JPH031159B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a document processing device, and more particularly to a document processing device equipped with a print pitch changing and display function.

[Prior art] Conventionally, the printing pitch types of typewriters, etc. are 10 pitch (pica), 12 pitch (elite), and 15 pitch.
Pitch (micron) and PS (proportional)
There is. Since the type width and shape of the print media (type wheel, etc.) are made according to this pitch type, the user does not have to set the print pitch from the keyboard or switch means to obtain a print that matches the loaded type. Must not be. In addition, in recent years, electronic typewriters have been proposed that have a function that automatically determines the pitch type of the set print medium optically or from the wheel shape, etc., and automatically sets a print pitch that matches the pitch type. .

In any case, due to the portability required of such electronic typewriters, the selection and display of the printing pitch are performed with a minimum configuration.For example, each time the pitch specification key 1 is pressed, ), Pica (fixed at 10 characters per inch), Elite (12 characters per inch)
One of the following printing pitch modes is selected: (fixed at character printing), Micro (fixed at 15 characters printed per inch), or Proposal (printing pitch is changed according to the character width), and by displaying the selection status, the user can It is configured so that you can confirm the pitch selection.

However, with conventional devices, for example, when Auto is selected, only the word "Auto" is displayed at the edge, so it is completely unclear which pitch type among the four types mentioned above is set as the print medium. Especially when the power is turned on, the user often has to open the device cover to check the type of print medium, which is a cumbersome task.

[Objective] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, and its purpose is, for example, to
By combining the display with specific printing pitch information according to the pitch type of the set printing medium, the operator can accurately recognize and identify various types of printing pitch information with a small number of parts, making it convenient and easy to use. An object of the present invention is to provide a document processing device with a small amount of data processing.

[Examples] Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electronic typewriter (ETW) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure,
The platen knob 1 is used when manually loading paper or finely adjusting the printing position in the vertical direction. When the knob 1 is pushed inward, it is disconnected from the internal drive pulse motor, allowing manual rotation of the knob 1. The paper support 2 is a paper guide plate, and is used to ensure that the printing surface faces the operator even when using thin paper. The page end indicator 3 is a measuring stick that indicates the length to the end line of the paper.The operator adjusts the indicator 3 vertically as shown by the arrow in advance according to the vertical length of the paper, and then places the indicator 3 in the vertical direction as shown by the arrow. When the top edge of the paper that comes out reaches the scale position of the indicator 3, the length of the paper to the end line can be known. The release lever 4 is used to release a pinch roller located at the bottom of the platen from the platen and manually correct the inclination of the paper. The soundproof cover 5 is provided to suppress the impact sound of impact printing, and is made of transparent acrylic, so that the printed characters can be seen through the soundproof cover 5. When changing the typeface or replacing the ribbon cassette, open the upper cover 6 by rotating it backwards and replace the type wheel loaded in the carriage section or the ribbon cassette. This electronic typewriter has a horizontal printing pitch of 1 inch.
There are four types: 10 characters, 12 characters, 15 characters, and proportional spacing (hereinafter referred to as PS) in which the printing pitch changes depending on the size of the type.
The scale 8 has three scales engraved with 10-character pitch, 12-character pitch, and 15-character pitch, and the carriage indicator 7 is composed of three lamps such as LEDs, which are mounted on the carriage. The carriage position is indicated on the scale 8 by lighting the lamp corresponding to the pitch specified from the keyboard 10. The keyboard 10 inputs characters,
It consists of a character key group 10a for printing and control key groups 10b and 10c arranged on both sides thereof.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the operation panel of the electronic typewriter. In the figure, the "Pitch" key is used to specify the printing pitch (number of characters) per inch, as described above. Details of the display section L1 corresponding to the operation of the "Pitch" key are shown in FIG. 6a. For example, the pitch display section L1 consisting of an LED etc. displays A, "10",
"12", "15", and PS light up in that order and in a cyclical sequence. Here, the unit of "10", "12", and "15" is the number of characters/inch and means that it is fixed, but in PS, the number of characters per inch varies depending on the characters to be printed. In addition, especially "A" on display section L1
When is selected and displayed, the print pitch automatically follows the pitch type of the set type wheel. In this case, the print pitch automatically follows the pitch type of the set type wheel.
Any one of 10 to "PS" is also displayed.
Note that this point will be discussed later. "Line Space"
The key indicates the feed amount during line feed, and the basic unit length 1 of the feed amount is 1/6 inch. In this case, as before, the display section L2 lights up cyclically by pressing the key. The "PP Select" key is a key for specifying printing pressure, and in the same way, when the key is pressed, the display section L3 lights up cyclically. Furthermore, the "RM Control" key at the upper right instructs the function of the electronic typewriter in the right margin. Either JUST, AUTO, or OFF is “RM
The item is selected each time the ``Control'' key is pressed. This is also indicated by the cyclic lighting of lamp L4. When the JUST lamp lights up, select the light alignment function and select AUTO.
Automatic line feed is performed when the lamp is lit.
OFF literally does not indicate anything. "OP control"
The keys are used to determine the print mode of the electronic typewriter. As before, each time a key is pressed, one of C, W, L, and STORE lights up to indicate the print mode. C prints each character,
W means printing every word, L means printing every line, STORE means registration in the internal storage device (text buffer TB), and when STORE, the mode is L for printing every line. The "MEMORY" key is used when manipulating character strings (text), and declares the start of operation on the storage device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment. In the figure, 11 is a microprocessor (MPU) that controls and monitors the entire device. Further, the input/output ports of the MPU 11 are expanded with a data bus (DB) 12 and an address bus (AB) 13 so that commands and information can be easily transmitted to other devices. 14 is an address decoder (AD) that decodes the address on the address bus 13.

When the "Pitch" key is pressed, the contacts 15 come into contact in the same way as keyswitches on other keyboards, and a coded pitch selection command signal is sent from the keyboard controller (KBC) 16 to the MPU 11. By counting the occurrence of this signal, the MPU 11 uses the auto mode selection memory when the command corresponds to the order of "Auto" mode selection.
“ON” information is written in the RAM (ARAM) 20 to store this information. In addition, "OFF" information is written in a cycle in which pitch selection by another manual is selected. Further, the wheel type storage RAM (WRAM) 21 is a random access memory that stores print pitch information corresponding to pitch type information detected from the attached print medium (type wheel).

A printer controller (PC) 17 controls the printer section, and in the figure, a wheel controller (WC) 18 is connected. This wheel controller 18 uses a wheel pulse motor (WM) and an optical wheel sensor (OWS) 19 to make it possible to select printed characters on the wheel and obtain pitch type information of the wheel itself. There is. In addition, a switch (SW) 22 provided to open and close the upper cover 6 of the typewriter is used to change type wheels, ribbons, etc.
AND when it is open, it is connected via line 23.
This is a switch that sets the gate input terminal AL1 to the "LOW" level and sets it to the "HIGH" level when the gate is closed. The other input terminal AL2 of the AND gate
An output signal from the printer controller (PC) 17 is input to the PC 17, and when the PC 17, which constantly monitors the printer status, detects that the printer is in a normal status, it outputs a "HIGH" level to the line 24. When an abnormal condition such as ribbon end is detected, a “LOW” level is output. Therefore, only when both input terminals AL1 and AL2 are at the "HIGI" level (when the top cover 6 is closed and there is no abnormality in the printer), the output terminal AL3 is "HIGH".
level and run this via line 25 to MPU
I am sending it to 11. In other words, the MPU 11 can obtain information from the AND gate as to whether or not the printer unit is ready for operation, and also obtain information from the optical wheel sensor (OWS) 19 when the type wheel is replaced. , you can know the pitch type of the installed type wheel.

Further, a display controller (DC) 26 is provided for display control, and by controlling a display unit (DU) 27 on the operation panel, the above-mentioned print pitch information and the like are displayed.

FIGS. 4a and 4b relate to the processing procedure of the embodiment executed by the CPU 11, and FIG. 4a is a flowchart of key input processing that operates by distinguishing between normal typewriter input and print pitch command input. In the figure, key input from the keyboard 10 is read in step S1. In step S2, it is checked whether the key input is the "Pitch" key. If it is the "Pitch" key, the process advances to step S3, and it is checked whether the number of presses of the key corresponds to the "Auto" mode designation.
If it corresponds to "Auto" mode, in step S6
The contents of ARAM 20 are turned "ON", and if the mode is not in "Auto" mode, the contents of ARAM 20 are turned "OFF" in step S4. In step S5, the selected print pitch information is displayed on the display section L1 of FIG. 6a.

In this case, especially when it corresponds to the "Auto" mode, the display is performed in the manner shown in FIG. 6b. That is, the vertical axis of FIG. 6b shows the type of printing pitch detected from the installed type wheel and automatically set as pica, elite, micron, and proportional, and the horizontal axis shows the type of printing pitch shown in FIG. 6a. Display patterns "A" to "PS" of the display portion L1 shown are shown. Therefore, as can be seen from Fig. 6b, when the command corresponds to the "Auto" mode, the display "A" indicating the "Auto" mode and the specific print pitch determined by the set type wheel are displayed. Information 10~
Either “PS” is also displayed. At this time, which print pitch is displayed is determined by the type wheel type information (for example, 0, 1, 2, 3) stored in the WRAM 21, and the display "A" indicates that the contents of the ARAM 20 are ON. It is done by something.

Further, when the command does not correspond to the "Auto" mode, the selected printing pitch is displayed regardless of the type of printing wheel type information because it is a forced selection using the "Pitch" key.

Returning to FIG. 4, if the "Pitch" key is not pressed in step S2, the process proceeds to step S7, and the corresponding key input function is executed in the same way as on a normal typewriter.

FIG. 4b is a flowchart showing the interrupt processing of the CPU 11 when the AND gate output in FIG. 3 changes from "LOW" level to "HIGH" level or from "HIGU" level to "LOW" level. . As described above, there are two cases in which the output terminal AL3 of the AND gate changes to the "LOW" level: printer abnormality and upper cover 6 open. In step S11, the status is read from the printer controller 17 in order to identify this. In step S12, it is checked whether the printer is abnormal or not. If the printer is not abnormal, it is determined that the cover is open, and the process proceeds to step S13. In particular, in step S13 of the interrupt input where the AND gate output changes from the "LOW" level to the "HIGH" level, the type wheel type is is read from the optical wheel sensor (OWS) 19 shown in FIG. This information is sent to the wheel type storage RAM (WRAM) 21 in the process of step S14.
Update its contents. In step S15, the changed wheel type is sent to the display section L1, and the sixth wheel type is sent to the display section L1.
The display is controlled according to the conditions described for Figure b.

If there is an abnormality in the printer in step S12, the operator is notified of the abnormality by a buzzer (not shown) or a message in step S16, and the abnormality is confirmed in step S17. Wait for it to be released, and when it becomes normal, end the interrupt processing.

Although FIGS. 6a and 6b have already been described with reference to FIG. 6, FIG. 6a is a partially enlarged view showing details of the display section regarding the display section and display control of the embodiment. In the figure, the display area from 10 to "PS"
L1 shows the selected print pitch in the display area.
L2 is an area for displaying the line space amount, and display area L3 is an area for displaying the printing pressure. FIG. 6b is a diagram illustrating the display control of the embodiment on the display section L1 as described above.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the print pitch mode shifts to cyclic when the "Pitch" key is pressed, but instead, a dedicated "Auto" key (not shown) is provided, and by pressing the "Auto" key, the printing pitch mode changes to cyclic. , change from manual mode to "Auto" mode at any time.
Alternatively, it may be possible to change from "Auto" mode to manual mode. This will increase the number of keys, but it will be more convenient to operate. The process in this case is the fifth
This is shown in the key input process in the figure. Here the fourth
Steps that perform the same processing as in Figure a are given the same numbers and their explanations are omitted. At step T1, it is determined whether the key input is the "Auto" key or not. If the key input is not the "Auto" key, the process of step S7 (described above) is performed. Also, if the "Auto" key is pressed, proceed to step T2, and
The contents of the auto mode selection storage random access memory (ARAM) 20 shown in the figure are reversed from ON to OFF or from OFF to ON. That is, "Auto"
Each time the key is pressed, it switches between auto mode and manual mode.

[Effect] As described above, according to the present invention, even in the auto mode in which the print pitch is automatically set according to the loaded print medium pitch, the display "A" to that effect and the specific print pitch can be seen at a glance. There is no need to bother with opening the cover to check, and this has the excellent effect of preventing pitch selection errors.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electronic typewriter according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of an operation panel of the electronic typewriter, and FIG. 3 is a block configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment. Figure 4 a is CPU1
1 is a flowchart of the key input processing executed; FIG. 4b is a flowchart showing the interrupt processing of the CPU 11 when the AND gate output of FIG. 3 changes;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of the key input process, FIG. 6 a is a partially enlarged view showing details of the display section, and FIG. 6 b is for explaining display control of the embodiment on the display section L1. This is a diagram. Here, 11... microprocessor (MPU), 12... data bus (DB), 13...
Address bus (AB), 14... Address decoder, 15... Contact, 16... Keyboard controller (KBC), 17... Printer controller (PC), 18... Wheel controller (WC),
19...Optical wheel sensor (OWS), 20...
...Auto mode selection memory RAM (ARAM), 21
...Wheel type memory RAM (WRAM), 22
...Switch, 23, 24, 25...Line, 2
6...Display controller (DC), 27...
...Display unit (DU).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An instruction means for instructing a mode for automatically setting a print pitch; a detection means for detecting character pitch information possessed by a print medium; and when the automatic print pitch setting mode is instructed by the instruction means; , a print pitch setting means for automatically setting print pitch information based on the detection result of the detection means; and an instruction that the print pitch automatic setting mode is set when the print pitch automatic setting mode is instructed by the instruction means; A document processing device comprising display means for simultaneously displaying detailed print pitch types using a combination of different display elements.