JP2836092B2 - Image supply device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image supply device that supplies digitized image data to a printing unit of a printer or a screen of a display device via a bitmap memory.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of device, an intermediate code, which is easy to develop input code data taken from a host computer or the like into a bitmap memory, is once converted into data and is then subjected to random access memory (hereinafter, referred to as “RAM”). After storing the image data in a predetermined storage area or the like, the image data for the recorded image is expanded in the bitmap memory based on the data of the intermediate code.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, the data of the intermediate code generally has a large data amount, and therefore, a large-capacity memory is required for the RAM of the image supply device, and the converted intermediate code data is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM. It takes a long storage time to store the data in the storage area, and the central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as “CPU”) engaged in storing the data of the intermediate code becomes longer, which lowers other processing efficiency. was there.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in addition to reducing the amount of RAM, a CPU engaged in storing intermediate code data by shortening the storage time of intermediate code data
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image supply device capable of reducing the exclusive use time of an image.

[Means for solving the problem]

According to the present invention, in an image supply device which takes in an input code having a data portion and a command composed of image data from a host computer or the like and forms image data corresponding to a recorded image from the input code, the command is analyzed by analyzing the command. A CPU comprising header section creating means for creating a header section of an intermediate code including parameters for recording data, and information adding means for adding pointer information to the data section to the header section of the created intermediate code; And a header storage means such as a RAM for storing a header of the intermediate code to which the pointer information is added, and the pointer information suggests the image data of the input code, and the suggested image data is The image corresponding to the recorded image is determined according to the parameter of the header section. The CP for converting processed data
U, a conversion processing means such as a bit map memory.

[Action]

By adding pointer information to the header part of the intermediate code created by the header part creating means to indicate the data part of the image data of the input code, without converting the image data of the input code into data of the intermediate code, The image data of the input code is directly converted into image data corresponding to the parameters of the header portion and is developed and formed in a bit map memory.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to convert the image data of the data portion of the input code into an intermediate code.
The capacity of M can be reduced, and the storage time of the data of the intermediate code can be shortened, whereby the time of the conversion process can be shortened.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings of FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline when an image supply device according to the present invention is used in an image recording device such as a laser beam printer. In the figure, an image recording device includes an image supply device 11, a recording unit 12, and an AC power supply 13 for driving these.
And a panel 14 for inputting instructions necessary for a recording operation such as a magnification and a paper size from a user.

The image supply device 11 has a host interface connection terminal
It receives data consisting of an input code input from a host computer (not shown) via the interface 15 and generates image data for recording a predetermined image from the input code. Further, the image supply device 11 is provided with a LAN connection terminal 16 for connection to a local area network or the like.

The recording unit 12 is a device that records an image on a recording paper 17 by an image signal 18 corresponding to image data. The recording unit 12 receives an image signal 18 and an operation command 19 from the image supply device 11, while the image supply device A synchronization pulse 20 and a state signal 21 for synchronizing 11 with the recording operation are output to the image supply device 11. Image signal 18 from image supply device 11
Is input to a laser beam modulator (not shown), for example, the polarization plane of the laser beam passing through the modulator is rotated in accordance with the image signal 18 by an electro-optic effect. Is converted into an optical on / off signal of a laser beam, and an image corresponding to the image signal is recorded on the recording paper 17.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the image supply device 11 shown in FIG. In the figure, a host interface 31 (hereinafter, “interface” is referred to as “I / F”) is a circuit that receives input code data input from a host computer, for example, according to the RS232C standard.
The panel I / F 32 is a circuit for inputting an instruction from the panel 14 operated by the user. The recording unit I / F 33 is a circuit that relays each signal including the image signal 18 transmitted and received between the image supply device 11 and the recording unit 12 shown in FIG.

The program memories 34 and 35 store an operation program of the CPU 36 including a program for performing image conversion processing according to the present invention. Random access memory (hereinafter
"RAM". 37) stores various data for the operation of the CPU 36, data of an input code input from the host I / F 31, a header part of an intermediate code created by analyzing a command included in the input code, and the like. doing. Note that the input code data has a data portion and a command including image data, text code data, and the like,
The header part of the intermediate code includes parameters for recording the image data of the data part. Also, it is assumed that all text code data is converted into intermediate code data as in the conventional case.

The header part of the intermediate code has a data structure as shown in FIG. 3, for example. Here, ID is an identifier for identifying image data and text code data, LO is a parameter for selecting a logical operation when drawing data in a bitmap memory 38 described later, and GR is a drawing density for drawing the data. The parameters to be specified, IO, DO, and M / L, are parameters that specify the arrangement of data when drawing.
M / L is a parameter determined by the standard of the printer used, Mx and Rx are parameters indicating the magnification in the X direction, M
y, Ry are parameters indicating the magnification in the Y direction, Start x, St
art y is a parameter indicating the start position of data in the X and Y directions at the time of drawing, the number of xdots and the number of ydots are a parameter indicating the number of dots drawn in the X and Y directions at the time of drawing, and pointer information to image data Is information indicating the start address of image data in the input code data stored in the RAM 37. Among the commands of the input code data, the identifier ID is, for example, a command for drawing bitmap data image xy psx psy pcx pcy
(+/-) for image, IO and DO for (+/-), M
x, Rx to psx, My, Ry to psy, Start x to pcx, Start
y corresponds to each parameter of pcy. Further, the LO is, for example, a command pntmode sop for selecting a drawing mode among the commands of the input code data,
Corresponds to, for example, a command setgray n for specifying a gray value among the commands of the input code data.

The bitmap memory 38 stores the recording paper in the recording unit 12.
The image recorded on 17 is stored in a bitmap format for one page, for example. Also, character pattern memory 3
Reference numerals 9 and 40 store character patterns composed of a dot matrix. Among these memories, the program memory 35 and the character pattern memory 40 are detachable memories, and are replaced by replacing them as necessary.
Various types of programs and character patterns can be used.

The CPU 36 controls the above devices in a time-division manner via the CPU bus 41 based on the operation programs stored in the program memories 34 and 35, temporarily stores input code data input from the host computer in the RAM 37, and The stored input code data is converted into desired image data in accordance with the operation program according to the present invention, and is rendered in the bitmap memory 38. The bitmap controller 42 controls access timing and addresses to the bitmap memory 38, and
Is transferred to the recording unit I / F33. The PTC 43 is a known programmable time counter that measures the operation time of the CPU 36, generates a timing signal, and the like.

Next, the conversion processing operation according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a routine of a code conversion operation for converting input code data into intermediate code data. First, when input code data input from the host computer is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM (step 101), the CP
U36 analyzes the command of the stored input code data (step 102). Then, by this analysis, it is determined whether the data part of the input code data is image data or text code data (step 103).

Here, if the data part is text code data, an intermediate code of the text code data is created according to the analyzed command as in the related art (step 10).
Four). If the data part is image data, an intermediate code of only the header part of the image data as shown in FIG. 3 is created according to the analyzed command (step 105). Next, after the intermediate code in the header portion, pointer information indicating the head address of the image data among the input code data stored in the RAM 37 is added and stored in the intermediate code buffer of the RAM 37 (step 106). , End the above operation.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a routine of an image forming operation for expanding image data in the bit map memory 38. The CPU 36 first reads a header portion of the intermediate code from the intermediate code buffer (step 201), and reads the identifier ID of the header portion. Is determined to indicate image data or text code data (step 20).
2).

If the identifier ID indicates text code data, the character pattern of the corresponding code is read from the character pattern memory in accordance with the identifier ID of the intermediate code, and the character pattern is stored in the bitmap memory 38.
Expand it up (step 203). When the identifier ID indicates image data, the image data of the input code stored in the RAM 37 is read out according to the pointer information of the intermediate code shown in FIG. The read image data is developed on the bitmap memory 38 (step 20).
Four). Then, when the development of the character pattern or the image data in the bitmap memory 38 is completed, the image forming operation is completed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a signal transfer operation routine for transferring the image signal 18 to the recording unit 12. When the bitmap controller 42 receives a transfer start instruction from the recording unit 12, the bitmap controller 42 draws the image in the bitmap memory 38. For example, 1
The image data for the page is read, and a process of transmitting the image signal 18 corresponding to the image data to the recording unit 12 as raster data is performed (step 301).

4 to 6 are sequentially performed in a predetermined order under the control of the CPU 36 and the bitmap controller 42. That is, the CPU 36 creates a header portion of the intermediate code to which the pointer information is added by the code conversion routine, and furthermore, the image formation routine converts the image data of the input code of the first page according to each parameter of the header portion and the pointer information. The data is expanded in the bitmap memory 38. When the development of the image data is completed, the bitmap controller 42
Starts the process of transferring the image signal 18 corresponding to the image data of the first page to the recording unit 12. At the same time as the transfer of the image signal 18, the CPU 36 creates a header part of the intermediate code of the next second page. When the transfer of the image signal 18 of the first page is completed, the image data of the input code of the second page is developed in the bitmap memory 38 according to each parameter of the header section.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the command of the input code data is analyzed to create a header portion of the intermediate code, and pointer information is added to the header portion to indicate the image data of the input code, thereby obtaining the input code image data. Since the image data of the input code can be directly converted into image data corresponding to the parameters of the header portion and converted to the bitmap memory without converting the image data of the In addition to reducing the capacity of the RAM that stores the data, the manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced. Further, in the present invention, since the image data is stored as it is as the input code and only the header portion of the intermediate code is created from the command, the data amount of the intermediate code is reduced, and the storage time of the intermediate code data is shortened. Thus, the occupation time of the CPU involved in storing the data of the intermediate code can be reduced.

[Effect of the Invention] As described above, in the present invention, only the header part of the intermediate code is created from the command of the input code,
There is no need to convert the image data in the data section into intermediate codes, and the amount of RAM can be reduced, and the storage time of the intermediate code data can be shortened, thereby shortening the conversion processing time. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline when an image supply device according to the present invention is used in an image recording device such as a laser beam printer, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the image supply device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a header portion of the created intermediate code, and FIGS. 4 to 6 are flowcharts of respective routines for explaining the conversion processing operation of the image supply device shown in FIG. It is. 11 ... image supply device, 12 ... recording unit, 13 ... power supply, 14 ...
... panel, 18 ... image data, 31 ... host I / F, 32 ...
... Panel I / F, 33 ... Recording unit I / F, 34,35 ... Program memory, 36 ... Central processing unit (CPU), 37 ... RAM, 38 ...
... bitmap memory, 39, 40 ... character pattern memory, 41 ... CPU bus, 42 ... bitmap controller.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G06T 1/00-1/60 G06F 3/00 G09G 5/22 B41J 3/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image supply apparatus for taking in an input code having a data portion and a command composed of image data and forming image data corresponding to a recording image from the input code, wherein the command is analyzed to record the image data. Header creating means for creating a header part of an intermediate code including parameters for performing the above, information adding means for adding pointer information to the data part to the header part of the created intermediate code, and adding the pointer information A header section storing means for storing a header section of the intermediate code, and suggesting image data of the input code by the pointer information, and adding the suggested image data to the recording image in accordance with a parameter of the header section. Conversion processing means for performing conversion processing to corresponding image data The image supply device, characterized in that.