Image forming apparatus and method using multi-processor

Abstract

An image forming apparatus including a multi-processor and an image forming method thereof. The apparatus includes a data processing unit to divide input print data into a plurality of divided print data according to a predetermined criterion and to simultaneously process the plurality of divided print data using a multi-processor, and an image forming unit to form an image corresponding to the processed print data.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An image forming method of an image forming apparatus having at least one of printing module, scanning module, copy module and fax module, the method comprising:
 receiving an image forming job from an external device;   dividing the image forming job into a plurality of sub-jobs; and,   processing at least two of the plurality of sub-jobs simultaneously by a multi-processor included in the image forming apparatus;   wherein the dividing the image forming job into a plurality of sub-jobs comprises determining a number of the plurality of sub-jobs by using a predetermined value indicating performance of the multi-processor.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined value indicates a maximum number of sub-jobs being processed by the multi-processor at the same time. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the number of the plurality of sub-jobs is less than or equals to the predetermined value. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sub-jobs are processed by different cores of the multi-processor respectively. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dividing the image forming job comprises dividing the image forming job based on a color and/or a size of the image forming job. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dividing the image forming job into a plurality of sub-jobs comprises dividing the image forming job into a plurality of sub-jobs based on sizes if the image forming job does not originally contain information regarding a plurality of colors. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dividing the image forming job into a plurality of sub-jobs comprises dividing the image forming job into the plurality of sub-jobs based on color if the image forming job originally contains information regarding a plurality of colors. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining whether the image forming job originally contains information regarding a plurality of colors.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating command data or image data from the processed sub-jobs;   generating image data from the command data when command data is generated; and   forming an image corresponding to the generated image data.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the image forming job is one of a printing job, a scanning job, a copy job and a fax transmission job. 
     
     
         11 . An image forming apparatus, comprising:
 an image forming unit to form an image, the image forming unit having at least one of printing module, scanning module, copy module and fax module,   an interface controller to receive an image forming job from an external device; and,   a data processing unit to divide the image forming job into a plurality of sub-jobs and to process at least two of the plurality of sub-jobs simultaneously by a multi-processor included in the data processing unit;   wherein the data processing unit determines a number of the plurality of sub-jobs by using a predetermined value indicating performance of the multi-processor.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the predetermined value indicates a maximum number of sub-jobs being processed by the multi-processor at the same time. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the number of the plurality of sub-jobs is less than or equals to the predetermined value. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the sub-jobs are processed by different cores of the multi-processor respectively. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the data processing unit divides the image forming job based on a color and/or a size of the image forming job. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the data processing unit divides the image forming job into a plurality of sub-jobs based on sizes if the image forming job does not originally contain information regarding a plurality of colors. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the data processing unit divides the image forming job into the plurality of sub-jobs based on color if the image forming job originally contains information regarding a plurality of colors. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the data processing unit determines whether the image forming job originally contains information regarding a plurality of colors. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the data processing unit generates command data or image data from the processed sub-jobs. 
     
     
         20 . A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer readable program to perform the method of  claim 1 .