Print document conversion apparatus and computer readable medium

1. A print document conversion apparatus comprising:

a plurality of software-based conversion units that perform a software-based conversion process for converting print document data described in a page description language into page image data having a bitmap image format, each of the plurality of software-based conversion units requesting a hardware-based image processing apparatus to execute specific image processing in the software-based conversion process and generating the page image data including a result of the specific image processing executed by the hardware-based image processing apparatus in response to the request; and

a controller that activates an additional software-based conversion unit that performs the software-based conversion process when there is a possibility that a state where at least one of the plurality of software-based conversion units waits for the hardware-based image processing apparatus to complete the specific image processing occurs,

wherein the controller controls a number of additional software-based conversion units not to exceed a predetermined upper limit.

2. The print document conversion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a number of software-based conversion units is greater than the predetermined upper limit.

3. The print document conversion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of software-based conversion units are provided so that a number of software-based conversion units is determined based on a processing capability of the hardware-based image processing apparatus.

4. The print document conversion apparatus according to claim 2 . wherein the plurality of software-based conversion units are provided so that the number of software-based conversion units is determined based on a processing capability of the hardware-based image processing apparatus.

5. The print document conversion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller makes the additional software-based conversion unit process new print document data that is different from the print document data

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process comprising:

executing a plurality of software-based conversion units that perform a software-based conversion process for converting print document data described in a page description language into page image data having a bitmap image format, each of the plurality of software-based conversion units requesting a hardware-based image processing apparatus that executes specific image processing in the software-based conversion process to execute the specific image processing and generating the page image data including a result of the specific image processing executed by the hardware-based image processing apparatus in response to the request; and

activating an additional software-based conversion unit that performs the software-based conversion process when there is a possibility that a state where at least one of the plurality of software-based conversion units waits for the hardware-based image processing apparatus to complete the specific image processing occurs, a number of additional software-based conversion units being controlled not to exceed a predetermined upper limit.

7. A print document conversion apparatus comprising:

a plurality of software-based conversion units that perform a software-based conversion process for converting print document data described in a page description language into page image data having a bitmap image format, each of the plurality of software-based conversion units requesting a hardware-based image processing apparatus that executes specific image processing in the software-based conversion process to execute the specific image processing and generating the page image data including a result of the specific image processing executed by the hardware-based image processing apparatus in response to the request;

a calculation unit that executes a calculation required for the software-based conversion process performed by the plurality of software-based conversion units; and

a controller that activates an additional software-based conversion unit that performs the software-based conversion process when there is a possibility that a state where at least one of the plurality of software-based conversion units waits for the hardware-based image processing apparatus to complete the specific image processing occurs,

wherein the controller further performs control to allocate the software-based conversion process performed for a certain unit amount of data in the print document data to the plurality of software-based conversion units and one of additional software-based conversion units, the control being performed so that a number of software-based conversion units other than a software-based conversion unit that is in a state of waiting for the hardware-based image processing apparatus to complete the specific image processing among software-based conversion units to which the certain unit amount of data has been allocated does not exceed a predetermined upper limit based on a processing capability of the calculation unit.,

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process comprising:

executing a plurality of software-based conversion units that perform a software-based conversion process for converting print document data described in a page description language into page image data having a bitmap image format, each of the plurality of software-based conversion units requesting a hardware-based image processing apparatus that executes specific image processing in the software-based conversion process to execute the specific image processing and generating the page image data including a result of the specific image processing executed by the hardware-based image processing apparatus in response to the request;

executing a calculation required for the software-based conversion process performed using the plurality of software-based conversion units; and

activating an additional software-based conversion unit that performs the software-based conversion process when there is a possibility that a state where at least one of the plurality of software-based conversion units waits for the hardware-based image processing apparatus to complete the specific image processing occurs, wherein control is performed to allocate the software-based conversion process performed for a certain unit amount of data in the print document data to the plurality of software-based conversion units and one of additional software-based conversion units, the control being performed so that a number of software-based conversion units other than a software-based conversion unit that is in a state of waiting for the hardware-based image processing apparatus to complete the specific image processing among software-based conversion units to which the certain unit amount of data has been allocated does not exceed a predetermined upper limit based on a processing capability of a calculation unit that executes the calculation.