JP2020157493A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide such a printer that whether a state of the printer satisfies or does not satisfy conditions required to complete printing of content can be determined more quickly than a conventional one.SOLUTION: A printer executes preflight and acquires conditions required to complete printing of content. When it is determined that a state of the printer does not satisfy the conditions, the printer starts rasterization of non-raster data without waiting for reception of printing restart instruction. Further, when it is determined that a state of the printer does not satisfy the conditions, the printer waits until it is determined that printing restart instruction has been received, and starts printing of content.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to a printer.

In Patent Document 1 below, it is confirmed that when performing secure printing, all the print data is expanded into image data, and then the resources necessary to complete printing based on the expanded image data are available. A technique for starting printing of an image after the data is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-91523

In the case of the technique described in Patent Document 1, the larger the amount of print data or the more complicated the print data, the longer it takes to develop the image data. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to notify an error when the resources required to complete printing are not available, the timing of notifying the error is delayed when the amount of print data is large.

One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a printer capable of determining whether or not the state of the printer satisfies or does not satisfy the conditions necessary for completing the printing of the content more quickly than before.

The printer in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, a first determination unit, a first notification unit, a second determination unit, a rasterization unit, and a print execution unit. .. The first acquisition unit executes preflight on the non-raster data representing the content to be printed, and acquires the first information regarding the conditions necessary for completing the printing of the content. The second acquisition unit acquires the second information regarding the printer status. The first determination unit determines whether the state of the printer satisfies or does not satisfy the condition based on the first information and the second information. The first notification unit notifies an error when the first determination unit determines that the printer state does not satisfy the conditions. The second determination unit determines whether or not the print restart instruction has been accepted when the first determination unit determines that the printer state does not satisfy the conditions. The rasterize unit rasterizes the non-raster data to generate raster data. The print execution unit prints the content based on the raster data generated by the rasterization unit. When the rasterization unit determines that the printer status does not satisfy the conditions by the first determination unit, the rasterization unit does not wait for the second determination unit to determine that the print restart instruction has been accepted, and the non-rasterization unit does not. It is configured to start rasterizing the data. When the print execution unit determines that the printer status does not satisfy the conditions by the first determination unit, the print execution unit waits for the second determination unit to determine that the print restart instruction has been accepted, and then waits for the content. It is configured to start printing.

According to the printer configured in this way, when the printer state does not satisfy the conditions necessary for completing the printing of the content, the printing of the content is started after waiting for receiving the printing restart instruction. Therefore, unlike the technique of starting printing of contents even when the state of the printer does not satisfy the conditions, it is possible to suppress the interruption of printing in the middle of printing.

When acquiring the conditions required to complete printing the content, preflight is executed on the non-raster data representing the content to be printed to acquire the conditions. Therefore, the condition can be acquired more quickly than the technique of rasterizing the non-raster data and then acquiring the condition. Therefore, it is possible to quickly determine whether the printer is in a state where the condition is satisfied or not, and it is possible to shorten the FPOT (First Print Output Time) by the amount that the condition can be obtained quickly.

If the printer status does not satisfy the conditions, rasterization of non-raster data is started without waiting for the print restart instruction to be accepted. Therefore, as compared with the case where the rasterization of non-raster data is started after waiting for receiving the print restart instruction, the start time and the end time of the rasterization can be earlier, and the FPOT can be shortened.

The printer may adopt the following configuration.
For example, the first information may be information indicating the amount of consumables used that is estimated to be necessary for completing printing of the content. The second information may be information indicating the remaining amount of consumables in the printer.

In the case of a printer configured in this way, the remaining amount of consumables in the printer (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "remaining amount") is the amount of consumables used that is estimated to be necessary for completing printing of the content (hereinafter, simply "remaining amount"). If the condition does not satisfy the usage amount), the content printing is started after waiting for the remaining amount to be changed to the usage amount. Therefore, unlike the technique of starting printing of the content even if the remaining amount is insufficient, it is possible to suppress the interruption of printing in the middle of printing.

When acquiring usage, preflight is performed on non-raster data to acquire usage. Therefore, the usage amount can be acquired more quickly than the technique of rasterizing the non-raster data and then acquiring the usage amount. Therefore, it is possible to quickly determine whether the remaining amount is in a state where the usage amount is satisfied or not, and it is possible to shorten the FPOT by the amount that the usage amount can be quickly acquired.

If the remaining amount does not meet the usage amount, rasterization of non-raster data is started without waiting for the remaining amount to be changed to the usage amount state. Therefore, compared to the case where the rasterization of non-raster data is started after waiting for the remaining amount to be changed to satisfy the usage amount, the start time and end time of rasterization can be advanced, and the FPOT can be shortened. it can.

Further, for example, the printer may include a third acquisition unit, a third determination unit, a second notification unit, and a fourth determination unit. If the third acquisition unit determines that the printer state does not satisfy the conditions by the first determination unit, and the rasterization unit generates at least a part of the raster data, the raster data or the raster data or the third acquisition unit With reference to the information obtained from the raster data, the third information regarding the conditions necessary for completing the printing of the content is acquired. The third determination unit determines whether the state of the printer satisfies or does not satisfy the condition based on the third information and the second information. The second notification unit notifies an error when the third determination unit determines that the printer state does not satisfy the conditions. The fourth determination unit determines whether or not the print restart instruction has been accepted when the third determination unit determines that the printer state does not satisfy the conditions. When the print execution unit determines that the printer status does not satisfy the conditions by the third determination unit, the print execution unit waits for the fourth determination unit to determine that the print restart instruction has been accepted, and then waits for the content. It may be configured to start printing.

In the case of a printer configured in this way, if the first determination unit determines that the printer state does not satisfy the conditions and at least a part of the raster data is generated, the raster data is concerned. Alternatively, the conditions necessary for completing the printing of the content are acquired by referring to the information obtained from the raster data. This makes it possible to obtain more accurate conditions than when performing a preflight. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the state of the printer satisfies or does not satisfy the condition.

Further, for example, the third information may be information indicating the amount of consumables used that is estimated to be necessary for completing the printing of the content.
In the case of a printer configured in this way, if it is determined that the remaining amount has been changed to satisfy the usage amount and at least a part of the raster data is generated, the raster data or the raster data is used. The usage amount is acquired by referring to the obtained information. This allows you to get more accurate usage than if you performed a preflight. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the remaining amount is in a state of satisfying or not satisfying the usage amount.

Further, for example, the rasterization unit may be configured to perform rasterization according to the print order of the pages included in the content.
In the case of a printer configured in this way, rasterization is performed according to the print order of the pages included in the content. Therefore, the FPOT can be shortened.

Further, for example, the rasterization unit is configured to predict the time required for rasterizing the pages included in the content, and execute the rasterization in the order in which the rasterization is executed first for the page having the larger estimated time. You may.

In the case of a printer configured in this way, pages that are expected to take a long time to rasterize are preferentially rasterized. Therefore, even if a page that is expected to take a long time to rasterize is included in the middle of the printing order, such a page can be rasterized in advance, so that such a page can be ejected. The time required for this can be shortened.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a multifunction device. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the printing process.

Next, the above-mentioned printer will be described with reference to exemplary embodiments.
[Multifunction device configuration]
Illustrated below is a multifunction device 1 having a configuration as an example of the printer of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. The multifunction device 1 includes a control unit 11, an operation unit 12, a display unit 13, a printing unit 14, a staple unit 15, a reading unit 16, a communication unit 17, and the like. The control unit 11 includes a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, an NVRAM (Non Volatile RAM) 114, and the like. The CPU 111 executes a predetermined process according to a control program stored in the ROM 112 or the RAM 113, whereby each part of the multifunction device 1 is controlled.

The operation unit 12 includes a touch panel, various switches, and the like. The display unit 13 includes a liquid crystal display, various lamps, and the like. The touch panel included in the operation unit 12 is arranged so as to be superimposed on the surface of the liquid crystal display included in the display unit 13. An image of buttons and the like necessary for operation on the touch panel is displayed on the liquid crystal display, and the touch panel can detect that a touch operation has been performed on such an image. In addition, information about the multifunction device 1 is displayed on the liquid crystal display.

In the case of the present embodiment, the printing unit 14 is configured to be able to form an image on a sheet-shaped recording medium by an inkjet method. However, the printing unit 14 may be configured so that an image can be formed by a well-known recording method other than the inkjet method (for example, an electrophotographic method).

The stapling unit 15 is a device for performing stapling on the recording medium on which an image is formed in the printing unit 14.
The reading unit 16 includes a one-dimensional image sensor having reading elements arranged in one direction. The reading unit 16 moves the image sensor in a direction (secondary scanning direction) orthogonal to the arrangement direction (main scanning direction) of the reading elements of the image sensor, and reads an image of the original placed on the transparent platen. It is configured to be readable. Further, the reading unit 16 is configured to be able to read an image of a document conveyed by an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder).

The communication unit 17 is composed of a communication interface device conforming to a wired LAN or a wireless LAN standard. The multifunction device 1 can communicate with a device compatible with a wired LAN or a wireless LAN via the communication unit 17.

The multifunction device 1 has various configurations other than the configuration shown in FIG. 1, but illustration and description of configurations not related to the main parts of the present disclosure will be omitted.
[Print processing]
The multifunction device 1 has a secure print function. The secure print function does not start printing by itself even when print data is transmitted from another device to the multifunction device 1, and prints when the user inputs a password or the like on the operation unit 12 of the multifunction device 1. It is a function to start. By using such a secure print function, the user can watch the printed matter being output in front of the multifunction device 1. Therefore, unlike a printer that starts printing immediately when print data is transmitted from another device, it is possible to prevent others from seeing the contents of the printed matter.

However, if there is a shortage of consumables required for printing between the start of printing and the completion of printing, printing will be interrupted. In this case, when the user goes to pick up the consumables that are located away from the multifunction device 1, there is a possibility that the contents of a part of the printed matter that has already been printed may be seen by others. ..

Therefore, in the printing process described below, it is estimated before the start of printing whether or not a situation in which the consumables required for printing are insufficient is not generated. As a result of the estimation, if there is a risk that the consumables required for printing will be insufficient, an error is notified before printing is started, and the user is urged to replenish the consumables. Hereinafter, the above-mentioned printing process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the process shown in FIG. 2 is started, the multifunction device 1 determines whether or not the print instruction for secure print has been accepted (S101). If it is determined in S101 that the print instruction for secure print is not accepted (S101: NO), the process returns to S101. As a result, the multifunction device 1 waits until it receives a print instruction for secure print. In this state, if the user inputs a password or the like on the operation unit 12 of the multifunction device 1, the multifunction device 1 can be instructed to print a secure print. In addition, during this standby, the multifunction device 1 can also receive instructions regarding other functions. However, the process executed when an instruction relating to another function is received is a matter not related to the main part of the present disclosure, and thus is not shown in FIG.

When it is determined in S101 that the print instruction for secure print has been accepted (S101: YES), the multifunction device 1 performs preflight (S103). The preflight performed in S103 is a process of inspecting whether or not printing of the content represented by the non-raster data can be appropriately executed based on the information contained in the non-raster data representing the content to be printed. .. In the case of this embodiment, PDF data is assumed as the non-raster data. PDF is an abbreviation for "Portable Document Format". The preflight is executed within a range that does not take as long as it takes from the start to the completion of the rasterization process. Therefore, it is completed in a shorter time than the rasterization process.

Subsequently, the multifunction device 1 estimates the amount of consumables used based on the preflight result (S105). The amount of consumables used estimated in S105 is the amount of consumables used in order to properly print the contents. As consumables, for example, the number of recording media (for example, paper) used when printing contents, color settings such as color or monochrome, the amount of toner or ink used according to the color settings, and staples are set. The amount of staple used in the case of printing, the amount of pretreatment agent printed before printing the image to improve color development, the amount of posttreatment agent printed after printing the image for coating, etc. Can be done.

In some cases, the exact value of these consumables can be specified, and in other cases, the exact value cannot be specified. For example, the number of recording media used when printing the content can be specified as an exact value based on the number of pages of the content. On the other hand, it is difficult to strictly specify the actual amount of toner or ink used because the amount of toner or ink used may change depending on the content. However, in the case of toner or ink, it is sufficient to estimate the usage amount larger than the actual usage amount by assuming the content that maximizes the usage amount.

Subsequently, the multifunction device 1 acquires the remaining amount of consumables in the multifunction device 1 (S107). The remaining amount of consumables can be obtained from a sensor provided for detecting the remaining amount of each consumable or a counter that is counted each time the consumable is used. Subsequently, the multifunction device 1 determines whether or not the remaining amount of consumables is less than the amount of consumables used (S109). If it is determined in S109 that the remaining amount of consumables does not fall below the amount of consumables used (S109: NO), there is no shortage of consumables in the middle of printing. Therefore, in this case, rasterization processing is performed (S111), and printing is executed (S113). When the printing is finished, the printing process shown in FIG. 2 is finished.

On the other hand, in S109, if it is determined that the remaining amount of consumables is less than the amount of consumables used (S109: YES), there is a possibility that the consumables will run short during printing. Therefore, in this case, information on the missing consumables is notified (S121). Subsequently, the multifunction device 1 performs a rasterization process (S123). The rasterization process started by S123 is executed as a background process in parallel with the print process shown in FIG. Therefore, the notification by S121 and the rasterization process started in S123 are executed in parallel.

Normally, the user sees the information notified by S121 and performs a replenishment operation for replenishing the missing consumables. While the user is performing the replenishment work, the rasterization process started in S123 proceeds in the multifunction device 1. Therefore, the rasterization process can be advanced by effectively utilizing the period during which the user is performing the replenishment work. In the rasterization process, for example, rasterization is executed according to the print order of the pages included in the content to be printed. In this case, the page with the earliest print order is rasterized first, so that the FPOT can be shortened.

Alternatively, in the rasterization process, for example, the time required for rasterization of each page included in the content may be predicted, and the rasterization may be executed in the order in which the rasterization is executed first for the page having the larger estimated time. The time required for rasterization predicted here does not have to be predicted exactly, for example, the estimated time is set in multiple stages (for example, large, medium, and so on) based on the type and amount of drawing objects contained in each page. It can be predicted in three small steps.).

In this case, pages that are expected to take a long time to rasterize are preferentially rasterized. Therefore, even if a page that is expected to take a long time to rasterize is included in the middle of the printing order, such a page can be rasterized in advance, so that such a page can be ejected. The time required for this can be shortened.

Subsequently, the multifunction device 1 estimates the amount of consumables used (S125). In S125, if at least a part of the raster data is generated by progressing or completing the rasterization process executed in S123 to some extent, the raster data or the information obtained from the raster data is referred to and consumed. The amount of goods used is estimated. In S125, for example, the amount of consumables used may be estimated by referring to the raster data itself (that is, the entire rasterized page) after the entire print object has been expanded. Alternatively, for example, when individual print objects (images, paths, characters, etc.) are rasterized, the dot information for each object is stored in a database as information obtained from the raster data and managed separately from the raster data. The amount of consumables used may be estimated by referring to the information obtained from the raster data. That is, in S125, the raster data may be directly referred to, or the information obtained from the raster data may be referred to. As a result, the amount of consumables used, which could not be estimated accurately in S105, can be estimated more accurately. Alternatively, it can be verified whether or not the amount of consumables used estimated in S105 was properly estimated.

Subsequently, the multifunction device 1 determines whether or not the print restart instruction has been accepted (S127). If it is determined in S127 that the print restart instruction is not accepted (S127: NO), the process returns to S127. As a result, the multifunction device 1 waits until it receives the print restart instruction. In this state, if the user performs a predetermined operation for resuming printing on the operation unit 12 of the multifunction device 1, the printing restart instruction can be given to the multifunction device 1.

When it is determined in S127 that the printing restart instruction has been accepted (S127: YES), the multifunction device 1 determines whether or not the remaining amount of the consumable item is less than the amount of the consumable item used (S129). If it is determined in S129 that the remaining amount of consumables is less than the amount of consumables used (S129: YES), there is a possibility that the consumables will run short during printing. Therefore, in this case, the information regarding the missing consumables is notified (S131), and the process returns to S127. On the other hand, in S129, when it is determined that the remaining amount of consumables does not fall below the amount of consumables used (S129: NO), there is no shortage of consumables during printing. Therefore, in this case, printing is executed (S113). When the printing is finished, the printing process shown in FIG. 2 is finished.

In the above embodiment, the CPU 111 that executes S103 and S105 corresponds to an example of the first acquisition unit referred to in the present disclosure. The CPU 111 that executes S107 corresponds to an example of the second acquisition unit referred to in the present disclosure. The CPU 111 that executes S109 corresponds to an example of the first determination unit in the present disclosure. The CPU 111 that executes S121 corresponds to an example of the first notification unit referred to in the present disclosure. The CPU 111 that executes S127 corresponds to an example of the second determination unit referred to in the present disclosure. The CPU 111 that executes S123 corresponds to an example of the rasterization unit referred to in the present disclosure. The CPU 111 that executes S113 corresponds to an example of the print execution unit referred to in the present disclosure. The CPU 111 that executes S125 corresponds to an example of the third acquisition unit referred to in the present disclosure. The CPU 111 that executes S129 corresponds to the third determination unit referred to in the present disclosure. The CPU 111 that executes S131 corresponds to the second notification unit referred to in the present disclosure. The CPU 111 that executes S127 after S129 corresponds to an example of the fourth determination unit in the present disclosure.

[effect]
According to the above-mentioned multifunction device 1, when the state of the multifunction device 1 (for example, the remaining amount of consumables of the multifunction device 1) does not satisfy the conditions necessary for completing the printing of the content, S109 and S129 are performed. After waiting for the state of the multifunction device 1 to be changed to the state that satisfies the condition, printing of the content is started. Therefore, unlike the technique of starting printing of contents even when the state of the multifunction device 1 does not satisfy the conditions, it is possible to suppress the interruption of printing in the middle of printing.

Further, when acquiring the conditions necessary for completing the printing of the content in S105, the preflight is executed on the non-raster data representing the content to be printed in S103 to acquire the conditions. Therefore, the condition can be acquired more quickly than the technique of rasterizing the non-raster data and then acquiring the condition. Therefore, it is possible to quickly determine whether the state of the multifunction device 1 is in a state where the condition is satisfied or not, as much as the condition can be obtained quickly, and the FPOT can be shortened.

Further, when the state of the multifunction device 1 does not satisfy the condition (S109: NO), the non-raster data is stored by S123 without waiting for the state of the multifunction device 1 to be changed to the state that satisfies the condition. Start rasterization. Therefore, as compared with the case where the rasterization of non-raster data is started after waiting for the state of the multifunction device 1 to be changed to the state satisfying the condition, the start time and the end time of the rasterization can be earlier, and the FPOT can be shortened. be able to.

Further, in the case of the above-mentioned multifunction device 1, when the state of the multifunction device 1 does not satisfy the condition (S109: YES), when at least a part of the raster data is generated by executing S123. , S125 refers to the raster data or the information obtained from the raster data to acquire the conditions necessary for completing the printing of the content. This makes it possible to obtain more accurate conditions than when performing a preflight. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the state of the multifunction device 1 is in a state where the condition is satisfied or is not satisfied.

[Other Embodiments]
Although the multifunction device 1 has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, the above-described embodiment is merely exemplified as one aspect of the present disclosure. That is, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the technical idea of the present disclosure.

For example, in the above embodiment, PDF data is given as an example of non-raster data, but non-raster data created in a format other than PDF may be used.
Further, in the above embodiment, the amount of consumables used was estimated again in S125 after S123, but the amount of consumables used estimated in S105 may be used in S129. In that case, S125 can be omitted.

Further, in the above embodiment, the multifunction device 1 is illustrated as an example of the printer of the present disclosure, but the printer of the present disclosure may be configured as a single-function printer that does not have a scanner function or the like.

In addition to the above-mentioned multifunction device 1, the present disclosure is made in various forms such as a system having the multifunction device 1 as a component, a program for causing a computer to execute printing processing in the multifunction device 1, a recording medium on which this program is recorded, and the like. Can also be realized.

In addition to the above, the function realized by one component in each of the above embodiments may be configured to be realized by a plurality of components. Further, the function realized by a plurality of components may be configured to be realized by one component. Further, a part of the configuration of each of the above embodiments may be omitted. In addition, at least a part of the configuration of each of the above embodiments may be added or replaced with respect to the configuration of the other embodiment.

1 ... Multifunction device, 11 ... Control unit, 12 ... Operation unit, 13 ... Display unit, 14 ... Printing unit, 15 ... Staple unit, 16 ... Reading unit, 17 ... Communication unit, 111 ... CPU, 112 ... ROM, 113 ... RAM, 114 ... NVRAM.

Claims (6)

It ’s a printer,
A first acquisition unit that executes preflight on non-raster data representing the content to be printed and acquires the first information regarding the conditions necessary for completing the printing of the content, and the first acquisition unit.
A second acquisition unit that acquires the second information regarding the printer status, and
Based on the first information and the second information, a first determination unit for determining whether the state of the printer satisfies the condition or not.
A first notification unit that notifies an error when the first determination unit determines that the printer is in a state that does not satisfy the conditions.
When the first determination unit determines that the printer is in a state that does not satisfy the above conditions, the second determination unit determines whether or not the print restart instruction has been accepted.
A rasterization unit that rasterizes the non-raster data to generate raster data, and
A print execution unit that prints the content based on the raster data generated by the rasterization unit, and
With
When the first determination unit determines that the printer is in a state that does not satisfy the conditions, the rasterization unit waits for the second determination unit to determine that the print restart instruction has been accepted. It is configured to start rasterizing the non-raster data without
When the first determination unit determines that the printer is in a state that does not satisfy the conditions, the print execution unit determines that the second determination unit has received the print restart instruction. A printer that is configured to wait and start printing the content. The printer according to claim 1.
The first information is information indicating the amount of consumables used that is estimated to be necessary for completing printing of the content.
The second information is information indicating the remaining amount of the consumables in the printer. The printer according to claim 1 or 2.
If the first determination unit determines that the printer is in a state that does not satisfy the conditions, and the rasterization unit generates at least a part of the raster data, the raster data or the raster data or the raster data is generated. With reference to the information obtained from the raster data, the third acquisition unit that acquires the third information regarding the conditions necessary for completing the printing of the content, and the third acquisition unit.
Based on the third information and the second information, a third determination unit for determining whether the state of the printer satisfies the condition or not.
A second notification unit that notifies an error when the third determination unit determines that the printer is in a state that does not satisfy the conditions.
When the third determination unit determines that the printer is in a state that does not satisfy the above conditions, the fourth determination unit determines whether or not the print restart instruction has been accepted.
With
When the third determination unit determines that the printer is in a state that does not satisfy the conditions, the print execution unit determines that the fourth determination unit has accepted the print restart instruction. A printer that is configured to wait and start printing the content. The printer according to claim 3.
The third information is information indicating the amount of consumables used that is estimated to be necessary for completing the printing of the content. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The rasterization unit is a printer configured to perform rasterization according to the printing order of pages included in the content. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The rasterization unit predicts the time required for rasterizing the pages included in the content, and the printer is configured to execute the rasterization in the order in which the rasterization is executed first for the page having the larger estimated time. ..

Images