CN111123672B

CN111123672B - Paper type discriminating device and control program for paper type discriminating device

Info

Publication number: CN111123672B
Application number: CN201911021277.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 川端美绘; 村川彰; 河合敦
Original assignee: Konica Minolta Inc
Current assignee: Konica Minolta Inc
Priority date: 2018-10-30
Filing date: 2019-10-25
Publication date: 2023-01-20
Anticipated expiration: 2039-10-25
Also published as: US20200130971A1; JP2020070137A; JP7243130B2; CN111123672A

Abstract

The invention provides a paper type discriminating device and a control program of the paper type discriminating device, which can restrain the increase of the time required for printing. An image forming apparatus (1) as a paper type discriminating apparatus includes: a paper feed tray (11) for storing paper; a paper conveying part (10) which conveys paper from a paper feeding tray (11); a grammage sensor (23) that measures the grammage of the paper being conveyed; a storage device for storing a type discrimination table in which a relationship between a grammage and a paper type is described; and a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The type discrimination table defines a unique range of grammage in which the paper type is uniquely discriminated, and a selection range of grammage in which the paper type is discriminated to be either one of the first and second types. When the measured grammage is a value within the selection range, the CPU displays a selection screen and sets the type of paper stored in the paper feed tray 11 to the type accepted through the selection screen.

Description

Paper type discriminating apparatus and control program for paper type discriminating apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a paper type discriminating apparatus and a control program for the paper type discriminating apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a paper type discriminating apparatus and a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus capable of suppressing an increase in time required for printing.

Background

Electrophotographic image forming apparatuses include MFPs (Multi Function Peripheral) having a scanner Function, a facsimile Function, a copying Function, a printer Function, a data communication Function, and a server Function, facsimile apparatuses, copiers, printers, and the like.

The image forming apparatus improves the quality of an image by setting parameters such as a transport speed to appropriate values according to the type of paper at the time of printing, and avoids a trouble such as a paper jam. Therefore, in order for the image forming apparatus to properly execute printing, it is necessary to accurately set the type of paper stored in the paper feed tray.

However, since it is difficult for the user to accurately determine the paper type, a paper sheet is stored in the paper feed tray, and the paper type may be set erroneously, causing a trouble such as a paper jam. Therefore, the conventional image forming apparatus measures the grammage of the sheet based on the reflected light amount, the transmitted light amount, and the like of the sheet, and determines the sheet type from the measured grammage by using a sheet type determination table stored in advance in the storage device. In such an image forming apparatus, printing is performed on a sheet while the sheet is conveyed at a conveying speed corresponding to the determined type. The paper type discrimination table describes the relationship between the paper type and the range of grammage.

Patent documents 1 to 3 and the like listed below disclose techniques relating to the discrimination of the paper type. Patent document 1 discloses the following technology: a thickness index value, which is an index value of the thickness of a sheet, is detected using, as detection positions, a central region located at the center of the sheet in the width direction, a first end region and a second end region located at both outer sides of the central region in the width direction of the sheet, respectively.

Patent document 2 discloses the following technology: a determination is made as to whether there is a mismatch between the type of paper placed in the printer and the paper set by the print setting processing section, and the generation of print data by the print data generation processing section and the output of the generated print data are restricted.

Patent document 3 discloses the following technology: a printer driver of the host device acquires information on the characteristics of ink stored in the ink cartridge from the printer, and determines the type of paper that can be printed using the ink cartridge mounted in the printer based on the acquired ink characteristics information. The printer driver sets a paper selection menu for allowing the user to select only the contents of the paper type, and displays the paper selection menu on a setting screen.

[ patent document 1 ] Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-193390

[ patent document 2 ] Japanese patent laid-open No. 2005-062916

[ patent document 3 ] Japanese patent laid-open No. 2001-213032

In the conventional paper type discrimination table, when a first range, which is a range of grammage of a first type of paper having a high conveyance speed, and a second range, which is a range of grammage of a second type of paper having a low conveyance speed, are defined to be adjacent to each other, if the measured grammage is a value within the second range, the paper is discriminated as the second type of paper having a low conveyance speed.

Therefore, the quality of the image required when printing photographic images is high. Therefore, when printing a high-quality image such as a photographic image on a paper sheet, it is necessary to slow down the paper sheet conveyance speed. On the other hand, generally, there is no problem even if the quality of an image required for printing a document or the like is lower than that required for photographing. Therefore, when a document is printed, an image of sufficient quality can be printed even at a high conveyance speed.

The range of grammage specified in the conventional paper type discrimination table is: when a sheet having a grammage within this range is conveyed, the conveyance speed range in which the image quality does not become a problem is obtained regardless of the required image quality. Therefore, when the measured grammage is within the second range and is a value near the boundary value between the first range and the second range, an image of sufficient quality can be printed when a document or the like is printed even if the sheet is conveyed at a high conveyance speed, but the sheet is conveyed at a slow conveyance speed, and the time required for printing increases.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a paper type discriminating device and a control program for the paper type discriminating device that can suppress an increase in time required for printing.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a paper type discriminating device includes: a storage section that stores paper sheets; a conveying unit that conveys the paper from the storage section along a conveying path; a measuring unit that measures a grammage of the sheet conveyed along the conveying path; a storage device for storing a type discrimination table in which a relationship between a grammage and a paper type is described; and a setting unit that sets a type of the sheet stored in the storage section based on the grammage measured by the measuring unit; the sheet type discriminating device further includes a selection screen display unit configured to display a selection screen as a screen for accepting an operation of selecting a sheet type from the first and second types when the grammage measured by the measuring unit is a value within the selection range, and accept selection on the selection screen, and the setting unit sets the type of the sheet accommodated in the accommodating unit to the type of the sheet accepted on the selection screen when the selection screen is displayed.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the unique range includes a first unique range and a second unique range, the first unique range being a range of grammage at which the paper type is uniquely discriminated to be the first type; the second unique range is a range in which the sheet type is uniquely determined to be the grammage of the second type, the conveyance speed of the first type of sheet and the conveyance speed of the second type of sheet are different from each other, and the selection range is set between the first unique range and the second unique range.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the device further includes: a setting screen display unit that displays a setting screen for accepting an operation of setting the type of the paper stored in the storage unit after the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is set by the setting unit, and accepts setting of the type of the paper through the setting screen; and a changing unit that changes the setting of the type of the paper stored in the storage unit to the type of the paper accepted to the setting by the setting screen display unit, wherein the setting screen display unit displays a setting screen accepting an operation of setting the type of the paper from the first type and the second type.

In the above-described paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the setting screen display means does not receive an operation of setting the paper type through the setting screen when the grammage measured by the measuring means is a value within a unique range.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the paper type discriminating device further includes a necessity determining unit that determines whether or not the selection screen needs to be displayed, and the selection screen displaying unit does not display the selection screen when the necessity determining unit determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed when the grammage measured by the measuring unit is a value within the selection range.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the paper type discriminating device further includes a change detecting means for detecting a change in the type of paper stored in the storage unit, and the necessity determining means determines that the selection screen is not necessary to be displayed when the change detecting means does not detect a change in the type of paper stored in the storage unit in a state where the type of paper stored in the storage unit is set.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the setting means does not change the setting of the type of paper stored in the storage section when the change detecting means does not detect a change in the type of paper stored in the storage section in a state where the type of paper stored in the storage section is set.

In the above-described paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the device further includes an image forming unit that forms an image in accordance with the received job, and the necessity determining unit determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed when the type of the job is a specific type.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the specified type includes a print job for managing the image forming apparatus.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the storage device further stores a conveyance speed discrimination table in which a relationship between a paper type and a conveyance speed is described, and the setting unit determines the conveyance speed of each of the first and second types of paper based on the conveyance speed discrimination table and sets the type of paper stored in the storage unit to be the type having the higher conveyance speed of the first and second types when the necessity/unnecessity determining unit determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the paper type discriminating device further includes an image forming unit that forms an image in accordance with the received job, the storage device further stores a conveyance speed discriminating table in which a relation between a paper type and a conveyance speed is described, and a different type discriminating table in which a relation between a grammage and a paper type is described, the different type discriminating table uniquely defining a paper type with respect to the grammage, the necessity/unnecessity determining unit determines that the selection screen is not to be displayed when the mode of the job is the specific mode, the setting unit sets the type of the paper stored in the storage unit using the conveyance speed discriminating table based on the grammage measured by the measuring unit when the necessity/unnecessity determining unit determines that the selection screen is not to be displayed and when the mode of the job is the first mode, and the setting unit sets the type of the paper stored in the storage unit using the different type discriminating table based on the grammage measured by the measuring unit when the necessity/unnecessity determining unit determines that the selection screen is not to be displayed and the mode of the job is the second mode different from the first mode.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the device further includes: an image forming unit that forms an image in accordance with a task received from a user; and a position acquisition unit that acquires information of a position of the user, wherein the necessity determination unit determines that the selection screen is not to be displayed when the position of the user is separated from the position of the image forming apparatus by a predetermined distance.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the paper type discriminating device further includes an image forming unit that forms an image in accordance with the received job, and when a predetermined post-process is set for the job, the necessity determining unit determines that the selection screen is not to be displayed, and the setting unit sets the type of the paper stored in the storage unit to the first type.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the device further includes: another selection screen display means for displaying another selection screen, which is a screen for accepting an operation of selecting a paper type from the first and second types, and accepting a selection through the other selection screen, when a predetermined condition is established after the paper type is set by the setting means; and a first setting changing unit that changes the type of paper set by the setting unit to the type of paper selected by the other selection screen display unit when the other selection screen is displayed.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the paper type discriminating device further includes an evaluation unit that evaluates the quality of the image formed by the image forming unit after the paper type is set by the setting unit, and that the other selection screen display unit displays the other selection screen and accepts selection through the other selection screen when the necessity determining unit determines that the selection screen is not necessary to be displayed and the quality evaluated by the evaluation unit is lower than a predetermined value.

In the above paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the other selection screen display means displays the other selection screen and accepts selection through the other selection screen when the necessity determining means determines that the selection screen is not required to be displayed and the number of occurrences of the jam exceeds a predetermined number.

In the above-described paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the device further includes a second setting changing unit that changes the paper type set by the setting unit to a type discriminated using a different type discrimination table in which a relationship between the grammage and the paper type is described and in which the paper type is uniquely defined for the grammage, when the evaluation value of the quality of the image formed by the image forming unit after the paper type is set by the setting unit is lower than a predetermined value, the grammage measured by the measuring unit is a value within a selection range, and the paper type set by the setting unit and the paper type discriminated using the different type discrimination table are different from each other.

In the above-described paper type discriminating device, it is preferable that the device further includes third setting changing means for changing the paper type set by the setting means to one of the first and second types having a slow conveyance speed when the grammage measured by the measuring means is a value within the selection range and the number of occurrences of a jam after the paper type is set by the setting means exceeds a predetermined number.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control program for a paper type discriminating device including: a storage section that stores paper sheets; a conveying unit that conveys the paper from the storage section along a conveying path; a measurement unit that measures a grammage of a sheet conveyed along a conveyance path; and a storage device that stores a type determination table in which a relationship between a grammage and a paper type is described, wherein the control program is configured to cause a computer to execute a setting step of setting a type of paper stored in the storage portion based on the grammage measured by the measuring unit, wherein a unique range and a selection range are defined in the type determination table, the unique range being a range in which the grammage of the paper type is uniquely determined, and the selection range being a range in which the paper type is determined to be either one of a first type having a relatively large grammage and a second type having a relatively small grammage, and wherein the control program is further configured to cause the computer to execute a screen display step of displaying a selection screen that is a screen for accepting an operation of selecting the paper type from the first and second types when the grammage measured by the measuring unit is a value within the selection range, and accepting a selection through the selection screen, and wherein in the setting step, the type of paper stored in the storage portion is set as a type that is selected through the selection screen.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a paper type discriminating apparatus and a control program for the paper type discriminating apparatus, which can suppress an increase in time required for printing.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view showing an external configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing the structure of the image forming apparatus 1 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a paper feed tray information table stored in storage device 106 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a first setting screen of the paper feed tray information displayed on the operation panel 22 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a second setting screen of the paper feed tray information displayed on the operation panel 22 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a conventional sheet type discrimination table.

Fig. 8 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the paper type discrimination table stored in the storage device 106 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the selection screen displayed on the operation panel 22 in the case where the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value in the selection range of "85g/m2 to 94g/m2" in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a diagram schematically showing another example of the paper type discrimination table stored in the storage device 106 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a diagram schematically showing a second setting screen in the case where the setting of the paper type is accepted through the second setting screen after the paper type selected on the selection screen is set in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a subroutine diagram of the selection necessity determining process (S21) in the first example of the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is a diagram schematically showing the conveyance speed determination table stored in the storage device 106 in the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 16 is a diagram schematically showing a sheet type discrimination table with priority on image quality stored in the storage device 106 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a subroutine diagram of the selection necessity determining process (S21) in the second example of the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a subroutine diagram of the selection necessity determining process (S21) in the third example of the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 19 is a subroutine diagram of the selection necessity determining process (S21) in the fourth example of the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing a setting change process performed by the image forming apparatus 1 in the first example of the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 21 is a flowchart showing a setting change process performed by the image forming apparatus 1 in the second example of the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 22 is a flowchart showing a setting change process performed by the image forming apparatus 1 in the third example of the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing a setting change process performed by the image forming apparatus 1 according to the fourth example of the third embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the following embodiments, a case where the sheet type discriminating device is mounted on the image forming apparatus will be described. Examples of the image forming apparatus include an MFP, a printer, a copier, and a facsimile machine. The sheet type discriminating device is mounted on a device other than the image forming apparatus such as a sheet storage device and a post-processing device.

[ first embodiment ]

(Structure of image Forming apparatus)

Fig. 1 is a front view showing an external appearance structure of an image forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing the structure of the image forming apparatus 1 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 1 (an example of a paper type discriminating apparatus) according to the present embodiment mainly includes: a paper conveying section 10 (an example of a conveying unit); a toner image forming portion 20 (an example of an image forming unit); a fixing device 21; an operation panel 22 (an example of a selection screen display unit, a setting screen display unit, and another selection screen display unit); and a grammage sensor 23 (an example of a measuring unit).

The sheet conveying portion 10 conveys sheets from any one of the plurality of sheet feed trays 11 and the manual tray 12 along the conveying path TR. The paper conveying section 10 includes: a plurality of paper feed trays 11 (an example of a housing section), a manual tray 12 (an example of a housing section),

paper feed rollers

13 and 14, registration rollers 15, paper discharge rollers 16, and a paper discharge tray 17. The plurality of paper feed trays 11 stack and store sheets of paper M for forming images. The manual feed tray 12 stores sheets for manual feeding. The paper feed roller 13 is provided between the paper feed tray 11 and the transport path TR, and feeds the paper stored in the paper feed tray 11 one by one. The paper feed roller 14 is provided between the manual feed tray 12 and the transport path TR, and feeds the paper stored in the manual feed tray 12 one by one. The registration roller 15 is provided upstream of the transfer position ST of the toner image forming unit 20 in the transport path TR. The discharge rollers 16 are provided in the most downstream portion in the conveying path TR. The paper discharge tray 17 is provided at the uppermost portion of the image forming apparatus main body 1 a.

The toner image forming unit 20 forms an image on a sheet according to the job received by the image forming apparatus 1. The toner image forming unit 20 combines 4 color images of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black) in a so-called tandem manner, and transfers (forms) a toner image to a sheet to be conveyed at a transfer position ST. The toner image forming portion 20 includes an intermediate transfer belt 20a. Further, the toner image forming portion 20 includes: a photosensitive drum, a charging roller, an exposure device, a developing device, a primary transfer roller, a secondary transfer roller, and the like.

The fixing device 21 holds the paper sheet bearing the toner image and conveys the paper sheet along the conveying path TR, thereby fixing the toner image to the conveyed paper sheet.

The operation panel 22 receives various operations related to the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 and displays the oyster cocktail information.

The grammage sensor 23 measures the grammage of the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path TR at a detection position on the upstream side of the conveyance path TR from the registration roller 15.

The image forming apparatus 1 feeds the sheets stored in the sheet feed tray 11 or the manual feed tray 12 to the transport path TR one by the

sheet feed roller

13 or 14. After the image forming apparatus 1 temporarily stops the sheet by the registration rollers 15, the sheet is conveyed to the transfer position ST at the timing of transfer by the toner image forming portion 20. The image forming apparatus 1 measures the grammage of the sheet temporarily stopped by the registration roller 15 with the grammage sensor 23. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 can measure the grammage of the sheet being conveyed.

On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 1 employs a known electrophotographic method and tandem method, generates a toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 20a of the toner image forming unit 20 by the toner image forming unit 20, and conveys the toner image toward the transfer position ST by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 20a. The sheet is fed from the registration roller 15 to the transfer position ST, and the toner image is conveyed from the toner image forming portion 20 to the transfer position ST. The image forming apparatus 1 transfers the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 20a to the paper at the transfer position ST.

The image forming apparatus 1 heats and presses the sheet on which the toner image is formed by the fixing device 21. Thereby, the toner image is fixed on the paper. Then, the image forming apparatus 1 discharges the sheet to the sheet discharge tray 17 by the sheet discharge rollers 16.

Referring to fig. 3, the image forming apparatus 1 further includes: a system controller 101, a memory (memory) 103, an input image processing unit 104, an imaging unit 105, a storage device 106 (an example of a storage device), an output image processing unit 107, a printer engine 108, a paper type setting unit 109 (an example of a setting unit, a changing unit, a first setting changing unit, a second setting changing unit, and a third setting changing unit), a network interface 110, an authentication unit 111, various sensors 112 (an example of a change detection unit), a position information acquisition unit 113 (an example of a position acquisition unit), an intention judgment unit 114 (an example of an intention judgment unit), and an evaluation unit 115 (an example of an evaluation unit).

The system controller 101 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 102, and controls the entire image forming apparatus 1. The CPU 102 operates according to the control program. The system controller 101 is connected to a memory 103, an input image processing unit 104, an imaging unit 105, a storage device 106, an output image processing unit 107, a printer engine 108, a paper type setting unit 109, a network interface 110, an authentication unit 111, various sensors 112, a position information acquisition unit 113, a necessity determination unit 114, and an evaluation unit 115.

The memory 103 includes: a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a control program, a fixed value, and the like, and a RAM (random access Memory) that temporarily stores various data such as images.

The input image processing unit 104 processes the input image data read by the imaging unit 105.

The image pickup section 105 reads an image.

The storage device 106 is an auxiliary storage device, and stores various data such as a paper type determination table, a conveyance speed determination table, and the number of occurrences of a jam.

The output image processing unit 107 processes the image data to generate print data.

The printer engine 108 prints the print data generated by the output image processing unit 107 on paper.

The sheet type setting unit 109 sets the type of sheet stored in the paper feed tray 11 or the manual feed tray 12 based on the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23. In addition, the set paper type is changed if necessary.

The network interface 110 communicates with devices on the network.

The authentication unit 111 authenticates a user who uses the image forming apparatus 1.

The various sensors 112 include: an open/close detection sensor for detecting opening/closing of each of the plurality of paper feed trays 11; a paper detection sensor that detects paper on the manual tray 12; a size detection sensor for detecting the size and direction of the paper stored in the plurality of paper feed trays 11 and manual feed tray 12; a stack amount sensor that detects the amount of stacked sheets stored in the plurality of paper feed trays 11 and manual feed tray 12, respectively; a color detection sensor that detects a color of the conveyed sheet; and an IDC (Image Density Control) sensor for detecting the Density of the toner Image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 20a.

The positional information acquisition unit 113 acquires positional information and entrance/exit information of the user of the image forming apparatus 1 from a server of a GPS (Global Positioning System) System and an entrance management System.

The necessity determining unit 114 determines whether or not a selection screen described later needs to be displayed.

The evaluation portion 115 evaluates the quality of the image formed by the toner image forming portion 20.

(paper feed tray information)

Fig. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a paper feed tray information table stored in storage device 106 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 4, the paper feed tray information table includes information set for the sheets of paper stored in paper feed tray 11 and manual feed tray 12 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as paper feed tray information). Here, the paper feed tray information is described for each item set for the size, direction, type, and discrimination operation of the paper sheets stored in the 4 paper feed trays 11 (tray 1 to tray 4) and the manual tray 12.

The paper type of the paper feed tray information may be set by a setting screen (fig. 5 and 6) described later, or may be set based on the measurement result of the grammage sensor 23.

Similarly, the size and direction of the sheet as the sheet feed tray information may be set by the user input through a setting screen (fig. 5 and 6) described later, or may be set based on the detection results of the various sensors 112.

The judgment operation setting means: and setting items related to the timing of discriminating the sheet type based on the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23. In the field of the determination operation setting, any one of the following settings is described: "no determination" is set, that is, "determination" is not performed, "determination" is performed every time a sheet is conveyed, "execution" is set, and "automatic" is set, that is, determination is performed at a timing at which the image forming apparatus 1 determines that determination is necessary based on the situation.

As an example, based on the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 called "tray 1", it is set that the paper feed tray 11 called "tray 1" stores the paper of "A4" size "plain paper" in the "horizontal" direction. The paper feed tray 11 is set so that the image forming apparatus 1 determines the type of paper at a timing determined to be necessary based on the situation.

When a print instruction is received from the user via the operation panel 22 or the like, the image forming apparatus 1 refers to the paper feed tray information table and specifies information on the size, direction, and type of paper to be stored in the paper feed tray 11 or manual feed tray 12 designated by the print instruction. The image forming apparatus 1 determines various parameters related to the printing process, such as a transport speed and a fixing temperature, in accordance with the information of the specified paper, and performs printing by the printer engine 108.

The paper feed tray information may be reset when opening and closing of the paper feed tray 11 is detected by the various sensors 112, when a change in the state of the presence or absence of paper stored in the paper feed tray 11 or the manual feed tray 12 is detected by the various sensors 112, or the like.

(method of setting information of paper feed tray by setting screen)

Fig. 5 and 6 are diagrams schematically showing a setting screen of paper feed tray information displayed on the operation panel 22 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 5, when a predetermined operation is received through operation panel 22, image forming apparatus 1 causes operation panel 22 to display a first setting screen image shown in fig. 5. The first setting screen includes: information set for the sheets of paper stored in the plurality of paper feed trays 11 and manual feed tray 12; a key KY1 for changing the setting contents; a key KY2 for suspending display of the setting screen; and a key KY3 for determining selection.

Referring to fig. 6, when any one of the plurality of paper feed trays 11 and manual feed tray 12 (here, "tray 1") is selected on the first setting screen and key KY3 is pressed, image forming apparatus 1 displays the second setting screen shown in fig. 6 on operation panel 22. The second setting screen is a screen for accepting an operation of setting the paper feed tray information of the selected paper feed tray 11 or manual feed tray 12. The second setting screen includes: a key KY4 as a combo box for accepting selection of a paper size; a key KY5 as a combo box for accepting selection of a paper sheet direction; a key KY6 as a combo box for accepting selection of a paper type; a key KY7 as a combo box for accepting selection of the determination operation setting; a key KY8 for canceling the selected content and returning to the first setting screen; and a key KY9 for determining the selected setting.

When key KY9 is pressed on the second setting screen, image forming apparatus 1 updates the paper feed tray information in the paper feed tray information table so as to reflect the setting accepted through the second setting screen.

(method of setting paper type of paper feed tray information based on measurement result of grammage sensor)

In the following description, a case will be described in which the paper type of the paper feed tray information of an arbitrary paper feed tray 11 among the plurality of paper feed trays 11 and manual feed tray 12 is set.

The setting of the paper type of the paper feed tray information based on the measurement result of the grammage sensor 23 may be performed at any timing. When setting the sheet type of the sheet feed tray information based on the measurement result of the grammage sensor 23, the image forming apparatus 1 measures the grammage of the conveyed sheet with the grammage sensor 23, and determines the sheet type from the measured grammage using a sheet type determination table (an example of the type determination table) stored in advance in the storage device 106. The image forming apparatus 1 sets the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 to the discriminated type.

Referring to fig. 7, the paper type discrimination table is a table in which the relationship between the grammage and the paper type is described. In a conventional paper type discrimination table, one paper type is associated with a range of one grammage so that the paper type is uniquely discriminated on the basis of the grammage.

Specifically, the grammage measured was "52g/m ² ～59g/m ² In the case of the range of "the sheet type is uniquely determined to be" thin paper ". The gram weight measured is 60g/m ² ～90g/m ² In the case of the range of "the paper type is uniquely determined to be" plain paper ". The gram weight measured is 91g/m ² ～120g/m ² In the case of the range of "1", the paper type is uniquely determined to be "thick paper 1". The grammage measured was "121g/m ² ～157g/m ² "in the range of" the sheet type is uniquely determined to be "thick paper 1+".

In the conventional paper type discrimination table shown in fig. 7, when a paper within a range of grammage is conveyed, regardless of the required image quality, the paper type is associated with a paper type at a conveyance speed at which the image quality does not become a problem.

For example, when using a conventional paper type discrimination table, if the measured grammage is "92g/m ² ", although in the range of grammage (" 60g/m ") with plain paper ² ～90g/m ² ") is close, but the paper type is judged to be thick paper. However, for a user who gives priority to the printing speed over the printing quality, it is preferable to determine "plain paper" whose conveyance speed is high, as compared with "thick paper" whose conveyance speed is low.

Referring to fig. 8, in the paper type discrimination table of the present embodiment, there are defined: uniquely determining a range of grammage of the paper type, that is, a unique range; the selection range is a range of grammage determined as either one of a first type having a relatively large grammage and a second type having a relatively small grammage. 2 paper categories are associated with the selection range.

Specifically, the only range is "52g/m ² ～54g/m ² "range of" 65g/m ² ～84g/m ² "range of" 95g/m ² ～114g/m ² "and" 125g/m ² ～157g/m ² "in the above range. The determined grammage is "52g/m ² ～54g/m ² In the case of the range of "the sheet type is uniquely determined to be" thin paper ". The gram weight measured is 65g/m ² ～84g/m ² In the case of the range of "the paper type is uniquely determined to be" plain paper ". The gram weight measured is 95g/m ² ～114g/m ² In the case of the range of "1", the paper type is uniquely determined to be "thick paper 1". The determined grammage is' 125g/m ² ～157g/m ² "in the range of" the sheet type is uniquely determined to be "thick paper 1+".

The selection range is "55g/m ² ～64g/m ² "range of" 85g/m ² ～94g/m ² "range and" 115g/m ² ～124g/m ² "is used in the above range. "55g/m ² ～64g/m ² "the range of" is 52g/m which is uniquely discriminated as being thin paper ² ～54g/m ² "range and" 65g/m "uniquely discriminated as plain paper ² ～84g/m ² "is in the range between the ranges. Therefore, the grammage measured was "55g/m ² ～64g/m ² In the case of the range of "the paper type is determined to be" thin paper "or" plain paper ". "85g/m ² ～94g/m ² "in the range of" 65g/m "uniquely determined to be plain paper ² ～84g/m ² "the range and the unique determination of" is the thick paper 1 "95g/m ² ～114g/m ² "in the middle of the range. Therefore, the grammage measured was "85g/m ² ～94g/m ² In the case of the range of "1", it is determined that the paper type is "plain paper or thick paper". "115g/m ² ～124g/m ² "the range is" 95g/m "which is uniquely determined as the thick paper 1 ² ～114g/m ² "range and uniquely determined as" 125g/m "of the thick paper 1+ ² ～157g/m ² "is in the range between the ranges. Therefore, the grammage measured was "115g/m ² ～124g/m ² In the case of (3), it is determined that the paper type is "thick paper 1 or thick paper 1+".

When the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within the unique range, the image forming apparatus 1 sets the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the target paper feed tray 11 as the paper type associated with the unique range by using the paper type setting unit 109.

When the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within the selection range, the image forming apparatus 1 displays a selection screen using the operation panel 22, and receives selection of a paper type through the selection screen. The selection screen is a screen for accepting an operation of selecting a paper type from types corresponding to 2 unique ranges each having a range of grammage adjacent to the selection range. When the image forming apparatus 1 displays the selection screen, the paper type setting unit 109 sets the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the target paper feed tray 11 to the type received through the selection screen.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing that the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is "85 g/m" in the first embodiment of the present invention ² ～94g/m ² "is displayed on the selection screen of the operation panel 22 when the value is within the selection range.

Referring to FIG. 9, for example, the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is "85g/m ² ～94g/m ² If the "selection range (the paper type is determined to be the" selection range of plain paper or thick paper 1 "), the pop-up PP1 is displayed on the operation screen displayed during printing. The pop-up PP1 includes: a key KY10 for accepting selection of "plain paper" and a key KY11 for accepting selection of "thick paper 1".

Fig. 10 is a diagram schematically showing another example of the paper type discrimination table stored in the storage device 106 in the first embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of explanation, fig. 10 also shows the transport speed according to the paper type.

Referring to fig. 10, when the conveyance speeds set for the respective paper types corresponding to the 2 unique ranges having the range of grammage adjacent to the selected range are the same, the conveyance speed cannot be increased regardless of the paper type set. Therefore, only in the case where the conveyance speeds set for the paper types respectively corresponding to the 2 unique ranges are different from each other, the selection range can be set between the 2 unique ranges.

Specifically, in the sheet type discrimination table, "52 g/m" is set as a conveyance speed of "30 sheets/min" and the sheet type is uniquely discriminated as a thin sheet ² ～54g/m ² "65 g/m" in which the range and the sole are discriminated as plain paper and the conveyance speed of "36 sheets/minute" is set ² ～84g/m ² The "between-range" setting accepts selection of a paper type from "thin paper and plain paper". Further, the paper is uniquely discriminated as plain paper and "65 g/m" of the conveyance speed of "36 sheets/min" is set ² ～84g/m ² "95 g/m" in which the range and the unique discrimination are determined as the thick paper 1 and the conveying speed of "30 sheets/min" is set ² ～120g/m ² The "between-range" setting accepts selection of paper type from the "plain paper and the" thick paper 1". On the other hand, the conveyance speed set for the thick paper 1 and the conveyance speed set for the thick paper 1+ are both "30 sheets/minute". Therefore, the paper is uniquely discriminated as the thick paper 1, and the conveyance speed of "30 sheets/min" is set to "95g/m ² ～120g/m ² "the range and the only discrimination are 121 g/m" which is thick paper 1+ and sets the conveying speed of "30 sheets/min ² ～157g/m ² "between the ranges, no selection range is set.

(operation in the case where the paper type selected on the selection screen is set and then the setting of the paper type is accepted on the second setting screen)

Fig. 11 is a diagram schematically showing a second setting screen in the case where the setting of the paper type is accepted on the second setting screen after the paper type selected on the selection screen is set in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 11, when the second setting screen (an example of the setting screen) is displayed on operation panel 22 after setting the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the target paper feed tray 11 as the paper type selected on the selection screen, image forming apparatus 1 may display the second setting screen and accept an operation of setting the paper type from among the types respectively corresponding to the 2 unique ranges selected on the selection screen on the second setting screen.

Here, the following is assumed: the selection screen displays options of "plain paper" and "thick paper 1", and the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the target paper feed tray 11 is set as the paper type selected by the selection screen. In this case, in the second setting screen displayed after setting, options are defined for the plain paper and the thick paper 1. That is, in the second setting screen, a key KY12 for accepting selection of "plain paper" and a key KY13 for accepting selection of "thick paper 1" are included instead of the combo box KY6 (fig. 6) for accepting selection of a paper type.

In this case, the image forming apparatus 1 changes the setting of the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the target paper feed tray 11 to the type accepted through the second setting screen shown in fig. 11 using the paper type setting unit 109.

In addition, when the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within the unique range, the image forming apparatus 1 may not accept the operation of setting the sheet type on the setting screen after the setting of the sheet type of the sheet feed tray information is completed for the target sheet feed tray 11.

(flow chart)

Referring to fig. 12, the cpu 102 measures the grammage of the sheet passing through the measurement position of the grammage sensor 23 at an arbitrary timing by the grammage sensor 23 (S1). Next, the CPU 102 determines whether the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within a unique range using the sheet type determination table (S3).

If it is determined in step S3 that the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within the unique range (yes in S3), the CPU 102 sets the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 that supplies paper to the paper type determined from the measured grammage (S5), and proceeds to the processing of step S7.

If it is determined in step S3 that the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is not a value within the unique range (no in S3), the CPU 102 displays a selection screen (S11). The CPU 102 sets the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 to which the paper is supplied as the type selected on the selection screen (S13), and proceeds to the process of step S7.

In step S7, the CPU 102 sets various parameters such as the transport speed according to the set paper type (S7), performs printing (S9), and ends the process.

According to the present embodiment, the selection range is set to the range of grammage in the sheet type determination table, and when the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within the selection range, selection of a sheet type is accepted from the selection screen. This eliminates the need for the user of high-quality printing to select a paper type having a high conveyance speed, and thus can suppress an increase in the time required for printing.

[ second embodiment ]

When the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within the selection range, it is too cumbersome for the user to always select the paper type from the selection screen. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the following example is explained: the necessity determining unit 114 determines whether or not the selection screen needs to be displayed by the selection necessity determining process, and does not display the selection screen when the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within the selection range and it is determined that the selection screen does not need to be displayed.

(flow chart)

Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 13, if it is determined in step S3 of the flowchart of fig. 12 that the sheet type cannot be uniquely determined from the measured grammage (no in S3), CPU 102 performs a selection necessity determining process (S21) described later, and determines whether or not the selection screen needs to be displayed (S23).

If it is determined in step S23 that the selection screen needs to be displayed (yes in S23), CPU 102 performs the processing of step S11 and subsequent steps of the flowchart of fig. 12.

If it is determined in step S23 that the selection screen does not need to be displayed (no in S23), CPU 102 sets the paper type of paper feed tray information of paper feed tray 11 that supplies paper to the paper type determined by other conditions without displaying the selection screen (S25), and performs the processing after step S7 of the flowchart of fig. 12.

(first example of selecting whether to judge processing)

As a first example of the selection necessity determining process, in a state where the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 is set, if a change in the paper type stored in the paper feed tray 11 is not detected by the various sensors 112, it is determined that the selection screen does not need to be displayed.

In addition, when it is determined that the selection screen does not need to be displayed, the setting of the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 may not be changed.

The case where the change of the sheet stored in the sheet feed tray 11 is detected is as follows: the opening and closing of the paper feed tray 11 is detected by the various sensors 112, and then, the change of the attribute of the paper (the size of the paper, the color of the paper, the amount of stacked paper in the paper feed tray 11, or the like) other than the type is detected by the various sensors 112.

The case where the change of the sheet stored in the sheet feed tray 11 is detected may be a case where: the various sensors 112 detect a change in the stacking amount of the sheets stored in the sheet feed tray 11.

The case where the change of the sheet stored in the sheet feed tray 11 is detected may be a case where: the change in the size of the sheet stored in the sheet feed tray 11 is detected by various sensors 112.

The case where the change of the sheet stored in the sheet feed tray 11 is detected may be a case where: the change in color of the sheet conveyed from the sheet feed tray 11 is detected by various sensors 112.

Referring to fig. 14, in the selection necessity determining process (S21), CPU 102 determines whether or not the paper in paper feed tray 11 has been changed based on the detection results of various sensors 112 (S31).

If it is determined in step S31 that the sheet of paper feed tray 11 has been changed (yes in S31), CPU 102 determines that the selection screen needs to be displayed (S33), and returns.

If it is determined in step S31 that the sheet of paper feed tray 11 has not been changed (no in S31), CPU 102 determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed (S35), and returns.

(second example of selecting the judgment whether to process)

As a second example of the processing for determining whether to select, when the type of job received by the image forming apparatus 1 is a specific type (particularly, when a print job is used for management of the image forming apparatus 1), it may be determined that the selection screen is not required to be displayed. When it is determined that the selection screen does not need to be displayed, the method described in the following items (1) to (4) can set the type of paper stored in the target paper feed tray 11.

(1) When the image forming apparatus 1 executes a print job (an example of a specific type of job) for management of the image forming apparatus 1, the quality of an image formed on a sheet (an image including information for managing the image forming apparatus 1 such as a setting value and a state of the image forming apparatus 1) is at a low level that can be read.

Therefore, when the type of job accepted by the image forming apparatus 1 is a print job for managing the image forming apparatus 1, it can be determined that the selection screen is not required to be displayed and the selection screen is not displayed. This can shorten the operation time of the service person or administrator of the image forming apparatus 1, and reduce the service cost and the management cost. The type of job can be determined by whether the state of the image forming apparatus 1 is the set state, whether an image to be printed includes a report at the time of maintenance of the image forming apparatus 1, or the like.

When it is determined that the selection screen is not to be displayed, 2 paper types associated with the selection range including the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 are specified, the conveyance speeds of the 2 types of paper are determined based on the conveyance speed determination table (an example of the conveyance speed determination table) shown in fig. 15, and the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the target paper feed tray 11 is set as the paper type having the higher conveyance speed among the 2 types.

Referring to fig. 15, the conveyance speed discrimination table is a table in which the relationship between the paper type and the conveyance speed is described. As can be seen from the conveyance speed discrimination table, the conveyance speed of the thin paper is "30 sheets/minute", the conveyance speed of the plain paper is "36 sheets/minute", the conveyance speed of the thick paper 1 is "30 sheets/minute", and the conveyance speed of the thick paper 1+ is "30 sheets/minute".

For example, when "thin paper and plain paper" are associated with a selection range including the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23, the transport speed of the thin paper (30 sheets/minute) and the transport speed of the plain paper (36 sheets/minute) are determined based on the transport speed determination table, and the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the target paper feed tray 11 is set to be plain paper, which is the paper type having a high transport speed.

(2) When the mode of the job is the black-and-white mode, the image formed on the sheet is not required to have high quality, and the conveying speed of the sheet can be increased. On the other hand, in the case where the mode of the job is the color mode, high quality is required for an image formed on a sheet.

Therefore, when the mode of the job is the first mode (here, the black-and-white mode), it may be determined that the selection screen is not required to be displayed, and the type of paper stored in the target paper feed tray 11 may be set based on the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 using the conveyance speed determination table shown in fig. 15. When the mode of the job is the second mode (color mode in this case), it may be determined that the selection screen does not need to be displayed, and the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the target paper feed tray 11 may be set based on the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 using a paper type determination table (an example of another type determination table) shown in fig. 16 and giving priority to image quality.

Referring to fig. 16, in the sheet type discrimination table having priority on image quality, one sheet type is associated with a range of one grammage so that the sheet type is uniquely discriminated on the basis of the grammage.

Specifically, the grammage measured was "52g/m ² ～59g/m ² In the case of the "range," the paper type is uniquely determined to be "thin paper". The gram weight measured is 60g/m ² ～90g/m ² In the case of the "range," the paper type is uniquely determined to be "plain paper". The grammage determined was "91g/m ² ～120g/m ² In the case of the "range," the paper type is uniquely determined to be "thick paper 1". The grammage measured was "121g/m ² ～157g/m ² In the case of the "range," the paper type is uniquely determined to be "thick paper 1+".

In the sheet type discrimination table having priority on image quality, when a sheet in a grammage range is conveyed, regardless of the required image quality, the sheet type is associated with a sheet type at a conveyance speed at which the image quality does not become a problem.

(3) When the job mode is a low-resolution printing mode, high quality is not required for an image formed on a sheet, and therefore, the sheet conveyance speed can be increased. On the other hand, when the job mode is a high-resolution printing mode, high quality is required for an image formed on a sheet.

Therefore, when the mode of the job is the first mode (here, the printing mode in the low resolution), it may be determined that the selection screen does not need to be displayed, and the type of paper stored in the target paper feed tray 11 may be set based on the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 using the conveyance speed determination table shown in fig. 15. When it is determined that the selection screen is not to be displayed, and the mode of the job is the second mode (here, the printing mode at high resolution), it is determined that the selection screen is not to be displayed, and the type of paper stored in the target paper feed tray 11 can be set based on the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 using the paper type determination table with priority in image quality shown in fig. 16.

(4) When the job mode is a print mode in which characters or a copy-photographed document is printed, the image formed on the sheet is not required to have high quality, and therefore, the sheet conveyance speed can be increased. On the other hand, when the job mode is a print mode in original image quality of a photograph or a map, high quality is required for an image formed on a sheet.

Therefore, when the mode of the job is the first mode (here, the print mode in the image quality of the document to be printed or copied), it may be determined that the selection screen does not need to be displayed, and the type of paper stored in the target paper feed tray 11 may be set using the conveyance speed determination table shown in fig. 15 based on the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23. Further, when the mode of the job is the second mode (here, a print mode in the original image quality of the photograph or the map), it may be determined that the selection screen is not required to be displayed, and the type of paper stored in the target paper feed tray 11 may be set using the paper type determination table with priority in image quality shown in fig. 16 based on the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23.

Referring to fig. 17, in the selection necessity determining process (S21), the CPU 102 determines whether or not the job accepted by the image forming apparatus 1 is a predetermined type of job (S41).

If it is determined in step S41 that the job accepted by the image forming apparatus 1 is a predetermined type of job (yes in S41), the CPU 102 determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed (S43), sets the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 using the conveyance speed determination table or the image quality priority paper type determination table (S45), and returns.

If it is determined in step S41 that the job received by the image forming apparatus 1 is not the predetermined type of job (no in S41), the CPU 102 determines that the selection screen needs to be displayed (S47), and returns.

(third example of selecting whether to judge processing)

When the user is located at a position away from the image forming apparatus 1, the user cannot operate the selection screen, and therefore the selection screen is displayed and printing is stopped. In order to avoid such a situation, as a third example of the process of determining whether to select, when the position of the user is separated by a predetermined distance from the position of the image forming apparatus 1, it may be determined that the selection screen does not need to be displayed. The position of the user can be determined based on the user position information and entry/exit information acquired by the position information acquiring unit 113.

Referring to fig. 18, in the selection necessity determining process (S21), CPU 102 acquires the position information or entry/exit information of the user from position information acquiring unit 113 (S51), and determines whether or not the user is located near image forming apparatus 1 (S53).

If it is determined in step S53 that the user is located in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus 1 (yes in S53), the CPU 102 determines that the selection screen needs to be displayed (S55), and returns.

If it is determined in step S53 that the user is not located near the image forming apparatus 1 (no in S53), the CPU 102 determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed (S57), and returns.

(fourth example of selecting the judgment whether to process)

When post-processing such as stapling is performed, the number of sheets that can be stapled, the number of holes that can be punched, the number of sheets that can be folded, and the like are set to be determined by the grammage of the sheet. When a type of paper having a large grammage is treated as a type of paper having a small grammage, the thickness of the paper is thicker than the thickness that can be treated by the post-treatment apparatus, and the post-treatment apparatus may malfunction.

Therefore, as a fourth example of the selection necessity determining process, when a predetermined post-process is set for a job, it is determined that the selection screen is not required to be displayed, and the paper type stored in the paper feed tray is set to the type (first type) of paper having a large grammage among the 2 paper types associated with the selection range including the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23.

Referring to fig. 19, in the selection necessity determining process (S21), CPU 102 determines whether or not to add post-processing setting to the task (S61).

If it is determined in step S61 that the setting of post-processing is added to the task (yes in S61), CPU 102 determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed (S63). Next, CPU 102 sets the paper type of the paper feed tray information of paper feed tray 11 to the paper type of the paper having the large grammage among the 2 paper types associated with the selection range including the grammage measured by grammage sensor 23 (S65), and returns.

If it is determined in step S61 that no post-processing setting is added to the task (no in S61), CPU 102 determines that the selection screen needs to be displayed (S67), and returns.

The coupling and operations of the image forming apparatus in the present embodiment other than the above are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore, the description thereof will not be repeated.

[ third embodiment ]

In the methods described in the first and second embodiments, when the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 is set, it may be known that the paper type is improper after the setting. Therefore, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the following example: in a predetermined case, the setting change process is performed to change the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11.

(first example of setting Change processing)

As a first example of the setting change process, when it is determined that the selection screen is not required to be displayed and the quality of the image to be evaluated is lower than a predetermined value, a selection screen for change may be displayed, and the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 may be changed to the type accepted for selection by the selection screen for change using the paper type setting unit 109. The selection screen to be changed may be the same as the selection screen shown in fig. 9 as long as it is a screen for accepting an operation of selecting a paper type from the first and second types.

Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing a setting change process performed by the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first example of the third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 20, after the paper type of the paper feed tray information of paper feed tray 11 is set, CPU 102 determines whether or not it is determined that the display of the selection screen is not necessary in the selection necessity determining process (S21) when the paper type of the paper feed tray information of paper feed tray 11 is set (S71).

If it is determined in step S71 that the selection screen does not need to be displayed (yes in S71), CPU 102 detects the density of the toner image formed on intermediate transfer belt 20a by various sensors 112 (IDC sensors) and evaluates the image quality based on the detection result (S73). Next, the CPU 102 determines whether the quality of the image is equal to or less than a predetermined value (S75).

If it is determined in step S71 that the selection screen needs to be displayed (no in S71), or if it is determined in step S75 that the image quality is not equal to or less than a predetermined value (no in S75), CPU 102 ends the process.

If it is determined in step S75 that the image quality is equal to or less than the predetermined value (yes in S75), CPU 102 displays a selection screen for changing the option of 2 paper types associated with the selection range including the grammage measured by grammage sensor 23 (S77). The CPU 102 changes the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 to the selected paper type (S79) and ends the process.

(second example of setting Change processing)

As a second example of the setting change process, when it is determined that the selection screen is not required to be displayed and the number of times of occurrence of a jam exceeds a predetermined number of times, a selection screen for change may be displayed, and the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 may be changed to the type accepted for selection by the selection screen for change using the paper type setting unit 109.

Here, the counted number of occurrences of the jam may be only a jam related to paper conveyance or printing, or may be only a jam due to paper conveyed from the paper feed tray 11 in which the paper type is set without displaying the selection screen.

Referring to fig. 21, after setting the paper type of the paper feed tray information of paper feed tray 11, CPU 102 determines whether or not the selection necessity determining process (S21) determines that the display of the selection screen is not necessary in setting the paper type of the paper feed tray information of paper feed tray 11 (S81).

If it is determined in step S81 that the selection screen does not need to be displayed (yes in S81), the CPU 102 reads the number of occurrences of a jam from the storage device 106 (S83), and determines whether or not the number of occurrences of the read jam exceeds a predetermined value (S85).

If it is determined in step S81 that the selection screen needs to be displayed (no in S81), or if it is determined in step S85 that the number of occurrences of the read jam does not exceed the predetermined value (no in S85), the CPU 102 ends the processing.

If it is determined in step S85 that the number of occurrences of the read jam exceeds the predetermined value (yes in S85), CPU 102 displays a selection screen for changing which selects 2 paper types associated with a selection range including the grammage measured by grammage sensor 23 (S87). CPU 102 changes the paper type of the paper feed tray information of paper feed tray 11 to the selected paper type (S89), and ends the process.

(third example of setting Change processing)

As a third example of the setting change process, after the paper type is set, when the quality of the image evaluated by the evaluation unit 115 is lower than a predetermined value, the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within the selection range, and the set paper type and the paper type determined using the image quality priority type determination table are different from each other, the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 is changed to the paper type determined using the image quality priority type determination table using the paper type setting unit 109.

Referring to fig. 22, after setting the paper type of the paper feed tray information of paper feed tray 11, CPU 102 detects the density of the toner image formed on intermediate transfer belt 20a by various sensors 112 (IDC sensor) and evaluates the image quality based on the detection result (S91). Next, the CPU 102 determines whether the quality of the image is equal to or less than a predetermined value (S93).

If it is determined in step S93 that the image quality is equal to or less than the predetermined value (yes in S93), CPU 102 determines whether or not the grammage measured by grammage sensor 23 is a value within the selection range (S95).

If it is determined in step S95 that the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within the selection range (yes in S95), the CPU 102 determines whether or not the setting of the paper type set as the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 is different from the paper type determined by the image quality priority table (S97).

When it is determined in step S93 that the image quality is not equal to or less than the predetermined value (no in S93), when it is determined in step S95 that the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is not a value within the selection range (no in S95), or when it is determined in step S97 that the setting of the paper type set as the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 is different from the paper type determined by the table of image quality priority (no in S97), the CPU 102 ends the processing.

If it is determined in step S97 that the setting of the paper type set as the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 is different from the paper type determined by the image quality priority table (yes in S97), the CPU 102 changes the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 to the type determined by the image quality priority paper type determination table based on the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 (S99), and ends the processing.

(fourth example of setting Change processing)

As a fourth example of the setting change process, when the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within the selection range and the number of times of occurrence of a jam after the paper type is set exceeds a predetermined number of times, the paper type of the paper feed tray information of the paper feed tray 11 may be changed to the paper type of the paper having a slow conveyance speed described in the conveyance speed determination table among the 2 paper types associated with the selection range including the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 by using the paper type setting unit 109. This is because the paper having a slow conveyance speed can reduce the possibility of occurrence of paper jam.

Here, the counted number of occurrences of the jam may be only a jam related to the conveyance or printing of the paper, or may be only a jam due to the paper conveyed out of the paper feed tray 11 as the target.

Referring to fig. 23, after setting the paper type of the paper feed tray information of paper feed tray 11, CPU 102 determines whether or not the grammage measured by grammage sensor 23 is a value within the selection range (S101).

If it is determined in step S101 that the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is a value within the selection range (yes in S101), the CPU 102 reads the number of occurrences of a jam from the storage device 106 (S103), and determines whether or not the number of occurrences of a jam read exceeds a predetermined value (S105).

If it is determined in step S101 that the grammage measured by the grammage sensor 23 is not a value within the selection range (no in S101), or if it is determined in step S105 that the number of occurrences of the read jam does not exceed a predetermined value (no in S105), the CPU 102 ends the process.

If it is determined in step S105 that the number of occurrences of the read jam exceeds the predetermined value (yes in S105), CPU 102 determines the paper type of the paper feed tray information of paper feed tray 11 as the paper type of the slow conveyance speed described in the conveyance speed determination table among the 2 paper types associated with the selection range (S107), and ends the processing.

The configuration and operations of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment other than the above are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore, the description thereof will not be repeated.

[ others ]

The above embodiments and the examples in the embodiments can be combined as appropriate.

The processing in the above-described embodiment may be performed by software or may be performed by a hardware circuit. Further, a program for executing the processing in the above-described embodiment may be provided, and the program may be recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, or a memory card and provided to a user. The program is executed by a computer such as a CPU. In addition, the program may be downloaded to the apparatus via a communication line such as the internet.

The above-described embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the description above, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims.

Description of the reference numerals

1: image forming apparatus (an example of a paper type discriminating apparatus)

1a: image forming apparatus main body

10: paper conveying unit (an example of conveying unit)

11: paper feed tray (an example of storage part)

12: manual tray (an example of the storage section):

13. 14: paper feeding roller

15: alignment roller

16: paper discharge roller

17: paper discharging tray

20: toner image forming section (an example of an image forming unit)

20a: intermediate transfer belt

21: fixing device

22: operation panel (selection screen display unit, setting screen display unit, and other examples of selection screen display unit)

23: grammage sensor (an example of a measuring unit)

101: system controller

102：CPU(Central Processing Unit)

103: memory device

104: input image processing unit

105: image pickup unit

106: storage device (an example of a storage device)

107: output image processing unit

108: printer engine

109: paper type setting unit (an example of a setting unit, a changing unit, a first setting changing unit, a second setting changing unit, and a third setting changing unit)

110: network interface

111: authentication unit

112: various sensors (an example of a change detecting means)

113: position information acquiring unit (an example of position acquiring means)

114: necessity determination unit (an example of a necessity determination unit)

115: evaluation unit (an example of evaluation unit)

140: output image processing unit

KY1, KY2, KY3, KY4, KY5, KY6, KY7, KY8, KY9, KY10, KY11, KY12, KY13: key with a key body

M: paper sheet

PP1: pop-up

ST: transfer position

TR: a conveying path.

Claims

1. A paper type discriminating device is characterized by comprising:

a storage section that stores paper sheets;

a conveying unit that conveys the paper from the storage section along a conveying path;

a measuring unit that measures a grammage of the sheet conveyed along the conveying path;

a storage device for storing a type discrimination table in which a relation between a grammage and a paper type is described; and

a setting unit that sets a type of the paper sheet stored in the storage unit based on the grammage measured by the measuring unit,

the type discrimination table defines a unique range in which the grammage of the paper type is uniquely discriminated and a selection range in which the paper type is discriminated as either one of a first type having a relatively large grammage and a second type having a relatively small grammage,

the paper type discriminating device further includes a selection screen display unit that displays a selection screen that is a screen for accepting an operation of selecting a paper type from the first type and the second type when the grammage measured by the measuring unit is a value within the selection range, and accepts a selection through the selection screen,

when the selection screen is displayed, the setting unit sets the type of the paper stored in the storage unit to the type accepted through the selection screen.

2. The paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 1,

the unique range includes a first unique range and a second unique range, the first unique range being a range in which the sheet type is uniquely discriminated as the grammage of the first type; the second unique range is a range in which a sheet type is uniquely determined as a grammage of the second type, a conveyance speed of the first type of sheet and a conveyance speed of the second type of sheet are different from each other,

the selection range is set between the first unique range and the second unique range.

3. The paper type discriminating device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

a setting screen display unit that displays a setting screen for accepting an operation of setting the type of the paper stored in the storage unit after the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is set by the setting unit, and accepts setting of the type of the paper via the setting screen; and

a changing unit that changes the setting of the type of the paper stored in the storage unit to the type of the setting accepted by the setting screen display unit,

the setting screen display unit displays the setting screen for accepting an operation of setting a paper type from among the first type and the second type.

4. The paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 3,

the setting screen display unit does not receive an operation of setting the paper type through the setting screen when the grammage measured by the measuring unit is a value within the unique range.

5. The paper type discriminating device according to claim 1 or 2,

the paper type discriminating device further includes a necessity/unnecessity determining unit that determines whether or not the selection screen needs to be displayed,

when the grammage measured by the measuring means is a value within the selection range, the selection screen display means does not display the selection screen when the necessity determining means determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed.

6. The paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 5,

the paper type discriminating device further includes a change detecting unit that detects a change in the type of paper stored in the storage unit,

the necessity determining unit determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed when the change detecting unit does not detect a change in the type of the paper stored in the storage unit in a state where the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is set.

7. The paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 6,

the setting unit does not change the setting of the type of the paper stored in the storage unit when the change detecting unit does not detect a change in the type of the paper stored in the storage unit in a state where the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is set.

8. The paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 5,

the paper type discriminating device further includes an image forming unit for forming an image in accordance with the received job,

the necessity judgment unit judges that the selection screen does not need to be displayed in a case where the kind of the task is a certain kind,

the specified type includes a print job for managing the paper type discriminating means.

9. The paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 8,

the storage device also stores a conveying speed discrimination table in which the relation between the paper type and the conveying speed is described,

when the necessity determining unit determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed, the setting unit specifies the respective conveyance speeds of the first and second types of paper sheets based on the conveyance speed determination table, and sets the type of paper sheet stored in the storage unit to be the type having the higher conveyance speed of the first and second types.

10. The paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 5,

the storage device further stores a conveyance speed determination table in which a relation between a sheet type and a conveyance speed is described, and a sheet type determination table in which an image quality is prioritized, the sheet type determination table in which a relation between a grammage and a sheet type is described, and a sheet type is uniquely defined for the grammage,

in a case where the mode of the task is a definite mode, the necessity judgment unit judges that the selection screen does not need to be displayed,

the setting unit sets the type of the sheet stored in the storage unit using the conveyance speed determination table based on the grammage measured by the measuring unit when the necessity determining unit determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed and the mode of the job is the first mode,

when it is determined by the necessity determining unit that the selection screen does not need to be displayed and the mode of the job is a second mode different from the first mode, the setting unit sets the type of the sheet stored in the storage unit using the sheet type determination table having priority over image quality based on the grammage measured by the measuring unit,

wherein the first mode is a monochrome mode and the second mode is a color mode, or the first mode is a print mode in a case where the first mode is a print mode in a low resolution and the second mode is a print mode in a case where the first mode is a print mode in an original image quality of a text or a copy photograph and the second mode is a print mode in an original image quality of a photograph or a map.

11. The paper type discriminating device according to claim 5, further comprising:

an image forming unit that forms an image in accordance with a task received from a user; and

a location acquisition unit that acquires information of a location of the user,

the necessity determining unit determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed when the position of the user is spaced apart from the position of the paper type discriminating device by a predetermined distance.

12. The paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 5,

when a predetermined post-process is set for the job, the necessity determining unit determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed, and the setting unit sets the type of the paper stored in the storage unit to the first type.

13. The paper type discriminating device according to claim 5, further comprising:

another selection screen display means for displaying another selection screen, which is a screen for accepting an operation of selecting a paper type from the first type and the second type, when a paper type is predetermined after the setting means sets the paper type, and accepting a selection through the another selection screen; and

and a first setting changing unit that changes the type of paper set by the setting unit to the type of paper selected by the other selection screen display unit when the other selection screen is displayed.

14. The paper type discriminating device according to claim 13, further comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image in accordance with a task received from a user; and

an evaluation unit that evaluates the quality of the image formed by the image forming unit after the paper type is set by the setting unit,

when the necessity determining unit determines that the selection screen is not required to be displayed and the quality evaluated by the evaluating unit is lower than a predetermined value, the other selection screen displaying unit displays the other selection screen and accepts selection through the other selection screen.

15. The paper type discriminating device according to claim 13,

the other selection screen display means displays the other selection screen and accepts selection through the other selection screen when the necessity determining means determines that the selection screen does not need to be displayed and the number of occurrences of a jam exceeds a predetermined number.

16. The paper type discriminating device according to claim 1 or 2,

the paper type determination device further includes a second setting changing unit that changes the paper type set by the setting unit to a type determined using the image quality priority paper type determination table in which a relationship between a grammage and a paper type is described and in which the paper type is uniquely defined for the grammage, when an evaluation value of quality of an image formed by the image forming unit after the paper type is set by the setting unit is lower than a predetermined value, the grammage measured by the measuring unit is a value within the selection range, and the paper type set by the setting unit and the paper type determined using the image quality priority paper type determination table are different from each other.

17. The paper type discriminating device according to claim 1 or 2,

the paper type discriminating device further includes third setting changing means for changing the paper type set by the setting means to one of the first type and the second type, the one having a slow conveyance speed, when the grammage measured by the measuring means is a value within the selection range and the number of occurrences of a jam after the paper type is set by the setting means exceeds a predetermined number of times.

18. A computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus, the paper type discriminating apparatus comprising:

a storage section that stores paper;

a measuring unit that measures a grammage of the sheet conveyed along the conveying path; and

a storage device for storing a type discrimination table in which a relation between a grammage and a paper type is described,

the computer-readable recording medium is characterized in that,

the control program is configured to cause a computer to execute a setting step of setting a type of the paper sheets stored in the storage section based on the grammage measured by the measuring unit,

the control program is further configured to cause the computer to execute a selection screen display step of displaying a selection screen that is a screen for accepting an operation of selecting a paper type from the first type and the second type when the grammage measured by the measurement unit is a value within the selection range, and accepting a selection through the selection screen,

in the setting step, when the selection screen is displayed, the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is set to the type selected through the selection screen.

19. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 18,

20. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating device according to claim 18 or 19, further comprising:

a setting screen display step: displaying a setting screen for accepting an operation of setting a type of the paper stored in the storage unit after the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is set in the setting step, and accepting a setting of the type of the paper through the setting screen; and

a changing step: changing the setting of the type of the paper stored in the storage unit to the type of the paper received by the setting screen display step,

in the setting screen display step, the setting screen that accepts an operation of setting a paper type from among the first type and the second type is displayed.

21. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 20,

when the grammage measured by the measuring means is a value within the unique range, the setting screen display step does not accept an operation of setting the paper type through the setting screen.

22. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 18 or 19,

further comprises a step of judging whether the selection screen needs to be displayed or not,

when the grammage measured by the measuring means is a value within the selection range, the selection screen display step does not display the selection screen when it is determined by the necessity determining step that the selection screen is not required to be displayed.

23. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 22,

further comprises a change detection step of detecting a change in the type of the paper stored in the storage unit,

in the case where the change of the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is not detected in the change detection step in a state where the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is set, it is determined in the necessity determination step that the selection screen is not required to be displayed.

24. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper kind discriminating apparatus according to claim 23,

in the setting step, when the change of the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is not detected in the change detecting step in a state where the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is set, the setting of the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is not changed.

25. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 22,

further comprises an image forming step of forming an image in accordance with the received job,

in a case where the kind of the task is a specific kind, the necessity determining step determines that the selection screen is not required to be displayed,

the specified type includes a print job for managing the paper type discriminating device.

26. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 25,

the storage device further stores a conveyance speed discrimination table in which a relationship between a paper type and a conveyance speed is described,

in the setting step, when it is determined by the necessity determining step that the selection screen does not need to be displayed, the respective conveyance speeds of the first and second types of paper are determined based on the conveyance speed determination table, and the type of paper stored in the storage unit is set to be the type having the higher conveyance speed out of the first and second types.

27. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 22,

the storage device further stores a conveyance speed determination table in which a relation between a sheet type and a conveyance speed is described, and a sheet type determination table in which image quality is prioritized, the sheet type determination table in which a relation between a grammage and a sheet type is described, and in which a sheet type is uniquely defined for the grammage,

in a case where the mode of the task is a definite mode, it is determined in the necessity determination step that the selection screen is not required to be displayed,

when it is determined in the necessity determining step that the selection screen does not need to be displayed and the mode of the job is the first mode, the setting step sets the type of the sheet stored in the storage unit using the conveyance speed determination table based on the grammage measured by the measuring unit,

in the case where it is determined in the necessity determination step that the selection screen does not need to be displayed and the mode of the job is a second mode different from the first mode, the setting step sets the type of the sheet stored in the storage unit using the sheet type determination table having priority over image quality based on the grammage measured by the measurement unit,

28. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:

an image forming step: forming an image according to a task received from a user; and

a position acquisition step: the information of the position of the user is obtained,

when the position of the user is spaced apart from the position of the paper type discriminating device by a predetermined distance, it is determined in the necessity determining step that the selection screen is not required to be displayed.

29. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper kind discriminating apparatus according to claim 22,

when a predetermined post-process is set for the job, it is determined in the necessity determining step that the selection screen is not required to be displayed, and the type of the paper stored in the storage unit is set to the first type in the setting step.

30. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:

and other selection screen display steps: displaying another selection screen, which is a screen for accepting an operation of selecting a paper type from the first type and the second type, when a predetermined paper type is set in the setting step, and accepting a selection through the another selection screen; and

a first setting change step: when the other selection screen is displayed, the type of paper set in the setting step is changed to the type of paper selected in the other selection screen display step.

31. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising:

an image forming step of forming an image in accordance with the received job; and

an evaluation step of evaluating the quality of the image formed by the image forming step after the paper type is set by the setting step,

and a display control unit configured to display the selection screen in the selection screen display unit and receive a selection through the selection screen when it is determined by the necessity determination unit that the selection screen is not required to be displayed and the quality evaluated in the evaluation unit is lower than a predetermined value.

32. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper type discriminating apparatus according to claim 30,

and if it is determined in the necessity determining step that the selection screen does not need to be displayed and the number of times of occurrence of a jam exceeds a predetermined number of times, the another selection screen is displayed in the another selection screen displaying step, and selection is accepted through the another selection screen.

33. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper kind discriminating apparatus according to claim 18 or 19,

and a second setting changing step of changing the paper type set in the setting step to a type determined using the image quality priority paper type determination table in which a relationship between the grammage and the paper type is recorded and in which the paper type is uniquely defined for the grammage, when the evaluation value of the quality of the image formed in the image forming step after the paper type is set in the setting step is lower than a predetermined value, the grammage measured by the measuring unit is a value within the selection range, and the paper type set in the setting step and the paper type determined using the image quality priority paper type determination table are different from each other.

34. The computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for a paper kind discriminating apparatus according to claim 18 or 19,

the paper jam detection device further includes a third setting change step of changing the paper type set in the setting step to one of the first type and the second type, the one having a slow conveyance speed, when the grammage measured by the measurement unit is a value within the selection range and the number of times of occurrence of a paper jam after the paper type is set in the setting step exceeds a predetermined number of times.