JP2013091221A - Image processing apparatus, method of controlling the same, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for efficiently controlling multiple types of sheets, by reducing complexity of processing of a worker, concerning the work in which sheet replacement frequently occurs.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus includes: a sheet feeding unit for storing a partition sheet describing sheet type information that is information concerning the sheet and characteristics of the sheets; a detection means for detecting the partition sheet stored in the sheet feeding unit; and a printing means for printing an image formed according to an input print job, by using the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit. When the image formation by the printing means is completed prior to the detection of the partition sheet by the detection means, the apparatus ejects the partition sheet stored in the sheet feeding unit, and also the sheet stored in the sheet feeding unit and not used for printing by the printing means.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having means for detecting information relating to a recording material (paper) on which an image is formed, and more particularly to a technique for controlling paper and paper type information stored in a paper feed unit.

  In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for direct imaging printers that do not require plates for offset printing or the like. Direct imaging printers are widely used in response to demands for shortening printing time, printing a large number of copies, and environmental problems such as discarding paper on which printing defects have occurred. Among them, inkjet printers that are advantageous in price and suitable for photographic printing, and electrophotographic printers that are highly productive and close to the finish of offset printing are more widely used. Some of these printers have a plurality of paper feeding units in order to cope with various types of printing paper or printing of a large number of pages and a large number of copies. In general, paper type information is set in advance by an operator for these paper feeding units. This paper type information is generally classified broadly from characteristics such as paper basis weight and surface properties. For example, information such as “plain paper”, “thick paper”, and “coated paper” is used as the paper type information. Set for each paper feed unit. The type of paper set in the paper feed unit is stored in the paper feed unit.

  Along with the development of electrophotographic technology, as a form of printing industry, not only a large number of copies are accepted but also a small lot, that is, a small number of originals is ordered. This is called POD (Print on Demand). There are also commercial printing business types.

  In such a form, it is required to handle various paper types according to the request of the orderer. The paper type is indicated by a paper brand or the like, and further distinguishes the paper type according to the characteristics of the paper. An image processing apparatus having a plurality of paper feeding units is generally used, but since different paper sizes are used, the types of paper that can be stored in one image processing apparatus for the same size paper are limited. In a small print shop, since the number of image processing apparatuses owned is small, it is necessary to frequently change the paper type according to the order contents, that is, to change the paper to the paper feeding unit.

  In such a trader, the operator has to frequently perform replacement work of the paper stored in the paper supply unit, and there is a possibility that a large load is applied.

  In order to overcome these difficulties, some output device manufacturers have increased the number of paper types (paper brand types) that can be loaded into one output device at a time by increasing the number of cassettes by connecting paper feed units in multiple stages. Have responded.

  However, there has been a problem that an increase in efficiency with respect to the improvement causes an increase in the cost of the output device.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a flow of processing performed by an operator at the time of paper replacement.

  When an operator prints a job that uses a new paper type, the following processing is performed. That is, whenever a sheet is replaced, the sheet previously stored in the sheet feeding unit is taken out and a new sheet is stored. Then, the paper type information of the new paper is assigned to the paper feed unit in which the new paper is stored. The taken out old paper is once returned to the storage location, resupplied to the paper feeding unit again when necessary, and paper type information is assigned to the paper fed again. Further, the taken out paper is returned to the storage place again.

  As described above, when handling a variety of paper types in a small number of image processing apparatuses, there is a problem that the user is frequently forced to perform complicated operations. Further, depending on the POD trader, when a paper storage area for managing paper having various paper types is separated from the image processing apparatus, a time loss in paper replacement is also large.

  In addition, there is also a problem that once the stored paper is taken out from the paper supply unit again, the paper is easily damaged. Against this background, a method has been proposed in which a single sheet feeding unit stores a plurality of types of paper and handles a plurality of paper types.

  As a technique for storing a plurality of types of paper in a single paper feed unit and corresponding to the plurality of paper types, a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. In Patent Document 1, when a sheet is added to the sheet feeding unit, the remaining sheet previously stored in the sheet feeding unit and the additional sheet are managed separately. Then, when sheets are added to the sheet feeding unit, sheets that are not intended by the operator are prevented from being mixed in the output. Specifically, it is detected whether or not a sheet has been added based on the position difference of the stacked plates in the paper feed or the added number information input by the user. In this way, by managing the remaining amount of the additional paper for a single paper feed unit, the cut of a plurality of paper types is recognized, and the paper stored in the single paper feed unit is managed.

JP2011-20854

  However, in the technique proposed in Patent Document 1, an error is likely to occur in the method of calculating the remaining number of sheets in the sheet feeding unit from the difference between the stacking plates, the sheet thickness, and the amount of paper. In addition, when the user inputs information related to the number of sheets fed to the sheet feeding unit as information corresponding to the sheet feeding unit, when the sheet is added to the sheet feeding unit, the number of sheets is accurately counted before feeding. It is necessary to store the paper in the part, which is troublesome. Furthermore, when discharging surplus paper stored in the paper supply unit after printing, the operator cannot intuitively determine the paper type for the discharged paper. For example, after the surplus paper is discharged, when the user returns the surplus paper to the paper storage area for reuse, there is a possibility that the paper type cannot be distinguished and returned to the wrong paper type storage location. As a result, papers classified into different paper types are mixed and stored.

  This case has been made in view of the above-described problems, and reduces the complexity of processing performed by an operator when performing an operation that frequently changes the paper in the paper feeding unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for efficiently managing paper stored in a section.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention provides a partition paper on which a sheet type information which is information relating to a sheet and characteristics of the sheet is described. An image formed in accordance with an input print job using a sheet feeding unit storing paper, a detecting unit for detecting a partition sheet stored in the sheet feeding unit, and a sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit. When the image formation by the printing unit is completed prior to the detection of the partition paper by the detection unit, the partition paper stored in the paper supply unit and the paper stored in the paper supply unit A sheet that has not been used for printing is discharged.

  According to the present invention, the partition paper is stored in the paper supply unit, so that when the print job runs short, the paper is urged to replenish the paper, and when the print job is completed, the surplus is left. The paper is discharged together with the partition paper.

  Therefore, when there is a surplus, the surplus paper and the partition paper describing the characteristics of the paper are discharged out of the apparatus, so that the surplus paper is stored with correct information.

  In this way, when performing operations that frequently cause paper replacement to the paper feed unit, the complexity of processing performed by the operator is reduced, and the management of paper stored in a single paper feed unit is efficient. Can be done automatically.

It is a figure which shows the work flow at the time of the conventional paper replacement | exchange. It is a block diagram of an image processing device. It is sectional drawing of an image processing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a sheet feeding unit in which a sensor is installed and a sheet. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating processing in a partition sheet mode according to the first exemplary embodiment. It is an example of the screen which switches validity / invalidity of a partition paper mode. FIG. 10 is a screen for selecting a paper feed unit for registering paper information of paper used in the partition paper mode. It is an example of a selection screen of a paper registration method in a partition paper mode. It is a figure explaining the paper registration method in partition paper mode. It is an example of the process completion notification screen in the partition paper mode. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of the printing in partition paper mode. It is an example of a warning message when there is a shortage of paper during printing in the partition paper mode. It is a figure which shows the state of the discharged surplus paper and a partition paper. It is a figure which shows the state of the discharged surplus paper and a partition paper. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a partition paper mode process in the second embodiment. 10 is an example of a partition sheet mode sheet registration process completion notification screen according to the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a storage example of paper and a storage method of paper type information according to the second embodiment. 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing when printing multiple jobs in a partition paper mode. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a storage state of sheets and partition sheets in a sheet feeding unit 21 according to a third exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an order of a partition sheet 2004 and a corresponding sheet according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating processing in a partition sheet mode according to the third embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating processing at the time of printing in the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a paper type verification process in Embodiment 3. FIG. 14 is an example of a partition sheet generation screen for a sheet stored prior to a sheet used for printing in Embodiment 3. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the entire electrophotographic image processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

  The image processing apparatus 100 includes an image forming unit 203 and an image processing unit 202. The image processing unit 202 generates bitmap image information, and the image forming unit 203 forms an image on a recording medium based thereon.

  The controller unit 201 is connected to a scanner (not shown) that is an image input device and a printer 202 that is an image output device. On the other hand, the controller unit 201 is connected to a network such as a LAN or a public line (not shown) to input image information and device information. It is a controller for performing output.

  The system bus 101 is configured by a high-speed bus such as a PCI bus or IEEE1394. FIG. 2 shows only devices related to the present embodiment. Needless to say, the system bus 101 is connected to a network connection I / F and a scanner I / F necessary for an MFP (not shown).

  The CPU 102 functions as a controller that controls the entire digital multi-function peripheral.

  A RAM 104 is a system work memory for the CPU 102 to operate, and is also used as an image memory for temporarily storing image data.

  The ROM 103 is used as a boot ROM, and stores a boot program for the digital multifunction peripheral.

  The external memory I / F 105 is an external memory I / F such as an HDD, and can read and write data stored in the external storage unit 106.

  The external storage unit 106 is an external memory such as an HDD, a DDR3 memory, or a NAND flash memory. In addition to personal data such as system software, image data, and address book, the storage unit stores a patch pattern necessary for this embodiment.

  The device I / F 107 can communicate with the image processing unit 202 and the image forming unit 203 to issue a print execution command, transfer image data, and read an engine status.

  The operation unit I / F 108 connects the operation unit 109 and the controller unit 201. The operation unit 109 varies from a switch and LED only to a touch panel type LCD display unit. Information input through the operation unit 109 is transmitted to the CPU 102 via the operation unit I / F 108, performs a desired process, and accordingly displays on a display unit (not illustrated) provided in the operation unit 109.

  Next, the operation of the image forming unit 203 in the image processing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming unit 203 forms an electrostatic latent image with exposure light that is turned on based on the exposure time converted by the image processing unit 202, and develops the electrostatic latent image to form a single color toner image. The single-color toner images are superimposed to form a multi-color toner image, the multi-color toner image is transferred to the paper 11, and the multi-color toner image on the paper 11 is fixed. Paper feed unit 21, photoreceptors 22Y-K, injection charging units 23Y-K, toner cartridges 25Y-K, development units 26Y-K, intermediate transfer body 27, transfer roller 28, cleaning unit 29, fixing unit 30, and spectral sensor 41.

  The photosensitive drums (photoconductors) 22Y to 22K are configured by applying an organic optical transmission layer to the outer periphery of an aluminum cylinder, and are rotated by the driving force of a driving motor (not shown) being transmitted. The driving motor is a photosensitive drum. 22Y to 22K are rotated counterclockwise according to the image forming operation.

  As a temporary charging means, each station is provided with four injection chargers 23Y to 23K for charging the photoreceptors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The injection charger is provided with sleeves 23YS to KS.

  Exposure light to the photosensitive drums 22Y to 22K is sent from the scanner units 24Y to 24K, and an electrostatic latent image is formed by selectively exposing the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 22Y to 22K.

  As developing means, in order to visualize the electrostatic latent image, four stations 26Y to 26K for developing yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are provided for each station. In the configuration, each developing device is provided with sleeves 26YS to KS. Each developing device is detachably attached.

  The intermediate transfer body 27 is in contact with the photosensitive drums 22Y to 22K, rotates in the clockwise direction at the time of image formation, and rotates with the rotation of the photosensitive drums 22Y to 22K, so that a single color toner image is transferred. Thereafter, a transfer roller 28 (to be described later) comes into contact with the intermediate transfer body 27 to sandwich and convey the paper 11, and the multicolor toner image on the intermediate transfer body 27 is transferred to the paper 11.

  The transfer roller 28 contacts the paper 11 at the position 28a while transferring the multicolor toner image onto the paper 11, and is separated to the position 28b after the printing process. The fixing unit 30 melts and fixes the transferred multi-color toner image while transporting the paper 11. The fixing roller 31 that heats the paper 11 and the paper 11 are pressed against the fixing roller 31 as shown in FIG. A pressure roller 32 is provided. The fixing roller 31 and the pressure roller 32 are formed in a hollow shape, and heaters 33 and 34 are incorporated therein, respectively. That is, the sheet 11 holding the multicolor toner image is conveyed by the fixing roller 31 and the pressure roller 32, and heat and pressure are applied to fix the toner on the surface.

  The paper 11 after the toner image is fixed is then discharged to a discharge tray (not shown) by a discharge roller (not shown), and the image forming operation is completed. The cleaning unit 29 cleans the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer member 27. Waste toner after the transfer of the four-color multicolor toner image formed on the intermediate transfer member 27 onto the paper 11 is a cleaner. Stored in a container.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the paper feed unit in which the sensor 41 is arranged and the paper. The sensor 41 is installed behind the paper feeding unit 21 in the paper feeding direction.

  This is arranged so that the detection of the partition sheet 401 is completed while the sheet 402 is conveyed one by one for printing the next page when the partition sheet 401 is detected during a printing process to be described later. Thereby, the influence which the detection of the partition paper 401 has on printing performance can be suppressed.

  In addition, the sensor 41 is installed so that an intermediate portion of the sheet can be detected with respect to the vertical direction of the conveyance method of the sheet feeding unit 21. Accordingly, the sensor can detect information on the paper regardless of the size of the paper loaded on the paper feeding unit 21.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the partition paper 401 is disposed below the paper 402 as a partition paper corresponding to the paper 402. That is, the paper corresponding to the partition paper is stored in the paper supply unit 21 after the partition paper is stored. The paper corresponding to the partition paper refers to a paper having the paper type information described in the partition paper. Further, the paper type information is information relating to the paper type that is the characteristic of the paper, and specifically includes information including the size, basis weight, surface property, color, and the like of the paper. This information can be registered by the user. The registered information is stored in the storage unit as sheet feeding unit information for storing the sheet. The registration method will be explained later.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, a marker 404 and user-readable paper type information 405 are printed on the partition paper 401. The printing on the partition paper will be described later. The marker 404 is printed at the rear part in the paper transport direction and at the central part of the paper so that the sensor 41 can detect it. The sensor 41 may be any type of sensor as long as the presence / absence of the marker 404 can be detected. For example, the sensor 41 may irradiate a portion where the marker is arranged and detect the presence / absence of the marker by the difference in reflected light. That's fine. With such an arrangement, the partition paper 401 including the paper type information of the paper 402 is detected by the sensor after all the paper 402 is fed.

  Next, a processing flow performed by an operator when using the partition paper (in the partition paper mode) in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, as shown in 501, as STEP 1, input of paper type information stored in the paper feeding unit 21 using the partition paper and generation processing of the partition paper are performed. Details of the processing in this step will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  Next, as shown in 502, the partition sheet and the sheet are stored in STEP 2 as the sheet feeding unit 21 using the partition sheet. The storage order is as described in FIG.

  Next, as shown in 503, a print job is executed as STEP3. For example, a print job is transmitted from the computer (not shown) to the image processing apparatus 100 in the form of PDL (Page Description Language). Then, the image processing apparatus 100 forms an image according to the transmitted print job, and the formed image is printed on the fed paper.

  Finally, as shown at 504, when the print job is completed as STEP4, if there is an excess sheet that is not necessary for executing the print job, this sheet is discharged. In addition, a paper discharge process for the partition paper corresponding to the paper instructed to be used for execution of the print job is performed. If there is paper stored in the paper feed unit before the partition paper (paper stored in the paper feed unit at this time), the paper type information of this paper is supplied to the paper feed of this paper feed unit. Read from department information. The processing of STEP3 / STEP4 will be described later using the flowchart of FIG.

  Note that the partition mode can be switched to the normal mode by displaying a selection screen such as 601 in FIG. 6 on a display unit (not shown) in the operation unit 109 and making it selectable.

  Hereinafter, the details of the processing in each step of FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a screen for registering paper type information in the partition paper mode and selecting a paper feed unit that distinguishes the paper type of the paper stored by the partition paper. In the dialog 701, a message area 702 for prompting selection of a paper feed unit, a paper feed unit list 703 included in the image processing apparatus 100, and a schematic diagram 704 of the image forming apparatus are displayed. The paper storage unit list 703 displays the currently stored paper size. In addition, a “return” button 707, a “next” button 708, and a “cancel” button 709 are arranged on this screen, and the process proceeds in a wizard format. FIG. 5 shows the state of the screen immediately after the first paper feed unit 705 is selected. Intuitiveness is enhanced by making the corresponding paper feed unit 706 identifiable even in the schematic view 704 of the image forming apparatus. Further, detailed information including the paper type information of the paper type stored in the selected paper feed unit 705 is displayed in the area 710. In this state, a “next” button 708 is pressed to display the next screen shown in FIG. 8, that is, a paper registration method selection screen.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a paper registration method selection screen. Either “new registration” or “select from registered paper type” can be selected by radio buttons 802 and 803.

  FIG. 9A is a diagram for explaining a sheet registration method in the partition sheet mode, and is a screen displayed when “new registration” is selected by the radio button 802 in FIG.

  FIG. 9B is a diagram for explaining a sheet registration method in the partition sheet mode, and is a screen displayed when “select from registered sheet type” is selected by the radio button 803 in FIG.

  In FIG. 9A, paper type information 903 to 906 is displayed in the dialog 901, and each item can be selected or edited by the user. A name 902 can be added to the paper type information. These pieces of information are added at the time of partition paper printing described later.

  In FIG. 9B, a dialog 910 displays a paper type information list 911 that has been registered in the past, and can be selected by a radio button 914. In this example, the registered name of the paper type information is displayed in the column 912 and the registration date and time is displayed in the column 913. However, the paper type information as indicated by reference numerals 903 to 906 in FIG. Good.

  Information relating to the characteristics of the paper stored in the paper feed unit selected in this way (paper type information) is registered by the user and stored in the paper feed unit as the paper feed unit information of this paper feed unit. The sheet type information of the sheet to be registered is registered and held in the external storage unit 106 of the image processing apparatus 100.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the processing completion notification screen in the partition paper mode. The dialog 1001 displays the paper type information associated with the newly selected paper feeding unit, and the processing is performed when the end button 1002 is pressed. Is completed. In addition, a check box 1002 can change whether or not to print the partition paper. In the initial setting, “print divider paper” is selected. In the past registered paper, if the divider paper has been printed in the past, this divider paper can be reused. In this case, the check box is set so that the divider paper is not printed by 1002. You can also save paper.

  The processing in STEP 1 in FIG. 5 (paper type registration / input and partition paper generation) is completed by the processing in FIGS. Subsequently, as STEP 2, the partition paper and the paper are stored in the paper feeding unit 21 that uses the partition paper.

  Next, processing at the time of printing in the partition paper mode shown in STEP 3 and STEP 4 in FIG. 5 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

  This flowchart is realized when the controller unit 201 of the image processing apparatus 100 executes the program according to a program stored in the ROM 103.

  First, a print job designated to use the paper stored in the paper supply unit 21 (paper 402 in FIG. 4) is executed. In step S1101, it is determined whether or not the print job has been completed. If it is determined that the print job has ended, the process advances to step S1109. If it is not determined that the print job has ended, the process advances to step S1102 to perform print processing for one page.

  Here, when one of the sheets stored in the sheet feeding unit 21 is transported on the top surface, the sheet stacked on the top surface among the sheets stored in the sheet feeding unit 21 is transferred in S1103. Detection by the sensor 41 is performed to check whether the paper is a partition sheet. Specifically, the sensor 41 detects the presence / absence of a marker for a predetermined position of the paper stacked on the uppermost surface.

  In step S1104, it is determined whether or not the sheet stacked on the top surface of the sheet feeding unit 21 is a partition sheet. If it is not a partition sheet, the process proceeds to step S1105 and the job is continued.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1104 that the sheet is a partition sheet, all sheets stored in the sheet feeding unit 21 to be used for execution of the print job at the same time when the print job is insufficient or at the end of the print job are fed. Therefore, it is considered that it has disappeared from the inside of the paper feed unit. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S1106, and a message prompting the user to replenish paper is displayed before the partition paper is discharged.

  FIG. 12 is an example of a warning message when there is a shortage of paper during printing. In FIG. 20, when the job end button 1202 is pressed, it is determined in step S1107 that the job has been canceled, and the process advances to step S1109. On the other hand, if the paper supply button 1203 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S1108. When it is confirmed that the paper supply is completed, the process returns to S1105 and the job is continued.

  The processing after the end of the print job will be described after step S1109.

  First, in step S1109, detection is performed by the sensor 41 to check whether or not the sheet stacked on the uppermost surface is a partition sheet in the same process as in S1103.

  Subsequently, when it is determined in step S1110 that the sheet is a partition sheet, the process proceeds to step S1112 described later, and the partition sheet is discharged. If it is determined in step S1110 that the sheet is not a partition sheet, the process advances to step S1111 to perform a one-sheet discharge process from the surplus sheets remaining in the sheet feeding unit 21, and the process returns to step S1109. By repeating this step, surplus paper that has been stored in the paper supply unit 21 and has not been used to complete the print job is discharged.

  In addition to the paper discharge unit 36, a surplus paper discharge destination may be a location different from the print job discharge destination, such as an escape tray (not shown) of the image forming apparatus.

  FIGS. 13 and 14 are diagrams illustrating the state of the surplus sheets and the partition sheets discharged in step S1112. As shown in FIG. 13, the partition paper 401 and the surplus paper 402b are discharged.

  FIG. 14 illustrates a state in which, of the paper 402 illustrated in FIG. 4, the surplus paper 402 b and the partition paper 401 that have not been used for executing the print job are discharged to the paper discharge unit 36. Since the paper type information that is readable by the user is printed on the partition paper 401, the paper type for the discharged surplus paper can be intuitively recognized. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of a human error such as returning the surplus paper discharged after the end of the job to the paper storage location when returning to the paper storage location.

  On the other hand, step S1113 is a process corresponding to STEP4 in FIG. The paper type information of the paper stored in the paper supply unit 21 before storing (adding) the paper used for executing the print job and the partition paper corresponding to this paper is obtained from the paper supply unit information of the storage unit. read out. Then, the paper type information is set for the paper feeding unit 21.

  More specifically, when the surplus paper that has not been used for executing the print job in the paper 402 in FIG. 4 is discharged together with the partition paper 401, the paper 402 and the partition paper are stored in the paper feeding unit 21 before the paper 402. The paper type information of the paper 403 that has been read is read from the paper feed unit information.

  The paper type information included in the paper feed unit information is held in the external storage unit 106 and developed in the RAM 104 after image formation is started.

  Further, when no sheet is stored in the sheet feeding unit 21, the resetting process may not be performed. Further, even when the paper type of the previously stored paper is not registered in the paper supply unit 21, this resetting process may not be performed.

  Thus, if paper type information is registered in advance for a sheet having different characteristics divided by a partition sheet in a single sheet feeding unit, the sheet feeding unit is replaced each time the sheet stored in the sheet feeding unit is replaced. It is not necessary to perform the paper type information registration process for. Therefore, the user's work efficiency can be improved.

  With the above processing, even if a plurality of types of paper are stored in one paper feeding unit, it is possible to detect that the paper type fed during printing is changed.

  Then, in a job that requires frequent paper replacement for the paper feed unit, the paper stored in the paper feed unit is temporarily taken out, the paper used for execution of the print job is stored, and after execution of this print job is completed Thus, the trouble of returning the taken out paper to the paper feeding unit is reduced. In addition, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of mistakes such as when the operator returns the surplus paper discharged after the job to the original paper storage location to the storage location for the paper having the wrong paper type. As described above, it is possible to efficiently manage the sheets stored in the sheet feeding unit.

  In the first embodiment, processing corresponding to execution of one print job has been described.

  In contrast, in this embodiment, processing corresponding to execution of a plurality of print jobs will be described in detail.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating processing in the partition sheet mode according to the second embodiment.

  First, as in step 501 in FIG. 5, in step 1501, a process for registering sheet type information of a sheet stored in the sheet feeding unit 21 that uses a partition sheet and a generation process for the partition sheet are performed as STEP 1. Here, only the difference between the processing of this step and 501 will be described.

  FIG. 16 is an example of a partition mode mode sheet registration process completion notification screen in the second embodiment, and is displayed immediately after FIG. 10 in the first embodiment. On the screen 1601, a message for inquiring whether or not to register a new sheet to the sheet feeding unit 21 is displayed. When the button 1602 is pressed, the process returns to FIG. 7 and registration of the paper type information of the paper newly stored in the paper feeding unit is possible. On the other hand, the registration process is completed by pressing 1603.

  Returning to FIG. 15, when the processing of 1501 is finished, next, as indicated by 1502, as STEP 2, the partition paper and the paper are stored in the paper feeding unit 21 that uses the partition paper.

  FIG. 17A is a diagram illustrating a sheet storage example according to the second embodiment. A plurality of sheets 1701a, 1702a, and 1703a are stored in the sheet feeder 21 corresponding to the partition sheets 1701b, 1702b, and 1703b, respectively, in the single sheet feeder 21. The storage order is the same as the order described in FIG. That is, sheets with different sheet types are stacked and stored in the order of 1701a, 1702a, and 1703a from the top surface of the sheet feeding unit. The paper feeding unit 21 stores the paper 1704 in the paper feeding unit 21 before storing (adding) the papers 1701a to 1703a used for executing the print job and the partition paper corresponding to the paper. Yes. The paper type information of the paper 1704 is registered in the paper feed unit information of the paper feed unit 21.

  Partition papers 1701b to 1703b are inserted between the papers 1701a to 1703a in which the paper types are distinguished. When a plurality of paper type information is registered, the paper type information included in the paper feed unit information is arranged as shown in FIG. That is, the paper type information of the paper supply unit 21 is arranged so that the paper type information can be sequentially read from the paper type information of the paper stacked on the top of the paper supply unit, and the storage unit in the apparatus Is remembered. Further, by reading the paper feed unit information, it is possible to know how many partition sheets are stored in a single paper feed unit, and thereby how many types of paper types are stored.

  Next, as shown in 1503, a print job is executed as STEP3.

  Finally, as shown in 1504, as STEP 4, when the print job is finished, the surplus paper and the corresponding partition paper are discharged, and the paper previously stored in the paper feeding unit before the partition paper is inserted Read the paper type information. The processing of STEP3 / STEP4 is repeated for the number of paper types registered in STEP1.

  When the paper of FIG. 17 is stored in the paper supply unit 21, first, a print job instructed to use the paper 1701a is executed. Then, the partition paper 1701b is discharged. At this time, if there is a surplus paper of 1701a, the paper is also discharged. Next, a print job instructed to use the 1702a sheet is executed. Then, the partition paper 1702b is discharged. At this time, if there is a surplus paper of 1702a, that paper is also discharged. In this way, the job execution using the paper partitioned by the partition paper and the discharge of the partition paper and the surplus paper are repeated.

  This process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This flowchart is realized when the controller unit 201 of the image processing apparatus 100 executes the program according to a program stored in the ROM 103.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing processing when a plurality of print jobs are executed in the partition paper mode.

  Steps S1101 to S1114 in the drawing are the same as the processing in FIG.

  In step S1801, all jobs to be executed using a sheet that is stored in the sheet feeding unit 21 selected as a target to be processed by the user using the partition sheet mode and in which sheet type information is registered for the sheet feeding unit. If completed, the process is terminated. If all jobs have not been completed, the process advances to step S1101.

  In step S1802, it is determined whether the partition paper ejected in step S1112 is the last partition paper. This can be determined by detecting how many types of paper types included in the paper feed unit information of the paper feed unit 21 are included, and comparing the number of types and the number of ejected partition sheets.

  Thereby, it is determined whether all the partition sheets corresponding to the sheet types registered in the sheet feeding unit 21 have been discharged.

  If it is determined that all the partition sheets have been discharged, the process advances to step S1103 to read the sheet type information of the sheet 1704 stored prior to the storage of the sheets 1701a to 1703a. Set the paper type information. If it is determined that all the partition sheets have not been discharged, the process advances to step S1803. Then, the paper type information corresponding to the next print job is read, and the paper type information of the paper used for performing the next print job is set to the paper feeding unit 21.

  In step S1804, a flag indicating that execution of all print jobs instructed to print using the paper stored after the storage of the paper 1704 is completed is set, and the process returns to step S1801.

  With the above processing, when a plurality of print jobs are executed, paper having different paper types that are instructed to be used when each print job is executed can be managed in one paper feed unit.

  In addition, with a single paper feed unit, registration processing of paper type information for the paper feed unit is performed every time the paper stored in the paper feed unit is replaced with paper having different characteristics partitioned by a plurality of partition sheets. You don't have to. Therefore, when performing an operation that frequently changes the paper in the paper feeding unit, the complexity of processing performed by the operator is reduced, and the management of the paper stored in a single paper feeding unit is efficiently performed. It becomes possible to do.

  In the previous first and second embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 17, the mode in which the paper corresponding to the partition paper is stored in the paper feeding unit 21 after the partition paper is stored has been described. . In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the storage order is changed, that is, the partition paper is stored in the upper part of the paper corresponding to the partition paper.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a storage state of the paper and the partition paper in the paper supply unit 21 in this embodiment.

  A plurality of sheets 1701a, 1702a, and 1703a are stored in the sheet feeding unit 21 corresponding to the partition sheets 1701c, 1702c, and 1703c, respectively. The storage order is the reverse of the order described with reference to FIGS. That is, sheets with different sheet types are stacked and stored in the order of 1701a, 1702a, and 1703a from the top surface of the sheet feeding unit. Further, partition sheets (1701c to 1703c) are stacked on the sheets in which the respective sheet types are distinguished.

  The paper feeding unit 21 stores the paper 1704 in the paper feeding unit 21 before storing (adding) the papers 1701a to 1703a used for executing the print job and the partition paper corresponding to the paper. Yes. The paper type information of the paper 1704 is registered in the paper feed unit information of the paper feed unit 21. Further, a partition paper 1901 corresponding to the paper 1704 is arranged.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the order of the partition paper 1701c and the corresponding paper in this embodiment. On the divider paper 1701c, the user-readable paper type information is printed as in the previous embodiment. In this embodiment, a QR code (registered trademark) 2004 including paper type information is printed as a marker on the partition paper 1701c. In this case, the sensor 41 may be configured by a known QR code (registered trademark) reader or the like. Here, the information stored in the QR code (registered trademark) 2004 is, for example, information (paper type information) relating to the characteristics of the paper described in FIG. In this embodiment, the QR code (registered trademark) is included in the partition paper. However, a form using additional information and a reader function for achieving the same purpose may be used. Further, the stacking order of the paper 1701a corresponding to the partition paper 1701c, and the partition paper 1702c and the paper 1702a is reverse to the previous embodiment. Therefore, after the partition paper 1701c is detected, the paper 1701a is fed.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating processing in the partition sheet mode according to the third embodiment.

  First, in 2100, as STEP0, a partition paper corresponding to the paper stored in the paper supply unit 21 is generated before the paper used for executing the print job to be processed is stored (added).

  The generation of the partition paper 1901 corresponding to the paper stored in the paper supply unit 21 before storing (adding) the papers 1701a to 1703a is displayed on a display unit (not shown) provided in the operation unit 109. This is implemented via a dialog as shown in FIG. When the OK button 2403 is pressed, a partition sheet having sheet type information corresponding to the sheet stored in the designated sheet feeding unit is printed.

  Returning to FIG. 21, in STEP 1501, processing for registering the paper type information of the paper stored in the paper supply unit 21 using the partition paper and generation processing of the partition paper are performed as STEP1. The details of the process are the same as those in the second embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  Next, as shown in 2102, as STEP 2, the partition paper and the paper are stored in the paper feeding unit 21 that uses the partition paper.

  As shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 regarding the storage order of the partition paper and the paper, first, the partition paper 1901 corresponding to the paper stored in the paper supply unit is stored before the paper used for executing the print job. . Then, the sheets 1701a to 1703a instructed to be used for the print job to be executed from now on and the corresponding partition sheets are sequentially stored. Hereinafter, the processing of STEP 3 in FIG. 21 will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS. 22 and 23. These flowcharts are realized when the controller unit 201 of the image processing apparatus 100 executes the program according to a program stored in the ROM 103.

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the paper type verification process in step S2201 of FIG.

  First, in step S2301, sheet information is read from the partition sheet. Specifically, the sensor 41 reads paper type information embedded in a QR code (registered trademark) 2004 printed on the marker 401.

  In the subsequent step S2302, the read paper type information is compared with the paper type information associated with the paper feed unit 21.

  Here, in step S2303, it is determined whether the paper type information matches. If they match, it is determined that there is no problem, and the process advances to step S2306. In step S2306, the partition paper is discharged. On the other hand, if the paper type information does not match, the paper type stored in the paper feed unit and the paper type information registered in the paper feed unit information of the paper feed unit 21 do not match, and the process advances to step S2305. . In step S2305, an error is displayed to prompt storage of a sheet having the same sheet type as the registered sheet type information. When the sensor detects that the paper type is the same as the registered paper type information, the paper type verification process in step S2201 ends. Thereafter, the printing process is performed in the same manner as the process described in the second embodiment. Then, after the printing process is completed, the excess paper is discharged. Here, the partition paper is detected as in the previous embodiment. Unlike the previous embodiment, this partition paper includes paper type information of the paper to be fed next. Accordingly, in step S2202, the paper type information associated with the paper feed unit 21 is switched to the paper type information for the next print job. Thereafter, the paper type verification process described in S2201 is performed. Since other processes are the same as those in the second embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, the embodiment in which the storage order of the sheets corresponding to the partition sheets is changed has been described. This makes it possible to verify the consistency between the stored paper type and the paper type registered in the paper feeding unit. Therefore, before executing a print job, it is possible to determine whether or not the paper used in the print job has the correct paper type information.

  Also, when performing operations that frequently cause paper replacement to the paper feed unit, the complexity of processing performed by the operator is reduced, and management of paper stored in a single paper feed unit is efficiently performed. It becomes possible to do.

(Other examples)
The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

Claims (8)

A paper feed unit for storing a partition paper in which paper type information which is information on the paper and characteristics of the paper is described;
Detecting means for detecting the partition paper stored in the paper feeding unit;
Printing means for printing an image formed according to an input print job using paper fed from the paper feeding unit;
When the image formation by the printing unit is completed prior to the detection of the partition paper by the detection unit,
An image processing apparatus for discharging a partition sheet stored in the sheet feeding unit and a sheet stored in the sheet feeding unit and not used for printing by the printing unit.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partition paper includes paper type information that can be identified by a user.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the partition sheet is detected by the detection unit, a display is made to prompt the user to finish the print job or to feed the sheet. When the paper having the second paper type information is stored in the paper feeding unit so that the paper having the second paper type information is fed next to the paper having the first paper type information,
The second sheet type information is read out after a sheet having the first sheet type information and a partition sheet on which the first sheet type information is written are discharged from the sheet feeding unit. Item 8. The image processing apparatus according to Item 1.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partition paper is stacked on a lower portion or an upper portion of a paper having paper type information described on the partition paper.   The said detection means reads the paper type information of the paper contained in the said partition paper, when the said partition paper is loaded on the upper part of the paper which has the paper type information described on the said partition paper, The image processing apparatus according to 1. A control method of an image processing apparatus having a paper feed unit that stores a paper sheet and partition paper in which paper type information that is information on characteristics of the paper is described.
A detection step of detecting a partition paper stored in the paper feeding unit;
A printing step of printing an image formed according to an input print job using paper fed from the paper feeding unit;
When the image formation by the printing step is completed before the detection of the partition paper by the detection step, the partition paper stored in the paper feeding unit and the paper stored in the paper feeding unit are not used for printing by the printing unit. A method for controlling an image processing apparatus, wherein the sheet is discharged.   A program for causing a computer to execute the control method of the image processing apparatus according to claim 7.

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