JP3288874B2 - Stencil printing machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stencil printing machine which is connected to an external output device, receives an image signal from the device, and can perform stencil printing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a stencil printing machine in which a plurality of image reading modes are set, a difference is made in the transport speed of the original image reading section and the original image writing section of the apparatus for each image reading mode, thereby making the stencil printing apparatus different in the image reading mode. The resolution of the image in the sub-scanning direction, which is the transport direction, is made different. In such a stencil printing apparatus, when making an image signal received from a personal computer (personal computer), which is an example of an external output device, an online key provided on the stencil printing apparatus is pressed to switch to an online connection mode corresponding to the personal computer. Communication between a personal computer and a stencil printer is possible. However, when the online key is pressed, the plurality of image reading modes set in the stencil printing apparatus are not always set to the image reading mode corresponding to the image signal from the personal computer.

[0003]

Therefore, when inputting an image signal from a personal computer to a stencil printing apparatus having such a configuration, conventionally, an operator of the personal computer switches an online connection mode after pressing an online key. Since the image reading mode corresponding to the image signal of the personal computer is selected from the plurality of image reading modes set in the stencil printing apparatus and the current image reading mode is set again, the setting operation of the image reading mode is troublesome. There was a problem. An object of the present invention is to provide an image reading mode in which, when the mode is switched to the online connection mode, the image reading mode set in the stencil printing apparatus has the same resolution as the resolution in the sub-scanning direction of the image based on the image signal from the personal computer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a stencil printing apparatus which is automatically set in the printer and does not require an operator to select and set an image reading mode.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A stencil printing apparatus according to the present invention has a plurality of image reading modes in which the conveying speed of an image writing section in the sub-scanning direction is different, and an online connection enabling communication with an external output device. A mode selection unit for setting a mode, wherein the online connection mode is set so that image information from an external output device can be received and plate making and printing can be performed, and the mode selection unit sets the online connection mode The image processing apparatus further comprises a control unit for setting an image reading mode in which the same plate making resolution as the resolution in the sub-scanning direction in the image information from the external output device is selected from the plurality of image reading modes.

[0005]

When the online connection mode is set by the mode selection means, the image reading mode having the same plate making resolution as the resolution in the sub scanning direction in the image information from the external output device is controlled from among a plurality of image reading modes. Selected and set by means.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a stencil printing apparatus.
00, a personal computer 100 as an external output device is connected. As shown in FIG. 1, the stencil printing apparatus 1
A document reading device 2 as a document image reading portion, a plate making device 3 as a document image writing portion, a printing device 4 as a copying portion, an operation panel 5, and a control means 6 are provided.

The document reading device 2 employs a document conveying method for automatically conveying the document 7 and a document fixing method for placing and fixing the document 7 thereon. The document transport system includes a document table 21 on which the document 7 is set, a document transport roller group 22 for transporting the document 7, and a document tray 23 from which the document 7 whose image has been read is discharged. The original fixing method includes a contact glass 24 on which the original 7 is set.

The original reading apparatus 2 has an exposure optical system including a fluorescent lamp 25, a mirror group 26, a lens unit 27, and a CCD sensor 28. The reflected light is changed in optical path by a group of mirrors 26, focused by a lens unit 27, photoelectrically converted by a CCD sensor 28, and converted into an electric signal as image information of the original 7.

In the original transport system, the original transport roller group 22
Are rotated by a stepping motor (not shown) to convey the original 7 and read the original 7. In the original fixing method, the fluorescent lamp 25 and the mirror group 26 are integrally reciprocated right and left in FIG. The document 7 is read by being slid. The two stepping motors that drive the document conveying roller group 22, the fluorescent lamp 25, and the mirror group 26 are the driving unit 2A of the document reading device 2 here.

The plate making and writing apparatus 3 includes a thermal head 31 having a plurality of heating elements, a platen roller 34 for conveying a master 33 sent from a master roll 32 while pressing the master 33 against the thermal head 31, and a plate made by the thermal head 31. Master transport roller pair 3 for transporting plate-making master 33 toward clamp portion 49 of drum 42 described later
6 and a cutting means 35 for cutting the master 33 after the master 33 has been wound around the drum 42 to a predetermined length. The platen roller 34 and the master transport roller pair 36 are driven to rotate by a writing stepping motor (not shown). This writing stepping motor is used as the driving means 3A of the plate making and writing device 3.

The printing apparatus 4 includes a drum 42 having an ink supply roller section 41 for supplying ink to the inner surface of the drum;
A paper feed roller 45 that conveys, one by one, print papers 44 serving as copies stacked on a paper feed table 43, a press roller 46 that presses the print papers 44 against the drum 42, and a drum 42 that prints the print papers 44. Separation claw 4 for peeling off
7 and the printing paper 4 stripped and discharged from the drum 42
And a paper discharge table 48 on which 4 ′ is loaded. Drum 42
Is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a clamp portion 49 for clamping the leading end of the prepressed master 33 which is prepressed and conveyed by the thermal head 31. By driving, the plate-making master 33 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the drum. The DC motor here is connected to the printing device 4
Drive means 4A.

As shown in FIG. 4, a plate making start key 51 for starting plate making, a print start key 52 for starting printing, a numeric keypad 53 for setting the number of prints, and a fine mode for setting an image reading mode are provided on the operation panel 5, as shown in FIG. A key 54, an online key 55 as mode selection means for setting an online connection mode as a connection mode with the personal computer 100, and a display unit (not shown) such as an LED for displaying that each mode is set are arranged.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control means 6 includes a CPU 61 for controlling the entire stencil printing apparatus 1, a RAM 62 for storing information such as an online connection mode and a current image reading mode input from the operation panel 5, Information on the speed of the driving means 2A and the driving means 3A during plate making, the mode rewriting program and the plate making processing program shown in FIG.
And a ROM 63 storing an arbitrary image reading mode, a normal image reading mode, and the like.

The CPU 61 is connected to a driving unit 2A, a driving unit 3A, and a driving unit 4A via a document reading circuit 64, a plate making and writing circuit 65, and a printing circuit 66, respectively. Is connected. Here, the arbitrary image reading mode is a mode in which a prepress resolution corresponding to the online connection mode can be obtained, and is a mode in which the image information transmitted from the personal computer 100 is reliably read and prepressed. The normal image reading mode is a mode in which an image resolution corresponding to the stencil printing apparatus 1 can be obtained.

The personal computer 100 is a well-known microcomputer capable of processing various kinds of information, and provides a stencil making start signal to the stencil printing machine 1 through a separate path from the stencil making start key 51 of the operation panel 5 (not shown). It has a key as an operation unit.

The operation of the stencil printing apparatus 1 having such a configuration will be described. In the stencil printing process by the stencil printing machine 1, the original 7
Image is read optically and the electric signal is converted to CCD
The heat is converted by the sensor 28 and sent to the control means 6, and the heat generation of the thermal head 31 is controlled in accordance with the image information sent from the control means 6, so that a melt-punched image is formed on the master 33. At this time, a plurality of resolutions in the sub-scanning direction of the master 33 are realized by changing the speeds of the driving unit 2A and the driving unit 3A.

On the other hand, when the plate making process is performed from the personal computer 100, the user presses the online key 55 on the operation panel 5 to activate the mode rewriting program shown in FIG. 100 sends a plate making start signal to the control means 6, and the personal computer 100 sends image information. The image information from the personal computer 100 is
The signal is converted into a signal suitable for reception by the CPU 61 by 0 and sent to the CPU 61. In addition, online key 5
When the user presses 5, the information of the online setting is stored in the RAM 62.

When the mode rewriting program shown in FIG. 5A is operated and the online key is pressed in step S1, the flow advances to step S2 to read out the information of the image reading mode currently stored in the RAM 62 to the CPU 61. Then, it is determined whether or not an arbitrary image reading mode, that is, an image reading mode for the online connection mode is set. Here, if it is an arbitrary image reading mode,
This mode setting processing is completed, and the process proceeds to the plate making processing program shown in FIG. If it is determined in step S2 that the current image reading mode is not an arbitrary image reading mode, the flow advances to step 3 to read an arbitrary image reading mode stored in the ROM 63 in advance, and set the current image reading mode. Will be fixed. That is, the current image reading mode is automatically changed to the image reading mode corresponding to the online connection mode.

When this program is executed, the program enters a plate making processing program shown in FIG. In this program, when a plate making start signal is sent from the personal computer 100 to the CPU 61 in step T1, it is determined in step T2 whether or not information of online setting is set in the RAM 62. If the information of the online setting, that is, the online connection mode is set in the RAM 62, the process proceeds to step T3, where the plate making process based on an arbitrary image reading mode is performed, and it is determined that the online connection mode is not set. In this case, the plate making process is avoided.

In the plate making process, the CPU 61
The transport speed information stored in the OM 63 is read out, and the driving unit 3A is controlled via the stencil writing circuit 65 to a transport speed according to an arbitrary image reading mode. In the present embodiment, the personal computer 100 has been described as the external output device. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a word processor, a facsimile, or the like may be used as the external output device.

[0021]

According to the present invention, when the mode is manually switched to the online connection mode, the current image reading mode is automatically changed to the appropriate arbitrary plate making resolution corresponding to the image information from the external output device. Since the mode is switched to the image reading mode, the operator only needs to set the online connection mode, and can perform stencil printing without worrying about the image reading mode.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a stencil printing machine showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a connection state between the stencil printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and an external output device.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of a stencil printing apparatus which is a main part of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of an operation panel of the stencil printing machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 5A is a flowchart illustrating a mode rewriting program stored in a control unit, and FIG. 5B is a flowchart illustrating a plate making process program stored in the control unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stencil printer 6 Control means 55 Mode selection means (online key) 100 External output device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41L 13/04 B41J 5/30

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of image reading modes for changing the transport speed of an image writing section in a sub-scanning direction; and a mode selection means for setting an online connection mode for enabling communication with an external output device. In the stencil printing apparatus capable of receiving image information from the external output device by setting an online connection mode and making a stencil, and printing, the plurality of image reading modes are set when the mode selection unit is set to the online connection mode. A stencil printing apparatus, comprising: a control unit for setting an image reading mode which has the same plate-making resolution as the resolution in the sub-scanning direction in the image information from the external output device.