JP2000134440A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make processing of a composite function efficient while increasing a degree of freedom of control and emphasizing the productivity by configuring a memory with a primary storage section and a secondary storage section and providing a save area security means that secures a storage area equal at least to that for the primary storage section in the two storage sections for saving an image temporarily. SOLUTION: An image memory 66 consists of a primary storage section 661 and a secondary storage section 662. For example, in the case of a combination between 4 in 1 summation of A4 size originals and electronic sort, the primary storage section 661 is divided into two and expansion of the area for 4 originals is finished, then the image is confirmed and stored in the secondary storage section 662. The data as the result of the storage processing in this case are continuously stored in the secondary storage section 662 temporarily. However, on the occurrence of an interruption on the way of the processing, if the capacity required for the interruption uses all areas of the primary storage section 661, the image being collected at present should be temporarily saved to the secondary storage section 662. Then the secondary storage section 662 is provided with a storage area for temporal saving equal to that of the primary storage section 661.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for storing a plurality of input image signals and selecting and outputting a desired image signal from the stored image signals.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an image forming apparatus, also called a so-called digital copying machine, having a combination of a copy function, a printer function, a function of storing and printing scanned image data, a facsimile function, and the like has been widely used. In this type of apparatus, input image information is temporarily stored in a memory, and read out in response to a read request to form a predetermined or desired image.

Since image information is once stored in a memory, read out, and used, a memory as a shared resource may be used simultaneously by a plurality of applications. As a memory management method in such a case, a technique disclosed in, for example, JP-A-10-74163, JP-A-7-175916, or JP-A-7-273957 is known.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-74163 discloses that, in addition to a copy application, a plurality of applications such as a printer application and a facsimile application, and each unit constituting a copying machine are managed as shared resources by function unit. In a digital copying machine having a system controller that arbitrates when one shared resource is used by a plurality of applications simultaneously, a memory unit arranged as one of the shared resources and a memory controller that controls input / output of the memory unit are provided. The system controller is configured to perform arbitration when the system controller uses the memory controller and the memory unit simultaneously in a plurality of applications. As a result, the memory unit can be handled as a shared resource, and the effect of reducing the cost of the device and effectively using the memory can be obtained.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-175916 discloses a comparison between the memory capacity required by a corresponding function and the current free space in a memory, and when the former is larger, a file of an unused function is temporarily stored. There is disclosed a technique in which each function can be processed in parallel without greatly increasing the memory capacity for executing the function by saving the function to an external storage device.

Further, JP-A-7-273957 describes a storage area in which the storage capacity of the page memory section is allocated for each of a facsimile transmission / reception function, a LAN transmission / reception function, an electronic sort copy function, an image registration and an image search function. A technique is disclosed in which the use situation of a storage area for each function is stored, and the content of storage capacity allocation for each function is changed according to the use situation. According to this technology, when the page memory section is shared and used for various functions, it is possible to change the use area of the page memory according to the use situation of each function, and the effective use of the page memory is improved. The effect is that it can be.

[0007]

In each of the above-mentioned prior arts, an image forming apparatus having a copy function, a printer function, a scan image data storage and print function, a facsimile function and the like in combination has a memory as a shared resource. This is related to a management method when used simultaneously by a plurality of applications. However, in these known technologies, the memory is singular, and there is no mention of a memory management method or a memory management method when there are a plurality of shared memories. It has not been.

On the other hand, a so-called sort function for storing a plurality of input image data and outputting a plurality of sets in an order different from the order of the input, or outputting a plurality of input data in a single image output In an image forming apparatus having such a function, the storage capacity required for a storage unit for storing image data increases according to the amount of image data to be processed. Centralize control of storage means, and
Simultaneous high-speed input and output of a plurality of image signals can be achieved by improving the storage method inside the storage means. However, simply distributing requested data processing to each storage device regardless of the type of image input / output function can provide an image forming apparatus with high productivity in consideration of the operation efficiency of the entire image forming apparatus. Hard to say.

As an example, there is a function (hereinafter, referred to as "image aggregation") in which a plurality of originals are aggregated and output on one transfer sheet in a copy function. In order to achieve this image aggregation function, a plurality of originals are pasted on the primary storage unit in order, and when it is completed, these are stored as one image in the secondary storage unit and image output is performed. However, if another operator interrupts during the operation and a different image input request is received, the image currently stored in the primary storage unit is deleted by two.
It must be temporarily evacuated to the next storage unit. At this time,
If the primary storage unit has two aggregated images by dividing the primary storage unit into two and the interrupted image must be used without dividing the primary storage unit, 2 One aggregated image must be saved to the secondary storage unit.

However, the temporarily evacuated image may not be stored in an address continuous with the previous and next image numbers, and in such a case, the reading time from the secondary storage unit is delayed, which affects productivity. Will be.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and has as its object to increase the degree of freedom of control and to increase the processing efficiency of a composite function while emphasizing productivity. An image forming apparatus provided with:

[0012]

A first means is a plurality of image input means, an image forming means for outputting a visible image based on the input image signal, and a storage means for storing the input image signal. And a primary storage unit for storing at least one image signal input from the image input unit, and a storage unit for storing the image signal input to the primary storage unit. And a storage area securing means for securing at least a storage area of the secondary storage section equivalent to the primary storage section for temporary image saving.

The second means is characterized in that the first means is further provided with a judgment means for judging whether or not an area for temporary evacuation is secured.

A third means is the first means, wherein the save area securing means secures a temporary image save area for each image input means.

The fourth means is characterized in that, in the first means, a selection means is further provided for selecting whether or not to secure a temporary evacuation area for each image input means.

A fifth means is an image forming apparatus having a plurality of image input means, an image forming means for outputting a visualized image based on the input image signal, and a storage means for storing the input image signal. , Wherein the storage means includes a primary storage section for storing at least one image signal input from the image input means, and a secondary storage section for storing the image signal input to the primary storage section. And a storage area dividing means for dividing the storage area of the secondary storage section for each of the image input means.

In a sixth aspect based on the fifth aspect, the storage area dividing means can individually set a minimum storage unit for each of the image input means.

A seventh means is that, in the sixth means, when the minimum storage unit is individually set, the setting is automatically performed based on image information and / or attributes of each of the image input means. It is characterized by.

The eighth means is characterized in that, in the sixth means, when the minimum storage unit is set, there is provided a notifying means for notifying a setter of the maximum or minimum number of stored image data.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1. 1. Schematic Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 1.2 Mechanical Configuration FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG.
Called "ADF". 2) When the start key 34 on the operation unit 30 (FIG. 2) is pressed, the document bundle placed on the document table 2 of the The sheet is fed to a predetermined reading position on the contact glass 6 by the feeding belt 4. After reading the image data of the document on the contact glass 6 by the reading unit 50, the read document is discharged by the feed belt 4 and the discharge roller 5. Further, when the document set detection sensor 7 detects that the next document is present on the document table 2, the next document is fed onto the contact glass 6 like the previous document. The feed roller 3, the feed belt 4, and the discharge roller 5 are driven by a transport motor 26 as shown in FIG.

The transfer sheets stacked on the first tray 8, the second tray 9, and the third tray 10 are fed by the first sheet feeding device 11, the second sheet feeding device 12, and the third sheet feeding device 13, respectively. ,
The sheet is transported by the vertical transport unit 14 to a position where it contacts the photoconductor 15. The image data read by the reading unit 50 is written on the photoconductor by the laser light from the writing unit 57, and passes through the developing unit 27 to form a toner image. The toner on the photoconductor 15 is transferred while the transfer paper is being conveyed by the conveyance belt 16 at the same speed as the rotation of the photoconductor 15. After that, the image is fixed on the transfer paper by the fixing unit 17, and is discharged by the discharge unit 18 to the discharge tray 19 of the post-processing device.

The finisher 100 of the post-processing apparatus can guide the transfer paper conveyed by the paper discharge roller 19 of the main body toward the normal paper discharge roller 102 and the stapling section. By switching the switching plate 101 upward, the sheet can be discharged to the normal paper discharge tray 104 side via the transport roller 103, and by switching downward, the sheet is discharged to the staple table 108 via the transport rollers 105 and 107. Can be transported. Staple table 10
Each time one sheet of the transfer paper stacked on the sheet 8 is discharged, the paper end face is aligned by the jogger 109 for paper alignment, and the copy is partially bound by the stapler 106 upon completion of copying. The transfer paper group bound by the stapler 106 is stored in the stapling completion paper discharge tray 110 by its own weight.

On the other hand, a normal paper discharge tray 104 is a paper discharge tray that can move back and forth. The paper discharge tray 104 moves back and forth for each original or for each copy unit sorted by the image memory, and sorts out the copies that are simply discharged.

When images are formed on both sides of the transfer paper,
The transfer paper fed and imaged from each of the paper feed trays 8 to 10 is not guided to the paper discharge tray 19, but is set by setting the branching pawl 112 for path switching to the upper side, thereby temporarily setting the duplex paper feed unit 111. And stock it in the unit 111. Thereafter, the transfer paper stocked in the double-sided paper supply unit 111 is sent from the double-sided paper supply unit 111 to the vertical transport unit 14 to transfer the toner image formed on the photoreceptor 15 again, and is re-fed and transferred. After an image is formed on the back side of the paper, the reversing claw 112 is set on the lower side and guided to the paper discharge tray 19. When an image is formed on both sides of a transfer sheet as described above, the duplex sheet feeding unit 111 is used.

The photoconductor 15, the transport belt 16, the fixing unit 17, the paper discharging unit 18 and the developing unit 27 are driven by a main motor 25 (FIG. 4). The transmission is controlled by the paper feed clutches 22, 23, 24, respectively. The transmission of the driving force of the main motor 25 to the vertical transport unit 14 is controlled by the intermediate clutch 21.

1.2 Operation Unit FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the operation unit 30. In the same figure, a liquid crystal touch panel (display) 31,
Numeric keys 32, clear / stop key 33, print key 34, mode clear key 35, and initial setting key 38
The liquid crystal touch panel 31 displays a mode setting function key 37, a message indicating the number of copies, the state of the image forming apparatus, and the like.

FIG. 3 shows a liquid crystal touch panel 31 of the operation unit 30.
It is a figure which shows an example of a display. As can be seen from the figure, when the operator touches a key displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 31, the key indicating the selected function is inverted to black. Further, when it is necessary to specify the details of a function such as a scaling value at the time of performing scaling, by touching a key, a detailed function setting screen is displayed. As described above, since the liquid crystal touch panel uses the dot display device, the optimum display at that time can be graphically performed.

1.3 Control Configuration FIG. 4 shows a control device centering on the main controller. In FIG. 1, a main controller 20 controls the entire image forming apparatus.
0 is an image for performing operations such as display to an operator, control of input of function setting from the operator, control of a scanner, control of writing a document image in an image memory, control of image formation from an image memory, and the like. A distributed control device such as a processing unit (IPU) 49 and an automatic document feeder (ADF) 1 is connected. Each decentralized control device and the main controller 20 are connected to the state of the machine,
Exchanging operation commands. Further, a main motor 25 and a conveyance motor 26 necessary for paper conveyance and the like, and various clutches 21 to 24 are also connected.

2. Operation Hereinafter, an operation from reading an image in the image forming apparatus configured as described above to forming a latent image on the recording surface of the photoconductor will be described. Here, the latent image is a potential distribution generated by converting an image into optical information and irradiating the image on the surface of the photoconductor.

The reading unit 50 includes a contact glass 6 on which a document is placed and an optical scanning system. The optical scanning system includes an exposure lamp 51, a first mirror 52, a lens 53,
It comprises a CD image sensor 54, a second mirror 55, a third mirror 56 and the like. The exposure lamp 51 and the first mirror 52 are fixed on a first carriage (not shown), and the second mirror 55 and the third mirror 56 are fixed on a second carriage (not shown). When reading a document, the first carriage and the second carriage are moved so that the optical path length does not change.
The carriage is mechanically scanned at a relative speed of 2: 1. This optical scanning system is driven by a scanner drive motor (not shown).

The original image is read by the CCD image sensor 54, and is converted from an optical signal to an electric signal and processed. The image magnification can be changed by moving the lens 53 and the CCD image sensor 54 left and right in FIG. That is, the position of the lens 53 and the CCD image sensor 54 in the left-right direction in the figure is set corresponding to the designated magnification.

The writing unit 57 includes a laser output unit 58, an imaging lens 59, and a mirror 60.
Inside the laser output unit 58, there is provided a polygon mirror that rotates at a constant high speed by a motor and a laser diode as a laser light source.

The laser light emitted from the laser output unit 58 is deflected by the polygon mirror rotating at a constant speed, passes through the imaging lens 59, is turned back by the mirror 60, and is condensed on the surface of the photoreceptor to form an image. . The deflected laser light is exposed and scanned in a so-called main scanning direction orthogonal to the direction in which the photoconductor 15 rotates.
4, the recording of the image signal output in line units is performed. An image, that is, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor by repeating main scanning at a predetermined cycle corresponding to the rotation speed and the recording density of the photoconductor.

The laser beam output from the writing unit 57 is applied to the photoconductor 15 of the image forming system. The main scanning synchronization signal is applied to the laser beam irradiation position near one end of the photoconductor 15 (not shown). Is provided. Based on the main scanning synchronization signal output from the beam sensor, control of image recording timing in the main scanning direction and generation of a control signal for input / output of an image signal described later are performed.

3. Image Processing Unit The configuration of the image processing unit (IPU) 49 will be described with reference to FIG. Illumination light emitted from the exposure lamp 51 irradiates the document surface and is reflected by the document surface. The reflected light is imaged by an imaging lens (not shown), is incident on the light receiving surface of the CCD image sensor 54 and is photoelectrically converted.
The signal is converted into a digital signal by the D converter 61. The image signal converted into the digital signal is subjected to shading correction by a shading correction unit 62, and then MTF correction and γ correction are performed by an image processing unit 63. In the selector 64, the destination of the image signal is selected by either the scaling unit 71 or the image memory controller 65. The image signal that has passed through the scaling unit 71 is scaled according to the scaling factor and sent to the writing unit 57.

Image memory controller 65 and selector 6
The four sections are configured to be able to input and output image signals in both directions. Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 5, the image processing unit 49
Is provided with a function of selecting input / output of a plurality of data so that image data supplied from the outside in addition to image data input from the reading unit 50 can be processed. The image data supplied from the outside is data output from a data processing device such as a personal computer. Therefore, the input signal includes an input signal from an external device in addition to a signal read by the scanner. The image processing unit 49 includes a CPU 68 that performs settings for the image memory controller 65 and the like and controls the reading unit 50 and the writing unit 57,
A ROM 69 and a RAM 70 for storing 68 programs and data are provided. The CPU 68 can write and read data in the image memory 66 via the image memory controller 65, and the storage means in the claims indicates the memory controller and the image memory 66. These units communicate with the outside through an I / O port 67, and input and output of image data 73 are performed through the I / O port 67.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explaining an image signal for one page in the selector 64. The frame gate signal (/ FGATE) indicates an effective period of one page of image data in the sub-scanning direction. / LSYNC is a main scanning synchronization signal for each line, and the image signal becomes valid at a predetermined clock after this signal rises. A signal indicating that the image signal in the main scanning direction is valid is / LGATE. These signals are synchronized with the pixel clock VCLK, and data of one pixel is sent for one cycle of VCLK. The image processing unit (IPU) 49 has separate / FGATE, / LSYNC, / LGATE, VC for each of image input and output.
An LK generation mechanism is provided, and various combinations of image input / output can be realized by performing phase adjustment or the like in the case of directly outputting a read image.

4. 4. Storage Device 4.1 Configuration FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the memory controller 65 and the image memory 66 in FIG. 5 in detail, showing details of individual storage units (storage devices) of the storage means in the present invention. I have. In the figure, the memory controller 65
Of the input data selector 6
51, an image synthesizing unit 652, a primary compression / expansion unit 653, an output data sector 654, and a secondary compression / expansion unit 655. The setting of control data to each of these parts is
This is done by U68. The addresses and data shown in FIG.
Data and addresses connected to 8 are not shown.

The image memory 66 stores the primary and secondary storage devices 6
61,662. The primary storage device 661 can write data to a specified area of the memory or read data from a specified area of the memory at the time of image output so as to be substantially synchronized with a data transfer rate required at the time of input / output of image data. A memory that can be accessed at high speed, such as a DRAM, is used. In addition, the primary storage device 661 includes an interface unit with a memory controller that can divide the image data into a plurality of areas according to the size of the image data to be processed and simultaneously execute input and output of the image data.

The secondary storage device 662 is a large-capacity nonvolatile memory, and is used for synthesizing and sorting input images and storing data. If the primary storage device 661 has a sufficient capacity for processing image data and is non-volatile, there is no need to input and output data to and from the secondary storage device 662. Further, if the secondary storage device 662 can write / read data substantially in synchronization with the data transfer speed required at the time of image input / output, it is possible to directly write / read data to / from the secondary storage device 662. It is. In such a case, data processing can be performed without distinction between primary and secondary.

The secondary storage device 662 writes / writes data substantially in synchronism with the data transfer speed required at the time of image input / output.
If reading is not possible, for example, the secondary storage device 662
Even when a storage medium such as a hard disk or a magneto-optical disk is used for the input / output of data to / from the secondary storage device 662, the primary storage device 661 is interposed, and the data transfer capability of the secondary storage device 662 is determined. Can be processed.

With such a configuration, the storage element can be selected according to the processing speed of the image data of the image forming apparatus, and the compression ratio and the expansion ratio are different depending on the image data. Even if a method in which the data access speed to the memory is different depending on the operation is adopted, it is possible to cope with the case. If the compression ratio and the expansion ratio are variable, the capacity of the storage device may be saved.

4.4 Operation of Memory Controller The operation of the memory controller 65 is, for example, as follows. Here, this is an example in which the secondary storage device 662 cannot write / read data substantially in synchronization with the data transfer speed required at the time of image input / output.

(1) Image Input (Saving to Image Memory) The input data selector 651 selects one of a plurality of data
The image data to be written to the image memory 66 (primary storage device 661) is selected. Input data selector 65
The image data selected by 1 is supplied to the image synthesizing unit 652, and the image is synthesized as needed. The image data processed by the image synthesizing unit 652 is subjected to data compression by the primary compression / expansion unit 653, and the compressed data is written to the primary storage device 661. The data written in the primary storage device 661 is further compressed by the secondary compression / expansion unit 655 as necessary, and then stored in the secondary storage device 662.

(2) Image Output (Read from Image Memory) At the time of image output, image data stored in the primary storage device 661 is read. If the image to be output is stored in the primary storage device 661, the primary compression /
The decompression unit 653 decompresses the image data from the primary storage device 661, and performs image synthesis of the decompressed data or the decompressed data and the input data in the image synthesis unit 652.
The data after image synthesis is selected by the output data selector 654 and output. The image to be output is the secondary storage device 66
2, the image data to be output, which is stored in the secondary storage device 662, is expanded by the secondary compression / expansion unit 655, and the expanded data is stored in the primary storage device 6.
After writing the image data in the primary storage device 61, the image data is read from the primary storage device 661, and the above operation is performed to output the image data from the output data selector 654.

5. Operation of Storage Device When Using Multiple Storage Devices FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example when handling image data using multiple storage devices. In the figure, first and second storage devices 600 indicated by a storage device 1 and a storage device 2 are shown.
The internal configuration of each of the storage devices a and 600b is the storage device 600 shown in FIG. In the storage device of FIG. 7, the input data selector 651 is included in the data input / output control unit because image data selected from a plurality of image data only needs to be connected to one storage device 66. In the example shown in FIG. 8, since two storage devices 600a and 600b are provided, an allocation function for connecting to one of the storage devices is added, and the configuration is shown as a configuration independent of the data input / output control unit. ing.

That is, in this example, the storage device 600 includes first and second storage devices 600a and 600b, an input data selector 610, and an output data selector 611. Two storage devices 600a, 600b
Is input data to the input data selector 610, and output data is connected to the output data selector 611. Further, the input data selector 610 is connected to external input data 1 and 2 of the storage means, and selects four inputs including the input data from the storage device to the first and second storage devices 600a and 600b. It is a 4-input 2-output selector for outputting. Also, the input data selector 610 is provided with the first and second storage devices 600a and 600b.
Is connected, the data can be input / output between the storage devices such as outputting the data of the first storage device 600a to the second storage device 600b.

On the other hand, the output data selector 611
And a two-input two-output selector which can selectively output the second output data to the external output data 1 and 2. By providing a plurality of storage devices in the storage device,
Input and output of a plurality of image signals can be performed simultaneously.

The image memory 66 of the first storage device 600a
Although not shown, a comprises a primary storage unit and a secondary storage unit,
Similarly, the image memory 66b of the second storage device 600b
It comprises a secondary storage unit and a secondary storage unit. FIG. 9 is an image diagram showing storage areas of the primary storage unit and the secondary storage unit. The primary storage unit can take one image of the maximum A3 size (FIG. 9A), and it is also possible to divide it into two and take out two images of the A4 size (FIG. 9B). For example, A4
In the case of performing the electronic sort of the size, in the electronic sort that performs the FIFO operation by compressing the image data while continuously using the primary storage unit by dividing the primary storage unit into two and using them alternately, the addresses are stored in the secondary storage unit. Access can be made sequentially, and high-speed processing can be performed.

In the case of the combination of A4 size 4-in-1 aggregation and electronic sorting, when the primary storage unit is divided into two and pasting of four originals is completed, the image is determined and stored in the secondary storage unit. The storage process at this time is also continuously stored in the secondary storage unit. However, an interrupt occurred on the way,
In addition, when the interrupt requires the use of all the areas of the primary storage unit, the currently integrated image must be temporarily saved to the secondary storage unit. After the interruption, the consolidation operation is restarted, the pasting of four originals is completed, and when the image is determined, the image is stored in the secondary storage unit, but the image data size has changed to the address stored before the interruption. Therefore, the data cannot be accumulated, and as a result, the address is skipped and continuity cannot be obtained. When the electronic sorting is performed, an address seek operation occurs, and the processing is delayed. This has a negative effect on productivity.

Therefore, in consideration of the necessity of waiting for an image on the way, a temporary storage area 662b of the same size as that of the primary storage unit 661 is provided in the secondary storage unit 662 (FIG. 9C). Thus, it is possible to always store data at consecutive addresses. The operation at this time is shown in the flowchart of FIG. In this flowchart, first, if there is an image input (step 01), the current primary storage unit 661
(Step 0).
2) If the image IDs are the same, an image input process is executed (step 08);
In the evacuation determination processing routine, it is checked whether or not the image ID currently in the primary storage unit 661 has been determined (step 03). 04), if it is determined, it is determined that the evacuation process is unnecessary, and a new image ID is registered in the image management information of the primary storage unit (step 0).
5). However, if the image ID exists in the save area 662b of the secondary storage unit 662, the process of returning from the secondary storage unit 662 to the primary storage unit 661 is performed (step 06,
07). When the image input preparation is completed, the image input processing is performed (step 08).
The data is stored in the normal storage area 662a of the next storage unit 662 (steps 09 and 10), and if not confirmed, the process returns to step 01 and waits for image input.

It should be noted that whether or not to secure the temporary save area 662b can be selected before starting the job.
In the case of an operation such as aggregation where temporary evacuation may occur before the job starts, the storage area is automatically secured, and if not necessary, the entire secondary storage unit 662 is stored in the normal storage area 662a.
To control.

In the case where the storage area 662b for temporary evacuation is reserved for each image input means, and the first image input means, the second image input means, and the third image input means operate in parallel, respectively. The operation priority is determined in advance (for example, the priority is changed from high to low in the order of the first image input unit, the second image input unit, and the third image input unit).
When a job interrupt of the second image input unit having a high priority occurs while the image input by the image input unit is being executed, the image of the third image input unit is stored in the second storage unit 66.
2 is temporarily saved in the second save area 662b. However, when an interrupt job of the first image input unit having a higher priority occurs in such a state, the image of the second image input unit must be temporarily saved. However, since the image data of the third image input means has been saved in the save area, the image data from the second image input means cannot be saved. Therefore, a save area is set for each image input unit so that such a state does not occur. Thereby, the image data of the second image input means can be reliably saved even in the above-described state,
Interruption of the first image input means becomes possible.

At this time, if the temporary save area 662b is always reserved for each image input means, the area for storing normal image data is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to select whether or not a temporary save area is required for each image input unit, and when the temporary save is not required, the temporary save area 662b is not provided and the normal storage area is not provided. The region 662a can be secured.

6. Division of Storage Area of Secondary Storage Unit FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the secondary storage unit (device) is divided for each image input means. In the divided storage area, the amount of data to be managed in the unit of access of the storage device becomes enormous, and the access frequently occurs. Generally, storage units are provided and managed. As for the minimum storage unit, when the image attributes of the image signals input from the respective image input units are different, if the minimum storage unit is set to the same size in each area, the storage area may be wasted. . For example, when the minimum storage unit is 1 megabyte and this is used by two image input units, the first image input unit assumes that the image data size after compression is 2 megabytes, and the second image input unit If the image data size after compression is 500 kilobytes, the first image input means uses two minimum units without waste, but the second image input means uses one minimum unit. The remaining 500 kilobytes are unused, and a gap occurs in the storage area as shown in FIG. Therefore, in order to eliminate the gap and use the storage area without waste, the minimum storage unit is individually set for each image input unit as shown in FIG. 13 and is configured to be changeable. As a result, the generation of the gap as shown in FIG. 12 can be suppressed, and the use efficiency of the storage area can be improved.

When the size of the minimum storage unit of each storage area is individually set, it can be automatically set based on the image information and attributes of each image input unit.
For example, standard image data is prepared for each image input unit as image information, and the compressed size of the standard image data is measured and defined in advance. The standard image data is assumed to be the image data of the black dot rate that is generally used most frequently by the user. If the size of the standard image data after compression is set to the minimum storage unit, that is, if the minimum storage unit is equal to the standard image data size after compression, when one image data is compressed, there is a possibility that the image will fit in the minimum storage unit. Yes, storage space utilization efficiency also improved,
Optimization can also be achieved.

If the resolution is used as the image attribute,
When it is desired to change the resolution of the standard image data, the ratio of the difference in resolution, ie, the resolution difference ratio = (resolution / resolution of standard image data)
The value obtained by multiplying by the square of may be set as the minimum storage unit, and the minimum storage unit = standard image data size after compression × resolution difference ratio.

When the minimum storage unit is obtained in this way, the number of minimum storage units can be calculated from the minimum storage unit and the storage area. This number is the maximum number of storable image data managed in the storage area,
The maximum number of stored image data can be determined by obtaining this number as follows: maximum stored image data number = storage capacity / minimum storage unit.

Further, the number of minimum storage units and the minimum storage unit,
The minimum number of stored image data can also be calculated from the standard image data size before compression and the minimum stored image data number = maximum stored image data number / minimum storage unit number used in standard image data before compression. . Then, when the size of the minimum storage unit is set, the setter can be notified by replying with the maximum or minimum number of stored image data.

[0060]

As described above, according to the present invention configured as described above, the storage means can increase the degree of freedom of control, and can increase the processing efficiency of the composite function while giving priority to productivity. An image forming apparatus provided with:

More specifically, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since a save area is separately provided for the normal storage area, the normal storage area can always store continuous addresses. Accordingly, when image data is sequentially accessed and output as in the case of electronic sort, the image data can be processed at high speed because the address seek operation is eliminated.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a determination means for determining whether to secure a temporary evacuation area is further provided. Therefore, when the evacuation operation is not performed, in other words, the evacuation operation does not occur. In the case of an unusual operating state, it is not necessary to provide a save area, so that a normal storage area can be secured accordingly.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the save area securing means secures a temporary image save area for each image input means, complicated management for sharing the save area between the image input means is achieved. There is no need to perform this, and control can be simplified.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since there is further provided a selection means for selecting whether or not to secure a temporary evacuation area for each image input means, it is possible to select for each image input means. If the saving operation is not performed, the image input means in the operating state in which the saving operation does not occur in the cited example does not need to be provided with the saving area.
As a result, a normal storage area can be secured.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the storage area dividing means for dividing the storage area of the secondary storage unit for each image input means is provided, the storage unit is individually set for each image input means. Alternatively, the storage area can be changed, and the use efficiency of the storage area can be improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, since the storage area dividing means can individually set the minimum storage unit for each image input means, it is possible to further improve the use efficiency of the storage area.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the minimum storage unit is individually set, the setting is automatically performed based on the image information and / or attribute of each of the image input means. The use efficiency of the recording area can be improved without imposing a burden.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, when the minimum storage unit is set, the notifying means for notifying the setter of the maximum or minimum number of stored image data is provided, so that the setting status of the storage unit can be grasped. It is possible to improve usability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an operation unit of the image processing apparatus in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display state of a liquid crystal touch panel of the operation unit in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a control device of the image processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating details of an image processing unit in FIG. 4;

6 is a timing chart for explaining an image signal for one page in the selector of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal configurations of a memory controller and an image memory in FIG. 5 in detail.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of handling image data using a plurality of storage devices.

9 is an image diagram showing storage areas of a primary storage unit and a secondary storage unit of the storage device in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of always storing data at consecutive addresses by providing a temporary save storage area of the same size as the primary storage unit in the secondary storage unit.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example in which a secondary storage unit is divided for each image input unit.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example in which a gap occurs in a storage area when the secondary storage unit is divided for each image input unit.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which a secondary storage unit is individually divided for each image input unit, and a minimum storage unit is individually set.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 main controller 30 operation unit 49 image processing unit (IPU) 63 image processing unit 65 memory controller 66 image memory 68 CPU 69 ROM 70 RAM 600a first storage device 600b second storage device 650 data input / output control unit 651 input data Selector 652 Image synthesis unit 653 Primary compression / expansion unit 654 Output data selector 655 Secondary compression / expansion unit 661 Primary storage device 662 Secondary storage device 662a Normal storage area 662b Evacuation storage area

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Junji Uchikawa 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor 1--3 Nakamagome, Oka-ku, Tokyo No. 6 Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Osamu Kizaki Inventor Osamu 1-3-3, Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term in Ricoh Co., Ltd. 5B060 DA08 GA01 5C062 AA05 AB17 AB22 AB42 AB53 AC22 AC24 AC25 BA00 5C073 AA04 BA04 BA06 BB01 CC01 CE01 CE04

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of image input units; an image forming unit that outputs a visualized image based on an input image signal; and a storage unit that stores an input image signal. Means for storing at least one image signal input from the image input means;
A secondary storage unit for storing the image signal input to the next storage unit, and a save area for securing at least a storage area of the secondary storage unit equivalent to the primary storage unit for temporary image save An image forming apparatus comprising: a securing unit. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a determination unit configured to determine whether to secure a temporary evacuation area. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the save area securing unit secures a temporary image save area for each image input unit. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit that selects whether to secure a temporary save area for each image input unit. 5. An image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of image input units; an image forming unit that outputs a visualized image based on an input image signal; and a storage unit that stores an input image signal. Means for storing at least one image signal input from the image input means;
A secondary storage unit for storing the image signal input to the next storage unit, and a storage area dividing unit for dividing a storage area of the secondary storage unit for each of the image input units. Characteristic image forming apparatus. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the storage area dividing unit can individually set a minimum storage unit for each of the image input units. 7. When individually setting the minimum storage unit,
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the setting is automatically performed based on image information and / or attributes of each of the image input units. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a notifying unit for notifying a setter of a maximum or minimum number of stored image data when the minimum storage unit is set.