JP2011234294A - Print control unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print control unit that allows a user who is not accustomed to operation on an operation panel to change setting more easily.SOLUTION: Among a copy mode, scan mode and fax mode, a setting mark sheet having items for an initial mode to be set at the time of power-on is printed, the completed setting mark sheet is read, the read setting mark sheet is analyzed, the setting values of target setting items are obtained in reference to a setting item table, and the setting values of the target setting items are changed to the obtained setting values. This allows users to register a mode whose frequency of usage differs depending on each user as an initial mode with easy setting.

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus.

  Conventionally, this type of print control device prints a setting sheet in which the printer printing condition setting and the entry field are associated with each other when the user selects the printer setting mode, and the setting that has been completed by the user. There has been proposed a technique in which a sheet is read and analyzed by a scanner, and an analysis result is reflected in setting of printing conditions of a printer (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this apparatus, the printer print condition setting items include items such as print density, print speed, auto power off on / off, communication setting, head check on / off, and presence / absence of key input sound.

JP 2004-155209 A

  By the way, in a multi-function printer, the default function is usually selected when the power is turned on, and when another function different from the default is required, the function is switched by a user operation. It is supposed to be. However, the frequency of use of each function is often different for each user, and depending on the user, it is necessary to frequently switch from the function set when the power is turned on to the function to be used. Although it is possible to display a list of all setting items for a multifunction printer on one screen and accept selection of each setting item with few operations, there are many small display panels installed in the printer. It is difficult to display a list of setting items on one screen, and it is necessary to trace the target setting items from the menu screen by key operation, resulting in excessive user effort.

  The main purpose of the printing control apparatus of the present invention is to enable a user to select a desired function without imposing troublesome repeated operations.

  The print control apparatus of the present invention employs the following means in order to achieve the main object described above.

The print control apparatus of the present invention includes:
A printing control apparatus that controls a printing unit that prints an image on a medium and a reading unit that reads the printed image.
A plurality of setting items including a setting item for selecting an initial mode at power-on from a plurality of modes including a print mode and a reading mode as executable functions when a predetermined setting change instruction is given The printing unit is controlled so that the setting image provided with the entry column is printed on the medium, the reading unit is controlled so that the setting image written in the entry column is read, and The gist is to analyze the read setting image using information, determine the selected setting information, and reflect the determined setting information in the setting of the corresponding setting item.

  In the printing control apparatus of the present invention, when a predetermined setting change instruction is given, an initial mode at power-on is selected from a plurality of modes including a printing mode and a reading mode as executable functions. Print the setting image with multiple setting item entry fields including the setting items on the medium, read the setting image that has been entered in the entry field, and read the setting image that was read using the information about the entry field. The setting information selected by analysis is determined, and the determined setting information is reflected in the setting of the corresponding setting item. As a result, it is possible to select a function desired by the user without imposing a cumbersome repeated operation on a user who is unfamiliar with the panel operation.

  In such a print control apparatus of the present invention, after reading the setting image entered in the entry field, the printing means is configured to print the changed setting item among the plurality of setting items as a confirmation image on the medium. Can also be controlled. In this way, it is possible to easily confirm the contents of the setting change.

  In the printing control apparatus of the present invention, after reading the setting image that has been entered in the entry field, the setting item in which an entry error has occurred among the plurality of setting items is printed on the medium as a confirmation image. It is also possible to control the printing means. In this way, it is possible to easily confirm user entry errors.

  Furthermore, in the printing control apparatus of the present invention, an entry field for correcting setting items is provided in the confirmation image to control the printing means so that the image is printed on the medium. It is also possible to control the reading means so that an image is read, analyze the read confirmation image, determine correction, and reflect the determination result in the setting of the corresponding setting item. In this way, it is possible to easily correct the contents of setting changes and entry errors.

  In the printing control apparatus of the present invention according to any one of the above aspects for controlling display means for displaying a screen, in addition to the selection of the initial mode, a language that uses a plurality of languages that can be displayed on the display apparatus Controlling the printing means so that a setting image provided with an entry field for selecting the image is printed on the medium, and controlling the reading means so that the setting image entered in the entry field is read, It is also possible to determine the selected language by analyzing the read setting image using information related to the entry field, and set the determined language as the language of characters displayed on the display means. In this way, the language used can be selected with a simple operation.

  In the printing control apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the selection of the initial mode, the printing unit is controlled so that a setting image provided with an entry field for selecting whether or not to save power is printed on the medium. Controlling the reading means so that the setting image that has been entered in the entry field is read, and analyzing the read setting image using information about the entry field to determine the selected power saving state, It is also possible to set the determined power saving state. In this way, it is possible to select whether or not to save power with a simple operation.

1 is an external view of a multifunction machine 20 according to the present embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a multifunction machine 20. The flowchart which shows an example of a setting change process routine. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a setting mark sheet printing process. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the setting mark sheet. The flowchart which shows an example of a setting change process. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of a setting item table. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a confirmation mark sheet printing process. An explanatory view showing an example of a check mark sheet. The flowchart which shows an example of a setting confirmation process. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of a confirmation item table.

  FIG. 1 is an external view showing an external appearance of a multifunction device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the structure of the multifunction device 20 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a multifunction machine 20 according to this embodiment includes a printer unit 30 that prints an image on paper based on image data, and a scanner that is installed on the upper part of the printer unit 30 and reads an image on a document as image data. A unit 40; an operation panel 50 provided in front of the scanner unit 40 for inputting instructions by the user and displaying various information; and a main controller 60 (see FIG. 2) for controlling the entire apparatus. In the multi-function device 20, a document is scanned by the scanner unit 40 and converted into data, and a copy mode is printed by printing the printer unit 30 based on the data, or the document is scanned and converted into data by scanning the document by the scanner unit 40. 64, and a fax mode in which a document is scanned by the scanner unit 40, converted into data, and transferred to a transfer destination designated by a numeric keypad.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 30 includes a printer engine 31 and a printer ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 39 that controls the printer engine 31. The printer engine 31 is configured as a full-color electrophotographic printer engine that employs a single photoreceptor system and an intermediate transfer system, and includes a chargeable photoreceptor 32 and C (cyan) on the charged surface. , M (magenta), Y (yellow), K (black) supplied from an exposure unit 33 for forming an electrostatic latent image of each color image on the photoreceptor 32 and toner cartridges 34C, 34M, 34Y, 34K for each color. As an intermediate transfer body that performs primary transfer so that the toner of each color is adhered to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 32 and developed as a toner image, and the developed toner image of each color is superimposed. Secondary transfer for secondary transfer of the four color toner images formed on the transfer belt 36 onto the transfer belt 36 and the paper P conveyed from the paper cassette 22 (see FIG. 1). It comprises a knit 37, a fixing unit 38 for melting and fixing the toner images of four colors have been transferred onto the sheet P to the paper P, the. The paper P on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing unit 38 is discharged to a discharge tray 24 (see FIG. 1) provided on the front surface. The power supply of the printer unit 30 is managed by a power management unit (not shown). When the power supply is stopped, power consumption in the mechanism is suppressed (for example, energization of the heater of the fixing unit 38 is stopped). When the power supply is started and the power supply is started, the warm-up in the mechanism is executed, and the print is ready after the warm-up is completed.

  The scanner unit 40 includes a scanner engine 41 and a scanner ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 49 that controls the scanner engine 41. The scanner engine 41 includes a line image sensor 44 that optically reads the paper P conveyed from the paper tray 26 to a reading unit 42 by a conveyance roller (not shown), and a scanning unit 46 that scans the line image sensor 44. Here, the line image sensor 44 is a well-known color image sensor that separates the reflected light after being emitted toward the paper P into red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors into scan data. It is configured as.

  The operation panel 50 is a device for a user to input various instructions to the multi-function device 20, and an operation unit 52 for performing various operations and a color in which characters and images corresponding to the various instructions are displayed. A display unit 54 composed of a liquid crystal panel is provided. Although not shown in detail, the operation unit 52 starts a power button for turning on the power of the multi-function device 20, a copy or scan of a document placed on the document table (reading unit 42), a fax transmission, or the like. Button, menu button for calling a menu screen, numeric keypad for inputting a fax (FAX) number, cursor key for moving a cursor for selecting each item on the menu screen, determination for determining selection of each item A key, a return button for returning to the previous screen, and the like are provided. Each item of the menu screen has a hierarchical structure, and setting of a desired item can be selected by tracing from the upper menu screen to the lower menu screen by a key operation by the user. The display unit 54 supports a plurality of languages (in the present embodiment, corresponding to Japanese, English, French, and German), and displays various character information according to the language selected by the user.

  The main controller 60 is configured as a microprocessor centered on the CPU 61, and includes a ROM 62 for storing various processing programs, a RAM 63 for temporarily storing data, and rewritable data that is retained even when the power is turned off. A flash memory 64. The controller 60 is electrically connected to the printer ASIC 39, the scanner ASIC 49, and the operation panel 50 via a bus 68. The print command signal to the printer ASIC 39, the read command signal to the scanner ASIC 49, and the display on the operation panel 50 are displayed. A command signal or the like is output, a signal regarding the state of the printer unit 30 from the printer ASIC 39, a signal regarding the state of the scanner unit 40 from the scanner ASIC 49, various operation signals from the operation panel 50, or the like is input.

  Next, the operation of the multi-function device 20 of the present embodiment configured as described above, particularly the operation when changing various settings of the multi-function device 20 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a setting change processing routine executed by the main controller 60.

  When the setting change processing routine is executed, the CPU 61 of the main controller 60 first receives a setting change instruction from the user (step S100). Here, the setting change instruction may be made by selecting an item for changing the setting by following the menu screen by a key operation, or by providing a dedicated key and operating this key. When the setting change is instructed, the setting mark sheet printing process shown in FIG. 4 is executed (step S110). In the setting mark sheet printing process of FIG. 4, the current value (current value) of the setting value that can be changed by this routine is read (step S200), and the read current value is laid out to create a setting mark sheet (step S200). S210), the created setting mark sheet is printed (step S220), and a guidance screen such as “Please fill in the setting mark sheet, set the written setting mark sheet on the document table and press the start button”, etc. Displayed on the display unit 54 (step S230). FIG. 5 shows an example of the setting mark sheet. As shown in the figure, the setting mark sheet is displayed in Japanese, English, French, and German, the display language item, whether or not to save power, and the copy mode, scan mode, and fax mode when the power is turned on. There are items for the initial mode to be set, and the user can select one of the check boxes of the items to be changed by selecting and filling them out.

  Then, a scan instruction from the user is accepted (step S120). When the scan instruction is given, the setting change process shown in FIG. 6 is executed (step S130). In the setting change process of FIG. 6, the completed setting mark sheet is read by the scanner unit 40 (step S300). Subsequently, among the items of the read setting mark sheet, the target setting item is set (step S310), each check box of the set target setting item is searched (step S320), and the black check box (black paint) It is determined whether there is a box) (step S330). Here, the black box is determined using the setting item table illustrated in FIG. Specifically, the pixel in the check box in the target setting item is identified from the coordinates of the check box in the setting item table and the frame size, the color of the pixel is determined, and the frame size (total number of pixels in the frame) is determined. This is performed depending on whether the ratio of the number of black pixels is 1/2 or more. If a mark for alignment is added to the setting mark sheet, the position of the check box is grasped based on the relative position with respect to the alignment mark, so that paper misalignment during scanning occurs. In addition, the determination in step S330 can be performed more accurately. If it is determined that there is no black box in the target setting item (step S340), it is determined that the setting change of the target setting item is not instructed, and the process proceeds to the next step S395. On the other hand, if it is determined that the target setting item has a black box (step S340), it is determined whether the number of black boxes is one (step S350), and it is determined that the number is one. Then, the setting value is obtained by referring to the setting item table based on the coordinates of the black box (step S360), and the current value is compared with the obtained setting value (step S370). If the current value and the set value are the same, there is no need to change the setting. Therefore, the process proceeds to the next step S395. If the current value and the set value are not the same, the target setting item is set to the acquired set value. Change (step S380). If it is determined in step S350 that the number of black boxes is not one, that is, two or more boxes are set, the target setting item is set as an error item (step S390). Then, the process returns to step S310 until the processes for all the setting items are completed, and the processes of steps S310 to S390 are repeated (step S395), and this process is terminated.

  Returning to the setting change process routine, when the setting change process of step S130 is executed, the confirmation mark sheet printing process of FIG. 8 is executed (step S140). In the confirmation mark sheet printing process of FIG. 8, it is determined whether or not there has been a setting change by the setting change process of FIG. 6 (step S400), and when there is a setting change, the change item is laid out (step S410) and an error occurs. It is determined whether there is an item (step S420). If there is an error item, the error item is laid out (step S430), a confirmation mark sheet is created (step S440), and the created confirmation mark sheet is printed. At the same time (step S450), a guidance screen such as “Please fill in the confirmation mark sheet, set the written confirmation mark sheet on the platen and press the start button” is displayed on the display unit 54 (step S460). ). FIG. 9 shows an example of the confirmation mark sheet. As shown in the figure, the confirmation mark sheet is a printout of only the changed item and the error item. The changed item is returned to the setting value before the change together with the setting value before and after the change. Check boxes are laid out, and error items are laid out again to accept setting changes. The user can select one of the check boxes for each item and fill it.

  When the confirmation mark sheet is printed, a scan instruction from the user is accepted (step S150). When the scan instruction is given, the setting confirmation process shown in FIG. 10 is executed (step S160), and this routine is terminated. In the setting confirmation process of FIG. 10, the filled-in confirmation mark sheet is read by the scanner unit 40 (step S500). Subsequently, among the items (change item or error item) of the read confirmation mark sheet, a target setting item is set (step S510). When the set target setting item is a change item (step S520), “original It is determined whether or not the check box for “Return” is black (black box) (step S530). If the check box for “Restore” is black, the target setting item is not changed. The process of returning to the set value is executed (step S540). Whether or not the box is a black box is determined using the setting item table of FIG. 11 by the same processing as steps S320 to S340 of the setting change processing of FIG. On the other hand, when the set target setting item is an error item (step S550), one of the check boxes of the target setting item is blacked out, that is, set by the same processing as the setting change processing steps S320 to S370 in FIG. It is determined whether or not a value is selected (step S560). If it is selected, the target setting item is changed to the selected setting value (step S570). Then, the process returns to step S510 until the processes for all the setting items are completed, and the processes of steps S510 to S570 are repeated (step S580), and this process is terminated.

  According to the MFP 20 of the present embodiment described above, a setting mark sheet having an initial mode item set at power-on among the copy mode, the scan mode, and the fax mode is printed, and the completed setting mark sheet is read. Mode, the read setting mark sheet is analyzed, the setting value of the target setting item is obtained by referring to the setting item table, and the target setting item is changed to the acquired setting value. Can be registered as an initial mode with simple settings. As a result, the setting can be changed more easily even for a user who is not used to operating the operation panel. In addition, the settings of the display language items used in Japanese, English, French, and German, and whether or not to save power are also accepted by the setting mark sheet, so these settings can be changed all at once. it can. In addition, when the setting is changed, the changed item is printed on the confirmation mark sheet, so that the user can confirm the setting change. Further, since the error item is also printed on the confirmation mark sheet and the setting change is accepted again, it is possible to cope with a user entry mistake.

  In the embodiment described above, the copy mode, the scan mode, and the fax mode are provided as the plurality of modes, but the fax mode may not be provided. Moreover, you may provide the mode different from these.

  In the above-described embodiment, each item is selected by filling the check box of the setting mark sheet with black. However, any item can be selected as long as the item can be selected by the user. A method may be used. For example, in the case of a multi-function peripheral equipped with a scanner having an optical character recognition function, each item may be selected using characters and numbers.

  In the above-described embodiment, the user can confirm the setting change and reset the error item by printing the confirmation mark sheet. However, one or both of these may be omitted. In this case, steps S140 to S160 (the confirmation mark sheet printing process of FIG. 8, the setting confirmation process of FIG. 10) of the setting change process routine of FIG. 3 may be omitted as necessary.

  In the embodiment described above, the display language item, the power saving presence / absence item, and the initial mode item are listed as the items whose settings can be changed. However, the display language item may be omitted or the power saving presence / absence may be determined. An item may be omitted, or another item may be added.

  It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

  20 MFP, 22 Paper cassette, 24 Paper discharge tray, 26 Paper tray, 30 Printer unit, 31 Printer engine, 32 Photoconductor, 33 Exposure unit, 34C, 34M, 34Y, 34K Toner cartridge, 35 Developer, 36 Transfer belt 37 Secondary transfer unit, 38 Fixing unit, 39 Printer ASIC, 40 Scanner unit, 41 Scanner engine, 42 Reading unit, 44 Line image sensor, 46 Scanning unit, 49 Scanner ASIC, 50 Operation panel, 52 Operation unit, 54 Display Part, 60 main controller, 61 CPU, 62 ROM, 63 RAM, 64 flash memory, 68 buses.

Claims (6)

A printing control apparatus that controls a printing unit that prints an image on a medium and a reading unit that reads the printed image.
A plurality of setting items including a setting item for selecting an initial mode at power-on from a plurality of modes including a print mode and a reading mode as executable functions when a predetermined setting change instruction is given. The printing unit is controlled so that the setting image provided with the entry column is printed on the medium, the reading unit is controlled so that the setting image written in the entry column is read, and A print control apparatus, comprising: analyzing the read setting image using information to determine selected setting information; and reflecting the determined setting information in setting of a corresponding setting item.   The printing unit is controlled to print a changed setting item among the plurality of setting items as a confirmation image on the medium after reading the setting image written in the entry field. Item 2. The print control apparatus according to Item 1.   After reading the setting image entered in the entry field, the printing unit is controlled to print a setting item in which an entry error has occurred among the plurality of setting items as a confirmation image on the medium. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   An entry field for correcting setting items is provided in the confirmation image to control the printing means to print on the medium, and the reading means is controlled to read the confirmation image that has been entered in the entry field. 4. The print control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the read confirmation image is analyzed to determine correction, and the determination result is reflected in the setting of the corresponding setting item. The print control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which controls display means for displaying a screen.
In addition to the selection of the initial mode, the printing is performed such that a setting image provided with an entry field for selecting a language to be used from among a plurality of languages that can be displayed on the display device is printed on the medium. Controlling the reading means so that the setting image entered in the entry field can be read, and determining the selected language by analyzing the read setting image using the information relating to the entry field. Then, the determined language is set as a language of characters displayed on the display device. The print control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
In addition to the selection of the initial mode, the printing means is controlled so that a setting image provided with an entry field for selecting whether or not to save power is printed on the medium, and the setting for which the entry field has been entered Controlling the reading means so that an image is read, analyzing the read setting image using information about the entry field, determining a selected power saving state, and setting the determined power saving state. The printing control device.

Images