JPH10271368A - Controller for image-forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent interrupt of printing due to the lowering of battery of a digital still camera during printing of an image in a system, to which the digital still camera and a printer are connected. SOLUTION: When printing is requested (YES at S501), residual amount of battery of the digital still camera is detected (S502). When the residual amount of the battery is judged to be sufficient for printing an image (YES at S503), the image is outputted (S504) to the printer. When the remaining amount of the battery is not sufficient for printing the image (NO at S503), a shortage of the residual amount of the battery is warned (S505).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a control device for an image forming system, and more particularly to a control device for an image forming system which controls an image output of an image forming system including an image processing device and an image forming device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When printing out an image of a digital still camera (an example of an image processing apparatus, hereinafter referred to as a DSC), a printer (an example of an image forming apparatus) is directly transferred without transferring the image to a personal computer or the like. ) Has been proposed. In such a technique, the DSC and the printer are directly connected to form an image forming system.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, DSC
When the printer and the printer are directly connected, the remaining battery level of the DSC may be insufficient during printing of an image.
In such a case, the printing of the image ends in the middle, and the usability of the apparatus is poor.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to an image processing apparatus (for example, DSC) for converting an image to an image forming apparatus (for example, a printer).
It is an object of the present invention to provide a control device of an image forming system in which the output is not interrupted during the output from the printer.

[0005]

According to one aspect of the present invention, a control device for an image forming system includes an image processing device and an image forming device connectable to the image processing device. Control means for controlling the image forming system, comprising: detecting means for detecting a remaining amount of a battery for driving the image processing apparatus; and a remaining battery power detected by the detecting means. A determination unit configured to determine whether an image of the image processing apparatus can be output from the image forming apparatus based on the amount.

[0006] More preferably, the control device of the image forming system further includes a warning means for giving a warning based on the result of the judgment by the judgment means.

More preferably, the control device of the image forming system is configured to output the image of the image processing device from the image forming device based on the determination result of the determining unit. Control means for controlling so as to change the size of the image.

According to the invention, the remaining amount of the battery for driving the image processing apparatus is detected, and the image of the image processing apparatus is output from the image forming apparatus based on the detected remaining amount of the battery. Is determined. Accordingly, the output of the image processing apparatus is not interrupted while the image is being output from the image forming apparatus, and the usability of the system can be improved.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an image forming system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an image forming system is a DSC.
(Digital still camera) 1 and an inkjet printer 11. If necessary, a personal computer 3 can be connected to the image forming system.

The DSC 1 is a camera provided with a monitor. The IC card 2 can be attached to and detached from the DSC 1. The IC card 2 is composed of, for example, an SRAM and includes a backup battery. By mounting the IC card 2 on the DSC 1, an image captured by the DSC 1 can be recorded on the IC card 2.

The personal computer 3 can be connected to the DSC 1. Thereby, the image recorded in the DSC 1 main body or the IC card 2 can be transferred to the personal computer 3.

The personal computer 3 has a keyboard 6 and a C for reproducing image data and the like.
An RT 7, a printer 8, and a line 9 that can be connected to an external telephone or an external videophone for transmitting image data are connected. After a predetermined process corresponding to each connected external device is performed on the captured image inside the personal computer 3, the image is output to the outside.

The DSC 1 can be connected to the ink jet printer 11. When the DSC 1 and the inkjet printer 11 are connected, it is possible to directly output image data recorded in the DSC 1 main body or the IC card 2 from the inkjet printer 11.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the DSC shown in FIG. Referring to the figure, DSC 1 includes a taking lens 102, a flash emission unit 103, a camera activation switch 104, a start button 105, a display unit 106,
Switches 107 and 108 and an IC card insertion slot 111 are provided.

A camera start switch 104 turns the camera on when the switch is on as shown in FIG.
When it is on the OFF side, the camera is stopped.

The start button 105 functions as a shooting start button when shooting a subject, and functions as a print start button when printing an image.

The display unit 106 is provided at an appropriate position on the upper surface of the camera. The display unit 106 is composed of a liquid crystal or the like. When the photographing operation is being performed, the display unit 106 performs display indicating that the camera mode is set, and at the same time, displays the frame number of the photographing. On the other hand, when performing a printing operation, the display unit 106 performs a display indicating that the printing mode is set, and reproduces and displays the image data read from the internal memory of the IC card 2 or the DSC 1 in which the captured image is stored. .

In the case of a printing operation, the display unit 106 displays the frame number of the print image,
Each operation state such as completion of printing is also displayed.

The switches 107 and 108 switch the photographing lens 102 to the tele side or the wide side at the time of photographing, and move the same. The photographing lens 102 is switched to two photographing magnifications by being set to the tele side or the wide side.

During reproduction, the switches 107 and 108 move the recorded image forward or backward, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a driving circuit of the ink jet printer 11 shown in FIG.

Referring to the figure, the drive circuit is a print control C
PU 201, RAM 202, ROM 203, data transfer control unit 204, print head ejection drive unit 20
5, a print head movement drive unit 206, a paper feed motor drive unit 207, a recovery system motor drive unit 208, various sensor units 209, and a display unit 210.

The RAM 202 records data received from the DSC 1 or the personal computer 3, data developed for recording, and data on the number of ejections for each ejection port (nozzle).

The ROM 203 stores programs corresponding to flowcharts described later. Data transfer control unit 2
A unit 04 receives data from the DSC 1 and the personal computer 3 and transmits print head position information.

The print head ejection control unit 205
The print development data stored in M202 is transmitted to the print head, and the print head ejects ink.

The print head movement drive unit 206 drives a print head movement motor to move the print head in synchronization with recording timing.

The paper feed motor drive unit 207 drives the paper feed motor to convey the recording paper.

The recovery system motor drive unit 208 drives a motor to perform capping, forcible ejection of ink by suction, cleaning of ink attached to a cap or the like by forced ejection or preliminary ejection.

The various sensor units 209 are sensors provided at various places to detect the home position, the presence of paper, the presence of ink, and the like.

The display unit 210 displays a print status and various information. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a state in which the DSC 1 and the inkjet printer 11 are connected in FIG.

In this block diagram, the DSC
Only the blocks necessary for the process of outputting the image recorded in 1 by the inkjet printer 11 are shown, and the description of other unnecessary portions is omitted.

Referring to the figure, DSC 1 includes an imaging unit 301.
, Image data memory 302, image processing circuit 303
, A data transfer control unit 304, a battery 305, and a battery check circuit 306.

The image data picked up by the image pickup section 301 is temporarily stored in the image data memory 302. In addition,
At this time, image data can be transferred from the image data memory 302 to the IC card 2 and recorded.

The image data output from the image data memory 302 is converted by the image processing circuit 303 into an image suitable for output, and then sent to the data transfer control unit 304. The data transfer control unit outputs, to the inkjet printer 11, position information indicating the position of the output data in the entire image data and image data corresponding to the position information.

The data transfer control unit 304 inputs position information of image data from the ink jet printer 11. Based on the input position information, the data transfer control unit 304 sends an address instruction signal to the image data memory 30.
Output to 2.

The DSC 1 has a chargeable battery 3
05, and a battery check circuit 306 for detecting the remaining amount of the battery 305. The battery check circuit 306 outputs the remaining amount of the battery 305 in response to a request.

On the other hand, the ink jet printer 11 is connected to the data transfer control unit 304 of the DSC 1 in the data transfer control unit 204. The data transfer control unit 204
The position information of the image data and the image data are input from SC1. Further, the data transfer control unit 204 outputs the position information of the image data to the DSC 1.

The print control CPU 201 inputs image data from the data transfer control unit 204. Further, the print control CPU 201 determines whether to execute or suspend printing based on information output from the battery check circuit 306 of the DSC 1, and outputs a result of the determination to the data transfer control unit 204.

When stopping printing based on the data output from the battery check circuit 306,
The print control CPU 201 instructs the display unit 210 to display a warning.

Note that the print control CPU 201 sends drive signals to the print head movement control unit 206, the print head ejection drive unit 205, and the paper feed motor drive unit 207. The print head movement drive unit 206 drives the print head movement motor 212. The print head ejection drive unit 205 drives the print head 213.
The paper feed motor driving unit 207 drives the paper feed motor 214. By these driving, predetermined image data is printed at the position indicated by the position information output from DSC1.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a print operation process performed by the print control CPU 201 of the ink jet printer 11.

Referring to the figure, in step S501, it is determined whether there is a print request from DSC1 by pressing start button 105. If it is determined that a print request has been made, the remaining amount of the battery 305 is detected based on the data output from the battery check circuit 306 in step S502.

In step S503, it is determined whether the remaining amount of the battery is sufficient to perform printing. This is performed by comparing the remaining amount of the battery with a reference value.

If it is determined that the battery is low and printing cannot be performed, a battery level warning display is output to the display unit 210 in step S505. That is, in this case, there is a strong possibility that the battery runs out during the printing of the image, so that the user is warned without outputting the image.

If it is determined in step S503 that the remaining battery power is sufficient and that printing is possible, the transfer of an image to the ink jet printer 11 is started in step S504. Thereby, the inkjet printer 11 outputs image data.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S501 that there is no print request, the process returns.

In this embodiment, the remaining battery level warning is displayed on the display unit 2 of the ink jet printer 11.
Although the processing is performed at step 10, the processing may be performed on the display unit 106 of DSC1. Further, a warning may be displayed on both the display unit 106 of the DSC 1 and the display unit 210 of the inkjet printer 11.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, when the detected remaining amount of the battery of the DSC 1 is higher than one reference value, printing is enabled.
If it is less than this, it is determined that printing is not possible. The second embodiment is characterized in that a plurality of reference values are set, and a printable image size is determined by comparing with each of the reference values.

FIG. 6 is a table showing the relationship between the remaining amount of the battery 305 of the DSC 1 and the maximum image size that can be output from the ink jet printer 11.

As shown in the figure, when the remaining battery charge is 8% or more, the maximum image size that can be output is A3 size. When the remaining battery charge is less than 8% to 6% or more, the maximum image size is A4 size. When the battery level is less than 6% to 4% or more,
The maximum image size is A5 size. When the remaining battery charge is less than 4% to 2% or more, the maximum image size is A6 size.

When the remaining capacity of the battery is less than 2%, images of any size cannot be output from the ink jet printer.

In the second embodiment, it is determined whether or not the remaining amount of the battery is sufficient in consideration of the size of the image output from the ink jet printer 11 based on these relationships.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a printing process according to the second embodiment.

Note that the hardware configuration of the device according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

Referring to FIG. 7, in step S701, D
It is determined whether a print request has been issued by pressing the start button 105 of SC1. If there is a print request, the remaining battery level of DSC1 is detected in step S702. If it is determined in step S701 that there is no print request, the process returns.

After the remaining battery level of the DSC 1 is detected in step S702, it is determined in step S703 whether the remaining battery level is 8% or more. If it is determined that the remaining battery charge is 8% or more, the process proceeds to step S70.
In step 4, printout is executed with a desired image size specified by the user or the like. This is because, as shown in FIG. 6, if the remaining amount of the battery is 8% or more, printing can be performed in all image sizes.

At step S703, the remaining battery power is
%, It is determined in step S705
It is determined whether or not the remaining battery charge is 6% or more.
If it is determined that the remaining battery charge is 6% or more, the image size desired by the user or the like is set to A in step S706.
It is determined whether it is less than three. Desired image size is A
If it is less than 3, printing is performed in a desired image size in step S707.

On the other hand, if the desired image size is equal to or larger than A3 in step S706, a warning indicating that the remaining battery level of the DSC is low is displayed in step S708, and the routine returns.

That is, the remaining amount of the battery is between 6% and 8%.
If it is less than A3, an image cannot be output in the size of A3 as shown in FIG. 6, but it is possible to output an image of A4 or less, which is a size smaller than A3.
In the following cases, the printing is executed.

In step S705, the remaining battery charge is 6%
If it is determined that the value is less than the predetermined value, step S709
Then, it is determined whether or not the remaining amount of the battery is 4% or more. If it is determined that the remaining battery charge is 4% or more, it is determined in step S710 whether the desired image size is smaller than A4. If the desired image size is smaller than A4, printing is performed in the desired image size in step S711.

On the other hand, if the desired image size is equal to or larger than A4 in step S710, a warning of the remaining battery level of the DSC is displayed in step S712, and the routine returns.

In step S 709, the remaining battery power becomes 4
%, It is determined in step S71.
At 3, it is determined whether the remaining battery charge is 2% or more.
If it is determined that the remaining battery charge is 2% or more, it is determined in step S714 whether the desired image size is smaller than A5. If the desired image size is smaller than A5, printing is performed with the desired image size in step S715. If the desired image size is equal to or larger than A5 in step S714, a warning of the remaining battery charge of the DSC is displayed in step S716, and the process returns.

In step S713, the remaining battery power is 2%
If it is determined that the difference is less than the threshold, the warning display of the remaining amount of the DSC battery is performed in step S717, and the process returns. This is because, as shown in FIG. 6, if the remaining amount of the battery is less than 2%, an image cannot be output in any of the sizes A3 to A6.

As in this embodiment, when the remaining battery level is warned according to the size of the image to be output, it is possible to more strictly determine whether or not printing is possible, and Usability is improved.

[Third Embodiment] In the above-described second embodiment, if the detected remaining battery capacity of the DSC 1 is insufficient for the desired image size to be printed, the DSC The battery remaining amount warning display was to be performed. In the third embodiment, the printout is executed with an image size smaller than or equal to a desired image size after the DSC battery remaining amount warning is displayed.

More specifically, referring to FIG. 8, it is assumed that the desired image size desired by the user for output is an A3 image as shown in FIG. At this time, DSC1
Is less than 6% to 4% or more, and the maximum size of an image that can be output is A5 (see FIG. 6). At this time, the user can select and output an image of size A5 instead of the desired image size of A3.

At this time, as an output method, the user can arbitrarily select an output (b) with a trimming rate of 100% and an output (c) with a scale rate of 100%. An image having a trimming rate of 100% is an image in which an input image is entirely reduced and the entire image is output. The output at the scale of 100% is to output a desired portion (a portion surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 8A) in the image data at the same magnification without outputting the entire image.

By making such a selection, at least the user who has the remaining battery can obtain a preferable image according to the situation, and the usability of the apparatus is improved.

Next, a printing process according to this embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the same processing as that of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is executed in the printing operation. However, step S70 in FIG.
After the warning display processing in 8, S712, S716 and S717, the processing shown in FIG. 9 is executed in the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 9, step S in FIG.
D at 708, S712, S716 or S717
The SC remaining battery warning display is made.

Next, in step S902, it is determined whether a request for changing the print size has been made by an input from the user. If it is determined in step S902 that there has been a print size change request, the process proceeds to step S902.
In 903, a printable image size is set based on the remaining battery level detected in step S702 in FIG.

This is performed based on the remaining battery capacity and the maximum output image size shown in FIG. As the printable size, the maximum image size that can be output with the current battery remaining amount may be set,
A minimum image size (for example, A6) may be set according to the user's preference.

In step S904, step S9
The display for prompting the user to select whether or not to print at the printable size set in 03 is displayed.
If there is a print request from the user, the printing method is changed to the trimming rate of 100 in step S905.
It is determined whether it is based on%. Trimming rate 10
Whether or not to perform printing at 0% may be based on an input from a user or may be set in advance in the apparatus.

If YES in step S905, an image is output from the ink jet printer at step S906 at a trimming rate of 100% as shown in FIG. 8B.

On the other hand, if NO in step S905,
A part for outputting an image in step S907 (for example, FIG.
The position (portion surrounded by the dotted line in (a)) is input by the user, and an image is output from the inkjet printer at a scale of 100%.

If NO in step S902 or S904, the process returns.

[Fourth Embodiment] In the fourth embodiment, the remaining amount of the battery is checked after the DSC issues an instruction to transfer image data to the ink jet printer. Even if the remaining amount of the battery is not sufficient for transferring the image, the apparatus waits for a predetermined time. If the remaining amount of the battery has recovered within a predetermined time, the transfer is performed, and if not, the transfer is stopped.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the DSC 1 according to the present embodiment.
9 is a flowchart showing a process of transferring image data from the printer to the inkjet printer 11.

Referring to the figure, if an instruction to transfer image data from DSC 1 to ink jet printer 11 is issued from DSC 1 by print start button 105 or the like in step S 101, in step S 102, the battery required for data transfer is output. Is calculated (C1).

At step S103, the timer starts counting (T1). In step S104, the remaining battery power (C2) is determined by the battery check circuit 306.
Is calculated. In step S105, C1> C2
Is determined. If YES, the battery for the transfer is insufficient, so the transfer is prohibited in step S106, and a warning is issued by the display unit 210 in step S107. Next, it is determined in step S108 whether T1> T2 (T2 is a predetermined value), and if NO, the process from step S104 is repeated.

If the answer is YES in step S108, the transfer is stopped in step S109.

If NO is determined in the step S105, the transfer is performed in a step S110.

In this embodiment, even if the remaining battery level is insufficient when the print start button 105 is pressed, printing can be performed when the remaining battery level recovers within a predetermined time (T2). .

[Modifications] The first to fourth embodiments can be modified as follows.

(1) The low battery warning may be given by sound or voice. The warning is DSC1
May be performed on the printer side or on the printer side 11.

(2) After the warning of the battery shortage is given, the operation of the apparatus is locked, and when the battery is replaced, the battery check is performed again. If the remaining battery power is sufficient, the lock is released. You may.

(3) Instead of an ink jet printer, another type of printer may be connected. Further, the present invention can be implemented in a system in which a personal computer or the like is connected instead of the printer.

(4) The battery check by the battery check circuit 306 may be performed based on the voltage value. That is, the processing may be performed assuming that the remaining amount is proportional to the voltage value.

(5) The amount of battery required to transfer image data may be calculated based on the amount of data to be actually transmitted and the value thereof. In this way, the required amount of battery can be surely known.

(6) The amount of battery required for transferring image data may be calculated based on the amount of previously transferred image data. For example, the calculation may be performed based on the average value of the amount of image data transferred so far. According to this method, the required battery amount can be known earlier than the method (5).

Further, for example, the average value of the transferred data amount of the past 20 images may be stored, and the data may be updated each time shooting is performed.

(7) The process (6) may be performed when the amount of data to be transferred is limited to one, and the process (5) may be performed when there are a plurality of data.

(8) In the above embodiment, the DSC
1 is connected to the inkjet printer 11, and DSC1
A system for controlling image output of a printer according to the remaining battery power of a printer has been described. For example, instead of a DSC, a device (image processing apparatus) such as a notebook personal computer or a handy scanner is connected to the printer (image forming apparatus). In such a system, the control of image output to the printer can be performed based on the detection result of the remaining battery level of those devices.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a digital still camera (DSC) in FIG.
1 is a perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the inkjet printer 11 in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a state in which the digital still camera 1 and the inkjet printer 11 in FIG. 1 are connected.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating print processing according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the remaining battery capacity of a digital still camera and the size of an image that can be output from an inkjet printer.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating print processing according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining print processing according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating print processing according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating print processing according to a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 digital still camera (DSC) 11 inkjet printer 105 start button 106 display unit 204 data reception unit 210 display unit 304 data transfer control unit 305 battery 306 battery check circuit (BC circuit)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Shoichi Minato 2-13-13 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka City Inside Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. (72) Masanori Kanayama 2-chome Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi No. 3-13 Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image forming system control device for controlling an image forming system comprising an image processing device and an image forming device connectable to the image processing device, wherein the image processing device Detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of the battery for driving the device, and whether the image of the image processing apparatus can be output from the image forming apparatus based on the remaining amount of the battery detected by the detecting means. A control device for an image forming system, comprising: a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the image forming system is an image forming system. 2. The control device for an image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising a warning unit that issues a warning based on a determination result of the determination unit. 3. The image processing apparatus changes an image size of the image processing apparatus based on a result of the determination by the determination unit so that the image of the image processing apparatus can be output from the image forming apparatus. 3. The control device for an image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising control means for performing control as described above.