Printing system

Abstract

To read out corrected image data in which pages received completely are corrected.SOLUTION: A printing system comprises: an image correcting part 33 that corrects image data; a second page memory 34 that memorizes corrected image data; and a page information check part 36 that stores, in a first page information memory 361, page identification information when receiving the image data, stores, in a second page information memory 362, the page identification information stored in the first page information memory 361 when starting image correction, and stores, in a third page information memory 363, page identification information when completely receiving the image data, and stores, in a fourth page information memory 364, the page identification information stored in the third page information memory 363 when completing the image correction, and determines whether the page identification information stored in the second page information memory 362 matches with the page identification information stored in the fourth page information memory 364 when the corrected image data are read out from the second page memory 34.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing system, and particularly to a printing system that reads corrected image data obtained by correcting a page for which reception has been completed.

Background Art

[0002] As technologies related to printing systems having printing functions such as printers, facsimile machines, and multifunction printers, various technologies for detecting disorder or omission of page order of printed pages have been proposed.

[0003] In Patent Document 2, identification information for identifying pages to be printed with respect to image information is embedded respectively, and in a data conversion unit, an arrangement determination unit, a rasterization unit, and a print engine control unit, it is determined whether or not the processing order is the page order determined in advance based on the identification information embedded in each image information. When it is the page order determined in advance, a printing apparatus that performs processing on the image information to be determined while the identification information is embedded is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, information for identifying pages is embedded in the image data, and the system determines whether the pages are in the correct order based on the embedded information. Therefore, when correcting the image data and reading the corrected image data, there is a timing when the information for identifying pages has been written, but the image data is still being received and the correction is not yet complete. At this timing, the information for identifying pages is correct, but the corrected image in memory is the image data of the previous page, and reading this image data results in a printed document with the pages in the wrong order.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of these problems, and aims to provide a printing system that can read corrected image data of pages that have been corrected after reception. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the features of the printing system according to the present invention are: An image correction unit that receives image data and page identification information attached to the image data, and corrects the image data upon receiving the image data, A corrected image storage unit that stores the corrected image data, The unit comprises a page identification information determination unit, The determination unit stores the page identification information in the first storage unit when it receives the image data. Furthermore, the page identification information stored in the first storage unit is stored in the second storage unit when the image correction by the image correction unit starts. Furthermore, upon completion of receiving the image data, the page identification information is stored in the third storage unit. Furthermore, upon completion of image correction by the image correction unit, the page identification information stored in the third storage unit is stored in the fourth storage unit. When corrected image data is read from the corrected image storage unit, the determination unit determines whether the page identification information stored in the second storage unit matches the page identification information stored in the fourth storage unit. It is characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the features of the printing system of the present invention, corrected image data obtained by correcting the received pages can be read. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a conventional printing system. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a printing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the configuration of a page information checking unit included in a printing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, identical or equivalent parts and components are denoted by the same or equivalent reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and may differ from reality. Furthermore, there are parts where the dimensional relationships and proportions differ between drawings.

[0011] Furthermore, the embodiments shown below are illustrative examples of devices and the like for realizing the technical concept of this invention, and the technical concept of this invention is not limited to the arrangement of each component as described below. The technical concept of this invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims.

[0012] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a conventional printing system.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, a printing system 100 in the prior art includes a controller 200, an image data generation unit 300, a head drive control unit 400, and a print head 500.

[0014] The controller 200 has a data input unit 201 and a data expansion unit 202.

[0015] The data input unit 201 receives compressed image data from a personal computer or the like (not shown) via a network.

[0016] The data expansion unit 202 restores the received compressed image data to the original image data and transfers it to the image data generation unit 300.

[0017] The image data generation unit 300 has an image reception unit 301, a first page memory 302, an image correction unit 303, a second page memory 304, and an image transmission unit 305.

[0018] The image reception unit 301 receives image data from the controller 200 and stores the received image data in the first page memory 302.

[0019] The first page memory 302 stores the received image data.

[0020] The image correction unit 303 reads out the image data stored in the first page memory 302, performs image processing such as density unevenness correction according to the characteristics of the print head 500, and stores it in the second page memory 304.

[0021] The second page memory 304 stores the corrected image data.

[0022] When the image transmission unit 305 is requested to transmit image data from the head drive control unit 400 according to the paper conveyance speed, it reads out the image data from the second page memory 304 and transfers it to the head drive control unit 400.

[0023] The head drive control unit 400 performs printing by ejecting ink from the nozzles of the print head 500 onto the transported paper based on the image data output from the image data generation unit 300.

[0024] In this conventional configuration, when reading image data from the first page memory 302 or the second page memory 304, it is possible to access areas where image data has not yet been written. For example, an interrupt from another process to the controller 200 may delay the processing of the data expansion unit 202 or the transfer of data after expansion, causing the image correction unit 303 to read the data before the image data is written to the first page memory 302. Also, if the paper transport speed is faster than normal, the interval between image data requests from the head drive control unit 400 becomes shorter, and the image transmission unit 305 may read the data before the image data is written from the image correction unit 303 to the second page memory 304. In such cases, image data from several pages prior that remains in the second page memory 304 may be read, which can result in a disruption of the page order of the printed material.

[0025] Therefore, in the printing system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the corrected image data, which has been corrected after the page has been received, is reliably read out.

[0026] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a printing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, a printing system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a controller 2, an image data generation unit 3, a head drive control unit 400, and a print head 500. The configuration of the head drive control unit 400 and the print head 500 is the same as that of the head drive control unit 400 and print head 500 shown in Figure 1, so a description is omitted.

[0028] Controller 2 includes a data input unit 21, a data expansion unit 22, and a page information generation unit 23.

[0029] The data input unit 21 receives compressed image data via a network from a personal computer or the like (not shown).

[0030] The data decompression unit 22 restores the received compressed image data to its original image data and transfers it to the image data generation unit 3.

[0031] The page information generation unit 23 generates page information for the image data in accordance with the data expansion unit 22's expansion. For example, the page information may be a value that is incremented by 1 for each page expanded by the data expansion unit 22. The page information generation unit 23 then adds the page information as a header to the image data expanded by the data expansion unit 22 and transfers it to the image data generation unit 3.

[0032] The image data generation unit 3 includes an image receiving unit 31, a first page memory 32, an image correction unit 33, a second page memory 34, an image transmission unit 35, and a page information checking unit 36.

[0033] The image receiving unit 31 receives image data and page information from the controller 2, stores the received image data in the first page memory 32, and transmits the page information to the page information checking unit 36.

[0034] The first page memory 32 stores the received image data.

[0035] The image correction unit 33 reads the image data stored in the first page memory 32, performs image processing such as density unevenness correction according to the characteristics of the print head 500, and stores it in the second page memory 34.

[0036] The second page memory 34 stores the corrected image data.

[0037] When the head drive control unit 400 requests the transmission of image data according to the paper transport speed, the image transmission unit 35 reads image data from the second page memory 34 and transfers it to the head drive control unit 400.

[0038] The page information checking unit 36 ​​detects any disruption in page order by checking the page information in accordance with the start / completion signals of the image receiving unit 31, the image correction unit 33, and the image transmission unit 35.

[0039] Figure 3 shows the configuration of a page information checking unit 36 ​​included in a printing system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] The page information checking unit 36 ​​includes a first page information memory 361, a second page information memory 362, a third page information memory 363, a fourth page information memory 364, and a comparison unit 365.

[0041] The page information checking unit 36 ​​stores the received page information in the first page information memory 361 at time t1 when the page information is received.

[0042] The page information checking unit 36 ​​copies the page information from the first page information memory 361 to the second page information memory 362 at time t2 when the image correction unit 33 starts processing.

[0043] The page information checking unit 36 ​​copies the page information from the first page information memory 361 to the third page information memory 363 at time t3, when the image receiving unit 31 has completed processing.

[0044] At time t4, when the image correction unit 33 has completed processing, the page information checking unit 36 ​​copies the page information from the third page information memory 363 to the fourth page information memory 364.

[0045] At time t5, when the image transmission unit 35 has completed processing, the page information checking unit 36 ​​compares whether the page information stored in the second page information memory 362 matches the page information stored in the fourth page information memory 364.

[0046] If the comparison unit 35 determines, as a result of the comparison, that the page information stored in the second page information memory 362 does not match the page information stored in the fourth page information memory 364, it issues an error.

[0047] For example, the image transmission unit 35 may read the image data before the corrected image data is written from the image correction unit 33 to the second page memory 34. In this case, before the process of copying the page information at time t4 from the third page information memory 363 to the fourth page information memory 364 is completed, the comparison unit 35 at time t5 may perform a comparison to see if the page information stored in the second page information memory 362 matches the page information stored in the fourth page information memory 364.

[0048] Specifically, let's assume that the page information stored in the second page information memory 362 and the third page information memory 363 is "5".

[0049] If, at time t4, the comparison unit 35 reads page information from the fourth page information memory 364 at time t5 before the process of copying page information from the third page information memory 363 to the fourth page information memory 364 is completed, there is a possibility that the page information will be read as "4".

[0050] In this case, the comparison unit 35 recognizes that the page information stored in the second page information memory 362 is "5" and the page information stored in the fourth page information memory 364 is "4", and since these do not match, it detects this as an error.

[0051] In this way, the page information stored in the second page information memory 362 and the page information stored in the fourth page information memory 364 do not match, which can be detected as an error, thus allowing for the detection of a processing overtake.

[0052] Furthermore, if an overtaking error occurs, the data transmitted by the image transmission unit 35 may be masked with "0" or the printing operation itself may be stopped as an error.

[0053] As described above, the page information check unit 36 ​​stores page identification information in the first page information memory 361 when image data is received, stores the page identification information stored in the first page information memory 361 in the second page information memory 362 when image correction by the image correction unit 33 begins, stores the page identification information in the third page information memory 363 when image data reception is complete, stores the page identification information stored in the third page information memory 363 in the fourth page information memory 364 when image correction by the image correction unit 33 is complete, and when corrected image data is read from the second page memory 34, the page information check unit 36 ​​determines whether the page identification information stored in the second page information memory 362 matches the page identification information stored in the fourth page information memory 364.

[0054] This allows page information to be added to each image data, and the page information to be copied at the start and completion of the correction process. When reading the corrected image data, if the copied page information matches, it can be determined that the correction process was successful (that the received pages were corrected), and the corrected image data with the corrected pages can be read.

[0055] (Note) This application discloses the following invention: (Note 1) An image correction unit that receives image data and page identification information attached to the image data, and corrects the image data upon receiving the image data, A corrected image storage unit that stores the corrected image data, The unit comprises a page identification information determination unit, The determination unit stores the page identification information in the first storage unit when it receives the image data. Furthermore, the page identification information stored in the first storage unit is stored in the second storage unit when the image correction by the image correction unit starts. Furthermore, upon completion of receiving the image data, the page identification information is stored in the third storage unit. Furthermore, upon completion of image correction by the image correction unit, the page identification information stored in the third storage unit is stored in the fourth storage unit. When corrected image data is read from the corrected image storage unit, the determination unit determines whether the page identification information stored in the second storage unit matches the page identification information stored in the fourth storage unit. A printing system characterized by the following features.

[0056] This allows page identification information to be added to each image data, and the page identification information to be copied at the start and completion of the correction process. When reading the corrected image data, if the copied page identification information matches, the correction process can be determined to be successful, and the corrected image data with correction applied to the received pages can be read. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1. Printing System 2 Controllers 3. Image Data Generation Unit 21 Data Entry Section 22 Data Expansion Section Page 23 Information Generation Section 31 Image receiving unit 32 Page 1 Memory 33 Image Correction Unit 34. Second page memory (corrected image storage unit) 35 Image transmission unit 35 Comparison Section Page 36 Information Check Section (Judgment Section) 100 Printing Systems 200 controllers 201 Data Entry Section 202 Data Deployment Department 300 Image Data Generation Unit 301 Image receiving unit 302 Page 1 Memory 303 Image Correction Unit 304 Page 2 Memory 305 Image transmission unit 361 Page 1 Information Memory (First Memory Unit) 362 Page 2 Information Memory (Second Memory Unit) 363 Page 3 Information Memory (Third Memory Unit) 364 Page 4 Information Memory (Fourth Memory Unit) 365 Comparison Section 400 Head drive control unit 500 printheads

Claims

[Claim 1] An image correction unit that receives image data and page identification information attached to the image data, and corrects the image data upon receiving the image data, A corrected image storage unit that stores the corrected image data, The unit comprises a page identification information determination unit, The determination unit stores the page identification information in the first storage unit when it receives the image data. Furthermore, the page identification information stored in the first storage unit is stored in the second storage unit when the image correction by the image correction unit starts. Furthermore, upon completion of receiving the image data, the page identification information is stored in the third storage unit. Furthermore, upon completion of image correction by the image correction unit, the page identification information stored in the third storage unit is stored in the fourth storage unit. When corrected image data is read from the corrected image storage unit, the determination unit determines whether the page identification information stored in the second storage unit matches the page identification information stored in the fourth storage unit. A printing system characterized by the following features.

Images