JP2005161655A - Printing apparatus and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing apparatus that can reduce the time lag until printing is actually performed and does not need to take the timing to turn off the power as compared with the case where the power of the printing apparatus is turned on with data reception as a trigger. It is intended to do.

A Bluetooth module that operates independently of a print engine unit, detects a Bluetooth connection, notifies the engine unit, detects a Bluetooth disconnection, and notifies the print engine unit, and the Bluetooth module And a power ON / OFF means for automatically turning on the power of the printing apparatus upon receiving the connection notification and turning off the power of the printing apparatus upon receiving the disconnection notification from the Bluetooth module. Printing device.

[Selection] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus capable of wireless communication such as Bluetooth communication and a control method thereof.

  A conventional printing apparatus includes a printing apparatus having an automatic power ON / OFF function. This conventional apparatus is turned on when printing data is received via the network. Further, the power is automatically turned off when a predetermined time has elapsed since the end of printing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Further, in the conventional printing apparatus, the fact that data has been received and the end of printing are notified to the user by lighting or blinking the built-in LED.
JP 09-081339 A

  The conventional printing apparatus is turned on with the reception of data as a trigger. Therefore, after the print data is actually received, an initialization sequence for turning on the power is executed. Therefore, there is a problem that a time lag occurs between the time when printing is instructed and the time when printing is performed.

  In addition, since the power is turned off triggered by the absence of data reception, when turning off the power, it is necessary to determine that no more data is transmitted, and it is difficult to take the timing of automatic power off. There is a problem that there is.

  An object of the present invention is to quickly control the power supply of a printing apparatus.

  Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to reduce the time lag until actual printing is performed, compared with the case where the power of the printing apparatus is turned on with data reception as a trigger.

Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to clearly notify that a wireless connection is established, rather than using a LED or the like.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus including a wireless communication unit and a power control unit that receives a wireless connection state from the wireless communication unit and performs power control of the printing unit.

  In addition, the printing apparatus includes: a determination unit that determines a wireless connection state received from the wireless communication unit; and a power control unit that performs power control of the printing unit in accordance with the determination by the determination unit.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a printing apparatus control method comprising: a determination step of determining a wireless connection state received from a wireless communication unit; and a power control step of performing power control of the printing unit in accordance with the determination in the determination step. is there.

  According to the present invention, the time lag until printing is actually performed can be reduced. In addition, since the power is turned off when the radio is disconnected, it is possible to easily determine the timing when data is not received.

In addition, since the user is notified that the wireless connection is established by the sound of the buzzer, the notification can be clearly made as compared with the notification by the LED or the like. Therefore, there is an effect that it is easy to recognize that printing is ready regardless of where the remote operation is performed.

  The best mode for carrying out the invention is the following embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a printing apparatus P1 that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The printing apparatus 1 includes a Bluetooth module 10, a CPU 20, a printing mechanism 30, and a notification receiving unit 40.

  The Bluetooth module 10 includes an RF unit 11, a BaseBand processing unit 12, and a connection / disconnection notification unit 13, and performs wireless communication with a host device by Bluetooth communication.

  The BaseBand processing unit 12 has a Bluetooth connection / disconnection detection unit 121 and uses the connection / disconnection notification unit 13 to notify the CPU 20 of the connection / disconnection of the Bluetooth.

  The CPU 20 is an example of a print engine unit, and receives a connection / disconnection notification from the Bluetooth module 10 using the notification receiving unit 40. Further, the CPU 20 starts from the sleep state with the connection / disconnection notification as a trigger.

  Further, the CPU 20 receives a connection notification from the Bluetooth module to automatically turn on the power of the printing apparatus, and further receives a disconnection notification from the Bluetooth module to turn off the printing apparatus. It is an example.

  The notification receiving unit 40 is configured by electrical logic or the like external to the CPU 20.

  Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printing apparatus P1.

  Here, the CPU 20 is in the sleep state or the activated state at the time of Start, and the printing apparatus P1 is set to use the automatic power ON / OFF function from Bluetooth, and the CPU 20 and the printing mechanism 30 are in the power state. Regardless, it is assumed that the power of the Bluetooth module 10 and the power of the notification receiving unit 40 are always on.

  First, the printing apparatus P1 receives the notification from the Bluetooth module 10 by the notification receiving unit 40 (S1).

  The notification receiving means 40 simultaneously determines the contents of this notification. If the received notification is a connection notification (S2), then the notification receiving means 40 determines whether or not the CPU 20 is in an activated state (S3).

  If the CPU 20 is in an activated state, the CPU 20 is already in a data reception waiting state (S7), and is in a state of receiving and printing the print data sent from the Bluetooth module 10.

  On the other hand, if the CPU 20 is not in the activated state, the notification receiving means 40 triggers to activate the CPU 20 using a technique such as NMI (S4). When the CPU 20 is activated, it continuously turns on the power of the printing mechanism 30 (S5), and executes an initialization process necessary for printing (S6). Then, the process proceeds to a state of waiting for reception of the print data sent from the Bluetooth module 10 (S7).

  On the other hand, if the notification is a disconnection notification as a result of the determination by the notification receiving means 40 (S8), it is subsequently determined whether or not the CPU 20 is in an activated state (S9). If the CPU 20 is not in the activated state, the disconnection notification is ignored, and if it is in the activated state, the CPU 20 performs a termination process for the printing apparatus P1 (S10).

  Thereafter, the power supply of the printing mechanism 30 is turned off (S11), and the CPU 20 shifts itself to the sleep state (S12). Then, a subsequent connection notification is awaited.

  As described above, since the automatic power supply of the printing apparatus P1 is turned on with a connection from Bluetooth as a trigger, initialization processing is performed in advance before data reception, and initialization is performed at the time of actual printing. Printing can be started without waiting time.

In addition, since the power supply of the printing apparatus P1 is automatically turned off with the disconnection from Bluetooth as a trigger, it is not necessary to turn the power supply of the printing apparatus P1 unnecessarily. Easy to understand.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a printing apparatus P2 that is Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  The printing apparatus P2 is basically the same as the printing apparatus P1, and is different from the printing apparatus P1 only in that the ringing device 50 is provided in the printing apparatus P1.

  The ringing device 50 is a device that rings under the control of the CPU 20.

  Next, the operation of the printing apparatus P2 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printing apparatus P2.

  The operation of the printing apparatus P2 is basically the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, and only the operation in which the ringing device 50 rings (S21) is inserted between S6 and S7. 2 is different from the flowchart shown in FIG.

  That is, the printing apparatus P2 first receives a connection notification from the Bluetooth module 10 (S1, S2), and performs an activation process appropriately depending on the state of the CPU 20 (S3, S4, S5, S6). Thereafter, the ringing device 50 rings in order to notify the user that the printing apparatus P2 has entered the data reception state (S21). Then, it enters a data reception waiting state (S7).

  According to the printing apparatus P2, by receiving a connection notification from Bluetooth and ringing the ringing apparatus 50, the user can be notified that printing is ready, and the selected printing apparatus can be It can be notified that the printing apparatus P2 is selected as a connection target by the user.

  According to the above embodiment, since the printing apparatuses P1 and P2 are turned on when printing is instructed, the time lag until actual printing is performed is minimized compared to the case where data reception is a trigger. It can be suppressed. In addition, since the power of the printing apparatuses P1 and P2 is turned off when the user's printing is finished, it is not necessary to take the timing to turn off the power.

Further, according to the printing apparatus P2, when notifying the user that the Bluetooth connection is established, the buzzer is sounded to notify the user, so even if it is difficult to know where the printing apparatus is, the Bluetooth connection can be established by the user. Can be clearly notified.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a printing apparatus P1 that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printing apparatus P1. It is a block diagram which shows printing apparatus P2 which is Example 2 of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the printing apparatus P2.

Explanation of symbols

P1, P2 ... Printing device,
10 ... Bluetooth module,
11 ... RF section,
12 ... Bluetooth processing unit,
121. Connection / disconnection detection means,
13: Connection / disconnection notification means,
20 ... CPU,
30: Printing mechanism,
40. Notification receiving means,
50 ... Ringing device.

Claims (6)

A wireless communication unit;
In response to the wireless connection state from the wireless communication unit, power control means for performing power control of the printing unit,
A printing apparatus comprising: In claim 1,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power control unit turns on the power of the printing unit when receiving a wireless connection notification from the wireless communication unit. In claim 1,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power control unit turns off the power of the printing unit when receiving a wireless disconnection notification from the wireless communication unit. In claim 1,
A printing apparatus comprising sounding means for sounding in response to a wireless connection notification from the wireless communication unit. Determining means for determining a wireless connection state received from the wireless communication unit;
A printing apparatus comprising power control means for performing power control of a printing unit in accordance with the determination by the determination means. A determination step of determining a wireless connection state received from the wireless communication unit;
In accordance with the determination in the determination step, a power control step for performing power control of the printing unit,
A control method for a printing apparatus, comprising:

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