JP2004131247A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To produce a printed matter in time series for each job kind and each user even in a case where a plurality of job kinds and a plurality of users commonly use paper discharge destinations of an image forming apparatus having the plurality of the paper discharge destinations. <P>SOLUTION: A CPU in a controller part 110 discriminates a group (based on a job kind, a user, and a section) of paper under paper supply/discharge control. For the paper discharge destination for paper belonging to the group discriminated, the paper discharge destination to which recording paper has been discharged latest in the group is set with priority. In a case where a tray becomes full in the paper discharge destination, paper supply/discharge control for printing action is executed in such a way that tray changing action is not conducted even when there are other paper discharge destinations in a case where paper has been outputted to the paper discharge destination based on record. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the control of an image forming apparatus having a plurality of paper discharge trays among image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile that employ a digital image processing method having a multi-job function.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, which is widely used today, a formed image is printed on a recording sheet (sheet), and then the recording sheet is output to a discharge tray outside the image forming apparatus. Discharging. In addition, many image forming apparatuses are provided with a finisher having a sheet post-processing function such as stapling and shifting for a bundle of recording sheets as an option, or as an option. The finisher has not only a single discharge tray but also a plurality of discharge trays, thereby improving the stackability of discharging a large amount of recording paper.
[0003]
However, in an image forming apparatus provided with a plurality of paper discharge trays, the following problems occur as shown in FIGS.
[0004]
FIG. 24 to FIG. 26 are diagrams for explaining the problem of the discharge destination control method in the conventional image forming apparatus.
[0005]
As shown in FIG. 24, in an image forming apparatus provided with two discharge trays such as a discharge tray A2401a and a discharge tray B2401b, when the priority of the discharge tray A2401a is high, first, as shown in FIG. Then, the recording paper having the image formed on the tray A is discharged. Here, a bundle of recording sheets discharged for each job is numbered “Job 1”, “Job 2”, and “Job 3” on a discharge tray A 2401a in chronological order as indicated by reference numeral 3001 in the figure. Is shown.
[0006]
As shown in FIG. 24A, since the priority of the paper discharge tray A2401a is high, “job 1,” “job 2,” and “job 3” are output to the paper discharge tray A 2401a instead of the paper discharge tray B 2401b. ing.
[0007]
Next, when the tray full sensor (not shown) detects the tray full of the discharge tray A2401a, as shown in FIG. 24B, "job 4" is output to the discharge tray B2401b that is not full yet. .
[0008]
Further, the user removes the recording sheets “Job 1”, “Job 2”, and “Job 3” discharged to the discharge tray A2401a during the output of “Job 4”, and there is no recording paper on the discharge tray A2401a. In this state, after the output of "Job 4" is completed, the output tray A2401a has a higher priority since the output tray A2401a has already been released from the next output "Job 5". Therefore, the image is output to the paper discharge tray A2401a.
[0009]
As a result, as shown in FIG. 24C, only “job 4” is output to the tray B, and the jobs subsequent to “job 4”, “job 5”, “job 6”, and “job 7” Output to tray A2401a.
[0010]
For this reason, if the output number of “Job 4” is small and the discharge tray B2401b is below the discharge tray A2401a, the recording paper on the discharge tray B2401b is inconspicuous. It is possible to cause a careless mistake in which the user overlooks the presence of the recording paper “Job 4” on the discharge tray B2401b and removes the recording papers of “Job 5,” “Job 6,” and “Job 7.” There was sex.
[0011]
This is a problem that occurs because there is a plurality of paper output trays and a certain paper output tray has a high priority. It seems that this problem can be solved by preferentially discharging the recording paper to the last discharge tray, but the following problem still occurs.
[0012]
As described in JP-A-2001-294362, a recording sheet on which an image forming process is performed passes through a high-temperature fixing unit. It may be discharged in a curled (curved) state.
[0013]
When the curled recording paper is stacked on the discharge tray in this manner, the apparent stacking height of the recording paper becomes high, so that the sensor or the like may detect before reaching the actual allowable number of stacked papers. There is a problem that the image forming process is stopped at an early stage even though the recording sheets can still be stacked on the discharge tray. Further, as described above, the curled recording paper is gradually curled (that is, becomes flat) due to the weight of the recording paper subsequently loaded, its own weight, and the like. The height may gradually decrease.
[0014]
Therefore, in the conventional image forming apparatus as described above, the sensor or the like detects that the recording paper on the discharge tray has reached the allowable stacking height while performing image forming processing on a certain set of recording paper. It has been pointed out that when the image forming process is performed after the image forming process is performed up to the last recording sheet of the set, the recording sheet on the discharge tray may not have already reached the allowable stacking height when the image recording process is stopped. In such a case, a situation as shown in FIG. 25 may occur.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 25A, “job 1”, “job 2”, and “job 3” are discharged to the discharge tray A2401a, the discharge tray A2401a becomes full, and then “job 4” is output to tray B. .
[0016]
In the description of FIG. 24, the recording sheets of “Job 1”, “Job 2”, and “Job 3” on the discharge tray A 2401a have been removed. Wait for B to become tray full. As a result, as shown in FIG. 25B, “Job 1”, “Job 2”, and “Job 3” are output to the discharge tray A2401a, and “Job 4” and “Job 5” are output to the tray B. You. Further, as shown in FIG. 25C, “job 6” is output to tray B, tray full is detected on tray B, and tray full is detected on all trays. Is stopped, and the recording paper is discharged to the discharge tray any more so that the recording paper does not overflow from the tray.
[0017]
However, as described above, although the recording paper that has passed through the high-temperature fixing device of the image forming apparatus is initially curled, it becomes flat due to the weight and its own weight of the subsequently stacked recording paper on the tray, Even if it is detected that the tray is full, the tray full may be canceled afterwards.
[0018]
For example, suppose that 3101 shown in FIGS. 25B to 25C is a stacking height for detecting a tray full in the discharge tray A2401a. 25A and 25B, when the “job 3” is discharged, the recording paper bundle discharged to the discharge tray 2401a has reached the height of 3101. Therefore, the tray full is not discharged in the discharge tray A2401a. 25C, the recording paper on the paper output tray A2401a is curled, the tray full of the paper output tray A2401a is released, and the paper is discharged to the paper output tray A2401a. become able to.
[0019]
As a result, as shown in FIG. 25C, the recording paper on the paper discharge tray A2401a is decurled, and the recording paper "job 7" subsequent to the "job 6" is discharged to the paper discharge tray A2401a. Therefore, “Job 1”, “Job 2”, “Job 3”, and “Job 7” are placed on the discharge tray A 2401a, and “Job 4”, “Job 5”, and “Job” are placed on the discharge tray B 2401b. "6" is discharged, and the user needs to rearrange the recording papers in order to arrange the recording papers in chronological order.
[0020]
In FIG. 25C, control is performed such that recording paper is preferentially discharged to the last discharge tray among a plurality of discharge trays, as shown in FIG. In the case where the priority of a certain paper discharge tray is high, the situation shown in FIG. 25D also occurs, and the problem is further increased.
[0021]
In FIG. 25D, at the time point when the “job 5” has been discharged to the tray B, the recording paper on the discharge tray A2401a is curled, and the tray full of the discharge tray A2401a is released. Therefore, “Job 6” subsequent to “Job 5” has been output to the discharge tray A2401a having a higher priority. After the output of “job 6” is completed, the discharge tray A2401a becomes full again, so that “job 7” subsequent to “job 6” is output to tray B again.
[0022]
As a result, “Job 1”, “Job 2”, “Job 3”, and “Job 6” are on the discharge tray A 2401a, and “Job 4”, “Job 5”, and “Job 5” are on the discharge tray B 2401b. "7" is output, and the operation of rearranging the recording paper in chronological order, which is performed by the user himself, occurs more than in the case of FIG.
[0023]
Furthermore, in today's image forming apparatuses, not only a copying function, but also a multi-function function, such as a facsimile via a telephone line and a network print function via a LAN, which can meet all kinds of needs with one image forming apparatus has become common. ing. A plurality of users share one image forming apparatus at the same time, thereby realizing cost reduction and space saving.
[0024]
In such a conventional image forming apparatus, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-233056, a plurality of users share one image forming apparatus, and a discharge tray is assigned to each user and each job. An invention that facilitates sorting has been proposed.
[0025]
However, in such a conventional image forming apparatus, little consideration has been given to sharing the same discharge tray by a plurality of users. For example, a problem as shown in FIG. 26 occurs.
[0026]
In FIG. 26, in order to indicate a job for each user, the recording paper bundle is illustrated as a user A and a user B, and is a bundle of recording paper output by different users.
[0027]
The user A is set in advance so that the user A can output to both the discharge tray A 2401a and the discharge tray B2401b, and the user B can output to only the discharge tray B2401b.
[0028]
For example, “user A (1)”, “user B (1)”, “user B (2)”, “user A (2)”, “user A (3)”, “user A ( 4), first, in FIG. 26A, the job of “user A (1)” is output to the discharge tray A2401a. After that, the user B discharges the recording paper, but since the user B can output only the tray B, “user B (1)” and “user B (2) are stored in the tray B as shown in FIG. ) "Is output.
[0029]
Next, the user A outputs “user A (2)”. Since the user A can output to the discharge tray A 2401a and the discharge tray B 2401b, the recording is preferentially performed on the discharge tray discharged last. When discharging the paper, the recording paper of “User A (2)” is discharged to the discharge tray B2401b. As a result, the discharge tray B2401b becomes full, and as shown in FIG. 26C, "user A (3)" and "user A (4)" are output to the discharge tray A2401a, and the discharge tray A2401a is output. "User A (1)", "User A (3)", and "User A (4)" are output to the output tray B2401b, and "User B (1)" and "User B (2)" are output to the discharge tray B2401b. , "User A (2)" is output, and the recording papers output by user A are not arranged in chronological order. I will.
[0030]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the conventional image forming apparatus, when the discharge trays are sorted for a plurality of users or job types by a plurality of discharge trays, the output result may not be obtained in chronological order. I was
[0031]
In order to solve this, it is possible to prepare a discharge tray corresponding to the number of users and the number of job types. However, there are various environments including an environment where only a few users exist, an environment where many users exist, and various environments. However, there is a problem that the number of paper discharge trays cannot be determined due to reasons such as the number of users and the number of users increasing on the way.
[0032]
Further, providing a large number of paper discharge trays leads to an increase in the cost of the apparatus, and also causes problems such as a reduction in the amount of recording paper loaded on a single space (a single paper discharge tray).
[0033]
SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to determine a group to which a sheet to be processed belongs and to determine a sheet discharge destination of the sheet belonging to the determined group. If the tray is prioritized based on the discharge history information for each discharge destination and a tray full occurs at the discharge destination, even if there are other discharge destinations, the discharge destination is determined based on the past history. When a plurality of paper output trays are shared by a plurality of users or groups of job types, etc. However, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus which guarantees a time-sequential stacking order of recording sheets (sheets) for each group of each user and job type.
[0034]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is an image forming apparatus capable of selectively discharging sheets to a plurality of discharge destinations, comprising: a determination unit configured to determine a group to which a sheet to be processed belongs; A first storage unit that stores information corresponding to a group, and a discharge destination of a sheet belonging to the group determined by the determination unit is set to a discharge destination stored by the first storage unit. A first control unit for performing paper supply / discharge control of a printing operation.
[0035]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an image input / output system to which an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
[0036]
In the figure, a reader unit (image input (reader) device) 200 optically reads a document image and converts it into image data. The reader unit 200 includes a scanner unit 210 having a function of reading a document, and a document feed unit (DF unit) 250 having a function of conveying document sheets.
[0037]
Reference numeral 300 denotes a printer unit (image output (printer) device) which conveys a recording sheet, prints image data thereon as a visible image, and discharges the sheet outside the apparatus. The printer unit 300 includes a paper feed unit 310 having a plurality of types of recording paper cassettes, a marking unit 320 having a function of transferring and fixing image data on recording paper, and a function of outputting printed recording paper to the outside of the machine. And a finisher unit (finisher unit) 500 for performing staple processing and sorting processing.
[0038]
Reference numeral 110 denotes a control device which is electrically connected to the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300, and further connected to host computers 4001 and 4002 via the network 400.
[0039]
The control device 110 controls the reader unit 200 to read the image data of the document, and controls the printer unit 300 to output the image data to recording paper to provide a copy function. A scanner function of converting image data read from the reader unit 200 to code data and transmitting the code data to the host computers 4001 and 4002 via the network 400, and converting code data received from the host computers 4001 and 4002 via the network 400 A printer function for converting the image data into image data and outputting the converted image data to the printer unit 300 is provided.
[0040]
In PDL, a command indicating a page break is defined for each language. For example, a command “ShowPage” is defined in PostScript (registered trademark), and a command “FormFeed” is defined in PCL. When these commands are notified, the break of one page is determined for the first time. There is also a method of determining the end of a job based on a timeout after the data transfer from the host computer is interrupted.
[0041]
An operation unit 150 is connected to the control device 110 and includes various keys and a liquid crystal touch panel, and provides a user I / F for operating the image input / output system.
[0042]
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300 shown in FIG.
[0043]
First, the reader unit 200 will be described.
[0044]
In the reader unit 200, a document feeding unit (feeder) 250 feeds the documents one by one on the platen glass 211 in the order of the top, and discharges the documents on the platen glass 211 to the discharge tray 219 after the reading operation of the document is completed. Is what you do.
[0045]
When the document is conveyed onto the platen glass 211, the lamp 212 is turned on, the movement of the optical unit 213 is started, and the document is exposed and scanned. The light reflected from the original at this time is guided to a CCD image sensor (hereinafter, referred to as a CCD) 218 by mirrors 214, 215, 216 and a lens 217. Thus, the scanned image of the document is read by the CCD 218.
[0046]
The image data output from the CCD 218 is transferred to the control device 110 after being subjected to predetermined processing. The reader unit includes a document detection sensor 230, and detects the presence or absence of a document by the document detection sensor 230. The document detection sensor is constituted by a sensor using a lever or an optical sensor.
[0047]
The control device 110 and the reader device 200 exchange commands shown in FIG.
[0048]
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a communication sequence between the control device 110 and the reader device 200 shown in FIG.
[0049]
First, the control device 110 issues a document feed execution request 8001 to the reader device 200 to feed a document on the feeder 250. On the other hand, the reader device 200 issues a document feed completion status notification 8002 to the control device 110 when the document on the feeder 250 is fed. At this time, the reader device 200 detects whether or not a document exists on the sensor 230. If paper exists on the sensor 230, the reader device 200 notifies "the next document exists". Notice. That is, the presence / absence of a document is determined at the time of the document feed execution request 8001, and the presence / absence of the next document is determined at the time of document feed completion status notification 8002.
[0050]
Then, the control device 110 issues a scan execution request 8003 to the reader unit 200, and requests image reading of the document. Thereafter, the reader unit 200 notifies the control device 110 of a scan execution preparation end notification 8004 when the image reading is actually started and a scan end status notification 8005 after the image reading is completed.
[0051]
Referring to FIG. 2 again, the printer unit 300 will be described.
[0052]
In the printer unit 300, a laser driver 321 drives the laser light emitting unit 322, and causes the laser light emitting unit 322 to emit a laser beam corresponding to the image data output from the control device 110. The laser light is irradiated on the photosensitive drum 323, and a latent image corresponding to the laser light is formed on the photosensitive drum 323. A developer is attached to the latent image portion of the photosensitive drum 323 by a developing device 324.
[0053]
Further, the printer unit 300 includes, as sheet storage units, cassettes 311, 312, 313, 314 each having a drawer shape, and a manual paper feed stage 315 on a tray exposed outside the machine. .
[0054]
Each paper storage unit is provided with a paper feed sensor. The cassette 311 has a sensor 351, the cassette 312 has a sensor 352, the cassette 313 has a sensor 353, the cassette 314 has a sensor 354, and the manual paper feed stage 315 has a sensor 351. The sensor 355 is mounted.
[0055]
Here, the cassettes 311 to 314 shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
[0056]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a mechanism of the cassettes 311 to 314 shown in FIG.
[0057]
As shown in FIG. 4, a paper storage unit (cassettes 311 to 314) includes a cassette open / close sensor 1201 for detecting opening / closing of the cassette, a paper feed roller 1202 for feeding replenished paper, and a supply of a plurality of papers. A separation roller 1203 that separates the paper so that the paper is not separated, a transport roller 1204 that transports the separated paper to the transport path, and a paper feed sensor 1208 that detects whether the paper has been successfully fed (the paper feed sensor shown in FIG. 2). 351 to 354, the paper feed sensor 355 of the manual paper feed stage 315 is the same), a lifter 1205 that lifts the paper bundle to contact the supplied paper with the paper feed roller, a lift position detection sensor 1206 that detects a lift-up position, It comprises a paper detection sensor 1207 for detecting whether or not there is paper.
[0058]
The printer unit 300 will be described again with reference to FIG.
[0059]
The printer unit 300 feeds recording paper from any of the cassette 311, the cassette 312, the cassette 313, the cassette 314, and the manual paper feed stage 315 at a timing synchronized with the start of laser beam irradiation, and feeds the recording paper to the transfer unit 325. By 331, the developer attached to the photosensitive drum 323 is transferred to the recording paper. The recording paper on which the developer is loaded is transported to the fixing unit 327 by the transport belt 326, and the developer is fixed on the recording paper by the heat and pressure of the fixing unit 327. Thereafter, the recording paper that has passed through the fixing unit 327 is discharged through the conveyance paths 335 and 334. Alternatively, when the print surface is inverted and discharged, the recording paper is guided to the transport path 336 and the transport path 338, from which the recording paper is transported in the reverse direction, and passes through the transport path 337 and the transport path 334.
[0060]
If double-sided recording is set, after passing through the fixing unit 327, the recording paper is guided from the conveyance path 336 to the conveyance path 333 by the flapper 329, and then the recording paper is conveyed in the reverse direction. Thereby, the sheet is guided to the conveyance path 338 and the re-feeding conveyance path 332. The recording paper guided to the re-feed conveyance path 332 is fed to the transfer unit 325 through the conveyance path 331 at the above-described timing.
[0061]
The recording paper discharged from the conveyance path 334 is conveyed to the finisher unit 500.
[0062]
The transported recording paper is first sent to the buffer unit 501. Here, the recording paper conveyed as necessary is wound around a buffer roller and buffered. For example, when processing such as stapling performed downstream takes a long time, the use of this buffer unit makes it possible to keep the conveying speed of the recording paper conveyed from the main body constant, which is useful for improving the throughput. It is possible.
[0063]
Then, the recording paper is thereafter discharged to the discharge tray A 507a by the upstream discharge roller pair 502 and the downstream discharge roller pair 503.
[0064]
In the staple mode, immediately after the recording paper is conveyed by the upstream discharge roller pair 502 and the trailing edge of the recording paper passes through the same, the recording paper is pulled back by the knurl belt 504 and discharged to the stack tray 505.
[0065]
After a predetermined number of recording papers are stacked, staple processing is performed by the staple unit 506, and the recording paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray A 507a by the downstream discharge roller pair 503. Further, at the time of shift sorting, the sheets stacked on the stack tray are shifted left and right, and are discharged to the discharge tray A 507a, thereby expressing a break between copies.
[0066]
The two bins of the paper discharge tray A 507a and the paper discharge tray B 507b can be moved up and down in conjunction with a drive unit (not shown).
[0067]
Further, in FIG. 2, the recording paper is located at a position where the recording paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray A 507a, but it is also possible to move the recording paper upward and discharge it to the paper discharge tray B 507b.
[0068]
Each of the paper discharge trays A 507a and B 507b has paper presence / absence detection sensors 508a and 508b that detect the presence or absence of recording paper on the paper discharge tray. When recording paper is stacked on the paper discharge tray, tray full sensors 509a and 509b are provided to prevent the possibility that the recording paper will fall from the paper discharge tray when the recording paper is further stacked.
[0069]
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a communication sequence between the control device 110 and the printer device 300 shown in FIG.
[0070]
First, when printing one page, the control device 110 issues a print preparation request 9001 to the printer device 300. Upon receiving the print preparation request 9001, the printer device 300 starts pre-print processing such as fixing unit temperature control and pre-rotation. After the completion of the pre-print processing, the printer device 300 issues a print preparation status 9002 to the control device 110.
[0071]
The control device 110 that has received the print preparation status 9002 issues a paper feed execution request 9003 to the printer device 300 in order to request paper feed. At this time, the printer unit 300 is notified which of the cassettes 311, 312, 313, 314, and the manual paper feed stage 315 is to feed paper. At the same time, information is also loaded on which of the paper discharge trays A 507a and B 507b to discharge. The shift position is added in the shift sort mode, and the staple position is added in the staple sort mode. Also, when post-processing the bundle of sheets discharged to the stack tray 505 and discharging the bundle to the discharge tray 507 as at the end of the job, information of a discharge request is also added.
[0072]
Upon receiving the paper feed execution request 9003, the printer apparatus 300 starts feeding paper, and feeds paper to the sensors 351, 352, 353, 354, and 355 mounted on each paper storage unit. After detecting the trailing edge of the sheet, a paper feed result status 9004 is issued to the control device 110. When an error such as out of paper occurs, the printer apparatus 300 notifies the control apparatus 110 of the error in the paper feed result status.
[0073]
When the paper reaches the predetermined position, the printer 300 that has fed the paper issues a print start permission (print start preparation completed 9005). Upon receiving the print start permission (print start preparation completion 9005) from the printer device 300, the control device 110 issues a print execution request 9006 to the printer device 300 when the image formation is actually possible, and Formation and fixing. Thereafter, image hard signal synchronization is performed between the control device 110 and the printer device 300, and image formation and further fixing are performed.
[0074]
The printer 300 sends a print result status 9007 to the controller 110 at the timing of external discharge when the paper on which the image has been formed is single-sided or at the timing of single-sided completion (intermediate tray discharge) when the paper is double-sided. Issue. At this time, the sheet discharged outside the apparatus is subjected to appropriate post-processing on a stack tray 505 and discharged to a discharge tray 507.
[0075]
Then, when the sheet is discharged out of the apparatus and there is no subsequent output image, the control device 110 issues a print end notification 9008 to the printer device 300 and requests the printer device 300 to execute post-print processing. .
[0076]
That is, from the time the control device 110 issues the paper feed execution request 9003 until the printer unit 300 receives the paper feed result status 9004, the printer unit 300 starts the paper feed operation from each paper feed storage unit. (During the paper feeding operation), the paper feeding jam occurs when the paper feeding storage unit is opened during that time.
[0077]
Further, immediately before issuing the paper feed execution request 9003 to the printer device 300, the control device 110 needs to confirm whether or not the paper can be discharged to the paper discharge tray A 507a and the paper discharge tray B 507b.
[0078]
Hereinafter, the operation unit 150 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
[0079]
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the configuration of the operation unit 150 shown in FIG.
[0080]
In the figure, reference numeral 600 denotes an LCD touch panel, where main mode setting and status display are performed. Numeral 601 is a numeric keypad for inputting numerical values from 0 to 9. Reference numeral 602 denotes an ID key which is used to input a department number and a password mode when the apparatus is under department management.
[0081]
603 is a reset key for resetting the set mode, 604 is a guide key for displaying an explanation screen for each mode, 605 is a user mode key for entering a user mode screen, and 606 is for performing interrupt copy. Has become the interrupt key.
[0082]
Reference numeral 607 denotes a start key for starting a copy operation, and 608 denotes a stop key for stopping a copy job being executed.
[0083]
Reference numeral 609 denotes a soft power switch. When pressed, the backlight of the LCD touch panel 600 turns off, and the apparatus shifts to a low power state. A power saving key 610 is pressed to enter a power saving state, and is pressed again to return from the power saving state.
[0084]
Reference numerals 611 and 612 denote function keys for transferring to a copy or box. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the standard screen for copying is displayed, and when the other function key 612 is pressed, the standard screen for each function is displayed.
[0085]
Reference numeral 614 denotes an adjustment key for adjusting the contrast of the LCD touch panel 600. Reference numeral 615 denotes a counter confirmation key. By pressing this key, a count screen for displaying the total number of copies used so far is displayed on the LCD touch panel 600.
[0086]
An LED 616 indicates that a job is being executed, and an image is being stored in the image memory, an error LED 617 indicates that the apparatus is in an error state such as a jam or a door open, and a main switch 618 of the apparatus is ON. Power LED indicating
[0087]
<Description of control device>
Hereinafter, the function of the control device 110 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
[0088]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the control device 110 shown in FIG.
[0089]
In the figure, reference numeral 111 denotes a main controller, which mainly includes a CPU 112, a bus controller 113, and various I / F controller circuits.
[0090]
The CPU 112 and the bus controller 113 control the operation of the entire control device 110. The CPU 112 operates based on a program read from the ROM 114 via the ROM I / F 115. The program executed by the CPU 112 also describes the operation of interpreting PDL (Page Description Language; page description language) code data received from the host computer and decompressing the data into raster image data, which is processed by software. . The bus controller 113 controls data transfer input / output from each I / F, and performs arbitration at the time of bus contention and controls DMA data transfer.
[0091]
A DRAM 116 is connected to the main controller 111 by a DRAM interface (DRAM I / F) 117, and is used as a work area for the operation of the CPU 112 and an area for storing image data.
[0092]
Reference numeral 121 denotes a network controller (Network Controller), which is connected to the main controller 111 by an I / F 123 and connected to an external network by a connector 122. As a network, Ethernet (registered trademark) is generally used.
[0093]
Reference numeral 125 denotes a general-purpose high-speed bus to which an extension connector 124 for connecting an extension board and an I / O control unit 126 are connected. A general-purpose high-speed bus generally includes a PCI bus.
[0094]
Reference numeral 126 denotes an I / O control unit, which is provided with two channels of an asynchronous serial communication controller 127 for transmitting and receiving control commands to and from each CPU of the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300. It is connected to an F circuit (scanner I / F 140, printer I / F 145).
[0095]
A panel I / F 132 is connected to the LCD controller 131 and has an I / F for displaying on a liquid crystal screen on the operation unit 150 and a key input I / F 130 for inputting hard keys and touch panel keys. Consists of
[0096]
The operation unit 150 has a liquid crystal display unit, a touch panel input device (LCD touch panel 600 shown in FIG. 6) attached on the liquid crystal display unit, and a plurality of hard keys (various keys shown in FIG. 6). Signals input from these touch panels or hard keys are transmitted to the CPU 112 via the above-described panel I / F 132, and the liquid crystal display unit displays the image data sent from the panel I / F 132. The liquid crystal display unit displays a function display, image data, and the like in the operation of the image forming apparatus.
[0097]
A real-time clock module 133 updates and saves the date and time managed in the device, and is backed up by a backup battery 134.
[0098]
Reference numeral 161 denotes an E-IDE interface (connector) for connecting an external storage device. A hard disk or a CD-ROM drive can be connected via the E-IDE interface to write and read programs and image data.
[0099]
Reference numerals 142 and 147 denote connectors, which are connected to the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300, respectively, and include a synchronous serial I / F (143, 148) and a video I / F (144, 149).
[0100]
The scanner I / F 140 is connected to the reader unit 200 via the connector 142, and is also connected to the main controller 111 via the scanner bus 141. The scanner I / F 140 converts the image received from the reader unit 200 according to the content of processing in the subsequent process. It has a function of performing optimal binarization and performing scaling processing of main scanning and sub-scanning, and further transmits a control signal generated based on a video control signal transmitted from the reader unit 200 to a scanner bus. 141 is also provided.
[0101]
Data transfer from the scanner bus 141 to the DRAM 116 is controlled by the bus controller 113.
[0102]
The printer I / F 145 is connected to the printer unit 300 via the connector 147, and is connected to the main controller 111 via the printer bus 146. The printer I / F 145 performs smoothing processing on image data output from the main controller 111, and It has a function of outputting to the printer bus 146 a control signal generated based on the video control signal sent from the printer unit 300.
[0103]
The transfer of the raster image data expanded on the DRAM 116 to the printer unit is controlled by the bus controller 113, and is DMA-transferred to the printer unit 300 via the printer bus 146 and the video I / F 149.
[0104]
<Description of main controller>
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of main controller 111 shown in FIG.
[0105]
In the figure, reference numeral 401 denotes a processor core (CPU), which corresponds to the CPU 112 shown in FIG. 7, and is connected to a system bus bridge (SBB) 402 via a 64-bit processor bus (SC bus).
[0106]
The SBB 402 is equivalent to the bus controller 113 shown in FIG. 7 and is a 4 × 4 64-bit crossbar switch. In addition to the processor core 401, the memory controller 403 controls an SDRAM or a ROM having a cache memory. And a dedicated local bus (MC bus), and are further connected to a G bus (GBus) 404 as a graphic bus and a B bus (BBus) 405 as an IO bus, and are connected to a total of four buses. . The SBB 402 is designed to ensure simultaneous parallel connection between these four modules as much as possible. The SBB 402 is also connected to a data compression / decompression unit (codec) 418 via a codec I / F.
[0107]
The G bus 404 is cooperatively controlled by a G bus arbiter (GBA) 406 and is connected to a scanner / printer controller (SPC) 408 for connecting to a scanner or a printer.
[0108]
The B bus 405 is cooperatively controlled by a B bus arbiter (BBA) 407. In addition to the SPC 408, a power management unit (power management unit (PMU)) 409, an interrupt controller (IC) 410, and a serial interface using a UART Controller (SIC) 411, USB controller (USBC) 412, Parallel interface controller (PIC) 413 using IEEE 1284, LAN controller (LANC) 414 using Ethernet (registered trademark), LCD panel, keys, general-purpose input / output controller ( It is also connected to a general-purpose IO controller (PC) 415 and a PCI bus interface (PCIC) 416.
[0109]
Further, an operation panel 417 having a display panel and a keyboard is connected to the PC 415.
[0110]
<Description of interrupt controller>
The interrupt controller 410 is connected to the B bus 405, integrates each functional block in the main controller chip and interrupts from outside the chip, and redistributes them into six levels of external interrupts and non-maskable interrupts (NMI) supported by the CPU 401. . The above functional blocks are a power management unit 409, a serial interface controller 411, a USB controller 412, a parallel interface controller 413, an Ethernet (registered trademark) controller 414, a general-purpose IO controller 415, a PCI interface controller 416, and a scanner / printer controller. 408 and the like.
[0111]
<Description of memory controller>
The memory controller 403 is connected to an MC bus which is a local bus dedicated to the memory controller, and controls a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), a flash ROM, and a ROM.
[0112]
<Explanation of system bus bridge>
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the system bus bridge (SBB) 402 shown in FIG.
[0113]
The SBB 402 is a multi-channel bidirectional bus bridge that provides interconnection between the B bus (input / output bus), G bus (graphic bus), SC bus (processor local bus), and MC bus using a cross bus switch. . With the cross bus switch, two systems of connections can be simultaneously established, and high-speed data transfer with high parallelism can be realized.
[0114]
As shown in the figure, the SBB 402 includes a B bus interface 2009 for connecting to the B bus 405, a G bus interface 2006 for connecting to the G bus 404, and a CPU interface slave port 2002 for connecting to the processor core 401. A memory interface master port 2001 for connecting to the memory controller 403, a CODEC bus interface 2014 for connecting to the compression / expansion unit 418, an address switch 2003 for connecting an address bus, and a data switch for connecting a data bus. 2004.
[0115]
Further, the SBB 402 includes a cache invalidation unit 2005 for invalidating the cache memory of the processor core.
[0116]
<Description of PCI bus interface>
As shown in FIG. 8, the PCI bus interface 416 is a block that interfaces between the B bus 405, which is a general-purpose IO bus inside the main controller, and the PCI bus, which is an IO bus external to the chip.
[0117]
<Description of G bus arbiter and B bus arbiter>
The arbitration of the G bus 404 shown in FIG. 8 is a central arbitration method, and has a dedicated request signal and a grant signal for each bus master. This arbiter can program the control method. In addition, as a method of giving priority to the bus masters, all bus masters have the same priority, a fair arbitration mode in which the bus right is imparted fairly, and the priority of one of the bus masters is raised to use the bus preferentially. Priority arbitration mode can be specified.
[0118]
The B bus arbiter 407 shown in FIG. 8 receives a bus use request of the B bus 405, which is an IO general-purpose bus, and after arbitration, gives use permission to one selected master, and simultaneously performs two or more bus masters. Prohibits the master from accessing the bus. The arbitration system has three levels of priorities, and a plurality of masters can be assigned to each priority in a programmable manner.
[0119]
<Scanner controller / Printer controller>
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the scanner / printer controller 408 shown in FIG.
[0120]
The scanner / printer controller 408 is a block that is connected to the scanner and the printer via the VIDeo I / F and interfaces with the internal bus G bus 404 and the B bus 405. It is roughly composed of the following three blocks (scanner controller, printer controller, G bus / B bus I / F unit (GBI)).
[0121]
・ Scanner controller
First, the scanner controller will be described.
[0122]
In FIG. 10, reference numeral 4302 denotes a scanner controller, which is connected to the scanner by a video I / F (Scanner VIDEO I / F) to perform operation control and data transfer control, and has a G bus / B bus I / F unit (GBI). ) 4301A is connected by an IF bus (IF-Bus), and data transfer and register read / write are performed.
[0123]
・ Printer controller
Next, the printer controller will be described.
[0124]
In FIG. 10, reference numeral 4303 denotes a printer controller, which is connected to the printer by a video I / F to perform operation control and data transfer control. The GBI 4301B is connected by an IF bus (IF-Bus) to transfer data. And reading / writing of the register is performed.
[0125]
・ G bus / B bus I / F unit (GBI)
Next, the G bus / B bus I / F unit (GBI) will be described.
[0126]
Referring to FIG. 10, reference numerals 4301A and 4301B denote G bus / B bus I / F units (GBIs) for connecting the scanner controller 4302 and the printer controller 4303 to the G bus or the B bus. 4303 are independently connected to each other, and are connected to both the G bus and the B bus.
[0127]
・ CP bus (CP-Bus)
The CP bus (CP-Bus) shown in FIG. 10 is a bus for directly connecting image data of the scanner and the printer and a synchronization signal for horizontal / vertical synchronization.
[0128]
<Description of power management unit>
The main controller 111 shown in FIG. 8 is a large-scale ASIC with a built-in CPU. For this reason, if all the internal logics operate simultaneously, a large amount of heat is generated, and the chip itself may be destroyed. To prevent this, the main controller 111 performs power management for each block, that is, power management, and further monitors the power consumption of the entire chip.
[0129]
This power management is performed individually by each block. Information on the power consumption of each block is collected in a power management unit (PMU) 409 as a power management level. The PMU 409 sums up the power consumption of each block, and collectively monitors the power consumption of each block of the main controller 111 so that the value does not exceed the limit power consumption.
[0130]
Next, paper feed control in one-sided image formation and two-sided image formation will be described.
[0131]
First, with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, a description will be given of the recording paper transport path in one-sided image formation and two-sided image formation.
[0132]
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a recording paper transport path in the one-sided image formation of the printer unit 300 illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 11A illustrates a recording paper transport path, and FIG. FIG. 11C shows a conveyance path of a recording sheet for one-sided image formation in the front-side discharge mode, and FIG.
[0133]
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a transport path for transporting recording paper for double-sided image formation in the printer unit 300 illustrated in FIG. 1. Here, the case where paper is fed from the manual paper feed stage 315 is shown only, but the same applies to the case where paper is fed from another cassette.
[0134]
In the printer unit 300, as shown in FIG. 11A, a recording paper transport path is connected to a transport path 331 extending from the manual paper feed stage 315 or each of the cassettes 311 to 314 between the photosensitive drum 323 and the transfer unit 325. A transport path 335 for transporting the recording paper onto which the toner image on the photosensitive drum 323 has been transferred to the outside (discharge bin) via a fixing unit (not shown), and a toner image on the photosensitive drum 323 A conveyance path 336 for guiding the transferred recording paper to a conveyance path 338 or a conveyance path 333 via a fixing unit (not shown), and a discharge path for discharging the recording paper guided to the conveyance path 338 to the outside. It comprises a transport path 337 and a re-feed transport path 332 for guiding the sheet guided to the transport path 333 to the transport path 331 and re-feeding the sheet between the photosensitive drum 323 and the transfer unit 325.
[0135]
In the case of single-sided image formation, as shown in FIG. 11B, first, the recording paper S fed from the manual paper feed stage 315 is transported between the photosensitive drum 323 and the transfer unit 325 via the transport path 331. You. After the toner image on the photosensitive drum 323 is transferred to the surface of the recording sheet S, the recording sheet S is sent to a fixing unit, and the toner image is fixed on the recording sheet S by the fixing unit. The recording sheet S on which the image has been fixed is discharged to the outside (a discharge bin or a discharge processing unit 330) via a transport path 335.
[0136]
In addition, when the back side discharge is performed, as shown in FIG. 11C, the recording paper S after fixing is guided to the transport path 338 after passing through the transport path 336, and then, via the transport path 337. The paper is ejected. Thereby, the recording paper S is discharged to the outside to the outside. In the drawing, the surface of the recording paper S marked with a triangle indicates an image forming surface.
[0137]
In the case of double-sided image formation, as shown in FIG. 12A, the recording paper S fed from the manual paper feed stage 315 is transported between the photosensitive drum 323 and the transfer unit 325 via the transport path 331. After the toner image on the photosensitive drum 323 is transferred to the surface of the recording paper S, the toner image is sent to a fixing unit.
[0138]
The recording paper S on which the image has been fixed by the fixing unit is once guided to the conveyance path 333 via the conveyance path 336, and then to the re-feeding conveyance path 332. Here, when performing double-sided image formation on a plurality of recording sheets, a predetermined number of recording sheets S are sequentially fed. When a predetermined number of sheets of recording paper S are fed, the recording paper on the re-feeding conveyance path 332 is re-supplied to the photosensitive drum 323 via the conveyance path 331 as shown in FIG.
[0139]
Then, the toner image is transferred to the back surface of the re-fed recording paper, and the recording paper S on which images are formed on both sides is discharged outside through a fixing unit. Next, the next recording sheet S on the re-feeding conveyance path 332 is fed again. In the drawing, the surface of the recording paper S marked with a triangle indicates the surface on which an image was formed first, and the surface marked with a substantially semicircle was formed with an image by refeeding. Surface.
[0140]
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15, and FIG. 16, a description will be given of a unit for designating a discharge tray that can be used for each job identifier according to the present invention.
[0141]
FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a standard screen (user interface) on the operation unit 150 shown in FIG. 6, which is displayed on the LCD touch panel 600 shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a default operation screen, which is an instruction screen for inputting a job such as copying.
[0142]
FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a dialog screen (user interface) that appears when the user mode button 605 shown in FIG. 6 is pressed, and is displayed on the LCD touch panel 600 shown in FIG.
[0143]
As shown in FIG. 14, on this dialog screen, several user modes (modes that can be set by the user) are assigned to buttons for each category. Reference numeral 14001 denotes a common specification setting button related to all job types. When this button is pressed, the screen shifts to a dialog screen shown in FIG.
[0144]
FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a dialog screen (user interface) that appears when the common specification setting button 14001 in FIG. 14 is pressed, and is displayed on the LCD touch panel 600 shown in FIG.
[0145]
As shown in FIG. 15, this dialog screen has several mode setting items, of which 15001 is a setting of a discharge tray that can be used for each job identifier (job type) of the present invention. Button, and when this button is pressed, a dialog screen shown in FIG. 16 is displayed.
[0146]
FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing a dialog screen (a user interface related to setting of a discharge tray that can be used for each job identifier shown in FIG. 17 described later) that appears when the “special tray setting” button 15001 shown in FIG. 15 is pressed. Yes, it is displayed on the LCD touch panel 600 shown in FIG.
[0147]
This dialog screen corresponds to a unit for designating a discharge tray that can be used for each job identifier (a group that can be identified from jobs such as a job type, a user, and a department) according to the present invention. Here, it is assumed that the job identifier is a job type, that is, a discharge tray that can be used for each job type such as copy, PDL print, and the like is specified instead of separating the discharge trays for each user and each department. .
[0148]
Reference numeral 16001 denotes a button for using the discharge tray A 507a in a copy job, 16002 denotes a button for using the discharge tray B 507b in a copy job, and 16003 denotes a button for using the discharge tray A 507a in a PDL print job. A button 16004 is a button for using the discharge tray B 507b in a PDL print job, a button 16005 is a button for using the discharge tray A 507a in another job, and 16006 is a button for discharging the other job. Buttons for using the paper tray B 507b. A button displayed in white characters on a black background indicates selection, and a button displayed in black characters on a white background indicates non-selection.
[0149]
In the case of FIG. 16, a copy can be output to the discharge trays A507a and B507b, a PDL print can be output to the discharge tray A507a, and the other (FAX, etc.) can be output to the discharge tray B507b.
[0150]
The discharge tray selection buttons 16001 to 16006 are toggle buttons, and each time the button is pressed, selection and non-selection are switched. Further, one of the pairs for each job type (one of the pair of select buttons 16001 and 16002 for copy, one of the pair of select buttons 16003 and 16004 for PDL print, and the select button 16005 for other If any one of the pair of (1) and (16006) is not selected, the output tray to be output cannot be specified. Therefore, protection is always provided so that one of the output trays is selected. That is, for each job type, settings such as "can be output to both the discharge tray A 507a and the discharge tray B 507b", "can only output the discharge tray A 507a", and "can only output the discharge tray B 507b" can be made.
[0151]
To enable the setting for each job type, the user presses an OK button 16008. To exit the screen of FIG. 16 without validating the setting, press the cancel button 16007.
[0152]
FIGS. 17 and 18 are schematic diagrams showing a structure of data for managing the discharge tray control of the present invention in the control device 110 shown in FIG. 1, and are stored in the DRAM 116 shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 17 corresponds to the data structure indicating the paper to be fed by the control device 110, and FIG. 18 corresponds to the data structure for managing the discharge tray control.
[0153]
First, the structure of data indicating paper will be described with reference to FIG.
[0154]
In FIG. 17, reference numeral 17001 denotes a data structure indicating the paper to be fed by the control device 110, and includes a job identifier (job ID) 17002 inside. In this embodiment, the job identifier 17002 uses the job identifier as the job type as shown in the interface relating to the setting of the output tray that can be used for each job identifier in FIG. "" And "others". There are various means for deriving from the job identifier 17002 the job corresponding to the data structure 17001 indicating the paper is the job type of the setting of which dedicated tray. For example, the job identifier 17002 may be determined to be “copy” job when “0001 or more and less than 1000”, “PDL print” job when “1001 or more and less than 2000”, and “other” job identifiers for other job identifiers. Good. The rules are not asked here.
[0155]
Next, the structure of data for managing the discharge tray control will be described with reference to FIG.
[0156]
FIG. 18 schematically shows a data structure in a case where an instruction on the interface is held in the control device 110 as shown in the interface relating to the setting of the output tray that can be used for each job identifier in FIG. .
[0157]
The data structure 18001 of the discharge tray control is divided into areas of a “copy” job 18002, a “PDL print” job 18003, and a “others” job 18004 for each job identifier, and for each job type described in FIG. A printable output tray list in which a discharge tray (discharge tray A 507a or discharge tray B 507b) corresponding to the discharge tray buttons 16001 to 16006 selected in FIG. 16 exists for each job type. 18005, 18006, and 18007, respectively.
[0158]
That is, as shown in FIG. 16, the copy can be output to the discharge tray A 507a and the discharge tray B 507b, the PDL print can be output to the discharge tray A 507a, and the other (FAX, etc.) can be output to the discharge tray B 507b. When the setting is made, an element 18008 indicating the paper output tray A 507a and an element 18809 indicating the paper output tray B 507b are connected to the copy outputable paper output tray list 18005. In the outputable discharge tray list 18005, the discharge tray (discharge tray A 507a) corresponding to the element at the head of the list (the element 18008 indicating the discharge tray A 507a) is the currently output discharge tray. It has become.
[0159]
Similarly, an element 18010 indicating the paper discharge tray A 507a is connected to the PDL print outputable paper discharge tray list 18006. Further, an element 18011 indicating the paper discharge tray B 507b is connected to the other outputable paper discharge tray list 18007. Note that, for each type of job identifier (group of job types, etc.), the discharge destination that most recently discharged the recording paper is the first element (here, element 18008, element 18008, here) of the outputable discharge tray list 18005, 18006, 18007. 18010, 18011). With such a data structure, the setting values in the user interface shown in FIG.
[0160]
Elements 18008, 18009, 18010, and 18011 corresponding to the output trays connected to the output-enabled output tray list include output history flags 18012, 18013, 18014, and 18015 in the elements. This output history flag is set to “ON” when “recording paper of the job type is output on the paper output tray” for each job type, and when “recording paper is removed from the relevant paper output tray”. To "OFF". That is, the output history flags 18012, 18013, 18014, and 18015 store the discharge destinations in the past where the type (group of job type, etc.) of the job identifier to which the paper to be subjected to the paper supply / discharge control belongs belongs. The storage management control of the data including the history information of the discharge destination as described above is performed. The movement of this flag will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0161]
FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure of the discharge tray control (left side) in the control device 110 described in FIG. 18 and the state of the recording paper bundle on the discharge trays A 507a and B 507b (right side). Express the actual state of the data structure in the control device and the state of the discharge tray at the same time. However, in FIG. 18, three job types “copy”, “PDL print”, and “other” are shown. However, in FIG. 18, “PDL print” is omitted for simplicity, and “copy”, “other” The description will be made only with these two job types.
[0162]
Hereinafter, an example in which jobs are processed in the order of “copy job 1”, “other job 1”, “copy job 2”, “copy job 3”, and “copy job 4” will be described.
[0163]
First, in FIG. 19A, the data structure of the paper discharge tray control is the top of the elements 18008 and 18009 added to the outputable paper discharge tray list 18005 in the data structure 18002 of the copy paper discharge tray control. The element 18008 corresponds to the paper discharge tray A 507a, so that the "copy job 1" to be processed first is output to the paper discharge tray A 507a, and at that time, the copy job outputs the recording paper to the paper discharge tray A 507a. In order to indicate this, the output history flag 18012 in the element 18008 corresponding to the paper discharge tray A 507a in the copy job outputable paper discharge tray list 18005 is set to “ON”.
[0164]
In addition, only one of the elements 18011 is added to the outputable discharge tray list 18007 in the other discharge tray control data structure 18004, and the element 18011 corresponds to the discharge tray B507b. The “other job 1” 19002 is output to the discharge tray B 507b. At this time, the other job discharges the output-capable discharge tray list 18007 of the other job to indicate that the recording paper has been output to the discharge tray B 507b. The output history flag 18015 in the element 18011 corresponding to the paper tray B 507b is set to “ON”.
[0165]
As a result, the state of the discharge tray in FIG. 19A is a state in which one “copy job 1” 19001 is output to the discharge tray A 507a and one “other job 1” 19002 is output to the discharge tray B 507b. It becomes.
[0166]
Next, the state of FIG. 19B after the state of FIG. 19A will be described.
[0167]
At the time of FIG. 19A, among the elements 18008 and 18809 added to the outputable discharge tray list 18005 in the copy discharge tray control data structure 18002, the first element 18008 is the discharge tray A 507a. And the output history flag 18012 in the element 18008 remains “ON”.
[0168]
Since the discharge tray A 507a is not yet full, the "copy job 2" 19003 and the "copy job 3" 19004 are output to the discharge tray A 507a as they are.
[0169]
Then, when the “full job 4” 19005 is output to the discharge tray A 507a and the tray full sensor 509a detects the tray full of the discharge tray A 507a, the control device 110 outputs the data structure 18002 of the discharge tray control. Of the elements 18008 and 18009 added to the output-capable discharge tray list 18005 in the list, a search is made to see if any of the elements has an output history flag of “OFF”. At this time, since the output history flag 18013 of the element 18009 corresponding to the discharge tray B 507b is “OFF”, the control device 110 determines that a copy job can be output to the discharge tray B 507b. Then, the control device 110 outputs the recording paper to the paper discharge tray B 507b.
[0170]
Then, as shown in FIG. 19B, the order of the elements of the printable output tray list 18005 in the data structure 18002 of the copy output tray control for copy is set with the element 18009 corresponding to the output tray B507b at the top. The element 18008 corresponding to the paper tray A 507a is rearranged last.
[0171]
Further, in order to record the fact that the recording sheet of the copy job has been discharged to the discharge tray B507b, an element corresponding to the discharge tray B507b of the outputable discharge tray list 18005 in the copy discharge tray control data structure 18002 is recorded. The value of the output history flag 18013 in 18009 is set to “ON”.
[0172]
Therefore, the state of the discharge tray in FIG. 19B is that two copy jobs (“copy job 2” 19003 and “copy job 3”) are placed on “copy job 1” 19001 on the discharge tray A 507a. 19004), and in this state, the tray full sensor 509a detects the tray full state of the discharge tray A 507a, and the next copy job “copy job 4” 19005 is output to the discharge tray B 507b.
[0173]
Next, from the state of FIG. 19B, all the bundles of recording sheets (copy jobs 1 to 4) corresponding to the copy jobs output to the discharge tray A 507a and the discharge tray B 507b are removed, and FIG. Will be described.
[0174]
When the user removes all of the copy jobs 1 to 4, the discharge tray A 507a is in a state where no bundle of recording paper is removed, and the discharge tray B 507b is in a state where "other job 1" 19002 remains. .
[0175]
At this time, the paper presence / absence detection sensor 508a detects that the recording paper has run out from the discharge tray A 507a. Then, the control device 110 searches the output-capable output tray lists 18005, 18007 of all job types, such as the output tray control data structure 18002, 18004, for an element corresponding to the output tray A 507a, and outputs an output history flag in the element. Is set to “OFF”.
[0176]
Here, since the element corresponding to the paper discharge tray A 507a is registered in the outputable discharge tray list is the element 18008 in the copy job, the output history flag 18012 in the element 18008 is set to “OFF”. I do.
[0177]
The movement of the outputable discharge tray list and the movement of the output history flag have been described above with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the paper discharge control is performed so that the output state is as shown in each example of FIG.
[0178]
Hereinafter, the operation of the control device 110 referred to in FIG. 19 will be described with reference to the flowcharts in FIGS.
[0179]
FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first control processing procedure in the image forming apparatus of the present invention. In the communication sequence between the control apparatus 110 and the printer apparatus 300 illustrated in FIG. Immediately before (just before the paper is actually fed from the paper storage unit) or after the processing of FIG. 21 described later, the control device 110 (by the CPU 112 shown in FIG. 7 stores the program stored in the ROM 114 or other storage medium). Corresponding to the control flow to be executed. Note that S20001 to S22013 indicate each step.
[0180]
When the process starts in step S20001, the process advances to step S20002 to check whether there is any paper to be fed. That is, it is checked whether there is a sheet 17001 to be fed by the control device 110 shown in FIG. If it is determined that there is no paper 17001 to be fed, the process advances to step S20031 to end the process.
[0181]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S20002 that there is paper 17001 to be fed, the process advances to step S20003, and the control device 110 shown in FIG. To which job identifier type (job type) belongs, and the process proceeds to step S20004.
[0182]
In step S20004, based on the job identifier type (job type) derived from step S20003, in the data structure 18001 for managing the discharge tray control shown in FIG. From the paper tray list, a paper output tray that is currently being output (a paper output tray from which paper belonging to the type (job type) of the job identifier is discharged last (most recently)) is guided. In other words, in the case of FIG. 19A, in copying, the first element 18008 of the outputable discharge tray list 18005 indicates the discharge tray A 507a, and in the other cases, the first element 18011 of the outputable tray list 18007 indicates the discharge tray B 507b. Each of the output trays is a discharge tray that is currently being output (a discharge tray from which paper belonging to the job type is discharged last (most recently)).
[0183]
Next, in step S20005, the currently output paper discharge tray derived from step S20004 (the paper discharge tray from which the paper belonging to the type of the job identifier (job type) has been discharged last) is currently in a tray full state. Determine if there is. Whether or not the tray is full can be detected by the tray full sensors 509a and 509b shown in FIG. If it is determined that the currently output paper discharge tray is full, the process proceeds to step S20006. On the other hand, if it is determined that the currently output paper discharge tray is not full, the process proceeds to step S20010.
[0184]
In step S20006, since it is determined in step S20005 that the output tray currently being output is full, there is another output tray that can be output from the outputable output tray list of the corresponding job identifier type (job type). Guide whether or not. In other words, in the case of FIG. 19A, the recording sheets of the copy continue to be output to the discharge tray A 507a, the discharge tray A 507a becomes full, and the outputable discharge tray list 18005 corresponding to the copy includes the items other than the discharge tray A 507a. It is checked whether or not an element corresponding to the paper output tray is added. Since there is an element 18006 corresponding to the paper output tray B 507b, in the copy job, the paper output that can be output besides the paper output tray A 507a that is currently being output It is derived that the discharge tray B507b exists as a tray. In addition, since only the element 18011 corresponding to the discharge tray B 507b exists in the outputable discharge tray list 18007 corresponding to the above, if the discharge tray B 507b becomes full, other jobs will have other items. It is led that there is no output tray that can output.
[0185]
Next, in step S20007, it is determined from the result derived in step S20006 whether there is another output tray that can be output. If it is determined that there is no other output tray that can be output, step S20007 is performed. The process advances to step S20012 to stop paper feeding when the tray is full, advances to step S20013, and ends the process.
[0186]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S20007 that there is another output tray that can be output, the process proceeds to step S20008, and the value of the output history flag corresponding to the other output tray that can be output in step S20006 is set. It is determined whether it is "OFF". If it is determined that this value is “ON” (not “OFF”), it is possible that the sheet has been ejected to this sheet ejection tray in the past and that the sheet has not yet been removed. However, the output to the discharge tray is controlled so that the output recording paper is not output in order to prevent the recording paper from being output because the discharged recording paper is not aligned in chronological order.
[0187]
Therefore, if it is determined in step S20008 that the value of the output history flag corresponding to another output tray that can be output is “ON” (not “OFF”), the process advances to step S20012 to feed the tray in full. Is stopped, the process proceeds to step S20013, and the process ends. Thus, it is possible to prevent the time series consistency from being lost.
[0188]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S20008 that the value of the output history flag corresponding to another output tray that can be output is “OFF”, the process proceeds to step S20009.
[0189]
In this case, the discharge tray currently being discharged is full, and there is another discharge tray that can be output, and the type of the job identifier (job type) is still output to the discharge tray. First, in step S20009, in order to switch the currently output paper discharge tray to the next outputable paper discharge tray, the corresponding outputable paper discharge tray list is rearranged. Do. In other words, in the case of FIG. 19, in the state of FIG. 19A, the first element of the copy outputable discharge tray list 18005 is an element 18008 corresponding to the discharge tray A 507a, and the next corresponds to the discharge tray B 507b. The element is element 18009, but in the state shown in FIG. 19B, the output tray is switched by tray full, so that the first element of the outputable discharge tray list 18006 is an element 18009 corresponding to the discharge tray B 507b. Next, the element was rearranged to the element 18008 corresponding to the paper discharge tray A 507a.
[0190]
Next, in step S <b> 20010, the value of the output history flag corresponding to the applicable job type and the output tray that can be output is set to “ON”. That is, in the case of FIG. 19B, since the recording paper of the copy has been output to the paper discharge tray B 507b, the value of the output history list 18013 in the element 18009 corresponding to the paper discharge tray B 507b in the copy is set to “ON”. Was.
[0191]
Next, in step S20011, the sheet feeding operation is started for the determined sheet discharge tray, and the process advances to step S20013 to end the process.
[0192]
The paper supply / discharge control based on the history information of the discharge destination of the output sheet including the ON / OFF control of the output history flag as described above is executed.
[0193]
Hereinafter, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 21, when the recording paper is removed from the discharge tray, that is, when the paper presence / absence detection sensors 508a and 508b detect the absence of paper, or when the tray full sensor is released by the tray full sensor. The operation of will be described.
[0194]
FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of a second control processing procedure in the image forming apparatus of the present invention. When the paper presence / absence detection sensors 508a and 508b shown in FIG. , 509b correspond to a control flow executed by the control device 110 (based on a program stored in the ROM 114 or other storage medium by the CPU 112 shown in FIG. 7) when the release of the tray full is detected. Note that S21001 to S21009 indicate each step.
[0195]
When the absence of paper is detected by the paper presence / absence detection sensors 508a and 508b shown in FIG. The above operation is repeated for several times of the paper discharge tray. In other words, the steps in steps S21002 to S21008 are repeatedly performed twice when the number of paper discharge trays is two and three times when the number of paper discharge trays is three.
[0196]
Hereinafter, the processing in steps S21002 to S21008 will be described.
[0197]
In step S21003, it is determined whether there is any paper on the paper discharge tray being searched. For example, in the case of FIG. 19C, if the bundle of recording sheets on the discharge tray A 507a has been completely removed, but the bundle of recording sheets still exists on the discharge tray B 507b, in step S21003, the discharge tray A 507a is At the time of retrieval, it is determined that there is no paper, and at the time of retrieval of the discharge tray B507b, it is determined that there is paper.
[0198]
If it is determined in step S21003 that there is a sheet on the current (searching) sheet discharge tray, the process advances to step S21008, and returns to step S21002 to process the next sheet discharge tray.
[0199]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S21003 that there is no paper on the current (searching) paper discharge tray, the process advances to step S21004, and the processing in steps S21004 to S21007 is performed for the type (job type) of the job identifier. repeat. In other words, if the job is divided into two job types, “copy” and “other”, as shown in FIG. 19, the three jobs “copy”, “print”, “other” are executed twice as shown in FIG. If the seeds are separated, repeat three times.
[0200]
Hereinafter, the processing in steps S21004 to S21007 will be described.
[0201]
In step S21005, it is checked whether or not an element corresponding to the discharge tray from which the paper has been removed exists on the outputable discharge tray list that exists for each job type. In other words, in the case of FIG. 19C, when the paper in the discharge tray A 507a is removed, it is first determined that an element 18008 corresponding to the discharge tray A 507a exists in the outputable discharge tray list 18005 corresponding to copying. In the output available discharge tray list 18007 corresponding to the others, it is determined that there is no element corresponding to the paper discharge tray A 507a.
[0202]
If it is determined in step S21005 that there is no element corresponding to the output tray from which the paper has been removed on the output available output tray list that exists for each type of job identifier (job type), the process advances to step S21007. Returning to step S21004, a search is performed for the next job type.
[0203]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S21005 that there is an element corresponding to the output tray from which the paper has been removed on the output available output tray list for each type of job identifier (job type), the process advances to step S21006. In step S21005, the value of the output history flag of the corresponding element is set to “OFF”. In this case, since there is no paper on the paper discharge tray, paper can be output to this paper discharge tray. Further, in order to set the flag to "OFF" only when the paper is empty, the recording paper is decurled and the tray full is released halfway as shown in FIG. There is no fear that paper is output to the paper discharge tray.
[0204]
Then, after the process of step S21006, the process proceeds to step S21007, returns to step S21004, and searches for the next job type.
[0205]
The operations in steps S21004 to S21007 are repeated for the number of job identifier types (job types), and the operations in steps S21002 to S21008 are repeated for the number of output trays, and the value of the output history flag of the corresponding element is set to “OFF”. Then, the process proceeds to step S21009 to perform the operation described with reference to FIG. As a result, the control device 110, which has stopped feeding in the tray full state in step S20012, can restart feeding.
[0206]
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 22, it will be described that the recording sheets on the discharge tray are arranged in chronological order for each type of job identifier (job type) by the method of controlling the discharge tray in the image forming apparatus of the present invention.
[0207]
FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram illustrating that recording paper can be discharged onto the discharge tray in a time-series manner for each job type by the discharge tray control method in the image forming apparatus of the present invention. Note that, in the following description, in the interface that can be discharged for each job type shown in FIG. 16, copy is “discharge tray A 507 a” and “discharge tray B 507 b”, print is “discharge tray A 507 a”, and others are “ The output is performed assuming that the output is set to the “output tray B507b”.
[0208]
FIG. 22A shows the following state.
[0209]
To explain in chronological order, first, the output bundle “copy 1” of the first output (corresponding to one job) 22001 is output to the paper output tray A 507a, and the output bundle 22002 of the “output 1” of the second output is output. The output bundle 2003 of the third output “copy 2” is output to the tray B 507b, the output bundle 2004 of the fourth “printer 1” is output to the output tray A 507a, and as a result, the output tray A 507a is output. Becomes tray full.
[0210]
The fifth output “copy 3” output bundle 22005 is output to the discharge tray B 507b because the discharge tray A 507a is full, and the last (sixth) “other 2” output bundle 22006 is output to the discharge tray B 507b. Then, the discharge tray B 507b is also full.
[0211]
As described above, both the discharge trays A 507a and B 507b are full, and the copy job "copy 4" is then input as a new output. FIG. 22 (a) represents the state in which.
[0212]
In the state of FIG. 22A, if all the bundles of recording sheets (copies 1 to 3) corresponding to the job in the copy mode are removed, the state transits to the state of FIG. When all the recording paper bundles (others 1 and 2) corresponding to the job are removed, the state transits to the state of FIG. 22D, and all the recording paper bundles (printer 1) corresponding to the printer mode job are removed. When removed, the state transits to the state of FIG. Then, when the bundle of recording sheets of “copy 1” 22001 and “copy 2” 22003 of the copy mode job on the discharge tray A 507a is further removed from the state of FIG. 22C, the state of FIG. Transitions to.
[0213]
First, the state of FIG. 22B will be described.
[0214]
The state in FIG. 22B is a state in which all the bundles of recording sheets corresponding to the job in the copy mode have been removed from FIG. 22A as described above, and “Printer 1” 22004 is stored in the discharge tray A 507a. In addition, “Other 1” 22002 and “Other 2” 22006 are stacked on the paper discharge tray B 507b. In addition, since all the recording paper bundles corresponding to the job in the copy mode have been removed, the tray full state has been released for both the discharge trays A 507a and B 507b, and the processing shown in FIG. 21 operates. However, a bundle of recording sheets of a job type other than the job in the copy mode (output bundle of each job in the print mode and other modes) still exists in both the discharge tray A 507a and the discharge tray B 507b. (Step S21004 to step S21007 and skip to step S21008) to check whether there is paper on the output tray, and output a data structure for managing the output tray control in the controller 110. No operation of the history flag is performed.
[0215]
Then, the process proceeds to the process shown in FIG. 20, and since the paper of “copy 4” 22007 of the job to be output in step S20002 has been stopped due to the tray full, it is determined that there is paper to be fed, and the process proceeds to step S20003. The process proceeds to determine the job type (group) of the job to be output, confirms that the job type (group) is copy, and, based on the confirmation result, the already output job (the first to sixth jobs). Jobs (copy 1, copy 2, copy 3) belonging to the above job type (group), and among the candidates, the last output job (the most recently output job) (Meaning) is confirmed. In this case, since the output tray that has output the copy job lastly outputs the “copy 3” job 22005 in FIG. 22A to the output tray B 507b, the output of the “copy 4” job to be output is performed. The destination is determined to be the discharge tray B507b. In step S20005, it is checked whether the output tray 507b is full. If the output tray B 507b has been released, the process advances to step S2010 to permit the output of the job. As shown in (b), control is performed to output “copy 4” 22007 to the discharge tray B 507b. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the control device 110 issues a paper feed execution request 9003 to the printer device 300 so as to discharge the “copy 4” 22007, executes the print process of the job, and Paper.
[0216]
Next, the state of FIG. 22D will be described.
[0217]
Next, the state of FIG. 22D is a state in which all the recording paper bundles of the jobs corresponding to the other modes (other 1 and 2 jobs) have been removed from FIG. “Copy 1” 22001, “copy 2” 22003, and “printer 1” 22004 exist, and “copy 3” 22005 exists in the discharge tray B 507b. In addition, the tray full of the discharge tray B 507b is released by removing the bundle of recording sheets of “Other 1” 22002 and “Other 2” 22006, and the process shown in FIG. 21 operates. However, since a bundle of recording sheets “copy 1” 22001, “copy 2” 22003, and “printer 1” 22004 exist in the discharge tray A 507a, and a bundle of “copy 3” 22005 records exists in the discharge tray B 507b, FIG. Is checked in step S21003 to determine whether there is paper on the sheet discharge tray (because the processing in steps S21004 to S21007 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S21008), and data for managing the sheet discharge tray control in the control device 110 No operation is performed on the output history flag of the structure.
[0218]
Then, the process proceeds to the process shown in FIG. 20, and in step S20002, since the paper for the “copy 4” job 22007 to be newly output from these was tray-full and the paper supply was stopped, there is no paper to be supplied. In step S20003, it is confirmed that the job type of the job to be output is copy, and the last of the copy jobs corresponding to the job type among the already output jobs is executed. The destination of the job output to is output is checked, and the destination is determined as the destination of the “copy 4” job. The job output last in the job type (group) is “copy 3”, and its output tray is “copy 3” 22005 in FIG. 22A, which is output to the output tray B 507b. B507b. Then, in step S20005, it is checked whether or not the tray of the target discharge destination is tray full. Since the tray full of discharge tray B507b has been released, the output of the job of "copy 4" is permitted, and FIG. As shown in ()), control is performed to output “copy 4” 22007 to the discharge tray B 507b. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the control device 110 issues a paper feed execution request 9003 to the printer device 300 so as to discharge the “copy 4” 22007, executes the print operation, and causes the paper output tray B 507b To discharge paper.
[0219]
Next, the state of FIG. 22C will be described.
[0220]
The state shown in FIG. 22C is a state in which all the bundles of recording sheets (“Printer 1” 22004) corresponding to the print mode job have been removed from FIG. “Copy 1” 22001 and “copy 2” 22003 exist, and “other 1” 22002, “copy 3” 22005 and “other 2” 22006 exist in the discharge tray B 507b.
[0221]
As described above, by removing the bundle of recording sheets of the “Printer 1” 22004, the tray full of the discharge tray A 507a is released, and the processing shown in FIG. 21 is started.
[0222]
However, a bundle of recording sheets of “copy 1” 22001 and “copy 2” 22003 is stored in the discharge tray A 507a, and a bundle of “other 1” 22002, “copy 3” 22005 and “other 2” 22006 is stored in the discharge tray B 507b. Since there is a sheet, the check is performed in step S21003 in FIG. 21 to check whether there is a sheet on the sheet discharge tray (because the processing in steps S21004 to S21007 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S21008). No operation is performed on the output history flag of the data structure that manages the tray control.
[0223]
Then, the process proceeds to the process shown in FIG. 20, and in step S20002, since the sheet of “copy 4” 22007 of the job to be output has been stopped because the tray is full, it is determined that there is paper to be fed, and step S20003 is performed. Then, the job type is confirmed to be copy, and in step S20003, the output tray that outputs the copy job last outputs “copy 3” 22005 in FIG. 22A to the output tray B 507b. Therefore, the discharge tray B 507b is set as the discharge destination, and it is checked in step S20005 whether the tray is full. Since the tray full of the discharge tray B 507b has not been released, the process proceeds to step S20006. In steps S20006 and S20007, it is checked whether there is another discharge tray that can be discharged. Since the output can be performed to the discharge tray A 507a, the process advances to step S20008 to check whether the output history flag is "OFF". At this point, even if the output target job can be output to the discharge tray A 507a, the output is controlled not to be output, and the process advances to step S2002 to stop the tray full paper feed. Is controlled so as not to output “copy 4” 22007 also to the tray of FIG. Then, the output is made to wait until a state in which the chronological order can be secured. As a result, the output of the recording paper for each group (each job type in this example) cannot be maintained in chronological order, and the jobs in one group cannot be maintained in chronological order. It is possible to prevent such troubles as to occur.
[0224]
Subsequently, the state of FIG. 22E will be described.
[0225]
The state shown in FIG. 22E is a state in which the recording paper bundles “copy 1” 22001 and “copy 2” 22003 have been removed from the above-described stacked state shown in FIG. 22C. The bundle of recording sheets is removed, and “copy 3” 22005 is present on the discharge tray B 507b. In this state, since the paper presence sensor 508a of the paper discharge tray A 507a detects the absence of paper, the processing shown in FIG. 21 operates.
[0226]
Since all the paper on the discharge tray A 507a has been removed, the process proceeds to step S21003 in FIG. 21 to check whether there is paper on the discharge tray, and a data structure for managing the discharge tray control in the control device 110. Perform the operation of the output history flag. In this case, as shown in FIG. 18, the elements existing in the output-capable output tray list corresponding to the output tray A 507a include an element 18008 belonging to the copy and an element 18010 belonging to the print. The values of the output history flags 18012 and 18014 are set to “OFF”.
[0227]
Then, the process proceeds to the process illustrated in FIG. 20. Since the paper of “copy 4” 22007 has been stopped at step S20002 because the tray is full, the process proceeds to step S20003 because there is paper to be fed for the job. In the same manner as above, it is confirmed in step S20003 that the job type is copy, and the output tray that the copy job last output is “copy 3” 22005 in FIG. 22A as output to the output tray B 507b. Next, the discharge tray B 507b is set, and it is checked in step S20005 whether the tray currently being output is full. Since the tray full of the discharge tray B 507b has not been released, the process proceeds to step S20006. In steps S20006 and S20007, it is checked whether there is another discharge tray that can be discharged. Since the output can be performed to the discharge tray A 507a, the process proceeds to step S20008 to check whether the output history flag is "OFF". Since the output history flag of the element corresponding to the paper discharge tray A 507a is "OFF" in the process of No. 21, the output can be performed to the paper discharge tray A 507a. The management data is rewritten so as to perform the rearrangement. Explaining with the settings shown in FIG. 18, the value of the output history flag 18012 in the element 18008 of the outputable discharge tray list corresponding to the copy discharge tray A 507a is set to "ON", and the process proceeds to step S20011. “Copy 4” 22007 is output to A507a. That is, the control device 110 determines the discharge destination so as to discharge “copy 4” 22007, issues a paper feed execution request 9003 to the printer device 300 as shown in FIG. The discharge operation to the discharge destination is executed. As described above, the state is changed from the state illustrated in FIG. 22D to the state illustrated in FIG. 22E due to the work of removing the sheet from the tray by the user, and the output in the chronological order can be maintained. In response to the status, the output of the job waiting for output is executed.
[0228]
According to the discharge destination (tray) control method in the image forming apparatus of the present invention described above, the same job type is discharged in chronological order, so that it is possible to prevent a problem that recording papers are mixed. It has effects such as becoming.
[0229]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, a discharge tray that can be used is set for each job type, the type of the job identifier is set as the job type, and the paper is discharged in chronological order for each type (job type) of the job identifier. However, the “job type” in the present embodiment is an example of a “group”. As another example, “user”, “department”, etc. may be set as “group”, and a discharge tray that can be used for each group such as each user and each department is set, and the type of the job identifier is set to “user”, “department”. And the like, and the sheets may be discharged in chronological order for each type of job identifier (various groups of users, departments, etc.).
[0230]
For example, if “group” is managed by “job type”, grouping is set so that the copy job belongs to the first group, the facsimile job belongs to the second group, and the print job belongs to the third group. Each mode job is processed according to the grouping setting. If “group” is managed by “user”, for example, grouping is set so that user A belongs to the first group, user B belongs to the second group, and user C belongs to the third group. Are processed according to the grouping. If “group” is managed by “department”, for example, user A, user B, and user C of members of the first department belong to the first group, and user C, user of user of the second department Grouping is set so that D belongs to the second group and users E, F, and G of the third department belong to the third group, and jobs from each department are supplied according to the grouping information. Controls paper ejection. Further, it is possible for the user to set what condition items such as “for each job type”, “for each user”, “for each department” and the like as “group” through the user interface. Then, the management operation of the output history flag is determined corresponding to the method of registering the group of the user, and the above-described paper discharge control is performed.
[0231]
When the job identifier is a group such as a user or a department, the user interface shown in FIG. 16 sets the trays A and B for each group (user, department, etc.). It shall have a button.
[0232]
Also, in this case, the data structure 18001 of the discharge tray control shown in FIG. 18 is divided into areas for each group, which is a job identifier, and the discharge tray button corresponding to the discharge tray button selected on the user interface in FIG. It is assumed that the paper tray is registered in each of the output-capable discharge tray lists that exist for each group having the job identifier.
[0233]
If the group obtained from the job identifier 17002 in the paper 17001 in FIG. 17 matches the group of the job in FIG. 18, it can be applied so that the output tray can be controlled for each of various groups. The control method of the paper discharge tray according to the present invention has a possible effect.
[0234]
By doing as described above, effects such as improved operability and flexibly responding to various user needs can be obtained.
[0235]
Note that the image input / output system 100 may be configured as one device (or system) including the reader device 200, the operation unit 150, the control device 110, and the printer device 300, or the reader device 200, the control device 110, All or a part of the printer device 300 may be configured separately, and the reader device 200, the control device 110, and the printer device 300 may perform data communication to implement the present embodiment.
[0236]
Further, the discharge tray setting for each group by the user interface shown in FIG. 16 may be configured to be able to be performed also from the PCs 4001, 4002 and the like. As described above, each embodiment of the present application can be realized by any configuration of each device and each unit, which are separate type and built-in type, and equivalent effects can be obtained.
[0237]
Further, in each of the above embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the case where the printer unit (printer engine) 300 is a laser beam system has been described as an example, but an electrophotographic system other than the laser beam system (for example, an LED system) ), The liquid crystal shutter method, the ink jet method, the thermal transfer method, and other printing methods are applicable.
[0238]
Further, a configuration in which the above embodiments (modifications) are combined is also included in the present invention.
[0239]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, available paper output trays can be set for each group (job type, user, department, etc.) by user's arbitrary setting, and the same group can be set. Even if the paper discharge tray is shared, the output of the recording paper for each group can be always kept in chronological order.
[0240]
Further, since the recording paper on which the image forming process is performed passes through the high-temperature fixing unit, depending on the moisture content of the paper and the state of the fibers, the recording paper is discharged in a curled (curved) state instead of a planar state. Even if a malfunction of tray full detection occurs, since the history of the trays ejected in the past is remembered, the problem that the recording papers are not arranged in chronological order pointed out in FIG. Also, when the paper output tray is sorted for each user pointed out in FIG. 26, the control device 110 similarly outputs the paper to the paper output tray 507 such that the papers are arranged in chronological order. It is possible to eliminate the troublesome work of rearranging in chronological order later, and to improve the convenience.
[0241]
Hereinafter, the configuration of a data processing program readable by the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to a memory map shown in FIG.
[0242]
FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a memory map of a storage medium that stores various data processing programs that can be read by the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
[0243]
Although not shown, information for managing a group of programs stored in the storage medium, for example, version information, a creator, and the like are also stored, and information dependent on the OS or the like on the program reading side, for example, a program is identified and displayed. Icons and the like may also be stored.
[0244]
Further, data dependent on various programs is also managed in the directory. Further, when the program or data to be installed is compressed, a program or the like for decompressing may be stored.
[0245]
The functions shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 in this embodiment may be performed by a host computer by a program installed from the outside. In this case, the present invention is applied even when a group of information including a program is supplied to the output device from a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a flash memory, or an FD, or from an external storage medium via a network. Things.
[0246]
As described above, the storage medium storing the program code of the software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiment (the functions shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 20 and 21) is supplied to the system or the apparatus, and the system or the apparatus is provided. It is needless to say that the object of the present invention can also be achieved when the computer (or CPU or MPU) reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium.
[0247]
In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.
[0248]
Examples of the storage medium for supplying the program code include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-ROM, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, EEPROM, silicon disk and the like can be used.
[0249]
When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a part or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0250]
Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided on a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.
[0251]
Further, the present invention may be applied to a system including a plurality of devices or to an apparatus including a single device. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a case where the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus. In this case, by reading a storage medium storing a program represented by software for achieving the present invention into the system or the apparatus, the system or the apparatus can enjoy the effects of the present invention. .
[0252]
Further, by downloading and reading out a program represented by software for achieving the present invention from a database on a network by a communication program, the system or apparatus can enjoy the effects of the present invention. .
[0253]
Examples of the main elements of the above embodiment of the present invention are listed below.
[0254]
(1)
An image forming apparatus capable of selectively discharging sheets to a plurality of discharge destinations, comprising: a determination unit configured to determine a group to which a sheet to be processed belongs; and history information of discharge destinations of already discharged sheets into a group. A first storage unit that stores the corresponding sheet, and a feeding operation of the printing operation such that the discharge destination of the sheet belonging to the group determined by the determination unit is the discharge destination stored by the first storage unit. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a first control unit that performs sheet discharge control; a control method thereof; and a storage medium.
[0255]
An image forming apparatus capable of selectively discharging sheets to a plurality of stacking units (including a storage unit such as a paper discharge tray), wherein a discharge destination of a sheet to be processed is selected from the plurality of stacking units. When determining (selecting) a sheet from among the plurality of stacking units, a stacking unit from which sheets belonging to the same group as the group to which the sheet to be processed belongs is discharged as a discharge destination of the sheet to be processed. An image forming apparatus for controlling selection, a control method thereof, and a storage medium.
[0256]
As a result, the problems in the configuration as in the conventional example can be solved, and the above-described effects can be obtained.
[0257]
The sheet includes various recording media such as a film and an OHP sheet in addition to the “recording paper”. If there are a plurality of groups, history information is held for each of the plurality of groups.
[0258]
(2)
An image forming apparatus capable of discharging recording paper on which images have been formed to a plurality of paper discharge destinations, and a determination unit (FIG. 7) for determining a group to which the paper to be subjected to paper supply / discharge control belongs. CPU 112) and first storage means (DRAM 116 shown in FIG. 7; outputable discharge tray list 18005, 18006 shown in FIG. 18) for storing the discharge destination where the recording paper was discharged most recently for each group. , 18007), and a print operation such that the discharge destination of the paper belonging to the group determined by the determination means is set to the discharge destination stored by the first storage means. And a first control unit (CPU 112 shown in FIG. 7) for controlling the paper supply and discharge of the image forming apparatus. As a result, the problems in the configuration as in the conventional example can be solved, and the above-described effects can be obtained. Note that, as the history information, the discharge destination where the recording paper was discharged most recently is stored for each group. However, in addition to the history of the most recent discharge destination, the history of the previous discharge destination is also stored. May be stored for each group. In addition, the history of the discharge destination is sequentially registered in the order of output processing without storing the history for each group, and from the history information, the group to which the sheet to be output belongs, and The above control may be performed by searching the history information.
[0259]
(3)
Further, in any one of the above items (1) and (2), an instruction means (user interface shown in FIG. 16) for designating a dischargeable destination for each group, and an instruction by the instruction means Storage means (DRAM 116 shown in FIG. 7; elements of the outputable discharge tray list 18005, 18006, 18007 shown in FIG. 18 shown in FIG. 18) for storing dischargeable discharge destinations for each group. 18008, 18009, 18010, 18011) and first detecting means (tray full sensors 509a, 509b shown in FIG. 2) for detecting whether or not stacking is possible on each of the discharge destinations. The control means (the CPU 112 shown in FIG. 7) determines, by the first detection means, the discharge destination of the most recently discharged recording paper in the group stored by the first storage means. When it is detected that the sheet is not allowed (YES at step S20005 in FIG. 20), and a discharge destination other than the discharge destination stored in the first storage means is stored in the second storage means. In the case of (YES in step S20007 in FIG. 20), the paper supply / discharge control of the printing operation for discharging to the discharge destination stored in the second storage unit is performed (step S20011 in FIG. 20). Image forming apparatus. Thereby, the above effect is further improved.
[0260]
(4)
Further, in at least one of the above-mentioned items (1) to (3), a second detecting means (paper-out detecting sensor 508a shown in FIG. 508b) and third storage means (DRAM 116 shown in FIG. 7; FIG. 18 shows a third storage means) which stores the discharge destination previously discharged by the group to which the paper to be subjected to the paper supply / discharge control determined by the determination means belongs. Output history flags 18012, 18013, 18014, and 18015), and when the second detection unit detects a discharge destination where there is no paper, the second storage unit out of the discharge destinations stored by the third storage unit. And a second control unit for deleting a sheet that has no paper and obtained from the detecting unit from the third storage unit. The first control unit (the CPU 112 shown in FIG. 7) ) Is the first In the group stored by the storage unit, the discharge destination where the recording paper has been discharged most recently is detected by the first detection unit as unloadable (YES in step S20005 in FIG. 20), and Even if a paper discharge destination other than the paper discharge destination stored in the first storage means is stored in the second storage means (YES in step S20007 in FIG. 20), the first discharge If the discharge destination other than the one stored in the storage means is the discharge destination stored in the third storage means (NO in step S20008 in FIG. 20), the discharge destination is set to the discharge destination. The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the paper supply / discharge control of the printing operation is performed so as not to perform the printing operation (step S2002 in FIG. 20). Thereby, the above-described effects can be further achieved.
[0261]
(5)
A discharge destination control method in an image forming apparatus capable of discharging recording paper on which an image has been formed to a plurality of discharge destinations, the method comprising: 20, step S20003), first registration means (step S20009 in FIG. 20) for storing and registering, in the first storage means, a discharge destination where recording paper has been discharged most recently for each group, A first paper supply / discharge control step of performing paper supply / discharge control of a printing operation so that the paper discharge destination of the paper belonging to the group determined by the above becomes the paper discharge destination registered in the first storage means (FIG. 20. Steps S20005 to S20012) are provided. Thereby, the same effects as those of the above items (1) and (2) can be obtained.
[0262]
(6)
Further, in the configuration of the above item (5), an instruction step (a step not shown) for designating a discharge destination that can be discharged for each group, and a discharge destination that can be discharged for each of the designated groups are defined as a second destination. A second registration step (step not shown) for registering in the storage means, and a first detection step (YES in step S20005 in FIG. 20) for detecting whether stacking is possible on each of the discharge destinations. In the first paper supply / discharge control step (steps S20005 to S20012 in FIG. 20), the paper discharge destination that most recently discharged the recording paper in the group stored by the first storage unit is the first detection. It is detected by the process that stacking is impossible (YES in step S20005 in FIG. 20), and a discharge destination other than the discharge destination registered in the first storage means is registered in the second storage means. (See FIG. 20). In the case of YES in step S20007), a paper supply / discharge control of a print operation for discharging to a paper discharge destination registered in the second storage unit is performed (step S20011 in FIG. 20). A paper tip control method is provided. Thereby, an effect equivalent to the above item (3) and the like is achieved.
[0263]
(7)
Further, in at least one of the above items (5) and (6), a second detection step of detecting the presence or absence of a sheet on each of the discharge destinations (NO in step S21003 in FIG. 21) and the determination A third registration step (step S20010 in FIG. 20) of registering, in a third storage unit, a discharge destination previously discharged by the group to which the paper to be subjected to the paper supply / discharge control determined in the step belongs. When the paper discharge destination where there is no paper is detected in the detection step, the paper discharge destination registered in the third storage unit matches the paper discharge destination where there is no paper obtained in the second detection step. The first sheet supply / discharge control step (steps S20005 to S20012 in FIG. 20) includes a deletion step (step S21006 in FIG. 21) for deleting the object from the third storage means. Group registered in The discharge destination where the recording paper has been discharged most recently is detected by the first detection step as unloadable (YES in step S20005 in FIG. 20), and is stored in the first storage means. Even if a discharge destination other than the output destination is stored in the second storage unit (YES in step S20007 of FIG. 20), the destination other than that stored in the first storage unit is used. Is the paper discharge destination registered in the third storage means (NO in step S20008 in FIG. 20), the printing operation is performed so as not to discharge the paper to the paper discharge destination. There is provided a paper discharge destination control method characterized by performing paper discharge control (step S20012 in FIG. 20). As a result, an effect equivalent to the above effect is obtained.
[0264]
(8)
A program for executing the discharge destination control method described in any one of the above items (5) to (7).
[0265]
(9)
A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for executing the paper discharge destination control method described in any one of the above items (5) to (7).
[0266]
Therefore, even when a plurality of paper output trays are shared by a plurality of users or job types, the convenience for a user who guarantees the time-sequential stacking order of recording paper is improved for each user or each job type. Thus, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus, a control method for the image forming apparatus, and a recording medium.
[0267]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the first control means determines the group to which the sheet to be processed belongs, and sets the discharge destination of the paper belonging to the determined group to the already discharged sheet. Based on the history information of the paper discharge destination, the supply / discharge control of the printing operation is performed so that the recording paper is discharged most recently for each group. Thus, even when a plurality of paper output trays are shared, it is possible to guarantee the time-sequential stacking order of recording paper for each user, group of job types, and the like.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image input / output system to which an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a reader unit and a printer unit shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a communication sequence between the control device and the reader device shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a mechanism of the cassette shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a communication sequence between the control device and the printer device shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of an operation unit illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control device illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main controller shown in FIG.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a system bus bridge (SBB) illustrated in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the scanner / printer controller shown in FIG.
11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a recording paper conveyance path in the single-sided image formation of the printer unit illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a transport path for transporting recording paper for double-sided image formation in the printer unit illustrated in FIG. 1;
13 is a schematic diagram showing a standard screen (user interface) on the operation unit shown in FIG.
14 is a schematic diagram showing a dialog screen (user interface) that appears when the user mode button shown in FIG. 6 is pressed.
15 is a schematic diagram showing a dialog screen (user interface) that appears when the common specification setting button in FIG. 14 is pressed.
16 is a schematic diagram showing a dialog screen (a user interface related to setting of a discharge tray that can be used for each job identifier shown in FIG. 17, which will be described later) that appears when a “special tray setting” button shown in FIG. 15 is pressed. .
FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of data for managing the discharge tray control of the present invention in the control device shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing a data structure for managing the discharge tray control of the present invention in the control device shown in FIG. 1;
19 is a schematic diagram showing a data structure (left side) of the discharge tray control in the control device described in FIG. 18 and a state (right side) of a recording sheet bundle on the discharge trays A and B. FIG.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first control processing procedure in the image forming apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a second control processing procedure in the image forming apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram illustrating that recording paper can be discharged onto the discharge tray in a time-series manner for each job type by the discharge tray control method in the image forming apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a memory map of a storage medium that stores various data processing programs that can be read by the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a problem of a paper discharge destination control method in a conventional image forming apparatus.
FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a problem of a paper discharge destination control method in a conventional image forming apparatus.
FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating a problem of a paper discharge destination control method in a conventional image forming apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
100 image input / output system
110 control device (controller part)
111 Main controller
112 CPU
114 ROM
116 DRAM
150 Operation unit
200 Reader device (reader part)
300 Image output device (printer)
4001, 4002 Host computer (PC)

Claims (1)

An image forming apparatus capable of selectively discharging a sheet to a plurality of discharge destinations,
Determining means for determining a group to which a sheet to be processed belongs;
First storage means for storing history information of the discharge destination of already discharged sheets in association with the group;
First control means for performing supply / discharge control of a printing operation so that the discharge destination of the sheet belonging to the group determined by the determination means is the discharge destination stored by the first storage means;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images