JP2022009182A - Image forming system, management apparatus, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a job determined to be defective to be grasped in an image forming apparatus which can determine a defect of an image on a transfer medium.

SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit which forms an image on a transfer medium on the basis of a job; and a control unit which manages the job and can present a history of the job that has been already output. The control unit acquires a reading result obtained by reading the image on the transfer medium, determines whether the image is defective on the basis of the reading result, and presents the job that has been determined to be defective in an identifiable manner in presentation of the history of the job that has been already output when the image is determined to be defective.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a management apparatus and a program capable of determining a defect of an image on a transfer medium.

In the field of image forming apparatus for printing an image on paper, one of the problems is to confirm whether the output printed matter is printed correctly. Therefore, various methods for confirming the quality of the printed matter image have been proposed.
For example, in Patent Document 1, when a print job is output, page data is extracted as a sample, the extracted page data can be displayed on a display, and it is possible to check the comparison with the output printed matter. However, there is a drawback that it is difficult to operate because the user needs to stick to the machine in order to check the comparison of printed matter.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that an image of an output printed matter is read by a scanner, the read image is reduced to generate a thumbnail, and the thumbnail is printed out after the output of the job is completed. In the technique of Patent Document 2, even when a plurality of jobs are output, the spoilage can be confirmed efficiently without deteriorating the productivity by collectively checking the spoilage after the output of the jobs is completed. However, there is a drawback that it is difficult to detect spoilage with high accuracy with reduced thumbnails.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-152882 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-168157

By the way, as a method of determining the quality of printed matter, an image printed by an image forming apparatus is read by a spoilage detection sensor (scanner or the like) in the subsequent stage, and the image data for printing is compared with the read image data. A system has been proposed that can automatically detect printed matter that has become spoiled (defective) due to printing defects or the like.
In such a system, spoilage can be detected automatically, but when inspecting an image that has been spoiled after the job output is completed, it is difficult to check the spoilage information such as which job detected the spoilage. There is.

The present invention has been made against the background of the above problems, and an image forming apparatus, a management apparatus, and a program capable of easily grasping a job determined to be defective when a defect of an image on a transfer medium is determined. The purpose is to provide.

That is, the first aspect of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is
An image forming unit that forms an image on a transfer medium based on a job,
It has a control unit that manages the jobs and makes it possible to present the history of output jobs.
The control unit acquires a reading result of reading an image on the transfer medium, determines whether the image is defective based on the reading result, and outputs if the image is determined to be defective. It is characterized in that a job determined to be defective in the history presentation of a completed job is presented in an identifiable manner.

The invention of another form of the image forming apparatus has the display unit for displaying information in the invention of the said form.
The control unit is characterized in that the history of the output job is presented by displaying it on the display unit.

The invention of the image forming apparatus of another form is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit presents the history of output jobs by printing on a transfer medium.

The invention of the image forming apparatus of another form is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit presents the history of the output job to the outside.

In the invention of the other form of the image forming apparatus, in the invention of the above-mentioned embodiment, the control unit adds identification information to the job information of the output job determined to be defective in the history presentation of the output job. It is characterized by presenting.

The invention of another form of the image forming apparatus is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the identification information includes one or more of a mark indicating that the image is defective, a color display, and a background color.

In the invention of the other form of the image forming apparatus, in the invention of the above-mentioned embodiment, the control unit has information on the occurrence rate of defects in the job information of the output jobs determined to be defective in the history presentation of the output jobs. It is characterized in that it can be presented by adding.

The invention of the image forming apparatus of another form is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit can add and present spoiled information to the job information of the job determined to be defective.

The invention of the image forming apparatus of another form is characterized in that, in the invention of the above-mentioned embodiment, the spoilage information includes one or more of the page number where the defect has occurred, the number of copies, the position where the defect has occurred, and the image of the defect. ..

The invention of the image forming apparatus of another form is characterized in that, in the invention of the above-mentioned embodiment, the spoilage information is presented in addition to the detailed presentation of the job determined to be defective.

The invention of the image forming apparatus of another form is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit can present the presence or absence of confirmation of the job in which the defect has occurred in the history presentation of the output job. ..

In the invention of the image forming apparatus of another form, in the invention of the said form, the control unit can display information on the display unit by a plurality of tabs.
When displaying the history of output jobs in one tab, when it is determined that the image is defective, the tab that displays the history of output jobs should be displayed so that it can be distinguished from other tabs. It is characterized by.

The invention of the image forming apparatus of another form is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit blinks and displays the tab when the tab is identifiablely displayed.

The invention of the image forming apparatus of another form is characterized in that, in the invention of the above-mentioned embodiment, the control unit can extract and present a job determined to be defective in the history presentation of the output job. ..

The invention of another form of the image forming apparatus is characterized in that the invention of the above-mentioned form includes an image reading unit for reading an image on a transfer medium.

Among the management devices of the present invention, the first embodiment is a management control unit that manages jobs and makes it possible to present a history of output jobs in which an image is formed on a transfer medium by an image forming device based on the job. Have,
When the control control unit acquires a reading result of reading an image on the transfer medium, determines whether the image is defective based on the reading result, and determines whether the image is defective. , It is characterized in that a job determined to be defective in the history presentation of an output job is presented in an identifiable manner.

Among the programs of the present invention, the first embodiment is executed by a control unit capable of managing jobs and presenting a history of output jobs in which an image is formed on a transfer medium by an image forming apparatus based on the jobs. Program
The step of acquiring the reading result of reading the image on the transfer medium,
A step of determining whether the image is defective based on the reading result,
Has a step to present the history of output jobs, and
When it is determined that the image is defective, when presenting the history of the output jobs, the job determined to be defective is presented in an identifiable manner.

The invention of another form of the program is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the presentation of the job is one or more of display, printing and transmission to the outside.

According to the present invention, it is possible to identify a job that is determined to be defective in the history presentation of the output job, and even when the spoilage is confirmed after the job output is completed, the spoilage can be easily confirmed. Is possible.

It is a figure which shows the outline of the mechanical structure of the image forming apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. Similarly, it is a functional block diagram. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the output history display screen of a job. Similarly, it is a figure which shows another example of the output history display screen of a job. Similarly, it is a figure which shows another example of the output history display screen of a job. Similarly, it is a figure which shows another example of the output history display screen of a job. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the ticket detail display screen of the output job. Similarly, it is a figure which shows the screen which displayed the spoiler output history list of a job. Similarly, it is a flowchart which shows the procedure which adds and displays the spoiler information to the output job information. Similarly, it is a flowchart which shows the procedure of displaying a spear list. Similarly, it is a flowchart showing a procedure for blinking a tab of a job list when a spoilage is detected.

An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the mechanical configuration of the image forming apparatus 1.
The image forming apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 10, a relay apparatus 20, and a reading apparatus 30 in order from the upstream side in the paper transport direction. Each device is mechanically and electrically connected, allowing communication and paper transfer between the devices.

The configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 of the present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and other apparatus may be further provided. For example, a paper feeding device for feeding paper may be provided in the front stage of the apparatus main body 10, or a post-processing device may be provided in the rear stage of the reading device 30. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 may be configured only by the apparatus main body 10, and the image forming system may be configured together with the relay device 20 and the reading device 30. Further, in the present invention, the reading device does not have to be mechanically connected to the image forming apparatus in-line, as long as the reading result can be acquired by the image forming apparatus.

The apparatus main body 10 is provided with an operation unit 140 at the upper part of the housing, which displays information and accepts operation inputs. The operation unit 140 has a touch panel type LCD 141 capable of displaying various operation screens. LCD 141 corresponds to the display unit and the operation unit of the present invention.

An automatic document feeder (ADF) 135 is further provided on the upper part of the housing of the apparatus main body 10. The automatic document feeding unit (ADF) 135 can automatically feed the set document, and the document to be fed is read by the CCD of the scanner unit 130.
Further, a platen glass 137 is provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 10, and the original can be read by setting the original on the platen glass.
Although the scanner unit 130 is used for reading the original, it can be used for reading the output image of the printing unit. In this case, the scanner unit 130 corresponds to a reading device.

A main body feeding unit 12 for storing paper is provided on the lower side of the main body of the apparatus. The main body feeding unit 12 can supply the stored paper to the transport path 13.
Paper corresponds to the transfer medium of the present invention. In the present invention, the material of the transfer medium is not limited to paper, and a cloth or plastic transfer medium can be used.

A transport path 13 is provided inside the apparatus main body 10. A transport roller is provided around the transport path 13, and the transport roller is driven to transport the paper supplied from the main body feeding unit 12.

An image forming unit 11 is provided in the middle of the transport path 13.
The image forming unit 11 has a photoconductor 11a for each color, and around the photoconductor 11a for each color, a charging device 11b, an exposure unit 11c, a developing unit 11d, and an image forming unit 11d are arranged in the order of counterclockwise direction. A cleaning unit 11e is provided. The photoconductor 11a is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 11f between the developing unit 11d and the cleaning unit 11e. In the figure, the photoconductor, charger, exposure unit, and developing unit provided for one color are designated with reference numerals, and the same structure is used for other colors, and the intermediate transfer belt is used. It is prepared along with.

The intermediate transfer belt 11f can come into contact with the paper on the transport path 13 at the secondary transfer unit 11g. A fixing device 11h is provided at a position on the downstream side of the secondary transfer unit 11g in the transport direction in the transport path 13.
When forming an image on paper, the surface of the photoconductor 11a is charged by the charger 11b, and then a latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 11a by the exposure unit 11c. After that, the formed latent image is developed by the developing unit 11d to obtain a toner image. The toner image on the photoconductor 11a is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 11f. These operations are also performed on the photoconductor 11a for other colors, and the toner images of each color are superimposed and transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 11f. The toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 11f is transferred to the paper in the secondary transfer unit 11g, and the image of the transferred paper is heated and fixed by the fixing device 11h.

On the downstream side of the fuser 11h, the reverse transport path 13a branches from the transport path 13. The reversing transport path 13a is provided with a reversing portion 13b, and the front and back surfaces of the paper fed to the reversing portion are reversed. The downstream side of the inverted transport path 13a joins the transport path 13 at a position upstream of the image forming portion 11.
When forming an image on the back surface of the paper, the paper that has passed through the fuser 11h is introduced into the reversing transport path 13a, and the front and back of the paper are exchanged by the reversing portion 13b so that the front and back of the paper are inverted and upstream of the transport path 13. It is recirculated to the side, and an image is formed on the back surface side of the paper in the image forming portion 11.
When only the front and back of the paper are reversed, the paper is introduced into the reverse transport path 13a, and the paper is conveyed as it is to the transport path 13 on the downstream side of the fuser 11h with the front and back reversed.
When the front and back sides of the paper are not inverted or the image is not formed on the back surface, the paper is conveyed straight without being sent to the inversion transport path 13a.

The transport path 13 is connected to the transport path 23 of the relay device 20 in the subsequent stage, and the paper discharged from the device main body 10 is transported to the transport path 23 of the relay device 20. In the relay device 20, the paper is inverted in the transport path 23 and conveyed to the downstream side as needed.
In the relay device 20, the transport path 23 is connected to the transport path 33 of the subsequent reading device 30, and the paper that has passed through the relay device 20 is introduced into the subsequent reading device 30.

The reading device 30 includes an image reading unit 31 that reads an image on the lower surface of the paper, an image reading unit 32 that reads an image on the upper surface of the paper, and an upper surface of the paper in order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the paper in the middle of the transport path 33. A colorimeter 34 for performing color measurement is provided. The image reading unit 31 reads the image of the lower surface of the paper sent in the transport path 33, the image reading unit 32 reads the image of the upper surface of the paper sent in the transport path 33, and the colorimeter 34 reads the image of the upper surface of the paper sent in the transport path 33. Measure the color of the image on the top of the paper to be sent.
The image reading units 31 and 32 can be configured by, for example, a line sensor such as a CMOS sensor or a CCD sensor. The read data acquired by the image reading units 31 and 32 and the colorimeter 34 is transmitted to the control CPU 113 as a reading result, and is used for determination of image defects (spoilage) and various adjustments. The paper ejected from the reading device 30 is ejected to an output tray (not shown).

In the present embodiment, the image reading units 31 and 32 are provided in the reading device 30, but the position of the image reading unit is not limited to that provided in the reading device, for example, the device main body 10 or the relay. An image reading unit may be provided in the device 20.

Next, the functional block of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The image forming apparatus 1 mainly processes image data input / output between the digital copier main body having the control block 110, the scanner unit 130, the operation unit 140, and the printer unit 150, and the external device 4. It is equipped with an image processing unit (print & scanner controller) 160 for performing. An external device 4 is connected to the image processing unit (print & scanner controller) 160 through the network 3.

The control block 110 has a PCI bus 112 connected to an image processing unit (print & scanner controller) 160. A DRAM control IC 111 is connected to the PCI bus 112, and an image memory 120 made of DRAM is connected to the DRAM control IC 111.
The image memory 120 is composed of a compressed memory 121 for storing compressed image data and a page memory 122 for storing uncompressed data for image formation.

Further, the controller IC 118 is connected to the PCI bus 112, and the HDD 127 is connected to the controller IC 118. The controller IC 118 controls writing and reading of data to the HDD 127, and the HDD 127 can store image data acquired from the external device 4, image data read by the scanner unit 130, and the like. It is also possible to store programs, parameters, etc. in the HDD 127.

The control block 110 includes a control CPU 113. The control CPU 113 is composed of a storage unit such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and a DRAM control IC 111 is connected to the control CPU 113.
Further, a non-volatile memory 115 for non-volatilely storing data is connected to the control CPU 113. The non-volatile memory 115 stores various programs, setting data, parameters, etc. for operating each part of the image forming apparatus 1, and the control CPU 113 reads out the program stored in the non-volatile memory 115 to read the program of the image forming apparatus 1. Control each part.

Further, in the non-volatile memory 115, a program for displaying the output history of the job, determining whether the image is defective based on the reading result of the image on the paper, and calculating the detection rate of the defect (spoilage) in the job. Contains programs, operating parameters, etc.
The method for determining whether the image is defective is not particularly limited, and a known method such as pattern matching can be used, and a threshold value or the like when the image is determined to be defective can be set. The threshold value may be changeable by the user.

Further, the non-volatile memory 115 is readable and writable, such as job output history information and information regarding the content of the detected defect (spoilage), and the control CPU 113 is the history information and spoilage stored in the non-volatile memory 115. It is possible to control the display of historical information based on the information. The history information can be displayed on the operation unit 140, printed on a transfer medium, or transmitted to the outside. In addition, the information about the spoilage may be saved in association with the output history information of the job.
The control CPU 113 and the program executed by the control CPU 113 constitute the control unit of the present invention in this embodiment. The storage location of the program is not particularly limited in the present invention, and may be stored in, for example, HDD 127, or may be stored in a movable and removable storage medium for distribution.

An RTC 125 (date and time data generator) is further connected to the control CPU 113. The RTC 125 operates as a clock in the computer and can transmit date and time data to the control CPU 113.

The scanner control unit 132 of the scanner unit 130 is connected to the control CPU 113 so that serial communication is possible.
The scanner unit 130 has a CCD 131 that optically reads an image on paper, and a scanner control unit 132 that controls the entire scanner unit. The scanner control unit 132 is controlled by the control CPU 113 and can read an image on the CCD 131. The scanner control unit 132 is composed of a CPU, a program running on the CPU, and the like. Predetermined processing is performed on the read image data in the reading processing unit 116.

Further, the operation unit control unit 142 of the operation unit 140 is connected to the control CPU 113 so that serial communication is possible.
The operation unit 140 has an LCD 141 for displaying information and an operation unit control unit 142 for controlling the entire operation unit 140. The operation unit control unit 142 controls the display and operation input on the LCD 141 in response to the instruction of the control CPU 113. The operation unit control unit 142 is configured by a CPU or a program that operates on the CPU.

The printer control unit 152 of the printer unit 150 is further connected to the control CPU 113.
The printer unit 150 includes an LD 151 and a printer control unit 152. The LD 151 is included in the exposed portion 11c of FIG. The LD 151 forms a latent image on the photoconductor 11a based on the image data processed by the writing processing unit 123.
The printer control unit 152 can control the printer unit 150 in response to a control command from the control CPU 113. Therefore, the control CPU 113 can control the image forming operation, the paper transfer, and the like.
The printer unit 150 includes an image forming unit 11, a paper feed tray, a mechanism for transporting paper, and the like.

The DRAM control IC 111 is connected to a read processing unit 116, a write processing unit 123, and a compression / decompression IC 117.
The reading processing unit 116 performs predetermined processing such as A / D conversion and shading on the image data read by the scanner unit 130 and the like.
The writing processing unit 123 converts or corrects data suitable for image formation in the image forming unit 11.
The compression / decompression IC 117 compresses the image data or decompresses the compressed image data. The compressed image data is stored in the compressed memory 121 of the image memory 120 or the HDD 127.

The DRAM control IC 161 of the image processing unit (print & scanner controller) 160 is connected to the PCI bus 112.
In the image processing unit (print & scanner controller) 160, the image memory (DRAM) 162, the controller control unit 163, and the LAN control unit 164 are connected to the DRAM control IC 161. The LAN interface 165 is connected to the LAN control unit 164. Is connected.
The LAN interface 165 is connected to the network 3, and the external device 4 is connected to the network 3.

An I / O 128 is further connected to the PCI bus 112. The I / O 128 is a port for communicating with a device other than the device main body 10, and is read by, for example, the image reading units 31 and 32 of the reading device 30 or the colorimeter 34 through the I / O 128. The image data can be acquired by the control CPU 113 as a reading result.

The external device 4 includes an external control unit 400 that controls the external device 4 and an external display unit 410 that displays information.
The external control unit 400 is composed of a CPU, a storage unit, a program operated by the CPU, and the like, and the external display unit 410 is composed of an LCD or the like. The history of the output job may be displayed on the external display unit 410.
The external device 4 can function as a terminal, or at least may function as a management device for managing jobs of the image forming device 1. The management device may instruct and control image formation in the image forming device. Further, when the image forming apparatus 1 is controlled by the external apparatus 5, the program of the present invention is stored and executed in the external apparatus control unit 400. It is also possible to make the external display unit 410 function as the display unit of the present invention.
Further, in the image forming apparatus 1, a display device, a remote device, or the like can be connected via a network in addition to the external device 4.

Next, the basic operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.
First, a procedure for accumulating image data in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.
When the scanner unit 130 reads the image of the original, the image data read by the scanner unit 130 is sent to the scanning processing unit 116 to perform predetermined processing. The processed image data is sent to the compression / decompression IC 117 via the DRAM control IC 111, and the compression processing is performed in the compression / decompression IC 117. The compressed image data is stored in the compression memory 121 or the HDD 127. The stored image data is managed as a job together with the print conditions by the control CPU 113.

When acquiring image data from the outside, for example, when acquiring image data from the external device 4, the image data is received by the LAN IF of the image processing unit (print & scanner controller) 160, and then via the LAN control unit 164. Is temporarily stored in the image memory (DRAM) 162. After that, the image data stored in the image memory (DRAM) 162 is read out by the control of the DRAM control IC 161 and sequentially sent to the compression / decompression IC 117 via the DRAM control IC 111 for compression processing. The compressed image data is stored in the compression memory 121 or the HDD 119 via the DRAM control IC 111, and is managed by the control CPU 113 in the same manner as described above.

When the image forming apparatus 1 outputs an image, the image data stored in the compression memory 121 or the HDD 119 is sent to the compression / decompression IC 117 via the DRAM control IC 111 to expand the image data, and the expanded image data is developed. The write processing unit 123 repeatedly expands the LD 154A. Then, the LD 151A forms a latent image on the photoconductor based on the image data, and the image forming unit 11 undergoes development, transfer, fixing, and the like, whereby an image is formed on the paper and a printed matter is obtained. The output job is managed by the control CPU 113 and is readablely stored in the non-volatile memory 115 or the HDD 127 as the output job.
In addition, the operation unit 140 creates a tab for output jobs, and displays a list of output job history in this tab. This tab may be displayed on the top surface when other tabs overlap and the tab is pressed, and the tab that displays the history of the output jobs as a list is automatically displayed when the output of the job is completed. It may be displayed on the top surface.

The paper is then conveyed to the reading device 30 via the relay device 20. In the reading device 30, when the image is formed on one side of the back surface of the paper, the image reading unit 31 reads the image, and when the image is formed on one side of the front surface of the paper, the image reading unit 32 reads the image. .. When an image is formed on both sides of the paper, the image reading units 31 and 32 read the image. When the colorimeter 34 is used to measure the color of the image, the colorimeter 34 is used to measure the color by transporting the image so that the surface to be measured is on the upper surface side.
The reading results of the image reading units 31, 32 and the colorimeter 34 are transmitted from the reading device 30 to the device main body 10, and the reading results are acquired by the control CPU 113 via the I / O 128. The control CPU 113 adjusts the image and determines the spoilage based on the reading result.

Next, when a spoilage is detected, an operation of identifiablely displaying a job containing the spoilage in the output history display will be described. The history may be presented automatically at a predetermined timing such as after the job is completed, or may be performed based on the user's operation.

The control CPU 113 determines whether or not there is a defect in the image by comparing the reading result read by the reading device 30 with the image data for printing. However, if a defective image (spoiled) is detected, the user must check the spoiled image, and from the viewpoint of productivity, the user can check the spoiled image collectively after the output of all jobs is completed. desirable. Therefore, even when a plurality of jobs are output, it is required to be able to easily confirm which job and where the spoilage was detected among the created products.
In the present embodiment, when a spoilage is detected, the job including the spoilage is displayed in an identifiable manner on the job output history display screen, and the spoilage information is displayed in the job history on the job output history display screen. By adding it to and displaying it, it is possible to easily check the spoilage information.

As a method of presenting a job in which spoilage is detected in the output history in an identifiable manner, for example, there is a method of adding a mark to the display of the job in which spoilage is detected. The mark corresponds to the identification information of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an output history display screen. This screen may be displayed on the LCD 141 of the operation unit 140, or may be displayed on the external display unit 410 of the external device 4 or the display unit of another device connected to the network 3. The same applies to other operation screens.

In the display screen 1400 of FIG. 3, the output history tab 1411 in the job list tab 1410 is selected, and the output history list 1420 is displayed on the display screen of the output history tab 1411. On the right side of the output history list 1420, a detail button 1430 for displaying the detailed information of the job and a spear list display button 1440 for extracting only the job in which spoilage is detected are displayed so as to be pressable.

The output history display list 1420 is provided with a spoilage detection display column 1421 indicating the presence or absence of spoilage detection. In this example, in the job whose file name is "test 002", the mark 1422 is displayed in the spoilage detection display field 1421. By displaying the mark 1422, the user can grasp that the job of "test 002" contains a spoiler.
Although "*" is used as the mark in FIG. 3, the type of the mark is not particularly limited in the present invention, and other types of symbols may be used, and instead of displaying the mark. , It may be shown that the job includes the spoilage by changing the display color and the background color of the job in which the spoilage is detected. In this case, the display color and the background color correspond to the identification information of the present invention. It should be noted that two or more of displaying the mark, changing the color of the characters, and changing the background color may be performed at the same time.

Further, when presenting the output history, in addition to the mark indicating that the job is a spoilage detected job, the spoilage occurrence rate may be presented.
FIG. 4 shows a display screen 1500 when the spoilage detection rate is displayed on the output history screen, and the output history list 1520 is displayed on the display screen of the output history tab 1511.
The detail button 1530 is an operation button for displaying the detailed information of the job, and the spoiler list display button 1540 is an operation button for extracting only the job in which spoilage is detected.
In FIG. 4, the mark 1522 is displayed in the spoilage detection display column 1521 at the beginning of the job whose file name is “test 004”, and the spoilage detection rate 1524 is displayed in the spoilage detection rate display column 1523. Here, "15/200" is displayed, indicating that 15 of the 200 images have been detected as spoiled.
By adding the spoilage detection rate to the output history display and displaying it, the user can easily grasp the spoilage detection rate, determine the priority of spoilage confirmation, or when the spoilage detection rate is high. It is possible to predict the failure of the machine. The spoilage detection rate may be displayed by displaying% or the like.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen 1600 when the detection rate of spoilage is displayed in%.
On the display screen 1600, the output history list 1620 is displayed on the display screen of the output history tab 1611. The detail button 1630 is an operation button for displaying the detailed information of the job, and the spoiler list display button 1640 is an operation button for extracting only the job in which spoilage is detected.
In FIG. 5, in the job of “test 005”, a mark 1622 indicating that the job is a spoilage detection display column 1621 is displayed, and further, a spoilage detection rate display column 1623 displays a spoilage detection. The rate 1624 is displayed, and it is displayed that the spoilage detection rate is 40%. The detail button 1630 is an operation button for displaying the detailed information of the job, and the spoiler list display button 1640 is an operation button for extracting only the job in which spoilage is detected.
In the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the one that displays both the spoilage detection display column and the spoilage detection rate has been described, but only the spoilage detection rate may be displayed. In this case, it is possible to grasp that the spoilage has occurred in the job by displaying the spoilage detection rate, and the spoilage detection rate corresponds to the identification information of the present invention.

Further, in another form, when the output history is displayed, the presence or absence of confirmation of the spoiled image is added to the display of the job in which the spoiled image is detected.
In FIG. 6, on the display screen 1700, the output history list 1720 is displayed on the display screen of the output history tab 1711. The detail button 1730 is an operation button for displaying the detailed information of the job, and the spoiler list display button 1740 is an operation button for extracting only the job in which spoilage is detected.
Further, in the display scene 1700, the mark 1722 is displayed in the spoilage detection display field 1721 of the job whose file name is "test 002", and the check mark 1725 is displayed in the job whose file name is "test 006". The display in the spoilage detection display column indicates that spoilage was detected in the jobs of "test 002" and "test 006".

However, on this screen, the "*" mark added to the "Test 002" job indicates that the user has not confirmed the spoilage, and the check mark added to the "Test 006" job is , Indicates that spoilage has occurred and that the user has confirmed the spoilage. Whether or not the spoilage has been confirmed can be determined, for example, by the user pressing the confirmation button on the detailed display screen of FIG. 7, which will be described later. Is changed to a check mark. Further, when the detail button is pressed in the list of the corresponding jobs, the confirmation may be made as confirmed.
By displaying that the spoilage has been confirmed, it is possible to easily grasp that the user has performed the confirmation work or the confirmation operation.

Further, in the present invention, when displaying the output history, it is possible to add and display the spoiled information to the output job information determined to be defective. The information regarding the content of the spoilage includes, for example, the page number and the number of copies in which the spoilage is detected, and the information regarding the position where the spoilage occurs. With this information, the detection position of the spoilage can be easily grasped. The spoilage information can be displayed on the detail screen corresponding to the output job. The detail screen corresponds to the detailed display of the job of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows the job details screen 1800. The job detail screen 1800 is displayed by selecting a predetermined job on the display screens 1400, 1500, 1600 or the display screen 1700 of FIGS. 4 to 6 and pressing the detail buttons 1430, 1530, 1630 or the detail button 1730. To.
In FIG. 7, it is displayed by selecting the job of "test 002" on the display screen 1400 or the display screen 1700 and then pressing the detail button 1400 or the detail button 1700.

On the job details screen 1800, the spoilage information 1810 is displayed together with the basic job settings, paper settings, and output settings. As the spoilage information, the number of the page where the spoilage was detected (pages 1 and 5) and the position of the spoilage in the page (the lower right position of the image on page 1 and the upper right position of the image on page 5) are displayed. There is. The spoilage information to be displayed as history information is not limited to the page number and the spoilage position, and the number of copies in which spoilage is detected or the scanned image itself of the page in which spoilage is detected may be displayed as a thumbnail.
By adding and displaying the spoiled information to the information of the job determined to be spoiled in the output history information, the user can easily confirm the spoiled image.

In the job details screen 1800, the spoilage confirmation button 1820 displayed at the lower right of the spoilage information 1810 is a button for indicating that the user has confirmed the spoilage. When the user presses the spoilage confirmation button 1820 after confirming the spoilage image, a mark indicating that the spoilage has been confirmed is added to the output history display screen. For example, as in the example of FIG. 6, in the job in which the spoilage confirmation button is pressed, the “*” mark is changed to a check mark. In addition, a column for confirming spoilage may be provided separately to indicate whether the confirmation has been made. The confirmed display makes it possible for the user to easily grasp whether or not the spoiled image has been confirmed.
In addition, on the job details screen related to the job in which the image defect has not occurred, the information is not displayed in the spoilage information, and the spoilage confirmation button can be grayed out. In addition, the spoilage confirmation button may not be displayed.
When the confirmation of the spoilage information or the pressing of the spoilage confirmation button is completed on the job detail screen 1800, the history display screen can be returned by pressing the close button 1821.

When the Yalelist display buttons 1440, 1540, 1640 or the Yalelist display button 1740 are pressed on the display screens 1400, 1500, 1600 or the display screen 1700, only the jobs in which the spoilage has occurred are extracted from the output history information. Can be displayed as an output list.
On the display screen of FIG. 8, only the job in which the spoilage has occurred can be displayed as the spoilage output history list 1900. From this display, it is possible to easily grasp the job in which the spoilage is occurring. For example, when there are a large number of jobs that have already been output, it is possible to easily grasp the occurrence status of spoilage by displaying only the jobs in which spoilage has occurred.

Next, on the history display screen, a procedure for adding and displaying spoiled information to the output job information will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The following procedure is executed under the control of the control unit of the image forming apparatus 1 or the external control unit 410 that manages the image forming apparatus 1.
First, the image printed on the paper is read based on the job (step s1), and it is determined whether the image is defective (spoiled) (step s2). As a method of determination, for example, the read image and the printed image data are compared, and when a predetermined difference occurs between the two, it can be determined that the image is spoiled.

When it is determined that the image is spoiled (step s2, Yes), the spoiled information is added to the output job information (step s3). Examples of the spoilage information include information indicating the presence or absence of spoilage, a page number including the spoilage image, a spoilage position, spoilage image data, a spoilage detection rate, and the like. After step s3, the job information is described in the output history (step s4), and the procedure ends. When displaying the output history, a mark indicating that the job has detected a spoilage may be added, or a spoilage detection rate may be indicated. Alternatively, the spoilage position, the number of pages, etc. may be displayed as spoilage information, and the spoilage confirmation button is displayed in the history, and when the user confirms the spoilage image and presses the spoilage confirmation button, the display on the history screen. May be changed, and the display content of the spoiled information on the history display screen is not particularly limited.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the read image is not spoiled (steps 2 and No), the process proceeds to step s4, the job information is described in the output history, and the procedure ends.
According to the above procedure, since the spoiled information is added to the job information in the output history, it is possible to confirm the spoiled information on the output history screen.

Further, in the image forming apparatus 1, on the output history display screen, it is possible to present a spoiler list that extracts only jobs in which spoilage is detected.
For example, in the example of FIG. 3, when the spoiler list display button 1440 is pressed, only the job of "test 002" in which spoilage is detected is displayed. This makes it possible for the user to easily grasp the spoiled job.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure when displaying a spear list. The following procedure is performed by the control unit of the image forming apparatus 1 or the external control unit 400 of the external apparatus 4.
When the spoiler list display button is pressed on the job output history display screen (step s10), it is determined whether or not the job in the output history list has spoiler information (step s11). If there is spoiled information (steps11, Yes), only the spoiled job information is extracted (step s12), and the spoiled information is described in the spoiled list (step s13). Then end the procedure. On the other hand, if the job in the output history list does not include spoilage information (steps 11, No), the procedure ends.
According to the above procedure, only the job in which the spoilage is detected can be extracted and presented as a spoilage list, the user can easily grasp the job containing the spoilage, and the spoilage confirmation can be easily performed. ..

Further, the image forming apparatus 1 may prompt the display of the output history and the confirmation of the spoilage information when the spoilage is detected. For example, when the display screen displays information by multiple tabs and the history of jobs that have already been output is displayed on one of the multiple tabs, when a defect is detected. , Display the tab containing the job history in an identifiable manner. For example, the tab containing the job history is blinked.
For example, in the example of FIG. 4, the job list tab 1410 is blinked when a spoilage is detected. As a result, it is possible to prompt the user to confirm when the spoilage is detected.
In the above description, only the job list tab is blinked, but in the present invention, the blinking area is not particularly limited, and for example, the output history tab may be blinked. The notification method does not have to be blinking, and the notification may be performed, for example, by changing the color of the tab. The timing of blinking the tab is not particularly limited in the present invention, and the tab may be blinked when the spoilage is detected, or the tab may be blinked after the output of the job in which the spoilage is detected is completed.

The procedure of the operation of blinking the tab when the spoilage is detected will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The following procedure is carried out by the control unit of the image forming apparatus 1 or the external control unit 400 of the external apparatus 4.
The image printed on the paper is read (step s20), and it is determined whether the image is spoiled (defective) (step s21). If the image is spoiled (step s21, Yes), the job list tab is blinked (step s22), and the procedure ends. If the image is not spoiled (step s21, No), the procedure ends without blinking the job list tab.
According to the above procedure, when a spoilage is detected, the user can be notified that the spoilage has occurred.

In the description of each of the above embodiments, the history information is displayed on the display unit. However, in the present invention, the output history is not limited to the display and can be presented by various methods. do. For example, the history information may be printed on paper, or the history information may be transmitted to the outside. At the destination, history information can be displayed or printed. Examples of the transmission destination include display devices such as external devices and terminals, and remote devices.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the above-described embodiment, the above description does not limit the scope of the present invention and can be appropriately changed as long as it does not deviate from the scope of the present invention.

1 Image forming device 3 Network 4 External device 10 Device main body 11 Image forming unit 13 Transport path 20 Relay device 30 Reader 31 Image reader 32 Image reader 33 Transport path 34 Colorimeter 100 Control section 113 Control CPU
125 I / O
140 Operation unit 150 Printer unit 1400 Display screen 1411 Output history tab 1420 Output history list 1421 Discoloration detection display field 1422 Mark 1430 Detail button 1440 Discoloration list display button 1500 Display screen 1511 Output history tab 1520 Output history list 1521 Discoloration detection display field 1522 Mark 1523 Spoilage detection rate column 1530 Detail button 1540 Spoiler list display button 1600 Display screen 1611 Output history tab 1620 Output history list 1621 Spoilage detection display column 1622 Mark 1623 Spoilage detection rate column 1700 Display screen 1711 Output history tab 1720 Output history list 1721 Spear detection display column 1722 Mark 1723 Spoilage detection rate column 1725 Check mark 1800 Job details screen 1900 Display screen 1920 Spoilage output history list

The present invention relates to an image forming system , a management device and a program capable of determining a defect of an image on a recording medium .

The present invention has been made against the background of the above problems, and is an image forming system , a management device, and a program capable of easily grasping a job determined to be defective when a defect of an image on a recording medium is determined. The purpose is to provide.

That is, in the first form of the image forming system of the present invention, an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium and an image forming unit are used.
A display unit that displays information and
It has a control unit that controls to display a job including an image determined to be defective by the determination of whether or not the image is defective on the display unit.
The control unit is characterized in that the display unit displays the rate of occurrence of defects in a job including an image determined to be defective .

The invention of another form of the image forming system is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit displays the rate of occurrence of the defect in% .

The invention of the image forming system of another form is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the occurrence rate of the defect is the ratio of the number of pages of the defective image to the number of pages of the determined image.

The invention of another form of the image forming system is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit displays the number of pages of the image determined in the job and the number of pages of the defective image on the display unit. ..

In the first aspect of the management device of the present invention, a job including an image determined to be defective by the determination of whether or not the image formed on the recording medium by the image forming apparatus is defective is displayed on the display unit. It has a control unit for controlling, and the control unit is characterized in that the defect occurrence rate of a job including an image determined to be defective is displayed on the display unit .
The invention of another form of the management device is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit displays the rate of occurrence of the defect in%.
The invention of another form of the management device is characterized in that, in the invention of the said embodiment, the occurrence rate of the defect is the ratio of the number of pages of the defective image to the number of pages of the determined image .
The invention of another form of the management device is characterized in that, in the invention of the said embodiment, the control unit displays the number of pages of the image determined in the job and the number of pages of the defective image on the display unit.

In the first embodiment of the program of the present invention, the control for displaying a job including an image determined to be defective by the determination of whether or not the image formed on the recording medium by the image forming apparatus is defective is displayed on the display unit. It is a program executed by the control unit that performs
It is characterized in that the control unit executes a step of displaying the defect occurrence rate of a job including an image determined to be defective on the display unit .

The invention of another form of the program is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit displays the rate of occurrence of the defect in%.
The invention of the program of another form is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the occurrence rate of the defect is the ratio of the number of pages of the defective image to the number of pages of the determined image.
The invention of another form of the program is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit is made to execute a step of displaying the number of pages of the image determined in the job and the number of pages of the defective image on the display unit. do.

In the invention of the other form of the image forming system, in the invention of the above-mentioned embodiment, the control unit displays the number of pages of the image determined in the job and the number of pages of the defective image on the display unit as the display of the occurrence rate. It is characterized by displaying.

In the first aspect of the management device of the present invention, a job including an image determined to be defective by the determination of whether or not the image formed on the recording medium by the image forming apparatus is defective is displayed on the display unit. It has a control unit for controlling, and the control unit is characterized in that the defect occurrence rate of a job including an image determined to be defective is displayed on the display unit.
The invention of another form of the management device is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit displays the rate of occurrence of the defect in%.
The invention of another form of the management device is characterized in that, in the invention of the said embodiment, the occurrence rate of the defect is the ratio of the number of pages of the defective image to the number of pages of the determined image.
In the invention of the other form of the management device, in the invention of the above-mentioned embodiment, the control unit displays the number of pages of the image determined in the job and the number of pages of the defective image on the display unit as the display of the occurrence rate. It is characterized by doing.

The invention of another form of the program is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the control unit displays the rate of occurrence of the defect in%.
The invention of the program of another form is characterized in that, in the invention of the said form, the occurrence rate of the defect is the ratio of the number of pages of the defective image to the number of pages of the determined image.
In the invention of the other form of the program, in the invention of the said embodiment, as the display of the occurrence rate, the control unit includes a step of displaying the number of pages of the image determined in the job and the number of pages of the defective image on the display unit. It is characterized by having it executed.

Claims (18)

An image forming unit that forms an image on a transfer medium based on a job,
It has a control unit that manages the jobs and makes it possible to present the history of output jobs.
The control unit acquires a reading result of reading an image on the transfer medium, determines whether the image is defective based on the reading result, and outputs if the image is determined to be defective. An image forming apparatus characterized in that a job determined to be defective in the history presentation of a completed job is presented in an identifiable manner. It has a display unit that displays information.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit presents a history of output jobs by displaying the history on the display unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit presents a history of output jobs by printing on a transfer medium. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit presents a history of output jobs by transmitting to the outside. One of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit adds identification information to the job information of the output job determined to be defective in the history presentation of the output job. The image forming apparatus according to. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the identification information includes one or more of a mark indicating a defect, a color display, and a background color. 2. 6. The image forming apparatus according to any one of 6. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control unit can add and present spoiled information to job information of a job determined to be defective. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the spoilage information includes one or more of the page number where the defect has occurred, the number of copies, the position where the defect has occurred, and the image of the defect. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the spoilage information is presented in addition to the detailed presentation of a job determined to be defective. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the control unit can present the presence or absence of confirmation of a job in which a defect has occurred in the history presentation of the output job. The control unit can display information on the display unit by a plurality of tabs.
When displaying the history of output jobs in one tab, when it is determined that the image is defective, the tab that displays the history of output jobs should be displayed so that it can be distinguished from other tabs. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit blinks the tab when the tab is displayed in an identifiable manner. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the control unit can extract and present a job determined to be defective in the history presentation of the output job. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising an image reading unit for reading an image on a transfer medium. It has a management control unit that manages jobs and makes it possible to present the history of output jobs in which an image is formed on a transfer medium by an image forming apparatus based on the job.
When the control control unit acquires a reading result of reading an image on the transfer medium, determines whether the image is defective based on the reading result, and determines whether the image is defective. , A management device characterized in that a job determined to be defective in the history presentation of an output job is presented in an identifiable manner. A program that manages jobs and is executed by a control unit that can present the history of output jobs in which an image is formed on a transfer medium by an image forming apparatus based on the job.
The step of acquiring the reading result of reading the image on the transfer medium,
A step of determining whether the image is defective based on the reading result,
Has a step to present the history of output jobs, and
A program characterized in that when it is determined that the image is defective, the job determined to be defective is presented in an identifiable manner when presenting the history of the output jobs. 17. The program of claim 17, wherein the presentation of the job is one or more of display, printing, and transmission to the outside.

Images