JP2004193869A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recorder for canceling printing of an image not needing printing, preventing print mistake due to wrong operations of a user, and enhancing the operability by selecting an image displayed on an image display section during print processing without interrupting the print processing in consecutive printing wherein a plurality of images are registered and they are collectively printed. <P>SOLUTION: The recorder includes: an image display means for displaying an image in a memory card; a means for selecting a plurality of recorded images stored in the card; a means for registering the images selected by the image selection means; a means for consecutively printing a plurality of the recorded images registered by the registration means; and a means for selecting an image displayed on the image display means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus capable of directly reading an image file from a memory card storing image data and recording the image file on a recording material.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Digital cameras (imaging devices) that can capture an image by simple operation and convert it into digital image data have been widely used. An image captured by such a camera is usually stored in a memory card built in the digital camera.
[0003]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, photo-direct printers have been developed that can directly mount a memory card on a printer and print photographed image data stored in the memory card. In addition, a photo direct printer has been developed which is directly connected to a digital camera using a USB interface and performs direct printing using image data and control commands received from the digital camera. Some direct printers have an image display function, and can display an image selected at the time of printing.
[0004]
The photo direct printer has a dedicated operation unit as shown in FIG. 2 for printing image data in a memory card inserted into a memory card slot. Normally, when printing a plurality of images in a memory card collectively, after printing the image data in the memory card as an index, select the image in the memory card from the operation unit while viewing the index printing, and perform desired printing. Printing was done by selecting the mode and paper.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, as shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit enables various functions to be selected by combining limited input means. Therefore, in the case where a plurality of images are selected and continuous printing is performed by one operation, a plurality of operations such as image selection and various printing modes and paper sizes are performed. There was a case where it was selected by mistake. In this case, there is no other method than checking and confirming the print result by the user after the printing process is completed, and there is a problem that ink and paper are wasted as a result. Further, even if the user notices in the middle of printing, if the printing is stopped, the setting must be performed again, which causes a problem that the operability is poor.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and in the case where a plurality of images are selected and continuous printing is performed, before printing, image data to be printed is displayed on an image display unit, and image data during image display is selected. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus characterized in that erroneous printing can be eliminated and a user can print only desired image data by deleting the currently executed continuous printing.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An image display means for displaying an image in the memory card in a recording device capable of directly reading and printing the image data stored in the memory card and having a slot for a memory card storing the image data; Means for selecting a plurality of stored recorded images, means for continuously printing the selected plurality of recorded images, and means for selecting an image being displayed on the image display means, wherein the image is displayed at the start of continuous printing. A recording device capable of deleting an image list for continuous printing selected before the start of continuous printing by selecting an image displayed on the display means.
[0008]
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for sequentially displaying all image data selected at the start of the continuous printing operation on the image display device, wherein the printing operation is started after all the images have been displayed. Features.
[0009]
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for sequentially displaying image data to be printed on the next page on the image display device after the start of the continuous printing operation and before the start of the printing operation of each page.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0011]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a photo direct printer (hereinafter, PD printer) 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The PD printer apparatus 1000 functions as a normal PC printer that receives and prints data from a host computer (PC), and directly reads and prints image data stored in a storage medium such as a memory card. Or a function of receiving and printing image data from a digital camera.
[0012]
In FIG. 1, the main body forming the outer shell of the PD printer 1000 according to the present embodiment has a case M1001, an upper case 1002, an access cover 1003, and a discharge tray 1004 as exterior members. The lower case 1001 forms a substantially lower half of the PD printer 1000, and the upper case 1002 forms a substantially upper half of the main body. It has a hollow body structure having a space, and an opening is formed in each of the upper surface and the front surface thereof. Further, one end of the discharge tray 1004 is rotatably held by the lower case 1001 so that the opening formed on the front surface of the lower case 1001 can be opened and closed by the rotation. Therefore, when the recording operation is performed, the recording sheet can be discharged from here by rotating the discharge tray 1004 to the front side to open the opening, and the discharged recording sheets are sequentially stacked. It is possible to do. The paper discharge tray 1004 accommodates two auxiliary trays 1004a and 1004b. By pulling out each tray as needed, the sheet support area can be expanded or reduced in three stages. It has become.
[0013]
One end of the access cover 1003 is rotatably held by the upper case 1002 so that an opening formed on the upper surface can be opened and closed. When the access cover 1003 is opened, the access cover 1003 is stored inside the main body. It is possible to replace a recording head cartridge (not shown) or an ink tank (not shown). Although not particularly shown here, when the access cover 1003 is opened and closed, a protrusion formed on the back surface rotates the cover opening / closing lever, and the rotation position of the lever is detected by a microswitch or the like. Thus, the open / closed state of the access cover can be detected.
[0014]
A power key 1005 is provided on the upper surface of the upper case 1002 so as to be able to be pressed. On the right side of the upper case 1002, an operation panel 1010 including a liquid crystal display portion 1006, various key switches, and the like is provided. The structure of the operation panel 1010 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. An automatic feeding unit 1007 automatically feeds a recording sheet into the apparatus main body. Reference numeral 1008 denotes a paper interval selection lever for adjusting the interval between the print head and the recording sheet. Reference numeral 1009 denotes a card slot into which an adapter into which a memory card can be inserted is inserted, through which image data stored in the memory card can be directly read and printed. Examples of the memory card (PC) include a compact flash (R) memory, smart media, and a memory stick. Reference numeral 1011 denotes a viewer (liquid crystal display unit) which can be attached to and detached from the main body of the PD printer apparatus 1000. Used to display index images. Reference numeral 1012 denotes a terminal for connecting a digital camera to be described later, and reference numeral 1013 denotes a USB bus connector for connecting a personal computer (PC).
[0015]
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of operation panel 1010 of PD printer 1000 according to the present embodiment.
[0016]
In FIG. 2, a liquid crystal display unit 1006 displays menu items for variously setting data on items printed on the right and left sides. Items displayed here include the first photo number in the range to be printed, the designated frame number (start / -designation), the last photo number in the range where printing was completed (end), the number of copies (number of copies), and the number of copies. The type of paper (recording sheet) to be used (paper type), the number of photos to be printed on one sheet (layout), the quality of printing (quality), the designation of whether to print the date of shooting (date) Print), designation of whether to correct and print a photo (image correction), display of the number of sheets required for printing (number of sheets), and the like. Each of these items is selected or designated using the cursor key 2001. Reference numeral 2002 denotes a mode key. Each time this key is pressed, the type of printing (index printing, full-frame printing, 1-frame printing, etc.) can be switched, and the corresponding LED of the LED 2003 is turned on accordingly. Reference numeral 2004 denotes a maintenance key for performing printer maintenance such as cleaning of a print head. A print start key 2005 is pressed when instructing the start of printing or when establishing maintenance settings. Reference numeral 2006 denotes a print stop key which is pressed when printing is stopped or when maintenance stop is instructed.
[0017]
Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a configuration of a main part related to control of the PD printer 1000 according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that, in FIG. 3, the same parts as those in the above-described drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.
[0018]
In FIG. 3, reference numeral 3000 denotes a control unit (control board). Reference numeral 3001 denotes an ASIC (dedicated custom LSI), the configuration of which will be described later in detail with reference to the block diagram of FIG. Reference numeral 3002 denotes a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) which has a CPU therein and performs various control processing to be described later and conversion of a luminance signal (RGB) to a density signal (CMYK), scaling, gamma conversion, error diffusion, and the like. I am in charge of processing. Reference numeral 3003 denotes a memory, which is a program memory 3003a that stores a control program of the CPU of the DSP 3002, a RAM area that stores a program at the time of execution, a work memory that stores a registration list for continuous printing, and a work memory that stores image data and the like. It has a functioning memory area. Reference numeral 3004 denotes a printer engine, in which a printer engine of an inkjet printer that prints a color image using a plurality of color inks is mounted. Reference numeral 3005 denotes a USB bus connector as a port for connecting the digital camera 3012. Reference numeral 3006 denotes a connector for connecting the viewer 1011. Reference numeral 3008 denotes a USB bus hub (USB HUB). When the PD printer 1000 performs printing based on image data from the PC 3010, the PD printer 1000 passes data from the PC 3010 as it is to the printer engine 3004 via the USB bus 3021. Output. Thus, the connected PC 3010 can perform printing by directly exchanging data and signals with the printer engine 3004 (functioning as a general PC printer). Reference numeral 3009 denotes a power supply connector to which a DC voltage converted from commercial AC is input by the power supply 3007. The PC 3010 is a general personal computer, 3011 is the above-mentioned memory card (PC card), and 3012 is a digital camera.
[0019]
The exchange of signals between the control unit 3000 and the printer engine 3004 is performed via the USB bus 3021 or the IEEE1284 bus 3022 described above.
[0020]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ASIC 3001. Also in FIG. 4, the same reference numerals are given to parts common to the above-described drawings, and the description thereof will be omitted.
[0021]
A PC card interface unit 4001 reads image data stored in the attached PC card 3011 or writes data to the PC card 3011. Reference numeral 4002 denotes an IEEE1284 interface for exchanging data with the printer engine 3004. The IEEE 1284 interface unit 4002 is a bus used when printing image data stored in the digital camera 3012 or the PC card 3011. A USB interface unit 4003 exchanges data with the PC 3010. A USB host interface unit 4004 exchanges data with the digital camera 3012. An operation panel interface unit 4005 inputs various operation signals from the operation panel 1010 and outputs display data to the display unit 1006. Reference numeral 4006 denotes a viewer interface unit, which controls display of image data on the viewer 1011. Reference numeral 4007 denotes an interface unit that controls an interface between various switches, an LED 4009, and the like. Reference numeral 4008 denotes a CPU interface unit which controls data exchange with the DSP 3002. Reference numeral 4010 denotes an internal bus (ASIC bus) for connecting these units.
[0022]
An operation outline based on the above configuration will be described below.
[0023]
(Embodiment 1)
An embodiment in which all the registered images are displayed before the start of printing and the registered images are confirmed will be described with respect to claims 1 and 2 in the above configuration.
[0024]
The mode is switched to the designated frame mode by the mode key 2002 on the operation panel 1010, and the image stored in the PC card 3011 is displayed on the viewer 1011. When the print start key is pressed in the image display in the designated frame mode, the image being displayed is selected. By repeating this operation, a plurality of images stored in the PC card 3011 can be selected. The selected image is registered in the continuous print image list in the work memory in the recording device.
[0025]
Next, after selecting a plurality of images stored in the PC card 3011 in the designated frame mode, the mode key is used to shift to the all-frame printing mode, and the plurality of selected images can be continuously printed by pressing the print start key. It becomes.
[0026]
The operation of continuous printing according to the present invention after selecting a plurality of images as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0027]
When the print key is selected in the all-frame mode, an image to be displayed on the viewer is selected from the continuous print image list in the working memory (S501), and an image is displayed on the viewer for a predetermined time (S502). . The display time may be settable by the user. If the print stop key 2006 is pressed while an image is displayed on the viewer (S503), the currently displayed image is deleted from the continuous print image list (S504). If the print cancel key is not pressed while the image is displayed on the viewer for a certain period of time, the image is not deleted from the continuous print image list. After a lapse of a predetermined time, it is determined whether there is any other image registered in the continuous print image list that is not displayed (S505). If there is another undisplayed image, another image is selected (S506). ), And display it again on the viewer for a fixed time (S502). When such a sequence is repeated to display all the registered images in the continuous print image list (S505), the DSP 3002 performs various control processes, conversion from a luminance signal (RGB) to a density signal (CMYK), scaling, and the like. Image processing such as gamma conversion and error diffusion is performed, and print data is created according to the continuous print image list (S507). The created print data is transferred to the printer engine unit 3004 via the 1284 I / F (4002), and printing is sequentially performed (S508). When all the images in the continuous print image list have been printed, the series of operations ends.
[0028]
(Embodiment 2)
Regarding claims 1 and 2 in the above configuration, an embodiment in which a registered image to be printed is displayed before starting printing of each image and the registered image is confirmed will be described.
[0029]
The procedure for registering a plurality of images is the same as in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.
[0030]
Hereinafter, the operation of the recording apparatus according to the present invention after the start of continuous printing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0031]
When the print key is selected in the all-frame mode, an image to be displayed on the viewer is selected from the continuous print image list in the working memory (S601), and an image is displayed on the viewer for a predetermined period of time (S602). . The display time may be settable by the user.
[0032]
If the print stop key 2006 is pressed while an image is displayed on the viewer (S603), the currently displayed image is deleted from the continuous print image list (S504), and an image in another continuous print image list is selected (S605). , Displayed on the viewer. If the print cancel key is not pressed while an image is being displayed on the viewer for a certain period of time, after a certain period of time has elapsed, the DSP 3002 converts the currently displayed image from various control processes and from a luminance signal (RGB) to a density signal (CMYK). Then, image processing such as conversion, scaling, gamma conversion, and error diffusion are performed to create print data (S606).
[0033]
After the print data is created, the print data is deleted from the continuous print image list (S607), and the created print data is transferred to the printer engine unit 3004 via the 1284 I / F (4002) and printing is performed (S608). After the printing is executed, a print operation end wait is performed (S609). When the printing is completed, it is checked whether there is any other image registered in the continuous print image list (S610). The display image of the viewer is selected (S611), and the processing of S602 to S609 is repeatedly executed until the continuous print image list disappears.
[0034]
In the first and second embodiments, the image being displayed is selected by the print cancel key. However, other keys including the print cancel key of the printer itself may be assigned.
[0035]
There is also a method in which a viewer for displaying an image has a touch panel function, and an image is selected by touching the viewer.
[0036]
As described above, in continuous printing in which a plurality of images are selected and printed collectively, it is possible to cancel the printing of the selected image without interrupting a series of processes after printing is started.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in a recording device capable of reading an image file directly from a memory card storing image data and recording the same on a recording material, selecting a plurality of images on the memory card, When printing continuously, the selected image is displayed on the image display device before printing, and the image being displayed is deleted from the continuous printing list, so that only images that do not need to be printed due to user's erroneous operation are printed. Can be stopped, and waste of ink and paper can be eliminated.
[0038]
Furthermore, since only the print-unnecessary images are deleted from the list of continuous printing, a series of continuous printing processes is not interrupted and re-selected, so that the operability for the user is improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a PD printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an operation panel of the PD printer device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part related to control of the PD printer device according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ASIC of the PD printer device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6
6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (3)

A memory card slot for storing image data, the image data stored in the memory card is directly read, in a printable recording device,
Image display means for displaying images in the memory card, means for selecting a plurality of recorded images stored in the card, means for registering the image selected by the image selecting means, and means registered in the registration means. Means for continuously printing a plurality of recorded images, and means for selecting an image being displayed on the image display means, and by selecting an image being displayed on the image display means after the start of continuous printing, the registered A recording apparatus for deleting a continuous printing image list. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein all the image data selected at the start of the continuous printing operation are sequentially displayed on the image display device, and the printing operation is started after the display of all the images is completed. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for sequentially displaying image data to be printed on a next page on the image display device after a continuous printing operation is started and before a printing operation of each page is started.

Images