JP2007152897A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus equipped with an appropriate constitution well balanced in a memory size and printing speed, without degrading an image quality. <P>SOLUTION: As information to be reserved for printing second and subsequent pages in printing a plurality of pages, a bit map in normal printing and information before a bit map development in an OHP interleaf printing are reserved, thereby executing the normal printing at high speed as well as attaining the high image quality of the OHP interleaf printing and a reduction in reservation memory capacity. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, for example, an image forming apparatus that develops information transferred by a host computer through an interface circuit into image information, and prints on recording paper using an electrophotographic system or an inkjet system.

  Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus that prints on a recording sheet using an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method, print data transmitted from an externally connected host computer, digital camera, or the like, a document recorded on a recording medium, or an image file And the like are input and expanded into a format that can be printed by an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method, and printing is performed on a recording sheet.

  In such an image forming apparatus, as a format of input information, a controller unit that inputs a language format describing the arrangement and expression method of characters and images, etc., analyzes the language, and develops the bitmap format Generally, an engine unit that receives print data from a controller unit, conveys a recording sheet, and actually performs printing using a recording member such as a photosensitive drum or an ink jet head is used.

  There are various image forming devices that set the paper type to be supported according to the product concept and market target, such as paper that can be printed on plain paper, coated paper, cardboard, postcard, etc. as well as products that can be printed on OHP sheets as recording paper It has been commercialized.

  In an image forming apparatus that can print on an OHP sheet, not only printing on an OHP sheet, but also printing on an OHP sheet of a plurality of pages, the same content as that printed on white paper or an OHP sheet other than the OHP sheet. Some have a so-called OHP insertion function in which printed paper is inserted between OHP sheets. This is because when the printed OHP sheets are stacked, toner and ink fall due to rubbing, and it becomes difficult to align the sheets due to static electricity. This function is intended to facilitate the process.

  Some of the image forming apparatuses having the OHP interleaving function allow the paper type and color setting of the interleaving paper to be set independently from the setting of the OHP sheet when printing on the interleaving paper. Yes (see, for example, patent literature).

By the way, when printing multiple copies of externally input print data, only the first copy is analyzed in the controller section for language analysis and expansion into a bitmap format, and the second and subsequent copies are stored. It is more efficient to print the bitmap by transferring it to the engine unit.
JP 2004-78117 A

  However, the image forming apparatus described above has the following drawbacks. When printing multiple copies in page units, in normal printing other than OHP insert, the bitmap developed at the time of printing the first copy is saved as described above, and saved in the second and subsequent copies. Since the stored bitmap may be transferred to the engine unit and printed, the bitmap to be stored may be one sheet. On the other hand, in OHP medium printing, paper types and color settings can be set so that optimum printing results can be obtained for OHP and medium paper, so image processing also differs between OHP and medium paper. The map also differs between OHP and insert paper. When printing a plurality of copies, since OHP and intermediate paper are printed alternately, it is necessary to store two bitmaps for OHP and intermediate paper. For this reason, the memory area for storing the bitmap is twice as much as that for normal printing, which hinders the cost reduction of the image forming apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and aims to provide means for solving the above-described problems. That is, as information to be saved for printing of the second and subsequent copies of a plurality of copies, a bitmap is saved during normal printing, and information before bitmap development is saved during OHP intermediate printing. In addition to performing printing at high speed, it is intended to improve the image quality of OHP intermediate printing and to reduce the storage memory capacity.

  For this reason, the present invention aims to achieve the above object by providing an image forming apparatus having the structure shown in the following items (1) and (2).

  (1) In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording sheet and performs printing, an input unit that inputs information to be printed, an analysis unit that analyzes information input by the input unit, and an analysis by the analysis unit A first storing means for storing the result; a developing means for developing the result analyzed by the analyzing means into image information; a second storing means for storing the image information developed by the developing means; and the analyzing means. As a result of the analysis, a determination unit that determines whether or not the second recording sheet is inserted between recording sheets printed on the first recording sheet, a number detection unit that detects the number of copies to be printed, and the number detection unit include: When it is detected that the number of copies is two or more, based on the result determined by the determination unit during the second and subsequent copies, the result stored by the first storage unit is expanded. Selecting means for selecting image information developed by a stage or image information saved by the second saving means; and printing means for performing printing based on the image information selected by the selection means. Features.

  (2) The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein the first recording sheet is an OHP sheet.

  According to the present invention, at the time of printing a plurality of copies, in the case of normal printing other than OHP insertion, the rendering result of the first copy is stored as a bitmap, and the bitmap is read at the time of printing the second and subsequent copies. In the case of OHP middle-order printing, the pre-rendering data of the first copy of OHP and the middle-size paper is saved and the second and subsequent copies are printed. Since the data is read out, rendered, and printed, the memory capacity for storing the data can be reduced. Accordingly, there is an effect that it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus having an optimum configuration in which the memory size and the printing speed are balanced without degrading the image quality.

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

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an image forming apparatus, which prints on printing paper based on information input from the outside or information previously held inside. Reference numeral 2 denotes a host computer (hereinafter referred to as a host), which is connected to the image forming apparatus 1 via a cable 3, and print data and information for controlling the image forming apparatus 1 (hereinafter referred to as print information). ). A digital camera 4 is connected to the image forming apparatus 1 via a cable 5 and transfers print information to the image forming apparatus 1. A flash memory insertion slot 6 is inserted into the flash memory 7, and the image forming apparatus 1 inputs print information stored in the flash memory 7. Reference numeral 8 denotes a paper feed cassette on which a predetermined amount of printing paper can be set. In the figure, the paper feed cassette has a two-stage configuration, and two types of paper of different sizes and types can be set. Reference numeral 9 denotes a paper discharge port for discharging the printed paper. An operation key 10 is a member for performing various settings relating to the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 or performing operations when the image forming apparatus 1 is used alone. Reference numeral 11 denotes a display panel for displaying the status of the image forming apparatus 1 and setting contents when operation settings of the image forming apparatus 1 are performed using the operation keys 10. A power switch 12 is a switch for turning on / off the power of the image forming apparatus 1.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a controller unit 13 and an engine unit 14. The controller unit 13 receives print information from the host 2, the digital camera 4, and the flash memory 7, performs processing such as analysis of the print information, and generates print data in a format that can be printed by the engine unit 14. Further, the input of the operation key 10 is accepted, the operating environment of the image forming apparatus 1 is set, and the display panel 11 displays the status of the image forming apparatus 1 and a display for prompting the user to operate with the operation key 10. Etc. The engine unit 14 feeds paper, prints the print data generated by the controller unit 13 and discharges the print data. When an abnormality such as a paper jam or out of paper occurs in the engine unit 14, the controller unit 13 is notified, and the controller unit 13 displays that the abnormality has occurred on the display panel 11, or notifies the host 2 or the digital camera 4. Perform notification processing.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the controller unit 13. In the figure, 21 is a controller microcomputer, 22 is a system memory, 23 is an interface circuit (hereinafter referred to as I / F circuit), 24 is a reception buffer, 25 is a DL memory, 26 is a renderer, 27 is a controller memory, and 28 is a resolution. A gradation conversion circuit.

  Next, the operation in the block diagram of FIG. 3 will be described. The controller microcomputer 21 controls all control such as analysis of print information input from the outside, image processing, and conversion processing to a bitmap. The flow of print data is as follows. The print information input from the host 2, the digital camera 4, and the flash memory 7 is stored in the reception buffer 24 via the I / F circuit 23, and the I / F circuit 23 notifies the controller microcomputer 21 that the print information has been received. The The print information includes a page description language (hereinafter referred to as PDL) that describes how to arrange and represent characters and images on a print sheet in units of pages. The controller microcomputer 21 analyzes the received print information, converts it into a display list (hereinafter referred to as DL) format, and stores it in the DL memory 25. The DL is rendered by the renderer 26, converted into a bitmap having a predetermined gradation and resolution, and stored in the controller memory 27. The bitmap is converted into a resolution and gradation printable by the engine unit 14 by the resolution / gradation conversion circuit 28 and sent to the engine unit 14.

  The operation content of the operation key 10 is input to the controller microcomputer 21 and appropriate processing is performed according to the input content. Further, when a printing situation or an error occurs from the engine unit 14, the contents are notified to the controller microcomputer 21, displayed on the display panel 11, or notified to the host 2 or the digital camera 4.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the engine unit 14 and illustrates an image when the image forming apparatus 1 is viewed from the side. In the figure, 41 is an engine microcomputer, 42 is an engine memory, 43 is a carriage, 44 is a carriage motor, 45 is a print head, 46 is a head driver, 47 is a roller, 48 is an LF motor, 49 is printing paper, and 50 is paper supply. A paper sensor, 51 is a paper discharge sensor, and 52 is a program memory.

  Next, the operation in the block diagram of FIG. 4 will be described. The engine microcomputer 41 controls all control such as feeding and discharging of the printing paper 49 and control of the print head. The bitmap sent from the controller unit 13 is stored in the engine memory 42. The printing paper 49 is fed and discharged by driving the LF motor 48 and rotating the roller 47. Whether the paper feed and paper discharge are operating normally is determined by detecting the presence or absence of the print paper 49 by the paper feed sensor 50 and the paper discharge sensor 51. The print head 45 is integrated with the carriage 43 and is driven by a head driver 46. The carriage 43 reciprocates in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface and the conveyance direction of the printing paper by the carriage motor 44, and prints on the printing paper 49 by the print head 45. When the paper feed sensor 50 and the paper discharge sensor 51 detect that the printing paper 49 is jammed, printing is stopped and the controller unit 13 is notified.

  5, 6 and 7 are flowcharts showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart is a program diagram showing a program flow built in the system memory 22 of FIG. 3 and the program memory 52 of FIG. 4 and processed by the controller microcomputer 21 and the engine microcomputer 41. The controller microcomputer 21 and the engine microcomputer 41 cooperate with each other. Then, the control operation is executed according to the program flow.

  The flow in the figure shows processing when printing a plurality of copies of a single document in units of pages. For example, when two copies are printed with the total number of pages being three, the printing order is one page of the first copy. First, second page, first page, first page, second page, second page, second page, first page, third page, second page, third page.

  Below, it demonstrates along each step of the flow of FIG.

  Step 101 (denoted as S101 in the figure, the same applies hereinafter): Waits until a print job is received from the host 2, the digital camera 4, and the flash memory 7. When received, the I / F circuit 23 notifies the controller microcomputer 21 and stores it in the reception buffer 24.

  Step 102: The first copy is printed. Details of the processing are as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 and will be described later.

  Step 103: It is determined whether or not printing has been completed to the final part. If there is a part that has not been printed yet, the process proceeds to Step 104. If printing has been completed to the final part, the process proceeds to Step 105.

  Step 104: Print the second and subsequent copies. Details of the processing are as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 and will be described later.

  Step 105: It is determined whether or not printing of all pages has been completed. If there is a page that has not been printed yet, the process returns to step 102 to process the next page, and if printing of all pages is finished, the process is terminated.

  In the above operation flow, it is shown that when printing a plurality of copies, the processing is different between the first copy and the second and subsequent copies. In the second and subsequent copies, 1 is calculated from the number of copies in Step 103 and Step 104. The same process is repeated as many times as the number of subtractions.

  Next, the first copy printing process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Step 201: It is determined whether or not the type of the received job is an OHP medium insertion job. If it is an OHP medium insertion job, the process proceeds to step 202. If it is not a normal job, the process proceeds to step 212.

  Step 202: Analyze the PDL data in the received print job and generate a DL for OHP. DL is data in a format necessary for rendering processing by the renderer 26.

  Step 203: The OHP DL for one page generated in Step 202 is stored in the DL memory 25.

  Step 204: The OHP DL generated in step 202 is input to the renderer 26 to perform rendering processing. The result of the rendering process is stored in the controller memory 27 as a bitmap.

  Step 205: The bitmap is read from the controller memory 27, and the resolution and gradation conversion circuit 28 converts the resolution and gradation into a format printable by the engine and sends it to the engine unit 14. The transmitted bitmap is stored in the engine memory 42.

  Step 206: The bitmap stored in the engine memory 42 is printed. Specifically, the printing paper 49 is conveyed by the LF motor 48 and the roller 47, and printing is performed on the printing paper 49 by the print head 45 while the carriage 43 is reciprocated by the carriage motor 44. The printing position of the printing paper 49 is controlled based on the driving amount of the LF motor 48 and the detection results of the paper feed sensor 50 and the paper discharge sensor 51 in the transport direction, and the moving direction of the carriage 43 on the driving amount of the carriage motor 44. Based on.

  Step 207: Analyze the PDL data in the received print job, and generate a DL for the insert sheet.

  Step 208: The interleaved sheet DL for one page generated in step 207 is stored in the DL memory 25.

  Step 209: The intermediate insertion sheet DL generated in step 207 is input to the renderer 26 to perform rendering processing. The result of the rendering process is stored in the controller memory 27 as a bitmap.

  Step 210: The bitmap is read from the controller memory 27, the resolution and gradation are converted into a format printable by the engine by the resolution / gradation conversion circuit 28, and sent to the engine unit 14. The transmitted bitmap is stored in the engine memory 42.

  Step 211: The bitmap stored in the engine memory 42 is printed. The first printing process (for one page) in the case of an OHP intermediate job ends here.

  Step 212: Analyze the PDL data in the received print job, and generate a DL for printing on a predetermined sheet.

  Step 213: The DL generated in step 212 is input to the renderer 26 to perform rendering processing. The result of the rendering process is stored in the controller memory 27 as a bitmap.

  Step 214: The bitmap stored in the controller memory 27 is saved for one page.

  Step 215: The bitmap is read from the controller memory 27, the resolution and gradation conversion circuit 28 converts the resolution and gradation into a format printable by the engine, and sends it to the engine unit 14. The transmitted bitmap is stored in the engine memory 42.

  Step 216: The bitmap stored in the engine memory 42 is printed. The print processing (for one page) of the first copy of a normal job that is not OHP middle is finished here.

  In the above operation flow, the first printing process for each page is performed, and the processing of this flow is repeated for the number of pages. In step 201, it is determined whether or not the job is an OHP intermediate job, and in the case of an OHP intermediate job, the processing from step 202 to step 211 is performed, and in the case of a normal job, the processing from step 212 to step 216 is performed.

  In the case of an OHP medium insertion job, generation of OHP DL, rendering, resolution / gradation conversion processing, and printing are performed from step 202 to step 206, and generation of DL, rendering, and resolution for medium insertion paper are performed from step 207 to step 211.・ Tone conversion processing and printing. In step 203, the OHP DL is stored for one page, and in step 208, the intermediate sheet DL is stored for one page. The DL stored here is used when printing the second and subsequent copies described later.

  In the case of a normal job, DL generation, rendering, resolution / gradation conversion processing, and printing of a predetermined sheet are performed from step 212 to step 216. In step 214, the bitmap for one page is stored. The bitmap saved here is used when printing the second and subsequent copies described later.

Next, the second and subsequent printing processes will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
Step 301: It is determined whether or not the type of job currently being processed is an OHP medium insertion job. If it is an OHP medium insertion job, the process proceeds to Step 302. Otherwise, the process proceeds to Step 310.

  Step 302: Read out the OHP DL stored in step 203 from the DL memory 25.

  Step 303: The OHP DL read in step 302 is input to the renderer 26 to perform rendering processing. The result of the rendering process is stored in the controller memory 27 as a bitmap.

  Step 304: The bitmap is read from the controller memory 27, and the resolution and gradation conversion circuit 28 converts the resolution and gradation into a format printable by the engine and sends it to the engine unit 14. The transmitted bitmap is stored in the engine memory 42.

  Step 305: The bitmap stored in the engine memory 42 is printed.

  Step 306: Read out the intermediate insertion sheet DL stored in step 208 from the DL memory 25.

  Step 307: The intermediate sheet DL read out in step 306 is input to the renderer 26 to perform rendering processing. The result of the rendering process is stored in the controller memory 27 as a bitmap.

  Step 308: The bitmap is read from the controller memory 27, and the resolution and gradation conversion circuit 28 converts the resolution and gradation into a format that can be printed by the engine and sends it to the engine unit 14. The transmitted bitmap is stored in the engine memory 42.

  Step 309: The bitmap stored in the engine memory 42 is printed. The print processing (for one page) for the second and subsequent copies in the case of an OHP insertion job is temporarily terminated here.

  Step 310: The normal job bitmap saved in step 214 is read from the controller memory 27.

  Step 311: The bitmap read out in Step 310 is converted into a format that can be printed by the engine by the resolution / gradation conversion circuit 28 and sent to the engine unit 14. The transmitted bitmap is stored in the engine memory 42.

  Step 312: The bitmap stored in the engine memory 42 is printed. The print processing (for one page) for the second and subsequent copies in the case of a normal job ends here.

  In the above operation flow, the second and subsequent print processing is performed for each page, and this flow processing is repeated for the number of times obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of copies and the number of pages. In step 301, it is determined whether or not the job is an OHP intermediate job. If the job is an OHP intermediate job, the OHP DL is read, rendered, resolution / gradation conversion processing, and printing in steps 302 to 305, and from step 306 to step 309. The middle-sheet paper DL is read, rendered, resolution / gradation conversion processing, and printing. In the case of a normal job that is not OHP intermediate insertion, bitmap reading, resolution / gradation conversion processing, and printing are performed from step 310 to step 312.

  In this way, in the second and subsequent copies in the case of a normal job, PDL data analysis, DL generation, and rendering are not performed, and the bitmap (rendering result) generated and saved at the time of printing the first copy is read. Therefore, printing can be performed at high speed. On the other hand, in the second and subsequent copies in the case of an OHP insert job, PDL data is not analyzed and DL is not generated, and the OHP DL and the insert sheet DL that are generated and saved during the first copy are stored. Since reading, rendering, and printing are performed, a large-capacity memory for storing the bitmap is not required, and the memory size can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the DL is stored in the case of an OHP insertion job. However, as long as the memory capacity can be reduced as compared with the storage of the bitmap, such as storing the PDL data instead of the DL. Needless to say, it can be applied.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of an Example. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of an Example. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of an Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Host 3 Cable 4 Digital camera 5 Cable 6 Flash memory insertion port 7 Flash memory 8 Paper feed cassette 9 Paper discharge port 10 Operation key 11 Display panel 12 Power switch 13 Controller unit 14 Engine unit 21 Controller microcomputer 22 System memory 23 I / F circuit 24 Reception buffer 25 DL memory 26 Renderer 27 Controller memory 28 Resolution / gradation conversion circuit 41 Engine microcomputer 42 Engine memory 43 Carriage 44 Carriage motor 45 Print head 46 Head driver 47 Roller 48 LF motor 49 Printing paper 50 Supply Paper sensor 51 Paper discharge sensor 52 Program memory

Claims (2)

In an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording sheet and performing printing,
An input means for inputting information to be printed;
Analyzing means for analyzing information input by the input means;
First storage means for storing results analyzed by the analysis means;
Expansion means for expanding the result analyzed by the analysis means into image information;
Second storage means for storing image information developed by the development means;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the second recording sheet is inserted between the recording sheets printed on the first recording sheet as a result of the analysis by the analyzing unit;
A copy number detecting means for detecting the number of copies to be printed;
When the number of copies detection unit detects that the number of copies is 2 or more, the expansion unit displays the result stored by the first storage unit based on the result determined by the determination unit during the second and subsequent copies. Selecting means for selecting image information developed by or image information saved by the second saving means;
Printing means for performing printing based on the image information selected by the selection means;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first recording sheet is an OHP sheet.

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