JP2000347540A - Connected image-forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify the selecting operation of a slave machine at a master machine side and the enhance workability at the time of a connection mode by displaying information related to the printing actions of each connected device. SOLUTION: This connected image-forming system is constituted so that the plural image forming devices are connected in a pier-to-pier state so that communication can be executed and provided with at least an operation part 201 setting and releasing the connection mode and displaying the state of the device. Then, the desired printing action is executed by deciding the master machine and the slave machine by the connection operation of the operation parts 201 arranged at each of the devices and supplying image information to the slave machine by the master machine. Besides, the system is provided with a main controller 40 displaying the printing feasible and infeasible states of the slave machine at the operation part 201 based on status information transmitted from the slave machine.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device in which a plurality of digital copiers and the like are connected in a peer-to-peer manner so that they can communicate with each other. The present invention relates to a linked image forming system that supplies document information to a user and performs predetermined printing, or selects an easy-to-use device and prints it. More specifically, a plurality of linked image forming devices are placed in a printable state. The present invention relates to a linked image forming system that sorts in the order of printing start / printing completion and displays them on an operation display panel or the like, thereby improving the workability of the linking operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital copiers have become multifunctional.
In addition, user billidies are being improved. For example,
By mounting a large-capacity storage medium, the demand for higher speed is satisfied, the increase in the copy amount per job is recovered, and the time until the end of the job is shortened. However, there is a limit to the throughput of a single device. Therefore, for example, as a system for efficiently processing the printing of 100 sheets from one copy original, a plurality of image forming apparatuses such as digital copying machines are connected via a communication network,
A copy operation in a so-called connection mode in which copying is performed in parallel with each other is known. In other words, this linking operation is performed, for example, when printing 100 sheets from one document, a copy document is read by a master machine serving as an operating device,
After creating the recording paper image, the master machine and the slave machine share 50 sheets and transfer them to the slave machine.
This is a function that can print in about half the time by performing printing on the master machine and the slave machine in parallel.

As reference technical documents relating to such a network system, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-2
No. 59359 is disclosed. Here, a plurality of information processing apparatuses (such as a personal computer and a printer) are connected on a network, and based on power consumption information of each of the plurality of information processing apparatuses set in advance, a standby state of a predetermined apparatus among the above apparatuses is determined. By controlling the state of the image forming state, the power saving of the network system, the excess of the power capacity, and the power down are avoided.

[0004]

However, when an image is formed using the conventional connection mode as described above, the time required until printing becomes possible or the time required until printing is completed in each device. The user needs to move to the connected apparatus side and check the state of the apparatus when the user wants to obtain at least one printed matter in the connection mode, because the state differs depending on the use state or the rising state of the apparatus. That is, in the linked mode, when linked copying is performed on the master machine (operating machine) using the slave machine (slave machine or opposing machine), the master machine can confirm the printability status of the slave machine in real time. Since it is not possible, when performing a quick print process, a user has to check the state (printability, printing speed, etc.) of the slave machine each time, which causes a troublesome work, which hinders the high-speed print process inherent in the connection mode. There were problems such as.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and simplifies the operation of selecting a slave unit on the master unit side by displaying information relating to printing of each connected unit, thereby reducing the time of connection mode. The first object is to improve the workability of the above.

In addition, the time until printing of each connected device or the time until printing is completed is rearranged and displayed on the master device in a short time order, so that the slave device can be selected on the master device side. A second object is to simplify operation and improve workability in the connection mode.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a linked image forming system, wherein a plurality of image forming apparatuses are communicable and connected to each other in a peer-to-peer manner. An operation display unit for setting / releasing a connection mode and displaying a status of the apparatus, wherein a master device and a slave device are determined by operation of the connection mode of the operation display unit of each of the image forming apparatuses, In the linked image forming system in which the machine supplies image information to the slave machine and performs desired printing, the print enable / disable state of the slave machine is displayed on the operation display means based on status information sent from the slave machine. Control means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected by communication, and a read original image or externally input image data is subjected to linked image formation using the plurality of image forming apparatuses. Then, information on the print availability of the slave machine is displayed on the operation display means of the master machine on the basis of the response information (status information) of the slave machine, whereby the print availability status of the slave machine is moved to the slave machine side. It is possible to check the status of the slave device on the master device side even without it.

Further, in the linked image forming system according to the second aspect, a plurality of image forming apparatuses are communicably connected to each other in a peer-to-peer manner, and at least the connecting mode is set / released to change the state of the apparatus. The image forming apparatus further comprises an operation display unit for displaying, the master unit and the slave unit are determined by the operation of the connection mode of the operation display unit of each of the image forming apparatuses, and the master unit supplies image information to the slave unit. Setting means for setting a time sequence until the slave device becomes printable as a display order, and setting the slave device based on status information sent from the slave device. Control means for rearranging in order of the time set by the setting means until it becomes printable and displaying on the operation display means , It is those with a.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of image forming apparatuses are communicatively connected and a read original image or externally input image data is linked using a plurality of image forming apparatuses, The slave unit responds to the connection status information of the slave unit, such as the fixing start-up time, until printing is possible, and displays the slave units side by side in the order of the shortest printable time. It is possible to visually confirm and select a machine having a short printable time from a plurality of slave machines connected on the machine side.

Further, in the linked image forming system according to the third aspect, a plurality of image forming apparatuses are communicably connected to each other in a peer-to-peer manner, and at least the connecting mode is set / released to change the state of the apparatus. The image forming apparatus further comprises an operation display unit for displaying, the master unit and the slave unit are determined by the operation of the connection mode of the operation display unit of each of the image forming apparatuses, and the master unit supplies image information to the slave unit. In the linked image forming system for performing desired printing, setting means for setting a time order until the slave unit completes printing as a display order, and setting the slave unit based on status information sent from the slave unit. Control means for rearranging in order of the time set by the setting means until it becomes printable and displaying on the operation display means , It is those with a.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of image forming apparatuses are communicatively connected and a read original image or externally input image data is connected using a plurality of image forming apparatuses, The printing completion time (required printing time) is returned from the slave unit as the connection status information of the slave unit, and the slave units are arranged and displayed in ascending order of the printing completion time. It is possible to visually confirm and select a machine having a short print completion time among the connected slave machines.

Further, in the linked image forming system according to the fourth aspect, the setting means may display the rearranged display of the slave units in the order of time until printing is possible or time until printing is completed. The order can be set.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the display order of the devices serving as the slave units can be selected to give priority to the time when the printing is possible or the time when the printing is completed, thereby enabling the connection of the user. Respond to demands during operation.

Further, in the linked image forming system according to the fifth aspect, the status of the slave unit is displayed by a predetermined icon.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the status of the slave unit is displayed by displaying the icons indicating the print enable / disable state, the time order of the print enable state, and the time order of the print completion time of the slave unit during the connection operation. Can be confirmed at a glance.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the configuration of the digital copying machine will be described. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a digital copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) 10
When a print key 202 on an operation unit 201 described later is pressed, a document bundle (not shown) placed on the first document table 102 with the document image surface facing upward is fed from a document on the lowest sheet to a feeding roller. The document is fed to a predetermined document reading position on the contact glass 105 by the feed belt 103 and the feeding belt 104.

The document fed on the contact glass 105 is read by a reading unit 106 to read a document image.
Is discharged by. Further, a document set detection sensor 1
If it is detected at 08 that the next document is present on the document table 102, a series of operations are performed on the document by repeating the same operation as the previous document. The feeding roller 1
03, the feed belt 104 and the discharge roller 107 are driven by a transport motor (not shown).

The first tray 109 and the second tray 11
The recording papers stacked on the first and third trays 111 and 111 are respectively supplied to the first paper supply unit 112, the second paper supply unit 113, and the third paper supply unit 113.
The paper is fed by the paper feeding unit 114 and the vertical transport unit 115
To the registration roller, and the photosensitive drum 116
Is transported to a position immediately before contact with the sheet. At the same time, the original image read by the reading unit 106 is written as image data on the photosensitive drum 116 by the laser light output from the writing unit 117, and is visualized as a toner image by the developing unit 118. Is done.

Next, the recording paper is further conveyed by the conveyance belt 119 at the same speed as the rotation of the photosensitive drum 116 by restarting the registration roller at a predetermined position with respect to the toner image. By doing
The toner image on the photosensitive drum 116 is transferred. The toner image transferred to the recording paper is heat-fixed by the fixing unit 120. Subsequently, the recording paper on which the image has been fixed is discharged to a discharge tray 122 by a discharge unit 121.

When forming images on both sides of the recording paper, the first tray 109, the second tray 110, and the third tray 1
The recording paper fed from 11 and formed into an image
Instead of being guided to the side, the branching claw provided for the path switching provided on the transport path of the paper discharge unit 121 is set on the upper side, and is inverted (switched back) by the inverting unit 123, and is once sent to the duplex transport unit 124. Stock it.

Thereafter, the recording paper stocked in the two-sided conveyance unit 124 is fed again from the two-sided conveyance unit 124, and after the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 116 is transferred, the branch pawl for switching the path is formed. Is set to the lower side, the sheet is guided to the paper discharge tray 122. As described above, the duplex conveying unit 124 is used when forming an image on both sides of the recording paper.

The photosensitive drum 116, the conveyor belt 119,
The fixing unit 120, the paper discharge unit 121, and the developing unit 118 are driven by a main motor (see FIGS. 4 and 46), and the first paper supply unit 112, the second paper supply unit 113, and the third paper supply unit 114 The motor is driven by transmitting the drive of the motor by a first paper feed clutch (see FIGS. 4 and 47b), a second paper feed clutch (see FIGS. 4 and 47c), and a third paper feed clutch (see FIGS. 4 and 47d). Is done. The vertical transport unit 115 is driven by transmitting the drive of the main motor by an intermediate clutch (see 47a in FIG. 4).

Next, the image reading operation by the image reading unit 106 and the writing unit 11
The operation of writing an image in No. 7, that is, the operation up to the formation of a latent image on the recording surface will be described. Here, the latent image is a potential distribution generated by converting an image into optical information and irradiating the image on the surface of the photoconductor.

First, the reading unit 106 includes a contact glass 105 on which a document is placed, and an optical scanning system. The optical scanning system includes an exposure lamp 135, a first
Mirror 136, lens 137, CCD image sensor 1
38, a second mirror 139, a third mirror 140, and the like. Exposure lamp 135 and first mirror 13
6 is fixed on a first carriage (not shown),
The mirror 139 and the third mirror 140 are fixed on a second carriage (not shown). When reading a document image, the first carriage and the second carriage are mechanically scanned at a relative speed of 2: 1 so that the optical path length does not change. This optical scanning system is driven by a scanner drive motor (not shown).

The original image is read by the CCD image sensor 138, converted into an electric signal and processed. The lens 137 and the CCD image sensor 1
By moving 38 in the left-right direction (in FIG. 1), the image magnification changes. That is, the lens 137 and the CCD image sensor 138 correspond to the designated magnification.
Is set in the left-right direction (image formation relationship).

The writing unit 117 includes a laser output unit 141, an imaging lens 142, and a mirror 143. Inside the laser output unit 141, a laser diode (not shown) as a laser light source and a polygon motor (not shown) are provided. ), A rotating polygon mirror (hereinafter, referred to as a polygon mirror and not shown) that rotates at a high speed at a constant speed.

The laser light emitted from the laser output unit 141 is optically scanned by a polygon mirror rotating at a constant speed, passes through the imaging lens 142, is turned back by the mirror 143, and is condensed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 116. Image.

The laser beam that has been optically scanned is exposed and scanned in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the direction in which the photosensitive drum 116 rotates, and recording of image signals in line units is performed. At the time of this recording, an image (electrostatic latent image) is formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 116 by repeating main scanning at a predetermined cycle corresponding to the rotation speed and the recording density of the photoconductor drum 116. Is done.

As described above, the laser beam output from the writing unit 117 is applied to the photosensitive drum 116. A beam sensor (not shown) that generates a main scanning synchronization signal is disposed at a position near one end of the photosensitive drum 116 where the laser beam is irradiated. Control of image recording start timing in the main scanning direction based on the main scanning synchronization signal,
And a control signal for inputting / outputting an image signal.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, a description will be given of the configuration of the operation unit 201 for performing display to the user, input of function settings from the user, and the like. FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a layout configuration of various keys and a panel of the operation unit 201. As shown in FIG. 2, a print key 202 serving as a start key and a clear /
Stop key 203, numeric keypad 204, liquid crystal display 205, initial setting key 206, and reset key 20
7, and a remaining heat key 208 and an interrupt key 209 are provided. The liquid crystal display 205 is used for displaying various messages indicating the number of copies and the state of the digital copying machine, and for inputting various information.

By pressing the initial setting key 206, the initial state of the apparatus can be customized. That is, the size of the recording paper stored in the apparatus can be set, and the state set when the mode clear key of the copy function is pressed can be arbitrarily set. In addition, select an application that is preferentially selected when no operation is performed for a certain period of time, set the transition time to low power according to the International Energy Star plan, and set the time to auto-off / sleep mode It is configured to be able to. By pressing the residual heat key 208, the apparatus shifts from the standby state to the power reduction state, controls the fixing temperature to be lower, and turns off the display of the operation unit 201.

That is, when the remaining heat key 208 is pressed, the operation shifts to [preheating]. This [preheating] is a mode in which the fixing temperature is controlled by lowering it by a certain temperature (for example, 10 ° C.), and the display of the operation unit 201 is turned off, thereby saving power consumption. The setting of this mode is automatically set after a certain period of time from when there is no operation or operation depending on key input on the operation unit 201 or machine setting. This mode is released when a human body detection sensor detects that a person stands in front of the machine by key input on the operation unit 201 or machine setting.

By pressing the interrupt key 209, the mode shifts to the "interrupt mode". This [interrupt mode] is a mode in which a copy operation is temporarily interrupted during a copy operation and during a copy operation. By setting this mode, the previous copy mode and, if the copying is in progress, information on the progress of the copying are stored in the nonvolatile RAM, the mode is shifted to the interrupt mode, and the mode is initialized. When the interrupt mode is released after the execution of the copy operation, the mode and information stored in the nonvolatile RAM are returned to restore the state before the interrupt mode was set, and the mode before the interrupt can be continued by restarting. The setting / cancellation of this mode can be performed using the keys of the operation unit 201.

In this embodiment, since a dot display is used as the liquid crystal display 205, the optimum display at that time can be graphically performed.
In this embodiment, the liquid crystal display 205 uses a dot display, but is not particularly limited to this.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen of the liquid crystal display 205 of the operation unit 201. When the operator touches the key displayed on the liquid crystal display 205, the key indicating the selected function is highlighted. If the details of the function need to be specified (for example, if the magnification is a variable value, touch the key) to display a setting screen for the detailed function.

In FIG. 3, the upper part of the screen is provided with a message area for displaying a message such as "Ready to copy" and "Please wait". A connection status icon 31 and a display priority setting button 32 are displayed.

The connection key 30 is effective when it is electrically connected to one or more other image forming apparatuses. In this case, the selected device is the slave device. Then, the original image read by the master unit can be output by the slave unit in response to a start instruction of the operation unit 201 of the master unit. The connection status icon 31 is an icon for displaying the status of an image forming apparatus serving as a slave device (opposite device). Event information sent from the opponent device according to the content indicated by the display priority setting button 32 The display is updated based on. The details of this operation will be described later.

Further, on the right side of the panel, a copy number display section for displaying the number of sheets set is provided, and on the left side of the screen, an automatic density key for automatically adjusting the image density and a key for selecting an original are displayed on the screen. In the center and right part, an automatic paper selection key for automatically selecting the recording paper, a sort key for specifying the process of arranging the copies one by one in the page order, a stack key for specifying the process of sorting the copies for each page, a sort process Staple key to specify the process to bind the parts one by one, the same size key to set the magnification to the same size, the variable magnification key to set the enlargement / reduction ratio, the two sided key to set the duplex mode, the stamp and date and time Print setting key 302 for inputting arbitrary information and printing on recording paper
Is provided. In the drawing, the selected mode is displayed with the keys displayed in reverse display different from the other displays.

Next, a control system of the digital copying machine will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows a control system of the digital copying machine. As shown in FIG. 4, various components are arranged around a main controller 40 for controlling the entire digital copying machine. The main controller 40 has an image processing unit (IPU) 41 via a system bus.
, Connection I / F (interface) 42, and ADF 1
01 and the operation unit 201 are connected. The main controller 40 also has a human body detection sensor 44 directly.
Also, a main motor 46, an intermediate clutch 47a, a first paper supply clutch 47b, a second paper supply clutch 47c, and a third paper supply clutch 47d are connected. The ADF 101 is connected to a transport motor 49 and a document set detection sensor 48, and the operation unit 201 is connected to the above-described liquid crystal display 205 and various input keys 45.

That is, the main controller 40 includes:
An operation unit 201 for displaying to an operator and setting functions from the operator; an image processing unit (IPU) 41 for controlling a scanner, controlling writing of a document image in an image memory, and forming an image from the image memory; (ADF) 101 and other distributed control devices.

The main controller 40 is connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses and has information on the configuration and function of the apparatus.
Connection I / F for transmitting and receiving information related to operation control
42 are connected. The main controller 40 obtains information on the image forming apparatus connected via the connection I / F 42 and controls the connection operation by setting the operation, or controls the connection operation from another connected image forming apparatus. It accepts the request and executes its own operation control. Further, the respective distributed control devices and the main controller 40 exchange device status and operation commands as needed.

When the main controller 40 executes the copy mode, the main controller 40 performs a paper transport process, an electrophotographic process process, an abnormal state, a sheet cassette state (for example, presence or absence of a recording sheet, etc.) in order to form an image in the image writing section. ), Etc., and to read images with the image reading unit,
Controllers for controlling the operation of the scanner and the ON / OFF of the light source are collectively referred to. In addition, recent digital PP
In C, not only one extended function but also a plurality of applications have been installed simultaneously. As described above, a digital PPC sharing one resource may be expressed as a system, and a controller for controlling this system may be expressed as a main controller.

Next, the configuration and operation of the image processing unit (IPU) 41 in FIG. 4 will be described. FIG.
Is an image processing unit (I) according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a PU) 41 and a connection state with related parts. First, the irradiation light from the exposure lamp irradiates the original surface and is imaged on the CCD image sensor 138 of the reading unit 106 (see FIG. 1) by an imaging lens (not shown). The CCD image sensor 138 of the reading unit 106 photoelectrically converts the received document image to generate image data (analog electric signal), and this image data is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 61, and is then subjected to shading. After the shading correction is performed by the correction circuit 62, the MTF / γ correction circuit 63
TF correction and γ correction processing are performed. Then, the image signal is enlarged or reduced in accordance with the magnification by the magnification processing circuit 72, and is passed to the selector 64.

The selector 64 sends the image data input via the scaling processing circuit 72 to the memory controller 65.
Alternatively, it is switched and supplied to the write γ correction circuit 71. The image signal that has passed through the writing γ correction circuit 71 is subjected to writing γ correction in accordance with the image forming conditions, and is sent to the writing unit 117 (see FIG. 1).

Between the memory controller 65 and the selector 64, image data can be input and output in both directions. The image processing unit (IPU) 41 has an I / O as well as image data input from the reading unit 106.
It has a function of selecting input / output of a plurality of data so that image data supplied from the outside via the O port 67 or the SCSI driver, for example, data input from a data processing device such as a personal computer can be processed. Shall be

An image processing unit (IPU) 41
A CPU 68 for setting various information (commands) to the memory controller 65 and the like and controlling the reading unit 106 and the writing unit 117;
ROM and RA storing programs and data of
M70. Further, the CPU 68 is configured to be able to write or read data in the image memory 66 via the memory controller 65.

The connection I / F 42 is connected to a data bus of the memory controller 65 for transmitting and receiving image information.
It is configured to be able to input and output data. The image information is transferred via the image memory 66 according to the data transfer speed between the image forming apparatuses. That is, at the time of image output, after image data is stored in the image memory 66 from the memory controller 65, data is sequentially read from the image memory 66 in accordance with the data transfer speed between the image forming apparatuses, and
The data is transferred to F42. When inputting an image, the image data transferred from the connection I / F 42 is stored in the image memory 66.
After that, the image data is processed in the apparatus from the image memory 66 via the memory controller 65. With this configuration, the connection operation is realized without being restricted by the functions of the image forming apparatus.

The image sent to the memory controller 65 as a document image is compressed by an image compression device in the memory controller 65, and then compressed in the image memory 66.
Sent to Here, the reason for compressing the image is that it is possible to write the data of 256 gradations corresponding to the maximum original size directly into the image memory 66, but since the image memory 66 is frequently used for one original image, the image compression Is performed to effectively utilize the limited capacity. Also,
Since many document images can be stored at one time, the stored document image data can be output in page order as a sorting function. When outputting this image, the data in the image memory 66 is stored in the memory controller 65.
Output while sequentially expanding by the expansion device inside. Such a function is generally called “electronic sort”.

Further, by utilizing the function of the image memory 66, it is possible to sequentially write a plurality of original images in an area obtained by dividing an area for one recording sheet in the image memory 66.
For example, four original images are sequentially written into four equally divided areas of one recording paper in the image memory 66, so that the four originals are combined into one recording paper image, and the combined copy is obtained. Output can be done. Such a function is generally called “aggregated copy”.

The image in the image memory 66 is stored in the CPU 68.
It is configured to be accessible from. Therefore, the contents of the image memory 66 can be processed, and for example, image thinning processing, image cutout processing, and the like can be performed. For processing, the image memory 66 can be processed by writing data to the register of the memory controller 65. The processed image is stored again in the image memory 66.

The contents of the image memory 66 are stored in the CPU 68.
Can be read and transferred as image data 73 to the operation unit 201 via the I / O port 67. Generally, since the screen display resolution of the operation unit 201 is low, the original image in the image memory 66 is sent to the operation unit 201 after the image is thinned out. The image memory 6
The storage device 6 may use a storage device such as a hard disk to store a large amount of image data. The use of a hard disk also has the advantage that an external power supply is unnecessary and images can be held permanently. Generally, a hard disk is used to read and hold a plurality of fixed originals (format originals) with a scanner.

Next, one page of image data in the selector 64 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a timing chart of image data of one page. Frame gate signal (hereinafter, / FGATE)
Abbreviated as) represents the effective period of one page of image data in the sub-scanning direction. Main scanning synchronization signal (hereinafter, / LS
(Abbreviated as YNC) is per line, and / LSYNC
The image data becomes valid at a predetermined clock after the rise of.

A signal indicating that image data in the main scanning direction is valid is a line gate signal (hereinafter, / LGATE).
Abbreviated). These / FGATE, / LSYN
C and / LGATE are pixel synchronizing signals (hereinafter VCL)
K), and data of one pixel is sent for one cycle of VCLK.

That is, each of the above-mentioned signals is synchronized with the pixel synchronization signal (pixel clock) VCLK,
8 bits per pixel (256 gradations) for one cycle of VCLK
Is sent. In this example, the writing density on the recording paper is 400 dpi, and the maximum number of pixels is 4,800 pixels in the main scanning and 6,800 pixels in the sub-scanning.

Although detailed description is omitted, the IPU4
1 is a separate / for each of image input and image output.
FGATE, / LSYNC, / LGATE and VCL
It has a mechanism for generating K, and has a configuration in which various combinations of image input / output can be realized by performing phase adjustment or the like in the case of directly outputting a read document image (image data).

Next, a configuration in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected and an operation example thereof will be described. FIG. 7 shows an example in which a plurality of digital copying machines according to the embodiment of the present invention are connected. These digital copiers are configured as shown in FIG. 1, and are connected via a connection I / F 42 so as to be able to communicate with each other (in a peer-to-peer relationship). Here, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the own device (= master device) and the opposite devices A, B, and C (= slave device). However, all devices are equal before the connection operation, and the device requesting the connection mode is treated as the master device, and the device receiving the connection mode request is treated as the slave device. That is, in FIG.
0 becomes a master machine, and the other machine A 81 and the other machine B become slave machines via the communication network 84 to this machine 80.
82 and the opposing device C83 are connected.

Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which four digital copiers are networked, the number of digital copiers to be connected is not limited to this.
As long as / F42 matches and the function of the connection mode is mutually possible, any number of units may be connected, or different models may be used as long as mutual communication is basically possible.

Next, the operation of the present invention when connecting a plurality of digital copying machines described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a main operation process in the connection mode according to the embodiment of the present invention. When the power is turned on, first, an initialization process is performed (step S11). In this initialization processing, mainly, various flags are reset, various counters are cleared, an image memory is cleared, and an image forming mode (magnification, division, etc.) is reset. When the initialization is completed, it is determined whether or not an event (a change factor) from a key input or an image forming engine has occurred (step S12).
That is, when the user performs any key operation, a key input event is notified from the operation panel 201 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Similarly, a change in some image forming engine (see FIG. 1), for example, when a document is set on the ADF 101, a change in the signal of the document set detection sensor 108 is notified as an engine event.

If any of the following events occurs in step S12, the type of the event is determined (step S13). That is, it is determined whether the event is an event of the other device (an engine of the other device), an event of the own device engine, or a key event of the own device. Here, if it is determined that the event is a counterpart event, the counterpart event processing is called and a predetermined process is executed (step S14). The event process is called to execute a predetermined process (step S
15) If it is determined that the event is a key event of the own device, the own key event process is called to execute a predetermined process (step S16). After executing these event processes, the process returns to step S12 to wait for an event again. Also, in the opposite device event processing, the event information of the machine is stored and held. The contents of these event processes will be described later.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the key input event process in FIG. First, a key press event of the print key 202 is checked (step S21). Here, if the print key 202 is pressed, a copy process is executed (step S22). If the print key 202 is not pressed, the link key 3
It is determined whether or not 0 has been input (step S2).
3). Here, when it is determined that the input of the link key 30 has been made, a link master process based on the input is executed (step S24). In the connection master process, after pressing the connection key 30, it is determined whether or not the opposing device can be used as a slave device.
A warning message is displayed at the top and the connection function is released. Also, if it can be used as a slave unit,
The own device becomes a master device, and controls the connected image forming apparatus as a slave device.

If the link key 30 has not been pressed in step S23, it is further determined whether the clear / stop key 203 has been pressed (step S25). Here, if it is determined that the clear / stop key 203 has been pressed, the clear / stop process is executed (step S).
26) If the clear / stop key 203 has not been pressed, it is determined whether or not the numeric keypad 204 has been pressed (step S27).

If it is determined that the numeric key 204 has been pressed, numeric key processing is executed based on the input (step S28), and the input information is notified to the connected opposing device using the numeric key input (step S31). Also, the numeric keypad 204
If it is determined that has not been pressed, it is determined whether or not there has been any other key input (step S2).
9). Here, if there is another key input, other key processing (such as mode setting) is executed (step S30), input mode information is notified to the connected opposite device by ten-key input, and this processing is returned. .

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the counterpart event processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. That is, the response process by the own device (master device) to the event notified from the connected opposite device (slave device) is shown. First, it is determined whether or not the mode information communication has been received (step S41). Here, when it is determined that the mode information communication has been received, the connection status is notified to the opposite device (slave device) (step S42).

The contents notified as the connection status are the following three pieces of information. (1) Information on whether printing is possible (possible / not) (2) Time required for printing (minutes) (3) Expected time to start fixing (seconds)

The print execution information is information indicating whether or not the notified mode can be executed by the apparatus itself, and is determined based on the following information. That is, (1) recording paper size: whether or not the same size exists (2) staple mode: whether the stapler is mounted so that it can be used (3) duplex mode: where the duplex unit can be mounted so that it can be used If any one of the information does not meet the conditions, it is notified that printing is not possible.

The required printing time indicates the required time (minutes) when printing is performed by the own machine, and the value of (print requested number) / print speed (CPM: number of copies per minute) is set. Also, the estimated fixing start time is an estimated time (second) until the fixing temperature of the own machine becomes printable,
A response is obtained by obtaining a value from a prepared table to determine how long printing can be performed from the current temperature of the fixing roller. If the temperature is already printing, 0 seconds is notified. In addition,
This rise time can also be obtained by calculation.

If it is determined in step S41 that the mode information communication has not been received, it is determined whether or not the event is a connection status reception event (step S43). Here, if the event is a connection status reception event, a connection status display process described later is performed (step S44). If the event is not a connection status reception event, it is further determined whether or not a connection request is made (step S45), a connection slave process is executed (step S46), and the process returns.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the contents of the connection status process in FIG. First, it is determined whether or not the fixing start order is satisfied (step S5).
1). Here, when it is determined that the order is the fixing start-up order,
The operation unit 201 is arranged in ascending order of the expected fixing start-up time in the connection status and in the order in which printing is possible.
Are displayed side by side on the liquid crystal display 205 (step S52). This display example is shown in FIG. Here, the opposite device B, the opposite device C, and the opposite device A are displayed side by side in the order of shortest fixing start.

If it is determined in step S51 that the order is not the fixing start order, the images are displayed in order of the printing completion time (step S53). In other words, the icons of the opposing devices are displayed side by side on the liquid crystal display 205 of the operation unit 201 in the order in which the required printing time in the connection status is small and in the order in which printing is possible. This display example is shown in FIG.
Shown in Here, the display is displayed in ascending order of the printing completion time, such as the opposing device C, the opposing device A, and the opposing device B.

If the connection status indicates that printing is not possible, the corresponding icon is shaded as shown in FIG. The setting of the order of the required printing time / the order of the fixing rise time can be switched by pressing the display priority setting button 32 (see FIG. 3).

As described above, the opposite device (slave device) to be connected is set by the user's priority setting (display priority setting button 3).
The one with the shortest required time based on 2) is selected by default. By pressing the link key 30 in this state, the opposite device (slave device) desired by the user
Can be selected by a simple operation.

By the way, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be implemented with appropriate modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0076]

As described above, according to the linked image forming system of the present invention (claim 1), a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected by communication, and a read original image or externally input image data is transferred. When a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected to each other to perform a linking operation, information on a print permission / prohibition state of a slave unit is responded to an instruction of a master unit (own unit), and the response information is displayed on operation display means of the master unit. By displaying the print permission / prohibition status of the slave device based on the (status information), it becomes possible to check the status of the slave device on the master device side without moving to the slave device each time and checking. Therefore, the operation of selecting the slave device on the master device side is simplified, and the workability in the connection mode can be improved.

Further, according to the linked image forming system according to the present invention, a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected by communication, and the read document image or the externally input image data is transferred to the plurality of image forming apparatuses. When using the slave unit to perform the connection operation, the slave unit responds to the connection status information of the slave unit, such as the fixing start-up time, until printing becomes possible, and displays the slave units side by side in the order of the shortest printable time. Without having to move to the machine each time to check, the master machine can visually check and select the machine with the shortest printable time among the multiple slave machines connected to the master machine. In this case, the operation of selecting the slave device can be simplified, and the workability in the connection mode can be improved.

Further, according to the linked image forming system of the present invention, a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected by communication, and the read original image or the externally input image data is transferred to the plurality of image forming apparatuses. When performing the link operation by using the slave unit, the slave unit responds the print completion time (printing required time) as the connection status information of the slave unit and displays the slave units side by side in the order of the shortest print completion time, so that the slave unit side Without having to move and check each time, it is possible to visually check and select a machine with a shorter print completion time from among multiple slave machines connected on the master machine side. Can be simplified, and workability in the connection mode can be improved.

Further, according to the linked image forming system of the present invention (claim 4), the display order of the devices serving as the slave units is selected as to whether to give priority to the time when the printing is possible or the time when the printing is completed. By making it possible, the connection operation desired by the user can be realized by a simple operation in order to correspond to the request at the time of the connection operation by the user.

Further, according to the linked image forming system of the present invention (Claim 5), at the time of the linking operation, the icons indicate the print enable / disable state of the slave unit, the time order of the print enable state / time order of the print completion. By displaying, the state of the slave unit becomes clear at a glance, so that the connection operation desired by the user can be confirmed and set by the icon, and the operability is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an operation unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen of a liquid crystal display in the operation unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system of the digital copying machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image processing unit (IPU) in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing an image signal for one page.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example in which a plurality of digital copying machines according to the embodiment of the present invention are connected.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of the opposing device in the fixing startup order in the connection mode according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of the other device in the printing completion order in the connection mode according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a main operation process in a connection mode according to the embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a flowchart showing a key input event process in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a partner device event process in FIG. 10;

13 is a flowchart showing a connection status display process in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 30 connection key 31 connection status icon 32 display priority setting button 40 main controller 41 image processing unit 42 connection I / F 201 operation unit 205 liquid crystal display

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hirohisa Saito 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term in Ricoh Co., Ltd. (reference) 2C061 AP01 AP04 AQ06 AR03 CG02 CH03 CQ05 CQ24 HH03 HK15 HQ13 2H027 DA29 DB01 DB03 EF15 EF16 EJ11 EJ13 FA02 FA09 FA11 FA22 FA23 FA25 FA30 FA35 FA37 FB13 FB15 FC04 FC07 FC08 FD00 FD01 FD08 GA14 GA25 GA34 GA45 GA47 GB05 GB14 GB15 GB19

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An image processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of image forming apparatuses communicatively connected to each other in a peer-to-peer manner; at least a connection mode set / released; and operation display means for displaying a state of the apparatus. A master unit and a slave unit are determined by the operation of the connection mode of the operation display unit having the master unit, the master unit supplies image information to the slave unit, and performs desired printing. A linked image forming system, comprising: control means for displaying a print permission / prohibition state of the slave device on the operation display means based on status information sent from the device. 2. An operation display unit for connecting a plurality of image forming apparatuses in a communicable and peer-to-peer manner, at least setting / releasing a connection mode, and displaying a state of the apparatus, wherein each of the image forming apparatuses is provided with an operation display unit. A master unit and a slave unit are determined by the operation of the connection mode of the operation display unit having the master unit, the master unit supplies image information to the slave unit, and performs desired printing. Setting means for setting a time order until the machine becomes printable as a display order; anda time order until the slave machine becomes printable set by the setting means based on status information sent from the slave machine. And a control unit for rearranging and displaying on the operation display unit. 3. An operation display means for connecting a plurality of image forming apparatuses in a communicable and peer-to-peer manner, at least setting / releasing a connection mode, and displaying a state of the apparatus, wherein each of the image forming apparatuses is provided. A master unit and a slave unit are determined by the operation of the connection mode of the operation display unit having the master unit, the master unit supplies image information to the slave unit, and performs desired printing. Setting means for setting a time order until the machine is completed as a display order, and a time sequence until the slave machine becomes printable set by the setting means based on status information sent from the slave machine. And a control unit for rearranging and displaying on the operation display unit. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit is capable of setting the sorting order of the slave units in a time order until printing is possible or in a time order until printing is completed. 4. The linked image forming system according to 2 or 3. 5. The linked image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the status of the slave device is displayed by a predetermined icon.