Image forming apparatus and image forming method

• US 8,115,942 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Hidehiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZONG, HELEN
• Application Number:
  US12/411,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20090244590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.14
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1221 with regard to power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1248 by printer language recognition, e.g. PDL, PCL, PDF
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/12 by photographic printing , e.g. by laser printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1856 characterized by its workflow
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An image forming apparatus detects whether a sub board, which performs image processing, is in a processing-disabled state. If it is detected that the sub board is in the processing-disabled state, the image forming apparatus activates a virtual environment on a main board, which performs information processing, to allow an image processing unit configured to perform the image processing to run on the virtual environment. The image forming apparatus transfers data processed by the image processing unit to the sub board when the sub board comes into a processing-enabled state and then prints and outputs the data via a print engine.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising a first system, a second system, and an output engine, and configured to process input data via the first system and the second system and to output the processed data as an image via the output engine,

wherein the first system comprises:

a first communication unit configured to communicate with the second system;

a detection unit configured to detect whether the second system is in a processing-disabled state;

a virtual environment activation unit configured to activate a virtual environment running on the first system if the detection unit detects that the second system is in the processing-disabled state; and

a first image processing unit configured to perform image processing under the virtual environment,

wherein the second system comprises;

a second communication unit configured to communicate with the first system;

a second image processing unit configured to perform image processing on data received from the first system; and

an output engine control unit configured to control the output engine, and

wherein the output engine is configured to output the processed data as an image under control of the output engine control unit.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first image processing unit is configured to perform image processing using a property of the output engine.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output engine includes an output engine property measurement unit configured to measure a property of the output engine.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit is configured to communicate with the first image processing unit when the virtual environment activation unit activates the virtual environment if the detection unit detects that the second system is in the processing-disabled state.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first image processing unit is configured to perform image processing via a virtual image processing driver running on the virtual environment, and

wherein, if the image processing by the second image processing unit is performed by using hardware specific to the second system, the virtual image processing driver executes a program for emulating the hardware specific to the second system.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the program for emulating the hardware specific to the second system performs image processing using a property of the output engine.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit configured to select whether to stop the image processing performed by the first image processing unit in units of image forming or at a predetermined point of time when the second system comes into a processing-enabled state.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit configured to select whether to transfer the virtual environment to the second system via the first communication unit or to transfer data processed in units of image forming to the second system via the first communication unit, when the second system comes into a processing-enabled state.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit configured to select whether to activate the virtual environment on the first system of the image forming apparatus or another image forming apparatus to perform image processing, or to transfer and activate the virtual environment to and on the first system of the image forming apparatus or another image forming apparatus to perform image processing, if the detection unit detects that the second system is in the processing-disabled state.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first system includes an information processing system and the second system includes an image processing system.

11. A method for an image forming apparatus comprising a first system, a second system, and an output engine, and configured to process input data via the first system and the second system and to output the processed data as an image via the output engine, the method comprising:

communicating with the second system from the first system;

detecting whether the second system is in a processing-disabled state;

activating a virtual environment running on the first system if the second system is detected to be in the processing-disabled state;

performing image processing with an image processing unit running on the virtual environment;

communicating with the first system from the second system;

performing image processing, with the second system, on data received from the first system;

controlling the output engine; and

outputting the processed data as an image by controlling the output engine.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising communicating with the image processing unit running on the virtual environment when the virtual environment is activated if the second system is detected to be in the processing-disabled state.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform a method for an image forming apparatus comprising a first system, a second system, and an output engine, and configured to process input data via the first system and the second system and to output the processed data as an image via the output engine, the method comprising:

communicating with the second system from the first system;

detecting whether the second system is in a processing-disabled state;

activating a virtual environment running on the first system if the second system is detected to be in the processing-disabled state;

performing image processing with an image processing unit running on the virtual environment;

communicating with the first system from the second system;

performing image processing, with the second system, on data received from the first system;

controlling the output engine; and

outputting the processed data as an image by controlling the output engine.