JP2008288906A - Print system, and control method and program therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent printing from being interrupted due to battery exhaustion even if a battery capacity of an imaging device is small when a printing device directly connectable to the imaging device is used for printing. <P>SOLUTION: A print system composed of a battery-driven imaging device, a printing device which performs printing by receiving image data taken by the imaging device through an interface has: a detection means detecting a remaining amount of the battery when the imaging device is driven by the battery, and a compression means preparing image data by changing a compression rate of the image data which is printed by the printing device according to the remaining amount of the battery detected by the detection means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system having an imaging device and a printing device that can receive and print image data captured by the imaging device.

  In recent years, a printing system that can directly receive and print digital image data from an imaging device (digital camera) without using a PC is known. In this printing system, image data captured by a digital camera is developed into RGB data on the printing apparatus side, and necessary image processing is performed to create print data and printing is performed. In addition, digital cameras are capable of capturing high-resolution image data year by year. In proportion to this, the image size increases, and the processing on the printing apparatus side becomes heavy and takes time.

However, in the printing system as described above, if the digital camera is battery-powered, printing cannot be performed if the battery runs out. Therefore, when printing is performed using a printing system with a digital camera having a poor battery, the battery may run out during printing, and printing may not be performed to the end.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to eliminate the fact that printing is terminated in the middle due to a low remaining battery level.

The printing system of the present invention is a printing system including an imaging device that can be driven by a battery, and a printing device that receives and prints image data captured by the imaging device via an interface. When the imaging device is battery-driven, a detection unit that detects a remaining capacity of the battery, and a compression rate of image data that is printed by the printing device is changed according to the remaining capacity of the battery that is detected by the detection unit. Compression means for creating image data,
It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, when printing is directly performed from a digital camera driven by a battery, it is possible to prevent the printing from being terminated in the middle due to a low battery remaining amount.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a photo direct printer apparatus (hereinafter referred to as PD printer apparatus) 1000 which is a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The PD printer 1000 has a function as a normal PC printer that receives and prints data from a host computer (PC). Furthermore, the PD printer 1000 has a function of directly reading and printing image data stored in a storage medium such as a memory card, or receiving and printing image data from a digital camera. . In the present embodiment, the printing method of the PD printer 1000 is an inkjet method.

  In FIG. 1, the main body that forms the outer shell of the PD printer 1000 according to the present embodiment includes a lower case 1001, an upper case 1002, an access cover 1003, and an exterior tray 1004. The lower case 1001 forms a substantially lower half portion of the PD printer 1000, and the upper case 1002 forms a substantially upper half portion of the main body. The combination of both cases forms a hollow body structure having a storage space for storing each mechanism to be described later, and an opening is formed on each of the upper surface portion and the front surface portion.

One end of the discharge tray 1004 is rotatably held by the lower case 1001, and an opening formed on the front surface of the lower case 1001 can be opened and closed by the rotation. For this reason, when performing the recording operation (printing operation), the discharge tray 1004 is rotated to the front side to open the opening, so that the recording sheet can be discharged from here and the discharged recording is performed. Sheets can be stacked sequentially.
The paper discharge tray 1004 contains two auxiliary trays 1004a and 1004b. By pulling out each tray as needed, the paper support area can be expanded or reduced in three stages. It is like that.

  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. By opening the access cover 1003, a recording head cartridge (not shown) or an ink tank (not shown) housed in the main body can be replaced. 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 and closing lever. The open / closed state of the access cover can be detected by detecting the rotation position of the lever with a micro switch or the like.

  A power key 1005 is provided on the upper surface of the upper case 1002 so that it can be pressed. An operation panel 1010 including a liquid crystal display unit 1006 and various key switches is provided on the right side of the upper case 1002. The structure of the operation panel 1010 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

  An automatic feeding unit 1007 automatically feeds the recording sheet into the apparatus main body. Reference numeral 1008 denotes a paper gap selection lever which is used to adjust the interval between the print head and the recording sheet. Reference numeral 1009 denotes a card slot serving as a mounting unit, into which an adapter capable of mounting a memory card is inserted, through which image data stored in the memory card can be directly captured and printed. Here, the memory card is an example of a storage medium, such as a compact flash (registered trademark) memory, smart media, or memory stick.

  A viewer (liquid crystal display unit) 1011 is detachable from the main body of the PD printer 1000. When searching for an image to be printed from images stored in a PC card, an image for each frame is displayed. Used to display index images. Reference numeral 1012 denotes a terminal for connecting a digital camera to be described later. Reference numeral 1013 denotes a USB bus connector for connecting a personal computer (PC).

  FIG. 2 is an overview of the operation panel 1010 of the PD printer 1000 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, the liquid crystal display unit 1006 displays menu items for setting various data relating to items printed on the left and right sides thereof. The items displayed here are the first photo number of the range to be printed, the designated frame number (start / designation), the last photo number of the range where printing has been completed (end), the number of copies (number of copies), and the number used for printing. There are types of paper (recording sheets) (paper types). In addition, setting the number of photos to be printed on one sheet (layout), specifying the print quality (quality), specifying whether or not to print the shooting date (date printing), whether to correct the photo and print it Designation (image correction), display of the number of sheets necessary for printing (number of sheets), and the like. These items are selected or designated using the cursor keys 2001.

2002 is a mode key, and each time this key is pressed, the type of printing (index printing, full-frame printing, single-frame printing, etc.) can be switched, and the corresponding LED of the LED 2003 is lit accordingly. A maintenance key 2004 is a key for performing maintenance of the printer such as cleaning of the print head. Reference numeral 2005 denotes a print start key which is pressed when instructing the start of printing or when establishing maintenance settings.
A print cancel key 2006 is pressed when printing is stopped or when maintenance is instructed.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the configuration of the main part relating to the control of the PD printer 1000 according to the present embodiment will be described. In FIG. 3, the same reference numerals are given to portions common to the above-described drawings, and the description thereof is omitted. 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) having an internal CPU, and various control processes to be described later, conversion from luminance signals (RGB) to density signals (CMYK), scaling, gamma conversion, error diffusion, and other images. I am in charge of processing. A memory 3003 has a program memory 3003a for storing a control program for the CPU of the DSP 3002, a RAM area for storing a program at the time of execution, and a memory area functioning as a work memory for storing image data and the like.

  Reference numeral 3004 denotes a printer engine, in which an ink jet printer engine 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 data from the PC 3010 is directly passed through to the printer engine 3004 via the USB bus 3021. Output. As a result, the connected PC 3010 can directly perform printing by exchanging data and signals with the printer engine 3004 (functions as a general PC printer).

  Reference numeral 3009 denotes a power connector which inputs a DC voltage converted from commercial AC by a power supply 3011. The PC 3010 is a general personal computer. Reference numeral 3011 denotes the memory card (PC card) described above. Reference numeral 3012 denotes a digital camera (imaging device). Note that signal exchange between the control unit 3000 and the printer engine 3004 is performed via the USB bus 3021 or the IEEE1284 bus 3022 described above.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ASIC 3001. In FIG. 4, parts common to the above-mentioned drawings are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.
Reference numeral 4001 denotes a PC card interface unit. The PC card interface unit 4001 reads image data stored in the attached PC card 3011, writes data to the PC card 3011, and the like. Reference numeral 4002 denotes an IEEE 1284 interface unit that exchanges 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, outputs display data to the display unit 1006, and the like. A viewer interface unit 4006 controls display of image data on the viewer 1011. Reference numeral 4007 denotes an interface unit that controls an interface with various switches, the LED 4009, and the like. Reference numeral 4008 denotes a CPU interface unit that controls data exchange with the DSP 3002. Reference numeral 4010 denotes an internal bus (ASIC bus) that connects these units.

An outline of the operation based on the above configuration will be described below.
<Normal PC printer mode>
The normal PC printer mode is a print mode for printing an image based on print data sent from the PC 3010. In this mode, when data from the PC 3010 is input via the connector 1013, the data is sent directly to the printer engine 3004 via the USB bus hub 3008 and the USB bus 3021, and printing is performed based on the data from the PC 3010.

<Direct print mode from PC card>
When the PC card 3011 is inserted into or removed from the card slot 1009, an interrupt is generated, whereby the DSP 3002 can detect whether the PC card 3011 is inserted or removed (removed). When the PC card 3011 is inserted, the compressed (for example, JPEG format) image data stored in the PC card 3011 is read and stored in the memory 3003. Thereafter, the compressed image data is decompressed and stored in the memory 3003 again.

  Next, when printing of the stored image data is instructed using the operation panel 1010, the printer engine 3004 can perform printing by performing conversion from RGB signals to YMCK signals, gamma correction, error diffusion, and the like. Convert to recorded data. Printing is performed by outputting to the printer engine 3004 via the IEEE 1284 interface unit 4002.

<Direct print mode from camera>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a printing system in which a PD printer 1000 according to the present embodiment and a digital camera 3012 are connected. In FIG. 5, the cable 5000 includes a connector 5001 that is connected to the connector 1012 of the PD printer 1000 and a connector 5002 that is connected to the connection connector 5003 of the digital camera 3012.

  The digital camera 3012 is configured to be able to output image data stored in an internal memory via a connection connector 5003. Note that as the configuration of the digital camera 3012, various configurations such as a configuration having a memory as a storage unit inside and a configuration having a slot for mounting a removable memory can be employed. The digital camera can be driven by a battery. As described above, by connecting the PD printer 1000 and the digital camera 3012 via the cable 5000 shown in FIG. 5, the image data from the digital camera 3012 can be directly printed by the PD printer 1000.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display state of the display unit 1006 of the operation panel 1010 when the digital camera 3012 is connected to the PD printer 1000 as shown in FIG.
Only the camera mark 6000 is displayed on the display unit 1006, the display and operation on the operation panel 1010 are invalidated, and the display on the viewer 1011 is also invalidated. Accordingly, after this, only the key operation on the digital camera 3012 and the image display on the display unit (not shown) of the digital camera 3012 are valid, and the user can designate printing using the digital camera 3012. it can.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the digital camera 3012 when the digital camera 3012 and the PD printer 1000 according to the present embodiment are connected via the cable 5000.
FIG. 7 shows the back of the digital camera 3012. Reference numeral 7001 denotes a finder. Reference numeral 7002 denotes a playback button for instructing playback of image data captured and recorded. A liquid crystal display unit 7003 displays image data, menus, and the like. Reference numeral 7004 denotes a print menu.

  The designation of the print image in the digital camera 3012 is basically the same as the operation when creating the DPOF file when requesting the print shop to print the captured video. That is, by pressing the play button 7002 and designating printing of recorded images one by one or for all images, printing of these images can be instructed. However, when connected to the PD printer 1000, a print menu 7004 is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 7003, and an image is selected and a print is specified based on this menu.

  By selecting this print menu 7004, it is possible to specify the paper size to be printed, color or black-and-white print, the type of paper used for printing (plain paper, fine paper, etc.), print with no margin / ant, and the like. . In addition, index printing, date printing, trimming printing, layout printing, and the like can be designated.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating processing for compressing image data according to the remaining battery capacity, transmitting the image data from the digital camera, and printing.
First, in step S8002, it is determined whether the print button of the digital camera has been pressed. If it has not been pressed, it is determined whether it has been pressed again. If it has been pressed, the remaining battery level is detected in step S8003 (detection means). In this case, two remaining level levels are detected, that is, whether the remaining battery level is sufficient for printing or low for printing.

Next, it is determined whether or not the remaining battery level detected in step S8004 is so small as to affect printing. If it is determined that there are few, the process proceeds to step S8005.
In step S8005, compressed image data is created by changing the designated image data to a high compression rate (compression unit).
In step S8006, a digital camera direct print request is transmitted to the PD printer 1000 side. If it is determined that the remaining battery level is sufficient, the process immediately proceeds to step S8006, and a print request is transmitted to the printer.
In step S8007, the PD printer 1000 that has received the print request receives image data from the digital camera, expands the image data, performs image processing, and actually completes the print processing.

  Each means constituting the printing system and each step of the printing system control method in the embodiment of the present invention described above can be realized by operating a program stored in a RAM or ROM of a computer. This program and a computer-readable recording medium recording the program are included in the present invention. Further, the present invention can be embodied as a system, apparatus, method, program, recording medium, or the like.

  Note that the present invention supplies a software program that implements the functions of the above-described embodiments directly or remotely to a system or apparatus. This includes the case where the system or the computer of the apparatus is also achieved by reading and executing the supplied program code.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention. In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, and the like.

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the computer executing the read program. Furthermore, based on the instructions of the program, an OS or the like running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments can be realized by the processing.

  As another method, the program read from the recording medium is first written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Then, based on the instructions of the program, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are also realized by the processing.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an operation panel of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part related to control of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an ASIC of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which connected the printing apparatus and imaging device which concern on this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an operation panel of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the operation part of the imaging device which concerns on this Embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing for transmitting image data from the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment and printing the image data.

Explanation of symbols

1000 PD printer device 1009 Card slot 1010 Operation panel 1012 Terminal 3011 PC card 3012 Digital camera

Claims (8)

A printing system comprising: an imaging device that can be driven by a battery; and a printing device that receives and prints image data captured by the imaging device via an interface;
Detecting means for detecting a remaining capacity of the battery when the imaging device is battery-driven;
Compression means for creating image data by changing the compression rate of image data to be printed by the printing device according to the remaining battery capacity detected by the detection means;
A printing system comprising:   The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the interface is a USB interface.   The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is a digital camera.   4. The detection unit according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects two remaining levels, a state where the remaining amount of the battery is sufficient for printing and a state where the remaining amount for printing is small. The printing system according to any one of claims   The printing system according to claim 1, wherein a method for printing image data is an inkjet method.   The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the image data is data according to a JPEG format. A control method of a printing system comprising: an imaging device that can be driven by a battery; and a printing device that receives and prints image data captured by the imaging device via an interface,
A detection step of detecting a remaining capacity of the battery when the imaging device is battery driven;
A compression step of creating image data by changing a compression rate of image data to be printed by the printing device in accordance with the remaining capacity of the battery detected in the detection step;
A control method characterized by comprising: A program for controlling the imaging device in a printing system comprising: an imaging device that can be driven by a battery; and a printing device that receives and prints image data captured by the imaging device via an interface;
A detection step of detecting a remaining capacity of the battery when the imaging device is battery driven;
A compression step of creating image data by changing a compression rate of image data to be printed by the printing device in accordance with the remaining capacity of the battery detected in the detection step;
A program that causes a computer to execute.

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