JP2005267081A - Image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processor capable of easily reproducing various types of information handled by a portable terminal on paper. <P>SOLUTION: The image processor is provided with a display screen acquiring means 2 for receiving image information sent by the portable terminal for the purpose of displaying a displayed screen of the portable terminal on another display device, a display screen reproducing means 3 for reproducing the displayed screen of the portable device as a digital static image from the image information received by the display screen acquiring means, and a printing means 8 for printing the displayed screen of the portable terminal of an optional time converted into the digital static image on paper. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus capable of reading image information by raster scanning and reproducing the image information on a sheet as a copy.

In recent years, an increasing number of people carry portable terminals called PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). The functions of mobile terminals have also diversified, and basic applications such as schedules, address books, and notepads, as well as e-mails, web surfing, spreadsheets, presentations, and music playback have appeared.
When such a large amount of information is handled by a mobile terminal, there is a situation where it is desired to print the content displayed on the screen. In particular, since people who purchase portable terminals use these applications outdoors, a situation where a display screen is desired to be printed occurs outside the home or office. For example, when you get lost, you may want to print a map searched on the Internet and carry it with you, or you may want to print the contents of an email received while you are out and hand it over to others. These demands can be solved if a multifunction device in a nearby convenience store or bookstore is connected to a portable terminal and the display screen can be printed by the multifunction device.
In general, in order to perform printing by connecting an information device to a printer, a dedicated printer driver is required. If you try to print from a multifunction device installed in a store where you happen to stop, you must also search for a dedicated printer driver on the spot. This takes time and effort to prepare for printing. In particular, in the case of mobile terminals, there are many things that are operated by the manufacturer's own built-in software, so there may be no dedicated printer driver.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for printing the display screen from the multi-function peripheral using a function pre-installed in the mobile terminal without depending on the printer driver. Recent portable terminals have a function of projecting a display screen on an external CRT or projector (hereinafter, an external display output function). This is due to the widespread use of opening presentations using portable terminals and projectors, playing DVDs on portable terminals, and viewing on large-screen televisions.
Originally, the display screen of a mobile terminal is made assuming that an individual views from a position about 20 cm to 30 cm away, and is too small for many people to gather and view. For this reason, it is expected that an external display output function will be installed as a standard as the functionality of mobile terminals increases.
For example, Patent Document 1 is known as a technique for printing content displayed on a portable terminal on a paper surface.
JP 2001-057586 A

The technique for connecting a dedicated printer to a portable terminal proposed in Patent Document 1 can be used only by some users. Specifically, in addition to a portable terminal, a printer is purchased and can only be used by people who always carry both. In addition, since a portable printer is indispensable to be small and light, it is often restricted in terms of functions such as print size, print speed, and image quality. For this reason, it is conceivable that a function capable of faithfully reproducing the display screen of a portable terminal having a large screen, high definition, and multiple colors cannot be installed.
In order to allow more mobile terminal users to print content displayed on the screen with satisfactory image quality even when they are out, high-performance image processing devices scattered around here (for example, installed in convenience stores) It is preferable to print by connecting a portable terminal to the MFP.
SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image processing apparatus that can easily reproduce various types of information handled by a mobile terminal on paper.

To achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a display screen acquisition means for receiving image information of a display screen transmitted by a mobile terminal, and a display screen of the mobile terminal from the image information received by the display screen acquisition means. Image processing apparatus comprising: a display screen reproducing means for reproducing a digital still image as a digital still image; and a printing means for printing a display screen of a mobile terminal at an arbitrary time converted into a digital still image on paper. And
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the first aspect, prior to printing by the printing means, a print size equal to the display resolution of the portable terminal is regarded as the same size print size, and the same size printing or enlargement / reduction printing is performed. An image processing apparatus including image processing means for performing the processing is a main feature.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the image processing apparatus includes a storage unit that stores the name of the mobile terminal, the display resolution, and the number of display pixels. One of the main features is an image processing apparatus that searches for both of them.

According to the present invention, the image information corresponding to the display screen of the mobile terminal can be taken into the printing unit without any trouble, and various information handled by the mobile terminal from the mobile terminal can be easily reproduced on the paper.
In addition, the user can easily associate the print image.
In addition, the display screen of the mobile terminal can be reproduced on the paper more faithfully.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
First, a configuration example of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
An SBU (sensor board unit) 1 is a unit for optically reading a document. The light emitted from the light source is reflected by the document placed on the document table, and the reflected light is collected on the light receiving element. The light receiving element is a device for converting the intensity of the collected light into an analog electric signal. In this embodiment, a CCD (electric coupling element) is used. The analog electrical signal output from the CCD is quantized and then output from the SBU 1 to the CDIC (communication controller) 5 as a digital still image.
The SCU (screen capture unit) 2 is a unit provided for the purpose of projecting the display screen of the mobile terminal to another display device. Here, the SCU (screen capture unit) 2 is a unit for acquiring image information transmitted from the mobile terminal. Means. The type of signal transmitted from the portable terminal varies depending on the portable terminal, but a component video signal, a composite video signal, a VGA (Video Graphics Array) signal, a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) signal, or the like can be considered. The SCU 2 is provided with a plurality of receiving connectors (hereinafter referred to as receiving connectors), which are designed to acquire several types of signals. Then, in order to output the display screen, image information is acquired by connecting a connector (hereinafter referred to as an output connector) provided in the portable terminal and a receiving connector using a wired or wireless connection.
The SDU (screen decoding unit) 3 is a unit for reproducing the display screen of the portable terminal as a digital still image from the image information acquired by the SCU 2, and is a display screen reproducing means. If the image information is an analog signal, quantization is also performed here. The reproduced still image is sent to the CDIC.
An IPP (image processing unit) 4 connected to the CDIC 5 is a unit for performing image processing on a digital still image, and is an image processing means. The frequency characteristics and gradation characteristics of the image are optimized according to the user's preference and the characteristics of the machine.
A VCU (video control unit) 8 connected to the IPP 4 is a unit for printing an image on paper and is a printing unit. From the digital still image, the position, size and color of the dots to be printed on the paper are judged, and the image is reproduced by printing those dots.
The CDIC (communication controller) 5 is a unit for smoothly transmitting / receiving digital still images performed between the units. When the SBU1, SCU2, SDU3, and IPP4 transmit / receive digital still image data, the CDIC5 is always relayed.

The process controller 10 is connected to the SBU1, SCU2, CDIC5, and VCU8 via a serial bus, and controls the operations of the SBU1, SCU2, SDU3, IPP4, CDIC5, and VCU8. Make necessary settings for each, or monitor startup, termination, processing progress, etc.
The RAM 12-2 and the ROM 13-2 connected to the serial bus store information necessary for the processing by the SBU1, SCU2, SDU3, IPP4, CDIC5, VCU8, and process controller 10. For example, the image size read by the SBU1, the optical characteristics of the CCD, the format of the image information received by the SCU2, the parameters of the image processing executed by the IPP4, and the like are stored. When a processor is mounted in SBU1, SCU2, SDU3, IPP4, CDIC5, VCU8, and process controller 10, a program describing the operation is also stored here.
An IMAC (memory controller) 6 connected to the CDIC 5 via a parallel bus compresses or expands a digital still image and accesses the MEM 7.
The MEM 7 is a unit for storing a digital still image, and an image read by the SBU 1 and an image reproduced by the SDU 3 are temporarily accumulated here.
The liquid crystal touch panel 9 displays information necessary for the user to use the image processing apparatus, and performs various input operations when the user touches the display screen.
The system controller 11 controls operations of the IMAC 6, the MEM 7, and the liquid crystal touch panel 9. Make necessary settings for each, or monitor the start, end, and progress of processing.
The RAM 12-1 and ROM 13-1 (storage means) connected to the IMAC 6 by the local bus store information necessary for the system controller 11, the IMAC 6, the liquid crystal touch panel 9, and the MEM 7 to perform processing. For example, character information and bitmap information for displaying characters and symbols on the liquid crystal touch panel 9, the total amount and remaining amount of digital still images that can be stored in the MEM 7, information input by the user from the operation unit of the liquid crystal touch panel 9, The number of display pixels and display resolution of various portable terminals are stored.
When a processor is installed in the IMAC 6, the MEM 7, the liquid crystal touch panel 9, or the system controller 11, a program describing the operation is also stored here.

Next, an example of operation will be described for each of the Scan to Memory operation, Memory to Print operation, Capture operation, Get Image Size operation, and Get Image Resolution operation, which are basic operations of the image processing apparatus of the present invention.
The Scan to Memory operation is an operation of reading a document with SBU 1 and accumulating the digital still image in MEM 7. The SBU 1 reads a document placed on the platen and transfers the digital still image to the CDIC 5. The CDIC 5 transfers the digital still image transferred from the SBU 1 to the IPP 4.
The IPP 4 performs image processing for compensating the optical characteristics of the SBU 1, and the digital still image subjected to the image processing is transferred to the CDIC 5. The CDIC 5 transfers the digital still image transferred from the IPP 4 to the IMAC 6 via the parallel bus. The IMAC 6 converts the digital still image into a storage format that can be stored in the MEM 7 and stores it in the MEM 7.
The Memory to Print operation is an operation for printing a digital still image stored in the MEM 7 on a paper surface. The IMAC 6 reads out the digital data that is the basis of the image to be output on the paper from the MEM 7 and returns it to the image format before saving. Then, the data is transferred to the CDIC 5 via the parallel bus. The CDIC 5 transfers the digital still image transferred from the IMAC 6 to the IPP 4.
The IPP 4 performs image processing for compensating printing conditions set by the user and printing characteristics of the VCU 8, and the digital still image subjected to the image processing is transferred to the VCU 8. Processing for a digital still image described in a “portable screen printing application” described later is also performed here. The VCU 8 prints the digital still image transferred from the IPP 4 on the paper.

The capture operation is an operation of acquiring image information from the mobile terminal, converting the display screen of the mobile terminal into a digital still image, and storing the still image data in the MEM 7. First, the SCU 2 confirms whether image information is correctly sent from the mobile terminal. If it is sent correctly, the process proceeds to the next step. If it is not sent correctly, an error message is sent to the system controller 11.
Next, the SCU 2 checks the number of display pixels in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction from the image information, and sends the result to the system controller 11. If the information about the number of display pixels is not included in the image information, a search is performed by the Get Image Size operation described later.
Next, the system controller 11 checks the remaining capacity of the MEM 7 and checks whether there is a space for storing one still image. If there is free space, the process proceeds to the next step. If there is no free space, an error message is transmitted to the system controller 11.
Next, the SDU 3 extracts color information, luminance information, and the like for each pixel from the image information. At this time, if the image information is an analog signal, quantization is also performed. The extraction operation is performed in the same order as the raster scan starting from the pixel located at the head in both the main scanning and sub-scanning directions and ending at the pixel located at the rearmost end in both the main scanning and sub-scanning directions.
Next, the SDU 3 transfers the extracted digital still image to the CDIC 5 via the parallel bus. The CDIC 5 transfers the digital still image transferred from the SDU 3 to the IPP 4. In IPP4, the data format of the digital still image transferred from SDU3 is converted to the same format as the data format of the digital still image transferred from SBU1 to IPP4.
The digital still image whose data format has been converted is transferred from the IPP 4 to the IMAC 6 via the CDIC 5 and the parallel bus. The IMAC 6 converts the digital still image into a storage format that can be stored in the MEM 7 and stores it in the MEM 7.

The Get Image Size operation is an operation for retrieving the number of display pixels on the display screen attached to the terminal from the name of the portable terminal. Since the ROM 13-1 stores display pixel numbers and display resolutions of various portable terminals, the system controller 11 finds the portable terminal designated by the user from the ROM 13-1, and acquires the display pixel numbers. . When the display pixel number of the mobile terminal being searched is not stored in the ROM 13-1, a fixed value determined is acquired as the display pixel number.
The Get Image Resolution operation is an operation for acquiring the display resolution of the display screen attached to the terminal from the name of the portable terminal. Since the ROM 13-1 stores display pixel numbers and display resolutions of various portable terminals, the system controller 11 finds the portable terminal designated by the user from the ROM 13-1, and acquires the display resolution. When the display resolution of the mobile terminal being searched is not stored in the ROM 13-1, a fixed value determined is acquired as the number of display pixels.
Only one of these basic operations may be executed, or a plurality of basic operations may be executed in combination. In the latter case, the timing at which the user performs various settings from the operation unit does not necessarily have to be between basic operations. The settings may be completed collectively at an arbitrary timing. This is because the setting contents are stored in either the RAM 12-1 or the RAM 12-2, and the system controller 11 and the process controller 10 can read the setting contents at any time.

Next, a “copy application” that operates in the image processing apparatus of the present invention will be described. A copy application is an operation for printing a copy of a paper document on another sheet. The user places the original document on the platen installed in the SBU 1 and operates the operating conditions such as the size of the original document, the type of printing paper, the number of printing colors, the number of printed sheets, the printing density, the enlargement / reduction ratio, and the image tone. (See FIG. 2).
When the confirm button is pressed, the operating conditions set by the user are transferred to the process controller 10 and the system controller 11. The process controller 10 stores the transferred operating conditions in the RAM 12-2, and instructs the SBU1, CDIC5, IPP4, and VCU8 to operate in accordance with the operating conditions. The system controller 11 stores the transferred operating conditions in the RAM 12-1, and instructs the IMAC 6 and the MEM 7 to perform operations in accordance with the operating conditions.
When the instruction to each unit is completed, a Scan to Memory operation is performed, and the document placed on the document table is stored in the MEM 7 as a digital still image. Then, a Memory to Print operation is performed, and the digital still image stored in the MEM 7 is reproduced on the paper by the VCU 8.
The Scan to Memory operation is performed for the number of sheets of the original document, and the Memory to Print operation is performed for the number of sheets to be printed. For example, when two original documents are printed and only 10 copies are printed, the Scan to Memory operation is performed twice and the Memory to Print operation is performed 20 times.
During each operation, the states of SBU1, IPP4, CDIC5, and VCU8 are sequentially notified to the process controller 10, and the states of IMAC6 and MEM7 are sequentially notified to the process controller 10. When the Scan to Memory operation and the Memory to Print operation are completed, the process controller 10 displays the fact on the operation unit and ends the copy application.

Next, a “portable screen printing application” that operates in the image processing apparatus of the present invention will be described. The user connects the output connector attached to the mobile terminal and the reception connector provided in the SCU 2 by wire or wirelessly. For example, the name of the mobile terminal, the type of print paper, the number of print colors, the number of prints, the print density, Operation conditions such as the enlargement / reduction ratio and the image tone are set from the operation unit (see FIG. 3).
When the confirm button is pressed, the operating conditions set by the user are transferred to the process controller 10 and the system controller 11. The process controller 10 stores the transferred operating conditions in the RAM 12-2, and instructs the SCU2, SDU3, CDIC5, IPP4, and VCU8 to operate in accordance with the operating conditions. The system controller 11 stores the transferred reading conditions in the RAM 12-1, and instructs the IMAC 6 and the MEM 7 to perform operations in accordance with the operating conditions.
When the instruction to each unit is completed, the Capture operation is performed, and the display screen of the portable terminal is stored in the MEM 7 as a digital still image. Next, the process controller 10 searches the display resolution of the portable terminal by the Get Image Resolution operation.
Then, compare the display resolution of the mobile terminal and the print resolution of the device, and estimate how much the digital still image can be scaled to print at the same size as the display screen of the mobile terminal. The estimated ratio is called the basic coefficient). For example, if the display resolution of the portable terminal is 100 dpi and the printing resolution of the own device is 1000 dpi, an image having the same size as the display screen of the portable terminal can be obtained by enlarging the digital still image by 10 times in both main and sub scanning. Can be reproduced on paper.

When the user instructs the same size printing, the process controller 10 notifies the IPP 4 of this basic coefficient. When the user instructs enlargement / reduction printing, a value (hereinafter referred to as an execution coefficient) obtained by multiplying the basic coefficient by the enlargement / reduction ratio designated by the user is notified to the IPP 4.
Then, the memory to print operation is performed to reproduce the image on the paper surface. When the digital still image is image-processed by the IPP 4, the IPP 4 performs the enlargement / reduction processing at the ratio of the basic coefficient or the execution coefficient notified from the process controller 10. During each operation, the states of SCU2, SDU3, CDIC5, and IPP4 are notified to the sequential process controller 10, and the states of IMAC6 and MEM7 are notified to the sequential process controller 10.
When the Capture operation, Memory to Print operation, Get Image Size operation, and Get Image Resolution operation are completed, the process controller 10 displays this fact on the operation unit and ends the mobile screen printing application. Further, when the process controller 10 receives an error message in each step, the fact is displayed on the operation unit and the portable screen printing application is terminated.

Next, an embodiment of a mobile screen printing application will be described. As a first embodiment, it is assumed that the user is lost while going out and is searching for a map using a mobile terminal. If your current location is far from your destination, a single map is not enough. It is better to go to your destination while comparing at least the wide area map and some detailed maps with enlarged key points.
In that case, it is difficult to see the list if the maps are switched and displayed on the screen of the portable terminal. Thus, when it is desired to view a plurality of images side by side, it is best to print them on paper and expand them. In such a case, if the image processing apparatus of the present invention is installed in a nearby bookstore or convenience store, map information can be displayed on a portable terminal and printed on paper.
As a second embodiment, a scene of presentation using a mobile terminal is assumed. The portable terminal is provided with two terminals for outputting a display screen, one of which is connected to the projector, and the remaining terminals are connected to the image processing apparatus of the present invention.
In recent years, in order to promote the paperless business, an increasing number of presenters project presentation materials stored in portable terminals as electronic data from projectors. However, some participants may want to take part of the content displayed on the projector as a paper document, or add a handwritten memo to a paper document. In addition, some presenters will want to hand over the content displayed on the projector as a paper document while discussing with the participants.
In such a case, if the image processing apparatus of the present invention is used, the material projected on the projector can be printed on the spot as a paper document.

Next, an image processing apparatus preferable for executing the “portable screen printing application” will be described. The “portable screen printing application” provided by the image processing of the present invention does not require a Scan to Memory operation. Therefore, SBU which is a means for reading a document is not necessary. However, it is preferable that the application is executed on an image processing apparatus that reads image information by itself and prints the copy on a paper surface like a copying machine.
Generally, when image information having the same size as A3 paper is digitized at a resolution of 600 dpi, a non-compressed color image has a size of several hundred megabytes. Therefore, an image processing apparatus such as a copying machine is designed to store and process digitized image information of about several hundred megabytes to several gigabytes as a basic performance in real time.
Therefore, the screen of the portable terminal can be changed by a slight function addition such as switching between the image information input source as the reading means installed in the own apparatus or the display screen acquisition means newly added according to the present invention. Print on paper.
On the other hand, in the case of an image processing device that does not have a means to read image information and only prints text and image information sent from a personal computer on paper, processing that stores and processes large amounts of digital data in the personal computer. In many cases, it is up to you. For this reason, many image processing apparatuses themselves do not have means for storing and processing a large amount of digital data.
As described above, since the display screen of the mobile terminal has been increased in size, definition, and color, very large digital data must be handled even if only one image is captured. Therefore, even if the “portable printing application” is executed by such an image processing apparatus, there is a possibility that a sufficient performance speed cannot be obtained.

1 is a functional block diagram of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an operation part. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display of an operation part.

Explanation of symbols

  2 SCU (display screen acquisition means), 3 SDU (display screen reproduction means), 8 VCU (printing means)

Claims (3)

  Display screen acquisition means for receiving image information of the display screen transmitted by the mobile terminal, display screen playback means for reproducing the display screen of the mobile terminal as a digital still image from the image information received by the display screen acquisition means, An image processing apparatus comprising: a printing unit that prints a display screen of a mobile terminal at an arbitrary time converted into a still image on paper.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein prior to printing by the printing unit, the image processing unit that performs a process of performing the same size printing or the enlarged / reduced printing by regarding the print size equal to the display resolution of the portable terminal as the same size print size. An image processing apparatus comprising the image processing apparatus.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores a name of the mobile terminal, a display resolution, and a number of display pixels, and searches for either or both of the display resolution and the number of display pixels from the name of the mobile terminal. A featured image processing apparatus.

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