JP6568439B2 - Image processing apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing technique for reading and printing a document.

  In order to read a large document, a technique is known in which a plurality of image sensor units share a part of a large document and read the image data obtained by each sensor unit. For example, in Patent Document 1, a plurality of solid-state imaging devices are used to divide an image information reading area for each scanning line in the main scanning direction, and an overlapping area is provided at an adjacent end of the reading area. A technique for calculating a connection pixel by calculating a correlation is disclosed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 detects the inclination of the read image and calculates / sets a reading area necessary for the correction to cope with the case where the document is inclined with respect to the reading scanning direction at the time of reading. It is disclosed that tilt correction is performed using

  In addition, in an inkjet printer that ejects ink droplets and prints on a medium, high-speed output is possible by arranging multiple print heads so that they overlap each other in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of media such as printing paper. In addition, a technique for making the joints of overlapping portions inconspicuous is also known (Patent Document 3).

  In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for a larger document, and the number of sensor units tends to increase. In addition, there is a demand for higher resolution, and there is also a demand for more advanced image processing, so that the amount of calculation inside increases only.

JP-A-61-252871 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-079321 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-218753

  An effective means for increasing the amount of computation is parallel processing by a plurality of processors. For example, when the number of processors is N, in the case of image processing related to rotation correction when an original is read while being tilted, each processor performs image processing on a 1 / N area of the entire original image. The computation load on one processor can be substantially 1 / N in the case of a single processor. By using parallel processing, the time required for the processing can theoretically be reduced to 1 / N as compared with the case where image processing is performed by one processor.

  As described above, since the amount of image data is very large, the image data read by the sensor is temporarily stored in a memory such as a RAM. Each processor accesses the memory and performs image processing on the image data. However, there is a limit to the memory bandwidth, and even if N processors perform parallel processing, the memory bandwidth for one processor is 1 / N or less than that of the original. As a result, the time for image processing in parallel processing by N processors is much faster than the theoretical time as described above, although it is faster than the time for a single processor.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in particular, when a process of generating image data for printing from original image data obtained by reading is performed by parallel processing of a plurality of processors, the original is inclined and read. Therefore, it is intended to provide a technique for generating image data for printing at a high speed by reducing the influence of the memory bandwidth in the case of the above.

  Another invention is a technique that enables a plurality of processors to apply and efficiently perform distributed processing for various modes such as various enlargement and reduction copying when a document is read and printed. Is to provide.

In order to solve this problem, for example, an image processing apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is,
An image processing apparatus for reading a document,
A detection unit for detecting the inclination of the original when reading the original;
An image reading unit composed of a plurality of sensor units for reading and sharing a document;
A plurality of processors, each having a memory for storing image data obtained from each of the sensor units, and generating image data for printing from the image data stored in the memory;
In order to communicate between the plurality of processors, having a transmission bus connecting them,
Each of the plurality of processors is
Calculating means for calculating a region deficient with respect to the image data that should be shared according to the inclination angle of the document detected by the detecting means;
And obtaining means for obtaining the processor having the image data of the shortage area calculated by the calculating means by making a request via the transmission bus.

An image processing apparatus of another invention is an image processing apparatus for reading a document,
An image reading unit composed of a plurality of sensor units for reading and sharing a document;
A plurality of processors for storing image data obtained from each of the sensor units, and generating image data for printing from the image data stored in the memory;
Interposed between the plurality of processors and said plurality of sensor units, under the control of a given processor in the plurality of processors, switches the connection between each of the plurality of sensor body and each of the plurality of processors A switching unit;
In order to communicate between the plurality of processors, having a transmission bus connecting them,
The predetermined processor determines a connection relationship between the plurality of sensor units and the plurality of processors according to a mode instructed by a user, and controls the switching unit according to the determination,
Each of the plurality of processors receives, via the transmission bus, image data of a deficient area corresponding to the print area that the processor is responsible for, and executes a print process. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, when the process of generating image data for printing from the original image data obtained by reading is performed by parallel processing of a plurality of processors, the influence of the memory bandwidth particularly when the original is read at an inclination is affected. It is possible to generate image data for printing at a high speed with less than before.

  In addition, according to another invention, a plurality of processors can apply and efficiently perform distributed processing for various modes such as various enlargement and reduction copying when reading and printing a document. Become.

1 is a block configuration diagram of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment. The figure for demonstrating original reading processing. The figure for demonstrating a printing process. Explanatory drawing of the parallel movement of image data. The flowchart which shows the cutting-out process of an image. Explanatory drawing of the insufficient area | region of inclination correction. Explanatory drawing of the joining between sensors. The block block diagram of the image processing apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the image sensor switching part of 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process sequence in 2nd Embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the normal copy of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the relationship between the reading range of each sensor unit in the normal copy of 2nd Embodiment, and the printing range of each print head. The figure for demonstrating the expansion copy of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the relationship between the reading range of each sensor unit in the enlarged copy of 2nd Embodiment, and the printing range of each print head. The figure for demonstrating the reduction copy of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the relationship between the range which each sensor unit reads in the reduction copy of 2nd Embodiment, and the printing range of each print head. The figure for demonstrating the rotation copy of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the relationship between the reading range of each sensor unit in the rotary copying of 2nd Embodiment, and the printing range of each print head.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the embodiment described below is an example in the case where the present invention is specifically implemented, and is one of the specific embodiments having the configurations described in the claims. I want.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an image processing apparatus (image copying apparatus) to which the first embodiment is applied. This apparatus includes a plurality of processors (four processors 101 to 104 as an example in the embodiment) for image processing. The memories 111 to 114 are independently connected to the processors 101 to 104, respectively. Therefore, each processor can fully use the bandwidth of the memory connected to each processor. In addition, linear sensor units 121 to 124 constituting an image sensor unit (corresponding to an image reading unit) 120 are connected to the processors 101 to 104. The processors 101 to 104 are connected to specific ones of the print heads 131 to 138 constituting the print head unit 130. As shown in FIG. 1A, in the embodiment, one processor is connected to and controls one sensor unit and two print heads. The sensor units 121 to 124 each read a document image in a shared manner, and are arranged so that the reading ranges overlap each other. The print heads 131 to 138 are also arranged so as to overlap and record on the recording medium. A printing range by two adjacent print heads corresponds to a reading range by one sensor unit. FIG. 1A shows a configuration in which one processor is connected to one sensor unit and two print heads, but there is no particular limitation on the relationship between these numbers.

  The processors 101 to 104 are connected to each other by a data transmission path (transmission bus) 105, and are configured to be able to transmit and receive image data to each other. When three or more processors are communicably connected, the connection form of the data transmission path 105 may be any of a bus type, a star type, a daisy chain, and the like.

  The document inclination sensor unit 125 determines the inclination (angle) of a document to be read by the image sensor unit 120 with respect to a predetermined direction (in the embodiment, the axis of the arrangement direction of the sensor units 121 to 124 in the image sensor unit 120). It is to detect. The detected inclination is used as a parameter for the inclination correction processing of the read image.

  The document inclination sensor unit 125 is connected to a representative processor, which is the processor 101 in this embodiment. When the processor 101 receives the angle data indicating the inclination of the original detected by the original inclination sensor unit 125, the processor 101 supplies it to the other processors 102 to 104 via the data transmission path 105.

  The document inclination sensor unit 125 is a detection unit having a structure in which a plurality of sets of light emitting units and light receiving units opposed thereto are arranged. Then, when the document tilt sensor unit 125 moves relative to the document together with the image sensor 120, the document tilt sensor unit 125 detects a light shielding timing due to the passage of the front end (or the rear end) in the document transport direction. The document inclination sensor unit 125 detects the position on one side of the document from the time difference between the detection timings of the respective detection units and the document conveyance speed, and calculates the inclination. The document tilt sensor unit 125 may be any unit that detects the tilt angle of the document, and its principle and configuration are not particularly limited. For example, an ultrasonic sensor may be used, or a method of detecting an edge image, a character, or a line of a chart from image data obtained by the image sensor unit 120 is also possible.

  An outline of the operation related to the copying process of the image processing apparatus in the embodiment is as follows. Image data read by the image sensor unit 120 is supplied to the processors 101 to 104. Each processor temporarily stores the supplied image data in a memory under its management (for example, the memory 111 in the case of the processor 101). Then, the processors 101 to 104 perform predetermined image processing (RGB → YMCK conversion, γ correction, etc.) on the image data stored in the memories 111 to 114 and output the image data to the print head unit 130. Here, image processing in the processors 101 to 104 includes correction of input / output characteristics, gradation conversion, resolution conversion, correction of joints between sensor units, and joints between heads in addition to correction of document position and inclination, which will be described later. Corrections and so on are included.

  Although not specifically shown in FIG. 1A, it is assumed that a power supply circuit, a document transport unit, and the like are also provided in the apparatus. FIG. 1A shows an example in which the same number of print heads are connected to each processor. However, a configuration in which different print heads are connected to the processor as shown in FIG. In the case of FIG. 1B, print heads 133 and 134 are connected to the processor 102 and are in charge of printing in a range wider than the range readable by the sensor unit 122. As in the case of the parallel movement described later, a part of the image data read by the sensor unit 121 is received from the processor 101 via the data transmission path 105, so that the processor 102 can print the assigned range.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram regarding image reading of a document, and shows an example in which a document is scanned by moving it relative to a stationary image sensor unit 120. Note that a configuration in which the sensor unit 120 is moved with respect to a stationary document is possible, and in any case, a two-dimensional image can be read by relatively moving the document and the linear sensor unit.

  FIG. 2 shows an xy coordinate system based on the side of the document and a uv coordinate system based on the document feed direction. The origin position (uofs, vofs in the figure) of the xy coordinate system in the uv coordinate system can be obtained by, for example, detecting an end image from the image data obtained by the image sensor unit 120. Then, conversion between the two coordinate systems is possible by the origin position of the xy coordinate system in the uv coordinate system and the inclination (θ in the figure) with respect to the uv coordinate system.

  In the case of FIG. 2, the end portions (left end and right end) of the document are detected by the sensor units 121 and 124. The processors 101 and 104 connected to the sensor units 121 and 124 notify other processors other than themselves that the end has been detected. As a result, all the processors 101 to 104 can know which sensor unit (which processor) has detected the left and right edges of the document. That is, it is possible to know what size document is placed in which position in the main scanning direction of the image sensor unit 120.

  Now, it is possible to convert between the two coordinate systems by the origin position of the xy coordinate system in the uv coordinate system and the inclination (θ in the figure) with respect to the uv coordinate system.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor units 121 to 124 are arranged so that the ends of those adjacent to each other overlap. Then, a boundary indicated by a chain line (u1, u2, u3) is set near the center of the overlapping portion, and an area to be read by each sensor unit is determined. For example, a region to be read by the sensor unit 122 connected to the processor 102 is a halftone dot portion 201 in the figure between u1 and u2. Further, in a printing process described later, an area to be printed by the processor 102 and a space between x2-a and x4 + a in the xy coordinate system are indicated by a broken line frame. The portions outside the area of the halftone dot portion 201 to be read by the sensor unit 122 in the broken line frame are assumed to be hatched portions 202 and 203. That is, in order to generate image data to be printed by the processor 102, it is only necessary to receive the image data of the hatched portion 202 from the processor 101 and the image data of the hatched portion 203 from the processor 103.

  On the other hand, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram regarding the printing process. As shown in FIG. 3, the print heads are arranged so that adjacent ones overlap with each other. A center line indicated by a chain line (x1 to x7) is set near the center of the overlapping portion. The head to be used for printing is switched at the center line, but a predetermined range on both sides of the center line may be used as an overlapping print region in order to make the switching position inconspicuous. In the overlapping print area, for example, there is a known method in which a pixel corresponding to a certain mask pattern is used as one print head and the other print head is used as the other print head.

  Assuming that the overlapping print area is a (a ≧ 0) on both sides of the center line, the areas printed by the print heads 133 and 134 are between x2-a and x3 + a, and x3-a and x4 + a, respectively. Therefore, the print data is supplied from the processor 102 and printed from the print heads 133 and 134 is within a broken line frame between x2-a and x4 + a, including the overlapping area.

  FIG. 4 shows an example in which movement of the read image data occurs other than the inclination correction. As described above, the processors that have detected the left end and the right end of the document are known with each other. In the case of a small document as shown in FIG. 4A, while reading is performed by the processors 101 and 102, printing is performed at the position shown in FIG. This is because it is easier to align the edges of the document than to align the center, and to avoid wearing only one edge that is frequently used in transporting the recording medium. Note that the size of the recording medium and a sensor (not shown) have already been detected, and the range in which the recording medium is conveyed in the main scanning direction of the print head unit 130 is also known from the detected size. When the size and position of the document are found, each processor transmits the read image data to the processor in charge of the range through which the recording medium passes through the data transmission path 105.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an output image cutout process including an inclination correction process and a parallel movement process performed by each of the processors 101 to 104 in the present embodiment. There are many other processes necessary for the copying operation such as driving of the image sensor unit 120 and conveyance of the original, but they are omitted here. Here, description will be made assuming that the processor 101 performs as a representative.

  In step S501, the inclination information from the original inclination sensor unit 125 or the image data read by the image sensor unit 120 is used to determine the inclination θ of the original from a predetermined direction and the original angle serving as a reference for the original position. The displacement from a predetermined position is obtained. The other processors 102 to 104 are not directly connected to the document inclination sensor unit 125. Accordingly, the other processors 102 to 104 perform processing for requesting the tilt information from the processor 101 in step S501.

  The processor 101 calculates the tilt from the signal obtained from the document tilt sensor unit 125 and notifies the processor 102 to 104 of the result as tilt information. Each processor performs processing for detecting an edge of an image read by the image sensor unit 120. The processor that has detected the end notifies the other processor of information indicating the position in the main scanning direction. As a result, the end is detected by the two processors, and the distance between the left and right ends (the current size and position in the main scanning direction) can be shared.

  In step S502, it is determined whether or not an inclination correction process is necessary. For example, it is determined whether or not the inclination correction processing is necessary under the condition that the document is not corrected when the document is less than a predetermined threshold value, or is not corrected when a separate setting unit is provided and the no correction mode is set as the operation mode. . If the tilt correction process is necessary, the process branches to step S503, and if not, the process branches to step S508.

  In step S503, each processor in charge of printing calculates an area of read image data and an insufficient area that are not stored in a memory directly connected to the processor. For example, hatched portions 202 and 203 in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for calculating the vertex positions of the hatched portions 202 and 203, which are insufficient regions in the processor 102, with respect to the xy coordinate system and the uv coordinate system of FIG. From the origin position (uofs, vofs) of the xy coordinate system and the tilt angle (θ) in the uv coordinate system, both coordinate systems can be converted as shown in FIG. 6B. Since the image data acquired by the image sensor unit 120 is based on the uv coordinate system, the position in the uv coordinate system is obtained.

  The hatched portion 203 is a triangle composed of vertices 601, 602, and 603.

  For the vertex 601, FIG. 6B may be solved for v under the conditions of u = u2 and y = y0. Since u is the boundary position u2 between the sensor units 122 and 123, u is known. y0 is the printing reference position in FIG. Similarly, for the vertex 602, u and v may be obtained under the conditions of x = x4 + a and y = y0. x4 + a is an upper limit value in the x-axis of an area printed by the print head 134 in FIG. 3 (including an overlapping print area with the print head 135). The vertex 603 can be obtained by x = x4 + a, u = u2.

  The other hatched portion 202 is a triangle constituted by vertices 604, 605, and 606. Also for these vertex positions, the boundary position u1 between the sensor units 121 and 122, the lower limit value x2-a on the x-axis of the area to be printed by the print head 133, and the print end position y3 in the medium feed direction for a medium of a predetermined size. Can be obtained from Alternatively, y3 can be determined based on the size of the document, for example, by detecting the end of the document by the document tilt sensor unit 125, or set to a larger value during reading and subsequent processing ( It is possible to cut out only necessary areas in (not shown).

  It should be noted that, in preparation for applying a spatial filter in subsequent image processing, such as a sensor-to-sensor joining process S506, which will be described later, the width of the overlapping print area is further increased to include the peripheral area referred to by the spatial filter. It is preferable to calculate by enlarging the x-axis range by the necessary amount.

  Further, the calculation in step S503 does not require an accurate value up to the decimal point. Since an image data transfer request (S504) described later is processed in units of integer pixels, it may be calculated as an integer value in units of a reading sampling period by appropriately rounding down or rounding up so that necessary image data is included.

  Step S504 is for receiving image data via the data transmission path 105 from the processor in charge of reading the area based on the vertex position of the insufficient area obtained in step S503. Which processor manages (owns) the necessary image data can be determined by the u-coordinate value which is the reference for the boundary position of the sensor unit. For the purpose of image processing, for example, inclination correction S507, which will be described later, instead of passing as triangular image data (for example, the hatched portion 203 in FIG. 7), a circumscribed rectangular region (grid portion 703) to be included is set and rectangular It is more convenient to transfer by area.

  Further, the shortage area may be divided and delivered so that it can operate in parallel with the reading of the document. For example, in the hatched portion 203, the necessary range of v is determined by the vertices 601 and 603. A part of the deficient area may be transferred from the processor 103 to the processor 102 when the sensor unit 123 has read the value v by dividing it in parallel with the u axis at a predetermined height (value on the v axis). It becomes possible. Since the necessary width (u-axis) decreases as reading progresses, for example, if the value of u at the position of the vertex 607 at a certain time point (v1) is calculated, transfer of unnecessary image data is reduced. It is also possible.

  Step S505 is for waiting for the acquisition of the image data of the insufficient area requested to the other processor in step S504. If necessary, error detection and retransmission procedures (not shown) may be determined.

  Step S506 is, for example, for joining the image data of the dot portion 201 read by the sensor unit 122 and the image data of the shaded portion 203 read by the sensor unit 123 in FIG. Due to variations in sensor characteristics, when the sensor is switched at a certain boundary, the joint may appear as a streak. For example, a predetermined overlapping section may be provided in the joint portion, and a process in which the joint portion is not conspicuous may be performed by a known method such as a weighted average value in which the weight gradually changes in the section. As a result of the joining, a strip-like region 701 as shown by a solid line frame in FIG. 7 is obtained. Among these, the halftone dot portion 201 is obtained from the image data read by the sensor unit 122. The lattice units 702 and 703 are obtained from the image data requested in step S504 and confirmed to be received in step S505. The other part of the strip-shaped area 701 is cut out in an inclination correction S507 described later, and thus is irrelevant to the processing. However, it is added to shape the image data into a rectangular shape that can be easily handled, and the value thereof is not limited. Absent.

  Step S507 is a process of cutting out the strip-shaped area 704 in the broken-line frame to be printed from the strip-shaped area 701 in the solid-line frame in FIG. For each pixel in the xy coordinate system, a pixel value is obtained based on the coordinate value of the corresponding uv coordinate system obtained by the conversion formula of FIG. Known nearest neighbor methods, bilinear methods, and the like are applicable. The image data of the strip-shaped area 704 obtained as described above is printed in print heads 133 and 134 after image processing for printing such as resolution conversion and gradation conversion as necessary. Since the subsequent printing process is the same as the existing one that is not based on the parallel distributed process, the details are omitted. Further, in the case of only reading operation without printing, each processor obtains a strip-shaped region after the same tilt correction and connects them to obtain image data after tilt correction.

  Step S508 and subsequent steps are image cut-out processing when tilt correction is not necessary. In step S508, it is determined whether parallel movement is necessary. As shown in FIG. 4, when the parallel movement is necessary, steps S509 to S512 are executed, and when not necessary, the step is omitted.

  In step S509, the rectangular area of the insufficient area is obtained. Similar to step S503, the coordinate conversion of FIG. 6B may be performed. However, θ is 0 because there is no inclination correction, and eventually the origin position difference (uofs, vofs) between the xy coordinate system and the uv coordinate system is parallel. Just move.

  Step S510 is for obtaining image data corresponding to the shortage area obtained in step S509. The shortage area is not a triangle, but is a rectangle from the beginning, which is the same as step S504. Step S511 is waiting for the image data requested in step S510, as in step S505.

  Step S512 is a sensor-to-sensor joining process similar to step S506. For example, in the processor 103, as shown in FIG. 4A, the image data of the area 401 read by the sensor unit 122 and the image data of the area 402 read by the sensor unit 121 are connected, and FIG. ) Strip-shaped region 705 is obtained. Since there is no inclination correction, the area 705 is an area to be printed from the processor 103.

  As described above, in the image reading apparatus of the present invention, parallel distributed processing is realized for image reading and tilt correction. In addition, after image tilt correction and parallel movement, each processor can perform various image processing with the local memory 111 to 114 connected to the processor while substantially occupying its memory bandwidth. And can be applied to copying operations involving printing.

  In the above example, a case has been described in which the processor in charge of print processing calculates a shortage area and requests the processor that has read the area to transmit image data, but the reverse configuration is also possible. That is, for each area read by each processor, in the correction process described above, a request for receiving image data is issued to another processor that will refer to at least a part of the read area. This is a method for transmitting image data.

  In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that either one of inclination correction and parallel movement is performed. However, it may be possible to cope with both inclination correction and parallel movement. Considering that the parallel movement is a process in which the inclination can be regarded as 0, the parallel movement process may be performed after the inclination correction process.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which distributed processing is adaptively and efficiently performed even when the image reading area and the printing area are different depending on various copying modes such as enlargement and reduction copying.

  FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of the image copying apparatus according to the second embodiment. The same number is attached | subjected to the functional block similar to FIG. The processors 101 to 104 for image processing are connected to specific ones of the memories 111 to 114, respectively. An image sensor switching unit 140 is interposed between the processors 101 to 104 and the image sensor unit 120. The processors 101 to 104 are connected to the linear sensor units 121 to 123 constituting the image sensor unit 120 via the image sensor switching unit 140. And then. Each of the processors 101 to 104 is connected to a specific one of the print heads 131 to 134 constituting the print head unit 130. For example, the processor 101 is connected to the print head 131 and can be connected to one of the sensor units 121 to 123 via the image sensor switching unit 140. The processors 101 to 104 are connected to each other by a data transmission path 105 and are configured to be able to transmit image data. In the second embodiment, a configuration in which three sensor units and four print heads are controlled by four processors is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to these numbers, and a plurality of sensor units, and The present invention can be applied to a configuration in which a plurality of print heads are controlled by a plurality of processors.

  FIG. 9 mainly shows the configuration of the image sensor switching unit 140 in the second embodiment. The image sensor switching unit 140 includes analog SWs 141 to 144 and multiplexers 145 to 147. Each of the analog SWs 141 to 144 connects the analog video signal output from the sensor units 121 to 123 to any of the processors. The multiplexers 145 to 147 supply the timing control signal of the sensor unit output from the non-processor 101 104 to any of the sensor units. The image sensor switching unit 140 connects the processors 101 to 104 and the sensor units 121 to 123 by a control signal (not shown) from one representative processor (in this second embodiment, the processor 101). Can be switched. In addition, the processors 101 to 104 control the sensor units connected to each other in synchronization with each other by a control signal (not shown) from the representative processor 101. Further, each processor 101 or 104 includes an A / D converter that converts an analog image signal into digital data.

  FIG. 10 shows a flow of processing in which the representative processor 101 determines the connection of the image sensor switching unit 140 in accordance with the copy mode designated by the user from the operation panel (not shown in FIG. 8).

  In step S <b> 1001, the processor 101 selects a sensor unit having an effective reading area in the sensor units 121 to 123 of the image sensor unit 120 in accordance with the document size to be read. In S1002, the processor 101 determines and selects which of the processors 101 to 104 performs control of a print area for printing image data read by each selected sensor unit, or print area controlled by a plurality of processors. If the process spans, the processor with the largest print area is selected. Subsequently, the processor 101 determines whether there is a processor selected redundantly from the selected sensor unit (S1003). If there is a processor selected redundantly from the selected sensor unit, in S1004, the processor 101 reads the image data of the largest area with respect to the print area of the redundantly selected processor. Select only the sensor unit that performs and deselect others. Next, the processor 101 determines whether there is a sensor unit that is not selected by any processor (S1005). When there is a sensor unit that has not been selected by any processor, in S1006, the processor 101 controls a larger area in the area in which image data read by the sensor unit is printed among the unselected processors. Select with priority. With this flow, it is possible to select a processor to which the sensor units 121 to 123 are connected so that less image data is transferred between processors for print processing.

  With reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, a basic copying operation (same size copying mode or normal copying mode) in the second embodiment will be described. It is assumed that the user selects a plurality of copy mode selection operations from an operation unit (not shown). This figure shows the relationship between the configuration of the image copying apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 8 and the read original 150 and the print paper 151.

  FIG. 12A shows the reading areas (SU1, SU2, SU3) of the sensor units 121 to 123 for image images read by the second image copying apparatus, and the printing areas (PH1, PH2,. PH3, PH4). Of the image data in the reading area of the sensor unit 121, the area of the image data printed by the print head 131 is SU1_PH1, and the area of the image data printed by the print head 132 is SU1_PH2. Similarly, of the image data in the reading area of the sensor unit 122, the area of the image data printed by the print head 132 is SU2_PH2, and the area of the image data printed by the print head 133 is SU2_PH3. Of the image data in the reading area of the sensor unit 123, the area of the image data printed by the print head 133 is SU3_PH3, and the area of the image data printed by the print head 134 is SU3_PH4.

  FIG. 12B is a table explaining a procedure for selecting a processor to which the sensor units 121 to 123 are connected according to the flow of FIG. In step S1001, the sensor units 121 to 123 having an effective reading area are selected. In step S1002, the sensor unit 121 selects the processor 101 that controls the largest print area (SU1_PH1) among the print areas in which the image data to be read is printed. Similarly, the sensor unit 122 selects the processor 103 (processor that controls SU2_PH3), and the sensor unit 123 selects the processor 104 (processor that controls SU3_PH4). There is no processor selected redundantly in each sensor unit (S1003), and any one of the processors is selected (S1005), so that the connection destination of each of the sensor units 121 to 123 is the processor 101, the processor 103, and the processor 104. And decide. Based on this, the representative processor 101 sets the image sensor switching unit 120.

  Next, a schematic copying operation in the configuration of FIG. 11 will be described. Image data read by the sensor units 121 to 123 of the image sensor unit 120 is stored in any of the memories 111 to 114 distributed to the processors 101 to 104 connected by the image sensor switching unit 140 set based on the flow of FIG. Stored. Here, the image data read by the sensor units 121 to 123 are stored in the memories 111, 113, and 114, respectively. Subsequently, when all of the image data necessary for the printing process of each printing area in charge is not stored in the respective memories, the processors 101 to 104 are required from the memories of other processors via the data transmission path 105. The correct image data. In the case of FIG. 12, all the image data (area indicated by SU1_PH1) necessary for the print area PH1 controlled by the processor 101 is already stored in the memory 111 connected to the processor 101. Since the image data necessary for the print area PH2 controlled by the processor 102 (areas indicated by SU1_PH2 and SU2_PH2) is not stored in the memory 112 connected to the processor 102, the processor 102 stores the image data from the memories 111 and 113, respectively. Transfer to the memory 112. Of the image data necessary for the print area PH3 controlled by the processor 103 (areas indicated by SU2_PH3 and SU3_PH3), the image data in the area indicated by SU3_PH3 is not stored in the memory 113 connected to the processor 103. Therefore, the processor 103 transfers the image data from the memory 114 to the memory 113 connected to the processor 103. The image data (area indicated by SU3_PH4) necessary for the print area PH4 controlled by the processor 104 is already stored in the memory 114 connected to the processor 104. When the transfer of the image data is completed, the image data necessary for the printing process of the printing area in charge of each processor is stored in a memory connected to each processor. Thereafter, the processors 101 to 104 perform image processing on the image data stored in the memories 111 to 114, respectively, output print data from the print heads 131 to 134, and print them on the printing paper 151. In the image processing in the processors 101 to 104, correction of input / output characteristics, gradation conversion, resolution conversion, correction of joints between sensor units, correction of joints between print heads, and the like are generally performed.

  With reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, the copying operation in the case of accompanying enlargement processing (enlarged copy mode) in the second embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 13 shows the relationship between the configuration of the image copying apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 8, the read original 150, and the printing paper 151 on which the enlarged image is printed, as in FIG.

  FIG. 14A shows the reading area of the image sensor units 121 to 123 and the printing area of the print heads 131 to 134 of the image image read by the image copying apparatus, as in FIG. FIG. 14B is a table for explaining the procedure for selecting the processor to which the sensor units 121 to 123 are connected according to the flow of FIG. 10, as in FIG. In FIG. 14B, the image sensor switching unit 140 is set so that the sensor unit 122 is connected to the processor 102.

  In FIG. 13, the image data read by the sensor unit 122 having a valid reading area is stored in the memory 112 connected to the processor 102 connected by the image sensor switching unit 140 set based on the flow of FIG. Subsequently, as in FIG. 11, when all of the image data necessary for the printing process of the printing area controlled by each processor is not stored in the memory of each processor, another processor is connected via the data transmission path 105. The necessary image data is transferred from the memory connected to the. When the transfer of the image data is completed, the image data necessary for the printing process of the printing area in charge of each processor is stored in a memory connected to each processor. The processors 101 to 104 perform enlargement processing to the size of the read image data to be printed, and thereafter, image processing and printing processing similar to those in FIG. 11 are performed.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the operation in the case of the reduction process (reduction copy mode) in the second embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 15 shows the relationship between the image copying apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 8, the read original 150, and the printing paper 151 on which the reduced image is printed, as in FIG. FIG. 16A shows the reading area of the sensor units 121 to 123 and the printing area of the print heads 131 to 134 of the image image read by the image copying apparatus, as in FIG. FIG. 16B is a table for explaining a procedure for selecting a processor to which the sensor units 121 to 123 are connected according to the flow of FIG. 10, as in FIG.

  Here, in S1002, the processor 102 is selected redundantly for the plurality of sensor units (121, 122). Therefore, in S1004, the sensor unit 121 that reads the image data of the largest area with respect to the print area of the processor 102 selects the processor 102 and puts the sensor unit 122 into a non-selected state. In step S1006, a processor that controls a larger area in the print area where image data read by the sensor unit 122 is printed with respect to the unselected sensor unit 122 (selected for any sensor unit). (No) is given priority. Here, the processors 102 and 103 that control the print area in which the image data read by the sensor unit 122 is printed are already selected as connection destinations of other sensor units. Therefore, the processor 101 which is not selected for any sensor unit is selected here. In FIG. 16B, the image sensor switching unit 140 is set so that the sensor units 121 to 123 are connected to the processors 102, 101, and 103, respectively.

  In FIG. 15, the image data read by the sensor units 121 to 123 having an effective reading area is the memory 112 of the processors 102, 101, and 103 connected by the image sensor switching unit 140 set based on the flow of FIG. 111 and 113.

  Subsequently, as in FIG. 11, when all of the image data necessary for the printing process of the printing area controlled by each processor is not stored in the memory of each processor, another processor is connected via the data transmission path 105. The necessary image data is transferred from the memory connected to the. When the transfer of the image data is completed, the image data necessary for the printing process of the printing area in charge of each processor is stored in a memory connected to each processor. The processors 102 and 103 that perform print control of the print area of the reduced image perform a reduction process to reduce the size of the read image data to be printed. In the reduction process, in order to reduce the amount of image data transferred between the processors, the reduced image data is transferred between the processors by performing the reduction process on the processor side that performed the read control before transferring the image data between the processors. You may make it do. Thereafter, image processing and printing processing similar to those in FIG. 11 are performed.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the copying operation in the case of the 180 ° rotation processing (rotary copy mode) in the second embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 17 shows the relationship between the image copying apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 8 and the printing paper 151 on which the read original 150 and the image subjected to the 180 degree rotation process are printed, as in FIG.

  FIG. 18A shows the reading area of the sensor units 121 to 123 and the printing area of the print heads 131 to 134 of the image image read by the image copying apparatus, as in FIG. FIG. 18B is a table for explaining a procedure for selecting a processor to which the sensor units 121 to 123 are connected according to the flow of FIG. 10, similarly to FIG. In FIG. 18B, the image sensor switching unit 140 is set so that the sensor units 121 to 123 are connected to the processors 104, 102, and 101, respectively.

  According to FIG. 18B, the image data read by the sensor units 121 to 123 having an effective reading area are processed by the processors 104, 102 connected by the image sensor switching unit 140 set based on the flow of FIG. 101 is stored in the memories 114, 112, and 111.

  Subsequently, as in FIG. 11, when all of the image data necessary for the printing process of the printing area controlled by each processor is not stored in the memory of each processor, another processor is connected via the data transmission path 105. The necessary image data is transferred from the memory connected to the. When the transfer of the image data is completed, the image data necessary for the printing process of the printing area in charge of each processor is stored in a memory connected to each processor. The processors 101 to 104 perform rotation processing on the read image data, and thereafter, image processing and printing processing similar to those in FIG. 11 are performed.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, a plurality of sensor units and a plurality of print heads are shared and controlled by a plurality of processors, and the image reading area and the printing area controlled by each processor are different. In this case, the transfer amount of image data between processors can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce a decrease in the printing processing speed in line with image data transfer between processors.

  In the above example, the method in which the processor in charge of the printing process transfers the image data of the insufficient area that is not stored in the memory of the own chip among the image data necessary for each printing area from the memory of the other processor has been described. . On the other hand, the processor that controls the reading process can determine the processor that should perform the printing process on the image data in the area read by the processor, and can transfer the image data to the determined processor.

  Further, the first embodiment may be applied to the second embodiment. In this case, the document inclination sensor unit 125 is connected to the processor 101 of FIG. 8, and information regarding the detected inclination is shared by the processors 101 to 104 via the data transmission path 105. Then, each of the processors 101 to 104 may perform a tilt correction process similar to that in the first embodiment.

(Other examples)
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101-104 ... Processor, 105 ... Data transmission path, 111-114 ... Memory, 120 ... Image sensor part, 121-124 ... Sensor unit, 125 ... Document inclination sensor part, 1309 ... Print head part, 131-138 ... Print head , 140 ... image sensor switching unit, 141 to 144 ... analog switches, 145 to 147 ... multiplexer, 150 ... read original, 151 ... printing paper

Claims (14)

An image processing apparatus for reading a document,
A detection unit for detecting the inclination of the original when reading the original;
An image reading unit composed of a plurality of sensor units for reading and sharing a document;
A plurality of processors for storing image data obtained from each of the sensor units, and generating image data for printing from the image data stored in the memory;
In order to communicate between the plurality of processors, having a transmission bus connecting them,
Each of the plurality of processors is
Calculating means for calculating a region deficient with respect to the image data that should be shared according to the inclination angle of the document detected by the detection unit;
An image processing apparatus comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire the image data of the deficient area calculated by the calculation unit by requesting the processor via the transmission bus. Each of the processors includes an inclination correction unit that corrects the inclination detected by the detection unit by connecting the image data of the lacking area acquired by the acquisition unit and the image data obtained by the sensor unit corresponding to the processor. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor units are arranged so as to read overlapping regions. A print head unit composed of a plurality of print heads for printing an image on a recording medium.
3. The processor according to claim 2, wherein each of the processors is connected to at least one print head, and performs image processing for printing with the connected print head from image data after the tilt correction by the tilt correction unit. The image processing apparatus according to 3. Furthermore, it has the 2nd detection part which detects the position and size of a document,
Based on the position and size detected by the second detection unit, the acquisition unit included in the processor connected to the print head used for printing is used by the processor that owns image data in an area that is insufficient for printing by itself. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image processing apparatus requests transfer of image data of the lacking area.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of print heads are arranged so as to print regions overlapping each other.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit requests image data of a rectangular area that circumscribes the lacking area.   The second detection unit detects a position and a size of a document based on a position detected by a sensor unit that detects left and right ends when the document moves relatively when the document is read. Item 6. The image processing apparatus according to Item 5.   The detection unit has a structure in which a plurality of sensors of a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit are arranged side by side, and the inclination of the document is determined from the time difference of light shielding by each sensor at the end when the document moves relatively when reading the document. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: Wherein the plurality of sensor units interposed between the plurality of processors, and a switching unit for switching the connection between each of said plurality of processors and each of the plurality of sensor body,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit switches connection in accordance with an instruction from a preset processor in the plurality of processors. A detection unit for detecting the inclination of the original when reading the original;
An image reading unit composed of a plurality of sensor units for reading and sharing a document;
A plurality of processors for storing image data obtained from each of the sensor units, and generating image data for printing from the image data stored in the memory;
A control method for an image processing apparatus having a transmission bus for connecting the plurality of processors to communicate with each other,
Each of the plurality of processors is
A calculating step in which the calculating means calculates an insufficient area for the image data to be shared by itself according to the inclination angle of the document detected by the detection unit;
The acquisition unit has an acquisition step of acquiring the image data of the shortage area calculated in the calculation step by requesting the processor through the transmission bus. Method. An image processing apparatus for reading a document,
An image reading unit composed of a plurality of sensor units for reading and sharing a document;
A plurality of processors for storing image data obtained from each of the sensor units, and generating image data for printing from the image data stored in the memory;
Interposed between the plurality of processors and said plurality of sensor units, under the control of a given processor in the plurality of processors, switches the connection between each of the plurality of sensor body and each of the plurality of processors A switching unit;
In order to communicate between the plurality of processors, having a transmission bus connecting them,
The predetermined processor determines a connection relationship between the plurality of sensor units and the plurality of processors according to a mode instructed by a user, and controls the switching unit according to the determination,
Each of the plurality of processors receives the image data of the insufficient area for the print area for which the processor is responsible from another processor having the image data of the corresponding insufficient area via the transmission bus, and executes the printing process. An image processing apparatus. The mode is any one of a normal copy mode, an enlarged copy mode, a reduced copy mode, and a rotary copy mode,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a storage unit that stores a table indicating a connection relationship between the sensor unit and the processor for each mode. An image reading unit composed of a plurality of sensor units for reading and sharing a document;
A plurality of processors for storing image data obtained from each of the sensor units, and generating image data for printing from the image data stored in the memory;
Interposed between the plurality of processors and said plurality of sensor units, under the control of a given processor in the plurality of processors, switches the connection between each of the plurality of sensor body and each of the plurality of processors A switching unit;
A control method for an image processing apparatus having a transmission bus for connecting the plurality of processors to communicate with each other,
The predetermined processor has a step of determining a connection relationship between the plurality of sensor units and the plurality of processors according to a mode instructed by a user, and controlling the switching unit according to the determination.
Each of the plurality of processors receives the image data of the deficient area for the print area for which the processor is responsible from another processor having the image data of the deficient area via the transmission bus, and executes the printing process And a control method for an image processing apparatus.

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