JP2009117969A - Image processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a deterioration in performance in a radio wave status deterioration of wireless communication in an environment composed of a plurality of host computers and printers. <P>SOLUTION: A compressing method is changed in accordance with a radio wave status, and a data size is made small to immediately release a wireless transfer path whose radio wave status deteriorates. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a mobile phone, a PDA, and a host computer, an image processing apparatus that performs printing and scanning, and a control method thereof.

  In recent years, a new wireless communication system for connecting electronic devices wirelessly has been developed. As this type of wireless communication system, IEEE802.11b and Bluetooth (registered trademark) are known. IEEE802.11b is a short-range wireless communication standard developed for wireless LANs, and Bluetooth is a short-range wireless standard developed for connections between various devices, not limited to computers. is there. In these wireless communication systems, a frequency band of 2.4 GHz called an ISM band (Industrial, Scientific and Medical Band) is used. IEEE802.11b uses a direct spread (DS) spread spectrum technique, and Bluetooth uses a frequency hopping (FH) spread spectrum technique.

  In addition, with the spread of wireless communication systems, there are printers that print using wireless communication from host computers, mobile phones, PDAs, and the like.

In the case of wireless communication, since the stability of communication changes depending on the surrounding conditions, there is also a patent related to a device that monitors the radio wave status as in JP 2004-151887 A and notifies the host if the radio wave status is bad It is disclosed.
JP 2004-151887 A

  However, when IEEE802.11b and Bluetooth are used in the same area, there arises a problem that the respective wireless communication methods interfere with each other and the communication performance of both is reduced. In particular, the influence on IEEE802.11b is great, and there is a case where communication performance is significantly lowered, and further, the link is disconnected and communication is disabled. For this reason, the printing speed and the scanning speed are lowered when the communication performance is lowered, and the processing is stopped when the communication is impossible. Even when printing and scanning are performed from a plurality of host computers, if a problem such as the above occurs during processing from one host computer, processing from other host computers is also awaited. Performance is greatly reduced.

In an image processing system including an information terminal device and an image processing device that transmits and receives data to and from the information terminal device to execute printing and scanning,
The information terminal device
At least one interface unit that transmits and receives data to and from the image processing apparatus using wireless communication; and an interface control unit that determines whether the interface unit is connected to the image processing apparatus through the wireless communication; A communication state determination unit configured to determine a communication state with the image processing apparatus when connected to the image processing apparatus via the wireless communication; and a print setting for presenting the print setting to allow a user to select a print setting. A data compression unit that compresses print data transmitted to the image processing device, and a data decompression unit that decompresses read data received from the image processing device,
The image processing apparatus includes:
At least one interface unit that transmits and receives data to and from the information terminal device using wireless communication; and an interface control unit that determines whether the interface unit is connected to the information terminal device through the wireless communication; A communication state determination unit that determines a communication state with the information terminal device and a reading setting that presents the reading setting to allow a user to select a reading setting when connected to the information terminal device through the wireless communication; A data expansion unit that expands the print data received from the information terminal device, a print unit that prints the print data on a recording medium, an image data generation unit that reads a document and creates read data, It consists of a data compression unit that compresses read data,
An image processing system characterized by the above.

  According to the present invention, when the user performs printing and scanning with the compression setting enabled, the compression process is changed according to the radio wave condition, and the data rate is reduced by increasing the compression rate as the radio wave condition is worse. Forward. As a result, since the data transfer time can be reduced, it is possible to prevent performance degradation due to deterioration of radio wave conditions in wireless communication in an environment composed of a plurality of host computers and printer apparatuses.

  Next, details of the present invention will be described in accordance with the description of the embodiments.

  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 an image forming apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1000 is an apparatus having the following functions.
1． Function for receiving print data from a host computer (not shown) and printing
2． A copy function for reading a document using the scanner 1004 provided and printing the read data
3． Card printing function for receiving image data from a memory card inserted into the card insertion slot 1003, performing image processing on the received data, and printing
Four. PC scan function for reading a paper document and storing the read data in the connected host computer In FIG. 1, the main body forming the outer shell of the image forming apparatus 1000 according to the present embodiment is a discharge tray 1001 and a scanner document cover 1004. , A case 1006 and an exterior member of an access cover 1007 used for accessing the recording apparatus. Further, the case 1006 has a hollow pair structure that houses each mechanism related to the recording operation. One end of the discharge tray 1001 is rotatably held by the case 1006, and the opening formed in the front surface of the case 1006 can be opened and closed by the rotation. For this reason, when performing the recording operation, the recording tray can be discharged from the discharge tray 1001 by opening the opening to the front side, and the discharged recording sheets can be sequentially stacked. ing. One end of the access cover 1007 is rotatably held by the case 1006 so that an opening formed on the upper surface can be opened and closed. By opening the access cover 1007, the access cover 1007 is housed inside the main body. The recording head cartridge can be exchanged.

  Further, the operation panel 1002 is provided with a power key and keys for performing various print settings that can be depressed. A liquid crystal unit that can display print settings and the like is also provided. Reference numeral 1005 denotes an automatic paper feeding unit which automatically feeds a recording sheet into the apparatus main body. Reference numeral 1003 denotes a card insertion slot, in which a memory card is inserted, and image data stored in the memory card can be printed. Examples of the memory card include a compact flash (registered trademark) memory, smart media, and a memory stick.

  FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1000 in FIG. A power cord insertion port 2001 is connected to a power source (not shown) built in the image forming apparatus 1000 and is used to supply an alternating current. Reference numeral 2002 denotes a USB insertion port necessary for connection with the host computer.

  FIG. 3 is an external perspective view illustrating a state in which the document cover 1004 of the image forming apparatus 1000 in FIG. In FIG. 3, parts common to those in the above-mentioned drawings are given the same symbols, and explanations thereof are omitted. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 3001 denotes a glass platen, and a contact sensor (not shown) for reading RGB data of the document is mounted inside. Reference numeral 3002 denotes a white reference plate, which is provided on the document cover 1004. It is used to acquire white reference data (calibration) of a contact sensor provided with the document cover 1004 closed.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a configuration of a main part related to the control of the image forming apparatus 1000 according to the present embodiment will be described. In FIG. 4, parts common to the above-mentioned drawings are given the same symbols, and explanations thereof are omitted. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 4001 denotes a control unit (control board). Reference numeral 4003 denotes an ASIC (dedicated custom LSI), and its configuration will be described in detail later with reference to the block diagram of FIG. Reference numeral 4002 denotes a central processing unit (CPU), which is in charge of various controls and operations described later. A memory 4004 has a program memory 4004a that stores a control program for the CPU 4002, a RAM area that stores a program at the time of execution, and a memory area that functions as a work memory that stores data and the like. Reference numeral 4005 denotes a printing unit, which is used when printing data on paper, but the description thereof is omitted in the present invention. Reference numeral 4006 denotes a scanner unit, which is used to read data from a document written on a sheet. This is also omitted in the present invention. Reference numeral 4010 denotes the memory card described above, which stores digital data. The memory card 4010 is used by being inserted into the memory card insertion portion 1003 described above. Reference numeral 4008 denotes a power connector that is connected to a household outlet (not shown) to input a DC voltage converted from commercial AC by the power supply 4009.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ASIC 4003. Also in this FIG. 5, the same symbols are given to the parts common to the above-mentioned drawings, and the description thereof is omitted.

  Reference numeral 5001 denotes an internal bus (ASIC bus) that connects internal modules. A CPU interface unit 5002 controls data exchange with the CUP 4002. Reference numeral 5003 denotes a memory card interface unit that reads image data stored in the attached memory card 4010 or writes data to the memory card 4010. An operation panel interface unit 5004 inputs various operation signals from various buttons existing on the operation panel 1002 and outputs display data to the display unit. Reference numeral 5005 denotes a scanner-related module, and each module for operating the scanner unit 4006 exists. Reference numeral 5006 denotes a printing-related module, and each module for operating the printing unit 4005 exists. Reference numeral 5007 denotes a LAN module, which transmits and receives data to and from the host computer using wireless communication.

  An image forming apparatus that will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 6 as to a normal usage pattern according to the present invention is equipped with wireless LAN and wireless communication functions such as IEEE802.11b and Bluetooth. It is possible to execute printing from each host computer. However, only a host computer that first transmits a print request to the image forming apparatus among a plurality of host computers can execute printing simultaneously.

  For example, the image forming apparatus is connected to a plurality of host computers (host A, host B, and host C) via wireless communication. When a print request is first issued from the host B to the image forming apparatus and printing is performed, the other host computers (host A, host C) that subsequently issued the print request print processing until the print processing of the host B is completed. Will be waiting.

  Here, when the host B and the image forming apparatus are communicating via wireless communication and the radio wave condition of the wireless communication is poor, the data packet of the print data transmitted from the host B to the image forming apparatus is broken, and the host There is a high possibility that data packet retransmission processing from B will occur. As a result, the period during which the host B occupies the image forming apparatus is longer than when the radio wave condition is good, and the printing process of the host A and the host C waits for the end of the printing process of the host B for a long time. For this reason, in a printing environment constructed by a plurality of host computers and printing apparatuses, the overall printing performance is degraded.

  Processing when printing is performed in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  When printing, the user sets the paper type, print quality, and the like necessary for printing on the print setting screen. There are a plurality of paper types such as “plain paper”, “high-quality exclusive paper”, “postcard”, “envelope”, and the user can select a paper to be used from the list. There are selection items such as “clean”, “standard”, and “fast” in the print quality, and the user can select the print quality desired by the user. Note that the items that can be selected in each of the above print settings differ depending on the type of printer device connected. In general, the print data depends on the paper type and print quality. For the paper type, select "High-quality exclusive paper" rather than "Plain paper", and for print quality, select "Fine" rather than "Fast". The higher the resolution, the better the printed result.

  When the user finishes the print settings and starts printing (701), the print application is activated and print data is created with the set print quality (702). After the print data is created, the print quality and paper type set by the user are determined (703). If the print quality is low, it is checked whether the user has enabled compression (704). In this embodiment, as an example of the determination of the print quality, the print quality is determined to be high when the print quality is “clean” or the paper type is “high-quality exclusive paper”, and otherwise, the print quality is determined. Is determined to be low. If the print quality is low and the compression setting is enabled, the radio wave condition with the image forming apparatus is measured (705). In wireless communication, an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) indicating radio wave intensity can be acquired by a wireless module mounted on the image forming apparatus, and a communication quality value (0 to 100) can be calculated from RSSI. The radio wave condition is determined based on the communication quality, the compression rate is changed according to the level of the radio wave condition, and the print data is compressed (706). The compressed print data is transferred to the image forming apparatus via wireless communication (707). The image forming apparatus decompresses the compressed data and prints on the recording paper.

  The processing when performing scanning in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The user can select a plurality of resolutions such as scan resolutions “150 dpi”, “300 dpi”, “600 dpi”, “1200 dpi”, “2400 dpi” when scanning. The items that can be selected based on the scan resolution differ depending on the type of the connected image processing apparatus. In general, the scan data depends on the resolution, and the higher the resolution, the clearer the scan result.

  When the user starts scanning (801), the document set on the document table is scanned with the set resolution to create scan data (802). After the scan data is created, the scan resolution set by the user is checked (803). If the reading quality is low, it is checked whether the user has enabled compression (804). In this embodiment, as an example of the determination of the reading quality, when the scanning resolution is “600 dpi” or more, it is determined that the reading quality is high, and in other settings, it is determined that the reading quality is low. When the reading quality is low and the compression setting is set to be valid, the radio wave condition with the information processing apparatus is measured (805). In wireless communication, an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) representing radio wave intensity can be acquired by a wireless module mounted on the image forming apparatus, and a communication quality value (0 to 100) can be calculated from RSSI. The radio wave condition is judged based on the communication quality, the scan rate is compressed by changing the compression rate according to the level of the radio wave condition (806). The compressed scan data is transferred to the information processing apparatus via wireless communication.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the print data is reduced when the radio wave condition is bad by changing the data size by changing the compression rate according to the radio wave condition of the wireless communication. As a result, since the data transfer time can be reduced, it is possible to prevent a decrease in performance due to deterioration of radio wave conditions in wireless communication in an environment including a plurality of host computers and image processing apparatuses.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an image forming apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1000 in FIG. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view illustrating a state where a document cover 1004 of the image forming apparatus 1000 in FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a main part related to control of the image forming apparatus 1000. FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of ASIC4003. The figure which demonstrates concretely about one normal usage type concerning this invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating processing when printing is performed in the present embodiment. The figure explaining the process at the time of performing a scan in a present Example.

Claims (6)

In an image processing system including an information terminal device and an image processing device that transmits and receives data to and from the information terminal device to execute printing and scanning,
The information terminal device
At least one interface unit that transmits and receives data to and from the image processing apparatus using wireless communication; and an interface control unit that determines whether the interface unit is connected to the image processing apparatus through the wireless communication; A communication state determination unit configured to determine a communication state with the image processing apparatus when connected to the image processing apparatus via the wireless communication; and a print setting for presenting the print setting to allow a user to select a print setting. A data compression unit that compresses print data transmitted to the image processing device, and a data decompression unit that decompresses read data received from the image processing device,
The image processing apparatus includes:
At least one interface unit that transmits and receives data to and from the information terminal device using wireless communication; and an interface control unit that determines whether the interface unit is connected to the information terminal device through the wireless communication; A communication state determination unit that determines a communication state with the information terminal device and a reading that presents the reading setting to cause the user to select a reading setting when connected to the information terminal device through the wireless communication A setting unit; a data expansion unit that expands the print data received from the information terminal device; a printing unit that prints the print data on a recording medium; an image data generation unit that reads a document and creates read data; A data compression unit for compressing the read data,
An image processing system characterized by that. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the communication state determination unit determines the communication state based on radio wave conditions of the information terminal device and the image processing device. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the data compression unit includes at least one compression method, and the data decompression unit includes at least one decompression method. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the compression method changes according to the communication state, and a compression process with a higher compression rate is performed as the communication state is worse to reduce the data size. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein in the information terminal device, the user can select whether to enable the compression processing of the print data according to the print setting. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein in the image processing apparatus, the user can select whether to enable compression processing of the read data according to the reading setting.

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