JP3813075B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a plurality of sheet materials on the basis of acquired image data, and in particular, for the second and subsequent sheet materials, a calculation result performed on the first copy. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that efficiently performs image formation for the second and subsequent copies.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, there is an ink jet printer B which is an example of an image forming apparatus as shown in FIG.
The inkjet printer B performs image formation as follows.
When an image formation command such as printing is input to the inkjet printer B, the inkjet printer B is a supply unit that supplies the sheet material 210 such as paper to the inkjet printer B by rotating the paper feed roller 120. A sheet of sheet material is taken out from the paper feed tray 110 and conveyed to the registration roller 130. When the leading end of the sheet material 210 reaches the registration roller 130, the conveyance of the sheet material 210 is temporarily stopped.
The sheet material conveyance mechanism such as the paper feed roller 120 and the registration roller 130 is configured to be rotated by a single motor (not shown) via a belt or a gear.
Subsequently, the ink jet printer B analyzes the image data while the sheet material 210 is stopped. In this analysis, the image formation start position on the sheet material 210 where the image formation by the head 50 which is a printing unit that performs image formation is actually started is calculated.
Further, the movement amount of the sheet material 210 until the image formation start position reaches the position of the head 50 is calculated, and based on the calculated movement amount, the motor is started and the registration roller 130 is rotated to rotate the sheet material. The material 210 was conveyed to perform image formation.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the conventional technique, the sheet material 210 is taken out from the paper feed tray 110, and when the leading end reaches the registration roller 130, the conveyance of the sheet material 210 is temporarily stopped, and the image formation start position is calculated. The amount of movement of the sheet material until the image formation start position reaches the position of the head 50 is calculated, and the sheet material 210 is transported again based on the amount of movement to perform image formation.
That is, in the above-described conventional technique, after the sheet material 210 is taken out from the paper feed tray 110, the conveyance of the sheet material 210 is stopped for image data analysis at least once. This is for analysis of image data and for positioning of the sheet material 210.
However, as described above, the inkjet printer B is configured to drive the paper feed roller 120, the registration roller 130, and the discharge roller 160 with a single motor, so that the motor is started and stopped as described above. Then, since the driving efficiency of the motor deteriorates due to the inertia of the various rollers, it is desirable that the number of times of starting and stopping the motor is as small as possible.
In particular, when an image is formed on a plurality of sheet materials 210 based on the same image data, starting and stopping of the motor as described above is very inefficient.
That is, although the image formation start position is the same for the first and second copies, the image data already analyzed in the first copy is again analyzed in the second and subsequent image formation. Is meaningless, and the time to analyze is simply wasted and the inefficient operation of the motor is forced.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to perform image formation of the first set of image data when forming an image on a plurality of sets of sheet materials based on the same image data. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that enables efficient image formation by applying the image formation start position on the sheet material obtained by the analysis to the second and subsequent sheet materials.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a plurality of sheet materials based on acquired image data.
The image formation start position on the sheet material reaches from the stop portion, which is calculated when the image formation is performed on the first sheet material, to the printing portion where image formation is performed, from the stop portion where the leading edge of the sheet material temporarily stops. Sheet material movement amount storage means for storing the movement amount of the first sheet material up to
With respect to the second and subsequent sheet materials, the sheet material is stored on the basis of the movement amount of the sheet material stored in the sheet material movement amount storage means without stopping the front end portion of the sheet material at the stop portion. The image forming apparatus includes a sheet material movement control unit configured to move the supply unit from the supply unit to the print unit until the image formation start position on the sheet material reaches.
Since the present invention is configured in this way, it is not necessary to temporarily stop the supplied sheet material in the image forming apparatus for image formation for the second and subsequent copies. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the image forming process time from the paper discharge to the paper discharge, and it is possible to efficiently form the image.
Further, the acquisition of the image data is performed by receiving the image data read by the document reading means for reading the document image, and the calculation of the movement amount of the first sheet material is performed by the image processing. It is desirable to be performed on the device side.
With this configuration, when a plurality of copies of the same original image are to be copied, the copying speed of the second and subsequent sheets to the sheet material is improved as compared with the conventional case.
[0005]
On the other hand, the acquisition of the image data is performed by receiving the image data transmitted from the information processing apparatus, and the calculation of the movement amount of the first sheet material is performed on the information processing apparatus side. May be.
With this configuration, image data processed by an information processing apparatus such as a computer can be output by the image forming apparatus. Further, since the information processing apparatus is originally an apparatus suitable for analyzing image data or the like, it is very efficient to obtain the amount of movement of the sheet material by analyzing the image data in advance on the information processing apparatus side. However, the processing performed on the image forming apparatus side is reduced and the burden is reduced.
The calculation of the movement amount of the first sheet material can also be performed based on information related to settings of application software for processing the image data.
In this case, for example, if the application software is a document forming software such as a word processor, the application software often has a function such as “page setting” for designating a normal character writing range. In other words, this “page setting” clearly indicates the range of image formation on the sheet material, and the information processing apparatus uses information such as this “page setting” to control the amount of movement of the sheet material. It can be obtained very accurately in a short time.
As another case, the movement amount of the first sheet material may be calculated by analyzing the image data by a control program for controlling the image forming apparatus.
This is effective when the amount of movement of the first sheet material cannot be calculated based on the information related to the application software.
Further, it is desirable to further comprise image data storage means for storing the acquired image data.
In this case, even if the image forming apparatus acquires very large size image data, it is possible to cope with it.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments and examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the present invention can be understood. It should be noted that the following embodiments and examples are examples embodying the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control circuit of an ink jet printer A which is an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a series of processes performed by the ink jet printer A. 3 is an example diagram showing a schematic configuration of image data. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional inkjet printer B or a transport mechanism for transporting a sheet material in the inkjet printer A according to the embodiment of the present invention. .
First, a schematic configuration of a control circuit of an ink jet printer A which is an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
Note that the sheet material conveyance mechanism for supplying, conveying, and discharging the sheet material in the inkjet printer A is the same as the conveyance mechanism of the inkjet printer B (see FIG. 4) described above, and will be described below with reference to FIG. .
The ink jet printer A is an example of an operation unit 20 in which an operation input is performed by a user, a memory 30 for storing image data acquired by the ink jet printer A, which is an example of a sheet material movement amount storage unit and an image data storage unit. Ink is ejected to the sheet material 210 conveyed to the platen 150 and the motor 40 for driving the sheet feeding roller 120, the registration roller 130, the discharge roller 160 and the like (see FIG. 4), which are sheet material conveying mechanisms. The image is obtained by acquiring image data from the head 50 that forms an image by the image forming apparatus, the scanner 70 that is an example of a document reading unit, and a computer 80 that is an example of an information processing apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as “PC 80”). The processing unit 10 is an example of sheet material movement control means, and the image data processed by the image processing unit 10 is Analysis, and is configured by including an image forming control unit 60 for performing image formation by controlling the motor 40 and the head 50 based on the result of the analysis.
[0007]
Here, the sheet material movement amount storage means and the sheet material movement control means will be described.
The sheet material movement amount storage means is a sheet which is calculated by the image formation control unit 60 when an image is formed on the first sheet material, from the registration roller 130 where the leading edge of the sheet material temporarily stops to the head 50. The memory 30 has a function of storing the movement amount of the sheet material up to the image formation start position on the material, and the memory 30 has the function.
The sheet material movement control means means that for the second and subsequent sheet materials, the leading edge of the sheet material is registered on the registration roller based on the movement amount of the sheet material stored in the memory 30 (sheet material movement amount storage means). The image forming control unit 60 has a function of conveying at a stroke from the paper feed tray 110 to the head 50 without reaching the image forming start position without stopping at 130.
A series of processes performed by the image formation control unit 60 of the inkjet printer A having such a configuration will be described below with reference to FIG.
The case where the inkjet printer A acquires image data from the scanner 70 will be described.
[0008]
First, the image formation control unit 60 causes the image processing unit 10 of the inkjet printer A to acquire image data read by the scanner 70 (S10).
As shown in FIG. 3, the image data acquired in step S10 includes a start command 210 that prompts the inkjet printer A to form an image, the number of copies of image formation to be executed, and the designation of color such as color or monochrome. The image forming parameter 220 includes image forming parameters 220 that describe the conditions at the time of image formation, an image data main body 230 that is image data itself, and an end command 240 that indicates the end of image formation for one part.
The image forming parameter 220 is input by operating the scanner 70 by the user.
In the image data 200, the start command 210 and the image forming parameter 220 may function as headers in the image data 200, and the end command 240 may function as a footer.
In step S <b> 10, the image formation control unit 60 recognizes that image formation is started by detecting a start command 210 from the acquired image data 200, and displays information on the number of copies described in the image formation parameter 220. Recognize how many copies are to be formed.
Subsequently, the image forming control unit 60 rotates the paper feed roller 120 to take out the first sheet material from the paper feed tray 110 and supplies it until the leading edge of the sheet material reaches the registration roller 130 ( S20).
[0009]
Subsequently, the image data main body 230 acquired in step S10 is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 10, and image data is analyzed by the image formation control unit 60 and stored in the memory 30 (S40).
As a result of the analysis processing in step S40, the image formation start position on the sheet material is calculated, and further, the movement amount of the sheet material until the image formation start position reaches the position of the head 50 is calculated (S50). It is stored in the memory 30 (S60).
The image formation control unit 60 drives the motor 40 based on the calculated movement amount of the sheet material, and the sheet material is adjusted so that the image formation start position on the sheet material becomes the position of the head 50 by the registration roller 130. Based on the image data main body 230, the head 50, the registration roller 130, etc. are driven and controlled to form an image on the sheet material (S85).
Subsequently, the image formation control unit 60 determines whether or not an end command 240, which is a footer next to the image data main body 230, is detected when image formation for one portion is completed (S90).
That is, the image formation control unit 60 sequentially reads the image data body 230 to drive the head 50, the registration roller 130, and the like. Finally, when the end command 240 is detected, one part is detected. Image formation ends.
When the end command 240 is detected in step S90, the image forming control unit 60 responds to the information on the number of copies described in the image parameter 220 and the number of copies of the sheet material on which image formation has already been performed. Then, it is determined whether or not all image formation relating to the image data 200 acquired in step S10 has been performed (S100).
If it is determined in step S100 that all image formation has not been completed, the image formation control unit 60 discharges the sheet material for which image formation has been completed, and stores the sheet material stored in the memory 30. Based on the movement amount, the next sheet material is taken out from the paper feed tray 110, and the sheet material is moved at once without stopping until the image formation start position reaches the position of the head 50 (S110).
Then, image formation is started on the second and subsequent sheets (S85).
That is, the processes in steps S110, S85, S90, and S100 are executed until the image formation for the number of copies described in the image processing parameter 220 is completed.
By performing processing in this way, for image formation on the second and subsequent sheet materials, the sheet material is supplied and moved (conveyed) only in step S110. Even with respect to the sheet material, the image formation is performed very efficiently as compared with the case where the conveyance of the sheet material is stopped at step S20 and step S70.
[0010]
【Example】
In the above embodiment, the case where the scanner 70 is connected to the inkjet printer A according to the embodiment of the present invention and image data is acquired from the scanner 70 has been described. However, a PC 80 such as a computer is connected to the inkjet printer A. A case where image data is acquired from the PC 80 side will be described below.
Even when the PC 80 is connected to the inkjet printer A, the series of processes shown in FIG. 2 can be performed on the inkjet printer A side in the same manner as the scanner 70 described above.
However, since the PC 80 is an information processing apparatus different from the scanner 70, it can also perform the analysis processing from the above steps S40 to S60, and can be said to be suitable for image data analysis and the like. For example, the following two processing methods can be considered.
(Application software settings)
For example, many word forming software such as word processors originally provided in the PC 80 have a function such as “page setting” for designating a range in which characters are normally written. In other words, this “page setting” clearly indicates the range in which image formation can be performed on the sheet material, so that the image formation start position on the sheet material can be obtained by using this “page setting” information on the PC 80 side. And the amount of movement of the sheet material until the image formation start position reaches the position of the head 50 can be accurately calculated in a short time.
(Control program for controlling the inkjet printer A)
As another processing method, the control program provided in the PC 80 for controlling the ink jet printer A can also analyze the image data transmitted to the ink jet printer A. This control program may be software called a so-called “driver”. In this case, it is effective when the “page setting” of the application software cannot be directly recognized as described above, and is good at information processing. Since the analysis of the image data is executed on the PC 80, the analysis can be performed efficiently.
[0011]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a plurality of sheet materials based on acquired image data.
The image formation start position on the sheet material reaches from the stop portion, which is calculated when the image formation is performed on the first sheet material, to the printing portion where image formation is performed, from the stop portion where the leading edge of the sheet material temporarily stops. Sheet material movement amount storage means for storing the movement amount of the first sheet material up to
With respect to the second and subsequent sheet materials, the sheet material is stored on the basis of the movement amount of the sheet material stored in the sheet material movement amount storage means without stopping the front end portion of the sheet material at the stop portion. The image forming apparatus includes a sheet material movement control unit configured to move the supply unit from the supply unit to the print unit until the image formation start position on the sheet material reaches.
Since the present invention is configured in this way, it is not necessary to temporarily stop the supplied sheet material in the image forming apparatus for image formation for the second and subsequent copies. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the image forming process time from the paper discharge to the paper discharge, and it is possible to efficiently form the image.
Further, the acquisition of the image data is performed by receiving the image data read by the document reading means for reading the document image, and the calculation of the movement amount of the first sheet material is performed by the image processing. It is desirable to be performed on the device side.
With this configuration, when a plurality of copies of the same original image are to be copied, the copying speed of the second and subsequent sheets to the sheet material is improved as compared with the conventional case.
[0012]
On the other hand, the acquisition of the image data is performed by receiving the image data transmitted from the information processing apparatus, and the calculation of the movement amount of the first sheet material is performed on the information processing apparatus side. May be.
With this configuration, image data processed by an information processing apparatus such as a computer can be output by the image forming apparatus. Further, since the information processing apparatus is originally an apparatus suitable for analyzing image data or the like, it is very efficient to obtain the amount of movement of the sheet material by analyzing the image data in advance on the information processing apparatus side. However, the processing performed on the image forming apparatus side is reduced and the burden is reduced.
The calculation of the movement amount of the first sheet material can also be performed based on information related to settings of application software for processing the image data.
In this case, for example, if the application software is a document forming software such as a word processor, the application software often has a function such as “page setting” for designating a normal character writing range. In other words, this “page setting” clearly indicates the range of image formation on the sheet material, and the information processing apparatus uses information such as this “page setting” to control the amount of movement of the sheet material. It can be obtained very accurately in a short time.
As another case, the movement amount of the first sheet material may be calculated by analyzing the image data by a control program for controlling the image forming apparatus.
This is effective when the amount of movement of the first sheet material cannot be calculated based on the information related to the application software.
Further, it is desirable to further comprise image data storage means for storing the acquired image data.
In this case, even if the image forming apparatus acquires very large size image data, it is possible to cope with it.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an inkjet printer A which is an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a series of processes performed by the inkjet printer A.
FIG. 3 is an example diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of image data.
FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conveyance mechanism that conveys a sheet material in a conventional inkjet printer B or an inkjet printer A according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
A: Inkjet printer (image forming device)
10: Image processing unit 30: Memory (sheet material movement amount storage means, image data storage means)
40... Motor 60... Image formation control unit (sheet material movement control means)
70 .... Scanner (original reading means)
80 ... PC (information processing equipment)

Claims (6)

In an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a plurality of sheet materials based on acquired image data,
The image formation start position on the sheet material reaches from the stop portion, which is calculated when the image formation is performed on the first sheet material, to the printing portion where image formation is performed, from the stop portion where the leading edge of the sheet material temporarily stops. Sheet material movement amount storage means for storing the movement amount of the first sheet material up to
With respect to the second and subsequent sheet materials, the sheet material is stored on the basis of the movement amount of the sheet material stored in the sheet material movement amount storage means without stopping the front end portion of the sheet material at the stop portion. An image forming apparatus comprising: a sheet material movement control unit configured to move from a supply unit to the print unit until an image formation start position on the sheet material reaches the printing unit. The acquisition of the image data is performed by receiving the image data read by the document reading means for reading the document image. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The acquisition of the image data is performed by receiving the image data transmitted from the information processing apparatus, and the calculation of the movement amount of the first sheet material is performed on the information processing apparatus side. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the movement amount of the first sheet material is calculated based on information relating to settings of application software for processing the image data. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the movement amount of the first sheet material is calculated by analyzing the image data by a control program for controlling the image forming apparatus. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising image data storage means for storing the acquired image data.

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