JP2018199270A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus which flexibly adapts to the change of an environment and performs printing according to the use environment which can be accurately analyzed.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 5 comprises a control unit 510 which functions as an analysis unit 5101, a setting unit 5102 and a job management unit 5103. The analysis unit 5101 analyzes use environment information of a printed matter based on use condition information. The use condition information indicates the circumferential situation surrounding a user viewing the printed matter. The setting unit 5102 sets the printing setting information of the printed matter based on the use environment information of the printed matter. The job management unit 5103 outputs the printed matter based on the printing setting information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printer that prints according to a user's desire by reading a printing condition included in a wireless tag has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Moreover, what performs the control suitable for an altitude based on the positional information acquired from GPS is proposed (for example, refer patent document 2).

JP 2004-199471 A JP 2014-202886 A

  However, in the related art as described in Patent Document 1, the printing condition is a fixed template for each purpose of use of printed matter, and must be stored in advance in an IC chip constituting the wireless tag. . For example, when it is desired to change a part of the printing conditions read from the wireless tag, the user needs to specify appropriately via the printing condition setting menu or the like. Therefore, the conventional technology as described in Patent Document 1 requires a wireless tag, and cannot be flexibly adapted to changes in the environment without manual correction by the user.

  Moreover, the prior art as described in Patent Document 2 is control based on position information acquired from GPS, and the use environment is analyzed with one parameter. However, the usage environment is accurately analyzed with a plurality of parameters. For example, the usage environment differs greatly between indoors and outdoors even at the same altitude, but the prior art as described in Patent Document 2 specifies the operating environment without distinguishing between indoors and outdoors. Therefore, the usage environment to be analyzed may not be accurate.

  The present disclosure has been made in view of such a situation, and is capable of flexibly responding to a change in the environment and performing printing according to a use environment that is accurately analyzed.

  An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure is an image forming apparatus that transmits and receives various types of information to and from a terminal, and includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet and at least two usage condition information transmitted from the terminal. A communication unit for receiving, and a control unit for controlling the image forming unit based on the use condition information received from the communication unit, wherein the use condition information is applied to the sheet by the image forming unit. The control unit analyzes the usage environment information of the printed material based on the usage condition information received from the communication unit. An analysis unit; a setting unit configured to set print setting information of the printed material based on use environment information of the printed material analyzed by the analyzing unit; and the print setting set by the setting unit. Based on the information, and a job management unit to output the printed material.

  In addition, it is preferable that the use condition information is specified by at least one of a location and a date and time of a user who views the printed matter.

  The job management unit preferably associates the use environment information with the print setting information.

  Further, it is preferable that the setting unit updates the print setting information in response to the update of the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit.

  Further, when the communication unit receives inclination information of a user who views the printed matter as the use condition information, the analysis unit analyzes the use environment information based on the inclination information, and the setting unit When the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit is based on the tilt information, it is preferable that the type of the paper in the print setting information is changed according to the tilt information.

  In addition, when the communication unit receives brightness information of a place where a user viewing the printed matter is received as the use condition information, the analysis unit analyzes the use environment information based on the brightness information, The setting unit, when the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit is based on the brightness information, changing the color of the image in the print setting information according to the brightness information, preferable.

  In addition, when the communication unit receives the current weather information of the place where the user viewing the printed matter is received as the use condition information, the analysis unit analyzes the use environment information based on the weather information, When the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit is based on the weather information, the setting unit preferably changes the paper type in the print setting information according to the weather information.

  In addition, when the communication unit receives the wind speed information of the place where the user viewing the printed matter is used as the use condition information, the analysis unit analyzes the use environment information based on the wind speed information, and sets the setting. When the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit is based on the wind speed information, the unit performs at least one of the paper type and the bookbinding setting in the print setting information according to the wind speed information. It is preferable to change.

  In addition, when the communication unit receives the weather forecast information of the place where the user viewing the printed matter is used as the use condition information, the analysis unit analyzes the use environment information based on the weather forecast information, The setting unit, when the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit is based on the weather forecast information, according to the weather forecast information, the type of the paper in the print setting information, the color of the image, It is preferable that at least one of the bookbinding settings of the paper is changed.

  The job management unit further includes an operation panel that receives an operation of a user who views the printed material, and the job management unit prints the usage environment information specified by the operation according to the operation received by the operation panel. It is preferable to associate with setting information.

  According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to flexibly respond to a change in environment and perform printing according to a use environment that is accurately analyzed.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming system 1 to which the present disclosure is applied. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary hardware configuration of a terminal 3. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of an image forming apparatus 5. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration example of an image forming apparatus 5. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of environment setting for a terminal 3. FIG. 6 illustrates an example data structure of a print job. It is a figure which shows an example of a use environment determination table. It is a figure which shows the example of a change information determination table. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation panel 512. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining control examples of a terminal 3 and an image forming apparatus 5. It is a flowchart explaining the analysis process which analyzes use environment information.

  Hereinafter, although embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. As used in the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, “comprise”, “consist of”, “include”, “include”, “have”, “comprise”, or some other Synonyms are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion relationships. For example, a process, method, article or device that includes an enumeration of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, and other elements that are not explicitly enumerated or should be inherent It may be included in such a process, method, article or apparatus. Further, unless explicitly stated, “or” is inclusive and not an exclusive sum. For example, “Condition A or B” is satisfied in any case where A exists and B does not exist, A does not exist and B exists, and both A and B exist. It is.

  The present disclosure also relates to an apparatus for performing the processes described herein. The device may be specially constructed depending on the required purpose, or it may be constructed on a general purpose computer that is selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored on the computer.

  Also, the algorithms described herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other device. Various general purpose systems may be used with programs according to those taught herein, or it may prove convenient to construct a more specialized device to perform the necessary method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will appear from the description below. Further, the present disclosure does not depend on any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the disclosure described herein.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming system 1 to which the present disclosure is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, in an image forming system 1, a terminal 3 and an image forming apparatus 5 are connected to each other via a communication medium to transmit and receive various types of information. In the image forming system 1, each of the terminal 3 and the image forming apparatus 5 has a short-range communication function, and can communicate with each other. The terminal 3 and the image forming apparatus 5 constitute a wireless communication network based on a standard such as IEEE 802.11 or a short-range wireless communication network based on a standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) via a communication medium.

  In the image forming system 1, a print job generated by the terminal 3 possessed by the user is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 5. Although details will be described later, the print job includes print setting information, document information, and usage environment information. The usage environment information varies depending on the situation surrounding the user. For example, when the user moves from environment (B) to environment (A) by movement (1), the usage environment information is based on the status of environment (A). In either case of moving (2-1) when the user moves from environment (A) to environment (B) or moving (2-2) from environment (A) to environment (C) It is the same. Since the print setting information is changed according to the use environment information, the printed matter including the document information can have different output forms according to the use environment information. The details will be described below.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the terminal 3. The terminal 3 is owned by the user. In the terminal 3, a CPU 311, a memory controller 312, a network interface 313, a peripheral interface 314, a main memory 315, a nonvolatile memory 316, an external port 317, an I / O subsystem 318, and a sensor unit 319 are connected to each other via a bus 301. Has been. The CPU 311, the main memory 315, and the nonvolatile memory 316 constitute the control unit 310 together with a control module including a plurality of programs stored in the main memory 315 or the nonvolatile memory 316. Access to the main memory 315 or the nonvolatile memory 316 by the CPU 311 and the peripheral interface 314 can be controlled by the memory controller 312.

  The CPU 311 is one in which one or more cores are integrated, and a plurality of logical processors can be configured according to the number of cores, and controls the entire terminal 3. The core includes a logic circuit and a cache memory for performing arithmetic processing. The main memory 315 is constituted by, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), and temporarily stores a control module executed by the CPU 311 and various data. The nonvolatile memory 316 is configured by, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores various control modules including an OS (Operating System), a system control module, and various data.

  Peripheral interface 314 couples input and output peripherals to terminal 3 to CPU 311, main memory 315, and non-volatile memory 316. I / O subsystem 318 couples touch-sensitive display system 3181 to peripheral interface 314. The touch-sensitive display system 3181 constitutes an input interface and an output interface between the terminal 3 and the user. The external port 317 is like a universal serial bus, and couples an external device and the peripheral interface 314. The network interface 313 is an interface having a function of connecting to a network communication network based on a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or a wireless communication network based on a standard such as IEEE 802.11, or short-range wireless communication based on a standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). An interface having a function of connecting to a network is used. The sensor unit 319 outputs the detection result to the CPU 311 via the peripheral interface 314. The sensor unit 319 includes a GPS sensor 3191, an acceleration sensor 3192, a gyro sensor 3193, and an illuminance sensor 3194. The GPS sensor 3191 detects latitude information and longitude information from a GPS satellite. The acceleration sensor 3192 detects acceleration information of the terminal 3. The gyro sensor 3193 detects the three-dimensional coordinate information of the terminal 3. The illuminance sensor 3194 detects the illuminance around the terminal 3.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the image forming apparatus 5. In the image forming apparatus 5, a CPU 511, an operation panel 512, a network unit 513, a communication unit 514, a main memory 515, an HDD 516, an image reading unit 517, and an image forming unit 518 are connected to each other via a bus 501. The CPU 511, the main memory 515, and the HDD 516 constitute a control unit 510 together with a control module including a plurality of programs stored in the main memory 515 or the HDD 516. The main memory 515 and the HDD 516 function as the storage unit 521 of the control unit 510.

  The CPU 511 is one in which one or more cores are integrated, and a plurality of logical processors can be configured according to the number of cores, and controls the entire image forming apparatus 5. The core includes a logic circuit and a cache memory for performing arithmetic processing. The main memory 515 is composed of, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), and temporarily stores a control module executed by the CPU 511 and various data. The HDD 516 stores various control modules and various data including an OS (Operating System), a system control module, and a mechanical control module.

  The operation panel 512 receives a user operation or displays information related to the user operation content. The operation panel 512 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display with a touch panel or various keys. The network unit 513 uses an interface having a function of connecting to a network communication network based on a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark). As the communication unit 514, an interface having a function of connecting to a wireless communication network based on a standard such as IEEE 802.11 or an interface having a function of connecting to a short-range wireless communication network based on a standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) is used.

  The image reading unit 517 is a scanner, for example, and irradiates a document set at a preset reading position on the document table with a light source such as a fluorescent lamp, and reflects the reflected light using a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) image sensor or the like. The image pickup device performs photoelectric conversion and generates image data from the electrical signal. The image forming unit 518 is, for example, a print engine, and forms an image based on image data on a sheet through each process of charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing by an electrophotographic method, and outputs it as a printed matter. .

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration example of the image forming apparatus 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an environment setting example of the terminal 3. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary data structure of a print job. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage environment determination table. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change information determination table. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation panel 512. When the control unit 510 executes various control modules, the control unit 510 functions as an analysis unit 5101, a setting unit 5102, and a job management unit 5103 as illustrated in FIG. 4. That is, the CPU 511 executes a control module that causes the control unit 510 to function as the analysis unit 5101, the setting unit 5102, and the job management unit 5103.

  The analysis unit 5101 analyzes use environment information of the printed material based on at least two use condition information received from the communication unit 514. The use condition information indicates the surrounding circumstances surrounding the user who sees the printed matter output by the image forming unit 518 forming an image on the paper. The use condition information is expressed by, for example, location, weather, temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, illuminance, inclination, and the like. Specifically, the usage condition information (1) may be associated with, for example, information indicating either indoor or outdoor as a place where the user views the printed matter. Further, the usage condition information (2) may be associated with, for example, weather information of a place where the user views the printed material. The same applies to other information such as temperature. Note that the use condition information is preferably information in which at least one of the location and date / time of the user viewing the printed matter is designated.

  When the communication unit 514 receives, as the use condition information, the tilt information of the user who views the printed material, the analysis unit 5101 analyzes the use environment information based on the tilt information. For example, the terminal 3 owned by the user includes an acceleration sensor 3192 and a gyro sensor 3193. Therefore, the inclination of the terminal 3 is detected by the acceleration sensor 3192 and the gyro sensor 3193, and the detection result can be transmitted from the terminal 3 to the image forming apparatus 5 by the interlocking application as shown in FIG. The linked application can also include a read job including usage condition information read from various types of information detected by the terminal 3 and transmit the information to the image forming apparatus 5. Note that the tilt information is not only detected by the terminal 3, but a detection result by a wristwatch equipped with a sensor capable of detecting tilt information such as the acceleration sensor 3192 or the GPS sensor 3191 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 5, for example. May be.

  When the communication unit 514 receives the brightness information of the place where the user viewing the printed material is used as the usage condition information, the analysis unit 5101 analyzes the usage environment information based on the brightness information. For example, the terminal 3 possessed by the user includes an illuminance sensor 3194. Therefore, the brightness around the terminal 3 is detected by the illuminance sensor 3194, and the detection result can be transmitted from the terminal 3 to the image forming apparatus 5 by the linked app as shown in FIG. Note that the brightness information is not only detected by the terminal 3, but for example, the image forming apparatus 5 can be detected by a device whose detection result by a device including the illuminance sensor 3194 can communicate with the image forming device 5 such as a personal computer. May be sent to.

  When the communication unit 514 receives the current weather information of the place where the user viewing the printed material is used as the usage condition information, the analysis unit 5101 analyzes the usage environment information based on the weather information. The current weather information of the place where the user who sees the printed material is present may be received, for example, rainfall information by X-band MP radar. Specifically, an application capable of receiving rainfall information by the X-band MP radar may be installed in the terminal 3 and the rainfall information acquired by the application may be transmitted to the image forming apparatus 5. Note that the weather information is not limited to the rainfall information by the X-band MP radar. For example, even if the detection result by the rain sensor is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 5 by a device that can communicate with the image forming apparatus 5 such as a personal computer. Good.

  When the communication unit 514 receives, as the use condition information, the wind speed information of the place where the user viewing the printed matter is received, the analysis unit 5101 analyzes the use environment information based on the wind speed information. For example, the wind speed information of the place where the user who views the printed matter is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 5 by a device capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus 5 such as a personal computer. Note that the wind speed information is not limited to the detection result by the anemometer, but an application capable of acquiring the wind speed information is installed in the terminal 3 and the wind speed information acquired by the application may be transmitted to the image forming apparatus 5.

  When the communication unit 514 receives the weather forecast information of the place where the user viewing the printed material is used as the use condition information, the analysis unit 5101 analyzes the use environment information based on the weather forecast information. The weather forecast information of the place where the user who sees the printed material is present may be acquired by, for example, the Internet or a weather forecast application. Note that the weather forecast information by the television or radio may be written by the user, and the written weather forecast information may be transmitted to the image forming apparatus 5 by a device that can communicate with the image forming apparatus 5 such as a personal computer.

  The setting unit 5102 sets the print setting information of the printed material based on the usage environment information of the printed material analyzed by the analyzing unit 5101. The setting unit 5102 configures print setting information according to the update of the usage environment information analyzed by the analysis unit 5101. Specifically, the analysis unit 5101 includes an environment analysis unit 5101A and a change value determination unit 5101B. The environment analysis unit 5101A determines a combination of use condition information based on the use condition information, a use environment determination table as shown in FIG. 7, and a print job, and is specified from the determined combination of use condition information. Obtain analysis result information based on usage environment information. The use environment determination table includes a determination target index n, a category, and selection information, which are associated with each other. The determination target index n is a natural number that increases in ascending order starting from 1, for example, and is an index that uniquely associates a category with selection information. The category corresponds to each use condition information, and specifically includes location, weather, temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, illuminance, inclination, and the like. The selection information uniquely identifies the specific contents of each category. For example, when the category is a place, the selection information is indoor and outdoor.

  The usage environment information includes a plurality of usage condition information. For example, the usage environment information includes information on a location where the user views the printed matter, information that the location is outdoors, and information that the temperature is 38 degrees. . The analysis result information is obtained by specifying a plurality of use condition information constituting the use environment information by a logical expression. For example, the determination result index n is used to form a logical expression of 1 = outdoor and 6 = 10 m or more. . In this case, it means that the place is outdoors and the wind speed is 10 m or more.

  The change value determination unit 5101B determines setting change information X for changing the print setting information associated with the use environment information based on the use environment information and the change information determination table as shown in FIG. The change information determination table includes analysis result selection information, change value information, and setting change information X, which are associated with each other. The analysis result selection information is collated with the analysis result information obtained by the environment analysis unit 5101A, and is a list that is assumed as a logical expression of a plurality of use condition information constituting the use environment information. The change value information indicates what should be changed when the logical expression specified by the analysis result selection information is true. For example, if the place is indoors and the illuminance is less than 300 lx, the change value information indicates that the image quality should be vivid. The setting change information X is a list of commands for changing the print setting information based on the change value information. For example, when the change value information indicates that the paper type should be plastic, the setting change information X is a command for changing the paper type to plastic, such as @PJL SET MEDIASOURCE = RAY4. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, it is incorporated into the print setting information. However, it is assumed that a recording medium made of plastic is previously placed on the tray corresponding to RAY4.

  Therefore, when the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit 5101 is based on the tilt information, the setting unit 5102 changes the paper type in the print setting information according to the tilt information. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the analysis result information corresponds to 1 = indoor and 8 = 0.5 or more and 1 or less, the paper type should be 180 kg of cardboard, and the command is @PJL SETMEDIADIATURE = RAY1 A command for changing the paper type to thick paper 180 kg is selected and incorporated in the print setting information. However, it is assumed that a recording medium corresponding to 180 kg of cardboard is placed in advance on the tray corresponding to RAY1.

  When the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit 5101 is based on brightness information, the setting unit 5102 changes the color of the image in the print setting information according to the brightness information. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the analysis result information corresponds to less than 1 = indoor and 7 = 300 lx, the image quality should be vivid, and an image quality such as @PJL SET RESOLUTION = 1200 is used as a command. A command for vividness is selected and incorporated in the print setting information.

  When the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit 5101 is based on weather information, the setting unit 5102 changes the paper type in the print setting information according to the weather information. For example, if the analysis result information corresponds to 1 = outdoor and (2 = rain or 4 ≠ 0 mm) as shown in FIG. 8, the paper type should be plastic, and the command is @PJL SET MEDIA SOURCE = A command for changing the paper type such as RAY4 to plastic is selected and incorporated into the print setting information.

  When the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit 5101 is based on the wind speed information, the setting unit 5102 changes at least one of the paper type and the paper binding setting in the print setting information according to the wind speed information. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the analysis result information corresponds to 1 = outdoor and 6 = 10 m or more, two-point binding should be performed with staples, and @PJL SET OUTBIN = STAPLER and @PJL are used as commands. A command for performing two-point binding with a staple such as SET STAPLE-MODE = MIDLEFT is selected and incorporated in the print setting information. Note that the above command is a command for binding the left two positions of the paper by stapling, but may be another position.

  When the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit 5101 is based on the weather forecast information, the setting unit 5102 sets the paper type, the image color, and the book binding setting in the print setting information according to the weather forecast information. Change at least one. Note that the commands described above are only examples, and other commands may be used as long as they can flexibly respond to changes in the environment and can be printed according to the usage environment that is accurately analyzed. Good.

  The job management unit 5103 outputs a printed matter based on the print setting information set by the setting unit 5102. The job management unit 5103 associates the usage environment information with the print setting information. The job management unit 5103 associates the usage environment information specified by the operation with the print setting information in accordance with the operation received by the operation panel 512. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the operation panel 512 includes a panel 5121, a start button 5122, and an operation button 5123. As described above, the panel 5121 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display with a touch panel. The panel 5121 displays, for example, inquiry content 5129 for use environment information. The inquiry content 5129 includes, for example, a main item 51215, a subitem 51214, a subitem 51213, an icon 51211, and an icon 51212. An icon 51211 is an operator corresponding to an OK button. An icon 51212 is an operator corresponding to the Cancel button. The main item 51215 is an item used for specifying the use environment determination table, and is, for example, date and place. The sub item 51214 is an item that specifically specifies the main item 51215, and for example, the date and time are specified. The sub item 51213 is an item that specifically specifies the main item 51215, and for example, an address is specified.

  In FIG. 9, when the icon 51211 is operated, the image forming apparatus 5 inquires weather forecast information corresponding to the sub item 51214 and the sub item 51213 via the Internet. When the start button 5122 is pressed and the inquiry content 5129 is received, the image forming apparatus 5 associates the use environment information including the weather forecast information with the print setting information, and starts executing the print job including the print setting information. Note that the screen of the inquiry content 5129 may be displayed on the terminal 3 or a personal computer (not shown).

  Further, for example, if user authentication is required when operating the operation panel 512, the operation is accepted with the user ID authenticated by the user during login. In this case, a print job including the same user ID as the user ID for which user authentication has been performed is associated, and print setting information included in the associated print job and use environment information determined by an operation on the operation panel 512 are provided. It only has to be associated.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining control examples of the terminal 3 and the image forming apparatus 5. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an analysis process for analyzing usage environment information. The terminal 3 executes the processing from step S11 to step S19. The control unit 510 controls the image forming unit 518 based on the use condition information received from the communication unit 514, and executes the processes of step S31 to step S42.

  In step S11, the control unit 310 determines whether a call is received from the OS. When determining that the call is received from the OS (step S11; Y), the control unit 310 proceeds to the process of step S12, and executes the linked app in step S12. When it is determined that the control unit 310 does not receive a call from the OS (step S11; N), the process of step S11 is continued. In step S13, the control unit 310 determines whether an end instruction has been received from the OS. When it is determined that the end instruction has been received from the OS (step S13; Y), the control unit 310 ends the process. When it is determined that the termination instruction has not been received from the OS (step S13; N), the control unit 310 proceeds to the process of step S14. In step S14, control unit 310 determines whether a print instruction has been received. When it is determined that the print instruction has been received (step S14; Y), the control unit 310 proceeds to the process of step S15. When determining that the print instruction has not been received (step S14; N), the control unit 310 ends the process. In step S15, the control unit 310 reads print setting information. In step S16, the control unit 310 reads document information. In step S17, the control unit 310 reads use condition information from the conjunction app. In step S18, the control unit 310 generates a print job. In step S19, the control unit 310 transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus 5 and ends the process.

  In step S31, control unit 510 determines whether a print job has been received. When determining that the print job has been received (step S31; Y), the control unit 510 proceeds to the process of step S32, and analyzes the print job in step S32. When it is determined that the print job is not received (step S31; N), the control unit 510 continues the process of step S31. In step S33, control unit 510 rasterizes the document information. In step S34, control unit 510 sets print setting information. In step S35, control unit 510 executes analysis processing. Details of the analysis process will be described later.

  In step S36, the control unit 510 changes the print setting information based on the setting change information X obtained in the analysis process. In step S37, control unit 510 starts printing. In step S38, control unit 510 ends printing. In step S39, control unit 510 determines whether or not to shift to a standby state. If controller 510 determines to shift to the standby state (step S39; Y), the process proceeds to step S40. In step S40, the power is set to the standby state, and the process returns to step S31. When it is determined that the control unit 510 does not shift to the standby state (step S39; N), the control unit 510 proceeds to the process of step S41. In step S41, control unit 510 determines whether or not to shut down. When it is determined that the shutdown is to be performed (step S41; Y), the control unit 510 proceeds to the process of step S42, executes the shutdown in step S42, and ends the process. When it is determined that the shutdown is not performed (step S41; N), the control unit 510 returns to the process of step S31.

  In step S51, control unit 510 determines whether or not GPS information is included in the use condition information. When it is determined that the use condition information includes GPS information (step S51; Y), control unit 510 proceeds to the process of step S55. When it is determined that the GPS information is not included in the use condition information (step S51; N), the control unit 510 proceeds to the process of step S52. In step S52, control unit 510 determines whether or not the use condition information includes a destination for using the printed material. When it is determined that the destination for using the printed material is included in the use condition information (step S52; Y), the control unit 510 proceeds to the process of step S53, specifies the location from the destination in step S53, The process proceeds to S56. When it is determined that the destination for using the printed material is not included in the use condition information (step S52; N), the control unit 510 proceeds to the process of step S54, specifies the location from the document information in step S54, The process proceeds to step S56. When specifying the location from the document information, syntax analysis and semantic analysis are performed on the document information, and the location may be specified from the wording included in the document information.

  In step S55, control unit 510 analyzes GPS information and identifies a location. In step S56, control unit 510 sets 1 as determination target index n. In step S57, control unit 510 selects selection information related to determination target index n based on the specified location. In step S58, control unit 510 increments determination target index n. In step S59, control unit 510 determines whether there is usage condition information related to determination target index n. When it is determined that there is use condition information related to the determination target index n (step S59; Y), the control unit 510 proceeds to the process of step S60. In step S60, the control unit 510 relates to the determination target index n. The selection information to be selected is selected, and the process returns to step S59. When it is determined that there is no use condition information related to the determination target index n (step S59; N), the control unit 510 proceeds to the process of step S61. In step S61, control unit 510 obtains use environment information and analysis result information based on the selected selection information. In step S62, the control unit 510 determines the setting change information X based on the usage environment information, the analysis result information, and the change information determination table, ends the analysis process, and performs the process of step S36 described above. Migrate to

  From the above description, the image forming apparatus 5 to which the present disclosure is applied analyzes the usage environment information of the printed material that is output after the image is formed on the paper based on at least two usage condition information transmitted from the terminal 3. Print setting information for the printed material is set based on the usage environment information of the printed material to be analyzed. Based on the set print setting information, the printed matter is output. Therefore, the print setting can be changed according to the usage environment information analyzed from a plurality of conditions without manual correction by the user. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly respond to changes in the environment and to perform printing optimal for the usage environment that is accurately analyzed.

  In the image forming apparatus 5 to which the present disclosure is applied, at least one of the location of the user who views the printed matter and the date / time is specified as the use condition information. If the location of the user viewing the printed material changes, the printed material suitable for that location will be different. For example, the solar sunshine conditions differ between indoors and outdoors. If the date and time of the user viewing the printed material changes, the printed material suitable for the date and time will be different. For example, the temperature and humidity environment differs depending on the time between daytime and nighttime. If the climate varies depending on the season, the temperature and humidity environment will differ depending on the day. Therefore, if at least one of the location and date / time of the user viewing the printed material is specified in the usage condition information, a factor for changing the usage environment information of the printed material can be included.

  Further, since the image forming apparatus 5 to which the present disclosure is applied associates the use environment information with the print setting information, the use environment information can be associated with the print setting information later. Therefore, different printed materials can be generated according to the usage environment information.

  Further, since the image forming apparatus 5 to which the present disclosure is applied updates the print setting information in accordance with the update of the usage environment information, the printed material can be output with the print setting information corresponding to the latest usage environment information.

  The image forming apparatus 5 to which the present disclosure is applied changes the paper type in the print setting information according to the use environment information when the use environment information is analyzed based on the inclination information of the user who views the printed matter. Therefore, the type of paper is changed according to the inclination state of the user who sees the printed matter. For example, even if the user who sees the printed matter is bedridden or in a state where he / she cannot get up during sickness treatment, it is possible to select a paper that can withstand the gravity by changing the type of the paper. That is, since the printed material is output according to the state of the user who views the printed material, it is possible to output a printed material suitable for each user.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 5 to which the present disclosure is applied, when the usage environment information is analyzed based on the brightness information of the place where the user who sees the printed matter is present, changes the image color in the print setting information according to the usage environment information. change. Therefore, the color of the image is changed according to the brightness information of the place where the user who sees the printed material is present. For example, when the brightness of a place where a user who sees printed matter as a distribution material for a conference using a projector is dark, visibility can be improved by correcting the color of the image formed on the paper to a bright color. .

  Further, the image forming apparatus 5 to which the present disclosure is applied, when the usage environment information is analyzed based on the current weather information of the place where the user who views the printed material is present, the paper type in the print setting information according to the usage environment information To change. Therefore, the paper type is changed according to the current weather information of the place where the user who sees the printed matter is present. For example, when the current weather at the place where the user viewing the printed matter is rain, durability of use in the rain can be improved by making the paper type plastic.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 5 to which the present disclosure is applied, when the usage environment information is analyzed based on the wind speed information of the place where the user who views the printed material is present, the paper type and the paper in the print setting information according to the usage environment information Change at least one of the bookbinding settings. Accordingly, at least one of the paper type and the paper binding setting is changed according to the wind speed information of the place where the user who views the printed material is present. For example, if the wind is strong in the place where the user viewing the printed matter, set the type of paper that can withstand the wind speed and bookbinding settings such as two-point staple binding. Durability can be improved.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 5 to which the present disclosure is applied, when the usage environment information is analyzed based on the weather forecast information of the place where the user viewing the printed matter, the paper type in the print setting information according to the usage environment information, Change at least one of image color and paper binding settings. Therefore, at least one of the paper type, the image color, and the paper binding setting is changed according to the weather forecast information of the place where the user who views the printed material is present. For example, if the printed material corresponds to a pamphlet for an outdoor concert or a schedule for each Olympic event, it is effective to change the print setting information according to the weather forecast information.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 5 to which the present disclosure is applied associates the usage environment information specified by the operation with the print setting information in accordance with the operation received by the operation panel 512. Therefore, the usage environment information can be associated with the print setting information later. For example, when the place where the user who sees the printed material is different from the originally planned place, the image forming apparatus 5 can print even if the use environment information is received later after receiving the print job including the print setting information. Since the use environment information can be associated with the print setting information included in the job, it is possible to respond flexibly to changes in the environment particularly remarkably.

  The image forming apparatus 5 to which the present disclosure has been applied has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

  For example, an example in which a print job is transmitted from the terminal 3 to the image forming apparatus 5 has been described. However, a print job is transmitted from a personal computer (not shown) to the image forming apparatus 5 via a wired or wireless communication medium and used. Environmental information or usage condition information that specifies usage environment information may be transmitted from the terminal 3 to the image forming apparatus 5.

  In the analysis process described above, an example using the process of incrementing the determination target index n has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and any process may be used as long as the determination target index n included in the use environment determination table is examined. .

  Further, although an example in which the CPU 311 controls the entire terminal 3 has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a multi-core processor including a processor in which a plurality of cores are integrated may control the entire terminal 3.

  Further, although an example in which the CPU 511 controls the entire image forming apparatus 5 has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a multi-core processor including a processor in which a plurality of cores are integrated controls the entire image forming apparatus 5. Also good.

  Further, an example in which the nonvolatile memory 316 is used as a recording medium for storing a program executed by the CPU 311 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and an optical disk, an IC card, an optical card, a mask ROM, an EPROM (Erasable Disc), and an EEPROM (Electrically). It may be a semiconductor memory such as an EPROM.

  Further, although an example in which the HDD 516 is used as a recording medium for storing a program executed by the CPU 511 has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto, and an optical disk, an IC card, an optical card, a mask ROM, an EPROM (Erasable Disc), and an EEPROM (Electrically). It may be a semiconductor memory such as an EPROM.

  In addition, an example in which the storage unit 521 of the image forming apparatus 5 includes the main memory 515 and the HDD 516 has been described, but instead of the HDD 516, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) is configured. May be.

  Further, although an example in which the SET command is used as the PJL command as the setting change information X has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and other PJL commands may be used.

  Note that the series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or can be executed by software. When a series of processing is executed by software, a program that configures the software installs various programs and can execute various functions from a recording medium that records the program, or It is installed via the Internet or the like.

1 image forming system, 3 terminal, 301 bus, 310 control unit, 311 CPU
312 Memory controller, 313 Network interface 314 Peripheral interface, 315 Main memory, 316 Non-volatile memory 317 External port, 318 I / O subsystem 3181 Touch-sensitive display system, 319 Sensor unit 3191 GPS sensor 3192 Acceleration sensor, 3193 Gyro sensor 3194 Illuminance sensor 5 Image forming apparatus, 501 bus, 510 control unit 5101 analysis unit, 5101A environment analysis unit, 5101B change value determination unit 5102 setting unit, 5103 job management unit,
511 CPU, 512 Operation panel, 5121 Panel 51211,5122 Icon 5121213, 51214 Sub-item 51215 Main item, 5122 Start button, 5123 Operation button 5129 Inquiry contents 513 Network unit, 514 Communication unit 515 Main memory, 516 HDD, 517 Image reading , 518 Image forming unit 521 Storage unit A, B, C Environment, X Setting change information

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus that transmits / receives various information to / from a terminal,
An image forming unit for forming an image on paper;
A communication unit that receives at least two use condition information transmitted from the terminal;
A control unit that controls the image forming unit based on the use condition information received from the communication unit;
With
The use condition information is
The image forming unit shows a surrounding situation surrounding a user who sees a printed matter formed and output on the paper by the image forming unit,
The controller is
Based on the use condition information received from the communication unit, an analysis unit that analyzes use environment information of the printed matter;
A setting unit configured to set print setting information of the printed material based on use environment information of the printed material analyzed by the analyzing unit;
A job management unit that outputs the printed matter based on the print setting information set by the setting unit;
Comprising
Image forming apparatus. The use condition information is
At least one of the location and the date and time of the user viewing the printed matter is specified;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The job management unit
Associating the use environment information with the print setting information;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The setting unit
In response to the update of the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit, the print setting information is updated.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The analysis unit
When the communication unit receives inclination information of a user who views the printed matter as the use condition information, the use environment information is analyzed based on the inclination information,
The setting unit
When the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit is based on the inclination information, the paper type in the print setting information is changed according to the inclination information;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The analysis unit
When the communication unit receives, as the use condition information, brightness information of a place where a user who views the printed matter is present, the use environment information is analyzed based on the brightness information,
The setting unit
When the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit is based on the brightness information, the color of the image in the print setting information is changed according to the brightness information.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The analysis unit
When the communication unit receives, as the use condition information, current weather information of a place where a user viewing the printed matter is present, based on the weather information, the use environment information is analyzed,
The setting unit
When the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit is based on the weather information, the paper type in the print setting information is changed according to the weather information.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The analysis unit
When the communication unit receives the wind speed information of the place where the user viewing the printed matter is used as the use condition information, the use environment information is analyzed based on the wind speed information,
The setting unit
When the use environment information analyzed by the analysis unit is based on the wind speed information, at least one of the paper type and the paper binding setting in the print setting information is changed according to the wind speed information.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The analysis unit
When the communication unit receives, as the use condition information, weather forecast information of a place where the user who views the printed material is, based on the weather forecast information, analyzes the use environment information,
The setting unit
When the usage environment information analyzed by the analysis unit is based on the weather forecast information, the type of the paper, the color of the image, and the binding of the paper in the print setting information according to the weather forecast information Change at least one of the settings,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. An operation panel for accepting an operation of a user viewing the printed matter;
Further comprising
The job management unit
Associating the use environment information specified by the operation with the print setting information according to the operation accepted by the operation panel;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

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