JP2016155280A - Control device, control method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

In a control apparatus that controls parallel processing by a plurality of image processing mechanisms, even if image processing of some image processing mechanisms cannot be continued, image processing efficiency is improved without requiring a complicated device configuration. To provide a printing apparatus that achieves the above.
A control apparatus according to the present invention divides job data and allocates it to a plurality of image processing means. When sub-data is allocated, the object data information included in the sub-data and the image processing means of the allocation destination are recorded in association with each other. If the sub-data is not processed normally, the allocating means sends the sub-data to another image processing means different from the image processing means that processed the sub-data based on the recording at the time of sub-data allocation. Allocate again.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a program for controlling parallel processing by a plurality of image processing mechanisms.

  In the field of digital printing, variable data printing (variable data print, hereinafter referred to as “VDP”), in which a part of a printed material is used as a variable data portion and the variable data portion is output for each part of the printed material, has attracted attention. In VDP, PPML (Personalized Print Markup Language, hereinafter abbreviated as “PPML”) as a standard language is defined and widely used. In PPML, there are two elements for drawing a page: a reusable object that is repeatedly referred to and a local object that is referred to only once. The reusable object is used when the same drawing object is arranged in a plurality of locations within a page, between pages, or between jobs within a page, between pages, or between jobs.

  Normally, drawing objects such as local objects and reusable objects are generated from source drawing data described in a page description language (hereinafter referred to as “PDL”) format. Typical PDL includes PostScript (registered trademark, hereinafter referred to as “PS”), PDF (Portable Document Format, hereinafter referred to as “PDF”), and the like. Source drawing data of a local object or reusable object is subjected to processing called rasterization processing (hereinafter referred to as “RIP processing”), rasterized to be arranged on the page. If it is clear that it will be reused, such as a reusable object, the raster image generated by RIP processing is cached, and the cached raster image can be reused to enable very high-speed drawing processing. Become. The raster image data is generally called bitmap data.

  In the case of color data with high resolution and high gradation, raster images have a very large data size, and a large capacity memory is required to cache these raster images. Therefore, a method of acquiring a display list (intermediate data) output in the process of generating a raster image from source drawing data and caching this is also known in VDP. In the method of caching the display list, it takes time to render the display list in order to obtain a raster image, but the memory capacity required for the cache can be greatly reduced.

  By the way, in recent years, a multi-core configuration in which a plurality of cores are stored in a single package has been advanced. In recent years, distributed processing by a plurality of printing apparatuses is also progressing. A plurality of methods for parallel processing of PDL data including VDP have been proposed in order to bring out the performance of a multi-core CPU and efficiently perform distributed processing by a plurality of printing apparatuses.

  For example, a job parallel processing system that performs RIP processing on a plurality of jobs simultaneously and a page parallel processing system that performs RIP processing on a plurality of pages in a single job simultaneously have been proposed. When performing RIP processing by such a parallel processing method, there is a problem in that the effect of parallelization of RIP processing is reduced unless the cache data to be reused is properly associated with the RIP processing.

  To deal with such a problem, Patent Document 1 proposes an image processing apparatus in which a plurality of image processing mechanisms share one cache memory, and the efficiency of RIP processing by the plurality of image processing mechanisms is improved.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 proposes a print control apparatus including a mechanism that controls to allocate the same type of job to an image processing mechanism that has processed a certain type of job when a job is allocated to each image processing mechanism. Yes.

  However, according to Patent Documents 1 and 2, in a printing apparatus in which a plurality of image processing mechanisms perform parallel processing, when RIP processing of some image processing mechanisms cannot be continued, printing processing of the entire printing apparatus can be continued. A new problem arises that there is a risk of disappearance.

JP 2012-200955 A JP 2013-161096 A JP 2009-255356 A

  In this regard, in Patent Document 3, even if some image processing mechanisms cannot continue the RIP processing, another image processing mechanism takes over the RIP processing, and thus has a function of continuing the printing processing of the entire apparatus. An image processing apparatus provided has been proposed.

  However, in a printing apparatus in which a plurality of image processing mechanisms perform parallel processing, the following problems have occurred in order to realize the functions disclosed in Patent Document 3.

  First, when some image processing mechanisms cannot continue the RIP process, in order to allow other image processing mechanisms to take over the RIP process, a communication path for transferring data between the image processing mechanisms is provided. It was necessary to provide it. Further, when the data transferred between the image processing mechanisms is cache data such as intermediate data, it is necessary to provide a mechanism for sharing cache data such as a shared cache memory in the printing apparatus. Providing such a communication path and a shared cache memory complicates the device configuration of the printing apparatus and causes an increase in cost.

  The control device according to the present invention is a control device that controls parallel processing by a plurality of image processing means, a dividing means that divides input job data into sub-data, and an allocation that assigns sub-data to the plurality of image processing means. Management means for associating and recording information on object data included in the sub data and image processing means to which the data is allocated, and determination means for determining whether the sub data has been processed normally. When the data is not processed normally, the allocating unit reallocates the sub data to another image processing unit different from the image processing unit that could not process the sub data based on the recording. It is characterized by that.

  The present application has been made in view of the above-described problems. That is, in a control device that controls parallel processing by a plurality of image processing mechanisms, even when image processing of some image processing mechanisms cannot be continued, the efficiency of image processing can be improved without requiring a complicated device configuration. A control device is provided.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a system in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a terminal and a printing apparatus in the first embodiment. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing contents of a control unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating processing contents of a control unit together with an example of job data transition in the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the content recorded on the recording table in Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing contents for determining a re-allocation destination of divided job data according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating retry processing contents of a control unit together with a transition example of divided job data in the first exemplary embodiment. It is a figure which shows the content recorded on the recording table in Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing contents for determining a re-allocation destination of divided job data according to the second exemplary embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing the content of determination processing for determining whether intermediate data is cache-stored in the second embodiment.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the constituent elements described in this embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto. Moreover, not all the combinations of the constituent elements described in the embodiments are essential as means for solving the problem. In this specification, the “printing apparatus” is not limited to a dedicated machine specialized in the image forming function, but is a complex machine that combines the printing function and other functions, or a device that forms an image or pattern on a medium such as recording paper Devices etc. are also included.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a connection configuration between a terminal 100 and a printing apparatus 200 in the present embodiment. The terminal 100 and the printing apparatus 200 are connected to be able to communicate with each other via a network. In the present embodiment, an information device such as a PC (personal computer) is used as the terminal 100. The printing apparatus 200 can be a printing apparatus or a multifunction machine having at least an image forming function.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating hardware configurations of the terminal 100 and the printing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment. The CPU 101 of the terminal 100 is a control unit that controls each unit of the terminal 100 connected to each other via the bus 108, and performs overall control of the terminal 100. The ROM 102 stores control programs and various types of information. The CPU 101 executes various operations related to the terminal 100 based on a control program stored in the ROM 102. Note that such a control program is not limited to the one stored in the ROM 102, but may be one stored in an external storage medium such as a CD-ROM. Furthermore, this may be read into the RAM 103 of the terminal 100 by a dedicated reading device, and the CPU 101 may execute the control program using the RAM 103 as a work memory. An HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 104 is an auxiliary storage device of the terminal 100 and can store various data.

  The input device 105 of the terminal 100 is, for example, a keyboard or a pointing device. The display device 106 is a liquid crystal display, for example, and can display an image to be output to the printing device 200. An external connection interface (hereinafter referred to as “I / F”) 107 is an interface for connecting the terminal 100 and the printing apparatus 200, and the terminal 100 receives various data such as job data via the external connection I / F 107. Send and receive.

  The printing apparatus 200 receives various data such as job data transmitted from the terminal 100 via the external connection I / F 214.

  The CPU 211 of the printing apparatus 200 is a control unit that controls each unit of the printing apparatus 200 connected to each other, and performs overall control of the entire printing apparatus 200. The program ROM 212 stores control programs and various types of information. The CPU 211 executes various operations related to the printing apparatus 200 based on a control program stored in the program ROM 212. The work RAM 213 is an area for temporarily storing various information such as job data acquired via the external connection I / F 214. Further, it is also an area for temporarily storing divided job data, which is job data divided by an image processing control unit described later.

  The image RAM 215 of the printing apparatus 200 is an area that stores various types of information such as bitmap data generated from job data by an image processing unit described later. In the present embodiment, the CPU 211, the program ROM 212, the work RAM 213, the image RAM 215, the external connection I / F 214, and the driver 216 function as the control unit 210 in the printing apparatus 200.

  The operation panel 220 of the printing apparatus is configured by a touch panel display, for example, and can accept the user's operation to cause the printing apparatus 200 to execute a desired process. The operation panel 220 can also display a status display of the printing apparatus 200 and an alarm.

  The print engine 230 is controlled by the CPU 211 via the driver 216. The print engine 230 is a printing unit that executes a process of printing on a print sheet or the like after applying predetermined processing such as color conversion to the bitmap data received from the control unit 210. The print engine 230 may be an ink jet type constituted by an ink tank and a print head, or may be an electrophotographic type.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment. The printing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment processes job data received from the terminal 100 and generates bitmap data from the job data. Further, the printer engine 230 is caused to execute processing for printing an image constituted by the generated bitmap data on a medium such as printing paper.

  The control unit 210 in the printing apparatus 200 includes an image processing control unit 240, a recording table 250, an image processing unit 260 to 280, and a spool unit 290. The control unit 210 processes job data received from the terminal 100 and performs printing. Generate bitmap data. More specifically, when the control unit 210 receives job data from the terminal 100, the analysis unit 242 analyzes the content of the received job data. The dividing unit 243 divides the analyzed job data into divided job data. The allocation unit 244 allocates the divided job data to any of the plurality of image processing units 260 to 280. In the present embodiment, the dividing unit 243 divides job data into divided job data in page units. The image processing units 260 to 280 can process the divided job data in parallel, and the allocating unit 244 allocates them to any of the plurality of image processing units 260 to 280.

  Here, the allocation unit 244 can allocate the divided job data by various allocation methods. For example, a method may be used in which the divided job data is distributed to the plurality of image processing units 260 to 280 in a predetermined fixed order. Further, every time one of the image processing units 260 to 280 finishes processing of the allocated divided job data, the allocation unit 244 newly allocates new divided job data to the image processing unit. Also good. The above is an example of an allocation method for divided job data, and other allocation methods may be used. Simultaneously with the allocation of the divided job data, the management unit 241 of the image processing control unit 240 associates the information of the object data included in the divided job data with the image processing units 260 to 280 that are the allocation destinations in the recording table 250. Record. The object data information will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the image processing control unit 240 is described as being installed in the printing apparatus 200 as a program, but is configured in a computer apparatus connected to the printing apparatus 200 via the external connection I / F 214. May be.

  The image processing units 260 to 280 have RIP processing units 261, 271, and 281 respectively, and execute predetermined processing upon receiving the allocated divided job data. The image processing units 260 to 280 process the divided job data, thereby generating rendered bitmap data data. Furthermore, the image processing units 260 to 280 have output units 263, 273, and 283, respectively, and output the generated bitmap data to the image processing control unit 240.

  Here, the RIP process is a series of processes for interpreting job data, executing a rendering process based on a drawing command included in the job data, and generating bitmap data. Also, intermediate data is output during the rendering process in the RIP process. The image processing units 260 to 280 include cache units 262, 272, and 282 that store the intermediate data in a cache memory, respectively. In the present embodiment, the cache units 262 to 282 can also save the object data included in the divided job data in the cache memory. In this embodiment, each of the cache units 262 to 282 has an independent cache memory, and each cache unit executes a cache process for storing intermediate data or object data in the cache memory at a predetermined timing.

  The RIP processing units 261 to 281 process intermediate data or object data stored in the cache memory, so that part or all of the rendering process can be omitted, and the overall speed of the RIP process can be increased. it can.

  Further, the output units 263 to 283 output report data including the processing result of the RIP processing of the divided job data to the image processing control unit 240 in addition to the bitmap data after rendering. The report data in this embodiment includes information indicating whether the divided job data has been processed normally, that is, whether there is an error. Furthermore, when there is an error, it includes information indicating the type of error, such as whether the generated bitmap data is abnormal or whether the hardware constituting the plurality of image processing units 260 to 280 is abnormal. Can do.

  Upon receiving the rendered bitmap data from the image processing units 260 to 280, the image processing control unit 240 stores the received bitmap data in the spool unit 290, and then transmits the bitmap data to the print engine 230. The spool unit 290 uses the storage area of the image RAM 215 shown in FIG. 2 as a storage area for bitmap data.

  In the present embodiment, the image processing units 260 to 280 will be described as being configured inside the printing apparatus as independent hardware (for example, a circuit or the like), but each processing unit is logical on a single hardware. It may be an embodiment that is constructed in a divided manner.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the control unit 210 of the printing apparatus 200 in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the processing content of the control unit 210 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S <b> 201, the image processing control unit 240 receives job data from the terminal 100. In step S202, the analysis unit 242 analyzes the received job data. Next, the dividing unit 243 divides the job data into divided job data based on the analysis result, and determines their allocation destinations. Note that the divided job data in the present embodiment refers to data divided into a plurality of pieces from the job data with the same configuration as the job data, and can be said to be sub-data corresponding to one job data.

  In S203, the allocation unit 244 allocates the divided job data to the image processing units 260 to 280. Next, in S204, the management unit 241 associates the information of the object data included in each divided job data obtained when dividing the job data with the image processing units 260 to 280 as the allocation destinations in association with the recording table 250. To record.

  When the image processing units 260 to 280 finish the process of generating the bitmap data from the divided job data, the process proceeds to S205. In S <b> 205, the image processing control unit 240 receives bitmap data and report data from the output units 263 to 283 of the image processing units 260 to 280. Next, based on the received report data, the determination unit 245 determines whether the image processing units 260 to 280 have normally finished processing the divided job data.

  When the determination unit 245 determines that the process for the divided job data has been normally completed (S205: Yes), the management unit 241 records information of the processed divided job data in the recording table 250 (S206). Then, the image processing control unit 240 stores the generated bitmap data in the spool unit 290, and proceeds to S207. On the other hand, when the determination unit 245 determines that the process for the divided job data has not been completed normally (S205: No), the process proceeds to S209.

  If the next divided job data exists in S207, the process proceeds to S203 again (S207: Yes), and if the next divided job data does not exist, the process proceeds to S208 (S207: No). Furthermore, when the next job data exists in S208, the process proceeds to S201 again (S208: Yes), and the image processing by the control unit 210 is continued.

  In S209, the determination unit 245 further determines the content of the error in S205. The determination unit 245 determines whether the error is a retryable error based on the error information included in the report data output by the output units 263 to 283. Specifically, the determination unit 245 determines from the error information included in the report data whether another image processing unit different from the image processing unit that processed the divided job data can process the divided job data. Determine whether.

  When the determination unit 245 determines that a retryable error has occurred (S209: Yes), the process proceeds to S210. In the present embodiment, for example, when some of the image processing units 260 to 280 have failed, but the image processing can be continued with the remaining part (degenerate operation), the determination unit 245 Judged as a retryable error. At this time, the control unit 210 operates a warning display that is in a state in which image processing can be continued by the remaining part of the image processing units 260 to 280 but the remaining part is in the process (degenerate operation). Processing to be displayed on the panel 220 is executed (S210). On the other hand, when the determination unit 245 does not determine that the retry is possible (S209: No), the process proceeds to S213.

  In S211, the allocation unit 244 refers to the correspondence relationship of the recording table 250, and reallocates the divided job data to another image processing unit different from the image processing unit that processed the previous divided job data. At this time, the allocation unit 244 adds a retry flag indicating that the divided job data is related to the re-allocation (S212), and sends the divided job data to the re-allocation destination image processing unit. Send to.

  If the determination unit 245 does not determine that the retry is possible (S209: No), in S213, the control unit 210 performs a process of displaying an error display indicating a job error on the operation panel 220. In the present embodiment, for example, when it is determined that the divided job data cannot be continued even if the allocation unit 244 allocates the divided job data to any of the image processing units 260 to 280 (S209: No), the determination unit 245 determines that there is a job error.

  In S214, the management unit 241 records the information of the divided job data that could not be processed and the information that the process was an error in the recording table 250 (S214). Thereafter, the process proceeds to S208.

  If the next job data does not exist in S208, the process is terminated (S208: No). In the present embodiment, the mode of shifting to S208 again after the processing of S214 has been described, but the job data processing itself may be stopped. Whether to end the processing of the entire job data or to stop the processing of only the page related to the job data in which an error has occurred may be determined in advance, or according to the setting accepted by the operation panel 220 or the terminal 100 Also good.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the processing contents of S201 to S204 in the flowchart of FIG. 4 together with a transition example of job data. The job data 300 in this embodiment is composed of object data (311 to 316) and page information data (321 to 326).

  The object data 311 to 316 correspond to a variable data part in the VDP. In the present embodiment, the object data 311 to 316 include font object data 311 to 312 that are elements for drawing fonts necessary for the entire job data 300 and image object data 313 to 316 that are elements for drawing an image. . In other embodiments, other drawing elements such as a color profile and a tile pattern may be used as object data.

  In the present embodiment, the page information data 321 to 326 is data for defining drawing contents in units of pages using the object data 311 to 316. In the present embodiment, the page information data 321 to 326 will be described using an example having six independent pages, but the number of pages is not limited thereto.

  In PDL (page description language) that uses objects such as VDP, PS, or PDF, it is necessary to hold the object data independently of the page information data, thereby holding the common object data used in duplicate. There is no. Therefore, the data size of the entire job data can be reduced. For example, referring to the example of FIG. 5, the page information data 321 of the first page includes object data A (311) and object data C (313).

  In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the analysis unit 242 analyzes the received job data 300, and the division unit 243 includes divided object data 330 to 380 so as to include object data necessary for image processing in units of pages. Divide (S202). At this time, the dividing unit 243 divides the job data into divided job data 330 to 380 according to the page description language format. Further, in this embodiment, each of the divided job data 330 to 380 is divided into one page information data and data that holds only object data necessary for image processing of the divided job data. In the example of FIG. 5, the job data 300 has a 6-page configuration. Therefore, the dividing unit 243 divides the data into six divided job data 330 to 380 including six independent page information data 321 to 326.

  The divided job data 330 is divided job data for the first page, and is page description language data composed of page information data 321 for the first page and corresponding object data 311 and 313. Similarly, the divided job data 340 to 380 are divided job data of the second page to the sixth page, and each page includes page information data of the second page to the sixth page and corresponding object data. Description language data. Each divided job data 330 to 380 is page description language data including data necessary for image processing for one page, and each divided job data 330 to 380 is equivalent data.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the allocation unit 244 allocates the divided job data 330 to 380 to the image processing units 260 to 280 (S203). In the present embodiment, the allocation unit 244 allocates the six divided job data 330 to 380 to the three image processing units 260 to 280 in the order of page numbers in a round robin manner. Specifically, the dividing unit 243 supplies the divided job data 330 and 360 to the image processing unit 1 (260) and the divided job data 340 and 370 to the image processing unit 2 (270). , 380 are allocated to the image processing unit 3 (280). Besides the allocation of the round robin method, the contents of the job data 300 are analyzed to equalize the processing load among the image processing units 260 to 280 and the data sizes of the divided job data 330 to 380 are equalized. Various methods such as a method can be adopted.

  Next, in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the management unit 241 associates the information of the object data included in each divided job data obtained when dividing the job data with the image processing units 260 to 280 as the allocation destinations. Record in the recording table 250 (S204).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the contents recorded in the recording table 250 in the present embodiment. The management unit 241 includes an ID assigned to the image processing units 260 to 280, an ID assigned to the job data 300, an ID of the page information data 321 to 326, and object data 311 to 316 of the divided job data 330 to 380. The correspondence relationship with the ID is recorded. That is, each image processing unit, job data, and divided job data assigned to each image processing unit are managed in the recording table 250 in association with each other.

  In the example of the recording table 250 illustrated in FIG. 6, the image processing unit 260 has the ID “image processing unit 1”, the image processing unit 270 has the ID “image processing unit 2”, and the image processing unit 280 has the ID “image processing unit”. 3 "is recorded. Also, the job data 300 ID is recorded as “JobA”, the page information data 321 to 326 IDs are “Page1” to “Page6”, and the object data 311 to 316 IDs are recorded as “ObjA” to “ObjF”.

  In the present embodiment, the status information (“processing”, “processed”, “error”, etc.) of the divided job data is stored in association with the object data information. Specifically, when the allocation unit 244 allocates the divided job data including the object data 311 (S203), the management unit 241 records “processing” for the object data 311 (ObjA) in the recording table 250. When the determination unit 245 determines that the processing for the divided job data including the object data 311 has been normally completed (S205: Yes), the management unit 241 sets “processed” for the object data 311 (ObjA) in the recording table 250. Record. When the determination unit 245 determines that the processing for the divided job data including the object data 311 has not ended normally (S205: No), the management unit 241 indicates “error” in the recording table 250 for the object data 311 (ObjA). Record. Each time the divided job data is allocated by the allocating unit 244, the management unit 241 records the correspondence relationship between the type of the divided job data and the type of the image processing unit as the allocation destination in the recording table 250.

  In the recording table 250 in the present embodiment, the maximum number of records of each of the image processing units 260 to 280 is defined. Then, when the management unit 241 makes a new record, the old record of the image processing unit recorded in the recording table 250 is sequentially deleted. Thereby, the image processing control unit 240 grasps which page information data and which object data included in the divided job data each image processing unit 260 to 280 processes by referring to the recording table 250. can do.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing content (S211) in which the allocating unit 244 determines the re-allocation destination of the divided job data in this embodiment. In the following, the processing contents in which the allocation unit 244 determines the re-allocation destination of the divided job data will be described with reference to FIG.

  In S301, the correspondence relationship of the recording table 250 is referred to, and the information of the object data included in the divided job data in error is acquired.

  In S302, the image processing unit that uses the object data is searched from the information of the object data acquired in S301.

  In step S303, it is determined whether only one other image processing unit is using the object data. When there is only one corresponding image processing unit (S303: Yes), the process proceeds to S305. On the other hand, when there are a plurality of corresponding image processing units (S303: No), in S304, an image processing unit that uses the object data most frequently is selected from the candidates for the corresponding image processing unit.

  Next, in S305, the allocation unit 244 determines a re-allocation destination of the divided job data in which an error has occurred.

  The RIP processing units 261 to 281 of the image processing units 260 to 280 execute RIP processing for generating bitmap data from the allocated divided job data 330 to 380. The cache units 262 to 282 of the image processing units 260 to 280 cache intermediate data output in the process of generating bitmap data from the divided job data 330 to 380. At this time, the cache units 262 to 282 also cache the object data 311 to 316 included in the divided job data 330 to 380. As a result, when the divided job data including the same object data is processed next time, the processing of the object data is omitted, and the image processing units 260 to 280 can perform the processing at high speed.

  Each of the cache units 262 to 282 has an independent cache memory. However, since the data storage area of each cache memory is limited, the generated intermediate data or object data is sequentially deleted from the oldest one. Therefore, it is desirable that the intermediate data or object data cache storage status of each of the image processing units 260 to 280 and the object data information recorded in the recording table 250 are synchronized. In the present embodiment, the maximum recording number of object data information corresponding to the image processing units 260 to 280 is recorded in the recording table 250 to the same extent as the approximate value of the number of object data that can be stored in the cache memory. be able to. With this configuration, it is possible to simplify a special mechanism for the management unit 241 to record the information of the object data in the recording table 250 in synchronization.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the retry processing contents of the control unit 210 according to the present embodiment, together with a transition example of the divided job data. Hereinafter, the retry processing content of the control unit 210 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The allocated divided job data 330 to 380 are processed by the image processing units 260 to 280, respectively. At this time, when an error occurs in the processing of the divided job data 380 allocated to the image processing unit 3 (280), the image processing unit 3 (280) displays the report data including the processing result of the divided job data 380 as The image is output to the image processing control unit 240.

  The determination unit 245 of the image processing control unit 240 determines that an error has occurred in the process of the divided job data 380 allocated to the image processing unit 3 (280) based on the contents of the output report data ( S205: No). Next, in the determination unit 245, another image processing unit different from the image processing unit 3 (280) that processed the divided job data 380 processes the divided job data 380 based on the type of error included in the report data. It is determined whether it is possible (S209).

  The example shown in FIG. 8 indicates that it is determined that another image processing unit can process the divided job data 380 (S209: Yes). At this time, the control unit 210 displays a warning display in a state where a part of the image processing units 260 to 280 has failed but the image processing can be continued with the remaining part (during the degeneration operation). Processing to be displayed on 220 is executed (S210).

  Next, the allocation unit 244 refers to the recording in the recording table 250 and reallocates the divided job data to another image processing unit different from the image processing unit that processed the previous divided job data (S211). At this time, the allocation unit 244 acquires information on object data associated with the divided job data 380.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the processing content that the image processing unit 3 (280) has processed the divided job data 380 is recorded in the recording table 250 in a data format of “image processing unit 3: JobA: Page6”. Furthermore, in the recording table 250, the correspondence between “image processing unit 3: JobA: Page6” and “ObjB” and the correspondence between “image processing unit 3: JobA: Page6” and “ObjB” are recorded. Has been.

  Next, the allocation unit 244 searches the image processing unit that uses the object data from the information of the object data recorded in the recording table 250 (S302).

  In the example of FIG. 6, the image processing units using “ObjB” are recorded in the recording table 250 as “image processing unit 1: JobA: Page4” and “image processing unit 2: JobA: Page2”. ing. Similarly, an image processing unit using “ObjC” is recorded in the recording table 250 as “image processing unit 1: JobA: Page1”. That is, the allocation unit 244 indicates that the object data 312 is included in the divided job data 340 and 360 and is used by the image processing unit 2 (270) and the image processing unit 1 (260), respectively. It can be specified as a search result. Similarly, the allocation unit 244 can specify that the object data 313 is included in the divided job data 330 and is used by the image processing unit 1 (260) as a search result.

  In the example of FIG. 6, “image processing unit 1: JobA: Page1” and “image processing unit 2: JobA: Page2”, that is, an image processing unit in which two image processing units 260 and 270 use object data. Has been identified as Therefore, the allocating unit 244 selects an image processing unit that uses the information of the object data included in the divided job data in error most from the candidates of the corresponding image processing unit. In this embodiment, the image processing unit 1 (260) processes the divided job data including the object data 312 and the object data 313, and the image processing unit 2 (270) processes the divided job data 340 including the object data 312. doing. Therefore, the allocation unit 244 selects the image processing unit 1 (260) as the image processing unit having the largest number of object data to be used (S304). Next, the allocation unit 244 determines that the image processing unit 1 (260) is a reallocation destination of the divided job data 380 (S305).

  Next, the allocation unit 244 transmits the divided job data 380 to the determined reallocation destination image processing unit 1 (260). At this time, the allocation unit 244 adds a retry flag to the divided job data 380 in order to notify each image processing unit whether the divided job data is reassigned (S212). The image processing units 260 to 280 compare the type of the divided job data being processed by each image processing unit with the type of the divided job data to which the retry flag is added, and rearrange the processing order of the divided job data. Can do. As a result, the object data stored in the cache memory of each image processing unit can be improved by continuously referencing and processing the object data included in both divided job data. .

  In the example of FIG. 6, when the processing result of the divided job data 380 is an error, the image processing unit 3 (280) outputs report data further including the error type. Types of errors included in the report data include a memory shortage error, a free disk space shortage error, an error specific to the image processing unit, and the like. Based on these types of errors included in the report data, the determination unit 245 determines that the other image processing units 260 and 270 that are different from the image processing apparatus 3 (208) that processed the divided job data 380 are divided job data 380. It is possible to determine whether the process can be performed.

  In the present embodiment, the image processing control unit 240 cannot accurately determine whether all object data is cached when reallocating divided job data. However, as described above, the maximum number of records of object data information in the recording table 250 can be set in accordance with the cache memory capacity of the image processing units 260 to 280. Accordingly, when the image processing units 260 to 280 process the reassigned divided job data, the probability of reusing the object data stored in the cache memory can be increased.

  As described above, the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured so that the object data information and the image processing unit to which the image data is allocated can be used even when the processing of some of the image processing units cannot be continued. Based on the correspondence relationship, the divided job data is reassigned. For this reason, without requiring a complicated device configuration such as a communication path for taking over processing to another image processing unit or a shared cache memory for sharing cache data, the processing can be continued and the processing efficiency can be improved. Can be planned.

[Embodiment 2]
In the printing apparatus 200 according to the first exemplary embodiment, the reassignment destination of the divided job data in which the error occurred is determined based on the information of the object data included in the divided job data and the recording of the image processing unit that is the assignment destination. . In the present embodiment, in addition to the features of the above-described embodiment, the usage status of the object data is evaluated for each image processing unit, and based on the evaluation, the reassignment destination of the divided job data in error is determined. With this configuration, it is possible to improve reusability of object data stored in each cache memory.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the contents recorded in the recording table 250 in the present embodiment. The object data information in this embodiment corresponds to information recorded in the status field 251, the data size field 252, and the reference count field 253.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the status information of the divided job data (such as “processing”, “processed”, and “error”) is recorded in the status field 251.

  Data size information of object data is recorded in the data size field 252. In the recording table 250 in FIG. 9, the data size in bytes is recorded as the data size of each object data.

  The reference count field 253 records the number of times the object data is allocated to each image processing unit. Each time the divided job data is allocated (S203), the management unit 241 records the number of times the object data included in the divided job data is allocated to the corresponding image processing unit in the reference number field.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing contents (S211) in which the allocator 244 determines the re-allocation destination of the divided job data in this embodiment. In the following, processing contents in which the allocation unit 244 determines the re-allocation destination of the divided job data will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the flowchart shown in FIG. 10, the processes of S401 to S403 and S405 are the same as the processes of S301 to S303 and S305 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In step S404, the evaluation unit 246 evaluates the usage status of the object data for each candidate image processing unit 260 to 280. In the present embodiment, the object data information includes information quantified for each item, such as information recorded in the status field 251, the data size field 252, and the reference count field 253, respectively. The evaluation unit 246 evaluates the usage status of the object data for each of the image processing units 260 to 280 by calculating the digitized information for each item.

  The evaluation unit 246 calculates a point of object data in which an error occurs for each image processing unit. The evaluation unit 246 evaluates the image processing unit having the largest total points as the most suitable image processing unit for processing the same type of object data as included in the divided job data in error. Next, the allocating unit 244 selects an image processing unit as a re-allocation destination of the divided job data based on the evaluation of the evaluation unit 246.

  In the present embodiment, points are given so that the more points calculated from the object data information, the higher the possibility that the corresponding image processing unit can reuse the cached object data. Therefore, the evaluation unit 246 highly evaluates as an image processing unit that is highly likely to be able to reuse cache data corresponding to the same type of object data included in the divided job data.

  With respect to the granted points in the status field 251, 2 points are assigned to “processing”, 1 point is assigned to “processed”, and 0 point is assigned to “error”. This is because, if the divided data is being processed, there is a high possibility that the object data included in the divided data is stored in the cache memory. Therefore, the most points in the state field 251 are given. On the other hand, if the status of the divided job data is an error, the correctness of the corresponding object data cannot be guaranteed, so 0 points are given.

  With respect to the given points in the data size field 252, the data size value is given as a point as it is because the intermediate data is preferentially saved in the cache when the data size of the object data is large.

  With respect to the given points in the reference count field 253, since the repetitive processing is performed for those having a large reference count of object data, the reference count is given as a point as it is.

  In the present embodiment, the evaluation unit 246 multiplies the points assigned in the state field 251, the data size field 252, and the reference count field 253, and evaluates the image processing unit based on the calculated total points.

Total points of object data = (state points) x (data size points) x (reference count points)
Hereinafter, as in the first embodiment, the retry processing contents of the control unit 210 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the allocation unit 244 refers to the correspondence relationship in the recording table 250 and reallocates the divided job data to another image processing unit different from the image processing unit that processed the previous divided job data (S211). At this time, the allocation unit 244 acquires information on object data included in the divided job data 380 (S401).

  In the example of FIG. 8, the processing content that the image processing unit 3 (280) has processed the divided job data 380 is recorded in the recording table 250 in a data format of “image processing unit 3: JobA: Page6”. Furthermore, in the recording table 250, the correspondence between “image processing unit 3: JobA: Page6” and “ObjB” and the correspondence between “image processing unit 3: JobA: Page6” and “ObjB” are recorded. Has been.

  Next, the allocation unit 244 searches for the image processing unit using the object from the information of the object data recorded in the recording table 250 (S402).

  In the example of FIG. 8, the image processing units using “ObjB” are recorded in the recording table 250 as “image processing unit 1: JobA: Page4” and “image processing unit 2: JobA: Page2”. ing. Similarly, an image processing unit using “ObjC” is recorded in the recording table 250 as “image processing unit 1: JobA: Page1”. That is, the allocation unit 244 indicates that the object data 312 is included in the divided job data 340 and 360 and is used by the image processing unit 2 (270) and the image processing unit 1 (260), respectively. It can be specified as a search result. Similarly, the allocation unit 244 can specify that the object data 313 is included in the divided job data 330 and is used by the image processing unit 1 (260) as a search result.

  Next, the evaluation unit 246 evaluates the usage status of the object data for each candidate image processing unit for the identified image processing unit 1 (260) and the image processing unit 2 (270) (S404).

  As shown in FIG. 9, the information of the object data 312 corresponding to the image processing unit 1 (260) is “state: processed”, “data size: 6542”, and “reference count: 3”. Therefore, the total number of points of the object data 312 is (processed: 1) × (size: 6542) × (reference count: 3) = 19626.

  Similarly, the information of the object data 313 corresponding to the image processing unit 1 (260) is “state: being processed”, “data size: 532”, and “reference count: 2”. Therefore, the total number of points of the object is (processing: 2) × (size: 532) × (reference count: 2) = 2128.

  Similarly, the information of the object data 312 corresponding to the image processing unit 2 (270) is “state: being processed”, “data size: 6542”, and “reference count: 3”. Therefore, the total number of points of the object is (processing: 2) × (size: 6542) × (number of references: 3) = 39252.

  From the above, the total number of points of the image processing unit 1 (260) is 21754, and the total number of points of the image processing unit 2 (270) is 29252. The evaluation unit 246 evaluates that the image processing unit 2 (270) is the most suitable image processing unit to process using the same type of objects as those included in the divided job data 380.

  The allocation unit 244 selects the image processing unit 2 (270) based on the evaluation of the evaluation unit 246 (S404). Next, the allocation unit 244 determines the image processing unit 2 (270) as a reallocation destination of the divided job data 380 (S405).

  In the present embodiment, the cache units 262 to 282 can determine whether to save each object data based on the object data information of the recording table 250. In this case, the allocation unit 244 allocates the divided job data 330 to 380 including the object data information to the image processing units 260 to 280, so that the cache units 262 to 282 refer to the object data information of the recording table 250. be able to. With this configuration, the cache units 262 to 282 can preferentially save the object data having a large data size or a large number of references. In the retry processing of the divided job data, the probability of reusing the cached object data can be improved.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the contents of determination processing for determining whether or not the image processing units 260 to 280 perform cache storage of intermediate data based on object data information. Hereinafter, the determination processing contents of the image processing units 260 to 280 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S501, the image processing units 260 to 280 acquire object data included in the divided job data and object data information. The object data information in this embodiment corresponds to the number of references.

  In step S502, the image processing units 260 to 280 determine whether there is cache data corresponding to the object data acquired in step S501. If cache data exists (S502: Yes), the image processing units 260 to 280 perform processing using the cache data stored in the corresponding cache memory of the cache units 262 to 282, and then perform the processing of this flowchart. finish. On the other hand, if there is no cache data (S502: No), in S503, it is determined whether the number of references to the object data is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

  When the number of references is small (S503: No), the object data is unlikely to be referred to and processed again, so that the cache storage related to the object data is not performed so that the cache memory having a limited storage area is not occupied. (S507). If it is determined that the reference count is equal to or greater than the threshold (S503: Yes), it is determined in S504 whether the data size of the object data is equal to or greater than the threshold. If the data size of the object data is small, the cache units 262 to 282 do not affect the processing speed of the image processing units 260 to 280 without using a cache memory. Priority.

  If it is determined that the data size is equal to or larger than the threshold (S504: Yes), in S506, the RIP processing units 261 to 281 process the divided job data, and then the cache units 262 to 282 store the object data in the cache memory. To do. On the other hand, if it is determined that the data size is equal to or smaller than the threshold (S504: No), in S507, the RIP processing units 261 to 281 process the divided job data, and then the cache units 262 to 282 discard the object data. Then, the process of this flowchart ends.

  As described above, the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment has the following effects in addition to the features of the first embodiment. The printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is based on an evaluation of which image processing unit is suitable for performing processing even when processing of some of the image processing units cannot be continued among the plurality of image processing units. Allocate the split job data again. For this reason, the cache data corresponding to the divided job data in error can be reused, and the divided job data can be re-allocated, so that the processing can be continued and the processing efficiency can be improved. be able to.

[Other Examples]
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims (14)

In a control device that controls parallel processing by a plurality of image processing means,
A dividing means for dividing the input job data into sub-data;
Allocating means for allocating sub-data to the plurality of image processing means;
Management means for recording the object data information included in the sub data in association with the image processing means of the allocation destination;
Determination means for determining whether the sub-data has been processed normally,
If the sub-data is not processed normally, the allocating unit sends the sub-data to another image processing unit different from the image processing unit that could not process the sub-data based on the recording. A control device characterized by reallocation. If the sub-data is not processed normally, the allocating unit reallocates the sub-data to the image processing unit that uses the most object data of the same type as that included in the sub-data. The control device according to claim 1. An evaluation unit that evaluates the usage status of the object data by the plurality of image processing units for each image processing unit;
If the sub-data is not processed normally, the allocating means sends the sub-data to another image processing means different from the image processing means that could not process the sub-data based on the evaluation. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is reassigned. The control device according to claim 3, wherein the evaluation unit highly evaluates an image processing unit that has a high possibility of reusing object data of the same type as that included in the sub-data. The information of the object data includes information quantified for each item,
The said evaluation means evaluates the usage condition of the said object data by these image processing means for every image processing means by calculating the said information digitized for every item. Or the control apparatus of 4.   The control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the plurality of image processing means. The image processing means includes
A RIP processing unit for generating bitmap data from the sub-data;
Cache means for caching and storing the object data included in the sub-data;
The control device according to claim 6, further comprising an output unit that outputs the generated bitmap data. The control device according to claim 7, wherein the output unit further outputs report data including a processing result of the sub data. 9. The control device according to claim 8, wherein, when the processing of the sub data is an error, the output unit outputs the report data including information for specifying the type of error. The determination means determines, from the report data, whether or not the image processing means different from the image processing means that could not process the sub data is an error that can process the sub data,
The control device according to claim 9, wherein the allocation unit reallocates the sub data only when it is determined that the error is a processable sub data. The determination means is based on the report data,
When it is determined that the generated bitmap data is abnormal, it is determined that another image processing unit different from the image processing unit that has not been able to process the sub data is capable of processing the sub data,
If it is determined that the hardware constituting the plurality of image processing means is abnormal, another image processing means different from the image processing means that could not process the sub data cannot process the sub data. The control device according to claim 10, wherein the control device is determined to be present.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit that performs printing based on data processed by the image processing unit. In a control method for controlling parallel processing by a plurality of image processing means,
A division step for dividing the input job data into sub-data;
Allocating sub-data to the plurality of image processing means;
A management step for associating and recording information of object data included in the sub-data and an image processing means of an allocation destination;
A determination step for determining whether the sub-data has been processed normally,
If the sub-data is not processed normally, the allocating step outputs the sub-data to another image processing unit different from the image processing unit that could not process the sub-data based on the recording. A control method characterized by reallocation.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the control apparatus of any one of Claim 1 thru | or 11.

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