JP2018157418A - Image formation device, image formation system, and image formation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for suppressing a processing delay caused by shortage of a free space of a storage region.SOLUTION: An image formation device includes: an image formation unit that forms an image on the basis of data input; a storage unit that includes a first storage region that stores the data and a second storage region that stores one or more coding data based on the data; a coding unit that generates coding data from the data stored in the first storage region; a processing unit that compares a data size of the coding data with the data size of source data of the coding data, stores the smaller data into the second storage region, and deletes the other data; a transmission unit that transmits the data stored in the second storage region to an external unit when the free space of the storage unit is short; and a reception unit that receives the data transmitted by the transmission unit from the external unit and stores in the storage unit when the image formation unit forms an image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and an image forming method.

  The image forming apparatus temporarily stores an image to be processed in a RAM (Random Access Memory) in the apparatus to perform image formation. An image forming apparatus that saves data stored in a RAM to an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) when the amount of data increases and the free space of the RAM in the device may be insufficient. is there.

  Cited Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus having means for saving the job data stored in the apparatus to the cloud server when saving the job data from the apparatus in order to increase the free capacity.

  From various viewpoints such as manufacturing cost, miniaturization, and power saving, there is an image forming apparatus that does not include an auxiliary storage device. When an original is read using the scanner function in such an image forming apparatus, an operation of reading one side of the original sheet, that is, an operation of reading one page at a time, the amount of RAM used in units of one read image. Will increase. When a large number of sheets are read in a state where the free space is small, the image forming apparatus cancels the reading operation because the RAM capacity is insufficient. If the reading operation is cancelled, it is necessary to start again from reading the document.

  In the cited document 1, the problem that the reading operation is interrupted when the amount of use increases by one image cannot be solved.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for suppressing processing delay caused by a lack of free space in a storage area.

  In order to solve the above problems, an aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus, an image forming unit that forms an image based on input data, a first storage area that stores data, and data A storage unit having a second storage area for storing one or more encoded data based thereon, an encoding unit for generating encoded data from the data stored in the first storage area, and a data size of the encoded data, When the data size of the original data of the encoded data is compared, the smaller data is stored in the second storage area, and the other is deleted, and the free space of the storage unit is insufficient, the first (2) a transmission unit that transmits data stored in the storage area to the outside, and a reception unit that receives the data transmitted from the transmission unit from the outside and stores the data in the storage unit when the image forming unit forms an image; Have.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a processing delay due to a lack of free space in the storage area.

It is a figure which shows the system configuration example of embodiment, and the hardware structural example in each apparatus. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. It is a figure explaining the operation example which accumulate | stores the input data of embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation example of the data saving of embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation example of the data saving of embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of an image forming operation according to the embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the image forming apparatus of the embodiment.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment can save the capacity by transferring input data stored in a storage unit such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) to the outside and saving it, even if the model does not include an auxiliary storage device. Can be resolved. The aspect of the present embodiment can also be applied to a situation where the amount of RAM used gradually increases as the scanning unit scans the original sheet. Note that the data input to the image forming apparatus may be image data for one page of a document sheet read by the scanning unit or a single print job received from a PC (Personal Computer). In this embodiment, a group of data with each page of image data and print job as one unit is referred to as input data.

  The image forming apparatus of this embodiment grasps the amount of RAM used and the free space. When the capacity for storing the input data remains, the image forming apparatus stores the input data as it is in the RAM. When the capacity is small, the data stored in the RAM is transferred to an external server, the free capacity is increased, and new input data is stored.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and an image forming method of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration example of this embodiment and a hardware configuration example in each apparatus.

  The image forming system 1 includes a server 100 and an image forming apparatus 200. The image forming apparatus 200 includes a CPU 201 (CPU: Central Processing Unit), a ROM 202 (ROM: Read only memory), a RAM 203, an encoding circuit 204, and a communication I / F 205 (I / F: Interface). The image forming apparatus 200 includes an operation panel 206 and a panel I / F 207, a scanner 208 and a scanner I / F 209, an image forming engine 210 and an engine I / F 211, and a connection I / F 213.

  The CPU 201 is an arithmetic processing unit that comprehensively controls the operation of each hardware in the image forming apparatus 200 in order to realize various functions such as a copy function, a scanner function, and a printer function that the image forming apparatus 200 has. The CPU 201 controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 200 by executing firmware and programs stored in the ROM 202.

  The RAM 203 is a volatile storage device that stores data as a work area of the CPU 201. The RAM 203 temporarily stores input data, that is, an image read by the scanner 208 and print data transmitted from the external terminal 300 as one unit. Details of the storage method of the RAM 203 will be described later.

  The ROM 202 is a storage device that stores data in a nonvolatile manner, and stores firmware and programs in advance. The encoding circuit 204 compresses the input data, or decompresses the compressed data and restores the original input data. Hereinafter, compression may be referred to as encoding, and decompression may be referred to as decoding. The communication I / F 205 is responsible for data communication with an external device, receives a print data from a computer in the same LAN (Local Area Network), and communicates with the server 100 via the Internet 500. Including.

  The operation panel 206 is a panel for operating the image forming apparatus 200, and exchanges information with the CPU 201 and the like via the panel I / F 207. The scanner 208 is a device that reads a document placed on a glass plate, and the read image data is stored in the RAM 203 via the scanner I / F 209. The image forming engine 210 is an image forming unit including a process unit that forms an image on a sheet, a toner cartridge, and the like. The image forming engine 210 inputs a print control signal and image data via the engine I / F 211, and based on these data, the sheet Form an image on top. The image forming engine 210 may be a unit that forms an image by applying ink by inkjet.

  The connection I / F 213 includes a terminal for connecting to, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable, and receives print data from the external terminal 300. The external terminal 300 is a computer connected with a USB cable, for example. When the user performs a predetermined operation on the external terminal 300, the external terminal 300 transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus 200. This print job is stored in the RAM 203 as input data.

  The server 100 is the same as a conventional server computer, and includes a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, an HDD 104, and a communication I / F 105. The server 100 may be configured to include a display and an input device. The server 100 is a general server computer as described above, but may be a server group formed by connecting a plurality of servers to each other.

  The server 100 and the image forming apparatus 200 can exchange data with each other via the Internet 500 and the LAN. The server 100 may be provided as a cloud service, or may be provided as a cloud storage system that accumulates transmitted data in a storage such as the HDD 104.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of functional blocks of the image forming apparatus 200. The image forming apparatus 200 includes a data storage unit 251, a control unit 252, a data encoding unit 253, and an external communication unit 254.

  The data storage unit 251 includes the RAM 103 and has two storage areas, an input storage area 261 that is a first storage area and an accumulation storage area 262 that is a second storage area. The input storage area 261 and the storage area 262 may be implemented with two physically different volatile storage devices. Alternatively, an implementation may be implemented in which the two storage areas of the input storage area 261 and the storage area 262 are managed as being logically present under the control of a program stored in the control unit 252 or the ROM 102. The input storage area 261 is an area in which input data is stored as it is, and may be used as a work storage area. The storage area 262 is an area for storing one or more pieces of compressed input data, and is an area for storing the input data with a reduced size.

  The data encoding unit 253 includes an encoding circuit 204, compresses the input data stored in the input storage area 261, generates encoded data, and outputs the encoded data to the storage area 262. The data encoding unit 253 decompresses the encoded data stored in the storage area 262 and decodes it, and outputs the input data that has returned to the original size to the input storage area 261.

  The external communication unit 254 includes a communication I / F 205 and is a unit that transmits and receives encoded data between the server 100 and the storage area 262 for storage. When the free space is insufficient, the external communication unit 254 transmits the encoded data stored in the storage area 262 to the server 100 and saves it based on an instruction from the control unit 252. Further, the external communication unit 254 receives the encoded data being saved and stored in the HDD 104 of the server 100 and stores it in the storage area 262 for accumulation.

  The control unit 252 includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, and a RAM 203, and includes functional units such as a remaining memory calculation unit 271, a processing unit 272, and a data saving unit 273. The functional units of the remaining memory calculation unit 271, the processing unit 272, and the data saving unit 273 are realized by the CPU 201 developing the program stored in the ROM 102 in the RAM 203 and executing the calculation.

  The remaining memory calculation unit 271 calculates the free capacity of the storage area of the data storage unit 251. The remaining memory calculation unit 271 calculates at least the free capacity of the storage area 262 for storage, but may calculate the free capacity of the input storage area 261. The remaining memory calculation unit 271 may derive the free capacity as it is, or may calculate the free capacity by subtracting the used amount from the total storage amount.

  The data saving unit 273 is a functional unit that performs processing for saving data to the outside. The data saving unit 273 includes a communication control unit 281 having both functions of a transmission unit and a reception unit, and controls the external communication unit 254 to transmit and receive encoded data to and from the server 100.

  The processing unit 272 is a functional unit that controls the overall processing and operations described below, and activates and executes the memory remaining amount calculating unit 271 and the data saving unit 273.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an operation when the data storage unit 251 stores input data. Note that the image forming apparatus 200 of the present embodiment acquires input data mainly by two methods. One is a method of reading an original from the scanner 208, and the other is a method of receiving a print job from the external terminal 300. A print job may be received from a PC via the communication I / F 205. Regardless of the method, input data is stored in the RAM 203.

  First, FIG. 3A will be described. Print data or image data is input to the image forming apparatus 200. This data is referred to as input data A. This input data A is temporarily stored in the input storage area 261. The processing unit 272 outputs a command to the data encoding unit 253 in order to perform compression processing on the input data A. The data encoding unit 253 that has received this command acquires the input data A stored in the input storage area 261.

  The data encoding unit 253 performs compression processing on the acquired input data A, and stores the processed encoded data a in the storage area 262 for accumulation. The processing unit 272 deletes the encoded input data A from the input storage area 261.

  Subsequently, it is assumed that the input data B is input as shown in FIG. The movement of the input data B is the same as that of the input data A. The input data B is temporarily stored in the input storage area 261, but is compressed by the data encoding unit 253 to become encoded data b and stored in the storage area 262 for accumulation. After the encoded data b is stored, the original input data B is erased from the input storage area 261. Similarly, the input data C shown in FIG. 3C is compressed into encoded data c and stored in the storage area 262 for accumulation. After the encoded data c is stored, the input data C is erased from the input storage area 261.

  If there is an available free area in the storage area for storage 262, the above process is repeated each time data is input. If data input continues, the free space in the storage area 262 decreases, and the storage area will eventually be stored depending on the difference between the data input processing speed and the processing speed at which the encoded data is extracted from the storage area 262. Storage in the area 282 becomes impossible.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, processing as shown in FIG. 4 is performed. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation when the encoded data is transmitted to the server 100 and saved. As already described, when the input data is repeatedly stored, the free space in the storage area 262 gradually decreases. Therefore, when the free space calculated by the remaining memory calculation unit 271 is less than the specified amount, the processing unit 272 assumes that input data cannot be accumulated and operates the data saving unit 273 to perform saving processing. The data saving unit 273 causes the server 100 to save the encoded data stored in the storage area for storage 262. In the example of FIG. 4A, all the encoded data ac stored in the storage area for storage 262 is transmitted to the server 100 and saved. After this saving process, the processing unit 272 compresses the input data D by the data encoding unit 253 and the compressed encoded data d is stored in the free storage area 262 as shown in FIG. Store.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another data saving method, and shows an example of saving only a part of data. The processing unit 272 calculates the data size after compression of the input data D. The processing unit 272 may obtain the size from the encoded data after actually being processed by the data encoding unit 253, or may calculate the size using a prescribed arithmetic expression without performing compression processing. The processing unit 272 compares this calculation result with the sizes of the other encoded data ac.

  If the processing unit 272 determines that it is necessary to save only a part of the encoded data in order to store the input data D in the result of the data size comparison, as shown in FIG. Only the data of the copy is saved. In the example of FIG. 5A, the processing unit 272 determines that the data size of the encoded data a is larger than the encoded data of the input data D, and saves only the encoded data a to the server 100. Thereafter, the processing unit 272 stores the compressed encoded data d in the storage area 262 for storage as shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the remaining memory capacity calculation unit 271 calculates the current free capacity of the storage area for storage 262 every time data is input. When determining that the capacity of the storage area is not sufficient, the data saving unit 273 saves the encoded data stored in the storage area 262 to the external server 100 by the method shown in FIGS. .

  After performing the evacuation process as necessary in this way, these input data are then formed on the sheet. The processing unit 272 determines whether data for image formation exists in the storage area for storage 262. If it exists, the processing unit 272 outputs the corresponding data to the image forming engine 210. If the data does not exist, the processing unit 272 acquires the saved data from the server 100.

  FIG. 6A shows the operation when the target data exists in the storage area 262 for accumulation. When the processing unit 272 transmits a command to the data encoding unit 253, the data encoding unit 253 inputs the encoded data a stored in the storage area for storage 262. The data encoding unit 253 decodes the encoded data a, returns it to the original input data A, and outputs it to the input storage area 261. The processing unit 272 outputs the input data A to the image forming engine 210 via the engine I / F 211, and the image forming engine 210 forms an image for the input data A.

  FIG. 6B shows the operation when there is no target data in the storage area 262 and data exists in the server 100. The processing unit 272 uses the function of the communication control unit 281 of the data saving unit 273 to return the encoded data b to the storage area 262 for accumulation in the image forming apparatus 200. The data encoding unit 253 decodes the encoded data b and returns it to the original input data B. The processing unit 272 outputs the input data B to the image forming engine 210. As a result, the image forming engine 210 forms an image for the input data B.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the image forming apparatus 200. In the flowchart of FIG. 7, the flow from S701 to S707 and the flow from S708 to S711 are roughly divided into two operations. The flow from S701 to S707 is a flow until the input data is stored, and the flow from S708 to S711 is a flow from the stored data to image formation. Further, the flowchart of FIG. 7 includes operations not described above.

  When the print data transmitted from the external terminal 300 or one piece of image data read by the scanner 208 is stored in the input storage area 261 (S701), the processing unit 272 sends a command to the data encoding unit 253. Output. Upon receiving this command, the data encoding unit 253 inputs the input data and performs compression processing (S702). In this flow, the encoded data after compression processing is not stored in the storage area 262 at this stage, but is stored in the input storage area 261 or other storage areas in the data storage unit 251. To do. At this stage, it may be stored in the storage area 262 for accumulation.

  Here, the processing unit 272 compares the size of the original input data with the size of the encoded data (S703). If the encoded data is smaller (S703: Yes), the processing unit 272 leaves the encoded data and deletes the original input data (S705). When the encoded data is larger than the original input data (S703: No), the processing unit 272 leaves the original input data and deletes the encoded data (S704). S703, S704, and S705 are processes that leave the smaller data size of the input data and the encoded data, and delete the other larger one. If the data size is the same, either one may remain.

  The remaining memory calculation unit 271 calculates the free capacity of the storage area for storage 262, and the processing unit 272 that receives the calculation result determines whether there is enough free capacity to store the data input this time. (S705). This determination is made by comparing the remaining data size of the encoded data or the original input data with the free space. Alternatively, the determination may be made based on whether the free space is equal to or greater than a specified amount.

  When there is not enough free space in the storage area 262 (S705: No), the processing unit 272 activates the data saving unit 273, and the encoded data stored in the storage area 262 is stored in the server 100. (S706). As described with reference to FIG. 4, this saving process may be a method in which all encoded data is saved in the server 100, or a part of the encoded data is stored in the server 100 as described with reference to FIG. 5. It is also possible to use a method of evacuating. The processing unit 272 stores the current input data or the encoded data after compressing the current input data in the storage area 262 (S707). If there is sufficient free space in the storage area for storage 262 (S705: Yes), the save process of S706 is not executed and the operation of S707 is performed as it is.

  The processing from S701 to S707 is performed each time input data is received. That is, when an original is read from the scanner 208 to form an image, the input data is a read image for one page of the original. Therefore, every time one page is read, the operations from S701 to S707 are executed. In this case, the processes from S701 to S707 are repeatedly performed until the reading of all pages of the document is completed, and the image forming process after S708 is performed after the reading is completed. On the other hand, when the input data is print data transmitted from the external terminal 300, the operations from S701 to S707 are executed every time a print job is received from the external terminal 300.

  Next, an image forming operation will be described. The processing unit 272 determines whether the image formation target data is in the storage area for storage 262 (S708). The data here is encoded data or original input data.

  When there is no image formation target data in the storage area 262 for accumulation (S708: No), the corresponding data is acquired from the server 100 using the function of the communication control unit 281 and any of the data storage units 251 is acquired. Return to the storage area (S709). The data returned here is the saved encoded data or the original input data. Further, the return storage area may be the storage area 262 for storage, or may be another storage area in the data storage unit 251 if the storage area for storage 262 has no free space. In S708, when there is data in the storage area for storage 262 (S708: No), the process of S709 is not performed.

  The processing unit 272 outputs a command to the data encoding unit 253 when the image formation target data is encoded data. Upon receiving this command, the data encoding unit 253 inputs the encoded data, decodes it, and returns it to the original input data (S710). Then, the processing unit 272 outputs the decoded input data to the image forming engine 210, and forms an image on the sheet (S711). If the image formation target data is not the decoded data but the original input data, S710 is not performed.

  The processing from S708 to S711 is repeated until there is no data in the data storage unit 251 or the server 100.

  In the present embodiment, two storage areas, an area for storing input data as it is and an area for storing encoded data, are provided. If these are defined as a single storage area, the encoded data is gradually accumulated, and there is a possibility of eroding up to the size for storing the input data. In this state, input data cannot be accepted. As in this embodiment, by dividing the area, a storage area for input data is secured, and input data can be received at any time.

  Also, by storing the encoded data saved in the server 100 in the HDD 104, which is a non-volatile storage device, it is possible to leave a history of what job is executed and what image is formed on the sheet. Can do.

  According to the aspect of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the incapability of taking in due to insufficient RAM capacity, and to reduce processing delay due to this.

1: Image forming system, 100: Server, 101: CPU,
102: ROM, 103: RAM, 104: HDD, 105: Communication I / F,
200: Image forming apparatus, 201: CPU, 202: ROM, 203: RAM,
204: Encoding circuit, 205: Communication I / F, 206: Operation panel,
207: Panel I / F, 208: Scanner, 209: Scanner I / F,
210: image forming engine, 211: engine I / F, 213: connection I / F,
251: Data storage unit, 252: Control unit, 253: Data encoding unit,
254: external communication unit, 261: storage area for input, 262: storage area for storage,
271: Memory remaining amount calculation unit, 272: Processing unit, 273: Data saving unit,
281: Communication control unit, 300: External terminal, 500: Internet.

JP, 2006-177438, A

Claims (8)

An image forming unit that forms an image based on the input data;
A storage unit having a first storage area for storing the data and a second storage area for storing one or more encoded data based on the data;
An encoding unit that creates the encoded data from the data stored in the first storage area;
A processing unit that compares the data size of the encoded data with the data size of the input data that is the source of the encoded data, stores the smaller data in the second storage area, and deletes the other;
When the storage unit has insufficient free space, the data stored in the second storage area is transmitted to the outside, and
When the image forming unit forms an image, a receiving unit that receives the data transmitted from the transmitting unit from the outside and stores the data in the storage unit;
An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
It has a scanning unit that reads the document,
The input data is image data for each page of the document read by the scanning unit;
The encoding unit, the processing unit, and the transmission unit operate each time the image data for each page of the document is obtained. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The processing unit stores the input data stored in the first storage area in the second storage area when the encoded data after being processed by the encoding unit is at least larger than the input data. The encoded data is deleted, and if the encoded data is at least smaller than the input data, the encoded data is stored in the second storage area and the input data stored in the first storage area is deleted. Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
A calculation unit that calculates at least a free capacity of the second storage area;
When the free space calculated by the calculation unit is less than a predetermined amount, the processing unit determines that the free space of the storage unit is insufficient, operates the transmission unit, and stores the storage unit in the second storage area. Image forming apparatus that transmits the received data to the outside. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:
The transmission unit is an image forming apparatus that transmits all data stored in the second storage area to the outside when a free capacity of the storage unit is insufficient. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:
The transmission unit is an image forming apparatus that transmits a part of the data stored in the second storage area to the outside when the storage unit has insufficient free space. A server for storing received data and transmitting the received data;
An image forming apparatus,
An image forming unit that forms an image based on the input data;
A storage unit having a first storage area for storing the data and a second storage area for storing one or more encoded data based on the data;
An encoding unit that creates the encoded data from the data stored in the first storage area;
A processing unit that compares the data size of the encoded data with the data size of the input data that is the source of the encoded data, stores the smaller data in the second storage area, and deletes the other;
When the storage unit has insufficient free space, the data stored in the second storage area is transmitted to the outside, and
When the image forming unit forms an image, a receiving unit that receives the data transmitted from the transmitting unit from the outside and stores the data in the storage unit;
An image forming apparatus having
Including an image forming system. An image forming method of an image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
An image forming unit that forms an image based on the input data;
A storage unit having a first storage area for storing the data and a second storage area for storing one or more encoded data based on the data;
Creating the encoded data from the data stored in the first storage area;
Compare the data size of the encoded data and the data size of the input data that is the source of the encoded data, store the smaller data in the second storage area, delete the other,
When the free space in the storage unit is insufficient, the data stored in the second storage area is transmitted to the outside,
When the image forming unit forms an image, the image forming apparatus executes a process of receiving the transmitted data from outside and storing the data in the storage unit.