JP2001270193A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a color image forming apparatus for suppressing the lowering of performance caused by changeover at every page unit and not continuously printing all of black and white manuscripts in a color mode. SOLUTION: In the color image forming apparatus wherein the paper feed belt adjacent to a color image forming unit is separated from the color image forming unit at the time of printing of a black and white manuscript to form an image only by a black image forming unit and, at the time of a color mode, the paper feed belt is always set to an unseparated state to perform color printing and, at the time of a black and white mode, the paper feed belt is always set to a separated state to perform only black and white printing and, at the time of an automatic changeover mode, the separation/non-separation of the paper feed belt is changed over corresponding to a manuscript to perform printing, at the time of the automatic changeover mode, the printer driver on a host computer judges separation/non-separation in an N page unit with respect to a document to be printed and the judge result thereof is reported to a printer engine through a printer controller and the printer engine performs the changeover of separation/non-separation corresponding to the judge result to perform black-and-white or color printing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention includes image forming units for each of the colors Y, M, C, and K, and transfers an image formed on each image forming unit to a transfer medium in a single transfer operation. More specifically, the present invention relates to a so-called tandem color image forming apparatus capable of forming a full-color image, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus characterized by automatic switching control of a print mode.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a color tandem printer having Y, M, C, and K image forming units, when a document in which a monochrome document and a color document are mixed is printed in a color mode,
Since the Y, M, C, and K color image forming units are driven even when printing a monochrome document, the life of the image forming units is shortened. Therefore, such a problem can be solved by specifying the monochrome mode from the driver or the operation panel. However, black and white in the same job
When color / color documents are mixed, it is not possible to specify each page, so that printing is generally performed in a color mode.

On the other hand, as this type of invention, for example, (1) JP-A-9-258614, (2) JP-A-10-285421, and (3) JP-A-11-034438 are known. Among them, the publication of (1) discloses a tandem printer having a transport belt separating mechanism at the time of monochrome printing. Here, it is described that monochrome / color mode switching is performed for each page, and that monochrome / color switching is performed only once in one job.

[0004] In addition, the publication (2) describes means for improving the printing throughput by processing the color processing mode on a page basis. Further, the publication (3) discloses a method of comparing the current operation set in the printing unit with the attribute of page data to be printed next, and performing continuous printing without switching the print mode. In addition, a method of switching between black and white / color mode in units of one job is also known.

[0005]

Conventionally, for example, when printing a black-and-white original, a black image is formed by separating (separating) a paper conveying belt (transfer belt) adjacent to a color image forming unit downward. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a color printer having a mechanism for driving only a unit and forming an image by bringing a transfer sheet on a paper conveyance belt into contact with a black image forming unit. This color printer has a mode in which monochrome / color mode switching is performed for each page and a mode in which monochrome / color switching is performed only once during one job, similarly to the printer described in JP-A-10-285421 (1). It has a mode to perform. However, if the processing is switched on a page basis by the tandem printer, the throughput may be reduced.

The above-mentioned (3) is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-0344.
As in the invention described in Japanese Patent No. 38, there is a method of comparing the current operation set in the printing means with the attribute of page data to be printed next, and performing continuous printing without switching the print mode. In this method, since only the next page is referred to, if bad conditions are met, a black-and-white document may continue to be printed in the color mode, which adversely affects the life.

In the automatic switching mode, when the printer is on standby and the mode of the document to be printed does not match, the time for the switching and the operating conditions in the image forming apparatus for the switching. There is a problem that the first print becomes slow because a processing time for changing the print time is generated. At that time, the drive system in the image forming apparatus is operated, so that the life of components and units is shortened. Therefore, a user who prints a large number of color documents is in the color mode, and a user who frequently prints in the black and white is preferably in the black and white mode, and even in the automatic switching mode,
If almost all color printing is performed, switching to the color mode saves the time for determining automatic switching, the time before and after switching, and also prevents a reduction in life. In addition,
If the number N of pages used for the switching determination is small, the switching time causes a decrease in throughput, and if the number N is large, the first print time is delayed.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation of the related art, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a color image forming apparatus capable of suppressing a decrease in performance due to switching for each page. It is in.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a color image forming apparatus which does not continuously print all black and white documents in a color mode.

A third object is to automatically switch the default mode based on the history of past printing results, and to achieve high-speed printing and long life in an optimum mode suitable for the user environment. An object of the present invention is to provide a forming apparatus.

A fourth object is to automatically switch the standby mode in the automatic switching mode based on the history of the printing results in the past, and to achieve high-speed printing and long life in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment. An object of the present invention is to provide a color image forming apparatus.

A fifth object is to allow the user to designate on the operation panel or the like, and to automatically switch N, which is a criterion for switching, based on the history of past printing results, and to select an optimal mode suitable for the user environment. It is an object of the present invention to provide a color image forming apparatus capable of achieving high-speed printing and long life.

A sixth object is to provide a color image forming apparatus capable of suppressing a decrease in the speed of the first print and a decrease in performance due to switching for each page unit.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above first and second objects, the first means is to copy Y, M, C and K image forming units and a document created on a host. A printer driver that converts and sends the printer language, a printer controller that interprets the printer language and creates a print image for each page, and receives one page of image information, and based on the received image information, A printer engine for printing, and when printing a black-and-white document, the paper conveyance belt adjacent to the color image forming unit is separated from the color image forming unit to form an image only by the black image forming unit, In the mode, color printing is always performed with the paper transport belt not separated, and in the black and white mode, only black and white printing is always performed in the separated state. In the automatic switching mode, in an image forming apparatus that performs printing by switching the separation / non-separation according to the document, in the automatic switching mode, the printer driver on the host computer transmits a document to be printed in N-page units. Judgment of disconnection / non-disconnection, the result of the determination is notified to the printer engine via the printer controller, and the printer engine performs the disconnection according to the result.
/ Non-separable switching, and configured to perform black and white or color printing.

In order to achieve the first and second objects, the second means is an image forming apparatus based on the same premise as the first means. The document to be checked is checked from the first page to the Mth page to determine separation / non-separation. Thereafter, the determination is performed in units of N pages, and the determination is performed. The determination result is transmitted to the printer engine via the printer controller. The printer engine,
The switching is performed according to the result, and black and white or color printing is performed.

In order to attain the fifth and sixth objects, the third means is the second means, further comprising means for designating the number of pages M and N, and the printer engine is adapted to print a past print result. , The number of pages M and N is automatically switched based on the history.

In order to achieve the first or second object,
The fourth means is that, in the image forming apparatus based on the same premise as the first means, in the automatic switching mode, the printer engine examines the print image sent from the printer controller in units of N pages and separates / non-separates. Is determined, and based on this determination, the separation / non-separation is switched to perform monochrome or color printing.

In order to achieve the above first or second object, the fifth means is an image forming apparatus having the same premise as the first means, wherein the printer controller transmits the print information transmitted from the host in the automatic switching mode. Is checked in units of N pages to determine the separation / non-separation, and notifies the printer engine of the determination result. Based on the determination result, the printer engine switches the separation / non-separation, It is configured to perform black and white or color printing.

In order to attain the third object, the sixth means is the first, fourth and fifth means and further comprises means for designating a default of the print mode by a user.
The printer engine is configured to automatically switch the designation of the default based on a history of past printing results.

In order to achieve the fourth object, the seventh means is the first, fourth and fifth means and further comprises means for designating a standby mode in the automatic switching mode by a user. Is configured to automatically switch the standby mode based on a history of past printing results.

In order to achieve the fifth and sixth objects, an eighth means is the first, fourth and fifth means, wherein the user designates the number of pages N for which the switching is determined. And the printer engine is configured to automatically switch the designated page number N according to the history of past printing results.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS <First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus includes a host computer 100 and a color printer 2.
Both are connected by a general-purpose I / F cable such as Centronics or USB, or a network 150 such as TCP / IP.
Is printed by the color printer 200.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the color printer 200, which comprises a printer controller 201, an engine controller 202, and a printer engine 203. The printer controller 201 receives a command converted into a print language by a printer driver in the host computer 100, converts the command into a bitmap image in band units or page units, and transmits the bitmap image to the engine controller 202. The data of the printer engine 2 is subjected to predetermined timing control in consideration of an electrophotographic process, paper conveyance, and the like.
A latent image to be printed is formed on the photoreceptor No. 03, toner is adhered, transferred to paper, fixed, and a printing operation is performed. The host computer 100 includes a display device and an input device, and is controlled by a CPU in the host computer 100. The printer controller 201 and the engine controller 202 each have a CPU,
Each controller 201 and 202 controls the PU. The printer is provided with a display device and an operation panel (both may be used as both).

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printer engine 203. In the figure, a printer engine 203 includes four image forming units 30 of Y, M, C, and K.
1, 302, 303, 304, a transfer belt 305,
A paper feed tray 306 and a paper discharge tray 307 are provided. FIG. 3A illustrates a state in which a color image is formed, and FIG. 3B illustrates a state in which a transfer belt 305 is moved downward by a special mechanism to form only a black and white image. , 302, and 303, and only the K image forming unit 304 is in contact with the transfer belt 305. The present invention relates to this switching. It should be noted that the printer engine itself is publicly known, so that detailed description is omitted.

In this embodiment, (1) color printing is always performed in the non-separated state in the color mode, (2) black and white printing is always performed in the separated state in the black and white mode, and (3)
In the automatic switching mode, the separation / non-separation is switched according to the original.

That is, in the automatic switching mode, the host computer 100 connected to the color printer 200
The above printer driver determines whether the document to be printed is to be separated or not in units of N pages, and transmits the determination result via the printer controller 201 to the printer engine 203.
, And the switching is performed according to the result, and black and white or color printing is performed.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing an example of the switching process. In FIG. 4, in this process, first, it is determined what the mode specified by the printer driver is (step 401). If the mode is the color mode, an instruction of the color mode is issued to the printer controller 201 (step 402). If the mode is the monochrome mode, an instruction for the monochrome mode is issued to the printer controller 201 (step 403). In the automatic switching mode, when the printer driver converts the data to be printed into the page language (step 404), the printer driver checks whether there are color characters and graphics (step 40).
7) It is determined for each page whether the page is a black-and-white document or a color document, and this is comprehensively determined for N sheets (step 40).
5-407). As a result, if there is at least one color original, the process proceeds to step 402, and if all the originals are monochrome, the process proceeds to step 403 to execute each process.

When this process is completed, the printer controller 201 stores the information in the printer engine 20 for each page.
2 and the printer engine 202 as shown in FIG.
Checks whether the number has reached N (step 50).
1) Switching between cutting / non-cutting every N sheets (step 50)
2) Perform printing by an electrophotographic process (step 5)
03).

By performing the above-described processing, it is possible to suppress a decrease in performance due to switching on a page-by-page basis, and it is possible to prevent all black-and-white originals from being continuously printed in the color mode when bad conditions are met. In addition, the above determination is made by the printer driver in the host computer 100, so that the host computer 100
It can be handled within the memory and hard disk resources. Thus, for example, when the printer performs the above-described determination and performs processing, memory resources for performing this processing are required. However, using resources in the host computer 100 in this manner increases costs. Can be suppressed.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the designated mode is controlled so that the processing is different depending on each mode of color, black and white and automatic switching between color and black and white. It is also possible for the user to specify the default on the operation panel or the like, and to control the automatic switching based on the past print result history. This example is shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.

In the processing shown in FIG. 6, the print mode of the print command from the printer driver is checked in step 601 (step 601). If the print mode is the color mode, the number of prints is added and stored (step 602). ) C
Similarly, if the mode is the monochrome mode, the number of prints is added and stored (step 603), and the result is BC. Therefore,
The total number of printed sheets TC is TC = CC + BC. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
C and the total number of black and white prints BC are compared with the total number of prints (step 701). For example, if condition A) CC ≒ TC condition B) BC ≒ TC condition C) CC ≒ BC, it is designated by the operation unit or the like. The default mode is ignored, and condition A) color mode (step 702) condition B) monochrome mode (step 703) condition C) automatic switching mode (step 704).

As described above, the conditions A), B) and C) are determined in step 701, and the number of color prints CC and the number of black and white prints BC are compared with the total number of prints as described above. Color mode, black and white mode,
By switching to the automatic switching mode respectively, the time to determine the mode switching, the processing time is saved,
High-speed printing, long life of parts, units, and the like can be achieved in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the user designates the default of the print mode on the operation panel or the like, and controls the automatic switching based on the history of the past print results. Instead of the user designating the default of the print mode, the user can designate the standby mode in the automatic switching mode on the operation panel or the like, and automatically switch according to the past print result history. This example is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

That is, in this process, in the automatic switching mode (step 801: Y), the color print number C stored in steps 602 and 603 in FIG.
Using C and the number of black-and-white prints BC, for example, condition D) CC> BC condition E) CC <BC is determined (step 802). If the above condition D) E), condition D) color mode (step 803) ) Condition E) Switch to monochrome mode (step 804).

Thus, under the above conditions D) and E),
By switching to the color mode or the black and white mode, it is possible to save time for determining mode switching and processing time. In addition, high-speed printing can be performed in an optimum mode suitable for the user environment, and the life of components, units, and the like can be extended.

In the process shown in FIG. 8, the user designates the standby mode in the automatic switching mode by using the operation panel or the like.
Automatically switch based on the history of past print results, and switch between color prints CC and black and white prints BC
However, the number of pages N as a criterion for the switching can be specified by the user from the operation panel or the like, and the switching can be automatically performed based on the past print result history. it can. This example is shown in the flowcharts of FIGS.

In the processing shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, for example, a history COn (n: the number of continuous sheets) of how many consecutive color or black-and-white documents continue is stored (step 901). Is determined (step 1001), and processing is performed by switching between the color mode and the monochrome mode based on the continuous number n (step 1002). As a result, high-speed printing and long life can be achieved in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment.

<Second Embodiment> FIGS. 11 to 14 are flowcharts showing each processing procedure in the second embodiment. Note that the system configuration of the image forming apparatus, the configuration of the color printer, and the configuration of the printer engine according to the present embodiment are the same as the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 in the above-described first embodiment. Omitted.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show that in the automatic switching mode, the printer driver of the host computer 100 connected to the color printer 200 checks the document to be printed from the first page to the Mth page, and separates / non-separates the document. Judgment of separation, and after that, check every N pages,
9 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for making a determination, notifying the printer engine 203 of the determination result via the printer controller 201, performing the switching in accordance with the result, and performing monochrome or color printing.

In this process, first, it is determined what the mode specified by the printer driver of the host computer 100 is (step 1101). If the mode is the color mode, an instruction of the color mode is issued to the printer controller 201 (step 1102). If the mode is the monochrome mode, an instruction for the monochrome mode is issued to the printer controller 201 (step 1103). If the printer driver is in the automatic switching mode, when the printer driver converts the data to be printed into the page language (step 1104), the printer driver uses color characters,
Check if there is a figure (step 1107),
It is determined for each page whether the page is a black-and-white document or a color document, and this is comprehensively determined for M sheets (steps 1105 to 1105).
1107). As a result, if there is at least one color original, the process proceeds to step 1102. If all the originals are monochrome, the process proceeds to step 1103 to execute each process.

For the Mth and subsequent pages, FIG.
As shown in the flowchart of the printer driver,
When converting data to be printed into a page language (step 1201), it is checked whether or not there are color characters and graphics (step 1204).
It is determined for each page whether it is a color original, and this is comprehensively determined for every N pages (steps 1202 to 1204). As a result, if there is at least one color original, step 120
5 and if all are black and white originals, step 1206
Then, each process is executed.

Next, the printer controller 201 transmits color or black and white to the engine controller 202 for each page, and the engine controller 202 checks the information (step 501), and separates / non-separates every N sheets. Is switched (step 502), and printing by the electrophotographic process is performed (step 503).

With this processing, the value of M is controlled so that the first print time does not decrease even if the value of N is large.

Therefore, the values of M and N can be specified by a user on an operation panel or the like, and the separation / non-disconnection can be automatically switched according to the history of the past printing results. Can also. FIG. 9 and FIG. 13 described above are flowcharts showing the control procedure for performing such processing.

That is, in this processing, for example, the history COn of how many consecutive color originals or monochrome originals
(N: number of continuous sheets) is stored (step 90).
1), the one with the largest number of histories is determined (step 1)
301), N of the N pages is compared with a certain value R. For example, when N <R, M = N N> R when M = R (Step 1302) Thus, it is possible to prevent the first print time from being delayed by the set number N of pages.

As a result, high-speed printing and long life can be achieved in an optimum mode suitable for the user environment.

<Third Embodiment> The third embodiment is different from the engine controller 20 in the automatic switching mode.
2 examines the print image sent from the printer controller 201 in units of N pages,
The switching is performed to perform black and white or color printing.

The system configuration of the image forming apparatus, the configuration of the color printer, and the configuration of the printer engine according to this embodiment are the same as those shown in FIGS. The description of the operation is omitted. The processing shown in FIGS. 6 to 10 is the processing procedure of the printer driver of the host computer 100 in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the processing performed by the printer driver is performed by the engine controller 202. Since the configuration and the processing itself are the same as those in FIGS. 6 to 10, description will be made with reference to these figures.

FIG. 14 shows that, in this embodiment, the engine controller 202 examines the print image sent from the printer controller 201 in N-page units in the automatic switching mode, determines whether to disconnect or not, and performs the switching. Is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for performing black and white or color printing by performing the following. In this process, the engine controller 202 checks the print mode sent from the printer controller 201 (step 140).
1) If the transfer mode is the color mode, the transfer belt is set in the non-cut state (step 1402), and if the transfer mode is the black and white mode, the transfer belt is set in the cut state (1403), and printing is performed.

In the case of the automatic switching mode, the engine controller 202
The bitmap image data sent from step 1 is checked (step 1404), and it is checked whether or not there is a color image in the page (step 1407).
7). As a result, if there is at least one color original, the process proceeds to step 1402. If all the originals are monochrome, the process proceeds to step 1403 to perform printing.

With this processing, since the switching is not performed on a page unit basis, it is possible to suppress a decrease in performance such as when switching is performed on a page unit basis.
It is no longer necessary to continuously print all monochrome documents in the color mode.

When the determination of the automatic switching is made by the host computer 100 or the printer controller 201, the image data pasted in the document is treated as a color image even if the content is black and white. Although an accurate judgment cannot be made, an accurate judgment can be made by checking the data developed by the engine controller 202.

In this processing, the specified mode is controlled so that the processing is different depending on each mode of color, black and white, and automatic switching between color and black and white. Is automatically switched, so that high-speed printing and long life can be achieved in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment. This processing procedure also corresponds to the flowcharts of FIGS.

In this processing procedure, according to the print mode of the print command sent from the printer driver (step 60).
1) In the case of the color mode, the number of prints is added and stored (step 602), and in the monochrome mode, the number of prints is added and stored (step 603), and BC. Therefore, the total number of printed sheets TC is TC = CC + BC. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 described above, the number of color prints CC and the number of black and white prints BC are compared with the total number of prints TC (step 701), for example, condition A) CC ≒ TC condition B) BC ≒ TC condition C) If CC ≒ BC, ignore the default mode specified by the operation unit, etc. Condition A) Color mode (Step 702) Condition B) Black and white mode (Step 703) Condition C) Automatic switching mode (Step 704) Switch to.

As described above, the conditions A), B) and C) are determined in step 701, and the number of color prints CC and the number of monochrome prints BC are compared with the total number of prints as described above. Color mode, black and white mode,
By switching to the automatic switching mode respectively, the time to determine the mode switching, the processing time is saved,
High-speed printing, long life of parts, units, and the like can be achieved in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment.

In the above-described processing, the user designates the default of the print mode on the operation panel or the like and controls the automatic switching based on the history of the past print results. Instead of the designation, the user can designate the standby mode in the automatic switching mode on the operation panel or the like, and automatically switch according to the history of the past print results. This processing is also equivalent to the flowchart of FIG. 8 shown in the first embodiment, and will be described with reference to FIG.

That is, in this process, in the automatic switching mode (step 801), the CCs stored as described above (see steps 602 and 603 in FIG. 6)
Using BC, for example, condition D) CC> BC condition E) CC <BC is determined (step 802), and if the above condition D) E), condition D) color mode (step 803) condition E) black and white Mode (step 804).

As described above, by switching to the color mode or the monochrome mode according to the conditions D) and E), it is possible to save the judgment time and the processing time for mode switching. In addition, high-speed printing can be performed in an optimum mode suitable for the user environment, and the life of components, units, and the like can be extended.

In the above processing, the user designates the standby mode in the automatic switching mode on the operation panel or the like, and switches automatically according to the history of the past printing results. However, the user can designate N as a criterion for the determination of the switching on the operation panel or the like, and the switching can be automatically performed based on the history of the past print results. This processing is also equivalent to the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10 shown in the first embodiment, and will be described with reference to FIG.

That is, in this processing, for example, the history COn of how many consecutive color or black-and-white documents
(N: number of continuous sheets) is stored (step 90).
1), the one with the largest number of histories is determined (step 1)
001), processing is performed by switching between the color mode and the monochrome mode based on the continuous number n (step 1).
002). As a result, high-speed printing and long life can be achieved in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment.

<Fourth Embodiment> In the fourth embodiment, the printer controller 20 operates in the automatic switching mode.
1 checks the print information sent from the host computer 100 in units of N pages, and determines whether the print information is cut or not.
The result of the determination is notified to the printer engine, and the printer engine performs the switching according to the result, and performs black and white or color printing.

Note that the system configuration of the image forming apparatus, the configuration of the color printer, and the configuration of the printer engine according to this embodiment are the same as those shown in FIGS. The description of the operation will be omitted. The processing shown in FIGS. 6 to 10 is a processing procedure of the printer driver of the host computer 100 in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the processing performed by the printer driver is performed by the printer controller 202. Since the configuration and the processing itself are the same as those in FIGS. 6 to 10, description will be made with reference to these figures.

FIG. 15 shows that in the automatic switching mode, the printer controller 201 interprets the print language sent from the printer driver, determines whether to disconnect or not, and performs the switching to perform monochrome or color printing. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence performed. That is, in this embodiment, in the automatic switching mode, the printer controller 201 interprets the print language sent from the printer driver and checks the print mode in the printer language (step 1501). (Step 1502), and if the mode is the monochrome mode, the engine controller 202 is instructed in the monochrome mode (step 1).
503).

In the automatic switching mode, when the printer controller 201 converts the printer language into bitmap image data (step 1504),
Check if there are color characters and figures, determine whether the page is a black and white document or a color document for each page,
This is comprehensively determined for N sheets (steps 1504 to 150).
7). As a result, if there is at least one color original, the color mode is executed in step 1502. If all are black and white originals, the monochrome mode is executed in step 1503.

The engine controller 202 checks the print mode information sent from the printer controller 201 (step 501), switches the separation / non-separation for every N sheets (step 502), and performs printing by the electrophotographic process. (Step 503).

With this processing, since the switching is not performed on a page unit basis, the deterioration in performance due to the switching on a page unit basis can be suppressed, and the printing of all the black and white originals in the color mode can be prevented. In addition, by performing the above-described determination in the printer controller 210, the load on the host computer 100 can be reduced, and high-speed printing can be performed sensibly.

In this processing, the designated mode is controlled so that the processing is different depending on each mode of color, black and white, and automatic switching between color and black and white. Is automatically switched, so that high-speed printing and long life can be achieved in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment. This processing procedure corresponds to the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7 in the first embodiment.

In this processing procedure, according to the print mode of the print command from the printer driver (step 60).
1) In the case of the color mode, the number of prints is added and stored (step 602), and in the monochrome mode, the number of prints is added and stored (step 603), and BC. Therefore, the total number of printed sheets TC is TC = CC + BC. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 described above, the number of color prints CC and the number of black and white prints BC are compared with the total number of prints TC (step 701), for example, condition A) CC ≒ TC condition B) BC ≒ TC condition C) If CC ≒ BC, ignore the default mode specified by the operation unit, etc. Condition A) Color mode (Step 702) Condition B) Black and white mode (Step 703) Condition C) Automatic switching mode (Step 704) Switch to.

As described above, the conditions A), B), and C) are determined in step 701, and the number of color prints CC and the number of black and white prints BC are compared with the total number of prints as described above. Color mode, black and white mode,
By switching to the automatic switching mode respectively, the time to determine the mode switching, the processing time is saved,
High-speed printing, long life of parts, units, and the like can be achieved in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment. Note that the following processes including this process are performed by the printer controller.

In the above-described processing, the default of the print mode is controlled by the user through the operation panel or the like, and the control is performed so that the print mode is automatically switched according to the history of the past print results. Instead of the designation, the user can designate the standby mode in the automatic switching mode on the operation panel or the like, and automatically switch according to the history of the past print results. This processing is also equivalent to the flowchart of FIG. 8 shown in the first embodiment, and will be described with reference to FIG.

That is, in this processing, in the automatic switching mode (step 801), the CCs stored as described above (see steps 602 and 603 in FIG. 6)
Using BC, for example, condition D) CC> BC condition E) CC <BC is determined (step 802), and if the above condition D) E), condition D) color mode (step 803) condition E) black and white Mode (step 804).

As described above, by switching to the color mode or the monochrome mode according to the conditions D) and E), it is possible to save time for determining the mode switching and processing time. In addition, high-speed printing can be performed in an optimum mode suitable for the user environment, and the life of components, units, and the like can be extended.

In the above processing, the user designates the standby mode in the automatic switching mode on the operation panel or the like, and automatically switches according to the history of past printing results. However, the user can designate N as a criterion for the determination of the switching on the operation panel or the like, and the switching can be automatically performed based on the history of the past print results. This processing is also equivalent to the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10 shown in the first embodiment, and will be described with reference to FIG.

That is, in this process, for example, the history COn of how many consecutive color or black-and-white documents
(N: number of continuous sheets) is stored (step 90).
1), the one with the largest number of histories is determined (step 1)
001), processing is performed by switching between the color mode and the monochrome mode based on the continuous number n (step 1).
002). As a result, high-speed printing and long life can be achieved in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment.

[0076]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the automatic switching mode, the printer driver on the host computer connected to the printer disconnects the document to be printed in N pages. The non-separation determination is performed, the result of the determination is notified to the printer engine via the printer controller, and the switching is performed in accordance with the determination, thereby performing black and white or color printing. Together with
This eliminates the need to continuously print all black and white documents in the color mode.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the automatic switching mode, the printer driver on the host computer examines the document to be printed from the first page to the Mth page, and determines the separation / non-separation. , After that, N
The determination is made by examining each page, and the determination result is notified to a printer engine via a printer controller.The printer engine performs the switching according to the result, and performs black and white or color printing. In addition to suppressing the reduction in performance due to the reduction in speed and the switching for each page unit, the printing of all black and white originals in the color mode can be prevented.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the number of pages N for which the switching is determined is small, the throughput is reduced due to the switching time when N is small, when the first printing time is long when N is large, and when N is large. Accordingly, if the value of M is increased, the first print time becomes longer. However, a means for designating the number of pages M and N is provided, and the printer engine automatically switches the number of pages M and N based on the history of past print results. Therefore, high-speed printing can be performed in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment, and a long life can be achieved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic switching mode, the printer engine examines the print image sent from the printer controller in units of N pages, and makes a cut / non-cut decision. , The black-and-white or color printing is performed by switching the separation / non-separation based on the above, so that the performance is not degraded due to the switching for each page unit, and the black-and-white original is not continuously printed in the color mode.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic switching mode, the printer controller checks the print information sent from the host in units of N pages to determine whether to disconnect or not to disconnect, and returns the determination result to the printer. Notify the engine,
Based on the determination result, the printer engine performs the switching between the separation and non-separation, and performs black-and-white or color printing. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in performance due to switching for each page unit and to convert all the black-and-white documents in the color mode. No more printing.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the user is provided with means for designating the default of the print mode, and the printer engine automatically switches the designation of the default based on the past print result history. High-speed printing can be performed in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment, and the life can be extended.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the user is provided with means for designating a standby mode in the automatic switching mode, and the printer engine automatically switches the standby mode based on a history of past print results. I will switch
High-speed printing can be performed in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment, and the life can be extended.

According to the invention described in claim 8, the user is provided with means for designating the number N of pages for which switching is to be determined,
The printer engine automatically switches the specified number of pages N based on the history of past printing results, so that high-speed printing can be performed in an optimal mode suitable for the user environment, and the life is extended. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a printer engine in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a state in which transfer paper is transferred from an image forming unit, a transfer paper transfer belt, and a paper feed stage of the color printer in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a mode instruction process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of switching processing for separation / non-separation for every N sheets according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a print number adding process for each mode according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of processing for setting a mode based on comparison of the number of prints according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of processing for automatically setting a mode according to the number of prints according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for saving the history of the number of printed sheets according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows the number of pages N in the first embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a process of setting a mode by switching the mode.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a mode instruction process according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a mode instruction process for M pages and subsequent pages according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows the number of pages M according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of a setting.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a mode instruction process according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a mode instruction process according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 100 Host computer 200 Color printer 201 Printer controller 202 Engine controller 203 Printer engine 301 Y image forming unit 302 M image forming unit 303 C image forming unit 304 K image forming unit 305 Transfer belt 306 Paper feed tray 307 Paper discharge tray

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Mitsugu Sugiyama 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Genki Hanada 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Share Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Ryo Kanehara 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term in Ricoh Co., Ltd. (reference) 2C061 AP01 AQ06 HH01 HJ02 HK04 HN05 HN15 5C074 AA12 AA15 BB02 BB26 CC26 DD16 DD24 EE14 EE15 FF15 GG09 GG14

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An image forming unit for each of Y, M, C, and K, a printer driver for converting a document created on a host into a printer language, and sending the printer language; It has a printer controller that creates a print image, and a printer engine that receives one page of image information and prints based on the received image information. The adjacent paper transport belt is separated from the color image forming unit to form an image only by the black image forming unit, and in the color mode, color printing is performed with the paper transport belt always in a non-separated state, In black-and-white mode, only black-and-white printing is always performed in the separated state, and in the automatic switching mode, the separation / non-separation is switched according to the document. In an image forming apparatus that performs printing, in an automatic switching mode, a printer driver on a host computer determines whether a document to be printed is to be separated or not in units of N pages, and outputs the determination result to a printer via a printer controller. An image forming apparatus which notifies an engine of the image forming apparatus and switches the separation / non-separation in accordance with the result to perform monochrome or color printing. 2. A printer driver for converting each of the Y, M, C, and K image forming units into a printer language which converts a document created on a host into a printer language, interpreting the printer language, and It has a printer controller that creates a print image, and a printer engine that receives one page of image information and prints based on the received image information. The adjacent paper transport belt is separated from the color image forming unit to form an image only by the black image forming unit, and in the color mode, color printing is performed with the paper transport belt always in a non-separated state, In black-and-white mode, only black-and-white printing is always performed in the separated state, and in the automatic switching mode, the separation / non-separation is switched according to the document. In the image forming apparatus that performs printing, in the automatic switching mode, the printer driver on the host computer checks the document to be printed from the first page to the Mth page and determines whether the document is to be separated or not. The determination is performed by examining every N pages, and the determination result is notified to a printer engine via a printer controller. The printer engine performs the switching according to the determination result and performs monochrome or color printing. Image forming apparatus. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for designating the page numbers M and N, wherein the printer engine automatically switches the page numbers M and N based on a history of past print results. 3. The image forming apparatus according to 2. 4. A printer driver that converts each of the Y, M, C, and K image forming units into a printer language that converts a document created on a host into a printer language, interprets the printer language, and converts each page into pages. It has a printer controller that creates a print image, and a printer engine that receives one page of image information and prints based on the received image information. The adjacent paper transport belt is separated from the color image forming unit to form an image only by the black image forming unit, and in the color mode, color printing is performed with the paper transport belt always in a non-separated state, In black-and-white mode, only black-and-white printing is always performed in the separated state, and in the automatic switching mode, the separation / non-separation is switched according to the document. In the image forming apparatus that performs printing, in the automatic switching mode, the printer engine examines a print image sent from the printer controller in N-page units to determine separation / non-separation. An image forming apparatus for performing black and white or color printing by switching between separation and non-separation. 5. An image forming unit for each of Y, M, C, and K, a printer driver that converts a document created on a host into a printer language and sends it out, interprets the printer language, and It has a printer controller that creates a print image, and a printer engine that receives one page of image information and prints based on the received image information. The adjacent paper transport belt is separated from the color image forming unit to form an image only by the black image forming unit, and in the color mode, color printing is performed with the paper transport belt always in a non-separated state, In black-and-white mode, only black-and-white printing is always performed in the separated state, and in the automatic switching mode, the separation / non-separation is switched according to the document. In the image forming apparatus that performs printing, the automatic switching mode, examine the print information printer controller is sent from the host in N page unit separating /
Non-disconnection is determined, the result of the determination is notified to a printer engine, and based on the determination result, the printer engine switches between the disconnection and non-disconnection and performs black and white or color printing. Image forming apparatus. 6. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising: means for designating a default of the print mode by a user, wherein the printer engine automatically switches the designation of the default based on a history of past print results. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 4 and 5. 7. A printer according to claim 1, further comprising means for designating a standby mode in the automatic switching mode by a user, wherein the printer engine automatically switches the standby mode based on a history of past printing results. 6. The image forming apparatus according to any one of 1, 4, and 5. 8. The printer engine according to claim 1, further comprising means for designating the number of pages N to be used for the determination of the switching, wherein the printer engine automatically switches the specified number of pages N based on a history of past printing results. Image forming device.