Processing device, processing method and computer readable medium

• US 20070041610A1
• Filed: 06/05/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation), Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Yasuhiko, Nagao, Takashi, Kaneko, Junichi, Seki, Noriaki, Kumazawa, Yukio, Hariya, Michitaka, Yamamoto, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,916,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining

Abstract

A processing device has plural processing modules executing a processing; and plural connectors each having a linking section, an associating section, and a controller. The linking section is able to link with at least one other connector at an input side or an output side. The associating section associates the connector with one of the processing modules. In accordance with a linked state, the controller controls the processing module associated by the associating section.

Claims

1. A processing device comprising:

a plurality of processing modules executing a processing; and

a plurality of connectors each having a linking section able to link with at least one other connector at an input side or an output side, an associating section for associating the connector with one of the processing modules, and a controller recognizing a linked state with other connectors and, in accordance with the linked state, controlling the processing module associated by the associating section.

2. The processing device of claim 1, wherein, when the controller recognizes that the connector is linked with at least one other connector at the output side, the controller controls execution of processing of the processing module associated by the associating section, and outputs processing results of the processing module to the linked other connector.

3. The processing device of claim 1, wherein, when the controller recognizes that the connector is linked with at least one other connector at the input side, the controller controls the processing module associated by the associating section such that the processing is carried out according to a processing result acquired from the other connector linked to the input side.

4. The processing device of claim 3, wherein, when the controller recognizes that the connector is linked with a plurality of other connectors at the input side, the controller carries out control such that processing of the associated processing module is not started until the processing of all of the processing modules associated with the plurality of other connectors has ended.

5. The processing device of claim 1, wherein, when the controller recognizes that the connector is linked with at least one other connector at each of the input side and the output side, the controller controls the processing module associated by the associating section such that processing is carried out according to a processing result acquired from the other connector linked to the input side, and the controller outputs processing results of the processing module to the other connector that is linked to the output side.

6. The processing device of claim 1, wherein, when the controller recognizes that the connector is linked with at least one other connector at the input side and the output side, and the controller recognizes that a processing module has not been associated through the associating section or recognizes that the associated processing module is inappropriate, the controller outputs a processing result that is acquired from the other connector linked to the input side, to the other connector linked to the output side automatically.

7. The processing device of claim 1, further comprising an outputting section that outputs, to a memory device, linking information which corresponds to a linked structure between the respective connectors, and association information between the respective connectors and the processing modules.

8. The processing device of claim 7, wherein the outputting section is provided at each of the plurality of connectors.

9. The processing device of claim 1, further comprising a memory device that stores linking information and association information and a reproducing section that reads out linking information, which corresponds to a linked structure between the respective connectors, and association information between the respective connectors and the processing modules, from the memory device, and on the basis of the linking information and the association information that are read-out, the reproducing section reproduces linking through the linking sections of the respective connectors and associating through the associating sections.

10. The processing device of claim 9, wherein the reproducing section is provided at each of the plurality of connectors.

11. The processing device of claim 1, further comprising a status memory that stores a status of the associated processing module at each of the plurality of connectors.

12. A processing method comprising:

linking a plurality of connectors each having a linking section able to link with at least one other connector at an input side or an output side, an associating section for associating the connector with one processing module which executes a processing, and a controller recognizing a linked state with other connectors and, in accordance with the linked state, controlling the processing module associated by the associating section; and

executing the processing modules associated with the linked plurality of connectors, in an order in which the connectors are linked.

13. A processing method linking a plurality of connectors and executing a plurality of processing modules, the method comprising:

defining linking with at least one other connector at an input side or an output side of each of the plurality of connectors;

associating one of the processing modules with each of the plurality of connectors; and

recognizing a linked state with other connectors, and controlling execution of the associated processing module.

14. The processing method of claim 13, wherein, when it is recognized that the connector is linked with at least one other connector at each of the input side and the output side, the controlling includes controlling the associated processing module such that the processing is carried out according to a processing result acquired from the other connector linked to the input side, and outputting the processing result of the processing module to the other connector that is linked to the output side.

15. The processing method of claim 13, wherein, when it is recognized that the connector is linked with a plurality of other connectors at the input side, the controlling includes carrying out control such that processing of the associated processing module is not started until the processing of all of the processing modules associated with the plurality of other connectors have ended.

16. The processing method of claim 13, wherein, when it is recognized that the connector is linked with at least one other connector at the input side and the output side and it is recognized that a processing module has not been associated, or it is recognized that the associated processing module is inappropriate, the controlling includes outputting a processing result, that is acquired from the other connector linked to the input side, to the other connector linked to the output side automatically.

17. The processing method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises outputting, to a memory device, linking information which corresponds to a linked structure between the respective connectors, and association information between the respective connectors and the processing modules.

18. The processing method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

reading-out linking information, which corresponds to a linked structure between the respective connectors, and association information between the respective connectors and the processing modules, from a memory device that stores linking information and association information;

linking at least one other connector to the input side or the output side of the connector, on the basis of the linking information that is read-out; and

associating the connector with one of the processing modules, on the basis of the association information that is read-out.

19. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:

linking a plurality of connectors each having a linking section able to link with at least one other connector at an input side or an output side, an associating section for associating the connector with one processing module which executes a processing, and a controller recognizing a linked state with other connectors and, in accordance with the linked state, controlling the processing module associated by the associating section; and

executing the processing modules associated with the linked plurality of connectors, in an order in which the connectors are linked.

20. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for linking a plurality of connectors and executing a plurality of processing modules, the process comprising:

defining linking with at least one other connector at an input side or an output side of each of the plurality of connectors;

associating one of the processing modules with each of the plurality of connectors; and

recognizing a linked state with other connectors, and controlling execution of the associated processing module.