JPH11138955A - Printing processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing processing device which is connected to plural marking devices to enable printing processing without the necessity to provide a dedicated circuit for a specific type unit. SOLUTION: Printing data received by a print data input means 1a is analyzed by a printing data development process means 1b to create intermediate data, then bit map data is developed by the means 1b, in compliance with the characteristics of a marking device 2, based on the intermediate data, and is output to the marking device 2 through a reconstitution interface means 1c. The reconstitution interface means 1c realizes the function to effect the mutual conversion between the contents of communications, by the marking device 2, which very depending upon the type of a unit and the common contents of communications to be handled by the print processing device 1, with the help of hardware which can be reconstituted by software. Thus it is possible to perform the print process corresponding to plural types of the marking device 2 by using an identical hardware resource and therefore, dispense with the necessity to prepare parts of the dedicated hardware circuits for every unit type.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a print processing apparatus which functions by combining a marking apparatus for generating an image on a sheet and an imaging controller for performing processing according to the characteristics of the marking apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of an electrophotographic page printer suitable for small, high-speed digital printing, images, figures, characters, etc., which have been evicted from conventional character information-centric printing, are handled in the same manner. Print processing apparatuses that use a description language in which enlargement, rotation, deformation, and the like such as can be freely controlled have been widely used. As a typical example of such a description language, PostScript (Adobe System)
ems), Interpress (Xerox), Acrobat (Adobe Systems).
Trademark), GDI (Graphics Device)
Interface, trademark of Microsoft Corporation) and the like are known.

[0003] Print data created in a description language is:
It consists of drawing commands and data strings that represent images, graphics, and characters at any position on the page, and commands and data strings arranged in any order.To print with a page printer, print data before printing Must be rasterized. Rasterization is the process of developing a raster scan line by developing it into a series of individual dots or pixels that traverse a page or portion of a page and generating successive scan lines below the page.

Since the development from print data to raster data involves a very large amount of calculation, it is considered to use dedicated hardware to speed up this processing. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-86032 is known as an example using dedicated hardware. According to the technology described in this publication, first, the syntax of print data created in a description language is interpreted and converted into a set of drawing commands represented by vectors. Next, the data is converted into intermediate data that can be expanded by dedicated hardware. The processing up to this point is performed by software. When the generation of the interrogation data for one page is completed, the marking device (printer) is activated, and the dedicated hardware converts the raster data from the intermediate data at the speed required by the marking device. Is transferred.

[0005]

This dedicated hardware is customized for a specific marking device, and when outputting to a marking device of another model, a part of the circuit of the dedicated hardware is replaced. Alternatively, it is necessary to prepare these circuits in parallel according to the marking device.

[0006] Also, when outputting to a plurality of types of marking devices using one dedicated hardware, it is necessary to prepare customized circuits in parallel for each marking device. However, in spite of performing a similar process of developing raster data from raster data to raster data, preparing a plurality of circuits customized for each marking device in parallel, considering the usage rate It is very wasteful, and there is a problem that when a new type of marking device is used, a circuit corresponding to the specification of the marking device must be added.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and enables printing processing by connecting to a plurality of marking devices without requiring a circuit for each model that meets the specifications of the marking device. It is an object to provide a print processing device.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a print processing apparatus for processing input print data and printing the same on a marking apparatus, a user issues a print instruction to the marking apparatus and an apparatus. A print data input unit for inputting print data from a user interface unit for monitoring a state, a print data expansion processing unit for expanding the print data into data printable by a marking device, the expansion processing unit and the marking device, And a reconfiguration interface unit that can physically and logically connect the components and change a logical hardware configuration in accordance with the specifications of the marking device. You.

According to such a print processing apparatus, when print data is input, the print data input means 1a receives the print data and transfers it to the print data development processing means 1b. The print data development processing means 1b analyzes the print data to create intermediate data, develops the intermediate data into bitmap data in accordance with the characteristics of the marking device 2, and outputs the data to the marking device 2 via the reconfiguration interface 1c.
Output to The marking device 2 generates an image on a sheet based on the bitmap data. Here, the reconfiguration interface means 1c mutually converts the communication content of the marking device 2 which differs depending on the model with the common communication content handled by the print processing device 1, and is constituted by hardware which can be reconfigured by software.
Since printing processing corresponding to a plurality of types of marking devices 2 can be performed using the same hardware resource, it is not necessary to prepare a part of dedicated hardware circuits in parallel for each type.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of a print processing apparatus according to the present invention. A print processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention is connected to a marking apparatus 2 for performing printing, converts input print data into printable image data, and passes the converted print data to the marking apparatus 2, and print data input for inputting print data. It comprises means 1a, print data development processing means 1b, and reconstruction interface means 1c.

When print data having a command and a data string for drawing an image, a figure, a character, or the like is input from the outside to the print processing apparatus 1, the print data input means 1a receives the print data and develops the print data. Processing means 1b
Pass to. The print data development processing unit 1b analyzes the received print data and creates intermediate data. Thereafter, the print data development processing unit 1b develops the intermediate data into bitmap data according to the characteristics of the marking device 2, and outputs the bit data to the marking device 2 via the reconstruction interface unit 1c. The marking device 2 performs printing based on the bitmap data from the print processing device 1. Here, the reconfiguration interface unit 1c has a function of mutually converting communication contents of the marking device 2 which differ depending on the model with common communication contents handled by the print processing device 1. As the reconfiguration interface means 1c, means capable of reconfiguring the hardware configuration by software is used, and the mutual conversion function is changed in accordance with the specification of the connected marking device 2. This eliminates the need to prepare some circuits of dedicated hardware in parallel for each model of the marking device 2 and replace and use them.

Next, an embodiment in which the print processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a print processing system will be described.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the print processing system. 2, the print processing system includes a user interface unit 10, a controller 20, and a marking device 30. The controller 20 includes a print data input unit 21, an expansion processing unit 22, a control unit 23
And a reconstruction interface unit 24. The marking device 30 includes an output unit 31 and an output unit control management unit 32.
And consists of

The user interface unit 10 is a Windows
ws (registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries) in cooperation with application software that runs on a general-purpose operating system, and displays which printing apparatus is to be used to print data, how many copies are to be printed, and the like. It has a function of giving an instruction using a screen and a function of monitoring a state such as whether the controller 20 or the marking device 30 is operating normally.

The print data input unit 21 of the controller 20
Is an application program having a function of generating print data for printing. The print data described in the present embodiment is described in a page description language represented by PostScript.

The controller 20 includes a print data input unit 2
The print data input from step 1 is converted into printable image data. First, the expansion processing unit 22 generates intermediate data that can be expanded once. The purpose of generating the intermediate data is to enable high-speed expansion processing in the expansion processing unit 22. Therefore, the expansion processing unit 22 converts the print data into data in which the description content can be printed according to the characteristics of the marking device 30. The intermediate data is represented by a set of simple figures (trapezoids). The minimum unit of the intermediate data is an object, and information on processing contents is added to each object. The processing content here is a processing group necessary for, for example, graphic processing, character processing, image processing, and the like. Although depending on the characteristics of the marking device 30, a device that prints at a constant speed such as an electrophotograph temporarily creates one page of intermediate data. After that, it has the role of developing it into bitmap data by hardware or software and transferring it to the output unit 31 of the marking device 30.

The control unit 23 includes the user interface unit 10
This is a part that receives information from the marking device 30 and information from the marking device 30, and performs control and communication for control so that the whole operates normally.

The reconstructing interface unit 24 connects the controller 20 and the marking device 30 in terms of hardware and software in accordance with the specifications of the marking device 30, and includes a portion for interfacing image data for marking and an output unit. And a part that communicates with the control management unit 32. The circuit of the reconfiguration interface unit 24 is, for example, an FPGA (Field Programm).
This is realized using an element capable of controlling the hardware content by software, such as an abbreviated gate array, and the content of the part connected in hardware and software is reconfigured in accordance with the specification of the marking device 30.

The output unit 31 of the marking device 30 receives the print data output from the expansion processing unit 22 via the reconfiguration interface unit 24, prints it on recording paper, and outputs it. For example, if the output unit 31 is a color marking device using an electrophotographic method as shown in FIG. 3 described below, the exposure unit 31 performs exposure, C, M, Y, and BK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) colors. developing,
This is a color page printer using a laser scanning type electrophotographic method capable of outputting a full color image by repeating transfer. Of course, the output unit 31 may be an ink jet type color printer.

The output unit control management unit 32 is linked with an output unit control unit (not shown) for performing paper feed, image formation, paper discharge, normal completion monitoring, etc. by operating various modules constituting the marking device 30. And the controller 20
It communicates with the side and has information for efficient and normal operation of the marking, and holds and manages the form information, operation information and attribute information of the currently connected output unit 31. The form information is information necessary in advance for performing a connection operation depending on the marking device 30, and includes an image data transfer method, a communication method, a protocol format, an operation timing, and the like. The operation information is setting and operation management such as a sheet size and the number of prints instructed by a user interface unit relating to the operation of the marking device 30. Device characteristics of the marking device 30, such as a printing method and a screen method, are used. These information are stored in the controller 20
This is important information for connecting the device and the marking device 30. The contents matched to the output unit 31 are stored in the output unit control management unit 32 in advance, collected by inquiring, or input by the administrator.

Here, the configuration and operation of a color page printer using a general laser scanning type electrophotographic system will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a color page printer. In FIG. 3, a video interface 311 is a C
Print data corresponding to the MYBK color information is input to a driver (not shown) for controlling the lighting of a semiconductor laser, and is converted into an optical signal. The semiconductor laser scanning device 312 includes an infrared semiconductor laser, a lens 3121, a polygon mirror 3
The photosensitive drum 313 is configured as a spot light of several tens μm and scans the photosensitive drum 313. The photosensitive drum 313 is
Charged by the charger 314, an electrostatic latent image is formed by an optical signal. The latent image is converted into a toner image by two-component magnetic brush development on a rotary developing device 315, and is transferred onto a sheet adsorbed on a transfer drum 316. Excess toner is removed from the photosensitive drum 313 by the cleaner 317. This process is repeated in the order of BK, Y, M, and C, and multiple transfer is performed on paper. Finally, the transfer drum 31
Then, the sheet is peeled off from Step 6, and the toner is fixed by the fixing device 318.

First, prior to execution of printing, the user interface unit 10 and the controller 20 in the computer are provided.
And the marking device 30 are connected. The user interface unit 10 and the controller 20 are peripheral devices of a computer as hardware, and a general-purpose interface system provided by the computer, for example, Ethernet for a network and USB for a local bus.
(UniversalSerial Bus) or IEEE
E1394, SCSI (small computer)
system interface). The output unit information management unit 32 inquires of the output unit 31 about form information, operation information, and attribute information, manages the result, and uses the result as reconfiguration data. If the output unit 31 does not have a function of answering such an inquiry, the administrator can use the controller 20 via the user interface unit 10 or the like.
May be entered.

The print data specified by the user interface unit 10 is input to a print data input unit 21. The print data is sequentially passed to the development processing unit 22. The expansion processing unit 22 extracts a drawing command group by a language interpretation process and converts it into a set of trapezoidal objects called intermediate data. The intermediate data is processed by being divided into types such as images, characters, and figures, and information indicating the types of the images, characters, and figures, drawing attributes, and circumscribed rectangles of the objects are added to each object. Further, the expansion processing unit 22 performs expansion processing of the intermediate data in accordance with the device characteristics based on a part of the information obtained from the output unit control management unit 32, and outputs a bitmap as a result of the expansion processing to the expansion processing unit 22. Hold temporarily inside.
This is executed until all the print data for one page is processed. When the data processing for one page is completed, the print data is transferred from the expansion processing unit 22 line by line in accordance with the recording speed of the marking device 30, and printing is performed. The transfer of the print data from the expansion processing unit 22 to the output unit 31
Until the print data for one page is transferred, it is repeated for each color or simultaneously for four colors. Alternatively, there is also a format in which intermediate data is first generated for one page, and the development of the intermediate data is transferred line by line in synchronization with the marking device 30 and printing is performed.

The outline of the print processing system to which the print processing apparatus of the present invention is applied has been described above. Next, the details of the reconfiguration interface unit 24 of the controller 20 will be mainly described.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the reconfiguration interface unit. As shown in FIG. 4, the reconfiguration interface unit 24 includes a reconfiguration control unit 241, a timing interface (I / F) unit 242, and a video circuit I / F.
F section 243, communication I / F section 244, timing signal generation section 245, tone correction section 246, screen generation section 24
7, a protocol decoder 248.

The tone correction section 246 is connected to the output of the expansion processing section 22. The output of the tone correction unit 246 is connected to a screen generation unit 247, and this output is connected to a video circuit I / F unit 243. The output of the video circuit I / F unit 243 is connected to the output unit 31 of the marking device 30. Thereby, the expansion processing unit 22
The process flow of outputting the print data output from the printer to the marking device 30 is configured.

In the reconstruction interface 24,
The reconfiguration control unit 241, the protocol decoder 248, and the timing signal generation unit 245 are connected to the control unit 23,
The reconfiguration control unit 241, the timing I / F unit 242, and the communication I / F unit 244 are connected to the output unit control management unit 32 of the marking device 30, and perform communication between the control unit 23 and the marking device 30. Perform necessary processing. The reconfiguration control unit 241 includes a timing I / F unit 242, a video circuit I / F unit 243, a communication I / F unit 244, a timing signal generation unit 245, a tone correction unit 246, a screen generation unit 247, and a protocol decoder 248. And these can be reconfigured in accordance with the specifications of the marking device 30.

Next, the flow of processing in the reconfiguration interface unit 24 will be briefly described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the processing of the reconfiguration interface unit. In the reconfiguration interface unit 24, first, the communication I / F unit 244 is set (step S1). Thereby, the reconstruction interface unit 24 and the marking device 3
When the communication method between the two is determined, the video interface setting information for the tone correction unit 246, the screen generation unit 247, and the video circuit I / F unit 243 is obtained based on the communication method (step S2). Then, protocol information is obtained (step S3). Next, since the user interface differs depending on the marking device 30, it is determined whether the user interface matches the user interface currently displayed on the input / output device (step S).
4). If the user interfaces do not match, the user interface is changed to the user interface of the marking device 30 (step S).
5). Then, the reconstruction interface unit 24 sets the protocol decoder 248, the tone correction unit 246, the screen generation unit 247, and the video interface of the video circuit I / F unit 243 (Step S6).

In the setting of the communication I / F unit 244, a physical protocol for performing communication by a connector (not shown) which is physically connected to the marking device 30, for example, a serial asynchronous method, and a pin arrangement, for example, a connector Since the first to fourth pins are fixedly determined in advance, the reconfiguration control unit 241 requests the output unit control management unit 32 of the marking device 30 through the communication I / F unit 244 for form information, operation information, and attribute information. And receive

Next, an example of information held by the output unit control management unit 32 and uploaded to the controller 20 by a request will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of information held by the output unit control management unit according to the type of the marking device. Here, four examples of the output units A to D are shown. According to this example, an output unit name for specifying the marking device 30 and information on the device are stored. These pieces of information are shown in a format that the reconstruction control unit 241 receives and holds. The information includes “output resolution” written by the output unit, “gradation” indicating smoothness of color change, “output color” indicating the type of color (CMYK, CMY, K), and the output unit "Gamut" that can be printed, "Gamut" that defines the extent of the color reproduction range, for example, by class, "Printing method" that indicates whether to print on paper using the electrophotographic method or the inkjet method, and halftone dots There are a "screen" indicating the type of processing and the like, a "protocol ID (identifier)" representing the protocol by its version, and a "video interface" representing the transfer speed.

Actually, more detailed information is required for each item. Based on the received information, the reconstruction control unit 241 determines, for example, how many bits of the video information to send from the resolution form information, defines the positions of the upper bit and the lower bit, and defines the logical level of whether or not the signal high level indicates that there is an image. , Which pin of the connector is the video I / F
In order to set the timing signal generation unit 245, which is a setting for determining the frequency of the transfer speed of the video signal to the marking device, and to specify the pin of the timing signal, an external device such as an FPGA may be used. Circuit I / F unit 2 using elements capable of forming circuits
43 and the timing I / F section 242 are set. The timing signal generator has a phase locked loop circuit and a register for determining the input division ratio, and the frequency is determined by the value of the register. Since the timing can be generated by the frequency division ratio of the counter circuit, the timing can be similarly set by setting the input register of the counter.

The attribute information is information for optimally creating an image according to the marking device, and includes resolution, gradation number,
The number of output colors and the like are sent from the reconstruction control unit to the control unit of the expansion processing unit, and are expanded based on the values. Since the tone curve expressing the gradation among the attribute information differs depending on the state of the device or the device, the correction information is received and the reconstruction control unit 24
The tone correction unit 246 is set from 1. Similarly, a screen method such as a halftone dot or an error diffusion is obtained, and a screen generation unit 247 including an FPGA and a reference table is set.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the user interface unit. The user interface unit 10 communicates with an application to obtain document information to be printed.
F) a unit 11, a display control unit 12 for controlling the entire user interface information, an input / output device 13 such as a display, a keyboard and a mouse, and UI information for preliminarily storing user interface (UI) information for printing A storage unit 14 and a UI communication agent 15 for communicating the instructed contents and the displayed contents with the controller 20
It is composed of

The display control unit 12 obtains print information and data from the application interface unit 11 and
User interface information necessary for printing is extracted from the information storage unit 14 and displayed on the display of the input / output device 13.

On the other hand, in the controller 20, the reconstruction controller 241 obtains the protocol ID and its content module from the marking device 30, and detects the ID type. The ID type is sent to the control unit 23, and the protocol ID
The control unit 23 checks the correspondence between the type and the version of the user interface unit 10. The control unit 23 communicates with the UI communication agent 15 of the user interface unit 10. The UI communication agent 15 makes an inquiry about the protocol ID obtained via the reconfiguration interface unit 24. Next, the UI communication agent 15 inquires of the display control unit 12, and displays the contents of the user interface currently displayed on the display of the input / output device 13 by the display information of the UI information storage unit 14. recognize. The control unit 23 compares the transmitted protocol ID with the ID obtained from the UI information storage unit 14 and checks whether there is a match. If the versions match, it is determined that there is no problem in communication. If there is a problem, the control unit 23 notifies the user interface unit 10, and the user interface unit 10 downloads another matching module,
Change some user interface software. If there is no protocol ID information in the marking device 30, a request is made to the control unit 23, and the control unit 23
0, and the protocol ID matched by the user interface unit 10 and its protocol content module are
The communication agent 15 transfers.

The protocol content module includes all commands and status information necessary for externally controlling and monitoring the marking device 30. Management Information Base (MIB: Management Info)
A function supported by standardization such as an operation base (SNMP) is provided from the user interface unit 10 to the SNMP (S
simple Network Management
Protocol 20)
The inquiry will come to. The commands and statuses described in the actual marking device 30 can be used to inquire and set the detailed status of the device in addition to the standard functions. Therefore, the controller 20 and the marking device 30
The commands and statuses exchanged with the device include a number of parameters, the parameters of which are
And the meaning of the position and the number indicated by the parameter changes when the device is changed.

Here, a protocol decoder 248 for bidirectionally decoding the meaning of the command and status information.
A configuration example will be described. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a protocol decoder in the controller. The protocol decoder 248 includes a system for issuing a command from the control unit 23 and a system for receiving a status in response to the command. The command issuing system is a serial / parallel converter 24
81, an address generation unit 2482, a command reference table 2483, a communication data generation unit 2484, and a parallel / serial conversion unit 2485, and the system that receives the status is a serial / parallel conversion unit 2481a, an address generation unit 2482a, a status reference table 2486, It has a data generator 2484a and a parallel-serial converter 2485a. Address generation unit 2482, command reference table 2483, communication data generation unit 248
4, the address generation unit 2482a, the status reference table 2486, and the communication data generation unit 2484a
It is configured by a GA, and is connected to the reconfiguration control unit 241 and controlled so as to be reconfigurable. In addition, in preparation for error processing in the expansion processing unit 22, the address generation unit 2
There is also a system that proceeds from 482 to the communication data generation unit 2484a via the status reference table 2486.

According to the above configuration, the user interface unit 10, the controller 20, and the marking device 30
Is shown below. First, a print instruction instructed by the user interface unit 10 is sent from the UI communication agent 15 through the control unit 23 of the controller 20 by a serial transmission method. Serial transmission is generally UART (universal asynchronous).
nouse receiver-transmitte
r) or USB. The serial information is converted into parallel information by a serial / parallel conversion unit 2481. For example, the command string “Size A4, SEL,
If the print instruction of “S” has been sent, the address generation unit 2482 refers to the command reference table 2483. In the reference, the first character string of the command string starts with “Si”.
Assuming that the reference start address of “ze” is 0400 (hex), the relative address of the reference table is calculated from “A4” of the first parameter, “SEL” of the second parameter, and “S” of the third parameter. (Hex) + Take the values of the table from each relative address in order,
The communication data generation unit 2484 generates a new command sequence having the same meaning but different contents. While the command sent from the user interface unit 10 uses a character string, the new command string is a numeric string. The digit string is easily analyzed by the controlling computer, and if the same processing speed is required, an inexpensive CPU can be used. The communication data generation unit 2484 is sent from the parallel-serial conversion unit 2485 to the marking device 30 via the communication I / F unit 244.

In the flow in which the marking device 30 returns a status to the user interface unit 10, first, a status signal of a serial transmission system is transmitted from the marking device 30 via the communication I / F unit 244. The serial information is converted into parallel information by a serial / parallel converter 2481a. It is assumed that the result of the conversion is, for example, a status string “1121, 08, 11, 12”. The address generation unit 2482 a
See For reference, the first "1121" is extracted from the numeric string of the status string, and the head of the reference address is calculated. For example, if it is 0800 (hex), the status reference table 2486 is obtained from “08” of the first parameter, “11” of the second parameter, and “12” of the third parameter.
, The value of the table is sequentially extracted from 0800 (hex) + each relative address, and the communication data generation unit 2484a has a status composed of a new character string having the same meaning but different contents described. Generate a column. This status column is, for example, "Size,
A4, SEL, Empty ", in this example, a response is returned that the requested short-side feed paper of A4 size is empty. In this manner, the number sent from the marking device 30 is returned. The columns are converted into character strings, and are converted into information that can be easily displayed directly on the user interface unit 10.

For example, if there is a failure in the marking device 30 and printing cannot be performed, detailed information is output from the marking device 30. If the user interface unit 10 is a general printing user, an inquiry is made as to whether the device is normal. If it is normal, it is sufficient to return normal. That is, in the case of a failure, "Br" is used as the protocol decoder.
In the case where the user interface unit 10 is the device administrator, if there is an abnormality, decode it as detailed information to return a reply as to which part is abnormal. As shown in FIG. 3, a semiconductor laser scanning device, a photoconductor,
In the case where the system is composed of many modules such as a developing machine and a fixing machine, the status informs whether or not each module is normal. Therefore, the status sent to the controller 20 is determined for each unit constituting the apparatus, for example, the lens 31 in the semiconductor laser scanning apparatus.
21 is returned in response to an inquiry as to whether the device 21, the polygon mirror 3122, the synchronous sensor, the laser element, etc. are operating normally. One unit is composed of many parts, and each state is returned as a reply. For example, when "Error,?" Is sent from the user interface unit 10, it is sent to the marking device 30 along the same route, and "0875, 15, 28, 9" is sent from the marking device 30.
9 "is returned, and detailed information such as the malfunction of the lens and mirror of the semiconductor laser scanning device is decoded by the protocol decoder 248. The user interface unit 10
Whether the user is a general user or an administrator can be distinguished from the inquiry by the header information of the UI communication agent 15.

The print instructions in the basic mode of general printing for raising the overall information to be communicated include a printer name, an address, a supported file format, an output color, an original size, and an output paper size. Actions, errors, priorities, cancellations, etc. The applied print instruction modes include enlargement / reduction, rotation, N-up, margin addition, and page alignment.

The administrator mode is roughly divided into setting management, status failure management, and usage status management. The setting management performs access setting and management for each use department and user, and also performs cost management. Status failure management is the mode that is used most frequently. It checks whether there is no error in each module that composes the printer, that there is no consumables, and that it is not time for maintenance. Check and repair management of print jobs in which errors occurred. The usage status management involves checking how much the printer is operating on a daily basis using a print job monitor or the like.

Although the communication between the marking device 30 and the user interface unit 10 has been described, the controller 20 may be involved in the cause of the communication failure. Even if the marking device 30 supports the same A4 size paper, the image reproduction range is not the same. One device can reproduce the maximum of 297 mm and 210 mm, while another device has an image dropout of 3 mm around. In this case, one of the same print data is normally output, but the other image has a small but missing image. If it is missing, a warning is given to the user interface unit 10 in advance. The device characteristic of the marking device 30 is the communication I / F.
The image data is passed to the control unit 23 via the unit 244, and the image reproduction range is defined therein.

Also, as a result of processing performed by the expansion processing unit 22, when print data in which an appearance error occurs is detected, the expansion processing unit 22 passes the error information to the control unit 23 at that point in the form of a serial transmission number string. , The control unit 23 passes the digit string to the protocol decoder 248 of the reconstruction interface unit 24. In the protocol decoder 248, the number string is sent to the status reference table 2486 via the serial / parallel conversion unit 2481 and the address generation unit 2482, as indicated by the one-dot chain line arrow.
Here, the error message decoded into another character string is converted into communication data by the communication data generation unit 2484a, converted into serial information by the parallel / serial conversion unit 2485a, and returned to the control unit 23 and the user interface unit 10 again. A portion where an image is missing is displayed as information on the display of the input / output device 13. On the other hand, the user can normally print by reducing the size of the document or by printing it with another marking device. Although hardware such as a reference table is placed in the reconfiguration interface unit 24 for simplicity, a similar function may be provided inside the control unit 23.

In the above embodiment, the controller 20
Has been described in the form of connecting one type of marking device to the controller 20.
Has the same effect with a plurality of marking devices.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a print processing system including a plurality of marking devices. 9, the same components as those shown in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the details thereof are omitted.

The reconfiguration interface section 24 of the controller 20 is connected to n marking devices 30a to 30n. Each of these marking devices 30a to 30n has, for example, various types of output units as shown in FIG. Therefore, the interface of the reconfiguration interface unit 24 is changed according to the marking device used for printing.

When the user interface unit 10 sends print data to the controller 20 without specifying a marking device, the control unit 23 first selects an appropriate marking device. Here, for example, if the marking device 30b is selected, the reconfiguration interface unit 24 obtains information from the marking device 30b and performs various setting processes. Then, the control unit 23 transmits the communication protocol ID of the marking device 30b to the user interface unit 24, thereby enabling the printing process.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, the above-described controller has only one reconfiguration interface 24, but may support only two or more reconfiguration interfaces, in which case many users may have separate marking devices at the same time. This is a mechanism that can respond individually and at high speed even when a print request is made to the printer.

Some marking devices have a function of performing bookbinding and stapling after printing, as well as simply performing printing processing. Information on such functions is also stored in the output unit control management unit. ing. In this case, instead of uploading all the protocol decode information to the print processing device as the device information of the marking device, information necessary according to the function of the user interface unit, that is, at least the print information decode information and the device status monitor decode Upload information only.

[0050]

As described above, according to the present invention, the communication function for performing different processing depending on the model of the marking device is constituted by hardware whose logic can be reconfigured by software. With this, the user interface unit that issues a print instruction to the marking device and manages the status of the marking device, and the contents of communication between the marking device and the print processing device are appropriately reconfigured with the same hardware to perform marking. Communication can be performed based on different protocol decode information for each device, and high-speed communication can be performed. In the user interface section,
The contents of communication in various marking devices and print processing devices are converted so that the user can communicate normally without being aware of the respective protocol characteristics.

Although there are many types of communication contents, these can be appropriately reconfigured from the outside. Therefore, it is not necessary to individually prepare an interface corresponding to the model of the marking device. General-purpose and high-speed processing can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of a print processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a print processing system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a color page printer.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a reconfiguration interface unit.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing of a reconfiguration interface unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of information held by an output unit control management unit according to a model of a marking device.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a user interface unit.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a protocol decoder in the controller.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a print processing system including a plurality of marking devices.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Print processing apparatus 1a Print data input means 1b Print data development processing means 1c Reconstruction interface means 2 Marking apparatus 10 User interface section 20 Controller 21 Print data input section 22 Development processing section 23 Control section 24 Reconstruction interface section 30 Marking apparatus 31 Output unit 32 Output unit control management unit

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A print processing apparatus for processing input print data and printing the data on a marking device, wherein a user inputs print data from a user interface unit for instructing the marking device to print and monitor the status of the device. Data input means, print data expanding processing means for expanding the print data into data printable by a marking device, and logically connecting the expansion processing means and the marking device physically and logically. And a reconfiguration interface means capable of changing a hardware configuration in accordance with the specifications of the marking device. 2. A reconfiguration control unit that controls reconfiguration of hardware as an interface for connecting to the marking device,
2. The print processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the print processing apparatuses includes a video signal interface, a timing signal interface, and a communication signal interface made of hardware reconfigurable by the reconfiguration control unit. 3. The printing process according to claim 2, wherein the communication signal interface includes communication content reconstructing means for reconstructing communication content communicated between the user interface unit and the marking device. apparatus. 4. The communication content reconstructing means includes reconfigurable hardware protocol decoder means for mutually converting between the communication content of the marking device and the communication content of the user interface unit. The print processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: 5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the protocol decoder compares the communication content of the marking device with the communication content of the user interface unit, and reconstructs the information based on the matched information. The print processing apparatus according to the above. 6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the protocol decoder unit determines the match using an identifier described in communication software or data. 7. The protocol decoder means according to a function of a user interface unit that has requested the function.
5. The print processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the print processing apparatus is reconfigured based on information including at least print processing decode information and apparatus state monitoring decode information of protocol decode information held by the marking apparatus. 8. The print processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of said reconfiguration interface means. 9. A print processing method for performing device status monitoring and printing instructions with a single user interface unit for a plurality of marking devices, comprising communicating with a user interface unit, confirming a communication method of the user interface unit, and selecting a communication method. Uploading protocol decoding information held by the marking device, reconfigure the function of the protocol decoder, and expand print data from the user interface unit into data that can be printed by the marking device. .