JP2003177891A - Print system and digital camera using the same system and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print system capable of improving the convenience of a user by executing proper display and control according to whether or not any trouble associated with an operation has occurred or whether or not preparation for print is completed. <P>SOLUTION: In this print system where a digital camera and a printer are combined, when paper jam is generated (S62), or any paper tray or ribbon case is not mounted (S65), or any residual photographic paper/ink ribbon is not present (S67), any print preparing operation or printing operation is not permitted (S64), and when the temperature of a thermal head is higher than a prescribed temperature (S71), the print preparing operation is permitted while the printing operation is not permitted (S73), and when the scheduled print number of photographic paper or ink ribbons is not loaded (S69), the result message is displayed (S70), and the print preparing operation and printing operation is permitted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing system, a printer and a digital camera which compose the printing system, and more particularly to a technique for speeding up printing operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The applicant of the present invention has previously proposed a print system including a digital camera and a printer for printing an image captured by the digital camera, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-200850. is doing. In this proposal, the image selected as a print target is displayed on the display unit of the digital camera so that the image can be confirmed, and the data representing the confirmed image is sent to the printer. With such a configuration, it is possible to easily and surely select and confirm the image to be printed and print the intended image.

In such a system, for example, when a paper jam or a printing operation in the printer is disturbed, a technique for displaying such a fact on the camera connected to the printer is known, for example. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-3365
No. 55 publication.

[0004]

In the system in which the digital camera and the printer are functionally coupled to each other as described above, the print operation and the preparation for performing the print operation and the procedure when the trouble related to the operation occurs are provided. There is a wide range of choices regarding how to control the operations on the camera side and the printer side, the display mode, etc. depending on the situation. However, it is difficult to say that a system of this kind, which is sufficiently convenient for users, has been realized yet.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a system including a digital camera and a printer for printing an image received from the digital camera, depending on the situation when an operation trouble occurs, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique that is sufficiently convenient for the user by performing appropriate control or display according to the situation such as whether or not preparation for printing is completed. .

[0006]

To achieve the above object, in the printing system according to the first aspect of the present invention, a digital camera and a printer each provided with control means for controlling the operation are functionally coupled. In the printing system, the printer represents state information transmitting means for forming and transmitting information indicating its own state relating to obstacles related to printing operation, preparation conditions, etc., and a printed image. Print information receiving means for receiving the image data to be printed and control information relating to the print operation from the digital camera, and controlling its own control means based on the information received by the print information receiving means. The digital camera is configured to perform a printing operation below, and the digital camera selects selected one of the image data held by itself. Image data conversion processing means for converting into the print image data in a form suitable for printing by the printer, print image data processed by the image data conversion processing means, and control information related to the print operation. A print information transmitting means for transmitting in a form adapted to be received by the print information receiving means on the printer side, and a status information receiving means for receiving information from the status information transmitting means on the printer side. The one configured to be capable of executing the data conversion operation by the image data conversion processing means or the generation operation of the control information under the control of the control means of its own in a form corresponding to the information received by the state information receiving means. Is.

A printing system according to a second invention is the printing system according to the first invention,
In the printer, the status information transmission means uses the temperature of the thermal head, the remaining number of printing sheets, the remaining amount of the ink ribbon, whether the paper tray is attached, or whether the ink ribbon case is attached. One or a plurality of pieces of information representing each of the two are formed and transmitted according to the status of the printer.

Further, a print system according to a third aspect of the present invention is the print system according to the first aspect, wherein the digital camera and the image data conversion processing means thereof are set on an information recording medium applied to the digital camera. Of the image data stored after being subjected to the compression process is subjected to a decompression process corresponding to the compression process to convert the image data into the print image data in a form suitable for printing by the printer. It is configured to do.

A printer according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a printer applied to a print system in which a digital camera provided with control means for controlling the operation and the printer are functionally coupled to each other. State information transmitting means for forming and transmitting information indicating the state of the user relating to obstacles and preparation conditions related to printing, printed image data indicating a printed image, and control information related to the printing operation. And a print information receiving unit for receiving the print information from the printer.

A digital camera according to a fifth aspect of the invention is a digital camera applied to a print system in which a digital camera provided with control means for controlling its operation and a printer are functionally coupled to each other. Image data conversion processing means for converting selected ones of the image data held by itself into printed image data of a form suitable for printing by the printer, and an image data conversion processing means processed by the image data conversion processing means. A print information transmitting unit that transmits print image data and control information related to the print operation of the printer in a form suitable for being received by the print information receiving unit provided on the printer side, and obstacles and preparation conditions related to the print operation. To the printer side in order to form and transmit information representing its own state relating to The status information receiving means for receiving the information from the status information transmitting means, and the image data under the control of the control means of its own in a form corresponding to the information received by the status information receiving means. The conversion processing means is configured to be able to execute the data conversion operation or the control information generation operation.

A printer according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the printer according to the fourth aspect, wherein in the printer, the status information transmitting means includes the temperature of the thermal head, the remaining number of print sheets, the remaining amount of ink ribbon, and the sheet. One or a plurality of pieces of information indicating whether or not the tray is mounted or whether or not the ink ribbon case is mounted is formed and transmitted according to the status of the printer. It is composed of.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the digital camera according to the fifth aspect, the image data conversion processing means applies a predetermined compression process to an information recording medium applied to the digital camera. One configured to convert selected stored image data into the print image data in a form suitable for printing by the printer by performing expansion processing corresponding to the compression processing on the selected one Is.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the printing system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the digital camera has the status information receiving means.
When the information indicating that the print operation is possible is received from the corresponding printer side, the control means of its own selects the image to be printed, sets the number of prints, and prints from the applied information storage medium. Reading of image data, display of the image related to the reading on the display unit, conversion processing of the image data related to the reading into a form suitable for a predetermined resolution, or correspondence of the image data related to the reading The print preparatory operation including any of the processes of converting to the complementary color data is permitted.

A printing system according to a ninth aspect is the printing system according to the first aspect, wherein the digital camera has the status information receiving means.
Information indicating the temperature of the thermal head, the remaining number of print sheets, the remaining amount of ink ribbon, whether the paper tray is installed, or whether the ink ribbon case is installed from the corresponding printer side. For one or more of the above, when the information indicating that the print operation is disturbed or the print operation is not prepared is displayed on the display means of its own. It is composed of.

A digital camera according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the digital camera according to the fifth aspect, wherein when the status information receiving means receives information indicating that a printing operation is possible from the corresponding printer side, The control means selects the image to be printed, sets the number of prints, reads the data of the printed image from the applied information storage medium, displays the read image on the display means, and reads the image. A print preparation operation including any one of a conversion process of the image data to a form suitable for a predetermined resolution or a process of converting the image data to be read to complementary color data corresponding thereto is allowed. It is configured to.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the digital camera according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the temperature information of the thermal head, the number of remaining printing sheets, and the remaining number of ink ribbons are sent from the corresponding printer side by the status information receiving means. Quantity, whether or not the paper tray is installed, or
Regarding one or more of the pieces of information indicating whether or not the ink ribbon case is installed, information indicating that the print operation will be disturbed or that the preparation for the print operation is not completed is received. In this case, the display means is displayed on its own display means.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 12 show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printing system.

The print system according to the present embodiment includes an image input device 1 (for example, an electronic still camera (digital camera)).
Therefore, in the following, it is appropriately omitted as DSC1 or the like. )
And an image forming apparatus 21 (which is, for example, a sublimation type printer unit, and will be abbreviated as the printer 21 and the like hereinafter). The DSC 1 and the printer 21 include, for example, a signal cable, or a status information transmission unit including a signal transmission element configured by a pair of connectors arranged in each, a status information reception unit, and a print information transmission. They are electrically coupled to each other by the connecting means 12 which also serves as the means and the print information receiving means.

First, the DSC 1 will be described.

The DSC 1 includes an image pickup unit 2 and a DS.
The C controller 3, the camera operation switch 4, the liquid crystal monitor 5, the SDRAM 7, the FlashRom 7, the recording medium 8, the USB host controller 9, the external bus 10, the camera power supply circuit 11, and the connection means 12 described above.
And a part of.

The DSC controller 3 is a control means,
The CCD interface circuit 3 serves as a main component of the image data conversion processing means, the print information transmitting means, and the status information receiving means, and is a system LSI for achieving the function as an electronic still camera.
a, a memory interface circuit 3b, a video encoder circuit 3c, an image size conversion circuit 3d, an image compression / expansion circuit 3e, and a RISC controller 3f.

The image pickup unit 2 has a photographing lens for optically forming a subject image and a CC for converting an optical image formed by the photographing lens into an electrical signal.
The image pickup device includes a D image sensor and an image pickup device drive circuit for driving the image pickup device.

The camera operation switch 4 is the DSC.
1 includes a plurality of switches operated by the user to instruct various operations according to the first aspect, and includes, for example, a release switch for instructing a shooting operation.

For example, when a release switch, which is one of the operation switches, is operated, the RISC controller 3f
Captures image data of a subject from the image pickup unit 2 via the CCD interface circuit 3a. This image data is transferred to SD via the memory interface circuit 3b.
It is adapted to be stored in the RAM 6.

The RISC controller 3f controls the image size conversion circuit 3d to convert the image data into image data adapted to the resolution of the liquid crystal monitor 5 as the display means.

The video encoder circuit 3c takes in the image data after the conversion and displays the photographed subject on the liquid crystal monitor 5. The liquid crystal monitor 5 is used not only for displaying image data but also for indicating the operating state of the system.

The image compression / expansion circuit 3e converts the image data into J
The image data is compressed by being encoded into PEG data, or is expanded by performing a process of decoding image data that has been made into JPEG data. The image data converted into JPEG data by the image compression / expansion circuit 3e is passed through the memory interface circuit 3b, for example, SSFDC (Solid State Floppy Disk Card) or CF.
It is stored in the recording medium 8 which is an information recording medium such as (CompactFlash).

The image data converted into JPEG data is not limited to being stored in the recording medium 8. For example, FlashRo storing a program code for controlling the RISC controller 3f is stored.
It is also possible to store in a partial area of m7.

The external bus line 10 connected to the DSC controller 3 has a FlashRom 7, a recording medium 8, a USB host controller 9 which is an element of print information transmitting means and an element of status information receiving means,
Are connected.

When the DSC 1 and the printer 21 are connected, the DSC controller 3 is also configured to control the entire printing system configured by connecting them. At this time, the DSC controller 3 performs a printing operation on a microcomputer (hereinafter, abbreviated as “microcomputer”) 22 that also serves as each main element of a control unit that controls the printer 21, a status information transmission unit, and a print information reception unit. It is necessary to transmit command data and image data (printed image data) which are control information related to the above. In this embodiment, a USB (Universal Serial Bus), which is one of serial buses, is adopted as an example of a communication unit that transmits and receives between the DSC 1 and the printer 21. The microcomputer 22 is the USB device controller 2
2a is built in, and it is possible to receive the command data and the image data transmitted from the DSC controller 3. The microcomputer 22 executes a processing routine corresponding to the command data from the DSC controller 3. In this USB connection, the DSC controller 3 is the master (host side) and the microcomputer 22 is the slave. Therefore, in the present example, the microcomputer 22 side is basically a system in which the DSC controller 3 is connected to operate, and by itself corresponds to a subsystem in the system.

Further, by the connecting means 12, the USB
In addition to the above connection, the power supply line of the DSC 1 and the power supply line of the printer 21 are also connected so that power can be supplied from the printer 21 side to the DSC 1 side.

That is, the camera power supply circuit 11 of the DSC 1
Is configured to include a secondary battery, and when the DSC 1 independently operates as a camera, the secondary battery serves as a power source. On the other hand, when the DSC 1 and the printer 21 are connected, the printer power supply circuit 5 of the printer 21 is connected.
5 is a power source for the entire printing system. Furthermore, when the DSC 1 and the printer 21 are connected, the secondary battery of the camera power supply circuit 11 can be charged from the printer power supply circuit 55.

Next, the printer 21 will be described.

The entire system of the printer 21 is controlled by the microcomputer 22. The microcomputer 22 controls the printer 21 to execute a printing operation based on a command or image data transmitted from the DSC 1. Therefore, in the configuration example shown in this embodiment, the printer 21 alone corresponds to a subsystem of a system that executes a printing operation. Further, the microcomputer 22 is configured to include the USB device controller 22a as described above.

The printer 21 includes a power jack 56.
The AC adapter 57 is connected via the. The printer power supply circuit 55 converts the power supplied from the AC adapter 57 into a voltage suitable for each circuit unit in the printer 21, and then distributes the voltage.

The printer operation switch 54 includes a print permission switch, an up scroll switch, a down scroll switch, a selection switch, a power switch and the like.

After connecting the DSC 1 and the printer 21, the user can print desired image data by operating these switches included in the printer operation switch 54.

A photographic printing paper (hereinafter referred to as "paper") 46 which is a printing paper is a paper tray 4 which is a paper tray.
After being taken out from the paper tray 45, the pinch roller 48 and the grip roller 47 are stored.
It is sandwiched by and held.

The paper feed motor 49 drives the grip roller 47 to take out the photographic paper 46 from the paper tray 45, convey it for printing, and eject it after printing is completed. And a stepping motor, for example.

The stepping motor drive circuit 50 supplies drive power to the paper feed motor 49 to drive the paper feed motor 49 based on a control signal from the microcomputer 22 to arbitrarily move the photographic printing paper 46.

The paper position sensor 51 is constituted by using an element such as a photo reflector (PR), and the printing paper 46 is used.
Is detected and the detection result is output to the microcomputer 22.

The non-volatile memory 53 is, for example, EEPR.
OM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only
Memory), FeRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access)
Memory), SRAM with battery backup, and the like, so that even if the power supply to the printer 21 is stopped, the stored information can be retained.

The information stored in the non-volatile memory 53 includes, for example, control parameters indicating the history of control of the printer 21, print parameters indicating the characteristics of the printer 21, and the like.

The thermal head 38 is fixed to the tip side of an arm 39, and the arm 39 is swung up and down around a rotary shaft 39a by the rotation of a cam 40,
It is designed to be driven up / down.

A platen roller 52 is arranged on the opposite side of the thermal head 38 with the photographic printing paper 46 interposed therebetween.

The cam 40 corresponds to the head position control motor 4
The head position control motor 41 is driven by the drive power supplied from the head motor drive circuit 42 under the control of the microcomputer 22.

Further, the rotational position of the cam 40 is detected by a head position sensor 43 composed of an element such as a photo interrupter (PI).

The microcomputer 22 uses the head position sensor 4
3 based on the output from the head motor drive circuit 42
The position of the thermal head 38 is determined by controlling.

That is, by setting the thermal head 38 to the down position, the ink ribbon (referred to as “ribbon” in the drawing) 33 is pressed against the printing paper 46. In this state, the microcomputer 22 transfers one line of two-dimensional image data to the internal memory of the thermal head control circuit 25 in synchronization with the simultaneous movement of the printing paper 46 and the ink ribbon 33. As described above, the transfer is performed to the internal memory of the thermal head control circuit 25 in units of one column of the two-dimensional image data. The thermal head control circuit 25 converts the image data stored in the internal memory into a drive signal for driving the heater of the thermal head 38 and outputs the drive signal to the thermal head 38, whereby the thermal head 38 is heated. Then, the ink of the ink ribbon 33 is transferred to the printing paper 46.

The SRAM 24 stores the DS data before the printing operation.
The screen data for one color transferred from the C controller 3 is input via the microcomputer 22 and temporarily stored. The SRAM 24 and the thermal head control circuit 25 are connected to the microcomputer 22 via an external bus line 23.

The temperature of the thermal head 38 is measured by a temperature sensor 37 composed of an element such as a thermistor (TH).
The detection result is input to the microcomputer 22.

The ink ribbon 33 is transferred to the photographic printing paper 46 by heat (Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan)).
The dye transfer film and the protective layer transfer film are stored in the ribbon case 32.

The position of each film provided on the ink ribbon 33 is detected by using the ribbon position sensor 36 formed of an element such as a photo reflector (PR) to detect the mark formed on the ink ribbon 33. By doing so, it is possible to grasp.

Further, the winding of the ink ribbon 33 is controlled by the microcomputer 22 under the control of the ribbon motor drive circuit 31.
The ribbon motor 30 is supplied with drive power from the.

At this time, whether or not the winding operation of the ink ribbon 33 is correctly executed is determined by monitoring the output of the ribbon movement detection sensor 35. That is, a disk 34 with a slit that rotates in synchronization with the rotation axis of the ribbon case 32 is provided, and the rotation state of the disk 34 with a slit is detected by a ribbon movement detection sensor 35 that is, for example, a photo interrupter (PI). The detection is performed and the detection result is input to the microcomputer 22.

Whether or not the ribbon case 32 is loaded in the printer 21 is determined by the ribbon case detection switch 2
9 is detected.

Further, the paper tray 45 is the printer 2
Whether or not it is loaded in No. 1 is detected by the paper tray detection switch 44.

The fan 26 is for air cooling when the temperature of the thermal head 38 rises, and is rotated by the fan motor 27. The drive power for the fan motor 27 is supplied from the fan motor drive circuit 28. The microcomputer 22 controls the fan motor drive circuit 28 to cool the thermal head 38 as needed.

FIG. 2 shows the DSC controller 3 on the DSC 1 side.
3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the main routine by FIG. 3, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the main routine by the microcomputer 22 on the printer 21 side. Since the DSC 1 and the printer 21 operate in cooperation with each other while communicating with each other, a description will be given with reference to both drawings.

When the DSC 1 and the printer 21 are connected so that the DSC controller 3 and the microcomputer 22 can communicate with each other and cooperate with each other, this printer system is constructed.

When the AC adapter 57 is connected to the image forming apparatus 21 and the power switch of the printer operation switch 54 is operated, the microcomputer 22 of the printer 21 is activated and the operation as shown in FIG. 3 is started. .

First, the microcomputer 22 uses internal registers and I
/ O is initialized (step S101), and the printer power supply circuit 55 is controlled to start supplying power to the camera power supply circuit 11 of the DSC 1 (step S102). By this power supply, the DSC1 is supplied from the camera power circuit 11.
Power is supplied to each of the circuit units, the DSC controller 3 is activated, and the operation shown in FIG. 2 is started.

In the DSC 1, first, the DSC controller 3 itself is initialized and the peripheral circuits are initialized (step S1).

Next, is DSC1 started up by itself?
Alternatively, it is determined whether or not the printer has been started in a state of being connected to the printer 21 by, for example, whether or not power is being supplied from the printer 21 (step S2). Then, the operation mode shifts to the operation mode (step S3).

On the other hand, if the DSC controller 3 has been started up while being connected to the printer 21, it notifies the microcomputer 22 that the DSC controller 3 has started up using the Vbus terminal of the USB (step S4).

In the printer 21, the microcomputer 22
By monitoring the Vbus terminal and waiting for connection detection (step S103), the connection is detected,
It detects that the DSC controller 3 has started.

The DSC 1 initializes the USB host controller 9 and uses control transfer, which is one of USB transfer modes.
2 is recognized as a device (step S
5).

In the printer 21, the microcomputer 22 uses the US
Processing corresponding to this recognition operation is executed via the B device controller 22a (step S104).

When the processing of these steps S5 and S104 is completed, the DSC controller 3 and the microcomputer 2
A communication line by USB is formed between the two.

Next, in the DSC 1, the DSC controller 3 transfers a command requesting printer status information (see FIG. 9) and printer control information (see FIG. 10) to the microcomputer 22, and acquires these information. Yes (step S6).

In the printer 21, the microcomputer 22
When a command requesting information is received (step S10)
5) Create the requested printer status information and printer control information based on the status of each switch, the status of each sensor, and the information in the non-volatile memory 53, and send them to the DSC 1 (step S106).

The operation of step S6 in the DSC1 and the operations of step S105 and step S106 in the printer 21 are executed periodically at a predetermined cycle by using interrupt transfer which is one of USB transfer modes. It has become.

The printer status information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a breakdown of printer status information.

The printer status information includes head temperature data, photographic paper number data, ribbon remaining amount data, paper tray detection switch status information, ribbon case detection switch status information, and print permission switch status information.
It is configured to include up scroll switch state information, down scroll switch state information, and selection switch state information.

The head temperature data is detected by the temperature sensor 37 and indicates the temperature of the thermal head 38. Based on this head temperature data, the DSC controller 3 determines whether printing is possible. When the printing operation is repeated, the temperature of the thermal head 38 rises and it becomes impossible to print. The microcomputer 22 drives the fan 26 to air-cool the thermal head 38 to control the temperature rise. When the DSC controller 3 detects that the temperature has fallen to a predetermined printable range due to the air-cooling operation, it restarts the printing operation.

The data of the number of printing papers is stored in the paper tray 45.
3 shows the number of photographic printing papers 46 existing in the. The ribbon remaining amount data indicates the amount of the ink ribbon 33 remaining in the ribbon case 32. The number of printable sheets can be calculated by using both the ribbon remaining amount data and the above-mentioned photographic printing sheet number data.

The paper tray detection switch status information is
This information is detected by the paper tray detection switch 44 and indicates whether or not the paper tray 45 is attached to the printer 21. By monitoring this information, the presence / absence of the paper tray 45 and its attachment / detachment to / from the printer 21 can be detected.

The ribbon case detection switch status information is information which is detected by the ribbon case detection switch 29 and indicates whether or not the ribbon case 32 is attached to the printer 21. By monitoring this information, the presence / absence of the ribbon case 32 and its attachment / detachment to / from the printer 21 can be detected.

The print permission switch status information is set according to the operation of the print permission switch, which is one of the printer operation switches 54. When the print permission switch is operated, the printing operation is started. It is like this.

The up scroll switch status information is set according to the operation of the up scroll switch which is one of the printer operation switches 54. By operating this up scroll switch, the frame number of the image is counted. It is possible to increase or count up the number of printed sheets.

The down scroll switch status information is set according to the operation of the down scroll switch which is one of the printer operation switches 54. By operating this down scroll switch, the countdown of the frame number of the image is performed. Alternatively, it is possible to count down the number of printed sheets.

The selection switch status information is set according to the operation of the selection switch which is one of the printer operation switches 54. By operating this selection switch, the functions of the up scroll switch and the down scroll switch can be selected. That is, when the image frame number is selected by the selection switch, the up scroll switch and the down scroll switch function as switches for operating up counting and down counting of the frame number. This allows the user to select the image frame number to print.
On the other hand, when the number of prints is selected by the selection switch, the up-scroll switch and the down-scroll switch function as switches for operating up-count and down-count of the number of prints. This allows
The user can set the number of printed image frames to be printed.

Next, the printer control information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a breakdown of printer control information.

The printer control information includes paper feed operation information and
Ribbon winding operation information, head positioning operation information,
It is configured to include.

The paper feeding operation information is information indicating that the photographic printing paper 46 is correctly fed when the photographic printing paper 46 is fed along with the printing operation, and on the other hand, an error occurs when a paper jam occurs. The information is what is set.

The ribbon winding operation information is information indicating that the ink ribbon 33 has been correctly wound when the winding operation of the ink ribbon 33 is performed in association with the printing operation, and that the ink ribbon 33 is not cut. When the error occurs, the error information is set.

The head positioning operation information is information indicating that this operation has been correctly performed when the thermal head 38 is moved up / down in accordance with the printing operation. If it is not possible, error information is set.

By periodically reading out the printer status information as shown in FIG. 9 and the printer control information as shown in FIG. 10, the DSC controller 3 can
The state of the printer 21 can be grasped.

Returning to FIGS. 2 and 3, the description will be continued again.

DSC controller 3 in DSC 1
Executes the subroutine "determination and message" after finishing step S6 (step S
7). As will be described later in detail, this subroutine sets control flags (print preparation operation permission flag, printing operation permission flag) based on the printer status information and printer control information acquired in step S6, and The character information that becomes a message to be displayed on the monitor 5 is created.

Next, based on the printer status information,
The state of the up scroll switch or the down scroll switch is determined (step S8).

If it is detected that one of the scroll switches has been operated, it is further determined whether or not the print preparation operation permission flag is present (step S9).

When the print preparation operation permission flag is set, the user operates the up scroll switch, the down scroll switch, and the selection switch to select an image to be printed and set the number of prints. Allowed

When the print preparation operation permission flag is set, it is then determined whether the selection switch selects the image frame number setting or the print number setting (step S10).

When the print number setting is selected, the print number is counted up or down in synchronization with the operation of the up scroll switch or the down scroll switch (step S1).
1).

On the other hand, when the image frame setting is selected in step S10, the number of frames is up-counted or down-counted in association with the operation of the up-scroll switch or the down-scroll switch (step S12). ).

When the above step S11 is completed, when this step S12 is completed, when no operation is performed in the above step S8, or the above step S
If the print preparation operation permission flag is reset in 9, the state of the print preparation operation permission flag is determined (step S13).

Here, when the print preparation operation permission flag is reset, only the text information created in step S7 is displayed, for example, in FIGS.
As shown in (B) and FIG. 12 (C), the liquid crystal monitor 5 displays it (step S14).

If the print preparation operation permission flag is set in step S13, the image data corresponding to the number of frames set in step S12 is read from the recording medium 8 (step S15) and read. The decoded JPEG data is decoded by the image compression / expansion circuit 3e (step S16), and the decoded image data and the text information created in step S7 are combined (on screen display: On Screen Display).
(D), it is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 5 as shown in FIG. 12 (E) (step S17).

Next, in order to match the decoded image data with the number of pixels at the time of printing, the pixel size conversion circuit 3d performs the pixel number conversion operation (step S18), and the image data composed of the luminance Y and the color difference signals Cr and Cb is obtained. Is converted into image data of the colors of the ink ribbon 33 (complementary colors of Y, M, and C) (step S19).

Step S14 or Step S19
When the process is completed, the state of the print permission switch is judged based on the printer state information as shown in FIG. 9 (step S20). If the operation of the print permission switch is not detected, the process returns to step S6.

On the other hand, when the operation of the print permission switch is detected, the state of the print operation permission flag is determined (step S21). If the print operation permission flag is reset, the process returns to step S6.

If the print operation permission flag is set, the subroutine "DSC side print processing" is executed (step S22). As will be described in detail later, this subroutine cooperates with the microcomputer 22 to execute the printing operation.

When the processing of step S22 is completed,
The number of printed sheets set in step S11 is decremented (counted down), and it is determined whether the number of printed sheets is 0 (step S23). When the number of printed sheets is 0, it is not necessary to perform the printing operation any more, and thus the process proceeds to step S6.

On the other hand, if the number of printed sheets is not 0 yet, it is determined whether or not the printing operation can be continued based on the number of printing paper sheets data and the remaining ribbon amount data included in the printer status information. Is determined (step S2
4). If printing can be continued, the process proceeds to step S22. If printing cannot be continued, the process proceeds to step S6.

The microcomputer 22 basically operates according to a command from the DSC controller 3, but there is also a process to be executed only by the judgment of the microcomputer 22 itself according to the state of the switch and the state of the sensor. .

That is, steps S105 and S10 described above.
After step 6, the microcomputer 22 detects the attachment / detachment of the paper tray 45 by checking the state of the paper tray detection switch 44 (step S107).

When the loading of the paper tray 45 is detected, the number of sheets of printing paper data is updated (step S10).
8). For example, 10 sheets of photographic paper 4 on the paper tray 45
If 6 is entered, 10 is set as the number of printing paper data. The data of the number of printing papers is stored in the nonvolatile memory 53.
Has become part of the data stored in.

Data in the non-volatile memory 53 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a part of a breakdown of data stored in the non-volatile memory 53 of the printer 21.

The data stored in the non-volatile memory 53 includes printing paper number data, ribbon remaining amount data, paper feeding operation information, ribbon winding operation information, and head positioning operation information. Has been done.

Among these, the number of printing paper data and the remaining ribbon data are the data included in the printer status information, and the paper feeding operation information, the ribbon winding operation information, and the head positioning operation information are the printer control information. This is the data included in the information.

When the step S108 is completed or the loading of the paper tray 45 is not detected in the step S107, the state of the ribbon case detection switch 29 is checked to detect the attachment / detachment of the ribbon case 32 (step S109). Ribbon case 3
When it is detected that 2 is loaded, the ribbon remaining amount data stored in the non-volatile memory 53 is updated (step S110). For example, a new ink ribbon 33
10 has a printing capacity for 10 sheets, 10 is set as the ribbon remaining amount data.

When this step S110 is completed or when the loading of the ribbon case 32 is not detected in the above step S109, it is judged whether or not the jammed printing paper 46 is removed and the paper jam is solved (step). S111). That is, when a paper jam occurs,
The error information is stored in the paper feed operation information, but when the user removes the printing paper 46, this error information needs to be erased. Therefore, this step S111
When it is detected that the paper jam is cleared in step S11, the paper feeding operation information stored in the nonvolatile memory 53 is updated and the error information is erased (step S11).
2).

When step S112 is completed or it is confirmed in step S111 that the jammed printing paper 46 is removed, the fan motor 27 is controlled according to the temperature of the thermal head 38 ( Step S113). Here, when the temperature of the thermal head 38 is higher than the printable level, the fan 26 is rotated to air-cool the thermal head 38, and the fan is stopped when the temperature drops and reaches the printable level. It is designed to be controlled.

Thereafter, a subroutine "printing process on the printer side" as described later in detail is performed (step S1).
14) When the process of step S114 is completed, the process proceeds to step S105.

Details of the DSC side printing process in step S22 and the printer side printing process in step S114 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a flow chart showing the DSC side print processing, FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the printer side print processing,
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing each color printing process on the DSC side, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing each color printing process on the printer side.

When the operation of FIG. 4 is started, D of DSC1
The SC controller 3 commands the microcomputer 22 to perform a paper feeding operation (step S31).

As shown in FIG. 5, when the microcomputer 22 receives this command (step S121), it takes out the photographic paper 46 from the paper tray 45 and conveys it to the print start position, and in parallel with this operation, an error detection operation. If a paper jam occurs during conveyance, error information is set in the paper feeding operation information (step S122). When the paper feeding operation is completed, the microcomputer 22 outputs the end code D
Although it is transmitted to the SC controller 3, if the carrying operation cannot be executed to the end, the above error information is transmitted as an end code (step S12).
3).

When the DSC controller 3 receives the end code (step S32), it determines whether or not there is error information (step S33), and if there is error information, it returns to the main routine shown in FIG. To do.

On the other hand, if there is no error information, Y (yellow) color image data for one screen is transferred to the microcomputer 22 (step S34).

Upon receiving the Y (yellow) color image data for one screen, the microcomputer 22 sends the image data to the SRA.
It is temporarily stored in M24 (step S124).

The DSC 1 carries out each color printing process on the DSC side when the above step S34 is completed (step S3).
5) When the printer 21 completes step S124, the printer 21 prints each color on the printer side (step S1).
25).

Each color printing process will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

DSC controller 3 in DSC 1
Sends a print operation command to the microcomputer 22 to instruct the start of the print operation (step S5).
1).

In the printer 21, the microcomputer 22
When this print operation command is received (step S15)
1) By performing the processing described below, Y
The screen data is printed on the photographic paper 46.

Since it is necessary to bring the thermal head 38, the ink ribbon 33, and the printing paper 46 into close contact with each other when printing is performed, the head position control motor 41 is driven via the head motor drive circuit 42. , The thermal head 38 is moved to the down position (step S15).
2).

Then, the printing paper 4 is driven by the paper feed motor 49.
6 is moved at a predetermined speed, and the ribbon motor 3
When 0, the winding operation of the ink ribbon 33 is started (step S153).

Thereafter, the SR is synchronized with the movement of the photographic printing paper 46.
Image data is read line by line from the AM 24 and transferred to the thermal head control circuit 25. At this time, the microcomputer 22 is performing an error detecting operation as described later (step S154).

When the data transfer for one screen is completed, the feeding operation of the printing paper 46 and the ribbon winding operation are stopped (step S155), and the thermal head 3
8 is moved to the up position (step S156). As a result, the pressure contact between the thermal head 38, the ink ribbon 33, and the printing paper 46 is released.

After that, the microcomputer 22 sends an end code to the DSC controller 3 (step S157).

The microcomputer 22 performs some error detection operations as described below during the printing operation as described above.

For example, when an abnormality is detected during the up / down driving of the thermal head 38, the operation is stopped,
Error information is transmitted to the DSC controller 3 as an end code, and this error information is stored in the non-volatile memory 53 as head positioning operation information.

When a paper jam is detected during the movement of the printing paper 46, the operation is stopped and error information is sent to the DSC controller 3 as an end code.
This error information is stored in the non-volatile memory 53 as paper feed operation information.

Further, when the ribbon breakage is detected during the winding of the ink ribbon 33, the operation is stopped, the error information is transmitted to the DSC controller 3 as an end code, and the error information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 53. It is stored as ribbon winding operation information.

The DSC controller 3 executes the above step S
When the end code transmitted from the microcomputer 22 is received at 157 (step S52), the presence or absence of error information is determined (step S53), and if there is an error, the DSC side printing process of FIG. 4 is returned.

If there is no error, the DSC controller 3 sends a command for returning the printing paper 46 to the print start position to the microcomputer 22 (step S54).

Upon receiving this command (step S158), the microcomputer 22 reverses the paper feed motor 49 and moves the photographic printing paper 46 to the print start position. At this time, the microcomputer 22 is also performing an error detecting operation as described later (step S159).

When the operation is completed, the microcomputer 22 sends an end command to the DSC controller 3 (step S160) and returns to the processing of FIG.

The microcomputer 22 performs a paper jam detecting operation during the paper feeding operation in step S159. When a paper jam is detected, the operation is stopped and the error information is transmitted to the DSC controller 3 as an end code. This error information is also reflected in the paper feed operation information.

The DSC controller 3 executes the above step S
When the end code transmitted from the microcomputer 22 is received at 160 (step S55), the presence / absence of error information is determined (step S56), and if there is an error, the DSC side printing process of FIG. 4 is returned.

If there is no error, the DSC controller 3 returns to the process shown in FIG.

Thus, step S on the DSC1 side is performed.
35, and step S12 on the printer 21 side
When the process of 5 ends without any error,
The photographic printing paper 46 to which the Y color image data has been transferred is set at the print start position.

Next, the DSC controller 3 transfers the M (magenta) color image data for one screen to the microcomputer 22 (step S36), and the microcomputer 22 receives the M (magenta) color image data for this one screen. The received data is stored in the SRAM 24 (step S126). Thereafter, the DSC-side color printing process as shown in FIG. 6 is performed (step S37), and the printer-side printing process as shown in FIG. 7 is performed (step S127) to transfer the M color image data. The photographic printing paper 46 thus set is set at the print start position.

Further, the DSC controller 3 transfers the C (cyan) color image data for one screen to the microcomputer 22 (step S38), and the microcomputer 22 receives the C (cyan) color image data for one screen. Then, it is stored in the SRAM 24 (step S128). Thereafter, the CSC image data is transferred by performing the DSC color printing process as shown in FIG. 6 (step S39) and the printer side printing process as shown in FIG. 7 (step S129). The photographic printing paper 46 thus set is set at the print start position.

Subsequently, the DSC controller 3 sends a command to the microcomputer 22 to apply the overcoat to the photographic printing paper 46 (step S40).

Upon receipt of this command (step S130), the microcomputer 22 performs the processing described below to apply the protective film (overcoat) to the photographic printing paper 4.
6 is formed. The operation of forming the protective film is common to the operation of printing each color as described above, but some operations are different.

That is, when the protective film is formed, it is necessary to bring the thermal head 38, the printing paper 46, and the ink ribbon 33 into close contact with each other prior to the operation, so the thermal head 38 is moved to the down position ( Step S13
1).

Then, the printing paper 46 is moved at a predetermined speed, and the winding operation of the ink ribbon 33 is started (step S132).

Then, in synchronization with the movement of the printing paper 46, the data for thermally transferring the protective film is transferred to the thermal head control circuit 25. At this time, the microcomputer 22 is performing an error detecting operation as described later (step S133).

When the data transfer for one screen is completed, the feeding operation of the printing paper 46 and the ribbon winding operation are stopped (step S134), and the thermal head 3
8 is moved to the up position (step S135). As a result, the pressure contact between the thermal head 38, the ink ribbon 33, and the printing paper 46 is released.

After that, the microcomputer 22 sends an end code to the DSC controller 3 (step S136).

During the operation of forming the protective film as described above, the microcomputer 22 determines whether the head is being driven normally, paper jam has not occurred, and the ink ribbon 33 has not been cut. Error detection is in progress.

When an error is detected, the operation is stopped, error information is transmitted to the DSC controller 3 as an end code, and this error information is stored in the non-volatile memory 53.

The DSC controller 3 executes the above step S
When the end code transmitted from the microcomputer 22 is received at 136 (step S41), the presence / absence of error information is determined (step S42), and if there is an error, the DSC side printing process of FIG. 4 is returned.

If there is no error, the DSC controller 3 sends a command for ejecting the printing paper 46 to the microcomputer 22 (step S43).

Upon receiving this command (step S137), the microcomputer 22 drives the paper feed motor 49 to eject the photographic printing paper 46 for which printing has been completed to the outside of the printer 21. Also at this time, the microcomputer 22 is performing an error detection operation as described later (step S13).
8).

When the discharge of the photographic printing paper 46 is completed, the microcomputer 22 sends an end code to the DSC controller 3 (step S139). When a paper jam is detected during operation, the microcomputer 22 creates error information and sends it as an end code. This error information is also reflected in the paper feed operation information.

The DSC controller 3 executes the above step S
When the end code transmitted from the microcomputer 22 is received at 139 (step S44), the process returns to the main routine shown in FIG.

Further, the microcomputer 22 executes the above step S1.
When 39 is completed, the number of printing paper sheets data and the remaining ribbon amount data of the non-volatile memory 53 are updated (step S
140) and returns to the main routine shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing determination and message processing by the DSC controller 3, and FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a display example of a message and the like on the liquid crystal monitor.

When the judgment and message subroutines are called in step S7 of FIG. 2, DS
The C controller 3 starts executing the process shown in FIG.

When the operation is started, the print preparation operation permission flag and the print operation permission flag are set (step S
61). When the print operation permission flag is set, the print operation can be executed. On the other hand, when the print preparation operation permission flag is set, the print preparation operation as described below is permitted.

That is, in the print preparation operation, the operation switch is operated to select the image data to be printed, the operation switch is operated to set the number of prints, and the image data is read from the recording medium 8. Operation and operation to expand the read image data,
An operation of converting the expanded image data into a resolution for display, an operation of displaying the converted image data on the liquid crystal monitor 5, an operation of converting the expanded image data into a resolution at the time of printing, and an operation of expanding the expanded image data into YMC. And an operation of converting the color into complementary color data.

Next, in the printer control information (paper feeding operation information, ribbon winding operation information, head positioning information),
It is determined whether the error information is included (step S62).

If the error information is included, the abnormal display data for displaying the message according to the error information on the liquid crystal monitor 5 is created (step S).
63). The abnormality display data created here is the one shown in FIG.
Is displayed in step S14. For example, when there is error information in the head positioning operation information (information indicating the displacement state of the head that is recognized based on the output of the head position sensor 43), the first information as shown in FIG.
The message is displayed in the display form of, but the abnormal display data corresponds to this message.

When the error information exists, it is not necessary to execute the print preparation operation because the print operation cannot be executed. Therefore, after resetting the print preparation operation permission flag and the print operation permission flag (step S6)
4) and returns to the main routine shown in FIG.

In step S62, if the printer control information does not include error information, the paper tray 45 and the ribbon are detected based on the printer status information (paper tray detection switch status information, ribbon case detection switch status information). It is determined whether both the case 32 and the case 32 exist (step S65).

If neither of them exists, warning display data is created as a message to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 5 (step S66). The warning display data is displayed in step S14 of FIG. For example, when the ribbon case 32 is not provided, as shown in FIG.
A message is displayed in the second display form as shown in (B), and the warning display data corresponds to this message.

Then, the printing operation cannot be executed unless both the ribbon case 32 and the paper tray 45 are aligned, so that the printing preparation operation is also unnecessary and the process proceeds to step S64.

In step S65, when both the paper tray 45 and the ribbon case 32 are present, the printing paper 46 and the ink ribbon 33 are printed based on the printer status information (printing paper number data, ribbon remaining amount data). Then, it is determined whether or not there is a remaining amount (step S6).
7).

Here, if there is no remaining amount in either one, warning display data is created as a message to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 5 (step S68). The warning display data is displayed in step S14 of FIG. For example, when the ink ribbon 33 is used up, a message is displayed in the third display form as shown in FIG. 12C, and the warning display data corresponds to this message.

Even if the ribbon case 32 and the paper tray 45 are present, the printing operation cannot be executed unless both the photographic printing paper 46 and the ink ribbon 33 have a remaining amount. Therefore, the printing preparation operation is unnecessary. Then, the above step S6
Go to 4.

In step S67, the printing paper 46
When the remaining amount exists in both the ink and the ink ribbon 33, it is possible to execute the printing operation for the set number of prints based on the printer state information (printing sheet number data, ribbon remaining amount data). It is determined whether or not (step S69).

If the number of prints cannot be printed, the caution display data is created as a message to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 5 (step S7).
0), and returns to the main routine of FIG.

The caution display data is obtained in step S of FIG.
In FIG. 17, it is displayed together with the selected image data in a fourth display form as shown in FIG.
The display as shown in FIG. 12D is continuously displayed as long as the printing operation is possible (until the remaining amount of either the printing paper 46 or the ink ribbon 33 becomes zero). Be seen. When such a printing operation is repeated and the remaining amount of at least one of the printing paper 46 and the ink ribbon 33 becomes zero, that effect is determined in the above step S67, and the print preparation operation permission flag is determined in the above step S64. The print operation permission flag is reset, and the print operation is prohibited, so that the display changes, for example, as shown in FIG.

In step S69, if it is possible to perform the printing operation for the number of printed sheets, whether the printing operation can be performed based on the printer status information (head temperature data). Is determined (step S71).

When the temperature is such that printing is possible, the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

On the other hand, if the temperature is at a level that cannot be printed, caution display data is created as a message to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 5 (step S72). The caution display data is displayed in the fifth display form as shown in FIG. 12E, for example, together with the image data selected in step S17 of FIG.

Then, after resetting the print permission flag to prohibit the printing operation (step S73), the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

When the printing operation is continuously executed, the temperature of the thermal head 38 may rise and it may not be possible to continue printing. In such a case, as described above, the microcomputer 22 rotates the fan 26 to cool the thermal head 38. Therefore, although printing cannot be performed temporarily, the printing operation can be resumed by waiting for a while. For this reason, the print preparation operation should be permitted. Therefore, in step S73, the print operation permission flag is reset, but the print preparation operation permission flag is not reset.

In addition, in the message as shown in FIG. 12E, the current temperature of the thermal head 38 and the temperature of the thermal head 38 at which printing can be started are displayed.

As described above, the DSC controller 3 periodically acquires printer information, and the current head temperature is constantly updated with the latest data.

By observing this data displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 5, the user can predict the time until the printing operation can be resumed. The user-friendly control does not cause irritation as in the case of the above.

In this way, even if there is some kind of failure in executing the printing operation, the print preparation operation is permitted depending on the degree of the failure. In the above description, the print preparatory operation is permitted when the print operation cannot be temporarily executed due to the temperature rise of the thermal head 38, but this is an example and the present invention is not limited to this example. Not a thing.

For example, the print preparation operation may be permitted except for the mechanical problem occurring in the printer 21. Specifically, even if the ink ribbon 33 runs out, printing can be started if the user immediately loads a new ink ribbon 33, so it is conceivable to permit the print preparation operation.

On the other hand, if a situation occurs where error information is set in the printer control information, it is likely that it will take time to return to a situation where the printing operation can be performed. It is thought to end in vain.
If the print preparation operation is permitted, the user can select the image data desired to be printed while looking at the liquid crystal monitor 5, and thus the user is likely to confuse that the user can also perform the printing. On the contrary, since printing cannot be actually executed, when such error information exists, control should be performed to prohibit the print preparation operation. In some cases, it may be necessary to send it for repair.

In the above description, the sublimation heat transfer type printer 21 is taken as an example of the image forming apparatus 21.
The present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to a printer using a thermal head, that is, for example, a thermal fusion transfer type printer or a TA (thermoautochrome) type printer.

According to such an embodiment, in a system including a digital camera and a printer for printing an image received from the digital camera, when trouble occurs in the operation, depending on the situation, Since the appropriate control and display are performed according to the situation such as whether or not the preparation for printing is completed, the convenience for the user can be sufficiently achieved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications and applications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, the example in which the digital camera (DSC) 1 and the printer 21 are connected by the connecting means 12 made of a conductor has been described above, but the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to such a form, and electromagnetic waves are not limited thereto. A wireless communication means using light, light, or the like may be applied as the connection means, and various means for functionally coupling the both may be applied.

[0191]

As described above, according to the print system of the present invention, and the digital camera and printer constituting this system, when trouble occurs in operation, printing is performed depending on the situation. Since the appropriate control or display is performed according to the situation such as whether or not the preparation is completed, the convenience for the user is sufficiently achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a print system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of a main routine by the DSC controller on the DSC side in the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of a main routine by the printer-side microcomputer in the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a DSC side printing process in the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing printer-side printing processing in the above embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a DSC side color printing process in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a printer-side color printing process in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing determination and message processing by the DSC controller in the above embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a breakdown of printer status information in the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a breakdown of printer control information in the above embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a part of a breakdown of data stored in a nonvolatile memory of the printer in the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a display example of a message or the like on the liquid crystal monitor in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Image input device (camera, electronic still camera (DS
C)) (Digital camera) 2 ... Image forming apparatus (printer, sublimation printer unit) 3 ... DSC controller (control means, image data conversion processing means, print information transmitting means, status information receiving means) 4 ... Camera operation switch 5 ... Liquid crystal monitor (display means) 8 ... Recording medium (information recording medium) 9 ... USB host controller (print information transmitting means, status information receiving means) 12 ... Connection means (status information transmitting means, status information receiving means, print information transmission) Means, print information receiving means) 22 ... Microcomputer (microcomputer) (control means,
Status information transmitting means, print information receiving means) 29 ... Ribbon case detection switch 32 ... Ribbon case 33 ... Ink ribbon 35 ... Ribbon movement detection sensor 36 ... Ribbon position sensor 37 ... Temperature sensor 38 ... Thermal head 43 ... Head position sensor 44 ... Paper tray detection switch 45 ... Paper tray 46 ... Printing paper (printing paper) 51 ... Paper position sensor 53 ... Non-volatile memory 54 ... Printer operation switch

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04N 1/00 107 H04N 1/00 107Z 5/225 5/225 F 5/76 5/76 E // H04N 101: 00 101: 00 F-term (reference) 2C061 AQ04 AS02 BB10 HJ08 HP00 HV13 HV14 HV35 5B021 AA30 BB01 BB10 CC02 NN00 5C022 AA13 AC18 5C052 AA12 FA02 FA03 FC01 FC06 5C062 AA05 AA11 AB38 AC41 AC42 AC55 BA04

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A print system in which a digital camera and a printer, each of which is provided with control means for controlling the operation, are functionally coupled to each other, wherein the printer is capable of preventing obstacles related to the print operation and preparation conditions. Status information transmitting means for forming and transmitting information indicating the state of the user, and print information for receiving print image data representing the print image and control information related to the print operation from the digital camera. Receiving means, and is configured to be able to execute a printing operation under the control of the control means of the digital camera depending on the information received by the print information receiving means. Convert selected image data to the print image data in a form suitable for printing by the printer An image data conversion processing means, a print image data processed by the image data conversion processing means, and control information related to the printing operation are received by the print information receiving means on the printer side. The print information transmitting means for transmitting and the status information receiving means for receiving the information from the status information transmitting means on the printer side are provided, and the above-mentioned own information is transmitted in a form corresponding to the information received by the status information receiving means. A printing system configured to be capable of performing a data conversion operation by the image data conversion processing means or an operation of generating the control information under the control of the control means. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the status information transmitting means includes a temperature of the thermal head, a remaining number of printing sheets,
One or more of the information indicating the remaining amount of the ink ribbon, whether the paper tray is installed, or whether the ink ribbon case is installed corresponds to the status of the printer. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printing system is configured to be formed and transmitted. 3. In the digital camera, the image data conversion processing means applies the selected one of the image data stored by applying a predetermined compression process to an information recording medium applied to the digital camera. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a decompressing process corresponding to the compressing process to convert the print image data into a form suitable for printing by the printer. Printing system. 4. A printer applied to a printing system in which a digital camera and a printer each having control means for controlling the operation are functionally coupled to each other. State information transmitting means for forming and transmitting information indicating the state of the user, and print for receiving the print image data representing the print image and the control information related to the print operation from the digital camera. A printer comprising: an information receiving unit. 5. A digital camera which is applied to a printing system in which a digital camera and a printer each of which is provided with a control unit for controlling the operation are functionally coupled to each other. Image data conversion processing means for converting the selected one into print image data suitable for printing by the printer, print image data processed by the image data conversion processing means and the printer The print information transmitting means for transmitting the control information relating to the print operation in a form suitable for being received by the print information receiving means provided on the printer side, and the own information relating to obstacles related to the print operation and preparation conditions. From the status information transmitting means provided on the printer side for forming and transmitting the information representing the status, Status information receiving means for receiving information, the data conversion operation by the image data conversion processing means or the above under the control of the control means of its own in a form corresponding to the information received by the status information receiving means. A digital camera characterized by being configured so as to be capable of executing control information generation operation. 6. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the status information transmitting means includes a temperature of a thermal head, a remaining number of printing sheets,
One or more of the information indicating the remaining amount of the ink ribbon, whether the paper tray is installed, or whether the ink ribbon case is installed corresponds to the status of the printer. The printer according to claim 4, wherein the printer is configured to be formed and transmitted. 7. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the image data conversion processing means selects image data selected from among image data stored by performing a predetermined compression process on an information recording medium applied to the digital camera. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a decompressing process corresponding to the compressing process to convert the image data into the print image data in a form suitable for printing by the printer. Digital camera. 8. When the status information receiving means of the digital camera receives information indicating that the printing operation is possible from the corresponding printer side, the control means of the digital camera itself causes an image to be printed. Selection, setting of the number of prints, reading of the data of the image to be printed from the applied information storage medium, display of the image related to the reading on the display means, and a form adapted to the predetermined resolution of the data of the image related to the reading A print preparatory operation including any one of a conversion process for converting to image data or a process for converting image data related to the reading into complementary color data corresponding thereto. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printing system is a printing system. 9. In the digital camera, whether the temperature of the thermal head, the remaining number of printing sheets, the remaining amount of the ink ribbon, or the sheet tray is attached from the corresponding printer side by the status information receiving unit. , Or information regarding whether or not the ink ribbon case is installed, regarding one or more of the information indicating that the print operation will be disturbed or that the preparation for the print operation has not been completed. 2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein when is received, the printing system is configured to display that effect on its own display means. 10. When the status information receiving means receives information indicating that a printing operation is possible from the corresponding printer side, the control means of its own
Select images to print, set the number of prints,
Reading of data of the image to be printed from the applied information storage medium, display of the image related to the reading on the display unit, conversion processing of the data of the image related to the reading into a form suitable for a predetermined resolution, or 6. The print preparatory operation including any one of the processes of converting image data to be read out into complementary color data corresponding to the read image data is configured to be permitted. Digital camera. 11. The status information receiving means, from the corresponding printer side, the temperature of the thermal head, the remaining number of printing sheets, the remaining amount of the ink ribbon, whether the paper tray is attached, or the ink ribbon case. When one or a plurality of pieces of information indicating whether or not is attached is received, information indicating that the print operation is disturbed or that the preparation for the print operation is not completed is received. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the display means is configured to display that effect.
Digital camera described in.