JPH0937010A - Image output device and control method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To print out the hard copy of a displayed image with high picture quality and to surely perform the hard copy of an image received during printing as well by providing a resolution transforming means, etc., for transforming the resolution of image data received by a receiving means corresponding to the resolution displayed by a display means or printed by a printing means. SOLUTION: When an image signal is received through a network interface 101, it is demodulated by a demodulation part 102 and temporarily stored in a hard disk 112. The stored image data are read out, an image is generated with the resolution of a monitor TV 111 by a graphics generating part 103 and a decoding/resolution transforming part 104, and it is displayed on the monitor TV 111. An operator instructs printing while watching that image and reads out the stored image data again, an image is generated with the resolution of a printer 108 by the graphics generating part 103 and the decoding/ resolution transforming part 104, and it is printed by the printer 108. Therefore, the output of the image received during printing is not missed and the high- resolution image can be provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image output device such as a digital set top box (STB) which receives and outputs image data and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a video printer has been used to obtain a hard copy of a video signal from a digital STB.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned conventional example has the following drawbacks. 1. A video printer cannot obtain high image quality because the image resolution is TV resolution. Especially, the quality of graphics characters is degraded and small characters cannot be reproduced. 2. The speed at which hard copies are taken continuously is determined by the speed of the video printer, and even if an image that is desired to be taken as the next hard copy comes while outputting one image, it cannot be captured and hard copy cannot be performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional example, and an image output apparatus capable of printing out a hard copy of an image being displayed with high image quality, and reliably making a hard copy of an image received during printing, and the same. The purpose is to provide a control method.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the image output apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, receiving means for receiving the image data, display means for displaying and outputting the image, printing means for printing out the image,
Depending on the switching means for switching the display means or the printing means to output the image data, and the resolution displayed by the display means or printed by the printing means according to the output destination switched by the switching means. Resolution conversion means for converting the resolution of the image data received by the reception means at a different resolution.

The control method of the image output apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, a method of controlling an image output apparatus having a generation unit that generates an image of a resolution for display or printing, including an input step of inputting image data, a storing step of storing the input image data, and a storing step. A generation step of reading the generated image data and generating an image of resolution for printing by the generation means, and a printing step of printing out the image generated by the generation step are provided.

The computer controller of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, a computer control device for controlling a computer by reading a predetermined program from a memory medium, wherein the memory medium has a procedure of an input step of inputting image data and a procedure of a storage step of storing the input image data. And a procedure of a generation step of reading the stored image data and generating an image of a resolution for printing, and a procedure of a printing step of printing out the image generated by the generation step.

With the above configuration, the input image data is temporarily stored. After storing a series of image data, the image data is read and an image is generated and output according to the printing resolution. With this configuration, a high-quality hard copy can be obtained at a low price.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a digital set top box (STB) to which the present invention is applied. The digital STB 1 can receive image data, display it on a monitor, and output a hard copy thereof. First, the processing for monitor display will be described together with the configuration. [Image display] Information such as files, texts, document graphics, still images (encoded according to JPEG, etc.), moving images (encoded according to MPEG, etc.), etc. are sent to the digital STB 1 via a network. Is coming. These signals are input to the demodulation unit 102 via the network interface 101 to obtain a base signal. The text graphics code of the obtained base signal is converted into a bitmap at the TV resolution by using the graphics generation unit 103. The still image / moving image information is decoded by the decoding / resolution conversion unit 104 according to the procedure according to the coding rule, and an image of TV resolution is obtained. The distinction between the text graphic code, the still image, the moving image, and the like is performed according to an identifier or the like that is incorporated as a header portion of the received image information and that can identify the type of encoding.

The respective images are added by the adding section 105, and the video buffer 109 is added through the terminal 2 of the SW 106.
And is stored as digital data. The accumulated digital data is read out, converted into an analog image signal by a video DAC (digital analog comparator) 110, and then displayed on a monitor TV 111.

The above operation is performed by controlling each block by the controller 113.
The configuration of 13 is as shown in FIG. That is, the controller 113 includes various types of RAM 502 and ROM 503 for storing programs and data, a CPU 501 for executing the programs stored therein, and a remote controller TX (transmitter) 115 for an operator to remotely operate the controller 110. Remote control R for receiving command signals
An I / O2 that receives a command signal via an X (receiver) 114, an I / O1 that inputs and outputs a signal that controls each unit of the digital STB1, and a program or data is supplied from the outside or to the outside. And a removable external memory 504 for supplying or supplying.

The flow chart to be described later shows a control procedure executed by the CPU 501 to control each block of the STB 1. However, the procedure is not simply carried out inside the CPU but I / O at each step.
Control each block via O1.

FIG. 2 shows a controller 1 for image display processing.
13 is a control procedure by 13. In this procedure, the controller 11 is controlled so as to follow the data flow described above.
3 controls each block in FIG.

First, the network interface 10
1 to receive the image signal (step S201),
The demodulation unit 102 demodulates it to obtain a base signal (step S202). If the obtained base signal is a text graphics code, the graphics generation unit 1
03 is used to convert into a bitmap at TV resolution (step S204), and if it is still image or moving image information, it is decoded by the decoding / resolution conversion unit 104 according to the procedure according to the encoding rule, and the image of TV resolution is obtained. Is obtained (step S206). Finally, these are combined and stored in the video buffer 109 (step S207).

By the above procedure, the received image can be displayed. [Hard Copy] Next, a configuration and a processing procedure for performing a hard copy will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4.

If you have an image you want to make a hard copy of,
A command is generated by the remote controller TX115, and the remote controller RX115
It is received at 114 and processed by the controller 113. FIG.
The procedure of is started from this point.

The controller 113 receives the data via the network interface 101 (step S30).
1) The signal is demodulated by the demodulation unit 102 (step S302), and the demodulated signal is stored in the hard disk 112.
It is assumed that the image is stored in and is virtually printed (step S
303). This operation is performed at high speed because printing is not actually performed. In this way, a series of virtual prints is performed.

Next, the case of actually printing the virtually printed image, that is, the case of printing on a print recording medium such as paper will be described. Operator is remote control T
When the command is issued at X115, STB1 enters the print mode and starts actual printing. The control procedure at this time is shown in FIG.

In the print mode, the data for the first page is read from the hard disk 112 (step S401) and the display process is performed (step S402). This processing is the same as the processing after step S203 in FIG. 1, and the page read as a result is displayed on the monitor TV 111.

Next, the SW 106 is controlled to switch to the terminal 2, and the information of the same page is read again from the hard disk 112 (step S403). The read signal is bit-mapped at the printer resolution by the graphics generation unit 103 and the decoding / resolution conversion unit 104 (step S4).
05, S407), and the combined image is stored in the printer buffer 107 (step S408). The stored image data is printed out by the printer (step S409). When this is finished, the processing of the second page is performed in the same manner as the first page, and the sequence is continued until the final page (step S410).

By storing the received image data in the hard disk once and then reading it out again and printing it out as described above, it is possible to prevent the received image from being failed to be output during printing, and to be independent from the display. Therefore, high-resolution images can be printed.

Further, since the resolution conversion of display and printing is performed by the common configuration, the device can be constructed at low cost.

The procedure of FIGS. 3 and 4 can be summarized in four stages. Steps 301 to S303 are image data storage stages, steps S401 to 402 image display stages, steps S403 to S407 are image reproduction stages, and steps S408 to S409 are print stages. Considering these stages as program modules, a storage medium storing the program modules can be supplied from the external memory 504 to the controller 113 to realize the control procedure of the apparatus according to the present invention.

The structural features of the program according to the present invention for this purpose are as shown in FIG. Each module corresponds to each stage in FIGS.

<Second Embodiment> FIG. 6 shows an apparatus according to a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied. The video display is the same as in the first embodiment. Print system is print buffer 1
A PC port 201 is provided after 07 to connect to a personal computer (PC) 202. The print outline font uses the printer 203 connected to the PC. In this case, the image being printed is the monitor 20 of the PC.
4, the display on the monitor TV 111 is unnecessary.

The hard copy operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. The processing procedure when displaying an image is as shown in FIG. 2, and the virtual printing procedure is as shown in FIG.

If there is an image you want to make a hard copy of,
A command is generated by the remote controller TX115, and the remote controller RX115
It is received at 114 and processed by the controller 113. Figure 7
The procedure of is started from this point.

When the operator issues a hard copy command with the remote controller TX115, the digital STB 2 enters the print mode and starts actual printing.

In the print mode, the SW 106 is controlled to switch to the terminal 1, and the information of the first page is read from the hard disk 112 (step S701). The read-out signal is bitmap-developed by the graphics generation unit 103 and the decoding / resolution conversion unit 104 at the printer resolution (step S702), and is combined into the printer buffer 1.
It is stored in 07 (step S703). The stored image data is transferred to the PC port (step S704), and the PC
It is output from 202 (step S705). When this is finished, the processing of the second page is performed in the same manner as the first page, and the sequence is continued until the final page (step S706).

By storing the image data received as described above in the hard disk once and then reading it out again and printing it out, it is possible to prevent the received image from being failed to be output during printing, and to be independent from the display. Therefore, high-resolution images can be printed. In addition, since a PC is used for output, the data can be
If it is sent to the PC 202, it is not necessary to wait for printing, and the display output is not performed by the STB2, the PC 202
Since it can be performed through the monitor 204 connected to the STB 2, the addition of the STB 2 is reduced, and quick output processing can be performed.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining the processing procedure by the PC 202 which has received the data. Digital STB2
When one page of the image data demodulated to the printer resolution is received (step S801), it is sent to the printer 20.
3 is output (step S802), the resolution of the image is converted according to the resolution of the monitor 204 (step S803), and displayed on the monitor 204 (step S804). The above may be performed for the previous page of the image to be printed out.

<Third Embodiment> FIG. 9 shows an apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The processing procedure for video display and virtual printing is the same as in the first embodiment. In the print mode, the SW 106 is connected to the terminal 1. The graphic generation unit 103 and the decoding / resolution conversion unit 104 convert into a bitmap at the resolution of the printer 203 and store it in the video buffer 109. Since this storage capacity is small, one page cannot be stored. Then, it is developed in band or block units and sent to the PC 202 via the PC port 201. The file sent to the PC 202 is edited as necessary and printed out from the printer 203. Note that a band or block refers to each of data obtained by dividing one page of data into a predetermined size, and in particular, a band is data divided along the scanning direction.

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart of the procedure by the apparatus of FIG.

When the operator issues a hard copy command with the remote controller TX115, the digital STB 3 enters the print mode and starts actual printing.

In the print mode, the SW 106 is controlled to switch to the terminal 1, and the information of the first page is read from the hard disk 112 (step S1001). The read signal is bitmap-developed by the graphics generation unit 103 and the decoding / resolution conversion unit 104 at the printer resolution (step S1002), combined, and stored in the video buffer 107 (step S1003). Since the capacity of the video buffer 109 is not large enough to store one page of print resolution data, one band of data is stored here and the image data is transferred to the PC port (step S1004) and output from the PC 202.
This is repeated until the data for one page is output (step S1005), and when this is completed, the processing of the second page is performed in the same manner as the first page, and the sequence is continued until the final page (step S1006).

The print output and the display output performed at the same time are performed as in the second embodiment.

By sharing the buffer for display and printing as described above, in addition to the effect of the second embodiment, there is an effect that memory can be saved and a cheaper device can be realized.

Further, the system can be expanded without raising the price.

Moreover, the ease of use for the user is increased.

The present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices such as a host computer, an interface and a printer, or to an apparatus composed of a single device such as a copying machine. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a case where the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus. In this case, the system or device enjoys the effects of the present invention by reading the program into the system or device from a storage medium storing a program represented by software for achieving the present invention. It becomes possible.

[0041]

As described above, according to the image output apparatus and the method of controlling the same of the present invention, a high quality hard copy can be obtained. In addition, since the data is stored once and then printed out, high-speed printing is possible, and the data received during printing can also be used to print the data. Furthermore, by performing graphics conversion and demodulation commonly for display and printing, the cost of the device can be reduced.

Further, the system can be expanded without raising the price.

Also, the ease of use for the user is increased.

[0044]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a digital set top box (digital STB) that is a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of image display by a digital STB to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of virtual printing by a digital STB to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of actual printing by the digital STB according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an internal configuration of a controller unit of a digital STB to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 6 is a digital STB according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
It is a figure which shows the structure of.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of actual printing by a digital STB according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a print processing procedure by a PC connected to a digital STB according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a digital STB according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
It is a figure which shows the structure of.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of actual printing by a digital STB according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a memory map of a control program of the digital STB of the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A receiving means for receiving image data, a display means for displaying and outputting an image, a printing means for printing and outputting an image, and a switching of the display means or the printing means for outputting the image data. A switching unit and a resolution for converting the resolution of the image data received by the receiving unit with the resolution displayed by the display unit or the resolution printed by the printing unit according to the output destination switched by the switching unit. An image output device comprising: a conversion unit. 2. A storage means for storing the image data received by the receiving means is further provided, and when the output destination is switched to the printing means by the switching means, the storage means temporarily stores the image data, The image output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stored image data is read, the resolution is converted by the resolution converting unit, and the image is output by the printing unit. 3. The resolution conversion means, which generates graphic data from text data at a display or print resolution, decodes encoded image data, and converts the resolution into a display or print resolution. The image output apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a decoding / resolution conversion unit for performing the decoding. 4. The image output device according to claim 1, wherein the printing unit is a printer. 5. The printing means is a computer having a printer and a monitor, and the image data output from the resolution converting means is printed by the printer, and
The display is performed by a monitor.
The image output device according to any one of claims. 6. The resolution conversion means, when the output destination is switched to the printing means by the switching means,
6. The image output device according to claim 1, wherein the resolution of the image data is converted and output in units of areas of a predetermined size. 7. A method of controlling an image output apparatus having a generation means for generating an image of resolution for display or printing, the input step of inputting image data, and the storing step of storing the input image data. And a generating step of reading the stored image data and generating an image of a resolution for printing by the generating means, and a printing step of printing out the image generated by the generating step. A method for controlling an image output device. 8. Before the image of resolution for printing is generated by the generating step, the image of resolution for display is generated by the generating means from the image data read from the storing step and displayed. The control method of the image output device according to claim 7, further comprising a display step. 9. The control of the image output apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the printing step prints out the image generated by the generating step from a computer including a printing means and a display means. Method. 10. The image output device according to claim 7, wherein the image data input in the input step includes character image data, still image data, and moving image data. Control method. 11. A computer control device for controlling a computer by reading a predetermined program from a memory medium, the memory medium comprising a procedure of an input step of inputting image data and a storage for storing the input image data. A step of a process, a step of a generating step of reading the stored image data to generate an image of a resolution for printing, and a step of a printing step of printing out the image generated by the generating step. Characteristic computer control device.