JP2019084773A - Image forming apparatus and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing wasteful consumption of a sheet, and an image forming system.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 100 includes: a mounting section 51; an image forming section 6; a control section 11; a determination section 12; an input section 2; and a decision section 13. The mounting section 51 is capable of mounting a first replacement component for storing a first consumable supply and a second replacement component for storing a second consumable supply therein. The image forming section 6 forms an image on a sheet S using the mounted consumable supplies. The control section 11 controls the image forming section 6. The determination section 12 determines whether a mounted replacement component CA is the first replacement component or the second replacement component. The input section 2 receives information indicating an image forming job for forming the image on the sheet S. The decision section 13 decides a sample image from job images when the mounted replacement component CA is the second replacement component.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming system.

  In the ink cartridge monitoring system described in Patent Document 1, the ink cartridge loaded in the printer incorporates an IC chip in which cartridge information is recorded. The printer incorporates a connector that is an interface with the IC chip, an EEPROM, and a main control unit. The host computer requests the printer for status information, and if the response ink exchange flag is set, requests the printer for cartridge information. Then, the host computer sends a warning message if the returned cartridge information does not indicate that it is a dedicated item.

JP, 2001-105625, A

  However, the host computer only sends a warning message to inform the printer that a non-dedicated ink cartridge has been installed. Therefore, when executing a print job for printing an image on a sheet, the user can not confirm the image quality of an image using non-special-purpose toner without executing the print job even after confirming the warning message. . As a result, if the user executes a print job that prints multiple images, and the user does not like the quality of the images, the user must reprint the multiple images after performing the color adjustment operation. In addition, there was a risk of consuming the sheet in vain.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming system capable of suppressing wasteful consumption of sheets.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus includes a mounting unit, an image forming unit, a control unit, a determination unit, an input unit, and a determination unit. The mounting unit is capable of mounting a first replacement part that accommodates the first consumable and a second replacement part that accommodates the second consumable. The image forming unit forms an image on the sheet using the wearing consumables. The control unit controls the image forming unit. The determination unit determines whether the mounting replacement part is the first replacement part or the second replacement part. The input unit receives information indicating an image forming job for forming an image on the sheet. The determination unit determines a sample image from among job images formed on the sheet in the image forming job when the mounted replacement part is the second replacement part. The mounting replacement part indicates a replacement part mounted on the mounting portion among the first replacement part and the second replacement part. The mounted consumable item indicates a consumable item accommodated in the mounted replacement part.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, an image forming system includes the above-described image forming apparatus and an external device. An external device can communicate with the image forming device. The image forming unit has a transfer member on which an image using the mounted consumable is formed. The image forming apparatus further includes an imaging unit configured to capture an image formed on the transfer body. The external device includes an external display unit that displays an image captured by the imaging unit. The control unit controls the image forming unit such that the image forming unit forms the sample image on the transfer body.

  According to the present invention, wasteful consumption of sheets can be suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an adjustment screen. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an image forming apparatus. It is a 1st flowchart which shows operation | movement of a control apparatus. It is a 2nd flowchart which shows operation | movement of a control apparatus. It is a 3rd flowchart which shows operation | movement of a control apparatus. It is a figure which shows a display part. It is a modification of the 2nd flowchart showing operation of a control device. It is a flow figure showing the 1st priority processing. It is a modification of the 3rd flowchart showing operation of a control device. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an image forming system. It is a modification of the 1st flow figure showing operation of a control device.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

First Embodiment
The configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 is a multifunction peripheral.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a reading unit 1, an input unit 2, a storage unit 3, a conveyance unit 4, a replenishment unit 5, an image forming unit 6, a discharge unit 7, and a housing 8. The housing unit 3, the transport unit 4, the replenishment unit 5, the image forming unit 6, and the discharge unit 7 are housed inside the housing 8.

  The reading unit 1 scans an image formed on a reading sheet to read an image formed on the reading sheet. As a result, the reading unit 1 acquires image data indicating an image.

  The reading unit 1 includes, for example, a light emitting unit such as a light emitting diode (LED) and an imaging unit such as an image sensor. The reading unit 1 scans the image formed on the reading sheet using the light emitting unit and the imaging unit.

  The input unit 2 receives an instruction from the user to the image forming apparatus 100. When the input unit 2 receives an instruction from the user, the input unit 2 outputs a signal indicating the instruction from the user.

  The input unit 2 receives information indicating an image forming job for forming an image on the sheet S. When the input unit 2 receives information, it indicates that information is input to the image forming apparatus 100 through the input unit 2. Hereinafter, an image formed on the sheet S in an image forming job is referred to as a “job image”. Describe. In other words, the job image shows an image instructed to be formed on the sheet S via the input unit 2. Further, the number of job images is counted for each image forming job. For example, in the case of an image forming job in which the image read by the reading unit 1 is formed on the sheet S, the image read by the reading unit 1 becomes a job image. When an image forming job is input through an external apparatus such as a personal computer, the image forming apparatus 100 receives image data from the external apparatus and forms an image representing the received image data on the sheet S. In this case, the image represented by the image data received from the external device is a job image.

  The input unit 2 further receives information indicating whether or not to form a sample image on the sheet S. Further, the input unit 2 further receives information indicating whether the image quality of the sample image formed on the sheet S is acceptable. The sample image shows an image formed using the second consumable.

  The input unit 2 includes a touch panel 21 and a plurality of operation keys 22. The touch panel 21 includes a display unit 21 a and a touch sensor.

  The display unit 21a displays various screens. The various screens include a standby screen. The standby screen includes, for example, a menu button for instructing execution of various processes. The display unit 21a is, for example, a liquid crystal display unit or an organic EL display unit (Organic Electro Luminescence Display).

  The touch sensor detects a touch by the detected body. The touch sensor outputs a detection signal indicating a position at which a touch by the detected object is detected. The detected body is, for example, a finger of the user. The touch sensor is, for example, a resistive film type touch sensor. The plurality of operation keys 22 include, for example, a ten key, a start key, and a cancel key.

  The display unit 21a can display the adjustment screen 21b.

  The storage unit 3 stores a plurality of sheets S, and delivers the plurality of stored sheets S one by one.

  The transport unit 4 transports the sheet S delivered from the storage unit 3 to the discharge unit 7.

  The replenishing unit 5 replenishes the image forming unit 6 with consumables. In the first embodiment, the consumable is toner.

  The replenishment unit 5 includes an open / close detection switch, a mounting unit 51, a component detection switch 52, and a component information acquisition unit 53.

  The open / close detection switch detects the open / close of a cover member provided in the housing 8. When the cover member is closed, the open / close detection switch outputs a signal indicating that the cover member is closed. In the closed state of the cover member, the cover member constitutes a part of the wall of the housing 8. On the other hand, when the cover member is in the open state, the mounting portion 51 is exposed. The user can replace the replacement part C by opening the cover member.

  The replacement part C can be attached to the attachment portion 51. In addition, the replacement part C can be attached to and detached from the mounting unit 51. The replacement part C accommodates consumables. In the first embodiment, the replacement part C is a toner cartridge.

  The replacement part C includes a first replacement part and a second replacement part. Therefore, the first replacement part and the second replacement part can be attached to the attachment part 51. In the first embodiment, any one of the first replacement part and the second replacement part can be attached to the attachment part 51.

  The first replacement part is a dedicated item of the image forming apparatus 100. The second replacement part is a replacement part (non-dedicated item) other than the dedicated item of the image forming apparatus 100. The first replacement part accommodates the first consumable. The second replacement part accommodates the second consumable. The characteristics of the first consumable and the characteristics of the second consumable are different from each other.

  The replacement part C includes a memory element CM. Specifically, each of the first replacement part and the second replacement part includes the storage element CM. The memory element CM is, for example, a noncontact tag (electronic tag) such as a radio frequency identification (RF) tag.

  The storage element CM of the first replacement part stores first replacement part information. The first replacement part information indicates information on the first replacement part. The information on the first replacement part indicates, for example, manufacturer information indicating the manufacturer of the first replacement part, model number information indicating the model number of the first replacement part, and serial information indicating the serial number of the first replacement part.

  The storage element CM of the second replacement part stores second replacement part information. The second replacement part information indicates information on the second replacement part. The information on the second replacement part indicates, for example, manufacturer information indicating a manufacturer of the second replacement part, model number information indicating a model number of the second replacement part, and serial information indicating a serial number of the second replacement part.

  The storage element CM of the mounting replacement part CA stores mounting part information. The mounting replacement part CA indicates a replacement part C mounted on the mounting portion 51 among the first replacement part and the second replacement part. Therefore, when the mounting replacement part CA is the first replacement part, the mounting part information indicates the first replacement part information. On the other hand, when the mounting replacement part CA is the second replacement part, the mounting part information indicates the second replacement part information.

  The component detection switch 52 detects that the replacement component C is attached to the attachment unit 51.

  The component information acquisition unit 53 acquires attached component information. Specifically, when the mounting replacement part CA is a first replacement part, the part information acquisition unit 53 acquires first replacement part information. On the other hand, when the mounting replacement part CA is the second replacement part, the part information acquisition unit 53 acquires the second replacement part information. Hereinafter, the process of acquiring the mounted component information from the storage element CM will be referred to as “component information acquisition process”. The component information acquisition unit 53 is, for example, a short distance wireless communication device such as an RF reader.

  The image forming unit 6 forms an image (toner image) on the sheet S using the wearing consumables. The attached consumable item indicates the consumable item accommodated by the attached replacement part CA. Therefore, when the mounting replacement part CA is the first replacement part, the mounting consumable item indicates the first consumable part. On the other hand, when the mounting replacement part CA is the second replacement part, the mounting consumable item indicates the second consumable part.

  When a single mounting replacement part CA is present, the image forming unit 6 can form an image (black and white image) having a single color on the sheet S. On the other hand, when there are a plurality of mounting replacement parts CA, the image forming unit 6 can form an image (color image) having a plurality of colors on the sheet S. In this case, each of the plurality of mounting replacement parts CA accommodates consumables having different colors.

  The image forming unit 6 includes a photosensitive drum 6a, a developing device 6b, a charging device 6c, a cleaning device 6d, a transfer roller 6e, and an exposing device 6f.

  The charger 6c charges the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 6a. The exposure unit 6 f irradiates the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 6 a charged by the charging unit 6 c with laser light. Laser light is generated based on image data. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 6a. The image data is acquired from, for example, the reading unit 1 or an external device such as a personal computer.

  The developing device 6 b supplies toner to the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 6 a on which the electrostatic latent image is formed. The mounting replacement part CA supplies toner to the developing device 6b. When the developing device 6b supplies the toner to the photosensitive drum 6a, the electrostatic latent image formed on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 6a is developed. As a result, an image using the mounted consumables is formed on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 6a. In detail, an image representing the image data is formed on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 6a.

  The photosensitive drum 6a is in contact with the circumferential surface of the transfer roller 6e. When the sheet S passes between the photosensitive drum 6a and the transfer roller 6e, the image carried by the photosensitive drum 6a is transferred to the sheet S. After the image is transferred to the sheet S, the cleaning device 6d removes the toner remaining on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 6a.

  The discharge unit 7 discharges the sheet S on which the toner image is fixed from the inside of the housing 8 to the discharge tray via the sheet discharge port.

  Next, the adjustment screen 21 b will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the adjustment screen 21b.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the adjustment screen 21 b shows a screen for adjusting an image formed on the sheet S. In the first embodiment, the adjustment screen 21 b shows a screen for adjusting the color of the image formed on the sheet S. The adjustment screen 21 b displays, for example, information indicating adjustment items of the color of the image formed on the sheet S. In the first embodiment, the color adjustment items indicate saturation, color balance, and density. For example, the user inputs an adjustment value of color to the adjustment screen 21b via the input unit 2, and adjusts the image formed on the sheet S. In a first embodiment, adjusting the image indicates adjusting the color of the image. Specifically, the adjustment of the color of the image indicates the adjustment of saturation, the adjustment of color balance, and the adjustment of density. In this case, the user touches the adjustment screen 21b and / or operates the plurality of operation keys 22 to input the saturation adjustment value in the saturation field of the adjustment screen 21b, and the color balance field Enter the adjustment value of color balance in and / or enter the adjustment value of density in the field of density. As a result, the color of the image formed on the sheet S is adjusted to a color reflecting the adjustment value of the color input through the input unit 2. For example, when the saturation is adjusted to be low via the input unit 2, after adjusting the saturation, the saturation of the color of the image formed on the sheet S becomes lower than before the adjustment of the saturation. .

  Next, the image forming apparatus 100 will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 100 further includes a storage unit 9 and a control device 10.

  The storage unit 9 includes a storage device. The storage device includes a main storage device (for example, a semiconductor memory) such as a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM), and may further include an auxiliary storage device (for example, a hard disk drive). The main storage device and / or the auxiliary storage device store various computer programs to be executed by the control device 10.

  The storage unit 9 stores storage component information which is information on the first replacement component. The storage part information includes, for example, manufacturer information of the first replacement part and model number information of the first replacement part.

  The storage unit 9 stores information indicating an image forming job. Specifically, the storage unit 9 stores information indicating an image forming job input through the input unit 2. The storage unit 9 also stores information indicating an image forming job input through an external device such as a personal computer.

  The control device 10 includes a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a micro processing unit (MPU). The control device 10 controls each element of the image forming apparatus 100. Specifically, the processor of the control device 10 executes the computer program stored in the storage device to read the reading unit 1, the input unit 2, the conveyance unit 4, the replenishment unit 5, and the image forming unit 6. And controls the discharge unit 7 and the storage unit 9.

  The control device 10 includes a control unit 11, a determination unit 12, a determination unit 13, and an adjustment unit 14. Specifically, the processor of the control device 10 functions as the control unit 11, the determination unit 12, the determination unit 13, and the adjustment unit 14 by executing a computer program stored in the storage device.

  The determination unit 12 executes a determination process of determining whether the mounting replacement part CA is the first replacement part or the second replacement part. The determination unit 12 executes the determination process based on the mounted component information acquired by the component information acquisition unit 53 and the storage component information stored in the storage unit 9. For example, when the mounted component information matches the stored component information, the determination unit 12 determines that the mounted replacement component CA is the first replacement component. On the other hand, when the replacement part information is different from the storage part information, the determination unit 12 determines that the mounted replacement part CA is the second replacement part.

  For example, when the determination unit 12 receives a signal indicating that the supply unit cover is closed from the supply unit 5 at the time of power activation of the image forming apparatus 100, the determination unit 12 executes the determination process. Therefore, the determination unit 12 executes the determination process each time the mounting replacement part CA is replaced.

  When the image forming apparatus 100 forms a color image, a plurality of replacement parts C are mounted on the mounting unit 51. As a result, there are a plurality of mounting replacement parts CA. In this case, for example, each of the plurality of mounted replacement parts CA accommodates any of black consumables (toner), yellow consumables, magenta consumables, and cyan consumables.

  When a plurality of mounting replacement parts CA exist, the determination unit 12 determines that the mounting replacement part CA is a second replacement part when at least one of the plurality of mounting replacement parts CA is a second replacement part. . On the other hand, when there is a plurality of mounting replacement parts CA, when all of the plurality of mounting replacement parts CA are the first replacement parts, the determination unit 12 determines that the mounting replacement parts CA are the first replacement parts. Do.

  The determination unit 13 determines a single sample image. Specifically, when the mounting replacement part CA is a second replacement part, the determination unit 13 determines a sample image based on the job image. Further, the determination unit 13 determines a sample image from among the job images.

  The adjustment unit 14 adjusts the setting of the image forming unit 6 to adjust the color of the image formed on the sheet S. The setting of the image forming unit 6 indicates, for example, setting of the developing bias, setting of the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 6a, and / or setting of the exposure amount of the exposing device 6f. In the first embodiment, when the color adjustment value is input to the adjustment screen 21 b via the input unit 2, the adjustment unit 14 adjusts the setting of the image forming unit 6 based on a predetermined table. The predetermined table indicates a table in which color adjustment values are associated with settings of the image forming unit 6. As a result, the color of the image formed on the sheet S by the image forming unit 6 is adjusted to a color reflecting the adjustment value of the color input through the input unit 2.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 3, the determination unit 13 determines a sample image from among the job images. Therefore, the user can form a sample image on the sheet S as a test, check the image quality of the sample image, and determine whether to perform color adjustment. As a result, the user can determine whether to perform color adjustment without forming all the images of the job image on the sheet S, and the waste of the sheet S is suppressed. can do.

  Next, the operation of the control device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. FIG. 4 is a first flow chart showing the operation of the control device 10. FIG. 5 is a second flow chart showing the operation of the control device 10. FIG. 6 is a third flow chart showing the operation of the control device 10. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the display unit 21a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in step S <b> 10, the component detection switch 52 detects that the replacement component C has been attached to the attachment unit 51.

  In step S20, the determination unit 12 determines whether the mounting replacement part CA is the first replacement part or the second replacement part. If the determination unit 12 determines that the mounting replacement part CA is the first replacement part (Yes in step S20), the process ends. If the determination unit 12 determines that the mounting replacement part CA is the second replacement part (No in step S20), the process proceeds to step S30.

  In step S30, when the second replacement part is mounted on the mounting unit 51, the control unit 11 causes the display unit 21a to display information indicating that the mounting replacement part CA is the second replacement part. Control. In this case, the display unit 21a displays, for example, a screen shown in FIG. In the first embodiment, the display unit 21 a displays an image of “Copy”, an image of “Send”, and an image of “FAX”. The image of "Copy" is touch-operated when the print function is executed. The image of “Send” is touch-operated when the transmission function of transmitting image data is performed. The image of “FAX” is touch-operated when the FAX function is executed. And the information which shows that mounting | wearing replacement parts CA are 2nd replacement parts is displayed on the column where the image of "Copy" is displayed. Specifically, that the second replacement part is mounted on the mounting unit 51 indicates that the determination unit 12 determines that the mounting replacement part CA is the second replacement part.

  In step S40, the input unit 2 receives information indicating an image forming job for forming an image on the sheet S.

  In step S50, when the input unit 2 receives the information indicating the image forming job, the control unit 11 displays so that the display unit 21a displays the quality information indicating that the quality of the image formed on the sheet S can not be guaranteed. The unit 21a is controlled. For example, “The quality of printing can not be guaranteed because the second replacement part is attached” is displayed on the display unit 21a.

  In step S60, the control unit 11 controls the display unit 21a so that the display unit 21a cancels the display of the quality information.

  In step S70, the control device 10 (determination unit 13) acquires image data indicating a job image. The control device 10 acquires image data indicating a job image from, for example, the reading unit 1 or an external device such as a personal computer.

  In step S80, the determination unit 13 calculates the number of job images of the image forming job of step S40. The determination unit 13 calculates, for example, the number of job images based on the information indicating the image formation job accepted in step S40. If the job image is singular (Yes in step S80), the process proceeds to step S90 shown in FIG. If there are a plurality of job images (No in step S80), the process proceeds to step S180 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in step S90, the determination unit 13 determines a single job image as a sample image.

  In step S100, the control unit 11 controls the display unit 21a so that the display unit 21a displays information indicating whether to form a sample image on the sheet S or not. For example, "Do you want to print a sample image?" Is displayed on the display unit 21a. Then, when the input unit 2 receives information indicating formation of a sample image on the sheet S (Yes in step S100), the process proceeds to step S110. When the input unit 2 receives information indicating that the sample image is not formed on the sheet S (No in step S100), the process proceeds to step S150.

  In step S110, the control unit 11 controls the image forming unit 6 so that the image forming unit 6 forms a sample image on the sheet S. As a result, a sample image is printed.

  In step S120, the control unit 11 controls the display unit 21a so that the display unit 21a displays information indicating whether to inquire whether the image quality of the sample image is acceptable. On the display unit 21 a, for example, “Is the image quality of the sample image OK?” Is displayed. When the input unit 2 receives information indicating that the image quality of the sample image is permitted (Yes in step S120), the process ends. When the input unit 2 receives information indicating that the sample image is not permitted (No in step S120), the process proceeds to step S130.

  In step S130, the control unit 11 controls the display unit 21a so that the display unit 21a displays the adjustment screen 21b. As a result, the user can adjust the setting of the image forming unit 6 through the input unit 2 and adjust the color of the image formed on the sheet S. When the color adjustment work is completed, the user inputs, via the input unit 2, end information indicating that the color adjustment work is completed. As a result, the input unit 2 receives the end information.

  When the input unit 2 receives the end information in step S140 (Yes in step S140), the process proceeds to step S110. When the input unit 2 does not receive the end information (No in step S140), the process proceeds to step S130. That is, the adjustment screen 21b continues to be displayed until the user finishes the work of adjusting the color.

  In step S150, the control unit 11 controls the display unit 21a so that the display unit 21a again displays information indicating whether to form a sample image on the sheet S or not. The display unit 21a displays, for example, "Since the second replacement part is attached, the printing quality can not be guaranteed, is it really OK?". That is, when the second consumable item accommodated in the second replacement part is used, information indicating that the print quality can not be guaranteed is provided to the user via the display unit 21a. Furthermore, it is confirmed with the user via the display unit 21a whether or not the sample image need not be printed.

  In step S160, when the input unit 2 receives information indicating forming a sample image on the sheet S (Yes in step S160), the process proceeds to step S110. When the input unit 2 receives information indicating that the sample image is not formed on the sheet S (No in step S160), the process proceeds to step S170.

  In step S <b> 170, the control unit 11 controls the image forming unit 6 so that the image forming unit 6 forms a job image on the sheet S. As a result, the job image is printed. When the job image is printed, the process ends.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in step S180, the determination unit 13 determines, based on the image data indicating the job image acquired in step S70, the job image having the largest usage of the second consumable among a plurality of job images. Calculate Then, the determination unit 13 determines, as a sample image, a job image with the largest amount of usage of the second consumable item.

  When the plurality of second replacement parts are mounted on the mounting unit 51, the usage amount of the second consumable item indicates the total usage amount of the second consumable items accommodated in each of the plurality of second replacement components. .

  In step S190, the control unit 11 controls the display unit 21a so that the display unit 21a displays information indicating whether to form a sample image on the sheet S or not. Then, when the input unit 2 receives information indicating formation of a sample image on the sheet S (Yes in step S190), the process proceeds to step S200. When the input unit 2 receives information indicating that the sample image is not formed on the sheet S (No in step S190), the process proceeds to step S250.

  In step S200, the control unit 11 controls the image forming unit 6 so that the image forming unit 6 forms a sample image on the sheet S. As a result, a sample image is printed.

  In step S210, the control unit 11 controls the display unit 21a so that the display unit 21a displays information indicating whether to inquire whether the image quality of the sample image is acceptable. When the input unit 2 receives information indicating that the image quality of the sample image is permitted (Yes in step S210), the process proceeds to step S220. When the input unit 2 receives information indicating that the sample image is not permitted (No in step S210), the process proceeds to step S230.

  In step S220, the control unit 11 controls the image forming unit 6 to form a plurality of job images on the sheet S. As a result, a plurality of job images are printed. The process ends when a plurality of job images are printed.

  In step S230, the control unit 11 controls the display unit 21a so that the display unit 21a displays the adjustment screen 21b (see FIG. 2). As a result, the user can adjust the setting of the image forming unit 6 through the input unit 2 and adjust the color of the image formed on the sheet S.

  When the input unit 2 receives the end information in step S240 (Yes in step S240), the process proceeds to step S200. If the input unit 2 does not receive the end information (No in step S240), the process proceeds to step S230.

  In step S250, the control unit 11 controls the display unit 21a so that the display unit 21a again displays information indicating whether to form a sample image on the sheet S or not.

  In step S260, when the input unit 2 receives information indicating forming a sample image on the sheet S (Yes in step S260), the process proceeds to step S200. When the input unit 2 receives information indicating that the sample image is not formed on the sheet S (No in step S260), the process proceeds to step S220.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7, in the case where there are a plurality of job images, in step S 180, the determination unit 13 selects the job with the largest amount of use of the second consumable item among the plurality of job images. Determine an image as a sample image. Therefore, in step S200, an image in which the characteristics of the second consumable can be reflected can be formed on the sheet S. As a result, in step S230, the user can smoothly perform the operation of adjusting the color.

  When the input unit 2 receives information indicating formation of a sample image on the sheet S in steps S100, S160, S190, and S260, the sample image is formed on the sheet S in steps SS110 and S200. It is formed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sample image from being formed on the sheet S contrary to the user's will. As a result, wasteful consumption of the sheet S can be suppressed.

  When the input unit 2 receives information indicating that the image quality of the sample image is not permitted in steps S120, S130, S210, and S230, the display unit 21a displays the adjustment screen 21b. Therefore, when the user does not like the quality of the sample image, it is possible to smoothly start the color adjustment operation.

Second Embodiment
Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 8 is a modification of the second flow diagram (see FIG. 5) showing the operation of the control device 10.

  In the second embodiment, a first priority process S101 (see FIG. 8) for prioritizing an image formation job for forming a sample image on a sheet S over a standby image formation job and a second priority process S191 (see FIG. 10). And the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the first priority process S101 is performed between the process shown in step S100 and the process shown in step S110. Therefore, in step S100, in the case of Yes, the process proceeds to the first priority process S101. In addition, in the case of Yes in step S160, the process proceeds to the first priority process S101. Then, when the first priority process S101 ends, the process proceeds to step S110.

  Next, the first priority process S101 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the first priority process S101.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in step S102, the control unit 11 confirms the status of the image forming job input in the past. Information indicating an image forming job input in the past is stored in the storage unit 9. Further, specifically, an image forming job input in the past is input through an image forming job input in the past through the input unit 2 and / or an external device such as a personal computer in the past. Shows an image forming job. Further, the image forming job input in the past does not include the image forming job input in step S40 shown in FIG. That is, the image forming job input in the past indicates an image forming job input in the past before the image forming job input in step S40.

  In step S103, the control unit 11 confirms whether or not there is an image forming job in progress among the image forming jobs input in the past. The image forming job in execution indicates an image forming job in which the image forming unit 6 is executing a process of forming a job image. If there is an image forming job being executed (Yes in step S103), the process proceeds to step S104. If there is no image forming job being executed (No in step S103), the process proceeds to step S107.

  In step S104, the control unit 11 confirms whether or not there is a waiting image forming job among the image forming jobs input in the past. The waiting imaging job indicates an imaging job waiting to be executed. If there is no image forming job waiting (No in step S104), the process proceeds to step S105. If there is an image forming job waiting (Yes in step S104), the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S105, the control unit 11 confirms whether or not the image forming job being executed in step S103 has ended. When the image forming job being executed at step S103 is completed (Yes at step S105), the first priority process S101 is completed. As a result, the process proceeds to step S110 shown in FIG. 8, and the sample image is printed. On the other hand, when the image forming job being executed at step S103 is not completed (No at step S105), the process shown at step S105 is repeated. That is, the control unit 11 stands by until the image forming job being executed in step S103 ends.

  In step S106, the control unit 11 sets the order of executing the image forming job so that the image forming job for forming the sample image on the sheet S is preferentially executed over the image forming job on standby. That is, the control unit 11 sets the image forming job for forming the sample image as the highest priority image forming job. When the process shown in step S106 ends, the process proceeds to step S105.

  In step S107, the control unit 11 confirms whether there is a waiting image forming job among the image forming jobs input in the past. If there is no image forming job waiting (No in step S107), the first priority process S101 ends. If there is an image forming job waiting (Yes in step S107), the process proceeds to step S108.

  In step S108, the control unit 11 sets the order of executing the image forming job so that the image forming job for forming the sample image on the sheet S is preferentially executed over the image forming job on standby. That is, the control unit 11 sets the image forming job for forming the sample image as the highest priority image forming job. When the process shown in step S108 ends, the first priority process S101 ends.

  Next, the second priority process S191 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a modification of the third flow diagram (see FIG. 6) showing the operation of the control device 10.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the second priority process S191 is executed between the process shown in step S190 and the process shown in step S200. Therefore, in the case of Yes at step S190, the process proceeds to the second priority process S191. Further, in the case of Yes at step S260, the process proceeds to the second priority process S191. The second priority process S191 indicates the same process as the process shown in steps S102 to S108 of the first priority process S101 (see FIG. 9). Then, when the second priority process S191 ends, the process proceeds to step S200.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, when the input unit 2 receives the information indicating that the sample image is to be formed on the sheet S, if there is a waiting image forming job, the waiting is performed. The control unit 11 sets the order of executing the image forming job so that the image forming job for forming the sample image on the sheet S is executed with priority over the image forming job in the above. Therefore, the user can smoothly perform the work of confirming the image quality of the sample image without waiting until the waiting image forming job is completed.

Third Embodiment
Next, the image forming system X will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an image forming system X. In the following, the configuration different from that of the first embodiment of the image forming apparatus 100 will be mainly described.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the image forming system X includes an image forming apparatus 100 and an external device E.

  The image forming apparatus 100 further includes an imaging unit 15 and a communication unit 16.

  The imaging unit 15 is, for example, a camera. The imaging unit 15 is provided in the image forming unit 6. The imaging unit 15 captures an image of the photosensitive drum 6a. As a result, the imaging unit 15 captures an image formed on the photosensitive drum (transfer member) 6a.

  The communication unit 16 is, for example, a communication module (communication device) such as a LAN board. The communication unit 16 can communicate with an electronic device in which a communication device using the same communication method (protocol) as the communication unit 16 is installed. In the third embodiment, the communication unit 16 communicates with the external device E via a network N such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The image forming apparatus 100 and the external device E may be connected by wire.

  The external device E is, for example, a personal computer or a tablet terminal device. The external device E can communicate with the image forming apparatus 100. The external device E includes an external input unit E1 and an external display unit (display unit) E2. The external input unit E1 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and / or a touch panel. It is possible to input an image forming job to the image forming apparatus 100 via the external input unit E1. The external display unit E2 is, for example, a liquid crystal display unit or an organic EL display unit (Organic Electro Luminescence Display). The external display unit E2 displays the image captured by the imaging unit 15. Specifically, when the imaging unit 15 captures an image formed on the photosensitive drum 6a, image data indicating the image captured by the imaging unit 15 is transmitted to the external device E via the communication unit 16 and the network N. Be done. As a result, the external display unit E2 displays the image captured by the imaging unit 15. Note that each of the imaging unit 15 and the communication unit 16 is controlled by the control unit 11.

  In the third embodiment, the image forming system X executes the processing shown in step S10 to step S260 in the first embodiment. However, in the third embodiment, in each of step S110 shown in FIG. 5 and step S200 shown in FIG. 6, processing of displaying a sample image on the external display unit E2 instead of processing of forming a sample image on the sheet S Is different from the first embodiment in that The process contents of step S110 and step S200 of the third embodiment will be described in detail below.

  In the third embodiment, in each of Step S110 and Step S200, first, the control unit 11 controls the image forming unit 6 so that the image forming unit 6 forms a sample image on the photosensitive drum 6a. Specifically, the sample image is formed on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 6a. In addition, the sample image is formed using a second consumable that is a wearing consumable. Next, the imaging unit 15 captures a sample image formed on the photosensitive drum 6a. As a result, the imaging unit 15 acquires image data indicating a sample image. Next, the communication unit 16 transmits image data indicating a sample image to the external device E via the network N. Next, the external device E acquires image data indicating a sample image, and causes the external display unit E2 to display the sample image. Specifically, the control unit (for example, CPU) of the external device E causes the external display unit E2 to display a sample image.

  In the third embodiment, the image forming system X may execute the processing shown in steps S10 to S260 in the second embodiment. Also in this case, in the third embodiment, in each of step S110 shown in FIG. 8 and step S200 shown in FIG. 10, the sample image is displayed on external display unit E2 instead of the process of forming the sample image on sheet S. Processing is performed

  As described above with reference to FIG. 11, the user can visually check the external display unit E2 to confirm the image quality of the sample image. As a result, it is not necessary to form a sample image on the sheet S, and wasteful consumption of the sheet S can be effectively suppressed.

  The image forming unit 6 may further include an intermediate transfer belt (transfer member). That is, the image forming unit 6 may form a color image. In this case, the image formed on the photosensitive drum 6a is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt, and the image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt is transferred to the sheet S. Further, in this case, the imaging unit 15 captures an image formed on the intermediate transfer belt. Therefore, the image forming unit 6 can form a sample image on the intermediate transfer belt using the second consumable. Further, the imaging unit 15 can capture a sample image formed on the intermediate transfer belt. As a result, the external display unit E2 can display a sample image.

  Further, instead of the external display unit E2, a sample image may be displayed on the display unit 21a of the image forming apparatus 100. As a result, the external display unit E2 becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts can be reduced. Note that displaying the sample image on the external display unit E2 is advantageous in that the sample image can be confirmed from the external device E without the user having to go to the installation place of the image forming apparatus 100.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 11). However, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, It is possible to implement in a various aspect in the range which does not deviate from the summary (for example, (1)-(5)). In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. The drawings schematically show the respective components mainly for the purpose of easy understanding, and the number of the respective components illustrated may be different from the actual for the convenience of drawing preparation. In addition, each component shown in the above-described embodiment is an example, is not particularly limited, and various modifications can be made without substantially departing from the effects of the present invention.

  (1) In the first to third embodiments, the image forming apparatus 100 forms a toner image on the sheet S. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The image forming apparatus 100 may have a function of forming an image on the sheet S. The image forming apparatus 100 may be, for example, an inkjet printer. Further, the image forming apparatus 100 is not limited to a single printer, and may be a copier, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine.

  (2) In the first to third embodiments, all the job images including the sample image among the plurality of job images are formed on the sheet S in step S220 shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In step S220 shown in FIG. 6, all job images other than the sample image among the plurality of job images may be formed on the sheet S. As a result, printing of two sample images is prevented, and the sheet S can be used efficiently. As in the first to third embodiments, when all job images including sample images are formed on the sheet S, a plurality of job images are arranged in the order set in the image forming job. It is advantageous in that it can be printed.

  (3) A modification of the first flow chart showing the operation of the control device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a modification of the first flow chart (see FIG. 4) showing the operation of the control device 10.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in the first to third embodiments, the process shown in step S71 may be provided between the process shown in step S70 and the process shown in step S80. The process shown in step S71 indicates a process in which the adjustment unit 14 adjusts the setting of the image forming unit 6. The adjustment unit 14 adjusts the setting of the image forming unit 6 reflecting the difference between the characteristic of the first consumable and the characteristic of the second consumable. Hereinafter, a configuration for adjusting the setting of the image forming unit 6 by the adjusting unit 14 will be described.

  The image forming unit 6 further includes, for example, a light source, a photoelectric sensor, and a density calculation unit. The density calculation unit and the correction unit are included in the control device 10 and control each element of the image forming apparatus 100. The density calculation unit calculates the image density of the second consumable. The image density of the second consumable item indicates the density (toner concentration) of the color of the image formed by the second consumable item. The density calculation unit calculates the image density of the second consumable in the following procedure. First, a toner patch for density correction is formed on the photosensitive drum 6a or on the intermediate transfer belt. Then, the light source irradiates the toner patch with light. Then, the photoelectric sensor detects reflected light or scattered light from the toner patch. Then, the density calculation unit calculates the image density of the second consumable based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor.

  In step S71, when the image density of the second consumable calculated by the density calculation unit is different from the target image density, the setting of the image forming unit 6 is adjusted so that the image density of the second consumable approaches the target image density. 14 adjusts. For example, the adjustment unit 14 adjusts settings of the charging potential of the photosensitive drum 6a by the charging device 6c, the output of the laser light, the developing bias of the developing device 6b, the color conversion table, and / or the gradation conversion curve (γ curve) Do. The target image density indicates the density of the color of the image when the image is formed using the first consumable. Information indicating the target image density is stored in advance in the storage unit 9. Then, control is performed so that the image forming unit 6 adjusted by the adjustment unit 14 forms a sample image on the sheet S in each of step S110 shown in FIGS. 5 and 8 and step S200 shown in FIGS. The unit 11 controls the image forming unit 6. As a result, the image quality of the sample image can be made close to the image quality of the image formed using the first consumable.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 12, the image quality of the sample image formed using the second consumable is adjusted by adjusting the setting of the image forming unit 6 by the adjusting unit 14 in step S71. (1) It is possible to approximate the image quality of an image formed using consumables. Therefore, in step S130 shown in FIGS. 5 and 8 and step S230 shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, it is possible to reduce the opportunity for the user to make a color adjustment via the adjustment screen 21b. As a result, the work of forming a job image on the sheet S can be smoothly performed.

  (4) Also, when a plurality of job images are calculated in step S80 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 12, the user samples the job image out of the plurality of job images in step S180 shown in FIG. An image may be determined. In this case, the user may determine one or more sample images from the plurality of job images. In addition, when the user determines a sample image, a plurality of job images are displayed on, for example, the display unit 21a and / or the external display unit E2. For example, the user touches a desired image among a plurality of job images displayed on the display unit 21a, and determines the touched image as a sample image. Also, for example, the user clicks a desired image among a plurality of job images displayed on the external display unit E2, and determines the clicked image as a sample image. As a result, it is possible to determine an image desired by the user among the plurality of job images as a sample image.

  (5) Further, after the sample image is printed in each of step S110 shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 8 and step S200 shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. It is also good. Then, in steps S120 and S210, the user confirms the image quality of the corrected sample image instead of the sample image, and determines whether the image quality of the corrected sample image is acceptable.

  The corrected sample image is an image obtained by adding the image of the NG region to the sample image. The NG region is a region having a concentration outside the predetermined allowable concentration range. The density specifically indicates the density of the color. Information indicating the range of the predetermined allowable concentration is stored in advance in the storage unit 9. Below, the control apparatus 10 demonstrates the procedure which produces a correction sample image.

  First, the reading unit 1 reads a sample image. Then, based on the image data of the sample image read by the reading unit 1, the control device 10 calculates an NG area. Then, the control device 10 adds an image of the NG region to the sample image, and creates a corrected sample image. In the corrected sample image, for example, the NG region is surrounded by a line. Then, the control device 10 controls the image forming unit 6 to form a corrected sample image on the sheet S. Further, the control device 10 causes the display unit 21a to display the corrected sample image and / or causes the external display unit E2 to display the corrected sample image. Therefore, when the user confirms the corrected sample image, the user only needs to confirm the NG area, and the operation of confirming the corrected sample image can be smoothly performed. As a result, the user can easily perform the task of determining whether the image quality of the corrected sample image is acceptable.

  The present invention is applicable to the field of an image forming apparatus and an image forming system.

Reference Signs List 2 input unit 6 image forming unit 11 control unit 12 determination unit 13 determination unit 21 a display unit 21 b adjustment screen 51 mounting unit 100 image forming apparatus C replacement part CA replacement replacement part E2 external display unit (display unit)
S sheet X imaging system

Claims (7)

A first replacement part that accommodates the first consumable item, and a mounting portion on which the second replacement part that accommodates the second consumable item can be attached;
An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet using a mounted consumable;
A control unit that controls the image forming unit;
A determination unit that determines whether the mounting replacement part is the first replacement part or the second replacement part;
An input unit that receives information indicating an image forming job for forming an image on the sheet;
A determination unit that determines a sample image from among job images formed on the sheet in the image forming job when the mounted replacement part is the second replacement part;
The mounting replacement part indicates a replacement part mounted on the mounting portion among the first replacement part and the second replacement part,
The mounted consumable item indicates a consumable item accommodated in the mounted replacement part.
Image forming apparatus. When the job image is singular, the determination unit determines the single job image as the sample image.
The image formation according to claim 1, wherein when there are a plurality of job images, the determination unit determines a job image with the largest usage of the second consumable among the plurality of job images as the sample image. apparatus. The input unit further receives information indicating whether or not to form the sample image on the sheet;
When the input unit receives information indicating that the sample image is to be formed on the sheet, the control unit controls the image forming unit so that the image forming unit forms the sample image on the sheet.
When the input unit receives information indicating that the sample image is not formed on the sheet, the control unit controls the image forming unit such that the image forming unit forms the job image on the sheet. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The input unit further receives information indicating whether the image quality of the sample image formed on the sheet is acceptable or not.
The control unit controls the image forming unit so that the image forming unit forms the job image on the sheet when the input unit receives information indicating that the image quality of the sample image is permitted. An image forming apparatus according to item 3. It further has a display unit that can display the adjustment screen,
When the input unit receives information indicating that the image quality of the sample image is not permitted, the display unit displays the adjustment screen,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the adjustment screen shows a screen for adjusting an image formed on the sheet.   When the input unit receives information indicating that the sample image is to be formed on the sheet, the sample image is displayed on the sheet rather than the image forming job on standby when the image forming job on standby is present. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the control unit sets the order of executing the image forming job so that the image forming job forming the image forming process is prioritized and executed. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2;
An external apparatus capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus;
The image forming unit includes a transfer body on which an image using the mounted consumable is formed.
The image forming apparatus further includes an imaging unit configured to capture an image formed on the transfer body,
The external device includes an external display unit that displays an image captured by the imaging unit.
The image forming system, wherein the control unit controls the image forming unit such that the image forming unit forms the sample image on the transfer body.

Images