JP2010115852A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which forms an image by selectively using a fading ink and a non-fading ink. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes: a first recording part 7 which has fading ink cartridges 711-714 and first recording heads 701-704 for the fading ink to turn colorless by heating; a second recording part 8 which has non-fading ink cartridges 811-814 and second recording heads 801-804 for the non-fading ink not to turn colorless by heating; an ink designating part 15 which designates the ink to be used, and a printing control part 6 which switches printing processes by the first recording part 7 or by the second recording part 8, on the basis of ink designation. In the configuration, printing using the fading ink and non-fading ink can be carried out in the same combination machine 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording sheet using a decolorizing ink that becomes colorless by heating and a non-decoloring ink that does not become colorless even when heated.

In recent years, there has been proposed a printing apparatus that prints an image on recording paper using an ink that becomes colorless by heating (for example, Patent Document 1). The ink that becomes colorless by heating is called a decoloring ink, and comprises a colorless pigment such as a leuco pigment, a developer, and a decoloring agent. At normal temperature, the leuco dye and the developer are molecularly bonded to form a color, but when heated above a certain temperature, the bond between the leuco dye and the developer is broken, and the developer is a decolorizer. And the leuco dye becomes colorless. Since the image formed on the recording paper using such a decoloring ink can be erased by heating the recording paper, the recording paper on which the image is recorded can be easily reused.
JP 2001-302954 A

  If an image is formed on the recording paper using decoloring ink, the recording paper can be reused by making the ink colorless. However, there are documents that do not need to be erased, such as confidential documents and stored documents. is there. For this reason, it is desirable to use a single printing apparatus for properly recording an image using a decoloring ink and recording an image using a non-decoloring ink according to the purpose of use.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus that forms an image by selectively using a decoloring ink and a non-decoloring ink. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that selects an ink used for image formation based on the remaining amount of the decoloring ink or the non-decoloring ink. In particular, even when one of the decoloring ink and the non-decoloring ink is designated, if the remaining amount of the one ink decreases, the image forming apparatus performs image formation by switching to the other ink The purpose is to provide.

  An image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a first recording head to which a decolorizing ink that is colorless by heating is supplied, a second recording head to which a non-decoloring ink that is not colorless by heating is supplied, An ink designation unit that performs external input for designating either the decoloring ink or the non-decoloring ink, and selecting either the first recording head or the second recording head based on the external input is selected. And a printing control unit that controls the recording head to perform printing processing.

  With such a configuration, an image can be formed on a recording sheet using a desired ink of the decoloring ink and the non-decoloring ink by designating either the decoloring ink or the non-decoloring ink. .

  An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes, in addition to the above configuration, an ink remaining amount detecting unit that detects the remaining amount of the decolored ink and the non-decolored ink, and the print control unit includes the ink remaining amount. Based on the quantity, either the first recording head or the second recording head is selected. With such a configuration, it is possible to select the ink used for the printing process based on the external designation and the ink remaining amount. For example, when the remaining amount of ink designated by the external input is small, printing can be performed using an ink different from the designated ink.

  In addition to the above configuration, the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention is configured such that the print control unit selects the second recording head based on the remaining amount of the decolored ink. With such a configuration, when the amount of the decoloring ink is small, even if the decoloring ink is designated by an external input, the second recording head is selected by the print control unit, and the non-decoloring ink is selected. Can be used for printing.

  In addition to the above configuration, the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is configured such that the print control unit selects the first recording head based on the remaining amount of the non-erasable ink. With such a configuration, when the remaining amount of the non-erasable ink is small, even if the non-decolorable ink is designated by an external input, the first recording head is selected by the print control unit, and the color is erased. Printing using ink can be performed.

  An image forming apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes warning means for outputting a warning based on the remaining ink amount in addition to the above-described configuration, and the print control unit selects based on a user operation after the warning is output. The recording head is configured to be changed. By confirming the user's intention before changing the recording head to be selected based on the remaining ink amount, it is possible to prevent unnecessary printing processing from being performed.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes first and second recording heads to which a decoloring ink and a non-decoloring ink are supplied, respectively, and printing based on an external input designating the decoloring ink or the non-decoloring ink A recording head to be used for processing is selected. For this reason, it is possible to perform printing with the decoloring ink and printing with the non-decoloring ink using the same image forming apparatus.

  Further, a recording head to be used for the printing process is selected based on the remaining amount of the decoloring ink and the non-decoloring ink. For this reason, printing can be performed using an ink different from the ink designated by the external input according to the remaining amount of ink.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an image processing system including an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. A multifunction machine 1 is shown as an example of the image forming apparatus. The multifunction device 1 can print an image optically read from a paper document on a recording paper, and can also print on a recording paper based on externally received data.

  For example, print data can be received from the terminal device 3 via a LAN (Local Area Network) 2 and printing based on the print data can be performed. Further, it is possible to receive facsimile communication data from another facsimile apparatus (not shown) via the PSTN (Public Telephone Switched Network) 4 and perform printing based on the communication data. Furthermore, it is connected to a mail server (not shown) via a WAN (Wide Area Communication Network) 5 such as the Internet, receives an e-mail through the mail server, and can perform printing based on the received e-mail.

  The multi function device 1 employs an ink jet recording method in which ink is ejected onto recording paper, and a decoloring ink and a non-decoloring ink can be used as the ink. That is, if any one of the decoloring ink and the non-decoloring ink is designated, printing using any ink can be performed. The designation of ink is performed by a user operation input in the multi-function device 1 or a print signal from the terminal device 3.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the multifunction machine 1 of FIG. The multifunction device 1 includes an operation input unit 10, a LAN communication unit 11, an optical reading unit 12, a FAX communication unit 13, a mail communication unit 14, an ink designation unit 15, and a printing unit 16.

  The operation input unit 10 is a means for a user to input an operation, and includes an operation key and a touch panel, and can perform various settings of the multifunction device 1. Here, the operation signal from the operation input unit 10 is output to the ink designation unit 15, and the ink used for the printing process can be designated by a user operation.

  The LAN communication unit 11 performs data communication with the terminal device 3 via the LAN 2 and receives a print signal from the terminal device 3. This print signal is generated by a printer driver in the terminal device 3 and includes ink designation information for designating either a decolored ink or a non-decolored ink together with image data to be printed. The LAN communication unit 11 outputs the image data in the print signal to the printing unit 16 and outputs ink designation information to the ink designation unit 15.

  The printer driver is a program for performing data communication with the multifunction device 1, and a printer driver corresponding to the multifunction device 1 is installed in the terminal device 1 in advance. The printer driver can generate ink designation information according to an application program that instructs printing. For example, a decoloring ink is designated for a mail browsing program, and a non-decoloring ink is designated for a document creation program (word processor). Ink designation information can also be generated based on attribute information included in document data to be printed. For example, designation of decoloring ink or non-decoloring ink is associated with a document template in advance, and the document template information is included as attribute information in document data created using such a document template. If so, the ink designation information can be generated based on the attribute information of the document data instructed to be printed.

  The optical reading unit 12 irradiates a paper document with light, causes the reflected light to be read by an optical sensor such as a line sensor, and generates read data corresponding to the amount of light received. The FAX communication unit 13 receives facsimile communication information from another facsimile apparatus via the PSTN 4. Moreover, the mail communication part 14 receives an email from a mail server. The read data of the optical reading unit 12 and the reception data of the FAX communication unit 13 and the mail communication unit 14 are output to the printing unit 16 as image data.

  The ink designation unit 15 designates either the decoloring ink or the non-decoloring ink as the ink used for the printing process. For example, ink can be designated based on an operation signal from the operation input unit 10. That is, ink can be specified by a user operation in the multifunction device 1. Ink can also be designated based on ink designation information included in the print signal received by the LAN communication unit 11. In this case, ink can be designated according to a user operation in the terminal device 3 or an application program in the terminal device 3 that has instructed printing. Furthermore, it is possible to designate ink depending on whether the print target is image data output from the LAN communication unit 11, the optical reading unit 12, the FAX communication unit 13, or the mail communication unit 14.

  The printing unit 16 is an inkjet printing unit that ejects ink onto recording paper to form an image, and performs a printing process using a designated ink among the decoloring ink and the non-decoloring ink. The printing unit 16 includes a printing control unit 6, a first recording unit 7, and a second recording unit 8. The print control unit 6 includes a head selection unit 20 and a head drive unit 21.

  The first recording unit 7 is a means for performing a printing process using a decoloring ink, and includes four first recording heads 701 to 704, four decoloring ink cartridges 711 to 714, and four remaining ink levels. It comprises detection parts 721-724. The first recording heads 701 to 704 are recording heads that discharge decoloring inks of different colors, and these decoloring inks are supplied from the corresponding decoloring ink cartridges 711 to 714, respectively. The decoloring ink cartridges 711 to 714 are ink tanks that store decoloring inks of different colors. For example, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) decoloring inks are stored in the decoloring ink cartridges 711 to 714 and supplied to the first recording heads 701 to 704. Is done. The remaining ink amount detection units 721 to 724 detect the remaining ink amount of the corresponding decoloring ink cartridges 711 to 714.

  The decolorizing ink is an ink that becomes colorless when heated. A colorless dye such as a leuco dye and a developer that develops a color of the leuco dye by molecularly binding to the leuco dye are heated and heated. Thus, when the bond between the leuco dye and the developer is broken, it is formed by dissolving or dispersing in a solvent a decolorizing agent that captures the developer and turns the leuco dye into a colorless dye.

  Colorless dyes such as leuco dyes are composed of electron-donating color-forming compounds, whereas developers are composed of electron-accepting compounds. As this electron-accepting compound, for example, phosphoric acid ester of polyoxyethylene alkyl ether is used. Thus, in the initial state, the decolorizing ink is colored by combining the leuco dye and the developer, and when heated, the bond between the leuco dye and the developer is broken, and the developer becomes the erasing agent. Captured, the leuco dye becomes a colorless dye. In the present embodiment, a decolorizing ink that develops color in a temperature range of −20 ° C. or higher and 80 ° C. or lower and becomes colorless when heated to 80 ° C. or higher is used.

  The second recording unit 8 is a means for performing a printing process using non-decoloring ink. Similar to the first recording unit 7, the four second recording heads 801 to 804 and the four non-decoloring inks are used. The ink cartridges 811 to 814 and four ink remaining amount detection units 821 to 824 are configured. The second recording heads 801 to 804 are recording heads that discharge non-decoloring inks of different colors, and these non-decoloring inks are supplied from corresponding non-decoloring ink cartridges 811 to 814, respectively. The non-decoloring ink cartridges 811 to 814 are ink tanks that store non-decoloring inks of different colors. For example, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) non-erasable inks are stored in non-erasable ink cartridges 811 to 814, respectively. 804 is supplied. The remaining ink amount detection units 821 to 824 detect the remaining ink amount of the corresponding non-erasable ink cartridges 811 to 814.

  Note that the remaining ink amount can be detected by actually measuring the remaining ink amount in the ink cartridges 711 to 714 and 811 to 814, or a recording operation using the ink after the ink cartridge replacement. For example, a method of estimating the remaining amount of ink based on the number of recorded dots may be used.

  The head selection unit 20 selects one of the first recording heads 701 to 704 and the second recording heads 801 to 804 as the recording head used for the printing process based on the ink designation by the ink designation unit 15. That is, when the decoloring ink is designated, the first recording heads 701 to 704 are selected, and when the non-decoloring ink is designated, the second recording heads 801 to 804 are selected. In this manner, by selecting the recording heads 701 to 704 and 801 to 804 based on an operation input by the user or an external input such as a print signal from the terminal device 3, the ink designated by the external input is selected. The used printing process can be performed.

  The head selection unit 20 can select a recording head to be used for the printing process based on the detection result of the remaining ink amount. That is, even when the decoloring ink is designated, if any of the remaining amount of ink in the decoloring ink cartridges 711 to 714 is less than the predetermined amount, the first recording heads 701 to 704 are replaced. Thus, the second recording heads 801 to 804 are selected. Similarly, even when non-erasable ink is designated, if any of the remaining amounts of ink in the non-erasable ink cartridges 811 to 814 is below a predetermined amount, the second recording head 801 is used. Instead of ˜804, the second recording heads 701 to 704 are selected.

  In this way, the head selection unit 20 switches between the first recording heads 701 to 704 and the second recording heads 801 to 804 as a set. Even when only the remaining amount of one color of the four color erasable inks is reduced, color reproducibility is degraded if only the recording head corresponding to the color is switched. For this reason, when the remaining amount of ink of one color decreases, the four recording heads are switched as a set. It goes without saying that the same applies to the case where only the remaining amount of one color of non-decolorable ink is reduced. Note that when it is desired to notify the user of a decrease in the remaining ink amount using the decrease in color reproducibility, only the recording head corresponding to the color in which the remaining ink amount has decreased may be switched.

  The head drive unit 21 performs drive control of the recording heads 701 to 704 and 801 to 804 based on the image data to be printed to form an image on the recording paper. At that time, control is performed so that ink is ejected from one of the first recording heads 701 to 704 or the second recording heads 801 to 804 selected by the head selection unit 20.

  3 and 4 are external views showing an example of a specific configuration of the printing unit 16 in the multifunction machine 1 according to the present embodiment. 3 shows a side view of the printing unit 16, and FIG. 4 shows a front view.

  The carriage 64 has eight recording heads 701 to 704 and 801 to 804, and can detachably support eight ink cartridges 711 to 714, 811 to 814. Each of the recording heads 701 to 704 and 801 to 804 is provided with a large number of ejection nozzles arranged in the transport direction. The ink cartridges 711 to 714, 811 to 814 are provided with remaining ink amount detection units 721 to 724 and 821 to 824, respectively.

  The eight recording heads 701 to 704 and 801 to 804 may be integrally formed as a whole or may be individually formed. The same applies to the eight ink cartridges 711 to 714, 811 to 814.

  The carriage 64 is supported by the guide rails 65 a and 65 b so as to be slidable, and is fixed to the endless belt 66. The endless belt 66 is wound around a driving pulley 68 and a driven pulley 69, and a rotating shaft of a motor 67 is connected to the driving pulley 68. Therefore, by rotating the motor 67 forward and backward, the carriage 64 reciprocates in the axial direction of the support roller 63 via the drive pulley 68, the driven pulley 69 and the endless belt 66.

  When the recording paper P is transported to the positions of the recording heads 701 to 704 and 801 to 804 by the first transporting roller 61, the carriage 64 reciprocates, and decoloring ink or non-decoloring ink is applied to the surface of the recording paper P. An image is formed on the recording paper P by being discharged from the first recording heads 701 to 704 or the second recording heads 801 to 804. The recording paper P on which the image is formed is sent to the second transport roller 62 and is discharged to the outside by the second transport roller 62.

  Steps S101 to S109 in FIG. 5 are flowcharts showing an example of printing processing by the multifunction machine 1 in FIG. First, the ink type used for the printing process is specified based on an external input (step S101). That is, based on the print signal from the terminal device 3 or the operation input by the operation input unit 10, either the decoloring ink or the non-decoloring ink is designated by the ink designation unit 15.

  If the ink designated by the ink designation unit 15 is a decoloring ink, the head selection unit 20 selects the first recording heads 701 to 704, and the printing process using the first recording heads 701 to 704 is performed (step). S102, S103). During this printing process, the remaining amount of ink in the decoloring ink cartridges 711 to 714 is detected. If the remaining amount of ink becomes less than a predetermined amount before printing is completed, the second recording heads 801 to 804 are selected, and printing processing using the second recording heads 801 to 804 is performed (steps S104 to S104). S106). That is, if the remaining amount of any decoloring ink is reduced during the printing process using the decoloring ink, the process is switched to the printing process using the non-decoloring ink.

  Similarly, in step S102, when the ink designated by the ink designation unit 15 is non-erasable ink, the second recording heads 801 to 804 are selected by the head selection unit 20, and the second recording heads 801 to 804 are changed. The used printing process is performed (step S107). During this printing process, the remaining amount of ink in the non-erasable ink cartridges 811 to 814 is detected. Then, when the remaining amount of ink becomes less than a predetermined amount before the printing is completed, the first recording heads 701 to 704 are selected, and printing processing using the first recording heads 701 to 704 is performed (steps S108 to S108). S110). That is, if the remaining amount of any non-decolorable ink is reduced during the printing process using the non-erasable ink, the process is switched to the printing process using the decoloring ink.

  When the erasable ink and the non-erasable ink are switched, the color tone of the image formed on the recording paper P also changes due to the difference in color developability of the ink. For this reason, it is desirable to switch the switching timing of the decoloring ink and the non-decoloring ink in units of the recording paper P. In addition, when switching during printing of the recording paper P, a change in color tone due to ink switching is less noticeable by switching at a timing when a blank line appears.

  It is also desirable to output a warning based on the remaining amount of ink to the user and switch between the decolored ink and the non-decolored ink based on the user operation after the warning is output. That is, if the remaining amount of the decolored ink decreases during the printing process using the decolored ink, a warning is output by voice output or screen display, and the user switches the ink from the operation input unit 10 according to the warning. It is desirable that the head can be switched if an operation input permitting is performed.

  Alternatively, the user may set in advance whether to permit ink switching based on the remaining amount of ink, and the ink switching may be performed according to the permission / prohibition setting. That is, in step S104 or step S108 of FIG. 5, if the ink remaining amount is less than the predetermined amount and the ink switching is permitted, the ink switching is performed as described above, while the ink switching is permitted. If not, the printing process can be continued without switching the ink, or the printing process can be terminated.

  Furthermore, whether or not ink switching is permitted can be individually set for switching from a decoloring ink to a non-erasing ink and switching from a non-decoloring ink to a decoloring ink. That is, when the user selects a combination of permission / rejection settings in advance, (1) a first operation mode in which ink switching based on the remaining amount of ink is not performed, and (2) switching from decolored ink to non-decolored ink (3) a third operation mode in which only switching from the non-decolorable ink to the decolorable ink is performed, and (4) a bidirectional operation between the decolorable ink and the non-decolorable ink. It can also be configured to have four operation modes consisting of a fourth operation mode in which ink switching is performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example of the multifunction machine 1 including the four color erasable ink cartridges 711 to 714 and the four color non-erasable ink cartridges 811 to 814 has been described. The invention is not limited to such devices. For example, it is also possible to provide a single color erasable ink cartridge 711 for black only and four non-decolorable ink cartridges 811 to 814 made of CMYK.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the recording heads 701 to 704 and 801 to 804 are serial heads has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such a case. For example, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a line head.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image processing system including an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a multifunction machine 1 in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an external view showing an example of a specific configuration of the printing unit 16 in the multifunction machine 1 according to the present embodiment, and shows a side view. 1 is an external view showing an example of a specific configuration of a printing unit 16 in a multifunction machine 1 according to the present embodiment, and shows a front view. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a printing process performed by the multifunction machine 1 in FIG. 2.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Multifunctional device 3 Terminal device 701-704 1st recording head 711-714 Decolored ink cartridge 721-724 Ink remaining amount detection part 801-804 2nd recording head 811-814 Non-erasable ink cartridge 821-824 Ink remaining amount detection Unit 6 print control unit 7 first recording unit 8 second recording unit 10 operation input unit 11 LAN communication unit 12 optical reading unit 13 FAX communication unit 14 mail communication unit 15 ink designation unit 16 printing unit 20 head selection unit 21 head drive unit

Claims (5)

A first recording head supplied with a decolorizing ink that becomes colorless by heating;
A second recording head supplied with non-erasable ink that does not become colorless even when heated;
An ink designating unit for performing external input for designating either decoloring ink or non-decoloring ink;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a printing unit that selects one of the first recording head and the second recording head based on the external input and controls the selected recording head to perform a printing process. An ink remaining amount detecting unit for detecting the remaining amount of the decoloring ink and the non-decoloring ink,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit selects either the first recording head or the second recording head based on the ink remaining amount.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the print control unit selects the second recording head based on an ink remaining amount of the decoloring ink.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the print control unit selects the first recording head based on an ink remaining amount of the non-erasable ink. Warning means for outputting a warning based on the remaining ink amount,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the print control unit changes a recording head to be selected based on a user operation after outputting a warning.

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