Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Kenichi Sonobe

Tomokazu Kaneko

Hirota Takahashi

Hiroshi Sugita

Tsutomu Hoshino

Kazuya Edogawa

Toshifumi Nakamura

Takenori Obara

Takashi Okabe

While a general-purpose interface circuit and another general-purpose interface circuit are provided so as to transmit/receive data between a host appliance and a device appliance, when the general-purpose interface of the device appliance happens to hang up, a control section transmits a reset signal via a dedicated interface circuit. When a dedicated interface circuit provided on the side of the device appliance receives this reset signal and then outputs this received reset signal to the general-purpose interface circuit, the general-purpose interface circuit is reinitiated.

Device control system

A USB device for performing communications with a second device through a USB interface while supplying electric power to the second device through a power-source supplying line in the USB interface. The USB device includes a communication unit for communicating with the second device, a power source capable of outputting electric power of a voltage being different from a standard power voltage prescribed in the standards of the USB interface. The power source supplies the electric power to the second device through the power-source supplying line. The second device includes a low load unit and a high load unit The power source supplies the electric power having a power voltage higher than the standard power voltage to the high load unit through the power-source supplying line.

USB device that provides power that is different from power prescribed in the USB standard

A USB device for supplying current to a device connected thereto through a USB interface. In this USB device, current values requested by the devices are preset, as detecting current values, in detector registers of current detecting parts. The current detecting parts constantly monitor current values of electric powers supplied to the devices. Each current detecting part compares a related detecting current value with a related supplied current value. If the supplied current value exceeds the detecting current value, the current detecting part informs a current detection control part of abnormality occurrence. The current detection control part sets a bit in a no-good status register, which corresponds to the current detecting part having informed the abnormality occurrence, and interrupts a CPU. In turn, the CPU refers to the no-good status register and specifies the failure device, and interrupts a current supplying path connecting to the failure device.

Detecting device abnormality by comparing a current value of current of electric power with a preset detecting current value based on a threshold value received by the device

In a CPU, a FET is turned off and power is not supplied to a power supply element of a transceiver for a period of time until predetermined initialization processing, which is implemented in a peripheral device when power is supplied via a cable from a host PC, has been concluded (i.e., a period of time until it becomes possible for the peripheral device to initiate data communication with the host PC). Thus, even if the peripheral device and the host PC are physically connected by a cable, data signals transmitted along signal lines are not relayed by the transceiver to a logic controller, whereby it in effect becomes possible to set the peripheral device in a pseudo-non-connected state with respect to the host PC.

Interface apparatus for mediating sending and receiving signals between devices connected by a signal line

Input image data is stored in a register matrix of 7.times.7 in a successive manner. A pattern detecting section detects a black- or white-pixel connective pattern of the reference pixels of a marked pixel. When the reference pixel pattern is a black-pixel connective pattern of 1:n (n=1, 2, 3, . . . ), an enlarging/smoothing processor section interpolates a part of the enlarged marked pixel with black pixels. When it is a white-pixel connective pattern of 1:n (n=1, 2, 3, . . . ), the enlarging/smoothing processor erases a part of the enlarged marked pixel. As a result, the oblique line can be smoothed. The line that is made thick by the smoothing process can be shaped into a thin line. Thus, a high-quality image can be produced.

Image data enlarging/smoothing processor

In the enlarged image smoothing method and device, an original enlarged image obtained by enlarging an original image m times (m is an integral number which satisfies the condition that m.gtoreq.2) in main and sub scanning directions is input, a first image is generated by moving the original enlarged image in a first direction, a second image is generated by moving the original enlarged image in a second direction opposite to the first direction, an AND operation is performed between the first image and second image, and an OR operation is performed between an image resulting from the AND operation and the original enlarged image, whereby the original enlarged image is smoothed.

Growing community of inventors

Iwatsuki, Japan

Kenichi Sonobe