JPH04316172A - Color picture forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform the multilevel color expansion of graphic information at a high speed. CONSTITUTION:An input buffer 1 stores PDL codes containing color information sent from a host computer 30 and the PDL codes are sent to a binary picture forming section 2 for analysis. As a result, graphic information is expanded in a binary picture buffer 3 as a binary picture and the expanded binary picture is sent to a multilevel picture forming section 4 together with the address, transversal and longitudinal sizes, and x and y coordinates for printing of the graphic information. The information other than the graphic information is sent to the section 4 as it is. At the section 4, values are set on a color table with respect to color designating information and the binary picture from the buffer 3 is set at multiple levels with respect to the picture information and copied in the print buffer of each color. Then a printer engine section 10 performs full-color printing by referring to the multilevel picture data of one page quantity in the print buffer of each color.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a color image forming apparatus that inputs a page description language (hereinafter referred to as PDL) code containing color information, develops it into a full-color image, and outputs it in full color. It is.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional color image forming apparatus, a PDL code containing color information is input, and the input PDL code is developed into a multivalued color image and outputted in full color.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] In general, when comparing the processing for developing graphic information and the processing for copying it while converting it into multiple values,
Expanding graphic information takes several to several tens of times more processing time than copying. Therefore, in the above conventional color image forming apparatus,
The graphic information of the PDL code, including color information, is not developed into a binary image, but is directly multi-valued into the print buffer corresponding to the constituent colors of the color output device, so multi-value development is performed for the number of these constituent colors. There is a problem in that it is necessary to repeat the steps, and the processing time associated with this is required. For example, if the constituent colors are yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, four multivalue expansions are required.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems, and has the following configuration as a means for solving the above-mentioned problems. That is, enter a page description language code that includes color information,
In a color image forming apparatus that forms a color image by performing multi-value development into a multi-value image buffer based on the analysis result of the code, means for developing graphic information of the input page description language code into a binary image; a binary image buffer that stores the binary image; and a binary image buffer in the binary image buffer;
and means for converting the multivalued image into the multivalued image buffer and copying it in accordance with the color specification by the page description language code.

[0005]

[Operation] With the above configuration, multi-value color development of graphic information becomes possible at high speed.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the color image forming apparatus 20 includes an input buffer 1, a binary image forming section 2, a binary image buffer 3,
It is composed of a multivalued image forming section 4, a print buffer 5, and a printer engine section 10. Of these, the print buffer 5 has print buffers for each color: a yellow print buffer 6, a magenta print buffer 7, a cyan print buffer 8, and a black print buffer 9.

Input buffer 1 of color image forming apparatus 20
is a buffer for temporarily storing the PDL code including color information sent from the host computer 30. This PDL code includes the color image forming device 20
Position specification information that specifies the print position in the printer engine unit 10, which is the final output stage of There is specification information, and character information that specifies the characters to be printed.

The PDL code stored in the input buffer 1 is sent to the binary image forming section 2, where the PDL code is analyzed. As a result, the graphic information is developed as a binary image in the binary image buffer 3, and sent to the multilevel image forming unit 4 with its address, horizontal size, vertical size, and x and y coordinates for printing attached. It will be done. Further, information other than graphic information is sent as is to the multivalued image forming section 4.

In the multivalued image forming section 4, the binary image forming section 2
Analysis of PDL code and other information from
In particular, when color specification information is input, values are set in the color table (not shown) according to the color specification, and
When graphic information is input, the binary image from the binary image buffer 3 is multivalued according to the color table and copied to print buffers for each color. Then, the printer engine unit 10 performs full-color printing by referring to one page of multivalued image data in the print buffer for each color.

Next, the image forming process procedure in the color image forming apparatus of this embodiment will be explained. FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart showing the image forming processing procedure in the color image forming apparatus of this embodiment. In the figure, in step S1, the PDL code sent from the host computer 30 is temporarily stored in the input buffer 1, and in the following step S2, the PDL code is analyzed in the binary image forming section 2. It will be done. Then, in step S3, PD
Determine whether or not the L code includes graphic information, and if the determination result is YES, perform 2 regarding the graphic information.
After developing the image into a binary image in the value image buffer 3, the process proceeds to step S5, where processing for forming a multivalued image, which will be described later, is performed.

However, if it is determined in step S3 that the PDL code does not include graphic information, in step S5, information other than the graphic information is sent as is to the multi-value image forming section 4, and the multi-value image forming section 4 Processing is performed for this purpose. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for forming a multivalued image in a multivalued image forming section constituting the color image forming apparatus of the present invention. Note that the description will be made assuming that the input PDL code is color designation information or graphic information.

In step S11 of FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not the PDL code from the binary image forming section 2 is color designation information. If it is determined that it is color designation information, step S11 is performed.
Proceeding to step 12, values are set in the built-in color table according to the color specification. Specifically, a process is performed in which each value of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black specified by the color specification is substituted into each color table of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.

However, if it is determined in step S11 that the input PDL code is not color designation information, the process advances to step S13 since the input PDL code is graphic information. In step S13, the start address, horizontal size, and vertical size of the binary image expanded in the binary image buffer 3, as well as x and y coordinates in a multilevel buffer (not shown) are input, and in the subsequent step S14, the binary image is From the first address of the image, image information of the horizontal size and vertical size input in step S13 is transferred to the yellow print buffer 6 according to the yellow color table.
Copy to the specified x, y coordinates while converting into multiple values.

For example, if the value of the yellow color table is 1
00 and the binary image is "1", 100 is substituted into the corresponding multi-value buffer, and when the binary image is "0", 0 is substituted into the corresponding multi-value buffer. Similarly, in step S15, a copying process is performed on the magenta print buffer 7, in step S16, a copying process is performed on the cyan print buffer 8, and in step S17, a copying process is performed on the black print buffer 9.

As explained above, according to this embodiment,
By avoiding developing graphic information into print buffers for each constituent color (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) as many times as there are constituent colors, and by converting the graphic information into binary data and then copying it while converting it into multiple values, the graphic information can be printed in a short time. This has the effect of making it possible to deploy information to a print buffer. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and for example, a CRT may be used instead of a printer as an output device. CRT
When using , the constituent colors are generally red, green,
Available in three colors: blue.

Further, in the above embodiment, the constituent colors of the output device were four colors: yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, but these may be changed to three colors: yellow, magenta, and cyan. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, all the input graphic information is subjected to binary expansion, but it is possible to register in advance in the binary image forming section the figures that will be subjected to binary expansion and the figures that will not be subjected to binary expansion. Figures to be developed in value may be subjected to binary expansion and then copied while being multi-valued, and figures that are not to be expanded in binary may be expanded in multi-value to print buffers of each constituent color in the multi-value image forming section.

The present invention may be applied to a system made up of a plurality of devices, or to an apparatus made up of one device. It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to cases where the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or device.

[0018]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention,
When developing graphic information into an image, by first developing the graphic information into a binary image buffer and then converting it into a multi-value image buffer and copying it, multi-value color development of the graphic information is possible in a short time. It has the effect of becoming

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a color image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart showing an image forming process procedure in the color image forming apparatus of this embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing multi-value image forming processing in a multi-value image forming section that constitutes a color image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Input buffer 2 Binary image forming section 3 Binary image buffer 4 Multivalued image forming section 5 Print buffer 10 Printer engine section 20 Color image forming device 30 Host computer

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A color image forming apparatus that inputs a page description language code including color information, and forms a color image by performing multi-value development on a multi-value image buffer based on the analysis result of the code. means for developing graphical information of a page description language code into a binary image; a binary image buffer for storing the binary image; and a means for converting the binary image in the binary image buffer into a color specified by the page description language code. Accordingly, the color image forming apparatus is characterized by comprising means for converting the multivalued image into the multivalued image buffer and copying the multivalued image.