JPH056426A - Image data converter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To transfer the image information between a storage medium and a host computer by mean an SCSI (small computer system interface), bus. CONSTITUTION:The input received from a file interface part 1 connected to a storage medium and the input received from an SCSI interface pant 2 connected to a host computer side stored in a memory 3. A data converter part 4 converts the form of the stored data into another form in response to the request of a transfer destination.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image data conversion device for transmitting image data at high speed on a storage medium side and a host side using a SCSI bus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electronic file system is accessed by an instruction from a host computer. For example, when data is retrieved or registered from a host computer, it is displayed on a graphic display (GD, Draphic Display) terminal in the electronic file system, is instructed to print out to a printer in the electronic file system, or is also the system. Image data is input from a scanner in the computer, an instruction to register the image on the optical disc is issued, search information is created on the host computer side, and the information is stored in the search device in the electronic file system and the optical disc.

[0003]

However, according to such a configuration, the host computer only gives the electronic file system an instruction for searching or registering, and the image data read by the scanner or the already stored image is stored. The data has been handled in the electronic file system closed and without being sent to the host computer.

The above-mentioned problems occur for the following reasons. First,
The physical and electrical interface of the computer interface unit (CIU) that connects the host computer and the electronic file system is RS-232C (EI
It is standardized by A and is defined by JIS as C6361).

Secondly, the CIU, which is a gateway device,
It mainly deals with protocol conversion between a host computer and an electronic file system.

Thirdly, since it is interfaced with RS-232C, the data transfer rate is slow (usually MAX.19200 bps), so it is not suitable for transmitting a large amount of data.

In recent years, it has been attempted to convert vector information created by CAD (computer-aided design) into raster information (image information in this case) and register it in an electronic file. An example of the configuration of this system is shown in FIG. The electronic file system 5 includes a file device 1, a scanner device 2, a printer device 3, a display device, and a file control device 4, and is connected to a gateway (CIU) 7. The gateway 7 and the host computer 6 are symbols
It is connected by RC-232C shown by 11. Further, a vector for converting the vector information from the host computer 6
A raster conversion device (VRC) 9 is provided, and the host computer 6 and the VRC device 9 are denoted by reference numeral GPIB (IEEE).
Also known as E-488 bus or IEC bus, it is connected by VRC, which is a bus interface devised for the small and medium scale automatic measurement system which was approved by IEEE in 1975 as the official standard in 1977 and VIEC. The device 9 and the electronic file system 5 are connected.

The VRC device 9 operates as a pseudo scanner in the electronic file system 5, and the raster information (image data) created by the VRC device 9 is emulated as image data input from the scanner device 2 as if it were the scanner device 2. It is treated as input data.

According to this system, the vector information created on the host computer 6 side can be registered in the electronic file system 5, but conversely, the image information from the electronic file system 5 is passed through the RS-232C so that the host computer It is difficult to enter 6 because of its slow communication speed.

In recent years, SCSI has been used as a general-purpose input / output interface for small and medium computer systems.
(Small Computer System Interface) was standardized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as ANSI X3.131.1986.

SCSI is positioned as a general-purpose input / output interface, and up to eight host computers and peripheral device controllers can be combined on the SCSI bus, and various types of magnetic disks, magnetic tapes, printers, optical disks, CD-ROMs, etc. Peripheral devices can be connected with the same control procedure. Physically lighter weight, total
18 signals are connected in a daisy chain with one 50-core cable. In addition, since the transfer rate can be increased up to 4 Mbytes / second, it is an interface that can be fully applied to general-purpose personal computers, host computers, workstations, etc.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image data conversion apparatus capable of transferring image information between a storage medium and a host computer by using a SCSI bus. And

[0013]

To achieve the above object, a file interface section connected to a storage medium side, a SCSI interface section connected to a SCSI bus side, and input / output to / from the SCSI interface section and the file interface section Memory for storing the data to be stored, and compressing / decompressing the data input to the memory from the file interface unit into a data format according to the request on the SCSI bus side, and storing the data input to the memory from the SCSI interface unit to the memory unit. And a data conversion unit for compressing and expanding the data format according to the request from the storage medium side.

[0014]

1 is a diagram for explaining the present invention. The input from the file interface unit 1 connected to the storage medium side and the input from the SCSI interface unit 2 connected to the host computer side are stored in the memory 3. The data conversion unit 4 determines the format of the data stored in the memory, that is, whether the compression method is the MH method, the MR method, or the raw data, and determines the status of the destination (storage medium side or host computer side). It is converted into suitable data and stored in the memory 3. The data input to the memory 3 is transmitted to the transfer destination from the file interface unit 1 or the SCSI interface unit 2. This makes it possible to register the image data created on the host computer side in the electronic file system and transfer the image data in the electronic file system to the host computer side. The vector information created by the host computer is converted into image data by the VRC device and then registered on the electronic file system side by the image data conversion device.

The MH system and the MR system are described in CCITT (International Telegraph and Telephone Advisory Committee) Recommendation T.264. 4 is a data encoding (compression) method of the facsimile adopted in No. 4, and there is also the MMR method and the like.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a system configuration example including the embodiment of the present invention. In this system, each device is connected by a star coupler 12. The computer 10 is connected via the computer I / F unit 11 of this embodiment, and the optical deck 1
3, an A1 size printer 14, an A1 size scanner 15, a normal size scanner and printer 16, a workstation 17, and a facsimile communication device 18 are also connected via a star coupler 12.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the computer I / F unit 11. Reference numeral 20 is a SCSI interface unit for performing a SCSI interface (I / F) with the computer 10, 21 is a star coupler 12 (SC), LAN (Local Area Network)
k), ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network)
A file interface unit for connecting to and interfacing with, a compression memory 22 for storing raw data and compressed data, and an image control unit 23 for compressing / expanding data, a compression / expansion unit 231 and a data rotation unit. And LSB firs
Image processing unit 232 for converting t, MSB first, etc.
, An image memory 233 used when the compression / expansion unit 231 performs processing. 24 is a CPU that controls the whole.

The operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be described below. Compressed data input from the file interface unit 21 from the electronic file side in response to a search processing request from the computer 10 is temporarily stored in the compression memory 22, and when the computer 10 requests raw data (uncompressed data). The data in the compression memory 22 is decompressed by the compression / decompression unit 231 and the image memory 233
Be deployed to. The decompressed data is transferred from the SCSI interface unit 20 to the computer 10.

When the compression method is specified from the computer 10, the data in the image memory 233 is compressed to the method specified by the compression / expansion unit 231 and then returned to the compression memory 22 from which the data is transmitted via the SCSI interface unit 20. Is output to the computer 10. If conversion of the data input from the file interface unit 21 to the compression memory 22 is not required, the data is output from the SCSI interface unit 20 as it is.

The compression method will be described. Generally, the MH method is used as the compression method handled by the computer. This is because the MH system is easy to implement with software. Furthermore, the MR system and the MMR system are also used. Further, in the electronic file system, the MH system, the MR system, the MMR system and the like are used, and further, the two-line batch run length system (2RL) which collectively represents data of two lines as a compression run length is also used. This 2
The RL method is a method that can replace the previous line even if a part of the data on the optical disk is lost. The compression rate is higher than the MH method and lower than the MMR method, but the MMR method loses a part of the data. You can't restore it, so it's overall good.

Next, in the registration processing on the electronic file side, S
When data (usually compressed data) is input from the CSI interface unit 20, it is stored in the compression memory 22, and the image control unit 23 converts the compression method (for example, MH method to MR method) according to the request from the electronic file side. I do.

It is also possible to process the data transferred to the computer side in the search processing, such as image editing, on the computer side and register it again on the electronic file side.

The data in the compression memory 22 and the search information created on the computer side are combined to perform registration processing from the file interface unit 21 into the electronic file system according to an instruction on the computer side.

For details of the command for transferring a large amount of data between a computer and an electronic file system using the SCSI bus, refer to Japanese Patent Application No. 62868 of the Japanese Patent Application No. 62868 in which the inventor is a joint inventor. It is described in.

[0026]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention provides an image data conversion device for converting the data compression method.
By connecting to the CSI bus, a large amount of image information can be transferred between the host side and the electronic file system side.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram in which this embodiment is used.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a conventional data transmission system between a computer and an electronic file system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 SCSI interface unit 21 File interface unit 22 Compressed memory 23 Image control unit 24 CPU 231 Compressing / expanding unit 232 Image processing unit 233 Image memory

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A file interface unit connected to the storage medium side, a SCSI interface unit connected to the SCSI bus side, and data to be input to and output from the SCSI interface unit and the file interface unit are stored. The memory and the data input from the file interface unit to the memory are decompressed into a data format according to a request from the SCSI bus side, and the SCSI
An image data conversion device, comprising: a data conversion unit that compresses and expands data input from the interface unit into the memory into a data format in accordance with a request from the storage medium side.