 102 and the switch 103, the ROM 104 stores a ROM 104 storing a control program and fonts.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing device such as a personal computer, and more particularly to a printing device having a storage means (ROM) storing a control program and fonts necessary for controlling the printing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many types of printers of this type are on the market in order to support various personal computer applications, and emulation of printers is required to ensure compatibility between many application software. Is being implemented. As a printing apparatus targeted for such emulation, for example, LQ1050 manufactured by Epson, XL24E manufactured by IBM, and the like are widely known. These emulated control programs and fonts are installed in the main controller.
It is stored in the OM or stored in an IC card or the like so that it can be attached to and detached from the main body, and the device has expandability.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional printing apparatus, the number of switches (operation means) and LEDs (display means) on the operation panel of the printing apparatus main body and the number of LEDs (display means) are changed depending on the contents of the emulated control program and font. The placement may be different. That is, in the same printer, in many cases, only the ROM and the operation panel are changed in order to change the emulation control program and font to make them into a series.
For EM sales, the design of only the operation panel is often changed and sold under a different brand name. In such a case, in the conventional device, the R on the control circuit board of the printer main body is used.
The OM and the control panel had to be replaced separately.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional inconvenience, and a storage means for storing an emulated control program and a font is detachably provided to the main body of the printer so that the specification can be easily performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a printer that can be changed.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention provides an operation panel having a display means and an operation means corresponding to a control program and fonts of a printing device in a main body of the printing device. It is characterized in that it is detachably provided and a storage means for storing at least one of the control program and the font is mounted on the operation panel.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an operation panel is detachably attached to the main body of the printing apparatus, and a storage means for storing at least one of a control program and a font of the printing apparatus is mounted on the operation panel and the operation panel is provided. A part of an overlay section which corresponds to a display means and an operating means corresponding to the control program and the font provided in the main body of the printing device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a cartridge is detachably provided in the main body of the printing apparatus, and storage means for storing the font of the printing apparatus and display means and operation means corresponding to the font are mounted on the cartridge. Characterize.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the operation panel is detachably provided in the main body of the printing device, and the operation panel is provided with the control program of the printing device and the display means and the operation means corresponding to the font. Further, the operation panel is equipped with a storage means for storing at least one of a control program and a font.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the operation panel is detachably provided in the main body of the printing apparatus, and the operation panel is equipped with a storage means for storing at least one of the control program and the font of the printing apparatus. Further, a part of the operation panel constitutes an overlay portion, and the display and the opening provided in the overlay portion correspond to the display means and the operating means corresponding to the control program and the font provided in the main body of the printer.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the cartridge is detachably provided in the main body of the printing apparatus, and the cartridge is equipped with a storage means for storing the font of the printing apparatus and a display means and an operating means corresponding to the font. Set up.

[0011]

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

FIG. 1 is a perspective perspective view showing a main body of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which an operation panel 1 is shown separated from the main body.

As shown in the figure, the operation panel 1 can be mounted on the front portion A of the housing 2 of the printer main body. A control circuit unit 3 is provided on the front portion A of the casing 2 of the printer body, and a printer mechanism unit 4 is provided on the rear portion B of the casing 2. The printer mechanism unit 4 includes a platen roller 402 for feeding a sheet 401, and the platen roller 40.
It is mainly composed of a motor 403 which drives 2 and a print head 404 which moves in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction and performs a printing operation.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the operation panel 1 is mounted on the main body of the printing apparatus according to this embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the operation panel 1 is housed in the front portion A of the casing 2 and forms a part of the casing 2, and the circuit board 101 is in front of the casing 2. It is connected via a connector 100 to a control circuit section 3 provided inside the section.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the printing apparatus.

The operation panel 1 includes an LED as described later.
In addition to the original components of the operation panel 1 such as 102 and switch 103, a ROM 104 storing a control program and fonts is stored.

The control circuit section 3 controls an MPU 301 for controlling each constituent element of the apparatus, a gate array 302, a DRAM 303 for storing data, a print head 404 of the printing apparatus mechanism section 4 and a driver 304 for controlling a motor 403. And 305, and I / O control LSI (PPI)
And 306.

The LED 102 and the switch 1 on the operation panel 1
03 is a PPI 306 of the control circuit unit 3 and a ROM
Reference numeral 104 is connected to the MPU 301 and the gate array 302 of the circuit unit 3. The control circuit 3 has a power supply unit 5
More power is supplied.

The MPU 301 controls the driver 305 to drive the motor 403 of the printer unit 4 in accordance with a control program from the ROM 104 of the operation panel 1 in response to an input from the switch 103 of the operation panel 1 via the PPI 306. , A signal indicating the operating state is supplied to the LED 102 via the PPI 306 and displayed.

The gate array 302 accesses the DRAM 303 according to the input from the operation panel 1 via the PPI 306 and the command from the MPU 301, and the ROM 10
The driver 304 is controlled according to the font data from the printer 4 to drive the print head 404 of the printer mechanism 4. still,
The gate array 302 is also connected to an interface drum (not shown).

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the components on the circuit board of the operation panel 1. L on the substrate 101
An ED 102, a switch 103 and a ROM 104 are provided, and a connector 100 (FIG. 2) connected to the control circuit section 3 of the apparatus body is provided on the back side of the substrate 101.

Since the operation panel 1 can be attached to and detached from the main body of the apparatus as described above, the fonts such as alphabets are different for each language such as English, German, French, etc. The display of the operation panel 1 to be mounted can be changed to English, German, French, or the like.

Further, the Japanese-specification operation panel 1 can be equipped with a ROM for Japanese language, and the display on the panel 1 can also be in Japanese.

Further, in the case of so-called OEM sales, it is important to give flexibility to the selection of the emulation target and to give flexibility to the arrangement of the LED 102 and the switch 103, but it depends on the printing apparatus of this embodiment. If so, it becomes possible to easily realize such improvement in flexibility.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the printer main body according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment described above, the operation panel 6 contains a ROM 601 which stores a control program and fonts, but the LED 602 and the switch 603 themselves are located on the printer main body side. On the operation panel 6 side, there is an overlay section 604 provided only with the function display of the LED 602 and the switch 603. The overlay unit 604 includes an LE on the apparatus main body side.
The opening 60 is provided at a position corresponding to the D602 and the switch 603.
5 is provided and the operation panel 6 is attached to the main body of the apparatus, the LED 602 and the switch 603 arranged on the main body side are inserted through the opening 605 of the overlay portion 604.

According to this embodiment, the LED 602 and the switch 603 themselves can be provided on the same substrate as the control circuit section 3 of the main body of the apparatus, and the cost is lower than that of the first embodiment. Can be configured. Also, the overlay unit 604 accommodating the ROM 601 can be manufactured at substantially the same cost as the ROM 601 itself, and at a cost that is not so different from the conventional font card or control card. Furthermore, the LED 602 is provided on the overlay portion 604 of the operation panel 6.
Since only the function display of the switch and switch 603 is provided,
It is possible to easily respond to changes in control programs and fonts.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a printer according to the third embodiment of the present invention. A cartridge 7 stores a ROM (not shown) in which only a plurality of types of fonts are stored, and the cartridge 7 has an LED 702 and a switch 703 mounted therein. Therefore, the cartridge 7 can change the font and display the font in use. In this case, in the first and second embodiments described above, the control program stored in the ROM of the operation panel is stored in the ROM on the control circuit unit 3 of the apparatus body.
(Not shown).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the cost can be further reduced by limiting the fonts and their displays that the general user desires to replace most frequently.

The LED 70 relating to the print control
2'and the switch 703 'are provided in the main unit.

[0032]

As described above, according to the first invention,
An operation panel having a display unit and an operation unit corresponding to the control program and the font of the printing apparatus is detachably provided in the main body of the printing apparatus, and a storage unit for storing at least one of the control program and the font is the operation panel. Since it is installed in, it is possible to easily change the specifications and obtain high versatility.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an operation panel is detachably attached to the main body of the printing device, and a storage means for storing at least one of a control program and a font of the printing device is mounted on the operation panel and the operation is performed. Since a part of the panel constitutes an overlay portion that matches the display means and the operation means corresponding to the control program and the font provided on the main body of the printer, the specification can be changed at a lower cost.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the cartridge is detachably attached to the main body of the printing apparatus and the storage means for storing the font of the printing apparatus is mounted on the cartridge, the font most commonly desired by the general user and the font to be exchanged. By limiting the display, the specifications can be changed at a lower cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective perspective view showing a printer body according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the printer.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an arrangement of components on a circuit board of an operation panel.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a printer body according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a printer according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 6 operation panel 7 font cartridge (operation panel) 102, 602, 702 LED (display means) 103, 603, 703 switch (operation means) 104, 601 ROM (storage means) 604 overlay section

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Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus for recording an image based on print data input from an external device on a recording medium, wherein the operation panel having a display unit and an operating unit corresponding to a control program and font of the printing unit is printed. A printing apparatus, which is detachably provided on a main body of the apparatus, and has a storage means for storing at least one of the control program and the font mounted on the operation panel. 2. In a printing apparatus for recording an image based on print data input from an external device on a recording medium, an operation panel is detachably provided on the main body of the printing apparatus, and a control program and a font for the printing apparatus are provided. An overlay unit in which a storage unit for storing at least one of them is mounted on the operation panel, and a part of the operation panel corresponds to a display unit and an operation unit corresponding to the control program and font provided in the main body of the printing apparatus. A printing device characterized by: 3. A printing device for recording an image based on print data input from an external device on a recording medium, wherein a cartridge is removably provided in a main body of the printing device, and storage means for storing a font of the printing device. Also, a printing device comprising a display means and an operation means corresponding to the font mounted on the cartridge.