Apparatus and method for peripheral device control with integrated data compression

• US 5,715,477 A
• Filed: 12/04/1996
• Issued: 02/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PDACO LIMITED
• Original Assignee: Elonex IP Holdings Limited
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Alpesh M.
• Application Number:
  US08/759,393
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800.01, 395/888, 395/200.76, 395/200.77, 395/827, 395/828, 395/835, 395/882, 395/884, 395/891, 395/100, 395/103, 395/101, 395/110, 395/523, 382/232, 382/233, 382/235, 382/254
• US Class Current: 710/68
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/12 Digital output to print unit , e.g. line printer, chain printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1297 Printer code translation, conversion, emulation, compression; Configuration of printer parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0011 characterised by a particular command or data flow, e.g. Page Description Language, configuration commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0014 Transforming the printer input data into internal codes

Abstract

An apparatus and methods are provided for pre-compressing data to be sent to a peripheral device in a computer system, sending the data to the peripheral device as a compressed data stream, and decompressing the data for use in the peripheral device in a real-time format. In a preferred embodiment, a unique peripheral device controller is provided having a data handling and decompression pipeline for receiving and decompressing an incoming compressed data stream in concert with a state machine for sensing the states of elements of the peripheral device, and for providing the decompressed data stream to data-using elements of the peripheral device. The peripheral device can be any device for which large amounts of data are typically needed, including, but not limited to printers, video displays, robotic driving devices, and data recording and media writing devices. Alternative methods are disclosed for compressing and decompressing data in systems according to the invention.

Claims

1. A computer system having a host computer and a peripheral device, comprising:

a CPU in the host computer;

a memory in the host computer;

a data compression engine in the host computer;

a data port at the host computer connecting the host computer to the peripheral device over a data link;

a bus system in the host computer connecting the CPU, the memory, the data compression engine, and the data port;

control routines stored in the host computer and executable by the CPU for processing and sending a stream of data to the data port;

a data-receiving interface in the peripheral device for receiving the stream of data from the connected computer in a compressed form;

a state machine in the peripheral device having inputs for monitoring status from sensors of the peripheral device and outputs for providing such as start and ready signals;

receiving circuitry in the peripheral device connected to the data-receiving interface and to the state machine;

a data handling and decompression pipeline circuit in the peripheral device connected to the receiving circuitry; and

a data serializer in the peripheral device connected to the data handling and decompression pipeline circuit and to an output port to data-using elements of the peripheral device;

wherein the CPU in the host computer, executing the control routines stored in the host computer, selects data to go to the peripheral device, compresses the data using the data compression engine, temporarily stores the compressed data in the memory, and retrieves and sends the compressed data slice by slice to the data interface on demand by an interrupt signal from the data interface; and

wherein the receiving circuitry latches data words from the data receiving interface, and provides the data words to the data handling and decompression pipeline circuit on receipt of ready signals from the state machine; and

wherein the data handling and decompression circuitry decompresses the incoming data stream and provides a resulting decompressed data stream to the data serializer, and wherein the data serializer provides the serialized data stream to the output port.

2. A computer system as in claim 1 wherein the peripheral device is a printer, a reverse-transfer scanner, a video display including a cathode ray tube display or a flat-panel display, a robotic device, or a media writer, such as a CD-ROM, tape, or optical disk writer.

3. A computer system having a host computer and a peripheral device, comprising:

a CPU in the host computer;

a memory in the host computer;

a data compression engine in the host computer;

a direct memory access (DMA) controller in the host computer;

a data port at the host computer connecting the host computer to the peripheral device over a data link;

a bus system in the host computer connecting the CPU, the memory, the data compression engine, the DMA controller, and the data port;

control routines stored in the host computer and executable by the CPU for processing and sending a stream of data to the data port;

a data-receiving interface in the peripheral device for receiving the stream of data from the connected computer over the data link in a compressed form;

a state machine in the peripheral device having inputs for monitoring status from sensors of the peripheral device and outputs for providing such as start and ready signals;

receiving circuitry in the peripheral device connected to the data-receiving interface and to the state machine;

a data handling and decompression pipeline circuit in the peripheral device connected to the receiving circuitry; and

a data serializer in the peripheral device connected to the data handling and decompression pipeline circuit and to an output port to data-using elements of the peripheral device;

wherein the CPU in the host computer, executing the control routines stored in the host computer, selects data to go to the peripheral device, compresses the data using the data compression engine, temporarily stores the compressed data in the memory, and activates the DMA controller to retrieve the compressed data and to spool and send the compressed data to the data port; and

wherein the receiving circuitry latches data words from the data receiving interface, and provides the data words to the data handling and decompression pipeline circuit on receipt of ready signals from the state machine; and

wherein the data handling and decompression circuitry decompresses the incoming data stream and provides a resulting decompressed data stream to the data serializer, and wherein the data serializer provides the serialized data stream to the output port.

4. A computer system as in claim 3 wherein the peripheral device is a printer, a reverse-transfer scanner, a video display including a cathode ray tube display or a flat-panel display, a robotic device, or a media writer, such as a CD-ROM, tape, or optical disk writer.