JP2009061595A - Inkjet printer and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To lessen an electric power rate used in printing of the whole of printing jobs when the many printing jobs are printed over a time zone of a high electric power rate and a time zone of a low electric power rate in an inkjet printer. <P>SOLUTION: The inkjet printer has a printing job memory means which stores a plurality of the printing jobs, and a drying time detecting means which detects a drying time of ink in the printing job. The inkjet printer also has a printing job execution start time setting means which sets an execution start time of the printing job. Moreover, in the case of printing a plurality of the printing jobs over the time zone of the high electric power rate and the time zone of the low electric power rate, when it becomes the time set by the printing job execution start time setting means, the printing job of a long drying time of ink is executed early. In addition, an execution order of the printing jobs is changed so that the printing job of a short drying time of ink is executed in the time zone of the low electric power rate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a printing method in an inkjet printer.

  A method of executing a plurality of print jobs at a low charge is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). This conventional example calculates a unit charge based on the processing amount required to execute all the print jobs stored in the queue, and selects the print jobs selected in the queue storage order based on the unit charge. The execution fee is calculated. The allowable charge and execution charge of each print job in the queue are compared in the queue storage order, a print job with an execution charge lower than the allowable charge is executed, and a high print job is postponed. If all the print jobs in the queue do not satisfy the comparison condition, the first print job is executed.

As a method for setting an allowable charge in the above-mentioned print job, there is a discount on the power charge depending on the time zone. In addition, there is a known method for distributing time zones for processing print requests when printing a plurality of print jobs (see, for example, Patent Document 2). That is, the print data is stored in the secondary storage device during the day, and the printing operation using the stored print data is executed in an unattended state during the night time zone. The engine unit may be a laser beam printer, or may be configured by an ink jet printer or other printing type printer engine.
JP-A-2005-99951 JP 2000-112694 A

  However, the above prior art does not matter the type of printer such as a laser beam printer or an ink jet printer.

  When printing a large number of print jobs in succession with an inkjet printer, it is not an efficient way to follow the characteristics of the inkjet printer.

  In other words, in the above-described conventional example, when a large number of print jobs are continuously printed across a high power charge time zone and a low power charge time zone, the power charge for printing all print jobs is not reduced. There's a problem.

  As a situation peculiar to an ink jet printer, it may be necessary to dry the ink after printing depending on the type of print media. If the drying time is not taken, there is a problem that the surface of the media becomes dirty when the printing surface is touched.

The present invention is an ink jet printer that can reduce the power charge used for printing the entire print job when a large number of print jobs are printed across a high power charge time period and a low power charge time period in an ink jet printer. An object is to provide a printer.

The present invention includes, in an ink jet printer, a print job storage unit that stores a plurality of print jobs, and a drying time detection unit that detects a drying time of ink in the print job. The present invention further includes print job execution start time setting means for setting a print job execution start time. Furthermore, according to the present invention, when printing a plurality of print jobs across a time zone with a high power rate and a time zone with a low power rate, the ink is printed at the time set by the print job execution start time setting unit. A print job with a long drying time is executed first. Moreover, the present invention is an ink jet printer that changes the execution order of print jobs so that a print job with a short ink drying time is executed in a time zone with a low power charge.

According to the present invention, when a large number of print jobs are printed across a high power charge time period and a low power charge time period in an inkjet printer, the power charge used for printing the entire print job can be reduced. There is an effect that can be done.

  The best mode for carrying out the invention is the following embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an inkjet printer PR1 that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The ink jet printer PR1 includes a first paper feed unit 10, a second paper feed unit 20, a first paper discharge unit 30, a print job storage unit 40, a print job drying time detection unit 50, and a print job execution order change. Means 60 and a print job execution start time control means 70.

  The paper feeding means 10 and 20 are, for example, a roll paper unit or a cassette. The printed material fed and printed from the paper feeding means 10 and 20 is discharged to the first paper discharge means 30. In the first exemplary embodiment, two paper feeding units and one paper discharging unit are provided, but more than each may be provided.

  The first paper feeding means 10 stores the paper type 1, and the second paper feeding means 20 stores the paper type 2. The two paper types are different from each other.

  The print job storage unit 40 is an example of a print job storage unit that stores a plurality of print jobs. The print job drying time detection unit 50 is an example of a drying time detection unit that detects the drying time of ink in a print job.

  The print job execution order changing unit 60 is an example of a print job execution order changing unit. When the print job execution order changing unit prints a plurality of print jobs over a time zone with a high power charge and a time zone with a low power charge, the print job execution order changing unit is set at the time set by the print job execution start time setting unit. , Means for executing a print job with a long ink drying time first. The print job execution order changing means is an example of the print job execution order changing means for changing the print job execution order so that a print job with a short ink drying time is executed in a time zone where the power charge is low. is there.

  The print job execution start time control means 70 is an example of a print job execution start time setting means for setting the print job execution start time.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the paper type and the drying time per page in the first embodiment.

  In the first embodiment, the drying time per page is set to a certain time during which drying can be guaranteed regardless of the paper size and the amount of print data in one page. That is, the printing time per page varies depending on the amount of data, but the drying time per page is constant.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, the drying time per page of the paper type 1 is 1 minute, and the drying time per page of the paper type 2 is 10 minutes.

  The ink jet printer PR1 stores therein the data shown in FIG. 2, and the print job dry time detecting means 50 obtains the dry time of the print job based on the data shown in FIG.

  A print job is created during the normal business hours, and the created print job is transmitted to the inkjet printer PR1. The inkjet printer PR1 includes a print job storage unit 40 such as an HDD that stores a plurality of print jobs, and print jobs 41 to 43 are stored in the order of reception.

  Among the stored print jobs, those that could not be printed in the normal business hours are from the end of the normal business hours to the normal business start time of the next day (this is called “night time zone”). ) Automatically printed.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a normal business time zone and a night time zone.

  A discount rate may be set for the electricity rate at night.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a time zone and a power charge.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram summarizing the relationship between the power rate and the time zone based on the data shown in FIG. 3 and the data shown in FIG. 4 in the first embodiment.

  The job execution time for one print job is the sum of the printing time and the ink drying time. The printing time varies depending on the type of paper. Accordingly, the ratio of the print time to the job execution time of one print job is smaller as the print job is for a paper type having a longer drying time if the print time is the same, and the amount of power used for printing is also reduced.

  Therefore, consider a case where a large number of print jobs are printed across a time zone with a high power rate and a time zone with a low power rate. In this case, in the inkjet printer PR1, the print job drying time detection unit 50 acquires the drying time for each of the print jobs 41 to 43 stored in the print job storage unit 40, and the print job with the long drying time is first. Rearrange print jobs to be executed. Then, a print job having a long drying time is executed first, and a print job having a short drying time is executed in a time zone when the power charge is low.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print job stored in the print job storage unit 40 at the start of the night time zone.

  In the inkjet printer PR1, the print job execution time change unit 60 acquires the print job dry time detection unit 50, and the print job execution order change unit 60 executes the print job so that the print job with a long dry time is executed first. Rearrange.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the print jobs illustrated in FIG. 6 are rearranged in descending order of drying time.

  The “total number of pages” indicates a case where there are a plurality of pages per copy and a case where there are a plurality of copies per page. That is, the total number of pages for 10 pages per copy is 10 pages, and the total number of pages for 10 copies per page is also 10 pages.

  The print job execution start time control means 70 in the ink jet printer PR1 has a print job execution start time setting means. By this, when a preset time is reached, the print job stored in the print job storage means 40 is Automatically sort and print. Since the execution start time is set in the night time zone when the power rate is relatively low, printing can be performed while saving the power rate.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of printing in the night time zone in the first embodiment.

  The ink jet printer PR1 checks the current time in S1 before executing the first print job stored in the print job storage means 40. If the print job execution start time control means 70 has not reached the preset time, the head print job is executed in S5, and whether or not the print job execution start time control means 70 has reached the preset time is determined. Check again.

  When the time set in advance in the print job execution start time control means 70 is reached, the print job dry time detection means 50 acquires the dry time for each print job stored in the print job storage means 40 in S2. . In S3, the print job execution order changing unit 60 rearranges the print jobs so that the print job having a long drying time is executed first, and in S4, the first print job of the rearranged print jobs is executed. .

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used when a large number of print jobs are printed across a high power charge time zone and a low power charge time zone in an inkjet printer.

  The first embodiment can be understood as a method invention. In other words, the first embodiment includes a print job storage step of storing a plurality of print jobs in a storage device and a drying time detection step of detecting the ink drying time in the print job in the method for controlling an ink jet printer. In addition, the first embodiment includes a print job execution start time setting step for setting the print job execution start time in the storage device, and a print job execution order changing step.

In the print job execution order changing step, when printing a plurality of print jobs across a time zone with a high power charge and a time zone with a low power charge, the time set in the print job execution start time setting step is reached. In this step, a print job having a long ink drying time is executed first. The print job execution order changing step is a step of changing the print job execution order and storing the print job in a storage device so that a print job with a short ink drying time is executed in a time zone with a low power charge.

1 is a diagram illustrating an inkjet printer PR1 that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. In Example 1, it is a figure which shows the relationship between a paper type and the drying time per page. It is a figure which shows the example of a normal work time zone and a night time zone. It is a figure which shows the example of the relationship between a time slot | zone and an electric power charge. In Example 1, it is the figure which put together the relationship between an electric power charge and a time slot | zone based on the data shown in FIG. 3, and the data shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print job stored in a print job storage unit at the start of a night time zone. It is a figure which shows the state which rearranged the print job shown in FIG. 6 in order with a long dry time. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for printing in a night time zone in the first embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

PR1 ... Inkjet printer,
10: First paper feeding means,
20: Second paper feeding means,
30. First paper discharge means,
40: Print job storage means,
41-43 ... print jobs,
50. Print job drying time detecting means,
60: Print job execution order changing means,
70: Print job execution start time control means.

Claims (2)

In an inkjet printer,
Print job storage means for storing a plurality of print jobs;
A drying time detecting means for detecting the drying time of the ink in the print job;
Print job execution start time setting means for setting the print job execution start time in the storage device;
When printing multiple print jobs across the high power charge time period and the low power charge time period, when the time set by the print job execution start time setting means is reached, the print job has a long ink drying time. And a print job execution order changing means for changing a print job execution order so that a print job with a short ink drying time is executed in a time zone with a low power charge;
An inkjet printer characterized by comprising: In a method for controlling an inkjet printer,
A print job storage step of storing a plurality of print jobs in a storage device;
A drying time detecting step for detecting the drying time of the ink in the print job;
A print job execution start time setting step for setting a print job execution start time in the storage device;
When printing multiple print jobs across the high power charge time zone and the low power charge time zone, when the time set in the print job execution start time setting step is reached, the print job has a long ink drying time. A print job execution order changing step of changing the print job execution order and storing the print job in a storage device so that a print job with a short ink drying time is executed in a time zone with a low power charge;
A control method for an ink jet printer, comprising:

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