JPH0796321B2 - Output device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of use] The present invention uses information stored in a removable external storage means to generate output information from document information input from the outside and outputs the output information. It relates to an output device.

[Prior Art] As a conventional device of this type, there is one in which a ROM cartridge is provided as a detachable external storage means and a character font or a recording control system can be switched by replacing the ROM cartridge.

On the other hand, there are various types of recording means for recording on a recording medium, such as one having a wire dot head, one having a thermal head, one having an inkjet head, and the like.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such an apparatus, since the external storage means such as the ROM cartridge is generally directly connected to the bus line connecting the respective parts of the control system of the apparatus via the contact, the attachment / detachment thereof is not possible. The controller of the apparatus may malfunction due to chattering or the like that occurs at some time, or the recording head may be destroyed due to this.

For example, in an apparatus including an ink jet head having an electrothermal conversion element (heat generating element) in an energy acting portion for ejecting ink as a recording unit, the heat generating element of the head is energized for a predetermined time such as 7 μsec during recording. ,
If this energization time is more than twice the average, there is a high possibility that the element will be thermally destroyed. However, since the ROM cartridge is directly connected to the bus line, the effect of chattering etc. at the time of attachment / detachment spreads to the control unit having MPU etc. via the bus line, and the MPU malfunctions, causing the heating element to exceed the average energization time. Energization can occur. Therefore, there is a risk that the heating element in the head will be thermally destroyed when the ROM cartridge is attached or detached.

[Means for Solving Problems] The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the above problems, and is input from the outside using information stored in a detachable external storage means. An output device for generating and outputting output information from the input information, the control device controlling the output device, and the potential of the terminal on the output device side when the external storage device is mounted on the output device. Detection means for detecting attachment / detachment of the external storage means based on a level and a potential level of a terminal on the output device side in a state where the external storage means is detached from the output device; The reset release signal to the control means when it is detected that the external storage means is detached from the output device when it is detected that the external storage means is attached to the output device. A reset signal to the control means is generated after a predetermined time elapses from the mounting or disengagement, and the predetermined time when the external storage means is mounted is the signal state on the bus line from the mounting time. Is settled, and the predetermined time when the external storage means is detached is shorter than the predetermined time determined according to the control target of the control means.

[Operation] According to the above configuration, when the external storage device is attached to the output device or is detached from the output device, the control device is released from the reset state or the reset state. Instead, these reset release or reset signals are generated after a lapse of a predetermined time, and each predetermined time is longer than a predetermined time determined according to the control target of the control means in the case of detachment of the external storage means. The length of the signal line on the bus line can be stabilized until it becomes stable.

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

FIG. 1 shows a structural example of a recording apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention. Here, 1 is a control unit that controls each unit of the recording apparatus, and can be configured to include a known MPU 1A or the like as a main control unit. Reference numeral 2 denotes a recording head, which can be, for example, an inkjet head having a heating element in the ejection energy acting portion. Reference numeral 3 denotes a ROM cartridge as a detachable external storage means, which can store a recording control procedure of the control unit 1 according to a font of a recording character, a recording sheet, a character size, and the like.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a reset circuit as reset control means according to the present invention, which detects the attachment / detachment of the ROM cartridge 3 to detect the MPU1A.
Generates a reset signal or a reset release signal that resets the operation of. That is, in this example, the reset circuit 10 detects the attachment / detachment of the ROM cartridge 3 and
By sending a reset signal or a reset release signal to U1A, the operation of MPU1A is controlled, and thereby the heating element in the recording head 2 is prevented from being damaged due to the malfunction of MPU1A.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the reset circuit 10 according to the present example.
In the figure, a is a terminal of the reset circuit, and b is connectable to the terminal a.
Terminals a and b provided on the ROM cartridge 3 side
The connection and non-connection between the two correspond to the mounted state and the detached state of the ROM cartridge 3, respectively. That is, when the ROM cartridge 3 is installed, the terminals a and b are connected, and when the ROM cartridge 3 is removed, the terminals a and b are connected.
a and b are separated.

The IC is a constant voltage detection element, and when the input signal to the VSE terminal becomes "H" level, the output ▲ ▼ becomes "H" level,
VCL goes to "L" level. Conversely, the input signal to VSE is "L"
At level, ▲ ▼ is at “L” level, VCL is at “H”
It will be a level. As this constant voltage detecting element, for example, MB3771 of Fujitsu Limited can be used.

In FIG. 2, when the ROM cartridge 3 is removed,
The capacitor C1 is charged, and the potential at the point A gradually rises. When the point A becomes "H" level, the transistor Tr is turned off, and the point B changes to "L" level. That is, at this time, the “L” level signal is input to the VSE terminal of the constant voltage detection element IC, and ▲ ▼ becomes the “L” level and VCL becomes the “H” level. Conversely, when the ROM cartridge 3 is installed, the capacitor C1 discharges and A
The point becomes "L" level, the transistor Tr is turned on accordingly, and the point B becomes "H" level. Therefore, the input signal to the terminal VSE of the element IC becomes "H" level,
▼ becomes "H" level, VCL becomes "L" level.

The output ▲ ▼ of this constant voltage detection element IC and VCL are signals that indicate the opposite level, and by connecting ▲ ▼ or VCL to the reset terminal of MPU1A as necessary, such as the operation logic of MPU1A, ROM M when removing and installing the cartridge 3
Control of PU1A reset and reset release is possible.

FIG. 3 shows the reset circuit 10 immediately after the ROM cartridge 3 is removed, and FIG. 4 shows the reset circuit 10 after the ROM cartridge 3 is mounted.
The relationship between the voltage and time in each part is shown, and the operation waveform of each part is observed by using the above-mentioned element MB3771 as the constant voltage detecting element IC.

In practice, if the recording head 2 is energized for a time twice as long as the average energization time during normal recording, specifically, if the average energization time is 7 μsec and the energization is 14 μsec or more, the heat generating element is heated. High risk of destruction. That is, the MPU 1A malfunctions when the ROM cartridge 3 is removed, and the recording head 2 may be destroyed if the recording head 2 is energized for 14 μsec or more. Therefore, it is desirable to reset the MPU 1A within 14 μsec after removing the ROM cartridge 3. Observing FIG. 3, according to the reset circuit 10 according to this example, the signal ▲ ▼ or VCL is output from the time O when the ROM cartridge 3 is removed.
Since the time τ until the reset by (1) is effective (reset signal generation time) is τ = 10.6, 12.2 <14, the above condition is sufficiently satisfied.

On the other hand, since the ROM cartridge 3 is directly connected to the MPU 1A via the bus line, chattering that occurs when the ROM cartridge 3 is mounted may cause the signals on the bus line to become unstable and the MPU 1A to malfunction. For this reason, if the recording head 2 is energized for more than twice the energization time during normal recording as in the above, the recording head 2 will be destroyed. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a delay time of several tens of msec for sending the reset release signal to the MPU 1A after mounting the ROM cartridge 3. Observing FIG. 4, according to the reset circuit 10 according to the present example, the time from the time C when the ROM cartridge 3 is mounted until the reset is released by the signal ▲ ▼ or VCL (reset release signal generation time) τ ′
Since τ ′ = 108 msec, the above condition is sufficiently satisfied.

That is, according to this example, when the ROM cartridge 3 is removed or attached, the reset state or the reset released state of the MPU 1A is appropriately controlled.
The malfunction of U1A does not occur, and therefore the recording head 2 is protected.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various elements and configurations can be adopted according to the characteristics of the control unit 1 and the recording head 2. For example, in the reset circuit shown in FIG. 2, the base terminal of the transistor Tr and the VSE terminal of the constant voltage detecting element IC may be directly connected. Further, the generation time of the reset signal and the reset release signal may be appropriately determined according to the characteristics of the recording head 2.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to an inkjet recording apparatus having a heating element in a recording head has been described, but the present invention is also applied to other inkjet recording apparatuses, thermal printers, and wire dot printers. It can be applied very effectively.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the recording head from being damaged due to chattering or the like when the external storage device is attached or detached, and to realize a highly safe device.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the external storage means is attached to the device without giving any features to the shapes of the removable external storage means-side terminal and the device-side terminal. A reset signal or a reset release signal is output by detecting attachment / detachment of the external storage means based on the potential level of the device-side terminal and the potential level of the device-side terminal when the external storage means is disconnected from the apparatus. It has an excellent effect that it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the recording apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration example of a reset circuit as a main part of the recording apparatus of the present invention, and FIGS. 6 is a timing chart showing operation waveforms of respective parts of the circuit shown in FIG. 2 when the ROM cartridge as the external storage means is detached and when it is attached. 1 ... control part, 1A ... MPU, 2 ... recording head, 3 ... ROM cartridge, a, b ... contact, IC ... constant voltage detection element.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An output device for generating and outputting output information from input information input from the outside using information stored in a detachable external storage means, and a control means for controlling the output device. And a potential level of a terminal on the output device side when the external storage means is attached to the output device and a potential level of a connection terminal on the output device side when the external storage means is detached from the output device Detection means for detecting attachment / detachment of external storage means based on the above, and a reset release signal to the control means and the detection means when the detection means detects that the external storage means is attached to the output device. A reset signal to the control means when it is detected that the external storage means has been detached from the output device is issued after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time of attachment or the time of detachment, respectively. The predetermined time when the external storage means is mounted is defined as the time from the mounting time until the signal state on the bus line stabilizes, and the predetermined time when the external storage means is detached is An output device characterized in that the output time is shorter than a predetermined time determined according to the control target of the control means.