JP2017097775A - Autonomously traveling image forming system, server device, self-propelled image forming apparatus, printing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an autonomously traveling image forming system that reduces a user's waiting time until printing in using a self-propelled device including a print head that requires maintenance before printing.SOLUTION: There is provided the autonomously traveling image forming system having a self-propelled image forming apparatus and a server connected to each other via a network, in which the self-propelled image forming apparatus includes an autonomously traveling device 260 that autonomously travels on the basis of an instruction from the server, and an image forming apparatus 210 including a print head, a maintenance execution part that performs maintenance of the print head, and a time notification part that notifies the server of a time elapsed from the previous printing. A server 300 includes an elapsed time acquisition part that acquires the elapsed time from the self-propelled image forming apparatus, when receiving a print request S001, determines whether maintenance of the print head is necessary on the basis of the acquired elapsed time S005, and when determining that the maintenance is necessary, outputs, to the image forming apparatus, an instruction to travel by itself and an instruction to execute maintenance S009, S010.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling image forming system, a server device, a self-propelled image forming device, a printing method, and a program.

  In an office environment in which a limited number of installed image forming apparatuses are shared by a plurality of people, when a user instructs printing, a technology for printing by moving a self-propelled image forming apparatus capable of autonomous traveling to the user For example, it is disclosed by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2010-243848 (patent document 1). This technology executes a request job when a request job is received by a rechargeable battery serving as a drive source for the travel device and the image forming apparatus body, a remaining battery capacity detection unit that detects a remaining battery capacity, and a reception unit. Job power calculation means for calculating job power required to perform, travel power calculation means for calculating travel power required for the travel device to travel to the terminal device, total of job power and travel power, and remaining battery capacity Based on the comparison results, the installation location of the terminal device and the battery station for charging the battery are determined as the destination, and it is possible to prevent the vehicle from becoming unable to travel during movement. It is technology about doing.

  In a device that ejects liquid, if printing is not performed for a certain period of time since the previous printing, it is necessary to perform a maintenance operation to recover the state of the liquid ejection head at the start of the next printing. For this reason, when the user instructs printing and the self-propelled image forming apparatus moves to the user and starts printing, a certain period of time, i.e., time that requires head maintenance, has elapsed since the previous printing. Then, the maintenance process is performed before the printing process. Therefore, it takes time for the maintenance process until the printing is started after the self-propelled image forming apparatus arrives at the user. As a result, there is a problem that the waiting time of the user becomes long even if the device for discharging the liquid arrives at the user.

  On the other hand, the above-described known technique is a technique for preventing the vehicle from being unable to run during the movement, and no consideration is given to the maintenance of the liquid discharge head.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the waiting time of the user until printing when using a self-propelled apparatus equipped with a print head that requires maintenance before printing.

  In order to solve the above problems, an aspect of the present invention is an autonomous traveling image forming system including a self-propelled image forming apparatus and a server device connected in a network environment, wherein the self-propelled image forming apparatus includes An autonomous traveling device unit that autonomously travels based on an instruction from the server device, a print head that prints on a print medium, a maintenance execution unit that performs maintenance of the print head, and an elapsed time from the previous printing time for the server device. An image forming apparatus section including a time notification section for notifying, and the server apparatus includes an elapsed time acquisition section for acquiring an elapsed time from the previous printing from the time notification section of the self-propelled image forming apparatus. When the print request is received, it is determined whether the maintenance of the print head is necessary based on the acquired elapsed time, and the maintenance is determined to be necessary , And outputs the instruction for executing the instruction and the maintenance of self-propelled in the image forming apparatus unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when using the self-propelled image forming apparatus provided with the print head which needs a maintenance before printing, the waiting time of the user until printing can be reduced. Note that problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified in the following description of embodiments.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the system configuration | structure in the autonomous running image forming system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 2A and 2B are explanatory views showing the overall configuration of the self-propelled image forming apparatus in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the outer shape of the self-propelled image forming apparatus, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a self-propelled image forming apparatus in the autonomous traveling system which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and a communication structure with a server. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the image forming apparatus in the autonomous running system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the autonomous running apparatus in the autonomous running image formation system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the server in the autonomous running image forming system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus main body in an autonomous running image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure of the autonomous running apparatus in the autonomous running image formation system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure of the server in the autonomous running image forming system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an activity diagram explaining the outline | summary of the flow of the process in embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for determining a target machine from print reception in the server according to the first exemplary embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for determining a target machine from print reception in a server according to a second exemplary embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for determining a target machine from print reception in a server according to a third exemplary embodiment.

  A feature of this embodiment is that, in an environment where a plurality of self-propelled image forming apparatuses are installed, a server apparatus that receives a print request from a user waits when determining an image forming apparatus to be moved to the user. It is to check whether or not maintenance of the print head is necessary with respect to the image forming apparatus in the middle, and if there is something necessary, to perform maintenance and start moving. Note that, as an example of a self-propelled image forming apparatus, for example, an apparatus that forms an image on a sheet by discharging liquid is illustrated in the present embodiment. Therefore, an apparatus that discharges liquid is described as an image forming apparatus. An apparatus that discharges a self-propelled liquid is referred to as a self-propelled image forming apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a system configuration in an autonomous traveling image forming system (hereinafter referred to as an autonomous traveling system) according to the present embodiment. 1, the autonomous traveling system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a group of host terminals 100 (100-1, 100-2,... 100-M: M is an integer greater than or equal to 1) connected in the same network 2 environment. Corresponding to the number of connected host terminals, hereinafter collectively referred to as reference numeral 100), self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 group (200-1, 200-2,... 200-N: N: It is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and corresponds to the number of connected self-propelled image forming apparatuses (hereinafter collectively referred to as reference numeral 200) and the server 300.

  In the autonomous traveling system 1, the server 300 receives data transmitted from a host terminal (in the present invention, a PC terminal, a mobile terminal, etc.) 100 via a network 2 via a communication medium 400 such as wireless communication. Receiving the data, the server 300 determines the location of the user who has requested printing and instructs the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 to move. Further, the server 300 transmits data to the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 while the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 is moving (or after the movement). The self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 interprets the received data to generate and print image data to be printed.

  The network 2 is configured by a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, and can be configured to be connected by a public line such as a telephone line. In FIG. 1, a plurality of host terminals 100 and a self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 are connected to the network 2 to configure the autonomous traveling image forming system 1, but the host terminal 100 and the self-propelled image forming apparatus are included. It goes without saying that 200 may be singular. Further, in FIG. 1, the autonomous running image forming system 1 is configured to be connected to a single network 2, but may be configured to be connected to different networks to construct one system.

  1 includes, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark), USB (Universal Serial Bus), Bluetooth (Bluetooth: registered trademark), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity: registered trademark), and FeliCa (registered trademark). ), PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), VGA (Video Graphic Array), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standard, and other networks.

  Each of the host terminals 100 is an information processing terminal operated by a user, and a PC (Personal Computer) is generally used, but a portable information terminal such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a smartphone, or a tablet terminal may be used. it can.

  In addition, the host terminals 100 each transmit digitized data (hereinafter referred to as “print file”) to be printed by the image forming apparatus (printer) 210 (FIG. 3) to the server 300 in response to a user operation. And issue a print instruction for a print file selected from the stored print files.

  The server 300 is a shared server existing on the network 2 and manages the image forming apparatus 210 so that it can be used from each host terminal 100. The server 300 accumulates the print file transmitted from the host terminal 100 in accordance with the print instruction issued from each host terminal 100, and the print file selected from the accumulated print file is stored in the image forming apparatus. 210 is printed.

  2A and 2B are explanatory views showing the overall configuration of the self-propelled image forming apparatus. FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the outer shape of the self-propelled image forming apparatus, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship with an apparatus.

  The self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment basically includes an upper image forming apparatus 210 and a lower autonomous traveling apparatus 260. The image forming apparatus 210 includes an image forming apparatus communication unit 2101 to be described later, receives a user command from another information device such as a personal computer or a PDA, forms an image based on the command, and is designated by the command. This is a robot type image forming apparatus having a function of delivering an image (printed material) that is self-propelled to a certain position and output to a user.

  In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 210 is a composite ink jet image forming apparatus equipped with functions of a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile. The image forming apparatus 210 includes an apparatus main body 2020, an image reading unit 2021, a print head 2023, a printer drive battery 226, a paper discharge unit 2028, and the like.

  The apparatus main body 2020 is a housing of the image forming apparatus 210, and the image reading unit 2021 is disposed at the uppermost part of the apparatus main body 2020 and has a scanner function for reading a document image. The print head 2023 is disposed along the paper conveyance path, and forms an image on the paper by ejecting ink onto the paper.

  The printer drive battery 226 is a storage battery (battery) as a power source. The paper feeding unit 2027 is disposed at the lowermost part of the apparatus main body 2020, and accommodates a plurality of copy sheets as sheet materials and feeds them one by one. The paper discharge unit 2028 is disposed outside one side surface of the apparatus main body 2020, and stacks and stores sheets on which images are formed.

  The configuration of the image forming element itself of the ink jet type image forming apparatus 210 is well known, and therefore, detailed description of each part is omitted.

  The printer drive battery 226 has a lithium ion secondary battery as a storage battery, is charged from a power supply unit 130 (not shown), and can be repeatedly charged, and supplies power to each device in the device main body 20 and a moving means described later. It is a power storage device having a function to perform.

  As the storage battery, in addition to a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, a large capacity capacitor such as an electric double layer capacitor can be used. However, the large-capacity capacitor has a smaller storage capacity than a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, and the internal power supply 26 needs to be charged frequently. However, a large-capacity capacitor has a small storage capacity, but has little deterioration due to charging and discharging and excellent rapid charging / discharging characteristics. Therefore, the charging operation (power feeding operation) can be completed in a short time, and the storage battery is maintenance-free. There are benefits.

  Autonomous traveling device 260 mainly includes a housing 2630, a travel drive mechanism (not shown) including travel wheels 2631, and a travel control unit 2606 (FIG. 8) that controls the travel drive mechanism. The autonomous mobile device 260 has the function of mounting the image forming device 210 on the upper part of the housing 2630 and traveling to a designated place designated by the user via the autonomous mobile device communication unit 2601 (FIG. 8). doing.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the travel drive mechanism includes a drive motor 264 (FIG. 5) that rotates and drives the front wheels 2031a and rear wheels 2031b of the travel wheels 2631, front wheels 2031a and rear wheels 2031b (or front wheels 2031a). Only) and a steering mechanism that performs a steering operation (steering). The travel drive mechanism is not limited to a four-wheel drive type, and may be a two-wheel drive type. Further, a three-wheel structure may be used, and a multi-wheel structure or a caterpillar structure may be used.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the self-propelled image forming apparatus and the communication configuration with the server in the autonomous traveling system. In the autonomous traveling system 1, the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 includes an image forming apparatus 210 and an autonomous traveling apparatus 260, and each performs wireless communication with the server 300 via the network 2. The image forming apparatus 210 receives print data, a command related to control of the image forming apparatus 210, and the like from the server 300, and notifies the server 300 of the state of the device. The autonomous mobile device 260 receives information on the destination and the travel route from the server 300 and notifies the server 300 of device information such as its own location information.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus in the autonomous traveling system. In FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus (printer) 210 includes a printer controller 212 that controls the main body of the image forming apparatus 210, a printer engine 213 that prints an image on paper, and a user input to the image forming apparatus main body. It is basically composed of an operation panel 214 for displaying the status and the like and a printer drive battery 226, and is connected to the network 2.

  The network 2 is for communicating with the server 300. The printer engine 213 controls the head based on a signal from the printer controller 212, and forms an image by feeding transfer paper from the paper feed unit. The operation panel 214 is a user I / F provided with a display device that is input by the user and displays the state of the main body of the image forming apparatus 210. The printer drive battery 226 is a battery for driving the image forming apparatus 210.

  The printer controller 212 is a general term for control mechanisms that convert print data from the host into video data and output it to the printer engine 213 in accordance with the control mode set at that time and the control code received from the host. The printer controller 212 includes modules of a network I / F 215, a program ROM 216, a font ROM 217, an operation unit I / F 218, a CPU 219, a RAM 220, an NV-RAM 221, an engine I / F 222, and a battery I / F 225.

  The function of each module is as follows. The network I / F 215 is an interface for communicating with the server 300, and a program ROM (PROM: Programmable Read Only Memory, hereinafter the same) 215 manages data in the printer controller 212 and peripheral modules. A program for controlling is stored. A font ROM (FONT ROM, the same applies hereinafter) 216 stores various types of fonts used for printing. An operation unit I / F 218 is an interface of the operation panel 214.

  A CPU (Central Processing Unit, hereinafter the same) 219 processes data (print data, control data) from the host according to the procedure of the program stored in the program ROM 216. A RAM (Random Access Memory, the same applies hereinafter) 220 is a work memory when the CPU 219 processes, and is used as a buffer for temporarily storing data from the host, a memory for processing data stored in the buffer, and the like.

  The NV-RAM 221 is a non-volatile RAM for storing data to be retained even when the power is turned off. An engine I / F 222 is an interface for controlling the printer engine 213 from the printer controller 212. The HDD 224 is a large-capacity storage medium that holds large-capacity data in a readable / writable manner. The battery I / F 225 is an interface with the printer drive battery 226.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the autonomous traveling device in the autonomous traveling system. In the figure, an autonomous traveling device 260 basically includes an autonomous traveling device controller 212 that controls the autonomous traveling device 260, a position recognition device 262, an obstacle sensor 263, a drive motor 264, and an autonomous traveling device drive battery 265. It is configured and connected to the network 2.

  The network 2 is for communicating with the server 300. The position recognition device 262 is a device for recognizing (measuring) the current position of the autonomous traveling device 260. The obstacle sensor 263 is a sensor for recognizing an obstacle on the travel route of the autonomous traveling device 260. As the obstacle sensor 263, for example, a distance measuring device called a laser range finder (LRF) is used. The LRF emits a laser, receives the reflected light, and measures the distance of the reflection point from the time between emission and reception and the phase difference between the emitted laser light and the received laser light. The obstacle sensor 263 can measure the distance from the autonomous mobile device 260 to the obstacle by horizontally scanning the direction in which the laser beam is emitted.

  The drive motor 264 is a motor for providing a driving force for causing the autonomous traveling device 260 to autonomously travel, and the autonomous traveling device drive battery 265 supplies electric power for realizing the traveling drive of the autonomous traveling device 260 by the drive motor 264 and others. A battery to be supplied.

  The autonomous mobile device controller 212 is a generic name for control mechanisms that perform autonomous traveling to a destination according to the control mode set at that time and the control code received from the host. The autonomous mobile device controller 212 includes the network I / F 271, program ROM 272, CPU 273, RAM 274, NV-RAM 275, position recognition device I / F 276, obstacle sensor I / F 277, motor I / F 278, and battery I / F 279. Including.

  The function of each module is as follows. The network I / F 271 is an interface for performing communication with the server 300. The program ROM 272 stores a program for managing data in the autonomous mobile device controller 212 and controlling peripheral modules. The CPU 273 processes the data according to the procedure of the program stored in the program ROM 272. The RAM 274 is used as a memory when the CPU 273 performs processing. The NV-RAM 275 is a nonvolatile RAM for storing data that is to be retained even when the power is turned off.

  The position recognition device I / F 276 is an interface for controlling the position recognition device 262 from the autonomous mobile device controller 212. The obstacle sensor I / F 277 is an interface for controlling the obstacle sensor 263 from the autonomous mobile device controller 212. The motor I / F 278 is an interface for controlling the drive motor 264 of the autonomous traveling device 260 from the autonomous traveling device controller 212. The battery I / F 269 is an interface for controlling the autonomous mobile device drive battery 265 from the autonomous mobile device controller 212.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a server in the autonomous traveling system. In the figure, a server 300 is composed of a server controller 310 that controls the server 300 and is connected to the network 2. The server controller 310 is a general term for control mechanisms for determining the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 to be used, creating a travel route, managing print data, and converting according to a control code received from a host. The server controller 310 includes modules of a network I / F 311, a program ROM 312, a CPU 313, a RAM 314, an NV-RAM 315, and an HDD 316. The network 2 is used for communication between the server 300 and the host terminal 100 and the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200.

  The function of each module is as follows. The network I / F 311 is an interface for the server controller 310 to communicate with the host terminal 100 and the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200. The program ROM 312 stores a program for managing data in the server controller 310 and controlling peripheral modules.

  The CPU 313 processes the data according to the procedure of the program stored in the program ROM 312. The RAM 314 is used as a memory when the CPU 313 performs processing. The NV-RAM 315 is a non-volatile RAM for storing data to be retained even when the power is turned off. The HDD 316 is a large-capacity storage medium that holds large-capacity data in a readable / writable manner. In the autonomous traveling system 1, the print information received from the host terminal 100, the home positions of the host terminal 100 and the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200, and map data in which the positions of other facilities are recorded are stored.

  FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus main body in the autonomous traveling system 1.

  In the figure, the main body of the image forming apparatus 210 is configured with a data processing unit 2102 as the center. The image forming apparatus communication unit 2101, the data storage unit 2103, the display unit 2104, and the device information storage unit 2105 are compared with the data processing unit 2102. The image generation unit 2106 and the printing unit 2107 are connected so as to be able to transmit and receive data. The communication unit 210 wirelessly communicates with the external server 300 and transmits / receives data to / from the server 300.

  In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus communication unit 2101 includes an interface card (NIC) compatible with 802.11g of the wireless LAN standard, and each information device of the user, a consumable supply device described later, and the like by wireless communication of the standard. Two-way communication is possible. Of course, it is only necessary to be able to communicate with another standard, for example, a so-called general-purpose wireless LAN standard such as IEEE802.11a / IEEE802.11b / IEEE802.11n. In that case, IEEE802.11a / IEEE802. A wireless LAN may be constructed using a communication control program that includes a network board or the like of the 11b standard and controls them. Further, the Bluetooth (R) standard can be adopted as another wireless standard. It goes without saying that the interface card is not provided as an expansion card, but may be equipped as a standard from the beginning to enable wireless communication.

  The data processing unit 2102 determines whether or not maintenance of the print head of the image forming apparatus 210 is necessary. The data storage unit 2103 holds threshold (time) data that requires maintenance of the print head.

  A display unit 2104 is a user interface that receives an instruction from the user and notifies the user of a message. The device information storage unit 2105 has a function of holding device information (such as an IP address) and also holding an elapsed time since the previous printing. An image generation unit 2106 draws an image of print data. A printing unit 2107 outputs the image drawn by the image generation unit 2106 to paper.

  FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the autonomous traveling device in the autonomous traveling system 1.

  In the figure, an autonomous traveling device 260 is configured with a data processing unit 2602 as a center. The autonomous traveling device communication unit 2601, a data storage unit 2603, an obstacle measuring unit 2604, and a position measuring unit 2605 are compared with the data processing unit 2602. And the traveling control part 2606 is connected. The communication unit 210 communicates with the server 300 and transmits / receives data to / from the server 300. A data processing unit 2602 performs data processing related to the functions of the units 2601, 2603, 2604, 2605, and 2606. The data storage unit 2603 manages travel route information of the autonomous traveling device 260. The obstacle measuring unit 2604 measures whether there is an obstacle on the traveling route of the autonomous traveling device 260 using an obstacle sensor. The position measurement unit 2605 measures position information of the autonomous traveling device 260. The traveling control unit 2606 controls traveling of the autonomous traveling device 260 based on information from the server 300, position information, obstacle information, and the like.

  FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of a server in the autonomous traveling system.

  In the figure, a server 300 is configured with a data processing unit 3002 as a center. A server communication unit 3001, a data storage unit 3003, a print data conversion unit 3004, a mobile device determination unit 3005, and a travel route calculation unit are compared with the data processing unit 3002. 3006 is connected. The server communication unit 3001 communicates with the host terminal 100, the image forming apparatus 210, and the autonomous traveling apparatus 260, and transmits / receives data to / from them. A data processing unit 3002 performs data processing related to the functions of the units 3001, 3003, 3004, 3005, and 3006. The data storage unit 3003 holds map information or print information received from the host terminal 100.

  The print data conversion unit 3004 converts the print file data received from the host terminal 100 into print data that can be interpreted by the image forming apparatus 210. The mobile device determination unit 3005 determines which autonomous traveling device 260 is used based on the operating state of the plurality of self-propelled image forming apparatuses 200 and the necessity of maintenance. The travel route calculation unit 3006 calculates a travel route based on the position of the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200, the position information of the user who requested the printing, and the map information.

  FIG. 10 is an activity diagram for explaining an overview of the processing flow in this embodiment.

  The autonomous traveling system 1 includes a server 300, an image forming apparatus 210, and an autonomous traveling device 260. The autonomous traveling system 1 is established in relation to the user 3. That is, in the autonomous traveling system 1, when the user 3 performs printing, when the host terminal 100 accesses the server 300, a print request is output from the host terminal 100 (step 001 and the following, the step is represented by S in the figure). To do.) At this time, print conditions and print files are specified from the Web. In addition, the server 300 also acquires information regarding the print location from the URL information of the server 300 associated with the host terminal 100.

  The server 300 that has received the information related to printing and the printing location refers to the management list stored in the data storage unit 3003 and confirms the operating state of the plurality of self-propelled image forming apparatuses 200 managed ( Step 002). Then, after obtaining the device information (step 003), it requests the standby image forming apparatus 210 to notify the device information. Upon receiving the request, the image forming apparatus 210 notifies the server 300 of the “elapsed time since the previous printing” (step 004), and the server 300 determines the maintenance necessity time held by itself and the image forming apparatus. The elapsed time from the previous printing received from 210 is compared. Based on the comparison result, the server 300 confirms whether there is an image forming apparatus 210 that requires maintenance of the liquid ejection head (step 005).

  When this confirmation is completed, the server 300 determines the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 that moves to the user's seat that is the location corresponding to the host terminal 100 (user 3), that is, the host terminal (step 006). ). Next, the server 300 determines the travel route of the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 based on the position information of the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200, the position information of the user 3, and the map information held by the server 300. Create (step 007). A method for determining the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 will be described later.

  When the creation of the travel route is completed, the server 300 notifies the travel route to the autonomous travel device unit of the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 and instructs the start of movement (step 008). If the image forming apparatus 210 requires maintenance, the image forming apparatus 210 of the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 is instructed to start maintenance of the liquid ejection head.

  In response to the instruction, the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 moves to the user 3 while performing traveling control (step 009) with the autonomous traveling apparatus 260 and head maintenance with the image forming apparatus 210 (step 010). . The maintenance here refers to the maintenance of the liquid ejection head such as an ink jet head, which is automatically performed on the apparatus side so that the liquid is reliably ejected from the nozzle. Based on the instructions.

  When the movement of the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 is completed, the autonomous traveling apparatus 260 is notified to the server 300 that it has arrived at the destination (step 011), and the server 300 that has received the notification is a driver installed in itself. From this, printing with the designated printing condition / file is executed (step 012). Then, the image forming apparatus 210 performs printing based on the received data (step 013), the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 self-runs and delivers the printed document to the user 3, and the user 3 A printed document is received (step 014). The function of step 011 corresponds to the arrival notification unit.

  As described above, if the image forming apparatus 210 requires maintenance, maintenance of the liquid discharge head of the image forming apparatus 210 is performed during movement. As a result, printing can be started immediately after arrival at the user, and the user does not have to wait for the start of printing due to maintenance of the liquid ejection head.

  As information used for specifying the location (printing location) of the host terminal 100 where the server 300 has executed printing, after the user 3 accesses the server 300, the location information may be input on the Web.

  On the other hand, when the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 is determined, the operation state of each image forming apparatus 210 and the necessity of maintenance are checked by the server 300, and equipment that does not require maintenance is moved, Only maintenance can be performed on site. However, if maintenance is performed in this way, equipment that is not used (equipment that requires maintenance) may undergo maintenance until a time that requires maintenance without being used. This is necessary, and the ink that is the liquid used for printing is wasted. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the maintenance is performed while the autonomous mobile device 260 is moving only when maintenance of the image forming apparatus 210 to be used in the future is necessary.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a process for determining a target machine from print reception at the server in the first embodiment.

  In the figure, when receiving a print request from the host terminal 100, the server 300 searches a management list of a plurality of (N in this description) self-propelled image forming apparatuses 200 managed by the server 300, and forms a self-propelled image. The operating state of the apparatus 200 is checked in order to confirm whether there is an operating state that is waiting (step 101, step 102). If there is a self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 that is waiting first (step 103: Y), the elapsed time from the previous use is acquired from the image forming apparatus 210 (step 105), and maintenance is performed. Is determined (step 106).

  Thereafter, it instructs the autonomous traveling device 260 of the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 to start moving. At this time, if it is determined that maintenance is necessary, the image forming apparatus 210 is instructed to perform maintenance so that the maintenance is performed during the movement. If there is no self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 waiting in step 103, the process returns to step 101 and the subsequent processing is repeated (step 104).

In determining whether maintenance is necessary, an elapsed time S that requires maintenance set in the server 300 itself and an elapsed time T from the previous printing acquired from the A-th image forming apparatus 210 that has confirmed the operating state are used. Do by comparing. In particular,
When S> T, maintenance is not required. When S ≦ T, it is determined that maintenance is necessary.

  Steps 101 to 104 are repeated, and when there is no waiting self-propelled image forming apparatus 200, it is managed as the next task of any currently operating self-propelled image forming apparatus 200.

  Since the standby self-propelled image forming apparatus found first in the management list held by the server is used, the self-propelled image forming apparatus registered later in the management list has an opportunity to use. There are few cases where maintenance is required. Therefore, in the second embodiment, among the standby self-propelled image forming apparatuses, the self-propelled image forming apparatus having the longest “elapsed time since the previous printing” is used.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a process for determining a target machine from print reception in the server according to the second embodiment.

  In the figure, when a print request is received from the host terminal 100, the server 300 uses a management list of a plurality (N in this description) of the self-propelled image forming apparatuses 200 managed by the server 300 to perform self-propelled image formation. The operating state of the apparatus 200 is checked in order to check whether there is a device whose operating state is on standby (step 201, step 202). If there is a self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 that is on standby (step 203: Y), an elapsed time T from the previous use is acquired from the image forming apparatus 210 (step 204). If the operating time is acquired for the first time (first waiting device) (step 204: Y), the device number and the elapsed time are stored in the server 300 (step 206).

  If it is the second time or later (step 205: N), the acquired time T is compared with the elapsed time T ′ stored in the server 300 (step 207), and if T> T ′ (step 208: Y) The device number and the storage time are overwritten with the acquired information, and the operation status of the next self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 in the management list is checked (step 210 → step 201).

  On the other hand, when T ≦ T ′ (step 208: N), the operation status confirmation process for the next self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 in the management list is performed as it is (step 210 → step 201).

  When the operation status of all the self-propelled image forming apparatuses 200 and the waiting time of the image forming apparatus 210 are confirmed (step 201 → step 210, step 211), they are stored in the server 300. The necessity of maintenance is determined from the elapsed time (step 212).

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 having the longest “elapsed time since the previous printing” is preferentially used, so that an environment requiring no maintenance can be maintained as much as possible. In this embodiment, the device number is used to recognize each of the plurality of self-propelled image forming apparatuses 200, but other identification information may be used.

  When the distance between the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 and the target location is short, even if the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 arrives at the user, maintenance is in progress and the user may be awaited to start printing. . Therefore, in the third embodiment, in the standby self-propelled image forming apparatus 200, when maintenance is necessary, the time until arrival is predicted, and only when it can be determined that the maintenance is completed within that time, The movement was started. If it is determined that the maintenance is not completed in time, the process returns to the search process of the other self-propelled image forming apparatus 200.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a process for determining a target machine from print reception in the server according to the third embodiment.

  In the figure, when a print request is received from the host terminal 100, the server 300 uses a management list of a plurality (N in this description) of the self-propelled image forming apparatuses 200 managed by the server 300 to perform self-propelled image formation. The operating state of the apparatus 200 is checked in order to check whether there is a device whose operating state is on standby (step 201, step 202). If there is a waiting self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 (step 203: Y), an elapsed time T from the previous use is acquired from the image forming apparatus 210 (step 304). Then, an elapsed time from the previous use is acquired from the image forming apparatus 210, and it is determined whether or not maintenance is necessary (step 305). Next, a travel route is created from the position of the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 and the target location (step 306).

  Thereafter, if it is determined that maintenance needs to be performed before the travel route is created (step 307: Y), the travel time (arrival time) is predicted based on the travel route (step 308), and the server 300 It is compared with the maintenance execution time held in (1), and it is determined whether or not the maintenance is completed before arrival based on the comparison result (step 309). In this embodiment, the estimated arrival time is obtained by calculating the actual travel distance from the coordinate information on the map data based on the travel route and using the average travel speed of the autonomous travel device 260.

  If it is determined that the maintenance is finished during the movement (step 301: Y), the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 starts the movement as it is, and if it is determined that the maintenance is not finished (step 310: N), A search process for the next self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 in the management list is performed (step 311 → step 301).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that maintenance is not required before the travel route is created (step 307: N), the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 is used without performing the arrival time calculation process and the comparison process with the maintenance execution time. Start moving.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, in the first embodiment, when the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 to be moved requires maintenance, the maintenance is performed during the movement. And whether or not maintenance is necessary is determined based on this time. If maintenance is required for the self-propelled image forming apparatus 200, another image forming apparatus is used if the maintenance is not completed during movement. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the user from waiting for the start of printing during the maintenance when the user arrives.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. In the following description, each component in the claims and each part of the present embodiment are associated with reference numerals (only those appearing first), and when the terms are different, the latter is shown in parentheses. .

  (1) An autonomous traveling image forming system 1 in which a self-propelled image forming apparatus 200 and a server apparatus (server 300) are connected via a network 2, and the self-propelled image forming apparatus responds to an instruction from the server apparatus. Based on the autonomous traveling device 260 that autonomously travels based on the above, the print head 2023 that prints on the print medium, the maintenance execution unit that performs maintenance of the print head 2023 (the data processing unit 2102 and the printing unit 2107), and the server device An image forming apparatus 210 including a time notification unit (data processing unit 2102 and device information storage unit 2105) for notifying an elapsed time from printing, and the server device includes the self-propelled image forming device. An elapsed time acquisition unit (server communication unit 3001, data processing unit 30) that acquires an elapsed time from the previous printing time from the time notification unit. 2), when a print request is received, the necessity of maintenance of the print head is determined based on the acquired elapsed time, and if the maintenance is determined to be necessary, the image forming apparatus unit Since the instruction for self-running and the instruction for executing the maintenance are output, the print head maintenance is not performed after the self-running and before starting printing. Thereby, the waiting time of the user can be shortened.

  (2) In the autonomous traveling image forming system 1 according to (1), the instruction to self-run is output only when it is determined that the maintenance is finished during the movement of the self-propelled image forming apparatus. If the determination is made, an instruction for autonomous traveling is output to another self-propelled image forming apparatus, so that maintenance of the print head is not performed after starting self-propelled but before starting printing.

  (3) In the autonomous traveling image forming system according to (2), when outputting an autonomous traveling instruction to the other self-propelled image forming apparatus 200, a list for managing the self-propelled image forming apparatus is searched. Since the other self-propelled image forming apparatus is determined based on preset conditions, another self-propelled image forming apparatus that meets the conditions can be selected as the next self-propelled image forming apparatus.

  (4) In the autonomous traveling image forming system according to (3), the preset condition is that the most recent progress from the previous printing among the self-propelled image forming apparatuses whose operation state is standby. Since it is a self-propelled image forming apparatus having a long time, or the first self-propelled image forming apparatus that is completed during the movement, the maintenance can be eliminated as much as possible in the former case. In the latter case, there is no need for the user to wait for printing.

  (5) In the autonomous running image forming system according to any one of (1) to (4), the self-running image forming apparatus interprets data received from the server apparatus to generate a print image, and performs printing. An image forming unit 210 having an image generating unit 2106 to perform, an image forming device communication unit 2101 that receives the print head maintenance instruction from the server device, and a position recognizing unit (position measuring unit 2605, data And the autonomous traveling device unit having a traveling control unit 2606 that controls traveling while communicating with the server device based on the traveling route received from the server device, the server device is self-propelled. The position of the image forming apparatus is grasped, and traveling is controlled and confirmed based on the traveling route received from the server apparatus while communicating with the server apparatus. It can be self-propelled to the location that requires printing to.

  (6) In the autonomous running image forming system according to any one of (1) to (5), the print head is a liquid discharge head, and the image forming apparatus is a device that discharges liquid. Such an apparatus requiring head maintenance can be arranged by autonomous running in a state ready for printing immediately at a location corresponding to the device that has requested printing.

  (7) From the reception unit (server communication unit 3001 and data processing unit 3002) that receives a print request from a host terminal connected to the network and the self-propelled image forming apparatus connected to the network from the previous printing. An elapsed time acquisition unit (server communication unit 3001, data processing unit 3002) that acquires time, and a determination unit (data processing unit) that determines whether maintenance of the print head is necessary based on the acquired elapsed time 3002, a mobile device determination unit 3005, step 005), and an instruction to autonomously travel to a location corresponding to the host terminal and execution of the head maintenance to the self-propelled image forming apparatus connected to the network An instruction unit (data processing unit 3002, server communication unit 3001), and a print request from the host terminal When received, based on the acquired elapsed time, the necessity of maintenance of the print head is determined, and when the maintenance is determined to be necessary, the self-propelled image forming apparatus and the instruction to self-run Since an instruction to execute maintenance is output, if the print head of the self-propelled image forming apparatus that moves to a location corresponding to the host terminal that has requested printing requires maintenance, the maintenance is performed during the movement. Thus, the maintenance of the print head is not performed before the printing is started after arrival at the location corresponding to the host terminal. Thereby, the waiting time of the user can be shortened.

  (8) An image generation unit 2106 including a print head that interprets data received from a server device connected to a network to generate a print image and prints it on a print medium, and a maintenance execution unit that performs maintenance of the print head (data A processing unit 2102, a printing unit 2107), a time notification unit (data processing unit 2102, device information storage unit 2105, step 004) for notifying the server device of an elapsed time since the previous printing, and the server device An image forming apparatus unit having an image forming apparatus communication unit 2101 that receives a print head maintenance instruction, a traveling drive mechanism unit (running wheel 2631) that travels with the image forming apparatus unit, and a position that recognizes its own position Recognizing unit (position measuring unit 2605, data processing unit 2602) and travel received from the server device An autonomous traveling device unit having a traveling control unit 2606 that controls the traveling drive mechanism unit while communicating with the server device based on the road to autonomously travel to a location corresponding to the host terminal that has instructed printing. The self-propelled image forming apparatus receives print information and travel route information from the server device, and performs self-propelled to a location corresponding to the host terminal while performing print head maintenance, and performs printing without waiting for the user. be able to.

  (9) The server apparatus receives a print request via the network (step S001), and communicates with the self-propelled image forming apparatus connected to the network to acquire the elapsed time from the previous printing (step S002, 003). 004), when the print request is received, it is determined whether or not the print head needs to be maintained based on the acquired elapsed time (step S005). An instruction for self-running to the location corresponding to the device that has made the print request and an instruction to perform the maintenance are output to the mold image forming apparatus (steps S010 and S009), and the location corresponding to the device that has made the print request (Step S013) According to the printing method, after the self-run, the print head maintenance is performed before the printing is started. It is not necessary to. Thereby, the waiting time of the user can be shortened.

  (10) A procedure in which the program accepts a print request via the network (step S001), and a procedure for communicating with the self-propelled image forming apparatus connected to the network and acquiring an elapsed time from the previous printing (step) (S002, 003, 004) and a procedure for determining whether or not the maintenance of the print head is necessary based on the acquired elapsed time when the print request is received (step S005), and the maintenance is determined to be necessary. And a procedure (steps S010 and S009) for outputting an instruction for self-running and an instruction for executing the maintenance to the self-running image forming apparatus. After the image forming apparatus is self-propelled, maintenance of the print head is not performed before printing is started. Thereby, the waiting time of the user can be shortened.

  The program may be stored in a recording medium. In that case, the program can be installed in the computer using the recording medium. The recording medium may be a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, and for example, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM can be used.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention, and all technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are included. The subject of the present invention. The above embodiment shows a preferable example, but those skilled in the art can realize various alternatives, modifications, variations, and improvements from the contents disclosed in this specification, These are included in the technical scope described in the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Autonomous running image forming system 2 Network 100 Host terminal 200 Self-propelled image forming apparatus 2023 Print head 210 Image forming apparatus 2101 Communication part
2102 Data processing unit 2105 Device information storage unit 2106 Image generation unit 2107 Printing unit 260 Autonomous traveling device 2602 Data processing unit 2605 Position measurement unit 2606 Traveling control unit 2631 Traveling wheel 300 Server 3001 Communication unit
3002 Data processing unit 3003 Data storage unit 3005 Mobile device determination unit 400 Communication medium

JP 2010-243484 A

Claims (10)

An autonomous running image forming system including a self-running image forming apparatus and a server device connected to a network,
The self-propelled image forming apparatus includes:
An autonomous traveling device section autonomously traveling based on an instruction from the server device;
An image forming apparatus unit including a print head that prints on a print medium, a maintenance execution unit that performs maintenance of the print head, and a time notification unit that notifies an elapsed time from the previous printing time to the server device,
The server device includes an elapsed time acquisition unit that acquires an elapsed time from the previous printing time from the time notification unit of the self-propelled image forming apparatus, and is based on the acquired elapsed time when a print request is received. And determining whether or not the print head needs to be maintained, and when it is determined that the maintenance is necessary, autonomous running image formation that outputs an instruction to self-run and an instruction to perform the maintenance to the image forming apparatus unit. system. The autonomous running image forming system according to claim 1,
The self-propelled instruction is output only when it is determined that the maintenance is completed during the movement of the self-propelled image forming apparatus, and when it is determined that the maintenance is not completed, autonomous traveling to another self-propelled image forming apparatus is performed. Autonomous running image forming system that outputs the instruction. The autonomous running image forming system according to claim 2,
When outputting an instruction for autonomous traveling to the other self-propelled image forming apparatus, a list for managing the self-propelled image forming apparatus is searched, and the other self-propelled image forming is performed based on a preset condition. An autonomous running image forming system for determining a device. The autonomous running image forming system according to claim 3,
The self-propelled image forming apparatus having the longest elapsed time from the previous printing among the self-propelled image forming apparatuses whose operation state is standby, or the maintenance is moving Autonomous image forming system that is the first self-propelled image forming apparatus to be completed. The autonomous running image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The self-propelled image forming apparatus includes:
An image generation unit that interprets data received from the server device to generate a print image and performs printing, and an image forming device unit that receives a print head maintenance instruction from the server device;
An autonomous traveling device unit that includes a position recognition unit that recognizes its own position, and a traveling control unit that controls traveling while communicating with the server device based on the traveling route received from the server device;
Autonomous running image forming system. An autonomous running image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The print head is a liquid ejection head;
An autonomous running image forming system in which the image forming apparatus unit is a device for discharging liquid. A reception unit that receives a print request from a host terminal connected to the network;
From the self-propelled image forming apparatus connected to the network, an elapsed time acquisition unit that acquires an elapsed time from the previous printing,
A determination unit that determines whether maintenance of the print head is required based on the acquired elapsed time;
An instruction unit for instructing autonomous traveling to a location corresponding to the host terminal to the self-propelled image forming apparatus connected to the network, and an instruction unit for instructing execution of maintenance of the head;
With
When a print request is received from the host terminal, the self-propelled image forming apparatus determines whether the maintenance of the print head is necessary based on the acquired elapsed time, and determines that the maintenance is necessary. A server device that outputs an instruction to self-run and an instruction to perform the maintenance. An image generation unit including a print head that interprets data received from a server device connected to a network to generate a print image and prints on a print medium, a maintenance execution unit that performs maintenance of the print head, and the server device An image forming apparatus unit having a time notification unit that notifies an elapsed time from the previous printing, and a communication unit that receives a maintenance instruction for the print head from the server device;
The travel drive mechanism that travels with the image forming apparatus mounted thereon, the position recognition unit that recognizes its own position, and the travel drive mechanism that communicates with the server device based on the travel route received from the server device An autonomous traveling device unit having a traveling control unit that autonomously travels to a location corresponding to the host terminal that has instructed printing by controlling the unit;
A self-propelled image forming apparatus. The server device accepts the print request via the network,
Communicating with a self-propelled image forming apparatus connected to the network to obtain the elapsed time from the previous printing,
When receiving the print request, based on the acquired elapsed time, determine the necessity of maintenance of the print head,
When it is determined that the maintenance is necessary, the self-propelled image forming apparatus outputs an instruction to self-run to a place corresponding to the device that has made the print request and an instruction to perform the maintenance.
A printing method in which printing is performed at a location corresponding to the device that has made the print request. A procedure for accepting a print request via a network;
Communicating with a self-propelled image forming apparatus connected to the network, and obtaining an elapsed time since the previous printing,
A procedure for determining whether or not maintenance of the print head is necessary based on the acquired elapsed time when the print request is received;
When it is determined that the maintenance is necessary, a procedure for outputting a self-propelled instruction to the self-propelled image forming apparatus and an instruction to perform the maintenance;
A program for running