JP2002240368A - Still image printer controlling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive still image printer controlling apparatus capable of printing a highly fine still image at a high speed as well as capable of coping with a plurality of types of compression file systems desired by a user. SOLUTION: This still image printer controlling apparatus is an apparatus for developing a still image described in an optional compression file system from a host apparatus as input information to a bit image and outputting the same to an image producing engine. The apparatus comprises an extension unit for extending the input information corresponding to the optional compression file system of the input information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a still image printer control device which receives a still image as input.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the advance of image input technology and output technology thereof, the demand for higher definition of color still images has been greatly increased. Digital image input devices
Taking a digital camera (hereinafter abbreviated as DC) as an example, the price of a high-performance Charge Coupled Device (hereinafter abbreviated as CCD) having more than 3 million pixels has been reduced, and the price range has become widespread. Products have come to be widely used. Such high performance of CCD is
The progress of the silicon process or device technology largely depends on it, and has overcome the trade-off problem of miniaturization and reduction of the S / N ratio. It is said that this increasing trend in the number of pixels will continue for some time. On the other hand, with regard to image output devices, there has been a remarkable increase in the definition and cost of laser printers, ink jet printers and sublimation printers. Due to the effect of bringing high-performance and low-cost image input / output products to the market, the popularization of high-definition still images has begun. It is expected that the demand for high-definition still images will increase in all scenes in the future.
In fact, the development of technologies related to networks such as personal computers (hereinafter abbreviated as PCs) and the Internet has accelerated these trends.

Conventionally, when such a high-definition still image is output to a printer, image data created on an application of a host PC is transmitted to the printer through an intermediate process in a printer driver, and further transmitted to the printer. Normally, bitmap / rasterization is performed, and finally, a printed matter of an image is output. Below, step by step,
A process until a still image is printed by a printer will be described.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system including a first conventional still image printer control device. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example in which Windows is used as an operating system (hereinafter abbreviated as OS). First, in FIG. 12, application software 1 running on PC 100
The still image data created in step 01 is converted into a file format specific to the OS using the programming interface 102 incorporated in the OS 103. Next, the OS
Another application program interface (AP)
I) Printer driver 105 connected by 104
Thus, the OS-specific file is reinterpreted and expanded by the printer language. The data after the expansion is described by a method unique to the printer language, and may be compressed by a unique algorithm. In FIG. 11, the still image data described in the printer language is transmitted from the host PC 100 to the printer 200 via the bus.

On the other hand, the still image printer control device 210 built in the printer 200 uses the still image data developed by the printer driver as input information, and finally requires the plotter 220 according to the printer language used. Create data in bitmap format. Also,
If compression processing has been performed by the driver, the still image printer control device 210 performs expansion processing. Still image printer control device 21 stored in frame memory 214
0, the processing result is stored in the memory access controller (Memor
y Access Controller (hereinafter abbreviated as MAC) 213 to the plotter 220 in the same printer. Then, the bitmap data received by the plotter 220 is rasterized on the imaging engine 222, and the printing of the target still image is completed. As an example of the programming interface, a graphic device interface (Graphics Device Interface;
GDI) and QuickDraw, each of which is Wind
ows and Macintosh OS. Also, as an OS-specific file format, Microsoft provides Windows Metafile Forma (hereinafter abbreviated as WMF).
However, PICT is provided by Apple Inc. The printer driver is a device driver interface (Device Driver Interface), which is one of the Windows APIs.
ver Interface (hereinafter abbreviated as DDI) 104 bridges image data and commands. The data processed in the printer driver 105 is stored in the host I / O.
The data is output to the printer 200 through F106.

[0006] On the other hand, with the spread of DC, printers adopting a method of printing a still image directly through a memory card or a communication interface attached to a camera body have recently been gradually increasing. As one of them, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-292022 has been proposed.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system including a first conventional still image printer control device. In the figure, the same reference numerals indicate the same components. First, through the bus, Joint Photographic
Experts Group (hereinafter abbreviated as JPEG) format still image data from DC 300 or memory card 400
The data is sent to the printer 200. Since this method does not require the use of a PC, the user is freed from troublesome work.

However, the still image data sent from the DC 300 to the printer 200 is a bitmap image, and the data size is very large as it is, and is not suitable for storage and transmission to a memory. Therefore, generally, still image data stored in the DC 300 or the memory card 400 is compressed in the JPEG format. Normally, lossy encoding is used to obtain a high compression ratio, so that complete compression and decompression of original image data, so-called lossless compression, cannot be performed. However, this method increases the memory capacity and transmission time. Problems can be avoided. Due to such advantages, JPEG format files are widely used.

As is clear from the above, JPE
A printer that directly prints still images in the G file format is different from a normal printer connected to a PC.
It is essential to have a JPEG decompression function. In the second conventional example shown in FIG. 13, this function is executed by the decompression device 215. The data output from the still image printer control device 210 is finally printed by the same processing described with reference to FIG.

As described above, the most widely used still image compression / expansion method is JPEG. However, the demand for higher definition still images has not stopped, and the JPEG system is beginning to see its limits. For example, block noise and mosquito noise, which were not so noticeable until now, have become remarkable with higher definition, and JPEG
Image quality degradation due to compression has become a considerable entity. Therefore, the successor to JPEG, "JPEG
2000 "is being studied by the International Organization for Standardization (hereinafter abbreviated as ISO) as a new international standard for color still image coding, and aims to become a recommendation in the year 2000. Here, improvement of the image quality in a low bit rate, that is, in a high compression area is set as the most important issue. It is expected that the conventional JPEG and the new JPEG2000 will be used in the near future.

FIG. 14 shows JPEG2000 and conventional JPE.
It is a block diagram which shows each structure of G. As shown in the figure, one of the biggest differences between JPEG2000 and conventional JPEG is the conversion method. The former is a discrete wavelet transform (hereinafter D)
WT) 501, the latter being a discrete cosine transform (Disc)
Rete Cosine Transform (hereinafter abbreviated as DCT) 505 is used. Another major difference of JPEG2000 is that a functional block called code formation 504 is added at the last stage. The DWT 501 has an advantage that the image quality in a high compression area is better than that of the DCT 505, which is a major reason for adoption. FIG. 15 simply shows octave division by DWT on a block basis.

[0012]

According to the above-mentioned prior art, on the technical side, the problem on data transmission and the problem on decompression speed of compressed image data are increased. Has versatility issues. In the conventional example, still image data created by application software on a PC is converted to P
The case where the print is sent from the C side to the printer side has been described. Consider the problem in this case.

On the host PC side, the image data has been rewritten to printer-specific data. The output file from the printer driver is developed into a bitmap unless special processing is performed. In particular, when handling high-resolution still images, it is easily expected that the file size will be considerably large. For this reason, the communication path between the PC and the printer may be a bottleneck. Even if the data expanded into the bitmap is compressed in the driver by some algorithm, the type of compression algorithm used here can be freely selected by the printer manufacturer, and as a result, the Still image file output has no compatibility at all, and is actually completely black-boxed from the viewpoint of the user. Furthermore, since the still image data flows via the application, the OS, and the printer driver, the malfunction of the OS and the printer driver,
For example, there is a system problem that troubles caused by version upgrades and bugs are likely to occur at a considerably high frequency. On the other hand, the printer language is different for each printer maker, and as a result, there are very many printer drivers. These are major obstacles that are of practical concern, as the opportunities to use high-definition still images continue to increase, and further complicate technical problems.

On the other hand, in a printing system in which a still image from a DC or a memory card is used as input data as described in the conventional example with reference to FIG. 13, a user can omit troublesome work using a PC. it can. Furthermore, by using data compressed in the JPEG file format, transmission problems caused by DC or a huge amount of data between a memory card and a printer, which may occur when bitmap data is used, are greatly reduced. Can be eased. However, if the definition of still images is to be further improved at the current momentum, the same problem as in the conventional system using a PC may be repeated, as described with reference to FIG. Because, JP
This is because, as long as the EG is used, the compression ratio can no longer be increased in order to maximize the performance of the image capturing device. In other words, even after compression, the high-resolution still image data is not reduced, and as a result,
The data transmission path determines the printing speed of the printing system. The trade-off relationship between the image quality maintenance and the compression ratio of such high-definition still images is that the image file size will continue to increase and not decrease unless a very innovative compression / expansion algorithm appears in the future. it is conceivable that.

Another problem relating to the still image compression / expansion algorithm is processing speed.
The increase in the number of pixels due to the high definition causes an increase in the time required for the decompression process. If the decompression speed is lower than that of the image forming engine, the printing speed of the printer alone will be reduced.

Further, when printing a single still image having an enormous number of pixels on a single sheet of paper, even if the processing speed of the decompression device exceeds that of the image forming engine, a plurality of high definition When a still image is used in such a manner as to be printed on one sheet in the form of a thumbnail, a situation is expected in which the printing speed is suddenly reduced. If the reason is shown in a specific example, when the JPEG format is used as the compression algorithm, the decompression operation must be performed completely one by one in order to print each thumbnail. This is because time and a frame memory are required. It is also conceivable to have a separate JPEG file compressed at a high compression rate for thumbnail printing, but this not only increases the cumbersome work for the user at the time of printing, but also reduces the effective number of shots on the memory card. Also. A similar problem occurs when a motion still image composed of a large number of still images is printed in a thumbnail display to indicate the movement of the subject.

Next, consider the stretching device itself. This function is usually used for application specific ICs (Applicatio
n Specific Integrated Circuit (hereinafter abbreviated as ASIC) or Signex's Field Programmable Gate Ar
It is realized by hardware such as ray (hereinafter abbreviated as FPGA). In some cases, the processing may be performed by software on a general-purpose microprocessor unit (hereinafter abbreviated as MPU). However, although decompression processing by software has some advantages in terms of cost and flexibility, it is compared with hardware processing in terms of speed, which is one of the most important factors in printer specifications. However, it cannot be denied that it is still considerably inferior. At present, it is not actually used in high-performance printers.

Therefore, even in a decompression device constituted by dedicated hardware such as an ASIC or an FPGA, one method of a limited compression / decompression algorithm, for example, JPE
It can only support G format. In other words, when printing a still image compressed in another file format, the user must replace the decompression device or add another decompression device. In fact, it can not be said that it is impossible to flexibly support various compressed file formats. Even if a better compression algorithm is devised, it is difficult to immediately introduce it into an existing printing system due to the inherent properties of hardware.

Normally, the decompression operation is generally performed serially according to the order of each component of the color image. For example, if the input data is primary color R (red) G (green) B
In the case of (blue), the decompression process proceeds sequentially in the order of R component → G component → B component. Therefore, the data of the R component is held in the memory until the data of the last B component has been decompressed, and it is necessary to wait until the data after decompression of all the components is completed. This may be a major obstacle in outputting a high-definition color image with a printer at a high speed.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and can realize high-speed printing of a high-definition still image at a high speed, and can cope with a plurality of types of compressed file formats desired by a user. It is another object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive still image printer control device.

[0021]

In order to solve the above problems, a still image described in an arbitrary compressed file format from a higher-level device is used as input information, and the input information is expanded into a bit image. The still image printer control device according to the present invention is characterized in that it has a decompression device that decompresses input information in accordance with an arbitrary compressed file format in the input information. Therefore, a huge amount of image data developed in a bitmap is not transmitted from a higher-level device, for example, a PC to a printer, and the problem of a reduction in printing speed due to a bottleneck in a communication path, which has been regarded as a problem, is solved. be able to. In addition, there is no need for a means of “black boxing image data” for compressing the data expanded in the bitmap by a certain algorithm in the printer driver, thereby providing a completely open environment for the user. it can. Furthermore, in such an open environment, since the application, the OS, and the printer driver are basically independent, the user can
It is possible to relieve troubles caused by version upgrades and bugs of the S and the printer driver, and to print a high-definition still image very easily.

Further, by providing a file format discriminating device for discriminating the type of the compressed file format in the input information, it is possible to select an optimum decompression device for a plurality of types of compressed file formats. If the information is not a still image, it becomes possible to operate as a normal printer by omitting the processing in the decompression device.

Further, at least one of the compressed file formats is preferably a JPEG format.

It is preferable that at least one of the compressed file formats is the JPEG2000 format.

Further, it is preferable that at least one of the compressed file formats is a compression format performed by a combination of a two-dimensional lossless wavelet transform process, a context model process, and an FSM encoding process.

Further, since the decompression device and the file format discrimination device are constituted by the reconfigurable logic, the decompression process can be executed flexibly and at high speed with respect to theoretically any kind of compression / decompression algorithm.
In other words, a high-performance, high-definition still-image printer that is extremely versatile and has a high printing speed for the still-image compressed file format can be realized at low cost.

Further, it is preferable that the decompression device and the file type discrimination device are constituted by dedicated hardware.

Preferably, the decompression device and the file format discrimination device are constituted by a microprocessor unit.

Further, it is preferable that the decompression device and the file format discrimination device are constituted by a combination of a reconfigurable logic and a microprocessor unit or a combination of dedicated hardware and a microprocessor unit.

Also, the decompression device constituted by the reconfigurable logic performs decompression processing in parallel by a plurality of independent reconfigurable logic units respectively corresponding to a plurality of components of a color image, or a dedicated hardware. The decompression device configured by performing decompression processing in parallel by a plurality of independent hardware units corresponding to the components of a plurality of color images, respectively, even if the number of pixels increases with higher definition still images, It is possible to increase the decompression speed, and it is possible to avoid a decrease in printing speed by suppressing an increase in the time required for decompression, and at the same time, to maintain a path for introducing a high-speed and high-performance imaging engine into a printer. .

Furthermore, by ending the operation of the decompression device at an arbitrarily set layer in the two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform processing, the user can receive various additional services when printing a still image.

Further, in the two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform processing, the input information of a plurality of still images is developed into a one-page bit image and output to the image forming engine, so that the user does not feel the stress of waiting for printing. It is possible to print a large number of still images in the form of a thumbnail on one page, or to print motion still images side by side.

Further, by arbitrarily changing the output size or resolution of the still image in the two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform processing, the user can arbitrarily select the size or resolution of the still image desired to be output, and then quickly change the size or resolution of the still image. Can be printed.

[0034]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The still image printer control device of the present invention has a decompression device for decompressing input information corresponding to an arbitrary compressed file format in the input information.

[0035]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system including a still image printer control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
0 indicates the still image printer control device 210 and the plotter 22
0, and the still image printer control device 210 has an I / O 211, an MPU 212,
C213, a frame memory 214, and a decompression device 215, and the plotter 220 includes an I / O 221;
It is configured to include an imaging engine 222 and an MPU 223. The printer 200 is provided with a bus for inputting still image information.
0, DC 300, and memory card 400 are connected appropriately. In FIG. 1, the decompression device 215 is realized by hardware, but this function may be realized by software on the MPU 212.

Next, the operation principle of the printing system shown in FIG. 1 will be described. Through the bus, PC100,
Still image data to be printed by the user is sent to the printer 200 from either the DC 300 or the memory card 400. This data is described in a compressed file format. On the printer 200 side, the still image printer control device 210 receives the image file via the I / O 211 and converts the compressed data to the decompression device 21.
The extension processing is performed in step 5. This decoding operation is performed by the PC 100,
It must be performed under the same compression / decompression algorithm as the DC 300 and the memory card 400 side. The decompressed bitmap data is temporarily held in the frame memory 214 in the still image printer control device 210 until data to be sent to the plotter 220 is prepared. Also, MPU
212 is used when the input information is not a still image,
At this time, the processing in the decompression device 215 is omitted. Finally, from the still image printer control device 210 to the plotter 22
0 is sent to the image forming engine 222.
The rasterized image is printed, and a desired still image is printed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system including a still image printer control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment has a configuration in which a file format discriminating device 216 is inserted in a stage preceding a decompression device provided in a printer control device of the printing system in FIG. The file format determination device 216 allows the printer 200 to determine the file format of the input still image data and select an optimal compression / expansion algorithm used by the decompression device 215.
Of course, this file format determination device 216
This function may be realized by software on 212. A device that automatically determines the format of an input file (“Printer for Automatically Determining Data Stream Language”, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-334024) and predicts the time required for file development (“Printer Control apparatus"
JP-A-6-143758) has already been proposed, but all of them relate to the PostScript language and other printer control languages, and do not mention the compression format of still images at all.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system including a still image printer control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment has a configuration in which the decompression device provided in the printer control device of the printing system in FIG. 2 performs processing in parallel by a plurality of independent hardware units respectively corresponding to a plurality of components of a color image. It is. The decompression device 215 improved so that the decompression process can be performed in parallel for each color component of the color still image allows the color still image data input to the still image printer control device 210 to be quickly processed and output to the plotter 220. This is particularly suitable for printing a high-definition still image.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system including a still image printer control device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is a configuration in a case where the decompression device and the file format determination device provided in the printer control device of the printing system in FIG. 2 are reconfigurable logic. The still image printer control device 210 that has input the still image data by the dynamic reconfiguration capability of the reconfigurable logic 217 instantly sets the decompression device 215 to the optimal compression / decompression algorithm based on the information from the file format discrimination device 216. Can be reconfigured. For example, a still image compressed in the JPEG format and a JPEG2000
In the case where the data compressed in the format is mixed, the user can print all still images at high speed without any stress by using the printer 200 shown in FIG. Here, the reconfigurable logic will be briefly described. This device has both advantages such as high-speed hardware processing and flexibility of software processing, and switches to various functions very quickly. When changing this feature,
In a conventional device, for example, an FPGA or the like, it takes time to rewrite a program, and it has been difficult to put it to practical use in an application that requires high speed. However, the biggest feature of the reconfigurable logic is that this function change is performed at a very high speed. Therefore, this device is said to be capable of dynamic reconfiguration. For specific structure or application, refer to “Programmable Gate
Dynamic reconfiguration system for array "(Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-33094)
No. 5) and “A Dynamically Reconfigurable Logic
Engine with a Multi-Context / Multi-Mode Unified-Cel
l Architecture ”(ISSCC99 / Sesson21 / Paper WA2
1.3) have already been announced.

Here, the viewpoint is shifted to a still image compression / decompression algorithm. When a decompression device provided in a printer control device can decompress a still image compressed in a compression format performed by a combination of a two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform process, a context model process, and an FSM encoding process, Can stop the decompression operation at any level. This corresponds to the octave division hierarchy in the block-based DWT shown in FIG. This is a very convenient feature that can be applied to various applications when outputting a still image.

As for the compression / expansion method in each of the above embodiments, publicly known documents include JP-A-8-116265 and JP-A-9-112168. Here, the operation at the time of encoding will be briefly described with reference to FIG. When decoding, it may be considered that the encoding process proceeds in the reverse direction. The input still image data is sent to a two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform unit 601 and spatially decomposed into frequency band signals. Then, target bits for processing are determined in the order based on the alignment information specified by the user, and a context (context) is generated by the context model unit 602 from the arrangement around the target bits. The FSM coder 603 performs a two-dimensional entropy coding / decoding process using a finite state machine (Finite State Machine), where the coding is performed based on a context and target bits based on probability estimation to generate a code stream. The tag processing unit 604 is a part for adding and interpreting tag information. At the time of encoding, a plurality of code streams generated by the FSM coder 603 are combined into one code stream, and processing for adding tag information is performed. Output a stream.

The code stream thus obtained has the hierarchical structure shown in FIG. Here, the code stream 701 has a four-layer structure, and corresponds to a lossless to lossy maximum compression ratio. With this structure, the user can stop the decompression processing at an arbitrary layer according to the purpose, and obtain a still image without decompressing a deep layer from there. FIG. 7 is a diagram specifically illustrating the relationship between the hierarchical code stream and the image size, and FIG. 8 is a diagram specifically illustrating the relationship between the hierarchical code stream and the image resolution. Code streams 801 and 901 are:
The code streams 802 and 902 show the state when decompressed losslessly, while the state when decompressed at the lossy minimum bit rate, respectively. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which 18 high-definition still images are printed as thumbnails on one page of paper using the compression / expansion algorithm described in FIG. Each thumbnail image is expanded at a low bit rate. In this manner, the user can easily obtain a hard copy of a thumbnail composed of a large number of still images without feeling the stress of waiting for printing. If the JPEG format is used for the compression algorithm, print each thumbnail,
The decompression operation must be completely performed one by one, and requires a lot of time and frame memory.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state where the output size of a still image is changed at the time of printing by applying the same algorithm as in FIG. By using the characteristics of the compression / expansion method, it is only necessary to extend the code stream to a layer corresponding to the image resolution, which also contributes to saving of the expansion time and the frame memory.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope of the claims.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, a still image described in an arbitrary compressed file format from a higher-level device is used as input information, the input information is expanded into a bit image, and output to an imaging engine. The still image printer controller is
It is characterized in that it has a decompression device that decompresses input information corresponding to an arbitrary compressed file format in the input information.
Therefore, a huge amount of image data developed in a bitmap is not transmitted from a higher-level device, for example, a PC to a printer, and the problem of a reduction in printing speed due to a bottleneck in a communication path, which has been regarded as a problem, is solved. be able to. In addition, there is no need for a means of “black boxing image data” for compressing the data expanded in the bitmap by a certain algorithm in the printer driver, thereby providing a completely open environment for the user. it can. Furthermore, in such an open environment, since the application, the OS, and the printer driver are basically independent, the user can be free from troubles caused by a version upgrade or a bug of the OS or the printer driver, and can easily perform high-definition. A still image can be printed.

Further, by providing a file format discriminating device for discriminating the type of the compressed file format in the input information, it becomes possible to select an optimum decompression device for a plurality of types of compressed file formats. If the information is not a still image, it becomes possible to operate as a normal printer by omitting the processing in the decompression device.

Further, it is preferable that at least one of the compressed file formats is a JPEG format.

It is preferable that at least one of the compressed file formats is the JPEG2000 format.

Further, it is preferable that at least one of the compressed file formats is a compression format performed by a combination of a two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform process, a context model process, and an FSM encoding process.

Further, since the decompression device and the file format discrimination device are constituted by the reconfigurable logic, the decompression process can be executed flexibly and at high speed with respect to theoretically any kind of compression / decompression algorithm.
In other words, a high-performance, high-definition still-image printer that is extremely versatile and has a high printing speed for the still-image compressed file format can be realized at low cost.

Further, it is preferable that the decompression device and the file format discrimination device are constituted by dedicated hardware.

It is preferable that the decompression device and the file type discrimination device are constituted by a microprocessor unit.

Further, it is preferable that the decompression device and the file format discrimination device are constituted by a combination of a reconfigurable logic and a microprocessor unit or a combination of dedicated hardware and a microprocessor unit.

Also, the decompression device constituted by the reconfigurable logic performs decompression processing in parallel by a plurality of independent reconfigurable logic units respectively corresponding to a plurality of components of a color image, or a dedicated hardware. The decompression device configured by performing decompression processing in parallel by a plurality of independent hardware units corresponding to the components of a plurality of color images, respectively, even if the number of pixels increases with higher definition still images, It is possible to increase the decompression speed, and it is possible to avoid a decrease in printing speed by suppressing an increase in the time required for decompression, and at the same time, to maintain a path for introducing a high-speed and high-performance imaging engine into a printer. .

Furthermore, by ending the operation of the decompression device at an arbitrarily set hierarchy in the two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform processing, the user can receive various additional services when printing a still image.

Further, in the two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform processing, the input information of a plurality of still images is developed into a bit image of one page and output to the image forming engine, so that the user does not feel the stress of waiting for printing. It is possible to print a large number of still images in the form of a thumbnail on one page, or to print motion still images side by side.

Further, by arbitrarily changing the output size or the output resolution of the still image in the two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform processing, the user can arbitrarily select the size and the resolution of the still image desired to be output, and at a high speed. Can be printed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system including a still image printer control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system including a still image printer control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system including a still image printer control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing system including a still image printer control device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the compression / decompression algorithm of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a hierarchical structure of a code stream generated by the compression algorithm of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a hierarchical code stream generated by the compression algorithm of FIG. 5 and an image size.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a relationship between a hierarchical code stream generated by the compression algorithm of FIG. 5 and image resolution.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which a plurality of high-definition still images are printed as thumbnails on one sheet of paper by the printer control device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state when the output size of a still image is changed at the time of printing by the printer control device of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printing system including a first conventional still image printer control device.

FIG. 12 shows W in a conventional printing system.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the printer driver when Windows is used as an OS.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printing system including a second conventional still image printer control device.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing each configuration of JPEG2000 and conventional JPEG.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing octave division by DWT on a block basis.

[Explanation of symbols]

100; PC, 200; Printer, 210; Still Image Printer Controller, 211, 221; I / O, 212, 2
23; MPU, 213; MAC, 214; frame memory, 215; decompression device, 216; file format determination device, 217; reconfigurable logic, 220;
Plotter, 222; imaging engine, 300; DC, 40
0: Memory card.

Continued on front page F-term (reference) 2C087 AA15 AB05 BC05 BD35 BD40 BD46 2C187 GA09 5C052 AA11 CC06 CC11 DD04 EE08 5C053 FA04 GA11 GB06 GB22 GB36 JA21 KA24 LA01 LA03 LA11 5C078 AA09 BA21 CA01 DA02

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A still image printer control device that receives a still image described in an arbitrary compressed file format from a higher-level device as input information, expands the input information into a bit image, and outputs the bit image to an imaging engine. A still image printer control device, comprising: a decompression device for decompressing the input information in accordance with an arbitrary compressed file format of the information. 2. The still image printer control device according to claim 1, further comprising a file format determining device for determining a type of a compressed file format in the input information. 3. The still image printer control device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the compressed file formats is a JPEG format. 4. The still image printer control device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the compressed file formats is a JPEG2000 format. 5. The still image according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the compressed file formats is a compression format performed by a combination of a two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform process, a context model process, and an FSM encoding process. Printer control device. 6. The still image printer control device according to claim 1, wherein the decompression device and the file format discrimination device are configured by reconfigurable logic. 7. The decompression device and the file format discrimination device are configured by dedicated hardware.
2. The still image printer control device according to 1. 8. The still image printer control device according to claim 1, wherein the decompression device and the file format discrimination device are configured by a microprocessor unit. 9. The decompression device and the file format discrimination device are configured by a combination of the reconfigurable logic and the microprocessor unit, or a combination of the dedicated hardware and the microprocessor unit. 2. The still image printer control device according to 1. 10. The expansion device according to claim 6, wherein the expansion device configured by the reconfigurable logic performs expansion processing in parallel by a plurality of independent reconfigurable logic units respectively corresponding to components of a plurality of color images. Still image printer controller. 11. The still image printer according to claim 7, wherein the decompression device configured by the dedicated hardware performs decompression processing in parallel by a plurality of independent hardware units respectively corresponding to a plurality of color image components. Control device. 12. The still image printer control device according to claim 5, wherein the decompression device ends at an arbitrarily set hierarchy in the two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform process. 13. The still image printer control device according to claim 12, wherein in the two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform processing, input information of a plurality of still images is expanded into a one-page bit image and output to an image forming engine. 14. The still image printer control device according to claim 12, wherein the output size or output resolution of the still image is arbitrarily changed in the two-dimensional reversible wavelet transform processing.