A method, device and medium for improving data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, device and medium for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer. The method is implemented on the device side, including: actively sending a REPORT RECORD control word to the printer when a task to be printed is detected; after sending the REPORT RECORD control word to the printer, starting a waiting timer; until the waiting timer times out, if the ENQ control word sent by the printer is still not received, resending the REPORT RECORD control word to the printer and restarting the waiting timer; if the ENQ control word sent by the printer is received, negotiating the printing task and data transmission process with the printer. The present invention uses a custom REPORT RECORD control word that complies with the ARINC 744A‑1 specification to actively report the status of the print task to be sent to improve the data transmission efficiency of the printer ARINC 429 bus.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of avionics technology, and in particular to a method, a device and a medium for improving data transmission efficiency of an airborne printer. Background Art

[0002] The ARINC 744A-1 specification was adopted by the AEEC (Aviation Electronics Technical Committee) in February 1994. The specification provides design guidance, operational capabilities and standards for the second-generation full-format printers used in the commercial aviation field, ensuring the interoperability of the equipment. Printers that follow the ARINC 744A-1 specification can quickly print high-resolution letters, numbers and graphics, and are compatible with the ARINC 740 specification that can only print characters, and are widely used in the commercial aviation field.

[0003] like Figure 1 As shown, a printer that complies with the ARINC 744A-1 specification can simultaneously connect up to eight devices through the A429 bus and receive corresponding printing tasks. The A429 bus is a data bus that complies with the ARINC 429 specification and is widely used for non-periodic data transmission between aviation system components.

[0004] At any time, the printer can only accept a print task from one device, and will accept the print task from the next device after the print task is completed. According to the ARINC 744A-1 specification, the printer uses the inquiry method to ask the devices in order from high to low priority to accept the print task.

[0005] The ARINC 744A-1 specification defines the corresponding control words and data words for data transmission of printing tasks between the printer and the device.

[0006] After the printer starts up and before it is ready to work, it will start discovering active devices.

[0007] The process of discovering active devices is used to discover whether the corresponding port of the A429 bus is connected to an active device and add it to the active port list. The active device periodically broadcasts the Label 172 control word (format as Figure 2 As shown, the control word carries the device ID), and the printer determines whether a port is connected to an active device by whether it receives the Label 172 control word from the corresponding port.

[0008] After the printer completes the process of discovering active devices, it starts to ask active devices whether they have print tasks according to the active port list and port priority. The process of an active device n negotiating a print task with the printer and the printer receiving a print task is as follows: Figure 3 shown.

[0009] The printer first actively sends an ENQ (Enquire) control word to device n to inquire whether there is a print job at this time. The format of the ENQ control word is defined as follows: Figure 4 As shown in the figure. PAL is the Printer Address Label, which is used to indicate a printer. SAL is the System Address Label, which is used to indicate a device. ENQ is the "ENQ" character in the ASCII code, which is used to indicate the type of control word.

[0010] If device n has a print task at this time, device n must reply to the printer with an RTS (Request to Send) control word within 500ms after the printer sends the ENQ control word. The format of the RTS control word is defined as follows: Figure 5 As shown in the figure, RECORD COUNT is used to indicate the number of RECORDs included in the print task (a print task includes multiple RECORDs). DC2 is the "DC2" character in the ASCII code, which is used to indicate the type of control word.

[0011] When the printer replies with the CTS (Clear to Send) control word, both parties will start the printing task interaction process.

[0012] When the printer receives a print task and completes printing, it sends an ENQ control word to ask the next peripheral device in turn whether it has a print task based on the active port list and port priority (port 1 has the highest priority and port 8 has the lowest priority).

[0013] like Figure 6 As shown, in general, after the printer queries all the current active ports in turn, if there are still inactive ports at this time, the printer will discover active devices for an inactive port. The printer monitors whether the inactive port can receive the Label 172 control word. The broadcast frequency of the Label 172 control word is 1Hz. If the printer does not receive the Label 172 control word after monitoring for three seconds, it determines that the port is still an inactive port, otherwise the port is an active port, and the active port list is shown.

[0014] Under this inquiry mechanism, if a device has a print task and misses the inquiry opportunity, it will have to wait until the next inquiry of the printer to transmit the print task. During this period, in the worst case, it will go through a round of inquiry process and a process of discovering active devices. The printer can only execute one print task at any time, and the inquiry and discovery mechanisms of active devices lead to response delays for bursty print tasks, resulting in low data transmission efficiency. In actual application scenarios, print tasks are all bursty. Under the framework of the ARINC 744A-1 specification, there is currently no solution to effectively solve the problem of low data transmission efficiency of print tasks in the case of multiple devices. Summary of the invention

[0015] Therefore, in order to solve the problem of low data transmission efficiency caused by the response delay of bursty printing tasks under the existing printing mechanism, the present invention provides a method for improving the data transmission efficiency of the onboard printer. The method of the present invention adopts the REPORT RECORD control word active reporting mechanism based on the custom format to improve the data transmission efficiency of the printing task.

[0016] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0017] A method for improving data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer, the method being implemented on a device side, comprising:

[0018] When a print job is detected, the REPORT RECORD control word is actively sent to the printer;

[0019] After sending the REPORT RECORD control word to the printer, start the waiting timer;

[0020] Until the waiting timer times out, if the ENQ control word sent by the printer is still not received, the REPORT RECORD control word is resent to the printer and the waiting timer is restarted;

[0021] If the ENQ control word sent by the printer is received, the printing task and data transmission process are negotiated with the printer.

[0022] The device of the present invention actively informs the printer of the print request through the REPORT RECORD control word that complies with the ARINC 744A-1 specification, so that the printer skips the inquiry and discovery of active devices according to the current print request situation and combines the port priority mechanism to quickly respond to the device's request. This fundamentally avoids the problem of print response delay caused by the inquiry and discovery of active devices in the case of multiple devices, and low data transmission efficiency of the print task.

[0023] As a preferred embodiment, the REPORT RECORD control word of the present invention includes 32 bits;

[0024] Among them, the 1-8 bit field is the PAL field, indicating the printer address mark;

[0025] The 9-16 bit field is the RECORD COUNT field, which indicates the number of RECORDs of the current task to be printed;

[0026] The 17-24 bit field is a 0 field;

[0027] The 25-31 bit field is the DC1 field, which represents the "DC1" character in the ASCII code;

[0028] The 32-bit field is the Parity field, which indicates the parity bit.

[0029] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer, the method being implemented on the printer side, comprising:

[0030] When receiving the REPORT RECORD control word sent by the device, update the port print status table;

[0031] Check whether there is a print task in the port print status table. If yes, select the corresponding port to send the ENQ control word to the device to start the print task transmission process. After the transmission is completed, update the port print status table; otherwise, query and discover the active device process according to the definition in the ARINC744A-1 specification.

[0032] As a preferred embodiment, the REPORT RECORD control word of the present invention includes 32 bits;

[0033] Among them, the 1-8 bit field is the PAL field, indicating the printer address mark;

[0034] The 9-16 bit field is the RECORD COUNT field, which indicates the number of RECORDs of the current task to be printed;

[0035] The 17-24 bit field is a 0 field;

[0036] The 25-31 bit field is the DC1 field, which represents the "DC1" character in the ASCII code;

[0037] The 32-bit field is the Parity field, which indicates the parity bit.

[0038] As a preferred embodiment, the port printing status table of the present invention includes a port serial number column, an active status column and a RECORD COUNT column;

[0039] Among them, the port number column indicates the port number;

[0040] The Active Status column indicates whether the port is active or not;

[0041] The RECORD COUNT column indicates the number of RECORDs of the current print task on the port.

[0042] As a preferred embodiment, the active status column of the port printing status table of the present invention is updated according to the process of discovering active devices;

[0043] The RECORD COUNT column of the port status table is updated according to the RECORDCOUNT field of the received REPORT RECORD control word.

[0044] As a preferred embodiment, the method of the present invention further comprises: receiving a REPORT RECORD control word in real time and updating a port printing status table during the process of executing printing, querying an active device, or discovering an active device.

[0045] As a preferred embodiment, the method of the present invention further comprises: when multiple REPORT RECORD control words of the same active port are received and have not been processed preferentially, updating the port printing status table using the most recently received REPORT RECORD control word.

[0046] As a preferred embodiment, the method of the present invention also includes: when it is detected that there are multiple active ports in the port printing status table that have tasks to be printed, the port that is about to initiate the inquiry process is selected according to the priority of the active ports, and an ENQ control word is sent to transmit data of the printing task with it.

[0047] As a preferred embodiment, the method of the present invention further includes: setting the printer not to continuously respond to the print request of the same port according to the port print status table.

[0048] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer, comprising:

[0049] When detecting that there is a task to be printed, the device actively sends a REPORT RECORD control word to the printer; after sending the REPORT RECORD control word to the printer, the waiting timer is started;

[0050] The printer receives the REPORT RECORD control word and updates the port printing status table;

[0051] The printer detects whether there is a print task in the port print status table. If yes, it selects the corresponding port to send the ENQ control word to the device to start the print task transmission process; otherwise, it inquires and discovers the active device process according to the definition in the ARINC744A-1 specification;

[0052] If the device receives the ENQ control word sent by the printer before the waiting timer times out, it will transmit the print task data; if the device still does not receive the ENQ control word sent by the printer after the waiting timer times out, it will resend the REPORT RECORD control word and restart the waiting timer;

[0053] The printer updates the port printing status table after the print task data transmission is completed.

[0054] In a fourth aspect, the present invention proposes a computer device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor implements the steps of the method implemented on the device side or the printer side of the present invention when executing the computer program.

[0055] In a fifth aspect, the present invention proposes a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method implemented on the device side or the printer side of the present invention.

[0056] The present invention has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0057] 1. Compared with the existing printer based on ARINC 744A-1 specification, which adopts the inquiry mechanism to receive print tasks from multiple devices, resulting in low print data transmission efficiency, the present invention adopts the custom REPORT RECORD control word that complies with the ARINC744A-1 specification to actively report the status of the print task to be sent to improve the data transmission efficiency of the printer ARINC 429 bus.

[0058] 2. The present invention is fully compatible with the ARINC 744A-1 specification. Printers and devices supporting the features of the present invention can still be interconnected with devices and printers complying with the ARINC 744A-1 specification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, constitute a part of this application, and do not constitute a limitation of the embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0060] Figure 1 Connection topology diagram for the ARINC 744A-1 printer.

[0061] Figure 2This is the control word format of Label 172.

[0062] Figure 3 The figure is a schematic diagram of the existing printing task transmission process.

[0063] Figure 4 It is the ENQ control word format.

[0064] Figure 5 It is the RTS control word format.

[0065] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the process of interaction between an existing printer and multiple devices.

[0066] Figure 7 This is the custom REPORT RECORD control word format of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] Figure 8 The device side working flow diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the printer side workflow according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] Fig.10 The figure is a functional block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with embodiments and drawings. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their description are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0071] Example 1

[0072] In view of the problem that the printing response is delayed due to the process of querying and discovering active devices in the existing multi-device situation, and the data transmission efficiency of the printing task is low, this embodiment proposes a method for improving the data transmission efficiency of the onboard printer.

[0073] In this embodiment, the REPORT RECORD control word is set within the scope allowed by the ARINC 744A-1 specification, and its format is as follows: Figure 7 As shown in Table 1, the REPORT RECORD control word has a total of 32 bits, of which the 1-8 bit field is the PAL field, indicating the printer address mark; the 9-16 bit field is the RECORD COUNT field, indicating the RECORD number of the current task to be printed; the 17-24 bit field is the 0 field; the 25-31 bit field is the DC1 field, indicating the "DC1" character in the ASCII code; the 32-bit field is the Parity field, indicating the parity bit; as shown in Table 1.

[0074] Table 1 REPORT RECORD control word definition

[0075]

[0076] Based on the above-mentioned custom REPORT RECORD control word, when there is a print task, the device actively informs the printer of the print request through the REPORT RECORD control word; the printer maintains a port print status table for all active ports, and according to the print request situation at this time, combined with the port priority mechanism, skips the query and discovery process of active devices, and quickly responds to the device's print request, thereby fundamentally avoiding the problem of print response delays caused by the query and discovery process of active devices in the case of multiple devices, and low data transmission efficiency of print tasks, and greatly improving the data transmission efficiency of print tasks in the case of multiple devices.

[0077] Based on the custom REPORT RECORD control word proposed in the above embodiment 1, the method of this embodiment is implemented on the device side as follows: Figure 8 As shown, including:

[0078] Real-time monitoring is performed, and when a task to be printed is detected, a custom REPORT RECORD control word is actively sent to the printer; wherein the RECORD COUNT field in the custom REPORT RECORD control word contains the RECORD number of the task to be printed.

[0079] After sending the REPORT RECORD control word to the printer, start the waiting timer (which can be set to 1 second);

[0080] If the ENQ control word sent by the printer is received before the waiting timer times out, the active sending state process is terminated (i.e., the waiting timer is stopped), and the printing task and data transmission process are negotiated with the printer; if the ENQ control word sent by the printer is not received until the waiting timer times out, the custom REPORT RECORD control word is resent to the printer and the waiting timer is restarted;

[0081] Based on the above-mentioned custom REPORT RECORD control word, the method of this embodiment is implemented on the printer side as follows: Fig. 9 As shown, including:

[0082] When the REPORT RECORD control word is received, the port print status table is updated;

[0083] Check whether there is a print task in the port print status table. If yes, select the corresponding port to send the ENQ control word to the device to start the print task transmission process. After the transmission is completed, update the port print status table; otherwise, query and discover the active device process according to the definition in the ARINC744A-1 specification.

[0084] In this embodiment, 8 ports are taken as an example to illustrate the port printing status table. The definition and examples of the port printing status table items are shown in Table 2.

[0085] Table 2 Port print status table and example

[0086] Port number Active Status RECORD COUNT 1 active 0 2 active 0 3 active 8 4 active 0 5 Inactive 0 6 Inactive 0 7 active 2 8 Inactive 0

[0087] In this embodiment, the port printing status table update process includes:

[0088] Refresh the RECORD COUNT item of the corresponding port in the port print status table according to the RECORD COUNT field of the received REPORT RECORD control word.

[0089] In addition, the active status item of the port printing status table is updated according to the process of discovering active devices.

[0090] When executing tasks such as printing, querying active devices or discovering active devices, the method of this embodiment can still process the REPORT RECORD control word sent by the corresponding port and update the port printing status table, that is, the port printing status table in this embodiment is updated in real time.

[0091] In order to solve the problems of conflicts among multiple devices or continuous repeated requests from one device, the method of this embodiment further sets the following mechanism:

[0092] When multiple REPORT RECORD control words are received for the same active port and have not been processed in priority, the most recently received REPORT RECORD control word is used to update the port print status table.

[0093] If there are multiple active ports whose RECORD COUNT is not 0 (ie, there are multiple active ports with pending printing tasks), the port to be initiated for the inquiry process is selected according to the priority of the active ports, and an ENQ control word is sent to transmit the data of the printing task with it.

[0094] After the print task is executed preferentially according to the port print status table, the corresponding RECORD COUNT value in the port print status table must be cleared, that is, the port print status table is updated to facilitate the device to make a new transmission request later.

[0095] In order to prevent a device from actively and continuously sending REPORT RECORD control words to obtain the right to use the printer, causing the print requests of other devices to be unable to respond, the printer is set not to continuously respond to the print requests of the same port according to the port print status table.

[0096] This embodiment further proposes an electronic device for executing the method implemented on the device side of this embodiment and / or for executing the method implemented on the printer side of this embodiment.

[0097] like Fig.10 As shown, the electronic device includes a processor, an internal memory and a system bus; various device components including the internal memory and the processor are connected to the system bus. The processor is a piece of hardware used to execute computer program instructions through basic arithmetic and logical operations in a computer system. The internal memory is a physical device used to temporarily or permanently store computer programs or data (for example, program status information). The system bus can be any of the following types of bus structures, including a memory bus or a storage controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus. The processor and the internal memory can communicate data through the system bus. The internal memory includes a read-only memory (ROM) or a flash memory (not shown in the figure), and a random access memory (RAM), and RAM generally refers to the main memory loaded with an operating system and a computer program.

[0098] An electronic device generally includes an external storage device. The external storage device can be selected from a variety of computer-readable media, which refers to any available media that can be accessed by a computer device, including both removable and fixed media. For example, computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, flash memory (micro SD card), CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic tape cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computer device.

[0099] Electronic devices can be logically connected to one or more network terminals in a network environment. Network terminals can be personal computers, servers, routers, smart phones, tablets, or other public network nodes. Computer devices are connected to network terminals through network interfaces (local area network LAN interfaces). A local area network (LAN) is a network of computers interconnected within a limited area, such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building using network media. WiFi and twisted pair cabling Ethernet are the two most commonly used technologies for building LANs.

[0100] It should be noted that other computer systems including more or fewer subsystems than the electronic device can also be applicable to the invention.

[0101] Example 2

[0102] Based on the custom REPORT RECORD control word proposed in the above embodiment 1, this embodiment further proposes a method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer, the method comprising:

[0103] When detecting a task to be printed, the device actively sends a custom REPORT RECORD control word to the printer; after sending the REPORT RECORD control word to the printer, the waiting timer is started;

[0104] The printer receives the REPORT RECORD control word and updates the port printing status table;

[0105] The printer detects whether there is a print task in the port print status table. If yes, it selects the corresponding port to send the ENQ control word to the device to start the print task transmission process; otherwise, it inquires and discovers the active device process according to the definition in the ARINC744A-1 specification;

[0106] If the device receives the ENQ control word sent by the printer before the waiting timer times out, it will transmit the print task data; if the device still does not receive the ENQ control word sent by the printer after the waiting timer times out, it will resend the REPORT RECORD control word and restart the waiting timer;

[0107] The printer updates the port printing status table after the print task data transmission is completed.

[0108] The specific implementation methods described above further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific implementation method of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer, characterized in that: The method is implemented on the device side and includes: When a print job is detected, the REPORT RECORD control word is actively sent to the printer; After sending the REPORT RECORD control word to the printer, start the waiting timer; Until the waiting timer times out, if the ENQ control word sent by the printer is still not received, the REPORTRECORD control word is resent to the printer and the waiting timer is restarted; If the ENQ control word sent by the printer is received, the printing task and data transmission process are negotiated with the printer; the REPORT RECORD control word includes 32 bits; Among them, the 1-8 bit field is the PAL field, indicating the printer address mark; The 9-16 bit field is the RECORD COUNT field, which indicates the number of RECORDs of the current task to be printed; The 17-24 bit field is a 0 field; The 25-31 bit field is the DC1 field, which represents the "DC1" character in the ASCII code; The 32-bit field is the Parity field, which indicates the parity bit.

2. A method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer, characterized in that: The method is implemented on the printer side and includes: When receiving the REPORT RECORD control word sent by the device, update the port print status table; Detect whether there is a print task in the port print status table. If yes, select the corresponding port to send the ENQ control word to the device to start the print task transmission process, and update the port print status table after the transmission is completed; otherwise, query and discover the active device process according to the definition in the ARINC744A-1 specification; the REPORT RECORD control word includes 32 bits; Among them, the 1-8 bit field is the PAL field, indicating the printer address mark; The 9-16 bit field is the RECORD COUNT field, which indicates the number of RECORDs of the current task to be printed; The 17-24 bit field is a 0 field; The 25-31 bit field is the DC1 field, which represents the "DC1" character in the ASCII code; The 32-bit field is the Parity field, which indicates the parity bit.

3. A method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The port printing status table includes a port serial number column, an active status column and a RECORD COUNT column; Among them, the port number column indicates the port number; The Active Status column indicates whether the port is active or not; The RECORD COUNT column indicates the number of RECORDs of the current print task on the port.

4. A method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The active status column of the port printing status table is updated according to the process of discovering active devices; The RECORD COUNT column of the port status table is updated according to the RECORDCOUNT field of the received REPORT RECORD control word.

5. A method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: During the process of executing printing, querying active devices, or discovering active devices, the REPORT RECORD control word is received in real time and the port printing status table is updated.

6. A method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: When multiple REPORT RECORD control words are received for the same active port and have not been processed in priority, the most recently received REPORT RECORD control word is used to update the port print status table.

7. A method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: When it is detected that there are multiple active ports in the port printing status table that all have print tasks to be printed, the port to be initiated for the inquiry process is selected according to the priority of the active ports, and an ENQ control word is sent to perform data transmission of the print task with it.

8. A method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: Set the printer not to continuously respond to print requests from the same port according to the port print status table.

9. A method for improving the data transmission efficiency of an onboard printer, characterized in that: include: When detecting a print job, the device actively sends the REPORT RECORD control word to the printer; After sending the REPORT RECORD control word to the printer, start the waiting timer; The printer receives the REPORT RECORD control word and updates the port printing status table; The printer detects whether there is a print task in the port print status table. If yes, it selects the corresponding port to send the ENQ control word to the device to start the print task transmission process; otherwise, it inquires and discovers the active device process according to the definition in the ARINC744A-1 specification; If the device receives the ENQ control word sent by the printer before the waiting timer times out, the print task data transmission is performed; If the device still does not receive the ENQ control word sent by the printer when the waiting timer times out, it will resend the REPORT RECORD control word and restart the waiting timer. The printer updates the port printing status table after the print task data transmission is completed; The REPORT RECORD control word includes 32 bits; Among them, the 1-8 bit field is the PAL field, indicating the printer address mark; The 9-16 bit field is the RECORD COUNT field, which indicates the number of RECORDs of the current task to be printed; The 17-24 bit field is a 0 field; The 25-31 bit field is the DC1 field, which represents the "DC1" character in the ASCII code; The 32-bit field is the Parity field, which indicates the parity bit.

10. An electronic device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, wherein: When the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 are implemented.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 are implemented.

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