JPH10229490A - Image-fetching device printing system and printing method, and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To print image data by means of an existing printer, despite the use of a highly precise image fetching device and with no intervention by an electronic equipment such as a personal computer, etc., by storing the image data fetched by the image-fetching device converting the image data by the printer connected as prescribed based on the input information, and transferring the acquired image data to the printer. SOLUTION: The image data are fetched by an image-fetching device 200, serving as a digital camera or a film scanner and converted, based on a resolution conversion program stored in a ROM 220. The converted image data are transferred to a printer 100 via an input/output port 260 and an IEEE1394 serial bus 300. The printer 100 receives the converted image data via an input/output port 160, executes various programs stored in a ROM 120 to send these result data to a print unit 140 and prints the image data within a range of its capability specification.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which an image capturing apparatus such as a digital camera or a film scanner is directly connected to a printing apparatus such as a printer to print image data without using an electronic device such as a personal computer. The present invention relates to a capturing device, a printing system, and a printing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a printing apparatus of this type, image data is printed via an electronic device such as a personal computer. The resolution of the image data is converted above, and printing is performed using the image data adjusted to the resolution of the printing apparatus.

[0003] In addition, data was output from a personal computer to a printing apparatus in YMCK, but data was output from an image capture apparatus to the printing apparatus in RGB.

[0004]

However, according to the above-mentioned prior art, each time an image capturing device such as a digital camera and a film scanner becomes high definition, the printing is performed so that the image data can be printed by the existing printing device. A resolution conversion program for adjusting the resolution of the device and a large-capacity memory for performing the conversion process have to be added to an electronic device such as a personal computer.

[0005] Alternatively, as the definition of an image capturing device has been increased, a high-resolution printing device has to be prepared.

Further, the printing apparatus has to convert the RGB data input from the image capturing apparatus into YMCK data.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. 1: The printing apparatus notifies the image capturing apparatus of a printable resolution.

[0008] 2: Convert the resolution of the image data to the notified resolution on the image capture device and transfer the image data to the printing device.

3: As a memory required for the resolution conversion process, a memory used when the image capturing device captures image data is used.

[0010] 4: Transfer the color conversion table to the image capturing device, have the image capturing device perform RGB → YMCK conversion, and have the printing device transfer data in the YMCK format.

With these features, it is an object of the present invention to enable image data to be printed by an existing printing apparatus even if the image capturing apparatus has been improved in definition without using an electronic device such as a personal computer. .

It is another object of the present invention to receive data from an image capturing device and print it in the same manner as when connected to a personal computer.

[0013]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image capturing apparatus which is directly connected to a printing apparatus, wherein the capturing means captures image data; Storage means for storing image data captured by the printer, input means for inputting information from the printing apparatus from the printing apparatus, and conversion of image data stored in the storage means based on the information input by the input means. And a transfer unit for transferring the image data converted by the conversion unit to the printing apparatus.

Further, the printing system of the present invention includes a printing apparatus having a designating means for designating image data and a printing means for printing the transferred image data, a fetching means for fetching image data, and a fetching means for fetching image data. And a storage device for storing the image data stored in the storage device.The storage device stores the image data, and the storage device stores the image data.The image capture device inputs information from the printing device from the printing device. The image data stored in the designated storage unit is converted based on the input information, and the converted image data is transferred to the printing apparatus.

Further, according to the printing method of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus having a designating means for designating image data and a printing means for printing the transferred image data, a capturing means for capturing the image data, and a printing means for capturing the image data. Storage means for storing image data obtained by using the image capturing device directly connected to the printing device, wherein the image capturing device inputs information from the printing device from the printing device. And converting the image data stored in the storage unit designated by the designation unit based on the input information, and transferring the converted image data to the printing apparatus.

The printing apparatus according to the present invention is a printing apparatus directly connected to the image capturing apparatus, wherein the instruction means instructs the image capturing apparatus to transfer image data, and the information from the printing apparatus is transmitted to the image capturing apparatus. Transfer means for transferring to the image capturing device, receiving means for receiving image data converted by the image capturing device based on the information transferred by the transfer means, and printing means for printing the image data received by the receiving means And characterized in that:

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a printing apparatus such as an ink jet printer and a laser beam printer and an image capturing apparatus such as a digital camera and a digital video according to the present invention.

By providing a communication control section (a) 11 of the printing apparatus and a communication control section (b) 21 of the image capturing apparatus,
By directly connecting the printing device and the image capture device without using electronic equipment such as a personal computer,
It becomes possible to print.

By these communication control units, a negotiation command between the printing device and the image capturing device,
Various data such as a resolution conversion request command, image data, and a color conversion table are exchanged.

In the image capture device, an image data capture section 22, an image capture memory 23, and an image data storage memory 24
Is provided, image data can be captured like a digital camera or a film scanner, and the captured image data can be stored.

By providing the printing apparatus with the image data specifying section 12, the image data stored in the image capturing apparatus is specified, and the YMC is used in accordance with the resolution of the printing apparatus.
The image capturing device can be notified through the communication control unit so that the image capturing device can capture the image in the K format.

By providing the image capturing device with the image data specifying unit 25, the image data specified by the specifying unit of the printing device can be specified from the image data storage memory.

The provision of the image data conversion unit 26 in the image capture device allows the specified image data to be converted into resolution and YMCK format data requested by the printing device.

In the data conversion section, control is also performed such that the resolution of the image data is compared with the resolution requested by the printing apparatus, and conversion processing is performed only when resolution conversion is necessary. Further, RGB → YMCK conversion is performed based on the color conversion table transferred from the printing apparatus.

The converted image data is transferred to the printing apparatus via the communication control means.

Since the printing apparatus is provided with the data attribute analysis unit 13 and the image data processing unit 14, the attributes of the transferred image data can be determined, and the image data can be processed if the data processing is necessary. become.

By providing the printing apparatus with the image data printing section 15, it is possible to print the transferred and processed image data.

By the above-described series of operations, the image data can be printed by the existing printing apparatus even if the image data is highly defined, without going through an electronic device such as a personal computer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the printing device and the image capturing device.

The printing apparatus 100 includes a CPU 110 and a ROM
120, panel buttons 130, a printing unit 140, a RAM 150, and an input / output port 160. C
In the PU 110, various programs described in the ROM 120 are executed, and processing results are stored in the RAM 15 as necessary.
0 is stored. The panel button 130 executes a function serving as an interface with the operator, such as displaying a process execution instruction and the content of the instruction. Printing unit 140
Prints the data stored in the RAM 150 under the control of the program described in the ROM 120.
The input / output port 160 is a physical interface with an external image capturing device, and performs transmission and reception processing of commands and image data while being controlled by a communication control program described in the ROM 120.

The image capturing device 200 includes a CPU 210 and an R
It comprises an OM 220, a panel button 230, an image capture unit 240, a RAM 250, and an input / output port 260. In the CPU 210, various programs described in the ROM 220 are executed.
Stored in AM 250. The RAM 250 has an image capture memory and an image data storage memory. The image data in the image data storage memory is converted by a resolution conversion program described in the ROM 220 and output to an image capture memory used as a work buffer. Is done.
The panel button 230 performs a function of providing an interface with the operator, such as display of processing execution instructions and instruction contents / captured image data. Image capture unit 24
No. 0 captures image data in the image capture memory of the RAM 250 while being controlled by the program described in the ROM 220, and stores the data in the image data storage memory.
The input / output port 260 is a physical interface with an external printing apparatus, and performs transmission and reception processing of commands and image data while being controlled by a communication control program described in the ROM 220.

The printing device 100 and the image capturing device 200
For example, they are connected by the IEEE 1394 serial bus 300, and the connectors of the cables are connected to the input / output port 1 respectively.
60 and the input / output port 260. In addition, IEEE
The E1394 serial bus will be described later. The present invention can also realize the same function by using an infrared wireless cable such as RS-232C or IrDA as the communication cable only by making each input / output port correspond to the wireless cable.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a program for realizing the present invention. FIG. 3 shows RO on the printing device side.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a program stored in M120, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a program stored in ROM 220 of the image capturing apparatus.

On the printing apparatus side, first, when the power is turned on, step S. In the initial processing of 110, various initialization processing of the printing apparatus is executed. Thereafter, step S. 1
In the request processing determination process of 20, input of the request process is awaited, and when a process request is input by an action such as button input, the process is distributed and executed according to the request content. In the request processing determination processing, when a processing request other than the data communication occurs, step S.
Proceeding to 130, the processing required for the requested processing is performed. If a data communication processing request has occurred, step S. Proceeding to 140, a communication negotiation process required to start the data communication process is performed with the image capturing device. In the communication negotiation process, various initial information such as a data communication start request and model information is transmitted from the printing apparatus to the image capturing apparatus, and the initial information corresponding thereto is transmitted from the image capturing apparatus. Receive this initial information. Since the initial information sent from the image capture device includes information necessary for selecting image data to be printed, such as image data storage information, a step is taken based on this information. S. 14
The first image data designation process is performed, and the image data to be sent from the image capturing device side and the resolution compatible with the printing device side are transmitted to the image capturing device side. Also, it transmits a color conversion table. In response to this notification, the specified resolution and the specified image data in the YMCK format are transmitted from the image capturing device side. In the image data receiving process of 142, the image data is received in the memory of the printing apparatus. Next, step S. In step S143, the attributes of the received image data are analyzed in the data attribute analysis process. In the image data processing 144, image data processing is performed. In this processing, processing such as expansion processing of compressed image data, color correction processing, and data masking are added. When the processing of the image data is completed, step S. In the image data print processing of 145, the image data is printed. When the printing process is completed, step S. Then, the process returns to step S120 to be in a state of waiting for request processing.

On the other hand, on the image capturing apparatus side, when the power is turned on, step S. In the initial process of 210, various initialization processes of the image capturing device are performed. Next, step S. The process proceeds to the determination process of the request process at 220, and a process request wait state is set. Here, if an image capture processing request has been issued, step S. Proceeding to step S.240, image data is fetched, and the fetched image data is stored in step S.240. 241
, An image data storage process for storing the image data in the image data storage memory is executed. If a data communication start request is notified from the printing apparatus, a data communication processing request is generated in the request determination processing, and step S. A communication negotiation process of 250 is performed. If a processing request other than the above is generated, step S. Proceeding to 230, other necessary processing according to the processing request is executed. Step S. In the communication negotiation process of 250, a process of returning the image capture device initial information to the printing device corresponding to the printing device initial information sent from the printing device is performed. When the communication negotiation process is completed, the information of the image data requested to be transferred and the resolution and the color conversion table compatible with the printing device are transmitted from the printing device side. 251. Based on the image data information notified in the image data specifying process of step S251, image data is specified from the image data storage memory, and step S. In the data resolution conversion process of 252, a process of converting the resolution of the specified image data to the resolution of the notified printing device (thinning process or the like) and an RGB → YMCK conversion process are executed. Note that as the information of the image data notified at this time, information that can specify the image data, such as NO of the image data or the image data name, is notified. When the data resolution conversion processing and the color conversion processing are completed, step S. The image data transmission process of 253 is executed, and the requested image data is converted to the resolution of the printing apparatus and color-converted and transmitted to the printing apparatus side.

According to the processing flow described above, the image data can be transferred to the printing apparatus in accordance with the resolution of the printing apparatus, and the image data can be printed by the existing printing apparatus. In the embodiment of the present invention, the print instruction and the designation of the image data are realized by the printing device, but can be performed by the image capturing device.

Next, the IEEE according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The E1394 serial bus will be described in detail. With the advent of home digital VTRs and DVDs, it is necessary to support real-time and high-information-volume data transfer of video data and audio data. In order to transfer such video and audio data in real time, and to transfer the data to a personal computer (PC) or other digital devices, an interface capable of high-speed data transfer with necessary transfer functions is required. The interface developed from such a point of view is IEEE 1394-1995 (Hig
h Performance Serial Bus)
(Hereinafter 1394 serial bus).

FIG. 5 shows an example of a network system configured using a 1394 serial bus. This system is provided with devices A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H. A-B, A-C, B-D, D-E, C-F
, CG, and CH are connected by a twisted pair cable of a 1394 serial bus.
The devices A to H are, for example, PC, digital VTR, DV
D, digital camera, hard disk, monitor, etc.

The connection method between the devices is such that the daisy chain method and the node branch method can be mixed.
A highly flexible connection is possible.

Each device has a unique ID, and recognizes each other to form a single network in a range connected by a 1394 serial bus. One 1394 connection between each digital device
Just by sequentially connecting with a serial bus cable, each device plays a role of relay, and constitutes one network as a whole. In addition, it has a function of automatically recognizing the device and recognizing the connection status when the cable is connected to the device by the Plug & Play function, which is a feature of the 1394 serial bus.

In the system shown in FIG. 5, when a device is deleted from the network or newly added, the bus is automatically reset, and the network configuration up to that point is reset. From
Rebuild a new network. With this function, the configuration of the network at that time can be constantly set and recognized.

The data transfer rate is 100/200 /
It has a transmission rate of 400 Mbps, and a device having a higher transfer rate supports a lower transfer rate and is compatible.

As a data transfer mode, Asynch for transferring asynchronous data such as a control signal (Asynchronous data: hereinafter referred to as Async data) is used.
synchronous transfer of real-time video data and audio data (isochron
ous data: Isoc for transferring Iso data
There is a strong transfer mode. The Async data and Iso data are stored in each cycle (usually one cycle 125
μS), following the transfer of the cycle start packet (CSP) indicating the start of the cycle, the transfer of the iso data is prioritized and transferred in a cycle.

FIG. 6 shows the components of the 1394 serial bus.

The 1394 serial bus has a layer (hierarchical) structure as a whole. As shown in FIG.
The most hardware type is a 1394 serial bus cable, which has a connector port to which a connector of the cable is connected.
There are layers and link layers.

The hardware part is a substantial part of an interface chip. The physical layer performs coding and control related to connectors, and the link layer performs packet transfer and cycle time control.

The transaction layer of the firmware section manages data to be transferred (transacted), and issues commands such as Read and Write.
The management layer is a part that manages the connection status and ID of each connected device and manages the configuration of the network.

The hardware and the firmware are the actual configuration of the 1394 serial bus.

The application of the software section
The layer differs depending on the software used, and is a part that defines how data is placed on the interface.
It is defined by a protocol such as the AV protocol.

The above is the configuration of the 1394 serial bus.

Next, FIG. 7 shows a diagram of the address space in the 1394 serial bus.

Each device (node) connected to the 1394 serial bus always has a 64-bit address unique to the node. By storing this address in the ROM, it is possible to always recognize the node address of oneself and the other party, and perform communication specifying the other party.

The addressing of the 1394 serial bus is based on the IEEE 1212 standard, and the first 10 bits are used for specifying the bus number.
The next 6 bits are used for specifying the node ID number. The remaining 48 bits become the address width given to the device,
Each can be used as a unique address space. The last 28 bits store information such as identification of each device and designation of use conditions as an area of unique data.

The above is the outline of the technology of the 1394 serial bus.

Next, the technology that can be said to be a feature of the 1394 serial bus will be described in more detail.

<Electrical Specifications of 1394 Serial Bus> FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a 1394 serial bus cable.

In the 1394 serial bus, a power supply line is provided in a connection cable in addition to two twisted pair signal lines. As a result, power can be supplied to a device having no power supply, a device whose voltage has dropped due to a failure, and the like.

The voltage of the power supply flowing in the power supply line is 8 to 40.
V and the current are specified as the maximum current DC 1.5A.

<DS-Link Encoding> The data transfer format D adopted in the 1394 serial bus
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the S-Link coding scheme.

In the 1394 serial bus, DS-Lin
The k (Data / Strobe Link) coding method is adopted. This DS-Link coding scheme is suitable for high-speed serial data communication,
Requires two signal lines. The main data is sent to one of the twisted pairs, and the strobe signal is sent to the other twisted pair.

On the receiving side, the clock can be reproduced by taking the exclusive OR of this communicated data and the strobe.

Advantages of using the DS-Link coding method include higher transfer efficiency compared to other serial data transfer methods, and a reduction in circuit size of the controller LSI because a PLL circuit is not required.
Since there is no need to send information indicating the idle state when there is no data to be transferred, the power consumption can be reduced by setting the transceiver circuit of each device to the sleep state.

<Bus Reset Sequence> In the 1394 serial bus, each connected device (node) is given a node ID and recognized as a network configuration.

When there is a change in the network configuration, for example, a change occurs due to an increase or decrease in the number of nodes due to insertion / removal of a node or power ON / OFF, etc., and when a new network configuration needs to be recognized, the change is made. Each detected node sends a bus reset signal on the bus,
Enter the mode to recognize the new network configuration. The method of detecting the change at this time is performed by detecting a change in the bias voltage on the 1394 port board.

When a bus reset signal is transmitted from a certain node, the physical layer of each node transmits the bus reset signal to the link layer at the same time as receiving the bus reset signal, and transmits the bus reset signal to another node. . After all the nodes finally detect the bus reset signal, the bus reset is activated.

The bus reset is started by the above-described cable detection or hardware detection due to a network error or the like, and is also started by directly issuing a command to the physical layer by host control from a protocol or the like.

When the bus reset is activated, the data transfer is suspended, the data transfer during this period is waited, and after the completion, the data transfer is restarted with a new network configuration.

The above is the bus reset sequence.

<Sequence of Node ID Determination> After the bus reset, each node starts an operation of giving an ID to each node in order to construct a new network configuration. The general sequence from the bus reset to the determination of the node ID at this time will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 17, 19, and 20.

The flowchart of FIG. 7 shows a series of bus operations from the occurrence of a bus reset until the node ID is determined and data transfer can be performed.

First, in step S101, the occurrence of a bus reset in the network is constantly monitored. If a bus reset occurs due to power ON / OFF of a node, the process proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, from the state where the network has been reset, a parent-child relationship is declared between the directly connected nodes in order to know the connection status of the new network. As step S103,
When the parent-child relationship is determined between all nodes, step S
One route is determined as 104. Until the parent-child relationship is determined between all nodes, the parent-child relationship is declared in step S102, and the route is not determined.

When the route is determined in step S104, the operation of setting a node ID for giving an ID to each node is performed in step S105. Node IDs are set in a predetermined node order, and I
The setting operation is repeatedly performed until D is given. When the IDs are finally set in all the nodes in step S106, the new network configuration is recognized in all the nodes. And data transfer is started.

In the state of step S107, a mode for monitoring the occurrence of a bus reset again is entered.
When the bus reset occurs, the setting operation from step S101 to step S106 is repeatedly performed.

The flow chart of FIG. 17 has been described above. The flow chart of FIG. 17 shows the portion from the bus reset to the route determination and the procedure from the route determination to the end of the ID setting in a more detailed flow chart. Are shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, respectively.

First, the flowchart of FIG. 18 will be described.

When a bus reset occurs in step S201, the network configuration is reset once. The occurrence of a bus reset is constantly monitored in step S201.

Next, as step S202, as a first step of re-recognizing the reset network connection status, a flag indicating a leaf (node) is set for each device. Further, as step S203, it is checked how many ports of each device are connected to other nodes.

In accordance with the result of the number of ports in step S204, the number of undefined ports (the parent-child relationship is not determined) is checked in order to start the declaration of the parent-child relationship.
Immediately after the bus reset, the number of ports is equal to the number of undefined ports, but as the parent-child relationship is determined, the number of undefined ports detected in step S204 changes.

First, immediately after the bus reset, only the leaf can declare a parent-child relationship. A leaf can be known by checking the number of ports in step S203. In step S205, the leaf declares "I am a child and the other is a parent" to the node connected thereto, and ends the operation.

A node which has a plurality of ports in step S203 and is recognized as a branch has a number of undefined ports> 1 in step S204 immediately after the bus reset.
Moving to step S206, a flag of branch is first set, and in step S207, the process waits for reception of "parent" in the parent-child relationship declaration from the leaf.

The leaf declares a parent-child relationship, and the branch that has received the declaration in step S207 appropriately returns to step S20.
Confirm the number of undefined ports of 4 and find that the number of undefined ports is 1
If it becomes, it becomes possible to declare “I am a child” in step S205 for the node connected to the remaining port. After the second time, step S204
Even if the number of undefined ports is checked in step S207, for a branch having two or more ports, the process waits again in step S207 to accept a "parent" from a leaf or another branch.

Finally, if any one branch or exceptional leaf (because it did not operate quickly enough to make a child declaration) becomes zero as a result of the number of undefined ports in step S204, In this case, the declaration of the parent-child relationship of the entire network has been completed, and the only node for which the number of undefined ports has become zero (all are determined as parent ports) is flagged as a root in step S208, and the root is set in step S209. Is recognized.

Thus, the process from the bus reset shown in FIG. 18 to the declaration of the parent-child relationship between all the nodes in the network is completed.

Next, the flowchart of FIG. 19 will be described.

First, in the sequence up to FIG.
Since the information of the flag of each node such as branch and route is set, classification is performed in step S301 based on this.

As an operation of assigning an ID to each node, the ID can be set first from the leaf. The IDs are set in ascending order of leaf → branch → route (node number = 0).

At step S302, the number N (N is a natural number) of leaves existing in the network is set. Thereafter, in step S303, each leaf requests the root to give an ID. If there are a plurality of such requests, the route performs arbitration (operation of arbitration into one) in step S304, and proceeds to step S3.
As 05, an ID number is given to one winning node, and a failure result is notified to the losing node. In step S306, the leaf whose ID acquisition has failed fails issues an ID request again, and repeats the same operation. In step S307, the ID information of the node is transferred to all the nodes by broadcasting from the leaf whose ID has been acquired. One node I
When the broadcasting of the D information is completed, step S30
As 8, the number of remaining leaves is reduced by one. here,
In step S309, when the number of the remaining leaves is one or more, the operation from the ID request in step S303 is repeatedly performed, and finally, when all the leaves broadcast the ID information, N = 0 in step S309, and the next Moves to the branch ID setting.

The setting of the branch ID is performed in the same manner as in the case of the leaf.

First, as step S310, the number M of branches existing in the network (M is a natural number) is set. Thereafter, in step S311, each branch requests the root to give an ID. On the other hand, the root performs arbitration as step S312, and gives the branch in order from the winning branch to the next youngest number that has been given to the leaf. In step S313, the root notifies the branch that issued the request of ID information or a failure result, and in step S314, the branch whose ID acquisition has failed fails issues an ID request again and repeats the same operation. In step S315, the ID information of the node is broadcast and transferred to all the nodes from the branch where the ID has been obtained. When the broadcast of the one node ID information ends, the number of remaining branches is reduced by one in step S316. Here, step S
At step 317, when the number of remaining branches is 1 or more, the operation from the ID request in step S311 is repeated until all branches finally broadcast ID information. When all the branches have acquired the node IDs, M = 0 in step S317, and the branch ID acquisition mode ends.

When the process ends up to this point, since only the root node has not finally acquired the ID information, step S
The lowest number among the numbers not given as 318 is set as the own ID number, and the ID information of the route as step S319 is broadcast.

As described above, as shown in FIG. 21, the procedure from the determination of the parent-child relationship to the setting of all the node IDs is completed.

Next, the operation in the actual network shown in FIG. 10 will be described as an example with reference to FIG.

As an explanation of FIG. 10, (root) node B
Are directly connected to node A and node C,
Further, a node D is directly connected below the node C, and a node E and a node F are directly connected below the node D in a hierarchical structure. The procedure for determining the hierarchical structure, the root node, and the node ID will be described below.

After the bus reset, a parent-child relationship is declared between ports directly connected to each node in order to recognize the connection status of each node. The parent and child can be said to be such that the parent is higher in the hierarchical structure and the child is lower.

In FIG. 10, the node A first declares the parent-child relationship after the bus reset. Basically, a parent-child relationship can be declared from a lead (referred to as a leaf) having a connection to only one port of a node. Since the user can first know that the connection is only one port, he / she recognizes that this is the edge of the network, and the parent-child relationship is determined from the node that has operated earlier in the network. In this way, the port on the side that has declared the parent-child relationship (node A between AB) is set as a child,
The port on the other end (node B) is set as the parent. Thus, the child-parent between the nodes AB and the child-parent between the nodes E-D.
It is determined as a child-parent between the parent and the node FD.

[0098] Further up in the hierarchy, among nodes having a plurality of connection ports (referred to as branches), the parent-child relationship is declared further higher in order from the node that has received the parent-child relationship declaration from another node. To go. In FIG. 12, first, the parent-child relationship between the node E and the nodes D-F is determined, and then the parent-child relationship is declared for the node C. As a result, the child-parent is determined between the nodes D-C. doing.

The node C receiving the parent-child relationship declaration from the node D becomes the node B connected to another port.
Declare a parent-child relationship. As a result, a child-parent is determined between the nodes C and B.

In this way, a hierarchical structure as shown in FIG. 10 is formed, and the node B that has become the parent in all finally connected ports is determined as the root node.

There is only one route in one network configuration.

In FIG. 10, node B is determined to be the root node. This is because node B, which has received a parent-child relationship declaration from node A, makes a parent-child relationship declaration for other nodes at an early timing. If so, the root node may have moved to another node. That is, any node may become a root node depending on the transmission timing, and the root node is not always constant even in the same network configuration.

When the root node has been determined, the process enters a mode for determining each node ID. Here, all nodes notify their determined node IDs to all other nodes (broadcast function).

The self ID information includes its own node number, information on the connected position, the number of ports it has, the number of ports it has connected, information on the parent-child relationship of each port, and the like.

As a procedure for assigning node ID numbers, first, nodes can be started from a node (leaf) connected to only one port, and node numbers = 0, 1, and 2 are assigned in this order.

The node that has obtained the node ID broadcasts information including the node number to each node. Thereby, it is recognized that the ID number is “assigned”.

When all the leaves have obtained their own node IDs, the next step is to move to a branch, and the node ID number following the leaf is assigned to each node. Similarly to the leaf, the node ID information is broadcast sequentially from the branch to which the node ID number is assigned, and finally, the root node broadcasts its own ID information. That is, the root always owns the maximum node ID number.

As described above, the assignment of the node IDs of the entire hierarchical structure is completed, the network configuration is reconstructed, and the bus initialization is completed.

<Arbitration> In the 1394 serial bus, arbitration (arbitration) of the right to use the bus is always performed prior to data transfer. Since the 1394 serial bus is a logical bus network in which each device connected individually transmits the same signal to all devices in the network by interrupting the transferred signal, packet collision occurs. Arbitration is necessary to prevent This allows only one node to transfer at a given time.

As a diagram for explaining arbitration, FIG. 11 (a) shows a bus use request and FIG. 11 (b) shows a bus use permission diagram, which will be described below.

When the arbitration starts, one or more nodes issue a bus use request to the parent node. Nodes C and F in FIG. 11A are nodes that have issued a bus use right request. The parent node (node A in FIG. 11) that has received the request further issues (relays) a request for the right to use the bus toward the parent node. This request is finally delivered to the arbitration route.

The root node receiving the bus use request determines which node uses the bus. This arbitration work can be performed only by the root node, and the node that has won the arbitration is given permission to use the bus. FIG.
In (b), use permission is given to the node C, and use of the node F is rejected. A DP (data prefix) packet is sent to the node that has lost the arbitration to notify that the node has been rejected. The rejected node use request waits until the next arbitration.

As described above, the node that has won the arbitration and obtained the bus use permission can start the subsequent data transfer.

Here, a series of arbitration flows will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

In order for a node to be able to start data transfer,
The bus must be idle. In order to recognize that the data transfer that has been performed earlier is completed and that the bus is currently idle, a predetermined idle time gap length (eg, sub-action. Each node determines that its own transfer can be started by passing the gap.

In step S401, it is determined whether a predetermined gap length corresponding to each data to be transferred, such as Async data and Iso data, has been obtained. Unless the predetermined gap length is obtained, the request for the right to use the bus required to start the transfer cannot be made, so the process waits until the predetermined gap length is obtained.

When a predetermined gap length is obtained in step S401, it is determined in step S402 whether there is data to be transferred. Is issued to the route. At this time, the transmission of the signal indicating the request for the right to use the bus is finally delivered to the route while relaying each device in the network, as shown in FIG. If there is no data to be transferred in step S402, the process stands by.

Next, at step S404, when the route receives one or more bus use requests at step S403, the route checks the number of nodes that have issued use requests at step S405. If the selection value in step S405 is the number of nodes = 1 (the number of nodes that issued the use right request is one), the immediately subsequent bus use permission is given to that node. The selection value in step S405 is the number of nodes> 1
If (the number of nodes requesting the use is plural), the root performs an arbitration operation of deciding one node to which use permission is given in step S406. This arbitration work is fair, and the same node does not always obtain permission each time, and the right is equally given.

As step S407, step S40
At step 6, the node arbitrates the route from among the plurality of nodes that have issued the use request and selects one node whose use has been granted and another node that has lost. Here, for one node that has been arbitrated and has obtained use permission, or a node that has obtained use permission without arbitration with the number of use request nodes = 1 from the selection value in step S405, the route is set to that node as step S408. A permission signal is sent to it. The node that has received the permission signal starts transferring data (packets) to be transferred immediately after receiving the permission signal. Further, the nodes that have been defeated in the arbitration in step S406 and have not been permitted to use the bus are given step S406.
At step 409, a DP (data prefix) packet indicating arbitration failure is sent from the root,
The node that has received the request returns to step S401 to issue a bus use request for performing the transfer again, and waits until a predetermined gap length is obtained.

The above is the description of the flowchart in FIG. 20 for explaining the flow of arbitration.

<Asynchronous (Asynchronous) Transfer> The asynchronous transfer is an asynchronous transfer. FIG.
5 shows a temporal transition state in asynchronous transfer. The first sub-action gap in FIG. 12 indicates the idle state of the bus. When the idle time reaches a certain value, the node desiring transfer determines that the bus can be used and executes arbitration for acquiring the bus.

When the use of the bus is obtained by arbitration, data transfer is executed in the form of a packet.
After the data transfer, the receiving node sets ack (reception confirmation return code) of the reception result for the transferred data to a.
After a short gap of ck gap, the transfer is completed by returning and responding or sending a response packet. The ack is composed of 4-bit information and a 4-bit checksum, and includes information such as success, busy status, and pending status, and is immediately returned to the source node.

Next, FIG. 13 shows an example of the packet format of the asynchronous transfer.

The packet has a header in addition to the data part and the data CRC for error correction. The header part has the destination node ID, the source node ID, the transfer data length and the like as shown in FIG. Various codes and the like are written and transferred.

Asynchronous transfer is one-to-one communication from a self-node to a partner node. The packet transferred from the transfer source node is distributed to each node in the network, but the address other than its own address is ignored, so that only one destination node reads the packet.

The above is the description of the asynchronous transfer.

<Isochronous (synchronous) transfer>
Isochronous transfer is synchronous transfer. This isochronous transfer, which can be said to be the greatest feature of the 1394 serial bus, is a transfer mode suitable for transferring data that requires real-time transfer, such as multimedia data such as VIDEO video data and audio data.

In addition, when the asynchronous transfer (asynchronous) is 1
Unlike the one-to-one transfer, the isochronous transfer is uniformly transferred from one transfer source node to all other nodes by the broadcast function.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a temporal transition state in the isochronous transfer.

The isochronous transfer is executed at fixed time intervals on the bus. This time interval is called an isochronous cycle. The isochronous cycle time is 125 μS. The cycle start packet indicates the start time of each cycle, and plays a role of adjusting the time of each node. A node called a cycle master transmits a cycle start packet, and after a transfer in a previous cycle is completed, a predetermined idle period (subaction gap) is passed, and then the start of this cycle is announced. Send a cycle start packet. The time interval at which this cycle start packet is transmitted is 125 μS.

FIG. 16 shows channel A, channel B,
As indicated by the channel C, a plurality of types of packets can be separately transferred by being given channel IDs in one cycle. This allows real-time transfer between a plurality of nodes at the same time, and the receiving node fetches only the data of the channel ID desired by itself. The channel ID does not represent the address of the transmission destination, but merely gives a logical number for the data. Therefore, the transmission of a certain packet is 1
From one source node to all other nodes,
It will be transferred by broadcast.

Prior to the packet transmission in the isochronous transfer, arbitration is performed as in the asynchronous transfer. However, since the communication is not one-to-one communication as in the asynchronous transfer, there is no ack (reception confirmation reply code) in the isochronous transfer.

The iso gap (isochronous gap) shown in FIG. 14 represents an idle period necessary for recognizing that the bus is empty before performing the isochronous transfer. After the predetermined idle period has elapsed, a node that wishes to perform isochronous transfer determines that the bus is empty, and can perform arbitration before transfer.

Next, an example of a packet format for isochronous transfer will be described with reference to FIG.

Each packet divided into each channel has a header part in addition to a data part and data CRC for error correction, and the header part has a transfer data length and a channel as shown in FIG. NO, other various codes, a header CRC for error correction, and the like are written and transferred.

The above is the description of the isochronous transfer.

<Bus Cycle> In an actual transfer on the 1394 serial bus, isochronous transfer and asynchronous transfer can coexist. FIG. 16 shows a temporal transition of the transfer state on the bus in which the isochronous transfer and the asynchronous transfer are mixed at that time.

The isochronous transfer is executed prior to the asynchronous transfer. The reason is that after the cycle start packet, the isochronous transfer can be started with a gap length (isochronous gap) shorter than the gap length (subaction gap) of the idle period required to start the asynchronous transfer. . Therefore, the isochronous transfer is executed with priority over the asynchronous transfer.

In a general bus cycle shown in FIG. 16, a cycle start packet is transferred from the cycle master to each node at the start of cycle #m. As a result, each node adjusts the time, and after waiting for a predetermined idle period (isochronous gap), the node that should perform isochronous transfer performs arbitration and starts packet transfer. In FIG. 16, channel e, channel s, and channel k are sequentially and isochronously transferred.

After the operations from the arbitration to the packet transfer are repeatedly performed for the given channel, when all the isochronous transfers in the cycle #m have been completed, the asynchronous transfer can be performed.

When the idle time reaches the subaction gap in which asynchronous transfer is possible, it is determined that the node that wants to perform asynchronous transfer can shift to execution of arbitration.

However, during the period in which the asynchronous transfer can be performed, the time (cycle system) for transferring the next cycle start packet after the completion of the isochronous transfer
nch) only when a sub-action gap for starting asynchronous transfer is obtained.

In cycle #m of FIG. 16, two packets (packet 1 and packet 2) of isochronous transfer for three channels and then asynchronous transfer (including ack) are transferred. After this asynchronous packet 2, a time (cycle) to start cycle m + 1
e sync), the transfer in cycle #m ends here.

However, the time (c) at which the next cycle start packet is to be transmitted during the asynchronous or synchronous transfer operation
If (cycle synch) is reached, a cycle start packet of the next cycle is transmitted after waiting for an idle period after the transfer is completed without forcibly interrupting the transfer. That is, when one cycle continues for 125 μS or more, it is assumed that the next cycle is shortened by that much from the reference 125 μS. As described above, the isochronous cycle can be exceeded or shortened on the basis of 125 μS.

However, the isochronous transfer is always executed if necessary every cycle in order to maintain the real-time transfer, and the asynchronous transfer may be transferred to the next and subsequent cycles due to the shortened cycle time.

[0146]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to directly transfer image data corresponding to the resolution of the printing device from the image capture device side without using an electronic device such as a personal computer,
The image data can be printed even if the image capture device is made finer.

Thus, each time the image reading device becomes higher definition, there is a problem that an electronic device such as a personal computer must be expanded, and a problem that a high-resolution printing device must be prepared. It can be solved.

In addition, data can be received and printing can be performed in the same manner as in the state where the personal computer is connected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing device and an image reading device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of a program of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flowchart of a program of the image reading apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a network according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing components of a 1394 serial bus of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an address space of a 1394 serial bus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a cross section of a 1394 serial bus cable of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a DS-Link code scheme according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the operation of the network of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a bus use request of the serial bus of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a transition state of asynchronous transfer of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a packet format of asynchronous transfer according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a transition state of the isochronous transfer of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a packet format of isochronous transfer of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a transition state when asynchronous transfer and isochronous transfer of the present invention are mixed.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a sequence from a bus reset to a node ID determination according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a sequence from a bus reset to a determination of a node ID according to the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a sequence from a bus reset to a determination of a node ID according to the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a flow of arbitration of the serial bus of the present invention.

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. An image capturing apparatus directly connected to a printing apparatus, comprising: capturing means for capturing image data; storage means for storing image data captured by the capturing means; and information from the printing apparatus. Input means for inputting from the printing device, converting means for converting image data stored in the storage means based on information input by the input means, and transferring the image data converted by the converting means to the printing device. An image capturing device, comprising: 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conversion unit converts the image data specified by the printing apparatus.
The image capturing device according to the above. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conversion unit performs a resolution conversion process of the image data based on resolution information from the printing device and / or a color conversion process based on a color conversion table from the printing device. The image capturing device according to the above. 4. A printing apparatus comprising: means for inputting an image data transmission command from the printing apparatus, wherein the conversion by the conversion means and the transfer by the transfer means are performed based on the image data transmission command. The image capturing device according to claim 1. 5. An image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a designation unit for designating image data to be printed from image data stored in said storage unit. 6. A printing apparatus comprising a designating means for designating image data and a printing means for printing the transferred image data, a capturing means for capturing the image data, and a storage for storing the image data captured by the capturing means. And an image capturing device directly connected to the printing device, the image capturing device inputting information from the printing device from the printing device, and storing the information in the storage device specified by the specifying device. A printing system configured to convert the input image data based on input information, and to transfer the converted image data to the printing apparatus. 7. The printing system according to claim 6, wherein the conversion is performed by converting image data specified by the printing device. 8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the conversion includes performing a resolution conversion process on the image data based on resolution information from a printing device and / or a color conversion process based on a color conversion table from the printing device. Printing system. 9. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit for inputting an image data transmission command from the printing device, and performing the conversion and the transfer based on the image data transmission command. The printing system according to claim 6. 10. The printing system according to claim 6, wherein said image capturing device has a designation unit for designating image data to be printed from image data stored in said storage unit. 11. A printing apparatus comprising a designating means for designating image data and a printing means for printing the transferred image data, a capturing means for capturing the image data, and a storage for storing the image data captured by the capturing means. Means for using an image capturing device directly connected to the printing device, wherein the image capturing device inputs information from the printing device from the printing device, and is specified by the specifying device. Converting the image data stored in the storage means based on the input information, and transferring the converted image data to the printing apparatus. 12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the conversion is performed by converting image data specified by the printing apparatus.
The printing method described. 13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conversion is performed based on resolution information from a printing apparatus.
10. The printing method according to claim 9, wherein the color conversion processing is performed based on a color conversion table from the printing apparatus. 14. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein an image data transmission command is input from the printing apparatus, and the conversion and the transfer are performed based on the image data transmission command. Printing method. 15. The printing method according to claim 11, wherein the image capturing device has a designating unit that designates image data to be printed from image data stored in the storage unit. 16. A printing device directly connected to an image capturing device, comprising: an instruction unit for instructing the image capturing device to transfer image data; and a transfer unit for transmitting information of the printing device to the image capturing device. Receiving means for receiving the image data converted by the image capturing device based on the information transferred by the transfer means; and printing means for printing the image data received by the receiving means. Printing device. 17. The printing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the image capturing device performs resolution conversion based on input resolution information and / or color conversion based on an input color conversion table.