JPH0351150B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image processing device that processes an original image.

In recent years, optical fibers have been put into practical use as optical transmission members, and instead of transmitting information as electrical signals, attempts have been made to transmit information converted into optical signals using optical fibers as a medium. According to such a transmission method using optical fiber, the signals to be transmitted are not affected by external influences such as electromagnetic induction, and high-speed transmission is possible. has advantages such as being lightweight and easy to install.

By the way, information can be broadly divided into two types. One is data information that can only be recognized by computer means, and the other is image information that can only be recognized by humans through their vision. The transmission methods using optical fibers that have been proposed so far handle data information.
The method involved connecting a plurality of devices with optical fibers and transmitting data information from the plurality of devices by time-sharing means. However, the disadvantage of time division means is that there is a limit to the amount of information that can be transmitted per unit time, and the advantages of optical fiber, which is a medium capable of high-speed transmission, cannot be fully utilized. Furthermore, when trying to transmit image information from one image processing device to multiple image processing devices, the status of the destination image processing devices is generally not the same, and it is unlikely that all the devices will be able to receive the information at the same time. few. For this purpose, the sending device stores the image information to be sent in a memory means,
Image information is sequentially retrieved from memory means and transmitted in a one-to-one relationship from devices that have become capable of receiving image information. However, in order to transmit high-resolution images, for example, in order to achieve an image density of 16 pel/mm and 16 line/mm, a memory capacity of 1,596,6720 bits is required for one A4 size page. Providing this to all devices that have the possibility of becoming a transmission source poses a problem in terms of cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently read a document image and transmit image information when the same document image is recorded different times on a plurality of recording sections. includes a reading means for outputting image information by photoelectrically reading a document image, a transmission means for transmitting the same image information output from the reading means to a plurality of recording sections, and each of the plurality of recording sections. an input means for individually inputting the number of image recordings to be performed by the input means; and a notification for notifying each of the plurality of recording units of the number of image recordings individually input to each of the plurality of recording units by the input means. means, a setting means for setting the maximum number of times of image recording individually input to each of the plurality of recording units by the input means as the number of times the document image is read; and a reading set by the setting means. control means for causing the reading means to repeatedly read the same document image and for causing the transmission means to repeatedly transmit the same image information repeatedly output from the reading means to the plurality of recording units; A processing device is provided.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing connections in an embodiment of a loop transmission system using optical fibers to which the present invention is applied. A general explanation will be given using FIG. Hereinafter, the packetized image information will be referred to as an image packet, and the packetized control information will be referred to as a command packet. A, B, C, and D are terminals, which are equipped with a document image reading unit equipped with a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD, an image recording unit such as a laser beam printer, and an optical-to-electrical converter (hereinafter referred to as O/E).
This is an image processing device having an electrical-to-optical converter (hereinafter referred to as an E/O converter). As shown in the figure, terminals A, B, C and D are connected in a loop by two parallel optical fibers. 1 is a packet line through which command packets and image packets are transmitted; 2 is a transmission line for a clock synchronized with packets on packet line 1; That is, in the system of this embodiment, command packets and image packets are transmitted through a common optical fiber, and by transmitting information in the form of packets, high-speed transmission can be achieved.

When the system is started, that is, when power is turned on to each terminal, a command packet (hereinafter referred to as an empty packet) containing no information is transferred through the loop. Further, a clock synchronized with this empty packet is transferred on clock line 2. Incidentally, when the system is started, there is one terminal that can issue this empty packet, and a master terminal is set in advance. In the system, one empty packet issued from one master terminal is sequentially transferred to the terminals, and the terminals form the necessary control information in this empty packet and transmit it on the loop as a command packet. There is. Then, each terminal can issue a command packet only when the terminal receives one packet that is being transferred through the loop. This prevents command information from being output from multiple terminals simultaneously on the loop. Further, the terminal that can issue command packets at the time of system startup can be arbitrarily set.
It should be noted that each terminal determines the input of a packet based on the input of the clock transmitted through the clock line 2. On the other hand, image packets are transmitted after mutual understanding is obtained between the sender and the receiver using command packets, so only command packets are transferred on the loop when the device is started.

In the system shown in FIG. 1, terminal A is assumed to be a master terminal that can issue command packets when the system is started. Now, when terminals A, B, C, and D are powered on, a command packet is first issued from terminal A and transmitted to terminal D. This command packet is normally an empty packet, with packet line 1
Although the upper signal is "0", the input of the command packet is recognized by inputting a clock synchronized with the command packet to terminal D from clock line 2. Terminal D analyzes the input command packet and finds that it is an empty packet. Next, it checks whether there is a transmission request from the user to terminal D, and if there is not, it sends only a clock. The empty packet is transmitted to terminal C. However, if there is a transmission request to terminal D, the input empty packet contains a bit indicating loop connection, the address of the terminal to which the image should be sent, the address of the terminal that sent the image (in this case, the address of terminal D), and the image. Bits corresponding to the number of transmissions and image size information are set and transmitted to terminal C, after which terminal D waits for a response to the command from the destination. At this point, the command packet, which was an empty packet, has become a command packet containing the above-mentioned control information. Terminal C similarly analyzes and issues the command packet, and further transmits the command packet to terminal B. Terminal B performs the same operation and sends a message to terminal A,
Command packets are transferred from terminal A to terminal D in one direction on a loop. As is clear from the above, when the system starts, the only terminal that can issue command packets is set as the master, and after that, each terminal can only issue command packets when it receives a command packet. As such, no information collision occurs on the loop.

Each terminal A, B, C, and D is provided with a timer, and this timer constantly detects loop breakage. This will be explained below. Loop breakage refers to situations such as when one of the terminals is not powered on or when the optical fiber itself is disconnected. In the case of a loop transmission system, it is clear that all connected terminals and all optical fibers must be in perfect condition for the system to function. Furthermore, if the system is normal, the packet will definitely go around the loop once and be input again within a certain period of time after the packet is issued. This fact is utilized to detect loop breakage. When the power is turned on, the master terminal A, which is the only one capable of issuing a command packet at the time of system startup, immediately issues a command packet and starts counting the built-in timer. Thereafter, if no command packet is input within a preset timer operation period, it is determined that the loop has been broken. After the other terminals B, C, and D are powered on, their respective timers start counting, and if no command packet is input within the timer operation period set in advance for each terminal, or a command packet is input for the first time. After outputting , if the next command packet is not input within a certain period of time, it is determined that there is a break in the loop. Also, after the system is started,
If the loop is broken for some reason during system operation, all terminals start a timer at the same time as a packet is output, and constantly detect whether or not the next packet is input within a certain period of time. This eliminates the need for a dedicated protocol for detecting loop breakage, and also eliminates the need for a dedicated circuit for this purpose. As described above, the terminals that can issue command packets when the system is started can be set arbitrarily, and the timer set for detecting loop breakage is determined for each terminal according to this setting. As described above, by transmitting information in the form of packets in a loop transmission system, not only high-speed transmission is possible, but also information collision avoidance on the loop, loop disconnection detection, etc. can be easily achieved. .

FIG. 2 shows image reading units (readers) provided in terminals A, B, C, and D. The book reading section is A4
A size original is sub-scanned horizontally, and an A3 size original is scanned vertically, and the line density of the reading is 16 lines/
mm, and has a resolution of 16 pixels/mm in the main scanning direction. Therefore, the number of bits in one main scanning line is 16 bits/mm x 297 mm = 4752 bits, and the number of bits in the sub scanning line is 16 bits/mm x 297 mm = 4752 bits.
16 lines/mm x 210mm = 3360 lines in A4 size
A3 size is twice as many as 6720 lines. As shown in FIG. 2, two photoelectric converters CCD1 and CCD1, which are arranged in the main scanning direction, convert the reflected light from the document 0 irradiated by the fluorescent lamp LMP through lenses L1 and L2.
An image is formed on the CCD 2, the image of the document 0 is divided into two parts, read, converted into electrical signals, and further formed by an adder P as one line of image information. In this way, 3360 lines (A4 size) or 6720 lines (A3 size)
Read image information.

As mentioned above, the image information is electro-optically converted and transmitted over optical fiber as image packets. Figure 3 shows an image packet. As shown in the figure, the image packet is synchronized with the clock transmitted by clock line 2, and the data changes at the rising edge of the clock, and the clock falls at a stable point in the middle of the data. An identification signal S is added to the beginning of the image packet, and a dummy clock DCL is attached to clock line 2.
is formed. The identification signal S is a control signal for distinguishing between image packets and command packets transmitted to the packet line, and is a "1" signal if it is an image packet, and a "0" signal if it is a command packet. . Based on this identification signal input to the terminal prior to the packet, each terminal determines whether the following information is an image packet or a command packet, and performs predetermined processing.

Figure 4 shows a command packet. As mentioned above, clock line 2 at the beginning of the command packet
A dummy clock DCL is added to the packet line 1, and an identification signal S of a "0" signal is added to the packet line 1. Or, like the image packet, it is synchronized with the clock transmitted by clock line 2, and the data changes at the rising edge of the clock. Note that the command packet has a 32-bit structure as shown in the figure. Figure 5 shows the breakdown of the 32 bits of the command packet. The 1st to 4th bits set the address of the first destination, the 5th to 8th bits set the number of times of transmission to the first destination, the 9th to 12th bits set the address of the second destination, The 13th to 16th bits are used to set the number of times of transmission to the second destination, and the 17th to 20th bits are used to set the source address. The 21st bit is the setting for the size of the image information to be transmitted, and the “1” signal is A3.
size, "0" signal A size. The 22nd bit is a bit used by the sender to ask the destination if it is ready to receive image information, and is functional if the signal is "1". No.
The 23rd bit is a bit that signals the start of transmission of image information and functions with a "1" signal. The 24th bit is a bit used by the sender to ask the destination if the reception of the image information is complete, and it functions with a "1" signal. The 25th to 29th bits are blank. The 30th bit is a response bit from the first destination in response to the command from the receiving source, and when it is ``1'', it indicates acceptance of the command. 31st
The bit is a response bit from the second destination, and when it is ``1'', it indicates acceptance of the command. No. 32
This bit indicates that a transmission request has been issued from one of the terminals in the system and that the terminal is connected to the loop.When it is ``1'', it indicates that the terminal is connected. In this way, one command packet has the function of specifying multiple destinations, transmitting responses from them, the function of specifying the number of transmissions to multiple destinations and the image size, and the function of specifying the number of transmissions and image size from the source to the destination. It has the function of inquiring or instructing completion of preparation, start of transmission, and completion of reception.

FIG. 6 shows the procedure of a protocol related to image transmission when different numbers of image information are transmitted from terminal A to terminals B, C, and D as an example of using the system of FIG. 1. Furthermore, the addresses of each terminal are 1000 for terminal A, 0100 for terminal B, and 0100 for terminal C.
1100, and 0010 for terminal D. To give a specific usage example, one card is sent from terminal A to terminal B, and one card is sent to terminal C.
This is to transmit image information of two images to terminal D and three images to terminal D in A4 size.

Terminal A, which received the empty packet in (1), sets the loop-connected bit of the command packet to ``1'' and sends the address of terminal B as the first destination, ``0100''.
Set the address "1100" of terminal C as the second destination, and set the number of sheets to be sent to terminal B, which is the first destination, as "1000" in binary notation, and then set the number of sheets to be sent to terminal B, which is the first destination, as "1000", and then to terminal C, which is the second destination. Set 2, which is the number of images to be sent, to "0100" in binary notation, and then set the image information size to A4 and set it to "1".
to form a command packet. and
Transmit to terminal D in (2). Terminal D has no relation to this command packet, so it transmits it to terminal C as is in step (3). Terminal C analyzes the command packet, and if it is understood, sets the second destination's response to ``1'' in the bit and transmits it to terminal B in step (4). Terminal B analyzes the command packet, and if it is understood, sets the response bit of the first destination to ``1'' and transmits it to terminal A in step (5).
When terminal A analyzes the command packet and confirms the responses from the first and second destinations, it changes the first destination to the address 0010 of terminal D and sets it, while leaving the second destination blank. Also, set 3, which is the number of sheets to be sent to terminal D, which is the first destination, to ``1100'' in binary notation, leave the number of sheets to be sent to the second destination blank, and set the image size to ``1'' without changing it to A4. The command packet with the settings set is transmitted to terminal D at (6).
Terminal D analyzes the command packet, and if it is understood, sets the response bit of the first destination to "1", and (7)
and transmits it to terminal C. Terminal C is unrelated, so it is transmitted directly to terminal B in (8). Terminal B is also unrelated, so it is transmitted directly to terminal A in (9). Terminal A is the first
After confirming the response from destination D, the command packet specifies terminal B as the first destination and terminal C as the second destination, and sets ``1'' to the bit that asks if the device is ready to receive image information. It is set (10) and transmitted to terminal D. Terminal D is unrelated, so it is transmitted directly to terminal C in (11). Terminal C analyzes the command packet and
If the reception preparation is complete, the response bit of the second destination is
It sets "1" and transmits it to terminal B at (12). Terminal B
analyzes the command packet, and if it is ready for reception, sets the response bit of the first destination to ``1'' and transmits it to terminal A (13). Terminal A analyzes the command packet and sends it to the first destination B and second destination C.
When it is confirmed that the reception preparation is complete, a new D is set for the first destination, a blank is set for the second destination, and the bit ``1'' is set to ask whether the reception preparation is complete, (14)
is transmitted to terminal D. Terminal D analyzes the command packet, and if it is ready for reception, sets the response bit of the first destination to "1" and transmits it to terminal C at (15). Terminal C is unrelated, so it is transmitted to terminal B as is in (16). Terminal B is unrelated, so it transmits it to terminal A as is in (17). When terminal A confirms the response from first destination D, it sets the transmission start bit to "1" in a command packet, and further specifies terminal B as the first destination and terminal C as the second destination ( 18) to transmit to terminal D. In (19) to (21), this command packet is sequentially transmitted to terminals D, C, and B, analyzed, a response bit is set, and transmitted to terminal A, similar to the sequence described above. After confirming the responses from terminals B and C, terminal A designates terminal D as the first destination, sets the transmission start bit to "1", and transmits to terminal D at (22). (twenty three)~
In (25), similar to the sequence described above, this command packet is sequentially transmitted to terminals D, C, and B.
It is analyzed and a response bit is set and transmitted to terminal A. Terminal A confirms terminal D's response. Up to this point, terminals B, C, and D, which are the transmission destinations, are ready to receive images. Next, terminal A reads the first document and forms an image packet, (26) ~
In (28), this image packet is sent to terminals D, C, and B.
are transmitted sequentially. At this time, terminals D, C, and B all take in the image information of the original. When the first image packet is input to terminal A in (29),
Terminal A reads the second original and forms an image packet, and this image packet is sequentially transmitted to terminals D, C, and B in steps (30) to (32). .
At this time, terminals D and C capture this image information. Terminal B does not capture the image information and transmits it to terminal A as is (33). When the second image packet is input to terminal A, terminal A reads the third document and forms an image packet, and then (34) ~
At (36), this image packet is sequentially transmitted to terminals D, C, and B. Only terminal D captures this image information, terminal C directly transmits the image packet to terminal B, and terminal B directly transmits the image packet to terminal A.
At (37), the third image packet is input to terminal A.

As described above, one piece of image information was transmitted from terminal A to terminal B, two pieces of image information to terminal C, and three pieces of image information to terminal D. When terminal A receives the third image packet, it specifies terminal B as the first destination and terminal C as the second destination of the command packet, and asks if reception is complete, similar to the sequence described above. The bit is set to "1" and transmitted to terminal D at (38). This command packet is sequentially transmitted to terminals D, C, and B in steps (39) to (41), and terminal A sends it to terminal B.
When the response from C and C is confirmed, terminal A specifies the first destination terminal D, sets bit ``1'' to inquire whether reception is complete, and transmits to terminal D at step (42). This command packet is sent to terminal D at (43) to (45).
C and B are transmitted in sequence, and when terminal A confirms the response from terminal D, the protocol for all image transmission ends. Then, at (46), the empty packet is transmitted from terminal A to terminal D again. Thereafter, the empty packet is sequentially transmitted to terminals A, B, C, and B, waiting for the next transmission request. In this way, before transmitting image information, all terminals are prepared to receive it, and then the image information is transmitted to multiple devices at the same time, making effective use of the transmission speed of optical fiber. High-speed transmission becomes possible. Additionally, if a terminal is not specified as a destination by a command packet, this terminal does not perform any processing on the input image packet and transmits it to the next terminal, thereby transmitting a different number of image information to each terminal. The transmission can be performed using the same operations as when transmitting image information to all terminals. Furthermore, since the process proceeds to the next stage after confirming each terminal's response to the control information in the command packet, erroneous transmission of image information will not occur.

Next, the priority will be explained below when two or more terminals have requests to transmit image information while empty packets are being transmitted on the loop. As an example, a case will be described in which transmission requests are issued from terminals A and B in FIG. Now, if terminals A and B have a transmission request when an empty packet is input to terminal D, the empty packet is transferred from terminal D to terminal C and then to terminal B. In other words, the information is input to terminal B before being input to terminal A. As a result, the loop connection bit is set at terminal B for empty packets, and terminal B is given the right to be the sender by terminal A.
It means that they had it earlier. In this way, the terminal connected to the output side of the terminal that currently outputs the empty packet has the highest priority, and the priority gradually decreases according to the order in which the empty packet is transferred, so that the terminal connected to the input side of the terminal that outputted the empty packet has the highest priority. The connected terminal has the lowest priority. Also, if an image is currently being transmitted and another terminal receives a transmission request at this point, the current transmission operation ends and the terminal that was the source of the image information outputs an empty packet. The terminal connected to the output side of this source has the highest priority, and the terminal connected to the input side has the lowest priority. That is, at the time when the previous transmission of image information is completed, the priority of the loop related to the next transmission is automatically determined based on the previous transmission source. As described above, priorities change dynamically from moment to moment.

FIG. 7 shows a circuit embodiment of a terminal of an image transmission system according to the present invention. Reference numeral 11 denotes an optical-to-electrical converter (hereinafter referred to as an O/E converter) provided at the input section of the terminal, which converts information input as an optical signal from an optical fiber signal transmission line into an electrical signal.
Reference numeral 12 denotes a command/image discrimination circuit which converts the input packet into an image packet by ANDing the electrical signal input from the O/E converter 11 with the identification signal S added before the packet and the clock as described above. If it is an image packet, a ``1'' signal is output to line 13, and if it is a command packet, a ``1'' signal is output to line 14. Also, a packet from which the identification signal S has been removed is output to line 15. Reference numeral 16 denotes a recording section that records an image based on an input image packet, and a reader/printer section that reads a document and forms an image packet as an electrical signal.
Line 17 is a non-source signal line to which a "1" signal is always output when this terminal is not the source of image information. 18 and 19 are AND circuits, and the AND circuit 18 is connected to the command/image discrimination circuit 12.
When the “1” signal of line 13 from the source and the “1” signal of the non-source signal of line 17 are input,
The image packet input by line 15 is output on line 20. Also, AND circuit 1
When the "1" signal on line 14 from command/image discrimination circuit 12 is input to line 9, the command packet input on line 15 is output on line 21. If the terminal is the source of image information, the non-source signal on line 17 is a "0" signal, inhibiting output of the input image packet to line 20. This results in
To prevent an image packet that has been transferred once to all terminals from being output again.

If the input packet is an image packet, the image packet output on line 20 is branched into a line input to reader/printer device 16 and a line input to delay circuit 22. The delay circuit 22 is provided to delay the image packet in order to form the identification signal S, since it is necessary to add an identification signal to the front of the image packet in order to output the image packet to the next terminal. It is being Reference numeral 23 denotes an image identification signal generation circuit which, when receiving the "1" signal on line 13, generates an identification signal to be added to the front of the image packet currently being input. 24 is an OR circuit that adds the identification signal S of the "1" signal outputted by the image identification signal generation circuit 23 to the image packet outputted from the delay circuit 22, and also adds the identification signal S of the "1" signal outputted from the image identification signal generation circuit 23 to the image packet outputted from the delay circuit 22; An identification signal S is added to the image information output on line 33 from the reader and printer device 16 and output on line 25. Reference numeral 26 is an electrical-to-optical converter (hereinafter referred to as an E/O converter) provided at the output section of the terminal, which converts the image packet input via line 25 into an optical signal, and transmits it to the next terminal using the optical fiber as a medium. to be transmitted. On the other hand, if the input packet is a command packet, the command packet output to line 21 is input to input command register 27. The input command register 27 stores all 32-bit command packets. 28 is a command analysis and generation circuit, which outputs an image packet discrimination signal on line 13 and line 1.
A command packet discrimination signal outputted on 4 is input. When it determines that all 32-bit command packets have been input to the input command register 26, it takes in all of these 32-bit command packets, analyzes their contents, and then inputs response bits and specified bits as necessary, as described above. and sets all 32 bits in the output command register 29 at the same time. Further, if the aforementioned terminal is not the source, a non-source signal is output on line 17. 30 is a command identification signal generation circuit which generates an identification signal S to be added to the front of the command packet. 31 is an OR circuit which adds an identification signal S from a command identification signal generation circuit 30 to the front of the command packet input from the output command register 29 and outputs it to a line 32. The line 32 is input to the E/O converter 26, where it is converted into an optical signal in the same manner as the image packet, and transmitted to the next terminal via the optical fiber used to transmit the image packet.

4 provided in the command analysis and generation circuit 28
Switches SW1 to SW4 are used to set the address of the terminal, and switch SW5 is used to set whether or not command packets can be issued when the system is started, and is the only terminal in the system. It is something that is operated. These five switches are preset when the system is installed, and do not need to be re-operated unless a special problem such as system improvement occurs.

FIG. 8 is a detailed circuit diagram of the command analysis and command generation circuit 28 shown in FIG. 60
is an address bus, 61 is a data bus, 62 is a read signal line, 63 is a write signal line, and 40 is a central control unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU) that controls the operation of the circuit shown in FIG. be. 41 is an interrupt controller that inputs an interrupt signal to the CPU 40 to control interrupts of the CPU 40; for example, an Intel 8259
It is. The CPU 40 operates upon receiving an interrupt input from the interrupt controller 41. The signals input to the interrupt controller 41 include a signal (INT1) indicating that the timer for detecting loop break has elapsed for a predetermined period of time, and a signal (INT1) indicating that the timer has expired, and a signal indicating that a key on the operation unit provided in the device has been operated. (INT2), a command discrimination signal (INT3) from the command/image discrimination circuit 12 in FIG.
and image discrimination signal (INT4).
When these four types of signals are input, the interrupt controller 41 outputs an interrupt signal INTR to the CPU 40,
The CPU 40 starts operating. Reference numeral 42 denotes an address decoder that accesses each section to be controlled by the CPU 40 based on address information on the address bus 60 output by the CPU 40. 43 is CPU4
This is a read-only memory (ROM) in which 0 operation control programs are stored. 44 is a random access memory (RAM) having a storage space as shown in Table 1. 45 is an event timer for detecting the loop break described above. Reference numeral 46 denotes an operation section of the terminal, and 47 indicates a key and display controller for controlling input/output of keys, display, etc. provided on the operation section 46, such as Intel's 8279.
It is. 47 and 48 are input/output ports (I/O ports)
For example, Intel 8255 I/O port 47
The operation signals of the five switches SW1 to SW5 provided in the command analysis and command generation circuit and the signal from the reader and printer device 16 indicating the size of the recording material set in the printer device are included.
SIZE, signal indicating that the printer device is ready for operation
POK, signal indicating the end of printer operation
Eight PEND signals are input. The I/O port 48 has a command signal CMDS that causes the command discrimination signal generation circuit 30 to generate a command discrimination signal, a signal PRED that instructs the printer device to prepare for operation, and a start request signal PST for the printer device, and 29 is shown in FIG. The output command register shown, 27, is an input command register.

Table 1 RAM TABLE Master flag Channel No. Line check flag
Address 1 Number of pages code area line normal flag Address 2 〃 Line abnormality flag Address 3 〃 Destination () flag Address 4 〃 FiLL2 flag Destination address code FiLL3 flag Original size repeat flag Received number of pages area Transmission request flag Maximum number of pages area source Flag Transmission command/packet reception source flag Reception command/packet reception completion flag Figures 9 to 13 are control flowcharts of the CPU 40 of the command analysis and command generation circuit 28, and these programs are stored in the ROM 43 in advance. ing. These flowcharts will be explained below.

When the terminal is powered on, the above-described loop disconnection detection is first performed. Let me explain this.

FIG. 9 shows the power-on flow. When the terminal is powered on, in step 70, the interrupt controller 41, event timer 45, and
Key and display controller 47, I/O
The controllers 47, 48 and RAM 44 are initialized. Then, in step 71, the I/
Reads the O controller 47 and sets bit 5.
It is determined whether the input is "1" or not. That is, in Figure 7
By determining whether SW5 is activated, it is determined whether the terminal is a master terminal capable of issuing command packets at the time of system startup. If the input of bit 5 is "1", the terminal is a master terminal, and a master flag is set in the RAM 44; otherwise, the master flag in RAM is reset. Next, in step 72, bits 1 to 4 of the I/O controller 47 are transferred to the RAM.
44 channel number area. In other words, the address of the terminal set in SW1~4
Store in RAM44. Then, in step 73, a predetermined timer value is set in the event timer 73 to start timer operation, and a line check flag is also set in the RAM 44. In step 74, the RAM
44, and if it is set, sets an empty packet, 0, to the output command register 29, and if the master flag is not set, ends the power-on flow. .

After this, if there is no break in the loop and the terminal is normal, the command packet issued by the master terminal goes around the loop once before the event timer 45 times up and is input. Furthermore, the command packet issued by the master terminal is input to terminals other than the master terminal before the event timer 45 times up. Therefore, if the loop is normal, the command discrimination signal INT3 is input to the interrupt controller 41, and this fact is also transmitted to the interrupt terminal of the CPU 40, so that the CPU 40 operates. However, if the loop is broken, the event timer 45 times up before the command packet is input. Then, a time-up signal INT1 indicating this time-up is input to the interrupt controller 41, which is further notified to the interrupt terminal of the CPU 40, and the CPU 40 operates.

Figures 10A to 10J show command discrimination signals indicating that a command packet has been input to the terminal.
This is a command discrimination signal interrupt routine when INT3 is input, and the routine shown in FIG. 10A is used to detect loop breakage. Since the line check flag has been set in step 73 of the power-on flow in FIG. 9, the process advances to step 81 in step 80. At step 81, the loop 1 flag indicating that a command packet has already been input has not yet been set, so the loop 1 flag is set. In step 82, the command packet input to the input command register 27 is
Load it into the received command packet area of RAM44. In step 83, it is determined whether or not the command packet loaded into the RAM 44 is an empty packet. In this case, since it is a packet, the process proceeds to step 84, where a transmission request flag is set to indicate that there is a transmission request to the terminal. Determine if there are any. In this case, since there is no transmission request, the process proceeds to step 85, where an empty packet is formed in the transmission command packet area of the RAM 44, and is loaded into the output command register 29 in step 86. Then, in step 87, a predetermined timer value is set in the event timer 45, the timer operation is started, and the command discrimination signal interrupt routine is ended. . Thereafter, if a command packet is input again before the event timer 45 times up, the command discrimination interrupt routine is started again. At this point, the loop disconnection detection ends and it is determined that the loop is normal. At step 81, since the loop 1 flag has been set in the RAM 44, the loop 1 flag is reset, and the line check flag is also reset.
Then, the line normal flag is set and the abnormal flag is reset. Then, the content of the received command packet loaded into RAM44 is analyzed again,
Furthermore, if no transmission request is input to the terminal, an empty packet is loaded into the output command register 29 and the timer operation of the event timer 45 is restarted.

However, if the event timer 45 times up before the command packet is input, a time-up signal is sent to the interrupt controller 41.
INT1 is input and the timer interrupt routine shown in FIG. 11 is called. In step 50, the first
If breakage of the loop is not detected by the routine in Figure 0A and the loop is normal, the line normal flag is set in the RAM 44, and in this case, it is assumed that the command packet was input before time-up, and the timer interrupt routine is terminated. However, if the line normality flag is not set, it is determined that no command packet was input before time-up, the line abnormality flag is set in the RAM 44, and the process proceeds to step 51. In step 51, it is determined whether a master flag indicating that the terminal is a master terminal is set. If the terminal is the master and the master flag is set, an empty packet is set in the output command register 29 and the process proceeds to step 52; if the terminal is not the master, the process directly proceeds to step 52. step
At step 52, a predetermined timer value is set in the event timer 45 and the timer operation is started. In this way, when the terminal is the master, when the time-up occurs before inputting a command packet, it outputs an empty command packet again and at the same time starts the event timer 45.
starts the timer operation. Further, the terminal that is not the master restarts the timer operation of the event timer 45. In this way, loop break detection is repeated several times, and if a command packet is still not input normally even after performing the detection operation a predetermined number of times, it is determined that there is definitely a break in the loop, and each terminal is This is to drive the provided alarm means, etc. Moreover, since each terminal is configured to detect loop breakage, when a loop is cut, the cut position can be accurately determined.

FIG. 12 shows a key-in interrupt routine when a key input signal INT2 indicating that a key of the operating section 46 has been operated is input. There are four types of information input from the operation unit 46: the destination of the image information, the number of image information to be transmitted, the size of the image information to be transmitted, and an instruction to start transmission. First, the entered key information is stored in the corresponding area of the RAM 44. In other words, if a destination address key is entered, the address code is stored in RAM.
Set to 44. Also, if the transmission number key is entered, it corresponds to the destination address.
Set the number of sheets in the number of sheets code area of RAM44. Also, set the size in the document size area. After the above three types of information are entered, and the transmission start key is entered, the areas corresponding to the four transmission addresses of the RAM 44 are checked in order from addresses 1 to 4 to see if the number of sheets has been set. Then, if the number of copies is set, the first confirmed transmission address is set to the first destination address bit in the send command packet area of RAM 44, and that number is set to the transmission count bit, and then it is confirmed that the number of copies is set. The received sending address is also set to the second destination address bit of the sending command packet.
The number of sheets is set in the transmission count bit. In addition, if a destination with a number of copies is confirmed, the RAM
Set the repeat flag to 44. If the destination is not confirmed any further, the document size bits and destination address bits of the transmission command packet are further set. Then, the transmission request flag in RAM 44 is set. Here, a transmission command packet is set in the transmission command packet area of the RAM 44 to be output when an empty command packet is received. That is, a command packet based on the destination address, number of sheets to be transmitted, document size, etc. input from the operation unit 46 is formed in the transmission command packet area in the RAM 44. The FiLL2 flag indicates that information regarding the terminals with addresses 1 and 2 has been set in the sending command area in the RAM 44, and the FiLL3 flag indicates that information regarding the terminals with addresses 1 and 3 or 2 and 3 has been set in this area. to show that

When a command packet is thus formed in the transmission command packet area of the RAM 44 and an empty packet is input to the terminal for which the transmission request flag is set, the command discrimination signal interrupt routine is called by the command discrimination signal INT3. Then, this terminal becomes the source of the image information and starts the protocol necessary for transmitting the image information to the destination.

The operation of the source terminal will be explained below.

Referring again to the command discrimination signal interrupt routine of FIGS. 10A-10J. As mentioned above, RAM4
When an empty packet is input to a terminal in which a transmission command packet is formed in the transmission command packet area 4 and a transmission request flag is set, the routine shown in FIG. 10A is called by the command discrimination signal INT3. Since the line check flag has already been reset, proceed to step 82 and read the command packet input to the command register.
Load it into the received command packet in RAM44. Then, in step 83, the content is determined and since it is an empty packet, the process advances to step 84 to see if the transmission request flag is set. In this case, since there is a transmission request and the transmission request flag is set in the RAM 44, the process advances to step 92. In step 92, the send request flag in RAM 44 is reset, and the sender flag indicating that the terminal has become the sender is reset.
Set it in RAM44 and proceed to step 86. In step 86, the command packet that has already been formed in the transmission command packet area of the RAM 44 based on the data input from the operating section is loaded into the output register 29. Then, at the same time as sending out the command packet, a predetermined value is set in the event timer in step 87, and the timer operation is started.
The routine shown in Figure 0A ends. At this point, a command packet with bits set indicating the destination, the corresponding number of transmissions, the sender, the document size, and the line connection is transferred onto the loop. and,
The originating terminal specifies that this command packet is passed through all terminals and then input again.

When a command packet is input again to the source terminal, the routine shown in FIG. 10A is called by the command discrimination signal INT3. This command packet contains information related to transmission and a response from the destination. Therefore, in step 82, RAM4
It is determined that the command packet loaded in step 4 is not an empty packet, and the process proceeds to step 88. RAM44
Since the source flag is set in
Proceed to 0C diagram. And in step 101
It is checked whether the command packet in the receive command packet area of the RAM 44 has a reception ready bit, a transmission start command bit, and a transmission completion bit set. In this case, since these three types of bits are not set, the process advances to step 102.
In step 102, it is determined whether response bits corresponding to the first and second destinations are set in the received command packet area. If set, each bit is reset and the process proceeds to step 103; if not, the number code area of the RAM 44 corresponding to the destination is set to 0, each response bit is reset, and the process proceeds to step 103. Proceed to 103. In step 103, the 12th
In the key-in interrupt routine shown in the figure, RAM44
Check whether the repeat flag is set. If the repeat flag is set, it is determined that there is another destination for which the number of copies can be set, and in step 104 it is checked whether the FiLL2 flag is set. This will check whether some of the destinations were set in the previous command packet. That is, if the FiLL2 flag is set, in step 104, it is determined whether or not the number of sheets is set in addresses 3 and 4, assuming that the information to the destination corresponding to addresses 1 and 2 was set in the previous command packet. look. In this case addresses 3 and 4
If the number is set in both, address 3 is set in the first destination bit of the received command packet area in RAM 44, that number is set in the transmission count bit, address 4 is set in the second destination bit, and , and sets the number of sheets to the transmission count bit. If the number of sheets is set for only one of addresses 3 and 4, that address is set in the first destination bit of the received command packet area, and the number of sheets is set in the number of transmission bits. and,
The FiLL2 or FiLL3 flag is reset and the process proceeds to step 106. In step 106, the repeat flag is reset, and the process proceeds to the step 106, where the command packet set in the RAM 44 is transferred to the command register 29.
and starts the event timer 45.
However, if the repeat flag is not set in step 103, the process advances to step 107. In step 107, destinations 1 to 4 are stored in RAM 44.
Check whether there is a setting for the number of sheets. If it is the originating terminal, the number of packets has been set, so the process proceeds to step 108, where a bit is first set in the RAM 44 to inquire whether the reception preparation for the reception command packet is complete. Then, in step 109, it is sequentially determined whether or not the number of sheets is set in the area corresponding to each address. If the number of sheets has been set, write that address to the RAM according to the flow chart in Figures 10D to 10G corresponding to each address.
44 in the first and second destination address bits of the received command packet area. In addition, 3
If the number of sheets is set on more than one terminal, the repeat flag is set. and proceed to RAM
44 is loaded into the output command register 29, and the event timer 45 is activated. In this way, the command packet with the bit set to inquire about the completion of reception preparation is output onto the loop. The source terminal then waits for this command packet to be input again as described above.

Next, when a command packet is input, the routine of FIG. 10A is called by the command discrimination signal INT3, and if the reception ready bit of the received command packet is set, the routine from step 101 of FIG. 10C is executed. Proceed to Figure 10H. Then, in step 101, if the destination response bit should have been set but is not, the process loads the input received command packet into the output command register 29 and returns to the process to load the same content again. Output command packet. If the destination response bit that should have been set is set, the response bit is reset in step 111, and the RAM 44 is reset in step 112.
Determine whether the repeat flag is set. If not set, in step 113 the reception ready bit of the received command packet is reset, the transmission start command bit is set, and the 10th bit is set.
Proceed to figure C. and again in step 109
It is sequentially determined whether the number of sheets is set in the area corresponding to each address of the RAM 44. Then, the address is set in the received command packet area, and the command packet set in the return RAM 44 is output. If the repeat flag is set in step 112, it is determined in step 114 whether the FiLL2 flag is set, and if it is set, the previous command packet is sent to the destination corresponding to addresses 1 and 2. Assuming that the bit inquiring whether reception preparation is complete is set and the response bit is obtained, it is checked in step 115 whether or not the number of sheets has been set in addresses 3 and 4. and,
The address is set in the address bits of the first and second destinations in RAM 44, the repeat flag is reset, and the command packet with the bit set in RAM 44 asking whether reception is ready for the new destination is returned. Output.

Next, when a command packet with the transmission start command bit set is input, a command discrimination signal is generated.
The routine of FIG. 10A is called by INT3, and the routine proceeds from step 101 of FIG. 10C to FIG. 10I. In FIG. 10I, it is determined in step 116 whether or not the response bit for the transmission start command is set, and if it is not set, the program returns and sends out a command packet containing the same information again. If the response bit is set, it is determined in step 117 whether the repeat flag is set. If it is set, the first
Proceed to 0H diagram. If it has not been set, the program proceeds to step 118 and resets the transmission start command bit in the receive command packet area of the RAM 44, and further sets bit 3 of I/O2, which instructs reader activation. Then, among the set numbers corresponding to each destination address set in the RAM 44, the maximum number is set in the maximum number area of the RAM 44.

As described above, when a response from the destination to the transmission start command from the source is confirmed, the source terminal starts transmitting image information.

That is, an image packet formed by reading a document is output from the transmission source. When the image packet returns to the source terminal via each terminal, the image discrimination signal interrupt routine shown in FIG. 13 is called by the image discrimination signal INT4. If the terminal is the source, the process proceeds to step 120, where 1 is subtracted from the maximum number of images area, and when the content of the maximum number of images area becomes 0, it is assumed that the transmission of the image packet has been completed, and the process proceeds to step 121. Then, in step 121, bit 3 of I/O2 is reset to stop the reader, and a bit inquiring about reception completion is set in the reception command packet area, and the process proceeds to FIG. 10C. Then, in step 109, the address of the terminal for which the number of copies has been set is set in the first destination or second destination bit of the received command packet, and the program returns to output the command packet set in the RAM 44. Further, if the value of the maximum number of images area does not become 0 in step 120, the image packet is outputted again. The value in the maximum number area becomes 0, and the source terminal that outputs the command packet with the bit set to inquire about reception completion waits for a response bit from the destination. When this command packet is input, the command discrimination signal interrupt routine of FIG. 10A is called by the command discrimination signal INT3. Then proceed to Figure 10C.
When a command packet with a bit set to inquire about completion of reception from the sender is input, it is determined in step 101 and the process proceeds to FIG. 10J. In the flowchart of FIG. 10J, it is determined in step 122 whether or not the response bit to the reception completion bit is set, and if it is not set, the process returns and sends out a command packet containing the same information again.
Also, if the response bit is set, the step
Proceed to step 123 to determine whether the repeat flag is set. If it has been set, the process proceeds to FIG. 10H and asks the remaining destinations whether reception is complete. If it is not set, the process proceeds to step 124, where the transmit command packet is set to 0 and the 10th A is set.
Proceed to the diagram. At this point, all image transmission from the source is completed, and empty packets are sequentially transferred onto the loop again.

Next, the operation of the destination terminal will be described.

Assume that the line check is completed, the source outputs a command packet containing information specifying the destination, and this command packet is input to a terminal other than the source. This allows the command discrimination signal
At INT3, the command discrimination interrupt routine of FIG. 10A is called. At step 80, the line check flag has already been reset, so proceed to step 82, where the input command packet is
Load it into the received command packet area of RAM44. The process then proceeds from step 83 to step 88, and since it is not the source, the process further proceeds to step 89.
In step 89, it is checked whether the first destination address bit of the received command packet matches the channel number of the terminal set in the RAM 44. If they match, the receiving source flag in RAM 44 is set and the process proceeds to FIG. 10B. Also the first
If the destination address bits do not match, step 90 checks for a match with the second destination address bits. If they match, the process proceeds to FIG. 10B. If they do not match, that is, if it is not specified as either the first or second destination, proceed to step 91, load the received command packet as is into the output command register 29, and store it in the RAM 4.
Reset the receiving source flag in step 4 and proceed to step 87.
Then, a predetermined timer value is set in the event timer, the timer is activated, and an empty packet is output.
If the first or second destination is specified as described above, the process proceeds to FIG. 10B. Then, in step 93, determine what the received command packet is for.
Judging by ~95.

That is, if the first question is whether reception preparation is complete, I/O1 is read and the signal at bit 7 of I/O1 indicating whether printing is possible is checked. If printing is possible, the process advances to step 99 to check whether the receiving source flag is set. If it is set, it is assumed that the own terminal is the first destination, and the first destination response bit of the received command packet is set and loaded into the transmitted command packet area. Furthermore, if the receiving source flag is not set, it assumes that the own terminal is the second destination and sets the second destination response bit of the received command packet. Then, in step 100, bit 2 of I/O2, which is a print operation preparation command, is set, and the specified number of transmissions is stored in the RAM.
44, and proceed to the step shown in FIG. 10A to output to the loop and start the timer. However, if the printing operation is not possible, the process proceeds to step 10, and without setting the response bit of its own terminal, proceeds to step 10A of FIG. 10A, where it directly outputs the received command packet.

Second, if the received command packet instructs to start transmission, the printer proceeds to step 94 to prepare the printer to receive an image signal and sets a response bit.

If the third question is whether reception is complete, I/O1 is read in step 95, and the signal at bit 8 of I/O1 indicating whether the printing operation has been completed is checked.
If the print operation is completed, proceed to step and set the response bit. Also, if the printing operation has not been completed, the program proceeds to step 2 and does not set the response bit.

If the received command packet does not ask any of the above three questions, I/O1 is read, and in step 97 bit 6 of I/O2 indicating the size of the recording material set in the printer device is set. , it is determined whether the size is equal to the size specified by the received command packet. If they are equal, proceed to step 99 and set the response bit; if they are not equal, the command packet is output without setting the response bit.

In FIG. 10B, a command packet with a response bit set to the transmission start command is sent,
When this command packet is confirmed by the sending terminal, an image packet is sent.

When an image packet is input to the destination terminal, the image discrimination signal interrupt routine shown in FIG. 13 is called by the image discrimination signal INT4.
In step 119, since this is the destination terminal, the sender flag is not set. If the image packet corresponding to the set number of images has not been received, the reception completion flag is not set in the RAM 44, so 1 is subtracted from the received image number area of the RAM 44, and the number in the received image number area becomes 0. See if no. When the flag becomes 0, a reception completion flag is set in the RAM 44, and bit 2 of I/O2, which is a signal output terminal for copying operation, is reset.

In this way, when the destination terminal inputs an image packet, it extracts one image from the reception number area of the RAM 44.
Subtract it, and if the value becomes 0, it is determined that reception is complete,
A reception completion flag is set in the RAM 44 to finish receiving the image packet. Then, a response bit is set in response to the next input received command packet in which the bit inquiring reception completion is set.

As explained above, according to this embodiment, image transmission from one image processing device to multiple image processing devices does not require a large capacity memory for storing image information at the destination. Images can be transmitted in real time to multiple designated devices. Furthermore, multiple instructions can be given to multiple devices by one transmission of control information, and the time used for protocols can be shortened. Further, it is possible to obtain excellent effects such as being able to transmit different numbers of image information to a plurality of destinations by one protocol.

Although the present embodiment describes image transmission between terminals provided at four locations, the number of terminals is not limited to this value. Further, the terminal does not necessarily have to have both an image recording function and an image reading function, and it is also possible to connect a device having only one of the functions or another device having a display function or the like.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the same document image is recorded different times on multiple recording units, the number of image recordings input individually to each of the multiple recording units is recorded on the multiple recording units. At the same time, the maximum number of image recording times entered individually for each of the plurality of recording sections is set as the number of times the document image is read, and the same document image is repeatedly read by the reading means at that number of times. The same image information that is repeatedly output from the reading means can be repeatedly transmitted to multiple recording sections by the transmission means, so there is no need to use a memory that stores one page of image information output from the reading means. In addition, the same original image can be efficiently transferred to multiple recording units without having to read the same original image and transmit the same image information multiple times in response to each of the multiple recording units. This makes it possible to record different numbers of times.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the connection of a loop transmission system using optical fiber to which the present invention is applied, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image reading section, Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an image packet, and Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image reading section. is a diagram showing a command packet, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the contents of a command packet, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a protocol procedure related to image transmission, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a terminal circuit. Figure 8 is a detailed circuit diagram of the command analysis and command generation circuit, and Figures 9 to 13 are
12 is a control flow chart of the CPU, 12 is a command/image discrimination circuit, 27 is an input command register, 28 is a command analysis and command generation circuit, 29 is an output command register, 40 is a CPU,
41 is an interrupt controller, 43 is a ROM, 44
is RAM.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A reading means for outputting image information by photoelectrically reading a document image; a transmission means for transmitting the same image information outputted from the reading means to a plurality of recording units; an input means for individually inputting the number of image recordings to be performed by each of the plurality of recording units; and an input means for individually inputting the number of image recordings to be performed by each of the plurality of recording units; a notification means for notifying each of the plurality of recording units; a setting means for setting the maximum number of image recording times individually input to each of the plurality of recording units by the input means as the number of times the document image is read; At the number of readings set by the setting means,
The apparatus further comprises control means for causing the reading means to repeatedly read the same original image, and for causing the transmission means to repeatedly transmit the same image information repeatedly output from the reading means to the plurality of recording units. Image processing device.