JPS61105963A - Image input/output controlling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the system in a system provided with an image inputting mechanism such as an image scanner, etc. and an image outputting mechanism such as a page printer etc., by utilizing hardware effectively. CONSTITUTION:Conventional image processor, image printer controlling section, image scanner controlling section etc. are made into common hardware and replaced by an image processor input/output controlling section 9. Thus, devices are unified into one controlling section 9, and only one page memory is used to simplify the constitution and reduce the cost. As input/output image data are stored in a page memory of the controlling section and can be processed on an image memory. Accordingly, its processing speed can be enhanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an image input/output control device used in a system having an image input terminal and an image output terminal.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

An example of the configuration of a conventional system having a seed image input terminal and an image output terminal is shown in FIG. This system operation is carried out by issuing a command to the computer main body 1 and the image scanner control section 7, and inputting a picture (image) on a sheet of paper set by the operator to the image scanner 8. The image data is stored in the main memory 4 of the computer main body 1, and the image data in the main memory 4 is stored in a magnetic disk (not shown). When image processing of these image data is required, the data is read out to the main memory 4 again, and the command and image data are sent from the computer main body 1 to the image processor 2. Accordingly, the image processor 2 stores the image data in the image memory 3, and stores the image data in the image memory 3.
Image processing (e.g. rotation of image data, cutting out and moving two parts).

(adding text to the image data and writing or writing it to the image memory 3, etc.). The computer main body 1 receives processed image data from an image memory 3 through an image processor 2, temporarily stores it in a main memory 4, and stores it on a magnetic disk. Or that! The computer main body 1 from the main memory 4 issues a command to the image printer control section 5, and the image data from the main memory 4 is outputted to the image printer 6 through the image printer control section 5. Furthermore, in the above system, the computer main body 1
In addition to outputting the image data, the image printer controller 5 also outputs the code (character) 7'-7 from the main memory 4 to the image printer controller 5, and the image printer controller 5 develops a character font image and prints it as an image. It is also possible to print on the image printer 6. The image scanner control unit 7 can also cut out only a pre-specified range of the image for one screen of paper from the image scanner 8 and transfer the data to the computer main body 1.

However, the conventional system configuration as described above has various drawbacks as described below. That is, image data moves frequently within the system (for example, image data is transferred from the image scanner 8 to the main memory 4 via the image scanner control section 7, or from the main memory 4 via the image processor 2 to the image memory 3). fart,
In addition, the image data is transferred from the image memory 3 to the main memory 4 via the image processor 2, and further from the main memory 4 to the image printer 6 via the image delivery/control unit 5, etc.). Between the memory 4 and the computer main body 1 to the image processor 20
Since it moves between the image scanner control unit 7 and the computer main body 1, it takes time to read the GLODARAM from the main memory 4 of the computer main body 1.
processing speed decreases. That is, there was a drawback that the processing speed of the entire system was slow. Further, from the computer main body 1 to the image processor 2. Image printer control unit5. A large number of anti-slip commands are sent to the image scanner control unit 7, etc.
Therefore, the image processor 2 of the computer main body 1. The processing time required to control the image printer control section 5°, the image scanner control section 7, etc. increases, leading to a decrease in the performance of the computer main body 1.

Also, on the hardware, the image processor 2
．． Image printer control unit5. The image scanner control section 7 and the like are required separately, which increases the cost.

Further, the image memory 3 is used only for processing by the image processor 2, and the image printer controller 5. It has nothing to do with the image scanner control section 7, and the image printer control section 5. The image scanner control unit 7 never used the image memory 3. Therefore, when outputting an image to the image printer 6 (Pesoglint method), if the data cannot be transferred from the computer main body 1 in time, a page memory 9a is added to the image printer control unit 5, and the image data is A page memory 9b is also added to the image scanner control unit 7 in order to facilitate the input of images, but these page memories 9m, 9b, and image memory 3 have a resolution of 16 millimeters and require approximately 4 Mbytes for A3 size. Well, it was very expensive.

As described above, the conventional system configuration has problems in various aspects such as complicated configuration, complicated processing, economical efficiency, and performance.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and is an economically advantageous method for effectively utilizing hardware in a system equipped with an image input mechanism such as an image scanner, and an image output mechanism such as a page printer. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image input/output control device that can improve system performance.

[Summary of the invention]

As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention simplifies the system configuration by converting conventional image processors, image blink control units, image scanner control units, etc. into common hardware and replacing them with an image processor input/output control unit 9. In addition, image data from the image scanner 8 can be input directly to the image memory 3 via the input/output control section 9, and image processing can be performed on the memory 3. Accordingly, the image memory 3 outputs the data to the image printer 6 through the input/output control unit 9,
This simplifies the processing of the computer itself and improves processing performance.

[Embodiments of the invention]

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1. 3. 4. 6. Reference numerals 8 are the same as the components shown in FIG. 3 above, and 1 is a computer main body, 3 is an image memory, 4 is a main memory, 6 is an image printer, and 8 is an image scanner.

Reference numeral 9 denotes the image processor 2° image printer control unit 5 shown in FIG. and an image processor input/output control unit having the functions of the image scanner control unit 7, hereinafter referred to as IMIOP.

Figure 2 shows the above 1. It is a detailed block diagram of MIOP9. In FIG. 2, 10 is an interface adapter for transmitting and receiving image data with a host device, and 11 is an IMI.
Micro 2 processor which forms the core of OP 9, 12 is a character generator, 13 is an enlargement/reduction/encoding/combining circuit (hereinafter referred to as PMU), 14 is an image/lintaro which is an image output mechanism, and an image input mechanism. 15 is an internal path, and 16 is an image data bus.

Here, the operation in one embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the configuration shown in FIG. 3 described above, the image memory 3. Image printer 6. While the image scanners 8 are each controlled by an independent control section (J, 5.7) under the control of the computer main body 1,
Here, image memory 3. The image printer 6 and the image scanner 8 each have a common control unit, that is, an IM.
It performs image data input/output processing under the control of the IOP 9.

In recent years, image data resulting from image processing is often transferred within electronic computer systems, and the image processing function has also come to be provided in the control section of image devices (scanners, f-links, etc.). In addition, image processing functions (for example, generation of a circle generator, straight lines, diagonal lines, development of a character image of a corresponding character font from a code as a Japanese processing function, rotation of image data, part of image data) movement, inversion of image data, etc.), the control sections of each image device often have common functions. Therefore, in the present invention, these common functions are combined into one piece of hardware K,
-Doware (here, IMIOP9) A system with better performance than K is constructed.

In FIG. 1, the computer main body 1 processes the zologram command in the main memory 4, and in response to the image reading command to the image scanner 8, the IMIOP 9 temporarily transfers the image data from the image scanner 8 to the image memory 3.
Store in.

Thereafter, the IMIOP 9 receives instructions from the computer main body 1, performs processing on the image memory 3 (processing conventionally performed by the image processor 2 in FIG. It receives a command to output the contents of the memory 3 to the image printer 6 and prints them out to the image printer 6. In this case, IMIOP
Reference numeral 9 functions as a control section of the image printer 6 (conventional image printer control section 5). At this time, the movement of image data is from the image scanner 8 to the IMIOP
9 to the image memory 3, and from the image memory 3 to the image printer 6 via the IMIOP 9, access to the main memory 4 of the computer main body 1 is no longer necessary. Furthermore, even though there is no storage or reading from an external storage such as a magnetic disk, the performance is improved to be K.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, the control unit according to the present invention, that is, the IMI
The operation of OP9 will be explained. The instruction is sent from the computer main body 1.
Presented at MIOP 9. IMIOP 9 recognizes the command of which device (g, e, y) because it is specified. Now, if the command is an image grossing command, the IMIOP 9 receives and receives image data from the computer main unit 1 to the interface adapter 10, and encodes the data (MR, MH, etc.). If so, decode it through PMUIJ and use it as a raw image.
Thereafter, if enlargement or reduction is specified, the image is enlarged or reduced and stored at the specified page memory address from the image memory 3. The following command performs processing such as generating circles, straight lines, diagonal lines, hatching in a certain area, etc.
9 (the above was possible with the conventional image facilitator 2 and image memory 3). Next, a command is issued to the computer main body 1, image data is inputted from the image scanner 8, and is written overlappingly in the image memory 3 using bit-OR, thereby synthesizing the screen (image). It is also possible to output the screen synthesized on the image memory 3 to the image printer 6 using the following command, and the main memory 4. Alternatively, it may be stored on a magnetic disk, or both. Also, contrary to what is happening now, after inputting an image from the image scanner 8 and storing it in the image memory 3, the IMIOP 9 inputs the generation of circles, straight lines, diagonal lines, etc. into the image memory 3 according to instructions from the computer main body 1. It is also possible to develop and synthesize the images on top of each other and then output them to the image printer 6.

In addition, the generation of cyen is controlled by IMIOP by the command of the computer main body 1.
9, expand it on the image memory 3, and perform image processing, then expand the glint data from the computer main body 1 through IMIOP 9 to image data, store it in the image memory 3 using the above bit-or, and synthesize the screen. After doing so, it is also possible to output the image to the image printer 6 through the IMIOP 9. In addition, after expanding the image data of the image scanner 8 and the circle and straight line generation/% latching according to the command from the computer main body 1 onto the image memory 3, the image data in the image memory 3 is encoded according to the command from the computer main body 1. , data compression (e.g. M
R, M) 1 code) can be transferred to the computer main body 1, and it is also possible to transfer the cutout data of a specified portion of the screen, rather than the entire screen, to the computer main body 1.

The functions of the above operations are divided among the blocks (10 to 14) in FIG. That is, the microprocessor 1 interprets instructions from the computer main body 1.

In addition to processing such as status reporting to the computer main body 1, in order to develop a character font image from code data, processing such as calculating the real address of the character in the character generator 12 and transferring it to the character generator 12, etc. The real address of the image memory 3 to be written to is transferred to the character generator 12. At this time, parameter information such as whether the character is enlarged or rotated by 90° is also transferred to the character generator 12.

The above processing operations are performed by the microprocessor 1 for each character. Furthermore, if the image is encoded data such as MR or MH, the microprocessor 11 instructs PMUJJK to convert the encoded code into a raw image, and at that time, specifies whether or not to enlarge or reduce the image. Image data from main body 1 is written to image memory 3 through PMU 13. Naturally, the microprocessor 11 sets the address designation 2 width designation in which part of the image memory 3 is to be written in PMUJJ. Circle, straight line/
Reverse diagonal line 2.

The microprocessor 11 performs partial movement on the image memory 3. By instructing the vice interface adapter 14, the image printer 6 is started, the image scanner 8 is started, and the output data (in the case of a printer) is executed.
Start address of image memory 3, input data (
Specify the start address and number of byte data transfers to the image memory 3 of the image printer 6. Image data can be output and input to the image scanner 8.

Conventionally, separate image blinking and image scanner control units have been provided, and the image processor has separate hardware from the control unit. Additionally, each had a page memory for temporary puffing of image data.

On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention described above, the control unit is integrated into one control unit, and the page memory is also integrated into one, thereby simplifying the configuration and reducing costs. In addition, since the input and output image data are stored in the page memory of the control unit, the input image data is transferred to the computer main body, from there to the image memory for the image processor, and again to the computer main body. Compared to the conventional configuration in which data is transferred from image to page memory for an image printer, processing can be performed on one image memory, increasing processing speed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described in detail above, according to the image input/output control device of the present invention, it is possible to effectively utilize hardware, provide an economically advantageous configuration, and improve system performance.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the above embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the conventional system configuration. 1... Computer main body, 3... Image memory, 4...
・Main memory, 6... Image data, 8...
Image scanner, 9... Image processor input/output control unit (IMIOP), 10... Interface adapter, 11... Microprocessor, 12... Character generator, 13... Enlargement/reduction/encoding I4...Design interface adapter, 15...Internal path, 16...Image data bus. Applicant's representative Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] having a connection mechanism for an image scanner, an image printer, and an image memory, means for writing input data of the image scanner into the image memory, and means for sending data stored in the image memory to the image printer; An image input/output control device comprising means for transmitting and receiving image data with an external device, and a control processor common to each of the means.