JP2005221760A - Image forming apparatus, and process method and program in image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent needless calibration from being carried out. <P>SOLUTION: In order to judge whether to execute the calibration in an image forming apparatus, status information when the last calibration was carried out in the image forming apparatus and the present status information of the image forming apparatus are displayed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a processing method in the image processing apparatus, and a program.

  The output image of the printer changes with environmental changes such as temperature changes and state changes such as secular changes of parts constituting the printer engine. Therefore, in order to maintain the quality of the output image, a process for correcting the output characteristics of the printer engine in accordance with a change in state such as an environmental change, that is, calibration is required. This calibration has become an extremely important process as the resolution and color of printers increase.

  In a conventional printer, the printer engine automatically calibrates when the power is turned on or when a predetermined number of pages have been printed without any notification to the printer controller in the printer or the printer driver in the host computer. Was running. Therefore, the user cannot know the timing at which calibration is performed, and cannot instruct execution of calibration at an arbitrary timing. However, it may be better for the user to manage the execution of calibration. For example, when a large amount of printing is executed, by executing calibration in advance, it is possible to prevent the calibration from being forcibly executed in the middle of the print job.

In view of these problems, when the temperature, humidity, etc. change by more than a certain value from the time of calibration, the user is prompted to calibrate and whether or not to execute calibration is determined. There is something to make.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-63047

  However, in this case as well, the user cannot obtain a guide to determine how much calibration is currently required, and suddenly encounters a message recommending calibration when calibration is required. There was a problem. Also, in the prior art, when a large page job is output, if you try to calibrate at the beginning of the job in order to avoid being requested for calibration in the middle of the job, other users using the same network Even if you are calibrating a printer that is about to output a large number of print jobs immediately before and you do not need recalibration at that time, you may not be able to know it and calibrate it. It was. As a result, there is a drawback in that the user is wasted time and consumes ink, toner, and paper consumables due to output of a sample color chart (patch) accompanying unnecessary calibration.

  The present invention displays status information when the previous calibration of the image forming apparatus was performed and current status information of the image forming apparatus for determining whether to perform calibration in the image forming apparatus. And

  The present invention relates to a processing method in an image processing apparatus that performs calibration in a controller including a rasterization unit and calibration in a printer engine, and evaluates the status of the image processing apparatus, and determines the rasterization unit according to the evaluation result. It is characterized in that the calibration in the printer engine is automatically performed before the calibration in the controller including it.

  According to the present invention, the user can be involved in the execution of calibration. In addition, it is possible to automatically perform calibration in the printer engine before performing calibration in the controller including the rasterizing unit, and it is possible to control the two calibrations in cooperation to compensate for good image quality.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This printer system includes an external device 101 such as a computer that functions as an image information supply source or a printer control device, and a printer 102 that outputs an image on a recording medium based on image information supplied from the external device 101. It is connected by an interface capable of bidirectional communication. In this printer system, a laser beam printer is used as the printer 102. In FIG. 1, the printer 102 and the external device 101 are connected on a one-to-one basis, but this is a simplified description of a configuration in which another external device is connected via a network and the printer 102 is shared.

  The printer controller 103 generates raster data for each page based on image information (for example, ESC code, page description language, etc.) supplied from the external device 101, and sends it to the printer engine 105. Further, the printer controller 103 receives information related to a state change such as a change in environment (for example, a change in temperature) or a change in internal state (for example, a change in the remaining amount of toner) from the printer engine 105, and The device 101 is notified, and calibration is executed in accordance with an instruction from the panel unit 104 or the external device 101.

  The printer engine 105 forms a latent image on a photosensitive drum based on raster data supplied from the printer controller 103, and forms the image by transferring and fixing the latent image on a recording medium (electrophotographic method). To do.

  The panel unit 104 is used as a user interface. The user can instruct a desired operation by operating the panel unit 104. For example, a message prompting calibration is displayed on the panel unit 104 based on the state change. In response to this message, the user can instruct execution of calibration at a desired timing.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the printer 102. Reference numeral 201 denotes a printer housing. Reference numeral 202 denotes an operation panel on which a switch for giving various instructions by the user, an LED display or an LCD display for displaying messages, printer settings, and the like are arranged. It is an aspect. Reference numeral 203 denotes a board housing unit that houses boards constituting the electronic circuit portions of the printer controller 103 and the printer engine 105.

  210 and 250 are paper cassettes that hold paper (recording medium), and have a mechanism that electrically detects the paper size by a partition plate (not shown). Reference numerals 211 and 253 denote cassette paper feed clutches, which take out the uppermost one of the papers placed on the paper cassettes 210 and 250, respectively, and the driving force transmitted from the drive means (not shown) Therefore, the sheet feeding rollers 212 and 256 have cams. The cam rotates intermittently each time paper is fed, and feeds one sheet corresponding to one rotation. The paper feed roller 212 is a roller that conveys the leading edge of the paper to the registration shutter 214. The paper feed roller 256 is a roller that conveys the leading end of the paper to the paper feed roller 212. Reference numeral 214 denotes a registration shutter, which can stop paper feeding by pressing the paper.

  219 is a manual feed tray, and 215 is a manual paper feed clutch. The paper feed clutch 215 is used to convey the leading edge of the paper to the registration shutter 214. A sheet to be used for image recording is fed by selecting one of sheet cassettes 210 and 250 and a manual sheet feeding tray 219.

  The printer engine 105 communicates with the printer controller 103 according to a predetermined communication protocol, selects one of the paper cassettes 210 and 250, and the manual feed tray 219 according to an instruction from the printer controller unit 103, and performs printing. In response to the start instruction, the sheet is conveyed from the corresponding sheet feeding means to the registration shutter 214. The printer engine 105 includes a sheet feeding unit, a mechanism relating to an electrophotographic process such as formation, transfer, and fixing of a latent image, a sheet discharge unit, and a control unit thereof.

  A cartridge 204 includes a photosensitive drum 205 and a toner holding unit. Reference numeral 206 denotes a laser unit, 207 denotes a rotary polygon mirror, 208 denotes a reflection mirror, and 209 denotes a beam detector. When the sheet is conveyed to the registration shutter 214, the laser unit 206 drives a built-in semiconductor laser and emits a laser beam in accordance with raster data supplied from the print controller 103. The laser beam is reflected by the rotary polygon mirror 207 and the reflection mirror 208 and forms an image on the photosensitive drum 205 to form a latent image. At this time, the laser beam is scanned in the main scanning direction of the photosensitive drum 205 by the rotary polygon mirror 207. In synchronization with the emission of the laser beam, the registration shutter 214 is driven upward, whereby the conveyance of the sheet for image recording is synchronized with the sub-scanning of the laser beam. The beam detector 209 arranged at the scanning start position of the laser beam forms a synchronization signal for determining the image writing timing in the main scanning direction by detecting the laser beam, and sends it to the printer controller 103.

  At the time of image transfer, a sheet used for image recording is conveyed by a conveying roller 213, while the photosensitive drum 205 is rotationally driven in a sub-scanning direction by a motor (not shown). The latent images sequentially formed on the photosensitive drum 205 are developed by the developing device 220, visualized as a toner image, and then transferred onto a sheet in contact with the photosensitive drum 205. The toner image transferred to the paper is then heated and fixed by the fixing roller 216, passes through the transport roller 217, and is discharged to the discharge tray of the printer housing by the discharge roller 218.

  The printer 102 can be further equipped with options such as an option cassette and an envelope feeder. In the above description, the printer engine 105 and the printer controller 103 panel 104 are provided in the casing of the laser beam printer 102. However, the printer engine 105 and the printer controller 103 are separate casings, and the panel 104 is the casing of the printer engine 105. And the printer controller 103 may be provided respectively. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a video interface and the printer engine 105 that connect the printer controller 103 and the printer engine 105.

  The printer controller 103 controls communication with the external device 101 (including reception of image information), generation (development) of raster data based on the received image information, control of the printer engine 105, and the like.

  The engine control unit 150 controls the units 151 to 158 in the printer engine 105 based on a control signal supplied from the printer controller 103.

  The outline of the units 151 to 158 will be described. Reference numeral 151 denotes a paper size detection that detects the size of paper placed in the paper cassettes 210 and 250 and other optional cassettes (not shown) and notifies the engine control unit 150 of the size. , 152 is a paper feed that detects the presence or absence of paper feed ports of the paper cassettes 210 and 250, the manual feed tray 219, the option cassette (not shown), and the envelope feeder (not shown) and notifies the engine control unit 150 of the paper feed. The mouth detection unit 153 is an option investigation unit for confirming the connection status of options such as an option cassette and an envelope feeder, 154 is a conveyance control unit that controls the conveyance of paper, and 155 is a drive motor for the rotary polygon mirror 207 , An optical system control unit 156 for controlling an optical system such as the laser unit 206, and the temperature control of the fixing roller 216 as well as fixing A fixing temperature control unit that also detects an abnormality in the roller 216 and the like, 157 is an option control unit that controls options such as an option cassette and an envelope feeder, and 158 is a sheet of paper in the conveyance path such as resist, paper discharge, double-sided, and reverse. This is a sensor unit for detecting environmental changes (state changes) such as presence / absence, outside air temperature, number of printed pages, remaining amount of toner, and the like.

  Next, an outline of signals constituting a video interface connecting the printer controller 103 and the engine control unit 150 will be described. Reference numeral 170 denotes a / CPRDY signal indicating that the printer controller 103 is communicable with the engine controller 150. Reference numeral 171 denotes a / PPRDY signal indicating that the engine controller 150 is communicable with the printer controller 103. , 172 indicates a / RDY signal indicating that the engine control unit 150 is ready to print, 173 indicates a / PRNT signal for the printer controller 103 to issue a print request to the engine control unit 150, and 174 indicates engine control. The / VSREQ signal 175 for requesting a vertical synchronization signal from the printer controller 103 to the printer controller 103 is a / VSYNC signal 176 as a vertical synchronization signal output from the printer controller 103 to the engine controller 150. The control unit 150 is connected to the printer controller. The / BD signal 178 as a horizontal synchronizing signal output to the roller unit 103, the / SCLK signal 178 as a synchronizing clock signal for serial communication, and the printer controller 103 sends a command to the engine control unit 150 as a reference numeral 179. / CMD signal as a command signal for transmission, 180 is a / CBSY signal as a strobe signal for transmitting a command, and 181 is a response to the command transmitted from the printer controller 103 (the status inside the printer engine 105). An STS signal for returning a response such as status, / SBSY signal as a strobe signal for returning a response such as a status, and 183 a VIDEO signal as raster data.

  177 is a status in which the status of the printer engine 105 is not directly related to the / RDY signal, that is, a status change that is not directly related to whether or not printing is possible (for example, the temperature, the number of printed pages, the remaining amount of toner, etc. are reference values) / CCRT (Condition Change Report) signal which becomes “TRUE”.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the printer controller 103. A panel interface unit 301 performs data communication with the panel unit 104. The CPU 309 can recognize the contents set / instructed by the user on the panel unit 104 via the panel interface 301. Reference numeral 302 denotes a host interface unit for bidirectional connection with an external device 101 such as a host computer via a network. Reference numeral 306 denotes an engine interface unit for connecting to the printer engine 105. The CPU 309 controls the signals 170, 173, 175, 178, 179 and 180 of FIG. 3 via the engine interface unit 306, and the states of the signals 171, 172, 174, 176, 177, 181 and 182, that is, the printer The state of the engine 105 can be recognized.

  A rasterization unit 303 generates (rasterizes) raster data to be supplied to the printer engine 105 based on image information supplied from the external device 101. Reference numeral 305 denotes an image memory for temporarily storing the generated raster data. A CPU 309 controls a device connected to the CPU bus 311 based on a control program code held in the ROM 304. Reference numeral 307 denotes a RAM as a temporary storage memory used by the CPU 309. For example, 310 includes a nonvolatile memory for holding control information such as a density correction table. A DMA control unit 308 transfers raster data in the image memory 305 to the engine interface unit 306 in response to an instruction from the CPU 309.

  Reference numeral 311 denotes a CPU bus including an address, data, and a control bus. The panel interface unit 301, the host interface unit 302, the rasterizing unit 303, the ROM 304, the image memory 305, the engine interface unit 306, the RAM 307, the DMA control unit 308, the CPU 309 and the EEPROM 310 are connected to the CPU bus 311. All devices connected to 311 can be accessed.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing relating to calibration in the printer controller 103. Note that the operation shown in this flowchart is executed by the CPU 309 based on a control program held in the ROM 304.

  When the power is turned on and printing is possible, the host interface unit 302 is inquired of whether there is a reception request from the external device 101 at a predetermined cycle. When the reception request is recognized, the process shown in FIG. 5 is started.

  First, in step S11, data is received from the external device 101 via the host interface unit 302, and sequentially written in the received data area in the RAM 307. In step S12, the received data is analyzed. Here, it is assumed that the received data is classified into image information and control information, and that the control information includes a calibration command that instructs the printer engine 105 to execute calibration.

  In step S13, it is determined whether the received data is image information or control information based on the analysis result. If the received data is image information, the process proceeds to step S14. If the received data is control information, the process proceeds to step S20.

  In step S14, an image corresponding to the image information is drawn (rasterized) in the page buffer in the RAM 307. Note that drawing in the page buffer is performed in units of pages. When drawing of an image for one page in the page buffer is completed, data is sequentially read from the page buffer and sent to the printer engine 105 via the VIDEO signal 83 in step S15. The printer engine 105 forms an image on a sheet based on the transmitted data and discharges the image.

In step S16, status information such as temperature, humidity, date / time, pressure, remaining amount of toner of each color of CMYK, material type used, number of prints, and the like when the printing unit was previously calibrated is set to T1, Humidity is H1, date and time is Time1, pressure is P1, CMYK toner remaining amount of each color is C1, M1, Y1, K1, and the type of material used is M1, and those values and current values (status information) ) To calculate an evaluation value F based on a predetermined evaluation formula. FIG. 7 shows an example of an evaluation formula for obtaining an evaluation value.
F = (Time2-Time1) / 1000 + (Page2-Page1) / 1000
+ SQRT ((P2-P1) ** 2) / 100) + (T2-T1) ** 2

  Time2 is the current date and time, Page2 is the current number of prints, P2 is the current pressure, T2 is the current temperature, and Time2-Time1 indicates the elapsed time since the previous calibration was performed. The evaluation value F is obtained by dividing the elapsed time since the previous calibration by 1000, and adding the value obtained by dividing the number of pages printed after the previous calibration by 1000 (Page2-Page1) / 1000. The difference between the pressure P1 and the current pressure P2 is squared, and the value obtained by taking the route and dividing by 100 is added, and the difference between the temperature at the previous calibration and the current temperature is squared and added. Note that the evaluation value is not limited to the calculation from the above arithmetic expression, but is a numerical value reflecting the above-described change in status, and any value can be used as long as the calibration timing is numerically evaluated. Needless to say, it is good.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S17. In step S17, it is determined whether or not the evaluation value F is 10 or more.

  In S18, the external device 101 is notified of the status information and the current status information when the previous calibration was performed.

  In step S <b> 19, the printer controller 103 notifies the external device 101 of the fact that a calibration request has occurred and job information (for example, the job name, the number of pages that have been printed, etc.). Upon receiving this notification, the external device 101 displays a message for prompting calibration and job information on a display unit (not shown), for example, and prompts the user for calibration. Based on this message, the user can instruct the external device 101 to execute calibration via a keyboard or the like.

  When the execution of calibration is instructed by the user, the external device 101 determines the necessity of calibration of density reproducibility by the laser beam printer 105 (printing unit) alone according to the flowchart shown in FIG. If it is determined that it is necessary, the printer controller 103 is automatically calibrated for density reproducibility of the laser beam printer 102 (printing unit) alone, and then the density of the printer controller 103 having the rasterizing unit 303 is determined. Perform reproducibility calibration. The flow of FIG. 8 will be described later.

  The calibration of the laser beam printer 102 alone is performed by forming patches with various densities using the color material (toner) CMYK of the laser beam printer, and using the densitometer, colorimeter, scanner, etc. This is realized by detecting the gradation reproducibility in the current status of the laser beam printer 102 by reading, obtaining a conversion characteristic so as to match the gradation reproduction of the target, and using this conversion characteristic for image processing. . The density reproducibility calibration of the printer controller 103 is performed by converting the image data obtained by rasterizing the calibration color chart data by the rasterizing unit 303 into the conversion characteristics obtained by the calibration of the laser beam printer 102 described above. The test image is formed by correcting with. A calibration table for obtaining a reproduction characteristic by reading the test image obtained as a result by a densitometer, a colorimeter, a scanner or the like, and converting the reproduction characteristic into a density reproducibility of a target of the printer controller 103 prepared in advance. Ask for. When a print job received from the external device 101 is rasterized, ideal reproduction is possible by performing conversion using this calibration table.

  After step 19 is performed, a return process (for example, displaying a message indicating the contents of the state change) is executed in step S25 to make the state of the printer engine 105 appropriate.

  On the other hand, if the F value is less than 10 in step S17, the process returns to step S11. Here, the reference value 10 is a predetermined value, but the value can be changed by designation from the user or the external device 101.

  Further, as described above, the status (temperature, humidity, date / time, pressure, CMYK toner remaining amount, etc.) at the timing when the user of the external device 101 has instructed the calibration command and the status information stored in the RAM 307 at the previous calibration are as described above. An evaluation value may be obtained, and this evaluation value may be used as a new reference value. With this configuration, the evaluation value at the timing when the user actually needs calibration can be used as a reference, and a reference value reflecting the operator's intention can be set.

  If “NO” is determined in step S13, that is, if it is determined that the received data is control information, whether or not the control information is a calibration instruction instructing execution of calibration in step S20. Determine whether. If the control information is a calibration command, the calibration task shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is activated in step S21, and control is transferred to step S23.

  On the other hand, if it is not a calibration command, it is determined whether or not it is a status request command in step S22. If it is determined Yes, the control is transferred to step S23.

  In step S23, the status information (temperature, pressure, humidity, number of printed sheets, remaining amount of toner of each color of CMYK, etc.) and the current status information at the time of previous calibration stored in the RAM 307 and the current status information are displayed on the external device 101. Notify Thereafter, control is passed to step S11.

  The user of the external device 101 can request the status information of the main body from the external controller at any time by instructing to issue the above-described status request command through utility software installed in the external device 101 at any time. In addition, it is possible to know various statuses and the current status when the previous calibration was performed, and it is possible to determine whether or not to perform calibration in consideration of the status. At this time, by displaying the evaluated value using the evaluation formula shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to determine the necessity of calibration with a comprehensive scale from various status information without complicated calculations. is there.

  When it determines with No in step S22, the process which responds to the said control information is performed, and it returns to step S11, respectively.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart when the printer controller 103 itself having the rasterizing unit 303 is calibrated. This calibration flow is started in response to a request from the user or a request from the printer controller 103.

  In step S <b> 201, a status is requested from the external device 101 to the printer controller 103 according to a user instruction, and a status when the printer controller 103 has performed calibration before and a current status are acquired. In step S202, the F value is calculated from the status information obtained when the printer controller 103 calibrated the laser printer 105 (printing unit) last time and the current status information using the above-described predefined evaluation function. calculate. In this embodiment, the evaluation function shown in FIG. 7 is used as the evaluation function. Next, in step S203, it is determined whether or not the F value is larger than 10. If Yes, the printer controller 103 automatically density reproducibility of the printer engine 105 (printing unit) in step S204. In step S205, the printer controller 103 including the rasterizing unit 303 is calibrated. If it is determined in S203 that the F value is less than 10, control is transferred to step S205, and the printer controller 103 does not calibrate the density reproducibility of the automatic printer engine 105 (printing unit) described above. The printer controller 103 including the lath riser 303 is calibrated.

  With this configuration, when the status change is significant compared to the previous calibration, the printer engine 103 (printing unit) is calibrated and a rasterized image is formed by the printer controller 103 without bothering the user. Therefore, it is possible to calibrate the printer engine 105 (printing unit) and the printer controller 103 in a manner that does not link the calibration with the printer engine 105 (printing unit). Information indicating when the calibration of the printer engine 105 (printing unit) and the calibration of the printer controller 103 is performed is stored in the RAM 307, and the various statuses described above when the user requests a status from the external device 101. At the same time, the external device 101 is notified and displayed.

  FIG. 9 is an example in which the previous calibration and the current status are displayed on the operation panel of the external device 101. By using the utility software of the external device 101 (not shown) or by operating the panel, the user can perform status information such as the date and time, temperature, the number of prints, etc., and the current status information when the printer controller was last calibrated. The F value can be acquired from the printer controller and checked against the panel of the external device 101. From the information, the user can instruct the external device 101 to perform calibration as necessary. Is possible. When a calibration instruction is issued from the user, calibration is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  The calibration task is executed in parallel with the processing shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the operation flow of the calibration task will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the calibration task is started, first, in step S101, it is checked whether or not there is a job being printed. If there is no job being printed, the process proceeds to step S109 and calibration is immediately executed. . The calibration is executed by instructing the printer engine 105 to execute the calibration via the / CMD signal 179. When the execution of calibration is instructed, the printer engine 105 executes calibration for correcting the influence due to the state change. After the calibration is performed in S109, the process proceeds to step 113, where the date and time of calibration is Time1, the temperature is T1, the humidity H1, the atmospheric pressure P1, the number of output prints Print1, and the remaining amount of toner of each color CMYK. Store as Y1, K1.

  If it is determined in step S101 that there is a job being printed, the calibration mode is checked, and calibration is executed at a timing according to the mode.

  First, in step S102, it is checked whether or not the calibration mode is “immediate execution”. If the result is “immediate execution”, the process proceeds to step S110. In steps S110 and S111, it is checked whether or not there is a page that is being discharged. If there is a page that is being discharged, the process proceeds to step S109 after waiting for the discharge to be completed. In step 113, the parameters when the calibration is performed are stored.

  If it is determined in step S102 that the calibration mode is a mode other than “immediate execution” (that is, “when job ends” or “when specified page number ends”), in step S103, the current printing is in progress. The number of remaining pages of the job is set in the variable PageCnt.

  Next, in step S104, it is determined whether or not the calibration mode is “at the end of job”. As a result, if the calibration mode is “at the end of job”, the process proceeds to step S107, and the value of the variable PageCnt (the number of remaining pages of the job currently being printed) is set in the variable WaitCnt indicating the number of pages waiting to be printed. . Subsequently, in step S108, it is monitored that printing for the number of pages stored in the variable WaitCnt has been completed, and then the process proceeds to step S109 to execute calibration, and in step 113, the calibration is performed. Store parameters.

  If it is determined in step S104 that the calibration mode is “when the number of designated pages ends”, the number of pages designated together with the calibration command by the external device 101 (user) is set in the variable SelCnt. In step S106, the relationship between the value set in the variable PageCnt (the number of remaining pages of the job currently being printed) and the value of the variable SelCnt is compared. As a result, when the remaining number of jobs currently being printed is smaller, that is, when “PageCnt <SelCnt”, in order to execute calibration immediately after the currently printing job is finished, the process proceeds to step S107. move on. On the other hand, if the remaining number of jobs currently being printed is not smaller than the specified number of pages, that is, if “PageCnt ≧ SelCnt”, calibration is performed after printing of the specified number of pages is completed. In order to execute, the process proceeds to step S112, the value of the variable SelCnt is set in the variable WaitCnt, and then the process proceeds to step S108.

  As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, a change in state that requires calibration (for example, a change in the temperature, the number of printed pages, the remaining amount of toner, etc.) is detected, and the external device 101 or the A message prompting execution of calibration is displayed on the panel unit 104. Therefore, the user can recognize the necessity of calibration based on this message, and can arbitrarily instruct execution of calibration.

  In addition, since execution of calibration can be instructed from the external device 101, for example, prior to execution of a print job, the execution of calibration can be simply instructed by using the interval between editing of documents or the like. Can do.

  In the above description, when the printer controller 103 receives a calibration request from the printer engine 105 in step S18, the external device 101 is notified of the occurrence of the calibration request and job information. The notification destination may be the panel unit 104, and a corresponding message (calibration request, job information) may be displayed on the panel unit 104. The notification destination may be both the external device 101 and the panel unit 104. When the message is displayed on the panel unit 104, it is desirable that the user can instruct execution of calibration (including mode specification) via the panel unit 104.

  In the above description, when the execution of calibration is instructed, the calibration mode is also specified. This mode can be specified by the external device 101 or the panel unit 104 in advance. There may be.

  In the above description, the printer controller 103 instructs the printer engine 105 to execute calibration. However, the present invention detects that the printer engine 105 has reached a state that requires calibration. In addition, the present invention can be applied to a configuration in which the printer engine 105 spontaneously executes calibration. In this case, when the printer engine 105 detects the necessity of calibration, the printer controller 103 is notified of the fact before the calibration is executed, so that the printer controller 103 is calibrated. You can foresee that. In response to this notification, the printer controller 103 can notify the panel unit 104 or the external device 101 that the calibration is to be performed and notify the user. Here, when it is desired to postpone the execution of calibration, the printer controller 103 may transmit a postponement command instructing to that effect to the printer engine 105, for example. In the case where such a postponement command is provided, for example, a cancel command for canceling the command may be provided and transmitted to the printer engine 105 to permit the execution of calibration. Further, whether or not the printer engine 105 voluntarily performs calibration may be arbitrarily set by the panel unit 104, for example.

  Further, the above description is an example in which a laser beam printer is adopted, but the printer may be a printer of another method such as an ink jet method.

  The present invention is widely applicable to image forming apparatuses that require calibration, such as facsimiles, copying machines, or multifunction devices of facsimiles, copying machines, and printers. Further, the image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied does not matter whether the image is monochrome or color.

  In addition, even if the present invention is applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, interface device, reader, printer, etc.), an apparatus (for example, a copier, a facsimile machine, etc.) composed of a single device. ). Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing software program codes for implementing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus stores the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

  Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) operating on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.

  Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in 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 the CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a printer. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a video interface and a printer engine between a printer controller and a printer engine. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a printer controller. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing relating to calibration in the printer controller. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of a calibration task. It is an example of an evaluation formula for obtaining an evaluation value. It is a flowchart of an external device. 6 is a display example of an operation panel of the external device 101.

Claims (13)

  Image processing for displaying status information when the previous calibration of the image forming apparatus was performed and current status information of the image forming apparatus for determining whether to perform calibration in the image forming apparatus Processing method in the apparatus.   The status information includes at least one of date / time, temperature, humidity, number of printed sheets, and remaining toner information, and the image forming apparatus notifies the image processing apparatus of the status information in response to a request from the image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The processing method in the image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calibration is performed based on a calibration execution command from the image processing apparatus.   In the image forming apparatus, the previous calibration of the image forming apparatus is performed when an evaluation value obtained from the status information at the time of the previous calibration and the current status information of the image forming apparatus is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. 2. A processing method in an image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the status information at the time of printing and the current status information of the image forming apparatus are notified.   When the print request is transmitted to the image forming apparatus for printing, the image forming apparatus obtains the evaluation value, and when the evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, status information when the previous calibration of the image forming apparatus is performed. 5. The processing method in the image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the current status information of the image forming apparatus is notified.   6. The processing method in the image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined value is set in the image processing apparatus.   6. The predetermined value is set according to an evaluation value obtained from status information of the image forming apparatus at the time of a calibration request of a user and status information at the time of previous calibration. A processing method in an image processing apparatus.   2. The processing method in an image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of calibrations in the image forming apparatus, and a notification of when each of the calibrations is performed in the image forming apparatus is received. A processing method in an image processing apparatus that performs calibration in a controller including a rasterizing unit and calibration in a printer engine,
A processing method in an image processing apparatus, wherein the status of the image processing apparatus is evaluated, and calibration is automatically performed in a printer engine before performing calibration in a controller including the rasterizing unit according to the evaluation result .   10. The processing method of an image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a current status of the image processing apparatus and a status at the time of previous calibration in the image processing apparatus are notified to an external device.   The processing method in the image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the external device displays an evaluation value evaluated based on a status at the time of previous calibration of the current status.   The program for implement | achieving the processing method of Claims 1-11.   An image processing apparatus having means for realizing the processing method according to claim 1.

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