Image input/output control apparatus, image processing apparatus, image processing method, data communication apparatus, and data communication method

• US 7,724,388 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2006
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Takafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu; Benny Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NGON BINH
• Application Number:
  US11/380,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20060203817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/448, 356/316, 710/113, 710/107, 710/14
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1212 achieving reduced delay between job submission and print start
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1279 Controller construction, e.g. aspects of the interface hardware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0083 Arrangements for transferring signals between different components of the apparatus, e.g. arrangements of signal lines or cables for control or supervision between image input and output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32561 using a programmed control device, e.g. a microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32577 Input interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32582 Output interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32587 Controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32593 Using a plurality of controllers, e.g. for controlling different interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32598 Bus based systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32603 Multi-bus systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0086 Image transceiver H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An image input/output control apparatus includes a control device for controlling input/output of image data with an external apparatus, plural image processing devices for performing predetermined image processes to the image data, and plural data transfer devices for connecting each of the plural image processing devices and the control device like a ring and performing data transfer among them. The plural image processing devices and the control device are composed respectively on different units, whereby the structure of the apparatus can be easily changed, and a decrease in processing speed due to the competition for buses can be reduced without increasing the number of parts necessary for bus control.

Claims

1. A data communication apparatus which performs transmission/reception of a data packet including image data and a header including data length information of the image data, said apparatus comprising:

a first transmission unit adapted to transmit the data packet;

a reception unit adapted to receive the data packet transmitted by said first transmission unit;

a second transmission unit adapted to transmit a footer including the data length information of the transmitted image data, if said first transmission unit has completed transmission of the image data; and

an updating unit adapted to update the data length information included in the header based on the footer transmitted by said second transmission unit.

2. A data communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reception unit writes the received data packet in a predetermined memory, and wherein said updating unit updates the data length information included in the header by writing the data length information the footer at an address where the header has been written.

3. A data communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an encoding unit adapted to encode the image data included in the data packet,

wherein said first transmission unit transmits the data packet including the image data encoded by said encoding unit,

wherein said first transmission units starts transmission of the data packet before said encoding unit completes encoding of the image data, and

wherein said second transmission unit transmits the footer, if said encoding unit has completed encoding of the image data.

4. A data communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input unit adapted to input image data; and

a generating unit adapted to generate plural divisional image data which are acquired by dividing the image data input by said input unit into predetermined areas,

wherein the data packet includes the divisional image data.

5. A data communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image processing unit adapted to perform image processing on the image data,

wherein said first transmission unit transmits the data packet including image data to which the image processing has been performed by said image processing unit.

6. A data communication apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an output unit adapted to output an image based on the plural divisional image data.

7. A data communication method for performing transmission/reception of a data packet including image data and a header including data length information of the image data, said method comprising:

transmitting the data packet from a transmission-side unit to a reception-side unit;

transmitting a footer including the data length information of the transmitted image data, if the image data included with the data packet has completed being transmitted from the transmission-side unit to the reception-side unit; and

updating the data length information included in the header based on the footer transmitted, where the updating is performed, at least in part, by a computer processor.