JP4620941B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus capable of performing printing by setting optimum printing conditions for characteristics of a recording medium such as printing paper.InRelated.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a recording medium with an RFID tag (Radio Frequency IDentifier tag: wireless identification tag or wireless tag) that can be transmitted and received by wireless communication has been proposed, and an application example thereof is also disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1). ).
[0003]
In addition, since there are many types of recording media in an image forming apparatus and the image varies depending on the type of recording medium, the image forming conditions are set each time depending on the type and thickness of the recording medium, or the recording medium A method has been employed in which a recording medium is detected using a sensor for detecting the type and thickness of the recording medium, image processing conditions are set according to the detected value, and image formation is performed. Further, the amount of the recording medium used for image formation remaining in the storage means for storing the recording medium is such that an approximate quantity can be recognized by the remaining amount sensor.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-120475 A
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
  However, there is a problem that the type and thickness of the recording medium by the sensor cannot be detected with high accuracy, and it is required to form a further optimum image on the recording medium. In addition, when the remaining amount of the recording medium necessary for image formation is not accurately known, there is a trouble that the recording medium runs out and is interrupted during image formation. In addition, when an image is formed on a different recording medium by mistake in order to form an image on a desired recording medium, it is necessary to form an image on the desired recording medium again, resulting in waste. In addition, when post-processing such as stapling is performed using a thick recording medium, there may be a problem that stapling cannot be performed properly depending on the number of sheets..
[0006]
  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and reads medium information about a recording medium from an RFID tag attached to the recording medium, and outputs a warning if it is determined to be inappropriate for image formation based on the medium information. An image forming apparatus capable of preventing erroneous image formation on a recording medium other than a desired (that is, designated) recording mediumTheThe purpose is to provide.
[0007]
  If it is determined that the recording medium is the designated recording medium based on the read medium information, the optimum condition for the recording medium is set by setting the optimum image forming condition for the recording medium. Image forming apparatus capable of forming high quality imagesTheThe purpose is to provide.
[0008]
  Image forming apparatus capable of displaying information on quantity of recording medium and outputting shortage of remaining amount of recording medium, and preventing interruption of recording medium due to lack of recording mediumTheThe purpose is to provide.
[0009]
  Also, when the stack thickness of the recording medium exceeds the thickness that can be bundled, such as staples, an image is output so as to meet the conditions for the post-processing process by outputting a warning to that effect. Forming equipmentTheThe purpose is to provide.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an RFID tag having a non-volatile memory capable of reading information attached to a recording medium for printing, the ID information of the RFID tag, manufacturer information, and manufacturing date. Reading means for reading information, recording medium type information, and recording medium thickness information;
  Based on the number of the ID information read by the reading meansFor the required quantity of recording media required for the print job to be processedDetermine whether the recording medium is insufficient, determine whether the recording medium is a recommended recording medium based on the manufacturer information, and whether the recording medium has deteriorated over time based on the manufacturing date information And determining whether the type of the recording medium matches a preset type of the recording medium based on the type information of the recording medium, and determining the thickness information of the recording mediumAnd the total thickness of the recording medium calculated based on the preset image forming mode and the total thickness that can be stapled.A determination means for determining whether or not stapling is possible;
  Based on the result of determination by the determination unit, the type of the recording medium is preset when the recording medium is insufficient, the recording medium is not a recommended recording medium, or the recording medium is deteriorated with time. Display means for displaying a warning when the type of recording medium does not match, or when stapling is not possible.
[0029]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a digital copying machine will be described as an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 1 to 5 are diagrams showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Based on these, a basic configuration will be described.
[0030]
<Configuration of color reader unit>
FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1000, and the upper part in the drawing shows the configuration of the color reader unit 2001. Here, 101 is a CCD, 211 is a substrate on which the CCD 101 is mounted, 200 is a control board for controlling the entire image forming apparatus, and 212 is a digital for digitizing an image signal read by the CCD and performing predetermined image processing. An image processing unit 201 is a platen glass (platen), 202 is a document feeder (DF) (a mirror surface pressure plate (not shown) is mounted instead of the document feeder 202), 203 and Reference numeral 204 denotes a light source (halogen lamp or fluorescent lamp) that illuminates the original; 205 and 206, reflectors for condensing the light from the light sources 203 and 204 on the original; 207 to 209, mirrors; A lens 214 for condensing the light on the CCD 101, a carrier 214 for housing the halogen lamps 203 and 204, the reflectors 205 and 206, and the mirror 207. The carriage 215 for accommodating the mirror 208, 209, 213 denotes an external interface (I / F) with other devices. The carriage 214 is moved at a speed V and the carriage 215 is moved at a speed V / 2 in a direction perpendicular to the electrical scanning (main scanning) direction of the CCD 101, thereby scanning the entire surface of the document (sub scanning). )
[0031]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the control board 200 includes a system control unit having an I / F for exchanging information for controlling the digital image processing unit 212, the external I / F 213, and the printer control I / F 253. 301, a memory 303 in the system control unit, and an operation unit 302. As shown in FIG. 12, the operation unit 302 is configured by a liquid crystal with a touch panel for inputting processing execution contents by the operator and notifying information regarding processing and warnings to the operator. As will be described later, a warning message or the like is also displayed on the operation unit.
[0032]
The external I / F 213 is an interface for exchanging image information, code information, and the like with the outside of the image processing apparatus. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a facsimile apparatus 401, a LAN interface apparatus 402, an external mass storage apparatus 403 or the like can be connected. Note that, for the procedure control of the exchange of image information and code information with the facsimile apparatus 401, the LAN interface apparatus 402, and the external mass storage apparatus 403, the facsimile apparatus 401, the LAN interface apparatus 402, and the external mass storage apparatus that are connection apparatuses. This is performed by mutual communication between the 403 and the system control unit 301 of the control board 200.
[0033]
Next, the digital image processing unit 212 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the digital image processing unit 212.
[0034]
The document on the platen glass reflects light from the light sources 203 and 204, and the reflected light is guided to the CCD 101 and converted into an electrical signal (in the case of a color sensor, the RGB color filter is on one line CCD). Or inline in RGB order, or a 3-line CCD with an R filter, G filter, and B filter arranged for each CCD. The filter is on-chip or the filter is configured separately from the CCD. It doesn't matter if it becomes Then, the electric signal (analog image signal) is input to the image processing unit 212, and clamp & Amp. & S / H & A / D unit 102 samples and holds (S / H), clamps the dark level of the analog image signal to the reference potential, and amplifies it to a predetermined amount (the above processing order is not limited to the notation order), and A / D-converted and converted into, for example, an RGB 8-bit digital signal.
[0035]
Subsequently, the RGB signal is subjected to shading correction and black correction by the shading unit 103. The corrected RGB signal is further processed by the stitching & MTF correction & document detection unit 104. In the splicing process, when the CCD 101 is a three-line CCD, the reading position between the lines is different. Therefore, the signal timing is corrected so that the reading position of the three lines becomes the same by adjusting the delay amount for each line according to the reading speed. It is processing to do. The MTF correction processing is processing for recognizing the document size by scanning the document on the platen glass because the reading MTF varies depending on the reading speed and the magnification, and the change is corrected. The digital signal whose reading position timing is corrected is corrected by the input masking unit 105 for the spectral characteristics of the CCD 101 and the spectral characteristics of the light sources 203 and 204 and the reflectors 205 and 206. The output of the input masking unit 105 is input to a selector 106 that can be switched to an external I / F signal.
[0036]
The signal output from the selector 106 is input to the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 107 and background removal unit 115. After the background is removed, the signal input to the background removal unit 115 is input to the black character determination unit 116 that determines whether the original is a black character in the document, and a black character signal is generated from the document. In the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 107 to which the output of the other selector 106 is input, the color space compression determines whether the read image signal is within a range that can be reproduced by the printer. If not, the image signal is corrected so that it can be reproduced by the printer. Then, background removal processing is performed, and RGB signals are converted to CMY signals by LOG conversion. The timing of the output signal of the color space compression & background removal & LOG conversion unit 107 is adjusted by a delay 108 in order to correct the signal and timing generated by the black character determination unit 116. The moire removal unit 109 removes moire from these two types of signals, and 110 performs a scaling process in the main scanning direction.
[0037]
In the UCR & masking & black character reflecting unit 111, the CMY signal is generated from the CMY signal by the UCR processing and the CMYK signal is corrected by the masking processing unit to a signal suitable for the output of the printer. The determination signal generated by the determination unit 116 is fed back to the CMYK signal. The signal processed by the UCR & masking & black character reflection unit 111 is subjected to density adjustment by the gamma correction unit 112 and then smoothed or edge processed by the filter unit 113. At this time, the correction value of the gamma correction unit 112 can be made variable by setting from the system control unit 301, and the density adjustment value can be set for each of CMYK and the density can be set variably. .
[0038]
<Configuration of printer unit>
Next, the configuration of the printer unit will be described. The lower part of FIG. 2 is a main part configuration diagram of a full-color printer unit 2002 which is an example of the image forming apparatus 1000 according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printer control unit 001 for controlling the printer unit 2002 and circuits controlled by the printer control unit 001. The printer unit 2002 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0039]
A photosensitive drum (hereinafter simply referred to as “photosensitive member”) 225 as an image carrier is provided so as to be rotated in the direction of arrow A by an image forming system motor 023. A primary charger 221, an exposure device 218, a black developing unit 219, a color developing unit 223, a transfer charger 220, and a cleaner device 222 are disposed around the photosensitive member 225.
[0040]
The black developing device 219 is a developing device for monochrome development, and develops the latent image on the photoreceptor 225 with K toner. The color developing unit 223 includes three developing devices 223Y, 223M, and 223C for full color development. The developing devices 223Y, 223M, and 223C develop the latent images on the photoreceptor 225 with Y, M, and C toners, respectively. When developing the toner of each color, the developing unit 223 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R by the developing device motor 020, and the developing device of the corresponding color is aligned so as to contact the photoconductor 225.
[0041]
The toner images of the respective colors developed on the photosensitive member 225 are sequentially transferred to a belt 226 as an intermediate transfer member by the transfer charger 220, and the four color toner images are superimposed. The belt 226 is stretched around rollers 227, 228 and 229.
[0042]
Among these, the roller 227 is connected to the image forming system motor 023 and functions as a driving roller for driving the belt 226, the roller 228 functions as a tension roller for adjusting the tension of the belt 226, and the roller 229 is a secondary transfer device. Functions as a backup roller for the transfer roller 231. The transfer roller attaching / detaching unit 250 is a drive unit for adhering or releasing the transfer roller 231 to or from the belt 226. A belt cleaner 232 is provided at a position facing the roller 227 across the belt 226. The belt cleaner attaching / detaching unit 268 is a drive unit for causing the belt cleaner 232 to adhere to or detach from the belt 226. When the belt cleaner 232 is moved in the wearing direction by the belt cleaner detaching unit 268, the residual toner on the belt 226 is scraped off by the blade.
[0043]
The recording media stored in the cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual paper feed unit 253 are fed to the nip portion, that is, the contact portion between the secondary transfer device 231 and the belt 226 by the registration roller 255 and the pair of paper feed rollers 235, 236, and 237. The paper drive motor 021 is fed as a drive source. At this time, the secondary transfer device 231 is in contact with the belt 226 by driving the transfer roller attaching / detaching unit 250 in the contact direction. The toner image formed on the belt 226 is transferred onto the recording medium at the nip portion, thermally fixed by the fixing device 234, and discharged outside the device by the fixing drive motor 022. Note that the cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual sheet feeder 253 have sheet-less detection sensors 243, 244, and 245 for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium, respectively. The cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual paper feed unit 253 have paper feed sensors 247, 248, and 249 for detecting a pickup failure of the recording medium, respectively. Further, each cassette has an RFID tag reading unit 273 that can read and write data from the RFID tag attached to the sheet.
[0044]
In the color printer having the above configuration, image formation is performed as follows.
[0045]
First, the recording medium conveyance operation in the paper feeding unit will be described. The recording media stored in the cassettes 240 and 241 and the manual paper feed unit 253 are conveyed onto the paper feed path 266 one by one by the pickup rollers 238, 239 and 254. When the recording medium on the sheet feeding path 266 is conveyed to the registration roller 255 by the pair of sheet feeding rollers 235, 236, and 237, the registration sensor 256 immediately before that detects the passage of the recording medium. In this embodiment, when the registration sensor 256 detects the passage of the recording medium, the conveyance operation is interrupted after an appropriate time has elapsed. As a result, the recording medium abuts against the stopped registration roller 255, and the conveyance is stopped. At that time, the position of the recording medium is fixed so that the end portion in the traveling direction is perpendicular to the conveyance path, and the conveyance direction of the recording medium The paper feed path conveyance direction is corrected when the skew occurs due to the deviation of the image from the conveyance path. This process is referred to as normal sheet feeding registration. Paper registration is essential for minimizing the inclination of the image forming direction with respect to subsequent recording media. After the paper feeding registration is taken, the registration roller 255 is activated to supply the recording medium to the secondary transfer device 231.
[0046]
Next, a procedure for forming an image on a recording medium supplied to the secondary transfer device 231 will be described. First, a voltage is applied to the charging device 221 to negatively charge the surface of the photoreceptor 225 uniformly at a predetermined charged portion potential. Subsequently, exposure is performed by an exposure device 218 composed of a laser scanner so that an image portion on the charged photoconductor 225 has a predetermined exposure portion potential, and a latent image is formed. The exposure device 218 forms a latent image corresponding to the image by turning on and off based on the image signal.
[0047]
A developing bias set in advance for each color is applied to the developing rollers of the black developing device 219 and the color developing device 223, and the latent image is developed with toner when passing through the position of the developing roller and visualized as a toner image. Is done. The toner image is transferred to the belt 226 by the transfer device 220, further transferred to the recording medium conveyed from the paper feeding unit by the secondary transfer device 231, and then conveyed to the fixing device 234 via the fixing conveyance belt 230. Is done. In the fixing device 234, in order to compensate for the toner adsorption force and prevent image disturbance, the fixing device 234 is charged by the pre-fixing chargers 251 and 252, and further the toner image is thermally fixed by the fixing roller 233, and then the paper discharge flapper 257 is used. As a result, the transport path is switched to the paper discharge path 258 side, and the finisher unit 280 is sent, and the recording medium that does not require the finishing process of the finisher unit is transported as it is in the apparatus and discharged to the paper discharge tray 242 as it is. . Further, in a post-processing step, for example, a mode that requires stapling, the required number of recording media in the finisher unit 280 are stacked and aligned by the aligning unit 281, and the stapling unit 282 performs stapling processing. After that, it is discharged to the discharge tray 242.
[0048]
In full color printing, toners of four colors are superimposed on the belt 226 and then transferred to a recording medium. The toner remaining on the photosensitive member 225 is made to be easily cleaned by a preliminary cleaning device (not shown), and is removed and collected by the cleaner device 222. Finally, the photosensitive member 225 is removed by a static eliminator (not shown). Then, the charge is uniformly discharged to near 0 volts to prepare for the next image forming cycle.
[0049]
The image forming timing of the color printer is controlled with a predetermined position on the belt 226 as a reference. The belt 226 is wound around rollers including a driving roller 227, a tension roller 228, and a backup roller 229, and a predetermined tension is applied by the tension roller 228.
[0050]
Between the driving roller 227 and the roller 229, a reflective sensor 224 that detects the reference position is disposed. The reflective sensor 224 detects a marking such as a reflective tape provided on the outer peripheral surface end of the belt 212 and outputs an I-top signal.
[0051]
The outer peripheral length of the photosensitive member 225 and the peripheral length of the belt 226 are an integer ratio represented by 1: n (n is an integer). With this setting, the photosensitive member 225 rotates an integer during one revolution of the belt 226 and returns to the same state as before one revolution of the belt 226, so that four colors are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 226. When matching (the belt rotates four times), it is possible to avoid color misregistration due to uneven rotation of the photoconductor 225.
[0052]
In the intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus as described above, after the I-top signal is detected, exposure is started by the exposure device 218 including a laser scanner after a predetermined time has elapsed. In addition, as described above, the photosensitive member 225 rotates an integer during one rotation of the belt 226 and returns to the same state as before one rotation of the belt, so that a toner image is always formed on the belt 226 at the same position. Although the toner image size also changes depending on the paper size, there is a range on the belt 226 where the toner image is never placed.
[0053]
Further, in the case of a short paper size image, the belt 226 has a belt length capable of forming a toner image for two images, and particularly for two sheets in order to form a color image in which four colors are superimposed. The productivity can be improved by making it possible to form the image in the time required for only four belt rotations.
[0054]
The operation when an image is formed on the back surface of the recording medium will be described in detail. When an image is formed on the back surface of the recording medium, image formation on the surface of the recording medium is first performed. Since the image forming operation on the surface has been described in detail above, the description is omitted here. However, in the case of image formation only on the surface, the paper discharge flapper 257 is formed after the toner image is thermally fixed by the fixing device 234 after image formation. As a result, the transport path is switched to the paper discharge path 258 side and is discharged as it is to the paper discharge tray 235. However, when the back side image is subsequently formed, the transport path is switched to the back side path 259 side by the paper discharge flapper 257. The recording medium is once conveyed by the double-sided conveyance motor 024 in the double-sided reverse path 261 by the rotational driving of the reverse roller 260 in conjunction therewith. Thereafter, the recording medium is conveyed into the duplex reversing path 261 by the width of the recording medium in the feeding direction, and then the traveling direction is switched by the duplex reversing path guide 269 by the reverse rotation driving of the reversing roller and the driving of the duplex path transporting roller 262. Then, the image is formed on the front side and conveyed to the double-sided path 263 with the image side facing down.
[0055]
Subsequently, when the recording medium is conveyed on the double-sided path 263 toward the refeed roller 264, the refeed sensor 265 immediately before that detects the passage of the recording medium. In the present embodiment, when the passage of the recording medium is detected by the re-feed sensor 265, the conveying operation is interrupted after an appropriate time has elapsed. As a result, the recording medium abuts on the stopped re-feed roller 264, and the conveyance is temporarily stopped. At this time, the position of the recording medium is fixed so that the end in the traveling direction of the recording medium is perpendicular to the conveyance path. Refeed path conveyance direction correction is performed when skew feeding occurs due to the conveyance direction of the medium deviating from the conveyance path in the refeed path. This process is generally referred to as re-feed registration. The re-feed registration is indispensable for minimizing the inclination of the image forming direction with respect to the back surface of the recording medium thereafter. After re-feeding registration, the re-feed roller 264 is activated to transport the recording medium onto the paper feed path 266 again with the front and back sides reversed. The subsequent image forming operation is the same as the above-described surface image forming operation, and is therefore omitted here. The recording medium on which the image is formed on both the front and back surfaces is directly switched to the discharge path 258 side by the discharge flapper 257 and is discharged to the discharge tray 235 as it is. With the operation as described above, in this embodiment, it is possible for the operator to automatically form images on both sides of the recording medium without resetting the front and back of the recording medium.
[0056]
The printer control unit 001 controls the entire printer control unit 001, controls data exchange via the printer I / F, controls the drive circuit unit 002 and the high voltage unit 003, and further reads the RFID tag. The data written in the RFID tag is read by the unit 273. These controls may be performed by a hardware circuit included in the printer control unit 001, but can also be performed by executing a program stored in the memory 0012 by the processor 0011. In this case, the data read from the RFID tag is stored in the memory 0012 and a program of a procedure to be described later is stored.
[0057]
<RFID configuration>
Next, RFID will be described. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a printer unit 2002 embodying the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a data reading unit 273 that reads data from an RFID tag on the recording medium is mounted as a transceiver on the cassette deck that stores the recording medium. In the present embodiment, a recording medium refers to a printing sheet medium made of printing paper or other material, and may be referred to as a printing medium. Briefly, an RFID tag 601 (see FIG. 6) embedded on a recording medium is provided, and a read circuit 273 for reading information from the RFID tag 601 is provided on the image reading apparatus side. The process of reading data from the RFID tag starts from the information that the recording medium is stored in the cassettes 240 and 241 that store the recording medium, and the signal from the storage open / close detection sensor (not shown) in the cassette is closed. Even if the storage open / close detection sensor does not detect it, the information on the recording medium can be obtained as data by constantly monitoring. Further, in the cassette deck in which the recording medium is stored, and the manual paper feeding unit 253, not the cassettes 240 and 241, but the reader for reading out the data is installed in the place where the recording medium is placed. It is possible.
[0058]
Here, the configuration and operation outline of the RFID tag 601 will be described. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a recording medium in which the RFID tag 601 is embedded and a recording medium with a tab. RFID tags are embedded in the upper right corners of the recording media 501 and 502. As shown in enlarged views 501a and 502a, an RFID tag is connected to an antenna for transmitting and receiving a radio signal, and is arranged along the short side of the recording medium.
[0059]
As shown in FIG. 7, the RFID tag 601 includes a memory 602 such as an EEPROM that stores data and does not lose data even when the power is turned off. The memory 602 has an address corresponding to the capacity, and a 16-bit data storage unit is configured for each address. The memory control unit 603 reads / writes data from / to the memory 602 in accordance with a command from the reader sent from the coil 605 via the modem unit 604.
[0060]
The memory control unit 603 performs read control of the memory 602 according to the command transmitted from the modem unit 604. The power supply circuit 606 supplies power to the RFID tag circuit by an induced electromotive force from the coil 607 due to electromagnetic induction from the outside. The RFID tag 601 has the configuration shown in FIG. 7 integrated in a one-chip IC.
[0061]
Note that in the usage mode of the RFID tag 601 in the present embodiment, it is necessary to place a print medium on a sheet on which the RFID tag is affixed and to read data from the RFID tag in that state. For this purpose, it is necessary to be able to communicate individually or simultaneously with all the RFID tags in the communication area of the reader circuit. Such a function is called an anti-collision function, a function of selectively updating with one RFID tag is called selective access, and a function of communicating with all tags in a communication area at once is called multi-access. As an RFID tag having such an anti-collision function, there is a product called V690 manufactured by OMRON Corporation. Although this product is not the RFID tag itself used in this embodiment, it can be applied to this embodiment because it has a multi-access function.
[0062]
<Configuration of lead circuit>
Next, the read circuit will be described.
[0063]
The above-described RFID tag reading unit 273 is mounted with a read circuit, and the read circuit is configured as shown in FIG. An electromagnetic wave composed of a power transmission wave and a data communication modulated wave shown in FIG. 11 between an R / W coil (reader or / and writer coil) 1401 provided in the lead circuit and a coil 605 formed in the RFID 601 of FIG. (Wireless) is used for both power transmission and communication transmission / reception, but there is no problem even if the power transmission wave and the signal wave are transmitted by different antennas.
[0064]
A 27.02 MHz power transmission wave 1501 shown in FIG. 11 is received by the coil 607 in FIG. 7 and supplies power to drive the RFID tag 601.
[0065]
A data communication modulated wave 1502 having a center frequency of 27.02 MHz is transmitted / received by the coil 605 in FIG. 7 and performs read / write access to the memory 602 in the RFID tag 601.
[0066]
In FIG. 11, the read circuit encodes the 27.02 MHz carrier signal generated from the carrier signal generation circuit 1402 into an encoding circuit 1403 that encodes data to be transmitted to the RFID tag 601 and a 27.02 MHz drive signal. A modulator 1404 that superimposes the signal encoded by the circuit 1403 by amplitude modulation (Amplitude Shift Keying modulation: ASK modulation), and a transmission amplifier that amplifies the ASK-modulated signal on the drive signal of 27.02 MHz by the modulator 1404 1405 and a matching circuit (feeding circuit) 1408 for coupling the signal amplified by the transmission amplifier 1405 with an inductance coupling 1406 and matching the impedance with the capacitor 1407 to prevent reflection, and the matching circuit 1408 Power depending on output A coil (reader or / and writer coil) 1401 that generates an electromagnetic wave to transmit and transmit data and receives data transmitted from the RFID coil 605 by an electromagnetic wave, and a coil (reader or / and writer coil) 1401 The matching circuit 1408 matches the signal received in step 1408 to remove a noise component from the signal generated by the inductance coupling 1406, the reception amplifier 1410 that amplifies the signal obtained through the filter circuit 1409, and the reception amplifier 1410. A demodulator 1411 that demodulates the amplified signal using the above-mentioned 27.02 MHz drive signal, and a decoding circuit 1412 that decodes the signal demodulated by the demodulator 1411 and outputs it as received data. .
[0067]
The read circuit configured as described above transmits transmission data transmitted from a data processing unit (not shown) by ASK modulation from the coil 1401 or receives ASK modulation data received from the coil 1401.
[0068]
Note that the circuit configuration of FIG. 10 is actually a read / write circuit that can also perform a write operation, and can perform writing as well as signal reading. Further, the read circuit and the RFID tag have a multi-access function capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of RFID tags in the communication area of the read circuit. In addition, a selective access function for specifying a communication partner from a plurality of RFID tags by, for example, a tag ID described later and communicating only with the specified partner is also provided.
[0069]
<Data format>
Next, the data format transmitted from the modem unit 604 to the read circuit will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0070]
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of read control of the memory 602 that is substantially equivalent to control of a general EEPROM. FIG. 8 shows a data format at the time of reading. First, when a power transmission wave is transmitted from the lead circuit in FIG. 10, the coil 607 in FIG. 7 receives this power transmission wave, and an induced electromotive force is generated from the power supply circuit 606. When power is supplied to the RFID tag 601 by this induced electromotive force, the memory control unit 603 monitors the serial data DI received from the coil 605 via the modulation / demodulation unit 604 and detects that the bit changes from 0 to 1. To do. The first transition from 0 to 1 after DI monitoring indicates a start bit, and 2-bit data continuous from the start bit is command data. In FIG. 8, the data transition timing is constituted by a read circuit and an RFID tag so as to shift at a predetermined frequency f. However, a synchronous clock that oscillates separately at a period f is generated to ensure synchronization. You may do it. In FIG. 8, command data is 1 and 0, which means a read command as shown in FIG. The memory control unit 603 that has received the read command controls the memory 602 to the read mode, and sends the data stored at the address indicated by the 4-bit data following the command data to the memory control unit 603 as serial data DO. The modulation wave is sent from the coil 605 to the lead circuit via the modulation / demodulation unit 604.
[0071]
The memory 602 has a capacity of 256 bits because the address is 4 bits and the data is 16 bits. For example, as shown in FIG. 9B, the address map of the memory 602 includes addresses 00h to 02h as the ID of the RFID tag itself, and address 03h as the ID of the manufacturer of the recording medium in which the RFID tag is embedded. In the date of manufacture, the paper type (paper type) information of the recording medium to which the RFID is attached at address 05h, the recording medium size (paper size) information at address 06h, the thickness (paper thickness) information of the recording medium at address 07h, The recording medium color (paper color) information is determined at address 08h, and the recording medium tab position (tab position in the case of index paper) information is determined at address 09h. If data is read from the read circuit according to this address map and the data is interpreted, information on the recording medium (information on the print medium) can be read out.
[0072]
<Control Procedure of Image Forming Apparatus>
Next, an image forming apparatus that reads information from the RFID 601 embedded in the recording medium and performs control based on the read data will be described.
[0073]
As described above, as information of the RFID 601 embedded in the recording medium, as shown in FIG. 7, addresses 00h to 02h are IDs of the RFID tag itself, and the medium information is lower than that, and recording information ( ID of manufacturer of printing paper), address 04h, date of manufacture, paper type information at address 05h, size information of recording medium (printing paper) at address 06h, thickness information of recording medium (printing paper) at address 07h, 08h The color information of the recording medium (printing paper) is stored at the address, and the tab position information of the recording medium (printing paper) is stored at the address 09h. These information are stored in the recording medium (after the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on). Data is read by the data reading unit 273 disposed in the vicinity of each of the cassettes 240 and 241 in which the printing paper) is stored. The recording medium (printing paper) is manufactured and sold in a state where the above information is recorded on the RFID tag, or is recorded on the RFID tag before use. Also, the tag ID is given serially, and for example, numbers that increase by 1 in ascending order are assigned in order from the sheet on the sheet bundle.
The printer control unit 001 sets and controls image forming conditions based on the read data. This procedure will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.
[0074]
FIG. 13 is a procedure for initializing medium information held in the memory 0012 by the printer control unit 001. The medium information is held for each paper feed cassette, and includes the following. First, among the print media loaded in the paper feed cassette, the minimum tag ID stored in the RFID tag is stored as the tag ID of interest for each cassette. Second, the remaining amount of media in the cassette is stored. FIG. 13 is executed when the paper feed cassette is mounted. The data at addresses 00h to 02h of the RFID tag is the ID of the RFID tag itself, and by reading this, the printer control unit 001 can grasp the quantity of the recording medium. For example, if 300 tag IDs are read, it can be determined that 300 recording media are stored. If the quantity is displayed on the display unit of the operation unit 302, the remaining amount of the recording medium can be accurately displayed.
[0075]
Therefore, first, the information shown in FIG. 9B, particularly the tag ID, is read out from the RFID tag by the read circuit 273 corresponding to each paper feed cassette. At this time, information is read for all tags by multi-access (step S1301). Then, the number of read tag IDs is counted and stored as the remaining amount of the print medium, and at the same time, the minimum value among the read tag IDs is stored as the target tag ID (step S1302). Finally, the remaining amount of the print medium is displayed on the operation unit shown in FIG.
[0076]
With this procedure, the remaining amount of paper and the tag ID of the paper at the top of the paper feed cassette are specified, for example, when paper is supplied to the paper feed cassette. However, as described above, tag IDs are assigned to the print media in ascending order, and the print media is placed in the paper feed cassette so that the paper with the smallest tag ID is the highest, that is, the paper is fed first. Shall be.
[0077]
<Print processing>
At the time of printing, the procedure of FIG. 14 is executed. Before performing printing, a print mode (including designation of print resolution, paper type, size, etc.) is designated, and the designated contents are also stored in the memory 0012.
[0078]
First, it is determined whether the required quantity required for the print job to be processed is equal to or less than the remaining amount (step S1401). If the remaining amount is exceeded, a warning message to that effect is displayed on the operation unit (step S1411). The required quantity is the quantity of recording medium required in the image forming mode set from the operation unit 302. In step S1411, control may be performed to display the shortage by calculating the shortage. Note that the required quantity required for the print job to be processed is determined by a designated print mode, for example, Nin1 designation (designation for printing N pages on a single sheet), designation of a plurality of copies, and the like. . Therefore, in step S1401, first, the number of sheets (the number of recording media) corresponding to the print mode is calculated.
[0079]
If the required quantity is sufficient, the target tag ID is specified for the current target paper cassette, and information is read from the RFID tag by the read circuit 273 (S1402). At this time, all the medium information shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to read the information of the print medium to be printed. If it cannot be read (step S1403-NO), the medium initialization process of FIG. 13 is performed (S1412), the target tag is updated, and the process is repeated from step S1401. If the designated tag ID cannot be read even after executing step S1412, an error message is displayed and the process is stopped. Alternatively, after this processing, it is possible to shift to the conventional printing processing without performing any processing of the print medium.
[0080]
When the information of the print medium having the target tag ID can be acquired in this way, the following control is performed based on the information (medium information).
[0081]
First, based on the data stored in the printer control unit 001 of the image forming apparatus in advance from the ID of the manufacturer that is the manufacturer at address 03h in the medium information and the information of the date of manufacture at address 04h, the record that the medium can recommend It is determined whether the recording medium is a medium or whether the recording medium has been deteriorated due to excessive time (S1404). If the recording medium is not a recommended recording medium or if the aging time is long, the display unit in the operation unit 302 is controlled to display that fact (S1413).
[0082]
Next, the paper type information read from address 05h of the medium information is compared with the type of recording medium set in the image forming mode set from the operation unit 302 or the like (step S1405). If the type of the recording medium and the set type of the recording medium do not match, the image forming operation is not started and this is displayed (step S1415). If they match, the process proceeds to step S1406. move on.
[0083]
In step S1406, the recording medium loaded from the recording medium thickness information read from address 07h of the medium information and loaded from the image forming mode during post-processing such as stapling performed after image formation from the image forming mode 302 or the like. The total thickness amount of the recording medium is calculated and compared with the maximum total stack thickness amount of the recording medium capable of stapling operation of the staple unit 280 (step S1406). If the set total stack thickness in the image forming mode exceeds the total stackable stackable thickness, that effect is displayed on the display unit of the operation unit 302 without starting the image forming operation (step S1416). . If the set total stack thickness in the image forming mode does not exceed the total stackable stackable thickness, control for starting the image forming operation is performed (step S1407).
[0084]
In step S1407, for example, the following control is performed. First, the paper type information of the recording medium is read from address 05h of the medium information. The paper type information includes information such as the surface property and elasticity of the recording medium, or information such as the surface property and elasticity of the recording medium corresponding to the paper type code and the like is sent to the print control unit 001. Stored in advance. From such information, information such as surface properties and elasticity of the recording medium can be read. Further, the size information of the recording medium is obtained from the address 06h of the medium information, and the thickness information of the recording medium is obtained from the address 07h.
[0085]
Based on this information, the printer control unit 001 sets an optimum conveyance speed of the recording medium at the time of image formation, and the drive circuit unit 002 sets the developing device motor 020, the paper feed drive motor 021, the fixing drive motor 022, and the image formation. The system motor 023, a double-sided conveyance motor, and a polygon motor (not shown) in the exposure device 218 are controlled to perform image formation at an optimum speed. For example, if the OHP sheet or the like is heated too much in the fixing unit, the medium itself is distorted or it is liable to cause troubles such as sticking to the heater. Therefore, the conveyance speed is increased by, for example, several percent compared to a normal paper medium. In addition, it is considered that a thick medium is likely to be displaced at the bent portion of the conveyance path. In this case as well, the conveyance speed is delayed as compared with normal copy paper. Also, depending on the material and elasticity of the surface, the conveyance speed is slowed if the material is prone to slip, such as slippery, and the conveyance speed is faster if the material changes quality when exposed to high temperatures. Of course, these settings are only examples.
[0086]
  05Paper of address hseedInformation and 07From the recording medium thickness information read from address h, the high voltage power supply 003 supplies the recording medium type and the optimum transfer conditions for the thickness, specifically the voltage value and current value supplied to the secondary transfer device. It is set from the printer control unit 001 so that it can. For example, for a medium having a large thickness, the transfer condition is set by setting the high voltage power supply 003 to be higher than the medium having a small thickness (or to ensure a sufficient current value). A good image can be obtained by optimizing the conditions. The printer control unit 001 performs control for setting the fixing temperature of the fixing device 234 that is optimal for the type and thickness of the recording medium. For example, when printing is performed on a medium such as an OHP sheet where the medium itself changes in quality when the temperature of the fixing unit is raised above a certain level, the temperature of the fixing unit is controlled to be lowered. In addition, since the RFID tag itself may be damaged by exposure to high temperatures, the temperature control is performed so that the recording medium with the RFID tag is fixed at a lower temperature than the medium without the RFID tag. It is also possible to do. This temperature is determined by the specifications of the RFID tag itself.
[0087]
Further, the optimum image condition may be set by changing not only the transfer device but also the voltage value and current value of the high voltage power supply 003 applied to the primary charger 221 and the developing units 219 and 223. In addition, when the amount of toner adhering to the medium changes depending on the voltage or current value of the secondary transfer device or primary transfer device, the image formed by toner scattering, such as an OHP sheet, is likely to deteriorate. In order to reduce the amount of toner, the voltage and current are controlled so as to lower the charge to be charged.
[0088]
The above motor speed, voltage, and current values are controlled by, for example, the printer control unit 001 in the registers provided in the drive circuit unit 002 and the high-voltage power supply 003 according to the type of medium and the like. This is done by setting a value corresponding to.
[0089]
In addition, the color information of the recording medium is read from address 09h of the medium information. In the case of a color image forming apparatus as in the present embodiment, the image forming color changes due to the influence of the background color of the recording medium. Therefore, based on the color information of the recording medium, the image processing shown in FIG. By changing the correction value of each color of YMCK by the γ correction unit 112 in the block, the color variation of the image forming unit due to the influence of the background color of the recording medium can be minimized, and an optimal image color can be obtained. Control becomes possible. For example, the color of the background (recording medium) is likely to be reflected in a portion having a low density, but the color of the background is covered with a recording agent in a portion having a high density, and the color is not easily reflected in an image. Therefore, for example, for the low density portion, color component data corresponding to the ratio of each color of YMCK is calculated from the background color component from the background color component information, and a calculated value corresponding to the ratio of the color component is subtracted from the image data. On the contrary, for the developed color that is easily affected by the background color, the correction value is changed so as to perform addition correction. The correction amount is determined by the background color and image data obtained from the medium information.
[0090]
When the above control is completed, 1 is added to the target tag ID to advance the target ID, and at the same time, one is subtracted from the remaining amount of the medium (step S1408).
[0091]
With the above procedure, it is possible to read information about the medium itself from the RFID tag attached to the print medium, and to control the print procedure based on the information.
[0092]
<Tab paper order management>
Next, in the print job processing in which tab sheet insertion is instructed at a designated location, the procedure of tab insertion processing will be described with reference to FIG. The procedure of FIG. 15 is executed after it is confirmed that a paper feed cassette on which tab paper is placed is provided in advance. The tab sheets are placed in the order of the tab positions. That is, the tab sheets are usually configured as a set of a predetermined number of tab sheets, and are placed in that order in the sheet feed cassette.
[0093]
First, it is determined whether the inserted tab sheet is the first tab sheet (step S1501). If it is the top, the tab sheet with the tab position at the top is inserted. Therefore, in the case of the head, 1 is put in the tab order variable secured in the memory (step S1502). Whether or not the tab sheet is at the head can be determined, for example, by the system control unit 301 that manages the print job or the like because the first tab sheet insertion command that appears in the print job can be determined as the head. This information can be determined by receiving the information shown together with the print data from the system control unit 301.
[0094]
Next, the current tag ID of interest is designated and data is read from the RFID tag (step S1503). The meaning of the target tag ID is as described in FIG. First, based on the paper type information, it is determined whether it is a tab sheet (step S1504). If it is not a tab sheet, if all the cassettes have not been determined (step S1510), the next sheet cassette is focused on. (Step S1511), and repeat from step S1503.
[0095]
On the other hand, if it is a cassette on which tab sheets are placed, the following processing is performed.
[0096]
At the 10h address of the read medium information, tab position information of the tab sheet, specifically, the order in which the tab positions are arranged from the top to the bottom of the recording medium is recorded as 16-bit tab position information. Yes. During image formation, image formation can be performed while reading the tab position information described above for each tab sheet, so even if a jam occurs during image formation for any reason, the order of the tab sheets where the jam occurred, that is, the tab position Therefore, during recovery, image formation is not performed by switching the flapper 274 of FIG. 2 to the discharge tray 276 side path until the tab sheet at the required tab position is obtained from the tab sheet feeding unit. The paper is discharged and the tab paper is controlled so that it can be reused. When the tab sheet at the required tab position is reached, the flapper 274 is switched to the image forming path side to perform image formation.
[0097]
For this purpose, the tab position information included in the medium information is first compared with the value of the tab order variable held in the memory 0012. If they match, the tab position of the tab sheet of interest is desirable according to the insertion order of the tab sheets, so the flapper 274 is switched to the image forming path side and conveyed to the designated discharge tray as it is. It discharges (step S1508). Then, 1 is added to the target tag ID and the tab order variable, and 1 is subtracted from the remaining amount (step S1509).
[0098]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1505 that they do not match, the flapper 274 is switched to the discharge tray 276 side path to transport and discharge the tab sheet, and the tab sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 276 (step S1506). . Then, 1 is added to the target tag ID and the tab order variable, and 1 is subtracted from the remaining amount (step S1507), and the process is repeated from step S1505.
[0099]
According to this procedure, when tab sheet insertion is designated, the tab sheet insertion order can be appropriately managed, and tab sheets can be inserted in order from the top.
[0100]
As described above, the medium information about the print medium is read from the RFID tag (wireless tag) attached to the print medium, and a warning is output if it is determined to be inappropriate for image formation based on the medium information. It is possible to prevent erroneous image formation on a print medium other than a desired (that is, designated) print medium.
[0101]
Also, if it is determined that the print medium is the designated print medium based on the read medium information, the optimum condition for the recording medium is set by setting an optimum image forming condition for the print medium. Can form a high-quality image.
[0102]
Since information related to the number of print media can be displayed and a shortage of the remaining amount of print media can be output, it is possible to prevent the print media from being interrupted during image formation.
[0103]
Further, when the stack thickness of the print medium exceeds the thickness that can be bundled, such as staples, by outputting a warning to that effect, it is possible to form an image that meets the conditions for the post-processing process.
[0104]
Further, when the print medium is tab paper, it has tab position information of the tab paper. For example, even when the tab paper is out of order due to a jam or the like during the image forming operation, the order is It is now possible to insert a tab sheet at an appropriate tab position by adjusting.
[0105]
[Modification 1]
In the embodiment, the information on the recording medium is read each time printing is performed, but the RFID tag information read by the medium information initialization process (FIG. 13) is organized into a file with the tag ID as an index. May be stored.
In this case, it is necessary to read not only the tag ID but all the medium information included in the tag. Then, instead of step S1402 in FIG. 14, information is read from the file using the target tag ID as an index, and the processing from step S1403 is performed using the information as information on the target paper. In this case, further, in step S1408, before updating the value of the target tag ID, a record having the target tag ID as an index is deleted. When tag information is stored as a file, the number of media can be managed by the number of records.
[0106]
[Modification 2]
Although the electrophotographic image forming apparatus has been described in the embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus such as an ink jet system or a thermal system. For example, in the inkjet method, dedicated paper for photographic printing is commercially available, and the user has conventionally switched the setting of printing paper to be used between such dedicated paper and other plain paper. On the other hand, by applying the present invention, the printer acquires the medium information by reading the RFID tag attached to the printing paper, and from the paper type information included therein, the paper is a dedicated paper or plain paper. The image forming conditions can be set according to the paper type.
[0107]
In addition, information that can be defined including the paper thickness and size, the material of the sheet, etc. can be included in the paper type, such as “postcard”. For example, if you read “postcard” as the paper type from an RFID tag, even if information about the paper thickness, size, and material is not set, for example, the image forming conditions according to the thickness, size, and material of the public postcard May be set. Of course, this is not limited to postcards, but can be applied to a medium in which the thickness, size material, etc. are not clear.
[0108]
[Modification 3]
When reading the IDs of the recording media, it is not necessary to read the IDs of all the recording media. For example, if the ID is 500 or more, it is determined that there is a sufficient recording medium, and the maximum number of readings is set. If this is the case, further IDs need not be read out. Also, the number exceeding the maximum readable number of the RFID tag reader circuit is not counted.
[0109]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the medium information about the print medium is read from the RFID tag (wireless tag) attached to the print medium, and a warning is output if it is determined to be inappropriate for image formation based on the medium information. It is possible to prevent erroneous image formation on a print medium other than a desired (that is, designated) print medium.
[0110]
Also, if it is determined that the print medium is the designated print medium based on the read medium information, the optimum condition for the recording medium is set by setting an optimum image forming condition for the print medium. Can form a high-quality image.
[0111]
Since information related to the number of print media can be displayed and a shortage of the remaining amount of print media can be output, it is possible to prevent the print media from being interrupted during image formation.
[0112]
Further, when the stack thickness of the print medium exceeds the thickness that can be bundled, such as staples, by outputting a warning to that effect, it is possible to form an image that meets the conditions for the post-processing process.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a control block diagram of an image forming unit embodying the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a structural sectional view of an image forming apparatus embodying the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the entire system of the image forming apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a peripheral device of the image forming apparatus;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an image processing unit;
FIG. 6 is a mounting diagram of an RFID tag mounted on a recording medium;
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of an RFID tag;
FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing an RFID read operation;
FIG. 9 is an address map diagram of an RFID memory unit;
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a read circuit that performs read control on RFID by wireless non-contact;
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of a carrier wave generated by a read circuit;
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an operation surface of an operation unit of the image forming apparatus;
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a procedure for reading the medium information from the RFID tag of the recording medium placed on the paper discharge tray and counting the quantity;
FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a printing process procedure;
FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a procedure for tab insertion processing.

Claims (1)

From an RFID tag having a non-volatile memory that can read information attached to a recording medium for printing, ID information of the RFID tag, manufacturer information, manufacturing date information, recording medium type information, and recording medium Reading means for reading thickness information;
Based on the number of the ID information read by the reading means, it is determined whether the recording medium is insufficient with respect to the required number of recording media required for the print job to be processed , and the manufacturer information is And determining whether the recording medium is a recommended recording medium, determining whether the recording medium has deteriorated over time based on the manufacturing date information, and determining whether the type of the recording medium is based on the type information of the recording medium. It is determined whether or not the type of the recording medium is set in advance, and the total thickness amount of the recording medium calculated based on the thickness information of the recording medium and the preset image forming mode and the total thickness amount that can be stapled are Based on the determination means for determining whether stapling is possible,
Based on the result of determination by the determination unit, the type of the recording medium is preset when the recording medium is insufficient, the recording medium is not a recommended recording medium, or the recording medium is deteriorated with time. An image forming apparatus comprising: a display unit that displays a warning when the type of recording medium does not match or when stapling is not possible.

Images